bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stem Cells in Clinical Trials for Pelvic Floor Disorders: a Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Manodoro Stefano , Frigerio Matteo , Barba Marta , Bosio Sara , de Vitis Luigi Antonio , Marconi Anna Maria
Published: October 2021

Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) include a series of conditions that can be poorly tolerated, negatively affecting the quality of life. Current treatment options show unsatisfactory results and new ones are therefore needed. Stem cell (SC) therapy might be an alternative treatment strategy. This systematic review aims to define the state of art of SC therapy for PFDs in clinical trials, by systematically reviewing the available evidence. A systematic search strategy was conducted up to November 7, 2020, in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and ISI Web of Science. Preclinical studies on animal models were not considered. Studies were included when the patients were affected by any PFDs and cells were isolated, cultured, and characterized as SC. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020216551). A total of 11 prospective clinical studies were included in the final assessment, specifically 7 single-arm studies dealing with SC therapy for stress urinary incontinence and 4 with anal incontinence. Among the latter, there were two prospective, single-arm studies and two randomized controlled trials. No papers concerning the use of SC for prolapse repair were retrieved. Due to the great heterogeneity, data pooling was not possible. Stem cell injection resulted in a safe procedure, with few mild adverse side effects, mostly related to harvesting sites. However, a clear beneficial impact of SC treatment for the treatment of pelvic floor disorders could not be demonstrated. Further larger targeted studies with control arms are needed before any conclusions can be made.
Clitoral Priapism in a Transgender Male
Authors: Kusko Rebecca E. , Singhal Esha , Kauffman Robert P.
Published: October 2021

Introduction

Clitoral priapism due to venous outflow obstruction is a rare event and medical emergency. Androgen-induced clitoromegaly in transgender men has not been previously identified as a risk factor.

Aims

Advance current knowledge on identification and treatment of clitoral priapism in the transgender male.

Methods

A 32 year-old presurgical transgender male underwent gender-affirming laparoscopic total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oöphorectomy without incident. Seven days postop, he developed progressive and painful clitoral engorgement that was persistent. Examination and imaging were consistent with clitoral priapism.

Results

Clitoral priapism was treated with adrenergic drugs (imipramine and pseudoephedrine) with rapid resolution of symptoms.

Conclusion

Clitoral priapism is a rare phenomenon usually associated with use of a psychotropic medication. Whether clitoromegaly secondary to androgen administration in transgender men is a risk factor for this rare medical emergency is unknown. Prompt recognition and treatment is paramount.
Autonomous Organizations
Authors: Bayern Shawn
Published: October 2021

Under current business law, it is already possible to give legal personhood, or a very close surrogate of it, to software systems of any kind (from a simple automated escrow agent to a more hypothetical, truly smart artificial intelligence). This means that, for example, robots could enter into contracts, serve as legal agents, or own property. Ultimately, entire companies could actually be run by non-human agents. This study argues that this is not as scary as it might sound at first. Legal theorist and noted software developer Shawn Bayern argues that autonomous or zero-person organizations offer an opportunity for useful new types of interactions between software and the law. This creative contribution to the theory and practice of law and technology explores the social and political aspects of these new organizational structures and their implications for legal theory.
The Cambridge Grammar of Classical Greek
Authors: van Emde Boas Evert , Rijksbaron Albert , Huitink Luuk , de Bakker Mathieu
Published: October 2021

This is the first full-scale reference grammar of Classical Greek in English in a century. The first work of its kind to reflect significant advances in linguistics made in recent decades, it provides students, teachers and academics with a comprehensive yet user-friendly treatment. The chapters on phonology and morphology make full use of insights from comparative and historical linguistics to elucidate complex systems of roots, stems and endings. The syntax offers linguistically up-to-date descriptions of such topics as case usage, tense and aspect, voice, subordinate clauses, infinitives and participles. An innovative section on textual coherence treats particles and word order and discusses several sample passages in detail, demonstrating new ways of approaching Greek texts. Throughout the book numerous original examples are provided, all with translations and often with clarifying notes. Clearly laid-out tables, helpful cross-references and full indexes make this essential resource accessible to users of all levels.
ON TRANSCENDENTAL CONTINUED FRACTIONS IN FIELDS OF FORMAL POWER SERIES OVER FINITE FIELDS
Authors: CAN BÜŞRA , KEKEÇ GÜLCAN
Published: October 2021

In the field of formal power series over a finite field, we prove a result which enables us to construct explicit examples of$U_{m}$-numbers by using continued fraction expansions of algebraic formal power series of degree$m>1$.
Malthus Goes to China: The Effect of “Positive Checks” on Grain Market Development, 1736–1910
Authors: Gu Yanfeng , Kung James Kai-sing
Published: October 2021

After peaking around the mid-eighteenth century, grain market integration in China declined by a colossal 80 percent amid a twofold increase in population and remained at low levels for well over a century. Markets only resumed their growth momentum after the largest peasant revolt—the Taiping Rebellion—wiped out roughly one-sixth of the Chinese population starting 1851. This U-shaped pattern of grain market integration distinguished China from Europe in their trajectories of market development. Using grain prices to divide China into grain-deficit and grainsurplus regions, we find that the negative relationship between population growth and market integration originated from the grain-surplus-cum-exporting regions.
Quantitative analysis of tegmen bone mineral density in obese and non-obese patients
Authors: Holmes S , Geimadi A , Mamilly A , Hamiter M , Cuellar H , Mankekar G
Published: October 2021

Background

Certain factors have been linked to lateral skull base demineralisation or erosion, which may predispose to spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak. There are relatively few quantitative reports of skull base changes in patient populations.

