bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Approaching Cathedral Music from New Spain
Authors: Davies Drew Edward
Published: November 2024

The history of European music in New Spain begins with the indoctrination of Indigenous individuals as part of a re-education program led by missionaries and the establishment of churches that celebrated the Roman Catholic liturgy through song. Reflecting upon that imposition, this chapter considers some of the values, such as nationalism, that have guided previous scholarship and questions the pervasiveness of a musical conquest beyond specific institutional boundaries in early New Spain. Focusing thereafter on cathedral music, it introduces readers to the contrasting archives of Mexico City and Durango cathedrals and the roles of local composers. Finally, it analyzes the antiphon Alma redemptoris mater by Manuel de Sumaya as a representative New Spanish work. When viewed in the context of Sumaya’s biography, the piece suggests that chapel masters of his time upheld Roman Catholic tradition and fulfilled the role of a dignitary who oversaw music-making more so than that of an innovative artist composer.
Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, from the Empyrean to Mexico
Authors: Davies Drew Edward
Published: November 2024

Individual supplication to the Virgin Mary for intercession forms a central element of Hispanic Catholicism. New Spanish music for Mary ranges from motets for the Salve service, polyphonic song with texts in Nahuatl, and galant arias by Santiago Billoni and Ignacio Jerusalem, to simple songs known as alabanzas. After discussing each of these, the chapter charts the development of music for Our Lady of Guadalupe, the most uniquely Mexican devotion, including an account of civic processions in 1771 San Luis Potosí in which communities of Indigenous and Spanish people alike make music for Our Lady of Guadalupe. It suggests that the well-known work Dios itlazonantziné [italics] may be, like many other New Spanish works, a contrafact.
The Consent-Receiver Principle
Authors: Dougherty Tom
Published: November 2024

Chapter 2 explains the moral difference between a pair of similar cases. In the Boycott case, Uncool makes a threat that if Club-Owner does not let Uncool into the VIP area, then they will stop coming to the club, and it will lose $1000 in profit. In the Slander case, Uncool makes a threat that if Club-Owner does not let Uncool into the VIP area, then they will spread false rumors, and the club will lose $1000 in profit. To explain why Club-Owner’s consent is invalidated in the Slander case, but not the Boycott case, the Chapter introduces a draft of the Consent-Receiver Principle, which states that four conditions are jointly sufficient for someone’s consent being invalidated by coercion or other forms of duress from the consent-receiver. First, the consent-receiver imposes a penalty on withholding consent. Second, the prospect of this penalty causes the consent-giver to consent. Third, the consent-giver has a legitimate complaint against the way that the consent-giver imposes this penalty on withholding consent. Fourth, this complaint concerns the way that the penalty alters the consent-giver’s incentives for withholding consent.
Emotional Duress, Paradoxical Proposals, and Exploitation
Authors: Dougherty Tom
Published: November 2024

Chapter 3 considers three types of duress to which the consent-receiver can subject the consent-giver. First, there is emotional duress: the consent-receiver issues a threat that frightens the consent-giver, who is consequently unable to deliberate properly. Since the effect of the fear is to incapacitate the consent-giver, this phenomenon is best understood in terms of the capacity or competence conditions on valid consent. Second, there are “paradoxical proposals.” Roughly, a paradoxical proposal is a proposal that is wrongful even though it is a proposal to perform an otherwise permissible action in response to consent being withheld. For example, a law enforcement official would make a paradoxical proposal by threatening to pass on evidence proving a criminal’s guilt unless the criminal’s spouse has sex with the official. Normally, it would be permissible to pass on the evidence, but the criminal’s spouse has a legitimate complaint against this proposal. Analyzing paradoxical proposals requires paying attention to what the consent-receiver plans to do independently of the proposal. Third, there are cases of exploitation. For example, an affluent tourist could offer sex to an economically desperate person who has significant objections to sex work. Even in the absence of a principle that establishes that exploitation invalidates consent, the wrongfulness of this behavior can be explained without appealing to consent.
Duress from Natural Causes
Authors: Dougherty Tom
Published: November 2024

Chapter 8 considers duress that comes from natural causes. It argues against the Standard View that consent is not fully invalidated by this type of duress. The Standard View may seem appealing insofar as it can explain why consent is valid in cases like the Disease case. In this case, if Patient’s malignant tumor is not removed, then the disease will spread, and Patient will lose a limb. Patient consents to Surgeon removing the tumor. However, the Standard View is not needed to explain the full validity of Patient’s consent. This is already explained by the Authorization Principle, in light of the fact that Patient is authorizing Surgeon to perform the surgery as an extension of their agency. Moreover, Chapter 8 develops an argument that starts from a case in which someone’s consent is invalidated by duress from a human agent. The argument continues by constructing an analogous case that is similar in the respect that the consent-giver is under the same duress. But in the analogous case, the duress comes from natural causes. Since the source of the duress makes no difference to whether the consent is fully invalidated, duress can be fully invalidated by natural causes.
In Defense of the Subjective Principles
Authors: Dougherty Tom
Published: November 2024

