bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perforator Based Reverse Radial Artery Forearm Flap (Prraff): Anatomical Studies and Clinical Applications
Authors: Rao S Hanmantha , Pramod N , Reddy D Mukunda
Published: August 2023

A perforator based reverse radial artery forearm flap has been used from the volar and radial aspect of the distal forearm for coverage of raw areas near the wrist, distal forearm and hand in six cases. This was preceded by an anatomical study in ten cadaveric limbs concentrating on the position and size of the subcutaneous perforators from the radial artery in the distal half of the forearm. It revealed that there are constant perforators from the radial artery situated approximately 1, 3 and 7 cm. proximal to the radial styloid process and flaps could be raised based on the 1 cm and 3 cm perforators. We found this to be a reliable flap to cover small raw areas near the wrist and the proximal part of the hand, the main advantage being not sacrificing the main trunk of the radial artery.
Preparation of Recipient Areas When Skin Grafting for Camouflage of Static Localised Vitiligo
Authors: Vadodaria S , Kangesu T
Published: August 2023

A prospective randomized study was undertaken in 50 patients with static localised vitiligo to determine the optimum thickness of the excision of patches of vitiligo prior to grafting with normally pigmented very thin split-thickness skin grafts.

Recipient areas (diseased skin) were prepared in 1 of 5 different ways (n = 10 per group): Group 1, dermabrasion of epidermis alone; Group 2, shaving of thin partial-thickness skin; Group 3, shaving of medium partial-thickness skin; Group 4, excision of full-thickness skin alone and Group 5, excision of full-thickness skin with subcutaneous fat.

After a minimum follow up of 6 months, results showed that in Groups 1 and 2, the skin grafts desquamated by the re-growth of epidermis from the recipient bed. In the Group 3, grafts were unsightly because of retention cysts and a prominent edge. In Group 5, grafts became hyper-pigmented and the grafted area was scalloped. Optimum results were obtained in Group 4 with best aesthetic appearance. Vitiligo patches are best treated by excision of full-thickness skin when resurfacing with normally pigmented thin split-thickness skin grafts.
Highly stable all-inorganic CsPbBr3 perovskite solar cells based on pulsed laser deposition
Authors: Song Qianglin , Zhang Hao , Jin Xuan , Wang Hong , Wang Peng , Ijaz Mohsin , Xu Qingyu
Published: August 2023

In the highly efficient n-i-p structure of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), organic material Spiro-OMeTAD is usually used as the hole transport layer (HTL). However, its high hygroscopicity and thermal instability seriously limit its commercial application. In contrast, nickel oxide (NiOx) is a promising alternative due to its wideband gap, low cost, and high stability. By comparing with traditional spin coating, pulsed laser deposition (PLD) can produce relatively compact films and avoid the damage of solvent evaporation on the morphology and crystal quality, thus improving the device stability. This work introduces PLD to prepare CsPbBr3 and NiOx thin films to obtain highly stable all-inorganic CsPbBr3-based PSCs. Carrier dynamics are studied via electrochemical measurements and transient absorption spectroscopy. The power conversion efficiency of the all-inorganic CsPbBr3-based PSCs with NiOx HTL can be improved to 5.47% under optimum thickness and annealing temperature. It is revealed that the thermal stability is significantly enhanced, where unencapsulated all-inorganic CsPbBr3 PSCs specifically can maintain 95% of initial efficiency for 1200 h under the condition of 85 °C and 30% relative humidity.
Chiral coupling of two orthogonal magnetizations in a single ferrimagnetic GdCo layer
Authors: Ko San , Park Jungjae , Kim Hyunjin , Park Jungmin , Lee Ah-Yeon , Yuk Jong Min , Park Albert Min Gyu , Kim Kab-Jin
Published: August 2023

Understanding chiral coupling is an important topic in spintronics as it offers potential applications in domain wall- or skyrmion-based magnetic memory or logic devices. In this study, we investigate chiral coupling in a single-layer ferrimagnetic GdCo film with in-plane magnetic anisotropy. We observe the emergence of local out-of-plane magnetization within this layer, and importantly, we find that these two orthogonal magnetizations are chirally coupled, which is verified by the shift of the hysteresis loop depending on the initial chiral configuration of magnetic moments. Through scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy, we reveal that the elemental inhomogeneity in the lateral direction and a gradual decrease in the GdCo composition ratio in the vertical direction contribute to the generation of a non-vanishing out-of-plane magnetic moment and its chiral coupling with the in-plane moment via the bulk Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction. Our findings demonstrate that chiral coupling can facilitate diverse magnetic configurations, even within a single-layer ferrimagnet, thereby expanding the potential of the ferrimagnet as the platform for investigating topological magnetic textures.
Correlation induced instability in topological nodal-line semimetal ZrSiS
Authors: Malasi Megha , Rathod Shivam , Lakhani Archana , Kumar Devendra
Published: August 2023

