bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abstract LB344: Complement-mediated signaling during cross-presentation of tumor antigen augments T cell responses
Authors: Bird Caryn L. , Pacholczyk Gabriela A. , Johnson Theodore S.
Published: April 2023

Production of complement C3a and C5a locally at the immune synapse by activated dendritic cells (DCs) enhances T cell responses in multiple experimental models. Complement signaling through cognate C3a receptor (C3aR) and C5a receptor (C5aR) modulate effector T cell stability, proliferation and differentiation. We have previously shown that complement C3 plays a mechanistic role in driving synergistic anti-tumor effects of blocking indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) during radiation and chemotherapy in a murine brain tumor model that expresses the gp10025-33 peptide antigen. We hypothesize that, when anti-tumor responses are allowed to happen, complement C3 production by local DCs acts as a costimulation factor, operating through C3aR and C5aR on the T cell surface to allow optimal T cell activation and proliferation. To study the role of complement C3 as a costimulation factor during T cell responses against a nominal tumor antigen (gp10025-33 peptide, expressed by B16F10 melanoma), we used T cells from syngeneic pmel-1 mice (TCR transgenic with CD8 T cells that recognize the cross-presented gp10025-33 peptide) co-cultured with gp10025-33 peptide and dendritic cells from either wild-type (WT) or C3-defiecient (C3-KO) mice. In addition, we used in vitro culture conditions where gp10025-33 tumor peptide was in stringent limited supply to model homeostatic conditions of the tumor microenvironment. We found that, when stimulated by DCs from C3-KO mice, pmel-1 CD8 T cells had decreased activation marker expression, proliferation, and cytokine effector function relative to stimulation by DCs from WT mice. Next, we bred pmel-1 mice onto a syngeneic background deficient in receptors for both C3a and C5a complement factors (C3aR-KO/C5aR-KO double knock-out mice). We used CD8 T cells from the resulting mouse strain (pmel-1/C3aR-KO/C5aR-KO) co-cultured with WT DCs to study the role of complement signaling in T cells during responses to tumor antigen. Using the same stringent antigen conditions, CD8 T cells from the pmel-1/C3aR-KO/C5aR-KO mice had decreased activation marker expression and proliferation, and differences in cytokine function compared to CD8 T cells from the pmel-1 mice. These findings suggest that lack of local complement production by the DCs in the tumor microenvironment may inhibit anti-tumor immune responses, and that complement signaling through C3aR and C5aR on T cells may play an important role during such anti-tumor responses.

Citation Format: Caryn L. Bird, Gabriela A. Pacholczyk, Theodore S. Johnson. Complement-mediated signaling during cross-presentation of tumor antigen augments T cell responses [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 2 (Clinical Trials and Late-Breaking Research); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(8_Suppl):Abstract nr LB344.
Abstract LB352: KRAS inhibition enhances immunogenicity of KRASG12C colorectal cancer
Authors: Tian Jun , de la Cruz Ferran Fece , Burke Kelly , Oka Tomonori , Curtis Jacquelyn M. , Sindurakar Princy , Wong Edmond , Demehri Shadmehr , Sharpe Arlene , Corcoran Ryan
Published: April 2023

RAS mutations are the most common oncogenic mutations, present in >20% of human cancers. KRAS, the predominantly mutated isoform of RAS, is mutated in 40% of colorectal cancer (CRC), leading to constitutive activation of the MAPK (RAS/RAF) pathway and other downstream effectors. Due to the difficulty of targeting RAS, the first KRASG12C selective inhibitor has only been developed recently and approved by the FDA for non-small cell lung cancer. However, the inhibitor demonstrated much lower response rates in CRC (<20%) than other cancer types. Thus, developing effective therapies for KRAS mutant (KRASm) CRC still remains challenging. Oncogenic KRAS signaling has been shown to have immunosuppressive effects on tumor microenvironment, thus we hypothesized that KRAS inhibitor can indirectly enhance antitumor immunity, providing a rationale for their combination with immune checkpoint blockade. Indeed, using a syngeneic KRASG12C CRC mouse model with knockout of APC, TP53, SMAD4 and expressing KRASG12C, we observed significant increase in the percentage of CD3+CD8+ T cells as well as changes in myeloid populations in tumors treated with KRASG12C inhibitor compared with vehicle control. Combination of KRASG12C/PD-1 inhibition produced a more substantial and sustained reduction in tumor growth compared with KRAS or PD-1 inhibition alone. KRASG12C CRC mouse model represents a proper tool to study tumor cell-intrinsic mechanism of cooperativity between KRAS inhibition and immune response, since KRASG12C inhibitor targets KRASm tumor cells only without having direct effects on stromal and immune cells. Interestingly, we found tumor-intrinsic immune programs induction by KRAS/MAPK inhibition in KRASG12C CRC mouse models and patient-derived organoid models. We also found that KRASG12C inhibition upregulates T-cell recruiting chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10 via IRF1 in KRASm tumor cells, which might be one of the potential mechanisms underlying enhanced infiltration of CD3+CD8+ T cells. These data suggest a link between KRAS inhibition and anti-tumor immunity, thus provide insights into novel combination strategies for KRASG12C colorectal cancers.

