bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long-term dynamics of grasslands and livestock in Norwegian cultural landscapes: implications for a sustainable transition of rural livelihoods
Authors: Beyene Solomon Mulat , Naumov Vladimir , Angelstam Per
Published: September 2024

Context

Abandonment of cultural landscape practices has had a notable impact on grasslands and domestic livestock that depend on them. This affects the prerequisites for sustainable transitions of cultural landscapes, which combine traditional livelihoods and novel ones like tourism.

Objectives

The aims of this study were to explore (1) the long-term temporal dynamics of grassland and livestock in a regional gradient from coastal to inland landscapes in Norway and (2) the temporal development of tourism types among regions.

Methods

Using three regions as case studies, with 62 municipalities, we analyzed (1) the temporal dynamics of grassland and livestock using agricultural census data from 1918 to 1999 and (2) two tourism types. Kruskal–Wallis and ANOVA were used to examine whether the relative changes in grassland areas and livestock units, respectively, differed significantly among regions. A PCA was conducted to explore relationships between grassland and livestock types. The proportions of tourist categories were compared.

Results

The grassland area and thematic resolution of census data declined over time. Grassland areas correlated with domestic livestock units. Multivariate analysis explained 68% of the variation in grassland and livestock types among municipalities. There was a notable increase in the number of tourists, with summer tourism dominating where the cultural landscape was well conserved.

Conclusions

Our study underscores the importance of integrating regional historical trajectories for the conservation and use of valuable cultural landscapes, thereby providing sustainable transitions that combine traditional livelihoods and new types as tourism. Additional in-depth studies are needed to understand the detailed drivers of these changes.
Exploring decision-making: experimental observations on project selection and the impact of justification pressure
Authors: Lukas Christian , Neubert Max-Frederik , Schöndube Jens Robert
Published: September 2024

In this experimental investigation, we explore the impact of justification on project choices. Introducing a novel element, we implement asymmetric payoff schemes commonly employed in business, signifying distinct payoff distributions for the firm (principal) and the manager (agent). The agent has to choose one project from two options that differ in their risk-return profiles. The outcomes of our experiment substantiate our hypothesis, indicating that a mandate for justification decreases the probability of agents selecting the project with higher risk and return. The degree of this reduction appears to hinge on the nature of justification. Increased profit shares for the agent or a project recommendation from the principal can partially counterbalance the distortion in the project choice.
Clinical and imaging manifestations of intracerebral hemorrhage in brain tumors and metastatic lesions: a comprehensive overview
Authors: Eminovic Semil , Orth Tobias , Dell’Orco Andrea , Baumgärtner Lukas , Morotti Andrea , Wasilewski David , Guelen Melisa S. , Scheel Michael , Penzkofer Tobias , Nawabi Jawed
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This observational study aims to provide a detailed clinical and imaging characterization/workup of acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) due to either an underlying metastasis (mICH) or brain tumor (tICH) lesion.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective, single-center study, evaluating patients presenting with occult ICH on initial CT imaging, classified as tICH or mICH on follow-up MRI imaging according to the H-Atomic classification. Demographic, clinical and radiological data were reviewed.

Results

We included 116 patients (tICH: 20/116, 17.24%; mICH: 96/116, 82.76%). The most common malignancies causing ICH were lung cancer (27.59%), malignant melanoma (18.10%) and glioblastoma (10.34%). The three most common stroke-like symptoms observed were focal deficit (62/116, 53.45%), dizziness (42/116, 36.21%) and cognitive impairment (27/116, 23.28%). Highest mICH prevalence was seen in the occipital lobe (mICH: 28.13%, tICH: 0.00%; p = 0.004) with tICH more in the corpus callosum (tICH: 10.00%, mICH: 0.00%; p = 0.029). Anticoagulation therapy was only frequent in mICH patients (tICH: 0.00%, mICH: 5.21%; p = 0.586). Hemorrhage (tICH: 12682 mm3, mICH: 5708 mm3, p = 0.020) and edema volumes (tICH: 49389 mm3, mICH: 20972 mm3, p = 0.035) were significantly larger within tICH patients.

Conclusion

More than half of the patients with neoplastic ICH exhibited stroke-like symptoms. Lung cancer was most common in mICH, glioblastoma in tICH. While clinical presentations were similar, significant differences in tumor location and treatments were discernible.
Finding Efficient Graph Embeddings and Processing them by a CNN-based Tool
Authors: Tiba Attila , Hajdu Andras , Giraszi Tamas
Published: September 2024

