bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Invasive mammal control selects for trap-recalcitrant behaviour and personality
Authors: Johnstone K. C. , Garvey P. , Hickling G. J.
Published: November 2023

Kill-trapping is an important management tool for suppressing invasive mammalian predator populations in New Zealand, including the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). We conducted a combined field and pen experiment to test the hypothesis that intensive kill-trapping selects for survivors that differ behaviourally from the general population present before trapping begins. We installed 109 kill traps in a 120 ha forest reserve and over 20 weeks removed > 95% of the reserve’s possum population. Effort required rose from 12 trap nights per possum removed at the start of the operation to 560 trap nights per possum removed after 20 weeks of control. As the operation progressed, the estimated probability of possums being kill-trapped in the reserve declined from 0.30 to 0.15 per possum per week. Similarly, camera monitoring revealed that the average probability of a possum being killed when it encountered a kill-trap fell by 59% during the operation, indicating that the surviving population was becoming increasingly trap-recalcitrant. Behavioural testing of possums live-captured from the reserve at three time points revealed that survivors live-trapped 20 weeks into the operation were significantly shyer than those live-trapped before the operation began. In captivity, personality associated with boldness and activity/exploration was a significant predictor of whether a possum would trigger pest control devices it had not previously encountered. Heterogeneity of trappability affects the effort and cost required to eradicate invasive mammalian predators. Understanding the influence of personality on trappability is an important first step towards developing more effective methods to target trap-recalcitrant individuals.
Adjusting nitrogen fertilization to spatial variations in growth conditions in silvopastoral systems for improved nitrogen use efficiency
Authors: Komainda Martin , Sutterlütti Rahel , Kayser Manfred , Isselstein Johannes
Published: November 2023

Grass swards in silvopastoral systems have a lower herbage production near trees than open grassland. This is related to a lower nitrogen (N) uptake in an area close to the tree lines. The N use efficiency for the whole field can then be improved when N input is spatially adjusted and the overall amount reduced. We performed a 2-year field experiment to gain insights into this idea for making savings on N inputs by studying the response of the grass sward to fertilizer N input in relation to the distance from trees. We hypothesized an interaction between N input rate and position to the tree line on grassland herbage production and N uptake and, accordingly, N use efficiency. The field trial was carried out in a silvopastoral system in Germany consisting of the factors year (2019 and 2020), position (2.5, 6.5 and 24.5 m distances to tree line), annual N application rate (0, 15 and 30 g N m−2) and harvest date (four harvests per year). We found significant interactions between position × N rate for all target variables, and usually also in interactions with the harvest date or year. The N application close to trees at a distance < 6.5 m had in most cases no significant influence on herbage production but significantly increased herbage production by up to 35% at positions further away. Omitting the N fertilization in a corridor of 6.5 m near the trees would contribute directly to the saving of fertilizer N without a negative trade-off in herbage production.
A novel degradable PCL/PLLA strapping band for internal fixation of fracture
Authors: Jin Baoyan , Zhang Chongjing , Zhong Zeyuan , Liu Zichen , Zhang Zhenhua , Li Dejian , Zhu Min , Yu Baoqing
Published: November 2023

Early fracture fixation is the critical factor in fracture healing. Common internal fracture implants are made of metallic materials, which often affects the imaging quality of CT and MRI. Most patients will choose secondary surgery to remove the internal fixation implants, which causes secondary damage to them. The development of new degradable internal fracture implants has attracted more and more attention from orthopedic surgeons and researchers. Based on these problems, we improved the various properties of medical grade polycaprolactone (PCL) by adding poly(L-lactide) (PLLA). We produced PCL/PLLA strapping bands with different mass ratios by injection molding. We compared the mechanical properties, degradation properties, cell biocompatibility, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) adhesion, proliferation, osteogenic differentiation and fracture fixation effect of these strapping bands. The results showed that the tensile strength and yield force of the strapping bands increased with the increase of the content of PLLA. The addition of PLLA could significantly improve the mechanical strength in the early stage and accelerate the degradation rate of the strapping band. PCL/PLLA (80/20) strapping band had no significant cytotoxicity toward rBMSCs and could promote osteogenic differentiation of rBMSCs. The strapping band could ensure femoral fracture healing of beagles in 3 months and didn’t cause damage to the surrounding tissues and main organs. This study will provide some new insights into the biodegradable products of PCL/PLLA blends for internal fixation of fracture.

Graphical Abstract
Verification of Wiedemann–Franz Law in Silver with Moderate Residual Resistivity Ratio
Authors: Lucas Marijn , Levitin Lev V. , Knappová Petra , Nyéki Ján , Casey Andrew , Saunders John
Published: November 2023

Electrical and thermal transport were studied in a vacuum-annealed polycrystalline silver wire with residual resistivity ratio 200 – 400, in the temperature range 0.1$$-$$
-
1.2 K and in magnetic fields up to 5 T. Both at zero field and at 5 T the wire exhibits the Wiedemann–Franz law with the fundamental Lorenz number, contrary to an earlier report (Gloos et al., in Cryogenics 30:14–18, 1990). Our result demonstrates that silver is an excellent material for thermal links in ultra-low-temperature experiments operating at high magnetic fields.
Validity of the Capacity to Work Index: Development of an Instrument to Measure Work Capacity in Relation to Depression and Anxiety in the General Working Population
Authors: Hensing Gunnel , van Diepen Cornelia , Boström Maria , Bertilsson Monica
Published: November 2023

Purpose

To develop an index to assess capacity to work in relation to common mental disorders (CMDs) in the general working population and field test its psychometric properties.

