bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perception of park environment and its impact on aesthetic evaluation
Authors: Gatalska N
Published: August 2024

The synthesis of scientific works highlighted a fundamental difference in the methods and approaches used to investigate the aesthetic qualities of park environments involving respondents. A pivotal methodological question in studying the aesthetic qualities of park environments and their human perception lies in determining the research approach - whether natural or using substitutes such as photographs or virtual simulators. In the context of this study, an analysis was conducted to ascertain the correspondence between the perception of the park environment and the assessment of its aesthetic qualities under different survey conditions. The research established that the influence of park environment features on the aesthetic evaluation of landscapes significantly differs depending on the season and the method of research. Characteristics of the park environment noted by respondents, which are closely related to aesthetic evaluation, are positive associative features defining the overall psycho-emotional impression of the landscape. Seasonal changes in the park environment notably affect the perception of compositional characteristics, especially enhancing aesthetic evaluation during summer surveys conducted directly within the park boundaries. Substantial decrease in aesthetic evaluation is observed due to the mismatch between basic features and respondent preferences, a phenomenon independent of the research method employed.
Construction Composites Based on Secondary Thermoplastics and Manufacturing Waste
Authors: Herasymenko V. , Kariev A. , Balandaieva L. , Lebedev V. , Vynohradov V.
Published: August 2024

The paper presents current trends in the development of environmentally friendly building composite materials. The choice of thermoplastic polymer binder and natural plant-based fillers is substantiated. Highly filled composites based on secondary polypropylene and natural plant fillers have been developed: wood flour; coniferous flour; buckwheat husks; oat husks. Their main physical and mechanical properties, such as impact strength and flexural strength, have been studied. Experimental research has revealed that, in addition to traditional fillers like wood flour and coniferous flour, it is more relevant to use by-products of agro-industrial complexes in the form of buckwheat husks and oat husks. These technological waste products of agro-industrial complexes are quite widespread in Ukraine and are widely available in almost all regions of the country. However, their disposal is usually challenging. For the first time, the influence of the fractional composition of plant fillers in polymeric composites based on secondary polypropylene on the main physical and mechanical properties has been studied. It has been clarified that the developed composites with polyfractional compositions of plant fillers exhibit higher indicators. The high performance of the composites is achieved due to the maximum packing density of natural fillers in the polymer matrix.
New research methods of electro-corrosion processes in concrete structures
Authors: Plugin A A , Zhu W , Murygin M A , Plugin D A , Murygina N O
Published: August 2024

The paths of electric currents flowing through sleepers and traditional methods of corrosion under the influence of leakage currents are analysed. Based on the results of this analysis, a new method of studying the processes occurring in concrete under the influence of electrical potentials is proposed for comparative studies of the electro-corrosion behaviour of sleepers and other structures with steel and composite reinforcement. The method involves the application of electric potentials, constant or pulsating unidirectional, to the sleeper models and the study of samples extracted from the models using nanoindentation. By means of nanoindentation it is possible to obtain the values of the micromechanical properties of the cement paste, the modulus of elasticity E and the hardness H, which depend on the degree of its electromigration leaching. It is experimentally proved that due to electromigration leaching, E and H decrease, starting from the face of the model, for which a negative potential is applied. The values of unleached and maximally leached cement paste with W/C = 0.35, which is characteristic of concrete sleepers, are determined. It is found that the nature of these dependencies and, consequently, the intensity of electro-corrosion processes in concrete, depends on the nature of the applied electrical potential (constant or pulsating unidirectional) and the type of reinforcement (steel or composite).
Implementation features of local and remote technical objects digital twins
Authors: Pliuhin Vladyslav , Sukhonos Maria , Biletskyi Ihor , Plankovskyy Sergiy , Tsegelnyk Yevgen
Published: August 2024

This paper explores the potential for implementing digital twin technology, focusing on the internal structure of the research object and the remote characteristics of its surrounding environment. Specifically, it examines and demonstrates the practical application of local digital twins, which replicate the object’s structural parameters using data from sensors and measurement devices positioned at key nodes within the research object. Another category of digital twins leverages data collected from instruments measuring external environmental conditions and falls under the classification of remote digital twins. When combined, these local and remote digital twins create a comprehensive framework for predictive decision-making, assessing both the current status of the object and potential outcomes in emergency situations. This study seeks to explore the feasibility of integrating digital twins across various hierarchical levels of the research object. The findings presented in this paper represent the authors’ practical innovations, which demonstrate effective outcomes and offer a foundation for advancing research objectives in this area.
Closed forms for spatiotemporal optical vortices and sagittal skyrmionic pulses
Authors: Vo S , Gutiérrez-Cuevas R , Alonso M A
Published: August 2024

Spatiotemporal optical vortices (STOVs) are short pulses that present a vortex whose axis is perpendicular to the main propagation direction. We present analytic expressions for these pulses that satisfy exactly Maxwell’s equation, by applying appropriate differential operators to complex focus pulses with Poisson-like frequency spectrum. We also provide a simple ray picture for understanding the deformation of these pulses under propagation. Finally, we use these solutions to propose a type of pulse with sagittal skyrmionic polarization distribution covering all states of transverse polarization.
Influence of the current density on the properties of electrodeposited Ni-W- Ti2AlC composite coatings
Authors: Liu Lingling , Gao Mengyan , Huang Zixin , Bai Jiuhang , Wang Xiang , Li Xiaoxian , Zhang Xuehui
Published: August 2024

