bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abstract A62: Three pronged strategy to enhance pharmacological effectiveness of pHLA targeting TcEs
Authors: Sabarth Nicolas , Adam Paul , Kumar Sandeep , Liu Yanyun , Konopitzky Renate , Boettcher Jark , Panavas Tadas
Published: December 2022

T-cell engagers redirect T cells to a tumor specific target leading to lysis of tumor cells with demonstrated therapeutic benefit in hematological and solid tumors. Most T-cell engagers in development focus on surface exposed tumor antigens as targets. However, HLA/peptide complex directed (TCR mimic) T cell engagers enable targeting of tumour associated intracellular proteins and therefore broaden the cancer antigen space for T cell engagers. Potency and specificity are key attributes for the design of TCR mimic T cell engagers. Here, we employed a three pronged strategy to enhance pharmacological effectiveness of pHLA targeting TcEs: i) innovative bispecific formats employing avidity effect ii) TCRm affinity maturation by pHLA-Fv model based library design and phage display iii) pHLA-Fv crystal structure based affinity maturation in silico. The different strategies and combinations thereof enabled and improved lysis of tumor cells by T cell engager and informed on the structure-function relation of TCR mimic T cell engager.

Citation Format: Nicolas Sabarth, Paul Adam, Sandeep Kumar, Yanyun Liu, Renate Konopitzky, Jark Boettcher, Tadas Panavas. Three pronged strategy to enhance pharmacological effectiveness of pHLA targeting TcEs [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2022 Oct 21-24; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2022;10(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A62.
Abstract A68: Listeria monocytogenes-based vaccines to mediate targeted ablation of the tumor-associated vasculature in colorectal cancer
Authors: Anderson Trevor S , Wooster Amanda L , Oladejo Mariam , Wood Laurence , Lowe Devin
Published: December 2022

Anti-cancer vaccines are consequential and useful tools in eliciting long-term immune responses against tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). Attenuated listeria monocytogenes represents one such vaccine modality for inducing durable immune-driven responses against MHC class I/II presented antigens. Rather than direct this form of therapy against the dynamic assortment of targets expressed directly by tumor cells, we have instead conjugated listeria-based listeriolysin O (LLO) to RGS5, a critical molecule for cancer angiogenesis. Intriguingly, RGS5 is upregulated by pericytes in nascent blood vessels within the tumor microenvironment, and the destabilization of such blood vessel networks can effectively induce regressions of vascularized tumors like colon cancer. Our initial in vivo studies in mice immunized with the RGS5-LLO vaccine demonstrated significant protection against the aggressive colon cancer line MC38. Such findings provide the rationale for continuing efforts in developing a listeria-based therapeutic regimen against RGS5 and understanding the mechanistic interplay between vaccine-directed immune cells and tumor-derived blood vessels in this model.

Citation Format: Trevor S Anderson, Amanda L Wooster, Mariam Oladejo, Laurence Wood, Devin Lowe. Listeria monocytogenes-based vaccines to mediate targeted ablation of the tumor-associated vasculature in colorectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2022 Oct 21-24; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2022;10(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A68.
Discordance between Anterior Segment Anatomy and Axial Length in Cataract Surgery Candidates in France
Authors: Isidore Marilou , Hoa Didier , Verhaeghe Florent , Jacques Jérôme , Villain Max , Daien Vincent , Chamard Chloé
Published: December 2022

Introduction: The aims of this study were to study ocular biometric data and their association with age and sex in a population of cataract surgery candidates and to assess the proportion of inhomogeneous eyes and the ratio anterior segment (AS) to axial length (AL). Multicentric cross-sectional analysis was conducted between April 2008 and May 2021 in public and private ophthalmic institutions in Montpellier, France. Individuals ≥40 years old who underwent ocular biometry before cataract surgery were included. Methods: Right phakic eyes were included. Ocular biometrics were measured by using the Lenstar LS900 device. We defined AS as anterior chamber depth (ACD) plus lens thickness (LT) and calculated the ratio of AS to AL. We defined inhomogeneous eyes as those with deep AS (≥4th quartile) and short AL (≤1st quartile) (AS+) or with short AS and high AL (AL+). Results: We included 11,650 individuals (11,650 eyes) (mean [SD] age 71.64 [10.50] years; 54.51% women). Older age was associated with shorter AL (p < 0.01), shallower ACD (p < 0.01), thinner central corneal thickness (p < 0.01), and larger LT (p < 0.001). Women had shorter AL, shallower ACD, and thinner central corneal thickness than men (p < 0.001). In total, 778 (6.68%) eyes were inhomogeneous (3.22% AS+ and 3.46% AL+), for a mean (SD) AS/AL ratio of 0.36 (0.01) and 0.28 (0.01), respectively, as compared with 0.32 (0.02) for homogeneous eyes (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The AS/AL ratio could be useful to screen inhomogeneous eyes before cataract surgery and justify the use of new generation formulas in these eyes to avoid the risk of refractive error.
scRepli-Seq: A Powerful Tool to Study Replication Timing and Genome Instability
Authors: Sakamoto Megumi , Hori Sakino , Yamamoto Asahi , Yoneda Taiki , Kuriya Kenji , Takebayashi Shin-ichiro
Published: December 2022

