bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Foreign Exchange Intervention
Authors: Popper Helen
Published: January 2024

The practice of central bank foreign exchange intervention for a time ran ahead of either compelling theoretical explanations of its use or persuasive empirical evidence of its effectiveness. Research accelerated when the emerging economy crises of the 1990s and the early 2000s brought fresh data in the form of urgent experimentation with foreign exchange intervention and related policies, and the financial crisis of 2008 propelled serious treatment of financial frictions into models of intervention.

Current foreign exchange intervention models combine financial frictions with relevant externalities: with the aggregate demand and pecuniary externalities that inform macroeconomic models more broadly, and with the trade-related learning externalities that are particularly relevant for developing and emerging economies. These models characteristically allow for normative evaluation of the use of foreign exchange intervention, although most (but not all) do so from a single economy perspective.

Empirical advances reflect the advantages of more variation in the use of foreign exchange intervention, better data, and novel econometric approaches to addressing endogeneity. Foreign exchange intervention is now widely viewed as influencing exchange rates at least to some extent, and sustained one-sided intervention; and its corresponding reserve accumulation appear to play a role in moderating exchange rate fluctuations and in reducing the likelihood of damaging consequences of financial crises.

Key avenues for future research include sorting out which frictions and externalities matter most, and where foreign exchange intervention—and perhaps international cooperation—properly fits (if at all) into the blend of policies that might appropriately address the externalities.
The Empirics of Network Models
Authors: Souza Pedro CL
Published: January 2024

The literature documenting a wide range of network or peer effects has blossomed in the past decade and have appeared in most major economics journals, using a variety of methods and identification strategies. Reviewing the empirics of those papers suggests a few broad classes of econometric models. The first and canonical model is the “linear-in-means,” which grows from Manski’s seminal work. More recently, it has shown that network asymmetry conditions (known as “peers-of-peers” instrument approach) can be used to instrument the endogeneity inherently present in the linear-in-means model. Moving to more recent empirical practice reveals novel and creative instrumentation strategies exploring particular empirical settings. The network identification strategies can also be combined with traditional differences-and-differences, event-study, and regression discontinuity designs. For example, under certain conditions, one can explore the variation that stems from the differential comparison of the evolution over time of well-connected versus less-well-connected individuals; or explore the variation in the network structure induced by a discontinuous change in the network. Randomized, controlled studies had substantial importance in revealing network effects in the past literature using standard methods; and, more recently, in understanding the extent to which networks can themselves be endogenous to the provision of the treatment itself. This, in turn, will present future challenges for the econometrics of networks and the identification or evaluation of treatment effects under a causal framework with endogenous interference.
Health and Health Care Access Among Diverse Groups of Elders in the United States: An Intersectionality Approach
Authors: Milani Sadaf Arefi , Markides Kyriakos S.
Published: January 2024

Great interest has been shown in recent years about the influence of diversity on access to health care and health status, especially over the life course. Substantial interest has been shown in diversity by race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and also sexual orientation and rurality. A life course perspective whereby life conditions earlier in life influence health care access and health status later in life, with increasing application of an intersectionality perspective, is crucial to understanding how statuses delineated by social class, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and age interact to influence later life outcomes. Application of intersectionality to the study of aging and health is relatively recent, in conjunction with the increasingly popular cumulative advantage/disadvantage life course perspective, promises to lead to significant advances in the field of diversity, aging, and health in the United States and elsewhere.
Contraceptive Technology
Authors: Fruhauf Timothee , Rankin Holly A.
Published: January 2024

Contraceptive technology refers to tools that are used to delay or prevent pregnancy. Modern contraceptive technology encompasses female or male sterilization, intrauterine devices, contraceptive implants, contraceptive pills, contraceptive patches, intravaginal rings, diaphragms, external or internal condoms, emergency contraception, and certain fertility awareness–based methods. Duration of these methods’ effects varies from permanent and irreversible to long-lasting and reversible to short term with day-to-day reversibility. The efficacy of modern contraceptive technologies at preventing pregnancy ranges between 76% and 99.95% during the first year of typical use. Mechanisms of action vary from physically impeding meeting of sperm and oocyte to use of exogenous reproductive hormones to alter fertility. Contraceptive counseling for the selection of a method should adopt a shared decision-making framework and can consider advantages, disadvantages, contraindications, and side effects of a method to align with a patient’s contraceptive use goals. Certain clinical contexts, such as post-abortion, postpartum, adolescent patients, and patients with elevated body mass index have contraceptive nuances that are important to consider. Finally, contraceptive technology has many non-contraceptive benefits that provide additional indications for their use.
Mars Atmospheric Entry, Descent, and Landing: An Atmospheric Perspective
Authors: Mischna Michael
Published: January 2024

