bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determination of the Postexposure Prophylactic Benefit of Oral Azithromycin and Clarithromycin Against Inhalation Anthrax in Cynomolgus Macaques
Authors: Slay Raymond M , Hewitt Judith A , Crumrine Martin
Published: October 2022

Background

Sufficient and diverse medical countermeasures against severe pathogenic infections, such as inhalation anthrax, are a critical need. Azithromycin and clarithromycin are antimicrobials commonly used for both upper and lower respiratory infections. They inhibit protein synthesis by blocking the formation of the 50S ribosomal subunit. To expand the armamentarium, these 2 antibiotics were evaluated in a postexposure prophylactic model of inhalation anthrax in cynomolgus macaques.

Methods

This prophylaxis study had 4 test arms: azithromycin, clarithromycin, a levofloxacin control, and a placebo. Beginning 24 hours after exposure to a target challenge dose of 200 lethal dose 50 (LD50) of Bacillus anthracis Ames spores, animals were treated orally until 30 days postchallenge and then observed until 75 days postchallenge.

Results

The test group that received clarithromycin had a survival rate of 67%. The test group that received azithromycin had a survival rate of 50%, but the peak azithromycin plasma levels achieved were <30 ng/mL—much lower than the expected 410 ng/mL. The levofloxacin positive control had a survival rate of 50%; all of the negative controls succumbed to infection.

Conclusions

The efficacy of clarithromycin prophylaxis was statistically significant compared with placebo, while azithromycin prophylaxis was indistinguishable from placebo. Given the low plasma concentrations of azithromycin achieved in the study, it is not surprising that half the animals succumbed to anthrax during the dosing period; the animals that survived beyond the time during which placebo control animals succumbed survived to the end of the observation period.
Pre- and Postlicensure Animal Efficacy Studies Comparing Anthrax Antitoxins
Authors: Slay Raymond M , Cook Rachel , Hendricks Katherine , Boucher David , Merchlinsky Michael
Published: October 2022

Background

The deliberate use of Bacillus anthracis spores is believed by the US government to be a high bioweapons threat. The first line of defense following potential exposure to B. anthracis spores would be postexposure prophylaxis with antimicrobials that have activity against B. anthracis. Additional therapies to address the effects of toxins may be needed in systemically ill individuals. Over the last 2 decades, the United States government (USG) collaborated with the private sector to develop, test, and stockpile 3 antitoxins: anthrax immunoglobulin intravenous (AIGIV), raxibacumab, and obiltoxaximab. All 3 products target protective antigen, a protein factor common to the 2 exotoxins released by B. anthracis, and hamper or block the toxins’ effects and prevent or reduce pathogenesis. These antitoxins were approved for licensure by the United States Food and Drug Administration based on animal efficacy studies compared to placebo.

Methods

We describe USG-sponsored pre- and postlicensure studies that compared efficacy of 3 antitoxins in a New Zealand White rabbit model of inhalation anthrax; survival following a lethal aerosolized dose of B. anthracis spores was the key measure of effectiveness. To model therapeutic intervention, intravenous treatments were started following onset of antigenemia.

Results

In pre- and postlicensure studies, all 3 antitoxins were superior to placebo; in the postlicensure study, raxibacumab and obiltoxaximab were superior to AIGIV, but neither was superior to the other.

Conclusions

These data illustrate the relative therapeutic benefit of the 3 antitoxins and provide a rationale to prioritize their deployment.
Short-term behavioural responses of Atlantic bluefin tuna to catch-and-release fishing
Authors: Dolton Haley R , Jackson Andrew L , Drumm Alan , Harding Lucy , Ó Maoiléidigh Niall , Maxwell Hugo , O’Neill Ross , Houghton Jonathan D R , Payne Nicholas L
Published: October 2022

Catch-and-release (C&R) angling is often touted as a sustainable form of ecotourism, yet the fine-scale behaviour and physiological responses of released fish is often unknown, especially for hard-to-study large pelagic species like Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT; Thunnus thunnus). Multi-channel sensors were deployed and recovered from 10 ABFTs in a simulated recreational C&R event off the west coast of Ireland. Data were recorded from 6 to 25 hours, with one ABFT (tuna X) potentially suffering mortality minutes after release. Almost all ABFTs (n = 9, including tuna X) immediately and rapidly (vertical speeds of ~2.0 m s−1) made powered descents and used 50–60% of the available water column within 20 seconds, before commencing near-horizontal swimming ~60 seconds post-release. Dominant tailbeat frequency was ~50% higher in the initial hours post-release and appeared to stabilize at 0.8–1.0 Hz some 5–10 hours post-release. Results also suggest different short-term behavioural responses to noteworthy variations in capture and handling procedures (injury and reduced air exposure events). Our results highlight both the immediate and longer-term effects of C&R on ABFTs and that small variations in C&R protocols can influence physiological and behavioural responses of species like the commercially valuable and historically over-exploited ABFT.
Application of Deep Learning Models to Improve Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Disease Activity Scoring Under Multiple Scoring Systems
Authors: Byrne Michael F , Panaccione Remo , East James E , Iacucci Marietta , Parsa Nasim , Kalapala Rakesh , Reddy Duvvur N , Ramesh Rughwani Hardik , Singh Aniruddha P , Berry Sameer K , Monsurate Ryan , Soudan Florian , Laage Greta , Cremonese Enrico D , St-Denis Ludovic , Lemaître Paul , Nikfal Shima , Asselin Jerome , Henkel Milagros L , Travis Simon P
Published: October 2022

