bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Forward genetics and functional analysis highlight Itga11 as a modulator of murine psoriasiform dermatitis
Authors: Bieber Katja , Bezdek Siegfried , Gupta Yask , Vorobyev Artem , Sezin Tanya , Gross Natalie , Prüssmann Jasper , Sayegh Jean‐Paul , Becker Mareike , Mousavi Sadegh , Hdnah Ashref , Künzel Sven , Ibrahim Saleh M , Ludwig Ralf J , Gullberg Donald , Sadik Christian D
Published: August 2023

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition. Repeated epicutaneous application of Aldara® (imiquimod) cream results in psoriasiform dermatitis in mice. The Aldara®‐induced psoriasiform dermatitis (AIPD) mouse model has been used to examine the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Here, we used a forward genetics approach in which we compared AIPD that developed in 13 different inbred mouse strains to identify genes and pathways that modulated disease severity. Among our primary results, we found that the severity of AIPD differed substantially between different strains of inbred mice and that these variations were associated with polymorphisms in Itga11. The Itga11 gene encodes the integrin α11 subunit that heterodimerizes with the integrin β1 subunit to form integrin α11β1. Less information is available about the function of ITGA11 in skin inflammation; however, a role in the regulation of cutaneous wound healing, specifically the development of dermal fibrosis, has been described. Experiments performed with Itga11 gene‐deleted (Itga11−/−) mice revealed that the integrin α11 subunit contributes substantially to the clinical phenotype as well as the histopathological and molecular findings associated with skin inflammation characteristic of AIPD. Although the skin transcriptomes of Itga11−/− and WT mice do not differ from one another under physiological conditions, distinct transcriptomes emerge in these strains in response to the induction of AIPD. Most of the differentially expressed genes contributed to extracellular matrix organization, immune system, and metabolism of lipids pathways. Consistent with these findings, we detected a reduced number of fibroblasts and inflammatory cells, including macrophages, T cells, and tissue‐resident memory T cells in skin samples from Itga11−/− mice in response to AIPD induction. Collectively, our results reveal that Itga11 plays a critical role in promoting skin inflammation in AIPD and thus might be targeted for the development of novel therapeutics for psoriasiform skin conditions. © 2023 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Buds, clusters, and transitions in 21st century colorectal carcinoma: revolution or reinvention?†
Authors: Feakins Roger M , Loughrey Maurice B , Silver Andrew
Published: August 2023

Tumour budding (TB) describes single or small groups of neoplastic cells that lack continuity with an advancing tumour front. Poorly differentiated clusters (PDCs) are larger and qualitatively different. TB grade and PDCs may predict a worse outcome in colorectal carcinoma and other cancers and fall into the category of ‘invasive front prognostic markers’ that also includes intratumoural stroma type. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) allows the adoption by epithelial cells of mesenchymal characteristics such as dyscohesion, migration, and stromal invasion. TB and PDCs harbor alterations in EMT‐related proteins and RNAs and may be morphological manifestations of EMT. However, persistence of epithelioid features and absence of a full complement of typical alterations in TB and PDCs may indicate ‘partial EMT’, i.e. an intermediate/hybrid state. Recently, Pavlič et al asserted that TB and PDCs in colorectal cancer represent different manifestations of partial EMT and, perhaps controversially, that TB is closer than PDCs to complete transition. In clinical practice, low inter‐observer agreement for invasive front prognostic markers is a potential problem. The UK colorectal cancer pathology dataset advises assessment of TB and recommends the use of an international consensus system, but time will tell if we are adopting reliable prognostic markers or reinventing the wheel. Additional studies of TB, PDCs, and EMT will presumably allow greater insight into their role in tumour development and progression. © 2023 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Influence of particle granulometry and panel composition on the physico‐mechanical properties of ultra‐low‐density hemp hurd particleboard
Authors: Fehrmann Johannes , Belleville Benoit , Ozarska Barbara , Gutowski Wojciech (Voytek) S. , Wilson David
Published: August 2023

This study investigated Australian hemp hurd (Cannabis sativa L., “Frog One”) as a lignocellulosic raw material for ultra‐low‐density hemp particleboard (ULHPB) with densities ranging from 213 to 309 kg/m3. The hurd was first milled and fractionated into three particle size categories, that is, fine (F), medium (M), and coarse (C). Twelve unique ULHPB variants were then fabricated comprising varying particle loadings from four particle size mixes, that is, 100% C, 100% M, 50%/50% CM, 25%/50%/25% CMF, and adhesive contents of bio‐epoxy (EPX), phenol resorcinol formaldehyde (PRF), and emulsifiable methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), respectively. The panel assessments, conducted in accordance with the Australian reconstituted wood‐based panels standard AS/NZS 1859.1 (2017), revealed a significant effect of particle dimension on most physico‐mechanical properties. Furthermore, the resination method and pressing temperature controlled post‐cure panel expansion and additional panel characteristics. Notably, MDI‐ULHPB exhibited drastically different behavior and properties compared to EPX and PRF equivalents, demonstrating greater bending strength, stiffness, screw withdrawal strength, and dimensional stability. Importantly, all MDI variants conformed to the 15% thickness swelling limit for moisture resistant particleboard. Surface lamination of MDI‐bonded ULHPB with sheets of aluminum, Masonite, and Kraft liner significantly improved the inherently low flexural properties, suggesting the potential suitability of ULHPB as a core layer in lightweight sandwich composite panels. The integration of agricultural by‐products, such as hemp hurd, into engineered building materials presents a promising opportunity to mitigate the depletion of finite timber resources and aligns well with circular economy principles.