Method

A novel refined measurement algorithm for quantification of tegmen bone mineral density was developed, and bone mineral density between obese and non-obese patient groups was compared. Computed tomography scans were analysed by three blinded reviewers, and tegmen bone mineral densities were compared.

Results

There were 23 patients in the obese group and 27 matched controls in the non-obese group. Inter-rater reliability was ‘strong’ to ‘near complete’ (κ = 0.75–0.86). No differences in tegmen bone mineral density were found between the groups (p = 0.64). The number of active blood pressure medications correlated positively with lateral skull base bone mineral density.

Conclusion

A novel, refined, quantitative measurement algorithm for the assessment of tegmen bone mineral density was developed and validated. Obesity was not found to significantly affect tegmen bone mineral density.
Associations between primary care recorded cannabis use and mental ill health in the UK: a population-based retrospective cohort study using UK primary care data
Authors: Keerthy Deepiksana , Chandan Joht Singh , Abramovaite Juste , Gokhale Krishna Margadhamane , Bandyopadhyay Siddhartha , Day Ed , Marwaha Steven , Broome Matthew R. , Nirantharakumar Krishnarajah , Humpston Clara
Published: October 2021

Background

Cannabis use is a global public health issue associated with increased risks of developing mental health disorders, especially in young people. We aimed to investigate the relationships between cannabis exposure and risks of receiving mental illness diagnoses or treatment as outcomes.

Methods

A population based, retrospective, open cohort study using patients recorded in ‘IQVIA medical research data’, a UK primary care database. Read codes were used to confirm patients with recorded exposure to cannabis use who were matched up to two unexposed patients. We examined the risk of developing three categories of mental ill health: depression, anxiety or serious mental illness (SMI).

Results

At study entry, the exposed cohort had an increased likelihood of having experienced mental ill health [odds ratio (OR) 4.13; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.99–4.27] and mental ill health-related prescription (OR 2.95; 95% CI 2.86–3.05) compared to the unexposed group. During the study period we found that exposure to cannabis was associated with an increased risk of developing any mental disorder [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 2.73; 95% CI 2.59–2.88], also noted when examining by subtype of disorder: anxiety (aHR 2.46; 95% CI 2.29–2.64), depression (aHR 2.34; 95% CI 2.20–2.49) and SMI (aHR 6.41; 95% CI 5.42–7.57). These results remained robust in sensitivity analyses.

Conclusion

These findings point to the potential need for a public health approach to the management of people misusing cannabis. However, there is a gross under-recording of cannabis use in GP records, as seen by the prevalence of recorded cannabis exposure substantially lower than self-reported survey records.
THOMAS ADÈS AT 50: REPRESENTATIONS ON THE STAGE AND ON THE PAGE
Authors: Venn Edward
Published: October 2021

On the evidence of the last year alone, Thomas Adès's international profile, as well as his productivity, remains undiminished as he enters his sixth decade. In a concert on 6 March 2021 to mark his fiftieth birthday, he conducted Kirill Gerstein and the London Symphony Orchestra in a performance of hisIn Seven Daysand Sibelius's Sixth Symphony. Because lockdown restrictions in response to Covid-19 were still in force, the celebratory nature of the concert was necessarily muted – given behind closed doors, the players distanced – and only later uploaded to YouTube.
ADÈS AND SONATA FORMS
Authors: Venn Edward
Published: October 2021

Despite an ever-expanding body of literature on Adès's engagement with the music of the past, his use of traditional formal models has attracted little critical comment. That which does exist privileges the relatively straightforward surface articulation of his musical forms over more nuanced accounts. In the case of Adès's sonata forms, this has had at least two consequences for our understanding of his music: first, that too strong an emphasis on syntactical groupings occludes what is happening discursively in the music; and second, that ‘textbook’ models are not the only formal tradition with which Adès's sonata forms engage. Rather, his sonatas bear traces of a rotational model that recalls the examples of Janáček and Sibelius. This article considers how Adès's sonata forms can be constituted not as neo-classical prefabrications but, a posteriori, as a practice that emerges across his career – from the Chamber Symphony and …but all shall be well to the Piano Quintet and Concerto for Piano and Orchestra – from an interaction between traditional syntactical groupings, thematic procedures and tonal plots.
A Call to APSA Part 2: Bring in Community College Faculty
Authors: Osorio Maricruz Ariana , Parker Sara , Richards Erin
Published: October 2021

This article uses data from a 2018 survey conducted by the American Political Science Association Committee on the Status of Community Colleges in the Profession to make specific policy recommendations for how to better reach out to and incorporate political science faculty teaching at community colleges into the association.
Presenting the Unpresentable: Jean-François Lyotard’s Kantian Art-Sublime
Authors: Zuckert Rachel
Published: October 2021

