bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fetal cell microchimerism and susceptibility to COVID-19 disease in women
Authors: Cirello Valentina , Lugaresi Marina , Manzo Alessandro , Balla Eva , Fratianni Gerardina , Solari Francesca , Persani Luca , Fugazzola Laura , Campi Irene
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The clinical outcome of COVID-19 disease is worse in males, and the reasons of this gender disparity are currently unclear, though evidences point to a combination of biological and gender-specific factors. A phenomenon unique to the female gender is the fetal cell microchimerism (FCM), defined as the presence of fetal microchimeric cells in maternal organs and in the circulation for years after delivery and usually evaluated by assessing the presence of male cells or DNA in a woman. In the present case–control study, we aimed to evaluate the possible effect of pregnancy and related FCM on the susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and on the clinical course and outcome of COVID-19.

Methods

One hundred twenty-three women with a previous male pregnancy, comprising 63 COVID-19 cases and 60 healthy controls were enrolled. The presence of blood male DNA was assessed by the amplification of the Y-chromosome specific gene SRY.

Results

The prevalence of male DNA of presumed fetal origin was significantly higher in healthy controls than in COVID-19 cases (70 vs 44.4%,P = 0.0044; OR 0.3429, 95% CI 0.1631–0.7207,P = 0.0047). Among women affected with COVID-19, the presence of male FCM did not significantly influence the severity of the disease, though the 8 deceased women studied were all FCM negative.

Conclusion

This is the first case–control study reporting the prevalence of FCM in COVID-19 and healthy women. Overall, our data seem to suggest a role for FCM in the protection towards the SARS-CoV-2 infection with a possible positive impact on clinical outcome.
How do sensory features of places impact on spatial exploration of people with autism? A user study
Authors: Cena Federica , Mauro Noemi , Rapp Amon
Published: March 2023

Autism is characterized by peculiar sensory processing. The sensory features of a place may have a crucial impact on the decision a person with autism makes when choosing what to visit in a tourist experience. We present a map-based mobile app, conceived for people with mid to high-functioning autism, which exploits sensory features of places to filter the information displayed and suggest locations that may be suitable for their idiosyncratic needs. The mobile app also exploits the crowdmapping paradigm in order to gather these features from the community of users, since they are not publicly available. We describe the results of a composite user evaluation of the app, made up of a task experiment, a field study, and an online questionnaire, which aims to understand (i) whether the explicit presentation of sensory information impacts the decision of going to a specific place, (ii) if the crowdmapping functionality is used and how and (iii) how people with autism navigate the mobile app. The results confirm the importance of the sensory features for people with autism in the decision to go to a specific place. Moreover, they show that crowdmapping may be a good solution to collect such features, but should be integrated with other methods. Finally, the results show that the preferred modality of exploring information about places is by using the map.
Handlungsempfehlungen für SARS-CoV-2-Testkonzepte für asymptomatische Beschäftigte im Gesundheitswesen
Authors: Liebe Susanne H. , Walendi Anna , Brethfeld Lukas
Published: March 2023

Hintergrund und Zielsetzung

Bei der Umsetzung von SARS-CoV‑2-Testkonzepten in Einrichtungen des Gesundheitswesens kommen ranggleiche Gesetze und Verordnungen zur Anwendung. Vor dem Hintergrund erlebter Hindernisse bei einer adäquaten Umsetzung gesetzlicher Vorgaben in regelkonforme und rechtssichere Prozesse auf betrieblicher Ebene war das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit, dafür konkrete Handlungsempfehlungen zu entwickeln.

Methodik

In einer Fokusgruppe mit Vertreter*innen aus Behörden, Fachschaften und Interessenvertretungen wurden auf Basis von Leitfragen aus zuvor identifizierten Handlungsfeldern in einem holistischen Ansatz kritische Aspekte der Umsetzung diskutiert. Die transkribierten Inhalte wurden anhand deduktiv-induktiver Kategorienbildung qualitativ analysiert.

Ergebnisse

Alle Diskussionsinhalte konnten den identifizierten Kategorien Gesetzliche Hintergründe von, Anforderungen an und Zielrichtungen für Testkonzepte in Gesundheitseinrichtungen, Zuständigkeiten für Umsetzung in betrieblichen Entscheidungsketten sowie Implementierung von SARS-CoV-2-Testkonzepten/Testprozessen zugeordnet werden.

Implikationen

Die Umsetzung gesetzlicher Vorgaben in regelkonforme und rechtssichere SARS-CoV-2-Testkonzepte in Einrichtungen des Gesundheitswesens setzt bereits sowohl die Einbeziehung von Ministerien, Fachschaftsvertretungen, Berufsverbänden, Arbeitgeber(AG)- und Arbeitnehmer*innenvertretungen, Datenschutzexpert*innen, Vertretungen möglicher Kostenträger als auch eine integrative und vollzugstaugliche Formulierung von Gesetzen und Verordnungen voraus. Die Definition von Zielrichtungen für Testkonzepte ist maßgeblich für nachfolgend im Betrieb etablierte Prozessabläufe, bei denen Aspekte des Beschäftigtendatenschutzes genauso berücksichtigt werden müssen wie die Bereitstellung zusätzlicher personeller Ressourcen für die Bewältigung der Aufgaben. Zudem muss es in Zukunft ein zentrales Anliegen der Betriebe sein, IT-Schnittstellenlösungen für eine datenschutzkonforme Informationsweitergabe zu Beschäftigten zu finden.
Structure-enhanced pairwise feature learning for face clustering
Authors: Li Shaoying , Li Jie , Wang Bincheng , Yao Wei , Liu Bo
Published: March 2023