In this work, Ni-W-Ti2AlC composite coatings with anti-wear and anti-corrosion abilities were prepared using direct current electrodeposition. The study primarily focuses on the influence of different current densities on the structure and properties of Ni-W-Ti2AlC composite coatings. The microstructural, mechanical properties, and electrochemical performances were studied by using SEM, XRD, EDS, and Tafel polarization techniques. The results indicated that Ti2AlC is successfully co-deposited into the Ni-W coating, and the average grain size of the Ni-W-Ti2AlC composite coating is 15.2 nm. The significant improvement in hardness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance of Ni-W-Ti2AlC composite coating is attributed to the effects of solid solution strengthening and the uniform distribution of the microstructure. The suitable current density has a great influence on the properties. The microhardness of Ni-W-Ti2AlC composite coatings was increased by 99.59% at a current density of 5 A dm−2 compared to 3 A dm−2. At the same time, the friction coefficient decreased by 13.89%.
ArtiSAN: navigating the complexity of material structures with deep reinforcement learning
Authors: Elsborg Jonas , Bhowmik Arghya
Published: August 2024

Finding low-energy atomic ordering in compositionally complex materials is one of the hardest problems in materials discovery, the solution of which can lead to breakthroughs in functional materials—from alloys to ceramics. In this work, we present the Artificial Structure Arranging Net (ArtiSAN)—a reinforcement learning agent utilizing graph representation that is trained to find low-energy atomic configurations of multicomponent systems through a series of atomic switch operations. ArtiSAN is trained on small alloy supercells ranging from binary to septenary. Strikingly, ArtiSAN generalizes to much larger systems of more than a thousand atoms, which are inaccessible with state-of-the-art methods due to the combinatorially larger search space. The performance of the current ArtiSAN agent is tested and deployed on several compositions that can be correlated with known experimental and high-fidelity computational structures. ArtiSAN demonstrates transfer across size and composition and finds physically meaningful structures using no energy evaluation calls once fully trained. While ArtiSAN will require further modifications to capture all variability in structure search, it is a remarkable step towards solving the structural part of the problem of disordered materials discovery.
Uncovering effects of climate-sensitive health risks on historically marginalized youth in Washington State: creating opportunities for maximum involvement
Authors: Jean Cassandra , Khan Amber S , Flores Graciela M , Donatuto Jamie , Lopez Paulina , Perez Crystal , Martinez Carmen , Errett Nicole A
Published: August 2024

Climate-sensitive hazards, including extreme heat, wildfire smoke, flooding, and rising sea levels, can jeopardize the health of all populations. However, certain population groups are more vulnerable to harm from these hazards. While youth–particularly those from historically marginalized groups and communities–are among those at the highest risk, their abilities may be underutilized in local climate adaptation efforts. This exploratory research aimed to identify opportunities for youth involvement in climate and environmental solutions in their historically marginalized communities. Specifically, this study (1) investigated youth risk perceptions and impacts of various climate-sensitive hazards (e.g. extreme heat, wildfire smoke, flooding, and sea level rise); (2) examined current barriers, resource needs, and opportunities for youth to engage in climate and environmental solution work; and (3) explored current methods and spaces where youth and community leaders can support youth-led climate-related initiatives. Through focus group discussions with youth and in-depth interviews with community leaders who are directly with youth, this study identified opportunities to leverage youth experiences, perceptions, and assets to promote a healthy and resilient community in the face of various compounding climate-related threats. Results showed that while youth recognize the changing climate and associated health impacts, they require more financial resources and support from local decision-makers to maintain their engagement and promote community resilience. Engaging youth in climate action and community resilience involves more than just centering youth voices and perspectives–it requires intentional collaboration, capacity-building, organizing, granting decision-making power, and other strategies to produce inclusive, intersectional, and sustainable solutions.
Introducing the Major Players and Developing the Screenplay for a Fairy Tale Musical
Authors: Block Geoffrey
Published: August 2024

Chapter 1 tells the story of how Love Me Tonight came to be, starting with the search to find a film property for Maurice Chevalier, how Rouben Mamoulian came to be unexpectedly hired to replace Ernst Lubitsch, and Mamoulian’s meeting with the French playwright Léopold Marchand at a party. From the beginning, Mamoulian saw the intrinsic musicality of this story based on a play by Marchand and Paul Armont called Le tailleur au château (The Tailor in the Castle) and designed a musical with music at its center. Using treatments and screenplay drafts in the Mamoulian Collection housed in the Library of Congress, the chapter traces the initial creation and evolution of key dramatic events, plot developments, and character transformations, from the incomplete and sometimes tenuous first outlines and treatments to the final screenplay. The chapter also critically examines the reasons behind the decisions Mamoulian and his screenwriters made as they gradually placed the songs.
Sex and Censorship
Authors: Block Geoffrey
Published: August 2024

