bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Polyploidy and hybridization in the Mediterranean: unravelling the evolutionary history of Centaurium (Gentianaceae)
Authors: Valdés-Florido Ana , González-Toral Claudia , Maguilla Enrique , Cires Eduardo , Díaz-Lifante Zoila , Andrés-Camacho Cristina , Nieto Feliner Gonzalo , Arroyo Juan , Escudero Marcial
Published: April 2024

Background and Aims

Polyploidy is considered one of the main mechanisms of plant evolution and speciation. In the Mediterranean Basin, polyploidy has contributed to making this region a biodiversity hotspot, along with its geological and climatic history and other ecological and biogeographical factors. The Mediterranean genus Centaurium (Gentianaceae) comprises ~25 species, of which 60 % are polyploids, including tetraploids and hexaploids. To date, the evolutionary history of centauries has been studied using Sanger sequencing phylogenies, which have been insufficient to fully understand the phylogenetic relationships in this lineage. The goal of this study is to gain a better understanding of the evolutionary history of Centaurium by exploring the mechanisms that have driven its diversification, specifically hybridization and polyploidy. We aim to identify the parentage of hybrid species, at the species or clade level, as well as assessing whether morphological traits are associated with particular ploidy levels.

Methods

We sequenced RADseq markers from 42 samples of 28 Centaurium taxa, and performed phylogenomic analyses using maximum likelihood, summary coalescent SVDquartets and Neighbor-Net approaches. To identify hybrid taxa, we used PhyloNetworks and the fastSTRUCTURE algorithm. To infer the putative parental species of the allopolyploids, we employed genomic analyses (SNIPloid). The association between different traits and particular ploidy levels was explored with non-metric multidimensional scaling.

Key Results

Our phylogenetic analyses confirmed the long-suspected occurrence of recurrent hybridization. The allopolyploid origin of the tetraploid C. serpentinicola and the hexaploids C. mairei, C. malzacianum and C. centaurioides was also confirmed, unlike that of C. discolor. We inferred additional signatures of hybridization events within the genus and identified morphological traits differentially distributed in different ploidy levels.

Conclusions

This study highlights the important role that hybridization has played in the evolution of a Mediterranean genus such as Centaurium, leading to a polyploid complex, which facilitated its diversification and may exemplify that of other Mediterranean groups.
Managing Risk and Uncertainty in the Context of Child Protection Decision Making
Authors: Harnett Paul H
Published: April 2024

Uncertainty is a concept related to, but distinct from, risk. Risk has been defined as the portion of the continuum from complete certainty to total ignorance that can be estimated using tools of probability. Uncertainty, on the other hand lies in the portion of the continuum of knowability that is incalculable and uncontrollable. It is well established that estimating risk probabilistically in the child protection context is unreliable and prone to error under conditions of high uncertainty—particularly when making decisions on the long-term needs of a child. This is true whether risk is estimated using professional judgement, statistical algorithms or a combination of both. In other disciplines, tools have been developed that transition decision making away from the probabilistic reasoning associated with judgments of risk (the ‘Predict and Act’ paradigm) to procedures that do not rely on the probabilistic estimation of risk (the ‘Monitor and Adapt’ paradigm). A pragmatic approach to adapting existing assessment procedures developed within the Predict and Act paradigm to align more closely with the Monitor and Adapt approach is presented. It is suggested that a key component of such an adaptation would be integrating case formulation into routine child protection practice.
Sensibility to the Role of Child Welfare Services in the Machinery of Stigma
Authors: Fævelen Malin , Kojan Bente Heggem
Published: April 2024

Sensibility to stigma in child welfare systems is important to prevent harmful acts against marginalised groups in society. This case analysis centres around one family in the child welfare service (CWS) that could be considered marginalised across several dimensions. The empirical material consists of three separate in-depth interviews with the child, their parents and their caseworker. We explore how the stigma attributed to the family was enhanced through the relationship with the CWS and the role stigmatisation played in the interactions between the family and the CWS. The analysis showed how the parents were constructed as ‘outsiders’, compared to the ideal; they lacked money, good looks, and character. Although the parents were somehow subjugated and the caseworker perceived them as submissive, they also resisted stigma in both open and subtle ways. However, this was not always sensed by the CWS. We discuss the importance of addressing stigma in all its forms and acknowledge that stigma is power, which is also intertwined with the broader policy. This is crucial knowledge to mitigate the role of the CWS in the stigma machine and in turn reduce structural bias within the CWS.
Ten tips on immunosuppression in primary membranous nephropathy
Authors: Trujillo Hernando , Caravaca-Fontán Fernando , Praga Manuel
Published: April 2024

