bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What reviews foretell about opening weekend box office revenue: the harbinger of failure effect in the movie industry
Authors: Loupos Pantelis , Peng Yvette , Li Sute , Hao Hao
Published: April 2023

We empirically investigate the harbinger of failure phenomenon in the motion picture industry by analyzing the pre-release reviews written on movies by film critics. We find that harbingers of failure do exist. Their positive (negative) pre-release movie reviews provide a strong predictive signal that the movie will turn out to be a flop (success). This signal persists even for the top critic category, which usually consists of professional critics, indicating that having expertise in a professional domain does not necessarily lead to correct predictions. Our findings challenge the current belief that positive reviews always help enhance box office revenue and shed new light on the influencer-predictor hypothesis. We further analyze the writing style of harbingers and provide new insights into their personality traits and cognitive biases.
Sectoral integration on an emerging stock market: a multi-scale approach
Authors: Nyakurukwa Kingstone , Seetharam Yudhvir
Published: April 2023

The purpose of this study is to examine the connectedness of industry sectors on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in a time–frequency domain. We use econophysics-based methods like the wavelet multiple correlation and wavelet scalogram difference to identify the evolution of the connectedness of the sectors over time and at different frequencies. The findings show that the sectors on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange are especially integrated at lower frequencies. Wavelet multiple correlation peaks in response to local and global shocks like the black-swan COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the downgrading of South African debt by Fitch in 2013. Though there are opportunities for sectoral diversification on the JSE, this fails when it is most needed, during crisis periods. Investors should therefore consider other asset classes that could serve as a haven in times of crisis. Though extant literature has examined sectoral dependencies on the stock markets of developed and developing countries, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine this connectedness in a South African context using multiple nonparametric methods that are robust to non-normality, presence of outliers as well as non-stationary data.
An Overview of Angiogenesis in Bladder Cancer
Authors: Elayat Ghada , Punev Ivan , Selim Abdel
Published: April 2023

Purpose of the Review

Angiogenesis plays a key role in bladder cancer (BC) pathogenesis. In the last two decades, an increasing number of publications depicting a multitude of novel angiogenic molecules and pathways have emerged. The growing complexity necessitates an evaluation of the breadth of current knowledge to highlight key findings and guide future research.

Recent Findings

Angiogenesis is a dynamic biologic process that is inherently difficult to assess. Clinical assessment of angiogenesis in BCs is advancing with the integration of image analysis systems and dynamic contrast-enhanced and magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) significantly influence the angiogenic process, and further research is needed to assess their potential as therapeutic targets. A rapidly growing list of non-coding RNAs affect angiogenesis in BCs, partly through modulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) activity. Vascular mimicry (VM) has been repeatedly associated with increased tumour aggressiveness in BCs. Standardised assays are needed for appropriate identification and quantification of VM channels.

This article demonstrates the dynamic and complex nature of the angiogenic process and asserts the need for further studies to deepen our understanding.
“The many faces of sorrow”: An empirical exploration of the psychological plurality of sadness
Authors: Tsikandilakis Myron , Bali Persefoni , Yu Zhaoliang , Karlis Alexandros-Konstantinos , Tong Eddie Mun Wai , Milbank Alison , Mevel Pierre-Alexis , Derrfuss Jan , Madan Christopher
Published: April 2023

Sadness has typically been associated with failure, defeat and loss, but it has also been suggested that sadness facilitates positive and restructuring emotional changes. This suggests that sadness is a multi-faceted emotion. This supports the idea that there might in fact be different facets of sadness that can be distinguished psychologically and physiologically. In the current set of studies, we explored this hypothesis. In a first stage, participants were asked to select sad emotional faces and scene stimuli either characterized or not by a key suggested sadness-related characteristic: loneliness or melancholy or misery or bereavement or despair. In a second stage, another set of participants was presented with the selected emotional faces and scene stimuli. They were assessed for differences in emotional, physiological and facial-expressive responses. The results showed that sad faces involving melancholy, misery, bereavement and despair were experienced as conferring dissociable physiological characteristics. Critical findings, in a final exploratory design, in a third stage, showed that a new set of participants could match emotional scenes to emotional faces with the same sadness-related characteristic with close to perfect precision performance. These findings suggest that melancholy, misery, bereavement and despair can be distinguishable emotional states associated with sadness.
Reverse Genetiksysteme zur Erforschung von Ebola-Viren
Authors: Hoenen Thomas , Groseth Allison
Published: April 2023

Ebolaviruses are among the deadliest viruses known, and work with infectious virus is restricted to laboratories of the highest biosafety level (i. e. BSL4). To facilitate research on ebolaviruses, also for researchers without access to BSL4 laboratories, reverse genetics-based life cycle modelling systems have been developed. Here, we describe how these system work, provide examples of their applications, and discuss their advantages and limitations.
Durchfallerreger und die Homöostase der Mikrobiota
Authors: Winter Sebastian E. , Faber Franziska , Bäumler Andreas J.
Published: April 2023

