bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stärken und Schwächen regionaler Innovationssysteme in den vom Kohleausstieg betroffenen Regionen in Deutschland
Authors: Brachert Matthias , Titze Mirko
Published: March 2023

Der Beitrag analysiert regionale Innovationssysteme in den Regionen Deutschlands, die aufgrund der Gesetzeslage bis zum Jahr 2038 den Ausstieg aus der thermischen Verwertung der Braunkohle vollzogen haben müssen. Viele dieser Regionen weisen ohnehin Strukturschwächen auf. Es stellt sich die Frage, ob und wie regionale Strukturpolitik dabei helfen kann, die Transformation der regionalen Wirtschaft zu meistern. Ein guter Anknüpfungspunkt besteht darin, regionale Innovationssysteme in ihrem Wandel zu stärken. Im Vergleich der drei betroffenen Reviere zeigt sich insbesondere für die Lausitz, dass bisher die Hochschulen insgesamt wenig vernetzt sind und Kontakte zur regionalen Wirtschaft unterentwickelt sind. Eine Stärkung von Innovationskooperationen kann daher zusätzliche Impulse für die regionale Entwicklung der Reviere liefern.
Inequality and identity salience
Authors: Ghatak Maitreesh , Verdier Thierry
Published: March 2023

This paper provides a simple model of identity salience that is applied to the phenomenon of the recent rise in right-wing populism in the Western world. Trade and capital flows, skill-biased technological change, and migration have led to declining employment and wages in these economies and a parallel rise in economic and cultural populism, tapping into nativist sentiments. We argue that when long-term income stagnation for most of the population and decline for some go together with high rates of income growth at the very top, one has zero-sum economics and that naturally raises the possibility of using various kinds of social identities to claim a bigger share of a fixed sized pie. We show that in ethnically or racially polarized societies this naturally leads to the salience of social identities that enable majority ethnic groups to vote for policies that exclude minority groups so that they get a greater share of a dwindling surplus. In contrast, in more ethnically and racially homogeneous societies, this would instead lead to the demand for more pro-redistribution policies that involve greater provision of public goods.
Characteristics of molecular classification in 52 endometrial cancer and atypical hyperplasia patients receiving fertility-sparing treatment
Authors: Wang Yiqin , Kang Nan , Li Liwei , Wang Zhiqi , Zhou Rong , Shen Danhua , Wang Jianliu
Published: March 2023

Objective

To investigate the molecular classification of endometrial cancer (EC) and atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) patients treated with fertility-sparing treatment (FST), and its relationship with clinicopathological factors and treatment efficacy. Methods: A total of 52 ​EC and AEH patients who received FST and molecular classification tested by next generation sequencing in Peking University People's Hospital from June 2020 to December 2022, were retrospectively collected. We analyzed the relationship between molecular classification and clinicopathological factors and treatment outcomes.

Results

(1) Of the 52 patients, including 46 ​EC and 6 AEH patients, 42 (80.8%) achieved complete remission (CR) after FST, with a median time to achieve CR of 9 months. Ten cases (23.8%) had recurrence. (2) Patients were distributed into 4 molecular subgroups as 39 cases (75%) of copy number low (CNL) , 7 cases (13.5%) of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) , 4 cases (7.7%) of POLE mutations (POLEmut), and 2 cases (3.8%) of copy number high (CNH). Patients with MSI-H subgroup had more family history of tumor (6/7), more with loss of expression of mismatch repair (MMR) protein (7/7), and higher expression level of Ki-67 (3/3). (3) Patients with MSI-H subgroup had the lowest CR rate at 6 months (0/7, P ​= ​0.014), and survival analysis showed that such patients were less likely to achieve CR than those with CNL (P ​= ​0.022). For CNL patients, median 6-month CR rate was 40.6%. In addition, CR was obtained in 3 (3/4) POLEmut patients and 2 (2/2) CNH patients, respectively.

Conclusions

Molecular classification relates with the treatment response in patients with EC and AEH receiving FST. Patients with MSI-H subgroup have poor treatment efficacy, and patients with CNL need to be further divided to predict treatment benefit. There are also a few successful cases in POLEmut and CNH subtgroups, which needs further research.
External Hemorrhage Control Techniques for Human Space Exploration: Lessons from the Battlefield
Authors: Thoolen Stijn J.J. , Kuypers Maybritt I.
Published: March 2023

The past few decades of military experience have brought major advances in the prehospital care of patients with trauma. A focus on early hemorrhage control with aggressive use of tourniquets and hemostatic gauze is now generally accepted. This narrative literature review aims to discuss external hemorrhage control and the applicability of military concepts in space exploration. In space, environmental hazards, spacesuit removal, and limited crew training could cause significant time delays in providing initial trauma care. Cardiovascular and hematological adaptations to the microgravity environment are likely to reduce the ability to compensate, and resources for advanced resuscitation are limited. Any unscheduled emergency evacuation requires a patient to don a spacesuit, involves exposure to high G-forces upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, and costs a significant amount of time until a definitive care facility is reached. As a result, early hemorrhage control in space is critical. Safe implementation of hemostatic dressings and tourniquets seems feasible, but adequate training will be essential, and tourniquets are preferably converted to other methods of hemostasis in case of a prolonged medical evacuation. Other emerging approaches such as early tranexamic acid administration and more advanced techniques have shown promising results as well. For future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, when evacuation is not possible, we look into what training or assistance tools would be helpful in managing the bleed at the point of injury.
Coupled 3-D full-Stokes modelling of tidewater glaciers
Authors: Cook Samuel J. , Christoffersen Poul , Wheel Iain
Published: March 2023

