bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pancreatectomy After Neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX Chemotherapy: Identifying Factors Predicting Long‐Term Survival
Authors: Addeo Pietro , Averous Gerlinde , de Mathelin Pierre , Faitot François , Cusumano Caterina , Paul Chloe , Dufour Patrick , Bachellier Philippe
Published: January 2023

Introduction

We aimed to evaluate the long‐term outcomes of the association of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with pancreatectomy with vascular resection in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

Methods

Clinical data from patients who underwent pancreatic resection after neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX were retrospectively reviewed. Cox analyses were used to identify factors prognostic of overall survival (OS).

Results

FOLFIRINOX protocol was administered pre‐operatively with a median number of nine cycles (range 2–18) in 98 patients. Types of resections included pancreaticoduodenectomy (n = 53), total pancreatectomy (n = 17), and distal spleno‐pancreatectomy (n = 28). Venous resection and arterial resections were performed in 85 (86.7%) and 64 patients (65.3%), respectively. The overall 90‐day mortality and morbidity rates were 6.1% (n = 6) and 47% (n = 47), respectively. The median OS was 31.08 months after surgery. OS rates at one, three, five, and 10 years were 82%, 47%, 28%, and 21%, respectively. According to the type of vascular resection, median OS and 5‐year survival rates were exclusive venous resection (31.08 months; 23%) and arterial resections (24.7 months; 27%). Multivariate Cox analysis found lymph node involvement, venous invasion, and total pancreatectomy as independent prognostic factors for OS. According to the presence of 0 or 1–3 risk factors, 5‐year survival (85% vs 16%) and median overall survival rates (not reached versus 24.7 months, respectively) were statistically significantly different (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

A multimodal treatment, including neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX combined with pancreatectomy with venous and arterial resection, achieves long term survival rates in patients with locally advanced disease. Surgery, in experienced centers, should be integrated into the treatment of patients with locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinomas.
Monoamine oxidase A-dependent ROS formation modulates human cardiomyocyte differentiation through AKT and WNT activation
Authors: Di Sante Moises , Antonucci Salvatore , Pontarollo Laura , Cappellaro Ilaria , Segat Francesca , Deshwal Soni , Greotti Elisa , Grilo Luis F. , Menabò Roberta , Di Lisa Fabio , Kaludercic Nina
Published: January 2023

During embryonic development, cardiomyocytes undergo differentiation and maturation, processes that are tightly regulated by tissue-specific signaling cascades. Although redox signaling pathways involved in cardiomyogenesis are established, the exact sources responsible for reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation remain elusive. The present study investigates whether ROS produced by the mitochondrial flavoenzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) play a role in cardiomyocyte differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Wild type (WT) and MAO-A knock out (KO) hiPSCs were generated by CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing and subjected to cardiomyocyte differentiation. Mitochondrial ROS levels were lower in MAO-A KO compared to the WT cells throughout the differentiation process. MAO-A KO hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) displayed sarcomere disarray, reduced α- to β-myosin heavy chain ratio, GATA4 upregulation and lower macroautophagy levels. Functionally, genetic ablation of MAO-A negatively affected intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis in hiPSC-CMs. Mechanistically, MAO-A generated ROS contributed to the activation of AKT signaling that was considerably attenuated in KO cells. In addition, MAO-A ablation caused a reduction in WNT pathway gene expression consistent with its reported stimulation by ROS. As a result of WNT downregulation, expression of MESP1 and NKX2.5 was significantly decreased in MAO-A KO cells. Finally, MAO-A re-expression during differentiation rescued expression levels of cardiac transcription factors, contractile structure, and intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. Taken together, these results suggest that MAO-A mediated ROS generation is necessary for the activation of AKT and WNT signaling pathways during cardiac lineage commitment and for the differentiation of fully functional human cardiomyocytes.
Das EKG beim Leistungssportler und Athleten
Authors: Ujeyl Amaar , Niederseer David
Published: January 2023

Hintergrund

Das Elektrokardiogramm (EKG) hat sich als mobiles und kostengünstiges Verfahren zur präventiven Risikostratifizierung von Amateur- und Leistungssportlern im Rahmen der Sporttauglichkeitsuntersuchung etabliert. Zentrales Ziel ist dabei die Senkung der Fälle des plötzlichen Herztods im Sport durch eine Früherkennung der häufigsten zugrundeliegenden kardialen Erkrankungen wie hereditärer Kardiomyopathien, primärer Arrhythmien, aber auch der koronaren Herzerkrankung bei Master-Athleten.

Methoden

Durch kontinuierliche Weiterentwicklung der erstmals 2010 von der Europäischen Gesellschaft für Kardiologie (ESC) vorgestellten EKG-Kriterien konnte die Trennschärfe zur Unterscheidung physiologischer, trainingsbedingter kardialer Adaptationen des Sportlerherzens, die im EKG erkennbar werden, und relevanten kardialen Pathologien stetig verbessert werden. Auf diese Weise ließ sich das Risiko von falsch-positiven Befunden und fälschlicher Stigmatisierung von Athleten unterschiedlichen Alters und unterschiedlicher Ethnizität stetig senken.