Citation Format: Jun Tian, Ferran Fece de la Cruz, Kelly Burke, Tomonori Oka, Jacquelyn M. Curtis, Princy Sindurakar, Edmond Wong, Shadmehr Demehri, Arlene Sharpe, Ryan Corcoran. KRAS inhibition enhances immunogenicity of KRASG12C colorectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 2 (Clinical Trials and Late-Breaking Research); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(8_Suppl):Abstract nr LB352.
Hedgehog Signaling Regulates Treg to Th17 Conversion Through Metabolic Rewiring in Breast Cancer
Authors: Hinshaw Dominique C. , Benavides Gloria A. , Metge Brandon J. , Swain Courtney A. , Kammerud Sarah C. , Alsheikh Heba A. , Elhamamsy Amr , Chen Dongquan , Darley-Usmar Victor , Rathmell Jeffrey C. , Welner Robert S. , Samant Rajeev S. , Shevde Lalita A.
Published: April 2023

The tumor immune microenvironment dynamically evolves to support tumor growth and progression. Immunosuppressive regulatory T cells (Treg) promote tumor growth and metastatic seeding in patients with breast cancer. Deregulation of plasticity between Treg and Th17 cells creates an immune regulatory framework that enables tumor progression. Here, we discovered a functional role for Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in promoting Treg differentiation and immunosuppressive activity, and when Hh activity was inhibited, Tregs adopted a Th17-like phenotype complemented by an enhanced inflammatory profile. Mechanistically, Hh signaling promoted O-GlcNAc modifications of critical Treg and Th17 transcription factors, Foxp3 and STAT3, respectively, that orchestrated this transition. Blocking Hh reprogramed Tregs metabolically, dampened their immunosuppressive activity, and supported their transdifferentiation into inflammatory Th17 cells that enhanced the recruitment of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells into tumors. Our results demonstrate a previously unknown role for Hh signaling in the regulation of Treg differentiation and activity and the switch between Tregs and Th17 cells in the tumor microenvironment.
An Initial Experience of Completion Hemispherotomy via Magnetic Resonance-Guided Laser Interstitial Therapy
Authors: Ravindra Vijay M. , Ruggieri Lucia , Gadgil Nisha , Addison Angela P. , Patino Ilana , Gonda David D. , Chu Jason , Whitehead Laura , Anderson Anne , Diaz-Medina Gloria , Houck Kimberly , Katyayan Akshat , Masters Laura , Nath Audrey , Quach Michael , Riviello James John , Seto Elaine , Sully Krystal Elizabeth , Agurs Latanya , Sen Sonali , Handoko Maureen , Coorg Rohini , Ali Irfan , Ikeda Daniel , Weiner Howard , Curry Daniel J.
Published: April 2023

Introduction: In carefully selected patients with medically refractory epilepsy, disconnective hemispherotomy can result in significant seizure freedom; however, incomplete disconnection can result in ongoing seizures and poses a significant challenge. Completion hemispherotomy provides an opportunity to finish the disconnection. We describe the use of magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermal ablation (MRgLITT) for completion hemispherotomy. Methods: Patients treated with completion hemispherotomy using MRgLITT at our institution were identified. Procedural and seizure outcomes were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Five patients (3 males) underwent six MRgLITT procedures (one child treated twice) for completion hemispherotomy at a median age of 6 years (range 1.8–12.9). Two children had hemimegalencephaly, two had Rasmussen encephalitis, and one had polymicrogyria. All five children had persistent seizures likely secondary to incomplete disconnection after their functional hemispherotomy. The mean time from open hemispherotomy to MRgLITT was 569.5 ± 272.4 days (median 424, range 342–1,095). One patient underwent stereoelectroencephalography before MRgLITT. The mean number of ablation targets was 2.3 ± 0.47 (median 2, range 2–3). The mean length of the procedure was 373 min ± 68.9 (median 374, range 246–475). Four of the five patients were afforded improvement in their neurocognitive functioning and speech performance after ablation, with mean daily seizure frequency at 1 year of 1.03 ± 1.98 (median 0, range 0–5). Two patients achieved Engel Class I outcomes at 1 year after ablation, one was Engel Class III, and two were Engel Class IV. The mean follow-up time was 646.8 ± 179.5 days (median 634, range 384–918). No MRgLITT-related complications occurred. Delayed retreatment (>1 year) occurred in three patients: one child underwent redo ablation and two underwent anatomic hemispherectomy. Conclusion: We have demonstrated the feasibility of a minimally invasive approach for completion hemispherotomy using MRgLITT. Delayed retreatment was needed in three patients; thus, further study of this technique with comparison to other surgical techniques is warranted.
O diálogo entre materiais e a construção da desordem: em torno de Guerras civis: ilhas de desordem de Heiner Müller
Authors: Pupo Maria Lúcia de Souza Barros
Published: April 2023

A publicação de Ingrid Dormien Koudela, Guerras civis: ilhas de desordem de Heiner Müller (Perspectiva, 2021) é aqui apresentada, ressaltando-se a fragmentação textual, a intertextualidade e as possibilidades lúdicas que perpassam a dramaturgia do escritor e diretor teatral alemão.
Dramaturgia como performance alegórica
Authors: Koudela Ingrid Dormien
Published: April 2023

