bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Excess Mortality During 2020 in Spain: The Most Affected Population, Age, and Educational Group by the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Pulido José , Barrio Gregorio , Donat Marta , Politi Julieta , Moreno Almudena , Cea-Soriano Lucía , Guerras Juan Miguel , Huertas Lidia , Mateo-Urdiales Alberto , Ronda Elena , Martínez David , Lostao Lourdes , Belza María José , Regidor Enrique
Published: February 2024

Objective:

The objective of this work was to study mortality increase in Spain during the first and second academic semesters of 2020, coinciding with the first 2 waves of the Covid-19 pandemic; by sex, age, and education.

Methods:

An observational study was carried out, using linked populations and deaths’ data from 2017 to 2020. The mortality rates from all causes and leading causes other than Covid-19 during each semester of 2020, compared to the 2017–2019 averages for the same semester, was also estimated. Mortality rate ratios (MRR) and differences were used for comparison.

Results:

All-cause mortality rates increased in 2020 compared to pre-covid, except among working-age, (25–64 years) highly-educated women. Such increases were larger in lower-educated people between the working age range, in both 2020 semesters, but not at other ages. In the elderly, the MMR in the first semester in women and men were respectively, 1.14, and 1.25 among lower-educated people, and 1.28 and 1.23 among highly-educated people. In the second semester, the MMR were 1.12 in both sexes among lower-educated people and 1.13 in women and 1.16 in men among highly-educated people.

Conclusion:

Lower-educated people within working age and highly-educated people at older ages showed the greatest increase in all-cause mortality in 2020, compared to the pre-pandemic period.
Emergency Department Volumes After State-Wide Lockdown Orders Across the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic: COVID-19 lockdown and emergency volume
Authors: Lau Nicole , Patterson Stephen , Kim Steven , Kim Tommy Y.
Published: February 2024

Objective:

The objective of this study was to describe changes in emergency department volumes after statewide lockdown in a network of hospitals across the United States during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Methods:

A retrospective study was performed utilizing data on daily volumes across multiple emergency departments from a centralized data warehouse from a private for-profit hospital system during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mean daily volumes of 148 emergency departments were evaluated across 16 states in relation to each state’s governmental statewide lockdown orders. Comparisons of the same period in the prior year were evaluated for percent changes in volumes. We also compared pre-lockdown to post-lockdown volumes. A separate analysis was made for the pediatric ED volumes.

Results:

The 2020 post-lockdown volumes compared to the same 2019 dates revealed a mean percent change of −43.09%. The overall post-lockdown volumes compared to the pre-lockdown volumes had a mean percent change of −45.00%. The pediatric data revealed a greater mean percentage change in volumes of −71.52% (post-lockdown compared to 2019) and −69.03% (post-lockdown compared to pre-lockdown).

Conclusions:

This study found an overall decrease in volumes among 148 emergency departments across 16 states when compared to the comparable period pre-global pandemic.
How Elites Mobilize the Vernacular: A Case Study of Australian Prime Ministers' Use of ‘Fair Go’ Rhetoric
Authors: Petter Pandanus H. , Howard Cosmo
Published: February 2024

Prime ministers often use vernacularisms in their political rhetoric, but we know little about how they deploy these forms of speech and the consequences for politics and policy. This article extends work on the ‘rhetorical PM’ by focusing on how leaders deploy idiomatic expressions in their oratory. The article presents a thematic analysis of four successive Australian prime ministers' use of the country's distinctive ‘fair go’ expression in speeches and media interviews between 1972 and 1996. Australian PMs increasingly invoked the ‘fair go’ expression throughout this period for multiple rhetorical purposes, including to make national identity claims, engage in partisan competition and justify policy reforms with strong neoliberal elements. While prevailing scholarship sees ‘vernacular politics’ as a tool of grassroots actors opposing discourses of globalization and elite-driven reform, this research shows the vernacular is a versatile rhetorical tool mobilized by elites for multiple purposes, including to justify radical policy change.
Tracking rapid and slow ice-dammed lake changes through optical satellites and local knowledge: a case study of Tystigbreen in Norway
Authors: Abderhalden Jogscha Miriam , Bly Kristine Katherine , Lappe Ronja , Andreassen Liss Marie , Rogozhina Irina
Published: February 2024

The number of glacial lakes has grown globally concurrently with the retreat of glaciers in the last few decades, increasing the risk of potentially hazardous glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and posing a threat to downstream communities. Norway has several known ice-dammed lakes that produce repeated GLOFs but as we show here, the existing GLOF database is incomplete and needs to be improved through continuous monitoring of glaciers and glacial lakes. This study examines the case of an ice cap in central Norway hosting at least four drainage-prone lakes. We reconstruct the sequence of lake drainage events through a combination of remote sensing, ground-truthing and citizen science while scrutinising the applicability of the PlanetScope imagery vs Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 OLI products. As opposed to the Landsat imagery that often fails to resolve even the largest glacial lakes of Tystigbreen, both PlanetScope and Sentinel-2 are helpful in identifying previously unrecognised glacial lakes and undocumented drainage events. Our analysis suggests that a fusion of the two satellite products may be beneficial for automated tracking of glacial lake changes. We also demonstrate that local knowledge and systematic involvement of citizens in data collection have a potential to enrich GLOF databases.
CEO International Experience in Advanced Market Economies and Firm Investment Horizon in a Transitioning Economy
Authors: Ge Lipeng Gary , Muller Alan , Gong Tianyu , Qian Cuili
Published: February 2024