This article reconstructs Jean-François Lyotard’s theory of the sublime in contemporary art, focusing on his claim that such art ‘presents’ the unpresentable, and tracing its origins in Kant’s account of the sublime. I propose that Lyotard identifies a difficulty concerning Kant’s account: to understand why the disparate elements in the experience of the sublime (idea of reason, sensible representation) should be synthesized to form that experience. Lyotard recasts this difficulty as a pragmatic problem for artistic practice – how to ‘testify’ to the absolute in a non-absolute, sensibly perceivable object (the artwork) – that can be understood to drive avant-garde artistic experimentation.
Atom Probe Analysis of a Zr-based Bulk Metallic Glass
Authors: Bilal Huma , Nomoto Keita , Gludovatz Bernd , Kruzic Jamie J , Ceguerra Anna V , Ringer Simon P
Published: October 2021

Zr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are amorphous alloys that can exhibit excellent mechanical properties, including high yield strength and fracture toughness. These properties are linked to local microstructural heterogeneities. Whether via microscopy-based techniques, synchrotron techniques, or calorimetric approaches, the amorphous structure of BMGs makes the characterisation of the details of these local structural and chemical heterogeneities extremely challenging. Our focus here is on atom probe tomography (APT), where considerable uncertainty remains in terms of how and when to apply this otherwise powerful technique to amorphous materials. This work reports a systematic evaluation of the experimental parameter space. We report results of BMG composition acquired against various APT operating parameters for Zr63.96Cu13.36Ni10.29Al11.04Nb1.25 (at. %). We demonstrate that a customised peak-based ranging approach yields satisfactory compositional accuracy with absolute errors of <1 at. %. Beyond composition, we have discussed the data quality in terms of attributes of the mass spectra: mass resolution, signal-to-thermal tail ratio, and overlapped peak ratio. We also assess the composition of the well-known clustered evaporation effects, common in APT data of BMGs. We conclude that these regions have negligible differences in composition from the surrounding “matrix” or bulk in these alloys.
The psychological impact of prostate cancer after treatment: a critical review of the literature
Authors: Binks Laura , Drury-Smith Heather , Holborn Catherine
Published: October 2021

Aim:

This critical review of the literature seeks to understand the psychological impact that treatment interventions may have on prostate cancer (PC) survivors.

Materials and Methods:

A literature search was conducted using databases of peer-reviewed literature. The search terms used were devised using the building-blocks technique to divide the query into facets. The articles were manually assessed for relevance and appraised using the relevant Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool. Government guidelines and regulations were also used following a manual search on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) website. This process resulted in a total of 12 sources being included in the critical review.

Results:

The key themes that arose from the review were masculinity, depression, anxiety and psychological implications related to sexual functioning. Psychological impact varies on an individual basis and is influenced by the quality of a patient’s experience during and after treatment in relation to sufficient information giving and support.

Findings:

Open communication should be encouraged by healthcare professionals to assess patient mental wellbeing. The extent of psychological impact varies on an individual basis; however, there are predictive factors that can make an individual more at risk of being affected psychologically post-PC treatment.
The Pandemic Policy U-Turn: Partisanship, Public Health, and Race in Decisions to Ease COVID-19 Social Distancing Policies in the United States
Authors: Adolph Christopher , Amano Kenya , Bang-Jensen Bree , Fullman Nancy , Magistro Beatrice , Reinke Grace , Castellano Rachel , Erickson Megan , Wilkerson John
Published: October 2021

We explore the US states’ evolving policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by examining governors’ decisions to begin easing five types of social distancing policies after the initial case surge in March–April 2020. Applying event history models to original data on state COVID-19 policies, we test the relative influence of health, economic, and political considerations on their decisions. We find no evidence that differences in state economic conditions influenced when governors began easing. Governors of states with larger recent declines in COVID-19 deaths per capita and improving trends in new confirmed cases and test positivity were quicker to ease. However, politics played as powerful a role as epidemiological conditions, driven primarily by governors’ party affiliation. Republican governors made the policy U-turn from imposing social distancing measures toward easing those measures a week earlier than Democratic governors, all else equal. Most troubling of all, we find that states with larger Black populations eased their social distancing policies more quickly, despite Black Americans’ higher exposure to infection from SARS-CoV-2 and subsequent death from COVID-19.
Comparing the risk of low-back injury using model-based optimization: Improved technique versus exoskeleton assistance
Authors: Marinou Giorgos , Millard Matthew , Šarabon Nejc , Mombaur Katja
Published: October 2021

