bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal NT‐proBNP: Associations With Echocardiographic Changes and Outcomes in Heart Failure
Authors: Teramoto Kanako , Tay Wan Ting , Tromp Jasper , Ouwerkerk Wouter , Teng Tiew‐Hwa Katherine , Chandramouli Chanchal , Liew Oi Wah , Chong Jenny , Poppe Katrina K. , Lund Mayanna , Devlin Gerry , Troughton Richard W. , Doughty Robert N. , Richards Arthur Mark , Lam Carolyn S. P.
Published: April 2024

Background

The relationship of serial NT‐proBNP (N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide) measurements with changes in cardiac features and outcomes in heart failure (HF) remains incompletely understood. We determined whether common clinical covariates impact these relationships.

Methods and Results

In 2 nationwide observational populations with HF, the relationship of serial NT‐proBNP measurements with serial echocardiographic parameters and outcomes was analyzed, further stratified by HF with reduced versus preserved left ventricular ejection fraction, inpatient versus outpatient enrollment, age, obesity, chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, and attainment of ≥50% guideline‐recommended doses of renin‐angiotensin system inhibitors and β‐blockers. Among 1911 patients (mean±SD age, 65.1±13.4 years; 26.6% women; 62% inpatient and 38% outpatient), NT‐proBNP declined overall, with more rapid declines among inpatients, those with obesity, those with atrial fibrillation, and those attaining ≥50% guideline‐recommended doses. Each doubling of NT‐proBNP was associated with increases in left ventricular volume (by 6.1 mL), E/e′ (transmitral to mitral annular early diastolic velocity ratio) (by 1.4 points), left atrial volume (by 3.6 mL), and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (by −2.1%). The effect sizes of these associations were lower among patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction, atrial fibrillation, or advanced age (
P
interaction
<0.001). A landmark analysis identified that an SD increase in NT‐proBNP over 6 months was associated with a 27% increase in the risk of the composite event of HF hospitalization or all‐cause death between 6 months and 2 years (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.27 [95% CI, 1.15–1.40];
P
<0.001).

Conclusions

The relationships between NT‐proBNP and structural/functional remodeling differed by age, presence of atrial fibrillation, and HF phenotypes. The association of increased NT‐proBNP with increased risk of adverse outcomes was consistent in all subgroups.
Biomarker Periodic Repolarization Dynamics Indicates Enhanced Risk for Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death in Myocardial Infarction in Pigs
Authors: Bauer Julia , Vlcek Julia , Pauly Valerie , Hesse Nora , Xia Ruibing , Mo Li , Chivukula Aparna Sharma , Villgrater Hannes , Dressler Marie , Hildebrand Bianca , Wolf Eckhard , Rizas Konstantinos D. , Bauer Axel , Kääb Stefan , Tomsits Philipp , Schüttler Dominik , Clauss Sebastian
Published: April 2024

Background

Periodic repolarization dynamics (PRD) is an electrocardiographic biomarker that captures repolarization instability in the low frequency spectrum and is believed to estimate the sympathetic effect on the ventricular myocardium. High PRD indicates an increased risk for postischemic sudden cardiac death (SCD). However, a direct link between PRD and proarrhythmogenic autonomic remodeling has not yet been shown.

Methods and Results

We investigated autonomic remodeling in pigs with myocardial infarction (MI)–related ischemic heart failure induced by balloon occlusion of the left anterior descending artery (n=17) compared with pigs without MI (n=11). Thirty days after MI, pigs demonstrated enhanced sympathetic innervation in the infarct area, border zone, and remote left ventricle paralleled by altered expression of autonomic marker genes/proteins. PRD was enhanced 30 days after MI compared with baseline (pre‐MI versus post‐MI: 1.75±0.30 deg
2
versus 3.29±0.79 deg
2
,
P
<0.05) reflecting pronounced autonomic alterations on the level of the ventricular myocardium. Pigs with MI‐related ventricular fibrillation and SCD had significantly higher pre‐MI PRD than pigs without tachyarrhythmias, suggesting a potential role for PRD as a predictive biomarker for ischemia‐related arrhythmias (no ventricular fibrillation versus ventricular fibrillation: 1.50±0.39 deg
2
versus 3.18±0.53 deg
2
[
P
<0.05]; no SCD versus SCD: 1.67±0.32 deg
2
versus 3.91±0.63 deg
2
[
P
<0.01]).

Conclusions

We demonstrate that ischemic heart failure leads to significant proarrhythmogenic autonomic remodeling. The concomitant elevation of PRD levels in pigs with ischemic heart failure and pigs with MI‐related ventricular fibrillation/SCD suggests PRD as a biomarker for autonomic remodeling and as a potential predictive biomarker for ventricular arrhythmias/survival in the context of MI.
Development and Validation of a Nomogram of Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in Adult Pretricuspid Shunts After Correction
Authors: Zhou Zeming , Gu Yuanrui , Tian Lili , Zheng Hong , Li Shiguo
Published: April 2024

Background

Pretricuspid shunts have been associated with poorer survival rates in patients with Eisenmenger syndrome compared with postricuspid shunts and complex lesions. However, the risk stratification for persistent pulmonary hypertension (PH) in this population remains uncertain.

