bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crime and Policing in Africa: Tactical Politics, Authoritarianism, and the Rule of Law
Authors: Albernaz Elizabete
Published: December 2023

In 2020, Nigerian youths took to the streets to demand the disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigerian Police with a long history of extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, extortion, torture, and other atrocities. The Nigerian government created the division in 1992 following the killing of an army colonel, under the pretense of fighting a crime wave which was sweeping the country. In the “societies of enmity” (Achille Mbembe, “The Society of Enmity” [Radical Philosophy Vol. 200, No. 1], 23–25) we live in today, the growing militarization of law enforcement in the context of the “war on crime” has put even solid democracies in grave danger and continues to justify authoritarianism and military regimes worldwide. The expansion of state powers through the violent exploitation of its growing “margins,” (V. Das and D. Poole, eds., Anthropology at the Margins of the State [School of American Research Press, 2004]) tarnished with the signs of danger, illegality, and precariousness, has shown that bureaucratic power and state violence walk hand in hand in instituting highly unequal but economically viable social orders in postcolonial Africa and elsewhere. Those movements configure an emergent threat coming from a tactical level of political action and show that contemporary political power can indeed emerge from the tip of a machine gun, proving Walter Benjamin’s critique of Hannah Arendt’s famous image (“Critique of Violence” in Deconstruction, a Reader [Routledge, 2017], 62–70).
Effectiveness of multimodal participant recruitment in SPARK, a large, online longitudinal research study of autism
Authors: Daniels Amy M. , Law J. Kiely , Green Snyder LeeAnne , Diehl Katharine , Goin-Kochel Robin P. , Feliciano Pamela , Chung Wendy K. ,   SPARK Consortium
Published: December 2023

Background:

SPARK launched in 2016 to build a US cohort of autistic individuals and their family members. Enrollment includes online consent to share data and optional consent to provide saliva for genomic analysis. SPARK’s recruitment strategies include social media and support of a nation-wide network of clinical sites. This study evaluates SPARK’s recruitment strategies to enroll a core study population.

Methods:

Individuals who joined between January 31, 2018, and May 29, 2019 were included in the analysis. Data include sociodemographic characteristics, clinical site referral, the website URL used to join, how the participant heard about SPARK, enrollment completion (online registration, study consents, and returning saliva sample), and completion of the baseline questionnaire. Logistic regressions were performed to evaluate the odds of core participant status (completing enrollment and baseline questionnaire) by recruitment strategy.

Results:

In total, 31,715 individuals joined during the study period, including 40% through a clinical site. Overall, 88% completed online registration, 46% returned saliva, and 38% were core participants. Those referred by a clinical site were almost twice as likely to be core participants. Those who directly visited the SPARK website or performed a Google search were more likely to be core participants than those who joined through social media.

Discussion:

Being a core participant may be associated with the “personal” connection and support provided by a clinical site and/or site staff, as well as greater motivation to seek research opportunities. Findings from this study underscore the value of adopting a multimodal recruitment approach that combines social media and a physical presence.
Can and how should the gig worker loophole be closed?
Authors: Peetz David
Published: December 2023

This article considers, summarises, and analyses the merits of various arguments regarding options for regulating (or not regulating) ‘gig work’, concluding with observations about currently proposed legislation. There is a strong argument for regulating gig work. Many workers are vulnerable, and many of the arguments against any form or regulation – in terms of innovation, productivity, employment, or the inevitability of this trend – lack merit. Current definitions of employment, indeed current labour law, are not adequate and many, but not all, gig workers are like employees in terms of the control exercised over them. However, treating gig workers as employees would encounter several problems. The outcomes would be uncertain. Not all would be covered. Many gig workers would be opposed (despite wanting protection). The gig firms could render such legislation ineffective, or alternatively succeed in mobilising opposition, almost ensuring such legislation would be revoked at the next change of government. Regulating gig work as a form of contracting is a viable alternative. It has the potential to attract support from gig workers themselves, undermining opposition by the gig firms, and attract support from some parts of capital. The New South Wales experience shows us that regulation of gig work as contracting is feasible and politically sustainable. Despite limitations, the ‘Closing the Loopholes’ Bill provides a sustainable model for regulating and protecting many ‘gig economy’ workers. It is time to envisage labour law as something that extends not just to employees but to many contractors as well.
Staphylococcus epidermidis joint isolates: Whole-genome sequencing demonstrates evidence of hospital transmission and common antimicrobial resistance
Authors: Simon Samantha J. , Sater Mohamad , Herriott Ian , Huntley Miriam , Briars Emma , Hollenbeck Brian L.
Published: December 2023

Objective:

We investigated genetic, epidemiologic, and environmental factors contributing to positive Staphylococcus epidermidis joint cultures.

Design:

Retrospective cohort study with whole-genome sequencing (WGS).

Patients:

We identified S. epidermidis isolates from hip or knee cultures in patients with 1 or more prior corresponding intra-articular procedure at our hospital.

