bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beyond the Dresden protocol: Optimization corneal cross linking for the treatment of keratoconus
Authors: Jil Joao
Published: December 2022

The treatment of keratoconus (KC) was revolutionized with the introduction of corneal cross‐linking (CXL). Wollensak, Spoerl and Seiler were among the pioneers and reported the first clinical study on CXL, in what became known as the standard ‘Dresden’ protocol. Throughout the years, CXL has steadily become an established procedure globally and is currently considered the gold standard treatment for progressing keratoconus. However, despite its groundbreaking advantages and widespread clinical use, CXL as it was originally performed in the Dresden standard protocol is not without insufficiencies.

One of the main drawbacks of standard CXL is its prolonged duration and its relative inability to rehabilitate vision. The irradiation process of standard CXL can be burdensome and new, shorter, irradiation protocols have been proposed. And mostly, classical CXL has been shown to cause some flattening of the irregular corneal curvature, but the refractive and visual improvements associated with it are—when present—unpredictable and uncontrollable. Other issues are related to patient selection, namely our relative inability to predict why some patients have a better biomechanical response while others show little topographic improvement or continue to progress even after CXL. This issue is particularly salient in children, who present with more aggressive cases of KC and appear to have comparatively worse outcomes after CXL. Finally, despite being relatively safe, CXL is not necessarily exempt of potential complications. Some of the most common include stromal haze and complications related with the need to remove the corneal epithelium before the procedure.

At its inception, CXL completely changed how we approach the treatment of KC patients and has proved to be a momentous tool in our therapeutic arsenal. Building on those advantages, the scientific and medical community has strived to tackle some of the unmet needs we still have. How to personalize the CXL treatment protocol to find the best, most effective, and most comfortable procedure for each patient. How to improve patient screening and selection to make sure that we are providing care to those patients that can most benefit from it. And how to achieve all these goals while maintaining CXL a safe procedure.

We will show how our team has tackled these various issues, share our most recent findings in this field and explore which challenges still lie ahead.
Autophagy and retinal ganglion cell death in glaucoma: Friend or foe?
Authors: Russo Rossella
Published: December 2022

Glaucoma, a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, is an age‐related neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive alterations of the optic nerve head and degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Although elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) has been identified as the main and the only modifiable risk factor, the pathogenesis of the disease is still unclear. Indeed, lowering IOP is often insufficient to prevent the damage progression leaving unmet the therapeutic need of IOP‐independent pharmacological targets.

Autophagy, and the more selective mitophagy, are responsible for breaking down cellular components, preserving cellular homeostasis and preventing the accumulation of altered and aggregated proteins and damaged organelles.

Several evidence have shown that modulation of autophagy is a recurrent and functional response of RGCs to IOP‐dependent or independent glaucoma‐related insults. However, in RGCs, autophagy has been found to take part to either neuroprotection as well as neuronal death, depending on the experimental setting (i.e. animal model, timing of the experiments, drugs/doses used to modulate the pathway).

Here we describe the dynamic changes of autophagy flux and the modulation of mitophagy related proteins in a model of acute glaucoma induced in C57BL/6J mice by transient elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP). We also report and discuss experimental evidence supporting the pro‐survival role of autophagy and mitophagy induction in mice subjected to ocular hypertension suggesting the possibility to targeting autophagy to achieve retinal neuroprotection in glaucoma.
Neuroprotection and neuroregeneration of cornea and ocular surface
Authors: Salgado‐Borges Jose Manuel
Published: December 2022

Nowadays, it is important to select the most appropriate treatment regimen for individual patients with ocular surface pathology namely dry eye disease (DED) or Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), applying to evidence‐based medicine, in order to reduce or avoid visual impairment and to improve the quality‐of‐life related to these pathologies.

We shall provide an etiological therapeutic strategy to DED with special approach to the type of dry eye and to improve that approach according to inflammation and neuroprotective factors. Also, patients with DED have high levels of inflammatory molecules in the tears and ocular surface.

Eye drops are the most frequent treatment for most common early cases of DED. Coenzyme Q10, present in some eye drops, can be considered a candidate for promoting the healing of the cornea—not only due to its bioenergetic effect, but also has antiapoptotic, anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant effect, which can be directly related to its neuroprotective role.

For moderate cases or those not satisfactory treated with eye drops, the IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) is one of the most recent and promising option. IPL has the potential to interfere with the inflammatory cycle in DED, by upregulating anti‐inflammatory cytokines, or downregulating proinflammatory cytokines. One way to better understand the effect of IPL in DED patients would be to study the signs and clinical symptoms of these patients relating them to the changes in the genes found in their conjunctival cells, evaluating changes in gene expression related to inflammation and neuroprotection response, after treatment with IPL.

