bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A unique case of steroid-resistant, giant cellulitis-like Sweet syndrome mimicking alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency-associated panniculitis: successful treatment with dapsone
Authors: Maronese Carlo Alberto , Croci Giorgio Alberto , Derlino Federica , Aromolo Italo Francesco , Moltrasio Chiara , Marzano Angelo Valerio
Published: November 2024

We reported a unique case of giant cellulitis-like Sweet syndrome with concurrent subcutaneous involvement, demonstrating atypical clinicopathological features as well as a protracted, steroid-refractory course. Intriguingly, transient alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) depletion was recorded at the time of worsening (despite a normal SERPINA1 genotype), possibly explaining some of the observed cutaneous changes clinically mimicking AAT deficiency-associated panniculitis.
Microbiome analysis of monarch butterflies reveals effects of development and diet
Authors: Sanaei Ehsan , Chavez Joselyne , Harris Erica V , Alcaide Tiffanie Y , Baffour-Addo Keisha , Bugay Mahal J , Adams Kandis L , Zelaya Anna , de Roode Jacobus C , Gerardo Nicole M
Published: November 2024

Diet profoundly influences the composition of an animal’s microbiome, especially in holometabolous insects, offering a valuable model to explore the impact of diet on gut microbiome dynamics throughout metamorphosis. Here, we use monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), specialist herbivores that feed as larvae on many species of chemically well-defined milkweed plants (Asclepias sp.), to investigate the impacts of development and diet on the composition of the gut microbial community. While a few microbial taxa are conserved across life stages of monarchs, the microbiome appears to be highly dynamic throughout the life cycle. Microbial diversity gradually diminishes throughout the larval instars, ultimately reaching its lowest point during the pupal stage and then recovering again in the adult stage. The microbial composition then undergoes a substantial shift upon the transition from pupa to adult, with female adults having significantly different microbial communities than the eggs that they lay, indicating limited evidence for vertical transmission of gut microbiota. While diet did not significantly impact overall microbial composition, our results suggest that fourth instar larvae exhibit higher microbial diversity when consuming milkweed with high concentrations of toxic cardenolide phytochemicals. This study underscores how diet and developmental stage collectively shape the monarch’s gut microbiota.
A respiro-fermentative strategy to survive nanoxia in Acidobacterium capsulatum
Authors: Trojan Daniela , García-Robledo Emilio , Hausmann Bela , Revsbech Niels Peter , Woebken Dagmar , Eichorst Stephanie A
Published: November 2024

Microbial soil habitats are characterized by rapid shifts in substrate and nutrient availabilities, as well as chemical and physical parameters. One such parameter that can vary in soil is oxygen; thus, microbial survival is dependent on adaptation to this substrate. To better understand the metabolic abilities and adaptive strategies to oxygen-deprived environments, we combined genomics with transcriptomics of a model organism, Acidobacterium capsulatum, to explore the effect of decreasing, environmentally relevant oxygen concentrations. The decrease from 10 to 0.1 µM oxygen (3.6 to 0.036 pO2% present atmospheric level, respectively) caused the upregulation of the transcription of genes involved in signal transduction mechanisms, energy production and conversion and secondary metabolites biosynthesis, transport, and catabolism based on clusters of orthologous group categories. Contrary to established observations for aerobic metabolism, key genes in oxidative stress response were significantly upregulated at lower oxygen concentrations, presumably due to an NADH/NAD+ redox ratio imbalance as the cells transitioned into nanoxia. Furthermore, A. capsulatum adapted to nanoxia by inducing a respiro-fermentative metabolism and rerouting fluxes of its central carbon and energy pathways to adapt to high NADH/NAD+ redox ratios. Our results reveal physiological features and metabolic capabilities that allowed A. capsulatum to adapt to oxygen-limited conditions, which could expand into other environmentally relevant soil strains.
DIVULSUPERBAC: an outreach project to raise awareness of antimicrobial resistance
Authors: Maicas Sergi , Fouz Belén
Published: November 2024

DIVULSUPERBAC (DSB) is an outreach project involving a Service-Learning component aimed at the educational community. Launched in 2019, it has involved Biology degree students in a Microbiology-focused initiative within the Valencian Community (Spain) for four academic years. The DSB project includes various outreach activities designed to raise awareness of the threat posed by superbugs among preuniversity students. Under the supervision of their professors, university students created an exhibition featuring 14 infographics on antimicrobial resistance. These infographics were presented at 23 high schools (HS), where university students explained the issue to HS students (aged 15–16) and assessed their understanding of the topic. The activity was supported by HS teachers. Surveys indicated scores of around 4 out of 5 in terms of overall scientific interest and knowledge gained about antibiotic resistance. These positive results have inspired us to expand the project to other regions of the world.
Loss-of-function mutations in the fruit softening gene POLYGALACTURONASE1 doubled fruit firmness in strawberry
Authors: Jiménez Nicolás P , Bjornson Marta , Famula Randi A , Pincot Dominique D A , Hardigan Michael A , Madera Mary A , Lopez Ramirez Cindy M , Cole Glenn S , Feldmann Mitchell J , Knapp Steven J
Published: November 2024

