bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Older Adults With Higher Blood Pressure Variability Exhibit Cerebrovascular Reactivity Deficits
Authors: Sible Isabel J , Jang Jung Yun , Dutt Shubir , Yew Belinda , Alitin John Paul M , Li Yanrong , Blanken Anna E , Ho Jean K , Marshall Anisa J , Kapoor Arunima , Shenasa Fatemah , Gaubert Aimée , Nguyen Amy , Sturm Virginia E , Mather Mara , Rodgers Kathleen E , Shao Xingfeng , Wang Danny J , Nation Daniel A
Published: September 2022

BACKGROUND

Elevated blood pressure (BP) variability is predictive of increased risk for stroke, cerebrovascular disease, and other vascular brain injuries, independent of traditionally studied average BP levels. However, no studies to date have evaluated whether BP variability is related to diminished cerebrovascular reactivity, which may represent an early marker of cerebrovascular dysfunction presaging vascular brain injury.

METHODS

The present study investigated BP variability and cerebrovascular reactivity in a sample of 41 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 69.6 [SD 8.7] years) without a history of dementia or stroke. Short-term BP variability was determined from BP measurements collected continuously during a 5-minute resting period followed by cerebrovascular reactivity during 5-minute hypocapnia and hypercapnia challenge induced by visually guided breathing conditions. Cerebrovascular reactivity was quantified as percent change in cerebral perfusion by pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL)-MRI per unit change in end-tidal CO2.

RESULTS

Elevated systolic BP variability was related to lower whole brain cerebrovascular reactivity during hypocapnia (ß = −0.43 [95% CI −0.73, −0.12]; P = 0.008; adjusted R2 =.11) and hypercapnia (ß = −0.42 [95% CI −0.77, −0.06]; P = 0.02; adjusted R2 = 0.19).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings add to prior work linking BP variability and cerebrovascular disease burden and suggest BP variability may also be related to prodromal markers of cerebrovascular dysfunction and disease, with potential therapeutic implications.
A new method for the preparation of a purified glucosylceramide and ceramide from shiitake mushroom
Authors: Yazawa Makoto , Kubota Tomoyoshi , Kaneko Yuta , Otsuka Yusuke , Onuki Yui , Nanakubo Hiroki , Sato Masaki , Hongo Yasuhiro , Mochizuki Mika , Usui Kyoko , Kaneko Chisa , Miyamoto Hiroko , Suto Ryuta , Waki Takamichi , Kasahara Moe , Ohashi Ayumi , Yumoto Emi , Yamane Hisakazu , Koga Jinichiro
Published: September 2022

Ingestion of plant and fungal glucosylceramides is known to reduce colon carcinogenesis and skin barrier damage in mice and humans. However, such effects in animal experiments have not been revealed for plant and fungal ceramides because the content of ceramides contained in plants and fungi is so low that the large amount required for animal experiments is difficult to obtain. Noting that the fungus shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) is rich in a glucosylceramide, (4E,8E)-N-d-2′-hydroxypalmitoyl-1-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-9-methyl-4,8-sphingadienine [Glc-d19:2(4E,8E,9Me)-h16:0], we developed a new method to purify this fungal glucosylceramide using ethanol precipitation and high-performance liquid chromatography. We also developed a new method to produce large amounts of a ceramide [d19:2(4E,8E,9Me)-h16:0] from this purified glucosylceramide using human glycoside hydrolase family 30 glucocerebrosidase (imiglucerase). These methods will be useful for elucidating the physiological function by ingestion of fungal ceramides in animal experiments.
Adaptive clinical trial designs with blinded selection of binary composite endpoints and sample size reassessment
Authors: Roig Marta Bofill , Melis Guadalupe Gómez , Posch Martin , Koenig Franz
Published: September 2022

For randomized clinical trials where a single, primary, binary endpoint would require unfeasibly large sample sizes, composite endpoints (CEs) are widely chosen as the primary endpoint. Despite being commonly used, CEs entail challenges in designing and interpreting results. Given that the components may be of different relevance and have different effect sizes, the choice of components must be made carefully. Especially, sample size calculations for composite binary endpoints depend not only on the anticipated effect sizes and event probabilities of the composite components but also on the correlation between them. However, information on the correlation between endpoints is usually not reported in the literature which can be an obstacle for designing future sound trials. We consider two-arm randomized controlled trials with a primary composite binary endpoint and an endpoint that consists only of the clinically more important component of the CE. We propose a trial design that allows an adaptive modification of the primary endpoint based on blinded information obtained at an interim analysis. Especially, we consider a decision rule to select between a CE and its most relevant component as primary endpoint. The decision rule chooses the endpoint with the lower estimated required sample size. Additionally, the sample size is reassessed using the estimated event probabilities and correlation, and the expected effect sizes of the composite components. We investigate the statistical power and significance level under the proposed design through simulations. We show that the adaptive design is equally or more powerful than designs without adaptive modification on the primary endpoint. Besides, the targeted power is achieved even if the correlation is misspecified at the planning stage while maintaining the type 1 error. All the computations are implemented in R and illustrated by means of a peritoneal dialysis trial.
Lower affective empathy in oral contraceptive users: a cross-sectional fMRI study
Authors: Kimmig Ann-Christin Sophie , Wildgruber Dirk , Gärtner Anna , Drotleff Bernhard , Krylova Marina , Lämmerhofer Michael , Sundström-Poromaa Inger , Derntl Birgit
Published: September 2022

