bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Paediatric acute liver failure: early outcome and evaluation of transplantation criteria in a Belgian transplantation centre
Authors: Hermans Valentine , Houtekie Laurent , Balcaen Mathilde , Sankari Souraya El , Derycke Emilien , Stephenne Xavier , Detaille Thierry , Reding Raymond , Clément de Cléty Stéphan
Published: November 2024

Background

One of the challenges when caring for children admitted for acute liver failure (ALF) is to quickly identify those who will improve spontaneously and those for whom liver transplantation (LT) is the only therapeutic option.

Methods

Retrospective study to review our experience, identify mortality risk factors and update our LT criteria in case of paediatric ALF.

Results

111 children were admitted between March 1989 and May 2021 (mean age 59.1 months). 28 children never met our LT criteria; 17 had contraindication to LT; 66 were registered on the LT waitlist. 14 of these 66 were subsequently withdrawn because of spontaneous liver function recovery; 11 died before having received a liver; 41 were transplanted. Hospital survival rate was 63% for the whole series, 98% for the children without LT criteria and 71% for the transplanted children. Univariate analysis identified cardiovascular and respiratory failures on admission, and grade 4–5 hepatic encephalopathy (HE) during stay significantly associated with death. Non-survivors also had, on admission and during their stay, significantly higher levels of lactate, ammonia and bilirubin and, during their stay, significantly more frequent prothrombin time ≤ 25% or international normalized ratio ≥ 4.0 than the survivors. Multivariate analysis identified grade 4–5 HE, lactate level on admission and ammonia peak level as significant mortality risk factors.

Conclusion

Our criteria identified almost all children who had the capacity to spontaneously recover their liver function and suggest that updated criteria should combine biological tests and signs of multiple organ failure.
Investment Retention Mechanisms: Rationale and Implementation Experience
Authors: Kher Priyanka
Published: November 2024

This contribution highlights the importance of institutional dispute prevention not just to prevent the proliferation of formal legal disputes between states and foreign investors, but also to preserve the relationship between investors and states and enable investment retention and expansion. Drawing from empirical studies and survey findings, as well as the World Bank's country experience of working on investment policy and promotion frameworks, this contribution provides an overview of the World Bank's experience in implementing such mechanisms globally.1
Effect of dog-owner interaction on post-operative pain perception and stress of dogs and variability in their behavioural patterns
Authors: Lazard Deborah , Temple Déborah , Palma Edgar , Diaz Aurora C. , Rosado Maria B. , Medrano Mariana , Ruiz Roberto , Amat Marta
Published: November 2024

Pain, a multifaceted condition associated with actual or potential tissue damage, transcends nociception and is characterised as a subjective, sensory, and emotional experience. Extensive literature describing the adverse effects of untreated post-surgical pain emphasises the necessity of a comprehensive pain management protocol, incorporating both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies to ensure successful patient outcomes. The present study aimed to determine whether a positive dog-owner interaction influences post-operative pain perception and stress (POPPS), as well as behavioural inactive rate variability in bitches that underwent elective surgery. Randomly selected bitches (n = 18) underwent ovariohysterectomy. Eight bitches experienced a 45-min visit post-surgery (VPS) characterised by positive dog-owner interaction, while the remaining ten did not (NVPS). Utilising the validated Short Form of the Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale (CMPS-SF) to assess acute pain in dogs via stress-related behaviours, a significant decrease in POPPS was evident in the VPS group after the 45-min dog-owner interaction at T3 (1 h after post-sedation recovery), in contrast to the NVPS group. CMPS-SF-associated descriptive items ‘Nervous/Anxious/Fearful’ and ‘Happy Content or Happy and Bouncy’ decreased and increased, respectively, with dog-owner positive interaction in the VPS group. The inactivity rate was significantly lower in VPS bitches after the post-surgery 45-min dog-owner interaction than in NVPS bitches. This preliminary study suggests that the owner’s presence reduces POPPS and may improve the dogs’ welfare while undergoing routine surgeries.
The selection, training and welfare of post-racing thoroughbreds and other breeds used in Equine Assisted Services
Authors: Neveux Claire , Hockenhull Jo , Barker Jennifer , Allen Kate , Mullan Siobhan , Valenchon Mathilde
Published: November 2024

Post-racing thoroughbreds (TBs) are increasingly being considered for Equine Assisted Services (EAS), but their use has not yet been widely characterised. This study aimed to generate detailed data on TBs and other breeds (OBs) of horses in EAS via an online survey. The survey was completed by 129 EAS practitioners from 15 countries and reported detailed data on 427 EAS equids, including 57 TBs. Most of the EAS horses were housed collectively, had access to free exercise over 12 h per day and had unrestricted access to forage. The most commonly recorded selection criteria for EAS horses consisted of: demonstrating a good personality; enjoying the work; absence of propensity to kick/bite. Detailed data gathered on individual horses showed that in comparison to OBs, TBs were younger, more likely to be a gelding, less likely to be used in ridden programmes, and tended to present more behavioural issues than OBs. The majority of the participants agreed that TBs have specific assets of particular interest to EAS programmes, such as sensitivity, body/movement characteristics or responsiveness/flight response. Finally, a large majority of participants reported that they believe TBs to be suitable for EAS programmes and some would consider working with them. These results showed TBs to already be in use in various EAS programmes and more could be incorporated in the future. In terms of animal welfare and beneficiaries’ safety, a selection process could therefore be designed and implemented to choose the most adapted horses for each EAS centre, according to living conditions and EAS activities practised (ridden or not ridden).
Faith, Trust, and Proportionate Resilience: A Discussion Note on “How Does Trust Relate to Faith” by McKaughan and Howard-Snyder
Authors: Fischer Lizibeth
Published: November 2024

