bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Critical analysis of replacing dark matter and dark energy with a model of stochastic spacetime
Authors: Hertzberg Mark P. , Loeb Abraham
Published: September 2024

We analyze consequences of trying to replace dark matter and dark energy with models of stochastic spacetime. In particular, we analyze the model put forth by ref. [1], in which it is claimed that “post-quantum classical gravity” (PQCG), a stochastic theory of gravity, leads to modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) behavior on galactic scales that reproduces galactic rotation curves, and leads to dark energy. We show that this analysis has four basic problems: (i) the equations of PQCG do not lead to a new large scale force of the form claimed in the paper, (ii) the form claimed is not of the MONDian form anyhow and so does not correspond to observed galactic dynamics, (iii) the spectrum of fluctuations is very different from observations, and (iv) we also identify some theoretical problems in these models.
Application of photothermal beam deflection spectrometry for non-destructive evaluation of advanced materials: a state-of-the-art review
Authors: Swapna M S , Sankararaman S , Korte D
Published: September 2024

The progress made in lasers and data acquisition systems has paved the way for innovative non-destructive evaluation methods based on the photothermal phenomenon. Beam deflection spectrometry (BDS) is a photothermal spectroscopic technique that offers ultra-sensitivity, high signal-to-noise ratios, and reduced sample preparation requirements. These advantages provide precise assessment of advanced material (AM) properties. This review presents a comprehensive in-depth analysis, thus helping researchers to understand the potential and future perspectives of BDS along with the theory, instrumentation, and application supported by the literature data. The objective of this review is also to present the possibilities of BDS in the characterization of AMs, including organic, inorganic, and hybrid organic–inorganic materials in the form of thin films, coatings, composites, and nanomaterials.
Asymmetric ENSO teleconnections in a symmetric CO2 concentration pathway
Authors: An Soon-Il , Shin Su-Hyeon , Liu Chao , Yeh Sang-Wook , Min Seung-Ki , Son Seok-Woo , Kug Jong-Seong , Park Jae-Heung
Published: September 2024

El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the strongest interannual phenomenon occurring in the tropical Pacific, significantly affecting the entire world. The ENSO response to increasing CO2 concentrations have been extensively studied, but the reverse scenario is still not well understood. Here, we investigate the hysteresis of ENSO teleconnections in a CO2 removal simulation of an earth system model. During the ramp-up period of CO2 concentrations, Pacific-North American and Pacific-South American patterns are intensified, with the eastward shift of their poles, which are even further intensified during the ramp-down period. This ENSO teleconnection hysteresis is closely linked to the tropical-origin hysteresis, in which, during the ramp-down periods, the prevalence of the eastern-Pacific type El Niño leads to the hysteresis in the eastern Hemispheric ENSO teleconnections and the enhanced ENSO skewness and the eastward shift of ENSO-induced tropical atmospheric convection do to that in the western Hemispheric ENSO teleconnection. The alterations by the tropical origin are predominantly associated with intensified southward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, along with a stronger El Niño-like warming trend. We also demonstrate that the hysteretic change in the mid-latitude mean state over the North Pacific region could lead to hysteresis of the ENSO teleconnection without invoking a tropical origin.
Income and inequality pathways consistent with eradicating poverty
Authors: Min Jihoon , Soergel Bjoern , Kikstra Jarmo S , Koch Johannes , van Ruijven Bas
Published: September 2024

To investigate concurrent climate action and poverty eradication, we present combined income growth (GDP/capita) and domestic income inequality (measured as Gini coefficients) pathways that pursue (absolute and relative) poverty eradication reflecting the three narratives of Sustainable Development Pathway. The GDP/capita pathways are modifications of the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway SSP1 scenario, including one post-growth future for high-income countries and higher growth for all currently lower-income countries. Current inequality levels, together with the total national income from the GDP pathways, determine the inequality reductions required to eradicate poverty in individual countries; they are based on a methodology that specifies the relationship between poverty, inequality, and growth. Our pathways show rapid and sustained reductions in within-country inequality (Gini), even with high economic growth. The speed of redistribution is limited to the highest historically observed changes in inequality. We identify which countries face the greatest difficulties in meeting their poverty eradication targets and estimate the level of international transfers needed to fill the gap for those countries. Our findings reconfirm the importance of reducing within-country inequality in eradicating global poverty.
Evaluation of gouramy fish (Osphronemus goramy) hatchery in Pandaan Aquaculture Installation, Pasuruan
Authors: Indarmastuti E B , Renta W M , Ratnawati N , Samara S H
Published: September 2024

Gourami fish is well-known among the public due to its economical impact, good tastes, and easy to cultivate. This study aimed to determine the performance of gourami hatcheries at the Pandaan Aquaculture Installation. The method in this research used active participation and descriptive methods. The data collection method used was from primary and secondary data. The evaluation results showed that hatchery activity there produced a fertilization rate of 97.6%, hatching rate of 95.3%, survival rate of 91.3%, and specific growth rate of 7.85%. Water quality in hatchery activities also met standards. Gouramy hatchery activities included pond preparation, broodstock preparation, brood spawning, egg harvesting, egg hatching, larval and seed rearing, nursery, water quality monitoring, feed management, and pest and disease management. It can be concluded that hatchery activity at Pandaan Aquaculture Installation shows good performance.
Optimization of the handling behaviour of an electric car by adjusting the kinematic gains of suspension
Authors: Deryal U. , Dikmen H. A. , Uzuner B.
Published: September 2024