Methods:

WGS and single-nucleotide polymorphism–based clonality analyses were performed, including species identification, in silico multilocus sequence typing (MLST), phylogenomic analysis, and genotypic assessment of the prevalence of specific antibiotic resistance and virulence genes. Epidemiologic review was performed to compare cluster and noncluster cases.

Results:

In total, 60 phenotypically distinct S. epidermidis isolates were identified. After removal of duplicates and impure samples, 48 isolates were used for the phylogenomic analysis, and 45 (93.7%) isolates were included in the clonality analysis. Notably, 5 S. epidermidis strains (10.4%) showed phenotypic susceptibility to oxacillin yet harbored mecA, and 3 (6.2%) strains showed phenotypic resistance despite not having mecA. Smr was found in all isolates, and mupA positivity was not observed. We also identified 6 clonal clusters from the clonality analysis, which accounted for 14 (31.1%) of the 45 S. epidermidis isolates. Our epidemiologic investigation revealed ties to common aspirations or operative procedures, although no specific common source was identified.

Conclusions:

Most S. epidermidis isolates from clinical joint samples are diverse in origin, but we identified an important subset of 31.1% that belonged to subclinical healthcare–associated clusters. Clusters appeared to resolve spontaneously over time, suggesting the benefit of routine hospital infection control and disinfection practices.
Unsteady drag force on an immersed sphere oscillating near a wall
Authors: Zhang Zaicheng , Bertin Vincent , Essink Martin H. , Zhang Hao , Fares Nicolas , Shen Zaiyi , Bickel Thomas , Salez Thomas , Maali Abdelhamid
Published: December 2023

The unsteady hydrodynamic drag exerted on an oscillating sphere near a planar wall is addressed experimentally, theoretically and numerically. The experiments are performed by using colloidal-probe atomic force microscopy in thermal noise mode. The resonance frequencies and quality factors are extracted from the measurement of the power spectrum density of the probe oscillation for a broad range of gap distances and Womersley numbers. The shift in the resonance frequency of the colloidal probe as the probe goes close to a solid wall infers the wall-induced variations of the effective mass of the probe. Interestingly, a crossover from a positive to a negative shift is observed as the Womersley number increases. In order to rationalize the results, the confined unsteady Stokes equation is solved numerically using a finite-element method, as well as asymptotic calculations. The in-phase and out-of-phase terms of the hydrodynamic drag acting on the sphere are obtained and agree well with the experimental results. All together, the experimental, theoretical and numerical results show that the hydrodynamic force felt by an immersed sphere oscillating near a wall is highly dependent on the Womersley number.
The Populist Foundations of Democracy: A Conceptual History of “the People” [Folket] in the Constitutional Struggles in Denmark, 1830–1920
Authors: Flohr Mikkel
Published: December 2023

This article reconstructs and analyses the conceptual history of “the people” [Folket] in modern Danish history. It applies qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze new data and archival materials and provides a detailed study of the construction, development and central role of populist conceptions of “the people” in the constitutional struggles between 1830 and 1920 that transformed Denmark from an absolute monarchy into a parliamentary democracy. I argue that these populist conceptualizations of “the people” shaped and fostered the emergence of the ideas and practices of parliamentary democracy as “the people’s rule” [Folkestyre]. This case study thereby challenges contemporary assumptions about an inherently adversarial relationship between populism and democracy. Moreover, it makes a number of empirical and analytical contributions to the existing historiography, as well as the literature on the construction of “the people,” democracy and populism.
Disentangling the link between social determinants of health and child survival in Nigeria during the Sustainable Development Goals era: a hierarchical path analysis of time-to-event outcome
Authors: Adeyinka Daniel Adedayo , Muhajarine Nazeem
Published: December 2023

While social determinants of health have been perennially linked to child survival in resource-limited countries, the precise and tested pathways to effect are not clearly understood. The objective of this study was therefore to identify the critical pathways as posited a priori in a model through which social factors (at maternal, household, and community levels) determine neonatal, infant, and under-five mortalities in Nigeria. Using a novel analytic approach (hierarchical path modelling for predicting accelerated failure time) to estimate (in)direct and total effects of social determinants of child survival, we analysed 30,960 live births (weighted data for representativeness), obtained from the 2016/2017 Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. There were three outcome variables: time until occurrence of neonatal, infant, and under-five mortalities. The independent variables were layered factors related to child, maternal, household and community. Geographical region, rurality of residence, infrastructural development, maternal education, contraceptive use, marital status, and maternal age at birth were found to operate more indirectly on neonatal, infant, and under-five survival. Child survival is due to direct effects of child’s sex (female), gestational type (singleton), birth spacing (children whose mothers delivered at least two years apart), and maternal age at delivery (20–34 years). According to the path coefficients, the indirect effects of geographical regions are the most influential determinants of child survival, accounting for 30% (neonatal), 37.1% (infant) and 39.9% (under-five) of the total effects. This study offers comprehensive set of factors, and linked pathways, at the maternal, household, and community levels that are associated with child survival in Nigeria. To accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goal targets for child survival and reduce geographical inequities, stakeholders should implement more impactful policies that promote maternal education, contraceptive use and improve living conditions of women (especially in rural areas of northern Nigeria). Future research should focus on identifying the most effective interventions for addressing these social determinants of child survival in Nigeria.
Efficacy of levamisole, ivermectin and moxidectin against Capillaria spp. in European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus)
Authors: Van de Weyer Y. , Santos M.C. , Williams N. , Gonçalves A.M. , Hawley W. , McVay K. , Bexton S.
Published: December 2023