Methods and Results

We retrospectively enrolled 103 patients with pretricuspid shunts with high total pulmonary resistance >4.5 Wood units (estimated pulmonary vascular resistance ≥3 Wood units). During a mean±SD follow‐up of 20.95±24.84 months, 32 patients developed postoperative persistent PH after shunt correction. We identified 3 significant predictors of postoperative persistent PH, including mean pulmonary artery pressure after inhaled oxygen ≥40.5 mm Hg (odds ratio [OR], 7.78 [95% CI, 2.02–30.03];
P
<0.01), total pulmonary resistance after inhaled oxygen ≥6.5 Wood units (estimated pulmonary vascular resistance ≥5 Wood units; OR, 12.23 [95% CI, 2.12–70.46];
P
<0.01), and artery oxygen saturation at rest <95% (OR, 3.34 [95% CI, 1.07–10.44];
P
=0.04). We established the prediction model with the C‐statistics of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.77–0.93;
P
<0.01), and the C‐statistic was 0.83 (95% CI, 0.80–0.86) after bootstrapping 10 000 times with a good performance of the nomogram calibration curve for predicting persistent PH.

Conclusions

Our study presents a multivariable risk stratification model for persistent PH after shunt correction in adults with pretricuspid shunts. This model, based on 3 hemodynamic predictors after inhaled oxygen, may assist in identifying individuals at higher risk of persistent PH after shunt correction.
In Vivo Mapping of Myocardial Injury Outside the Infarct Zone: Tissue at an Intermediate Pathological State
Authors: Ren Kaixi , Hou Songwang , Johnson Steven E. , Lomasney Jon , Haney Chad R. , Lee Jungwha , Ge Zhi‐dong , Lee Daniel C. , Goldberger Jeffrey J. , Arora Rishi , Zhao Ming
Published: April 2024

Background

The goal was to determine the feasibility of mapping the injured‐but‐not‐infarcted myocardium using
99m
Tc‐duramycin in the postischemic heart, with spatial information for its characterization as a pathophysiologically intermediate tissue, which is neither normal nor infarcted.

Methods and Results

Coronary occlusion was conducted in Sprague Dawley rats with preconditioning and 30‐minute ligation. In vivo single‐photon emission computed tomography was acquired after 3 hours (n=6) using
99m
Tc‐duramycin, a phosphatidylethanolamine‐specific radiopharmaceutical. The
99m
Tc‐duramycin
+
areas were compared with infarct and area‐at‐risk (n=8). Cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells were isolated for gene expression profiling. Cardiac function was measured with echocardiography (n=6) at 4 weeks. In vivo imaging with
99m
Tc‐duramycin identified the infarct (3.9±2.4% of the left ventricle and an extensive area 23.7±2.2% of the left ventricle) with diffuse signal outside the infarct, which is pathologically between normal and infarcted (apoptosis 1.8±1.6, 8.9±4.2, 13.6±3.8%; VCAM‐1 [vascular cell adhesion molecule 1] 3.2±0.8, 9.8±4.1, 15.9±4.2/mm
2
; tyrosine hydroxylase 14.9±2.8, 8.6±4.4, 5.6±2.2/mm
2
), with heterogeneous changes including scattered micronecrosis, wavy myofibrils, hydropic change, and glycogen accumulation. The
99m
Tc‐duramycin
+
tissue is quantitatively smaller than the area‐at‐risk (26.7% versus 34.4% of the left ventricle,
P
=0.008). Compared with infarct, gene expression in the
99m
Tc‐duramycin
+
–noninfarct tissue indicated a greater prosurvival ratio (BCL2/BAX [B‐cell lymphoma 2/BCL2‐associated X] 7.8 versus 5.7 [cardiomyocytes], 3.7 versus 3.2 [endothelial]), and an upregulation of ion channels in electrophysiology. There was decreased contractility at 4 weeks (regional fractional shortening −8.6%,
P
<0.05; circumferential strain −52.9%,
P
<0.05).

Conclusions

The injured‐but‐not‐infarcted tissue, being an intermediate zone between normal and infarct, is mapped in vivo using phosphatidylethanolamine‐based imaging. The intermediate zone contributes significantly to cardiac dysfunction.
European and US Guideline‐Based Statin Eligibility, Genetically Predicted Coronary Artery Disease, and the Risk of Major Coronary Events
Authors: Park Hanjin , Kim Daehoon , You Seng Chan , Jang Eunsun , Yu Hee Tae , Kim Tae‐Hoon , Kim Dong‐min , Sung Jung‐Hoon , Pak Hui‐Nam , Lee Moon‐Hyoung , Yang Pil‐Sung , Joung Boyoung
Published: April 2024

Background

A study was designed to investigate whether the coronary artery disease polygenic risk score (CAD‐PRS) may guide lipid‐lowering treatment initiation as well as deferral in primary prevention beyond established clinical risk scores.

Methods and Results

Participants were 311 799 individuals from the UK Biobank free of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and lipid‐lowering treatment at baseline. Participants were categorized as statin indicated, statin indication unclear, or statin not indicated as defined by the European and US guidelines on statin use. For a median of 11.9 (11.2–12.6) years, 8196 major coronary events developed. CAD‐PRS added to European‐Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation 2 (European‐SCORE2) and US‐Pooled Cohort Equation (US‐PCE) identified 18% and 12% of statin‐indication‐unclear individuals whose risk of major coronary events were the same as or higher than the average risk of statin‐indicated individuals and 16% and 12% of statin‐indicated individuals whose major coronary event risks were the same as or lower than the average risk of statin‐indication‐unclear individuals. For major coronary and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events, CAD‐PRS improved C‐statistics greater among statin‐indicated or statin‐indication‐unclear than statin‐not‐indicated individuals. For atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events, CAD‐PRS added to the European evaluation and US equation resulted in a net reclassification improvement of 13.6% (95% CI, 11.8–15.5) and 14.7% (95% CI, 13.1–16.3) among statin‐indicated, 10.8% (95% CI, 9.6–12.0) and 15.3% (95% CI, 13.2–17.5) among statin‐indication‐unclear, and 0.9% (95% CI, 0.6–1.3) and 3.6% (95% CI, 3.0–4.2) among statin‐not‐indicated individuals.