Highlights

Utilizing agricultural residue as sustainable raw material in building products.

Hemp hurd enables ultra‐low‐density particleboard with thermosetting resins.

Coarse particle size mix enhances mechanical performance in panels.

Panel characteristics controlled by resination method and pressing temperature.

Lamination enhances functionality of lightweight hemp hurd sandwich panel.
An in vitro evaluation of the biocompatibility of proline‐alanine‐serine peptides compared with polyethylene glycol and polyglycerol
Authors: Zhang Qianyu , Chen Hongjing , Chen Huali
Published: August 2023

PASylation has been recently reported as a feasible alternative to PEGylation, which in essence is using polypeptides constituted of a combination of proline, alanine and serine for the hydrophilic modification of pharmaceuticals. In this work, we focused on the biocompatibility evaluation of two PAS peptides, (PAS)8 and (PA3)7 as well as the more frequently used polymers polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyglycerol (PG). It has been verified in this study that (PAS)8 and (PA3)7 both exhibited low cell toxicity against HUVEC and RAW 264.7 cell lines. They also showed negligible RBC hemolysis and agglutination, which demonstrated adequate hemocompatibility. Their potential interactions with bovine serum albumin have also been investigated, and the results indicated little hydrophobic interactions between the polymers and protein. In conclusion, (PAS)8 and (PA3)7 as well as PEG and PG all showed considerable compatibility and safety in these studies, suggesting that (PAS)8 and (PA3)7 could be considered as potential candidates for PEG replacement in future studies.
Delineation of the distinct inflammatory signaling roles of TAK1 and JAK1/3 in the CIA model of rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Freeze Robert , Yang Kelly W. , Haystead Timothy , Hughes Philip , Scarneo Scott
Published: August 2023

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex autoimmune disease characterized by hyperactive immune cells within the joints, which leads to inflammation, bone degeneration, and chronic pain. For several decades, frontline immunomodulators such as the anti‐tumor necrosis factor (TNF) biologics adalimumab (Humira), etanercept (Enbrel), and infliximab (Remicade) have successfully managed disease progression for many patients. However, over time, patients become refractory to these treatments requiring chronic disease to be managed with conventional and more problematic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs such as methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine, and corticosteroids. Due to the large proportion of patients who continue to fail on frontline biologic therapies, there remains an unmet need to derive novel alternative targets with improved efficacy and safety profiles to treat RA. Recent advances in the field have defined novel targets that play important roles in RA pathology, including the Janus activated kinase (JAK) and transforming growth factor beta activated kinase‐1 (TAK1). Although three inhibitors of the JAK signaling pathway have been approved for the treatment of moderately to severely active RA in patients who failed on one or more anti‐TNFs, at present, no FDA approved TAK1 treatments exist. Our recent discovery of a highly potent and selective, orally bioavailable TAK1 inhibitor has provided insight into the therapeutic potential of this protein kinase as a novel target for RA. Here, we show the distinct cytokine signaling of tofacitnib (Xeljanz; JAK1/3 inhibitor) compared to HS‐276 (TAK1 inhibitor) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenged THP‐1 cells. Furthermore, in the collagen induced arthritis pre‐clinical mouse model of RA, both tofacintib and HS‐276 attenuated disease activity score and inflammatory cytokines in the serum. Overall, our results delineate the distinct cytokine signaling of JAK1/3 and TAK1 targeted therapies in vitro and in vivo and suggest that selective TAK1 inhibitors may provide superior therapeutic relief in RA with fewer adverse events.
Monitoring autocorrelated multivariate multiple linear profiles
Authors: Wang Yi‐Hua Tina , Zhan Shu‐Han
Published: August 2023

If the quality of a process can be represented by a functional relationship, a collection of this quality data is called a profile. In monitoring schemes, profile monitoring is used to evaluate the stability of a relationship. In some applications, quality data collected from continuous processes have time correlations and can thus be characterized by a linear relationship between more than one response and explanatory variables. Therefore, we investigate this type of multivariate multiple linear regression model with between‐profile correlations in this study. We propose two exponentially weighted moving average control charts for monitoring the regression parameters and the covariance matrix of the model. Our simulation results reveal that our proposed scheme has satisfactory performance in terms of the average run length and standard deviation run length criteria. Finally, we present an example using real data to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed scheme.
The Linkage‐Moderated Covalent Organic Frameworks with C=N and NN on Charge Transfer Kinetics Towards the Robust Photocatalytic Hydrogen Activity
Authors: Wu Haiyang , He Xuan , Du Xing , Wang Daheng , Li Weixin , Chen Hui , Fang Wei , Zhao Lei
Published: August 2023