We introduce new tools to support finding efficient graph embedding techniques for graph databases and to process their outputs using deep learning for classification scenarios. Accordingly, we investigate the possibility of creating an ensemble of different graph embedding methods to raise accuracy and present an interconnected neural network-based ensemble to increase the efficiency of the member classification algorithms. We also introduce a new convolutional neural network-based architecture that can be generally proposed to process vectorized graph data provided by various graph embedding methods and compare it with other architectures in the literature to show the competitiveness of our approach. We also exhibit a statistical-based inhomogeneity level estimation procedure to select the optimal embedding for a given graph database efficiently. The efficiency of our framework is exhaustively tested using several publicly available graph datasets and numerous state-of-the-art graph embedding techniques. Our experimental results for classification tasks have proved the competitiveness of our approach by outperforming the state-of-the-art frameworks.
A forgotten distinction in value theory
Authors: Rodriguez Facundo
Published: September 2024

The debate on final value has been so far understood as a debate over what sort of properties final value depends on. The debate’s reliance on mere dependence has, I argue, made it very difficult for conditionalists to put forward a coherent positive alternative to intrinsicalism. Talk of dependence is too coarse-grained and fails to distinguish between different ways in which value can metaphysically depend on other properties of the value bearer. To remedy this, I propose that we bring back a ‘forgotten’ distinction between two ways in which value can depend on other properties. We should distinguish those properties in virtue of which a value is had—the grounds of the value—from those on condition of which it is had—which following Dancy I call the enablers of the value. With this distinction in hand, I offer a clear re-statement of the two main conditionalist accounts of final value: non-instrumentalism and non-derivatism. When understood not as making claims about the properties on which final value depends but rather as making more specific ones about the properties that ground final value, these accounts are perfectly coherent.
Narratives of Personal Health and Sexual Education Experiences of Emerging Adults with Disabilities
Authors: Toman Madelyn , Wesche Rose , Shivers Carolyn M.
Published: September 2024

Disabled communities’ sexualities have been historically oppressed. Currently in the U.S., public school curricula do not include inclusive sexual education and students with disabilities are often left out of classrooms that discuss any amount of personal health and sexual education (PHSE). Research on the disabled population is filled with samples of non-disabled individuals imposing their opinions on a population that they do not belong to. The purpose of this study was to capture lived experiences of ways emerging adults with disabilities learned about PHSE. Individuals with varied disabilities were intentionally included to add breadth to the research field. The final sample consisted of eight individuals (75% female, 87% White, mean age of 21.5). After conducting narrative interviews and analyses, four story types were generated: (1) “The Self-Guided Journey”, (2) “Experience is the Best Teacher”, (3) “Personal Health Matters More”, and (4) “Two Ears, One Mouth”. Our findings highlighted the lack of formal support and access to adequate, relevant information about sexuality for disabled communities. Informal sources, like families and media, sometimes served as helpful resources for PHSE and disabilities. Individuals’ disability symptoms and personal characteristics need to be considered when crafting universally applicable personal health and sexuality education.
Orientable sequences over non-binary alphabets
Authors: Alhakim Abbas , Mitchell Chris J. , Szmidt Janusz , Wild Peter R.
Published: September 2024

We describe new, simple, recursive methods of construction for orientable sequences over an arbitrary finite alphabet, i.e. periodic sequences in which any sub-sequence of n consecutive elements occurs at most once in a period in either direction. In particular we establish how two variants of a generalised Lempel homomorphism can be used to recursively construct such sequences, generalising previous work on the binary case. We also derive an upper bound on the period of an orientable sequence.
Assessment Survey and evaluation of LGBT-Psychology in Nigeria: current state and recommendations
Authors: Olaseni Abayomi O. , Nel Juan A.
Published: September 2024

There is no gainsaying that individuals with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities are faced with serious socio-legal, and medical discrimination following the enactment of anti-homosexuality law in Nigeria. However, not much is known of the effort of an organized body of psychology in the country to ensure adequate knowledge and competence among Nigerian psychologists. This article, therefore, appraises the stance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) psychology in Nigeria in relation to the cardinal quadrants: Advocacy, Education, Research, and Practice. A multi-method design was adopted to sort for both primary and secondary data. Purposive sampling was adopted to involve 124 practicing psychologists. Findings revealed that the Nigerian psychology curriculum limits its scope to sexual and gender disorders (sexual dysfunction, gender dysphoria, and paraphilic disorders) while missing out on sexual and gender diversity content. Furthermore, the outcome shows that not much is documented on the contribution of the field of psychology to the knowledge of LGBT. Many of the participants had a history (and still) working with LGBT clients and did not have formal LGBT-affirmative training. The study concluded that the integration of LGBT psychology is essential for significant achievement in the space of advocacy, education, research, and professional practices.
Personalized federated learning for improving radar based precipitation nowcasting on heterogeneous areas
Authors: Sáinz-Pardo Díaz Judith , Castrillo María , Bartok Juraj , Cachá Ignacio Heredia , Ondík Irina Malkin , Martynovskyi Ivan , Alibabaei Khadijeh , Berberi Lisana , Kozlov Valentin , López García Álvaro
Published: September 2024