Evidence accumulates that oral contraceptive (OC) use modulates various socio-affective behaviors, including empathic abilities. Endogenous and synthetic sex hormones, such as estrogens and progestogens, bind to receptor sites in brain regions (i.e. frontal, limbic, and cerebellar) involved in socio-affective processing. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of OC use in empathy. In a cross-sectional functional magnetic resonance imaging study, women in different hormonal states, including OC use (n = 46) or being naturally cycling in the early follicular (fNC: n = 37) or peri-ovulatory phase (oNC: n = 28), performed a visual, sentence-based empathy task. Behaviorally, OC users had lower empathy ratings than oNC women. Congruently, whole-brain analysis revealed significantly larger task-related activation of several brain regions, including the left dorsomedial prefrontal gyrus (dmPFG), left precentral gyrus, and left temporoparietal junction in oNC compared to OC women. In OC users, the activity of the left dmPFG and precentral gyrus was negatively associated with behavioral and self-reported affective empathy. Furthermore, empathy-related region-of-interest analysis indicated negative associations of brain activation with synthetic hormone levels in OC women. Overall, this multimodal, cross-sectional investigation of empathy suggests a role of OC intake in especially affective empathy and highlights the importance of including synthetic hormone levels in OC-related analyses.
Diagnostic thresholds and optimal collection protocol of salivary pepsin for gastroesophageal reflux disease
Authors: Ma Steven D , Patel Vandan G , Greytak Madeline , Rubin Joshua E , Kaizer Alexander M , Yadlapati Rena H
Published: September 2022

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is primarily diagnosed based on symptoms and response to a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) trial. Gold standard testing requires an invasive endoscopic procedure, often with ambulatory pH monitoring. Salivary pepsin is a potential noninvasive modality for GERD diagnosis. This study aimed to assess diagnostic performance of salivary pepsin thresholds for GERD and determine optimal collection protocol of saliva in an external validation cohort. Over 10 months, adults with symptoms of GERD undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy with wireless pH-monitoring off PPI were enrolled. Saliva was self-collected by participants over 4 days across three different time points: fasting ante meridiem (AM), post-prandial, and bedtime (PM). Pepsin levels were calculated via Peptest. Pepsin variability and agreement were determined using linear mixed effects models and intraclass correlation. Validation of diagnostic threshold and performance characteristics were evaluated by receiver–operator curve analysis. Twenty participants enrolled in the study; 50% with physiologic acid exposure (acid exposure time < 4% no GERD) and 50% with elevated acid exposure (GERD). Mean pepsin concentrations were significantly lower in the AM (22.6 ± 25.2 ng/mL) compared to post-prandial (44.5 ± 36.7 ng/mL) and PM (55.4 ± 47.0 ng/mL). Agreement between pepsin concentrations across 3 days was substantial for AM samples (kappa 0.61), with lower agreement for post-prandial and PM samples. A single AM pepsin concentration of 25 ng/mL was 67% accurate for GERD with 56% sensitivity and 78% specificity. This validation study highlights fair accuracy and performance characteristics of a single fasting AM salivary pepsin concentration for the diagnosis of GERD.
A systematic review and meta-analyses on the effects of atorvastatin on blood pressure and heart rate
Authors: Costa Gabriel S , Julião-Silva Letícia S , Belo Vinícius S , de Oliveira Helena C F , Chaves Valéria E
Published: September 2022

Aims

Considering the inconsistencies in the literature on the atorvastatin effect on blood pressure (BP), we performed these meta-analyses.

Methods and results

Through a search of the Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), PubMed, and Web of Science databases, 1412 articles were identified, from which 33 randomized clinical trials (RCT) and 44 pre-clinical were selected. Populations from RCT were stratified according to baseline BP and lipid levels. We performed meta-analyses of the effect of atorvastatin on systolic (SBP), diastolic and mean BP; heart rate (HR); HR variability, and baroreflex. Atorvastatin reduced SBP in the overall population (P = 0.05 vs. placebo; P = 0.03 vs. baseline), in normotensive and hyperlipidaemic (P = 0.04 vs. placebo; P = 0.0001 vs. baseline) and in hypertensive and hyperlipidaemic (P = 0.02 vs. placebo; P = 0.008 vs. baseline) individuals in parallel RCT, but it did not affect SBP in normotensive and normolipidaemic individuals (P = 0.51 vs. placebo; P = 0.4 vs. baseline). Although an effect of atorvastatin was detected in hyperlipidaemic individuals, the meta-regression coefficient for the association of low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol reduction with SBP reduction in the overall population demonstrated that SBP reduction is not dependent on the changes in LDL-cholesterol. A meta-analysis of preclinical reports demonstrated that SBP was reduced in atorvastatin-treated hypertensive and normolipidaemic rats (spontaneously hypertensive rats: P < 0.00001), but not in normotensive and normolipidaemic rats (control rats: P = 0.97). Atorvastatin also reduced the HR in spontaneously hypertensive rat.