Tidewater glaciers are an important and difficult part of the cryosphere to study owing to their complex nature and often inaccessible and physically challenging environments. The interaction of glacier and fjord processes furthermore presents particular observational challenges. Modelling provides a possible solution to these issues, but, at the glacier scale, the processual complexities require a 3-D full-Stokes approach that is computationally expensive. Additionally, the lack of data for model validation or constraints imposes further obstacles. Despite this, progress on modelling such glaciers with explicit inclusion of all relevant processes is being made. The key remaining challenges are including more realistic representations of calving and coupling 3-D glacier modelling with 3-D fjord circulation modelling to allow inclusion of the effect of cross-fjord circulation. We are confident, however, that these issues can be resolved and will be resolved over the next decade.
A CLASSICAL MODAL THEORY OF LAWLESS SEQUENCES
Authors: BRAUER ETHAN
Published: March 2023

Free choice sequences play a key role in the intuitionistic theory of the continuum and especially in the theorems of intuitionistic analysis that conflict with classical analysis, leading many classical mathematicians to reject the concept of a free choice sequence. By treating free choice sequences as potentially infinite objects, however, they can be comfortably situated alongside classical analysis, allowing a rapprochement of these two mathematical traditions. Building on recent work on the modal analysis of potential infinity, I formulate a modal theory of the free choice sequences known as lawless sequences. Intrinsically well-motivated axioms for lawless sequences are added to a background theory of classical second-order arithmetic, leading to a theory I call
$MC_{LS}$
. This theory interprets the standard intuitionistic theory of lawless sequences and is conservative over the classical background theory.
How Deliberation Happens: Enabling Deliberative Reason
Authors: NIEMEYER SIMON , VERI FRANCESCO , DRYZEK JOHN S. , BÄCHTIGER ANDRÉ
Published: March 2023

We show, against skeptics, that however latent it may be in everyday life, the ability to reason effectively about politics can readily be activated when conditions are right. We justify a definition of deliberative reason, then develop and apply a Deliberative Reason Index (DRI) to analysis of 19 deliberative forums. DRI increases over the course of deliberation in the vast majority of cases, but the extent of this increase depends upon enabling conditions. Group building that activates deliberative norms makes the biggest difference, particularly in enabling participants to cope with complexity. Without group building, complexity becomes more difficult to surmount, and planned direct impact on policy decisions may actually impede reasoning where complexity is high. Our findings have implications beyond forum design for the staging of political discourse in the wider public sphere.
Rule Ambiguity, Institutional Clashes, and Population Loss: How Wikipedia Became the Last Good Place on the Internet
Authors: STEINSSON SVERRIR
Published: March 2023

Scholars usually portray institutions as stable, inviting a status quo bias in their theories. Change, when it is theorized, is frequently attributed to exogenous factors. This paper, by contrast, proposes that institutional change can occur endogenously through population loss, as institutional losers become demotivated and leave, whereas institutional winners remain. This paper provides a detailed demonstration of how this form of endogenous change occurred on the English Wikipedia. A qualitative content analysis shows that Wikipedia transformed from a dubious source of information in its early years to an increasingly reliable one over time. Process tracing shows that early outcomes of disputes over rule interpretations in different corners of the encyclopedia demobilized certain types of editors (while mobilizing others) and strengthened certain understandings of Wikipedia’s ambiguous rules (while weakening others). Over time, Wikipedians who supported fringe content departed or were ousted. Thus, population loss led to highly consequential institutional change.
‘The memory of persecution is in our blood’: documenting loyalties, identities and motivations to political action in the Ugandan Pentecostal Movement
Authors: Bompani Barbara
Published: March 2023

Much attention has been paid to the growth of Pentecostal-charismatic Christianity in Uganda and the way it has shifted over the past decades from being a minority religion to influencing and shaping the Ugandan public and political spheres. Most of the literature, however, associates the Pentecostal-charismatic dynamic public action with its motivation to promote conservative Christian values, especially around issues of sexuality, HIV/AIDS, reproduction and family values. This article extends this literature by providing a fuller explanation for the reasons behind its public transformation and its relation to power, in particular its loyalty to and support for President Museveni. Drawing on participant observation and interviews conducted over several years, this article argues that along with theological and moral explanations, it is important to understand how local and contextual dynamics interplay. Indeed, the uncertainties and memories of the difficult origins of the Pentecostal-charismatic movement and the lack of legal recognition as fully registered churches, still impact on the present and motivate them to be catalytic socio-political actors in need of forging strong connections with centres of power in Museveni's Uganda.
When do women win in legally plural systems? Evidence from Ghana and Senegal
Authors: Hern Erin Accampo
Published: March 2023

Africa's plural legal systems are often doubly bad for women: reinforcing patriarchal threads in indigenous practices while layering male-dominated Anglo-European laws atop. While these systems generally work to their detriment, women are sometimes able to take advantage of them. Under what conditions are women able to ‘win’ in Africa's plural legal systems? I examine women's interactions with the plural colonial court systems in the Gold Coast and Senegal. Based on an analysis of original court records in each country, I argue that women are more likely to win in plural legal systems in areas of operational ambiguity where applicable legal principles are contradictory. Leveraging this ambiguity enabled women in the Gold Coast and Senegal to win rights around inheritance and divorce, respectively. These victories were codified post-independence, though women face social pressures against exercising them.
The role of secondary school teachers in shaping a political culture of ethnicity and ethnic favouritism: the case of Kenya
Authors: Kuppens Line , Langer Arnim
Published: March 2023