Beginning in the very earliest years of the space age, a flotilla of robotic explorers have been sent to study Mars—first simply to fly by, then to orbit, and, later, to attempt landing on the surface. For these landers, separating the rapidly approaching spacecraft from the surface is little but a tenuous carbon dioxide atmosphere, too thin to be useful but too thick to ignore. The purpose of the entry, descent, and landing (EDL) process is to take these hypersonic spacecraft through the approximately 6 mb atmosphere and place them safely on the Martian surface. The sequence of steps required to progressively slow and control this descending spacecraft has been honed throughout the decades but follows the same basic approach. A period of frictional deceleration during the entry phase of EDL first slows the spacecraft to a point where a supersonic parachute can be deployed to further slow the spacecraft during its descent phase. Whether a spacecraft is following a ballistic or a guided entry determines the need to control the downrange motion of the spacecraft during the entry phase, providing more or less targeting accuracy, at the expense of EDL complexity. The third and terminal EDL phase, consisting of a powered or semi-powered landing, brings the spacecraft to the surface. Over the years, a range of different powered landing approaches have been employed, from basic retropropulsion, to airbags to the SkyCrane, as spacecraft size has grown and landing sites have become more challenging.

Despite this seemingly straightforward description, EDL at Mars is an exceptionally intricate process, with numerous failures over the decades; as of 2023, four space agencies have attempted, with varying degrees of success, to land on Mars. Environmental uncertainties during the EDL process typically remain a large mission concern. The process of characterizing the Martian atmosphere at the time, season, and location of touchdown has advanced incrementally from the earliest landings that relied on coarse orbital or flyby measurements of surface temperature and pressure to more modern efforts that incorporate sophisticated numerical models with high spatial and temporal resolution, pinpointing the most likely conditions that a spacecraft will experience during its traverse through the atmosphere and providing comprehensive uncertainty measurements to statistically bound the range of possible conditions.

As spacecraft become more complex, it has become possible to add in situ sensors to the descending spacecraft to directly measure the local environment. Combined with numerical modeling and information provided by other spacecraft, these data have helped increase knowledge of the local environment to a substantial degree, reducing environmental uncertainty from being a major risk to a manageable concern.
Enregisterment
Authors: Agha Asif
Published: January 2024

Features of interpersonally perceivable communicative conduct, including speech, function as indexical signs insofar as they point to or delineate features of their contextual surround; they function as social indexicals when what they delineate are aspects of the social roles or relationships performed by interactants or the social practices in which interactants are engaged; and they function as stereotypic social indexicals when many persons construe them in comparable ways.

Enregisterment is the sociohistorical process through which stereotypic social indexicals are differentiated from each other and organized into socially distributed registers of communication. A register is identified by attending to the metapragmatic behaviors of its users, behaviors that typify the pragmatic or indexical values of its signs. To identify a register is to characterize three variables—its exponents, its social range, and its social domain—and their values or attributes: The exponents of a register are the perceivable behaviors through which it is performed, whose semiotic range may include speech and non-speech signs arrayed into co-occurrence styles, where speech segments may involve discrete repertoires, and where performed exponents serve as diacritics that differentiate the register from others. The social range of a register is the range of social indexical effects performable through its use—whether usage is emblematic of social categories of speaker-actor (viz., class, gender, caste, profession, etc.), of relationships to interactants, or of the social practices such usage makes palpable or sustains. The social domain of a register is the group of persons acquainted with the register, those able to perform or construe the effects enactable through it.

All speakers of a language do not acquire competence in all its speech registers during the normal course of language socialization. Asymmetries of socialization link contrasts among registers to features of social organization, such as facts of positional ranking within society, the ability to take part in specific social practices, opportunities within a division of labor, and the myriad forms of exclusion or belonging that emerge as outcomes of such processes.
Segmental Phenomena in Germanic: Vowels
Authors: Versloot Arjen
Published: January 2024

Germanic languages are typologically rich in their vowel inventories, with many different qualities, often with phonemic length oppositions, including both monophthongs and diphthongs. Vowel contrasts are not only used to mark lexical contrasts (minimal lexical pairs) but often also to mark morphological categories, such as number, case, tense, or person. Vowel harmony, vowel balance, tone (“accent”), and nasalization can be phonologically distinctive in some languages, mostly in those with relatively few speakers. These rich inventories are restricted to the root syllables, which are the locus of word stress in Germanic languages. In unstressed positions, most languages have (nearly) only [ə]; the maximum number of unstressed vowels is five.
Ecological Water Management in Cities
Authors: Beatley Timothy
Published: January 2024

Managing water in cities presents a series of intersecting challenges. Rapid urbanization, wasteful consumption, minimal efforts at urban or ecological planning, and especially climate change have made management of urban water more difficult. Urban water management is multifaceted and interconnected: cities must at once address problems of too much water (i.e., more frequent and extreme weather events, increased riverine and coastal flooding, and rising sea levels), but also not enough water (e.g., drought and water scarcity), as well as the need to protect the quality of water and water bodies.