Schlussfolgerung

Der vorliegende Artikel zeichnet den Wandel der EKG-Kriterien im Lichte der wachsenden wissenschaftlichen Evidenz der vergangenen ca. 15 Jahre nach, stellt die zentralen Botschaften der aktuell geltenden „internationalen“ EKG-Kriterien aus dem Jahr 2017 vor und erarbeitet, welche Herausforderungen bei der EKG-Befundung von Amateur- und Leistungssportlern weiterhin Gegenstand der Forschung sind.
The elevated metabolic cost of walking at preferred speeds of healthy elderly on treadmills compared to overground is not related to increased self-reported anxiety
Authors: Das Gupta Sauvik , Faber Herre , Kistemaker Dinant , Bobbert Maarten
Published: January 2023

Purpose

To investigate whether the elevation in metabolic cost of walking on treadmills compared to overground for healthy elderly is related to self-reported anxiety and if changes in self-reported anxiety are related to changes in heart rate.

Methods

We measured overground preferred walking speed, oxygen consumption rate and heart rates during rest and walking, and self-reported anxiety in 10 elderly (mean age 69.5 ± 3.1 years, 8 males and 2 females). At their preferred speed, the participants first walked overground, then on a high treadmill, and then on a low treadmill. Gross and Net metabolic costs of walking were calculated from the rates of oxygen consumption.

Results

Gross and net metabolic cost of walking were higher (p < 0.05) on high treadmill (net cost: 2.64 J kg−1 m−1) and low treadmill (net cost: 2.68 J kg−1 m−1) compared to overground (net cost: 2.44 J kg−1 m−1), and the same was true for heart rate. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in metabolic costs and heart rates between the two treadmill conditions. Self-reported anxiety was higher on the high treadmill compared to overground (p = 0.004) and compared to low treadmill (p = 0.02). We found no significant difference (p > 0.05) for self-reported anxiety between overground and the low treadmill.

Conclusion

These results show that treadmill walking cannot be adequately generalized to overground walking. The differences found in metabolic cost on treadmills compared to overground were not related to differences in self-reported anxiety. Furthermore, the changes in heart rate are not related to changes in self-reported anxiety.
Partial staple line reinforcement with synthetic buttressing material in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: a propensity score-matched analysis
Authors: Eckharter Christoph , Heeren Nickolaus , Mongelli Francesco , Sykora Martin , Mühlhäusser Julia , Lottenbach Nathalie , Scheiwiller Andreas , Metzger Jürg , Gass Jörn-Markus
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Staple line leakage (SLL) and staple line bleeding (SLB) are the most relevant postoperative complications of sleeve gastrectomy (SG). It is controversial whether and which method of staple line reinforcement (SLR) can best reduce these complications. The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether reinforcement of the most proximal part of the staple line with synthetic buttressing material, a strategy we termed partial SLR (p-SLR), reduces the 30-day incidence of SLL.

Methods

A retrospective search of medical records of all bariatric patients from 2010 to 2019 was performed. Patients who underwent SG with either p-SLR or non-SLR were included. Intraoperative and postoperative outcomes were analyzed before and after propensity score matching (PSM).

Results

Data from 431 patients were analyzed (364 in the p-SLR group and 67 in the non-SLR group). No difference in the 30-day incidence of SLL was observed between the two groups. The 30-day incidence of SLB (1.1% vs. 6.0% in the p-SLR and non-SLR groups, respectively) was significantly lower in the p-SLR group. These results were confirmed by PSM analysis.

Conclusion

Partial staple line reinforcement with synthetic buttressing material does not reduce the 30-day incidence of SLL. Although our analysis showed a significant reduction in the 30-day incidence of SLB in the p-SLR group, this result should be interpreted with caution.
Extending the application range of MMCs in high-performance drives: limiting issues and new proposals
Authors: Breda Riccardo , Breda Stefano , Calligaro Sandro , Petrella Roberto
Published: January 2023

Modular Multilevel Converters (MMCs) are becoming more and more popular in medium-voltage applications thanks to several interesting features. The major limitation for applications with variable speed drives (VSDs) is the submodule capacitors’ voltage ripple, which depends directly on the output current/torque and inversely on the output frequency/speed. Among all the hybrid MMC topologies addressed in recent literature, the Flying-Capacitor Passive Cross-Connected arms (FC-PCC) MMC seems one of the most promising to cope with this issue. This article provides a comprehensive overview of its features and capabilities. The main open issues limiting safe and reliable converter operation in VSD applications are addressed, and novel solutions are presented, such as the optimization of the converter digital control strategy, the distributed implementation of the architecture, the L‑C oscillations damping during the pre-charge/start-up of the converter, and the optimized arm inductor design based on magnetic coupling concepts. The effectiveness of all the proposals is demonstrated through an accurate simulation of a 22 kW Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine (PMSM) drive, including a complete model of the effects of the real-time communication and the processing latency. A prototype of the system has been developed employing some known and novel architectural solutions, as discussed in the last section of the paper.
Machbarkeitsstudie zur Verbesserung der ländlichen Nahversorgung mit Lieferdrohnen
Authors: Biehle Tobias , Kellermann Robin
Published: January 2023