“Sex and Censorship” discusses the history, principles, and influence of the Studio Relations Committee during Love Me Tonight’s creation and first release in 1932 (before the introduction of severe film censorship) and its rerelease in 1949, when the Production Code Administration (in the popular literature often referred to as the “Hays” Code) insisted on the removal of several conversations about the “Virgin’s Spring,” the innuendo-rich “A Woman Needs Something Like That,” and about fifteen seconds of Myrna Loy singing a reprise of “Mimi” in a diaphanous nightgown. The chapter uses the extensive paper trail of memos between Paramount executives and PCA enforcers to explore the reasons behind the censors’ choices and the impact of these decisions, particularly those imposed upon the film’s rerelease. Although intrusive, the silver lining behind these cuts is that the amount of film material challenged in 1932 and destroyed in 1949 was far less than usually cited, probably a few minutes at most. Far more significant was what made it past the Code, both in 1932 and 1949.
Exchanging Theories and Concepts on Welfare Policies Between North and South
Authors: Harsløf Ivan
Published: August 2024

Recent decades have seen large-scale social protection programmes rolled out in countries in the Global South, demonstrating a new political commitment towards goals of welfare on a national scale. This chapter explores the relevance of welfare state concepts and theories originating from or designed to address policies in the Global North to assess such developments in the Global South. The chapter discusses the background of the flow of theories and concepts across contexts and explores perspectives on societal development that span the Global North and South. It further analyses how concepts originally developed in the Global North have been exported to the Global South, focusing on adaptations of theoretical frameworks for comparing welfare states. Lastly, it discusses how experiences with emerging welfare state arrangements in the Global South can offer lessons for the Global North. It is argued that while some notions require adaptation to different contexts, certain concepts and systems of welfare regime classification have broad applicability across disparate regions. Furthermore, the chapter discusses recent trends in the Global North, where welfare states increasingly exhibit elements resembling conditions found in the South. The transformations occurring in the state and labour markets necessitate the adoption of new theories and concepts, including those utilized in the Global South, to effectively scrutinize their implications. In conclusion, the accelerating processes of globalization and transnationalism challenge the methodological nationalism commonly inherent in social policy theorization.
Marianne Moore
Authors: Mlinko Ange
Published: August 2024

Marianne Moore only visited Florida once, as an adolescent, but the myth of Florida was an inspiration for “Sea Unicorns and Land Unicorns,” her great poem of the imagination, and a fitting companion poem to her friend Wallace Stevens’s tropical poem, “The Comedian as the Letter C.” “Sea Unicorns and Land Unicorns” is the concluding poem of Moore’s debut collection, Observations (1924). This chapter discusses the stylistic similarities between Stevens and Moore, which preceded their acquaintance, and goes on to read through the sources of “Sea Unicorns and Land Unicorns,” including Violet Wilson’s Queen Elizabeth’s Maids of Honour and John Hawkins’s account of exploring Florida in the 1560s.
Harry Mathews
Authors: Mlinko Ange
Published: August 2024

Harry Mathews, who died in Key West, where he had had a house for several decades, wrote one of his last poems there in 2014, the sestina “Cool Gales Shall Fan the Glades.” This chapter is a study of that poem and his 1961 epyllion, “Comitas.” It argues that Mathews imported the Arcadian idyll into Florida literature through references to Greek myth and Hellenic poetry and amplified the tropical Stevensian style by applying difficult ornaments and Provencal trobar clus to the repertory.
Epilogue
Authors: Mlinko Ange
Published: August 2024

Laura Riding Jackson was one of the leading poets of American Modernism until she gave up poetry around 1941 and moved to Wabasso, Florida, with her new husband. This chapter speculates on the poet’s relation to language and landscape, her suspicion of poetry and style, and reads one of her early poems, “Doom in Bloom,” alongside James Merrill’s early poem “The Greenhouse.” Both poems evince a fear of fecundity and floridity, but Merrill went on to develop these traits to the fullest in his poetry, whereas Riding Jackson rejected poetry completely in her desire for austerity in life as well as in language.
Using the near real-time effective reproduction number Rt as an early-warning tool for seasonal bronchiolitis and influenza-like illness epidemics
Authors: Gallien Yves , Paireau Juliette , Paty Annie-Claude , Villegas-Ramirez Berenice , Hamidouche Mohamed , Modenesi Gabriela , Zhu-Soubise Aurélien , Bonaldi Christophe , Fouillet Anne , Vaux Sophie , Bernard-Stoecklin Sibylle , Tarantola Arnaud
Published: August 2024

