bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Climatically induced anomalies in tree-ring structure of Abies pindrow (Royal ex D. Don) and Taxus baccata (L.) growing in Hindu-Kush mountainous region of Pakistan
Authors: Tayyab Muhammad , Muhammad Sohaib , Nawaz Hassan , Ali Amir , Malik Sarah Maryam , Waheed Muhammad , Rasool Kashif , Khan Muhammad Jawad Tariq , Khan Zaheer-ud-din , Zahid Muhammad
Published: May 2023

Dendroclimatic potential from Abies pindrow Royal ex D. Don. (fir) and Taxus baccata L. (yew) was investigated by developing four different types of tree-ring width chronologies (by ARSTAN program) in a mixed broadleaf forest of Kalam, KP, Pakistan. Firstly, measured tree-ring width series were cross-dated and identified the best and least (cross-matched with master plot) samples with the most applied Skeleton Plot Model (SPM) method alongside checking the quality through statistical program (COFECHA). Tree-ring attributes (age, growth rate and earlywood and latewood) were also measured with maximum age (677 years) was observed in fir plant and maximum growth rate (6.096 mm year−1) in yew plant with clear demarcations of earlywood and latewood formation. Yew trees were observed to be more sensitive species towards climatic variations (expressed population signal = 0.945, mean sensitivity = 0.321 and signal to noise ratio = 3.214) while fir trees were comparatively less affected by climatic alterations of the study site (expressed population signal = 0.954, mean sensitivity = 0.314 and signal to noise ratio = 2.453). Correlation between tree-ring series of T. baccata with the master series was found to be more significant as compared to A. pindrow after developing series plots of both the species by using package dplR in R. Potential ecological and anatomical explanations for these results were also discussed. Sensitivity of samples showed good climatic signals which are valuable for dendroclimatic growth response investigations leading to reconstruction of past climate as well as possible future climate predictions.
The effect of consumer lockdown on the relationship between environmental beliefs and pro-environmental behaviors
Authors: Trujillo Carlos A , Arias Claudia , Diaz Angela M
Published: May 2023

This study investigates the disruptive effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on the relationship between environmental beliefs and pro-environmental behaviors. We used a survey conducted in the four major cities of Colombia before COVID-19 arrived in December 2019 and then repeated it in October 2020, after most of the major restrictions on mobility and economic activity had been lifted. The survey captured ecocentric and anthropocentric beliefs using the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) and Pro Environmental Behaviors (PEBS) using 18 questions about energy and water savings, recycling, and sustainable purchasing. In the 2020 survey, we included a measure of the severity of the individual’s experience of disruption, including economic, family, and health-related aspects. Controlling for demographic variables, we analyzed (1) descriptive changes in NEP and PEBS, (2) the moderating effect of the disruption on the effect of NEP on PEBS, (3) the direct effect of disruption severity on PEBS, and (4) the moderating effect of severity on the effect of NEP on PEBS in 2020. We found that disruption caused by the lockdown crisis decreased anthropocentric beliefs and slightly increased ecocentric beliefs. This disruption also modified the effects of NEP on PEBS, thereby ameliorating the capacity of NEP to activate PEBS. The severity of experience moderated most of these effects. We discuss the implications of our results for the theory of environmental beliefs and pro-environmental behaviors and offer recommendations to reverse the potential negative effect of the COVID-19 crisis on the promotion of sustainable consumption.
Music Perception
Authors: Pearce Marcus T.
Published: May 2023

Music perception covers all aspects of psychological and neural processing invoked while listening to music. In order to make sense of a musical stimulus, the perceptual system must infer an internal representation of the structure present in a piece of music, including the attributes of individual events (including pitch, timbre, loudness, and timing), groups of events (such as chords, voices, and phrases), and structural relationships between such groups, so that larger-scale aspects of musical form and thematic structure can be perceived. Such representations are stored in memory at timescales ranging from seconds for echoic memory to decades in the case of long-term memory for music, which consists of schematic knowledge of musical styles, veridical memory for particular familiar pieces of music, and episodic memory for music heard at a particular place and time. Stored representations of music allow the generation of top-down expectations for the attributes of forthcoming events while listening to music, which play a role in the perception of music as it unfolds dynamically in time and also the emotional and aesthetic experience of music. Music is a communicative medium conveying affective meaning from the composer and performer to the listener, via several psychological mechanisms and using a range of cues in the music, some of which are universal, others culture-specific. Individuals show behavioral and physiological effects of listening to music from birth onward and learn the syntactic structure of the musical styles to which they are exposed within their culture, shaping their music perception. Some individuals undertake explicit musical training, which can additionally shape their perception of music, sometimes in fundamental ways. Listening to music can impair performance on concurrent tasks involving working memory due to competing access for resources but can improve performance when listening takes place prior to the task due to its positive effect on affective state. Music is a universal human cultural phenomenon whose complexity requires the activation of a diverse range of perceptual and cognitive mechanisms, making it an interesting target for psychological and neuroscientific investigation.
Theory and Green Criminology
Authors: Barrett Kimberly L. , Marshall Rachelle F.
Published: May 2023