This randomised study aimed to assess and compare the efficacy of treatment protocols containing levamisole, ivermectin, or moxidectin against Capillaria spp. in naturally infected European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) presented to a British wildlife rehabilitation centre. Faecal analysis, consisting of wet mount and flotation, was performed for 229 hedgehogs weighing ≥200g. Animals testing positive for Capillaria spp. (81%), excluding pregnant females, were randomly allocated a treatment protocol. Initially, hedgehogs (n = 50) received one of six ‘pilot’ protocols, whereas the remaining animals (n = 97) received one of three ‘main’ protocols. Faecal analysis was repeated on day 8 and day 12 after treatment initiation. Efficacy of each treatment was assessed based on Capillaria reduction rate (CRR), weight gain, presence of respiratory clinical signs, and outcome. Pilot protocols containing only moxidectin had a significantly lower CRR (≥28.1%) compared to those with levamisole or ivermectin (≥86.6%), whereas the main protocols containing levamisole had a significantly higher CRR (≥93.0%) compared to those containing only ivermectin (≥69.3%). Clinical parameters did not differ significantly between treatments, but animals with respiratory clinical signs at the end of the trial were significantly more likely to have lower CRR and test positive for Crenosoma striatum. C. striatum often appeared refractory to treatment, and managing these infections requires additional anthelmintic therapy. Based on the formulations and dosages trialled, moxidectin is not recommended for treating capillariosis in European hedgehogs, whereas levamisole given orally for two consecutive days at 25–35 mg/kg is suggested as the treatment of choice.
Cheetahs in Tanzania's Selous–Nyerere ecosystem: lack of evidence for current persistence, and reflections on historical status
Authors: Searle Charlotte E. , Strampelli Paolo , Haule Leonard , Parsais Singira N. , Olesyapa Kandey , Salum Nasri Dadi , Ikanda Dennis , Mtoka Samuel , Hape Germanus , Mathayo Daniel , Elisa Manase , Lobora Alex L. , Dickman Amy J.
Published: December 2023

The cheetah Acinonyx jubatus has suffered considerable range contractions in recent decades. Despite the importance of up-to-date information on distribution to guide conservation, such information is lacking for large areas within the species’ remaining potential range. In Tanzania, the largest tract of potential cheetah habitat without such data is the Selous–Nyerere ecosystem. Although the cheetah is considered possibly extant in this landscape, the last confirmed sighting was in the late 1990s. During 2020–2022, we carried out sign-based (spoor) and camera-trap surveys across Selous Game Reserve and Nyerere National Park. We did not record any evidence of cheetah presence, and opportunistic enquiries with tourism operators and protected area management staff did not provide any evidence of current or recent presence. Our findings suggest that current cheetah presence is unlikely, and that Selous–Nyerere should not be treated as potential contemporary cheetah range. We discuss the possibility that Selous–Nyerere may have never hosted a resident cheetah population, and was either occasionally occupied by dispersers from other populations or represented the edge of populations that spanned areas now treated as corridors.
Songwriters vs. the recording industry: the use and abuse of statistics in UK streaming debates
Authors: Osborne Richard
Published: December 2023

In Britain, the Select Committee of the government department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has investigated the economics of streaming and recommended that the share of revenues for record companies should decrease so that songwriters can earn more. This article addresses lobbying activity that has resulted from this recommendation. To support their causes, songwriter representatives and record company organisations have made incorrect or misleading use of data from the report Music Creators’ Earnings in the Digital Age. This article looks at the impact of these uses and provides corrections and alternatives to the statistics that have been employed. It also looks at the importance of the issues that have been raised. In conclusion, it addresses aspects of record company accounting that will need to be considered if an increase for songwriters is to be made at their expense.
Dethroning the Mao-era Elite, Clearing the Way for Reform
Authors: Chen Hao , Wilson Saul , Xu Changxin Patrick , Cheng Cheng , Wang Yuhua
Published: December 2023

