bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preparation and characterization of octenyl succinic anhydride nano starch from tiger nut meals
Authors: Wang Jian , Zhang Rui , Huang Zhenyu , Cai Ming , Lou Wenyu , Wang Yan , Gharsallaoui Adem , Roubik Hynek , Yang Kai , Sun Peilong
Published: August 2023

Tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) is an ideal raw material for oil extraction, but starch-rich tiger nut meal, a by-product of oil extraction, has not been fully utilized. For this, starch was isolated from tiger nut meal, and then starch nanoparticles were prepared by gelatinization, ultrasonication and nanoprecipitation under different conditions. The preparation parameters were optimized by measuring the particle size with dynamic light scattering, and the physicochemical properties of native starch and nano starch were evaluated. The results showed that, compared to native starch, starch nanoparticle (nano starch) has a higher amylose content (39.05%), solubility (56.13%), and swelling power (58.01%). Furthermore, native starch and nano starch were esterified with octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA), respectively, conferring amphiphilic properties. The effects of OSA modification on the resistant starch content, thermal properties, and microstructure of starches were characterized. The resistant starch content of tiger nut native starch increased by 10.81% after OSA modification, while the resistant starch content of OSA nano starch increased to 37.76%. Compared to native starch, the gelatinization temperature of OSA nano starch decreased by 2.7 °C and nano starch decreased by 5.68 °C. OSA modified nano starch showed a unique microstructure, such as a slender fiber structure and a regular oblate structure. The hydrophobic OSA groups aggregated to form hydrophobic cavities with a hydrophilic surface in the aqueous phase. The findings presented in this investigation provide a better understanding of the design and development of OSA nano starch and provide valuable guidance to further enhance the added value of tiger nuts and future applications in the food industry.
Searching and visualizing genetic associations of pregnancy traits by using GnuMoM2b
Authors: Yan Qi , Guerrero Rafael F , Khan Raiyan R , Surujnarine Andy A , Wapner Ronald J , Hahn Matthew W , Raja Anita , Salleb-Aouissi Ansaf , Grobman William A , Simhan Hyagriv , Blue Nathan R , Silver Robert , Chung Judith H , Reddy Uma M , Radivojac Predrag , Pe’er Itsik , Haas David M
Published: August 2023

Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) are major risk factors for women's health during pregnancy and even in the years after pregnancy. Due to the heterogeneity of APOs, only few genetic associations have been identified. In this report, we conducted genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of 479 traits that are possibly related to APOs using a large and racially diverse study, Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be (nuMoM2b). To display extensive results, we developed a web-based tool GnuMoM2b (https://gnumom2b.cumcobgyn.org/) for searching, visualizing, and sharing results from a GWAS of 479 pregnancy traits as well as phenome-wide association studies of more than 17 million single nucleotide polymorphisms. The genetic results from 3 ancestries (Europeans, Africans, and Admixed Americans) and meta-analyses are populated in GnuMoM2b. In conclusion, GnuMoM2b is a valuable resource for extraction of pregnancy-related genetic results and shows the potential to facilitate meaningful discoveries.
Let the People Speak! What Kind of Civil Society Inclusion Leads to Durable Peace?
Authors: Cuhadar Esra , Druckman Daniel
Published: August 2023

In this article, building on the earlier research on procedural justice (PJ) and civil society inclusion, we assess the effectiveness of various civil society inclusion modalities based on their impact on durable peace (DP). A set of hypotheses concerning civil society inclusion is evaluated using the fifty-case peace agreement dataset assembled by Druckman and Wagner (2019). Their study showed that PJ was a key predictor of DP. We take their model as the base and add inclusion variables step by step using a hierarchical regression model. Results show that inclusive commissions (ICs) add significant explained variance to the prediction of DP. None of the other modalities add significant variance to the prediction. A possible explanation is that ICs ensure the continuation of civil society inclusion between the negotiation and implementation phases of a peace process. As well, they optimize breadth and depth in an inclusive negotiation process. The article concludes with discussions of next steps in the research and develops implications for policy makers.
Within-field spatial patterns of Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and spatial associations with stink bugs and their injury in field corn
Authors: Bryant Tim B , Greene Jeremy K , Reay-Jones Francis P F
Published: August 2023

The corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a cosmopolitan pest in the field crop landscape in the southeastern United States. Field corn (Zea mays L.) is the most important midseason host for H. zea where intensive selection pressure occurs for resistance to insecticidal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Because spatial patterns of H. zea in field corn have not been extensively studied, field corn was sampled for H. zea larvae and injury in 2021 and 2022. Patterns of spatial aggregation were identified in a number of fields in both larval populations and injury. Aggregation of H. zea larvae was less common at R5 than at R2. Associations between the spatial patterns of H. zea and the variability in crop phenology were identified in some fields, with positive associations between plant height and H. zea larvae, indicating that ovipositing H. zea moths avoid areas with reduced plant height and delayed reproductive maturity. Additionally, negative spatial associations between stink bug ear injury and H. zea larvae and their injury were found in a small number of cases, indicating some spatial interactions between the two pest complexes and their injury. Results from these studies provide valuable insight into the spatial patterns of H. zea in field corn. An understanding of the local dispersal and population dynamics of H. zea can be used to help further improve integrated pest management and insect resistance management programs for this major polyphagous pest.
‘These are my principles. If you don’t like them I have others.’ On justifications of foreign investment protection under international law
Authors: Zarbiyev Fuad
Published: August 2023

