bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S) precipitation forecast performance from NMME-2 over Indonesia
Authors: Nugraha D , Syahputra M R , Abdillah M R , Suwarman R
Published: June 2024

Global Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S) precipitation forecast was known to bridge the gap between weather and seasonal forecast, can be utilized as supporting information for decision-making related to hydrometeorological disaster mitigation activities. However, uncertainty in global models caused forecast performance can be different across regions and time periods. Therefore, it is important to evaluate forecast performance before utilizing the prediction result in any region. In this study, performance of probabilistic precipitation forecast from Multi-model Ensemble (MME) of three models in The North American Multi-Model Ensemble phase 2 (NMME-2) project was evaluated in Indonesia region based on two evaluation metrics: continuous ranked probability score (CRPS) and reliability diagram. The evaluation was conducted during the boreal summer (May–October) and boreal winter (November–April) periods, as well as during the active period of subseasonal climate variability phenomenon Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). Our result shows that S2S precipitation forecast from MME of CFSv2, CanCM4 and GEOS5 models are sufficiently accurate and reliable during the boreal summer period for Central Sumatra, Southern Sumatra, Southern Kalimantan, Java, Southern Sulawesi, and Southern Papua regions, with a range of CRPS values between 4-16 mm/7 days and a ‘perfect’ reliability category. There is no notable distinction in the performance of S2S precipitation forecast between the active and inactive events of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). The difference in CRPS values between these two periods is only around 0.8-1.2 mm/7 days, and there is no difference in reliability categories across Indonesia as a whole, nor significant spatial pattern differences.
The Observation Current of Cirebon Waters in 2022
Authors: Budiono E M , Bernawis L I , Nurfitri S , Radjawane I M , Rachmayani R , Badriana M R , Hidayatullah A I , Nur A A
Published: June 2024

The waters of Cirebon are located in the Java Sea, characterized as a relatively shallow open bay, serving as a small basin that receives numerous river flows from Java and Kalimantan islands. This research aims to analyze the seasonal distribution patterns of surface ocean currents in the Cirebon waters. Data was collected in May (transitional season I), July (east monsoon season), and October (transitional season II) of 2022 at 12 stations scattered across the open bay of Cirebon. The velocity and direction of the currents were measured using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) installed on the research ship. The results showed that the currents predominantly moved towards the northwest during the transitional season I and east monsoon season, while during transitional season II, they predominantly moved northward by the seasonal wind patterns. The strongest average current velocity occurred during the east monsoon season (0.082 m/s), followed by transitional season II (0.064 m/s), and the slowest in transitional season I (0.047 m/s). Additionally, the comparison between observation data and surface data from Marine Copernicus indicated a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) value of 0.037.
The Abundance of Marine Plastic Debris in Indonesia’s Ocean
Authors: Winardi E A , Putri M R
Published: June 2024

Plastic waste is a global problem expected to increase with population growth. An estimated 275 million metric tons per year of plastic waste are produced globally. Indonesia has the fourth largest population in the world and makes the most plastic waste. Indonesia’s government plans to reduce plastic waste by 70% by 2025. This scientific paper aims to show the amount of plastic production in Indonesia. The linear regression approach of the national marine plastic leakage trend from 2018 to 2022, it can be predicted that plastic waste leakage in 2025 will reach 0.228 million tons. The prediction of plastic waste leakage in 2025 states that Indonesia has gained 62.92%, which means that Indonesia has yet to achieve its goals by Presidential Regulation No. 83/2018. However, the leakage of marine plastic waste is predicted to have a value that will reach 0 by 2029, so it can be expected that Indonesia will become a country free of marine plastic waste in 2045. In addition, there is still a need for action to overcome plastic waste that has entered the marine environment and cooperation with countries to make Indonesia’s seas accessible to plastic waste.
Distribution of Coral Life Forms Based on Sea Current Velocity in Kei Besar Island, Maluku, and Mare Island, North Maluku
Authors: Kesuma A , Bernawis L I , Subhan B , Muhidin  , Sangadji N M
Published: June 2024

Diverse life forms found on coral reefs indicate resilience to environmental change, sustaining marine biodiversity and ensuring the stability of the coastal community’s ecosystems. This study investigates the relationship between sea currents and the life forms of coral reefs in Indonesia and focuses on two primary locations: Kei Besar Island, Maluku, and Mare Island in North Maluku. Sea current data from the current real-time global forecasting and coral cover data were analysed to assess the influence of current velocities on the percentage of hard coral cover and the morphological composition of corals. The dominant bottom substrate in both locations is hard coral, with varying percentages of cover. Thirteen distinct life forms of coral were identified in both study sites, with massive and sub-massive forms being the most prevalent on Kei Besar Island (41%) having average current velocities of 0.159 m/s, and branching forms (40%) being dominant on Mare Island with average current velocities were 0.103 m/s. The massive form (CM) is strongly positively (negatively) correlated with faster (slower) currents, with a correlation coefficient of 0.81 (-0.69). On the other hand, several life form of fragile coral reefs particularly Acropora branching (ACB); Acropora sub-massive (ACS); and coral Tubipora (CTU) were found to be positively (negatively) correlated with slower (faster) currents, with a correlation coefficient of 0.55 (-0.63); 0.77 (-0.75); and 0.58 (-0.67).
Generating a monthly variability of sea surface salinity based on source tracing of salt concentration and the estimated SEBAL-evaporation
Authors: Ghazali M F , Saepuloh A , Wikantika K
Published: June 2024