Green criminology refers to a perspective within criminology that, broadly speaking, is devoted to the study of crime against and harms to the natural environment. Initially, green criminology was introduced as the study of environmental harm from a political-economic vantage point and was informed by theories from critical, radical, and political-economic (e.g., “conflict paradigm”) perspectives. Over time, however, new definitions of green criminology have emerged, as have new terms for the criminological study of environmental crimes (e.g., “conservation criminology”). These developments have invited new theoretical interpretations of environmental crime and justice. While conflict theories still maintain a degree of centrality in green criminology, the perspective has expanded to include mainstream theoretical orientations (e.g., “classical paradigm,” “consensus/positivist paradigm”) as well.
Obafemi Awolowo
Authors: Nolte Insa
Published: May 2023

Obafemi Awolowo (full Yoruba name: Ọbafẹ́mi Jeremiah Oyèníyì Awólọ́wọ̀, b. 1909–d. 1987) was one of the most important statesmen and political thinkers of Nigeria in the 20th century. After losing his father at the age of ten, Awolowo worked as a teacher and journalist to complete his secondary education before moving into business. Following his marriage to Hannah Awolowo in 1937, he was able to mobilize the resources to travel to the United Kingdom, where he obtained a law degree in 1946. Confronted with ethnic rivalry during his early activism in the Nigerian Youth Movement, Awolowo developed a federalist vision for Nigeria. Building on his understanding of grassroots Yoruba politics, he mobilized Yoruba ethnicity and solidarity through the cultural organization Ẹgbẹ́ Ọmọ Odùduwà. Awolowo’s party, the Action Group, became the dominant Yoruba party in the 1950s, and Awolowo served as the first premier of the Western Region in 1954–1960, when he presided over an ambitious modernizing program.

Reduced to the leadership of the opposition in 1960, Awolowo was subjected to a politically motivated trial in 1962 and imprisoned. The loss of his eldest son while in prison encouraged a turn toward the spiritual but also gained him widespread sympathy: after his release from prison in 1966, Awolowo was recognized as the leader of the pan-Yoruba politics, to the emergence of which he had contributed. As he also embraced a more distinctly socialist politics, many of his supporters also saw him as a potential reformer for Nigeria. However, as the vice chairman of the Federal Executive Council (1967–1970) and as federal commissioner for finance (1967–1971) during the Nigeria–Biafra War (Nigerian Civil War), Awolowo also attracted bitter criticism by eastern Nigerians, who held him responsible for the loss of human lives caused by the war. In 1979, Awolowo returned to party politics with more explicitly socialist policies but, having failed to win the presidency, resumed his role as the leader of the opposition. When another military coup ended the Second Republic in 1983, Awolowo retired from active politics.

Following his death in 1987, Awolowo became a focal point of struggles within the Yoruba elite both over his succession and over the nature of Yoruba politics. In the process, he was posthumously ascribed virtues, agency, and powers beyond the historical record. However, in the context of a broader Nigerian politics, he was also seen as having larger-than-life negative qualities. His legacy continues to divide Nigerian public debate in the 21st century.
Musics of the Black Atlantic: Highlife, Rumba, and Afrobeat
Authors: Reynolds Jonathan
Published: May 2023

The maritime revolutions of the 15th century opened up and helped create an Atlantic world that was connected not only economically, but also politically and culturally. The forced migration of some twelve million African captives to the Americas has received considerable academic attention, but far less effort has gone into examining the long process of cultural exchange and innovation that occurred between the African diaspora in the Americas (particularly in Brazil and the Caribbean) and communities in Africa. The first step of the process was the creation of multicultural African diasporic communities in the Americas. These communities not only blended a variety of African cultural forms into new diasporic African cultures, but also incorporated elements of Native American and European practices, ideas, and instruments into their communities. Not the least of the cultural innovations that would come out of this centuries-long process were a number of Afro-Latin, Afro-Caribbean, and African American musical styles.

By the 19th century, the musical forms that had developed in the African Atlantic diaspora became increasingly influential in Africa itself, often traveling with Black colonial troops or seamen from the Americas. As the steamship revolutions of the 19th century cut the distance between Africa and the Americas, these exchanges accelerated. The colonial conquests of the late 19th century also served to connect Africa and its Atlantic diaspora more closely, whether via increased mobility of individuals or through new technological mediums such as the phonograph record. The result, in the 20th century, was the innovation of a number of musical styles that combined contemporary African tonal structures, rhythms, and forms with wave after wave of Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latin, and African American musical forms and styles, as well as with new instruments that themselves introduced new sounds and musical potentialities. From this ever-accelerating exchange came a myriad of musical styles, including Afro-Cuban salsa in West Africa and Caribbean zouk in West and Central Africa. Three African musical genres of the 20th century, highlife, rumba, and Afrobeat, not only captivated African audiences but also increasingly found a global audience in an ever more connected and fluid world music culture.
Investing in Community Organizations That Serve Marginalized Populations
Authors: Alegria Margarita , Cohen Lauren , Lin Ziqiang , Cheng Michelle , Markle Sheri Lapatin
Published: May 2023