Chapter 10 defends principles that state when duress prevents consent from being fully valid under conditions of partial information. These “Subjective Principles” are counterparts to the objective principles that are defended in Chapters 2, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Chapter 10 offers a recipe for constructing these counterpart Subjective Principles. The recipe focuses on the fact that each objective principle includes a “triggering condition”—a condition that specifies duress that exists in the world. For example, Chapter 2’s Consent-Receiver Principle’s triggering condition is that the consent-receiver will impose a penalty on the consent-receiver if they withhold consent. The recipe converts this triggering condition into a “doxastic condition”—the condition that the consent-receiver believes or has a credence that the triggering condition obtains. For example, the Subjective Consent-Receiver Principle’s doxastic condition is that the consent-giver believes or has a credence that the consent-receiver will impose a penalty on the consent-receiver if they withhold consent. By including these doxastic conditions, the Subjective Principles imply that the consent-giver’s perception of duress can be sufficient for rendering their consent not fully valid, even if this perception does not reflect reality.
Against the Intention, Causal, and Epistemic Principles
Authors: Dougherty Tom
Published: November 2024

Chapter 11 defends the Subjective Principles against rival principles. These rival principles include further conditions among those that are jointly sufficient for consent not being fully valid. The Intention Principles add the condition that the consent-receiver intends the consent-giver to have the relevant belief or credence that they are under duress, while the Causal Principles add the condition that the consent-receiver causes the consent-giver to have this belief or credence. Meanwhile, other sets of rival principles add the condition that the consent-receiver has certain evidence. These sets of principles can be subdivided according to the type of evidence in question. On the one hand, there are the Generic Evidence Principles. These add the condition that the consent-receiver has the generic evidence that any consent-giver might have a belief or credence that they are under duress. On the other hand, there are the Specific Evidence Principles. These add the condition that the consent-receiver has specific evidence that the consent-giver has the relevant belief or credence. Finally, there are rival principles that add the condition that the consent-giver’s belief or credence is appropriately based on the evidence that is available to them. Chapter 11 argues that the Subjective Principles are preferable to all these rivals.
Thucydides: A Very Short Introduction
Authors: Roberts Jennifer T.
Published: November 2024

Thucydides: A Very Short Introduction analyses the remarkable history of the war between Athens and Sparta composed by the Athenian Thucydides, who fought in it. In 432 bce, Sparta declared war on Athens, a war that would last until Athens finally fell in 404. A highly educated Athenian aristocrat, Thucydides suspected the magnitude of the conflict he saw unfolding and recorded its course while exploring the causes of the war in the context of human nature. Placing Thucydides within the intellectual traditions of his day unveils his connections to thinkers like Herodotus, Homer, and the tragedians. This study examines not only Thucydides’ thought and writing but the complex dynamics of the war that changed the Greek world forever.
Thucydides the political scientist
Authors: Roberts Jennifer T.
Published: November 2024

This chapter considers how Thucydides established himself as a premier political scientist. It explains that Thucydides used his history as a platform from which to analyse the workings of inter- and intra-state dynamics and then became famous for his hard-headed analysis of international relations. Despite his broad interest in the internal workings of the Greek polis, it was Athenian democracy that received Thucydides’ closest scrutiny. Additionally, Thucydides saw the 30-year ascendancy of Pericles as an anomaly. The chapter then discusses Thucydides’ account of the war, focusing on the ways in which his identity as a 5th-century Athenian shaped his thinking.
Thucydides’ legacy
Authors: Roberts Jennifer T.
Published: November 2024

This chapter explores the legacy of Thucydides, whose narrative invites readers into a dialogue that transcends generations. Meanwhile, statesmen and intellectuals considered Thucydides’ work a repository of priceless instruction. The trauma of the war resulted in converting Thucydides’ text from a source for 5th-century Athens to an exposition of the human condition and the concomitant rise and fall of civilizations. The chapter notes how modern advocates of democracy suggested that Thucydides’ motive in telling the story of the Peloponnesian War was to make clear how imperialism inhibited the Athenians from making the world safe for democracy. It also considers how the modern tendency to assume Thucydidean infallibility has resulted in gross oversimplifications.
Social Science: A Very Short Introduction
Authors: Betts Alexander
Published: November 2024

Social Science: A Very Short Introduction examines social science as the study of human behaviour. Social science provides tools to understand and explain people’s choices and actions while also considering how they live together in communities. The VSI explains how methods and theories from different disciplines can be applied and combined to address major global challenges. It further highlights how social scientists can have real-world impact and change the world for the better. It examines cutting-edge themes such as behavioural science, human data science, and the ways social science can work in collaboration with natural sciences and humanities.
What is social science?
Authors: Betts Alexander
Published: November 2024

