bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Temperature and intimate partner violence
Authors: Nguyen My
Published: December 2023

This article explores the relationship between temperature and intimate partner violence against women in 34 developing countries. Exploiting the variation in average temperatures across women's residential locations within the 12 months prior to the survey date, we detect the positive association between temperature and women's exposure to intimate partner violence. Specifically, a one standard deviation increase in temperature (equivalent to an increase of 5.94°C) raises the risks of intimate partner violence (physical, emotional, and sexual violence) at both the extensive and intensive margins. These impacts could be attributable to the loss of control (proxied by alcohol use) and worse labor market outcomes. Our heterogeneity analyses further show that women from rural areas, those from poor households, those having low education, and those living with low‐educated partners are particularly vulnerable to the damaging consequences of temperature hikes.
Three novel variants of HLA‐DQB1*06 identified by next‐generation sequencing
Authors: Marin Rubio Luis Alberto , Ontañon Jesus
Published: December 2023

Characterization of HLA‐DQB1*06:472, ‐DQB1*06:02:01:34 and ‐DQB1*06:04:01:06 alleles in Spanish individuals.
Identification of three novel HLA‐A*24 alleles by next generation sequencing
Authors: Ananeva Anastasiia , Aksenova Liliya , Andryushkina Anna V. , Shagimardanova Elena I.
Published: December 2023

Three novel A*24:614, A*24:615, and A*24:616 alleles detected in a potential hematopoietic stem cell donors.
Spotlight on capecitabine for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic carcinoma of various origin: A retrospective study of 25 dogs
Authors: Agnoli Chiara , Rimondi Sofia , Ghisoni Giulia , Guerra Dina , Tumbarello Michele , Perfetti Simone , Tirolo Alessandro , Marconato Laura
Published: December 2023

Capecitabine, the oral prodrug of 5‐fluorouracil, is indicated in people to treat various malignant epithelial cancers. In dogs, capecitabine has not been extensively evaluated. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate toxicity and preliminary efficacy of single agent capecitabine in dogs with advanced malignant epithelial cancers of any site, for which no effective therapy existed, conventional treatment failed or was declined. Capecitabine was administered orally at 750 mg/m2 from day 1 to 14, followed by 1‐week rest period, given as 3‐week cycles. Safety evaluation was performed after 2 cycles, and every 2–3 cycles thereafter. Tumour response was determined every 2–3 cycles. Twenty‐five dogs with hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 6), lung papillary carcinoma (n = 4), anal sac adenocarcinoma (n = 3), colic adenocarcinoma (n = 2), and other individually represented epithelial cancers (n = 10) were included. Dogs received a median of 4 cycles (range, 2–43) for a median of 84 days (range, 42–913). Toxicity occurred in 17 (68.0%) dogs; the most frequent adverse events were gastrointestinal, with the majority being self‐resolving and of mild grade. Of the 22 dogs with macroscopic disease, 3 (13.6%) achieved partial remission, 16 (72.7%) were stable and 3 (13.6%) progressed; overall clinical benefit rate was 86.4%. Median progression‐free interval was 93 days (95% CI 42–154; range, 1–521) and median tumour‐specific survival was 273 days (95% CI 116–482; range 45–913). These findings suggest that capecitabine is an attractive option for the treatment of several types of carcinomas in dogs. Prospective studies are warranted to optimize the scheduling of capecitabine and confirm its efficacy.
Biclustering Models Under Collinearity in Simulated Biological Experiments
Authors: Nnamani Chibuike , Ahmad Norhaiza
Published: December 2023

Biclustering models allow simultaneous detection of group observations that are related to variables in a data matrix. Such methods have been applied in biological data for classification. Collinearity is a common feature in biological data as there exist interactions between genes and proteins in their respective pathways. Such relationships could seriously reduce the efficiency of biclustering models. In this study, synthetic data are generated to investigate the effect of collinearity on the performance of biclustering models. Specifically, the data are generated and induced with varying degrees of collinearity using Cholesky decomposition, and are implanted with biclusters to produce different sets of synthetic data. The effectiveness of three models namely Biclustering by Cheng and Church (BCCC), Spectral Bicluster (BCSpectral) and Plaid Model in correctly detecting three types of biclusters in the generated data matrix were compared. The results show that all the models investigated are sensitive to changes in the level of collinearity. At low collinearity, all biclustering models were able to detect the implanted biclusters in the data correctly. As the level of collinearity in the data rise, the proportion of detected biclusters captured by the models reduces. In particular, BCC outperformed the other two models for moderate to high collinearity with a Jaccard coefficient of 0.499 to 0.875 and 0.746 to 0.936 for one and two implanted biclusters respectively.
Multi-Population O’Hare with ARIMA, ARIMA-GARCH and ANN in Forecasting Mortality Rate
Authors: Samsudin Nurul Syuhada , Mohd Nor Siti Rohani
Published: December 2023

