bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is There an Association between Platelet Count and Blood Loss in the Parturient? A Retrospective Study
Authors: Beilin Yaakov , Liu Helen , Hyers Benjamin M. , Mijovic Vasilije , Katz Daniel
Published: December 2023

Objective The influence of thrombocytopenia on blood loss and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) has been conflicting. Our aim was to determine if there is an association between predelivery platelet count and quantitative blood loss (QBL) and PPH in both vaginal (VD) and cesarean deliveries (CD).

Study Design We conducted a retrospective database study at a single institution from April 1, 2017 to September 9, 2020. The platelet count closest to time of delivery and the QBL was assessed separately for VD and CD.

Results A total of 22,479 records were reviewed, of which 16,822 (75%) were VD and 5,657 (25%) were CD. A total of 2,600 (12%) patients had thrombocytopenia, defined as a platelet count <150,000/mm3. Of these, 1,980 (76%) had a VD and 620 (24%) had CD. We found a statistically significant difference in QBL between parturients with thrombocytopenia compared with those without, with a median estimated difference in QBL of 25 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 16–32) and 57 mL (95% CI: 31–87) in VD and CD patients, respectively. We also found a statistically significant difference in QBL when comparing patients among all the platelet count ranges except in the lowest platelet count range of 50,000 to 69,999/mm3 with a mean difference of 52 (95% CI: 25–81) and 107 mL (95% CI: 39–180) in the VD and CD patients, respectively in the platelet count range of 70,000 to 99,999/mm3 . We also found the incidence of PPH was greater in those with thrombocytopenia, p < 0.001, but the median difference in QBL in all platelet groups was small.

Conclusion We found a statistically significant association between lower predelivery platelet counts and QBL and PPH. The clinical significance of these results is debatable, because at all platelet count ranges, differences in blood loss were small.

Key Points
The media, terrorism, and censorship in the UK: conflicting imagined audiences in British parliamentary debates in 1988 and 2018
Authors: Rodrigo-Jusué Itoiz
Published: December 2023

Over the last three decades, there has been a significant growth in media control policies in the UK. Nonetheless, academic literature has so far failed to examine British political elites’ understandings of the relationship between the media and political violence. This article makes an original contribution by conducting a historical comparison of political elites’ discourses on terrorism, the media, and audiences through the analysis of key parliamentary debates in which British MPs discussed the introduction of far-reaching media control measures (i.e. the 1988 Broadcasting Ban and the 2019 Counter-terrorism and Border Security Act). Employing the concept of the “imagined audience”, the analysis, based on a discourse-historical approach (DHA), demonstrates significant differences in how MPs constructed media audiences in these discussions. In 1988, British MPs consistently invoked rational, well-informed, and responsible audiences, whilst thirty years later, constructions of unknowledgeable and easily influenced audiences were discursively deployed by MPs in support of highly restrictive media control measures. The article suggests that this transformation is based on a resurgence of the media “contagion theory” and Islamophobic notions that construct certain sections of the population as vulnerable, irrational, and highly susceptible, in contrast to the intelligent and sensible audiences envisioned by MPs in 1988.
Development of an open access, virtual bioinformatics lab for students in medical laboratory sciences
Authors: Fukuto Hana S , Viboud Gloria I
Published: December 2023

Objectives

Despite the growing importance of bioinformatics in molecular diagnostics, not all medical laboratory sciences (MLS) programs provide instruction in this field. We developed and assessed a virtual laboratory learning unit to introduce basic bioinformatics concepts and tools to MLS students.

Methods

The unit included a video tutorial, written instructions for the online laboratory activity, and a postactivity review video. The effectiveness of the instruction was evaluated using preassessment and postassessment questions, performance of the online tasks, and a survey assessing the students’ attitudes toward the learning unit.

Results

A prototype of the module was tested with 32 graduate and undergraduate students. Modifications were made based on the pilot test results and student feedback, and the refined version was subsequently evaluated with a different group of 20 undergraduate students. The participants responded favorably to the learning unit and successfully achieved the learning objectives, gaining familiarity with fundamental bioinformatics concepts and terminology, effectively employing basic computational tools, and developing an appreciation for the field.

Conclusions

Our learning unit is a promising tool for introducing MLS students to the field of bioinformatics. As an open educational resource, it has the potential to be integrated into molecular biology education for MLS programs anywhere.
Artificial achievements
Authors: Kieval Phillip Hintikka
Published: December 2023

State-of-the-art machine learning systems now routinely exceed benchmarks once thought beyond the ken of artificial intelligence (AI). Often these systems accomplish tasks through novel, insightful processes that remain inscrutable to even their human designers. Taking AlphaGo’s 2016 victory over Lee Sedol as a case study, this paper argues that such accomplishments manifest the essential features of achievements as laid out in Bradford’s 2015 book Achievement. Achievements like these are directly attributable to AI systems themselves. They are artificial achievements. This opens the door to a challenge that calls out for further inquiry. Since Bradford grounds the intrinsic value of achievements in the exercise of distinctively human perfectionist capacities, the existence of artificial achievements raises the possibility that some achievements might be valueless.
The role of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in mediating the effects of mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in mouse ovarian antral follicles
Authors: Neff Alison M , Inman Zane , Mourikes Vasiliki E , Santacruz-Márquez Ramsés , Gonsioroski Andressa , Laws Mary J , Flaws Jodi A
Published: December 2023