Membranous nephropathy (MN) management poses challenges, particularly in selecting appropriate immunosuppressive treatments (IST) and monitoring disease progression and complications. This article highlights 10 key tips for the management of primary MN based on current evidence and clinical experience. First, we advise against prescribing IST to patients without nephrotic syndrome (NS), emphasizing the need for close monitoring of disease progression. Second, we recommend initiating IST in patients with persistent NS or declining kidney function. Third, we suggest prescribing rituximab (RTX) or RTX combined with calcineurin inhibitors in medium-risk patients. Fourth, we propose cyclophosphamide-based immunosuppression for high-risk patients. Fifth, we discourage the use of glucocorticoid monotherapy or mycophenolate mofetil as initial treatments. Sixth, we underscore the importance of preventing infectious complications in patients receiving IST. Seventh, we emphasize the need for personalized monitoring of IST by closely measuring kidney function, proteinuria, serum albumin and anti-M-type phospholipase A2 receptor levels. Eighth, we recommend a stepwise approach in the treatment of resistant disease. Ninth, we advise adjusting treatment for relapses based on individual risk profiles. Finally, we caution about the potential recurrence of MN after kidney transplantation and suggest appropriate monitoring and treatment strategies for post-transplantation MN. These tips provide comprehensive guidance for clinicians managing MN, aiming to optimize patient outcomes and minimize complications.
Drug-target Mendelian randomization analysis supports lowering plasma ANGPTL3, ANGPTL4, and APOC3 levels as strategies for reducing cardiovascular disease risk
Authors: Landfors Fredrik , Henneman Peter , Chorell Elin , Nilsson Stefan K , Kersten Sander
Published: April 2024

Aims

APOC3, ANGPTL3, and ANGPTL4 are circulating proteins that are actively pursued as pharmacological targets to treat dyslipidaemia and reduce the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Here, we used human genetic data to compare the predicted therapeutic and adverse effects of APOC3, ANGPTL3, and ANGPTL4 inactivation.

Methods and results

We conducted drug-target Mendelian randomization analyses using variants in proximity to the genes associated with circulating protein levels to compare APOC3, ANGPTL3, and ANGPTL4 as drug targets. We obtained exposure and outcome data from large-scale genome-wide association studies and used generalized least squares to correct for linkage disequilibrium-related correlation. We evaluated five primary cardiometabolic endpoints and screened for potential side effects across 694 disease-related endpoints, 43 clinical laboratory tests, and 11 internal organ MRI measurements. Genetically lowering circulating ANGPTL4 levels reduced the odds of coronary artery disease (CAD) [odds ratio, 0.57 per s.d. protein (95% CI 0.47–0.70)] and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) [odds ratio, 0.73 per s.d. protein (95% CI 0.57–0.94)]. Genetically lowering circulating APOC3 levels also reduced the odds of CAD [odds ratio, 0.90 per s.d. protein (95% CI 0.82–0.99)]. Genetically lowered ANGPTL3 levels via common variants were not associated with CAD. However, meta-analysis of protein-truncating variants revealed that ANGPTL3 inactivation protected against CAD (odds ratio, 0.71 per allele [95%CI, 0.58–0.85]). Analysis of lowered ANGPTL3, ANGPTL4, and APOC3 levels did not identify important safety concerns.

Conclusion

Human genetic evidence suggests that therapies aimed at reducing circulating levels of ANGPTL3, ANGPTL4, and APOC3 reduce the risk of CAD. ANGPTL4 lowering may also reduce the risk of T2D.
Impact of left atrial appendage flow velocity on thrombus resolution and clinical outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation and silent left atrial thrombi: insights from the LAT study
Authors: Okada Masato , Inoue Koichi , Tanaka Nobuaki , Tanaka Koji , Hirao Yuko , Iwakura Katsuomi , Egami Yasuyuki , Masuda Masaharu , Watanabe Tetsuya , Minamiguchi Hitoshi , Oka Takafumi , Hikoso Shungo , Sunaga Akihiro , Okada Katsuki , Nakatani Daisaku , Sotomi Yohei , Sakata Yasushi ,   Osaka Cardiovascular Conference (OCVC)-Arrhythmia Investigators, Masuda Masaharu , Mano Toshiaki , Inoue Koichi , Matsumura Yasushi , Kawasaki Masato , Watanabe Tetsuya , Yamada Takahisa , Miyoshi Miwa , Kanda Takashi , Minamiguchi Hitoshi , Makino Nobuhiko , Higuchi Yoshiharu , Matsunaga Yasuharu , Egami Yasuyuki , Nishino Masami , Tanouchi Jun , Sato Taiki , Kida Hirota , Sunaga Akihiro , Nakano Tomoaki , Ozu Kentaro , Sotomi Yohei , Dohi Tomoharu , Okada Katsuki , Oka Takafumi , Takeda Toshihiro , Nakatani Daisaku , Hikoso Shungo , Sakata Yasushi , Tanaka Nobuaki , Tanaka Koji , Okada Masato , Minamisaka Tomoko , Hoshida Shiro
Published: April 2024

Aims

Blood stasis is crucial in developing left atrial (LA) thrombi. LA appendage peak flow velocity (LAAFV) is a quantitative parameter for estimating thromboembolic risk. However, its impact on LA thrombus resolution and clinical outcomes remains unclear.