Yearly bronchiolitis and influenza-like illness epidemics in France often involve high morbidity and mortality, which severely impact health care. Epidemics are declared by the French National Institute of Public Health based on syndromic surveillance of primary care and emergency departments (EDs), using statistics-based alarms. Although the effective reproduction number (Rt) is used to monitor the dynamics of epidemics, it has never been used as an early-warning tool for bronchiolitis or influenza-like illness epidemics in France. We assessed whether Rt is useful for detecting seasonal epidemics by comparing it to the tool currently used (MASS) by epidemiologists to declare epidemic phases. We used anonymized ED syndromic data from the Île-de-France region in France from 2010 to 2022. We estimated Rt and compared the indication of accelerated transmission (Rt > 1) to the MASS epidemic alarm time points. We computed the difference between those 2 time points, time to epidemic peak, and the daily cases documented at first indication and peak. Rt provided alarms for influenza-like illness and bronchiolitis epidemics that were, respectively, a median of 6 days (IQR, 4, 8) and 64 days (IQR, 52, 80) earlier than the alarms provided by MASS. Rt detected earlier signals of bronchiolitis and influenza-like illness epidemics. Using this early-warning indicator in combination with others to declare an annual epidemic could provide opportunities to improve health care system readiness.
Evolution and improved outcomes in the era of multimodality treatment for extended pancreatectomy
Authors: Chaudhari Vikram A , Kunte Aditya R , Chopde Amit N , Ostwal Vikas , Ramaswamy Anant , Engineer Reena , Bhargava Prabhat , Bal Munita , Shetty Nitin , Kulkarni Suyash , Patkar Shraddha , Bhandare Manish S , Shrikhande Shailesh V
Published: August 2024

Background

The evolution and outcomes of extended pancreatectomies at a single institute over 15 years are presented in this study.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of the institutional database was performed from 2015 to 2022 (period B). Patients undergoing extended pancreatic resections, as defined by the International Study Group for Pancreatic Surgery, were included. Perioperative and survival outcomes were compared with data from 2007–2015 (period A). Regression analyses were used to identify factors affecting postoperative and long-term survival outcomes.

Results

A total of 197 (16.1%) patients underwent an extended resection in period B compared to 63 (9.2%) in period A. Higher proportions of borderline resectable (5 (18.5%) versus 51 (47.7%), P = 0.011) and locally advanced tumours (1 (3.7%) versus 24 (22.4%), P < 0.001) were resected in period B with more frequent use of neoadjuvant therapy (6 (22.2%) versus 79 (73.8%), P < 0.001). Perioperative mortality (4 (6.0%) versus 12 (6.1%), P = 0.81) and morbidity (23 (36.5%) versus 83 (42.1%), P = 0.57) rates were comparable. The overall survival for patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma was similar in both periods (17.5 (95% c.i. 6.77 to 28.22) versus 18.3 (95% c.i. 7.91 to 28.68) months, P = 0.958). Resectable, node-positive tumours had a longer disease-free survival (DFS) in period B (5.81 (95% c.i. 1.73 to 9.89) versus 14.03 (95% c.i. 5.7 to 22.35) months, P = 0.018).

Conclusion

Increasingly complex pancreatic resections were performed with consistent perioperative outcomes and improved DFS compared to the earlier period. A graduated approach to escalating surgical complexity, multimodality treatment, and judicious patient selection enables the resection of advanced pancreatic tumours.
Increase of HCN current in SOD1-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Lai Hsing-Jung , Kuo Yih-Chih , Ting Chen-Hung , Yang Chih-Chao , Kao Chia-Hsin , Tsai Yi-Chieh , Chao Chi-Chao , Hsueh Hsueh-Wen , Hsieh Pei-Feng , Chang Hsiang-Yu , Wang I Fan , Tsai Li-Kai
Published: August 2024

The clinical manifestations of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) vary widely. However, the current classification of ALS is based mainly on clinical presentations, and the roles of electrophysiological and biomedical biomarkers remain limited. Herein, we investigated a group of patients with sporadic ALS and an ALS mouse model with superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1)/G93A transgenes using nerve excitability tests (NETs) to investigate axonal membrane properties and chemical precipitation, followed by ELISA analysis to measure plasma misfolded protein levels.

Six of 19 patients (31.6%) with sporadic ALS had elevated plasma misfolded SOD1 protein levels. In sporadic ALS patients, only those with elevated misfolded SOD1 protein levels showed an increased inward rectification in the current–voltage threshold curve and an increased threshold reduction in the hyperpolarizing threshold electrotonus in the NET study. Two familial ALS patients with SOD1 mutations also exhibited similar electrophysiological patterns of NET. For patients with sporadic ALS showing significantly increased inward rectification in the current–voltage threshold curve, we noted an elevation in plasma misfolded SOD1 level, but not in total SOD1, misfolded C9orf72 or misfolded phosphorylated TDP43 levels. Computer simulations demonstrated that the aforementioned axonal excitability changes are likely to be associated with an increase in hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) current. In SOD1/G93A mice, NET also showed an increased inward rectification in the current–voltage threshold curve, which could be reversed by a single injection of the HCN channel blocker, ZD7288. Daily treatment of SOD1/G93A mice with ZD7288 partly prevented the early motor function decline and spinal motor neuron death.