The variation and spatial distribution of sea surface salinity (SSS) depend on the geographic condition of the water surfaces and the temporal variation of atmospheric conditions. The SSS might differ in a local coastal area compared to similar situations in global and regional oceans. The SSS values have been estimated based on spatial regression of extracted water-salt concentration as a source tracing of salt against corrected Landsat 8 satellite data during the drought season of April 2023. Here, the electrical conductivity (EC) from the Cimanuk River can be used as primary data. This result, paired with the evaporation-derived surface energy balance algorithm for land (SEBAL) algorithm, explains a monthly SSS variability after the validation using pre-defined resampled regional SSS and evaporation data. The result shows variations in estimated SSS values along with fluctuated SEBAL evaporation ranging from 1.64 to 1.62 dS/m and 1.04 to 0.41 W/m2, respectively. It describes monthly variability and their relationship in a local coastal area limited to the condition of a drought season. However, the validation shows that the root means square error (RMSE) of 1.00 from the SSS map, produced by the regression model involving band 7 of Landsat 8 and 9, has satisfied the reasonable SSS value ranges besides the best accuracy.
Application of Geoid and Mean Dynamic Topography Models as an Alternative to the Mean Sea Level Approach in Determining Vertical Datum (Case Study: Java Island and Surrounding)
Authors: Sarsito D A , Syahrullah M , Bramanto B , Andreas H , Pradipta D
Published: June 2024

Indonesia’s archipelagic territory provides constraints for determining a seamless vertical datum throughout the region. The main constraint is how to connect the vertical datum between islands separated by sea. To define the physical height system of land areas, it usually refers to the Mean Sea Level (MSL), which has different values in each area, and the ideal MSL information is not yet available throughout regions with a minimum data duration of one cycle of 18.6 years. To overcome this constraint, in this research, another alternative method is used: applying a vertical datum that refers to a physical geoid reference surface, namely Mean Dynamic Topography (MDT) using Altimetry satellite data. The study area is Java Island and its surroundings, using vertical information from Geodetic Control Point stations, which also function as Tidal stations in the Indonesian Geospatial Reference System network. The range of MDT deviation values obtained from the Satellite Altimetry with Geodetic Ground Control data is ± 2 meters, which is a good value for coastal areas facing the open sea. This shows that the application of the geoid and MDT models can be used as an alternative, seamless MSL approach in the Java Island region and its surroundings.
The relationship between urbanization, energy consumption, economic growth, and carbon dioxide emissions in middle eastern countries: Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt
Authors: Aldegheishem Abdulaziz
Published: June 2024

The Middle East region is a strategic driver of the global economy. However, ensuring environmental sustainability in the context of rapid urban and economic changes remains a major challenge for most Middle Eastern countries. Although researchers have widely examined factors affecting carbon dioxide emissions (CO2), little attention has been paid to the Middle Eastern countries. This study uses an ARDL model to examine the nexus between urbanization, energy consumption, economic growth, and CO2 emissions for three Middle Eastern countries, (Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan) based on panel data for the period from 1990 to 2023. Findings reveal that urbanization has had no significant impact on CO2 emissions in Egypt; this is not in line with the findings for Saudi Arabia and Jordan, where urbanization has reduced CO2 emissions in the long- and short-run, indicating that urban policies are well matched with environmental goals in both countries. However, empirical results indicate that energy consumption has had a positive effect on CO2 emissions in the long- and short-run in all three countries and economic growth has also had a positive impact on CO2 emissions. The fact that economic growth has been unable to mitigate CO2 emissions indicates a mismatch between economic policies and environmental goals. This article suggests a series of valuable insights for policymakers to reduce CO2 emissions.
Practical considerations for high-fidelity wavefront shaping experiments
Authors: Mastiani Bahareh , Cox Daniël W S , Vellekoop Ivo M
Published: June 2024

Wavefront shaping (WFS) is a technique for directing light through turbid media. The theoretical aspects of WFS are well understood, and under near-ideal experimental conditions, accurate predictions for the expected signal enhancement can be given. In practice, however, there are many experimental factors that negatively affect the outcome of the experiment. Here, we present a comprehensive overview of these experimental factors, including the effect of sample scattering properties, noise, and response of the spatial light modulator. We present simple means to identify experimental imperfections and to minimize their negative effect on the outcome of the experiment. This paper is accompanied by Python code for automatically quantifying experimental problems using the OpenWFS framework for running and simulating WFS experiments.
Classification of single extracellular vesicles in a double nanohole optical tweezer for cancer detection
Authors: Peters Matthew , Halvaei Sina , Zhao Tianyu , Yang-Schulz Annie , Williams Karla C , Gordon Reuven
Published: June 2024

