bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incidence of Japanese Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome Hospitalizations in the Medium-Endemic Region in Central India
Authors: Tandale Babasaheb V. , Deshmukh Pravin S. , Tomar Shilpa J. , Narang Rahul , Qazi Mohiuddin S. , Goteti Venkata Padmaja , Jain Manish , Jain Dipty , Guduru Vijay Kumar , Jain Jyoti , Gosavi Rajesh V. , Valupadas Chandra Sekhar , Deshmukh Pradeep R. , Raut Abhishek V. , Narlawar Uday W. , Jha Punam Kumari , Bondre Vijay P. , Sapkal Gajanan N. , Damle Rekha G. , Khude Poornima M. , Niswade Abhimanyu K. , Talapalliwar Manoj , Rathod Pragati , Balla Padmini Soujanya , Muttineni Pavan Kumar , Kalepally Janakiram Kishore Kumar , Rajderkar Shekhar S.
Published: May 2023

Background

We estimated the incidence of Japanese encephalitis (JE) and acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) following routine immunization with the live-attenuated SA 14-14-2 JE vaccine.

Methods

We implemented enhanced surveillance of AES and JE hospitalizations in endemic districts in Maharashtra and Telangana States during 2015–2016 and 2018–2020. We estimated incidence and compared differences in the incidence of JE and AES between two states, and vaccinated and unvaccinated districts during two study periods. We also considered secondary data from public health services to understand long-term trends from 2007 to 2020.

Results

The annual AES incidence rate of 2.25 cases per 100,000 children in Maharashtra during 2018–2020 was significantly lower than 3.36 cases per 100,000 children during 2015–2016. The six JE-vaccinated districts in Maharashtra had significantly lower incidence rates during 2018–2020 (2.03, 95% CI 1.73–2.37) than in 2015–16 (3.26, 2.86–3.70). In addition, the incidence of both JE and AES in two unvaccinated districts was higher than in the vaccinated districts in Maharashtra. Telangana had a lower incidence of both JE and AES than Maharashtra. The AES incidence rate of 0.95 (0.77–1.17) during 2018–2020 in Telangana was significantly lower than 1.67 (1.41–1.97) during 2015–2016.

Conclusions

The annual incidence rate of Japanese encephalitis was < 1 case per 100,000 children. It indicated accelerated control of Japanese encephalitis after routine immunization. However, the annual incidence of acute encephalitis syndrome was still > 1 case per 100,000 children. It highlights the need for improving surveillance and evaluating the impacts of vaccination.
Digital Identity Infrastructures: a Critical Approach of Self-Sovereign Identity
Authors: Giannopoulou Alexandra
Published: May 2023

The shift from electronic identification to digital identity is indicative of a broader evolution towards datafication of identity at large. As digital identity emerges from the fringes of technical challenges towards the legal and socio-technical, pre-existing ideologies on the reform of digital identity re-emerge with a newfound enthusiasm. Self-sovereign identity is one representative example of this trend. This paper sets out to uncover the principles, technological design ideas, and underlying guiding ideologies that are attached to self-sovereign identity infrastructures, carrying the promise of user-centricity, self-sovereignty, and individual empowerment. Considering the flourishing of digital identity markets, and the subsequent institutional interest on a European level in the techno-social promises that this identity architecture carries, this paper explores how the implementation of EU-wide self-sovereign identity shifts the already existing historical power balances in the construction of identity infrastructures. In this contribution, we argue that the European-wide adoption of self-sovereign ideals in identity construction does not address the shortcomings that identity and identification have historically faced and that instead of citizen empowerment, it puts individuals (a category broader than citizens) in a rather vulnerabilized position.
Building Socialism
Authors: Kokosalakis Yiannis
Published: May 2023

By placing the party grassroots at the centre of its focus, Building Socialism presents an original account of the formative first two decades of the Soviet system. Assembled in a large network of primary party organisations (PPO), the Bolshevik rank-and-file was an army of activists made up of ordinary people. While far removed from the levers of power, they were nevertheless charged with promoting the Party's programme of revolutionary social transformation in their workplaces, neighbourhoods, and households. Their regular meetings, conferences and campaigns have generated a voluminous source base. This rich material provides a unique view of the practical manifestation of the Party's revolutionary mission and forms the basis of this insightful new narrative of how the Soviet republic functioned in the period from the end of the Russian Civil War in 1921 to its invasion by Nazi Germany in 1941.
Fashionable Fictions and the Currency of the Nineteenth-Century British Novel
Authors: Gillingham Lauren
Published: May 2023

Revealing how a modern notion of fashion helped to transform the novel and its representation of social change and individual and collective life in nineteenth-century Britain, Lauren Gillingham offers a revisionist history of the novel. With particular attention to the fiction of the 1820s through 1840s, this study focuses on novels that use fashion's idiom of currency and obsolescence to link narrative form to a heightened sense of the present and the visibility of public life. It contends that novelists steeped their fiction in date-stamped matters of dress, manners, and media sensations to articulate a sense of history as unfolding not in epochal change, but in transient issues and interests capturing the public's imagination. Reading fiction by Mary Shelley, Letitia Landon, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, W. H. Ainsworth, Charles Dickens, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, and others, Fashionable Fictions tells the story of a nineteenth-century genre commitment to contemporaneity that restyles the novel itself.
Philhellenism and after: Greece in E.F. Benson's life and work
Authors: Farinou-Malamatari Georgia
Published: May 2023

