bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Post-Discharge Outcomes of Elderly Patients Hospitalized for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Flare Complicated by Clostridioides difficile Infection
Authors: Goren Idan , Fallek Boldes Ortal , Boldes Tomer , Knyazev Oleg , Kagramanova Anna , Limdi Jimmy K , Liu Eleanor , Sethi-Arora Karishma , Holvoet Tom , Eder Piotr , Bezzio Cristina , Saibeni Simone , Vernero Marta , Alimenti Eleonora , Chaparro María , Gisbert Javier P , Orfanoudaki Eleni , Koutroubakis Ioannis E , Pugliese Daniela , Cuccia Giuseppe , Calviño Suarez Cristina , Ribaldone Davide Giuseppe , Veisman Ido , Sharif Kassem , Aratari Annalisa , Papi Claudio , Mylonas Iordanis , Mantzaris Gerassimos J , Truyens Marie , Lobaton Ortega Triana , Nancey Stéphane , Castiglione Fabiana , Nardone Olga Maria , Calabrese Giulio , Karmiris Konstantinos , Velegraki Magdalini , Theodoropoulou Angeliki , Shitrit Ariella Bar-Gil , Lukas Milan , Vojtechová Gabriela , Ellul Pierre , Bugeja Luke , Savarino Edoardo V , Fischler Tali Sharar , Dotan Iris , Yanai Henit
Published: October 2024

Objectives

Elderly hospitalized patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) flare and concurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) are considered at high risk of IBD-related complications. We aimed to evaluate the short-,intermediate-, and long-term post-discharge complications among these patients.

Methods

A retrospective multicenter cohort study assessing outcomes of elderly individuals (≥60 years) hospitalized for an IBD flare who were tested for CDI (either positive or negative) and discharged. The primary outcome was the 3-month post-discharge IBD-related complication rates defined as steroid dependency, re-admissions (emergency department or hospitalization), IBD-related surgery, or mortality. We assessed post-discharge IBD-related complications within 6 month and mortality at 12 month among secondary outcomes. Risk factors for complication were assessed by multivariable logistic regression.

Results

In a cohort of 654 patients hospitalized for IBD {age 68.9 (interquartile range [IQR]): 63.9–75.2 years, 60.9% ulcerative colitis (UC)}, 23.4% were CDI-positive. Post-discharge complication rates at 3 and 6 months, and 12 months mortality, did not differ significantly between CDI-positive and CDI-negative patients (32% vs 33.1%, p = 0.8; 40.5% vs 42.5%, p = 0.66; and 4.6% vs 8%, p = 0.153, respectively). The Charlson comorbidity index was the only significant risk factor for complications within 3 months (aOR 1.1), whereas mesalamine (5-aminosalicylic acid [5-ASA]) use was protective (aOR 0.6). An UC diagnosis was the sole risk factor for complication at 6 months (aOR 1.5). Clostridioides difficile infection did not significantly impact outcomes or interact with IBD type.

Conclusions

In elderly IBD patients hospitalized for IBD flare and subsequently discharged, a concurrent CDI infection was not associated with post-discharge IBD-related complications or mortality up to 1 year.
The crystal structure of Nictaba reveals its carbohydrate-binding properties and a new lectin dimerization mode
Authors: Bloch Yehudi , Osterne Vinicius J S , Savvides Savvas N , Van Damme Els J M
Published: October 2024

Nictaba is a (GlcNAc)n-binding, stress-inducible lectin from Nicotiana tabacum that serves as a representative for the Nictaba-related lectins, a group of proteins that play pivotal roles in plant defense mechanisms and stress response pathways. Despite extensive research into biological activities and physiological role(s) of the lectin, the three-dimensional structure of Nictaba remained largely unknown. Here, we report crystal structures for Nictaba in the apo form and bound to chitotriose. The structures reveal that the Nictaba protomer has a jelly-roll fold, similar to the cucumber lectin Cus17, but exhibit a unique and previously unseen mode of dimerization. The chitotriose binding mode, similar to Cus17, centers around the central GlcNAc residue, providing insights into the determinants of specificity of Nictaba towards carbohydrate structures. By integrating these structural insights with inputs from glycan arrays, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations, we propose that Nictaba employs a single carbohydrate-recognition domain within each of the two subunits in the dimer to display pronounced specificity towards GlcNAc-containing carbohydrates. Furthermore, we identified amino acid residues involved in the extended binding site capable of accommodating structurally diverse high-mannose and complex N-glycans. Glycan array and in silico analyses revealed interactions centered around the conserved Man3GlcNAc2 core, explaining the broad recognition of N-glycan structures. Collectively, the structural and biochemical insights presented here fill a void into the atlas of lectin structure–function relationships and pave the way for future developments in plant stress biology and lectin-based applications.
Benzoic acid facilitates ANF in monocot crops by recruiting nitrogen-fixing Paraburkholderia
Authors: Liu Ran , Li Ruirui , Li Yanjun , Li Mingjia , Ma Wenjing , Zheng Lei , Wang Cunhu , Zhang Kefei , Tong Ya , Huang Guoqiang , Li Xinxin , Zhu Xin-Guang , You Chuihuai , Zhong Yongjia , Liao Hong
Published: October 2024