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a pervasive environmental toxicant used in the manufacturing of numerous consumer products, medical supplies, and building materials. DEHP is metabolized to mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP). MEHP is an endocrine disruptor that adversely affects folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis in the ovary, but its mechanism of action is not fully understood. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) plays a functional role in MEHP-mediated disruption of folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis. CD-1 mouse antral follicles were isolated and cultured with MEHP (0–400 μM) in the presence or absence of the AHR antagonist CH223191 (1 μM). MEHP treatment reduced follicle growth over a 96-h period, and this effect was partially rescued by co-culture with CH223191. MEHP exposure alone increased expression of known AHR targets, cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes Cyp1a1 and Cyp1b1, and this induction was blocked by CH223191. MEHP reduced media concentrations of estrone and estradiol compared to control. This effect was mitigated by co-culture with CH223191. Moreover, MEHP reduced the expression of the estrogen-sensitive genes progesterone receptor (Pgr) and luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (Lhcgr) and co-treatment with CH223191 blocked this effect. Collectively, these data indicate that MEHP activates the AHR to impair follicle growth and reduce estrogen production and signaling in ovarian antral follicles.
Ordering the Islands? Pacific Responses to China’s Strategic Narratives
Authors: Wallis Joanne , Xie Geyi , Waqavakatoga William , Habru Priestley , Koro Maima
Published: December 2023

Metropolitan powers are concerned that China is seeking to influence Pacific Island countries and reshape Pacific Islands’ regional order in its favour. But there is a risk that the effectiveness of China’s efforts has been overinterpreted by metropolitan powers. In this article we analyse the effectiveness of one element of China’s activities: the deployment of narrative power. We do this by examining the reception and role of China’s strategic narratives in the Pacific Islands. We analyse how China’s strategic narratives have been interpreted, adopted, and/or instrumentalised by Pacific Island countries and leaders using case studies of three key regional states: Fiji, Solomon Islands, and Samoa. We conclude that while Fijian, Solomon Islands, and Samoan leaders have incorporated elements of China’s strategic narratives into their discourse, they have done so using their own interpretations and, at times, instrumentalised those narratives for their own purposes. We conclude that this suggests that narrative power is more limited than it is often assumed. However, we acknowledge that narrative power may have indirect effects, with China’s narratives in the Pacific Islands region, as well as their instrumental adoption by Pacific Island countries, motivating changes in the policies and narratives of metropolitan powers.
The Comorbidity of Patient-Reported Crohn’s Disease Activity and Depression: The Role of Health Behavior Mediators
Authors: Gaines Lawrence S , Kappelman Michael D , Schwartz David A , Horst Sara N , Beaulieu Dawn B , Scoville Elizabeth S , Dalal Robin L , Pabla Baldeep S , Slaughter James C
Published: December 2023

Background

Longitudinal research reveals a unidirectional relationship between a nonsomatic symptom of depression, a negative view of the self, and later reported Crohn’s disease (CD) activity. We evaluated whether health behaviors mediated this association using a longitudinal design.

Methods

We studied 3304 adult volunteers with a self-reported diagnosis of CD who completed a baseline survey that included demographics, CD activity, a symptom-specific index of depression, and measures of physical activity, smoking, and sleep quality. Crohn’s disease status and the cognitive index of depression were also measured 6 and 12 months after the baseline evaluation. We specified single-mediator and multiple-mediator models to elucidate the depression–disease activity relationship.

Results

Among 2395 females and 909 males, we found a significant mediation effect for activity level (P < .001) after adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index. There was no evidence that sleep quality and smoking are significant single mediators. When we considered multiple mediation models, smoking and less activity partially mediate the depression–CD association.

Conclusions

Smoking and lower levels of physical activity are potential mediators of the unidirectional association between a nonsomatic symptom of depression—a negative view of the self—and patient-reported CD activity. Evaluating and treating specific symptoms of depression may reduce the frequency of CD exacerbations.
MCPtaggR: R package for accurate genotype calling in reduced representation sequencing data by eliminating error-prone markers based on genome comparison
Authors: Furuta Tomoyuki , Yamamoto Toshio
Published: December 2023