Die vorliegende Studie untersucht die Machbarkeit von Drohnenlieferungen zur Verbesserung der ländlichen Nahversorgung am Beispiel der Brandenburgischen Flächengemeinde Wusterhausen/Dosse. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der rechtliche Rahmen sowie die technischen Möglichkeiten durchaus die Umsetzung eines Lieferkonzeptes ermöglichen, welches den lokalen Lebensmitteleinzelhandel stärken und die Versorgungsbedarfe der Bevölkerung adressieren kann. Allerdings stehen die aktuellen Anschaffungs- und Betriebskosten einer marktwirtschaftlichen Machbarkeit des Anwendungsfalls entgegen. Da sinkende Kosten in den nächsten Jahren insbesondere für die Fernüberwachung der Drohne zu erwarten sind, könnte eine automatisierte, drohnengestützte Nahversorgung jedoch künftig an praktischer Relevanz für strukturschwächere Regionen gewinnen. Dabei wird in der ko-kreativen Planung des Lieferbetriebes mit lokalen Stakeholdern die notwendige Voraussetzung zur Hebung dieser Potenziale im Einklang mit bürgerschaftlichen Interessen gesehen.
Characteristic Impedance and Its Applications to Rock and Mining Engineering
Authors: Zhang Zong-Xian , Gong Fengqiang , Kozlovskaya Elena , Aladejare Adeyemi
Published: January 2023

The characteristic impedance of a rock is defined as the product of the sonic velocity and the density of the rock. Based on previous studies, this article finds that: (1) For an intact rock, its characteristic impedance is a comprehensive physical property, since it is closely related with strengths, fracture toughness, Young’s modulus, and Poisson’s ratio. (2) For rock masses, their characteristic impedances either increase markedly or slightly with increasing depth. (3) The bursts of intact rocks in laboratory are dependent on their characteristic impedances to a great extent, and strong rock bursts happen mostly in the rocks with large characteristic impedance. (4) Rock burst occurrence in tunnel and mines has a close relation with the characteristic impedances of the rocks. (5) Laboratory experiments on different rock samples show that seismic velocity increases as applied stress rises, and field monitored results from coal mines indicate that in the areas where rock bursts happened, the seismic velocity was increasing markedly before or during the bursts. (7) Drillability of rock depends on the characteristic impedance of the rock and the rock with larger impedance has lower drillability or lower penetration rate. (8) The potential applications of characteristic impedance include evaluation and classification of rock masses, and prediction of rock burst proneness and drillability.
Tools to compare antibody gold nanoparticle conjugates for a small molecule immunoassay
Authors: Conrad Monika , Proll Günther , Builes-Münden Esteban , Dietzel Andreas , Wagner Sven , Gauglitz Günter
Published: January 2023

Antibody gold nanoparticle conjugates as recognition elements are essential for the overall performance of lateral flow assays. When immobilizing antibodies on gold nanoparticles, the challenge is to prevent aggregation and to ensure that the antibodies are correctly oriented so that they remain functional and their paratopes remain accessible. There are many methods available, and it is difficult to decide which one to use. To help selecting the most appropriate conjugate production method, different synthetic routes of binding antibodies to gold nanoparticles are systematically investigated for the purpose of a quantitative lateral flow test for small molecules. The direct comparison of different conjugate syntheses shows how to select a suitable conjugate for a lateral flow assay. The syntheses examined are direct adsorption of antibody, direct adsorption of reduced antibody, covalent binding to polyethylene glycol linker, and binding via biotin-streptavidin interaction. The conjugates are characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering to determine their stability. Their performance on structured lateral flow test strips is examined using calibrations for different amitriptyline concentrations. It was shown that the best conjugate for quantification of amitriptyline was realized by direct adsorption of an UV-light irradiated antibody to gold nanoparticles. The methods employed can serve as a guide for selecting the most appropriate conjugate for an application and enhance the performance of lateral flow assays.

Graphical abstract
Use of electrical resistivity tomography to reveal the shallow freshwater–saline interface in The Fens coastal groundwater, eastern England (UK)
Authors: Moulds Mitchell , Gould Iain , Wright Isobel , Webster David , Magnone Daniel
Published: January 2023

The Fens is a region that contributes 11% of the agri-food economy from just 4% of the agricultural land covering England (UK). This region is vulnerable to soil salinisation from sea-level rise with estimated 100-year flood events projected to be observed up to every 2 years by 2100. Seawater intrusion and upwelling of saline groundwater can provide an additional pathway; however, the area’s groundwater has not been assessed and the risk is unknown. This study used data from the British Geological Survey’s stratigraphic core archive to produce the first stratigraphic map of the loosely consolidated Holocene deposits in the South Holland–Holbeach Marsh region. There is a sandy unconfined aquifer towards the coast, a semiconfined central region with a silty cap and a clay confining cap in the north region. Electrical resistivity tomography data indicate water level depths of 0.58 ± 0.37 m above mean sea level (msl) in February 2021 and 0.01 ± 0.72 m msl in August 2021. The saline–freshwater boundary was at 1.70 ± 0.82 m msl in February 2021, deepening to 2.00 ± 1.02 m msl in August 2021, but the only evidence of seasonal fluctuation was within 10 km of the coast. A potential, but unverified, freshwater lens up to 3.25 m thick may exist beneath the surface. These results suggest that freshwater–saline interface fluctuations may primarily be driven by surface hydrology and would be vulnerable to climate-change-induced future variations in factors that affect surface water.
Diffusion and upscaling of municipal climate mitigation and adaptation strategies in Germany
Authors: Kern Kristine , Eckersley Peter , Haupt Wolfgang
Published: January 2023

