bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Utilizing mating disruption in stored product protection: shifting from the past to the future
Authors: Athanassiou Christos G. , Agrafioti Paraskevi
Published: January 2025

The current review highlights the use of mating disruption at the post-harvest stages of durable agricultural commodities, along with the recent developments toward this direction. In this regard, we present the principles of mating disruption in stored product protection, and why there are some fundamental differences in comparison with the mating disruption that is applied against insect pests in crops and orchards. Furthermore, we present the different ways that this method can be applied, along with a series of paradigms of mating disruption and its variations in the application methodology. At the same time, we focus on the main species for which field data have been produced, and we provide our aspects regarding future trends in research with the fascinating area of mating disruption in stored product protection.
Ultra-Fast Warming Procedure of Vitrified Blastocysts Results in Maintained Embryology and Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Lammers Jenna , Reignier Arnaud , Loubersac Sophie , Chaillot Maxime , Freour Thomas
Published: January 2025

Vitrification has revolutionized embryo cryopreservation, but represents a significant workload in the IVF lab. We evaluated here an ultrafast blastocyst warming procedure in order to improve workflow while maintaining clinical outcome. We first evaluated the expression of main markers of lineage specification in a subset of blastocysts donated to research warmed with ultrafast protocol. We then performed a prospective pseudo-randomized pilot study comparing blastocyst survival, reexpansion and live birth rates between standard (3 steps, 15 min), and ultrafast warming protocol (1 step, 2 min). Finally, survival, reexpansion and live birth rates (LBR) obtained with ultrafast warming protocol were prospectively collected during 3 months and compared with previous indicators. Immunofluorescence experiments showed that staining and spatial organization of cell fate markers were conserved with ultrafast protocol. Survival, reexpansion and LBR were strictly comparable between standard (n = 47 cycles) and ultrafast (n = 39 cycles) groups in the pilot study (100 vs 100%, 80 vs 76% and 29.8 vs 30.7% in standard and simplified groups respectively). Survival, expansion and LBR obtained with the ultrafast warming protocol over the next 3-month period (321 cycles, 336 embryos) were comparable with those obtained with the standard protocol throughout the 6 months (547 FBT cycles, 578 embryos) preceding shifting protocol (97.6 and 29.6% vs 97.8 and 28.3% respectively, p > 0.05 for both). In conclusion, using an ultrafast blastocyst warming procedure results in similar embryology and clinical outcomes compared with standard protocol, but significantly shortens the technical procedure, ultimately improving the overall lab’s workflow.
Optimization Models in Electricity Markets
Authors: Papavasiliou Anthony
Published: January 2025

Get up-to-speed with the fundamentals of how electricity markets are structured and operated with this comprehensive textbook, presenting coverage of key topics in electricity market design, including power system and power market operations, transmission, unit commitment, demand response, and risk management. It includes over 140 practical examples, inspired by real-industry applications, connecting key theoretical concepts to practical scenarios in electricity market design, and features over 100 coding-based examples and exercises, with selected solutions for readers. It further demonstrates how mathematical programming models are implemented in an industry setting. Requiring no experience in power systems or energy economics, this is the ideal introduction to electricity markets for senior undergraduate and graduate students in electrical engineering, economics, and operations research, and a robust introduction to the field for professionals in utilities, energy policy, and energy regulation. Accompanied online by datasets, AMPL code, supporting videos, and full solutions and lecture slides for instructors.
Geographies of Gender
Authors: Ishikawa Tadashi
Published: January 2025

Tadashi Ishikawa traces perceptions and practices of gender in the Japanese empire on the occasion of Japan's colonisation of Taiwan from 1895 . In the 1910s, metropolitan and colonial authorities attempted social reform in ways which particularly impacted on family traditions and, therefore, gender relations, paving the way for the politics of comparison within and beyond the empire. In Geographies of Gender, Tadashi Ishikawa delves into a variety of diplomatic issues, colonial and anticolonial discourses, and judicial cases, finding marriage gifts, daughter adoption, and premarital sexual relationships to be sites of tension between norms and ideals among both elite and ordinary men and women. He explores how the Japanese empire became a gendered space from the 1910s through the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, arguing that gender norms were both unsettled and reinforced in ways which highlight the instability of metropole-colony relations.
Europe's Eastern Christian Frontier
Authors: Sullivan Alice Isabella
Published: January 2025

Within the shifting political landscapes of Eastern Europe during the late Middle Ages, the principality of Moldavia (extending over today's northeastern third of Romania and the Republic of Moldova) emerged as an eastern Christian frontier - indeed, a bastion, a 'gate of Christianity' - in the face of the advancing Ottoman armies and Tatar forces. Moldavia's leaders - among them Peter I Mușat, Alexander I, and Stephen III - established political, military, and economic contacts in efforts to strengthen and protect their domain, and, by extension, the rest of Europe. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Moldavia under Stephen III also refashioned Byzantine traditions in a new context, thereby preserving and transforming the legacies of the former Byzantine Empire to the north of the Danube River. This book argues for Moldavia's central role in the political, military, economic, and cultural spheres of Eastern Europe from the second half of the fourteenth century to the turn of the sixteenth century.
The Case for East Roman Studies
Authors: Kaldellis Anthony
Published: January 2025

Byzantine Studies has reached a tipping point: a growing number of historians have realized that the terms 'Byzantium' and 'the Byzantines' distort the reality and identity of the society that we study, and encode a series of prejudices that were embedded in western perceptions. The aim of these terms was to exclude the eastern empire from important discussions and historical developments.