Reduced representation sequencing (RRS) offers cost-effective, high-throughput genotyping platforms such as genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). RRS reads are typically mapped onto a reference genome. However, mapping reads harbouring mismatches against the reference can potentially result in mismapping and biased mapping, leading to the detection of error-prone markers that provide incorrect genotype information. We established a genotype-calling pipeline named mappable collinear polymorphic tag genotyping (MCPtagg) to achieve accurate genotyping by eliminating error-prone markers. MCPtagg was designed for the RRS-based genotyping of a population derived from a biparental cross. The MCPtagg pipeline filters out error-prone markers prior to genotype calling based on marker collinearity information obtained by comparing the genome sequences of the parents of a population to be genotyped. A performance evaluation on real GBS data from a rice F2 population confirmed its effectiveness. Furthermore, our performance test using a genome assembly that was obtained by genome sequence polishing on an available genome assembly suggests that our pipeline performs well with converted genomes, rather than necessitating de novo assembly. This demonstrates its flexibility and scalability. The R package, MCPtaggR, was developed to provide functions for the pipeline and is available at https://github.com/tomoyukif/MCPtaggR.
Early Intestinal Ultrasound Response to Biologic Therapy Predicts Endoscopic Remission in Children with Ileal Crohn’s Disease: Results from the Prospective Super Sonic Study
Authors: Dolinger Michael Todd , Aronskyy Illya , Kellar Amelia , Spencer Elizabeth , Pittman Nanci , Dubinsky Marla C
Published: December 2023

Background and Aims

STRIDE-II recommends early biomarker targets for treatment optimization to achieve treat-to-target [T2T] endoscopic remission [ER] in Crohn’s disease [CD]. The predictive capabilities of intestinal ultrasound [IUS] for T2T ER remain unknown. We aimed to evaluate IUS response to predict ER in children with CD.

Methods

This was a prospective longitudinal cohort study of children with ileal [TI] CD initiating biologic therapy undergoing IUS, clinical disease activity, and C-reactive protein [CRP] assessments at baseline, week 8, 6 months, and T2T within 1 year. The primary outcome was the accuracy of optimal cut-points to predict TI ER [SES-CD ≤ 2] for change in bowel wall thickness [BWT] on IUS from baseline to week 8, and BWT at week 8. Area under the receiver operating curve [AUROC] analysis was performed and univariate analysis tested associations.

Results

In total, 44 children (median age 13 [IQR 12–17] years, 29 [66%] biologic naïve) were included, and 29 [66%] achieved ER. A ≥18% decrease in TI BWT at week 8 predicted ER with an AUROC of 0.99 [95% CI 0.98–1.00], 100% sensitivity, 93% specificity, 97% positive predictive value, and 100% negative predictive value, superior to a ≥46% decrease in PCDAI (AUROC 0.67 [95% CI 0.49–0.84]) and ≥84% decrease in CRP (AUROC 0.49 [95% CI 0.31–0.67]) at week 8.

Conclusions

Early change in TI BWT on IUS is highly predictive of ER in children with CD and superior to symptoms and CRP. Our findings suggest that IUS could be used for treatment optimization and tight control to guide T2T strategies.
A case report of Bow Hunter’s syndrome with intravascular ultrasound showing changing significant severe stenosis of the left vertebral artery associated with turning left
Authors: Takafumi Sasaki , Hojo Rintaro , Tsuchiyama Takaaki , Fukamizu Seiji
Published: December 2023

Background

Bow Hunter’s syndrome is vertebral basilar artery insufficiency caused by mechanical occlusion of the vertebral artery during head rotation. This is often due to the formation of osteophytes, herniated discs, cervical spondylosis, or tumours. However, whether the contralateral vessel is organically stenotic is not well known.

Case summary

A 79-year-old man was referred to our department for a close examination of syncope because the transient loss of consciousness occurring when he was made to turn his head to the left was reproducibly induced and recovered when his face was returned to the normal position. The carotid massage did not induce significant bradycardia or hypotension bilaterally, and Holter electrocardiography, echocardiography, head-up tilt test, coronary angiography, and an acetylcholine stress test showed no obvious abnormalities. A 3D CT angiography was performed to investigate the possibility of vertebrobasilar artery insufficiency, as C3/4 cervical spondylosis, and the left vertebral artery was compressed by the C4 superior process osteophyte, indicating hypoplasia of the contralateral vertebral artery. Vertebral artery angiography and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) showed moderate stenosis of the left vertebral artery, and IVUS showed a half-circumferential calcified lesion. Compared to the midline position, the stenosis worsened at the site of compression and drainage when the patient turned left downward, and a diagnosis of Bow Hunter’s syndrome was made.

Discussion

Bow Hunter’s syndrome is characterized by vertebrobasilar insufficiency. Intravascular ultrasound clearly showed that the lesion was not only stenotic due to compression but also had plaque growth due to continuous mechanical stimulation.
Sex steroids and androgen biomarkers in the healthy man study: within-person variability and impact of fasting
Authors: Handelsman David J , Sartorius Gideon , Desai Reena , Idan Amanda , Turner Leo , Savkovic Sasha , Ly Lam P , Forbes Elise , Allan Carolyn A , McLachlan Robert , Conway Ann J
Published: December 2023

Objective

Serum testosterone measurements in clinical practice mostly utilize “direct” (non-extraction) immunoassays which have method-specific bias due to steroid cross-reactivity and nonspecific matrix artifacts. Although more accurate, sensitive, and specific liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS) dominates in clinical research, the within-person variability of serum testosterone in healthy men using LCMS measurement is not reported.