Since Kenya's independence in 1963, ethnicity has been an important factor in Kenyan politics and everyday life. While recent research has shown that ethnic favouritism impacted the allocation of educational resources in the past, so far, no systematic research has been conducted on how teachers exacerbate, mitigate or countervail the political culture of ethnicity and ethnic favouritism. As agents of socialisation, teachers’ attitudes and behaviour can, consciously or unconsciously, convey the message that ethnic favouritism is normal and socially acceptable, or conversely delegitimise such practices. Based on a list experiment among 894 secondary school teachers in the county of Nairobi, we find that at least 25% of teachers have already favoured coethnic pupils. Interviews indicate that such favours are seldom blatant in nature and mainly serve to show solidarity with one's kin. Still, even small – frequently well-intentioned – favours may damage inter-group attitudes, trust and relations, and may even contribute to the persistence of ethnic politics.
“Every time, they took more from us”: Privatization and Telecommunications Workers in Rural Argentina, 1969–2000
Authors: Brudney Edward
Published: March 2023

This article analyzes the lasting effects of privatization on public-sector telecommunications workers in Argentina's rural interior. I draw on over fifty hours of oral histories carried out from 2015 to 2017 with former ENTel and Telefónica workers in General Pico, in the interior province of La Pampa, Argentina. This unique source base reveals how the material objects themselves acquired symbolic weight in the minds of workers, and how the introduction of new technologies and labor regimes after privatization in 1990 eroded workers' feelings of loyalty toward and ownership over the previously state-run company. This article specifically explores notions of trauma as related to the destruction of the physical materials of work, and the association between that destruction and the mass layoffs that followed. David Harvey's engagement with creative destruction in late capitalism has suggested that “continuous innovation”—whether technological or practical—has meant the devaluation and/or destruction of existing labor relations. I expand this concept to show how this logic of “creative destruction” maps onto spatialized ideas of modernity. The trauma that workers experienced in the 1990s is most productively understood vis-à-vis the unfulfilled promises of “progress” which claimed to bring efficiency, growth, and long-term stability but instead delivered job loss, atomization, and the breakdown of social relations of labor.
Multimodal language in bilingual and monolingual children: Gesture production and speech disfluency
Authors: Arslan Burcu , Aktan-Erciyes Aslı , Göksun Tilbe
Published: March 2023

Bilingual and monolingual children might have different styles of using multimodal language. This study investigates speech disfluency and gesture production of 5- and 7-year-old Turkish monolingual (N = 61) and Turkish–English bilingual children (N = 51). We examined monolinguals’ Turkish narratives and bilinguals’ Turkish and English narratives. Results indicated that bilinguals were more disfluent than monolinguals, particularly for silent and filled (e.g., umm) pauses. Bilinguals used silent pauses and repetitions (e.g., cat cat) more frequently in English than in Turkish. Gesture use was comparable across language and age groups, except for iconic gestures. Monolinguals produced more iconic gestures than bilinguals. Children's overall gesture frequency predicted disfluency rates only in Turkish. Different gesture types might be orchestrated in the multimodal system, contributing to narrative fluency. The use of disfluency and gesture types might provide insight into bilingual and monolingual children's language development and communication strategies.
Foreigner kings as local kingmakers: how the ‘unusual’ marginalization of conservative political groups occurred in pre-Industrial Revolution Britain
Authors: Yamada Makio
Published: March 2023

Building on the Hodgson–Mokyr debate in this journal (Volume 18, Issue 1, 2022), this article discusses how modern economic growth occurred in pre-Industrial Revolution Britain, with a particular focus on coalition politics and the marginalization of conservative political groups – vetoers to change. Such political marginalization was unusual before the 19th century, when monarchs had substantial political power and land-based conservative groups were their main political allies. This article finds the source of the English exceptionalism in the unique system of non-imperial personal union that Britain then had with the Dutch Republic and Hanover. Under this system, foreigner monarchs chose their local ally in Britain based on the security needs of their home states. It created a significant disadvantage to the Tories, the incumbent conservative groups, while providing a window of opportunity for the Whigs, the opposition group supported by new commercial interests, to form a coalition with the Crown. The long absence of the Tories from power resulted in the incorporation of their constituencies into the Whig-led regime, making the traditional economic interests the regime's ‘junior partners’, instead of formidable political competitors to the new commercial interests, which was the case before and elsewhere at that time.
Effekte des Good Behavior Game bei Grundschüler_innen mit externalisierenden Verhaltensproblemen
Authors: Hagen Tobias , Nitz Jannik , Brack Fabienne , Hövel Dennis Christian , Hennemann Thomas
Published: March 2023

Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund: Das Good Behavior Game (GBG; Barrish, Saunders & Wolf, 1969 ) ist eine wirksame verhaltensmodifikatorische Intervention zur Verbesserung des Verhaltens von Schüler_innen im Unterricht. Allerdings ist der Kenntnisstand zur Effektivität der Maßnahme bei Schüler_innen mit externalisierenden Verhaltensproblemen auf individueller Ebene insgesamt gering. Methoden: Die aktuelle Studie untersucht die Auswirkungen des GBG auf das störende Verhalten (SV) und das lernförderliche Verhalten (LV) von 20 Grundschüler_innen mit externalisierenden Verhaltensproblemen der dritten Klasse auf individueller Ebene. Es wurde ein Multipler-Grundraten-Versuchsplan mit A–B Design verwendet. Zur fallübergreifenden Schätzung der Effekte wurden die Daten mittels hierarchischer stückweiser Regression analysiert. Ergebnisse: Die Befunde der Mehrebenenanalysen unter Berücksichtigung aller 20 Einzelfälle weisen sowohl für die Spielphase (GBG-Phase) als auch für den gesamten Schultag signifikante Level-Effekte auf beiden Dimensionen (SV und LV) nach. Während sich das lernförderliche Verhalten verbessert, geht das Störverhalten zurück. Diskussion: Demnach zeigt sich ein unmittelbarer Interventionseffekt auf das Verhalten der Schüler_innen. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen bisherige Untersuchungen zur Wirksamkeit des GBG bei Schüler_innen mit Verhaltensproblemen. Eine wesentliche Erweiterung stellen die Einzelfallbefunde zur Verhaltensentwicklung der Schüler_innen außerhalb der Spielphasen dar (Transfereffekte).
On the Dynamical Importance of Gravity Wave Sources Distributed Over Different Heights in the Atmosphere
Authors: Medvedev Alexander S. , Klaassen Gary P. , Yiğit Erdal
Published: March 2023

Gravity waves (GWs) are generated at all altitudes in the atmosphere, but sources above the lower stratosphere are rarely considered by parameterizations employed in general circulation models. This study assesses the potential impact on the thermosphere produced by small‐scale waves originating at different heights. Within the proposed numerical framework, GW sources are represented by wave momentum forcing, whose values are expressed relative to the forcing required to obtain typical wave spectra around the tropopause. The relative importance of tropospheric and extra‐tropospheric sources and the response in the thermosphere are studied in a series of sensitivity experiments. They demonstrate that the accumulation of wave momentum steeply drops with height as a consequence of decreasing density, even when the forcing is maintained at a uniform level throughout the middle atmosphere. When a broad spectrum is forced at twice the tropospheric rate, the thermospheric drag is increased by only a factor of two, and that increase is produced by waves that were forced in the lower stratosphere. With increasing altitude, vertically localized sources contribute progressively less. For example, for GWs excited near the mesopause to produce an impact comparable with that due to waves propagating from below, the forcing must be orders of magnitude stronger than in the troposphere. The estimated forcing of the so‐called secondary harmonics by breaking primary waves is much weaker, such that the systematic dynamical effect of secondary waves in the thermosphere is negligible compared to that of the primary GWs generated in the troposphere.
Uncertainty in Nearshore Sand Bar Migration
Authors: Wilson Gregory
Published: March 2023

A coupled nearshore hydrodynamics and sediment transport model with adjoint‐based uncertainty quantification has been applied to sand bar morphodynamics in the Duck94 field experiment (Duck, NC). The model, which is based on previously established physical process formulas, is capable of producing accurate predictions of sand bar migration during the experiment. However, reasonable perturbations to the model inputs—namely initial conditions, boundary conditions, and calibration coefficients—can produce a range of model predictions. This range is taken to represent the potential for uncertainty of the model, for scenarios where one or more model inputs are poorly constrained. Experiments are presented that quantify the relative impact of different input types on uncertainty, and the results are contrasted for accretive versus erosive wave conditions. During accretive conditions (shoreward bar migration), uncertainty is dominated by the growth of errors in initial conditions, owing to positive feedbacks in the model. In contrast, during erosive conditions (seaward bar migration), there is a smaller impact of errors in initial conditions, and uncertainty is instead dominated by errors in sediment transport coefficients. The results thus point to qualitative differences in the nature of nearshore morphodynamic uncertainty under different wave conditions, with a greater role of internal error growth (positive feedbacks) during accretive conditions and errors in model physics being more important during erosive conditions.
Improved Simulation of the Polar Atmospheric Boundary Layer by Accounting for Aerodynamic Roughness in the Parameterization of Surface Scalar Exchange Over Sea Ice
Authors: Elvidge A. D. , Renfrew I. A. , Edwards J. M. , Brooks I. M. , Srivastava P. , Weiss A. I.
Published: March 2023

A new, simple parameterization scheme for scalar (heat and moisture) exchange over sea ice and the marginal ice zone is tested in a numerical weather and climate prediction model. This new “Blended A87” scheme accounts for the influence of aerodynamic roughness on the relationship between momentum and scalar exchange over consolidated sea ice, in line with long‐standing theory and recent field observations, and in contrast to the crude schemes currently operational in most models. Using aircraft observations and Met Office Unified Model simulations of cold‐air outbreak (CAO) conditions over aerodynamically rough sea ice, we demonstrate striking improvements in model performance when the Blended A87 scheme replaces the model's operational treatment for surface scalar exchange, provided that the aerodynamic roughness over consolidated ice is appropriately prescribed. The mean biases in surface sensible heat flux, surface latent heat flux, near‐surface air temperature, and surface temperature reduce from 25 to 11 W m−2, 22 to 12 W m−2, 0.8 to 0.0 K, and 1.4 to 0.8 K, respectively. We demonstrate that such impacts on surface exchange over sea ice can have a marked impact on the evolution of the atmospheric boundary layer across hundreds of kilometres downwind of the sea ice during CAO conditions in the model. Our results highlight the importance of spatiotemporal variability in the topography of consolidated sea ice for both momentum and scalar exchange over sea ice; accounting for which remains a key challenge for modeling polar weather and climate.
Framework for an Ocean‐Connected Supermodel of the Earth System
Authors: Counillon François , Keenlyside Noel , Wang Shuo , Devilliers Marion , Gupta Alok , Koseki Shunya , Shen Mao‐Lin
Published: March 2023