This article aims to show that the mainstream discourse of the international law of foreign investment protection has adjusted itself to changing historical circumstances in a way that brings to light its strategic and ideological character. It argues, in particular, that the justifications offered in defence of foreign investment protection under international law appear to have been pretextual rather than principled, having been offered to provide reasons capable of flying at a particular point in time in light of the attending circumstances rather than to serve as an analytically sound, empirically grounded, and diachronically consistent framework.
Clinical practice guidelines of the Japan Research Committee of the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare for Intractable Vasculitis for the management of microscopic polyangiitis and granulomatosis with polyangiitis: The 2023 update – secondary publication
Authors: Sada Ken-ei , Nagasaka Kenji , Kaname Shinya , Nango Eishu , Kishibe Kan , Dobashi Hiroaki , Hiromura Keiju , Kawakami Tamihiro , Bando Masashi , Wada Takashi , Amano Koichi , Murakawa Yohko , Harigai Masayoshi
Published: August 2023

Objective

To revise the 2017 clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for the management of microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) to reflect advancements in the field.

Methods

Similar to the 2017 CPG, the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system was adopted for this revision. The intended users of this CPG include patients diagnosed with MPA or GPA in Japan and their families and healthcare professionals, including specialists and non-specialists. Based on a scoping review, four clinical questions (CQs) of the 2017 guidelines were modified, and six new CQs were added.

Results

We suggest a combination of glucocorticoid and cyclophosphamide or rituximab for remission induction therapy. In cases where cyclophosphamide or rituximab is used, we suggest the use of avacopan over high-dose glucocorticoid. Furthermore, we suggest against the use of plasma exchange in addition to the standard treatment in severe cases of MPA/GPA. Finally, we suggest the use of glucocorticoid and rituximab over glucocorticoid and azathioprine for remission maintenance therapy.

Conclusions

The recommendations have been updated based on patient preference, certainty of evidence, benefit and risk balance, and cost.
Tailored machine learning models for functional RNA detection in genome-wide screens
Authors: Klapproth Christopher , Zötzsche Siegfried , Kühnl Felix , Fallmann Jörg , Stadler Peter F , Findeiß Sven
Published: August 2023

The in silico prediction of non-coding and protein-coding genetic loci has received considerable attention in comparative genomics aiming in particular at the identification of properties of nucleotide sequences that are informative of their biological role in the cell. We present here a software framework for the alignment-based training, evaluation and application of machine learning models with user-defined parameters. Instead of focusing on the one-size-fits-all approach of pervasive in silico annotation pipelines, we offer a framework for the structured generation and evaluation of models based on arbitrary features and input data, focusing on stable and explainable results. Furthermore, we showcase the usage of our software package in a full-genome screen of Drosophila melanogaster and evaluate our results against the well-known but much less flexible program RNAz.
Development of a rabbit human glioblastoma model for testing of endovascular selective intra-arterial infusion (ESIA) of novel stem cell-based therapeutics
Authors: Kan Peter , Srinivasan Visish M , Gumin Joy , Garcia Roberto , Chen Stephen R , Johnson Jeremiah N , Collins Dalis E , Chen Melissa M , Ledbetter Daniel , Huse Jason , Evan Luna Zean Aaron , Robledo Ariadna , Vasandani Viren , Rao Abhijit , Singh Sanjay K , Shpall Elizabeth J , Fueyo Juan , Gomez-Manzano Candelaria , Lang Frederick F
Published: August 2023

Background

Endovascular selective intra-arterial (ESIA) infusion of cellular oncotherapeutics is a rapidly evolving strategy for treating glioblastoma. Evaluation of ESIA infusion requires a unique animal model. Our goal was to create a rabbit human GBM model to test IA infusions of cellular therapies and to test its usefulness by employing clinical-grade microcatheters and infusion methods to deliver mesenchymal stem cells loaded with an oncolytic adenovirus, Delta-24-RGD (MSC-D24).

Methods

Rabbits were immunosuppressed with mycophenolate mofetil, dexamethasone, and tacrolimus. They underwent stereotactic xenoimplantation of human GBM cell lines (U87, MDA-GSC-17, and MDA-GSC-8-11) into the right frontal lobe. Tumor formation was confirmed on magnetic resonance imaging, histologic, and immunohistochemistry analysis. Selective microcatheter infusion of MSC-D24 was performed via the ipsilateral internal carotid artery to assess model utility and the efficacy and safety of this approach.

