bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An investment case analysis for the prevention and treatment of adolescent mental disorders and suicide in England
Authors: Jackson-Morris Angela , Meyer Christina L , Morgan Antony , Stelmach Rachel , Jamison Leah , Currie Candace
Published: November 2023

Background

Adolescent mental health (AMH) needs in England have increased dramatically and needs exceed treatment availability. This study undertook a comparative assessment of the health and economic return on investment (ROI) of interventions to prevent and treat mental disorders among adolescents (10–19 years) and examined intervention affordability and readiness.

Methods

Interventions were identified following a review of published and grey literature. A Markov model followed a simulated adolescent cohort to estimate implementation costs and health, education, and economic benefits. Intervention affordability was assessed, comparing annual cost per adolescent with NHS England per capita spending, and an expert panel assessed intervention readiness using a validated framework.

Results

Over 10- and 80-year horizons, interventions to treat mild anxiety and mild depression were most cost-effective, with the highest individual lifetime ROI (GBP 5822 GBP 1 and GBP 257: GBP 1). Preventing anxiety and depression was most affordable and ‘implementation ready’ and offered the highest health and economic benefits. A priority package (anxiety and depression prevention; mild anxiety and mild depression treatment) would avert 5 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYS) and achieve an ROI of GBP 15: GBP 1 over 10 years or 11.5 million DALYs (ROI of GBP 55: GBP 1) over 80 years.

Conclusion

The economic benefits from preventing and treating common adolescent mental disorders equivalent to 25% of NHS England’s annual spending in 2021 over 10 years and 91% over 80 years. Preventing and early treatment for anxiety and depression had the highest ROIs and strong implementation readiness.
The effects of arginine phosphate (ArGrow® Granulat) on growth of Scots pine and Norway spruce seedlings planted in varying soil layer structures simulating site preparation
Authors: Luoranen Jaana , Saksa Timo
Published: November 2023

The pressure to plant seedlings in unprepared instead of prepared soil in forest regeneration is increasing, although seedlings’ growth in unprepared soil is poorer. One way to improve seedlings’ growth could be to add arginine phosphate to the planting hole at the time of planting. In field studies, abiotic and biotic damage normally disturbs studies which seek to determine growth effects, especially in unprepared soil. The study’s aims were (i) to clarify whether it was possible to investigate the differences between varying soil layer structures mimicking site preparation methods and seedling treatments in simulated planting places in partly controlled conditions; and (ii) to investigate the effects of arginine phosphate (arGrow® Granulat) on the growth, especially root growth, of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) container seedlings in those simulated planting places. Seedlings of both tree species were planted in 40 l pots sunk partly into the soil in a sandy field. Before planting, pots were filled with soil layers mimicking layers in soil without any site preparation treatment and in spot mounds. After one growing season, the differences in growth parameters between treatments were small in Norway spruce seedlings, and no significant benefits of arginine phosphate were observed. The soil in the spruce pots was fine-textured and contained a thick organic layer. More studies in more common forest soil types suitable for Norway spruce seedlings are needed to be sure about the growth responses. In Scots pine seedlings, adding arginine phosphate granules to the planting holes improved the growth of seedlings at least in the first summer after planting in soil layers mimicking no mechanical site preparation situation, and the growth improvement may even have compensated the mounding effects. In conclusion, mimicking site preparation methods in large pots was a promising method by which the differences between site preparations methods as well as effects of seedling treatments, in our case arginine phosphate, on the growth of conifer seedlings, can be tested.
Lipophorin receptors genetically modulate neurodegeneration caused by reduction of Psn expression in the aging Drosophila brain
Authors: Kang Jongkyun , Zhang Chen , Wang Yuhao , Peng Jian , Berger Bonnie , Perrimon Norbert , Shen Jie
Published: November 2023

Mutations in the Presenilin (PSEN) genes are the most common cause of early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD). Studies in cell culture, in vitro biochemical systems, and knockin mice showed that PSEN mutations are loss-of-function mutations, impairing γ-secretase activity. Mouse genetic analysis highlighted the importance of Presenilin (PS) in learning and memory, synaptic plasticity and neurotransmitter release, and neuronal survival, and Drosophila studies further demonstrated an evolutionarily conserved role of PS in neuronal survival during aging. However, molecular pathways that interact with PS in neuronal survival remain unclear. To identify genetic modifiers that modulate PS-dependent neuronal survival, we developed a new Drosophila  Psn model that exhibits age-dependent neurodegeneration and increases of apoptosis. Following a bioinformatic analysis, we tested top ranked candidate genes by selective knockdown (KD) of each gene in neurons using two independent RNAi lines in Psn KD models. Interestingly, 4 of the 9 genes enhancing neurodegeneration in Psn KD flies are involved in lipid transport and metabolism. Specifically, neuron-specific KD of lipophorin receptors, lpr1 and lpr2, dramatically worsens neurodegeneration in Psn KD flies, and overexpression of lpr1 or lpr2 does not alleviate Psn KD-induced neurodegeneration. Furthermore, lpr1 or lpr2 KD alone also leads to neurodegeneration, increased apoptosis, climbing defects, and shortened lifespan. Lastly, heterozygotic deletions of lpr1 and lpr2 or homozygotic deletions of lpr1 or lpr2 similarly lead to age-dependent neurodegeneration and further exacerbate neurodegeneration in Psn KD flies. These findings show that LpRs modulate Psn-dependent neuronal survival and are critically important for neuronal integrity in the aging brain.
The statistical complexity of early-stopped mirror descent
Authors: Kanade Varun , Rebeschini Patrick , Vaškevičius Tomas
Published: November 2023