Methods and results

The LAT study was a multicentre observational study investigating patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and silent LA thrombi detected by transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE). Among 17 436 TEE procedures for patients with AF, 297 patients (1.7%) had silent LA thrombi. Excluding patients without follow-up examinations, we enrolled 169 whose baseline LAAFV was available. Oral anticoagulation use increased from 85.7% at baseline to 97.0% at the final follow-up (P < 0.001). During 1 year, LA thrombus resolution was confirmed in 130 (76.9%) patients within 76 (34–138) days. Conversely, 26 had residual LA thrombi, 8 had thromboembolisms, and 5 required surgical removal. These patients with failed thrombus resolution had lower baseline LAAFV than those with successful resolution (18.0 [15.8–22.0] vs. 22.2 [17.0–35.0], P = 0.003). Despite limited predictive power (area under the curve, 0.659; P = 0.001), LAAFV ≤ 20.0 cm/s (best cut-off) significantly predicted failed LA thrombus resolution, even after adjusting for potential confounders (odds ratio, 2.72; 95% confidence interval, 1.22–6.09; P = 0.015). The incidence of adverse outcomes including ischaemic stroke/systemic embolism, major bleeding, or all-cause death was significantly higher in patients with reduced LAAFV than in those with preserved LAAFV (28.4% vs. 11.6%, log-rank P = 0.005).

Conclusion

Failed LA thrombus resolution was not rare in patients with AF and silent LA thrombi. Reduced LAAFV was associated with failed LA thrombus resolution and adverse clinical outcomes.
Fungal endophytes from saline-adapted shrubs induce salinity stress tolerance in tomato seedlings
Authors: Mutungi Priscillar Mumo , Wekesa Vitalis Wafula , Onguso Justus , Kanga Erustus , Baleba Steve B S , Boga Hamadi Iddi
Published: April 2024

To meet the food and feed demands of the growing population, global food production needs to double by 2050. Climate change-induced challenges to food crops, especially soil salinization, remain a major threat to food production. We hypothesize that endophytic fungi isolated from salt-adapted host plants can confer salinity stress tolerance to salt-sensitive crops. Therefore, we isolated fungal endophytes from shrubs along the shores of saline alkaline Lake Magadi and evaluated their ability to induce salinity stress tolerance in tomato seeds and seedlings. Of 60 endophytic fungal isolates, 95% and 5% were from Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes phyla, respectively. The highest number of isolates (48.3%) were from the roots. Amylase, protease and cellulase were produced by 25, 30 and 27 isolates, respectively; and 32 isolates solubilized phosphate. Only eight isolates grew at 1.5 M NaCl. Four fungal endophytes (Cephalotrichum cylindricum, Fusarium equiseti, Fusarium falciforme and Aspergilus puniceus) were tested under greenhouse conditions for their ability to induce salinity tolerance in tomato seedlings. All four endophytes successfully colonized tomato seedlings and grew in 1.5 M NaCl. The germination of endophyte-inoculated seeds was enhanced by 23%, whereas seedlings showed increased chlorophyll and biomass content and decreased hydrogen peroxide content under salinity stress, compared with controls. The results suggest that the the four isolates can potentially be used to mitigate salinity stress in tomato plants in salt-affected soils.
Protective anti-chlamydial vaccine regimen-induced CD4+ T cell response mediates early inhibition of pathogenic CD8+ T cell response following genital challenge
Authors: Murthy Ashlesh K , Wright-McAfee Erika , Warda Katerina , Moy Lindsay N , Bui Nhi , Musunuri Tarakarama , Manam Srikanth , Chako Clemence Z , Ramsey Kyle H , Li Weidang
Published: April 2024

We have demonstrated previously that TNF-α-producing CD8+ T cells mediate chlamydial pathogenesis, likely in an antigen (Ag)-specific fashion. Here we hypothesize that inhibition of Ag-specific CD8+ T cell response after immunization and/or challenge would correlate with protection against oviduct pathology induced by a protective vaccine regimen. Intranasal (i.n.) live chlamydial elementary body (EB), intramuscular (i.m.) live EB, or i.n. irrelevant antigen, bovine serum albumin (BSA), immunized animals induced near-total protection, 50% protection, or no protection, respectively against oviduct pathology following i.vag. C. muridarum challenge. In these models, we evaluated Ag-specific CD8+ T cell cytokine response at various time-periods after immunization or challenge. The results show protective efficacy of vaccine regimens correlated with reduction of Ag-specific CD8+ T cell TNF-α responses following i.vag. chlamydial challenge, not after immunization. Depletion of CD4+ T cells abrogated, whereas adoptive transfer of Ag-specific CD4+ T cells induced the significant reduction of Ag-specific CD8+ T cell TNF-α response after chlamydial challenge. In conclusion, protective anti-chlamydial vaccine regimens induce Ag-specific CD4+ T cell response that mediate early inhibition of pathogenic CD8+ T cell response following challenge and may serve as a predictive biomarker of protection against Chlamydia -induced chronic pathologies.
The potential for Scotch Malt Whisky flavour diversification by yeast
Authors: Daute Martina , Jack Frances , Walker Graeme
Published: April 2024