The reform era began with the removal of Mao-era elites from leadership positions on a scale theretofore unseen in the People's Republic of China. Rather than depending on incentives to mobilize Mao-era cadres to support Reform and Opening, the new reform leadership brought in younger, better educated pro-reform elites. This article thus proposes a Personnel Model, in which the Communist Party brings in sympathetic cadres to implement major shifts in the Party line. Furthermore, personnel changes were first imposed on the military, then on the civilian apparatus. We show the large scale and rapid implementation of these reforms in 1982–1984 using an original database of over 60,000 cadres drawn fromOrganizational Histories.
Global, regional, and national disease burden and attributable risk factors of HIV/AIDS in older adults aged 70 years and above: a trend analysis based on the Global Burden of Disease study 2019
Authors: Du Min , Liu Min , Liu Jue
Published: December 2023

We aimed to assess the burden and trend of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among older adults over the past three decades at different geographical levels, based on the data collected from the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) study 2019. This assessment identified the average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) using Joinpoint regression analysis. Globally, the incidence of HIV/AIDS has decreased (AAPC = −3.107); however, the overall prevalence has consistently increased (AAPC = 5.557). Additionally, both mortality (AAPC = 2.166) and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs; AAPC = 2.429) have increased. The highest increasing trends in female HIV/AIDS incidence and prevalence were observed in the Central Asia region. However, for males, these trends were observed in the Oceania region and the high-income Asia Pacific region, respectively. In recent decades, females aged 70–74 years had the highest incidence and prevalence, while males aged 70–74 years had highest mortality and DALYs in low social development index (SDI) regions. Unsafe sex resulted in 15 381.16 deaths, accounting for 90.73% of all HIV/AIDS deaths, and 331 140.56 DALYs, accounting for 91.12% of all HIV/AIDS DALYs. The HIV/AIDS disease burden differs by region, age, and sex among older adults. Sexual health education and targeted screening for older adults are recommended.
Post-COVID-19 neuropsychiatric manifestations: a suggested therapeutic approach to ‘long COVID’ with azithromycin
Authors: Schwartz Robert A. , Suskind Robert M.
Published: December 2023

The devastating effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may not end when the acute illness has terminated. A subset of COVID-19 patients may have symptoms that persist for months. This condition has been described as ‘long COVID’. From a historical perspective, it has been recognized that serious long-term neurological sequelae have been associated with RNA viruses such as influenza viruses and coronaviruses. A potential intervention for early post-COVID-19 neuropsychiatric impairment may be the commonly employed, readily available, reasonably priced macrolide antibiotic, azithromycin. We have observed a favourable clinical response with azithromycin in three patients with neurological symptoms associated with long COVID-19. We recommend considering formal clinical trials using azithromycin for patients with post-COVID-19 infection neurological changes including ‘COVID fog’ or the more severe neurological symptoms that may later develop.
Effects of kisspeptin on the maturation of human ovarian primordial follicles in vitro
Authors: Rezaei-Tazangi Fatemeh , Kooshesh Leila , Tayyebiazar Ali , Taghizabet Neda , Tavakoli Anahita , Hassanpour Ashraf , Aliakbari Fereshteh , Kharazinejad Ebrahim , Sharifi Ali-Mohammad
Published: December 2023

At this time, with advances in medical science, many cancers and chronic diseases are treatable, but one of their side effects is infertility. Some women also want to delay pregnancy for personal reasons. There has been some evidence that kisspeptin activates broad signals by binding to its receptor, suggesting that the role of kisspeptin in direct control of ovarian function includes follicle growth and steroid production. In this study, the effect of kisspeptin on improving the quality and results for human ovarian follicles was investigated. A section of ovary was removed laparoscopically from women between 20 and 35 years of age (n = 12). Pieces were divided randomly into two groups, control and treatment (with 1 μM kisspeptin). Real-time PCR was performed for GDF9, BMP15 and mTOR gene expression assessments. Western blotting was carried out to measure AKT and FOXO3a protein expression. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s test; means were considered significantly different at a P-value < 0.05. During treatment with the kisspeptin group, maturity genes are expressed. Therefore, kisspeptin is an effective substance to improve the quality of the human ovarian medium as it increases the maturity of follicles.
Introduction: New Approaches to Music and Sound
Authors: McKenna Rebecca Tinio , Suisman David
Published: December 2023

This introduction to the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era’s special issue, “New Approaches to Music and Sound,” provides a historical sketch of American music and the American soundscape at the turn of the twentieth century. It also offers a discussion of relevant historiography, taking stock of recent work in sound studies and its influence on research on music and sound of the period. Finally, it introduces the four research articles featured in this special issue and marks their contributions to our understandings of listening practices, normative understandings of audition and speech, and the sonic dimensions of politics and capitalism, race and national identity, imaginings of the past and visions for the future in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
“Speak the Language of Your Flag”: Speech, Language, and Oralism During the First World War
Authors: Healey Katherrine H. R.
Published: December 2023

With the United States’ entrance into the First World War, linguistic and cultural cohesiveness became imperative, compelling everyone—from immigrants with foreign accents to people with speech problems and hearing loss—to “sound American” by fluently speaking the language of their flag.