Background and Aims

Lack of clinical validation and inter-observer variability are two limitations of endoscopic assessment and scoring of disease severity in patients with ulcerative colitis [UC]. We developed a deep learning [DL] model to improve, accelerate and automate UC detection, and predict the Mayo Endoscopic Subscore [MES] and the Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity [UCEIS].

Methods

A total of 134 prospective videos [1550 030 frames] were collected and those with poor quality were excluded. The frames were labelled by experts based on MES and UCEIS scores. The scored frames were used to create a preprocessing pipeline and train multiple convolutional neural networks [CNNs] with proprietary algorithms in order to filter, detect and assess all frames. These frames served as the input for the DL model, with the output being continuous scores for MES and UCEIS [and its components]. A graphical user interface was developed to support both labelling video sections and displaying the predicted disease severity assessment by the artificial intelligence from endoscopic recordings.

Results

Mean absolute error [MAE] and mean bias were used to evaluate the distance of the continuous model’s predictions from ground truth, and its possible tendency to over/under-predict were excellent for MES and UCEIS. The quadratic weighted kappa used to compare the inter-rater agreement between experts’ labels and the model’s predictions showed strong agreement [0.87, 0.88 at frame-level, 0.88, 0.90 at section-level and 0.90, 0.78 at video-level, for MES and UCEIS, respectively].

Conclusions

We present the first fully automated tool that improves the accuracy of the MES and UCEIS, reduces the time between video collection and review, and improves subsequent quality assurance and scoring.
Ethnic enclaves, early school leaving, and adolescent crime among immigrant youth
Authors: Hermansen Are Skeie
Published: October 2022

Spatial concentration of immigrant minorities raises concerns about the intergenerational consequences of place-based ethnic inequalities. This study asks how socioeconomic properties of the ethnic neighbourhood environment during adolescence predict future criminal behaviour and early school leaving among immigrant youth using administrative data from Norway. The results show that immigrant youth’s adolescent exposure to better-educated immigrant neighbours from the same origin country is related to lower risks of criminal engagement and higher likelihoods of completing upper-secondary education, while growing up in areas with less-educated coethnics is associated with adverse outcomes. Although effect sizes are modest, these relationships are robust to adjustment for a broad set of background characteristics and fixed effects at the level of neighbourhoods and national-origin groups. Coethnic neighbours’ educational resources are more strongly associated with adolescent crime and early school leaving among immigrant youth from disadvantaged family backgrounds. Overall, these findings support the predictions of influential theories of assimilation which emphasize that access to social capital and socioeconomic resources found within local ethnic enclaves shape the future life chances of immigrant youth.
Gut microbial ecology of Philippine gekkonids: ecoevolutionary effects on microbiome compositions
Authors: Eliades Samuel J , Colston Timothy J , Siler Cameron D
Published: October 2022

Given the rapidly changing landscapes of habitats across the globe, a sound understanding of host-associated microbial communities and the ecoevolutionary forces that shape them is needed to assess general organismal adaptability. Knowledge of the symbiotic endogenous microbiomes of most reptilian species worldwide remains limited. We sampled gut microbiomes of geckos spanning nine species and four genera in the Philippines to (i) provide baseline data on gut microbiota in these host species, (ii) test for significant associations between host phylogenetic relationships and observed microbial assemblages, potentially indicative of phylosymbiosis, and (iii) identify correlations between multiple ecoevolutionary factors (e.g. species identity, habitat tendencies, range extents, and maximum body sizes) and gut microbiomes in Philippine gekkonids. We recovered no significant association between interspecific host genetic distances and observed gut microbiomes, providing limited evidence for phylosymbiosis in this group. Philippine gekkonid microbiomes were associated most heavily with host species identity, though marked variation among conspecifics at distinct sampling sites indicates that host locality influences gut microbiomes as well. Interestingly, individuals grouped as widespread and microendemic regardless of host species identity displayed significant differences in alpha and beta diversity metrics examined, likely driven by differences in rare OTU presence between groups. These results provide much needed insight in host-associated microbiomes in wild reptiles and the ecoevolutionary forces that structure such communities.
Accurate modeling of replication rates in genome-wide association studies by accounting for Winner’s Curse and study-specific heterogeneity
Authors: Zou Jennifer , Zhou Jinjing , Faller Sarah , Brown Robert P , Sankararaman Sriram S , Eskin Eleazar
Published: October 2022

