bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rapid and Deep Responses to Sonidegib Therapy in Elderly Patients With Locally Advanced Basal Cell Carcinomas: Two Case Reports
Authors: Stepan Andreas
Published: January 2025

Locally advanced basal cell carcinoma can be a difficult-to-treat disease, particularly in areas such as the face that are sensitive to mutilating surgery or radiotherapy. Hedgehog inhibitors including sonidegib that are administered orally once daily have been developed for the treatment of these patients. The case reports detailed here relate to two over 90-year-old female patients with facial basal cell carcinomas. Their advanced age, comorbidities, and tumor locations close to the eye and on the nose precluded extensive surgery or irradiation. Treatment with sonidegib 200 mg led to rapid and lasting responses, with complete or near-complete regression that eventually enabled curative surgery in one case and preservation of the right eye in the other. Side effects occurred infrequently and were managed using symptomatic therapies as well as dose modification. In addition to surgery and irradiation, sonidegib is an effective and tolerable treatment option for locally advanced basal cell carcinoma that can be expected to work in any age group.
High levels of genetic connectivity in the corallivorous gastropod Drupella cornus (Rӧding, 1798) in an expanding latitudinal range along Western Australia
Authors: Haslam Veera M. , Maroni Paige J. , Chaplin Jennifer A. , Bessey Cindy , van Keulen Mike
Published: January 2025

Understanding connectivity in high impact corallivores is crucial for coral reef management. The obligate corallivorous Drupella cornus (Röding, 1798) has caused extensive damage to some Indian Ocean coral reef areas in the last four decades. This study used novel and previously published Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) sequences to reveal patterns of genetic diversity, phylogeography and connectivity within D. cornus across the Indian Ocean. The genetic compositions of the Western Australian D. cornus groups from Ningaloo Reef, Houtman Abrolhos Islands, and a recently discovered group at Rottnest Island, were analysed and compared to D. cornus groups from the western Indian Ocean (Tanzania and the Gulf of Eilat). The findings indicated that these groups all belong to the same species, except for a few individuals from Rottnest Island, which were excluded from subsequent analyses. No genetically distinct D. cornus groups along the Western Australian coastline were found, whereas molecular population differences were seen between the western Indian Ocean D. cornus groups and the Western Australian D. cornus groups. The molecular differences between the Western Australian and Tanzanian groups were statistically significant; however, there was evidence of historic connections and possibly also occasional long-distance gene flow between these groups. We hypothesise that high-density D. cornus outbreaks have played an important role in the dispersal of this species across Western Australia and, more broadly, the Indian Ocean. This is important as Drupella spp. outbreaks are being reported more frequently in the Indo-Pacific, affecting coral reef health and ecosystem function.
Required informational barriers to accessing groceries from food banks
Authors: Millerschultz Alexis , Nalley Lawton Lanier , McFadden Brandon , Nayga Rodolfo , Yang Wei
Published: January 2025

Requirements to obtain groceries from a food pantry (e.g., forms of identification) can create potential “documentation barriers” to participation. A more holistic understanding of potential barriers are obtaining assistance from food pantries, specifically in the United States of America (USA), is warranted due to inflation in food prices, reduction of enhanced COVID-related SNAP benefits, and the increased demand for food pantry participation. In May of 2022, a survey was administered to low-income households across the USA that received groceries from a food pantry the previous month. Food pantry participants were asked which pieces of information were required to obtain groceries during their food pantry visit, including requirements to provide a home address, place of employment, Social Security Card, driver’s license, household size, blood test, and an “other” option in case they were asked to provide something beyond the previous requirements listed. On average, respondents were asked to provide 2.4 pieces of information (out of seven) when visiting a food pantry. Results indicated that 56% of African Americans had to provide their Social Security Card, which was significantly higher than the 21% of White food pantry participants, and requiring a Social Security Card is one of the most significant known barriers to obtaining food assistance. Further, probit model results indicated that the groups most susceptible to being food insecure (e.g., minorities, females, and SNAP-using individuals) were between 11 and 28% more likely to experience more documentation barriers to accessing groceries from a food pantry.
Assessment of agricultural residues for small-scale biogas plants and adoption drivers: a case study of the Fès-Meknès region in Morocco
Authors: Ngetuny Joshua , Hsaine Jalal , Mabrouki Abdelaalim , Rachidi Fouad , El Asli Abdelghani , Zörner Wilfried
Published: January 2025

Small-scale biogas systems hold promise as reliable renewable energy sources in developing nations; however, adequate and consistent supply of feedstock remains a challenge. Agricultural residue, due to their lack of competition with food crops for resources, is touted as a dependable feedstock choice. This article therefore examines agricultural residues as potential biogas plant feedstocks in the Fès-Meknès region of Morocco, using a structured farm survey to evaluate livestock types, crop varieties, and residue utilization. Additionally, the study explores the challenges and drivers influencing biogas technology adoption in Morocco. Findings indicate a predominance of small-scale farms with livestock (averaging 11 cattle, 45 sheep, and 20 chicken) and mainly subsistence crop production, making these farms suitable candidates for small-scale biogas plants. Key barriers to adoption include a lack of awareness about the technology, along with technical and financial constraints. However, raising awareness, establishing demonstration plants, and offering financial and non-financial incentives are identified as potential drivers of adoption. This research provides a foundation for implementing biogas technologies in the case study area and other developing nations, guiding researchers and governmental and non-governmental organizations in disseminating small-scale biogas systems as a reliable energy source and a method for converting agricultural residues into sustainable energy (biogas) and fertilizer.