Although wearable robotic systems are designed to reduce the risk of low-back injury, it is unclear how effective assistance is, compared to improvements in lifting technique. We use a two-factor block study design to simulate how effective exoskeleton assistance and technical improvements are at reducing the risk of low-back injury when compared to a typical adult lifting a box. The effects of assistance are examined by simulating two different models: a model of just the human participant, and a model of the human participant wearing the SPEXOR exoskeleton. The effects of lifting technique are investigated by formulating two different types of optimal control problems: a least-squares problem which tracks the human participant’s lifting technique, and a minimization problem where the model is free to use a different movement. Different lifting techniques are considered using three different cost functions related to risk factors for low-back injury: cumulative low-back load (CLBL), peak low-back load (PLBL), and a combination of both CLBL and PLBL (HYB). The results of our simulations indicate that an exoskeleton alone can make modest reductions in both CLBL and PLBL. In contrast, technical improvements alone are effective at reducing CLBL, but not PLBL. The largest reductions in both CLBL and PLBL occur when both an exoskeleton and technical improvements are used. While all three of the lifting technique cost functions reduce both CLBL and PLBL, the HYB cost function offers the most balanced reduction in both CLBL and PLBL.
Future Changes in δ13C of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon in the Ocean
Authors: Graven Heather , Lamb Elleanor , Blake Daisy , Khatiwala Samar
Published: October 2021

Emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion are reducing the ratio 13C/12C, δ13C, in atmospheric CO2 and in the carbon in the ocean and terrestrial biosphere that exchanges with the atmosphere on timescales of decades to centuries. Future changes to fossil fuel emissions vary across different scenarios and may cause decreases of more than 6% in atmospheric δ13CO2 between 1850 and 2100. The effects of these potential changes on the three‐dimensional distribution of δ13C in the ocean have not yet been investigated. Here, we use an ocean biogeochemical‐circulation model forced with a range of Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP)‐based scenarios to simulate δ13C in ocean dissolved inorganic carbon from 1850 to 2100. In the future, vertical and horizontal δ13C gradients characteristic of the biological pump are reduced or reversed, relative to the preindustrial period, with the reversal occurring in higher emission scenarios. For the highest emission scenario, SSP5‐8.5, surface δ13C in the center of Pacific subtropical gyres falls from 2.2% in 1850 to −3.5% by 2100. In lower emission scenarios, δ13C in the surface ocean decreases but then rebounds. The relationship between anthropogenic carbon (Cant) and δ13C in the ocean shows a larger scatter in all scenarios, suggesting that uncertainties in δ13C‐based estimates of Cant may increase in the future. These simulations were run with fixed physical forcing and ocean circulation, providing a baseline of predicted δ13C. Further work is needed to investigate the impact of climate‐carbon cycle feedbacks on ocean δ13C changes.
The Ice Core Gas Age‐Ice Age Difference as a Proxy for Surface Temperature
Authors: Buizert Christo
Published: October 2021

Ice cores provide detailed records of past climate change. Water stable isotopes are the most commonly used ice core climate proxy, but their quantitative interpretation remains challenging. Here, I argue that the gas age‐ice age difference (Δage) is a powerful proxy for past surface temperature. An analytical framework is derived that directly links past temperature to firn properties that can be reliably reconstructed (Δage, lock‐in depth). The framework is calibrated using both present‐day spatial patterns and last glacial maximum temperatures reconstructed via borehole thermometry. The usefulness of the method is demonstrated using three case studies from Greenland and Antarctic ice cores. The calibration suggests that several firn densification models, with the possible exception of the Herron‐Langway model, have insufficient sensitivity to accumulation rates. This low sensitivity, in combination with large amplitude temperature forcing, can explain historical difficulties of densification models in simulating ice age firn thickness in East Antarctica.
Reverse Faulting Within a Continental Plate Boundary Transform System
Authors: Townsend Kirk F. , Clark Marin K. , Niemi Nathan A.
Published: October 2021

Contractional deformation is common along transform plate margins where plate motion is oblique to the plate boundary. While faults that accommodate this deformation are often inferred to be subsidiary to the main plate boundary fault, we typically lack direct geometric or kinematic information. Here we investigate the timing of faulting relative to changes in the orientation of the North American‐Pacific plate boundary. Coeval with development of an oblique plate boundary segment (i.e., the “Big Bend” of the San Andreas fault), active shortening is inferred to have initiated at ∼5 Ma in the Western Transverse Ranges (WTR). However, new low‐temperature thermochronometric data yield Miocene to Pleistocene apatite (U‐Th‐Sm)/He cooling ages and partially reset zircon (U‐Th)/He ages. Inverse thermal modeling indicate that reverse faulting initiated as early as 10 Ma, several million years prior to our current understanding of the timing of the Big Bend. Reverse faults in the WTR also propagate from west to east, toward the San Andreas Fault, rather than outwards from it. New and existing thermochronometry data delineate the WTR as the locus of rapid post‐Miocene exhumation, and demonstrate that similar exhumation is not present in the broader region surrounding the Big Bend. We posit that reverse faulting is localized in the WTR because of a weak underlying lithosphere and predates the more recent geometric anomaly of the restraining bend in the transform margin.
Outcomes and toxicity of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in chronic myeloid leukemia patients previously treated with second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors: a prospective non-interventional study from the Chronic Malignancy Working Party of the EBMT
Authors: Masouridi-Levrat Stavroula , Olavarria Eduardo , Iacobelli Simona , Aljurf Mahmoud , Morozova Elena , Niittyvuopio Riitta , Sengeloev Henrik , Reményi Peter , Helbig Grzegorz , Browne Paul , Ganser Arnold , Nagler Arnon , Snowden John A. , Robin Marie , Passweg Jakob , Van Gorkom Gwendolyn , Wallet Hélène Labussière , Hoek Jennifer , Blok Henric-Jan , De Witte Theo , Kroeger Nicolaus , Hayden Patrick , Chalandon Yves , Agha Ibrahim Yakoub
Published: October 2021