Scotch Whisky, a product of high importance to Scotland, has gained global approval for its distinctive qualities derived from the traditional production process, which is defined in law. However, ongoing research continuously enhances Scotch Whisky production and is fostering a diversification of flavour profiles. To be classified as Scotch Whisky, the final spirit needs to retain the aroma and taste of ‘Scotch’. While each production step contributes significantly to whisky flavour—from malt preparation and mashing to fermentation, distillation, and maturation—the impact of yeast during fermentation is crucially important. Not only does the yeast convert the sugar to alcohol, it also produces important volatile compounds, e.g. esters and higher alcohols, that contribute to the final flavour profile of whisky. The yeast chosen for whisky fermentations can significantly influence whisky flavour, so the yeast strain employed is of high importance. This review explores the role of yeast in Scotch Whisky production and its influence on flavour diversification. Furthermore, an extensive examination of nonconventional yeasts employed in brewing and winemaking is undertaken to assess their potential suitability for adoption as Scotch Whisky yeast strains, followed by a review of methods for evaluating new yeast strains.
Now or Later? Examining Social and Financial Decision Making in Middle-to-Older Aged Adults
Authors: Halpin Amy , Tallman Morgan , Boeve Angelica , MacAulay Rebecca K
Published: April 2024

Objectives

Contextually driven decision making is multidimensional, as individuals need to contend with prioritizing both competing and complementary demands. However, data is limited as to whether temporal discounting rates vary as a function of framing (gains vs loss) and domain (monetary vs social) in middle-to-older aged adults. It is also unclear whether socioaffective characteristics like social isolation and loneliness are associated with temporal discounting.

Methods

Temporal discounting rates were examined across monetary gain, monetary loss, social gain, and social loss conditions in 140 adults aged 50–90 during the Omicron stage of the pandemic. Self-report measures assessed loneliness and social isolation levels.

Results

Results found evidence of steeper temporal discounting rates for gains as compared to losses in both domains. Social outcomes were also more steeply discounted than monetary outcomes, without evidence of an interaction with the framing condition. Socioeconomic and socioaffective factors were unexpectedly not associated with temporal discounting rates.

Discussion

Community-dwelling middle-to-older aged adults showed a preference for immediate rewards and devalued social outcomes more than monetary outcomes. These findings have implications for tailoring social and financial incentive programs for middle to later adulthood.
Assessing health behavior change and comparing remote, hybrid and in-person implementation of a school-based health promotion and coaching program for adolescents from low-income communities
Authors: Gefter Liana , Morioka-Douglas Nancy , Srivastava Ashini , Jiang Can Angela , Lewis Meredith , Sanders Lee , Rodriguez Eunice
Published: April 2024

To assess the impact of a school-based health intervention on adolescents’ health knowledge, psychosocial assets and health behaviors, including comparisons of implementation mode: remote, hybrid or in-person. The Stanford Youth Diabetes Coaches Program, an 8-week, school-based health promotion and coaching skills program, was offered to adolescents (ages 14–18 years) from four low-income US communities. Mode of program implementation was remote, hybrid or in-person. Participants completed online pre- and postsurveys. Analysis included paired t-tests, linear regression and qualitative coding. From Fall 2020 to Fall 2021, 262 adolescents enrolled and 179 finished the program and completed pre- and postsurveys. Of the 179, 80% were female, with a mean age of 15.9 years; 22% were Asian; 8% were Black or African American; 25% were White; and 40% were Hispanic. About 115 participants were remote, 25 were hybrid and 39 were in-person. Across all participants, significant improvements (P < 0.01) were reported in health knowledge, psychosocial assets (self-esteem, self-efficacy and problem-solving) and health behaviors (physical activity, nutrition and stress reduction). After adjusting for sex and age, these improvements were roughly equivalent across the three modes of delivery. Participation was associated with significant improvements in adolescent health behaviors. Furthermore, remote mode of instruction was just as effective as in-person and hybrid modes.
Genomic Diversity and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Invasive Neisseria meningitidis in South Africa, 2016–2021
Authors: Mikhari Rito L , Meiring Susan , de Gouveia Linda , Chan Wai Yin , Jolley Keith A , Van Tyne Daria , Harrison Lee H , Marjuki Henju , Ismail Arshad , Quan Vanessa , Cohen Cheryl , Walaza Sibongile , von Gottberg Anne , du Plessis Mignon
Published: April 2024

Background

Invasive meningococcal isolates in South Africa have in previous years (<2008) been characterized by serogroup B, C, W, and Y lineages over time, with penicillin intermediate resistance (peni) at 6%. We describe the population structure and genomic markers of peni among invasive meningococcal isolates in South Africa, 2016–2021.

Methods

Meningococcal isolates were collected through national, laboratory-based invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) surveillance. Phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing were performed, and the mechanism of reduced penicillin susceptibility was assessed in silico.

Results

Of 585 IMD cases reported during the study period, culture and PCR-based capsular group was determined for 477/585 (82%); and 241/477 (51%) were sequenced. Predominant serogroups included NmB (210/477; 44%), NmW (116/477; 24%), NmY (96/477; 20%), and NmC (48/477; 10%). Predominant clonal complexes (CC) were CC41/44 in NmB (27/113; 24%), CC11 in NmW (46/56; 82%), CC167 in NmY (23/44; 53%), and CC865 in NmC (9/24; 38%). Peni was detected in 16% (42/262) of isolates, and was due to the presence of a penA mosaic, with the majority harboring penA7, penA9, or penA14.