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of genetic variants associated with complex human traits, but only a fraction of variants identified in discovery studies achieve significance in replication studies. Replication in genome-wide association studies has been well-studied in the context of Winner’s Curse, which is the inflation of effect size estimates for significant variants due to statistical chance. However, Winner’s Curse is often not sufficient to explain lack of replication. Another reason why studies fail to replicate is that there are fundamental differences between the discovery and replication studies. A confounding factor can create the appearance of a significant finding while actually being an artifact that will not replicate in future studies. We propose a statistical framework that utilizes genome-wide association studies and replication studies to jointly model Winner’s Curse and study-specific heterogeneity due to confounding factors. We apply this framework to 100 genome-wide association studies from the Human Genome-Wide Association Studies Catalog and observe that there is a large range in the level of estimated confounding. We demonstrate how this framework can be used to distinguish when studies fail to replicate due to statistical noise and when they fail due to confounding.
Spindly is a nucleocytosolic O-fucosyltransferase in Dictyostelium and related proteins are widespread in protists and bacteria
Authors: van der Wel Hanke , Garcia Ana Maria , Gas-Pascual Elisabet , Willis Macy M , Kim Hyun W , Bandini Giulia , Gaye Maissa Mareme , Costello Catherine E , Samuelson John , West Christopher M
Published: October 2022

O-GlcNAcylation is a prominent modification of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins in animals and plants and is mediated by a single O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT). Spindly (Spy), a paralog of OGT first discovered in higher plants, has an ortholog in the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, and both enzymes are now recognized as O-fucosyltransferases (OFTs). Here we investigate the evolution of spy-like genes and experimentally confirm OFT activity in the social amoeba Dictyostelium—a protist that is more related to fungi and metazoa. Immunofluorescence probing with the fucose-specific Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL) and biochemical cell fractionation combined with western blotting suggested the occurrence of nucleocytoplasmic fucosylation. The absence of reactivity in mutants deleted in spy or gmd (unable to synthesize GDP-Fuc) suggested monofucosylation mediated by Spy. Genetic ablation of the modE locus, previously predicted to encode a GDP-fucose transporter, confirmed its necessity for fucosylation in the secretory pathway but not for the nucleocytoplasmic proteins. Affinity capture of these proteins combined with mass spectrometry confirmed monofucosylation of Ser and Thr residues of several known nucleocytoplasmic proteins. As in Toxoplasma, the Spy OFT was required for optimal proliferation of Dictyostelium under laboratory conditions. These findings support a new phylogenetic analysis of OGT and OFT evolution that indicates their occurrence in the last eukaryotic common ancestor but mostly complementary presence in its eukaryotic descendants with the notable exception that both occur in red algae and plants. Their generally exclusive expression, high degree of conservation, and shared monoglycosylation targets suggest overlapping roles in physiological regulation.
1. Exam Skills for Success in Contract Law
Authors: Devenney James
Published: October 2022

The Concentrate Questions and Answers series offers the best preparation for tackling exam questions. Each book includes typical questions, answer plans and suggested answers, author commentary, and other features. Concentrate Q&A Contract Law provides guidance on answering questions on the law of contract. This chapter focuses on the exam skills you will need to develop in order to be successful in Contract Law. It outlines how the book may be used to aid you in writing answers to contract essay and problem questions. It also provides general guidance for questions which are broken into parts and how marks are allocated, the focus of exam questions, and expectations in relation to written work.
12. Additional Remedies
Authors: Devenney James
Published: October 2022

The Concentrate Questions and Answers series offers the best preparation for tackling exam questions. Each book includes typical questions, answer plans and suggested answers, author commentary, and other features. The standard common law remedy of damages will not always prove adequate for the victim of a breach of contract. Equity therefore developed a number of additional remedies, discretionary in nature, aimed at ensuring that a claimant was not unreasonably confined to an award of damages; in particular, specific performance and injunctions. The possibility of awarding restitutionary damages, in part to offset any unjust enrichment secured by a contract-breaker, is also considered.
13. Privity of Contract
Authors: Devenney James
Published: October 2022

The Concentrate Questions and Answers series offers the best preparation for tackling exam questions. Each book includes typical questions, answer plans and suggested answers, author commentary, and other features. This chapter explores the privity of contract. Traditionally the doctrine of privity of contract regards contract as based upon agreement and consequently only the parties to that agreement can enforce it. This chapter discusses common law limitations to the doctrine of privity; common law attempts to evade privity; and statutory developments. It covers the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999, including the freedom given to the contracting parties to exclude the provisions of the Act, or to set out procedures for post-contractual variation of arrangements that avoid the need to obtain the third party’s consent.
15. Skills for Success in Coursework Assessments
Authors: Devenney James
Published: October 2022