This article presents a comprehensive and holistic picture of water planning challenges facing cities, and the historical approaches and newer methods embraced by cities with special attention to the need to consider the special effects of climate change on these multiple aspects of water and the role of ecological planning and design in responding to them. Ecological planning represents the best and most effective approach to urban water management, and ecological planning approaches hold the most promise for achieving the best overall outcomes in cities when taking into account multiple benefits (e.g., minimizing natural hazards, securing a sustainable water supply) as well as the need to protect and restore the natural environment. There are many opportunities to build on to the history of ecological planning, and ecological planning for water is growing in importance and momentum. Ecological planning for water provides the chance to profoundly rethink and readjust mankind’s relationship to water and provides the chance also to reimagine and reshape cities of the 21st century.
Statistical Scaling of Randomly Fluctuating Hierarchical Variables
Authors: Neuman Shlomo P. , Riva Monica , Guadagnini Alberto , Siena Martina , Recalcati Chiara
Published: January 2024

Environmental variables tend to fluctuate randomly and exhibit multiscale structures in space and time. Whereas random fluctuations arise from variations in environmental properties and phenomena, multiscale behavior implies that these properties and phenomena possess hierarchical structures. Understanding and quantifying such random, multiscale behavior is critical for the analysis of fluid flow as well as mass and energy transport in the environment.

The multiscale nature of randomly fluctuating variables that characterize a hierarchical environment (or process) tends to be reflected in the way their increments vary in space (or time). Quite often such increments (a) fluctuate randomly in a highly irregular fashion; (b) possess symmetric, non-Gaussian frequency distributions characterized by heavy tails, which sometimes decay with separation distance or lag; (c) exhibit nonlinear power-law scaling of sample structure functions (statistical moments of absolute increments) in a midrange of lags, with breakdown in such scaling at small and large lags; (d) show extended power-law scaling (linear relations between log structure functions of successive orders) at all lags; (e) display nonlinear scaling of power-law exponent with order of sample structure function; and (f) reveal various degrees of anisotropy in these behaviors. Similar statistical scaling is known to characterize many earth, ecological, biological, physical, astrophysical, and financial variables.

The literature has traditionally associated statistical scaling behaviors of the aforementioned kind with multifractals. This is so even though multifractal theory (a) focuses solely on statistical scaling of variable increments, unrelated to statistics of the variable itself, and (b) explains neither observed breakdown in power-law scaling at small and large lags nor extended power-law scaling of such increments. A novel Generalized sub-Gaussian scaling model is introduced that does not suffer from such deficiencies, and some of its key aspects are illustrated on microscale surface measurements of a calcite crystal fragment undergoing dissolution reaction due to contact with a fluid solution.
Radiochromic film dosimetry in radiotherapy: a survey of current practice in the United Kingdom
Authors: Palmer Antony L , Nash David
Published: January 2024

Objectives

To establish the variation in film dosimetry usage in radiotherapy centres across the United Kingdom. To identify consensus and highlight areas of potential improvement to enhance radiotherapy dosimetry verification with film.

Methods

A survey questionnaire was designed by members of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine Interdepartmental Dosimetry Audit Group via Microsoft Forms and distributed to all Heads of Radiotherapy Physics in the United Kingdom. The survey was open from June 19, 2023, to July 31, 2023.

Results

Forty responses were received from the 62 radiotherapy centres in the United Kingdom, of which 58% were currently using film dosimetry and a further 7 were keen to commence use. Many reported film use had decreased in recent years but was still valuable particularly for commissioning and implementing new techniques. The variation and consensus of methods for film dosimetry calibration, measurement, and application was established. A review of barriers to implementation and methods to reduce uncertainty were included in the assessment.

Conclusions

A comprehensive assessment of film dosimetry usage in radiotherapy in the United Kingdom has been collated, which demonstrates a wide variation in methods, across typical clinical users, but maintains film as a valuable dosimetry option.

Advances in knowledge

This research provides a snapshot of current film dosimetry use across the United Kingdom. It examines the variation and consensus of practice to which individual users can compare their systems, and identifies opportunities to improvement in the accuracy of film dosimetry.
Small molecule activation based on novel heavier group 13/15 interelement compounds, λ3,λ3-phosphanylalumanes
Authors: Yanagisawa Tatsuya , Mizuhata Yoshiyuki , Tokitoh Norihiro
Published: January 2024

As a new entry of heteroatom–heteroatom bond species, λ3,λ3-phosphanylalumanes, having unperturbed P–Al single-bond species, are expected to show high reactivity due to the separation of Lewis acid/base moieties, which can be extended to develop novel small molecule activation reactions using single-bond and saturated compounds. We have designed novel λ3,λ3-phosphanylalumanes, which have all-carbon protecting groups on the λ3-P and λ3-Al moieties, respectively. This account highlights the synthesis and availability of phosphanylalumane derivatives. We demonstrate the addition reactions of phosphanylalumanes toward alkynes to give unique unsaturated C2-vicinal P/Al-based frustrated Lewis pairs and the resulting alkyne-adducts are found to undergo transformation into unique ring compounds. Furthermore, reversible addition reactions of a λ3,λ3-phosphanylalumane toward alkenes will also be described together with the results obtained with other small molecules.
Utility of cortical tissue analysis in normal pressure hydrocephalus
Authors: Greenberg Ana B W , Mekbib Kedous Y , Mehta Neel H , Kiziltug Emre , Duy Phan Q , Smith Hannah R , Junkkari Antti , Leinonen Ville , Hyman Bradley T , Chan Diane , Curry Jr William T , Arnold Steven E , Barker II Frederick G , Frosch Matthew P , Kahle Kristopher T
Published: January 2024