This article examines lip-reading, speech, and auricular training prescribed to deaf and hard-of-hearing children as well as for servicemen deafened in the war to demonstrate how World War I demanded all Americans to contribute to and participate in shared national soundscapes, regardless of their hearing status. Use of American Sign Language was considered a conspicuous sign of one’s failure to integrate into hearing society, and it shared parallels with immigrants who failed to learn English and fully assimilate into American culture. Indeed, rehabilitation of deafened soldiers of the First World War through speech training and lip-reading instruction at Hospital No. 11 at Cape May, New Jersey, coincided with broader national efforts to improve Americans’ speech and language use, and in turn, their patriotism and productivity.
Three-dimensional topology-based analysis segments volumetric and spatiotemporal fluorescence microscopy
Authors: Panconi Luca , Tansell Amy , Collins Alexander J. , Makarova Maria , Owen Dylan M.
Published: December 2023

Image analysis techniques provide objective and reproducible statistics for interpreting microscopy data. At higher dimensions, three-dimensional (3D) volumetric and spatiotemporal data highlight additional properties and behaviors beyond the static 2D focal plane. However, increased dimensionality carries increased complexity, and existing techniques for general segmentation of 3D data are either primitive, or highly specialized to specific biological structures. Borrowing from the principles of 2D topological data analysis (TDA), we formulate a 3D segmentation algorithm that implements persistent homology to identify variations in image intensity. From this, we derive two separate variants applicable to spatial and spatiotemporal data, respectively. We demonstrate that this analysis yields both sensitive and specific results on simulated data and can distinguish prominent biological structures in fluorescence microscopy images, regardless of their shape. Furthermore, we highlight the efficacy of temporal TDA in tracking cell lineage and the frequency of cell and organelle replication.
Can’t Boil, Won’t Boil: Material Inequality, Information, and Disease Avoidance during a Typhoid Epidemic in Tampere, Finland, in 1916
Authors: Peltola Jarmo , Saaritsa Sakari , Mikkola Henri
Published: December 2023

Historical research on urban epidemics has focused on the interaction of diseases with social and spatial gradients, such as class, ethnicity, or neighborhood. Even sophisticated historical studies usually lack data on health-related behavior or health-related perceptions, which modern analysts tend to emphasize. With detailed source material from the Finnish city of Tampere during a typhoid epidemic in 1916, we are able to combine both dimensions and look at how material and social constraints interacted with behavior and knowledge to produce unequal outcomes. We use data on socioeconomic status, location, and physical habitat as well as the self-reported behavior and expressed understandings of transmission mechanisms of the infected people to identify the determinants of some falling ill earlier or later than others. Applying survival analysis to approximately 2,500 cases, we show that disease avoidance behavior was deficient and constrained by physical habitat, regardless of considerable public health campaigning. Behavioral guidelines issued by authorities were sub-optimally communicated, unrealistic, and inadequately followed. Boiling water was hampered by shared kitchens, and access to laundry houses for additional hygiene was uneven. Centralized chemical water purification finally leveled the playing field by socializing the cost of prevention and eliminating key sources of unequal risk.
Reverberations of Empire: How the Colonial Past Shapes the Present
Authors: Go Julian
Published: December 2023

Modern colonialism from the eighteenth century onward encompassed most of the world’s surface. Today, the world is different. In theory at least, nation-states rather than empires and colonies are the global norm. The sorts of colonial conquests that mark earlier centuries appear to have ended. But does this mean colonialism in the past is not relevant for the present? Scholarly and popular discussions allude to the idea that past colonialism impacts the present, using a variety of terms like “legacies,” “imprints,” “vestiges,” “ruins,” or “afterlives.” Yet existing scholarship has yet to fully clarify and catalog the specific processes and mechanisms that connect colonial history with its putative legacies. This essay, based upon the 2022 Presidential Address to the Social Science History Association, identifies and discusses four such processes and mechanisms or “modes of reverberation”: (1) continued colonialism through simple reproduction, (2) the persistence of power through formal and informal institutionalization, (3) path dependent historical trajectories (or “colonial institutionalism”), and (4) colonialism’s archive of meaning.
Being Flexible in Zuckerman’s Alternative Personality	Space
Authors: Čekrlija Đorđe , Schermer Julie A.
Published: December 2023

Abstract: Psychological flexibility has attracted significant research interest but surprisingly, investigations about the relationships with personality traits from the biological models of personality have been neglected. The present study therefore aimed to shed more light on the nature of the relationship between psychological flexibility and personality dimensions from Zuckerman’s Alternative Five-Factor Model (AFFM) based on a sample of 398 adults. Psychological flexibility was negatively associated with neuroticism and positively associated with extraversion, aggressiveness, and sensation seeking. Lower neuroticism, higher extraversion, and being a woman significantly predicted approximately 39% of the variance in psychological flexibility. A joint exploratory factor analysis found psychological flexibility located in the neuroticism factor of personality. Findings show that the AFFM can be used as an adequate personality model in explaining the nature of psychological flexibility-inflexibility based on the associations between their sub-processes and lower levels of personality traits. The nature of the relationships between psychological flexibility with both sensation seeking and aggressiveness requires closer investigation.
Improvements in September Arctic Sea Ice Predictions Via Assimilation of Summer CryoSat‐2 Sea Ice Thickness Observations
Authors: Zhang Yong‐Fei , Bushuk Mitchell , Winton Michael , Hurlin Bill , Gregory William , Landy Jack , Jia Liwei
Published: December 2023

