bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The critical role of endothelial cell in the toxicity associated with chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy and intervention strategies
Authors: Zhang Qi , Zhu Xiaojian , Xiao Yi
Published: February 2024

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has shown promising results in patients with hematological malignancies. However, many patients still have poor prognoses or even fatal outcomes due to the life-threatening toxicities associated with the therapy. Moreover, even after improving the known influencing factors (such as number or type of CAR-T infusion) related to CAR-T cell infusion, the results remain unsatisfactory. In recent years, it has been found that endothelial cells (ECs), which are key components of the organization, play a crucial role in various aspects of immune system activation and inflammatory response. The levels of typical markers of endothelial activation positively correlated with the severity of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxic syndrome (ICANS), suggesting that ECs are important targets for intervention and toxicity prevention. This review focuses on the critical role of ECs in CRS and ICANS and the intervention strategies adopted.
Anti-HER2 therapy response assessment for guiding treatment (de-)escalation in early HER2-positive breast cancer using a novel deep learning radiomics model
Authors: Tong Yiwei , Hu Zhaoyu , Wang Haoyu , Huang Jiahui , Zhan Ying , Chai Weimin , Deng Yinhui , Yuan Ying , Shen Kunwei , Wang Yuanyuan , Chen Xiaosong , Yu Jinhua
Published: February 2024

Objectives

Anti-HER2 targeted therapy significantly reduces risk of relapse in HER2 + breast cancer. New measures are needed for a precise risk stratification to guide (de-)escalation of anti-HER2 strategy.

Methods

A total of 726 HER2 + cases who received no/single/dual anti-HER2 targeted therapies were split into three respective cohorts. A deep learning model (DeepTEPP) based on preoperative breast magnetic resonance (MR) was developed. Patients were scored and categorized into low-, moderate-, and high-risk groups. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was compared in patients with different risk groups according to the anti-HER2 treatment they received, to validate the value of DeepTEPP in predicting treatment efficacy and guiding anti-HER2 strategy.

Results

DeepTEPP was capable of risk stratification and guiding anti-HER2 treatment strategy: DeepTEPP-Low patients (60.5%) did not derive significant RFS benefit from trastuzumab (p = 0.144), proposing an anti-HER2 de-escalation. DeepTEPP-Moderate patients (19.8%) significantly benefited from trastuzumab (p = 0.048), but did not obtain additional improvements from pertuzumab (p = 0.125). DeepTEPP-High patients (19.7%) significantly benefited from dual HER2 blockade (p = 0.045), suggesting an anti-HER2 escalation.

Conclusions

DeepTEPP represents a pioneering MR-based deep learning model that enables the non-invasive prediction of adjuvant anti-HER2 effectiveness, thereby providing valuable guidance for anti-HER2 (de-)escalation strategies. DeepTEPP provides an important reference for choosing the appropriate individualized treatment in HER2 + breast cancer patients, warranting prospective validation.

Clinical relevance statement

We built an MR-based deep learning model DeepTEPP, which enables the non-invasive prediction of adjuvant anti-HER2 effectiveness, thus guiding anti-HER2 (de-)escalation strategies in early HER2-positive breast cancer patients.

Key Points

• DeepTEPP is able to predict anti-HER2 effectiveness and to guide treatment (de-)escalation.

• DeepTEPP demonstrated an impressive prognostic efficacy for recurrence-free survival and overall survival.

• To our knowledge, this is one of the very few, also the largest study to test the efficacy of a deep learning model extracted from breast MR images on HER2-positive breast cancer survival and anti-HER2 therapy effectiveness prediction.
Mineralocorticoid receptor promotes cardiac macrophage inflammaging
Authors: Fraccarollo Daniela , Geffers Robert , Galuppo Paolo , Bauersachs Johann
Published: February 2024

Inflammaging, a pro-inflammatory status that characterizes aging and primarily involving macrophages, is a master driver of age-related diseases. Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation in macrophages critically regulates inflammatory and fibrotic processes. However, macrophage-specific mechanisms and the role of the macrophage MR for the regulation of inflammation and fibrotic remodeling in the aging heart have not yet been elucidated. Transcriptome profiling of cardiac macrophages from male/female young (4 months-old), middle (12 months-old) and old (18 and 24 months-old) mice revealed that myeloid cell-restricted MR deficiency prevents macrophage differentiation toward a pro-inflammatory phenotype. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that several biological processes related to inflammation and cell metabolism were modulated by the MR in aged macrophages. Further, transcriptome analysis of aged cardiac fibroblasts revealed that macrophage MR deficiency reduced the activation of pathways related to inflammation and upregulation of ZBTB16, a transcription factor involved in fibrosis. Phenotypic characterization of macrophages showed a progressive replacement of the TIMD4+MHC-IIneg/low macrophage population by TIMD4+MHC-IIint/high and TIMD4–MHC-IIint/high macrophages in the aging heart. By integrating cell sorting and transwell experiments with TIMD4+/TIMD4–macrophages and fibroblasts from old MRflox/MRLysMCre hearts, we showed that the inflammatory crosstalk between TIMD4– macrophages and fibroblasts may imply the macrophage MR and the release of mitochondrial superoxide anions. Macrophage MR deficiency reduced the expansion of the TIMD4– macrophage population and the emergence of fibrotic niches in the aging heart, thereby protecting against cardiac inflammation, fibrosis, and dysfunction. This study highlights the MR as an important mediator of cardiac macrophage inflammaging and age-related fibrotic remodeling.
Automated detection of fatal cerebral haemorrhage in postmortem CT data
Authors: Zirn Andrea , Scheurer Eva , Lenz Claudia
Published: February 2024