Since the linkages structured in covalent organic frameworks (COFs) usually impact the charge transfer behavior during photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (pc‐HER), linkage dependence on charge transfer kinetics should be further claimed. Herein, COFs with N‐based linkages and pyrene‐based building nodes are constructed to enable us to obtain new clues about the charge transfer behavior and evolution tendency relevant to linkages at a molecular level for pc‐HER. It is demonstrated that photo‐excited electrons preferably move to the N sites in C=N linkage for pc‐HER and are trapped around NN linkage as well. A high electron transfer rate does not point to high photocatalytic activity directly, while a small difference between the electron transfer rate and electron recombination rate ΔkCT − CR predicts the inefficiency of charge transfer in Azod‐COFs. Contrarily, large value of ΔkCT − CR in the case of Benzd‐COFs, demonstrats an unimpeded charge transfer process to result in boosted pc‐HER rate (2027.3 µmol h−1 g−1). This work offers a prominent strategy for the reasonable design of efficient photocatalysts at the molecular level for structural regulation and achieves an efficient charge transfer process for the pc‐HER process.
Report of the General Committee: 26
Authors: Wilson Karen L.
Published: August 2023

Decisions of the General Committee are reported on about half of the proposals and requests in Report 73 of the Permanent Nomenclature Committee for Vascular Plants and Report 16 of the Permanent Nomenclature Committee for Fossils. As specified by the Code, the GC was consulted by the NC Fungi on several matters relating only to fungi.
Magnetic resonance imaging in polymyalgia rheumatica—contrast enhancement is not always needed
Authors: Fruth Martin , Seggewiss Annika , Kozik Jessica , Martin-Seidel Philipp , Baraliakos Xenofon , Braun Jürgen
Published: August 2023

Background

Extracapsular inflammation at entheseal sites in the pelvic girdle as demonstrated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was shown to be useful as an additional tool for diagnosing polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). However, it is unclear whether MRI needs to be performed with contrast enhancement or whether oedema-sensitive sequences are sufficient.

Objective

To evaluate the performance of T2w TIRM (turbo inversion recovery magnitude) imaging compared to fat-saturated contrast-enhanced (ce) T1w at predefined pelvic sites to detect extracapsular inflammation in patients with PMR.

Methods

A total of 120 pelvic MRIs of patients with pelvic girdle pain, 40 with clinically diagnosed PMR and 80 controls, were retrospectively scored by three blinded radiologists separately evaluating the MRI with and without contrast enhancement at 19 previously defined pelvic structures. The intra- and interrater reliability and the diagnostic performance of both techniques were statistically analysed and evaluated.

Results

The detection of inflammatory MRI signals correlated moderately between both techniques (Cohen’s κ 0.583). With ceT1w imaging 20.7% more sites were detected as inflamed compared to T2w TIRM in PMR patients. Inter- and intrareader reliability was superior with ceT1w imaging. If the inflammatory signal was detected at three sites bilaterally including the origin of the rectus femoris muscle or adductor longus muscle, the sensitivity and specificity was 100% and 97.1% by ceT1w imaging vs. 80.8% and 93.3% by T2w TIRM, respectively.

Conclusion

Contrast enhancement is superior to oedema-sensitive MRI in the detection of extracapsular inflammation in PMR. However, using T2w TIRM also detects many but not all PMR cases.
Combining theory of mind and abductive reasoning in agent-oriented programming
Authors: Montes Nieves , Luck Michael , Osman Nardine , Rodrigues Odinaldo , Sierra Carles
Published: August 2023

This paper presents a novel model, called TomAbd, that endows autonomous agents with Theory of Mind capabilities. TomAbd agents are able to simulate the perspective of the world that their peers have and reason from their perspective. Furthermore, TomAbd agents can reason from the perspective of others down to an arbitrary level of recursion, using Theory of Mind of $$n^{\text {th}}$$

n
th

order. By combining the previous capability with abductive reasoning, TomAbd agents can infer the beliefs that others were relying upon to select their actions, hence putting them in a more informed position when it comes to their own decision-making. We have tested the TomAbd model in the challenging domain of Hanabi, a game characterised by cooperation and imperfect information. Our results show that the abilities granted by the TomAbd model boost the performance of the team along a variety of metrics, including final score, efficiency of communication, and uncertainty reduction.
The new achikumbe elite: food systems transformation in the context of digital platforms use in agriculture in Malawi
Authors: Tauzie M. , Hermans T. D. G. , Whitfield S.
Published: August 2023

The Malabo Declaration places the transformation of agriculture and food systems at the centre of regional and national policy priorities across Africa. Transformative change in the way that food is produced, processed and consumed is seen as not only necessary for addressing the complex challenges of food security and poverty alleviation, but also as a driver of new employment opportunities and economic development. As pointed out within the recent UN Food Systems Summit, essential elements of food system transformations include digital transitions and the empowerment of women and youth. However, there are few empirical examples demonstrating how these agendas come together to affect food system change. Here we focus on an enterprising group of young farmers referred to as Malawi’s new achikumbe elite, who are urban based, educated and engaging in agriculture on a commercial basis. The aim is to characterise this emergent group of agriculturalists and to understand the role that they have within the transformation of Malawi-s agricultural sector. We explore how digital platforms are supporting the emergence of this new category of farmer and positioning young people as agents of change in food systems transformation. Based on interviews and ethnographic research with 32 young farmers between 2018 and 2022 combined with interviews with representatives of service providers and agricultural organisations, we argue that this group is characterised by a higher level of education, self-dependency and use of digital platforms, enabling them to adapt their context to sourcing production resources and engaging in commercial agriculture. We present evidence that digital platforms are supporting the new achikumbe elite (NAE) to engage flexibly with new commercial markets, contracts and access a wider range of training and advice. However, while digital platforms can offer more equitable access to information and market opportunities, they also represent potential avenues for food system transformations that are inequitable. As such, we argue that there is need for digital technologies to mitigate against potential inequalities.
MSD-NAS: multi-scale dense neural architecture search for real-time pedestrian lane detection
Authors: Ang Sui Paul , Phung Son Lam , Duong Soan T. M. , Bouzerdoum Abdesselam
Published: August 2023

