bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association between magnesium, erythropoietin resistance and mortality: the Japanese Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (J-DOPPS)
Authors: Kato Sawako , Wang Jui , Onishi Yoshihiro , Nangaku Masaomi
Published: June 2024

Background

Limited data are now available to evaluate the relationship between serum magnesium level, anemia and mortality in the dialysis population.

Methods

Using data from the Japanese Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (J-DOPPS) phases 5 and 6, we analyzed the association between serum magnesium (s-Mg) levels and the erythropoiesis-stimulating agents resistance index (ERI) as the primary outcome. To estimate the longitudinal relationship, a mixed-effect model was used with ERI at each 4-month period as the dependent variable and quintiles of s-Mg at the previous 4-month period as the independent variable. We also examined incidence of infectious events, and the all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related deaths as secondary outcomes by Cox regression with quintiles of s-Mg at baseline.

Results

Of the 4776 participants in J-DOPPS, 1650 were included in the analysis. The median of s-Mg at baseline was 2.5 mg/dL. A significant linear association of s-Mg with ERI (P for trend <.001) was revealed. Low and high s-Mg levels were not associated with the clinical outcomes of interest, except for the highest quintile of s-Mg being significantly associated with lower incidence of all-cause mortality and CVD-related deaths compared with the middle (reference) quintile.

Conclusions

We observed that lower s-Mg levels subsequently induced higher ERI and that mild higher s-Mg levels were possibly associated with good rather than poor outcomes in Japanese hemodialysis patients. Adjustment of s-Mg levels may be proposed as a new strategy at a low cost and risk to reduce the risk of premature mortality.
Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Hemoglobinopathies Using Complete Blood Count Data
Authors: Schipper Anoeska , Rutten Matthieu , van Gammeren Adriaan , Harteveld Cornelis L , Urrechaga Eloísa , Weerkamp Floor , den Besten Gijs , Krabbe Johannes , Slomp Jennichjen , Schoonen Lise , Broeren Maarten , van Wijnen Merel , Huijskens Mirelle J A J , Koopmann Tamara , van Ginneken Bram , Kusters Ron , Kurstjens Steef
Published: June 2024

Background

Hemoglobinopathies, the most common inherited blood disorder, are frequently underdiagnosed. Early identification of carriers is important for genetic counseling of couples at risk. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a novel machine learning model on a multicenter data set, covering a wide spectrum of hemoglobinopathies based on routine complete blood count (CBC) testing.

Methods

Hemoglobinopathy test results from 10 322 adults were extracted retrospectively from 8 Dutch laboratories. eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) and logistic regression models were developed to differentiate negative from positive hemoglobinopathy cases, using 7 routine CBC parameters. External validation was conducted on a data set from an independent Dutch laboratory, with an additional external validation on a Spanish data set (n = 2629) specifically for differentiating thalassemia from iron deficiency anemia (IDA).

Results

The XGB and logistic regression models achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) of 0.88 and 0.84, respectively, in distinguishing negative from positive hemoglobinopathy cases in the independent external validation set. Subclass analysis showed that the XGB model reached an AUROC of 0.97 for β-thalassemia, 0.98 for α0-thalassemia, 0.95 for homozygous α+-thalassemia, 0.78 for heterozygous α+-thalassemia, and 0.94 for the structural hemoglobin variants Hemoglobin C, Hemoglobin D, Hemoglobin E. Both models attained AUROCs of 0.95 in differentiating IDA from thalassemia.

Conclusions

Both the XGB and logistic regression model demonstrate high accuracy in predicting a broad range of hemoglobinopathies and are effective in differentiating hemoglobinopathies from IDA. Integration of these models into the laboratory information system facilitates automated hemoglobinopathy detection using routine CBC parameters.
Potential exposure of honey bees to neonicotinoid seed treatments in US rice
Authors: Bateman Nicholas Ryan , Thrash Benjamin C , Crow Whitney D , Towles Tyler B , Cook Don R , Lorenz Gus M , Gore Jeffrey
Published: June 2024

Neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments are commonly used in rice (Oryza sativa) production to control rice water weevil (Lisorhoptrus oryzophilus). With the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments, there is potential that honey bees (Apis mellifera) could be exposed to neonicotinoids through translocation to the pollen. Studies were conducted in 2015 and 2016 to determine the level of neonicotinoids present in flag leaves, pollen, and grain of rice. Thiamethoxam was applied as a seed treatment and foliar prior to flooding. Clothianidin was applied as a seed treatment and as a foliar at a preflood and postflood timing. Subsamples of flag leaves, pollen, and grain were analyzed for positive neonicotinoid detections and abundance. Thiamethoxam was detected in 8.9% of samples and clothianidin was detected in 1.4% of samples. For both thiamethoxam and clothianidin, more positive samples were observed in flag leaf samples than in pollen or grain. An average of 4.30 ng/g of thiamethoxam was detected in flag leaves from seed-applied thiamethoxam. An average of 1.25 ng/g of clothianidin was found in flag leaves from a preflood application of clothianidin. A survey of honey bees present in rice fields was conducted in Mississippi and Arkansas to determine the abundance of honey bees present in rice fields based on the time of day. Honey bee densities were low in rice, with less than 5% and 3% positive detections observed in Mississippi and Arkansas, respectively. More positive detections and higher densities of honey bees were observed for mid-day sampling than for morning or evening sampling.
Spatial disparities in access to NHS dentistry: a neighbourhood-level analysis in England
Authors: Clark Stephen D
Published: June 2024

