bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Five Key Strategies for Organizing Interdisciplinary Scientific Events to Strengthen Careers, Collaborations, and Creativity
Authors: Schulz Andrew K , Schwaner M Janneke , Manafzadeh Armita R
Published: May 2024

Synopsis

Science is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary; the widespread emergence of dedicated interdisciplinary journals, conferences, and graduate programs reflects this trend. Interdisciplinary scientific events are extremely valuable in that they offer opportunities for career advancement, especially among early career researchers, for collaboration beyond traditional disciplinary echo chambers, and for the creative generation of innovative solutions to longstanding scientific problems. However, organizing such events can pose unique challenges due to the intentionality required to meaningfully break down the barriers that separate long-independent disciplines. In this paper, we propose five key strategies for organizing and hosting interdisciplinary scientific events. The recommendations offered here apply both to small symposia aiming to contribute an interdisciplinary component to a larger event and to broad interdisciplinary conferences hosting hundreds or thousands of attendees.
Word Measures on Unitary Groups: Improved Bounds for Small Representations
Authors: Brodsky Yaron
Published: May 2024

Let $F$ be a free group of rank $r$ and fix some $w\in F$. For any compact group $G$ we can define a measure $\mu _{w,G}$ on $G$ by (Haar-)uniformly sampling $g_{1},...,g_{r}\in G$ and evaluating $w(g_{1},...,g_{r})$. In [23], Magee and Puder study the behavior of the moments of $\mu _{w,U(n)}$ as a function of $n$, establishing a connection between their asymptotic behavior and certain algebraic invariants of $w$, such as its commutator length. We employ geometric insights to refine their analysis, and show that the asymptotic behavior of the moments is also governed by the primitivity rank of $w$. Additionally, we also apply our methods to prove a special case of a conjecture of Hanany and Puder [13, Conjecture 1.13] regarding the asymptotic behavior of expected values of irreducible characters of $U(n)$ under $\mu _{w,U(n)}$.
Disciplinary Seriousness in International Relations: Towards a Counterpolitics of the Silly Object
Authors: Baspehlivan Uygar , Wedderburn Alister
Published: May 2024

International Relations is a discipline that takes itself seriously. What functions does this posture of seriousness serve? What is at stake in its maintenance and reproduction? And what ways of knowing, understanding, and performing politics are marginalized as a result? This article addresses these questions, drawing on feminist theory in order to show how the discipline’s performances of seriousness have served to exclude particular ways of being and knowing. While some feminists have responded to these exclusions by demanding to be taken seriously, we draw on queer theorists including Lauren Berlant, Jack Halberstam, and Cynthia Weber in order to suggest that IR might profitably benefit from the exploration of other critical and analytical registers. Engaging in what Berlant calls a “counterpolitics of the silly object,” we outline three sites of ontological, epistemological, and methodological intervention that emerge from a counterpolitical embrace of silliness.
Evaluating the accuracy of a state-of-the-art large language model for prediction of admissions from the emergency room
Authors: Glicksberg Benjamin S , Timsina Prem , Patel Dhaval , Sawant Ashwin , Vaid Akhil , Raut Ganesh , Charney Alexander W , Apakama Donald , Carr Brendan G , Freeman Robert , Nadkarni Girish N , Klang Eyal
Published: May 2024

Background

Artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) can play a critical role in emergency room operations by augmenting decision-making about patient admission. However, there are no studies for LLMs using real-world data and scenarios, in comparison to and being informed by traditional supervised machine learning (ML) models. We evaluated the performance of GPT-4 for predicting patient admissions from emergency department (ED) visits. We compared performance to traditional ML models both naively and when informed by few-shot examples and/or numerical probabilities.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study using electronic health records across 7 NYC hospitals. We trained Bio-Clinical-BERT and XGBoost (XGB) models on unstructured and structured data, respectively, and created an ensemble model reflecting ML performance. We then assessed GPT-4 capabilities in many scenarios: through Zero-shot, Few-shot with and without retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and with and without ML numerical probabilities.

Results

The Ensemble ML model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.88, an area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) of 0.72 and an accuracy of 82.9%. The naïve GPT-4's performance (0.79 AUC, 0.48 AUPRC, and 77.5% accuracy) showed substantial improvement when given limited, relevant data to learn from (ie, RAG) and underlying ML probabilities (0.87 AUC, 0.71 AUPRC, and 83.1% accuracy). Interestingly, RAG alone boosted performance to near peak levels (0.82 AUC, 0.56 AUPRC, and 81.3% accuracy).

