bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Feeding habits of the deep-sea shrimp Plesionika quasigrandis Chace, 1985 (Decapoda: Caridea: Pandalidae) in the southeastern Arabian Sea
Authors: Chakraborty Rekha Devi , Sivasankaran Sreelakshmy , Thanku Sarada P , Lakshmanan Sreesanth
Published: July 2024

Species of PlesionikaSpence Bate, 1888 holds significant importance in the commercial harvesting of deep-sea shrimps along the southern coasts of India. Despite Plesionika quasigrandisChace, 1985 being a crucial resource on the southwest coast of India, there is a need for comprehensive information on its food and feeding habits. We investigated the diet of P. quasigrandis in relation to sex, size, and season. The species exhibited a diet primarily consisting of crustaceans, foraminiferans, and detritus. Both males and females showed a noteworthy reliance on detritus, as indicated by an index of preponderance values exceeding 45.8. The species displayed active scavenging behaviour alongside predatory dietary habits. We observed a decrease in feeding intensity from pre-monsoon to post-monsoon in both males and females. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) revealed significant differences in the diets of P. quasigrandis, considering the combined effects of size and sex (P < 0.01). No significant distinctions were noted in the diet composition between males and females in relation to season.
Money and cooperative federalism: evidence from EPA civil litigation
Authors: González Juan Pablo , You Hye Young
Published: July 2024

The federalism structure of the US government requires active cooperation from state governments to successfully enforce federal environmental regulations. What explains the variation in state governments’ participation in lawsuits against firms that are accused of violating major environmental statutes? We argue that firms’ political connections with state politicians affect a state government’s decision to join the litigation process. By constructing a novel dataset on the EPA’s civil cases and settlements for the period 1998–2021, we show that state environmental agencies are less likely to join the EPA in court when the defendant firms contributed to Republican state legislators. We do not find the same pattern when firms have connections with Democratic legislators. We present various mechanisms of how state politicians influence behaviors of state bureaucrats. Our findings highlight how state politics can be an avenue for firms to exert influence on federal environmental regulations.
Primary left intrathoracic extrapulmonary trans-diaphragmatic hydatid cyst causing eventration: first case in literature
Authors: Haddad Saddik , Bashour George , Kaada Hussein , Rajab Samer , Al-Janabi Moatasem Hussein , Alshehabi Zuheir
Published: July 2024

Hydatidosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by the cystic stage of Echinococcus species. Intrathoracic extrapulmonary hydatid cysts causing eventration are very rare. Here, we report a case of a 62-year-old female who presented with chest pain, intermittent coughing, general weakness, and fever. On auscultation, there were diminished respiratory sounds at the base of the left lung. A computed tomography scan showed a cystic formation with an ambiguous location involving the left lower thorax and the left hypochondrium. Complete surgical resection is the standard treatment for intrathoracic extrapulmonary hydatid cysts. Due to the direct bordering of the cyst with the pericardium in the left cadiophrenic angle, a cystotomy and evacuation of the cystic cavity were performed, followed by washing it with povidone and hyperosmolar saline. The location of the hydatid cyst has an important role in determining the surgical approach, as the unusual location could affect the possibility of radically removing the cyst.
Revision total en bloc spondylectomy for a recurrent aggressive vertebral haemangioma of the thoracic spine causing progressive thoracic myelopathy with segmental kyphosis
Authors: Potparić Igor , Brumat Peter , Bošnjak Klemen , Vodičar Miha
Published: July 2024

Vertebral haemangiomas are common amongst primary benign tumours of the spine, usually asymptomatic and discovered incidentally, whereby symptomatic cases are rare. Aggressive vertebral haemangiomas, occurring even less frequently, are characterized by their expansion, resulting in pain and neural compression symptoms. Depending on presentation and severity, several treatment options exist, and when causing progressive neurological deficit, surgical decompression and resection is warranted. Despite local recurrence being rare, regular follow-ups to detect recurrence are advised. In case of recurrent aggressive vertebral haemangiomas, however, subsequent treatment strategy usually depends on a case-by-case consideration, whereby reports in the literature are lacking. We describe a case of a recurrent aggressive vertebral haemangiomas of the thoracic spine in a 20-year-old male causing progressive thoracic myelopathy with segmental kyphosis, treated with a revision total en bloc spondylectomy and a multilevel fixation with vertebral column reconstruction using radiolucent instrumentation.
Unraveling Eileen Chang’s stylistic multiverse: insights from multivariate analysis with multifactorial design
Authors: Wu Kan , Li Defeng
Published: July 2024

This study employs multivariate analysis within a multifactorial design to investigate the author-translator style of distinguished Chinese author Eileen Chang. Using principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA), it examines Chang’s stylistic multiverse across three literary types: original writing, self-translation, and regular translation of others’ works. The findings reveal diverse patterns of stylistic convergence and divergence among these literary types, analyzed using the metrics of the most frequent words: 200-MFW, 20-MFW, and 5-MFW. These patterns are shaped by the perspectives introduced by two explanatory factors, translation status (original versus translated) and translation type (self-translation versus regular translation), and influenced by Chang’s literary ambition, translation philosophy, and patronage. The study contributes methodologically to author-translator style research by demonstrating the effectiveness of multifactorial and multivariate approaches, which not only provide profound insights into datasets but facilitate methodological triangulation.
Trypanosome mRNA recapping is triggered by hypermethylation originating from cap 4
Authors: Ignatochkina Anna V , Iguchi Jesavel A , Kore Anilkumar R , Ho C Kiong
Published: July 2024