It is time to end this exercise in orientalist fiction, but what are the alternatives? In this book, Anthony Kaldellis surveys the pros and cons of a range of possible options and examines the implications of a field name-change also for art history, philology, and the study of Eastern Orthodoxy. The new name he proposes will carry the field into the next phase of its history, renegotiate its relationships with its peers and respect the testimony of our sources.
Blood culture bottle shortage mitigation efforts: analysis of impact on ordering and patient impact
Authors: Doern Christopher D. , Whitman Melissa , Doll Michelle , Lavoie Suzanne , Friedel David , Bearman Gonzalo , Kim Jeffrey , Masters Heather , Roseff Susan , Willis Jim , Mercer Roxanne , Hill Aaron , Feeser Ramana , Dhindsa Harinder , Petruzella Frank , Jackson Anne , Vitto Michael , Plauny Josh , Bryson Alexandra
Published: January 2025

Objective design:

In June of 2024, Becton Dickinson experienced a blood culture bottle shortage for their BACTEC system, forcing health systems to reduce usage or risk exhausting their supply. Virginia Commonwealth University Health System (VCUHS) in Richmond, VA decided that it was necessary to implement austerity measures to preserve the blood culture bottle supply.

Setting:

VCUHS includes a main campus in Richmond, VA as well as two affiliate hospitals in South Hill, VA (Community Memorial Hospital (CMH)) and Tappahannock Hospital in Tappahannock, VA. It also includes a free-standing Emergency Department in New Kent, VA.

Patients:

Blood cultures from both pediatric and adult patients were included in this study.

Interventions:

VCUHS intervened to decrease blood culture utilization across the entire health system. Interventions included communication of blood culture guidance as well as an electronic health record order designed to guide providers and discourage wasteful ordering.

Results:

Post-implementation analyses showed that interventions reduced overall usage by 35.6% (P < .0001) and by greater than 40% in the Emergency Departments. The impact of these changes in utilization on positivity were analyzed, and it was found that the overall positivity rate increased post-intervention from 8.8% to 12.1% (P = .0115) and in the ED specifically from 10.2% to 19.5% (P < .0001).

Conclusions:

These findings strongly suggest that some basic stewardship interventions can significantly change blood culture practice in a manner that minimizes the impact on patient care.
Addressing the Unfettered Authority of Sport Governing Bodies through EU Competition Law: The Effect of International Skating Union and European Super League
Authors: Bantekas Ilias , Mercado Jaén Pedro José
Published: January 2025

The unfettered authority of sport-governing bodies (SGBs) has given rise to human rights claims and led to the distortion of EU free movement of persons and competition law. Following International Skating Union and European Super League Company, SBGs cannot exercise their right to achieve legitimate sporting aims like integrity and sporting fairness at the expense of competition rules. Nor are they allowed to prevent their member associations from organising/operating competitive leagues/events or to inflict sanctions on them for attempting to do so. These judgments will revolutionise the transnational sport law landscape, reshaping SGBs’ institutional rules and member relationships.
Unpacking the beast of burden: Joerges on the constitutional, political, and epistemological baggage of European integration
Authors: Isiksel Turkuler
Published: January 2025

Christian Joerges is a scholar whose work spills over the conventional boundaries between public and private law, social science and legal theory, law and public policy, empirical inquiry and normative philosophy. This essay brings into focus Joerges’s under-appreciated role as a prescient, critical intellectual biographer of European integration. It argues that Joerges’s work has helped to diagnose, explain, and dismantle three misconceptions or myths with which European integration has been saddled from its formative decades. These misconceptions are (1) that the European integration project is ‘self-legitimating’ and therefore politically neutral; (2) that the delegation of decision-making authority to supranational institutions is constitutionally neutral; and (3) that there can be an epistemologically neutral, authoritative disciplinary perspective from which to comprehend European integration. Breaking the hold of these misconceptions is an essential step towards gaining a critical understanding of the promises and limitations of European integration today.
Expanding Europe’s conflicts-law constitution: against negative externalities of dominant function systems
Authors: Teubner Gunther
Published: January 2025

Why should one expand Christian Joerges’s pioneering concept of ‘Europe’s conflicts-law constitution’? The European constitution should consistently incorporate the double plurality of Europe because, for centuries, Europe has been governed by two powerful pluralities that are orthogonal to each other, but at the same time closely interpenetrate each other. Europe’s material constitution is characterised not only by the conflicts between nation-state policies, but also by the deeper conflicts between different intrinsic normativities of societal institutions.