Conclusions

IMD lineages circulating in South Africa were consistent with those circulating prior to 2008; however, peni was higher than previously reported, and occurred in a variety of lineages.
The International Refugee Regime and the Liberal International Order: Dialectics of Contestation
Authors: Lavenex Sandra
Published: April 2024

The international refugee regime finds itself in a delicate balance between two conflicting principles of the liberal order: the particularism of sovereign states and the universalism of human rights. This article proposes a theory of endogenous contestation, rooted in the dialectic of law, propelling liberal aspirations, and politics, vindicating sovereign control. In doing so, we identify three shifts in the international refugee regime. Following 1945, legal consolidation in a propitious geopolitical context engendered a phase of regime expansion. The provisional “triumph” of liberalism in the early 1990s bolstered the regime’s geographical and normative clout but fueled political backlash. This set the stage for a new phase of regime contestation, where liberal democracies adapted political practices to ostensibly uphold the asylum norm while precluding access to it. The article concludes by exploring whether this subversion signals a gradual evolution or a fundamental shift in the nature of the liberal refugee regime.
Insights into the human metabolism of hexahydrocannabinol by non-targeted liquid chromatography–high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Pitterl Florian , Pavlic Marion , Liu Jianmei , Oberacher Herbert
Published: April 2024

Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), 6,6,9-trimethyl-3-pentyl-6a,7,8,9,10,10a-hexahydrobenzo[c]chromen-1-ol, is a semi-synthetic cannabinoid that has presented challenges to analytical laboratories due to its emergence and spread in the drug market. The lack of information on human pharmacokinetics hinders the development and application of presumptive and confirmatory tests for reliably detecting HHC consumption. To address this knowledge gap, we report the analytical results obtained from systematic forensic toxicological analysis of body-fluid samples collected from three individuals suspected of drug-impaired driving after HHC consumption. Urine and plasma samples were analyzed using non-targeted liquid chromatography–high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry. The results provided evidence that HHC undergoes biotransformation reactions similar to other well-characterized cannabinoids, such as ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabidiol. Notably, HHC itself was only detectable in plasma samples, not in urine samples. The observed Phase I reactions involved oxidation of C11 and the pentyl side chain, leading to corresponding hydroxylated and carboxylic acid species. Additionally, extensive glucuronidation of HHC and its Phase I metabolites was evident.
Should We Offer Web, Paper, or Both? A Comparison of Single- and Mixed-Response Mode Treatments in a Mail Survey
Authors: Heimel Sarah K , Medway Rebecca L , Horwitz Rachel T
Published: April 2024

This article leverages a five-treatment response mode experiment (paper-only, web-only, sequential web-mail, choice, and choice-plus [choice with a promised incentive for responding online]) that was conducted within a nationally representative survey. Because this survey’s sample was drawn from respondents to another nationally representative survey, we have rich frame data that includes multiple indicators of comfort using the internet for our sample members and we can compare their response behavior across two surveys. We find that the paper-only treatment yielded a lower response rate than most of the other treatments, but there were not significant differences between the response rates for the other treatments. Among our mixed-mode treatments, the sequential web-mail treatment had the highest percentage of response by web and the lowest cost per response. When focusing on the subgroups that we expected to be the least—and the most—comfortable with the internet, we found that the paper-only treatment generally performed worse than the others, even among subgroups expected not to be comfortable with the internet. We generally did not find significant differences in the effect of response mode treatment on the response rate or percentage of response by web between the subgroups who were the most and least comfortable with the internet. In terms of the consistency of response mode choice over time, our results suggest that some people respond consistently—but also that response mode preferences are weak enough that they can be influenced by the way in which the modes are offered. We ultimately recommend using a sequential web-mail design to minimize costs while still providing people who cannot or will not respond by web with another response mode option. We also find evidence that there may be a growing lack of interest in responding by paper; more research is needed in this area.
Caveat Emptor: The Curious Case of Scotland’s Astorga Collection
Authors: Lennon Paul Joseph
Published: April 2024

The Astorga Collection comprises 3,716 pre-1800 volumes and forms part of the Special and Named Printed Collections at the National Library of Scotland. This article revisits the nineteenth-century historical narrative surrounding the events that saw part of the Astorga library taken from Spain to France, the result of political pressures, and sold in England to raise funds, focusing attention upon the purchase to understand how the Faculty paid the princely sum of £3,000 for what it believed was some seven thousand volumes only to receive fewer than half that. Use is made of hitherto unexplored archival sources to illuminate the involvement of King Fernando VII in relaxing mayorazgo to help the Marquis clear his debts, and the involvement of the Scottish publisher Archibald Constable (1774-1827) in the Faculty’s purchase, and how a misunderstanding in the Scottish chapter of this collection's history may have resulted in the costly mistake.
Biphasic Kinetics of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 in Response to Military Field Training in Brazilian Air Force Recruits
Authors: Talarico Neto Thomaz , Magraner José Maurício , Hahns Júnior Higino Carlos , Ferreira Leandro , Martinelli Júnior Carlos Eduardo , Tourinho Filho Hugo
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Insulin-like growth factor type I (IGF-I) has gained considerable notoriety in military training, primarily because it is responsible for energy deficits and sensitive to an inadequate protein intake, which are situations that are commonly experienced in specific military operations. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the kinetics of IGF-I and insulin-like growth factor binding protein type 3 (IGFBP-3) in a 4-day military field training exercise.

Materials and Methods

The sample comprised 12 male soldiers (21.71 ± 1.64 years). Changes were assessed at 3 times: time 1—basal (control week); time 2—after specific military field training; and time 3—1 week after the specific training (control week). Changes in body composition and serum levels of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were observed.