In this brief discussion of McKaughan and Howard-Snyder’s “How Does Trust Relate to Faith?” I call into question the authors’ finding that faith is necessarily resilient while trust is not. To do this, I demonstrate how the constraints of McKaughan and Howard-Snyder’s inquiry screen out a particular kind of trust, two-place trust, which does manifest resilience. Turning then to two-place trust, I offer two positive reasons—proportionality and the value of relationships—to think that trust may be essentially resilient after all. If this is correct, it takes us a step closer to understanding how trust relates to faith.
Graph characterization of higher-order structure in atmospheric chemical reaction mechanisms
Authors: Silva Sam J. , Halappanavar Mahantesh M.
Published: November 2024

Atmospheric chemical reactions play an important role in air quality and climate change. While the structure and dynamics of individual chemical reactions are fairly well understood, the emergent properties of the entire atmospheric chemical system, which can involve many different species that participate in many different reactions, are not well described. In this work, we leverage graph-theoretic techniques to characterize patterns of interaction (“motifs”) in three different representations of gas-phase atmospheric chemistry, termed “chemical mechanisms.” These widely used mechanisms, the master chemical mechanism, the GEOS-Chem mechanism, and the Super-Fast mechanism, vary dramatically in scale and application, but they all generally aim to simulate the abundance and variability of chemical species in the atmosphere. This motif analysis quantifies the fundamental patterns of interaction within the mechanisms, which are directly related to their construction. For example, the gas-phase chemistry in the very small Super-Fast mechanism is entirely composed of bimolecular reactions, and its motif distribution matches that of an individual bimolecular reaction well. The larger and more complex mechanisms show emergent motif distributions that differ strongly from any specific reaction type, consistent with their complexity. The proposed motif analysis demonstrates that while these mechanisms all have a similar design goal, their higher-order structure of interactions differs strongly and thus provides a novel set of tools for exploring differences across chemical mechanisms.
Characterization of blast waves induced by femtosecond laser irradiation in solid targets
Authors: Batani Katarzyna Liliana , Malko Sophia , Touati Michael , Feugeas Jean-Luc , Lad Amit D. , Jana Kamalesh , Kumar G. Ravindra , Raffestin Didier , Turianska Olena , Khaghani Dimitri , Tentori Alessandro , Mancelli Donaldi , Martynenko Artem S. , Pikuz Sergey , Benocci Roberto , Volpe Luca , Zeraouli Ghassan , Perez Hernandez Jose Antonio , Garcia Enrique , Narayanan Venkatakrishnan , Santos Joao , Batani Dimitri
Published: November 2024

Blast waves have been produced in solid target by irradiation with short-pulse high-intensity lasers. The mechanism of production relies on energy deposition from the hot electrons produced by laser–matter interaction, producing a steep temperature gradient inside the target. Hot electrons also produce preheating of the material ahead of the blast wave and expansion of the target rear side, which results in a complex blast wave propagation dynamic. Several diagnostics have been used to characterize the hot electron source, the induced preheating and the velocity of the blast wave. Results are compared to numerical simulations. These show how blast wave pressure is initially very large (more than 100 Mbar), but it decreases very rapidly during propagation.
Face to Face in Freedom: Beauvoirian Ambiguity in Sophocles’ Antigone
Authors: Han Irene
Published: November 2024

In my examination of Sophocles’ Antigone, I use Beauvoir’s existential philosophy as a lens and hermeneutic model and apply her language and terms—immanence, transcendence, and ambiguity—to the original ancient text to understand the gendered metaphors of the play and to reveal an area of oversight in her superficial treatment of the tragedy. Taking this theoretical approach, I use “feminist” or “existentialist” Beauvoir (The ethics of ambiguity, The second sex) against herself, that is, her interpretation of the Antigone in “Moral idealism and political realism,” to show how existentialist freedom is achieved in the tragedy. In my reading, I cast Antigone as a figure of ambiguity, situated in an oppressive context, and I argue that she creates her own project and strives towards freedom, in the Beauvoirian sense. I also extend the subjectivity of ambiguity to Ismene and illustrate the course of her own existential freedom to portray the reversibility of the transcendence/immanence polarity in these two figures and, ultimately, to suggest that the sisters are intertwined. Inscribing my reading in a tradition of feminist interpretations surrounding the Antigone, I advance a new reading that finds in the play a feminist political theory of existentialism, inclusive of the sororal pair.
Self-selection of flow instabilities by acoustic perturbations around rectangular cylinder in cross-flow
Authors: Mohany Atef , Shoukry Ahmed , Pastur Luc
Published: November 2024

This work experimentally investigates the flow structure around a rectangular cylinder with an aspect ratio of 2 under varying incidence angles to examine how acoustic perturbations modify and modulate the unsteady flow instabilities. In the absence of acoustic excitation, the angle of incidence is found to markedly influence the flow topology and the natural shedding pattern altering the vortex formation length and wake dynamics. With acoustic perturbations, it is observed that for incidence angles