During the last years, the detection of different causes of death based on postmortem imaging findings became more and more relevant. Especially postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) as a non-invasive, relatively cheap, and fast technique is progressively used as an important imaging tool for supporting autopsies. Additionally, previous works showed that deep learning applications yielded robust results for in vivo medical imaging interpretation. In this work, we propose a pipeline to identify fatal cerebral haemorrhage on three-dimensional PMCT data. We retrospectively selected 81 PMCT cases from the database of our institute, whereby 36 cases suffered from a fatal cerebral haemorrhage as confirmed by autopsy. The remaining 45 cases were considered as neurologically healthy. Based on these datasets, six machine learning classifiers (k-nearest neighbour, Gaussian naive Bayes, logistic regression, decision tree, linear discriminant analysis, and support vector machine) were executed and two deep learning models, namely a convolutional neural network (CNN) and a densely connected convolutional network (DenseNet), were trained. For all algorithms, 80% of the data was randomly selected for training and 20% for validation purposes and a five-fold cross-validation was executed. The best-performing classification algorithm for fatal cerebral haemorrhage was the artificial neural network CNN, which resulted in an accuracy of 0.94 for all folds. In the future, artificial neural network algorithms may be applied by forensic pathologists as a helpful computer-assisted diagnostics tool supporting PMCT-based evaluation of cause of death.
Effectiveness of antipsychotics for managing agitated delirium in patients with advanced cancer: a secondary analysis of a multicenter prospective observational study in Japan (Phase-R)
Authors: Kurisu Ken , Inada Shuji , Maeda Isseki , Nobata Hiroyuki , Ogawa Asao , Iwase Satoru , Uchida Megumi , Akechi Tatsuo , Amano Koji , Nakajima Nobuhisa , Morita Tatsuya , Sumitani Masahiko , Yoshiuchi Kazuhiro
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Delirium is a common and serious comorbidity in patients with advanced cancer, necessitating effective management. Nonetheless, effective drugs for managing agitated delirium in patients with advanced cancer remain unclear in real-world settings. Thus, the present study aimed to explore an effective pharmacotherapy for this condition.

Methods

We conducted a secondary analysis of a multicenter prospective observational study in Japan. The analysis included patients with advanced cancer who presented with agitated delirium and received pharmacotherapy. Agitation was defined as a score of the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale for palliative care (RASS-PAL) of ≥ 1. The outcome was defined as -2 ≤ RASS-PAL ≤ 0 at 72 h after the initiation of pharmacotherapy. Multiple propensity scores were quantified using a multinomial logistic regression model, and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for haloperidol, chlorpromazine, olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone.

Results

The analysis included 271 patients with agitated delirium, and 87 (32%) showed -2 ≤ RASS-PAL ≤ 0 on day 3. The propensity score-adjusted OR of olanzapine was statistically significant (OR, 2.91; 95% confidence interval, 1.12 to 7.80; P = 0.030).

Conclusions

The findings suggest that olanzapine may effectively improve delirium agitation in patients with advanced cancer.
The strategic prize game Le Her
Authors: Schwarz Wolf
Published: February 2024

Le Her is a strategic two-person prize game the classic version of which uses a deck of cards. Despite its simple rules, the analysis of the game is surprisingly complex. I describe a modern variant of Le Her that is amenable to elementary analysis, yet retains and highlights all central aspects of the classical game. This elementary analysis combines naturally central concepts of calculus (partial derivatives, multidimensional optimization, double integrals, fixed and saddle points) with major probabilistic concepts (random variable, event, independence) and basic notions in decision theory (Nash equilibrium). Due to its stimulating context as a strategic prize game Le Her offers an attractive illustration and an appealing application of learning goals and curricular contents which are otherwise often perceived as remote and abstract.
Visualization, transformation, and analysis of execution traces with the eclipse TRACE4CPS trace tool
Authors: Hendriks Martijn , Verriet Jacques , Basten Twan
Published: February 2024

An execution trace is a model of a single system behavior. Execution traces occur everywhere in the system’s lifecycle as they can typically be produced by executable models, by prototypes of (sub)systems, and by the system itself during its operation. An execution trace can be visualized and analyzed with various techniques, providing insight into the dynamic behavior, performance, bottlenecks, etc., of the system. In this paper, we present the Trace tool of the Eclipse Trace4cps project for the visualization and analysis of execution traces. A prominent application is the trace-based performance engineering of embedded or cyber-physical systems. Performance is an important system quality, as it can give a competitive advantage. Reasoning about system-level performance in such systems, however, is hard due to its cross-cutting nature. We show how the Trace tool can support this by various examples. Performance engineering is not the only application of the Trace tool, however: it supports system analysis in a wide range of situations.
Robotic surgery for bowel endometriosis: a multidisciplinary management of a complex entity
Authors: Piozzi G. N. , Burea V. , Duhoky R. , Stefan S. , So C. , Wilby D. , Tsepov D. , Khan J. S.
Published: February 2024

Background

Bowel endometriosis impacts quality of life. Treatment requires complex surgical procedures with associated morbidity. Precision approach with robotic surgery leads to organ preservation. Bowel endometriosis requires a multidisciplinary management to improve patient outcomes. This study evaluates perioperative outcomes of bowel endometriosis undergoing multidisciplinary planning and robotic surgery.

