bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rapid assessments of Pacific Ocean net coral reef carbonate budgets and net calcification following the 2014–2017 global coral bleaching event
Authors: Courtney Travis A. , Barkley Hannah C. , Chan Stephen , Couch Courtney S. , Kindinger Tye L. , Oliver Thomas A. , Kriegman David J. , Andersson Andreas J.
Published: June 2022

The 2014–2017 global coral bleaching event caused widespread coral mortality; however, its impact on the capacity for coral reefs to maintain calcium carbonate structures has not been determined. Here, we quantified remotely sensed maximum heat stress during the 2014–2017 bleaching event, census‐based net carbonate budgets from benthic imagery and fish survey data, and net reef calcification from salinity normalized seawater total alkalinity anomalies collected from 2017–2019 for 56 Pacific coral reef sites (Mariana Islands, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Remote Island Areas, and American Samoa). We incorporated the census‐based and chemistry‐based metrics to determine a calcification vulnerability index for each site to maintain calcium carbonate balance to provide accessible information to managers and policy makers. Most coral reef sites likely experienced ecologically severe (79%, n = 44) or significant (9%, n = 7) heat stress during the 2014–2017 coral bleaching event. Census‐based net carbonate budgets (mean ± 95% = 2.1 ± 0.6 kg CaCO3 m−2 yr−1) were positive for 77% of sites (n = 43), neutral for 16% of sites (n = 9), and negative for 7% of sites (n = 4). Chemistry‐based relative net reef calcification (mean ± 95% = 22 ± 10 μmol kg−1) was positive for 84% of sites (n = 47), neutral for 11% of sites (n = 6), and negative for 5% of sites (n = 3). The calcification vulnerability index suggested the Pacific Ocean reef sites surveyed were of minimal (68%, n = 38) to moderate (32%, n = 18) concern for maintaining calcium carbonate balance following the bleaching event. This suggests that many reefs maintained positive calcium carbonate balance, but that a large number of reefs may be approaching a potential threshold for maintaining their calcium carbonate balance under the climate crisis.
Profit sharing with a contest among agents
Authors: Wang Chong , Zheng Mingli
Published: June 2022

We consider how an internal competition in the form of a contest among agents can be combined with profit sharing in team production. The principal can choose to share between the principal and the agents as well as the sharing rule with a competitive contest among the agents. We show that under some conditions, a pure strategy equilibrium of profit sharing exists. In equilibrium, internal sharing involves a contest that is more competitive than proportional sharing, and the principal can get higher profit compared to proportional sharing.
Mental health‐focused foundation contributes to suicide prevention plan
Authors: Enos Gary
Published: June 2022

A Nebraska state agency and a charitable foundation have partnered on an effort to update a state suicide prevention plan in a process that has been heavy on public input from diverse stakeholders. Organizers said the eventual document will serve as a toolkit to guide individuals and groups in how they can make a difference in reducing suicide risk in their communities.
Collaborative aims to support youth MH needs in Michigan
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: June 2022

Communicating effectively and collecting pertinent data related to the mental health needs of children in Michigan are among the key components of a statewide student‐centered system with the goal to support students at risk for behavioral health issues. The Behavioral Health Learning Collaborative (BHLC) of Michigan comprises nearly 40 organizations, including school districts, child and adolescent health centers, social service agencies and health care organizations across the state.
Health care partnership to deliver inpatient care to children
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: June 2022

An innovative psychiatric health care system and top‐rated children's hospital, both Minnesota‐based, last week announced a new partnership that will deliver inpatient mental health services to patients as young as 6 years old. Health leaders say the move is intended to address the urgent mental health needs of vulnerable children and adolescents and provide them with age‐appropriate, personalized care.
Positive radial solutions of critical Hénon equations on the unit ball in ℝN$$ {\mathbb{R}}^N $$
Authors: Wang Cong , Su Jiabao
Published: June 2022

In this paper, we study the positive radial solutions for the Hénon equations with weighted critical exponents on the unit ball
in
with
. We first confirm that
with
is the critical exponent for the embedding from
into
and name
as the Hénon‐Sobolev critical exponent. Then, following the great ideas of Brezis and Nirenberg (Comm Pure Appl Math. 1983;36:437‐477), we establish the existence and nonexistence of positive radial solutions of the problems with single Hénon‐Sobolev critical exponent and linear or nonlinear but subcritical perturbations. We further study the problems with multiple critical exponents, which may be Hénon‐Sobolev critical exponents, Hardy‐Sobolev critical exponents, or Sobolev critical exponents. The methods and arguments involved with are the mountain pass theorem and the strong maximum principle and the Pohozaev identity.
Shift‐channel attention and weighted‐region loss function for liver and dense tumor segmentation
Authors: Li Jiajian , Huang Guoheng , He Junlin , Chen Ziyang , Pun Chi‐Man , Yu Zhiwen , Ling Wing‐Kuen , Liu Lizhi , Zhou Jian , Huang Jinhua
Published: June 2022

Purpose

To assist physicians in the diagnosis and treatment planning of tumor, a robust and automatic liver and tumor segmentation method is highly demanded in the clinical practice. Recently, numerous researchers have improved the segmentation accuracy of liver and tumor by introducing multiscale contextual information and attention mechanism. However, this tends to introduce more training parameters and suffer from a heavier computational burden. In addition, the tumor has various sizes, shapes, locations, and numbers, which is the main reason for the poor accuracy of automatic segmentation. Although current loss functions can improve the learning ability of the model for hard samples to a certain extent, these loss functions are difficult to optimize the segmentation effect of small tumor regions when the large tumor regions in the sample are in the majority.