Accurate detection of pedestrian lanes is a crucial criterion for vision-impaired people to navigate freely and safely. The current deep learning methods have achieved reasonable accuracy at this task. However, they lack practicality for real-time pedestrian lane detection due to non-optimal accuracy, speed, and model size trade-off. Hence, an optimized deep neural network (DNN) for pedestrian lane detection is required. Designing a DNN from scratch is a laborious task that requires significant experience and time. This paper proposes a novel neural architecture search (NAS) algorithm, named MSD-NAS, to automate this laborious task. The proposed method designs an optimized deep network with multi-scale input branches, allowing the derived network to utilize local and global contexts for predictions. The search is also performed in a large and generic space that includes many existing hand-designed network architectures as candidates. To further boost performance, we propose a Short-term Visual Memory mechanism to improve information facilitation within the derived networks. Evaluated on the PLVP3 dataset of 10,000 images, the DNN designed by MSD-NAS achieves state-of-the-art accuracy (0.9781) and mIoU (0.9542), while being 20.16 times faster and 2.56 times smaller than the current best deep learning model.
Evaluation of biotechnological processing through solid-state fermentation of oilseed cakes on extracts bioactive potential
Authors: Sousa Daniel , Simões Luara , Oliveira Rui , Salgado José Manuel , Cambra-López Maria , Belo Isabel , Dias Alberto
Published: August 2023

Oilseed cakes (OC) are natural sources of lignocellulosic biomass, produced every year in large amounts. In addition to their main applications as animal feed, plant or soil fertilizer, and compost, they present enormous potential for being used in biotechnological processes for the obtainment and extraction of valuable bioactive compounds. This work evaluated the effect of solid-state fermentation on the bioactive properties of extracts obtained from the bioprocessing of OC and evaluated the effect of solvents on the recovery of compounds with higher bioactive potential. A general decrease of EC50 values was observed for fermented extracts obtained using a mixture of water/methanol (1:1) as extraction solvent. A decrease in the minimum inhibitory concentration was observed for fermented water extracts compared to non-fermented. Additionally, growth inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes was observed when using aqueous methanolic fermented extracts. These extracts also exhibited a higher percentage of growth reduction against phytopathogenic fungi, and some extracts exhibited increased protection against genotoxic agents such as camptothecin and bisphenol A. It was demonstrated that bioprocessing of OC through SSF is an effective approach to obtaining valuable compounds with bioactive properties for use in the food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic industries.
Shared digital artifacts – Co-creators as beneficiaries in microlearning development
Authors: Thiel de Gafenco Marian , Weinert Tim , Janson Andreas , Klusmeyer Jens , Leimeister Jan Marco
Published: August 2023

Continuing vocational training benefits from the employees’ ability to share individual experience and expertise with their co-workers, as these assets constitute competitive advantages for companies. IT-supported systems can facilitate processes of knowledge elicitation (e. g. as part of collaborative co-creation) to ensure retainment of preferred qualitative characteristics of the resulting knowledge artifacts and provide ample opportunities to manage and configure a growing number of such artifacts in a company’s repository. It remains unclear however, how such collaborative and digital co-creation processes can benefit the individual co-creators’ expertise development. To address this gap in research and practice, an IT-supported co-creation system for microlearnings is designed and evaluated with master craftsman trainees of an inter-company vocational training center. With the deployment of the co-creation system, knowledge elaboration was examined via a qualitative evaluation of concept maps. By applying categories of the maps’ semantic properties and comparing features of expert knowledge derived from expertise research and concept mapping literature, we evaluate the process’ function to support expert knowledge elaboration as a desirable learning outcome for co-creators of shared digital artifacts. Analysis of the concept maps shows an absence of theoretical reasoning and an emphasis on contextual factors with minute details of work processes, indicating more practical than expert knowledge formation when co-creating shared digital artifacts. To improve the IT system’s effective support for expert knowledge elicitation, adjustments to the structured procedure are discussed and future research directions and limitations of this study are addressed.
Archival Analysis of Slash-And-Burn Agriculture in the Northern Ural Mountains at the End of the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Aleinikov Alexei , Lisitsyna Olga
Published: August 2023