Graphical Abstract
In vivo anti-plasmodial activity of alpha-onocerin and artesunate combination against Plasmodium berghei infected mice
Authors: Kwansah-Obresi Jacob Hammurabi , Moomin Aliu , Forkuo Arnold Donkor , Antwi Aaron Opoku , Addotey John Nii Adotey , Adu-Gyamfi Paa Kofi Tawiah , Sidik Abubakar Ibn , Mensah Kwesi Boadu
Published: January 2025

Alpha-onocerin is a triterpenoid derived from Huperzia phlegmaria which is used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of fever, headaches, pains and malaria. This study was conducted to evaluate the safety, antipyretic and anti-plasmodial activity of alpha-onocerin and artesunate (ART) co-administration in ICR mice for use in traditional medicine.

The anti-plasmodial effects of alpha-onocerin (10, 30, 100, 300 mg/kg) and ART (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 mg/kg) were assessed in P. berghei-infected mice. Alpha-onocerin /ART were administered with a fixed dose combination of their median effective doses (ED50s) to determine the experimental ED50 (Zexp). An isobologram was developed to identify the nature of the interaction by comparing Zexp with the theoretical ED50 (Zadd).

Alpha-onocerin (300 mg/kg) showed a similar chemosuppression (93.51 ± 2.15%) to ART (2 mg/kg, i.p.) of 97.02 ± 0.27% in the 4-day suppressive test as well as in the prophylactic test with chemosuppression at 54.94% and 69.76% for alpha-onocerin (300 mg/kg) and artesunate (2 mg/kg, i.p.) respectively. All doses of alpha-onocerin significantly (p < 0.05) reduced pyrexia in 1 h and 2 h after their administration in the baker’s yeast test. ED50s for ART and alpha-onocerin were 1.33 ± 0.11 and 13.64 ± 0.22 mg/kg, respectively. The Zadd, Zexp and interaction index for alpha-onocerin /ART co-administration were 7.49 ± 3.46, 1.61 ± 0.78 and 0.22 respectively. The Zexp for alpha-onocerin /ART laid below the additive isobole indicating significant (p < 0.001) synergistic activity with ART.

Alpha-onocerin showed analgesic effects, antipyretic and synergistic anti-plasmodial effects in P. berghei-infected mice.
Anticipatory Violence and Health Among Black Adults in the United States
Authors: Semenza Daniel C. , VanHook Cortney , Baker Nazsa S. , Savage Brielle
Published: January 2025

This study analyzes the relationship between anticipatory community and police violence and health outcomes including mental and physical well-being, sleep problems, and functional disability. Using data from a nationally representative survey of 3015 self-identified Black and African American adults in the USA collected in 2023, findings from a series of regression analyses reveal that anticipating community violence is linked to poorer self-rated health and increased sleep problems. Anticipatory police violence is associated with poorer physical health and sleep disturbances. These associations persist even after accounting for previous experiences of violence. The results underscore the potential health consequences of anticipating violence, suggesting that the fear of personal victimization can adversely influence health. Addressing anticipatory violence through trauma-informed public health policies and practices is critical for improving health outcomes and reducing disparities in violence-exposed communities. Future research should explore longitudinal impacts and extend analyses to additional racial groups and health outcomes.
Geolocation-Aware Deep Coding
Authors: Madadikhaljan Mojgan , Schmitt Michael
Published: January 2025

With more and more remote sensing data available on a global scale, the Earth observation community strives to harness the power of modern deep learning techniques by developing globally applicable models. However, remote sensing images exhibit strongly heterogeneous, geolocation-dependent characteristics, making this a challenging endeavor. In this paper, we introduce the geolocation-aware deep coding strategy to incorporate geolocation information of remote sensing data into the training of the deep learning models. The proposed method consists of defining regional subnetworks dedicated to each subset of the dataset with similar geolocational characteristics. Using two application examples, namely the mapping of building footprints from multi-spectral Sentinel‑2 imagery, and the task of forest detection from single-channel thermal infrared Landsat imagery, we show that the proposed deep coding strategy stabilizes the training performance and can also improve the predictive power of deep neural networks designed for remote sensing data analysis.
The Relations of Teacher Use of Anti-bullying Components at Classroom and Individual Levels with Teacher and School Characteristics
Authors: Baraldsnes Dziuginta , Caravita Simona Carla Silvia
Published: January 2025