The increasing generation of data in different areas of life, such as the environment, highlights the need to explore new techniques for processing and exploiting data for useful purposes. In this context, artificial intelligence techniques, especially through deep learning models, are key tools to be used on the large amount of data that can be obtained, for example, from weather radars. In many cases, the information collected by these radars is not open, or belongs to different institutions, thus needing to deal with the distributed nature of this data. In this work, the applicability of a personalized federated learning architecture, which has been called adapFL, on distributed weather radar images is addressed. To this end, given a single available radar covering 400 km in diameter, the captured images are divided in such a way that they are disjointly distributed into four different federated clients. The results obtained with adapFL are analyzed in each zone, as well as in a central area covering part of the surface of each of the previously distributed areas. The ultimate goal of this work is to study the generalization capability of this type of learning technique for its extrapolation to use cases in which a representative number of radars is available, whose data can not be centralized due to technical, legal or administrative concerns. The results of this preliminary study indicate that the performance obtained in each zone with the adapFL approach allows improving the results of the federated learning approach, the individual deep learning models and the classical Continuity Tracking Radar Echoes by Correlation approach.
Optimizing Disease Surveillance Through Pooled Testing with Application to Infectious Diseases
Authors: Warasi Md S. , Das Kumer P.
Published: September 2024

Pooled (or group) testing has been widely used for the surveillance of infectious diseases of low prevalence. The potential benefits of pooled testing include savings in testing time and costs, reducing false positive tests, and estimating models or making predictions from limited observed data information (e.g., only initial pooled responses). However, realizing these benefits often critically depends on the pool size used. Statistical methods introduced in the literature for optimal pool size determination have been developed mainly to accommodate simpler pooling protocols or perfect diagnostic assays. In this article, we study these issues with the goal of presenting a general optimization technique. We evaluate the efficiency of the estimators of disease prevalence (i.e., the proportion of diseased individuals in a population) while accounting for testing costs. Then, we determine the optimal pool size by minimizing the measures of optimality, such as screening efficiency and estimation efficiency. Our findings are illustrated using data from an ongoing screening application at the Louisiana Department of Health. We show that when a pooling application is properly designed, substantial advantages can be realized. We provide an package and a software application to facilitate the implementation of our optimization techniques. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear online.
Multi-factor fuzzy sets decision system forecasting consumer insolvency risk
Authors: Korol Tomasz
Published: September 2024

The objective of this study is to develop a multi-factor decision system predicting insolvency risk for natural persons with the use of fuzzy sets. Considering that the financial situation of households is affected by various endogenous and exogenous factors, the main assumption of this study is that the system for predicting financial difficulties should not be limited to the use of only a few financial variables concerning consumers, but also include variables describing the environment. The author proposes a system consisting of three different forecasting models that connect the macroeconomic and microeconomic environments. It monitors the economic situation of households by also identifying those environmental variables, which may directly, or indirectly, endanger the consumer, such as unemployment rate (job market situation), inflation and interest rates, exchange rates, or economic situation in the country (GDP growth rate, the dynamics of retail sales, etc.). Moreover, the created cause-and-effect tool is in the form of a flexible application that can be easily adapted to changing economic conditions. Another unique feature of the study is the proposed use of newly developed ratios in household finance, similar to that in financial ratio analysis, which is commonly used in corporate finance. The proposed ratios demonstrated high predictive abilities. The paper also identifies the predictive capabilities of selected macroeconomic variables from the perspective of their impact on the risk of consumer insolvency. The research relies on four samples consisting of a total of 2400 consumers from Taiwan and Poland. The author created three forecasting models separately for the South-East Asian and Central European regions, and two multi-factor systems, each consisting of 1260 decision rules. The findings clearly showed that fuzzy logic is a significantly more effective method compared to traditional models based on classical logic.
Student-to-Student Connections in Postdigital Networked Learning
Authors: Wardak Dewa , Wilson Stephanie
Published: September 2024

Analysing learning situations as entanglements of humans and things in networked learning links to contemporary topics that are at the forefront of the postdigital challenge. The literature broadly conceptualises researching networked learning through four different understandings of networks, as a network of people, as situations or contexts, as infrastructure, and as actant. In this study, we explored the fourth way of understanding networked learning by examining how students described their connections with other students while learning online. Using mediated discourse analysis, we analysed 12 student focus groups to gain insights into what supported their connections with other students, paying particular attention to the nature of the networks they engaged in. This led to the identification of six enablers of student-to-student connections: attention, access, collaboration, proximity, timely interaction, and purpose. We demonstrate how the networks described by students when providing accounts of their connections with others can be best described as networks of human and non-human actants. While current research acknowledges that learning is a result of the socio-material entanglements of physical, virtual, and human actants, it is limited in demonstrating how and why such networks are supportive of learning. Our study contributes by showing how the identified enablers and their interrelationships influenced the extent to which networks were found to be supportive of learning. As such, it also supports a more tangible way of articulating the relationship between networked learning and postdigital education.
Quantifying the impact of trade liberalization on Lao imports (evidence from product-level data)
Authors: Chanthavong Sinthavanh
Published: September 2024

