bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Discordance between adrenal vein sampling and imaging: the role of unilateral cortisol excess
Authors: Grundy Megan , Leung Alexander A , Hyrcza Martin , Pasieka Janice L , Chan Denise , Przybojewski Stefan J , So Chi-bun Benny , Orton Dennis , Harvey Adrian , Kline Gregory A
Published: February 2025

Objective

Adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is considered the gold-standard for identifying unilateral primary aldosteronism (PA), but is sensitive to any asymmetry in cortisol production. Sub-clinical autonomous cortisol production likely contributes to discordance between cross-sectional imaging and AVS.

Design and Methods

Retrospective chart review was performed of patients in Calgary, Alberta who 1) had a diagnosis of PA with clear adrenal mass, 2) had discordant AVS and cross-sectional imaging, and 3) underwent dexamethasone-suppressed NP59-iodocholesterol adrenal scintigraphy (n=25). Post-operative biochemical and clinical outcomes were evaluated. Surgical pathology was analysed with immunohistochemical staining for CYP11B1 and CYP11B2.

Results

NP59 scanning demonstrated autonomous steroidogenesis from the same side as the CT-identified lesion, despite discordant AVS results, in 19/25 cases. Out of the 16 patients who underwent adrenalectomy (guided by NP59), 11 cases had a final diagnosis of cortisol-producing adenoma with bilateral PA, while the final diagnosis in the remaining 5 cases was cortisol-producing adenoma with unilateral PA (defined by a complete biochemical response). All cases pre-operatively had low/suppressed ACTH that rose post-adrenalectomy, in keeping with resolution of cortisol autonomy. AVS incorrectly diagnosed the subtype of PA or falsely localized the side of aldosterone excess in 10/16 cases.

Conclusions

Discordant CT and AVS results in patients with PA and obvious adrenal mass are often explained by sub-clinical asymmetric cortisol excess. Clinicians should be aware of the limitations of AVS in the presence of subtle autonomous cortisol secretion and must be able to counsel patients regarding the possible outcomes from surgery when discordant lateralization is present.
Comparative analysis of anaesthesia modalities in pulmonary vein isolation: insights from a prospective multicentre registry
Authors: Massalha Eias , Dakka Amer , Sabbag Avi , Berkovitch Anat , Marai Ibrahim , Michowitz Yoav , Glikson Michael , Konstantino Yuval , Haim Moti , Luria David , Omelchenko Alexander , Laish-Farkash Avishag , Suleiman Mahmoud , Leshem Eran , Nof Eyal , Beinart Roy
Published: February 2025

Aims

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained arrhythmia in adults, is increasing in prevalence globally. Catheter ablation (CA), particularly pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), is a key treatment option. Pulmonary vein isolation can be performed using different energy sources, including cryoballoon ablation (CBA), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), or pulse field ablation. Anaesthesia modalities for these procedures include general anaesthesia (GA), deep sedation (DS), and conscious sedation (CS). However, the optimal anaesthesia modality remains unclear, as previous studies have shown mixed outcomes. This study aims to compare the safety and efficacy of different anaesthesia modalities in PVI.

Methods and results

This prospective, multicentre study, based on the Israeli Catheter Ablation Registry, evaluated the impact of different anaesthesia modalities on procedural outcomes and safety in AF ablation. Data from 1002 patients who underwent PVI between January 2019 and December 2021 across 14 centres were analysed. Patients were stratified by anaesthesia modality—CS vs. GA, with the latter encompassing DS. Key outcomes, including AF recurrence, procedural complications, and success rates, were evaluated over a 24-month follow-up period. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was performed for the subgroup of patients who underwent CBA. Of the 1002 patients, 53% received GA, 6.3% DS, and 40% CS, with CBA used in 84% of cases. Complete PVI was achieved in 91% of patients, with comparable success rates observed between CS and GA groups. No significant differences were found between CS and GA modalities in terms of AF recurrence rates at 12 months (15% vs. 16%) and 24 months (19.5% vs. 21.2%), or in 12-month rehospitalization rates (19.8% vs. 16.5%). Sensitivity analysis of the CBA subgroup yielded similar results, with no significant differences in AF recurrence, complications, or procedural duration between CS and GA modalities.

Conclusion

Conscious sedation is as safe and effective as general anaesthesia in AF ablation, particularly with cryoablation. The choice of anaesthesia appears to be driven by patient characteristics and institutional factors without affecting long-term outcomes such as AF recurrence or complication rates.
External validation of a machine learning based classification algorithm for ambulatory heart rhythm diagnostics in pericardioversion atrial fibrillation patients using smartphone photoplethysmography: the SMARTBEATS-ALGO study
Authors: Fernstad Jonatan , Svennberg Emma , Åberg Peter , Kemp Gudmundsdottir Katrin , Jansson Anders , Engdahl Johan
Published: February 2025

Aims

The aim of this study was to perform an external validation of an automatic machine learning algorithm for heart rhythm diagnostics using smartphone photoplethysmography (PPG) recorded by patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter (AFL) pericardioversion in an unsupervised ambulatory setting.