Drawing on data for the 104 largest German cities, and deeper analysis of six mid-sized cities (including forerunners, followers and latecomers in climate mitigation and adaptation), we find that the spread of local mitigation and adaptation strategies across Germany can be explained by a combination of horizontal diffusion and vertical upscaling. Specifically, while the spread of climate mitigation initiatives in the 1990s was triggered primarily by transnational municipal networks (horizontal diffusion), the development and revision of climate mitigation strategies and the emergence of climate adaptation strategies during the last decade have been driven mainly by national and subnational funding programmes (vertical upscaling). Notably, forerunner cities are less dependent on external funding than followers and latecomers, because they have more internal capacity to act. By arguing that upscaling of local climate policies from forerunners to followers and latecomers depends on interventions by national and subnational authorities, we stress that the majority of German municipalities require external support in order to develop and implement effective climate strategies.
Unravelling sustainable intensification in oil-palm agroforestry on the Adja plateau, Benin
Authors: Yemadje Rolland H. , Koussihouèdé Hermione , Rafflegeau Sylvain
Published: January 2023

Pathways for mediating the competing land-use claims of landowners and tenants in oil palm agroforestry systems in Benin’s Adja plateau do not consider the diversity of land-management practices. Therefore, we analysed how soil properties and maize yields in those systems are affected by two contrasting categories of land-management practices and fertilisation options. We used a synchronic approach to split these practices and options into two successive steps. In Step 1, referred to as cropped fields, tenants continuously intercrop maize among scattered oil palms. In Step 2, referred to as fallows, the land is densely planted with oil palm, without intercropping. Twelve farmers’ fields were selected for this study. Eight represent cropping fields, and four are 15-year-old oil-palm fallows. Cropped field fertilisation treatments consisted of farmyard manure (at 15 and 30 t ha−1) and mineral fertiliser (150 kg ha−1 of N14P18K18S6B1 + 50 kg ha−1 of urea). We found no significant differences between the N contents and C:N ratios of the two types of fields. However, the numbers and masses of earthworm casts were higher in cropped fields treated with farmyard manure than with mineral fertiliser. Farmyard manure (15 and 30 t ha−1 rates) also produced significantly higher maize yields (respectively, 2.5 and 3.2 t ha−1) than the mineral fertiliser alone (1.9 t of maize per ha). We conclude by discussing N, K and P storage in soil, and recommended use of farmyard manure as an agroforestry practice that will benefit landowners and tenants alike on the Adja plateau.
Changes in Medial Prefrontal Cortex Mediate Effects of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback on Positive Emotional Memory Biases
Authors: Cho Christine , Yoo Hyun Joo , Min Jungwon , Nashiro Kaoru , Thayer Julian F. , Lehrer Paul M. , Mather Mara
Published: January 2023

Previous research suggests that implicit automatic emotion regulation relies on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). However, most of the human studies supporting this hypothesis have been correlational in nature. In the current study, we examine how changes in mPFC-left amygdala functional connectivity relate to emotional memory biases. In a randomized clinical trial examining the effects of heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback on brain mechanisms of emotion regulation, we randomly assigned participants to increase or decrease heart rate oscillations while receiving biofeedback. After several weeks of daily biofeedback sessions, younger and older participants completed an emotional picture memory task involving encoding, recall, and recognition phases as an additional measure in this clinical trial. Participants assigned to increase HRV (Osc+) (n = 84) showed a relatively higher rate of false alarms for positive than negative images than participants assigned to decrease HRV (Osc−) (n = 81). Osc+ participants also recalled relatively more positive compared with negative items than Osc− participants, but this difference was not significant. However, a summary bias score reflecting positive emotional memory bias across recall and recognition was significantly higher in the Osc+ than Osc− condition. As previously reported, the Osc+ manipulation increased left amygdala-mPFC resting-state functional connectivity significantly more than the Osc− manipulation. This increased functional connectivity significantly mediated the effects of the Osc+ condition on emotional bias. These findings suggest that, by increasing mPFC coordination of emotion-related circuits, daily practice increasing heart rate oscillations can increase implicit emotion regulation.
Implicit regularization of a deep augmented neural network model for human motion prediction
Authors: Yadav Gaurav Kumar , Abdel-Nasser Mohamed , Rashwan Hatem A. , Puig Domenec , Nandi G. C.
Published: January 2023