This chapter introduces the notion of social science. It defines social science as the study of human behaviour and the resulting outcomes. Social science focuses on society, referring to the way people live together in communities and interact. The chapter explains the diverse origins of the social sciences and what distinguishes them from the humanities and natural sciences. It highlights how particular social science disciplines may have their own terms and concepts for good reasons of precision and clarity, and different geographical areas sometimes employ different terminology to describe similar ideas. However, interdisciplinary social science is growing, partly because of the recognition that complex societal challenges cannot be addressed from a single disciplinary perspective.
Doing social science
Authors: Betts Alexander
Published: November 2024

This chapter focuses on the practice of social science. It explains that social research stands on the four main building blocks of questions, theory, methods, and empirical evidence, and a challenge is to create coherent relationships between them. The chapter outlines different paradigms for social science research design: positivist, interpretive, and critical. The three paradigms have particular views on the process of doing social research, but they can also be considered as partly complementary. The chapter argues that each of these approaches has a valuable role to play as they offer different pathways of real-world influence despite their divergences.
Theories and concepts
Authors: Betts Alexander
Published: November 2024

This chapter provides an overview of theories and concepts within social science. It explains that theory is used to understand, explain, and predict human behaviour while also providing a simplification of reality. The building blocks of most theories revolve around concepts, relationships, mechanisms, and conditions. The chapter distinguishes explanatory theory and interpretive theory, and explores what good theory looks like from these perspectives. Meanwhile, concepts specify, define, and enable the measurement of the most important ideas within a theory. The chapter gives examples of influential theories from across the social sciences, as well as explaining five key social science concepts that emerge from particular disciplines and are essential for interdisciplinary social science: power, space, norms, identity, and culture.
How social science can change the world
Authors: Betts Alexander
Published: November 2024

This chapter considers how social science can change the world. The impact agenda has become central to contemporary social science. The notion of impact relates to the contribution of research to society and the economy, whether by influencing the behaviour of individuals, organizations, or countries. The chapter discusses the diverse pathways through which social science may have societal impact. It then explores a series of real-world examples of how social scientists have shaped policy and practice in areas such as poverty, transport, malaria, child literacy, and policing. It explains the role of policy, business, and community engagement, and the growing importance of participatory and co-design approaches to research.
A story of all things
Authors: Welch Anthony
Published: November 2024

‘A story of all things’ addresses the challenge of defining an epic. Many Western epics are modelled on the narrative poems of Homer and Virgil, which arose from the oral traditions of archaic Greece. Over centuries, this epic canon adopted strict formal conventions, including lofty and formulaic diction, lengthy catalogues, and extended similes, as well as a stockpile of inherited scene types, such as single combats, war councils, and journeys to the underworld. But similar tales of great heroic deeds are told all over the world. The chapter explains that the epic’s close ties to Western colonialism raise concerns about applying the term to non-European storytelling. Nonetheless, it argues that the epic can be defined as a global art form, varying widely in style but sharing core structural features and social functions. It proposes six family traits shared by epics around the world, including their concern with community and ritual, their role as public archives, and their grandiose, all-inclusive worldview.
The singer and the song
Authors: Welch Anthony
Published: November 2024

This chapter surveys the complex roles of epic poets, performers, and narrators. Many of the world’s epics arose from oral traditions, and they owe much of their formal design to their origins in speech and song. Scholars have pored over clues from the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey to learn how ancient oral epics were transformed into written texts. Highlighting the theory of oral composition in performance proposed by the American classicists Milman Parry and Albert Bates Lord, the chapter showcases the practices of oral epic performance in modern-day Africa and Asia. It outlines a range of formal techniques that enable epic singers to recite vast tales in the absence of writing. Both oral and written epics, it argues, serve as archival storage systems, preserving cultural knowledge but evolving over time to meet the changing needs of their communities. Finally, noting some key differences between oral and literate epic, the chapter explores how those two rival thought-worlds coexist in poems such as Beowulf and the Mahābhārata.
Family ties
Authors: Welch Anthony
Published: November 2024

The epic’s concern with kinship is the focus of this chapter. Although traditional epic heroes are often loners with few domestic ties, the world’s epics are deeply invested in family, clan, and ancestry. They often chart the lineages of tribes or nations, placing individual heroic deeds within the broader story of a community over time. Citing a variety of epic heroes who are aided or opposed by family members, the chapter gives special attention to father‒son conflicts. Also discussed is the key role of women, who often pose challenges to patriarchal authority. Examples include the seductive femmes fatales of the Virgilian epic tradition and the worldwide motif of the warrior woman. The heroism of women as wives and lovers is explored in epic narratives from Europe, Africa, and South Asia. The chapter suggests that epic traditions are themselves much like families, shaped by the same dynamics of memory, inheritance, and rebellion.
Civilization and the wilderness
Authors: Welch Anthony
Published: November 2024

