bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Marketing component of green technologies energy efficiency at traditional and renewable energy facilities
Authors: Mohylevska O , Sanchenko O , Slobodianyk A , Abuselidze G , Romanova L , Filipovski A
Published: January 2023

The article examines the economic aspects of the production of electrical engineering and electricity at traditional and renewable energy facilities. The authors emphasized that Ukraine has great potential for the development of wind and solar energy capacities, but the relatively high current price of such technologies compared to conservative sources of electricity generation makes new power generation capacities from RES twice as expensive. The authors consider, improving energy efficiency could significantly reduce the growth in energy consumption: according to the International Energy Agency, the implementation of measures to improve energy efficiency on a global scale by 2030 would lead to an increase in energy consumption by 40%, while failure to implement these measures would mean a 60% increase in demand. It is proved that in Ukraine the most promising direction is the use of solar energy. The authors focused on the direct conversion of wind and solar energy into direct current electrical energy. The possibility of converting wind and solar energy into thermal energy without preliminary concentration of the solar radiation flux for heating the coolant and subsequent supply to heating objects has been proved. It was noted that a significant modernization of power plants using renewable energy sources or the construction of additional capacities (for an amount exceeding 50% of their initial cost) after 2014, 2020 led to a reduction in the rates of the “green” tariff for the entire power plant by 10%, 20% respectively and will lead to 2024 by 30%.
Potential of the digital ecosystem for the sustainable development of the tourist destination
Authors: Popova P , Petrova M , Popov V , Marinova K , Sushchenko O
Published: January 2023

Sustainable development is a key concept in the twenty-first century that aims to achieve a balance between present resource usage and responsibilities to future generations. The paradigm began in the field of environment protection but rapidly moved its attention and oriented itself to a variety of economic sectors, including tourism. The purpose of this paper is to explore the evolution of the concept of sustainable tourism development and to investigate the possibilities of the digital ecosystem in achieving this sustainability. The publication presents findings from an author’s research on the state of digital transformation in destination Veliko Tarnovo. As a result of the research, the indicators for measuring sustainable tourism, the main goals of the sustainable tourist development and the possibilities offered by the digital ecosystem for their achievement have been derived. The challenges facing DE in political, organizational, technological and ethical aspects are also reported. As a result of the analysis, we concluded that the digital ecosystem as an innovative organizational and business model successfully supports the sustainable development of the tourist destination.
Tropical nights (1976–2019) as an indicator of climate change in Ukraine
Authors: Klok S , Kornus A , Kornus O , Danylchenko O , Skyba O
Published: January 2023

The article presents the results of an analysis of the number, frequency and intensity of tropical nights in Ukraine. We have selected such weather stations that are located at different latitudes and correspond with the north, west, east, and south as well as the central part of Ukraine. This was done in order to analyse the differences in tropical nights across latitudes. Also we have weather stations located at the approximately one latitude to analyse how tropical nights vary in longitude. Data from weather stations for 1976-2019 were under analysis. We can say that the increase in the minimum air temperature during summer is on the whole territory of Ukraine. This leads to the fact that since the mid-1990s tropical nights begin to be observed in the east of Ukraine, as well as in the south. After 2000, tropical nights also have begun to be observed in the centre and even in the west of Ukraine. Between two half-periods (1976-1997 and 1998-2019) the increase of number of tropical night events in the south of Ukraine (up to 300 cases) is much more significant than the increase in their number in the northwest (up to 20 cases). As well as the frequency, the intensity of tropical nights also increases. There are cases with minimum daily air temperatures above 25°C. The analysis of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAC) and the Mediterranean (Cairo-Algeria) indices in the context of explaining the tropical night’s occurrence in Ukraine turned out to be quite effective.
Development of air quality monitoring system in Kyiv on the way of modernization environmental safety of sustainable development
Authors: Radovenchyk V , Ivanenko O , Shabliy T , Krysenko T , Radovenchyk I
Published: January 2023

The processes of modernization of the environmental safety system in the context of achieving sustainable development are actualized by global problems that arise as a result of man-made load on the atmospheric air. Among the cities of Ukraine, the capital occupies one of the first places in terms of pollution. In the process of ecological modernization in order to improve air quality, it is necessary to have detailed information about the level of pollution, pollutants, sources of their formation, changes in time and space, etc. Traditionally, monitoring of air quality in the capital is carried out by different organizations, which assess air quality only by the content of particles with a size of 1-10 microns, which is not enough for a complete analysis and assessment of the state of pollution. The most acceptable direction for the further development of the air quality monitoring system in Kyiv is to increase the coverage of the territory of the capital with a modern network of monitoring points of the Kyiv City State Administration, which in the future will become an information basis for making the necessary management decisions to ensure the sustainable development of Kyiv.
Family ISO 14000 standards as a tool of achieving environmental sustainability of enterprises
Authors: Karaeva Anzhelika , Tolkou Athanasia , Cioca Lucian-Ionel , Lakatos Elena-Simina
Published: January 2023

