bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Progressive Power of Realism
Authors: Walt Stephen M.
Published: May 2006

John Vasquez's assessment of realism suffers from three serious flaws. First, his reliance on Imre Lakatos's (1970) model of scientific progress is problematic, because the Lakatosian model has been largely rejected by contemporary historians and philosophers of science. Second, Vasquez understates the range and diversity of the realist research program and mistakenly sees disagreements among realists as evidence of theoretical degeneration. Finally, he overlooks the progressive character of contemporary realist theory, largely because he does not consider all the relevant literature. Disagreements within and across competing research programs are essential to progress and should be welcomed, but Vasquez's effort suggests that criticism will be most helpful when it seeks to do more than merely delegitimate a particular research tradition.
Separation-of-Powers Games in the Positive Theory of Congress and Courts
Authors: Segal Jeffrey A.
Published: May 2006

The hallmark of the new positive theories of the judiciary is that Supreme Court justices will frequently defer to the preferences of Congress when making decisions, particularly in statutory cases in which it is purportedly easy for Congress to reverse the Court. Alternatively, judicial attitudinalists argue that the institutional structures facing the Court allow the justices to vote their sincere policy preferences. This paper compares these sincere and sophisticated models of voting behavior by Supreme Court justices. Using a variety of tests on the votes of Supreme Court justices in statutory cases decided between 1947 and 1992, I find some evidence of sophisticated behavior, but most tests suggest otherwise. Moreover, direct comparisons between the two models unambiguously favor the attitudinal model. I conclude that the justices overwhelmingly engage in rationally sincere behavior.
Institutional Arrangements and the Creation of Social Capital: The Effects of Public School Choice
Authors: Schneider Mark , Teske Paul , Marschall Melissa , Mintrom Michael , Roch Christine
Published: May 2006

While the possible decline in the level of social capital in the United States has received considerable attention by scholars such as Putnam and Fukuyama, less attention has been paid to the local activities of citizens that help define a nation's stock of social capital. Scholars have paid even less attention to how institutional arrangements affect levels of social capital. We argue that giving parents greater choice over the public schools their children attend creates incentives for parents as “citizen/consumers” to engage in activities that build social capital. Our empirical analysis employs a quasi-experimental approach comparing parental behavior in two pairs of demographically similar school districts that vary on the degree of parental choice over the schools their children attend. Our data show that, controlling for many other factors, parents who choose when given the opportunity are higher on all the indicators of social capital analyzed. Fukuyama has argued that it is easier for governments to decrease social capital than to increase it. We argue, however, that the design of government institutions can create incentives for individuals to engage in activities that increase social capital.
Aristotle and the Recovery of Political Judgment
Authors: Ruderman Richard S.
Published: May 2006

Renewed interest in the concept of political judgment—a mode of reasoning that steers a middle way between abstract, technical reasoning and willful self-assertion—frequently takes the form of a return, qualified in various ways, to Aristotle's concept ofphronesisor prudence. I examine this renaissance of interest in Aristotelian prudence through a study of the works of several leading democratic theorists and Aristotle scholars and conclude that they stop short of some of the very elements of Aristotle's thought that can assist us in promoting prudence. In particular, I try to show that these contemporary advocates of political judgment undermine the case for politicalscience(Aristotle's primary concern) and thereby risk losing the independent judgment that Aristotelian political science supports. They fail to give sufficient weight to Aristotle's claim thatphronesis, while distinguishable from scientific reason or philosophy, functions best even as a practical science when it accepts certain of philosophy's guiding insights.
Vicious circle principle and the paradoxes
Authors: Jaakko K. , Hintikka J.
Published: May 2006

This note is a sequel to the previous paper of mine which was entitled Identity, variables, and impredicative definitions and published in this Journal, vol. 21 (1956), pp. 225–245. That early paper served to call attention to the dependency of the set-theoretic paradoxes on the interpretation of the variables that may occur in the critical abstraction principle:

where K is a well-formed formula containing free occurrences of y but not those of x.

A partial reinterpretation of the variables occurring in the above formalization of the abstraction principle yields Frege's unsuccessful way out of Russell's antinomy:

with the same kind of K as above. Another gives us the alternative schema

where K+ is obtained from a K of the kind described above by replacing every well-formed part of the form (∃z)L by (∃z)(z≠x & L) and every well-formed part of the form (z)L by (z)(z≠x ⊃ L). Still a third choice of an interpretation yields the schema

where K+ is subject to the same conditions as in (1) and z1, z2, …, zk are all the free variables of (2). These three interpretations are only some of the most conspicuous ones among a multitude of possible ways of interpreting the variables that may occur in the abstraction principle.
Some results in church's restricted recursive arithmetic
Authors: Friedman Joyce
Published: May 2006

Alonzo Church has proposed a system of “restricted recursive arithmetic” for the analysis of computer circuits which include time delays and feedback. Restricted recursive arithmetic, which will be referred to as rra, was introduced by Church in this Journal, vol. 20 (1955), pp. 286–287, in a review of an article by Edmund C. Berkeley. It is the purpose of this paper to present some results which have been found for the system rra.
A definition of existence in terms of abstraction and disjunction
Authors: Fitch Frederic B.
Published: May 2006

Greater economy can be effected in the primitive rules for the system K of basic logic by defining the existence operator ‘E’ in terms of two-place abstraction and the disjunction operator ‘V’. This amounts to defining ‘E’ in terms of ‘ε’, ‘έ’, ‘o, ‘ό’, ‘W’ and ‘V’, since the first five of these six operators are used for defining two-place abstraction.