Minoritized racial and ethnic groups experience mental health issues yet persistently encounter systemic barriers to accessing mental health care. Disparities in mental health services are linked to structural racism, discrimination, and stigma. Social determinants of health also impact the risk of experiencing mental health issues and contribute to mental healthcare access. Community-based organizations (CBOs) can serve as vital linkages for delivering much-needed support across many domains (e.g., physical and mental health, housing, food, recreation, etc.) and provide opportunities for fostering connections with members of underserved communities. There is untapped potential in leveraging the skills and expertise offered by CBOs and their staff. Designing programs and interventions that incorporate the goals and ideals of the community served may facilitate sustainability and contribute to a reconceptualization of care delivery based on equity. Ensuring that community-informed initiatives are set up for success will require advocacy for multisector collaboration and innovative approaches and policies that facilitate community collaborations to improve mental health and well-being for communities of color to flourish.
Ceramic Ethnoarchaeology in Africa: Status and Scope
Authors: Fredriksen Per Ditlef
Published: May 2023

Studies of social practices that include the making and use of ceramics constitute a significant part of the subfield of ethnoarchaeology. Pottery is still the archaeological artifact par excellence in many parts of the world, not least in Africa. Because of its omnipresence, pottery not only persists as a convenient way of dating but is also a frequently used point of entry to meaning in the archaeological record. Ethnoarchaeology gained momentum in the 1960s to improve reasoning and inference, by conducting studies of 21st-century practices viewed as providing analogical insights of value for archaeology. Needless to say, this studying of Others in the 21st century to understand Others in the past is a source of severe critique. However, since the late 1990s ethnoarchaeology has transcended the handmaiden role. The debates are not only critical but also vibrant and forward-looking. Key issues relate to ethics, the use and continued development of postcolonial critique, the archaeology of technology, and new forms of interdisciplinarity in the wake of increasing amounts of data coming from laboratory disciplines. The latter issue compels the question what a “slow” science field like ethnoarchaeology can and should offer, not least since there is a clear tendency for modeling and syntheses of past societal change to be constantly “lagging behind.” Viewing research within the field in Africa so far in the early 21st century against a geographically wider and temporally deeper backdrop, comprising key developments in the research field globally since the 1960s: what are its main contributions and challenges? What is the status in the early 21st century, and what can and should the near future hold?
Montoneros: The Rise and Fall of the Argentine Guerrilla
Authors: Campos Esteban
Published: May 2023

The Montoneros were the main guerrilla organization in Argentina, in terms of their proximity to power and the influence of their youth, trade union, territorial, and women’s organizations, which could mobilize thousands of followers. In some respects, their trajectory represents a chapter in the history of urban guerrillas in the Southern Cone region, with social roots in the middle and upper classes of the large cities and a political culture renewed by the New Left in the 1960s, which in the Montoneros was expressed by the fusion of Catholic youth and the Marxist Left. But what made this armed vanguardist organization unique, with its goal of taking power in order to build socialism, was its conflict-ridden inclusion in the populist movement headed by the charismatic leadership of General Juan Domingo Perón. Between 1970 and 1983, the Montoneros carried out small- and large-scale armed actions, embedded themselves in public institutions and governmental structures, and developed their own network of publications, clandestine printworks, and arms factories. After the military coup in 1976, the Montoneros leadership in exile forged links with sectors as diverse as the Palestine Liberation Organization, the international human rights movement, and European social democratic parties, although it could not prevent the mass assassination of its militants by the illegal repression of the dictatorship.
Food Sovereignty
Authors: van Hemert Mieke
Published: May 2023

Food sovereignty is a paradigm on food system transformation advanced by peasant organizations worldwide in response to the commoditization of food through free trade agreements, deteriorating environmental and livelihood conditions in rural areas, and marginalization of the peasantry. Food sovereignty is an alternative to the current global, industrial corporate food regime and involves changes at all levels of the food system with relocalization, regaining control over territories, and agroecological production as key strivings. Food is viewed as a basic human right, as opposed to a commodity. Domestic consumption and food self-sufficiency have priority over long-distance trade. Food is regarded as a part of culture, heritage, and cosmovision. Agroecological practices that restore agrobiodiversity and lessen dependence and indebtedness of farmers are to replace monocultures, which are highly dependent on external inputs and harmful to the environment. There is a central role for smallholders and rural peoples in food production, who should (re)gain control over land and territories, individually and collectively, especially women. This is to be realized through forms of agrarian reform that go beyond land redistribution. Societal change toward peaceful coexistence, equality, and care for the earth is an ultimate goal.

