bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Learning by linking the Canadian Evaluation Society's student case competition within a graduate evaluation course
Authors: Worthington Paisley , Stasel Rebecca Stroud , Carbone Katrina , Hughes Jennifer , Searle Michelle
Published: May 2023

There are many ways to intertwine theoretical and applied learning to nurture the competencies required to conduct evaluation. Experiential learning opportunities remain a priority for many evaluation educators who are helping learners apply foundational skills and knowledge to practice. Evaluators develop their professional expertise in diverse venues, including through experience, through professional learning, or, as we highlight in this chapter, in graduate school. Incorporating experiential learning from a professional association into a formal graduate course requires a willingness to blend university course expectations and activities with collaborative learning experiences. Using reflective dialogue and poetry enacted through dialogic analysis and reflection, we examine enduring perceptions and learning activated from student participation in the Canadian Evaluation Society's national evaluation case competition as part of evaluation education situated within a formal university graduate course. Weaving five voices representing learners, case study coach, and course instructor, we discuss how the evaluation competition was used to deepen understanding and develop evaluator competencies.
¡Milwaukee Evaluation! Inc.: Design principles for recentering social justice in evaluation training and disrupting whiteness and neoliberalism
Authors: Robinson Nicole , Connors Emily , Cobb T. J.
Published: May 2023

Across the nation, the American Evaluation Association (AEA) recognizes over thirty volunteer‐led organizations called local affiliates. These affiliates provide professional development, networking, and field building opportunities that influence the local evaluation marketplace and ecosystem in ways that have not been systematically studied or understood within the larger discourse of continuing education for evaluators. In this chapter, we present a single case study on the long‐term efforts of ¡Milwaukee Evaluation! Inc., the AEA Local Affiliate in Wisconsin, to recenter social justice in evaluator training and education. The case study is presented in the form of two design principles that have shaped the affiliate's work over the past 10 years and helped move the local evaluation marketplace and infrastructure toward deeper expressions of social justice. The affiliate uses a two‐generation approach, creates liminal spaces as the site for critical consciousness raising and emancipatory capacity building, validates (working class) evaluators of color, and covers topics such as reparations and neoliberalism in its educational offerings. The rationale for this approach is discussed.
The evaluator and evaluation: Critical considerations for the future of education and training
Authors: Neubauer Leah C. , LaVelle John M. , Boyce Ayesha S. , Archibald Thomas
Published: May 2023

In this chapter, we reflect on the aims and gaps of this volume and the positionality of the co‐editors and contributors. We invite readers to consider how education and training for evaluators are or should be conceptualized and actualized, and detail future areas for consideration and attention.
Nasal spray of an IgM‐like ACE2 fusion protein HH‐120 accelerates SARS‐CoV‐2 clearance: A single‐center propensity score‐matched cohort study
Authors: Song Rui , Chen Xiaoyou , Li Baoliang , Zhang Hongbin , Guo Xiaodi , Liu Zhe , Zou Liangfeng , Liang Xiao , Lei Cong , Mao Fengfeng , Sui Jianhua , Li Wenhui , Jin Ronghua
Published: May 2023

HH‐120, a recently developed IgM‐like ACE2 fusion protein with broad‐spectrum neutralizing activity against all ACE2‐utilizing coronaviruses, has been developed as a nasal spray for use as an early treatment agent to reduce disease progression and airborne transmission. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the HH‐120 nasal spray in SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected subjects. Eligible symptomatic or asymptomatic SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected participants were enrolled in a single‐arm trial to receive the HH‐120 nasal spray for no longer than 6 days or until viral clearance at a single hospital between August 3 and October 7, 2022. An external control was built from real‐world data of SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected subjects contemporaneously hospitalized in the same hospital using a propensity score matching (PSM) method. After PSM, 65 participants in the HH‐120 group and 103 subjects with comparable baseline characteristics in the external control group were identified. The viral clearance time was significantly shorter in participants receiving the HH‐120 nasal spray than that in subjects of the control group (median 8 days vs. 10 days, p < 0.001); the difference was more prominent in those subgroup subjects with higher baseline viral load (median 7.5 days vs. 10.5 days, p < 0.001). The incidence of treatment‐emergent adverse events and treatment‐related adverse events of HH‐120 group were 35.1% (27/77) and 3.9% (3/77), respectively. All the adverse events observed were mild, being of CTCAE grade 1 or 2, and transient. The HH‐120 nasal spray showed a favorable safety profile and promising antiviral efficacy in SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected subjects. The results from this study warrant further assessment of the efficacy and safety of the HH‐120 nasal spray in large‐scale randomized controlled clinical trials.
Spectral properties of a fourth‐order differential operator on a network
Authors: Kulaev Ruslan , Urtaeva Alexandra
Published: May 2023

In this paper, we study spectral properties of a fourth‐order differential operator on a network, which is a model of the Euler‐Bernoulli beam system. We propose a new approach to the development of oscillatory spectral theory of a fourth‐order differential operator on a network. This approach is based on the concept of a sign‐constant zone for a continuous function on a graph. We show that eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the corresponding operator on a network have oscillatory properties. We establish a condition of simplicity of eigenvalues. Finally, we study the distribution of the zeros of the eigenfunctions. To that end, we introduce the Weyl solutions and study their dependence on the spectral parameter. We show that the
th eigenfunction has exactly
zeros in the graph.
Flow Activation Energy Estimation by Thermo‐Rheological Method
Authors: Lin Qiao , Allanic Nadine , Girault Manuel , Mousseau Pierre
Published: May 2023