A dramaturgia vem sendo objeto de expansão que opera dentro da própria lógica de sua estrutura. Neste artigo, procuro demonstrar a história dos avanços estéticos que trazem em seu bojo implicações para a performance. Como método pedagógico e de encenação, suas características híbridas apontam o rompimento com inúmeros cânones do teatro tradicional. Uma performance alegórica parte de referências historicamente informadas, destacando que o texto e/ou a imagem deixa de ser uma figuração ilustrativa, tornando-se um espaço de jogo entre a alegoria e o imaginário do leitor, atuante ou espectador.
O fetiche da experiência no teatro
Authors: Fortes Tiago Moreira
Published: April 2023

Este artigo analisa o discurso de uma série de formadores de atuação – focando principalmente em Stanislavski – para decifrar os valores que aparecem com recorrência, e os modos como a experiência de atores e atrizes são subsumidas, ou seja, se adequam, se encaixam nesses valores. Será demonstrado como singularidade, verdade, organicidade, natureza e vida se tornam valores universais, princípios inquestionáveis que servem de parâmetro para deslegitimar certas experiências e converter outras em imperativo e fetiche, como elucida Jorge Larrosa.
Operating Room Nursing: Integration of Nurses into the Field
Authors: Kozina Begić Blaženka , Matić Ivica
Published: April 2023

The operating room is a specific workplace that requires operating room nurses to possess key competencies in the areas of perioperative healthcare, ethics, legislation, communication, and organizational skills, with continuous professional development through education and research. This knowledge will be acquired through basic and specialized training, which will continue to be integrated into the process in the field of perioperative care in a targeted manner. The need for immediate and effective action by nurses in the operating room in unpredictable situations requires them to respond appropriately, which requires knowledge and practice only possible through structured formal training. These trainings have clear learning outcomes and competencies for knowledge assessment procedures. The current challenge is poorly designed processes for integrating inexperienced staff into perioperative care without explicit requirements to complete perioperative specialist training.
Transcendence: A Defensible and Fruitful Concept for Religious Studies
Authors: DeJonge Michael P.
Published: April 2023

Scholars of religion who make use of the concept of transcendence are likely to encounter objections that this concept is too vague, too metaphysical, and too theological for use in Religious Studies. This article develops a differential-phenomenological concept of transcendence that is not susceptible to these charges and that, thanks to its complex logical structure, is potentially fruitful for use in Religious Studies.
Contributions of LOSC Jurisprudence to Reaching and Justifying a Negotiated Outcome – and Contributions of Negotiated Settlements to the Law of the Sea
Authors: Fife Rolf Einar
Published: April 2023

Releasing the full potential of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC) also requires concluding agreements – and an understanding of the dynamics behind reaching agreement. Legal reasoning in negotiations is not divorced from judicial reasoning. Justification by drawing upon the latter may be required in the fundamental process of overcoming disagreement. Jurisprudence may provide arguments of acceptability for negotiating States. Moreover, negotiations should not merely be dismissed as ‘bargaining under the shadow of the Convention’. Rather, they may be part of a broader interaction with contributions of the judiciary and indicate future paths for the Convention’s implementation. Furthermore, this may give rise to reflections on the roles of heuristics for negotiators and for policy- and decision-makers. This suggests revisiting the notion of legal policies of States – including how States should define unresolved issues and decide on the best timing and means for their effective resolution.
Space Diplomacy from an Astronaut’s Viewpoint
Authors: Yamazaki Naoko
Published: April 2023

Intergovernmental space diplomacy has played an essential role in human space activities. The International Space Station of low-Earth orbit and the Artemis programme to explore the moon and beyond are essential examples. Current noteworthy developments that are influencing space diplomacy include the following: (1) the number of governments that engage in human space activities has been increasing; and (2) inter-industry and grassroots co-operation has had a significant impact. We astronauts, and I believe anybody who aims to explore space, appreciate the value of norms in space, which assure a safe environment for our activities and secure future possibilities to expand our frontier to the moon and beyond.
The Construction of “Difference”: a Contextualization of Heunggongyahn Identification in the 1970s
Authors: Sio Alvis Ka-I
Published: April 2023

Taking the Hongkonger identity as an example of an overseas Chinese identity, this paper reviews the studies of “Hongkonger” identification. The idea of a “hybridized Hong Kong—Chinese identity,” raised by media scholar Anthony Fung, is critically examined. I criticize this idea for disregarding the sociocultural context in which it was constructed, specifically the role and political aim of the colonizer, and for overemphasizing the “Other” role of the Chinese. This paper thereby contextualizes the emergence of the Hongkonger identity in the 1970s in the colonial context, examining how the role and political agenda of the colonizer related to the changing consciousness of Hongkongers and the emergence of the Hongkonger identity. In more concrete terms, this paper focuses on how the so-called “MacLehose reform” encouraged the consciousness of the “Hongkonger” as a separate category from that of the “Chinese” by “civilizing” the people of Hong Kong.
New species of colorful tineids from Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam in the new genus Vangatinea (Lepidoptera: Tineidae: Erechthiinae)
Authors: HEPPNER JOHN B. , BAE YANG-SEOP
Published: April 2023