Methods

Content analysis of three qualitative studies on people (n = 49) with their own experiences of working with CMD guided the items selected for the index. Face and content validity and test-retest reliability were performed. The index was field tested in two versions with 26 and 17 items, respectively, among health care professionals regarding internal reliability, component structure and concurrent validity.

Results

The final version of the Capacity to Work Index (C2WI; 17 items) was normally distributed in the field test with high internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha, 0.84). Missing responses were randomly distributed and nonspecific. Principal component analysis showed one clear component with negatively framed items. Concurrent validity showed high correlation with the WHO-5 Well-Being Scale (Pearson’s r, 0.68), but lower correlation for the general health question (r, − 0.44), one item of the Work Ability Index (r, − 0.33), and the Stress of Conscience constructs (r, 0.44).

Conclusion

The C2WI showed promising psychometric qualities. Low and negative correlation with the item from Work Ability Index suggests that the C2WI measures additional dimensions, but further testing in larger and more diverse samples is required.
Identity Matters for Well-Being: The Longitudinal Associations Between Identity Processes and Well-Being in Adolescents with Different Cultural Backgrounds
Authors: De Lise Francesca , Luyckx Koen , Crocetti Elisabetta
Published: November 2023

Adolescents’ identity processes and their levels of well-being are likely to be intertwined. On the one hand, how adolescents cope with the core developmental task of forming their identity has important implications for their well-being. On the other hand, experiencing a condition of well-being can help adolescents consolidate their identity. This longitudinal study adopted a multidimensional and culturally sensitive perspective to unravel how identity processes (i.e., commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment) in two domains (i.e., educational and interpersonal identity) were developmentally related to multiple indicators of positive well-being (i.e., physical health, subjective, psychological, and social well-being) in adolescents with different cultural backgrounds. Participants were 1396 adolescents (Mage = 15.73, SDage = 1.23, 49.93% females; 20.89% with a migrant background) who completed questionnaires at four-time points across one year. Results of cross-lagged models confirmed the positive reciprocal associations between identity commitment and well-being in all its facets. The nuanced picture of associations of in-depth exploration and reconsideration of commitment with multiple dimensions of well-being highlighted the importance of adopting a multi-dimensional perspective on well-being and a domain-specific approach to identity. Multigroup analyses indicated that the associations between identity commitment in the educational domain and well-being are relevant, especially for adolescents with a migrant background. Overall, this study highlights the centrality of identity processes for adolescents’ adaptation and points to a dynamic loop of reciprocal influences at the core of youth positive development.
Factors Associated with Suspected Developmental Delay in Thai Children Born with Low Birth Weight or Asphyxia
Authors: Tangviriyapaiboon Duangkamol , Thaineua Vallop , Sirithongthaworn Samai , Kanshana Siripon , Damrongtamwattana Siriwat , Prasitwattanaseree Sukon , Srikummoon Pimwarat , Thongsak Natthapat , Thumronglaohapun Salinee , Traisathit Patrinee
Published: November 2023

Objectives

The aim of the study was to identify factors associated with a risk of suspected developmental delay (SDD) in high-risk children in Thailand.

Methods

We used data on children enrolled for developmental delay (DD) screening across Thailand collected by the Rajanagarindra Institute of Child Development, Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. Children who were under 5 years of age with a birth weight of fewer than 2500 g and/or birth asphyxia in Thailand with high risk of DD were assessed using the Developmental Assessment for Intervention Manual (DAIM) between August 2013 and November 2019 (N = 14,314).

Results

The high-risk children who had a gestational age at birth of < 37 weeks (adjusted odds ratio = 1.54; 95% confidence interval = 1.39–1.70) and/or had a birth weight < 2500 g (1.22; 1.02–1.45), or had mothers who were not government officers (1.46; 1.11–1.93), had a low education level (1.36; 1.19–1.55), had a poor nutritional status (1.34; 1.09–1.65), and/or who were living in a high-altitude area (1.59; 1.32–1.91) were at a higher risk of SDD.