Environmental sustainability and its achievement at the national level is one of the key strategic development goals for most countries who are the largest environmental pollutants. Environmental sustainability implies the maximum possible reduction of negative environmental impact through the development of green energy, the increase in energy efficiency, the rational use of natural resources, the introduction of the principles of circular economy and increasing public awareness of environmental protection and climate conservation. There are many administrative tools to encourage enterprises worldwide to switch to a more environmentally friendly direction of its operating and development, among which is the introduction of international standards and subsequent certification of the enterprises. In addition to such obvious advantages as the introduction of effective environmental management systems, compliance with requirements in the field of environmental audit and monitoring, certification allows to increase credibility in the face of consumers and partners that leads to a favorable reputational effect. The objective of this study is to review and analyze the family ISO 14000 standards and assess their role in achieving environmental sustainability of enterprises. The authors determined the degree of influence of groups of standards on the achievement of environmental sustainability and identified their benefits and drawbacks.
Human resources management as a component of the sustainable development of the water management complex
Authors: Mazur N , Kovshun N , Moshchych S , Nalyvaiko N
Published: January 2023

Effective implementation of environmental policy is important for the sustainable development of the country. Implementation of strategic nature protection tasks is entrusted to relevant organizations. Institutions that regulate water use occupy a special place among them. The functioning of such organizations depends on human resources. The research mechanism for the priority of human resources management factors for employees of the water management complex was developed on the basis of a combination of sociological survey and matrix analysis. The development was tested on the example of the Rivne Interdistrict Water Management. 75% of the administrative and management personnel of the organization were interviewed. The most important thing for employees of the water management organization is the amount of monetary incentives and the timeliness of their payment. Almost all respondents rated them as high as possible on a 5-point scale. For the majority of respondents, social and psychological comfort in the organization is also of great importance. Such components of personnel management as proper working conditions and the possibility of independent choice of vacation time, mutual relations with colleagues and the attitude of the immediate supervisor received a high rating of importance. Interrelated factors such as the possibility of realizing one’s own abilities and the nature of work, opportunities for career and professional growth, and self-regulation of the working time schedule are also significant.
The MEITIM project and the development of future competencies in higher education in the mining industry
Authors: Gogolewska A B , Szostak K , Worsa-Kozak M
Published: January 2023

In recent years, the raw materials industry has focused on digitization and automation and on the implementation of concepts such as Industry 4.0, smart mines, etc. However, higher education does not offer a master’s program that includes the integration technologies and entrepreneurship for the development of professionals needed by the raw materials industry to increase its competitiveness. The International Project Master in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Technology Integration in Mining (MEITIM), which is co-financed by EIT Raw Materials, aims to create a new Master program in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Integration of various technologies in mining. The Master’s program is the result of a four-year collaboration between the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), the Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT), and the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (WUST). The program aims to educate new technologists and entrepreneurs who understand the entire value chain related to the raw materials economy and are able to integrate new technologies with feasible and innovative business solutions with high impact and added value in the mining sector. The current educational opportunities in the mining sector and the results of the research of the labour market in the mining sector in Poland and selected EU countries are presented. The system of education in the fields of Mining and Geology in Poland, Spain and Finland is described. The project orientation and the goals of training an engineer for the mining of the future were defined.
Problems of Securing Drive Systems of Selected Mining Machines with Locking Assemblies
Authors: Kuczaj M , Flipowicz K , Buchcik A
Published: January 2023

The paper describes locking assemblies used i.a. in mining machines and discusses the advantages of their application. On the example of a roadheader and belt conveyor, the assembly, disassembly and operating problems connected to locking assemblies occurring in the conditions of underground exploitation of raw materials are presented. From the examples of the use of locking assemblies and the resulting problems presented in the paper, it can be concluded that their proper operation depends upon a maximum reduction of their contamination.
Fostering circular economy approach in extractive industry-related study programs – the CIRCEXTIN project
Authors: Lutyński M , Murphy M , Shogenov K , Shogenova A. , Wolf K-H , Soleymani Shishvan M , Ortega M F , García-Martínez M J , Mora P , Mazurek M
Published: January 2023

Extractive industry is an industry where large volumes of waste are generated. Solid waste from mining and quarrying is the second largest stream of waste in European Union. Extractive industry and higher education programs related to it such as mining, mineral engineering, raw materials, and applied earth sciences need to put an emphasis on this context and include this concept in the existing curricula and/or create new study programs or short courses that will include circular economy (CE) approach. In 2020 project CIRCEXTIN funded by the Erasmus+ Strategic partnerships Key Action 2 was started. The objective of this project is to create a strategic partnership between Universities and companies developing a comprehensive training platform that will help to modify existing study programmes related to the extractive industry and knowledge of proper waste management incorporating a circular economy approach. This article presents major assumptions and result of the project as of September 2022.
Fabrication of a single-crystal diamond neutron detector and its application in 14.1 MeV neutron detection in deuterium–tritium fusion experiments
Authors: XU Ping , YU Yi , ZHOU Haiyang
Published: January 2023