Results

Twenty-five rabbits were implanted (18 with U87, 2 MDA-GSC-17, and 5 MDA-GSC-8-11). Tumors formed in 68% of rabbits (77.8% for U87, 50.0% for MDA-GSC-17, and 40.0% for MDA-GSC-8-11). On MRI, the tumors were hyperintense on T2-weighted image with variable enhancement (evidence of blood brain barrier breakdown). Histologically, tumors showed phenotypic traits of human GBM including varying levels of vascularity. ESIA infusion into the distal internal carotid artery of 2 ml of MSCs-D24 (107 cells) was safe in the model. Examination of post infusion specimens documented that MSCs-D24 homed to the implanted tumor at 24 hours.

Conclusions

The intracranial immunosuppressed rabbit human GBM model allows testing of ESIA infusion of novel therapeutics (eg, MSC-D24) in a clinically relevant fashion.
Black Disability Studies
Authors: Pickens Therí Alyce
Published: August 2023

Black disability studies is dedicated to the study of the intersection of Blackness and disability. As a field, Black disability studies has several aims, emanating from its activist and justice-oriented impulses. First, the field uncovers Black disabled people from the archives or margins, explicating their stories and circumstances, so that they are neither lost to history nor have their disability excised from their narrative. Second, because Blackness and disability function as discourses, the field has also dedicated itself to understanding where those discourses appear, regardless of whether they are linked to Black disabled bodies. Finally, Black disability studies imagines a future where Black (and) disabled people are centered and desired. Scholars and activists rely on multiple academic disciplines and traditions, including but not limited to international Black radical traditions, disabled activism, disability studies, Black studies, sociology, literary study, rhetoric, gender and sexuality studies, historiography, and anthropology. Within each of these spaces, Black disability studies pushes against the disciplinary constraints and fallacies of tradition that uphold ableist and antiBlack habits of thought. For that reason, much work in Black disability studies is found in anthologies curated by scholars with the requisite time and institutional power. This field is fundamentally shaped by the lived experience of disability, and since so many of its scholars and activists experience it within systems of inequality and medical neglect, in some instances, the field is shaped by the lives and deaths of scholars, activists, and public figures.
Spanish Atlantic World
Authors: Morelli Federica
Published: August 2023

The Spanish Atlantic world cannot be understood as identical to the Spanish Empire or the Hispanic monarchy but is something that encompasses and transcends them at once. Considered in its horizontal dimension rather than its vertical one, this world does not reflect the territory of the Spanish monarchy since it puts in relation regions and areas—from Europe to Africa and the Americas—that did not belong formally to the empire. Furthermore, it is not a world made only of Spanish people, i.e., people born on the Spanish territories, but also of foreigners, people coming from other countries or empires. Their role in the conquest of the New World under the patronage of the Spanish Crown has been widely underlined by historiography; still their economic, political, and cultural activities in the Spanish Atlantic world did not end with the conquest but they continued in the following centuries. This space was indeed characterized by multiple transnational networks (German miners, engineers of Italian origin, and the capital of the Genoese, among others) that contributed considerably to its survival and efficiency in the long run. Another important characteristic of the Spanish Atlantic world is that it was not built on a vertical and bipolar relation of metropolis-colonies, but on a high level of provincial autonomy, to the extent that some scholars have talked about polycentrism in this particular aspect. Not only these autonomous areas shared linkages and complementarities which did not necessarily pivot on the metropolitan center, but sometimes they maintained strong ties with regions belonging to other empires. As some scholars have argued, all Atlantics are hybrid since they are the product of multiple “entangled histories”; consequently, no place in the Atlantic world contains a past that can be said to belong neatly and exclusively to one or another empire. Finally, and most essentially, it is a space that was shaped between the 16th and the 19th centuries by circulations of people, commodities, technologies, ideas, and information. Even though most works on the Atlantic Spanish world center on its maturity and decline, certain characteristics of this world had emerged since the 16th century. Following these assumptions, the entries of this bibliography, after having identified some key places and routes of the Spanish Atlantic, are not based on chronological or spatial divisions, but on what most characterized the Atlantic space in the early modern period, circulations and entanglements. This can help the reader look at the Spanish Atlantic world in a broader perspective, not limited to a formal and imperial-centered approach. At the same time, many of these concepts are strictly interrelated and in one section of this article we can find entries that are related also to other sections. However, the inclusion in a certain section agrees with the main focus of the works listed there.
Intercultural Competence
Authors: Deardorff Darla
Published: August 2023