Quantum phase transition hosts a quantum criticality around which the collective low-energy excitations are governed by quantum fluctuations. At this quantum critical regime, fluctuations alter the quasiparticle characteristics introducing some instabilities in the system. The experimental signatures of quantum criticality in topological Dirac materials are sparse. Here, we report the transport studies on nodal line semimetal ZrSiS, which is predicted to own excitonic instability at quantum criticality. Our quantum oscillation studies demonstrate a significant change in Berry phase at higher magnetic fields revealing a field-induced gap modification at the nodal line. Notably, the quasiparticle effective mass executes unique field-dependent oscillations, which is unexplainable from present theories. The temperature dependent oscillation amplitude dramatically departs from conventional Lifshitz–Kosevich theory. These unusual phenomena along with a zero field resistivity upturn collectively suggest the possibility of ZrSiS lying at the excitonic instability. Our findings will engender the systematic exploration of correlation induced phenomenon in topological materials.
Syllables and their beginnings have a special role in the mental lexicon
Authors: Sun Yue , Poeppel David
Published: August 2023

The beginnings of words are, in some informal sense, special. This intuition is widely shared, for example, when playing word games. Less apparent is whether the intuition is substantiated empirically and what the underlying organizational principle(s) might be. Here, we answer this seemingly simple question in a quantitatively clear way. Based on arguments about the interplay between lexical storage and speech processing, we examine whether the distribution of information among different speech sounds of words is governed by a critical computational unit for online speech perception and production: syllables. By analyzing lexical databases of twelve languages, we demonstrate that there is a compelling asymmetry between syllable beginnings (onsets) versus ends (codas) in their involvement in distinguishing words stored in the lexicon. In particular, we show that the functional advantage of syllable onset reflects an asymmetrical distribution of lexical informativeness within the syllable unit but not an effect of a global decay of informativeness from the beginning to the end of a word. The converging finding across languages from a range of typological families supports the conjecture that the syllable unit, while being a critical primitive for both speech perception and production, is also a key organizational constraint for lexical storage.
Polymerization force–regulated actin filament–Arp2/3 complex interaction dominates self-adaptive cell migrations
Authors: Chen Xindong , Li Yuhui , Guo Ming , Xu Bowen , Ma Yanhui , Zhu Hanxing , Feng Xi-Qiao
Published: August 2023

Cells migrate by adapting their leading-edge behaviors to heterogeneous extracellular microenvironments (ECMs) during cancer invasions and immune responses. Yet it remains poorly understood how such complicated dynamic behaviors emerge from millisecond-scale assembling activities of protein molecules, which are hard to probe experimentally. To address this gap, we establish a spatiotemporal “resistance-adaptive propulsion” theory based on the interactions between Arp2/3 complexes and polymerizing actin filaments and a multiscale dynamic modeling system spanning from molecular proteins to the cell. We quantitatively find that cells can accurately self-adapt propulsive forces to overcome heterogeneous ECMs via a resistance-triggered positive feedback mechanism, dominated by polymerization-induced actin filament bending and the bending-regulated actin-Arp2/3 binding. However, for high resistance regions, resistance triggers a negative feedback, hindering branched filament assembly, which adapts cellular morphologies to circumnavigate the obstacles. Strikingly, the synergy of the two opposite feedbacks not only empowers the cell with both powerful and flexible migratory capabilities to deal with complex ECMs but also enables efficient utilization of intracellular proteins by the cell. In addition, we identify that the nature of cell migration velocity depending on ECM history stems from the inherent temporal hysteresis of cytoskeleton remodeling. We also show that directional cell migration is dictated by the competition between the local stiffness of ECMs and the local polymerizing rate of actin network caused by chemotactic cues. Our results reveal that it is the polymerization force–regulated actin filament–Arp2/3 complex binding interaction that dominates self-adaptive cell migrations in complex ECMs, and we provide a predictive theory and a spatiotemporal multiscale modeling system at the protein level.
Evolution mechanism of the low-carbon MgO-based alkali-activated system under different heat-treatment conditions
Authors: Jiang Yaoting , Jia Yuan , Zou Xinmei , Zhang Jingxi , Zou Yuxin
Published: August 2023

Magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H) gel is the main product of MgO-based alkali-activated system (MAAS). The molecular structure and phase changes of M-S-H gel at different temperatures were characterised. The results showed that the initial MgO:SiO2 affected the Mg:Si ratio and the binding water content of M-S-H gel. With the decrease of Mg:Si ratio, the proportion of structural water in the gel decreases. Compared with structured water, the change of free water can more accurately characterise the content of M-S-H gel in the system. Below 600°C, the molecular structure and phase composition are relatively stable. When the temperature reached 1000°C, M-S-H gel transfers from amorphous phase to crystallized phase. The study characterised the evolution of MASS under different heat treatment conditions.
Targeting helminths: The expanding world of type 2 immune effector mechanisms
Authors: Maizels Rick M. , Gause William C.
Published: August 2023

In this new review, Rick Maizels and Bill Gause summarize how type 2 immune responses combat helminth parasites through novel mechanisms, coordinating multiple innate and adaptive cell and molecular players that can eliminate infection and repair-resultant tissue damage.
Observation of spin-glass behavior in 1111-type magnetic semiconductor (La, Ba)(Zn, Mn)SbO
Authors: Zhao 赵 Xueqin 雪芹 , Dong 董 Jinou 金瓯 , Zhang 张 Rufei 茹菲 , Yang 杨 Qiaolin 巧林 , Xie 谢 Lingfeng 玲凤 , Fu 傅 Licheng 立承 , Gu 顾 Yilun 轶伦 , Pan 潘 Xun 洵 , Ning 宁 Fanlong 凡龙
Published: August 2023

