bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Climate change, air pollution and human health
Authors: Vandyck Toon , Ebi Kristie L , Green Donna , Cai Wenjia , Vardoulakis Sotiris
Published: October 2022

This article takes stock of recent literature on health impacts of climate change and air pollution, and the corresponding health benefits of policy action aiming to reduce greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions. We focus particularly on the publications in the Focus Collection on ‘Climate Change, Air Pollution and Human Health’, which illustrate advances in three key research areas. First, the impacts of global warming and air pollution are unevenly distributed, as they disproportionately affect vulnerable socio-economic groups including older adults, pregnant women, children, and people with lower earnings or education levels. Second, recent research improves our understanding and quantification of impacts identified in earlier work, and explores novel impact pathways such as the associations between allergies and climate change, and between air pollution and diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Third, significant synergies in tackling climate change and air pollution can strengthen the case for ambitious policy action. These synergies are heterogeneous across sectors and regions, point to low-hanging fruit among policy options (e.g. phasing out coal), and provide a strong basis for broader sustainable development, improving health and gender equality. Finally, we point out suggestions for future research. Research advances can guide policies to mitigate future climate change, air pollution and the associated health impacts, while informing adaptation strategies that aim to protect the health of the most vulnerable in society.
Large-scale atmospheric features favoring the tropical cyclone activity affecting the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area of China
Authors: Chen Weizhen , Yang Song , Wu Zeming , Cai Fenying
Published: October 2022

This study analyzes the large-scale circulation associated with the tropical cyclones (TCs) affecting the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) in southern China during the peak TC season (July–September) from 1980 to 2019. The results show that the frequency of the TCs affecting the GBA is closely tied to a meridional Rossby wave train from Southeast Asia to Northeast Asia, manifested by the important roles of the variability of the monsoon trough (MT) and the western North Pacific subtropical high (WNPSH). In the active GBA TC years, intensified and westward-shifted MT and northeastward-shrunk WNPSH cause anomalous southeasterly wind over the southeast coast of China, and hence more TCs move northwestward to the GBA. Furthermore, the cyclonic convergent conditions related to the tacit-and-mutual configurations of MT and WNPSH favor more TC genesis in the west of 140° E over the WNP via significant larger meridional shear vorticity of the zonal winds, ascending motions, and positive vorticity. Opposite features of wind anomalies and TC genesis are seen in the inactive GBA TC years. Both statistical and numerical analyses confirm that the meridional Rossby wave train is associated with a Matsuno–Gill response to the anomalous convective activity over the western Pacific warm pool, which is maintained by the ascending branches of the La Niña-type Walker circulation over the Pacific and the monsoon-enhanced Walker circulation over the Indian Ocean.
Baldcypress false ring formation linked to summer hydroclimatic extremes in the southeastern United States
Authors: Tucker Clay S , Pearl Jessie K , Elliott Emily A , Bregy Joshua C , Friedman Jared M , Therrell Matthew D
Published: October 2022

We describe the utility of false rings in Taxodium distichum (i.e. baldcypress) as a proxy for hydroclimatic extreme events in three different river basins (Pascagoula, Mobile, and Choctawhatchee) that discharge into the northern Gulf of Mexico. False rings occur as a result of a change in the environmental limiting resource for tree stem growth, and in T. distichum, false ring production is usually a result of increases in mid-growing season water availability. Our results show that false ring occurrence (from 1931 to 2018) is similar across sites but occur in different years, suggesting that false ring production is indicative of tree response to its local environment. False ring production in T. distichum has previously been correlated with summer streamflow, the season when tropical cyclone precipitation (TCP) is highest. To assess a stand-wide response, we define high false ring (HFR) years as all years when

⩾

20% of trees produced a false ring. We show total TCP in July is the best predictor for HFR years in T. distichum, and false ring production in smaller river basins captures local TCP better than larger river basins. Additionally, HFR years coincide with summers of anomalously high precipitation, anomalously low temperatures, and a positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation. 77% of HFR years occur in seasons when there is heavy tropical cyclone activity near sample sites, building a foundation to use false ring records as robust TCP proxies with hydroclimate reconstruction potential.
Uncovering the key mechanisms of how deep decarbonization benefits air pollution alleviation in China
Authors: Liu Xiaorui , Guo Chaoyi , Ma Xiaotian , Wu Kai , Wang Peng , Huang Zhijiong , Zhou Ziqiao , Huang Chen , Zhang Silu , Wang Minghao , Dai Hancheng
Published: October 2022