Methods and results

Patients undergoing cardioversion for AF or AFL performed 1-min heart rhythm recordings peri-cardioversion at least twice daily for 4–6 weeks, using an iPhone 7 smartphone running a PPG application (CORAI Heart Monitor) simultaneously with a single-lead ECG recording (KardiaMobile). The algorithm uses support vector machines (SVM) to classify heart rhythm from smartphone-PPG. The algorithm was trained on PPG recordings made by patients in a separate cardioversion cohort. Photoplethysmography recordings in the external validation cohort were analysed by the algorithm. Diagnostic performance was calculated by comparing the heart rhythm classification output to the diagnosis from the simultaneous ECG recordings (gold standard).

In total 460 patients performed 34 097 simultaneous PPG and ECG recordings, divided into 180 patients with 16 092 recordings in the training cohort and 280 patients with 18 005 recordings in the external validation cohort. Algorithm classification of the PPG recordings in the external validation cohort diagnosed AF with sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 99.7/99.7/99.7%, and AF/AFL with sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 99.3/99.1/99.2%.

Conclusion

A machine learning based algorithm demonstrated excellent performance in diagnosing atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter from smartphone-PPG recordings in an unsupervised ambulatory setting, minimizing the need for manual review and ECG verification, in elderly cardioversion populations.
Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: Glimpsing the Light Ahead?
Authors: Hu Xiaofeng , Di Biase Luigi , Hou Xumin , Liu Xu
Published: February 2025

Current ablation strategies for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) remain suboptimal, with success rates around 50%. Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) serves as the cornerstone of ablation, yet adjunctive strategies have shown inconsistent results in randomized controlled trials. This review critically examines the outcomes and limitations of these approaches while identifying key barriers to success, including incomplete understanding of AF mechanisms, patient heterogeneity, technical challenges in achieving durable lesions, and the absence of standardized procedural endpoints. A novel electro-anatomically guided ablation protocol is proposed, integrating advanced mapping techniques and procedural endpoints aimed at achieving AF termination. Furthermore, it discusses emerging technologies such as pulsed field ablation (PFA), which hold promise for enhancing safety and long-term outcomes. These insights provide a framework for future research and the optimization of persistent AF ablation strategies.
Comparing step counting algorithms for high-resolution wrist accelerometry data in older adults in the ARIC study
Authors: Gao Sunan , Zhou Xinkai , Koffman Lily , Wanigatunga Amal A , Schrack Jennifer A , Crainiceanu Ciprian M , Muschelli John
Published: February 2025

Background

Step counting from wrist accelerometry data is widely used in physical activity research and practice. While several open-source algorithms can estimate steps from high-resolution accelerometry data, there is a critical need to compare these algorithms and provide practical recommendations for their use in older adults.

Methods

1,282 Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study participants (mean age 83.4, 60% female) wore ActiGraph GT9X wrist devices for 7 days, collecting 80Hz tri-axial accelerometry data. Five open-source step-counting algorithms (ADEPT, Oak, SDT, Verisense, and Stepcount) were applied to this data. Step count distributions and their cross-sectional associations with health outcomes were compared.

Results

The estimated mean daily step counts varied widely across algorithms, ranging from 988 for ADEPT to 23,607 for SDT. Pearson correlations across methods ranged from moderate (r=0.52) to very strong (r=0.96). All step counts were highly associated with age, with an estimated decline of 119.0 to 142.8 steps/year (all p<0.001) with comparable trends observed across demographic subgroups. After z-score standardization (subtracting the population mean and dividing by the population standard deviation), the estimated steps from each algorithm exhibited similar directionality and magnitude of association with various metabolic, cardiovascular, physical performance, and cognitive outcomes (all p<0.001).

Conclusion

The estimated step counts algorithms are highly correlated, and, after z-scoring, have similar and highly significant associations with health outcomes. Because the total number of steps varies widely across algorithms, interpretation and translation of results for health monitoring and clinical use in older adults depends on the choice of step counting algorithm.
Safety and Tolerability of a Short Course of Linezolid for the Treatment of Predominantly Moderate to Severe Tuberculous Meningitis in Adults with HIV
Authors: Chow Felicia C , Kafeero Paddy , Muhumuza Patrick , Nakimbugwe Maria , Ssemaganda Anthony , Tayebwa Colman , Farrell Elana , Wilson Margaret , Nahid Payam , Savic Rada , Cresswell Fiona , Kibengo Freddie M
Published: February 2025

Background

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM)-related deaths occur early, often within weeks after initiation of treatment. Enhanced treatment early in the disease course with agents that effectively penetrate the central nervous system may improve outcomes in TBM.

Methods

We conducted a phase 2, open-label, randomized trial in Masaka, Uganda to assess the safety and tolerability of linezolid 1200 mg versus no linezolid with high (35 mg/kg/day) or standard-dose (10 mg/kg/day) rifampin for 4 weeks in participants with definite or suspected TBM. The primary endpoint was any >grade 3 adverse event during the interventional period. Secondary endpoints included overall survival and functional independence adjusted for TBM disease grade.