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) remains a treatment option for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who fail to respond to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). While imatinib seems to have no adverse impact on outcomes after transplant, little is known on the effects of prior use of second-generation TKI (2GTKI). We present the results of a prospective non-interventional study performed by the EBMT on 383 consecutive CML patients previously treated with dasatinib or nilotinib undergoing allo-HCT from 2009 to 2013. The median age was 45 years (18–68). Disease status at transplant was CP1 in 139 patients (38%), AP or >CP1 in 163 (45%), and BC in 59 (16%). The choice of 2GTKI was: 40% dasatinib, 17% nilotinib, and 43% a sequential treatment of dasatinib and nilotinib with or without bosutinib/ponatinib. With a median follow-up of 37 months (1–77), 8% of patients developed either primary or secondary graft failure, 34% acute and 60% chronic GvHD. There were no differences in post-transplant complications between the three different 2GTKI subgroups. Non-relapse mortality was 18% and 24% at 12 months and at 5 years, respectively. Relapse incidence was 36%, overall survival 56% and relapse-free survival 40% at 5 years. No differences in post-transplant outcomes were found between the three different 2GTKI subgroups. This prospective study demonstrates the feasibility of allo-HCT in patients previously treated with 2GTKI with a post-transplant complications rate comparable to that of TKI-naive or imatinib-treated patients.
Computing grain boundary diagrams of thermodynamic and mechanical properties
Authors: Hu Chongze , Li Yanwen , Yu Zhiyang , Luo Jian
Published: October 2021

Computing the grain boundary (GB) counterparts to bulk phase diagrams represents an emerging research direction. Using a classical embrittlement model system Ga-doped Al alloy, this study demonstrates the feasibility of computing temperature- and composition-dependent GB diagrams to represent not only equilibrium thermodynamic and structural characters, but also mechanical properties. Specifically, hybrid Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics (MC/MD) simulations are used to obtain the equilibrium GB structure as a function of temperature and composition. Simulated GB structures are validated by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. Subsequently, MD tensile tests are performed on the simulated equilibrium GB structures. GB diagrams are computed for not only GB adsorption and structural disorder, but also interfacial structural and chemical widths, MD ultimate tensile strength, and MD tensile toughness. This study suggests a research direction to investigate GB composition–structure–property relationships via computing GB diagrams of thermodynamic, structural, and mechanical (or potentially other) properties.
The effects of a secondary task on gait in axial spondyloarthritis
Authors: Soulard Julie , Vaillant Jacques , Baillet Athan , Gaudin Philippe , Vuillerme Nicolas
Published: October 2021

Studies on the effects of dual tasking in patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases are limited. The aim of this study was to assess dual tasking while walking in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) in comparison to healthy controls. Thirty patients with axSpA and thirty healthy controls underwent a 10-m walk test at a self-selected comfortable walking speed in single- and dual-task conditions. Foot-worn inertial sensors were used to compute spatiotemporal gait parameters. Analysis of spatiotemporal gait parameters showed that the secondary manual task negatively affected walking performance in terms of significantly decreased mean speed (p < 0.001), stride length (p < 0.001) and swing time (p = 0.008) and increased double support (p = 0.002) and stance time (p = 0.008). No significant interaction of group and condition was observed. Both groups showed lower gait performance in dual task condition by reducing speed, swing time and stride length, and increasing double support and stance time. Patients with axSpA were not more affected by the dual task than matched healthy controls, suggesting that the secondary manual task did not require greater attention in patients with axSpA. Increasing the complexity of the walking and/or secondary task may increase the sensitivity of the dual-task design to axial spondyloarthritis.
Increased oxidative stress contributes to enhance brain amyloidogenesis and blunts energy metabolism in sucrose-fed rat: effect of AMPK activation
Authors: Camacho-Castillo Luz , Phillips-Farfán Bryan V. , Rosas-Mendoza Gabriela , Baires-López Aidee , Toral-Ríos Danira , Campos-Peña Victoria , Carvajal Karla
Published: October 2021