At the end of the nineteenth century, the northern territories of the Russian Plain and western piedmont of Northern Ural Mountains were under various land-use systems, including slash-and-burn (SAB) agriculture. Using archival materials for the years 1880–1910 as data sources, we analyse the the location and extent of SAB agriculture, it timing, and its impact on the landscapes at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and present a review of the historical and ethnographic literature. The study area is in the western piedmont of the Northern Ural Mountains, between the Kama and Pechora rivers in dark conifer dominated forests. The population is sparse (14 people per 100 km² in 1900) and settled along the rivers. In 1885 the practice of SAB agriculture was totally prohibited, but the unusually large crop harvest during the first years of the ban led people to risk breaking the law. Between the years 1885 and 1894 a total number of 175 SAB cases was recorded in the study area. The SAB sites were used only once before being abandoned. The recorded plots were usually cultivated by one family. They small (0.03 ha to 2.70 ha, with a median of 0.55 ha) and located within 7.5 km of the settlements. The practice SAB agriculture led to the formation of mosaics of multiple-aged pyrogenic forest associations near the settlements.
"Off/On” Fluorescent Probe based on Aggregation-Induced Quenching of ZnO-Quantum dots for Determination of Ara-C: Pharmacokinetic Applications, Adsorption Kinetics & Green Profile Assessment
Authors: El-Zahry Marwa R. , Ibrahim Rania S. , El-Wadood Hanaa M. Abd , Mohamed Horria A.
Published: August 2023

Herein, a turn “Off/On” fluorescence probe based on ZnO quantum dots (ZnO-QDs) has been proposed and successfully utilized for the determination of Ara-C (cytarabine) using ceric ions (Ce4+) as quencher and ethylenediamine (ED) as a linker. The probe is based initially on the quenching effect of Ce4+ ions on the strong native fluorescence of ZnO-QDs forming the Turn Off system (Ce@ZnO-QDs) that believed to occur due to the aggregation-induced quenching (AIQ) mechanism. The second step is the addition of Ara-C in the presence of ethylenediamine (ED) that encourages the formation of Ara-C/ED/Ce4+ as well as the release of the free ZnO-QDs, leading to the recovery of the fluorescence intensity. The developed sensing platform shows a linear response towards Ara-C over the range of 10 to 1000 ng mL−1 giving a limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 1.22 ng mL−1 and 3.70 ng mL−1, respectively. A dispersive magnetic solid phase micro-extraction (dMSPE) method was developed and optimized for the extraction of Ara-C in spiked human plasma using thiol-modified magnetite nanoparticles (S-MNPs). The proposed platform exhibits good sensitivity toward Ara-C in the presence of different interfering substances. Excellent recoveries are obtained after spiking different concentrations of Ara-C into rabbit plasma samples. The validated experimental parameters have been successfully applied to monitor the pharmacokinetic profile of Ara-C in rabbit plasma. A detailed adsorption kinetics study has been carried out to provide a deep insight into the adsorption behavior of Ara-C on the thiol-doped-magnetite nanoparticles. The greenness assessment of the proposed method was achieved and compared with other reported methods using two tools of greenness; the green analytical procedure index (GAPI) and the analytical greenness calculator AGREE.
Perturbed Anisotropic Opinion Dynamics with Delayed Information
Authors: Neirotti Juan
Published: August 2023

We revisited the problem of modeling a publicity campaign in a society of intelligent agents that form their opinions by interchanging information with each other and with the society as a whole. We use a Markov approximation to consider the effects of an interaction delay$$\tau $$τin the system of perturbed differential equations that model the social dynamics. The stable points of the dynamical system are the manifestation of the agent’s attitudes, either in favor or against the social rule, as it was previously found, but the approach to the stable points is greatly modified by the presence of the delay.
Predictors for Prolonged Hospital Stay Solely to Complete Intravenous Antifungal Treatment in Patients with Candidemia: Results from the ECMM Candida III Multinational European Observational Cohort Study
Authors: Egger Matthias , Salmanton-García Jon , Barac Aleksandra , Gangneux Jean-Pierre , Guegan Hélène , Arsic-Arsenijevic Valentina , Matos Tadeja , Tomazin Rok , Klimko Nikolai , Bassetti Matteo , Hammarström Helena , Meijer Eelco F. J. , Meis Jacques F. , Prattes Juergen , Krause Robert , Resat Sipahi Oguz , Scharmann Ulrike , White P. Lewis , Desoubeaux Guillaume , García-Rodríguez Julio , Garcia-Vidal Carolina , Martín-Pérez Sonia , Ruiz Maite , Tumbarello Mario , Talento Alida Fe , Rogers Benedict , Lagrou Katrien , van Praet Jens , Arikan-Akdagli Sevtap , Arendrup Maiken C. , Koehler Philipp , Cornely Oliver A. , Hoenigl Martin ,   on behalf of the ECMM Candida III Study Group$, Alastruey-Izquierdo Ana , de Jonge Nick Alexander , Bicanic Tihana , Blennow Ola , Denis Blandine , Khanna Nina , Lass-Flörl Cornelia , Logan Clare , Loughlin Laura , Özenci Volkan , Zdenek Zdenek , Rahimli Laman , Rautemaa-Richardson Riina , Steinmann Joerg , Stoma Igor , Trauth Janina , Danion François , Buil Jochem B. , Dávila-Valls Julio , van Wijngaerden Eric
Published: August 2023

Background

To date, azoles represent the only viable option for oral treatment of invasive Candida infections, while rates of azole resistance among non-albicans Candida spp. continue to increase. The objective of this sub-analysis of the European multicenter observational cohort study Candida III was to describe demographical and clinical characteristics of the cohort requiring prolonged hospitalization solely to complete intravenous (iv) antifungal treatment (AF Tx).