Multi-population mortality model has gained attention from prominent researchers of mortality due to its ability to provide biologically reasonable forecast. Previously, many researchers have proposed several multi-population stochastic mortality models that they considered adequate to produce accurate life expectancy. However, little have been addressed of the variability in full ages and time, which can contribute to an erroneous estimation of life expectancy. Therefore, this study proposed a new multi-population O’Hare with ARIMA, ARIMA-GARCH and ANN in forecasting the mortality rate for male and female in Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, USA, UK, Canada, and Switzerland. Multi-population O’Hare was used as a reference model, whilst ARIMA, ARIMA-GARCH and ANN were incorporated to the reference model to forecast the mortality rates. The adequacy of the proposed model was assessed by using measurement errors which were Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). The results showed by multi-population O’Hare with ARIMA-GARCH gave the best forecasting performance for Taiwan, Japan, Australia, USA, UK, Canada, and Switzerland. On the other hand, multi-population O’Hare with ARIMA gave the best forecasting performance for Malaysia, whereas multi-population O’Hare with ANN gave the best forecasting performance for Hong Kong.
A School for Humanity: Confronting Division and Trauma Through Lived Values in Burundi
Authors: Barnes Jonathan , Ntung Alex
Published: December 2023

The Burundi American International Academy is an independent school in central Africa. It was established eight years ago expressly to generate potential leaders motivated to build peace, humanity and economic development in an impoverished country beset by political, ethnic, environmental and development challenges. The purpose of this research is to evaluate progress toward achieving the school’s aims to create such leaders through instilling and modelling the values of integrity, excellence, responsibility, passion, compassion and respect .The study used qualitative approaches including semi-structured conversations, observations, video, questionnaires and follow-up interviews to provide data. Data was analysed using Grounded Theory to identify the characteristics of a model intended to deliver sustainable positive change in social processes through education.Significant findings were that the school had developed a strong, united, persuasive and perhaps self-fulfilling narrative about its successes. This narrative shared between teachers, students, governors and parents, included convincing evidence of deep understanding of the relationship between values and action at macro and micro levels. The strong motivation among teachers and other adult participants towards sustaining its aims was reinforced by evidence of frequent values discussions and values-focussed in-service training.Theory arising from grounded research led to discussion on staff training and curriculum coverage. This included suggestions on involving connections to the school’s humanitarian values and philosophy, cross-curricular approaches to Sustainable Development Goals and closer relations between the subject disciplines. Establishing inclusive values within a privileged minority in a divided and impoverished society and balancing charitable attitudes with aspirations to high status, were revealed as significant challenges for the school. While student admission to North American universities may result in losing of some promising future leaders, the school offers a globally transferrable example of how to establish and sustain a values-creating school.
Analysis of Pandemic Reporting Framework of Mainstream New Media Based on the Reports of Typical Mainstream Media Wechat Official Account
Authors: Lyu Lin , Arif Lily Suriani Binti Mohd , Shahrin Ruzanna Binti
Published: December 2023

Purpose: The report of "PANDEMIC" was put forward to seek more sympathetic ways of transmission and expand the focus of infected people and epidemic areas regarding district and elderly reporting topics.Methodology: This study uses software to capture 2515 news reports about pandemic from five mainstream media WeChat official account such as People's Daily as research samples, and uses the media framework theory to analyze the news selection framework and news construction framework of mainstream media's reports on pandemic.Findings: The People's Daily focuses on popular science topics with high user participation; "People's Network" focuses on the government's anti-epidemic trend and strengthens news commentary; Xinhuanet reports focus on the information of the epidemic fighting front line; "CCTV News" focuses on highlighting the voice of experts and the release of authoritative information; Hubei Daily highlighted the news reports on the epidemic resistance of the local government.Originality: The deficiencies of the media in the reporting of the "PANDEMIC" are expected to provide a theoretical reference for the media reporting of future public emergencies.Research limitations: The evaluation of the traditional media, not using more specialized indicators of the mass media, and the other is the evaluation of the new media, not tracking more retweet reading.Social implications: The sudden PANDEMIC is a big review of the mainstream news media. the mainstream news media provide strong public opinion support for the ultimate victory in the fight against pandemic.
Doomscrolling or Joyscrolling? A Study of English Lexical Innovations of 2020-2022
Authors: Karanevych Mariana , Ivantsiv Oryslava , Kutsa Oksana
Published: December 2023

The years 2020-2022 experienced a number of world-shifting events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, a global economic recession, the racial justice movement, the US presidential election, and extreme climate conditions. Since no social phenomenon can avoid being represented in language, these episodes have influenced the language system, language use and discursive practices. The English linguistic landscape has not been spared the impact of the aforementioned events. The article focuses on analysing the meaning and formation of new coinages in the English language that reflect the changes in society within the specified timeframe. The data used for this study were collected from 2020-2022 updates to online dictionaries which include new words, revised versions of existing entries and new word suggestions. The research data were analysed both in qualitative and quantitative terms. The study singled out five lexical categories of neologisms based on the thematic criterion: 1) discrimination, 2) the influence of famous people, 3) climate change, 4) lifestyles during the COVID-19 outbreak, 5) the business world and employment. The classification manifests that these coinages have become integrated into the English language as part of everyday use for social and communicative purposes. The research findings show that the most productive word formation processes that contribute to the creation of the selected neologisms include compounding, blending, and compounding + affixation.
A Case Study on the Transformation of Chinese Opera Radio under the Ecological Environment of Media Integration
Authors: Bao Fengbo , Razi Siti Aishah Binti Hj Mohammad , Yasin Megat Al Imran Bin
Published: December 2023