Wildtype fruit of cultivated strawberry (Fragaria  $\times$  ananassa) are typically soft and highly perishable when fully ripe. The development of firm-fruited cultivars by phenotypic selection has greatly increased shelf-life, decreased postharvest perishability, and driven the expansion of strawberry production worldwide. Hypotheses for the firm-fruited phenotype include mutations affecting the expression of genes encoding polygalacturonases (PGs) that soften fruit by degrading cell wall pectins. Here we show that loss-of-function mutations in the fruit softening gene POLYGALACTURONASE1 (FaPG1; PG1-6A1) double fruit firmness in strawberry. PG1-6A1 was one of three tandemly duplicated PG genes found to be in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with a quantitative trait locus (QTL) affecting fruit firmness on chromosome 6A. PG1-6A1 was strongly expressed in soft-fruited (wildtype) homozygotes and weakly expressed in firm-fruited (mutant) homozygotes. Genome-wide association, quantitative trait transcript, DNA sequence, and expression-QTL analyses identified genetic variants in LD with PG1-6A1 that were positively correlated with fruit firmness and negatively correlated with PG1-6A1 expression. An Enhancer/Suppressor-mutator (En/Spm) transposable element insertion was discovered upstream of PG1-6A1 in mutant homozygotes that we hypothesize transcriptionally downegulates the expression of PG1-6A1. The PG1-6A1 locus was incompletely dominant and explained 26–76% of the genetic variance for fruit firmness among phenotypically diverse individuals. Additional loci are hypothesized to underlie the missing heritability. Highly accurate codominant genotyping assays were developed for modifying fruit firmness by marker-assisted selection of the En/Spm insertion and single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with the PG1-6A1 locus.
The cytological mechanism of the peach haploid producing triploid offspring
Authors: Liu Xin , Li Dandan , Zhang Yu , Zhou Xin , Wang Shangde , Zhao Jianbo , Guo Jiying , Jiang Quan , Ren Fei
Published: November 2024

Peach is one of the most economically valuable fruit trees. Haploid peach trees occur spontaneously at very low frequencies and they are usually highly sterile. Therefore, the haploid with partial fertility is an extremely rare germplasm, which is highly valuable to genetic research and breeding programs. In this study, we investigated the cytological mechanism underlying the fertility of a peach haploid mutant ‘9-D’ derived from a spontaneous mutation. Cytologic evaluation and flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that ‘9-D’ is a pure haploid. Scanning electron microscope analysis revealed a considerable proportion of abnormal pollen grains in ‘9-D’. Pollen viability assay by Alexander staining showed that 50.4% of pollen grains from ‘9-D’ were viable. However, the pollen germination assay showed that only 7.6% of the pollen grains could germinate normally. Investigation of the chromosomal behavior of pollen mother cells at different stages of meiosis showed that pollen mother cells of ‘9-D’ lacked the process between anaphase I and prophase II of meiosis. Various types of sporophyte morphology were observed in haploid pollen mother cells at the tetrad stage. Measurement of the diameter of pollen grains indicated the presence of pollen with 2x ploidy in ‘9-D’. The offspring of ‘9-D’ were predominantly triploid or triploid aneuploid. The triploid offspring were more likely derived from the 2x male gametophyte combined with the haploid female gametophyte, which may explain the reason why ‘9-D’ has fertility. This study not only expands our understanding of haploid fertility mechanisms, but is also useful for ploid breeding programs in peach.
Long-Term Course and Prognostic Factors in Pediatric Ulcerative Proctitis: A Multicenter Cohort Study
Authors: Miyazawa Ayako , Nambu Ryusuke , Shimizu Hirotaka , Kudo Takahiro , Nishizawa Takuya , Kumagai Hideki , Hagiwara Shin-Ichiro , Kaji Emiri , Mizuochi Tatsuki , Kurasawa Shingo , Kakuta Fumihiko , Ishige Takashi , Shimizu Toshiaki , Iwama Itaru , Arai Katsuhiro
Published: November 2024

Background

Although ulcerative proctitis (UP) in children is considered relatively mild, some patients have proximal disease extension and require immunosuppressive treatment. We investigated clinical characteristics and course of refractory UP in a multicenter pediatric cohort.

Methods

Analyzing data obtained between 2013 and 2022 at 10 institutions specializing in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease, we elucidated natural history and factors predicting a need for immunosuppressive UP treatment. We compared patients given immunosuppressants and/or biologic agents (immunosuppressive treatment group) with those given 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) alone (5-ASA group).

Results

Fifty-five patients were followed for 3.5 years. The median Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index at diagnosis was 20. The commonest treatment, 5-ASA suppository monotherapy in 40% of patients, showed the worst compliance. Clinical remission was achieved at least once in 95% of all patients. Disease extension beyond the splenic flexure occurred in 51%. Immunosuppressive treatment was given to 37%; biologic agents were used for 18%. Rates of endoscopically demonstrated inflammation, including Ra/Rs at diagnosis and extension beyond the left-sided colon, were higher in the immunosuppressive treatment group (70% vs 38%, P < 0.05; 95% vs 27%, P < 0.0001). The log-rank test and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression showed that time to first clinical remission exceeding 3 months predicted the need for biologics.