Methods

Each participating hospital (number of eligible hospitals per country determined by population size) included the first ~ 10 blood culture proven adult candidemia cases occurring consecutively after July 1st, 2018, and treating physicians answered the question on whether hospital stay was prolonged only for completion of intravenous antifungal therapy. Descriptive analyses as well as binary logistic regression was used to assess for predictors of prolonged hospitalization solely to complete iv AF Tx.

Findings

Hospital stay was prolonged solely for the completion of iv AF Tx in 16% (100/621) of candidemia cases by a median of 16 days (IQR 8 – 28). In the multivariable model, initial echinocandin treatment was a positive predictor for prolonged hospitalization to complete iv AF Tx (aOR 2.87, 95% CI 1.55 – 5.32, p < 0.001), while (i) neutropenia, (ii) intensive care unit admission, (iii) catheter related candidemia, (iv) total parenteral nutrition, and (v) C. parapsilosis as causative pathogen were found to be negative predictors (aOR 0.22 – 0.45; p < 0.03).

Interpretation

Hospital stays were prolonged due to need of iv AF Tx in 16% of patients with candidemia. Those patients were more likely to receive echinocandins as initial treatment and were less severely ill and less likely infected with C. parapsilosis.
What could Jesus do?
Authors: Baber H. E.
Published: August 2023

According to many orthodox Christian theologies Jesus is not merely sinless but impeccable: he not only did not sin but could not. This is puzzling because one can only sin by doing something else and, prima face, Jesus can do actions that you or I could do by which we would sin. I suggest that appearances to the contrary, Jesus cannot do a variety of actions that a merely human duplicate could do. His doing sinful actions is compossible with a range of empirical facts about his physical abilities and circumstances of the sort we ordinarily take into account in assessing what a person can do, but not with a wider range of theological facts concerning his divinity. Like Tim, Lewis’s time-traveler, who can kill Grandfather relative to facts about his immediate circumstances and abilities but not relative to a wider range of facts, Jesus ‘can’ in the ordinary sense sin, though he will not, but relative to a wider range of facts which obtain in virtue of his divinity, cannot.
Basic Needs (in)Security and Subjective Equivalence Scales
Authors: Koch Steven F.
Published: August 2023

Equivalence scales are policy parameters for inequality measurement, tax deductions and subsidies. Thus, their accuracy is relevant both for budgets and social cohesion; however, their measurement is subject to debate regarding the underlying measure of welfare. Self-assessed insecurities in terms of clothing, housing and food—or basic needs—imply that at least some households are at lower levels of welfare than those that are meeting their needs. We use this to determine the increase in total expenditure required to meet their needs, on average, and thus we are able to calculate the implied equivalence scales. We compare these subjective scales to ones that arise from objective measures, such as expenditure shares on the same items. Our subjective scales are more consistent and plausible across all goods, and are similar to those arising from food expenditure shares. While scales arising from either housing or clothing expenditure shares are neither similar to those arising from food shares or basic needs adequacy nor are they plausible, given the plausibility rules we apply. Furthermore, the subjective equivalence scales are smaller than those proposed in the OECD-modified scale.
Entangled Inequalities: U.S. Trends in Self-Rated Health at the Intersection of Gender and Race, 1972–2018
Authors: Cummings Jason L.
Published: August 2023

This study provides a systematic assessment of U.S. differentials in self-rated health over the past five decades (1972–2018) at the intersection of race and gender (i.e., White men, White women, Black men, Black women). In so doing, we provide new evidence regarding racial and gender dynamics in well-being since the civil rights and women’s rights legislations of the 1960s/1970s. We find that self-rated health differentials are converging. Black women experienced a discernable pattern of improvement. In contrast, Black men encountered a variable trend, experiencing self-rated health gains in some decades (i.e., 1990s and 2010s) although experiencing an intermittent reversal of previous gains during the pre-Obama/recession years (i.e., 2000s). While White women experienced self-rated health gains between the 1970s and 2000s, White men experienced little to no change in their health status across the first four decades of the survey. After the economic downturn (2010–2018), however, self-rated health gains among White women diminished, while White men encountered an unparalleled pattern of decline. Our findings contribute to a growing body of work in the United States indicating rapid declines in well-being across a broad range of social indicators of quality of life post-recession. Our findings also closely parallel scholarly work highlighting the well-documented declines in life expectancy and increases in “Deaths of Despair” that have disproportionately and adversely affected the White American (male) population in recent years.
On the Road to Justice: Some Selected Suggestions for the Future of Social Justice Research
Authors: Steensma Herman
Published: August 2023

