bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A geostatistical analysis of multiscale metallicity variations in galaxies – III. Spatial resolution and data quality limits
Authors: Metha Benjamin , Trenti Michele , Battisti Andrew , Chu Tingjin
Published: February 2024

Geostatistical methods are powerful tools for understanding the spatial structure of the metallicity distribution of galaxies, and enable construction of accurate predictive models of the 2D metallicity distribution. However, so far these methods have only been applied to very high spatial resolution metallicity maps, leaving it uncertain if they will work on lower quality data. In this study, we apply geostatistical techniques to high-resolution spectroscopic maps of three local galaxies convolved to eight different spatial resolutions ranging from ∼40 pc to ∼1 kpc per pixel. We fit a geostatistical model to the data at all resolutions, and find that for metallicity maps where small-scale structure is visible by eye (with ≳10 resolution elements per Re), all parameters, including the metallicity correlation scale, can be recovered accurately. At all resolutions tested, we find that point metallicity predictions from such a geostatistical model outperform a circularly symmetric metallicity gradient model. We also explore dependence on the number of data points, and find that N ≳ 100 spatially resolved metallicity values are sufficient to train a geostatistical model that yields more accurate metallicity predictions than a radial gradient model. Finally, we investigate the potential detrimental effects of having spaxels smaller than an individual H ii region by repeating our analysis with metallicities integrated over H ii regions. We see that spaxel-based measurements have more noise, as expected, but the underlying spatial metallicity distribution can be recovered regardless of whether spaxels or integrated regions are used.
The 2022 super-Eddington outburst of the source SMC X-2
Authors: Coe M J , Kennea J A , Monageng I M , Townsend L J , Buckley D A H , Williams M , Udalski A , Evans P A
Published: February 2024

SMC X-2 exhibits X-ray outburst behaviour that makes it one of the most luminous X-ray sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud. In the last decade it has undergone two such massive outbursts – in 2015 and 2022. The first outburst is well reported in the literature, but the 2022 event has yet to be fully described and discussed. That is the goal of this paper. In particular, the post-peak characteristics of the two events are compared. This reveals clear similarities in decay profiles, believed to be related to different accretion mechanisms occurring at different times as the outbursts evolve. The H α emission line indicates that the Be disc undergoes complex structural variability, with evidence of warping as a result of its interaction with the neutron star. The detailed observations reported here will be important for modelling such interactions in this kind of binary systems.
Prediction of protein-RNA interactions from single-cell transcriptomic data
Authors: Fiorentino Jonathan , Armaos Alexandros , Colantoni Alessio , Tartaglia Gian Gaetano
Published: February 2024

Proteins are crucial in regulating every aspect of RNA life, yet understanding their interactions with coding and noncoding RNAs remains limited. Experimental studies are typically restricted to a small number of cell lines and a limited set of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). Although computational methods based on physico-chemical principles can predict protein-RNA interactions accurately, they often lack the ability to consider cell-type-specific gene expression and the broader context of gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Here, we assess the performance of several GRN inference algorithms in predicting protein-RNA interactions from single-cell transcriptomic data, and propose a pipeline, called scRAPID (single-cell transcriptomic-based RnA Protein Interaction Detection), that integrates these methods with the catRAPID algorithm, which can identify direct physical interactions between RBPs and RNA molecules. Our approach demonstrates that RBP–RNA interactions can be predicted from single-cell transcriptomic data, with performances comparable or superior to those achieved for the well-established task of inferring transcription factor–target interactions. The incorporation of catRAPID significantly enhances the accuracy of identifying interactions, particularly with long noncoding RNAs, and enables the identification of hub RBPs and RNAs. Additionally, we show that interactions between RBPs can be detected based on their inferred RNA targets. The software is freely available at https://github.com/tartaglialabIIT/scRAPID.
The chromatin accessibility dynamics during cell fate specifications in zebrafish early embryogenesis
Authors: Xu Qiushi , Zhang Yunlong , Xu Wei , Liu Dong , Jin Wenfei , Chen Xi , Hong Ni
Published: February 2024

Chromatin accessibility plays a critical role in the regulation of cell fate decisions. Although gene expression changes have been extensively profiled at the single-cell level during early embryogenesis, the dynamics of chromatin accessibility at cis-regulatory elements remain poorly studied. Here, we used a plate-based single-cell ATAC-seq method to profile the chromatin accessibility dynamics of over 10 000 nuclei from zebrafish embryos. We investigated several important time points immediately after zygotic genome activation (ZGA), covering key developmental stages up to dome. The results revealed key chromatin signatures in the first cell fate specifications when cells start to differentiate into enveloping layer (EVL) and yolk syncytial layer (YSL) cells. Finally, we uncovered many potential cell-type specific enhancers and transcription factor motifs that are important for the cell fate specifications.
Communication between DNA and nucleotide binding sites facilitates stepping by the RecBCD helicase
Authors: Gaydar Vera , Zananiri Rani , Saied Layla , Dvir Or , Kaplan Ariel , Henn Arnon
Published: February 2024