Metabolic disturbances are linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease (AD). However, the cellular mechanisms underlying this connection are unclear. We evaluated the role of oxidative stress (OS), during early metabolic syndrome (MetS), on amyloidogenic processes in a MetS rat model induced by sucrose. MetS caused OS damage as indicated by serum and hypothalamus lipid peroxidation and elevated serum catalase activity. Tissue catalase and superoxide dismutase activity were unchanged by MetS, but gene expression of nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (NFE2L2), which up-regulates expression of antioxidant enzymes, was higher. Expression of amyloid-β cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE-1) and amyloid precursor protein (APP), key proteins in the amyloidogenesis pathway, were slightly increased by sucrose-intake in the hippocampus and hypothalamus. Activation and expression of protein kinase B (PKB) and AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK), pivotal proteins in metabolism and energy signaling, were similarly affected in the hippocampus and hypothalamus of MetS rats. Brain creatine kinase activity decreased in brain tissues from rats with MetS, mainly due to irreversible oxidation. Chronic metformin administration partially reversed oxidative damage in sucrose-fed animals, together with increased AMPK activation; probably by modulating BACE-1 and NFE2L2. AMPK activation may be considered as a preventive therapy for early MetS and associated neurodegenerative diseases.
Computational quantification of global effects induced by mutations and drugs in signaling networks of colorectal cancer cells
Authors: Sommariva Sara , Caviglia Giacomo , Ravera Silvia , Frassoni Francesco , Benvenuto Federico , Tortolina Lorenzo , Castagnino Nicoletta , Parodi Silvio , Piana Michele
Published: October 2021

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most deadly and commonly diagnosed tumors worldwide. Several genes are involved in its development and progression. The most frequent mutations concern APC, KRAS, SMAD4, and TP53 genes, suggesting that CRC relies on the concomitant alteration of the related pathways. However, with classic molecular approaches, it is not easy to simultaneously analyze the interconnections between these pathways. To overcome this limitation, recently these pathways have been included in a huge chemical reaction network (CRN) describing how information sensed from the environment by growth factors is processed by healthy colorectal cells. Starting from this CRN, we propose a computational model which simulates the effects induced by single or multiple concurrent mutations on the global signaling network. The model has been tested in three scenarios. First, we have quantified the changes induced on the concentration of the proteins of the network by a mutation in APC, KRAS, SMAD4, or TP53. Second, we have computed the changes in the concentration of p53 induced by up to two concurrent mutations affecting proteins upstreams in the network. Third, we have considered a mutated cell affected by a gain of function of KRAS, and we have simulated the action of Dabrafenib, showing that the proposed model can be used to determine the most effective amount of drug to be delivered to the cell. In general, the proposed approach displays several advantages, in that it allows to quantify the alteration in the concentration of the proteins resulting from a single or multiple given mutations. Moreover, simulations of the global signaling network of CRC may be used to identify new therapeutic targets, or to disclose unexpected interactions between the involved pathways.
CHLD score, a new score based on traditional risk factor evaluation and long-term cardiovascular outcomes in patients with systemic sclerosis
Authors: Gieszczyk-Strózik Klaudia , Wybraniec Maciej T. , Widuchowska Małgorzata , Brzezińska-Wcisło Ligia , Kotyla Przemysław , Kucharz Eugeniusz , Mizia-Stec Katarzyna
Published: October 2021

The aim of the study was to assess the predictors of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) without pulmonary arterial hypertension. The study comprised 68 patients with SSc who were followed up for the median time of 99 (96; 107) months. The main exclusion criteria involved tricuspid regurgitation maximal velocity > 2.8 m/s and structural heart disease. At baseline the patients underwent clinical assessment of cardiovascular risk factors, 6-min walk test, transthoracic echocardiography and biomarker testing, including growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15). The primary composite endpoint was onset of MACE defined as death, myocardial infarction, myocardial revascularization and hospitalization for heart failure. The follow-up consisted of outpatient visits at 1 year intervals and telephone interview every 6 months. The baseline analysis revealed that chronic kidney disease (HR 28.13, 95%CI 4.84–163.38), lung fibrosis on high resolution computed tomography (HR 4.36, 95%CI 1.04–18.26) and GDF-15 concentration (unit HR 1.0006, 95%CI 1.0002–1.0010) were independent predictors of MACE occurrence. CHLD (Chronic kidney disease, Hypertension, hyperLipidaemia, Diabetes mellitus) score was formulated which assigned 1 point for the presence of arterial hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease. After inclusion of CHLD score in Cox proportional model, it remained the only independent predictor of MACE onset (unit HR per 1 point 3.46; 95%CI 2.06–5.82, p < 0.0001). Joint assessment of traditional risk factors in the form of CHLD score may serve as a reliable predictor of long-term outcome in patients with SSc without pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Cultural adaptation: a framework for addressing an often-overlooked dimension of digital health accessibility
Authors: Marwaha Jayson S. , Kvedar Joseph C.
Published: October 2021

Relatively little is known about how to make digital health tools accessible to different populations from a cultural standpoint. Alignment with cultural values and communication styles may affect these tools’ ability to diagnose and treat various conditions. In this Editorial, we highlight the findings of recent work to make digital tools for mental health more culturally accessible, and propose ways to advance this area of study.
River winds and pollutant recirculation near the Manaus city in the central Amazon
Authors: Zhao Tianning , Ye Jianhuai , Ribeiro Igor O. , Ma Yongjing , Hung Hui-Ming , Batista Carla E. , Stewart Matthew P. , Guimarães Patricia C. , Vilà-Guerau de Arellano Jordi , de Souza Rodrigo A. F. , Guenther Alex B. , Martin Scot T.
Published: October 2021

