bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Critical review of heavy duty vehicle battery management system
Authors: Roshan Kanz , Ponnusamy Baskar
Published: January 2025

Battery Management Systems play a critical role in efficient and the safe operation of heavy-duty electric vehicles, which are becoming central to efforts in sustainable transportation. Given the substantial power demands and extensive battery packs of Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicles, a robust Battery Management System is important for overseeing and enhancing the battery performance, safety, and lifespan. Battery management system technologies are designed to continuously assess the state of charge and the state of health, enabling real-time adjustments to optimize energy use and extend battery life. In this context the study elaborated on significant advancements in areas such as thermal management, battery state estimation, degradation modelling, as well as energy consumption and optimization were prioritized for inclusion to construct a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the literature. The articles were systematically classified into thematic like Battery Thermal Management Systems (BTMS), State of health, Charging strategies, energy consumption and optimization .Each individual article was thoroughly reviewed and analysed to gain an in-depth understanding of its specific contributions to the field, the methodologies employed in the research, and the significant findings that pertain directly to the realm of heavy-duty electric vehicles.
Excess mortality and associated community risk factors related to hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico
Authors: Cowan Kristen N , Zavala Diego E , Suarez Erick , Lopez-Rodriguez José A , Alvarez Omar
Published: January 2025

Background: In the 6 months following Hurricane Maria the number of people who died from the hurricane was much higher than was initially estimated from death certificates. Disruption of health care services and displacement led to the exacerbation of pre-existing chronic diseases. The objectives of this study were to (1) estimate the excess deaths in Puerto Rico in the 6 months following Maria, (2) identify geographical areas experiencing higher risk of chronic disease mortality following Maria and (3) identify community-level vulnerability characteristics associated with some communities being at higher risk of increased chronic disease mortality after Maria. Methods: Death records were obtained from Puerto Rico’s Department of Health Demographic Registry. Mortality risks per 100 000 were calculated for chronic disease categories and all-cause mortality for the 6 months following Maria and the same months in the year before. Geospatial analysis using Getis–Ord Gi* Statistic was used to determine if mortality clusters of 6 month mortality risk following hurricane Maria by census tract were statistically significant. Multinomial logistic regression was used to model the association between census tract level social vulnerability and being classified as higher or sustained risk of mortality in the 6 months following Hurricane Maria compared to the previous year’s mortality risk. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated to measure associations between social vulnerability and mortality risk. Results: In the 6 months following Maria there were increases in mortality risk for cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, sepsis, chronic respiratory disease, hypertension and all-cause mortality. Examining community level characteristics associated with vulnerability to disasters, neighborhoods with higher proportion of people 65 and older, higher proportion of houses being multiunit structures and higher proportion of households with no vehicle, in comparison to other neighborhoods in Puerto Rico,were more likely to have sustained high risk for mortality before and after Maria or increased risk of being a hot spot for chronic disease mortality after Maria.
Nonintervention, Nonrecognition, and the Articulation of a Mexican Doctrine of International Law
Authors: Fernandes Carvalho Fabia
Published: January 2025

This chapter explores the particularities of the post-revolutionary Mexican engagement with international law based on the international legal theses of two Mexican diplomats from the interwar period: Isidro Fabela on nonintervention and Genaro Estrada on nonrecognition. They played an essential role in articulating and disseminating international legal interpretations that eventually crystallized a legalistic Mexican engagement with the vocabulary of international law. Assessing the emergence of the Mexican doctrine of international law in the interwar period can help us understand how a distinctly Latin American political project was coupled with the international legal vocabulary aiming not just to be part of the European community of nations but, more ambitiously, to put forward a form of internationalism that sought to eliminate foreign control of natural resources and economic dependency.
Positivism and Latin American Developments in International Law
Authors: Fuentes Ximena
Published: January 2025

Positivism is often described as Latin American law’s defining feature. In contrast to natural law theory, positivism considers that legal norms are the result of decisions made by those who have the power and authority to create law. Ximena Fuentes shows how, as international law itself moved toward a positivist self-definition in the nineteenth century, Latin Americans seized the new theory to shield themselves from European claims rooted in natural law. Against the doctrine of discovery, which might have allowed Europeans and North Americans to claim unoccupied lands, they posited the principle of uti posseditis; against claims of the sovereign right to protect nationals in foreign jurisdictions, they posited the principle of nonintervention. Thus, positivism became the polestar of international law theory and practice in the region.
The Latin American States and the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes before the International Court of Justice
Authors: Valencia-Ospina Eduardo , Vega-Barbosa Giovanny
Published: January 2025