Polymer and many other flows exhibit non‐Newtonian rheological behavior. For some materials, the thermal dependence of viscosity is also essential to be established. It can be described by considering an activation energy, estimated by using the viscosity measurements at different temperatures. Nevertheless, the test temperatures must be reliable and accurate. An annular measuring device (TRAC: Thermo‐Rheo Annular Cell) is previously proposed for highly robust temperature measurement and viscosity identification by inverse method, which exploits the viscous dissipation in the flow. This work explains how critical viscosity points, identified thanks to the TRAC, can be used to estimate the activation energy with different approaches involving the principle of time‐temperature superposition. Thanks to the thermal characteristics of the annular flow, the thermal dependence of viscosity can also be estimated from direct temperature measurements to perform fast analysis, without using inverse method.
Diagnosis and management of metabolic myopathies
Authors: Bhai Salman F. , Vissing John
Published: May 2023

Metabolic myopathies are a set of rare inborn errors of metabolism leading to disruption in energy production. Relevant to skeletal muscle, glycogen storage disease and fatty acid oxidation defects can lead to exercise intolerance, rhabdomyolysis, and weakness in children and adults, distinct from the severe forms that involve multiple‐organ systems. These nonspecific, dynamic symptoms along with conditions that mimic metabolic myopathies can make diagnosis challenging. Clinicians can shorten the time to diagnosis by recognizing the typical clinical phenotypes and performing next generation sequencing. With improved access and affordability of molecular testing, clinicians need to be well‐versed in resolving variants of uncertain significance relevant to metabolic myopathies. Once identified, patients can improve quality of life, safely engage in exercise, and reduce episodes of rhabdomyolysis by modifying diet and lifestyle habits.
Fractional derivative modelling for rheological characteristics of multilayered saturated porous rock with interfacial thermal contact resistance
Authors: Wen Minjie , Wu Wenbing , Li Lichen , Tian Yi , El Naggar M. Hesham , Mei Guoxiong , Zhang Yunpeng , Liu Hao
Published: May 2023

In this paper, the one‐dimensional rheological characteristics of multilayered saturated porous rock subjected to a ramp‐type heating is investigated. By introducing the fractional order parameter and material parameters, a viscoelastic constitutive model is proposed to describe the rheological characteristics of multilayered saturated porous rock. The general incomplete thermal contact model is established to predict the interfacial thermal contact resistance of multilayered saturated porous rock. Based on the coupled thermo‐hydro‐mechanical theory, the semi‐analytical solutions of the excess pore water pressure, temperature increment and displacement are obtained by using the Laplace transform method. The accuracy of the present solutions is verified by comparing with the classic elastic and viscoelastic models, and existing solutions. In addition, the influence of fractional order parameter, material parameter ratio, thermal contact transfer coefficient and thermal partition coefficient on the excess pore water pressure, temperature increment and displacement of multilayered saturated porous rock are investigated.
Aspiration pneumonia in enteral feeding: A review on risks and prevention
Authors: Elmahdi Alsiddig , Eisa Mohamed , Omer Endashaw
Published: May 2023

Enteral feeding plays a critical role in the management of hospitalized patients, especially in intensive care units. In addition to delivering important nutrients, it also maintains the integrity of the gut and microbiota. Enteral feeding is also associated with complications and adverse events, some are related to access placement, metabolic and electrolytes disturbances, and aspiration pneumonia. In tube‐fed patients, aspiration pneumonia has a prevalence ranging from 4% to 95% with a mortality rate of 17%–62%. Our review has not showed any significant difference in the incidence of aspiration pneumonia between gastric and postpyloric feeding and, given the ease of gastric access, we therefore suggest using gastric feeding as an initial strategy for the delivery of nutrition unless postpyloric access is otherwise indicated for other clinical reasons.
Evaluation of a design for a three‐dimensional‐printed artificial bone structure
Authors: Alarifi Ibrahim M.
Published: May 2023

In this work, artificial bones composed of hydroxyapatite (HA)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polylactic acid (PLA) were prepared as a potential replacement for natural bone. The cylindrical specimens included an auxetic system with artificial osteons. HA/PAN and PLA were used to fabricate composite filaments by fused deposition modeling three‐dimensional (3D) printing, and the obtained filaments were applied to produce reentrant artificial bone materials. Scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze the scaffold morphology and functional groups. Energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy was used for elemental analysis. The compressive properties of the samples were studied to determine the optimal scaffolding prototype. Compressive tests were also performed to assess the behavior of the cellular structure from a mechanical perspective. Finally, ANOVA and residual plots were used to investigate the contributions of the design elements, predict the y‐coordination of the stress values, and evaluate the printing orientation. The results indicated that the auxetic cells influenced the bone macrostructure, which displayed different stiffness characteristics in one working direction. Polymeric solution biomaterials based on HA/PAN and PLA biopolymers have enormous potential as high‐performance liquid synthetic organic polymers for light‐supported extrusion‐based 3D printing. PLA/HA scaffoldings with outstanding medical conversion capability may be used as biomaterial composites for bone deficiency restoration.