In the literature about bullying prevention and intervention, still little is known about teacher and school characteristics possibly affecting an implementation of a whole-school approach anti-bullying programme. This study investigates the relations of teachers’ anti-bullying components at classroom and individual levels with teachers’ sociodemographics (gender, age, work experience and teaching in primary vs lower and upper secondary school) and school features (size, and duration of working with a whole-school approach anti-bullying programme). Teachers (n = 1576) in 99 Lithuanian schools implementing the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program answered a standardised online self-administered questionnaire. Through an Exploratory Factor Analysis (Principal Axis Factoring extraction method), we individuated a model of teachers’ implementation of anti-bullying components, consisting of three dimensions: classroom management, tutorship (organisation of class meetings and work with parents) and direct intervention into bullying incidents. In multilevel analyses, significant associations emerged between the three dimensions, teacher socio-demographics and school characteristics. Female teachers put more effort than male teachers into classroom management, tutorship and intervention into bullying incidents. Younger teachers put more effort than older teachers into all the three dimensions. Primary school teachers put more effort into classroom management and tutorship dimensions. Teachers with more working experience put more effort into intervening into bullying incidents. Lastly, teachers from certified Olweus schools with a longer duration of implementing the OBBP put more effort into direct intervention into bullying incidents. These results shed light on relevant characteristics affecting teachers’ efforts within anti-bullying components that need to be considered when implementing interventions.
A theory of assessability for reasonableness
Authors: Forcehimes Andrew T.
Published: January 2025

This essay defends an account of what things are assessable for reasonableness and why. On this account, something is assessable for reasonableness if and only if and because it is the functional effect of critical reasoning.
Corruption and the Voter's Decision
Authors: Figueiredo Miguel F. P. de
Published: January 2025

Despite voters' distaste for corruption, corrupt politicians frequently get reelected. This Element provides a framework for understanding when corrupt politicians are reelected. One unexplored source of electoral accountability is court rulings on candidate malfeasance, which are increasingly determining politicians' electoral prospects. The findings suggest that (1) low-income voters – in contrast to higher-income voters – are responsive to such rulings. Unlike earlier studies, we explore multiple trade-offs voters weigh when confronting corrupt candidates, including the candidate's party, policy positions, and personal attributes. The results also surprisingly show (2) low-income voters, like higher-income voters, weigh corruption allegations and policy positions similarly, and are slightly more responsive to candidate attributes. Moreover, irrespective of voter income, (3) party labels insulate candidates from corruption, and (4) candidate attributes like gender have little effect. The results have implications for when voters punish corrupt politicians, the success of anti-corruption campaigns, and the design and legitimacy of electoral institutions.
Working animal welfare and their multidimensional roles on livelihood improvement in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Tariku Getasew Daru , Biza Tarekegn Derbib , Tesfaye Senait Kehali , Kebede Sinkie Alemu
Published: January 2025

Working animals have a crucial socio-economic role to play for many low-income communities. One such example is in Ethiopia where virtually all the draught power for agricultural production derives from working animals. However, despite this, the welfare status of working animals in this country remains poor. Hence, a clear understanding of the major welfare problems faced by working animals is key to helping improve their welfare status and to maximise their economic contribution. This systematic literature review encompasses 28 studies published between 2010–2024, that address the role of working animals and the factors impinging on their welfare. Suitability of papers for inclusion (and exclusion) involved use of a PRISMA flow diagram. In this review, we also sought to define the exact role of working animals with them found to be used not only for draught power but also as a direct source of food as well as income. A lack of medical care was also highlighted with animals afforded limited access to feed and water, subjected to regular physical abuse, and deprived of access to shelter. Insufficient assessment of welfare and improper methods of data analysis were also found to be an issue, factors that require to be addressed by future researchers to help improve the welfare of working animals in this region
How We Could Have Libertarian Free Will Even if God Were a Total Know-It-All About the Future
Authors: Balaguer Mark , Chan Rebecca
Published: January 2025

We argue that libertarianism (roughly, the thesis that we have indeterministic, libertarian free will) is compatible with God’s infallible foreknowledge. We use eternalism (roughly, the thesis that reality is a 4-dimensional block and that past, present, and future objects exist) as an explanatory stepping stone between libertarianism and God’s foreknowledge: eternalism entails that (and comes close to explaining how) an omniscient God would know what we decide in the future even if we have libertarian free will. This account also explains what is wrong with standard fatalist arguments for the incompatibility of free will and God’s foreknowledge.
Obesity after Natural disasters and Associated Risk Factors: A Systematic Review
Authors: Nour Tahir Yousuf , Altintaş Kerim Hakan
Published: January 2025

Background

Natural disasters occur unexpectedly, leading to long-term consequences like obesity. That contributes to various noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. This review aimed to examine the link between natural disasters and obesity, along with related risk factors.

Objective

This systematic review aimed to examine the relationship between natural disasters and obesity, as well as the associated risk factors.

Methods

A thorough search was conducted using electronic databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, HINARI, and Google Scholar. Additional articles were manually searched. Studies that reported weight gain and risk factors were included. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) tools. Data were collected from eligible articles and synthesized.

Results

The participants in this research ranged from 3 months to 67 years old. Of the 17 articles, 11 focused on children, while the 5 focused on adults and 1 on adolescents. All studies followed a cohort design, with follow-up periods varying from 6 months to 15.5 years. Results indicated weight gain post-disaster, with risk factors including sedentary behavior, unhealthy eating habits, maternal high Body Mass Index (BMI), mixed feeding, stress, alcohol consumption, coastal residence, temporary housing, and timing from disaster onset.