Results

The main finding of this study was it verified the biphasic kinetics of both IGF-I and IGFBP-3 at the 3 times observed, that is, a significant drop from time 1 (basal—IGF-I: 189 ng/mL and IGFBP-3: 4.71 mg/L) to time 2 (immediately after military training—IGF-I: 162 ng/mL and IGFBP-3: 4.08 mg/L) and a subsequent recovery of these markers, with a significant increase from time 2 (immediately after military training) to time 3 (a week after military training—IGF-I: 199 ng/mL and IGFBP-3: 4.96 mg/L).

Conclusions

It can be concluded that IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels respond quickly to the stimuli caused by military training, especially after specific field training. However, the same markers quickly return to their basal values after this type of training finishes, simply by following the daily routine of the battalion in the control weeks, with no specific intervention being necessary.
Segmentation of hyphae and yeast in fungi-infected tissue slice images and its application in analyzing antifungal blue light therapy
Authors: Wang Yuan , Zhang Yunchu , Leng Hong , Dong Jianfei
Published: April 2024

Candida albicans is a pathogenic fungus that undergoes morphological transitions between hyphal and yeast forms, adapting to diverse environmental stimuli and exhibiting distinct virulence. Existing research works on antifungal blue light (ABL) therapy have either focused solely on hyphae or neglected to differentiate between morphologies, obscuring potential differential effects. To address this gap, we established a novel dataset of 150 C. albicans-infected mouse skin tissue slice images with meticulously annotated hyphae and yeast. Eleven representative convolutional neural networks were trained and evaluated on this dataset using seven metrics to identify the optimal model for segmenting hyphae and yeast in original high pixel size images. Leveraging the segmentation results, we analyzed the differential impact of blue light on the invasion depth and density of both morphologies within the skin tissue. U-Net-BN outperformed other models in segmentation accuracy, achieving the best overall performance. While both hyphae and yeast exhibited significant reductions in invasion depth and density at the highest ABL dose (180 J/cm2), only yeast was significantly inhibited at the lower dose (135 J/cm2). This novel finding emphasizes the importance of developing more effective treatment strategies for both morphologies.
Chemical abundances of LINER galaxies – nitrogen abundance estimations
Authors: Oliveira C B , Krabbe A C , Dors O L , Zinchenko I A , Hernandez-Jimenez J A , Cardaci M V , Hägele G F , Ilha G S
Published: April 2024

In this work, we investigated the nitrogen and oxygen abundances in a sample of galaxies with Low Ionization Nuclear Emission Regions (LINERs) in their nucleus. Optical spectroscopic data (3600 – 10 000 Å) of 40 LINERs from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies (MaNGAs) survey were considered. Only objects classified as retired galaxies, that is, whose main ionization sources are post-Asymptotic Giant Branch (pAGB) stars, were selected. The abundance estimates were obtained through detailed photoionization models built with the cloudy code to reproduce a set of observational emission line intensities ratios of the sample. Our results show that LINERs have oxygen and nitrogen abundances in the ranges of $\rm 8.0 \: \lesssim \: 12+\log (O/H) \: \lesssim \: 9.0$ (mean value 8.74 ± 0.27) and $\rm 7.6 \: \lesssim \: 12+\log (N/H) \: \lesssim \: 8.5$ (mean value 8.05 ± 0.25), respectively. About 70 per cent of the sample have oversolar O/H and N/H abundances. Our abundance estimates are in consonance with those for Seyfert 2 nuclei and H ii regions with the highest metallicity, indicating that these distinct object classes show similar enrichment of the interstellar medium (ISM). The LINERs in our sample are located in the higher N/O region of the N/O versus O/H diagram, showing an unexpected negative correlation between these two parameters. These results suggest that these LINERs mainly exhibit a secondary nitrogen production and could be acting some other mechanisms that deviate them from the usual theoretical secondary nitrogen production curve and the H ii regions observations. However, we did not find any evidence in our data able to support the literature suggested mechanisms. Alternatively, our results show that LINERs do not present any correlation between the N/O abundances and the stellar masses of the hosting galaxies.
Live-Donor Kidney Transplant Outcome Prediction (L-TOP) using artificial intelligence
Authors: Ali Hatem , Mohammed Mahmoud , Molnar Miklos Z , Fülöp Tibor , Burke Bernard , Shroff Sunil , Shroff Arun , Briggs David , Krishnan Nithya
Published: April 2024

Background

Outcome prediction for live-donor kidney transplantation improves clinical and patient decisions and donor selection. However, the currently used models are of limited discriminative or calibration power and there is a critical need to improve the selection process. We aimed to assess the value of various artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to improve the risk stratification index.

Methods

We evaluated pre-transplant variables among 66 914 live-donor kidney transplants (performed between 1 December 2007 and 1 June 2021) from the United Network of Organ Sharing database, randomized into training (80%) and test (20%) sets. The primary outcome measure was death-censored graft survival. We tested four machine learning models for discrimination [time-dependent concordance index (CTD) and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)] and calibration [integrated Brier score (IBS)]. We used decision-curve analysis to assess the potential clinical utility.