Conclusion

The typical initial treatment of pediatric UP was 5-ASA suppositories, despite poor compliance. Biologics or other immunosuppressive treatments were needed in 37% of patients. Close follow-up with adjustment of treatment should be considered in children with UP as its clinical course varies.
Compartmentalized Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Reservoir in Intestinal Monocytes/Macrophages on Antiretroviral Therapy
Authors: Vellas Camille , Martres Dorine , Requena Mary , Nayrac Manon , Collercandy Nived , Latour Justine , Barange Karl , Alric Laurent , Martin-Blondel Guillaume , Izopet Jacques , Lagane Bernard , Delobel Pierre
Published: November 2024

Background

The intestinal mucosa contains many cells targeted by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), and high levels of HIV-1 DNA persist in this compartment under antiretroviral therapy (ART). While CD4+ T cells are the best-characterized reservoir of HIV-1, the role of long-lived intestinal macrophages in HIV-1 persistence on ART remains controversial.

Methods

We collected duodenal and colonic biopsies from 12 people with HIV (PWH) on suppressive ART, enrolled in the ARNS EP61 GALT study. Total, integrated, intact and defective HIV-1 proviruses were quantified from sorted T cells and monocytes/macrophages. HIV-1 env quasispecies were analyzed by single-molecule next-generation sequencing and env-pseudotyped viruses were constructed to assess macrophage versus T-tropism.

Results

Total HIV-1 DNA levels in intestinal T cells were significantly higher than those in monocytes/macrophages (P < .0001). Unintegrated HIV-1 DNA was detected in one-third of T-cell and monocyte/macrophage-positive samples. Intact HIV-1 proviruses were detected using the intact proviral DNA assay in 4 of 16 T-cell samples and 1 of 6 monocyte/macrophage samples with detectable HIV-1 DNA. HIV-1 sequences were compartmentalized between intestinal monocytes/macrophages and T cells in some subjects. Phenotypic analysis of pseudotyped viruses expressing HIV-1 envelopes from colonic monocytes/macrophages revealed T-tropism rather than M-tropism.

Conclusions

Our results show that monocytes/macrophages from the intestinal mucosa of PWH on ART can contain HIV-1 DNA, including intact or unintegrated forms, but at much lower levels than those found in T cells, and with some compartmentalization, although they do not exhibit a specific macrophage tropism, raising the question of the mechanisms of infection involved.
Sand Fly Surveillance for Molecular Identification and Characterization of Leishmania and Bartonella Species in Peru
Authors: Zorrilla Victor O , Espada Liz J , Lozano Marisa E , Potter Alexander M , Vasquez Gissella M
Published: November 2024

Leishmaniasis and Carrion's disease are endemic neglected diseases in Peru. Both diseases are transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies competent for infection with Leishmania species and Bartonella bacilliformis. In Peru, 149 sand fly species have been identified. Knowledge regarding sand fly species diversity and distribution in leishmaniasis and Carrion's disease transmission areas has grown in the past 2 decades through multiple surveillance efforts in endemic regions, including unexplored low and high jungle areas. Furthermore, molecular testing approaches have been implemented to enhance surveillance of Leishmania and Bartonella species in sand fly populations from these endemic regions. This review emphasizes the importance of entomological surveillance in Peru for the characterization of sand fly species and the discovery of a great diversity of Leishmania and Bartonella species in sand fly populations from Andean and Amazonian regions.
Maintenance of the Golgi ribbon structure by the KASH protein Jaw1
Authors: Fujita Morihisa
Published: November 2024

The Golgi apparatus is an organelle responsible for modification, secretion and transport of biomolecules. Its structure and morphology are crucial for the efficient processing and proper transport of proteins. The maintenance of this Golgi ribbon structure involves multiple proteins including GRASP and golgin proteins and the microtubule network. Particularly, the microtubule network extending from the Golgi is important for the Golgi ribbon formation and positioning. A recent report by Okumura et al. (J. Biochem. 2023; 173: 383–392) demonstrated that Jaw1, one of the Klarsicht/ANC-1/Syne/homology (KASH) proteins that are components of the linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complex, is essential for maintaining the Golgi ribbon structure. Knockdown of Jaw1 disrupted the Golgi ribbon structure leading to the fragmentation, whilst the Golgi ministacks were preserved. Acetylated tubulin, a marker of the Golgi-derived microtubule network, became more dispersed, losing its local compactness in the Jaw-depleted cells. These phenomena suggest that Jaw1 is required to maintain the proper organization of the Golgi-derived microtubule network.
Long-duration type 1 diabetes is associated with deficient cortical bone mechanical behavior and altered matrix composition in human femoral bone
Authors: Emerzian Shannon R , Chow Jarred , Behzad Ramina , Unal Mustafa , Brooks Daniel J , Wu I-Hsien , Gauthier John , Jangolla Surya Vishva Teja , Yu Marc Gregory , Shah Hetal S , King George L , Johannesdottir Fjola , Karim Lamya , Yu Elaine W , Bouxsein Mary L
Published: November 2024