The new genus, Vangatinea gen. nov. (type-species: V. sontraensis sp. nov.), is described for three new species of colorful tineid moths from Southeast Asia: V. sontraensis sp. nov. (from coastal north central Vietnam), V. panghapha sp. nov. (from northwestern Thailand), and V. cambodiensis sp. nov. (from southwestern Cambodia). The new genus is tentatively assigned to the tineid subfamily Erechthiinae.
A new species of Mycomya Rondani, 1856 (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) common to southeast Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand
Authors: KERR D. STEVEN , THOMPSON SHAUN , KERR PETER H.
Published: April 2023

Mycomya quadrimaculata sp. nov. is described from specimens collected in southeast Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. A key and type photographs of known Australian and New Zealand Mycomya species are provided. The relative abundance, observed distribution, and morphological affinities of the new species suggests that it is adventive and a recent introduction to New Zealand. Wing characters indicate that the new species is most closely aligned with a subgroup of the Australian Mycomya fauna.
O3ResNet: A Deep Learning–Based Forecast System to Predict Local Ground-Level Daily Maximum 8-Hour Average Ozone in Rural and Suburban Environments
Authors: Leufen Lukas Hubert , Kleinert Felix , Schultz Martin G.
Published: April 2023

With the impact of tropospheric ozone pollution on humankind, there is a compelling need for robust air quality forecasts. Here, we introduce a novel deep learning (DL) forecasting system called O3ResNet that produces a 4-day forecast for ground-level ozone. O3ResNet is based on a convolutional neural network with residual blocks. The model has been trained on 22 yr of ozone and nitrogen oxides in situ measurements and ERA5 reanalysis data from 2000 to 2021 at 328 stations in central Europe located in rural and suburban environments. Our model outperforms the state-of-the-art Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service regional forecast model ensemble for ground-level ozone with respect to the mean-square error and mean absolute error of the daily maximum 8-h running-average ozone, thus marking a major milestone for DL-based ozone prediction. O3ResNet has a very small bias without requiring additional postprocessing, and it generalizes well so that new stations can be added with no need to retrain the neural network. Because the model works on hourly data, it can be easily adapted to output other air quality metrics. We conclude that O3ResNet is sufficiently advanced and robust to become a test application for operational air quality forecasting with DL.

Significance Statement

In this paper, we introduce a novel deep learning approach to forecast ground-level ozone for rural and suburban environments on a local scale. Our model is able to outperform the state-of-the-art Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service regional ensemble forecast and is a major milestone toward a more reliable ozone prediction. This is important because local-scale ozone forecasts using conventional methods show significant bias or require site-dependent postprocessing. The findings suggest that the model presented in this article can become an important tool for air quality prediction.
Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence for Environmental Sciences: An Innovative Approach for Summer School
Authors: McGovern Amy , Gagne David John , Wirz Christopher D. , Ebert-Uphoff Imme , Bostrom Ann , Rao Yuhan , Schumacher Andrea , Flora Montgomery , Chase Randy , Mamalakis Antonios , McGraw Marie , Lagerquist Ryan , Redmon Robert J. , Peterson Taysia
Published: April 2023

Many of our generation’s most pressing environmental science problems are wicked problems, which means they cannot be cleanly isolated and solved with a single “correct” answer. The NSF AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography (AI2ES) seeks to address such problems by developing synergistic approaches with a team of scientists from three disciplines: environmental science (including atmospheric, ocean, and other physical sciences), artificial intelligence (AI), and social science including risk communication. As part of our work, we developed a novel approach to summer school, held from 27 to 30 June 2022. The goal of this summer school was to teach a new generation of environmental scientists how to cross disciplines and develop approaches that integrate all three disciplinary perspectives and approaches in order to solve environmental science problems. In addition to a lecture series that focused on the synthesis of AI, environmental science, and risk communication, this year’s summer school included a unique “trust-a-thon” component where participants gained hands-on experience applying both risk communication and explainable AI techniques to pretrained machine learning models. We had 677 participants from 63 countries register and attend online. Lecture topics included trust and trustworthiness (day 1), explainability and interpretability (day 2), data and workflows (day 3), and uncertainty quantification (day 4). For the trust-a-thon, we developed challenge problems for three different application domains: 1) severe storms, 2) tropical cyclones, and 3) space weather. Each domain had associated user persona to guide user-centered development.
A New Method for Postprocessing Numerical Weather Predictions Using Quantile Mapping in the Frequency Domain
Authors: Jiang Ze , Johnson Fiona
Published: April 2023

Improving lead time for forecasting floods is important to minimize property damage and ensure the safety of the public and emergency services during flood events. Numerical weather prediction (NWP) models are important components of flood forecasting systems and have been vital in extending forecasting lead time under complex weather and terrain conditions. However, NWP forecasts still have significant uncertainty associated with the precipitation fields that are the main inputs of the hydrologic models and thus the resulting flood forecasts. An issue often overlooked is the importance of correctly representing variability over a range of different temporal scales. To address this gap, here a new wavelet-based method for postprocessing NWP precipitation forecasts is proposed. First, precipitation forecasts are decomposed into the frequency domain using a wavelet transform, providing estimates of the amplitudes and phases of the time series at different frequencies. Quantile mapping is then used to correct bias in the amplitudes of each frequency. Randomized phases are used to generate an ensemble of realizations of the precipitation forecasts. The postprocessed precipitation forecasts are reconstructed by taking the inverse of adjusted time-frequency decompositions with the corrected amplitudes and randomized phases. The proposed method was used to postprocess NWP precipitation forecasts in the Sydney region of Australia. There is a significant improvement in postprocessed precipitation forecasts across multiple time scales in terms of bias and temporal and spatial correlation structures. The postprocessed precipitation fields can be used for the modeling of fully distributed hydrologic systems, improving runoff stimulation, flood depth estimation, and flood early warning.