RNA methylation adjacent to the 5′ cap plays a critical role in controlling mRNA stability and protein synthesis. In trypanosomes the 5′-terminus of mRNA is protected by hypermethylated cap 4. Trypanosomes encode a cytoplasmic recapping enzyme TbCe1 which possesses an RNA kinase and guanylyltransferase activities that can convert decapped 5′-monophosphate-terminated pRNA into GpppRNA. Here, we demonstrated that the RNA kinase activity is stimulated by two orders of magnitude on a hypermethylated pRNA derived from cap 4. The N6, N6-2′-O trimethyladenosine modification on the first nucleotide was primarily accountable for enhancing both the RNA kinase and the guanylyltransferase activity of TbCe1. In contrast, N6 methyladenosine severely inhibits the guanylyltransferase activity of the mammalian capping enzyme. Furthermore, we showed that TbCmt1 cap (guanine N7) methyltransferase was localized in the cytoplasm, and its activity was also stimulated by hypermethylation at 2′-O ribose, suggesting that TbCe1 and TbCmt1 act together as a recapping enzyme to regenerate translatable mRNA from decapped mRNA. Our result establishes the functional role of cap 4 hypermethylation in recruitment and activation of mRNA recapping pathway. Methylation status at the 5′-end of transcripts could serve as a chemical landmark to selectively regulate the level of functional mRNA by recapping enzymes.
IgA class-switched CD27−CD21+ B cells in IgA nephropathy
Authors: Popova Anna , Slisere Baiba , Racenis Karlis , Kuzema Viktorija , Karklins Roberts , Saulite Mikus , Seilis Janis , Saulite Anna Jana , Vasilvolfa Aiga , Vaivode Kristine , Pjanova Dace , Kroica Juta , Cernevskis Harijs , Lejnieks Aivars , Petersons Aivars , Oleinika Kristine
Published: July 2024

Background

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is characterized by the production of galactose-deficient IgA1 (GdIgA1) antibodies. As the source of pathogenic antibodies, B cells are central to IgAN pathogenesis, but the B cell activation pathways as well as the potential B cell source of dysregulated IgA secretion remain unknown.

Methods

We carried out flow cytometry analysis of peripheral blood B cells in patients with IgAN and control subjects with a focus on IgA-expressing B cells to uncover the pathways of B cell activation in IgAN and how these could give rise to pathogenic GdIgA1 antibodies.

Results

In addition to global changes in the B cell landscape—expansion of naïve and reduction in memory B cells—IgAN patients present with an increased frequency of IgA-expressing B cells that lack the classical memory marker CD27, but are CD21+. IgAN patients furthermore have an expanded population of IgA+ antibody-secreting cells, which correlate with serum IgA levels. Both IgA+ plasmabalsts and CD27− B cells co-express GdIgA1. Implicating dysregulation at mucosal surfaces as the driver of such B cell differentiation, we found a correlation between lipopolysaccharide in the serum and IgA+CD27− B cell frequency.

Conclusion

We propose that dysregulated immunity in the mucosa may drive de novo B cell activation within germinal centres, giving rise to IgA+CD27− B cells and subsequently IgA-producing plasmablasts. These data integrate B cells into the paradigm of IgAN pathogenesis and allow further investigation of this pathway to uncover biomarkers and develop therapeutic interventions.
Assessing the Predictive Value of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Nares Colonization Among Transplant Recipients and Patients With Neutropenia
Authors: Shaw Reid , Zander Alison , Ronnie Tanisha , Azari Zubeen , Gregorowicz Alex , Albarillo Fritzie
Published: July 2024

Background

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nares screening has been shown to be a powerful antibiotic stewardship tool for MRSA infections within 7 days of screening across a variety of anatomical locations given the high negative predictive value (NPV). However, the utility outside of 7 days and among transplant recipients and patients with neutropenia is less clear.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study across Veterans Affairs medical centers in the United States from 1 January 2007 to 1 January 2023 of patients tested for MRSA colonization and who had a subsequent positive bacterial culture within 28 days of MRSA sc­­­reening. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and NPV were calculated across different time points and anatomical culture locations.

Results

The cohort consisted of 686 174 patients, 6 277 437 MRSA nares tests, and 2 446 766 positive bacterial cultures within 28 days of MRSA testing. The NPV of MRSA nares screening for ruling out a MRSA infection within 28 days was 95.8% across all anatomical culture sites. The NPV was 97.9% among patients with neutropenia and 97.5% in solid organ and hemopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

Conclusions

MRSA nares screening can reliably be used for de-escalation of anti-MRSA therapy within 28 days of bacterial culture for all patients, including solid organ and hematopoietic transplant recipients and patients with neutropenia.
Mycoplasma genitalium Incidence, Coinfection, and Antibiotic Resistance: A Prospective Study at a Walk-In Clinic in Los Angeles County, CA
Authors: Sukhija-Cohen Adam Carl , Patani Henna , Robinson Antigone Contessa , Santos Matthew Ramos , Granados Yancy
Published: July 2024

Among 98 participants with penile discharge symptoms of Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae at a walk-in sexual health clinic, 11 were diagnosed with Mycoplasma genitalium, 10 had antibiotic resistance, and 6 were incorrectly presumptively treated. Our findings highlight the importance of public health strategies and research to curb M genitalium.
Cardinal Manning
Authors: Strachey Lytton
Published: July 2024

CARDINAL MANNING
IV
Authors: Wharton Edith
Published: July 2024

‘Father, you’ve got to take a box for me at the opera next Friday.’