Because of a spring predictability barrier, the seasonal forecast skill of Arctic summer sea ice is limited by the availability of melt‐season sea ice thickness (SIT) observations. The first year‐round SIT observations, retrieved from CryoSat‐2 from 2011 to 2020, are assimilated into the GFDL ocean–sea ice model. The model's SIT anomaly field is brought into significantly better agreement with the observations, particularly in the Central Arctic. Although the short observational period makes forecast assessment challenging, we find that the addition of May–August SIT assimilation improves September local sea ice concentration (SIC) and extent forecasts similarly to SIC‐only assimilation. Although most regional forecasts are improved by SIT assimilation, the Chukchi Sea forecasts are degraded. This degradation is likely due to the introduction of negative correlations between September SIC and earlier SIT introduced by SIT assimilation, contrary to the increased correlations found in other regions.
PhaseFIT: live-organoid phase-fluorescent image transformation via generative AI
Authors: Zhao Junhan , Wang Xiyue , Zhu Junyou , Chukwudi Chijioke , Finebaum Andrew , Zhang Jun , Yang Sen , He Shijie , Saeidi Nima
Published: December 2023

Organoid models have provided a powerful platform for mechanistic investigations into fundamental biological processes involved in the development and function of organs. Despite the potential for image-based phenotypic quantification of organoids, their complex 3D structure, and the time-consuming and labor-intensive nature of immunofluorescent staining present significant challenges. In this work, we developed a virtual painting system, PhaseFIT (phase-fluorescent image transformation) utilizing customized and morphologically rich 2.5D intestinal organoids, which generate virtual fluorescent images for phenotypic quantification via accessible and low-cost organoid phase images. This system is driven by a novel segmentation-informed deep generative model that specializes in segmenting overlap and proximity between objects. The model enables an annotation-free digital transformation from phase-contrast to multi-channel fluorescent images. The virtual painting results of nuclei, secretory cell markers, and stem cells demonstrate that PhaseFIT outperforms the existing deep learning-based stain transformation models by generating fine-grained visual content. We further validated the efficiency and accuracy of PhaseFIT to quantify the impacts of three compounds on crypt formation, cell population, and cell stemness. PhaseFIT is the first deep learning-enabled virtual painting system focused on live organoids, enabling large-scale, informative, and efficient organoid phenotypic quantification. PhaseFIT would enable the use of organoids in high-throughput drug screening applications.
Social epidemiology of the Mediterranean-dietary approaches to stop hypertension intervention for neurodegenerative delay (MIND) diet among early adolescents: the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study
Authors: Nagata Jason M. , Bashir Ammal , Weinstein Shayna , Al-Shoaibi Abubakr A. A. , Shao Iris Yuefan , Ganson Kyle T. , Testa Alexander , Garber Andrea K.
Published: December 2023

Background

The purpose of our study was to understand the relationship between sociodemographic factors and adherence to the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH [Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension] Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet in a demographically diverse national population-based sample of 9–12-year-olds in the US.

Methods

We analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (Year 1, N = 8333). Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to identify associations between MIND diet score and sociodemographic factors, including race/ethnicity, household income, parent education level, age, sex, and sexual minority status.

Results

Compared to White adolescents, Latino adolescents showed the greatest adherence to the MIND diet. Boys had lower adherence to the MIND diet than girls. Lower household income was associated with lower adherence to the MIND diet. Older age was associated with lower adherence to the MIND diet. Sexual minorities had a lower adherence to the MIND diet when compared to their heterosexual counterparts.

Discussion

Female sex, Latino ethnicity, Asian and Black race, high household income, heterosexual sexual orientation, and younger age were associated with higher adherence to the MIND diet. These sociodemographic differences can inform targeted screening and counseling for clinicians and public health organizations among diverse adolescent populations.

Impact Statement

Sociodemographic disparities in diet quality have been documented, but none have explored adherence to the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH [Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension] Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet in early adolescence.

In this demographically diverse sample of 9–12-year-old early adolescents in the U.S., we found notable and nuanced sociodemographic disparities in adherence to the MIND diet.