Advances in “omics” technology have made it possible to study a wide range of cellular phenomena at the single-cell level. Recently, we developed single-cell DNA replication sequencing (scRepli-seq) that measures replication timing (RT) by copy number differences between replicated and unreplicated genomic DNA in replicating single mammalian cells. This method has been used to reveal previously unrecognized static and dynamic natures of several hundred kilobases to a few megabases-scale chromosomal units called RT domains. Because RT domains are highly correlated to A/B compartments detected by Hi-C, scRepli-seq data can be used to predict the 3D organization of the genome in the nuclear space. scRepli-seq, which essentially measures the copy number, can also be applied to study genome instability.
Low Skeletal Muscle Mass Predicts Relevant Outcomes in Palliative Urological Oncology: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Meyer Hans-Jonas , Wienke Andreas , Zamsheva Marina , Surov Alexey
Published: December 2022

Introduction: Low skeletal muscle mass (LSMM) can be assessed by cross-sectional imaging. LSMM is associated with several clinically relevant factors in various disorders with predictive and prognostic implications. Methods: Our aim was to establish the effect of computed tomography (CT)-defined LSMM on mortality in renal cell cancer (RCC) and urothelial carcinoma (UC) undergoing palliative treatment. The MEDLINE library, Cochrane, and SCOPUS databases were screened for the associations between CT-defined LSMM up to May 2022. In total, 11 studies were suitable for the analysis. Results: The included studies comprised 481 patients with RCC and 394 patients with UC. The pooled hazard ratio for the association between LSMM and overall survival was 1.64 (95% CI: 0.90–2.99), p = 0.10 in univariable analysis and 1.55 (95% CI: 0.91–2.63), p = 0.10 in multivariable analysis for RCC. For UC, the pooled hazard ratio was 2.75 (95% CI: 1.77–4.28), p < 0.00001 in univariable, and 2.77 (95% CI: 1.91–4.02), p < 0.00001 in multivariable analysis. For progression-free survival, it was 2.02 (95% CI: 1.24–3.27), p = 0.004 for RCC and 2.43 (95% CI: 1.59–3.74), p < 0.0001 for UC (univariable analysis). Conclusions: CT-defined LSMM predicts OS and PFS in RCC and UC in the palliative setting. The effect was higher in UC. Therefore, LSMM assessment should be included as a relevant prognostic biomarker in clinical routine.
Cerebellar Inputs in the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
Authors: Gutiérrez-Ibáñez Cristián , Kettler Lutz , Pilon Madison C. , Carr Catherine E. , Wylie Douglas R.
Published: December 2022

Crocodilians (alligators, crocodiles, and gharials) are the closet living relatives to birds and, as such, represent a key clade to understand the evolution of the avian brain. However, many aspects of crocodilian neurobiology remain unknown. In this paper, we address an important knowledge gap as there are no published studies of cerebellar connections in any crocodilian species. We used injections of retrograde tracers into the cerebellum of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) to describe for the first time the origin of climbing and mossy fiber inputs. We found that inputs to the cerebellum in the American alligator are similar to those of other nonavian reptiles and birds. Retrograde labeled cells were found in the spinal cord, inferior olive, reticular formation, vestibular and cerebellar nuclei, as well as in nucleus ruber and surrounding tegmentum. Additionally, we found no retrogradely labeled cells in the anterior rhombencephalon which suggest that, like other nonavian reptiles, crocodilians may lack pontine nuclei. Similar to birds and other nonavian reptiles, we found inputs to the cerebellum from the pretectal nucleus lentiformis mesencephali. Additionally, we found retrogradely labeled neurons in two nuclei in the pretectum: the nucleus circularis and the interstitial nucleus of the posterior commissure. These pretectal projections have not been described in any other nonavian reptile to date, but they do resemble projections from the nucleus spiriformis medialis of birds. Our results show that many inputs to the cerebellum are highly conserved among sauropsids and that extensive pretectal inputs to the cerebellum are not exclusive to the avian brain. Finally, we suggest that the pontine nuclei of birds are an evolutionary novelty that may have evolved after the last common ancestor between birds and crocodilians, and may represent an intriguing case of convergent evolution with mammals.
Utility of Teledermatology in the Diagnosis of Loose Anagen Syndrome
Authors: Lalama Maria J. , Nguyen Betty , Peterson Erik L. , Tosti Antonella
Published: December 2022

Introduction: Teledermatology has been shown to improve efficiency and reduce barriers to care for patients. However, teledermatology is limited by the inability to perform diagnostic tests. With proper planning, teletrichoscopy can be utilized with teledermatology to evaluate patients with hair loss. Case Presentation: Diagnosis of this patient was made using images taken during the televisit, including scalp images taken by the patient using a handheld microscope and images of the hair roots taken by her referring doctor. Conclusion: Hair tests that can be conducted during teledermatology visits include a self-performed pull test, measurement of the thickness of the ponytail, measurement of the distance from the hairline to the glabella, and evaluation of the shedding scale. These tests, in addition to mobile applications for imaging or low-cost handheld microscopes, can be utilized to virtually evaluate patients with hair loss.
Nutritional Status Is Associated with Prognosis in Patients with Advanced Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab
Authors: Tada Toshifumi , Kumada Takashi , Hiraoka Atsushi , Kariyama Kazuya , Tani Joji , Hirooka Masashi , Takaguchi Koichi , Atsukawa Masanori , Fukunishi Shinya , Itobayashi Ei , Tsuji Kunihiko , Tajiri Kazuto , Ochi Hironori , Ishikawa Toru , Yasuda Satoshi , Ogawa Chikara , Toyoda Hidenori , Hatanaka Takeshi , Nishimura Takashi , Kakizaki Satoru , Kawata Kazuhito , Shimada Noritomo , Tada Fujimasa , Nouso Kazuhiro , Tsutsui Akemi , Ohama Hideko , Morishita Asahiro , Nagano Takuya , Itokawa Norio , Okubo Tomomi , Arai Taeang , Kosaka Hisashi , Imai Michitaka , Naganuma Atsushi , Nakamura Shinichiro , Koizumi Yohei , Matono Tomomitsu , Kaibori Masaki , Iijima Hiroko , Hiasa Yoichi ,   on behalf of the Real-life Practice Experts for HCC (RELPEC) Study Group and the Hepatocellular Carcinoma Experts from 48 clinics in Japan (HCC 48) Group,   Hepatocellular Carcinoma Experts from 48 clinics in Japan (HCC 48) Group
Published: December 2022