Finally, an option for severe cases of DED namely neuropathic corneal lesions and/or present in immunological affected patients is ENDORET® that promotes for example refractive corneal ulcers healing. ENDORET® is an eye drop developed in the field of regenerative medicine. Basically, it is a plasma enriched in growth factors, made from the patient's own blood to promote the repair of the tissues on the surface of the eye, which stimulates cell proliferation and optimizes the processes of healing and tissue regeneration.
Intraocular injections of glaucoma medications
Authors: Negrete Francisco José Muñoz
Published: December 2022

The injection of slow release antiglaucoma drugs could be an alternative in order to guarantee the adherence to glaucoma medical treatment and to reduce the rate of progression.

There are multiple possibilities. In this moments, only slow release bimatoprost injection in anterior chamber has been approved by FDA. The hypotensive effect could be maintained for 6 months. Similar studies with sustained release of another prostaglandine analogs, like latanoprost and travoprost, are undergoing.

Another option is the iDose containing travoprost that is implanted in the trabecular meshwork. A phase III study is undergone.

Another possibility under investigation is supraciliary, subconjunctival, intravitreous and intrascleral injection of different active products.

In the next future, the injection of antiglaucoma drugs could have an important role in glaucoma medical treatment.
Diagnosing the subretinal fluid
Authors: Salas Ester Carreño
Published: December 2022

Case presentation and interactive discussion with the other speakers and attendees regarding cases presenting with subretinal fluid as the main feature.
Inflammation in MGD
Authors: Versura Piera
Published: December 2022

Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is thought to be the leading cause of dry eye disease (DED), a multifactorial disorder in which inflammation plays a significant role in the progression and symptoms. Any dysfunction of the meibomian glands modifies the secreted meibum, and such quantitative and/or qualitative changes impair the ocular surface system in several ways, including triggering inflammation. According to the report presented by the DEWS MGD Workshop, the term meibomitis describes MGD associated with diffuse or focal inflammation of the meibomian glands, although inflammation is not always present. Meibomitis is an inflammatory form of MGD, which often coexists with ocular surface inflammation in conditions such as blepharokeratoconjunctivitis, ocular rosacea and flictenular keratitis. Obstructive MGD, the most commonly observed type of MGD, is considered a precursor of meibomitis.

This presentation is focused onto evaluation and staging of inflammatory status in MGD either at the clinical level, in the laboratory setting, and emerging analytical techniques. In particular, the need to standardize the inflammatory panel is stressed, with the aim to stratify subjects by biomarkers with more accurate diagnostic accuracy.
Lid hygiene – Why and how
Authors: Messmer Elisabeth M.
Published: December 2022

Lid hygiene—including hot compresses and lid massage—remains one of the basic principles in the treatment of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). Lid hygiene can soften the meibum and facilitate its release from the meibomian glands. Patients with MGD regularly performing lid hygiene may experience partial or complete improvements of symptoms. However, only about 55% of patients typically comply with the recommended procedure. Therefore, professional lid hygiene executed by the ophthalmologist including microblepharoexfoliation, lid warming and expression of meibomian glands with forceps and/or automated thermodynamic therapy may assist patient and doctor in their common effort to treat MGD.
keratoconus: Past, present and future
Authors: Barraquer Rafael I.
Published: December 2022

Although corneal ectasias had been observed since antiquity and keratoconus eventually became a major indication for keratoplasty in the XX century, only after the introduction of corneal topography it was realized that its actual frequency (of a certain degree of) was much higher than previously suspected. Today keratoconus is recognized as a one of the major corneal degenerative diseases, with both familial (genetic) and environmental influences. It is one of the leading causes of corneal visual deficit, affecting significant portions of the population in multiple regions of the world. In the last decades, we have witnessed a revolution in this field, with increasingly sensitive and specific methods for its detection, as well as a wide spectrum of conservative management options ‐from corneal collagen crosslinking and topography‐guided laser corneal ablation to intracorneal ring segment implants and phakic intraocular lenses. While this has resulted in a reduction of the eyes requiring a corneal transplant, these have also become safer and more selective with the development of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty techniques. This presentation will review the evolution of the keratoconus and other corneal ectasia, from the concept to the recent progresses and what can be expected in the future regarding their diagnosis and management.
corneal transplantation ‐ when and how?
Authors: Seitz Berthold
Published: December 2022

According to the German Keratoplasty Registry 2020 out of a total of 9042 keratoplasties, 31.2% are performed as penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), 3.0% as deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) and 65.8% as posterior lamellar keratoplasty (98.3% DMEK vs. 1.7% DSAEK). To avoid the feared increase of astigmatism after suture removal, we have performed ‘nonmechanical’ 193 nm excimer laser trephination in over 5000 eyes since 1989 in Erlangen and Homburg/Saar. This non‐contact method avoids distortion, and results in lower objective astigmatism, higher regularity of topography and better visual acuity than manual trephination. Few published results after suture removal do not justify the huge technical and financial effort of femtosecond laser application for PKPespecially not in keratoconus. DALK saves good host endothelium, reduces the risk of immune reactions and may achieve favourable visual results, if intraoperatively Descemet's membrane is bared. To avoid disadvantages for the patient in case of the necessity for „conversion “to PKP, we propagate „Excimer laser assisted DALK“. For pure endothelial decompensation without stromal scars, today DMEK is supposed to be first choice. However, we do encourage each DMEK surgeon to standardize the surgical step‐by‐step procedure, to minimize donor loss and/or technical deficits that may lead to early or late graft failure and repeat keratoplasty.
The role of microstructure on high‐temperature oxidation behavior of hafnium carbide
Authors: Scott Jonathan A. , He Xiaoqing , Lipke David W.
Published: December 2022