Recently there has been a surge of interest in understanding implicit regularization properties of iterative gradient-based optimization algorithms. In this paper, we study the statistical guarantees on the excess risk achieved by early-stopped unconstrained mirror descent algorithms applied to the unregularized empirical risk. We consider the set-up of learning linear models and kernel methods for strongly convex and Lipschitz loss functions while imposing only boundedness conditions on the unknown data-generating mechanism. By completing an inequality that characterizes convexity for the squared loss, we identify an intrinsic link between offset Rademacher complexities and potential-based convergence analysis of mirror descent methods. Our observation immediately yields excess risk guarantees for the path traced by the iterates of mirror descent in terms of offset complexities of certain function classes depending only on the choice of the mirror map, initialization point, step size and the number of iterations. We apply our theory to recover, in a clean and elegant manner via rather short proofs, some of the recent results in the implicit regularization literature while also showing how to improve upon them in some settings.
Impact of pH on the activity of novel cephalosporin cefiderocol in human urine
Authors: Nussbaumer-Pröll Alina Karoline , Eberl Sabine , Schober Christine , Zeitlinger Markus
Published: November 2023

Background

Antimicrobial activity of antibiotics can be impacted by pH, enhancing or reducing their bactericidal properties. Cefiderocol, a novel cephalosporin antibiotic that is among others indicated for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs), lacks data on activity in urine.

Methods

Pooled human urine (iron levels ∼0.05 mg/L/24 h), CAMHB and iron-depleted CAMHB (ID-CAMHB) at pH 5, 7 and 8 served as media. MIC testing was done according to EUCAST with the broth microdilution method for 17 clinical isolates of Escherichia coli and ATCC 25922 (including isolates with ESBL activity), 17 clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and ATCC 700603 (also with ESBL), and 6 clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and ATCC 27853. Time–kill curves (TKCs) were performed for selected strains at pH 5, 7 and 8 in urine.

Results

MIC values in urine, CAMHB and ID-CAMHB exhibited isolate-specific variations when assessed under identical pH conditions, ranging from a 1-fold dilution to changes of up to 4-fold dilutions in either direction. Median MICs of cefiderocol were up to 50-fold higher in pH 5 than in pH 7 for P. aeruginosa isolates and 32-fold higher in E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates. TKCs with 650 and 1300 mg/L cefiderocol in urine showed that ATCC strains were efficiently eradicated despite the pH set.

Conclusions

Acidic pH had a significant negative impact on cefiderocol activity. Yet, after a recommended IV administration of 2 g cefiderocol every 8 h, a concentration of approximately 1300 mg/L can be achieved in urine, suggesting that efficient killing of all tested pathogens could have been possible even under acidic conditions in vivo.
Effects of high levels of zinc oxide and dietary zinc/copper ratios on the metabolism of iron in weaned pigs
Authors: Dalto Danyel Bueno , Audet Isabelle , Matte Jean-Jacques , Lapointe Jérôme
Published: November 2023

The present study compares the use different levels of dietary zinc oxide and zinc/copper ratios on the metabolism of iron (Fe) in weaned pigs. Two experiments were conducted using 120 and 160 weanling piglets (7.96 ± 1.17 kg and 7.81 ± 0.25 kg body weight, respectively) that were randomly assigned to the experimental treatments. Experiment I: diets supplemented with 100, 1,000, and 3,000 mg/kg of zinc (Zn) as ZnO (LZn, MZn, HZn) and 130 mg/kg of copper (Cu) as CuSO4; experiment II: diets supplemented with 100 or 3,000 mg/kg of Zn as ZnO (LZn and HZn) in combination with 6 or 130 mg/kg of Cu as CuSO4 (LCu and HCu). In both experiments, diets had similar levels of supplemental Fe (100 mg/kg of Fe as FeSO4). Piglets were slaughtered at d21 (weaning), d23 (experiment I), d28 (experiment II), d35, and d42 to assess whole blood, serum, and liver Fe concentrations, hemoglobin concentration, and the relative expression of key genes associated with Fe metabolism in jejunum and liver. Whole blood Fe and hemoglobin concentrations (experiment I) as well as serum Fe concentrations (experiments I and II) were not affected by dietary treatments (P ≥ 0.11). Liver Fe concentrations (experiment II) and total liver Fe content (experiments I and II) were lower (P ≤ 0.05) in HZn compared to LZn groups at d42. In both experiments, the mRNA expression of jejunal DMT1 was lowest and that of jejunal FTH1 was highest at d42 (P ≤ 0.04) for HZn piglets. In experiment II only, jejunal FTH1 and FPN1 expression were greater (P ≤ 0.04) in HCu compared to LCu groups at d42. The highest expression of hepatic FTH1 and FPN1 at d35 and d42 (P ≤ 0.02) was detected in HZn piglets in both experiments. For hepatic HAMP, expression values were greater (P = 0.04) at d42 in HZn groups. In conclusion, high dietary ZnO levels impair Fe metabolism but the effects are not intense enough to impact circulating Fe and hemoglobin concentrations.
Feeling the Heat. Mapping the Epigenetic Modifications of Histone during Burn Wound Healing
Authors: Rolim Larissa S A , Nascente Patricia da S , Castilho Rogerio M , Squarize Cristiane H
Published: November 2023