The Concentrate Questions and Answers series offers the best preparation for tackling exam questions. Each book includes typical questions, answer plans and suggested answers, author commentary, and other features. Q&A Law of Contract provides guidance on answering questions on the law of contract. This chapter provides advice on preparing and writing an answer to a coursework question. It looks at: researching, planning, and preparing to write; critical analysis and evaluation; structure; writing your answer; relevance and sticking to the word limit; and referencing and citation of legal authorities. It also provides example coursework for you to look at.
Tort Law
Authors: Steele Jenny
Published: October 2022

All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. Tort Law: Text, Cases, and Materials combines incisive commentary with carefully selected extracts from primary and secondary materials to provide a balance of support and encouragement. This volume starts by introducing the fundamental principles of the subject before moving on to discuss more challenging issues, hoping to encourage a full understanding of the subject and an appreciation of the more complex debates surrounding the law of tort. The text starts by providing an overview. Various torts are then arranged along a spectrum from intentional torts, through negligence, to stricter liabilities. Also considered are issues relating to damages, compensation, limitation, and vicarious liability. After introducing intentional torts, the book looks at the tort of negligence. Chapters also cover nuisance and duties relating to land and defamation and privacy. Finally, stricter liabilities are examined such as product liability.
1. Introduction: The Shape of Tort Law Today
Authors: Steele Jenny
Published: October 2022

All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter introduces the reader to tort law, with emphasis on its principles of liability and the approach taken to the interaction between parties. It first maps the various types of torts, including torts of strict liability and torts requiring intention, and the nature of the ‘wrongs’ with which they are concerned, in terms of protected interests, relevant ‘conduct’, and whether the tort requires ‘actual’ or ‘material’ damage. The chapter concludes by discussing two current challenges to the law of tort: ‘compensation culture’ and the costs of tort, and the influence of the Human Rights Act 1998.
2. Torts of Intention
Authors: Steele Jenny
Published: October 2022

All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter deals with ‘intentional torts’ and their considerable variation that affects both the required target of intention (what must be intended?) and the required level of intention (what does it mean to intend something?). It first considers the meaning of intention before breaking down the ‘intentional torts’ into a number of groups, the first of which is trespass to the person and its three elements: battery, assault, and false imprisonment. The action in Wilkinson v Downton is discussed, as interpreted by the Supreme Court in OPO v Rhodes (2015), along with intentional economic torts. The chapter concludes by focusing on torts relating to intentional abuse of process (malicious prosecution) and of power (misfeasance in a public office).
4. The Duty of Care: Introduction and Development
Authors: Steele Jenny
Published: October 2022

All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This Chapter introduces the notion of the ‘duty of care’ in negligence, and tracks its emergence and development through a series of important cases, including analysis of the Supreme Court’s most recent analysis of the duty of care. It explores the issues relating to liability, principle and policy, incremental development and the Caparo test, and incrementalism and established principle. The chapter concludes with consideration of the special case of omissions and positive duties to act.
6. Causation, Remoteness, and Scope of Duty: Connection to the Damage
Authors: Steele Jenny
Published: October 2022

All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter examines the essential connection between the defendant’s breach and the damage suffered by the claimant. It explores the elements of factual and legal causation in relation to the tort of negligence. Drawing on recent decisions including Manchester Building Society v Grant Thornton and Khan v Meadows, it identifies the existence of other aspects of attribution including the necessity for the damage to fall within the scope of the defendant’s duty. The chapter continues by examining some of the most challenging problems of causation, all of which concern multiple potential causes. It considers issues relating to ‘material contribution to damage’, and whether a given breach has materially contributed to the risk of injury. It then discusses the idea of loss of chance as well as the controversy surrounding uncertainty, single agents, and apportionment and non-tortious sources with respect to causation. A number of relevant cases are considered, including Fairchild v Glenhaven Funeral Services Ltd [2002], Barker v Corus [2006], Durham v BAI (the ‘Trigger’ Litigation) [2012], IEG v Zurich (2015), and Gregg v Scott [2005].
8. Limitation and Contribution
Authors: Steele Jenny
Published: October 2022

All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter examines the principles of contribution and their effect on the remedies that can be obtained by a successful claimant, as well as the statutory rules of ‘limitation’ that govern the time-barring of claims. The liability of more than one party for ‘the same damage’ is discussed, together with the apportionment of responsibility for the damage. Relevant provisions found in the Civil Liability (Contribution) Act 1978 and the Limitation Act 1980 are also considered.
10. Vicarious Liability and Non-Delegable Duties
Authors: Steele Jenny
Published: October 2022

All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter explores vicarious liability, a form of secondary liability which operates most often in the employment context, and non-delegable duties. It begins by outlining the nature and structure of vicarious liability before turning to two requirements of sufficient relationship and sufficient connection with the tort. It then explains possible justifications for vicarious liability, the relationship criterion, and the notion of ‘close connection’ as it has been developed through key recent cases.
11. Nuisance
Authors: Steele Jenny
Published: October 2022