To Professor Roderick Beaton, an ever-caring supervisor and mentor

Edward Frederic (‘Fred’) Benson (1867-1940),* the well-known English author, spent the greater part of the 1890s in Greece in various capacities. The aim of the present paper is to examine his relations with Greece: his activities during his stay, his literary output on Greece and its reception both in England and Greece, and the representation of Greece in the first three volumes of his autobiographical reminiscences Our Family Affairs 1867-1896 (1920), Mother (1925) and As We Were. A Victorian Peep-Show (1930).
Changes in the Intention to Return and the Related Risk Perception Among Residents and Evacuees of Tomioka Town 11 Years After the Fukushima Nuclear Accident
Authors: Hande Varsha , Orita Makiko , Matsunaga Hitomi , Kashiwazaki Yuya , Taira Yasuyuki , Takamura Noboru
Published: May 2023

Objective:

This study examined temporal trends in risk perception and intention to return to Tomioka among residents and evacuees with the aim of aiding community recovery.

Methods:

Responses to questionnaires distributed in 2017 and 2021 were compared regarding demographic information, intention to return to Tomioka, desire to consult radiation experts, and risk perception such as anxiety about food consumption, drinking tap water, self-health, and genetic effects. Questionnaires were distributed to all persons registered with the Tomioka town council, both current residents and evacuees.

Results:

In 2021, the proportion of responders who had already returned/ wanted to return and those who did not want to return increased by 3.2% and 6.8% respectively, and the proportion unsure about returning decreased by 10.1%. Anxiety for self-health decreased by 15.4%, for genetic effects decreased by 24.4%, for food consumption decreased by 30.9%, and the latter 2 remained significant factors among responders unsure of returning and among those who did not want to return in 2021.

Conclusions:

Risk perception for food and genetic effects was significantly associated with uncertainty about returning or not returning. There is a need for continual monitoring of risk perception trends and implementation of targeted risk communication strategies.
Pyrroloquinoline quinone influences intracellular alpha-synuclein aggregates
Authors: Mountford Elizabeth , Mathew Cynthia , Ghildyal Reena , Bugarcic Andrea
Published: May 2023

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disorder clinically manifesting in uncontrolled motor symptoms. There are two primary hallmark features of Parkinson’s disease—an irreversible loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta and formation of intracellular insoluble aggregates called Lewy bodies mostly composed of alpha-synuclein. Using a clinical improvements-first approach, we identified several clinical trials involving consumption of a specific diet or nutritional supplementation that improved motor and nonmotor functions. Here, we aimed to investigate if and how pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) compound disrupts preformed alpha-synuclein deposits using SH-SY5Y cells, widely used Parkinson’s disease cellular model. SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, incubated in presence of potassium chloride (KCl) to induce alpha-synuclein protein aggregation, were treated with PQQ for up to 48 hr. Resulting aggregates were examined and quantified using confocal microscopy. Overall, nutritional compound PQQ reduced the average number and overall size of intracellular cytoplasmic alpha-synuclein aggregates in a PD cellular model.
A Blunt Force Trauma Analysis of Interpersonal Violence in Northern Patagonia and Southern Pampa (Argentina): An Experimental Perspective
Authors: Otero Felipe , Béguelin Marien , Gordón Florencia
Published: May 2023

This article evaluates the level of interpersonal violence among human groups that inhabited northern Patagonia and southern Pampa (Argentina) during the Middle and Late Holocene, especially before contact with Europeans. We analyzed a particular type of trauma—blunt force trauma—in skull samples from several archaeological localities and compared our outcomes with those of a previous experimental work. The results agree with what is expected for small-scale societies within the regional historical and archaeological framework. The recorded percentages show a diachronic increase toward higher frequencies of this injury among males than among females and subadults, but the differences are not statistically significant. Generally, the levels of violence remained relatively constant during the period studied. Most of the injuries reflect low levels of damage, which allows us to hypothesize that the objects causing the injuries would be elements of everyday life. A smaller proportion show significant bone alteration that could be associated with weapons manufactured to exert violence or hunt animals.
New Wild Fields: How the Russian War Leads to the Demodernization of Ukraine’s Occupied Territories
Authors: Malyarenko Tetyana , Kormych Borys
Published: May 2023

This article explores Russian occupation policy in Ukraine as an adaptive tactic of Russia’s grand strategy and a manifestation of its military culture. Based on a comparative analysis of the Russian occupation policy during the hybrid and conventional stages of the Russian-Ukrainian war, including the employment of a de facto state playbook, we find both continuity and shifts in Russia’s approach. Although the main shift lies in the change of Russia’s conflict management in neighboring countries from reactive to proactive, the main continuities are the subordination of occupation policy to Russia’s geostrategic interests and path dependence in its military culture, which together lead to the employment of brutal violence against civilians and the demodernization of occupied territories.
Finland and Military Volunteers in the Swedish Fascist Imaginary, 1809–1944
Authors: Kunkeler Celestine S.
Published: May 2023

