bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Baseline metabolic tumour burden improves risk stratification in Hodgkin lymphoma: A Children's Oncology Group study
Authors: Milgrom Sarah A. , Kim Jihyun , Pei Qinglin , Lee Inki , Hoppe Bradford S. , Wu Yue , Hodgson David , Kessel Sandy , McCarten Kathleen M. , Roberts Kenneth , Lo Andrea C. , Cole Peter D. , Kelly Kara M. , Cho Steve Y.
Published: March 2023

The Children's Oncology Group AHOD0831 study used a positron emission tomography (PET) response‐adapted approach in high‐risk Hodgkin lymphoma, whereby slow early responders (SERs) received more intensive therapy than rapid early responders (RERs). We explored if baseline PET‐based characteristics would improve risk stratification. Of 166 patients enrolled in the COG AHOD0831 study, 94 (57%) had baseline PET scans evaluable for quantitative analysis. For these patients, total body metabolic tumour volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and peak SUV (SUVpeak) were obtained. MTV/TLG thresholds were an SUV of 2.5 (MTV2.5/TLG2.5) and 40% of the tumour SUVmax (MTV40%/TLG40%). TLG2.5 was associated with event‐free survival (EFS) in the complete cohort (p = 0.04) and in RERs (p = 0.01), but not in SERs (p = 0.8). The Youden index cut‐off for TLG2.5 was 1841. Four‐year EFS was 92% for RER/TLG2.5 up to 1841, 60% for RER/TLG2.5 greater than 1841, 74% for SER/TLG2.5 up to 1841 and 79% for SER/TLG2.5 greater than 1841. Second EFS for RER/TLG2.5 up to 1841 was 100%. Thus, RERs with a low baseline TLG2.5 experienced excellent EFS with less intensive therapy, whereas RERs with a high baseline TLG2.5 experienced poor EFS. These findings suggest that patients with a high upfront tumour burden may benefit from intensified therapy, even if they achieve a RER.
Genetics as a novel tool in mining impact assessment and biomonitoring of critically endangered western chimpanzees in the Nimba Mountains, Guinea
Authors: Koops Kathelijne , Humle Tatyana , Frandsen Peter , Fitzgerald Maegan , D'Auvergne Lucy , Jackson Hazel A. , Børsting Claus , Siegismund Hans R. , Soumah Aly Gaspard , Hvilsom Christina
Published: March 2023

Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) are Critically Endangered and Guinea is a key stronghold for this subspecies. However, Guinea is also rich in minerals with some of the highest‐grade iron‐ore deposits in the world. Specifically, the Nimba Mountains, home to western chimpanzees, is one of the sites under consideration for mining activities. To assess the impact of mining activities in the area, we used non‐invasive genetic sampling to estimate chimpanzee population size, sex ratio, community composition, and range boundaries on the western flank of the massif. The level of genetic diversity and affinity between communities was estimated and recommendations for future genetic censusing provided. Between 2003 and 2018, we collected 999 fecal samples of which 663 were analyzed using a panel of 26 microsatellites. We identified a minimum of 136 chimpanzees in four communities, with evidence of migratory events, a high level of shared ancestry and genetic diversity. We assessed sampling intensities and capture rates for each community. Saturation was reached in two communities with sampling between 3.2 and 4.3 times the estimated number of chimpanzees. Our findings highlight the utility of genetic censusing for temporal monitoring of ape abundance, as well as capturing migratory events and gauging genetic diversity and population viability over time. We recommend genetic sampling, combined with camera trapping, for use in future Environmental and Social Impact Assessments, as these methods can yield robust baselines for implementing the mitigation hierarchy, future biomonitoring and conservation management.
Continuing the quality improvement of an electronic personal health record and interactive website for people with diabetes in Scotland (My Diabetes My Way)
Authors: Shields Cathy , Conway Nicholas T. , Allardice Brian , Wake Deborah J. , Cunningham Scott G.
Published: March 2023

Aims

eHealth applications have the potential to enable patients to take more control over managing their own health, helping to delay and prevent complications. My Diabetes My Way (MDMW) is an electronic personal health record/educational platform available to people with diabetes in Scotland. This study aims to assess user experience with respect to demographic subgroups, examine effectiveness of previous improvements made to the platform and inform its ongoing development.

Methods

All active MDMW users (22,665) were invited to take part in a questionnaire combining Likert scale and free‐response items relating to system utility. Likert responses were used to generate a ‘utility score’. This was used in regression analyses to determine predictors of system utility scoring. Free‐response answers were analysed thematically and themes were generated.

Results

A total of 4713 (21%) MDMW users responded to the questionnaire. Most agreed that MDMW helps them to track changes over time, prepare for face‐to‐face consultations, remember information discussed in consultations and reduced the need to contact their general practitioner. Free‐response answers showed that users valued earlier enhancements made to the site (e.g. linking Fitbit data), and highlighted areas needing further improvement. Evidence of the ‘digital divide’ was seen in respondent demographics, and some users mentioned ‘lack of digital skills' as a barrier to engaging with the platform.