All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter is concerned with two forms of action in nuisance: public nuisance and private nuisance. It begins by considering the basis of liability in private nuisance and the difficulties presented by cases of overlap between negligence and nuisance. It also discusses the relationship between private and public interests and the relevance of the Human Rights Act 1998. The chapter concludes by assessing the role of community or public interest in nuisance actions, particularly in relation to remedies, and recent attempts to use public nuisance in particular to restrain collective activities on the basis of public order. Relevant court cases are cited where appropriate.
14. Defamation
Authors: Steele Jenny
Published: October 2022

All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter deals with the actions in defamation that protect reputation, paying particular attention to the relationship between the protected interest in reputation and the competing interest in freedom of expression. It first considers relevant provisions in the Defamation Act 2013, including the ‘serious harm’ criterion, before turning to the terms of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights with regard to freedom of expression, with emphasis on the so-called chilling effect. It also discusses libel and slander as well as malicious falsehood, elements of a claim in defamation, defences available to the accused, and the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales to hear defamation claims. The chapter concludes by looking at parties who cannot sue in defamation.
FGF20andPGM2variants are associated with childhood asthma in family-based whole-genome sequencing studies
Authors: Hecker Julian , Chun Sung , Samiei Ahmad , Liu Cuining , Laurie Cecelia , Kachroo Priyadarshini , Lutz Sharon M , Lee Sanghun , Smith Albert V , Lasky-Su Jessica , Cho Michael H , Sharma Sunita , Soto Quirós Manuel Enrique , Avila Lydiana , Celedón Juan C , Raby Benjamin , Zhou Xiaobo , Silverman Edwin K , DeMeo Dawn L ,   NHLBI Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Consortium, Lange Christoph , Weiss Scott T
Published: October 2022

Background

Asthma is a heterogeneous common respiratory disease that remains poorly understood. The established genetic associations fail to explain the high estimated heritability, and the prevalence of asthma differs between populations and geographic regions. Robust association analyses incorporating different genetic ancestries and whole-genome sequencing data may identify novel genetic associations.

Methods

We performed family-based genome-wide association analyses of childhood-onset asthma based on whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data for the ‘The Genetic Epidemiology of Asthma in Costa Rica’ study (GACRS) and the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP). Based on parent–child trios with children diagnosed with asthma, we performed a single variant analysis using an additive and a recessive genetic model and a region-based association analysis of low-frequency and rare variants.

Results

Based on 1180 asthmatic trios (894 GACRS trios and 286 CAMP trios, a total of 3540 samples with WGS data), we identified three novel genetic loci associated with childhood-onset asthma: rs4832738 on 4p14 ($P=1.72\ast{10}^{-9}$, recessive model), rs1581479 on 8p22 ($P=1.47\ast{10}^{-8}$, additive model) and rs73367537 on 10q26 ($P=1.21\ast{10}^{-8}$, additive model in GACRS only). Integrative analyses suggested potential novel candidate genes underlying these associations: PGM2 on 4p14 and FGF20 on 8p22.

Conclusion

Our family-based whole-genome sequencing analysis identified three novel genetic loci for childhood-onset asthma. Gene expression data and integrative analyses point to PGM2 on 4p14 and FGF20 on 8p22 as linked genes. Furthermore, region-based analyses suggest independent potential low-frequency/rare variant associations on 8p22. Follow-up analyses are needed to understand the functional mechanisms and generalizability of these associations.
Exposure of commercially exploited shellfish to changing pH levels: how to scale-up experimental evidence to regional impacts
Authors: Townhill B L , Artioli Y , Pinnegar J K , Birchenough S N R
Published: October 2022

Ocean acidification has become one of the most intensively studied climate change topics and it is expected to have both direct and indirect impacts on species, ecosystems, and economies. Experiments have been performed on different taxa, life stages, and at different pH levels. Despite this wealth of information, several key challenges remain, including (1) uncertainty about how to incorporate current pH ranges and variability experienced by organisms into experiments, and (2) how to bring this information together to support analysis and assessments at the broader ecosystem level. Sophisticated modelling tools are needed to ‘scale-up’ from experimental results to regional-scale insights. This paper highlights the challenges of combining information to determine how commercially exploited species may be affected under future pH levels, and how modelling and experimental results might be better aligned, using northwest Europe and the waters around the British Isles as an example. We argue that in most cases the current evidence does not offer sufficient information into impacts at projected pH levels, and that future experiments should be designed to consider the pH levels actually experienced by organisms, as well as variability in pH. These types of study are key in safeguarding commercially exploited shellfish stocks.
Chaos synchronization in the presence of external disturbances with a novel layered control strategy
Authors: Shafei H R , Shafei A M , Momeni A
Published: October 2022