Chapter 6 argues that epic heroes often straddle the threshold between civilization and the wilderness; they are dual citizens in the human and nonhuman worlds. Epic geography is marked by boundary lines that divide the known from the unknown, a pattern exemplified by the border epics of medieval Europe. Explaining why the epic hero so often crosses those frontiers, the chapter gives special attention to the quest epic, including the return songs of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Also addressed here is the role of the supernatural in world epics, with a focus on two popular motifs: the hero’s journey to the underworld and the efforts of divine beings to influence human action. Epics often celebrate the taming of the wilderness, a fantasy that underwrites European epics of global exploration and colonial conquest. However, noting that epics have long been drawn to the folkloric figure of the wild man, the chapter argues that those epic heroes who seek to domesticate the wilderness also carry it within themselves.
Epic and modernity
Authors: Welch Anthony
Published: November 2024

This chapter asks how the epic has fared in the modern world. Many historical forces have weakened the prestige of the Western epic tradition, from the rise of popular literacy and scientific rationalism to the horrors of mass warfare. While premodern literary theorists judged the epic by abstract principles of literary style, which they believed to be timeless and universal, critics since the 18th century have come to view the epic as a relic of the cultural past. But the desire to create an all-embracing work of art has lingered on, seeking new forms to fulfil itself. The chapter surveys a wide range of epic adaptations, experiments, and re-imaginings, from the fragmentary visions of the Modernist poets to recent novels and films that retell ancient epic tales from new viewing angles. Although its formal designs will continue to evolve, the epic still matters today due to its all-inclusive global outlook and its unique fascination with human greatness and suffering.
Surgery for pleural mesothelioma in multimodality setting: comparison between surgical techniques in a high-volume centre
Authors: Faccioli Eleonora , Dell’Amore Andrea , Lorenzoni Giulia , Schiavon Marco , Canu Gianluca , Pasello Giulia , Zambello Giovanni , Sepulcri Matteo , Sambataro Viola , Labella Francesco , Giraudo Chiara , Gregori Dario , Calabrese Fiorella , Rea Federico
Published: November 2024

OBJECTIVES

Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is an aggressive disease linked to asbestos exposure, presenting significant treatment challenges. The recommended approach is multimodal treatment, even if the concept of resectable PM and the superiority of one surgical technique over the other [(extended) pleurectomy decortication [(E)PD] vs extra-pleural pneumonectomy (EPP)] are matter of debates. The aim of this study is to compare the 2 techniques in terms of short- and long-term outcomes at a high-volume centre.

METHODS

Clinical data from PM patients who underwent radical surgery [(E)PD and EPP] between 1994 and 2022 were collected. A propensity score weighting approach was used for non-random intervention allocation. Survival distribution was estimated using Kaplan–Meier method and the association with outcomes was evaluated using a weighted Cox proportional hazard models.

RESULTS

Among 254 patients, 125 (49%) underwent EPP and 129 (51%) (E)PD. The 90-day mortality was higher in the EPP group (7.2% vs 0%; P = 0.01). No difference in 1-, 3- and 5-year survival was found: 65.8%, 26%, 17% for EPP and 75.5%, 39.7% and 21.3% for (E)PD; P = 0.39. The multivariable-weighted Cox model identified no increased risk of death [hazard ratio (HR) 1.25; P = 0.49] or recurrence (HR 1.05; P = 0.858) in the EPP group. Pre-operative total lung capacity was significantly associated with a reduced risk of death (HR 0.96; P = 0.023) and recurrence (HR 0.97; P = 0.019) at follow-up, while pre-operative disease burden to a higher risk of recurrence (HR 1.01; P = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Our experience showed acceptable short- and long-term outcomes in both procedures, making EPP still an option only for carefully selected patients at high-volume centre. Surgery, although recently debated, should be performed exclusively in expert centres to minimize post-operative risks. The identification of new prognostic factors is crucial for better selecting patients who may benefit from surgery within the context of multimodal treatment.
Functional analysis of G6PD variants associated with low G6PD activity in the All of Us Research Program
Authors: Powell Nicholas R , Geck Renee C , Lai Dongbing , Shugg Tyler , Skaar Todd C , Dunham Maitreya J
Published: November 2024

The glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) enzyme protects red blood cells against oxidative damage. Individuals with G6PD-impairing polymorphisms are at risk of hemolytic anemia from oxidative stressors. Prevention of G6PD deficiency-related hemolytic anemia is achievable by identifying affected individuals through G6PD genetic testing. However, accurately predicting the clinical consequence of G6PD variants is limited by over 800 G6PD variants which remain of uncertain significance (VUS). There also remains inconsistency in which deficiency-causing variants are included in genetic testing arrays: many institutions only test c.202G > A, though dozens of other variants can cause G6PD deficiency. Here, we improve G6PD genotype interpretations using the All of Us Research Program data and a yeast functional assay. We confirm that G6PD coding variants are the main contributor to decreased G6PD activity and that 13% of individuals in the All of Us data with deficiency-causing variants would be missed by only genotyping for c.202G > A. We expand clinical interpretation for G6PD VUS, reporting that c.595A > G (“Dagua” or “Açores”) and the novel variant c.430C > G reduce activity sufficiently to lead to G6PD deficiency. We also provide evidence that 5 missense VUS are unlikely to lead to G6PD deficiency, and we applied the new World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines to recommend classifying 2 synonymous variants as WHO Class C. In total, we provide new or updated clinical interpretations for 9 G6PD variants. We anticipate these results will improve the accuracy, and prompt increased use, of G6PD genetic tests through a more complete clinical interpretation of G6PD variants.
Undetected Dysplasia at Colectomy in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. What Are We Missing?
Authors: Centorrino Erica , Ferrari Davide , Harmsen William S , Larson David W , Loftus Edward V , Coelho-Prabhu Nayantara
Published: November 2024