We assume that the class Y of atomic U-expressions has only a single member ‘σ’. Similar methods can be used if Y had some other finite number of members, or even an infinite number of members provided that they are ordered into a sequence by a recursive relation represented in K. In order to define ‘E’ we begin by defining an operator ‘D’ such that

Here ‘a’ may be thought of as an existence operator that provides existence quantification over some finite class of entities denoted by a class A of U-expressions. In other words, suppose that ‘a’ is such that ‘ab’ is in K if and only if, for some ‘e’ in A, ‘be’ is in K. Then ‘Dab’ is in K if and only if, for some ‘e and ‘f’ in A, ‘be’ or ‘b(ef)’ is in K; and ‘a’, ‘Da’, ‘D(Da)’, and so on, can be regarded as existence operators that provide for existence quantification over successively wider and wider finite classes. In particular, if ‘a’ is ‘εσ’, then A would be the class Y having ‘σ’ as its only member, and we can define the unrestricted existence operator ‘E’ in such a way that ‘Eb’ is in K if and only if some one of ‘εσb’, ‘D(εσ)b’, ‘D(D(εσ))b’, and so on, is in K.
Theories incomparable with respect to relative interpretability
Authors: Montague Richard
Published: May 2006

The present paper concerns the relation of relative interpretability introduced in [8], and arises from a question posed by Tarski: are there two finitely axiomatizable subtheories of the arithmetic of natural numbers neither of which is relatively interpretable in the other? The question was answered affirmatively (without proof) in [3], and the answer was generalized in [4]: for any positive integer n, there exist n finitely axiomatizable subtheories of arithmetic such that no one of them is relatively interpretable in the union of the remainder. A further generalization was announced in [5] and is proved here: there is an infinite set of finitely axiomatizable subtheories of arithmetic such that no one of them is relatively interpretable in the union of the remainder. Several lemmas concerning the existence of self-referential and mutually referential formulas are given in Section 1, and will perhaps be of interest on their own account.
Bases for first-order theories and subtheories
Authors: Craig William
Published: May 2006

The extent to which we can grasp the content of a (non-logical) theory, expressing it economically by means of an axiom system or basis, varies greatly. In this paper we shall investigate what degree of economy, or at least regularity, can be achieved for all recursively axiomatizable first-order theories. A useful approach, also of interest in its own right, turns out to be the study of bases for subtheories, where a subtheory of a given theory consists of those theorems from which certain predicate symbols are absent. These predicate symbols might be thought of as the formal counterparts of the “purely theoretical” terms employed by a science, the theory corresponding to the science itself and the subtheory to its “observational consequences”. Roughly speaking, the types of operations involving such predicate symbols will be reduced to a minimum, so that their syntactical role in deductions will emerge more clearly.
Theory of models with generalized atomic formulas
Authors: Jerome Keisler H.
Published: May 2006

Introduction

We shall prove the following theorem, which gives a necessary and sufficient condition for an elementary class to be characterized by a set of sentences having a prescribed number of alternations of quantifiers. A finite sequence of relational systems is said to be a sandwich of order n if each is an elementary extension of (i ≦ n—2), and each is an extension of (i ≦ n—2). If K is an elementary class, then the statements (i) and (ii) are equivalent for each fixed natural number n.
Incompleteness along paths in progressions of theories
Authors: Feferman S. , Spector C.
Published: May 2006

We deal in the following with certain theories S, by which we mean sets of sentences closed under logical deduction. The basic logic is understood to be the classical one, but we place no restriction on the orders of the variables to be used. However, we do assume that we can at least express certain notions from classical first-order number theory within these theories. In particular, there should correspond to each primitive recursive function ξ a formula φ(χ), where ‘x’ is a variable ranging over natural numbers, such that for each numeral ñ, φ(ñ) expresses in the language of S that ξ(η) = 0. Such formulas, when obtained say by the Gödel method of eliminating primitive recursive definitions in favor of arithmetical definitions in +. ·. are called PR-formulas (cf. [1] §2 (C)).
A counterexample to a conjecture of Scott and Suppes
Authors: Tait W. W.
Published: May 2006

In [1], it is conjectured that if S is a sentence in the first-order functional calculus with identity, and every subsystem of every finite relational system which satisfies S also satisfies S, then S is finitely equivalent to a universal sentence. (Two sentences are finitely equivalent if and only if they are satisfied by the same finite relational systems.) The following sentence S refutes that conjecture, and moreover S is satisfied by all finite subsystems of all (finite or infinite) relational systems which satisfy it.1S contains as predicate letters only the two-place predicate letters ≦, R (and the identity symbol =).
Income Level and Impaired Kidney Function Among Working Adults in Japan
Authors: Ishimura Nana , Inoue Kosuke , Maruyama Shiko , Nakamura Sayaka , Kondo Naoki
Published: March 2024

Importance

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health issue, affecting 850 million people worldwide. Although previous studies have shown the association between socioeconomic status and CKD, little is known about whether this association exists in countries such as Japan where universal health coverage has been mostly achieved.