Introduction: This study investigated the relationship between nutritional status, as determined by the prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and outcomes in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atez/bev). Methods: The study analyzed 485 HCC patients treated with Atez/bev. Results: There were 342 patients with a low PNI (<47) and 143 patients with a high PNI (≥47). The median follow-up duration was 9.4 (6.0–14.3) months. Multivariate Cox hazards analysis showed that an α-fetoprotein level ≥100 ng/mL (hazard ratio (HR), 2.217; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.588–3.095; p < 0.001), and PNI ≥47 (HR, 0.333; 95% CI, 0.212–0.525; p < 0.001) were independently associated with overall survival. Multivariate analysis showed that an α-fetoprotein level ≥100 ng/mL (HR, 1.690; 95% CI, 1.316–2.170; p < 0.001) and PNI ≥47 (HR, 0.696; 95% CI, 0.528–0.918; p = 0.010) were independently associated with progression-free survival. Cumulative overall and progression-free survival rates differed significantly by PNI (p < 0.001 and p < 0.002, respectively). In a subgroup analysis using inverse probability weighting adjustment in patients with albumin-bilirubin grade 1 (n = 173), univariate Cox hazards analysis showed that a PNI ≥47 (HR, 0.502; 95% CI, 0.260–0.991; p = 0.047) was significantly associated with overall survival. Spline curve analysis revealed that a PNI of approximately 34–48 is an appropriate cutoff for predicting good overall and progression-free survival. Conclusion: The PNI, a biomarker of nutritional status, can predict prognosis in patients with HCC treated with Atez/bev, even those who are considered to have a good prognosis due to good liver function.
Prediction of Golgi Polarity in Collectively Migrating Epithelial Cells Using Graph Neural Network
Authors: Khuntia Purnati , Das Tamal
Published: December 2022

In the stationary epithelium, the Golgi apparatus assumes an apical position, above the cell nucleus. However, during wound healing and morphogenesis, as the epithelial cells start migrating, it relocalizes closer to the basal plane. On this plane, the position of Golgi with respect to the cell nucleus defines the organizational polarity of a migrating epithelial cell, which is crucial for an efficient collective migration. Yet, factors influencing the Golgi polarity remain elusive. Here, we constructed a graph neural network-based deep learning model to systematically analyze the dependency of Golgi polarity on multiple geometric and physical factors. In spite of the complexity of a migrating epithelial monolayer, our simple model was able to predict the Golgi polarity with 75% accuracy. Moreover, the model predicted that Golgi polarity predominantly correlates with the orientation of maximum principal stress. Finally, we found that this correlation operates locally since progressive coarsening of the stress field over multiple cell-lengths reduced the stress polarity-Golgi polarity correlation as well as the predictive accuracy of the neural network model. Taken together, our results demonstrate that graph neural networks could be a powerful tool toward understanding how different physical factors influence collective cell migration. They also highlight a previously unknown role of physical cues in defining the intracellular organization.
Perspectives for Cancer Care and Research in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Zielinski Christoph C. , Cufer Tanja , Seruga Bostjan , Jassem Jacek , Dediu Mircea , Thallinger Christiane
Published: December 2022

Background: Discrepancies between the outcomes of cancer patients between Western European and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries have often been observed. Despite the enormous economic and civilizational progress made in these countries after the abolishment of the communist regime, structural problems persist. Summary: The present article reviews the domains of medical oncology education, human resources in oncology, cancer care, and clinical research in CEE in order to comprehensively assess the current situation and needs, describe important initiatives, and also propose ways to improving cancer outcomes in the region. Activities are under way to address these issues in national action plans to divert funding into oncology-related education, research, the purchase of equipment, and the attainment of modern hospital organization and structures. Key Message: Over the past more than 30 years, CEE countries have made enormous economic and societal progress. Nevertheless, challenges especially in the health care sector persist.
Double burden of malnutrition as a risk factor for overweight and obesity
Authors: Bernabé-Ortiz Antonio , Quinteros-Reyes Carmen , Carrillo-Larco Rodrigo M.
Published: December 2022

