bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A molecular phylogeny of the early-branching Genistoid lineages of papilionoid legumes reveals a new Amazonian genus segregated from Clathrotropis
Authors: Gregório Bernarda de S , Carvalho Catarina S , Ramos Gustavo , Rocha Lamarck , Stirton Charles H , de Lima Haroldo C , Zartman Charles E , Lewis Gwilym P , Torke Benjamin M , Snak Cristiane , Higuita Heriberto A D , de Queiroz Luciano P , Cardoso Domingos
Published: November 2023

Molecular phylogenetic studies focused on the early-branching papilionoid legumes have revealed many new clades and supported several generic realignments, yet the monophyly of some of the constituent genera has remained unassessed. This is the case for the Amazonian genus Clathrotropis of the tribe Ormosieae. The genus, as traditionally circumscribed, comprises seven species of trees, including some of the most ecologically hyper dominant taxa across the Amazonian terra firme and seasonally flooded forests. Here we employed a Bayesian analysis of densely sampled nuclear ribosomal ITS/5.8S and plastid matK and trnL intron DNA sequences to evaluate the monophyly of Clathrotropis. All individual and concatenated analyses concurred in showing the non-monophyletic nature of Clathrotropis, whose species fall into three distantly related lineages: one, comprised of C. brachypetala, C. brunnea, C. glaucophylla and the ecologically dominant C. macrocarpa, is circumscribed here as the new genus Cabari; the two others, comprising C. paradoxa and the widespread C. nitida, are more closely related to Spirotropis of the tribe Ormosieae. Such phylogeny-based dismemberment of Clathrotropis is further supported by vegetative, floral, fruit, and seed characters. Although the genes analysed in this study have provided phylogenetically informative data supporting the need for a new circumscription of Clathrotropis, we suggest that future phylogenomic studies should seek to better resolve the relationships of the newly described genus Cabari across the phylogenetically recalcitrant early-branching nodes of the Genistoid clade.
An Intrusion Detection Method Based on Attention Mechanism to Improve CNN-BiLSTM Model
Authors: Shou Dingyu , Li Chao , Wang Zhen , Cheng Song , Hu Xiaobo , Zhang Kai , Wen Mi , Wang Yong
Published: November 2023

Security of computer information can be improved with the use of a network intrusion detection system. Since the network environment is becoming more complex, more and more new methods of attacking the network have emerged, making the original intrusion detection methods ineffective. Increased network activity also causes intrusion detection systems to identify errors more frequently. We suggest a new intrusion detection technique in this research that combines a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model with a Bi-directional Long Short-term Memory Network (BiLSTM) model for adding attention mechanisms. We distinguish our model from existing methods in three ways. First, we use the NCR-SMOTE algorithm to resample the dataset. Secondly, we use recursive feature elimination method based on extreme random tree to select features. Thirdly, we improve the profitability and accuracy of predictions by adding attention mechanism to CNN-BiLSTM. This experiment uses UNSW-UB15 dataset composed of real traffic, and the accuracy rate of multi-classification is 84.5$\%$; the accuracy rate of multi-classification in CSE-IC-IDS2018 dataset reached 98.3$\%$.
Lobbying Sanctions: Data from the European Union
Authors: Meissner Katharina
Published: November 2023

This article introduces the Lobbying EU Sanctions dataset. Sanctions have become a decisive tool in international relations, including in the European Union’s (EU) foreign affairs. Business actors are heavily affected by sanctions, especially economic and financial ones. Yet, scholarship and the public know little about how business actors interact with decision-makers in the context of sanctions. The Lobbying EU Sanctions dataset addresses this problem. The dataset builds on an original survey (2020) with European business groups and contains data on their interactions with decision-makers regarding EU restrictive measures. The article discusses the need for fine-grained data on interaction between business groups and decision-makers in the area of sanctions, describes the survey design and structure of the data, presents some initial survey findings, and illustrates how the Lobbying EU Sanctions dataset opens new opportunities for research on sanctions.
Finding information about uncharacterized Drosophila melanogaster genes
Authors: Mohr Stephanie E , Kim Ah-Ram , Hu Yanhui , Perrimon Norbert
Published: November 2023

Genes that have been identified in the genome but remain uncharacterized with regards to function offer an opportunity to uncover novel biological information. Novelty is exciting but can also be a barrier. If nothing is known, how does one start planning and executing experiments? Here, we provide a recommended information-mining workflow and a corresponding guide to accessing information about uncharacterized Drosophila melanogaster genes, such as those assigned only a systematic coding gene identifier. The available information can provide insights into where and when the gene is expressed, what the function of the gene might be, whether there are similar genes in other species, whether there are known relationships to other genes, and whether any other features have already been determined. In addition, available information about relevant reagents can inspire and facilitate experimental studies. Altogether, mining available information can help prioritize genes for further study, as well as provide starting points for experimental assays and other analyses.
Differences in Alzheimer’s Disease–Related Pathology Profiles Across Apolipoprotein Groups
Authors: Morrison Cassandra , Dadar Mahsa , Kamal Farooq , Collins D Louis ,   for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: November 2023