Conclusions for Practice

Children with a low birth weight and/or asphyxia during birth had a high risk of DD. SDD monitoring of children by community health workers and/or by developing outreach strategies, especially in underserved regions, should be considered. In addition, developing policies and guidelines, and intervention for high-risk children ought to be conducted to reduce the subsequent problems caused by the late detection of DD.
Recent Trends in Plasma-Assisted CO2 Methanation: A Critical Review of Recent Studies
Authors: Ullah Sana , Gao Yuan , Dou Liguang , Liu Yadi , Shao Tao , Yang Yunxia , Murphy Anthony B.
Published: November 2023

In recent years, enormous efforts have been devoted to alleviating global energy demand and the climate crisis. This has instigated the search for alternative energy sources with a reduced carbon footprint. Catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 to CH4, known as the methanation reaction, is a pathway to utilise CO2 and renewable hydrogen simultaneously. However, owing to the high stability of CO2 and thermodynamic limitations at higher temperatures, the methanation process is energy intensive. Non-thermal plasma technology has recently emerged as a promising approach to lowering the activation temperature of CO2. The application of a plasma coupled with catalytic materials allows the methanation reaction to occur at or near ambient conditions, with dielectric barrier discharges providing superior performance. The review considers the various catalytic materials applied for plasma-assisted catalytic CO2 methanation and assesses CO2 conversion, CH4 yield and fuel production efficiency obtained. The importance of reactor designs and process parameters are discussed in detail. The possible reaction pathways are considered based on in-situ and other diagnostics and modelling studies. Finally, a perspective on current barriers and opportunities for advances in non-thermal plasma technology for CO2 methanation is presented.
Surgical prioritization based on decision model outcomes is not sensitive to differences between the health-related quality of life values estimates of physicians and citizens
Authors: van Alphen Anouk M. I. A. , Krijkamp Eline M. , Gravesteijn Benjamin Y. , Baatenburg de Jong Robert J. , Busschbach Jan J.
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Decision models can be used to support allocation of scarce surgical resources. These models incorporate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) values that can be determined using physician panels. The predominant opinion is that one should use values obtained from citizens. We investigated whether physicians give different HRQoL values to citizens and evaluate whether such differences impact decision model outcomes.

Methods

A two-round Delphi study was conducted. Citizens estimated HRQoL of pre- and post-operative health states for ten surgeries using a visual analogue scale. These values were compared using Bland–Altman analysis with HRQoL values previously obtained from physicians. Impact on decision model outcomes was evaluated by calculating the correlation between the rankings of surgeries established using the physicians’ and the citizens’ values.

Results

A total of 71 citizens estimated HRQoL. Citizens’ values on the VAS scale were − 0.07 points (95% CI − 0.12 to − 0.01) lower than the physicians’ values. The correlation between the rankings of surgeries based on citizens’ and physicians’ values was 0.96 (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Physicians put higher values on health states than citizens. However, these differences only result in switches between adjacent entries in the ranking. It would seem that HRQoL values obtained from physicians are adequate to inform decision models during crises.
Topology-driven goodness-of-fit tests in arbitrary dimensions
Authors: Dłotko Paweł , Hellmer Niklas , Stettner Łukasz , Topolnicki Rafał
Published: November 2023

This paper adopts a tool from computational topology, the Euler characteristic curve (ECC) of a sample, to perform one- and two-sample goodness of fit tests. We call our procedure TopoTests. The presented tests work for samples of arbitrary dimension, having comparable power to the state-of-the-art tests in the one-dimensional case. It is demonstrated that the type I error of TopoTests can be controlled and their type II error vanishes exponentially with increasing sample size. Extensive numerical simulations of TopoTests are conducted to demonstrate their power for samples of various sizes.
EML4-ALK fusion protein in Lung cancer cells enhances venous thrombogenicity through the pERK1/2-AP-1-tissue factor axis
Authors: Su Yanping , Yi Jiawen , Zhang Yuan , Leng Dong , Huang Xiaoxi , Shi Xinyu , Zhang Yuhui
Published: November 2023

Background

Accumulating evidence links the echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4)-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement to venous thromboembolism (VTE) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, the corresponding mechanisms remain unclear.

Method

High-throughput sequencing analysis of H3122 human ALK-positive NSCLC cells treated with ALK inhibitor/ dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was performed to identify coagulation-associated differential genes between EML4-ALK fusion protein inhibited cells and control cells. Sequentially, we confirmed its expression in NSCLC patients’ tissues and in the plasma of a subcutaneous xenograft mouse model. An inferior vena cava (IVC) ligation model was used to assess clot formation potential. Additionally, pathways involved in tissue factor (TF) regulation were explored in ALK-positive cell lines H3122 and H2228. Statistical significance was determined by Student t-test and one-way ANOVA using SPSS.

Results

Sequencing analysis identified a significant downregulation of TF after inhibiting EML4-ALK fusion protein activity in H3122 cells. In clinical NSCLC cases, TF expression was increased especially in ALK-positive NSCLC tissues. Meanwhile, H3122 and H2228 with high TF expression exhibited shorter plasma clotting time and higher TF activity versus ALK-negative H1299 and A549 in cell culture supernatant. Mice bearing H2228 tumor showed a higher concentration of tumor-derived TF and TF activity in plasma and the highest adjusted IVC clot weights. Limiting EML4-ALK protein phosphorylation downregulated extracellular regulated protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2)-activating the protein-1(AP-1) signaling pathway and thus attenuated TF expression.