In this study, a novel layered control system is designed to manage chaotic systems in the presence of external uncertainties and external disturbances. An optimal-robust control system with updated gains through an adaptive rule has been designed to deal with uncertainties in chaotic systems. An optimal control law based on the control Lyapunov function is integrated with an adaptive non-singular terminal sliding mode control law to robustly manage uncertain chaotic systems. The Lyapunov theory is also utilized to illustrate the asymptotic stability of the mentioned layered control strategy. In order to show the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme over the adaptive sliding mode control method, the chaos synchronization problem of two different chaotic systems has been conducted with this approach. The simulation results show that the presented scheme can manage chaotic systems against uncertainties and external disturbances robustly with less control effort as compared with the other method.
A Result on Parabolic Gradient Regularity in Orlicz Spaces and Application to Absorption-Induced Blow-Up Prevention in a Keller–Segel-Type Cross-Diffusion System
Authors: Winkler Michael
Published: October 2022

The Neumann problem for (0.1)$$ \begin{align}& V_t = \Delta V-aV+f(x,t) \end{align}$$is considered in bounded domains $\Omega \subset {\mathbb {R}}^n$ with smooth boundary, where $n\ge 1$ and $a\in {\mathbb {R}}$. By means of a variational approach, a statement on boundedness of the quantities $$ \begin{eqnarray*} \sup_{t\in (0,T)} \int_\Omega \big|\nabla V(\cdot,t)\big|^p L^{\frac{n+p}{n+2}} \Big( \big|\nabla V(\cdot,t)\big| \Big) \end{eqnarray*}$$in dependence on the expressions (0.2)$$ \begin{align}& \sup_{t\in (0,T-\tau)} \int_t^{t+\tau} \int_\Omega |f|^{\frac{(n+2)p}{n+p}} L\big( |f|\big) \end{align}$$is derived for $p\ge 2$, $\tau>0$, and $T\ge 2\tau $, provided that $L\in C^0([0,\infty ))$ is positive, strictly increasing, unbounded, and slowly growing in the sense that $\limsup _{s\to \infty } \frac {L(s^{\lambda _0})}{L(s)} <\infty $ for some $\lambda _0>1$. In the particular case when $p=n\ge 2$, an additional condition on growth of $L$, particularly satisfied by $L(\xi ):=\ln ^\alpha (\xi +b)$ whenever $b>0$ and $\alpha>\frac {(n+2)(n-1)}{2n}$, is identified as sufficient to ensure that as a consequence of the above, bounds for theintegrals in (0.2) even imply estimates for the spatio-temporal modulus of continuity of solutions to (0.1). A subsequent application to the Keller–Segel system $$ \begin{eqnarray*} \left\{ \begin{array}{l} u_t = \nabla \cdot \big( D(v)\nabla u\big) - \nabla \cdot \big( uS(v)\nabla v\big) + ru - \mu u^2, \\[1mm] v_t = \Delta v-v+u, \end{array} \right. \end{eqnarray*}$$shows that when $n=2$, $r\in {\mathbb {R}}$, $0<D\in C^2([0,\infty ))$, and $S\in C^2([0,\infty )) \cap W^{1,\infty }((0,\infty ))$ and thus especially in the presence of arbitrarily strong diffusion degeneracies implied by rapid decay of $D$, any choice of $\mu>0$ excludes blowup in the sense that for all suitably regular nonnegative initial data, an associated initial-boundary value problem admits a global bounded classical solution.
It Just Feels Right. Visuality and Emotion Norms in Right-Wing Populist Storytelling
Authors: Katja Freistein , Frank Gadinger , Christine Unrau
Published: October 2022

This paper contributes to debates on the growing appeal of right-wing populism by combining a focus on visuality, narratives, and emotions. We argue that right-wing populists’ claims extend to establishing alternative emotion norms that collectivize feelings and their expression, and are conveyed in visual narratives. The emotional range covered by these norms transcends emotions usually associated with right-wing populism such as fear or humiliation. By employing seemingly inoffensive modes of presentation, emotional responses including indignation, compassion, and schadenfreude can be used as narrative bait for hitherto uninterested audiences. Following from that, emotion norms, such as exclusive forms of sympathy and humor, can be established. We illustrate our argument in three short case studies from Austria, France, and Italy. The conceptual and methodological insights are particularly relevant for those interested in the power of emotions, different modes of visual storytelling in world politics, and the performative effects of right-wing populist practices and narratives in politics.
Overly broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment of wild-type Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in relation to the EUCAST new definition of susceptibility testing categories, a retrospective multicentre cohort study
Authors: Ourghanlian Clément , Fihman Vincent , Morel Antoine , Lafont Charlotte , Galy Adrien , Calimouttoupoulle Eimma , Woerther Paul-Louis , Lepeule Raphaël
Published: October 2022

Objectives

EUCAST changed the definition of the ‘intermediate’ (I) category in 2019, now defined as ‘susceptible, increased exposure’. This new definition could lead to an increased prescription of antibiotics still reported as ‘S’, compared with those now reported as ‘I’. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of this definition on the use of overly broad-spectrum antibiotics for the treatment of infections caused by WT Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Methods

A retrospective observational multicentre study was conducted, involving five hospitals. Two 15 month study periods were defined, before and after the implementation of the new definition. All patients with an infection caused by WT P. aeruginosa treated by β-lactams were included. The main endpoint was the proportion of patients treated by an overly broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment by meropenem or ceftolozane/tazobactam.