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is associated with an increased risk of hip fracture beyond what can be explained by reduced bone mineral density, possibly due to changes in bone material from accumulation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and altered matrix composition, though data from human cortical bone in T1D are limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate cortical bone material behavior in T1D by examining specimens from cadaveric femora from older adults with long-duration T1D (≥50 yr; n = 20) and age- and sex-matched nondiabetic controls (n = 14). Cortical bone was assessed by mechanical testing (4-point bending, cyclic reference point indentation, impact microindentation), AGE quantification [total fluorescent AGEs, pentosidine, carboxymethyl lysine (CML)], and matrix composition via Raman spectroscopy. Cortical bone from older adults with T1D had diminished postyield toughness to fracture (−30%, p = .036), elevated levels of AGEs (pentosidine, +17%, p = .039), lower mineral crystallinity (−1.4%, p = .010), greater proline hydroxylation (+1.9%, p = .009), and reduced glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content (−1.3%, p < .03) compared to nondiabetics. In multiple regression models to predict cortical bone toughness, cortical tissue mineral density, CML, and Raman spectroscopic measures of enzymatic collagen crosslinks and GAG content remained highly significant predictors of toughness, while diabetic status was no longer significant (adjusted R2 > 0.60, p < .001). Thus, the impairment of cortical bone to absorb energy following long-duration T1D is well explained by AGE accumulation and modifications to the bone matrix. These results provide novel insight into the pathogenesis of skeletal fragility in individuals with T1D.
A synthetic co-culture for bioproduction of ammonia from methane and air
Authors: Crumbley Anna Morgan , Garg Shivani , Pan Jonathan Lin , Gonzalez Ramon
Published: November 2024

Fixed nitrogen fertilizers feed 50% of the global population, but most fixed nitrogen production occurs using energy-intensive Haber–Bosch-based chemistry combining nitrogen (N2) from air with gaseous hydrogen (H2) from methane (CH4) at high temperatures and pressures in large-scale facilities sensitive to supply chain disruptions. This work demonstrates the biological transformation of atmospheric N2 into ammonia (NH3) using CH4 as the sole carbon and energy source in a single vessel at ambient pressure and temperature, representing a biological “room-pressure and room-temperature” route to NH3 that could ultimately be developed to support compact, remote, NH3 production facilities amenable to distributed biomanufacturing. The synthetic microbial co-culture of engineered methanotroph Methylomicrobium buryatense (now Methylotuvimicrobium buryatense) and diazotroph Azotobacter vinelandii converted three CH4 molecules to l-lactate (C3H6O3) and powered gaseous N2 conversion to NH3. The design used division of labor and mutualistic metabolism strategies to address the oxygen sensitivity of nitrogenase and maximize CH4 oxidation efficiency. Media pH and salinity were central variables supporting co-cultivation. Carbon concentration heavily influenced NH3 production. Smaller-scale NH3 production near dispersed, abundant, and renewable CH4 sources could reduce disruption risks and capitalize on untapped energy resources.

One-Sentence Summary

Co-culture of engineered microorganisms Methylomicrobium buryatense and Azotobacter vinelandii facilitated the use of methane gas as a sole carbon feedstock to produce ammonia in an ambient temperature, atmospheric pressure, single-vessel system.
Implementing laboratory internal audit to improve compliance and quality of care in the municipal public health system–based ambulatory care health clinics in New York city
Authors: Huq Ronny Faisal M , Sherpa Tshering , Saquib Faisal N , Ahmad Shana
Published: November 2024

Introduction

System-wide laboratory internal audits are useful to help laboratories prepare for external audits in addition to being part of the ongoing program for compliance improvement and quality assurance in the laboratory to track and enhance care quality.

Methods

A formal plan was developed and a modified audit checklist was prepared by our laboratory management team, applicable and uniquely tailored for our ambulatory care clinic settings to track operational, quality, and compliance metrics according to the New York State Department of Health Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program. Two audits were conducted 6 months apart and the conformity documented.

Results

An overall 84% increase in compliance and conformity was observed between first and second audits, which ranged from 63% to 100% across different categories, with 100% improvement (0% nonconformity) in 75% of the sites in the second audit.

Conclusion

A system-wide laboratory internal audit was created and carried out. Staff shortages, rapid turnover, and lack of retraining were found to be contributing factors to sites that did not achieve 100% conformance. Continuous assessment and monitoring are key elements to success in the laboratory quality management system, and through this scheduled audit process, we were able to achieve continual laboratory quality improvement.
Phase 2 trial of veliparib, local irradiation, and temozolomide in patients with newly diagnosed high-grade glioma: a Children’s Oncology Group study
Authors: Karajannis Matthias A , Onar-Thomas Arzu , Lin Tong , Baxter Patricia A , Boué Daniel R , Cole Bonnie L , Fuller Christine , Haque Sofia , Jabado Nada , Lucas John T , MacDonald Shannon M , Matsushima Celeste , Patel Namrata , Pierson Christopher R , Souweidane Mark M , Thomas Diana L , Walsh Michael F , Zaky Wafik , Leary Sarah E S , Gajjar Amar , Fouladi Maryam , Cohen Kenneth J
Published: November 2024

Background

The outcome for pediatric patients with high-grade glioma (HGG) remains poor. Veliparib, a potent oral poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP) 1/2 inhibitor, enhances the activity of radiotherapy and DNA-damaging chemotherapy.