Conclusions

The naïve LLM had limited performance but showed significant improvement in predicting ED admissions when supplemented with real-world examples to learn from, particularly through RAG, and/or numerical probabilities from traditional ML models. Its peak performance, although slightly lower than the pure ML model, is noteworthy given its potential for providing reasoning behind predictions. Further refinement of LLMs with real-world data is necessary for successful integration as decision-support tools in care settings.
“Pandemics know no borders,” but Responses to Pandemics Do: Global Health, COVID-19, and Latin America
Authors: Cueto Marcos
Published: May 2024

This article focuses on Brazil and Peru, the Latin American epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic during 2020 and 2021. The pandemic magnified the legacy of years of neoliberal policies, corruption and racism in these countries, the limitations of their poverty-reduction programs, the fragility of their democratic systems, and the insufficient political regard for public health and basic sanitation. I rely on the concepts of negligence and necropolitics. The first refers to the abdication of authorities in providing sufficient basic services to its citizens. The second — coined by Achille Mbembe before the pandemic — is used to explain the banalization by governments of preventable deaths of discriminated social groups. On a global level, the problematic access to medical equipment and vaccines was a failure because of the hoarding of vaccines by rich nations and the blaming of developing countries for their high mortality. The result was that national and international governmental reactions to COVID-19 worsened health asymmetries within countries and between the Global North and South.
D-dimer cut-off value for predicting venous thromboembolism at the initial diagnosis in Japanese patients with advanced lung cancer
Authors: Kawakado Keita , Tsubata Yukari , Hotta Takamasa , Yamasaki Masahiro , Ishikawa Nobuhisa , Masuda Takeshi , Kubota Tetsuya , Kobayashi Kunihiko , Isobe Takeshi
Published: May 2024

Objective

Cancer is a well-known risk factor for venous thromboembolism. The D-dimer level is used to predict venous thromboembolism; however, reports on an appropriate D-dimer cut-off value in Japanese patients with advanced lung cancer are lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to calculate the D-dimer cut-off value for venous thromboembolism at the time of lung cancer diagnosis.

Methods

The Rising-venous thromboembolism/NEJ037 study was a multicenter, prospective observational study. Patients with lung cancer who were contraindicated for radical resection or radiation were enrolled and followed up for 2 years. In the present study (jRCT no. 061180025), a receiver operating characteristic curve for D-dimer levels was created using the dataset of the Rising-venous thromboembolism/NEJ037 study.

Results

The Rising-venous thromboembolism/NEJ037 study included a total of 1008 patients, of whom 976, whose D-dimer levels had been measured at the time of cancer diagnosis, were included in the present study. At the time of lung cancer diagnosis, 62 (6.3%) and 914 (93.7%) patients presented with and without venous thromboembolism, respectively. The D-dimer values ranged from 0.1 to 180.1 μg/ml and from 0.1 to 257.2 μg/ml in patients with and without venous thromboembolism, respectively. The receiver operating characteristic curve was discriminative with a cut-off value of 3.3 μg/ml and an area under the curve of 0.794 (sensitivity, 0.742; specificity, 0.782; 95% confidence interval, 0.725–0.863).

Conclusions

This is the first study to calculate the D-dimer cut-off value in Japanese patients with advanced lung cancer. Patients with D-dimer levels ≥3.3 μg/ml at the time of initial diagnosis may have coexisting venous thromboembolism.
The correlation between immune-related adverse events and efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors
Authors: Fukushima Taito , Kobayashi Satoshi , Ueno Makoto
Published: May 2024

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized cancer treatment by targeting the cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 and programmed death-1/ligand-1. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors show promising therapeutic efficacy, they often cause immune-related adverse events. Immune-related adverse events differ from the side effects of conventional chemotherapy and require vigilant monitoring. These events predominantly affect organs, such as the colon, liver, lungs, pituitary gland, thyroid and skin, with rare cases affecting the heart, nervous system and other tissues. As immune-related adverse events result from immune activation, indicating the reinvigoration of exhausted immune cells that attack both tumors and normal tissues, it is theoretically possible that immune-related adverse events may signal a better response to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Recent retrospective studies have explored the link between immune-related adverse event development and clinical efficacy; however, the predictive value of immune-related adverse events in the immune checkpoint inhibitor response remains unclear. Additionally, studies have focused on immune-related adverse events, timing of onset and immunosuppressive treatments. This review focuses on pivotal studies of the association between immune-related adverse events and outcomes in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Bringing care in: The meaning of care in refugee solidarity movements
Authors: Milan Chiara , Martini Chiara
Published: May 2024

This article investigates the meaning that refugee solidarity activists supporting people on the move across the Western Balkans migratory route and at the Italian–French border attribute to the notion of ‘care’, which they use to define their solidarity practices, particularly in the aftermath of the global pandemic. By means of a content analysis of in-depth interviews with representatives of grassroots solidarity groups, the article demonstrates that ‘care’ is conceived of as having a political character, as it responds to both the crisis of health care and the restrictions on freedom of movement; a non-hierarchical connotation, which informs in- and out-group relationships; and a transformative orientation, as acts of care prefigure a society in which freedom of movement and health rights are granted to all, in contrast to the existing model of migration governance.
Engineering the cyanobacterial ATP-driven BCT1 bicarbonate transporter for functional targeting to C3 plant chloroplasts
Authors: Rottet Sarah , Rourke Loraine M , Pabuayon Isaiah C M , Phua Su Yin , Yee Suyan , Weerasooriya Hiruni N , Wang Xiaozhuo , Mehra Himanshu S , Nguyen Nghiem D , Long Benedict M , Moroney James V , Price G Dean
Published: May 2024