$\alpha = 0^{\circ }$

and

$\alpha = 5^{\circ }$

, the masked impinging leading-edge vortex (ILEV)/trailing-edge vortex shedding (TEVS) instability modes of

$n= 1$

and

$n= 2$

become evident when their frequencies coincide with the frequencies of the acoustic perturbations (i.e. resonant condition). Both trailing-edge and leading-edge vortices were found to be modulated by the acoustic pressure cycle. These instability modes, which are naturally present under non-resonant conditions for significantly higher aspect ratios, highlight the role of incidence angle and self-excited acoustic resonance in virtually augmenting the streamwise length of the cylinder, thereby facilitating the emergence and sustenance of the ILEV/TEVS shedding pattern.
Promoting employees’ innovative work behavior through innovation-specific leader behavior: An AMO-approach
Authors: Liehr Jennifer , Hauff Sven
Published: November 2024

Fostering employees’ innovative work behavior (EIB) has become one of the most important tasks of leaders. Although numerous studies have investigated the relationship between leadership and EIB, it is still unclear which specific leader behaviors promote EIB. Previous research has focused on leadership in terms of broad, non-innovation-specific leadership styles. Behavioral sub-factors have been neglected, and prioritization according to the importance of individual behaviors is still lacking. To address these issues, we identify innovation-specific leader behaviors and analyze which behaviors are best suited to increase EIB. To explain the relationship between the respective leader behaviors and EIB, we rely on the Ability–Motivation–Opportunity (AMO) framework and distinguish between ability-enhancing, motivation-enhancing, and opportunity-enhancing leadership behaviors. Our empirical analyzes are based on data from 1214 German employees. Our findings reveal that motivation- and opportunity-enhancing leadership behaviors foster EIB, with certain innovation-specific behaviors being particularly important for EIB. Building on our results, we provide guidelines for innovation-specific leadership.
Welcome to SportsWorld: An Introduction to the 1970s
Authors: Smith Johnny
Published: November 2024

In 1975, New York Times sports columnist Robert Lipsyte published SportsWorld: An American Dreamland, a critical examination of how the values of American sports had become corrupted and distorted by power brokers who pulled the purse strings. “SportsWorld” was an infrastructure first built in the late nineteenth century by industrialists, educators, politicians, promoters, journalists, and military leaders who believed in the potency of sports and American exceptionalism. For the faithful, SportsWorld represented a positive cultural force that unified the nation, strengthened vigorous manhood, and advanced the country's democratic ideals of equal opportunity and fair play. “In sports,” Lipsyte reflected, Americans believed “children will learn courage and self-control, old people will find blissful nostalgia, and families will discover new ways to communicate among themselves. Immigrants will find shortcuts to recognition as Americans. Rich and poor, black and white, educated and unskilled, we will all find a unifying language. The melting pot may be a myth, but we will all come together in the ballpark.”
Stadiums in the 1970s: Beyond the Myth of the Concrete Doughnut
Authors: Guridy Frank Andre
Published: November 2024

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, fans assembled at stadiums and arenas across the country to witness a recurring spectacular event. They headed toward the local ballpark or arena, not to watch their favorite teams and entertainers perform inside, but rather to witness the implosion of the facilities themselves. As the United States was in the midst of its latest stadium construction boom, a new community ritual took shape: the ceremonial demolition of stadiums that were built in the 1960s and 1970s. Facilities that were once celebrated for their modern designs and conveniences were deemed ugly and obsolete seemingly overnight. Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, among dozens of other professional stadiums, were demolished in this spectacular fashion (Figure 1). Explosives were strategically placed throughout the abandoned facilities, and fans gathered yards away to watch the buildings burst into gigantic clouds of dust and smoke, the environmental consequences of sending pollutants into the air notwithstanding. Television networks covered the detonations while fans donned team colors, cheered, and shed tears as their beloved community gathering places were blown into oblivion.
The Saffronization of Public Knowledge in India
Authors: Dey Sayan
Published: November 2024

During the political regime of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), public knowledge in India has been tarnished with political colors. The BJP has used the color saffron, which is closely associated with the Indian National Flag, as a sociopolitical tool to signal patriotism, nationalism, indigenization, and decolonization. However, the government’s policies and messages focus on the self-profiting mechanisms of Hindutva ideology. According to the BJP, the notions of pre-colonial knowledge systems and patriotism are only related to the Hindu religion. Thus, public knowledge in India has been politicized through “saffronization”: the color saffron, rightwing political ideologies, and religious fundamentalism combine to create false beliefs about Indian history and culture, which then inspire and excuse hate and crime.
How to Prepare Faculty and Graduate Students for Public Humanities Leadership
Authors: Angeli Elizabeth L. , McNealis Rachel
Published: November 2024