Highlights

Composite filaments for FDM 3D printing were used to manufacture reentrant artificial bone.

A replacement method was utilized to determine the porosity of the scaffolds.

Mechanically, this cellular structure was evaluated using compressive studies.

SEM was used to assess scaffold morphology, functional categories, and elements.

Create biodegradable constructions using as little material as possible.
Short term effects of intraarticular triamcinolone acetonide injection on serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle stimulating hormone levels in male veterans: A prospective pilot study
Authors: Tahmasbi Sohi Maryam , Cali Malia , Forster Jeri E. , Kiseljak‐Vassiliades Katja , Wierman Margaret E.
Published: May 2023

Background

Despite the common practice of intraarticular corticosteroid injections (ICSIs) for peripheral joint disease, little is known about their systemic effects on the hypothalamic–pituitary‐gonadal axis.

Objective

To assess the short‐term effects of ICSIs on serum testosterone (T), luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels together with changes in Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) scores in a veteran population.

Design

Prospective pilot study.

Setting

Outpatient musculoskeletal clinic.

Participants

Thirty male veterans, median age 50 (range 30–69) years.

Interventions

Ultrasound‐guided glenohumeral joint injection using 3 mL of 1% lidocaine HCl and 1 mL of 40 mg triamcinolone acetonide (Kenalog).

Outcome Measure(s)

Serum T, FSH, and LH levels, Quantitative Androgen Deficiency in the Aging Male (qADAM), and SPADI questionnaires at baseline, 1, and 4 week(s) post procedure.

Results

At 1 week post injection, serum T levels decreased by 56.8 ng/dL (95% confidence interval (CI): 91.8, 21.7, p = .002) compared with baseline. Between 1 and 4 weeks post injection, serum T levels increased by 63.9 ng/dL (95% CI: 26.5, 101.2, p = .001), recovering to near baseline levels. SPADI scores were reduced at 1 week (–18.3, 95% CI: –24.4, –12.1, p < .001) and 4 weeks (–14.5, 95% CI –21.1, –7.9, p < .001).

Conclusions

A single ICSI can temporarily suppress the male gonadal axis. Future studies are needed to evaluate for long‐term effects of multiple injections at a single setting and/or higher corticosteroid doses on male reproductive axis function.
Bayesian heterogeneous degradation performance modeling with an unknown number of sub‐populations
Authors: Nguyen Hung , Sun Xuxue , Lu Qing , Zhang Qiong , Li Mingyang
Published: May 2023

Successful modeling of degradation data is of great importance for both accurate reliability assessment and effective maintenance decision‐making. Many of existing degradation performance modeling approaches either assume a homogeneous population of units or characterize a heterogeneous population with some restrictive assumptions, such as pre‐specifying the number of sub‐populations. This paper proposes a Bayesian heterogeneous degradation performance modeling framework to relax the conventional modeling assumptions. Specifically, a Bayesian non‐parametric model formulation and learning algorithm are proposed to characterize the historical degradation data of a heterogeneous population of units with an unknown number of homogeneous sub‐populations and allowing the joint model estimation and sub‐population number identification. Based on the off‐line population‐level model, an on‐line individual‐level degradation model with sequential model updating is further developed to improve remaining useful life prediction of individual units with sparse data. A real case study using the heterogeneous degradation data of deteriorating roads is provided to illustrate the proposed approach and demonstrate its validity.
Rapid onset of effect of benralizumab in a severe eosinophilic and allergic asthma patient with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis
Authors: Alaga Arvindran , Ashraff Khairil , Din Khan Nurul Hana
Published: May 2023

There is limited data on the use of benralizumab in patients with severe asthma, who have allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). We report the case of a 65‐year‐old woman with combined severe eosinophilic and allergic asthma, who presented with refractory respiratory symptoms, hypereosinophilia and high immunoglobulin E (IgE) level. The patient had consistently poor Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores, despite a maximum dose of inhalation therapy. Upon further investigations, she was diagnosed with concomitant ABPA. The patient was started on oral prednisolone and itraconazole, but her symptoms persisted. She was then started on subcutaneous omalizumab, but switched to benralizumab after developing a severe allergic reaction. The patient experienced rapid clinical improvements after the first dose of subcutaneous benralizumab. Benralizumab demonstrated a significant role in reducing the exacerbation rate and oral corticosteroid use in this patient, as well as improving lung function, asthma control, and quality of life measures.
Data‐driven set‐point tuning of model‐free adaptive control
Authors: Lin Na , Chi Ronghu , Liu Yang , Hou Zhongsheng , Huang Biao
Published: May 2023