A supermodel connects different models interactively so that their systematic errors compensate and achieve a model with superior performance. It differs from the standard non‐interactive multi‐model ensembles (NI), which combines model outputs a‐posteriori. Supermodels with Earth system models (ESMs) has not been developed because it is technically challenging to combine models with different state space. Here, we formulate the first supermodel framework for ESMs and use data assimilation to synchronise models. The ocean of three ESMs is synchronised every month by assimilating pseudo sea surface temperature (SST) observations generated by them on a common grid to handle discrepancies in grid and resolution. We compare the performance of two supermodel approaches to that of the NI. In the first (EW), the models are connected to the equal‐weight multi‐model mean, while in the second (SINGLE), they are connected to a single model. Both versions achieve synchronisation in the ocean and in the atmosphere, where the ocean drives the variability. The time variability of the supermodel multi‐model mean SST is reduced compared to observations, most where synchronisation is not achieved and is lower‐bounded by NI. The damping is larger in EW, for which variability in the individual models is also damped. Hence, under partial synchronisation, the unsynchronized variability gets damped in the multi‐model average pseudo‐observations, causing a deflation during the assimilation. The SST bias in individual models of EW is reduced compared to that of NI, and so is its multi‐model mean in the synchronised regions. A trained supermodel remains to be tested.
Benchmarking of survival outcomes following Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT): an update of the ongoing project of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) and Joint Accreditation Committee of ISCT and EBMT (JACIE)
Authors: Saccardi Riccardo , Putter Hein , Eikema Dirk-Jan , Busto María Paula , McGrath Eoin , Middelkoop Bas , Adams Gillian , Atlija Marina , Ayuk Francis Ayuketang , Baldomero Helen , Beguin Yves , de la Cámara Rafael , Cedillo Ángel , Balari Anna María Sureda , Chabannon Christian , Corbacioglu Selim , Dolstra Harry , Duarte Rafael F. , Dulery Rémy , Greco Raffaella , Gusi Andreu , Hamad Nada , Kenyon Michelle , Kröger Nicolaus , Labopin Myriam , Lee Julia , Ljungman Per , Manson Lynn , Mensil Florence , Milpied Noel , Mohty Mohamad , Oldani Elena , Orchard Kim , Passweg Jakob , Pearce Rachel , de Latour Régis Peffault , Poirel Hélène A. , Rintala Tuula , Rizzo J. Douglas , Ruggeri Annalisa , Sanchez-Martinez Carla , Sanchez-Guijo Fermin , Sánchez-Ortega Isabel , Trnková Marie , Ferreiras David Valcárcel , Wilcox Leonie , de Wreede Liesbeth C. , Snowden John A.
Published: March 2023

From 2016 EBMT and JACIE developed an international risk-adapted benchmarking program of haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) outcome to provide individual EBMT Centers with a means of quality-assuring the HSCT process and meeting FACT-JACIE accreditation requirements relating to 1-year survival outcomes. Informed by previous experience from Europe, North America and Australasia, the Clinical Outcomes Group (COG) established criteria for patient and Center selection, and a set of key clinical variables within a dedicated statistical model adapted to the capabilities of the EBMT Registry. The first phase of the project was launched in 2019 to test the acceptability of the benchmarking model through assessment of Centers’ performance for 1-year data completeness and survival outcomes of autologous and allogeneic HSCT covering 2013–2016. A second phase was delivered in July 2021 covering 2015–2019 and including survival outcomes. Reports of individual Center performance were shared directly with local principal investigators and their responses were assimilated. The experience thus far has supported the feasibility, acceptability and reliability of the system as well as identifying its limitations. We provide a summary of experience and learning so far in this ‘work in progress’, as well as highlighting future challenges of delivering a modern, robust, data-complete, risk-adapted benchmarking program across new EBMT Registry systems.
State-dependent evolutionary models reveal modes of solid tumour growth
Authors: Lewinsohn Maya A. , Bedford Trevor , Müller Nicola F. , Feder Alison F.
Published: March 2023