Conclusion

EML4-ALK fusion protein may enhance venous thrombogenicity by regulating coagulation factor TF expression. There was potential involvement of the pERK1/2-AP-1 pathway in this process.
Virtue Ethics and the Morality System
Authors: Queloz Matthieu , van Ackeren Marcel
Published: November 2023

Virtue ethics is frequently billed as a remedy to the problems of deontological and consequentialist ethics that Bernard Williams identified in his critique of “the morality system.” But how far can virtue ethics be relied upon to avoid these problems? What does Williams’s critique of the morality system mean for virtue ethics? To answer this question, we offer a more principled characterisation of the defining features of the morality system in terms of its organising ambition—to shelter life against luck. This reveals the system to be multiply realisable: the same function can be served by substantively different but functionally equivalent ideas. After identifying four requirements that ethical thought must meet to function as a morality system, we show that they can also be met by certain constellations of virtue-ethical ideas, including notably Stoicism. We thereby demonstrate the possibility of virtue-ethical morality systems raising problems analogous to those besetting their deontological and consequentialist counterparts. This not only widens the scope of Williams’s critique and brings out the cautionary aspect of his legacy for virtue ethics; it also offers contemporary virtue ethicists a more principled understanding of the functional features that mark out morality systems and lie at the root of their problems, thereby helping them avoid or overcome these problems.
Identification of m6A-associated genes as prognostic and immune-associated biomarkers in Wilms tumor
Authors: Zhuo Yingquan , Zhang Wengqi , Du Jun , Jiang Hua , Chen Guangtang , Feng Xiaoyun , Gu Huajian
Published: November 2023

Objectives

Wilms tumor (WT) is a common renal malignant tumor in children. We aimed to investigate the potential prognostic value of m6A-related genes and their relationship to the immune microenvironment in WT.

Methods

RNA-seq data and clinical information from 121 WT and 6 normal samples were obtained from the University of California Santa Cruz Xena database. We used various bioinformatics analysis tools to analyze these data and verify the expression level of m6A-related genes by experiments.

Results

Four m6A-related genes were successfully screened, including ADGRG2, CPD, CTHRC1, and LRTM2. Kaplan–Meier survival curves showed that the four genes were closely related to the prognosis of WT, which was also confirmed by receiver operator characteristic curves. Subsequently, in the immune microenvironment of WT, we discovered that Th1_cells were positively correlated with ADGRG2, CCR was negatively correlated with CPD, CCR was positively correlated with CTHRC1, APC_co_stimulation, CCR, Macrophages, inflammation-promoting cells, Treg, and Type_II_IFN_Reponse were negatively correlated with LRTM2. Finally, qRT-PCR showed that expression levels of the four genes were upregulated in the nephroblastoma cell lines (G-401, SK-NEP-1, and WT-CLS1) compared with the human embryonic kidney cell lines (293T).

Conclusions

Taken together, our study first time screened the m6A-related genes and revealed that ADGRG2, CPD, CTHRC1, and LRTM2 are the prognostic and immune-associated biomarkers in WT.
l-Palmitoylcarnitine potentiates plasmin and tPA to inhibit thrombosis
Authors: Yang Juan , Cha Lina , Wang Yepeng , Zhang Quan , Tang Xiaopeng , Shao Jianlin , Duan Zilei
Published: November 2023

l-Palmitoylcarnitine (L-PC) is an important endogenous fatty acid metabolite. Its classical biological functions are involved in the regulations of membrane molecular dynamics and the β-oxidation of fatty acids. Decreased plasma long-chain acylcarnitines showed the association of venous thrombosis, implying anticoagulant activity of the metabolites and inspiring us to investigate if and how L-PC, a long-chain acylcarnitine, takes part in coagulation. Here we show that L-PC exerted anti-coagulant effects by potentiating the enzymatic activities of plasmin and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). L-PC directly interacts with plasmin and tPA with an equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) of 6.47 × 10–9 and 4.46 × 10–9 M, respectively, showing high affinities. In mouse model, L-PC administration significantly inhibited FeCl3-induced arterial thrombosis. It also mitigated intracerebral thrombosis and inflammation in a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) mouse model. L-PC induced little bleeding complications. The results show that L-PC has anti-thrombotic function by potentiating plasmin and tPA.

Graphical Abstract
Psychisches Wohlbefinden als Prädiktor der frühen körperlichen Gebrechlichkeit
Authors: Lozza-Fiacco Serena , Grötsch Maria , Stute Petra , Ehlert Ulrike
Published: November 2023