Conclusions

CAD‐PRS may guide statin initiation as well as deferral among statin‐indication‐unclear or statin‐indicated individuals as defined by the European and US guidelines. CAD‐PRS had little clinical utility among statin‐not‐indicated individuals.
Clinical Significance of Coronary Arterial Dominance: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Wu Bovey , Kheiwa Ahmed , Swamy Pooja , Mamas Mamas A. , Tedford Ryan J. , Alasnag Mirvat , Parwani Purvi , Abramov Dmitry
Published: April 2024

Coronary dominance describes the anatomic variation of coronary arterial supply, notably as it relates to perfusion of the inferior cardiac territories. Differences in the development and outcome in select disease states between coronary dominance patterns are increasingly recognized. In particular, observational studies have identified higher prevalence of poor outcomes in left coronary dominance in the setting of ischemic, conduction, and valvular disease. In this qualitative literature review, we summarize anatomic, physiologic, and clinical implications of differences in coronary dominance to highlight current understanding and gaps in the literature that should warrant further studies.
Secondary Prevention in Patients With Stroke Versus Myocardial Infarction: Analysis of 2 National Cohorts
Authors: Rivier Cyprien A. , Acosta Julian N. , Leasure Audrey C. , Forman Rachel , Sharma Richa , de Havenon Adam , Spatz Erica S. , Inzucchi Silvio E. , Kernan Walter N. , Falcone Guido J. , Sheth Kevin N.
Published: April 2024

Background

The implementation of preventive therapies among patients with stroke remains inadequately explored, especially when compared with patients with myocardial infarction (MI), despite sharing similar vascular risk profiles. We tested the hypothesis that participants with a history of stroke have a worse cardiovascular prevention profile in comparison to participants with MI.

Methods and Results

In cross‐sectional analyses within the UK Biobank and All of Us Research Program, involving 14 760 (9193 strokes, 5567 MIs) and 7315 (2948 strokes, 4367 MIs) participants, respectively, we evaluated cardiovascular prevention profiles assessing low‐density lipoprotein (<100 mg/dL), blood pressure (systolic, <140 mm Hg; and diastolic, <90 mm Hg), statin and antiplatelet use, and a cardiovascular prevention score that required meeting at least 3 of these criteria. The results revealed that, within the UK Biobank, patients with stroke had significantly lower odds of meeting all the preventive criteria compared with patients with MI: low‐density lipoprotein control (odds ratio [OR], 0.73 [95% CI, 0.68–0.78];
P
<0.001), blood pressure control (OR, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.59–0.68];
P
<0.001), statin use (OR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.42–0.48];
P
<0.001), antiplatelet therapy use (OR, 0.30 [95% CI, 0.27–0.32];
P
<0.001), and cardiovascular prevention score (OR, 0.42 [95% CI, 0.39–0.45];
P
<0.001). Similar patterns were observed in the All of Us Research Program, with significant differences across all comparisons (
P
<0.05), and further analysis suggested that the odds of having a good cardiovascular prevention score were influenced by race and ethnicity as well as neighborhood deprivation levels (interaction
P
<0.05 in both cases).

Conclusions

In 2 independent national cohorts, patients with stroke showed poorer cardiovascular prevention profiles and lower adherence to guideline‐directed therapies compared with patients with MI. These findings underscore the need to explore the reasons behind the underuse of secondary prevention in vulnerable stroke survivors.
Urinary Proteomics and Outcomes in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction
Authors: Carland Corinne , Zhao Lei , Salman Oday , Cohen Jordana B. , Zamani Payman , Xiao Qing , Dongre Ashok , Wang Zhaoqing , Ebert Christina , Greenawalt Danielle , van Empel Vanessa , Richards A. Mark , Doughty Robert N. , Rietzschel Ernst , Javaheri Ali , Wang Yixin , Schafer Peter H. , Hersey Sarah , Carayannopoulos Leonidas N. , Seiffert Dietmar , Chang Ching‐Pin , Gordon David A. , Ramirez‐Valle Francisco , Mann Douglas L. , Cappola Thomas P. , Chirinos Julio A.
Published: April 2024

Background

Although several studies have addressed plasma proteomics in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, limited data are available on the prognostic value of urinary proteomics. The objective of our study was to identify urinary proteins/peptides associated with death and heart failure admission in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Methods and Results

The study population included participants enrolled in TOPCAT (Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure With an Aldosterone Antagonist Trial). The relationship between urine protein levels and the risk of death or heart failure admission was assessed using Cox regression, in both nonadjusted analyses and adjusting for urine creatinine levels, and the MAGGIC (Meta‐Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure) score. A total of 426 (12.4%) TOPCAT participants had urinary protein data and were included. There were 40 urinary proteins/peptides significantly associated with death or heart failure admission in nonadjusted analyses, 21 of which were also significant adjusted analyses. Top proteins in the adjusted analysis included ANGPTL2 (angiopoietin‐like protein 2) (hazard ratio [HR], 0.5731 [95% CI, 0.47–0.7];
P
=3.13E‐05), AMY2A (α amylase 2A) (HR, 0.5496 [95% CI, 0.44–0.69];
P
=0.0001), and DNASE1 (deoxyribonuclease‐1) (HR, 0.5704 [95% CI, 0.46–0.71];
P
=0.0002). Higher urinary levels of proteins involved in fibrosis (collagen VI α‐1, collagen XV α‐1), metabolism (pancreatic α‐amylase 2A/B, mannosidase α class 1A member 1), and inflammation (heat shock protein family D member 1, inducible T cell costimulatory ligand) were associated with a lower risk of death or heart failure admission.