OBJECTIVE To assess the longitudinal effect of double burden of malnutrition (DBM) on the risk of developing child and adolescent overweight or obesity. METHODS Analysis of the Peruvian Young Lives Study, younger cohort: baseline (2002) and 4 follow-ups (2006–2007, 2009–2010, 2013–2014, and 2016–2017). Outcomes were the incidence of overweight and obesity as defined by the World Health Organization standards. The exposure comprised a variable with 4 categories: non-stunted child with a non-overweight mother (reference group), non-stunted child with an overweight mother, stunted child with a non-overweight mother, and stunted child with an overweight mother (i.e., DBM). Poisson regression models were built to assess the association of interest, and relative risks (RR) and 95%CI were reported. RESULTS Data from 2,034 children; 50.0% were girls and the mean age was 12.0 (3.6) months at baseline. Non-stunted children with an overweight mother had greater risk (RR = 1.64; 95%CI: 1.35–1.99) of developing overweight, compared with the risk for stunted children with a non-overweight mother (RR = 1.38; 95%CI: 1.10–1.72), and for those with DBM (RR = 1.28; 95%CI: 1.02–1.61). When compared with the reference group, obesity risk was greater among non-stunted children with an overweight mother (RR = 2.33; 95%CI: 1.68–3.22), greater among stunted children with a non-overweight mother (RR = 2.59; 95%CI: 1.75–3.84), and greater among those with DBM (RR = 2.14; 95%CI: 1.39–3.28). CONCLUSIONS DBM is a risk factor for childhood overweight and obesity in Peru. Dual-duty policies tackling both undernutrition in children and overweight in mothers are needed to reduce DBM and its future effects in Peru.
Clinician and Algorithmic Application of the 2019 and 2022 Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention Shock Stages in the Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network Registry
Authors: Patel Siddharth M. , Berg David D. , Bohula Erin A. , Baird-Zars Vivian M. , Barnett Christopher F. , Barsness Gregory W. , Chaudhry Sunit-Preet , Daniels Lori B. , van Diepen Sean , Ghafghazi Shahab , Goldfarb Michael J. , Jentzer Jacob C. , Katz Jason N. , Kenigsberg Benjamin B. , Lawler Patrick R. , Miller P. Elliott , Papolos Alexander I. , Park Jeong-Gun , Potter Brian J. , Prasad Rajnish , Singam N. Sarma V. , Sinha Shashank S. , Solomon Michael A. , Teuteberg Jeffrey J. , Morrow David A. ,   on behalf of the CCCTN Investigators
Published: December 2022

Background:

Algorithmic application of the 2019 Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention (SCAI) shock stages effectively stratifies mortality risk for patients with cardiogenic shock. However, clinician assessment of SCAI staging may differ. Moreover, the implications of the 2022 SCAI criteria update remain incompletely defined.

Methods:

The Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network is a multicenter registry of cardiac intensive care units (CICUs). Between 2019 and 2021, participating centers (n=32) contributed at least a 2-month snapshot of consecutive medical CICU admissions. In-hospital mortality was assessed across 3 separate staging methods: clinician assessment, Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network algorithmic application of the 2019 SCAI criteria, and a revision of the Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network application using the 2022 SCAI criteria.

Results:

Of 9612 admissions, 1340 (13.9%) presented with cardiogenic shock with in-hospital mortality of 35.2%. Both clinician and algorithm-based staging using the 2019 SCAI criteria identified a stepwise gradient of mortality risk (stage C–E: 19.0% to 83.7% and 14.6% to 52.2%, respectively;
P
trend
<0.001 for each). Clinician assignment of SCAI stages identified higher risk patients compared with algorithm-based assignment (stage D: 49.9% versus 29.3%; stage E: 83.7% versus 52.2%). Algorithmic application of the 2022 SCAI criteria, with incorporation of the vasoactive-inotropic score, more closely approximated clinician staging (mortality for stage C-E: 21.9% to 70.5%;
P
trend
<0.001).

Conclusions:

Both clinician and algorithm-based application of the 2019 SCAI stages identify a stepwise gradient of mortality risk, although clinician-staging may better allocate higher risk patients into advanced SCAI stages. Updated algorithmic staging using the 2022 SCAI criteria and vasoactive-inotropic score further refines risk stratification.
The Microsoft Research Aurora Project: Important Findings on Cuffless Blood Pressure Measurement
Authors: Mukkamala Ramakrishna , Shroff Sanjeev G. , Landry Cederick , Kyriakoulis Konstantinos G. , Avolio Alberto P. , Stergiou George S.
Published: December 2022

Conventional blood pressure (BP) measurement devices based on an inflatable cuff only provide a narrow view of the continuous BP profile. Cuffless BP measuring technologies could permit numerous BP readings throughout daily life and thereby considerably improve the assessment and management of hypertension. Several wearable cuffless BP devices based on pulse wave analysis (applied to a photoplethysmography or tonometry waveform) with or without use of pulse arrival time are now available on the market. The key question is: Can these devices provide accurate measurement of BP? Microsoft Research recently published a complex article describing perhaps the most important and highest resource project to date (Aurora Project) on assessing the accuracy of several pulse wave analysis and pulse wave analysis-pulse arrival time devices. The overall results from 1125 participants were clear-cut negative. The present article motivates and describes emerging cuffless BP devices and then summarizes the Aurora Project. The study methodology and findings are next discussed in the context of regulatory-cleared devices, physiology, and related studies, and the study strengths and limitations are pinpointed thereafter. Finally, the implications of the Aurora Project are briefly stated and recommendations for future work are offered to finally realize the considerable potential of cuffless BP measurement in health care.
The conservation paradox of an introduced population of a threatened species: spadefoot toads in the coastal dunes of the Netherlands
Authors: Koster Stephanie , Prins Nienke , Dufresnes Christophe , France James , de Visser Manon C. , Struijk Richard P.J.H. , Wielstra Ben
Published: December 2022

