bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Superintegrability and deformed oscillator realizations of quantum TTW Hamiltonians on constant-curvature manifolds and with reflections in a plane
Authors: Marquette Ian , Parr Anthony
Published: February 2024

We extend the method for constructing symmetry operators of higher order for two-dimensional quantum Hamiltonians by Kalnins et al (2010 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor.
43 265205). This expansion method expresses the integral in a finite power series in terms of lower degree integrals so as to exhibit it as a first-order differential operators. One advantage of this approach is that it does not require the a priori knowledge of the explicit eigenfunctions of the Hamiltonian nor the action of their raising and lowering operators as in their recurrence approach (Kalnins et al 2011 SIGMA
7 031). We obtain insight into the two-dimensional Hamiltonians of radial oscillator type with general second-order differential operators for the angular variable. We then re-examine the Hamiltonian of Tremblay et al (2009 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor.
42 242001) as well as a deformation discovered by Post et al (2011 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor.
44 505201) which possesses reflection operators. We will extend the analysis to spaces of constant curvature. We present explicit formulas for the integrals and the symmetry algebra, the Casimir invariant and oscillator realizations with finite-dimensional irreps which fill a gap in the literature.
Efficient characterization of blinking quantum emitters from scarce data sets via machine learning
Authors: Landry G , Bradac C
Published: February 2024

Single photon emitters are core building blocks of quantum technologies, with established and emerging applications ranging from quantum computing and communication to metrology and sensing. Regardless of their nature, quantum emitters universally display fluorescence intermittency or photoblinking: interaction with the environment can cause the emitters to undergo quantum jumps between on and off states that correlate with higher and lower photoemission events, respectively. Understanding and quantifying the mechanism and dynamics of photoblinking is important for both fundamental and practical reasons. However, the analysis of blinking time traces is often afflicted by data scarcity. Blinking emitters can photo-bleach and cease to fluoresce over time scales that are too short for their photodynamics to be captured by traditional statistical methods. Here, we demonstrate two approaches based on machine learning that directly address this problem. We present a multi-feature regression algorithm and a genetic algorithm that allow for the extraction of blinking on/off switching rates with ⩾85% accuracy, and with ⩾10× less data and ⩾20× higher precision than traditional methods based on statistical inference. Our algorithms effectively extend the range of surveyable blinking systems and trapping dynamics to those that would otherwise be considered too short-lived to be investigated. They are therefore a powerful tool to help gain a better understanding of the physical mechanism of photoblinking, with practical benefits for applications based on quantum emitters that rely on either mitigating or harnessing the phenomenon.
‘The Family as a Basic Institution’
Authors: Chambers Clare
Published: February 2024

This chapter engages with what has become known as the Rawls–Okin debate. The protagonists are John Rawls, widely credited with the late twentieth-century revival of liberalism as an academic political theory, and Susan Moller Okin, the preeminent liberal feminist in the same era. Rawls famously argued that justice was the first virtue of social institutions, but that it should apply only to those institutions that form part of the ‘basic structure’. Was the family one of them? As Okin famously pointed out, Rawls’ answer was both unclear and highly significant. This chapter analyses their debate, points out where Okin’s critique goes wrong and where it hits home, and shows that the issue of the family has serious consequences for Rawls’ theory of justice as a whole. Once we consider the family, we see that the fundamental Rawlsian claim that justice applies distinctly to the basic structure of society is untenable.
The Marriage-Free State
Authors: Chambers Clare
Published: February 2024

This chapter is an overview of Clare Chambers, Against Marriage: An Egalitarian Defence of the Marriage-Free State (Oxford University Press, 2017). It sets out the case for abolishing state-recognised marriage and replacing it with piecemeal regulation of personal relationships. The chapter starts by analysing feminist objections to traditional marriage, and argues that the various feminist critiques can best be reconciled and answered by the abolition of state-recognised marriage. The chapter then considers the ideal form of state regulation of personal relationships. Contra other feminist proposals, equality and liberty are not best served by the creation of a new holistic status such as civil union, or by leaving regulation to private contracts. Instead, the state should develop piecemeal regulations that apply universally.
‘There, Too, Is Rome’: The Roman Empire and the Conquest of Libya
Authors: Agbamu Samuel
Published: February 2024

This chapter charts the development of Italian imperial discourses on Roman imperialism during Italy’s 1911–1912 invasion of the Ottoman provinces Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, which make up modern Libya. As this region had comprised important provinces of the Roman empire, Italian ideologues of imperialism forcefully promoted rhetoric of an Italian return to Rome’s former territories. The invasion was timed for the fiftieth anniversary of Italian unification, solidifying the close relationship between empire and nation-building. This chapter looks at a broad range of cultural outputs from this period that promoted the notion of a return to territory rightfully Italian, with a special focus on Italian travel writing about North Africa. The chapter suggests that such rhetoric of return was characterized by a profound sense of nostalgia for an invented past.
Technology and Power: Screening Imperialism in Giovanni Pastrone’s Cabiria (1914)
Authors: Agbamu Samuel
Published: February 2024