Face clustering groups massive unlabeled face images according to their underlying identities and has proven to be a valuable tool for data analysis. Most recent studies have utilized graph convolutional networks (GCNs) to explore the structural properties of faces, thereby effectively achieving improved clustering performance. However, these methods usually suffer from computational intractability for large-scale graphs and tend to be sensitive to some postprocessing thresholds that serve to purify the clustering results. To address these issues, in this paper, we consider each pairwise relationship between two samples as a learning unit and infer clustering assignments by evaluating a group of pairwise connections. Specifically, we propose a novel clustering framework, named structure-enhanced pairwise feature learning (SEPFL), which mixes neighborhood information to adaptively produce pairwise representations for cluster identification. In addition, we design a combined density strategy to select representative pairs, thus ensuring training effectiveness and inference efficiency. The extensive experimental results show that SEPFL achieves better performance than other advanced face clustering techniques.
Creep behavior and permeability evolution of coal pillar dam for underground water reservoir
Authors: Chen Yulong , Hao Xianjie , Xue Dongjie , Li Zhe , Ma Xiaoran
Published: March 2023

Using goof as water storage space plays a vital role in the ecological environment and economic development of arid mining areas, while the rock strength and the stability of coal pillars in underground water reservoirs are closely related to creep process. In this work, triaxial creep-seepage tests were conducted for coal samples to develop new insights into the creep behavior and permeability evolution. The results showed that the creep deformation and permeability evolution of coal samples exhibit three stages, namely, the compaction hardening stage before the stress threshold, volumetric compaction stage, and volumetric dilatancy stage. The coal permeability decreases first and then increases with the creep strain and it is well correlated with the variation of volumetric strain.
Testing the Moral Foundations Questionnaire within a Muslim society: a study among young adults in Pakistan
Authors: Akhtar Nafees , Francis Leslie J. , Village Andrew , Sailer Alison B. , Hasan Syeda Salma , McKenna Ursula
Published: March 2023

This paper examines the psychometric properties of the 30-item Moral Foundations Questionnaire among a sample of 370 young adults between the ages of 18 and 26 years who were born in Punjab and who had lived there since their birth. Initial analyses did not support the internal consistency reliability of the five scales of moral predispositions proposed by this measure. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis identified two factors that distinguished not between areas of moral predisposition, but between the two styles of items (relevance and judgement), each of which included all five predispositions. Correlations with personal religiosity suggested that the scale comprising 12 judgement items (α = .88) was susceptible to religious sentiment, but that the scale comprising 12 relevance items (α = .89) was not. The scale of 12 relevance items is commended for further testing and application within Muslim societies.
Non-denominational RE teaching based on a Christian ethical heritage: the Swedish case
Authors: Franck Olof
Published: March 2023

This article discusses whether there is a contradiction in prescribing a religious, more specifically a Christian, tradition as the ethical basis for a teaching that is prescribed to be non-denominational. In the Swedish curriculum, the ethics borne by a Christian tradition and Western humanism are used as a platform for the school's teaching at the same time as this is not allowed to be of a denominational nature. It has been argued that there is an incompatibility or even an adversarial contradiction here, which must be eliminated by dethroning and removing either of the two poles. The article analyzes such a stance, and it is argued that such a position, indicating general claims, can be said to rest on a weak argumentative base. A critical and complex interpretation of the concepts of non-denominational and denominational teaching, and of intensional and extensional references associated with them, can open up for a less dichotomous positioning.
The fragmentation mechanism of granite in electrical breakdown process of plasma channel drilling
Authors: Liu Weiji , Hu Hai , Zhu Xiaohua , Luo Yunxu , Chen Mengqiu
Published: March 2023

Low rate of penetration (ROP) and high drilling cost are the key problems that encountered in hot dry rock (HDR) geothermal resources exploitation and utilization. Plasma channel drilling (PCD) is a potential technology which has the advantages of high rock-breaking efficiency and ROP. A detailed understanding of the rock-breaking of PCD is essential to optimize the electrical parameters and bit structure. Therefore, this paper uses the probabilistic evolution model and thermo-mechanical coupling model in PFC2D to reveal the generation of plasma channel trajectory and cracks in heterogeneous granite under the high-voltage electric pulse. The results show that increasing temperature on the plasma channel will not alter the trend of initiation and propagation of cracks, but simply reduces the time consumption of crack initiation. The quantity of intragranular shear cracks is always the largest, and they are mainly distributed around the channel. In addition, compared with plasma channels formed when complete electrical breakdown occurs, the maximum depth of the channels of partial electrical breakdown is larger under the same electrode gap. This study also includes an experimental program to examine the granite fragmentation and borehole generation caused by an electrode bit. The research results can provide new ideas and methods for improving the drilling efficiency of HDR formation, and help to design the structural of drill bits based on PCD technology.
Wiedergänger der Geistesgeschichte
Authors: Geulen Eva
Published: March 2023