Conclusions

User experience of MDMW was positive. Users agreed with statements that MDMW facilitates diabetes self management. Several areas of potential improvement were identified, including linking more wearable device data, and assisting/directing users to gain the digital skills required to engage fully with MDMW.
What Is Pedagogy? Discovering the Hidden Pedagogical Dimension
Authors: Friesen Norm , Su Hanno
Published: March 2023

What is pedagogy, exactly? Merriam‐Webster defines it simply as “the art, science, or profession of teaching.” In contemporary academic discourse, however, pedagogy is generally left undefined — with its apparent implicit meanings ranging anywhere from a specific “model for teaching” (e.g., behaviorist or progressivist instruction) to a broadly political philosophy of education in general (most famously, a “pedagogy of the oppressed”). In this paper, Norm Friesen and Hanno Su follow the Continental pedagogical tradition in giving pedagogy a general but explicit definition. They do so by looking at how pedagogy arises both in everyday life and in school as unavoidably ethical activity undertaken primarily for the sake of the young person or child. Such activities, the authors maintain, are structured not so much by processes, methods, and outcomes, but by irresolvable oppositions and the tensions between them. They illustrate this inductively through a series of images and examples — moving gradually from ones involving parenting and early childhood to ones from elementary and secondary schooling. In this way, Friesen and Su show that pedagogy is not so much one or more ideologically focused or evidence‐based instructional or psychological approaches to be mastered by a professional or teaching specialist. It is instead an independent but ethically informed practical perspective — one that can (and has) been extended to form a distinctively pedagogical theory and discipline. As such, it is something that is not only a part of our everyday life and culture, but arguably of all human cultures.
Behavioural differences underlie toxicity and predation variation in blooms of Prymnesium parvum
Authors: Driscoll William W. , Wisecaver Jennifer H. , Hackett Jeremiah D. , Espinosa Noelle J. , Padway Jared , Engers Jessica E. , Bower Jessica A.
Published: March 2023

Much of the evolutionary ecology of toxic algal blooms (TABs) remains unclear, including the role of algal toxins in the adaptive ‘strategies’ of TAB‐forming species. Most eukaryotic TABs are caused by mixotrophs that augment autotrophy with organic nutrient sources, including competing algae (intraguild predation). We leverage the standing diversity of TABs formed by the toxic, invasive mixotroph Prymnesium parvum to identify cell‐level behaviours involved in toxin‐assisted predation using direct observations as well as comparisons between genetically distinct low‐ and high‐toxicity isolates. Our results suggest that P. parvum toxins are primarily delivered at close range and promote subsequent prey capture/consumption. Surprisingly, we find opposite chemotactic preferences for organic (prey‐derived) and inorganic nutrients between differentially toxic isolates, respectively, suggesting behavioural integration of toxicity and phagotrophy. Variation in toxicity may, therefore, reflect broader phenotypic integration of key traits that ultimately contribute to the remarkable flexibility, diversity, and success of invasive populations.
Soil biota diversity and plant diversity both contributed to ecosystem stability in grasslands
Authors: Wu Liji , Chen Huasong , Chen Dima , Wang Shaopeng , Wu Ying , Wang Bing , Liu Shengen , Yue Linyan , Yu Jie , Bai Yongfei
Published: March 2023

Understanding the effects of diversity on ecosystem stability in the context of global change has become an important goal of recent ecological research. However, the effects of diversity at multiple scales and trophic levels on ecosystem stability across environmental gradients remain unclear. Here, we conducted a field survey of α‐, β‐, and γ‐diversity of plants and soil biota (bacteria, fungi, and nematodes) and estimated the temporal ecosystem stability of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in 132 plots on the Mongolian Plateau. After climate and soil environmental variables were controlled for, both the α‐ and β‐diversity of plants and soil biota (mainly via nematodes) together with precipitation explained most variation in ecosystem stability. These findings evidence that the diversity of both soil biota and plants contributes to ecosystem stability. Model predictions of the future effects of global changes on terrestrial ecosystem stability will require field observations of diversity of both plants and soil biota.
Health‐related quality of life in adults with drug‐resistant focal epilepsy treated with modified Atkins diet in a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Kverneland Magnhild , Nakken Karl Otto , Hofoss Dag , Skogan Annette Holth , Iversen Per Ole , Selmer Kaja Kristine , Lossius Morten Ingvar
Published: March 2023

Ketogenic diet, a high‐fat, low‐carbohydrate diet, is an established treatment for patients with severe epilepsy. We have previously reported a moderate reduction in seizure frequency after treatment with a modified Atkins diet. This study aimed to see whether dietary therapy impacts patients' health‐related quality of life (HRQOL). In a randomized controlled design, we compared the change in self‐reported HRQOL among adults with difficult‐to‐treat epilepsy after a 12‐week diet intervention. Thirty‐nine patients with drug‐resistant focal epilepsy (age = 16–65 years) were randomized to eat a modified Atkins diet with maximum 16 g of carbohydrate per day (diet group, n = 19) or to continue eating habitual diet (control group, n = 20). No changes to the other epilepsy treatments were allowed. Patient‐reported HRQOL was assessed with the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory‐89 (QOLIE‐89). The diet group experienced a statistically significant improvement in mean total score of QOLIE‐89 of 10 points compared to controls (p = .002). Moreover, although not statistically significant when using a cutoff of 50% seizure reduction, our data suggest an association between diet‐induced reduction in seizure frequency and improvement in HRQOL. The improvement in HRQOL was not associated with diet‐induced weight reduction.
Scalp ripple rates for rapid epilepsy differentiation and seizure activity assessment: Applicability and influential factors
Authors: Liu Xianyue , Li Yinchao , Li Xiaonan , Chen Shuda , Sui Lisen , Su Zhengwei , Cheng Liming , Zhao Ke , Yang Man , Lai Huanling , Xing Yue , Gui Yue , Wang Jiaoyang , Yang Xiaofeng , Zhou Liemin
Published: March 2023