Chinese opera is one of the important art forms in Chinese traditional culture that has a long history and rich forms of expression. Media integration in Chinese opera broadcasting refers to the combination of traditional opera art forms with modern broadcasting technologies to meet the communication needs and technological development trends of contemporary society. This study investigated the state of media development based on the media ecology theory. This study explored media integration in Chinese opera broadcasting using case study methodology to describe multimedia communication methods adopted by the broadcasting stations to increase the listening rate. Study subjects were three Chinese opera radio programs. The research results show that Chinese Opera broadcasting has begun to use various media technologies to carry out media integration development, inject new vitality into traditional art forms, and increase the appeal to contemporary audiences. The research also found that with the continuous progress of technology, Chinese Opera broadcasting will have greater space for development in the future and bring better listening experience to the audience.
Navigating the Social Media Landscape: A Guide for Special Education Teachers and Parents
Authors: Alsowait Methwad Mahrout M , Obeidat Saah Saleh Shlash , Obeidat Lubna Mahmoud , Ayasrah Mohammad Nayef , Khasawneh Mohamad Ahmad Saleem
Published: December 2023

This research probes the complex relationship between social media and special education in Jordan. The purpose of this paper is to provide critical viewpoints that might guide the development of a useful guidebook tailored to the needs of educators, parents, and students in the field of special education. Special education instructors and parents of children with disabilities have been shown to use Facebook and WhatsApp at much higher rates than the general population. This discovery highlights the potential of these platforms as efficient ways to enhance special education communities' capacity to communicate, collaborate, and share resources. The study highlights the importance of ethical social media use, career advancement opportunities, effective communication, and diversity and inclusion as cornerstones of the recommended guide. The goal of this living document is to equip stakeholders and make a significant contribution to the area of inclusive education as special education practices evolve.
South Africa's Public Debt: Long-term Dependence, Structural Breaks and Multifractality
Authors: Brou Jean-Claude Kouakou , Bouoiyour Jamal
Published: December 2023

This paper aims to analyse the evolution of public debt in South Africa using new and original methods. The case of South Africa has been little studied in the literature on debt because the level of debt in this country remains reasonable. Moreover, the use of non-standard methods allows for a fine-grained analysis of the public debt time series and, consequently, to draw unprecedented conclusions. Using the Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (MF-DFA) method borrowed from solid state physics and medicine, we conclude that South Africa's debt has a multifractal character, which originates from the long memory effect. Thus, South Africa's public debt is unsustainable. The inefficiency of this market has been particularly exacerbated by the various shocks throughout the sample period.
Multi-Step Gaussian Regression Prediction in Dynamic Systems: A Case Study in Vehicle Lateral Control
Authors: Zakeri Hasan , HomChaudhuri Baisravan
Published: December 2023

In this paper, we focus on developing a multi-step uncertainty propagation method for systems with state- and control-dependent uncertainties. System uncertainty creates a mismatch between the actual system and its control-oriented model. Often, these uncertainties are state- and control-dependent, such as modeling error. This uncertainty propagates over time and results in significant errors over a given time horizon, which can disrupt the operation of safety-critical systems. Stochastic predictive control methods can ensure that the system stays within the safe region with a given probability, but requires prediction of the future state distributions of the system over the horizon. Predicting the future state distribution of systems with state- and control-dependent uncertainty is a difficult task. Existing methods only focus on modeling the current or one-step uncertainty, while the uncertainty propagation model over a horizon is generally over-approximated. Hence, we present a multi-step Gaussian process regression method to learn the uncertainty propagation model for systems with state- and control-dependent uncertainties. We also perform a case study on vehicle lateral control problems, where we learn the vehicle’s error propagation model during lane changes. Simulation results show the efficacy of our proposed method.
Front Matter
Authors: Onder E. Nihan
Published: December 2023

This frontmatter contains the Series Editors’ Preface, Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, Acronyms, Preface and Abstract. It is available for access by clicking on the PDF icon below.

eBook keywords: nuclear power reactors, fissioning, heat generation, nuclear fuel materials, fuel cladding material, fuel pellet, fuel performance, fuel failure mechanisms, advanced fuel concept.
Experimental pseudo-equivalent deterministic excitation method extension for low frequency domain applications
Authors: Mazzeo Giulia , Petrone Giuseppe , Franco Francesco , De Rosa Sergio , Ichchou Mohamed N. , Bareille Olivier
Published: December 2023