Clinical improvement following neurosurgical cerebrospinal fluid shunting for presumed idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus is variable. Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus patients may have undetected Alzheimer’s disease-related cortical pathology that confounds diagnosis and clinical outcomes. In this study, we sought to determine the utility of cortical tissue immuno-analysis in predicting shunting outcomes in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus patients. We performed a pooled analysis using a systematic review as well as analysis of a new, original patient cohort. Of the 2707 screened studies, 3 studies with a total of 229 idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus patients were selected for inclusion in this meta-analysis alongside our original cohort. Pooled statistics of shunting outcomes for the 229 idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus patients and our new cohort of 36 idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus patients revealed that patients with Aβ + pathology were significantly more likely to exhibit shunt nonresponsiveness than patients with negative pathology. Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus patients with Alzheimer’s disease -related cortical pathology may be at a higher risk of treatment facing unfavorable outcomes following cerebrospinal fluid shunting. Thus, cortical tissue analysis from living patients may be a useful diagnostic and prognostic adjunct for patients with presumed idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus and potentially other neurodegenerative conditions affecting the cerebral cortex.
Corruption and Firm Growth: Evidence from around the World
Authors: Fisman Raymond , Guriev Sergei , Ioramashvili Carolin , Plekhanov Alexander
Published: January 2024

We empirically investigate the relationship between corruption and growth using a firm-level dataset that is unique in scale, covering almost 88,000 firms across 141 economies in 2006–20, with wide-ranging corruption experiences. The scale and detail of our data allow us to explore the corruption-growth relationship at a very local level, within industries in a relatively narrow geography. We report three empirical regularities. First, firms that make zero informal payments tend to grow slower than bribers. Second, this result is driven by non-bribers in high-corruption countries. Third, among bribers, growth is decreasing in the amount of informal payments—in both high- and low-corruption countries. We suggest that this set of results may be reconciled with a simple model in which endogenously determined higher bribe rates lead to lower growth, while non-bribers are often excluded entirely from growth opportunities in high-corruption settings.
Longitudinal Associations Between Multimorbidities and Patient-Reported Quality of Life
Authors: Graham Eileen K , Atherton Olivia E , Mroczek Daniel K , McGhee Chloe , Pieramici Lily , Lewis-Thames Marquita , Curtis Laura , Cella David , Opsasnick Lauren , Lovett Rebecca , O’Conor Rachel , Wolf Michael S
Published: January 2024

Objectives

The global prevalence of multimorbidity is increasing as the population ages. As individuals get older, they are likely to develop multiple chronic conditions, and nearly two-thirds of older adults in the United States are estimated to experience 2 or more chronic conditions. The present preregistered study examined whether multimorbidity was associated with longitudinal changes in health-related quality of life (i.e., anxiety, depression, and physical function) and whether these associations were moderated by sociodemographic factors (i.e., sex, race, marital status, income, insurance, and education).

Methods

Data come from the Health Literacy and Cognitive Function Among Older Adults Longitudinal Study (LitCog), a prospective cohort study of English-speaking older adults (N = 900). At each measurement occasion, participants reported anxiety, depression, and physical function using the Patient Reported Outcomes Information System, chronic conditions, and sociodemographic characteristics. We employed multilevel growth models to estimate changes in health-related quality of life, with multimorbidities as a predictor and sociodemographics as covariates.

Results

Results indicated that individuals with multiple chronic conditions reported persistently high levels of anxiety and depression, and worse physical function. We found evidence for racial health disparities, such that individuals who identified as non-White experienced worse health-related quality of life as multimorbidities increased, relative to White participants.

Discussion

These results contribute to the current conversation about the long-term impacts of structural and systemic barriers experienced by minoritized groups. We further discuss the public health implications of multimorbidity in older adulthood.
High throughput functional profiling of genes at intraocular pressure loci reveals distinct networks for glaucoma
Authors: Greatbatch Connor J , Lu Qinyi , Hung Sandy , Barnett Alexander J , Wing Kristof , Liang Helena , Han Xikun , Zhou Tiger , Siggs Owen M , Mackey David A , Cook Anthony L , Senabouth Anne , Liu Guei-Sheung , Craig Jamie E , MacGregor Stuart , Powell Joseph E , Hewitt Alex W
Published: January 2024

Introduction

Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of blindness globally. Characterized by progressive retinal ganglion cell degeneration, the precise pathogenesis remains unknown. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have uncovered many genetic variants associated with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), one of the key risk factors for POAG. We aimed to identify genetic and morphological variation that can be attributed to trabecular meshwork cell (TMC) dysfunction and raised IOP in POAG.