Over the past decade, access to National Health Service (NHS) dentistry in England has been problematic. There are increasing media reports of patients being unable to find treatment at a local NHS dentist. However, the extent of this issue varies by location and by the characteristics of the neighbourhood. The study uses official data sources on NHS dental provision and population. Travel accessibility is measured using car journey times. An advanced form of Floating Catchment Area accessibility is used, which accounts for supply competition, varying catchments, and distance decay. Spatial availability and accessibility indices are calculated. Ways in which the method can be used to explore various types of ‘what-if’ scenarios are outlined. Both availability and accessibility vary by the level of neighbourhood deprivation and the urban/rural nature of the neighbourhood. A case study, based on a real-world situation, shows the impact on the local neighbourhood of the closure of a dental practice. For all neighbourhoods, NHS dental provision is generally less than would be needed to provide basic dental care. The interpretation of outputs needs to take account of edge-effects near to Scotland and Wales. Possible improvements include the inclusion of other modes of travel and the exclusion of the population that does not want to access NHS care.
Force Fluctuations During Role-Differentiated Bimanual Movements Reflect Cognitive Impairments in Older Adults: A Cohort Sequential Study
Authors: Rudisch Julian , Fröhlich Stephanie , Kutz Dieter F , Voelcker-Rehage Claudia
Published: June 2024

During role-differentiated bimanual movements (RDBM), an object is typically stabilized with 1 hand and manipulated with the other. RDBM require coupling both hands for coordinated action (achieved through interhemispheric connections), but also inhibition of crosstalk to avoid involuntary movements in the stabilizing hand. We investigated how healthy cognitive aging and mild cognitive impairments (MCI) affect force stabilization during an RDBM in a cohort sequential study design with up to 4 measurement points over 32 months. In total, 132 older adults (>80 years) participated in this study, 77 were cognitively healthy individuals (CHI) and 55 presented with MCI. Participants performed a visuomotor bimanual force-tracking task. They either produced a constant force with both hands (bimanual constant) or a constant force with 1 and an alternating force with the other hand (role-differentiated). We investigated force fluctuations of constant force production using the coefficient of variation (CV), detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), and sample entropy (SEn). Results showed higher CV and less complex variability structure (higher DFA and lower SEn) during the role-differentiated compared to the bimanual constant task. Furthermore, CHI displayed a more complex variability structure during the bimanual constant, but a less complex structure during the role-differentiated task than MCI. Interestingly, this complexity reduction was more pronounced in CHI than MCI individuals, suggesting different changes in the control mechanisms. Although understanding these changes requires further research, potential causes might be structural deteriorations leading to less efficient (intra- and interhemispheric) networks because of MCI, or an inability to appropriately divert the focus of attention.
Intraplate deformation during Gondwana breakup: a study of the Jurassic units of the Cañadón Asfalto Basin (extra-Andean Patagonia, Argentina)
Authors: Ruiz González V , Renda E M , Vizán H , Martín-Hernández F , Palencia-Ortas A , Osete M L
Published: June 2024

In this study, we present the results of palaeomagnetic research conducted on Jurassic units of the Cañadón Asfalto Basin (CAB) in Patagonia, formed during Gondwana breakup. This basin is a key locality for understanding intraplate deformation within Patagonia during the Jurassic. The nature of this basin has been a subject of debate, based on the dynamics of the blocks that constitute its depocentres. In this context, the palaeomagnetic study of the Jurassic units of this basin provides a unique methodology to characterize the tectonic motions of its crustal blocks during its formation and development. To achieve this, we collected 350 samples from 53 sites in the sedimentary units of Las Leoneras (ca. 189 Ma) and Cañadón Calcáreo Formations (ca. 160–157 Ma), as well as the volcanic Lonco Trapial Group (ca. 185–172 Ma). The palaeomagnetic results from the sedimentary units show a regional remagnetization due to hydrothermal activity that obliterated the original remanence and overprinted a new one, simultaneously imprinting a secondary remanence in the volcanic units of the Lonco Trapial Group. When comparing the direction of the palaeomagnetic pole obtained from the remagnetized units with respect to average poles of equivalent ages, it is observed that the remagnetization must have occurred during the Late Jurassic (ca. 145 Ma). The age range in which this process occurred (Oxfordian to Aptian) and the direction of the calculated pole dispute a monster polar shift postulated for Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous times. In addition, the primary magnetization recorded in the units of the Lonco Trapial Group indicates a counterclockwise rotation of the studied crustal blocks between 21° and 11°, which, in line with previous studies, refutes large-scale dextral motion along the Gastre Fault System since the Jurassic. Similar counterclockwise rotations of equivalent magnitudes are found along the units overlying the Palaeozoic Central Patagonian Igneous–Metamorphic Belt, which represents the opposite shear sense compared to the Jurassic units beyond this belt. This is interpreted as a reactivation of the Palaeozoic belt structures in the opposite sense, from transpressive during the Palaeozoic to transtensive during the Mesozoic.
Testimonials as motivators: the case of end-of-life conversations
Authors: Watts Judy , Moyer-Gusé Emily , Slater Michael D
Published: June 2024