Species that are threatened in their native range may actually prosper as introduced populations. To investigate how such introduced populations were established involves determining from where within the natural range the founder individuals originated. This can be accomplished through mtDNA barcoding. The common spadefoot toad (Pelobates fuscus) naturally occurs in the south and east of the Netherlands and has shown a rapid decline. Yet, a flourishing introduced population was recently discovered in the coastal dunes in the west of the country. We use mtDNA barcoding to determine the provenance of the introduced population. We sampled both native and introduced populations from the Netherlands and compared our sequences to haplotypes from across the entire distribution range. The mtDNA haplotypes found in the introduced population are distinct from those naturally occurring in the Netherlands and point towards an origin in the Pannonian Basin, on the boundary between Central and Southeastern Europe. Paradoxically, the thriving P. fuscus population in the Dutch coastal dunes should be considered a conservation risk to local biodiversity, even though within the native range in the Netherlands the species is severely threatened. Our study illustrates the complicated conservation questions associated with species that are both native and invasive.
A New Inscription of the Pāṇḍuvaṃśins of Dakṣiṇa Kosala
Authors: Ali Daud , Zhang Diana Shuheng
Published: December 2022

This is the first notice, edition, and translation of a royal order in Sanskrit, engraved on a set of three copper-plates kept in the permanent collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The inscription is dated to the seventh year of the reign of Nannarāja I, king of the Pāṇḍuvaṃśin lineage active in Dakṣiṇa Kosala in the sixth and seventh centuries CE. The inscription provides important new information about a family of engravers, probably relocated from Śarabhapura to Sirpur, who served both the Śarabhapurīya and Pāṇḍuvaṃśin courts. The plates further suggest that Nannarāja I, as the first Pāṇḍuvaṃśin king of South Kosala, continued the epigraphic traditions of the Śarabhapurīyas, whom he may have served with his father Indrabala in his early career before the conflicts which brought him to power.
‘Tis Pity She’s (Still) a Whore: Mary Magdalene in The Chosen
Authors: Burnette-Bletsch Rhonda
Published: December 2022

Early Jesus films reveled in the traditional, historically inaccurate interpretation of Mary Magdalene as a penitent prostitute. While films produced since the 1980s are less heavy-handed in explicitly sexualizing or shaming Mary, promiscuity remains her most persistent trait. Traces of the penitent prostitute are detectable in The Chosen, a crowd-funded evangelical series on the life of Jesus which foregrounds Mary as a disciple. Her story arc in The Chosen mirrors that of the prostitute protagonist in Redeeming Love (2022), another evangelical film based on Francine River’s fictional adaptation of the Hosea/Gomer story. Both works adhere closely to what film scholar, Russell Campbell, identifies as the ‘martyr’ character type and ‘love story’ narrative structure commonly found in cinematic depictions of sex work. Ultimately, these films reinscribe patriarchal ideology when the woman is rescued and reformed by a virtuous man at risk of his own reputation.
The Alfaẓ al-Mishnah Commentary by R. Saadiah Gaon
Authors: Fuchs Uziel
Published: December 2022

This article presents a commentary on the Mishna composed by R. Saadiah Gaon, who served as head of the Sura yeshivah in Baghdad at the beginning of the 10th century. The commentary is a Hebrew-Arabic glossary defining difficult words in the Mishnah. The commentary is well referenced in writings from early periods, and a large portion of the manuscript was recently identified in the Cairo Genizah. I present a number of proofs that R. Saadiah Gaon authored the commentary and show that many adaptions were made to this commentary in several manuscripts. This unpublished commentary is the earliest systematic commentary on rabbinic literature.
On the Date of Composition of the Book of Commandments by the Qaraite Levi b. Yefet
Authors: Vidro Nadia
Published: December 2022

The Book of Commandments of the influential Qaraite scholar Levi b. Yefet is traditionally dated 1006/7 CE. This date is based on the Hebrew translation of the Book of Commandments and is irreconcilable with a calendrical characteristic of this year provided by Levi b. Yefet. In this article I propose to revise the date of composition of the Book of Commandments to 1009 CE. This date is given in a copy of the Arabic original of the code and is calendrically consistent. I also discuss events in the calendar of Palestinian Qaraites that prompted Levi b. Yefet to mention the year in which he was writing and that took place due to irregular weather patterns.
The Russian Aggression against Ukraine – Putin and His ‘Legality Claims’
Authors: Starski Paulina , Arndt Friedrich
Published: December 2022