Objective

To identify any association of income-based disparity with development of impaired kidney function among the working population of Japan.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This was a nationwide retrospective cohort study of adults aged 34 to 74 years who were enrolled in the Japan Health Insurance Association insurance program, which covers approximately 40% of the working-age population (30 million enrollees) in Japan. Participants whose estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) had been measured at least twice from 2015 to 2022 were included in the analysis, which was conducted from September 1, 2021, to March 31, 2023.

Exposure

Individual income levels (deciles) in the fiscal year 2015.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Odds ratios were calculated for rapid CKD progression (defined as an annual eGFR decline of more than 5 mL/min/1.73 m2), and hazard ratios, for the initiation of kidney replacement therapy (dialysis or kidney transplant) by income level deciles in the fiscal year 2015.

Results

The study population totaled 5 591 060 individuals (mean [SD] age, 49.2 [9.3] years) of whom 33.4% were female. After adjusting for potential confounders, the lowest income decile (lowest 10th percentile) demonstrated a greater risk of rapid CKD progression (adjusted odds ratio, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.67-1.73) and a greater risk of kidney replacement therapy initiation (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.47-1.86) compared with the highest income decile (top 10th percentile). A negative monotonic association was more pronounced among males and individuals without diabetes and was observed in individuals with early (CKD stage 1-2) and advanced (CKD stage 3-5) disease.

Conclusions and Relevance

The findings of this retrospective cohort study suggest that, even in countries with universal health coverage, there may be a large income-based disparity in the risk of rapid CKD progression and initiation of kidney replacement therapy. These findings highlight the importance of adapting CKD prevention and management strategies according to an individual’s socioeconomic status, even when basic health care services are financially guaranteed.
Vitamin‐C‐dependent downregulation of the citrate metabolism pathway potentiates pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma growth arrest
Authors: Cenigaonandia‐Campillo Aiora , Garcia‐Bautista Ana , Rio‐Vilariño Anxo , Cebrian Arancha , del Puerto Laura , Pellicer José Antonio , Gabaldón José Antonio , Pérez‐Sánchez Horacio , Carmena‐Bargueño Miguel , Meroño Carolina , Traba Javier , Fernandez‐Aceñero María Jesús , Baños‐Herraiz Natalia , Mozas‐Vivar Lorena , Núñez‐Delicado Estrella , Garcia‐Foncillas Jesús , Aguilera Óscar
Published: March 2024

In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), metabolic rewiring and resistance to standard therapy are closely associated. PDAC cells show enormous requirements for glucose‐derived citrate, the first rate‐limiting metabolite in the synthesis of new lipids. Both the expression and activity of citrate synthase (CS) are extraordinarily upregulated in PDAC. However, no previous relationship between gemcitabine response and citrate metabolism has been documented in pancreatic cancer. Here, we report for the first time that pharmacological doses of vitamin C are capable of exerting an inhibitory action on the activity of CS, reducing glucose‐derived citrate levels. Moreover, ascorbate targets citrate metabolism towards the de novo lipogenesis pathway, impairing fatty acid synthase (FASN) and ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) expression. Lowered citrate availability was found to be directly associated with diminished proliferation and, remarkably, enhanced gemcitabine response. Moreover, the deregulated citrate‐derived lipogenic pathway correlated with a remarkable decrease in extracellular pH through inhibition of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and overall reduced glycolytic metabolism. Modulation of citric acid metabolism in highly chemoresistant pancreatic adenocarcinoma, through molecules such as vitamin C, could be considered as a future clinical option to improve patient response to standard chemotherapy regimens.
Eyes of the beholders: Multi‐method relationships between internalizing and externalizing symptom dimensions and aggression risk
Authors: Bozzay Melanie L. , Bresin Konrad , Brown Meaghan E. , Mekawi Yara , Verona Edelyn
Published: March 2024