Conclusions

This research emphasizes the significance of addressing post-disaster obesity as a pivotal aspect of public health, suggesting its integration with immediate priorities such as trauma management. Emphasizing its long-lasting effects across generations, the study offers policymakers valuable insights to develop effective approaches in tackling post-disaster obesity.
Bounds for equilibrium states on amenable group subshifts
Authors: HEDGES C. EVANS
Published: January 2025

We prove a result on equilibrium measures for potentials with summable variation on arbitrary subshifts over a countable amenable group. For finite configurations v and w, if v is always replaceable by w, we obtain a bound on the measure of v depending on the measure of w and a cocycle induced by the potential. We then use this result to show that under this replaceability condition, we can obtain bounds on the Lebesgue–Radon–Nikodym derivative

$d (\mu _\phi \circ \xi ) / d\mu _\phi $

for certain holonomies

$\xi $

that generate the homoclinic (Gibbs) relation. As corollaries, we obtain extensions of results by Meyerovitch [Gibbs and equilibrium measures for some families of subshifts. Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys. 33(3) (2013), 934–953], and García-Ramos and Pavlov [Extender sets and measures of maximal entropy for subshifts. J. Lond. Math. Soc. (2)100(3) (2019), 1013–1033] to the countable amenable group subshift setting. Our methods rely on the exact tiling result for countable amenable groups by Downarowicz, Huczek, and Zhang [Tilings of amenable groups. J. Reine Angew. Math. 2019(747) (2019), 277–298] and an adapted proof technique from García-Ramos and Pavlov.
Online target normal sheath acceleration proton beam stabilization at 1 Hz in ultra-intense laser–matter interaction
Authors: Henares Jose Luis , Ehret Michael , Apiñaniz Jon , Salgado-López Carlos , Pérez-Hernández José Antonio , Berlanga María Luisa , Fernández Ana María Cives , Filippov Evgeny , García-García Enrique , Martín Rubén Hernández , De Luis Diego , Puyuelo-Valdes Pilar , Rodríguez-Pérez Isabel , Frías María Dolores Rodríguez , Vladisavlevici Iuliana-Mariana , Gatti Giancarlo
Published: January 2025

We introduce a versatile high-repetition-rate solid tape target system suitable for relativistic laser-plasma driven secondary sources. We demonstrate the operation and stability monitoring based on a petawatt laser focused at 1 Hz. Experiments were carried out at the VEGA-3 laser system of the Centro de Láseres Pulsados facility where results for different tape materials and thicknesses are presented. Experimental proton spectra were recorded by a Thomson parabola spectrometer and a time-of-flight detector. In addition, non-invasive detectors, such as a target charging monitor and ionization chamber detectors, were tested as metrology for the stability of the source. Degradation of the proton signal at high-repetition-rate operation was observed and it was solved by online optimization of the relative focus position of the target and laser beam parameters. We report the use of the tape target for bursts of 1000 shots at 1 Hz with mean cut-off energies of about 10 MeV in optimized interaction conditions.
Scaling and dynamics of vortex lock-in for circular cylinders in an oscillating flow
Authors: Jankee Girish K. , Yadala Srikar , Æsøy Eirik , Dawson James R. , Worth Nicholas A.
Published: January 2025

The concept of vortex lock-in for a single circular cylinder in an oscillating flow, induced through acoustic forcing, is revisited. Multiple cylinder diameters are investigated over a Reynolds number range between 500 and 7200. The lock-in behaviour is investigated quantitatively through hot-wire anemometry and planar particle image velocimetry measurements. The results corroborate previous findings describing the frequency range over which vortex lock-in occurs. It is found that the cylinder location in a standing wave (pressure node or velocity node) had a significant influence on the lock-in behaviour. A novel scaling which captures the onset of vortex lock-in is proposed which demonstrates that the Strouhal number is important in predicting the amplitude of the velocity fluctuations required to induce lock-in. Velocity fields also reveal the existence of bimodal vortex shedding during lock-in. This is confirmed using snapshot proper orthogonal decomposition which demonstrates that symmetric and alternate shedding modes are simultaneously present during lock-in and that symmetric shedding is inherent to the near wake region only. Reduced-order reconstruction of the instantaneous velocity fields confirmed that features associated with the forcing frequency control the shear layer roll-up up to

$x/d=2.1$

while the influence of the asymmetric mode is simply to skew the trajectory of the vortex pair. Since vortex roll-up and the cylinder wake ends at

$x/d=2.1$

, the emergence of spectral content at

$0.5f_e$

is attributed to a wavelength doubling measured between the vortical structures in the flow field.
FROM MODEL SELECTION TO MODEL AVERAGING: A COMPARISON FOR NESTED LINEAR MODELS
Authors: Xu Wenchao , Zhang Xinyu
Published: January 2025

Model selection (MS) and model averaging (MA) are two popular approaches when many candidate models exist. Theoretically, the estimation risk of an oracle MA is not larger than that of an oracle MS because the former is more flexible, but a foundational issue is this: Does MA offer a substantial improvement over MS? Recently, seminal work by Peng and Yang (2022) has answered this question under nested models with linear orthonormal series expansion. In the current paper, we further respond to this question under linear nested regression models. A more general nested framework, heteroscedastic and autocorrelated random errors, and sparse coefficients are allowed in the current paper, giving a scenario that is more common in practice. A remarkable implication is that MS can be significantly improved by MA under certain conditions. In addition, we further compare MA techniques with different weight sets. Simulation studies illustrate the theoretical findings in a variety of settings.
Isolated loss of vaccine immunity in the protein losings syndrome in a patient with a reverse one and a half ventricle palliation (“failing Fontan-like physiology”)
Authors: Leroy Martin , Weis Angelika , Backhoff David , Santibanez Sabine , Mankertz Annette , Jux Christian
Published: January 2025

Background:

A subgroup of CHDs can only be treated palliatively through a Fontan circulation. In case of a failing Fontan situation, serum proteins are lost unspecifically and can also lead to a loss of vaccine antibodies. In a failing Fontan situation, heart transplantation may be the only feasible option.