Trying to reconcile the commemoration of the twenty- fifth anniversary of the Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law with the ongoing brutal Russian invasion into Ukraine since 24 February 2022, this contribution will attempt to analyse the impact of the various claims put forward by President Vladimir Putin as to the ‘legality’ of the Russian aggression on the ius contra bellum regime as enshrined in the UN Charter. To this end, the authors will, first, sketch the distorted pseudohistorical narrative purported by Putin which gives his ‘legality claims’ context. Second, this contribution will take Putin’s ‘legality claims’ deliberately at face value in order to subject them to a legal assessment. In doing so, the authors attempt to demonstrate that the plentiful doctrinal controversies still permeating the discourse on the ius contra bellum regime have little bearing on the (in)validity of the proposed justifications. Third, the authors will address what is at stake for the modern international order based on the UN Charter in face of the blatantly illegal use of force on the part of Russia against Ukraine.
An annotated checklist of sucking lice (Phthiraptera: Anoplura) from domestic and wild mammals in Malaysia, with lists of hosts and pathogens
Authors: KAZIM ABDUL-RAHMAN , HOUSSAINI JAMAL , TAPPE DENNIS , HEO CHONG-CHIN
Published: December 2022

Literature records of sucking lice (Phthiraptera: Anoplura) from Malaysia were checked and reviewed, resulting in a list of 34 established species belonging to 11 genera (Ancistroplax, Atopophthirus, Enderleinellus, Haematopinus, Hamophthirius, Hoplopleura, Linognathus, Neohaematopinus, Pedicinus, Polyplax and Sathrax). Furthermore, three local and six cosmopolitan louse species are regarded as dubious in Malaysia, due to misidentifications or lack of locality records. Also, pathogens known to be associated with the sucking lice are listed. The alarming conservation status of some Malaysian mammalian host species and their sucking lice warrant more research and imminent action to preserve the biodiversity of the country. This paper presents the first complete checklist of anopluran lice from both Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo, including localities, literature references and a host-louse list.
A new species of the genus Eutrichopagurus Komai, 2015 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Paguridae) from a submarine cave in the Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan
Authors: OSAWA MASAYUKI , FUJITA YOSHIHISA
Published: December 2022

A new hermit crab species of the family Paguridae is described on the basis of two male specimens from Hedo Dome, a submarine cave located on the north coast of Okinawa Island, Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan. The assignment of the new species to the genus Eutrichopagurus Komai, 2015 is based on the structure of the gills and right male sexual tube, the article 3 of the antennular peduncle with a prominent tuft of setae on the dorsodistal margin, and the posterior lateral margins of the telson each bearing a prominent tuft of setae. Among two known congeners, Eutrichopagurus crassoculus n. sp. may be closer to the type species of the genus, E. shirakawai Komai, 2015, in having greatly reduced corneas, basally bearing sparse setae, and no small corneous spines or spiniform setae on the dorsal surface of the meri of the ambulatory legs, but is distinguishable by the morphology of the ocular peduncles, ocular acicle, antennular peduncle, and chelipeds.
Using Hydraulic Theory to Monitor Dense Overflows in a Parabolic Channel
Authors: Saberi Atousa , Pratt Lawrence J. , Haine Thomas W. N. , Helfrich Karl R.
Published: December 2022

Deep ocean passages are advantageous sites for long-term monitoring of deep transport and other physical properties relevant to climate. Rotating hydraulic theory provides potential for simplifying monitoring strategy by reducing the number of quantities that need to be measured. However, the applicability of these theories has been limited by idealizations such as restriction to zero or uniform potential vorticity (pv) and to channels with rectangular cross sections. Here the relationship between the flow characteristics in a canonical sea strait and its upstream condition is studied using uniform pv rotating hydraulic theory and a reduced-gravity shallow-water numerical model that allows for variation in pv. The paper is focused mainly on the sensitivity of the hydraulic solution to the strait geometry. We study the dynamics of channels with continuously varying (parabolic) cross sections to account for the rounded nature of sea-strait topographies and potentially improve monitoring strategies for realistic channel geometries. The results show that far enough from the channel entrance, the hydraulically controlled flow in the strait is insensitive to the basin circulation regardless of parabolic curvature. The controlled transport relation is derived for the case of uniform pv theory. Comparing the model to theory, we find that the measurement of the wetted edges of the interface height at the critical section can be used to estimate the volume flux. Based on this finding, we suggest three monitoring strategies for transport estimation and compare the estimates with the observed values at the Faroe Bank Channel. The results showed that the estimated transports are within the range of observed values.

Significance Statement

The paper investigates the relationship between the flow characteristics in an idealized sea strait and its upstream condition using rotating hydraulic theory and numerical modeling. We study the dynamics of channels with continuously varying (parabolic) cross sections to account for the rounded nature of sea-strait topographies and potentially improve monitoring strategies for realistic channel geometries. We suggest three monitoring strategies for transport estimation and apply the methods to the Faroe Bank Channel. Our estimates of dense water transport are within the range of observed values. This is significant, because the suggested monitoring strategies only require 1–3 measurements to estimate the transport at a given passage and can be used to guide observing systems.
Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact the Caliber of Trainees Taken During Match 2021? A Survey of General Surgery Residency Program Directors
Authors: Ferry Andrew M. , Asaad Malke , Rajesh Aashish , Grush Andrew E. , Elmorsi Rami , Burns Heather R. , Mohan Vamsi C. , Bauer David F. , Maricevich Renata S.
Published: December 2022

Background

The cancellation of clinical rotations (CRs) and implementation of virtual interviews (VIs) profoundly affected the residency selection process leading up to the 2021 NRMP Match. The authors investigated how these changes influenced the caliber of applicants taken by general surgery (GS) residency programs from the perspectives of program directors (PDs).