Although aggression occurs across a range of disorders, associations between dimensions of psychopathology and self‐ and other‐directed aggression are not well understood. Investigating associations between psychopathology dimensions and aggression helps further understanding about the etiology of aggression, and ultimately, can inform intervention and prevention strategies. This study adopted a multi‐method approach to examine associations between internalizing and externalizing dimensions of psychopathology and self‐ and other‐directed aggression as a function of reporter (participant and informant) and modality of aggression measurement (subjective and objective). Participants were an unselected sample of 151 racially diverse adults recruited from the community. Dimensions of psychopathology were assessed using interview and questionnaire reports from participants and collateral informants, and forms of aggression were measured via subjective reports and an objective, laboratory aggression paradigm. Analyses of participant‐reported psychological symptom data consistently linked externalizing symptoms to other‐directed aggression, and internalizing symptoms to self‐directed aggression. Results across informant and participant reporters replicated prior findings showing a significant interaction between internalizing and externalizing dimensions in predicting intimate partner violence. Most other effects in informant models were nonsignificant. The findings uncover consistency in and replicability of relationships between dimensions of psychopathology and certain manifestations of aggression and highlight the importance of examining multiple forms of aggression in etiological research. Examining aggression through a transdiagnostic lens can help us better understand and intervene upon processes implicated in devasting forms of self‐ and other‐directed aggression.
Micro‐diffusely abnormal white matter: An early multiple sclerosis lesion phase with intensified myelin blistering
Authors: Luchicchi Antonio , Muñoz‐Gonzalez Gema , Halperin Saar T. , Strijbis Eva , van Dijk Laura H. M. , Foutiadou Chrisa , Uriac Florence , Bouman Piet M. , Schouten Maxime A. N. , Plemel Jason , 't Hart Bert A. , Geurts Jeroen J. G. , Schenk Geert J.
Published: March 2024

Objective

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic central nervous system disease whose white matter lesion origin remains debated. Recently, we reported subtle changes in the MS normal appearing white matter (NAWM), presenting with an increase in myelin blisters and myelin protein citrullination, which may recapitulate some of the prodromal degenerative processes involved in MS pathogenesis. Here, to clarify the relevance of these changes for subsequent MS myelin degeneration we explored their prevalence in WM regions characterized by subtly reduced myelination (dubbed as micro‐diffusely abnormal white matter, mDAWM).

Methods

We used an in‐depth (immuno)histochemistry approach in 27 MS donors with histological presence of mDAWM and 5 controls. An antibody panel against degenerative markers was combined and the presence of myelin/axonal aberrations was analyzed and compared with the NAWM from the same cases/slices/regions.

Results

mDAWM‐defined areas exhibit ill‐defined borders, no signs of Wallerian degeneration, and they associate with visible veins. Remarkably, such areas present with augmented myelin blister frequency, enhanced prevalence of polar myelin phospholipids, citrullination, and degradation of myelin basic protein (MBP) when compared with the NAWM. Furthermore, enhanced reactivity of microglia/macrophages against citrullinated MBP was also observed in this tissue.

Interpretation

We report a new histologically defined early phase in MS lesion formation, namely mDAWM, which lacks signs of Wallerian pathology. These results support the prelesional nature of the mDAWM. We conceptualize that evolution to pathologically evident lesions comprises the previously documented imbalance of axo‐myelinic units (myelin blistering) leading to their degeneration and immune system activation by released myelin components.
Risk of Coccidioidomycosis Infection Among Individuals Using Biologic Response Modifiers, Corticosteroids, and Oral Small Molecules
Authors: Wilson Debbie L. , Zhou Lili , Sudano Dominick G. , Ashbeck Erin L. , Kwoh C. Kent , Krebs Lindy , Sheer Amy , Smith James , Tudeen Michael , Lo‐Ciganic Wei‐Hsuan
Published: March 2024

Objective

The study objective was to examine associations between the use of biologic response modifiers (BRMs), corticosteroids, and oral small molecules (OSMs) and subsequent coccidioidomycosis infection risk among US Medicare beneficiaries with rheumatic or autoimmune diseases.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study used US 2011 to 2016 Medicare claims data. We identified geographic areas with endemic coccidioidomycosis (≥25 cases per 10,000 beneficiaries). Among beneficiaries having any rheumatic/autoimmune diseases, we identified those initiating BRMs, corticosteroids, and OSMs. Based on refill days supplied, we created time‐varying exposure variables for BRMs, corticosteroids, and OSMs with a 90‐day lag period after drug cessation. We examined BRMs, corticosteroids, and OSMs and subsequent coccidioidomycosis infection risk using multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression.

Results

Among 135,237 beneficiaries (mean age: 67.8 years; White race: 83.1%; Black race: 3.6%), 5,065 had rheumatic or autoimmune diseases, of which 107 individuals were diagnosed with coccidioidomycosis during the study period (6.1 per 1,000 person‐years). Increased risk of coccidioidomycosis was observed among beneficiaries prescribed any BRMs (17.7 per 1,000 person‐years; adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 3.94; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18–13.16), followed by individuals treated with only corticosteroids (12.2 per 1,000 person‐years; aHR 2.29; 95% CI 1.05–5.03) compared to those treated with only OSMs (4.2 per 1,000 person‐years). The rate of those treated with only OSMs was the same as that of beneficiaries without these medications.