Patient:

We describe a 17-year-old patient born with a hypoplastic left heart complex, who underwent Fontan completion at the age of 4 years and developed a failing Fontan physiology. Therefore, a Fontan takedown with creation of a reverse 1½-circulation was performed. Multiple exacerbations of protein losing enteropathy occurred with a hypoproteinaemia, hypalbuminaemia, and hypogammaglobulinaemia. The patient was hospitalised several times and treated with intravenous application of immunoglobulins and albumin for symptom control. Before one of this substitutions, the immunoglobulin G against measles, mumps, and rubella was determined: the patient’s serum demonstrated a positive measles and rubella, but mumps was negative. After administration of the iv-therapy, the lacking antibodies were replenished, and there was a positive test for mumps.

Method:

Serum samples were analysed by neutralisation test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Conclusion:

Although the patient had been vaccinated according to national guidelines, we saw an intermittent immune deficiency for mumps, but not for rubella and measles. For patient with a failing Fontan circulation, we recommend to test to vaccine antibodies for mumps, measles, and rubella with an ELISA an if its negative with a neutralisation test, especially in view of a possible heart transplantation to find a possible immune deficiency.
Perceived barriers and facilitators to breast-feeding support practices in hospitals and birthing facilities in the USA
Authors: Kang Bee-Ah , Gonzalez-Nahm Sarah , Benjamin-Neelon Sara E
Published: January 2025

Objective:

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) designation is known to increase breast-feeding rates in the USA. However, less is known about barriers and facilitators to breast-feeding support practices in BFHI hospitals and how they differ from non-BFHI hospitals. We examined what barriers and facilitators are perceived to affect breast-feeding practices among BFHI and non-BFHI hospital administrators and further explored factors that presented challenges to the adoption and continuation of breast-feeding support practices.

Design:

Cross-sectional study was conducted. We measured whether hospitals were implementing 12 breast-feeding support practices and identified barriers and facilitators to the practices. The survey questionnaire included both structured and open-ended questions.

Setting:

This study included hospital administrators from both BFHI and non-BFHI hospitals from all regions of the USA to help elucidate potential differences.

Participants:

A stratified random sample of 50 % of BFHI and 50 % of non-BFHI hospitals was obtained. The final sample size included 113 BFHI and 177 non-BFHI hospital administrators.

Results:

Low interest among mothers was reported as the most significant barrier to providing breast-feeding support among all administrators. Non-BFHI hospital administrators were more likely to report cost, nursing staff and physician resistance and hospital infrastructure as barriers to initiating practices. In-person training was cited as the most important facilitator among both groups.

Conclusions:

Strengthening prenatal education for mothers and trainings for administrative and nursing staff and physicians is warranted in BFHI and non-BFHI hospitals. Staff management and hospital infrastructure need to be improved particularly in non-BFHI hospitals to provide adequate breast-feeding support for mothers.
The relationship between maternal age, obesity and child mortality: a cross-sectional study using 2013–2014 Demographic and Health Survey in Democratic Republic of the Congo at national, and sub-national levels
Authors: Tsala Dimbuene Zacharie , Muanza Nzuzi Raphaël , Mabanza Matondo Severin
Published: January 2025

Objective:

To investigate the relationship between maternal age and nutritional status, and test associations between maternal nutritional status and child mortality with a focus on maternal obesity.

Design:

Secondary analysis of data from nationally representative cross-sectional sample of women of reproductive ages (15–49 years) and their children under 5 years. The outcome variable for maternal nutritional status was BMI, classified into underweight (BMI < 18·50 kg/m2), normal weight (18·50–24·99 kg/m2), overweight (25·0–29·9 kg/m2) and obesity (>=30·0 kg/m2). Child mortality was captured with five binary variables measuring the risk of dying in specific age intervals (neonatal, post-neonatal, infant, childhood and under-five mortality).

Setting:

The most recent Demographic and Health Surveys from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Participants:

The final samples consisted of 7892 women of reproductive ages (15–49 years) and 19 003 children aged 0–59 months.

Results:

The prevalence of obesity was estimated at 3·4 %; it increased with maternal age. Furthermore, obesity unevenly affected provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kinshasa, South Kivu, North Kivu and Maniema were most affected. Finally, maternal obesity showed mixed effects on child mortality.