Double-strand DNA breaks are the severest type of genomic damage, requiring rapid response to ensure survival. RecBCD helicase in prokaryotes initiates processive and rapid DNA unzipping, essential for break repair. The energetics of RecBCD during translocation along the DNA track are quantitatively not defined. Specifically, it's essential to understand the mechanism by which RecBCD switches between its binding states to enable its translocation. Here, we determine, by systematic affinity measurements, the degree of coupling between DNA and nucleotide binding to RecBCD. In the presence of ADP, RecBCD binds weakly to DNA that harbors a double overhang mimicking an unwinding intermediate. Consistently, RecBCD binds weakly to ADP in the presence of the same DNA. We did not observe coupling between DNA and nucleotide binding for DNA molecules having only a single overhang, suggesting that RecBCD subunits must both bind DNA to ‘sense’ the nucleotide state. On the contrary, AMPpNp shows weak coupling as RecBCD remains strongly bound to DNA in its presence. Detailed thermodynamic analysis of the RecBCD reaction mechanism suggests an ‘energetic compensation’ between RecB and RecD, which may be essential for rapid unwinding. Our findings provide the basis for a plausible stepping mechanism’ during the processive translocation of RecBCD.
Programmable RNA 5-methylcytosine (m5C) modification of cellular RNAs by dCasRx conjugated methyltransferase and demethylase
Authors: Zhang Tao , Zhao Feiyu , Li Jinze , Sun Xiaodi , Zhang Xiyun , Wang Hejun , Fan Peng , Lai Liangxue , Li Zhanjun , Sui Tingting
Published: February 2024

5-Methylcytosine (m5C), an abundant RNA modification, plays a crucial role in regulating RNA fate and gene expression. While recent progress has been made in understanding the biological roles of m5C, the inability to introduce m5C at specific sites within transcripts has hindered efforts to elucidate direct links between specific m5C and phenotypic outcomes. Here, we developed a CRISPR–Cas13d-based tool, named reengineered m5C modification system (termed ‘RCMS’), for targeted m5C methylation and demethylation in specific transcripts. The RCMS editors consist of a nuclear-localized dCasRx conjugated to either a methyltransferase, NSUN2/NSUN6, or a demethylase, the catalytic domain of mouse Tet2 (ten–eleven translocation 2), enabling the manipulation of methylation events at precise m5C sites. We demonstrate that the RCMS editors can direct site-specific m5C incorporation and demethylation. Furthermore, we confirm their effectiveness in modulating m5C levels within transfer RNAs and their ability to induce changes in transcript abundance and cell proliferation through m5C-mediated mechanisms. These findings collectively establish RCMS editors as a focused epitranscriptome engineering tool, facilitating the identification of individual m5C alterations and their consequential effects.
Protein homeostasis imprinting across evolution
Authors: Koutsandreas Thodoris , Felden Brice , Chevet Eric , Chatziioannou Aristotelis
Published: February 2024

Protein homeostasis (a.k.a. proteostasis) is associated with the primary functions of life, and therefore with evolution. However, it is unclear how cellular proteostasis machines have evolved to adjust protein biogenesis needs to environmental constraints. Herein, we describe a novel computational approach, based on semantic network analysis, to evaluate proteostasis plasticity during evolution. We show that the molecular components of the proteostasis network (PN) are reliable metrics to deconvolute the life forms into Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya and to assess the evolution rates among species. Semantic graphs were used as new criteria to evaluate PN complexity in 93 Eukarya, 250 Bacteria and 62 Archaea, thus representing a novel strategy for taxonomic classification, which provided information about species divergence. Kingdom-specific PN components were identified, suggesting that PN complexity may correlate with evolution. We found that the gains that occurred throughout PN evolution revealed a dichotomy within both the PN conserved modules and within kingdom-specific modules. Additionally, many of these components contribute to the evolutionary imprinting of other conserved mechanisms. Finally, the current study suggests a new way to exploit the genomic annotation of biomedical ontologies, deriving new knowledge from the semantic comparison of different biological systems.
Using Exogenous Social Media Exposure Measures to Assess the Effects of Smokeless Tobacco–Related Social Media Content on Smokeless Tobacco Sales in the United States
Authors: Kostygina Ganna , Kim Yoonsang , Gebhardt Zachary , Tran Hy , Norris Andrew , Page Simon , Borowiecki Mateusz , Rose Shyanika W , Emery Sherry
Published: February 2024

Introduction

Prior research on the effects of social media promotion of tobacco products has predominantly relied on survey-based self-report measures of marketing exposure, which potentially introduce endogeneity, recall, and selection biases. New approaches can enhance measurement and help better understand the effects of exposure to tobacco-related messages in a dynamic social media marketing environment. We used geolocation-specific tweet rate as an exogenous indicator of exposure to smokeless tobacco (ST)-related content and employed this measure to examine the influence of social media marketing on ST sales.