Addressing climate change and air pollution goals in conjunction would be efficient and cost-effective. Dealing with these two challenges is a common issue for urban clusters pursuing sustainable development. Expected to become the fourth international first-class bay area, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) takes the lead in exploring a green and low-carbon transition path as a key element of being a pioneering economic reform demonstration zone. Based on an integrated modeling framework that couples an energy-economy model (IMED|CGE), decomposition analysis, and regression methods, the potential contribution of achieving the climate mitigation target to air pollutant reduction in the GBA by 2050 was quantified. The results showed that the transport sector has the most significant potential for carbon reduction. Energy intensity and structural transformations are the main contributors to reducing carbon emissions, with the latter becoming increasingly important over time. Climate policy can effectively reduce air pollutant emissions; however, this effect varies for different pollutants and sectors. Based on the assessment of the synergy index and cost of abatement, sectors with priority for synergic governance were identified. The regression results indicated that the carbon shadow price would be significantly more effective in reducing air pollutant emissions in the post-2030 period than before 2030, except for SO2 and NH3, partially because of the existing actions that cause the synergistic effects to decline. In addition, end-of-pipe removal measures still play a relatively significant role in reducing air pollutants, particularly VOC, NH3, and primary PM2.5. Thus, the findings suggest that priority should be given to sectors with huge synergistic benefits, such as transportation and power generation while paying attention to possible trade-offs.
Discrete space-time resetting model: application to first-passage and transmission statistics
Authors: Das Debraj , Giuggioli Luca
Published: October 2022

We consider the dynamics of lattice random walks with resetting. The walker moving randomly on a lattice of arbitrary dimensions resets at every time step to a given site with a constant probability r. We construct a discrete renewal equation and present closed-form expressions for different quantities of the resetting dynamics in terms of the underlying reset-free propagator or Green’s function. We apply our formalism to the biased random walk dynamics in one-dimensional (1D) unbounded space and show how one recovers in the continuous limits results for diffusion with resetting. The resetting dynamics of biased random walker in 1D domain bounded with periodic and reflecting boundaries is also analyzed. Depending on the bias the first-passage probability in periodic domain shows multi-fold non-monotonicity as r is varied. Finally, we apply our formalism to study the transmission dynamics of two lattice walkers with resetting in 1D domain bounded by periodic and reflecting boundaries. The probability of a definite transmission between the walkers shows non-monotonic behavior as the resetting probabilities are varied.
In situ volumetric imaging and analysis of FRESH 3D bioprinted constructs using optical coherence tomography
Authors: Tashman Joshua W , Shiwarski Daniel J , Coffin Brian , Ruesch Alexander , Lanni Frederick , Kainerstorfer Jana M , Feinberg Adam W
Published: October 2022

As 3D bioprinting has grown as a fabrication technology, so too has the need for improved analytical methods to characterize engineered constructs. This is especially challenging for engineered tissues composed of hydrogels and cells, as these materials readily deform when trying to assess print fidelity and other properties non-destructively. Establishing that the 3D architecture of the bioprinted construct matches its intended anatomic design is critical given the importance of structure-function relationships in most tissue types. Here we report development of a multimaterial bioprinting platform with integrated optical coherence tomography for in situ volumetric imaging, error detection, and 3D reconstruction. We also report improvements to the freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels bioprinting process through new collagen bioink compositions, gelatin microparticle support bath optical clearing, and optimized machine pathing. This enables quantitative 3D volumetric imaging with micron resolution over centimeter length scales, the ability to detect a range of print defect types within a 3D volume, and real-time imaging of the printing process at each print layer. These advances provide a comprehensive methodology for print quality assessment, paving the way toward the production and process control required for achieving regulatory approval and ultimately clinical translation of engineered tissues.
Interaction of excitons with magnetic topological defects in 2D magnetic monolayers: localization and anomalous Hall effect
Authors: Kazemi M , Shahnazaryan V A , Zhumagulov Y V , Bessarab P F , Shelykh I A
Published: October 2022

Novel 2D material CrI3 reveals unique combination of 2D ferromagnetism and robust excitonic response. We demonstrate that the possibility of the formation of magnetic topological defects, such as Néel skyrmions, together with large excitonic Zeeman splitting, leads to giant scattering asymmetry, which is the necessary prerequisite for the excitonic anomalous Hall effect. In addition, the diamagnetic effect breaks the inversion symmetry, and in certain cases can result in exciton localization on the skyrmion. This enables the formation of magnetoexcitonic quantum dots with tunable parameters.
Correlation between linear magnetostriction and magnetocaloric effect in the Fe7Se8 single crystals
Authors: Konopelnyk Y , Żuberek R , Nabiałek A , Szymczak H , Puźniak R
Published: October 2022

The effect of the change in size under the influence of an applied magnetic field (magnetostriction) was studied in Fe7Se8 single crystals. It was shown that a systematic change in the unit-cell constants, induced by an external magnetic field and dependent on the direction and magnitude of this field, strongly correlates with the change in the spin reorientation temperature (T
SRT) and the magnetic entropy change, which is strongly dependent on T
SRT and magnetization. The obtained results suggest that the relation between magnetostriction and the change in magnetic entropy (ΔS
m), reported previously for different materials, seems to have universal character, and magnetostriction can be used as an indirect method to estimate the change in magnetic entropy in Fe7Se8 single crystals substituted with transition metals.
Causality in non-fourier heat conduction
Authors: Camacho de la Rosa A , Esquivel-Sirvent R
Published: October 2022