In this paper, within the scope of development of an electric car on a vehicle platform that is borned as internal combustion engine is presented. The vehicle dynamics behaviour changes due to the change of weight distribution and centre of gravity. Replacing the internal combustion engine with an electric motor, plus the addition of the battery moves the center of gravity towards the rear of the vehicle. Due to the increase in the rear axle load, the tendency of the vehicle to oversteer increases. To overcome this phenomenon, the rear suspension kinematic gains (camber, toe change due to vertical movement of the wheel) are adjusted thanks to the multi-link suspension. In the fist part of the study the platform is measured and Admas Car model is correlated depends on measured handling metrics. Subsequently, centre of gravity changes are applied to the verified Adams Car model. Also main platform handling metrics is defined as design targets and rear axle kinematic gains are defined as design parameters. A design of experiments (DOE)-based optimization study was performed via Adams®/Insight commercial software to achieve required handling metrics which satisfy design targets. Kinematic gains of the suspension system is analyzed via Adams car and sensitivity deepens on harpoints is determined. Design space for hardpoints is determined depends on mechanical design. The lowest and highest points are determined on the x, y and z axis and experiment list are designed according to DOE. Maneuvers that are for measuring the handling metrics are performed one after the other by changing the parameters according to the boundary conditions comes from DOE. A regression mathematical model is obtained and optimum parameters are calculated for the handling behaviour optimisation. Optimum parameters are applied on the Adams Car model again and handling manoeuvres are repeated. Results show that, although weight distribution changes, handling behaviours remain the same as based platform.
Bathtub curve and Allan-Plaȋt chart: two problematic graphs in reliability engineering
Authors: Andrei-Alexandru Boroiu , Ionel Vieru , Tiberiu-Aurelian Udma , Alexandru Boroiu
Published: September 2024

In the reliability literature, there are completely different representations for two of the most common graphs: the graph that expresses the failure rate over the life of a product (bathtub curve) and the one that graphically identifies the Weibull triparametric model (linear regression of the Weibull curve using the Allan-Plaît graph). Even if the identification of the Weibull model is no longer done graphically, but with the help of dedicated calculation programs, the mathematical bases of the linearization of the F(t) fault distribution function by logarithm remain equally important. The present paper aims to establish which of the graphic variants are the correct ones and to identify the causes that led to the incorrect graphic representations. Based on an extensive theoretical documentation (analysis of numerous works in the field of reliability, published over the last decades, in the country and abroad) it is concluded that in foreign literature these graphs are always correct and that they were taken correctly in Romanian works from the 70’s to the 80’s of the last century, but starting with the 90’s there are fundamentally different representations, especially in the field of reliability engineering. Finally, the causes that led to these non-compliant graphical representations are identified. As these misrepresentations seem to persist, this paper is intended to be a signal of this issue.
A refined saturation theorem for polynomials and applications
Authors: Ye Xiangdong , Yu Jiaqi
Published: September 2024

For a dynamical system

(
X
,
T
)

(X,T)

,

d
∈

N

d\in \mathbb {N}

and distinct non-constant integral polynomials

p
1

,
…
,

p
d

p_1,\ldots , p_d

vanishing at

0
0

, the notion of regionally proximal relation along

C
=
{

p
1

,
…
,

p
d

}

C=\{p_1,\ldots ,p_d\}

(denoted by

R
P

C

[
d
]

(
X
,
T
)

\mathbf {RP}_C^{[d]}(X,T)

) is introduced.

It turns out that for a minimal system,

R
P

C

[
d
]

(
X
,
T
)
=
Δ

\mathbf {RP}_C^{[d]}(X,T)=\Delta

implies that

X
X

is an almost one-to-one extension of

X
k

X_k

for some

k
∈

N

k\in \mathbb {N}

only depending on a set of finite polynomials associated with

C
C

and has zero entropy, where

X
k

X_k

is the maximal

k
k

-step pro-nilfactor of

X
X

.

Particularly, when

C
C

is a collection of linear polynomials, it is proved that

R
P

C

[
d
]

(
X
,
T
)
=
Δ

\mathbf {RP}_C^{[d]}(X,T)=\Delta

implies

(
X
,
T
)

(X,T)

is a

d
d

-step pro-nilsystem, which answers negatively a conjecture of Glasner, Huang, Shao, Weiss, and Ye [Topological characteristic factors and nilsystems, J. Eur. Math. Soc. (to appear), https://arxiv.org/abs/2006.12385, 2020]. The results are obtained by proving a refined saturation theorem for polynomials.
Empowering patients: leveraging the untapped potential of smartphone recordings in dermatology consultations
Authors: Alzaid Mohammad , Alwuatib Abdullah , Ali Faisal R
Published: September 2024