Aims and Methods

Autoregressive error models were used to analyze the association between the ST-relevant tweet rate (aggregated by 4-week period from February 12, 2017 to June 26, 2021 and scaled by population density) and logarithmic ST unit sales across time by product type (newer, snus, conventional) in the United States, accounting for autocorrelated errors. Interrupted time series approach was used to control for policy change effects.

Results

ST product category-related tweet rates were associated with ST unit sales of newer and conventional products, controlling for price, relevant policy events, and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. On average, 100-unit increase in the number of newer ST-related tweets was associated with 14% increase in unit sales (RR = 1.14; p = .01); 100-unit increase in conventional ST tweets was associated with ~1% increase in unit sales (p = .04). Average price was negatively associated with the unit sales.

Conclusions

Study findings reveal that ST social media tweet rate was related to increased ST consumption and illustrate the utility of exogenous measures in conceptualizing and assessing effects in the complex media environment.

Implications

Tobacco control initiatives should include efforts to monitor the role of social media in promoting tobacco use. Surveillance of social media platforms is critical to monitor emerging tobacco product-related marketing strategies and promotional content reach. Exogenous measures of potential exposure to social media messages can supplement survey data to study media effects on tobacco consumption.
Impact of Financial Disclosures and Health Warnings on Youth and Young Adult Perceptions of Pro-E-cigarette Instagram Posts
Authors: Lee Donghee N , Bluestein Meagan A , Stevens Elise M , Tackett Alayna P , Mathews Ashley J , Hébert Emily T
Published: February 2024

Introduction

We examined the impact of financial disclosures and warning labels on pro-e-cigarette Instagram posts and their association with attitudes toward the ad and product among youth and young adults.

Methods

During March to May 2021, we conducted a factorial experiment using an online convenience sample of youth and young adults (N = 1687, Mage = 21.54). Participants were randomized to one of four conditions: pro-e-cigarette Instagram posts with only a financial disclosure, only a warning label, both a financial disclosure + warning label, or no financial disclosure or warning label. After viewing the posts, participants answered questions regarding their attitude toward the ad and the product. We used one-way ANOVA to estimate the association of condition on outcomes controlling for demographics.

Results

Young adults who viewed Instagram posts with only a financial disclosure reported more positive attitudes toward the ad than those who viewed posts with both a financial disclosure + warning label (p < .05). Young adults who viewed posts with only a financial disclosure reported more positive attitudes toward the product than those who viewed posts with only a warning label, both a financial disclosure + warning label, and without either (ps < .05). Differences were not statistically significant for youth. E-cigarette use status was associated with increased positive attitudes toward the ad (p < .001) and product (p < .001) for all participants.

Conclusions

Our results can inform policy interventions to mitigate the effects of e-cigarette social media marketing among youth and young adults. Including financial disclosures may not decrease appeal of e-cigarettes compared to posts without either.

Implications

Findings from the study suggest that a warning label may be more effective in reducing the effects of pro-e-cigarette social media posts than a financial disclosure among young adults. Public health officials should examine additional strategies beyond financial disclosures and warning labels (eg, social media peer mentoring program) to offset the persuasive effects of pro-e-cigarette social media marketing posts on young people. Additional policy interventional efforts are needed to limit the impact of e-cigarette social media marketing.
Environmental Education
Authors: Reid Alan , Ardoin Nicole M.
Published: February 2024

In broad terms, environmental educators provide educational activities that foster meaningful learning about challenges to the flourishing of communities of life on Earth. They nest this work within diverse understandings of the ways that human activities shape life on this dynamic planet—a situation that also underscores that the potential subject matter for environmental education (EE) is extensive and evolves. To illustrate, EE provision might address historic to contemporary qualities of environment-related consciousness and experience, the strengths and limitations of Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of knowing about people-environment relations in particular places, the roles of citizens and other actors within different levels of environmental governance, and models and aspirations for ecosystem health across multiple scales. Given the breadth of possibility for EE, environmental educators may engage and/or redirect the practices of related fields of scholarship. These typically include—but are not limited to—the principles and priorities of environmental appreciation, conservation, and restoration; “learning beyond the classroom”; and sustainability-related education. Unsurprisingly, significant challenges emerge in determining what (not) to support or do as EE, topics we consider throughout this bibliography. Key considerations include the factors and intricacies that influence a person’s environment-related awareness, knowledge, understandings, motivations, decision-making, and commitments within and across the life span. Another layer is the multiplicity of contexts for—and limitations on—the ways we might live and learn. Put differently, research shows there are various barriers and enablers to becoming “environmentally educated” that individuals and groups will need to be aware of. Many of these become clearer as we consider the capabilities of educators and learners, alongside their constraints, readiness, and priorities. Each of these, and more, influence the effectiveness of environment-related teaching and learning, whatever point of engagement one proceeds from. In this, reflections on the field’s roots, mainstays, and innovations return us to a series of questions. These questions examine the value of education in addressing a plethora of concerns arising from how people relate to their environments in ways that avoid damaging all parties historically, now, and into the future. As questions of what to prioritize as EE are subject to debate, those working to provide and develop EE often tackle a range of considerations that may prove equally contested. In this, scholarly discourse usually centers around questions of the quality of provision, including: Is this expression of EE educationally rich, and to whom is it most relevant, and why?
Queering the English Language Arts (ELA) Writing Classroom
Authors: Johnson Latrise P.
Published: February 2024