Changes in the gut microbiota composition are linked to many human diseases but cataloging bacterial species names did not provide the desired insights into how the host balances its microbial communities. Recent research shows that virulence factors of enteric pathogens weaken host functions that regulate microbial growth in the gut lumen. A weakening of these host functions explains dysbiosis during non-communicable diseases, which in turn reveals how the host maintains gut homeostasis.
Pathogene Corynebakterien: erfolgreiche Kolonisierer von Mensch und Tier
Authors: Ott Lisa , Burkovski Andreas
Published: April 2023

The interaction of Corynebacterium diphtheriae and closely related species with host cells is much more complex than originally thought when these bacteria were considered as extracellular pathogens. Host-pathogen interaction studies revealed a wide range of virulence factors contributing to adhesion, invasion, and host cell damage to varying degrees. In combination, these factors lead to the successful colonization of host systems.
Kommunizieren statt Vergiften — neue Strategien für den Pflanzenschutz
Authors: Nick Peter
Published: April 2023

Agriculture needs plant protection. However, the classic approach, using compounds that are less toxic to the crop plant, but damage fungal pathogens or weedy competitors is progressively reaching a deadend. We propose a paradigm shift by considering agrobiology from the viewpoint of communication theory. Interactions between different life forms are steered by a complex and specific chemical communication. For this purpose, we present some strategies with examples in this article.
GLP-1-Mimetika — wegweisend zur Behandlung von Diabetes und Adipositas
Authors: Stemmer Kerstin , Müller Timo D.
Published: April 2023

Most obese patients would benefit from 5–10 % of weight loss but fail when using non-surgical approaches. The recent development of two anti-obesity drugs may change that therapeutic gap. Patients receiving long-acting glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) agonist semaglutide achieve weight loss above 10 %. With tirzepatide, a co-agonist for GLP-1 and the gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) receptor, more than 50 % of the patients even lose above 20 %, which rivals the efficacy of surgical interventions.
Wirkstoffe an der Schnittstelle zwischen Autophagie und Cytoskelettdynamik
Authors: Stradal Theresia E. B. , Kirchenwitz Marco , Steffen Anika
Published: April 2023

The cytoskeleton is a primarily dynamic network of protein filaments, such as actin filaments and microtubules, which reach throughout the cell’s interior. All motile processes of the cell depend on the finely tuned turnover of the cytoskeleton. Interference consequently leads to failure of e.g. migration, cytokinesis, or autophagy. We here discuss compounds that specifically affect aspects of actin assembly, microtubule stability and autophagy by targeting the central signaling axis on which they converge.
Callose synthase and xyloglucan endotransglucosylase gene expression over time in Citrus × clementina and Citrus × sinensis infected with citrus tristeza virus
Authors: da Silva Melina , Germano Sandra , Duarte Amílcar , Pinto Patrícia , Marques Natália Tomás
Published: April 2023

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) is a virus that already caused great losses in citrus producing regions. The cell wall of plant cells plays an important role in the defence response to viruses. Following several studies indicating that cell wall enzyme transcripts of callose synthase 7 (calS7) and xyloglucan endotransglucosylase 9 (xth9) are modified during a viral infection, transcript expression of calS7 isoform x5 (calS7x5) and xth9 was evaluated over time in Citrus × sinensis ‘Valencia Late’ (VL) and Citrus × clementina ‘Fina’ (CL), infected with the severe CTV isolate T318A, by quantitative (q) PCR. qPCR analysis of healthy and CTV infected citrus was performed at 15 days, 10 months and at 31 months post-inoculation (dpi/mpi), respectively. The CTV titer, evaluated at the three time-points by qPCR, increased over time in bark tissues, with VL plants exhibiting a titer about 5 times higher than CL 31 mpi. CTV infection did not cause significant changes in calS7x5 gene expression over time in both citrus cultivars. However, CTV infection was associated with significant up-regulation of xth9 in VL compared to controls 31 mpi. This study highlights that CTV infection can affect the expression of specific cell wall-associated genes over time and that this influence was distinct for VL and CL. This study provides further insight into the CTV-citrus host interaction, with the long-term response of VL to a severe CTV isolate involving a high expression of the xth9 gene.
A Framework for the Empirical Investigation of Mindfulness Meditative Development
Authors: Galante Julieta , Grabovac Andrea , Wright Malcolm , Ingram Daniel M. , Van Dam Nicholas T. , Sanguinetti Joseph L. , Sparby Terje , van Lutterveld Remko , Sacchet Matthew D.
Published: April 2023