The apolipoprotein (APOE) ɛ4 allele is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), whereas the ɛ2 allele is thought to be protective against AD. Few studies have examined the relationship between brain pathologies, atrophy, white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) and APOE status in those with the ɛ2ɛ4 genotype and results are inconsistent for those with an ɛ2 allele. Alzheimer’s disease neuroimaging participants were divided into 1 of 4 APOE allele profiles (E4 = ɛ4ɛ4 or ɛ3ɛ4; E2 = ɛ2ɛ2 or ɛ2ɛ3; E3 = ɛ3ɛ3; or E24 = ɛ2ɛ4). Linear mixed models examined the relationship between APOE profiles and brain changes (i.e., regional WMHs, ventricle size, hippocampal and entorhinal cortex volume, amyloid level, and phosphorylated tau measures), while controlling for age, sex, education, and diagnostic status at baseline and over time. APOE ɛ4 was associated with increased pathology, whereas ɛ2 positivity is associated with reduced baseline and lower accumulation of pathologies and neurodegeneration. APOE ɛ2ɛ4 was similar to ɛ4 (increased neurodegeneration) but with a slower rate of change. The strong associations observed between APOE and pathology show the importance of how genetic factors influence structural brain changes. These findings suggest that ɛ2ɛ4 genotype is related to increased declines associated with the ɛ4 as opposed to the protective effects of the ɛ2. These findings have important implications for initiating treatments and interventions. Given that people with the ɛ2ɛ4 genotype can expect to have increased atrophy, they should be considered (alongside those with an ɛ4) in targeted interventions to reduce brain changes that occur with AD.
Older Drivers Reduced Engagement in Distracting Behaviors Over a Six-Year Period: Findings From the Candrive Longitudinal Study
Authors: Bédard Michel , Maxwell Hillary , Weaver Bruce , Stinchcombe Arne , Gélinas Isabelle , Mazer Barbara , Naglie Gary , Porter Michelle M , Rapoport Mark J , Tuokko Holly , Vrkljan Brenda , Marshall Shawn
Published: November 2023

Objectives

Baltes and Baltes’ “selective optimization with compensation” model is pertinent to driving but evidence about the use of compensation using longitudinal designs is scarce. Therefore, we sought to determine if older drivers reduced their engagement in distracting behaviors while driving, over a 6-year period.

Methods

We used data captured over several annual assessments from a cohort of 583 drivers aged 70 and older to determine if their engagement in 12 distracting behaviors (e.g., listening to the radio, talking with passengers) declined over time. We adjusted our multivariable model for several potential confounders of the association between our outcome variable and time.

Results

Overall, and after adjustment for potential confounders, the participants reduced their engagement in distracting behaviors over the study period (odds ratio [OR] = 0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.95–0.97). Baseline age was negatively associated with engagement in distracting behaviors (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.94–0.96). Men engaged in more distracting behaviors than women (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.03–1.27), as did participants living in the largest urban centers compared to participants living in the smallest areas (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.04–1.41). The number of kilometers driven per year (for every 10,000 km) was positively associated with the proportion of distracting behaviors drivers engaged in (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.08–1.19).

Discussion

Drivers in our cohort reduced their engagement in distracting behaviors over the study period. This suggests that older drivers adjust their driving over time, which aligns with age-related theories and models about compensation.
The socio-environmental impact of mining in a peripheral Andean region, 1776–1831
Authors: Sironi Osvaldo
Published: November 2023

From an environmental-historical perspective, this article seeks to contribute to the characterization of mining and metallurgy developed in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in the Argentine Cuyo region (Mendoza, San Juan and San Luis). It also seeks to examine the role they played in the region’s socio-historical dynamics, particularly in terms of the appropriation of available natural resources and the strategies employed in mining labours. The relationship among economic activities and the environmental configuration of the Cuyo territory and the social agents that lived there is analysed through four case studies that allow for greater understanding of the central role of sociopolitical causes in the definition of environmental transformations.
Size-based indicators for assessments of ecological status of coastal fish communities
Authors: Östman Ö , Hommik K , Bolund E , Heikinheimo O , Olin M , Lejk A M , Svirgsden R , Smoliński S , Olsson J
Published: November 2023

Human impact does not only affect the abundances of fish, but also the age- and size-distributions. Indicators of fish age and size-structures can hence be useful tools for fisheries- and environmental management. Size-based indicators have been tested and proposed for large, homogenous marine ecosystems with high fishing mortality, but rarely for fine-scaled heterogeneous ecosystems in coastal zones. Here we analyse a suite of size indicators for coastal fish communities in the Baltic Sea, including mean and median length, 10th and 90th-percentile of the length distribution (L10, L90), mean length of the 10% largest fish (Lmax), large fish indices, size-spectra, and size-diversity. Results show good precision and accuracy of most indicators at realistic sample sizes, except for size-spectra and size-diversity, making them less suitable. Different indicators showed correlations among sites, indicating similar responses to environmental variation. Most size indicators responded positively to lower fishing pressure, especially indicators emphasizing the largest individuals in the population (e.g. L90 and Lmax), whereas eutrophication and physical disturbances had less impact. We conclude that size-based indicators aiming at describing the occurrence of larger fish, like L90 and Lmax, are useful for establishing management targets and assessing the status of coastal fish.
Lifts of Supersingular Abelian Varieties With Small Mumford–Tate Groups
Authors: Lam Yeuk Hay Joshua , Oswal Abhishek
Published: November 2023