Results

Two hundred and ninety-one patients were included. No difference between groups was found, in terms of infection, microbiology or demographic characteristics. Two overly broad-spectrum antibiotic treatments by meropenem or ceftolozane/tazobactam were observed in Period 1 (1.2%), versus 13 in Period 2 (10.8%; P < 0.001). No overly broad-spectrum treatment was observed when the antimicrobial stewardship team had given advice.

Conclusions

This new definition can cause a negative impact on the use of overly broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment due to misunderstanding by clinicians. Its successful implementation requires adaptation of software for reporting antibiotic susceptibility, a sustained strong information campaign by microbiologists and support by an antimicrobial stewardship team.
Clinical and temporal characterization of COVID-19 subgroups using patient vector embeddings of electronic health records
Authors: Ta Casey N , Zucker Jason E , Chiu Po-Hsiang , Fang Yilu , Natarajan Karthik , Weng Chunhua
Published: October 2022

Objective

To identify and characterize clinical subgroups of hospitalized Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.

Materials and Methods

Electronic health records of hospitalized COVID-19 patients at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center were temporally sequenced and transformed into patient vector representations using Paragraph Vector models. K-means clustering was performed to identify subgroups.

Results

A diverse cohort of 11 313 patients with COVID-19 and hospitalizations between March 2, 2020 and December 1, 2021 were identified; median [IQR] age: 61.2 [40.3–74.3]; 51.5% female. Twenty subgroups of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, labeled by increasing severity, were characterized by their demographics, conditions, outcomes, and severity (mild-moderate/severe/critical). Subgroup temporal patterns were characterized by the durations in each subgroup, transitions between subgroups, and the complete paths throughout the course of hospitalization.

Discussion

Several subgroups had mild-moderate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections but were hospitalized for underlying conditions (pregnancy, cardiovascular disease [CVD], etc.). Subgroup 7 included solid organ transplant recipients who mostly developed mild-moderate or severe disease. Subgroup 9 had a history of type-2 diabetes, kidney and CVD, and suffered the highest rates of heart failure (45.2%) and end-stage renal disease (80.6%). Subgroup 13 was the oldest (median: 82.7 years) and had mixed severity but high mortality (33.3%). Subgroup 17 had critical disease and the highest mortality (64.6%), with age (median: 68.1 years) being the only notable risk factor. Subgroups 18–20 had critical disease with high complication rates and long hospitalizations (median: 40+ days). All subgroups are detailed in the full text. A chord diagram depicts the most common transitions, and paths with the highest prevalence, longest hospitalizations, lowest and highest mortalities are presented. Understanding these subgroups and their pathways may aid clinicians in their decisions for better management and earlier intervention for patients.
Genetic and phenotypic correlations between Aleutian disease tests with body weight, growth, and feed efficiency traits in mink
Authors: Hu Guoyu , Do Duy Ngoc , Davoudi Pourya , Manafiazar Ghader , Kelvin Alyson A , Plastow Graham , Wang Zhiquan , Sargolzaei Mehdi , Miar Younes
Published: October 2022

The ineffectiveness of vaccination, medicine, and culling strategy leads mink farmers to control Aleutian disease (AD) by selecting AD-resilient mink based on AD tests. However, the genetic background of AD tests and their correlations with economically important or AD-resilient traits are limited. This study estimated the genetic and phenotypic correlations between four AD tests and seven body weight (BW) traits, six growth parameters from the Richards growth model, and eight feed-related traits. Univariate models were used to test the significance (P < 0.05) of fixed effects (sex, color type, AD test year, birth year, and row-by-year), random effects (additive genetic, maternal genetic, and permanent environmental), and a covariate of age using ASReml 4.1. Likewise, pairwise bivariate analyses were conducted to estimate the phenotypic and genetic correlations among the studied traits. Both antigen- and virus capsid protein-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests (ELISA-G and ELISA-P) showed significant (P < 0.05) moderate positive genetic correlations (±SE) with maturation rate (from 0.36 ± 0.18 to 0.38 ± 0.19). ELISA-G showed a significant negative genetic correlation (±SE) with average daily gain (ADG, −0.37 ± 0.16). ELISA-P showed a significant positive moderate genetic correlation (±SE) with off-feed days (DOF, 0.42 ± 0.17). These findings indicated that selection for low ELISA scores would reduce the maturation rate, increase ADG (by ELISA-G), and minimize DOF (by ELISA-P). The iodine agglutination test (IAT) showed significant genetic correlations with DOF (0.73 ± 0.16), BW at 16 weeks of age (BW16, 0.45 ± 0.23), and BW at harvest (HW, −0.47 ± 0.20), indicating that selection for lower IAT scores would lead to lower DOF and BW16, and higher HW. These estimated genetic correlations suggested that the selection of AD tests would not cause adverse effects on the growth, feed efficiency, and feed intake of mink. The estimates from this study might strengthen the previous finding that ELISA-G could be applied as a reliable and practical indicator trait in the genetic selection of AD-resilient mink in AD-positive farms.
Using the multi-component induction logging data to evaluate the geometric parameters of the hydraulic fracture
Authors: Kang Zhengming , Zhang Yi , Hou Binbin , Chen Gang , Hao Xiaolong , Qin Haojie , Qin Wenjuan
Published: October 2022