Bei näherer Betrachtung erweist sich die bestens erforschte Dekade der deutschen Geistesgeschichte als ein sehr heterogenes Gebilde ohne einheitliche Methode und einheitlichen Diskursraum, philosophischer oder anderer Provenienz. Gleichwohl kann man heute eine Wiederkehr lange dämonisierter Aspekte der Geistesgeschichte beobachten: Aktuelle Epochen- und Großbegriffe (Anthropozän, Diversität, Ökologie) erscheinen als revenants des hochgradig absorptionsfähigen und eben deshalb schwammigen Geistbegriffs. Dagegen plädiert der Beitrag für eine Rückbesinnung auf das von der Geistesgeschichte aufgeworfene und bis heute ungelöste Problem der Literaturgeschichte.
Psychometric Properties of the Portuguese Version of The PERMA-Profiler
Authors: Alves Marcela Almeida , Palmer Stephen , Gouveia Maria João
Published: March 2023

This study evaluates the psychometric properties of a Portuguese version of The PERMA Profiler in a sample of 1258 Portuguese adults (72.3% females) with a mean age of 36.74 years (SD = 11.313). The PERMA Profiler is a questionnaire that assesses the five dimensions of psychological flourishing, according to Seligman’s well-being theory. According to this theory, the well-being pillars known by the acronym PERMA are positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test Seligman’s model. Results support a reasonable model fit for the five-factor model, but based on the results of bootstrap sample analysis the model was not confirmed. There is also a lack of discriminant validity between PERMA constructs and a lack of validity and reliability of engagement factor. Internal consistency was satisfactory for all five sub-scales, except for engagement. Concurrent validity was demonstrated through the strong and very strong correlations between the PERMA factors and Flourishing Scale. A Portuguese version of The PERMA Profiler is a new tool to assist researchers to refine the measurement and understanding of well-being in Portuguese cultures. Future recommendations and limitations are highlighted.
Situating the silencing and de-silencing of traumatic memories in 2016 students’ protests in Hyderabad, India: an auto-ethnographic analysis
Authors: Chakraborty Tirthankar
Published: March 2023

Psychologists, anthropologists, and historians have researched, revered, and replenished the past. Although the substance of their research is the same, their respective interpretations of the retrieved objects paint a plethora of images. This paper is a peek into the process of silencing and articulating memories. Both silencing and expression of memories are facilitated by temporal and spatial conditionalities, as would be argued here. With the help of an activist petition written by the author during the anti-Caste Discrimination Students’ Movement, known as “Justice for Rohith Vemula”, at the University of Hyderabad (India) in 2016, this study not only delves into the realms of individual memory but also critically evaluates the carrier of the memory undergoing the act of silencing and de-silencing (expression). As the Indian state brutally crushed the protest, the embodied memories carry the mark of the state’s brutality. This paper seeks to ask why and how memories and experiences are silenced, and how those memories find conduits for expression through narratives. How does trauma facilitate the silencing and anticipate the de-silencing of memory? Although the reading of trauma and memory as constitutive of each other helps us to place the narrative within a theoretical debate, the analysis of the author’s petition as an ‘evocative autoethnography’ helps to construct and follow the making and un-making of silence and expression and goes beyond the individual carrier of the traumatic memories. The petition serves as an ‘emotional recall’ and allows the author to enact the felt-emotions that engender the traumatic memory.
Recent progress on coherent computation based on quantum squeezing
Authors: Lu Bo , Liu Lu , Song Jun-Yang , Wen Kai , Wang Chuan
Published: March 2023

Squeezed vacuum state of light is an important concept of quantum optics which has an uncertainty reduction in a specific quadrature compared to the coherent vacuum state. The coherent Ising machines (CIMs) based on the squeezed state are capable of searching the ground state of the Ising model, which can be used to solve combinatorial optimization problems and have been experimentally demonstrated to have excellent computational performance. This review introduces the recent progress of a CIM hardware solver based on optical parametric oscillators, including the delayed optical path scheme and a measurement feedback scheme. Also, the basic principles, unique advantages, and potential challenges are described. We expect that the applications of large-scale CIM hardware solvers will have a huge impact on the acceleration of the computation power.
Developing a multi-objective flexible job shop scheduling optimization model using Lexicographic procedure considering transportation time
Authors: Al-Ashhab Mohamed Sayed , Alhejaili Abdulrahman Fayez , Munshi Shadi M.
Published: March 2023

A multi-objective flexible job shop scheduling problem (FJSSP) that considers transportation time using mathematical programming is proposed to optimise three conflicting objectives: minimising makespan, total cost, and total lateness. The proposed model was developed and verified in three stages. In the first stage, only one objective was considered. The minimisation of the makespan and total cost was considered separately in the first stage. In the second stage, only two objectives were considered. In this stage, the minimisation of the makespan and total cost was considered instantaneously. In the third stage, a model was developed to optimise the three objectives. The proposed model was formulated using mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) and solved using the DICOPT solver based on general algebraic modelling system (GAMS) optimisation software. This model includes the transportation times between machines in the FJSSP, and the problem is called the “flexible job shop scheduling problem with transportation time” (TT-FJSSP). The proposed model gave better results in comparison with the other recent developed models. The effect of changing the maximum allowable deviation when optimising the three objectives was studied to achieve more-practical results.
Chemo-immunotherapy in advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: present and future
Authors: Wang Zi-Xian , Xu Rui-Hua
Published: March 2023