Conclusions

Our study identifies several novel associations between urinary proteins/peptides and outcomes in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Many of these associations are independent of clinical risk scores and may aid in risk stratification in this patient population.
Temporal Trends, Outcomes, and Predictors of Next‐Day Discharge and Readmission Following Uncomplicated Evolut Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Propensity Score–Matched Analysis
Authors: Batchelor Wayne B. , Sanchez Carlos E. , Sorajja Paul , Harvey James E. , Galper Benjamin Z. , Kini Anapoorna , Keegan Patricia , Grubb Kendra J. , Eisenberg Ruth , Rogers Toby
Published: April 2024

Background

Next‐day discharge (NDD) outcomes following uncomplicated self‐expanding transcatheter aortic valve replacement have not been studied. Here, we compare readmission rates and clinical outcomes in NDD versus non‐NDD transcatheter aortic valve replacement with Evolut.

Methods and Results

Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology TVT (Transcatheter Valve Therapy) Registry patients (n=29 597) undergoing elective transcatheter aortic valve replacement with self‐expanding supra‐annular valves (Evolut R, PRO, and PRO+) from July 2019 to June 2021 were stratified by postprocedure length of stay: ≤1 day (NDD) versus >1 day (non‐NDD). Propensity score matching was used to compare risk adjusted 30‐day readmission rates and 1‐year outcomes in NDD versus non‐NDD, and multivariable regression to determine predictors of NDD and readmission. Between the first and last calendar quarter, the rate of NDD increased from 45.4% to 62.1% and median length of stay decreased from 2 days to 1. Propensity score matching produced relatively well‐matched NDD and non‐NDD cohorts (n=10 549 each). After matching, NDD was associated with lower 30‐day readmission rates (6.3% versus 8.4%;
P
<0.001) and 1‐year adverse outcomes (death, 7.0% versus 9.3%; life threatening/major bleeding, 1.6% versus 3.4%; new permanent pacemaker implantation/implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator, 3.6 versus 11.0%; [all
P
<0.001]). Predictors of NDD included non‐Hispanic ethnicity, preexisting permanent pacemaker implantation/implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator, and previous surgical aortic valve replacement.

Conclusions

Most patients undergoing uncomplicated self‐expanding Evolut transcatheter aortic valve replacement are discharged the next day. This study found that NDD can be predicted from baseline patient characteristics and was associated with favorable 30‐day and 1‐year outcomes, including low rates of permanent pacemaker implantation and readmission.
Detection of Epicardial Connection Through Intercaval Bundle Involving Right Pulmonary Veins After Ipsilateral Circumferential Ablation by Intra‐Atrial Activation Sequence Pacing From the Right Pulmonary Vein
Authors: Chikata Akio , Kato Takeshi , Usuda Kazuo , Fujita Shuhei , Usuda Keisuke , Kanatani Mao , Maruyama Michiro , Otowa Kan‐ichi , Kusayama Takashi , Tsuda Toyonobu , Hayashi Kenshi , Takamura Masayuki
Published: April 2024

Background

An epicardial connection (EC) through the intercaval bundle (EC‐ICB) between the right pulmonary vein (RPV) and right atrium (RA) is one of the reasons for the need for carina ablation for PV isolation and may reduce the acute and chronic success of PV isolation. We evaluated the intra‐atrial activation sequence during RPV pacing after failure of ipsilateral RPV isolation and sought to identify specific conduction patterns in the presence of EC‐ICB.

Methods and Results

This study included 223 consecutive patients who underwent initial catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. If the RPV was not isolated using circumferential ablation or reconnected during the waiting period, an exit map was created during mid‐RPV carina pacing. If the earliest site on the exit map was the RA, the patient was classified into the EC‐ICB group. The exit map, intra‐atrial activation sequence, and RPV‐high RA time were evaluated. First‐pass isolation of the RPV was not achieved in 36 patients (16.1%), and 22 patients (9.9%) showed reconnection. Twelve and 28 patients were classified into the EC‐ICB and non‐EC‐ICB groups, respectively, after excluding those with multiple ablation lesion sets or incomplete mapping. The intra‐atrial activation sequence showed different patterns between the 2 groups. The RPV‐high RA time was significantly shorter in the EC‐ICB than in the non‐EC‐ICB group (69.2±15.2 versus 148.6±51.2 ms;
P
<0.001), and RPV‐high RA time<89.0 ms was highly predictive of the existence of an EC‐ICB (sensitivity, 91.7%; specificity, 89.3%).