Graduate career development has grown over recent years with increasing interest in public scholarship and career diversity. In interviews with 41 public humanities leaders, participants agreed that public humanities introduces students to various career opportunities through community-engaged work and allows them to develop skills needed for those careers, such as event planning and fundraising. Some participants also noted that career diversity is becoming an important area of public humanities leadership roles. However, participants shared that faculty have not been formally prepared for their public humanities roles, and, in turn, faculty have not been prepared to teach graduate students for public humanities or career diversity. How do faculty prepare students for opportunities when they do not feel prepared for those same opportunities? This piece offers answers to that question.
Politicians’ Theories of Voting Behavior
Authors: LUCAS JACK , SHEFFER LIOR , LOEWEN PETER JOHN , WALGRAVE STEFAAN , SOONTJENS KAROLIN , AMSALEM ERAN , BAILER STEFANIE , BRACK NATHALIE , BREUNIG CHRISTIAN , BUNDI PIRMIN , COUFAL LINDA , DUMONT PATRICK , LACHANCE SARAH , PEREIRA MIGUEL M. , PERSSON MIKAEL , PILET JEAN-BENOIT , RASMUSSEN ANNE , STERBA MAJ-BRITT , VARONE FRÉDÉRIC
Published: November 2024

While political scientists regularly engage in spirited theoretical debates about elections and voting behavior, few have noticed that elected politicians also have theories of elections and voting. Here, we investigate politicians’ positions on eight central theoretical debates in the area of elections and voting behavior and compare politicians’ theories to those held by ordinary citizens. Using data from face-to-face interviews with nearly one thousand politicians in 11 countries, together with corresponding surveys of more than twelve thousand citizens, we show that politicians overwhelmingly hold thin, minimalist, “democratic realist” theories of voting, while citizens’ theories are more optimistic and policy oriented. Politicians’ theoretical tendencies—along with their theoretical misalignment from citizens—are remarkably consistent across countries. These theories are likely to have important consequences for how politicians campaign, communicate with the public, think about public policy, and represent their constituents.
Association between sleep timing and meal and snack patterns in schoolchildren in southern Brazil
Authors: Roberto Denise Miguel Teixeira , Kupek Emil , Spanholi Mariana Winck , Lemke Stella , Pereira Luciana Jeremias , Di Pietro Patricia Faria , Vieira Francilene Gracieli Kunradi , Hinnig Patrícia de Fragas
Published: November 2024

This study aimed to identify meal and snack patterns and assess their association with sleep timing in schoolchildren. This is a cross-sectional study carried out in 2018/2019 with 1333 schoolchildren aged 7–14 years from public and private schools in Florianópolis, Brazil. Previous-day dietary intake data for breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner and evening snack were collected using a validated online questionnaire. Sleep timing was measured by the midpoint of sleep and classified as quartiles (very early, early, late and very late). Latent class analysis was performed to identify meal and snack patterns, and multinomial logistic regression was used to assess associations. Students with very late sleep timing were less likely to consume the ‘coffee with milk, bread and cheese’ breakfast pattern compared with very early group. Also, the former were more likely to consume the ‘mixed’ breakfast pattern (healthy and unhealthy foods) compared with very early students. The latter were more likely to eat the ‘Brazilian traditional, processed meat, egg and fish’ lunch pattern to the late students and less likely to consume the ‘pasta and cheese’ lunch pattern compared with the students with later sleep timing. Students with later sleep timing were more likely to eat ultra-processed food at mid-afternoon snacks compared with early group. The study findings suggest that morning preference appears to promote healthier breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack patterns, whereas later sleep timing may pose challenges in maintaining healthy patterns at these meals/snacks.
Effects of non-digestible carbohydrates on gut microbiota and microbial metabolites: a randomised, controlled dietary intervention in healthy individuals
Authors: Malcomson Fiona C. , Louca Panayiotis , Nelson Andrew , Willis Naomi D. , McCallum Iain , Xie Long , Ouwehand Arthur C. , Stowell Julian D. , Preston Tom , Morrison Douglas J. , Kelly Seamus B. , Bradburn D. Michael , Belshaw Nigel J. , Johnson Ian T. , Corfe Bernard M. , Stewart Christopher J. , Mathers John C.
Published: November 2024

The gut microbiome is impacted by certain types of dietary fibre. However, the type, duration and dose needed to elicit gut microbial changes and whether these changes also influence microbial metabolites remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of supplementing healthy participants with two types of non-digestible carbohydrates (resistant starch (RS) and polydextrose (PD)) on the stool microbiota and microbial metabolite concentrations in plasma, stool and urine, as secondary outcomes in the Dietary Intervention Stem Cells and Colorectal Cancer (DISC) Study. The DISC study was a double-blind, randomised controlled trial that supplemented healthy participants with RS and/or PD or placebo for 50 d in a 2 × 2 factorial design. DNA was extracted from stool samples collected pre- and post-intervention, and V4 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to profile the gut microbiota. Metabolite concentrations were measured in stool, plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography. A total of fifty-eight participants with paired samples available were included. After 50 d, no effects of RS or PD were detected on composition of the gut microbiota diversity (alpha- and beta-diversity), on genus relative abundance or on metabolite concentrations. However, Drichlet’s multinomial mixture clustering-based approach suggests that some participants changed microbial enterotype post-intervention. The gut microbiota and fecal, plasma and urinary microbial metabolites were stable in response to a 50-d fibre intervention in middle-aged adults. Larger and longer studies, including those which explore the effects of specific fibre sub-types, may be required to determine the relationships between fibre intake, the gut microbiome and host health.
Associations of various healthy dietary patterns with biological age acceleration and the mediating role of gut microbiota: results from the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort study
Authors: Zhang Hongmei , Zuo Haojiang , Xiang Yi , Cai Jiajie , Zhang Ning , Yang Fen , Huang Shourui , Zhang Yuan , Chen Hongxiang , Li Sicheng , Yang Tingting , Mi Fei , Chen Liling , Han Mingming , Li Jingzhong , Xiao Xiong , Zhao Xing
Published: November 2024