We investigate to what extent an abelian variety over a finite field can be lifted to one in characteristic zero with small Mumford–Tate group. We prove that supersingular abelian surfaces, respectively three-folds, can be lifted to ones isogenous to a square, respectively product, of elliptic curves. On the other hand, we show that supersingular abelian three-folds cannot be lifted to one isogenous to the cube of an elliptic curve over the Witt vectors.
High prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomiasis among primary schoolchildren in Southwest Ethiopia: the need for health strategies alongside mass drug administration
Authors: Meleko Asrat , Turgeman Dorin Brener , Caplan Naomi , Baum Sarit , Zerai Nisan K , Zaadnoordijk Willemijn , Bruck Michal , Sabar Galia , Bentwich Zvi , Golan Rachel
Published: November 2023

Background

Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and schistosomiasis remain widely prevalent in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of STH and schistosomiasis among schoolchildren in Gidi Bench district (Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Republic, Southwest Ethiopia) and the association with knowledge and health-related behaviors.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted. Stool samples, analyzed by the Kato-Katz technique and a knowledge, attitudes and practices questionnaire, were collected.

Results

Out of 611 participants (mean age 12.8±3.1 y), 129 (21.1%) were infected with schistosomiasis and 382 (62.5%) had STH. More than 30% (n=195, 31.9%) were infected with a single intestinal parasite, while 138 (22.6%) and 47 (7.7%) were infected with two or three parasitic infections, respectively. Boys and those who did not participate in school clubs had higher infection rates (p=0.05). Lower parasitic infection was associated with using a latrine when available, washing hands and vegetables and wearing shoes regularly. Higher rates of infection were found among those who reported swimming and washing cloths and utensils in the river regularly.

Conclusions

Schistosomiasis and STH were highly prevalent among schoolchildren in Gidi Bench district. Infection rates were associated with gender, lack of knowledge on parasitic infections and unhealthy behaviors. Findings from this study may assist in decision making regarding disease prevalence and methods of control alongside mass drug administration.
‘The law is very, very outdated and not keeping up with the technology’: novel forms of assisted gestation, legal challenges, and perspectives of reproductive rights advocates in England and Wales
Authors: Romanis Elizabeth Chloe
Published: November 2023

A growing body of literature examines the ethico-legal challenges resulting from novel forms of assisted gestation like uterus transplantation and artificial placentas (also known as ‘artificial wombs’). However, there has not yet been consideration of reproductive rights organizations/advocates’ understandings of novel forms of assisted gestation and their challenges. These perspectives provide critical insight into how novel procreative practices are understood and the problems and pressures that might arise from their use. This is the first legal article to engage with reproductive rights organizations/advocates and thus it provides important contextual grounding to existing scholarship about assisted gestation. Focus group discussion epitomized the need for legal reform in key areas surrounding reproduction. Themes were constructed that exemplify what participants highlighted as critical: the need to re-evaluate the fundamentals of legal parenthood, consideration of how novel technologies could further enable the policing of gestation, and the space and time needed for law-making.
Unveiling the immune system aging in single-cell resolution
Authors: Chan Chun Lai , Sugimura Ryohichi
Published: November 2023

This commentary investigates the findings presented in the article by Yang et al. in 2023, published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. This commentary first summarizes the spatial-temporal dynamics of regulatory T cells derived from mice (Tabula Muris Senis) of different ages (3, 18, and 24 mo) at different anatomic niches like lymph nodes and bone marrow. We also reported possible combinations of receptor–ligand interactions among T follicular regulatory cells, T follicular helper cells, and germinal center B cells, such as the calmodulin/Fas axis and PSGL-1/L-selectin axis. Then, we have elaborated on the significance of understanding aging regulatory T cells and offered some possible future research directions for Yang et al., contributing to a critical analysis of their recent study. Building on these foundations, further investigations and studies can be conducted to delve deeper into the mechanisms by which regulatory T cells influence health upon aging, potentially unveiling novel therapeutic targets to ameliorate age-related pathogenicity.
Phylogeographic inference for Bichromomyia flaviscutellata sensu stricto (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phebotominae) from the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, based on the 3ʹ region of the COI gene
Authors: de Melo Leonardo Barroso , Scarpassa Vera Margarete
Published: November 2023