Results

We randomized 40 participants (98% with HIV). One-fourth had microbiologically-confirmed TBM. Nearly 75% had moderate to severe disease (Medical Research Council grades II and III). No significant difference in >grade 3 adverse event-free survival was observed across the 4 treatment arms (p=0.18), or by linezolid (p=0.97) or rifampin (p=0.46) group. More favorable overall survival (OR 0.28 for death at 12 weeks, p=0.10; OR 0.43 at 24 weeks, p=0.24) and functional outcome [OR 2.22 for lower modified Rankin Scale score (i.e., less disability) at 12 weeks, p=0.18; OR 2.00 at 24 weeks, p=0.24) were observed in the linezolid group.

Conclusions

The addition of a short course of linezolid to treat predominantly moderate to severe TBM in adults with HIV did not introduce excess toxicity. Our findings add to growing evidence that linezolid is a safe and acceptable treatment for TBM that merits further investigation in larger multi-site trials.
Efficiency assessment of PFAS immobilisation for large volumes of diffuse contaminated soil at airports
Authors: Askeland Matthew , Mikhael Elissar , Matakala Mubiana
Published: February 2025

This study evaluated the feasibility of immobilising diffuse per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) contaminated soil by developing and validating a novel field-scale methodology. The effectiveness of this approach was assessed via a field-scale trial conducted at an airport in Australia. Prior to full-scale treatment, laboratory trials were undertaken to determine optimal treatment reagents and application rates. The Standardised Sorbent Qualities Measure (SSQM) and Matrix Sorbent Qualities Measure (MSQM) were developed and applied to assess sorbent sorption/desorption capacity for PFAS under standardised conditions, facilitating sorbent selection. Three blending techniques were employed for field-scale trials: manual mixing with an excavator, large-scale rapid mixing using a pug mill, and a portable trommel screen. The efficacy of soil blending with a RemBind sorbent was validated using the sum of and leachable perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) + perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) assessments. Results showed a substantial reduction in PFAS leachability, with mean PFOS + PFHxS concentrations generally decreasing to below the limit of reporting, resulting in over 98% reductions in leachable fractions. The Sorbent Application Uniformity Test (SAUT) effectively served as a quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) measure alongside PFAS analysis, demonstrating consistent sorbent-soil blending across all methods evaluated. Overall, the large-scale trial at the airport confirmed that immobilisation using 1% to 2% RemBind 100 sorbent offered a viable, sustainable, and cost-effective solution, particularly for PFOS and PFHxS. Applying novel SSQM/MSQM and SAUT methods combined with pre-and post-treatment leachability analysis established a clear link between the sorbent application specification determined from laboratory-scale trials and field validation requirements. Thus, these methods are pertinent for assessing the immobilisation technique's efficacy and sorbent blending quality.
Skills England: What IT Means for Skills and Apprenticeships
Authors: Cooper Martin
Published: February 2025

As Skills England begins to take shape, BCS and a select panel of partners offer their collective insight about which aspects of apprenticeships should be improved, what should be retained and what needs fixing.
How Amazon is Making Apprenticeships Deliver
Authors: Cooper Martin
Published: February 2025

Nicola Drury, Head of Skills and Apprenticeships for Amazon UK, tells Martin Cooper MBCS about why the company believes apprenticeships are the key to staying ahead in the many markets where it operates and leads.
Hidden in Full Sight: ASD and Women
Authors: Suzuki Larissa , Shirley Dame Stephanie
Published: February 2025

In this article, EUR ING Prof Dr Larissa Suzuki and Dame Stephanie Shirley distFBCS highlight the mechanisms behind and the impact of underdiagnosis of autism in women, as well as setting out how the problem can begin to be tackled.
Why Blockchain Adoption is Slow
Authors: Cooper Martin
Published: February 2025

Although once seen as a revolutionary technology, blockchain has struggled to fi nd its place. A team of researchers explores why.
The Quantum Business Opportunity
Authors: O'Sullivan Ben
Published: February 2025

Ben O'Sullivan, Digital Consultant at UBDS Digital, explains why now is the time for businesses to consider quantum computing seriously and fully understand its potential.
BA Apprenticeship
Authors: Lovelock Christina
Published: February 2025

Christina Lovelock MBCS takes a thorough look at the Level 4 Business Analysis Apprenticeship qualifi cation to explain who it's for, what's involved and its benefi ts.
Multi-Site Retrospective Analysis of Diffusion and Perfusion MRI Correlates to Glioma Characteristics Derived from Radio-Pathomic Maps
Authors: Bobholz Samuel A , Aaronsen Daniel , Winiarz Aleksandra , Duenweg Savannah R , Lowman Allison K , Flatley Michael , Kyereme Fitzgerald , Connelly Jennifer , Mrachek Kelly , Krucoff Max O , Banerjee Anjishnu , LaViolette Peter S
Published: February 2025

Introduction

This study determines the relationship between diffusion and perfusion-based MRI signatures and radio-pathomic maps of tumor pathology in a large, multi-site cohort.