Building on the literature on managerial myopia, we investigate how chief executive officers’ (CEOs) international experience in advanced market economies affects their firms' investment horizons in a transitioning economy. To overcome myopia, CEOs should possess the knowledge needed to manage current tasks, thereby freeing up cognitive resources for future considerations. In the context of our theorizing, we argue that international experience in advanced market economies equips CEOs with knowledge about how to deal with their current tasks of market-oriented adaptation in a transitioning economy, freeing up cognitive resources for considering longer-term investment horizons. Additionally, the effect of CEO international experience in advanced market economies on firm investment horizon is stronger under conditions that increase the cognitive burden on CEOs to perform market-oriented adaptation tasks – specifically, when there is a high scope of pro-market reform, high intensity of foreign competition, analyst coverage, and a high level of institutional ownership. Our estimation based on a matched sample of 204 Chinese CEOs during the period 2002–2019 supports the majority of our predictions. Our study contributes to research on firm investment horizon, CEO international experience, and transition economies.
On hallucinations and memory: the relationship between hallucinations and autobiographical overgenerality in Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: El Haj Mohamad , Larøi Frank
Published: February 2024

Objectives:

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been associated with autobiographical overgenerality (i.e. a tendency of patients to retrieve general rather than specific personal memories). AD has also been associated with hallucinations. We investigated the relationship between autobiographical overgenerality and hallucinations in AD.

Methods:

We invited 28 patients with mild AD to retrieve autobiographical memories, and we also evaluated the occurrence of hallucinations in these patients.

Results:

Analysis demonstrated significant correlations between hallucinations and autobiographical overgenerality in the patients.

Conclusion:

AD patients who are distressed by hallucinations may demonstrate autobiographical overgenerality as a strategy to avoid retrieving distressing information that may be related with hallucinations. However, hallucinations as observed in our study can be attributed to other factors such as the general cognitive decline in AD.
Egyptian Fan Culture and the Afterlife of ʿAbd al-Halim Hafiz
Authors: Mangialardi Nicholas
Published: February 2024

When the Egyptian singer ʿAbd al-Halim Hafiz passed away in 1977, a group of fans began meeting at his tomb to celebrate his memory and music. Since then, their gathering has become an annual multi-day event attracting thousands of the singer's devotees from across Egypt and the Arab world. This article explores the unique fan culture around ʿAbd al-Halim, tracing its emergence after his death and expansion into various ritual activities organized by fans. As I show, central to the affective power of Halim fandom is the sense that the singer is close and tangible. I examine how fan practices foster this feeling, but also argue that it is rooted in the music ʿAbd al-Halim made during his lifetime. Investigating Halim fandom, this article offers a new ground-level perspective of how ordinary people in the region interact with music, popular culture, and each other.
Constructions of Racial Savagery in Early Twentieth-Century US Narratives of White Civilization
Authors: ARAGON MARGARITA
Published: February 2024

This article examines the constructions of Black “degeneracy” through which white Americans rationalized Jim Crow terror. Ruminations on African Americans’ supposed downward trajectory, I argue, drew relational meaning from a range of colonial discourses. Claims that African Americans were deteriorating outside the bonds of enslavement were articulated within wider transnational imperialist discourses circulating in this period that imagined that the world's savage peoples were destined to recede in the march of civilization. Here, I examine white Americans’ narratives of African American degeneration through two other imagined hemispheric encounters between white civilization and savagery. In the article's first half, I consider images of Haiti employed in cultural and political texts to signify the durability of innate Black savagery and the apocalyptic potential of Black freedom. In the second half, I consider discourses of Black degeneration in freedom alongside the genocidal construction of the “vanishing Indian.” I focus on two memorial projects: the 1931 monument to the Faithful Slave erected in Harpers Ferry and the never-completed National American Indian Memorial, for which ground was broken in 1913 at Fort Wadsworth.
Elasmobranch diversity around the southern Caribbean island of Tobago: opportunities for conservation in a regional trade hub
Authors: Cook Neil D. , Clementi Gina M. , Flowers Kathryn I. , Fanovich Lanya , Cable Jo , Perkins Sarah E. , Wothke Aljoscha , Mohammed Ryan S. , Chapman Demian D.
Published: February 2024