A major challenge in cancer prognostics is finding early biomarkers that can accurately identify cancer. Circulating tumor cells are rare and circulating tumor DNA can not provide information about the originating cell. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain cell specific information, are abundant in fluids, and have unique properties between cancerous and non-cancerous. Fluorescence measurements have limitations from intrinsic fluorescent background signals, photobleaching, non-specific labelling, and EV structural modifications. Here, we demonstrate a label-free approach to classification of 3 different EVs, derived from non-malignant, non-invasive cancerous, and invasive cancerous cell lines. Using double nanohole optical tweezers, the scattering from single trapped EVs is measured, and using a 1D convolutional neural network, we are able to classify the time series optical signal into its respective EV class with greater than 90% accuracy.
Sparse autoregressive neural networks for classical spin systems
Authors: Biazzo Indaco , Wu Dian , Carleo Giuseppe
Published: June 2024

Efficient sampling and approximation of Boltzmann distributions involving large sets of binary variables, or spins, are pivotal in diverse scientific fields even beyond physics. Recent advances in generative neural networks have significantly impacted this domain. However, these neural networks are often treated as black boxes, with architectures primarily influenced by data-driven problems in computational science. Addressing this gap, we introduce a novel autoregressive neural network architecture named TwoBo, specifically designed for sparse two-body interacting spin systems. We directly incorporate the Boltzmann distribution into its architecture and parameters, resulting in enhanced convergence speed, superior free energy accuracy, and reduced trainable parameters. We perform numerical experiments on disordered, frustrated systems with more than 1000 spins on grids and random graphs, and demonstrate its advantages compared to previous autoregressive and recurrent architectures. Our findings validate a physically informed approach and suggest potential extensions to multivalued variables and many-body interaction systems, paving the way for broader applications in scientific research.
Phase-space analysis of a two-section InP laser as an all-optical spiking neuron: dependency on control and design parameters
Authors: Puts Lukas , Lenstra Daan , Williams Kevin , Yao Weiming
Published: June 2024

Using a rate-equation model we numerically evaluate the carrier concentration and photon number in an integrated two-section semiconductor laser, and analyse its dynamics in three-dimensional phase space. The simulation comprises compact model descriptions extracted from a commercially-available generic InP technology platform, allowing us to model an applied reverse-bias voltage to the saturable absorber. We use the model to study the influence of the injected gain current, reverse-bias voltage, and cavity mirror reflectivity on the excitable operation state, which is the operation mode desired for the laser to act as an all-optical integrated neuron. We show in phase-space that our model is capable of demonstrating four different operation modes, i.e. cw, self-pulsating and an on-set and excitable mode under optical pulse injection. In addition, we show that lowering the reflectivity of one of the cavity mirrors greatly enhances the control parameter space for excitable operation, enabling more relaxed operation parameter control and lower power consumption of an integrated two-section laser neuron.
LRRC56 is an IFT cargo required for assembly of the distal dynein docking complex in Trypanosoma brucei
Authors: Bonnefoy Serge , Alves Aline Araujo , Bertiaux Eloïse , Bastin Philippe
Published: June 2024

Outer dynein arms (ODAs) are responsible for ciliary beating in eukaryotes. They are assembled in the cytoplasm and shipped by intraflagellar transport (IFT) before attachment to microtubule doublets via the docking complex. The LRRC56 protein has been proposed to contribute to ODAs maturation. Mutations or deletion of the LRRC56 gene lead to reduced ciliary motility in all species investigated so far, but with variable impact on dynein arm presence. Here, we investigated the role of LRRC56 in the protist Trypanosoma brucei, where its absence results in distal loss of ODAs, mostly in growing flagella. We show that LRRC56 is a transient cargo of IFT trains during flagellum construction and surprisingly, is required for efficient attachment of a subset of docking complex proteins present in the distal portion of the organelle. This relation is interdependent since the knockdown of the distal docking complex prevents LRRC56’s association with the flagellum. Intriguingly, lrrc56−/− cells display shorter flagella whose maturation is delayed. Inhibition of cell division compensates for the distal ODAs absence thanks to the redistribution of the proximal docking complex, restoring ODAs attachment but not the flagellum length phenotype. This work reveals an unexpected connection between LRRC56 and the docking complex.
Towards a roadmap for COSEB: the next steps in harmonization of outcomes for epidermolysis bullosa
Authors: Korte Eva W H , Pasmooij Anna M G , Bolling Maria C , Hickey Sinéad , Hussain Sagair , Kiritsi Dimitra , Kottner Jan , Prinsen Cecilia A C , Sauvestre Angélique , Sendin Gaston , Spuls Phyllis I , Tarrats Núria , Wally Verena , Welponer Tobias , Laimer Martin , van den Akker Peter C ,   the COSEB Consortium, Bardhan Ajoy , Bataille Pauline , Bodemer Christine , Bolling Marieke , Bruckner Anna , Chiaverini Christine , Clemett Victoria , Collins Caroline , Colmant Caroline , De Rosa Laura , Duipmans José , Ebens Christen , Fernandez María Florencia , Gorell Emily , Guez Sophie , Has Cristina , Hickey Sinéad , Hsu Chao-Kai , Hussain Sagair , Jain Ritu , Kenny Tom , Kern Johannes S , Khanna Divya , Kiritsi Dimitra , Kitzmüller Sophie , Korte Eva , Kottner Jan , Laimer Martin , Lara-Corrales Irene , Lee Michelle , Li Wei , Lospalluti Lucia , Marinkovich M Peter , Martinez Anna , Mellerio Jemima , Moss Celia , Mullins Olivia , Murrell Dédée , Ott Hagen , Palisson Francis , Paller Amy , Pasmooij Marjon , Petrof Gabriela , Pope Elena , Prinsen Cecilia , Salamon Gudrun , Salas-Alanis Julio , Salavastru Carmen , Sauvestre Angélique , Scherer Sabine , Schräder Nicholas , Sendin Gaston , Sprecher Eli , Spreitzer Corina , Spuls Phyllis , Tarrats Núria , van den Akker Peter , Wally Verena , Welponer Tobias , Wertheim-Tysarowska Katarzyna , Zahn Tobias
Published: June 2024

