bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing present and future risk of water damage using building attributes, meteorology, and topography*
Authors: Heinrich-Mertsching Claudio , Wahl Jens Christian , Ordoñez Alba , Stien Marita , Elvsborg John , Haug Ola , Thorarinsdottir Thordis L
Published: June 2023

Weather-related risk makes the insurance industry inevitably concerned with climate and climate change. Buildings hit by pluvial flooding is a key manifestation of this risk, giving rise to compensations for the induced physical damages and business interruptions. In this work, we establish a nationwide, building-specific risk score for water damage associated with pluvial flooding in Norway. We fit a generalised additive model that relates the number of water damages to a wide range of explanatory variables that can be categorised into building attributes, climatological variables, and topographical characteristics. The model assigns a risk score to every location in Norway, based on local topography and climate, which is not only useful for insurance companies but also for city planning. Combining our model with an ensemble of climate projections allows us to project the (spatially varying) impacts of climate change on the risk of pluvial flooding towards the middle and end of the 21st century.
Testicular necrosis and subsequent orchiectomy as a complication of inguinal mesh infection surgery: a case report
Authors: Tchangai Boyodi Katanga , Kpatcha Tchilabalo Matchonna , Adabra Komlan , Dosseh David Ekoue
Published: June 2023

The management of inguinal hernias has been revolutionised with mesh-based techniques, which are now the gold standard. In rare cases, complications can occur, the most common being prosthesis infection. The course is unpredictable, causing considerable morbidity and multiple interventions in the case of chronicity. We treated a 38-year-old patient for an inguinal mesh infection that evolved for 8 years before definitive management. The peculiarity of this finding is the occurrence of testicular necrosis following complete removal of the prosthesis, which is likely to be related to spermatic vessel injuries. This observation shows that although healing is achieved, there may be significant sequelae, and infection prevention must be a constant concern while inserting a mesh.
Exploring the origin of the extended main-sequence turn-off in M37 through the white dwarf cooling sequence
Authors: Griggio M , Salaris M , Nardiello D , Bedin L R , Cassisi S , Anderson J
Published: June 2023

We use new observations from the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope to study the white dwarf cooling sequence of the open cluster M37, a cluster that displays an extended main-sequence turn-off and, according to a recent photometric analysis, also a spread of initial chemical composition. By taking advantage of a first epoch collected in 1999 with the same telescope, we have been able to calculate proper motions for sources as faint as g ∼ 26 (about ∼ 6 mag fainter than the Gaia limit), allowing us to separate cluster members from field stars. This has enabled us to isolate a sample of the white dwarf population of M37, reaching the end of the cooling sequence (at g ∼ 23.5). Here, the derived atlas and calibrated catalogue of the sources in the field of view is publicly released as supplementary online material. Finally, we present an exhaustive comparison of the white dwarf luminosity function with theoretical models, which has allowed us to exclude the age-spread scenario as the main responsible for the extended turn-off seen in the cluster colour–magnitude diagram.
Deprojecting and constraining the vertical thickness of exoKuiper belts
Authors: Terrill James , Marino Sebastian , Booth Richard A , Han Yinuo , Jennings Jeff , Wyatt Mark C
Published: June 2023

Constraining the vertical and radial structure of debris discs is crucial to understanding their formation, evolution, and dynamics. To measure both the radial and vertical structure, a disc must be sufficiently inclined. However, if a disc is too close to edge-on, deprojecting its emission becomes non-trivial. In this paper we show how Frankenstein, a non-parametric tool to extract the radial brightness profile of circumstellar discs, can be used to deproject their emission at any inclination as long as they are optically thin and axisymmetric. Furthermore, we extend Frankenstein to account for the vertical thickness of an optically thin disc (H(r)) and show how it can be constrained by sampling its posterior probability distribution and assuming a functional form (e.g. constant h = H/r), while fitting the radial profile non-parametrically. We use this new method to determine the radial and vertical structures of 16 highly inclined debris discs observed by ALMA. We find a wide range of vertical aspect ratios, h, ranging from 0.020 ± 0.002 (AU Mic) to 0.20 ± 0.03 (HD 110058), which are consistent with parametric models. We find a tentative correlation between h and the disc fractional width, as expected if wide discs were more stirred. Assuming discs are self-stirred, the thinnest discs would require the presence of at least 500-km-sized planetesimals. The thickest discs would likely require the presence of planets. We also recover previously inferred and new radial structures, including a potential gap in the radial distribution of HD 61005. Finally, our new extension of Frankenstein also allows constraining how h varies as a function of radius, which we test on 49 Ceti, finding that h is consistent with being constant.
Exoplanet interior retrievals: core masses and metallicities from atmospheric abundances
Authors: Bloot S , Miguel Y , Bazot M , Howard S
Published: June 2023