From the tone of her voice Undine’s parents knew at once that she was ‘nervous.’

They had counted a great deal on the Fairford dinner as a means of...
X
Authors: Wharton Edith
Published: July 2024

Mr and Mrs Spragg were both given to such long periods of ruminating apathy that the student of inheritance might have wondered whence Undine derived her overflowing activity. The answer would have been obtained by observing her father’s business life. From the moment he...
XXIV
Authors: Wharton Edith
Published: July 2024

‘If you’d only had the sense to come straight to me, Undine Spragg! There isn’t a tip I couldn’t have given you—not one!’

This speech, in which a faintly contemptuous compassion for her friend’s case was blent with the frankest pride in her own,...
XXXVII
Authors: Wharton Edith
Published: July 2024

In a drawing-room hung with portraits of high-nosed personages in perukes and orders, a circle of ladies and gentlemen, looking not unlike every-day versions of the official figures above their heads, sat examining with friendly interest a little boy in mourning.

The boy was slim,...
II
Authors: Conrad Joseph
Published: July 2024

He shook hands with me: “Well, there you are, on your own, appointed officially under my responsibility.”

He was actually walking with me to the door. What a distance off it seemed! I moved like a man in bonds. But we reached it at last....
Chapter IX
Authors: London Jack
Published: July 2024

GRADUAL as was my development as a heavy drinker among the oyster pirates, the real heavy drinking came suddenly and was the result, not of desire for alcohol, but of an intellectual conviction.

The more I saw of the life, the more I was enamored...
Chapter X
Authors: London Jack
Published: July 2024

AND so I won my manhood’s spurs. My status on the water-front and with the oyster pirates became immediately excellent. I was looked upon as a good fellow, as well as no coward. And somehow, from the day I achieved that concept sitting on the...
Chapter XXII
Authors: London Jack
Published: July 2024

THREE years was the time required to go through high school.* I grew impatient. Also, my schooling was becoming financially impossible. At such rate I could not last out, and I did greatly want to go to the state university.* When...
Chapter XXIV
Authors: London Jack
Published: July 2024

OUT in the country, at the Belmont Academy,* I went to work in a small, perfectly appointed steam laundry. Another fellow and myself did all the work from sorting and washing to ironing the white shirts, collars and cuffs, and the ‘fancy starch’...
Chapter XXIX
Authors: London Jack
Published: July 2024

AFTER my long sickness my drinking continued to be convivial. I drank when others drank and I was with them. But, imperceptibly, my need for alcohol took form and began to grow. It was not a body need. I boxed, swam, sailed, rode horses, lived...
Chapter XXXIII
Authors: London Jack
Published: July 2024

I WENT to Australia to go into hospital and get tinkered up,* after which I planned to go on with the voyage. And during the long weeks I lay in hospital, from the first day I never missed alcohol. I never thought about...
Chapter XXXVI
Authors: London Jack
Published: July 2024

BACK to personal experiences and the effects in the past of John Barleycorn’s White Logic on me. On my lovely ranch in the Valley of the Moon, brain-soaked with many months of alcohol, I am oppressed by the cosmic sadness that has always been the...
Night and Day
Authors: Woolf Virginia
Published: July 2024

Katherine Hilbery, torn between past and present, is a figure reflecting Woolf’s own struggle with history. Both have illustrious literary ancestors: in Katherine’s case, her poet grandfather, and in Woolf’s, her father Leslie Stephen, writer, philosopher, and editor. Both desire to break away from the demands of the previous generation without disowning it altogether. Katherine must decide whether or not she loves the iconoclastic Ralph Denham; Woolf seeks a way of experimenting with the novel for that still allows her to express her affection for the literature of the past.

This is the most traditional of Woolf’s novels, yet even here we can see her beginning to break free; in this, her second novel, with its strange mixture of comedy and high seriousness, Woolf had already found her own characteristic voice.
CHAPTER I
Authors: Woolf Virginia
Published: July 2024

It was a Sunday evening in October, and in common with many other young ladies of her class, Katharine Hilbery was pouring out tea. Perhaps a fifth part of her mind was thus occupied, and the remaining parts leapt over the little barrier of...
CHAPTER XXII
Authors: Woolf Virginia
Published: July 2024

The fact that she would be late in keeping her engagement with William was not the only reason which sent Katharine almost at racing speed along the Strand in the direction of his rooms. Punctuality might have been achieved by taking a cab, had...
CHAPTER XXVIII
Authors: Woolf Virginia
Published: July 2024