During consultations, patients can be overwhelmed with new diagnoses and complex treatment plans, particularly when bad news is broken (such as a new skin cancer diagnosis). Patients may be unable to recall nuanced medical information, particularly if elderly, attending on their own, with lower literacy, with impaired sensory abilities and where English may not be their first language. Given the ubiquity of smartphones, recording conversations during consultations – with the doctor’s consent – has become an accessible tool for patients. Allowing patients to record their consultations can empower them, enhance recall and reduce decisional regret, particularly in emotionally charged settings such as skin cancer clinics where cognitive processing may be impaired.
How Lincoln’s revolutionary monetary policies tipped the scales in the Civil War
Authors: Phillips Emir
Published: September 2024

President Abraham Lincoln’s tenure is often heralded for its profound influence on the socio-political fabric of the USA, yet its economic implications, particularly through the lens of monetary policy, are equally transformative. As the nation found itself ensnared in the throes of the Civil War, Lincoln’s administration faced not only a military insurrection but also an economic quandary of monumental proportions. Lincoln, recognising the limitations of traditional gold-backed currency and the dispersed state banking system, advocated for a bold reconfiguration of national monetary policy. This reconfiguration was predicated on two groundbreaking initiatives: the issuance of ‘greenbacks’—legal tender not backed by gold but by the government’s promise—and the establishment of a national banking system under the National Banking Acts of 1863 and 1864. It is within this context that Lincoln’s monetary strategies emerged as a cornerstone for the Union’s eventual triumph.
Short-term peritoneal rest reduces peritoneal solute transport rate and increases ultrafiltration in high/high average transport peritoneal dialysis patients: a crossover randomized controlled trial
Authors: Wu Bei , Zhao Huiping , Zuo Li , Liu Aichun , Lu Lixia , Qiao Jie , Chu Xinxin , Men Chuncui , He Yuting
Published: September 2024

Background

The peritoneal solute transport rate (PSTR) tends to increase over time in some patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD), potentially leading to ultrafiltration (UF) failure. Previous case reports have shown a significant decrease in PSTR and subsequent recovery of UF after discontinuing PD for a while. Therefore, we conducted a randomized controlled crossover study to evaluate the impact of short-term peritoneal rest on PSTR.

Methods

The study involved 14 continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients with high/high-average transport rate. Two groups were randomly assigned different treatment sequences: one group underwent daily intermittent peritoneal dialysis (IPD) for 4 weeks followed by CAPD, while the other group initially received CAPD treatment for 4 weeks and then switched to IPD. Peritoneal equilibration tests were performed before and after each treatment to evaluate PSTR and paired t-tests were used to compare the changes. Volume load, serum potassium and other clinical indicators were monitored at the same time.

Results

Short-term peritoneal rest (daily IPD) significantly reduced PSTR, with a decrease in the dialysate:plasma creatinine ratio from 0.71 ± 0.05 to 0.65 ± 0.07 (P < .001). Additionally, ultrafiltration significantly increased from 210 ± 165 ml to 407 ± 209 ml (P = .001). But there were no significant changes in interleukin-6 and vascular endothelial growth factor of PD effluent. No serious adverse events such as hypotension or hyperkalaemia occurred.

Conclusions

In PD patients with high and high-average transport, a 4-week period of short-term peritoneal rest by switching from CAPD to IPD (without long dwell) can lead to reductions in PSTR and increases in UF volumes, while maintaining clinical safety.
Novel In-Line Hemolysis Detection on a Blood Gas Analyzer and Impact on Whole Blood Potassium Results
Authors: Balasubramanian Shankar , McDowell Emily J , Laryea Erving T , Blankenstein Gert , Pamidi Prasad V A , Winkler Anne M , Nichols James H
Published: September 2024

Background

Preanalytical error due to hemolyzed blood samples is a common challenge in laboratory and point-of-care (POC) settings. Whole blood potassium (K+) measurements routinely measured on blood gas analyzers are particularly susceptible to hemolysis, which poses a risk for incorrect K+ results. The GEM Premier 7000 with IQM3 (GEM 7000) blood gas analyzer provides novel integrated hemolysis detection within the sample measurement process. Therefore, the GEM 7000 can detect and flag hemolyzed whole blood samples at the POC, warning the operator of potentially erroneous results.

Methods

Heparinized venous or arterial whole blood samples were used for K+ interference studies and assessed for hemolysis agreement utilizing either a traditional volumetric method or chemistry analyzer serum index measurements with the Roche cobas c311 or Abbott Alinity c.

Results

Hemolysis interference studies performed at 2 different K+ concentrations (3.8 and 5.3 mmol/L) identified that a plasma free hemoglobin ≥116 mg/dL can impact K+ results on the GEM 7000. Hemolysis agreement studies demonstrated an excellent agreement of >99% with the volumetric method, 98.8% with cobas H index, and 96.4% with Alinity H index. GEM 7000 K+ results were correctly flagged for both native and spiked samples.