Methods

Consecutive cases of multidisciplinary robotic bowel endometriosis procedures (January 2021–December 2022) were evaluated from a prospectively maintained database in a national endometriosis accredited centre. Patients were managed through a multidisciplinary setting including gynaecologists, colorectal robotic surgeons, and other specialists. Dyschezia (menstrual and non-cyclical) and quality of life were assessed pre- and postoperatively (6 months) through validated questionnaires.

Results

Sixty-eight consecutive cases of robotic bowel endometriosis were included. Median age was 35.0 (30.2–42.0) years. Median body mass index was 24.0 (21.0–26.7) kg/m2. Procedures performed were 48 (70.6%) shavings, 11 (16.2%) deep shavings, 3 (4.4%) disc excisions, and 6 (8.8%) segmental resections. One (1.5%) patient required temporary stoma. Median operating time was 150 (120–180) min. There were no conversions/return to theatre postoperatively. Median endometriotic nodule size was 25.0 (15.5–40.0) mm. Two (2.9%) patients developed postoperative complications. Median length of postoperative stay was 2 (2–4) days. Median follow-up was 12 (7–17) months. One (1.5%) patient recurred. Median menstrual dyschezia score improved from 5.0 (2.0–8.0) to 1.0 (0.0–5.7). Median non-cyclical dyschezia significantly improved (p < 0.001) from 1.0 (0.0–5.7) to 0.0 (0.0–2.0). Median quality of life score improved from 52.5 (35.0–70.0) to 74.5 (60.0–80.0).

Conclusions

Robotic multidisciplinary approach to bowel endometriosis provides good perioperative outcomes with improvement of dyschezia and quality of life.
The first complete chloroplast genome sequences of Pistacia eurycarpa Yalt, a horticultural important rootstock and industrial tree
Authors: Karcı Harun , Kafkas Salih
Published: February 2024

Pistacia genus is botanically classified in the Sapindales order and the Anacardiaceae family, and the member of this genus P. eurycarpa is used as a rootstock for pistachio. Due to its rich oil content, various soaps are produced from the green peels of P. eurycarpa nuts and are used in the cosmetic industry as soap. In the current study, we aimed to release the complete chloroplast genome of P. eurycarpa to detect the relationship of the members of the Sapindales and also Pistacia genus. The length of the chloroplast genome of P. eurycarpa was identified 160,693 (bp) and consisted of the distinct parts of the genomic fragments such as LSC, SSC, and IR regions. The length of the LSC was 88,410 (bp), and SSC genomic range represented a total of 19,087 (bp). Inverted regions length was 26,598 (bp). A total of 125 genes were determined within the whole chloroplast genome of P. eurycarpa. The number of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in the chloroplast genome was computed as 74. Three main clusters defined the dendrogram of all accessions. The closest pairs of species were identified among the P. eurycarpa and P. vera species. The farthest genetic relationship was calculated among the members of the Sapindales species Mangifera indica and the Fagales species Castanea mollissima. The sequences of the chloroplast genome of P. eurycarpa species can be evaluated for the construction of the basis of the complete evolution of the order, genera, and the development of the SSRs for species-specific markers for revealing the evolution of Pistacia species for future breeding research.
The Pseudo Symmetric Crystal Structure of 1,4-Diazabicyclo[2·2·2]octane-1,4-diium bis(5-hydroxy-2,4-dinitrophenolate)
Authors: Seidel Rüdiger W. , Goddard Richard , Kolev Tsonko M.
Published: February 2024

Reaction of 4,6-dinitroresorcinol (1) and the nitrogen base 1,4-diazabicyclo[2·2·2]octane (2) affords the 1:2 salt and proton-transfer compound 1,4-diazabicyclo[2·2·2]octane-1,4-diium bis(5-hydroxy-2,4-dinitrophenolate) (3). Compound 3 crystallizes in the triclinic crystal system (space group P-1) with a = 8.3242(5) Å, b = 11.9915(7) Å, c = 12.4595(7) Å, α = 116.282(2)°, β = 100.576(3)°, γ = 101.051(2)°, 1042.30(11) Å3 and Z = 2. The dication 2-$${\text{H}}_{2}^{2+}$$

H

2

2
+

forms charge assisted donating bifurcated N+−H⋅⋅⋅O− hydrogen bonds to the phenolate moieties of two monoanions of 1. The latter exhibit an intramolecular O−H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen bond between the hydroxy group and the nitro group in ortho position. The crystal structure of 3 features pseudo B-centering of the lattice, which relates the two crystallographically distinct monoanions of 1 by a pseudo translation. The possible B-centring is broken by the ethylene groups of 2-H22+, which are related in neighbouring molecules by centres of symmetry.