Methods

We conducted a single-arm, non-randomized phase 2 clinical trial to determine whether treatment with veliparib and radiotherapy, followed by veliparib and temozolomide, improves progression-free survival in pediatric patients with newly diagnosed HGG without H3 K27M or BRAF mutations, compared to patient-level data from historical cohorts with closely matching clinical and molecular features. Following surgical resection, newly diagnosed children with non-metastatic HGG were screened by rapid central pathology review and molecular testing. Eligible patients were enrolled on Stratum 1 (IDH wild-type) or Stratum 2 (IDH mutant).

Results

Both strata were closed to accrual for futility after planned interim analyses. Among the 23 eligible patients who enrolled on Stratum 1 and received protocol therapy, the 1-year event-free survival (EFS) was 23% (standard error, SE = 9%) and the 1-year overall survival (OS) was 64% (SE = 10%). Among the 14 eligible patients who enrolled on Stratum 2 and received protocol therapy, the 1-year EFS was 57% (SE = 13%) and 1-year OS was 93% (SE = 0.7%).

Conclusions

Rapid central pathology review and molecular testing for eligibility were feasible. The protocol therapy including radiation, veliparib, and temozolomide was well tolerated but failed to improve outcomes compared to clinically and molecularly matched historical control cohorts treated with higher doses of alkylator chemotherapy.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier

NCT03581292 (first posted: July 10, 2018).
A History of the Legal Battle Against Illicit Trade in Antiquities
Authors: de Tomasi Francesca
Published: November 2024

This chapter outlines the history of the fight against illicit antiquities trade at the global level, critically examining contexts in which this trade emerged and developed, as well as its principal directions and modes of implementation over the last two hundred years. Trade in antiquities was already a large-scale phenomenon in the second half of the nineteenth century when Greece, Italy, and Turkey enacted the first cultural heritage protection laws in order to establish antiquities as national property. At an international level, from the peace treaties that followed the two world wars and up to international conventions (such as the 1970 UNESCO and the 1995 UNIDROIT conventions), endangered antiquities were recognized as the heritage of all humankind. The exponential growth of illicit trade in antiquities and its link with organized crime brought the fight against trafficking to an all new level, demanding that all the subjects involved recognize the value of a heritage community.
The Political Ecology of Archaeology under Communism
Authors: Lozny Ludomir R.
Published: November 2024

This chapter contributes to understanding the nuanced bonds between ideology and the social sciences. It analyzes the twentieth-century political history of archaeology by examining the impact of political pressures on archaeological theory, methodology, and practice in countries currently or previously governed by regimes espousing communist ideology. Political ecology is the theoretical framework employed here to reveal and explain power relations between political decision-makers and archaeologists. The event history method used to examine data aids in objectifying the conclusion regarding the doctrinaire nature of archaeology under communism. The conclusion of the chapter is that the primary goal of archaeology under communism was to produce evidence to corroborate ideological dogmas. Therefore, scholars were deprived of the critical value of any scientific inquiry—the production of new knowledge.
The History of Commercial Archaeology
Authors: Aitchison Kenneth
Published: November 2024

Commercial archaeology is the model through which most archaeological work is undertaken around the world. The chapter provides an overview of the history of this model, establishing that until the 1960s, there was neither opportunity nor reason for archaeological services to be delivered on a commercial basis. The chapter discusses how, following major political and social changes in the late 1960s, the field of Cultural Resource Management emerged in the United States, whereby private and public clients would pay commercial archaeology companies to undertake work on their behalf, principally to ensure compliance with regulations controlling construction and development. Founded on the principles of sustainable development and relying on the concept of “the polluter pays” as a funding model, commercial archaeology became the mechanism by which the overwhelming majority of archaeological investigation in the United States has been undertaken in the twenty-first century. This pattern was mirrored (but not directly replicated) in the United Kingdom, where the publication in 1990 of the government policy known as PPG 16 led to the rapid expansion and commercialization of professional archaeological services in the United Kingdom.
Biographical Research in the History of Archaeology
Authors: Coltofean Laura
Published: November 2024

This chapter reflects on the writing of archaeological biographies in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It first examines the emergence and development of biographies as a separate field of research and as an approach to the study of the history of archaeology. It then looks at who has authored archaeological biographies, why, and how, in addition to the sources that can be used in this pursuit and the types of information which can be retrieved from them. The chapter also discusses how digital technologies and the digital humanities, women’s and gender studies, as well as social media have influenced biographical research in archaeology, its results, and funding in recent years. Finally, the chapter reviews the relevance of archaeological biographies within archaeology today.
Artifact Distribution
Authors: Stevenson Alice
Published: November 2024

This chapter introduces theoretical and analytical frameworks to conceptualize post-excavation finds distribution, including actor–network theory and approaches to object biographies. The chapter addresses the approach of methodologically tracing distribution through the examination of object marks and archives, inclusive of photograph and cast collections. A series of case studies highlights the mechanisms through which antiquities moved and the routes they traversed toward “centers of calculation,” such as museums. Special attention is given to the role of local agencies and source communities around field sites, nationalist antiquities laws, imperial and colonial infrastructures, public sponsorship models, as well as private initiatives of dealers. Although the focus of this chapter is on the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the final section looks at how the legacies of these practices still shape interpretations and have serious ethical implications in the present.
Gut Microbiome Modulation of Innate Immunity in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Authors: Merchak Andrea R. , Menees Kelly B. , Bolen MacKenzie , Tansey Malú Gámez
Published: November 2024