Methods

62 genes across 55 loci were knocked-out in a primary human TMC line. Each knockout group, including five non-targeting control groups, underwent single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) for differentially-expressed gene (DEG) analysis. Multiplexed fluorescence coupled with CellProfiler image analysis allowed for single-cell morphological profiling.

Results

Many gene knockouts invoked DEGs relating to matrix metalloproteinases and interferon-induced proteins. We have prioritized genes at four loci of interest to identify gene knockouts that may contribute to the pathogenesis of POAG, including ANGPTL2, LMX1B, CAV1, and KREMEN1. Three genetic networks of gene knockouts with similar transcriptomic profiles were identified, suggesting a synergistic function in trabecular meshwork cell physiology. TEK knockout caused significant upregulation of nuclear granularity on morphological analysis, while knockout of TRIOBP, TMCO1 and PLEKHA7 increased granularity and intensity of actin and the cell-membrane.

Conclusion

High-throughput analysis of cellular structure and function through multiplex fluorescent single-cell analysis and scRNA-seq assays enabled the direct study of genetic perturbations at the single-cell resolution. This work provides a framework for investigating the role of genes in the pathogenesis of glaucoma and heterogenous diseases with a strong genetic basis.
Skew-Orthogonal Polynomials and Pfaff Lattice Hierarchy Associated With an Elliptic Curve
Authors: Fu Wei , Li Shi-Hao
Published: January 2024

Starting with a skew-symmetric inner product over an elliptic curve, we propose the concept of elliptic skew-orthogonal polynomials. Inspired by the Landau–Lifshitz hierarchy and its corresponding time evolutions, we obtain the recurrence relation and the $\tau $-function representation for such a novel class of skew-orthogonal polynomials. Furthermore, a bilinear integral identity is derived through the so-called Cauchy–Stieljes transformation, from which we successfully establish the connection between the elliptic skew-orthogonal polynomials and an elliptic extension of the Pfaff lattice hierarchy.
Bethe Subalgebras in Antidominantly Shifted Yangians
Authors: Krylov Vasily , Rybnikov Leonid
Published: January 2024

The loop group $G((z^{-1}))$ of a simple complex Lie group $G$ has a natural Poisson structure. We introduce a natural family of Poisson commutative subalgebras $\overline{{\textbf{B}}}(C) \subset{{\mathcal{O}}}(G((z^{-1}))$ depending on the parameter $C\in G$ called classical universal Bethe subalgebras. To every antidominant cocharacter $\mu $ of the maximal torus $T \subset G$, one can associate the closed Poisson subspace ${{\mathcal{W}}}_{\mu }$ of $G((z^{-1}))$ (the Poisson algebra ${{\mathcal{O}}}({{\mathcal{W}}}_{\mu })$ is the classical limit of so-called shifted Yangian $Y_{\mu }(\mathfrak{g})$ defined in [ 1, Appendix B]). We consider the images of $\overline{{\textbf{B}}}(C)$ in ${{\mathcal{O}}}({{\mathcal{W}}}_{\mu })$, denoted by $\overline{B}_{\mu }(C)$, that should be considered as classical versions of (not yet defined in general) Bethe subalgebras in shifted Yangians. For regular $C$ centralizing $\mu $, we compute the Poincaré series of these subalgebras. For $\mathfrak{g}=\mathfrak{g}\mathfrak{l}_{n}$, we define the natural quantization ${\textbf{Y}}^{\textrm{rtt}}(\mathfrak{g}\mathfrak{l}_{n})$ of ${{\mathcal{O}}}(\operatorname{Mat}_{n}((z^{-1})))$ and universal Bethe subalgebras ${\textbf{B}}(C) \subset{\textbf{Y}}^{\textrm{rtt}}(\mathfrak{g}\mathfrak{l}_{n})$. Using the RTT realization of $Y_{\mu }(\mathfrak{g}\mathfrak{l}_{n})$ (invented by Frassek, Pestun, and Tsymbaliuk), we obtain the natural surjections ${\textbf{Y}}^{\textrm{rtt}}(\mathfrak{g}\mathfrak{l}_{n}) \twoheadrightarrow Y_{\mu }(\mathfrak{g}\mathfrak{l}_{n})$, which quantize the embedding ${{\mathcal{W}}}_{\mu } \subset \operatorname{Mat}_{n}((z^{-1}))$. Taking the images of ${\textbf{B}}(C)$ in $Y_{\mu }(\mathfrak{g}\mathfrak{l}_{n})$, we recover Bethe subalgebras $B_{\mu }(C) \subset Y_{\mu }(\mathfrak{g}\mathfrak{l}_{n})$ proposed by Frassek, Pestun, and Tsymbaliuk.
Autonomy and Community in Kant’s Theory of Taste
Authors: Williams Jessica J
Published: January 2024

