bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advancements in Rift Valley fever vaccines: a historical overview and prospects for next generation candidates
Authors: Alkan Cigdem , Jurado-Cobena Eduardo , Ikegami Tetsuro
Published: November 2023

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes and causes abortion storms, fetal malformations, and newborn animal deaths in livestock ruminants. In humans, RVF can manifest as hemorrhagic fever, encephalitis, or retinitis. Outbreaks of RVF have been occurring in Africa since the early 20th century and continue to pose a threat to both humans and animals in various regions such as Africa, Madagascar, the Comoros, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. The development of RVF vaccines is crucial in preventing mortality and morbidity and reducing the spread of the virus. While several veterinary vaccines have been licensed in endemic countries, there are currently no licensed RVF vaccines for human use. This review provides an overview of the existing RVF vaccines, as well as potential candidates for future studies on RVF vaccine development, including next-generation vaccines that show promise in combating the disease in both humans and animals.
An Open Science MRI Database of over 100 Synaesthetic Brains and Accompanying Deep Phenotypic Information
Authors: Racey Chris , Kampoureli Christina , Bowen-Hill Oscar , Bauer Mathilde , Simpson Ivor , Rae Charlotte , del Rio Magda , Simner Julia , Ward Jamie
Published: November 2023

We provide a neuroimaging database consisting of 102 synaesthetic brains using state-of-the-art 3 T MRI protocols from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) which is freely available to researchers. This database consists of structural (T1- and T2-weighted) images together with approximately 24 minutes of resting state data per participant. These protocols are designed to be inter-operable and reproducible so that others can add to the dataset or directly compare it against other normative or special samples. In addition, we provide a ‘deep phenotype’ of our sample which includes detailed information about each participant’s synaesthesia together with associated clinical and cognitive measures. This behavioural dataset, which also includes data from (N = 109) non-synaesthetes, is of importance in its own right and is openly available.
Mapping annual 10-m maize cropland changes in China during 2017–2021
Authors: Li Xingang , Qu Ying , Geng Hao , Xin Qi , Huang Jianxi , Peng Shuwen , Zhang Liqiang
Published: November 2023

China contributed nearly one-fifth of the world maize production over the past few years. Mapping the distributions of maize cropland in China is crucial to ensure global food security. Nonetheless, 10 m maize cropland maps in China are still unavailable, restricting the promotion of sustainable agriculture. In this paper, we collect numerous samples to produce annual 10-m maize cropland maps in China from 2017 to 2021 with a machine learning based classification framework. To overcome the temporal variations of plants, the proposed framework takes Sentinel-2 sequence images as input and utilizes deep neural networks and random forest as classifiers to map maize in a zone-specific way. The generated maps have an overall accuracy (OA) spanning from 0.87 to 0.95 and the maize-cultivated areas estimated by the maps are highly consistent with the records in statistical yearbooks (R2 varying from 0.83 to 0.95). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first annual 10-m maize maps across China, which largely facilitates the sustainable agriculture development in China dominated by smallholder farmlands.
MAPK signaling pathway-based glioma subtypes, machine-learning risk model, and key hub proteins identification
Authors: Liu Hengrui , Tang Tao
Published: November 2023

An early diagnosis and precise prognosis are critical for the treatment of glioma. The mitogen‑activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway potentially affects glioma, but the exploration of the clinical values of the pathway remains lacking. We accessed data from TCGA, GTEx, CGGA, etc. Up-regulated MAPK signaling pathway genes in glioma were identified and used to cluster the glioma subtypes using consensus clustering. The subtype differences in survival, cancer stemness, and the immune microenvironment were analyzed. A prognostic model was trained with the identified genes using the LASSO method and was validated with three external cohorts. The correlations between the risk model and cancer-associated signatures in cancer were analyzed. Key hub genes of the gene set were identified by hub gene analysis and survival analysis. 47% of the MAPK signaling pathway genes were overexpressed in glioma. Subtypes based on these genes were distinguished in survival, cancer stemness, and the immune microenvironment. A risk model was calculated with high confidence in the prediction of overall survival and was correlated with multiple cancer-associated signatures. 12 hub genes were identified and 8 of them were associated with survival. The MAPK signaling pathway was overexpressed in glioma with prognostic value.
Global and local meteoric water lines for δ17O/δ18O and the spatiotemporal distribution of Δ′17O in Earth’s precipitation
Authors: Terzer-Wassmuth Stefan , Araguás-Araguás Luis J. , Wassenaar Leonard I. , Stumpp Christine
Published: November 2023