Like a strain of music, the effect of Katharine’s presence slowly died from the room in which Ralph sat alone. The music had ceased in the rapture of its melody. He strained to catch the faintest lingering echoes; for a moment the memory lulled...
The Souls of Black Folk
Authors: Du Bois W. E. B.
Published: July 2024

Originally published in 1903, The Souls of Black Folk is a classic study of race, culture, and education at the turn of the twentieth century. With its singular combination of essays, memoir, and fiction, this book vaulted W. E. B. Du Bois to the forefront of American political commentary and civil rights activism. The Souls of Black Folk is an impassioned, at times searing account of the situation of African Americans in the United States. Du Bois makes a forceful case for the access of African Americans to higher education, memorably extols the achievements of black culture (above all the spirituals or ‘sorrow songs’), and advances the provocative and influential argument that due to the inequalities and pressures of the ‘race problem’, African American identity is characterized by 'double consciousness’.

This edition includes a valuable appendix of other writing by Du Bois, which sheds light on his attitudes and intentions.
Nostromo
Authors: Conrad Joseph
Published: July 2024

One of the greatest political novels in any language, Nostromo enacts the establishment of modern capitalism in a remote South American province locked between the Andes and the Pacific. In the harbourtown of Sulaco, a vivid cast of characters is caught up in a civil war to decide whether its fabulously wealthy silver mine, funded by American money but owned by a third-generation English immigrant, can be preserved from the hands of venal politicians. Greed and corruption seep into the lives of everyone, and Nostromo, the principled Capataz, is tested to the limit.

Conrad’s evocation of the great Latin-American landscapes, the ferocity of its politics, and individuals swept up in imperial ambitions has never been bettered. This edition offers new insights into Conrad's masterpiece.
Chapter II
Authors: Conrad Joseph
Published: July 2024

After another armed struggle, decided by Montero’s victory of Río Seco, had been added to the tale of civil wars, the “honest men,” as Don José called them, could breathe freely for the first time in half a century. The Five-Year-Mandate law became the...
Chapter IV
Authors: Conrad Joseph
Published: July 2024

Perhaps it was in the exercise of his calling that he had come to see the troops depart. The Porvenir of the day after next would no doubt relate the event, but its editor, leaning his side against the landau, seemed to...
‘Impassioned Prose’
Authors: Woolf Virginia
Published: July 2024

When he was still a boy, his own discrimination led De Quincey to doubt whether his ‘natural vocation lay towards poetry’.* He wrote poetry, eloquently and profusely, and his poetry was praised; but even so he decided that he was no poet,...
How Should one Read a Book?
Authors: Woolf Virginia
Published: July 2024

At this late hour of the world’s history, books are to be found in almost every room of the house—in the nursery, in the drawing-room, in the dining-room, in the kitchen. But in some houses they have become such a company that they have...
Thoughts on Peace in an Air Raid
Authors: Woolf Virginia
Published: July 2024

The Germans were over this house last night and the night before that. Here they are again.* It is a queer experience, lying in the dark and listening to the zoom of a hornet which may at any moment sting you to...
Chapter 1
Authors: Lewis Wyndham
Published: July 2024

From a window in the neighbouring Boulevard, the eye of Otto Kreisler* was fixed blankly upon a spot thirty feet above the scene of the Hobson-Tarr dialogue. Kreisler was shaving himself, one eye fixed upon Paris. It beat upon this wall of...
Chapter 3
Authors: Lewis Wyndham
Published: July 2024

In Paris Ernst Vokt, as his studio and its contents betrayed, had found himself: the french capital seemed especially constructed for him—such a wonderful large polite institution. No one looked at him because he was small: for money in Paris represented delicate things, in...
Chapter 1
Authors: Lewis Wyndham
Published: July 2024

With a little scratching (as the concierge pushed it with her finger-tips) with the malignity of a little, quiet, sleek animal, the letter from Germany crept under the door the next morning. It lay there through the silence of the next hour or two,...
Chapter 6
Authors: Lewis Wyndham
Published: July 2024

Back in her rooms, Bertha examined, over her lunch, with stupefaction, the things she had been up to—her conversations, farewell letters, appointments, and all the rest. All in a few hours! What a strange proceeding though! Was she quite responsible for her actions?

She was...
Chapter 12
Authors: Lewis Wyndham
Published: July 2024

Tarr had not gone to England. Still practising his self-indulgent system of easy stages, he had settled upon a spot a bus-ride distant from the buxom attraction: now he had a rival it would be doubly easy to keep away, so there was no...
Chapter 3
Authors: Lewis Wyndham
Published: July 2024

Bertha held out her hand brutally, in a sort of spasm of will: said, in the voice of ‘finality,’

‘Good-bye Sorbert. Good-bye!’

He did not take it. She left it there a moment, saying again ‘Good-bye!’

‘Good-bye if you like’ he said at length. ‘But...
Chapter 6
Authors: Lewis Wyndham
Published: July 2024

Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual. His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to where to alight.

‘I saw Bertha to-day’ he said at last.

‘You still see her then.’

‘Yes, sometimes. For form’s...
Chapter VII
Authors: Lewis Sinclair
Published: July 2024

I

He solemnly finished the last copy of the American Magazine,* while his wife sighed, laid away her darning, and looked enviously at the lingerie designs in a women’s magazine. The room was very still.