We report the successful fabrication of a new 1111-type bulk magnetic semiconductor (La,Ba)(Zn,Mn)SbO through the solid solution of (La,Ba) and (Zn,Mn) in the parent compound LaZnSbO. The polycrystalline samples (La,Ba)(Zn,Mn)SbO crystallize into ZrCuSiAs-type tetragonal structure, which has the same structure as iron-based superconductor LaFeAsO1–δ
. The DC magnetization measurements indicate the existence of spin-glass ordering, and the coercive field is up to ∼11500 Oe (1 Oe = 79.5775 A⋅m−1). The AC magnetic susceptibility further determines that the samples evolve into a conventional spin-glass ordering state below the spin freezing temperature T
f. In addition, the negative magnetoresistance (MR ≡ [ρ(H)–ρ(0)]/ρ(0)) reaches −88% under 9 T.
Anthropogenic dust: sources, characteristics and emissions
Authors: Chen Siyu , Chen Junyan , Zhang Yue , Lin Jintai , Bi Hongru , Song Hongquan , Chen Yu , Lian Lulu , Liu Chuwei , Zhang Runbin
Published: August 2023

Anthropogenic dust (AD), as a crucial component of particulate matter, is defined as dust emitted through modifying or disturbing soil particles directly or indirectly associated with human activities in urban areas, croplands, pasturelands and dry lakes. The sources, characteristics, and impacts of AD remain poorly studied, in contrast to the large body of research on natural dust (ND). This review summarizes scientific findings published since the 1990s regarding the emissions, physical-chemical characteristics, and spatio-temporal distributions of AD from the micro to the global scale. AD accounts for 5%–60% of the global dust loading, with notable spread in existing estimates. Compared with ND, AD has more complex and variable compositions and physical-chemical properties. Influenced by human disturbances, AD exhibits small particle sizes, easily accessible critical friction velocity, and large emissions. Further research should improve the observations and simulations to investigate the complex interactions among AD, climate change, and human health.
Historical diffusion of nuclear, wind and solar power in different national contexts: implications for climate mitigation pathways
Authors: Vinichenko Vadim , Jewell Jessica , Jacobsson Johan , Cherp Aleh
Published: August 2023

Climate change mitigation requires rapid expansion of low-carbon electricity but there is a disagreement on whether available technologies such as renewables and nuclear power can be scaled up sufficiently fast. Here we analyze the diffusion of nuclear (from the 1960s), as well as wind and solar (from the 1980–90s) power. We show that all these technologies have been adopted in most large economies except major energy exporters, but solar and wind have diffused across countries faster and wider than nuclear. After the initial adoption, the maximum annual growth for nuclear power has been 2.6% of national electricity supply (IQR 1.3%–6%), for wind − 1.1% (0.6%–1.7%), and for solar − 0.8% (0.5%–1.3%). The fastest growth of nuclear power occurred in Western Europe in the 1980s, a response by industrialized democracies to the energy supply crises of the 1970s. The European Union (EU), currently experiencing a similar energy supply shock, is planning to expand wind and solar at similarly fast rates. This illustrates that national contexts can impact the speed of technology diffusion at least as much as technology characteristics like cost, granularity, and complexity. In the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change mitigation pathways, renewables grow much faster than nuclear due to their lower projected costs, though empirical evidence does not show that the cost is the sole factor determining the speed of diffusion. We demonstrate that expanding low-carbon electricity in Asia in line with the 1.5 °C target requires growth of nuclear power even if renewables increase as fast as in the most ambitious EU’s plans. 2 °C-consistent pathways in Asia are compatible with replicating China’s nuclear power plans in the whole region, while simultaneously expanding renewables as fast as in the near-term projections for the EU. Our analysis demonstrates the usefulness of empirically-benchmarked feasibility spaces for future technology projections.
Linear stability of liquid Lane-Emden stars
Authors: Lam King Ming
Published: August 2023

We establish various qualitative properties of liquid Lane-Emden stars in

R

d

\mathbb {R}^d

, including bounds for its density profile

ρ
\rho

and radius

R
R

. Using them we prove that against radial perturbations, the liquid Lane-Emden stars are linearly stable when

γ
≥
2
(
d
−
1
)

/

d

\gamma \geq 2(d-1)/d

; linearly stable when

γ
>
2
(
d
−
1
)

/

d

\gamma >2(d-1)/d

for stars with small relative central density

ρ
(
0
)
−
ρ
(
R
)

\rho (0)-\rho (R)

; and linearly unstable when

γ
>
2
(
d
−
1
)

/

d

\gamma >2(d-1)/d

for stars with large central density. Such dependence on central density is not seen in the gaseous Lane-Emden stars.
Wild and cultivated comestible plant species in the Gulf of Mexico: phylogenetic patterns and convergence of type of use
Authors: Díaz-Toribio Milton H , de-Nova J Arturo , Piedra-Malagón Eva María , Angulo Diego F , Sosa Victoria
Published: August 2023