Conclusions

An EC‐ICB can be effectively detected by intra‐atrial sequencing during RPV pacing, and an RPV‐high RA time of <89.0 ms was highly predictive.
Motherhood and Domestic Authority in British and Colonial Quakerism, c.1650–1775
Authors: Pullin Naomi
Published: April 2024

This article explores how women, as mothers, acquired international influence within British and North American Quakerism between 1650 and 1775. It has been well established that Quakerism disrupted traditional domestic hierarchies, but less is known about the ways in which maternity provided agency for female Quakers in their everyday lives. This article focuses on the labors and experiences of women who did not undertake transatlantic travel, whose lives were primarily centered around raising their children and supporting the Quaker community. It shows how the evolving Religious Society of Friends enhanced the status of mothers in important ways, enabling women’s “reproductive labor” to be the subject of veneration and recognition. Using the journals and writings of traveling ministers, as well as correspondence exchanged between ministers, their hosts, and other members of the Society of Friends, it shows how women’s domestic roles provided a vital function for the transatlantic Quaker community.
Dewey, Adorno, and Pragmatist Aesthetics
Authors: Schulenberg Ulf
Published: April 2024

Pragmatist aesthetics has not yet reached its full potential. This is primarily due to the legacy of John Dewey’s aesthetics. In order to confront the shortcomings and insufficiencies of his aesthetics, pragmatist aestheticians ought to establish a dialogue with continental aesthetics. The attempt to clarify what pragmatist aesthetics can learn from Theodor W. Adorno’s materialist aesthetics is still a desideratum. This essay focuses on two aspects. First, it shows that pragmatist aestheticians can use Adorno’s modern aesthetics in order to gain a deeper and more complex understanding of the social nature or register of form (of what might be termed “die Gesellschaftlichkeit der Form”). Second, the essay demonstrates that Adorno, in contrast to Dewey, is valuable for the endeavor to grasp the significance of the dialectics of harmony and dissonance or organicity and fragmentation when analyzing modern art and literature.
Contingency without Rorty. Dewey and Addams on Art as Resistant Reconstruction
Authors: Ramazzotto Nicola
Published: April 2024

The purpose of this paper is to address Rorty’s critique of Dewey’s notion of experience and to reaffirm a view in which the call to experience is indispensable for a genuinely contingent philosophy. In the first part, I analyze Rorty’s critique of Dewey and show its inconsistency. In the second part, I draw a comparison between their aesthetic views and argue that a true aesthetic experience must consist in the cultivation and creative transfiguration of situational resistances. In the third part, using Jane Addams as an example, I illustrate how at Hull House the resistances provided by the situation were transfigured into original and meaningful aesthetic experiences that touched people’s lives and allowed for a meaningful and intelligent reconstruction.
How Can Regional Cooperation Help the Enhancement of Regional Economic Development and Strengthen the Voices of Developing Countries in Global Tax Negotiations?
Authors: Mosquera Valderrama Irma
Published: April 2024

The aims of this article are two-fold. First to provide a mapping of the regional initiatives and organizations and their link to regional tax cooperation and development. Second, to analyse how the existing regional cooperation initiatives and organizations can help to enhance regional economic development and to strengthen the voices of developing countries in international tax negotiations. This article concludes that the proliferation of memberships and organizations may be an obstacle to achieve regional economic development. Countries may want to participate in several agreements which may have the same or similar objectives, and in some cases, to withdraw from one or another, in order to focus on another agreement. The mapping of regional initiatives shows that more coordination is needed in order to strengthen the role of the regions in global tax negotiations not only at the BEPS Inclusive Framework but also at the United Nations level.
Italian Studies: Duecento and Trecento (Excluding Dante)
Authors: Griffin Jamie L.
Published: April 2024

This is a critical bibliographical survey of academic studies published in 2022 in the area of Italian Studies.
Italian Studies: Ottocento
Authors: Evangelista Stefano
Published: April 2024

This is a critical bibliographical survey of academic studies published in 2022 in the area of Italian Studies.
Rhaeto-Romance Studies: Language and Linguistics
Authors: Videsott Paul , Casalicchio Jan
Published: April 2024

This is a critical bibliographical survey of academic studies published in 2022 in the area of Rhaeto-Romance Studies.
Welsh Studies: Language, Linguistics, and Literature, Medieval Period
Authors: Rodway Simon
Published: April 2024

This is a critical bibliographical survey of academic studies published in 2022 in the area of Welsh Studies.
Breton and Cornish Studies: Language, Linguistics, and Literature
Authors: Davies-Deacon Merryn
Published: April 2024

This is a critical bibliographical survey of academic studies published in 2022 in the area of Breton and Cornish Studies.
German Studies: Literature and Film, 1990 to the Present Day
Authors: Potter Hilary , Painter Corinne
Published: April 2024

This is a critical bibliographical survey of academic studies published in 2022 in the area of German Studies.
Francophone and French Studies: Film Studies
Authors: Chaplin Felicity
Published: April 2024

This is a critical bibliographical survey of academic studies published in 2022 in the area of Francophone and French Studies.
Spanish-American Studies: The Colonial Period to 1898
Authors: Ríos Castaño Victoria
Published: April 2024

This is a critical bibliographical survey of academic studies published in 2022 in the area of Spanish-American Studies (the colonial period).
Russian Studies: Literature to 1700
Authors: Panova Olga B. , Mitchell Peter J.
Published: April 2024

This is a critical bibliographical survey of academic studies published in 2022 in the area of Russian Studies.
Russian Studies: Literature, 1917 to the Present Day
Authors: Panova Olga B. , Mitchell Peter J.
Published: April 2024

This is a critical bibliographical survey of academic studies published in 2022 in the area of Russian Studies.
Francophone and French Studies: Literature, 2000 to the Present Day
Authors: Kearney Beth
Published: April 2024

This is a critical bibliographical survey of academic studies published in 2022 in the area of Francophone and French Studies.
Keramat: Muḥammad’s Heirs and Nodes of a Multi-Centered Islam in Southeast Asia
Authors: Sevea Teren
Published: April 2024