Persuasive testimonials are common in commercial, nonprofit, and public health contexts. They pose challenges to existing theories of narrative persuasion because they are typically both narrative and overtly persuasive. Prior research has suggested testimonials may be effective with counter-attitudinal recipients by decreasing negative affective responses and increasing meaningful affect. Often, however, testimonials may address behaviors that are anxiety provoking rather than counter-attitudinal; prior research provides little theoretical or empirical guidance concerning message influence in the face of such anxiety. An experiment comparing a testimonial versus a non-narrative message advocating end-of-life conversations found that the testimonial message increased behavioral intentions via meaningful affect and self-efficacy. The testimonial did not decrease anxiety, and there was no differential impact on high versus low anxiety recipients. The authors conclude that a eudaimonic testimonial may serve as a motivator of behavior regardless of anxiety concerning the message topic, as well as a means of increasing self-efficacy.
Getting socialized but trying not to get stuck: early career professionals’ liminality in dual socialization processes
Authors: Woo DaJung , Acosta Rachel M
Published: June 2024

Early career professionals actively seek career advancement opportunities while undergoing socialization within their organizations. This study employs the concept of liminality to examine their experience of in-betweenness in dual socialization—simultaneous organizational socialization and vocational/organizational anticipatory socialization for the next career chapter. We conducted repeat interviews with 22 U.S. early career professionals (n = 65), employed full-time. This longitudinal study uncovers how participants construct liminality as either a planned or an emergent phase; factors contributing to their discursive tension in liminality over time; and how they communicatively manage the tension to move forward. We propose a refined model of socialization [Jablin, F. (2001). Organizational entry, assimilation, and exit. In F. Jablin & L. Putnam (Eds.), The new handbook of organizational communication (pp. 732–818). Sage], which integrates liminality as a phase in which individuals feel neither fully “in” nor “out” of their organization. This enhanced model theorizes dual socialization as dynamic and interconnected processes through permeable organizational boundaries, addressing the contemporary career landscape with an increasing number and types of employment options.
Shifting roles of community health workers in the prevention and management of noncommunicable disease during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review
Authors: Haregu Tilahun , Delobelle Peter , Shrestha Abha , Panniyammakal Jeemon , Thankappan Kavumpurathu Raman , Parasuraman Ganeshkumar , Schouw Darcelle , Ramalingam Archana , Issaka Ayuba , Cao Yingting , Levitt Naomi , Oldenburg Brian
Published: June 2024

Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a crucial role in the prevention and management of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The COVID-19 pandemic triggered the implementation of crisis-driven responses that involved shifts in the roles of CHWs in terms of delivering services for people with NCDs. Strategically aligning these shifts with health systems is crucial to improve NCD service delivery. The aim of this review was to identify and describe COVID-19-triggered shifting roles of CHWs that are promising in terms of NCD service delivery. We searched Ovid Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science and CABI for Global Health for relevant articles published between 1 January 2020 and 22 February 2022. Studies that were conducted within a COVID-19 context and focused on the shifted roles of CHWs in NCD service delivery were included. We used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to report the findings. A total of 25 articles from 14 countries were included in this review. We identified 12 shifted roles of CHWs in NCD service delivery during COVID-19, which can be categorized in three dimensions: ‘enhanced’ role of CHWs that includes additional tasks such as medication delivery; ‘extended’ roles such as the delivery of NCD services at household level and in remote communities; and ‘enabled’ roles through the use of digital health technologies. Health and digital literacy of people with NCDs, access to internet connectivity for people with NCDs, and the social and organizational context where CHWs work influenced the implementation of the shifted roles of CHWs. In conclusion, the roles of CHWs have shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic to include the delivery of additional NCD services at home and community levels, often supported by digital technologies. Given the importance of the shifting roles in the prevention and management of NCDs, adaptation and integration of these shifted roles into the routine activities of CHWs in the post-COVID period is recommended.
Examining the creation of synergy in community coalitions for smoke-free environments in Armenia and Georgia
Authors: Kegler Michelle C , Hayrumyan Varduhi , Dekanosidze Ana , Grigoryan Lilit , Torosyan Arevik , Sargsyan Zhanna , Sturua Lela , Bazarchyan Alexander , Berg Carla J
Published: June 2024