We present a study of the causal response of non-Fourier heat conduction by introducing a dispersive generalized thermal susceptibility and show it obeys Kramers-Kronig relations. In particular, we discuss the Cattaneo-Vernotte and the dual-phase lag models. The constitutive equations are written as a linear response theory and determine the conditions for which the dual-phase lag model does not satisfy Kramers-Kronig relations. An alternative model is presented to describe non-Fourier transport using the similarity with the causal response of viscoelastic materials to avoid this unphysical issue.
Local multifractality in urban systems—the case study of housing prices in the greater Paris region
Authors: Lengyel J , Roux S G , Abry P , Sémécurbe F , Jaffard S
Published: October 2022

Even though the study of fractal and multifractal properties has now become an established approach for statistical urban data analysis, the accurate multifractal characterisation of smaller, district-scale spatial units is still a somewhat challenging task. The latter issue is key for understanding complex spatial correlations within urban regions while the methodological challenge can be mainly attributed to inhomogeneous data availability over their territories. We demonstrate how the approach proposed here for the multifractal analysis of irregular marked point processes is able to estimate local self-similarity and intermittency exponents in a satisfactory manner via combining methods from classical multifractal and geographical analysis. With the aim of emphasizing general applicability, we first introduce the procedure on synthetic data using a multifractal random field as mark superposed on two distinct spatial distributions. We go on to illustrate the methodology on the example of home prices in the greater Paris region, France. In the context of complex urban systems, our findings proclaim the need for separately tackling processes on the geolocation (support) and any attached value (mark, e.g. home prices) of geospatial data points in an attempt to fully describe the phenomenon under observation. In particular, the results are indicators of the strength of global and local spatial dependency in the housing price structure and how these build distinct layered patterns within and outside of the municipal boundary. The derived properties are of potential urban policy and strategic planning relevance for the timely identification of local vulnerabilities while they are also intended to be combinable with existing price indices in the regional economics context.
La2Rh

3+δ

Sb4: a new ternary superconducting rhodium-antimonide
Authors: Cheng Kangqiao , Xie Wei , Zou Shuo , Bu Huanpeng , Bao Jin-Ke , Zhu Zengwei , Guo Hanjie , Cao Chao , Luo Yongkang
Published: October 2022

Rhodium-containing compounds offer a fertile playground to explore novel materials with superconductivity (SC) and other fantastic electronic correlation effects. A new ternary rhodium-antimonide La2Rh

3
+
δ

Sb4 (

δ
≈
1

/

8

) has been synthesized by a Bi-flux method. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic Pr2Ir3Sb4-like structure, with the space group Pnma (No. 62). The crystalline structure appears as stacking the two-dimensional RhSb4- and RhSb5-polyhedra networks along b axis, and the La atoms embed in the cavities of these networks. Band structure calculations confirm it as a multi-band metal with a van-Hove singularity like feature at the Fermi level, whose density of states are mainly of Rh-4d and Sb-5p characters. The calculations also imply that the redundant Rh acts as charge dopant. SC is observed in this material with onset transition at

T
c

o
n

≈
0.8

 K. Ultra-low temperature magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements suggest that it is an s-wave type-II superconductor. Our work may also imply that the broad

L

n
2

T

m

3
+
δ

Sb4 (Ln = rare earth, Tm = Rh, Ir) family may host new material bases where new superconductors, quantum magnetism and other electronic correlation effects could be found.
A Diaspora Moment
Authors: Prestel Joseph Ben
Published: October 2022

While the West German Left had been a staunch supporter of Israel until 1967, ties between Palestinians and the country’s radical Left flourished after the Six-Day War. At the same time, a Palestine solidarity movement emerged in the Federal Republic. Since the late 1970s, these ties weakened again, and critical questions about Palestinian politics multiplied. How can historians explain these ebbs and flows of pro-Palestinian activism? The untapped Palestinian archive of solidarity movements offers a new perspective on a story of transnational radicalism, situating developments that have long been seen as internal affairs in national histories in a global context. A combined study of Palestinian and German documents reveals the central role that the Palestinian diaspora played in the spread of solidarity movements in Western Europe. The displaced nature of Palestinian politics ultimately illustrates the limitations of national histories and categories like domestic and foreign, internal and external. Looking at Palestinian-West German ties through a Palestinian lens sheds light on a diaspora moment that stretched from the 1950s into the 1980s, when actors without a state shaped leftist politics that bridged Western Europe and the Middle East.
Learning temporal difference embeddings for biomedical hypothesis generation
Authors: Zhou Huiwei , Jiang Haibin , Yao Weihong , Du Xun
Published: October 2022

Motivation

Hypothesis generation (HG) refers to the discovery of meaningful implicit connections between disjoint scientific terms, which is of great significance for drug discovery, prediction of drug side effects and precision treatment. More recently, a few initial studies attempt to model the dynamic meaning of the terms or term pairs for HG. However, most existing methods still fail to accurately capture and utilize the dynamic evolution of scientific term relations.