Sociodemographic factors associated with higher adherence to the MIND diet included female sex, Latino ethnicity, high household income, heterosexual sexual orientation, and younger age.
Pre-clinical indications of brain stimulation treatments for non-affective psychiatric disorders, a status update
Authors: Benster Lindsay L. , Weissman Cory R. , Stolz Louise A. , Daskalakis Zafiris J. , Appelbaum Lawrence G.
Published: December 2023

Over the past two decades noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques have emerged as powerful therapeutic options for a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders. NIBS are hypothesized to rebalance pathological brain networks thus reducing symptoms and improving functioning. This development has been fueled by controlled studies with increasing size and rigor aiming to characterize how treatments induce clinically effective change. Clinical trials of NIBS for specific indications have resulted in federal approval for unipolar depression, bipolar depression, smoking cessation, and obsessive-compulsive disorder in the United States, and several other indications worldwide. As a rapidly emerging field, there are numerous pre-clinical indications currently in development using a variety of electrical and magnetic, non-convulsive, and convulsive approaches. This review discusses the state-of-the-science surrounding promising avenues of NIBS currently in pre-approval stages for non-affective psychiatric disorders. We consider emerging therapies for psychosis, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and borderline personality disorder, utilizing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and magnetic seizure therapy (MST), with an additional brief section for early-stage techniques including transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation (tFUS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). As revealed in this review, there is considerable promise across all four psychiatric indications with different NIBS approaches. Positive findings are notable for the treatment of psychosis using tDCS, MST, and rTMS. While rTMS is already FDA approved for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, methodologies such as tDCS also demonstrate potential in this condition. Emerging techniques show promise for treating non-affective disorders likely leading to future regulatory approvals.
Psilocybin-induced default mode network hypoconnectivity is blunted in alcohol-dependent rats
Authors: Reinwald Jonathan R. , Schmitz Christian N. , Skorodumov Ivan , Kuchar Martin , Weber-Fahr Wolfgang , Spanagel Rainer , Meinhardt Marcus W.
Published: December 2023

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) adversely affects the lives of millions of people, but still lacks effective treatment options. Recent advancements in psychedelic research suggest psilocybin to be potentially efficacious for AUD. However, major knowledge gaps remain regarding (1) psilocybin’s general mode of action and (2) AUD-specific alterations of responsivity to psilocybin treatment in the brain that are crucial for treatment development. Here, we conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover pharmaco-fMRI study on psilocybin effects using a translational approach with healthy rats and a rat model of alcohol relapse. Psilocybin effects were quantified with resting-state functional connectivity using data-driven whole-brain global brain connectivity, network-based statistics, graph theory, hypothesis-driven Default Mode Network (DMN)-specific connectivity, and entropy analyses. Results demonstrate that psilocybin induced an acute wide-spread decrease in different functional connectivity domains together with a distinct increase of connectivity between serotonergic core regions and cortical areas. We could further provide translational evidence for psilocybin-induced DMN hypoconnectivity reported in humans. Psilocybin showed an AUD-specific blunting of DMN hypoconnectivity, which strongly correlated to the alcohol relapse intensity and was mainly driven by medial prefrontal regions. In conclusion, our results provide translational validity for acute psilocybin-induced neural effects in the rodent brain. Furthermore, alcohol relapse severity was negatively correlated with neural responsivity to psilocybin treatment. Our data suggest that a clinical standard dose of psilocybin may not be sufficient to treat severe AUD cases; a finding that should be considered for future clinical trials.
Compartment-specific multiomic profiling identifies SRC and GNAS as candidate drivers of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in ovarian carcinosarcoma
Authors: Herrington C. Simon , Oswald Ailsa J. , Stillie Lorna J. , Croy Ian , Churchman Michael , Hollis Robert L.
Published: December 2023

Background

Ovarian carcinosarcoma (OCS) is an exceptionally aggressive and understudied ovarian cancer type harbouring distinct carcinomatous and sarcomatous compartments. Here, we seek to identify shared and compartment-specific events that may represent potential therapeutic targets and candidate drivers of sarcomatous compartment formation through epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

Methods

We performed multiomic profiling (exome sequencing, RNA-sequencing, microRNA profiling) of paired carcinomatous and sarcomatous components in 12 OCS cases.

Results

While paired sarcomatous and carcinomatous compartments demonstrate substantial genomic similarities, multiple loci are recurrently copy number-altered between components; regions containing GNAS and SRC are recurrently gained within the sarcomatous compartment. CCNE1 gain is a common event in OCS, occurring more frequently than in high grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC). Transcriptomic analysis suggests increased MAPK activity and subtype switching toward poor prognosis HGSOC-derived transcriptomic subtypes within the sarcomatous component. The two compartments show global differences in microRNA profiles, with differentially expressed microRNAs targeting EMT-related genes (SIRT1, ZEB2) and regulators of pro-tumourigenic pathways (TGFβ, NOTCH); chrX is a highly enriched target of these microRNAs and is also frequently deleted across samples. The sarcomatous component harbours significantly fewer CD8-positive cells, suggesting poorer immune engagement.