Significance Statement

A new method accounting for the timing and spatial errors of NWP precipitation forecasts is proposed, and it can improve the skill of forecasts across multiple time scales, especially at short lead times. The proposed method provides a practical and effective way to correct these errors by incorporating spatiotemporal neighborhood information through the frequency domain using sophisticated wavelet transforms. With systematic timing and spatial errors removed, precipitation forecasts will be more skillful, and hydrological modeling using the postprocessed forecasts can provide higher accuracy of streamflow estimation.
Canada is No Exception: The 2022 Freedom Convoy, Political Entanglement, and Identity-Driven Protest
Authors: Gillies Jamie , Raynauld Vincent , Wisniewski Angela
Published: April 2023

Canada has been relatively immune to grassroots-driven populist political forces in recent years despite global shifts toward a mainstreaming of nationalist identity-driven politics. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic coupled with other shifts in the Canadian and international political landscapes, have changed this dynamic. This article takes interest in the 2022 Freedom Convoy—also known as Convoi de la liberté in French—through the lens of Canadian political as well as science and health-based communication. The protesters’ actions, and the subsequent political response, suggest an increased political entanglement with both protest movements and identity-driven political communications and messaging.
A Systematic Review of Existential Concerns in Borderline Personality Disorder
Authors: Liu Candy T. X. , Menzies Rachel E. , Menzies Ross G.
Published: April 2023

Background:

Existential philosophy and psychotherapy focuses on the “givens” of human experience, including feelings of meaninglessness, isolation, death anxiety, and concerns surrounding identity and freedom. Although borderline personality disorder (BPD) is arguably characterized by issues in a number of these domains, it has not been systematically examined through the lens of existential therapy.

Method:

The current systematic review included 37 articles which examined existential concerns in relation to BPD.

Results:

These articles highlighted the predominance of chronic identity and isolation-related concerns in BPD, as well as the potential role of meaning in buffering against the distress of BPD, such as suicidality and comorbid depressive features.

Implications:

The implications of existential phenomenological findings in the conceptualization of BPD, treatment and future existential research are discussed.
Peer Attachment Style Moderates the Effect of Mood on Creativity
Authors: Chen Yingcong , Luo Suping , Wang Ling , Miao Huiting , Xi Rongrong , Luo Zheng , Wang Zhenhong
Published: April 2023

The present study investigated the moderating role of peer attachment style in the relationship between mood and creativity. An experiment was conducted with a sample of 267 undergraduate students ( Mage = 19.85, range = 17–24 years). First, participants’ peer attachment style was measured, following which positive, neutral, or negative mood was induced; subsequently, two creative tasks were conducted. A MANOVA revealed significant interactions between peer attachment and mood. Specifically, for secure participants, creativity was significantly higher in the positive mood state compared to the neutral and negative mood states; for insecure participants, the effect of positive mood was not pronounced. Moreover, negative mood exerted a significant beneficial effect on the originality dimension for participants with an anxious-ambivalent peer attachment style; they showed higher creativity in the negative mood state than in the neutral or positive mood states. In general, peer attachment style moderated the relationship between mood and creativity; specifically, positive mood was beneficial to creativity among secure persons, and negative mood was beneficial to creativity among anxious-ambivalent persons.
Building Program Evaluation Capacity Through an Online Training for Graduate Students at Schools and Programs of Public Health
Authors: Hemingway Bree L. , Balingit Reener M. , Donaldson Stewart I.
Published: April 2023

Objectives:

Program evaluation is an essential function for public health professionals that is necessary to acquire funding for public health programs and support evidenced-based practice, but coverage of program evaluation principles and methodology within the master of public health (MPH) curriculum is inconsistent and may not adequately prepare students to conduct program evaluation activities postgraduation, especially on culturally responsive program evaluation. We examined the effectiveness of an online training course on program evaluation topics.

Methods:

In July 2021, we recruited current and recently graduated MPH students from accredited US universities to measure the effectiveness of a 1-hour online training course in program evaluation. We distributed pre- and postsurveys to eligible participants. We assessed program evaluation skills on a 4-point Likert scale to determine improvements in knowledge (from 4 = extremely knowledgeable to 1 = not knowledgeable), attitudes (from 4 = strongly agree to 1 = strongly disagree), and self-efficacy (from 4 = strongly agree to 1 = strongly disagree).