Background and Aims

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a higher risk of developing colorectal dysplasia and colorectal cancer compared to the general population. Although the use of surveillance protocols has improved the ability to detect dysplasia, some lesions are still missed at colonoscopy. This study aims to determine the rate of dysplastic lesions that are undetected at colonoscopies in IBD patients undergoing colectomy and to identify factors associated with missed dysplasia.

Methods

Patients who had received a total or subtotal colectomy at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota), between January 2003 and December 2022, and had a complete colonoscopy within 5 years before surgery were retrospectively enrolled. Data abstracted included demographic information, disease-related data, colonoscopy and pathology reports, and surgery pathology reports. Colonoscopy and surgery findings were compared, and patients were divided into 3 groups: no dysplasia at both, detected dysplasia, and undetected dysplasia.

Results

Among 1320 IBD patients undergoing colectomy, 5.4% had undetected dysplastic lesions identified only at surgery. Factors independently associated with dysplasia detection were endoscopic remission or mild endoscopic disease activity (odds ratio [OR], 2.326; P = .0081; 95% CI, 1.246-4.342), prior dysplasia detection (OR, 1.876; P = .0491; 95% CI, 1.002-3.511), colonoscopy performed for surveillance (OR, 2.380; P = .0048; 95% CI, 1.302-4.350), and longer disease duration at surgery (OR, 1.039; P = .0085; 95% CI, 1.010-1.070).

Conclusions

Clinicians should be aware of the risk of missing dysplastic lesions, especially when endoscopic disease activity is moderate/severe, and not only for longstanding disease. Efforts should be made to obtain endoscopic remission to make the “invisible” visible.
Eco-gastroenterology in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment: A Call for Sustainable Healthcare
Authors: Sharif Kassem , Ben-Horin Shomron , Lahat Adi
Published: November 2024

Lay Summary

Gastroenterology significantly impacts the environment, contributing to medical waste. Adopting green practices like noninvasive diagnostics, telemedicine, and home monitoring can reduce the carbon footprint while maintaining effective inflammatory bowel disease patient care. Healthcare workers must integrate environmental considerations into their practices.
Replacing sulfate with hydroxychloride sources of trace minerals modulated the growth performance and plasma indicators of inflammation and energy metabolism in beef heifers during periods of feed restriction and adaptation to a high-starch diet
Authors: Souza Isabella R T , Moriel Philipe , Monar Gabriel R R , Lima Pedro H L , Carvalho André A B M , Oliva Guilherme F , Augusto Karolina V Z , Porcionato Marco A F , Souza Izadora S , Mackey Shea J , Cooke Reinaldo F , Araujo Davi B , Vasconcelos José L M
Published: November 2024

This study evaluated the effects of different sources (sulfate vs. hydroxychloride) of Cu, Mn, and Zn during feed restriction and a high-starch diet on heifer growth performance. On day 0, Nelore heifers (n = 40) were stratified by body weight (BW = 238 ± 38 kg) and age (21 ± 1 mo), and individually allocated into 1 of the 40 drylot pens. The study was divided into periods of pen acclimation (days 0 to 27), nutrient surplus (days 28 to 55), nutrient restriction (days 56 to 83), and step-up adaptation to a high-starch diet (days 84 to 112). Heifers had free choice access to Tifton hay (Cynodon sp.) and salt from days 0 to 27. On day 28, 20 heifers/treatment were randomly assigned to receive free choice access to Tifton hay and protein supplementation at 0.10% of BW (dry matter, DM) added with sulfate (SUL) or hydroxychloride (HYD) sources of Cu, Mn, and Zn from days 28 to 112. From days 56 to 83, heifers were offered 50% of the average hay DM intake obtained from days 50 to 55. From days 84 to 112, each respective protein supplement was mixed with a starch-based total mixed ration and the concentrate DM amount was gradually increased every 7 d (starting with 35% concentrate and 65% hay on day 84 and ending with 80% concentrate and 20% hay from days 106 to 112). Effects of treatment × day and treatment were not detected (P ≥ 0.37) for heifer BW, fecal pH, average daily gain (ADG), and DM intake, except for ADG from days 28 to 56, which was less (P = 0.05) for SUL vs. HYD heifers. Effects of treatment × day were detected (P = 0.02) for plasma concentrations of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and haptoglobin. Plasma concentrations of IGF-1 were greater (P ≤ 0.05) for HYD vs. SUL heifers on days 56, 70, 77, 84, and 91. Plasma concentration of haptoglobin was greater (P = 0.05) for SUL vs. HYD heifers on day 63. Effects of treatment × day of the study and treatment were not detected (P ≥ 0.35) for plasma concentrations of cortisol, ß-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA). Thus, Nelore heifers offered hydroxychloride sources of Cu, Mn, and Zn exhibited greater plasma concentrations of IGF-1 and a temporary increase in ADG during nutrient surplus compared to those receiving sulfate sources. While hydroxychloride supplementation reduced the acute phase response early in nutrient restriction, it did not improve growth and plasma concentrations of haptoglobin, cortisol, NEFA, and BHBA during nutrient restriction and adaptation to a high-starch diet.
The impacts of climate change on the potential distribution of Cacopsylla chinensis (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) in China
Authors: Song Chengfei , Liu Qingzhao , Ma Xinyao , Liu Jiao
Published: November 2024