Sharks are scarce in much of the Caribbean due to widespread depletion. Trinidad and Tobago, in the southern Caribbean, is a shark meat consumer and international exporter of dried shark fins. Despite limited fisheries management there is a small Marine Protected Area (MPA; 7 km2) in urbanised southwest Tobago, but its effect on sharks and rays (elasmobranchs) is unknown. The rural northeast is a recently designated UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve with a significant marine component and plans for a large MPA, but no baseline data for elasmobranchs exist. Given the local importance of elasmobranchs and a newly drafted Sustainable Shark and Ray Management Plan, we used baited remote underwater video stations within a 40 m depth contour at 270 randomly generated points around Tobago to: (i) establish a baseline of species richness and relative abundance, (ii) investigate the influence of season, habitat relief, depth and water temperature on relative abundance, and (iii) investigate spatial variation in relative abundance. Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks, and southern stingrays were observed at all sites, the latter two more frequently in the urbanised southwest. Shark diversity was unexpectedly high in the northeast, driven by rarer species (sharpnose, smoothhound, tiger, scalloped hammerhead, great hammerhead) only observed there. Habitat relief, depth and season likely influence relative abundance of elasmobranchs around Tobago, but research is needed to elucidate species-level effects. Shark species richness in northeast Tobago is high for the Caribbean, warranting research attention, while the larger MPA presents an opportunity to strengthen elasmobranch management.
Comments
Authors: Pollock Susan
Published: February 2024

Matthew Greer offers us a powerful, refreshing and thought-provoking critique of posthumanist approaches in archaeology as he sees them through the lens of Black Studies. He asks us to leave aside—temporarily—concerns with anthropocentrism to concentrate instead on the human side of the equation, while nonetheless positioning himself in line with posthumanist efforts to dismantle the human–non-human divide. The crux of Greer's arguments is that posthumanist approaches do not go far enough in distancing themselves from humanism for two reasons. First, humanity remains (tacitly) equated with white, heterosexual, economically well-off men, a single group that forms the scale against which all other people are measured. Second, posthumanist approaches do not acknowledge that racism and related forms of oppression were integral to the emergence of humanism and not a by-product of it.
Consideration of the proxy modelling validation framework
Authors:   The IFoA Proxy Model Working Group, Wollam Dominic , Kuona Maynard , Thomson Matthew , Liu Rachael , Paton Stuart
Published: February 2024

Solvency II requires that firms with Internal Models derive the Solvency Capital Requirement directly from the probability distribution forecast generated by the Internal Model. A number of UK insurance undertakings do this via an aggregation model consisting of proxy models and a copula. Since 2016 there have been a number of industry surveys on the application of these models, with the 2019 Prudential Regulation Authority (“PRA”) led industry wide thematic review identifying a number of areas of enhancement. This concluded that there was currently no uniform best practice. While there have been many competing priorities for insurers since 2019, the Working Party expects that firms will have either already made changes to their proxy modelling approach in light of the PRA survey, or will have plans to do so in the coming years. This paper takes the PRA feedback into account and explores potential approaches to calibration and validation, taking into consideration the different heavy models used within the industry and relative materiality of business lines.
Current and Future Patterns of Global Wildfire Based on Deep Neural Networks
Authors: Zhang Guoli , Wang Ming , Yang Baolin , Liu Kai
Published: February 2024

Global climate change and extreme weather has a profound impact on wildfire, and it is of great importance to explore wildfire patterns in the context of global climate change for wildfire prevention and management. In this paper, a wildfire spatial prediction model based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) was constructed in the reference period (1997–2014) by using wildfire driving factors and historical burned areas derived from the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED4s). The shifting spatial patterns of global burned areas in future scenarios for the twenty‐first century was investigated by using shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) published by CMIP6. Projected burned areas are analyzed by using nine climate models from CMIP6 under four SSPs (SSP126, SSP245, SSP370 and SSP585) for four defined periods. The evolution of the spatial pattern of global wildfires was further described based on terrestrial ecoregions and GFED regions. The results showed that for the reference period (1997–2014), burned areas were generally distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. The projection results exhibited a systematic increasing trend under the four SSPs from a global perspective in response to climate warming. The increasing trend for the burned area in the SSP370 and SSP585 scenarios was more obvious than that for the SSP126 and SSP245 scenarios. As the severity of the emission scenarios increases, severe wildfires will gradually shift to higher latitudes in the mid‐to‐long term (2061–2080) and long term (2081–2100).
GRACE and GRACE Follow‐On Gravity Observations of Intermediate‐Depth Earthquakes Contrasted With Those of Shallow Events
Authors: Han Shin‐Chan , Sauber Jeanne , Broerse Taco , Pollitz Fred , Okal Emile , Jeon Taehwan , Seo Ki‐Weon , Stanaway Richard
Published: February 2024

Earthquakes involve mass redistribution within the solid Earth and the ocean, and as a result, perturb the Earth's gravitational field. For most of the shallow (<60 km) earthquakes with Mw > 8.0, the GRACE satellite gravity measurements suggest considerable volumetric disturbance of rocks. At a spatial scale of hundreds of km, the effect of volumetric change exceeds gravity change by vertical deformation; for example, negative gravity anomalies associated with volumetric expansion are characteristic patterns after shallow thrust events. In this study, however, we report contrasting observations of gravity change from two intermediate‐depth (100–150 km) earthquakes of 2016 & 2017 Mw 8.0 (two combined) Papua New Guinea thrust faulting events and 2019 Mw 8.0 Peru normal faulting and highlight the importance of compressibility in earthquake deformation. The combined 2016/17 thrust events resulted in a positive gravity anomaly of 5–6 microGal around the epicenter, while the 2019 normal faulting produced a negative gravity anomaly of 3–4 microGal. Our modeling found that these gravity changes are manifestation of vertical deformation with limited volumetric change, distinct from gravity changes after the shallow earthquakes. The stronger resistance of rocks to volume change at intermediate‐depth results in largely incompressible deformation and thus in a gravity change dominated by vertical deformation. In addition, malleable rocks under high pressure and temperature at depth facilitated substantial afterslip and/or fast viscoelastic relaxation causing additional vertical deformation and gravity change equivalent to the coseismic change. For the Papua New Guinea events, this means that postseismic relaxation enhanced coseismic uplift and relative sea level decrease.
Processes Driving Subseasonal Variations of Upper Ocean Heat Content in the Equatorial Indian Ocean
Authors: Chandra Ashneel , Keenlyside Noel , Svendsen Lea , Singh Awnesh
Published: February 2024