Methods

This study included perfusion imaging from pre-surgical relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) images from the UPenn-GBM dataset and pre-surgical arterial spin labeling (ASL) imaging from the UCSF-PDGM dataset. Diffusion imaging included fractional anisotropy (FA) estimates derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for each subject from each institution. A previously validated autopsy-based model was applied to the structural images from each patient to generate quantitative radio-pathomic maps of cell density and extracellular fluid (ECF). Mean cell density, ECF density, FA, rCBV calculated from DSC imaging, and rCBF calculated from ASL were computed for each patient and statistically compared within contrast-enhancement (CE) and the non-enhancing peritumor FLAIR hyperintensity (FH).

Results

Both rCBV and ASL showed positive correlation with cell density within CE (rCBV: R=0.280, p<0.001; ASL: R=0.117, p=0.023). However, both perfusion metrics also showed no association with cell density within the FH region at the group level (rCBV: R=0.0162, p=0.731; ASL: R=-0.020, p=0.652). Negative correlations were observed between FA and ECF density across both CE and FH in both the UPenn-GBM (CE: r = -0.204, p<0.001, FH: r=-0.332, p<0.001) and the UCSF-PDGM (CE:r=-0.179, p<0.001, FH:-0.355, p<0.001). Additionally, a positive ASL-cell density association per subject within FH was associated with worse survival prognosis (HR=5.58, p=0.022).

Discussion

These results suggest that radio-pathomic maps of tumor pathology provide complementary information to other MR signatures that reveal prognostically valuable signatures of the non-enhancing tumor margin.
Machine Politics in American Cities
Authors: Broxmeyer Jeffrey
Published: February 2025

Machine politics is an urban contribution to modern democratic theory and practice. This style of political clientelism channeled control over municipal resources into electoral dominance through the mastery of party organization. The phenomenon emerged from the historical timing of mass suffrage and urbanization in the United States roughly between the 1850s and 1950s. Machines were situated between the combustible energies of the demos, a multi-cultural assemblage of crowds, neighborhood activity, and social movements, on the one hand, and elite society, divided between longstanding fortunes grounded in mercantile wealth, landholdings, or inheritance and the newer industrial and financial capitalists. By the time of the Urban Crisis of the 1960s, most older cities and industrial towns had experienced either a personal machine (such as James Curley in Boston) or an organizational machine (like New York’s Tammany Hall or the Cook County Democrats in Illinois). Machine rule varied widely across place and time. But it was often dramatized by a cycle of booms and busts related to graft scandals, immigration patterns, and governing controversies. Electoral machines, however, proved to be a resilient and adaptable form of urban party clientelism that reconciled abstract forces of the capitalist market and modern city with intimate street-level governance. Professional politicians found ingenious ways to manage—and exploit—social conflict by drawing strength from mass suffrage, party organization, and the provision of collective goods. As a third force standing between “the people” and urban elites, machine politics incorporated some popular demands for group protection and social welfare, especially by accommodating and consolidating ethnic and religious differences. Machines also largely defused and diverted radical possibilities from below to ensure the stability of capitalist markets for labor and housing, and to enhance real-estate values. Machine politicians mounted a robust defense of private property when its legitimacy was contested by waves of populists, labor agitators, and Progressive Era social reformers. Yet, by placing their own interests of political reproduction above the needs of the business class and entrenched elites, urban machines also delimited the power of capital and privilege by channeling investment toward social needs, most notably, for public works and mass transit. The quintessential feature of machine politics was a selective redistribution of material incentives to politically connected allies through patronage jobs, public contracts, informal poor relief, and personal favors. By governing through a distinctive political logic of electoral mobilization and organizational self-aggrandizement, machine rule meant, above all, the application of practical politics to urban problems.
Al-Kindi
Authors: Adamson Peter
Published: February 2025

Abu Yusuf Yaʿqub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi (b. c. 800–d. c. 870) was the first faylasuf, that is, the first philosopher to write in Arabic in response to Greek sources. He was deeply involved in the translation of Greek science and philosophy into Arabic, as he oversaw the so-called “Kindi circle,” a group of mostly Christian translators who produced versions of works by Aristotle, Plotinus, and Proclus, among others. It does not seem that al-Kindi himself was a translator. Instead, he “corrected” the translations and probably helped select the works to be translated. His own philosophical writings, many of which are preserved in a single manuscript, show the deep impact of Aristotle and Neoplatonism on his thought. Yet he was an original thinker who aimed to show the relevance of the Greek sources for a Muslim audience. He freely adapted, combined, and built on these sources in his own treatises.
Cross-National Surveys of Public Opinion
Authors: Foa Roberto
Published: February 2025