In this paper, I argue that Kant has a far more communitarian theory of aesthetic life than is usually acknowledged. I focus on two aspects of Kant’s theory that might otherwise be taken to support an individualist reading, namely, Kant’s emphasis on aesthetic autonomy and his characterization of judgments of taste as involving demands for agreement. I argue that the full expression of autonomy in fact requires being a member of an aesthetic community and that within such a community, judgments of taste are issued as invitations to others to engage their faculties towards the goal of shared aesthetic appreciation.
Successful reconstruction of severe traumatic scalp defect with exposed bones in a 6-year-old boy: a case report
Authors: Sidarta Erdo P , Malelak Elric B , Datusanantyo Robertus A , Lauren Christopher , Maliawan Sri
Published: January 2024

Full-thickness scalp defect reconstruction is considered challenging for the surgeon. The goal of this procedure is to provide coverage of the calvarium. Scalp defect needs thorough and careful planning in reconstruction, not only in choosing the best closure strategy but also in post-operative care. We report a case of successful reconstruction of traumatic severe scalp and bone loss using local scalp flap in a 6-year-old trauma patient. Free flap reconstruction should be considered in such a defect. However, limited resources prevented us to do so. In craniofacial trauma, the plastic surgeon may be involved as an attending physician in facial trauma or assisting in other trauma, especially in defect closure.
Spectroscopic confirmation of high-amplitude eruptive YSOs and dipping giants from the VVV survey
Authors: Guo Zhen , Lucas P W , Kurtev R , Borissova J , Contreras Peña C , Yurchenko S N , Smith L C , Minniti D , Saito R K , Bayo A , Catelan M , Alonso-García J , Caratti o Garatti A , Morris C , Froebrich D , Tennyson J , Maucó K , Aguayo A , Miller N , Muthu H D S
Published: January 2024

During the pre-main-sequence (pre-MS) evolution stage of a star, significant amounts of stellar mass are accreted during episodic accretion events, such as multidecade FUor-type outbursts. Here, we present a near-infrared spectroscopic follow-up study of 33 high-amplitude (most with ΔKs > 4 mag) variable sources discovered by the Vista Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) survey. Based on the spectral features, 25 sources are classified as eruptive young stellar objects (YSOs), including 15 newly identified FUors, six with long-lasting, but EXor-like bursts of magnetospheric accretion and four displaying outflow-dominated spectra. By examining the photometric behaviours of eruptive YSOs, we found most FUor-type outbursts have higher amplitudes (ΔKs and ΔW2), faster eruptive time-scales and bluer infrared colours than the other outburst types. In addition, we identified seven post-MS variables apparently associated with deep dipping events and an eruptive star with deep aluminium monoxide absorption bands resembling those seen in the V838 Mon stellar merger.
Sub-GeV dark matter annihilation: limits from Milky Way observations with INTEGRAL
Authors: Siegert Thomas , Calore Francesca , Serpico Pasquale Dario
Published: January 2024

From 16 years of INTEGRAL/SPI γ-ray observations, we derive bounds on annihilating light dark matter particles in the halo of the Milky Way up to masses of about 300 MeV. We test four different spatial templates for the dark matter halo, including a Navarro–Frenk–White (NFW), Einasto, Burkert, and isothermal sphere profile, as well as three different models for the underlying diffuse inverse compton emission. We find that the bounds on the s-wave velocity-averaged annihilation cross sections for both the electron-positron and the photon–photon final states are the strongest to date from γ-ray observations alone in the mass range ≲6 MeV. We provide fitting formulae for the upper limits and discuss their dependences on the halo profile. The bounds on the two-photon final state are superseding the limits from the cosmic microwave background in the range of 50 keV up to ∼3 MeV, showing the great potential future MeV mission will have in probing light dark matter.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms and Zn transport by ZIP11 shape functional phenotypes of HeLa cells
Authors: Kim Elizabeth Y , Verdejo-Torres Odette , Diaz-Rodriguez Karla , Hasanain Farah , Caromile Leslie , Padilla-Benavides Teresita
Published: January 2024