With the recent progress in scientific research, the combination of chemotherapy and PD-1 blockade has become the new standard-of-care first-line treatment for patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. This short review highlights the recent important findings and challenges regarding the optimal chemotherapy backbone in combination with PD-1 blockade, biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of chemo-immunotherapy, treatment strategies beyond chemo-immunotherapy, and secondary resistance to chemo-immunotherapy in advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Hydrology
Authors: Brutsaert Wilfried
Published: March 2023

Wilfried Brutsaert (2022 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate) has revised and updated his classic textbook to take into account recent developments, while retaining the rigor and structure of the previous edition to introduce the fundamental principles of hydrology. New topics include the response of the global water cycle to climate change, the land surface energy budget closure, snow melt, groundwater trends and statistical surface variability with disturbed atmospheric boundary layers. Hydrologic phenomena are dealt with at the spatial and temporal scales at which they occur in nature. The physics and mathematics necessary to describe these phenomena are introduced and developed: readers will require a working knowledge of calculus and basic fluid mechanics. This classroom-tested textbook – based on the author's long-running course at Cornell - is invaluable for entry-level courses in hydrology directed at advanced undergraduate and graduate students in physical science and engineering. In addition, it is also a great reference text for practising scientists and engineers.
Isabel Allende's House of the Spirits Trilogy
Authors: Martin Karen Wooley
Published: March 2023

The source of the narrative energy that creates such absorbing stories.
Monsters, Gender and Sexuality in Medieval English Literature
Authors: Oswald Dana M.
Published: March 2023

A gendered reading of monster and the monstrous body in medieval literature.
Utility of Sensory Nerve Conduction Study in Radiologically Positive Lumbosacral Plexopathy
Authors: Lo Yew Long , Tan Yam Eng , Hwang Ruby , Teng Peggy Pei Chee
Published: March 2023

MRI is the most appropriate imaging method for visual evaluation of lumbosacral plexopathy (LSP) and a reference for comparing with nerve conduction study (NCS). Eight patients with clinical, electrophysiological, and lumbosacral plexus MRI findings suggestive of LSP were prospectively recruited. Saphenous nerve abnormalities were present in seven patients (88%), compared to three for the superficial fibular (38%), and three for the sural nerve (38%). MRI showed tumor, hematoma, abscess, contrast enhancement, or hyperintense signals on the T2-weighted sequences. The SN has the highest yield in MRI positive LSP and may be a vital adjunct for electrophysiological evaluation of LSP.
An iterative regulatory process for robot governance
Authors: Drukarch Hadassah , Calleja Carlos , Fosch-Villaronga Eduard
Published: March 2023

There is an increasing gap between the policy cycle’s speed and that of technological and social change. This gap is becoming broader and more prominent in robotics, that is, movable machines that perform tasks either automatically or with a degree of autonomy. This is because current legislation was unprepared for machine learning and autonomous agents. As a result, the law often lags behind and does not adequately frame robot technologies. This state of affairs inevitably increases legal uncertainty. It is unclear what regulatory frameworks developers have to follow to comply, often resulting in technology that does not perform well in the wild, is unsafe, and can exacerbate biases and lead to discrimination. This paper explores these issues and considers the background, key findings, and lessons learned of the LIAISON project, which stands for “Liaising robot development and policymaking,” and aims to ideate an alignment model for robots’ legal appraisal channeling robot policy development from a hybrid top-down/bottom-up perspective to solve this mismatch. As such, LIAISON seeks to uncover to what extent compliance tools could be used as data generators for robot policy purposes to unravel an optimal regulatory framing for existing and emerging robot technologies.
Mapping the shape and dimension of three-dimensional Lagrangian coherent structures and invariant manifolds
Authors: Aksamit Nikolas Olson
Published: March 2023

We introduce maps of Cauchy–Green strain tensor eigenvalues to barycentric coordinates to quantify and visualize the full geometry of three-dimensional deformation in stationary and non-stationary fluid flows. As a natural extension of Lagrangian coherent structure diagnostics, which provide separate scalar fields and a one-dimensional quantification of fluid deformation, our barycentric mapping visualizes the role of all three Cauchy–Green eigenvalues (or rates of stretching) in a single plot through a novel stretching coordinate system. The coordinate system is based on the distance from three distinct limiting states of deformation that correspond with the dimension of the underlying invariant manifolds. One-dimensional axisymmetric deformation (sphere to rod deformation) corresponds to one-dimensional unstable manifolds, two-dimensional axisymmetric deformation (sphere to disk deformation) corresponds to two-dimensional unstable manifolds and the rare three-dimensional isometric case (sphere to sphere translation and rotation) corresponds to shear-free elliptic Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs). We provide methods to visualize the degree to which fluid deformation approximates these limiting states, and tools to quantify differences between flows based on the compositional geometry of invariant manifolds in the flow. We also develop a simple analogue for bilinearly representing and plotting both rates of stretching and rotation as a single vector. As with other LCS techniques, these diagnostics define frame-indifferent material features in the flow. We provide multiple computed examples of LCS and momentum transport barriers, and show advantages over other coherent structure diagnostics.
A NOTE ON GENERALISED WALL–SUN–SUN PRIMES
Authors: HARRINGTON JOSHUA , JONES LENNY
Published: March 2023