It was a room which observed the best...
Chapter X
Authors: Lewis Sinclair
Published: July 2024

I

No apartment-house in Zenith had more resolutely experimented in condensation than the Revelstoke Arms, in which Paul and Zilla Riesling had a flat. By sliding the beds into low closets the bedrooms were converted into living-rooms. The kitchens were cupboards each containing an electric...
Chapter XII
Authors: Lewis Sinclair
Published: July 2024

I

All the way home from Maine, Babbitt was certain that he was a changed man. He was converted to serenity. He was going to cease worrying about business. He was going to have more “interests”—theaters, public affairs, reading. And suddenly, as he finished...
Chapter XIV
Authors: Lewis Sinclair
Published: July 2024

I

This autumn a Mr. W. G. Harding, of Marion, Ohio, was appointed President* of the United States, but Zenith was less interested in the national campaign than in the local election. Seneca Doane, though he was a lawyer and a graduate...
Chapter XXV
Authors: Lewis Sinclair
Published: July 2024

I

He awoke to stretch cheerfully as he listened to the sparrows, then to remember that everything was wrong; that he was determined to go astray, and not in the least enjoying the process. Why, he wondered, should he be in rebellion? What was...
Chapter XXXIV
Authors: Lewis Sinclair
Published: July 2024

I

The Good Citizens’ League had spread through the country, but nowhere was it so effective and well esteemed as in cities of the type of Zenith, commercial cities of a few hundred thousand inhabitants, most of which—though not all—lay inland, against a background...
A Hunger Artist and Other Stories
Authors: Kafka Franz
Published: July 2024

Kafka published two collections of short stories in his lifetime, A Country Doctor: Little Tales (1919) and A Hunger Artist: Four Stories (1924). Both collections are included in their entirety in this edition, which also contains other, uncollected stories and a selection of posthumously published works that have become part of the Kafka canon.

Enigmatic, satirical, often bleakly humorous, these stories approach human experience at a tangent: a singing mouse, an ape, an inquisitive dog, and a paranoid burrowing creature are among the protagonists, as well as the professional starvation artist. A patient seems to be dying from a metaphysical wound; the war-horse of Alexander the Great steps aside from history and adopts a quiet profession as a lawyer. Fictional meditations on art and artists, and a series of aphorisms that come close to expressing Kafka’s philosophy of life, further explore themes that recur in his major novels. Newly translated, and with an invaluable introduction and notes, Kafka’s short stories are haunting and unforgettable.
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
Authors: Rilke Rainer Maria
Published: July 2024

11th September, rue Toullier.*

So, this is where people come to live. It seems to me, though, that it’s dying that happens here. I have been out. I have seen: hospitals.* I saw a person who staggered and fell...
More about the Strange Request for a Safety Pin
Authors: Leroux Gaston
Published: July 2024

Those last words uttered by Moncharmin expressed the misgivings he felt about his partner only too clearly for there not to be a stormy scene between them. The upshot was that Richard agreed to accept whatever Moncharmin would decide in their search for the...
Mapping the moral foundations of the European Union: Why a lack of moral diversity may undermine perceived EU legitimacy
Authors: Grosfeld Eva , Scheepers Daan , Cuyvers Armin
Published: July 2024

The stability and effectiveness of supranational organizations, like the European Union (EU), will improve when citizens perceive them as legitimate. Across three studies, two of which were preregistered, and a preregistered pilot study, we combined EU legal expertise with social psychological theory on morality to understand how perceived EU legitimacy is influenced by a sense of moral alignment with the EU. We propose that, currently, the EU gives more weight to values linked to “individualizing” moral foundations (e.g. compassion, social justice, and equality) than to values linked to “binding” moral foundations (e.g. patriotism, religion, and traditionalism). As this may leave people who endorse binding moral foundations feel unrepresented, we investigated whether the EU could gain legitimacy by appealing to values that resonate with binding moral foundations. In study 1, text analyses revealed that the European Commission President's State of the Union speeches indeed appeal more to individualizing than to binding moral foundations. Study 2 (n = 595) provided correlational evidence that the negative relationship between binding moral foundations and perceived EU legitimacy was mediated by lower moral alignment with EU law. Finally, study 3 (n = 567) showed through an experiment that reframing or rebalancing EU law to better align it with binding moral foundations could increase perceived EU legitimacy among people who endorse these moral foundations. The results illustrate the importance of understanding and attending to moral diversity among EU citizens. More generally, our work shows how a collaboration between social psychology and law contributes to safeguarding the legitimacy of supranational organizations.
A Matter of Misunderstanding? Explaining (Mis)Perceptions of Electoral Integrity across 25 Different Nations
Authors: Vliegenthart Rens , Van Ham Carolien , Kruikemeier Sanne , Jacobs Kristof
Published: July 2024