In the equatorial Indian Ocean, the largest subseasonal temperature variations in the upper ocean are observed below the mixed layer. Subsurface processes can influence mixed layer temperature and consequently air‐sea coupling. However, the physical processes driving temperature variability at these depths are not well quantified. During the boreal winter, the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) partly drives upper ocean heat content (OHC) variations. Therefore, to understand processes driving subseasonal OHC variability in the equatorial Indian Ocean, we use an observationally constrained, physically consistent ocean state estimate from the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO) Consortium. Using a heat budget analysis, we show that the main driver of subseasonal OHC variability in the ECCO ocean state estimate is horizontal advection. Along the equator, OHC variations are driven by zonal advection while the role of meridional advection becomes more important away from the equator. During the active phase of the MJO, net air‐sea heat fluxes damp OHC variability along the equator, while away from the equator net air‐sea heat fluxes partly drive OHC variability. Equatorial OHC variations are found to be associated with processes driven by Kelvin and Rossby waves consistent with previous studies. By quantifying the physical processes, we highlight the important role of ocean dynamics in contributing to the observed variations of subseasonal OHC in the equatorial Indian Ocean.
Island‐Induced Eyewall Replacement in a Landfalling Tropical Cyclone: A Model Study of Super Typhoon Mangkhut (2018)
Authors: Lau K. H. , Tam C.‐Y. , Wu C.‐C.
Published: February 2024

An unconventional, island‐induced eyewall replacement (IER) occurred in Super Typhoon Mangkhut (2018) when it crossed Luzon Island. Upon landfall, its original compact eyewall broke down and dissipated rapidly. As Mangkhut exited Luzon and entered the South China Sea, a much larger new eyewall formed at a radius of 150–200 km from the storm center, three times larger than the original one. Unlike the eyewall replacement cycle in intense tropical cyclones, the breakdown of the original eyewall preceded the formation of the new eyewall (NEF) in Mangkhut. This evolution was reproduced reasonably well in a control experiment using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model. Two sensitivity experiments showed that the IER was triggered by Luzon Island, whose terrain is essential for not only the destruction of the original eyewall but also the NEF. In an axisymmetric framework, it is demonstrated for the first time that the NEF was preceded by the following processes: (a) an increase in the outward‐directed agradient force in the boundary layer (BL) inflow region after landfall due to differential rates of weakening between the radial pressure gradient and the tangential wind, (b) creation of a BL deceleration zone, (c) localized reinforcement of BL inflow deceleration within the NEF region when Mangkhut re‐entered the ocean, following an exisiting framework of an unbalanced dynamical pathway, and (d) strengthening of the BL convergence and uplift which initiated and sustained the deep convection of the new eyewall.
Preliminary Investigation on the Kinetic Characteristics of the Glacial Debris Flows in Tianmo Valley, Tibet Plateau, China
Authors: Zhang Yan , Lyu Liqun , Ren Wanlong , Wang Zhaoyin
Published: February 2024

Glacial debris flows occurring on the Tibetan Plateau consistently result in significant property damage and loss of human life. A comprehensive field investigation was conducted in Tianmo valley along the Sichuan‐Tibet Highway to reveal the dynamics of a debris flow that occurred on 11 July 2018. Furthermore, a depth‐averaged multiphase debris flow model was proposed and employed to reconstruct the characteristics of the debris flow. The model derivation, implementation, evaluation, and application were presented to demonstrate its performance. The Voellmy model was chosen because it adequately accounts for both basal frictional effects and the entrainment phenomenon. The entrainment processes, the ice melting, and the lubrication effect, were also taken into consideration. Based on the numerical results combined with field investigation data, the kinetic characteristics of the glacial debris flow were analyzed. The Tianmo valley has a small area, but the volume and erosion rate of debris flows were much larger than that of two‐phase debris flows in the same location due to ice melting. The simulation results demonstrated that the glacial debris reached a peak velocity of 20 m/s. Additionally, the volume of the debris flow increased by 50% due to the erosion over a short runout distance of approximately 4,000 m. This increase was a result of the high velocity and abundant entrainment sources on the slope. This study aims to improve understanding of the high velocity and destructive potential of debris flows in the Tianmo valley.
Reservoir Drawdown Highlights the Emergent Effects of Water Level Change on Reservoir Physics, Chemistry, and Biology
Authors: Lewis Abigail S. L. , Breef‐Pilz Adrienne , Howard Dexter W. , Lofton Mary E. , Olsson Freya , Wander Heather L. , Wood Cecelia E. , Schreiber Madeline E. , Carey Cayelan C.
Published: February 2024