Letaandbbe positive integers and let$\{U_n\}_{n\ge 0}$be the Lucas sequence of the first kind defined by$$ \begin{align*}U_0=0,\quad U_1=1\quad \mbox{and} \quad U_n=aU_{n-1}+bU_{n-2} \quad \mbox{for }n\ge 2.\end{align*} $$

We define an$(a,b)$-Wall–Sun–Sun primeto be a primepsuch that$\gcd (p,b)=1$and$\pi (p^2)=\pi (p),$where$\pi (p):=\pi _{(a,b)}(p)$is the length of the period of$\{U_n\}_{n\ge 0}$modulop. When$(a,b)=(1,1)$, such primes are known in the literature simply asWall–Sun–Sun primes. In this note, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions such that a primepdividing$a^2+4b$is an$(a,b)$-Wall–Sun–Sun prime.
Effects of chemical weathering on the exceptional preservation of mineralized insects from the Crato Formation, Cretaceous of Brazil: implications for late diagenesis of fine-grained Lagerstätten deposits
Authors: Bezerra Francisco Irineudo , da Silva João Hermínio , Agressot Enzo Victorino Hernández , Freire Paulo Tarso C. , Viana Bartolomeu Cruz , Mendes Márcio
Published: March 2023

Many studies have improved our understanding of the mode of preservation at the Crato fossil Lagerstätte. The high degree of preservation of the Crato mineralized insects is thought to be a consequence of the diffusion of ions through carcasses and envelopment by bacteria that, in turn, created microenvironmental conditions that led to mineralization, mainly pyritization. Pyritized insects have been oxidized by in situ weathering to more stable oxide/hydroxy minerals during Quaternary time. This transformation is essential to maintain the palaeontological information acquired during microbially induced pyritization in an oxidizing atmosphere. However, intense weathering can diminish or obscure the morphological fidelity, and little attention has been paid to the post-diagenetic processes experienced by these fossils. Here, we aim to determine the degree of alteration undergone by Crato pyritized insects using the following combination of analytical tools: scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Our results show that well-preserved insects are preferentially replaced by haematite and poorly preserved fossils are replaced by goethite. In addition, we recorded three types of post-diagenetic alteration: insects with iron-oxide overgrowths; insects associated with black coatings, sometimes with the formation of dendrites; and insects preserved as an impression, where only the outline of the body remains. All of these alterations have the potential to distort or tarnish palaeontological information. Here, we measured the effects of such telodiagenetic alterations at macro and micro scales. Therefore, this taphonomic approach has wide applicability wherever fine-grained deposits bearing mineralized insects are found.
CELEBRATING DEATH AT THE SANCTUARY OF ORTHIA: APROTHESISSCENE, THE IVORY CORPUS AND RITUAL LANDSCAPES IN THE ARCHAIC PERIOD
Authors: Daniels Megan
Published: March 2023

The corpus of carved ivories from the sanctuary of Orthia at Sparta forms one of the most cosmopolitan assemblages from Archaic Laconia. One image within this corpus, however, has remained an anomaly: a mirror-image scene on two plaques showing three figures mourning a deceased male in theprothesisritual. The puzzling nature of these plaques rests on the dearth of imagery elsewhere in Laconia from this period displaying the prothesis, unlike Attica. These images have been viewed as representing a mythical death or a commemoration of an actual death, tied to a period in Sparta's history when elite groups claimed power through ostentatious ritual, but their overall meaning within Orthia's sanctuary remains obscure. I argue, however, that these plaques are not anomalies within the ivory corpus, nor are they divorced from the broader ritual programme in Orthia's sanctuary – rather, the ivory corpus itself represents a unified composition that merged scenes showing ideal activities for Spartan citizens with heroic episodes from myth, geared towards the achievement of everlastingkléos. The semantics of these combined iconographies are clarified via comparison with cultic implements described in ancient literature alongside extant examples of multi-scene figural pottery from the seventh and sixth centuries. This paper thus highlights the mythological and ideological meanings of theprothesisplaques within the broader ivory corpus, and elucidates the role of complex figural iconographies in the elaboration of heroic ideals centred on Spartan citizens in this period.
Doing Utopia: Radical utopian communities, mobility, and the body in the early twentieth century
Authors: Kramm Robert
Published: March 2023

This article analyses communal projects in the first half of the twentieth century. It investigates communes in various places of the non-Western world, including the Tolstoy Farm in South Africa, the Nōson Seinen Sha’s anarchist commune in imperial Japan, and the Rastafarian Pinnacle Commune on Jamaica. At first glance these communes seem completely unrelated as they emerged in distinct cultural and historical contexts. However, bringing them into conversation demonstrates that these communes equally showcase a high degree of integration into global structural transformations of the early twentieth century. Mobility and the body are applied as analytical perspectives to underscore, firstly, the similarity and connectivity of these otherwise very different and distinctive communal projects. Secondly, mobility and the body also illustrate the importance of doing utopia, acknowledging historical experience and practice beyond established analysis of utopia that are too often concerned with mapping utopia’s discursive formation. And finally, this article complements transnational comparative and global connected history by accentuating similarity and the interplay of integration and marginality as analytical tools to narrate a decentred global history.
Immunotherapy and Gastrointestinal Toxicities
Authors: Simand Pierre-François , Baudoux Nathalie , Kössler Thibaud
Published: March 2023