Results

This article proposes a novel temporal difference embedding (TDE) learning framework to model the temporal difference information evolution of term-pair relations for predicting future interactions. Specifically, the HG problem is formulated as a future connectivity prediction task on a temporal sequence of a dynamic attributed graph. Our approach models both the local neighbor changes of the term-pairs and the changes of the global graph structure over time, learning local and global TDE of node-pairs, respectively. Future term-pair relations can be inferred in a recurrent network based on the local and global TDE. Experiments on three real-world biomedical term relationship datasets show the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach.

Availability and implementation

The data and source codes related to TDE are publicly available at https://github.com/Huiweizhou/TDE.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
No association between initiation of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors and risk of incident Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia: results from the Drug Repurposing for Effective Alzheimer’s Medicines study
Authors: Desai Rishi J , Mahesri Mufaddal , Lee Su Been , Varma Vijay R , Loeffler Tina , Schilcher Irene , Gerhard Tobias , Segal Jodi B , Ritchey Mary E , Horton Daniel B , Kim Seoyoung C , Schneeweiss Sebastian , Thambisetty Madhav
Published: October 2022

We evaluated the hypothesis that phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors, including sildenafil and tadalafil, may be associated with reduced incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia using a patient-level cohort study of Medicare claims and cell culture-based phenotypic assays. We compared incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia after phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor initiation versus endothelin receptor antagonist initiation among patients with pulmonary hypertension after controlling for 76 confounding variables through propensity score matching. Across four separate analytic approaches designed to address specific types of biases including informative censoring, reverse causality, and outcome misclassification, we observed no evidence for a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors;hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.99 (0.69–1.43), 1.00 (0.71–1.42), 0.67 (0.43–1.06), and 1.15 (0.57–2.34). We also did not observe evidence that sildenafil ameliorated molecular abnormalities relevant to Alzheimer’s disease in most cell culture-based phenotypic assays. These results do not provide support to the hypothesis that phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors are promising repurposing candidates for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.
A Qualitative Scoping Review of Early-Terminated Clinical Trials Sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program From 2010 to 2020
Authors: Goldberg Alexa , Bakhireva Ludmila N , Page Kimberly , Henrie Adam M
Published: October 2022

Increasing attention has been paid to the risks and benefits of terminating large clinical trials before reaching prespecified targets, because such decisions can greatly affect the implementation of findings. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Cooperative Studies Program (CSP) is a research infrastructure dedicated to conducting high-quality clinical research. A scoping review was performed to characterize barriers preventing the attainment of prespecified recruitment, statistical power, or sample-size targets in VA CSP trials. A trial was eligible for inclusion if the trial was sponsored by the VA CSP, primary findings were published within the last 10 years, and a decision was made to terminate enrollment or follow-up before meeting a priori recruitment or endpoint targets. In 11 of 29 included trials (37.9%), a decision was made to terminate the trial early. The most common reason for early termination was related to under-recruitment (n = 5). Other reasons included early detection of safety signals (n = 2), futility (n = 1), and benefit (n = 1). This review highlights recruitment as a critical facet of trial conduct that may hinder the production of high-quality data and thus warrant additional attention. Solutions to enhance recruitment now implemented by the VA CSP, including dedicated enrollment infrastructure and screening facilitated by informatics approaches, show promise in reducing this cause for early termination.
Erectile Function, Sexual Satisfaction, and Cognitive Decline in Men From Midlife to Older Adulthood
Authors: Slayday Riki E , Bell Tyler R , Lyons Michael J , Warren , BA Teresa S , Toomey Rosemary , Vandiver Richard , Sliwinski Martin J , Kremen William S , Franz Carol E
Published: October 2022

Background and Objectives

Vascular theories of cognitive aging have focused on macrovascular changes and cognitive decline. However, according to the artery-size hypothesis, microvascular changes, such as those that underlie changes in erectile function, may also play an important role in contributing to cognitive decline. Thus, we examined associations between erectile function, sexual satisfaction, and cognition starting in middle age because this represents a transition period where declines in these areas emerge.