Conclusion

Incidence of coccidioidomycosis was low among 2011 to 2016 Medicare beneficiaries with rheumatic or autoimmune diseases. BRM and corticosteroid users may have higher risks of coccidioidomycosis compared to nonusers, warranting consideration of screening for patients on BRMs and corticosteroids in coccidioidomycosis endemic areas.
NIAAA reports primary care checkups “plus” SBIRT works
Authors: Knopf Alison
Published: March 2024

As the name suggests, screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for alcohol can both identify people who are at risk for, or who have alcohol‐related problems, and for those who need treatment, provide connections, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reported last week. But more is needed, and a recent study showed that primary care follow‐ups and checkups can work for alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Touchless Thermosensation Enabled by Flexible Infrared Photothermoelectric Detector for Temperature Prewarning Function of Electronic Skin
Authors: Guo Xiaohan , Lu Xiaowei , Jiang Peng , Bao Xinhe
Published: March 2024

Artificial skin, endowed with the capability to perceive thermal stimuli without physical contact, will bring innovative interactive experiences into smart robotics and augmented reality. The implementation of touchless thermosensation, responding to both hot and cold stimuli, relies on the construction of a flexible infrared detector operating in the long‐wavelength infrared range to capture the spontaneous thermal radiation. This imposes rigorous requirements on the photodetection performance and mechanical flexibility of the detector. Herein, a flexible and wearable infrared detector is presented, on basis of the photothermoelectric coupling of the tellurium‐based thermoelectric multilayer film and the infrared‐absorbing polyimide substrate. By suppressing the optical reflection loss and aligning the destructive interference position with the absorption peak of polyimide, the fabricated thermopile detector exhibits high sensitivity to the thermal radiation over a broad source temperature range from −50 to 110 °C, even capable of resolving 0.05 °C temperature change. Spatially resolved radiation distribution sensing is also achieved by constructing an integrated thermopile array. Furthermore, an established temperature prewarning system is demonstrated for soft robotic gripper, enabling the identification of noxious thermal stimuli in a contactless manner. A feasible strategy is offered here to integrate the infrared detection technique into the sensory modality of electronic skin.
Systems thinking: fostering collaboration and connections to strengthen the field. A conversation with Umberta Telfener
Authors: Amorin‐Woods Deisy , Telfener Umberta
Published: March 2024

Umberta Telfener is a highly respected figure known for her diverse contributions to various facets of family and systemic therapy. Her leadership style has earned her a reputation as somewhat of a ‘cultural anthropologist,’ reflecting her aptitude for creating connections, establishing relationships, and developing partnerships. Her unique ‘Umberta style’ is known for boundless energy, active leadership, and fierce commitment to challenging the status quo. Despite being in office for just a year at the European Family Therapy Association (EFTA), Umberta has conceived and developed numerous projects, establishing networks with practitioners, and systemic thinkers across the world. Rooted in classical philosophical training, her pursuit aligns with the systematic study of fundamental questions about existence, reason, knowledge, value, mind, and language. Umberta's role reminds one of a ‘Chasqui,’ a Quechua term for a ‘messenger,’ which aptly describes her agile networking skills. She actively communicates and shares vital messages, supporting the international community of systemic practitioners. This paper is based on an in‐person conversation held in July 2023 at Umberta's country home in Tuscany. Our discussion delves into her extensive professional experience, from training at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic, being mentored by Boscolo and Cecchin in Milan, to her leadership role as the current EFTA president. Umberta reflects on early pioneers who influenced her thinking and her impactful work with systems.
Synthesis of random copolymers of styrene and arylamino substituted styrenes and their sensitivities towards nitroaromatics
Authors: Eddin Mohamad Zen , Zhilina Ekaterina F. , Chuvashov Roman D. , Dubovik Alyona I. , Mekhaev Alexandr V. , Chistyakov Konstantin A. , Pervova Marina G. , Kodess Mikhail I. , Ezhikova Marina A. , Baranova Anna A. , Khokhlov Konstantin O. , Rusinov Gennady L. , Verbitskiy Egor V. , Charushin Valery N.
Published: March 2024

Random copolymers of styrene and substituted styrenes bearing arylamino substituents as fluorophore units have been obtained. Their photophysical properties have been investigated by measuring absorption and emission spectra as in solutions as solid‐state. All copolymers proved to possess absolute quantum yields up to 0.39 in solution and up to 0.05 in solid‐state, depending on their fluorophore substituents. Fluorescence studies have shown that these copolymers show a highly sensitive response towards a diversity of nitroaromatic compounds, both in solutions and in a vapor phase. The detection limits for these compounds towards model nitroaromatic explosives in dichloromethane solution proved to be in the range from 10−6 to 10−7 mol/L. The fluorescent materials prepared by electrospinning of synthesized copolymers have been evaluated as sensor materials for detecting nitrobenzene vapor for our hand‐made sniffer with detection limits of 0.5 ppm during 100‐s exposure to the vapor.
Characterization of biodegradable bi‐layer films from thermoplastic starch and poly‐l‐lactic acid
Authors: Parlak Mahmut Ekrem , Uzuner Kubra , Ozdemir Sebahat , Kirac Demirel Fatma Tuba , Dundar Ayse Neslihan , Sahin Oya Irmak , Dagdelen Adnan Fatih , Odabas Halil Ibrahim , Saricaoglu Furkan Turker
Published: March 2024