Microstructure development of the products formed upon oxidation of hafnium carbide (HfCx, x = 0.65, 0.81, or 0.94) at 1300°C and 0.8 mbar oxygen pressure was investigated using Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and electron energy‐loss spectroscopy. For all specimens a multilayered oxide scale was observed featuring an outermost porous hafnia layer and an interlayer adjacent to the parent carbide containing hafnia interspersed with carbon. The outermost hafnia features coarse pores presumably formed during initial stages of oxidation to allow rapidly evolving gaseous products to escape from the oxidation front. As the oxidation scale thickens, diffusional resistance results in slower oxidation rates and smaller quantities of gaseous products that are removed via networks of increasingly fine pores until the local oxygen partial pressure is sufficiently low to selectively oxidize the parent carbide. Electron microscopy studies suggest that the oxidation sequence at this stage begins with the transformation of parent carbide to an amorphous material having empirical formula HfO2Cx that subsequently phase separates into hafnia and carbon domains. Hafnia polymorphs in the phase‐separated region vary from cubic to monoclinic as grains coarsen from ca. 2–20 nm, respectively. Immediately adjacent to the phase‐separated region is carbon‐free mesoporous hafnia whose pore morphology is inherited from that of prior carbon domains. The average pore size and pore volume fraction observed in mesoporous hafnia are consistent with predictions from kinetic models that ascribe gaseous diffusion through a pore network as the rate determining step in oxidation behavior of hafnium carbide. These observations imply that high‐temperature oxidation behavior of hafnium carbide under the employed test conditions is linked to microstructure development via phase separation and coarsening behaviors of an initially formed amorphous HfO2Cx product.
Patient and family experience 2 years after necrotizing soft‐tissue infection: A longitudinal qualitative investigation
Authors: Egerod Ingrid , Knudsen Vibeke E. , Andersson Annette E. , Fagerdahl Ann‐Mari
Published: December 2022

Aims

The study aims were to provide a comprehensive description of the short‐ and long‐term experience of necrotizing soft‐tissue infections from the patient and family perspective. Further, to describe how unmet needs related to diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation are experienced. And finally, to present patient and family recommendations for improvements.

Design

The study had a longitudinal qualitative multi‐centre two‐country design.

Methods

Qualitative content analysis was applied to 87 semi‐structured interviews involving 50 participants from Denmark and Sweden. In most interviews, patient and family were interviewed separately. Data were collected in 2015–2018. This is the fifth and final paper reporting the study.

Findings

After initial inductive coding, we constructed a matrix of four timepoints (pre‐admission, acute admission, after 6 months and after 2 years) describing physical, psychological and social responses and recommendations for improvement. We analysed deductively according to timepoints and predefined categories describing patient and family responses to life with necrotizing soft‐tissue infections. The study suggested that physical recovery was obtained before psychological recovery. The aftermath of job loss and lacking social services amplified the burden. Patients still recovering experienced lack of understanding from family, friends and professionals that failed to recognize the complexity of their suffering.

Conclusions

Half of the patients in our study reported making a full recovery while the remaining described issues still unresolved 2 years after intensive care unit discharge. Predisposing factors and symptoms align with other studies of critical illness. During the acute stage, patients receive state‐of‐the art treatment and care, but as time passes, rehabilitation becomes less available and less patient‐centred.

Impact

The study will increase nurses' understanding of patient and family suffering and complexity of long‐term survival of necrotizing soft‐tissue infections.

Patient or Public Contribution

From the planning stage of the study, we collaborated with a necrotizing soft‐tissue infection survivor.
Public risk perceptions, emotions and behaviours under a major epidemic: A structural equation model analysis
Authors: Wang Dandan , Zhang Aihua , Feng Xianqiong
Published: December 2022

Aim

To explore the relationships between public risk perceptions, emotions and behaviours during a major epidemic.

Design

Exploratory cross‐sectional design.

Methods

The 701 subjects were surveyed using self‐administered questionnaires, including the General Information Questionnaire, Public Risk Perceptions Questionnaire, Public Emotions Questionnaire and Public Behaviours Questionnaire. The results were analysed using structural equation modelling, and mediated effects were probed at the same time.

Results

The median of the total scores of the Public Risk Perceptions Questionnaire was 70, the median of the total scores of the Public Emotions Questionnaire was 65 and the median of the total scores of the Public Behaviours Questionnaire was 83.