Associative nitrogen fixation contributes large portion of N input to agro-ecosystems through monocot–diazotrophic associations. However, the contribution of associative nitrogen fixation is usually neglected in modern agriculture, and the underlying mechanisms of association between monocot and diazotrophs remain elusive. Here, we demonstrated that monocot crops employ mucilage and associated benzoic acid to specially enrich diazotrophic partners in response to nitrogen deficiency, which could be used for enhancing associative nitrogen fixation in monocot crops. To be specific, mucilage and benzoic acid induced in sugarcane roots by nitrogen deficiency mediated enrichment of nitrogen-fixing Paraburkholderia through specific recruitment whereas other bacteria were simultaneously repelled. Further studies suggest maize employs a similar strategy in promoting associations with diazotrophs. In addition, our results also suggest that benzoic acid application significantly increases copy numbers of the nifH gene in soils and enhances associative nitrogen fixation in maize using 15N enrichment assay. Taken together, these results reveal a mechanism regulating the association between monocot crops and nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and, thereby point towards ways to harness these beneficial microbes in efforts to increase nitrogen efficiency in monocot crops through pathways regulated by a specific signaling molecule.
Embryo production by Holstein heifers superovulated with a recombinant long-acting follicle-stimulating hormone analog
Authors: Mirzaei Ahmadreza , Londoño-Mendez Maria C , Lasso-Ramirez Sergio , Adams Paul E , Seekford Zachary K , Bromfield John J , Heredia Daniella , Di Lorenzo Nicolas , Chebel Ricardo C , Gonella-Diaza Angela M
Published: October 2024

This study aimed to evaluate embryo yield in Holstein heifers superovulated with a single injection of recombinant, long-acting human follicle-stimulating hormone (rFSH) vs. multiple injections of pituitary-derived follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). In experiment 1, heifers were assigned randomly to one of four experimental groups: Control (280 mg of pituitary-derived FSH; six injections of 40 mg and two injections of 20 mg, each ~12 h apart, n = 16); rFSH1 (50 µg of FSH analog protein, n = 16); rFSH2 (75 µg of FSH analog protein, n = 16); or rFSH3 (100 µg of FSH analog protein, n = 16). The rFSH was administered as a single injection. Estrous cycles were presynchronized with gonadorelin acetate (GnRH) and an intravaginal progesterone insert (CIDR) on day 8, followed by cloprostenol sodium (PGF2α) on day 3 and day 2 with removal of the CIDR, and GnRH on day 0. On day 5, ovarian follicles ≥ 5 mm in diameter were ablated by transvaginal ultrasound-guided aspiration. On day 6.5, the heifers received a CIDR and the first injection of either rFSH or pituitary-derived FSH. On day 9, the heifers received two injections of PGF2α, 12 h apart. On day 10.5, the CIDR was removed, and on day 11, the heifers received a GnRH injection. Heifers were AI-inseminated 12- and 24-h post-GnRH injection, and uterine contents were flushed transcervically on day 18 (7 d after the GnRH injection). Ovarian follicles ≥ 5 mm and corpora lutea (CL) were counted via ultrasound on days 5, 9, and 18. In experiment 1, group did not affect (P = 0.52) the number of follicles ≥ 5 mm (Control = 15.9 ± 1.2; rFSH1 = 17.5 ± 1.3; rFSH2 = 17.1 ± 1.3; rFHS 3 = 18.6 ± 1.4 follicles) or the number of CL (P = 0.96) on day 9 (Control = 1.1 ± 0.3; rFSH1 = 1.1 ± 0.3; rFSH2 = 1.1 ± 0.3; rFSH3 = 0.9 ± 0.2). Furthermore, there was no effect (P = 0.28) of rFSH dose on freezable embryos (grade 1 and 2 embryos) collected on day 18 (Control = 4.7 ± 1.1; rFSH1 = 4.7 ± 1.2; rFSH2 = 4.4 ± 1.1; rFSH3 = 2.6 ± 0.7 embryos). In experiment 2, Control (n = 8) and rFSH1 (n = 16) groups were repeated in three replicates using the same protocols as experiment 1. Consequently, Results showed that rFSH produced fewer total number of ova/embryos (Control = 9.9 ± 1.5 vs. rFHS1 = 5.9 ± 0.9, P = 0.04) and fewer freezable embryos (Control = 5.3 ± 1.0 vs. rFSH1 = 1.4 ± 0.3, P < 0.01). In conclusion, the single rFSH injection effectively induced superovulation; however, its repeated use reduced embryo production.
Nitrogen input reduces the physical defense of rice plant against planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)
Authors: Zeng Zi-Xuan , Shi Jin-Hua , Qiu Chang-Lai , Fan Tao , Lu Jing , Abdelnabby Hazem , Wang Man-Qun
Published: October 2024