Millions of people globally have learned mindfulness meditation with the goal of improving health and well-being outcomes in both clinical and non-clinical contexts. An estimated half of these practitioners follow mindfulness teachers’ recommendations to continue regular meditation after completion of initial instruction, but it is unclear whether benefits are strengthened by regular practice and whether harm can occur. Increasing evidence shows a wide range of experiences that can arise with regular mindfulness meditation, from profoundly positive to challenging and potentially harmful. Initial research suggests that complex interactions and temporal sequences may explain these experiential phenomena and their relations to health and well-being. We believe further study of the effects of mindfulness meditation is urgently needed to better understand the benefits and challenges of continued practice after initial instructions. Effects may vary systematically over time due to factors such as initial dosage, accumulation of ongoing practice, developing skill of the meditator, and complex interactions with the subjects’ past experiences and present environment. We propose that framing mindfulness meditation experiences and any associated health and well-being benefits within integrated longitudinal models may be more illuminating than treating them as discrete, unrelated events. We call for ontologically agnostic, collaborative, and interdisciplinary research to study the effects of continued mindfulness meditation and their contexts, advancing the view that practical information found within religious and spiritual contemplative traditions can serve to develop initial theories and scientifically falsifiable hypotheses. Such investigation could inform safer and more effective applications of mindfulness meditation training for improving health and well-being.
Influence of system changes on closely spaced modes of a large-scale concrete tower for the application to structural health monitoring
Authors: Jonscher Clemens , Liesecke Leon , Penner Nikolai , Hofmeister Benedikt , Grießmann Tanja , Rolfes Raimund
Published: April 2023

Concrete steel towers are increasingly being used for onshore wind turbines. The lower part consists of separated segmented concrete rings connected with dry joints. Due to slight deviations from the axisymmetric cross-section, closely spaced modes occur. Therefore, the influences of small system changes on closely spaced modes, particularly the mode shapes, should be investigated to enable reliable vibration-based monitoring. In this context, the influence of imperfections due to the waviness of the dry joints requires attention. As no acceleration measurements on concrete towers considering small system changes have been performed so far, this has not yet been investigated. Therefore, an experiment is carried out using a large-scale laboratory model of a prestressed concrete segment tower. The system modifications are introduced by changing the preload. This changes the influence of imperfections of the surfaces of the horizontal dry joints, estimated by measuring strain and displacement at the lowest joint. An increasing preload causes the first two pairs of bending modes to move closer together. This enables to study the effect of the closeness of natural frequencies on the related mode shapes based on the same structure. Thus, the known effects of increasing uncertainty of the alignment and a rotation of the mode shape in the mode subspace with closer natural frequencies can be shown experimentally. In this work, the operational modal analysis (OMA) methods Bayesian-OMA (BAYOMA) and Stochastic Subspace Identification (SSI) are used. Local imperfections can significantly affect modal parameters, so these should be considered for vibration-based monitoring.
Geometrical parameters and strength of clinching joint formed with the use of an additional rivet
Authors: Mucha Jacek , Boda Łukasz , Witkowski Waldemar
Published: April 2023

In the publication, the results of an experimental analysis of joint formation by pressing of DX51D steel sheets with thickness of 1.5 (mm) with the use of a rigid punch and an additional deformable rivet of various shapes were presented. The influence of the use of a steel rivet with a diameter d = 5 (mm), similar to the dimensions of the forming punch in the case of the classic clinching variety on the interlock parameters was investigated. The used die was with a four movable segments—dedicated to connections made in the clinch-riveting technology by TOX® PRESSOTECHNIK. In additional, experimental tests were made for joining sheets with a rivet of various shapes, i.e. with a through hole. Joints were formed and the correctness of the upper blockage in the lower sheet was observed on the joints cross-sections. The interlock parameters were measured for each joints samples. In order to compare the influence of using an additional rivet on interlock parameters and joints strength the traditional clinching joints were also made. The minimal thickness of the traditional clinching joint embossment for 2 sheets of 1.5 (mm) thickness for each was X = 0.75 (mm).
Does a decannulation protocol exist in COVID-19 patients? The importance of working in a multiprofessional team
Authors: Cavalli E. , Belfiori G. , Molinari G. , Peghetti A. , Zanoni A. , Chinelli E.
Published: April 2023

As a Covid Hub in Emilia Romagna, we have experienced an increasing number of tracheostomized patients, prompting us to develop a standardized decannulation protocol for COVID-19 ARDS patients. Currently, there are no guidelines or protocols for decannulation in this population, and few studies have investigated the early outcomes of tracheostomy in COVID-19 patients, with no detailed analysis of the decannulation process. We recognized the importance of mutual reliance among our team members and the significant achievements we made compared to previous decannulation methods. Through the optimization of the decannulation process, we identified a clear, safe, and repeatable method based on clinical best practice and literature evidence. We decided to implement an existing standardized decannulation protocol, which was originally designed for severe brain-damaged patients, due to the growing number of COVID-19 patients with tracheostomy. This protocol was designed for daily practice and aimed to provide a uniform approach to using devices like fenestrated cannulas, speaking valves, and capping. The results of our implementation include:

expanding the applicability of the protocol beyond severe brain-damaged patients to different populations and settings (in this case, patients subjected to a long period of sedation and invasive ventilation)

early activation of speech therapy to facilitate weaning from the cannula and recovery of physiological swallowing and phonation

early activation of otolaryngologist evaluation to identify organic problems related to prolonged intubation, tracheostomy, and ventilation and address proper speech therapy treatment

activation of more fluid and effective management paths for decannulation with a multiprofessional team.
Biased Evaluative Descriptions
Authors: BERNSTEIN SARA
Published: April 2023