Predicting human motion based on past observed motion is one of the challenging issues in computer vision and graphics. Existing research works are dealing with this issue by using discriminative models and showing the results for cases that follow a homogeneous distribution (in distribution) and not discussing the issues of the domain shift problem, where training and testing data follow a heterogeneous (out of distribution) problem, which is the reality when such models are used in practice. However, recent research proposed addressing domain shift issues by augmenting the discriminative model with a generative model and obtained better results. In the present investigation, we propose regularizing the extended network by inserting linear layers to minimize the rank of the latent space and train the entire end-to-end network. We regularize the network to strengthen the model to deal effectively with domain shift scenarios. Both training and testing data come from different distribution sets; to deal with this, we toughen our network by adding the extra linear layers to the network encoder. We tested our model with the benchmark datasets, CMU Motion Capture and Human3.6M, and proved that our model outperforms 14 OoD actions of H3.6M and 7 OoD actions of CMU MoCap in terms of the Euclidean distance calculated between predicted and ground truth joint angle values. Our average results of 14 OoD actions for short-term (80, 160, 320, 400) are 0.34, 0.6, 0.96, 1.07, and for CMU MoCap of 7 OoD actions for short-term and long term (80, 160, 320, 400, 1000) are 0.28, 0.45, 0.77, 0.89, 1.46. All these results are much better than the other state-of-the-art results.
Aerosols, Clusters, Greenhouse Gases, Trace Gases and Boundary-Layer Dynamics: on Feedbacks and Interactions
Authors: Kulmala Markku , Kokkonen Tom , Ezhova Ekaterina , Baklanov Alexander , Mahura Alexander , Mammarella Ivan , Bäck Jaana , Lappalainen Hanna K. , Tyuryakov Svyatoslav , Kerminen Veli-Matti , Zilitinkevich Sergej , Petäjä Tuukka
Published: January 2023

Turbulence is the key process transporting material and energy in the atmosphere. Furthermore, turbulence causes concentration fluctuations, influencing different atmospheric processes such as deposition, chemical reactions, formation of low-volatile vapours, formation of new aerosol particles and their growth in the atmosphere, and the effect of aerosol particles on boundary-layer meteorology. In order to analyse the connections, interactions and feedbacks relating those different processes require a deep understanding of atmospheric turbulence mechanisms, atmospheric chemistry and aerosol dynamics. All these processes will further influence air pollution and climate. The better we understand these processes and their interactions and associated feedback, the more effectively we can mitigate air pollution as well as mitigate climate forcers and adapt to climate change. We present several aspects on the importance of turbulence including how turbulence is crucial for atmospheric phenomena and feedbacks in different environments. Furthermore, we discuss how boundary-layer dynamics links to aerosols and air pollution. Here, we present also a roadmap from deep understanding to practical solutions.
High-density linkage maps and chromosome level genome assemblies unveil direction and frequency of extensive structural rearrangements in wood white butterflies (Leptidea spp.)
Authors: Höök L. , Näsvall K. , Vila R. , Wiklund C. , Backström N.
Published: January 2023

Karyotypes are generally conserved between closely related species and large chromosome rearrangements typically have negative fitness consequences in heterozygotes, potentially driving speciation. In the order Lepidoptera, most investigated species have the ancestral karyotype and gene synteny is often conserved across deep divergence, although examples of extensive genome reshuffling have recently been demonstrated. The genusLeptideahas an unusual level of chromosome variation and rearranged sex chromosomes, but the extent of restructuring across the rest of the genome is so far unknown. To explore the genomes of the wood white (Leptidea) species complex, we generated eight genome assemblies using a combination of 10X linked reads and HiC data, and improved them using linkage maps for two populations of the common wood white (L. sinapis) with distinct karyotypes. Synteny analysis revealed an extensive amount of rearrangements, both compared to the ancestral karyotype and between theLeptideaspecies, where only one of the three Z chromosomes was conserved across all comparisons. Most restructuring was explained by fissions and fusions, while translocations appear relatively rare. We further detected several examples of segregating rearrangement polymorphisms supporting a highly dynamic genome evolution in this clade. Fusion breakpoints were enriched for LINEs and LTR elements, which suggests that ectopic recombination might be an important driver in the formation of new chromosomes. Our results show that chromosome count alone may conceal the extent of genome restructuring and we propose that the amount of genome evolution in Lepidoptera might still be underestimated due to lack of taxonomic sampling.
Enhancing quinoa cultivation in the Andean highlands of Peru: a breeding strategy for improved yield and early maturity adaptation to climate change using traditional cultivars
Authors: Lozano-Isla Flavio , Apaza José-David , Mujica Sanchez Angel , Blas Sevillano Raúl , Haussmann Bettina I. G. , Schmid Karl
Published: January 2023

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoaWilld.) is an ancient food crop that originated in the Andes. It has good nutritional properties that increasingly attract interest around the world and it is considered as a future crop for food security and climate change adaptation. Currently, there is a great need to develop new quinoa varieties with higher yield, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and adaptation to new growing areas. Despite the existence of breeding programs, quantitative genetic parameters that are relevant for selection gain have hardly been investigated for quinoa. We estimated these parameters for important agronomic traits in six segregating populations of 96 lines each, derived from crosses of popular traditional Peruvian quinoa varieties. The traits were evaluated in trials at several locations in the Peruvian highlands over 3 years. Maturity was the best phenological stage for trait evaluation because at this stage we obtained high estimates of heritability and high correlation of panicle trait indices with grain yield. Based on these traits, we selected the 18 best lines and characterized them in additional field trials for the same traits. Three lines (HUA × KAN53, SAL × NCO46 and SAL × PAN171) combined advantageous traits of their parents and showed lower plant height, earlier maturity and higher yield. Our work shows that the estimation of variance and variance components in the amphidiploid crop quinoa provides useful information for the design of breeding programs and the selection of improved genotypes for cultivation in the Peruvian highlands.
Relational and Distributive Discrimination
Authors: Dinur Rona
Published: January 2023