Cross-cultural research on edible plants might include ecological and evolutionary perspectives to understand processes behind species selection and management. With a database of approximately 500 comestible plants of the Province of the Gulf of Mexico in Mesoamerica, phylogenetic analyses are conducted to identify convergence and phylogenetic signal of type of use and significant clustering in the resulting phylogenetic trees. Analyses considered type of management (wild/managed vs. cultivated), type of use (edible, condiment, for wrapping food) and organ utilized. Elevated phylogenetic diversity and signal are expected for wild comestible taxa, indicating that people are using lineages across the angiosperm tree for food, resulting in broadness in diet and use of their regional resources. Main results are: (i) condiment species were identified in groups with an elevated phylogenetic signal; (ii) hot nodes for lineages utilized for wrapping food were found in many monocot groups as well as in epiphytes of cloud forests with leathery leaves; (iii) edible taxa were identified with the highest significant clustering restricted to certain branches in the phylogeny; (iv) wild and cultivated edible plants belong to identical lineages with replacement of species, implying that same plant groups known for their comestible benefits are substituted by species distributed in the Province and (v) wild versus cultivated lineages for condiment are different. Most food species in the Province belong to four families, namely Fabaceae, Cactaceae, Solanaceae and Asparagaceae. Analyses discovered underutilized wild species in identical clades to managed/cultivated taxa that can be studied further to identify cultivation practices. Results suggest that people are utilizing different lineages in the angiosperm tree available locally, for particular uses, like condiment or for wrapping food. Evidence can be used to study further undervalued edible species closely related to the most common food taxa as well as for bioprospection of their nutritional content.
A systematic benchmark of machine learning methods for protein–RNA interaction prediction
Authors: Horlacher Marc , Cantini Giulia , Hesse Julian , Schinke Patrick , Goedert Nicolas , Londhe Shubhankar , Moyon Lambert , Marsico Annalisa
Published: August 2023

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are central actors of RNA post-transcriptional regulation. Experiments to profile-binding sites of RBPs in vivo are limited to transcripts expressed in the experimental cell type, creating the need for computational methods to infer missing binding information. While numerous machine-learning based methods have been developed for this task, their use of heterogeneous training and evaluation datasets across different sets of RBPs and CLIP-seq protocols makes a direct comparison of their performance difficult. Here, we compile a set of 37 machine learning (primarily deep learning) methods for in vivo RBP–RNA interaction prediction and systematically benchmark a subset of 11 representative methods across hundreds of CLIP-seq datasets and RBPs. Using homogenized sample pre-processing and two negative-class sample generation strategies, we evaluate methods in terms of predictive performance and assess the impact of neural network architectures and input modalities on model performance. We believe that this study will not only enable researchers to choose the optimal prediction method for their tasks at hand, but also aid method developers in developing novel, high-performing methods by introducing a standardized framework for their evaluation.
Geographical variation in parasitoid communities and the cause of enemy-free space in a range-expanding myrmecophilous lycaenid butterfly
Authors: Nakabayashi Yui , Ohshima Issei
Published: August 2023

Range expansions of host species are likely to modify host–parasitoid interactions. Observational studies have indicated that host species in recently colonized areas are less frequently attacked by parasitoids; however, these studies did not determine whether traditional parasitoids can still use host populations in these areas. Thus, it is unclear why the host has escaped from their traditional parasitoids in their recently colonized areas. In this study, we examined the interaction between myrmecophilous lycaenid butterfly, Arhopala japonica, and its larval parasitoids in northern Japan, a recently colonised area. This region corresponds to a distribution of A. japonica, a myrmecophilous lycaenid butterfly. No parasitoids emerged from A. japonica larvae collected in the north, whereas six parasitoid species attacked the host larvae in native areas. Attacks from the braconid wasp Cotesia sp. near inducta were the most common; however, parasitism tests revealed that Cotesia sp. near inducta and other parasitoid species completed their development successfully regardless of origin of their butterfly hosts. Population genetic analyses supported the recent range expansion of both A. japonica and Cotesia sp. near inducta. These results suggest that both hosts and parasitoids have experienced recent population expansion; however, the more rapid range expansion of A. japonica has caused escape from the enemy in newly colonized areas.
Immigration of Lygus spp. (Hemiptera: Miridae) and predaceous natural enemies to trap-cropped organic strawberry
Authors: Nieto Diego J , Hagler James R , Swezey Sean L , Machtley Scott A , Bryer Janet A
Published: August 2023

Lygus spp. are polyphagous pests that overwinter in weedy vegetation. In the spring on the central coast of California, Lygus spp. emigrate from weeds into strawberry fields. Subsequent feeding on strawberry flowers causes fruit deformation that precludes sale on the fresh market. Use of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) (Fabales: Fabaceae) as a trap crop has been hypothesized to prevent Lygus spp. colonization in strawberries. We examined the movement of Lygus spp. and associated predators from weeds to strawberry fields with alfalfa trap crops using a protein mark–capture technique. Insects and spiders were collected from weeds, strawberry, and alfalfa 1 day, 2 days, and ~2 wk after an albumin protein mark was applied to weeds bordering strawberry fields. For marked Lygus spp. that emigrated from weeds, the majority (79%) of adults were recovered from alfalfa trap crops; however, all nymphs immigrated to strawberry. Most protein-marked predators immigrated to strawberry, rather than trap crops, resulting in a marked predator-to-Lygus spp. ratio of 5:1. Trap cropping effectively reduced the colonization of Lygus adults in strawberry. Converting weedy areas to native perennial plantings could further mitigate the risk of pest migration, while simultaneously conserving beneficial insects.
Mitochondrial superoxide dismutase Sod2 suppresses nuclear genome instability during oxidative stress
Authors: Gupta Sonia Vidushi , Campos Lillian , Schmidt Kristina Hildegard
Published: August 2023