Conclusion

Atorvastatin lowers BP independent of LDL-cholesterol levels. Additional studies are needed to estimate the involvement of the autonomic nervous system in the BP-lowering effect of atorvastatin.
Albuminuria as a marker of systemic congestion in patients with heart failure
Authors: Boorsma Eva M , ter Maaten Jozine M , Damman Kevin , van Essen Bart J , Zannad Faiez , van Veldhuisen Dirk J , Samani Nilesh J , Dickstein Kenneth , Metra Marco , Filippatos Gerasimos , Lang Chim C , Ng Leong , Anker Stefan D , Cleland John G , Pellicori Pierpaolo , Gansevoort Ron T , Heerspink Hiddo J L , Voors Adriaan A , Emmens Johanna E
Published: September 2022

Aims

Albuminuria is common in patients with heart failure and associated with worse outcomes. The underlying pathophysiological mechanism of albuminuria in heart failure is still incompletely understood. The association of clinical characteristics and biomarker profile with albuminuria in patients with heart failure with both reduced and preserved ejection fractions were evaluated.

Methods and results

Two thousand three hundred and fifteen patients included in the index cohort of BIOSTAT-CHF were evaluated and findings were validated in the independent BIOSTAT-CHF validation cohort (1431 patients). Micro-albuminuria and macro-albuminuria were defined as urinary albumin–creatinine ratio (UACR) >30 mg/gCr and >300 mg/gCr in spot urines, respectively. The prevalence of micro- and macro-albuminuria was 35.4% and 10.0%, respectively. Patients with albuminuria had more severe heart failure, as indicated by inclusion during admission, higher New York Heart Association functional class, more clinical signs and symptoms of congestion, and higher concentrations of biomarkers related to congestion, such as biologically active adrenomedullin, cancer antigen 125, and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) (all P < 0.001). The presence of albuminuria was associated with increased risk of mortality and heart failure (re)hospitalization in both cohorts. The strongest independent association with log UACR was found for log NT-proBNP (standardized regression coefficient 0.438, 95% confidence interval 0.35–0.53, P < 0.001). Hierarchical clustering analysis demonstrated that UACR clusters with markers of congestion and less with indices of renal function. The validation cohort yielded similar findings.

Conclusion

In patients with new-onset or worsening heart failure, albuminuria is consistently associated with clinical, echocardiographic, and circulating biomarkers of congestion.
Digitally enabled cardiac rehabilitation following coronary revascularization: results from a single centre feasibility study
Authors: Hatch Victoria , Davies William R
Published: September 2022

Wearable activity monitors, together with smartphone-based health and fitness applications (apps), are becoming more accessible and their widespread use provides an additional opportunity for the recording of cardiovascular metrics in patients with cardiovascular disease. The use of selected metrics by cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programmes allows the facilitation of individualized and tailored positive lifestyle changes to patients and places the patient at the centre of their recovery programme. To investigate the role of such devices on outcomes with patients on a CR programme, a cohort/case–control study was conducted. Patients post-myocardial infarction who were treated with either percutaneous coronary intervention or surgical coronary revascularisation at a single centre were invited to use a physical activity monitor linked to a customized app at their initial assessment for the rehabilitation programme. Those who accepted were allocated to the treatment group. The control group was selected from a larger pool of 400 historical and concurrent patients. Propensity matching was used to associate each case with their closest control. The changes in self-reported physical activity were similar for both groups at the end of the CR programme (EOP). The digitally monitored group tended to achieve greater METS (metabolic equivalent of task - a measure of exercise intensity) at 12 weeks (P < 0.059); however, no difference was observed in the overall change in METS at EOP (P < 0.333). Although no difference was noted in diastolic blood pressure, a statistically significant drop in the systolic blood pressure in the digitally monitored group (P < 0.004) was detected. In this study, the innovative combination of technology and face-to-face CR showed promising results and assisted the individualization of delivered content. This intervention could easily be replicated and expanded. Challenges are the recruitment of the elderly population, those who may be less engaged with or have less access to technology, and the underrepresentation of women in the study sample.
The efficacy and safety of a nurse-led electrical cardioversion service for atrial fibrillation over a 2-year time period
Authors: Purkayastha Pujon , Ibrahim Abdalla , Haslen Dawn , Gamma Reto
Published: September 2022

Aims

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia worldwide, with a significant impact on morbidity, mortality, and utilization of healthcare resources. Electrical direct-current cardioversion (DCCV) is offered to patients with ongoing symptoms despite medical management. In this study, we aim to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a specialized nurse-led DCCV service.

Methods and results

This was a retrospective cohort study analysing the outcome of patients presenting with AF or flutter, who were subsequently referred for a nurse-led DCCV procedure between August 2017 and December 2019. Analysis included a total of 341 patients (mean age = 68.37; standard deviation = 10.96) who presented with either AF (N = 267; 78.30%) or atrial flutter (N = 74; 21.70%). Approximately 30% of patients were females (N = 101) and 70% were males (N = 240). Of the 341 patients who underwent DCCV, 299 were successfully cardioverted (87.68%). Of those patients successfully cardioverted, 167 remained in sinus rhythm after 6 weeks (55.85%); 93 patients reverted back to AF (31.10%). Thirty-eight patients were lost to follow up (12.71%). Of all 341 patients who underwent DCCV, only 24 patients were admitted to hospital during the subsequent 3-month period (7.04%). Importantly, no patients were admitted as a direct complication of the DCCV procedure.