In this paper, several aspects of social justice research are reviewed to analyze the current state of the field and to suggest refinements and new directions. The micro–macro-levels problem is discussed, including the policy of affirmative action. A canon of relevant philosophers is proposed. The strong influence of justice principles on social change research, search conferences and group interventions are demonstrated. The information value of social justice theories can be strengthened in several ways. Expanded information value implies increased effectiveness of advice and interventions. Possibilities to integrate justice criteria in total quality management are discussed. Contemporary quality management focuses on triple-P criteria: people, planet, profit, highly relevant for basic and applied justice research. The current state of the social justice discipline is rather good, but there is room for improvement. Finally, interdisciplinary research is the future, in particular for studies to solve complex societal and global problems.
Knowledge-how and the limits of defeat
Authors: Kearl Timothy R.
Published: August 2023

How, if at all, is knowing how to do something defeasible? Some, the “intellectualists”, treat the defeasibility of knowledge-how as in some way derivative on the defeasibility of knowledge-that. According to a recent proposal by Carter and Navarro (Philos Phenomenol Res 3:662–685, 2017), knowledge-how defeat cannot be explained in terms of knowledge-that defeat; instead, knowledge-how defeat merits and entirely separate treatment. The thought behind “separatism” is easy to articulate. Assuming that knowledge of any kind is defeasible, since knowledge-that and knowledge-how are fundamentally different beasts, the best accounts of their defeasibility must reflect the underlying differences between them. I reject a separatist treatment of the defeasibility of knowledge-that and knowledge-how. One can acknowledge certain important differences between knowledge-that and knowledge-how without thereby needing two theories of defeasibility. Ultimately, though, I’ll argue that the defeasibility of basic knowledge-how, unlike non-basic knowledge-how, is a much more difficult issue than has been acknowledged.
Behaviour of bio-inspired grouped battered minipiles under lateral loading in clay
Authors: Mondal Sanchari , Disfani Mahdi M. , Mehdizadeh Amirhassan
Published: August 2023

The field of bio-inspired geotechnics has been growing in response to the demand for foundations that are sustainable and yet have improved load-bearing capacities. This study aims to address the gap in a specialised adaptation of root system architecture for designing resilient foundations. The lateral load behaviour of one such novel grouped battered minipile configuration is evaluated in this study based on full-scale field testing and numerical modelling to report the unknown increase of load capacity caused by shape modification. First, three single minipiles battered at 0° and 25° were subjected to static lateral loading in fine-grained soil. The strain profiles along the individual minipile shafts were obtained using optic fibre sensors. Consecutively, full-scale lateral load tests on two types of minipile groups were also performed; one group had a configuration of two 25° battered minipiles perpendicular to the direction of loading mimicking a tree-root system, and another conventional group had two positive and negative battered minipiles. A numerical model was developed to investigate the effect of pile spacing and obtain soil pressures, bending moments and axial forces of the battered minipile groups. Results show that increased bearing area and higher engagement of soil volume for the novel minipile group with two perpendicular battered minipiles were larger than the conventional minipile group; thus, the former offered higher lateral resistance. The deflection pattern, bending moment and p-y curves showed a shadowing effect in stiff clay for battered minipile groups at a pile head spacing of three times the minipile diameter.
Novel and inexpensive gamma radiation sensor: initial concept and design
Authors: Sorysz Joanna , Heryan Katarzyna , Krombach Gabriele , Friebe Michael , Pott Peter P.
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Early detection of tumors and their spread, particularly in lymph node illnesses, is critical for a full recovery. However, it is currently difficult due to a lack of imaging or detection devices that provide the necessary spatial depth and location information. Consequently, it would be beneficial to have a simple and cost-effective sensor device to determine the 3D position of, e.g., a lymph node in the patient’s coordinate system.

Methods

In this work, we present a concept and design for a novel semiconductor-based 3D detection system that uses inexpensive off-the-shelf components to measure gamma activity. A simple Arduino-type microcontroller calculates the 3D position of the probe based on the number of the measured pulse, the spatial sensitivity characteristics, and the known geometry of the device.

Results

The system was set up from four photodiodes (Osram BPW34), a transistor-based pre-amplifier, and a two-stage operational amplifier as the main stage. Doing so, a signal sufficient to be read by the microcontroller could be produced. The performed calculations proved that for a system consisting of at least four photodiodes, it is possible to determine precise location of a gamma radiation source.

Conclusions

After successful first experiments with a single diode, the optimal spatial arrangement of the diodes as well as their orientation will be determined to achieve a compact, cost effective yet fast, and accurate sensor device for every-day clinical application.
A Prospective Study on the Diagnoses for Abdominal Pain After Bariatric Surgery: The OPERATE Study
Authors: van Olst Nienke , Vink Marjolein R. A. , de Vet Sterre C. P. , Hutten Barbara A. , Gerdes Victor E. A. , Tielbeek Jeroen A. W. , Bruin Sjoerd C. , van Weyenberg Stijn J. B. , van der Peet Donald L. , Acherman Yair I. Z.
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Long-term follow-up after bariatric surgery (BS) reveals high numbers of patients with abdominal pain that often remains unexplained. The aim of this prospective study was to give an overview of diagnoses for abdominal pain, percentage of unexplained complaints, number and yield of follow-up visits, and time to establish a diagnosis.

Materials and Methods

Patients who visited the Spaarne Gasthuis Hospital, The Netherlands, between December 2020 and December 2021 for abdominal pain after BS, were eligible and followed throughout the entire episode of abdominal pain. Distinction was made between presumed and definitive diagnoses.