The COSEB initiative aims for standardized and uniform measurement by developing core outcome sets for epidermolysis bullosa. This report describes the COSEB workshop organized in December 2023, which led to a broad stakeholder consensus-based roadmap. Moreover, it highlights novel features of COSEB, including the pro-active engagement of stakeholders from the very beginning and the appointment of a multi-stakeholder advisory panel.
The visual cortex in the blind but not the auditory cortex in the deaf becomes multiple-demand regions
Authors: Duymuş Hasan , Verma Mohini , Güçlütürk Yasemin , Öztürk Mesut , Varol Ayşe B , Kurt Şehmus , Gezici Tamer , Akgür Berhan F , Giray İrem , Öksüz Elif E , Farooqui Ausaf A
Published: June 2024

The fate of deprived sensory cortices (visual regions in the blind and auditory regions in the deaf) exemplifies the extent to which experience can change brain regions. These regions are frequently seen to activate during tasks involving other sensory modalities, leading many authors to infer that these regions have started to process sensory information of other modalities. However, such observations can also imply that these regions are now activating in response to any task event, regardless of the sensory modality. Activating in response to task events, irrespective of the sensory modality involved, is a feature of the multiple-demands (MD) network. This is a set of regions within the frontal and parietal cortices that activate in response to any kind of control demand. Thus, demands as diverse as attention, perceptual difficulty, rule-switching, updating working memory, inhibiting responses, decision-making and difficult arithmetic all activate the same set of regions that are thought to instantiate domain-general cognitive control and underpin fluid intelligence.

We investigated whether deprived sensory cortices, or foci within them, become part of the MD network. We tested whether the same foci within the visual regions of the blind and auditory regions of the deaf activated in response to different control demands.

We found that control demands related to updating auditory working memory, difficult tactile decisions, time-duration judgments and sensorimotor speed all activated the entire bilateral occipital regions in the blind but not in the sighted. These occipital regions in the blind were the only regions outside the canonical frontoparietal MD regions to show such activation in response to multiple control demands. Furthermore, compared with the sighted, these occipital regions in the blind had higher functional connectivity with frontoparietal MD regions. Early deaf, in contrast, did not activate their auditory regions in response to different control demands, showing that auditory regions do not become MD regions in the deaf.

We suggest that visual regions in the blind do not take a new sensory role but become part of the MD network, and this is not a response of all deprived sensory cortices but a feature unique to the visual regions.
W. E. B. Du Bois’s universal history in Black Folk Then and Now (1939)
Authors: Fertik Harriet
Published: June 2024

While debates about ‘Eurocentric’ versus ‘Afrocentric’ theories of history have driven previous studies of Du Bois’s writings on ancient Africa, I read his account of African antiquity in Black Folk Then and Now in the context of the moral and educational projects articulated within both Greco-Roman and African American historiography. I pay special attention to conventional ancient views of history that Diodorus expresses in his Bibliotheke, which treats history as a source of morally instructive examples and ‘universal history’ as especially educational because it synthesizes different historical narratives: these concepts of history were broadly influential into the nineteenth century, including among African American writers. An ancient model of universal history allows Du Bois to tell the story of a distinct human community and nevertheless insist on the unity of peoples, a principle which is central to his philosophy of race and of human history writ large.
Early and Sustained Symptom Control with Mirikizumab in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis in the Phase 3 LUCENT Programme
Authors: Danese Silvio , Dignass Axel , Matsuoka Katsuyoshi , Ferrante Marc , Long Millie , Redondo Isabel , Moses Richard , Maier Sebastian , Hunter Gibble Theresa , Morris Nathan , Milch Catherine , Abreu Maria T
Published: June 2024

Background and Aims

Ulcerative colitis [UC], a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, may manifest with symptoms of increased stool frequency [SF], rectal bleeding [RB], bowel urgency [BU], abdominal pain [AP], and fatigue. Mirikizumab, an anti-IL-23p19 antibody, demonstrated efficacy and safety in patients with moderately to severely active UC in the LUCENT Phase 3 trials. We evaluated mirikizumab’s efficacy in achieving symptom control and time to symptom improvement during induction, maintenance of sustained symptom control, 'comprehensive symptom control', defined according to a combination of individual patient-reported outcomes, and prognostic baseline indicators of early symptomatic remission at Week 4.