To investigate the associations between dietary patterns and biological ageing, identify the most recommended dietary pattern for ageing and explore the potential mediating role of gut microbiota in less-developed ethnic minority regions (LEMRs). This prospective cohort study included 8288 participants aged 30–79 years from the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort study. Anthropometric measurements and clinical biomarkers were utilised to construct biological age based on Klemera and Doubal’s method (KDM-BA) and KDM-BA acceleration (KDM-AA). Dietary information was obtained through the baseline FFQ. Six dietary patterns were constructed: plant-based diet index, healthful plant-based diet index, unhealthful plant-based diet index, healthy diet score, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and alternative Mediterranean diets. Follow-up adjusted for baseline analysis assessed the associations between dietary patterns and KDM-AA. Additionally, quantile G-computation identified significant beneficial and harmful food groups. In the subsample of 764 participants, we used causal mediation model to explore the mediating role of gut microbiota in these associations. The results showed that all dietary patterns were associated with KDM-AA, with DASH exhibiting the strongest negative association (β = −0·91, 95 % CI (–1·19, −0·63)). The component analyses revealed that beneficial food groups primarily included tea and soy products, whereas harmful groups mainly comprised salt and processed vegetables. In mediation analysis, the Synergistetes and Pyramidobacter possibly mediated the negative associations between plant-based diets and KDM-AA (5·61–9·19 %). Overall, healthy dietary patterns, especially DASH, are negatively associated with biological ageing in LEMRs, indicating that Synergistetes and Pyramidobacter may be potential mediators. Developing appropriate strategies may promote healthy ageing in LEMRs.
Information and Idioms in Circulation: Engaging the Minority Classification in 1930s India
Authors: Aspengren Henrik Chetan
Published: November 2024

Several studies have shown how a system of social classifications influenced the bureaucracy of British India when dealing with Indian society on a day-to-day basis. We know less, however, about how representatives of Indian society engaged such classifications and the information accompanying it to advance their own political agendas. This article examines how the classification of “minorities,” along with data connected to it, impacted discourse of Indian political actors in the early 1930s. The article presents a novel method to analyse first-person speech for themes and information content. It then applies the method to interventions by Indian delegates to the Sub-committee on Minorities of the India Round Table Conference, held in London, 1930–2. The article places the empirical investigation within a conceptual frame inspired by Ian Hacking's “looping effect.” Hacking attempts to capture how those classified negotiate imposed designations to advance agendas beneficial to themselves. The following study shows how Indian delegates engaged minority classification in a variety of ways in their political argumentation. The study also shows how information related to the minority classification was “looped” in speech by Indian actors to advance political claims and consolidate identities.
Exploring the linkage between health technology assessment and decision making during COVID-19 public health emergency in a developing country: analysis of processes and results
Authors: Hasdeu Santiago , Beliera Anabel , Alvarez Jorgelina , Sánchez Viamonte Julián
Published: November 2024

Objectives

The decision-making (DM) process in public administration is the subject of research from different perspectives and disciplines. Evidence-based policies, such as health technology assessment (HTA), are not the only support on which public policies are designed. During the COVID-19 pandemic WHO, national and subnational institutions developed HTA reports to guide DM. Despite this, inadequate variability was observed in the health technologies recommended and reimbursed by different provincial Health Ministries in a federally organized developing country like Argentina. The processes and results of DM on health technologies for COVID-19 in Health Ministries of Argentina were inquired.

Methods

A retrospective research design was developed, with triangulation of quantitative and qualitative methods. We retrieved information for the years 2020–2021 through document review of official webpages, surveys, and interviews with decision-makers of the 25 Argentinian Ministries of Health. We analyzed the recommendations and reimbursement policies of seven health technologies.

Results

In contradiction with WHO’s policies, ivermectine, inhaled ibuprofen, convalescent plasma and equine serum were widely recommended by most of Argentina’s health ministries outside a clinical trial context, with risks for patients and a huge opportunity cost.

Conclusions

Despite an important HTA institutional capacity, the impact of HTA organizations and their technical reports was limited. Health Ministries with institutionalized HTA units had more adherence to WHO recommendations, but the influence of different technical and political criteria was identified. Power relations within and outside the administration, the pharmaceutical industry and academics, the media, social pressure, the judicial and legislative powers, and the political context strongly influenced DM.
Health technology assessment of medicinal products in Greece: a 5-year (2018–2023) review of timelines and productivity
Authors: Chantzaras Athanasios , Margetis Athanasios , Kani Chara , Koutsiouris Vassilis , Bacopoulou Flora
Published: November 2024

Objectives

To assess the health technology assessment (HTA) process in Greece from its establishment in 2018 until 2023 in terms of timeliness and productivity.

Methods

Data were collected from the HTA Committee’s database and other publicly available sources. The overall study timeframe was divided into three periods: (i) July 2018–January 2020, (ii) January 2020–July 2021, and (iii) July 2021–February 2023.