Conclusion:

The prevalence of obesity is still low; however, provinces are unevenly affected. Therefore, interventions and programmes to improve nutrition should incorporate geographical disparities to tackle adverse child outcomes associated with maternal obesity, to limit negative consequences of maternal obesity, including non-communicable diseases which might be a strong impediment to reach Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 and 3.
PROPER
$\mathrm {CAT(0)}$
ACTIONS OF UNIPOTENT-FREE LINEAR GROUPS
Authors: Douba Sami
Published: January 2025

Let
$\Gamma $
be a finitely generated group of matrices over
$\mathbb {C}$
. We construct an isometric action of
$\Gamma $
on a complete
$\mathrm {CAT}(0)$
space such that the restriction of this action to any subgroup of
$\Gamma $
containing no nontrivial unipotent elements is well behaved. As an application, we show that if M is a graph manifold that does not admit a nonpositively curved Riemannian metric, then any finite-dimensional
$\mathbb {C}$
-linear representation of
$\pi _1(M)$
maps a nontrivial element of
$\pi _1(M)$
to a unipotent matrix. In particular, the fundamental groups of such 3-manifolds do not admit any faithful finite-dimensional unitary representations.
African Views of Chinese Engagement: The Political Economy of a Gender Gap
Authors: Karreth Ann K. , Karreth Johannes
Published: January 2025

Mass public opinion on globalization shows a persistent gender gap, but explanations for this gap differ. In the context of Africa, understanding this gender gap is particularly important because of women’s growing representation in legislatures and the rapid expansion of global economic flows on the continent. Why are women on average more skeptical of foreign economic actors? We consider this question across Sub-Saharan African countries, using Chinese economic engagement as a salient, visible form of economic globalization. Numerous studies have explored the impact of China’s presence on Africans’ attitudes toward China, but we know little about a documented gender gap in these attitudes. We explore the roots of this gap from an angle of economic vulnerability, positing that women at higher risk of a negative economic impact of Chinese engagement are more likely to view China negatively than their male counterparts. Using multilevel analyses of up to 84,000 respondents from up to 37 countries, we find a consistent pattern of economic vulnerability explaining the gender gap in attitudes, and factors associated with economic security mitigating it. Our findings suggest that economic vulnerability shapes attitudes differently across genders, and that increasing representation of women in African legislatures may have implications for policies toward Chinese engagement.
Catchments Amplify Reservoir Thermal Response to Climate Warming
Authors: Gai Bo , Kumar Rohini , Hüesker Frank , Mi Chenxi , Kong Xiangzhen , Boehrer Bertram , Rinke Karsten , Shatwell Tom
Published: January 2025

Lentic waters integrate atmosphere and catchment processes, and thus ultimately capture climate signals. However, studies of climate warming effects on lentic waters usually do not sufficiently account for a change in heat flux from the catchment through altered inflow temperature and discharge under climate change. This is particularly relevant for reservoirs, which are highly impacted by catchment hydrology and may be affected by upstream reservoirs or pre‐dams. This study explicitly quantified how the catchment and pre‐dams modify the thermal response of Rappbode Reservoir, Germany's largest drinking water reservoir system, to climate change. We established a catchment‐lake modeling chain in the main reservoir and its two pre‐dams utilizing the lake model GOTM, the catchment model mHM, and the stream temperature model Air2stream, forced by an ensemble of climate projections under RCP2.6 and 8.5 warming scenarios. Results exhibited a warming of 0.27/0.15°C decade−1 for the surface/bottom temperatures of the main reservoir, with approximately 8%/24% of this warming attributed to the catchment warming, respectively. The catchment warming amplified the deep water warming more than at the surface, contrary to the atmospheric warming effect, and advanced stratification by about 1 week, while having a minor impact on stratification intensity. On the other hand, pre‐dams reduced the inflow temperature into the main reservoir in spring, and consequently lowered the hypolimnetic temperature and postponed stratification onset. This shielded the main reservoir from climate warming, although overall the contribution of pre‐dams was minimal. Altogether, our study highlights the importance of catchment alterations and seasonality when projecting reservoir warming, and provides insights into catchment‐reservoir coupling under climate change.
Rapid Automated Mapping of Clouds on Titan With Instance Segmentation
Authors: Yahn Zachary , Trent Douglas M. , Duncan Ethan , Seignovert Benoît , Santerre John , Nixon Conor A.
Published: January 2025

Despite widespread adoption of deep learning models to address a variety of computer vision tasks, planetary science has yet to see extensive utilization of such tools to address its unique problems. On Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, tracking seasonal trends and weather patterns of clouds provides crucial insights into one of the most complex climates in the Solar System, yet much of the available image data are still analyzed in a conventional way. In this work, we apply a Mask R‐CNN trained via transfer learning to perform instance segmentation of clouds in Titan images acquired by the Cassini spacecraft—a previously unexplored approach to a “big data” problem in planetary science. We demonstrate that an automated technique can provide quantitative measures for clouds, such as areas and centroids, that may otherwise be prohibitively time‐intensive to produce by human mapping. Furthermore, despite Titan‐specific challenges, our approach yields accuracy comparable to contemporary cloud identification studies on Earth and other worlds. We compare the efficiencies of human‐driven versus algorithmic approaches, showing that transfer learning provides speed‐ups that may open new horizons for data investigation for Titan. Moreover, we suggest that such approaches have broad potential for application to similar problems in planetary science where they are currently under‐utilized. Future planned missions to the planets and remote sensing initiatives for the Earth promise to provide a deluge of image data in the coming years that will benefit strongly from leveraging machine learning approaches to perform the analysis.
Statistical Study on the Effect of Meridional Neutral Wind on the Occurrence of Post‐Sunset Equatorial Ionospheric Irregularities
Authors: Aderaw Bantayehu , Nigussie Melessew
Published: January 2025