Food sovereignty is a research topic in a wide range of disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, geography, law, philosophy, history, agronomy, and ecology, alongside transdisciplinary research on food systems. While first advanced as a mobilizing concept by the transnational agrarian movement La Vía Campesina in 1996, food sovereignty has become a policy framework adopted by various governments and international organizations. The movement has successfully lobbied the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization to adopt new rights and guidelines that bring obligations for governments to protect rural peoples against transnational corporations undermining their access to land, water, forests, and seeds. The movement itself has diversified, and its definition of food sovereignty has evolved and become more inclusive.

The food sovereignty paradigm has been criticized for being too expansive, complex, and unclear. Analyses of the competing discourses of food sovereignty and food security reveal contrasts and complementarities. Scholarly debate has also focused on the position of both peasants and farm workers in the capitalist economy and on processes of de- and repeasantization.

Societal and scholarly debate on the various dimensions of food sovereignty is ongoing. Academic research foregrounds fundamental questions, including what role the state is expected to play, what forms of trade are envisaged, how the rights approach functions, the interplay of different transformative processes, changing economic and ecological contexts, tensions between different social groups, and power-related challenges. The number of case studies on the struggle for food sovereignty is growing and exhibits wide geographical diversity.
Outcomes after minor lower limb amputation for peripheral arterial disease and diabetes: population-based cohort study
Authors: Birmpili Panagiota , Li Qiuju , Johal Amundeep S , Atkins Eleanor , Waton Sam , Chetter Ian , Boyle Jonathan R , Pherwani Arun D , Cromwell David A
Published: May 2023

Background

Patients with diabetes and peripheral arterial disease are at increased risk of minor amputation. The aim of study was to assess the rate of re-amputations and death after an initial minor amputation, and to identify associated risk factors.

Methods

Data on all patients aged 40 years and over with diabetes and/or peripheral arterial disease, who underwent minor amputation between January 2014 and December 2018, were extracted from Hospital Episode Statistics. Patients who had bilateral index procedures or an amputation in the 3 years before the study were excluded. Primary outcomes were ipsilateral major amputation and death after the index minor amputation. Secondary outcomes were ipsilateral minor re-amputations, and contralateral minor and major amputations.

Results

In this study of 22 118 patients, 16 808 (76.0 per cent) were men and 18 473 (83.5 per cent) had diabetes. At 1 year after minor amputation, the estimated ipsilateral major amputation rate was 10.7 (95 per cent c.i. 10.3 to 11.1) per cent. Factors associated with a higher risk of ipsilateral major amputation included male sex, severe frailty, diagnosis of gangrene, emergency admission, foot amputation (compared with toe amputation), and previous or concurrent revascularization. The estimated mortality rate was 17.2 (16.7 to 17.7) per cent at 1 year and 49.4 (48.6 to 50.1) per cent at 5 years after minor amputation. Older age, severe frailty, comorbidity, gangrene, and emergency admission were associated with a significantly higher mortality risk.

Conclusion

Minor amputations were associated with a high risk of major amputation and death. One in 10 patients had an ipsilateral major amputation within the first year after minor amputation and half had died by 5 years.
Improving tremor response to focused ultrasound thalamotomy
Authors: Holcomb James M , Chopra Rajiv , Feltrin Fabricio S , Elkurd Mazen , El-Nazer Rasheda , McKenzie Lauren , O’Suilleabhain Padraig , Maldjian Joseph A , Dauer William , Shah Bhavya R
Published: May 2023

MRI-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound thalamotomy is an incisionless therapy for essential tremor. To reduce adverse effects, the field has migrated to treating at 2 mm above the anterior commissure-posterior commissure plane. We perform MRI-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound with an advanced imaging targeting technique, four-tract tractography. Four-tract tractography uses diffusion tensor imaging to identify the critical white matter targets for tremor control, the decussating and non-decussating dentatorubrothalamic tracts, while the corticospinal tract and medial lemniscus are identified to be avoided. In some patients, four-tract tractography identified a risk of damaging the medial lemniscus or corticospinal tract if treated at 2 mm superior to the anterior commissure-posterior commissure plane. In these patients, we chose to target 1.2–1.5 mm superior to the anterior commissure-posterior commissure plane. In these patients, post-operative imaging revealed that the focused ultrasound lesion extended into the posterior subthalamic area. This study sought to determine if patients with focused ultrasound lesions that extend into the posterior subthalamic area have a differnce in tremor improvement than those without. Twenty essential tremor patients underwent MRI-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound and were retrospectively classified into two groups. Group 1 included patients with an extension of the thalamic-focused ultrasound lesion into the posterior subthalamic area. Group 2 included patients without extension of the thalamic-focused ultrasound lesion into the posterior subthalamic area. For each patient, the percent change in postural tremor, kinetic tremor and Archimedes spiral scores were calculated between baseline and a 3-month follow-up. Two-tailed Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare the improvement in tremor scores, the total number of sonications, thermal dose to achieve initial tremor response, and skull density ratio between groups. Group 1 had significantly greater postural, kinetic, and Archimedes spiral score percent improvement than Group 2 (P values: 5.41 × 10−5, 4.87 × 10−4, and 5.41 × 10−5, respectively). Group 1 also required significantly fewer total sonications to control the tremor and a significantly lower thermal dose to achieve tremor response (P values: 6.60 × 10−4 and 1.08 × 10−5, respectively). No significant group differences in skull density ratio were observed (P = 1.0). We do not advocate directly targeting the posterior subthalamic area with MRI-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound because the shape of the focused ultrasound lesion can result in a high risk of adverse effects. However, when focused ultrasound lesions naturally extend from the thalamus into the posterior subthalamic area, they provide greater tremor control than those that only involve the thalamus.
When Information Conflicts with Obligations: the Role of Motivated Cognition
Authors: Wang Ao , Wang Shaoda , Ye Xiaoyang
Published: May 2023