In a cross-national survey, a single questionnaire is used to poll respondents across multiple countries, allowing for the comparison of societies with respect to fundamental social science issues such as happiness, social trust, or attitudes to democracy. The first repeat cross-national public opinion study was the Eurobarometer survey of 1973, followed by the European and World Values Surveys in 1981, the International Social Survey Programme in 1984, and the initial members of the Global Barometer Surveys in the 1990s. Today there are more than fifteen major academic cross-national survey projects, together with a wide range of comparative surveys that are supported by private foundations and polling companies, such as IPSOS, YouGov, or Gallup. Each of these projects offers a unique contribution to social science knowledge. The World Values Survey, for example, contains a core set of items stretching back to 1981, making it a reference point for scholars investigating long-term value change. The International Social Survey Programme is notable for the comprehensiveness and depth of its annual modules, while the European Social Survey has distinguished itself through the rigor of its methodology. The Global Barometer Surveys are notable for the breadth of their country coverage across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, while the Pew Global Attitudes Project remains the primary resource for scholars seeking to examine US foreign policy issues and opinions. Finally, the Gallup World Poll holds the lead in its country coverage, and has recently made moves toward wider public access to its data. As a result of such initiatives, researchers have discovered important differences in societal values, well-being, and attitudes across the world. For example, levels of reported happiness have been found to correlate with initial gains in economic development, while in recent decades, many societies have recorded increases in socially liberal values as well as declining rates of religious belief. At the same time, the global spread of cross-country polling has brought novel methodological challenges. These include difficulties ensuring the accuracy of translation in new cultural contexts, in reconciling different modes of fieldwork, upholding representative sampling, and verifying data quality in countries that lack an established polling industry. In response to such concerns, scholars are continuously developing new methods and techniques to improve fieldwork integrity, such as the use of computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI), more rigorous auditing of translations and data, and better protocols for implementing probability samples.
Electricity
Authors: Adebayo Damilola
Published: February 2025

Africa has the lowest electricity access rate in the world today. About six hundred million of its estimated 1.4 billion population (or 43 percent) are still waiting to experience reliable electricity supply, according to a recent estimate. Yet, unlike other forms of Western technological inventions, such as in communications (telegraph or the telephone) or rail transportation, historians have demonstrated that the infrastructure of large-scale electricity production made its way to Africa not long after it was developed in Europe and the United States. Electricity became a tool for modern life during the late 1870s through the work of scientists, notably Thomas Edison, who invented the incandescent bulb. By 1882, the mining city of Kimberly in South Africa had become the first African municipal area to have electric lights. Kimberly’s coal-fired central power station was also the second in the world (after Pearl Street Station, New York). Ethiopia reportedly had its first electricity generator, powered by diesel, as a gift from the German government to the emperor in the 1890s; while in Nigeria, electricity supply commenced in Lagos in 1898. In nearly all of Africa, the electrification timeline was intertwined with European colonialism. The main sites of electricity consumption during the years before the Second World War were the mines and cities where the European and African political and economic elite resided. As a result, the motives of colonial investments have been debated among scholars, and the main issues have ranged from economic exploitation to racial discrimination. The 1940s was the era of colonial development, and electricity began to gain increasing prominence in the industrial policy deliberations within the colonies. As African states approached independence, nationalists also imagined hydroelectric dams as indispensable for economic growth. Despite the optimism and grand strategies of the 1950s and 1960s, Africa’s electricity consumption per capita remains the lowest rate of any world region. African governments and international financial institutions have invested billions to increase supply capacity. However, allegations of public-sector corruption and mismanagement are prevalent. The national grid frequently collapses, load shedding is endemic, and millions of Africans often fall back on small generators. Global dialogues on climate change have also spurned an interest in exploring green alternatives, particularly solar energy, as the future of electrification in Africa.
Team Emergent States
Authors: Rapp Tammy L.
Published: February 2025

Team emergent states (TES) represent dynamic properties of teams that are cognitive, affective, and motivational states of teams, and which vary as function of team context, inputs, processes, and outcomes. TES constructs have a theoretical origin residing at lower levels of analysis (i.e., individual) that arise over time to characterize the team as a whole. TES are key variables in team effectiveness models. These are distinct from team processes, which refer to the actions team members take to combine their individual resources, knowledge, and skills to achieve collective goals. Until the early 2000s, TES were often erroneously considered team processes. Since being clearly distinguished from team processes, the nature of TES has gained conceptual clarity, and the TES literature has evolved considerably. TES are typically conceptualized as playing a mediating role in input-mediator-outcome (IMO) models of team effectiveness, which depict inputs (I) as antecedent factors (e.g., team composition, design, leadership) that influence mediating mechanisms (M) such as team processes and team emergent states, which subsequently impact team outcomes (O) such as team performance. However, TES are also frequently examined as predictor, moderator, and outcome factors in studies today. There are numerous specific types of TES that can be classified into different categories depending upon whether the focal construct is cognitive, affective, or motivational in nature. The fundamental conclusion of this body of research is that a variety of factors can encourage the development of team emergent states, which have important implications for team processes and other team emergent states as well as team-level and, sometimes, individual-level effectiveness outcomes.
Expatriate Selection and Evaluation
Authors: Varma Arup , Kaur Ashneet , Maheshwari Sudhanshu
Published: February 2025