Methods

A 14 question, web-based electronic survey was emailed to PDs of ACGME-accredited GS residency programs. Questions sought program characteristics and PDs’ perspectives regarding potential differences in subjective characteristics and clinical skills demonstrated by their 2021 Match class relative to previous resident classes.

Results

A total of 75 PDs (27.2%) responded to our survey. Most respondents observed no changes in residents’ fit with their program (72.0%), communication skills (68.0%), responsiveness to clinical instruction and feedback (73.3%), work ethic (73.3%), and rotation evaluations (68.0%). Only 21.3% of PDs believed that VIs negatively impacted their ability to accurately assess applicant intangibles. Conversely, 56.0% of PDs reported that the cancellation of CRs in 2020 negatively affected residents’ clinical competency at the start of residency. At 1-year following the 2021 NRMP Match, 30.7% of PDs reported that the clinical skills exhibited by their 2021 Match class were poorer than previous resident classes.

Discussion

Our findings suggest that VIs limited selection committees’ ability to accurately assess applicant’s subjective characteristics to a lesser degree than previously described in the literature. Canceled CRs adversely affected the 2021 Match Class’s clinical skills at the start of residency and at 1 year following the 2021 NRMP Match.
Prevalence and sociocultural correlates of post-traumatic stress disorder and complex PTSD among Chinese community health service users in Hong Kong
Authors: Fung Hong Wang , Wong Emily Nga Man , Lam Stanley Kam Ki , Chien Wai Tong , Hung Suet Lin , Ross Colin A. , Cloitre Marylene
Published: December 2022

Objectives:

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is a newly recognized trauma disorder in ICD-11. Little is known about the prevalence and correlates of CPTSD in primary care settings. Its cultural aspects also remained minimally explored. This study investigated the prevalence and sociocultural correlates of PTSD and complex PTSD among Chinese community health service users in Hong Kong.

Methods:

This study investigated ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD in a sample of adults ( N = 376) who had recently received services from Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioners in Hong Kong. Traditional Chinese medicine service is part of primary care services in Chinese societies. Participants completed self-report measures of CPTSD, trauma exposure, perceived family support, perceived caregiver’s Chinese traditionality/modernity, participation (social activities and occupational productivity), depression and pain.

Results:

The past-month prevalence of ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD was 5.6% and 18.4%, respectively, in our sample. Chi-square tests and one-way ANOVAs revealed that participants with CPTSD were younger and reported more trauma, lower family support, lower levels of social participation and productivity, more depressive symptoms and pain, and more social welfare and mental health service usages than those without PTSD. We found that perceived caregiver’s Chinese modernity (e.g. egalitarianism) was negatively correlated with CPTSD symptoms. Apart from age, non-betrayal trauma had the strongest association with classical PTSD symptoms, while betrayal trauma and perceived family support had the strongest association with disturbances in self-organization symptoms.

Conclusion:

This study provides the first data regarding the prevalence and correlates of ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD among community health service users in Hong Kong. PTSD and CPTSD are common but often unrecognized mental health problems which are associated with more impairments and more service needs.
Omitted Budget Constraint Bias and Implications for Competitive Pricing
Authors: Pachali Max J. , Kurz Peter , Otter Thomas
Published: December 2022

Standard choice-based conjoint models often ignore or insufficiently approximate consumers’ budget constraints, despite the prominent role of budget constraints in economic theory. The authors offer a theoretically motivated improvement to the choice-based conjoint model that is especially appropriate for high-ticket durable goods and develop a Bayesian method for the inference of unobserved budget constraints. The proposed method leverages respondents’ stated budget constraints that suffer from measurement error and respondents’ financial demographic variables as additional information to reduce the dependency on functional form assumptions in the estimation. The authors show that accounting for budget constraints substantially increases model fit and the accuracy of competitive pricing in an industry-grade discrete-choice experiment on consumer preferences for high-end laptops. The proposed model performs better than the canonical linear price benchmark model, which is not flexible enough to approximate budget constraints. In theory, more flexible utility specifications, such as the nonlinear dummy price model, can approximate consumers’ budget constraints. However, they perform poorly when only finite data are available. The authors conclude that applied researchers in industry and academia will benefit from having a better tool for estimating budgets in high-ticket categories.
Machine Learning as a Model for Cultural Learning: Teaching an Algorithm What it Means to be Fat
Authors: Arseniev-Koehler Alina , Foster Jacob G.
Published: December 2022

Public culture is a powerful source of cognitive socialization; for example, media language is full of meanings about body weight. Yet it remains unclear how individuals process meanings in public culture. We suggest that schema learning is a core mechanism by which public culture becomes personal culture. We propose that a burgeoning approach in computational text analysis – neural word embeddings – can be interpreted as a formal model for cultural learning. Embeddings allow us to empirically model schema learning and activation from natural language data. We illustrate our approach by extracting four lower-order schemas from news articles: the gender, moral, health, and class meanings of body weight. Using these lower-order schemas we quantify how words about body weight “fill in the blanks” about gender, morality, health, and class. Our findings reinforce ongoing concerns that machine-learning models (e.g., of natural language) can encode and reproduce harmful human biases.
“The Kids in Prison Program”: A Critical Race Personal Counternarrative of a Former Black Charter School Teacher
Authors: James-Gallaway Chaddrick D.
Published: December 2022

Background/Context:

In New Orleans, Louisiana, in the years following Hurricane Katrina, predominantly white education reformers have used entrepreneurial support to dismantle the predominantly Black city’s public education system. Using racial domination without community approval, these education reformers have educationally disenfranchised the Black community by implementing No Excuses (NE) Charter School Management Organizations (CMO). The rise in these organizations has also led to the mass firing of the city’s majority Black educator base and the hiring of majority white educators. Scholarship on NE CMOs notes their use of dehumanizing behavioral practices meant to control their student populations. Accounts, however, are limited from those who have witnessed, experienced, or resisted these dehumanizing behavioral practices.