Spatial properties of tumour growth have profound implications for cancer progression, therapeutic resistance and metastasis. Yet, how spatial position governs tumour cell division remains difficult to evaluate in clinical tumours. Here, we demonstrate that faster division on the tumour periphery leaves characteristic genetic patterns, which become evident when a phylogenetic tree is reconstructed from spatially sampled cells. Namely, rapidly dividing peripheral lineages branch more extensively and acquire more mutations than slower-dividing centre lineages. We develop a Bayesian state-dependent evolutionary phylodynamic model (SDevo) that quantifies these patterns to infer the differential division rates between peripheral and central cells. We demonstrate that this approach accurately infers spatially varying birth rates of simulated tumours across a range of growth conditions and sampling strategies. We then show that SDevo outperforms state-of-the-art, non-cancer multi-state phylodynamic methods that ignore differential sequence evolution. Finally, we apply SDevo to single-time-point, multi-region sequencing data from clinical hepatocellular carcinomas and find evidence of a three- to six-times-higher division rate on the tumour edge. With the increasing availability of high-resolution, multi-region sequencing, we anticipate that SDevo will be useful in interrogating spatial growth restrictions and could be extended to model non-spatial factors that influence tumour progression.
Pharmacological disruption of mSWI/SNF complex activity restricts SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Wei Jin , Patil Ajinkya , Collings Clayton K. , Alfajaro Mia Madel , Liang Yu , Cai Wesley L. , Strine Madison S. , Filler Renata B. , DeWeirdt Peter C. , Hanna Ruth E. , Menasche Bridget L. , Ökten Arya , Peña-Hernández Mario A. , Klein Jon , McNamara Andrew , Rosales Romel , McGovern Briana L. , Luis Rodriguez M. , García-Sastre Adolfo , White Kris M. , Qin Yiren , Doench John G. , Yan Qin , Iwasaki Akiko , Zwaka Thomas P. , Qi Jun , Kadoch Cigall , Wilen Craig B.
Published: March 2023

Identification of host determinants of coronavirus infection informs mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and can provide new drug targets. Here we demonstrate that mammalian SWItch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable (mSWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complexes, specifically canonical BRG1/BRM-associated factor (cBAF) complexes, promote severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and represent host-directed therapeutic targets. The catalytic activity of SMARCA4 is required for mSWI/SNF-driven chromatin accessibility at the ACE2 locus, ACE2 expression and virus susceptibility. The transcription factors HNF1A/B interact with and recruit mSWI/SNF complexes to ACE2 enhancers, which contain high HNF1A motif density. Notably, small-molecule mSWI/SNF ATPase inhibitors or degraders abrogate angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) expression and confer resistance to SARS-CoV-2 variants and a remdesivir-resistant virus in three cell lines and three primary human cell types, including airway epithelial cells, by up to 5 logs. These data highlight the role of mSWI/SNF complex activities in conferring SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and identify a potential class of broad-acting antivirals to combat emerging coronaviruses and drug-resistant variants.
EEG resting-state networks in Alzheimer’s disease associated with clinical symptoms
Authors: Aoki Yasunori , Takahashi Rei , Suzuki Yuki , Pascual-Marqui Roberto D. , Kito Yumiko , Hikida Sakura , Maruyama Kana , Hata Masahiro , Ishii Ryouhei , Iwase Masao , Mori Etsuro , Ikeda Manabu
Published: March 2023

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neuropsychiatric disease affecting many elderly people and is characterized by progressive cognitive impairment of memory, visuospatial, and executive functions. As the elderly population is growing, the number of AD patients is increasing considerably. There is currently growing interest in determining AD’s cognitive dysfunction markers. We used exact low-resolution-brain-electromagnetic-tomography independent-component-analysis (eLORETA-ICA) to assess activities of five electroencephalography resting-state-networks (EEG-RSNs) in 90 drug-free AD patients and 11 drug-free patients with mild-cognitive-impairment due to AD (ADMCI). Compared to 147 healthy subjects, the AD/ADMCI patients showed significantly decreased activities in the memory network and occipital alpha activity, where the age difference between the AD/ADMCI and healthy groups was corrected by linear regression analysis. Furthermore, the age-corrected EEG-RSN activities showed correlations with cognitive function test scores in AD/ADMCI. In particular, decreased memory network activity showed correlations with worse total cognitive scores for both Mini-Mental-State-Examination (MMSE) and Alzheimer’s Disease-Assessment-Scale-cognitive-component-Japanese version (ADAS-J cog) including worse sub-scores for orientation, registration, repetition, word recognition and ideational praxis. Our results indicate that AD affects specific EEG-RSNs and deteriorated network activity causes symptoms. Overall, eLORETA-ICA is a useful, non-invasive tool for assessing EEG-functional-network activities and provides better understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the disease.
Modulating heart rate oscillation affects plasma amyloid beta and tau levels in younger and older adults
Authors: Min Jungwon , Rouanet Jeremy , Martini Alessandra Cadete , Nashiro Kaoru , Yoo Hyun Joo , Porat Shai , Cho Christine , Wan Junxiang , Cole Steve W. , Head Elizabeth , Nation Daniel A. , Thayer Julian F. , Mather Mara
Published: March 2023

Slow paced breathing via heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback stimulates vagus-nerve pathways that counter noradrenergic stress and arousal pathways that can influence production and clearance of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related proteins. Thus, we examined whether HRV biofeedback intervention affects plasma Αβ40, Αβ42, total tau (tTau), and phosphorylated tau-181 (pTau-181) levels. We randomized healthy adults (N = 108) to use slow-paced breathing with HRV biofeedback to increase heart rate oscillations (Osc+) or to use personalized strategies with HRV biofeedback to decrease heart rate oscillations (Osc−). They practiced 20–40 min daily. Four weeks of practicing the Osc+ and Osc− conditions produced large effect size differences in change in plasma Aβ40 and Aβ42 levels. The Osc+ condition decreased plasma Αβ while the Osc− condition increased Αβ. Decreases in Αβ were associated with decreases in gene transcription indicators of β-adrenergic signaling, linking effects to the noradrenergic system. There were also opposing effects of the Osc+ and Osc− interventions on tTau for younger adults and pTau-181 for older adults. These results provide novel data supporting a causal role of autonomic activity in modulating plasma AD-related biomarkers.