Oxidative stress can damage DNA and thereby contribute to genome instability. To avoid an imbalance or overaccumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), cells are equipped with antioxidant enzymes that scavenge excess ROS. Cells lacking the RecQ-family DNA helicase Sgs1, which contributes to homology-dependent DNA break repair and chromosome stability, are known to accumulate ROS, but the origin and consequences of this oxidative stress phenotype are not fully understood. Here, we show that the sgs1 mutant exhibits elevated mitochondrial superoxide, increased mitochondrial mass, and accumulation of recombinogenic DNA lesions that can be suppressed by antioxidants. Increased mitochondrial mass in the sgs1Δ mutant is accompanied by increased mitochondrial branching, which was also inducible in wildtype cells by replication stress. Superoxide dismutase Sod2 genetically interacts with Sgs1 in the suppression of nuclear chromosomal rearrangements under paraquat (PQ)-induced oxidative stress. PQ-induced chromosome rearrangements in the absence of Sod2 are promoted by Rad51 recombinase and the polymerase subunit Pol32. Finally, the dependence of chromosomal rearrangements on the Rev1/Pol ζ mutasome suggests that under oxidative stress successful DNA synthesis during DNA break repair depends on translesion DNA synthesis.
Preliminary study to identify CXCR4 inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases
Authors: Tripathi Rahul , Kumar Pravir
Published: August 2023

Neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) are known to exhibit genetic overlap and shared pathophysiology. This study aims to find the shared genetic architecture of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), two major age-related progressive neurodegenerative disorders. The gene expression profiles of GSE67333 (containing samples from AD patients) and GSE114517 (containing samples from PD patients) were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) functional genomics database managed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The web application GREIN (GEO RNA-seq Experiments Interactive Navigator) was used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). A total of 617 DEGs (239 upregulated and 379 downregulated) were identified from the GSE67333 dataset. Likewise, 723 DEGs (378 upregulated and 344 downregulated) were identified from the GSE114517 dataset. The protein–protein interaction networks of the DEGs were constructed, and the top 50 hub genes were identified from the network of the respective dataset. Of the four common hub genes between two datasets, C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) was selected due to its gene expression signature profile and the same direction of differential expression between the two datasets. Mavorixafor was chosen as the reference drug due to its known inhibitory activity against CXCR4 and its ability to cross the blood–brain barrier. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation of 51 molecules having structural similarity with Mavorixafor was performed to find two novel molecules, ZINC49067615 and ZINC103242147. This preliminary study might help predict molecular targets and diagnostic markers for treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Insight Box Our research substantiates the therapeutic relevance of CXCR4 inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. We would like to disclose the following insights about this study. We found common signatures between Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases at transcriptional levels by analyzing mRNA sequencing data. These signatures were used to identify putative therapeutic agents for these diseases through computational analysis. Thus, we proposed two novel compounds, ZINC49067615 and ZINC103242147, that were stable, showed a strong affinity with CXCR4, and exhibited good pharmacokinetic properties. The interaction of these compounds with major residues of CXCR4 has also been described.
Ready to Manage a Global Pandemic? Explaining the Involvement of the EU in the 2013–2016 Ebola Outbreak
Authors: Bravo-Laguna Carlos
Published: August 2023

A virulent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease killed thousands of individuals between December 2013 and June 2016. The risk of contagion among European Union (EU) citizens increased its salience to unprecedented levels for an outbreak that primarily affected sub-Saharan Africa. Considering the need for analyzing recent external transboundary outbreak responses in the post-COVID-19 era, this paper explains the involvement of the EU in the Ebola outbreak. By combining descriptive social network analysis with fourteen semi-structured interviews, it provides original insights into European politics and crisis management scholarship. The findings partially support theoretical expectations regarding the relevance of postcolonial ties and institutional frameworks in the reaction. It also suggests that neorealist literature fails to capture its full complexity. Hence, institutional deficiencies explain the low centrality and flawed coordination among EU actors in the response. Additionally, postcolonial ties with the affected countries facilitated the involvement of Western governments in the reaction. However, not all former colonial powers were equally involved in the response. Finally, countries that registered infections did not necessarily play central roles in this effort. These findings have broader implications for the involvement of the EU in future external outbreaks, including the need for establishing clearer and explicit allocations of competences.
Federated and distributed learning applications for electronic health records and structured medical data: a scoping review
Authors: Li Siqi , Liu Pinyan , Nascimento Gustavo G , Wang Xinru , Leite Fabio Renato Manzolli , Chakraborty Bibhas , Hong Chuan , Ning Yilin , Xie Feng , Teo Zhen Ling , Ting Daniel Shu Wei , Haddadi Hamed , Ong Marcus Eng Hock , Peres Marco Aurélio , Liu Nan
Published: August 2023

Objectives

Federated learning (FL) has gained popularity in clinical research in recent years to facilitate privacy-preserving collaboration. Structured data, one of the most prevalent forms of clinical data, has experienced significant growth in volume concurrently, notably with the widespread adoption of electronic health records in clinical practice. This review examines FL applications on structured medical data, identifies contemporary limitations, and discusses potential innovations.