Bichromomyia flaviscutellata (Mangabeira, 1942) sensu stricto (Diptera: Psychodidae) has been recognized as the main vector of Leishmania amazonensis in the Brazilian Amazon. For this reason, it is of paramount importance to understand the distribution of genetic diversity of populations of this vector, particularly the genetic structure and gene flow, for its management and control efforts. This study investigated the phylogeographic structure of five B. flaviscutellata s.s. populations from the central Brazilian Amazon region by analyzing 1,141 bp fragment of the 3ʹ region of the COI gene. A total of 85 specimens of B. flaviscutellata s.s. were sequenced from Manaus (14), Rio Preto da Eva (10), Pitinga (14), Novo Airão (21), and Autazes (26); all in the state of Amazonas. The dataset yielded 59 haplotypes, most of them connected to each other in the main network. There were high levels of intrapopulation genetic variability (h = 0.945 ± 0.035 – 0.978 ± 0.054). The genetic distance values among populations varied from moderate (0.0873) to very high (0.3535), and all comparisons were significant, as well as the hierarchical analysis (ΦST = 0.2145). In contrast, these comparisons revealed a high number of shared sites (Ss = 6–34) and no difference in fixed sites (Sf = 0) among populations indicating absence of historical isolation. The Mantel test indicated that 67.92% (r = 0.6792; P = 0.06) of the genetic structure observed in B. flaviscutellata s.s. cannot be explained by the isolation-by-distance (IBD) model. This genetic structure, weakly explained by the IBD, may be due mainly by the forest habitat fragmentation and the low dispersal (flight) capacity of sand flies. Both factors could lead to population fragmentation and isolation, which promote genetic differentiation. Taken together, these findings suggest that the genetic structure observed in the studied populations of B. flaviscutellata s.s. is likely generated by microevolutionary processes acting at the population level at the present time and, therefore, evolutionary lineages were not recognized among the populations analyzed.
The Heterogeneity of Bioethics: Discussions of Harm, Abortion, and Conceptual Clarity of Bioethical Terminology
Authors: Hrabovsky Ryan
Published: November 2023

This issue of The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy exemplifies the diverse range of topics that fall under the scope of bioethics and the philosophy of medicine. The eight essays in this number challenge many of the underlying assumptions made in the philosophy of medicine, health care, the abortion debate, the nature of harm, disability, the moral status of human beings, and pandemic lockdown procedures.
Epistemic injustice? Banning ‘critical race theory’, ‘divisive topics’, and ‘embedded racism’ in the classroom
Authors: Lara-Steidel Henry , Thompson Winston C
Published: November 2023

In more than half of its states, the USA has recently passed or proposed legislation to limit or ban public educational curricular reference to race, gender, sexuality, or other identity topics. The stated justifications for these legislative moves are myriad, but they share a foundational claim; namely, these topics are asserted to be politically and socially divisive such that they ought not to be included within state-controlled schools. In this paper, we consider the claims of divisiveness regarding these topics and explore whether, even if taken in good faith, the popular versions of these arguments and actions are epistemically defensible. We conclude that these bans are an epistemic injustice and therefore argue for their end. The article proceeds to consider the foundational claims of epistemic injustice, followed by the invocation of epistemic standards by which the arguments for these bans can be evaluated. The article then transitions to a close application of these standards, weighing the possible epistemic gains and losses. Before concluding, we consider objections and explore the social and epistemic significance of these issues.
Horseshoe prior Bayesian quantile regression
Authors: Kohns David , Szendrei Tibor
Published: November 2023

This paper extends the horseshoe prior to Bayesian quantile regression and provides a fast sampling algorithm for computation in high dimensions. Compared to alternative shrinkage priors, our method yields better performance in coefficient bias and forecast error, especially in sparse designs and in estimating extreme quantiles. In a high-dimensional growth-at-risk forecasting application, we forecast tail risks and complete forecast densities using a database covering over 200 macroeconomic variables. Quantile specific and density calibration score functions show that our method provides competitive performance compared to competing Bayesian quantile regression priors, especially at short- and medium-run horizons.
Combined Ravitch and Nuss procedure for patients with severe pectus excavatum: technique and initial results
Authors: Masai Kyohei , Okubo Yu , Kaseda Kaoru , Hishida Tomoyuki , Asakura Keisuke
Published: November 2023

The Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum (PE) is both less invasive and very simple compared to the Ravitch procedure. However, it may be difficult to perform the Nuss procedure in cases of severe PE. Therefore, we developed a Combined Ravitch and Nuss (CRN) procedure and examined its effectiveness in patients with severe PE. Nine patients with severe PE underwent the CRN procedure. Data on patient characteristics and perioperative results were collected retrospectively. The median Haller index (HI) was 15.4 (range, 6.3–29.3). No significant intraoperative adverse events were noted. Postoperatively, marked improvements in HI were seen in all cases (3.29, range, 2.72–4.96). Two surgical site infections on the shallow layer and one wound seroma occurred. No recurrences were observed during the observation period. Our novel CRN procedure is useful for achieving adequate and sustainable sternal elevation with less invasiveness for patients with severe PE.
Fluorescence guidance during robotic resection of bladder wall endometriosis: case report and technique
Authors: Bruneel Yasnaia , Ghysel Christophe , Van Holsbeke Caroline , Van Trappen Philippe
Published: November 2023

The application of indocyanine green (ICG) has recently been reported to aid in the resection of endometriosis in the bladder wall and/or involving the ureters. A symptomatic 41-year-old patient with dysmenorrhea and pollakisuria was referred to our tertiary center. Imaging revealed a 1.5–2 cm intramural endometriotic nodule in the posterior bladder wall. She was planned for robotic resection of the endometriotic nodule, under ICG guidance, together with a hysterectomy. After placement of double-J ureteral stents and clamping the bladder, perforation of the bladder mucosa could be avoided whilst performing a circumferential resection of the nodule. By clamping the bladder catheter after instillation of ICG, both the bladder wall thickness and ureters could be visualized with near-infrared imaging during robotic resection of the endometriotic nodule and hysterectomy. With the surgical approach described here, endometriotic nodules/tissue can be removed precisely with enlarged vision at the robot console, safely, and completely without damaging adjacent tissues.
Repair of penile prosthesis–induced impending erosion using xenograft during simultaneous inflatable penile prosthesis replacement
Authors: Jue Joshua S , Eid Jean-Francois
Published: November 2023

Background

Penile prosthesis (PP)–induced impending erosion is a rare complication that has not been well characterized.