Conclusion

GEM 7000 hemolysis detection provides a novel technology to detect hemolysis in whole blood samples. Moreover, the GEM 7000 demonstrates excellent agreement with traditional laboratory hemolysis detection methods and offers an integrated technological solution for assuring the quality of whole blood K+ results in POC settings.
Interleukin-12p40 deficiency attenuates myocardial ferroptosis in doxorubicin-induced chronic cardiomyopathy by inhibiting Th17 differentiation and interleukin-17A production
Authors: Zhang Jishou , Ding Wen , Yin Zheng , Liu Siqi , Zhao Mengmeng , Xu Yao , Liu Jianfang , Pan Wei , Peng Shanshan , Wei Cheng , Zheng Zihui , Qin Juan-Juan , Wan Jun , Wang Menglong
Published: September 2024

Aims

Interleukin (IL)-12p40 is a common subunit of the bioactive cytokines IL-12 and IL-23, and it also has its own intrinsic functional activity. However, its role in doxorubicin-induced chronic cardiomyopathy (DICCM) as well as the underlying mechanisms are still unknown.

Methods and results

In this study, we used IL-12p40-knockout mice, IL-23p19-knockout mice, Rag1-knockout mice, a ferroptosis inhibitor, recombinant IL-12 (rIL-12), rIL-23, rIL-12p40, rIL-12p80, and anti-IL17A to investigate the effects of IL-12p40 on DICCM and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. We found that myocardial ferroptosis were increased in DICCM and that the inhibition of ferroptosis protected against DICCM. The expression of IL-12p40 was upregulated, and IL-12p40 was predominantly expressed by CD4+ T cells in the hearts of mice with DICCM. IL-12p40 knockout attenuated cardiac dysfunction, fibrosis and ferroptosis in DICCM, and similar results were observed in the context of CD4+ T cell IL-12p40 deficiency in Rag1−/− mice. Treatment with rIL-23, but not rIL-12, rIL-12p40 monomer or rIL-12p80, abolished the protective effects of IL-12p40 knockout. Moreover, rIL-23 treatment and IL-23p19 knockout exacerbated and ameliorated DICCM, respectively. IL-12p40 knockout might protect against DICCM by inhibiting Th17 differentiation and IL-17A production but not Th1, Th2 and Treg differentiation. Neutralizing IL-17A with an antibody also attenuated cardiac dysfunction, fibrosis, and ferroptosis. The IL-12p40/Th17/IL-17A axis might promote cardiomyocyte ferroptosis by activating TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/P53 signalling in DICCM.

Conclusion

Interleukin-12p40 deficiency protects against DICCM by inhibiting Th17 differentiation and the production of IL-17A, which plays critical roles in cardiomyocyte ferroptosis in DICCM via activating TRAF6/MAPK/P53 signalling. Our study may provide novel insights for the identification of therapeutic targets for treating DICCM in the clinic.
Marginal stability analyses for thermochemical convection and its implications for the dynamics of continental lithosphere and core–mantle boundary regions
Authors: Han Shunjie , Zhong Shijie
Published: September 2024

Significant compositional differences may exist in the lithospheric mantle and above the core–mantle boundary (CMB) relative to the ambient mantle. The intrinsic density differences may affect the development of thermal boundary layer (TBL) instabilities associated with lithospheric delamination and formation of thermochemical plumes. In this study, we explored the instability of two-layer thermochemical fluid using two different techniques: marginal stability analysis with a propagator-matrix method and finite element modelling. We investigated both the instabilities in lithospheric mantle (i.e. lithospheric instability) and the mantle above the CMB (i.e. plume-forming instability) using a background temperature Tbg(z) with the TBL. For lithospheric instability, we found that two-layer fluid with free-slip boundary conditions mainly undergoes the same three different convective modes (i.e. two oscillatory convection modes and one layered convection regime) as that with no-slip boundary conditions reported in Jaupart et al. However, with free-slip boundary conditions, the transitions between these convection modes occur at larger values of buoyancy number B. Free-slip boundary conditions lead to smaller critical Rayleigh number Rac, but larger convective wavelength and oscillation frequency ωc, compared with those with no-slip boundary conditions. Our numerical modelling results demonstrate that Rac and ωc predicted from the classical marginal stability analyses using Tbg(z) with TBL temperature may have significant errors when the oscillatory period is comparable with or larger than the timescale of lithospheric thermal diffusion that causes Tbg(z) to vary with time significantly. In this case, using a more gently sloped background temperature profile ignoring the TBL temperature, the stability analysis predicts more accurate stability conditions, thus presenting an effective remedy to the stability analysis. For plume-forming instability, because of the reduced viscosity in the hot and compositionally dense bottom layer, the transition to the layered convection occurs at significantly smaller B values, and in the oscillatory convection regime, Rac is larger but ωc is smaller, compared with those for lithospheric instability. Finally, our study provides a successful benchmark of numerical models of thermochemical convection by comparing Rac and ωc from numerical models with those from the marginal stability analysis.
Impact of Seton Use on Clinical, Patient-Reported, and Healthcare Resource Utilization Outcomes in Complex Crohn’s Perianal Fistulas: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: White Ian , Karki Chitra , Geransar Parnia , Leisle Lilia , Junker Sophia , Fleshner Phillip
Published: September 2024

Background

Optimal treatment strategies for seton use in patients with Crohn’s perianal fistulas (CPF) remain elusive. This systematic literature review aimed to summarize clinical, patient-reported, and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) outcomes associated with seton use for symptomatic relief and treatment of complex CPF.