Nitrogen has important effects on plant growth and defense. Although studies on the alternation in plant chemical defense by nitrogen fertilization have been extensively reported, how it affects physical defense is poorly understood. Two rice (Oryza sativa L.) (Poales: Poaceae) varieties (LDQ7 and YLY1) were applied with varying nitrogen regimes (0.90 and 180 kg ha−1) to study their physical defense against the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) in this study. Results of the electrical penetration graph showed that BPH searching and penetrating duration time was shortened with increasing nitrogen application. Also, the tubercle papicle of rice leaves decreased with increasing nitrogen application, while rice leaves’ surface structure and waxy composition changed with increasing nitrogen application. In field experiments, BPH populations increased with the application of nitrogen fertilizer. These findings suggest that nitrogen input can affect plant-insect interactions by reducing the physical defense of plants, which provides new ideas for the organic combinations of yield increase and pest control in rice fields.
Risk of type 2 diabetes after breast cancer treatment: a population-based cohort study in Denmark
Authors: Kjærgaard Kasper A , Kousholt Astrid , Thomsen Reimar W , Woolpert Kirsten M , Sørensen Henrik T , Borgquist Signe , Cronin-Fenton Deirdre
Published: October 2024

Purpose

Data on type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk after breast cancer (BC) could guide preventive strategies. Yet, studies had limitations regarding sample size, follow-up, and contemporary treatments. We evaluated the risk of T2D after BC overall, by cancer treatment, and compared with a matched cohort of cancer-free women.

Methods

We assembled a population-based cohort of early-stage BC patients aged 30 years or more diagnosed during 1996-2021 in Denmark. We created a comparison cohort of 5 cancer- and T2D-free women for each BC patient, matched 6 months after BC diagnosis date on age and region. We followed both cohorts until T2D diagnosis, emigration, death, or December 31, 2022. We computed 5-year cumulative incidences and used Cox models to calculate time-varying adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) of T2D.

Results

Among 74 526 BC survivors and 372 630 matched cancer-free women, 5-year cumulative incidences of T2D were 3.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.7 to 3.9) and 3.3% (95% CI = 3.3 to 3.4), respectively. The aHR of T2D was elevated but attenuated over follow-up (aHR5-years = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.15 to 1.25, and aHR15-years = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.05 to 1.12). Adjuvant endocrine therapy (aHR = 1.14; 95% CI = 1.10 to 1.19), aromatase inhibitors (aHR = 1.25; 95% CI = 1.18 to 1.32), and less so tamoxifen (aHR = 1.05; 95% CI = 0.99 to 1.11), were associated with elevated risk of T2D in women with BC vs cancer-free women. Among BC patients, chemotherapy (aHR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.03 to 1.17) and radiation therapy (right-sided aHR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.27 and left-sided aHR = 1.24, 95CI = 1.15 to 1.33) were associated with increased T2D risk.

Conclusion

BC was associated with excess risk of T2D, although of lower magnitude than previously reported. The excess risk was temporary and related to BC treatment but could also be influenced by obesity and heightened T2D diagnostic activity.
High γ-ray escape time in 2003fg-like supernovae: a challenge to proposed models
Authors: Sharon Amir , Kushnir Doron , Schinasi-Lemberg Eden
Published: October 2024

A rare subclass of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), named after the prototype SN 2003fg, includes some of the brightest SNe Ia, often called ‘super Chandrasekhar-mass’ SNe Ia. We calculate the $\gamma$-ray deposition histories and the $^{56}$Ni mass synthesized in the explosion, $M_\mathrm{Ni56}$, for eight 2003fg-like SNe. Our findings reveal that the $\gamma$-ray escape time, $t_0$, for these objects is $t_0\approx 45\!-\!60 \,$ d, significantly higher than that of normal SNe Ia. 2003fg-like SNe are distinct from normal SNe Ia in the $t_0$–$M_\mathrm{Ni56}$ plane, with a noticeable gap between the two populations. The observed position of 2003fg-like SNe in this plane poses a significant challenge for theoretical explosion models. We demonstrate that the merger of two white dwarfs (WDs) and a single star exceeding the Chandrasekhar limit fail to reproduce the observed $t_0$–$M_\mathrm{Ni56}$ distribution. However, preliminary calculations of head-on collisions of massive WDs show agreement with the observed $t_0$–$M_\mathrm{Ni56}$ distribution.
Deciphering the properties of UV upturn galaxies in the Virgo cluster
Authors: Akhil Krishna R , Kartha Sreeja S , Kizhuprakkat Namitha , Ujjwal K , P Niranjana
Published: October 2024

The UV upturn refers to the increase in UV flux at wavelengths shorter than 3000 $\mathring{\rm A}$ observed in quiescent early-type galaxies (ETGs), which still remains a puzzle. In this study, we aim to identify ETGs showing the UV upturn phenomenon within the Virgo galaxy cluster. We utilized a colour–colour diagram to identify all potential possible UV upturn galaxies. The spectral energy distributions (SED) of these galaxies were then analysed using the cigale software; we confirmed the presence of UV upturn in galaxies within the Virgo cluster. We found that the SED fitting method is the best tool to visualize and confirm the UV upturn phenomenon in ETGs. Our findings reveal that the population distributions regarding stellar mass and star formation rate properties are similar between UV upturn and red sequence galaxies. We suggest that the UV contribution originates from old stellar populations and can be modelled effectively without a burst model. Moreover, by estimating the temperature of the stellar population responsible for the UV emission, we determined it to be 13 000 K to 18 000 K. These temperature estimates support the notion that the UV upturn likely arises from the contribution of low mass evolved stellar populations (extreme horizontal branch stars). Furthermore, the Mg2 index, a metallicity indicator, in the confirmed upturn galaxies shows higher strength and follows a similar trend to previous studies. This study sheds light on the nature of UV upturn galaxies within the Virgo cluster and provides evidence that low-mass evolved stellar populations are the possible mechanisms driving the UV upturn phenomenon.
Intra-host genomic diversity and integration landscape of human tissue-resident DNA virome
Authors: Pyöriä Lari , Pratas Diogo , Toppinen Mari , Simmonds Peter , Hedman Klaus , Sajantila Antti , Perdomo Maria F
Published: October 2024