The intimate connections among the gut, immune system, and brain have become increasingly apparent in recent years. Alterations in the gut microbiome have been reported in several neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. Moreover, evidence also points to innate immune system involvement in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Given that the gut is the largest immune organ in the body, understanding the dynamic interplay between the gut microbiome and the immune system and how this influences the brain in health and disease is critical. Further understanding how the gut microbiome, the innate immune system, and their interactions are altered in neurodegenerative diseases may be the key to developing disease-modifying therapies. This chapter reviews the literature related to gut microbiome-derived mediators and their impact on the innate immune system in the context of neurodegenerative diseases. The impact of external factors, including diet, pre-/probiotics, exercise, caffeine, and smoking, on the gut microbiome and innate immunity is also discussed.
The Global Airline Industry: Change and Persistence
Authors: Bouwens Bram
Published: November 2024

From the first, very short motorized ‘flight’ in 1903, the airline industry has developed into one of the most global and important sectors of the economy—and this despite being affected repeatedly by wars, economic crises, and numerous other shocks. After outlining the major characteristics of the industry and its dominant business models, this chapter traces the evolution of civil aviation from its modest origins to the present, subdividing it into three major periods: the first marked by the struggle for survival and the predominant role of air mail; the second seeing major growth due to the development of jet aircraft and mass tourism, while constrained by multilateral and bilateral government agreements, as well as a cartelized industry structure; and the third experiencing deregulation and privatization as well as the advent of new competitors and a significant geographic shift from the North Atlantic to Asia. The chapter concludes by summarizing the main drivers of change as well as persistence and suggesting avenues for further research.
Monsters in Creation Narratives of Ancient Greece and Rome
Authors: Mitchell Fiona
Published: November 2024

Creation narratives tell the story of how the early universe—usually presented as an empty space or undifferentiated mass—was filled by or divided into what exists now. One way in which these narratives show this progression is through the types of bodies that existed at different times. Often, creation narratives include a period, after the appearance of primordial deities and before that of humans, during which bodies do not appear as we would expect them to. In some sources, monsters are part of a trial-and-error period; in others, they are aberrations that must be removed from our world before its completion. In either case, they demonstrate the process of creation through the change in types of bodies that exist at different times. Thus, they mark out the chronological boundary of the human world by highlighting a time when bodies like ours did not exist or when now-impossible bodies could exist.
Scylla and Charybdis
Authors: Hopman Marianne Govers
Published: November 2024

In ancient Greek myth, the sea monster Scylla, together with her counterpart Charybdis, stands out as that rare monster undefeated by a god or male hero. This chapter surveys her deployment in Graeco-Roman antiquity, with special focus on her indomitable status. It discusses the epic narrative first attested in the Odyssey and the visual trope of Scylla as a dog-belted, mermaid-like hybrid creature, and it identifies key factors in her development in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, including her rationalization, rhetoricization, and the emergence of a metamorphosis story that constructs her as a victim. Taken together, the argument demonstrates that despite sometimes significant differences across her manifestations, Scylla’s defining combination of dog, female, and sea elements plays up and intertwines at least two elemental fears that touch on basic aspects of male identity: the fear of being eaten and the fear of emasculation.
Human-Animal Hybrids
Authors: Aston Emma
Published: November 2024

This chapter argues that, while animal–human hybrid beings are often included in ancient accounts of marvels, they have a unique symbolic power because they deliberately and graphically challenge the divide between human and non-human animals, while avoiding, or resolving, the chaos and confusion threatened by shape-shifting and fluidity of form. A discussion of centaurs—the most frequently represented hybrid in ancient literature and visual art—illustrates the fact that the universal properties of the hybrid always have to be set against the degree of local adaptation: named individual hybrids such as the centaur Chiron were deeply embedded in the myths and religion of particular regions. While it is valid to note cross-cultural formulae of the hybrid as representing the dangerous, boundary-crossing ‘Other’, hybrid beings were just as deeply involved in, and shaped by, the prevailing cultural conditions of specific times and places as any other characters in the ancient story-world.
Rationalizing Mythic Monsters in Antiquity
Authors: Hawes Greta
Published: November 2024

This chapter describes the problems posed by mythical monsters when measured against strict standards of historical and biological plausibility. The fantastic forms of monsters were held up by ancient authors (e.g. Plato, Palaephatus, and Galen) as prominent obstacles to making myths accord with a ‘doctrine of present things’. In this way, the monsters of the distant mythic past resembled the strange creatures found in reports of far-off lands, in that both challenged the reader’s sense of what was possible. The chapter uses examples of interpretations of creatures encountered by Heracles from Pausanias’ Guide to Greece and elsewhere to illustrate the various methods by which monsters could be rationalized. These include explanations of monsters as misunderstood descriptions of normal animals; explanations which assume that people might have had the names of animals; aspersions of poetic exaggeration; aspersions of primitive naïvety; and bolstering plausibility through analogies with strange creatures that do exist.
Classical Monsters in Medieval Literature and Art
Authors: Sciancalepore Antonella
Published: November 2024