Local atmospheric recirculation flows (i.e., river winds) induced by thermal contrast between wide Amazon rivers and adjacent forests could affect pollutant dispersion, but observational platforms for investigating this possibility have been lacking. Here we collected daytime vertical profiles of meteorological variables and chemical concentrations up to 500 m with a copter-type unmanned aerial vehicle during the 2019 dry season. Cluster analysis showed that a river-forest recirculation flow occurred for 23% (13 of 56) of the profiles. In fair weather, the thermally driven river winds fully developed for synoptic wind speeds below 4 m s−1, and during these periods the vertical profiles of carbon monoxide and total oxidants (defined as ozone and nitrogen dioxide) were altered. Numerical modeling shows that the river winds can recirculate pollution back toward the riverbank. There are implications regarding air quality for the many human settlements along the rivers throughout northern Brazil.
A new strategy for hyperconjugative antiaromatic compounds utilizing negative charges: a dibenzo[b,f]silepinyl dianion
Authors: Ito Shotaro , Ishii Youichi , Ishimura Kazuya , Kuwabara Takuya
Published: October 2021

Based on a new strategy of utilizing negative charges, a dibenzo[b,f]silepinyl dianion was synthesized and its hyperconjugative antiaromatic character is disclosed using NMR studies, large NICSzzvalues, and ACID plots.
Electronic spectra of ytterbium fluoride from relativistic electronic structure calculations
Authors: Pototschnig Johann V. , Dyall Kenneth G. , Visscher Lucas , Gomes André Severo Pereira
Published: October 2021

Potential energy curves for the YbF obtained by relativistic electronic structure methods are presented. Due to the difficulties of describing this system separate computations for open and closed f-shells were necessary.
Al2O3 co-doped with Cr3+ and Mn4+, a dual-emitter probe for multimodal non-contact luminescence thermometry
Authors: Mykhaylyk V. B. , Kraus H. , Bulyk L.-I. , Lutsyuk I. , Hreb V. , Vasylechko L. , Zhydachevskyy Y. , Wagner A. , Suchocki A.
Published: October 2021

Luminescence probes that facilitate multimodal non-contact measurements of temperature are of particular interest due to the possibility of cross-referencing results across different readout techniques.
Barium and titanium dithiocarbamates as precursors for colloidal nanocrystals of emerging optoelectronic materials
Authors: Ingram Nicole E. , Jordan Brian J. , Donnadieu Bruno , Creutz Sidney E.
Published: October 2021

A series of barium dialkyldithiocarbamate complexes is synthesized. In combination with a titanium(iv) dithiocarbamate complex, these compounds decompose at elevated temperatures in oleylamine solution to give rise to colloidal BaTiS3 nanorods.
The in situ fabrication of ZIF-67 on titania-coated magnetic nanoparticles: a new platform for the immobilization of Pd(ii) with enhanced catalytic activity for organic transformations
Authors: Sharma Sukanya , Sharma Chandan , Kaur Manpreet , Paul Satya
Published: October 2021

The synthesis of a magnetic zeolitic-imidazolate-framework-67-supported Pd catalyst was demonstrated, and its catalytic activity for oxidation, reduction, and the oxidative deprotection of oximes was studied.
Modulating the multiple intrinsic properties of platinum–iron alloy nanowires towards enhancing collaborative electrocatalysis
Authors: Chang Fangfang , Wei Juncai , Zhang Qing , Jia Zhichao , Liu Yongpeng , Yang Lin , Wang Xiaolei , Bai Zhengyu
Published: October 2021

The electrocatalytic properties of an alloy can be effectively controlled by adjusting their inherent physical and chemical performance (compositions, lattice strain, facets,etc.) to provide a better surface structure and compositions for efficient electrocatalytic reactions in the cathode and anode of fuel cells.
Occupational Stress in U.S. Audiologists
Authors: Emanuel Diana C.
Published: October 2021

Purpose:

The goal of this study was to explore interview data related to occupational stress in U.S. audiologists. This study is part of a larger project: The Lived Experience of the Audiologist, which seeks to develop a richer understanding of audiologists' lived experience via interview and survey research.

Method:

Demographic and interview data related to occupational stress were examined from 28 virtual interviews of clinical audiologists in the United States. Qualitative data relative to workplace stressors were subjected to thematic analysis. Stress ratings were examined via descriptive statistics, correlation, and comparison with demographics.

Results:

Self-ratings of average-day and worst-day stress were not related to work setting, years of experience, or U.S. region. Participant descriptions of workplace stressors yielded seven main themes: time, patients, administration, financial, lack of support, colleagues, and work–life balance. Some participants attributed stress response to personality traits.