Graphical Abstract
Regionally adjusted stochastic earthquake ground motion models, associated variabilities and epistemic uncertainties
Authors: Sunny Jaleena , de Angelis Marco , Edwards Benjamin
Published: February 2024

An optimisation-based calibration technique, using the area metric, is applied to determine the input parameters of a stochastic earthquake-waveform simulation method. The calibration algorithm updates a model prior, specifically an estimate of a region’s seismological (source, path and site) parameters, typically developed using waveform data, or existing models, from a wide range of sources. In the absence of calibration, this can result in overestimates of a target region’s ground motion variability, and in some cases, introduce biases. The proposed method simultaneously attains optimum estimates of median, range and distribution (uncertainty) of these seismological parameters, and resultant ground motions, for a specific target region, through calibration of physically constrained parametric models to local ground motion data. We apply the method to Italy, a region of moderate seismicity, using response spectra recorded in the European Strong Motion (ESM) dataset. As a prior, we utilise independent seismological models developed using strong motion data across a wider European context. The calibration obtains values of each seismological parameter considered (such as, but not limited to, quality factor, geometrical spreading and stress drop), to develop a suite of optimal parameters for locally adjusted stochastic ground motion simulation. We consider both the epistemic and aleatory variability associated with the calibration process. We were able to reduce the area metric (misfit) value by up to 88% for the simulations using updated parameters, compared to the initial prior. This framework for the calibration and updating of seismological models can help achieve robust and transparent regionally adjusted estimates of ground motion, and to consider epistemic uncertainty through correlated parameters.
Reservoir porosity assessment and anomaly identification from seismic attributes using Gaussian process machine learning
Authors: Rahma Putra Maulana Hutama , Hermana Maman , Yogi Ida Bagus Suananda , Hossain Touhid Mohammad , Abdurrachman Muhammad Faris , Kadir Said Jadid A.
Published: February 2024

Porosity, as one of the reservoir properties, is an important parameter to numerous studies, i.e., the reservoir’s oil/gas volume estimation or even the storage capacity measurement in the Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) project. However, an approach to estimate porosity using elastic property from the inversion propagates its error, affecting the result’s accuracy. On the other hand, direct estimation from seismic data is another approach to estimating porosity, but it poses a high non-linear problem. Thus, we propose the non-parametric machine learning approach, Gaussian Process (GP), which draws distribution over the function to solve the high non-linear problem between seismic data with porosity and quantify the prediction uncertainty simultaneously. With the help of Random Forest (RF) as the feature selection method, the GP predictions show excellent results in the blind test, a well that is completely removed from the training data, and comparison with other machine learning models. The uncertainty, standard deviation from GP prediction, can act as a quantitative evaluation of the prediction result. Moreover, we generate a new attribute based on the quartile of the standard deviation to delineate the anomaly zones. High anomaly zones are highlighted and associated with high porosity from GP and low inverted P-impedance from inversion results. Thus, applying the GP using seismic data shows its potential to characterize the reservoir property spatially, and the uncertainty offers insights into quantitative and qualitative evaluation for hydrocarbon exploration and development.
Drugs for treating infections caused by non-tubercular mycobacteria: a narrative review from the study group on mycobacteria of the Italian Society of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine
Authors: Calcagno A. , Coppola N. , Sarmati L. , Tadolini M. , Parrella R. , Matteelli A. , Riccardi N. , Trezzi M. , Di Biagio A. , Pirriatore V. , Russo A. , Gualano G. , Pontali E. , Surace L. , Falbo E. , Mencarini J. , Palmieri F. , Gori A. , Schiuma M. , Lapadula G. , Goletti D. ,   for the Study Group on Mycobacteria (MYGRO) of the Italian Society of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine (SIMIT).
Published: February 2024

Background

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are generally free-living organism, widely distributed in the environment, with sporadic potential to infect. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the global incidence of NTM-related disease, spanning across all continents and an increased mortality after the diagnosis has been reported. The decisions on whether to treat or not and which drugs to use are complex and require a multidisciplinary approach as well as patients’ involvement in the decision process.

Methods and Results

This review aims at describing the drugs used for treating NTM-associated diseases emphasizing the efficacy, tolerability, optimization strategies as well as possible drugs that might be used in case of intolerance or resistance. We also reviewed data on newer compounds highlighting the lack of randomised clinical trials for many drugs but also encouraging preliminary data for others. We also focused on non-pharmacological interventions that need to be adopted during care of individuals with NTM-associated diseases

Conclusions

Despite insufficient efficacy and poor tolerability this review emphasizes the improvement in patients’ care and the needs for future studies in the field of anti-NTM treatments.
Lunar orbits for telecommunication and navigation services
Authors: Cinelli Marco , Ortore Emiliano , Mengali Giovanni , Quarta Alessandro A. , Circi Christian
Published: February 2024