The ATP-driven bicarbonate transporter 1 (BCT1) from Synechococcus is a four-component complex in the cyanobacterial CO2-concentrating mechanism. BCT1 could enhance photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in plant chloroplasts. However, directing its subunits (CmpA, CmpB, CmpC, and CmpD) to three chloroplast sub-compartments is highly complex. Investigating BCT1 integration into Nicotiana benthamiana chloroplasts revealed promising targeting strategies using transit peptides from the intermembrane space protein Tic22 for correct CmpA targeting, while the transit peptide of the chloroplastic ABCD2 transporter effectively targeted CmpB to the inner envelope membrane. CmpC and CmpD were targeted to the stroma by RecA and recruited to the inner envelope membrane by CmpB. Despite successful targeting, expression of this complex in CO2-dependent Escherichia coli failed to demonstrate bicarbonate uptake. We then used rational design and directed evolution to generate new BCT1 forms that were constitutively active. Several mutants were recovered, including a CmpCD fusion. Selected mutants were further characterized and stably expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana, but the transformed plants did not have higher carbon assimilation rates or decreased CO2 compensation points in mature leaves. While further analysis is required, this directed evolution and heterologous testing approach presents potential for iterative modification and assessment of CO2-concentrating mechanism components to improve plant photosynthesis.
Regulation of seed dormancy by histone post-translational modifications in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Nogueira do Amaral Marcelo , Tognacca Rocío S , Auge Gabriela A
Published: May 2024

Plants synchronize their growth and development with environmental changes, which is critical for their survival. Among their life cycle transitions, seed germination is key for ensuring the survival and optimal growth of the next generation. However, even under favorable conditions, often germination can be blocked by seed dormancy, a regulatory multilayered checkpoint integrating internal and external signals. Intricate genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlie seed dormancy establishment, maintenance, and release. In this review, we focus on recent advances that shed light on the complex mechanisms associated with physiological dormancy, prevalent in seed plants, with Arabidopsis thaliana serving as a model. Here, we summarize the role of multiple epigenetic regulators, but with a focus on histone modifications such as acetylation and methylation, that finely tune dormancy responses and influence dormancy-associated gene expression. Understanding these mechanisms can lead to a better understanding of seed biology in general, as well as resulting in the identification of possible targets for breeding climate-resilient plants.
The Hyper Suprime-Cam extended point spread functions and applications
Authors: Garate-Nuñez Lucía P , Robotham Aaron S G , Bellstedt Sabine , Davies Luke J M , Martínez-Lombilla Cristina
Published: May 2024

We present extended point spread function (PSF) models for the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program Public Data Release 3 (HSC-SSP PDR3) in all g, r, i, Z, and Y-bands. Due to its 8.2 m primary mirror and long exposure periods, HSC combines deep images with wide-field coverage. Both properties make HSC one of the most suitable observing facilities for low-surface brightness (LSB) studies, which are particularly sensitive to the PSF. By applying a median stacking technique of point-like sources with different brightness, we show how to construct the HSC-SSP PDR3 PSF models to an extent of R ∼ 5.6 arcmin. These models are appropriate for the HSC-PDR3 intermediate-state data which do not have applied the final aggressive background subtraction. The intermediate-state data is especially stored for users interested in large extended objects, where our new PSFs provide them with a crucial tool to characterise LSB properties at large angles. We demonstrate that our HSC PSFs behave reasonably in two scenarios. In the first one, we generate 2D models of a bright star, showing no evidence of residual structures across the five bands. In the second scenario, we recreate the PSF-scattered light on mock images with special consideration of the effect of this additional flux on LSB measurements. Despite the well-behaved nature of the HSC-PDR3 PSFs, there is a non-negligible impact on the faint light present in the mock images. This impact could lead to incorrect LSB measurements if a proper star subtraction is not applied. The PSF models are publicly available to the astronomical community at github.com/luciagarate/HSC_PSFs (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.11273118).
Constraining the physical parameters of XTE J1701−462 through NuSTAR observations
Authors: Thomas Neal Titus , Jirawala Khushi , Gudennavar S B , Bubbly S G
Published: May 2024

The spectral properties of the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary XTE J1701−462 were studied using the data obtained from FPMA/B detectors onboard NuSTAR during its second known outburst (2022 September). The physical parameters of the system were derived from the analysis of the data in the 3.0−30.0 keV energy range. The patterns displayed on the hardness–intensity diagram of the three observations closely resembled the banana branch/normal branch, a vertex of horizontal and normal branch of the Z-track and a transition from normal branch to flaring branch. Spectral analysis of the source revealed the presence of Fe K emission complex. The source spectra were fitted with a multitemperature blackbody ($\tt {diskbb}$) component in conjunction with the reflection model ($\tt {relxillNS}$). The values of temperature (kTin) and radius (Rin) of the inner accretion disc obtained from the spectral fitting with the model combination – $\tt {constant} \times \tt {tbabs} (\tt {diskbb}$ + $\tt {relxillNS})$ showed the source to be in its soft spectral state during the observations. The inclination angle (θ) of the source was estimated to be between 19° and 33° and the inner disc radius (Rin) was found to be 17.4 km. Assuming the case of magnetic truncation of accretion disc, the upper limits for the magnetic dipole moment (μ) and the magnetic field strength (B) at the poles of the neutron star in the system were found to be 5.78 × 1026 G cm3 and 8.23 × 108 G, respectively, for kA = 1.
Supermassive black holes are growing slowly by z∼5
Authors: Lai Samuel , Onken Christopher A , Wolf Christian , Bian Fuyan , Fan Xiaohui
Published: May 2024