In transport engineering applications, flow-induced vibrations is an interesting topic to address since it may negatively affect the operation and the response of the system. Wind tunnel facilities are mandatory to test the structure design efficiency or to analyse new material performances under aerodynamic load. However, these experimental tests can be expensive and take a long time to set up and operate; hence, alternative methods for the reproduction of the structural response to a turbulent boundary layer excitation are required to accelerate and improve the experimental setups and provide more data for uncertainty analysis. In this paper, an alternative approach, the eXperimental Pseudo-Equivalent Deterministic Excitation method (X-PEDEM), is here extended for applications in the low frequency domain. An investigation about the applicability of the method in the low frequency domain is conducted, together with an analysis of its main properties. The reliability of the method is then tested numerically by considering different conditions: two different panels, two different boundary conditions, and different asymptotic flow velocities are considered.
Effects of sound segregation cues on multi-sound intensity discrimination
Authors: Watanabe Kenta , Srinivasan Ramesh , Richards Virginia M.
Published: December 2023

The effects of sound segregation cues on the sensitivity to intensity increments were explored. Listeners indicated whether the second and fourth sounds (harmonic complexes) within a five-sound sequence were increased in intensity. The target sound had a fundamental frequency of 250 Hz. In different conditions, nontarget sounds had different fundamental frequencies, different spectral shapes, and unique frequency regions relative to the target. For targets more intense than nontargets, nontarget characteristics did not affect thresholds. For targets less intense than the nontargets, thresholds improved when the targets and nontargets had unique frequency regions.
Fathers’ unmodulated prosody in child-directed speech
Authors: Kondaurova Maria V. , VanDam Mark , Zheng Qi , Welikson Bianca
Published: December 2023

Mothers and fathers modify prosodic characteristics of child-directed speech relative to adult-directed speech. Evidence suggests that mothers and fathers may differ in how they use child-directed speech as communicative partners. Thus, fathers create communicative challenges during father-child interaction that facilitate the child's adaptation to a wider potential range of interlocutors. In this paper, speech production differences are examined between mothers and fathers in child-directed speech to toddlers as compared to adult-directed speech. Using a longitudinal, large-scale design of audio recordings in naturalistic environments and automatic speech processing techniques, it was found that mothers, but not fathers, increased their fundamental frequency when addressing their toddlers. The results suggest that fathers do not modulate the prosody of their speech in the same way as mothers when communicating with their toddlers. Findings have implications for emotional and communicative practices of fathers compared to mothers and the differential role each plays in child development.
Highly sensitive single-molecule detection of macromolecule ion beams
Authors: Strauß Marcel , Shayeghi Armin , Mauser Martin F. X. , Geyer Philipp , Kostersitz Tim , Salapa Julia , Dobrovolskiy Oleksandr , Daly Steven , Commandeur Jan , Hua Yong , Köhler Valentin , Mayor Marcel , Benserhir Jad , Bruschini Claudio , Charbon Edoardo , Castaneda Mario , Gevers Monique , Gourgues Ronan , Kalhor Nima , Fognini Andreas , Arndt Markus
Published: December 2023

The analysis of proteins in the gas phase benefits from detectors that exhibit high efficiency and precise spatial resolution. Although modern secondary electron multipliers already address numerous analytical requirements, additional methods are desired for macromolecules at energies lower than currently used in post-acceleration detection. Previous studies have proven the sensitivity of superconducting detectors to high-energy particles in time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Here, we demonstrate that superconducting nanowire detectors are exceptionally well suited for quadrupole mass spectrometry and exhibit an outstanding quantum yield at low-impact energies. At energies as low as 100 eV, the sensitivity of these detectors surpasses conventional ion detectors by three orders of magnitude, and they offer the possibility to discriminate molecules by their impact energy and charge. We demonstrate three developments with these compact and sensitive devices, the recording of 2D ion beam profiles, photochemistry experiments in the gas phase, and advanced cryogenic electronics to pave the way toward highly integrated detectors.
Multicolor x-rays from free electron–driven van der Waals heterostructures
Authors: Huang Sunchao , Duan Ruihuan , Pramanik Nikhil , Go Michael , Boothroyd Chris , Liu Zheng , Wong Liang Jie
Published: December 2023

The emergence of van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures has led to precise and versatile methods of fabricating devices with atomic-scale accuracies. Hence, vdW heterostructures have shown much promise for technologies including photodetectors, photocatalysis, photovoltaic devices, ultrafast photonic devices, and field-effect transistors. These applications, however, remain confined to optical and suboptical regimes. Here, we theoretically show and experimentally demonstrate the use of vdW heterostructures as platforms for multicolor x-ray generation. By driving the vdW heterostructures with free electrons in a table-top setup, we generate x-ray photons whose output spectral profile can be user-customized via the heterostructure design and even controlled in real time. We show that the multicolor photon energies and their corresponding intensities can be tailored by varying the electron energy, the electron beam position, as well as the geometry and composition of the vdW heterostructure. Our results reveal the promise of vdW heterostructures in realizing highly versatile x-ray sources for emerging applications in advanced x-ray imaging and spectroscopy.
Wild-type distributions of minimum inhibitory concentrations and epidemiological cut-off values—laboratory and clinical utility
Authors: Kahlmeter Gunnar , Turnidge John
Published: December 2023