Conclusion

CCNE1 gain and chrX loss are frequent in OCS. SRC gain, increased GNAS expression and microRNA dysregulation represent potential mechanisms driving sarcomatous compartment formation.
Genome-wide CRISPR screening identifies a role for ARRDC3 in TRP53-mediated responses
Authors: La Marca John E. , Aubrey Brandon J. , Yang Bruce , Chang Catherine , Wang Zilu , Kueh Andrew , Tai Lin , Wilcox Stephen , Milla Liz , Heinzel Susanne , Vremec David , Whelan Lauren , König Christina , Kaloni Deeksha , Voss Anne K. , Strasser Andreas , Diepstraten Sarah T. , Herold Marco J. , Kelly Gemma L.
Published: December 2023

Whole-genome screens using CRISPR technologies are powerful tools to identify novel tumour suppressors as well as factors that impact responses of malignant cells to anti-cancer agents. Applying this methodology to lymphoma cells, we conducted a genome-wide screen to identify novel inhibitors of tumour expansion that are induced by the tumour suppressor TRP53. We discovered that the absence of Arrestin domain containing 3 (ARRDC3) increases the survival and long-term competitiveness of MYC-driven lymphoma cells when treated with anti-cancer agents that activate TRP53. Deleting Arrdc3 in mice caused perinatal lethality due to various developmental abnormalities, including cardiac defects. Notably, the absence of ARRDC3 markedly accelerated MYC-driven lymphoma development. Thus, ARRDC3 is a new mediator of TRP53-mediated suppression of tumour expansion, and this discovery may open new avenues to harness this process for cancer therapy.
Targeting AKT induced Ferroptosis through FTO/YTHDF2-dependent GPX4 m6A methylation up-regulating and degradating in colorectal cancer
Authors: Zhang Ge , Mi Wunan , Wang Chuyue , Li Jiehan , Zhang Yizheng , Liu Nannan , Jiang Meimei , Jia Guiyun , Wang Feng , Yang Ge , Zhang Lingling , Wang Jiangang , Fu Yang , Zhang Yingjie
Published: December 2023

Ferroptosis is a new type of iron-dependent programmed cell death induced by lipid peroxidation. However, the underlying mechanisms and function in tumor therapy still remain undisclosed especially in post-transcription regulation. Here, we found that targeting AKT significantly induced GPX4 dependent ferroptosis and suppressed colorectal cancer growth both in vitro and in vivo. During this process, demethylase FTO was downregulated, which increased the m6A methylation level of GPX4, subsequently recognized by YTHDF2 and degraded. Prediction results showed that there are three potential methylated sites (193/647/766), and 193 site was identified as the right one, which was demethylated by FTO and read by YTHDF2. In parallel, AKT inhibition caused the accumulation of ROS which had a negative feedback on GPX4 expression. In addition, protective autophagy was initiated by MK2206 stimulation, while blocking autophagy further increased ferroptosis and markedly enhanced the anti-tumor activity of MK2206. In a word, inhibiting AKT activated ferroptosis through FTO/YTHDF2/GPX4 axis to suppress colon cancer progression, which raised FTO/GPX4 as potential biomarkers and targets in colorectal cancer therapy.
Lateral olfactory tract usher substance (LOTUS), an endogenous Nogo receptor antagonist, ameliorates disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis model mice
Authors: Ikeda Takuya , Takahashi Keita , Higashi Minatsu , Komiya Hiroyasu , Asano Tetsuya , Ogasawara Akihiro , Kubota Shun , Hashiguchi Shunta , Kunii Misako , Tanaka Kenichi , Tada Mikiko , Doi Hiroshi , Takeuchi Hideyuki , Takei Kohtaro , Tanaka Fumiaki
Published: December 2023

Nogo–Nogo receptor 1 (NgR1) signaling is significantly implicated in neurodegeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We previously showed that lateral olfactory tract usher substance (LOTUS) is an endogenous antagonist of NgR1 that prevents all myelin-associated inhibitors (MAIs), including Nogo, from binding to NgR1. Here we investigated the role of LOTUS in ALS pathogenesis by analyzing G93A-mutated human superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) transgenic (Tg) mice, as an ALS model, as well as newly generated LOTUS-overexpressing SOD1 Tg mice. We examined expression profiles of LOTUS and MAIs and compared motor functions and survival periods in these mice. We also investigated motor neuron survival, glial proliferation in the lumbar spinal cord, and neuromuscular junction (NMJ) morphology. We analyzed downstream molecules of NgR1 signaling such as ROCK2, LIMK1, cofilin, and ataxin-2, and also neurotrophins. In addition, we investigated LOTUS protein levels in the ventral horn of ALS patients. We found significantly decreased LOTUS expression in both SOD1 Tg mice and ALS patients. LOTUS overexpression in SOD1 Tg mice increased lifespan and improved motor function, in association with prevention of motor neuron loss, reduced gliosis, increased NMJ innervation, maintenance of cofilin phosphorylation dynamics, decreased levels of ataxin-2, and increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Reduced LOTUS expression may enhance neurodegeneration in SOD1 Tg mice and ALS patients by activating NgR1 signaling, and in this study LOTUS overexpression significantly ameliorated ALS pathogenesis. LOTUS might serve as a promising therapeutic target for ALS.