Methods

We propose a Liver and Tumor Segmentation Network (LiTS‐Net) framework. First, the Shift‐Channel Attention Module (S‐CAM) is designed to model the feature interdependencies in adjacent channels and does not require additional training parameters. Second, the Weighted‐Region (WR) loss function is proposed to emphasize the weight of small tumors in dense tumor regions and reduce the weight of easily segmented samples. Moreover, the Multiple 3D Inception Encoder Units (MEU) is adopted to capture the multiscale contextual information for better segmentation of liver and tumor.

Results

Efficacy of the LiTS‐Net is demonstrated through the public dataset of MICCAI 2017 Liver Tumor Segmentation (LiTS) challenge, with Dice per case of 96.9 and 75.1, respectively. For the 3D Image Reconstruction for Comparison of Algorithm and DataBase (3Dircadb), Dices are 96.47 for the liver and 74.54 for tumor segmentation. The proposed LiTS‐Net outperforms existing state‐of‐the‐art networks.

Conclusions

We demonstrated the effectiveness of LiTS‐Net and its core components for liver and tumor segmentation. The S‐CAM is designed to model the feature interdependencies in the adjacent channels, which is characterized by no need to add additional training parameters. Meanwhile, we conduct an in‐depth study of the feature shift proportion of adjacent channels to determine the optimal shift proportion. In addition, the WR loss function can implicitly learn the weights among regions without the need to manually specify the weights. In dense tumor segmentation tasks, WR aims to enhance the weights of small tumor regions and alleviate the problem that small tumor segmentation is difficult to optimize further when large tumor regions occupy the majority. Last but not least, our proposed method outperforms other state‐of‐the‐art methods on both the LiTS dataset and the 3Dircadb dataset.
Interindividual variability of human thermoregulation: Toward personalized ergonomics of the indoor thermal environment
Authors: Khovalyg Dolaana , Ravussin Yann
Published: June 2022

Objective

The study was undertaken to show the magnitude of interindividual differences in energy expenditure (i.e., heat production) under normal living conditions with the aim of providing physiological evidence to support the advancement of a personalized thermal conditioning approach.

Methods

Three sets of experimental protocols with six participants were conducted at neutral and mild cold temperatures. Energy expenditure, local skin temperatures, and core body temperature were measured continuously, while cognitive performance and thermal sensation were surveyed intermittently. The protocols were designed to study the effects of several normal day activities, low‐level physical activity and eating a meal, on metabolic and physiological parameters.

Results

Large interindividual differences among the subjects were demonstrated using non‐normalized data by design. The resting metabolic rate difference was 58%, the percentage change in energy expenditure during standing compared to sitting was up to 31%, and the difference in mechanical work efficiency between the least and the most efficient individual was 39.1%. Energy expenditure increase due to the meal effect was 11.2% to 23.3% at neutral and 9.9% to 33.9% at mild cold temperatures across individuals.

Conclusions

Large interindividual differences in metabolic rate under typical everyday living and office activities suggest facilitating personalized thermal conditioning instead of providing uniform temperature. Therefore, it is necessary to find noninvasive markers that can be easily measured and used as surrogates for human heat production to individualize the climate control of buildings.
Eco‐friendly UV‐curable polyurethane‐silica superhydrophobic coating with superb mechanical durability
Authors: Gharieh Ali , Pourghasem Mohammadreza
Published: June 2022

Herein, a facile, scalable, and cost‐effective method was used to fabricate eco‐friendly superhydrophobic UV‐curable polyurethane‐silica nanocomposite coating with promising physicomechanical properties. Fluorinated UV‐curable polyurethane dispersion was synthesized and used as the binder of the superhydrophobic coating along with hydrophobically modified silica nanoparticles as textured topography. The chemical structures of the employed silica nanoparticles, prepared UV‐curable polymer, and superhydrophobic coating were thoroughly studied by FTIR analysis. It has been revealed that the prepared SH coating possesses well‐defined micro/nano‐scale roughness, high contact angle (159°), and low sliding angle (1.5°), which can be applied onto various substrates. Also, the exceptional durability of the fabricated coating against sandpaper abrasion (over 80 m) without losing its superhydrophobicity revealed the high capability of the prepared waterborne coating to be used in harsh practical applications. Additionally, due to the highly cross‐linked structure of the prepared SH coating, the applied coating could maintain its integrity even after 30 days of immersion in different organic solvents. Moreover, the prepared coatings showed substantial potential for use in self‐cleaning and oil/water separation fields (> 98% efficiency after 15 cycles of oil/water separations). We are convinced that the prepared hybrid coating could offer a practical approach for fabricating of superhydrophobic materials as promising nominates for disparate fields.
Constructing nano SiO2‐anchored hyperbranched polymer hybrid architectures for thermosetting epoxy systems with outstanding mechanical property
Authors: Wang Tingting , Yuan Li , Liang Guozheng , Gu Aijuan
Published: June 2022