A single-crystal diamond detector is fabricated to diagnose 14.1 MeV deuterium–tritium (D-T) fusion neutrons. The size of its diamond film is 4.5 mm × 4.5 mm × 500 μm. This film is sandwiched by a flat, strip-patterned gold electrode. The dark current of this detector is experimentally measured to be lower than 0.1 nA under an electric field of 30 kV cm−1. This diamond detector is used to measure D-T fusion neutrons with a flux of about 7.5 × 105 s–1 cm–2. The pronounced peak with a central energy of 8.28 MeV characterizing the

C

12

n
,
α

B

9

e

reaction in the neutron energy spectrum is experimentally diagnosed, and the energy resolution is better than 1.69%, which is the best result reported so far using a diamond detector. A clear peak with a central energy of 6.52 MeV characterizing the

C

12

n
,
n

′

3
α

reaction is also identified with an energy resolution of better than 7.67%.
Chaos of multi-dimensional linear hyperbolic PDEs
Authors: Zhu Pengxian , Yang Qigui
Published: January 2023

This paper deals with the dynamics of a system governed by a multi-dimensional linear hyperbolic PDE. The dynamical behaviors of linear PDEs extremely depend on the selection of space, and a conventional way is to define a infinite-dimensional space with a tuning parameter. Thereby, the linear PDEs can exhibit chaos or stability in the different range of tuning parameter. In this work, the chaos of the

C
0

C_0

-semigroup corresponding to the system is established on the Banach space of multivariate analytic functions when the tuning parameter exceeds some given positive number. Based on this, both Devaney and distributional chaos of the system are further obtained. Meanwhile, the

C
0

C_0

-semigroup is proved to be uniformly exponentially stable when the tuning parameter is less than a certain positive number, which contributes to showing the global stability of the system. Finally, two examples are given to illustrate effectiveness of our results.
A note on asymptotic profiles for the thermoelastic plate system
Authors: Chen Wenhui , Liu Yan
Published: January 2023

We investigate the Cauchy problem for the thermoelastic plate system associated with Newton’s law of cooling, where optimal growth (

n
⩽
4

n\leqslant 4

) or decay (

n
⩾
5

n\geqslant 5

) estimates and asymptotic profiles of solutions for large-time are studied. Especially, the additional lower-order term in the temperature equation weakens decay rates of the vertical displacement, and leads to a new leading term comparing with the classical thermoelastic plates.
A new approach to the generalized Springer correspondence
Authors: Graham William , Precup Martha , Russell Amber
Published: January 2023

The Springer resolution of the nilpotent cone is used to give a geometric construction of the irreducible representations of Weyl groups. Borho and MacPherson obtain the Springer correspondence by applying the decomposition theorem to the Springer resolution, establishing an injective map from the set of irreducible Weyl group representations to simple equivariant perverse sheaves on the nilpotent cone. In this manuscript, we consider a generalization of the Springer resolution using a variety defined by the first author. Our main result shows that in the type A case, applying the decomposition theorem to this map yields all simple perverse sheaves on the nilpotent cone with multiplicity as predicted by Lusztig’s generalized Springer correspondence.
Generic simplicity of resonances in obstacle scattering
Authors: Xiong Haoren
Published: January 2023

We show that all resonances in Dirichlet obstacle scattering (in

C

\mathbb {C}

in odd dimensions and in the logarithmic cover of

C

∖
{
0
}

\mathbb {C}\setminus \{0\}

in even dimensions) are generically simple in the class of obstacles with

C
k

C^k

(and

C
∞

C^\infty

) boundaries,

k
≥
2

k \geq 2

. The method also yields a Hadamard type variational formula for a simple resonance.
KLHL12 can form large COPII structures in the absence of CUL3 neddylation
Authors: Moretti Tamara , Kim Kyungho , Tuladhar Astha , Kim Jinoh
Published: January 2023

The ubiquitin ligase activity of CUL3–KLHL12 is believed to be critical for the assembly of large COPII structures. We show that CUL3 neddylation, which is critical for CUL3 ubiquitin ligase activity, is not necessary for the assembly of large COPII structures. In addition, we have identified a new function of CUL3–KLHL12 as a regulator of cellular collagen levels.
A mechanism of salt bridge–mediated resistance to FtsZ inhibitor PC190723 revealed by a cell-based screen
Authors: Sharma Ajay Kumar , Poddar Sakshi Mahesh , Chakraborty Joyeeta , Nayak Bhagyashri Soumya , Kalathil Srilakshmi , Mitra Nivedita , Gayathri Pananghat , Srinivasan Ramanujam
Published: January 2023

FtsZ is a promising target for developing new antibacterials. A cell-based screen was developed and used to understand the mechanism of resistance to PC190723. It is reported for the first time that salt bridge interactions within the FtsZ structure prevent PC190723 binding and PC190723 targets FtsZ from a Gram-negative bacterium such as Helictobacter pylori.
A generalized Bayes framework for probabilistic clustering
Authors: Rigon Tommaso , Herring Amy H , Dunson David B
Published: January 2023