Water level drawdowns are increasingly common in lakes and reservoirs worldwide as a result of both climate change and water management. Drawdowns can have direct effects on physical properties of a waterbody (e.g., by altering stratification and light dynamics), which can interact to modify the waterbody's biology and chemistry. However, the ecosystem‐level effects of drawdown remain poorly characterized in small, thermally stratified reservoirs, which are common in many regions of the world. Here, we intensively monitored a small eutrophic reservoir for 2 years, including before, during, and after a month‐long drawdown that reduced total reservoir volume by 36%. During drawdown, stratification strength (maximum buoyancy frequency) and surface phosphate concentrations both increased, contributing to a substantial surface phytoplankton bloom. The peak in phytoplankton biomass was followed by cascading changes in surface water chemistry associated with bloom degradation, with sequential peaks in dissolved organic carbon, dissolved carbon dioxide, and ammonium concentrations that were up to an order of magnitude higher than the previous year. Dissolved oxygen concentrations substantially decreased in surface waters during drawdown (to 41% saturation), which was associated with increased total iron and manganese concentrations. Combined, our results illustrate how changes in water level can have cascading effects on coupled physical, chemical, and biological processes. As climate change and water management continue to increase the frequency of drawdowns in lakes worldwide, our results highlight the importance of characterizing how water level variability can alter complex in‐lake ecosystem processes, thereby affecting water quality.
Measurement and Calibration of EMF: A Study Using Phone and GBDT for Mobile Communication Signals
Authors: Zeng Sheng , Chen Weiwei , Ji Yuhang , Yan Liping , Zhao Xiang
Published: February 2024

Electromagnetic exposure caused by mobile communication signals has always been a cause of concern. Due to the cost and inconvenience of professional measurement equipment, researchers have turned to smartphone APPs to study and assess the electric field strength caused by mobile communication signals. However, existing cell phone‐based measurements have two weaknesses. First, no system architecture suitable for large‐scale crowdsourced testing has been proposed. Second, since smartphone sensors cannot measure electric field strength directly, existing methods for converting the received signal power of the phone and electric field strength have errors of more than 5 dB. This paper proposes a measurement and calibration method for electric field strength of mobile communication signals based on a smartphone app and gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT). This method consists of a downlink signal acquisition system based on an APP and a calibration model based on GBDT to convert received signal power into electric field strength. The experimental results show that the proposed model achieves a R2 score of 0.93 and a MAE of 0.97 dB. Compared with the existing methods, our method improves the calibration accuracy by 4 dB, enabling large‐scale, low‐cost, and high‐precision direct measurement of the electric field strength of mobile communication signals.
Leigh syndrome with developmental regression and ataxia due to a novel splicing variant in the PMPCB gene
Authors: Matthews Emma , Whittle Ella F. , Khan Faraan , McEntagart Meriel , Carroll Christopher J.
Published: February 2024

Only five children with pathogenic PMPCB gene variants have been described and all carried missense variants. Clinical features included a Leigh-like syndrome of developmental regression, basal ganglia lesions and ataxia with or without dystonia and epilepsy. Three of the five died in childhood and none was older than age six when described. We report the first splice site variant in the PMPCB gene in a 39-year old individual who experienced developmental regression and ataxia following otitis media in childhood. A minigene assay confirms this variant results in aberrant splicing and skipping of exon 12.
GPR55 is expressed in glutamate neurons and functionally modulates drug taking and seeking in rats and mice
Authors: He Yi , Shen Hui , Bi Guo-Hua , Zhang Hai-Ying , Soler-Cedeño Omar , Alton Hannah , Yang Yihong , Xi Zheng-Xiong
Published: February 2024

G protein-coupled receptor 55 (GPR55) has been thought to be a putative cannabinoid receptor. However, little is known about its functional role in cannabinoid action and substance use disorders. Here we report that GPR55 is predominantly found in glutamate neurons in the brain, and its activation reduces self-administration of cocaine and nicotine in rats and mice. Using RNAscope in situ hybridization, GPR55 mRNA was identified in cortical vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VgluT1)-positive and subcortical VgluT2-positive glutamate neurons, with no detection in midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons. Immunohistochemistry detected a GPR55-like signal in both wildtype and GPR55-knockout mice, suggesting non-specific staining. However, analysis using a fluorescent CB1/GPR55 ligand (T1117) in CB1-knockout mice confirmed GPR55 binding in glutamate neurons, not in midbrain DA neurons. Systemic administration of the GPR55 agonist O-1602 didnt impact ∆9-THC-induced analgesia, hypothermia and catalepsy, but significantly mitigated cocaine-enhanced brain-stimulation reward caused by optogenetic activation of midbrain DA neurons. O-1602 alone failed to alter extracellar DA, but elevated extracellular glutamate, in the nucleus accumbens. In addition, O-1602 also demonstrated inhibitory effects on cocaine or nicotine self-administration under low fixed-ratio and/or progressive-ratio reinforcement schedules in rats and wildtype mice, with no such effects observed in GPR55-knockout mice. Together, these findings suggest that GPR55 activation may functionally modulate drug-taking and drug-seeking behavior possibly via a glutamate-dependent mechanism, and therefore, GPR55 deserves further study as a new therapeutic target for treating substance use disorders.
The changing landscape of thyroid eye disease: current clinical advances and future outlook
Authors: Moledina Malik , Damato Erika M. , Lee Vickie
Published: February 2024

Aims

This review aims to provide an overview of the current understanding of TED and its pathophysiology. To describe the evidence base for current consensus treatment recommendations and newer biological therapies available as well as to present future therapeutic research.