This article explores the place of Finland and the Swedish military volunteers of the 1918 civil war, and 1939–44 Finno-Soviet wars, in the Swedish fascist imaginary. The loss of Finland to Russia in 1809 was heavily romanticized in Swedish nationalist culture, and shaped Swedish responses to both conflicts, mediated through famous literary works which encouraged a sense of shame and betrayal. Through examination of the historical relationship between the two countries, the volunteer effort in 1918, and the subsequent emergence of fascism in the interwar period, it is shown that this imaginary of the Finnish–Swedish relationship strongly shaped Swedish fascism. The article traces key military volunteer veterans in various fascist organizations, and the symbolic appropriation of the veterans. Rather than a comparatively peaceful manifestation of fascism in neutral Sweden, Swedish fascism was possessed of a heavily militarized imaginary rooted in violent proxy conflicts in its former eastern borderlands – in this regard it also showed substantial overlap with Swedish conservative nationalism.
Labor Mobility and Loan Origination
Authors: Agarwal Sumit , Lin Yupeng , Zhang Yunqi , Zhang Zilong
Published: May 2023

We find that mortgage loans originated after the adoption of the inevitable disclosure doctrine (IDD; a mechanism discouraging loan officers’ labor mobility) have a lower default probability, a higher loan modification rate, and a lower foreclosure rate. These effects are unaccompanied by any reduction in loan supply and contribute to more stable housing prices. Using the adoption of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act as an alternative identification generates consistent results. Overall, our findings suggest that restricting loan officers’ labor mobility leads to better ex ante screening and ex post monitoring, improving the origination efficiency for U.S. residential mortgage loans.
Understanding language processing in variable populations on their own terms: Towards a functionalist psycholinguistics of individual differences, development, and disorders
Authors: McMurray Bob , Baxelbaum Keith S. , Colby Sarah , Bruce Tomblin J.
Published: May 2023

Classic psycholinguistics seeks universal language mechanisms for all people, emphasizing the “modal” listener: hearing, neurotypical, monolingual, and young adults. Applied psycholinguistics then characterizes differences in terms of their deviation from the modal. This mirrors naturalist philosophies of health which presume a normal function, with illness as a deviation. In contrast, normative positions argue that illness is partially culturally derived. It occurs when a person cannot meet socio-culturally defined goals, separating differences in biology (disease) from socio-cultural function (illness). We synthesize this with mechanistic functionalist views in which language emerges from diverse lower-level mechanisms with no one-to-one mapping to function (termed the functional mechanistic normative approach). This challenges primarily psychometric approaches—which are culturally defined—suggesting a process-based approach may yield more insight. We illustrate this with work on word recognition across multiple domains: cochlear implant users, children, language disorders, L2 learners, and aging. This work investigates each group’s solutions to the problem of word recognition as interesting in its own right. Variation in the process is value-neutral, and psychometric measures complement this, reflecting fit with cultural expectations (disease vs. illness). By examining variation in processing across people with a variety of skills and goals, we arrive at deeper insight into fundamental principles.
Environmental Factors in Nursing Workplaces that Promote Resilience during Pandemics: Scoping Review
Authors: Witt Regina Rigatto , Jung Walnice , da Paixão Miguel Lucas Silva , Cusack Lynette
Published: May 2023

Aim:

This scoping review explored the main environmental factors in the workplace that contribute to nursing resilience in respiratory infectious pandemic events.

Background:

There is strong evidence in the literature about the influence of individual factors on nurses’ resilience and a growing interest on the impact of the workplace environment on these factors. Therefore, a review that synthesizes environmental factors that support nurses’ resilience in pandemic events is timely.

Method:

A scoping review of publications written in English, Spanish, and Portuguese of registered publications until December 2020 in MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, SciELO, CINAHL, WoS, BVS, and APA identified 10,767 potential papers. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines were used during the literature review process. The Health Services Workplace Environmental Resilience Model (HSWERM) was used to guide exploration and synthesis.

Results:

Thirty-two (32) publications met inclusion criteria. Most of the HSWERM workplace factors were mentioned in the literature. The main workplace environmental factors that were identified included communication, inter-professional collaboration, access to equipment, targeted training, and supporting well-being.

Conclusions:

Recognition of these key environmental factors in the workplace will help to implement more effective actions to promote resiliency prior to and during emergency situations. It will also enable managers to include, in any preparation planning, contingencies to protect these factors with the view of sustainable resilience of nursing staff throughout the emergency event.
First-Week Analysis after the Turkey Earthquakes: Demographic and Clinical Outcomes of Victims
Authors: Sarı Hıdır , Özel Mehmet , Akkoç Mehmet Fatih , Şen Abdullah
Published: May 2023

Background:

During a major earthquake, escape attempts or collapsed buildings can result in injury, disability, and even death for victims. The aim of this study is to examine the demographic characteristics, clinical outcomes, and injuries of victims admitted to the emergency department within the first week after an earthquake.

Methods:

This is a retrospective observational study conducted on earthquake victims who were admitted to the emergency services of a tertiary medical faculty and a training and research hospital in the city of Diyarbakir, located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, from February 6 through February 12, 2023.