Conclusions:

Audiologists' quotes illustrate the human impact of stressors in the workplace. The most commonly reported workplace stressors were lack of time, patient-related issues, administration, and financial issues. Time and administration as common causes of stress were consistent with prior studies conducted in other countries; however, patient-related and financial stressors were more prominent stressors for U.S. audiologists. Stress ratings were not related to work setting, location, or years of experience in the current study. Participants often linked their perception of stress to personality traits, a phenomenon that has been explored as a factor in the exploration of occupational stress in other fields, but not in audiology. Future research in stress and burnout should examine personality traits in addition to extensive demographics.
Cosmology with the submillimetre galaxies magnification bias
Authors: Bonavera L. , Cueli M. M. , González-Nuevo J. , Ronconi T. , Migliaccio M. , Lapi A. , Casas J. M. , Crespo D.
Published: October 2021

Context.High-z submillimetre galaxies can be used as a background sample for gravitational lensing studies thanks to their magnification bias. In particular, the magnification bias can be exploited in order to constrain the free parameters of a halo occupation distribution (HOD) model and some of the main cosmological parameters. A pseudo-tomographic analysis shows that the tomographic approach should improve the parameter estimation.

Aims.In this work the magnification bias has been evaluated as cosmological tool in a tomographic set-up. The cross-correlation function (CCF) data have been used to jointly constrain the astrophysical parametersMmin,M1, andαin each of the selected redshift bins as well as the cosmological parameters ΩM,σ8, andH0for the lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model. Moreover, we explore the possible time evolution of the dark energy density by also introducing theω0, ωaparameters in the joint analysis (ω0CDM andω0ωaCDM).

Methods.The CCF was measured between a foreground spectroscopic sample of Galaxy And Mass Assembly galaxies and a background sample ofHerschelAstrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey (H-ATLAS) galaxies. The foreground sample was divided into four redshift bins (0.1–0.2, 0.2–0.3, 0.3–0.5, and 0.5–0.8) and the sample of H-ATLAS galaxies has photometric redshifts > 1.2. The CCF was modelled using a halo model description that depends on HOD and cosmological parameters. Then a Markov chain Monte Carlo method was used to estimate the parameters for different cases.

Results.For the ΛCDM model the analysis yields a maximum posterior value at 0.26 with [0.17, 0.41] 68% C.I. for ΩMand at 0.87 with [0.75, 1] 68% C.I. forσ8. With our current resultsH0is not yet constrained. With a more generalω0CDM model, the constraints on ΩMandσ8are similar, but we found a maximum posterior value forω0at −1 with [ − 1.56, −0.47] 68% C.I. In theω0ωaCDM model, the results are −1.09 with [ − 1.72, −0.66] 68% C.I. forω0and −0.19 with [ − 1.88, 1.48] 68% C.I. forωa.

Conclusions.The results onMminshow a trend towards higher values at higher redshift confirming recent findings. The tomographic analysis presented in this work improves the constraints in theσ8 − ΩMplane with respect to previous findings exploiting the magnification bias and it confirms that magnification bias results do not show the degeneracy found with cosmic shear measurements. Moreover, related to dark energy, we found a trend of higherω0values for lowerH0values.
The influence of some morphological parameters of the stem on the resistance to lodging of oat varieties and promising lines of the North-East FASC breeding
Authors: Zhuikova Olga , Batalova Galina
Published: October 2021

Resistance to stem lodging depends on the year conditions. The agro-climatic factors of the north-east of the European territory of the Russian Federation are unstable in terms of precipitation and temperature. Most of all, oat lodges in wet years, which is associated with an increase in plant length. To study the main morphological characters, the linear parameters of the stem and the indices of resistance to lodging were measured. The distribution of varieties and lines by plant length allowed to analyze the stem morphological parameters for each group. The main contribution to the length of plants is made by the upper and second internodes. A smaller proportion is accounted for by the length of the lower internode. The dependence of the resistance to lodging was revealed with the panicle length. The thicknesses of the first and second internodes affected some elements of the productivity structure (panicle length, panicle mass, the mass of 1000 grains, etc.). The Galchenko index (JG) and the ratio of the stem length to the diameter of the second internode (Lc/d2) had higher values in varieties with higher resistance to lodging. Promising lines 325h12, 200h15, 196h15, 175h15, 175h15 and the Sapsan variety combined stem stability and yield.
Adaptability of prospective spring barley cultivars bred in Federal Agricultural Research Center of the North-East
Authors: Shchennikova Irina N. , Shupletsova Olga N. , Zaytseva Irina Yu. , Kokina Larissa P. , Vyatkina Rimma I.
Published: October 2021

Based on the statistical assessment of long-term field studies, in competitive variety tests, barley cultivars were identified adaptive to the conditions of the region, promising for transfer to the State variety test. As a result of the studies, a promising breeding material was created. The efficiency of using various methods of creating a new initial material, in particular, the cell culture method, is shown. A statistically significant correlation was established between the value of the hydrothermal coefficient (GTK) in the period “leaf tube formation - heading” and the yield capacity of a cultivar (r = 0.520). High variability (V = 24.4%) in the duration of the inter-stage period “leaf tube formation - heading” was revealed in the cultivars of competitive variety testing. Cultivars 94-13 and 38-15 are distinguished by a high yield potential (up to 6.4… 6.9 t/ha) and the duration of inter-stage periods, at which the main stages of organogenesis occur at the most favorable combination of heat and moisture for the potential development of plant features and properties. Cultivars 207-15, 38-15, and regenerant 550-08, characterized by high annual average yield capacity (5.9…5.7 tons/ha) and adaptability, are promising for transfer to the Russian Federation State variety test.