As countries across the world continue to increase their engagement with each other, the need for professionals to take on expatriate assignments continues to grow. Organizations worldwide must identify the best candidates within their ranks and convince such individuals to take on these assignments in the designated country. The opportunity to live and work in another country would make this an attractive proposition for multiple candidates. However, research and experience have shown that organizations often struggle to find suitable candidates who can carry out the tasks successfully. A few factors make selection of the right candidate(s) a complex task. Most often, expatriates are sent to a foreign location for a wide variety of reasons, such as (1) to implement company strategy and/or policy at the host country location, and (2) specific target-driven assignments such as establishing a new production facility or a branch office, or (3) acquiring a local business. To find one candidate who has all the skills and abilities necessary to perform the tasks successfully is often difficult, as home country selectors may not always be aware of the contextual realities of the host country. Finally, the ideal candidates at the home office may not be interested in an expatriate assignment—thus, willingness to take on an expatriate assignment becomes a key determinant. Next, in order to determine that an expatriate has been effective on the assignment, a clear definition of effectiveness would be required. However, given the wide variety of expatriate assignments with different specifications, such as length of assignment, host country socioeconomic and political environment, and the expatriate’s experience on prior assignments, defining effectiveness is rather difficult. The following sections comprise related articles categorized by themes. These include (1) Expatriate Selection and Assignment Management, (2) Gender Diversity, and Ethnicity, (3) Cultural and Environmental Factors, (4) Industry Type and Nature of Assignment, (5) Expatriate Individual Characteristics, and (6) Expatriate Evaluation. While a few book chapters address the subject, the majority of articles included here are from journals such as International Journal of Human Resource Management, Human Resource Management, and the Journal of International Business Studies.
Historical Geography of Infrastructure
Authors: Nisa Richard
Published: February 2025

Given the centrality of themes like scale, place, circulation, and power to geographical research, the discipline is well represented in the literature of the so-called infrastructural turn of the past two decades. Geographers have explored the ways that infrastructures are not just technical and material objects—roads, canals, bridges, dams, and power lines—but also enroll many of the external conditions that shape the possibility for their construction, maintenance, or failure—things like politics, climate, visible and invisible/undervalued labor, and technological protocols and innovations. Their focus on infrastructure has offered interested scholars new paths through which to explore the production of, among other things, urban space, energy geographies, media and communications, and care networks. While all existing infrastructures (as opposed to speculative or imagined ones) are historical geographical sites—constructed over time in specific places—a historical geography of socio-technical systems might intuitively be limited to the modern state era, or at least the time period loosely termed “modernity.” State capacity, and more specifically state centralization—be it in colonial extraction or the distribution of material—is a major, if not the major, focus of much infrastructural development as such. Infrastructures, however, are material and relational formations that circulate power across multiple spatial and temporal scales. They are designed and constructed by historical actors and are themselves contemporary actants—continually shaping the nature of power, exchange, and circulation well beyond the specifics of state power. Across the contours of existing infrastructures, there are historical traces of interconnectedness and disjunction, inclusion and neglect. These pathways—woven through countless intersections and sedimented in overlapping layers—reflect people’s collective pursuit of resilience and a better tomorrow. They are also iterative and have afterlives, with new regimes of circulation often built on the sites provided by now-defunct connective sinews. Given the expansive historical manifestations of infrastructures, and the fact the infrastructural studies is an interdisciplinary pursuit, it is difficult to identify core texts that sit within just one scholarly tradition or archive. There is, however, a rich and diverse literature that situates and defines infrastructure more broadly. As this bibliography posits, geographers interested in delving into such a capacious term, then, would benefit from reading across and between literatures that seek to outline the broad textures of infrastructural space-making. Historical geographers will find much to offer in the varied theoretical entry points provided by scholars across the humanities, social sciences, engineering, and art. Undoubtedly, infrastructure has extremely broad historical and geographical impacts, so the lists below should be read as entry points and, almost by necessity, provisional and incomplete.
Color in European Art and Architecture
Authors: Baudez Basile
Published: February 2025