This chapter first outlines what were the main sources and the channels of transmission of monster lore from classical antiquity in the Middle Ages. Afterwards, it illustrates how medieval texts defined the monstrous and what the occurrences of classical monsters in medieval visual and written culture were. Finally, it isolates four main attitudes that medieval culture adopted in handling classical monsters: (1) packaging the monster as a metaphor of human-animal duplicity; (2) reinventing the monster to make sense of different traditions competing with classical material; (3) using the monster as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unorthodox behaviour; and (4) imagining the monster as the exotic counterpart of European humans. These overlapping four attitudes are not exhaustive of all the aspects of medieval teratology but are intended to provide a glimpse of the tapestry that constituted medieval configurations of classical monsters.
Recasting Monsters in Postcolonial Art and Literature
Authors: McConnell Justine
Published: November 2024

This chapter focuses on modern works that engage simultaneously with the mythic monsters of Graeco-Roman antiquity and the long legacy of colonialism that continues to shape the world today. A range of postcolonial receptions of ancient ‘monsters’ such as the Cyclops, Medusa, and the Minotaur are explored by examining works of visual art by Romare Bearden (The Cyclops) and Jane Alexander (Butcher Boys); poetry by Nikki Giovanni (‘Poseidon Hears His Baby Boy Crying’), Natalie Diaz (‘I, Minotaur’), and Lorna Goodison (‘The Mulatta and the Minotaur’); fiction by Ralph Ellison (Invisible Man); and an essay by Derek Walcott (‘The Muse of History’). These works compel us to think again about the categorization ‘monster’, illuminating and contesting the ideologies that have imposed this label and highlighting the ways in which it has been part of a colonial (and, in the case of the Odyssey, proto-colonial) stratagem of ‘othering’.
Art Horror
Authors: Lowe Dunstan
Published: November 2024

The snake-haired Gorgons whose looks turn men to stone are among the best-known monsters of classical antiquity, and the Gorgon’s face is among the commonest motifs in ancient art, from rooftops to drinking-cups. The mortal sister Medusa is literally objectified when the hero Perseus, with divine help, cuts off and steals her head: as their story expands over centuries, more image-making motifs are added. In both art and poetry, the bestial Gorgon becomes more maidenly and often sympathetic. After antiquity, Medusa is reimagined for many purposes: among twentieth-century theorists she gains prominence as a psychological symbol and feminist icon. After equally varied interpretations in the creative arts, contemporary popular media has made the Gorgon a canonical monster-type, usually as a femme fatale.
Psychological Processes of Uncertainty Regulation in Individual Entrepreneurship
Authors: Stephan Ute
Published: November 2024

This chapter reviews individual-level perspectives on how entrepreneurs navigate uncertainty. Integrating perspectives from research on entrepreneurial action and from research on entrepreneurial well-being, the author outlines a micro-level self-regulatory model of entrepreneurs’ uncertainty management. This model considers cognitive appraisal processes alongside immediate emotional reactions and longer-term well-being as important drivers of entrepreneurial actions (opening, closing, or nonaction) to leverage or reduce uncertainty, contingent on entrepreneurs’ uncertainty capabilities. In turn, entrepreneurs’ appraisals of action outcomes feed back to alter perceived uncertainty (reducing or creating new uncertainty), uncertainty appraisals (as challenge, threat, or irrelevant), uncertainty capabilities, and action choices. The chapter offers new insights to research on entrepreneurial action and entrepreneurial well-being through integrating cognitive and emotional processes and helps to understand when, why, and how uncertainty can result in positive or negative outcomes for the entrepreneur including eudaimonic well-being or ill-being, adaptive action or identity uncertainty, and exit from entrepreneurship.
Jewish Commercial Law and Modern Political Economy
Authors: Rosensweig Itamar
Published: November 2024

Jewish law provides a robust internal rule system that governs commerce and trade. These rules constitute the section of Shulhan Arukh known as Hoshen Mishpat. Yet Jewish law also contains principles of incorporation that ratify external commercial norms of the marketplace—laws, customs, practices–and recognize them as valid. These principles of incorporation displace the internal provisions of Hoshen Mishpat to such an extent that contemporary Jewish courts sometimes decide commercial disputes between Jewish parties exclusively on the basis of these external norms. This chapter surveys the principles of incorporation and examines their conceptual and normative basis. The chapter argues that Jewish commercial law is structured to interact with the norms and institutions of a broader political economy.
In Search of a Political Theory of Assembly
Authors: Srinivasan Sharath
Published: November 2024