Intercultural competence is a theoretical construct which has seen over sixty years of scholarly work, with over thirty different terms being used for this construct depending on the discipline, such as global competence, intercultural effectiveness, plurilingualism, transcultural competence, intercultural sensitivity, intercultural maturity, cross-cultural awareness, intercultural adaptation, intercultural readiness, and so on (and see Oxford Bibliographies Online in Management Cultural Intelligence and in International Relations Global Citizenship), that can be linked even more broadly within intercultural or cross-cultural communication. Given that many of these terms already have associated bibliographies, this article focuses almost exclusively on intercultural competence as the key term and listings here do not imply endorsement. Regardless of the terminology used, definitions generally center on the individual with a focus on knowledge, skills, and attitudes—and, in some cases, motivation and values—needed to interact successfully with those from divergent backgrounds. Recent definitions of intercultural competence have broadened the concept beyond interactions across solely cultural differences to include interactions across any difference, including those resulting from religion, gender, generation, geography, language, socioeconomic background, and so on. Some of the earliest intercultural work can be traced to the 1930s with much of the intercultural competence literature stemming from work in the 1960s followed by efforts in the 1970s to begin conceptualizing, studying, and assessing this construct, with particular emphasis on intercultural adaptation. The 1980s and 1990s saw further refinement and study of intercultural competence, with publications of theories and frameworks as well as assessment tools. Research continues on the development and assessment of intercultural competence, which is a lifelong process. Resources on intercultural competence continue to grow, in part due to the emphasis on intercultural and global competence at the global level through the United Nations (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO]), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Council of Europe, and such focused groups as the World Council on Intercultural and Global Competence. Further, wide interest remains in intercultural competence in multiple disciplines and sectors, spurred, in part, by the recent emphasis on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in various contexts as well as the increasing societal divides and continued need for an interculturally competent workforce.
Sports and Childhoods in the United States
Authors: White Samantha
Published: August 2023

Children’s experiences and representations in informal and formal sporting spaces reveal how power, inequality, agency, socialization, and consumption shape their relationship to athletics and physical culture. Even though children make up the vast majority of sports participants in the United States, their experiences often remain overlooked in scholarly fields. This bibliography offers a corrective to this gap by highlighting multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary works that examine children and youth’s participation in sports. Childhood and youth emerge as malleable age categories that occasionally overlap. Some of these studies examine early sport experiences in childhood while others examine athletic adolescences. Ultimately, this bibliography is concerned with examining and amplifying research that centers on young people’s experiences in sports. These works examine scholarly approaches to the study of sport within and across fields such as history, sociology, media studies, and literary studies. For this purpose of this bibliography, I will highlight published materials that examine organized sports, informal pick-up games, and physical activities that occur in schools, community organizations, and other public and private settings. Additionally, this bibliography addresses children’s participation in sports across various spheres—as athletes as well as consumers of sports media. When studying childhood and sport in the United States, careful attention must be paid to avoid the universalizing of their experiences. This article is attuned to scholarship that traces the athletic inclusion and exclusion of girls, girls of color, youth of color, LGBTQ youth, and youth with disabilities.
Prince Eugene of Savoy
Authors: Karges Caleb
Published: August 2023

Prince Eugene of Savoy (b. 1663–d. 1736) was a military commander, administrator, and diplomat in the service of the Austrian Habsburg emperors. He descended from a cadet branch of the Italian Dukes of Savoy known as Savoy-Carignan. He grew up in Louis XIV’s France, where he aspired to a military career. Denied a commission by the Sun King, Eugene joined the Austrian army in the campaign to relieve Vienna of a Turkish siege in 1683. He steadily rose through the ranks during the Great Turkish War (1683–1699) until he received independent commands. He commanded Austrian forces alongside his relative, Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, in Italy during the Nine Years’ War (1689–1697). Transferred back to the Balkans, he decisively defeated the Ottomans at Zenta (1697). He led the Austrian invasion of Italy that began the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714), and his campaigns in Lombardy included the battles of Carpi (1701), Chiari (1701), Cremona (1702), and Luzzara (1702). He then returned to Vienna during the Austrian crisis of 1703 and was named president of the Imperial War Council (Hofskriegsrat) by Leopold I, a position he held until his death. He commanded alongside John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, at the Battle of Blenheim (1704). He returned to Italy to defeat the French at Turin (1706) and attacked Toulon (1707). He then campaigned alongside Marlborough in the Low Countries fighting the battles of Oudenaarde (1708) and Malplaquet (1709). After Great Britain’s withdrawal from the Grand Alliance, Marshal Villars defeated Eugene at Denain (1712). Eugene also served as a diplomat for the emperor, participating in negotiations in the Low Countries, and visited England in 1712, attempting to prevent Marlborough’s fall. He negotiated the Treaties of Rastatt and Baden (1714) ending the conflict between France and the Holy Roman Empire. In the subsequent Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718), he led Austrian forces to victory over the Ottomans at Petrovaradin (1716) and Belgrade (1717). He spent the intervening years building his residences throughout the monarchy, collecting artworks, patronizing intellectuals, administrating the Austrian army, and actively participating in the life of the Imperial court. His final campaigns were against the French during the War of the Polish Succession (1733–1735). He died in 1736 as one of the richest men in Europe, having accrued vast estates through his lifelong service to the Austrian emperors.
South Africa's Apartheid Wars
Authors: Baines Gary
Published: August 2023