Conclusion

Overall, data gathered from this study provides positive evidence to support the use of a nurse-led DCCV service. In addition to obtaining very successful cardioversion rates, we found low remission rates, with a very low hospital readmission rate for AF-related issues after successful DCCV.
Does it fit better? Measures of physical activity among adolescents in relation to health indicators
Authors: Karchynskaya Viktoryia , Kopcakova Jaroslava , Madarasova Geckova Andrea , de Winter Andrea F , Reijneveld Sijmen A
Published: September 2022

Background

Measuring physical activity (PA) is one of the pillars of successful health promotion; however, we struggle to find a tool enabling the identification of risk groups. The current standard approach of assessing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) every day does this inadequately. The aim of this study is to explore whether three other indicators of adolescents’ PA can identify such risk groups in a better way.

Methods

We used data on 888 11- to 15-year-old adolescents (mean age = 13.5, 56% boys) from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study conducted in 2018 in Slovakia. Sufficient PA was indicated by the following four indicators: (i) MVPA every day, (ii) MVPA 5–7 days a week, (iii) engagement in organized sports (team or individual) and (iv) combining MVPA 5–7 days a week and engagement in organized sports. We used binary logistic regression analysis to assess the association of various indicators of adolescents’ PA with body composition, cardiovascular fitness and self-rated health (SRH), considering age and gender.

Results

Being active based on various indicators was associated with better health outcomes, with the strongest associations for the indicator combining MVPA 5–7 days a week and engagement in organized sports. The only exceptions were the non-significant associations of active adolescents (being active 5–7 days per week or engaged in organized sports) with cardiovascular fitness and SRH.

Conclusions

Measuring PA using an indicator that combines MVPA 5–7 days a week and engagement in organized sports is the most valid using three health indicators as criteria.
Mixed linear and non-linear tree volume models with regional parameters to main tree species in Finland
Authors: Kangas Annika , Pitkänen Timo P , Mehtätalo Lauri , Heikkinen Juha
Published: September 2022

The volume models that have been used in Finland for the last 40 years, while generally well thought-out, exhibit an illogical behaviour for small trees. In recent studies, tree stem form was observed to have changed in time and also involve spatial variation attributable to environmental factors. It is yet unclear how the stem taper has actually changed. To overcome these problems, we fitted a completely new set of volume and taper curve models and examined whether this change is attributable to the changes in management and environmental factors rather than to measurement errors in the previously used datasets. For the latter, we added a dataset into the analysis, which was smaller but of higher quality due to the destructive nature of the stem taper measurements. We aim at (1) developing a new non-linear variable form factor volume function that works with trees of all sizes, (2) improving the description of the variation of the stem form in time and space by including temperature sum and soil type as predictors, (3) understanding the changes in the stem form by fitting new taper curve models and (4) improving the statistical properties of the predictions by using mixed model techniques and by addressing the effect of parameter uncertainty. To assess the impact of renewing the models, we (5) predicted the mean volume and its confidence interval with each model for forest inventory data at country level. The results show that the tree stem form has a spatial trend that can be described with the temperature sum. Moreover, the changes in stem form also have a spatial trend, with largest changes in Lapland. The difference is mostly observable in the lowest part of the stem, and it is especially large in the largest pines. We conclude that environmental variables can help to improve national stem taper functions in countries with pronounced environmental gradients.
The Role of Physical Activity on the Relationships Between Pain, Anxiety, and Sleep Quality in Older Age
Authors: Sheffler Julia L , Saliga Hollyn , Pickett Scott
Published: September 2022

Background

Sleep quality is associated with a range of negative outcomes in older adults, including a higher risk for cognitive decline, greater disability, and poorer quality of life. Pain and anxiety are both important factors associated with poor sleep quality. Physical activity (PA) is frequently recommended to enhance sleep quality and may have additional benefits for pain and anxiety symptoms. However, current models have not examined the interplay among these factors in relation to sleep quality in older adults.

Methods

We examined survey data from a community sample of 281 older adults (aged 55–98 years). Bootstrapped mediation and moderated mediation models using the PROCESS macro in SPSS were used to analyze indirect pathways from pain and anxiety to sleep quality and the conditional effects of exercise.

Results

Higher levels of pain and anxiety were significantly and independently associated with poorer sleep quality in older adults. The effect of pain on sleep quality was partially mediated by anxiety symptoms. PA significantly moderated the effects of anxiety on sleep quality, while it did not significantly impact the relationship between pain and sleep quality. The overall indirect effect was not moderated by PA.