Materials and methods

We searched 5 databases, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, and CINAHL, to identify articles that applied FL to structured medical data and reported results following the PRISMA guidelines. Each selected publication was evaluated from 3 primary perspectives, including data quality, modeling strategies, and FL frameworks.

Results

Out of the 1193 papers screened, 34 met the inclusion criteria, with each article consisting of one or more studies that used FL to handle structured clinical/medical data. Of these, 24 utilized data acquired from electronic health records, with clinical predictions and association studies being the most common clinical research tasks that FL was applied to. Only one article exclusively explored the vertical FL setting, while the remaining 33 explored the horizontal FL setting, with only 14 discussing comparisons between single-site (local) and FL (global) analysis.

Conclusions

The existing FL applications on structured medical data lack sufficient evaluations of clinically meaningful benefits, particularly when compared to single-site analyses. Therefore, it is crucial for future FL applications to prioritize clinical motivations and develop designs and methodologies that can effectively support and aid clinical practice and research.
Effect of increasing concentration of ergot alkaloids in the diet of feedlot cattle: performance, welfare, and health parameters
Authors: Sarich Jenna M , Stanford Kim , Schwartzkopf-Genswein Karen S , McAllister Tim A , Blakley Barry R , Penner Gregory B , Ribeiro Gabriel O
Published: August 2023

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of feeding increasing dietary concentrations of ergot alkaloids from cereal grains (EA; 0, 0.75, 1.5, 3.0 mg/kg of dietary DM) to feedlot cattle over backgrounding (BG) and finishing (FS) phases on health, welfare, and growth performance. Two hundred and forty commercial steers (280 ± 32 kg BW) were stratified by weight and randomly allocated to 16 pens (15 steers/pen), 4 of which were equipped with the GrowSafe system (1 pen/treatment) to measure individual feed intake. Each pen was randomly assigned to a treatment (n = 4/treatment). Treatments included 1) control (CTRL), no added EA; 2) CTRL + 0.75 mg/kg EA (EA075); 3) CTRL + 1.5 mg/kg EA (EA150); and 4) CTRL + 3.0 mg/kg EA (EA300). Steers were fed barley-based BG diets containing 40% concentrate: 60% silage (DM basis) for 84 d. Steers were then transitioned over 28 d to an FS diet (90% concentrate: 10% silage DM basis) and fed for 119 d before slaughter. The diet fed to EA300 steers was replaced with the CTRL diet after 190 d on feed (DOF), due to EA-induced hyperthermia starting at 165 DOF. In the BG phase, average meal length (P = 0.01) and size (P = 0.02), daily feeding duration (P = 0.03), final body weight (BW; P = 0.03), and total BW gain (P = 0.02) linearly decreased with increasing EA levels, while gain to feed (G:F) responded quadratically (P = 0.04), with EA150 having the poorest value. Increasing concentrations of EA in the diet linearly increased rectal temperature (P < 0.01) throughout the trial. Over the full FS phase, a quadratic response was observed for ADG (P = 0.05), final BW (P = 0.05), total BW gain (P = 0.02), and carcass weight (P = 0.05) with steers fed EA150 having the lowest performance, as EA300 steers were transferred to CTRL diet after 190 DOF. Dressing percentage (P = 0.02) also responded quadratically, with the lowest values observed for EA300. Thus, EA reduced ADG during BG and FS phases, although more prominently in FS, likely due to increased ambient temperatures and high-energy diet in FS triggering hyperthermia. When EA300 steers were transferred to the CTRL diet, compensatory gain promoted higher hot carcass weight (HCW) when compared with steers fed EA150. In conclusion, feeding feedlot steers diets with > 0.75 mg/kg EA caused reductions in performance and welfare concerns, although this breakpoint may be affected by duration of feeding, environmental temperatures, and EA profiles in the feed.
Uncertainty during migration: the role of predictable resources in unpredictable conditions in determining movement in Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus)
Authors: Dedeban Emilie , Webber Quinn M R , Laforge Michel P , Robitaille Alec L , Vander Wal Eric
Published: August 2023