Queer(ing) writing theories and pedagogies serve as fertile ground for the practice and the teaching of writing. This review synthesizes foundational and recent literature on how queer theoretical frameworks and understandings may lead to deeper and transformative writing and writing instruction in secondary English language arts classrooms and, on some level, postsecondary writing/composition. There is little foundational research on queering the ELA writing classroom specifically. What has been taken up is how queer identity and orientations impact and may be impacted by literacy participation and practice. While research takes up queer orientations of literacy practice broadly, this review examines and designates, in some cases, how literacy scholarship that uses queer and queering frameworks might be understood in relation to writing and teaching writing in English language arts classrooms specifically. In addition, the review synthesizes research that considers queer orientations and understandings of writing instruction and practice that are relevant to secondary and early postsecondary contexts.
Latin American Multispecies Studies
Authors: Castro Azucena , Tellini Oscar Sebastian
Published: February 2024

The multispecies studies considered here include relations between humans and nonhumans, as elaborated in Latin American cultural studies. Cultural approaches to multispecies relations began in the late 1990s in branches of anthropology and Indigenous studies that started to question the separation between humans and nonhumans, nature and culture, organic and inorganic inherited from Western modernity. The definition of species started to be contested, and alternative terms emerged as “the living” and “life-forms” to decenter the human as an object of study. Embodied and affective approaches to animals, plants, water, soil, and microbes began to articulate alternative modes of knowledge in art, theory, and criticism to challenge speciesism and anthropocentrism. As an emerging area, multispecies studies is an open field that embraces the nonhuman turn through a wide range of sources in philosophy, anthropology, geography, political ecology, and media studies in intersections with zoology, botanic, geology, hydrology, and mineralogy. “The multispecies turn” in culture rejects human exceptionalism to consider forms of co-constitution and horizontal relations with nonhumans in society. Latin American cultural studies bring a unique contribution to inter and multispecies relations, arguing that they are sites of identity formation, power relations, and resistance. The colonial and extractivist history in the region has shaped the variety of Latin American cultural perceptions and approaches to nonhumans. The inter- and transdisciplinary field of multispecies studies in Latin America elaborates post-anthropocentric perspectives by drawing on a wide range of emerging disciplines in the environmental humanities, animal and plant studies, Indigenous philosophy, more-than-human anthropology, climate justice, posthumanism, and ecofeminism. Its publications are still fragmented, and studies applying a multispecies approach to cultural studies in Latin America are found in a variety of anthologies and publications that deal with a great diversity of issues, mostly socio-environmental and cultural. A number of books, articles, special issues, and chapters that focus on the role of multi-cross-inter interspecies relationality are shaping this emerging field in Latin America. Much of the scholarship tends to focus on cultural relations between humans and particular nonhumans (animal, plant, water bodies); however, scholarship that considers relations between and across diverse life forms is also emerging in climate justice studies, feminist studies, anthropology, architecture, biopolitics and political ecology in Latin American studies. The authors of this article wish to thank Ximena Briceño, Sophie Esch, Ernesto Semán, and the anonymous reviewers.
China and International Law in Cyberspace
Authors: Yang Fan
Published: February 2024