Objective

We aim to determine whether automatically detected ripple rate (ADRR) of 10‐min scalp electroencephalography (EEG) during slow‐wave sleep can be a useful tool for rapid epilepsy differentiation and seizure activity assessment, and we analyze the clinical factors that may affect the scalp ripple rates.

Methods

We retrospectively included 336 patients who underwent long‐term video‐EEG with a sampling rate ≥1000 Hz, and three groups were established based on their final clinical diagnosis (non‐epilepsy; non‐active epilepsy [epilepsy being seizure‐free for at least 1 year]; and active epilepsy [epilepsy with one or more seizures in the past year]). ADRRs between groups were compared and diagnostic thresholds set according to the maximum of Youden index with the receiver‐operating characteristic curve.

Results

The 336 patients comprised 49 non‐epilepsy and 287 epilepsy patients (95 non‐active epilepsy and 192 active epilepsy). The median ADRR of the epilepsy group was significantly greater than in the non‐epilepsy group, with a diagnostic threshold of 4.25 /min (specificity 89.8%, sensitivity 47.74%, p<.001). Following stratification by age, the area under the curve was greatest in the 0–20 year subgroup, threshold 4.10 /min (specificity 100%, sensitivity 52.47%, p<.001). Regarding distinguishing active epilepsy from non‐active epilepsy patients, the area under the curve was also greatest in patients 0–20 years of age, threshold 13.05/min (specificity 98.36%, sensitivity 35.64%, p<.001). Following stratification by epilepsy type, the diagnostic efficiency was best in children with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies/epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs/EEs) (threshold 5.20/min, specificity 100%, sensitivity 100%) and self‐limited focal epilepsies (SeLFEs) (threshold 5.45/min, specificity 80%, sensitivity 100%). Multivariate analysis revealed that the influential factors of ADRRs were age, depth of epileptogenic lesion, and seizure frequency.

Significance

ADRR of scalp EEG can be a rapid and specific method to differentiate epilepsy and evaluate seizure activity. This method is especially suitable for young patients.
Evaluation of cartilage injury in horses with osteochondral fragments in the metacarpo−/metatarsophalangeal joint: A study on 823 arthroscopies
Authors: Goldkuhl Janna Evelina Cornelia , Zablotski Yury , Sill Volker , Jahn Werner , Lorenz Ina , Brunk Jan , Gerlach Kerstin , Troillet Antonia
Published: March 2023

Background

Osteochondral fragment removal is commonly performed but there are little scientific data supporting this procedure in the absence of clinical signs. More information is needed to facilitate clinical decision‐making regarding fragment removal of the metacarpo−/metatarsophalangeal joint.

Objectives

To assess prevalence of cartilage injury in the equine metacarpo−/metatarsophalangeal joint and its association to fragment size, location, age and lameness.

Study design

Retrospective observational study.

Methods

Clinical records, including radiographs of 823 metacarpo−/metatarsophalangeal joints (640 horses) that underwent arthroscopic fragment removal, were reviewed. Fragment size, intra‐articular fragment location and cartilage injury score were recorded. Presence of synovitis was retrospectively evaluated in 157 joints. Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests were used for group comparisons, and Dunn's post hoc test was applied for multiple comparisons. Linear regression analysis was used to assess strength of association between age and mean cartilage score. Univariable regression analysis was performed and variables with p < 0.2 were used in the final mixed‐effects multivariable model to which backwards stepwise selection was applied. Significance level was p < 0.05.

Results

Cartilage injury was present in 28.8% (95% CI = 25.8–32.0) of joints. Lameness was not associated with fragment location or fragment size. Fragment size was not associated with cartilage injury. Age (OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.22–1.48, p < 0.001) and lameness (OR = 5.03, 95% CI = 2.27–11.68, p < 0.001) were associated with cartilage injury as well as fragment location (palmar/plantar, OR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.13–0.38, p < 0.001), with dorsal fragments being more likely to be associated with cartilage lesions than palmar/plantar fragments. There was a significant association between age and mean cartilage score (b = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.14–0.22, p < 0.001).

Main limitations

The series included a heterogenous group of horses of different breed, sex, age and use. Data were collected retrospectively and could, in parts, not be fully evaluated.