Results:

Of the eligible 662 earthquake victims, the mean age was 10.66 (SD = 4.78 [min 0, max 17]) in children, 36.87 (SD = 4.78 [min 18, max 63]) in adults, and 72.85 (SD = 5.83 [min 65, max 84]) in the elderly. Women constituted 52.8% of the victims, 19.7% were children, and 8.0% were elderly. Sixty-one percent (61.0%) of earthquake victims were admitted to emergency services in the first three days following the disaster; 37.7% of all victims were transferred from other affected cities to Diyarbakır. In all, 80.2% of the victims were admitted as survivors to the emergency services (36.8% were rescued under rubble, 40.1% with injuries while attempting to escape the earthquake, and 3.3% with nontraumatic reasons) and 19.8% were deceased under rubble. The majority of the 131 deceased victims were women (52.7%), 20.6% were children, and 7.6% were elderly. An estimated 38.3% of victims were hospitalized (20.9% in the ward and 17.4% in the intensive care unit [ICU]). For all age groups that survived under the rubble, the extremities were most injured (53.6% for children, 53.1% for adults, and 55.5% for the elderly). Of adult survivors, 26.6% needed only fluid therapy, renal replacement treatment (hemodialysis) was required 20.7%, and 11.8% required amputation. Of children survivors under the rubble, renal replacement treatment (hemodialysis) was required for only four, seven required amputation, and 12 needed only fluid resuscitation for crush injury. Of elderly survivors, two needed only fluid therapy, renal replacement treatment (hemodialysis) was required for two, and no amputation was required. Six patients survived under the rubble and died in the ICU.

Conclusion:

The definition of the demographic characteristics and clinical outcomes of earthquake patients is critical to the development of preparedness, response, and recovery policies for future disasters.
Genetic variability, trait inter-relationships, third and fourth degree statistics based genetics for fruit quality and yield traits governing shelf life in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)
Authors: Pavan M. P. , Gangaprasad S. , Adivappar Nagarajappa
Published: May 2023

Knowledge on genetic architecture and inheritance of tomato shelf life contributing traits in different genetic backgrounds is a key issue for shelf life improvement. An investigation was undertaken to estimate the nature and magnitude of variability, traits inter-relationships, third and fourth degree statistics to unravel the genetics of 18 fruit quality and yield traits governing shelflife in F2 population of ‘Arka Vikas’ × ‘Red ball’ cross. The wider standardized range and higher estimates of phenotypic coefficient of variation indicated prevalence of adequate variability for fruit quality and yield traits. Fruit firmness and pericarp thickness ranged from 1.20–3.44 kg/cm2 and 2.44–5.31 mm respectively. Pulp content and shelflife ranged from 58.59–94.70% and 10.60–26.40 days respectively. Significant positive correlation with direct effect on fruit shelf life was exhibited by fruit firmness, pericarp thickness, TSS, titratable acidity, pulp content, fruit length and locule number. Positive skewness with platykurtic distribution recorded for TSS, lycopene, ascorbic acid, titratable acidity, fruit length, weight, pericarp thickness, plant height and number of branches. Negatively skewed with platykurtic distribution observed for pH, fruit diameter, firmness, pulp content, locule number, shelf life and number of clusters which signified duplicate epistasis of dominant genes in traits inheritance. The transgressive segregants for fruit quality traits indicated complementary effects of dispersed allele combinations between parents. Additive and dominance components could be exploited in the advanced segregating population by evaluating large number of families. In addition to additive effects, predominance of dominance effects of genes are important in inheritance of fruit quality traits governing shelflife.
Roles of obesity in mediating the causal effect of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder on diabetes
Authors: Liu Ningning , Tan Jiang-Shan , Liu Lu , Li Haimei , Wang Yufeng , Yang Yanmin , Qian Qiujin
Published: May 2023

Aims

Previous observational studies have reported potential associations among attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obesity, and diabetes (including type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus [T1DM/T2DM]). However, whether the association between ADHD and diabetes is mediated by obesity is unknown.

Methods

With two-sample Mendelian randomization, we analysed the causal effect of ADHD on T1DM and T2DM and six obesity-related traits [including body mass index, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body fat percentage and basal metabolic rate] and the causal effect of these obesity-related traits on T1DM/T2DM. Finally, with multivariable Mendelian randomization, we explored and quantified the possible mediation effects of obesity-related traits on the causal effect of ADHD on T1DM/T2DM.

Results

Our results showed that ADHD increased the risk of T2DM by 14% [odds ratio (OR) = 1.140, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.005–1.293] but with no evidence of an effect on T1DM (OR = 0.916, 95% CI = 0.735–1.141, P = 0.433.). In addition, ADHD had a 6.1% increased causal effect on high WC (OR = 1.061, 95% CI = 1.024–1.099, P = 0.001) and an 8.2% increased causal effect on high WHR (OR = 1.082, 95% CI = 1.035–1.131, P = 0.001). In addition, a causal effect of genetically predicted high WC (OR = 1.870, 95% CI = 1.594–2.192, P < 0.001) on a higher risk of T2DM was found. In further analysis, WC mediated approximately 26.75% (95% CI = 24.20%–29.30%) of the causal association between ADHD and T2DM.