A hybrid architecture system was developed via in situ formation of SiO2 nanoparticles in the cavities of COOH‐terminated hyperbranched aromatic polyester (CHBPE). Results show that SiO2 nanoparticles can be successfully anchored in the cavities of CHBPE owing to the hyperbranched structure of CHBPE. The resulting CHBPE‐SiO2 system is applied to epoxy (EP) resins using 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS) as curing agent. Because –COOH groups in CHBPE‐SiO2 system can react with epoxy groups, the conversion of epoxy groups in EP/CHBPE‐SiO2 systems can be improved, and the strong interface interaction between EP matrix and CHBPE‐SiO2 can be realized. The resulting EP/CHBPE‐SiO2 composites have excellent mechanical property. When the contents of CHBPE‐SiO2 are 8%–20%, the impact strengths, the flexural strengths and the tensile strengths of EP/CHBPE‐SiO2 composites can reach 24–46 kJ/m2, 121–165 MPa and 57–71 MPa, respectively, which are 16.1–31.9‐fold, 4.0–5.9‐fold and 8.9–11.3‐fold higher than those of pure EP, respectively. EP/16%CHBPE‐SiO2 composites have the optimal comprehensive mechanical property. The initial thermal decomposition temperature at 5 wt% weight loss (Tdi) and glass‐transition temperature (Tg) of EP composites can increase by 70–84°C and 30–43°C, respectively, after introducing 8%–20% CHBPE‐SiO2. Moreover, the dielectric constants of EP composites with 8%–20% CHBPE‐SiO2 decrease by 3%–11% as compared to pure EP. The high dispersion of SiO2 in EP/CHBPE‐SiO2 composite and the strong interface interaction between EP matrix and CHBPE‐SiO2 can contribute to the outstanding comprehensive property of EP/CHBPE‐SiO2 composite.
Aircraft observations and reanalysis depictions of trends in the North Atlantic winter jet stream wind speeds and turbulence
Authors: Tenenbaum Joel , Williams Paul D. , Turp Debi , Buchanan Piers , Coulson Robert , Gill Philip G. , Lunnon Robert W. , Oztunali Marguerite G. , Rankin John , Rukhovets Leonid
Published: June 2022

Multiple studies have considered whether increased anthropogenic CO2 will affect the wind speeds and turbulence associated with the winter North Atlantic polar‐front jet stream in the upper atmosphere. Key questions are whether any effects can already be seen and, if so, can they be seen independent of computer models of the atmosphere. In this study we use two reanalyses, NCEP/NCAR and the ECMWF ERA5, and two large observational archives, AMDAR/ACARS and the Global Aircraft Data Set (GADS), to try to answer these questions for the period 2002–2020 when automated aircraft observations were plentiful over the North Atlantic. We focus on eastbound, New York to London, flights. No significant increase appears in reanalyses during the last roughly 40 years (1979–2020) which is our best estimate for the modern satellite era. In contrast, for the last roughly 20 years (2002–2020) both the ERA5 reanalysis (2.5% per year) and the GADS archive (1.2% to 1.4% per year) show a statistically significant rise in the wind speed in the North Atlantic jet streak exit region. These results must be considered in the context of atmospheric oscillations, changes to the North Atlantic Track System (NATS), and the effects of aircraft step climbs. We estimate that up to 0.5% of the rise may be due to improvements in the NATS operations and an unknown additional amount may be due to the substantial increase in automated aircraft observations starting in 1997. We also examine the impact of aircraft observations on one's confidence in drawing conclusions from secular changes in the reanalyses. For turbulence, the Light turbulence trends are not statistically significant. Our confidence in the turbulence results is more limited since these observations reflect medium‐term changes in tactical and strategic aircraft operational procedures as well as the underlying prevalence of turbulence.
Upregulating microRNA‐210 to Inhibit Apoptosis of Neural Stem Cells with an MRI–Visible Nanomedicine for Stroke Therapy
Authors: Zhang Qinyuan , Cai Jiali , Wang Zhiyong , Wang Zhe , Lin Bingling , Zhao Junya , Mao Jiaji , Li Yunhua , Li Jianing , Yang Xieqing , Shuai Xintao , Lu Liejing , Shen Jun
Published: June 2022

Transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) is a promising paradigm for treating stroke. However, the poor survival of transplanted NSCs greatly limits the therapeutic potential. microRNA‐210 (miR‐210), a key hypoxia‐regulated miRNA, can enhance cell survival by targeting the expression of multiple apoptosis‐related genes, such as caspase‐8‐associated protein‐2 (casp8ap2), Bax, and Bcl‐2. Meanwhile, a noninvasive cell‐tracking method is also indispensable for monitoring the in vivo cell‐based therapy. Herein, an MRI–visible nanomedicine is developed to codeliver superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles and miR‐210 into NSCs. This therapeutic nanomedicine not only promotes the survival of NSCs via upregulating miR‐210 to inhibit NSCs apoptosis but also allows an in vivo tracking of transplanted NSCs with MRI. The enhanced NSCs survivability significantly promotes the structural and functional recovery after stroke onset, which highlights the great potential of the multifunctional nanomedicine to improve the therapeutic efficacy of NSCs for stroke treatment.
Surgical management of subependymoma in a cat
Authors: Sakamoto Karin , Chambers James K. , Fujimoto Jumpei , Maeda Sadatoshi , Kamishina Hiroaki
Published: June 2022

A 10‐year‐old, domestic shorthair cat was presented with a 7‐month history of anorexia and 2‐month history of severe obtundation. Neurological examination revealed proprioceptive ataxia and decreased postural reactions in the four limbs. On magnetic resonance imaging, a contrast‐enhanced mass lesion dorsal to the obex region was found, causing cerebellar and brainstem compression. The mass was aspirated by an ultrasonic aspirator and complete removal was achieved. After surgery, the mental status and appetite of the cat was markedly improved. On histopathological examination, the mass was diagnosed as subependymoma. The cat was neurologically normal, and no recurrence was observed on magnetic resonance imaging 3 months postoperatively. There was no evidence of clinical recurrence at 8 month postoperative follow‐up by telephone interview. This is the first description of surgical management of subependymoma in a cat. Subependymoma is a benign tumour in cats, and the prognosis is expected to be good after surgical management as reported in humans.
Compressive hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion in a dog
Authors: Kornmayer Matthias , Fiedler Sonja , Rosati Marco , Meyer‐Lindenberg Andrea
Published: June 2022