In summary, sporadic ALS patients with elevated plasma misfolded SOD1 exhibited similar patterns of motor axonal excitability changes to familial ALS patients and ALS mice with mutant SOD1, suggesting the existence of SOD1-associated sporadic ALS. The observed NET pattern of increased inward rectification in the current–voltage threshold curve was attributable to an elevation in the HCN current in SOD1-associated ALS.
Data-driven retrieval of population-level EEG features and their role in neurodegenerative diseases
Authors: Li Wentao , Varatharajah Yogatheesan , Dicks Ellen , Barnard Leland , Brinkmann Benjamin H , Crepeau Daniel , Worrell Gregory , Fan Winnie , Kremers Walter , Boeve Bradley , Botha Hugo , Gogineni Venkatsampath , Jones David T
Published: August 2024

Electrophysiologic disturbances due to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy Body disease are detectable by scalp EEG and can serve as a functional measure of disease severity. Traditional quantitative methods of EEG analysis often require an a-priori selection of clinically meaningful EEG features and are susceptible to bias, limiting the clinical utility of routine EEGs in the diagnosis and management of neurodegenerative disorders. We present a data-driven tensor decomposition approach to extract the top 6 spectral and spatial features representing commonly known sources of EEG activity during eyes-closed wakefulness. As part of their neurologic evaluation at Mayo Clinic, 11 001 patients underwent 12 176 routine, standard 10–20 scalp EEG studies. From these raw EEGs, we developed an algorithm based on posterior alpha activity and eye movement to automatically select awake-eyes-closed epochs and estimated average spectral power density (SPD) between 1 and 45 Hz for each channel. We then created a three-dimensional (3D) tensor (record × channel × frequency) and applied a canonical polyadic decomposition to extract the top six factors. We further identified an independent cohort of patients meeting consensus criteria for mild cognitive impairment (30) or dementia (39) due to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy Bodies (31) and similarly aged cognitively normal controls (36). We evaluated the ability of the six factors in differentiating these subgroups using a Naïve Bayes classification approach and assessed for linear associations between factor loadings and Kokmen short test of mental status scores, fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET uptake ratios and CSF Alzheimer’s Disease biomarker measures. Factors represented biologically meaningful brain activities including posterior alpha rhythm, anterior delta/theta rhythms and centroparietal beta, which correlated with patient age and EEG dysrhythmia grade. These factors were also able to distinguish patients from controls with a moderate to high degree of accuracy (Area Under the Curve (AUC) 0.59–0.91) and Alzheimer’s disease dementia from dementia with Lewy Bodies (AUC 0.61). Furthermore, relevant EEG features correlated with cognitive test performance, PET metabolism and CSF AB42 measures in the Alzheimer’s subgroup. This study demonstrates that data-driven approaches can extract biologically meaningful features from population-level clinical EEGs without artefact rejection or a-priori selection of channels or frequency bands. With continued development, such data-driven methods may improve the clinical utility of EEG in memory care by assisting in early identification of mild cognitive impairment and differentiating between different neurodegenerative causes of cognitive impairment.
Zonation and ligand and dose dependence of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor-1 signalling in blood and lymphatic vasculature
Authors: Del Gaudio Ilaria , Nitzsche Anja , Boyé Kevin , Bonnin Philippe , Poulet Mathilde , Nguyen Toan Q , Couty Ludovic , Ha Hoa T T , Nguyen Dat T , Cazenave-Gassiot Amaury , Ben Alaya Khaoula , Thérond Patrice , Chun Jerold , Wenk Markus R , Proia Richard L , Henrion Daniel , Nguyen Long N , Eichmann Anne , Camerer Eric
Published: August 2024

Aims

Circulating levels of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), an HDL-associated ligand for the endothelial cell (EC) protective S1P receptor-1 (S1PR1), are reduced in disease states associated with endothelial dysfunction. Yet, as S1PR1 has high affinity for S1P and can be activated by ligand-independent mechanisms and EC autonomous S1P production, it is unclear if relative reductions in circulating S1P can cause endothelial dysfunction. It is also unclear how EC S1PR1 insufficiency, whether induced by deficiency in circulating ligand or by S1PR1-directed immunosuppressive therapy, affects different vascular subsets.

Methods and results

We here fine map the zonation of S1PR1 signalling in the murine blood and lymphatic vasculature, superimpose cell-type–specific and relative deficiencies in S1P production to define ligand source and dose dependence, and correlate receptor engagement to essential functions. In naïve blood vessels, despite broad expression, EC S1PR1 engagement was restricted to resistance-size arteries, lung capillaries, and a subset of high-endothelial venules (HEVs). Similar zonation was observed for albumin extravasation in EC S1PR1-deficient mice, and brain extravasation was reproduced with arterial EC-selective S1pr1 deletion. In lymphatic ECs, S1PR1 engagement was high in collecting vessels and lymph nodes and low in blind-ended capillaries that drain tissue fluids. While EC S1P production sustained S1PR1 signalling in lymphatics and HEV, haematopoietic cells provided ∼90% of plasma S1P and sustained signalling in resistance arteries and lung capillaries. S1PR1 signalling and endothelial function were both surprisingly sensitive to reductions in plasma S1P with apparent saturation around 50% of normal levels. S1PR1 engagement did not depend on sex or age but modestly increased in arteries in hypertension and diabetes. Sphingosine kinase (Sphk)-2 deficiency also increased S1PR1 engagement selectively in arteries, which could be attributed to Sphk1-dependent S1P release from perivascular macrophages.

Conclusion

This study highlights vessel subtype-specific S1PR1 functions and mechanisms of engagement and supports the relevance of S1P as circulating biomarker for endothelial function.
Takotsubo syndrome complicated by cardiogenic shock due to left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, acute mitral regurgitation, and atrial fibrillation: a case report
Authors: Ishizaki Yuya , Murakami Tsutomu , Ohno Yohei , Yagishita Atsuhiko , Ikari Yuji
Published: August 2024

Background

Although Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is generally considered a benign disease, recent reports showed the incidence of cardiogenic shock due to left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO), mitral regurgitation (MR), and primary pump failure was estimated to be 6–20%.