Community coalitions depend on their members to synergistically pool diverse resources, including knowledge and expertise, community connections and varied perspectives, to identify and implement strategies and make progress toward community health improvement. Several coalition theories suggest synergy is the key mechanism driving coalition effectiveness. The Community Coalition Action Theory (CCAT) asserts that synergy depends on how well coalitions engage their members and leverage their resources, which is influenced by coalition processes, member participation and satisfaction and benefits outweighing costs. The current study used mixed methods, including coalition member surveys (n = 83) and semi-structured interviews with leaders and members (n = 42), to examine the process of creating collaborative synergy in 14 community coalitions for smoke-free environments in Armenia and Georgia. Members, typically seven per coalition representing education, public health, health care and municipal administration sectors, spent an average of 16 hr/month on coalition-related work. Common benefits included making the community a better place to live and learning more about tobacco control. The greatest cost was attending meetings or events at inconvenient times. Members contributed various resources, including their connections and influence, skills and expertise and access to population groups and settings. Strong coalition processes, greater benefits and fewer costs of participation and satisfaction were correlated with leveraging of member resources, which in turn, was highly correlated with collaborative synergy. Consistent with CCAT, effective coalition processes created a positive climate where membership benefits outweighed costs, and members contributed their resources in a way that created collaborative synergy.
Citizens and Thieves: “Aryanization” in Wartime Varaždin
Authors: Huselja Alma
Published: June 2024

This work focuses on the so-called “Aryanization” projects of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in the town of Varaždin during World War II. In doing so, it finds the widespread dissemination of expropriated property in the town’s private and public spaces. While confiscated valuable property constituted a fundamental component of the state’s Aryanization campaigns and in Varaždin itself, the town council’s “Jewish department” (židovski odsjek) which handled expropriated property also received many requests for basic necessities from local “Aryans.” In examining the late interwar and wartime periods, this article shows that Varaždin was not destined to become the first town “cleansed of Jews” in the NDH, but rather a small group of motivated individuals instigated the persecution of “non-Aryans,” leading to deportations and the seizure of their property. Despite the indifference expressed by many local townspeople to the new state’s ideology, property expropriated by NDH authorities nevertheless became widely redistributed throughout the town. Racialized theft, as indicated by stolen property’s omnipresence in Varaždin’s spaces, quickly became normalized under the new regime. As this work argues, the NDH’s Aryanization campaigns provided the new state the opportunity to disseminate Ustaša ideology to the populace and potentially secure the loyalty of “Aryans” by implicating them in state-led violence and genocide through their participation in property redistribution.
Mapping and ‘stage-managing’ elections in the long eighteenth century: electoral culture, popular politics and the rhetoric of political space
Authors: Packham Kendra
Published: June 2024

This article uses diverse forms of electoral culture – including newspapers and magazines, election plays and ballads – to recover an overlooked aspect of perceptions of political corruption in the ‘pre-Reform’ era: the partisan control of electoral space. These forms also present new perspectives on the political engagement of voters and non-voters, showing how perceived spatial corruption was actively exposed to public view. In the process, the article unearths a multimedia precursor to Hogarth’s famous series on the ‘humours’ of an election, which combines text, mapping and visual satire to challenge the legitimacy of an election result, and how the dynamic interplay between drama and electoral culture – including the contemporary puppet play – helped to popularize opposition to the ‘stage-managing’ of elections. Election ‘mapping’ affords new avenues into the eighteenth century as an age both of perceived corruption and of active challenges to that corruption.
Patterns of declining zooplankton energy in the northeast Atlantic as an indicator for marine survival of Atlantic salmon
Authors: Tyldesley Emma , Banas Neil S , Diack Graeme , Kennedy Richard , Gillson Jonathan , Johns David G , Bull Colin
Published: June 2024

Return rates of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from the sea to European rivers have declined in recent decades. The first months at sea are critical for growth and survival; recent evidence suggests that reduced food availability may be a contributory factor to the observed declines. Here, zooplankton abundance data are used to derive a measure of prey energy available to forage fish prey of salmon during early marine migration. This zooplankton prey energy has significantly and dramatically declined over much of the northeast Atlantic, and specifically within key salmon migration domains, over the past 60 years. Marine return rates from a set of southern European populations are found to exhibit clustering not entirely predictable from geographical proximity. Variability in grouped return rates from these populations is correlated with zooplankton energy on a range of scales, demonstrating the potential use of zooplankton energy as an indicator of salmon marine survival. Comparison with environmental variables derived from ocean model reanalysis data suggests zooplankton energy is regulated by a combination of climate change impacts on ecosystem productivity and multi-decadal variability in water mass influence along the migration routes.
Near real-time patient experience feedback with data relay to providers: a systematic review of its effectiveness
Authors: Jesus Tiago S , Struhar Jan , Zhang Manrui , Lee Dongwook , Stern Brocha Z , Heinemann Allen W , Jordan Neil , Deutsch Anne
Published: June 2024