Methods

The results of LUCENT-1/-2 have previously been reported. Treatment differences for symptomatic endpoints were compared over 52 weeks versus placebo [PBO] and comprehensive symptomatic endpoints at 12 and 52 weeks of continuous treatment. Subgroup analyses were conducted for prior biologic or tofacitinib treatment failure. Prognostic analyses were run using regression analysis.

Results

By Week [W] 2, mirikizumab-treated patients achieved greater reductions in SF, RB, BU, and fatigue versus PBO. At W4, there was a higher rate of AP improvement. At W12, a greater proportion of mirikizumab-treated patients achieved symptomatic remission, RB remission, SF remission, and BU remission/clinically meaningful improvement. Mirikizumab-treated patients sustained symptom control versus placebo patients in maintenance until W52. This treatment effect was shown in patients regardless of prior biologic or tofacitinib failure. Additionally, mirikizumab achieved comprehensive symptom control versus PBO at W12 and W52.

Conclusions

Mirikizumab demonstrated efficacy in achieving and sustaining symptom control and comprehensive symptom control over 52 weeks [NCT03518086; NCT03524092].
Genetic drift drives faster-Z evolution in the salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis
Authors: Mongue Andrew J , Baird Robert B
Published: June 2024

How sex chromosomes evolve compared to autosomes remains an unresolved question in population genetics. Most studies focus on only a handful of taxa, resulting in uncertainty over whether observed patterns reflect general processes or idiosyncrasies in particular clades. For example, in female heterogametic (ZW) systems, bird Z chromosomes tend to evolve quickly but not adaptively, while in Lepidopterans they evolve adaptively, but not always quickly. To understand how these observations fit into broader evolutionary patterns, we explore Z chromosome evolution outside of these two well-studied clades. We utilize a publicly available genome, gene expression, population, and outgroup data in the salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis, an important agricultural pest copepod. We find that the Z chromosome is faster evolving than autosomes, but that this effect is driven by increased drift rather than adaptive evolution. Due to high rates of female reproductive failure, the Z chromosome exhibits a slightly lower effective population size than the autosomes which is nonetheless to decrease efficiency of hemizygous selection acting on the Z. These results highlight the usefulness of organismal life history in calibrating population genetic expectations and demonstrate the value of the ever-expanding wealth of publicly available data to help resolve outstanding evolutionary questions.
Re-energizing health literacy in Wales: a testbed for health, education and prosperity for all
Authors: Marchant Emily
Published: June 2024

A growing body of evidence demonstrates the importance of enhancing health literacy for improved health outcomes, self-reported health, lower health services use and disease prevention. Importantly, improving health literacy has great potential to reduce health inequities and inequalities. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified health literacy as a global priority, viewing it as a right and a fundamental competency necessary to function within modern society. Building health literacy foundations should begin in early childhood, including focus within educational frameworks and school curricula. The WHO advocate for governments to embed it as an explicit goal. In response, it has received significant international policy and strategy focus, in addition to the development of country-level action plans. In Wales, UK, it was identified as a priority in 2010, but despite wider developments spanning health and social care, well-being, economy and education policy, growth in health literacy has stalled since. Optimizing health literacy would act as an indirect enabler to a range of Welsh policies and strategies. A promising avenue for strengthening the health literacy of current and future generations is through ongoing significant national education reforms and the introduction of the new Curriculum for Wales. One of four overarching purposes of this curriculum is healthy, confident individuals, and health and well-being constitutes one of six statutory curriculum areas. Tracking the impact of this on children and young people’s health literacy offers opportunities for Wales to model and gain traction as a national-scale health literacy policy testbed. This requires re-energizing health literacy as a national priority.
Understanding medication recycling practices in Canadian hospitals
Authors: Zou Brenda , Sung Sophia , Drummond Isla , Tang Linda , Tejani Aaron M
Published: June 2024

Background

Medication recycling within hospitals has proven financial and possible environmental benefits according to local evaluations done in British Columbia. Despite this, the extent of medication recycling in Canadian hospitals remains unclear in the literature.

Objective(s)

To determine if Canadian hospitals recycle medications, provide an estimate of how much medication is recycled by dosage form, and identify medication recycling barriers through the distribution of a cross-sectional survey.

Methods

A nine-question survey was distributed to 171 hospital pharmacy departments across Canada that consented to complete the survey. The survey identified whether sites recycled unused medications, an estimate of how much is recycled based on dosage form, and barriers to recycling.

Key findings

Of 62 respondents, the majority indicated they do have medication recycling procedures; however, the frequency of recycling is suboptimal (30–50% of medications are not recycled), and not all medication types are always recycled. Individually packaged oral tablets were most often recycled, and oral liquid medications were least often recycled. Many multi-dose medications were not tamper-proofed. Most respondents selected “sanitization/infection control” and “resource constraint” as reasons for not recycling all medications.