Conclusions

WC mediates a substantial proportion of the causal effect of ADHD on the risk of T2DM, which indicated that the risk of T2DM induced by ADHD could be indirectly reduced by controlling WC as a main risk factor.
Linking the Core Heat Content to Earth's Accretion History
Authors: Clesi Vincent , Deguen Renaud
Published: May 2023

In this study we use a parameterized model of differentiation in a magma ocean setting, in which the magma ocean depth evolves during accretion, to predict the composition of the primordial core. We couple this chemical model to a thermal evolution model of the accreting metal to estimate the Earth's core heat content at the end of its formation. We find geochemically consistent models. All these scenarios have in common two key features: (a) the average pressure of metal‐silicates equilibration is between 20 and 45 GPa (final pressure between 40% and 60% of CMB pressure); (b) 60%–80% of Earth's mass is accreted as reduced material. The chemical stratification is stable in most cases, though some scenarios result in an unstable compositional stratification. Mixing an initially stratified core requires a small fraction of the energy released after a giant impact. Importantly, the temperature at the Core Mantle Boundary is ranging from 3925 to 4150 K. For example, scenarios in which the magma ocean remains shallow for a large part of the accretion, then gets deeper at the end of accretion can produce chemically coherent models with cooler cores. This suggests that independent constraints on the core temperature could in principle be used as constraints for the differentiation conditions, and core composition. In particular, we find that the abundance of light elements in the core correlates positively with the temperature of the core at the end of accretion, as well as with the average pressure of equilibration during differentiation.
Linking Snow, Soil, and Stream During Snowmelt and Rain‐On‐Snow Events: Storage and Transport of Ions in an Acid‐Sensitive Alpine Catchment (Tatra Mountains, Poland)
Authors: Siwek J. P. , Wasak‐Sęk K. , Bryła M. , Jelonkiewicz Ł. , Żelazny M.
Published: May 2023

The purpose of the study was to examine the storage and transport ofions through snowpack, soils, and stream water in an acid‐sensitive alpine catchment (Tatra Mountains, Poland) during snowmelt and rain‐on‐snow events. Samples of snowpack layers, near‐surface soil horizons, and stream water were collected in the winter and snowmelt seasons of 2019. A laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the effect of temperature on the rate of soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrification. Our study has shown that snowpack is an important source ofions in the catchment. As the snow melts, the release ofions from snowpack occurs. A gradual and slow melting of snow starts even before the first snowmelt‐induced increase in stream discharge.ions eluted from available snowpack are temporarily stored in soil, which is shown by a large increase in the concentration of water‐solublein the soil at that time.ions are washed out of soils and supplied to streams during the first snowmelt event. This is demonstrated by a large increase in the stream waterconcentration, termed an “pulse.” Theion is a key acid anion responsible for the acidification of the studied stream during snowmelt season, as thepulse coincides with a decrease in bicarbonate alkalinity. Our field research and laboratory experiment have shown a minor role of mineralization and nitrification inproduction in soils in the winter andpulse formation in stream water during the early stages of the snowmelt season.
Modeling Seismic Anisotropy Beneath the Island of Hispaniola via the Harmonic Decomposition of Receiver Functions
Authors: Kumar Sachin , Agrawal Mohit , Pulliam Jay
Published: May 2023

The Caribbean Island of Hispaniola resulted from plate convergence that brought together distinct terranes and may include one or more active microplates. These processes may have brought seismically anisotropic materials to the island or created anisotropic structures through deformation. Our goal is to identify and model interfaces that bound seismically anisotropic media and/or dipping interfaces between isotropic layers beneath Hispaniola and assess the implications of our results for the region's tectonics. We perform harmonic decomposition of receiver function gathers for 17 broadband seismic stations deployed on the island. Our results reveal (a) a layer bounded by interfaces that produce opposite polarity on the transverse receiver functions at 25 and 41 km depth in the northern and eastern Dominican Republic that corresponds to the subducting North American oceanic lithosphere, (b) a layer at ∼8–17 km depth (also bounded by interfaces that produce opposite polarity) beneath the Cordillera Central in the central and eastern parts of the island that may indicate the crystalline, well‐differentiated lower crust of this long‐lived terrane, and (c) an interface that bounds anisotropic material at 22 km depth beneath southwestern Hispaniola. This last interface may correspond to the underthrusting Caribbean Large Igneous Province (CLIP), in which case it would mark the CLIP's upper boundary and the lower boundary is too gradual a transition to produce conversions.
Effect of Freshwater Discharge From Estuary Dam on Residual Circulation in Bifurcated Channel
Authors: Kim J. W. , Song J. I. , Yoon B. I. , Woo S.‐B.
Published: May 2023