The term “Apartheid Wars” is used here to describe all the armed conflicts in which South Africa’s security forces and its adversaries were involved from the early 1960s to the 1990s. Some scholars prefer the term “the Southern Africa Thirty-Year War.” I will also use the term “Border War” to refer specifically to the fighting in Namibia-Angola. The term “Liberation War” was used by opponents of the apartheid state in both Namibia and South Africa. Whatever nomenclature is employed, the broad parameters of the conflict are not in dispute. The point of departure for my periodization is the launch of the armed struggle by the African National Congress (ANC) in 1961 and the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) in 1966. Guerrillas from both these organizations spent most of their existence in exile and infiltrated their respective countries from bases in contiguous and other African states. Hence the armed struggle and the counterinsurgency war was entangled in the internal and external conflicts of South Africa’s neighboring states, especially Angola, Mozambique, and Rhodesia. The civil wars in these countries are only relevant to this bibliography insofar as South Africa was involved. In the case of Angola, the South African Defense Force (SADF) not only launched cross-border operations in support of its ally, UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola), it also fought conventional battles against FAPLA (the Peoples’ Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola) and Cuban troops. The combination of (anti-) colonial, civil, and Cold War conflicts resulted in a hybrid and, at times, asymmetrical war fought on many fronts by multiple military formations.
Adapting Shakespeare
Authors: Bickley Pamela , Stevens Jenny
Published: August 2023

Adapting Shakespeare is a worldwide phenomenon which now seems to be both ubiquitous and unstoppable: from angry, thought-provoking rewritings of The Merchant of Venice to hilariously parodic memes, Shakespeare is a thriving presence across literature and digital media. Sustained scholarly attentiveness to Shakespeare adaptation began in the 1970s, when film versions of the plays became available for both private and institutional viewing, allowing close filmic analysis. Being able to scrutinize film text minutely meant that studying Shakespeare on screen soon became an established practice—and topic—in university English, and increasingly dynamic academic engagement with the adaptive medium made it an obvious embarkation point for adaptation studies. That film has long been the most abundantly-treated adaptive medium in Shakespeare publications is proportionately represented in this bibliography. As the range of media employed to adapt Shakespeare’s work has widened, so concomitant critical theorizing of adaptation and appropriation has grown ever more diverse and complex, especially in relation to the unavoidable (and vexed) question: “Is it faithful to the original?” Notions of fidelity and authenticity are currently unfashionable but these are ever-shifting sands. Adapted works can be considered as autonomous art forms, with their own vibrancy and integrity. But is this disingenuous? Any expressive artwork referencing, say, two characters who resemble Romeo and Juliet is—potentially—inviting comparison with the play. Two key questions arise: firstly, how far does a knowledge of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet enhance understanding and enjoyment of the adaptation? Secondly, does Shakespeare’s play itself change as a result of participating in the adapted work? Jane Smiley desired that her 1991 novel, A Thousand Acres, would leave an indelible imprint on her readers, altering their perception of King Lear and their future experience of the play. Questions around adaptation are further complicated by political considerations, both current and historical: the nature of cultural capital; the historical imbrication of Shakespeare in the then British Empire and its colonial educational programs; feminist voices “talking back.” All these considerations prompt adaptations and appropriations to grapple with and subsequently dismantle cultural orthodoxies. Reimagining Shakespeare now means moving beyond 20th-century modes of resistance and rejection, rather claiming agency and empowerment through distinctive local or “glocal” manifestations. Shakespeare is peculiarly malleable, as recent neologisms demonstrate: Shakes-shifting, ShakesQueer, Shakespunk, Shakesploitation, Shakespop. It is a malleability that becomes ever more apparent as new digital technologies emerge. Social media platforms, for example, enable both Shakespeare’s work itself, and different iterations of that work, to be reconfigured, remixed and extended, allowing user-generated, often interactive, Shakespeares to be disseminated to a global audience.
First-Mover Advantage
Authors: Lee Gwendolyn
Published: August 2023

First-mover advantage (FMA) is a topic that has accumulated decades of research across the fields of strategic management, marketing, and economics. FMA research addresses a fundamental and important question: Firms recognize entry opportunities and often have some ability to choose the timing of their entry. Given the characteristics of an emerging new market, should a firm with a given set of capabilities choose to enter early or delay for some period of time? The research has managerial implications for a broad range of outcomes, including value creation, firm profit, market share, business survival, and industry structure. The vast literature has contributed to an improved understanding about the conditions under which first movers have an advantage or disadvantage, the possible means by which first movers gain an advantage, and why some firms are more likely to move first. Topics in related areas such as innovation imitation, disruptive innovation, and management of technology have benefited from FMA research.
Evidence of a novel silencing effect on transgenes in the Arabidopsis thaliana sperm cell
Authors: Ohnishi Yukinosuke , Kawashima Tomokazu
Published: August 2023

We encountered unexpected transgene silencing in Arabidopsis thaliana sperm cells; transgenes encoding proteins with no specific intracellular localization (cytoplasmic proteins) were silenced transcriptionally or posttranscriptionally. The mRNA of cytoplasmic protein transgenes tagged with a fluorescent protein gene was significantly reduced, resulting in undetectable fluorescent protein signals in the sperm cell. Silencing of the cytoplasmic protein transgenes in the sperm cell did not affect the expression of either its endogenous homologous genes or cotransformed transgenes encoding a protein with targeted intracellular localization. This transgene silencing in the sperm cell persisted in mutants of the major gene silencing machinery including DNA methylation. The incomprehensible, yet real, transgene silencing phenotypes occurring in the sperm cell could mislead the interpretation of experimental results in plant reproduction, and this Commentary calls attention to that risk and highlights details of this novel cytoplasmic protein transgene silencing.
Which Investors Matter for Equity Valuations and Expected Returns?
Authors: Koijen Ralph S J , Richmond Robert J , Yogo Motohiro
Published: August 2023