Conclusions

Among respondents, the proportion and type of unused medicines that are recycled varied. For sites that did not respond, this might suggest that medication recycling is not a priority. This could represent a missed opportunity to standardize practices and increase medication recycling in hospitals, both of which could represent a meaningful step towards responsible use of medications and reduction of negative impacts on human health and the environment.
Deleterious effects of a combination therapy using fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines for the treatment of Japanese spotted fever: a retrospective cohort study based on a Japanese hospital database
Authors: Yasuda Ikkoh , Toizumi Michiko , Sando Eiichiro
Published: June 2024

Objectives

Tetracyclines are the standard treatment for rickettsiosis, including Japanese spotted fever (JSF), a tick-borne rickettsiosis caused by Rickettsia japonica. While some specialists in Japan advocate combining fluoroquinolones with tetracyclines for treating JSF, the negative aspects of combination therapy have not been thoroughly evaluated. Whether fluoroquinolones should be combined with tetracyclines for JSF treatment is controversial. The study aimed to evaluate the disadvantages of fluoroquinolones combined with tetracyclines for JSF treatment.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study was conducted using a Japanese database comprising claims data from April 2008 to December 2020. The combination therapy group (tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones) was compared with the monotherapy group (tetracycline only) regarding mortality and the incidence of complications.

Results

A total of 797 patients were enrolled: 525 received combination therapy, and 272 received monotherapy. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for mortality was 2.30 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.28–18.77] in the combination therapy group with respect to the monotherapy group. According to the subgroup analysis, patients undergoing combination therapy with ciprofloxacin experienced higher mortality rates compared with those receiving monotherapy (adjusted OR = 25.98, 95% CI = 1.71–393.75). Additionally, 27.7% of the combination therapy group received NSAIDs concurrently with fluoroquinolones. The combination therapy with NSAIDs group was significantly more likely to experience convulsions than the monotherapy without NSAIDs group (adjusted OR: 5.44, 95% CI: 1.13–26.30).

Conclusions

This study found no evidence that combination therapy improves mortality outcomes and instead uncovered its deleterious effects. These findings facilitate a fair assessment of combination therapy that includes consideration of its disadvantages.
Using Cultural Repertoires during Unsettled Times
Authors: Yang Ye (Nicole) , Ozanne Julie L , Phipps Marcus
Published: June 2024

This research draws on the theory of culture in action, which explains how consumers selectively mobilize their cultural repertoires to understand and solve daily problems. Contemporary life, however, is increasingly unsettled, challenging the adequacy of consumers’ repertoires and how they use existing institutional cultural resources. This qualitative study identifies four ways in which consumers use their cultural repertoires and institutional resources during unsettled times. Formulaic uses are when consumers mobilize familiar cultural tools and existing resources to resettle. Versatile uses are when consumers develop new cultural tools to transform while working within demanding institutional resources. Freewheeling uses are when consumers mobilize familiar cultural tools for play but rework institutional resources to be less demanding. Finally, troubleshooting uses are when consumers extend their existing cultural tools to suffice but reject institutional resources. These varied uses of culture capture how consumers either mobilize or develop their cultural repertoires and institutional resources to serve different ends. This study provides a more dynamic, pragmatic, and nuanced explanation of how consumers summon culture to solve problems during unsettled times. A conceptual model explains this process, and the discussion highlights the theoretical contributions.
Re-thinking the sustainability of sovereign debt
Authors: Bradlow Daniel D , Lastra Rosa M , Park Stephen Kim
Published: June 2024

This article explores the contributions that law can make to the development of a holistic approach to sovereign debt sustainability. We focus on debt sustainability assessments (DSAs) conducted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which are linked to the IMF’s surveillance and lending functions, and determine whether it is necessary to restructure the debt of a country in debt distress and the timing, process, and terms of such a debt restructuring. While the precise causes of each country’s debt situation are unique, all countries are grappling with the rising costs and growing risks posed by climate change and other environmental and social factors. We suggest that the IMF’s current treatment of these environmental and social factors is opaque, unpredictable, and hard for the citizens of affected countries and other outsiders to understand. It also obscures the true burden that debt obligations impose on a sovereign and the country’s residents, and, thus, the amount of debt relief that it may need in order to achieve a sustainable debt position. To address these shortcomings, we identify financial, economic, environmental, and social (FEES) factors that we contend should be incorporated in the design of the frameworks governing DSAs and the operating principles and practices of the IMF through which DSAs are conducted. We argue that the IMF should draw on various hard and soft sources of international and transnational law to develop a FEES-based approach to sovereign debt sustainability that is more consistent, predictable, and legitimate than the current approach.
Grief and loss in Shiʿi thought: Zayn al-Dīn al-ʿĀmilī’s (d. 965/1558) Musakkin al-fuʾād
Authors: Izzo Gianni
Published: June 2024

Within scholarship on Islamic ethics, writings on consolation (taʿāzī) are a largely neglected genre. This article is a start on making good this scarcity in the secondary literature. It studies Zayn al-Dīn al-ʿĀmilī’s (d. 965/1558) Musakkin al-fuʾād, a treatise on the grief over the loss of a child and consolations for it. Al-ʿĀmilī’s contribution to the genre presents a Shiʿi view, inflected by a Muʿtazilī understanding of divine justice and theodicy. According to this view, divine recompense (ʿiwaḍ) is offered to the bereaved on the condition of patient resignation with appreciation of the loss in relation to the ordeal and death suffered by the fourteen ‘Infallibles’ (al-maʿṣūmīn). Al-ʿĀmilī’s disparaging outlook on the world (al-dunyā) encourages abandonment of its material attachments through ideal modes of patience (al-ṣabr) and contentment (al-riḍāʾ). Musakkin al-fuʾād imagines a system of reward and loss, calibrated to the lessons of sacred texts. I examine al-ʿĀmilī’s use of these sources, including prophetic narratives, parables, and traditions (aḥādīth), to explore their implications for an idealized expression of Muslim mourning. From these examples, the personal becomes universal, generating moral criteria for an attitude to life, and necessitating appropriately modified responses to death.
Gas assisted binary black hole formation in AGN discs
Authors: Whitehead Henry , Rowan Connar , Boekholt Tjarda , Kocsis Bence
Published: June 2024