Results

Among the models, the deep Cox mixture model showed the best discriminative performance (AUC = 0.70, 0.68 and 0.68 at 5, 10 and 13 years post-transplant, respectively). CTD reached 0.70, 0.67 and 0.66 at 5, 10 and 13 years post-transplant. The IBS score was 0.09, indicating good calibration. In comparison, applying the Living Kidney Donor Profile Index (LKDPI) on the same cohort produced a CTD of 0.56 and an AUC of 0.55–0.58 only. Decision-curve analysis showed an additional net benefit compared with the LKDPI ‘treat all’ and ‘treat none’ approaches.

Conclusion

Our AI-based deep Cox mixture model, termed Live-Donor Kidney Transplant Outcome Prediction, outperforms existing prediction models, including the LKDPI, with the potential to improve decisions for optimum live-donor selection by ranking potential transplant pairs based on graft survival. This model could be adopted to improve the outcomes of paired exchange programs.
The biology of ferroptosis in kidney disease
Authors: Seibt Tobias , Wahida Adam , Hoeft Konrad , Kemmner Stephan , Linkermann Andreas , Mishima Eikan , Conrad Marcus
Published: April 2024

Ferroptosis is a regulated cell death modality triggered by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. Ferroptosis plays a causal role in the pathophysiology of various diseases, making it a promising therapeutic target. Unlike all other cell death modalities dependent on distinct signaling cues, ferroptosis occurs when cellular antioxidative defense mechanisms fail to suppress the oxidative destruction of cellular membranes, eventually leading to cell membrane rupture. Physiologically, only two such surveillance systems are known to efficiently prevent the lipid peroxidation chain reaction by reducing (phospho)lipid hydroperoxides to their corresponding alcohols or by reducing radicals in phospholipid bilayers, thus maintaining the integrity of lipid membranes. Mechanistically, these two systems are linked to the reducing capacity of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) by consuming glutathione (GSH) on one hand and ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1, formerly AIFM2) on the other. Notably, the importance of ferroptosis suppression in physiological contexts has been linked to a particular vulnerability of renal tissue. In fact, early work has shown that mice genetically lacking Gpx4 rapidly succumb to acute renal failure with pathohistological features of acute tubular necrosis. Promising research attempting to implicate ferroptosis in various renal disease entities, particularly those with proximal tubular involvement, has generated a wealth of knowledge with widespread potential for clinical translation. Here, we provide a brief overview of the involvement of ferroptosis in nephrology. Our goal is to introduce this expanding field for clinically versed nephrologists in the hope of spurring future efforts to prevent ferroptosis in the pathophysiological processes of the kidney.
Military Medicine and the Hidden Costs of War
Authors: Fazal Tanisha M.
Published: April 2024

Decisions to go to war are often framed in cost-benefit terms. But what if we are getting the costs wrong? Dramatic improvements in military medicine, alongside the expansion of veterans’ benefits, have increased the long-term costs of war in the United States today. Military personnel return home having survived wounds they would not have survived in the past. Veterans, their families, and the government bear these increased costs of war, which are greatly underestimated by policymakers. In a deep dive into the history of military medicine and veterans’ benefits, the book traces the developments that underlie these hidden costs of war from the Civil War to the present. This analysis clearly demonstrates how US policymakers have repeatedly misunderstood the costs of war because they neglect to anticipate these changes. Underestimating the costs of war increases willingness to use force abroad, with profound consequences for global politics in an era of heightened great power competition.
Ethnography
Authors: Gullion Jessica Smartt
Published: April 2024

Ethnography is rooted in the fields of anthropology and sociology. Historically, anthropologists used ethnography to study preliterate cultures, and sociologists studied urban subcultures (typically subaltern). This is no longer the case; ethnography is used to study all sorts of cultures and phenomena. Ethnography is often referred to as “deep hanging out.” Ethnographers spend a significant amount of time in a community in order to understand that community’s slice of social life. Ethnography is data- and time-intensive research, but it provides a depth and richness that other techniques cannot. This chapter discusses ethnographic practice, fieldwork, participant observation, and conducting ethnography on the internet.
Medical Narratives and Narrative Interviewing
Authors: Gullion Jessica Smartt
Published: April 2024

Medical narratives include the stories of both patients and health care workers. In narrative interviewing, the participant is invited to tell their story. The researcher asks questions but these are more in-depth than other forms of interviewing. The participant and interviewer are literally having a conversation. The conversation is dialogic in nature. This chapter discusses how to capture and write the stories of patients and health care workers. This includes a variety of techniques, such as leading workshops for people to write their own narratives. The chapter also discusses the power of storytelling and how to write stories that are compelling. In addition, it discusses visual storytelling through the use of photovoice.
The Worst of Both Worlds
Authors: Barrett Ron , Zuckerman Molly K. , Dudgeon Matthew R. , Armelagos George J.
Published: April 2024

Although the Second Epidemiological Transition eventually spread to most societies, the change was substantially different in low- and middle-income countries (LIMCs). In the poorest societies, the transition occurred much later and the health improvements were more modest than in wealthier societies. Yet at the same time, the health challenges of increasing non-infectious diseases and aging populations occurred quite rapidly, leading to a worst-of-both-worlds situation for nations that were the least equipped to deal with them. This chapter critically examines these issues within the framework of syndemics: synergistic epidemics of infectious and non-infectious diseases occurring in the context of poverty and social stratification in vulnerable populations. These dynamics set the stage for the new, virulent, and antimicrobial resistant infections we experience today.
The Production and Circulation of the US Novel
Authors: Nielsen Nikolaj Ramsdal , Patell Cyrus R. K. , Williams Deborah Lindsay
Published: April 2024