In pursuing economic development after market-oriented reforms, Lao PDR has actively liberalized imports through engagement in regional and multilateral trade agreements. However, a substantial research gap exists in assessing the impact of this liberalization, especially in terms of ex-post empirical studies, which are essential for nuanced policy evaluation. This study aims to thoroughly quantify the impact of tariff liberalization on Lao imports, specifically examining how the elimination of tariffs under regional trade and multilateral trade schemes affects Lao imports. In this study, a balanced gravity panel dataset at a product level from 2013 to 2022 was constructed using data from the Lao Official Import Management Database for a standard gravity model analysis. Results of this analysis reveal that tariff liberalization has significantly boosted Lao imports with an elasticity of -0.327. Counterfactual analysis strengthens this finding, indicating an approximate 6.7% increase in the average value of imports from 2018 to 2022.
The quest for optimal ketamine dosing formula in treatment-resistant major depressive disorder
Authors: Kwaśna Julia , Cubała Wiesław Jerzy , Kwaśny Aleksander , Wilkowska Alina
Published: September 2024

Background

Emerging evidence indicates that intravenous ketamine is effective in managing treatment-resistant unipolar and bipolar depression. Clinical studies highlight its favorable efficacy, safety, and tolerability profile within a dosage range of 0.5-1.0 mg/kg based on actual body weight. However, data on alternative dosage calculation methods, particularly in relation to body mass index (BMI) and therapeutic outcomes, remain limited.

Methods

This retrospective analysis of an open-label study aims to evaluate dose calculation strategies and their impact on treatment response among inpatients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 28). The study employed the Boer and Devine formulas to determine lean body mass (LBM) and ideal body weight (IBW), and the Mosteller formula to estimate body surface area (BSA). The calculated doses were then compared with the actual doses administered or converted to a dosage per square meter for both responders and non-responders.

Results

Regardless of treatment response, defined as a reduction of 50% in the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, the use of alternative ketamine dosing formulas resulted in underdosing compared to the standardized dose of 0.5 mg/kg. Only two participants received higher doses (102.7% and 113.0%) when the Devine formula was applied.

Conclusions

This study suggests that ketamine dosing formulas, alternative to the standardized 0.5 mg/kg based on body weight, may lead to underdosing and potentially impact outcome interpretation. To enhance dosing accuracy, future studies should consider incorporating body impedance analysis and waist-to-hip ratio measurements, as this study did not account for body composition.
An Improved Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy Inference Framework for Lung Cancer Detection and Prediction on Internet of Medical Things Platform
Authors: Shabu S. L. Jany , Refonaa J. , Mallik Saurav , Dhamodaran D. , Grace L. K. Joshila , Ksibi Amel , Ayadi Manel , Alshalali Tagrid Abdullah N.
Published: September 2024

It has become increasingly difficult for medical practitioners to recognize illness in recent years due to the emergence of new diseases from their myriad causes on a daily basis. Due in large part to inadequate diagnostic and monitoring infrastructure, a substantial amount of illness and death are associated with lung cancer (LC). The aim of the paper is to find lung cancer early and help patients receive curative treatment. Quitting smoking or never starting is the best way to mitigate the potential for disease-related death. As a result, cutting-edge detection and monitoring technologies must be developed to enable rapid, accurate, and timely diagnosis. Fuzzy logic (FL) is one of the best approaches to modeling complex and uncertain systems; therefore, it helps us deal with these challenges. Fuzzy expert system for lung cancer [FES-LC] detection and prediction on Internet of medical things (IoMT) is employed to overcome the challenges. Hence, an enhanced adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference framework [ANF-IF] is proposed in the current research. The cloud-based application of an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system yields four risk categories: not at risk, slightly at risk, moderately at risk, and severely at risk. New methods and theoretical frameworks have made it possible to diagnose LC in its earliest stages with the help of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), which allow researchers to overcome the limitations of conventionally slow diagnostic efficiency. The proposed system exhibits a precision of 93.4%, accuracy of 95.1%, specificity of 90.6%, sensitivity of 92.8%, false positive rate of 0.22%, false negative ratio of 0.18%, and classification accuracy of 98.2%. The proposed method outperforms all methods and provides better lung cancer detection accuracy than others.
Research on marine oil spill identification based on laser-induced fluorescence LiDAR
Authors: Xue Qingsheng , Song Junhong , Lu Fengqin , Ma Jun , Gao Xinyu , Xu Jinfeng
Published: September 2024