SUMMARY

The characterization of wild-type minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and zone diameter distributions with the setting of epidemiological cut-off values (ECOFFs or ECVs) provides a reference for the otherwise relative MIC values in the international system for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Distributions of MIC values for a species and an agent follow a log-normal distribution, which in the absence of resistance mechanisms is monomodal and designated wild type (WT). The upper end of the WT distribution, the ECOFF, can be identified with statistical methods. In the presence of phenotypically detectable resistance, the distribution has at least one more mode (the non-WT), but despite this, the WT is most often identifiable using the same methods. The ECOFF provides the most sensitive measure of resistance development in a species against an agent. The WT and non-WT modes are independent of the organism´s response to treatment, but when the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) determines the clinical breakpoints, the committee avoids breakpoints that split WT distributions of target species. This is to avoid the poorer reproducibility of susceptibility categorization when breakpoints split major populations but also because the EUCAST has failed to identify different clinical outcomes for isolates with different MIC values inside the wild-type distribution. In laboratory practice, the ECOFF is used to screen for and exclude resistance and allows the comparison of resistance between systems with different breakpoints from different breakpoint organizations, breakpoints evolving over time, and different breakpoints between human and animal medicine. The EUCAST actively encourages colleagues to question MIC distributions as presented on the website (
https://www.eucast.org/mic_and_zone_distributions_and_ecoffs
) and to contribute MIC and inhibition zone diameter data.
Mutation of
mltG
increases peptidoglycan fragment release, cell size, and antibiotic susceptibility in
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Authors: Harris-Jones Tiffany N. , Pérez Medina Krizia M. , Hackett Kathleen T. , Schave Melanie A. , Klimowicz Amy K. , Schaub Ryan E. , Dillard Joseph P.
Published: December 2023

Infection with
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
leads to inflammation that is responsible for the disease symptoms of gonococcal urethritis, cervicitis, and pelvic inflammatory disease. During growth, these bacteria release significant amounts of peptidoglycan (PG) fragments which elicit inflammatory responses in the human host. To better understand the mechanisms involved in PG synthesis and breakdown in
N. gonorrhoeae
, we characterized the effects of loss of function mutations in
mltG
. MltG has been identified in other bacterial species as a terminase that stops PG strand growth by cleaving the growing glycan. Mutation of
mltG
in
N. gonorrhoeae
did not affect bacterial growth rate but resulted in increased PG turnover, more cells of large size, decreased autolysis under non-growth conditions, and increased sensitivity to antibiotics that affect PG crosslinking. An
mltG
mutant released greatly increased amounts of PG monomers, PG dimers, and larger oligomers. In the
mltG
background, mutation of either
ltgA
or
ltgD
, encoding the lytic transglycosylases responsible for PG monomer liberation, resulted in wild-type levels of PG monomer release. Bacterial two-hybrid assays identified positive interactions of MltG with synthetic penicillin-binding proteins PBP1 and PBP2 and the PG-degrading endopeptidase PBP4 (PbpG). These data are consistent with MltG acting as a terminase in
N. gonorrhoeae
and suggest that the absence of MltG activity results in excessive PG growth and extra PG in the sacculus that must be degraded by lytic transglycosylases including LtgA and LtgD. Furthermore, the absence of MltG causes a cell wall defect that is manifested as large cell size and antibiotic sensitivity.

IMPORTANCE

Neisseria gonorrhoeae
is unusual in that the bacteria release larger amounts of cell wall material as they grow as compared to related bacteria, and the released cell wall fragments induce inflammation that leads to tissue damage in infected people. The study of MltG revealed the importance of this enzyme for controlling cell wall growth, cell wall fragment production, and bacterial cell size and suggests a role for MltG in a cell wall synthesis and degradation complex. The increased antibiotic sensitivities of
mltG
mutants suggest that an antimicrobial drug inhibiting MltG would be useful in combination therapy to restore the sensitivity of the bacteria to cell wall targeting antibiotics to which the bacteria are currently resistant.
Fecal calprotectin level is nonlinearly associated with GI pathogen detection in patients with and without inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Newman Kira L. , Higgins Peter D. R.
Published: December 2023