Near Real-Time Feedback (NRTF) on the patient’s experience with care, coupled with data relay to providers, can inform quality-of-care improvements, including at the point of care. The objective is to systematically review contemporary literature on the impact of the use of NRTF and data relay to providers on standardized patient experience measures. Six scientific databases and five specialty journals were searched supplemented by snowballing search strategies, according to the registered study protocol. Eligibility included studies in English (2015–2023) assessing the impact of NRTF and data relay on standardized patient-reported experience measures as a primary outcome. Eligibility and quality appraisals were performed by two independent reviewers. An expert former patient (Patient and Family Advisory Council and communication sciences background) helped interpret the results. Eight papers met review eligibility criteria, including three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and one non-randomized study. Three of these studies involved in-person NRTF prior to data relay (patient-level data for immediate corrective action or aggregated and peer-compared) and led to significantly better results in all or some of the experience measures. In turn, a kiosk-based NRTF achieved no better experience results. The remaining studies were pre-post designs with mixed or neutral results and greater risks of bias. In-person NRTF on the patient experience followed by rapid data relay to their providers, either patient-level or provider-level as peer-compared, can improve the patient experience of care. Reviewed kiosk-based or self-reported approaches combined with data relay were not effective. Further research should determine which approach (e.g. who conducts the in-person NRTF) will provide better, more efficient improvements and under which circumstances.
From Security-Space to Time-Race: Reimagining Borders and Migration in Global Politics
Authors: Zehfuss Maja , Vaughan-Williams Nick
Published: June 2024

In an apparent departure from responses to the so-called 2015 “migration” crisis, Ukrainians displaced by the war have been welcomed relatively unbureaucratically by European states. Yet, despite this, they are positioned as a problem to be solved, a disruption to the normal order and state system. This article asks what this problematization of “migrants” reveals about the dominant system of thought that assigns people to place and how it might it be possible to think beyond its limits. It starts by demonstrating that the “security-space” imaginary both excludes and relies upon highly problematic, concealed assumptions about time and race. It shows how questions of time and race continually haunt and disrupt the seemingly coherent and indomitable “security-space” way of thinking. Following a strategy of deconstruction, the article arrives at the counter-intuitive conclusion that this dominant problematization of migration is temporal and structured by a relation to the future. Building on existing critical literature produced by scholars of Geopolitics, International Relations, and International Political Sociology, it offers an alternative imaginary, “time-race,” which opens up new ground for reimagining borders and migration to overcome reproducing the never-ending cycle of “migration crises,” to which there is apparently no alternative.
Rejoicing, Mourning, and Empire: Emotions and History in Ancient Judaism
Authors: DeGolan Erez
Published: June 2024

This article critiques the appeal to psychological models as an interpretive gambit in the study of ancient Judaism. It shows how scholars ascribe an emotional profile to the ancient Jews to narrate the aftermath of the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE as a movement from mourning to joy. Then, the article models an alternative approach to emotions in ancient Jewish history by rereading a narrative on Jewish life under Roman rule in the Palestinian Talmud. Ultimately, the article seeks to demonstrate that although mourning and rejoicing are problematic as the scaffoldings of a meta-narrative of Jewish history, these categories nevertheless provide a new perspective on the political potency of emotions in the lives of religious minorities in the Roman empire.
Exploring the presence, genomic traits, and pathogenic potential of extended-spectrum β-lactamase Escherichia coli in freshwater, wastewater, and hospital effluents
Authors: Crettels Leslie , Burlion Nadine , Habets Audrey , Taminiau Bernard , Daube Georges , Delrée Elisa , Mouchette Anne-Françoise , Thiry Damien
Published: June 2024

Aims

The purpose of this work was to study extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) in freshwaters, hospital effluents, and wastewaters during two sampling campaigns in 2021.

Methods and results

Water sampling was performed at 24 stations in the Ourthe watershed in Belgium. A total of 644 ESBL (n = 642) and AmpC (n = 2) E. coli strains were isolated. Disk-diffusion assays were performed following the EUCAST’s recommendations. All strains were tested for the presence of blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-2, and blaCTX-M-9 gene groups by PCR. Genes belonging to blaCTX-M-1 and blaCTX-M-9 groups were detected, respectively, in 73.6% and 14.9% of the strains. No blaCTX-M-2 group’s gene was found. A subset of strains (n = 40) was selected for whole genome sequencing. Escherichia coli serotype O18: H7 ST 1463 was predominant (n = 14) in the sequenced strains and showed pathogenicity in the Galleria mellonella larvae model. β-lactamase genes identified were blaCTX-M (n = 21), with blaCTX-M-15 mostly represented (n = 15), as well as blaTEM (n = 11), blaOXA (n = 7), blaSHV (n = 9), and carbapenemase (CP) genes were observed in several strains—blaKPC-3 (n = 19), blaNDM-1 (n = 1), blaVIM-1 (n = 2), and blaOXA-244 (n = 2)—even from freshwaters.

Conclusions

ESBL-EC are widely distributed in the aquatic environment in Belgium and contain a variety of ESBL and CP genes.
Enhanced production of trans-cinnamic acid in Photorhabdus luminescens with homolog expression and deletion strategies
Authors: Ulgen Gokduman Funda , Yılmaz Semih , Bode Helge B
Published: June 2024

Aim

This study aimed to overproduce industrially relevant and safe bio-compound trans-cinnamic acid (tCA) from Photorhabdus luminescens with deletion strategies and homologous expression strategies that had not been applied before for tCA production.