Design

Longitudinal multi-sampling observational study of men in excellent health over 3 months.

Methods

Elite healthy men (n = 325) over 40 years of age in excellent, asymptomatic health provided 9 blood samples over 3 months with serum testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), estradiol (E2), and estrone (E1) measured by validated LCMS with conventional biochemical and anthropometric variables.

Results

Quantitative estimates of within-person variability within day and between day, week, month, and quarter were stable other than an increase due to fasting. The androgen biomarkers most sensitive to age and testosterone among widely used biochemical and anthropometric variables in middle-aged and older men were identified.

Conclusions

This study provides estimates of variability in serum testosterone and the best androgen biomarkers that may prove useful for future studies of androgen action in male ageing.
The Branding of Female Authorship in Enlightenment Europe: A Paratextual Study of Les Journées amusantes (1722–31) by Madeleine-Angélique Poisson de Gomez
Authors: Genieys-Kirk Séverine
Published: December 2023

As revisionist studies have recently shown in the wake of Gérard Genette’s Seuils (1987), editorial paratexts in translated works, such as prefaces and illustrations, are valuable documents for capturing the ideological parameters which early modern publishers and translators had to skilfully exploit to promote their work. A case in point is the little known yet important eighteenth-century collection of framed-novelle Les Journées amusantes (1722–31) by Madeleine-Angélique Poisson de Gomez (1684–1776). Through the lens of intertextuality and intericonicity, this article offers a two-part analysis of the paratextual material (verbal and visual) contained in the foreign editions of this work. It evaluates the strategies which ‘image-makers’ used to ensure the legitimacy of a text which was originally written by a woman. In particular, it highlights transnational instances of dialogic interplay and cultural transfer, allowing for a better understanding of the female writer’s status across Europe and revealing the cultural and pedagogical parts which translators, publishers and engravers played in the formation of eighteenth-century European readerships.
Tuberculosis on Display: Tuberculosis Travelling Museums in Wilhelmine Germany
Authors: Murakami Hiroaki
Published: December 2023

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the overcoming of chronic illnesses such as tuberculosis, venereal disease and alcoholism became a central issue in public health measures in Europe. Tuberculosis had the highest mortality rate among these three illnesses and was therefore a particular priority. Anti-tuberculosis campaigns gained momentum. This article focuses on one particular form of communication that sought to convey information about this illness: the travelling museum. An ‘exhibition era’ had started in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century, and health education campaigns of the time favoured the use of exhibitions, for example the Dresden International Hygiene Exhibition of 1911, as an educational medium. As this article shows, tuberculosis exhibitions were first established on the initiative of local organizations, but their number grew as a result of cooperation between central organizations and local advocates. Instructions were issued for how travelling exhibits might be displayed and advertised, and when they departed the exhibitions often left behind a new energy for tackling the problems associated with tuberculosis. While the exhibits sought to communicate scientifically established facts, the article notes that issues that were pending resolution were also raised without recognition of ongoing debate. By the 1920s, travelling museums as a means of communication were being overtaken by film.
Filling the gap between GRACE and GRACE follow-on observations based on principal component analysis
Authors: Gu Yanchao , Huang Feilong , Huang Jun , Yuan Hongbo , Yu Bing , Gao Chongqin
Published: December 2023

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and its successor, GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO), have revolutionized the approach to monitoring global mass variations. However, the presence of several gaps, notably the continuous 11-month gap between the two missions, has generated a disruption in observations and hindered the analysis and application of the data. To address this problem, we have proposed a spectral domain gap-filling approach based on principal component analysis (PCA). Our simulation experiments demonstrate that the PCA gap-filling technique has significant potential to successfully reconstruct global mass variation and accurately capture real signals for most basins with an accuracy of less than 2 cm. When applied to actual missing data, our methodology delivers highly consistent results with previously published filling approaches, such as singular spectrum analysis and improved multichannel singular spectrum analysis method, for most of the global basins. Noteworthy, in the case of the Nelson basin, our PCA gap-filling method outperforms other methods in capturing seasonal signals and the return to a normal level of the terrestrial water storage changes in 2018. A comparison in the spectral domain indicates that the accuracy of the PCA-filling output is comparable to the original GRACE(-FO) data. Moreover, our method exhibits high generality, allowing for direct application to continuous GRACE(-FO) data without other additional data processing and without differentiating the types of missing data. Therefore, the proposed PCA gap-filling method offers exciting opportunities to guarantee the continuity of global mass change observations and benefit subsequent applications that require continuous data records.
“The last Jew in Vinnitsa”: Reframing an Iconic Holocaust Photograph
Authors: Matthäus Jürgen
Published: December 2023