Loss-based clustering methods, such as k-means clustering and its variants, are standard tools for finding groups in data. However, the lack of quantification of uncertainty in the estimated clusters is a disadvantage. Model-based clustering based on mixture models provides an alternative approach, but such methods face computational problems and are highly sensitive to the choice of kernel. In this article we propose a generalized Bayes framework that bridges between these paradigms through the use of Gibbs posteriors. In conducting Bayesian updating, the loglikelihood is replaced by a loss function for clustering, leading to a rich family of clustering methods. The Gibbs posterior represents a coherent updating of Bayesian beliefs without needing to specify a likelihood for the data, and can be used for characterizing uncertainty in clustering. We consider losses based on Bregman divergence and pairwise similarities, and develop efficient deterministic algorithms for point estimation along with sampling algorithms for uncertainty quantification. Several existing clustering algorithms, including k-means, can be interpreted as generalized Bayes estimators in our framework, and thus we provide a method of uncertainty quantification for these approaches, allowing, for example, calculation of the probability that a data point is well clustered.
Enhanced recovery after surgery in children undergoing abdominal surgery: meta-analysis
Authors: Hidayah Bte Azahari , Toh Zheng An , Cheng Ling Jie , Syahzarin Bin Daud , Zhu Yi , Pölkki Tarja , He Honggu , Mali Vidyadhar Padmakar
Published: January 2023

Background

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is a multimodal approach that streamlines patient processes before, during, and after surgery. The goal is to reduce surgical stress responses and improve outcomes; however, the impact of ERAS programmes in paediatric abdominal surgery remains unclear. The authors aimed to review the effectiveness of ERAS on clinical outcomes in children undergoing abdominal surgery.

Method

CINAHL, CENTRAL, Embase, ProQuest, PubMed, and Scopus were searched for relevant studies published from inception until January 2021. The length of hospital stay (LOS), time to oral intake, time to stool, complication rates, and 30-day readmissions were measured. Meta-analyses and subgroup analyses were conducted using RevMan 5.4 with a random-effects model.

Results

Among 2371 records from the initial search, 111 articles were retrieved for full-text screening and 12 were included for analyses. The pooled mean difference (MD) demonstrated reduced LOS (MD −1.96; 95 per cent c.i. −2.75 to −1.17), time to oral intake (MD −3.37; 95 per cent c.i. −4.84 to −1.89), and time to stool (MD −4.19; 95 per cent c.i. −6.37 to −2.02). ERAS reduced postoperative complications by half and 30-day readmission by 36 per cent. Subgroup analyses for continuous outcomes suggested that ERAS was more effective in children than adolescents.

Conclusion

ERAS was effective in improving clinical outcomes for paediatric patients undergoing abdominal surgery.
LncRNA CASC19 promotes gastric cancer progression through preventing CREB1 protein ubiquitin/proteasome-dependent degradation
Authors: Wang Shidong , Qiao Chen , Li Jun , Liu Si , Li Peng
Published: January 2023

Cancer susceptibility candidate 19 (CASC19) is a novel long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that has been reported to implicate in the development and therapeutic resistance of various cancers. However, the biological functions and the underlying mechanisms of CASC19 in gastric cancer (GC) remain unclear. In this study, GC-related lncRNAs were screened by lnCAR-database analysis. Based on Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database, GC survival analysis associated with CASC19 was carried out. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and chromogenic in situ hybridization were adopted to determine the expression level of CASC19. 5-ethynyl-2ʹ-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium inner salt (MTS) assay and cell cycle assay were used to measure the proliferation capabilities of GC cells. Wound healing assay, transwell migration and invasion assay were performed to detect the metastatic ability of GC cells. Furthermore, subcellular fractionation assay, mass spectrometry, RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation, western blot and protein stability assay were conducted to investigate the mechanism of CASC19 in GC. Here, we report that CASC19 exerts an oncogenic effect on GC. CASC19 was found to be elevated in GC and overexpression of CASC19 was associated with advanced TNM (tumor node metastasis) stage and poor prognosis. Functionally, CASC19 knockdown inhibited GC cells proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced cell cycle arrest. Mechanistically, CASC19 interacted with cAMP response element-binding protein 1 (CREB1) and enhanced its stability by preventing its ubiquitin/proteasome-dependent degradation. In conclusion, these findings suggest that CASC19 may act as a cancer accelerator in GC by regulating CREB1 stability and highlight CASC19 as a potential biomarker and a valuable therapeutic target for advanced GC.
Skin morbidity in Indigenous children in relation to housing conditions in remote communities in Northwestern Ontario, Canada
Authors: Schreiber Yoko , Mallach Gary , Barrowman Nick , Tsampalieros Anne , Kelly Len , Gordon Janet , McKay Michael , Wong Carmen Liy , Kovesi Thomas
Published: January 2023

Background

Elevated rates of eczema and skin infections in Canadian First Nation (FN) communities are of concern to families, community leaders and healthcare professionals.