The European conflicts-law constitution should therefore not only realise the transnationalisation of the ‘political’ constitutions of the nation states and their underlying conflicts, but also a ‘societal’ constitution that inscribes itself into the conflicts of previously unconstitutional worlds of meaning. On the basis of this extension, Joerges’s ideas can be made fruitful beyond the conflicts-law constitution that he confined to the EU‘s political system. If their extension to sectoral constitutions of Europe is taken seriously, the three strategies, which Joerges developed for conflicts between nation states, are also promising for conflicts triggered by the diversity of functional systems. In three case constellations, the article outlines how Joerges’ methods can be successfully applied in the most recent European sectoral constitution – in ‘Europe’s digital constitution’.
GutBugDB: a web resource to predict the human gut microbiome-mediated biotransformation of biotic and xenobiotic molecules
Authors: Longwani Usha , Sharma Ashok K. , Malwe Aditya S. , Jaiswal Shubham K. , Sharma Vineet K.
Published: January 2025

There has been a growing recognition of the significant role played by the human gut microbiota in altering the bioavailability as well as the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic aspects of orally ingested xenobiotic and biotic molecules. The determination of species-specific contributions to the metabolism of biotic and xenobiotic molecules has the potential to aid in the development of new therapeutic and nutraceutical molecules that can modulate human gut microbiota. Here we present “GutBugDB,” an open-access digital repository that provides information on potential gut microbiome-mediated biotransformation of biotic and xenobiotic molecules using the predictions from the GutBug tool. This database is constructed using metabolic proteins from 690 gut bacterial genomes and 363,872 protein enzymes assigned with their EC numbers (with representative Expasy ID and domains present). It provides information on gut microbiome enzyme-mediated metabolic biotransformation for 1439 FDA-approved drugs and nutraceuticals. GutBugDB is publicly available at https://metabiosys.iiserb.ac.in/gutbugdb/.
Remembering Revolution
Authors: Davari Arash
Published: January 2025

Manijeh Moradian published a memoir essay in 2009 under the penname Nasrabadi in which she described her relationship with her father. The essay appeared in Callaloo—a journal dedicated to “matters pertinent to African American and African Diaspora Studies worldwide.”1 It was a fitting venue given the elder Moradian's years of service as a professor of architecture at Howard University, an HBCU (historically Black colleges and universities) where during the 1970s he sympathized with and supported student activists in the Iranian Students Association (ISA).2 The venue is all the more fitting given the younger Moradian's recent monograph which, among many groundbreaking contributions, demonstrates “affects of solidarity” between Iranian and Black American student activists in the 1970s.
A statistically stationary minimal flow unit for self-similar Rayleigh–Taylor turbulence in the mode-coupling limit
Authors: Goh Chian Yeh , Blanquart Guillaume
Published: January 2025

We propose a computational framework for simulating the self-similar regime of turbulent Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) mixing layers in a statistically stationary manner. By leveraging the anticipated self-similar behaviour of RT mixing layers, a transformation of the vertical coordinate and velocities is applied to the Navier–Stokes equations (NSE), yielding modified equations that resemble the original NSE but include two sets of additional terms. Solving these equations, a statistically stationary RT (SRT) flow is achieved. Unlike temporally growing Rayleigh–Taylor (TRT) flow, SRT flow is independent of initial conditions and can be simulated over infinite simulation time without escalating resolution requirements, hence guaranteeing statistical convergence. Direct numerical simulations (DNS) are performed at an Atwood number of 0.5 and unity Schmidt number. By varying the ratio of the mixing layer height to the domain width, a minimal flow unit of aspect ratio 1.5 is found to approximate TRT turbulence in the self-similar mode-coupling regime. The SRT minimal flow unit has one-sixteenth the number of grid points required by the equivalent TRT simulation of the same Reynolds number and grid resolution. The resultant flow corresponds to a theoretical limit where self-similarity is observed in all fields and across the entire spatial domain – a late-time state that existing experiments and DNS of TRT flow have difficulties attaining. Simulations of the SRT minimal flow unit span TRT-equivalent Reynolds numbers (based on mixing layer height) ranging from 500 to 10 800. The SRT results are validated against TRT data from this study as well as from Cabot & Cook (Nat. Phys., vol. 2, 2006, pp. 562–568).
Dynamics of solitary waves on a ferrofluid jet: the Hamiltonian framework
Authors: Xu Gexing , Wang Zhan
Published: January 2025

The stability and dynamics of solitary waves propagating along the surface of an inviscid ferrofluid jet in the absence of gravity are investigated analytically and numerically. For the axisymmetric geometry, the problem is shown to be a conservative system with total energy as the Hamiltonian; however, one of the canonical variables differs from those in the classic water-wave problem in the Cartesian coordinate system. The Dirichlet–Neumann operator appearing in the kinetic energy is then expanded as a Taylor series, described in homogeneous powers of the surface displacement. Based on the further analysis of the Dirichlet–Neumann operator, a systematic procedure is proposed to derive reduced model equations of multiple scales in various asymptotic limits from the full Euler equations in the Hamiltonian/Lagrangian framework. Particularly, a fully dispersive model arising from retaining terms valid up to the quartic order in the series expansion of the kinetic energy, which results in quadratic and cubic algebraic nonlinearities in Hamilton's equations and henceforth is abbreviated as the cubic full-dispersion model, is proposed. By comparing bifurcation curves and wave profiles of various types of axisymmetric solitary waves among different model equations, the cubic full-dispersion model is found to agree well with the full Euler equations, even for waves of considerably large amplitudes. The stability properties of axisymmetric solitary waves subjected to longitudinal disturbances are verified with the newly proposed model. Our analytical results, consistent with Saffman's theory, indicate that in the axisymmetric cylindrical system, the stability exchange subjected to superharmonic perturbations also occurs at the stationary point of the speed-energy bifurcation curve. A series of numerical experiments for the stability and dynamics of solitary waves are performed via the numerical time integration of the model equation, and collision interactions between stable solitary waves show non-elastic features.
Literally ‘a jerk’: an experimental investigation of expressives in predicative position
Authors: Domaneschi Filippo , Cepollaro Bianca , Stojanovic Isidora
Published: January 2025