We experimentally test how psychological motivations can impact the processing of purely objective information. We first document that, when the high-stakes College Entrance Exam is held in the month of Ramadan, Chinese Muslim students perform significantly worse. When asked about the impact of fasting, they severely underestimate the cost of taking the exam during Ramadan, even when presented with direct empirical evidence. In the experiment, we randomly offer students reading materials in which well-respected Muslim clerics explain that it is permissible to postpone the fast until after the exam. Consistent with an interpretation of motivated cognition, students who receive the material distort the statistics about the fasting cost significantly less and become more accepting of delaying the fast for the exam.
Telemonitoring for heart failure: a meta-analysis
Authors: Scholte Niels T B , Gürgöze Muhammed T , Aydin Dilan , Theuns Dominic A M J , Manintveld Olivier C , Ronner Eelko , Boersma Eric , de Boer Rudolf A , van der Boon Robert M A , Brugts Jasper J
Published: May 2023

Aims

Telemonitoring modalities in heart failure (HF) have been proposed as being essential for future organization and transition of HF care, however, efficacy has not been proven. A comprehensive meta-analysis of studies on home telemonitoring systems (hTMS) in HF and the effect on clinical outcomes are provided.

Methods and results

A systematic literature search was performed in four bibliographic databases, including randomized trials and observational studies that were published during January 1996–July 2022. A random-effects meta-analysis was carried out comparing hTMS with standard of care. All-cause mortality, first HF hospitalization, and total HF hospitalizations were evaluated as study endpoints. Sixty-five non-invasive hTMS studies and 27 invasive hTMS studies enrolled 36 549 HF patients, with a mean follow-up of 11.5 months. In patients using hTMS compared with standard of care, a significant 16% reduction in all-cause mortality was observed [pooled odds ratio (OR): 0.84, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.77–0.93, I2: 24%], as well as a significant 19% reduction in first HF hospitalization (OR: 0.81, 95% CI 0.74–0.88, I2: 22%) and a 15% reduction in total HF hospitalizations (pooled incidence rate ratio: 0.85, 95% CI 0.76–0.96, I2: 70%).

Conclusion

These results are an advocacy for the use of hTMS in HF patients to reduce all-cause mortality and HF-related hospitalizations. Still, the methods of hTMS remain diverse, so future research should strive to standardize modes of effective hTMS.
Conventional heart failure therapy in cardiac ATTR amyloidosis
Authors: Ioannou Adam , Massa Paolo , Patel Rishi K , Razvi Yousuf , Porcari Aldostefano , Rauf Muhammad U , Jiang Anita , Cabras Giacomo , Filisetti Stefano , Bolhuis Roos E , Bandera Francesco , Venneri Lucia , Martinez-Naharro Ana , Law Steven , Kotecha Tushar , Virsinskaite Ruta , Knight Daniel S , Emdin Michele , Petrie Aviva , Lachmann Helen , Wechelakar Ashutosh , Petrie Mark , Hughes Alun , Freemantle Nick , Hawkins Philip N , Whelan Carol , McMurray John J V , Gillmore Julian D , Fontana Marianna
Published: May 2023

Aims

The aims of this study were to assess prescription patterns, dosages, discontinuation rates, and association with prognosis of conventional heart failure medications in patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA).

Methods and results

A retrospective analysis of all consecutive patients diagnosed with ATTR-CA at the National Amyloidosis Centre between 2000 and 2022 identified 2371 patients with ATTR-CA. Prescription of heart failure medications was greater among patients with a more severe cardiac phenotype, comprising beta-blockers in 55.4%, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEis)/angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) in 57.4%, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) in 39.0% of cases. During a median follow-up of 27.8 months (interquartile range 10.6–51.3), 21.7% had beta-blockers discontinued, and 32.9% had ACEi/ARBs discontinued. In contrast, only 7.5% had MRAs discontinued. A propensity score-matched analysis demonstrated that treatment with MRAs was independently associated with a reduced risk of mortality in the overall population [hazard ratio (HR) 0.77 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.66–0.89), P < .001] and in a pre-specified subgroup of patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >40% [HR 0.75 (95% CI 0.63–0.90), P = .002]; and treatment with low-dose beta-blockers was independently associated with a reduced risk of mortality in a pre-specified subgroup of patients with a LVEF ≤40% [HR 0.61 (95% CI 0.45–0.83), P = .002]. No convincing differences were found for treatment with ACEi/ARBs.