Spearman's correlation analysis showed that the correlation coefficient ρ between public risk perceptions and emotions was 0.26 (p < 0.01); the correlation coefficient ρ between risk perceptions and behaviours was 0.36 (p < 0.01); and the correlation coefficient ρ between emotions and behaviours was 0.37 (p < 0.01). After many rounds of correction, the final model was established, the fit was good, and the results of the mediating effect analysis showed that the level of public risk perceptions under a major epidemic had a direct positive effect on public emotions (β = 0.41, p < 0.01) and public behaviours (β = 0.51, p < 0.01). The level of public risk perceptions also had an indirect positive effect on behaviours by affecting public emotions (β = 0.11), while public emotions had a direct positive effect on public behaviours (β = 0.27, p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Our findings revealed that public perceptions and public emotions directly influenced public behaviours. Additionally, public perceptions can indirectly influence public behaviours through public emotions.
Follistatin is a crucial chemoattractant for mouse decidualized endometrial stromal cell migration by JNK signalling
Authors: Liu Guole , Qi Yan , Wu Jiandong , Lin Francis , Liu Zhonghui , Cui Xueling
Published: December 2022

Follistatin (FST) and activin A as gonadal proteins exhibit opposite effects on follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) release from pituitary gland, and activin A‐FST system is involved in regulation of decidualization in reproductive biology. However, the roles of FST and activin A in migration of decidualized endometrial stromal cells are not well characterized. In this study, transwell chambers and microfluidic devices were used to assess the effects of FST and activin A on migration of decidualized mouse endometrial stromal cells (d‐MESCs). We found that compared with activin A, FST exerted more significant effects on adhesion, wound healing and migration of d‐MESCs. Similar results were also seen in the primary cultured decidual stromal cells (DSCs) from uterus of pregnant mouse. Simultaneously, the results revealed that FST increased calcium influx and upregulated the expression levels of the migration‐related proteins MMP9 and Ezrin in d‐MESCs. In addition, FST increased the level of phosphorylation of JNK in d‐MESCs, and JNK inhibitor AS601245 significantly attenuated FST action on inducing migration of d‐MESCs. These data suggest that FST, not activin A in activin A‐FST system, is a crucial chemoattractant for migration of d‐MESCs by JNK signalling to facilitate the successful uterine decidualization and tissue remodelling during pregnancy.
A novel idea to increase the performance of a wheat flour cyclone separator: Controlling the reverse flow
Authors: Aghaei Ehsan , Rostampour Vahid , Rezvanivand Fanaei Adel , Nikbakht Ali M. , Gimbun Jolius
Published: December 2022

In this study, as a novelty, the reverse flow effect on a wheat flour cyclone performance was evaluated. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was realized using a Reynolds stress turbulence model. Also, particle–air interactions were modeled applying a discrete phase model. Besides the experimental measurement, the numerical simulation was conducted in a main (without reverse flow) and six various reverse flow levels (I = 0.0385 m3 s−1, II = 0.0396 m3 s−1, III = 0.0484 m3 s−1, IV = 0.0583 m3 s−1, V = 0.0704 m3 s−1, and VI = 0.0836 m3 s−1) by CFD. The validation between pressure drop in experimental data and numerical results revealed a good agreement with a maximum deviation of 8.2%. Cyclone performance including pressure drop and separation efficiency was assessed in the mentioned reverse flow levels. Moreover, velocity field, centrifugal force, and turbulence parameter were evaluated, comprehensively. It was found that the flour separation efficiency increased with enhancing the reverse flow level to IV = 0.0583 m3 s−1, but decreased with a sharp slope in the reverse levels of V = 0.0704 m3 s−1 and VI = 0.0836 m3 s−1.

Practical Applications

Cyclone separators are widely used in various industries such as flour and cement. The various parameters of cyclones in a food processing unit effectively affect cyclone efficiency. Therefore, an innovative method for increasing cyclone performance is presented in this study. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a powerful tool for simulation of the food processing phenomenon. Validation could be guaranteed by the usage of numerical results that are obtained from CFD simulations. The innovative methods can play a key role in decreasing energy usage by reducing the pressure drop and enhancing separation efficiency.
The relationship between exposure to Hurricane Harvey and mortality among nursing home residents
Authors: Hua Cassandra L. , Patel Sweta , Thomas Kali S. , Peterson Lindsay J. , Andel Ross , Gordon Lily , Jester Dylan J. , Dosa David M.
Published: December 2022

Background

Nursing home (NH) residents are vulnerable to mortality after natural disasters. We examined NH residents' excess all‐cause mortality associated with Hurricane Harvey, a unique disaster with long‐lasting flooding effects. We also explored how mortality differed between short‐stay and long‐stay residents and by chronic conditions.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective observational study of Texas NH residents, comparing 30‐ and 90‐day mortality among residents exposed to Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 to residents not exposed in the same location and time period during the previous 2 years. Data came from the Minimum Data Set Assessments and the Medicare Beneficiary Summary File. We used linear probability models to examine the association between hurricane exposure and mortality, adjusting for resident demographics, clinical acuity, and NH fixed effects. Models were stratified by short‐stay and long‐stay status. We also described differences in mortality by residents' chronic conditions.