Conclusion

Pain and anxiety are both significant predictors of sleep quality in older adults, and pain influences sleep quality in older adults partially through its influence on anxiety symptoms. PA may be beneficial for sleep quality for individuals with high anxiety, but patients may see fewer benefits from PA if sleep problems are primarily related to pain.
Influence of implementation strategies on implementation outcomes in a statewide dissemination of Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN)
Authors: Saunders Ruth P , Wilcox Sara , Hutto Brent
Published: September 2022

Faith-based organizations are promising settings for implementation science because they can reach populations bearing a disproportionate burden of chronic disease. This study examined how implementation strategies influenced implementation outcomes in Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) statewide dissemination. Ninety-three (9%) of 985 invited churches enrolled; 91 (98%) and 83 (89%) completed baseline and 12-month assessments. Community Health Advisors trained and provided phone technical assistance to church committees, led by a FAN coordinator. Church committees were charged with developing plans and installing healthy eating (HE) and physical activity (PA) policies, opportunities, messages and pastor support (implementation outcomes). Structural equation modeling examined how implementation strategies influenced implementation outcomes. Nearly all (99%) FAN coordinators and 60% of pastors attended training, 57% of committees submitted program plans and 51%/54% (HE/PA) of committees met ‘every few months’. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) model paths showed positive influences of strategies on implementation outcomes: pastor training on HE and PA pastor support; plan completion on HE and PA messages, PA policies and opportunities as well as FAN committee meetings and committee meetings on HE pastor support, HE policies, PA opportunities and HE and PA messages. This study advances implementation science and provides a model applicable to organizations such as worksites and schools.
Decolonization and Genocide: Re-Examining Indian Partition, 1946–1947
Authors: Jana Sayantani
Published: September 2022

This article proposes that the Indian Partition of 1947 could be classified as a form of “decolonizing genocide.” It draws upon the original Lemkinian criteria for genocide in order to re-examine aspects of Partition violence. The author thus discusses the need to expand the existing terminology and frameworks that scholars have previously used to analyze the Partition; examines the different state and non-state groups involved, and how the climate of decolonization enabled different state and non-state groups to mobilize in various forms and degrees; and studies the victim groups, particularly, women and their experiences of sexual violence. From the case of Indian Partition, this article argues that the conditions present during decolonization help to perpetuate a specific kind of organized violence, carried out by state, quasi-state, and non-state agents, which is genocidal in both its logic and nature. Thus, re-examining Indian Partition as decolonizing genocide allows us to move beyond Eurocentric and state-oriented definitions of genocide in order to create a more effective approach towards understanding mass violence in decolonizing and postcolonial societies.
Intestinal Ultrasound to Assess Ulcerative Colitis Disease Activity in Children: External Validation and Comparison of 2 Intestinal Ultrasound Activity Indices
Authors: van Wassenaer Elsa A , van Rijn Rick R , Zwetsloot Sabrina L M , de Voogd Floris A E , van Schuppen Joost , Kindermann Angelika , de Meij Tim G J , van Limbergen Johan E , Gecse K B , D’Haens Geert R , Benninga Marc A , Koot Bart G P
Published: September 2022

Background

There is currently no consensus on the definition of an abnormal intestinal ultrasound (IUS) for children with ulcerative colitis (UC). This cross-sectional study aimed to externally validate and compare 2 existing IUS indices in children with UC.

Methods

Children undergoing colonoscopy for UC assessment underwent IUS the day before colonoscopy, assessed with the Mayo endoscopic subscore. The UC-IUS index and the Civitelli index were compared with the Mayo endoscopic score in the ascending, transverse, and descending colon. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for detecting a Mayo endoscopic score ≥2 of both scores was compared and sensitivity and specificity were calculated.

Results

A total of 35 UC patients were included (median age 15 years, 39% female). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was higher for the UC-IUS index in the ascending colon (0.82 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.67-0.97] vs 0.76 [95% CI, 0.59-0.93]; P = .046) and transverse colon (0.88 [95% CI, 0.76-1.00] vs 0.77 [95% CI, 0.60-0.93]; P = .01). In the descending colon, there was no difference (0.84 [95% CI, 0.70-0.99] vs 0.84 [95% CI, 0.70-0.98]). The optimal cutoff for the UC-IUS was <1 point to rule out a Mayo endoscopic score ≥2 (sensitivity: 88%, 100%, and 90% in the ascending, transverse, and descending colon, respectively) and a Mayo endoscopic score ≥2 could be detected using a cutoff of >1 (specificity: 84%, 83%, and 87%, respectively). For the Civitelli index, in our cohort, the optimal cutoff was <1 to rule out a Mayo endoscopic score ≥2 (sensitivity 75%, 65%, and 80%, respectively) and a cutoff >1 to detect a Mayo endoscopic score ≥2 (specificity 89%, 89%, and 93%, respectively).