As a recently thriving domain that caters to human activity and international relations in digital forms, cyberspace is essentially a man-made space with unique features, in that it is interconnected globally, borderless among states, and ultimately technology-driven. Active in this domain are cyber activities characterized by their anonymity and instantaneity, which translate into legal challenges in terms of attribution and effective regulation. While states tend to agree that cyberspace should not be left out of the rule of law, including international law, examining how existing international law (lex lata) could apply in the context of cyberspace is still an evolving endeavor in terms of both state practice and academic research. Since the year 2000, states, especially those with stronger cyber capabilities, have played a competitive game striving for greater influence, and some for dominance, in international legal governance of cyberspace. It is commonly believed that the future of international law in cyberspace will be largely shaped by such interactive process among states. Being primarily a rule-taker in the current Western-dominated international legal system, China seeks to speak up as a rule-maker in cyberspace, actively advocating for a Chinese perspective on international law applicable in cyberspace. In general, China puts more emphasis on the role of sovereign states in the international governance of cyberspace, and highlights concerns on cybersecurity and strategic stability. China prefers a multilateral approach to the regulation of cyberspace, especially through the UN platform, as compared to a multi-stakeholder approach. China has been a driving force in the UN Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security and its predecessor, the UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Advancing responsible State behavior in cyberspace, as well as in the UN Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrime. Domestically, China is building up its cyber capacity in terms of both hard power and soft power. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) acts as the leading agency to design the state’s strategy on international governance of cyberspace. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) plays an important role in carrying out the diplomatic engagement and treaty negotiations for the country. A scholarly community on international law in cyberspace is quickly burgeoning among China’s universities and think tanks, which leads to interdisciplinary interaction among scholars from international politics and international relations. Apart from the “General Overview” section, this entry is organized according to major branches and topics of international law in cyberspace, with a closing section specifically dedicated to China’s state practice in this regard.
Geology
Authors: Geric Michelle
Published: February 2024

Geology became a distinct scientific discipline over the course of the nineteenth century, and the groundwork for this development began in the late eighteenth century, with most culturally significant discoveries occurring between the 1780s and 1850s. In geomorphology, the emphasis on the accumulation of imperceptible geological changes over long periods (gradualism) established Earth’s immense age, which in turn offered Darwin a frame within which to postulate evolutionary theory. Somewhat overshadowed by the impact of Darwin, research into the literatures and cultures informing geology in its intensely formative years in the 1830s and 1840s is still an understudied area. These decades exerted a far-reaching influence on Victorian literature and culture and saw a tremendous growth in the popularity of geology as an amateur pursuit. Geology’s construction of Earth’s history grew up alongside the rise of modern human historiography, and much valuable scholarship has sought to trace the interconnectedness of geological and human narratives of history. The development of the field of “literature and science,” following the groundbreaking work of Gillian Beer, produced important interdisciplinary research into the “literary” construction of geological knowledge and demonstrated the Victorian sense of the indivisibility of scientific and cultural ways of knowing. In the late twentieth century a major “cultural turn” in the history of geology also produced a wealth of scholarship that took account of geology’s material cultures by examining objects, the contexts of display, lecture circuits, and cultures of publishing and reading. Literary criticism has also drawn attention to material culture, and a more nuanced picture of the production of geological knowledge has emerged from historians’ and cultural critics’ attention to the pressures of class, economics, gender, and social and political partisanship. Overall, exchanges between historians of geology and literary and cultural critics provide excellent examples of the richness that can be achieved by interdisciplinarity. More recently, the concept of the Anthropocene has provided a new critical prism through which to approach 19th-century literature. As the period in which the discovery of geological time and serial species extinction took place, the nineteenth century has specific resonance for Anthropocene studies, and this exciting and important critical frame has injected fresh energy into research into 19th-century geology and the literatures and cultures that brought it into being. Finally, it must be noted that the texts cited here reflect the largely Anglocentric nature of scholarship written in English on the history, literature, and culture of geology. The field would benefit from more attention to the writings and fieldwork contributions of other influential Continental geologists.
Reading Practices
Authors: Rose Jonathan
Published: February 2024

Victorian Britain offers unlimited opportunities for groundbreaking research in the history of reading. Thanks to the development of new printing, papermaking, and binding technologies, as well as the abolition of “taxes on knowledge,” reading matter became much cheaper and far more widely disseminated, and improvements in artificial lighting made reading progressively easier. The nineteenth century saw the creation of a global literary marketplace, where literature from Britain, France, Germany, the United States, and occasionally the nonwestern countries was translated and cheaply imported all over the world. Both middle-class and working-class readers organized “mutual improvement societies”—essentially seminars without professors, where “common readers” met to discuss books. Perhaps more than any other contemporaneous society, Victorian Britain left behind a wealth of source material that illuminates reading practices: memoirs, diaries, library records, letters to editors, authors’ fan mail, and some early social surveys. Utilizing these documents, we can learn a great deal about Victorian readers of all classes, right down to prison convicts who were subject to more severe restrictions on reading than other Victorians.
Affirmative Action
Authors: Ikizer Elif G. , Dovidio John F.
Published: February 2024