Despite demographic realities, Muslim Southeast Asia remains one of the most marginalized regions in Islamic studies and in popular culture. This article grapples with one of the thorniest of allegations against the Islam of the “peripheries,” that the prevalence of saints and miracle workers, known as keramat in Southeast Asia, is nominally Islamic or syncretic and, thus, it is evidence of regional communities being “less-than-pure” Islamic. In doing so, this article analyzes the texts and traditions of keramat, focusing on Southeast Asian Islamic literature produced in Malay and Tamil from the late nineteenth century to the present. What emerges from a study of these texts, as well as of ongoing Islamic religious practices in the region, is a self-perception of Southeast Asian islands and cities as centers of Islam shaped by the network and circulation of keramat and ʿulamāʾ that operated as nodes of a multi-centered Islam. Arguing against attempts to flatten and essentialize Islam, Southeast Asian Islamic literature associated keramat with Muḥammad, highlighting how regional Islam and its rituals, liturgies, and ṭarīqa were directly passed down by the Prophet. Keramat texts emphasize that Southeast Asia’s saints and ʿulamāʾ were heirs of Muḥammad and enforcers of Muḥammad’s norms through bloodlines and other forms of intimacy. These texts, moreover, propose that some of the keramat buried in the region were the most consummate of Sufis, the Quṭb, or eschatological restorers, or Mahdi, and surpassed prophets in their miraculous powers. Overall, this is a story of miraculous narratives, devotional cultures, social memories, and sacral centers of the Islamic world that are often pushed to the peripheries of Islamic studies but refuse to be marginalized and forgotten.
Zarina’s Singularity: On Muslim Belonging and Unbelonging in the Modern World
Authors: Mian Ali Altaf
Published: April 2024

This article examines the predicament of Muslim identity in the modern world from the conceptual optics of singularity and unbelonging. These twin concepts are especially fleshed out in the artworks and interviews of Indian-American artist Zarina (1937–2020). Her words and works foreground what anti-colonial philosopher Leela Gandhi calls “minor globalism” and anti-identitarian belonging. Zarina thus highlights the ethics of singularity and the politics of unbelonging as alternatives to the two dominant models of the nation-state form in modern South Asia: composite nationalism and religious separatism. The article both contextualizes Zarina’s body of work in relation to the relevant theoretical conversations and relates the ethical and political implications of her minor globalism to Muslim identity discourses in modern South Asia.
Iqbal’s Falcons and Nightingales: Metaphor, Modernity, and the Poetics of Islam in South Asia
Authors: Chubb-Confer Francesca
Published: April 2024

Recent scholarship in Islamic studies has proposed ambiguity, especially in the form of literary metaphor and paradox, as integral to pre-modern Islam. However, literary ambiguity has also afforded an interpretive lens for articulations of modern Muslim identity. This article analyzes how two metaphors for the self – the nightingale and the falcon – function in Persian and Urdu ghazals of Muhammad Iqbal (d. 1938), for whom the resources of pre-modern Sufi poetry, especially ambiguity and paradox, become a method of meaning-making for the modern era. Iqbal’s use of these metaphors presents a nuanced view of the tensions between the inheritances of tradition and the demands of modernity for South Asian Muslims in the colonial era, and allows us to attend to the intersections of religion, literature, and politics in modern Islamic thought from the point of view of languages, genres, and geographies that remain marginal to the field of Islamic Studies.
Introduction: Centering Islamic Studies in Asia
Authors: Michael Jaclyn A.
Published: April 2024

This special issue explores historical and contemporary Asian Islamic traditions to offer an intentional grounding of Islamic studies in and as Asian Studies. Utilizing data from South, Southeast, and East Asian materials, the articles examine Islamic languages and literatures, socio-political institutions, legal practices, miracle workers and pilgrimage networks, and contemporary popular cultures. We build upon scholarship that represents global Islam as a civilizational process, a discursive tradition, a hermeneutic engagement, or as a cosmopolis. In drawing on Asian practices we reassess key categories, conclusions, and questions in the study of Islam such as the nature of Muslim centers and peripheries, the role of ambiguity in religious expression, the importance of the visual arts to identity formation, the gendered dimensions of legal authority and practice, the role of languages other than Arabic in constructing the Muslim community, and how modern Muslim welfare organizations and women’s pious fashion serve the aspirational goals of individuals and communities. Rectifying the legacies of colonialism and Orientalism in the marginalization of Asia in the study of Islam, we argue Islamic studies has much to learn from Asian perspectives and that Asia is an exceptional place from which the field can conceptualize Islamic traditions in broader terms.
Description of adult and larval Loricera from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (Coleoptera: Carabidae)
Authors: LI YAN-DA , TIHELKA ERIK , ENGEL MICHAEL S. , XIA FANG-YUAN , HUANG DI-YING , ZIPPEL ANA , TUN KAY LWIN , HAUG GIDEON T. , MÜLLER PATRICK , CAI CHEN-YANG
Published: April 2024

Loricera is a morphologically distinctive genus in Carabidae, exhibiting specialized feeding habits on springtails. Here we provide descriptions for both adult and larval specimens of Loricera from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber. The adult specimen, named as Loricera carsteni Li, Tihelka & Cai sp. nov., is characterized by the posteriorly unconstricted pronotal disc with produced anterior pronotal angles, wide and almost orthogonal elytral humeri, and elytral surface with no more than ten punctate striae. The validity of previously reported Cretoloricera is also critically reviewed.
Two new species of Burmusculidae (Hymenoptera: Pompiloidea) in mid-Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar
Authors: WU QIONG , VILHELMSEN LARS , ENGEL MICHAEL S. , SHIH CHUNG-KUN , REN DONG , GAO TAI-PING
Published: April 2024