Burn injuries are observed throughout a wide range of ages, with over 1.1 million Americans suffering burns yearly, and half of these require hospitalization. Epigenetic modifications are fast-acting mechanisms that allow the human body to respond and adapt to environmental changes, including burn injuries. There is a lack of understanding of the epigenetic role during burn-induced tissue repair. Here, we characterize the histone modifications that follow burn injury, aiming at future pharmacological intervention using drugs capable of targeting epigenetic events. A clinically relevant porcine burn model was used to recapitulate the skin healing process after the burn. Isolated skin tissues at different time points were used to detect the acetylation levels of histones H3K27, H4K5, H4K8, and H4K12 as significant players of gene transcription using MetaXpress High-Content Imaging Analysis. We observed that the acetylation of histones is dynamically adjusted throughout healing, and its modifications are uniquely expressed according to the anatomical location and time of healing. We also observed that histone H4K5 is the most widely expressed during healing, followed by histone H3K27. We observed that histones expressed in intact skin tissue adjacent to the burn site could sense the burn injury by changing its histone acetylation pattern compared to control skin from uninjured and distant skin. Using a clinically relevant animal model, we have generated a comprehensive landscape of epigenetic modifications during burn healing. Our data will help us identify novel epi-drugs capable of manipulating histone modifications during healing to accelerate the healing process.
Unexpected legacies
Authors: Richards Candace
Published: November 2023

William J. Woodhouse was honorary curator of the Nicholson Museum, University of Sydney, from 1904 until 1937. During his curatorship he undertook a significant acquisition of plaster casts to enhance the representation of Greek and Italian sculpture alongside the existing ceramics collection. At its height the collection included well over 250 plaster casts and reproductions. Today the majority of the cast collection has been deaccessioned and, instead, his personal collections of ceramic sherds and photography, donated after her father’s death by his daughter Liska Woodhouse, have become Woodhouse’s curatorial legacy. This paper introduces Woodhouse’s role as curator, and examines each of his unique collections to analyse how Woodhouse himself conceived of his legacy and the reality represented in the Nicholson collection today. Central to this paper is an exploration of how collecting priorities and the perception of authenticity and narrative value changed in museums of antiquities during the twentieth century.
Stepwise prolongation of overall survival from first to third generation EGFR-TKIs for EGFR mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer: the Tokushukai REAl-world Data project (TREAD 01)
Authors: Uryu Kiyoaki , Imamura Yoshinori , Shimoyama Rai , Mase Takahiro , Fujimura Yoshiaki , Hayashi Maki , Ohtaki Megu , Otani Keiko , Hibino Makoto , Horiuchi Shigeto , Fukui Tomoya , Fukai Ryuta , Chihara Yusuke , Iwase Akihiko , Yamada Noriko , Tamura Yukihiro , Harada Hiromasa , Shinozaki Nobuaki , Tsuya Asuka , Fukuoka Masahiro , Minami Hironobu
Published: November 2023

Objective

The introduction of new-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) has afforded promising overall survival outcomes in clinical trials for non-small-cell lung cancer. We aim to investigate the current adoption rate of these agents and the real-world impact on overall survival among institutions.

Methods

In a nationwide retrospective cohort study of 46 Tokushukai Medical Group hospitals in Japan, we analyzed clinical data of consecutive patients with non-small-cell lung cancer receiving EGFR-TKIs between April 2010 and March 2020. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses examined the associations between overall survival and patient/tumor-related factors and first-line EGFR-TKIs.

Results

A total of 758 patients (58.5% females; median age, 73 years) were included. Of 40 patients diagnosed in 2010, 72.5% received gefitinib, whereas 81.3% of 107 patients diagnosed in 2019 received osimertinib as the first-line EGFR-TKI. With a median follow-up of 15.8 months, the median overall survival was 28.4 months (95% confidence interval, 15.3–31.0). In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, age, body mass index, disease status, EGFR mutational status and first-line epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor were identified as significant prognostic factors after adjusting for background factors including study period, hospital volume and hospital type. The estimated 2-year overall survival rates for gefitinib, erlotinib, afatinib and osimertinib were 70.1% (95% confidence interval 59.7–82.4), 67.8% (95% confidence interval 55.3–83.2), 75.5% (95% confidence interval 64.7–88.0) and 90.8% (95% confidence interval 84.8–97.3), respectively. The median time to treatment failure of gefitinib, erlotinib, afatinib and osimertinib were 12.8, 8.8, 12.0 and 16.9 months or more, respectively.