Model‐free adaptive control (MFAC) is an effective data‐driven control method to deal with nonlinear and nonaffine systems. In this article, a data‐driven set‐point tuning (DDST) approach is proposed for MFAC to enhance its control performance. The proposed data‐driven set‐point tuning based MFAC (DDST‐MFAC) system consists of two control loops. The inner control loop takes the MFAC as the feedback controller where a virtual reference error signal is adopted in the control input. The DDST in the outer loop is derived from an ideal nonlinear set‐point tuning (NST) law, which exists in theory, to meet the control target. To realize the theoretically existing NST, a dynamic linearization (DL) technique is introduced. Virtually, the ideal NST law is independent of any controlled system, regardless linear or nonlinear, having an exact model or not. Since the nonlinear system considered in this work does not have any model information available to the designers, the parameter estimation law of the DDST is designed by using the DL method to transfer the original nonlinear system into a linear data model (LDM) with a projection algorithm to estimate the unknown parameters in the LDM. The convergence of tracking error is proved for a regulation scenario. Simulation study is provided to verify the theoretical results.
Nonlinear All‐Optical Coherent Generation and Read‐Out of Valleys in Atomically Thin Semiconductors
Authors: Herrmann Paul , Klimmer Sebastian , Lettau Thomas , Monfared Mohammad , Staude Isabelle , Paradisanos Ioannis , Peschel Ulf , Soavi Giancarlo
Published: May 2023

With conventional electronics reaching performance and size boundaries, all‐optical processes have emerged as ideal building blocks for high speed and low power consumption devices. A promising approach in this direction is provided by valleytronics in atomically thin semiconductors, where light‐matter interaction allows to write, store, and read binary information into the two energetically degenerate but non‐equivalent valleys. Here, nonlinear valleytronics in monolayer WSe2 is investigated and show that an individual ultrashort pulse with a photon energy tuned to half of the optical band‐gap can be used to simultaneously excite (by coherent optical Stark shift) and detect (by a rotation in the polarization of the emitted second harmonic) the valley population.
Alzheimer's disease: Potential pathogenesis and imaging findings
Authors: Zhang Yan , Zhang Chenpeng , Liu Jianjun , Shao Hongda
Published: May 2023

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease. The histopathological changes in AD include amyloid β‐protein (Aβ) deposition, tau tangles, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration. Some of the pathological changes could be shown in vivo by positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarkers, which play a key role in diagnosing AD. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG‐PET) can reflect and predict dysfunction. Aβ‐PET is sensitive for the diagnosis of early AD but cannot distinguish the severity of AD. Tau‐PET can compensate for the deficiency of Aβ‐PET. Tau tangles are positively correlated with the severity of AD and associated with cognitive impairment. Probes targeting neuroinflammation in AD have been developed, but further study is needed to validate their effectiveness. Conventional MRI performs high tissue contrast that can show structural changes and has been routinely applied in clinical practice, such as in the evaluation of cerebral atrophy. Advanced MRI sequences (such as diffusion tensor imaging, arterial spin labeling, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, blood oxygenation level dependent, and quantitative susceptibility mapping) can provide additional information beyond structure that includes brain microstructure, blood perfusion, metabolite concentration, brain activity, connections and networks between brain regions, iron deposition, etc. Integrated PET and MRI may improve the diagnostic efficiency of AD.
Precision medicine and the problem of structural injustice
Authors: Green Sara , Prainsack Barbara , Sabatello Maya
Published: May 2023

Many countries currently invest in technologies and data infrastructures to foster precision medicine (PM), which is hoped to better tailor disease treatment and prevention to individual patients. But who can expect to benefit from PM? The answer depends not only on scientific developments but also on the willingness to address the problem of structural injustice. One important step is to confront the problem of underrepresentation of certain populations in PM cohorts via improved research inclusivity. Yet, we argue that the perspective needs to be broadened because the (in)equitable effects of PM are also strongly contingent on wider structural factors and prioritization of healthcare strategies and resources. When (and before) implementing PM, it is crucial to attend to how the organisation of healthcare systems influences who will benefit, as well as whether PM may present challenges for a solidaristic sharing of costs and risks. We discuss these issues through a comparative lens of healthcare models and PM-initiatives in the United States, Austria, and Denmark. The analysis draws attention to how PM hinges on—and simultaneously affects—access to healthcare services, public trust in data handling, and prioritization of healthcare resources. Finally, we provide suggestions for how to mitigate foreseeable negative effects.
Longwave infrared multispectral image sensor system using aluminum-germanium plasmonic filter arrays
Authors: Shaik Noor E. Karishma , Widdicombe Bryce , Sun Dechuan , John Sam E. , Ryu Dongryeol , Nirmalathas Ampalavanapillai , Unnithan Ranjith R.
Published: May 2023

A multispectral camera records image data in various wavelengths across the electromagnetic spectrum to acquire additional information that a conventional camera fails to capture. With the advent of high-resolution image sensors and color filter technologies, multispectral imagers in the visible wavelengths have become popular with increasing commercial viability in the last decade. However, multispectral imaging in longwave infrared (LWIR, 8–14 μm) is still an emerging area due to the limited availability of optical materials, filter technologies, and high-resolution sensors. Images from LWIR multispectral cameras can capture emission spectra of objects to extract additional information that a human eye fails to capture and thus have important applications in precision agriculture, forestry, medicine, and object identification. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate an LWIR multispectral image sensor with three wavelength bands using optical elements made of an aluminum (Al)-based plasmonic filter array sandwiched in germanium (Ge). To realize the multispectral sensor, the filter arrays are then integrated into a three-dimensional (3D) printed wheel stacked on a low-resolution monochrome thermal sensor. Our prototype device is calibrated using a blackbody and its thermal output has been enhanced with computer vision methods. By applying a state-of-the-art deep learning method, we have also reconstructed multispectral images to a better spatial resolution. Scientifically, our work demonstrates a versatile spectral thermography technique for detecting target signatures in the LWIR range and other advanced spectral analyses.
Functionality of nutrition steering and technical committees and quality of child growth monitoring program in northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Belew Aysheshim Kassahun , Worku Netsanet , Gelaye Kassahun Alemu , Gonete Kedir Abdella , Hunegnaw Melkamu Tamir , Muhammad Esmeal Ali , Astael Tigist , Mitike Getnet , Lakew Ayenew Molla , Abebe Zegeye
Published: May 2023