Nur wenige Studien untersuchten Schutzfaktoren für körperliche Gebrechlichkeit und ihren Zusammenhang mit ersten pathologischen Veränderungen. Der Fokus wurde auf frühe Gebrechlichkeitsmarker und ihre Verbindung zum psychischen Wohlbefinden gesetzt. Da psychisches Wohlbefinden die Stressbewältigung beeinflusst und Stress das Gebrechlichkeitsrisiko erhöhen kann, wurde zusätzlich untersucht, ob chronischer Stress die Beziehung zwischen Wohlbefinden und Gebrechlichkeit erklärt. Insgesamt wurden 532 gesunde Erwachsene (49,44 % Frauen; Durchschnittsalter: 54,36 Jahre; Bereich: 40–73) untersucht. Die Greifkraft (HGS) und der Lean-Body-Mass-Index (LBMI) wurden als Gebrechlichkeitsmarker untersucht. Selbst eingeschätzter chronischer Stress wurde als Stressindikator gemessen. Das psychische Wohlbefinden stand bei Männern (p < 0,001) und Frauen (p < 0,05) in einem positiven Zusammenhang mit der HGS, nicht aber mit dem LBMI. Bei Männern, aber nicht bei Frauen, wurde der Zusammenhang zwischen psychischem Wohlbefinden und HGS (95 %-KI [−0,2135, −0,0028]) teilweise durch selbstberichteten chronischen Stress vermittelt. Dies ist die erste Studie, die darauf hinweist, dass ein höheres psychisches Wohlbefinden mit einem günstigeren HGS einhergeht, und die auf einen geschlechtsspezifischen Einfluss von chronischem Stress hindeutet.
Gallium and germanium static and kinetic sorption and desorption studies on cerium dioxide nanoparticles
Authors: Ondrák Fialová Kateřina , Adámek Kryštof , Štamberg Karel , Šebesta Ferdinand , Vlk Martin , Kozempel Ján
Published: November 2023

Positron-emitting 68Ga has become an integral part of nuclear medicine. It is a radionuclide obtained from 68Ge/68Ga radionuclide generators. Apart from other qualities, it is a feature that have caused its growing popularity in medical practice. Nevertheless, the increasing demand for 68Ga supply results in the need of new and improved separation systems to obtain it. Hydrous oxides such as titanium or zirconium dioxide are usually the preferred separation materials, but other oxidic materials are under study. Thorough testing of the sorption behaviour is often overlooked in these studies, though it is indispensable for the applicability and suitability assessment. This work is focused on the sorption behaviour description of cerium dioxide prepared by calcination of ceric nitrate. Both batch and kinetic sorption experiments were conducted. Such a thorough study has never been carried out for this material. In batch experiments, the optimal conditions for separation of 68Ga and 68Ge were found. Kinetic experimental data were used for mathematical modelling. Six kinetic models derived from various rate-controlling processes were used and their applicability was demonstrated. The diffusion in an inert layer is the rate-controlling process of both gallium and germanium sorption and desorption. This model description of sorption kinetics will further enable us to optimise the sorption and desorption processes numerically. Thus far, it was found out that the prepared cerium dioxide can quantitatively adsorb germanium in very short time of 10 min from 1mM hydrochloric acid and the most convenient medium for 68Ge and 68Ga separation is 0.1 M hydrochloric acid.
Machine-Learning-Based Spam Mail Detector
Authors: Charanarur Panem , Jain Harsh , Rao G. Srinivasa , Samanta Debabrata , Sengar Sandeep Singh , Hewage Chaminda Thushara
Published: November 2023

The proliferation of spam emails, a predominant form of online harassment, has elevated the significance of email in daily life. As a consequence, a substantial portion of individuals remain vulnerable to fraudulent activities. Despite Gmail’s “spam mail filtration system,” its effectiveness is not absolute. It occasionally misclassifies legitimate messages, leading to their confinement in the spam folder, or overlooks potentially harmful spam emails. This results in the occurrence of false positives. This research scrutinizes the historical data, cookies, caches, Session Restores, flash artifacts, and super cookies of Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome on the Windows 10 platform. Data was collected through Google, Firefox, and Internet Explorer, operating within the Windows 10 environment. It has been observed that browsers store user behavior data on the host computer’s hard drive. The implications of this study hold substantial value for computer forensics researchers, law enforcement professionals, and digital forensics experts. The study leverages Python, alongside pertinent libraries such as pandas, Numpy, Matplotlib, scikit-learn, and flask, to facilitate its investigation. The experiment result and analysis show KN and NB algorithms have the best accuracy and precision score compared to other Algorithms.
Finerenone and other future therapeutic options for Alport syndrome
Authors: Pearce Helen , Mabillard Holly
Published: November 2023

Alport syndrome is a rare genetic disease that results in disordered basement membrane type IV collagen resulting in haematuria, proteinuria and often development of renal fibrosis leading to progressive kidney disease. The therapeutic blockage of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which slows the progression to kidney failure, is supported by strong evidence. Recent clinical trials using sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA) in patients with chronic kidney disease have changed the therapeutic landscape. Patients with Alport syndrome and progressive kidney disease may benefit from treatment with MRAs because research has shown that these drugs are nephroprotective through a variety of mechanisms, including by preventing fibrosis. Ongoing clinical trials show great promise in order to help establish the long-term safety and efficacy of Finerenone, a MRA. This review discusses the evidence for the use of MRAs as a potential treatment in Alport syndrome that may slow the progression of chronic kidney disease and prevent patients reaching kidney failure.
Decentralized research technology use in multicenter clinical research studies based at U.S. academic research centers
Authors: Cummins Mollie R. , Burr Jeri , Young Lisa , Yeatts Sharon D. , Ecklund Dixie J. , Bunnell Brian E. , Dwyer Jamie P. , VanBuren John M.
Published: November 2023

Introduction:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, research organizations accelerated adoption of technologies that enable remote participation. Now, there’s a pressing need to evaluate current decentralization practices and develop appropriate research, education, and operations infrastructure. The purpose of this study was to examine current adoption of decentralization technologies in a sample of clinical research studies conducted by academic research organizations (AROs).