In this essay I identify a type of linguistic phenomenon new to feminist philosophy of language: biased evaluative descriptions. Biased evaluative descriptions are descriptions whose well-intended positive surface meanings are inflected with implicitly biased content. Biased evaluative descriptions are characterized by three main features: (1) they have roots in implicit bias or benevolent sexism, (2) their application is counterfactually unstable across dominant and subordinate social groups, and (3) they encode stereotypes. After giving several different kinds of examples of biased evaluative descriptions, I distinguish them from similar linguistic concepts, including backhanded compliments, slurs, insults, epithets, pejoratives, and dog whistles. I suggest that the traditional framework of Gricean implicature cannot account for biased evaluative descriptions. I discuss some challenges to the distinctiveness and evaluability of biased evaluative descriptions, including intersectional social identities. I conclude by discussing their social significance and moral status. Identifying biased evaluative descriptions is important for a variety of social contexts, from the very general and broad (political speeches) to the very particular and small (bias in academic hiring).
SEPARATING MANY LOCALISATION CARDINALS ON THE GENERALISED BAIRE SPACE
Authors: VAN DER VLUGT TRISTAN
Published: April 2023

Given a cofinal cardinal function
$h\in {}^{\kappa }\kappa $
for
$\kappa $
inaccessible, we consider the dominating h-localisation number, that is, the least cardinality of a dominating set of h-slaloms such that every
$\kappa $
-real is localised by a slalom in the dominating set. It was proved in [3] that the dominating localisation numbers can be consistently different for two functions h (the identity function and the power function). We will construct a
$\kappa ^+$
-sized family of functions h and their corresponding localisation numbers, and use a
${\leq }\kappa $
-supported product of a cofinality-preserving forcing to prove that any simultaneous assignment of these localisation numbers to cardinals above
$\kappa $
is consistent. This answers an open question from [3].
Conscience and Convenience: How Social Workers Pursue Rehabilitation in Chinese Community Corrections
Authors: Jiang Jize , Chen Xuan
Published: April 2023

The establishment of community corrections in China marks a restructuring of the Chinese penal field and a possibly differentiated arrangement of penal power. Social forces and community actors are now enabled and encouraged to participate in penal affairs and to share devolutionary penal power with the authoritarian state. Yet little research attention has been allotted to examine how these burgeoning social organizations, professional service providers, and community actors manage their participation in rehabilitative work and negotiate their rehabilitative aspirations with state ideologies and policy mandates as they work within Chinese community corrections (CCC). Drawing on observational data and in-depth interviews with social workers within CCC, we show the ways in which social workers actively create strategies to pursue their professional values of service and implement rehabilitative ideals and caring ethos while, at the same time, minimizing the risk of challenging state authority and jeopardizing penal policy priorities. Three devised approaches are presented, and their implications are discussed.
Locating Childbirth Devotion in the English Parish Church, 1450–1580
Authors: Donohoe Róisín
Published: April 2023

Childbirth in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century England was not simply a medical affair but a social and religious event, with an associated array of complex devotional practices. This article challenges the widely held view that such practices were generally confined to the home and shows how the English parish church accommodated public devotional childbirth customs and objects. Using the perspectives of space, materiality, mobility, and recycling, I investigate a set of mobile material culture associated with childbirth (namely prayer beads, linen, and girdles) which moved between the parish church and domestic spaces. The article explores the shifting devotional significance of these objects, not only as they moved through space but also through time, by examining their fate during the English Reformation. Highlighting the previously under-examined public presence of the childbearing woman in the English parish, the article demonstrates that attention to devotional spaces and objects can shed new light on the emotional experiences of childbirth and women's wider religious and social practices during a period which was simultaneously one of incremental change and intense upheaval.
The first complete mitochondrial genome of the genus Echinolaelaps reveals mitochondrial genome rearrangement type and evolution of Gamasida
Authors: Yuan Bili , He Gangxian , Dong Wenge
Published: April 2023

Echinolaelaps echidninus is a gamasid mite that is of medical and veterinary significance as parasites and vectors of disease agents, which can carry pathogens of zoonosis such as Rickettsia tsutsugamushi, Rickettsia Q fever, Rickettsia mooseri, Rickettsia pox pathogens, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis and Leptospira. At present, only single mitochondrial genes have been analysed for E. echidninus in the world, and no complete mitochondrial genome has been reported. However, information carried by a single gene is limited. Therefore, the complete mitochondrial genome of E. echidninus was determined for the first time by Illumina Hiseq X-Ten platform in this study. The mitochondrial genome is 15 736 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes and a control region of 1561 bp in length. Codon analysis of 13 protein-coding genes revealed that UUU, UUA, AUU, AUA and AAU were the most frequently used, while cox2 had the fastest evolutionary rate and cob the slowest. Comparative analysis of genome structure and breakpoint distances of the mitochondrial genomes of 23 species in 17 genera from 10 families of Gamasida deposited in GenBank revealed a novel gene arrangement type of the E. echidninus mitochondrial genome, and different degrees of rearrangement among different taxa of Gamasida. Phylogenetic analyses of Gamasida were performed using the maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. Echinolaelaps echidninus was clustered with Dermanyssoidea and formed a more supportive sister group with Varroa destructor. This study provides novel insights into rearrangement patterns and evolution of mitochondrial genomes of Gamasida.
Examining the role of maternal religiosity in offspring mental health using latent class analysis in a UK prospective cohort study
Authors: Halstead Isaac , Heron Jon , Svob Connie , Joinson Carol
Published: April 2023

Background

Previous research has examined the role of parental religious belief in offspring mental health, but has revealed inconsistent results, and suffered from a number of limitations. The aim of this study is to examine the prospective relationship between maternal religiosity and offspring mental health and psychosocial outcomes.