Research Design and Methods

We examined 818 men from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging across three waves at mean ages 56, 61, and 68. Erectile function and sexual satisfaction were measured using the International Index of Erectile Function. Cognitive performance was measured using factor scores for episodic memory, executive function, and processing speed. We tested multilevel models hierarchically, adjusting for demographics, frequency of sexual activity, and physical and mental health confounders to examine how changes in erectile function and sexual satisfaction related to changes in cognitive performance.

Results

Lower erectile function at baseline was related to poorer performance in all cognitive domains at baseline and faster declines in processing speed over time. However, baseline sexual satisfaction was unrelated to cognitive performance. Decreases in erectile function and sexual satisfaction were both associated with memory decline.

Discussion and Implications

Decreasing sexual health may signal an increased risk for cognitive decline. We discuss potential mechanisms, including microvascular changes and psychological distress. Discussing and tracking sexual health in middle-aged men may help to identify those likely to face memory decline.
Improving screening and treatment for infectious diseases in migrant populations
Authors: Greenaway Christina , Hargreaves Sally
Published: October 2022

Many migrants living in high-income countries have increased morbidity and mortality due to undetected and untreated infections. Improving and strengthening the care continuum (screening and linkage to care and treatment) and building migrant-friendly health systems that improve access to care will be required to address this health disparity.
The transmission of ‘The West Saxon Royal Genealogy’: a phylogenetic approach
Authors: Sparks Nicholas A , Windram Heather F , Howe Christopher J
Published: October 2022

We present a case study in the application of phylogenetic and other computational analyses to an Old English textual tradition. We chose the West Saxon royal genealogy for investigation because there are interesting problems in ascertaining the transmission of the text. We present a concise, up-to-date account of the manuscript tradition, a summary of the scholarly literature including current debates, and discuss phylogenetic and other analyses used to explore the tradition. We show how the results from phylogenetic analysis are consistent with interpretations advanced by scholars based on traditional methods of textual criticism. We also suggest a new textual grouping not mentioned before in the literature, and thus offer a new insight into this tradition. The suggested textual relationship finds support on historical and palaeographical grounds, and on that basis, we postulate the existence of a lost eleventh-century exemplar from Canterbury. The value of this article therefore lies in two main directions: first, we demonstrate the value of employing a combination of phylogenetic and other computer-based analysis methods with an Old English tradition; and second, we offer a striking new insight into the transmission and textual history of an important medieval English text.
Southern American Evangelicalism
Authors: Smith Samuel C.
Published: October 2022

This chapter argues that a vibrant, multidenominational evangelical presence emerged in the colonial South long before the First Great Awakening, setting the stage for its early expansion and long-lasting entrenchment in the region. Evangelical dissenters in the Carolina and Georgia lowcountry settled simultaneously with Anglican establishment, making it possible to extract enough concessions early on to expand their influence throughout and beyond the colonial era. The southern backcountry regions afforded even greater freedoms from some of the more intrusive inroads of authority. While tidewater Virginia’s establishment allowed minimal religious dissent, revivalism’s impressive growth in the mid-eighteenth century, even among some Anglicans, forced previously unattainable levels of recognition for evangelicals. This give-and-take tension would eventually help make Virginia the center of political negotiations for religious liberty. Overall, the colonial South was a seed bed of primitive space in the context of controlled opposition, a reality that fostered a deeply entrenched and still-dominant evangelical presence.
Poetry
Authors: Roberts Wendy Raphael
Published: October 2022

This chapter argues that early evangelicalism cannot be properly understood apart from its poetry and urges scholars to more thoroughly and carefully integrate revival verse into evangelical historiography and literary history. The author claims that early evangelicalism should be understood as an aesthetic movement integral to the aesthetic shifts and literary cultures of the transatlantic eighteenth century. Through one brief test case, Ralph Erskine’s bestselling poem Gospel Sonnets and two women poets who directly responded to it, Sarah Moorhead and Phillis Wheatley Peters, the chapter shows that attending to evangelicalism’s deep investment in aesthetics and poetic form has direct implications for understanding race, class, and gender in early evangelical culture.
George Whitefield and New Birth Preaching
Authors: Schlenther Boyd Stanley
Published: October 2022

As an antidote to the supine faith that they believed had infected British Christianity, early Methodists framed their message around the concept of a “New Birth.” Its most vibrant version was manifest in the proclamations of the eighteenth-century’s most famous Anglophone preacher, George Whitefield. The three decades of his public ministry added a cutting edge to the Christian message, which both sharpened an appeal for individuals’ radical inward conversion and contributed a serious challenge to traditional patterns of ecclesiastical practice. In the process, Whitefield drifted from his Anglican moorings, clearly revealed by his open castigation of a number of Church of England clerics, including bishops. Although participating extensively in utilizing the printing press to disseminate his sermons and other writings, it is clear that his message was most effectively conveyed through his robust and notably dramatic preaching. Moreover, his arresting use of literary devices, such as metaphor and simile, together with homely anecdotes, made Whitefield’s public proclamations highly attractive, a dramatic demonstration of his central new-birth message. However, following his death, in Whitefield’s absence evangelical Christianity began to adopt a perhaps more balanced appeal to a Christian’s, and Christianity’s, life and work.
Capitalism
Authors: Laborie Lionel
Published: October 2022