We investigate the black hole mass function at z ∼ 5 using XQz5, our recent sample of the most luminous quasars between the redshifts 4.5 < z < 5.3. We include 72 quasars with black hole masses estimated from velocity-broadened emission-line measurements and single-epoch virial prescriptions in the footprint of a highly complete parent survey. The sample mean Eddington ratio and standard deviation is log λ ≈ −0.20 ± 0.24. The completeness-corrected mass function is modelled as a double power law, and we constrain its evolution across redshift assuming accretion-dominated mass growth. We estimate the evolution of the mass function from z = 5–4, presenting joint constraints on accretion properties through a measured dimensionless e-folding parameter, kef ≡ 〈λ〉U(1 − ϵ)/ϵ = 1.79 ± 0.06, where 〈λ〉 is the mean Eddington ratio, U is the duty cycle, and ϵ is the radiative efficiency. If these supermassive black holes were to form from seeds smaller than $10^8\, {\rm M}_{\odot }$, the growth rate must have been considerably faster at z ≫ 5 than observed from z = 5–4. A growth rate exceeding 3 × the observed rate would reduce the initial heavy seed mass to $10^{5-6}\, {\rm M}_{\odot }$, aligning with supermassive star and/or direct collapse seed masses. Stellar mass ($10^2\, {\rm M}_{\odot }$) black hole seeds would require ≳4.5 × the observed growth rate at z ≫ 5 to reproduce the measured active black hole mass function. A possible pathway to produce the most extreme quasars is radiatively inefficient accretion flow, suggesting black holes with low angular momentum or photon trapping in supercritically accreting thick discs.
Observing the galactic underworld: predicting photometry and astrometry from compact remnant microlensing events
Authors: Sweeney David , Tuthill Peter , Krone-Martins Alberto , Mérand Antoine , Scalzo Richard , Martinod Marc-Antoine
Published: May 2024

Isolated black holes (BHs) and neutron stars (NSs) are largely undetectable across the electromagnetic spectrum. For this reason, our only real prospect of observing these isolated compact remnants is via microlensing; a feat recently performed for the first time. However, characterization of the microlensing events caused by BHs and NSs is still in its infancy. In this work, we perform N-body simulations to explore the frequency and physical characteristics of microlensing events across the entire sky. Our simulations find that every year we can expect $88_{-6}^{+6}$ BH, $6.8_{-1.6}^{+1.7}$ NS, and $20^{+30}_{-20}$ stellar microlensing events which cause an astrometric shift larger than 2 mas. Similarly, we can expect $21_{-3}^{+3}$ BH, $18_{-3}^{+3}$ NS, and $7500_{-500}^{+500}$ stellar microlensing events which cause a bump magnitude larger than 1 mag. Leveraging a more comprehensive dynamical model than prior work, we predict the fraction of microlensing events caused by BHs as a function of Einstein time to be smaller than previously thought. Comparison of our microlensing simulations to events in Gaia finds good agreement. Finally, we predict that in the combination of Gaia and GaiaNIR data there will be $14700_{-900}^{+600}$ BH and $1600_{-200}^{+300}$ NS events creating a centroid shift larger than 1 mas and $330_{-120}^{+100}$ BH and $310_{-100}^{+110}$ NS events causing bump magnitudes >1. Of these, <10 BH and $5_{-5}^{+10}$ NS events should be detectable using current analysis techniques. These results inform future astrometric mission design, such as GaiaNIR, as they indicate that, compared to stellar events, there are fewer observable BH events than previously thought.
Structure-based characterization and compound identification of the wild-type THF class-II riboswitch
Authors: Li Chunyan , Xu Xiaochen , Geng Zhi , Zheng Luqian , Song Qianqian , Shen Xin , Wu Jingjing , zhao Jin , Li Hongcheng , He Mengqi , Tai Xiaoqing , Zhang Long , Ma Jinbiao , Dong Yuhui , Ren Aiming
Published: May 2024

Riboswitches are conserved regulatory RNA elements participating in various metabolic pathways. Recently, a novel RNA motif known as the folE RNA motif was discovered upstream of folE genes. It specifically senses tetrahydrofolate (THF) and is therefore termed THF-II riboswitch. To unravel the ligand recognition mechanism of this newly discovered riboswitch and decipher the underlying principles governing its tertiary folding, we determined both the free-form and bound-form THF-II riboswitch in the wild-type sequences. Combining structural information and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) binding assays on structure-based mutants, we successfully elucidated the significant long-range interactions governing the function of THF-II riboswitch and identified additional compounds, including alternative natural metabolites and potential lead compounds for drug discovery, that interact with THF-II riboswitch. Our structural research on the ligand recognition mechanism of the THF-II riboswitch not only paves the way for identification of compounds targeting riboswitches, but also facilitates the exploration of THF analogs in diverse biological contexts or for therapeutic applications.
DNA damage response in brain tumors: A Society for Neuro-Oncology consensus review on mechanisms and translational efforts in neuro-oncology
Authors: Rahman Rifaquat , Shi Diana D , Reitman Zachary J , Hamerlik Petra , de Groot John F , Haas-Kogan Daphne A , D’Andrea Alan D , Sulman Erik P , Tanner Kirk , Agar Nathalie Y R , Sarkaria Jann N , Tinkle Christopher L , Bindra Ranjit S , Mehta Minesh P , Wen Patrick Y
Published: May 2024