As scholarly sources, images require critical engagement to unlock their evidential and explanatory potential beyond what seems visually apparent. Based on newly available documentation, this research note offers corrective evidence and contextual explication for a more historically accurate as well as interdisciplinarity rewarding reading of one iconic Holocaust photograph known as “The Last Jew in Vinnitsa.”
Monoclonal Antibody Against Mature Interleukin-18 Ameliorates Colitis in Mice and Improves Epithelial Barrier Function
Authors: Ikegami Shuji , Maeda Keiko , Urano Takeshi , Mu Jingxi , Nakamura Masanao , Yamamura Takeshi , Sawada Tsunaki , Ishikawa Eri , Yamamoto Kenta , Muto Hisanori , Oishi Akina , Iida Tadashi , Mizutani Yasuyuki , Ishikawa Takuya , Kakushima Naomi , Furukawa Kazuhiro , Ohno Eizaburo , Honda Takashi , Ishigami Masatoshi , Kawashima Hiroki
Published: December 2023

Background

Antitumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α antibodies have improved the outcome of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); but half of patients remain unresponsive to treatment. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) gene polymorphism is associated with resistance to anti-TNF-α antibodies, but therapies targeting IL-18 have not been clinically applied. Only the mature protein is biologically active, and we aimed to investigate whether specific inhibition of mature IL-18 using a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against a neoepitope of caspase-cleaved mature IL-18 could be an innovative treatment for IBD.

Methods

The expression of precursor and mature IL-18 in patients with UC was examined. Colitis was induced in C57/BL6 mice by administering dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), followed by injection with anti-IL-18 neoepitope mAb. Colon tissues were collected and subjected to histological analysis, immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Colon epithelial permeability and microbiota composition were analyzed.

Results

Mature IL-18 expression was elevated in colon tissues of patients with active ulcerative colitis. Administration of anti-IL-18 neoepitope mAb ameliorated acute and chronic DSS-induced colitis; reduced interferon-γ, TNF-α, and chemokine (CXC motif) ligand-2 production and epithelial cell permeability; promoted goblet cell function; and altered the intestinal microbiome composition. The suppressive effect of anti-IL-18 neoepitope mAb was superior to that of anti-whole IL-18 mAb. Furthermore, combination therapy with anti-TNF-α Ab suppressed acute and chronic colitis additively by suppressing cytokine expressions and reducing cell permeability by upregulating claudin1 and occludin expression.

Conclusions

Anti-IL-18 neoepitope mAb ameliorates acute and chronic colitis, suggesting that this mAb will be an innovative therapeutic option for IBD.
Chronic Stress-Induced Elevation of Melanin-Concentrating Hormone in the Locus Coeruleus Inhibits Norepinephrine Production and Associated With Depression-Like Behaviors in Rats
Authors: Kurban Nurhumar , Qin Yu , Zhao Hui-Ling , Hu Xiao , Chen Xi , Zhao Yi-Yi , Peng Yu-Shuo , Wang Hong-Bo , Cui Su-Ying , Zhang Yong-He
Published: December 2023

Background

Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is a hypothalamic neuropeptide that projects throughout the central nervous system, including the noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC). Our previous study suggested that MCH/MCH receptor 1 (MCHR1) in the LC may be involved in the regulation of depression. The present study investigated whether the role of MCH/MCHR1 in the LC in depression-like behaviors is associated with the regulation of norepinephrine.

Method

Chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) and an acute intra-LC microinjection of MCH induced depression-like behaviors in rats. The MCHR1 antagonist SNAP-94847 was also microinjected in the LC in rats that were suffering CUS or treated with MCH. The sucrose preference, forced swim, and locomotor tests were used for behavioral evaluation. Immunofluorescence staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blot, and high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection were used to explore the mechanism of MCH/MCHR1 in the regulation of depression-like behaviors.

Results

CUS induced an abnormal elevation of MCH levels and downregulated MCHR1 in the LC, which was highly correlated with the formation of depression-like behaviors. SNAP-94847 exerted antidepressant effects in CUS-exposed rats by normalizing tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine β hydroxylase, and norepinephrine in the LC. An acute microinjection of MCH induced depression-like behaviors through its action on MCHR1. MCHR1 antagonism in the LC significantly reversed the MCH-induced downregulation of norepinephrine production by normalizing MCHR1-medicated cAMP-PKA signaling.