Purpose/Objective/Focus of Study:

Through the critical race theory (CRT) lens of racial realism, this paper provides a critical race personal counternarrative (CRPCN) that characterizes the racist and racialized disciplinary and surveillance practices used to control Black students’ bodies. It examines my experiences as a teacher within an NE CMO, the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) school in New Orleans. Furthermore, this paper underscores my own Black fugitive pedagogic acts alongside my Black students, acts that allowed us to create fleeting moments of freedom inside and outside our classroom.

Research Design:

I relied on critical race methodology to construct a CRPCN against KIPP, which prides itself on positive behavior practices and social justice. The evidence I drew on included free-written notes, conversations with former students and teachers, media (e.g., photos and videos), and scholarly literature. To analyze data, I drew on CRT concepts of racial realism and the permanence of racism in U.S. society to underscore Black fugitivity, anti-Black surveillance, and discipline.

Conclusion/Recommendations:

Racial realism provides a lens for identifying the evolution of racialized surveillance technologies on Black bodies within the United States. Although critics characterize racial realism as overly pessimistic, this paper notes one way that scholars, educators, students, and parents can draw on this tool of racial resistance to accept the current racial reality, uncover racially oppressive schooling practices, and highlight strategies of survival through fugitive acts.
“Argentina's National Style: Maradona, Peronism, and Metaphysical Football.”
Authors: Novoa Adriana , Koch Robert
Published: December 2022

This essay analyzes how Peronist politics explain the emergence of Diego Maradona as a player that represented authentic Argentine football. We explain how the political radicalism popular during his formative years impacted his role in affirming Argentina's national style of play. In doing so, this article also engages scholarship that historicizes the myths of his nation's football. We analyze Maradona's development as a historically situated phenomenon, and argue that, through Peronism, he understood this sport as a metaphysical game that expressed class struggle and the emancipatory aspirations of the poor boys who were seen as creators of the national style. By this, we mean that he focused on the ball and the relationship he was able to establish with it to question reality, possibilities, and even its existence, creating an experience for spectators that was different and sublime, that made football more than a sport.
Ontology or Theology? François Jullien and Chinese Vitalism
Authors: Lash Scott
Published: December 2022

François Jullien intervenes into the ontology debates to understand Chinese thought as an anti-ontology, but instead in terms of ‘life’, that is as a sort of vitalism. Chinese anti-ontology features the juxtaposition of the wu (there-is-not) with the you (there-is). This, I argue, maps onto theology’s counterposition of otherworldly and this-worldly. Here Daoism features an ascetic and unstratified wu in contraposition to Confucianism’s you of moderation and stratification. We contrast ontology’s causation with ‘efficacy’ in Jullien’s Chinese thought. We read Zhuangzi’s ‘Equalization of Things’, where the inequalities of the you are equalized in the wu, as a sort of vitalist object energetics. We turn to Chinese ethics, and its driving virtue of yi. We understand the yi not as ‘righteousness’, which is a theological attribute of Christ, but instead as closer to political ‘right’, in China embedded in immanentist forms of life. Western Cartesian ontology is often contrasted with Chinese thought that works through a certain ‘analogism’. We read this, with Walter Benjamin’s Chinese ‘mimetic’ faculty, in terms of a vitalist energetics, a forcefield of the Ten Thousand Things.
Neuronal Serpina3n is an endogenous protector against blood brain barrier damage following cerebral ischemic stroke
Authors: Li Fengshi , Zhang Yueman , Li Ruqi , Li Yan , Ding Shenghao , Zhou Jianpo , Huang Tianchen , Chen Chen , Lu Bingwei , Yu Weifeng , Boltze Johannes , Li Peiying , Wan Jieqing
Published: December 2022

Ischemic stroke results in blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, during which the reciprocal interaction between ischemic neurons and components of the BBB appears to play a critical role. However, the underlying mechanisms for BBB protection remain largely unknown. In this study, we found that Serpina3n, a serine protease inhibitor, was significantly upregulated in the ischemic brain, predominantly in ischemic neurons from 6 hours to 3 days after stroke. Using neuron-specific adeno-associated virus (AAV), intranasal delivery of recombinant protein, and immune-deficient Rag1−/− mice, we demonstrated that Serpina3n attenuated BBB disruption and immune cell infiltration following stroke by inhibiting the activity of granzyme B (GZMB) and neutrophil elastase (NE) secreted by T cells and neutrophils. Furthermore, we found that intranasal delivery of rSerpina3n significantly attenuated the neurologic deficits after stroke. In conclusion, Serpina3n is a novel ischemic neuron-derived proteinase inhibitor that counterbalances BBB disruption induced by peripheral T cell and neutrophil infiltration after ischemic stroke. These findings reveal a novel endogenous protective mechanism against BBB damage with Serpina3n being a potential therapeutic target in ischemic stroke.