DNA damage response (DDR) mechanisms are critical to maintenance of overall genomic stability, and their dysfunction can contribute to oncogenesis. Significant advances in our understanding of DDR pathways have raised the possibility of developing therapies that exploit these processes. In this expert-driven consensus review, we examine mechanisms of response to DNA damage, progress in development of DDR inhibitors in IDH-wild-type glioblastoma and IDH-mutant gliomas, and other important considerations such as biomarker development, preclinical models, combination therapies, mechanisms of resistance and clinical trial design considerations.
Architecture and Blackness in the United States
Authors: O'Connell Lauren
Published: May 2024

Scholars have focused in recent decades on the multiple ways in which racially based social hierarchies are reflected in and reinforced by the built environment. George Lipsitz encapsulates their premise in his important How Racism Takes Place (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2011). “It takes places for racism to take place” (5), he explains, highlighting the role played by physical space in concretizing racialized barriers to daily comfort and lifetime success. Like Lipsitz, our focus is on the architecture/race relationship in the United States, and as it affects Africa-descended American populations in particular. While racial hierarchies can be read across ethnicities and histories, the devastating impacts of the transatlantic slave trade represent a specific case with distinctive characteristics. While the term “race” enjoys wide currency, as though it referenced a clearly definable category, the contours of that category remain contested. It is taken here as a given, in keeping with current scientific research, that race is a social, rather than a biological category, referring to human differences that have been incorrectly perceived as delineating biologically distinct groups. As Isabel Wilkerson puts it, “Race is what we can see, the physical traits that have been given arbitrary meaning” (Wilkerson, Caste: The Origins of our Discontents [New York: Random House, 2020], 18). That racial difference is constructed socially gives it no less force; Ta-Nehisi Coates captures this tension in a prospective letter to his young son: “And still and all I knew that we were something, that we were a tribe, on the one hand invented, and on the other, no less real” (Coates, Between the World and Me [New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2015], 56). Ibram X. Kendi similarly characterizes race as “a mirage, but one that humanity has organized itself around in very real ways” (Kendi, How to Be an Antiracist [New York: One World, 2019], 54). The legacy of discrimination based on perceived race has severely constrained opportunity for the Black community in the United States, long after slavery was abolished in 1865 with the passage of the 13th Amendment; in the studies analyzed here, these long-term effects are persuasively read in our built environment—which has itself exacerbated them. The topic lends itself to two broad lines of inquiry: first, barriers to architectural practice that have resulted in a dramatic underrepresentation of persons of color in the profession and its corresponding impoverishment; and second, myriad ways in which racial inequity has been spatialized, from the antebellum plantation to 20th-century urban renewal. For related resources, see also the separate Oxford Bibliographies article “Vernacular Architecture.”
Adventist Pastoral Ministry and Preaching
Authors: Lake Jud
Published: May 2024

This chapter focuses on how the Adventist pastoral ministry and its preaching developed from the beginning of the movement to the present. Early Adventist ministers often traveled from place to place preaching to gathered groups of believers and eventually received financial support and ministerial credentials from the church in 1863. Throughout the latter nineteenth century, the Adventist ministry grew significantly, although the pastors lacked formal training. Early in the twentieth century church leaders created ministerial institutes, started a journal for ministers, and established a seminary for ministerial training. Throughout the nineteenth century and far into the twentieth century Adventist preaching tended to be sermons of the textual-topical type and emphasized evangelistic preaching over pastoral preaching. Since the 1980s, however, there has been more emphasis on homiletical and exegetical training, and Adventist pastoral preaching is in a much better place.
Adventists in Africa
Authors: Sanou Boubakar
Published: May 2024

After a century of Adventist mission in Africa, the continent now accounts for 44 percent of the denomination’s total membership. This chapter critically explores the major factors that contributed to this noteworthy growth as well as the challenges encountered by both foreign and indigenous missionaries. The narrative integrates sociocultural, religious, and political elements that have influenced the course of Seventh-day Adventism on the continent. By exploring the dynamics of how these factors uniquely shaped the development of the Adventist community, the discussion not only provides insights into the multifaceted fabric of the church’s presence on the continent but also provides a nuanced perspective on the interplay between faith and culture.
Singing at Ellis Island
Authors: Maglione Dorothy Glick
Published: May 2024