Based on an asset demand system, we develop a framework to quantify the impact of market trends and changes in regulation on asset prices, price informativeness, and the wealth distribution. Our leading applications are the transition from active to passive investment management and climate-induced shifts in asset demand. The transition from active to passive investment management had a large impact on equity prices but a small impact on price informativeness because capital did not flow from more to less informed investors on average. This finding is based on a new measure of investor-level informativeness that identifies which investors are more informed about future profitability. Climate-induced shifts in asset demand have a potentially large impact on equity prices and the wealth distribution, implying capital gains for passive investment advisors, pension funds, insurance companies, and private banking and capital losses for active investment advisors and hedge funds.
Dynamics of the rice yellow mottle disease in western Burkina Faso: Epidemic monitoring, spatio-temporal variation of viral diversity, and pathogenicity in a disease hotspot
Authors: Billard Estelle , Barro Mariam , Sérémé Drissa , Bangratz Martine , Wonni Issa , Koala Moustapha , Kassankogno Abalo Itolou , Hébrard Eugénie , Thébaud Gaël , Brugidou Christophe , Poulicard Nils , Tollenaere Charlotte
Published: August 2023

The rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) is a model in plant virus molecular epidemiology, with the reconstruction of historical introduction routes at the scale of the African continent. However, information on patterns of viral prevalence and viral diversity over multiple years at a local scale remains scarce, in spite of potential implications for crop protection. Here, we describe a 5-year (2015–9) monitoring of RYMV prevalence in six sites from western Burkina Faso (geographic areas of Bama, Banzon, and Karfiguela). It confirmed one irrigated site as a disease hotspot and also found one rainfed lowland (RL) site with occasional high prevalence levels. Within the studied fields, a pattern of disease aggregation was evidenced at a 5-m distance, as expected for a mechanically transmitted virus. Next, we monitored RYMV genetic diversity in the irrigated disease hotspot site, revealing a high viral diversity, with the current coexistence of various distinct genetic groups at the site scale (ca. 520 ha) and also within various specific fields (25 m side). One genetic lineage, named S1bzn, is the most recently emerged group and increased in frequency over the studied period (from 20 per cent or less in 2015–6 to more than 65 per cent in 2019). Its genome results from a recombination between two other lineages (S1wa and S1ca). Finally, experimental work revealed that three rice varieties commonly cultivated in Burkina Faso were not different in terms of resistance level, and we also found no significant effect of RYMV genetic groups on symptom expression and viral load. We found, however, that infection outcome depended on the specific RYMV isolate, with two isolates from the lineage S1bzn accumulating at the highest level at early infections. Overall, this study documents a case of high viral prevalence, high viral diversity, and co-occurrence of divergent genetic lineages at a small geographic scale. A recently emerged lineage, which comprises viral isolates inducing severe symptoms and high accumulation under controlled conditions, could be recently rising through natural selection. Following up the monitoring of RYMV diversity is required to confirm this trend and further understand the factors driving the local maintenance of viral diversity.
The Association of Cognitive Status and Post-Operative Opioid Prescribing in Older Adults
Authors: Shabet Christina L. , Bicket Mark C. , Blair Emilie , Hu Hsou Mei , Langa Kenneth M. , Kabeto Mohammed U. , Levine Deborah A. , Waljee Jennifer
Published: August 2023

Objective:

To examine the differences in opioid prescribing by cognitive status following common elective surgical procedures among Medicare beneficiaries.

Background:

Older individuals commonly experience changes in cognition with age. Although opioid prescribing is common after surgery, differences in opioid prescribing after surgery by cognitive status are poorly understood.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients ≥65 years participating in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) linked with Medicare claims data who underwent surgeries between January 2007 and November 2016 and had cognitive assessments before the index operation. Cognitive status was defined as normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or dementia. Outcomes assessed were initial perioperative opioid fill rates, refill rates, and high-risk prescriptions fill rates. The total amount of opioids filled during the 30-day postdischarge period was also assessed. Adjusted rates were estimated for patient factors using the Cochran-Armitage test for trend.

Results:

Among the 1874 patients included in the analysis, 68% had normal cognition, 21.3% had MCI, and 10.7% had dementia. Patients with normal cognition (58.1%) and MCI (54.5%) had higher initial preoperative fill rates than patients with dementia (33.5%) (P < 0.001). Overall, patients with dementia had similar opioid refill rates (21%) to patients with normal cognition (24.1%) and MCI (26.5%) (P = 0.322). Although prior opioid exposure did not differ by cognitive status (P = 0.171), among patients with high chronic preoperative use, those with dementia had lower adjusted prescription sizes filled within 30 days following discharge (281 OME) than patients with normal cognition (2147 OME) and MCI (774 OME) (P < 0.001; P = 0.009 respectively). Among opioid-naive patients, patients with dementia also filled smaller prescription sizes (97 OME) compared to patients with normal cognition (205 OME) and patients with MCI (173 OME) (P < 0.001 and P = 0.019, respectively).