This chapter describes the practice of Latin American states before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The assessment of the practice of Latin American states before the World Court takes place in three successive periods. The first period is characterized by timid yet important expressions of trust in the jurisdiction of the ICJ and is followed by a quarter of a century of absentia. The authors suggest that this second period can be explained by a mixture of unique factors, including the Cold War, the specific nature of the processes and events taking place in Latin America at that time, and the historical preference of Latin American states to settle highly sensitive matters within the region through arbitration. The final period is characterized by confidence in the Court as an effective instance for the peaceful settlement of the most important international legal disputes.
Latin America and the Codification of the Law of State Responsibility
Authors: Bordin Fernando Lusa , Paddeu Federica
Published: January 2025

In recent years, Latin American states have drawn on their historical experience to advocate for an orderly and restrictive regime of countermeasures, to curb unilateral action and interventionism. These states have also remained committed to asserting their juridical equality and actively shaping international law through codification. They favor the adoption of a convention on state responsibility. Both projects invoke two key postulates of the traditional “American international law”: juridical equality of states and nonintervention. In this chapter, Bordin and Paddeu show how Latin American states are pushing this project in the hope that the international community will come together in an earnest multilateral endeavor to create greater legal certainty.
Epilogue
Authors: Chehtman Alejandro , Huneeus Alexandra , Puig Sergio
Published: January 2025

The epilogue closes with a brief, bold claim born of reflection on the rich chapters in this volume: there is a new canon of Latin American international law (LAIL) in our time. It is characterized by broader participation, greater pluralism in theory and scholarly methodology, emphasis on international human rights as an essential language of domestic law and politics, and, crucially, a turn inward, away from the United States and Europe. In this brief epilogue, Chehtman, Huneeus, and Puig delve into the two main regionalist projects of the past and show how the current era is different. They end by discussing the limits and fragility of the current LAIL project and a call for further study of the shifting LAIL landscape.
“Now is the time. Come, come!”
Authors: Kedhar Anusha
Published: January 2025

This chapter examines brahmin women’s performances of erotic humor in Bharatanatyam love songs (padams and javalis). Through various corporeal humor tactics, such as juxtaposition, sarcasm, sexual innuendo, and mockery, padams and javalis offer dancers a platform to temporarily occupy the space of the erotic and experiment with erotic embodiments that may be unavailable to them in their everyday lives without risking their sexual and caste “purity.” However, they derive pleasure and freedom—and audience laughs—by performing a kind of sexual deviance associated with courtesans or courtesan-like women. Thus, while dancers use erotic humor to transgress gendered expectations regarding idealized Indian womanhood, they do so at the risk of reinscribing caste distinctions regarding “respectable” gender performance. Drawing on Arabella Stanger’s notion of “critical negativity,” author Anusha Kedhar argues that padams and javalis can “model freeing experiences for dancers and audiences” while still masking dispossession and brahminical patriarchy. This is the darker side of erotic humor: even as dancers use humor to transgress gender norms and restrictions, they do so by reinscribing brahminical notions of appropriate female sexuality and idealized womanhood. Taking both caste and gender into consideration enables us to see the possibilities as well as the limits of erotic humor as a vehicle for female empowerment.
Insolent Tangos
Authors: Savigliano Marta E
Published: January 2025

In this paper Marta E. Savigliano follows Blanchot (1943) in his explorations of insolence, Bergson (1911 [1900]) in his groundbreaking observations on the comic, Guattari (1996) in his reflections on soft subversions, and, as a self-described “fickle milonguita” (woman tango-dancer), various other authors in search of the transcultural limits of humorous choreographic tangos. The author’s guiding questions include: What makes tango dancing funny, how, and to whom? How are insolent tangos’ contestatory moves composed? Tangos’ tragic solemnity and piquant sobriety have often attracted the interest of physical humorists. This chapter focuses on tango humor in the hands of professional tango dancers who, unlike comedians, make a funny spectacle of what they know best and, in doing so, use their expertise to question spectators’ othering prejudices.
Chaplin’s Border Moves and My Own
Authors: Tapia Minerva
Published: January 2025

This chapter examines the use of physical humor in contemporary dance choreographies of the San Diego–Tijuana region. Among other border dances selected for analysis, a central example choreographed by the author and performed by her dance company revives the comic embodiments of Charlie Chaplin in the final scene of The Pilgrim (1923). As Chaplin’s pilgrim straddles both sides of the border in a stiff-legged waddle, he ponders whether to try his luck in the United States after escaping prison or face a worse fate in the dangerous unknown of Mexico. Following Chaplin’s lead with a twist, the author-choreographer and her ensemble reconstruct a comic homage, taking the piece from Tijuana to “al otro lado.” What they find are the important affectations of audiences on both sides of the border for whom the layers of humor (slapstick, irony, and comic relief) land quite differently in localized contexts and points of reference.
A Holist Balance Scale
Authors: Tucker Chris
Published: January 2025

Scale-based models of weighing reasons face challenges concerning the context sensitivity of weight, the aggregation of weight, and the methodology for learning what the weights of reasons are. This chapter resolves these challenges. The first challenge is resolved by explaining how scale-based models can accept holism, the idea that weight is context sensitive. The second challenge is resolved by relying on holism to explain features of aggregation that are thought to be incompatible with the view that reasons always aggregate by addition. The third challenge is resolved by reverse engineering, which allows us to infer the weights of reasons (among other things) from the deontic status of the action in the case at issue.
Moral Options and the Normative Significance of Small Improvements
Authors: Tucker Chris
Published: January 2025

Weight Pluralism is the idea that reasons have at least two weight values that are not always equivalent. This chapter relies on a version of Weight Pluralism to resolve the justification intransitivity paradox and normative significance of small improvements, as well as explain other related phenomena. Weight Pluralism explains, therefore, the intuitive moral options that Parity Monism can explain and more besides. In addition, Weight Pluralism explains how quantitative differences can make a deontic difference, as well as generate the sort of predictions needed to make the theory testable. If you have to choose only one complication—the existence of parity or the existence of more than one weight value—you should choose the latter.
Demonstrating Scientific Knowledge in Geometry and Civil Philosophy
Authors: Adams Marcus P
Published: January 2025

Chapter 4 argues that the demonstrations that Hobbes provides in the sciences of geometry and civil philosophy are instances of maker’s knowledge wherein teachers impart actual causal knowledge to students by showing them how to make something. In such a demonstration, teachers move beyond private marks and show others how to make using signs. The motivation for connecting these two sciences is straightforward on Hobbesian grounds since Hobbes explicitly identifies them both as instances of scientific knowledge; indeed, they are the only instances of Hobbesian such knowledge in the strictest sense because knowledge of actual causes is possible. The chapter shows that demonstrations in these two sciences are founded in a thought experiment in which, by undergoing the experiment, one gains the principles of that science by means of definitions by explication of simple conceptions. Those definitions by explication are used as the component parts—the “causes”—of constructions in civil philosophy and geometry. In the same way that Hobbes says that the geometer “put[s] together” the parts of a “square” to learn its cause, the chapter contends that the Laws of Nature, considered jointly, are the cause of PEACE. The chapter next shows benefits of this understanding of the Laws of Nature over competing interpretations and outlines how this interpretation impacts our understanding of the relationship of the first two parts of Leviathan by suggesting that Leviathan Part II plays the role of corollaries in geometry.
Preliminary effects of oral ANS-6637, an ALDH2 inhibitor, on cue-induced craving, safety and alcohol consumption among adults with alcohol use disorder: a proof-of-concept, randomized, human laboratory trial
Authors: O’Malley Stephanie S , Miranda Robert , Book Sarah W , Chun Thomas H , Liss Thomas , Malcolm Robert J , Muvvala Srinivas B , Padovano Hayley Treloar , Schacht Joseph P , Blackburn Brent , Diamond Ivan , Ransom Janet , Ryan Megan L , Falk Daniel E , Litten Raye Z
Published: January 2025

Aims

We evaluated the safety, efficacy, and patient adherence to oral ANS-6637, a selective, reversible inhibitor of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Methods

A 3-arm, double-blind, randomized, proof-of-concept human laboratory study embedded in a 5-week multisite clinical trial tested 200 mg and 600 mg daily doses of ANS-6637 compared to placebo in treatment-seeking adults with AUD. After 1 week of medication, participants completed an alcohol cue reactivity session. Drinking and safety assessments were measured during treatment; other exploratory outcomes were measured 1 week after treatment ended.

Results

The study was terminated following enrollment of 43 of 81 planned participants due to clinically significant, reversible increases in liver enzymes in three women. Adverse events consistent with ALDH2 inhibition in the presence of alcohol (heart rate/palpitations, flushing, nausea) were dose dependent. Group differences in cue-elicited craving were not significant; effect sizes (Cohen’s d) comparing the 200 mg and 600 mg doses to placebo were .71 and .06, respectively. Secondary endpoints did not differ significantly between groups; Cohen’s d ranged from .31 to .57 for the 600 mg dose compared to placebo for continuous drinking outcomes.

Conclusions

Findings of liver toxicity with ANS-6637 led to early termination and reduced power to test hypotheses. Effect size estimates are consistent with the hypothesis that selective ALDH2 inhibition may reduce craving and drinking, however these estimates may be unreliable due to the small sample size. Additional research with non-hepatotoxic selective and reversible ALDH2 inhibitors is needed to evaluate this approach to AUD pharmacotherapy.
Tracking pollen tube and ovule development in vivo reveals rapid responses to pollination in Brassica napus
Authors: Parry Catherine , Turnbull Colin , Gill Richard J
Published: January 2025

Background and Aims

Pollination and subsequent fertilisation in most angiosperms are precursors of seed and fruit development. Thus, understanding the developmental processes can improve management of plant reproductive success and food security. Indeed, the window between ovule fertilisation and seed development is crucial for the accumulation of metabolites which determines ultimate seed quality and yield. Establishing detailed temporal maps of development to describe pollination to early seed development is therefore extremely valuable to provide context for molecular studies, plant breeding, and to refine crop management strategies for optimal seed quality.

Methods

Here, we characterise aspects of post-pollination responses in the globally important crop plant Brassica napus (oilseed rape, canola) with a high-resolution time series of microscope images of the floral organs during the first 48 hours post pollination.

Key results

We demonstrate the rapid response to pollination in B. napus (c.v. Westar), with pollen tubes germinating and traversing the style within just four hours. We also describe markers of early seed formation in response to fertilisation in the synchronous development of ovule area and stigma length.

Conclusions

Our results provide a series of temporal benchmarks for post-pollination floral morphology in B. napus, representing valuable reference points for studying and tracking pollination responses and early seed development.
Acclimation of functional traits leads to biomass increases in leafy green species grown in aquaponics
Authors: Nicholes Victoria , Khan Malik , Lemon Nicholas , Vila Peter , Campany Courtney
Published: January 2025

As human population size continues to increase and climate change effects worsen, future food security has become a primary concern for agricultural industries worldwide. Yields of traditional agricultural methods are commonly limited by water and nutrient availability and many crop yields are predicted to decline. Alternative farming practices like aquaponics, which can alleviate these negative yield pressures, may become critical to reaching food production targets. Aquaponics approaches involve the cyclic joint production of fish and hydroponic plants where the fish efflux provides nutrients to plants that then purify the water to be recycled to the fish tanks. In this study, we investigated the acclimation of physiology and functional traits of plants grown in aquaponics versus soil for three leafy green species. We compared gas exchange, stomatal anatomy, water-use efficiency, and foliar chemistry on newly formed leaves across weekly measurements. Increased photosynthetic rate, driven by higher stomatal conductance and increases in tissue nitrogen, led to higher biomass production in aquaponics for all species. Aquaponics plants adjusted stomatal behavior and to a lesser degree stomatal anatomy to become less water-use efficient than plants grown in soil. Collectively, our findings demonstrate the ability of plants to acclimate quickly to aquaponics growing systems that largely remove water and nutrient limitations to plant growth. The increased biomass production of broccoli, pak choi, and salanova by 185%, 116%, and 362% in aquaponics compared to soil-grown plants demonstrates the potential of small-scale aquaponics systems as an efficient and sustainable alternative farming practice.
Benchmarking 13 tools for mutational signature attribution, including a new and improved algorithm
Authors: Jiang Nanhai , Wu Yang , Rozen Steven G
Published: January 2025

Mutational signatures are characteristic patterns of mutations caused by endogenous mutational processes or by exogenous mutational exposures. There has been little benchmarking of approaches for determining which signatures are present in a sample and estimating the number of mutations due to each signature. This problem is referred to as “signature attribution.” We show that there are often many combinations of signatures that can reconstruct the patterns of mutations in a sample reasonably well, even after encouraging sparse solutions. We benchmarked 13 approaches to signature attribution, including a new approach called Presence Attribute Signature Activity (PASA), on large synthetic data sets (2700 synthetic samples in total). These data sets recapitulated the single-base, insertion–deletion, and doublet-base mutational signature repertoires of nine cancer types. For single-base substitution mutations, PASA and MuSiCal outperformed other approaches on all the cancer types combined. However, the ranking of approaches varied by cancer type. For doublet-base substitutions and small insertions and deletions, while PASA outperformed the other approaches in most of the nine cancer types, the ranking of approaches again varied by cancer type. We believe that this variation reflects inherent difficulties in signature attribution. These difficulties stem from the fact that there are often many attributions that can reasonably explain the pattern of mutations in a sample and from the combinatorial search space due to the need to impose sparsity. Tables herein can provide guidance on the selection of mutational signature attribution approaches that are best suited to particular cancer types and study objectives.
Severe verrucous erythema elevatum diutinum responding to a combined therapy with low-dose dapsone and prednisone
Authors: Jourdain Héloïse , Lavaud Justine , Charissoux Aurélie , Bernard Philippe
Published: January 2025

A 84-year-old man presented with profuse papular and even verrucous lesions on the knees, hands and face. A skin biopsy led to the diagnosis of erythema elevatum diutinum. Treatment with Dapsone resulted in good regression of the lesions, and corticosteroids combined with low-dose Dapsone maintained the therapeutic response. This combination of treatments is interesting because it is better tolerated; the clinical presentation, which is particularly profuse and verrucous, is also noteworthy.
Natural History of Clostridioides difficile–Related Disease Progression in the 2-Step Testing Era
Authors: Turner Nicholas A , Grambow Steven C , Polage Chris , Kuhar David T , Kutty Preeta K , Moehring Rebekah W , Anderson Deverick J
Published: January 2025

Background

The natural history of Clostridioides difficile progression in nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) positive, toxin enzyme immunoassay–negative patients remains poorly described. Better understanding risk for subsequent disease may improve prevention strategies. We aimed to describe the natural history of C. difficile NAAT+/toxin− adults.

Methods

A cohort of adults (≥18 years) tested for C. difficile within the Duke University Health System between 15 March 2020 and 31 December 2023 were classified as NAAT−, NAAT+/toxin−, or NAAT+/toxin+ and followed up to 90 days. Three time-to-event analyses were conducted. Incidence of toxin+ episodes was assessed by initial test status (analysis 1). Treatment of NAAT+/toxin− adults was described using cumulative incidence curves (analysis 2). Rates of toxin+ episodes and severe disease were compared between treated and untreated NAAT+/toxin− adults (analysis 3).

Results

The cohort included 24 474 tests and 440 toxin+ episodes among 18 337 unique subjects followed for a median 71 days. NAAT+/toxin− status was associated with subsequent toxin positivity (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 5.06 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 3.61–7.10]), especially after antibiotic receipt (aHR, 15.71 [95% CI, 9.85–25.06]). Among 2334 NAAT+/toxin− episodes, 33% received presumptive treatment. Just 5% of NAAT+/toxin− subjects progressed to toxin positivity. Presumptive treatment was associated with lower hazard of subsequent toxin positivity (aHR, 0.12 [95% CI, .05–.29]) but not fulminant disease (aHR, 1.93 [95% CI, .50–7.45]).

Conclusions

Clostridioides difficile NAAT+/toxin− status was associated with subsequent toxin positivity, especially after antibiotic receipt, though absolute risk was low overall. Further research is needed to determine whether and for whom presumptive treatment might be beneficial.
Utility of the radiological report function of an artificial intelligence system in interpreting CBCT images: a technical report
Authors: Feltraco Luciano Tonetto , Rossetto Carolina , Yeung Andy Wai Kan , Soares Mariana Quirino Silveira , Oenning Anne Caroline
Published: January 2025

The aim of this technical report was to assess whether the “Radiological Report” tool within the Artificial Intelligence (AI) software Diagnocat can achieve a satisfactory level of performance comparable to that of experienced dentomaxillofacial radiologists in interpreting cone-beam CT scans. Ten cone-beam CT scans were carefully selected and analysed using the AI tool, and they were also evaluated by two dentomaxillofacial radiologists. Observations related to tooth numeration, alterations in dental crowns, roots, and periodontal tissues were documented and subsequently compared to the AI findings. Kappa statistics, along with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals, were calculated to ascertain the degree of agreement. The agreement between the AI tool and the radiologists ranged from substantial to nearly perfect for identifying teeth, determining the number of roots and canals, assessing crown conditions, and detecting endodontic treatments. However, for tasks such as classifying bone loss, identifying posts, evaluating the quality of fillings, and appraising the situation of periodontal spaces, the agreement was deemed slight. In conclusion, the “radiological report” tool of the Diagnocat demonstrates satisfactory performance in reliably identifying teeth, roots, canals, assessing crown conditions, and detecting endodontic treatment. However, further investigations are needed to evaluate the tool’s effectiveness in diagnosing posts, assessing the condition and quality of fillings, and determining the status of periodontal spaces.
A case report of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction due to early growth of a calcified amorphous tumour despite normal renal function
Authors: Hayashi Misayo , Kato Takayoshi , Fujimoto Keita , Watanabe Takatomo , Okura Hiroyuki
Published: January 2025

Background

Calcified amorphous tumours (CAT) are non-neoplastic cardiac masses that have been the focus of several recent studies. Moreover, CAT is frequently observed in women and in patients undergoing dialysis.

Case summary

A woman in her 70 s with normal renal function was referred to our hospital with a chief complaint of shortness of breath upon effort. Echocardiography and contrast-enhanced CT revealed a cardiac mass with calcification in the intervalvular fibrosa (IVF) of the anterior mitral valve, resulting in left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction. One year later, the cardiac mass expanded, and the LVOT obstruction worsened. The patient underwent surgical resection of the mass and double-valve replacement with reconstruction of the IVF (commando operation) and myectomy. Histological examination confirmed that the mass was CAT.

Discussion

We encountered a patient who underwent valve replacement and a commando operation due to rapidly progressive CAT and consequent progression of LVOT obstruction despite normal renal function. In patients with normal renal function, factors other than calcium and phosphate metabolism contribute to the formation of CAT. Understanding the accumulation of CAT is crucial for understanding its pathogenesis.
Transcriptomic response of an algal species (Raphidocelis subcapitata) exposed to 22 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
Authors: Flynn Kevin M , Bush Kendra , Cavallin Jenna , Hazemi Monique , Kasparek Alex , Schumann Peter , Villeneuve Daniel L
Published: January 2025

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large class of chemicals of concern for both human and environmental health because of their ubiquitous presence in the environment, persistence, and potential toxicological effects. Despite this, ecological hazard data are limited to a small number of PFAS even though there are over 4000 identified PFAS. Traditional toxicity testing will likely be inadequate to generate necessary hazard information for risk assessment. Therefore, the present study investigated the utility of using transcriptomic points of departure (tPODs) for informing PFAS algal toxicity. Raphidocelis subcapitata, a freshwater green algal species, were exposed for 24 hours in 96 well microplates to multiple concentrations of 22 different PFAS. Following exposure, RNA was extracted, and the transcriptome was evaluated by RNA sequencing followed by concentration response modeling to determine a tPOD for each PFAS. PFAS tPODs, based upon measured concentrations, ranged from 0.9 µg/L for perfluorotridecanoic acid to 1 mg/L for perfluorononanoic acid. These values derived from R. subcapitata exposures were compared to published hazard benchmarks from other taxa (larval fathead minnow and Daphnia magna) and in vitro data. While R. subcapitata was generally more sensitive to the tested PFAS than previously tested taxa and in vitro assays, the algal tPODs were, on average, three orders magnitude greater than the maximum concentrations of PFAS detected in Great Lakes tributaries. This high throughput transcriptomics assay with algae is a promising new approach method for an ecologically relevant, tiered hazard evaluation strategy.
A new era of inequality: profound changes to mortality in England, Scotland, and 10 major British cities
Authors: de Haro Moro Maria Teresa , Schofield Lauren , Munoz-Arroyo Rosalia , McCartney Gerry , Walsh David
Published: January 2025

Deeply concerning changes to UK health trends have been noted since the early 2010s, including a widening of mortality inequalities. Given the importance of urban areas to national health outcomes, we sought to address gaps in the evidence by examining trends in intra-city mortality inequalities across Britain, including assessing the impact of the peak COVID-19 pandemic period. Age-standardized mortality rates were calculated (for England, Scotland, and 10 major UK cities) by age (all ages, 0–64 years), sex, year (1981–2020), and country-specific and city-specific area-based quintiles of socio-economic deprivation. Trends in absolute and relative inequalities in mortality by country and city were analysed by means of the Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and the Relative Index of Inequality (RII), respectively. Profound changes to mortality trends and inequalities were observed across both nations and all cities in the decade up to 2020, including increases in death rates among the 20% most deprived populations of almost every city. For deaths at all ages, this was particularly evident in Leeds, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Dundee, and Glasgow. For 0–64 years, Scottish cities stood out. With few exceptions, both absolute and relative inequalities increased in the same time period. COVID-19 further increased death rates and inequalities. The analyses provide a hugely concerning picture of worsening mortality and widening inequalities across England and Scotland. When viewed in the context of the evidence for the impact of UK government austerity policies on population health, they represent a wake-up call for both current and future UK governments.
Emerging Connections Between Inflammatory Bowel Disease Subtypes and Sequential Changes in Total Serum Bilirubin
Authors: Qin Xiaofa
Published: January 2025

Lay Summary

Building on my long-standing hypothesis that impaired inactivation of digestive proteases by deconjugated bilirubin may be the unifying feature and mechanism of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), this paper explores potential connections among different subtypes of IBD through sequential changes in total serum bilirubin.
Suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia in pulmonary thromboendarterectomy: retrospective cohort
Authors: Guimbretière Guillaume , Dubost Clément , Issard Justin , Louvain-Quintard Virginie , Jais Xavier , Dolidon Samuel , Stephan François , Ion Daniela-Iolanda , Mercier Olaf , Fadel Elie
Published: January 2025

OBJECTIVES

Heparin is given for anticoagulation during and after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Our objective was to add to the limited data available on the incidence, management and outcomes of suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

METHODS

This retrospective single-centre study included consecutive patients with suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy done in 2005–2018. Confirmed heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia was defined as positive findings from both the antibody test and the platelet aggregation test. Patients with versus without confirmed heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia were compared, as well as patients with versus without heparin replacement therapy within the group with unconfirmed heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia. The platelet counts over time were compared to those in controls without suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia.

RESULTS

Heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia was suspected in 86 (6.3%) of 1360 patients and confirmed in 16 (16/86, 19%), all of whom received heparin replacement therapy and survived to intensive care unit discharge. Of the remaining 70 patients, 28 (40%) received heparin replacement therapy and less often experienced bleeding compared to the other 42 (3.6% vs 21.4%, P = 0.043). Intensive care unit mortality was 17/70 (24.3%) and was lower in the subgroup given heparin replacement therapy (10.7% vs 33.3%; P = 0.046). Confirmed heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia was associated with a sharp platelet-count drop on Day 5. In unconfirmed suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia, the early platelet-count decline was similar to that in the controls without suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia, but the baseline count was lower.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical features suggesting heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension were associated with excess mortality. Relay heparin replacement therapy was associated with lower mortality and fewer bleeding events.
On Higher Brézin–Gross–Witten Tau Functions
Authors: Alexandrov Alexander , Dhara Saswati
Published: January 2025

In this paper, we consider the higher Brézin–Gross–Witten (BGW) tau functions, given by the matrix integrals. For these tau functions we construct the canonical Kac–Schwarz operators, quantum spectral curves, and $W^{(3)}$-constraints. For the simplest representative we construct the cut-and-join operators, which describe the algebraic version of the topological recursion. We also investigate a one-parametric generalization of the higher BGW tau functions.
The Demise of the `Voluntarist Exclusion Zone?’
Authors: Brodie Douglas
Published: January 2025

In Secretary of State for the Environment v PCSU [2024] UKSC 41the Supreme Court had to consider whether a trade union was entitled to sue on a provision derived from a collective agreement by virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.1 The relevance of the presumption in s. 179 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 to collectively agreed obligations which are incorporated in an employment contract was at the heart of the litigation. The Supreme Court found in favour of the trade union and this well prove beneficial to unions in future cases centring on third party rights. I would suggest that the decision also has significant implications for cases on incorporation of collectively agreed terms. It is also conceivable that the debate as to the merits of direct enforcement of collective agreements will be reopened.
Comprehensive Screening of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Food Contact Materials: Utilizing Combustion Ion Chromatography for Total Organic Fluorine (TOF) Analysis
Authors: Hu Jingli , Cochran Richard E , Grim Cynthia M , Rumachik Neil G
Published: January 2025

Background

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) comprise thousands of fluorinated chemicals. They are of growing concern because many PFAS compounds are persistent and toxic. Food contact materials (FCMs) containing PFAS pose multiple exposure pathways to humans, prompting 12 states to enact laws banning FCMs with PFAS levels exceeding 100 ppm total organic fluorine (TOF).

Objective

While LC–MS is often used to measure targeted PFAS compounds, much of the total PFAS content in the sample may be missed. To understand organic fluorine content in samples more comprehensively, we developed a method using combustion ion chromatography (CIC) to measure TOF and extractable organic fluorine (EOF) in FCMs.

Methods

This technology utilizes combustion under an oxygen and argon atmosphere. All gaseous, acidic combustion products are collected in water, with ions separated on an ion-exchange column and detected by conductivity. Total fluorine (TF) was measured by combusting 10–50 mg FCM. Total inorganic fluorine (TIF) was measured by extracting cryo-ground FCM with water followed by direct injection to the ion chromatography (IC) system. TOF was then calculated by subtracting TIF from TF. EOF was determined by CIC after extracting analytes from the ground FCM using methanol-acetonitrile (80 + 20, by volume).

Results

The method detection limit (MDL) for TOF is 0.51 ppm, exceeding the sensitivity requirements of current state regulations. A comparison of EOF to TOF revealed that EOF constitutes less than 15% of the TOF in the FCM samples.

Conclusion

TOF is a critical metric for assessing PFAS contamination in FCMs, as targeted LC–MS approaches may miss much of the PFAS in the samples.

Highlights

We developed a sensitive and automated method to determine TOF and EOF in FCMs. The method can be used to screen for PFAS in FCMs, ensuring compliance with current regulations on PFAS contamination.
Profile of the southern corn billbug, Sphenophorus callosus Oliver, an important pest of corn in eastern North Carolina
Authors: Reisig Dominic
Published: January 2025

Southern corn billbug Sphenophorus callosus Oliver, was a historically widespread and damaging pest throughout the southeastern United States. However, it only persists as a major problem in poorly drained corn production areas in eastern North Carolina. Unfortunately, little replicated research has been conducted on this insect in corn since the 1980s. The purpose of this profile is to provide a current, comprehensive resource on the biology and ecology of this pest relative to corn, as well as to provide a description of sampling and management methods. This is a univoltine insect with a narrow host range. The only known cultivated host it will reproduce on is corn, Zea mays L., and yellow nutsedge, Cyperus esculentus L. Injury and damage to corn can be caused by adult feeding on seedlings, or by larval development in the crown. The most effective management tactics for southern corn billbug are cultural management tactics, including crop rotation, tillage, proper fertility, drainage, and effective weed control. Neonicotinoid seed treatments are the most important management tactic for this pest, but their efficacy is declining. Hence, this pest may become more problematic across the southeastern United States. A significant portion of the biological research on this insect needs to be revisited within the context of modern corn production practices. Furthermore, more work should be done to understand the mechanisms for effective cultural management tactics. Finally, novel methods of management should be explored for this insect to expand the range of available management tactics.
Assessing the potential economic impacts of spotted lanternfly (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) infestations on grape production in New York State
Authors: Pinto Allan F , Eshenaur Brian C , Acevedo Flor E , Calixto Alejandro A , Centinari Michela , Gómez Miguel I
Published: January 2025

Lycorma delicatula, known as the spotted lanternfly, an insect native to Asia, feeds on a broad range of plant species in the United States, including tree of heaven, black walnut, silver and red maple, and grapes. As of early 2024, grape growers in New York State have not reported spotted lanternfly-related issues. In contrast, growers in Pennsylvania experienced significant losses during the early years of infestation, with some vineyards replanting due to vine death caused by spotted lanternfly. Over time, Pennsylvania growers developed management strategies, but the threat remains significant. We hypothesize that New York grape growers, informed by the economic impacts faced by Pennsylvania growers, will adopt a risk-averse approach and will be better prepared to combat spotted lanternfly. This manuscript examines spotted lanternfly biology, life stages, and host plants while estimating potential economic impacts to inform growers, stakeholders, and policymakers about the potential economic losses in New York grape production. If left uncontrolled or if growers are uninformed and unprepared, economic losses in the Lake Erie and Finger Lakes regions could escalate significantly, reaching up to $1.5, $4, and $8.8 million in the first, second, and third years of infestation, respectively. These figures underscore the critical importance of proactive management and preparedness measures to mitigate the impact of spotted lanternfly infestations on agricultural economies. We also discuss the implication of these findings in management and regulatory efforts. Future research should focus on establishing the appropriate economic thresholds and conducting cost–benefit analyses of various pest control measures in grape production in New York.
Where is the Limit? Assessing the Potential of Algorithm-Based Cartel Detection
Authors: Wallimann Hannes , Emmenegger Solange , Pouly Marc , Wegelin Philipp
Published: January 2025

Academic research on cartel detection has primary focused on algorithm-based screening of markets. However, only a few studies have assessed the extent to which competition authorities can generalize from a developed model to new markets. In our paper, we aim to fill this gap by investigating how close a market on which an algorithm is trained has to be to detect cartels in a new market. Our results confirm that when comparable training data are available, the machine-learning-based models are powerful tools to flag cartels. However, we show that the algorithms’ performances are limited when lacking comparable training data from the same industry, leading to the conclusion that practitioners should exercise a great deal of caution when choosing training data from different industries for cartel screening. In addition to our main contribution, we present a way of automated feature engineering and selection based on frequently used hand-crafted screens (descriptive statistics derived from firms’ prices) that are generally used in the recent cartel screening literature of algorithm-based cartel detection. Finally, to overcome the prerequisite of any pre-defined screen, we present the first-time application of various recurrent neural network architectures together with raw price data to flag potential cartels.
Repurposing the familiar: Future treatment options against chronic kidney disease
Authors: Bhadange Rohan , Gaikwad Anil Bhanudas
Published: January 2025

Objectives

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious health issue with rising morbidity and mortality rates. Despite advances in understanding its pathophysiology, effective therapeutic options are limited, necessitating innovative treatment approaches. Also, current frontline treatments that are available against CKD are not uniformly effective and often come with significant side effects. Therefore, identifying new therapeutic targets or improving existing treatments for CKD is crucial. Drug repurposing is a promising strategy in the drug discovery process that involves screening existing approved drugs for new therapeutic applications.

Key findings

This review discusses the pharmacological mechanisms and clinical evidence that support the efficacy of these repurposed drugs. Various drugs classes such as inodilators, endothelin-1 type A (ET-1A) receptor antagonists, bisphosphonates, mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonists, DNA demethylating agents, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) activators, P2X7 inhibitors, autophagy modulators, hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (HIF-PHI) are discussed that could remarkably contribute against CKD.

The review critically examines the potential for repurposing well-established drugs to slow the progression of CKD and enhance patient outcomes. This review emphasizes the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in advancing the field of drug repurposing, ultimately paving the way for innovative and effective therapies for patients suffering from CKD.
Long-term survival of stage 4 gallbladder cancer after extended radical surgery plus limited chemotherapy: a case report
Authors: Huang Zhengbin , Sun Jian , Li Changsong , Chen Sheng , Jin Tian , Wu Zhengqi
Published: January 2025

Gallbladder cancers (GBC) are insidious, malignant, and associated with poor prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate of 5%. Long-term survival in advanced GBC is rare. Here, we report a case of a 45-year-old female who presented with intermittent right upper quadrant pain for 1 month. A gallbladder mass and two liver masses were identified on a computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis with intravenous contrast, which was highly suspicious for GBC. The patient underwent extended radical surgery, and a low to moderately differentiated gallbladder adenocarcinoma was diagnosed through pathology. Postoperatively, the patient received chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin but only tolerated one cycle. The patient has been disease-free for over 7 years, representing an unusually long survival.