The rise in oil extraction and transportation in marine environments has led to frequent oil spill incidents, posing a severe threat to marine ecosystems and becoming an urgent environmental issue. This paper presents a laser-induced fluorescence light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system specifically designed for monitoring marine oil spills. The system comprises a laser emission module, a receiving module, a data processing module, and a wireless transmission module. Through outdoor experiments, the system has demonstrated its effectiveness and reliability in detecting and identifying various oil types, including crude oil, diesel, heavy oil, gasoline, and lubricating oil. Additionally, a BP neural network model was employed to process the fluorescence spectral data collected by the LiDAR system. This model successfully predicted oil types with an accuracy of 96.58%. This research presents a new technological solution for marine oil spill monitoring, offering significant potential for practical applications and further research.
The effect of the universal two-child policy on the gender wage gap in urban China
Authors: Huang Qian , Jin Xiaofei , Fan Ziang
Published: September 2024

On 1 January 2016, China further relaxed its family planning policy and adopted the universal two-child policy, which allows any Chinese couple to have two children to address the country’s increasingly severe ageing problems and low fertility. With this shift comes a direct and profound impact on society, especially women; this paper evaluates the effect of the universal two-child policy on the gender wage gap and its mechanism. Several major conclusions emerge from this analysis. The policy significantly expands the urban gender wage gap by 12.86% in the low-policy-fertility-rate (PFR) provinces versus high-PFR provinces. Evidently, it increases the gap among younger or lower-educated people. Moreover, the severity of gender discrimination in the labour market after the implementation of the universal two-child policy is rising, and deserves further attention.
Conspiracy! Or, when bad things happen to good litigants in person
Authors: Leader Kate
Published: September 2024

This paper considers the relationship between litigants in person (LiPs) and conspiracy theories and seeks to answer two questions: how, and why, do some LiPs come to be conspiracy theorists? The majority of LiPs, of course, do not become conspiracy-minded. There is also no evidence that LiPs are more likely than anyone else in legal proceedings to be conspiracists, only, perhaps, that it is more obvious when they are. But there continue to be individuals who have conspiracist explanations for difficulties or failures they experience throughout legal proceedings. And while it is widely held that some LiPs hold eccentric beliefs about the law, there has been little attempt to understand how and why LiPs may come to acquire or articulate these beliefs. This is presumably because it has not been considered important to interrogate the views of people already often assumed to be ‘difficult’ or eccentric. This paper contends, however, that trying to understand how and why these conspiracist beliefs are acquired matters very much. This is because conspiracy theories can give us a critical insight into how negative experiences of litigation can result in a loss of faith or trust in legal institutions.
Divine contradiction: fascinating but unpersuasive
Authors: Kilby Karen
Published: September 2024

This article, offered from the point of view of a non-analytic, systematic theologian, admires the freshness, clarity, and simplicity of the proposal at the heart of Beall's Divine Contradiction, while raising three objections. The first is to the style in which the book is written: I suggest that it remains far too technical to reach large parts of its intended audience. The second is to the tendency to speak of God as ‘portion’ or ‘fragment’ of reality. The third, more substantive objection is to the proposal that the denial of the divinity of each of the Persons of the Trinity can be part of the Christian faith: I argue that Beall's position that only the failure to affirm a truth, and not its denial, counts as a real heresy, is under-argued and unpersuasive.
Divine Contradiction: some snippets
Authors: Beall Jc
Published: September 2024

Two doctrines (or axioms) of christian theology sharply distinguish christian monotheism from its traditional monotheistic siblings (viz. jewish and islamic monotheism): the incarnation of God and the triunity of God. Both doctrines, as many have long observed, face a conspicuous so-called logical problem – namely, apparent contradiction. How should the strong appearance of such fundamental contradiction be explained? Beall's answer: the incarnation and trinity appear to be contradictory because God is a contradictory being – a being of whom some contradictions are true. The full truth of God is expressed only via contradiction, which is why the fundamental axioms of christian theology have long appeared to be contradictory. Divine Contradiction presents the target contradictory account of the trinity; its predecessor The Contradictory Christ presents the contradictory account of the incarnation.
Enhancing Adaptive Capacity by Engaging and Empowering Frontline Workers: A Case Study From a Water Utility
Authors: Gonzales Katerina R. , Roop Heidi A. , Rozance Mary Ann , Grodnik‐Nagle Ann , Purnell Danielle , Rack Marieke , Branam Easton
Published: September 2024

Water utility crews, including those who perform system maintenance and operations at drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities, are experiencing the impacts of changing rainfall characteristics first‐hand. These frontline crews have relevant, experiential knowledge about changing climate‐related risks and adaptation needs that, to date, are not included in utilities' strategic climate planning or implementation efforts, resulting in critical knowledge systems and action gaps. In this co‐production case study with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), a municipal public water utility in Washington State, we use surveys and interviews to document barriers and opportunities for frontline crew engagement to enhance SPU's climate adaptation strategies to extreme rainfall. We find that 66% of crew workers perceive changes to rainfall intensity over the past decade and 59% report responding more to rainfall‐related issues. These frontline crews are coping with changes in extreme precipitation by increasing preventative maintenance, working overtime during major storm events, and doing more pre‐storm planning and preparation. Crews identified several aspects limiting their ability to respond to and prepare for extreme rainfall. To enhance their adaptive capacity, crews documented needs for infrastructure improvement, workforce facilities improvement, increased access to appropriate personal protective equipment, improved communication and coordination across the utility, and enhanced workforce capacity, including increased staff numbers. Findings suggest that for more effective, equitable, and responsive climate adaptation, water utilities should explicitly solicit and include crews' knowledge and lived experiences in adaptation planning while prioritizing strategies that enhance frontline crews' capacity and working conditions as a form of reciprocal action.
Phenological Shifts in Lake Ice Cover Across the Northern Hemisphere: A Glimpse Into the Past, Present, and the Future of Lake Ice Phenology
Authors: Basu A. , Culpepper J. , Blagrave K. , Sharma S.
Published: September 2024