Methods

We reviewed and assessed the peer-reviewed literature placing particular emphasis on recent studies evaluating the pathophysiology of TED, landmark trials forming the basis of current management and recent clinical trials informing future therapeutics. Searched were made in MEDLINE Ovid, Embase Ovid, US National Institutes of Health Ongoing Trials Register and EU Clinical Trials Register. Keywords included: “Thyroid Eye Disease”, “Graves Orbitopathy”, “Thyroid Orbitopathy” and “Graves’ Ophthalmopathy”.

Results and conclusions

The pathophysiology of TED involves a complex array of cellular and humoral based autoimmune dysfunction. Previous therapies have been broad-based acting as a blunt instrument on this mechanism with varying efficacy but often accompanied with a significant side effect profile. The recent development of targeted therapy, spearheaded by Teprotumumab has led to an array of treatments focusing on specific components of the molecular pathway optimising their impact whilst possibly minimising their side effect profile. Future challenges involve identifying the most effective target for each patient rather than any single agent being a panacea. Long-term safety profiles will require clarification as unintended immunological consequence downstream may become manifest as seen in other diseases. Finally, future novel therapeutics will entail significant expenditure and may lead to a divergence of available treatment modalities between healthcare systems due to funding disparities.
A SPLICS reporter reveals $${{{{{\boldsymbol{\alpha }}}}}}$$-synuclein regulation of lysosome-mitochondria contacts which affects TFEB nuclear translocation
Authors: Giamogante Flavia , Barazzuol Lucia , Maiorca Francesca , Poggio Elena , Esposito Alessandra , Masato Anna , Napolitano Gennaro , Vagnoni Alessio , Calì Tito , Brini Marisa
Published: February 2024

Mitochondrial and lysosomal activities are crucial to maintain cellular homeostasis: optimal coordination is achieved at their membrane contact sites where distinct protein machineries regulate organelle network dynamics, ions and metabolites exchange. Here we describe a genetically encoded SPLICS reporter for short- and long- juxtapositions between mitochondria and lysosomes. We report the existence of narrow and wide lysosome-mitochondria contacts differently modulated by mitophagy, autophagy and genetic manipulation of tethering factors. The overexpression of α-synuclein (α-syn) reduces the apposition of mitochondria/lysosomes membranes and affects their privileged Ca2+transfer, impinging on TFEB nuclear translocation. We observe enhanced TFEB nuclear translocation in α-syn-overexpressing cells. We propose that α-syn, by interfering with mitochondria/lysosomes tethering impacts on local Ca2+regulated pathways, among which TFEB mediated signaling, and in turn mitochondrial and lysosomal function. Defects in mitochondria and lysosome represent a common hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases: targeting their communication could open therapeutic avenues.
Favorable subgingival plaque microbiome shifts are associated with clinical treatment for peri-implant diseases
Authors: Bazzani Davide , Heidrich Vitor , Manghi Paolo , Blanco-Miguez Aitor , Asnicar Francesco , Armanini Federica , Cavaliere Sara , Bertelle Alberto , Dell’Acqua Federico , Dellasega Ester , Waldner Romina , Vicentini Daniela , Bolzan Mattia , Tomasi Cristiano , Segata Nicola , Pasolli Edoardo , Ghensi Paolo
Published: February 2024

We performed a longitudinal shotgun metagenomic investigation of the plaque microbiome associated with peri-implant diseases in a cohort of 91 subjects with 320 quality-controlled metagenomes. Through recently improved taxonomic profiling methods, we identified the most discriminative species between healthy and diseased subjects at baseline, evaluated their change over time, and provided evidence that clinical treatment had a positive effect on plaque microbiome composition in patients affected by mucositis and peri-implantitis.
Transomics2cytoscape: an automated software for interpretable 2.5-dimensional visualization of trans-omic networks
Authors: Nishida Kozo , Maruyama Junichi , Kaizu Kazunari , Takahashi Koichi , Yugi Katsuyuki
Published: February 2024