Zinc (Zn) is a vital micronutrient with essential roles in biological processes like enzyme function, gene expression, and cell signaling. Disruptions in the cellular regulation of Zn2+ ions often lead to pathological states. Mammalian Zn transporters, such as ZIP11, play a key role in homeostasis of this ion. ZIP11 resides predominately in the nucleus and Golgi apparatus. Our laboratory reported a function of ZIP11 in maintaining nuclear Zn levels in HeLa cervical cancer cells. Analyses of cervical and ovarian cancer patients’ datasets identified four coding, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in SLC39A11, the gene that encodes ZIP11, correlating with disease severity. We hypothesized that these SNPs might translate to functional changes in the ZIP11 protein by modifying access to substrate availability. We also proposed that a metal-binding site (MBS) in ZIP11 is crucial for transmembrane Zn2+ transport and required for maintenance of various pathogenic phenotypes observed in HeLa cells. Here, we investigated these claims by re-introducing single the SLC39A11 gene encoding for mutant residues associated with the SNPs, as well as MBS mutations into HeLa cells knocked down for the transporter. Some SNPs-encoding ZIP11 variants rescued Zn levels, proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of knockdown (KD) cells. Conversely, single MBS mutations mimicked the traits of KD cells, confirming the transporter's role in establishing and maintaining proliferative, migratory, and invasive traits. Overall, the intricate role of Zn in cellular dynamics and cancer progression underscores the significance of Zn transporters like ZIP11 in potential therapeutic interventions.
Loss of SLC30A10 manganese transporter alters expression of neurotransmission genes and activates hypoxia-inducible factor signaling in mice
Authors: Warden Anna , Mayfield R Dayne , Gurol Kerem C , Hutchens Steven , Liu Chunyi , Mukhopadhyay Somshuvra
Published: January 2024

The essential metal manganese (Mn) induces neuromotor disease at elevated levels. The manganese efflux transporter SLC30A10 regulates brain Mn levels. Homozygous loss-of-function mutations in SLC30A10 induce hereditary Mn neurotoxicity in humans. Our prior characterization of Slc30a10 knockout mice recapitulated the high brain Mn levels and neuromotor deficits reported in humans. But, mechanisms of Mn-induced motor deficits due to SLC30A10 mutations or elevated Mn exposure are unclear. To gain insights into this issue, we characterized changes in gene expression in the basal ganglia, the main brain region targeted by Mn, of Slc30a10 knockout mice using unbiased transcriptomics. Compared with littermates, >1000 genes were upregulated or downregulated in the basal ganglia sub-regions (i.e. caudate putamen, globus pallidus, and substantia nigra) of the knockouts. Pathway analyses revealed notable changes in genes regulating synaptic transmission and neurotransmitter function in the knockouts that may contribute to the motor phenotype. Expression changes in the knockouts were essentially normalized by a reduced Mn chow, establishing that changes were Mn dependent. Upstream regulator analyses identified hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) signaling, which we recently characterized to be a primary cellular response to elevated Mn, as a critical mediator of the transcriptomic changes in the basal ganglia of the knockout mice. HIF activation was also evident in the liver of the knockout mice. These results: (i) enhance understanding of the pathobiology of Mn-induced motor disease; (ii) identify specific target genes/pathways for future mechanistic analyses; and (iii) independently corroborate the importance of the HIF pathway in Mn homeostasis and toxicity.
Gene-to-gene coordinated regulation of transcription and alternative splicing by 3D chromatin remodeling upon NF-κB activation
Authors: Marie Paul , Bazire Matéo , Ladet Julien , Ameur Lamya Ben , Chahar Sanjay , Fontrodona Nicolas , Sexton Tom , Auboeuf Didier , Bourgeois Cyril F , Mortreux Franck
Published: January 2024

The NF-κB protein p65/RelA plays a pivotal role in coordinating gene expression in response to diverse stimuli, including viral infections. At the chromatin level, p65/RelA regulates gene transcription and alternative splicing through promoter enrichment and genomic exon occupancy, respectively. The intricate ways in which p65/RelA simultaneously governs these functions across various genes remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, we employed the HTLV-1 Tax oncoprotein, a potent activator of NF-κB, to investigate its influence on the three-dimensional organization of the genome, a key factor in gene regulation. We discovered that Tax restructures the 3D genomic landscape, bringing together genes based on their regulation and splicing patterns. Notably, we found that the Tax-induced gene–gene contact between the two master genes NFKBIA and RELA is associated with their respective changes in gene expression and alternative splicing. Through dCas9-mediated approaches, we demonstrated that NFKBIA–RELA interaction is required for alternative splicing regulation and is caused by an intragenic enrichment of p65/RelA on RELA. Our findings shed light on new regulatory mechanisms upon HTLV-1 Tax and underscore the integral role of p65/RelA in coordinated regulation of NF-κB-responsive genes at both transcriptional and splicing levels in the context of the 3D genome.
Latin American Republicanism
Authors: Gargarella Roberto
Published: January 2024

The aim of this chapter is to enrich our understanding of Latin American constitutionalism, by calling attention to the presence, influence, and worth of republican ideas during the region’s Founding Period, which took place approximately during the years following the independence revolution, and mainly between 1810–1860. The chapter closely examines the republicans’ three main theoretical contributions to the regional history of ideas and explore their original, renewed approach to the ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity, within the Latin American context. The assumption is that, by revisiting those concepts, the chapter may help illuminate the intellectual legacy of 19th-century Latin American republican ideas.
Development and validation of nomograms using photoacoustic imaging and 2D ultrasound to predict breast nodule benignity and malignancy
Authors: Chen Jing , Huang Zhibin , Luo Hui , Li Guoqiu , Ding Zhimin , Tian Hongtian , Tang Shuzhen , Mo Sijie , Xu Jinfeng , Wu Huaiyu , Dong Fajin
Published: January 2024

Background

The application of photoacoustic imaging (PAI), utilizing laser-induced ultrasound, shows potential in assessing blood oxygenation in breast nodules. However, its effectiveness in distinguishing between malignant and benign nodules remains insufficiently explored.