The mass and distribution of metals in the interiors of exoplanets are essential for constraining their formation and evolution processes. Never the less, with only masses and radii measured, the determination of exoplanet interior structures is degenerate, and so far simplified assumptions have mostly been used to derive planetary metallicities. In this work, we present a method based on a state-of-the-art interior code, recently used for Jupiter, and a Bayesian framework, to explore the possibility of retrieving the interior structure of exoplanets. We use masses, radii, equilibrium temperatures, and measured atmospheric metallicities to retrieve planetary bulk metallicities and core masses. Following results on the giant planets in the Solar system and recent development in planet formation, we implement two interior structure models: one with a homogeneous envelope and one with an inhomogeneous one. Our method is first evaluated using a test planet and then applied to a sample of 37 giant exoplanets with observed atmospheric metallicities from the pre-JWST era. Although neither internal structure model is preferred with the current data, it is possible to obtain information on the interior properties of the planets, such as the core mass, through atmospheric measurements in both cases. We present updated metal mass fractions, in agreement with recent results on giant planets in the Solar system.
Jean Baudrillard
Authors: Grace Victoria
Published: June 2023

Is it even possible to shape the work of Jean Baudrillard into a bibliographic format as though his contribution can be introduced and categorized according to a prescribed format designed toward search engine results? Almost certainly not, and yet it is overwhelmingly the case that the work of radical thought represented in his corpus of work is of such importance at the current time that it must be attempted. Even a contortion that cannot respond to the spirit of his work is worth the attempt if it encourages reading his work, thinking about his analyses, and being moved by the undeniable challenge his writings present. A transdisciplinary thinker, Jean Baudrillard could be described as a philosopher, critical theorist, and sociologist—and at the same time none of these. At different times in his life, he would label himself a pataphysician, situationist, even “abreactionary.” Photography also played a role in his later years. But most importantly, Baudrillard’s writings generate a profound and unparalleled insight into the fundamental dynamics of the current world. The reader is challenged to consider how everything, from the production of the social, immersion in processes of consumption, in the creation and use of systems of communication, to sciences, technologies, art, politics, and media, relies on a radical denial. This denial involves a structural exclusion of that which is not of the order of the “economic.” Crucially, this exclusion casts the “real” as a simulation, in different ways since the early Industrial Revolution. Casting reality as any form of enduring existence whereby exchange becomes “economic” has led inexorably and ironically to the disappearance of the real as play of appearances with no fixity or permanence of “things.” This disappearance, which has become hegemonic since World War II, marks an ex-termination of sorts. Now, the hegemon has just about run its course to a point where this structural logic can, ironically, only reproduce itself ad infinitum. Unlike “critical theory,” Baudrillard does not critique through an oppositional deconstructive move, and then propose an ontological or deontological alternative as how things “really are” or “should be.” The world, he insists, cannot be intelligible in such terms. To pursue his inquiry, Baudrillard developed a number of core concepts. The following will refer to these, provide an overview of the work of many scholars on Baudrillard’s massive contribution, and navigate a path through the various receptions and misconceptions of his work.
Hermeneutics
Authors: Porter Stanley E.
Published: June 2023

Hermeneutics is a complex multidisciplinary field, because it lies firmly situated at the intersection of a confluence of historical and conceptual factors and is pertinent to virtually any academic area concerned with theories of meaning. The major touchpoints of hermeneutics are its close relationship to philosophy, its origins in textual interpretation, its pertinence for literary and critical theory, and its influence upon a range of disciplines extending beyond just the human sciences, where hermeneutics is often seen to originate. Even though the origins of hermeneutics are in philosophy—it is arguably a form of contextualized critical philosophy—its earliest modern manifestations were directly related to the interpretation of the Bible. Biblical interpretation goes back as early as the Bible itself and developed through the early church, the medieval period and its fourfold sense of the Bible, through the Protestant Reformation and rise of historical criticism. This development provided the basis of modern hermeneutics. J. C. Dannhauer was apparently the first person to use the term hermeneutics as a term, by which he meant “interpretation” focused upon the Bible (see Dannhauer, Hermeneutica sacra sive methodus exponendarum sacrarum litterarum, 1654). For some, hermeneutics is still equated with interpretation as method or practice, even if more recent hermeneutical thought, especially in philosophical hermeneutics, has attempted to move past questions of method. A workable definition of hermeneutics is that it is concerned with theories of understanding, especially, although not exclusively, the understanding of written texts, hence its importance for literary and critical theory, even though hermeneutics is sometimes seen to be less important in light of developments in post-structuralism (see Kalaga 2015). This bibliography makes a distinction between philosophical hermeneutics (upon which there is a separate Oxford Bibliographies Online article by Kristin Gjesdal, titled “Hermeneutics”) and literary hermeneutics, included within this bibliography. There is obvious overlap between the two based upon the origin and nature of hermeneutics. As a result, even though hermeneutics plays a role in any discipline that raises questions of understanding, whether these questions are about the natural world, humans, society, or any of its practices and beliefs, it should occupy a central role in literary theory and interpretation.
Urban Communication
Authors: Drucker Susan , Gumpert Gary
Published: June 2023