This chapter considers the imperial ideology encoded in Giovanni Pastrone’s landmark film Cabiria (1914). This film is set against the backdrop of the Second Punic War and is deeply intertwined with the imperialist rhetoric of Italy during this period. The screenplay, credited to D’Annunzio (see Chapter 3), reflects the author’s deep classical erudition. The chapter considers how the film’s classical outlook harnesses new technologies of cinema, at the same time as promoting distinctly modern conceptions of nationhood and mass politics, ‘race’, and the role of gender in these discourses. The chapter concludes by suggesting that the film is deeply implicated in the same rhetoric of return exploited by Italian imperial ideology centred on Africa.
Redeeming Italia Irredenta: Fascism’s March on Africa
Authors: Agbamu Samuel
Published: February 2024

This chapter discusses how the idea of Roman imperialism in Africa was mobilized during Fascism’s rise to power, and in its first ten years of rule. This period saw the establishment of two new institutions that would prove instrumental in the promotion of Fascist imperial romanità: Istituto LUCE, the regime’s documentary production company, founded in 1924; and the Istituto di Studi Romani (ISR), founded in 1925. The central sections of the chapter analyse material unstudied in Classical Reception scholarship, including a 1932 monograph by Rodolfo Graziani and a 1926 LUCE newsreel entitled Ritorno di Roma (the return of Rome). I end this chapter by considering how the Punic War was invoked in a Fascist neo-Latin document, the Codex Fori Mussolini, setting Fascism’s rise to power within the framework of ancient Roman imperialism in Africa.
Conclusion: Memories of Mare Nostrum
Authors: Agbamu Samuel
Published: February 2024

The conclusion considers Italy’s changing relations with Africa and the Mediterranean in the last decades of the twentieth century and the first decades of this century. It considers what it means for Italy to have elected a Prime Minister belonging to the heir to Mussolini’s Fascist party, on the eve of the centenary of the March on Rome. The conclusion then focuses in particular on the ways in which the memory of the Roman Empire in Africa is selectively employed in the discourse surrounding the so-called ‘refugee crisis’ in the Mediterranean, and how this is underpinned by a more general colonial aphasia—the unsaid, rather than unremembered, of Italian colonial history.
Fresh Frozen, In-Alcohol, or Autologous Costal Cartilage? Analysis of Complications in Over 650 Revision Rhinoplasties
Authors: Pascali Michele , Gratteri Marco , Savani Luca , Rega Umberto , Marchese Gloria , Persichetti Paolo
Published: February 2024

Background

When there is insufficient autologous septal cartilage for graft sculpting in revision rhinoplasty, valid alternatives need to be found. Both autologous and homologous costal cartilage usage has been described in the literature. As there is no universally accepted consensus on cartilage choice, experience with different types of cartilage assumes significant importance in the rhinoplasty learning process.

Objectives

This multicenter prospective study outlined an overview of the authors' experience regarding short-term and long-term complications following revision rhinoplasty procedures in which either fresh frozen (FFCC), in-alcohol (IACC), or autologous costal cartilage (ACC) was used.

Methods

A total of 671 patients undergoing revision rhinoplasty between June 2015 and September 2020 were divided into 3 groups according to the type of cartilage used (Group 1, 212 patients with FFCC; Group 2, 239 patients with IACC; Group 3, 202 patients with ACC). Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and short- and long-term complications were described and discussed. A statistical analysis investigating a possible significance of the differences in complication rates was conducted.

Results

The data obtained indicated a short-term general complication rate of 5.05%, and a long-term complication rate of 7.04%. A statistically significant difference was identified in cartilage warping rate between the homologous cartilages in comparison to ACC.

Conclusions

FFCC, IACC, and ACC can be safely used in revision rhinoplasty with no statistically significant differences regarding short- and long-term complication rates. Cartilage warping rate is significantly higher for ACC compared with FFCC and IACC.

Level of Evidence: 2
Analytical Performance Specifications for Input Variables: Investigation of the Model of End-Stage Liver Disease
Authors: Andersen Eline S , Röttger Richard , Brasen Claus L , Brandslund Ivan
Published: February 2024

Background

Artificial intelligence models constitute specific uses of analysis results and, therefore, necessitate evaluation of analytical performance specifications (APS) for this context specifically. The Model of End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) is a clinical prediction model based on measurements of bilirubin, creatinine, and the international normalized ratio (INR). This study evaluates the propagation of error through the MELD, to inform choice of APS for the MELD input variables.

Methods

A total of 6093 consecutive MELD scores and underlying analysis results were retrospectively collected. “Desirable analytical variation” based on biological variation as well as current local analytical variation was simulated onto the data set as well as onto a constructed data set, representing a worst-case scenario. Resulting changes in MELD score and risk classification were calculated.