Affirmative action refers to laws or government-mandated or voluntary policies or procedures designed to promote the equitable inclusion of members of certain historically excluded groups by granting members of these groups additional consideration for educational, economic, and employment opportunities. Affirmative action has traditionally been one of the structural ways to promote diversity in society. While much of the research on affirmative action has focused on the United States, affirmative action programs exist in many other countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. The approaches used internationally vary in many ways, most commonly with respect to the groups that the programs are designed to benefit and the degree to which group-based characteristics are considered in relation to other, merit-based credentials. For example, whereas the use of quotas in affirmative action is prohibited in the United States, affirmative action programs for college admission and federal employment in Brazil and India employ quotas for people of color. In 2023, India passed a law to reserve 33 percent of state and national legislative positions for women. India’s affirmative action policy, in which a person’s nationality, sex, religion, and caste are taken into account in education and employment by public and private organizations, is grounded in the country’s constitutional principles. Also, different countries justify having affirmative action policies to varying degrees by the goals of remediating past injustice, improving economics, promoting diversity, and achieving social justice. Who affirmative action benefits, how the policy is justified, how affirmative action programs are implemented, and the attitudes and ideologies of people viewing the program all contribute to the extent to which affirmative action is supported or opposed by people. While considering affirmative action internationally, this examination focuses on affirmative action in the United States, which has stimulated significant behavioral science research and generated considerable public controversy, in order to illuminate basic processes that shape the content and consequences of affirmative action. Support and opposition to affirmative action may both be grounded in principles of justice, but these are sometimes competing values. Specifically, this entry considers (a) a range of resources examining multiple facets of the topic, (b) assessments of the effectiveness of affirmative action, (c) reactions based on self- or group-interest, (d) individual differences in responses to affirmative action, (e) impact of the way the program is justified on support, (f) psychological consequences, (g) dynamics of help in relation to affirmative action, and (h) recent developments for promoting diversity.
Marine Subsidies
Authors: Obrist Debora
Published: February 2024

Ecosystems are closely linked through the exchange of resources. Marine subsidies refer to the cross-ecosystem flows of ocean-derived resources, including organisms, nutrients, and detritus. These subsidies occur in two forms: passive, resulting from deposition by abiotic forces such as gravity, wind, and waves, and active, through animal-mediated resource transport. These transfers often enrich recipient habitats with otherwise limiting nutrients, leading to enhanced productivity and causing a wide range of ecological impacts. The influence of marine subsidies extends across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments. On arid desert islands in Baja California, Mexico, the influence of marine subsidies to terrestrial ecosystems is particularly evident; here, the energy gained from passively donated marine detritus outweighs islands’ terrestrial productivity. Seabird guano, on the other hand, is an example of an actively deposited marine input in terrestrial ecosystems. This resource has been studied for decades, likely due to its high commercial value in the fertilizer industry. Meanwhile, Pacific salmon provide a classical example of marine subsidies to both freshwater and terrestrial systems. These fish feed and gain mass in the ocean before they spawn and die in their natal freshwater streams, facilitating the fertilization of both nutrient-limited streams and riparian terrestrial habitats. Finally, marine subsidies can also refer to cross-ecosystem movements between different types of marine habitats. For example, zooplankton feed on phytoplankton, which remove vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Fecal pellets from upper-pelagic zooplankton slowly drift downward in the water column through gravity and passively subsidize deep ocean ecological communities. Marine animals, including whales, can move nutrients back upwards in the water column against the pull of gravity as they feed in the deep ocean and return to the sea surface to breathe, excreting feces and urine on the way. Through a process called upwelling, this upward movement of nutrients can also happen passively. Upwelling is a wind-driven phenomenon by which cold, nutrient-rich waters are forced up toward the sea surface, resulting in increased productivity in surface waters. Overall, marine subsidies link various ecosystems through the movement of marine-derived resources, and greatly impact the ecologies of recipient habitat flora and fauna. From fertilizing nutrient-limited streams to subsidizing deep ocean benthic communities, marine subsidies have significant ecological impacts across the globe.
Agricultural History
Authors: Widgren Mats
Published: February 2024

This overview of literature on the agricultural history of sub-Saharan Africa focuses on works that contribute to our understanding of changes in farming systems, crops, and tools. The time period considered here is after the introduction of farming and before colonialism, thus roughly corresponding to 500 to 1900 ce. Agrarian change during this period remains very little studied in comparison with other continents. Many works on African history take their point of departure in a timeless description of precolonial agriculture. Agriculture is then often described on the basis of late 19th- and early-20th-century ethnographic observations, and it is common to assume that little had changed since the introduction of farming. The few works that carry the title “Agrarian history of” or “Agricultural history of” different regions in Africa are, in contrast to similar works covering countries and regions in, for example, Europe and Asia, mainly short papers or pamphlets that focus on either colonial development or sketch a program toward a precolonial agricultural history. The precolonial agricultural history of sub-Saharan Africa is a true interdisciplinary endeavor, and the ideal researcher would have to master Arabic and Portuguese texts, agronomy, palaeobotany, archaeology, linguistics, and oral history. It is to a large extent on the cutting edge between two or more of these specialties that interesting new results have emerged. Works that give a significant empirical contribution to the understanding of agriculture in the period and region under study are included in this article.
The time is right to establish a Global Network for Evidence for Work
Authors: Curti Stefania , Mattioli Stefano
Published: February 2024