Long‐term ice phenology records quantify the effects of climate change on Northern Hemisphere lakes. This study uses lake ice phenological records across a gradient of lake sizes (0.1–31,967.8 km2 in lake surface area) obtained from community science networks. We compiled in situ ice phenological records for 2,499 lakes across 15 countries for an average of 30 years. These data revealed that for the last 50 years (1971–2020), the annual mean duration of lake ice cover decreased at a rate of 9 days per decade, with a regime shift in lake ice phenology in the late 1980s. We projected that at the end of the century (2070–2099), ice duration will decrease by an average of 10 days when compared to the historical time period (1971–2000) for the shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP) 1–2.6 climate scenario (SSP126), 23 days for SSP370, and 28 days for the SSP585. Impending human development can enhance or attenuate lake ice loss, as adaptation strategies can accelerate fossil fuel use, result in conflict, or seek strategies apart from fossil fuel development. These future pathways have critical implications for the future preservation of lake ice cover.
Disentangling the Roles of Subducted Volatile Contributions and Mantle Source Heterogeneity in the Production of Magmas Beneath the Washington Cascades
Authors: Walowski K. J. , Wallace P. J. , DeBari S. M. , Wada I. , Shaw S. D. , Rea J.
Published: September 2024

The compositional diversity of primitive arc basalts has long inspired questions regarding the drivers of magmatism in subduction zones, including the roles of decompression melting, mantle heterogeneity, and the amount and composition of slab‐derived materials. This contribution presents the volatile (H2O, Cl, and S), major, and trace element compositions of melt inclusions from basaltic magmas erupted at three volcanic centers in the Washington Cascades: Mount St. Helens (two basaltic tephras, 2.0–1.7 ka), Indian Heaven Volcanic Field (two <600 ka basaltic hyaloclastite tuffs), and Glacier Peak (late Pleistocene to Holocene basaltic tephra from Whitechuck and Indian Pass cones). Compositions corrected to be in equilibrium with mantle olivine display variability in Nb and trace element ratios indicative of mantle source variability that impressively spans nearly the entire range of arc magmas globally. All volcanic centers have magmas with H2O and Cl contributions from the downgoing plate that overlap with other Cascade Arc segments. Volatile abundances and trace element ratios support a model of melting of a highly variably mantle wedge driven by a subduction component of variably saline fluid and/or slab partial melt. Magmas from Glacier Peak in northern Washington have unusually high Th/Yb ratios that are similar to Lassen region basalts, indicating possible contributions of “subcreted” metasediments that geophysical data suggest are not present beneath central Oregon and southern Washington. This data set adds to the growing inventory of primitive magma volatile concentrations and provides insight into spatial distributions of mantle heterogeneity and the role of slab components in the petrogenesis of arc magmas.
Air‐Ice‐Ocean Coupling During a Strong Mid‐Winter Cyclone: Observing Coupled Dynamic Interactions Across Scales
Authors: Watkins D. M. , Persson P. O. G. , Stanton T. , Solomon A. , Hutchings J. K. , Haapala J. , Svensson G.
Published: September 2024

Arctic cyclones are key drivers of sea ice and ocean variability. During the 2019–2020 Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition, joint observations of the coupled air‐ice‐ocean system were collected at multiple spatial scales. Here, we present observations of a strong mid‐winter cyclone that impacted the MOSAiC site as it drifted in the central Arctic pack ice. The sea ice dynamical response showed spatial structure at the scale of the evolving and translating cyclonic wind field. Internal ice stress and ocean stress play significant roles, resulting in timing offsets between the atmospheric forcing and the ice response and post‐cyclone inertial ringing in the ice and ocean. Ice motion in response to the wind field then forces the upper ocean currents through frictional drag. The strongest impacts to the sea ice and ocean from the passing cyclone occur as a result of the surface impacts of a strong atmospheric low‐level jet (LLJ) behind the trailing cold front and changing wind directions between the warm‐sector LLJ and post cold‐frontal LLJ. Impacts of the cyclone are prolonged through the coupled ice‐ocean inertial response. Local impacts of the approximately 120 km wide LLJ occur over a 12 hr period or less and at scales of a kilometer to a few tens of kilometers, meaning that these impacts occur at combined smaller spatial scales and faster time scales than most satellite observations and coupled Earth system models can resolve.
Distinct binding conformations of epinephrine with α- and β-adrenergic receptors
Authors: Lou Jian-Shu , Su Minfei , Wang Jinan , Do Hung Nguyen , Miao Yinglong , Huang Xin-Yun
Published: September 2024