Aim

To determine whether skin morbidity was associated with indoor environmental quality factors in Canadian FN children living in remote communities.

Methods

We quantified indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in the homes of FN children aged < 4 years of age living in four remote communities in the Sioux Lookout region of Northwestern Ontario, Canada. We conducted a quantitative housing inspection, including measuring surface area of mould (SAM), and monitored air quality for 5 days in each home, including carbon dioxide and relative humidity and quantified endotoxin in settled floor dust. We reviewed the medical charts of participating children for skin conditions and administered a health questionnaire. Relationships between IEQ and skin infections or eczema were evaluated using multivariable regression.

Results

In total, 98 children were included in the descriptive analyses, of whom 86 had complete data and were evaluated in multivariate analyses for dermatological outcomes (mean age 1.6 years). Of these 86 children, 55% had made ≥ 1 visits to the local health centre (HC) for skin and soft tissue infections and 25.5% for eczema. Unexpectedly, annualized eczema visits were inversely associated with SAM (RR = 0.14; 95% CI 0.01–0.93). There was a trend suggesting an inverse relationship between endotoxin and HC encounters for eczema and skin and soft tissue infections.

Conclusion

Skin infections were common in this population of FN children. IEQ did not appear to be associated with skin infections or eczema. Mould exposure appeared to be inversely associated with HC encounters for eczema, possibly related to complex microorganism–host interactions occurring early in life.
Common dermoscopic features in mucinoses: an aid to diagnosis in a patient with acneiform lesions
Authors: Buján Bonino Cecilia , Suárez Peñaranda José Manuel , Rodríguez Granados María Teresa
Published: January 2023

A 42-year-old woman presented with multiple mildly pruritic papules that had appeared over her neck and upper torso over the past 6 months. Her medical history was remarkable for uveitis concordant with Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada syndrome.
Mistuned NF-κB signaling in lymphocytes: lessons from relevant inborn errors of immunity
Authors: Dabbah-Krancher Gina , Snow Andrew L
Published: January 2023

Inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) continuously remind us that multiple checks and balances are built into the adaptive immune system to maintain homeostasis, ensuring effective pathogen defense without causing inadvertent immunopathology, autoimmunity, or lymphomagenesis. The nuclear factor of κB (NF-κB) family of transcription factors serve a vital role in the immune system, inducing scores of genes responsible for lymphocyte survival, proliferation, differentiation and effector function. In recent years, the discovery and characterization of IEIs that impact NF-κB activity have illuminated the importance of carefully tuning this pathway to ensure effective immune defense without hyperinflammation and immune dysregulation. Here we examine several illustrative cases of IEIs that arise from pathogenic mutations encoding NF-κB inducers, regulators, and NF-κB family components themselves, illuminating how these genes ensure normal adaptive immune system function by maintaining a “Goldilocks effect” state in NF-κB pathway activity.
Jocasta’s last hours: identity, responsibility, and violence in Martha Graham’sNight Journey
Authors: Papathanasopoulou Nina
Published: January 2023

This paper analyses Martha Graham’s Night Journey in relation to its primary model, Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannos. Night Journey captivates us by drawing deeply on Sophocles’ original and invites us to turn our focus to the last hours of Jocasta’s life, a moment to which Sophocles’ play gives comparatively little attention. I argue that Graham’s focus on the last hours of Jocasta’s life brings fresh illumination to our interpretation of the Oedipus myth. I first discuss the dance’s narrative technique and then analyse three themes that are central to both Sophocles’ and Graham’s works: questions of identity; responsibility; and the deep-seated human urge toward violence in the face of anxiety. In each case I show how Graham transforms Sophocles’ treatment of these themes and explores them through the character of Jocasta and a chorus of women, making women the focus of the narrative’s meditations on the nature of identity, moral responsibility, and human emotion.
PTX3 from vascular endothelial cells contributes to trastuzumab-induced cardiac complications
Authors: Xu Zhifei , Gao Zizheng , Fu Huangxi , Zeng Yan , Jin Ying , Xu Bo , Zhang Yuanteng , Pan Zezheng , Chen Xueqin , Zhang Xiaochen , Wang Xiaohong , Yan Hao , Yang Xiaochun , Yang Bo , He Qiaojun , Luo Peihua
Published: January 2023

Aims

Trastuzumab, the first humanized monoclonal antibody that targets human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ERBB2/HER2), is currently used as a first-line treatment for HER2 (+) tumours. However, trastuzumab increases the risk of cardiac complications without affecting myocardial structure, suggesting a distinct mechanism of cardiotoxicity.