An 8‐year‐old female neutered Maltese Bichon Frise was presented to a small animal hospital for assessment of acute paraplegia. Diagnostic imaging including plain spinal radiographs and CT angiography was neither suggestive of an intervertebral disc extrusion nor any other abnormalities could be detected. The dog was referred to the emergency service of a specialty hospital for an MRI scan. The MRI showed features of a hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion (HNPE) at L2‐3. Subsequent hemilaminectomy identified a mixture of white gelatinous and partly firm material. Cytology and histology were consistent with a partially degenerated nucleus pulposus. Compressive HNPE of the lumbar spine was diagnosed. The dog was discharged 5 days postoperatively. At the last follow‐up conducted by phone interview (2 months postoperatively), the owner reported normal ambulation without any signs of neurologic deficits.
Field redefinitions, perturbative unitarity and Higgs inflation
Authors: Karananas Georgios K. , Shaposhnikov Mikhail , Zell Sebastian
Published: June 2022

Abstract

For inflation driven by the Higgs field coupled non-minimally to gravity, we study the cutoff energy scale above which perturbation theory breaks down. Employing the metric formulation, we first give an overview of known results and then provide a new way to calculate a lower bound on the cutoff. Our approach neither relies on a gauge choice nor does it require any calculation of amplitudes. Instead, it exploits the fact that the S-matrix is invariant under field redefinitions. In agreement with previous findings, we demonstrate that the cutoff is significantly higher during inflation than in vacuum, which ensures the robustness of semi-classical predictions. Along the way, we generalize our findings to the Palatini formulation and comment on a useful parametrization of the Higgs doublet in both scenarios.
Estimating poverty for refugees in data-scarce contexts: an application of cross-survey imputation
Authors: Dang Hai-Anh H. , Verme Paolo
Published: June 2022

The increasing growth of forced displacement worldwide has brought more attention to measuring poverty among refugee populations. However, refugee data remain scarce, particularly regarding income or consumption. We offer a first attempt to measure poverty among refugees using cross-survey imputation and administrative and survey data collected by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Employing a small number of predictors currently available in the UNHCR registration system, the proposed methodology offers out-of-sample predicted poverty rates that are not statistically different from actual poverty rates. These estimates are robust to different poverty lines, perform well according to targeting indicators, and are more accurate than those based on asset indexes or proxy means tests. They can also be obtained with relatively small samples. We additionally show that it is feasible to provide poverty estimates for one geographical region based on existing data from another similar region.
Predictive assays for craniofacial malformations: evaluation in Xenopus laevis embryos exposed to triadimefon
Authors: Battistoni Maria , Metruccio Francesca , Di Renzo Francesca , Bacchetta Renato , Menegola Elena
Published: June 2022

Craniofacial defects are one of the most frequent abnormalities at birth, but their experimental evaluation in animal models requires complex procedures. The aim of the present work is the comparison of different methodologies to identify dose- and stage-related craniofacial malformations in Xenopuslaevis assay (R-FETAX, where the full cartilage evaluation, including flat mount technique, is the gold standard for skeletal defect detection). Different methods (external morphological evaluation of fresh samples, deglutition test, whole mount cartilage evaluation and Meckel–palatoquadrate angle measurements) were applied. Triadimefon (FON) was selected as the causative molecule as it is known to induce craniofacial defects in different animal models, including the amphibian X.laevis.

FON exposure (0–31.25 μM) was scheduled to cover the whole 6-day test (from gastrula to free swimming tadpole stage) or each crucial developmental phases: gastrula, neurula, early morphogenesis, late morphogenesis, tadpole. Dose-dependent effects (fusions among craniofacial cartilages) were evident for groups exposed during the morphogenetic periods (neurula, early morphogenesis, late morphogenesis); gastrula was insensitive to the tested concentrations, tadpole group showed malformations only at 31.25 μM. The overall NOAEL was set at 3.9 μM. Results were evaluated applying benchmark dose (BMD) approach. The comparison of relative potencies from different methods showed deglutition as the only assay comparable with the gold standard (cartilage full evaluation).

In conclusion, we suggest deglutition test as a reliable method for a rapid screening of craniofacial abnormalities in the alternative model X.laevis. This is a rapid, inexpensive and vital test allowing to preserve samples for the application of further morphological or molecular investigations.
Parasite–copepod interactions in Svalbard: diversity, host specificity, and seasonal patterns
Authors: Cleary Alison C. , Callesen Trine A. , Berge Jørgen , Gabrielsen Tove M.
Published: June 2022

Copepods of the genera Calanus and Pseudocalanus are important components of Arctic marine ecosystems. Despite the key roles of these zooplankters, little is known about the organisms they interact with most intimately, their parasites and symbionts. We applied metabarcode sequencing to uncover eukaryotic parasites present within these two copepod genera from three areas around the high Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Ten distinct parasite groups were observed: four different Apostome ciliates, four different dinoflagellates (Chytriodinium sp., Ellobiopsis sp., Thalassomyces sp., and Hematodinium sp.), a Paradinium sp., and a trematode. Apostome ciliates closely related to Pseudocollinia spp. were the most commonly observed parasite, with overall infection rates of 21.5% in Calanus and 12.5% in Pseudocalanus. Infection by these ciliates varied seasonally, with no infections observed in early winter, but infection rates exceeding 75% in spring. Host specificity varied between parasites, with significant differences in infection rate between the two host copepod genera for four parasites (two ciliates, Chytriodinium, and a trematode). The diverse assemblage of parasites observed in these copepods, and the frequency of infection, with over one in five copepod individuals infected, suggest parasites may be playing a greater role in Arctic plankton communities than generally acknowledged.
Impact of fish consumption on all-cause mortality in older people with and without dementia: a community-based cohort study
Authors: Bakre Aishat T. , Chen Anthony , Tao Xuguang , Hou Jian , Yao Yuyou , Nevill Alain , Tang James J. , Rohrmann Sabine , Ni Jindong , Hu Zhi , Copeland John , Chen Ruoling
Published: June 2022

Background

Increased fish consumption reduces the risk of dementia. However, it is unknown whether fish consumption reduced all-cause mortality in people with dementia. The purpose of the study is to investigate the association of fish consumption with all-cause mortality in older people with dementia versus those without dementia.