Environmental and climatic variation drive animal migration. Animals must adjust their behavioral strategies, for example, habitat selection, to match best variation in resources whose value likely varies with conditions such as weather. For example, climate change makes processes such as snowmelt and the emergence of vegetation less predictable at the scale of months or weeks. Furthermore, climate change makes meteorological conditions unpredictable—or dynamic—at the scale of days and hours. The profitability of selecting any particular resource may vary according to local meteorological condition. We studied the impact of dynamic weather conditions on fine-scale movement strategies and resource selection during spring migration of adult female Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus). We assessed the role played by static resources such as open, lichen, and closed forest habitats and their role in a context-dependent of dynamic weather conditions, including temperature, precipitation, and changing snow water equivalent. We tested the role of static resources and dynamic conditions in three contexts: (1) whether caribou were encamped or moving using hidden Markov models; state-specific habitat selection for, and the interaction between, resources and conditions while (2) encamped and (3) moving. Weather conditions influenced the probability of moving or staying encamped, and the probability of selecting for a resource, which likely reflects the profitability of a given resource in a particular condition. The probability of staying encamped in the forest increases as temperature increases, and the probability of selecting an open area is higher when precipitation is lower. We highlight how meteorological conditions modify the selection of a static resource and likely the profitability of a given resource. The resource utility to a consumer is increasingly susceptible to climate change-induced effects.
Curative surgery for multiple hepatocellular carcinomas after lenvatinib plus transarterial chemoembolization: a case report
Authors: Shiraishi Jin , Itoh Shinji , Tomino Takahiro , Yoshiya Shohei , Nagao Yoshihiro , Morita Kazutoyo , Kayashima Hiroto , Harada Noboru , Ichiki Yasunori , Yoshizumi Tomoharu
Published: August 2023

Surgical therapy following lenvatinib (LEN) plus transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a useful therapeutic option for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A 66-year-old man with a history of hepatitis C was detected four masses in the caudate lobe and segment 6/7 of the liver, with a maximum lesion diameter of 14 cm by computed tomography. The patient was diagnosed with intermediate-stage HCC and received LEN plus TACE. After resuming LEN for 8 weeks, computed tomography showed weakened stained areas of the tumors, and no new lesions. Thus, the patient was evaluated as having a partial response in the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. The patient underwent hepatic caudate lobectomy, partial hepatectomy of S6/7, and S6 microwave coagulation therapy for radical resection. The patient is currently alive and recurrence-free at 12 months postoperatively. In patients with multiple HCC lesions, hepatic resection combined with local therapy might be an effective treatment option.
Sounding Slavery in the Victorian Drawing Room: The ‘Blackface’ Ballads of Philip Klitz
Authors: Hansford Roger
Published: August 2023

In 1847, Southampton’s Philip Klitz (1805–1854) added two ‘blackface’ ballads to a cultural craze reflecting that year’s British tour by the white American minstrel troupe, the ‘Ethiopian Serenaders’, and their imitators, the ‘Ethiopian Harmonists’. I show how Klitz and his fellow composers reflected and fed a potent stereotype, circulating songs in the bourgeois home that adversely affected the British perception of African Americans by sustaining racist themes and images in the popular-cultural imagination. Notwithstanding the negative impacts for black residents and visitors in Britain at the time, minstrelsy is also widely understood to have exerted considerable cultural influence throughout the nineteenth century. Among investigations of how the Victorian arts constructed race, few give music the significance it holds in this interpretation of how black caricature functioned in a post-abolition British context through the medium of music and musical orientalism in Victorian drawing-room ballads. This case study of previously neglected musical repertoire details an important episode in the history of ‘blackface’ minstrelsy, showing how racial attitudes formed within British domestic spaces during the late 1840s were affected by those of the popular stage in ante-bellum America.
Measurement of Atomic Modulation Direction Using the Azimuthal Variation of First-Order Laue Zone Electron Diffraction
Authors: Silinga Aurys , Allen Christopher S , Barthel Juri , Ophus Colin , MacLaren Ian
Published: August 2023

We show that diffraction intensity into the first-order Laue zone (FOLZ) of a crystal can have a strong azimuthal dependence, where this FOLZ ring appears solely because of unidirectional atom position modulation. Such a modulation was already known to cause the appearance of elliptical columns in atom-resolution images, but we show that measurement of the angle via four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4DSTEM) is far more reliable and allows the measurement of the modulation direction with a precision of about 1° and an accuracy of about 3°. This method could be very powerful in characterizing atomic structures in three dimensions by 4DSTEM, especially in cases where the structure is found only in nanoscale regions or crystals.
Brucellar, Pyogenic, and Tuberculous Spondylodiscitis at Tertiary Hospitals in Saudi Arabia: A Comparative Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: AlQahtani Hajar , Alzahrani Fatimah , Abalkhail Ghaida , Hithlayn Hessa Bin , Ardah Husam I , Alsaedy Abdulrahman
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Spondylodiscitis is rare yet the most common form of spinal infection. It is characterized by inflammation of the intervertebral disk space and adjacent vertebral body. In Western countries, the incidence of spondylodiscitis is increasing. Clinical outcomes most commonly reported in the literature are the 1-year mortality rate (range, 6%–12%) and neurologic deficits.

Methods

This multicenter retrospective cohort study assessed patients diagnosed with infectious spondylodiscitis who received treatment at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. All enrolled patients were ≥18 years old and were diagnosed per radiologic and microbiological findings and clinical manifestations between January 2017 and November 2021.

Results

This study enrolled 76 patients with infectious spondylodiscitis, with a median age of 61 years. All patients presented with back pain for a median 30 days. Patients were stratified into 3 groups based on the causative pathogen: brucellar spondylodiscitis (n = 52), tuberculous spondylodiscitis (n = 13), and pyogenic spondylodiscitis (n = 11). All laboratory data and biochemical markers were not significantly different. However, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and white blood cells were significantly different in the pyogenic spondylodiscitis group, with medians of 121 mg/dL (P = .03), 82 mmol/h (P = .04), and 11.2 × 109/L (P = .014), respectively.