This study aimed to enhance the oxygen barrier properties of polylactic acid (PLA) film, a biodegradable packaging material with high oxygen permeability (OP). Bi‐layer films were produced by coating thermoplastic starch (TPS) onto PLA films in various ratios while maintaining constant film thickness. The mechanical, optical, barrier, thermal, hydrophobicity, moisture sorption, and microstructural properties of the films were analyzed. Increasing the TPS ratio elevated moisture content (MC), water uptake, solubility, and opacity while enhancing UV barrier properties. TPS coating reduced tensile and burst strength but increased the burst deformation of the bi‐layer films. Bi‐layer film production resulted in a water vapor permeability increase of 59.26%–94.44% compared with neat PLA while decreasing OP by 2.52%–29.66%. The equilibrium moisture content (EMC) rose with higher TPS ratios, displaying type II isotherms. FTIR analysis indicated no chemical interactions between PLA and TPS. Increasing the TPS ratio decreased PLA crystallinity, supporting the mechanical and barrier properties of the bi‐layer films. Neat and bi‐layer films exhibited smooth, homogeneous surfaces, with a visible interface in the cross‐section of the bi‐layer films. In conclusion, TPS shows promise as an alternative to improve oxygen barrier properties in PLA films without adversely affecting other properties.
The role of adaptive resistance in a widespread freshwater mussel species
Authors: dos Santos Rogério C. Lima , Sousa Ronaldo , Lopes‐Lima Manuel , Teixeira Amílcar
Published: March 2024

Organism features, such as size, weight, sex and age, among others, can influence the success of parasitism. For species that depend on a host to complete their life cycle, such as freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida), understanding how these traits influence parasitism can help guide management actions aimed at improving their reproductive success, ultimately benefitting their conservation.

In this study, the physiological compatibility between the duck mussel Anodonta anatina and its host fish was investigated in a simultaneous infestation experiment on four (three native and one non‐native) fish species using sympatric and allopatric host strains. The success of glochidia metamorphosis in juvenile mussels was evaluated as a function of host species, strain and fish length.

Successful metamorphosis was achieved in almost all fish species tested and differences were detected between allopatric and sympatric strains, with higher values found in allopatric hosts. Allopatric strains of primary hosts produce more juveniles than marginal hosts and non‐native species. In addition, larger fish have lower rates of metamorphosis.

The results confirm recent findings showing high variation in the metamorphosis success of A. anatina glochidia among different native and non‐native hosts, both in the natural environment and in artificial laboratory infestations. Allopatric hosts were more suitable for encystment, demonstrating potential adaptive immunity, not yet observed in A. anatina. Nevertheless, A. anatina may temporarily exploit the naivety of smaller fish regardless of strain.

Overall, the results suggest that mussel propagation, reproduction and reintroduction efforts should consider the mechanisms that influence adaptive immunity in fish, including differences in compatibility within and between populations of sympatric and allopatric host strains. This situation should be taken into account, as successful metamorphosis is an important factor in the selection of hosts for juvenile development, especially in efforts to propagate endangered mussel species.
Intertidal Soundscapes of Hardened and Living Shorelines: A Case Study of Habitat Enhancement
Authors: Looby Audrey , Reynolds Laura K. , McDonald Ashley M. , Barry Savanna C. , Clark Mark , Martin Charles W.
Published: March 2024

Organisms, such as fishes and invertebrates and including their larval stages, listen to underwater soundscapes to detect information about nearby habitats. Such soundscapes may be influenced by habitat degradation or enhancement, which can lead to acoustically mediated feedback loops affecting the overall ecosystem.

Despite the importance of underwater sounds on ecological functioning, there have been limited studies documenting soundscapes of intertidal ecosystems and few, if any, of living shoreline soundscapes. Living shorelines would especially benefit from acoustically mediated effects for objectives like encouraging fish and invertebrate settlement.

This case study used a Before‐After‐Control‐Impact design to sample soundscapes and nekton (i.e., fishes and mobile macroinvertebrates) at a living shoreline construction and a nearby hardened shoreline in Cedar Key, FL (USA). Diel soundscape patterns and acoustic attenuation at the two sites were also described a year following the living shoreline construction.

In the acoustic sampling, the high frequency bands of both shorelines were dominated by invertebrate sounds that were influenced by season, site and time of day, while the low frequency band of the living shoreline was often dominated by a loud anthropogenic sound. About a year after the living shoreline installation—despite similar measured acoustic attenuation at both sites—the living shoreline featured louder sound pressure levels compared to the hardened shoreline, which may be particularly beneficial for promoting foundational species and other organism settlement.