Conclusions

In this cohort, the UC-IUS index performed better than the Civitelli index. The UC-IUS index had both a high sensitivity and specificity in this cohort, when using 1 point as cutoff for a Mayo endoscopic score ≥2.
Asymptotic analysis of 3D dynamic equations in linear elasticity for a thin layer resting on a Winkler foundation
Authors: Erbaş Bariş , Kaplunov Julius , Kiliç Gökçe
Published: September 2022

A 3D dynamic problem for a thin elastic layer resting on a Winkler foundation is considered. The stiffness of the layer is assumed to be much greater than that of the foundation in order to allow low-frequency bending motion. The leading long-wave approximation valid outside the vicinity of the cut-off frequency is derived. It is identical to the classical Kirchhoff plate theory. A novel near cut-off 2D approximation is also established. It involves both bending and extension motions which are not separated from each other due to the effect of the foundation. The associated dispersion relation appears to be non-uniform over the small wavenumber domain.
A locking-free staggered DG method for the Biot system of poroelasticity on general polygonal meshes
Authors: Zhao Lina , Chung Eric , Park Eun-Jae
Published: September 2022

In this paper we propose and analyze a staggered discontinuous Galerkin method for a five-field formulation of the Biot system of poroelasticity on general polygonal meshes. Elasticity is equipped with a stress–displacement–rotation formulation with weak stress symmetry for arbitrary polynomial orders, which extends the piecewise constant approximation developed in Zhao and Park (2020, A staggered cell-centered DG method for linear elasticity on polygonal meshes, SIAM J. Sci. Comput.42, A2158–A2181). The proposed method is locking-free and can handle highly distorted grids, possibly including hanging nodes, which is desirable for practical applications. We prove the convergence estimates for the semidiscrete scheme and fully discrete scheme for all the variables in their natural norms. In particular, the stability and convergence analyses do not need a uniformly positive storativity coefficient. Moreover, to reduce the size of the global system, we propose a five-field-formulation-based fixed stress splitting scheme, where the linear convergence of the scheme is proved. Several numerical experiments are carried out to confirm the optimal convergence rates and the locking-free property of the proposed method.
Tiered Trees and Theta Operators
Authors: D’Adderio Michele , Iraci Alessandro , Le Borgne Yvan , Romero Marino , Vanden Wyngaerd Anna
Published: September 2022

In [10], the authors introduced tiered trees to define combinatorial objects counting absolutely indecomposable representations of certain quivers and torus orbits on certain homogeneous varieties. In this paper, we use Theta operators, introduced in [6], to give a symmetric function formula that enumerates these trees. We then formulate a general conjecture that extends this result, a special case of which might give some insight about how to formulate a unified Delta conjecture [20].
Whole-genome sequence and assembly of the Javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch)
Authors: Escalona Merly , VanCampen Jake , Maurer Nicholas W , Haukness Marina , Okhovat Mariam , Harris Robert S , Watwood Allison , Hartley Gabrielle A , O’Neill Rachel J , Medvedev Paul , Makova Kateryna D , Vollmers Christopher , Carbone Lucia , Green Richard E
Published: September 2022

The Javan gibbon, Hylobates moloch, is an endangered gibbon species restricted to the forest remnants of western and central Java, Indonesia, and one of the rarest of the Hylobatidae family. Hylobatids consist of 4 genera (Holoock, Hylobates, Symphalangus, and Nomascus) that are characterized by different numbers of chromosomes, ranging from 38 to 52. The underlying cause of this karyotype plasticity is not entirely understood, at least in part, due to the limited availability of genomic data. Here we present the first scaffold-level assembly for H. moloch using a combination of whole-genome Illumina short reads, 10X Chromium linked reads, PacBio, and Oxford Nanopore long reads and proximity-ligation data. This Hylobates genome represents a valuable new resource for comparative genomics studies in primates.
Cosmological gas accretion history onto the stellar discs of Milky Way-like galaxies in the Auriga simulations – (I) Temporal dependency
Authors: Iza Federico G , Scannapieco Cecilia , Nuza Sebastián E , Grand Robert J J , Gómez Facundo A , Springel Volker , Pakmor Rüdiger , Marinacci Federico
Published: September 2022

We use the 30 simulations of the Auriga Project to estimate the temporal dependency of the inflow, outflow, and net accretion rates onto the discs of Milky Way-like galaxies. The net accretion rates are found to be similar for all galaxies at early times, increasing rapidly up to $\sim 10~\mathrm{M}_\odot \, \mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. After ∼6 Gyr of evolution, however, the net accretion rates are diverse: in most galaxies, these exhibit an exponential-like decay, but some systems instead present increasing or approximately constant levels up to the present time. An exponential fit to the net accretion rates averaged over the MW analogues yields typical decay time-scale of 7.2 Gyr. The analysis of the time-evolution of the inflow and outflow rates, and their relation to the star formation rate (SFR) in the discs, confirms the close connection between these quantities. First, the inflow/outflow ratio stays approximately constant, with typical values of $\dot{M}_\mathrm{out}/ \dot{M}_\mathrm{in} \sim 0.75$, indicating that the gas mass involved in outflows is of the order of 25 per cent lower compared to that involved in inflows. A similar behaviour is found for the SFR/inflow rate ratio, with typical values between 0.1 and 0.3, and for the outflow rate/SFR, which varies in the range 3.5–5.5. Our results show that continuous inflow is key to the SFR levels in disc galaxies, and that the star formation activity and the subsequent feedback in the discs is able to produce mass-loaded galaxy winds in the disc–halo interface.
Redshift evolution and non-universal dispersion of quasar luminosity correlation
Authors: Li Zhuoyang , Huang Lu , Wang Junchao
Published: September 2022