Results

In 2017, 18,479 Texas NH residents were exposed to Hurricane Harvey. Exposure to Hurricane Harvey was not significantly associated with 30‐day mortality. However, 7.6% (95% CI: 7.2, 7.9) of long‐stay residents died 90 days after exposure to Harvey, compared to 6.3% (95% CI: 6.0, 6.7) during 2015. Apparently, this effect was driven by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as approximately 9.2% of these residents died within 90 days after Harvey landing compared to 7.2% in 2015 (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Hurricane exposure appears to have significant consequences for mortality among long‐stay NH residents, which appear to materialize over the long‐term (90 days post‐hurricane in our study) and may not be apparent immediately (30 days post‐hurricane in our study). NH residents with COPD may be particularly vulnerable to increased mortality risk following hurricane exposure. The results highlight the need to pay special attention to mortality risk in NH residents, particularly those with COPD, following hurricane exposure.
Intervention strategies for white noise alleviating procedural pain in newborns: A systematic review
Authors: Ye Xian , Chen Jun‐Qing , Zhu Ling‐Li , Chui Lin‐Bo , Xu Hong‐Zhen
Published: December 2022

Aims and Objective

To systematically evaluate the current intervention strategies of white noise alleviating procedural pain in newborns.

Methods

This review was conducted following the PRISMA guideline. Seventeen databases National Guideline Clearinghouse, up to date, Clinical Evidence, BMJ best practice, Cochrane library, OVID, PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, CHINHAL, Medlive, China Biology Medicine disc, Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform were employed, and the studies about pain‐relieving with white noise in newborns published before June 2022 was included. Quality of studies was evaluated by using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.

Results

18 studies were included, with sample sizes ranging from 32–296 cases. Intervention indices included duration, distance, volume, music type and outcome measure. Duration varies from study to study, from 5 min before to 5 min after the procedures. The distance was controlled at 10–60 cm, volume was controlled at 45–60 dB and music type was selected from Orhan Osman's album “Kolic” in most studies. Outcome measures included physiological indicators, neurophysiological indicators, behavioural indicators and pain score. Differences in duration leading to different white noise effects was found, but no studies have shown whether there is an effect of different volume, distance or music type.

Conclusions

Based on this review, we recommend the following intervention strategies: the duration is set from 1 min before to 3 min after the procedures, the distance is decided according to the actual clinical situation, the volume is controlled at 45–55 dB (55 dB is optimal), the music type is selected to simulate intrauterine sounds, and outcome measures can choose physiological indicators, neurophysiological indictors, behavioural indicators and pain score depending on specific department and population. It is important to further explore the best intervention strategies.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

In addition to providing a set of intervention strategies, this review could be used as evidence for relieving procedural pain in newborns.

Patient or Public Contribution

No Patient or Public Contribution.

Data were obtained from others' literature.
Dynamic hippocampal functional connectivity responses to varying working memory loads following total sleep deprivation
Authors: Wang Letong , Wu Haijing , Dai Cimin , Peng Ziyi , Song Tao , Xu Lin , Xu Mengmeng , Shao Yongcong , Li Shijun , Fu Weiwei
Published: December 2022

Sleep loss with work overload can impact human cognitive performance. However, the brain's response to an increased working memory load following total sleep deprivation (TSD) remains unclear. In the present study, we focussed on the dynamic response of the hippocampus to increased working memory load before and after total sleep deprivation of 36 h. A total of 16 male participants completed a verbal working memory task under functional magnetic resonance imaging. After whole‐brain activation analysis and region of interest analysis of the hippocampus, the generalised form of context‐dependent psychophysiological interactions (gPPI) was used to analyse the hippocampal functional connectivity with the whole brain. The results revealed that as the working memory load increased within a small range, from 0‐back to 1‐back task, the left hippocampal functional connectivity decreased with the left supplementary motor area, left pars opercularis, left rolandic operculum, right superior frontal gyrus, bilateral precentral gyrus, and left middle cingulate cortex following total sleep deprivation compared with that observed in resting wakefulness. When the working memory load further increased from 1‐back to 2‐back task, the connectivity increased between the left hippocampus and the left superior parietal lobule as well as between the left hippocampus and right lingual gyrus after total sleep deprivation compared with that observed in resting wakefulness. Moreover, the left hippocampus gPPI effect on the left middle cingulate cortex and left superior parietal lobule could predict the behavioural test accuracy in 1‐back and 2‐back task, respectively, following total sleep deprivation. These findings indicated that increased working memory load after total sleep deprivation disrupts working memory processes. The brain reacts to these disruptions in a dynamic and flexible manner, involving not only brain activation but also hippocampus‐related functional network connections.
The More the Merrier? On the Influence of Indexical Variability on Second Language Vocabulary Learning
Authors: Gimeno‐Martínez Marc , Sánchez Rebeca , Baus Cristina
Published: December 2022