Methods

Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, EBM Reviews, EconLit) were searched. Titles, abstracts, and relevant full texts were screened by 2 reviewers for inclusion using prespecified PICOS-T criteria. Articles published in English between January 1, 1980 and September 6, 2021 were included; animal/in vitro studies and case reports with <5 patients were excluded. Outcomes of interest included rates of complete response/remission and fistula recurrence in patients receiving seton with/without infliximab or biologics. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics.

Results

Overall, 56 studies were included (full texts: n = 43; congress abstracts: n = 13). CPF and clinical outcome definitions were heterogeneous. Rates (range) of complete response/remission varied widely (seton: 13%-75%; seton + infliximab: 23%-100%; seton + biologics: 23%-59%) as did rates for fistula recurrence (seton: 4%-68%; seton + infliximab: 0%-50%; seton + biologics: 0%-17%). Rates of fistula-related reintervention, new fistula or abscess formation, and abscess recurrence were also varied; more consistency was observed regarding the use of patient-reported outcomes. Few studies reported outcomes from pediatric/adolescent patients or HCRU.

Conclusions

Optimal use of seton in patients with CPF remains unclear. International standardization of definitions for CPF and related clinical outcomes are required to permit data comparability and identify the most effective treatment strategies involving seton use in CPF.
Community structure and environmental drivers of offshore hard-bottom reef fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Klibansky Nikolai , Craig J Kevin , Campbell Matthew D
Published: September 2024

Understanding patterns in community structure in large marine ecosystems is necessary for advancing community- and ecosystem-based approaches to marine fisheries management. We analyzed data from a large-scale, fishery-independent video survey to quantify the structure of reef fish communities on offshore hard-bottom reef habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM). A novel aspect of this work is that all species visualized on videos were identified and enumerated over a 13-year period, which allowed for a comprehensive analysis of fish community structure. We observed a total of 243 fish species from 54 families and 14 orders. Species richness and biodiversity varied considerably across the nGOM and were highest in regions that harbor extensive coral reef habitat (south Florida, Louisiana-Texas shelf). Multivariate analyses identified 12 species assemblages, with important fishery species and species of concern (i.e. IUCN-listed) occurring in the largest identified assemblages. One assemblage composed mostly of large-bodied fishery species accounted for 45% by number and 89% by weight of all fish observed. Species assemblages were most strongly associated with depth, temperature, and substrate composition, with weaker associations with the amount of attached algae and vertical relief, while species richness was positively correlated with bottom water temperature. In general, large-scale bathymetric and hydrographic factors (e.g. depth, temperature) were more important than local topographic structure and biogenic habitat in structuring reef fish communities at the spatial scales (i.e.1000 km) considered here. Our results advance ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management by providing a basis for incorporating multispecies spatial dynamics into the monitoring and assessment of hard-bottom reef fish communities in the nGOM.
A higher order multiscale method for the wave equation
Authors: Krumbiegel Felix , Maier Roland
Published: September 2024

In this paper we propose a multiscale method for the acoustic wave equation in highly oscillatory media. We use a higher order extension of the localized orthogonal decomposition method combined with a higher order time stepping scheme and present rigorous a priori error estimates in the energy-induced norm. We find that in the very general setting without additional assumptions on the coefficient beyond boundedness arbitrary orders of convergence cannot be expected, but that increasing the polynomial degree may still considerably reduce the size of the error. Under additional regularity assumptions higher orders can be obtained as well. Numerical examples are presented that confirm the theoretical results.
Deapi-platycodin D3 attenuates osteoarthritis development via suppression of PTP1B
Authors: Liu Liangliang , Yao Zihao , Zhang Haiyan , Wu Chunyu , Guo Xiongtian , Lin Yongzhi , Zhang Hongbo , Zeng Chun , Bai Xiaochun , Cai Daozhang , Lai Pinglin
Published: September 2024

Dysregulated chondrocyte metabolism is an essential risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA) progression. Maintaining cartilage homeostasis represents a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of OA. However, no effective disease-modifying therapy is currently available to OA patients. To discover potential novel drugs for OA, we screened a small-molecule natural product drug library and identified deapi-platycodin D3 (D-PDD3), which was subsequently tested for its effect on extracellular matrix (ECM) properties and on OA progression. We found that D-PDD3 promoted the generation of ECM components in cultured chondrocytes and cartilage explants and that intra-articular injection of D-PDD3 delayed disease progression in a trauma-induced mouse model of OA. To uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms supporting these observed functions of D-PDD3, we explored the targets of D-PDD3 via screening approach integrating surface plasmon resonance with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The results suggested that D-PDD3 targeted tyrosine-protein phosphatase non-receptor type 1 (PTP1B), deletion of which restored chondrocyte homeostasis and markedly attenuated destabilization of the medial meniscus induced OA. Further cellular and molecular analyses showed that D-PDD3 maintained cartilage homeostasis by directly binding to PTP1B and consequently suppressing the PKM2/AMPK pathway. These findings demonstrated that D-PDD3 was a potential therapeutic drug for the treatment of OA and that PTP1B served as a protein target for the development of drugs to treat OA. This study provided significant insights into the development of therapeutics for OA treatment, which, in turn, helped to improve the quality of life of OA patients and to reduce the health and economic burden.
The Public Interest in Environmental Decision-Making: A Pragmatist Turn
Authors: Pieraccini Margherita
Published: September 2024