Malnutrition in Ethiopia is still a major public health problem. Effective growth monitoring activities are difficult to integrate with local circumstances and a national program and are also given less weight. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the functionality of the nutrition steering and technical committees on the quality of the growth monitoring program in the central Gondar zone of northwest Ethiopia. A mixed-methods study was employed among 51 committee members using purposive sampling and 8 months data. The participation rate and the proportion of faltering rates were computed. A data extraction sheet and an in-depth interview guide were prepared, respectively. The overall participation rate was 44.94% in Gondar Zuria and 50.62% in East Demiba districts, respectively. Similarly, the percentage of children faltering was significantly higher in Gondar Zuria district (2.85%) than in East Dembia district (0.48%). Neither the nutrition steering committee nor the technical committee were fully functional to support the program. In addition, a lack of materials, knowledge, and skills in data analysis and interpretation, as well as refresher training, are barriers to program implementation. The overall participation rate is very low in the study area. Program materials were not available, and the technical and steering committees are not fully functional. As a result, preparing working documents, assigning a specific task to strengthen the existing steering and technical committees, providing refresher training, and ensuring the availability of important program materials are very crucial.
Differences in Perceptions of Gun-Related Safety by Race and Gun Ownership in the United States
Authors: Ward Julie A. , Uzzi Mudia , Hudson Talib , Webster Daniel W. , Crifasi Cassandra K.
Published: May 2023

Motivated by disparities in gun violence, sharp increases in gun ownership, and a changing gun policy landscape, we conducted a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults (n=2,778) in 2021 to compare safety-related views of white, Black, and Hispanic gun owners and non-owners. Black gun owners were most aware of homicide disparities and least expecting of personal safety improvements from gun ownership or more permissive gun carrying. Non-owner views differed. Health equity and policy opportunities are discussed.
Curbing the Epidemic of Community Firearm Violence after the Bruen Decision
Authors: Jay Jonathan , Allen Kalice
Published: May 2023

The Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen undermines the ability of cities and states to regulate firearms safety. Nonetheless, we remain hopeful that firearm violence can decline even after the Bruen decision. Several promising public health approaches have gained broader adoption in recent years. This essay examines the key drivers of community firearm violence and reviews promising strategies to reverse those conditions, including community violence intervention (CVI) programs and place-based and structural interventions.
Balancing the Roles of Clinicians and Police in Separating Firearms from People in a Dangerous Mental Health Crisis: Legal Rules, Policy Tools, and Ethical Considerations
Authors: Vitiello Evan , Roskam Kelly , Swanson Jeffrey
Published: May 2023

In COVID’s immediate wake, the 2020 death toll from a different enemy of the public’s health — gun violence — ticked up by 15 percent in the United States from the previous year. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion in Caniglia v. Strom that will allow people who have recently threatened suicide — with a gun — to keep unsecured guns in their home unless police take time to obtain a search warrant to remove them.
Republicans, Democrats, & Doctors: The Lawmakers Who Wrote Sterilization Laws
Authors: Lombardo Paul A.
Published: May 2023

During the 20th Century, thirty-two state legislatures passed laws that sanctioned coercive sexual sterilization as a solution to the purported detrimental increases in the population of “unfit” or “defective” citizens. While both scholarly and popular commentary has attempted to attribute these laws to political parties, or to broad or poorly defined ideological groups such as “progressives,” no one has identified the political allegiance of each legislator who introduced a successfully adopted sterilization law, and the governor who signed it. This article remedies that omission.
Devil in the Details: Physician Duties and Expanded Access
Authors: Lynch Holly Fernandez
Published: May 2023

Vermeulen et al. suggest a moral duty exists for physicians to inform patients of “relevant opportunities” for Expanded Access. Such a duty is likely both too broad, leading to important practical challenges, and too narrow, without further steps to promote patient access. However, physicians should be expected to be aware of the EA pathway, disclose it to eligible patients, and support the pursuit of EA options reasonably likely to help.
Advocating for Abolition in Health Law: A Theory and Praxis to Liberate Black Incarcerated Women
Authors: Baradi Hala
Published: May 2023

The prison-industrial complex has historically operated as a mechanism for social control generally and as a tool to restrict women’s reproductive capacities specifically. Reproductive justice is a domain within the practice of health law. However, health law as currently practiced is ill-equipped to understand how the carceral state functions as a structural determinant of health or how legacies of oppression have facilitated the abridgment of incarcerated women’s reproductive capacities.
Ocean‐Ionosphere Disturbances Due To the 15 January 2022 Hunga‐Tonga Hunga‐Ha'apai Eruption
Authors: Ravanelli M. , Astafyeva E. , Munaibari E. , Rolland L. , Mikesell T. D.
Published: May 2023