Two new wasp species of Burmusculidae, Burmusculus abstrusus sp. nov. and Burmusculus primitivus sp. nov. are described from mid-Cretaceous amber of Myanmar. The new species are attributed to the family Burmusculidae and share the typical combination of diagnostic features of this family: forewing 2-M moderately short and distinctly angled with Rs+M and mesopleuron with no oblique sulcus. We observe variation in the presence/absence of plantulae on the tarsomeres of Burmusculus spp. and recommend that this character is included in species diagnoses in Burmusculidae. Tarsal plantulae are also observed in Pompilidae, the closest modern relatives of Burmusculidae.
New genus and species of Yuripopovinidae (Heteroptera: Pentatomomorpha) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber
Authors: DAI RUI , DU SI-LE , HU ZHENG-KUN , REN DONG , YAO YUN-ZHI
Published: April 2024

Based on an exquisitely preserved Yuripopovinidae specimen, a new genus and species, Tumpectus triporcatus gen. et sp. nov. is described and illustrated. The new genus has a unique vein pattern in the forewings, and we discuss the forewing veins features of the Yuripopovinidae. Furthermore, the new genus also has some interesting features that are different from other genera, comparison between the new species and other fossil genera in the Yuripopovinidae is provided.
A new genus of polistine wasps from the Oligocene of Aix-en-Provence, France (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)
Authors: ENGEL MICHAEL S. , NGUYEN LIEN T.P. , NEL ANDRÉ
Published: April 2024

Polistine wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) are iconic eusocial wasps found throughout the world, famed for their range of social organization and therefore a favorite subject for sociobiological studies (e.g., Gadagkar, 2001; Piekarski et al., 2018). The subfamily is currently organized into four tribes: the New World Epiponini and Mischocyttarini, the cosmopolitan Polistini, and the Afrotropical, Indomalayan, and Australian Ropalidiini.
A rare Plecia Wiedemann, 1828 (Diptera: Bibionidae) from the Paleocene of Menat, France
Authors: NEL ANDRÉ , KUNDURA JEAN-PAUL
Published: April 2024

The fly family Bibionidae is extremely frequently found in the lacustrine insect assemblages between the late Eocene and the latest Miocene of France. For instance, the Bibionidae represent 25% of the fossil insects collected at Cereste (total 7,466 specimens, Oligocene, Lubéron, France) (Nel, 1991). It is not the case in the Paleocene lacustrine Konservat-Lagerstätte of Menat (Puy-de-Dôme, France). In this outcrop, we could find only four specimens of Bibionidae in a collection of ca. 6,768 insects. Two of these were previously described by Nel (2007) and Nel & Kundura (2023), respectively in the genera Plecia and Bibio. They are so rare, around 0.1% of the total number of insects in the collections we could study, that it is worth describing the two others herein. These specimens were in the studied collection but we did not notice them before now.
The oldest aktassiid dragonfly (Odonata: Petaluroidea) from the Middle Jurassic of China
Authors: LIU YU-XUAN , CHEN PEI-CHAO , SHI CHAO-FAN , REN DONG , YANG QIANG
Published: April 2024

A new genus and species of true dragonfly Hongtaous caii gen. et sp. nov. is described from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, China. It is assigned to the family Aktasiidae based on the following: large and broad wings; narrow postnodal area with many cells distal of elongated pterostigma; very long and straight IR1; and widened area between RP1 and RP2, which is the oldest member of this family to date. Hongtaous caii sp. nov. differs from other genera by the configuration of wing venation such as: two rows of cells between RA and RP1 at level of Pt, and extending to the end of the wing; an elongated IR1, not distally vanishing; discoidal triangle and subdiscoidal triangle divided into multiple cells by transverse veins; presence of Rspl. In addition, its special cerci are simply discussed.
Driven apart: fossil parasitic long-legged velvet mite larvae on gall midges represent a long lost parasitic association between mites and dipterans
Authors: ARCE SOFÍA I. , HAUG CAROLIN , HAUG JOACHIM T. , AMARAL ANDRÉ P.
Published: April 2024

Parasites are virtually ubiquitous, and this has probably been the case for quite some time. The record of parasitic mites (sensu lato) goes back as far as the Carboniferous (~359–259 mya) and, in fact, they are one of the most reported parasites in amber. The six-legged larvae of the mite group Parasitengona have a wide host range, among which are flies. Here we report for the first time cases of larval erythraeoidean mites, commonly referred to as long-legged velvet mites, parasitising gall midges (Cecidomyiidae) in about 100 million years old (Cretaceous) Kachin amber, Myanmar. In three of the four cases here reported, a single erythraeoidean mite was attached to a gall midge, while in one of the cases two mites are associated to a gall midge host. Of the reported gall midges, one specimen represents the ingroup Lestremiinae, two represent unnamed lineages closely related to Cecidomyiinae, and one specimen might represent the group Cecidomyiinae, being the earliest record of this group so far. In the extant fauna, there are no records of associations of erythraeoidean larvae with gall midges. After the Cretaceous, long-legged velvet mites may have shifted their host range, although knowledge on the host range of parasitengonan mites is still limited to arrive to definitive conclusion.
Effect of Variable Viscosity on Entropy Generation Analysis Due to Graphene Oxide Nanofluid Convective Flow in Concentric Cylinders
Authors: Pashikanti Jagadeeshwar , Susmitha Priyadharshini D. R. , Chamkha Ali J.
Published: April 2024