Agonists targeting α2-adrenergic receptors (ARs) are used to treat diverse conditions, including hypertension, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, pain, panic disorders, opioid and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, and cigarette cravings. These receptors transduce signals through heterotrimeric Gi proteins. Here, we elucidated cryo-EM structures that depict α2A-AR in complex with Gi proteins, along with the endogenous agonist epinephrine or the synthetic agonist dexmedetomidine. Molecular dynamics simulations and functional studies reinforce the results of the structural revelations. Our investigation revealed that epinephrine exhibits different conformations when engaging with α-ARs and β-ARs. Furthermore, α2A-AR and β1-AR (primarily coupled to Gs, with secondary associations to Gi) were compared and found to exhibit different interactions with Gi proteins. Notably, the stability of the epinephrine–α2A-AR–Gi complex is greater than that of the dexmedetomidine–α2A-AR–Gi complex. These findings substantiate and improve our knowledge on the intricate signaling mechanisms orchestrated by ARs and concurrently shed light on the regulation of α-ARs and β-ARs by epinephrine.
Harnessing IL-2 for immunotherapy against cancer and chronic infection: a historical perspective and emerging trends
Authors: Im Se Jin , Lee Kyungmin , Ha Sang-Jun
Published: September 2024

IL-2 therapy, which enhances the function of CD8 + T cells, was initially employed as the cornerstone of immunotherapy against cancer. However, the impact of this therapy extends beyond CD8 + T cells to cells expressing IL-2R, such as endothelial cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs), resulting in various side effects. Consequently, IL-2 therapy has taken a step back from the forefront of treatment. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies and CTLA-4 antibodies, are used because of their durable therapeutic responses and the reduced incidence of side effects. Nevertheless, only a small fraction of cancer patients respond to ICIs, and research on IL-2 as a combination treatment to improve the efficacy of these ICIs is ongoing. To mitigate side effects, efforts have focused on developing IL-2 variants that do not strongly bind to cells expressing IL-2Rα and favor signaling through IL-2Rβγ. However, recent studies have suggested that, in the context of persistent antigen stimulation models, effective stimulation of antigen-specific exhausted CD8 + T cells in combination with PD-1 inhibitors requires either 1) binding to IL-2Rα or 2) delivery via a fusion with PD-1. This review explores the historical context of IL-2 as an immunotherapeutic agent and discusses future directions for its use in cancer immunotherapy.
Mosaic chromosomal alterations in hematopoietic cells and clinical outcomes in patients with multiple myeloma
Authors: Husby Simon , Tulstrup Morten , Harsløf Mads , Nielsen Christian , Haastrup Eva , Ebbesen Lene Hyldahl , Klarskov Andersen Mette , Pertesi Maroulio , Brieghel Christian , Niemann Carsten U. , Nilsson Björn , Szabo Agoston Gyula , Andersen Niels Frost , Abildgaard Niels , Vangsted Annette , Grønbæk Kirsten
Published: September 2024

Mosaic chromosomal alterations (mCAs) in hematopoietic cells increase mortality and risk of hematological cancers and infections. We investigated the landscape of mCAs and their clinical consequences in 976 patients with multiple myeloma undergoing high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell support (ASCT) with median 6.4 years of follow-up. mCAs were detected in the stem cell harvest product of 158 patients (16.2%). Autosomal aberrations were found in 60 patients (6.1%) and affected all chromosomes. Loss of chromosome X was found in 51 females (12.7%) and loss of chromosome Y in 55 males (9.6%). Overall survival and progression were similar between carriers of autosomal mCAs and non-carriers. In contrast, female patients with loss of the X chromosome had longer overall survival (age-adjusted[a.a.] HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.32–0.93, p = 0.02), lower risk of progression (a.a. HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.35–0.87; p = 0.01), and better post-transplant response (higher degree of complete response (CR) or very good partial response (VGPR)). The reason for this substantial effect is unknown. Additionally, myeloma clones in the stem cell product was confirmed by mCA analysis in the few patients with multiple mCAs (n = 12 patients). Multiple mCAs conferred inferior overall survival (a.a. HR 2.0, 95% CI 1.02–3.84; p = 0.04) and higher risk of myeloma progression (a.a. HR 3.36, 95% CI 1.67–6.81; p < 0.001), which is presumed to be driven by suspected myeloma contaminants.
The number of episodes of major psychiatric and substance use disorders as an index of genetic risk and genetic heterogeneity
Authors: Kendler Kenneth S. , Ohlsson Henrik , Sundquist Jan , Sundquist Kristina
Published: September 2024