The semantic literature on negative expressive terms, such as ‘bastard’ and ‘jerk’, converges on two assumptions. First, the content associated with expressives is attitudinal; more precisely, it amounts to the condition that the agent (typically the speaker) has a negative attitude toward the target (that is, the person referred to with the expressive). Second, the use of such terms is felicitous as long as this condition is satisfied, regardless of whether this information is in the contextual background or not. This assumption has been challenged by Cepollaro, Domaneschi and Stojanovic (2021, Synthese), whose experimental studies show that negative expressives impose constraints on the context, contrary to what had been taken for granted in the literature. In line with their work, our goal is to investigate the first assumption on empirical grounds. Our studies show that when person A calls person B ‘a jerk’, participants prefer the target-oriented interpretation (that B must have done something bad) to the attitudinal agent-oriented interpretation (that A has a negative attitude toward B). Additionally, our studies replicate the main results from Cepollaro, Domaneschi and Stojanovic, 2021, Synthese), as well as reveal some unexpected asymmetries between positive and negative evaluative terms, which were used as control items.
“Talking heads” in Portuguese sign and spoken languages
Authors: Cruz Marisa , Frota Sónia
Published: January 2025

Head and eyebrow movements have been reported as question markers in both spoken (e.g. Swerts & Krahmer, 2004) and sign languages (e.g., Zeshan, 2004). However, the relative weight of these visual cues in conveying prosodic meaning remains unexplored. This study examines, through a kinematic analysis, if (and how) the amplitude of head falling movements varies in statements versus questions, both in Portuguese Sign Language (LGP) and in the spoken modality of European Portuguese. The results show that the head falling movement plays a key role in conveying interrogativity in Portuguese, in varying degrees. In LGP, the head amplitude is larger than in the spoken modality, and the shape of the head movement varies across sentence types, thus showing the primary role of this visual cue in LGP prosodic grammar. In spoken Portuguese, although the head amplitude also differs between sentence types, the shape of the movement over time is always the same (falling), thus pointing to a secondary/complementary role in spoken Portuguese.

These findings not only contribute to the knowledge of the prosodic grammar of spoken and sign languages, but also challenge traditional language processing models, mostly focused on verbal language.
A model of network redistributive pressure
Authors: Di Falco Salvatore , Feri Francesco , Pin Paolo
Published: January 2025

In this paper, we propose a network model to explain the implications of the pressure to share resources. Individuals use the network to establish social interactions that allow them to increase their income. They also use the network as a safety and to ask for assistance in case of need. The network is therefore a system characterized by social pressure to share and redistribute surplus of resources among members. The main result is that the potential redistributive pressure from other network members causes individuals to behave inefficiently. The number of social interactions used to employ workers displays a non-monotonic pattern with respect to the number of neighbors (degree): it increases for intermediate degree and decreases for high degree. Respect to a benchmark case without social pressure, individuals with few (many) network members interact more (less). Finally, we show that these predictions are consistent with the results obtained in a set of field experiments run in rural Tanzania.
Low-frequency turnover star-forming galaxies I: Radio continuum observations and global properties
Authors: Grundy Joe Arthur , Seymour Nicholas , Wong O. Ivy , Lee-Waddell Karen , Galvin Timothy James , Cluver Michelle
Published: January 2025

There is growing evidence that the broadband radio spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of star-forming galaxies (SFGs) contain a wealth of complex physics. In this paper we aim to determine the physical emission and loss processes causing radio SED curvature and steepening to see what observed global astrophysical properties, if any, are correlated with radio SED complexity. To do this, we have acquired radio continuum data between 70 MHz and 17 GHz for a sample of 19 southern local (

$z \lt 0.04$

) SFGs. Of this sample 11 are selected to contain low-frequency (

$ \lt $

300 MHz) turnovers (LFTOs) in their SEDs and eight are control galaxies with similar global properties. We model the radio SEDs for our sample using a Bayesian framework whereby radio emission (synchrotron and free-free) and absorption or loss processes are included modularly. We find that without the inclusion of higher frequency data (

$ \gt $

17 GHz) single synchrotron power-law based models are always preferred for our sample; however, additional processes including free-free absorption (FFA) and synchrotron losses are often required to accurately model radio SED complexity in SFGs. The fitted synchrotron spectral indices range from