Fecal calprotectin (FCP) is used to monitor inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) activity and can also be elevated in gastrointestinal infections. Our study’s objective was to quantify the relationship between FCP levels and lab-confirmed infections in people with and without IBD. We performed a cross-sectional study at a tertiary-care center of all encounters during which FCP and gastrointestinal pathogen polymerase-chain reaction (GI PCR) panel testings were conducted. Using non-parametric tests and quantile regression, we compared the FCP levels by IBD status and pathogen detection. There were 3,347 encounters with FCP and GI PCR testings from 2,780 unique individuals between 1 August 2016 and 17 February 2022. Overall, 54.4% had IBD (
n
= 1,819). Pathogens were detected in 744 encounters (22.2%), and the detection rate did not differ by IBD status. Median FCP without IBD was significantly elevated when a pathogen was detected (64 vs 41 mg/kg,
P
= 0.0003, normal ≤50.0 mg/kg), but FCP with IBD was not significantly elevated when a pathogen was detected (299 vs 255 mg/kg,
P
= 0.207). In quantile regression adjusted for age and IBD, pathogen detection was only significantly associated with higher FCP in the lower two quartiles, though IBD remained significantly associated with higher FCP at all levels (
P
> 0.001). Pathogen detection by GI PCR is associated with elevated FCP, though this relationship is nonlinear and varies by IBD status. Our findings indicate that FCP may be an adjunct to, but not a substitute for, stool pathogen testing.
KPNA2 suppresses porcine epidemic diarrhea virus replication by targeting and degrading virus envelope protein through selective autophagy
Authors: Gao Qi , Weng Zhijun , Feng Yongzhi , Gong Ting , Zheng Xiaoyu , Zhang Guihong , Gong Lang
Published: December 2023

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infection in pigs is characterized by vomiting, dehydration, and diarrhea. Structural proteins of PEDV play crucial roles in viral entry, release, assembly, budding, and host immune regulation. Similar to other viruses, PEDV relies heavily on the host cellular machinery for productive infection. However, the host factors involved in PEDV infection remain unidentified. Thus, this study aims to map the PEDV structural proteins interacting with host factors in Vero cells. Results revealed karyopherin α 2 (KPNA2) as a potential host factor to suppress PEDV replication. KPNA2 overexpression in target cells significantly inhibited PEDV infection, whereas KPNA2 silencing by small interfering RNA promoted PEDV infection. Mechanistically, KPNA2 interacted with PEDV E, which led to the degradation of PEDV E protein. These results indicate the probable involvement of KPNA2 in the host antiviral response against PEDV. This study provides novel KPNA2-mediated viral restriction mechanisms in which KPNA2 overexpression suppresses PEDV replication by targeting and degrading the viral E protein by autophagy. KPNA2 may serve as a target in developing strategies to control PEDV infection.

IMPORTANCE

Porcine epidemic diarrhea, characterized by vomiting, dehydration, and diarrhea, is an acute and highly contagious enteric disease caused by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in neonatal piglets. This disease has caused large economic losses to the porcine industry worldwide. Thus, identifying the host factors involved in PEDV infection is important to develop novel strategies to control PEDV transmission. This study shows that PEDV infection upregulates karyopherin α 2 (KPNA2) expression in Vero and intestinal epithelial (IEC) cells. KPNA2 binds to and degrades the PEDV E protein via autophagy to suppress PEDV replication. These results suggest that KPNA2 plays an antiviral role against PEDV. Specifically, knockdown of endogenous KPNA2 enhances PEDV replication, whereas its overexpression inhibits PEDV replication. Our data provide novel KPNA2-mediated viral restriction mechanisms in which KPNA2 suppresses PEDV replication by targeting and degrading the viral E protein through autophagy. These mechanisms can be targeted in future studies to develop novel strategies to control PEDV infection.
Respiration supports intraphagosomal filamentation and escape of
Candida albicans
from macrophages
Authors: Case Nicola T. , Westman Johannes , Hallett Michael T. , Plumb Jonathan , Farheen Aiman , Maxson Michelle E. , MacAlpine Jessie , Liston Sean D. , Hube Bernhard , Robbins Nicole , Whitesell Luke , Grinstein Sergio , Cowen Leah E.
Published: December 2023

For the human fungal pathogen
Candida albicans
, metabolic flexibility and the ability to transition between yeast and filamentous growth states are key virulence traits that enable disease in the host. These traits are particularly important during the interaction of
C. albicans
with macrophages, where the fungus must utilize multiple alternative carbon sources to survive after being phagocytosed, and filamentation is coupled to fungal escape and immune cell death. Here, we employed functional genomic screening of conditional-expression mutants covering >50% of the
C. albicans
genome to identify genes selectively required for filamentation inside macrophages. Through manual and machine learning-based image analyses, we uncovered a role for the mitochondrial ribosome, respiration, and the SNF1 AMP-activated kinase complex in governing filamentous growth within the phagosome, suggesting that
C. albicans
relies on respiration to evade the antifungal activities of macrophages. We demonstrate that downregulating the expression of these genes reduces ATP levels and impedes filamentation as well as growth under monoculture conditions in medium lacking glucose. In co-culture with physiological glucose concentration, downregulation of genes involved in mitochondrial function and respiration prevented
C. albicans
from expanding within the phagosome, escaping, and inducing immune cell death. Together, our work provides new insights into the impact of metabolism on the interaction between
C. albicans
and macrophages, highlighting respiration and the SNF1 AMP-activated kinase as key effectors of
C. albicans
metabolic flexibility and filamentation within phagocytes.