Conclusions

Our real-world data revealed that the swift and widespread utilization of newer-generation EGFR-TKIs in patients with EGFR mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer, and that these newer-generation EGFR-TKIs can prolong overall survival regardless of hospital volume or type. Therefore, osimertinib could be a reasonable first choice treatment for these patients across various clinical practice settings.
Role of microbiota in radiation-induced small-bowel damage
Authors: Chen Yi-Fan , Li Sung-Chou , Huang Eng-Yen
Published: November 2023

Radiation-induced gastrointestinal damage is a common acute radiation syndrome. Previous studies have highlighted that Galectin-1 and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) are associated with flaking of small intestinal villi and intestinal radioresistance. Therefore, our goal is to study whether gut bacteria regulated by galectin-1 or IL-6 can mitigate radiation-induced small intestine damage. In this study, differences between galectin-1, sgp130-regulated and wild-type (WT) mice were analyzed by microbiome array. The effects of the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio and the proportion of bacterial distribution at the phylum level were observed after 18 Gy whole abdomen radiation. Fecal microbiota transplantation was used to implant radioresistant gut flora into WT mice, and the number of viable small intestinal crypt foci was observed by immunohistochemistry. Fecal transplantation from galectin-1 knockout and sgp130 transgenic mice, with higher radiation resistance, into WT mice significantly increased the number of surviving small intestinal crypts. This radiation resistance, generated through gene regulation, was not affected by the F/B ratio. We initially found that the small intestinal villi of WT mice receiving radioresistant mouse fecal bacteria demonstrated better repair outcomes after radiation exposure. These results indicate the need for a focus on the identification and application of superior radioresistant bacterial strains. In our laboratory, we will further investigate specific radioresistant bacterial strains to alleviate acute side effects of radiation therapy to improve the patients’ immune ability and postoperative quality of life.
Real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy with SyncTraX for primary liver tumors requiring isocenter shift
Authors: Uchinami Yusuke , Miyamoto Naoki , Abo Daisuke , Morita Ryo , Ogawa Koji , Kakisaka Tatsuhiko , Suzuki Ryusuke , Miyazaki Tomohiko , Taguchi Hiroshi , Katoh Norio , Aoyama Hidefumi
Published: November 2023

The SyncTraX series enables real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy through the real-time recognition of a fiducial marker using fluoroscopic images. In this system, the isocenter should be located within approximately 5–7.5 cm from the marker, depending on the version, owing to the limited field of view. If the marker is placed away from the tumor, the isocenter should be shifted toward the marker. This study aimed to investigate stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) outcomes of primary liver tumors treated with SyncTraX in cases where the isocenter was shifted marginally or outside the planning target volume (PTV). Twelve patients with 13 liver tumors were included in the analysis. Their isocenter was shifted toward the marker and was placed marginally or outside the PTV. The prescribed doses were generally 40 Gy in four fractions or 48 Gy in eight fractions. The overall survival (OS) and local control (LC) rates were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. All patients completed the scheduled SBRT. The median distance between the fiducial marker and PTV centroid was 56.0 (interquartile range [IQR]: 52.7–66.7) mm. By shifting the isocenter toward the marker, the median distance between the marker and isocenter decreased to 34.0 (IQR: 33.4–39.7) mm. With a median follow-up period of 25.3 (range: 6.9–70.0) months, the 2-year OS and LC rates were 100.0% (95% confidence interval: 100–100). An isocenter shift makes SBRT with SyncTraX feasible in cases where the fiducial marker is distant from the tumor.
Non-agency interventions for causal mediation in the presence of intermediate confounding
Authors: Díaz Iván
Published: November 2023

Recent approaches to causal inference have focused on causal effects defined as contrasts between the distribution of counterfactual outcomes under hypothetical interventions on the nodes of a graphical model. In this article, we develop theory for causal effects defined with respect to a different type of intervention, one which alters the information propagated through the edges of the graph. These information transfer interventions may be more useful than node interventions in settings in which causes are non-manipulable, for example when considering race or genetics as a causes. Furthermore, information transfer interventions allow us to define path-specific decompositions which are identified in the presence of treatment-induced mediator-outcome confounding, a practical problem whose general solution remains elusive. We prove that the proposed effects provide valid statistical tests of mechanisms, unlike popular methods based on randomised interventions on the mediator. We propose efficient non-parametric estimators for a covariance version of the proposed effects, using data-adaptive regression coupled with semi-parametric efficiency theory to address model misspecification bias while retaining n-consistency and asymptotic normality. We illustrate the use of our methods in two examples using publicly available data.
Module 2: Covid-19 and the Cognitive Behavioral Model
Authors: Jaywant Abhishek , Oberlin Lauren E. , Cherestal Stephanie , Bueno Castellano Christina , Wilkins Victoria M. , Kanellopoulos Dora
Published: November 2023

In this module, the therapist educates clients about the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) model of anxiety and depression after COVID-19. The therapist discusses the physical and medical symptoms of COVID-19 and associated thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that contribute to difficulties in everyday functioning and limit engagement in and adherence to medical interventions. The first session of this module focuses on providing psychoeducation and an introduction to the CBT model. In the second session, the CBT model is reviewed and self-monitoring is introduced for home practice. The chapter also covers the impact of environmental and systemic stressors that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Module 4: Behavioral Activation
Authors: Jaywant Abhishek , Oberlin Lauren E. , Cherestal Stephanie , Bueno Castellano Christina , Wilkins Victoria M. , Kanellopoulos Dora
Published: November 2023