Orbits that are frozen in an averaged model, including the effect of a disturbing body laying on the equatorial plane of the primary body and the influence of the oblateness of the primary body, have been applied to probes orbiting the Moon. In this scenario, the main disturbing body is represented by the Earth, which is characterized by a certain obliquity with respect to the equatorial plane of the Moon. As a consequence of this, and of the perturbing effects that are not included in the averaged model, such solutions are not perfectly frozen. However, the orbit eccentricity, inclination, and argument of pericenter present limited variations and can be set to guarantee the fulfillment of requirements useful for lunar telecommunication missions and navigation services. Taking advantage of this, a practical case of a Moon-based mission was investigated to propose useful solutions for potential near-future applications.
Human-mediated migration of plants, their pathogens and parasites
Authors: Miedaner Thomas , Garbelotto Matteo M.
Published: February 2024

The adoption of agriculture in several parts of the world during the early Neolithic period led to a fundamental change in human migration. By introducing newly domesticated crops into new environments, pathogens and parasites were also inadvertently transferred from their regions of origin and underwent a considerable population growth. In the newly settled regions, some pests of indigenous plants adapted to new crops by host switching. This review is limited to three basic migration events and mainly to agricultural crops of the temperate zone: (1) the migration of the first farmers from SE Asia to Europe, (2) European expansion from the 16th century onward, (3) modern globalization since the 20th century. Molecular analyses offer the opportunity to study the evolutionary history of pest populations, their origin and dynamics and their spread around the world. Cereals’ rusts and powdery mildew, storage insects were the first to spread with wheat species, barley, and pulses from the Levant across Eurasia. The Columbian exchange of crops to and from the Americas brought entirely new pests to Europe while old world pathogens spread to the Americas and subsequently to all other regions colonized by Europeans. Modern globalization further facilitated the spread of pathogens and insects worldwide, as previously inconceivable amounts of agricultural products, business travelers, and maybe tourists have elevated global accessibility. This is illustrated by case studies based on fungi and insects. In the near future, pests will have colonized all crops in all countries where they can exist according to their agro-climatic requirements.
Cloud-integrated cyber–physical systems: Reliability, performance and power consumption with shared-servers and parallelized services
Authors: Ma Shuyi , Li Jin , Li Jianping , Xie Min
Published: February 2024

Cloud systems, which are typical cyber–physical systems, consist of physical nodes and virtualized facilities that collaborate to fulfill cloud computing services. The advent of visualization technology engenders resource sharing and service parallelism in cloud services, introducing novel challenges to system modeling. In this study, we construct a systematic model that concurrently evaluates system reliability, performance, and power consumption (PC) while delineating cloud service disruptions arising from random hardware and software failures. Initially, we depict system states using a birth–death process that accommodates resource sharing and service parallelism. Given the relatively concise service duration and regular failure distributions, we employ transient-state transition probabilities instead of steady-state analysis. The birth–death process effectively links system reliability, performance, and PC through service durations governed by service assignment decisions and failure/repair distributions. Subsequently, we devise a multistage sample path randomization method to estimate system metrics and other factors related to service availability. The findings highlight that the trade-off between performance and PC, under the umbrella of reliability guarantees, hinges on the equilibrium between service duration and unit power. To further delve into the subject, we formulate optimization models for service assignment and juxtapose optimal decisions under varying availability scenarios, workload levels, and service attributes. Numerical results indicate that service parallelism can improve performance and conserve energy when the workload remains moderate. However, as the workload escalates, the repercussions of resource sharing-induced performance loss become more pronounced due to resource capacity limitations. In cases where system availability is constrained, resource sharing should be approached cautiously to ensure adherence to deadline requirements. This study theoretically analyzes the interrelations among system reliability, performance, and PC, offering valuable insights for making informed decisions in cloud service assignments.
A 6-Week Ketogenic Diet Enhances the Phosphocreatine Energy System Contribution During Intermittent Sprints
Authors: Pretorius Anika , Engelbrecht Louise , Terblanche Elmarie
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Team sports often involve intermittent sprints. During these activities the Phosphocreatine-ATP buffer (ATP-PCr) signifies the major anaerobic energy substrate. While the effects of ketogenic diets (KD) on carbohydrate and fat metabolism during endurance exercise are widely reported, we explored keto-adaptation in ATP-PCr metabolism during intermittent sprint exercise.

Methods

Following a within-subject repeated measures design, 15 recreationally active participants (7 men, 8 women, aged 25.1 ± 6.4 years) performed cycle ergometer intermittent sprints (6 × 10 s sprints, 2 min recovery) with VO2 and blood lactate measurements for energy system calculations. These laboratory tests were performed in alternate weeks; First, twice at baseline on their habitual diet (HD) (35% CHO, 45% fat, 20% protein) and thereafter over a 6-week KD (7% CHO, 66% fat, 28% protein).

Results

Repeated measures ANOVA’s and Bonferroni tests revealed ATP-PCr derived energy increased significantly from HD to KD week 6 (+ 22.0 ± 43.15 J; P = 0.019; ES = 0.47). From HD to KD week 2, anaerobic glycolytic contribution lowered (− 14.4 ± 28.16 J; P = 0.031; ES = − 0.10) and peak blood [lactate] reduced significantly (− 2.92 ± 0.851 mmol; P = 0.004; ES = − 0.73). There was no statistically significant within-subject change in mean sprint power (P = 0.356).