This study is concerned with a central question in administrative law, as well as environmental law; that is, how to conceptualise and determine the public interest in complex contexts where decisions concern collective action problems, involve multiple actors, cross-temporal and spatial scales, and occur under conditions of knowledge uncertainty. Here, it is argued against the use of trade-offs in the determination of the public interest in these contexts because trade-offs involve epistemological simplifications and de-contextualise interests dismissing the nature of knowledge as a situated and dynamic collective practice. To concretise the critique, the EU Habitats Directive’s site protection management provisions are relied on as an example where decisions in the public interest are underpinned by a problematic trade-off logic. To move beyond trade-offs, the article introduces Dewey’s thought. More precisely, it is argued that Dewey’s deliberative pragmatism presents a cogent conceptualisation of the public interest, and thereby constitutes a first intellectual step to overcome the key limitations of a trade-off logic in determining the public interest in environmental decision-making.
The Biological Weapons Amendment to the ICC Statute and National Provisions
Authors: de Vries Barry
Published: September 2024

After a contentious path, the amendment incorporating biological weapons into Article 8 of the ICC Statute was finally adopted in 2017. Since then, 18 states have ratified the amendment. This article examines the amendment in light of national provisions addressing the use of biological weapons in armed conflict. By discussing the national provisions before and after the amendment, it is possible to determine the effect of the amendment on subsequent national provisions. Combined with an analysis of states’ rationale for adopting relevant legislation, it is possible to assess the impact on state practice and consequently understand the significance of adopting an amendment to the ICC Statute and incorporating it into national legislation for the development or confirmation of customary international law. The lessons learned in the process could be applied to other existing or future amendments.
A single-institution retrospective study of comprehensive genomic profiling tests based on C-CAT findings for advanced solid cancers
Authors: Takeuchi Susumu , Yoshimura Akinobu , Sofuni Atsushi , Ueda Yuri , Umezu Tomohiro , Kuroda Masahiko , Sukeda Aoi , Matsubayashi Jun , Nagao Toshitaka , Bingo Masato , Inagaki Natsuko , Ohira Tatsuo , Seike Masahiro , Ikeda Norihiko
Published: September 2024

Background

In recent years, as the availability of precision therapies expands, there is increasing reliance on genomic profiling assays to help identify the most appropriate treatment options for patients with advanced cancers. We retrospectively investigated the results of comprehensive genomic profiling tests from the time insurance coverage began until recently and examined the status of genetic analysis.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the analysis results of 300 patients with advanced solid tumors who consented to comprehensive genomic profiling tests from October 2019 to December 2022.

Results

Of the 300 patients who underwent comprehensive genomic profiling tests, analysis results for 274 patients were obtained, and were reviewed by the Clinical Genome Expert Panel. Six specimens (2%) were discontinued due to patient deaths and deteriorations in general condition. The three most frequently occurring actionable genomic alterations observed were TP53 (47.4%), KRAS (28.1%) and CDKN2A (20.4%). The most common druggable variant was CDKN2A, which was noted in 52 (19%) of 274 patients. The next most common were PIK3CA, BRAF, KRAS and PTEN. The cancer types that showed a greater median number of actionable alterations comprised thyroid cancer, pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer.

Conclusions

In conclusion, comprehensive genomic profiling tests have the potential to be valuable in identifying genomic abnormalities. Even if there is no effective treatment at present, it may lead to a treatment in the future. Comprehensive genomic profiling tests should be considered for any cancer.
Laboratory maintenance and care of Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) and other Triatominae
Authors: Sutcliffe Alice C , Dotson Ellen M
Published: September 2024

Triatomines (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) are hematophagous insects that transmit Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent for Chagas disease, to humans and other mammals. As medically important vectors, species such as Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) have long been used as a model organism for physiological studies. Laboratory rearing of triatomines is needed to support vector and parasite research. Many environmental conditions, such as suitable housing containers, light source and duration, temperature, humidity, and density, must be addressed when adapting triatomines from a natural habitat for artificial rearing to create conditions for optimal growth and survival. Food source is also an important factor, as triatomines are considered the obligate blood feeders. Parasites and pathogens present risks not only for triatomines but also for the laboratorians handling them. Equipping an insectary space should apply best practices to ensure community, personnel, and insect health. Various triatomine colonies have been maintained in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Entomology Branch insectary for over 25 years and have more recently been made available to the research community through the Biodefense and Emerging Infections Research Resources Repository (BEI Resources). The CDC Rhodnius prolixus genome has been characterized and thus represents an opportunity for continued model organism research. In addition to fulfilling requests for live triatomines, inquiries are received for support in establishing new and troubleshooting existing laboratory colonies. To accompany the extensive MR4 manual, Methods in Anopheles Research, procedures for triatomine husbandry have been developed and are shared here to address the aforementioned topics.
Literacy training vs. psychological inoculation? Explicating and comparing the effects of predominantly informational and predominantly motivational interventions on the processing of health statistics
Authors: Kuru Ozan
Published: September 2024