We investigate the oceanic and ionospheric response in New Caledonia‐New Zealand and Chile‐Argentina to the 15 January 2022 Hunga‐Tonga volcanic eruption. For the first time, we highlight a reversed response in the oceans and in the ionosphere in terms of the amplitudes. The sea‐surface fluctuations due to the passage of the atmospheric Lamb wave (i.e., air‐sea wave) were not remarkable while the related ionospheric perturbation was considerable. Reversely, the eruption‐induced tsunami (“regular” tsunami) caused major variations in sea‐surface heights (∼1 m near the volcano and ∼2 m along the Chilean coastline), whereas the associated ionospheric perturbation was quite small. The observed large‐amplitude ionospheric response due to Lamb waves propagation is difficult to explain, and the coupling between the Lamb wave and the ionosphere is not well‐understood yet. For the first time, we estimate the delay between the Lamb waves and their signatures in the ionosphere to be ∼12–20 min.
Improvement of the Segment‐Valve Model for Solving the Valve Isolation Problem and Evaluating the Reliability of Water Distribution Networks
Authors: Hu Zhen , Jiao Haiming , Guan Qingfeng , Zeng Wen , Yang Zhijiang , Zhou Yang , Xu Feng
Published: May 2023

The segment‐valve graph model is widely used in the reliable evaluation of water distribution networks (WDNs). However, as an undirected graph, a segment‐valve graph does not express the upstream‐downstream relationships between segments, which hinders finding valves that need to be closed when a pipe bursts and the water outage region. Therefore, in this paper, directed edges applied to a segment‐valve graph are introduced to demonstrate the downstream segments of critical segments, and an improved segment‐valve graph with flow directions is proposed. The improved model is used to solve the valve isolation problem and evaluate the reliability of WDNs. The results show that the improved model can determine that the valve needs to be closed more quickly when a pipe burst occurs. In addition, we improve the traditional classical indicators based on the segment‐valve graph model. The new indicators based on the improved model can reflect the actual impact and the disposal difficulty of pipe network accidents more accurately and clearly. The proposed method can play a critical role in accident processing and reliability analysis of WDNs.
Diverse Responses of Alluvial Rivers to Periodic Environmental Change
Authors: MNab F. , Schildgen T. F. , Turowski J. M. , Wickert A. D.
Published: May 2023

Alluvial rivers aggrade, incise, and adjust their sediment‐transport rates in response to changing sediment and water supply. Fluvial landforms, such as river terraces, and downstream stratigraphic archives may therefore record information about past environmental change. Using a physically based model describing sediment transport and long‐profile evolution of alluvial rivers, we explore how their responses to environmental change depend on distance downstream, forcing timescales, and whether sediment or water supply is varied. We show that amplitudes of aggradation and incision, and therefore the likelihood of terrace formation, are greater upstream and in shorter and/or wetter catchments. Aggradation and incision, and therefore terrace ages, may also lag behind environmental change. How sediment‐transport rates evolve depends strongly on whether water or sediment supply is varied. Diverse responses to environmental change could arise in natural alluvial valleys, controlled by their geometry and hydrology, with important implications for paleo‐environmental interpretations of fluvial archives.
Reciprocal costimulatory molecules control the activation of mucosal type 3 innate lymphoid cells during engagement with B cells
Authors: Lv Xinping , Zhu Shan , Wu Jing , Shi Jinfeng , Wei Qiuyu , Li Tete , Yang Ning , Liu Chunyan , Qi Lingli , Zang Guoxia , Cheng Hang , Yang Zhiguang , Jin Chengyan , Wang Yusheng , Cui Jiuwei , Ueno Hideki , Liu Yong-Jun , Chen Jingtao
Published: May 2023

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are the counterpart of T helper cells in the innate immune system and share multiple phenotypes with T helper cells. Inducible T-cell costimulator (ICOS) is recognized on T cells and participates in T-cell activation and T and B-cell engagement in lymphoid tissues. However, the role of ICOS in ILC3s and ILC3-involved interactions with the immune microenvironment remains unclear. Here, we found that ICOS expression on human ILC3s was correlated with the activated state of ILC3s. ICOS costimulation enhanced the survival, proliferation, and capacity of ILC3s to produce cytokines (IL-22, IL-17A, IFN-γ, TNF, and GM-CSF). Via synergistic effects of ICOS and CD40 signaling, B cells promoted ILC3 functions, and ILC3-induced T-cell-independent B-cell IgA and IgM secretion primarily required CD40 signaling. Hence, ICOS is essential for the nonredundant role of ILC3s and their interaction with adjacent B cells.
Bre1/RNF20 promotes Rad51-mediated strand exchange and antagonizes the Srs2/FBH1 helicases
Authors: Liu Guangxue , Li Jimin , He Boxue , Yan Jiaqi , Zhao Jingyu , Wang Xuejie , Zhao Xiaocong , Xu Jingyan , Wu Yeyao , Zhang Simin , Gan Xiaoli , Zhou Chun , Li Xiangpan , Zhang Xinghua , Chen Xuefeng
Published: May 2023