Methods

Using a standard method of the Geriatric Mental State, we interviewed 4165 participants aged ≥ 60 years who were randomly recruited from five provinces in China during 2007–2009 to collect the baseline data of socio-demography, disease risk factors, histories of disease, and details of dietary intakes, and diagnosed dementia (n = 406). They were followed up for vital status until 2012.

Results

The cohort follow-up documented 329 deaths; 61 were in participants with dementia (55.3 per 1000 person-years) and 224 were those without dementia (22.3). In all participants, the risk of all-cause mortality was reduced with fish intake at “ ≥ twice a week” (multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio 0.58, 95% CI 0.34–0.96) and at “once a week or less” (0.79, 0.53–1.18) compared to “never eat” over the past two years. In participants without baseline dementia, the corresponding HRs for all-cause mortality were 0.57 (0.33–0.98) and 0.85 (0.55–1.31), while in participants with dementia were 1.36 (0.28–6.60) and 1.05 (0.30–3.66), respectively.

Conclusion

This study reveals that consumption of fish in older age reduced all-cause mortality in older people without dementia, but not in people with dementia. Fish intake should be increased in older people in general, prior to the development of dementia in the hope of preventing dementia and prolonging life.
Non-invasive assessment of the physiological role of leaf aerenchyma in Hippeastrum Herb. and its relation to plant water status
Authors: Cabrita Paulo
Published: June 2022

Main conclusion

The leaf patch clamp pressure probe combined with gas exchange measurements provides a non-invasive approach for measuring leaf aerenchyma pressure and study its physiological role in plants.

The non-invasive leaf patch clamp pressure probe (LPCP) measures the output pressure, Pp, in response to the pressure applied by two magnets clamped to a leaf. In many plant species, it has been observed that the diel pattern of Pp follows the changes in the leaf turgor pressure reversely. The genus Hippeastrum comprises 143 species and many hybrids and cultivars of high economic value within Amaryllidaceae. Their leaves are characterized by the presence of aerenchyma composed of lacunae, running throughout the leaf and composing most of the mesophyll volume. In Hippeastrum, the diel changes of the LPCP output pressure are the reverse of that observed on the air pressure in the leaf aerenchyma, Pa, which depends on the changes in the leaf vapor pressure occurring during photosynthesis. A theoretical model is proposed and confirmed experimentally by LPCP and gas exchange measurements. The output pressure, Pp, in Hippeastrum can be related to the plant water status through the gas exchange processes that occur during photosynthesis. Considering the natural habitats of Hippeastrum species, these results agree with the physiological role of leaf aerenchyma in facilitating gas transport and light scattering in leaves, thus contributing to the photosynthetic efficiency of these plants under adverse environments. A second, but supplemental, interpretation of the LPCP output pressure, Pp, when applied on species in which the aerenchyma constitutes most of the mesophyll volume is presented.
Optimization of whole-cell vaccines with CpG/αOX40/cGAMP to strengthen the anti-tumor response of CD4+ T cells in melanomas
Authors: Du Xuedan , Wu Jinting , Zhao Ye , Wang Bin , Ding Xiaobo , Lin Qiuyan , Chen Yingyu , Zhao Jinduo , Liu Lixiao , Mao Xiaolu , Fang Zhen , Zhang Chunhong , Li Wenfeng
Published: June 2022

Methods

In this study, we developed a strategy for the prevention and therapy of melanoma using a whole-cell vaccine combined with a CpG/αOX40/cGAMP triple adjuvant. The CpG/αOX40/cGAMP triple adjuvant was used to co-culture melanoma cells in vitro to induce immunogenic death of tumor cells. The mixture of inactivated tumor cells and the triple drug was an optimized tumor whole-cell vaccine, which was injected subcutaneously into mice for tumor prevention and therapy. Furthermore, we analyzed the changes of immune cells in spleen and tumor by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry, and detected the changes of cytokines after vaccine application by cytometric bead array to explore the specific mechanism of vaccine.

Results

In vaccine prevention and therapy experiments, it was observed that the tumor growth was significantly inhibited in the whole-cell vaccine group, and the survival time of mice was significantly prolonged. Flow cytometry results showed that the proportion of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells in tumor of mice in vaccine group was higher than that in control group, especially the CD4+ T cells.