The residual structure of the inner part of the Yeongsan River estuary has been reported to be a multi‐layer vertical structure, unlike the two‐layer vertical structure of a typical estuary, due to irregular freshwater discharge. The inner estuary has a main channel connected to the open sea, and a bifurcated channel system (sub‐channel) in its central part, which can affect the residual current. In this study, field observations of three‐dimensional velocity and salinity were conducted to understand the discharge effects on the residual current at bifurcated channels. The residual flows were estimated using least‐squares harmonic analysis. The relative contributions of advection acceleration and friction terms to nonlinear effects were evaluated using along‐channel momentum balance. In the absence of freshwater discharge, the flow patterns were dominated by tidal dynamics in the sub‐channel rather than the main channel, whereas most flow patterns during freshwater discharge were dominated by near‐surface strong velocity in the main channel. A multi‐layer vertical residual structure was observed during the non‐discharge period in the main channel, which was caused by the insertion of upstream residual flow from the sub‐channel. Nonlinear effects occurred at the bifurcation point of the two channels. During the non‐discharge period, the advection term was most dominant, whereas the vertical friction term was dominant during the discharge period. Moreover, the magnitude of the horizontal friction term was larger than that of the advection term. Therefore, freshwater discharge can lead to an increase in the friction term, which in turn can markedly affect the residual circulation.
Harpy Eagles Concentrate Precious Nutrients in the Amazon
Authors: Chakravorty Adityarup
Published: May 2023

Amazon soils are usually low in the nutrients that plants covet, but harpy eagles can create local hot spots with their poop and prey.
Network analysis reveals a major role for 14q32 cluster miRNAs in determining transcriptional differences between IGHV-mutated and unmutated CLL
Authors: Bryant Dean , Smith Lindsay , Rogers-Broadway Karly Rai , Karydis Laura , Woo Jeongmin , Blunt Matthew D. , Forconi Francesco , Stevenson Freda K. , Goodnow Christopher , Russell Amanda , Humburg Peter , Packham Graham , Steele Andrew J. , Strefford Jonathan C.
Published: May 2023

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cells can express unmutated (U-CLL) or mutated (M-CLL) immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGHV) genes with differing clinical behaviours, variable B cell receptor (BCR) signalling capacity and distinct transcriptional profiles. As it remains unclear how these differences reflect the tumour cells’ innate pre/post germinal centre origin or their BCR signalling competence, we applied mRNA/miRNA sequencing to 38 CLL cases categorised into three subsets by IGHV mutational status and BCR signalling capacity. We identified 492 mRNAs and 38 miRNAs differentially expressed between U-CLL and M-CLL, but only 9 mRNAs and 0 miRNAs associated with BCR competence within M-CLL. Of the IGHV-associated miRNAs, (14/38 (37%)) derived from chr14q32 clusters where all miRNAs were co-expressed with theMEG3lncRNA from a cancer associated imprinted locus. Integrative analysis of miRNA/mRNA data revealed pronounced regulatory potential for the 14q32 miRNAs, potentially accounting for up to 25% of the IGHV-related transcriptome signature.GAB1, a positive regulator of BCR signalling, was potentially regulated by five 14q32 miRNAs and we confirmed that two of these (miR-409-3p and miR-411-3p) significantly repressed activity of theGAB13′UTR. Our analysis demonstrates a potential key role of the 14q32 miRNA locus in the regulation of CLL-related gene regulation.
Interferon-gamma is quintessential for NOS2 and COX2 expression in ER- breast tumors that lead to poor outcome
Authors: Cheng Robert Y. S. , Ridnour Lisa A. , Wink Adelaide L. , Gonzalez Ana L. , Femino Elise L. , Rittscher Helene , Somasundaram Veena , Heinz William F. , Coutinho Leandro , Rangel M. Cristina , Edmondson Elijah F. , Butcher Donna , Kinders Robert J. , Li Xiaoxian , Wong Stephen T. C. , McVicar Daniel W. , Anderson Stephen K. , Pore Milind , Hewitt Stephen M. , Billiar Timothy R. , Glynn Sharon A. , Chang Jenny C. , Lockett Stephen J. , Ambs Stefan , Wink David A.
Published: May 2023

A strong correlation between NOS2 and COX2 tumor expression and poor clinical outcomes in ER breast cancer has been established. However, the mechanisms of tumor induction of these enzymes are unclear. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) revealed correlations between NOS2 and COX2 expression and Th1 cytokines. Herein, single-cell RNAseq analysis of TNBC cells shows potent NOS2 and COX2 induction by IFNγ combined with IL1β or TNFα. Given that IFNγ is secreted by cytolytic lymphocytes, which improve clinical outcomes, this role of IFNγ presents a dichotomy. To explore this conundrum, tumor NOS2, COX2, and CD8+ T cells were spatially analyzed in aggressive ER–, TNBC, and HER2 + breast tumors. High expression and clustering of NOS2-expressing tumor cells occurred at the tumor/stroma interface in the presence of stroma-restricted CD8+ T cells. High expression and clustering of COX2-expressing tumor cells extended into immune desert regions in the tumor core where CD8+ T cell penetration was limited or absent. Moreover, high NOS2-expressing tumor cells were proximal to areas with increased satellitosis, suggestive of cell clusters with a higher metastatic potential. Further in vitro experiments revealed that IFNγ + IL1β/TNFα increased the elongation and migration of treated tumor cells. This spatial analysis of the tumor microenvironment provides important insight into distinct neighborhoods where stroma-restricted CD8+ T cells exist proximal to NOS2-expressing tumor niches that could have increased metastatic potential.
Community concerns about genetic discrimination in life insurance persist in Australia: A survey of consumers offered genetic testing
Authors: Tiller Jane , Bakshi Andrew , Dowling Grace , Keogh Louise , McInerney-Leo Aideen , Barlow-Stewart Kristine , Boughtwood Tiffany , Gleeson Penny , Delatycki Martin B. , Winship Ingrid , Otlowski Margaret , Lacaze Paul
Published: May 2023

Fears of genetic discrimination in life insurance continue to deter some Australians from genetic testing. In July 2019, the life insurance industry introduced a partial, self-regulated moratorium restricting the use of genetic results in underwriting, applicable to policies up to certain limits (eg AUD$500,000 for death cover).