Assembly means many things in politics, but it tends to mean some things more than others. In common parlance, peaceful assembly evokes acts of counterpower or protest. Conversely, in many countries, the assembly is also an institution of representative government. However, a global historical survey of assembly underscores more variety in assembly’s form, practice, and meaning, including popular assembly as a form of self-government. This chapter asks why this understanding of assembly that cleaves to popular sovereignty is diminished in contemporary political thought and practice. Ideas of politics that have dominated modernity privilege state authority and the legitimate use of force, the institutions of representative government and individual liberty. Within mainstream traditions, popular assembly is pushed beyond the boundary of ordinary politics, while assembly, as an act of protest, is pushed right up to this boundary where it is tamed as an individual right and policed for peacefulness. Paradoxically, this partial tolerance of episodic protest assembly is one means of legitimating state rule and representative government. Seen in this way, assembly’s continued threat to dominant politics arises less from its threat of disorder or violence than from its radical political promise. The distinctive political power of assembly is that it reprises the essence of popular sovereignty and hints at the heretical possibility of self-government. Re-centring assembly in political theory foregrounds how assembly’s extraordinary qualities are both constitutive of the boundary of the political ordinary and its biggest threat.
Reforming ‘pattern-or-practice’ police reform: what works, what does not, and where we need to go
Authors: Powell Zachary A , Chanin Joshua
Published: November 2024

Over the last 30 years, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has used the pattern-or-practice initiative to implement police reform in maligned law enforcement agencies. Despite the longevity of the program, there is limited empirical evidence that assesses the effectiveness of the initiative, and what evidence exists shows mixed results. This paper advances prior scholarship in this area by considering what is known about the program, outlining the implied theory of the DOJ’s efforts, lamenting the lack of evaluation evidence, and prescribing a modern research agenda for this topic area.
Evaluating the performance of open-source and proprietary processing of actigraphy sleep estimation in children with suspected sleep disorders: a comparison with polysomnography
Authors: Cepni Aliye B , Burkart Sarah , Zhu Xuanxuan , White James , Finnegan Olivia , Nelakuditi Srihari , Beets Michael , Brown III David , Pate Russell , Welk Gregory , de Zambotti Massimiliano , Ghosal Rahul , Wang Yuan , Armstrong Bridget , Adams Elizabeth , van Hees Vincent , Weaver R Glenn
Published: November 2024

Study Objectives

Evaluate the performance of actigraphy-based open-source and proprietary sleep algorithms compared to polysomnography in children with suspected sleep disorders.

Methods

In a sleep clinic, 110 children (5–12 years, 54% female, 50% black, 82% with sleep disorders) wore wrist-placed ActiGraph GT9X during overnight polysomnography. Actigraphy data were scored as sleep or wake using open-source GGIR and proprietary ActiLife software. Discrepancy and epoch-by-epoch analyses were conducted to assess agreement between algorithms and polysomnography, along with equivalence testing.

Results

The open-source vanHees2015 algorithm showed good accuracy (79.5% ± 12.0%), sensitivity (81.1% ± 13.5%), and specificity (66.0% ± 23.8%) for sleep detection but was outperformed by the proprietary ActiLife algorithms. The magnitude and trend of bias for total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE), sleep onset latency, and wake after sleep onset were similar between algorithms. TST and SE were statistically equivalent for the Cole-Kripke (Actilife) and vanHees2015 algorithms compared to the Sadeh (Actilife) algorithm. The Cole-Kripke (ActiLife) demonstrated higher sensitivity (90.5%) to detect sleep but lower specificity (61.2%) than Cole-Kripke (GGIR) (sensitivity: 62.7%, specificity: 79.9%). Sadeh and Cole-Kripke estimated sleep outcomes were not statistically equivalent between implementations in ActiLife and GGIR.

Conclusions

The open-source vanHees2015 algorithm performed well but slightly worse than the proprietary ActiLife algorithms in children. The open-source nature vanHees2015 makes it ideal for clinical pediatric use. Implementation of the Sadeh and Cole-Kripke algorithms in the proprietary ActiLife and open-source GGIR software yield different sleep estimates, so comparisons between studies using these different implementations should be avoided.
Connecting the Dots Between Inpatient Quality of Obstetric Recovery and Postpartum Depression: Are We Ready for a Cultural Shift?
Authors: Landau R.
Published: November 2024

(J Clin Anesth. 2024;96:111372 I. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinane.2023.111372 I)

Enhanced recovery protocols have recently been developed to improve recovery after childbirth, focusing on minimizing maternal morbidity and pain following cesarean delivery. However, there is limited literature on the effort it takes to return to a healthy and normal standard in the postpartum period. The measurement of recovery quality is a new area of focus in the research and practice of obstetric anesthesia. Aspects such as postpartum discomfort, nausea, lightheadedness, shaking, ease, movement, capacity to care for the baby, self-care, and sense of empowerment all influence the quality of recovery during hospitalization. Pervez and colleagues developed a new survey called Obstetric Quality of Recovery (ObsQoR-10), which is a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) used to evaluate recovery after vaginal and cesarean deliveries in hospital settings. Although numerous studies have assessed global PROMs for postpartum healing and screening tools for postpartum depression (PPD), there is still a lack of ideal measures for assessing outpatient recovery quality.
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Consult Series #68: Sickle Cell Disease in Pregnancy
Authors:   Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Sinkey R.G. , Ogunsile F.J. , Kanter J. , Bean C. , Greenberg M. ,   Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Publications Committee
Published: November 2024

(Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2024;230(2):B17–B40. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.10.031)

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) has published recommendations for managing sickle cell disease (SCD) in pregnancy as part of its Consult Series. The guidance also summarizes what is known about the disease.