Results:

Among 80 MPH students who completed the survey, respondents indicated mean (SD) increases from presurvey to postsurvey in knowledge (from 2.13 [0.66] to 3.24 [0.54]) and attitudes (from 3.61 [0.51] to 3.84 [0.30]) toward program evaluation and in self-efficacy in conducting program evaluation (from 2.92 [0.71] to 3.44 [0.52]).

Conclusion:

The course may be an effective approach for training public health professionals about program evaluation. Our results provide a basis for revising the way program evaluation is taught and practical recommendations for integrating program evaluation competencies within public health curricula, such as by incorporating a self-paced training course for continuing education.
What Matters for Improving the Success Rates of Different Cohorts of Community College Students?
Authors: Wassmer Robert , Galloway Meredith
Published: April 2023

Objective: Six-year cohort completion rates calculated for California community college students—who declared their goal to obtain a certificate, associate degree, or become university transfer ready—averaged just below 50% for cohorts entering the fall semesters between 2007 and 2011. The range of this completion rate varied from 23% to 67%. This study’s objective is to investigate how institutional choices at a community college influence the completion rates of different types of student cohorts after controlling for factors outside of the college’s control. Method: We use panel-data regression analysis to understand what contributes to these variations in a community college’s cohort completion rate. Results: Our results indicate that colleges prioritizing larger class sizes and fewer credit sections exhibit higher student cohort completion rates. We also find that an academic assistance program directed to low-income students boosts cohort completion rates for eligible students and generates positive spillover effects for their ineligible peers. Likely to create much discussion is our finding that an increase in faculty percentage with full-time status benefits academically unprepared and economically disadvantaged cohorts but not prepared and advantaged ones. Contribution: The primary contribution of this analysis is that college-specific policies on delivering education, over which college administrators have some control, can result in disparate impacts on different types of student cohort completion rates.
The Housing Project of Well Hall Garden Suburb and the Production of Spaces in First World War Britain
Authors: Mond Havardi Assaf
Published: April 2023

“Mother went in to work tonight, how I hate her on Sunday work!,” wrote fourteen years old Kathleen Biddlecombe in her diary, on Sunday, January 13, 1918. Kathleen and her family lived on 6 Cobbett Road, London, in Well Hall Garden Suburb—mostly known today as Progress Estate. Built between January and December 1915, in the first year of the First World War, the estate provided some 1,086 houses and 212 flats for the munition workers of the nearby Royal Arsenal factory in Woolwich. This article examines the First World War history of this housing project, by focusing on the diary of young Kathleen. Using the works of Henri Lefebvre and Michel de Certueau, the article probes the tensions between the ways this space was planned and built—in accordance with the agenda of the Garden City Movement—and the ways it was produced and used by its inhabitants during the war. It uncovers the production of space by the people whose houses were built along the Well Hall Road, where Route 44 of the Tram stopped to take them to and from the munition factory.
The influence of social norms on expressing sympathy in social media
Authors: Graf-Drasch Valerie , Gimpel Henner , Bonenberger Lukas , Blaß Marlene
Published: April 2023

Increasingly, people are turning to social media to express grief. By and large, however, the social media community can do little more than improvise reactions, not quite sure how to use the old familiar social scripts as guides to lending effective support. To examine the role of social media in the grieving process, we used a mixed-methods approach: 12 interviews with “social media grievers” reveal the expectations of the bereaved regarding other users’ behavior. By way of two online experiments with 1058 participants, we tested how these expectations are met by the messaging of social media providers in accordance with social norm theory. We found that injunctive social norm messages are particularly effective, whereas descriptive social norm messages vary in their effectiveness, depending on which information is presented and how prominently so. What our study shows, then, is that both are potent socio-technical tools that can guide users towards more empathetic behavior when dealing with the bereaved, so while social media may not be a substitute for therapy, they can offer profound comfort for those of us dealing with bereavement and grief.
A Qualitative Exploration of General Practitioners’ Treatment Decision-Making for Depressive Symptoms
Authors: Stallman Alex , Sheeran Nicola , Boschen Mark
Published: April 2023

Background

General practitioners (GPs) provide the most antidepressant prescriptions and psychologist referrals in Australia, yet little is known about how they decide between treatments for depressive symptoms.

Aims

This study examined the decision cues that GPs use when deciding how to treat depressive symptoms and the meaning they attribute to these associations.

Methods

Structured interviews were conducted with 16 Australian GPs in a “think-aloud” verbal protocol analysis format. The transcripts were analyzed using content coding and thematic analysis, informed by the dual processes model of decision making.

Results

Participants associated prescribing antidepressants with severe depressive symptoms, and psychologist referrals were the preferred initial treatment provided patients were willing to engage. Four main themes emerged from the thematic analysis: 1) psychologist as default, 2) the risk is just too high, 3) medication as supplement , and 4) drivers of antidepressants. Contrary to previous findings, participants identified a strong heuristic association between depressive symptoms and psychologist referral. Antidepressant prescription was associated with severe symptoms, higher risk, and a cluster of cues that lead them away from psychologist referral.

Conclusions

Participants demonstrated an oversensitivity to depressive symptom severity, associating psychologist referrals with subclinical depressive symptoms, and starting antidepressants for suicidal ideation and significant functional decline.