In this paper, we investigate how trust in traditional and social media correlate with misperceptions of electoral integrity. Relying on insights from political communication research on exposure to misinformation and selective exposure mechanisms, as well as insights on the different roles of traditional and social media in different regime types, we argue that misperceptions of election integrity are likely driven in large part by the interplay between the trust people have in different media sources and the context (i.e., the level of press freedom) in which the elections take place. Using data from a survey conducted in 25 countries across the world, we find that trust in information from traditional media decreases misperceptions, while trust in information from social media increases misperceptions. However, both these effects are smaller when press freedom is restricted. In countries with low levels of press freedom, trust in social media is even associated with lower levels of misperceptions.
Prestroke Physical Activity Matters for Functional Limitations: A Longitudinal Case–Control Study of 12,860 Participants
Authors: van Allen Zachary M , Orsholits Dan , Boisgontier Matthieu P
Published: July 2024

Objective

In the chronic phase after a stroke, limitations in basic activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) initially plateau before steadily increasing. The benefits of prestroke physical activity on these limitations remain unclear. To clarify this relationship, the effect of physical activity on the long-term evolution of functional limitations in a cohort of people with stroke compared to a cohort of matched adults without stroke was examined.

Methods

Longitudinal data from 2143 people with stroke and 10,717 adults without stroke aged 50 years and older were drawn from a prospective cohort study based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2004–2022; eight data collection waves). Physical activity was assessed in the prestroke wave. Functional limitations were assessed in the poststroke waves. Each person with stroke was matched with five adults without stroke who had similar propensity scores computed on the basis of key covariates, including baseline age, sex, body mass index, limitations in ADLs and IADLs, chronic conditions, and country of residence, before any of the participants from either cohort had experienced a stroke.

Results

Results showed an interaction between stroke status and physical activity on ADL limitations (b = −0.076; 95% CI = −0.142 to −0.011), with the beneficial effect of physical activity being stronger in people with stroke (b = −0.345; 95% CI = −0.438 to −0.252) than in adults without stroke (b = −0.269; 95% CI = −0.269 to −0.241).

Conclusion

The beneficial effect of prestroke physical activity on ADL limitations after stroke is stronger than its effect in matched adults without stroke followed for a similar number of years.

Impact

Physical activity, an intervention within the physical therapist’s scope of practice, is effective in reducing the risk of functional dependence after stroke. Moreover, prestroke levels of physical activity can inform the prognosis of functional dependence in people with stroke.
Speaker–listener neural coupling correlates with semantic and acoustic features of naturalistic speech
Authors: Li Zhuoran , Hong Bo , Nolte Guido , Engel Andreas K , Zhang Dan
Published: July 2024

Recent research has extensively reported the phenomenon of inter-brain neural coupling between speakers and listeners during speech communication. Yet, the specific speech processes underlying this neural coupling remain elusive. To bridge this gap, this study estimated the correlation between the temporal dynamics of speaker–listener neural coupling with speech features, utilizing two inter-brain datasets accounting for different noise levels and listener’s language experiences (native vs. non-native). We first derived time-varying speaker–listener neural coupling, extracted acoustic feature (envelope) and semantic features (entropy and surprisal) from speech, and then explored their correlational relationship. Our findings reveal that in clear conditions, speaker–listener neural coupling correlates with semantic features. However, as noise increases, this correlation is only significant for native listeners. For non-native listeners, neural coupling correlates predominantly with acoustic feature rather than semantic features. These results revealed how speaker–listener neural coupling is associated with the acoustic and semantic features under various scenarios, enriching our understanding of the inter-brain neural mechanisms during natural speech communication. We therefore advocate for more attention on the dynamic nature of speaker–listener neural coupling and its modeling with multilevel speech features.
Predictors of National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Alcohol Recovery among Individuals in Alcohol Treatment: Implications for Social Work
Authors: LaBarre Charles , Bradizza Clara M , Linn Braden K , Zhao Junru , Knapp Kyler S , Wilding Gregory E , Stasiewicz Paul R
Published: July 2024

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s (NIAAA) definition of alcohol use disorder (AUD) recovery stipulates two criteria: remission from DSM-5 AUD and cessation of heavy drinking. Importantly, these criteria allow for consideration of nonabstinent alcohol treatment outcomes. However, researchers have yet to assess potential predictors of the NIAAA recovery outcome. The current study examined associations between mental health and coping predictors of NIAAA recovery status in an AUD treatment sample. At baseline (BL) and end-of-treatment (EOT) research interviews in a clinical trial, participants (N = 118) completed questionnaires assessing alcohol dependence, mental health, and confidence levels in reducing heavy drinking, as well as alcohol use and DSM-5 AUD symptom endorsement. Logistic regression models tested the associations between chosen predictors and the odds of achieving NIAAA recovery. Twenty-four percent of individuals (n = 28) met both criteria for NIAAA recovery at EOT. Higher levels of BL state anxiety and anxiety sensitivity predicted lower odds of achieving NIAAA recovery, while greater confidence to reduce heavy drinking predicted increased odds of NIAAA recovery. Social workers are encouraged to continue assessing and addressing mental health in AUD treatment to help individuals with alcohol problems achieve their AUD recovery goals.
Adaptation of turnip mosaic virus toArabidopsis thalianainvolves rewiring of VPg–host proteome interactions
Authors: Carrasco José L , Ambrós Silvia , Gutiérrez Pablo A , Elena Santiago F
Published: July 2024