Aim

This study evaluates the role of prosthesis sizing and of the safety of xenograft windsock repair (AlloDerm, Tutoplast, ArthroFLEX) of impending erosion.

Methods

This was a retrospective review of xenograft use during inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) replacement. Patient demographics, prior PP characteristics, and xenograft-augmented IPP characteristics were obtained. Paired-samples t tests were used to compare the PP cylinder size, rear tip extender size, and calculated PP length between the most recent prior PP and the xenograft-augmented IPP. Complications and follow-up data were obtained.

Outcomes

The primary outcome was comparing the corporal body and device measurements between the PP presenting with impending erosion and the implanted xenograft-augmented IPP. The secondary outcome was evaluating the incidence of subsequent explantation.

Results

A total of 24 patients underwent xenograft repair with simultaneous IPP replacement from 2012 to 2022. The median number of prior PP was 1 (interquartile range, 1-2.75). The median time between the most recent prior PP and xenograft-augmented IPP placement was 21 (interquartile range, 14-79) months. The prior PP was significantly longer at the time of explantation compared with the measured corporal body length in both the left (21.4 cm vs 20.1 cm; P < .01) and right (21.4 cm vs 20.1 cm; P < .01) sides. However, there was no significant difference in length between the xenograft-augmented IPP length at the time of implantation and measured corporal body length in both the left (20.1 cm vs 20.0 cm; P = .67) and right (20.2 cm vs 20.1 cm; P = .56) sides. A total of 16 (66.7%) cases required bilateral xenograft corporal body use. Only 1 (4.2%) patient had an IPP infection requiring explantation within 90 days of xenograft-augmented IPP placement. A total of 2 (8.3%) patients had device malfunction and 1 (4.2%) patient had impending erosion recurrence requiring removal/replacement of their initial xenograft-augmented IPP in a median time of 56 months from placement.

Clinical Implications

PP oversizing may increase risk of PP-induced impending erosion, which is a delayed process.

Strengths and Limitations

This is the largest retrospective study of xenograft use during IPP replacement for impending erosion but does not have a control cohort. This study is limited by its retrospective nature, limited follow-up, and absence of a treatment comparison.

Conclusion

PP-induced impending erosion may be due to PP oversizing but can be successfully repaired with xenograft windsock during simultaneous IPP replacement.
Urinary symptoms and female sexual dysfunction in women with type 1 diabetes: the role of depression
Authors: Fernandez Moncaleano Golena , Gibbons Cody M , Holt Sarah , Braffett Barbara , Pop-Busui Rodica , Jacobson Alan , Wessells Hunter , Sarma Aruna
Published: November 2023

Background

Some reports suggest that women with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have a greater burden of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) than women without T1D, but the etiology of this elevated risk is poorly understood.

Aim

To examine the associations between FSD and urinary incontinence/lower urinary tract symptoms (UI/LUTS) in women with T1D and to evaluate how depression may mediate these relationships.

Methods

LUTS and UI symptoms were assessed in women with T1D who participated in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Study. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated associations between FSD and UI/LUTS (overall and specific domains) and the impact of depression on these associations.

Outcomes

FSD was measured with the Female Sexual Function Index–Reduced.

Results

In total, 499 self-reported sexually active women completed validated assessments of sexual and urinary function (mean ± SD age, 47.7 ± 7.6 years; T1D duration, 23.4 ± 5.15 years). FSD was reported in 232 (46%) responders. The frequency of UI and LUTS was 125 (25.1%) and 96 (19.2%), respectively. Neither UI nor its subcategories (urge, stress) were associated with FSD. Although LUTS (odds ratio [OR], 1.75; 95% CI, 1.09-2.77) and its symptoms of urgency (OR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.09-3.61) and incomplete emptying (OR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.23-4.85) were associated with FSD, these associations were attenuated following adjustment for depression and antidepressant medication use. Depression indicators were independently associated with FSD overall and across domains.

Clinical Implications

The complex interplay of voiding dysfunction, mental health, and sexual function warrants further investigation to understand the potential implications for patient assessment, goal setting, treatment, and care planning.

Strengths and Limitations

Data are from a prospective study of individuals with T1D. These results are unable to explore cause-and-effect relationships among LUTS, UI, depression, and FSD. The sample may not be representative of the general population of women with T1D. Because participants in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Study are mostly White, generalizing the findings to other races and to type 2 diabetes may not be appropriate. While exclusion of sexually inactive women likely biases our findings toward the null, this design element permitted study of LUTS and UI in relation to aspects of FSD, the primary objective of this study.