This chapter explains how behavioral activation can address depressive symptoms and isolation following the struggles of adjusting to changes in function from COVID-19. It explains how clients can re-engage with pleasurable activities that they abandoned due to COVID-19. Humans have distinct brain structures responsible for processing rewarding sensations. Thus, meaningful activities provide a sense of achievement that can improve the client's outlook and engagement in life despite the limitations imposed by COVID-19. This module requires two or three sessions, with self-report symptom questionnaires to track symptoms of depression and anxiety. Therapists should remember that some clients may have trouble engaging in some activities due to limited resources and COVID-19-related sequelae.
Module 7: Reframing Unhelpful Thoughts
Authors: Jaywant Abhishek , Oberlin Lauren E. , Cherestal Stephanie , Bueno Castellano Christina , Wilkins Victoria M. , Kanellopoulos Dora
Published: November 2023

This chapter discusses how clients can learn how to observe and reframe unhelpful thoughts so that they can respond more efficiently. Unhelpful thoughts primarily refer to thoughts, interpretations, and beliefs that may be accurate to varying degrees but that perpetuate negative emotions and avoidance behaviors, holding clients back from full recovery. Clients’ emotional distress can include the presence of “thinking traps” or uncertainty about their COVID-19 symptoms, functioning, and prognosis. Three sessions should be spent working on unhelpful thoughts, which also includes the self-report symptom questionnaires to track symptoms of depression and anxiety. Verbalizing may help clients to practice helpful self-talk and deal with unhelpful thoughts in the long term.
Bektashi Sufi Order
Authors: Soileau Mark
Published: November 2023

One of the most famous of the Sufi orders (tarikat) of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey, and the Balkans, the Bektashi order is known for its Shiʿi orientation, its immanentist Sufism, and its free spirit and wit, and is recognizable by the elaborate symbolic costume of its dervishes and babas. While the term “Bektashi” is often used today as if to indicate any tradition related to the 13th-century eponym Haji Bektash Veli, and so including the Kizilbash/Alevis, as well as being used in reference to the tradition under the leadership of the Çelebis, who are considered the descendants of Haji Bektash, the tradition discussed here is the dervish order led by babas (and thus often referred to as Babagân), typified in the premodern period by training in tekkes, non-hereditary membership defined by initiation, and still today recognizable by the costume of its dervishes. The course of this group’s history has certainly crossed and blended with, and emerged from the same historical milieu as, those of the Alevis and Çelebis, so some reference will be made to them in this bibliography. The Bektashi order has been studied especially for its history, its tekkes (convents or lodges), its relationships to the Janissary corps and the Ottoman state, its cult of saints, and its poetry. Studies have been made in English, French, and German, but mostly in Turkish. Many works by and about Bektashis were written in Ottoman-era Turkish in the Arabic-based script, so modern published editions of these often involve transcription into the modern Latin-based alphabet and/or rendering into modern Turkish phraseology.
Wisdom—Greek and Latin
Authors: Uusimäki Elisa
Published: November 2023

All cultures across time and place have held their own notions of wisdom and related concepts such as knowledge or understanding. Biblical scholars have often emphasized and explored the ways in which the ancient Israelite/Jewish wisdom tradition is rooted in and indebted to the Near Eastern (especially Egyptian and Mesopotamian) tradition. Yet it is also part of the eastern Mediterranean world. In this milieu, too, wisdom was discussed and debated in a plethora of contexts, and the Greek and Roman texts on the topic are equally relevant to our understanding of the cross-cultural connections and horizons of Israelite/Jewish wisdom. In these writings, just as in biblical literature, the term wisdom has several connotations, ranging from the cosmic to the ethical. The Greek term translated as “wisdom” (σοφία) can mean cleverness, prudence, knowledge, practical skillfulness, or poetical ability. Similarly, the equivalent Latin term (sapientia) can denote wisdom, reason, discernment, understanding, or judgment. Importantly, the ancient Greek and Latin texts on wisdom do not constitute a coherent category of “wisdom literature” but rather address wisdom in multiple literary contexts ranging from poetry to popular tales and from sayings to philosophical treatises.
Uganda–Tanzania War, 1978–1979
Authors: Thomas Charles
Published: November 2023