Recent philosophical accounts of discrimination face challenges in accommodating robust intuitions about the particular way in which it is wrongful—most prominently, the intuition that discriminatory actions intrinsically violate equality irrespective of their contingent consequences. The paper suggests that we understand the normative structure of discrimination in a way that is different from the one implicitly assumed by these accounts. It argues that core discriminatory wrongs—such as segregation in Apartheid South Africa—divide into two types, corresponding to violations of relational and distributive equality; and that a pluralistic view of the internal structure of each type should be adopted. This normative structure serves to appropriately vindicate the mentioned intuitions; it also contributes to clarifying the normative underpinnings of legal concepts associated with discrimination (including the distinctions between direct and indirect, or ‘disparate treatment/impact’ discrimination, and intentional vs. unintentional discrimination), and developing a more productive public discourse around allegations of discrimination.
Religiosity and ambivalent sexism: the role of religious group narcissism
Authors: Lockhart Christopher , Sibley Chris G. , Osborne Danny
Published: January 2023

Although religious identification often correlates positively with traditional gender role attitudes and ambivalent sexism (Mikołajczak & Pietrzak, Sex Roles, 70(9–10), 387–399, 2014), other work shows it has countervailing associations with related conservative views (Lockhart et al., Religion, Brain & Behavior, 10(4), 379–392, 2020). One reason these opposing effects emerge is that insecure (or narcissistic) and secure forms of religious identification may have differing impacts on ambivalent sexism. To test this possibility, we analysed data from a nationwide random sample of adults who identified as religious (N = 1116). Whilst religious identification alone was unassociated with hostile and benevolent sexism, religious narcissism correlated positively with both forms of sexism. After including both predictors in a regression, religious identification correlated negatively with both forms of sexism and religious narcissism became a stronger positive correlate of sexism. These findings demonstrate that secure and insecure forms of religious identification suppress the respective positive and negative associations religious identification and religious narcissism have with sexism.
The clinical spectrum of aspergillosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Otu Akaninyene , Kosmidis Chris , Mathioudakis Alexander G. , Ibe Chibuike , Denning David W.
Published: January 2023

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide. In this review, we present the clinical spectrum and pathogenesis of syndromes caused byAspergillusin COPD namely invasive aspergillosis (IA), community-acquiredAspergilluspneumonia, chronic pulmonary Aspergillosis andAspergillussensitisation. Some of these entities are clearly linked to COPD, while others may coexist, but are less clearly liked directly to COPD. We discuss current uncertainties as these pertain to IA in COPD cohorts and explore areas for future research in this field.
Shear-wave elastography of the plantar fascia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Albano Domenico , Messina Carmelo , Gitto Salvatore , Serpi Francesca , Basile Mariachiara , Acquasanta Marzia , Lanza Ezio , Sconfienza Luca Maria
Published: January 2023

Purpose

To assess the efficacy of shear-wave elastography (SWE) of the plantar fascia (PF) in identifying plantar fasciitis.

Methods

A literature search was conducted on the PubMed and Medline databases for articles published up to August 2022. The Newcastle–Ottawa scale was used to assess the risk of bias. We included original research studies in English dealing with the evaluation of patients with plantar fasciitis by means of SWE and including shear modulus (KPa) and/or shear-wave velocity (m/s). We compared healthy and pathologic PF stiffness using the standardised mean difference (SMD) in a random-effects model (95% CI).

Results

Five studies were included with a total of 158 pathologic PFs and 134 healthy PFs. No significant publication bias was detected. Studies were highly heterogeneous (p < 0.00001; I2 = 97%). Pathologic PFs showed significantly lower stiffness, with an SMD of − 3.00 m/s (95% confidence interval: − 4.95 to − 1.06, p = 0.002), compared to healthy PF.

Conclusion

Pathologic PFs present significantly lower stiffness than healthy PFs. However, the analysed studies are highly heterogeneous.
Epiploic appendagitis
Authors: Rustogi Deepika , Khare Chetan , Kumar Karunesh
Published: January 2023

Paediatric abdominal pain continues to pose a diagnostic challenge in the acute hospital care setting. We describe an eleven-year-old boy who presented to the emergency department with acute-onset, sharp abdominal pain localised to right lower quadrant. Abdominal imaging was diagnostic for epiploic appendagitis (EA), with pathognomonic ‘ring sign’ and ‘central dot’ visualised on the axial computed tomography images. He responded well to conservative treatment, including a short course of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. EA is a lesser-known paediatric entity mimicking surgical conditions. However, steady but sharp and non-migratory characteristic of the pain in either of the lower abdominal quadrants should raise suspicion for EA. Early accurate diagnosis can prevent unnecessary surgical exploration in these patients.
Particle-size segregation in self-channelized granular flows
Authors: Edwards A.N. , Rocha F.M. , Kokelaar B.P. , Johnson C.G. , Gray J.M.N.T.
Published: January 2023