Conclusions

The significant associations between LUTS/UI and FSD among middle-aged women with T1D were greatly attenuated when depression was considered a mediating factor.
Interventions to increase vaccination against COVID-19, influenza and pertussis during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Razai Mohammad S , Mansour Rania , Goldsmith Lucy , Freeman Samuel , Mason-Apps Charlotte , Ravindran Pahalavi , Kooner Pavan , Berendes Sima , Morris Joan , Majeed Azeem , Ussher Michael , Hargreaves Sally , Oakeshott Pippa
Published: November 2023

Background

Pregnant women and their babies face significant risks from three vaccine-preventable diseases: COVID-19, influenza and pertussis. However, despite these vaccines’ proven safety and effectiveness, uptake during pregnancy remains low.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review (PROSPERO CRD42023399488; January 2012–December 2022 following PRISMA guidelines) of interventions to increase COVID-19/influenza/pertussis vaccination in pregnancy. We searched nine databases, including grey literature. Two independent investigators extracted data; discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Meta-analyses were conducted using random-effects models to estimate pooled effect sizes. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistics.

Results

From 2681 articles, we identified 39 relevant studies (n = 168 262 participants) across nine countries. Fifteen studies (39%) were randomized controlled trials (RCTs); the remainder were observational cohort, quality-improvement or cross-sectional studies. The quality of 18% (7/39) was strong. Pooled results of interventions to increase influenza vaccine uptake (18 effect estimates from 12 RCTs) showed the interventions were effective but had a small effect (risk ratio = 1.07, 95% CI 1.03, 1.13). However, pooled results of interventions to increase pertussis vaccine uptake (10 effect estimates from six RCTs) showed no clear benefit (risk ratio = 0.98, 95% CI 0.94, 1.03). There were no relevant RCTs for COVID-19. Interventions addressed the ‘three Ps’: patient-, provider- and policy-level strategies. At the patient level, clear recommendations from healthcare professionals backed by text reminders/written information were strongly associated with increased vaccine uptake, especially tailored face-to-face interventions, which addressed women’s concerns, dispelled myths and highlighted benefits. Provider-level interventions included educating healthcare professionals about vaccines’ safety and effectiveness and reminders to offer vaccinations routinely. Policy-level interventions included financial incentives, mandatory vaccination data fields in electronic health records and ensuring easy availability of vaccinations.

Conclusions

Interventions had a small effect on increasing influenza vaccination. Training healthcare providers to promote vaccinations during pregnancy is crucial and could be enhanced by utilizing mobile health technologies.
Evolution of Humoral and Cellular Immunity Post–Breakthrough Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Vaccinated Patients With Hematologic Malignancy Receiving Tixagevimab-Cilgavimab
Authors: Hall Victoria G , Nguyen Thi H O , Allen Lilith F , Rowntree Louise C , Kedzierski Lukasz , Chua Brendon Y , Lim Chhay , Saunders Natalie R , Klimevski Emily , Tennakoon Gayani S , Seymour John F , Wadhwa Vikas , Cain Natalie , Vo Kim L , Nicholson Suellen , Karapanagiotidis Theo , Williamson Deborah A , Thursky Karin A , Spelman Timothy , Yong Michelle K , Slavin Monica A , Kedzierska Katherine , Teh Benjamin W
Published: November 2023

Background

In-depth immunogenicity studies of tixagevimab-cilgavimab (T-C) are lacking, including following breakthrough coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in vaccinated patients with hematologic malignancy (HM) receiving T-C as pre-exposure prophylaxis.

Methods

We performed a prospective, observational cohort study and detailed immunological analyses of 93 patients with HM who received T-C from May 2022, with and without breakthrough infection, during a follow-up period of 6 months and dominant Omicron BA.5 variant.

Results

In 93 patients who received T-C, there was an increase in Omicron BA.4/5 receptor-binding domain (RBD) immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody titers that persisted for 6 months and was equivalent to 3-dose-vaccinated uninfected healthy controls at 1 month postinjection. Omicron BA.4/5 neutralizing antibody was lower in patients receiving B-cell–depleting therapy within 12 months despite receipt of T-C. COVID-19 vaccination during T-C treatment did not incrementally improve RBD or neutralizing antibody levels. In 16 patients with predominantly mild breakthrough infection, no change in serum neutralization of Omicron BA.4/5 postinfection was detected. Activation-induced marker assay revealed an increase in CD4+ (but not CD8+) T cells post infection, comparable to previously infected healthy controls.