The outcome of a viral infection depends on a complex interplay between the host physiology and the virus, mediated through numerous protein–protein interactions. In a previous study, we used high-throughput yeast two-hybrid (HT-Y2H) to identify proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana that bind to the proteins encoded by the turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) genome. Furthermore, after experimental evolution of TuMV lineages in plants with mutations in defense-related or proviral genes, most mutations observed in the evolved viruses affected the VPg cistron. Among these mutations, D113G was a convergent mutation selected in many lineages across different plant genotypes, including cpr5-2 with constitutive expression of systemic acquired resistance. In contrast, mutation R118H specifically emerged in the jin1 mutant with affected jasmonate signaling. Using the HT-Y2H system, we analyzed the impact of these two mutations on VPg’s interaction with plant proteins. Interestingly, both mutations severely compromised the interaction of VPg with the translation initiation factor eIF(iso)4E, a crucial interactor for potyvirus infection. Moreover, mutation D113G, but not R118H, adversely affected the interaction with RHD1, a zinc-finger homeodomain transcription factor involved in regulating DNA demethylation. Our results suggest that RHD1 enhances plant tolerance to TuMV infection. We also discuss our findings in a broad virus evolution context.
Autophagy regulates age‐related delayed jawbone regeneration and decreased osteoblast osteogenesis by degrading FABP3
Authors: Xu Yifan , Sun Bin , Wang Haicheng , Cai Yuyi , Chu Danna , Cao Rongkai , Wang Zuolin
Published: July 2024

The regenerative ability of limb bones after injury decreases during aging, but whether a similar phenomenon occurs in jawbones and whether autophagy plays a role in this process remain unclear. Through retrospective analysis of clinical data and studies on a mouse model of jawbone defects, we confirmed the presence of delayed or impaired bone regeneration in the jawbones of old individuals and mice. Subsequently, osteoblasts (OBs) derived from mouse jawbones were isolated, showing reduced osteogenesis in senescent osteoblasts (S‐OBs). We observed a reduction in autophagy within both aged jawbones and S‐OBs. Additionally, pharmacological inhibition of autophagy in normal OBs (N‐OBs) led to cell aging and decreased osteogenesis, while autophagic activation reversed the aging phenotype of S‐OBs. The activator rapamycin (RAPA) increased the autophagy level and bone regeneration in aged jawbones. Finally, we found that fatty acid‐binding protein 3 (FABP3) was degraded by autolysosomes through its interaction with sequestosome 1 (P62/SQSTM1). Autophagy inhibition within senescent jawbones and S‐OBs led to the excessive accumulation of FABP3, and FABP3 knockdown partially rescued the decreased osteogenesis in S‐OBs and alleviated age‐related compromised jawbone regeneration. In summary, we confirmed that autophagy inhibition plays an important role in delaying bone regeneration in aging jawbones. Autophagic activation or FABP3 knockdown can partially rescue the osteogenesis of S‐OBs and the regeneration of aging jawbones, providing insight into jawbone aging.
Use of Cannabinoids by People Who Consume Kratom in the United States
Authors: Hill Katherine , Grundmann Oliver , Panlilio Leigh V. , Epstein David H. , Smith Kirsten E.
Published: July 2024

Objectives

To estimate lifetime, past-year, and past-month prevalence of kratom, cannabis, and cannabidiol-only product use among adults 18 years and older in the United States, using 2 independent datasets.

Methods

Utilizing (a) the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and (b) a 2022 online national convenience sample of adults who use kratom regularly (from our research group at the National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA]), we examined key demographic information as well as lifetime, past-year, and past-month substance use and preferences.

Results

Among the full sample of adults from the 2022 NSDUH, the prevalence of lifetime use was 49.69% for cannabis, 34.09% for cannabidiol-only products, and 1.93% for kratom. When solely examining participants who have used kratom, both independent datasets showed higher proportions of cannabis use over the lifetime—92.81% (95% confidence interval: 90.31–95.31) in the NSDUH subset and 92.16% (95% confidence interval: 89.37–94.95) in our NIDA sample.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrates that people are co-using kratom with cannabis and/or cannabidiol-only products at the same time or during the same time period, though more research is needed to understand people's motivations and practices for such co-use. Co-use might result in herb-herb interactions that may impact research findings and clinical outcomes for people who use kratom.
Electrocochleography in Cochlear Implant Recipients: Correlating Maximum Response With Residual Hearing
Authors: Andonie Raphael R. , Wimmer Wilhelm , Schraivogel Stephan , Mantokoudis Georgios , Caversaccio Marco , Weder Stefan
Published: July 2024

Objectives:

Electrocochleography (ECochG) is increasingly recognized as a biomarker for assessing inner ear function in cochlear implant patients. This study aimed to objectively determine intraoperative cochlear microphonic (CM) amplitude patterns and correlate them with residual hearing in cochlear implant recipients, addressing the limitations in current ECochG analysis that often depends on subjective visual assessment and overlook the intracochlear measurement location.

Design:

In this prospective study, we investigated intraoperative pure-tone ECochG following complete electrode insertion in 31 patients. We used our previously published objective analysis method to determine the maximum CM amplitude and the associated electrode position for each electrode array. Using computed tomography, we identified electrode placement and determined the corresponding tonotopic frequency using Greenwood’s function. Based on this, we calculated the tonotopic shift, that is, the difference between the stimulation frequency and the estimated frequency of the electrode with the maximum CM amplitude. We evaluated the association between CM amplitude, tonotopic shift, and preoperative hearing thresholds using linear regression analysis.