We investigated indexical variation as a variable that promotes second language (L2) vocabulary learning across language modalities. In three experiments, we presented Catalan Sign Language signs (Experiments 1a and 1b), pseudowords (Experiment 2), and English words (Experiment 3) to participants in three conditions that varied in the number of people who introduced these stimuli (one, three, or six people). We evaluated learning outcomes in two recall tasks: a picture‐to‐L2 naming task and a L2‐to‐L1 translation task. For the sign modality, indexical variation benefitted the immediate recall of signs in the translation task (Experiment 1a) and delayed recall after two weeks in the picture naming task (Experiment 1b). For the oral modality, we observed no effect when participants learned pseudowords (Experiment 2), but variability benefited recall in the translation task when participants learned English words (Experiment 3). We discuss these contrastive results, considering the influence of indexical variation in adult L2 sign and oral vocabulary learning.
Characterizing nutritional phenotypes using experimental nutrigenomics: Is there nutrient‐specificity to different types of dietary stress?
Authors: Jones Catriona L. C. , Shafer Aaron B. A. , Frost Paul C.
Published: December 2022

The ability to directly measure and monitor poor nutrition in individual animals and ecological communities is hampered by methodological limitations. In this study, we use nutrigenomics to identify nutritional biomarkers in a freshwater zooplankter, Daphnia pulex, a ubiquitous primary consumer in lakes and a sentinel of environmental change. We grew animals in six ecologically relevant nutritional treatments: nutrient replete, low carbon (food), low phosphorus, low nitrogen, low calcium and high Cyanobacteria. We extracted RNA for transcriptome sequencing to identify genes that were nutrient responsive and capable of predicting nutritional status with a high degree of accuracy. We selected a list of 125 candidate genes, which were subsequently pruned to 13 predictive potential biomarkers. Using a nearest‐neighbour classification algorithm, we demonstrate that these potential biomarkers are capable of classifying our samples into the correct nutritional group with 100% accuracy. The functional annotation of the selected biomarkers revealed some specific nutritional pathways and supported our hypothesis that animal responses to poor nutrition are nutrient specific and not simply different presentations of slow growth or energy limitation. This is a key step in uncovering the causes and consequences of nutritional limitation in animal consumers and their responses to small‐ and large‐scale changes in biogeochemical cycles.
Rapid shifts in thermal reaction norms and tolerance of brooded coral larvae following parental heat acclimation
Authors: Jiang Lei , Liu Cheng‐Yue , Cui Guoxin , Huang Lin‐Tao , Yu Xiao‐Lei , Sun You‐Fang , Tong Hao‐Ya , Zhou Guo‐Wei , Yuan Xiang‐Cheng , Hu Yi‐Si , Zhou Wen‐Liang , Aranda Manuel , Qian Pei‐Yuan , Huang Hui
Published: December 2022

Thermal priming of reef corals can enhance their heat tolerance; however, the legacy effects of heat stress during parental brooding on larval resilience remain understudied. This study investigated whether preconditioning adult coral Pocillopora damicornis to high temperatures (29°C and 32°C) could better prepare their larvae for heat stress. Results showed that heat‐acclimated adults brooded larvae with reduced symbiont density and shifted thermal performance curves. Reciprocal transplant experiments demonstrated higher bleaching resistance and better photosynthetic and autotrophic performance in heat‐exposed larvae from acclimated adults compared to unacclimated adults. RNA‐seq revealed strong cellular stress responses in larvae from heat‐acclimated adults that could have been effective in rescuing host cells from stress, as evidenced by the widespread upregulation of genes involved in cell cycle and mitosis. For symbionts, a molecular coordination between light harvesting, photoprotection and carbon fixation was detected in larvae from heat‐acclimated adults, which may help optimize photosynthetic activity and yield under high temperature. Furthermore, heat acclimation led to opposing regulations of symbiont catabolic and anabolic pathways and favoured nutrient translocation to the host and thus a functional symbiosis. Notwithstanding, the improved heat tolerance was paralleled by reduced light‐enhanced dark respiration, indicating metabolic depression for energy saving. Our findings suggest that adult heat acclimation can rapidly shift thermal tolerance of brooded coral larvae and provide integrated physiological and molecular evidence for this adaptive plasticity, which could increase climate resilience. However, the metabolic depression may be maladaptive for long‐term organismal performance, highlighting the importance of curbing carbon emissions to better protect corals.
Exogenous double‐stranded RNA inhibits the infection physiology of rust fungi to reduce symptoms in planta
Authors: Degnan Rebecca M. , McTaggart Alistair R. , Shuey Louise S. , Pame Leny Jane S. , Smith Grant R. , Gardiner Donald M. , Nock Volker , Soffe Rebecca , Sale Sarah , Garrill Ashley , Carroll Bernard J. , Mitter Neena , Sawyer Anne
Published: December 2022