Methods

We used latent classes of religious belief (Highly religious, Moderately religious, Agnostic, Atheist) in mothers from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children from 1990, and examined their association with parent-reported mental health outcomes and self-reported psychosocial outcomes in their children at age 7–8 (n = 6079 for mental health outcomes and n = 5235 for psychosocial outcomes). We used inverse probability weighted multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for maternal mental health, adverse childhood experience, and socioeconomic variables.

Results

There was evidence for a greater risk of internalising problems among the offspring of the Highly religious and Moderately religious classes [e.g. for depression; OR 1.40. 95% CI (1.07–1.85), OR 1.48, 95% CI (1.17–1.87)], and greater risk of externalising problems in the offspring of the Atheist class [e.g. for ADHD; OR 1.41, 95% CI (1.08–1.85)], compared to the offspring of the Agnostic class.

Conclusions

These novel findings provide evidence associations between maternal religiosity and offspring mental health differ when examined using a person-centred approach, compared to the previously used variable-centred approaches. Our findings also suggest that differences may exist in the relationship between religious (non)belief and mental health variables when comparing the UK and US.
Technology and homecare in the UK: Policy, storylines and practice
Authors: Hamblin Kate , Burns Diane , Goodlad Cate
Published: April 2023

UK policy discourse presents technology as a solution to challenges facing care services, including issues of quality and the mismatch between care workforce supply and demand. This discourse characterises technology as ‘transformative’, homogenous and wholly positive for care delivery, eliding the diversity of digital devices and systems and their varied uses. Our paper draws on data gathered through 34 interviews with care sector stakeholders and four in-depth case studies of UK homecare providers to comparatively analyse ‘storylines’ of technological solutions expressed by policy (macro-level), sector stakeholders (meso-level) and homecare managers and care workers (micro-level) alongside enacted experiences of technology-in-use. The ‘storylines’ presented by care sector stakeholders and homecare managers converged with those of the policy discourse, emphasising technology’s capacity to enhance quality and efficiency. Our case studies however highlighted several implications for care work and organisational practice in homecare provision: the technologies we observed sometimes produced additional tasks and responsibilities, undermining the efficiency and quality storylines. The experiences of care providers and workers engaging with technologies in homecare warrant further investigation and greater prominence to challenge a discourse which is at times overly simplistic and optimistic.
The effects of interleaved and blocked corpus-based practice on L2 pragmatic development
Authors: Zhang Ying
Published: April 2023

A handful of second/foreign language (L2) studies have examined the effects of practice schedules and reported the advantage of interleaved practice (i.e., practice multiple skills simultaneously) over blocked practice (i.e., practice one skill first and then proceed to the next one). However, no studies in the realm of L2 pragmatics have explored this theme. This study investigated the influence of interleaved corpus-based practice and blocked corpus-based practice on L2 pragmatic development. Sixty-three L2 learners of English from a university in China received instruction on two pragmatic features: suggestions and requests. After the instruction, they were randomly assigned to an interleaved-practice group (n= 31) or a blocked-practice group (n= 32). Results from multimedia discourse completion tasks on the immediate and delayed posttests showed facilitative and long-term effects of interleaved practice on pragmatic accuracy. Moreover, the results revealed positive and durable influence of blocked practice on fluency. Implications are discussed.
Indeterminacy in Global Warming: A Supervaluationist Response
Authors: Dieveney Patrick
Published: April 2023

Global warming is a very complex collective harm. While various models have been proposed to assign moral responsibility in such cases, global warming presents an additional problem. The complexity of the climate system gives rise to ineliminable indeterminacy, which makes it impossible to determine the extent to which any particular emissions contribute to this collective harm. This indeterminacy poses an obstacle to assigning moral responsibility to individuals. To overcome this obstacle, I propose adopting a supervaluationist approach. This approach has several benefits. Among other things, it supplies a framework for assigning moral responsibility that handles indeterminacy that commonly arises when dealing with complex, global collective-harm scenarios.
Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Dignity Therapy Question Protocol to Brazilian Portuguese
Authors: Uchida Miwa Michelle , Paiva Carlos Eduardo , Ferreira Ana Julia Sucupira , Julião Miguel , Chochinov Harvey Max , Paiva Bianca Sakamoto Ribeiro
Published: April 2023

Objectives

Dignity therapy (DT) was developed to help patients at their end of life to reframe and give meaning to their illness process. The DT question protocol focuses on personhood and important aspects of the individual’s life. This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the Dignity Therapy Question Protocol (DTQP) to Brazilian Portuguese.