Case summary

A 78-year-old woman presented with chest pain and cold sweats 2 days after surgery for lung cancer. Acute coronary syndrome was suspected based on her symptoms, electrocardiography, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), and laboratory data; thus, emergency catheterization was performed. Normal coronaries were observed, with hyperkinesis at the base of the left ventricle and akinesis at its apex, leading to the diagnosis of the apical ballooning type of TTS. Pressure differences between the apex of the left ventricle (168/8/28 mmHg) and aorta (94/50/64 mmHg) indicated the presence of LVOTO. Two days after TTS onset, she developed cardiogenic shock (blood pressure was 54/38 mmHg). Transthoracic echocardiography showed acute MR due to systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve caused by LVOTO, which was further exacerbated by paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Fluid resuscitation, intravenous β-blockers, and amiodarone were administered for reduction of the pressure gradient in the left ventricular outflow, rate control, and sinus rhythm maintenance. Her condition improved along with the MR, thereby improving LVOTO and maintaining sinus rhythm.

Discussion

Takotsubo syndrome should be kept in mind as a potential cause of acute MR due to LVOTO. Catheterization and multiple follow-up TTE play a major role in early detection for this condition.
Recurrent decompression sickness and late repermeabilization of patent foramen oval closure prosthesis: a diver’s dilemma—case report
Authors: Deney Antoine , Lairez Olivier , Coulange Mathieu , Riu Béatrice , Hunt Jennifer
Published: August 2024

Background

Decompression sickness (DCS) is a well-known risk associated with scuba diving, particularly in people with right-to-left shunt, such as patent foramen oval (PFO). Herein, we present a unique case of late PFO permeabilization after closure.

Case summary

A 26-year-old male diver was diagnosed with DCS following a dive at 36 m. He underwent PFO closure with a STARFLEX® prosthesis. Ten years later, the patient was presented with recurrent manifestations suggestive of DCS. The performed diagnostic work-up detects a permeabilization of the implanted prosthesis, and he was treated with a conservative approach.

Discussion

This case highlights the challenges in the management of PFO in divers and raises concerns about the long-term efficiency of PFO closure and the impact of diving-related factors on prosthesis patency.
Effect of a single pill concept on clinical and pharmacoeconomic outcomes in cardiovascular diseases
Authors: Weisser Burkhard , Wassmann Sven , Predel Hans-Georg , Schmieder Roland E , Gillessen Anton , Wilke Thomas , Blettenberg Jörg , Randerath Olaf , Mevius Antje , Böhm Michael
Published: August 2024

Aims

Our study aimed to assess whether a single pill concept (SPC) is superior to a multi-pill concept (MPC) in reducing cardiovascular (CV) events, all-cause death, and costs in CV patients.

Method and results

Anonymized medical claims data covering 2012–2018, including patients with hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and CV diseases who started a drug therapy either as SPC or identical MPC were analysed after 1:1-propensity score matching. Hospitalizations with predefined CV events, all-cause mortality, and costs were studied in 25 311 patients with SPC and 25 311 patients with MPC using incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and non-parametric tests for continuous variables.

IRRs were significantly lower for SPC: stroke (IRR = 0.77; 95% CI 0.67–0.88; P < 0.001), transitory ischaemic attack (IRR = 0.61; 95% CI 0.48–0.78; P < 0.001), myocardial infarction (IRR = 0.76; 95% CI 0.63–0.90; P = 0.0016), coronary artery disease (IRR = 0.66; 95% CI 0.57–0.77; P < 0.001), heart failure (IRR = 0.59; 95% CI 0.54–0.64; P < 0.001), acute renal failure (IRR = 0.54; 95% CI 0.56–0.64; P < 0.001), all cause hospitalization (IRR = 0.72; 95% CI 0.71–0.74; P < 0.001), CV hospitalization (IRR = 0.63; 95% CI 0.57–0.69; P < 0.001), and all-cause mortality (IRR = 0.62; 95% CI 0.57–0.68; P < 0.001). Mean time to first events and time to death were also in favour of SPC. Mean total costs were 4708€ for SPC vs. 5.669€ for MPC, respectively (mean ratio 0.830, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

SPC is associated with lower incidence rates of CV events, time to CV events, and all-cause death, and is superior regarding pharmacoeconomic parameters and should therefore become standard of care to improve outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
Outcomes following heart valve surgery in patients with infective endocarditis and preoperative septic cerebral embolism: insights from the CAMPAIGN study group
Authors: Marin-Cuartas Mateo , De La Cuesta Manuela , Weber Carolyn , Krinke Elisabeth , Lichtenberg Artur , Petrov Asen , Hagl Christian , Aubin Hug , Matschke Klaus , Diab Mahmoud , Luehr Maximilian , Akhyari Payam , Schnackenburg Philipp , Tugtekin Sems-Malte , Saha Shekhar , Doenst Torsten , Wahlers Thorsten , Borger Michael A , Misfeld Martin
Published: August 2024

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to analyse the impact of preoperative septic cerebral embolism on early and late postoperative outcomes in patients with infective endocarditis undergoing valve surgery.