Conclusion

Conventional heart failure medications are currently not widely prescribed in ATTR-CA, and those that received medication had more severe cardiac disease. Beta-blockers and ACEi/ARBs were often discontinued, but low-dose beta-blockers were associated with reduced risk of mortality in patients with a LVEF ≤40%. In contrast, MRAs were rarely discontinued and were associated with reduced risk of mortality in the overall population; but these findings require confirmation in prospective randomized controlled trials.
How to sample a seizure plant: the role of the visualization spatial distribution analysis of Lophophora williamsii as an example
Authors: Lin Jiaman , Yun Keming , Sun Qiran , Xiang Ping , Wu Lina , Yang Shuo , Dun Junling , Fu Shanlin , Chen Hang
Published: May 2023

Natural compounds in plants are often unevenly distributed, and determining the best sampling locations to obtain the most representative results is technically challenging. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) can provide the basis for formulating sampling guideline. For a succulent plant sample, ensuring the authenticity and in situ nature of the spatial distribution analysis results during MSI analysis also needs to be thoroughly considered. In this study, we developed a well-established and reliable MALDI-MSI method based on preservation methods, slice conditions, auxiliary matrices, and MALDI parameters to detect and visualize the spatial distribution of mescaline in situ in Lophophora williamsii. The MALDI-MSI results were validated using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Low-temperature storage at −80°C and drying of “bookmarks” were the appropriate storage methods for succulent plant samples and their flower samples, and cutting into 40 μm thick sections at −20°C using gelatin as the embedding medium is the appropriate sectioning method. The use of DCTB (trans-2-[3-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-2-methyl-2-propenylidene]malononitrile) as an auxiliary matrix and a laser intensity of 45 are favourable MALDI parameter conditions for mescaline analysis. The region of interest semi-quantitative analysis revealed that mescaline is concentrated in the epidermal tissues of L. williamsii as well as in the meristematic tissues of the crown. The study findings not only help to provide a basis for determining the best sampling locations for mescaline in L. williamsii, but they also provide a reference for the optimization of storage and preparation conditions for raw plant organs before MALDI detection.

Key Points
TRI-SCORE: a single-centre validation study
Authors: Sala Alessandra , Carino Davide , Lorusso Roberto , Zancanaro Edoardo , Bargagna Marta , Del Forno Benedetto , Trumello Cinzia , Denti Paolo , Ruggeri Stefania , Nonis Alessandro , Scarale Maria Giovanna , Schiavi Davide , Castiglioni Alessandro , Maisano Francesco , Alfieri Ottavio , De Bonis Michele
Published: May 2023

OBJECTIVES

The TRI-SCORE is a recently published risk score for predicting in-hospital mortality in patients undergoing isolated tricuspid valve surgery (ITVS). The aim of this study is to externally validate the ability of the TRI-SCORE in predicting in-hospital and long-term mortality following ITVS.

METHODS

A retrospective review of our institutional database was carried out to identify all patients undergoing isolated tricuspid valve repair or replacement from March 1997 to March 2021. The TRI-SCORE was calculated for all patients. Discrimination of the TRI-SCORE was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves. Accuracy of the models was tested calculating the Brier score. Finally, a COX regression was employed to evaluate the relationship between the TRI-SCORE value and long-term mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 176 patients were identified and the median TRI-SCORE was 3 (1–5). The cut-off value identified for increased risk of isolated ITVS was 5. Regarding in-hospital outcomes, the TRI-SCORE showed high discrimination (area under the curve 0.82), and high accuracy (Brier score 0.054). This score showed also very good performance in predicting long-term mortality (at 10 years, hazard ratio: 1.47, 95% confidence interval [1.31–1.66], P < 0.001), with high discrimination (area under the curve >0.80 at 1–5 and 10 years) and high accuracy values (Brier score 0.179).

CONCLUSIONS

This external validation confirms the good performance of the TRI-SCORE in predicting in-hospital mortality. Moreover, the score showed also very good performance in predicting the long-term mortality.
A fully mixed virtual element method for Darcy–Forchheimer miscible displacement of incompressible fluids appearing in porous media
Authors: Dehghan Mehdi , Gharibi Zeinab
Published: May 2023

The incompressible miscible displacement of two-dimensional Darcy–Forchheimer flow is discussed in this paper, and the mathematical model is formulated by two partial differential equations, a Darcy–Forchheimer flow equation for the pressure and a convection–diffusion equation for the concentration. The model is discretized using a fully mixed virtual element method (VEM), which employs mixed VEMs to solve both the Darcy–Forchheimer flow and concentration equations by introducing an auxiliary flux variable to ensure full mass conservation. By using fixed point theory, we proved the stability, existence and uniqueness of the associated mixed VEM solution under smallness data assumption. Furthermore, we obtain optimal error estimates for concentration and auxiliary flux variables in the $\texttt {L}^{2}$- and $\textbf {L}^{2}$-norms, as well as for the velocity in the $\textbf {L}^{2}$-norm. Finally, several numerical experiments are presented to support the theoretical analysis and to illustrate the applicability for solving actual problems.
Quantum Automorphism Groups of Connected Locally Finite Graphs and Quantizations of Discrete Groups
Authors: Rollier Lukas , Vaes Stefaan
Published: May 2023