The viral intra-host genetic diversities and interactions with the human genome during decades of persistence remain poorly characterized. In this study, we analyzed the variability and integration sites of persisting viruses in nine organs from thirteen individuals who died suddenly from non-viral causes. The viruses studied included parvovirus B19, six herpesviruses, Merkel cell (MCPyV) and JC polyomaviruses, totaling 127 genomes. The viral sequences across organs were remarkably conserved within each individual, suggesting that persistence stems from single dominant strains. This indicates that intra-host viral evolution, thus far inferred primarily from immunocompromised patients, is likely overestimated in healthy subjects. Indeed, we detected increased viral subpopulations in two individuals with putative reactivations, suggesting that replication status influences diversity. Furthermore, we identified asymmetrical mutation patterns reflecting selective pressures exerted by the host. Strikingly, our analysis revealed non-clonal viral integrations even in individuals without cancer. These included MCPyV integrations and truncations resembling clonally expanded variants in Merkel cell carcinomas, as well as novel junctions between herpesvirus 6B and mitochondrial sequences, the significance of which remains to be evaluated. Our work systematically characterizes the genomic landscape of the tissue-resident virome, highlighting potential deviations occurring during disease.
metsDB: a knowledgebase of cancer metastasis at bulk, single-cell and spatial levels
Authors: Wu Sijia , Zhang Jiajin , Wang Yanfei , Qin Xinyu , Zhang Zhaocan , Lu Zhennan , Kim Pora , Zhou Xiaobo , Huang Liyu
Published: October 2024

Cancer metastasis, the process by which tumour cells migrate and colonize distant organs from a primary site, is responsible for the majority of cancer-related deaths. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this complex process is essential for developing effective metastasis prevention and therapy strategies. To this end, we systematically analysed 1786 bulk tissue samples from 13 cancer types, 988 463 single cells from 17 cancer types, and 40 252 spots from 45 spatial slides across 10 cancer types. The results of these analyses are compiled in the metsDB database, accessible at https://relab.xidian.edu.cn/metsDB/. This database provides insights into alterations in cell constitutions, cell relationships, biological pathways, molecular biomarkers, and drug responses during cancer metastasis at bulk, single-cell, and spatial levels. Users can perform cell or gene searches to obtain multi-view and multi-scale metastasis-related data. This comprehensive resource is invaluable for understanding the metastasis process and for designing molecular therapies.
PneumoBrowse 2: an integrated visual platform for curated genome annotation and multiomics data analysis of Streptococcus pneumoniae
Authors: Janssen Axel B , Gibson Paddy S , Bravo Afonso M , de Bakker Vincent , Slager Jelle , Veening Jan-Willem
Published: October 2024

Streptococcus pneumoniae is an opportunistic human pathogen responsible for high morbidity and mortality rates. Extensive genome sequencing revealed its large pangenome, serotype diversity, and provided insight into genome dynamics. However, functional genome analysis has lagged behind, as that requires detailed and time-consuming manual curation of genome annotations and integration of genomic and phenotypic data. To remedy this, PneumoBrowse was presented in 2018, a user-friendly interactive online platform, which provided the detailed annotation of the S. pneumoniae D39V genome, alongside transcriptomic data. Since 2018, many new studies on S. pneumoniae genome biology and protein functioning have been performed. Here, we present PneumoBrowse 2 (https://veeninglab.com/pneumobrowse), fully rebuilt in JBrowse 2. We updated annotations for transcribed and transcriptional regulatory features in the D39V genome. We added genome-wide data tracks for high-resolution chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) data, chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-Seq), ribosome profiling, CRISPRi-seq gene essentiality data and more. Additionally, we included 18 phylogenetically diverse S. pneumoniae genomes and their annotations. By providing easy access to diverse high-quality genome annotations and links to other databases (including UniProt and AlphaFold), PneumoBrowse 2 will further accelerate research and development into preventive and treatment strategies, through increased understanding of the pneumococcal genome.
Seizure outcomes in patients with brain metastases and epilepsy: a systematic review on the efficacy of antitumor treatment and antiseizure medication
Authors: Scheepens Josien C C , van der Meer Pim B , Dirven Linda , Vos Maaike J , Taphoorn Martin J B , Koekkoek Johan A F
Published: October 2024

Background

Epilepsy is a common symptom in patients with brain metastases (BMs), and because of the rising incidence of BMs, adequate seizure management is warranted. We conducted a systematic review on seizure outcomes after antitumor treatment and antiseizure medication (ASM) in patients with BMs from solid tumors and epilepsy.

Methods

A literature search was performed in 6 databases up to February 2024. Extracted outcomes were rates for (1) seizure freedom, (2) ≥50% seizure reduction, and (3) treatment failure (for ASM only). Weighted averages (WAs) were calculated for outcomes after surgery at 6 months follow-up. Quality assessment of the included studies was performed using the Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I) tool.