We investigate whether number of episodes (NoEs) meaningfully reflect genetic risk and genetic heterogeneity for five primary disorders—Drug Use Disorder (DUD), Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), Major Depression (MD), Bipolar Disorder (BD), and Schizophrenia (SZ) ascertained from Swedish population registries. We utilize Genetic Risk Ratios (GRR)—defined as the ratio of the genetic risk for secondary disorders to the genetic risk for the primary disorder—derived from Family Genetic Risk Scores (FGRS). For all five primary disorders, genetic risk rose robustly with increasing NoEs. For both AUD and DUD, the GRR for all six secondary disorders—selected to have a likely genetic relationship with the particular primary disorder—declined with increasing NoEs so that cases of AUD and DUD with high versus low NoEs had both a higher genetic risk and a purer genetic signal. With MD, genetic risk maximized at an intermediate NoEs. While the GRRs for AUD and DUD in MD cases dropped sharply with increasing NoEs, GRR for BD increased. For BD, genetic risk rose sharply with increasing NoEs while for all secondary disorders the GRRs showed a mixture of modest increases and decreases. Like AUD and DUD, but even more markedly, selecting BD cases with high rates of recurrence would produce a sample with a high overall genetic risk and a relatively homogeneous genetic signal. For SZ, genetic risk rose moderately with increases in NoEs. GRRs for other non-affective psychoses (ONAP) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) fell quite slowly with increasing NoEs, and more rapidly for other secondary disorders. Cases of SZ with high recurrence rates had a high genetic risk and a relatively pure signal, albeit with contributions from ONAP and ASD. In summary, NOEs are a robust index of genetic risk and genetic heterogeneity across our primary disorders with important inter-disorder differences.
Umbilical cord management in newborn resuscitation: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Major Gréta Sz. , Unger Vivien , Nagy Rita , Hernádfői Márk , Veres Dániel S. , Zolcsák Ádám , Szabó Miklós , Garami Miklós , Hegyi Péter , Varga Péter , Gasparics Ákos
Published: September 2024

Background

Evidence supporting the benefits of delayed cord clamping is increasing; however, there is no clear recommendation on cord management during newborn resuscitation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of resuscitation initiated with an intact umbilical cord, hypothesizing it is a safe stabilization procedure that improves neonatal outcomes.

Methods

Systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, and Web of Science from inception to March 1, 2024. Eligible articles compared neonatal outcomes in newborns receiving initial stabilization steps before and after cord clamping.

Results

Twelve studies met our inclusion criteria, with six RCTs included in the quantitative analysis. No statistically significant differences were found in delivery room parameters, in-hospital mortality, or neonatal outcomes between the examined groups. However, intact cord resuscitation group showed higher SpO2 at 5 min after birth compared to cord clamping prior to resuscitation group (MD 6.67%, 95% CI [−1.16%, 14.50%]). There were no significant differences in early complications of prematurity (NEC ≥ stage 2: RR 2.05, 95% CI [0.34, 12.30], IVH: RR 1.25, 95% CI [0.77, 2.00]).

Conclusion

Intact cord management during resuscitation appears to be a safe intervention; its effect on early complications of prematurity remains unclear. Further high-quality RCTs with larger patient numbers are urgently needed.

Impact

Initiating resuscitation with an intact umbilical cord appears to be a safe intervention for newborns.

No statistically significant differences were found in delivery room parameters, in-hospital mortality, and neonatal outcomes between the examined groups.

The utilization of specialized resuscitation trolleys appears to be promising to reduce the risk of intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm infants.

Further high-quality RCTs with larger sample sizes are urgently needed to refine recommendations.
Peritumoral tissue (PTT): increasing need for naming convention
Authors: Koca Dzenis , Abedi-Ardekani Behnoush , LeMaoult Joel , Guyon Laurent
Published: September 2024

Various terms are used to describe non-malignant tissue located in the proximity of a tumor, belonging to the organ from which the tumor originated. Traditionally, these tissues, sometimes called “normal adjacent tissue” have been used as controls in cancer studies, and were considered representative of morphologically healthy, non-cancerous tissue. However, with the advancement of OMIC technologies, such tissues are increasingly recognized to be distinct from both tumor and healthy tissues. Furthermore, properties, characteristics, and role of these tissues in cancer formation and progression is increasingly studied. In order to make future research in this area more harmonized and more accessible, as well as to counter the widespread perception of normalcy, we are advocating the need for standardized naming convention. For this purpose, we propose the use of neutral and comprehensive term “Peritumoral Tissue” along with the acronym “PTT”. While significant amount of data on these tissues are publicly available, reuse of such data remains limited due to a lack of information on sample collection procedures. In order to facilitate future reuse of the data, we suggest a list of features that should be documented during sample collection procedures. These recommendations can aid the definition of Standard Operating Procedures.