Conclusions

Our study confirmed that the MCH/MCHR1 system in the LC may be involved in depression-like behaviors by downregulating norepinephrine production. These results improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of depression that is related to the MCH/MCHR1 system in the LC.
An Implied Term of Procedural Fairness During Disciplinary Processes: Into Contracts of Employment and Beyond?
Authors: Collins Philippa , Golding Gabrielle
Published: December 2023

The implication of a new term by law into contracts of employment is significant and relatively rare. In somewhat of a revelation, members of the Court of Appeal in Burn v Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust were receptive to the introduction of a duty that would require employers to act in accordance with procedural fairness during disciplinary processes. This article offers the first detailed examination of this development, commencing by exploring the nature, scope and necessity of such a term in the context of contracts of employment. The relationship between this emergent duty and the ‘Johnson exclusion zone’, which limits the remedies available at common law if the breach of the employer’s obligations alleged is the manner or fact of an employee’s dismissal, will be considered. We argue that the real potential of this duty lies in the prospect that it could be extended beyond contracts of employment and implied into, for example, contracts between workers and their employers. Such a development would be novel for the common law and make a substantial contribution to the regulation of a wider category of working relationships and to the pursuit of the objectives and aims of employment law.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infects Peripheral and Spinal Nerves and Induces Chemokine-Mediated Neuropathy
Authors: Pollard Kevin J , Traina-Dorge Vicki , Medearis Stephen M , Bosak Alexander , Bix Gregory J , Moore Michael J , Piedimonte Giovanni
Published: December 2023

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) primarily infects the respiratory epithelium, but growing evidence suggests that it may also be responsible for neurologic sequelae. In 3-dimensional microphysiologic peripheral nerve cultures, RSV infected neurons, macrophages, and dendritic cells along 2 distinct trajectories depending on the initial viral load. Low-level infection was transient, primarily involved macrophages, and induced moderate chemokine release with transient neural hypersensitivity. Infection with higher viral loads was persistent, infected neuronal cells in addition to monocytes, and induced robust chemokine release followed by progressive neurotoxicity. In spinal cord cultures, RSV infected microglia and dendritic cells but not neurons, producing a moderate chemokine expression pattern. The persistence of infection was variable but could be identified in dendritic cells as long as 30 days postinoculation. This study suggests that RSV can disrupt neuronal function directly through infection of peripheral neurons and indirectly through infection of resident monocytes and that inflammatory chemokines likely mediate both mechanisms.
Making International Things:Designing World Politics Differently
Authors: Austin Jonathan Luke , Leander Anna
Published: December 2023

Can we make international things—maps, algorithms, museums, visualizations, computer games, virtual reality tools? Objects that criss-cross global space, exert political influence, and produce novel forms of knowledge? This article, and the special issue it introduces, suggests that scholars of international relations can and should engage in the task of making concrete material, aesthetic, and technological objects that exceed the epistemic, logocentric, or textual. It joins a growing conversation focused on the potential of expanding the praxis of the social sciences into multimodal formats of design, craft, and making. In this article, we explore the intellectual, social, and political stakes of beginning to make international things, unpack the disciplinary reticence to engage in this task, and the potential dangers it entails. Most importantly, we suggest five central benefits moving in this direction holds: (i) generating a future-oriented social science; (ii) cultivating an “atmospheric” social science faithful to new materialist, feminist, and practice theories; (ii) embracing a radical collaborationist ethos more-suited to the demands of the day; (iv) investing us in sociopolitically committed scientific praxis; and (v) inaugurating a radically new disciplinary architecture of scholarly praxis.
Elucidating the potential of chlorogenic acid for controlling Morganella psychrotolerans growth and histamine formation
Authors: Wang Di , Zhao Yongqiang , Chen Shengjun , Wei Ya , Yang Xianqing , Li Chunsheng , Wang Yueqi
Published: December 2023

Aim

To investigate the inhibitory impact of chlorogenic acid (CGA) on the growth of Morganella psychrotolerans and its ability to form histamine.

Methods and Results

The antimicrobial effect of CGA on M. psychrotolerans was evaluated using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method, revealing an MIC value of 10 mg ml−1. The alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity, cell membrane potential, and scanning electron microscopy images revealed that CGA treatment disrupted cell structure and cell membrane. Moreover, CGA treatment led to a dose-dependent decrease in crude histidine decarboxylase (HDC) activity and gene expression of histidine decarboxylase (hdc). Molecular docking analysis demonstrated that CGA interacted with HDC through hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, in situ investigation confirmed the efficacy of CGA in controlling the growth of M. psychrotolerans and significantly reducing histamine formation in raw tuna.

Conclusion

CGA had good activity in controlling the growth of M. psychrotolerans and histamine formation.
Variation in Botanical Reference Materials: Similarity of Actaea Racemosa Analyzed by Flow Injection Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Harnly James , Upton Roy
Published: December 2023

Background

Botanical reference materials (BRMs) generally account for the species, cultivar, and year and location of harvest that result in variability in the chemical composition that may lead to statistically significant differences using chemometric methods.

Objective

To compare the chemical composition of five species of Actaea root BRMs, four herbal sources of A. racemosa root BRMs, and A. racemosa BRMS, and commercial roots and supplements using chemometric methods and selected pre-processing approaches.