During its operational period between 1892 and 1954, over 12,000,000 immigrants were processed at Ellis Island (New York, US), approximately 2,500,000 of whom were detained anywhere from a few days to several months due to illness, lack of proper documentation and funds, or miscommunication attributable to a language barrier. In an effort to shape the immigrant introduction to the United States, charitable organizations—under the supervision of immigration officials—sponsored musical events and activities to improve morale, aid in crowd control, and begin assimilation and Americanization. Organizers viewed communal singing as a means for unification, and regularly highlighted its occurrence at holiday celebrations and other events for detained individuals. Singing also functioned as a recreational activity for hospital patients. During and after World War I, the Public Health Service utilized every possible space—including the hospital at Ellis Island—to treat injured veterans. The Red Cross sponsored a song leader in the 1920s for the benefit of the service men, who attended the sessions in large numbers. While the Red Cross programs largely served the veterans, immigrants benefited as well. Utilizing materials at the Ellis Island Archives, newspaper reports, and records of charitable organizations, this chapter illustrates various avenues of singing at the station, used both as purposeful representations of American culture for immigrants and as recreational outlets for veterans.
Political Controversy II
Authors: Gardner John
Published: May 2024

Concentrating on class and perceptions of the army, this chapter examines the transmission of violence between Waterloo (1815) and Peterloo (1819). Both events produced polarized views: from the celebratory congratulations of William Wordsworth and Robert Southey following Waterloo and Peterloo, to the violent misery of William Hazlitt and Robert Wedderburn after these events. Wordsworth, who became a dark tourist of the battle scenes, usually found inspiration in places inhabited by the dead, but at Peterloo may have found his younger, radical self-challenged by a new sympathy for the government-sanctioned killing of peaceful protestors. The conflation of violence between Waterloo and Peterloo further established that people were not so much separated by national interests as by class. Using texts by Samuel Bamford, George Cruikshank, Hazlitt, William Hone, Southey, Wedderburn, and Wordsworth, this chapter examines links between Waterloo and Peterloo as Britain saw demands for representation suppressed.
Political Economy
Authors: Mayhew Robert J.
Published: May 2024

In what Arnold Toynbee called the ‘war between economists and human beings’, the Romantics are seen as the paradigmatic representatives of the latter category, hostile at every turn to the discourse of political economy. The truth is in fact far more nuanced. This chapter will investigate this nuance from several angles. First, the extent to which writing in political economy engaged with the strategies of creative fiction. Second, this chapter will offer a balanced assessment of the reaction to political economy in Romantic prose by focussing on two texts: William Hazlitt’s Reply to the Essay on Population, one of the finest pieces of sustained vituperation in the canon of Romantic prose and Thomas De Quincey’s The Logic of Political Economy as a major Romantic writer’s more positive attempts to engage with political economy. This section will draw on recent critical work showing the extent to which Romantic writers drew on political economy even as they excoriated it.
Moments of Derivatives of Modular L-Functions
Authors: Kumar Sumit , Mallesham Kummari , Sharma Prahlad , K Singh Saurabh
Published: May 2024

Let f be a newform for the group $\Gamma_{0}(q)$ and χd be a primitive quadratic character of conductor $|d|$. In this article, we prove an asymptotic for the second moment of the derivative of $L(s,\, f \otimes \chi_{8d})$ at the central point $1/2$, which was previously known under grand Riemann hypothesis (GRH) by Petrow [9].
Corticostriatal responses to social reward are linked to trait reward sensitivity and subclinical substance use in young adults
Authors: Wyngaarden James B , Johnston Camille R , Sazhin Daniel , Dennison Jeff B , Zaff Ori , Fareri Dominic , McCloskey Michael , Alloy Lauren B , Smith David V , Jarcho Johanna M
Published: May 2024

Aberrant levels of reward sensitivity have been linked to substance use disorder and are characterized by alterations in reward processing in the ventral striatum (VS). Less is known about how reward sensitivity and subclinical substance use relate to striatal function during social rewards (e.g. positive peer feedback). Testing this relation is critical for predicting risk for development of substance use disorder. In this pre-registered study, participants (N = 44) underwent fMRI while completing well-matched tasks that assess neural response to reward in social and monetary domains. Contrary to our hypotheses, aberrant reward sensitivity blunted the relationship between substance use and striatal activation during receipt of rewards, regardless of domain. Moreover, exploratory whole-brain analyses showed unique relations between substance use and social rewards in temporoparietal junction. Psychophysiological interactions demonstrated that aberrant reward sensitivity is associated with increased connectivity between the VS and ventromedial prefrontal cortex during social rewards. Finally, we found that substance use was associated with decreased connectivity between the VS and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex for social rewards, independent of reward sensitivity. These findings demonstrate nuanced relations between reward sensitivity and substance use, even among those without substance use disorder, and suggest altered reward-related engagement of cortico-VS responses as potential predictors of developing disordered behavior.
Contrasting water-use strategies to climate warming in white birch and larch in a boreal permafrost region
Authors: Qi Xi , Treydte Kerstin , Saurer Matthias , Fang Keyan , An Wenling , Lehmann Marco , Liu Kunyuan , Wu Zhengfang , He Hong S , Du Haibo , Li Mai-He
Published: May 2024