Results

Biological variation-based APS in the worst-case scenario resulted in 3.26% of scores changing by ≥1 MELD point. In the patient-derived data set, the same variation resulted in 0.92% of samples changing by ≥1 MELD point, and 5.5% of samples changing risk category. Local analytical performance resulted in lower reclassification rates.

Conclusions

Error propagation through MELD is complex and includes population-dependent mechanisms. Biological variation-derived APS were acceptable for all uses of the MELD score. Other combinations of APS can yield equally acceptable results. This analysis exemplifies how error propagation through artificial intelligence models can become highly complex. This complexity will necessitate that both model suppliers and clinical laboratories address analytical performance specifications for the specific use case, as these may differ from performance specifications for traditional use of the analyses.
High-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of the Northern Pacific sea star Asterias amurensis
Authors: Huang Zhichao , Liu Qi , Zeng Xiaoqi , Ni Gang
Published: February 2024

Asterias amurensis, a starfish species that is native to countries such as China and Japan, as well as non-native regions like Australia, has raised serious concerns in terms of its impact on ecology and economy. To gain a better understanding of its population genomics and dynamics, we successfully assembled a high-quality chromosome-level genome of A. amurensis using PacBio and Hi-C sequencing technologies. A total of 87 scaffolds assembly with contig N50 length of 10.85 Mb and scaffold N50 length of 23.34 Mb were obtained, with over 98.80% (0.48 Gb) of them anchored to 22 pseudochromosomes. We predicted 16,673 protein-coding genes, 95.19% of which were functionally annotated. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed that A. amurensis and Asterias rubens formed a clade, and their divergence time was estimated ~ 28 million years ago (Mya). The significantly enriched pathways and Gene Ontology terms related to the amplified gene family were mainly associated with immune response and energy metabolism, suggesting that these factors might have contributed to the adaptability of A. amurensis to its environment. This study provides valuable genomic resources for comprehending the genetics, dynamics, and evolution of A. amurensis, especially when population outbreaks or invasions occur.
Vaccines and myocardial injury in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection: the CardioCOVID-Gemelli study
Authors: Montone Rocco Antonio , Rinaldi Riccardo , Masciocchi Carlotta , Lilli Livia , Damiani Andrea , La Vecchia Giulia , Iannaccone Giulia , Basile Mattia , Salzillo Carmine , Caffè Andrea , Bonanni Alice , De Pascale Gennaro , Grieco Domenico Luca , Tanzarella Eloisa Sofia , Buonsenso Danilo , Murri Rita , Fantoni Massimo , Liuzzo Giovanna , Sanna Tommaso , Richeldi Luca , Sanguinetti Maurizio , Massetti Massimo , Trani Carlo , Tshomba Yamume , Gasbarrini Antonio , Valentini Vincenzo , Antonelli Massimo , Crea Filippo
Published: February 2024

Background

Myocardial injury is prevalent among patients hospitalized for COVID-19. However, the role of COVID-19 vaccines in modifying the risk of myocardial injury is unknown.

Aims

To assess the role of vaccines in modifying the risk of myocardial injury in COVID-19.

Methods and results

We enrolled COVID-19 patients admitted from March 2021 to February 2022 with known vaccination status and ≥1 assessment of hs-cTnI within 30 days from the admission. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of myocardial injury (hs-cTnI levels >99th percentile upper reference limit). A total of 1019 patients were included (mean age: 67.7 ± 14.8 years, 60.8% male, and 34.5% vaccinated against COVID-19). Myocardial injury occurred in 145 (14.2%) patients. At multivariate logistic regression analysis, advanced age, chronic kidney disease, and hypertension, but not vaccination status, were independent predictors of myocardial injury. In the analysis according to age tertiles distribution, myocardial injury occurred more frequently in the III tertile (≥76 years) compared with other tertiles (I tertile: ≤60 years; II tertile: 61–75 years) (P < 0.001). Moreover, in the III tertile, vaccination was protective against myocardial injury [odds ratio (OR): 0.57, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.34–0.94; P = 0.03], while a previous history of coronary artery disease was an independent positive predictor. In contrast, in the I tertile, chronic kidney disease (OR: 6.94, 95% CI: 1.31–36.79, P = 0.02) and vaccination (OR: 4.44, 95% CI: 1.28–15.34, P = 0.02) were independent positive predictors of myocardial injury.

Conclusion

In patients ≥76 years, COVID-19 vaccines were protective for the occurrence of myocardial injury, while in patients ≤60 years, myocardial injury was associated with previous COVID-19 vaccination. Further studies are warranted to clarify the underlying mechanisms.
Development and validation of the Aortic valve Stenosis Guarded by Amplified Risk Determination (ASGARD) risk score for safe monitoring in asymptomatic non-severe aortic valve stenosis
Authors: Hadziselimovic Edina , Greve Anders M , Sajadieh Ahmad , Olsen Michael H , Nienaber Christoph A , Ray Simon G , Rossebø Anne B , Wachtell Kristian , Dominguez Helena , Valeur Nana , Carstensen Helle G , Nielsen Olav W
Published: February 2024

Aims

Current guidelines recommend serial echocardiography at minimum 1–2-year intervals for monitoring patients with non-severe aortic valve stenosis (AS), which is costly and often clinically inconsequential. We aimed to develop and test whether the biomarker-based ASGARD (Aortic valve Stenosis Guarded by Amplified Risk Determination) risk score can guide the timing of echocardiograms in asymptomatic patients with non-severe AS.