Access to accurate and unbiased evidence is of paramount importance. An international survey was conducted to determine if establishing a global network for evidence synthesis in occupational safety and health (OSH) was feasible. Many institutions, organizations and experts have expressed an interest in collaborating. This newly established network is aimed at producing and stimulating high-quality syntheses along with methods developments and knowledge transfer for evidence in OSH, work participation and well-being.
Ending Race-Conscious College Admissions and Its Potential Impact on the Infectious Disease Workforce
Authors: Momplaisir Florence , Rogo Tanya , Alexander Parrish Ronika , Delair Shirley , Rigaud Mona , Caine Virginia , Absalon Judith , Word Bonnie , Hewlett Dial
Published: February 2024

On 29 June 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that race-conscious consideration for college admission is unconstitutional. We discuss the consequences of this ruling on the delivery of equitable care and health system readiness to combat current and emerging pandemics. We propose strategies to mitigate the negative impact of this ruling on diversifying the infectious disease (ID) workforce.
The Characteristics of Youth With Missed HIV Visits in Alabama
Authors: Hao Jiaying , Long Dustin M , Relyea Ashley Heather M , Budhwani Henna , Simpson Tina Y , Hill Samantha V
Published: February 2024

Gaps in knowledge remain related to understanding missed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) visits and youth with HIV (YWH). This study examined data from an Alabama academic HIV clinic with clients aged 16 to 24 years old and found that non virally suppressed and older YWH were associated with missed visits among YWH.
Uterine carcinosarcoma with heterologous mesenchymal element: a case report of a rare and aggressive tumor
Authors: Asfer Shahd , Hmidan Samsam Suhair , Zakkar Rama , Jarbouh Habib
Published: February 2024

Uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS), also known as malignant mixed Müllerian tumor, is a rare malignancy, which consists of both carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements, with a clinical picture resembling endometrial carcinoma. We report a case of a 74-year-old woman is reported with UCS, diagnosed after a 7 months history of vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain. Previous transvaginal sonography showed nonspecific findings, but a repeated one revealed a central uterine mass. Dilatation and curettage and several biopsies were performed. The initial histological report suggested high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma. After total hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy, pathology confirmed UCS whose sarcomatous element was heterologous type included osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma. The patient is receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. This case highlights the importance of pathology evaluation after hysterectomy to raise the confidence of diagnosis with emphasis on prognostic outcomes that can be significantly affected in patients with this type of sarcomatous element.
New-onset seizures: an unusual neurologic manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Khan Omair , Aslam Sadia , Mohammadrezaei Fatemeh , Wilches Rita Dennise Moncayo , Mehrabi Joseph , Yehounatan Matania , Kumari Sapna , Singh Sehajpreet , Ahmadi Maryam , Masri Daniel , Konka Sarita , Margulis Yevgeniya
Published: February 2024

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory condition primarily affecting the musculoskeletal system but can often involve other organ systems as well. Rheumatoid meningitis is a rare central nervous system (CNS) manifestation of RA characterized by pachymeningeal and leptomeningeal enhancement. Herein, we present a case of a 64-year-old male who presented with left lower extremity weakness and witnessed seizures. The diagnostic work-up, including lumbar puncture, brain MRI and meningeal biopsy ruled out malignancy and were consistent with the diagnosis of rheumatoid meningitis. The patient was discharged on high-dose steroids along with anti-seizure medications. On subsequent follow-up visits, the patient remained seizure-free.
Maximal Tizanidine withdrawal managed with dexmedetomidine: a vital intervention
Authors: Omer Marah , Yigit Yavuz , Alkahlout Baha Hamdi , Mohamed Eslam Hussein , Khalil Sulafa , Azad Aftab Mohammad
Published: February 2024

Tizanidine withdrawal is a rare and complex phenomenon characterized by a surge in adrenergic activity upon abrupt discontinuation of the drug. We present a unique case of a 41-year-old male with multiple comorbidities who self-administered an exceptionally high daily dose of Tizanidine, leading to severe withdrawal symptoms. This case report highlights the challenges in managing such cases. The patient, with a history of myofascial pain syndrome, hypertension, anxiety, and depression, experienced distressing symptoms, including tachycardia, rebound hypertension, neuropsychiatric manifestations, and involuntary muscle movements. Unlike previous cases, our patient required the addition of dexmedetomidine in conjunction with benzodiazepines for symptom management. Reintroduction of Tizanidine, carefully controlled and tapered, led to stabilization of hemodynamics and cessation of involuntary movements. This case underscores the importance of individualized treatment and vigilant monitoring when dealing with Tizanidine withdrawal, particularly at elevated daily doses.
Apatinib Plus Toripalimab (Anti-PD1 Therapy) as Second-Line Therapy in Patients With Advanced Gastric or Esophagogastric Junction Cancer: Results From a Randomized, Open-Label Phase II Study
Authors: Wei Qing , Xu Xiaoqing , Li Jingjing , Wang Chang , Chen Weijun , Xie Yanru , Luo Cong , Chen Lei , Chu Jiadong , Wu Wei , Han Zhe , Yang Yanlian , Hu Zhiyuan , Xu Qi , Ying Jieer
Published: February 2024

Background

This study aimed to assess the activity of apatinib plus toripalimab in the second line for patients with advanced gastric or esophagogastric junction cancer (GC/EGJC).