The development of urban communication research and activities is traceable from the early works of a diverse group of urbanists to more current research programs conducted by communication scholars. Urban communication foregrounds communication in the study of the urban landscape. The communication lens offers valuable perspectives and methodologies for the examination of urban and suburban life. It conceptualizes the city as a complex environment of interpersonal interaction, a landscape of spaces and places that shape human behavior, and an intricate technological environment. Urban communication examines the complexities of the city and community from diverse disciplines and multiple points of view. It is not a discipline but rather constitutes an interdisciplinary perspective from which critique, analysis, and recommendations emerge. An urban communication annotated bibliography is, by definition, derivative—owing its conception to a series of disciplines, theoretical contradictions, and technologies—all interconnected by the process of communication. The concept of urban commnication is best articulated and demonstrated through a Venn diagram with a series of circles that overlap, with the common center demonstrating an area, sphere, or zone of commonality and the non-common areas representing distinct disciplines. In the case of urban communication it is a three-dimensional Venn diagram in which the concept of communication is altered by the nature of place and technology. In that sense the concept of urban communication changes over time with changing physical and media environments. The concept of “urban” is based upon the philosophic bias of current academic and professional disciplines that approach the same general object within diverse frameworks and identities. The arena of analysis is astonishing in its breadth including the fields of geography, sociology, computer science, media, communication, architecture, planning, psychology, design, journalism, law, etc. Any approach and/or definition of urban communication, from an academic and professional perspective, is colored by the self-definition. Each academic discipline approaches the urban from what is perceived to be its unique insights. While it is relatively easy to identify disciplines looking at urban, our perception of urbanity has been the subject of innumerable novels, films, works of art, and other approaches which are beyond the scope of this entry. The interest of the city has been the subject of both public and professional/academic interest. Urban communication is a phenomenon. It approaches the city from a broader vantage point emphasizing the centrality of communication as implicit in examining the urban.
Vincent Crapanzano
Authors: Glazier Stephen D.
Published: June 2023

Vincent Crapanzano was born on 15 April 1939 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, the son of Domenico and Florence Crapanzano. In 1967, he married writer Jane Kramer. The Crapanzanos have one child: Aleksandra. Crapanzano served as an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University, 1970–1974; as an Associate Professor of Comparative Literature at Queens College, 1974–1979; and—since 1990—as Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the Graduate Center City University of New York. Crapanzano graduated from the Ecole Internationale in Geneva and received his A.B. in philosophy from Harvard in 1960 and his PhD in Anthropology from Columbia University in 1970. From 1961 to 1964, he served in the U.S. Army at the Army Language School in Monterey and in Frankfurt/Main. Like most anthropologists of his generation, Crapanzano’s writings reflect his life experiences. He did more fieldwork than most. He worked among the Navajo, the Hamadsha (a Moroccan Sufi order), White South Africans, Christian Fundamentalists in the United States, and the Harkis (Algerians who served as auxiliary troops for the French during the Algerian war of independence). With the possible exception of his Navaho fieldwork (begun while still an undergraduate student at Harvard), all of his research was conducted in complex, multiethnic societies marked by intense political, economic, and religious conflicts. Crapanzano is an American, but his sensibilities are largely European. Much of his secondary education took place in Europe. He was a Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin, Jensen Memorial lecturer at the Frobenius Institute (Frankfort), and he received grants and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Wenner-Gren Foundation as well as the Fulbright Commission in Brazil, and the CNRS (France). His wife—Jane Kramer—was the European editor for New Yorker magazine. Vincent’s publications transgress disciplinary boundaries. His initial appointment at Queens College was in the department of Comparative Literature. His A. B. was in philosophy. Many of his publications lie at the intersection of psychiatry, psychology, and religion. His father was a psychiatrist. The eminent Psychological Anthropologist Margaret Mead was his advisor at Columbia. He was elected as President of the Society for Psychological Anthropology. At Princeton, he taught graduate seminars in Anthropology of Religion.
Hegemony and Geographic Knowledge
Authors: Bekaroğlu Erdem
Published: June 2023

The hegemonic role of Anglo-American geography over the production and dissemination of geographical knowledge as well as its definition, analysis, and criticism has been an issue of debate in geography (particularly in human geography) throughout the early 21st century. There have always been individuals, groups, and institutions that hold a hegemonic position in the creation and dissemination of knowledge. From the perspective of disciplinary history, for instance, geography schools in Germany and France before World War II pioneered mainstream practices and played a significant role in the discipline’s acquisition of a paradigmatic form. Anglo-American hegemony in the discipline, which emerged in the 1960s and steadily consolidated its position until the early 21st century, differs from its predecessors in a number of ways. The first is that, as a result of the transformation in global geopolitics since 1945, the United States has become the dominant power. Having achieved close cooperation between the military, industry, and academia during the Cold War, the United States has transformed scientific knowledge production. The second is that the quantitative revolution, which started in Anglo-American geography after World War II and grew in the 1960s, revolutionized the field in a manner never seen before. Geography, which was adapted to the military-industrial-academic complex in the United States and rapidly transformed into a spatial science after World War II, reached a position of exporting geographical knowledge in a relatively short period. The third is that universities, particularly in the Global North, have experienced a transition and been restructured by academic capitalism since the 1980s due to neoliberal policies. Various academic dynamics have been altered as a result of an intensely competitive environment for resources, products, performance, and the market. Fourth is the restructuring of national science policies in peripheral countries in accordance with internationalization goals. This transformation, which encouraged the reorganization of universities in line with market demands, the use of English as the language of science, and increased competition for funding, among other things, led to the incorporation of academic institutions into the academic capitalism market. Moreover, these implemented policies served as a feedback mechanism that strengthened the asymmetrical power geometry in the global knowledge economy. In light of this context, Anglo-American hegemony and its consequences have been the subject of criticism and calls for change over the past quarter century. This chapter examines the following topics after this introduction: (1) Overviews; (2) Journals; (3) The Transition to Anglo-American Hegemony; (4) Quantifying the Hegemony; (5) Debating Anglo-American Hegemony; (6) Reflections on the Hegemony; and (7) Moving Beyond the Hegemony.
The systems-based practice competency: an innovative model to achieving class-wide proficiency in a pain medicine fellowship
Authors: Glicksman Michael , Emerick Trent , Brancolini Scott
Published: June 2023