Methods and results

The development cohort comprised 1093 of 1589 (69%) asymptomatic patients with mild-to-moderate AS who remained event-free one year after inclusion into the SEAS trial. Cox regression landmark analyses with a 2-year follow-up identified the model (ASGARD) with the lowest Akaike information criterion for association to AS-related composite outcome (heart failure hospitalization, aortic valve replacement, or cardiovascular death). Fine–Gray analyses provided cumulative event rates by ASGARD score quartiles. The ASGARD score was internally validated in the remaining 496 patients (31%) from the SEAS cohort and externally in 71 asymptomatic outpatients with non-severe AS from six Copenhagen hospitals. The ASGARD score comprises updated measurements of heart rate and age- and sex-adjusted N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide upon transaortic maximal velocity (Vmax) from the previous year. The ASGARD score had high predictive accuracy across all cohorts (external validation: area under the curve: 0.74 [95% CI, 0.62–0.86]), and similar to an updated Vmax measurement. An ASGARD score ≤ 50% was associated with AS-related event rates ≤ 5% for a minimum of 15 months.

Conclusion

The ASGARD score could provide a personalized and safe surveillance alternative to routinely planned echocardiograms, so physicians can prioritize echocardiograms for high-risk patients.
Preoperative assessment of fistula-in-ano using SonoVue enhancement during three-dimensional transperineal ultrasound
Authors: Yang Jun , Li Qing , Li Hua , Zhang Heng , Ren Donglin , Zhang Zhiyi , Su Dan , Qian Haihua
Published: February 2024

Background

Accurate preoperative evaluation of fistula-in-ano can guide the choice of surgical procedure and may improve healing rates. This prospective study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of conventional 3D transperineal ultrasound (3D-TPUS) compared with SonoVue (SVE)-enhanced 3D-TPUS for the detection and classification of anal fistula.

Methods

In this prospective study, 3D-TPUS reconstructions were performed before and after SVE enhancement in 60 patients with fistula-in-ano who intended to undergo surgery at the Department of Anorectal Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University (P. R. China) between January 2021 and October 2021. Accuracies of anal fistula classification, complexity classification, detection of anal fistula branches, and detection of internal opening between 3D-TPUS and SVE 3D-TPUS were compared based on a reference standard—intraoperative findings.

Results

This study enrolled 60 patients (mean age, 37.1 ± 11.4 years; mean follow-up, 9 ± 3 months). Intraoperative findings showed that the fistula type was intersphincteric in 23 patients (38.3%), trans-sphincteric in 35 (58.3%; 12 high and 23 low), and suprasphincteric in 2 (3.3%). Moreover, 68 internal openings were found. Compared with the accuracy of 3D-TPUS, that of SVE 3D-TPUS was similar in fistula classification [95.0% (57/60) vs 96.7% (58/60), P = 0.392], but significantly higher in internal opening evaluation [80.9% (55/68) vs 97.1% (66/68), P = 0.001], complexity classification [85.0% (51/60) vs 98.3% (59/60), P = 0.018], and detection of fistula branches [70.4% (19/27) vs 92.6% (25/27), P = 0.031].

Conclusions

SVE 3D-TPUS may be a useful examination for patients with perianal fistulae because of its high accuracy and consistency with intraoperative findings, especially in complex fistula-in-ano and difficult cases.
Models of Polysemy in Two English Dictionaries
Authors: Bond Francis , Maziarz Marek , Piotrowski Tadeusz , Rudnicka Ewa
Published: February 2024

In this paper we argue in favor of the radial semantic structure of polysemous entries from the New Oxford Dictionary of English (NODE) and the Merriam-Webster dictionary. We formalized four polysemy theories as algorithms linking word senses into polysemy networks, considering the semantic similarity of dictionary definitions calculated using large language models. Chaining algorithms maximized similarity within polysemy nets and adequately distinguished senses that in the two dictionaries are directly related from those more distant.
Evaluating Target Expansion for Eye Pointing Tasks
Authors: Zhang Xinyong
Published: February 2024