METHODS

Retrospective multicentric study based on the Clinical Multicentric Project for Analysis of Infective Endocarditis in Germany (CAMPAIGN) registry comprising patients with infective endocarditis who underwent valve surgery between 1994 and 2018 at 6 German centres. Patients were divided into 2 groups for statistical comparison according to the presence or absence of preoperative septic cerebral embolism. Propensity score matching was performed for adjusted comparisons of postoperative outcomes. Primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and estimated 5-year survival.

RESULTS

A total of 4917 patients were included in the analysis, 3909 (79.5%) patients without and 1008 (20.5%) patients with preoperative septic cerebral embolism. Patients with preoperative septic cerebral embolism had more baseline comorbidities. Mitral valve endocarditis (44.1% vs 33.0% P < 0.001), large vegetations >10 mm (43.1% vs 30.0%, P < 0.001), and Staphylococcus species infection (42.3% vs 21.3%, P < 0.001) were more frequent in the cerebral embolism group. Among patients with preoperative cerebral embolism, 286 (28.4%) patients had no stroke signs (silent stroke). After matching (1008 matched pairs), there was no statistically significant difference in 30-day mortality (20.1% vs 22.8%; P = 0.14) and 5-year survival (47.8% vs 49.1%; stratified log-rank P = 0.77) in patients with and without preoperative cerebral embolism, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative septic cerebral embolism in patients with infective endocarditis requiring valve surgery does not negatively affect early or late mortality; therefore, it should not play a major role in deciding if surgery is to be performed.
Some like it hot: adaptation to the urban heat island in common dandelion
Authors: Woudstra Yannick , Kraaiveld Ron , Jorritsma Alger , Vijverberg Kitty , Ivanovic Slavica , Erkens Roy , Huber Heidrun , Gravendeel Barbara , Verhoeven Koen J F
Published: August 2024

The Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE) is a globally consistent pressure on biological species living in cities. Adaptation to the UHIE may be necessary for urban wild flora to persist in cities, but experimental evidence is scarce. Here, we report evidence of adaptive evolution in a perennial plant species in response to the UHIE. We collected seeds from common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) individuals along an urban–rural gradient in the city of Amsterdam (The Netherlands). In common-environment greenhouse experiments, we assessed the effect of elevated temperatures on plant growth and the effect of vernalization treatments on flowering phenology. We found that urban plants accumulate more biomass at higher temperatures and require shorter vernalization periods, corresponding to milder winters, to induce flowering compared to rural plants. Differentiation was also observed between different intra-urban subhabitats, with park plants displaying a higher vernalization requirement than street plants. Our results show genetic differentiation between urban and rural dandelions in temperature-dependent growth and phenology, consistent with adaptive divergence in response to the UHIE. Adaptation to the UHIE may be a potential explanation for the persistence of dandelions in urban environments.
Beyond the flames: understanding the impact of loss without body recovery or identification in fire-related mass disaster contexts
Authors: Barreiro M Beatriz , Morgado Miguel , Ferreira Maria Teresa
Published: August 2024

The World Trade Center attack (2001), the Black Saturday (2009), the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (2014), the wildfires of June and October in Portugal (2017), the California wildfires (2018)—these are a few examples of mass disaster events, specifically related to fire and high temperatures, which resulted in multiple casualties and several people unidentified and/or missing. Besides the physical destruction, the lost lives are one of the main consequences of these contexts. Dealing with the loss of a family member may not be an easy process, however, it is easier to accept when there is a body to bury. Conversely, not knowing the whereabouts of a person who might have been involved in a disaster makes mourning and returning to daily life harder. The family of the missing/unidentified lives in doubt and in a state termed as ‘ambiguous loss’. Forensic anthropologists face several challenges and obstacles when detecting and analysing burnt skeletal remains, which are increased in mass disaster contexts. However, the suffering experienced by the families of the victims of these contexts is far superior. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to employ all efforts to achieve the identity of these victims to allow the families to mourn, as well as to reassure society that no death is insignificant. Thus, the importance of identifying the victims of scenarios involving fire/heat is addressed in this paper through a brief description of some mass disaster events, emphasizing the challenges faced in identifying burnt remains and the psychological consequences families endure resulting from it.
α-Mannosylated HLA-II glycopeptide antigens dominate the immunopeptidome of immortalised cells and tumour tissues
Authors: Goodson Hayley , Kawahara Rebeca , Fehring Joshua , Purcell Anthony W , Croft Nathan P , Thaysen-Andersen Morten
Published: August 2024