Conclusion

The optimized vaccine has the unique ability to amplify tumor-specific CD4+ T cells, which improves antitumor sensitivity, and has a significant effect on the prevention and therapy of melanoma mice.
Klinische Ethik systemisch betrachtet – Vom Einfluss systemischer Grundannahmen und Methoden auf die Gestaltung einer effektiven Ethikberatung
Authors: Woellert Katharina
Published: June 2022

Krankenhäuser müssen sich an der ethischen Qualität ihrer Versorgung messen lassen. Es geht dabei um einen Zustand, in dem allgemein anerkannte moralische Normen in der Patient:innenversorgung konsequent berücksichtigt werden. Damit sind zwei Ebenen angesprochen: die der ethisch-normativen Deutung und die der Gestaltung intra- und interpersonaler Prozesse. Die Klinische Ethik ist die Disziplin, die in der Verbindung beider ihre zentrale Aufgabe sieht. Um sie zu erfüllen, muss Ethikarbeit auf der Basis komplexer Kompetenzen erfolgen. Neben fundiertem Ethikwissen ist das Beherrschen von geeigneten Methoden für die Steuerung solcher Prozesse eine unabdingbare Voraussetzung. Dazu aber ist die Studienlage vergleichsweise dünn. Die vorliegende Arbeit greift dieses Desiderat auf und geht dabei von der Hypothese aus, dass die Systemik einen wichtigen Beitrag zu einer im obigen Sinne effektiven Ethikarbeit leisten kann. Die Darstellung gibt einen Einblick in das systemische Denken und diskutiert die Möglichkeiten, die systemisches Handwerkszeug für die Herausforderungen der Klinischen Ethik bereithält. Die Ausführungen laden dazu ein, über den Einfluss systemischer Grundannahmen und Methoden auf die Gestaltung einer effektiven Ethikarbeit nachzudenken. Darüber hinaus ruft dieser Beitrag dazu auf, die Beratungsmethodik als solche mehr in den Fokus zu rücken.
Serum S100B correlates with health-related quality of life and functional outcome in patients at 1 year after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage
Authors: Aineskog Helena , Johansson Conny , Nilsson Robert , Koskinen Lars-Owe D. , Lindvall Peter
Published: June 2022

Background

Early, objective prognostication after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) is difficult. A biochemical marker would be desirable. Correlation has been found between levels of the protein S100 beta (S100B) and outcome after aSAH. Timing and clinical usefulness are under investigation.

Methods

Eighty-nine patients admitted within 48 h of aSAH were included. Modified ranking scale (mRS), EuroQoL health-related quality of life measure (EQ-5Dindex) and EuroQoL visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) values were evaluated after 1 year. S100B was measured in blood samples collected at admission and up to day 10.

Results

S100B correlated significantly with EQ-5Dindex and mRS, but not EQ-VAS at 1 year after aSAH. A receiver operating characteristic analysis for peak S100B values (area under the curve 0.898, 95% confidence interval 0.828–0.968, p < 0.0001), with a cutoff of 0.4 μg/l, yielded 95.3% specificity and 68% sensitivity for predicting unfavourable outcome. Dichotomized S100B (> 0.4 μg/l vs ≤ 0.4 μg/l), age and Hunt and Hess grading scale score (HH) were associated with unfavourable mRS outcome in univariate logistic regression analysis. Dichotomized S100B was the only variable independently correlated with unfavourable mRS outcome in a multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Conclusions

For the first time, S100B was shown to correlate with mRS and health-related quality of life at 1 year after aSAH. Peak S100B can be used as a prognostic factor for unfavourable outcome measured as dichotomized mRS after aSAH. A peak value cutoff of 0.4 μg/l is suggested. Ethical approval no: 2013/366-31, 4th of February 2014.
Alterungsbedingte Gefäßveränderungen am Beispiel der Arteria carotis
Authors: Reutersberg Benedikt , Düppers Philip , Menges Anna-Leonie , Schrimpf Claudia , Zimmermann Alexander , Pelisek Jaroslav
Published: June 2022

Einer der Hauptrisikofaktoren für das Vorliegen einer Karotisstenose und des karotisbedingten Schlaganfalls ist das Lebensalter. Ziel dieses Übersichtsartikels ist die Darstellung des aktuellen Wissensstands über altersbedingte Veränderungen der Gefäße am Beispiel der Karotisstenose.

Die Gefäßalterung (vaskuläre Seneszenz) als Abnahme struktureller und funktioneller Eigenschaften der Gefäßwand spielt sich auf verschiedenen Ebenen ab. Auf multizellulärer Ebene kommt es mit zunehmendem Alter hauptsächlich aufgrund von atherosklerotischen Veränderungen der Gefäßwand zu einer Zunahme von Gefäßvolumen und -durchmesser sowie der Intima-Media-Dicke. Auf zellulärer und extrazellulärer Ebene kommt es zur Abnahme von Elastinfasern, glatten Muskelzellen und der Gesamtzellularität sowie zur Zunahme der Lipid‑, Cholesterin- und Kalziumphosphatablagerungen und der Neovaskularisierung. Ursachen der Gefäßalterung auf molekularer Ebene sind insbesondere oxidativer Stress, chronische Entzündungsreaktion, mitochondriale Dysfunktion, epigenetische Veränderungen, Dysregulation der Expression nicht kodierender RNAs (ncRNAs) und die Zunahme der Seneszenz. Der altersbedingte Verlust der Heilungs- und Reparaturfähigkeit des Gewebes macht die Plaques vulnerabler und im Falle der A. carotis anfälliger für ischämische Schlaganfälle.

Zunehmende Erkenntnisse über den Einfluss des Alterns auf die Epigenetik und der ncRNAs in atherosklerotischen Plaques kann zukünftig das individuelle Risiko von Patienten genauer quantifizieren und zur Entwicklung zielgerichteter Therapiestrategien beitragen. Weitere Studien sind auf diesem Gebiet jedoch notwendig, um das gesamte Ausmaß der Gefäßalterung und den damit einhergehenden Erkrankungen zu verstehen, damit diesen dann gezielt entgegenwirkt werden kann.
Postoperative Wundinfektionen
Authors: Garabet Waseem , Wolters Katharina , Schelzig Hubert , Rembe Julian-Dario
Published: June 2022

Hintergrund

Postoperative Wundinfektionen sind nach wie vor ein hoch relevantes Thema. In den vergangenen Jahrzehnten konnte jedoch ein stetiger Rückgang der Inzidenzen erreicht werden, was insbesondere auf konkrete präventive Ansätze zurückzuführen ist.