The Ugandan-Tanzania War, also known as the Kagera War within Tanzania, was a brief conflict from October 1978 to June 1979. The conflict itself began following a series of provocations by the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, culminating in the invasion of Tanzanian territory bounded by the Kagera River by Ugandan forces. In response, the Tanzanians mobilized their own military as well as several groups of armed Ugandan exiles within Tanzania, eventually expelling the Ugandans from Tanzanian soil before invading Uganda proper and overthrowing Amin’s regime. Despite the transformative nature of this conflict within East Africa, where it caused severe economic consequences in Tanzania and a series of bloody conflicts for political control of Uganda, no formal historiography of the conflict yet exists. Early efforts at creating a general chronicle of the war created what is currently the nationalist narrative, which centers Tanzanian actions. This viewpoint has since been expanded upon in a limited way by scholars who have examined the legal, diplomatic, and humanitarian aspects of the conflict and, more recently, by a series of historical explorations in East African newspapers. Aside from this, the conflict is often mentioned in passing within the more general histories of Tanzania and Uganda, but it is rarely explored beyond the established narrative. As such, it cannot be said that the Uganda-Tanzania War has a robust body of works on it yet; a series of works, ranging from general overviews to epic poems, allow some access to the subject but do not yet offer a larger range of thought that would allow researchers to focus on different interpretations of the conflict or more deeply explore specific aspects. It is hoped that this initial bibliography might be used as a starting point for the development of a more expansive historiography of the conflict in the coming years.
The Dandy
Authors: Adams James Eli
Published: November 2023

The dandy is a central figure in 19th-century constructions of masculinity and social class, associated principally with men who devote fastidious attention to dress. That broad emphasis has posed challenges in defining the term, which persists into the present as a label for a wide range of responsiveness to fashion and a collective gaze. Although the dandy has forerunners in earlier figures of sartorial extravagance—the fop of Restoration drama, the “macaroni” of the late eighteenth century—and the term itself gains currency in the 1780s, the dandy emerges as a distinct type during the Regency, above all in the figure of George “Beau” Brummell (b. 1778–d. 1840). Brummell stands apart from earlier figures in associating male fashion with a form of paradoxically austere discipline, coupled with a cool social detachment that shades into disdain for those who fail to emulate his rigorous elegance. (Although Brummell and dandyism would exert a profound influence on French writers, this entry necessarily focuses on the English tradition.) This emphasis on outward appearance obviously unsettles traditional notions of masculinity, as it aligns the dandy with a conventionally feminine posture, which leads to a frequent association of the dandy with unorthodox sexuality. Early reception of the dandy also foregrounds perplexities surrounding social class. Was the figure a rearguard defense of a waning aristocratic order, a barbed parody of that milieu, a substantive attack on bourgeois society, or merely a parvenu’s fantasy? The dandy figures centrally in Victorian revisions of the gentleman, in which an older order of inherited privilege rather than achieved character is frequently repudiated as a mode of dandyism. Brummell’s fabled detachment also stimulated the construction of the dandy as an intellectual ideal, a standing critique of bourgeois society and thought. This is especially prominent in French appropriations of dandyism, from Barbey d’Aurevilly and Baudelaire through Camus. Other commentators, however, have stressed the sustained influence of dandyism as a material practice. This emphasis points to the dandy’s dependence on the social orders he might seem to resist, notably the rise of commodity culture. Scholarship on the dandy and dandyism frequently articulates this tension, and typically tends to emphasize one of the rival facets. After a survey of general studies of the dandy, this entry is organized around three historical sections, which mark distinct phases in the development of dandyism. The first runs from 1800 to 1840, the second from roughly 1840 to 1870, and the third from roughly 1870 through the end of the Victorian age. Each of these three sections is divided into a list of primary works, followed by scholarship addressing literary and social contexts (which may include biographies). The entry concludes with a section on dandyism in the history of fashion and a section on post-Victorian contexts.
Hybridization and Diversification
Authors: Mitchell Nora
Published: November 2023

There are many acknowledged and documented evolutionary outcomes of hybridization, ranging from extinction or “dead ends” to the idea that hybridization provides evolutionary fuel and can promote diversification. Although any lineages capable of hybridizing would be classified as one species under the biological species concept, many well defined taxonomic species are capable of hybridizing. The definition of “diversification” in this context is varied—it can mean an increase in genetic diversity within a population or species, hybrid speciation, an increase in the number of lineages within a clade at many taxonomic levels, or net diversification rates. The literature connecting hybridization and diversification reflects these varied definitions. The topic of hybridization and speciation is the focus of the separate Oxford Bibliographies in Evolutionary Biology article “Hybrid Speciation,” and that bibliography also discusses hybridization and adaptive radiations. Although speciation can fall under the overall umbrella of diversification, it is not explicitly covered here. A large body of work has been dedicated to connecting hybridization to evolutionary radiation, either through phylogenetic evidence of ancient hybridization in lineages that have undergone rapid diversification (the “hybrid swarm” hypothesis) or through documentation of reticulate evolution. Other studies have examined associations between hybridization and net diversification rates in macroevolutionary contexts. In addition to diversification in terms of taxa, hybridization can also result in other aspects of diversification, such as an increase in phenotypic variation, ecological niche, or geographic range expansion. Hybridization can also increase genome diversification, through increased allelic diversity, genome-wide diversity, larger changes in chromosome structure, and even polyploidy. Though many hypotheses suggest that hybridization can facilitate or increase diversification in its varied forms, other factors are also at play, and faster diversification can also potentially result in increased opportunities for hybridization via incomplete reproductive isolation. Hybridization can also result in a loss of diversity through extinction or genome swamping under other circumstances. Finally, phylogenetic comparative methods can be used to detect associations between diversification and other characters or character states, including hybridization.
Current and future advances in practice: tendinopathies of the shoulder
Authors: Littlewood Chris , Moffatt Maria , Maher Natasha , Irving Greg
Published: November 2023