Conclusion

The 6-week KD did not compromise intermittent sprint performance. The findings suggest that the ATP-PCr energy pathway may be a novel site of metabolic keto-adaptation. This, combined with the lowered blood [lactate] we observed, presents desirable metabolic adaptations for intermittent sprint sport athletes.
Consensus on clinical diagnosis and treatment of fumarate hydratase-deficient renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Shen Yu , Liu Zhenhua , Wei Qiang , Xue Wei
Published: February 2024

Fumarate hydratase-deficient renal cell carcinoma (FH-RCC) is an independent pathological subtype of renal cell carcinoma with a clear driver gene and a high degree of malignancy. Recent studies have found that patients with somatic FH mutations have similar clinico-biological behavior and poor prognosis to patients with germline FH mutations. FH-RCC has the characteristics of early age of onset, atypical imaging manifestations, variable pathological patterns, difficult clinical diagnosis and poor effect on traditional drug treatment, thus greatly endangering the life and health of patients. Under the organization of the Rare Kidney Cancer Collaborative Group, Genitourinary Cancer Committee, China Anti-Cancer Association, this guideline was developed based on basic research, clinical cohort and evidence-based medicine evidence, including imaging manifestations, pathological diagnosis, genetic testing, surgical and systemic treatment options, and provided recommendations and references for the diagnosis and treatment norms.
Unreinforced concrete masonry for circular construction
Authors: Bhooshan Shajay , Dell’Endice A. , Ranaudo F. , Van Mele T. , Block P.
Published: February 2024

This paper proposes an effective approach to realise circular construction with concrete, and shows Unreinforced Masonry as a foundational building block for it.

The paper outlines the importance of circularity in building structures. It specifically focuses on the impact of circular construction with concrete on improving the sustainability of the built environment in a rapidly urbanising world economy. Subsequently, the relevance of principles of structural design and construction of unreinforced masonry to achieve circularity is articulated. Furthermore, the paper presents and summarises recent developments in the field of Unreinforced Concrete Masonry (URCM) including digital design tools to synthesise structurally efficient shapes, and low-waste digital fabrication techniques using lower-embodied-emission materials to realise the designed shapes. The paper exemplifies these using two physically realised, full-scale URCM footbridge prototypes and a commercially available, mass-customisable building floor element, called the Rippmann Floor System (RFS).

The paper also outlines the benefits of mainstream, industrial-scale adoption of the design and construction technologies for URCM, including accelerating the pathway to decarbonise the concrete industry. In summary, the paper argues that URCM provides a solution to significantly mitigate the carbon emissions associated with concrete and reduce the use of virgin resources whilst retaining its benefits such as widespread and cheap availability, endurance, fire safety, low maintenance requirements and recyclability.
A simple and effective method to remove pigments from heterologous secretory proteins expressed in Pichia pastoris
Authors: Li Tingting , Cai Hongmin , Lai Yanling , Yao Hebang , Li Dianfan
Published: February 2024

Pichia pastoris is a popular yeast host for high-level heterologous expression of proteins on an industrial scale owing to its reliable expression, robust growth, high fermentation density, and easy genetic manipulation and cultivation at a relatively low cost. Of particular interest is its high secretion efficiency for small proteins including insulin, human serum albumin, vaccines, enzymes, and llama-derived heavy-chain only antibodies (nanobodies) for pharmaceutical and research applications. However, a recurring challenge in using P. pastoris heterologous secretory proteins is the co-purification of a sticky, yellow pigment which has been identified as a tetra-benzoyl disaccharide. Current methods for pigment removal involve crystallization of the heterologous secretory protein, active carbon absorption, and chromatography using cation exchange and hydrophobic interaction. Here, we present a simple and effective method to remove the yellow pigment, demonstrated with divalent nanobodies targeting SARS-CoV-2. The method entails capturing the nanobody on an affinity column and subsequent washing with the zwitterionic detergent lauryldimethylamine N-oxide (LDAO). We anticipate the method become generally useful to remove pigments from secretion proteins produced in P. pastoris, offering a practical solution to enhance the purity of heterologous proteins in various biotechnological applications.
Trust, Courts and Social Rights
Authors: Vitale David
Published: February 2024

Trust, Courts and Social Rights proposes an innovative legal framework for judicially enforcing social rights that is rooted in public trust in government or 'political trust'. Interdisciplinary in nature, the book draws on theoretical and empirical scholarship on the concept of trust across the social sciences, including philosophy, sociology, psychology and political theory. It integrates that scholarship with the relevant public law literature, including on social rights, fiduciary political theory and judicial review. In doing so, the book uses trust as an analytical lens for social rights law – importing ideas from the scholarship on trust into the social rights literature – and develops a normative argument that contributes to the controversial debate on how courts should enforce social rights. Also global in focus, the book uses cases from courts in Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America to illustrate how the trust-based framework operates in practice.
Use of VEGA data to analyse balloon options for possible subsequent long endurance Venus cloud layer missions
Authors: Dorrington G.E.
Published: February 2024