The effects of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations (Ca) with climate warming on intrinsic water-use efficiency and radial growth in boreal forests are still poorly understood. We measured tree-ring cellulose δ13C, δ18O, and tree-ring width in Larix dahurica (larch) and Betula platyphylla (white birch), and analyzed their relationships with climate variables in a boreal permafrost region of northeast China over past 68 years covering a pre-warming period (1951–1984; base period) and a warm period (1985–2018; warm period). We found that white birch but not larch significantly increased their radial growth over the warm period. The increased intrinsic water-use efficiency in both species was mainly driven by elevated Ca but not climate warming. White birch but not larch showed significantly positive correlations between tree-ring δ13C, δ18O and summer maximum temperature as well as vapor pressure deficit in the warm period, suggesting a strong stomatal response in the broad-leaved birch to temperature changes. The climate warming-induced radial growth enhancement in white birch is primarily associated with a conservative water-use strategy. In contrast, larch exhibits a profligate water-use strategy. It implies an advantage for white birch over larch in the warming permafrost regions.
Apple Bitter Rot and Glomerella Leaf Spot: A Comprehensive Review of Causal Species and Their Biology, Fungicide Sensitivities, and Management Strategies
Authors: McLaughlin Michael S. , Abbasi Sanna , Abbasi Pervaiz A. , Ali Shawkat
Published: May 2024

Bitter rot and Glomerella leaf spot (GLS) are two distinct diseases of apple fruit and foliage caused by members of the ascomycete fungal genus Colletotrichum. Although GLS is restricted to subtropical and, in some areas, to temperate climates, bitter rot is responsible for significant yield loss worldwide, particularly during the postharvest period. Initially thought to be caused by just two species of Colletotrichum, C. acutatum, and C. gloeosporioides, advances in molecular biology and sequencing techniques enabled the identification of 25 different species capable of causing bitter rot and/or GLS of apple belonging to the C. gloeosporioides species complex (CGSC), C. acutatum species complex (CASC), and C. boninense species complex (CBSC). Three species (C. gloeosporioides, C. fructicola, and C. chrysophilum) of CGSC cause both bitter rot and GLS, 18 species (6 of CGSC and 12 of CASC) only cause bitter rot, and 4 species (C. aenigma and C. asianum of CGSC, C. limetticola of CASC, and C. karsti of CBSC) only cause GLS. These species were found to differ in their geographical distribution, environmental and host tissue preference, pathogenicity, and fungicide sensitivities. In this review, we summarize the distribution, life cycle, and pathogenicity mechanisms of all currently known Colletotrichum species responsible for bitter rot and GLS of apple. Furthermore, we describe known apple defense mechanisms and management strategies for the control of these economically significant pathogens and identify gaps in our present understanding for future research.
Comparative Transcriptomics of Soybean Genotypes with Partial Resistance Toward Phytophthora sojae, Conrad, and M92-220 to Moderately Susceptible Fast Neutron Mutant Soybeans and Sloan
Authors: Nguyen Nghi S. , Poelstra Jelmer W. , Stupar Robert M. , McHale Leah K. , Dorrance Anne E.
Published: May 2024

The breeding of disease-resistant soybeans cultivars to manage Phytophthora root and stem rot caused by the pathogen Phytophthora sojae involves combining quantitative disease resistance (QDR) and Rps gene-mediated resistance. To identify and confirm potential mechanisms of QDR toward P. sojae, we conducted a time course study comparing changes in gene expression among Conrad and M92-220 with high QDR to susceptible genotypes, Sloan, and three mutants derived from fast neutron irradiation of M92-220. Differentially expressed genes from Conrad and M92-220 indicated several shared defense-related pathways at the transcriptomic level but also defense pathways unique to each cultivar, such as stilbenoid, diarylheptanoid, and gingerol biosynthesis and monobactam biosynthesis. Gene Ontology pathway analysis showed that the susceptible fast neutron mutants lacked enrichment of three terpenoid-related pathways and two cell wall-related pathways at either one or both time points, in contrast to M92-220. The susceptible mutants also lacked enrichment of potentially important Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways at either one or both time points, including sesquiterpenoid and triterpenoid biosynthesis; thiamine metabolism; arachidonic acid; stilbenoid, diarylheptanoid, and gingerol biosynthesis; and monobactam biosynthesis. Additionally, 31 genes that were differentially expressed in M92-220 following P. sojae infection were not expressed in the mutants. These 31 genes have annotations related to unknown proteins; valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis; and protein and lipid metabolic processes. The results of this study confirm previously proposed mechanisms of QDR, provide evidence for potential novel QDR pathways in M92-220, and further our understanding of the complex network associated with QDR mechanisms in soybean toward P. sojae.
External Versus Internal Focus of Attention in Procedural Skills Learning: A Randomized Study
Authors: Tarasova Natalia , Wilkins Parvathi , Cook David A. , Pankratz V. Shane , Morrey Mark M. , Laack Torrey A.
Published: May 2024

Purpose

The Optimizing Performance Through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention for Learning (OPTIMAL) theory postulates that directing attention to the intended movement effect or outcome (external focus) is more effective than directing attention to the internal body motion or body part (internal focus). This study compared external versus internal focus of attention as novice students learned ultrasound-guided peripheral cannulation. The authors hypothesized that conditions promoting an external (vs internal) focus of attention would result in better performance on immediate and delayed (retention) testing.