Communicating statistics is challenging and fraught with mis-contextualization and causal misattributions. Can we train the public against statistical misrepresentations? Pre-emptive interventions against misinformation primarily include literacy tips/training and inoculation. In theory, inoculation has an additional motivational component (forewarning). However, forewarning has not been directly tested against literacy interventions, calling into question inoculation’s distinction. We critique the theoretical boundary work and compare these informational and motivational interventions in the context of health statistics. The longitudinal experiment compared the effects of interventions on processing accurate and inaccurate statistics about COVID-19 vaccines and/or genetically modified organisms across digital platforms. Both interventions prevented an elevation in risk perceptions following exposure to statistical misinformation at a later time. However, literacy intervention increased risk perceptions following exposure to accurate statistics too, suggesting an additional benefit of forewarning. Those with high levels of pre-existing misinformation concern exhibited inoculation effects more strongly. We discuss the theoretical, empirical, and practical implications.
Factors influencing sexual interest in postmenopausal Asian women
Authors: Wong Li Ping , Cora Cunningham , Andrew Lee Leslie , Faisal Abang Muhammad Dailami Abang , Hasbi Atiqah Sarah , Puujaa Elanggovan , Alias Haridah , Moli Othayamoorthy Then , Premitha Damodaran , Tan Kit Mun , Lee Wan Ling , Shayesteh Jahanfar , Adlan Aizura Syafinaz Ahmad
Published: September 2024

Background

The sexual interest of postmenopausal women is a crucial aspect of their overall well-being. Despite its importance, factors influencing postmenopausal sexual interest, particularly in Asian women, remain understudied and poorly understood.

Aims

To investigate the various factors influencing sexual interest in postmenopausal women in Malaysia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted of postmenopausal women attending a gynecology or primary care clinic in a teaching hospital in Malaysia.

Outcomes

We investigated how interpersonal dynamics and cultural norms—including the physical and mental health of women and their partners, as well as their sexual values—affect menopausal sexual interest as measured by the Menopausal Sexual Interest Questionnaire.

Results

Women in the study reported an average sexual interest, with a mean score of 32.8 (SD, 9.4) out of 70 on the Menopausal Sexual Interest Questionnaire. Multivariable analysis results showed that higher personal sexual values (odds ratio [OR], 2.65; 95% CI, 1.26-5.61) and spousal sexual values (OR, 2.68; 95% CI, 1.22-5.86) were significantly associated with higher menopausal sexual interest. There was a positive correlation between the physical fitness of spouses and menopausal sexual interest, with women who rated their spouses as very fit or fit (OR, 3.22; 95% CI, 1.15-9.00) or moderately fit (OR, 2.63; 95% CI, 1.05-6.63) showing higher menopausal sexual interest as compared with those whose spouses were very unfit or unfit. Women with normal stress levels (OR, 5.89; 95% CI, 1.03-33.62) and mild to moderate stress levels (OR, 8.13; 95% CI, 1.53-43.22) reported higher menopausal sexual interest.

Clinical Implications

This study emphasizes a holistic approach to postmenopausal sexual health, highlighting the significance of promoting positive sexual values, improving physical fitness, and managing stress. Health care providers should educate, counsel, and collaborate interdisciplinarily, ensuring culturally sensitive care tailored to individual needs.

Strength and Limitations

The study’s strength lies in its provision of valuable insights into factors affecting sexual interest among postmenopausal Asian women, enhancing comprehension of holistic sexual health approaches. However, reliance on self-assessments may introduce response bias influenced by social desirability, and limited generalizability stems from single-site data collection.

Conclusion

Our study highlights the significance of adopting a holistic approach to addressing sexual health in postmenopausal women, which includes promoting positive sexual values, improving physical fitness, and managing stress.
Domēnikos Theotokopoulos’s Arte Moderna alla Greca
Authors: Barber Charles
Published: September 2024

This chapter is focused upon the written legacy of Domēnikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco). His extensive annotations to his copies of Vasari’s and Vitruvius’s major works provide a rich resource for understanding his arts. In particular, they give significant insights into Theotokopoulos’s desire to reclaim the value of the maniera greca that had been cast aside at the very foundation of this Vasarian history. In seeking to build an alternative model for art and its history, Theotokopoulos sought to remember and to reclaim what he identified as a Greek understanding of art and to propose it as an alternative ground for a new art.
Hippocampal-dependent Memory Impairment and the Western Diet
Authors: Davidson Terry L. , Riley Anthony L.
Published: September 2024