The idea of target expansion was proposed two decades ago for manual target acquisition, but it is not feasible to implement this idea in traditional user interfaces as the interactive system cannot know exactly which target is the desired one and should be expanded among several candidates. With the increasing maturity of eye tracking technology, gaze input has moved from an academically promising technique to an input method with built-in support in Windows 10; and target expansion has already become very feasible in the context of gaze input, as the user’s eye gaze is inherently an indicator of the desired target due to the natural eye-hand coordination in everyday tasks. However, a comprehensive evaluation is still lacking. In this study, two experiments were conducted, each with a different group of subjects, to investigate the effects of target expansion under different expansion feedback styles (visible vs. invisible), expansion factors, as well as different target appearances (i.e., circular vs. rectangular). The experimental results indicated that (1) the index of difficulty in eye pointing tasks (IDeye) does not depend on the initial size of the target, but on its final size, and that the corresponding human performance can be accurately predicted using the IDeye model instead of Fitts’ law; and that (2) the visible expansion style could disrupt the user’s fixations, making the measured human performance less efficient to some extent, but overall the theoretical predictions using the IDeye model were almost the same as the baselines. Following the experimental results, this study also provided some practical suggestions for UI design.
Scoping review of risk-scoring tools for early prediction of bloodstream infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales: do we really have a reliable risk-scoring tool?
Authors: Aslan Abdullah Tarik , Ezure Yukiko , Harris Patrick N A , Paterson David L
Published: February 2024

Background

Bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) are a global health concern. Rapid identification of CRE may improve patient outcomes and reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescription. The use of risk-scoring tools (RSTs) can be valuable for optimizing the decision-making process for empirical antibiotic therapy of suspected CRE bacteraemia. These tools can also be used to triage use of expensive rapid diagnostic methods.

Methods

We systematically reviewed the relevant literature in PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane, Web of Science, Embase and Scopus up to 1 November 2022 to identify RSTs that predict CRE BSIs. The literature review and analysis of the articles were performed by two researchers; any inconsistencies were resolved through discussion.

Results

We identified 9 RSTs developed for early prediction of CRE BSIs and only logistic regression was used for most studies. These RSTs were quite different from each other in terms of their performance and the variables they included. They also had notable limitations and very few of them were externally validated.

Conclusions

RSTs for early prediction of CRE BSIs have limitations and lack of external validity outside the local setting in which they were developed. Future studies to identify optimal RSTs in high and low CRE-endemic settings are warranted. Approaches based on rapid diagnostics and RSTs should be compared with a treatment approach using both methods in a randomized controlled trial.
The Living Wonders case: A Backwards Step in Australian Climate Litigation on Coal Mines
Authors: Peel Jacqueline
Published: February 2024

As one of the world’s largest exporters of coal and gas, Australia’s domestic regulation of fossil fuels plays an important part in global greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts. This analysis examines the Australian Federal Court’s Living Wonders decision—the latest judicial review challenge to coal mines based on Australia’s federal environmental law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).1 This legislation has significant flaws as a tool for regulating the climate impacts of fossil fuel projects, which the Living Wonders decision emphasises. The Federal Court found no legal error in the Environment Minister’s reasoning that large export-oriented coal mines will produce ‘no net increase’ in global emissions and/or have emissions which are too ‘small’ to warrant detailed assessment under the EPBC Act. The Living Wonders judgment delivers a blow to hopes for progressive, climate-friendly interpretation of Australia’s federal law in coal litigation and strengthens arguments for law reform.
Screening and identification of persistent viruses in cell lines derived from medically important arthropods
Authors: Matsumura Ryo , Kobayashi Daisuke , Faizah Astri Nur , Sasaki Toshinori , Itoyama Kyo , Isawa Haruhiko
Published: February 2024

Arthropod-derived cell lines serve as crucial tools for studying arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses). However, it has recently come to light that certain cell lines harbor persistent infections of arthropod-specific viruses, which do not cause any apparent cytopathic effects. Moreover, some of these persistent viral infections either inhibit or promote the growth of arboviruses. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to identify the presence of such persistent viruses and understand their impact on arboviral infections. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive virome analysis of several arthropod-derived cell lines, including mosquito-derived NIID-CTR, Ar-3, MSQ43, NIAS-AeAl-2, CCL-126 cells, and tick-derived IDE8 cells, along with flesh fly-derived NIH-Sape-4 cells. The aim was to determine if these cells were infected with persistent viruses. The results revealed the presence of 15 persistent viruses in NIID-CTR, Ar-3, MSQ43, NIAS-AeAl-2, and IDE8 cells. Among these, 11 were already known arthropod-specific viruses, while the remaining 4 were novel viruses belonging to Orthophasmavirus, Rhabdoviridae, Totiviridae, and Bunyavirales. In contrast, CCL-126 and NIH-Sape-4 cells appeared to be free of viral infections. This study provides valuable insights into the diversity and latency of arthropod-specific viruses within arthropod-derived cell lines. Further investigations are required to explore persistent viral infections in other arthropod-derived cell cultures and their effects on arbovirus replication. Understanding these factors will enhance the accuracy and reliability of experimental data obtained using these cell lines.
Combining magnetic resonance imaging with a multi-ancestry polygenic risk score to improve identification of clinically significant prostate cancer
Authors: Plym Anna , Madueke Ikenna , Naik Sachin , Isabelle Mark , Conti David V , Haiman Christopher A , Penney Kathryn L , Mucci Lorelei A , Khorasani Rhamin , Kibel Adam S
Published: February 2024

Multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) has emerged as an important tool for identifying clinically significant prostate cancer. We examined if the addition of a 400-variant multi-ancestry polygenic risk score (PRS) to mpMRI has the potential to improve identification. Based on data from 24 617 men from the Mass General Brigham Biobank, we identified 1243 men who underwent mpMRI. Men in the top PRS quartile were more likely to have clinically significant prostate cancer (47.1% vs 28.6% in the bottom PRS quartile, adjusted relative proportion 1.72 [95% CI = 1.35 to 2.19]). Both among men with a positive and a negative mpMRI, men in the top PRS quartile had the highest frequency of clinically significant cancer. In a constructed scenario for selecting men to undergo biopsy, use of the PRS lowered the frequency of missed clinically significant cancers from 9.1% to 5.9%. Our study provides initial support for using the PRS to improve identification of potentially lethal prostate cancer.
Pre-Transplantation Strategies for Infectious Disease Mitigation and Prevention
Authors: Heald-Sargent Taylor , Michaels Marian G , Ardura Monica I
Published: February 2024

Pediatric Infectious Disease (ID) clinicians play a critical role in helping prevent and mitigate infectious risks in children peri- and post-transplantation. Prevention starts during the pre-transplant evaluation and persists throughout the solid organ transplant and hematopoietic cell transplant continuum. The pre-transplant evaluation is an opportunity to screen for latent infections, plan preventative strategies, optimize immunizations, and discuss risk mitigation practices. An ideal pre-transplant evaluation establishes a relationship with the family that further promotes post-transplant infectious risk reduction. This manuscript builds on shared pediatric ID prevention strategies, introduces updated ID testing recommendations for transplant donors/candidates, highlights emerging data, and identifies ongoing knowledge gaps that are potential areas of research.
Cytomegalovirus Cell-mediated Immunity Assays in Pediatric Transplantation
Authors: Otto William R , Vora Surabhi B , Dulek Daniel E
Published: February 2024

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric transplantation. However, currently utilized CMV prevention paradigms have limitations, leading to research aimed at novel strategies for mitigation of CMV infection. Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) is crucial in controlling CMV infection and the use of CMV-specific CMI assays to guide prevention and treatment of CMV infection in both solid organ transplant and hematopoietic cell transplant recipients shows great promise. In this article, we review the immune response to CMV infection to highlight the rationale for CMI assays, describe available commercial assays and strategies for their use, and summarize relevant literature regarding the use of CMI assays in transplant recipients.
Molecular detection of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in bats from Portugal
Authors: Cruz Andreia V S , López-López Pedro , Santos-Silva Sérgio , Rivero-Juárez Antonio , Rebelo Hugo , Mesquita João R
Published: February 2024

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a microsporidia commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and a wide range of other animals, constituting a major cause of microsporidiosis in humans. Although E. bieneusi has been detected in humans, domestic, and wild animals in Portugal, and its presence in bats has been linked to zoonotic characteristics, its occurrence in bats within the country has not been reported. In this study, we investigated the presence of E. bieneusi in 380 bat fecal samples collected in mainland Portugal through a nested PCR assay targeting the internal transcribed spacer region and the flanking small and large subunits of the ribosomal RNA. Enterocytozoon bieneusi was detected in one bat sample (i.e., 0.26%; Pipistrellus pipistrellus). Additionally, another sample tested positive for Enterocytozoon sp. Phylogenetic analysis of the obtained ITS sequence of E. bieneusi revealed clustering within the potentially zoonotic Group 1. This study represents the first report of E. bieneusi in a bat from Europe. Findings presented here contribute to an enhanced understanding of E. bieneusi epidemiology.
The dissolution of planetesimals in electrostatic fields
Authors: Onyeagusi F C , Teiser J , Becker T , Wurm G
Published: February 2024

Planetesimals or smaller bodies in protoplanetary discs are often considered to form as pebble piles in current planet formation models. They are supposed to be large but loose, weakly bound clusters of more robust dust aggregates. This makes them easy prey for destructive processes. In microgravity experiments, we apply strong electric fields on clusters of slightly conductive dust aggregates. We find that this generates enough tensile stress on the fragile clusters to sequentially rip off the aggregates from the cluster. These experiments imply that electric fields in protoplanetary discs can dissolve pebble pile planetesimals. This process might induce a bias for the local planetesimal reservoir in regions with strong fields. Planetesimals prevail with certain kinds of compositions where they are either good isolators or compacted bodies. The less lucky ones generate pebble clouds that might be observable as signposts of electrostatic activity in protoplanetary discs.
Introducing cuDisc: a 2D code for protoplanetary disc structure and evolution calculations
Authors: Robinson Alfie , Booth Richard A , Owen James E
Published: February 2024