Tendinopathies of the shoulder are a burdensome problem. Current treatments include exercise, physical therapies, corticosteroid injections and surgery. However, the clinical outcomes from randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions are largely unremarkable. Given the apparent lack of progress in improving clinical outcomes for patients, it is appropriate to consider other avenues. Research has identified a link between lifestyle-related modifiable risk factors, including smoking, overweight and physical inactivity, and the onset and persistence of tendinopathies of the shoulder. Further research is required to understand whether addressing these factors results in better clinical outcomes for patients. Teachable moments and shared decision-making are concepts that could enable clinicians to integrate the assessment and management of these lifestyle factors. Given that these lifestyle factors also increase the risk of developing other common morbidities, including cardiovascular disease, an evolution of routine clinical care in this way could represent an important step forwards.
Social Capital and Cultural Producers’ Copyright Ownership of Their Creations: Evidence from the Television Industry 1956–1996
Authors: Marantz Erez Aharon
Published: November 2023

This paper explores how social capital and property regulations shape cultural producers’ ability to own copyrights for the products they create. Because individual producers lack the resources required to develop and distribute their creations, they partner with large firms who demand the copyrights for products they invest in. I argue two types of social capital—status and partner substitutability—enable producers to own their creations by increasing their bargaining power over the firms they partner with. Moreover, I propose that different types of property regulations condition whether status or partner substitutability have a stronger role in producers’ ownership outcomes. Analyzing all shows made for American television from 1956 to 1996, I show that increases in showrunners’ status and number of broadcasters they collaborated with increased the probability they owned shows they produced. However, the effects of these social capitals were contingent on the property regulations showrunners operated under. These findings advance our understanding of the allocation of copyrights, the power dynamics between creators and firms, and the effects of social capital in cultural industries.

They didn’t have to pay me because I signed the contract. But is that right? I found out that these people were streaming my work, and they never had to ask me…They stole that from me. They just took it! (Dave Chappelle, The Unforgiven, 2021).
Anthropometric measurements and body composition of preterm infants born ≤34 weeks at 12–13 months corrected age as compared to term infants
Authors: Kutar Apoorva , Venkat Ramanan Padmasani , Elizabeth Kandathil Eapen , Hemamalini A J
Published: November 2023

Background

Growth in the first year of life depends primarily on nutrition. Currently, the infant feeding practices of term babies are being extrapolated for preterms. While extrapolating, it is not clear if corrected age (CA) or chronological age should be used. In preterm infants, born ≤34 week gestation age, this difference may be more than 6 weeks. We studied the growth parameters and body composition of preterm infants born ≤34 week gestation age as compared to that of term infants at 12–13 months CA.

Methods

The growth of 99 term infants and 170 preterm infants born ≤34 weeks was evaluated at 12–13 months CA. The anthropometric measurements, body mass index (BMI) and skin fold thickness (SFT) at four sites (biceps, triceps, subscapular and suprailiac) were compared in the two groups. The sum of the SFT was taken as a marker of fat mass.

Result

At 12–13 months CA, preterm infants had significantly less weight, length and BMI as compared to term babies. The weight and BMI for age Z-scores, weight for length Z-scores and fat mass were also significantly less in preterm babies.

Conclusion

The anthropometry measures in preterms (<34 weeks) at 12–13 months CA were significantly lower than that of term infants. In our study population, preterms did not catch up in growth in the first year even when the CA is used for comparison. The causes could be multifactorial and need to be studied further.
Border Control: Manipulation of the Host–Pathogen Interface by Perihaustorial Oomycete Effectors
Authors: King Freddie J. , Yuen Enoch Lok Him , Bozkurt Tolga O.
Published: November 2023

Filamentous plant pathogens, including fungi and oomycetes, cause some of the most devastating plant diseases. These organisms serve as ideal models for understanding the intricate molecular interplay between plants and the invading pathogens. Filamentous pathogens secrete effector proteins via haustoria, specialized structures for infection and nutrient uptake, to suppress the plant immune response and to reprogram plant metabolism. Recent advances in cell biology have provided crucial insights into the biogenesis of the extrahaustorial membrane and the redirection of host endomembrane trafficking toward this interface. Functional studies have shown that an increasing number of oomycete effectors accumulate at the perihaustorial interface to subvert plant focal immune responses, with a particular convergence on targets involved in host endomembrane trafficking. In this review, we summarize the diverse mechanisms of perihaustorial effectors from oomycetes and pinpoint pressing questions regarding their role in manipulating host defense and metabolism at the haustorial interface.