This chapter explores the spread of evangelicalism in continental Europe and the British Empire against the backdrop of the rise of capitalism in the eighteenth century. Starting from the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, it briefly surveys different attitudes to religious tolerance across northern Europe to highlight the often-overlooked contribution of Huguenot, millenarian, and commercial networks to the emergence of evangelicalism. All of these groups either influenced early evangelicals theologically or supported their missions logistically and financially. Accordingly, this chapter surveys the economic foundations and teachings of Halle Pietists, the Moravians, and Methodists, as well as how their religious discourses evolved over the eighteenth century to adapt to the rise of capitalism. Overall it is argued that, although early evangelicals shared millenarian beliefs and experimented communal lifestyles, they rapidly reinvented themselves to become economically and theologically competitive on the religious marketplace. The support of wealthy bankers and merchants proved essential in this process and suggests that eighteenth-century capitalists helped finance early evangelicalism.
German Pietism
Authors: Stievermann Jan
Published: October 2022

This chapter surveys, by way of important examples, the great plurality of German Pietism in various territories of the Holy Roman Empire and abroad, from the last third of the seventeenth to the last third of the eighteenth centuries. The focus is on the manifold relations between these different branches of Pietism and “awakened” individuals, movements, and undertakings associated with early evangelicalism in Britain and its colonies. Such relations came about either through migration, co-operations, or the cultivation of networks of correspondence and print exchange. Examples include theologians, reformers, groups, and projects connected with both Reformed and Lutheran state churches, such as the émigré pastor Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen, who was directly involved in the Great Awakening, or the reception of Gerhard Tersteegen by German Pietists in the colonies but also the Wesley brothers. Special attention is paid to Halle Pietism and the Francke Foundation that had close ties with numerous reform and revival movements across the British Empire and (also by sending Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg) played a key role in the organization of American Lutheranism. Among the examples of radical Pietism examined in this chapter are Labadism and the Pietist Baptist groups that sought refuge in Pennsylvania and founded the Ephrata community. The chapter concludes by turning to the question of how, given these many entanglements, German Pietists and their Anglophone brethren viewed each other and interpreted their religious identities.
Chemical Triggering Cyanobacterial Glycogen Accumulation: Methyl Viologen Treatment Increases Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 Glycogen Storage by Enhancing Levels of Gene Transcript and Substrates in Glycogen Synthesis
Authors: Sukkasam Nannaphat , Leksingto Jidapa , Incharoensakdi Aran , Monshupanee Tanakarn
Published: October 2022

Two-stage cultivation is effective for glycogen production by cyanobacteria. Cells were first grown under adequate nitrate supply (BG11) to increase biomass and subsequently transferred to nitrogen deprivation (–N) to stimulate glycogen accumulation. However, the two-stage method is time-consuming and requires extensive energy. Thus, one-stage cultivation that enables both cell growth and glycogen accumulation is advantageous. Such one-stage method could be achieved using a chemical triggering glycogen storage. However, there is a limited study on such chemicals. Here, nine compounds previously reported to affect cyanobacterial cellular functions were examined in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. 2-Phenylethanol, phenoxyethanol, 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea and methyl viologen can stimulate glycogen accumulation. The oxidative stress agent, methyl viologen significantly increased glycogen levels up to 57% and 69% [w/w dry weight (DW)] under BG11 and –N cultivation, respectively. One-stage cultivation where methyl viologen was directly added to the pre-grown culture enhanced glycogen storage to 53% (w/w DW), compared to the 10% (w/w DW) glycogen level of the control cells without methyl viologen. Methyl viologen treatment reduced the contents of total proteins (including phycobiliproteins) but caused increased transcript levels of glycogen synthetic genes and elevated levels of metabolite substrates for glycogen synthesis. Metabolomic results suggested that upon methyl viologen treatment, proteins degraded to amino acids, some of which could be used as a carbon source for glycogen synthesis. Results of oxygen evolution and metabolomic analysis suggested that photosynthesis and carbon fixation were not completely inhibited upon methyl viologen treatment, and these two processes may partially generate upstream metabolites required for glycogen synthesis.
Models for Apothecial Emergence and Ascospore Discharge of Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi in Michigan Blueberry Fields
Authors: Neugebauer Kerri A. , Dabbah Gina M. , Miles Timothy D.
Published: October 2022

Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi ( Mvc) is the causal agent of mummy berry in highbush blueberries. The primary inoculum of Mvc consists of ascospores that are discharged from apothecia on overwintered mummified blueberry fruits on the ground below blueberry bushes. Models currently exist in southern climates to predict the emergence of apothecia and ascospore discharge based on growing degree days. To better understand the release of primary inoculum in northern climates, apothecial emergence and ascospore discharge were studied in relation to weather variables. A Burkard spore trap was used to collect ascospores in blueberry fields with a history of the disease in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2009. Peak ascospore discharge was inversely correlated with daily relative humidity, and the majority of ascospores were initially discharged between 61 and 291 growing degree days (using 5.5°C base) and after 1,549 to 1,924 chill hours (above freezing) were attained. The chilling requirement of pseudosclerotia was studied by removing them at different times during the winter and allowing them to germinate in the laboratory. Additionally, the optimal average apothecial cup diameter in the field was investigated in relation to ascospore discharge (between 3 and 7 mm). Finally, we proposed a simplified degree-day model to predict apothecia emergence and ascospore discharge with apothecia emergence timings at several locations from 2007 to 2010. This information can be used to predict mummy berry apothecium emergence and ascospore discharge and could be incorporated into web-based risk modeling applications for providing growers with useful tools to improve fungicide spray timing.
Efficacy and safety of high-dose esomeprazole–amoxicillin dual therapy for Helicobacter pylori rescue treatment: a multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled trial
Authors: Bi Hanxin , Chen Xingxing , Chen Yuxin , Zhao Xin , Wang Shasha , Wang Jiehong , Lyu Ting , Han Shuang , Lin Tao , Li Mingquan , Yuan Donghong , Liu Junye , Shi Yongquan
Published: October 2022

Background:

High-dose dual therapy (HDDT) with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and amoxicillin has attracted widespread attention due to its favorable efficacy in eradicating Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of high-dose PPI–amoxicillin dual therapy and bismuth-containing quadruple therapy for H. pylori rescue treatment.

Methods:

This was a prospective, randomized, multicenter, non-inferiority trial. Patients recruited from eight centers who had failed previous treatment were randomly (1:1) allocated to two eradication groups: HDDT (esomeprazole 40 mg and amoxicillin 1000 mg three times daily; the HDDT group) and bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (esomeprazole 40 mg, bismuth potassium citrate 220 mg, and furazolidone 100 mg twice daily, combined with tetracycline 500 mg three times daily; the tetracycline, furazolidone, esomeprazole, and bismuth [TFEB] group) for 14 days. The primary endpoint was the H. pylori eradication rate. The secondary endpoints were adverse effects, symptom improvement rates, and patient compliance.

Results:

A total of 658 patients who met the criteria were enrolled in this study. The HDDT group achieved eradication rates of 75.4% (248/329), 81.0% (248/306), and 81.3% (248/305) asdetermined by the intention-to-treat (ITT), modified intention-to-treat (MITT), and per-protocol (PP) analyses, respectively. The eradication rates were similar to those in the TFEB group: 78.1% (257/329), 84.2% (257/305), and 85.1% (257/302). The lower 95% confidence interval boundary (−9.19% in the ITT analysis, − 9.21% in the MITT analysis, and −9.73% in the PP analysis) was greater than the predefined non-inferiority margin of −10%, establishing a non-inferiority of the HDDT group vs. the TFEB group. The incidence of adverse events in the HDDT group was significantly lower than that in the TFEB group (11.1% vs. 26.8%, P 
< 0.001). Symptom improvement rates and patients’ compliance were similar between the two groups.

Conclusions:

Fourteen-day HDDT is non-inferior to bismuth-containing quadruple therapy, with fewer adverse effects and good treatment compliance, suggesting HDDT as an alternative for H. pylori rescue treatment in the local region.

Trial registration:

Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04678492.
Intestinal homeostasis in autoimmune liver diseases
Authors: Liu Qiaoyan , He Wei , Tang Ruqi , Ma Xiong
Published: October 2022

Intestinal homeostasis depends on complex interactions between the gut microbiota and host immune system. Emerging evidence indicates that the intestinal microbiota is a key player in autoimmune liver disease (AILD). Autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis have been linked to gut dysbiosis. Diverse mechanisms contribute to disturbances in intestinal homeostasis in AILD. Bacterial translocation and molecular mimicry can lead to hepatic inflammation and immune activation. Additionally, the gut and liver are continuously exposed to microbial metabolic products, mediating variable effects on liver immune pathologies. Importantly, microbiota-specific or associated immune responses, either hepatic or systemic, are abnormal in AILD. Comprehensive knowledge about host-microbiota interactions, included but not limited to this review, facilitates novel clinical practice from a microbiome-based perspective. However, many challenges and controversies remain in the microbiota field of AILD, and there is an urgent need for future investigations.
FLACS vs conventional phacoemulsification by junior cataract surgeons: randomized trial
Authors: Vasavada Abhay R. , Vasavada Shail A. , Nath Vandana , Vasavada Vaishali , Patel Priyanka
Published: October 2022

Purpose:

To report intraoperative performance and postoperative outcomes of femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) and conventional phacoemulsification (PE) in the hands of junior surgeons.