Method

Samples were analyzed by flow injection mass spectrometry (FIMS), principal component analysis (PCA), and factorial multivariate analysis of variance (mANOVA).

Results

Statistically significant (P = 0.05) compositional differences were found between three genera (Actaea, Panax, and Ginkgo), five species of Actaea (A. racemosa, A. cimicifuga, A. dahurica, A. pachypoda, and A. rubra) root BRMs, four herbal sources of A. racemosa root BRMs, and A. racemosa BRMS and commercial roots and supplements. The variability of 6% of the BRM variables was found to be quantitatively conserved and reduced the compositional differences between the four sources of root BRMs. Compositional overlap of A. racemosa and other Actaea BRMs was influenced by variation in technical repeats, pre-processing methods, selection of variables, and selection of confidence limits. Sensitivity ranged from 94 to 97% and specificity ranged from 21 to 89% for the pre-processing protocols tested.

Conclusions

Environmental, genetic, and chemometric factors can influence discrimination between species and authentic botanical reference materials.

Highlights

Frequency distribution plots derived from soft independent modeling of class analogy provide excellent means for understanding the impact of experimental factors.
Is there a right time for dairy Alpine goat kid weaning: How does the weaning age of dairy Alpine goat kids affect their growth and behavior?
Authors: Bélanger-Naud Stéphanie , Wolfe Tania , Zambelis Athena , Lévesque Janie , Julien Carl , Vasseur Elsa
Published: December 2023

In dairy goat kids, weaning is often associated with poor growth leading to a decline in welfare and performance; however, little is known about optimal weaning practices. This study aimed to determine the optimal weaning age for dairy goat kids to maximize outcome measures of welfare related to growth, feed intake, and behavior. Thirty-six newborn female Alpine kids were blocked by weight and birth date, paired with a similar male companion and randomly allocated to one of the three weaning age treatments: 6 (6W), 8 (8W), and 10 wk (10W). Kids had ad libitum access to acidified milk replacer refilled twice daily, concentrates, hay, and water. Milk consumption was measured daily, and concentrate consumption, weekly. Ten behaviors were live observed on days −8, −4, 0, 6, and 12 relative to weaning (i.e., weaning day = 0). Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to assess differences from baseline between the 6W, 8W, and 10W treatments. Post hoc analysis using the Dwass, Steel, Critchlow-Fligner (DSCF) multiple comparison analysis was used to evaluate pairwise treatment differences based on two-sample Wilcoxon comparisons. Kids weaned at 10 wk had the greatest increase compared to baseline in concentrate consumption (P = 0.0160), and greatest decrease compared to baseline in vocalization (P = 0.0008) while both 8- and 10- wk kid’s groups had the greatest increase compared to baseline in self-grooming time (P < 0.0001), and cross-sucking time (P = 0.0006). Kids weaned at 6 wk of age were found to have the smallest increase compared to baseline in concentrate consumption (P = 0.0160) and self-grooming time (P < 0.0001), and the greatest increase compared to baseline in allogrooming time (P = 0.0032) and in redirected behaviors aimed towards the environment (biting and licking time [P = 0.0173]; displacement at the nipple frequency [P = 0.0236]). No negative impact of weaning on growth of either group was identified. Overall, our results tend towards a higher degree of discomfort behaviors (allogrooming, biting/licking, displacement, and vocalizations) in kids weaned earlier compared to later weaning, while kids weaned later showed higher levels of positive behaviors (lying time and self-grooming).
Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Increased Length of Stay After Acute Burn Injury: A Multicenter Analysis
Authors: Zavala Sarah , Pape Kate O , Walroth Todd A , Reger Melissa , Hoyte Brittany , Thomas Wendy , Adams Beatrice , Hill David M
Published: December 2023

In burn patients, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with increased incidence of sepsis and infectious complications. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of vitamin D deficiency in adult burn patients on hospital length of stay (LOS). This was a multicenter retrospective study of adult patients at 7 burn centers admitted over a 3.5-year period, who had a 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration drawn within the first 7 days of injury. Of 1147 patients screened, 412 were included. Fifty-seven percent were vitamin D deficient. Patients with vitamin D deficiency had longer LOS (18.0 vs 12.0 days, P < .001), acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring renal replacement therapy (7.3 vs 1.7%, P = .009), more days requiring vasopressors (mean 1.24 vs 0.58 days, P = .008), and fewer ventilator-free days of the first 28 days (mean 22.9 vs 25.1, P < .001). Univariable analysis identified burn center, AKI, TBSA, inhalation injury, admission concentration, days until concentration drawn, days until initiating supplementation, and dose as significantly associated with LOS. After controlling for center, TBSA, age, and inhalation injury, vitamin D deficiency was associated with longer LOS. In conclusion, patients with thermal injuries and vitamin D deficiency on admission have increased LOS and worsened clinical outcomes when compared with patients with nondeficient vitamin D concentrations.
Branding the Order of Texts and Bodies in Medieval South India
Authors: Peterson Jonathan
Published: December 2023