Methods:

The setting was three data coordinating centers in the U.S. These centers initiated coordination of 44 clinical research studies during or after 2020, with national recruitment and enrollment, and entailing coordination between one and one hundred sites. We determined the decentralization technologies used in these studies.

Results:

We obtained data for 44/44 (100%) trials coordinated by the three centers. Three technologies have been adopted across nearly all studies (98–100%): eIRB, eSource, and Clinical Trial Management Systems. Commonly used technologies included e-Signature (32/44, 73%), Online Payments Portals (26/44, 59%), ePROs (23/44, 53%), Interactive Response Technology (22/44, 50%), Telemedicine (19/44, 43%), and eConsent (18/44, 41%). Wearables (7/44,16%) and Online Recruitment Portals (5/44,11%) were less common. Rarely utilized technologies included Direct-to-Patient Portals (1/44, 2%) and Home Health Nurse Portals (1/44, 2%).

Conclusions:

All studies incorporated some type of decentralization technology, with more extensive adoption than found in previous research. However, adoption may be strongly influenced by institution-specific IT and informatics infrastructure and support. There are inherent needs, responsibilities, and challenges when incorporating decentralization technology into a research study, and AROs must ensure that infrastructure and informatics staff are adequate.
Animal model considerations for medical countermeasure development for radiation and sulfur mustard exposures
Authors: Jackson Isabel Lauren , Doyle-Eisele Melanie
Published: November 2023

Development of medical countermeasures (MCM) to mitigate and/or treat the pulmonary complications associated with exposure to chemical, radiological, and/or nuclear weapons is a United States (U.S.) national public health preparedness posture priority. Pulmonary exposure to either sulfur mustard vapor or radiation causes oxidative damage, vascular injury, hyperinflammation, and pro-fibrotic signaling cascades that lead to life-threatening and potentially debilitating lung disease. There is no MCM currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to mitigate and/or treat lung injury caused by sulfur mustard or radiation exposure. Thus, there remains a major unmet public health need for development of threat-agnostic, host-directed therapeutics that target common pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the progression of acute and/or late lung injury independent of the etiology of disease. This review describes the clinical manifestations and underlying mechanisms of sulfur mustard and radiation-induced lung injury and regulatory considerations for MCM development under the non-traditional Animal Rule pathway.
Measuring the global 21-cm signal with the MWA-II: improved characterisation of lunar-reflected radio frequency interference
Authors: Tiwari Himanshu , McKinley Benjamin , Trott Cathryn M. , Thyagarajan Nithyanandan
Published: November 2023

Radio interferometers can potentially detect the sky-averaged signal from the Cosmic Dawn (CD) and the Epoch of Reionisation (EoR) by studying the Moon as a thermal block to the foreground sky. The first step is to mitigate the Earth-based radio frequency interference (RFI) reflections (Earthshine) from the Moon, which significantly contaminate the FM band

$\approx 88-110$

MHz, crucial to CD-EoR science. We analysed Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) phase I data from 72 to 180 MHz at 40 kHz resolution to understand the nature of Earthshine over three observing nights. We took two approaches to correct the Earthshine component from the Moon. In the first method, we mitigated the Earthshine using the flux density of the two components from the data, while in the second method, we used simulated flux density based on an FM catalogue to mitigate the Earthshine. Using these methods, we were able to recover the expected Galactic foreground temperature of the patch of sky obscured by the Moon. We performed a joint analysis of the Galactic foregrounds and the Moon’s intrinsic temperature

$(T_{\mathrm{Moon}})$

while assuming that the Moon has a constant thermal temperature throughout three epochs. We found

$T_{\mathrm{Moon}}$

to be at

$184.4\pm{2.6}\,\mathrm{K}$

and

$173.8\pm{2.5}\,\mathrm{K}$

using the first and the second methods, respectively, and the best-fit values of the Galactic spectral index

$(\alpha)$

to be within the 5% uncertainty level when compared with the global sky models. Compared with our previous work, these results improved constraints on the Galactic spectral index and the Moon’s intrinsic temperature. We also simulated the Earthshine at MWA between November and December 2023 to find suitable observing times less affected by the Earthshine. Such observing windows act as Earthshine avoidance and can be used to perform future global CD-EoR experiments using the Moon with the MWA.
Decolonization and Theatre History
Authors: Nicholson Rashna Darius
Published: November 2023

‘Decolonization’ has superseded ‘postcolonial’ as the most compelling catchword of the present moment. Broadly speaking, the term possesses two parallel genealogies: African decolonization and Latin American decoloniality. But where are Asian territories such as India and Hong Kong, and, more specifically, fields such as theatre history, located in the debate? This article analyzes the stakes and struggles, inner contradictions and blind spots, involved in decolonizing or decentring the curriculum. It asks whether the decolonial temporalities of our time constitute an adequate lens to theorize theatre history by firstly examining the term’s misuse by popular historians, media, and government; and, second, by interrogating a spectrum of positions on ‘Indian Theatre’ from the nineteenth century onwards. Through this double focus, the article probes the scholarly possibilities for undoing the dominant mode when the ‘decolonization trope itself becomes a tool for colonization’.
The 2023 Theatre Olympics in Budapest
Authors: Shevtsova Maria
Published: November 2023