We administered an online survey to consumers who had taken, or been offered, clinical genetic testing for adult-onset conditions, to gather views and experiences about the moratorium and the use of genetic results in life insurance, including its regulation.

Most respondents (n = 367) had undertaken a genetic test (89%), and had a positive test result (76%; n = 243/321). Almost 30% (n = 94/326) reported testing after 1 July 2019. Relatively few respondents reported knowing about the moratorium (16%; n = 54/340) or that use of genetic results in life insurance underwriting is legal (17%; n = 60/348). Only 4% (n = 14/350) consider this practice should be allowed. Some respondents reported ongoing difficulties accessing life insurance products, even after the moratorium. Further, discrimination concerns continue to affect some consumers’ decision-making about having clinical testing and applying for life insurance products, despite the Moratorium being in place. Most respondents (88%; n = 298/340) support the introduction of legislation by the Australian government to regulate this issue.

Despite the introduction of a partial moratorium in Australia, fears of genetic discrimination persist, and continue to deter people from genetic testing. Consumers overwhelmingly consider life insurers should not be allowed to use genetic results in underwriting, and that federal legislation is required to regulate this area.
Point-to-point associations of drusen and hyperreflective foci volumes with retinal sensitivity in non-exudative age-related macular degeneration
Authors: Reiter Gregor S. , Bogunovic Hrvoje , Schlanitz Ferdinand , Vogl Wolf-Dieter , Seeböck Philipp , Ramazanova Dariga , Schmidt-Erfurth Ursula
Published: May 2023

Objectives

To evaluate the quantitative impact of drusen and hyperreflective foci (HRF) volumes on mesopic retinal sensitivity in non-exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods

In a standardized follow-up scheme of every three months, retinal sensitivity of patients with early or intermediate AMD was assessed by microperimetry using a custom pattern of 45 stimuli (Nidek MP-3, Gamagori, Japan). Eyes were consecutively scanned using Spectralis SD-OCT (20° × 20°, 1024 × 97 × 496). Fundus photographs obtained by the MP-3 allowed to map the stimuli locations onto the corresponding OCT scans. The volume and mean thickness of drusen and HRF within a circle of 240 µm centred at each stimulus point was determined using automated AI-based image segmentation algorithms.

Results

8055 individual stimuli from 179 visits from 51 eyes of 35 consecutive patients were matched with the respective OCT images in a point-to-point manner. The patients mean age was 76.85 ± 6.6 years. Mean retinal sensitivity at baseline was 25.7 dB. 73.47% of all MP-spots covered drusen area and 2.02% of MP-spots covered HRF. A negative association between retinal sensitivity and the volume of underlying drusen (p < 0.001, Estimate −0.991 db/µm3) and HRF volume (p = 0.002, Estimate -5.230 db/µm3) was found. During observation time, no eye showed conversion to advanced AMD.

Conclusion

A direct correlation between drusen and lower sensitivity of the overlying photoreceptors can be observed. For HRF, a small but significant correlation was shown, which is compromised by their small size. Biomarker quantification using AI-methods allows to determine the impact of sub-clinical features in the progression of AMD.
Value of prolonged scrotal drainage after penile prosthesis implantation: a multicenter prospective nonrandomized pilot study
Authors: Osmonov D. , Ragheb A. M. , Petry T. , Eraky A. , Bettocchi C. , Lamers K. G. , Van Renterghem K. , Tropmann-Frick M. , Chung E. , Jünemann K. P. , Garaffa G. , Porst H. , Mohamed A. G. , Wilson S. K.
Published: May 2023

We aimed to understand the risks and benefits of post-inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) implantation drainage and optimal duration. Our patients were divided into 3 groups: Group 1 (n = 114) had no drain placed, Group 2 had a drain placed for 24 h (n = 114) and Group 3 had a drain placed for 72 h (n = 117). Postoperative scrotal hematoma and prosthesis infection rates were compared between the groups. The patients from Group 3 demonstrated a statistically significant lower incidence of hematoma on the 10th postoperative day: (n = 1, 0.9%) compared to Group 2: (n = 11, 9.6%) and Group 1: (n = 8, 7%), (p = 0.013). However, on the 3rd postoperative day, there was a statistically significant lower incidence of hematoma in both Groups 3 and 2: (0.9% and 6.1%, respectively) vs. Group 1: (11.4%), (p = 0.004). Hematoma rates followed the same group order after the first day of surgery: 1.7% (n = 2), 5.3% (n = 6), and 8.8% (n = 10), respectively, (p = 0.05). Five patients (4.4%) in Group 1 and four patients (3.5%) in Group 2 developed an IPP associated infection, opposed to only a single patient (0.85%) in Group 3, (p = 0.210). We concluded that prolonged scrotal drainage for 72 h after virgin IPP implantation significantly reduces hematoma and infection rates.
Seismically imaged lithospheric delamination and its controls on the Mesozoic Magmatic Province in South China
Authors: Zhang Haijiang , Lü Qing-Tian , Wang Xiao-Lei , Han Shoucheng , Liu Lijun , Gao Lei , Wang Rui , Hou Zeng-Qian
Published: May 2023