The vertical motions and buoyancy variations of the two VEGA super-pressure balloons, flown in the middle cloud layer of Venus, are discussed. Using data derived from these 1985 nightside flights, estimates are made of the energy required to operate some alternative balloon platform schemes under consideration for future-proposed Venus-atmosphere in situ science missions. Despite the dissimilarity of these alternative platform schemes, the energy inputs required to operate each scheme on the Venus nightside are found to be similar. Estimates of the associated mass penalties of the associated energy sources are also made. Further investigation of a vertical propulsive assist scheme is recommended.
Design and dynamic analysis of supporting mechanism for large scale space deployable membrane sunshield
Authors: Chang B.Y. , Guan X. , Liang D. , Yan S.J. , Jin G.G.
Published: February 2024

Stray light from the sun is one of the most significant factors affecting image quality for the optical system of a spacecraft. This paper proposes a method to design a deployable supporting mechanism for the sunshield based on origami. Firstly, a new type of space mechanism with single-closed loop was proposed according to thick-panel origami, and its mobility was analysed by using the screw theory. In order to design a deployable structure with high controllability, the tetrahedral constraint was introduced to reduce the degree of freedom (DOF), and a corresponding deployable unit named tetrahedral deployable unit (TDU) was obtained. Secondly, the process to constructing a large space deployable mechanism with infinite number of units was explained based on the characteristics of motion and planar mosaic array, and kinematics analysis and folding ratio of supporting mechanism were conducted. A physical prototype was constructed to demonstrate the mobility and deployment of the supporting mechanism. Finally, based on the Lagrange method, a dynamic model of supporting mechanism was established, and the influence of the torsion spring parameters on the deployment process was analysed.
Clinical decision support for gastrointestinal panel testing
Authors: Saif Nadia T. , Dooley Cara , Baghdadi Jonathan D. , Morgan Daniel J. , Coffey KC
Published: February 2024

Objective:

This study aimed to assess the impact of clinical decision support (CDS) to improve ordering of multiplex gastrointestinal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing panel (“GI panel”).

Design:

Single-center, retrospective, before-after study.

Setting:

Tertiary care Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Medical Center provides inpatient, outpatient, and residential care.

Patients:

All patients tested with a GI panel between June 22, 2022 and April 20, 2023.

Intervention:

We designed a CDS questionnaire in the electronic medical record (EMR) to guide appropriate ordering of the GI panel. A “soft stop” reminder at the point of ordering prompted providers to confirm five appropriateness criteria: 1) documented diarrhea, 2) no recent receipt of laxatives, 3) C. difficile is not the leading suspected cause of diarrhea, 4) time period since a prior test is >14 days or prior positive test is >4 weeks and 5) duration of hospitalization <72 hours. The CDS was implemented in November 2022.

Results:

Compared to the pre-implementation period (n = 136), fewer tests were performed post-implementation (n = 92) with an IRR of 0.61 (p = 0.003). Inappropriate ordering based on laxative use or undocumented diarrhea decreased (IRR 0.37, p = 0.012 and IRR 0.25, p = 0.08, respectively). However, overall inappropriate ordering and outcome measures did not significantly differ before and after the intervention.

Conclusions:

Implementation of CDS in the EMR decreased testing and inappropriate ordering based on use of laxatives or undocumented diarrhea. However, inappropriate ordering of tests overall remained high post-intervention, signaling the need for continued diagnostic stewardship efforts.
Estimating global numbers of fishes caught from the wild annually from 2000 to 2019
Authors: Mood Alison , Brooke Phil
Published: February 2024

Finfishes are caught from the wild for food, feed (often in the form of fishmeal and oil) and bait. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), between 74 and 83 million tonnes (averaging 77 million tonnes) were caught annually in 2000–2019. Although fishes are now widely recognised as sentient beings, capture is still quantified as biomass rather than number of individuals (in contrast to wild-caught marine mammals and crocodiles; and farmed mammals and birds). Here, we estimate global numbers of wild-caught finfishes using FAO capture production (landing) tonnages (2000–2019 data) and estimates of mean individual weight at capture, based on internet-sourced capture and market weights. We estimate that between 1,100 and 2,200 billion (1.1–2.2 × 1012), or 1.1–2.2 trillion, wild finfishes were caught annually, on average, during 2000–2019. Anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) comprised 28%, by estimate midpoint. Estimated numbers in 2019, totalling 980–1,900 billion, were lower due to reduced anchoveta landings, but still represented 87.5% of vertebrate numbers killed for food or feed, as obtained or estimated from FAO data. These figures exclude unrecorded capture such as illegal fishing, discards and ghost fishing. Estimated finfish numbers used for reduction to fishmeal and oil represented 56% of the total 2010 estimate (1,000–1,900 billion), by midpoint. It is recommended that the FAO reports fish capture numbers. The welfare of wild-caught fishes, which is generally very poor during and after capture, should be addressed as part of sustainable utilisation of aquatic resources.
Contributing Risk Factors to Self-Contamination During the Process of Donning and Doffing Personal Protective Equipment
Authors: Liu Yunyun , Tan Fengling , Yao Qiu , Wang Shuqi , Zhou Ping , Sun Yihui , Li Liubing
Published: February 2024

Objective:

The goal of this study is to explore the risk factors associated with self-contamination points during personal protective equipment (PPE) donning and doffing among health care workers (HCWs).