The account here is in the spirit of the short pieces that periodically used to appear under the rubric ‘Reports and Announcements’ at the back of New Theatre Quarterly. Its purpose is to invite the journal’s readers from all over the world – and they are truly from across our whole planet – to be aware of the very existence of a major theatre event of socio-historical and artistic significance to our shared field of interest; and to give them some insight into the evolution of this event in its interface with political and social change, which, in the current times, have become increasingly brutal. The theatre field is vast, as vast and varied as the approaches and perspectives within it, the positions long held, shifting, or newly taken, and the stakes at play, differently for different people in different political, social, and cultural contexts. The Theatre Olympics, established in 1995, seek to pay tribute to, and activate interaction between, the multifarious humanity that makes theatre and is embodied in it.
Reformulation techniques for automated planning: a systematic review
Authors: Alarnaouti Diaeddin , Baryannis George , Vallati Mauro
Published: November 2023

Automated planning is a prominent area of Artificial Intelligence and an important component for intelligent autonomous agents. A cornerstone of domain-independent planning is the separation between planning logic, that is the automated reasoning side, and the knowledge model, that encodes a formal representation of domain knowledge needed to reason upon a given problem to synthesize a solution plan. Such a separation enables the use of reformulation techniques, which transform how a model is represented in order to improve the efficiency of plan generation. Over the past decades, significant research effort has been devoted to the design of reformulation techniques. In this paper, we present a systematic review of the large body of work on reformulation techniques for classical planning, aiming to provide a holistic view of the field and to foster future research in the area. As a tangible outcome, we provide a qualitative comparison of the existing classes of techniques, that can help researchers gain an overview of their strengths and weaknesses.
What is Direct Evidence-Based Policy-Making? Experience from the Drug Benefits Program for Seniors in British Columbia
Authors: Maclure Malcolm , Potashnik Tanya M.
Published: November 2023

Drug benefits policy-making for seniors in British Columbia has been increasingly influenced by research since 1993. The "evidence-based medicine" paradigm, which emphasizes the primacy of direct evidence from randomized control trials, inspired key policy-makers and influenced policy concerning coverage of new and existing drugs. New drugs, if more expensive than existing similar drugs, are not covered unless published randomized control trials show superior effectiveness. Indirect evidence of effectiveness, based on surrogates, is given less weight, and non-randomized studies are rarely considered. Evidence of cost-effectiveness of new drugs is reviewed separately. For existing drugs, a new reimbursement policy, Reference Based Pricing (RBP), was introduced, based on both direct and indirect evidence of comparative effectiveness of drugs. Implementation of RBP was complex and necessarily rapid, which meant that independent systematic review of evidence relevant to implementation issues was infeasible, particularly in regard to rapid prior authorization of exemptions to RBP. Contrasts between the processes for new and existing drugs provide insights into the difficulties of applying the idea of direct evidence-based policy-making in practice.
The connection between dreaming, the brain and mental functioning: where are we now?
Authors: Palagini Laura , Antrobus John S. , Kay Daniel B.
Published: November 2023

Dreaming has always aroused our curiosity. Theories as to the cause and function of dreams have been described since the beginning of recorded history (George 2020). In the late 19th century, experimental psychologists and psychologically-minded researchers from other disciplines made important methodological contibutions, emptical observations, and conceptual developments to the study of dreams (e.g., Jastrow, 1888; Manacéïne, 1897; De Sanctis, 1899; Vold, 1897). At the end of the 19th century, Mary Whiton Calkins and her female students made pioneering advancements in the psychological science of dreams (Calkins 1893; Weed et al. 1896). Freud’s psychoanalytic theory soon overshadowed these groundbreaking empirical works as the interpretation of dream content and their presumed reflections of the unconscious mind became the focus. The detection of rapid eye movements during sleep in 1953 and the suggestion that dreams occurred exclusively during this newly defined sleep state electrified the field of dream research (Aserinsky and Kleitman 1953; Dement and Kleitman 1957). Although eye movements (Ladd, 1892), increased brain pulsations (Mosso, 1881), and electroencephalographic patterns (Loomis et al., 1937; Davis et al., 1938) had been previously argued to empirically correspond to dreaming, this discovery catalyzed the first “Meeting of Researchers in the Field of EEG and Dreams” at the University of Chicago in 1961 organized by psychologist Allan Rechtschaffen (Association for the Psychophysiological Study of Sleep Records). Renamed the Annual Meeting of the Association of the Psychophysiological Study of Sleep in subsequent years, these early meetings consisted principally of psychiatrists and psychologists, most of whom with interests in dream research. Among them, John Antrobus, Rosalind Cartwright, G. William Domhoff, David Foulkes, Donald R. Goodenough, Calvin S. Hall, Ernest Hartmann and Joe Kamiya, made valuable contributions to our understanding of dreaming through decades of psychological research (Antrobus, 1992; Domhoff and Kamyia, 1964; Ellman and Antrobus, 1991; Foulkes, 1966, 1985; Goodenough et al., 1965; Hall and Van de Castle, 1966; Hartmann, 2010). While David Foulkes tirelessly advocated for his vision of a descriptive and explanitory dream psychology, Rosalind Cartwright developed an applied vision for the field outlining over 100 dream-related questions that remain pertinent to sleep psychology (Cartwright 1977, 1978, 2010). With the rise of sleep medicine and the vicissitudes of funding, dream research drifted to the fringe of sleep research by the end of the 1980s (Foulkes 1996). Nevertheless, dreaming remains a central topic of sleep psychology, and many questions remain to be answered.
The Variation of Ionospheric O+ and H+ Outflow on Storm Timescales
Authors: Nowrouzi N. , Kistler L. M. , Zhao K. , Lund E. J. , Mouikis C. , Payne G. , Klecker B.
Published: November 2023