Results

During the study period, a total of 1,157 applications for medicinal products (MPs) (including 219 new active substances (NAS) and orphans) were submitted to the HTA Committee. The number of HTA recommendations increased from 60 (first period) to 641 (third period), while the backlog of MPs pending HTA and price negotiations decreased from 89 and 106 (January 2020) to 8 and 44 (February 2023), respectively. The median time intervals for all application types decreased significantly over time. In February 2023, the median time for clinical data assessment of NAS (excluding orphans) almost halved from 207 days in the first period to 114 days; median times for NAS and orphans from regulatory approval to HTA application were 420 and 457 days, and from HTA application to reimbursement 228 and 417 days, respectively.

Conclusions

The performance of the HTA process in Greece improved significantly over time, with increased MP appraisals, backlog reduction, and decreased timelines. Delays in reimbursement of NAS were mainly caused by the long gap between regulatory approval and HTA application. Overall, HTA review times in Greece are now on par with that of well-established European HTA systems.
The EU’s Fifth Freedom: Why and How to Develop the ‘Freedom of Knowledge’
Authors: Sturm Thomas
Published: November 2024

The goal of a fifth EU freedom – the ‘freedom of knowledge’ – emerged from working towards a unified European research area, expanding upon the four basic freedoms of the Single Market. This additional freedom is not yet guaranteed and so this task should be taken up anew. Here, I support this goal by explicating the meaning of the ‘fifth freedom’, then justifying its importance via four arguments concerning scientific progress, freedom of research, the economic and technological progress of societies, and the democratic ideals of the European project. To end the main article, I then argue that this freedom should be viewed as a right. In the supplementary material, I present problems that arise in the administration, funding, and organization of science within the EU to demonstrate that the fifth freedom is still a long way from being a reality. The evidence includes cases of national rules and practices that reduce or block the mobility of EU researchers and weaken collaboration and progress. For each type of problem, I present specific policy proposals for advancing the fifth freedom goal. The proposals are directed at academic administrations, funding agencies, and political actors at the regional, national, and European levels.
Banking on distant shores: a comparison of the development of foreign banks in pre-World War I China and Japan
Authors: Moazzin Ghassan
Published: November 2024

This article provides the first in-depth systematic comparison of foreign banking in pre-World War I China and Japan. As the article shows, after their entry into China and Japan, the presence and activities of foreign banks in China and Japan differed markedly, with these banks developing a much more prominent position in China. Making use of sources in German, English, Chinese, and Japanese, this article aims to explain why foreign banks in China and Japan developed so differently before World War I. It does so by first providing an overview of the development of foreign banks in both countries and then discussing their activities and development with regards to Chinese and Japanese financial institutions, trade finance, and public finance. The article shows that it was Japan's emphasis on financial reforms that led to the limited presence of foreign banks in that country.
Experiences of acceptance and commitment therapy for people living with motor neuron disease (MND): a qualitative study from the perspective of people living with MND and therapists
Authors: Rawlinson Charlotte , Gould Rebecca L. , McDermott Christopher J. , Thompson Ben , Weeks Kirsty , Gossage-Worrall Rebecca , Serfaty Marc A. , Graham Christopher D. , McCracken Lance , White David , Howard Robert J. , Al-Chalabi Ammar , Goldstein Laura H. , Orrell Richard W. , Chhetri Suresh K. , Noad Rupert , Radunovic Aleksandar , Williams Tim , Young Carolyn A. , Bursnall Matt , Bradburn Mike , Young Tracey , Ealing John , McLeod Hamish , Weatherly Helen , Cave Richard , Pagnini Francesco , Cooper Cindy , Shaw Pamela J. , Lawrence Vanessa ,   the COMMEND Collaboration Group
Published: November 2024

Background:

Motor neuron disease (MND) is a progressive, fatal, neurodegenerative condition that affects motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in loss of the ability to move, speak, swallow and breathe. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an acceptance-based behavioural therapy that may be particularly beneficial for people living with MND (plwMND). This qualitative study aimed to explore plwMND’s experiences of receiving adapted ACT, tailored to their specific needs, and therapists’ experiences of delivering it.

Method:

Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with plwMND who had received up to eight 1:1 sessions of adapted ACT and therapists who had delivered it within an uncontrolled feasibility study. Interviews explored experiences of ACT and how it could be optimised for plwMND. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using framework analysis.

Results:

Participants were 14 plwMND and 11 therapists. Data were coded into four over-arching themes: (i) an appropriate tool to navigate the disease course; (ii) the value of therapy outweighing the challenges; (iii) relevance to the individual; and (iv) involving others. These themes highlighted that ACT was perceived to be acceptable by plwMND and therapists, and many participants reported or anticipated beneficial outcomes in the future, despite some therapeutic challenges. They also highlighted how individual factors can influence experiences of ACT, and the potential benefit of involving others in therapy.

Conclusions:

Qualitative data supported the acceptability of ACT for plwMND. Future research and clinical practice should address expectations and personal relevance of ACT to optimise its delivery to plwMND.

Key learning aims

(1)

To understand the views of people living with motor neuron disease (plwMND) and therapists on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for people living with this condition.

(2)

To understand the facilitators of and barriers to ACT for plwMND.