Results

We retrieved 2244 references, of which 16 studies were eligible for inclusion. Eight studies were at critical, and 8 studies at serious risk of bias. The WA of seizure freedom rates at 6 months after surgical resection was 64% (based on 3 studies at serious risk of bias, n = 151 patients). Results on ASM efficacy and tolerability were unreliable, as all eligible studies for these outcomes were at critical risk of bias.

Conclusions

Limited available evidence from heterogeneous study populations demonstrated that in the majority of patients with epilepsy due to BMs, seizure freedom 6 months after surgical resection may be reached. No substantial evidence on ASM efficacy and tolerability in patients with epilepsy due to BMs is available. High-quality cohort studies are warranted to expand the evidence on seizure outcomes after antitumor and ASM treatment.
The search for life signatures on Mars by the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission
Authors: Hou Zengqian , Liu Jizhong , Xu Yigang , Pang Fuchuan , Wang Yuming , Qin Liping , Liu Yang , Zhao Yu-Yan Sara , Wei Guangfei , Xu Mengjiao , Jiang Kun , Hao Chuanpeng , Ji Shichao , Zhu Renzhi , Yu Bingkun , Liu Jia , Sheng Zhenfeng , Wang Juntao , Zhang Chaolin , Li Yiliang
Published: October 2024

We present the proposed strategic study, ‘Integrated elements for Martian life signature exploration’, to support the sampling and identification of any potential biosignatures in compliance with the engineering constraints of the Tianwen-3 mission.
Fossil evidence for silica biomineralization in Permian lycophytes
Authors: Feng Zhuo , Sui Qun , Wei Hai-Bo , Chen Jianbo
Published: October 2024

This paper reports the first in-situ fossil evidence for silica biomineralisation in Permian plants. The discovery reinforces the significant role that land plants have played in influencing the evolution of Earth systems in deep time.
Ethnic Differences in Response to Oral Vitamin D Supplementation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Abdul-jabbar Sumayah , Nebechi Chukwuebuka , McClelland Graham R , Lockett Anthony , Douiri Abdel , Morgan David , Jones Stuart A
Published: October 2024

Context

Individual variability in oral vitamin D supplement response hinders the understanding of its clinical impact, and while ethnicity has been implicated in this variability it has not been well described.

Objective

The aim was to systematically assess the impact of ethnicity on response to oral vitamin D supplementation.

Data Source

The Web of Science and PubMed databases were searched for articles published from 1960 to the end of 2020. All trials in adults measuring 25(OH)D3 blood levels were included.

Data Extraction

Two reviewers independently extracted the data from the eligible studies. The change in 25(OH)D3 blood levels (95% CI) and P values were extracted, and grouped according to ethnicity, then subjected to random-effects meta-analysis. The primary outcome measurement was mean serum 25(OH)D3 levels and the secondary outcome was dose-adjusted mean serum 25(OH)D3 levels, both compared with baseline.

Data Analysis

A total of 18 studies were identified, and data from 1131 participants were extracted. Body mass index (BMI) and dose were significant covariates (Pearson correlation coefficient, P = .016 and .017) and were normalized in the meta-analysis to minimize heterogeneity, but latitude was not (P = .66). Meta-analysis showed an effect of ethnicity on dose and BMI-adjusted mean serum 25(OH)D3 levels compared with baseline (P < .00001, I2 = 98%). Asian and White study participants demonstrated a statistically higher increase in dose and BMI-adjusted 25(OH)D3 blood levels (183 nmol/L [95% CI, 163–203] and 173 nmol/L [95% CI, 152–194], respectively), compared with Arab and Black study participants (37 nmol/L [95% CI, 35–39] and 99 nmol/L [95% CI, 90–108]) using repeated t tests. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that these findings were not impacted by potential study bias or the inclusion of immigrant populations.

Conclusion

Ethnicity had an impact on oral vitamin D response. Further prospective studies should examine if ethnicity-based dose stratification in both clinical practice and clinical trials is warranted.

Systematic Review Registration

PROSPERO registration no. CRD42023410076.
Tomb Architecture of Shang-Han (c. 1600 BCE–220 CE)
Authors: Huan Limin
Published: October 2024