Conclusions

Back pain is a common clinical feature associated with infectious spondylodiscitis. The immense value of microbiological investigations accompanied with histologic studies in determining the causative pathogen cannot be emphasized enough. Treatment with prolonged intravenous antimicrobial therapy with surgical intervention in some cases produced a cure rate exceeding 60%.
Stated preference methods and STI policy studies: a foreground approach
Authors: Gómez-Valenzuela Víctor
Published: August 2023

This discussion article explores the ontological and epistemic basis for analysing social preferences in the broader interdisciplinary field of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) policy studies and its evaluation using stated preference (SP) methods. STI policy studies base their approximations of policy problems on a revealed preference (RP) approach, which analyses economic agents' actual market behaviours based on standardized data sources. SP methods arose as an alternative to address the analysis of public goods for which the market fails to assign prices efficiently and can only be evaluated in hypothetical or contingent situations. In an analytical context of complexity defined by grand societal challenges related to the provision of public goods to be addressed by STI transformative policies, analysing social preferences by SP methods could support a more robust and holistic approach to STI policy analysis and its evaluation, improving the policy-making process and promoting more informed policy mixes and evaluation policy mixes. A kind of Kantian categorical imperative favouring SP methods is discussed based on the new STI policy research agenda on transformative change and supported by axiology around social choice, welfare, and a more participative STI policy governance.
Evaluation of institutional whole-body and extremity occupational radiation doses in nuclear medicine
Authors: Bouchareb Yassine , Al-Mabsali Jihad , Al-Zeheimi Hilal , Al-Jabri Aziza , Tag Naima , Al-Dhuhli Humoud
Published: August 2023

This study evaluated nuclear medicine occupational radiation doses at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, a 700-bed tertiary care teaching hospital in Oman. Personal effective whole-body doses, Hp(10), and extremity doses, Hp(0.07), were collected for 19 medical radiation workers over a 7-year period (2015–2021). Personal doses for four professional groups were measured using calibrated thermo-luminescence dosemeters ((LiF:Mg,Ti) TLD-100). The average, median and maximum cumulative doses were compared against the annual whole-body and extremity dose limits (20 mSv and 500 mSv y−1, respectively) and local dose investigation level (DIL; 6 mSv y−1). Personal whole-body doses (average:median:maximum) for technologists, medical physicists, nuclear medicine physicians and nurses were 1.8:1.1:7.8, 0.3:0.3:0.4, 0.1:0.1:0.2 and 0.1:0.1:0.2 mSv, respectively. Personal extremity doses for left and right hand (average and maximum doses) follow similar trends. Average annual effective whole-body and extremity doses were well below the recommended annual dose limits. The findings suggest lowering local DIL for all staff except for technologists.
Mitigative potential of rhoifolin against cisplatin prompted testicular toxicity: biochemical, spermatogenic and histological based analysis
Authors: Saher Faria , Ijaz Muhammad Umar , Hamza Ali , Ain Qurat Ul , Hayat Muhammad Faisal , Afsar Tayyaba , Almajwal Ali , Shafique Huma , Razak Suhail
Published: August 2023

Rhoifolin (ROF) is a naturally occurring flavonoid compound with diverse pharmacological and therapeutic benefits. The current investigation was designed to evaluate the curative potential of Rhoifolin (ROF) against Cisplatin (CP) induced testicular damage. Mature male albino rats (n = 48) were randomly distributed into 4 equal groups: control, CP (10 mg/kg), CP + ROF (10 mg/kg + 20 mg/kg) and ROF (20 mg/kg) supplemented group. Following 56 days of the trial, biochemical, inflammatory markers, spermatogenic, steroidogenic, hormonal, apoptotic, anti-apoptotic, and histopathological parameters were evaluated. The exposure to CP markedly (p < 0.05) lowered the activities of anti-oxidant enzymes, glutathione reductase (GSR), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD) in testicular tissues of male albino rats. Besides the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were considerably augmented in CP exposed rats. The administration of CP also increased the level of inflammatory cytokines i.e. IL-6, TNF-α, 1L-1β and NF-κβ as well as COX-2 activity. Additionally, a notable (p < 0.05) upsurge was observed in dead sperms count, abnormality in the tail, midpiece as well as head of sperms along with a notable decline in sperm motility in CP treated rats. Moreover, the expressions of steroidogenic enzymes were also lowered in CP administered group. The levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and plasma testosterone as well as luteinizing hormone (LH) were decreased in CP treated group. Moreover, the expression of Bax as well as Caspase-3 (apoptotic markers) were increased. On the other hand, Bcl-2 expression (anti-apoptotic marker) was reduced. Furthermore, the histopathological analysis showed that CP considerably (p < 0.05) damaged the testicular tissues. However, the administration of ROF significantly reduced the damaging effects of CP in testicular tissues. The results of our study suggested that ROF can potentially alleviate CP-induced testicular damages due to its androgenic, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory as well as anti-apoptotic nature.