(3)

To learn whether ACT that has been tailored to meet the specific needs of plwMND needs to be further adapted to potentially increase its acceptability to this population.
Multifunctional and tunable bandpass filters with RF codesigned isolator and impedance matching capabilities
Authors: Li Kexin , Psychogiou Dimitra
Published: November 2024

This paper presents the radio frequency (RF) design and experimental validation of a multifunctional bandpass filtering (BPF) concept with center frequency tunability and RF codesigned isolator and impedance matching functionality. The multifunctional bandpass filter/isolator (BPFI) concept combines frequency-tunable reciprocal resonators and nonreciprocal frequency-selective stages (NFSs) to realize center frequency tunability and fully directional transfer characteristics. The NFS, as the core component of the BPFI concept, exhibits frequency-selective transmission response in the forward direction and signal cancellation in the reverse direction. Its tunability is achieved by combining a transistor-based network with a tunable capacitively loaded coupled-line section. Furthermore, the NFS facilitates matching of different source loads allowing for the BPFIs to be used as reconfigurable matching networks. For experimental validation, an NFS and two BPFIs were designed, manufactured, and measured at L band. Their features include (i) NFS: center frequency tuning from 1.55 to 1.9 GHz with maximum directivity from 20 to 52 dB and gain from 0.3 to 1.3 dB. (ii) BPFI (topology A): center frequency tuning from 1.52 to 1.9 GHz with maximum directivity from 20 to 44 dB and gain from −1.5 to −0.5 dB. (iii) BPFI (topology C): ability to match complex loads with 26 + j18 Ω and 26 − j14 Ω.
Förderung der Sport- und Bewegungsfreude bei Kindern und Jugendlichen mit Übergewicht
Authors: Greule Constanze , Sudeck Gorden , Thiel Ansgar , Kastner Lydia , Janßen Pia , Nieß Andreas , Ziser Katrin , Erschens Rebecca , Junne Florian , Krauß und Inga
Published: November 2024

Zusammenfassung: Das Gesetz zur Stärkung der Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention (PrävG) formuliert den Anspruch, auf Gefährdungen von bio-psychosozialer Entwicklung im Kindes- und Jugendalter angepasste Präventionsempfehlungen auszusprechen (§26 SGB V). Mit dem Verbundprojekt STARKIDS wurde eine Interventionsstudie für Kinder und Jugendliche mit Übergewicht unter Berücksichtigung der Lebensstilfaktoren Ernährung, Bewegung, Medienkonsum und Familienleben konzipiert, welche diesem Versorgungsanspruch gerecht werden kann. Das Hauptziel des bewegungsbezogenen Moduls ist die nachhaltige Steigerung des Bewegungsverhaltens der teilnehmenden Kinder und Jugendlichen auf Basis der Sport- und Bewegungsfreude. Als Schnittstellen zwischen theoretischer Fundierung und praktischer Anwendung wurden sechs Interventionsziele formuliert. Passend dazu werden E-Health-Anwendungen bereitgestellt, die die Interventionsziele auf Basis der Sport- und Bewegungsfreude unterstützen sollen. Dieser Konzeptionsbeitrag gibt einen Einblick in die theoriegeleitete Interventionsentwicklung des STARKIDS Bewegungsmoduls, um den wissenschaftlichen Austausch zu fördern, einen innovativen Ansatz zur Bewegungsförderung bei Kindern und Jugendlichen mit Übergewicht zu dokumentieren und generell die Interventionsgestaltung im Versorgungsalltag um einen sportpsychologischen Blickwinkel zu erweitern.
Empirische Erkenntnisse der Behavior Change Literatur zwischen Generalität und Spezifität
Authors: Carl Johannes , Brandmeier Anna
Published: November 2024

Die Rubrik „Sportpsychologie Digest“ liefert Überblicke über interessante und aktuelle Artikel und Praxisprojekte aus der Sportpsychologie. Einreichungen für diese Rubrik nimmt Geoffrey Schweizer ( geoffrey.schweizer@issw.uni-heidelberg.de ) gerne als verantwortlicher Herausgeber entgegen. Dieser Sportpsychologie Digest wurde von Chris Englert zusammengestellt.
Deciphering Paleocene‐Eocene Thermal Maximum Climatic Dynamics: Insights From Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotopes in Clay Minerals of Paleosols From the Southern Pyrenees
Authors: Jaimes‐Gutierrez Rocio , Adatte Thierry , Pucéat Emmanuelle , Vennemann Torsten , Prieur Marine , Wild Amanda L. , Khozyem Hassan , Vaucher Romain , Castelltort Sebastien
Published: November 2024