We present a new two-dimensional (2D) axisymmetric code, cuDisc, for studying protoplanetary discs, focusing on the self-consistent calculation of dust dynamics, grain-size distribution and disc temperature. Self-consistently studying these physical processes is essential for many disc problems, such as structure formation and dust removal, given that the processes heavily depend on one another. To follow the evolution over substantial fractions of the disc lifetime, cuDisc uses the cuda language and libraries to speed up the code through GPU acceleration. cuDisc employs a second-order finite-volume Godonuv solver for dust dynamics, solves the Smoluchowski equation for dust growth, and calculates radiative transfer using a multifrequency hybrid ray-tracing/flux-limited-diffusion method. We benchmark our code against current state-of-the-art codes. Through studying steady-state problems, we find that including 2D structure reveals that when collisions are important, the dust vertical structure appears to reach a diffusion-settling-coagulation equilibrium that can differ substantially from standard models that ignore coagulation. For low fragmentation velocities, we find an enhancement of intermediate-sized dust grains at heights of ∼1 gas scale height due to the variation in collision rates with height, and for large fragmentation velocities, we find an enhancement of small grains around the disc mid-plane due to collisional ‘sweeping’ of small grains by large grains. These results could be important for the analysis of disc spectral energy distributions or scattered light images, given these observables are sensitive to the vertical grain distribution.
Genetic Basis and Evolution of Structural Color Polymorphism in an Australian Songbird
Authors: Sin Simon Yung Wa , Ke Fushi , Chen Guoling , Huang Pei-Yu , Enbody Erik D , Karubian Jordan , Webster Michael S , Edwards Scott V
Published: February 2024

Island organisms often evolve phenotypes divergent from their mainland counterparts, providing a useful system for studying adaptation under differential selection. In the white-winged fairywren (Malurus leucopterus), subspecies on two islands have a black nuptial plumage whereas the subspecies on the Australian mainland has a blue nuptial plumage. The black subspecies have a feather nanostructure that could in principle produce a blue structural color, suggesting a blue ancestor. An earlier study proposed independent evolution of melanism on the islands based on the history of subspecies divergence. However, the genetic basis of melanism and the origin of color differentiation in this group are still unknown. Here, we used whole-genome resequencing to investigate the genetic basis of melanism by comparing the blue and black M. leucopterus subspecies to identify highly divergent genomic regions. We identified a well-known pigmentation gene ASIP and four candidate genes that may contribute to feather nanostructure development. Contrary to the prediction of convergent evolution of island melanism, we detected signatures of a selective sweep in genomic regions containing ASIP and SCUBE2 not in the black subspecies but in the blue subspecies, which possesses many derived SNPs in these regions, suggesting that the mainland subspecies has re-evolved a blue plumage from a black ancestor. This proposed re-evolution was likely driven by a preexisting female preference. Our findings provide new insight into the evolution of plumage coloration in island versus continental populations, and, importantly, we identify candidate genes that likely play roles in the development and evolution of feather structural coloration.
Clinical Value of Timely Targeted Therapy for Patients With Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer With Actionable Driver Oncogenes
Authors: Stricker Thomas , Jain Neha , Ma Esprit , Yu Elaine , Wang Rongrong , Schuldt Robert , Price Richard , Szado Tania , Sussell Jesse , Ogale Sarika , Lin Victor , Arrowsmith Edward , Slater Dennis , Vaena Daniel , Staszewski Harry , Fang Bruno , Seneviratne Lasika , Daniel Davey
Published: February 2024

Background

A recent real-world study observed that 24% of patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) with actionable driver oncogenes (ADOs) initiated nontargeted therapies before biomarker test results became available. This study assessed the clinical impact of the timing of first-line (1L) targeted therapies (TTs) in aNSCLC.

Materials and Methods

This retrospective analysis of a nationwide electronic health record–derived deidentified database included patients aged ≥18 years diagnosed with aNSCLC with ADOs (ALK, BRAF, EGFR, RET, MET, ROS-1, and NTRK) from January 1, 2015, to October 18, 2022, by biomarker testing within 90 days after advanced diagnosis and received 1L treatment. Cohorts were defined by treatment patterns ≤42 days after test results: “Upfront TT” received 1L TT ≤42 days; “Switchers” initiated 1L non-TT before or after testing but switched to TT ≤42 days; and “Non-switchers” initiated non-TT before or after testing and did not switch at any time. Adjusted multivariate Cox regression evaluated real-world progression-free survival, real-world time to next treatment or death, and real-world overall survival.