[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license .
Genome Sequence Resource of Streptomyces scabiei LBUM848, a Model Strain Causing Common Scab of Potato
Authors: Biessy Adrien , St-Onge Renée , Cadieux Mélanie , Ciotola Marie , Filion Martin
Published: November 2023

Potato common scab is a deleterious bacterial disease caused by multiple Streptomyces species. In this paper, we report the high-quality genome sequence of the scab-causing strain Streptomyces scabiei LBUM848, which was isolated from a scab-infected potato tuber harvested in Bloomfield (New Brunswick, Canada). LBUM848 has been used as a model strain for more than a decade in our laboratory to study the interaction between plant-beneficial phenazine-producing Pseudomonas spp. and scab-causing Streptomyces spp. The analysis of LBUM848’s genome revealed that this strain harbors an extensive repertoire of virulence determinants, including various phytotoxins and secreted proteins. By comparing the genome of LBUM848 with the genomes of other sequenced S. scabiei strains, we found that LBUM848 is closely related to several scab-causing strains isolated from Prince Edward Island, Canada.

[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .
Comparative dose-response study on the infusion of norepinephrine combined with intravenous ondansetron versus placebo for preventing hypotension during spinal anesthesia for cesarean section: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Sheng Zhi-min , Sun Heng-qiu , Mao Jun-qin , Liu Jie , Liang Gang , Mei Zhong
Published: November 2023

Background:

Ondansetron has been reported to attenuate the incidence of spinal anaesthesia-induced hypotension (SAIH) and norepinephrine requirement during caesarean section. However, no quantitative study has evaluated the extent of this effect. This study aimed to determine the dose-response of prophylactic infusion of norepinephrine to prevent SAIH in parturients who received intravenous ondansetron or placebo before spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section. The median effective dose (ED50) and 90% effective dose (ED90) were compared to evaluate the effect of ondansetron versus placebo on the norepinephrine requirement.

Materials and methods:

One hundred fifty parturients undergoing caesarean section were randomized to receive either 0.1 mg/kg ondansetron (group O) or saline control (group C) 10 min before spinal anaesthesia. The parturients were randomly assigned to one of five different norepinephrine infusion groups: 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 or 0.10 µg/kg/min. An effective infusion dose of norepinephrine was defined as non-occurrence of hypotension during the study period. The values for ED50 and ED90 of norepinephrine infusion were determined using probit regression. Differences between the two groups were evaluated by comparing the relative median potency with 95% CIs.

Results:

The ED50 values were 0.033 (95% CIs, 0.024–0.043) µg/kg/min in group C and 0.021 (95% CIs, 0.013–0.029) µg/kg/min in group O. The ED90 values were 0.091 (95% CIs 0.068–0.147) µg/kg/min in group C and 0.059 (95% CIs 0.044–0.089) µg/kg/min in group O, respectively. The estimate of the relative median potency for norepinephrine in group C versus group O was 0.643 (95% CIs, 0.363–0.956). The incidence of side effects was comparable between groups. No significant difference in neonatal outcomes.

Conclusion:

Intravenous ondansetron 0.1 mg/kg before spinal anaesthesia significantly reduced the dose requirement of prophylactic norepinephrine infusion in parturients undergoing elective caesarean section. This finding is potentially useful for clinical practice and further research.
The 10 essential questions regarding lipoprotein(a)
Authors: Kostner Karam M. , Kostner Gerhard M.
Published: November 2023

Purpose of review

Lp(a) is one of the most atherogenic lipoproteins, and significant progress has been made to understand its pathophysiology over the last 20 years. There are now selective therapies in late-stage clinical trials to lower Lp(a). Yet there are many outstanding questions about Lp(a). This review outlines 10 of the most burning questions and tries to answer some of them.

Recent findings

Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) treatment is currently the most advanced therapy to lower plasma Lp(a) by 60–80%. There are, however, also two small molecule medications in early stage of development with similar efficacy.

This review aims to answer important preclinical and clinical questions about the metabolism and physiological role of Lp(a) and also outlines possible therapeutic approaches with nutraceuticals, currently available lipid-lowering therapies and new medications. In addition, ways are illustrated to use Lp(a) as a marker to better predict cardiovascular risk.
Evolution of the coronavirus spike protein in the full-length genome and defective viral genome under diverse selection pressures
Authors: Lin Ching-Hung , Tam Hon-Man-Herman , Yang Cheng-Yao , Hsieh Feng-Cheng , Wang Jiun-Long , Yang Chun-Chun , Hsu Hsuan-Wei , Liu Hao-Ping , Wu Hung-Yi
Published: November 2023

How coronaviruses evolve by altering the structures of their full-length genome and defective viral genome (DVG) under dynamic selection pressures has not been studied. In this study, we aimed to experimentally identify the dynamic evolutionary patterns of the S protein sequence in the full-length genome and DVG under diverse selection pressures, including persistence, innate immunity and antiviral drugs. The evolutionary features of the S protein sequence in the full-length genome and in the DVG under diverse selection pressures are as follows: (i) the number of nucleotide (nt) mutations does not necessarily increase with the number of selection pressures; (ii) certain types of selection pressure(s) can lead to specific nt mutations; (iii) the mutated nt sequence can be reverted to the wild-type nt sequence under the certain type of selection pressure(s); (iv) the DVG can also undergo mutations and evolve independently of the full-length genome; and (v) DVG species are regulated during evolution under diverse selection pressures. The various evolutionary patterns of the S protein sequence in the full-length genome and DVG identified in this study may contribute to coronaviral fitness under diverse selection pressures.