Conclusions

Early fragment removal, especially in joints with dorsal fragmentation, can be beneficial to avoid future cartilage injuries in equine athletes.
The orchestration of Machine Learning frameworks with data streams and GPU acceleration in Kafka‐ML: A deep‐learning performance comparative
Authors: Chaves Antonio Jesús , Martín Cristian , Díaz Manuel
Published: March 2023

Machine Learning (ML) applications need large volumes of data to train their models so that they can make high‐quality predictions. Given digital revolution enablers such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Industry 4.0, this information is generated in large quantities in terms of continuous data streams and not in terms of static datasets as it is the case with most AI (Artificial Intelligence) frameworks. Kafka‐ML is a novel open‐source framework that allows the complete management of ML/AI pipelines through data streams. In this article, we present new features for the Kafka‐ML framework, such as the support for the well‐known ML/AI framework PyTorch, as well as for GPU acceleration at different points along the pipeline. This pipeline will be described by taking a real Industry 4.0 use case in the Petrochemical Industry. Finally, a comprehensive evaluation with state‐of‐the‐art deep learning models will be carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of the platform.
The landscape of American Sign Language education
Authors: Pirone John S. , Pudans‐Smith Kimberly K. , Ivy Tracy , Listman Jason D.
Published: March 2023

Although American Sign Language (ASL) education for second language (L2) or additional language (Ln) learners in postsecondary education has increased rapidly over the past four decades, not much is understood about the field. The scholarship of ASL education is relatively new, and little is known of the perspectives of ASL professionals in ASL education. This qualitative study included focus group discussions with 13 ASL professionals who have worked in the field of ASL education to build a better understanding of ASL education as a discipline in regard to its strengths, challenges, and directions. The results from the four focus group discussions show three emergent themes: ASL professionals, the structure of postsecondary education, and the purpose of ASL education. The challenges in developing and sustaining ASL education as a discipline are discussed, and recommendations on how ASL education as a discipline can be elevated and sustained are provided.
Global patterns and drivers of leaf photosynthetic capacity: The relative importance of environmental factors and evolutionary history
Authors: Yan Zhengbing , Sardans Jordi , Peñuelas Josep , Detto Matteo , Smith Nicholas G. , Wang Han , Guo Lulu , Hughes Alice C. , Guo Zhengfei , Lee Calvin K. F. , Liu Lingli , Wu Jin
Published: March 2023

Aim

Understanding the considerable variability and drivers of global leaf photosynthetic capacity [indicated by the maximum carboxylation rate standardized to 25°C (Vc,max25)] is an essential step for accurate modelling of terrestrial plant photosynthesis and carbon uptake under climate change. Although current environmental conditions have often been connected with empirical and theoretical models to explain global Vc,max25 variability through acclimatization and adaptation, long‐term evolutionary history has largely been neglected, but might also explicitly play a role in shaping the Vc,max25 variability.

Location

Global.

Time period

Contemporary.

Major taxa studied

Terrestrial plants.

Methods

We compiled a geographically comprehensive global dataset of Vc,max25 for C3 plants (n = 6917 observations from 2157 species and 425 sites covering all major biomes world‐wide), explored the biogeographical and phylogenetic patterns of Vc,max25, and quantified the relative importance of current environmental factors and evolutionary history in driving global Vc,max25 variability.

Results

We found that Vc,max25 differed across different biomes, with higher mean values in relatively drier regions, and across different life‐forms, with higher mean values in non‐woody relative to woody plants and in legumes relative to non‐leguminous plants. The values of Vc,max25 displayed a significant phylogenetic signal and diverged in a contrasting manner across phylogenetic groups, with a significant trend along the evolutionary axis towards a higher Vc,max25 in more modern clades. A Bayesian phylogenetic linear mixed model revealed that evolutionary history (indicated by phylogeny and species) explained nearly 3‐fold more of the variation in global Vc,max25 than present‐day environment (53 vs. 18%).

Main conclusions

These findings contribute to a comprehensive assessment of the patterns and drivers of global Vc,max25 variability, highlighting the importance of evolutionary history in driving global Vc,max25 variability, hence terrestrial plant photosynthesis.
Opposing powers at the helm and the immobilities of passenger‐ferry governance in Vieques, Puerto Rico
Authors: Pimentel Rivera Andrea
Published: March 2023

Almost 20 years have passed since Viequenses succeeded in their struggle to kick out the US Navy from their island, yet residents have been left stranded facing issues of the dispossession of the island's most poor, alongside slow clean‐up efforts and deteriorating health outcomes. Drawing upon approaches from recent critical transportation geographies, this article uses a mobility justice framework to understand how the afterlives of over 60 years of direct militarised colonial violence continue to repeat through Viequense mobile life. I particularly focus on how Vieques' environmental injustices become mobility injustices through the poor ferry service. The article explores the governance of the maritime transportation service by disentangling its mobile politics, revealing the deeper impacts of coloniality on infrastructures of mobility. I do so through a critical policy analysis of legislative measures, plans, reports and grant proposals prepared by Puerto Rican state authorities from 1999 to 2021. Recognising the close relationship between debt and infrastructural landscapes in Puerto Rico, I use debt as an analytical tool to explain how it is constitutive of mobility regimes on the island. Through this analysis, the article centres on the creation of the Maritime Transportation Authority (ATM) as an institutional actor in charge of Viequense mobilities, detailing how it was enmeshed in fiscal and political tensions that resulted in extreme im/mobilities to its passengers. I find that the struggle for ownership over mobilities is a characteristic of the mobile politics of the ferry service, defined by an unequal power distribution between institutional actors and users, codified by public policies. This demonstrates how multiple dimensions of justice intertwine within mobility politics, aggravating existing environmental injustices into mobility injustices.
Singapore dentists' attitudes toward dental care provision for older adults with disabilities
Authors: Chuang Janice Cheah Ping , Pradhan Archana , Walsh Laurence James , Lopez Silva Claudia Patricia
Published: March 2023

Objectives

This study aimed to assess dentists' attitudes toward providing dental care for older adults with disabilities in Singapore and the factors influencing their willingness to provide care.