Branding is a popular mode of bodily marking among several Vaiṣṇava traditions in southern India. This article examines how a practice with no discernible basis in the Vedas was transformed into a marker of Vaidika piety and Brahman identity. I examine the first known Sanskrit treatise about devotional branding, a short essay titled Protective Amulet of Righteous Conduct (Saccaritrarakṣā) written by the influential Śrīvaiṣṇava scholar Vedānta Deśīka (c. 14th/15th CE). Like most of Vedānta Deśika’s writings, The Protective Amulet is an exemplar of high scholarship. But unlike many works of Sanskrit scholarship, the Protective Amulet seems to have bubbled up from a world of popular practice. This article is about the Vedicization of bodily branding and the process in which forms of reading and interpretation were used to transform new practices into allegedly timeless markers of identity and devotion. The close connection between branding as both a bodily and scholarly practice means that this article is also about the connection between words and flesh. Branding is, of course, material. It entails fire, metal, ash, sweat, skin, and scars. But branding is also semiotic and discursive, both in the many meanings grafted onto a single branded symbol as well as in the enormous volume of writing and debate that bodily branding provoked. A study of branding pushes us to think about texts and bodies as connected in ways that intellectual history and material studies have yet to fully acknowledge.
Site occupation and range expansion by the endangered, Mexican microendemic San Quintín Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys gravipes)
Authors: Andrade-Sánchez Jorge , Mellink Eric , Riojas-López Mónica E , Tremor Scott , Vanderplank Sula E
Published: December 2023

The San Quintin Kangaroo Rat, a rodent species microendemic to the San Quintin–El Rosario region in Baja California that was considered potentially extinct in the wild, was recently rediscovered. This stimulated subsequent searches by us throughout its known distribution range and on sites that seemed suitable beyond its limits. We captured the species at 19 out of 42 localities surveyed, of which 6 are beyond its historically known distribution range, expanding the latter by ~60 km. Most sites occupied by the species occur on abandoned farmland in early ecological successional stages. Our data support that in the highly transformed agricultural landscape into which the region was converted in the 20th century, the species was able to survive undetected and colonize/recolonize sites once habitat became adequate after agricultural abandonment. This exhibits that the species is highly resilient and persisted as a metapopulation. Further research and conservation actions must be framed within context of the region’s agricultural development.
Types of administrative burden reduction strategies: who, what, and how
Authors: Benish Avishai , Tarshish Noam , Holler Roni , Gal John
Published: December 2023

This article contributes to the growing body of research on administrative burdens by providing a theoretically and empirically driven typology of governments’ burden reduction strategies. Despite the mounting interest in burden reduction, the literature still lacks a typology for systematically identifying and classifying such strategies. The article identifies three analytical dimensions of burden reduction: distributive (who bears the burden), intensiveness (what the level of burden is), and relational (how burden is experienced in bureaucratic encounters). Based on these dimensions, and drawing on a systematic analysis of the case of social security in Israel, we identify, define, and characterize seven distinct strategies of burden reduction: shifting, sharing, discarding, simplifying, expediting, communicating, and respecting. The article concludes with a discussion of these strategies, their applicability, practical implications, and directions for the research agenda on burden reduction.
Comparison of capecitabine concentrations determined by microsampling versus plasma concentrations for therapeutic drug monitoring: a pilot study
Authors: Shafiei Mohsen , Galettis Peter , Beale Philip , Martin Jennifer H , McLachlan Andrew J , Blinman Prunella
Published: December 2023

Objectives

Therapeutic drug monitoring allows personalized dosing of chemotherapy, but is not well established for capecitabine. The aim of this study was to compare the concentrations of capecitabine and its metabolites obtained simultaneously by microsampling with plasma sampling and their acceptability to patients.

Methods

Adults taking capecitabine for cancer had paired (duplicate) microsampling at steady state (hour 2 post dose) using Mitra® devices and venous blood samples for analysis. Capecitabine and metabolites were measured using a validated mass spectrometry assay. Correlation between the sampling methods was determined. Patients’ preferences were elicited using a Likert numeric rating scale and pain by a Visual Analog Scale (range, 0–10).

Key findings

Capecitabine concentrations from 10 patients (60 paired samples) by microsampling and plasma sampling were highly correlated (Pearson correlation: 0.97, Coefficients of determination: 0.94, P < 0.0001). Capecitabine concentrations in capillary sampling were consistently lower than the paired plasma concentration (median capecitabine capillary/plasma concentration ratio = 2851/3846 μg/l 75%). The agreement between sampling matrices showed a 28% bias (95% Cl, 4.02–52.00). Participant ratings showed microsampling was the preferred method by all 10 patients. Most participants reported no pain with microsampling (median 0, range 0–1).

Conclusion

Capecitabine concentration measured by microsampling and plasma sampling were highly correlated, but consistently lower in microsampling. Microsampling was the preferred method with minimal pain.