Highlights

Psychologist referrals were the default preference for GPs when treating depressive symptoms, whereas antidepressants were reserved for patients with elevated risk from severe depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Participants’ conceptualization of depression severity was oversensitive compared with treatment guidelines. Contrary to treatment guidelines, GPs in this study demonstrated their discomfort for referring patients with suicidal ideation to a psychologist without initiating antidepressants. GPs should consider whether patients within their mild to moderate assessment range can be treated exclusively with more cost-effective means than psychological therapy such as e-mental health programs, guided self-help, and lifestyle changes alone.
Clinical Application of Nasal Nitric Oxide Measurement
Authors: Carraro S. , Cutrone C. , Cardarelli C. , Zanconato S. , Baraldi E.
Published: April 2023

Nitric oxide is present in high concentration in the upper respiratory tract. The main source of this gaseous molecule is the paranasal sinus epithelium. The physiological role of this mediator is to contribute to local host defense, modulate ciliary motility and serve as an aerocrine mediator in helping to maintain adequate ventilation-perfusion matching in the lung. Abnormal values of nasal NO (nNO) have been reported in different pathological conditions of the respiratory tract. Reduced nNO values have been recorded in subjects with acute and chronic sinusitis, cystic fibrosis and nasal polyps. Particularly low concentrations have been described in children with primary ciliary dyskinesia, so nNO measurement has been proposed as a reliable screening test for this chronic lung disease.
Rhinosinusitis Management in Pediatrics: An Overview
Authors: Esposito S. , Principi N.
Published: April 2023

Rhinosinusitis is an inflammation of one or more paranasal sinuses, usually caused by an infection. The clinical appearance of rhinosinusitis may be heterogeneous and change with patient age, the duration of symptoms and, above all, the seriousness of the illness. The diagnosis of rhinosinusitis should only be based on anamnestic and clinical criteria in children with serious or persistent symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, or which appear within a short time of an apparent recovery. Imaging studies are not usually necessary to confirm a diagnosis of uncomplicated acute bacterial rhinosinusitis. Paranasal sinus computed tomography or magnetic resonance and optical fibre rhinoscopy are required in severe cases that do not respond to antibiotic therapy. Antibiotics are recommended in cases of mild acute bacterial rhinosinusitis as a means of accelerating the resolution of symptoms, and they are mandatory in severe acute cases in order to cure the disease and avoid the possible onset of severe complications.
Practices of disobedience and clandestine citizenships: A proposal towards an anarchist theory of art
Authors: Lugo Pablo Angel
Published: April 2023

This article will analyse the relations between anarchism and artistic practices. The relationship between anarchy and art has been well documented ever since political anarchism was first defined and includes Gustave Courbet’s painting Proudhon and his daughters from 1865, Victor Hugo’s letters about demolishing La Bastille, the Second Spanish Republic, and the Mexican Revolutionary Anarchist press and engraving workshops. All these paths and possibilities, including a belligerent use of art and the social permissiveness intrinsic to it, are used by many artists to highlight political or social issues from an anarchist perspective. The actions of anarchist artists have gone beyond the production of pieces of art: plastic mechanisms of disobedience provide alternatives by which to improve life. The limit between artistic fiction and everyday life has been deleted by creative and radical works which transgress legal norms and generate disobedient practices which offer clandestine citizenships as an alternative. This is the spirit of anarchist art.
Advanced non-linear ultrasonic sideband peak count-index technique for efficient detection and monitoring of defects in composite plates
Authors: Alnuaimi Hamad N , Amjad Umar , Russo Pietro , Lopresto Valentina , Kundu Tribikram
Published: April 2023

Increasing the service life and therefore the efficiency of a structure can be achieved by implementing appropriate Non-Destructive Testing and Evaluation techniques. Detecting and monitoring of defects is not always feasible when using Linear Ultrasonic techniques especially at the initiation stage of damage. In this investigation, a new Non-Linear Ultrasonic method is developed by properly tuning the standard Sideband Peak Count-Index (SPC-I) technique and will be called tuned SPC-I technique. It is shown that the tuned SPC-I technique is more efficient for detecting defect initiation and defect progression at both micro- and macro-scales. The efficiency of the tuned SPC-I technique is demonstrated by monitoring impact induced damage progression in glass fiber reinforced composite plates. This tuned SPC-I technique is shown to be very sensitive to defects at the micro-scale level and it remains sensitive to larger defects as the micro-cracks coalesce to form macro-cracks whereas other Non-Linear Ultrasonic techniques start to lose their sensitivity for larger cracks. By properly tuning the SPC-I technique it can be used for various materials/geometries for monitoring non-linearity generated by micro and macro scale damages. This is achieved by experimentally tuning the most sensitive frequency for the SPC-I analysis using a pristine specimen. This sensitive frequency is then used to detect and monitor defects. Once defects progress to form macro-cracks, the specimen properties are altered causing a shift of the sensitive frequency and allowing continued monitoring of the defects. Glass fiber composite plate specimens that are impacted with increasing impact energies (0J, 5J, 10J, 20J, 30J, 40J, and 50J) are investigated. It is determined that by using the approach discussed above, it is possible to robustly detect impact damage, monitor the progression of impact damage at both micro- and macro-scales by shifting the tuned frequency.
Strategic Reforms in the Higher Education Research Ecosystem in India
Authors: Chakrabarty Arindam , Singh Anil Kumar
Published: April 2023