Methods:

In total, 116 HCWs were randomly sampled and trained to don and doff the whole PPE set. We smeared the whole PPE set with the fluorescent powder. After each participant finished PPE doffing, the whole body was irradiated with ultraviolet light in order to detect contamination points and record the position and quantity. Sociodemographic characteristics and previous infection prevention control (IPC) training experience, among others, were collected by using electronic questionnaires. Poisson regression was used in identifying risk factors that are associated with the number of contamination points, and the relative risk (RR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.

Results:

About 78.5% of participants were contaminated. Ever training experience (RR = 0.37; 0.26, 0.52), clinical departments (RR = 0.67; 0.49, 0.93), body mass index (BMI) (RR = 1.09; 1.01, 1.18), and shoulder width (RR = 1.07; 1.01, 1.13) were associated with the number of contamination points.

Conclusions:

Previous IPC training experience, department types, BMI, and shoulder width were associated with self-contamination points after the PPE was removed.
The COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on mental and psychosocial health in the Philippines: A scoping review
Authors: Ocampo Joanne Michelle F. , Santos Raisa Alexis N. , Sevilleja Jesus Emmanuel A.D. , Gloria Christian T.
Published: February 2024

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remained at elevated risk for the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic because of persistent stressors to their health systems. Simultaneously facing high infection rates, strict containment measures and natural disasters, the Philippines provides important grounds for health research in LMICs. This review examined how the COVID-19 pandemic affected mental and psychosocial health in the Philippines. This scoping review included literature in English from 2020 to mid-2022 from PubMed, PsycInfo and SCOPUS, and used the PRISMA-ScR and PCC-question model. Two independent reviewers conducted blind article screening and data extraction using COVIDENCE software, followed by consensus building, data charting and analyses. This work identified 405 publications across PubMed (N = 56), PsycInfo (N = 106) and SCOPUS (N = 243), of which 76 articles addressed the Philippines. Article types included 54 research articles, 10 opinion pieces, 4 literature reviews, 6 letters to journals, 1 study protocol and 1 other report. These findings focused primarily on health professionals (N = 23) and educators/learners (N = 22) and reported mostly on moderate-to-severe clinical outcomes such as fear, depression, anxiety or stress. Coping behaviors, like resiliency and other ways of adapting to the pandemic, including religious, spiritual and community-oriented approaches highlighted experiences with stringent infection prevention and control measures to contain COVID-19 in the Philippines. The COVID-19 pandemic brought severe challenges to mental and psychosocial health in the Philippines. The literature focused mostly on healthcare workers and educators/learners, and moderate-to-severe mental health outcomes in these groups. There is a need to expand studies to other sociodemographic groups and communities across the Philippines. Future work stands to benefit from more in-depth qualitative, mixed methods, longitudinal and representative quantitative research in LMICs following this pandemic. Literature reviews remain important to synthesize post-pandemic experiences by providing context for future studies and health practice in the Philippines and other LMICs.
Convicting Politicians for Corruption: The Politics of Criminal Accountability
Authors: Da Ros Luciano , Gehrke Manoel
Published: February 2024

Why are politicians more likely to be prosecuted and convicted for corruption in some contexts rather than in others? Pulling together disparate threads of the literature on what we call the politics of criminal accountability, this review organizes current explanations along three levels of inquiry: (1) micro, encompassing characteristics of individual criminal-accountability agents and defendants, such as their partisanship and ideology, professional ethos, enforcement costs and judicial corruption; (2) meso, emphasizing the independence, capacities and coordination degrees of criminal-accountability institutions; and (3) macro, including the impact of political regimes, political competition, support from civil society, corruption levels and international norms. In doing so, we draw attention to methodological shortcomings and opportunities for research on the topic, providing a roadmap for this field of inquiry that also includes unexplored questions and tentative answers. Furthermore, we present new systematic data set that reveals a substantial increase in the conviction of former heads of government for corruption since 2000, underscoring the importance of the phenomenon and highlighting the need for further research into the politics of criminal accountability.
Contested Statues: The Clive Memorial Fund, Imperial Heroes, and the Reimaginings of Indian History
Authors: Watts James
Published: February 2024

This article considers the Clive Memorial Fund and the campaigns surrounding proposed statues to Robert Clive in London and Calcutta between 1907 and 1912. The author argues that this campaign was an attempt to glorify Clive's actions, focused on the battle of Plassey and its aftermath, as foundation stones for the Indian Empire. The statues were an anxious attempt to situate Britain as a natural part of Indian history, but the campaign instead provoked a developing Indian counternarrative around resistance to colonial rule, particularly from newspapers in Bengal. Although the fund garnered support in Britain, it was greeted in India with official irritation and widespread Indian opposition, highlighting the importance of considering imperial statues in their imperial frame. This reaction, demonizing Clive's treachery and praising his opponent, Siraj-ud-Daula, the nawab of Bengal, was indicative of the place of history in both Bengali nationalism and imperial self-identity. Using newspapers in Britain and Bengal and the correspondence of the Clive Memorial Committee, the author examines the competing narratives of history that emerged in the campaigns around the fund.