Background

Dentists face a rapidly ageing patient demographic. Practitioner unwillingness to circumvent the attending challenges of care provision prevents older adults from accessing the dental care necessary for better oral and systemic health. Previous studies have reported on dentists' attitudes toward caring for older adults with disabilities; however, these are mostly limited to dependent older adults and exclude frail, community‐dwelling older persons.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted in 2020 using a self‐administered questionnaire. Quantitative data analysis was presented in the form of descriptive statistics, followed by bivariate analyses.

Results

There were 193 respondents, a response rate of under 9%. Dentists were less willing, confident and involved in the care of older adults with disabilities as the individual's severity of impairments increased. Less than half of respondents were willing to treat individuals with severe disabilities in cooperation (23.3%), swallowing (30.6%), mobility (33.7%) and communication (45.1%). Dentists with training in geriatric dentistry were more willing to provide care. However, younger dentists, general dental practitioners, private practitioners and public sector dentists had specific restraining and driving forces, which further modulated their willingness to provide care.

Conclusions

The current areas of training needs among Singapore dentists are in severe impairments of swallowing, communication, cooperation and mobility. Further geriatric dentistry training may effectively increase dentists' willingness to provide care; however, additional specific targeted interventions are also needed.
The pandemic as gender arrhythmia: Women’s bodies, counter rhythms and critique of everyday life
Authors: Thorpe Holly , Brice Julie , Soltani Anoosh , Nemani Mihi , O’Leary Grace , Barrett Nikki
Published: March 2023

In this paper we build upon recent organizational research drawing upon the work of Henri Lefebvre, and feminist engagements with his theory of “Rhythmanalysis”, to examine how the COVID‐19 pandemic disrupted women's everyday lives and the impacts on their relationship with work. Drawing upon interviews with 38 women from diverse socio‐cultural backgrounds living in Aotearoa New Zealand, we describe the pandemic as an “arrhythmia”, a radical rupture to the familiar rhythms of their everyday social and working lives. We describe how the pandemic arrhythmia was felt in and through bodies (i.e., sleep, weight), and how women responded by creating counter rhythms (i.e., hobbies, exercise, food) as strategies to support their own and others wellbeing. Furthermore, radically disrupting linear repetitions of everyday work, social and family life, the pandemic prompted many to reflect differently upon how pre‐pandemic rhythms shaped by the social, economic and gendered structures of neoliberalism were causing various forms of alienation (i.e., from their own health and wellbeing, meaningful social connections, ethical and sustainable working practices, and from pleasure). For some women, the pandemic arrhythmia was a puncturing of their normalized time‐space gendered routines, leading to critique and transformation to their everyday work‐life patterns. Engaging a feminist reading of rhythmanalysis, this paper brings into focus how neoliberal gender regimes are reconstituted and disrupted in the rhythms and routines of women's everyday lives. In so doing, we highlight the potential in feminist engagement with arrhythmia to extend understandings of the gendered politics of everyday life during and beyond pandemic times, and the value in such approaches for organizational scholars interested in understanding the gendered rhythms of daily life and their effects on relationships with work.
Groundwater Connections and Sustainability in Social‐Ecological Systems
Authors: Huggins Xander , Gleeson Tom , Castilla‐Rho Juan , Holley Cameron , Re Viviana , Famiglietti James S.
Published: March 2023

Groundwater resources are connected with social, economic, ecological, and Earth systems. We introduce the framing of groundwater‐connected systems to better represent the nature and complexity of these connections in data collection, scientific investigations, governance and management approaches, and groundwater education. Groundwater‐connected systems are social, economic, ecological, and Earth systems that interact with groundwater, such as irrigated agriculture, groundwater‐dependent ecosystems, and cultural relationships to groundwater expressions such as springs and rivers. Groundwater‐connected systems form social‐ecological systems with complex behaviors such as feedbacks, nonlinear processes, multiple stable system states, and path dependency. These complex behaviors are only visible through this integrated system framing and are not endogenous properties of physical groundwater systems. The framing is syncretic as it aims to provide a common conceptual foundation for the growing disciplines of socio‐hydrogeology, eco‐hydrogeology, groundwater governance, and hydro‐social groundwater analysis. The framing also facilitates greater alignment between the groundwater sustainability discourse and emerging sustainability concepts and principles. Aligning with these concepts and principles presents groundwater sustainability as more than a physical state to be reached; and argues that place‐based and multifaceted goals, values, justice, knowledge systems, governance, and management must continually be integrated to maintain groundwater's social, ecological, and Earth system functions. The groundwater‐connected systems framing can underpin a broad, methodologically pluralistic, and community‐driven new wave of data collection and analysis, research, governance, management, and education. These developments, together, can invigorate efforts to foster sustainable groundwater futures in the complex systems groundwater is embedded within.
RETRACTED: Prevalence of different types of wound infection in subjects with Parkinson's disease and total joint arthroplasty: A meta‐Analysis
Authors: Wang Yidong , Wang Shuangshuang , Yang Xiao
Published: March 2023