Aggregated studies of graphene nanoparticles is important for the effective utilization of their striking thermophysical properties and extensive industrial applications. This investigation is one such computational study to explore the flow of graphene oxide nanofluids with temperature
dependant viscosity between two concentric cylinders. Buongiorno model is used to develop the flow of graphene nanofluids including the impacts of Soret and Dufour effects and the effects of nanoparticle characteristics such as thermophoresis and Brownian motion. The modelled equations are
transformed and are numerically solved using linearization method together with Chebyshev’s spectral collocation method under convective conditions. The impacts of embedded parameters on temperature, concentration and skin friction profiles of the chosen nanofluid and their consequent
impacts on the predominant cause for the generated entropy are studied. From the tabulated values of Nusselt number and Sherwood number, it is observed that convective heat transfer can be enhanced by thermal Biot number whereas Soret number enhances diffusive mass transfer and variable viscosity
parameter preferably reduces the skin friction. A comparison table is presented and it shows that the values obtained from the present method are in good agreement with existing literature. Also, the obtained results are depicted and interpreted in detail. Furthermore, entropy generation is
analysed and its irreversibilty is calculated.
Effect of Al2O3-Cu/Water Hybrid Nanofluid on Natural Convection in an Inverted T-Shaped Enclosure
Authors: Dey Sangita , Rathish Kumar B. V.
Published: April 2024

In the present study, the effect of Al2O3-Cu/water hybrid nanofluid (HNF) flow, governed by modified Navier-Stokes equations coupled with energy conservation on heat and mass transfer due to the natural convection in an inverted T shape domain is investigated numerically
by solving coupled non-linear PDE model using finite element method. The effect of the governing parameters like source length, Rayleigh number (Ra), 1 ≤ Ra ≤ 104, breadth of the vertical tube, volume fraction of nanoparticle (Φ), 0 ≤ Φ
≤ 0.01, 1 ≤ Pr ≤ 50, and aspect ratio (AR), 0.5 ≤ AR ≤ 2, etc. on Nusselt number has been analyzed and presented through tabulated values and Matlab plotting. Also, the flow and heat transfer sensitivity to the the governing parameters are depicted through
the streamline and isotherm contours.
Investigation of Melting Heat Transfer in Viscous Nanofluid Flow Including Micro-Organisms and Entropy Generation Due to an Inclined Exponentially Stretching Sheet
Authors: Olkha Amala , Choudhary Rahul
Published: April 2024

This study investigates melting heat transfer and entropy production in viscous nanofluid flow consisting of micro-organisms over an inclined exponentially stretching permeable sheet. The flow is considered via porous medium. Impacts of heat transport characteristics are invoked in
the energy equation. In concentration equation we have included chemical reaction impact. The regulating PDEs are transformed into nonlinear ODEs in non-dimensional form using adequate similarity transformation relations. The analytical solution of the problem is obtained utilizing HAM. Various
plots are drawn to exhibit impacts of the regulating parameters (Prandtl number, Porous medium parameter, Thermal Grashof number, Mass Grashof number, Micro-organism Grashof number, Thermophoresis parameter, Radiation parameter, Bio-convection Levis number, Brownian motion parameter, Chemical
reaction parameter, Suction parameter, Peclet number, and Melting parameter) occurred in the problem on relevant fields (flow, temperature and concentration distribution) and entropy production and discussed. Further values of significant physical quantities skin friction coefficient, Nusselt
number, Sherwood number, and motile microbes density computed using MATLAB based bvp4c function and HAM are displayed in tabular mode and found in excellent agreement. For validity of the results skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number values are compared to prior research, apparently
good agreement is found. The effect of melting surface parameter is found to reduce the fluid flow and temperature field. Entropy production lessens with rising values of slip parameters but effects of radiation and porous medium parameters are found to upsurge it. It is also noticed that
bioconvection Lewis number and Peclet number reduce the micro-organism density profile. Inclusion of entropy analysis is a novel feature of the study. The solution methodology also enriched the novelty of the investigation. The results of the study may be applied to improve the efficiency
of thermal, fluid flow and energy systems. This study may also find applications in bio-nano-coolant systems and heat transfer devices.
Thermodynamic Analysis of Magnetized Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) Conveying Ethylene Glycol (EG) Based Nanofluid Flow Through Porous Convergent/Divergent Channel in the Existence of Lorentz Force and Solar Radiation
Authors: Ullah Subhan , Ali Amir , Ullah Ikram , Israr Muhammad
Published: April 2024

Due to higher thermal features, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have significant uses in heating frameworks, medical, hyperthermia, industrial cooling, process of cooling in heat exchangers, electronic and pharmaceutical administration systems, heating systems, radiators, electrical, electronic
device batteries, and engineering areas. The main concern of present study is to inspect the EG based CNTs nanomaterials flow in a porous divergent/convergent channel with the application of Lorentz force. The Darcy-Forchheimer theory is utilized to investigate the nanofluid motion and thermal
features. Mathematical modeling is further developed by considering Joule heating, solar radiation and heat source. Ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are obtained by employing the proper transformations (obtained from symmetry analysis). The numerical computations are executed through
NDSolve technique using Mathematica tool. The upshots of distinct significant parameters on different profiles are displayed via numerical data and sketches. The major outcome is that, enhancement in nanoparticles volume fraction and in inertia coefficient escalate the nanofluids motion for
both divergent and convergent. Furthermore, drag forces exerted by the channel is more for higher porosity parameter and inertia coefficient. Also heat transfer rate is significantly enhances against radiation and heat source parameter and is more in case of stretching wall than the shrinking
one. Overall, the effect of MWCNT is about 3% is more than that of CWCNT.