The standard Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model is recently reported to deviate from the high-redshift Hubble diagram of Type Ia supernovae (SNe) and quasars (QSOs) at ∼4σ confidence level. In this work, we combine the PAge approximation (a nearly model-independent parametrization) and a high-quality QSO sample to search for the origins of the deviation. By visualizing the ΛCDM model and the marginalized 3σ constraints of SNe+QSOs into the PAge space, we confirm that the SNe+QSO constraints in both flat and non-flat PAge cases are in remarkable tension with the standard ΛCDM cosmology. Next, we investigate the tension from the perspective of redshift-evolution effects. We find that the QSO correlation coefficient γ calibrated by SNe+low-z QSOs and SNe+high-z QSOs shows ∼2.7σ and ∼4σ tensions in flat and non-flat universes, respectively. The tensions for intrinsic dispersion δ between different data sets are found to be >4σ in both flat and non-flat cases. These results indicate that the QSO luminosity correlation suffers from significant redshift evolution and non-universal intrinsic dispersion. Using a redshift-dependence correlation to build QSO Hubble diagram could lead to biases. Thus, the ∼4σ deviation from the standard ΛCDM probably originates from the redshift-evolution effects and non-universal dispersion of the QSO luminosity correlation rather than new physics.
Inside the core of a young massive star cluster: 3D MHD simulations
Authors: Badmaev D V , Bykov A M , Kalyashova M E
Published: September 2022

Young massive star clusters inhabit regions of star formation and play an essential role in the galactic evolution. They are sources of both thermal and non-thermal radiation, and are effective cosmic ray accelerators. We present the 3D magnetohydrodynamic modelling of the plasma flows in a young compact cluster at the evolutionary stage comprising multiple interacting supersonic winds of massive OB and WR stars. The modelling allows studying the partitioning of the mechanical energy injected by the winds between the bulk motions, thermal heating, and magnetic fields. Cluster-scale magnetic fields reaching the magnitudes of ∼300 $\mu$G show the filamentary structures spreading throughout the cluster core. The filaments with the high magnetic fields are produced by the Axford–Cranfill-type effect in the downstream of the wind termination shocks, which is amplified by a compression of the fields with the hot plasma thermal pressure in the central part of the cluster core. The hot (∼a few keV) plasma is heated at the termination shocks of the stellar winds and compressed in the colliding post-shock flows. We also discuss a possible role of the thermal conduction effects on the plasma flow, and analyse temperature maps in the cluster core and the diffuse thermal X-ray emission spectra. The presence of high cluster-scale magnetic fields supports the possibility of high-energy cosmic ray acceleration in clusters at the given evolutionary stage.
RRab variables with identical light-curve shapes at different pulsation periods
Authors: Jurcsik Johanna , Juhász Áron
Published: September 2022

In this paper, we report on the detection of RRab stars with quasi-identical-shape light curves but period differences as large as 0.05–0.21 d using the Galactic bulge data of the OGLE-IV survey. We have examined stars with shorter periods than the Oosterhoff I ridge of the bulge. These stars generally have smaller amplitudes and larger Fourier phase-differences than the typical bulge RRab stars have at the same period. Many of these ‘anomalous’ stars have good-quality light curves without any sign of the Blazhko modulation. Examining their Fourier parameters revealed that several of these stars show very similar light curve to the typical bulge RR Lyrae. We found hundreds of quasi-identical-shape light-curve pairs with different periods between the ‘anomalous’- and the ‘normal’-position RRab stars based on the OGLE I-band data. The OGLE V-band, and the archive VVV and MACHO surveys Ks-, b- and r-band data of these stars were also checked for light-curve-shape similarity. Finally, 149 pairs with identical-shape light curves in each available photometric band were identified. Calculating the physical properties of the variables using empirical formulae, on average, −0.5 dex, −0.13 mag, 0.67, and 165 K differences between the [Fe/H], MV, R/R⊙, and Teff values of the members of the pairs are derived, being the short-period stars less metal-poor, fainter, smaller, and hotter than the long-period variables. To explain the existence of variables with different physical properties and pulsation periods but with identical-shape light curves is a challenging task for modelling.
Investigation of and Strategies to Control the Final Cluster of the 2018–2020 Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Keita Mory , Polonsky Jonathan , Finci Iris , Mbala-Kingebeni Placide , Ilumbulumbu Michel Kalongo , Dakissaga Adama , Ngwama John Kombe , Tosalisana Michel Kasereka , Ahuka-Mundeke Steve , Gueye Abdou Salam , Dagron Stephanie , Keiser Olivia , Fall Ibrahima Soce
Published: September 2022

Background

On April 10, 2020, while the independent committee of the International Health Regulation was meeting to decide whether the 10th Ebola outbreak in the Demogratic Republic of Congo still constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, a new confirmed case was reported in the city of Beni, the last epicenter of the epidemic. This study aimed to understand the source of this cluster and learn from the implemented control strategies for improved response in the future.

Methods

We conducted a combined epidemiological and genomic investigation to understand the origins and dynamics of transmission within this cluster and describe the strategy that successfully controlled the outbreak.

Results

Eight cases were identified as belonging to this final cluster. A total of 1028 contacts were identified. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that all cases belonged to the same cluster, the closest sequence to which was identified as a case from the Beni area with symptom onset in July 2019 and a difference of just 31 nucleotides. Outbreak control measures included community confinement of high-risk contacts.