Tomb architecture in China has a rich history and is characterized by its diversity, complexity, and symbolism. In different geographical and cultural contexts, “architecture” is often defined differently and includes different topics. For this article, the “tomb architecture” focuses on the architectural matters of early Chinese tombs, such as the construction and the internal and external structures. Literature regarding the funerary traditions in general and the buried artefacts (the grave goods) is rich but not covered here. In China, the earliest tomb construction emerged in the Neolithic period. From 7000 to 5000 bce, communal cemeteries appeared in some early societies. These cemeteries were often located either in or near residential areas. The common type of tomb was the so-called shaft tomb, or pit tomb, which was built by digging a vertical pit in the ground to hold the body and the grave goods. From 5000 to 2000 bce, most tombs continued to use this structure, although the inequality among buried individuals, indicated by the quantity and quality of the grave goods, increased significantly. In many tombs, timber coffins or nested coffins were used to hold the deceased. In some tombs, additional structures such as the secondary ledge (ercengtai二层台), an earthen surface constructed along the pit walls; the waist pit (yaokeng腰坑), an additional small pit under the coffin; and the niche (bikan壁龛), a recess on the wall were added, facilitating the needs to accommodate and display more grave goods. The first radical change to this shaft tomb tradition occurred in the late Shang period (c. 1250–1046 bce). Elite tombs, both in Anyang and its neighboring regions, became much larger, deeper, and more complicated than their forerunners. In Anyang, some large tombs were constructed at a special, moat-surrounded location, providing the earliest example of a cemetery complex separated from residential districts. The Zhou elites inherited these architectural inventions after they conquered Shang. During the Zhou period (c. 1045–256 bce), there was increasing interregional exchange. Elite tombs of the Zhou period not only became much bigger but also added new elements from various origins, such as the tomb mound (fengtu封土) and the horizontal division of the interior space, often by adopting a multichamber structure. These changes led to the tomb of the First Emperor (reign 221–210 bce), which was also the grandest tomb in East Asia in the first millennium bce. In the following Han period (206 bce–220 ce), new changes appeared in tomb architecture. In particular, chamber tombs, sometimes cut on the rocks and with horizontal rooms (chambers), replaced vertical shaft tombs and became the major tomb type, especially for royal and high-elite members. This horizontal tomb architecture became a predominant standard in later dynasties.
Participatory Community-Based Research
Authors: Scott Marquisha Lawrence
Published: October 2024

The research framework of participatory community-based research is most known as community-based participatory research (CBPR) and is presented with many names and acronyms throughout the literature in social work and other fields of study, including CBPR, participatory action research (PAR), youth PAR, feminist PAR, and community-based PAR. This bibliography describes articles that use varied names for this concept but have similar objectives. At the core of community participant-centered research is including community members in the design, development, and decisions of the research to ensure outcomes that serve their identified needs. These research outcomes are specific to the identified individuals or community, which makes this type of research notably nongeneralizable. Although much can be learned about process, approach, and impact by considering a CBPR project, each community’s research design and outcomes would likely be very different from others when using a CBPR approach. General details about CBPR and similar research frameworks are described in the General Works section, featuring articles and textbooks that describe the steps of carrying out these research projects, including building trust, addressing issues of power, and centering community. The different approaches to CBPR are shown through diverse articles and textbooks on specific stances that researchers and scholars can choose from when thinking about how to work with or learn about specific communities. There is also an opportunity to merge the varied approaches expressed in this bibliography, as the community and research team deems appropriate. A core ethic of the CBPR framework is addressing issues of power, privilege, and oppression in the community, between researchers and participants, and in wider society. CBPR has a nimbleness that allows it to be implemented in multiple settings with different types of people. The current literature highlights that this research framework can be carried out in the context of myriad crises—global pandemics, environmental disasters, and the demise of democracy. Social work research and practice spans varied topics that would align with the CBPR framework. In an effort to align with the social work practice and community concerns, the identified social work topics are CBPR projects centered on Race and Racism, Health and Mental Health Equity, issues Across the Lifespan, and LGBTQ Community concerns. These topics are addressed from a global perspective, including articles from various countries around the globe. This global approach is important given our interconnected world. Technology is also a consistent part of the global society. Therefore, it is an important topic to consider when we think about its impact on communities and how CBPR and technology can merge to yield positive outcomes.
Race and Health
Authors: Doucet-Battle James
Published: October 2024

This selected bibliography of race and health in anthropology offers a genealogy of scholarship on the topic over the last century and a half. The texts presented reflect conversations emerging from, and concomitant with, 19th- and 20th-century racial science, and its ongoing and contested influence in social, medical, and biological anthropology. Salvage anthropology provided both the validation of Euro-American biological superiority and the presumption that populations most distant from modernity would fall prey to and succumb to disease. As an anthropology of salvage, it would animate eugenicist science and legitimate its political emanations. In effect, financial capital and the biological sciences created self-reinforcing mechanisms that rationalized the global order, the violence of slavery, and the conquest and establishment of the colony. The legacy of this early anthropological research in race and health would permeate 20th-century discourse and practice in both the social and biological sciences until the second quarter of the 21st century. It commences with, threads through, and charts novel and perennial arguments linking race, biology, disease risk, and disparate health outcomes. While the global order has been reconfigured numerous times since 1492, chattel slavery all but abolished, and the postcolony redesigned, racial categories continue to serve as the filters through which research data on human health and disease invariably flow and bioeconomic value generated. Although presented largely from a US-centric perspective, this bibliography and its respective categorical divisions are by no means exhaustive, definitive, or globally diagnostic; it aims to provide a generative grounding for future research, discussion, and cross-disciplinary engagement.
Transnational Balkan Romani Music
Authors: Silverman Carol
Published: October 2024

This chapter analyzes popular Balkan Romani music by comparing contemporary local performances for Romani communities to those for non-Romani global audiences. Issues of genre, repertoire, instrumentation, text, and authenticity are examined, as well as the production and consumption of music. The author traces how the brass band became the most popular form of Romani music for non-Roma due to its promotion in the 1980s by non-Roma producers, filmmakers, and arrangers. In contrast, the most popular form of Balkan Romani community music is the electrified and synthesized wedding band, which is, ironically, deemed inauthentic by most non-Roma. Moreover, wedding bands serve a transnational audience of diasporic Balkan Roma. Although these sites of performance and their audiences are very different, they are both embedded in processes of globalization. These two contrasting markets provide insights into the globalized nature of performative Romani identity.
The Food Industry
Authors: Hisano Ai , de St. Maurice Greg
Published: October 2024