Immunopeptides are cell surface-located protein fragments that aid our immune system to recognise and respond to pathogenic insult and malignant transformation. In this two-part communication, we firstly summarise and reflect on our recent discovery documenting that MHC-II-bound immunopeptides from immortalised cell lines prevalently carry N-glycans that differ from the cellular glycoproteome (Goodson, Front Immunol, 2023). These findings are important as immunopeptide glycosylation remains poorly understood in immunosurveillance. The study also opened up new technical and biological questions that we address in the second part of this communication. Our study highlighted that the performance of the search engines used to detect glycosylated immunopeptides from LC–MS/MS data remains untested and, importantly, that little biochemical in vivo evidence is available to document the nature of glycopeptide antigens in tumour tissues. To this end, we compared the N-glycosylated MHC-II-bound immunopeptides that were reported from tumour tissues of 14 meningioma patients in the MSFragger-HLA-Glyco database (Bedran, Nat Commun, 2023) to those we identified with the commercial Byonic software. Encouragingly, the search engines produced similar outputs supporting that N-glycosylated MHC-II-bound immunopeptides are prevalent in meningioma tumour tissues. Consistent also with in vitro findings, the tissue-derived MHC-II-bound immunopeptides were found to predominantly carry hyper-processed (paucimannosidic- and chitobiose core-type) and hypo-processed (oligomannosidic-type) N-glycans that varied in prevalence and distribution between patients. Taken together, evidence is emerging suggesting that α-mannosidic glycoepitopes abundantly decorate MHC-II-bound immunopeptides presented in both immortalised cells and tumour tissues warranting further research into their functional roles in immunosurveillance.
The sunflower jacalin Helja: biological and structural insights of its antifungal activity against Candida albicans
Authors: Del Río Marianela V , Radicioni Melisa B , Cutine Anabela M , Mariño Karina V , Mora-Montes Héctor M , Cagnoni Alejandro J , Regente Mariana C
Published: August 2024

The limited availability of efficient treatments for Candida infections and the increased emergence of antifungal-resistant strains stimulates the search for new antifungal agents. We have previously isolated a sunflower mannose-binding lectin (Helja) with antifungal activity against Candida albicans, capable of binding mannose-bearing oligosaccharides exposed on the cell surface. This work aimed to investigate the biological and biophysical basis of Helja’s binding to C. albicans cell wall mannans and its influence on the fungicidal activity of the lectin. We evaluated the interaction of Helja with the cell wall mannans extracted from the isogenic parental strain (WT) and a glycosylation-defective C. albicans with altered cell wall phosphomannosylation (mnn4∆ null mutants) and investigated its antifungal effect. Helja exhibited stronger antifungal activity on the mutant strain, showing greater inhibition of fungal growth, loss of cell viability, morphological alteration, and formation of clusters with agglutinated cells. This differential biological activity of Helja was correlated with the biophysical parameters determined by solid phase assays and isothermal titration calorimetry, which demonstrated that the lectin established stronger interactions with the cell wall mannans of the mnn4∆ null mutant than with the WT strain. In conclusion, our results provide new evidence on the nature of the Helja molecular interactions with cell wall components, i.e. phosphomannan, and its impact on the antifungal activity. This study highlights the relevance of plant lectins in the design of effective antifungal therapies.
1. European Open Economy Politics
Authors: Copelovitch Mark , Walter Stefanie
Published: August 2024

This chapter outlines an Open Economy Politics (OEP) perspective on how national interests are formed and how they matter in European politics. It focuses on national economic interest, which defines the governments' preferences with regard to European economic policymaking. The key point of the OEP approach to European political economy is that national interests emerge in a process of upward aggregation. The chapter enumerates the major issues of the Euro crisis and Brexit under the OEP perspective. It highlights that the conflict between the distributional winners and losers over economic crises and economic policies sits at the very heart of European political economy.
8. Economic Liberalism, Inequality, and Populist Backlash
Authors: Hopkin Jonathan
Published: August 2024

This chapter covers the interplay between economic liberalism, inequality, and populist backlash. It introduces the concept of anti-system politics, which overwhelmed the political systems of the European countries. The contours of backlash politics in Europe since the Global Financial Crisis of the late 2000s showcase how party systems have changed under pressure from hard-pressed voters facing stagnating living standards. Additionally, the causes and consequences of this backlash include how the crisis of the European economy has sparked political contestation and how political institutions responded to the aforementioned backlash. The chapter then considers analytical tools of European political economy to discuss the European countries' political upheaval and economic pressures that drive political instability.
7. The Organizational Behaviour Approach
Authors: Brummer Klaus , Oppermann Kai
Published: August 2024

This chapter examines the notion of an organizational behaviour approach with respect to foreign policy. Essentially, the organizational behaviour approach explains foreign policy as the output of government organizations operating according to standard patterns of behaviour. The chapter then enumerates the main functions and characteristics of organizational decision-making processes while highlighting the central role of organizational routines. However, the approach showcases that organizational routines sometimes have unintended consequences which may lead to foreign policy failures. The chapter looks into the assumed stability of organizational routines while considering the ability of decision-makers to adapt, modify, and reproduce existing routines in line with their own political interests.
10. Operational Code Analysis
Authors: Brummer Klaus , Oppermann Kai
Published: August 2024

This chapter explains that operational code analysis offers a cognitive perspective for analysing foreign policy decision-makers. It defines operational codes as the decision-makers' political beliefs, which are used to explain foreign policy decisions and actions. Operational code analysis puts individual decision-makers front and centre and adopts a cognitive perspective, addressing the influence of leaders' political beliefs. The chapter then discusses the origins, evolution, and empirical applications of the operational code analysis approach, and references the pertinent methodological questions relating to the most suitable source material for inferring the operational codes of decision-makers. Finally, the chapter notes that current research assumes a causal correlation between beliefs and foreign policy decisions.