These results demonstrate that Gulf of Mexico intertidal habitats may have soundscape differences even within close proximity and that living shorelines may enhance acoustic characteristics in ways beneficial to continued shoreline development. This represents an important step in better understanding the relationships between habitat structures, nekton communities, and their associated soundscapes as well as the application of passive acoustic monitoring to improve coastal management and conservation.
Quantitative Ultrasound Spectroscopy for Screening Cylindrical Lithium‐Ion Batteries for Second‐Life Applications
Authors: Montoya‐Bedoya Simon , Garcia‐Tamayo Esteban , Rohrbach Daniel , Gaviria‐Cardona Juan Pablo , Martinez‐Tejada Hader V. , Planden Brady , Howey David A. , Florez Whady F. , Valencia Raúl A. , Bernal Miguel
Published: March 2024

Diagnosing lithium‐ion battery degradation is a crucial part of managing energy storage systems. Recent research has explored ultrasonic testing for non‐invasive health assessment as an alternative to traditional, time‐consuming, electrical‐only methods. Assessing the state of health is vital for determining quality at end of ‘first’ life, with retired batteries at 70–80 % health still holding value for secondlife applications. Over the coming years, tens of GWh of salvaged batteries will hit the market, requiring rapid noninvasive methods to classify retired batteries according to their state of health. This study uses a 64 – element ultrasonic array to obtain mid‐band quantitative ultrasound spectroscopy parameters – including mid‐band fit, spectral slope, and intercept – from circumferential waves around cylindrical batteries. Thirteen cylindrical cells were used to evaluate the methodology: three pristine and ten retired from the same source. The mid‐band fit showed the ability to track the state of charge and discriminate between the state of health levels in accelerated degradation experiments both with pristine batteries, and also with recovered secondlife batteries with unknown historical use. Linear‐array ultrasonic transducers, coupled with quantitative spectral parameters, show promise for future non‐destructive battery health screening methods, offering valuable insights for the emerging used battery market.
Racial and socioeconomic disparities in surgical care for post‐prostate cancer treatment complications: A nationwide Medicare‐based analysis
Authors: Adesanya Oluwafolajimi , Rojanasarot Sirikan , McGovern Alysha M. , Burnett Arthur L.
Published: March 2024

Objectives

To investigate the racial and socioeconomic (income) differences in receipt of and time to surgical care for urinary incontinence (UI) and erectile dysfunction (ED) occurring post‐radical prostatectomy (RP) and/or radiation therapy (RT).

Materials and Methods

Utilizing the Medicare Standard Analytical Files (SAF), a retrospective cohort study was performed on data of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) from 2015 to 2021. Patients who underwent RP and/or RT and who subsequently developed UI and/or ED were grouped into four cohorts: RP‐ED, RP‐UI, RT‐ED and RT‐UI. County‐level median household income was cross‐referenced with SAF county codes, classified into income quartiles, and used as a proxy for patient income status. The rate of surgical care was compared between groups using two‐sample t‐test and log‐rank test. Cox proportional hazards modelling was used to determine covariate‐adjusted impact of race on time to surgical care.

Results

The rate of surgical care was 6.8, 3.61 3.07, and 1.54 per 100 person‐years for the RP‐UI, RT‐UI, RP‐ED, and RT‐ED cohorts, respectively. Cox proportional ‘time‐to‐surgical care’ regression analysis revealed that Black men were statistically more likely to receive ED surgical care (RP‐ED AHR:1.79, 95% CI:1.49–2.17; RT‐ED AHR:1.50, 95% CI:1.11–2.01), but less likely to receive UI surgical care (RP‐UI AHR:0.80, 95% CI:0.67–0.96) than White men, in all cohorts except RT‐UI. Surgical care was highest among Q1 (lowest income quartile) patients in all cohorts except RT‐UI.

Conclusions

Surgical care for post‐PCa treatment complications is low, and significantly impacted by racial and socioeconomic (income) differences. Prospective studies investigating the basis of these results would be insightful.
Expression of PTGS2 along with genes regulating VEGF signalling pathway and association with high‐risk factors in locally advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Kamal Mehta Vedant , Damerla Rama Rao , Parida Preetiparna , Rao Mahadev , Belle Vijetha Shenoy , Dikhit Punit Singh , Palod Akhil , Gireesh Rinsha , Kumar Naveena AN
Published: March 2024

Background

PTGS2 encodes cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2), which catalyses the committed step in prostaglandin synthesis. Various in vivo and in vitro data suggest that COX‐2 mediates the VEGF signalling pathway. In silico analysis performed in TCGA, PanCancer Atlas for head and neck cancers, demonstrated significant expression and co‐expression of PTGS2 and genes that regulate VEGF signalling. This study was designed to elucidate the expression pattern of PTGS2 and genes regulating VEGF signalling in patients with locally advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Methodology

Tumour and normal tissue samples were collected from patients with locally advanced OSCC. RNA was isolated from tissue samples, followed by cDNA synthesis. The cDNA was used for gene expression analysis (RT‐PCR) using target‐specific primers. The results obtained were compared with the in silico gene expression of the target genes in the TCGA datasets. Co‐expression analysis was performed to establish an association between PTGS2 and VEGF signalling genes.

Results

Tumour and normal tissue samples were collected from 24 OSCC patients. Significant upregulation of PTGS2 expression was observed. Furthermore, VEGFA, KDR, CXCR1 and CXCR2 were significantly upregulated in tumour samples compared with paired normal samples, except for VEGFB, whose expression was not statistically significant. A similar expression pattern was observed in silico, except for CXCR2 which was highly expressed in the normal samples. Co‐expression analysis showed a significant positive correlation between PTGS2 and VEGF signalling genes, except for VEGFB which showed a negative correlation.