The modern food industry emerged in the mid-19th century with the application of industrialization’s technological and organizational changes to preserving, processing, and distributing food products. This chapter traces the industry’s development, focusing on changing institutional contexts, key innovations, and the complex interplay between globalization and localization in three time periods. The first covers the industrialization and commercialization of food processing from the 1840s to the end of World War II. The next looks at the following four-and-a-half decades, highlighting the industry’s growing focus on convenience and consolidation in many industry sectors. The last starts in the 1990s and examines the rapid global expansion of food processing technologies and firms and the increasing diversity of consumer preferences and choice within countries even as processing technologies and categories of food products became more similar across societies.
An IMF for the Global South
Authors: Kennedy-Hernandez Christian
Published: October 2024

Determining the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s policy flexibility and adaptability (to varied economic circumstances) is not only germane to issues of equitable global economic governance and development, but to its own efficacy. The future of the Fund, as both a lender of last resort and economic authority, may very well rest on its ability to provide solutions that transcend its long-held reputation as an institution that imposes an austere, neoliberalizing, one-size-fits-all approach on member states. This is wherein understanding the Fund’s interactions and outcomes with borrowers in the “Global South”—particularly those within Latin American and Africa—becomes central to the question of whether flexibility exists, in practice. The findings presented here offer a sense of the IMF’s trajectory, while highlighting potential areas for improvement.
EMDR Therapy and the Working Memory Hypothesis
Authors: Smith Clare , Farrell Derek
Published: October 2024

EMDR therapy is an internationally recognized psychological treatment intervention for trauma. Despite the uncertainty within the academic literature surrounding the exact mechanism of action of any psychological treatment, EMDR therapy is challenged to provide a robust explanation or its effectiveness as a treatment intervention. Working memory is primarily grounded in cognitive psychology. Ostensibly, it is a crucial system for temporarily holding and manipulating information for a broad range of cognitive tasks including learning, language, reasoning, problem-solving, comprehension, performance, and guiding behavior. The hypothesis considers that cognitive tasks compete for limited resources, and therefore, its performance can be impacted by its capacity constraints. This chapter will explore the working memory hypothesis and how this relates to EMDR therapy. Additionally, in accounting for the utilization of bilateral, dual-attention stimulation (BLS), a distinctive aspect of EMDR, the issue of speed of BLS will be explored including factors such as individual variability, client preference, target memory characteristics, and somatic experience. EMDR therapists need to be flexible and responsive, adjusting the speed of BLS based on ongoing feedback from the client, while at the same time, mindful of working memory hypothesis.
Ballot Access
Authors: Muller Derek T.
Published: October 2024

Voters use ballots to choose their preferred candidates or to express support or opposition to ballot initiatives and referenda. There are many and diverse rules for how these people or items appear on the ballot in the first place—who can obtain “ballot access.” Once states began printing ballots in the late nineteenth century, they began to develop standards for which candidates, political parties, or ballot measures could appear on the ballot. States may require prospective candidates to circulate petitions and secure a number of signatures from voters to demonstrate support before their names could appear on the ballot. States set deadlines for candidates to circulate those petitions or to file for candidacy. Or, states may limit the candidates who may appear on the general election ballot to those who meet a threshold level of votes in an earlier round of voting. In the middle of the twentieth century, the U.S. Supreme Court became increasingly interested in establishing rules for federal courts to evaluate states’ ballot access rules. The state has an interest in preventing an overcrowded ballot and ensuring only serious candidates appear on it; however, the state’s rules may be unduly restrictive, which may reduce voters’ choices or entrench one or both major political parties in office. The Court has developed a balancing test to determine whether the rules are too onerous or whether the state has adequately justified its interest. These fact-intensive balancing tests have left federal courts with the task of figuring out these context-specific questions.
Corporations and Labor Unions in Election Law
Authors: Haan Sarah C.
Published: October 2024

Since the presidential election of 1896, the corporation’s role in campaign finance has been among the most hotly contested issues in American election law. The law’s approach to corporate electoral spending has changed considerably over time. Congress made efforts to tightly restrict corporate campaign finance in the Progressive Era, but, starting in the 1970s, the U.S. Supreme Court began loosening those restrictions. Since the 1940s, the law has sought, at least superficially, to treat the campaign finance of corporations and labor unions similarly. This chapter describes the major conceptual issues that shadow the debate over the law’s treatment of corporate and union political spending. It then sketches the history of the law’s evolution from the 1907 Tillman Act to the Supreme Court’s landmark 2010 decision, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and describes the current debate over transparency and disclosure.
The Associational Rights of Political Parties
Authors: Abu El-Haj Tabatha
Published: October 2024

The regulation of political parties is often necessary to protect the integrity of the electoral process and the larger constitutional promise of self-governance. At the same time, political parties are rights bearers under the First Amendment. This chapter summarizes how, in the absence of specific textual guidance, U.S. courts have adjudicated their way to a constitutional settlement on the place of political parties—major and minor—in our constitutional order. The chapter takes a historical approach, explaining why the U.S. Supreme Court’s political party jurisprudence did not begin in earnest until the twentieth century. It then lays out how the doctrine has evolved to afford significant associational freedom under the First Amendment to the two major political parties, while also recognizing their constitutional obligations as the engines of democracy. After reviewing this settlement, this chapter stresses the ways that the U.S. Supreme Court’s current approach to the associational freedom of political parties significantly constrains party reform strategies, despite the manifest need for regulation in the interest of a healthy democracy.
Language Provisions and Assistance
Authors: Daniels Gilda R.
Published: October 2024

The Voting Rights Act (VRA) includes provisions for language accessibility and assistance, but Sections 4(e), 203, and 208 of the Act are used sparingly. The most potent language assistance provision, Section 203, requires certain jurisdictions to provide election materials in a covered language. This prophylactic measure, however, is temporary. Shelby County v. Holder taught us that temporary measures do not necessarily lead to permanent changes. Additionally, another lesser-known but equally important provision of the VRA, Section 208, requires that assistance be provided to voters whose ability to cast a ballot is impeded by blindness, a disability, or the inability to read or write. The law allows these voters to receive assistance from a person of the voter’s choice, subject to narrow exceptions. Section 208 provides another mechanism for limited English proficient voters to secure the right to vote. This chapter examines the Language Provisions and Assistance sections of the VRA, provides a critique of these sections, and suggests ways the law can improve access for limited English proficient voters.
The Passage and Reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act
Authors: Fuentes-Rohwer Luis E. , Charles Guy-Uriel E.
Published: October 2024

The Voting Rights Act (VRA) was Congress’s fourth attempt since 1957 to enforce the promise of the Fifteenth Amendment. All prior attempts sought solutions through the judicial system and failed. This was because, as Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach explained during his Senate testimony in 1965, no matter what the courts decided, recalcitrant states found a way around it. “What is required,” Katzenbach told the House subcommittee, “is a systematic, automatic method to deal with discriminatory tests, with discriminatory testers, and with discriminatory threats.” The challenge was to design a systematic approach that stayed a step ahead of the discriminators. The VRA was the solution to this challenge. This chapter tells the story of the drafting of the Voting Rights Act. The VRA is rightly lauded as one of the most effective and significant civil rights statutes enacted by Congress. The Act is also understood as a radical intervention into matters that the U.S. Constitution leaves to the states. This chapter offers three arguments. First, that rather than a radical intervention, the Voting Rights Act was a conservative solution. Second, that the Supreme Court’s understanding of racism as “pathological racism” anchored its voting rights jurisprudence. It justified the Court’s approach to federalism, state sovereignty, sectionalism, and the Act’s disparate treatment of the states. Third, and finally, once the consensus over pathological racism weakened, the VRA came under threat. This explains Shelby County v. Holder and the perilous future of the Act.
Party Patronage
Authors: Solimine Michael E.
Published: October 2024

The chapter addresses party patronage in the United States. Potentially a broad topic, concerning when public officials, as patrons, use public resources in some way to support their party or reward its members or supporters, the chapter focuses on the practice of rewarding supporters with appointed public employment. The use of party patronage throughout American political history, reforms thereof such as civil service, and legal challenges thereto are addressed. The Supreme Court has held that the First Amendment limits the use of patronage in public employment, except for positions that involve policymaking, though that exception has not been precisely defined. Also discussed is the impact of the Supreme Court’s decisions on political parties, and on appointments to other public offices, such as state judges.
Public Attitudes toward Markets after Central Planning
Authors: Douarin Elodie
Published: October 2024

This chapter reviews the literature on the determinants of popular support for market economies, and for values deemed compatible with markets, in the transition region (i.e. the countries of post-socialist or post-communist Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia) from the 1990s. The critical review presented focuses on work using large household or individual surveys collected at different points in time since the onset of the transition away from central planning and toward markets. Key differences in the indicators of support are emphasized to clarify how and why specific questions asked to the general population can be informative. This review shows that greater initial support for markets seems to have been important, that early experiences with market reforms (whether extensive or partial) led to changes in views, and that crises appeared as key turning points for further change. But maybe most importantly, it seems that people understood that reforms would have short-term costs, and as long as they remained hopeful that liberalization could bring improvement, they continued to support those market reforms. The chapter emphasizes throughout that analyzing public opinion is difficult especially in the absence of a benchmark. When clear definitions of what is being assessed are not provided, it highlights the limitations of the questions typically used to measure support for policy change or economic systems.
Turkey’s Religious Nones
Authors: Hecker Pierre
Published: October 2024

This chapter addresses the issue of nonreligion in Turkey. To this end, it analyzes the latest research findings and studies on the subject and raises pertinent questions such as “Who qualifies as ‘none’ in Turkey?,” “Do recent polls and surveys accurately represent society’s ‘religious nones’?,” and “What are their numbers?” The chapter also explores the phenomenon of “religious fatigue” and considers whether Turkey’s society is experiencing a decline in religiosity. Additionally, the chapter examines the theological discourse on nonreligion, addressing matters of individualized religiosity and the crisis of organized religion. However, before delving into these discussions, it begins with a summary of the evolution of the debate on nonreligion.