Ziel der Arbeit

Zusammenfassung aktueller epidemiologischer Zahlen, Risikostratifizierungsansätze und präventiver Maßnahmen für postoperative Wundinfektionen.

Material und Methode

Eine ausführliche Literaturrecherche medizinischer Datenbanken (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane) sowie der offiziellen Surveillance-Institutionen Robert Koch-Institut (RKI), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wurde durchgeführt und im Sinne eines narrativen Reviews zusammengefasst. Fokussiert wurden die Themen Epidemiologie, Risikoassessment sowie präventive prozedurale und strukturelle Maßnahmen.

Ergebnisse

Epidemiologisch rangieren postoperative Wundinfektionen in den Top 3 der nosokomialen Infektionen und zeigen eine stark variierende Inzidenz zwischen 3 und 31 % in gefäßchirurgischen Eingriffen. Risikoscores, z. B. Surgical Site Infection Risk Score (SSIRS), Wounds-at-risk (W.A.R.), werden zunehmend entwickelt, um Maßnahmen gezielter einzusetzen, benötigen jedoch noch weitere Validierung. Während ein breites Feld valider und evidenzbasierter Empfehlungen besteht, ist der endgültige präventive Nutzen mancher Maßnahmen (z. B. antimikrobielle Wundspülung vor Hautverschluss) bisher noch unsicher. Andere Maßnahmen, wie die Verwendung von Inzisionsmanagementsystemen, haben mittlerweile eine solide Evidenzbasis und tragen insbesondere in Risikogruppen dazu bei, Infektionen vorzubeugen.

Schlussfolgerungen

Adäquate Identifikation von Risikogruppen und gezielte Anwendung präventiver Maßnahmen können den bisherigen positiven Trend bei Wundinfektionen weiter ausbauen. Hierzu müssen insbesondere Werkzeuge zur Risikoabschätzung und spezifische präventive Maßnahmen weiterführend rigoros validiert werden.
Importierte Inflation und Zinswende: Herausforderungen für die EZB
Authors:   Überblick
Published: June 2022

Die Inflation in Deutschland und im gesamten Euroraum ist in den vergangenen Monaten stark gestiegen. Diese Entwicklung wird vor allem durch steigende Energiepreise getrieben. Die EZB hat angekündigt, das Anleihenkaufprogramm APP im 3. Quartal auslaufen zu lassen, und plant, den Leitzins noch diesen Sommer zu erhöhen. Sind die geplanten Maßnahmen ausreichend, um die Inflation zu senken? Es scheint wichtig, die Inflationserwartungen zu begrenzen, um Lohn-Preis-Spiralen zu verhindern. Auch ist zu fragen, wie wirksam Geldpolitik ist, wenn primär eine (importierte) Energiepreisinflation bekämpft werden muss. Zudem müssen die mit Zinserhöhungen verbundenen kontraktiven Effekte auf die Gesamtwirtschaft diskutiert werden, die durch Coronakrise und Ukrainekrieg ohnehin fragil ist.
Inflation bekämpfen durch Senkung der Monopolrenten
Authors: Nauschnigg Franz
Published: June 2022

Die derzeit hohe Inflation wird auch durch hohe Monopolrenten von Konzernen getrieben. Es liegt nicht eine Lohn-Preis-, sondern eine Gewinn-Preis-Spirale vor. Die Monopolrenten sind möglich, da zuletzt vor allem durch Firmenübernahmen marktbeherrschende Unternehmen entstanden sind. Auch europäische Konzerne erzielen Rekordgewinne, in Deutschland speziell die großen DAX-Konzerne. Die Bekämpfung der Inflation durch Zinserhöhungen ist aber kontraproduktiv. Es wäre effektiver, die Monopolrenten zu senken. Die Energiepreisinflation kann über eine Monopolrentenminderung für Strom- und Gasnetze bekämpft werden. Mit dem ASFINAG-Modell steht eine effizientere Form der Finanzierung dieser Netze zur Verfügung.
Für eine Ausstattung des Energie- und Klimafonds mit Kreditermächtigungen
Authors: Murau Steffen , Thie Jan-Erik
Published: June 2022

Energiesicherheit und -unabhängigkeit sind der neue Imperativ nach dem von Wladimir Putin befohlenen Angriffskrieg auf die Ukraine. Eine beschleunigte Transformation hin zur Klimaneutralität dient damit gleichzeitig ökologischen und sicherheitspolitischen Zielen. Sie erfordert massive öffentliche Investitionen in einem sehr kurzen Zeitraum. Um diese zu finanzieren, sollte das von der Ampelkoalition beschlossene Sondervermögen „Bundeswehr“ von einem Sondervermögen für Energiesicherheit und -unabhängigkeit flankiert werden. Zu diesem Zweck bietet es sich an, den bestehenden Energie- und Klimafonds (EKF) mit Kreditermächtigungen auszustatten und dessen Ausnahme von der Schuldenbremse im Grundgesetz zu verankern. Dies ist bereits für das Sondervermögen „Bundeswehr“ geplant und schafft Rechtssicherheit.
Preisschocks bei Energie und Nahrungsmitteln
Authors: Tober Silke
Published: June 2022