Conclusions

Our study provides proof-of-principle for a pre-exposure prophylaxis strategy and highlights the importance of humoral and cellular immunity post–breakthrough COVID-19 in vaccinated patients with HM.
Population viability analysis informs Western Grasswren translocation: Multi-population sourcing of 112 founder individuals needed to meet success criteria
Authors: Gibson Vega Aline , Ridley Amanda R , Burbidge Allan H , Hall Michelle L , Cowen Saul J
Published: November 2023

Conservation translocations have become an increasingly popular method to restore or secure vulnerable populations. However, translocations greatly vary in success. The use of population viability analysis (PVA) may increase the likelihood of meeting translocation goals. However, the quality of PVAs to inform translocations is dependent on the availability of ecological data and clear translocation objectives to guide them. Here, we used PVAs to inform the planned conservation translocation of the Western Grasswren (Amytornis textilis textilis) from mainland Shark Bay onto Dirk Hartog Island, Western Australia. A range of translocation scenarios were modelled and scored against success criteria as determined by translocation objectives. Simulations of 20-yr outcomes found that a minimum founder population of 112 individuals meet all success criteria. PVA supported sourcing individuals from 2 subpopulations to maximize genetic diversity. No impact to source populations was detected for the proposed harvest quantities despite conservative estimates of initial source population sizes. Here we demonstrate that creating clear, measurable objectives alongside a PVA lessens ambiguity about which translocation scenarios could be viable. In doing so, we have identified the minimum translocation sizes needed to maintain genetic diversity and population growth, thus increasing the likelihood of translocation success without impacting the source population.
The Establishment of the Pantheon Opera
Authors: Milhous Judith , Dideriksen Gabridla , Hume Robert D
Published: November 2023

The Pantheon Opera came into existence because the Italian opera company at the King’s Theatre, Haymarket, had fallen into a state of debt and disarray. The fire of June 1789 that destroyed the old King’s Theatre was merely a convenient excuse for instituting a change: Lord Chamberlain Salisbury had been looking for a suitable occasion at least since the summer of 1785. As has been explained in Volume I, the old opera-house accumulated so ruinous a set of debts between 1778 and 1783 that it was never again really a stable enterprise. Only a new venue and new ownership could have allowed Italian opera to escape from the debts that had been run up so irresponsibly.
The Pantheon Experiment, I790-9I
Authors: Milhous Judith , Dideriksen Gabridla , Hume Robert D
Published: November 2023

Advance publicity notwithstanding, the Pantheon was rather slow to open. Reporting the state of affairs at the rival opera-houses on 5 January 1791, The Times told its readers, ‘The Pantheon is nearly ready for opening, the machinery was compleated yesterday evening, the dresses are made, the roof of the new stage covered in, and the boxes almost finished. What remains principally to be done is in the stage.’ Fruitless merger negotiations dragged on for the next three weeks, but even then the theatre was apparently in no condition to exhibit public performances.
The Return to the King’s Theatre, Haymarket, I792-I795
Authors: Milhous Judith , Dideriksen Gabridla , Hume Robert D
Published: November 2023

In the summer of 1792 the future of opera in London was seeded in a complicated secret treaty known to its signatories as The General Opera Trust Deed’. Or perhaps ‘supposed to be settled’ would be a more accurate phrasing, for like many peace treaties it failed to achieve its objects. In one sense, the story of the Pantheon was now over: the great experiment had proved a disaster in its one real season, and lacking any other suitable venue, Italian opera had to return to the rebuilt King’s Theatre, Haymarket. But though the Pantheon itself had been an expensive disaster for its secret backers, they had by no means abandoned their hope of establishing a kind of court opera or resigned themselves to a company directed by the egregious William Taylor.
Introduction to Part II
Authors: Milhous Judith , Dideriksen Gabridla , Hume Robert D
Published: November 2023

Part I of this book tells the story of the Pantheon Opera, carried through to the decisive failure to impose the vision of its backers and displace William Taylor as owner and manager of the successor venture at the King’s Theatre, Haymarket. In Part II we turn to analysis of management, production circumstances, repertoire, and the finances that spelt death to the company.
The Opera
Authors: Milhous Judith , Dideriksen Gabridla , Hume Robert D
Published: November 2023

The Pantheon was established by its aristocratic backers with a distinct artistic plan for the opera company: opera seria rather than the increasingly more popular opera buffa was to form the core of the repertoire. The company’s financial problems, the failure to engage a house composer capable of creating major new works, as well as illness amongst the opera seria singers soon enforced a much greater reliance on opera buffa, with almost three quarters of all performances during the 1790-91 season given over to that genre. Moreover, only one opera was specifically created for the Pantheon. Had O’Reilly succeeded in bringing Mozart or Paisiello to London, the repertoire might well have taken on a completely different shape.
Hungary
Authors: Aczel Richard
Published: November 2023

Thus Péter Esterházy (b. 1950), one of Hungary’s most interesting and talented contemporary novelists, writing at the end of 1989, the year that saw the collapse of Communism and the beginnings of the transition to parliamentary democracy throughout East Central Europe. Esterházy’s caution is significant. As a writer who has proved consistently critical of his nation’s political and historical preconceptions, he is quick to insist on continuities easily overlooked in the euphoria of political transformation. He belongs to a generation of writers profoundly distrustful of the rhetoric of political commitment and social progress that not only permeated official Hungarian culture in the period of state socialism, but which also has much deeper roots in the national literary tradition.
Ireland
Authors: Craig Patricia
Published: November 2023