Trial registration: NCT03458910 (ClinicalTrials.gov); first posted on 03/08/2018.
Determining the most accurate 16S rRNA hypervariable region for taxonomic identification from respiratory samples
Authors: López-Aladid Ruben , Fernández-Barat Laia , Alcaraz-Serrano Victoria , Bueno-Freire Leticia , Vázquez Nil , Pastor-Ibáñez Roque , Palomeque Andrea , Oscanoa Patricia , Torres Antoni
Published: March 2023

16S rRNA gene profiling, which contains nine hypervariable regions (V1–V9), is the gold standard for identifying taxonomic units by high-throughput sequencing. Microbiome studies combine two or more region sequences (usually V3–V4) to increase the resolving power for identifying bacterial taxa. We compare the resolving powers of V1–V2, V3–V4, V5–V7, and V7–V9 to improve microbiome analyses in sputum samples from patients with chronic respiratory diseases. DNA were isolated from 33 human sputum samples, and libraries were created using a QIASeq screening panel intended for Illumina platforms (16S/ITS; Qiagen Hilden, Germany). The analysis included a mock community as a microbial standard control (ZymoBIOMICS). We used the Deblur algorithm to identify bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) at the genus level. Alpha diversity was significantly higher for V1–V2, V3–V4, and V5–V7 compared with V7–V9, and significant compositional dissimilarities in the V1–V2 and V7–V9 analyses versus the V3–V4 and V5–V7 analyses. A cladogram confirmed these compositional differences, with the latter two being very similar in composition. The combined hypervariable regions showed significant differences when discriminating between the relative abundances of bacterial genera. The area under the curve revealed that V1–V2 had the highest resolving power for accurately identifying respiratory bacterial taxa from sputum samples. Our study confirms that 16S rRNA hypervariable regions provide significant differences for taxonomic identification in sputum. Comparing the taxa of microbial community standard control with the taxa samples, V1–V2 combination exhibits the most sensitivity and specificity. Thus, while third generation full-length 16S rRNA sequencing platforms become more available, the V1–V2 hypervariable regions can be used for taxonomic identification in sputum.
Estimation of interface frictional anisotropy between sand and snakeskin-inspired surfaces
Authors: Lee Seung-Hun , Nawaz Muhammad Naqeeb , Chong Song-Hun
Published: March 2023

The transmission of loads across the soil-structure mobilizes direction-dependent shear resistance, which can be selectively used to design geo-structures. A previous study confirmed the frictional anisotropy induced by the interface between the soil and snakeskin-inspired surfaces. However, it is necessary to estimate the interface friction angle quantitatively. In this study, a conventional direct shear apparatus is modified, and 45 cases are performed in two-way shearing directions between bio-inspired surfaces and Jumunjin standard sand under three vertical stresses (50, 100, and 200 kPa). The results show that: (1) shearing against the scales (cranial shearing) mobilizes larger shear resistance and produces a dilative response than shearing along the scales (caudal shearing) and (2) higher scale height or shorter scale length exhibits dilative tendency and produces higher interface friction angle. Further analysis is conducted to capture the frictional anisotropy as a function of the scale geometry ratio, which reveals that the interface anisotropy response is more pronounced during cranial shearing in all the cases, and the difference in the interface friction angle for the caudal → cranial test is higher than that for the cranial → caudal test at the given scale ratio.
Population trends of striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) in Israel for the past five decades
Authors: Hadad Ezra , Kosicki Jakub Z. , Yosef Reuven
Published: March 2023

The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) is considered “Near Threatened” globally and “Vulnerable” in the Middle East. In Israel, the species has experienced extreme population fluctuations owing to poisoning campaigns during the British Mandate (1918–1948) which were also further exacerbated by the Israeli authorities in the mid-twentieth century. We collated data from the archives of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority for the past 47 years to elucidate the temporal and geographic trends of this species. During this period we found a 68% increase in population and the estimated density is at present 2.1 individuals/100km2. This is significantly higher than all previous estimates for Israel. It appears that the major factors contributing to their phenomenal increase in number are the increase in prey availability because of the intensification of human development, preying on Bedouin livestock, the extinction of the leopard (Panthera pardus nimr), and the hunting of wild boars (Sus scorfa) and other agricultural pests in some parts of the country. Reasons should also be sought in increasing people's awareness as well as in advanced technological capabilities that have allowed an improved observation and reporting system. Future studies need to understand the effects of the large concentrations of striped hyenas on the spatial distribution and temporal activity of other sympatric wildlife to ensure the continued persistence of the wildlife guilds in the Israeli nature.
Novel method of differentiating human induced pluripotent stem cells to mature cardiomyocytes via Sfrp2
Authors: Hsueh Ying-Chang , Pratt Richard E. , Dzau Victor J. , Hodgkinson Conrad P.
Published: March 2023