The current lithospheric root of the South China Block has been partly removed, yet what mechanisms modified the lithospheric structure remain highly controversial. Here we use a new joint seismic inversion algorithm to image tabular high-velocity anomalies at depths of ~90–150 km in the asthenosphere beneath the convergent belt between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks that remain weakly connected with the stable Yangtze lithosphere. Based on obtained seismic images and available geochemical data, we interpret these detached fast anomalies as partially destabilized lower lithosphere that initially delaminated at 180–170 Ma and has relaminated to their original position after warming up in the mantle by now. We conclude that delamination is the most plausible mechanism for the lithospheric modification and the formation of a Mesozoic Basin and Range-style magmatic province in South China by triggering adiabatic upwelling of the asthenosphere and consequent lithospheric extension and extensive melting of the overlying crust.
Cryo-electron microscopy of the f1 filamentous phage reveals insights into viral infection and assembly
Authors: Conners Rebecca , León-Quezada Rayén Ignacia , McLaren Mathew , Bennett Nicholas J. , Daum Bertram , Rakonjac Jasna , Gold Vicki A. M.
Published: May 2023

Phages are viruses that infect bacteria and dominate every ecosystem on our planet. As well as impacting microbial ecology, physiology and evolution, phages are exploited as tools in molecular biology and biotechnology. This is particularly true for the Ff (f1, fd or M13) phages, which represent a widely distributed group of filamentous viruses. Over nearly five decades, Ffs have seen an extraordinary range of applications, yet the complete structure of the phage capsid and consequently the mechanisms of infection and assembly remain largely mysterious. In this work, we use cryo-electron microscopy and a highly efficient system for production of short Ff-derived nanorods to determine a structure of a filamentous virus including the tips. We show that structure combined with mutagenesis can identify phage domains that are important in bacterial attack and for release of new progeny, allowing new models to be proposed for the phage lifecycle.
meQTL mapping in the GENOA study reveals genetic determinants of DNA methylation in African Americans
Authors: Shang Lulu , Zhao Wei , Wang Yi Zhe , Li Zheng , Choi Jerome J. , Kho Minjung , Mosley Thomas H. , Kardia Sharon L. R. , Smith Jennifer A. , Zhou Xiang
Published: May 2023

Identifying genetic variants that are associated with variation in DNA methylation, an analysis commonly referred to as methylation quantitative trait locus (meQTL) mapping, is an important first step towards understanding the genetic architecture underlying epigenetic variation. Most existing meQTL mapping studies have focused on individuals of European ancestry and are underrepresented in other populations, with a particular absence of large studies in populations with African ancestry. We fill this critical knowledge gap by performing a large-scale cis-meQTL mapping study in 961 African Americans from the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA) study. We identify a total of 4,565,687 cis-acting meQTLs in 320,965 meCpGs. We find that 45% of meCpGs harbor multiple independent meQTLs, suggesting potential polygenic genetic architecture underlying methylation variation. A large percentage of the cis-meQTLs also colocalize with cis-expression QTLs (eQTLs) in the same population. Importantly, the identified cis-meQTLs explain a substantial proportion (median = 24.6%) of methylation variation. In addition, the cis-meQTL associated CpG sites mediate a substantial proportion (median = 24.9%) of SNP effects underlying gene expression. Overall, our results represent an important step toward revealing the co-regulation of methylation and gene expression, facilitating the functional interpretation of epigenetic and gene regulation underlying common diseases in African Americans.
Replication fork binding triggers structural changes in the PriA helicase that govern DNA replication restart in E. coli
Authors: Duckworth Alexander T. , Ducos Peter L. , McMillan Sarah D. , Satyshur Kenneth A. , Blumenthal Katelien H. , Deorio Haley R. , Larson Joseph A. , Sandler Steven J. , Grant Timothy , Keck James L.
Published: May 2023

Bacterial replisomes often dissociate from replication forks before chromosomal replication is complete. To avoid the lethal consequences of such situations, bacteria have evolved replication restart pathways that reload replisomes onto prematurely terminated replication forks. To understand how the primary replication restart pathway in E. coli (PriA-PriB) selectively acts on replication forks, we determined the cryogenic-electron microscopy structure of a PriA/PriB/replication fork complex. Replication fork specificity arises from extensive PriA interactions with each arm of the branched DNA. These interactions reshape the PriA protein to create a pore encircling single-stranded lagging-strand DNA while also exposing a surface of PriA onto which PriB docks. Together with supporting biochemical and genetic studies, the structure reveals a switch-like mechanism for replication restart initiation in which restructuring of PriA directly couples replication fork recognition to PriA/PriB complex formation to ensure robust and high-fidelity replication re-initiation.