Methods

This was a descriptive and methodological study, and cross-cultural adaptation process comprised 4 stages: (1) translation and synthesis of English original version protocol into Brazilian Portuguese, (2) back translation, (3) experts committee, and (4) pretest.

Results

The Portuguese version of the DTQP – Protocolo de Perguntas sobre Terapia da Dignidade – demonstrated a content validity index of 1 for all equivalences. The initial sample consisted of 41 participants (9 [21.9%] refused to participate and 1 [2.43%] dropped out). The pretest was applied to 30 (73.1%) participants, 15 of them were female and the mean age was 53.4 years. The final version consisted of 10 questions that were approved by the original authors who affirmed that the DTQP Brazilian Portuguese version maintained the original English characteristics.

Significance of results

The Brazilian cultural adaptation of the DTQP was well understood by patients. It will be very useful in palliative care clinical practice for patients nearing end of life. The adapted version to Brazilian Portuguese will facilitate future studies using the DTQP.
Speech and Silence: Encountering Flowers in the Lieder of Clara Schumann
Authors: Parton Christopher
Published: April 2023

Around a third of Clara Schumann's vocal compositions include references to flowers, whether as passing metaphors or as the principal addressee of her chosen text. At first glance this may seem unremarkable given the central place flowers held in the symbology of Romantic literature. But the survival of documents such as the Blumenbuch für Robert (1854–56), in which she collected flowers from her travels around Europe, demonstrate a personal and distinctly feminine engagement with nineteenth-century floral practices beyond the vegetative poetics of male-authored poetry. This article examines the ways in which Clara Schumann engages with the overlapping floral discourses and media of the nineteenth century in four of her flower-centric lieder: ‘Die stille Lotosblume’, ‘An einem lichten Morgen’, ‘Was weinst du, Blümlein’ and ‘Das Veilchen’. In these songs, flowers are explicitly gendered through their material conflation with women's bodies and relationship to a (typically male) lyric persona. I show how Schumann often uses her piano accompaniments to undermine the male construction of passive flowers by granting flowers an emergent agency in her settings. In so doing, Schumann is able to protect the stubborn silences of flowers or reify their secret desires. Flowers in these lieder thus emerge as radically polysemic and multimodal symbols, not only hinting at a myriad of possible meanings, but also reflecting a mode of feminine authorship that can be recalcitrant, revealing and tactfully mutable.
Effect of core cultivation, fertility, and plant growth regulators on recovery of voided creeping bentgrass greens canopies following annual bluegrass control via methiozolin
Authors: Venner Katelyn A. , Ervin Erik , Koo Suk-Jin , Peppers John M. , Askew Shawn D.
Published: April 2023

Methiozolin is commonly used for the safe and selective removal of annual bluegrass from creeping bentgrass golf greens. Studies were conducted in 2013 and 2014 with the objective of assessing fertility programs consisting of synthetic fertilizers and biostimulants, with and without the plant growth regulator trinexapac-ethyl, to aid putting green canopy recovery following annual bluegrass removal via methiozolin. Additional studies were conducted to compare recovery of creeping bentgrass following an aggressive core aerification event with fertility programs with and without methiozolin. In all cases, the addition of 7 kg ha−1 of N-P-K from fertilizer or biostimulant biweekly to greens increased turfgrass recovery time by 1 to 3 wk compared to a standard green’s fertility program alone. Creeping bentgrass treated with biostimulants recovered equivalent to or quicker than creeping bentgrass treated with synthetic fertilizer (SF) in all cases. In the presence of methiozolin treatments, trinexapac-ethyl reduced time to 90% recovery (T90) by 0.25 to 0.5 wk at two locations, and increased T90 recovery time by 0.1 wk at one location. Otherwise, plots treated with SF plus trinexapac-ethyl were equivalent to plots treated with SF only. Methiozolin slowed turfgrass recovery time at one location where severe drought stress occurred but not at the other location that did not experience drought stress. These results suggest that turf managers should increase fertilizer treatments but will not need to discontinue trinexapac-ethyl use to maximize creeping bentgrass recovery following annual bluegrass control with methiozolin. These data also suggest that methiozolin has the potential to negatively affect creeping bentgrass recovery when drought stress is experienced.
Studienprotokoll für eine randomisiert-kontrollierte Studie zur Untersuchung der Cue-Exposure in der virtuellen Realität
Authors: Kroczek Agnes , Schröder Benedikt , Diemer Julia , Mühlberger Andreas , Ehlis Ann-Christine , Batra Anil
Published: April 2023