The sharp revisions in inflation forecasts are not rooted in analytical flaws, overly hesitant ECB policies or model failures. Energy price shocks of historic dimensions are the key factor. They have ended the prolonged phase of excessively weak inflation with risks now clearly increasing. In contrast to the United States, the euro area shows no signs of overheating or excessive wage increases. Provided second-round effects remain muted, the ECB should proceed gradually given the high war-related uncertainty and the energy-cost related drag on the economy. Monetary policy flexibility is of key importance particularly with regards to sovereign yield differentials.
Racial and ethnic disparities in the refusal of surgical treatment in women 40 years and older with breast cancer in the USA between 2010 and 2017
Authors: Fwelo Pierre , Yusuf Zenab I. , Adjei Abigail , Huynh Gabriel , Du Xianglin L.
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Although surgical resection is the main modality of treatment for breast cancer, some patients elect to refuse the recommended surgery. We assessed racial and ethnic differences in women 40 years and older who received or refused to receive surgical treatment for breast cancer in the USA and whether racial disparities in mortality were affected by their differences in the prevalence of refusal for surgical treatment.

Methods

We studied 277,127 women with breast cancer using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data and performed multivariable logistic regressions to investigate the association between surgery status of breast cancer and race/ethnicity. Additionally, we performed Cox regression analyses to determine the predictors of mortality outcomes.

Results

Of 277,127 patients with breast cancer, 1468 (0.53%) refused to receive the recommended surgical treatment in our cohort. Non-Hispanic Black women were 112% more likely to refuse the recommended surgical treatment for breast cancer compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts [adjusted odds ratio: 2.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.82–2.47]. Women who underwent breast-conserving surgery [hazards ratio (HR) 0.15, 95% CI 0.13–0.16] and mastectomy (HR 0.21, 95% CI 0.18–0.23) had lower hazard ratios of mortality as compared to women who refused the recommended treatment after adjusting for covariates.

Conclusion

Race/ethnicity was associated with refusal for the recommended surgery, especially among non-Hispanic Black women. Also, surgery refusal was associated with a higher risk of all-cause and breast cancer-related mortality. These disparities stress the need to tailor interventions aimed at raising awareness of the importance of following physician recommendations among minorities.
Efficacy and safety of amrubicin monotherapy after atezolizumab plus carboplatin and etoposide in patients with relapsed small-cell lung cancer
Authors: Imai Hisao , Nagai Yoshiaki , Minemura Hiroyuki , Tsuda Takeshi , Yamada Yutaka , Wasamoto Satoshi , Kishikawa Takayuki , Shiono Ayako , Shiihara Jun , Yamaguchi Ou , Mouri Atsuto , Kaira Kyoichi , Kanazawa Kenya , Taniguchi Hirokazu , Minato Koichi , Kagamu Hiroshi
Published: June 2022

This study examined the activity and safety of amrubicin monotherapy among relapsed small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients who had previously been treated with atezolizumab plus carboplatin and etoposide (AteCE). This retrospective study evaluated patients with relapsed SCLC who were treated with previously AteCE combination therapy followed by amrubicin monotherapy between August 2019 and May 2021. Clinical efficacy and toxicity were analyzed. Overall, 40 patients were included: 12 and 28 patients had sensitive and refractory relapse, respectively. The response rate was 32.5% (25.0% in the sensitive group and 35.7% in the refractory group). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) from the first amrubicin treatment was 3.4 months (95% CI: 1.9–4.9 months) and 9.9 months (95% CI: 4.5–11.5 months), respectively. There was no significant between-group difference in median PFS (3.6 months vs. 3.2 months, p = 0.42) or median OS (11.2 months vs. 7.3 months, p = 0.78). Grade ≥ 3 hematological adverse events occurred as follows: decreased white blood cells in 52.5% of patients; decreased neutrophil count in 57.5%; and febrile neutropenia in 10.0%. Grade 3 pneumonitis was observed in one patient. There were no treatment-related deaths. Amrubicin is feasible and effective for relapsed SCLC patients previously treated with AteCE therapy. Although immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment (ICI) does not improve the effect of amrubicin, the toxicity is not increased, suggesting that amrubicin remains effective even after ICI administration. Thus, amrubicin after AteCE could be the preferred standard chemotherapeutic choice in patients with relapsed SCLC.
Breeding for intercropping: the case of red clover persistence in grasslands
Authors: Ergon Åshild , Bakken Anne Kjersti
Published: June 2022

Legumes are important in sustainable agriculture and particularly so when they are intercropped with other species. In breeding programs, little attention is paid to their agronomic performance in species mixtures. In red clover, improved persistence is an important breeding goal. We identified traits associated with survival of red clover cultivated in pure stands (PS 3) or in mixtures with grasses (MS 3) and managed under a 3-cut system (two locations), as well as in pure stands in a 5-cut system (PS 5, one location). Survivors from replicate plots were collected and a new generation made from each plot. The new generations were characterized in a growth experiment with light or simulated shade, and in a freezing experiment. We show that the traits related to red clover persistence depend on both plant community composition and cutting frequency. MS 3 had more leaves with larger leaf blades and longer petioles during the vegetative stage, followed by earlier stem elongation, higher number of elongating stems, higher biomass (also when accounting for earlier stem elongation) and more leaves in the regrowth after cutting than PS 3. MS 3 also had better freezing tolerance. PS 5 was similar to MS 3 and different from PS 3 in the number of leaves, leaf blade size, petiole length and number of elongating stems. These results show that breeding and cultivar evaluation, which is currently almost exclusively considering performance in pure stands, may miss some variation which provides persistence of red clover in mixtures with grasses.