Purpose

This study aims to develop nomogram models for predicting the benign or malignant nature of breast nodules using PAI.

Method

A prospective cohort study enrolled 369 breast nodules, subjecting them to PAI and ultrasound examination. The training and testing cohorts were randomly divided into two cohorts in a ratio of 3:1. Based on the source of the variables, three models were developed, Model 1: photoacoustic-BIRADS+BMI + blood oxygenation, Model 2: BIRADS+Shape+Intranodal blood (Doppler) + BMI, Model 3: photoacoustic-BIRADS+BIRADS+ Shape+Intranodal blood (Doppler) + BMI + blood oxygenation. Risk factors were identified through logistic regression, resulting in the creation of three predictive models. These models were evaluated using calibration curves, subject receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and decision curve analysis.

Results

The area under the ROC curve for the training cohort was 0.91 (95% confidence interval, 95% CI: 0.88–0.95), 0.92 (95% CI: 0.89–0.95), and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.96–0.99) for Models 1–3, and the ROC curve for the testing cohort was 0.95 (95% CI: 0.91–0.98), 0.89 (95% CI: 0.83–0.96), and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95–0.99) for Models 1–3.

Conclusions

The calibration curves demonstrate that the model’s predictions agree with the actual values. Decision curve analysis suggests a good clinical application.
Development and validation of a new tool for assessment of trainees’ interventional musculoskeletal ultrasound skills
Authors: Carstensen Stine Maya Dreier , Just Søren Andreas , Pfeiffer-Jensen Mogens , Østergaard Mikkel , Konge Lars , Terslev Lene
Published: January 2024

Objectives

Interventional musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) procedures are routinely performed in rheumatology practice. However, the efficacy and safety of the procedures rely on the competence of the physician, and assessment of skills is crucial. Thus, this study aimed to develop and establish validity evidence for a tool assessing trainees' interventional MSUS skills.

Methods

An expert panel of rheumatologists modified an existing tool for assessing competences in invasive abdominal and thoracic ultrasound procedures. The new tool (the Assessment of Interventional Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Skills [AIMUS] tool) reflects the essential steps in interventional MSUS. To establish validity evidence, physicians with different levels of interventional MSUS experience were enrolled and performed two procedures on a rubber phantom, simulating real patient cases. All performances were video-recorded, anonymized and assessed in random order by two blinded raters using the AIMUS tool.

Results

65 physicians from 21 different countries were included and categorized into groups based on their experience, resulting in 130 videos for analysis. The internal consistency of the tool was excellent, with a Cronbach’s α of 0.96. The inter-case reliability was good with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient (PCC) of 0.74 and the inter-rater reliability was moderate to good (PCC 0.58). The ability to discriminate between different levels of experience was highly significant (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

We have developed and established validity evidence for a new interventional MSUS assessment tool. The tool can be applied in future competency-based educational programmes, provide structured feedback to trainees in daily clinical practice and ensure end-of-training competence.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, http://clinicaltrials.gov, NCT05303974.
Genome Analyses Reveal the Secondary Metabolites that Potentially Influence the Geographical Distribution of Fusarium pseudograminearum Populations
Authors: Li Wei , Cao Shulin , Sun Haiyan , Yang Xiaoyue , Xu Lei , Zhang Xin , Deng Yuanyu , Pavlov Igor N. , Litovka Yulia A. , Chen Huaigu
Published: January 2024

Fusarium crown rot (FCR), caused by Fusarium pseudograminearum, significantly impacts wheat yield and quality in China’s Huanghuai region. The rapid F. pseudograminearum epidemic and FCR outbreak within a decade remain unexplained. In this study, two high-quality, chromosome-level genomes of F. pseudograminearum strains producing 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3AcDON) and 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15AcDON) toxins were assembled. Additionally, 38 related strains were resequenced. Genomic differences such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), insertions/deletions (indels), and structural variations (SVs) among F. pseudograminearum strains were analyzed. The whole-genome SNP locus-based population classification mirrored the toxin chemotype (3AcDON and 15AcDON)-based classification, indicating the presence of genes associated with the trichothecene toxin gene cluster. Further analysis of differential SNP, indel, and SV loci between the 3AcDON and 15AcDON populations revealed a predominant connection to secondary metabolite synthesis genes. Notably, the majority of the secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene cluster loci were located in SNP-dense genomic regions, suggesting high mutability and a possible contribution to F. pseudograminearum population structure and environmental adaptability. This study provides insightful perspectives on the distribution and evolution of F. pseudograminearum and for forecasting the spread of wheat FCR, thereby aiding in the development of preventive measures and control strategies.