Results

A total of 3540 patients met the study criteria; 78% were treated in a community setting, and 50% underwent next-generation sequencing (NGS). There was no significant difference in outcomes between Switchers and Upfront TT; inferior outcomes were observed in Non-switchers versus Upfront TT.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrated improved outcomes with upfront 1L TT versus non-TT in patients with aNSCLC with ADOs and observed timely switching to TT after biomarker test result had similar outcomes to Upfront TT. Opportunities remain to improve the use of NGS for early ADO identification and determination of 1L TT.
The spatiotemporal properties of artificial feeding schemes influence the post-fledging movement of Egyptian Vultures
Authors: Reznikov Korin , Efrat Ron , Berger-Tal Oded , Sapir Nir
Published: February 2024

Many vulture populations have severely declined in the past decades, showing high juvenile mortality. To support these populations, feeding stations are used to increase food availability and to supply food without antibiotics and toxic compounds. Yet, supplying food at feeding stations may affect vulture behavior. We present a large-scale field experiment testing how different food provision schemes affected the movement of Egyptian Vultures (Neophron percnopterus). We used GPS transmitters harnessed to 18 vulture chicks and described their movements post-fledging. We categorized the vultures into 3 groups according to the feeding scheme used at feeding stations near their nests: frequent and spatially dispersed food supply (FD); non-frequent and spatially dispersed food supply (NFD); and frequent food supply, concentrated in one location (FC). We found that birds from all three groups increased their roosting distances from the nest with fledgling age, with the NFD and FC groups showing a greater increase than the FD group. Additionally, all 3 groups increased their daily flight distances, with the NFD group presenting the largest increase and the FD group presenting the smallest increase. Our findings offer new insights into the relevance of spatiotemporal differences in the management of feeding stations and show its effect on movement during birds’ early life stages, creating 2 main movement patterns: local and regional. Our findings can help decide upon the preferable feeding scheme in a way that will either encourage or reduce the early dispersal distances of fledglings, according to long- and short-term conservation objectives. For example, local movements during the post fledging period to known and stable food resources may reduce the risk of anthropogenic-induced mortality, while it may negatively affect long-term survival by hindering foraging, flight, and exploring skills and affect dispersion to future breeding sites.
Transcription factor AHL17 fine-tunes reactive oxygen species accumulation and cassava disease resistance
Authors: Bai Ruoyu , Zhou Mengmeng , Zheng Yu , Shi Haitao
Published: February 2024

Zinc finger protein 67 interacts with a transcription factor to fine-tune reactive oxygen species accumulation and immune responses during pathogen infection in cassava.
From pain compliance to leverage-based control: Evidence of reduced use of force severity and injuries following police training
Authors: Huff Jessica , Zauhar Sean , Agniel Denis
Published: February 2024

Training is a frequently requested response to contentious police use of force incidents. Yet limited research evaluating use of force training has been conducted and most has focussed on officer perceptions of training, as opposed to the impact of training on use of force in the field. We address this gap through evaluating a 120-h Response to Resistance and Aggression training developed and implemented by the Saint Paul Police Department. By integrating leverage-based control and de-escalation techniques, this program sought to reduce the severity of force used by police officers. Results from machine learning models indicate that training did reduce reliance on pain-compliance techniques. Adjusting for factors including encounter, subject, and officer characteristics, training was associated with an estimated 3.3 percentage point reduction in officer injuries and a 1.3 percentage point reduction in significant subject injury. These findings contribute to the evidence base surrounding effective police training programs.
How Parties and Ambitious Politicians Undermined American Democracy—and the Reforms that Might Save It
Authors: Nackenoff Carol
Published: February 2024

Asserting that American checks and balances have broken down, Lawrence Jacobs asserts that parties must filter out dangerous candidates such as Donald Trump. To do so requires a number of reforms to undo several wrong turns in the evolution of the party system. Ambitious political elites including Jefferson, Jackson, LaFollette, and McGovern introduced changes in the name of greater equality that served their own interests but also had a number of harmful consequences. Reforms are needed to expand and reinvigorate citizen political participation along many dimensions and curb elite influence. In his book Democracy Under Fire: Donald Trump and the Breaking of American History, Lawrence Jacobs offers a robust vision of democracy and argues democracy is incompatible with entrenching minority control of electoral outcomes or political decision-making. Yet some of the failures and changes that gave rise to current threats to democracy, including authoritarian candidates, have affected other nations and have causes that go beyond remedies considered here. Some of the modest reforms proposed by Jacobs seem unlikely to achieve the purposes he envisions. However, reforms that do not require constitutional amendments and broader citizen political engagement that extends beyond election season are welcome proposals.
PySSED: an automated method of collating and fitting stellar spectral energy distributions
Authors: McDonald Iain , Zijlstra Albert A , Cox Nick L J , Alexander Emma L , Csukai Alexander , Ramkumar Ria , Hollings Alexander
Published: February 2024

Stellar atmosphere modelling predicts the luminosity and temperature of a star, together with parameters such as the effective gravity and the metallicity, by reproducing the observed spectral energy distribution. Most observational data come from photometric surveys, using a variety of passbands. We herein present the Python Stellar Spectral Energy Distribution (PySSED) routine, designed to combine photometry from disparate catalogues, fit the luminosity and temperature of stars, and determine departures from stellar atmosphere models such as infrared or ultraviolet excess. We detail the routine’s operation, and present use-cases on both individual stars, stellar populations, and wider regions of the sky. PySSED benefits from fully automated processing, allowing fitting of arbitrarily large data sets at the rate of a few seconds per star.