As a physical and cultural phenomenon, color bridges sciences and humanities like few topics do and the literature on the subject reflects this division. This article presents the history and theory of color in European art, both within the continent and in its interaction with the rest of the world. Color histories destined to a general audience have been recently flourishing and if they do not always engage with art historical questions, they are systematically illustrated by works of art, mostly paintings, generally used as simple illustrations. Following the seminal series published by Michel Pastoureau between 2009 and 2023 (see Specific Colors), the devotion to a single color seems to be a favorite of publishers. As for the place of color in the art historical field, it has long been the case that most of the studies were either histories of reproductive technology and techniques, histories of dyes and pigments and of pictorial and tinctorial practices, or histories of theories of the nature of color, its semantics, and attempts to classify it. This paper will set aside citations that deal with the physics of color beyond summaries such as Byrne and Hilbert 1997 (cited under Anthologies). Philosophical debates on the nature of color will not be addressed if they do not specifically focus on artistic questions or had a durable impact on European art, such as Aristotle or Newton for example. Certain topics have been the object of intense focus as they were transformative in the practice of artists, such as the quarrel around color and disegno in early modern painting, the debates around the polychromy of Greek architecture and sculpture, the effects of the law of simultaneous color contrast on French painting at the end of the nineteenth century, or color theories in modern movements such as De Stijl or within the Bauhaus. More recently there emerged in the literature questions of trade and publicity, and the relationship between color and industrial design. Color stands at the center of both the material and the global turn. It allows to rethink the role of Europeans in the world as the harvest of its materials plays a crucial role in the history of the destruction and exploitation of natural and human resources. Finally, the cultural and symbolic meaning of colors facilitated the development of racist theories that still eat away at our societies.
A statistical approach to interpreting polarized dust emission of filamentary molecular clouds toward an estimate of 3D magnetic field structure
Authors: Fukihara Haruka , Takaishi Daisuke , Misugi Yoshiaki , Sasaki Megumi , Tsukamoto Yusuke
Published: February 2025

In this study, we perform 3D magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations of filamentary molecular clouds. We then generate synthetic observations based on the simulation results. Using these, we investigate how the new polarization data analysis method recently introduced by Doi et al. (2021, ApJ, 923, L9) reflects the magnetic field structure in turbulent filamentary molecular clouds. Doi et al. proposed that the $R_{\rm {FWHM}}$, the ratio of the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the polarized intensity ($PI$) to that of the total intensity ($I$) can be used to probe the three-dimensional structure of the magnetic field. We calculate the $R_{\rm {FWHM}}$ from the density and magnetic field structure obtained in the 3D-MHD simulations. We find that the mean and variance of $R_{\rm {FWHM}}$ within a filament are smaller and larger, respectively, with a larger inclination of the magnetic field to the plane-of-sky. We also find that both small-scale ($\lt $0.1 pc) and large-scale ($\gtrsim$0.1 pc) turbulence affect the polarized intensity of the dust thermal emission. We conclude that future extensive observations of $R_{\rm {FWHM}}$ may be able to quantify the inclination of the magnetic field to the plane-of-sky in the filamentary molecular clouds.
3 mm spectroscopic observations of massive star-forming regions with IRAM 30 m
Authors: Xu Xuefang , Wang Junzhi , Gou Qian , Li Juan , Quan Donghui , Li Di , Li Fei , Duan Chunguo , Lei Juncheng
Published: February 2025

Broad-band spectroscopic observations with high sensitivity provide an unbiased way to detect emissions of molecules in space. We present deep observations from 105.8 to 113.6 GHz toward 50 Galactic massive star-forming regions using the IRAM 30 m millimeter telescope, with noise levels ranging from 6 to 29 mK at frequency channel spacing of 195 kHz, which corresponds to ${\sim}0.54$ km s$^{-1}$ at 110 GHz. In total, 27 molecular species have been identified, of which 16 are complex organic molecules. The related parameters, such as peak temperature, integrated intensity, and line width of the identified molecular lines were obtained. The line widths of the chemically related molecules show strong positive correlations, suggesting they likely originate from similar gases within star-forming regions. This work highlights the fundamental properties of the detected molecular lines and offers a valuable dataset for further studies on the astrochemical evolution of molecules in massive star-forming cores.
Tiny Invaders, Big Trouble: Emerging Nematode Threats in the United States
Authors: Kantor Camelia , Teixeira Marcella , Kantor Mihail , Gleason Cynthia
Published: February 2025

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) cause billions of dollars in agricultural losses annually. In the United States (U.S.), a well-established list of prevalent nematodes serves as a foundation for addressing known threats. However, climate change is expected to trigger significant shifts in nematode populations, behaviors, and host ranges, introducing new risks to agricultural ecosystems. Understanding how nematodes adapt to evolving environments is crucial for predicting their spread to new locations and hosts. Beyond the spread of current PPN populations, there is the ongoing threat of undetected or non-native PPNs entering the U.S., potentially causing severe damage to agriculture and forest ecosystems. Continuous surveillance is vital to track nematode spread, and advancements, such as machine learning for nematode detection and quantification, enhance diagnostic capabilities. Additionally, remote sensing combined with geographic information systems is emerging as a powerful tool for pest management, offering spatial analysis and real-time monitoring. In this review, we highlight a selection of PPN species, including those with currently limited geographic distribution but posing a significant threat if introduced to new environments. We list these nematodes based on their host range, potential economic impact, and current molecular diagnostic methods. We propose the "Emergence Triangle" to explore how abiotic stresses impact nematode adaptation and how nematologists use innovative technologies to enhance surveillance efforts. While ongoing diagnostic and monitoring efforts provide valuable insights, continuous surveillance is essential to track nematode spread. Critical questions remain regarding the criteria used by government officials to classify and regulate nematodes and who guides decisions on prioritizing threats.
DHFR2 RNA directly regulates dihydrofolate reductase and its expression level impacts folate one carbon metabolism
Authors: Drago Paola , Bookey Niamh , Leung Kit‐Yi , Henry Michael , Meleady Paula , Greene Nicholas D. E. , Parle‐McDermott Anne
Published: February 2025