Setting:

Iladevi Cataract & IOL Research Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

Design:

Prospective single-masked randomized controlled trial.

Methods:

320 eyes (320 patients) undergoing cataract surgery for uneventful cataracts in the hands of junior surgeons were randomized to Group 1—FLACS or Group 2—PE. Intraoperatively, cumulative dissipated energy (CDE) and fluid used were compared. Postoperatively, the following were compared: central corneal thickness (CCT) on day 1, 1 week, and 1 month; corneal clarity (day 1 and 1 week); anterior chamber inflammation (day 1 and 1 week); change in endothelial cell density (ECD) at 6 months postoperatively; and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) at 1 week and 1 month postoperatively.

Results:

157 and 158 patients in groups 1 and 2 analysed. Intraoperatively, CDE (5.41 ± 2.73 vs 8.83 ± 4.28 in Groups 1 and 2, P = .0001) and fluid used (79.33 ± 33.46 vs 101.82 ± 32.23 mL in Groups 1 and 2, P < .0001) were significantly lesser in Group 1. CCT was significantly higher in Group 2 on day 1 (550.96 ± 33.64 vs 587.70 ± 55.76 μm in Groups 1 and 2, P < .0001) and at 1 week postoperatively (527.94 ± 30.78 vs 545.11 ± 35.17 μm in Groups 1 and 2, P = .001). 72% of eyes had clear corneas on day 1 in Group 1 compared with 39% in Group 2 (P = .01). Anterior chamber inflammation and CDVA were comparable. Change in ECD was significantly lower (9.3%) in Group 1 vs 12.7% in Group 2, P < .0001.

Conclusions:

FLACS showed lower intraoperative CDE, fluid usage, lesser increase in CCT, better early postoperative corneal clarity, and lesser change in ECD at 6 months postoperatively in the hands of junior surgeons during standard cataract surgery.
Very early activation of cochlear implants: A review of the literature
Authors: Coelho Daniel H. , Shiao An-Suey , Li Lieber Po-Hung
Published: October 2022

Cochlear implantation (CI) has become the standard treatment for patients with severe-to-profound hearing loss. To date, an estimated 750,000 individuals spanning the entire lifecycle have benefited from this life-changing technology. Traditionally, the device is not “activated” for 3 to 4 weeks after surgery. However, an increasing number of centers have recently begun to question the conventional wisdom that several weeks are necessary and are activating their patients’ device sooner after CI. This review aimed to provide a comprehensive insight to better understand the feasibility, outcomes, benefits, and limitations of very early cochlear implant activation. Data sources from published medical literature were reviewed. A detailed examination and summary were provided. History and safety were also emphasized. It was observed that approximately 20 studies have reported their experience with very early cochlear implant activation, ranging from the day of surgery to 1 week. Outcome measures are disparate, although there is general agreement that early activation is not only feasible but also provides some real-life benefits to patients and caregivers. The surgical, electrophysiological, audiological, and other outcomes were also reviewed. Very early activation is safe and beneficial in patients with cochlear implants. Many CI centers believe that such a process can lead to improvements in both patient-centered and fiscally responsible care. Although not ideal for all patients, cochlear implant programs may consider this option for their patients.
Prompt diagnosis of a wild-type transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis: Role of multimodality imaging
Authors: Lim Su Shen , Kuo Ling , Chang Fu-Pang , Chang Chun-Chin , Yu Wen-Chung
Published: October 2022

Amyloidosis cardiomyopathy is a rare and underdiagnosed disease characterized by amyloid fibril deposition in the myocardium. The diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis is often delayed due to lack of awareness and the necessity of biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. Recent advances in cardiovascular imaging modalities have enhanced earlier recognition of this disease. A 66-year-old man experiences progressive shortness of breath for two weeks. Laboratory testing was significant for an elevation of cardiac biomarkers (creatine kinase: 522 U/L, troponin I: 0.10 ng/mL) and NT-pro-BNP (5074 pg/mL). He was diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome and received stent deployment. Nonetheless, progressive shortness of breath recurred in two months. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) demonstrated an increased left ventricular (LV) wall thickness with apical sparing. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging demonstrated high native T1 value, increased extracellular volume fraction as well as diffused subendocardial late gadolinium enhancement. Technetium-99m pyrophosphate (99mTc-PYP) scintigraphy, endomyocardial biopsy (EMB), and the genetic study confirmed the diagnosis of wild-type transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRwt). The non-specific clinical manifestations, lack of diagnostic biomarkers, and the rarity of systemic amyloidosis usually lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Our objective is to emphasize the role of multimodalities imaging in reducing delays to the diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis.