bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deitsch Magic Past and Future
Authors: Steinhart Eric
Published: February 2025

One of the largest and oldest European American magical traditions begins with the Pennsylvania Germans (the Deitsch). The Deitsch conception of magic differs from the Anglo conception in ways relevant to feminism and witchcraft. From its roots in older heathenism, the Deitsch offer the concepts of the idisi and the valkyrie as powerful female magic workers. The Deitsch recognize both malevolent hexers and benevolent brauchers. Brauchers do not harm, but rather cast spells to break evil spells and bind and banish malevolent agents. Regarding the patriarchy itself as an evil hex, a progressive future Deitsch magic aims to brauch the patriarchy.
Occult Violence and the Savage Slot
Authors: Nichols-Belo Amy
Published: February 2025

In Tanzania, violence against elderly women accused of witchcraft is often conflated with other forms of occult violence, including the sacrificial murders of people with albinism. These so-called witch killings are often viewed as a response to gender discrimination in land tenure disputes, poverty, or modernity broadly defined. Instead, this chapter analyzes this violence from a historically continuous approach that situates witch killing within vigilante violence and as a response to considerable social pressure, priming, and activation. Finally, this chapter argues that narratives about occult violence circulate both locally and globally because they fill the savage slot described by Trouillot.
Going All the Way
Authors: Macdonald Helen
Published: February 2025

In 1995, in a central Indian village, Kulwantin Bai Nishad was accused and murdered as a witch. Public, political, and administrative indignation died away once her case entered the judicial system based on the assumption that justice would be meted out to the perpetrators. The prosecution for Kulwantin Bai's murder is unique in that it made its way through all three tiers of the legal system to the Supreme Court in 2017. The chapter looks at the existing laws and legal processes applied by tracing the agonizing slowness and setbacks of her case through the courts. In a thought experiment, this chapter speculates how her case might have fared had it occurred after the enactment of the Chhattisgarh Witchcraft Atrocities Prevention Act (2005). Here, the nebulous concepts of social and legal justice for women accused of being witches are explored by examining the impact of the Act on the legal apparatus and processes.
Contemporary Trends in Witch-Hunting in India
Authors: Sinha Shashank Shekhar
Published: February 2025

This chapter examines contemporary trends in witch-hunting in India. It shows how witch hunts are complex and multilayered phenomena and need to be comprehended accordingly. Underscoring how witch-hunting is more than just a practice connected with superstition and/or a lack of healthcare and education or, for that matter, even an exclusive gender issue, this chapter highlights the role of regional dynamics and locational contexts. It shows how the phenomenon is geographically and socially more widespread than popularly assumed, and it questions several stereotypes related to witch hunts in India.
Bewitching Gender History
Authors: Ernstberger Adrianna L.
Published: February 2025

This chapter explores how the global history of witch hunts can be used to teach global gender history. A comparative study of witch hunts in geographically and temporally diverse settings allows students to investigate how witchcraft accusations were/are used as a state-sanctioned tool to enforce gender norms in the name of social order. By centering curricular materials from outside of early modern Europe, in fact, by privileging sources from the Global South, this chapter challenges the historical erasure of non-Western witch histories. Whether through the study of Muscovite serfs using their landlord's fear of being cursed to gain additional mobility or via the consideration of communal authority granted to women in colonial Guatemala due to their knowledge of the human body and healing arts, the chapter analyzes and articulates a nuanced understanding of global gender history.
Mista Boo
Authors: Machado Isabel
Published: February 2025

This chapter presents a portrait of the drag queen and witch Alejandro Garza (AKA Mista Boo) that blurs the line between character and performer in three acts, inspired by the faces of the Neopagan Triple Goddess—maiden, mother, crone. Drawing on oral history interviews conducted with the artist, the author uses Mista Boo's story to illustrate the relationship between queerness, art, witchcraft, marginalization, and community-building within LGBTQ+ communities.
From “Born This Witch” to “Bad Bitch Witch”
Authors: Hartless Jaime , Smith Gabriella V.
Published: February 2025

Historically a ghoulish figure that encapsulates all the patriarchy's fears of independent women, the witch has been reclaimed in recently by feminists who reimagine her as either a symbol of women's empowerment or an allegory for their persecution. This chapter provides a nuanced overview of shifts in “witch representation” in Western film and television, exploring the sociopolitical forces driving these changes and evaluating their potential for feminist resistance. It begins by complicating classic negative representations of the witch, exploring how the rising popularity of feminism in the 1970s and the girl power movement of the early 2000s led to an increase in sympathetic witch representations, culminating in a new essentialist “born this witch” archetype. The chapter closes by evaluating the revolutionary potential of an emergent ‘bad bitch witch’ archetype that more directly challenges patriarchy by embracing women's agency and allowing them to be likable in the presence of moral ambiguity.
Witch-Ins and Other Feminist Acts
Authors: Escaja Tina , Essig Laurie
Published: February 2025

This chapter is a messy feminist archive of a series of absurd acts. Since 2016, a group of loosely affiliated feminists has constructed a series of performative protests, from witch-ins to a vulva detox tent. The group uses the absurdity of its acts to say something about the impossibility of the moment. The authors show how these acts are part of a long tradition of feminist activism that has utilized the figure of the witch, at times ironically, at times sincerely. The authors excavate how affective protests like witch-ins can, in fact, create catharsis, and how catharsis can create the emotional space for feminist work to continue despite the dangers.
A Ruderal Witchcraft Manifesto
Authors: Haughwout Margaretha , Kellhammer Oliver
Published: February 2025

This chapter centers a performance work by Italian multimedia artist Chiara Fumai (“Shut Up, Actually Talk,” 2013) that remixes a manifesto by radical Italian feminist Carla Lonzi (“I Say I,” 1977), considering it a work of radical and demonic feminist witchcraft that aims to transform reality. The chapter reanimates the performance while contemplating its appropriative, relational mechanisms as tools for re-worlding, initiated from within the (negative) position of the socially differentiated.
Crafting against Capitalism
Authors: Von Wald Katie , Pierce AP
Published: February 2025

This chapter argues that, at its core, witchcrafting involves an intentional and revolutionary attention to care through pleasure. It is in caring for those made most vulnerable by capitalist exploitation, in reveling in pleasure, and in nourishing relationships that the witch rebels against the alienation of the senses, body, and community under racial capitalism. Taking resistance to capitalist and neoliberal violence as central to radical witchcraft, this chapter aims to envision witchy futures against and beyond capitalism. The authors consider how the erotic, as care and pleasure, is a force for energetic anticapitalist queer witch manifestations. The authors argue that, in practicing witchcraft queerly, radically anticapitalist futures are crafted. The witch or, rather, networks of witches become what is both queer and unruly.
Multi-modal refinement of the human heart atlas during the first gestational trimester
Authors: De Bono Christopher , Xu Yichi , Kausar Samina , Herbane Marine , Humbert Camille , Rafatov Sevda , Missirian Chantal , Moreno Mathias , Shi Weiyang , Gitton Yorick , Lombardini Alberto , Vanzetta Ivo , Mazaud-Guittot Séverine , Chédotal Alain , Baudot Anaïs , Zaffran Stéphane , Etchevers Heather C.
Published: February 2025

Forty first-trimester human hearts were studied to lay groundwork for further studies of principles underlying congenital heart defects. We first sampled 49,227 cardiac nuclei from three fetuses at 8.6, 9.0, and 10.7 post-conceptional weeks (pcw) for single-nucleus RNA sequencing, enabling distinction of six classes comprising 21 cell types. Improved resolution led to identification of novel cardiomyocytes and minority autonomic and lymphatic endothelial transcriptomes, among others. After integration with 5-7 pcw heart single-cell RNAseq, we identified a human cardiomyofibroblast progenitor preceding diversification of cardiomyocyte and stromal lineages. Analysis of six Visium sections from two additional hearts was aided by deconvolution, and key spatial markers validated on sectioned and whole hearts in two- and three-dimensional space and over time. Altogether, anatomical-positional features including innervation, conduction and subdomains of the atrioventricular septum translate latent molecular identity into specialized cardiac functions. This atlas adds unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution to the characterization of human-specific aspects of early heart formation.
Development: a journal's journey
Authors: Eve Alex
Published: February 2025

Summary: Development's publisher, The Company of Biologists, is celebrating its 100th birthday. Commemorating this anniversary, I discuss Development's history since launching as Journal of Embryology and Experimental Morphology.
Ready to dive? Early constraints help juvenile southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) acclimatize to aquatic life
Authors: Charlanne Laura , Bertile Fabrice , Geffroy Alexandre , Hippauf Lea , Chery Isabelle , Zahn Sandrine , Guinet Christophe , Piot Erwan , Badaut Jérome , Ancel André , Gilbert Caroline , Bergouignan Audrey
Published: February 2025

Breath-holding foraging implies different adaptations to limit oxygen (O2) depletion and maximize foraging time. Physiological adjustments can be mediated through O2 consumption, driven by muscle mitochondria, which can also produce reactive oxygen species during reoxygenation. Southern elephant seals spend months foraging at sea, diving for up to one hour. Pups transition abruptly to aquatic life after a post-weaning period, during which they fast and progressively increase their activity, making this period critical for the development of an adaptive response to oxygen restriction and oxidative stress. We compared the functional capacity of a swimming muscle in 5 recently weaned and 6 adult female southern elephant seals. High-resolution respirometry was employed to examine muscle mitochondrial respiratory capacity and differences in protein and gene expressions of the main regulatory pathways were determined using LC-MS/MS and RT-PCR, respectively. Oxidative damages were measured in the plasma. Juveniles have higher mitochondrial coupling efficiency compared to adults probably as a response to growth and important physicial activity reported during the post-weaning. There were no differences in oxidative damage, but the adults had a higher level of antioxidant defenses. Both hypoxia and oxidative response pathways appeared less activated in the juveniles. This study highlights the differences in muscle metabolism and the likely adaptive response to hypoxia and oxidative stress between juveniles and adult south elephant seals. It also suggests that early constraints such as fasting, physical activity, and short-term low O2 partial pressure exposure could contribute to immediate and long-term responses and to acclimatize juveniles to aquatic life.
Ανάπτυξη, έλεγχος ποιότητας και ασφάλειας νέων καινοτόμων λειτουργικών τροφίμων από βρώσιμα βιολογικά εκτρεφόμενα έντομα
Authors: Παπασταυροπούλου Κωνσταντίνα
Published: February 2025

Τα έντομα, αποτελούν καινοτόμα τρόφιμα σύμφωνα με τη νομοθεσία και εμφανίζονται ως βιώσιμη εναλλακτική των συμβατικών τροφίμων. Η παρούσα έρευνα εστιάζει στους λόγους για την ένταξη των εντόμων στη διατροφή, με έμφαση στη θρεπτική τους αξία και την ασφάλεια τους. Σκοπός της έρευνας είναι η ανάπτυξη αλεύρων από έντομα, η βελτίωση της θρεπτικής τους αξίας και ο έλεγχος ποιοτικών χαρακτηριστικών και παραμέτρων ασφάλειας, μετά από βιολογική εκτροφή σε διαφορετικά υποστρώματα τροφής. Αρχικά, πραγματοποιήθηκαν αναλύσεις για τον προσδιορισμό της θρεπτικής αξίας αλεύρων από τις προνύμφες Tenebrio molitor και τον γρύλο Acheta domesticus, εστιάζοντας σε παραμέτρους όπως η υγρασία, η τέφρα, η ενεργειακή αξία, η περιεκτικότητα σε πρωτεΐνες, αμινοξέα, λίπος, λιπαρά οξέα, υδατάνθρακες, διαιτητικές ίνες και ανόργανα στοιχεία. Στη συνέχεια, μέσω εκτροφής των προνυμφών Tenebrio molitor, εξετάστηκε η επίδραση του υποστρώματος τροφής, στην ανάπτυξη τους, στο θρεπτικό προφίλ και την ασφάλεια του παραγόμενου αλεύρου τους. Με στόχο στην βελτίωση της θρεπτικής αξίας και έλεγχο της ασφάλειας των αλεύρων. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν υψηλή πρωτεϊνική αξία, απαραίτητα αμινοξέα, ισορροπημένο προφίλ λιπαρών οξέων και ανόργανων στοιχείων των εντόμων με χαμηλά επίπεδα βαρέων μετάλλων. Επίσης, παρατηρήθηκε ότι η διατροφή των εντόμων επηρεάζει σημαντικά τις εξεταζόμενες παραμέτρους (μείωση Na και λόγου ω6/ω3, αύξηση ω3, α-λινολενικού οξέος, EPA, DHA, ινών, Mn, Mg), χωρίς επίδραση στο περιεχόμενο αλλεργιογόνων πρωτεϊνών. Ενώ, οι μικροβιολογικοί έλεγχοι και οι μετρήσεις ενεργότητας νερού έδειξαν ότι το παραγόμενο άλευρο ζεματισμένων αλευροσκούληκων αποτελεί ασφαλές και σταθερό προϊόν για αποθήκευση ενός έτους. Τέλος, λόγω παρουσίας τροπομυοσίνης, η κατανάλωση προνυμφών Tenebrio molitor ενδέχεται να προκαλέσει αλλεργικές αντιδράσεις σε άτομα με ευαισθησία σε καρκινοειδή και μαλάκια. Συνολικά, η έρευνα συμβάλλει στην κατανόηση των παραγόντων που επηρεάζουν τη διατροφική αξία και την ασφάλεια των εντόμων, ενισχύοντας τη δυνατότητα ένταξής τους ως βιώσιμη, ασφαλή και θρεπτική πηγή πρωτεΐνης για ανθρώπινη κατανάλωση και ζωοτροφή.
Dengue infection during pregnancy and the occurrence of pathological neonatal outcome: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Goicochea-Ríos Evelyn del Socorro , OTINIANO NELIDA MILLY , Rojas-Infantas Lola del Carmen , Ocaña-Gutiérrez Víctor Raú , Gómez-Goicochea Néstor Iván
Published: February 2025

Background Dengue infection during pregnancy increases the risk of maternal and neonatal complications; therefore, the objective of this research is to determine these outcomes and describe the clinical manifestations of the infection. Methods A systematic review of studies published in PubMed, MEDLINE, LILACS, Web of Science, Scopus and thesis repositories published between 2013 and October 2023 was performed. DeCS and MeSH dengue and maternal-neonatal outcome were used. Thirteen studies were selected and the New Castle-Ottawa scale was used to assess their quality. Mantel-Haenszel hazard ratios were calculated to report the overall effect size using random-effects models. All analyses were performed in Rev Man 5.4.1 Results The 13 studies involved a population of 18,724 pregnant women, with cohorts ranging from 25 to 17,673 pregnant women. The most frequent outcomes in the pregnant women were cesarean section and postpartum hemorrhage, and in the newborns, preterm delivery and low birth weight. According to the New Castle-Ottawa scale, six studies were considered low risk and seven studies moderate risk. Dengue is a risk factor for postpartum hemorrhage (OR: 2.23 IC 0.24 – 20.38), premature rupture of membranes (OR: 1.04 IC 0.55-1.97) and cesarean section (OR: 1.39 IC 0.80 – 2.41). It could not be concluded that dengue is a risk factor for the neonatal outcomes studied. The clinical picture of pregnant women with dengue was predominantly fever, abdominal pain, vomiting and nausea, anemia, dyspnea and myalgia. Conclusions Pregnancy-related changes in the immune, cardiovascular and coagulation systems, among others, increase the probability of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in case of DENV infection, such as postpartum hemorrhage, premature rupture of membranes, cesarean section, low birth weight and preterm delivery. Pregnant women should be considered a population at risk and should be included in dengue control, diagnosis and treatment policies.
Prevalence of organophosphate poisoning in Nepal: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Shrestha Nitesh , Liao Rui , Wei Tao , Hu Jia , Zhao Xia , Huang Qin , Xue Qiang
Published: February 2025

Objective To estimate the prevalence of organophosphate (OP) poisoning in Nepal. Methods PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), Cochrane Library, Ovid, and Springer databases were searched. The search strategies were used in different databases until December 13, 2024. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist was used to assess the quality of the included studies. The R project was used to estimate the pooled prevalence rate and 95% confidence interval (CI) based on the results of the heterogeneity test. Results Eleven studies, involving 4809 participants. Heterogeneity indicated a P value of <0.100; therefore, we applied the random effects model for data synthesis. The overall prevalence of OP poisoning in Nepal was 36.7% (95% CI: 24.99-49.34) in Nepal. Funnel plot dots were not distributed symmetrically on either side of the central line, suggesting a potential publication bias. The results of the heterogeneity analysis revealed that hospital-based studies showed a higher prevalence rate of 36.9% (95% CI: 24.2-50.6) than community-based studies. Additionally, studies conducted in Other cities-based demonstrated a pooled prevalence rate of 43.38% (95% CI: 28.95-58.39), which was higher than that in Kathmandu-based studies. Conclusion The overall prevalence of OP poisoning was 36.7% in Nepal. The hospital-based studies indicated a higher pooled prevalence than community-based studies and other cities-based studies reported a higher prevalence than Kathmandu-based studies. Future research is warranted to provide more accurate and comprehensive evidence regarding the prevalence of OP poisoning in Nepal.
The contribution of person-centred cultures to the aetiology and management of depression among older adults in nursing homes: a realist review protocol
Authors: Omisore Tope , Teeling Seán Paul , Frawley Timmy , Butler Mary , Edvardsson David
Published: February 2025

Background Depression is highly prevalent among older adults in nursing homes and living in nursing homes has been reported to be associated with depression. While depression can be attributable to many causes, it may be associated with organisational culture and quality of care in nursing homes. Person-centredness is espoused in the regulatory standards of many nursing homes and has informed cultures. However, systematic reviews of the impact of person-centred practices on depression have yielded mixed results and the prevalence of depression among older adults in nursing homes remains high. This realist review protocol gives details about the background to this study and how the authors intend to carry out a realist review. The review aims to gather evidence as to whether person-centred cultures contribute to the aetiology and management of depression among older adults in nursing homes, how, why, for whom and in what contexts? Method This protocol details a theory-driven realist review. The review will follow the four-step design as follows: define the scope of the review, search for and appraise evidence, extract and synthesize findings and develop narrative. Evidence will be gathered in the form of context, mechanisms and outcomes (CMOs) from both published and unpublished sources and grey literature to test and refine initial programme theories with the collaboration of an expert panel. Findings will be reported according to RAMESES publication guidelines and will be shared with stakeholders. Conclusion It is anticipated that the review detailed in this protocol will outline theories and give insight that can explain whether or not, in what way, how and why person-centred cultures contribute to the aetiology and management of depression among older adults in nursing homes and provide guidance for the embedding of person-centred cultures in nursing homes. The review was registered with PROSPERO in July 2024 (CRD4202456825).
A scoping review of the ethics frameworks describing issues related to the use of extended reality
Authors: Cox Shereen , Kadlubsky Alina , Svarverud Ellen , Adams Jonathan , Baraas Rigmor C. , Bernabe Rosemarie D.L.C
Published: February 2025

The use of extended reality (XR) / immersive technologies such as virtual, augmented, mixed reality and virtual worlds (Metaverse) raises issues of ethical concern. The various issues, if left unaddressed, may impact human wellbeing over time. Immersive technologies are used in entertainment, commerce, training, education, health, and the military among others. Subsequently, there is a broad spectrum of users with various degrees of competencies and vulnerabilities. Special attention regarding long-term effects of immersive technologies on children and the lack of consideration of inclusivity for all persons in society is essential. Several publications have highlighted ethical issues related to immersive technologies, and some have sought to address these issues by proposing solutions or approaches in the form of frameworks, codes of conduct or best practices. This review examined literature between 2000 and 2023 to identify proposed or adopted ethical frameworks, codes of conduct or best practices for immersive technologies. Qualitative research method was applied, using a scoping review approach. Twenty-eight papers were selected for analysis. Approximately 70% of the selected papers were published between 2020 and 2022. Using an inductive thematic analysis method, seven fundamental values and twenty-two corresponding principles were generated. The main values are respect for persons, well-being, safety, integrity and trust, justice, and responsiveness. The dominant principles identified are privacy, informed consent, responsibility, transparency, and freedom. The authors of the papers were predominantly academic researchers. The normative approaches to addressing ethical issues were organised into four domains: society and governance, industry, research/academic organisations, and individuals. Recommendations are: 1) development and/or application of laws or guidelines to ethical, legal, and social issues with immersive technologies; 2) adoption of inclusive approaches to design and development; 3) minimisation of risk for research participants; 4) empowerment of users of immersive technologies; and 5) promotion of responsibility and sincerity in the use of virtual space, especially in matters concerning identity and conduct.
Methods of terms formation in nuclear medicine
Authors: Sadigova Nigar , Aliyeva Salmi
Published: February 2025

Background Nuclear medicine is a dynamic field that uses radioactive substances for diagnosis, therapy, and research. Developing terminology in this domain involves addressing complex concepts across multiple disciplines. Greek and Latin roots provide universal terms, enabling clear communication among global professionals. Scientific prefixes, suffixes, and abbreviations further simplify advanced imaging concepts, while descriptive compounding and eponyms create intuitive and historically relevant terms. Methods The creation of nuclear medicine terminology combines linguistic precision with scientific innovation. Greek and Latin roots form universally understood terms with historical significance. Prefixes and suffixes add precision to describe technologies, while abbreviations like PET (Positron Emission Tomography) simplify complex terms for efficient communication. Descriptive compounding explains mechanisms clearly, and naming conventions honor inventors, adding historical depth. Standard units like Becquerel (Bq) and descriptors like SUV ensure consistent measurements. Terminology adapts to advances like PET/MRI, merging functional and anatomical imaging for enhanced clarity and utility. Results The systematic approach to nuclear medicine terminology provides a clear and consistent framework for communication. Greek and Latin roots standardize terms for complex processes, while prefixes and suffixes ensure descriptive precision. Abbreviations like PET and SUV improve communication speed and efficiency. Descriptive compounding simplifies understanding of technologies, and historical naming conventions honor significant contributions. Standard units, such as Bq and Gy, ensure measurement consistency. Hybrid imaging systems like PET/MRI drive terminology evolution, reflecting technological integration and enhancing diagnostic and therapeutic precision. Conclusion Nuclear medicine’s systematic terminology ensures clarity and precision, vital for advancing diagnostics, treatment, and research. By combining classical roots, scientific prefixes, and standardized units, this framework fosters global collaboration and innovation. Abbreviations and intuitive compounding enhance accessibility, while eponyms honor historical contributions. As hybrid imaging systems evolve, this adaptable terminology continues to support innovation, bridging complex concepts with practical applications to advance patient care.
Home energy optimization using vehicle-to-home
Authors: Zhang Shuo , Byrne Sean , Fennelly Liam , Sood Divyanshu , O'Donnell James , O'Donnell Terence
Published: February 2025

Background Vehicle to home (V2H) involves using the energy stored in Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries to lower home energy costs by shifting energy use from high-cost periods to low-cost periods, including charging EVs overnight. This approach also helps manage grid demand peaks and decarbonize the transport and energy sectors. Methods This study models a home energy system, integrating grid connections, household energy demands, heating systems, EVs and photovoltaic (PV) panels. The optimization model aims to utilise the EV battery and smart electricity price tariffs to minimize home energy costs. By adopting a 3-tier (Day/Night/Peak) electricity tariff structure, the model compares the results from uncontrolled, flexible and V2H charging strategies. The sensitivity of the cost savings obtained from V2H to a range of parameters such as household, electricity usage, PV installed capacity, tariff differences and EV parameters are also investigated. Results By utilizing V2H strategy, the results found that V2H had the overall best savings, with the energy cost reductions up to 30% for non-commuting users and by 27.5% for commuting users. Under the 3-tier tariff structure, the growth of PV capacity leads to a decline in V2H cost savings. V2H has a 25% reduction in electricity costs without PV and a 37% reduction in electricity costs with a 6-kW PV system, compared to an uncontrolled charging strategy. Conclusions Under the 3-tier tariff structure, V2H cost savings are achieved by shifting large portions of residential electricity demands into off-peak hours with low electricity tariffs, thus lowering the electricity costs and reducing the grid stress during peak hours with the better utilization of rooftop PV generation. By assuming a 4% discount rate, V2H has its Discounted Payback Period (DPP) within one decade with the initial investment cost of a bidirectional charger lower than €7000.
Triangulating Instrumental Variable, confounder adjustment and difference-in-difference methods for comparative effectiveness research in observational data
Authors: Güdemann Laura M. , Dennis John M. , McGovern Andrew P. , Rodgers Lauren R. , Shields Beverley M. , Henley William , Bowden Jack ,   on behalf of the MASTERMIND consortium
Published: February 2025

Background Observational studies play an important role in assessing the comparative effectiveness of competing treatments. In clinical trials the randomization of participants to treatment and control groups generally results in balanced groups with respect to possible confounders, which makes the analysis straightforward. However, when analysing observational data, the potential for unmeasured confounding makes comparing treatment effects more challenging. Methods Causal inference methods such as Instrumental Variable and Prior Event Rate Ratio approaches make it possible to circumvent the need to adjust for confounding factors that have not been measured in the data or measured with error. Direct confounder adjustment via multivariable regression and propensity score matching also have considerable utility. Each method relies on a different set of assumptions and leverages different aspects of the data. The assumptions of each method are described, and the impact of their violation is assessed in a simulation study. We propose the prior outcome augmented Instrumental Variable method that leverages data from before and after treatment initiation and is robust to key assumption violations. Finally, we propose a heterogeneity statistic to decide if two or more estimates are statistically similar, considering their correlation. We illustrate our framework in an application study assessing the risk of genital infection in type 2 diabetes patients prescribed SGLT2-inhibitors versus DPP4-inhibitors using UK primary care data. Results Our proposed approach can estimate treatment effects without bias in scenarios where assumptions of other methods are violated. Furthermore, the application study exemplified the usefulness of discussing the consistency of estimation results from different estimation methods using triangulation. Conclusion Triangulating results of different estimation methods is important in observational data to derive high quality evidence. The proposed triangulation framework and heterogeneity statistic are valuable tools to discuss the consistency of estimation results from different methods to shed light on possible sources of bias.
The genome sequence of a pallopterid fly, Toxonevra muliebris (Harris, 1780)
Authors: Barclay Maxwell V. L. , Broad Gavin R. , Sivell Olga ,   Natural History Museum Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life Management, Samples and Laboratory team,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: Sequencing Operations,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life Core Informatics team,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: February 2025

We present a genome assembly from an individual male specimen of Toxonevra muliebris (pallopterid fly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Pallopteridae). The genome sequence has a total length of 491.40 megabases. Most of the assembly (99.07%) is scaffolded into 6 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X and Y sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 16.18 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 21,433 protein-coding genes.
The genome sequence of a flea beetle, Neocrepidodera transversa (Marsham, 1802)
Authors: Geiser Michael F. , Sims Ian ,   Natural History Museum Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life Management, Samples and Laboratory team,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: Sequencing Operations,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life Core Informatics tea,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: February 2025

We present a genome assembly from a male specimen of Neocrepidodera transversa (flea beetle; Arthropoda; Insecta; Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 671.30 megabases. Most of the assembly (93.58%) is scaffolded into 21 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 17.02 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 13,840 protein-coding genes.
Zarządzanie dokumentacją – dokument elektroniczny w administracji publicznej i wymiarze sprawiedliwości. Szczecin, 14 –15 maja 2024 r.
Authors: Frąckowiak Piotr
Published: February 2025

Sprawozdanie z konferencji Zarządzanie dokumentacją – dokument elektroniczny w administracji publicznej i wymiarze sprawiedliwości. Szczecin, 14 –15 maja 2024 r.
Wystawiennictwo Archiwalne – Forum Wymiany Myśli. Mielno, 10–11 października 2024 r.
Authors: Florczak Ilona
Published: February 2025

Sprawozdanie ze spotkania Wystawiennictwo Archiwalne – Forum Wymiany Myśli. Mielno, 10–11 października 2024 r.
Nowy portret. Garść uwag na marginesie tomu pt. Archiwistyka Bohdana Ryszewskiego. Prace wybrane
Authors: Degen Robert
Published: February 2025

Recenzja: Archiwistyka Bohdana Ryszewskiego. Prace wybrane
The impact of energy drinks on health of children and young adults - review of latest research
Authors: Kożuchowska Klaudia , Pilarz Dawid , Szewczyk Marcelina , Morawska Maria , Tomczyk Aleksandra , Ufnal Julia , Lewandowska Dominika , Rosińska-Lewandoska Dominika , Drewko Klaudia , Jarosz Kinga
Published: February 2025

Introduction and purpose
Consumption of energy drinks has become popular all over the world. Energy drinks are non-alcoholic beverages that contain large amounts of caffeine, sugar, and substances like vitamins, taurine, ginseng, creatine, and guarana. The aim of our research is to present the latest data on impact of energy drinks on health of children, adolescents, and young adults.
Description of the state of knowledge
Regular consumption of energy drinks is associated with numerous adverse health effects. The main areas of impact are the cardiovascular system and the nervous system. High concentrations of caffeine - the main ingredient in energy drinks can lead to increased heart rate, increased blood pressure and heart rhythm disorders. Consuming energy drinks leads to hypertension and increased cardiovascular risk. In addition, energy drinks can cause sleep disorders, anxiety and hyperactivity. Energy drinks are characterized by a high sugar content, which promotes obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay.
Materials and methods 
Systematic literature review was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar databases to obtain most accurate and recent results. The key words included ,,energy drinks”, ,,children”, ,,health”,,cardiovascular system” and ,,caffeine.” 
Conclusions 
This review provides further evidence that consumption of energy drinks by children and adolescents is associated with many adverse effects for physical and mental health. Mainly predisposed systems are cardiovascular and nervous. Further research is needed, with emphasis on maintaining ethics, to determine long-term effects of Energy Drinks use in these populations.
Case Article—Optimizing Food Donation Delivery for the Nonprofit Company Logica&Co
Authors: Croella Anna Livia , Gregori Martina
Published: February 2025

The article presents a case exercise that teaches students how to apply mathematical programming to a real-life context. The case deals with the management of the food donation supply chain. The case, using a project-based approach, proposes a realistic scenario that simulates the consulting interaction with a nonprofit company, Logica&Co, which acts as a two-sided platform connecting supply and demand. The objective is to define an effective strategy to collect and deliver food donations, using either bike or e-bike, from local businesses to soup kitchens, covering a semester-long timeframe. The form of the problem exhibits nonlinear characteristics, but the design allows for adjustable difficulty levels. Students can assess their performance during the class period thanks to an interactive offline tool, the SoS simulator, which is publicly available for download and can be customized by instructors. The case was proposed as a competitive group challenge for students of the bachelor’s or master’s program in management engineering at Sapienza University of Rome. However, given the embedded characteristics of flexibility, it can be easily adjusted for heterogeneous curricula of undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in engineering programs (this opportunity is extensively discussed in the Case Article and the Teaching Note). The students appreciated both the teaching methodology and the teamwork aspects and highlighted the utility of the SoS simulator tool.

Supplemental Material: The Teaching Note and its supplemental material are available at https://www.informs.org/Publications/Subscribe/Access-Restricted-Materials .
Reducing hospital readmissions: analysing the accuracy of predictors and efficacy of interventions
Authors: Bejerano Dar , Al-Haddad Serina
Published: February 2025

Background/Aims

Hospital admissions represent a substantial burden, both to patients and healthcare systems. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of predictors of readmissions (defined as unplanned rehospitalisations within 30 days of a patient's index discharge) and the efficacy of interventions to reduce readmission rates.

Methods

Data from 201 329 patients who had a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, heart failure or pneumonia at their index visit were extracted from the database of a regional healthcare system in the US. The predictors of readmission assessed were the patient's risk of unplanned readmission score and whether they were frequent healthcare service users and/or belonged to a high-risk group, as classified by the healthcare system. Interventions included competition of a follow-up appointment, discussion of medications with the patient and implementation of the ‘meds-to-beds’ programme. Data were analysed with logistic regression models to assess the relationship of readmissions with the predictors and interventions.

Results

Frequent healthcare service user status, high-risk group status and risk of unplanned readmission score were all found to be accurate predictors of readmission. For example, frequent healthcare service users were 12 times more likely to be readmitted. Of the seven interventions investigated, only the completion of a follow-up appointment had a significant relationship with readmission rates, although the meds-to-beds intervention was also found to have some benefits for high-risk patients.

Conclusions

Identification of individuals who are at high risk of a readmission should be prioritised by healthcare systems to ensure that appropriate interventions to prevent readmission can be implemented both during and after discharge from the index visit. Follow-up appointments are a particularly important part of this strategy.
Empowering future leaders: reflections on educational leadership in areas of health inequalities
Authors: Virji Safiya
Published: February 2025

This article presents key lessons from the author's experience as a GP specialising in inclusive educational leadership, both in the UK and internationally. It aims to inspire healthcare professionals to embrace leadership in their roles, focusing on inclusion and addressing educational inequalities.
Reflection on the sustainability of newly implemented nurse practitioner roles in Switzerland: a case study
Authors: von Dach Christoph , Carter Nancy , Glarcher Manela
Published: February 2025

In this article, the authors consider the sustainability of newly implemented nurse practitioner roles, with a focus on their context in Switzerland. The article emphasises the importance of structured role development, clear processes and sustained organisational support to ensure long-term nurse practitioner role sustainability. Recommendations include clarifying competencies, providing opportunities for professional growth and fostering organisation-wide understanding of nurse practitioner contributions to patient care.
Reducing readmissions: identifying risk and prioritising prevention
Authors: Clough Isobel
Published: February 2025

The editor describes how new research from the US into factors that can predict and prevent hospital readmission could be applied to a UK context, in line with the NHS and government focus on preventive care.
Efficacy of Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Agents in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration Patients with or without Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Wang Luyao , Liu Shiyu , He Tingting , Liu Chun , Duan Junguo
Published: February 2025

Aims/Background The classification of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) as a subtype of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) remained an ongoing controversy. This meta-analysis examines the efficacy of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents in nAMD patients with or without PCV.

Methods A systematic search was conducted in four databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library, from their inception to 1 July 2023. The outcome measure was the change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and center retinal thickness (CRT) from the baseline to different follow-up durations. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis was performed when significant heterogeneity was detected.

Results This meta-analysis included sixteen studies involving 6679 patients, comprising 5070 non-PCV and 1609 PCV cases. The findings revealed that the improvement in BCVA at 6-month follow-up (mean difference (MD) = 0.05; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.02 to 0.07; p = 0.0001) and the reduction in CRT at 3-month follow-up duration (MD = 10.29; 95% CI, 0.93 to 19.66; p = 0.03) were significantly greater in the PCV group compared to the non-PCV group.

Conclusion This meta-analysis indicates that PCV may exhibit better short-term efficacy in response to anti-VEGF therapy than non-PCV.

Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO ( CRD42023445591 ).
The inducing effect of epidermal growth factor on acellular dermal matrix in a rat model of skin regeneration
Authors: Hashemi Seyedeh-Sara , Sanati Parisa , Rafati AliReza
Published: February 2025

Objective:

Tissue engineering, a novel approach in dermatology, has resulted in the development of scaffolds as skin substitutes that have accelerated wound healing. The aim of the present study was to synthesise acellular dermal matrix (ADM) as a dermal alternative and assess the effect of human epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the proliferation and migration of seeded fibroblast cells.

Method:

ADM from fresh, full-thickness human skin was developed and characterised. Next, foreskin fibroblast cells were isolated, cultured and characterised. The fibroblast cells were sown into the ADM in two groups: one with EGF and one without EGF. We assessed the adhesion and proliferation of the cells on the scaffold by scanning electron microscopy, and thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide and 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining. For the animal study, 30 rats were divided into two equal groups at random (ADM, ADM+EGF). Wound healing was assessed macroscopically, histologically and by real-time polymerase chain reaction for Bax and Bcl-2 gene expression.

Results:

The ADM characterisation results showed that the scaffold was dense and integral with good stretching. The morphology and phenotype of the isolated fibroblast cells confirmed their identity. The fibroblast cells cultured on the ADM showed proliferation, which improved with the addition of EGF. In the animal model, EGF addition caused significantly (p<0.05) improved wound healing compared with isolated ADM; it also resulted in increased Bcl-2 and reduced Bax expressions.

Conclusion:

A combination of ADM, fibroblast cells and EGFs could serve as skin substitutes and represent a novel therapeutic methodology for treating burns and hard-to-heal wounds.
Hybrid CNN-Mamba model for multi-scale fundus image enhancement
Authors: Wang Xiaopeng , Gong Di , Chen Yi , Zong Zheng , Li Meng , Fan Kun , Jia Lina , Cao Qiyuan , Liu Qiang , Yang Qiang
Published: February 2025

This study proposes a multi-scale fundus image enhancement approach that combines CNN with Mamba, demonstrating clear superiority across multiple benchmarks. The model consistently achieves top performance on public datasets, with the lowest FID and KID scores, and the highest PSNR and SSIM values, particularly excelling at larger image resolutions. Notably, its performance improves as the image size increases, with several metrics reaching optimal values at 1024 × 1024 resolution. Scale generalizability further highlights the model’s exceptional structural preservation capability. Additionally, its high VSD and IOU scores in segmentation tasks further validate its practical effectiveness, making it a valuable tool for enhancing fundus images and improving diagnostic accuracy.
Rapid and cost-effective screening of therapeutic targets for isoquercitrin in insulin resistance using virtual methods and fiber SPR biosensing
Authors: Wei Yong , Xuan Yuye , Wang Wenxiang , Zhang Yonghui , Li Xiaoshan , Liu Chunlan , Wang Chen , Liu Zhihai
Published: February 2025

The existing screening methods for therapeutic targets of active ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have problems of long detection time and high instrument cost. This article proposes a new target screening method based on virtual screening and fiber surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing technology, which has the characteristics of flexibility, speed, and low cost. It also reveals the target mechanism of the active ingredient isoquercitrin in the treatment of insulin resistance (IR). The binding energies of isoquercitrin with target proteins PDPK1, INSR, and PTPN1 were calculated using computer virtual methods to be -8.9, -8.9, -8.8 kcal/mol, indicating strong binding activity with isoquercitrin and predicted as three key targets. Then a fiber optic SPR biosensor functionalized with isoquercitrin molecules was constructed to detect the binding affinity between isoquercitrin and the key targets. The experimental results showed that the binding affinities of isoquercitrin to the targets PDPK1, INSR, and PTPN1 were 1.45, 1.14, and 13.21, respectively, indicating that PTPN1 is the main target of isoquercitrin in the treatment of IR. The proposed sensor has a sensitivity of 0.699 nm/(μg/ml), LOD of 0.515μg/ml, and the experimental detection time of this method is as low as 45 minutes, without the need for large and expensive optical demodulation equipment, and the device volume is 5.50 dm3, providing new ideas for the screening of therapeutic targets of active ingredients in TCM.
Hologram region segmentation method for 3D holographic display
Authors: Hu Chi , Zhang Jin , Jiang Shilei , Sun Guobin
Published: February 2025

To enhance computational speed and reduce mutual crosstalk between layers in the design of 3D holograms using a layer-based method, this paper presents what we believe to be a novel hologram design approach based on region segmentation. The primary principle of this method involves partitioning the 3D object into multiple layers along the axial direction, followed by the design of corresponding sub-holograms. The reconstructed images are obtained by integrating digital blazed gratings with the appropriately positioned sub-holograms on the holographic plane. Theoretical analyses of Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction properties support this method, and we thoroughly investigate the variations in the position of the reconstructed image corresponding to each sub-hologram. Ultimately, this method is validated through simulations and experiments, demonstrating that it enables effective holographic displays of both 2D and 3D objects. This method offers distinct advantages for various types of objects, including improved computational speed and enhanced reconstruction quality, thereby providing an effective design strategy for real-time 3D holographic displays.