One of the ACGME’s six core competencies, systems-based practice (SBP), is difficult to interpret and developing proficiency over a one-year fellowship poses a challenge. Given the implications that successful SBP can have on pain medicine, it is especially important for fellows to focus on this competency during their training. Here, we propose a way to implement effective SBP into a pain medicine fellowship and the impact it may have within the larger health care system.
A new boson expansion theory utilizing a norm operator
Authors: Taniguchi Kimikazu
Published: June 2023

We propose a new boson expansion method using a norm operator. The small parameter expansion, in which the boson approximation becomes the zeroth-order approximation, requires double commutation relations between phonon operators that are not closed between the phonon excitation modes adopted as boson excitations. This results in an infinite expansion regardless of whether the type of boson expansion is Hermitian or non-Hermitian. The small parameter expansion does not hold when the commutation relations are closed. The norm operator is expressed as a function of the number operator in the physical subspace, which enables us to obtain substantially a finite boson expansion regardless of the type being Hermitian or non-Hermitian. We also point out the problems of conventional boson expansion methods. The normal-ordered linked-cluster expansion theory has failed to refute Marshalek’s claim that KT-1 and KT-2 are chimerical boson expansions. The Dyson boson expansion theory does not have exceptional superiority over other types. Previous studies using boson expansion methods should be re-examined.
IL-6 inhibitors and JAK inhibitors as favourable treatment options for patients with anaemia and rheumatoid arthritis: ANSWER cohort study
Authors: Nakayama Yoichi , Watanabe Ryu , Yamamoto Wataru , Ebina Kosuke , Hirano Toru , Kotani Takuya , Shiba Hideyuki , Katayama Masaki , Son Yonsu , Amuro Hideki , Onishi Akira , Jinno Sadao , Hara Ryota , Murakami Kosaku , Murata Koichi , Ito Hiromu , Tanaka Masao , Matsuda Shuichi , Morinobu Akio , Hashimoto Motomu
Published: June 2023

Objectives

Anaemia, a common comorbidity of RA, is related to high disease activity and poor prognosis. It is unknown which biologic/targeted synthetic (b/ts)-DMARDs are optimal for patients with anaemia and RA in regulating anaemia and controlling disease activity.

Methods

We investigated the change in haemoglobin (Hb) levels, drug retention rates and disease activities after the administration of b/ts-DMARDs with different modes of action [TNF inhibitors (TNFis), immunoglobulin fused with cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen (CTLA-4-Ig), IL-6 receptor inhibitors (IL-6Ris) and Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKis)] in patients with RA stratified by baseline Hb levels using the multicentre observational registry for patients with RA in Japan (ANSWER cohort).

Results

A total of 2093 patients with RA were classified into three groups based on tertiles of the baseline Hb levels (Hblow, anaemic; Hbint, intermediate; Hbhigh, non-anaemic). IL-6Ri increased Hb levels in all groups (the mean change at 12 months in Hblow was +1.5 g/dl, Hbint +0.7 g/dl and Hbhigh +0.1 g/dl). JAKis increased the Hb level in patients with anaemia and RA and retained or decreased the Hb level in non-anaemic patients (the mean change at 12 months in Hblow was +0.6 g/dl, Hbint 0 g/dl and Hbhigh −0.3 g/dl). In patients with anaemia and RA, overall adjusted 3-year drug retention rates were higher in JAKi followed by IL-6Ri, CTLA4-Ig and TNFi (78.6%, 67.9%, 61.8% and 50.8%, respectively). Change of disease activity at 12 months was not different among different b/ts-DMARDs treatments.

Conclusion

IL-6Ri and JAKi can effectively treat patients with anaemia and RA in a real-world setting.
Characteristics and outcome of ANCA-associated vasculitides induced by anti-thyroid drugs: a multicentre retrospective case-control study
Authors: Culerrier Julien , Nguyen Yann , Karadag Omer , Yasar Bilge Sule , Yildrim Tuba Demirci , Ögüt Tahir Saygin , Yazisiz Veli , Bes Cemal , Celfe Ayse , Yazici Ayten , Sadioglu Cagdas Oznur , Kronbichler Andreas , Jayne David , Gauckler Philipp , Regent Alexis , Teixeira Vitor , Marchand-Adam Sylvain , Duffau Pierre , Housz-Oro Saskia Ingen- , Droumaguet Celine , Andre Baptiste , Luca Luminita , Lechtman Sarah , Aouba Achille , Lebas Celine , Servettaz Amélie , Dernoncourt Amandine , Ruivard Marc , Milesi Anne-Marie , Poindron Vincent , Jego Patrick , Padoan Roberto , Delvino Paolo , Vandergheynst Frédéric , Pagnoux Christian , Yacyshyn Elaine , Lamprecht Peter , Flossmann Oliver , Puéchal Xavier , Terrier Benjamin
Published: June 2023

Objective

Data on ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) induced by anti-thyroid drugs (ATD) are scarce. We aimed to describe the characteristics and outcome of these patients in comparison to primary AAV.

Methods

We performed a retrospective multicentre study including patients with ATD-induced AAV. We focused on ATD-induced microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and compared them with primary MPA by matching each case with four controls by gender and year of diagnosis.

Results

Forty-five patients with ATD-induced AAV of whom 24 MPA were included. ANCA were positive in 44 patients (98%), including myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA in 21 (47%), proteinase 3 (PR3)-ANCA in six (13%), and double positive MPO- and PR3-ANCA in 15 (33%). Main clinical manifestations were skin involvement (64%), arthralgia (51%) and glomerulonephritis (20%). ATD was discontinued in 98% of cases, allowing vasculitis remission in seven (16%). All the remaining patients achieved remission after glucocorticoids, in combination with rituximab in 11 (30%) or cyclophosphamide in four (11%). ATD were reintroduced in seven cases (16%) without any subsequent relapse. Compared with 96 matched primary MPA, ATD-induced MPA were younger at diagnosis (48 vs 65 years, P < 0.001), had more frequent cutaneous involvement (54 vs 25%, P = 0.007), but less frequent kidney (38 vs 73%, P = 0.02), and a lower risk of relapse (adjusted HR 0.07; 95% CI 0.01, 0.65, P = 0.019).

Conclusion

ATD-induced AAV were mainly MPA with MPO-ANCA, but double MPO- and PR3-ANCA positivity was frequent. The most common manifestations were skin and musculoskeletal manifestations. ATD-induced MPA were less severe and showed a lower risk of relapse than primary MPA.
Nudging Payment Behavior: Evidence from a Field Experiment on Pay-as-You-Go Off-Grid Electricity
Authors: Bonan Jacopo , d’Adda Giovanna , Mahmud Mahreen , Said Farah
Published: June 2023

This paper reports results from a randomized control trial with a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar system provider in Pakistan. In the default treatment, customers are told the amount to pay every month to keep the system active. In a first treatment, customers are assisted in planning this monthly payment. A second treatment discloses that payments can be made flexibly within the month. This disclosure may reduce contract cancellation by helping minimize transaction costs but may increase contract complexity and reduce discipline. A third treatment combines flexibility with assistance in planning payments. Disclosing flexibility increases contract cancellation relative to the default, but combining flexibility with planning offsets this effect. Treatment effects appear stronger among users facing high mental constraints and transaction costs. These findings support the idea that behavioral factors, such as inattention and commitment problems, lay behind the negative impact of flexibility on cancellation. The results suggest that providers of PAYG systems may face a trade-off between disclosing complex contractual features and customer retention. Planning helps customers handle the added complexity.
Research progress on ion channels and their molecular regulatory mechanisms in the human sperm flagellum
Authors: Cong Shengnan , Zhang Jingjing , Pan Feng , Pan Lianjun , Zhang Aixia , Ma Jiehua
Published: June 2023

The ion channels in sperm tail play an important role in triggering key physiological reactions, e.g., progressive motility, hyperactivation, required for successful fertilization. Among them, CatSper and KSper have been shown to be important ion channels for the transport of Ca2+ and K+. Moreover, the voltage‐gated proton channel Hv1, the sperm‐specific sodium‐hydrogen exchanger (sNHE), the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), members of the temperature‐sensitive TRP channel family, and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) are also found in the flagellum. This review focuses on the latest advances in ion channels located at the flagellum, describes how they affect sperm physiological function, and summarizes some primary mutual regulation mechanism between ion channels, including PH, membrane potential, and cAMP. These ion channels may be promising targets for clinical application in infertility.
TELANGIECTATIC CAPILLARIES CAUSING PERSISTENT DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA SUCCESSFULLY TREATED BY PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY
Authors: Schaeffer Marion , Dormegny Léa , Speeg-Schatz Claude , Sauer Arnaud , Bourcier Tristan , Gaucher David
Published: June 2023

Purpose:

To report two cases of persistent macular edema caused by the exudation of diabetic telangiectatic capillaries (TelCaps), which have been successfully treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Methods:

Review of data from two patients suffering from persistent macular edema caused by parafoveolar TelCaps. In both cases, conventional laser was impossible because TelCaps were to close from foveal center.

Results:

The use of focal PDT on perifoveolar TelCaps permitted to reduce persistent macular edema and to avoid inefficient intravitreal anti–vascular epithelial growth factor or steroid injections. In both cases, visual acuity was fully restored four to six months after PDT. Central macular thickness was also normalized in the first case and significantly reduced in the second case. In both cases, visual gain was sustained throughout the whole follow-up period (2 and 1 year, respectively).

Conclusion:

Photodynamic therapy can be helpful to treat diabetic macular edema caused by TelCaps nonresponding to approved intravitreal therapy or for which conventional laser is contraindicated.
Long Duration of Oral Care Using Mother’s Own Milk Influences Oral Microbiota and Clinical Outcomes in Very-low-birthweight Infants: Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Thatrimontrichai Anucha , Surachat Komwit , Singkhamanan Kamonnut , Thongsuksai Paramee
Published: June 2023

Background:

Several studies have focused on the clinical outcomes of oral care using colostrum for a limited time (2–5 days) in very-low-birthweight (VLBW) infants. However, the effect of long-term mother’s own milk (MOM) on the clinical outcomes and oral microbiota of VLBW infants remains unknown.

Methods:

In this randomized controlled trial, VLBW neonates were randomly assigned to oral care by MOM or sterile water (SW) groups until they started oral feeding. The primary outcome was oral microbiota composition including alpha and beta diversity, relative abundance, and linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe). The secondary outcomes were various morbidities and mortality.

Results:

The baseline characteristics of the two groups did not differ (63 neonates, MOM group, n = 30, oral care 22 days; SW group, n = 33, oral care 27 days). There was no significant difference in alpha and beta diversities between the groups before and after the intervention. The MOM group had a significantly lower rate of clinical sepsis than the SW group (47% vs. 76%, risk ratio = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.40−0.97). The relative abundance of Bifidobacterium bifidum and Faecalibacterium were maintained after MOM care, especially in neonates without clinical sepsis, but decreased after SW care. LEfSe showed that neonates in the MOM and SW groups with clinical sepsis had the highest abundance of Pseudomonas and Gammaproteobacteria, respectively, compared with neonates without sepsis.

Conclusions:

A longer duration of oral care using MOM in VLBW infants sustains healthy bacteria and decreases the risk of clinical sepsis.
Pubertal development and pain incidence and characteristics in children: a 1-year prospective cohort study of a national sample
Authors: Li Rui , Lopez Daniel A. , Gupta Meenal , Palermo Tonya M.
Published: June 2023

Sex differences in pain become apparent during puberty. However, the influence of key pubertal characteristics and pubertal hormones on pain is largely unknown. We examined the prospective associations between self-reported and hormone-indicated pubertal characteristics and pain incidence and severity in 10- to 11-year-old pain-free youth in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study over 1 year. Puberty was measured at baseline and follow-up with self-report (Pubertal Development Scale [PDS]) and hormonal assessment (salivary dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA], testosterone, and estradiol). Pain status (yes/no), intensity, and interference (0-10 numerical rating scale) in the past month were self-reported at follow-up. Pubertal maturity, progression, and asynchrony were examined in relation to pain onset and severity through confounder-adjusted generalized estimating equations modified Poisson and linear mixed regression models. Among 6631 pain-free youth at baseline, 1-year incident pain was 30.7%. In both sexes, higher PDS scores were associated with greater risk of pain onset (relative risk [RR] = 1.10 to 1.27, Ps < 0.01). In boys, higher PDS item variance was associated with greater pain incidence (RR = 1.11, 95% CI, 1.03-1.20) and interference (beta = 0.40, 95% CI, 0.03-0.76); higher PDS overall and gonadal scores were associated with higher pain intensity (Ps < 0.05). Associations with hormones were seen in boys only, with each 10-fold higher testosterone levels associated with a 40% lower risk of pain incidence (95% CI, −55% to −22%) and 1.30-point lower (95% CI, −2.12 to −0.48) pain intensity, and higher DHEA levels were associated with lower pain intensity (P = 0.020). Relationships between pubertal development and pain in peripubertal adolescents are sex specific and puberty measurement specific and warrant further investigation.
The Practice of Nutrition Risk Screening, Nutrition Status Assessment, and Nutrition Support Action (NRASA) in Hospitalized Patients
Authors: Zheng Jie , Yu Feng-Mei , Chen Ying-Yi , Ming Fu , Rao Zhi-Yong
Published: June 2023

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of nutritional risk and malnutrition through the Nutrition Risk Screening, Nutrition Status Assessment, and Nutrition Support Action (NRASA) protocol. A total of 325 140 patients were screened, and 59 122 adults (19.31%) and 9154 children (48.38%) were considered to be “at nutritional risk.” The prevalence of nutritional risk was 18.60% (306 220 patients) based on Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS2002), and 95.62% (2687 patients) by the Mini-Nutritional Assessment Short-Form (MNA-SF). Almost 67% of 23 805 adult patients were identified to be malnourished. The prevalence of malnutrition was 47.34% (6227 patients) based upon the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), 69.86% (2687 patients) by the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and 97.92% (7689 patients) by the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA). The NRASA protocol showed that the nutritional care process can be successfully implemented to confer adequate and timely nutritional therapy for malnourished patients.
Introduction to the Gut Microbiome and Its Impact on Health and Disease
Authors: Comess Jill E. , Abad-Jorge Ana
Published: June 2023

Diet, environmental exposures, lifestyle, disease processes, and treatment modalities influence the gut microbiome. Optimal gut health and the onset and progression of numerous diseases are modulated by the stability and diversity of the gut microbiome. These diseases include gastrointestinal diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease, and chronic diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. This review provides an introductory overview to the gut microbiome, basic definitions and distinctions, microorganisms contributing to the gut microbiome, their core functions and prevalence, factors that impact their composition, and their significant role in human health and disease.
Investigation on the 3-Step Procedure of Nutritional Screening, Evaluation, and GLIM Diagnosis for Elderly Inpatients
Authors: Cao Jingran , Liu Wei , Luo Qingsheng , Yin Shengjun
Published: June 2023

This study investigated a 3-step procedure of nutritional risk screening, evaluation, and Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) diagnosis for Chinese elderly inpatients. Nutritional risk screening was performed as the first step using the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS2002). Nutritional status evaluation was performed as the second step using the Mini-Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF). Malnutrition diagnosis was performed as the third step using the GLIM criteria. The consistency of these tools and the validity of the GLIM criteria were proven. Fewer patients met the GLIM criteria compared with the NRS2002. Good correlations between malnutrition and frailty or sarcopenia were discovered.
Effect of Probiotics on Common Cold, Influenza, and Influenza-Like Illness
Authors: Ghasemi Nour Mohammad , Heidari Masoumeh , Amini Noghondar Leila , Akhavan Rezayat Arash , Ghadiri Hakim Hakime , Emrani Naghmeh , Ahanchian Hamid
Published: June 2023

The possible effect of probiotics consumption on the symptoms and courses of the common cold, influenza, and influenza-like illness was evaluated via a meta-analysis. Probiotic consumption reduced the incidence of the common cold (odds ratio [OR] = 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.38-0.64, P < .001) and influenza-like illness episodes (OR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.14-0.40, P < .001) but had no significant effect on decreasing the influenza episodes (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.62-1.35, P = .831). Probiotic supplementation showed a promising beneficial role in the reduction of the episodes and symptoms of the common cold and influenza-like illness.
Frankia umida sp. nov., isolated from root nodules of Alnus glutinosa L.
Authors: Normand Philippe , Nouioui Imen , Neumann-Schaal Meina , Herrera-Belaroussi Aude , Abrouk Danis , Vemulapally Spandana , Guerra Trina , Hahn Dittmar
Published: June 2023

Frankia

strain Ag45/Mut15T was isolated from a root nodule of Alnus glutinosa growing in a swamp at lake Grossensee, Germany. The strain forms root nodules on A. glutinosa, in which it produces hyphae and clusters of N2-fixing vesicles. N2-fixing vesicles are also produced in nitrogen-free growth medium, in addition to hyphae and sporangia. The whole-cell hydrolysates of strain Ag45/Mut15T contained meso-diaminopimelic acid in the peptidoglycan and ribose, xylose, mannose, glucose, galactose and a trace of rhamnose as cell-wall sugars. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, diphosphatidylglycerol and glyco-phospholipid. The predominant (>20 %) menaquinones were MK-9(H6) and MK-9(H4). The major fatty acid profile (>10 %) consisted of iso-C16:0, C17 : 1 ω8c and C17 : 0. Pairwise 16S rRNA gene distances showed that strain Ag45/Mut15T was most closely related to

Frankia torreyi

CpI1T and Candidatus Frankia nodulisporulans with 16S rRNA gene similarity values of 0.001335 substitutions per site. An multilocus sequence analysis phylogeny based on atpD, dnaA, ftsZ, pgk and rpoB amino acid sequences positioned the strain within cluster 1 of Alnus- and Myrica-nodulating species, close to Candidatus F. nodulisporulans AgTrST and

F. canadensis

ARgP5T. The digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) and average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between the studied strain Ag45/Mut15T and all validly named

Frankia

species were below the defined threshold for prokaryotic species demarcation. Candidatus F. nodulisporulans AgTrST, which cannot be cultivated in vitro, was found to be the closest phylogenetic neighbour to strain strain Ag45/Mut15T with dDDH and ANI values of 61.8 and 97 %, respectively. Strain Ag45/Mut15T was not able to sporulate in nodule tissues like strain AgTrST.

Phenotypic, physiological and phylogenomic analyses confirmed the assignment of strain Ag45/Mut15T (=DSM 114737T=LMG 326O1T) to a novel species, with Ag45/Mut15T as type strain, for which the name Frankia umida sp. nov. is proposed.
Using the Galleria mellonella burn wound and infection model to identify and characterize potential wound probiotics
Authors: Maslova Evgenia , Osman Shanga , McCarthy Ronan R.
Published: June 2023

Burn wound infection is the leading cause of mortality among burn wound patients. One of the most commonly isolated bacterial burn wound pathogens is

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

, a notorious nosocomial multidrug-resistant pathogen. As a consequence of its recalcitrance to frontline antibiotic therapy, there is an urgent need to develop alternative treatment avenues to tackle this pathogen. One potential alternative infection prevention measure is to seed the wound bed with probiotic bacteria. Several species of Lactobacillus, a common commensal bacterium, have been previously reported to display growth inhibition activity against wound pathogens. Various species of this genus have also been shown to augment the wound healing process, which makes it a promising potential therapeutic agent. Due to the complexity of the burn wound trauma and burn wound infection, an in vivo model is required for the development of novel therapeutics. There are multiple in vivo models that are currently available, the most common among them being the murine model. However, mammalian burn wound infection models are logistically challenging, do not lend themselves to screening approaches and come with significant concerns around ethics and animal welfare. Recently, an invertebrate burn wound and infection model using G. mellonella has been established. This model addresses several of the challenges of more advanced animal models, such as affordability, maintenance and reduced ethical concerns. This study validates the capacity of this model to screen for potential wound probiotics by demonstrating that a variety of

Lactobacillus

spp. can limit

P. aeruginosa

burn wound infection and improve survival.
Gradient boosted decision trees reveal nuances of auditory discrimination behavior
Authors: Griffiths Carla , Lebert Jules , Sollini Joseph , Bizley Jennifer
Published: June 2023

Animal psychophysics can generate rich behavioral datasets, often comprised of many 1000s of trials for an individual subject. Gradient-boosted models are a promising machine learning approach for analyzing such data, partly due to the tools that allow users to gain insight into how the model makes predictions. We trained ferrets to report a target word’s presence, timing, and lateralization within a stream of consecutively presented non-target words. To assess the animals’ ability to generalize across pitch, we manipulated the fundamental frequency (F0) of the speech stimuli across trials, and to assess the contribution of pitch to streaming, we roved the F0 from word token-to-token. We then implemented gradient-boosted regression and decision trees on the trial outcome and reaction time data to understand the behavioral factors behind the ferrets’ decision-making. We visualized model contributions by implementing SHAPs feature importance and partial dependency plots. While ferrets could accurately perform the task across all pitch-shifted conditions, our models reveal subtle effects of shifting F0 on performance, with within-trial pitch shifting elevating false alarms and extending reaction times. Our models identified a subset of non-target words that animals commonly false alarmed to. Follow-up analysis demonstrated that the spectrotemporal similarity of target and non-target words rather than similarity in duration or amplitude waveform was the strongest predictor of the likelihood of false alarming. Finally, we compared the results with those obtained with traditional mixed effects models, revealing equivalent or better performance for the gradient-boosted models over these approaches.

AUTHOR SUMMARY

The sorts of listening challenges faced by real-world listeners are rarely captured by most laboratory-based auditory paradigms, particularly those testing animal models. However, many labs are attempting to utilize more realistic experiments, and more complicated behavioral paradigms require more sophisticated approaches to analyzing the resulting data. Here, we used a new behavioral paradigm to test the ability of ferret listeners to identify target speech sounds and assess their ability to generalize across changes in pitch. To make sense of the resulting dataset, we used machine learning algorithms to understand how trained ferrets perform this task. Gradient-boosted regression and decision trees are well-established machine learning methods that do not require users to predetermine interaction effects and are accompanied by visualization methods that allow insights to be gained into how multiple factors ultimately shape behavior. We compare the use of gradient-boosted models to more standard regression approaches and, by applying these methods, we demonstrate key features of ferrets’ performance on this task. Our results suggest that this machine learning approach is ideal for analyzing behavioral data in animal models.
EquiScore: A generic protein-ligand interaction scoring method integrating physical prior knowledge with data augmentation modeling
Authors: Cao Duanhua , Chen Geng , Jiang Jiaxin , Yu Jie , Zhang Runze , Chen Mingan , Zhang Wei , Chen Lifan , Zhong Feisheng , Zhang Yingying , Lu Chenghao , Li Xutong , Luo Xiaomin , Zhang Sulin , Zheng Mingyue
Published: June 2023

Developing robust methods for evaluating protein-ligand interactions has been a long-standing problem. Here, we propose a novel approach called EquiScore, which utilizes an equivariant heterogeneous graph neural network to integrate physical prior knowledge and characterize protein-ligand interactions in equivariant geometric space. To improve generalization performance, we constructed a dataset called PDBscreen and designed multiple data augmentation strategies suitable for training scoring methods. We also analyzed potential risks of data leakage in commonly used data-driven modeling processes and proposed a more stringent redundancy removal scheme to alleviate this problem. On two large external test sets, EquiScore outperformed 21 methods across a range of screening performance metrics, and this performance was insensitive to binding pose generation methods. EquiScore also showed good performance on the activity ranking task of a series of structural analogs, indicating its potential to guide lead compound optimization. Finally, we investigated different levels of interpretability of EquiScore, which may provide more insights into structure-based drug design.