Zusammenfassung: Zielsetzung: Die „Cue-Exposure“-Therapie (CET) ist eine Intervention, die zur Rückfallprävention bei Substanzgebrauchsstörungen genutzt wird, um zu lernen, die automatisierte Reaktion auf suchtrelevante Reize (Cue-Reaktivität) zu habituieren. Die Effektivität der CET ist moderat; Gründe dafür und Möglichkeiten, diese in der virtuellen Realität (VR) zu verändern, werden diskutiert. In diesem Artikel wird die Entwicklung eines Studienprotokolls für eine VR-CET Studie zusammengefasst, welches eine Pilotstudie mit n=17 Rauchern beinhaltet, welche unterschiedliche Situationen hinsichtlich derer Rückfallwahrscheinlichkeit bewerten sollten. Der Artikel schließt mit einer Diskussion von Herausforderungen und Ausblicken im Bereich der VR-CET. Methodik: Es wird das Studienprotokoll einer randomisiert-kontrollierten Studie vorgestellt, in der vier unterschiedliche VR-CET-Szenarien genutzt werden sollen. Schlussfolgerungen: Die VR-CET erlaubt es, Einschränkungen der praktischen Anwendung der CET in der Rückfallprävention bei Raucher_innen zu überwinden. Die Notwendigkeit und die Möglichkeiten zur Individualisierung der VR-CET werden herausgearbeitet; damit in Zusammenhang stehende Schwierigkeiten werden thematisiert. Die Validierung der Ergebnisse aus VR-CET Studien ist erforderlich, um die praktische VR-CET-Anwendung zur Rückfallprävention bei Abhängigkeitserkrankungen zu optimieren.
Recent Trends and Variability in the Oceanic Storage of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon
Authors: Keppler L. , Landschützer P. , Lauvset S. K. , Gruber N.
Published: April 2023

Several methods have been developed to quantify the oceanic accumulation of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) in response to rising atmospheric CO2. Yet, we still lack a corresponding estimate of the changes in the total oceanic dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). In addition to the increase in anthropogenic CO2, changes in DIC also include alterations of natural CO2. Once integrated globally, changes in DIC reflect the net oceanic sink for atmospheric CO2, complementary to estimates of the air‐sea CO2 exchange based on surface measurements. Here, we extend the MOBO‐DIC machine learning approach by Keppler et al. (2020a, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/metadata/landing-page/bin/iso?id=gov.noaa.nodc%3A0221526) to estimate global monthly fields of DIC at 1° resolution over the top 1,500 m from 2004 through 2019. We find that over these 16 years and extrapolated to cover the whole global ocean down to 4,000 m, the oceanic DIC pool increased close to linearly at an average rate of 3.2 ± 0.7 Pg C yr−1. This trend is statistically indistinguishable from current estimates of the oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2 over the same period. Thus, our study implies no detectable net loss or gain of natural CO2 by the ocean, albeit the large uncertainties could be masking it. Our reconstructions suggest substantial internal redistributions of natural oceanic CO2, with a shift from the midlatitudes to the tropics and from the surface to below ∼200 m. Such redistributions correspond with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. The interannual variability of DIC is strongest in the tropical Western Pacific, consistent with the El Nio Southern Oscillation.
Semi‐Brittle Deformation of Talc at the Base of the Seismogenic Zone
Authors: Horn C. M. , Skemer P.
Published: April 2023

Talc is commonly found in the cores of exhumed faults and may be important to the dynamics of slip in active fault zones. To understand the rheology of talc at conditions relevant to subduction zones, we conducted torsional deformation experiments at high pressure (1 GPa) and temperatures (450–500°C). Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope imaging revealed a marked decrease in grain size with increasing strain, in addition to the development of grain kinking and nanoporosity. The similarity of these microstructures to talc deformed in natural faults and low‐pressure experiments indicates that the dominant deformation mechanisms of talc are similar across a wide range of depths. We conclude that frictional processes remain an important control on talc rheology even under high normal stresses. However, deformation‐induced porosity could enhance the percolation of high‐pressure or reactive fluids through talc‐rich lithologies.
Evaluating the Performance of the Canadian Land Surface Scheme Including Biogeochemical Cycles (CLASSIC) Tailored to the Pan‐Canadian Domain
Authors: Curasi Salvatore R. , Melton Joe R. , Humphreys Elyn R. , Wang Libo , Seiler Christian , Cannon Alex J. , Chan Ed , Qu Bo
Published: April 2023

Canada's boreal forests and tundra ecosystems are responding to unprecedented climate change with implications for the global carbon (C) cycle and global climate. However, our ability to model the response of Canada's terrestrial ecosystems to climate change is limited and there has been no comprehensive, process‐based assessment of Canada's terrestrial C cycle. We tailor the Canadian Land Surface Scheme Including Biogeochemical Cycles (CLASSIC) to Canada and evaluate its C cycling performance against independent reference data. We utilize skill scores to assess model performance against reference data alongside benchmark scores that quantify the level of agreement between the reference data sets to aid in interpretation. Our results demonstrate CLASSIC's sensitivity to prescribed vegetation cover. They also show that the addition of five region‐specific Plant functional types (PFTs) improves CLASSIC's skill at simulating the Canadian C cycle. CLASSIC performs well when tailored to Canada, falls within the range of the reference data sets, and meets or exceeds the benchmark scores for most C cycling processes. New region‐specific land cover products, well‐informed PFT parameterizations, and more detailed reference data sets will facilitate improvements to the representation of the terrestrial C cycle in regional and global land surface models. Incorporating a parameterization for boreal disturbance processes and explicitly representing peatlands and permafrost soils will improve CLASSIC's future performance in Canada and other boreal regions. This is an important step toward a comprehensive process‐based assessment of Canada's terrestrial C cycle and evaluating Canada's net C balance under climate change.
Cassini Radio Occultation Observations of Saturn's Ionosphere: Electron Density Profiles From 2005 to 2013
Authors: Tamburo P. , Withers Paul , Dalba P. A. , Moore L. , Koskinen T.
Published: April 2023