Methods and results

We used medium from trastuzumab-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to treat CCC-HEH-2 cells, the human embryonic cardiac tissue-derived cell lines, and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) to assess the crosstalk between vascular endothelial cells (VECs) and cardiomyocytes. Protein mass spectrometry analysis was used to identify the key factors from VECs that regulate the function of cardiomyocytes. We applied RNA-sequencing to clarify the mechanism, by which PTX3 causes cardiac dysfunction. We used an anti-human/rat HER2 (neu) monoclonal antibody to generate a rat model that was used to evaluate the effects of trastuzumab on cardiac structure and function and the rescue effects of lapatinib on trastuzumab-induced cardiac side effects. Medium from trastuzumab-treated HUVECs apparently impaired the contractility of CCC-HEH-2 cells and iPSC-CMs. PTX3 from VECs caused defective cardiomyocyte contractility and cardiac dysfunction in mice, phenocopying trastuzumab treatment. PTX3 affected calcium homoeostasis in cardiomyocytes, which led to defective contractile properties. EGFR/STAT3 signalling in VECs contributed to the increased expression and release of PTX3. Notably, lapatinib, a dual inhibitor of EGFR/HER2, could rescue the cardiac complications caused by trastuzumab by blocking the release of PTX3.

Conclusion

We identified a distinct mode of cardiotoxicity, wherein the activation of EGFR/STAT3 signalling by trastuzumab in VECs promotes PTX3 excretion, which contributes to the impaired contractility of cardiomyocytes by inhibiting cellular calcium signalling. We confirmed that lapatinib could be a feasible preventive agent against trastuzumab-induced cardiac complications and provided the rationale for the combined application of lapatinib and trastuzumab in cancer therapy.
Systematic Review with Meta-analysis: The Impact of Cancer Treatments on the Disease Activity of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Authors: Grimsdottir Sigrun , Attauabi Mohamed , Kristine Dahl Emilie , Burisch Johan , Seidelin Jakob Benedict
Published: January 2023

Background and Aims

The association between cancer treatments and exacerbation of inflammatory bowel diseases [IBD] is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effects of cancer treatments on the disease activity of IBD.

Methods

We performed a systematic review of the literature on cancer therapy in patients with pre-existing IBD. Electronic searches of PubMed, Cochrane Library and Embase were combined with manual searches (September 2021). Meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects model. The primary outcome was flares of IBD following cancer therapy. Secondary outcomes were need for IBD-related hospitalization, surgery, and initiation or intensification of steroid or biological treatments to manage IBD flares.

Results

In total, 33 studies were included in the systematic review, comprising 1298 patients with IBD who received cancer treatment. The overall occurrence of IBD flares following cancer treatment was 30% (95% confidence interval [CI] 23–37%). IBD flares resulted in utilization of systemic steroids and biologic therapies among 25% and 10% of patients, respectively, and in discontinuation of cancer treatment among 14% of patients. Finally, the risk of gastrointestinal toxicity following immune check point inhibitor treatment [ICI] was increased in patients with IBD compared to patients without IBD (RR = 3.62 [95% CI 2.57–5.09]). Despite this, the studies generally reported that flares were manageable.

Conclusions

Current data indicate a high proportion of patients with IBD experiencing a flare following the start of cancer treatment. Patients with IBD were at an increased risk of gastrointestinal toxicity following ICI treatment compared to those without IBD. However, cancer therapy-induced IBD flares were manageable and should not preclude appropriate cancer treatments.
A Compendium of Mucosal Molecular Characteristics Provides Novel Perspectives on the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Chang Min-Jing , Hao Jia-Wei , Qiao Jun , Chen Miao-Ran , Wang Qian , Wang Qi , Zhang Sheng-Xiao , Yu Qi , He Pei-Feng
Published: January 2023

Background and Aims

Ulcerative colitis [UC] is a complex heterogeneous disease. This study aims to reveal the underlying molecular features of UC using genome-scale transcriptomes of patients with UC, and to develop and validate a novel stratification scheme.

Methods

A normalised compendium was created using colon tissue samples (455 patients with UC and 147 healthy controls [HCs]), covering genes from 10 microarray datasets. Upregulated differentially expressed genes [DEGs] were subjected to functional network analysis, wherein samples were grouped using unsupervised clustering. Additionally, the robustness of subclustering was further assessed by two RNA sequencing datasets [100 patients with UC and 16 HCs]. Finally, the Xgboost classifier was applied to the independent datasets to evaluate the efficacy of different biologics in patients with UC.

Results

Based on 267 upregulated DEGs of the transcript profiles, UC patients were classified into three subtypes [subtypes A–C] with distinct molecular and cellular signatures. Epithelial activation-related pathways were significantly enriched in subtype A [named epithelial proliferation], whereas subtype C was characterised as the immune activation subtype with prominent immune cells and proinflammatory signatures. Subtype B [named mixed] was modestly activated in all the signalling pathways. Notably, subtype A showed a stronger association with the superior response of biologics such as golimumab, infliximab, vedolizumab, and ustekinumab compared with subtype C.