Central to homologous recombination (HR) is the assembly of Rad51 recombinase on single-strand DNA (ssDNA), forming the Rad51-ssDNA filament. How the Rad51 filament is efficiently established and sustained remains partially understood. Here, we find that the yeast ubiquitin ligase Bre1 and its human homolog RNF20, a tumor suppressor, function as recombination mediators, promoting Rad51 filament formation and subsequent reactions via multiple mechanisms independent of their ligase activities. We show that Bre1/RNF20 interacts with Rad51, directs Rad51 to ssDNA, and facilitates Rad51-ssDNA filament assembly and strand exchange in vitro. In parallel, Bre1/RNF20 interacts with the Srs2 or FBH1 helicase to counteract their disrupting effect on the Rad51 filament. We demonstrate that the above functions of Bre1/RNF20 contribute to HR repair in cells in a manner additive to the mediator protein Rad52 in yeast or BRCA2 in human. Thus, Bre1/RNF20 provides an additional layer of mechanism to directly control Rad51 filament dynamics.
A computational method for cell type-specific expression quantitative trait loci mapping using bulk RNA-seq data
Authors: Little Paul , Liu Si , Zhabotynsky Vasyl , Li Yun , Lin Dan-Yu , Sun Wei
Published: May 2023

Mapping cell type-specific gene expression quantitative trait loci (ct-eQTLs) is a powerful way to investigate the genetic basis of complex traits. A popular method for ct-eQTL mapping is to assess the interaction between the genotype of a genetic locus and the abundance of a specific cell type using a linear model. However, this approach requires transforming RNA-seq count data, which distorts the relation between gene expression and cell type proportions and results in reduced power and/or inflated type I error. To address this issue, we have developed a statistical method called CSeQTL that allows for ct-eQTL mapping using bulk RNA-seq count data while taking advantage of allele-specific expression. We validated the results of CSeQTL through simulations and real data analysis, comparing CSeQTL results to those obtained from purified bulk RNA-seq data or single cell RNA-seq data. Using our ct-eQTL findings, we were able to identify cell types relevant to 21 categories of human traits.
Photo-triggered full-color circularly polarized luminescence based on photonic capsules for multilevel information encryption
Authors: Lin Siyang , Tang Yuqi , Kang Wenxin , Bisoyi Hari Krishna , Guo Jinbao , Li Quan
Published: May 2023

Materials with phototunable full-color circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) have a large storage density, high-security level, and enormous prospects in the field of information encryption and decryption. In this work, device-friendly solid films with color tunability are prepared by constructing Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) platforms with chiral donors and achiral molecular switches in liquid crystal photonic capsules (LCPCs). These LCPCs exhibit photoswitchable CPL from initial blue emission to RGB trichromatic signals under UV irradiation due to the synergistic effect of energy and chirality transfer and show strong time dependence because of the different FRET efficiencies at each time node. Based on these phototunable CPL and time response characteristics, the concept of multilevel data encryption by using LCPC films is demonstrated.
Different viral effectors suppress hormone-mediated antiviral immunity of rice coordinated by OsNPR1
Authors: Zhang Hehong , Wang Fengmin , Song Weiqi , Yang Zihang , Li Lulu , Ma Qiang , Tan Xiaoxiang , Wei Zhongyan , Li Yanjun , Li Junmin , Yan Fei , Chen Jianping , Sun Zongtao
Published: May 2023

Salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) are plant hormones that typically act antagonistically in dicotyledonous plants and SA and JA signaling is often manipulated by pathogens. However, in monocotyledonous plants, the detailed SA-JA interplay in response to pathogen invasion remains elusive. Here, we show that different types of viral pathogen can disrupt synergistic antiviral immunity mediated by SA and JA via OsNPR1 in the monocot rice. The P2 protein of rice stripe virus, a negative-stranded RNA virus in the genus Tenuivirus, promotes OsNPR1 degradation by enhancing the association of OsNPR1 and OsCUL3a. OsNPR1 activates JA signaling by disrupting the OsJAZ-OsMYC complex and boosting the transcriptional activation activity of OsMYC2 to cooperatively modulate rice antiviral immunity. Unrelated viral proteins from different rice viruses also interfere with the OsNPR1-mediated SA-JA interplay to facilitate viral pathogenicity, suggesting that this may be a more general strategy in monocot plants. Overall, our findings highlight that distinct viral proteins convergently obstruct JA-SA crosstalk to facilitate viral infection in monocot rice.
The conserved RNA-binding protein Seb1 promotes cotranscriptional ribosomal RNA processing by controlling RNA polymerase I progression
Authors: Duval Maxime , Yague-Sanz Carlo , Turowski Tomasz W. , Petfalski Elisabeth , Tollervey David , Bachand François
Published: May 2023