Conclusions

This study illustrates the high risk of additional flare-ups in the period leading to the end-of-outbreak declaration and the importance of maintaining enhanced surveillance and confinement activities to rapidly control Ebola outbreaks.
Randomized Phase II Trial of Sapanisertib ± TAK-117 vs. Everolimus in Patients With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma After VEGF-Targeted Therapy
Authors: Choueiri Toni K , Porta Camillo , Suárez Cristina , Hainsworth John , Voog Eric , Duran Ignacio , Reeves James , Czaykowski Piotr , Castellano Daniel , Chen Jingjing , Sedarati Farhad , Powles Thomas
Published: September 2022

Background

Sapanisertib, a dual mTORC1/2 inhibitor, may offer more complete inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway than mTORC1 inhibitors, such as everolimus. This phase II study evaluated the efficacy and safety of single-agent sapanisertib and sapanisertib plus the PI3Kα inhibitor TAK-117, vs. everolimus in patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) that had progressed on or after VEGF-targeted therapy.

Materials and Methods

Patients with histologically confirmed, advanced ccRCC were randomized 1:1:1 to receive single-agent everolimus 10 mg once daily, single-agent sapanisertib 30 mg once weekly, or sapanisertib 4 mg plus TAK-117 200 mg, both once daily for 3 days/week, in 28-day cycles. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS).

Results

Ninety-five patients were treated with everolimus or sapanisertib (n = 32 each), or sapanisertib plus TAK-117 (n = 31). There were no significant differences in PFS among the 3 groups or across any subgroups. Median PFS was 3.8 months with everolimus vs. 3.6 months with sapanisertib (HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 0.75-2.36), and 3.1 months with sapanisertib plus TAK-117 (HR, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.75-2.52). No significant differences in overall survival were seen among groups. Overall response rate was 16.7%, 0%, and 7.1%, respectively. Discontinuations due to treatment-emergent adverse events were 15.6%, 28.1%, and 29.0%.

Conclusion

Sapanisertib with or without TAK-117 was less tolerable and did not improve efficacy vs. everolimus in patients with advanced ccRCC who had relapsed after or were refractory to VEGF-targeted therapies. Dual mTORC1/2 inhibition may not be an effective therapeutic approach for these patients.
Designing Objects and Spaces
Authors: Williamson Bess
Published: September 2022

Design is a little-examined but significant factor in the history of disability, particularly in the context of the modern West. Both designers and users contributed to a history of design that sometimes ignored and sometimes addressed disability. For many modernist designers, the ideal of a “standard” or predictable body was key to a vision of an efficient industrial society, creating a world of objects and spaces that excluded or ignored disabled people. Nonetheless, people with disabilities engaged with design culture in distinctive ways, using and adapting mainstream designs to their own use. In the late twentieth century, the design world took up new goals of improving access, raising new questions about the intentions of designers and the role of users.
Organized Labor and Disability in Post–World War II United States
Authors: Jennings Audra
Published: September 2022

Concern for health and safety, along with the desire for higher wages and shorter workdays, inspired and shaped the organized labor movement in the United States in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The risks of work-related illness and disability were of grave importance to working people and the unions they formed to represent their interests. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the organized labor movement sought to minimize disability by making workplaces safer and working-class people’s living conditions better. Still, the movement understood disability as a common experience in working people’s lives and thus advocated for disability rights and policies to support disabled citizens’ access to health care, financial security, educational and economic opportunities, and public spaces. The organized labor movement was also an important site of disability activism, as unionized disabled workers pushed for disability rights.
Madness, Transnationalism, and Emotions in Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century New Zealand
Authors: McCarthy Angela
Published: September 2022

As is evident in studies of medical thought, publications, personnel, and legislation, transnationalism has been little utilized to examine the migration histories of patients and their ties to “home.” Historians of the asylum instead focus on connections in patients’ new homelands. Likewise, scholars have largely overlooked the emotional lives of patients, which is surprising in light of various emotions said to cause patient confinement. It is therefore important to examine the existence (and absence) of emotional connections between relatives who were separated by oceans and the actions and emotional language that patients, their families, and medical doctors deployed for purposes of reassurance, material support, and negotiation of return migration. Overall, despite individual experiences of emotions, emotional life within and beyond the asylum took place in a broad social context and involved diverse historical actors.
Disability, Race, and Gender on the Stage in Antebellum America
Authors: Barclay Jenifer L.
Published: September 2022

Antebellum Americans confronted anxieties about many issues, such as industrialization, immigration, and urbanization, that found expression in blackface minstrelsy and freak shows. In these performances, racial fears, gender worries, and the insecurities of an emergent working class combined with the specter of disability to assuage the concerns of white, working-class audiences partly by reinforcing whiteness, masculinity, and nondisability as markers of citizenship. From the “laughable limp” of an elderly, enslaved groom who inspired Thomas “Daddy” Rice to craft his infamous Jim Crow character to displays of the supposedly 161-year-old disabled body of Joice Heth, minstrelsy and freak shows routinely conflated race, gender, and disability on the antebellum stage. This practice reached its pinnacle with Thomas “Japanese Tommy” Dilward, one of only two black men to perform in blackface before the Civil War.