We construct for every connected locally finite graph $\Pi $ the quantum automorphism group $\operatorname{QAut} \Pi $ as a locally compact quantum group. When $\Pi $ is vertex transitive, we associate to $\Pi $ a new unitary tensor category ${\mathcal{C}}(\Pi )$ and this is our main tool to construct the Haar functionals on $\operatorname{QAut} \Pi $. When $\Pi $ is the Cayley graph of a finitely generated group, this unitary tensor category is the representation category of a compact quantum group whose discrete dual can be viewed as a canonical quantization of the underlying discrete group. We introduce several equivalent definitions of quantum isomorphism of connected locally finite graphs $\Pi $, $\Pi ^{\prime}$ and prove that this implies monoidal equivalence of $\operatorname{QAut} \Pi $ and $\operatorname{QAut} \Pi ^{\prime}$.
International Studies and Struggles for Inclusion
Authors: Chadi Tarik Abou , Bond Kanisha D , Dorff Cassy , Hagen Jamie , Hendrix Cullen S , Thies Cameron
Published: May 2023

In the 3 years between the 2019 and 2022 International Studies Association (ISA) meetings, the profound state of global economic, social, and political upheaval around the world has become unavoidably evident for much, if not most, of the world. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, movements for inclusion and resulting backlashes sprang up across the globe. As scholars of international affairs, the members of the ISA seek to understand and contextualize world events. However, our members and the organization itself are not passive observers of history. These struggles directly influence the personal experiences of many of our members, within and beyond our profession. For these reasons, ISA leadership felt that it was important to mark the 2022 meeting with a Sapphire Series panel to discuss ``International Studies and Struggles for Inclusion.'' The panel brought together ISA members from various sections and backgrounds to offer diverse perspectives on a host of topics: How does the field of international studies understand these developments? How do struggles for inclusion affect our members and community of social scientists? And perhaps most importantly, what should the ISA be doing about them, in terms of both scholarship and organizational decisions?
Treatment decisions in VRE bacteraemia: a survey of infectious diseases pharmacists
Authors: White Bryan P , Barber Katie E , Chastain Daniel B
Published: May 2023

Background

VRE infections increased in 2020. High-dose daptomycin (≥10 mg/kg) has shown mortality benefit over other regimens, though daptomycin resistance is increasing. Limited data exist on the practice patterns of ID pharmacists for VRE bloodstream infections (VRE BSIs).

Objectives

To describe practice patterns for VRE BSI in ID pharmacists.

Methods

A 22-question REDCap survey was distributed to ID pharmacist members of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Infectious Diseases Practice and Research Network (ID PRN) via e-mail listserv. The survey was distributed on 7 April 2022 and remained open for 4 weeks.

Results

Sixty-eight pharmacists responded. All pharmacists completed additional training or certification in infectious diseases past their PharmD, and most (70.5%) had been practising for 10 years or less. Pharmacists at academic medical centres (80.0%) were more likely (P = 0.001) to have implemented the updated CLSI breakpoints than pharmacists at other types of institutions (55.2%). Daptomycin was the preferred drug for VRE BSI (92.6%), with 10 mg/kg (72.1%) being the preferred dose. Adjusted body weight was the most common weight (61.2%) used for obese patients. Fourteen days (76.1%) was the most common treatment duration for VRE BSI. Pharmacists defined persistent VRE BSI as 5 days (68.7%) after first blood culture.

Conclusions

ID pharmacists overwhelmingly selected high-dose daptomycin for VRE BSI. There were variations in practice and response rate when selecting combination therapy, managing persistent bacteraemia, and treating patients with high daptomycin MICs or previous exposure to daptomycin.
Impact of shade in beef feedyards on performance, ear temperature, and heat stress measures
Authors: Winders Thomas M , Melton Brett A , Boyd Bradley M , Macken Casey N , Watson Andrea K , MacDonald James C , Erickson Galen E
Published: May 2023