A meta‐analysis study to assess the influence of Parkinson's disease (PD) on different types of wound infection (WI) in total joint arthroplasty (TJA) patients. A comprehensive literature examination till January 2023 was implemented and 1976 linked studies were appraised. The picked studies contained 76 661 subjects with TJA in the picked studies' baseline, 19 188 of them were PD, and 57 473 were non‐PD. Odds ratio (OR) in addition to 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to calculate the consequence of PD on different types of WI in TJA patients by the dichotomous and continuous styles and a fixed or random model. PD had a significantly higher postoperative surgical site WI (OR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.15–2.67, P = .009), superficial WI (OR, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.41–7.99, P = .006), and periprosthetic WI (OR, 4.89; 95% CI, 2.13–11.22, P < .001) compared to the non‐PD in TJA patients' post‐surgery wounds. PD had a significantly higher postoperative surgical site WI, superficial WI, and periprosthetic WI compared to the non‐PD in TJA patients' post‐surgery wounds. Though precautions should be taken when commerce with the consequences since some of the picked studies for this meta‐analysis was with low sample sizes.
Autism spectrum disorder and brain volume link through a set of mTOR‐related genes
Authors: Arenella Martina , Mota Nina R. , Teunissen Mariel W. A. , Brunner Han G. , Bralten Janita
Published: March 2023

Background

Larger than average head and brain sizes are often observed in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). ASD and brain volume are both highly heritable, with multiple genetic variants contributing. However, it is unclear whether ASD and brain volume share any genetic mechanisms. Genes from the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway influence brain volume, and variants are found in rare genetic syndromes that include ASD features. Here we investigated whether variants in mTOR‐related genes are also associated with ASD and if they constitute a genetic link between large brains and ASD.

Methods

We extended our analyses between large heads (macrocephaly) and rare de novo mTOR‐related variants in an intellectual disability cohort (N = 2,258). Subsequently using Fisher's exact tests we investigated the co‐occurrence of mTOR‐related de novo variants and ASD in the de‐novo‐db database (N = 23,098). We next selected common genetic variants within a set of 96 mTOR‐related genes in genome‐wide genetic association data of ASD (N = 46,350) to test gene‐set association using MAGMA. Lastly, we tested genetic correlation between genome‐wide genetic association data of ASD (N = 46,350) and intracranial volume (N = 25,974) globally using linkage disequilibrium score regression as well as mTOR specific by restricting the genetic correlation to the mTOR‐related genes using GNOVA.

Results

Our results show that both macrocephaly and ASD occur above chance level in individuals carrying rare de novo variants in mTOR‐related genes. We found a significant mTOR gene‐set association with ASD (p = .0029) and an mTOR‐stratified positive genetic correlation between ASD and intracranial volume (p = .027), despite the absence of a significant genome‐wide correlation (p = .81).

Conclusions

This work indicates that both rare and common variants in mTOR‐related genes are associated with brain volume and ASD and genetically correlate them in the expected direction. We demonstrate that genes involved in mTOR signalling are potential mediators of the relationship between having a large brain and having ASD.
Intralesional photodynamic therapy induces apoptosis in basal cell carcinoma and Bowen's disease through caspase 3 and granzyme B
Authors: Evangelou G. , Koumaki D. , Fragiadaki I. , Chaniotis V. , Farrar M. D. , Karatzi C. , Sotiriou E. , Giannikaki E. , Katoulis A. , Papadakis M. , Lallas A. , Stefanidou M. , Krueger‐Krasagakis S. , Rhodes L. E. , Krasagakis K.
Published: March 2023

Background

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is used to treat cutaneous cancers. It may induce cell death through direct and indirect means, including apoptosis, inflammation and certain immune mechanisms, with the depth of penetration as a potential modifying factor.

Objectives

To examine the pathways of apoptosis in the intralesional PDT of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and intraepidermal squamous cell carcinoma (Bowen's disease).

Methods

Sixteen patients with superficial or nodular BCC and Bowen's disease were treated with intralesional aminolevulinic acid‐PDT. Biopsies were taken at baseline and 24 h post‐PDT, and sections were examined by immunohistochemistry for the expression of markers of apoptosis, such as caspase 3, involved in the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, granzyme B, a caspase‐independent apoptotic mediator, and the proapoptotic markers BAX and BAK.

Results

Apoptotic cells stained with TUNEL showed statistically significant staining at 24 h post PDT (p < 0.01 in both BCC and Bowen's lesions). Caspase 3 (p < 0.01 in BCC and p < 0.05 in Bowen's) and granzyme B (p < 0.01 in BCC and p < 0.01 in Bowen's) were significantly increased at 24 h post‐PDT. BAX expression was apparently increased compared to baseline in Bowen's lesions at 24 h post‐PDT, whereas Bak was upregulated both in BCC and Bowen's disease at baseline and at 24 h post‐PDT.