Geomagnetic storms are primarily driven by stream interaction regions (SIRs) and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Since SIR and CME storms have different solar wind and magnetic field characteristics, the magnetospheric response may vary accordingly. Using FAST/TEAMS data, we investigate the variation of ionospheric O+ and H+ outflow as a function of geomagnetic storm phase during SIR and CME magnetic storms. The effects of storm size and solar EUV flux, including solar cycle and seasonal effects, on storm time ionospheric outflow, are also investigated. The results show that for both CME and SIR storms, the O+ and H+ fluences peak during the main phase, and then declines in the recovery phase. However, for CME storms, there is also significant increase during the initial phase. Because the outflow starts during the initial phase in CME storms, there is time for the O+ to reach the plasma sheet before the start of the main phase. Since plasma is convected into the ring current from the plasma sheet during the main phase, this may explain why more O+ is observed in the ring current during CME storms than during SIR storms. We also find that outflow fluence is higher for intense storms than moderate storms and is higher during solar maximum than solar minimum.
Evaluation of Summer Non‐Uniform Multidecadal Temperature Variations Over Eurasia in CMIP6 Models
Authors: Hu Yuhan , Hua Wenjian
Published: November 2023

The summer surface air temperatures (SAT) over Eurasia exhibit a non‐uniform multidecadal pattern since the 1990s, with amplified warming over Europe–West Asia (EWA) and Northeast Asia (NEA) but weak warming over Central Asia. However, current climate models may inadequately capture this regional pattern. In this study, we evaluated the performance of 44 coupled models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) in simulating the decadal variability of Eurasian temperatures. Results show that all the CMIP6 models generally reproduce the largest SAT trends from 1985 to 2020 over EWA and NEA. However, the models fail to capture the non‐uniform warming pattern and the SAT magnitudes are underestimated in most CMIP6 models. We compare “good” and “poor” ensemble, which represent the best and worst simulations of the non‐uniform warming, in order to understand the inter‐model spread. The BMME models capture the teleconnection wave trains from northwest Europe to East Asia, and the associated summer North Atlantic Oscillation like circulation changes. In contrast, the WMME models fail to reproduce such teleconnections. The contrast between the BMME and WMME simulations give a measure of confidence that the non‐uniform warming pattern over Eurasia is tightly coupled with the upper‐tropospheric wave‐like pattern over Eurasia. If such atmospheric circulation changes cannot be reproduced, the non‐uniform warming pattern over Eurasia will not be captured. Our results suggest a fundamental pattern of atmospheric circulation changes that determine the non‐uniform warming variations in model simulations.
Improving the Reliability of ML‐Corrected Climate Models With Novelty Detection
Authors: Sanford Clayton , Kwa Anna , Watt‐Meyer Oliver , Clark Spencer K. , Brenowitz Noah , McGibbon Jeremy , Bretherton Christopher
Published: November 2023

Using machine learning (ML) for the online correction of coarse‐resolution atmospheric models has proven effective in reducing biases in near‐surface temperature and precipitation rate. However, ML corrections often introduce new biases in the upper atmosphere and causes inconsistent model performance across different random seeds. Furthermore, they produce profiles that are outside the distribution of samples used in training, which can interfere with the baseline physics of the atmospheric model and reduce model reliability. This study introduces the use of a novelty detector to mask ML corrections when the atmospheric state is deemed out‐of‐sample. The novelty detector is trained on profiles of temperature and specific humidity in a semi‐supervised fashion using samples from the coarsened reference fine‐resolution simulation. The novelty detector responds to particularly biased simulations relative to the reference simulation by categorizing more columns as out‐of‐sample. Without novelty detection, corrective ML occasionally causes undesirably large climate biases. When coupled to a running year‐long coarse‐grid simulation, novelty detection deems about 21% of columns to be novelties. This identification reduces the spread in the root‐mean‐square error (RMSE) of time‐mean spatial patterns of surface temperature and precipitation rate across a random seed ensemble. In particular, the random seed with the worst RMSE is improved by up to 60% (depending on the variable) while the best seed maintains its low RMSE. By reducing the variance in quality of ML‐corrected climate models, novelty detection offers reliability without compromising prediction quality in atmospheric models.