IMPORTANCE

Candida albicans
is a leading human fungal pathogen that often causes life-threatening infections in immunocompromised individuals. The ability of
C. albicans
to transition between yeast and filamentous forms is key to its virulence, and this occurs in response to many host-relevant cues, including engulfment by host macrophages. While previous efforts identified
C. albicans
genes required for filamentation in other conditions, the genes important for this morphological transition upon internalization by macrophages remained largely enigmatic. Here, we employed a functional genomic approach to identify genes that enable
C. albicans
filamentation within macrophages and uncovered a role for the mitochondrial ribosome, respiration, and the SNF1 AMP-activated kinase complex. Additionally, we showed that glucose uptake and glycolysis by macrophages support
C. albicans
filamentation. This work provides insights into the metabolic dueling that occurs during the interaction of
C. albicans
with macrophages and identifies vulnerabilities in
C. albicans
that could serve as promising therapeutic targets.
Genome sequences of seven bacterial isolates collected from soil as part of a microbiology lab course
Authors: Sharon Belle , Ebraimzadeh Tamineh , Dahl Haley , Avadhanam Nymisha , Rajendran Divya , Abaragu Ada , Nguyen Dylan , Phan Long , Ramjee Christine , Thai Mabel , Vragel Gabrielle ,   Spring 2019 and Fall 2019 BIOL3520 Working Groups, Mehta Iti , Palmer Kelli
Published: December 2023

Soil is a source for diverse microbes that possess useful biotechnological capabilities. Here, we report the genome sequences of seven bacterial isolates from the species
Exiguobacterium acetylicum
,
Rossellomorea marisflavi
,
Delftia acidovorans
,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
,
Bacillus
sp., and
Bacillus toyonensis
(two isolates) cultured from Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex soil samples.
Draft genome sequence of
Xylella fastidiosa
strain ATCC 35874 isolated from infected red oak in Washington, DC
Authors: Shao Jonathan , Guan Wei , Zhao Tingchang , Huang Qi
Published: December 2023

We report here the draft genome sequence of
Xylella fastidiosa
strain ATCC 35874. The strain was originally isolated from infected red oak in Washington, DC, and obtained from the American Type Culture Collection. The ATCC 35874 genome contains 2,543,332 bp and has a G + C content of 51.72%.
Context matters: environmental microbiota from ice cream processing facilities affected the inhibitory performance of two lactic acid bacteria strains against
Listeria monocytogenes
Authors: Rolon M. Laura , Chandross-Cohen Tyler , Kaylegian Kerry E. , Roberts Robert F. , Kovac Jasna
Published: December 2023

Using biocontrol microorganisms to complement sanitation of dairy processing facilities may enhance the control of pathogenic
Listeria monocytogenes
. However, it remains unknown whether the microbiota of dairy processing facilities affects the antilisterial activity of biocontrol strains. We tested two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains (
Enterococcus faecium
PS01155 and
Enterococcus lactis
PS01156) for their antilisterial potential in the context of microbiomes collected from three ice cream processing facilities (A, B, and C). Antilisterial ability was assessed by co-culturing LAB strains with eight
L
.
monocytogenes
strains in the presence of microbiota for 3 days at 15°C, followed by quantification of the most probable number of attached
L. monocytogenes
. We observed no significant reduction of the
L. monocytogenes
concentration in the samples co-cultured with LAB strains in the presence of environmental microbiota collected from ice cream processing facilities, compared to a positive control containing only the
L. monocytogenes
cocktail and the environmental microbiomes. The attachment of LAB strains to an abiotic surface was assessed by co-culturing LABs with microbiomes at 15°C for 3 days, followed by characterization of attached microbiota composition using amplicon sequencing. All treatment samples that contained microbiomes from dairy processing facilities had a high relative abundance of
Pseudomonas
. Further, the presence of
Pseudomonas
isolated from the microbiome from facility B significantly reduced the antilisterial ability of
E. faecium
PS01155.

IMPORTANCE

Antilisterial LAB strains have been proposed as biological control agents for application in food processing environments. However, the effect of resident food processing environment microbiota on the performance on antilisterial LAB strains is poorly understood. Our study shows that the presence of microbiota collected from ice cream processing facilities' environmental surfaces can affect the attachment and inhibitory effect of LAB strains against
L. monocytogenes
. Further studies are therefore needed to assess whether individual microbial taxa affect antilisterial properties of LAB strains and to characterize the underlying mechanisms.
Enhanced extracellular ammonium release in the plant endophyte
Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus
through genome editing
Authors: Dietz Benjamin R. , Olszewski Neil E. , Barney Brett M.
Published: December 2023

The plant growth-promoting bacterium
Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus
was originally discovered in association with sugarcane plants as an endophyte. As a member of the small class of organisms defined as diazotrophs,
G. diazotrophicus
is capable of fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere and could serve an important role in minimizing the requirements for nitrogen from industrial-derived fertilizers. In addition to sugarcane,
G. diazotrophicus
is capable of forming endophyte associations with a variety of other important crops. It has been reported that this microbe requires micro-aerobic conditions to effectively fix nitrogen gas from the atmosphere through the enzyme nitrogenase, making it slightly more difficult to study the diazotrophic lifestyle in the laboratory. The ability of the strain to reside within the plant during growth means that any extracellular nitrogen released by this microbe would immediately become available to the plant host. For this reason, it is an ideal target for development as an improved biofertilizer strain. In this work, we constructed strains of
G. diazotrophicus
that result in enhanced ammonium release, as measured by growing with a closely associated algal strain under micro-aerobic conditions, and by further quantifying ammonium concentrations accumulated under micro-aerobic and aerobic growth.