Abstract. Gastrointestinal toxicities secondary to immune checkpoint inhibitors are very frequent. Because in some instances this can be severe or fatal, it is essential to be able to identify immune-related adverse events rapidly. Prompt initiation of systemic immunosuppression can improve outcomes. A biopsy is often necessary to confirm the diagnosis of immune-related adverse events. Moderate or severe irAEs need an interruption of ICI. After the resolution of the toxicities, the rechallenge of immune checkpoint inhibitors must be discussed case by case.
Side Effects of Cancer Immunotherapies: Dermatologic and Rheumatologic Toxicities
Authors: Frisone Daniele , Chappuis Pierre O.
Published: March 2023

Abstract. Dermatologic and rheumatologic toxicities are frequent adverse events during treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors in oncology. Timely identification of these events and the referral to the oncologist or dermatologist are important in daily practice, such an organ damage involvements can be severe and sometimes life-threatening. The diagnosis and management of cutaneous toxicities, such as maculopapular rash and bullous dermatitis in particular, must be based on the body surface affected by skin lesions. Corticosteroids are basic treatment in moderate to severe cases. Rheumatologic toxicities are rarer and more heterogeneous, and they are often underestimated. They can occur in the absence of autoantibodies, and myositis can be life-threatening.
Quantifying the Fingerprint of Oceanic Moisture Source Conditions in Deuterium and 17O Excess Parameters of Precipitation
Authors: Xia Zhengyu
Published: March 2023

The deuterium excess (d‐excess) and more recently developed 17O excess (Δ′17O) of precipitation are isotopic tracers that are sensitive to oceanic moisture source (OMS) conditions. However, other regional and local processes also affect precipitation d‐excess and Δ′17O and may modify or overprint their OMS signals. Here, I leverage the new atmospheric moisture flow data set to diagnose the OMS regions and conditions globally and show that OMS temperature and relative humidity together explain 41% of the variability in monthly mean precipitation d‐excess in low‐ and mid‐latitudes. Based on a few sites currently having paired d‐excess and Δ′17O data, I also show that the contrasting sensitivity between d‐excess and Δ′17O to OMS temperature, which is initially predicted by theory, is distinguishable from precipitation observations under annual mean conditions. This study contributes to disentangling the complex controls on precipitation d‐excess and Δ′17O by quantifying the crucial role of OMS dynamics.
On the Morphodynamics of a Wide Class of Large‐Scale Meandering Rivers: Insights Gained by Coupling LES With Sediment‐Dynamics
Authors: Khosronejad Ali , Limaye Ajay B. , Zhang Zexia , Kang Seokkoo , Yang Xiaolei , Sotiropoulos Fotis
Published: March 2023

In meandering rivers, interactions between flow, sediment transport, and bed topography affect diverse processes, including bedform development and channel migration. Predicting how these interactions affect the spatial patterns and magnitudes of bed deformation in meandering rivers is essential for various river engineering and geoscience problems. Computational fluid dynamics simulations can predict river morphodynamics at fine temporal and spatial scales but have traditionally been challenged by the large scale of natural rivers. We conducted coupled large‐eddy simulation and bed morphodynamics simulations to create a unique database of hydro‐morphodynamic data sets for 42 meandering rivers with a variety of planform shapes and large‐scale geometrical features that mimic natural meanders. For each simulated river, the database includes (a) bed morphology, (b) three‐dimensional mean velocity field, and (c) bed shear stress distribution under bankfull flow conditions. The calculated morphodynamics results at dynamic equilibrium revealed the formation of scour and deposition patterns near the outer and inner banks, respectively, while the location of point bars and scour regions around the apexes of the meander bends is found to vary as a function of the radius of curvature of the bends to the width ratio. A new mechanism is proposed that explains this seemingly paradoxical finding. The high‐fidelity simulation results generated in this work provide researchers and scientists with a rich numerical database for morphodynamics and bed shear stress distributions in large‐scale meandering rivers to enable systematic investigation of the underlying phenomena and support a range of river engineering applications.
How Hail Hazards Are Changing Around the Mediterranean
Authors: Laviola Sante , Monte Giulio , Cattani Elsa , Levizzani Vincenzo
Published: March 2023

A new method for studying hailstorms from space offers more consistent and more complete views of how and where hail forms, and how climate change might influence hail’s impacts in the future.
Inhibition of mitochondrial phosphate carrier prevents high phosphate-induced superoxide generation and vascular calcification
Authors: Thi Nguyen Nhung , Thi Nguyen Tuyet , Nguyen Ha Thu , Lee Ji-Min , Kim Min-Ji , Qi Xu-Feng , Cha Seung-Kuy , Lee In-Kyu , Park Kyu-Sang
Published: March 2023