Conclusion

Intralesional PDT induces apoptosis in BCC and Bowen's disease via common and alternative apoptotic pathways involving granzyme B. Proapoptotic factors Bak in both BCC and Bowen and Bax in Bowen's disease appear to increase by intralesional PDT at 24 h.
Cerebrospinal fluid and serum proteomic profiles accurately distinguish neuroaxonal dystrophy from cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy in horses
Authors: Donnelly Callum G. , Johnson Amy L. , Reed Steve , Finno Carrie J.
Published: March 2023

Background

Cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy (CVCM) and equine neuroaxonal dystrophy/degenerative myeloencephalopathy (eNAD/EDM) are leading causes of spinal ataxia in horses. The conditions can be difficult to differentiate, and there is currently no diagnostic modality that offers a definitive antemortem diagnosis.

Objective

Evaluate novel proteomic techniques and machine learning algorithms to predict biomarkers that can aid in the antemortem diagnosis of noninfectious spinal ataxia in horses.

Animals

Banked serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from necropsy‐confirmed adult eNAD/EDM (n = 47) and CVCM (n = 25) horses and neurologically normal adult horses (n = 45).

Methods

. A subset of serum and CSF samples from eNAD/EDM (n = 5) and normal (n = 5) horses was used to evaluate the proximity extension assay (PEA). All samples were assayed by PEA for 368 neurologically relevant proteins. Data were analyzed using machine learning algorithms to define potential diagnostic biomarkers.

Results

Of the 368 proteins, 84 were detected in CSF and 146 in serum. Eighteen of 84 proteins in CSF and 30/146 in serum were differentially abundant among the 3 groups, after correction for multiple testing. Modeling indicated that a 2‐protein test using CSF had the highest accuracy for discriminating among all 3 groups. Cerebrospinal fluid R‐spondin 1 (RSPO1) and neurofilament‐light (NEFL), in parallel, predicted normal horses with an accuracy of 87.18%, CVCM with 84.62%, and eNAD/EDM with 73.5%.

Main Limitations

Cross‐species platform. Uneven sample size.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Proximity extension assay technology allows for rapid screening of equine biologic matrices for potential protein biomarkers. Machine learning analysis allows for unbiased selection of highly accurate biomarkers from high‐dimensional data.
Assessment of verdinexor as a canine P‐glycoprotein substrate
Authors: Mealey Katrina L. , Burke Neal S.
Published: March 2023

The P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) substrate status of antineoplastic drugs intended for veterinary patients is an important characteristic to define for two reasons. First, neoplastic cells expressing P‐gp can actively efflux drugs that are P‐gp substrates curtailing their efficacy. Second, antineoplastic drugs tend to have a narrow therapeutic index. Antineoplastic drugs that are P‐gp substrates can cause severe adverse reactions in animals with P‐gp dysfunction such as dogs with ABCB1‐1Δ and cats with ABCB11930_1931del TC. Animals with P‐gp dysfunction experience greater overall exposure to P‐gp substrate drugs due to mechanisms such as increased intestinal absorption, decreased biliary clearance and greater central nervous system penetration compared with animals with normal P‐gp function. Accordingly, knowing the P‐gp substrate status of antineoplastic drugs is an important safety consideration prior to use in canine or feline cancer patients. This study used a cell line overexpressing canine P‐gp to assess the P‐gp substrate status of verdinexor. Based on both a cytotoxicity assay and a competitive flow cytometry assay verdinexor is not a substrate for canine P‐gp.
Destination imaging, compatibilities with intellectual property rights‐based tourism industry
Authors: Dar Mohamad Ayub , Ojha Megha
Published: March 2023

Intellectual property pervades all aspects of life. Sustaining intellectual creations is often debatable. The abounding atmosphere of progress and development encompasses other industries as well. Tourism is a major economic driver that promotes social and cultural exchange while directly and indirectly employing millions of people. Destination branding is promoted by tourism. After the 2010 Eyjafjallajökul eruption, Iceland's reputation as a safe tourist destination plummeted. Iceland's government promoted the “Inspired by Iceland” brand to attract tourists. The brand is a symbol, mark, logo, name, word, or sentence used to distinguish one product from another. The paper examines the relationship between intellectual property rights (IPR) and tourism. Geographical indications (GI) have a huge impact on regional tourism. The GI manufacturing process and cultivation tend to attract tourists. Travelers often want to sample regional foods, flavors, aromas, and beverages and buy them directly from consumers, resulting in a tourist influx. The capitalist notion of destination branding is abandoned as the IPR‐based tourism sector is revived. It also promotes the best way to develop the tourism industry while protecting IPRs. The link is also heavily emphasized to promote tourism. Regional development and eco‐tourism policies should be promoted. The tourism industry benefits greatly from protecting indigenous communities and their traditional knowledge.
Normativity and the Critical Functions of Genealogy: The Case of Modern Science1
Authors: Harrison Peter
Published: March 2023