Results

The study comprised 441 patients with abdominal pain; 401 (90.9%) females, 380 (87.7%) had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, mean (SD) % total weight loss was 31.4 (10.5), and median (IQR) time after BS was 37.0 (11.0–66.0) months. Most patients had 1–5 follow-up visits. Readmissions and reoperations were present in 212 (48.1%) and 164 (37.2%) patients. At the end of the episode, 88 (20.0%) patients had a presumed diagnosis, 183 (41.5%) a definitive diagnosis, and 170 (38.5%) unexplained complaints. Most common definitive diagnoses were cholelithiasis, ulcers, internal herniations, and presumed diagnoses irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome, and constipation. Median (IQR) time to presumed diagnoses, definitive diagnoses, or unexplained complaints was 16.0 (3.8–44.5), 2.0 (0.0–31.5), and 13.5 (1.0–53.8) days (p < 0.001). Patients with IBS more often had unexplained complaints (OR 95%CI: 4.457 [1.455–13.654], p = 0.009). At the end, 71 patients (16.1%) still experienced abdominal pain.

Conclusion

Over a third of abdominal complaints after BS remains unexplained. Most common diagnoses were cholelithiasis, ulcers, and internal herniations.

Graphical Abstract
Bump hunting through density curvature features
Authors: Chacón José E. , Fernández Serrano Javier
Published: August 2023

Bump hunting deals with finding in sample spaces meaningful data subsets known as bumps. These have traditionally been conceived as modal or concave regions in the graph of the underlying density function. We define an abstract bump construct based on curvature functionals of the probability density. Then, we explore several alternative characterizations involving derivatives up to second order. In particular, a suitable implementation of Good and Gaskins’ original concave bumps is proposed in the multivariate case. Moreover, we bring to exploratory data analysis concepts like the mean curvature and the Laplacian that have produced good results in applied domains. Our methodology addresses the approximation of the curvature functional with a plug-in kernel density estimator. We provide theoretical results that assure the asymptotic consistency of bump boundaries in the Hausdorff distance with affordable convergence rates. We also present asymptotically valid and consistent confidence regions bounding curvature bumps. The theory is illustrated through several use cases in sports analytics with datasets from the NBA, MLB and NFL. We conclude that the different curvature instances effectively combine to generate insightful visualizations.
Triple gallbladder: radiological review
Authors: Picchi Eliseo , Leomanni Paola , Dell’Olio Vito Bruno , Pucci Noemi , Di Giuliano Francesca , Ferrazzoli Valentina , Minosse Silvia , Rho Maurizio , Chiocchi Marcello , Garaci Francesco , Floris Roberto
Published: August 2023

Triple gallbladder represents a rare congenital anatomical abnormality that can be a diagnostic challenge in reason to its rarity and consequential difficulties with diagnosis and identification. A systematic review of all published literature between 1958 and 2022 was performed. We identified 20 previous studies that provided 20 cases of triple gallbladder; our case was also included in the analysis, making a total of 21 patients. All patients underwent on diagnostic imaging examinations. After 1985, 9 patients underwent US examination which allowed prompt recognition of triple gallbladder in 2 patients only. CT was performed in 3 patients and allowed the correct diagnosis in a case. In 4 patients, was performed MRCP which allowed the correct diagnosis of triple gallbladder in all patients. Preoperative imaging allows the recognition of triple gallbladder in 9 of 21 patients (43%); in 12 patients (57%) the diagnosis was intraoperative. On patients considered, 16/21 underwent cholecystectomy. In 15 cases, the excised gallbladders were submitted for histopathological characterization with detection of metaplasia of the mucosa in 3 patients, while papillary adenocarcinoma was found in one. Imaging plays a key role in the identification of the anatomical variants of gallbladder, especially triple gallbladder, as modern imaging techniques allow a detailed assessment of the course of the biliary tract for a correct preoperative diagnosis. It is also crucial to be aware of the association between this condition and the metaplasia phenomena with the development of adenocarcinoma, as this may influence the patient’s course of treatment.
Connectedness and sustainable attitudes and behavior in athletes
Authors: Jansen Petra , Hoja Sabine , Rahe Martina
Published: August 2023

Variables of connectedness (pro-socialness and connectedness to nature) are related to sustainable behavior and attitude. This study investigates if athletes of different types of sport differ in their sustainable attitudes and behavior. Two-hundred twenty-five athletes participated, 53 from individual indoor sports, 46 from individual outdoor sports, 65 from team indoor sports, and 61 from team outdoor sports. All athletes completed questionnaires on pro-socialness, connectedness to nature, and sustainable attitudes and behavior. The results provide evidence for the relationship between connectedness and sustainable attitudes and behavior. Sustainable attitudes were predicted by connectedness to nature (β = 0.287, p < 0.001) and age (β = 0.230, p = 0.048), sustainable behavior by connectedness to nature, (β = 0.250, p = 0.001) and pro-socialness (β = 0.268, p = 0.003). There is no difference in pro-socialness in athletes from individual vs team sports. However, athletes practicing outdoor sports are more connected to nature than those practicing indoor sports. Moreover, athletes from individual outdoor sports show the highest values in sustainable attitude and behavior. The underlying mechanism for this result might be worth to be investigated in more depth.