Conclusions

We conducted a deep stratification of mucosal tissue using the most comprehensive microarray and RNA sequencing data, providing critical insights into pathophysiological features of UC, which could serve as a template for stratified treatment approaches.
Serum lipoprotein(a) and bioprosthetic aortic valve degeneration
Authors: Botezatu Simona B , Tzolos Evangelos , Kaiser Yannick , Cartlidge Timothy R G , Kwiecinski Jacek , Barton Anna K , Yu Xinming , Williams Michelle C , van Beek Edwin J R , White Audrey , Kroon Jeffrey , Slomka Piotr J , Popescu Bogdan A , Newby David E , Stroes Erik S G , Zheng Kang H , Dweck Marc R
Published: January 2023

Aims

Bioprosthetic aortic valve degeneration demonstrates pathological similarities to aortic stenosis. Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a well-recognized risk factor for incident aortic stenosis and disease progression. The aim of this study is to investigate whether serum Lp(a) concentrations are associated with bioprosthetic aortic valve degeneration.

Methods and results

In a post hoc analysis of a prospective multimodality imaging study (NCT02304276), serum Lp(a) concentrations, echocardiography, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) angiography, and 18F-sodium fluoride (18F-NaF) positron emission tomography (PET) were assessed in patients with bioprosthetic aortic valves. Patients were also followed up for 2 years with serial echocardiography. Serum Lp(a) concentrations [median 19.9 (8.4–76.4) mg/dL] were available in 97 participants (mean age 75 ± 7 years, 54% men). There were no baseline differences across the tertiles of serum Lp(a) concentrations for disease severity assessed by echocardiography [median peak aortic valve velocity: highest tertile 2.5 (2.3–2.9) m/s vs. lower tertiles 2.7 (2.4–3.0) m/s, P = 0.204], or valve degeneration on CT angiography (highest tertile n = 8 vs. lower tertiles n = 12, P = 0.552) and 18F-NaF PET (median tissue-to-background ratio: highest tertile 1.13 (1.05–1.41) vs. lower tertiles 1.17 (1.06–1.53), P = 0.889]. After 2 years of follow-up, there were no differences in annualized change in bioprosthetic hemodynamic progression [change in peak aortic valve velocity: highest tertile [0.0 (−0.1–0.2) m/s/year vs. lower tertiles 0.1 (0.0–0.2) m/s/year, P = 0.528] or the development of structural valve degeneration.

Conclusion

Serum lipoprotein(a) concentrations do not appear to be a major determinant or mediator of bioprosthetic aortic valve degeneration.
Is it a risk factor, a predictor, or even both? The multiple faces of multivariable regression analysis
Authors: Groenwold Rolf H H , Dekkers Olaf M
Published: January 2023

The medical research literature is abundant with regression analyses that include multiple covariates, so-called multivariable regression models. Despite their common application, the interpretation of their results is not always clear or claimed interpretations are not justified. To outline the distinctions between different interpretations, we describe several possible research objectives for which a multivariable regression analysis might be an appropriate way of analyzing the data. In addition, we describe caveats in the interpretation of results of multivariable regression analysis.
1. Introduction
Authors: Brassett James , Elias Juanita , Rethel Lena , Richardson Ben
Published: January 2023

This chapter introduces the rationale for everyday international political economy (IPE). IPE is primarily concerned with the interrelationship of wealth and power across state borders. Whether through the sites of routine behaviour, the role of popular culture, or the stuff of mass consumption, everyday IPE has sought to show that the economy is continually remade in, and through, our daily lives. The chapter then identifies the lineages of everyday IPE which draw from the influences of theoretical traditions such as liberal, economic nationalist, Marxist, feminist, black, and post-structural theories. It also describes the I-PEEL approach and its implications for learning about and doing IPE. The I-PEEL approach looks at interrelated daily life experiences and explores how social relations of class, gender, race, nationality, and others sustain and subvert global inequalities.
8. Share
Authors: Brassett James , Elias Juanita , Rethel Lena , Richardson Ben
Published: January 2023

This chapter studies the relatively new topic of sharing economy in international political economy (IPE), describing the concepts of marketization of everyday life, the gig economy, and platform capitalism. It begins by looking at ride-sharing, which is an increasingly popular means of transport that constitutes a significant sector in the for-profit sharing economy. Using the Indonesian ride-hailing company Gojek as an example, the chapter draws out fundamental tensions between solidarity and exploitation that underpin processes of marketization in the sharing economy. It then examines different forms of economic organization and their historical lineages. The different principles that can structure economic exchange include householding, reciprocity, redistribution, and the market. Finally, the chapter evaluates for-profit and not-for-profit dimensions of the sharing economy using the diverse economies framework and community mapping.
10. Conclusion
Authors: Brassett James , Elias Juanita , Rethel Lena , Richardson Ben
Published: January 2023

This concluding chapter summarizes the key aspects of international political economy (IPE). IPE can be described as the study of global systems of production, exchange, and distribution, with a view to understanding what these mean for the basic values of wealth, security, freedom, and justice. This book connects this academic field and its animating questions to everyday life. Alongside states and markets, it looks at households as important sites of power. Alongside production, exchange, and distribution, it also considers the contested economic sphere of consumption. Using the I-PEEL approach, the book takes everyday objects and economic practices as both entry points into IPE and things to be studied in themselves. The chapter then demonstrates the process of creating I-PEEL tiles, highlighting the merits of the I-PEEL approach in studying global capitalism.
Quantifying diets for small pelagic fish: effects of weight versus occurrence methods and sampling effort
Authors: Mousing Erik Askov , Planque Benjamin , Arneberg Per , Bjørdal Vilde Regine , Keulder-Stenevik Felicia , Liebig Penny Lee , Mørk Herdis Langøy , Skern-Mauritzen Mette
Published: January 2023