We investigate close encounters by stellar mass black holes (BHs) in the gaseous discs of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) as a potential formation channel of binary black holes (BBHs). We perform a series of 2D isothermal viscous hydrodynamical simulations within a shearing box prescription using the Eulerian grid code Athena++. We co-evolve the embedded BHs with the gas keeping track of the energetic dissipation and torquing of the BBH by gas gravitation and inertial forces. To probe the dependence of capture on the initial conditions, we discuss a suite of 345 simulations spanning BBH impact parameter (b) and local AGN disc density (ρ0). We identify a clear region in b − ρ0 space where gas assisted BBH capture is efficient. We find that the presence of gas leads to strong energetic dissipation during close encounters between unbound BHs, forming stably bound eccentric BBHs. We find that the gas dissipation during close encounters increases for systems with increased disc density and deeper periapsis passages rp, fitting a power law such that $\Delta E \propto \rho _0^{\alpha }r_{\mathrm{p}}^{\beta }$, where {α, β} = {1.01 ± 0.04, −0.43 ± 0.03}. Alternatively, the gas dissipation is approximately ΔE = 4.3MdvHvp, where Md is the mass of a single BH minidisc just prior to the encounter when the binary separation is 2rH (two binary Hill radii), vH and vp are the relative BH velocities at 2rH and at the first closest approach, respectively. We derive a prescription for capture which can be used in semi-analytical models of AGN. We do not find the dissipative dynamics observed in these systems to be in agreement with the simple gas dynamical friction models often used in the literature.
NEATH − III. A molecular line survey of a simulated star-forming cloud
Authors: Priestley F D , Clark P C , Glover S C O , Ragan S E , Fehér O , Prole L R , Klessen R S
Published: June 2024

We present synthetic line observations of a simulated molecular cloud, utilizing a self-consistent treatment of the dynamics and time-dependent chemical evolution. We investigate line emission from the three most common CO isotopologues (12CO, 13CO, C18O) and six supposed tracers of dense gas (NH3, HCN, N2H+, HCO+, CS, HNC). Our simulation produces a range of line intensities consistent with that observed in real molecular clouds. The HCN-to-CO intensity ratio is relatively invariant with column density, making HCN (and chemically similar species such as CS) a poor tracer of high-density material in the cloud. The ratio of N2H+ to HCN or CO, on the other hand, is highly selective of regions with densities above $10^{22} \, {\rm cm}^{-2}$, and the N2H+ line is a very good tracer of the dynamics of high volume density ($\gt 10^4 \, {\rm cm}^{-3}$) material. Focusing on cores formed within the simulated cloud, we find good agreement with the line intensities of an observational sample of prestellar cores, including reproducing observed CS line intensities with an undepleted elemental abundance of sulphur. However, agreement between cores formed in the simulation, and models of isolated cores which have otherwise-comparable properties, is poor. The formation from and interaction with the large-scale environment has a significant impact on the line emission properties of the cores, making isolated models unsuitable for interpreting observational data.
Joint inference of multiplicative and additive systematics in galaxy density fluctuations and clustering measurements
Authors: Berlfein Federico , Mandelbaum Rachel , Dodelson Scott , Schafer Chad
Published: June 2024

Galaxy clustering measurements are a key probe of the matter density field in the Universe. With the era of precision cosmology upon us, surveys rely on precise measurements of the clustering signal for meaningful cosmological analysis. However, the presence of systematic contaminants can bias the observed galaxy number density, and thereby bias the galaxy two-point statistics. As the statistical uncertainties get smaller, correcting for these systematic contaminants becomes increasingly important for unbiased cosmological analysis. We present and validate a new method for understanding and mitigating both additive and multiplicative systematics in galaxy clustering measurements (two-point function) by joint inference of contaminants in the galaxy overdensity field (one-point function) using a maximum-likelihood estimator (MLE). We test this methodology with Kilo-Degree Survey-like mock galaxy catalogues and synthetic systematic template maps. We estimate the cosmological impact of such mitigation by quantifying uncertainties and possible biases in the inferred relationship between the observed and the true galaxy clustering signal. Our method robustly corrects the clustering signal to the sub-per cent level and reduces numerous additive and multiplicative systematics from $1.5 \sigma$ to less than $0.1\sigma$ for the scenarios we tested. In addition, we provide an empirical approach to identifying the functional form (additive, multiplicative, or other) by which specific systematics contaminate the galaxy number density. Even though this approach is tested and geared towards systematics contaminating the galaxy number density, the methods can be extended to systematics mitigation for other two-point correlation measurements.
Partial tidal disruption events: the elixir of life
Authors: Sharma Megha , Price Daniel J , Heger Alexander
Published: June 2024