Methods and Results

The overproduction of the industrially relevant compound tCA was successfully performed in P. luminescens by deleting stlB (TTO1ΔstlB) encoding a cinnamic acid CoA ligase in the isopropylstilbene pathway and the hcaE insertion (knockout) mutation (hcaE::cat) in the phenylpropionate catabolic pathway, responsible for tCA degradation. A double mutant of both stlB deletion and hcaE insertion mutation (TTO1DM ΔstlB-hcaE::cat) was also generated. These deletion strategies and the phenylalanine ammonium lyase-producing (PI-PAL from Photorhabdus luminescens) plasmid, pBAD30C, carrying stlA (homologous expression mutants) are utilized together in the same strain using different media, a variety of cultivation conditions, and efficient anion exchange resin (Amberlite IRA402) for enhanced tCA synthesis. At the end of the 120-h shake flask cultivation, the maximum tCA production was recorded as 1281 mg l−1 in the TTO1pBAD30C mutant cultivated in TB medium, with the IRA402 resin keeping 793 mg l−1 and the remaining 488 mg l−1 found in the supernatant.

Conclusion

TCA production was successfully achieved with homologous expression, coupled with deletion and insertion strategies. 1281 mg l−1is the highest tCA concentration that achieved by bacterial tCA production in flask cultivation, according to our knowledge.
Mulberry leaves supplementation alters lipid metabolism and promotes fatty acid β oxidation in growing mutton sheep
Authors: Cui Xiaopeng , Yang Yuxin , Zhang Minjuan , Bao Lijun , Jiao Feng , Liu Shuang , Wang Hexin , Wei Xinlan , Qian Wei , Shi Xiang , Su Chao , Qian Yonghua
Published: June 2024

Mulberry leaves (MLs) are an unconventional feed with fiber and various active ingredients, and are acknowledged as likely to regulate lipid metabolism, while the molecular mechanism remains undefined. Therefore, our objective was to define the role of MLs on the overall lipid metabolism. We conducted a feeding experiment of three groups on growing mutton sheep fed with dried mulberry leaves (DMLs), with fermented mulberry leaves (FMLs), or without MLs (as control). Analyses of transcriptome and widely target lipids demonstrated the addition of MLs triggered big perturbations in genes and metabolites related to glycerolipid, phospholipid, ether lipid, and sphingolipid metabolism. Additionally, the variations of the above lipids in the treatment of MLs possibly facilitate immunity enhancement of growing mutton sheep via the activation of complement and coagulation cascades. Furthermore, treatments with MLs could expedite proceedings of lipid degradation and fatty acid β oxidation in mitochondria, thereby to achieve the effect of lipid reduction. Besides, added DMLs also fuel fatty acid β-oxidation in peroxisomes and own much stronger lipolysis than added FMLs, possibly attributed to high fiber content in DMLs. These findings establish the novel lipid-lowering role and immune protection of MLs, which lays the foundation for the medicinal application of MLs.
Summer cave use by tricolored bats declined in response to white-nose syndrome despite persistence in winter hibernacula in the southeastern United States
Authors: Costley Tessa , Hopkins Skylar R , Meng Sophie , Gajewski Zachary , Niemiller Matthew L
Published: June 2024

Several bat species have experienced rapid population declines in the northern United States and Canada in response to the white-nose syndrome (WNS) epizootic. The pathogen has since spread across the United States, including the Southeast, where relatively warm temperatures may change host–pathogen interactions. In the cave-rich Tennessee–Alabama–Georgia (TAG) region, we examined the impacts of WNS and forest cover on the Tricolored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus) metapopulation using a long-term data set of 832 cave surveys conducted in summer and winter from 2004 to 2022. Most bat colonies were small (<30 individuals), and bats were more likely to be present and abundant in caves surrounded by high percent forest cover, reiterating the importance of forest management for bat conservation. When comparing the years before and after the pathogen arrived in 2010 to 2012, bat presence and abundance during winter hibernation did not change. This stability contrasts with significant declines in other studies, suggesting that Tricolored Bat populations respond differently to WNS in small colonies in the TAG region. Fewer tricolored bats used caves in the summer than during hibernation, but across all years, we observed 1,021 tricolored bats in 121 caves during summer surveys. Unlike stable winter trends, bat presence and abundance declined in the post-WNS period in summer, when cave use is optional. This first broad geographical analysis of summer cave use highlights a potentially important change in bat behavior. Disease surveillance and conservation efforts that target caves with relatively small Tricolored Bat colonies in winter and/or summer may be important for regional population persistence of this threatened species.
Pichia kudriavzevii as feed additive in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) diet
Authors: Agpoon I E P , Aya F A , Watanabe K , Bennett R M , Aki T , Dedeles G R
Published: June 2024

Yeasts are unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms extensively employed in various applications, notably as an alternative source of protein in feeds, owing to their nutritional benefits. Despite their potential, marine and mangrove yeast species used in the aquaculture industry have received little attention in the Philippines. Pichia kudriavzevii (A2B R1 ISO 3), sourced from bark samples, was selected and mass-produced due to its high protein content and amino acid profile. The dried biomass of P. kudriavzevii was incorporated into the diets of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) juveniles at varying inclusion levels (0, 1, 2, and 4 g/kg diet) and its effect on their growth performance, body composition, and liver and intestinal morphology was assessed after 40 days of feeding. The groups that received P. kudriavzevii at a concentration of 2 g/kg diet exhibited higher final body weight, percent weight gain, and specific growth rate in comparison to the other treatment groups. Whole body proximate composition did not vary among the dietary groups. Intestinal and liver histopathology also indicated no abnormalities. These findings suggest the potential of ascomycetous P. kudriavzevii as a beneficial feed additive in Nile tilapia diets, warranting further investigation into its long-term effects and broader applications in fish culture.
How the work being done on statistical fingerprint models provides the basis for a much broader and greater impact affecting many areas within the criminal justice system
Authors: Stoney David , Stoney Paul
Published: June 2024