In an essay of 1983, entitled ‘Ireland at Swim’, Denis Donoghue quoted a passage from Yeats’s Memoirs: ‘Practical movements are created out of emotions expressed long enough ago to have become general, but literature discovers; it can never repeat. It is the attempt to repeat an emotion because it has been found effective which has made all politically provincial literature ... so superficial.’ Donoghue extends the insight to present-day Ireland, and to Northern Ireland in particular, about which, he says, ‘discussion ... is interminable and frustrating. No one is thinking. Everyone is merely repeating an emotion he has found effective: effective in the sense of making him and his position familiar.’
Italy
Authors: Hainsworth Peter
Published: November 2023

Between the late 1950s and the mid-1970s, Italy became a modem European country. The abruptness of the transition made itself felt particularly in the early 1960s, startling, perhaps traumatizing, most of the country’s inhabitants, writers included. Most of those who were to be the significant names of the period were already well into their careers when the ‘boom’ or ‘economic miracle’ burst upon them. Some were already well known before the war. They now found themselves living through radical changes: the loss of the old peasant cultures, with their dialects and traditions, unconstrained urban expansion (especially in the north), rapid industrialization, the growth of consumerism and modem media. In short, the country went through a now familiar process of assimilation to modem economic and social patterns and structures.
Capital Regulation and Shadow Finance: A Quantitative Analysis
Authors: Lee Hyunju , Lee Sunyoung , Paluszynski Radoslaw
Published: November 2023

This article studies the effects of higher bank capital requirements. Using new firm-lender matched credit data from South Korea, we document that Basel III coincided with a 25% decline in credit from regulated banks, and an increase of similar magnitude from non-bank (shadow) lenders. We use our data to estimate the effect of capital requirements on bank credit, and the spillover effect of the reform on non-bank lending. We then build a general equilibrium model with heterogeneous banks and firms that replicates these micro estimates. We find that Basel III can account for most of the observed decrease in regulated bank lending and about three quarters of the increase in shadow lending. The latter is driven exclusively by general equilibrium effects of the reform.
Bargaining as a Struggle Between Competing Attempts at Commitment
Authors: Dutta Rohan
Published: November 2023

The strategic importance of commitment in bargaining is widely acknowledged. Yet disentangling its role from key features of canonical models, such as proposal power and reputational concerns, is difficult. This paper introduces a model of bargaining with strategic commitment at its core. Following Schelling (1956, The American Economic Review, vol. 46, 281–306), commitment ability stems from the costly nature of concession and is endogenously determined by players’ demands. Agreement is immediate for familiar bargainers, modelled via renegotiation-proofness. The unique prediction at the high concession cost limit provides a strategic foundation for the Kalai bargaining solution. Equilibria with delay feature a form of gradualism in demands.
From routine sample measurements in CEA to the Oklo phenomenon
Authors: Dozol Jean-François
Published: November 2023

In 1972, before shipping natural uranium to the USSR for enrichment operations in 235 U, the analysts at Pierrelatte plant noted a slight deficit in 235U: 0.7171 instead of 0.7202. The Direction des Productions of the CEA launched a vast campaign of analyses for the different mines exploited, at all stages of the elaboration of uranium; for this analysis campaign, the Direction des Productions relied on the analytical laboratory of the Pierrelatte plant and on the Central Analytical Laboratory of the CEA where I was in charge of analyses by mass spectrometry.
Parallels between natural Oklo reaction zones and industrial reactors dynamics
Authors: Gall Benoît Jean-Paul
Published: November 2023

The first man-made nuclear reactor was developed by Fermi and collaborators at the University of Chicago and reached criticality in December 1942. This was the confirmation that men were able to use sustained fission reactions in order to produce energy. Following this success, nuclear reactors studies gave rise to several families of reactors corresponding to different orientations and technical choices. They are linked mainly to the choice of fuel (natural uranium, enriched uranium, plutonium, thorium), coolant (water, carbon dioxide, helium, sodium, ...) and moderator for slow neutron reactors (graphite, light water, heavy water). Out of all these choices, the pressurized water reactor (PWR) family is the closest to the Oklo natural reactors. Many intriguing similarities are observed and discussed in the present article. Our present-day understanding of the PWR operating conditions has been a great help for understanding the Oklo reactors.
Some observations on perceptions of radiation risks in the context of nuclear power plant accidents
Authors: Laughlin James Mc
Published: November 2023

As highlighted by public reactions to accidents at nuclear plants in the past, such as those that occurred in Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011), and from numerous opinion surveys, there are considerable differences or gaps between how the public and radiation experts perceive the risks from radiation. Even within the community of experts, radiation risk perception differences can be present. The reasons for differences in radiation risk perceptions between the public and experts are complex and involve sociological, ethical and behavioural aspects of society. This presents significant challenges to authorities in trying to improve radiation risk communications targeted at the public within the context of radiation emergency preparedness planning. Of particular importance is to make the communications more citizen-centred than heretofore by having meaningful two-way communications and dialogue with the public. It is emphasised that such strategies should take into account and address the significant mental health and socio-economic impacts of such accidents on affected populations. In particular, the mental health impacts are inadequately addressed by current international radiation protection recommendations reflecting their long established emphasis only on physical health effects. This approach is no longer acceptable or justified.