Conclusions:

Patients with dementia are less likely to receive postoperative prescriptions, less likely to refill prescriptions, and receive prescriptions of smaller sizes compared to patients with normal cognition or MCI. A cognitive assessment is an additional tool surgeons can use to determine a patient’s individualized postoperative pain control plan.
Breast Cancer After Reduction Mammoplasty: A Population-Based Analysis of Incidence, Treatment and Screening Patterns
Authors: Drohan Ashley E. , Quan May Lynn , Birdsell Dale C. , Xu Yuan
Published: August 2023

Background:

The risk of breast cancer may be decreased in women who undergo reduction mammoplasty. The purpose of this study was to describe the incidence and treatment of breast cancer after reduction mammoplasty and to better understand the use of breast cancer screening modalities in these patients.

Methods:

This population-based retrospective analysis utilized the Discharge Abstract Database held by the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System to identify all women aged 20 years or older who underwent reduction mammoplasty in Alberta, Canada. The incidence and treatment of breast cancer were compared among patients who underwent reduction mammoplasty and age-sex-matched controls. Imaging utilization, including the use of mammography, ultrasound, and breast biopsy, was also compared.

Results:

Between 2003 and 2007, 8021 patients over 20 years old underwent reduction mammoplasty in Alberta. Patients were followed for an average of 12.6 years. Eighty-nine (1.1%) patients who underwent reduction mammoplasty developed breast cancer after surgery, compared to 453 (1.9%) controls (P < 0.0001). Among patients diagnosed with breast cancer, there was no difference in patient and tumor characteristics. Women who underwent reduction mammoplasty were more likely to undergo mastectomy for cancer (41.6% vs 1.5%; P < 0.0001) and were more likely to undergo mammography (66.7% vs 58.7%; P < 0.0001), ultrasound (29.2% vs 26.2%; P < 0.0001) and biopsy for benign disease (7.2% vs 6%, P < 0.0001) compared to controls.

Conclusions:

Despite an increased frequency of breast cancer screening, the incidence of breast cancer is lower after reduction mammoplasty compared with women who did not undergo breast reduction. After a diagnosis of breast cancer, surgical treatment patterns differ between groups, whereby mastectomy is more common after reduction mammoplasty.
Exploring Correlations Between Pain and Deformity in Idiopathic Scoliosis With Validated Self-reported Pain Scores, Radiographic Measurements, and Trunk Surface Topographic Measurements
Authors: Cirrincione Peter M. , Thakur Ankush , Zucker Colson P. , Wisch Jenna L. , Groisser Benjamin N. , Nguyen Joseph , Mintz Douglas N. , Cunningham Matthew E. , Hresko M. Timothy , Haddas Ram , Hillstrom Howard J. , Widmann Roger F. , Heyer Jessica H.
Published: August 2023

Background:

Up to 75% of patients with idiopathic scoliosis (IS) report back pain, but the exact contributors are unclear. This study seeks to assess how pain correlates with demographics, radiographic and surface topographic (ST) measurements, and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in patients with IS.

Methods:

Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Interference (PI) and Scoliosis Research Society revised (SRS-22r) pain domain from an IRB approved prospectively collected registry containing patients 11 to 21 years old with IS were correlated (Spearman coefficients) with measurements from whole-body EOS radiography and ST scanning, PROMIS 1.0 PROMs, Trunk Appearance Perception Scale (TAPS), and SRS-22r domains. SRS-22r and PROMIS-PI were also compared between different sex, scoliosis severities, and primary curve locations with Mann-Whitney U or Kruskal-Wallis tests, and if significant differences were found, included with the 5 highest univariate correlated variables into stepwise multivariate linear regression models (P<0.05 to enter, P>0.1 to remove) predicting SRS-22r pain and PROMIS-PI.

Results:

One hundred and forty-nine patients (14.5 ± 2.0 y, body mass index 20.6 ± 4.1 kg/m2, 96 (64%) female, mean major coronal curve 40 ± 19 deg, range: 10 deg, 83 deg) reported mean PROMIS-PI of 42.2 ± 10.0 and SRS-22r pain of 4.4 ± 0.6. SRS-22r self-image was the most correlated variable with both SRS-22r pain (rho=0.519) and PROMIS-PI (rho=−0.594). Five variables, none of which were ST or radiographic measures, strongly predicted SRS pain domain (R=0.711, R2=0.505, N=138). Two variables (SRS-22r self-image and SRS-22r function) were utilized by a model correlated with PROMIS-PI (R=0.687, R2=0.463, N=124).

Conclusions:

SRS-22r function and self-image domains were more strongly correlated with SRS-22r pain and PROMIS-PI than any radiographic or ST measurements.

Level of Evidence:

Level II—retrospective study.
Perioperative Complications of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery in Sickle Cell Disease
Authors: Lorenzana Daniel , Perkins Crystal A. , Willimon S. Clifton
Published: August 2023

Background:

Vasoocclusion in sickle cell disease can be precipitated by cold temperatures, hypoxia, infection, dehydration, and stress, all of which can occur in the setting of surgery. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of perioperative complications among pediatric patients with sickle cell disease undergoing orthopaedic surgery.