Cacopsylla chinensis is an oligophagous pest and has become one of the main pests that cause yield loss in commercial pear orchards in China. Predicting the impact of climate change on the distribution range of C. chinensis is crucial for its effectively preventing and managing. In this study, we collected 102 geographic distribution information of C. chinensis with 8 selected crucial environmental variables to simulate its potential suitable habitats. On this basis, the parameter-optimized maximum entropy model was utilized to predict the potential effect of future climate variation on its distribution, considering various socio-economic pathway scenarios and 3 Earth system models. The findings showed that the current total potential suitable area for C. chinensis was 578.29 × 104 km2, which accounts for 60.24% of China’s territory. In the total area, the suitability areas of low, medium, and high were 308.21 × 104 km2, 118.50 × 104 km2, and 151.58 × 104 km2, respectively. Among them, the high suitability areas are mainly distributed in Anhui, Beijing, Chongqing, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Tianjin. Furthermore, our predictions suggest that the potentially suitable areas for this pest will increase by 8.49–35.02% under various future climate change conditions in China. The findings will be propitious to understand the linkage between C. chinensis niches and the relevant environment. It also provides valuable insights for developing future pest management strategies.
Cxcl10 is protective during mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Majumdar Shamik , Weaver Joseph D , Pontejo Sergio M , Minai Mahnaz , Lu Xinping , Gao Ji-Liang , Holmes Gibran , Johnson Reed , Zhang Hongwei , Kelsall Brian L , Farber Joshua M , Alves Derron A , Murphy Philip M
Published: November 2024

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, remains endemic worldwide. Circulating levels of the chemokine CXCL10 are strongly positively associated with poor outcome; however, its precise role in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and its suitability as a therapeutic target have remained undefined. Here, we challenged mice genetically deficient in Cxcl10 with a mouse-adapted strain of SARS-CoV-2. Infected male, but not female, Cxcl10−/− mice displayed increased mortality compared to wild type controls. Histopathological damage, inflammatory gene induction, and virus load in the lungs of male mice were not broadly influenced by Cxcl10 deficiency. However, accumulation of B and T lymphocytes in the lung parenchyma of infected mice was reduced in the absence of Cxcl10. Thus, during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, Cxcl10 regulates lymphocyte infiltration in lung and confers protection against mortality. Our preclinical model results do not support targeting CXCL10 therapeutically in severe COVID-19.
The Traumatized Brain and Mind
Authors: Wijdicks Eelco F.M.
Published: November 2024

There are numerous films on war and war trauma. Cinema was broadly interested in the “psychology” of reacting to constant danger, but also became interested in exploring the indifference (and hostility) of the soldier’s peers after they returned from combat. Cinema also explored possible explanations for war trauma. This contrasts with civilian trauma, which is rarely shown in fiction film. Cinema has also largely ignored the brutality of surviving head injury. While civilian trauma may offer good story lines, the neuropsychiatry one needs to see is found in war-themed films, and filmmakers have used war as a lens through which to examine brain trauma. Several films have touched on PTSD in the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. One is now starting to see in cinema the return of neurologists to war-related trauma, as well as more accuracy regarding the complexity of post-injury care with polypharmacy.
“My Legs Hurt When I Walk a Few Blocks.”: Back and Leg Pain in a 67-Year-Old
Authors: Standaert Christopher J. , Kazi Eman , Schneider Michael J.
Published: November 2024

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a common clinical condition affecting older adults. The hallmark of LSS is neurogenic claudication (leg pain, fatigue, numbness, and/or paresthesias) that increases with standing or walking and decreases with sitting or lumbar flexion. This is distinct from vascular claudication which typically increases with walking but is relieved by stopping without sitting or bending. On MRI studies of individuals without any low back symptoms, over 10% of 40-year-olds and 20–25% of those 60 years of age or older have radiographic LSS, generally resulting from common degenerative changes that may not need treatment. It is important to correlate the symptoms of LSS with the radiographic findings. Nonsurgical treatment should focus on exercise, education, adaptive gait training, and socioeconomic and psychological barriers. Although LSS is the most common indication for spine surgery in older patients in the United States, most patients with LSS can be managed nonoperatively.
“My Back Aches, and I Can’t Stand Long Enough to Make Dinner.”: Chronic Low Back Pain at 73
Authors: Eventov Michelle , Standaert Christopher J.
Published: November 2024