Rust fungi (Pucciniales) are a diverse group of plant pathogens in natural and agricultural systems. They pose ongoing threats to the diversity of native flora and cause annual crop yield losses. Agricultural rusts are predominantly managed with fungicides and breeding for resistance, but new control strategies are needed on non‐agricultural plants and in fragile ecosystems. RNA interference (RNAi) induced by exogenous double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA) has promise as a sustainable approach for managing plant‐pathogenic fungi, including rust fungi. We investigated the mechanisms and impact of exogenous dsRNA on rust fungi through in vitro and whole‐plant assays using two species as models, Austropuccinia psidii (the cause of myrtle rust) and Coleosporium plumeriae (the cause of frangipani rust). In vitro, dsRNA either associates externally or is internalized by urediniospores during the early stages of germination. The impact of dsRNA on rust infection architecture was examined on artificial leaf surfaces. dsRNA targeting predicted essential genes significantly reduced germination and inhibited development of infection structures, namely appressoria and penetration pegs. Exogenous dsRNA sprayed onto 1‐year‐old trees significantly reduced myrtle rust symptoms. Furthermore, we used comparative genomics to assess the wide‐scale amenability of dsRNA to control rust fungi. We sequenced genomes of six species of rust fungi, including three new families (Araucariomyceaceae, Phragmidiaceae, and Skierkaceae) and identified key genes of the RNAi pathway across 15 species in eight families of Pucciniales. Together, these findings indicate that dsRNA targeting essential genes has potential for broad‐use management of rust fungi across natural and agricultural systems.
Reframing Anselm and Aquinas on Atonement
Authors: Cresswell Rachel
Published: December 2022

Thomas Aquinas's vision of atonement is generally considered more conceptually expansive than Anselm of Canterbury's. Where Aquinas's multipartite account of Christ's passion incorporates a variety of biblical motifs, Anselm appears to narrow the focus to satisfactory debt-repayment alone. This article proposes two approaches for reframing the comparison between the two accounts. I argue first that both Anselm and Aquinas considered debt-repayment necessary but not sufficient in itself to accomplish all that is needed for the remittance of sin and the restoration of humanity. For Anselm, as for Aquinas, Christ must also liberate captives, defeat the devil, amend Adam's sin by recapitulation and win merit in which his members participate. The first reframing thus locates Anselm in much closer proximity to Aquinas than has generally been supposed. The second reframing throws light on a significant divergence between the two. I argue that the kenotic trajectory of abasement and ascent, pictured in the Philippian hymn, is put to strikingly different use by each theologian. This second reframing throws into sharp relief Aquinas's emphasis on Christ's suffering as a theological priority which Anselm does not share. Looking to Anselm's Benedictine context, I contend, yields one possible means of accounting for this departure.
Cannot see rhizosphere dynamics for the soil? A new multi‐imaging study suggests otherwise
Authors: Mackay D. Scott
Published: December 2022

This article is a Commentary on Zhang et al. (2023), 237: 780–792.
Upregulated TSP1 and CD47 expression in the lung in nitrofen‐induced congenital diaphragmatic hernia
Authors: Takayasu Hajime
Published: December 2022

Background

Persistent pulmonary hypertension remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). The secreted glycoprotein thrombospondin‐1 (TSP1), a ligand for receptor CD47, is widely expressed on both systemic and pulmonary vascular cells. TSP1‐CD47 signaling has been reported to be one of the pathogeneses of pulmonary hypertension (PH).

Methods

After creating a nitrofen‐induced CDH rat model, fetuses were sacrificed on D17, D19 and D21 and divided into a control group and a CDH group. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction was performed to determine the pulmonary gene expression of TSP1, CD47 and Runx3 (a regulator of TSP1). An immunofluorescence study was performed to evaluate the expression and localization of TSP1, CD47 and Runx3.

Results

The relative mRNA expression of pulmonary TSP1, CD47 and Runx3 on D21 was significantly increased in the CDH group (p = 0.005, p = 0.001, p = 0.046, and p = 0.002, respectively). The immunofluorescence study also confirmed the overexpression of TSP1, CD47 and Runx3 in the CDH group.

Conclusion

Our results provide evidence that TSP1‐CD47 signaling is involved in the pathogenesis of PH in a nitrofen‐induced CDH model. Our data suggest that anti‐CD47 antibodies can be novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of PH in CDH.
Songbirds and Social Distinction in Seventeenth‐Century England
Authors: Frost Duncan
Published: December 2022