The navigation and radio communication systems experience significant disruptions due to post‐sunset equatorial ionospheric irregularities. There is ongoing debate regarding the impact of meridional/trans‐equatorial wind speed on these irregularities, though it is widely agreed that the Pre‐Reversal Enhancement (PRE) plasma vertical drift velocity plays a key role in their occurrence. In this study, it is examined how F‐layer meridional neutral winds affect the post‐sunset equatorial ionospheric irregularities using GOCE satellite data in the years 2012–2013 employing statistical analysis. The Rate of Total Electron content (TEC) Index (ROTI) is commonly used to monitor ionospheric irregularities. The finding reveals a strong correlation between ROTI values and the differences in meridional wind speeds at the north and south equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) crests. Observations show that smaller speed differences (less than ∼5 m/s) between the north and south EIA crests support the formation of post‐sunset ionospheric irregularities, while larger speed differences (more than 5 m/s) do not support irregularity formation.
The WAVE complex in developmental and adulthood brain disorders
Authors: Kim Hyung-Goo , Berdasco Clara , Nairn Angus C. , Kim Yong
Published: January 2025

Actin polymerization and depolymerization are fundamental cellular processes required not only for the embryonic and postnatal development of the brain but also for the maintenance of neuronal plasticity and survival in the adult and aging brain. The orchestrated organization of actin filaments is controlled by various actin regulatory proteins. Wiskott‒Aldrich syndrome protein-family verprolin-homologous protein (WAVE) members are key activators of ARP2/3 complex-mediated actin polymerization. WAVE proteins exist as heteropentameric complexes together with regulatory proteins, including CYFIP, NCKAP, ABI and BRK1. The activity of the WAVE complex is tightly regulated by extracellular cues and intracellular signaling to execute its roles in specific intracellular events in brain cells. Notably, dysregulation of the WAVE complex and WAVE complex-mediated cellular processes confers vulnerability to a variety of brain disorders. De novo mutations in WAVE genes and other components of the WAVE complex have been identified in patients with developmental disorders such as intellectual disability, epileptic seizures, schizophrenia, and/or autism spectrum disorder. In addition, alterations in the WAVE complex are implicated in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, as well as in behavioral adaptations to psychostimulants or maladaptive feeding.
Integrated proteogenomic characterization of ampullary adenocarcinoma
Authors: Zhang Qiao , Xu Xiaomeng , Jiang Dongxian , Wang Yunzhi , Wang Haixing , Zhu Jiajun , Tang Shaoshuai , Wang Ronghua , Zhao Shuang , Li Kai , Feng Jinwen , Xiang Hang , Yao Zhenmei , Xu Ning , Fang Rundong , Guo Wenjia , Liu Yu , Hou Yingyong , Ding Chen
Published: January 2025

Ampullary adenocarcinoma (AMPAC) is a rare and heterogeneous malignancy. Here we performed a comprehensive proteogenomic analysis of 198 samples from Chinese AMPAC patients and duodenum patients. Genomic data illustrate that 4q loss causes fatty acid accumulation and cell proliferation. Proteomic analysis has revealed three distinct clusters (C-FAM, C-AD, C-CC), among which the most aggressive cluster, C-AD, is associated with the poorest prognosis and is characterized by focal adhesion. Immune clustering identifies three immune clusters and reveals that immune cluster M1 (macrophage infiltration cluster) and M3 (DC cell infiltration cluster), which exhibit a higher immune score compared to cluster M2 (CD4+ T-cell infiltration cluster), are associated with a poor prognosis due to the potential secretion of IL-6 by tumor cells and its consequential influence. This study provides a comprehensive proteogenomic analysis for seeking for better understanding and potential treatment of AMPAC.
DNA methylation modulates nucleosome retention in sperm and H3K4 methylation deposition in early mouse embryos
Authors: Fanourgakis Grigorios , Gaspa-Toneu Laura , Komarov Pavel A. , Papasaikas Panagiotis , Ozonov Evgeniy A. , Smallwood Sebastien A. , Peters Antoine H. F. M.
Published: January 2025