Biochemical network visualization is one of the essential technologies for mechanistic interpretation of omics data. In particular, recent advances in multi-omics measurement and analysis require the development of visualization methods that encompass multiple omics data. Visualization in 2.5 dimension (2.5D visualization), which is an isometric view of stacked X-Y planes, is a convenient way to interpret multi-omics/trans-omics data in the context of the conventional layouts of biochemical networks drawn on each of the stacked omics layers. However, 2.5D visualization of trans-omics networks is a state-of-the-art method that primarily relies on time-consuming human efforts involving manual drawing. Here, we present an R Bioconductor package ‘transomics2cytoscape’ for automated visualization of 2.5D trans-omics networks. We confirmed that transomics2cytoscape could be used for rapid visualization of trans-omics networks presented in published papers within a few minutes. Transomics2cytoscape allows for frequent update/redrawing of trans-omics networks in line with the progress in multi-omics/trans-omics data analysis, thereby enabling network-based interpretation of multi-omics data at each research step. The transomics2cytoscape source code is available at https://github.com/ecell/transomics2cytoscape.
Spatially reconfigurable antiferromagnetic states in topologically rich free-standing nanomembranes
Authors: Jani Hariom , Harrison Jack , Hooda Sonu , Prakash Saurav , Nandi Proloy , Hu Junxiong , Zeng Zhiyang , Lin Jheng-Cyuan , Godfrey Charles , Omar Ganesh ji , Butcher Tim A. , Raabe Jörg , Finizio Simone , Thean Aaron Voon-Yew , Ariando A. , Radaelli Paolo G.
Published: February 2024

Antiferromagnets hosting real-space topological textures are promising platforms to model fundamental ultrafast phenomena and explore spintronics. However, they have only been epitaxially fabricated on specific symmetry-matched substrates, thereby preserving their intrinsic magneto-crystalline order. This curtails their integration with dissimilar supports, restricting the scope of fundamental and applied investigations. Here we circumvent this limitation by designing detachable crystalline antiferromagnetic nanomembranes of α-Fe2O3. First, we show—via transmission-based antiferromagnetic vector mapping—that flat nanomembranes host a spin-reorientation transition and rich topological phenomenology. Second, we exploit their extreme flexibility to demonstrate the reconfiguration of antiferromagnetic states across three-dimensional membrane folds resulting from flexure-induced strains. Finally, we combine these developments using a controlled manipulator to realize the strain-driven non-thermal generation of topological textures at room temperature. The integration of such free-standing antiferromagnetic layers with flat/curved nanostructures could enable spin texture designs via magnetoelastic/geometric effects in the quasi-static and dynamical regimes, opening new explorations into curvilinear antiferromagnetism and unconventional computing.
Clemastine and metformin extend the window of NMDA receptor surface expression in ageing oligodendrocyte precursor cells
Authors: Kamen Yasmine , Evans Kimberley Anne , Sitnikov Sergey , Spitzer Sonia Olivia , de Faria Omar , Yucel Mert , Káradóttir Ragnhildur Thóra
Published: February 2024

In the central nervous system, oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) proliferate and differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes throughout life, allowing for ongoing myelination and myelin repair. With age, differentiation efficacy decreases and myelin repair fails; therefore, recent therapeutic efforts have focused on enhancing differentiation. Many cues are thought to regulate OPC differentiation, including neuronal activity, which OPCs can sense and respond to via their voltage-gated ion channels and glutamate receptors. However, OPCs’ density of voltage-gated ion channels and glutamate receptors differs with age and brain region, and correlates with their proliferation and differentiation potential, suggesting that OPCs exist in different functional cell states, and that age-associated states might underlie remyelination failure. Here, we use whole-cell patch-clamp to investigate whether clemastine and metformin, two pro-remyelination compounds, alter OPC membrane properties and promote a specific OPC state. We find that clemastine and metformin extend the window of NMDAR surface expression, promoting an NMDAR-rich OPC state. Our findings highlight a possible mechanism for the pro-remyelinating action of clemastine and metformin, and suggest that OPC states can be modulated as a strategy to promote myelin repair.
Green chemistry routed sugar press mud for (2D) ZnO nanostructure fabrication, mineral fortification, and climate-resilient wheat crop productivity
Authors: Verma Lahur Mani , Kumar Ajay , Kumar Ashwani , Singh Garima , Singh Umesh , Chaudhary Shivani , Kumar Sachin , Sanwaria Anita Raj , Ingole Pravin P. , Sharma Satyawati
Published: February 2024

Nanotechnology appears to be a promising tool to redefine crop nutrition in the coming decades. However, the crucial interactions of nanomaterials with abiotic components of the environment like soil organic matter (SOM) and carbon‒sequestration may hold the key to sustainable crop nutrition, fortification, and climate change. Here, we investigated the use of sugar press mud (PM) mediated ZnO nanosynthesis for soil amendment and nutrient mobilisation under moderately alkaline conditions. The positively charged (+ 7.61 mv) ZnO sheet-like nanoparticles (~ 17 nm) from zinc sulphate at the optimum dose of (75 mg/kg blended with PM (1.4% w/w) were used in reinforcing the soil matrix for wheat growth. The results demonstrated improved agronomic parameters with (~ 24%) and (~ 19%) relative increases in yield and plant Zn content. Also, the soil solution phase interactions of the ZnO nanoparticles with the PM-induced soil colloidal carbon (− 27.9 mv and diameter 0.4864 μm) along with its other components have influenced the soil nutrient dynamics and mineral ecology at large. Interestingly, one such interaction seems to have reversed the known Zn-P interaction from negative to positive. Thus, the study offers a fresh insight into the possible correlations between nutrient interactions and soil carbon sequestration for climate-resilient crop productivity.
Geothermal power generation and positive impact in the greater bay area: a case study of Huizhou City, Guangdong Province
Authors: Cai Wenquan , Li Jianying , Xiao Chuantao
Published: February 2024