Degenerative scoliosis develops during adulthood, the result of progressive asymmetric degenerative change, and is commonly associated with low back pain (LBP). If the physical exam shows signs of scoliosis, spine radiographs should be evaluated. These are ordered as scoliosis or “full cassette” films and run from the base of the skull to the pelvis. They must be obtained with the patient standing without external support. Scoliosis is defined by a Cobb angle >10°, which measures the spine’s lateral curvature in the coronal plane, as seen in an antero-posterior (A/P) standing radiograph. In contrast to idiopathic scoliosis, degenerative lumbar scoliosis generally occurs without a compensatory curve and is more prone to postural “imbalance.” Degenerative scoliosis affects close to half of the older adult population. Treatment should be focused on function: gait mechanics, home setup, and activity modification are essential. Optimizing weight/nutritional status and bone density are also important aspects of management.
“Shouldn’t I Be Better by Now?”: Persistent Pain after a Compression Fracture
Authors: Standaert Christopher J.
Published: November 2024

Most symptomatic vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) heal over time with significant reduction in symptoms, but about 30–40% of patients will have persistent, significant pain 1 year after a fracture. Persistent pain is generally associated with poorer walking capacity, social functioning, mental health, and overall quality of life. Risk factors for persistent pain after a prior VCF are not well identified, but there may be some association with the severity of vertebral body wedging from the initial fracture, the initial pain severity, and a lack of regular exercise prior to sustaining a fracture. Hyperkyphosis associated with increased vertebral wedging from a fracture occurs in about 20% of older women and has many negative physical, social, and mental health consequences. Treatment should center around an exercise-based approach that focuses on spinal extension, gait, balance, range of motion, respiratory function, and fall prevention and attend to any associated mental health issues.
“I Can’t Run without Pain.”: Low Back Pain While Training for the Boston Marathon
Authors: Smolinski Katharine , Harrast Mark A.
Published: November 2024

Runners are prone to specific injuries which may cause low back pain (LBP), including bone stress injuries (BSI). It is crucial to collect a comprehensive medical and training history, including prior running-related injuries and signs of potential relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S). If RED-S is suspected, it is important to get a multidisciplinary team involved early, including a sports dietician, sports psychologist, and an endocrinologist. If there is urgency arising from training goals or concern for BSI, imaging should be pursued. MRI is the most sensitive and specific imaging modality for BSI. With BSI, it is not safe for a runner to continue to run until they have rested and competed appropriate rehabilitation. In general, the runner should be pain free with ambulation and cross-training for at least 2 weeks before returning to running.
Mental health and rapid societal evolution: an occupational prevention challenge
Authors: Veltri Antonello , Caldi Fabrizio , Buselli Rodolfo
Published: November 2024

The World Health Organization has identified common mental disorders as the leading cause of global disability. The focus on productivity and technology in Western societies generates work-related stress and social pressures, negatively affecting mental health and complicating social skills development and family support in the developmental ages. Addressing these issues is crucial for occupational medicine, as they intersect with broader mental health challenges, highlighting the need for integrated approaches to prevent and manage psychological distress.
Hospital care trajectories of older adults with cancer and the associated clinical profiles
Authors: Jean Charline , Paillaud Elena , Boudou-Rouquette Pascaline , Martinez-Tapia Claudia , Pamoukdjian Frédéric , Hagège Meoïn , Bréant Stéphane , Hassen-Khodja Claire , Natella Pierre-André , Cudennec Tristan , Laurent Marie , Caillet Philippe , Audureau Etienne , Canouï-Poitrine Florence
Published: November 2024

Background

The longitudinal hospital care experiences of older adults with cancer, from the treatment decision-making process until their end of life, remain unexplored. We examined the hospital care trajectories of these patients and identified associated clinical determinants.

Materials and Methods

We linked the ELCAPA multicenter cohort study (patients aged ≥70 with a solid tumor and having been referred for a geriatric assessment between 2012 and 2019) and the Greater Paris University Hospitals’ clinical data warehouse. Individual care trajectories, defined as series of consultations, hospital admissions (in day, acute, or rehabilitation units), and emergency room (ER) visits, were clustered using multichannel sequence analysis. Cluster membership determinants were identified among socio-demographic, oncological, and geriatric parameters by logistic regression analysis.

Results

Seven hundred seven patients (median age: 82; metastatic cancer: 45.2%; 10 998 care episodes) were included. Four trajectory clusters were identified: cluster A (n = 149, 21.1%) with in-hospital surgical trajectories, cluster B (n = 198, 28.0%) with outpatient care trajectories with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, cluster C (n = 302, 42.7%) without any hospital cancer treatments, and cluster D (n = 58, 8.2%) with mostly chemotherapy and high hospital care consumption. Cluster belonging determinants included metastatic status and cancer site (for cluster A); cognition, mobility, and mood status (unimpaired parameters for cluster B and impaired for cluster C); and younger age (for cluster D).