The first part of this article offers some general remarks about genealogical approaches to history, focusing on historical narratives that stress the role played by theological considerations in the formation of aspects of secular modernity. A central question is whether such genealogies can serve to critique the present without drawing upon contestable moral or religious commitments. I suggest that genealogies fulfil this function when they identify inconsistencies in putatively neutral or secular stances by revealing how their coherence ultimately relies upon unacknowledged theological foundations. Key figures in this initial discussion include Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Löwith, Hans Blumenberg, Carl Schmitt, Walter Benjamin, Alasdair MacIntyre, John Milbank, and Brad Gregory. The second part of this article sets out a theological genealogy of modern science, offering it as a test case for some of the analytical considerations outlined in the first part. These latter sections are a summary of my own previous arguments about the theological foundations of modern science, considered under the description of theological genealogy. Here I discuss the religious legitimation of modern science, the origins of the idea of laws of nature, and the role played by theological anthropology in the development of experimental methods of inquiry.
Watershed health and ecological security modeling using anthropogenic, hydrologic, and climatic factors
Authors: Sadeghi Seyed Hamidreza , Zabihi Silabi Mostafa , Sarvi Sadrabad Hossein , Riahi Mohammadreza , Modarresi Tabatabaei Sedigheh
Published: March 2023

Assessing the health and security of natural ecosystems is unavoidable to regulate and manage deterioration and prioritize management and conservation activities. As a result, the current study was conducted to assess the health and ecological security of the Galazchai Watershed in Oshnavieh Township, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran, utilizing criteria linked to various hydrologic, anthropogenic, and climatic aspects. In the conceptual pressure–state–response (PSR) method, 26 criteria with acceptable variance inflation factor and Durbin–Watson statistics were chosen. The Galazchai Watershed's ecology's health and security status and spatial differences were also chosen and analyzed at 17 subwatersheds. The contributions of the pressure (P), status (S), and reaction (R) indices to the watershed health index were 38.3, 30.1, and 31.6%, respectively, according to the findings. The health index for the watershed ranged from 0.388 to 0.688. Almost 64% of the watershed's area was in relatively healthy conditions. Additionally, the maximum and the minimum values of the ecological security index were 0.608 and 0.236, allocating 58% of the area to moderate ecological security. The northern part of the watershed had healthier and moderately desirable ecological security than the southern part, with unhealthy and relatively undesirable conditions. In this sense, the main problems of the study area were primarily related to anthropogenic factors followed by hydrologic ones. The procedure used in the current study based on health and ecological security status can be applied as a practical guideline by local managers for efficient and adaptive watershed management.
Teleconsultation in pediatric anesthesia: First assessment of feasibility, quality, and satisfaction in France
Authors: Kern Delphine , Bourdaud Nathalie , Jaber Haithem , Ezzitouni Mounir , Alacoque Xavier , Larcher Claire , Sabourdin Nada , Minville Vincent
Published: March 2023

Introduction

The COVID‐19 pandemic has prompted the development of anesthesia teleconsultation in many countries. In pediatric anesthesia, data about anesthesia teleconsultation are scarce. The main objective of this prospective descriptive study was to provide an evaluation of the feasibility of pediatric anesthesia teleconsultation. Perception of the safety and quality, parental and medical satisfaction were also assessed.

Methods

From September to December 2020, patients undergoing a pediatric anesthesia teleconsultation in Toulouse University Hospital, using the TeleO™ dedicated teleconsultation platform were prospectively included. Feasibility was defined as the rate of anesthesia teleconsultations successfully performed using the TeleO™ platform alone. Questionnaires regarding the quality, safety, and satisfaction were filled in by physicians and families.

Results

A total of 114 children (3 months–17 years) were included in the study. Feasibility was 82%, failure was mainly caused by technical issues. Physicians estimated that the safety and quality of anesthetic preparation were optimal in 100% of cases. Anesthetists were satisfied (VAS ≥70/100) with the medical, technical, and relational (child/parents) aspects of anesthesia teleconsultation in 91%, 64%, and 84%/90% of cases respectively. Almost all parents (97%) stated that they would agree to anesthesia teleconsultation for a future procedure.

Conclusion

In this first assessment, pediatric anesthesia teleconsultation appears to be feasible, with high rates of medical and parental satisfaction. Physicians' perception of the safety and quality of this process were positive. Improving the technical process might be a key determinant to promote further development of pediatric anesthesia teleconsultation.
The influence of cross unconditional stimulus reinstatement on electrodermal responding and conditional stimulus valence in differential fear conditioning
Authors: Luck Camilla C. , Patterson Rachel R. , Lipp Ottmar V.
Published: March 2023

We examined whether the inhibitory Conditional Stimulus (CS)—no Unconditional Stimulus (US) association formed during extinction can be triggered by a novel US during the reinstatement of conditional electrodermal responding and self‐reported CS valence in human differential fear conditioning. Participants were trained with either a shock or an aversive scream US before undergoing extinction. Participants then received either the same (i.e., shock_shock or scream_scream) or a different US during reinstatement (i.e., shock_scream, scream_shock). Differential conditioning across all indices was stronger when a shock US was used during acquisition. After reinstatement, electrodermal responding to both the CS+ and the CS− increased regardless of the type of US used during reinstatement (non‐differential reinstatement). Differential CS valence evaluations were larger after reinstatement in the groups that received the same US during acquisition and reinstatement (differential reinstatement), but differential evaluations did not increase in the groups receiving a different US at reinstatement. This dissociation suggests that the reinstatement of negative stimulus valence and the reinstatement of expectancy learning may differ.