Geophysical mass flows such as debris flows, dense pyroclastic flows and snow avalanches can self-channelize on shallow slopes. The confinement afforded by formed levees helps to maintain the flow depth, and hence mobility, allowing self-channelized flows to run out significantly farther than unconfined, spreading flows. Levee formation and self-channelization are strongly associated with particle-size segregation, but can also occur in monodisperse flows. This paper uses the monodisperse depth-averaged theory of Rochaet al.(J. Fluid Mech., vol. 876, 2019, pp. 591–641), which incorporates a hysteretic friction law and second-order depth-averaged viscous terms. Both of these are vital for the formation of a travelling wave that progressively deposits a pair of levees just behind the front. The three-dimensional velocity field is reconstructed in a frame moving with the front assuming Bagnold flow. This enables a bidisperse particle-size segregation theory to be used to solve for the large and small particle concentrations and particle paths in three-dimensions, for the first time. The model shows that the large particles tend to segregate to the surface of the flow, forming a carapace that extends over the centre of the channel, as well as along the external sides and base of the levee walls. The small particles segregate downwards, and are concentrated in the main channel and in the inner levee walls. This supports the contention that a low-friction channel lining provides a secondary mechanism for run-out enhancement. It is also shown that the entire theory scales with particle diameter, so experiments with millimetre-sized particles provide important insights into geophysical-scale flows with boulders and smaller rock fragments. The model shows that self-channelization does not need particle-size segregation to occur, but supports the hypothesis that particle-size segregation and the associated frictional feedback can significantly enhance both the flow mobility and the levee strength.
The Politics of Respectability and Black Americans’ Punitive Attitudes
Authors: JEFFERSON HAKEEM
Published: January 2023

Existing research largely ignores Black support for punitive policies that target group members, even as this support challenges expectations of in-group favoritism and group solidarity. The current research fills this gap by leveraging a familiar concept: “the politics of respectability.” Building on historical and qualitative accounts of this worldview, which focuses on the behavior of group members, I develop a social psychological framework to understand how identity-based concerns motivate Black support for punishment that targets members of their racial group. I also develop a novel measure of respectability–the Respectability Politics Scale. Findings demonstrate that adherents of respectability feel more ashamed about the public view of their racial group, endorse more negative racial stereotypes, and feel relatively less close to other Black people. They are also more likely to support a range of punitive policies that target group members, including restrictive dress code policies, tough-on-crime policies, and paternalistic welfare policies.
Branded Bodies: Judicial Torture, Punishment, and Infamy in Nineteenth-Century Iran
Authors: Vejdani Farzin
Published: January 2023

Forced branding, tattooing, and bodily inscriptions were linked to a complex intersection of meanings and uses in nineteenth-century Iran. Drawing on insights from studies of bodily inscriptions in other world historical contexts, this paper discusses branding as a marker of ownership, both of human slaves and of animals; Islamic attitudes toward bodily inscription and its symbolic significance in the afterlife; and associations between branding and human or divine love in Persian poetry. From this semiotic foundation, it turns to judicial uses of branding in nineteenth-century Iran: as torture for the extraction of incriminating admissions, and as punishment intended to shame (symbolically casting the criminal from society, stigmatizing their crime) and identify (tracking convicted criminals). Throughout the paper, branding’s legal place is understood in relation to silence and speaking, writing and reading, pain, humiliation, and the inversion of branding’s meaning by its victims, in Iran and a number of other societies.
Writing the History of Pandemics in the Age of COVID-19
Authors: COLBROOK STEPHEN
Published: January 2023

Since early 2020, pundits and commentators have scrutinized the history of past pandemics for answers to a series of questions shaped by COVID-19: what strategies have worked in the past to stem the spread of contagion? How long do epidemics typically last? Are vaccines an effective “magic bullet” against infectious diseases? The coronavirus crisis spawned comparisons to diseases as epidemiologically diverse as influenza, the Black Death, cholera, HIV/AIDS, and polio, as people excavated the records of past pandemics to try to make sense of the worst public-health disaster for over a century.1 Policy proscriptions emerged quickly from these historical analogies. Many public-health experts pointed to the trajectories of epidemics like the 1918–19 influenza outbreak and SARS to convey the gravity of what would happen if political leaders did not quickly and decisively issue stay-at-home-orders, close schools, and mandate social distancing.2
Bilingual toddlers show increased attention capture by static faces compared to monolinguals
Authors: Mousley Victoria L , MacSweeney Mairéad , Mercure Evelyne
Published: January 2023

Bilingual infants rely differently than monolinguals on facial information, such as lip patterns, to differentiate their native languages. This may explain, at least in part, why young monolinguals and bilinguals show differences in social attention. For example, in the first year, bilinguals attend faster and more often to static faces over non-faces than do monolinguals (Mercure et al., 2018). However, the developmental trajectories of these differences are unknown. In this pre-registered study, data were collected from 15- to 18-month-old monolinguals (English) and bilinguals (English and another language) to test whether group differences in face-looking behaviour persist into the second year. We predicted that bilinguals would orient more rapidly and more often to static faces than monolinguals. Results supported the first but not the second hypothesis. This suggests that, even into the second year of life, toddlers’ rapid visual orientation to static social stimuli is sensitive to early language experience.
Photoevaporation of Protoplanetary Disks
Authors: Komaki Ayano , Nakatani Riouhei , Yoshida Naoki
Published: January 2023