A 2-yr study (year 1: March to September 2017; year 2: February to August 2018) was conducted using crossbred steers (year 1: n = 1677; initial body weight [BW] = 372 kg, SD = 47; year 2: n = 1713; initial BW = 379 kg, SD = 10) in a commercial feedyard study in Eastern NE to determine the effects of shade on cattle performance, ear temperature, and cattle activity. Two treatments were evaluated using a randomized complete block design (n = 5 blocks based on arrival). Treatments were assigned randomly to pens and consisted of five pens without shade (NO SHADE) and five pens with shade (SHADE). Ear temperatures were collected throughout the trials using biometric sensing ear tags on a subset of cattle. Panting scores were collected using a 5 point scale determined visually based on the level of panting occurring on the same subset of steers a minimum of twice weekly from June 8 to August 21 in year 1 and May 29 to July 24 in year 2 by one trained individual each year. In year 1, no differences (P ≥ 0.24) were observed for growth performance or carcass characteristics. Dry matter intake (DMI) and average daily gain (ADG) were greater (P ≤ 0.04) for SHADE cattle in year 2. Over the entire feeding period in year 1, greater (P < 0.01) ear temperature was observed for NO SHADE cattle, but cattle movement was not different (P = 0.38) between treatments. When evaluating the entire feeding period in year 2, cattle movement and ear temperature were not different (P ≥ 0.80) between treatments. Cattle in the SHADE treatment had lower (P ≤ 0.04) panting scores in years 1 and 2. These data suggest that providing shade can lessen the negative influence of heat events on DMI and was an effective way to reduce heat stress in feedlot operations, but only impacted ADG if heat events were close to the cattle slaughter date.
Life-table parameters of Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on different stored date palm fruits under laboratory conditions
Authors: Jaafari-Behi Vahid , Ziaee Masumeh , Kocheili Farhan , Ali Hemmati Seyed , Francikowski Jacek
Published: May 2023

Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a polyphagous insect pest that causes serious damage to various food crops in storage. This study aimed to investigate the life-history and demographic parameters of P. interpunctella on 5 varieties of date palm fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.), including Dayri, Estemaran, Fersi, Halavi, and Zahedi under laboratory conditions. Data were analyzed and compared using the age–stage, 2-sex life table. Plodia interpunctella completed its development on all date varieties. The shortest and longest pre-adult periods were recorded on Zahedi (38.47 days) and Estemaran (44.65 days) varieties, respectively. The net reproductive rates (R0) were 82.51, 59.05, 63.61, 102.27, and 114.86 offspring on Dayri, Estemaran, Fersi, Halavi, and Zahedi varieties, respectively. The intrinsic rate of increase (r) were 0.098, 0.085, 0.089, 0.109, and 0.113 day−1 on Dayri, Estemaran, Fersi, Halavi, and Zahedi varieties, respectively. The female fecundity ranged from 133.4 to 259.24 eggs on Estemaran and Zahedi varieties, respectively. The highest mean generation time (T) was obtained on Estemaran (47.984 days), and the lowest value of this parameter was obtained on Zahedi (41.722 days) variety. The results indicated that Zahedi and Halavi varieties were the susceptible hosts for P. interpunctella. In contrast, the Estemaran and Fersi were the most resistant varieties against P. interpunctella, which can be used for integrated management programs to decrease the damage of this pest.
(108) Risk Factors for Reinterventions, Complications, and Infections after Inflatable Penile Prosthesis: A Propensity-Matched Study
Authors: Ebbott D , Prebay Z , Li M , Chung P
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Erectile dysfunction affects at least 40 million men in the United States, with inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) used as a successful intervention in more than 25,000 men per year. Although common medical comorbidities are hypothesized to be risk factors for infections or complications, this too remains incompletely understood. Large scale, multi-institutional research may help urologists better understand the risks and rates of complications following IPP.

Objective

To characterize risk for reintervention, complications, and infections in patients with common suspected risk factors undergoing IPP placement in a multicenter global research network.

Methods

TriNetX is a research network of real-time data from 58 Healthcare Organizations globally. We queried the network for adult men with IPP implant from 2002-2022. We examined select outcomes for the general populations. We also assessed select outcomes for cohorts based on medical comorbidities that were diagnosed prior to IPP. These comorbidities included diabetes mellitus, hypertension, nicotine use, radiation, prostatectomy, urethral surgery, and organ transplant history. Propensity score matching was performed using these variables and excluding the comorbidity of interest for each cohort. International Classification of Disease Tenth Edition (ICD-10) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes were used to define cohorts and outcomes. Our primary outcome was the need for reintervention, defined here as revision, removal, or replacement at any point after implantation. Secondary outcomes included overall rates of device complication and infection. Analytics were performed using TriNetX software to calculate demographic information, odds ratios (OR), and z-test. The analysis was run on June 13, 2022.

Results

The study included 10,094 patients with an IPP from 2002 to 2022. The average index age was 62 +/− 11 and the racial demographics were 22% black and 58% white. The general population had a reintervention rate of 9.9%. The rate of complication was 18.8% with a 4.9% rate of infection. Full results are included in Table 1. No comorbidity diagnosed at the time of IPP had a significant association with higher rates of reintervention, complications, or infections.

Conclusions

Patients had higher rates of IPP complications than previously reported, but this may come from different reporting parameters used in this study. Notably, none of hypothesized comorbidities diagnosed at the time of IPP led to higher rates of reintervention, complications, or infections. Based on this data, the assessed comorbidities are not a contraindication for IPP.

Disclosure

Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Boston Scientific and Coloplast.