Conclusion

PTGS2 and VEGF signalling genes are upregulated in OSCC, which has a profound impact on clinical outcomes.
Defining and targeting macrophage heterogeneity in the mammary gland and breast cancer
Authors: Elfstrum Alexis K. , Bapat Aditi S. , Schwertfeger Kathryn L.
Published: March 2024

Introduction

Macrophages are innate immune cells that are associated with extensive phenotypic and functional plasticity and contribute to normal development, tissue homeostasis, and diseases such as cancer. In this review, we discuss the heterogeneity of tissue resident macrophages in the normal mammary gland and tumor‐associated macrophages in breast cancer. Tissue resident macrophages are required for mammary gland development, where they have been implicated in promoting extracellular matrix remodeling, apoptotic clearance, and cellular crosstalk. In the context of cancer, tumor‐associated macrophages are key drivers of growth and metastasis via their ability to promote matrix remodeling, angiogenesis, lymphangiogenesis, and immunosuppression.

Method

We identified and summarized studies in Pubmed that describe the phenotypic and functional heterogeneity of macrophages and the implications of targeting individual subsets, specifically in the context of mammary gland development and breast cancer. We also identified and summarized recent studies using single‐cell RNA sequencing to identify and describe macrophage subsets in human breast cancer samples.

Results

Advances in single‐cell RNA sequencing technologies have yielded nuances in macrophage heterogeneity, with numerous macrophage subsets identified in both the normal mammary gland and breast cancer tissue. Macrophage subsets contribute to mammary gland development and breast cancer progression in differing ways, and emerging studies highlight a role for spatial localization in modulating their phenotype and function.

Conclusion

Understanding macrophage heterogeneity and the unique functions of each subset in both normal mammary gland development and breast cancer progression may lead to more promising targets for the treatment of breast cancer.
GC‐MS‐based Metabolomics Unravels Metabolites across Larval Development and Diapause of a Specialist Insect
Authors: Gallon Marília Elias , Silva‐Junior Eduardo Afonso , Gobbo‐Neto Leonardo
Published: March 2024

Plant‐insect interactions are a driving force into ecosystem evolution and community dynamics. Many insect herbivores enter diapause, a developmental arrest stage in anticipation of adverse conditions, to survive and thrive through seasonal changes. Herein, we investigated the roles of medium‐ to non‐polar metabolites during larval development and diapause in a specialist insect herbivore, Chlosyne lacinia, reared on Aldama robusta leaves. Varying metabolites were determined using gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS)‐based metabolomics. Sesquiterpenes and steroids were the main metabolites putatively identified in A. robusta leaves, whereas C. lacinia caterpillars were characterized by triterpenes, steroids, fatty acids, and long‐chain alkanes. We found out that C. lacinia caterpillars biosynthesized most of the identified steroids and fatty acids from plant‐derived ingested metabolites, as well as all triterpenes and long‐chain alkanes. Steroids, fatty acids, and long‐chain alkanes were detected across all C. lacinia instars and in diapausing caterpillars. Sesquiterpenes and triterpenes were also detected across larval development, yet they were not detected in diapausing caterpillars, which suggested that these metabolites were converted to other molecules prior to the diapause stage. Our findings shed light on the chemical content variation across C. lacinia development and diapause, providing insights into the roles of metabolites in plant‐insect interactions.
The role of lncRNA HCG18 in human diseases
Authors: Long Feng , Zhou Xuan , Zhang Jinhua , Di Cuixia , Li Xue , Ye Hailin , Pan Jingyu , Si Jing
Published: March 2024

A substantial number of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as potent regulators of human disease. Human leukocyte antigen complex group 18 (HCG18) is a new type of lncRNA that has recently been proven to play an important role in the occurrence and development of various diseases. Studies have found that abnormal expression of HCG18 is closely related to the clinicopathological characteristics of many diseases. More importantly, HCG18 was also found to promote disease progression by affecting a series of cell biological processes. This article mainly discusses the expression characteristics, clinical characteristics, biological effects and related regulatory mechanisms of HCG18 in different human diseases, providing a scientific theoretical basis for its early clinical application.
Thermal Elimination of Pyridine from a Uranium Trichloride Precursor
Authors: Erickson Karla A. , Parker Stephen S. , Monreal Marisa J.
Published: March 2024

Renewed interest in advanced nuclear reactors, such as Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs), has spurred studies in actinide halide chemistry and property measurements. Several proposed research‐scale and commercial MSR designs incorporate uranium trichloride (UCl3) fuel. There are relatively few preparations for isolated actinide halides reported in the literature, therefore novel methods for the isolation of pure material are desired. This communication describes the thermal elimination of pyridine (py) from the coordination complex UCl3py2 to yield gram‐scale quantities of UCl3. The purity of the UCl3 product was determined through powder X‐ray Diffractometry (pXRD) and Elemental Analysis (EA).