In our Galactic Centre, about $10\,000$ to $100\,000$ stars are estimated to have survived tidal disruption events, resulting in partially disrupted remnants. These events occur when a supermassive black hole (SMBH) tidally interacts with a star, but not enough to completely disrupt the star. We use the 1D stellar evolution code Kepler and the 3D smoothed particle hydrodynamics code Phantom to model the tidal disruption of 1, 3, and $10\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ stars at zero-age main sequence (ZAMS), middle-age main sequence (MAMS), and terminal-age main sequence (TAMS). We map the disruption remnants into Kepler in order to understand their post-distribution evolution. We find distinct characteristics in the remnants, including increased radius, rapid core rotation, and differential rotation in the envelope. The remnants undergo composition mixing that affects their stellar evolution. Although the remnants formed by disruption of ZAMS models evolve similarly to unperturbed models of the same mass, for MAMS and TAMS stars, the remnants have higher luminosity and effective temperature. Potential observational signatures include peculiarities in nitrogen and carbon abundances, higher luminosity, rapid rotation, faster evolution, and unique tracks in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.
Maf1 phosphorylation is regulated through the action of prefoldin-like Bud27 on PP4 phosphatase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Gutiérrez-Santiago Francisco , Martínez-Fernández Verónica , Garrido-Godino Ana Isabel , Colino-Palomino Cristina , Clemente-Blanco Andrés , Conesa Christine , Acker Joël , Navarro Francisco
Published: June 2024

Bud27 is a prefoldin-like protein that participates in transcriptional regulation mediated by the three RNA polymerases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Lack of Bud27 significantly affects RNA pol III transcription, although the involved mechanisms have not been characterized. Here, we show that Bud27 regulates the phosphorylation state of the RNA pol III transcriptional repressor, Maf1, influences its nuclear localization, and likely its activity. We demonstrate that Bud27 is associated with the Maf1 main phosphatase PP4 in vivo, and that this interaction is required for proper Maf1 dephosphorylation. Lack of Bud27 decreases the interaction among PP4 and Maf1, Maf1 dephosphorylation, and its nuclear entry. Our data uncover a new nuclear function of Bud27, identify PP4 as a novel Bud27 interactor and demonstrate the effect of this prefoldin-like protein on the posttranslational regulation of Maf1. Finally, our data reveal a broader effect of Bud27 on PP4 activity by influencing, at least, the phosphorylation of Rad53.
The Fate of The Broken Tether
Authors: Tetreault Tyler A. , Phan Tiffany N. , Wren Tishya A.L. , Heffernan Michael J. , Welborn Michelle C. , Smith John T. , El-Hawary Ron , Cheung Kenneth , Illingworth Kenneth D. , Skaggs David L. ,   Pediatric Spine Study Group, Andras Lindsay M.
Published: June 2024

Study Design.

Retrospective, multicenter.

Objective.

The aim of this study was to assess curve progression and occurrence of revision surgery following tether breakage after vertebral body tethering (VBT).

Summary of Background Data.

Tether breakage after VBT is common with rates up to 50% reported. In these cases, it remains unknown whether the curve will progress or remain stable.

Materials and Methods.

Adolescent and juvenile idiopathic scoliosis patients in a multicenter registry with ≥2-year-follow-up after VBT were reviewed. Broken tethers were listed as postoperative complications and identified by increased screw divergence of >5 degrees on serial radiographs. Revision procedures and curve magnitude at subsequent visits were recorded.

Results.

Of 186 patients who qualified for inclusion, 84 (45.2%) patients with tether breakage were identified with a mean age at VBT of 12.4±1.4 years and mean curve magnitude at index procedure of 51.8±8.1 degrees. Tether breakage occurred at a mean of 30.3±11.8 months and mean curve of 33.9±13.2 degrees. Twelve patients (12/84, 14.5%) underwent 13 revision procedures after tether breakage, including six tether revisions and seven conversions to fusion. All tether revisions occurred within 5 months of breakage identification. No patients with curves <35 degrees after breakage underwent revision. Revision rate was greatest in skeletally immature (Risser 0–3) patients with curves ≥35 degrees at time of breakage (Risser 0–3: 9/17, 53% vs. Risser 4–5: 3/23, 13%, P=0.01). Curves increased by 3.1 and 3.7 degrees in the first and second year, respectively. By 2 years, 15/30 (50%) progressed >5 degrees and 8/30 (26.7%) progressed >10 degrees. Overall, 66.7% (40/60) reached a curve magnitude >35 degrees at their latest follow-up, and 14/60 (23.3%) reached a curve magnitude >45 degrees. Skeletal maturity did not affect curve progression after tether breakage (P>0.26), but time to rupture did (P=0.048).

Conclusions.

While skeletal immaturity and curve magnitude were not independently associated with curve progression, skeletally immature patients with curves ≥35 degrees at time of rupture are most likely to undergo additional surgery. Most patients can expect progression at least 5 degrees in the first 2 years after tether breakage, though longer term behavior remains unknown.

Level of Evidence.

Level III.