The present chapter presents the hypothesis, along with supporting behavioral, neurochemical, and neuroanatomical evidence, that dysregulated eating leading to obesity and dysregulated drug intake leading to addiction may result, in part, from the disruption in hippocampal-dependent processes normally involved in the regulation of food intake and drug consumption. The processes which underlie the ability of respective food and drug satiety to serve as contexts that inhibit retrieval of food and drug reward memories involved in food and drug regulation may become disrupted by neural damage of the hippocampus resulting from high-fat, high-sugar diets and drugs of abuse. Findings that similar hippocampal pathophysiologies are produced by both obesity-promoting Western diets and by drugs of abuse suggest that one way to prevent energy intake and drug intake dysregulation is to identify interventions that can protect the hippocampus from the harmful effects of both energy-dense foods and addictive drugs.
Food Addiction and Treatment of Eating Disorders
Authors: Munguía Lucero , Camacho-Barcia Lucía , Jiménez-Murcia Susana , Fernández-Aranda Fernándo
Published: September 2024

High rates of food addiction (FA) have been found with eating disorders (ED), especially in those EDs that are related with binge behaviors, such as binge eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN). Factors like personality traits, emotional regulation, and impulsivity have been mentioned as possible key common determinants of this comorbidity. As well, the presence of FA is associated with an increase in the severity in ED symptoms and higher general psychopathology and distress. Even with this close relationship, there is still no specific treatment aimed to decrease FA in the context of ED; however, it has been suggested that the FA presence may influence treatment response in ED. In the present chapter we aim to explore deeper both the common variables between FA and ED and its association with treatment outcome, to finally suggest which constructs may be taken into account to design an integrative treatment approach.
Implications of Food Addiction on Stigma
Authors: Puhl Rebecca M.
Published: September 2024

This chapter examines the implications of food addiction for societal stigma and internalized stigma. As addictions are generally susceptible to negative public stereotypes and stigmatization compared to other illnesses, it is essential to understand the impact of food addiction on stigma, and whether food addiction increases or reduces societal blame and attributions of personal control. To date, these issues have received relatively little research attention, and findings are somewhat mixed. While emerging evidence has documented positive associations between symptoms of food addiction and internalized stigma, empirical research has yielded inconsistent findings for the effect of a food addiction label on external societal stigma, including stigma directed toward people with obesity. Some studies suggest that a food addiction explanation for obesity may reduce attributions of personal blame, while other evidence documents no reductions in stigma. This chapter discusses the current literature and highlights directions for future research to advance this field of study, including a consideration of the language used to describe addictions, which warrants attention in the context of food addiction.
Food and Addiction
Authors: Gearhardt Ashley N. , Brownell Kelly D. , Gold Mark S. , Potenza Marc N.
Published: September 2024

Since the last edition of the Handbook of Food and Addiction, research on this topic has increased substantially. Evidence is growing the certain foods, particularly highly processed foods with high levels of refined carbohydrates and/or added fats, can trigger addictive processes. Ultra-processed versions of these products may be even more addictive given the addition of flavor enhancers and additives that make them intensely palatable, inexpensive, accessible and highly convenient. We outline in this conclusion chapter what we see as key questions for progressing the science of food and addiction, including a psychopharmacological investigation of highly processed foods (particularly those that are ultra-processed) and further investigation of the ability of these products to engage addictive mechanisms more intensely, particularly in children/adolescents. Social justice issues related to food insecurity and targeted marketing of highly processed foods to racial/ethnic minorities are also considered. Finally, we also discuss what paths are available for reducing the harm associated with addictive highly processed foods across legislative, administrative, and legal domains.
Goddess Beyond Boundaries
Authors: Pintchman Tracy
Published: September 2024

This book explores the religious life of an American Hindu goddess temple, the Parashakthi Temple, in Pontiac, Michigan. The goddess honored here, Karumariamman, originates from village goddess traditions in South India but comes to assume the status of Great Goddess in her Michigan abode. She is a tantric deity and wonder worker who communicates directly with devotees through dreams, visions, and miracles. The religiosity promoted by the Parashakthi Temple, while clearly Hindu and Indian in both form and substance, is nevertheless grounded in a vision of the Goddess as a breaker of all kinds of boundaries, including those of race, ethnicity, religion, geography, history, and nationality. Temple discourse is deeply innovative both ritually and theologically, reimagining and emplacing the Goddess in the American religious, cultural, and natural landscape and recreating Hindu traditions and the Hindu Great Goddess in dynamic conversation with the new context. Here the Goddess herself embodies the qualities of a new immigrant; she embraces the opportunities her new home affords her and refashions herself, but she does not forget her roots, keeping one foot planted in her Indian homeland and another planted firmly in her new land, the United States.
Mary Moody Emerson among the Stars
Authors: Fuller Randall
Published: September 2024

Mary Moody Emerson (1774–1863), an omnivorous reader who recognized the importance of Romantic thought before almost anyone else in America, dreamed of becoming a writer. When that dream was dashed, she turned her attention to the education of her nephew, Ralph Waldo Emerson. She introduced him to Wordsworth and Coleridge, to German philosophy, and inculcated a love of nature in him. Just as important, she provided a model for him of the solitary, independent intellectual. So powerful was her example that Waldo mined her journals and letters, appropriating entire paragraphs into his sermons and, later, his essays. A remarkable thinker and writer in her own right, Mary Emerson’s ecstatic visions of nature and the divine, chronicled in the little-known spiritual journal she called her “Almanacks,” herald the arrival of a new movement soon to be known as transcendentalism.