This chapter presents the story of the marketplace for US fiction since 1940 as the story of middlemen—publishers, distributors, and agents—who propagated distinctions among kinds of novels in order to sell them more effectively, while working in a context increasingly marked by the interventions of educational institutions and various other cultural tastemakers. This marketplace was organized around systems of classification that shaped the ways in which writers write and readers read. The distinctions that arose during this period—between hardbacks and paperbacks, between “literary fiction” and “genre fiction,” between the “highbrow” and the “middlebrow,” between writers affiliated with the academy and writers who are not—created what reader-response theorists refer to as a “horizon of expectations” for the novel, a horizon that some writers and readers would embrace and that others would challenge.
Mediating the Novel in the Age of Warhol
Authors: Waterman Bryan
Published: April 2024

This chapter presents a history of the late twentieth-century avant-garde US novel using the idea of “The Age of Warhol” as a periodizing rubric. Whereas most approaches to literary postmodernism focus on its metafictional qualities, its experiments with history and historiography, or its emphasis on the fundamental instability of language, using Warhol’s work as a lens foregrounds a different set of concerns. Warhol’s language games are always, ultimately, media games—contemplations not only of language as the medium of fiction, but of words as they exist, mediated, in the world. This chapter uses Warhol’s a: a Novel to highlight three abiding interests among US avant-garde novelists: the material effects of late-twentieth-century media; questions raised by new media—the “electrosphere”—about the novel’s relationship to print; and awareness of how new media blurred distinctions between art and life, calling into question fiction’s fate in the larger cultural landscape.
US Postmodernist Fiction
Authors: Ickstadt Heinz
Published: April 2024

This chapter defines US postmodern fiction by placing it in a central historical moment of cultural change: the early 1960s to the early 1980s. Marked by intense social conflicts and a fervent longing for new beginnings, as well as by the rise of multiculturalism and of the literatures that thrived with it, this period also witnessed the flourishing of literary postmodernism, which was characterized by a variety of experimental, especially self-reflexive, anti-realist/anti-modernist strategies of narration. The chapter charts the shift from late modernist to postmodernist aesthetics, which aim to decenter textual hierarchies as a part, yet also as a metaphor, of a larger process of cultural dehierarchization. The rise of literatures hitherto on the margins and their gradual institutionalization in academia—against much resistance from institutionalized “white” traditions—occur simultaneously and follow a similar logic of succession: they assert themselves by challenging what they perceive as a firmly established institution of literary postmodernism.
The Short Story
Authors: Fallon Siobhan
Published: April 2024

This chapter investigates the standing of the short story in late twentieth- and early twenty-first century literary culture in the United States. Arguing that both the precise meaning of the term and the place that it holds in the publishing world are matters of debate, the chapter examines the idea that the short story has become an adjunct to the novel; short story collections are often viewed as the proving ground for would-be novelists, and most agents and publishers seem to hope that a well-regarded short story is a harbinger of something longer. The chapter investigates the formative role played by magazines—in particular the New Yorker—and anthologies in creating the landscape for short-story writing, while surveying major achievements in the genre.
The Detective Novel and Film
Authors: Grimstad Paul , Patell Cyrus R. K.
Published: April 2024

Noting the affinity between modernist aesthetics and the vernacular “entertainment” of genre fiction—in particular, the detective story—this chapter charts the ways in which the style and tone of US detective fiction was intimately bound up with the growth of a Hollywood studio system organized around genres like westerns, adventure stories, musicals, screwball comedy, gangster dramas, and crime stories. The chapter charts the influence of the idea of film noir—conceived as a fusion of US hard-boiled crime fiction and German expressionist cinematography—on detective fiction in both text and film after 1940. It concludes by noting that in the last quarter of the twentieth century, hard-boiled detective fiction veered in two different directions: it was given new life as genre fiction by women writers, even as some notable practitioners of “literary fiction” took the idea of “mystery” in the direction of the fantastic.
Mutual Admiration
Authors: Baggott Jim , Heilbron John L.
Published: April 2024

The nature of the Bohr–Einstein debate was framed long before our protagonists became engaged in it. Both were reformers, ready to embrace controversy and even absurdity in their theories. But where Einstein held fast to classical principles he considered sacrosanct, Bohr would cheerfully embrace their violent reworking or replacement. Einstein’s 1921 Nobel prize was awarded in 1922. He had entertained the absurd notion that light consists of ‘quanta’, endowing particle-like properties governed by a characteristic wave frequency. Bohr’s 1922 Nobel prize involved entertaining the absurd notion of quantum ‘jumps’ between atomic orbits driven entirely by chance. He defended the inconsistencies with vague wordplay, declaring the quantities defining the orbits as ‘symbolic’, and introduced a fuzzy demand called the ‘correspondence principle’. At appropriate limits, the value of a quantity should be the same whether calculated using classical or quantum rules. Few quantum physicists could make it work.