In the Norwegian Sea, assessment of diet composition relies on annual cruise activity combined with visual identification and weight determination of prey from fish stomachs. This weight-based method is labour intensive, and suggestions to reduce cost include moving from the weight-based to the occurrence-based method and/or reducing sampling effort. Studies have suggested that the occurrence-based method may be more robust while providing similar results as the weight-based method. Here we re-analyse data from >14.000 stomachs for herring, mackerel, and blue whiting. We compare diet composition estimates and quantify the uncertainty using both methods. We also quantify the impact of reducing sampling effort (number of trawl stations and fish per station) on the diet uncertainties. Our results confirm that occurrence-based estimates are more precise than those based on weight. In addition, they are better at capturing year-to-year fluctuations. The occurrence-based method provides similar results to the weight-based method. Differences between methods arise primarily from disparities in the mean weight of prey in stomachs. Decreasing the number of stations sampled leads to increased uncertainty, while reducing the sampling effort from 10 to 5 fish per station has little impact on uncertainty estimates. These results provide quantified insights to guide future diet monitoring programmes.
Enterococcus faeciumfrom chicken feces improves chicken immune response and alleviatesSalmonellainfections: a pilot study
Authors: Khalifa Ashraf , Ibrahim Hairul Islam Mohamed
Published: January 2023

Probiotics reduce the emergence of antibiotic resistance in the livestock industry. Chicken feces are reservoirs of beneficial microbiomes. The aim of this study was to isolate putative probiotics from the intestinal contents of broiler chickens. Five fecal samples were collected from two poultry farms in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Of the 11 morphologically distinct isolates from chicken feces (CF) samples, five isolates displayed positive reactions to Gram staining, catalase, and oxidase tests, and reacted negatively to a hemolytic assay. The isolates CF1, CF2, CF3, CF8, and CF11 were selected for further analysis of probiotic characterization, gastric survival capacity, antibiotic susceptibility, and antimicrobial activity against poultry infected with Salmonella enterica. CF2 and CF11 showed the highest hydrophobic values (> 51% hydrophobic nature). CF1, CF2, and CF11 showed potent antimicrobial activities. The active isolate CF2 was identified as Enterococcus faecium by 16s rRNA sequencing and showed a genetic similarity of 99.1%. An in vivo study was conducted using a chicken model. Enterococcus faecium-fed chickens showed an improved body weight and a lower mortality rate (17–34%). Salmonella enterica colony-forming unit (CFU) invasion in the spleen and thymus was significantly reduced in the E. faecium-fed chickens. The fecal S. enterica load was reduced from CFU 6.8 to 3.9/g in oral-administered E. faecium-fed chickens. Enterococcus faecium-fed chickens showed increased levels (P < 0.01) of butyric acid and reduced levels (P < 0.01) of intestinal interleukin 1 beta, C-reactive protein, and interferon gamma levels compared to those in the S. enterica-infected chicken group. In addition, E. faecium showed significant binding to Caco-2 epithelial cells in vitro and inhibited S. enterica colonization, indicating co-aggregation of E. faecium in epithelial cells. These results revealed that an E. faecium formulation could prevent bacterial infection and improve the quality of broiler chickens.
Numerical investigation on seismoelectric wave fields in porous media: porosity and permeability
Authors: Peng Rong , Huang Xingxing , Liu Zichun , Li Huafei , Di Bangrang , Wei Jianxin
Published: January 2023

Compared with the seismic wave fields, the influence of porosity and permeability to seismoelectric coupling may be more significant. The seismoelectric effect mainly forms the coseismic signals (CS) and interface response (IR). The influences of the porosity and permeability on the two types of seismoelectric field are still not clear. In this paper, we numerically analyze the response characteristics of the CS and IR with the dependency of porosity and permeability, respectively. The differences in the sensitivity of the CS and the IR fields to porosity and permeability are also determined. The results show that the change of permeability is mainly sensed by the IR field, while the CS has almost no obvious response to it: both the CS and IR fields are sensitive to the change of porosity, but the sensitivity of the IR field is higher and with the increase of porosity, the discrepancy between the sensitivity of the CS and IR fields to porosity changes increases. The signal amplitude anomaly will be caused in both P-wave fields and seismoelectric fields (IR and CS) at the geological body where the porosity changes, but the change of permeability has little impact on the P-wave and only induces an obvious IR amplitude anomaly in seismoelectric fields. This indicates that the seismoelectric effect can better reveal the connectivity characteristics of the geological body than the seismic wave. This investigation can help to distinguish the sensitivity of seismoelectric response to porosity and permeability more clearly.