Transcription by RNA polymerase I (RNAPI) represents most of the transcriptional activity in eukaryotic cells and is associated with the production of mature ribosomal RNA (rRNA). As several rRNA maturation steps are coupled to RNAPI transcription, the rate of RNAPI elongation directly influences processing of nascent pre-rRNA, and changes in RNAPI transcription rate can result in alternative rRNA processing pathways in response to growth conditions and stress. However, factors and mechanisms that control RNAPI progression by influencing transcription elongation rate remain poorly understood. We show here that the conserved fission yeast RNA-binding protein Seb1 associates with the RNAPI transcription machinery and promotes RNAPI pausing states along the rDNA. The overall faster progression of RNAPI at the rDNA in Seb1-deficient cells impaired cotranscriptional pre-rRNA processing and the production of mature rRNAs. Given that Seb1 also influences pre-mRNA processing by modulating RNAPII progression, our findings unveil Seb1 as a pause-promoting factor for RNA polymerases I and II to control cotranscriptional RNA processing.
Decoding protein methylation function with thermal stability analysis
Authors: Sayago Cristina , Sánchez-Wandelmer Jana , García Fernando , Hurtado Begoña , Lafarga Vanesa , Prieto Patricia , Zarzuela Eduardo , Ximénez-Embún Pilar , Ortega Sagrario , Megías Diego , Fernández-Capetillo Oscar , Malumbres Marcos , Munoz Javier
Published: May 2023

Protein methylation is an important modification beyond epigenetics. However, systems analyses of protein methylation lag behind compared to other modifications. Recently, thermal stability analyses have been developed which provide a proxy of a protein functional status. Here, we show that molecular and functional events closely linked to protein methylation can be revealed by the analysis of thermal stability. Using mouse embryonic stem cells as a model, we show that Prmt5 regulates mRNA binding proteins that are enriched in intrinsically disordered regions and involved in liquid-liquid phase separation mechanisms, including the formation of stress granules. Moreover, we reveal a non-canonical function of Ezh2 in mitotic chromosomes and the perichromosomal layer, and identify Mki67 as a putative Ezh2 substrate. Our approach provides an opportunity to systematically explore protein methylation function and represents a rich resource for understanding its role in pluripotency.
Divergent metabolic programmes control two populations of MAIT cells that protect the lung
Authors: Riffelmacher Thomas , Paynich Murray Mallory , Wientjens Chantal , Chandra Shilpi , Cedillo-Castelán Viankail , Chou Ting-Fang , McArdle Sara , Dillingham Christopher , Devereaux Jordan , Nilsen Aaron , Brunel Simon , Lewinsohn David M. , Hasty Jeff , Seumois Gregory , Benedict Christopher A. , Vijayanand Pandurangan , Kronenberg Mitchell
Published: May 2023

Although mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells provide rapid, innate-like responses, they are not pre-set, and memory-like responses have been described for MAIT cells following infections. The importance of metabolism for controlling these responses, however, is unknown. Here, following pulmonary immunization with a Salmonella vaccine strain, mouse MAIT cells expanded as separate CD127−Klrg1+ and CD127+Klrg1− antigen-adapted populations that differed in terms of their transcriptome, function and localization in lung tissue. These populations remained altered from steady state for months as stable, separate MAIT cell lineages with enhanced effector programmes and divergent metabolism. CD127+ MAIT cells engaged in an energetic, mitochondrial metabolic programme, which was critical for their maintenance and IL-17A synthesis. This programme was supported by high fatty acid uptake and mitochondrial oxidation and relied on highly polarized mitochondria and autophagy. After vaccination, CD127+ MAIT cells protected mice against Streptococcus pneumoniae infection. In contrast, Klrg1+ MAIT cells had dormant but ready-to-respond mitochondria and depended instead on Hif1a-driven glycolysis to survive and produce IFN-γ. They responded antigen independently and participated in protection from influenza virus. These metabolic dependencies may enable tuning of memory-like MAIT cell responses for vaccination and immunotherapies.
Combined cerium and zinc oxide nanoparticles induced hepato-renal damage in rats through oxidative stress mediated inflammation
Authors: Adeniyi Olola Esther , Adebayo Olayinka Anthony , Akinloye Oluyemi , Adaramoye Oluwatosin Adekunle
Published: May 2023

The toxicity profiles of nanoparticles (NPs) used in appliances nowadays remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the toxicological consequences of exposure to cerium oxide (CeO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles given singly or in combination on the integrity of liver and kidney of male Wistar rats. Twenty (20) rats were allotted into four groups and treated as: Control (normal saline), CeO2NPs (50 μg/kg), ZnONPs (80 μg/kg) and [CeO2NPs (50 μg/kg) + ZnONPs (80 μg/kg)]. The nanoparticles were given to the animals through the intraperitoneal route, three times per week for four repeated weeks. Results revealed that CeO2 and ZnO NPs (singly) increased serum AST and ALT by 29% & 57%; 41% & 18%, and co-administration by 53% and 23%, respectively. CeO2 and ZnO NPs increased hepatic and renal malondialdehyde (MDA) by 33% and 30%; 38% and 67%, respectively, while co-administration increased hepatic and renal MDA by 43% and 40%, respectively. The combined NPs increased hepatic NO by 28%. Also, CeO2 and ZnO NPs, and combined increased BAX, interleukin-1β and TNF-α by 45, 38, 52%; 47, 23, 82% and 41, 83, 70%, respectively. Histology revealed hepatic necrosis and renal haemorrhagic parenchymal in NPs-treated rats. Summarily, CeO2 and ZnO NPs produced oxidative injury and induced inflammatory process in the liver and kidney of experimental animals.