Higher education is the refinement of teaching–learning and research acumen. It is the epitome of a learning system before entering the job market or venturing into new start-ups. Various studies indicate that the growth of an economy is positively associated with development in the higher education ecosystem. The state-run institutions have their inherent stereotypical challenges for propelling the essence of excellence. Barring a few, the mushrooming of private institutions has diluted its holistic objectives at par with the national standards. The quality outcome of higher education research brings momentum to all the development vectors across society, nation and the global community. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in developing countries have failed to secure top positions in various global rankings, causing concern for all stakeholders. This paper attempts to develop a comprehensive strategic model best suited to developing nations like India that can transform the higher education ecosystem par excellence to the apex institutions across the globe. The paper strongly suggests establishing a unitary institution that would pool the best talents from the existing HEIs through a stringent and unbiased scoring instrument that would augment the quality of life, resurgence of the economy, superior Human Development Index and sustainable development.
Identifying highly active anti-CCR4 CAR T cells for the treatment of T-cell lymphoma
Authors: Watanabe Keisuke , Gomez Angela M. , Kuramitsu Shunichiro , Siurala Mikko , Da Tong , Agarwal Sangya , Song Decheng , Scholler John , Rotolo Antonia , Posey Avery D. , Rook Alain H. , Haun Paul L. , Ruella Marco , Young Regina M. , June Carl H.
Published: April 2023

A challenge when targeting T-cell lymphoma with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is that target antigens are often shared between T cells and tumor cells, resulting in fratricide between CAR T cells and on-target cytotoxicity on normal T cells. CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) is highly expressed in many mature T-cell malignancies, such as adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), and has a unique expression profile in normal T cells. CCR4 is predominantly expressed by type-2 and type-17 helper T cells (Th2 and Th17) and regulatory T cells (Treg), but it is rarely expressed by other T helper (Th) subsets and CD8+ cells. Although fratricide in CAR T cells is generally thought to be detrimental to anticancer functions, in this study, we demonstrated that anti-CCR4 CAR T cells specifically depleted Th2 and Tregs, while sparing CD8+ and Th1 T cells. Moreover, fratricide increased the percentage of CAR+ T cells in the final product. CCR4-CAR T cells were characterized by high transduction efficiency, robust T-cell expansion, and rapid fratricidal depletion of CCR4-positive T cells during CAR transduction and expansion. Furthermore, mogamulizumab-based CCR4-CAR T cells induced superior antitumor efficacy and long-term remission in mice engrafted with human T-cell lymphoma cells. In summary, CCR4–depleted anti-CCR4 CAR T cells are enriched in Th1 and CD8+ T cells and exhibit high antitumor efficacy against CCR4–expressing T-cell malignancies.
Posttransplant MRD and T-cell chimerism status predict outcomes in patients who received allografts for AML/MDS
Authors: Loke Justin , McCarthy Nicholas , Jackson Aimee , Siddique Shamyla , Hodgkinson Andrea , Mason John , Crawley Charles , Gilleece Maria , Peniket Andrew , Protheroe Rachel , Salim Rahuman , Tholouli Eleni , Wilson Keith , Andrew Georgia , Dillon Richard , Khan Naeem , Potter Victoria , Krishnamurthy Pramila , Craddock Charles , Freeman Sylvie
Published: April 2023

Allogeneic stem-cell transplant allows for the delivery of curative graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia/myelodysplasia (AML/MDS). Surveillance of T-cell chimerism, measurable residual disease (MRD) and blast HLA-DR expression may inform whether GVL effectiveness is reduced. We report here the prognostic impact of these biomarkers in patients allografted for AML/MDS. One hundred eighty-seven patients from FIGARO, a randomized trial of reduced-intensity conditioning regimens in AML/MDS, were alive and relapse-free at the first MRD time-point and provided monitoring samples for flow cytometric MRD and T-cell chimerism, requested to month+12. Twenty-nine (15.5%) patients had at least 1 MRD-positive result posttransplant. MRD-positivity was associated with reduced overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio [HR], 2.18; P = .0028) as a time-varying Cox variable and remained significant irrespective of pretransplant MRD status in multivariate analyses (P < .001). Ninety-four patients had sequential MRD with T-cell chimerism results at months+3/+6. Patients with full donor T-cell chimerism (FDTC) had an improved OS as compared with patients with mixed donor T-cell chimerism (MDTC) (adjusted HR=0.4; P = .0019). In patients with MDTC (month+3 or +6), MRD-positivity was associated with a decreased 2-year OS (34.3%) vs MRD-negativity (71.4%) (P = .001). In contrast, in the group with FDTC, MRD was infrequent and did not affect the outcome. Among patients with posttransplant MRD-positivity, decreased HLA-DR expression on blasts significantly reduced OS, supporting this as a mechanism for GVL escape. In conclusion, posttransplant MRD is an important predictor of the outcome in patients allografted for AML/MDS and is most informative when combined with T-cell chimerism results, underlining the importance of a GVL effect in AML/MDS.