$-0.45$

to

$-1.07$

and are strongly anticorrelated with stellar mass suggesting that synchrotron losses are the dominant mechanism acting to steepen the spectral index in larger/more massive nearby SFGs. We find that LFTOs in the radio SED are independent from the inclination of SFGs; however, higher inclination galaxies tend to have steeper fitted spectral indices indicating losses to diffusion of cosmic ray electrons into the galactic halo. Four of five of the merging systems in our SFG sample have elevated specific star formation rates and flatter fitted spectral indices with unconstrained LFTOs. Lastly, we find no significant separation in global properties between SFGs with or without modelled LFTOs. Overall these results suggest that LFTOs are likely caused by a combination of FFA and ionisation losses in individual recent starburst regions with specific orientations and interstellar medium properties that, when averaged over the entire galaxy, do not correlate with global astrophysical properties.
Supernova remnant candidates identified using MWA Galactic Plane Monitoring over
$285^{\circ} \lt l \lt 70^{\circ}$
and
$|b| \lt 16^{\circ}$
Authors: Mantovanini Silvia , Hurley-Walker Natasha , Anderson Gemma
Published: January 2025

Observations of Galactic supernova remnants (SNRs) are crucial to understanding supernova explosion mechanisms and their impact on our Galaxy’s evolution. SNRs are usually identified by searching for extended, circular structures in all-sky surveys. However, the resolution and sensitivity of any given survey results in selection biases related to the brightness and angular scale of a subset of the total SNR population. As a result, we have only identified 1/3 of the expected number of SNRs in our Galaxy. We used data collected by the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) to perform a visual search for SNR candidates over

$ 285^{\circ} \lt l \lt 70^{\circ}$

and

$|b| \lt 16^{\circ}$

. We then used the Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer to eliminate likely Hii regions from our SNR candidate sample. By exploiting the resolution and sensitivity of MWA data, we have successfully detected 10 new candidates using our proposed method. In addition, our method has also enabled us to detect and verify 10 previously known but unconfirmed candidates. The 20 SNR candidates described in the paper will increase the known SNR population in the Galaxy by 7%.
Abiotic niche partitioning among congeneric species in an Atlantic forest fragment
Authors: Dantas Thais A. Vitoriano , Dantas Anderson , Silva Jackson dos Santos , Ribeiro-Neto José Domingos
Published: January 2025

Understanding the processes that allow phylogenetically related plant species coexist is important to understand the ecological and evolutionary processes that structure biological communities. In this study, we investigated how the species Erythroxylum simonis, Erythroxylum pauferrense and Erythroxylum citrifolium share ecological niche dimensions according to the abiotic characteristics of their environments of occurrence. To this end, in ten pre-established plots in an Atlantic Forest remnant in northeastern Brazil, we carried out a population survey of the three species and characterised their abiotic niche by measuring light availability, humidity and the physical–chemical properties of the soil. We used generalised linear models to test whether abiotic variables influence species abundance. Our results indicate that the three species coexist along the different environmental gradients, with some level of niche overlap. The species E. simonis is the best competitor, showing generalist behaviour and the highest abundance in all environmental gradients. We emphasise that the adult populations of the species have adapted to various environmental and ecological challenges. Thus, the results reported are influenced by their ability to perform well in terms of physiology, growth and survival in their early-life stages.
The global burden of cancer attributable to dietary factors from 1990 to 2019
Authors: Xie Jiping , Zhao Jing
Published: January 2025

Objective:

To analyze the global cancer burden associated with dietary factors across 204 countries and regions from 1990 to 2019.

Design:

A population-based study

Setting:

Global Burden of Disease Study

Participants:

Using data from the 2019 global burden of disease, we calculated Population Attributable Fractions (PAFs), death and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). A comparative risk assessment framework was employed, along with estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs).

Results:

In 2019, approximately 6.01% of cancer mortality and 5.50% of DALY rates can be attributed to dietary risk factors, particularly low intake of whole grains, milk, and fruits and vegetables. The High Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) region had the highest cancer mortality and DALY PAFs, mainly due to high consumption of red and processed meats, while the Low SDI region showed the highest PAFs from low fruit and vegetable consumption. In 2019, the High-middle SDI region had the highest age-standardized death rate (ASDR) and DALY rate attributable to dietary factors. Among geographic regions, Southern Latin America had the highest ASDR, and Central Europe had the highest age-standardized DALY rate. At the country level, Mongolia exhibited the highest rates for both ASDR and DALYs attributable to dietary risks. From 1990 to 2019, the largest increase in ASDR was observed in Western Sub-Saharan Africa, with Bulgaria showing the largest country-specific increase. Similarly, the largest increase in the age-standardized DALY rate was seen in Western Sub-Saharan Africa, with Lesotho experiencing the highest increase at the country level.

Conclusions:

Our findings underscored the importance of increasing the consumption of whole grains, milk, and calcium, which can inform global dietary guidelines and cancer prevention strategies.
Departmental practice on informed consent in radiotherapy departments: a UK evaluation
Authors: Orr Marie , Rosbottom Keeley
Published: January 2025

Introduction:

Valid and informed consent in healthcare is an ethical and legal requirement. This evaluation reports the practices within UK radiotherapy departments surrounding consent processes and therapeutic radiographer (TR) education. This article focuses on those patients who are considered to lack the capacity to consent.