Results:

CM amplitudes showed high variance, with values ranging from −1.479

to 4.495 dBµV. We found a statistically significant negative correlation (

) between maximum CM amplitudes and preoperative hearing thresholds. In addition, a significant association (

) between the tonotopic shift and preoperative hearing thresholds was observed. Tonotopic shifts of the maximum CM amplitudes occurred predominantly toward the basal direction.

Conclusions:

The combination of objective signal analysis and the consideration of intracochlear measurement locations enhances the understanding of cochlear health and overcomes the obstacles of current ECochG analysis. We could show the link between intraoperative CM amplitudes, their spatial distributions, and preoperative hearing thresholds. Consequently, our findings enable automated analysis and bear the potential to enhance specificity of ECochG, reinforcing its role as an objective biomarker for cochlear health.
Differential functionality of fluoropyrimidine nucleosides for safe cancer therapy
Authors: Holzinger Tim , Frei Julia , Jarzebska Natalia Teresa , Beer Hans-Dietmar , Kündig Thomas M. , Pascolo Steve , Läuchli Severin , Mellett Mark
Published: July 2024

Chemotherapies are standard care for most cancer types. Pyrimidine analogs including 5-fluorouracil, cytosine arabinoside, 5-azacytidine, and gemcitabine are effective drugs that are utilized as part of a number of anticancer regimens. However, their lack of cell-specificity results in severe side effects. Therefore, there is a capacity to improve the efficacy of such therapies, while decreasing unwanted side effects. Here, we report that while 5-fluorocytosine is not chemotherapeutic in itself, incorporated into a ribonucleoside and more importantly into an RNA oligonucleotide, it induces cytotoxic effects on cancer cells in vitro. Interestingly, these effects are rescued by both uridine and thymidine. Similarly, in-vitro 2′-deoxy-5-fluorocytidine inhibits the growth of tumor cells but has the advantage of being less toxic to human primary cells compared with 5-fluorocytidine, suggesting that the deoxyribonucleoside could exhibit less side-effects in vivo. Thus, this work indicates that the potency of 5-fluorocytidine and 2′-deoxy-5-fluorocytidine should be further explored. In particular, oligonucleotides incorporating 5-fluorocytosine could be novel chemotherapeutic drugs that could be formulated in cancer-specific particles for safe and efficacious cancer treatments.
Liquid biopsy in brain tumors: moving on, slowly
Authors: Berzero Giulia , Pieri Valentina , Palazzo Leonardo , Finocchiaro Gaetano , Filippi Massimo
Published: July 2024

Purpose of review

Due to limited access to the tumor, there is an obvious clinical potential for liquid biopsy in patients with primary brain tumors. Here, we review current approaches, present limitations to be dealt with, and new promising data that may impact the field.

Recent findings

The value of circulating tumor cell-free DNA (ctDNA) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for the noninvasive diagnosis of primary brain tumors has been confirmed in several reports. The detection of ctDNA in the peripheral blood is desirable for patient follow-up but requires ultrasensitive methods to identify low mutant allelic frequencies. Digital PCR approaches and targeted gene panels have been used to identify recurrent hotspot mutations and copy number variations (CNVs) from CSF or plasma. Tumor classification from circulating methylomes in plasma has been actively pursued, although the need of advanced bioinformatics currently hampers clinical application. The use of focused ultrasounds to open the blood-brain barrier may represent a way to enrich of ctDNA the peripheral blood and enhance plasma-based liquid biopsy.

Monitoring CNVs and hotspot mutations by liquid biopsy is a promising tool to detect minimal residual disease and strengthen response assessment in patients with primary brain tumors. Novel methods to increase the relative and/or absolute amount of ctDNA can improve the clinical potential of plasma-based liquid biopsies.
Modeling the management of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer with liquid biopsy: the future of precision medicine
Authors: Nicolò Eleonora , Gianni Caterina , Curigliano Giuseppe , Reduzzi Carolina , Cristofanilli Massimo
Published: July 2024

Purpose of review

In the evolving landscape of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer (BC) management, liquid biopsy offers unprecedented opportunities for guiding clinical decisions. Here, we review the most recent findings on liquid biopsy applications in HER2-positive BC and its potential role in addressing challenges specific to this BC subtype.

Recent findings

Recent studies have highlighted the significance of liquid biopsy analytes, primarily circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs), in stratifying patients’ prognosis, predicting treatment response, and monitoring tumor evolution in both early and advanced stages of BC. Liquid biopsy holds promise in studying minimal residual disease to detect and potentially treat disease recurrence before it manifests clinically. Additionally, liquid biopsy may have significant implication in the management of brain metastasis, a major challenge in HER2-positive BC, and could redefine parameters for determining HER2 positivity. Combining ctDNA and CTCs is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of HER2-positive tumors, as they provide complementary insights.

Research efforts are needed to address analytical challenges, validate, and broaden the application of liquid biopsy in HER2-positive BC. This effort will ultimately facilitate its integration into clinical practice, optimizing the care of patients with HER2-positive tumors.