Photoelectric effect of dust grains by UV radiation is an important process for disk heating, but as a disk evolves, the amount of dust grains decreases. Photoeaporation is a disk dispersal process, which is caused by high-energy radiation. We perform a set of photoevaporation simulations solving hydrodynamics with radiative transfer and non-equilibrium chemistry in a self-consistent way. We run a series of simulations with varying the dust-to-gas mass ratio in a range . We show that H2 pumping and X-ray heating mainly contribute to the disk heating in case of and photoelectric effect mainly heats the gas in cases. The mass-loss profile changes significantly with respect to the main heating process. The outer disk is more efficiently dispersed when photoelectric effect is the main heating source.
Mush Amalgamation, Short Residence, and Sparse Detectability of Eruptible Magma Before Andean Super‐Eruptions
Authors: Weber G. , Blundy J. , Bevan D.
Published: January 2023

Giant volcanic eruptions have the potential to overturn civilizations. Yet, the driving mechanism and timescale over which batholithic magma reservoirs transition from non‐eruptible crystal mush to mobile melt‐dominated stages and our capacity to detect a pending super‐eruption remain obscure. Here we show, using Sr isotope zonation in plagioclase crystals from three Andean large‐magnitude eruptions (Atana, Toconao, and Tara ignimbrites), that eruptible magma forms by amalgamation of isotopically diverse crystal populations and silicic melt without large‐scale reheating. In each case, crystals record large isotopic diversity in crystal cores, converging toward a common value in crystal rims that coincides with the composition of the rhyolitic carrier melt. Using diffusion chronometry, we show that the assembled magma resided pre‐eruptively in the crust for timescales of no more than decades to centuries for Atana and Tara, but up to several millennia for Toconao. These timescales and isotopic observations are consistent with the accumulation and destabilization of melt‐rich layers in crystal mush. While the prospect of capturing such melt lenses with most geophysical monitoring techniques is pessimistic, gravity modeling indicates that such structures are potentially resolvable. Our findings provoke a new assessment of the origin and hazards associated with large magnitude explosive eruptions.
Hydrological Drought Generation Processes and Severity Are Changing in the Alps
Authors: Brunner Manuela I. , Götte Jonas , Schlemper Christopher , Van Loon Anne F.
Published: January 2023

Streamflow droughts are governed by different hydro‐meteorological processes, whose relative importance may change over time, with potential impacts on drought severity. Here, we assess changes in the importance of different hydrological drought generation processes in the European Alps by applying a standardized drought type classification scheme to two time periods—one in the distant (1970–1993) and one in the recent past (1994–2017). Our findings show that changes in the relative importance of different drought generation processes are stronger in high‐elevation catchments, where we detect clear changes in drought seasonality, than in low‐elevation catchments. Furthermore, they suggest that changes in drought severity and generation processes are related because increasingly frequent snowmelt‐deficit droughts in high‐elevation catchments have larger deficits than droughts caused by decreasingly frequent cold temperatures. These changes might persist into the future, because of continuing decreases in snow cover and increases in evapotranspiration, with potential implications for water management.
Effects of Hypoxia on Coupled Carbon and Iron Cycling Differ Between Weekly and Multiannual Timescales in Two Freshwater Reservoirs
Authors: Lewis Abigail S. L. , Schreiber Madeline E. , Niederlehner B. R. , Das Arpita , Hammond Nicholas W. , Lofton Mary E. , Wander Heather L. , Carey Cayelan C.
Published: January 2023

Freshwater lakes and reservoirs play a disproportionate role in the global organic carbon (OC) budget, as active sites for carbon processing and burial. Associations between OC and iron (Fe) are hypothesized to contribute substantially to the stabilization of OC in sediment, but the magnitude of freshwater Fe‐OC complexation remains unresolved. Moreover, global declines in bottom‐water oxygen concentrations have the potential to alter OC and Fe cycles in multiple ways, and the net effects of low‐oxygen (hypoxic) conditions on OC and Fe are poorly characterized. Here, we measured the pool of Fe‐bound OC (Fe‐OC) in surficial sediments from two eutrophic reservoirs, and we paired whole‐ecosystem experiments with sediment incubations to determine the effects of hypoxia on OC and Fe cycling over multiple timescales. Our experiments demonstrated that short periods (2–4 weeks) of hypoxia can increase aqueous Fe and OC concentrations while decreasing OC and Fe‐OC in surficial sediment by 30%. However, exposure to seasonal hypoxia over multiple years was associated with a 57% increase in sediment OC and no change in sediment Fe‐OC. These results suggest that the large sediment Fe‐OC pool (∼30% of sediment OC in both reservoirs) contains both oxygen‐sensitive and oxygen‐insensitive fractions, and over multiannual timescales OC respiration rates may play a more important role in determining the effect of hypoxia on sediment OC than Fe‐OC dissociation. Consequently, we anticipate that global declines in oxygen concentrations will alter OC and Fe cycling, with the direction and magnitude of effects dependent upon the duration of hypoxia.
Jet-Propelled Tunicates Pump Carbon Through the Oceans
Authors: Sidder Aaron
Published: January 2023

New research reveals that blooms of the widespread gelatinous zooplankton—along with their feces, daily vertical migrations, and carcasses—increase marine carbon export.