Dihydrofolate reductase activity is required in One Carbon Metabolism to ensure that the biologically active form of folate, tetrahydrofolate, is replenished and available as an enzyme cofactor for numerous cellular reactions, including purine and pyrimidine synthesis. Most cellular enzyme activity was thought to arise from the product of the DHFR gene on chromosome 5, with its paralogue DHFR2 (formerly known as DHFRL1; [chromosome 3]), believed to be responsible for mitochondrial dihydrofolate activity based on recombinant versions of the enzyme. In this paper, we confirm our earlier findings that dihydrofolate reductase activity in mitochondria is derived from the DHFR gene rather than DHFR2 and that endogenous DHFR2 protein is not detectable in most cells and tissues. Using HepG2 cell lines with modulated expression of either DHFR or DHFR2, we observed an impact of DHFR2 RNA on One Carbon Metabolism mediated through an influence on DHFR expression and activity. Knockout of DHFR2 results in a drop in dihydrofolate reductase activity, lowered 10‐formyltetrahydrofolate abundance, downregulation of DHFR mRNA, and diminished DHFR protein abundance. We also observed downregulation of Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase and Thymidylate Synthase, two One Carbon Metabolism enzymes that work with DHFR to support de novo thymidylate synthesis. The expression of recombinant DHFR2 resulted in restoration of DHFR mRNA and protein levels while a DHFR knockdown cell line showed upregulation of DHFR2 RNA. We propose that the DHFR2 gene encodes an RNA molecule that regulates cellular dihydrofolate reductase activity through its impact on DHFR mRNA and protein.
The Effect of Women’s Perceptions of Their Nurses’ Communication on Their Distress and Fear of Cancer During Colposcopy
Authors: Akıncı Gizem , Aydın Ruveyde
Published: February 2025

Background

Effective communication between nurses and women can help determine women’s stress and fear levels during colposcopy and enable appropriate interventions to be taken.

Objective

This study aimed to examine the effect of women’s perceptions of nurse communication on their levels of distress and cancer worry during colposcopy.

Methods

This descriptive and correlational study was conducted with 227 women who underwent colposcopy at three hospitals between December 2023 and May 2024. Data collection instruments included the Descriptive Information Form, the Health Care Communication Questionnaire (HCCQ), the Cervical Dysplasia Distress Questionnaire (CDDQ), and the Cancer Worry Scale (CWS). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were used for statistical analyses.

Results

The average age of participants was 36.28 ± 7.75 years, with 92.5% being married and 41% being high school graduates. A strong negative correlation was found between HCCQ and CDDQ (r = −0.714, P = .000) and CWS (r = −0.718, P = .000). A strong positive relationship was also identified between CDDQ and CWS scores (r = 0.759, P = .000). Descriptive characteristics and the HCCQ significantly explained 73.4% of the variance in the CDDQ (R
2 = 0.734, P = .000). Additionally, descriptive characteristics, the HCCQ, and the CDDQ significantly explained 82% of the variance in the CWS (R
2 = 0.820, P = .000).

Conclusion

The study demonstrated that women’s descriptive characteristics and their perceptions of nurse communication are significant predictors of cervical dysplasia distress and cancer fear during colposcopy.

Implications for Practice

By gaining effective communication skills and equipping themselves with psychoeducation, nurses can take initiatives to reduce women’s stress and cancer fear levels during colposcopy.
Impact of hormone receptor and HER2 conversions on survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients
Authors: Feng Ran , Pan Li-Hui , Yao Ya-Rong , Gao Jin-Nan , Zhang Xiao-Jun
Published: February 2025

Background

This study assessed the frequency of changes in some key receptor status of tumors after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with invasive breast cancer and the prognostic impact of these changes.

Methods

This study included 300 patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer who were treated with both NAC and surgery between 2012 and 2021. The hormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) levels were measured before and after NAC. The prognostic impact of receptor conversion was also evaluated in patients receiving NAC, by using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models as statistical methods.

Results

The conversion rate of estrogen receptor–positive (ER+) to ER-negative (ER−) was similar to that of ER− to ER+ (9.2% and 10.9%, respectively). The proportion of HR− to HR+ was remarkably higher than that of HR+ to HR− (14.8% vs 9.2%, respectively). The change from HER2+ to HER2− was significantly more frequently than that from HER2− to HER2+ (20.3% vs 6%, respectively). Patients with ER and HR status changes from (−) to (+) after NAC had significantly worse recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) than those in the other 3 groups (ER− to ER+: RFS: p = 0.002, OS: p < 0.001; HR− to HR+: RFS: p = 0.003, OS: p < 0.001). The 4 HER2 conversion subgroups were not significantly associated with RFS or OS.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated a discordance in HR status after NAC and identified predictors of conversion. Patients whose HR status switched to positive after NAC had the worst 3-year RFS and OS rates.