Hydraulic fracturing technology can effectively improve the seepage capacity of low-porosity and -permeability reservoirs. Geometric parameters evaluation (height, aperture and length) of hydraulic fracture is essential at different stages of fracturing. This paper presents a new method to evaluate the three parameters of small-scale fractures by multi-component induction logging based on numerical simulations. First, the model of calculation of the induced electric field with vertical hydraulic fractures is established using a three-dimensional finite element method (3D FEM), and the algorithm is verified correctly by comparing it with the analytical solution. Five coil systems of xx, xz, yy, yz and zz that are sensitive to the geometric parameters of the fracture are determined. The relationships between the geometric parameters of the fracture and the measurement signals of five coils are then investigated. The results show that the length and aperture of the fracture have a power exponent relationship with the measurement voltage, while the height parameter is closely related to the logging curves. Based on the relationships, the calculation models of the geometric parameters are established and the applicable range of it is analyzed. It is demonstrated that the complete characterization of fracture geometric can be realized by combining multi-spacing and multi-coil systems. Finally, the influence of the borehole and surrounding formation on the measurements is also considered, and the results indicate that the resistivity of the formation has less influence on the signals than the resistivity of the mud. Compared to the current instrument, the new method can evaluate all three geometric parameters of the hydraulic fracture.
Borehole radiation and reception responses for azimuthal shear-wave reflection imaging with an off-centred dipole acoustic tool
Authors: Li Yanghu , Tang Xiaoming , Su Yuanda
Published: October 2022

Radiation and reception responses of a dipole acoustic logging tool placed eccentrically in borehole fluid are an interesting and important topic in acoustic reflection imaging. Herein, we present a thorough research study on these responses. We treat the wave incidence from the reflector as the radiation from a virtual source and use the cylindrical-wave expansion method to solve both the wave radiation and reception problems for the off-centred tool, which, by using the steepest-descent method, yields asymptotic solutions for modelling the radiation and reception wavefield characteristics. The modelling results from the analytical solution and the 3D finite-difference method were in good agreement. Specifically, we analysed the radiation directivity of an eccentric dipole source in a fluid-filled borehole. The results revealed that the radiation pattern was asymmetric with respect to the borehole, and the asymmetry was determined by the eccentric distance, source frequency and formation properties. In particular, for the typical 3 kHz dipole logging frequency, the radiation was stronger in the off-centred direction than in the opposite direction. The asymmetry of the eccentric radiation resulted in a significant amplitude difference relative to its centred counterpart, which provided a potential method for addressing the 180° azimuth ambiguity of the dipole source. We used a theoretical waveform modelling example to demonstrate this advantage. Therefore, the results of this study provide a theoretical foundation for the development and application of dipole shear-wave imaging technology.
Body Mass Index Trajectories Across the Adult Life Course and Pancreatic Cancer Risk
Authors: Arjani Simran , Saint-Maurice Pedro F , Julián-Serrano Sachelly , Eibl Guido , Stolzenberg-Solomon Rachael
Published: October 2022

Background

Body mass index (BMI) during adulthood has been associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), however, patterns of body size across the adult life course have not been studied extensively. We comprehensively evaluated the association between adiposity across adulthood and PDAC.

Methods

We conducted a prospective analysis of 269 480 (162 735 males, 106 745 females) National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study participants, aged 50-71 years (1995-1996) who self-reported height and weight history. Participants were followed through December 31, 2011. We examined associations between BMI (kg/m2) at ages 18, 35, 50, and 50-71 (baseline) years, their trajectories determined from latent-class trajectory modeling, and incident PDAC. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate multivariable adjusted hazards ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

During up to 15.2 years of follow-up, 3092 (2020 males, 1072 females) patients with incident PDAC were identified. BMI at all 4 ages were statistically significantly associated with increased PDAC (per 5-unit increase, HR = 1.09-1.13) with higher magnitude associations in males than females at ages 35 years and older (Pinteraction < .05). Four BMI trajectories were created. Compared with normal-weight maintainers, normal-to-overweight, normal-to-obese class I, and overweight-to-obese class III trajectories had hazard ratios of 1.15 (95% CI = 1.06 to 1.25), 1.39 (95% CI = 1.25 to 1.54), and 1.48 (95% CI = 1.18 to 1.87), respectively (Pinteraction by sex = .07).

Conclusions

High BMI and BMI trajectories that result in overweight or obesity during adulthood were positively associated with PDAC, with stronger associations among those with early onset adiposity and those with male sex. Avoidance of excess body weight throughout the adult life course may prevent PDAC.