Method:

This service evaluation adopted a qualitative research design. Seventy-six radiotherapy department managers were sent the online survey: containing a combination of open, closed and free text questions relating to consent practices. Descriptive analysis using Microsoft Excel was performed; additional correlation analysis was attempted with Fisher’s exact test using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.

Results:

TRs from 39 radiotherapy departments (51%) completed the survey. Analysis of results demonstrated obtaining written consent before radiotherapy treatment was completed in all departments. Assessment methods used to determine capacity to consent varied across the departments. Responses identified 37 departments employ a different consent form for those considered to lack capacity. Thirty-eight departments have a policy surrounding consent; 16 departments reported no formal TR education in consent. Of the remaining 22 departments, 13 departments included lack of capacity within their education package.

Conclusion:

To ensure best practice throughout the UK, is it recommended that radiotherapy departments review their consent processes to ensure they are in the best interests of the patient. It is recommended that TRs are familiar with their regulatory body standards and the ethical and legal issues surrounding consent; all departments should consider capacity and those considered to lack capacity within their education and training framework.
Associations among rearing environment and the infant gut microbiome with early-life neurodevelopment and cognitive development in a nonhuman primate model (Macaca mulatta)
Authors: Daiy Katherine , Wiley Kyle , Allen Jacob , Bailey Michael T. , Dettmer Amanda M.
Published: January 2025

Early gut microbiome development may impact brain and behavioral development. Using a nonhuman primate model (Macaca mulatta), we investigated the association between social environments and the gut microbiome on infant neurodevelopment and cognitive function. Infant rhesus monkeys (n = 33) were either mother-peer-reared (MPR) or nursery-reared (NR). Neurodevelopmental outcomes, namely emotional responsivity, visual orientation, and motor maturity, were assessed with the Primate Neonatal Neurobehavioral Assessment (PNNA) at 14–30 days. Cognitive development was assessed through tasks evaluating infant reward association, cognitive flexibility, and impulsivity at 6–8 months. The fecal microbiome was quantified from rectal swabs via 16S rRNA sequencing. Factor analysis was used to identify “co-abundance factors” describing patterns of microbial composition. We used multiple linear regressions with AIC Model Selection and differential abundance analysis (MaAsLin2) to evaluate relationships between co-abundance factors, microbiome diversity, and neuro-/cognitive development outcomes. At 30 days of age, a gut microbiome co-abundance factor, or pattern, with high Prevotella and Lactobacillus (β = −0.88, p = 0.04, AIC Weight = 68%) and gut microbiome alpha diversity as measured by Shannon diversity (β = −1.33, p = 0.02, AIC Weight = 80%) were both negatively associated with infant emotional responsivity. At 30 days of age, being NR was also associated with lower emotional responsivity (Factor 1 model: β = −3.13, p < 0.01; Shannon diversity model: β = −3.77, p < 0.01). The infant gut microbiome, along with early-rearing environments, may shape domains of neuro-/cognitive development related to temperament.
Maternal exposure to purified versus grain-based diet during early lactation in mice affects offspring growth and reduces responsivity to Western-style diet challenge in adulthood
Authors: Rakhshandehroo M. , Harvey L. , de Bruin A. , Timmer E. , Lohr J. , Tims S. , Schipper L.
Published: January 2025

The nutritional environment during fetal and early postnatal life has a long-term impact on growth, development, and metabolic health of the offspring, a process termed “nutritional programming.” Rodent models studying programming effects of nutritional interventions use either purified or grain-based rodent diets as background diets. However, the impact of these diets on phenotypic outcomes in these models has not been comprehensively investigated. We used a previously validated (C57BL/6J) mouse model to investigate the effects of infant milk formula (IMF) interventions on nutritional programming. Specifically, we investigated the effects of maternal diet type (i.e., grain-based vs purified) during early lactation and prior to the intervention on offspring growth, metabolic phenotype, and gut microbiota profile. Maternal exposure to purified diet led to an increased post-weaning growth velocity in the offspring and reduced adult diet-induced obesity. Further, maternal exposure to purified diet reduced the offspring gut microbiota diversity and modified its composition post-weaning. These data not only reinforce the notion that maternal nutrition significantly influences the programming of offspring vulnerability to an obesogenic diet in adulthood but emphasizes the importance of careful selection of standard background diet type when designing any preclinical study with (early life) nutritional interventions.
Physicochemical Properties and Bioreactivity of Sub‐10 μm Geogenic Particles: Comparison of Volcanic Ash and Desert Dust
Authors: Tomašek Ines , Eychenne Julia , Damby David E. , Hornby Adrian J. , Romanias Manolis N. , Moune Severine , Uzu Gaëlle , Schiavi Federica , Dole Maeva , Gardès Emmanuel , Laumonier Mickael , Gorce Clara , Minet‐Quinard Régine , Durif Julie , Belville Corinne , Traoré Ousmane , Blanchon Loïc , Sapin Vincent
Published: January 2025

Exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter of <10 μm (PM10) is a well‐established health hazard. There is increasing evidence that geogenic (Earth‐derived) particles can induce adverse biological effects upon inhalation, though there is high variability in particle bioreactivity that is associated with particle source and physicochemical properties. In this study, we investigated physicochemical properties and biological reactivity of volcanic ash from the April 2021 eruption of La Soufrière volcano, St. Vincent, and two desert dust samples: a standardized test dust from Arizona and an aeolian Gobi Desert dust sampled in China. We determined particle size, morphology, mineralogy, surface texture and chemistry in sub‐10 μm material to investigate associations between particle physicochemical properties and observed bioreactivity. We assessed cellular responses (cytotoxic and pro‐inflammatory effects) to acute particle exposures (24 hr) in monocultures at the air‐liquid interface using two types of cells of the human airways: BEAS‐2B bronchial epithelial cells and A549 alveolar type II epithelial cells. In acellular assays, we also assessed particle oxidative potential and the presence of microorganisms. The results showed that volcanic ash and desert dust exhibit intrinsically different particle morphology, surface textures and chemistry, and variable mineralogical content. We found that Gobi Desert dust is more bioreactive than freshly erupted volcanic ash and Arizona test dust, which is possibly linked to the presence of microorganisms (bacteria) and/or nanoscale elongated silicate minerals (potentially clay such as illite or vermiculite) on particle surfaces.
Quasi‐Periodic Emissions in Saturn's Magnetosphere and Their Effects on Electrons
Authors: Teng S. , Wang Dedong , Drozdov Alexander Y. , Shprits Yuri Y. , Wu Zeyin , Hao Y. X. , Yao Z. , Zhang J.
Published: January 2025

Investigations into quasiperiodic (QP) whistler mode emissions within Saturn's magnetosphere have uncovered distinctive characteristics of these emissions, which display a nearly periodic rising tone structure in the wave spectrogram, characterized by modulation periods of several minutes. These QP emissions are predominantly observed at low L‐shells around 5 and near the magnetic equator. Utilizing a quasi‐linear analysis framework, we evaluate the effects of these waves on the dynamics of energetic electrons. Our analysis suggests that these QP emissions can efficiently cause the loss of electrons within the energy range from 10 to 60 keV over a timescale of tens of minutes. By incorporating these findings into Fokker‐Planck simulations, we find minimal acceleration effects. This study is the first to examine QP emissions and their implications for energetic electron dynamics in Saturn's magnetosphere, highlighting their potentially significant contribution to the magnetospheric processes and dynamics.
Systematically developing a registry of splice-site creating variants utilizing massive publicly available transcriptome sequence data
Authors: Iida Naoko , Okada Ai , Kobayashi Yoshihisa , Chiba Kenichi , Yatabe Yasushi , Shiraishi Yuichi
Published: January 2025

Genomic variants causing abnormal splicing play important roles in genetic disorders and cancer development. Among them, variants that cause the formation of novel splice-sites (splice-site creating variants, SSCVs) are particularly difficult to identify and often overlooked in genomic studies. Additionally, these SSCVs are frequently considered promising candidates for treatment with splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). To leverage massive transcriptome sequence data such as those available from the Sequence Read Archive, we develop a novel framework to screen for SSCVs solely using transcriptome data. We apply it to 322,072 publicly available transcriptomes and identify 30,130 SSCVs. Among them, 5121 SSCVs affect disease-causing variants. By utilizing this extensive collection of SSCVs, we reveal the characteristics of Alu exonization via SSCVs, especially the hotspots of SSCVs within Alu sequences and their evolutionary relationships. We discover novel gain-of-function SSCVs in the deep intronic region of the NOTCH1 gene and demonstrate that their activation can be suppressed using splice-switching ASOs. Collectively, we provide a systematic approach for automatically acquiring a registry of SSCVs, which facilitates the elucidation of novel biological mechanisms underlying splicing and serves as a valuable resource for drug discovery. The catalogs of SSCVs identified in this study are accessible on the SSCV DB (https://sscvdb.io).
CDK4 inactivation inhibits apoptosis via mitochondria-ER contact remodeling in triple-negative breast cancer
Authors: Ziegler Dorian V. , Parashar Kanishka , Leal-Esteban Lucia , López-Alcalá Jaime , Castro Wilson , Zanou Nadège , Martinez-Carreres Laia , Huber Katharina , Berney Xavier Pascal , Malagón María M. , Roger Catherine , Berger Marie-Agnès , Gouriou Yves , Paone Giulia , Gallart-Ayala Hector , Sflomos George , Ronchi Carlos , Ivanisevic Julijana , Brisken Cathrin , Rieusset Jennifer , Irving Melita , Fajas Lluis
Published: January 2025