This article investigates the nuanced relationship between songbirds and social dynamics in early modern England. It demonstrates how a rhetorical discourse of social distinction was created by printed bird‐training manuals. This discourse was necessary because the same species of songbird existed across the social spectrum. For native songbirds, therefore, their inherent value, and the status they conferred upon their owners, was determined more by their skill and training than by their particular species. Printed manuals explained how songbirds could be raised to surpass the limitations of nature through learning the song of another species, learning musical phrases and by being taught to sing in the winter rather than the summer. Analysing printed literature, probate inventories and household accounts, this article demonstrates that the practice of songbird‐keeping was widely affordable. This can then be contrasted to the ‘gentlemanly’ model of bird‐keeping outlined by printed manuals, which emphasise the need for investment into the birds to cause them to surpass the limitations of nature. The authority of this ‘gentlemanly’ model was used to cast judgment upon those who did not follow the manuals' guidance, highlighting the fact that a songbird's true value lay in its abilities rather than its species.
Material Metaphors for Literary Form: Robert Burton's ‘Perused’ Copy of Theatrum Urbium Italicarum (1599)
Authors: Allott Flynn
Published: December 2022

This article gives a detailed description and analysis of Robert Burton's copy of Theatrum urbium italicarum, a Venetian ‘city‐atlas’ produced in 1599 by the engraver and publisher Pietro Bertelli. Burton's copy of the book is especially noteworthy because it has had a number of the maps removed. The article uses the Theatrum in order to add fresh emphasis to Burton's understanding of cartography, and to suggest new ways in which early modern maps can be related to literary works. I begin with a survey of the renaissance ‘city‐atlas’, proceeding to locate the Theatrum within a distinctly Venetian milieu of map‐production, and showing the surprisingly various contexts in which the Venetian maps could appear. I then detail the bibliographical oddities of Burton's copy, suggesting possible reasons for the removal of the maps. I conclude by suggesting that the form and construction of the Theatrum – hastily assembled, gathered from a range of sources – can be related in productive fashions to Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy. I situate the Theatrum and similar works among a recent critical trend of ‘material metaphors for literary form’, considering the ways in which early modern authors thought of the structures of their works as analogous to various material objects.
Securitizing pandemic‐risk insurance
Authors: Medders Lorilee A. , Schwarcz Steven L.
Published: December 2022

Catastrophe (CAT) bonds are a means to share economic losses resulting from natural disasters including hurricanes, earthquakes, and—more recently, as used by the World Bank—pandemics. Because these pandemic CAT (PCAT) bonds were subsidized by government donations and, absent the occurrence of covered pandemics, were full recourse to the World Bank, this precedent was not market‐tested for the commercial viability of such instruments. This paper examines PCAT bonds as a means of securitization for pandemic risk through the lenses of reinsurers′ unmet capital needs and the requirements for the potential viability of a PCAT‐bond market. Where the reinsurance market has limited capacity to either absorb or spread the risks of global‐level CATs, risk securitization may be effective for layered risk sharing. The authors explore whether pandemic risk may be insurable by increasing reinsurance capacity to handle losses from business interruptions that are due to unintentional pandemics. Are PCAT bonds a potential means to achieving this protection? Historically, insurers were reluctant to enter this market because the required spreads and associated bond‐issuance expenses were considered prohibitively high. The situation has improved, although there remains much room and need for growth in this market.
Quaternary lacustrine carbonate deposits of the Great Basin, USA: Impact of climate, tectonics and substrate
Authors: Boussagol Pierre , Vennin Emmanuelle , Bouton Anthony , Roche Adeline , Thomazo Christophe , Kolodka Christophe , Buoncristiani Jean‐François , Monna Fabrice , Musset Olivier , Visscher Pieter T.
Published: December 2022

The Great Basin included several lacustrine systems that accommodated extensive carbonate buildups: the Lahontan on the western side (dating back to 48 kyr cal bp), and the Bonneville (from 30 to 11.5 kyr cal bp) and Great Salt Lake (starting 11.5 kyr cal bp) on the eastern side of the basin. The eastern lakes show a transition from freshwater to hypersaline conditions. In contrast, the western lakes do not show any significant change from the originally prevailing freshwater conditions. Mapping of the carbonate buildups in the different lakes settings enables a comparison of a biotic versus an abiotic composition of the carbonate buildups, their morphologies and their specific spatial distributions. The morphology, size and distribution of the carbonate deposits are predominantly governed by seasonal to long‐term water level fluctuations, particular geomorphological heritage, fault‐induced processes, groundwater seepage and substrates. All of the lakes show a palaeoshoreline distribution with some buildups containing crusts, hemispheroid domes, and parts of complex domes resulting from climate‐induced lake level variations. However, the presence of columns and complex domes made up of mixed biotic/abiotic carbonates in the western Great Basin is related to the influx of groundwater. Winnemucca Lake and Pyramid Lake contain bigger buildups than the ones observed in the eastern Great Basin lakes. The presence of these large size buildups and thinolites in the Lahontan lacustrine system are a consequence of local hydrological processes associated with influenced groundwater flows through specific sedimentary structures (for example, from springs and delta fronts) and faults. This contrast in the distribution, composition and size of the buildups between the two sides of the Great Basin suggests local changes in water chemistry (for example, [Ca2+]) and groundwater influxes. This work provides a novel conceptual model for the formation of abiotic and/or biotic carbonate buildups in lacustrine settings.