Methods:

An institutional review board approved single-center retrospective review was conducted of pediatric patients 21 years of age and younger with SCD who underwent any orthopaedic surgery at a single center between 2009 and 2019. Patient data and procedure-specific information were recorded. Preoperative admission for hydration and/or blood transfusion and preoperative laboratory studies were reviewed. The primary study outcome was postoperative complications within 30 days of surgery requiring an ED visit or hospital admission.

Results:

Ninety-two patients who underwent 118 orthopaedic surgeries were identified. The average age at surgery was 12.0 years (SD 4.8 y). Surgical cases were classified as elective (n=82, 70%), infection (n=26, 22%), and trauma (n=9, 8%). The lower extremity was the most frequent surgical site (n=86, 73%). Sixty surgeries (51%) received a preoperative blood transfusion. There were 19 surgeries with postoperative complications (16%) that required an ED visit or hospital readmission within 30 days of surgery. There were significantly more complications following surgery on the hip as compared with other sites (24% vs. 9%, P=0.04). Four or more ED visits in the past year were associated with an OR of 5.7 for a postoperative complication (P=0.01, 95% CI 1.6–20.5). Patients who had a preoperative blood transfusion had significantly greater rates of complications than those that did not (27% vs. 5%, P<0.01).

Conclusions:

Children with SCD are at increased risk for complications after orthopaedic surgery, and the current study found an overall postoperative complication rate of 16%. Patients undergoing hip surgery had a disproportionate number of complications, with a 5.8-fold increased risk of a postoperative complication. Patients with 4 or more ED visits in the past year had a 5.7-fold increased risk of a complication.

Level of Evidence:

IV Retrospective case series.
Plasma Transfusion and Procoagulant Product Administration in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Secondary Analysis of an International Observational Study on Current Practices
Authors: van Haeren Maite M.T. , Raasveld Senta Jorinde , Karami Mina , Miranda Dinis Dos Reis , Mandigers Loes , Dauwe Dieter F. , De Troy Erwin , Pappalardo Federico , Fominskiy Evgeny , van den Bergh Walter M. , Oude Lansink-Hartgring Annemieke , van der Velde Franciska , Maas Jacinta J. , van de Berg Pablo , de Haan Maarten , Donker Dirk W. , Meuwese Christiaan L. , Taccone Fabio Silvio , Peluso Lorenzo , Lorusso Roberto , Delnoij Thijs S.R. , Scholten Erik , Overmars Martijn , Ivancan Višnja , Bojčić Robert , de Metz Jesse , van den Bogaard Bas , de Bakker Martin , Reddi Benjamin , Hermans Greet , Broman Lars Mikael , Henriques José P.S. , Schenk Jimmy , Vlaar Alexander P.J. , Müller Marcella C.A.
Published: August 2023

OBJECTIVES:

To achieve optimal hemostatic balance in patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a liberal transfusion practice is currently applied despite clear evidence. We aimed to give an overview of the current use of plasma, fibrinogen concentrate, tranexamic acid (TXA), and prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) in patients on ECMO.

DESIGN:

A prespecified subanalysis of a multicenter retrospective study. Venovenous (VV)-ECMO and venoarterial (VA)-ECMO are analyzed as separate populations, comparing patients with and without bleeding and with and without thrombotic complications.

SETTING:

Sixteen international ICUs.

PATIENTS:

Adult patients on VA-ECMO or VV-ECMO.

INTERVENTIONS:

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:

Of 420 VA-ECMO patients, 59% (n = 247) received plasma, 20% (n = 82) received fibrinogen concentrate, 17% (n = 70) received TXA, and 7% of patients (n = 28) received PCC. Fifty percent of patients (n = 208) suffered bleeding complications and 27% (n = 112) suffered thrombotic complications. More patients with bleeding complications than patients without bleeding complications received plasma (77% vs. 41%, p < 0.001), fibrinogen concentrate (28% vs 11%, p < 0.001), and TXA (23% vs 10%, p < 0.001). More patients with than without thrombotic complications received TXA (24% vs 14%, p = 0.02, odds ratio 1.75) in VA-ECMO, where no difference was seen in VV-ECMO. Of 205 VV-ECMO patients, 40% (n = 81) received plasma, 6% (n = 12) fibrinogen concentrate, 7% (n = 14) TXA, and 5% (n = 10) PCC. Thirty-nine percent (n = 80) of VV-ECMO patients suffered bleeding complications and 23% (n = 48) of patients suffered thrombotic complications. More patients with than without bleeding complications received plasma (58% vs 28%, p < 0.001), fibrinogen concentrate (13% vs 2%, p < 0.01), and TXA (11% vs 2%, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS:

The majority of patients on ECMO receive transfusions of plasma, procoagulant products, or antifibrinolytics. In a significant part of the plasma transfused patients, this was in the absence of bleeding or prolonged international normalized ratio. This poses the question if these plasma transfusions were administered for another indication or could have been avoided.