Conclusions

While highlighting varied hospital care experiences among older patients with cancer, we found that age remains an independent determinant of chemotherapy-dominant care trajectories.
Embedding critical reflective practice in policing: reflections from a practitioner–academic collaboration in the context of technology-facilitated human trafficking
Authors: L’Hoiry Xavier , Moretti Alessandro , Antonopoulos Georgios A
Published: November 2024

This article explores the use of risk assessment tools in police investigations of technology-facilitated human trafficking and argues that such tools can elicit critical reflective practice among police practitioners. Specifically, the article examines the Sexual Trafficking Identification Matrix (STIM), developed by the authors as an aid to practitioners investigating criminality and vulnerability on Adult Service Websites. The article argues that the STIM can foster reflectivity among practitioners, particularly in the complex and constantly evolving terrains of both human trafficking and non-trafficked sex work-mediated online. To evidence this, the article draws on data from focus groups and interviews with police practitioners who have used the STIM. These data demonstrate practitioners’ understandings of the shifting landscape of human trafficking and non-trafficked sex work and the STIM’s role in supporting such reflective learning. This reflectivity ultimately enhances police practices in an extremely challenging domain of offending and victimhood.
Study on the dynamics of radon concentration buildup in the closed-loop measurement system with RAD7 online radon monitor
Authors: Natarajan Chitra , Seethapathy Chandrasekaran , Challa Venkata Srinivas , Balasubramaniam Venkatraman
Published: November 2024

Radon and thoron exhalation rates from samples are estimated by the standard closed-loop technique using online radon monitors. Conventionally, the mass balance equation is formulated by considering the closed air volume of the sample chamber and the detector chamber put together. This model serves the purpose of estimating the radon/thoron exhalation rates for the prescribed pump flow rate of 1 L min−1 using RAD7 online monitor. The flow rate requirement is crucial for thoron measurement due to its short half-life. In the present work, an alternate model is proposed which simulates the dynamics of radon/thoron concentration dictated by the air entry and exit rate and brings out the effect of pump flow rate. This model is more of academic interest, where sample chamber and detector chamber are considered as two separate entities since they are separated by tubing. The mass balance equation is reformulated considering the air entry and exit in and out the individual chambers. The radon buildup in the sample chamber and detector chamber were treated separately by two coupled differential equations. The equations were numerically solved. The model reiterated the fact that the lower flow rates do not affect the buildup profile of relatively long-lived 222Rn (half-life 3.8 d) and its steady-state concentration attained in the closed air volume. However, experiments carried out for flow rates 0.3 and 0.5 L min−1 with RAD7 monitor using powdered granite sample with higher 226Ra and 232Th concentrations gave contradicting results. The radon effective removal rate was found to decrease with increase in flow rate from 0.3 to 1 L min−1. This issue was investigated, and it was speculated that the thoron interference problem might not be properly addressed for flow rates <1 L min−1. This was ascertained by observing the effective radon removal rate in the absence of thoron by conducting radon decay experiments with different flow rates. For the case of short-lived thoron (half-life 55 s), the model described the dynamics of thoron concentration in the closed loop and the steady-state concentrations attained in the detector and sample chamber. As expected, the model showed that due to decay losses during transit of thoron between the chambers, the steady-state concentrations attained in the chambers considerably differ from each other even for 1 L min−1 flow rate.
Kodamaea schenbergiae f.a., sp. nov. and Suhomyces schwaniae f.a., sp. nov., two yeast species isolated from mushrooms and associated insects in a Brazilian Amazonian rainforest biome
Authors: Santa-Brigída Rosangela , Santos Ana Raquel O. , Martins Marlúcia B. , Rosa Luiz Henrique , Lachance Marc-André , Rosa Carlos A.
Published: November 2024

Thirty yeast isolates belonging to the genera Kodamaea and Suhomyces were isolated from mushrooms and associated drosophilids collected in a Brazilian Amazonian rainforest biome. Analyses of the sequences of the intergenic spacer region and the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene showed that these isolates represent two distinct species. The first, represented by ten isolates, is phylogenetically related to Kodamaea plutei and Kodamaea lidongshanica based on the sequences of the D1/D2 domains. The name Kodamaea schenbergiae f.a., sp. nov. (Holotype CBS 18628T; MycoBank MB855624) is proposed to accommodate the species. The second species was represented by 20 isolates (13 isolates from drosophilids and 7 from mushrooms). This novel species is phylogenetically related to Suhomyces bolitotheri, Suhomyces rilaensis and Suhomyces choctaworum. The name Suhomyces schwaniae f.a., sp. nov. (Holotype CBS 18800T; MycoBank MB855625) is proposed to accommodate the species. Both novel species did not produce asci or evidence of conjugation when cultured individually or in pairs. The isolation of these yeasts associated with mushrooms and drosophilids in the Amazonian biome suggests that these substrates are the habitat of both species.