In the process of developing and improving statistical models to address flaws in the examination and interpretation of highly selective fingermarks, the groundwork is being laid for a much broader and greater impact. This impact will arise from the use of these same improved statistical methods to exploit information from the examination of fingermarks with lower degrees of selectivity—those fingermarks traditionally considered to be devoid of evidentiary value. To the contrary, research has shown that fingermarks of lower selectivity have much to offer. They occur very frequently: much more often than those assessed to be sufficient for inclusion in existing fingerprint examination processes. In individual cases, they occur in locations and numbers that can provide important new information for investigators and additional routes to further investigation. As evidence contributing to proving a case, they can provide detailed activity-level information and new avenues to address the relevance and probative value of other direct and circumstantial evidence. The broader application of fingerprint models to these traditionally unused fingermarks of lower selectivity needs to be specifically developed and implemented to realize the contributions and to responsibly manage the risks and benefits.
On the Moral Problems Raised by the Existence of Personites
Authors: Montminy Martin , Russo Andrew
Published: June 2024

According to the worm theory, persons are (maximal) aggregates of person-stages existing at different times. Personites, on the other hand, are non-maximal aggregates of stages that are very much like persons. Their existence appears to make instances of prudential self-sacrifice morally problematic: the personites that exist at the time of the sacrifice but not at the time of the reward seem not to receive future compensation for their sacrifice. Instances of punishment appear to give rise to a similar problem. We argue that these impressions arise from a mistaken assumption about the primary bearers of properties such as suffering, receiving compensation (in the future) and having (previously) committed a crime. According to the worm theory, stages, rather than persons or personites, possess these properties. Persons and personites have these properties only derivatively. As we show, once this clarification and related ones are made, the apparent moral problems raised by the existence of personites dissolve.
I-band photometry of the quiescent black hole X-ray nova GROJ0422 + 32 = V518 Per: modelling of the orbital light curve and estimation of the black hole mass
Authors: Cherepashchuk A M , Khruzina T S , Atapin K E
Published: June 2024

We present new photometric observations of the X-ray nova GRO J0422 + 32 (V518 Per) carried out in the I$_c$ band over 14 nights in 2020–2023. We had to revise the orbital period of the system, the new value $P_{\rm orb}=5^{\rm h}04^{\rm m}35{_{.}^{\rm s}}50 \pm 0{_{.}^{\rm s}}04$ is about one minute shorter than the period by Webb et al. but close to the result reported earlier by Filippenko, Matheson & Ho. The obtained folded light curve has a regular shape with a clear ellipticity effect and signatures of a slight heating effect. The simulations of this light curve in terms of the model of an interacting binary system allowed us to estimate the orbital inclination $i = 33^\circ {\small --} 49^\circ$ of the system and derive masses of the black hole $M_x=(6.5\pm 2.9)\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ and companion star $M_v=(0.47\pm 0.21)\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$. This range of the black hole masses overlaps with the known gap of (2–5) M$_\odot$ in the distribution of compact objects masses but mostly it lies above the upper boundary of this gap. To obtain more precise estimates one needs to know the degree of heating of the donor star, so synchronous X-ray/optical observations of this system are desirable.
AstroCLIP: a cross-modal foundation model for galaxies
Authors: Parker Liam , Lanusse Francois , Golkar Siavash , Sarra Leopoldo , Cranmer Miles , Bietti Alberto , Eickenberg Michael , Krawezik Geraud , McCabe Michael , Morel Rudy , Ohana Ruben , Pettee Mariel , Régaldo-Saint Blancard Bruno , Cho Kyunghyun , Ho Shirley ,   The Polymathic AI Collaboration
Published: June 2024

We present AstroCLIP, a single, versatile model that can embed both galaxy images and spectra into a shared, physically meaningful latent space. These embeddings can then be used – without any model fine-tuning – for a variety of downstream tasks including (1) accurate in-modality and cross-modality semantic similarity search, (2) photometric redshift estimation, (3) galaxy property estimation from both images and spectra, and (4) morphology classification. Our approach to implementing AstroCLIP consists of two parts. First, we embed galaxy images and spectra separately by pre-training separate transformer-based image and spectrum encoders in self-supervised settings. We then align the encoders using a contrastive loss. We apply our method to spectra from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument and images from its corresponding Legacy Imaging Survey. Overall, we find remarkable performance on all downstream tasks, even relative to supervised baselines. For example, for a task like photometric redshift prediction, we find similar performance to a specifically trained ResNet18, and for additional tasks like physical property estimation (stellar mass, age, metallicity, and specific-star-formation rate), we beat this supervised baseline by 19 per cent in terms of R2. We also compare our results with a state-of-the-art self-supervised single-modal model for galaxy images, and find that our approach outperforms this benchmark by roughly a factor of two on photometric redshift estimation and physical property prediction in terms of R2, while remaining roughly in-line in terms of morphology classification. Ultimately, our approach represents the first cross-modal self-supervised model for galaxies, and the first self-supervised transformer-based architectures for galaxy images and spectra.
A novel analysis of contamination in Lyman-break galaxy samples at z ∼ 6-8: spatial correlation with intermediate-redshift galaxies at z ∼ 1.3-2
Authors: Hilmi Miftahul , Leethochawalit Nicha , Trenti Michele , Metha Benjamin
Published: June 2024