Method

The authors conducted a randomized, experimental study from October 2022 to February 2023 comparing external and internal focus using ultrasound-guided peripheral venous cannulation followed by practice using an ultrasound training block. Undergraduate health science students performed 4 practice trials with instructions to focus on the needle tip (external focus) or their hands (internal focus), followed by immediate and delayed (retention) assessment 2 weeks later. The primary outcome was time to successful cannulation. Results were compared using Kaplan-Meier curves and parametric survival analysis regression (accelerated failure time) models.

Results

Seventy participants completed the immediate assessment. The external focus group completed successful cannulation a mean of 2.33 times faster (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.47–3.67; P < .001) than those in the internal focus group (median time, 12.0 vs 29.5 seconds). Results also favored the external focus group during practice, with the external focus group successfully completing the task a mean of 1.83 times faster (95% CI, 1.04–3.21; P = .04) than the internal focus group. In the retention assessment, the external focus group successfully completed the task a mean of 2.37 times faster (95% CI, 1.19–4.74; P = .02) than the internal focus group.

Conclusions

External focus of attention compared with internal focus of attention improves medical motor skill learning in novice learners.
Comparing FGFR-3 and TS-HDS Seropositive Small Fiber Neuropathy: Unique Patient Features, Symptoms, Laboratory, and Nerve Conduction Study Findings
Authors: Murin Peyton J. , Khasiyev Farid , Profirovic Jasmina , Fedorova Margarita , Kafaie Jafar
Published: May 2024

Objectives:

Small fiber neuropathy presents a significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. To solve this challenge, efforts have been made to identify autoantibodies associated with this condition. Previous literature has often considered tri-sulfated heparin disaccharide (TS-HDS) and fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) as a singular seropositive group and/or focused primarily on symptomatic associations.

Methods:

One hundred seventy-two small fiber neuropathy patients with a Washington University Sensory Neuropathy panel were selected for TS-HDS seropositivity, FGFR-3 seropositivity, and seronegative controls. Data were collected to on the demographic, symptomatic, and laboratory profiles of each subgroup.

Results:

Percent female (P = 0.0043), frequency of neuropathic pain symptoms (P = 0.0074), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P = 0.0293), vitamin D (P < 0.0001), and vitamin B12 (P = 0.0033) differed between the groups. Skin biopsy was more frequently normal within both the FGFR-3 and the TS-HDS cohort (P = 0.0253).

Conclusions:

TS-HDS and FGFR-3 display a distinct phenotype from both controls and one another. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) against FGFR-3 and IgM against TS-HDS may be individually valuable markers for the development of distinct clinical phenotypes.
Exploring the Intersection of Dementia and Myocardial Infarction: Vascular Perspectives
Authors: Goyal Anjali , Ekelmans Adrianus , Frishman William
Published: May 2024

Emerging evidence underscores the relationship between myocardial infarction and dementia, implicating a profound influence on patient health. The bidirectional relationship between myocardial infarction and dementia is highlighted by pathophysiological changes in vasculature function, lifestyle factors, and environmental influences. Our literature review aims to explore the complex relationship between these 2 pathologies and highlight the pathways by which they mutually influence each other.
Outcome of Pregnancy Oral Glucose Tolerance Test and Preterm Birth
Authors: Liang Richard , Panelli Danielle M. , Stevenson David K. , Rehkopf David H. , Shaw Gary M. , Sørensen Henrik Toft , Pedersen Lars
Published: May 2024

Background:

Gestational diabetes is associated with adverse outcomes such as preterm birth (<37 weeks). However, there is no international consensus on screening criteria or diagnostic levels for gestational diabetes, and it is unknown whether body mass index (BMI) or obesity modifies the relation between glucose level and preterm birth.

Methods:

We studied a pregnancy cohort restricted to two Danish regions from the linked Danish Medical Birth Register to study associations between glucose measurements from the 2-hour postload 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (one-step approach) and preterm birth from 2004 to 2018. In Denmark, gestational diabetes screening is a targeted strategy for mothers with identified risk factors. We used Poisson regression to estimate rate ratios (RR) of preterm birth with z-standardized glucose measurements. We assessed effect measure modification by stratifying analyses and testing for heterogeneity.

Results:

Among 11,337 pregnancies (6.2% delivered preterm), we observed an adjusted preterm birth RR of 1.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1, 1.3) for a one-standard deviation glucose increase of 1.4 mmol/l from the mean of 6.7 mmol/l. There was evidence for effect measure modification by obesity, for example, adjusted RR for nonobese (BMI, <30): 1.2 (95% CI = 1.1, 1.3) versus obese (BMI, ≥30): 1.3 (95% CI = 1.2–1.5), P = 0.05 for heterogeneity.

Conclusion:

Among mothers screened for gestational diabetes, increased glucose levels, even those below the diagnostic level for gestational diabetes in Denmark, were associated with increased preterm birth risk. Obesity (BMI, ≥30) may be an effect measure modifier, not just a confounder, of the relation between blood glucose and preterm birth risk.