In the germ line and during early embryogenesis, DNA methylation (DNAme) undergoes global erasure and re-establishment to support germ cell and embryonic development. While DNAme acquisition during male germ cell development is essential for setting genomic DNA methylation imprints, other intergenerational roles for paternal DNAme in defining embryonic chromatin are unknown. Through conditional gene deletion of the de novo DNA methyltransferases Dnmt3a and/or Dnmt3b, we observe that DNMT3A primarily safeguards against DNA hypomethylation in undifferentiated spermatogonia, while DNMT3B catalyzes de novo DNAme during spermatogonial differentiation. Failing de novo DNAme in Dnmt3a/Dnmt3b double deficient spermatogonia is associated with increased nucleosome occupancy in mature sperm, preferentially at sites with higher CpG content, supporting the model that DNAme modulates nucleosome retention in sperm. To assess the impact of altered sperm chromatin in formatting embryonic chromatin, we measure H3K4me3 occupancy at paternal and maternal alleles in 2-cell embryos using a transposon-based tagging approach. Our data show that reduced DNAme in sperm renders paternal alleles permissive for H3K4me3 establishment in early embryos, independently of possible paternal inheritance of sperm born H3K4me3. Together, this study provides evidence that paternally inherited DNAme directs chromatin formation during early embryonic development.
Endothelial-secreted Endocan activates PDGFRA and regulates vascularity and spatial phenotype in glioblastoma
Authors: Bastola Soniya , Pavlyukov Marat S. , Sharma Neel , Ghochani Yasmin , Nakano Mayu A. , Muthukrishnan Sree Deepthi , Yu Sang Yul , Kim Min Soo , Sohrabi Alireza , Biscola Natalia P. , Yamashita Daisuke , Anufrieva Ksenia S. , Kovalenko Tatyana F. , Jung Grace , Ganz Tomas , O’Brien Beatrice , Kawaguchi Riki , Qin Yue , Seidlits Stephanie K. , Burlingame Alma L. , Oses-Prieto Juan A. , Havton Leif A. , Goldman Steven A. , Hjelmeland Anita B. , Nakano Ichiro , Kornblum Harley I.
Published: January 2025

Extensive neovascularization is a hallmark of glioblastoma (GBM). In addition to supplying oxygen and nutrients, vascular endothelial cells provide trophic support to GBM cells via paracrine signaling. Here we report that Endocan (ESM1), an endothelial-secreted proteoglycan, confers enhanced proliferative, migratory, and angiogenic properties to GBM cells and regulates their spatial identity. Mechanistically, Endocan exerts at least part of its functions via direct binding and activation of the PDGFRA receptor. Subsequent downstream signaling enhances chromatin accessibility of the Myc promoter and upregulates Myc expression inducing stable phenotypic changes in GBM cells. Furthermore, Endocan confers radioprotection on GBM cells in vitro and in vivo. Inhibition of Endocan-PDGFRA signaling with ponatinib increases survival in the Esm1 wild-type but not in the Esm1 knock-out mouse GBM model. Our findings identify Endocan and its downstream signaling axis as a potential target to subdue GBM recurrence and highlight the importance of vascular-tumor interactions for GBM development.
DNA targeting by compact Cas9d and its resurrected ancestor
Authors: Ocampo Rodrigo Fregoso , Bravo Jack P. K. , Dangerfield Tyler L. , Nocedal Isabel , Jirde Samatar A. , Alexander Lisa M. , Thomas Nicole C. , Das Anjali , Nielson Sarah , Johnson Kenneth A. , Brown Christopher T. , Butterfield Cristina N. , Goltsman Daniela S. A. , Taylor David W.
Published: January 2025

Type II CRISPR endonucleases are widely used programmable genome editing tools. Recently, CRISPR-Cas systems with highly compact nucleases have been discovered, including Cas9d (a type II-D nuclease). Here, we report the cryo-EM structures of a Cas9d nuclease (747 amino acids in length) in multiple functional states, revealing a stepwise process of DNA targeting involving a conformational switch in a REC2 domain insertion. Our structures provide insights into the intricately folded guide RNA which acts as a structural scaffold to anchor small, flexible protein domains for DNA recognition. The sgRNA can be truncated by up to ~25% yet still retain activity in vivo. Using ancestral sequence reconstruction, we generated compact nucleases capable of efficient genome editing in mammalian cells. Collectively, our results provide mechanistic insights into the evolution and DNA targeting of diverse type II CRISPR-Cas systems, providing a blueprint for future re-engineering of minimal RNA-guided DNA endonucleases.
Activity of the mammalian DNA transposon piggyBat from Myotis lucifugus is restricted by its own transposon ends
Authors: Hickman Alison B. , Lannes Laurie , Furman Christopher M. , Hong Christina , Franklin Lidiya , Ghirlando Rodolfo , Ghosh Arpita , Luo Wentian , Konstantinidou Parthena , Lorenzi Hernán A. , Grove Anne , Haase Astrid D. , Wilson Matthew H. , Dyda Fred
Published: January 2025

Members of the piggyBac superfamily of DNA transposons are widely distributed in host genomes ranging from insects to mammals. The human genome has retained five piggyBac-derived genes as domesticated elements although they are no longer mobile. Here, we have investigated the transposition properties of piggyBat from Myotis lucifugus, the only known active mammalian DNA transposon, and show that its low activity in human cells is due to subterminal inhibitory DNA sequences. Activity can be dramatically improved by their removal, suggesting the existence of a mechanism for the suppression of transposon activity. The cryo-electron microscopy structure of the piggyBat transposase pre-synaptic complex showed an unexpected mode of DNA binding and recognition using C-terminal domains that are topologically different from those of the piggyBac transposase. Here we show that structure-based rational re-engineering of the transposase through the removal of putative phosphorylation sites and a changed domain organization - in combination with truncated transposon ends - results in a transposition system that is at least 100-fold more active than wild-type piggyBat.