Potential contamination from low/intermediate-redshift galaxies, such as objects with a prominent Balmer break, affects the photometric selection of high-redshift galaxies through identification of a Lyman break. Traditionally, contamination is estimated from spectroscopic follow-up and/or simulations. Here, we introduce a novel approach to estimating contamination for Lyman-break galaxy (LBG) samples based on measuring spatial correlation with the parent population of lower redshift interlopers. We propose two conceptual approaches applicable to different survey strategies: a single large contiguous field and a survey consisting of multiple independent lines of sight. For a large single field, we compute the cross-correlation function between galaxies at redshift $z \sim 6$ and intermediate-redshift galaxies at $z \sim 1.3$. We apply the method to the CANDELS GOODS-S and XDF surveys and compare the measurement with simulated mock observations, finding that the contamination level in both cases is not measurable and lies below 5.5 per cent (at 90 per cent confidence). For random-pointing multiple field surveys, we measure instead the number count correlation between high-redshift galaxies and interlopers, as a two-point correlation analysis is not generally feasible. We show an application to the LBG samples at redshift $z \sim 8$ and the possible interloper population at $z \sim 2$ in the Brightest of Reionizing Galaxies (BoRG) survey. By comparing the Pearson correlation coefficient with the result from Monte Carlo simulations, we estimate a contamination fraction of $62^{+13}_{-39} \, \mathrm{ per}\, \mathrm{ cent}$, consistent with previous estimates in the literature. These results validate the proposed approach and demonstrate its utility as an independent check of contamination in photometrically selected samples of high-redshift galaxies.
The feasibility of weak lensing and 21cm intensity mapping cross-correlation measurements
Authors: Sangka Anut , Bacon David
Published: June 2024

One of the most promising probes to complement current standard cosmological surveys is the H i intensity map, i.e. the distribution of temperature fluctuations in neutral hydrogen. In this paper we present calculations of the two-point function between HI (at redshift $z\lt 1$) and lensing convergence ($\kappa$). We also construct HI intensity maps from N-body simulations, and measure two-point functions between HI and lensing convergence. HI intensity mapping requires stringent removal of bright foregrounds, including emission from our Galaxy. The removal of large-scale radial modes during this HI foreground removal will reduce the HI-lensing cross-power spectrum signal, as radial modes are integrated to find the convergence; here we wish to characterize this reduction in signal. We find that after a simple model of foreground removal, the cross-correlation signal is reduced by $\sim$50–70  per cent; we present the angular and redshift dependence of the effect, which is a weak function of these variables. We then calculate S/N of $\kappa$HI detection, including cases with cut sky observations, and noise from radio and lensing measurements. We present Fisher forecasts based on the resulting two-point functions; these forecasts show that by measuring $\kappa \Delta {T}_\mathrm{HI}$ correlation functions in a sufficient number of redshift bins, constraints on cosmology and HI bias will be possible.
Finding dusty AGNs from the JWST CEERS survey with mid-infrared photometry
Authors: Chien Tom C -C , Ling Chih-Teng , Goto Tomotsugu , Wu Cossas K -W , Kim Seong Jin , Hashimoto Tetsuya , Lin Yu-Wei , Kilerci Ece , Ho Simon C -C , Wang Po-Ya , Raquel Bjorn Jasper R
Published: June 2024

The nature of the interaction between active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and their host galaxies remains an unsolved question. Therefore, conducting an AGN census is valuable for AGN research. Nevertheless, a significant fraction of AGNs are obscured by their environment, which blocks UV and optical emissions due to the dusty torus surrounding the central supermassive black hole (SMBH). To overcome this challenge, mid-infrared (IR) surveys have emerged as a valuable tool for identifying obscured AGNs, as the obscured light is re-emitted in this range. With its high sensitivity, the JWST uncovered more fainter objects than previous telescopes. By applying the SED fitting, this work investigates AGN candidates in JWST Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) fields. We identified 42 candidates; 30 of them are classified as composites ($0.2\le f_{\text{AGN, IR}} < 0.5$), and 12 of them are AGNs ($f_{\text{AGN, IR}}\ge 0.5$). We report the AGN luminosity contributions and AGN number fractions as a function of redshift and total infrared luminosity, showing that previously reported increasing relations are not apparent in our sample due to the sample size. We also extend the previous results on ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs, $L_{\rm TIR}\ge 10^{12} L_{\odot }$) to less luminous AGNs, highlighting the power of JWST.