Geothermal resources, as abundant renewable and clean natural resources on Earth, have been utilized for geothermal power generation in 29 countries. Guangdong Province, as one of the most developed, economically vibrant, and attractive investment regions in China, has experienced rapid economic growth. However, further development is constrained by resource limitations and severe ecological environmental pressures. The issue of energy consumption and economic growth imbalance needs to be urgently addressed. Geothermal energy, as a clean and stable form of energy, can reduce reliance on fossil fuels, decrease dependence on imported energy, and enhance national energy security. In this study, geological survey, geophysical survey, geochemical survey, remote sensing detection and drilling were carried out in the Shiba–Huangshadong area of Huizhou, and by analyzing the data on geothermal energy reserves in the study area, the available geothermal energy and its potentials in the study area were identified and its impact on the current energy consumption in Huizhou City was assessed, to validate the feasibility of the detailed application of the geothermal energy in the Greater Bay Area, which will enable the energy structure of Huizhou City optimize the energy structure.
GABAergic and glutamatergic inputs to the medulla oblongata and locus coeruleus noradrenergic pathways are critical for seizures and postictal antinociception neuromodulation
Authors: Mendonça-dos-Santos Marcelo , Gonçalves Thaís Cristina Teixeira , Falconi-Sobrinho Luiz Luciano , dos Anjos-Garcia Tayllon , Matias Ivair , de Oliveira Rithiele Cristina , dos Santos Sampaio Maria de Fátima , dos Santos Cardoso Fabrízio , dos Santos Wagner Ferreira , Machado Helio Rubens , Coimbra Norberto Cysne
Published: February 2024

We investigated the participation of the nucleus of the tractus solitarius (NTS) in tonic‒clonic seizures and postictal antinociception control mediated by NMDA receptors, the role of NTS GABAergic interneurons and noradrenergic pathways from the locus coeruleus (LC) in these phenomena. The NTS-lateral nucleus reticularis paragigantocellularis (lPGi)-LC pathway was studied by evaluating neural tract tracer deposits in the lPGi. NMDA and GABAergic receptors agonists and antagonists were microinjected into the NTS, followed by pharmacologically induced seizures. The effects of LC neurotoxic lesions caused by DSP-4, followed by NTS-NMDA receptor activation, on both tonic‒clonic seizures and postictal antinociception were also investigated. The NTS is connected to lPGi neurons that send outputs to the LC. Glutamatergic vesicles were found on dendrites and perikarya of GABAergic interneurons in the NTS. Both tonic‒clonic seizures and postictal antinociception are partially dependent on glutamatergic-mediated neurotransmission in the NTS of seizing rats in addition to the integrity of the noradrenergic system since NMDA receptor blockade in the NTS and intrathecal administration of DSP-4 decrease the postictal antinociception. The GABAA receptor activation in the NTS decreases both seizure severity and postictal antinociception. These findings suggest that glutamatergic inputs to NTS-GABAergic interneurons, in addition to ascending and descending noradrenergic pathways from the LC, are critical for the control of both seizures and postictal antinociception.
Synchronous recording of magnetocardiographic and electrocardiographic signals
Authors: Pȩczalski Kazimierz , Sobiech Judyta , Buchner Teodor , Kornack Thomas , Foley Elizabeth , Janczak Daniel , Jakubowska Małgorzata , Newby David , Ford Nancy , Zajdel Maryla
Published: February 2024

We present a system for simultaneous recording of the electrocardiogram and the magnetocardiogram. The measurement system contained of printed carbon electrodes and SERF magnetometer. The use of this system confirms that the position of the end of the magnetic T wave extends further than the electric T wave, which is an important indicator for the diagnosis of cardiological patients and for drug arrhythmogenicity. We analyze this phenomenon in depth, and demonstrate, that it originates from the fundamental difference between electric and magnetic measurements. The measured value is always bipolar since the electric measurements require two electrodes. We demonstrate how the dual electric and magnetic measuring system adds a new information to the commonly used electrocardiographic diagnosis. The ECG should be interpreted as the spatial asymmetry of the electric cardiac potential, and not as the potential itself. The results seem to prove, that the relation between the magnetic and the electric imaging of neural activities may be broadly applied for the benefit of medical diagnosis in cardiology and many other fields, where the neural activity is measured. This is a pilot study which requires further confirmation at the clinical level.
Numerical study of the laser isotope separation of optically pumped 102Pd
Authors: Suryanarayana M. V. , Sankari M.
Published: February 2024

The feasibility of laser isotope separation of 102Pd through pulsed laser optical pumping followed by isotope selective photoionization has been studied through density matrix formalism. The effect of various parameters such as bandwidth of the excitation lasers, intensity of the lasers and Doppler broadening of the atomic ensemble on the efficiency of optical pumping and isotope selective photoionization have been evaluated. The optimum number density in the laser-atom interaction region has been derived from the studies of the effect of charge exchange collisions on the degree of enrichment. It has been shown that it is possible to enrich 102Pd up to ~ 23.7% at a production rate of 1.1 mg /h. The achievable degree of enrichment through this photoionization scheme is higher than the previously reported laser isotope separation process. The radionuclidic purity of the irradiated enriched mixture has been found to be suitable for medical applications.