Vascular calcification is a serious complication of hyperphosphatemia that causes cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have reported that plasmalemmal phosphate (Pi) transporters, such as PiT-1/2, mediate depolarization, Ca2+ influx, oxidative stress, and calcific changes in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). However, the pathogenic mechanism of mitochondrial Pi uptake in vascular calcification associated with hyperphosphatemia has not been elucidated. We demonstrated that the phosphate carrier (PiC) is the dominant mitochondrial Pi transporter responsible for high Pi-induced superoxide generation, osteogenic gene upregulation, and calcific changes in primary VSMCs isolated from rat aortas. Notably, acute incubation with high Pi markedly increased the protein abundance of PiC via ERK1/2- and mTOR-dependent translational upregulation. Genetic suppression of PiC prevented Pi-induced ERK1/2 activation, superoxide production, osteogenic differentiation, and vascular calcification of VSMCs in vitro and aortic rings ex vivo. Pharmacological inhibition of mitochondrial Pi transport using butyl malonate (BMA) or mersalyl abolished all pathologic changes involved in high Pi-induced vascular calcification. BMA or mersalyl also effectively prevented osteogenic gene upregulation and calcification of aortas from 5/6 subtotal nephrectomized mice fed a high-Pi diet. Our results suggest that mitochondrial Pi uptake via PiC is a critical molecular mechanism mediating mitochondrial superoxide generation and pathogenic calcific changes, which could be a novel therapeutic target for treating vascular calcification associated with hyperphosphatemia.
The association between erosive toothwear and asthma – is it significant? A meta-analysis
Authors: Sivaramakrishnan Gowri , Sridharan Kannan , Alsobaiei Muneera
Published: March 2023

Background

The association of asthma with oral conditions such as dental caries, dental erosion, periodontal diseases and oral mucosal changes has been the subject of debate among dental practitioners. Existing evidence indicates that an inhaler is the most common and effective way of delivering the asthma medications directly into the lungs. Few studies in the past attributed this association to the changes in salivary flow caused due to these medications. Considering this unclear association, the aim of the present meta-analyses is to identify the association between erosive toothwear and asthma from individual studies conducted until date.

Methodology

Electronic databases were systematically searched until 30th September 2022. Articles identified using the search strategy were imported to RAYYAN systematic review software. Data was extracted relating to study design, geographic location, year of publication, sample size, the assessment method for erosive toothwear and asthma. The Newcastle Ottawa scale was utilized to assess the quality of evidence reported from the included studies. RevMan Version 5.3 was used to perform a random-effects meta-analysis to produce pooled estimates from OR and 95% CI of included studies. The I² statistic was used to determine the extent of heterogeneity. A funnel plot was generated to visually assess the potential for publication bias. Sensitivity analyses were performed by excluding individual studies one at a time. GRADE approach was used for grading the evidence for key comparisons.

Results

Twelve articles were included in the final meta-analysis. A total of 1027 asthmatics and 5617 non-asthmatics were included. All studies demonstrated moderate to low risk of bias. The overall pooled estimate (OR: 2.03; 95% CI: 0.96, 4.29) and subgroup analyses in children (OR: 1.67; 95% CI: 0.63, 4.42) did not show statistically significant difference in the occurrence of dental erosion between the asthmatic and non-asthmatic group. However, asthmatic adults had significantly greater dental erosion in comparison to the control adults (OR: 2.76; 95% CI: 1.24, 6.16). Sensitivity analyses also provided inconclusive evidence. Funnel plot asymmetry indicated significant heterogeneity, changes in effect size and selective publication.

Conclusion

The association between inhalational asthmatic medication and tooth wear is inconclusive. There are a number of confounding factors that play a greater role in causing dental erosion in these patients. Dentist must pay particular attention to these factors while treating asthmatic patients. The authors produce a comprehensive checklist in order to ensure complete assessment before providing advice on their medications alone.
Genomic attributes of Vibrio cholerae O1 responsible for 2022 massive cholera outbreak in Bangladesh
Authors: Monir Md Mamun , Islam Mohammad Tarequl , Mazumder Razib , Mondal Dinesh , Nahar Kazi Sumaita , Sultana Marzia , Morita Masatomo , Ohnishi Makoto , Huq Anwar , Watanabe Haruo , Qadri Firdausi , Rahman Mustafizur , Thomson Nicholas , Seed Kimberley , Colwell Rita R. , Ahmed Tahmeed , Alam Munirul
Published: March 2023

In 2022, one of its worst cholera outbreaks began in Bangladesh and the icddr,b Dhaka hospital treated more than 1300 patients and ca. 42,000 diarrheal cases from March-1 to April-10, 20221. Here, we present genomic attributes of V. cholerae O1 responsible for the 2022 Dhaka outbreak and 960 7th pandemic El Tor (7PET) strains from 88 countries. Results show strains isolated during the Dhaka outbreak cluster with 7PET wave-3 global clade strains, but comprise subclade BD-1.2, for which the most recent common ancestor appears to be that responsible for recent endemic cholera in India. BD-1.2 strains are present in Bangladesh since 2016, but not establishing dominance over BD-2 lineage strains2 until 2018 and predominantly associated with endemic cholera. In conclusion, the recent shift in lineage and genetic attributes, including serotype switching of BD-1.2 from Ogawa to Inaba, may explain the increasing number of cholera cases in Bangladesh.
Inhibition of ALKBH5 attenuates I/R-induced renal injury in male mice by promoting Ccl28 m6A modification and increasing Treg recruitment
Authors: Chen Juntao , Xu Cuidi , Yang Kun , Gao Rifeng , Cao Yirui , Liang Lifei , Chen Siyue , Xu Shihao , Rong Ruiming , Wang Jina , Zhu Tongyu
Published: March 2023

Ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is a common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). The role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification in AKI remains unclear. Here, we characterize the role of AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5) and m6A modification in an I/R-induced renal injury model in male mice. Alkbh5-knockout mice exhibit milder pathological damage and better renal function than wild-type mice post-IRI, whereas Alkbh5-knockin mice show contrary results. Also conditional knockout of Alkbh5 in the tubular epithelial cells alleviates I/R-induced AKI and fibrosis. CCL28 is identified as a target of ALKBH5. Furthermore, Ccl28 mRNA stability increases with Alkbh5 deficiency, mediating by the binding of insulin-like growth factor 2 binding protein 2. Treg recruitment is upregulated and inflammatory cells are inhibited by the increased CCL28 level in IRI-Alkbh5fl/flKspCre mice. The ALKBH5 inhibitor IOX1 exhibits protective effects against I/R-induced AKI. In summary, inhibition of ALKBH5 promotes the m6A modifications of Ccl28 mRNA, enhancing its stability, and regulating the Treg/inflammatory cell axis. ALKBH5 and this axis is a potential AKI treatment target.
Structural details of a Class B GPCR-arrestin complex revealed by genetically encoded crosslinkers in living cells
Authors: Aydin Yasmin , Böttke Thore , Lam Jordy Homing , Ernicke Stefan , Fortmann Anna , Tretbar Maik , Zarzycka Barbara , Gurevich Vsevolod V. , Katritch Vsevolod , Coin Irene
Published: March 2023

Understanding the molecular basis of arrestin-mediated regulation of GPCRs is critical for deciphering signaling mechanisms and designing functional selectivity. However, structural studies of GPCR-arrestin complexes are hampered by their highly dynamic nature. Here, we dissect the interaction of arrestin-2 (arr2) with the secretin-like parathyroid hormone 1 receptor PTH1R using genetically encoded crosslinking amino acids in live cells. We identify 136 intermolecular proximity points that guide the construction of energy-optimized molecular models for the PTH1R-arr2 complex. Our data reveal flexible receptor elements missing in existing structures, including intracellular loop 3 and the proximal C-tail, and suggest a functional role of a hitherto overlooked positively charged region at the arrestin N-edge. Unbiased MD simulations highlight the stability and dynamic nature of the complex. Our integrative approach yields structural insights into protein-protein complexes in a biologically relevant live-cell environment and provides information inaccessible to classical structural methods, while also revealing the dynamics of the system.
Circulating tumor DNA reveals complex biological features with clinical relevance in metastatic breast cancer
Authors: Prat Aleix , Brasó-Maristany Fara , Martínez-Sáez Olga , Sanfeliu Esther , Xia Youli , Bellet Meritxell , Galván Patricia , Martínez Débora , Pascual Tomás , Marín-Aguilera Mercedes , Rodríguez Anna , Chic Nuria , Adamo Barbara , Paré Laia , Vidal Maria , Margelí Mireia , Ballana Ester , Gómez-Rey Marina , Oliveira Mafalda , Felip Eudald , Matito Judit , Sánchez-Bayona Rodrigo , Suñol Anna , Saura Cristina , Ciruelos Eva , Tolosa Pablo , Muñoz Montserrat , González-Farré Blanca , Villagrasa Patricia , Parker Joel S. , Perou Charles M. , Vivancos Ana
Published: March 2023

Liquid biopsy has proven valuable in identifying individual genetic alterations; however, the ability of plasma ctDNA to capture complex tumor phenotypes with clinical value is unknown. To address this question, we have performed 0.5X shallow whole-genome sequencing in plasma from 459 patients with metastatic breast cancer, including 245 patients treated with endocrine therapy and a CDK4/6 inhibitor (ET + CDK4/6i) from 2 independent cohorts. We demonstrate that machine learning multi-gene signatures, obtained from ctDNA, identify complex biological features, including measures of tumor proliferation and estrogen receptor signaling, similar to what is accomplished using direct tumor tissue DNA or RNA profiling. More importantly, 4 DNA-based subtypes, and a ctDNA-based genomic signature tracking retinoblastoma loss-of-heterozygosity, are significantly associated with poor response and survival outcome following ET + CDK4/6i, independently of plasma tumor fraction. Our approach opens opportunities for the discovery of additional multi-feature genomic predictors coming from ctDNA in breast cancer and other cancer-types.
Transgenic NADH dehydrogenase restores oxygen regulation of breathing in mitochondrial complex I-deficient mice
Authors: Jiménez-Gómez Blanca , Ortega-Sáenz Patricia , Gao Lin , González-Rodríguez Patricia , García-Flores Paula , Chandel Navdeep , López-Barneo José
Published: March 2023

The hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) is a life-saving reflex, triggered by the activation of chemoreceptor glomus cells in the carotid body (CB) connected with the brainstem respiratory center. The molecular mechanisms underlying glomus cell acute oxygen (O2) sensing are unclear. Genetic disruption of mitochondrial complex I (MCI) selectively abolishes the HVR and glomus cell responsiveness to hypoxia. However, it is unknown what functions of MCI (metabolic, proton transport, or signaling) are essential for O2 sensing. Here we show that transgenic mitochondrial expression of NDI1, a single-molecule yeast NADH/quinone oxidoreductase that does not directly contribute to proton pumping, fully recovers the HVR and glomus cell sensitivity to hypoxia in MCI-deficient mice. Therefore, maintenance of mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase activity and the electron transport chain are absolutely necessary for O2-dependent regulation of breathing. NDI1 expression also rescues other systemic defects caused by MCI deficiency. These data explain the role of MCI in acute O2 sensing by arterial chemoreceptors and demonstrate the optimal recovery of complex organismal functions by gene therapy.