A set of electron density profiles of Saturn's ionosphere acquired by Cassini radio occultations is archived at the NASA Planetary Data System. However, the reference surface that defines zero altitude in these profiles is unknown and appears to vary by 1,500 km at fixed latitude. These profiles are immensely valuable for addressing questions pertaining to the vertical structure, meridional structure, diurnal variations, or solar cycle dependence of Saturn's ionosphere, but their value is severely limited by their questionable altitude scales. Here we have resolved this problem by independently generating the set of 60 electron density profiles. These profiles confirm that, as noted by previous authors, the structure of Saturn's ionosphere is highly variable. Nevertheless, the profiles suggest an underlying morphology of a broad layer at relatively high altitude (often at approximately 2,000–3,000 km altitude) and a series of narrower layers at lower altitude (often at approximately 1,000 km altitude). The vertical structure of Saturn's ionosphere depends on latitude and local time. At low latitudes, densities are greater at dusk than at dawn. Conversely, at mid latitudes, densities are greater at dawn than at dusk. The plasma scale height of the topside ionosphere is relatively small at low latitudes. The high, broad ionospheric layer is apparent at mid and high latitudes at both dawn and dusk, but is not present at low latitudes at either dawn or dusk. Total electron content also shows a strong dependence on latitude, with high latitudes having greater values than low and mid latitudes.
Construction of multiple concentration gradients for single-cell level drug screening
Authors: Shen Shaofei , Zhang Fangjuan , Zhang Yali , Li Yi , Niu Yanbing , Pang Long , Wang Jinyi
Published: April 2023

Isolation and manipulation of single cells play a crucial role in drug screening. However, previously reported single-cell drug screening lacked multiple-dose concentration gradient studies, which limits their ability to predict drug performance accurately. To solve this problem, we constructed a multiconcentration gradient generator in which a Tai Chi-spiral mixer can accelerate solution mixing in a short time and produce a linear concentration gradient. Later, a gradient generator combined with a single-cell capture array was adopted to investigate the effects of single or combined doses of 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin on human hepatoma cells and human breast carcinoma cells (at the single-cell level). The results showed that both drugs were effective in inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, and the combination was more effective for human hepatoma cells. In addition, the relationship between the biomechanical heterogeneity (e.g., deformability and size) of tumor cells and potential drug resistance at the single-cell level was investigated, indicating that small and/or deformable cells were more resistant than large and/or less deformable cells. The device provides a simple and reliable platform for studying the optimal dosage of different drug candidates at the single-cell level and effectively screening single-agent chemotherapy regimens and combination therapies.
Inhibition of USP14 promotes TNFα-induced cell death in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC)
Authors: Morgan Ethan L. , Toni Tiffany , Viswanathan Ramya , Robbins Yvette , Yang Xinping , Cheng Hui , Gunti Sreenivasulu , Huynh Angel , Sowers Anastasia L. , Mitchell James B. , Allen Clint T. , Chen Zhong , Van Waes Carter
Published: April 2023

TNFα is a key mediator of immune, chemotherapy and radiotherapy-induced cytotoxicity, but several cancers, including head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), display resistance to TNFα due to activation of the canonical NFκB pro-survival pathway. However, direct targeting of this pathway is associated with significant toxicity; thus, it is vital to identify novel mechanism(s) contributing to NFκB activation and TNFα resistance in cancer cells. Here, we demonstrate that the expression of proteasome-associated deubiquitinase USP14 is significantly increased in HNSCC and correlates with worse progression free survival in Human Papillomavirus (HPV)- HNSCC. Inhibition or depletion of USP14 inhibited the proliferation and survival of HNSCC cells. Further, USP14 inhibition reduced both basal and TNFα-inducible NFκB activity, NFκB-dependent gene expression and the nuclear translocation of the NFκB subunit RELA. Mechanistically, USP14 bound to both RELA and IκBα and reduced IκBα K48-ubiquitination leading to the degradation of IκBα, a critical inhibitor of the canonical NFκB pathway. Furthermore, we demonstrated that b-AP15, an inhibitor of USP14 and UCHL5, sensitized HNSCC cells to TNFα-mediated cell death, as well as radiation-induced cell death in vitro. Finally, b-AP15 delayed tumor growth and enhanced survival, both as a monotherapy and in combination with radiation, in HNSCC tumor xenograft models in vivo, which could be significantly attenuated by TNFα depletion. These data offer new insights into the activation of NFκB signaling in HNSCC and demonstrate that small molecule inhibitors targeting the ubiquitin pathway warrant further investigation as a novel therapeutic avenue to sensitize these cancers to TNFα- and radiation-induced cytotoxicity.