IMPORTANCE

Our results demonstrate increased extracellular ammonium release in the endophyte plant growth-promoting bacterium
Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus
. Strains were constructed in a manner that leaves no antibiotic markers behind, such that these strains contain no transgenes. Levels of ammonium achieved by cultures of modified
G. diazotrophicus
strains reached concentrations of approximately 18 mM ammonium, while wild-type
G. diazotrophicus
remained much lower (below 50 µM). These findings demonstrate a strong potential for further improving the biofertilizer potential of this important microbe.
B-cell hepatosplenic lymphoma presenting in adult patient after spontaneous splenic rupture followed by severe persistent hypoglycaemia: type B lactic acidosis and acute liver failure
Authors: Moen Mette , Hamilton-Dutoit Stephen , Steiniche Torben , Gude Martin Faurholdt
Published: December 2023

A patient was admitted to hospital with splenic rupture, four 4 days after colonoscopy was performed following one month’s intermittent and aggravating abdominal pain. During recovery from splenectomy, the patient developed sudden tachycardic and tachypnoea. A blood sample revealed a very low blood glucose, high lactate and acidaemia.

The patient required high-dose continuous intravenous glucose, while the lactate remained elevated. Decreasing consciousness with signs of acute liver failure necessitated transfer to an advanced intensive care unit. The patient’s clinical status rapidly deteriorated despite therapeutic intervention. The patient died of multiorgan failure eleven days post-splenectomy. Based on the pathology of the spleen and a post-mortem liver specimen, the patient was diagnosed with a primary extra-nodal B-cell hepatosplenic lymphoma (BCHSL) – an extremely rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphomanon.

Splenic rupture followed by lactic acidosis and hypoglycaemia should lead to suspicion of a cancer-mediated Warburg effect, and prompt urgent chemotherapy.
Manual vacuum aspiration for postpartum pyometra
Authors: Io Shingo , Takemura Maki , Takemura Hideo
Published: December 2023

Postpartum pyometra is rare; however, it may lead to sepsis. The main initial symptoms are fever, lower abdominal pain and foul-smelling lochia. The treatment includes antibiotic administration and surgical drainage. This is a report of postpartum pyometra following a caesarean section that was successfully treated with manual vacuum aspiration, a simple and minimally invasive option. Other treatment options include pyometra reduction using placenta forceps and the placement of an intrauterine drainage catheter.
Indirect (herd) effects of topical antibiotic prophylaxis and oral care versus non-antimicrobial methods increase mortality among ICU patients: realigning Cochrane review data to emulate a three-tier cluster randomised trial
Authors: Hurley James
Published: December 2023

Objective

This study aimed to estimate the direct effects to recipients and indirect (herd) effects to non-recipients of each of topical antibiotic prophylaxis (TAP) and oral care methods on patient mortality within randomised concurrent controlled trials (RCCT) using Cochrane review data.

Design

Control and intervention groups from 209 RCCTs of TAP (tier 3), oral care (tier 2) each versus non-antimicrobial (tier 1) ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) prevention interventions arranged to emulate a three-tiered cluster randomised trial (CRT). Eligible RCCTs were those including ICU patients with >50% of patients receiving >24 hours of mechanical ventilation (MV) with mortality data available as abstracted in 13 Cochrane reviews.

Exposures

Direct and indirect exposures to either TAP or oral care within RCCTs versus non-antimicrobial VAP prevention interventions.

Main outcomes and measures

The ICU mortality within control and intervention groups, respectively, within RCCTs of either TAP or oral care versus that within non-antimicrobial VAP prevention RCCTs serving as benchmark.

Results

The ICU mortality was 23.9%, 23.0% and 20.3% for intervention groups and 28.7%, 25.5% and 19.5% for control groups of RCCTs of TAP (tier 1), oral care (tier 2) and non-antimicrobial (tier 3) methods of VAP prevention, respectively. In a random effects meta-regression including late mortality data and adjusting for group mean age, year of study publication and MV proportion, the direct effect of TAP and oral care versus non-antimicrobial methods were 1.04 (95% CI 0.78 to 1.30) and 1.1 (95% CI 0.77 to 1.43) whereas the indirect effects were 1.39 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.74) and 1.26 (95% CI 0.89 to 1.62), respectively.

Conclusions

Indirect (herd) effects from TAP and oral care methods on mortality are stronger than the direct effects as made apparent by the three-tiered CRT. These indirect effects, being harmful to concurrent control groups by increasing mortality, perversely inflate the appearance of benefit within RCCTs.