The energetic demands of proliferating cells during tumorigenesis require close coordination between the cell cycle and metabolism. While CDK4 is known for its role in cell proliferation, its metabolic function in cancer, particularly in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), remains unclear. Our study, using genetic and pharmacological approaches, reveals that CDK4 inactivation only modestly impacts TNBC cell proliferation and tumor formation. Notably, CDK4 depletion or long-term CDK4/6 inhibition confers resistance to apoptosis in TNBC cells. Mechanistically, CDK4 enhances mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum contact (MERCs) formation, promoting mitochondrial fission and ER-mitochondrial calcium signaling, which are crucial for TNBC metabolic flexibility. Phosphoproteomic analysis identified CDK4’s role in regulating PKA activity at MERCs. In this work, we highlight CDK4’s role in mitochondrial apoptosis inhibition and suggest that targeting MERCs-associated metabolic shifts could enhance TNBC therapy.
Integrated healthy lifestyle even in late-life mitigates cognitive decline risk across varied genetic susceptibility
Authors: Wang Jun , Chen Chen , Zhou Jinhui , Xu Zinan , Xu Lanjing , Li Xinwei , Zhong Zhuchun , Lv Yuebin , Shi Xiaoming
Published: January 2025

It remains unclear whether the benefits of adhering to a healthy lifestyle outweigh the effects of high genetic risk on cognitive decline. We examined the association of combined lifestyle factors and genetic risk with changes in cognitive function and six specific dimensions of cognition among older adults from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (1998–2018, n = 18,811, a subset of 6301 participants with genetic information). Compared to participants with an unfavorable lifestyle, those with a favorable lifestyle showed a 46.81% slower rate of cognitive decline, with similar results across most cognitive domains. High genetic risk was associated with a 12.5% faster rate of cognitive decline. Individuals with a high genetic risk and a favorable lifestyle have slower cognitive decline than those with a low genetic risk and an unfavorable lifestyle. These data suggest that the benefits of a favorable lifestyle outweigh genetic factors, and therefore that adhering to a favorable lifestyle may offset the genetic risk for accelerated cognitive decline.
Vertex model with internal dissipation enables sustained flows
Authors: Rozman Jan , Chaithanya KVS , Yeomans Julia M. , Sknepnek Rastko
Published: January 2025

Complex tissue flows in epithelia are driven by intra- and inter-cellular processes that generate, maintain, and coordinate mechanical forces. There has been growing evidence that cell shape anisotropy, manifested as nematic order, plays an important role in this process. Here we extend an active nematic vertex model by replacing substrate friction with internal viscous dissipation, dominant in epithelia not supported by a substrate or the extracellular matrix, which are found in many early-stage embryos. When coupled to cell shape anisotropy, the internal viscous dissipation allows for long-range velocity correlations and thus enables the spontaneous emergence of flows with a large degree of spatiotemporal organisation. We demonstrate sustained flow in epithelial sheets confined to a channel, providing a link between the cell-level vertex model of tissue dynamics and continuum active nematics, whose behaviour in a channel is theoretically understood and experimentally realisable. Our findings also show a simple mechanism that could account for collective cell migration correlated over distances large compared to the cell size, as observed during morphogenesis.
The master male sex determinant Gdf6Y of the turquoise killifish arose through allelic neofunctionalization
Authors: Richter Annekatrin , Mörl Hanna , Thielemann Maria , Kleemann Markus , Geißen Raphael , Schwarz Robert , Albertz Carolin , Koch Philipp , Petzold Andreas , Kroll Torsten , Groth Marco , Hartmann Nils , Herpin Amaury , Englert Christoph
Published: January 2025

Although sex determination is a fundamental process in vertebrate development, it is very plastic. Diverse genes became major sex determinants in teleost fishes. Deciphering how individual sex-determining genes orchestrate sex determination can reveal new actors in sexual development. Here, we demonstrate that the Y-chromosomal copy of the TGF-β family member gdf6 (gdf6Y) in Nothobranchius furzeri, an emerging model organism in aging research, gained the function of the male sex determinant through allelic diversification while retaining the skeletal developmental function shared with the X-chromosomal gdf6 allele (gdf6X). Concerning sex determination, gdf6Y is expressed by somatic supporting cells of the developing testes. There it induces the male sex in a germ cell-independent manner in contrast to sex determination in zebrafish and the medaka. Looking for downstream effectors of Gdf6Y, we identified besides TGF-β signaling modulators, especially the inhibitor of DNA binding genes id1/2/3, the mRNA decay activator zfp36l2 as a new GDF6 signaling target.
MDM2 functions as a timer reporting the length of mitosis
Authors: Fulcher Luke J. , Sobajima Tomoaki , Batley Caleb , Gibbs-Seymour Ian , Barr Francis A.
Published: January 2025

Delays in mitosis trigger p53-dependent arrest in G1 of the next cell cycle, thus preventing repeated cycles of chromosome instability and aneuploidy. Here we show that MDM2, the p53 ubiquitin ligase, is a key component of the timer mechanism triggering G1 arrest in response to prolonged mitosis. This timer function arises due to the attenuation of protein synthesis in mitosis. Because MDM2 has a short half-life and ongoing protein synthesis is therefore necessary to maintain its steady-state concentration, the amount of MDM2 gradually falls during mitosis but normally remains above a critical threshold for p53 regulation at the onset of G1. When mitosis is extended by prolonged spindle assembly checkpoint activation, the amount of MDM2 drops below this threshold, stabilizing p53. Subsequent p53-dependent p21 accumulation then channels G1 cells into a sustained cell-cycle arrest, whereas abrogation of the response in p53-deficient cells allows them to bypass this crucial defence mechanism.