This study focuses on the Paleocene‐Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a hyperthermal event characterized by a rapid increase in global temperature (5–8°C) over 20 ka, in the Southern Pyrenean Foreland Basin. Although there is evidence of increased flood discharge and erosion in the Southern Pyrenees, how paleoclimatic conditions and weathering evolved remains to be assessed. This study focuses on the catchment scale climatological changes recorded in the clay minerals of floodplain paleosols, giving insights into how rainfall affected the weathering regime during and after the hyperthermal event. The oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δD) isotope compositions were analyzed in two clay fractions in paleosols of the Esplugafreda continental section. The clay minerals comprise a dominant smectite‐rich assemblage, which indicates a predominantly seasonal, semi‐arid climate throughout the section. Two positive excursions in the δ18O record during the Pre‐Onset Excursion (POE) and the Syn‐PETM support an increase in air near‐surface temperature. Using the δD and δ18O smectite fractionation factors, we estimate a Mean Annual Air Temperature (MAAT) of 24.2 ± 1.0°C for the POE and 27.0 ± 0.8°C for the Syn‐PETM. The δD values show a relatively stable composition during the climatic disturbance, which suggests that this mid‐latitude catchment was overall characterized by low yearly rainfall, with a peak in extreme events during the body of the PETM and a trend toward aridification during the recovery phase of the PETM, supported by the paleosol morphotype. These climatic conditions suggest a kinetically controlled weathering regime, where physical transport of the sediments played a primary role as a denudation mechanism.
Proliferation associated 2G4 is required for the ciliation of vertebrate motile cilia
Authors: Lee Moonsup , Carpenter Christina , Hwang Yoo-Seok , Yoon Jaeho , Lu Quanlong , Westlake Christopher J. , Moody Sally A. , Yamaguchi Terry P. , Daar Ira O.
Published: November 2024

Motile cilia are critical structures that regulate early embryonic development and tissue homeostasis through synchronized ciliary motility. The formation of motile cilia is dependent on precisely controlled sequential processes including the generation, migration, and docking of centrioles/basal bodies as well as ciliary growth. Using the published proteomics data from various organisms, we identified proliferation-associated 2G4 as a novel regulator of ciliogenesis. Loss-of-function studies using Xenopus laevis as a model system reveal that Pa2G4 is essential for proper ciliogenesis and synchronized movement of cilia in multiciliated cells (MCCs) and the gastrocoel roof plate (GRP). Pa2G4 morphant MCCs exhibit defective basal body docking to the surface as a result of compromised Rac1 activity, apical actin network formation, and immature distal appendage generation. Interestingly, the regions that include the RNA-binding domain and the C-terminus of Pa2G4 are necessary for ciliogenesis in both MCCs and GRP cells. Our findings may provide insights into motile cilia-related genetic diseases such as Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia.
PARP1 condensates differentially partition DNA repair proteins and enhance DNA ligation
Authors: Chin Sang Christopher , Moore Gaelen , Tereshchenko Maria , Zhang Hongshan , Nosella Michael L , Dasovich Morgan , Alderson T Reid , Leung Anthony K L , Finkelstein Ilya J , Forman-Kay Julie D , Lee Hyun O
Published: November 2024

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) is one of the first responders to DNA damage and plays crucial roles in recruiting DNA repair proteins through its activity – poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation). The enrichment of DNA repair proteins at sites of DNA damage has been described as the formation of a biomolecular condensate. However, it remains unclear how exactly PARP1 and PARylation contribute to the formation and organization of DNA repair condensates. Using recombinant human single-strand repair proteins in vitro, we find that PARP1 readily forms viscous biomolecular condensates in a DNA-dependent manner and that this depends on its three zinc finger (ZnF) domains. PARylation enhances PARP1 condensation in a PAR chain length-dependent manner and increases the internal dynamics of PARP1 condensates. DNA and single-strand break repair proteins XRCC1, LigIII, Polβ, and FUS partition in PARP1 condensates, although in different patterns. While Polβ and FUS are both homogeneously mixed within PARP1 condensates, FUS enrichment is greatly enhanced upon PARylation whereas Polβ partitioning is not. XRCC1 and LigIII display an inhomogeneous organization within PARP1 condensates; their enrichment in these multiphase condensates is enhanced by PARylation. Functionally, PARP1 condensates concentrate short DNA fragments, which correlates with PARP1 clusters compacting long DNA and bridging DNA ends. Furthermore, the presence of PARP1 condensates significantly promotes DNA ligation upon PARylation. These findings provide insight into how PARP1 condensation and PARylation regulate the assembly and biochemical activities of DNA repair factors, which may inform on how PARPs function in DNA repair foci and other PAR-driven condensates in cells.
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus induces lactylation of m6A reader protein YTHDF1 to facilitate viral replication
Authors: Liu Bingxin , Tian Xiaoyan , Li Linrun , Zhang Rui , Wu Jing , Jiang Na , Yuan Meng , Chen Deyan , Su Airong , Xu Shijie , Wu Zhiwei
Published: November 2024

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), an emerging infectious pathogen with a high fatality rate, is an enveloped tripartite segmented single-stranded negative-sense RNA virus. SFTSV infection is characterized by suppressed host innate immunity, proinflammatory cytokine storm, failure of B-cell immunity, and robust viral replication. m6A modification has been shown to play a role in viral infections. However, interactions between m6A modification and SFTSV infection remain poorly understood. Through MeRIP-seq, we identify m6A modifications on SFTSV RNA. We show that YTHDF1 can bind to m6A modification sites on SFTSV, decreasing the stability of SFTSV RNA and reducing the translation efficiency of SFTSV proteins. The SFTSV virulence factor NSs increases lactylation of YTHDF1 and YTHDF1 degradation, thus facilitating SFTSV replication. Our findings indicate that the SFTSV protein NSs induce lactylation to inhibit YTHDF1 as a countermeasure to host’s YTHDF1-mediated degradation of m6A-marked viral mRNAs.