Methods

In this open-label, phase II, randomized trial, patients with advanced GC/EGJC who progressed after first-line chemotherapy were enrolled and received 250 mg apatinib per day plus 240 mg toripalimab on day 1 per 3 weeks (arm A) or physician’s choice of chemotherapy (PC, arm B). The primary endpoint of this study was the 1-year survival rate. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), and safety were assessed as secondary endpoints.

Results

Twenty-five patients received apatinib plus toripalimab while 26 were enrolled in arm B. The 1-year survival rates of the 2 groups were 43.3% and 42.3%, respectively (P = .903). The PFS was 2.77 versus 2.33 months (P = .660). The OS was 8.30 versus 9.88 months (P = .539). An objective response was reported in 20.0% of patients in arm A compared to 26.9% in arm B (P = .368), respectively. A total of 6 (24.0%) patients experienced adverse events of grade ≥ 3 in arm A, while 9 (34.6%) patients suffered from adverse events of grade ≥ 3 in arm B. No drug-related deaths occurred in either group.

Conclusion

Toripalimab plus apatinib treatment in second-line therapy of advanced GC/EGJC showed manageable toxicity but did not improve clinical outcomes relative to PC treatment (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04190745).
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Authors: Conan Doyle Arthur
Published: February 2024

The mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville brings Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson to Dartmoor in the most famous of all of Arthur Conan Doyle's books. Is Sir Charles the latest victim of the ancestral Curse of the Baskervilles, which summons a demonic hound to stalk the moor and exact vengeance for a past misdeed, or is there a more modern, more prosaic explanation for the sudden death? In The Hound of the Baskervilles, the modern, rational world, and the ancient, supernatural world collide in the novel which brought Sherlock Holmes back from the dead.

This new edition of Conan Doyle's classic mystery is part of a series of new editions of the Sherlock Holmes stories published in Oxford World's Classics. Darryl Jones's Introduction explores the competing worlds of the supernatural and the scientific in the novel and in Arthur Conan Doyle's life, the novel's colonial background and origins, and the role of landscape, folklore, and folk horror in the novel.
The Lees Of Happiness
Authors: Fitzgerald F. Scott
Published: February 2024

If you should look through the files of old magazines for the first years of the present century you would find, sandwiched in between the stories of Richard Harding Davis and Frank Norris* and others long since dead, the work of one...
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Authors: Conan Doyle Arthur
Published: February 2024

Arthur Conan Doyle famously killed off Sherlock Holmes in 1893, in the short story ‘The Final Problem’, but was tempted to bring him back to life ten years later, in the thirteen tales that comprise The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

While the outcry that supposedly followed Holmes' death was mostly apocryphal (the claim that readers wore black armbands in mourning has been frequently cited but never actually proved), by 1893 there was a substantial readership for Holmes' two series of adventures published in the Strand Magazine and two earlier novels. Doyle returned to Holmes in 1901-2 with The Hound of the Baskervilles, a novel set before the events of ‘The Final Problem’; the commercial success of the serialisation in the Strand led Doyle to consider reviving the Holmes stories on a longer-term basis. Accordingly, in 1903 Doyle was contracted by the American magazine Collier's Weekly to supply six more Holmes stories; the agreement was extended to six more, with a final extension for a thirteenth story ('The Second Stain') that Doyle (mistakenly) believed to be the closing episode of the Holmes adventures. These thirteen tales make up this volume.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Authors: Conan Doyle Arthur
Published: February 2024

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is now best remembered for its concluding story in which the great detective appears to plunge to his death into the waters at the bottom of the Reichenbach Falls, locked in a struggle with his nemesis, Professor Moriarty. However, the collection also brings the reader back to the beginnings of Holmes’ career, involving a mutiny at sea and a treasure hunt in a Sussex country house, and a first encounter with Holmes' older brother Mycroft, of whom Holmes says, “If the art of the detective began and ended in reasoning from any armchair, my brother would be the greatest criminal agent that ever lived”. This collection includes some of the detective's greatest cases, such as ‘Silver Blaze’ and ‘The Naval Treaty’, and even one case which Holmes fails to solve.

Edited with an introduction by Jarlath Killeen, this volume examines Holmes as a safeguard against social breakdown and chaos, as well as an agent of justice and goodness against the forces of evil. It also situates the collection in the growth of life writing in the period, and explores the ways in which Holmes became increasingly ‘real’ to readers as more details about his personality and biography are revealed in the stories.