Current methods to generate cardiomyocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSc) utilize broad-spectrum pharmacological inhibitors. These methods give rise to cardiomyocytes which are typically immature. Since we have recently demonstrated that cardiomyogenesis in vitro and in vivo requires Sfrp2, we asked if Sfrp2 would drive differentiation of human iPSc into cardiomyocytes. Indeed, we found that Sfrp2 induced robust cardiac differentiation. Importantly, replacement of broad spectrum pharmacological inhibitors with Sfrp2 gave rise to mature cardiomyocytes as evidenced by their sarcomere structure, electrophysiological profiles, and ability to form gap junctions.
Effect of Limosilactobacillus fermentum 332 on physicochemical characteristics, volatile flavor components, and Quorum sensing in fermented sausage
Authors: Gu Yue , Qiao Ruifang , Jin Bo , He Yinfeng , Tian Jianjun
Published: March 2023

The effects of Limosilactobacillusfermentum 332 on quality characteristics in fermented sausage were explored in terms of physicochemical characteristics, volatile flavor components, and Quorum sensing (QS). The results showed that the pH of fermented sausage decreased from 5.20 to 4.54 within 24 h with the inoculation of L.fermentum 332. Lightness and redness were significantly improved, and hardness and chewiness were significantly increased after the addition of L.fermentum 332. With the inoculation of L.fermentum 332, the thiobarbituric acid reactive substance content decreased from 0.26 to 0.19 mg/100 g and total volatile basic nitrogen content decreased from 2.16 to 1.61 mg/100 g. In total, 95 and 104 types of volatile flavor components were detected in the control and fermented sausage inoculated with starter culture, respectively. The AI-2 activity of fermented sausage inoculated with L.fermentum 332 was significantly higher than that of the control and positively correlated with viable count and quality characteristics. These results provide support for further research on the effect of microorganisms on the quality of fermented food.
Comment on “Two-dimensional penta-like PdPSe with a puckered pentagonal structure: a first-principles study” by A. Bafekry, M. M. Fadlallah, M. Faraji, A. Shafique, H. R. Jappor, I. Abdolhoseini Sarsari, Y. S. Ang and M. Ghergherehchii, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2022, 24, 9990
Authors: Chowdhury Suman , Shojaei Fazel , Mortazavi Bohayra
Published: March 2023

In this comment, we critically discuss a recently published paper studying a PdPSe monolayer and conclude that the analysis and findings are inaccurate.
Redox exfoliated NbS2: characterization, stability, and oxidation
Authors: Nagaoka Danilo A. , Grasseschi Daniel , Cadore Alisson R. , Fonsaca Jessica E. S. , Jawaid Ali M. , Vaia Richard A. , de Matos Christiano J. S.
Published: March 2023

This work studied the stability of redox exfoliated NbS2 flakes on different media, providing insight into its complex oxidation dynamics. It, thus, provides further understanding of this 2D Nb system and its reactivity.
Electrochemically driven α-thiocarbamylation via a dehydrocoupling strategy of β-ketoesters with amines and CS2
Authors: Wang Qian , Meng Xiu-Jin , Tang Hai-Tao , Pan Ying-Ming , Duan Wen-Gui , He Mu-Xue
Published: March 2023

We disclose a feasible strategy for the electrochemical dehydrogenative coupling of CS2 and amines with β-ketoesters, which leads to dithiocarbamate intermediates in the presence of bases.
The emerging landscape of microfluidic applications in DNA data storage
Authors: Luo Yuan , Cao Zhen , Liu Yifan , Zhang Rong , Yang Shijia , Wang Ning , Shi Qingyuan , Li Jie , Dong Shurong , Fan Chunhai , Zhao Jianlong
Published: March 2023

Microfluidics offers great potential as an enabling technological platform for the burgeoning field of DNA data storage, making critical contributions to improving the performance in data processing, as well as system integration and automation.
Scalable multi-dimensional topological deformation actuators for active object identification
Authors: Ji Tianyi , Gong Wei , Zhou Jie , Jing Yangmin , Xing Ruizhe , Zhu Bingjie , Li Kerui , Hou Chengyi , Zhang Qinghong , Li Yaogang , Wang Hongzhi
Published: March 2023

A new strategy for large-scale preparation of topological deformation actuators via the regulation of polyethylene orientation factor is shown. Using the triboelectric effect, the actuator can be applied to object feature recognition.
A self-sacrificing strategy to fabricate a fluorine-modified integrated silicon/carbon anode for high-performance lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Xiong Jiangzhi , Xiao Peng , Luo Jian , Li Yangjie , Zhou Peng , Pang Liang , Xie Xilei , Li Yang
Published: March 2023

A F-modified integrated Si/C composite prepared using a simple one-step self-sacrificing strategy exhibits environmentally friendly preparation and outstanding electrochemical performance.
Enhanced moisture-enabled electricity generation through carbon dot surface functionalization using strong ionizing organic acid
Authors: Qin Yukun , Tan Jing , Meng Shuai , Li Yuchen , Zhai Mengde , Song Xiaoxian , Chen Cheng , Ren Xudong , Li Qijun , Cheng Ming , Ding Jianning
Published: March 2023

We developed a surface functionalization-enhanced CD based MEG device method via modifying a strong ionizing organic acid on a CD surface.
In-vial solid-phase extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in drug formulations stored in packaging containing rubber
Authors: Yang Hao , Ding Yinmeng , Ding Ya , Liu Jing
Published: March 2023

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of ubiquitous and persistent organic compounds that are significantly teratogenic, carcinogenic and mutagenic.