Recently, δ17O and its excess (Δ′17O) have become increasingly significant “triple-oxygen-isotope” indicators of distinctive hydrological processes in hydrology and climatology. This situation mirrors the research regarding δ18O and δ2H in the 1960s towards a solid theoretical base and a surge in application examples and field studies worldwide. Currently, systematic global measurements for δ17O in precipitation are still lacking. As a result, attempts have been made to define a Global δ17O/δ18O Meteoric Water Line (GMWL), often by using regional or local datasets of varying systematicity. Different definitions of the global reference slope (λref) for determining Δ′17O values have been proposed, by ongoing debate around a proposed consensus value of 0.528. This study used worldwide samples archived in the IAEA Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) to (a) derive a δ17O/δ18O GMWL based on four-year monthly records from 66 GNIP stations, (b) formulate local δ17O/δ18O meteoric water lines (LMWL) for these stations’ areas, and (c) evaluate regional and seasonal variations of Δ′17O in precipitation. The GMWL for δ17O/δ18O was determined to be δ′17O = 0.5280 ± 0.0002 δ′18O + 0.0153 ± 0.0013, in keeping with the consensus value. Furthermore, our results suggested that using a line-conditioned 17O-excess is a viable alternative over the global λref in the context of regional hydrology and paleoclimatology interpretations; however, without challenging the global λref as such.
Comparative physiochemical and transcriptomic analysis reveals the influences of cross-pollination on ovary and fruit development in pummelo (Citrus maxima)
Authors: Wang Shaohua , Long Chunrui , Liu Hongming , Pan Li , Yang Shizao , Zhao Jun , Jiang Yan , Bei Xuejun
Published: November 2023

‘Shuijingmiyou’ pummelo (SJ), one of the most popular fruits in Yunnan province of China, is of relatively low fruit shape (FS) quality. In this study, we compared the FS promoting effects of cross pollinations using pollens from seven pummelo varieties, and found that ‘Guanximiyou’ pummelo (GX) cross-pollination showed the best FS promoting effects on SJ fruits by shortening its fruit neck. To explore the underlying mechanism, physiochemical and transcriptomic differences between self- and cross-pollinated SJ ovaries (SJO and GXO) were investigated. Higher salicylic acid, gibberellin and indole acetic acid contents and superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase activities, and lower polyphenol oxidase activity were determined in GXO compared with SJO. Enrichment analysis of the identified 578 differentially expressed genes (123 up-regulated and 455 down-regulated) in GXO showed that genes involved in solute transport, RNA biosynthesis, phytohormone action and cell wall organization were significantly enriched. The results obtained in this study will be helpful in understanding the influences of cross-pollination on pummelo ovary and fruit development, and can provide the basis for clarifying the underlying mechanism of cross-pollination improved fruit quality.
Adsorption and safe immobilization of Sr ions in modified zeolite matrices
Authors: Fayezi Mahya , Shiri-Yekta Zahra , Sepehrian Hamid , Heydari Mehran , Rahghoshay Mohammad , Zolghadri Samaneh
Published: November 2023

In the present study, an Iranian natural zeolite (Sabzevar region) was evaluated as a natural adsorbent for the elimination and immobilization of strontium ions from an aqueous solution. For improving the adsorption efficiency of strontium ion, the zeolite surface was modified by the Schiff base ligand of bis (2-hydroxybenzaldehyde)1,2-diaminoethane (H2L). The natural zeolite and zeolite/H2L were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), BET and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Analysis of the natural zeolite showed that the zeolite is from the type of clinoptilolite and has a crystalline structure with the specific surface area 29.74 m2/g. The results showed that strontium adsorption onto modified zeolite increases compared to unmodified zeolite from 64.5% to 97.2% (at pH = 6). The effective parameters pH, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration of strontium ions, contact time, temperature, and interfering ions, were studied and optimized. The maximum adsorption efficiency was confirmed by modified zeolite and found to be 97.5% after 60 min of equilibrium time at pH 6, 0.05g as adsorbent dosage, and at 25 °C. Adsorption of strontium was confirmed by Langmuir model with maximum adsorption capacity of 10.31 mg/g. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption of strontium ions on the adsorbent follows pseudo-second-order (PSO) model. Also, the thermodynamics of the adsorption process indicated that the adsorption of strontium on zeolite/H2L is an endothermic and spontaneous process, and the adsorption mechanism is a combination of physical and chemical adsorption. Finally, to manage the secondary waste generated from the adsorption process, strontium ions were immobilized in a zeolite structure. The results showed that the stabilization is well done with the thermal preparation process. After thermal treatment at 25–900 °C, modified zeolite satisfactorily retains strontium during back-exchange tests with NaCl solution. According to the results, the amount of strontium released from the adsorbent phase decreases from 52.6 to 1.6% with increasing heat treatment temperature.
Comparative transcriptome analysis of gene responses of salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive rice cultivars to salt stress
Authors: Fang Xin , Mo Junjie , Zhou Hongkai , Shen Xuefeng , Xie Yuling , Xu Jianghuan , Yang Shan
Published: November 2023

Salt stress is one unfavorable factor of global climate change that adversely affects rice plant growth and yield. To identify novel salt-tolerant genes and new varieties of salt-tolerant rice, a better understanding of the molecular regulation mechanism of salt tolerance in rice is needed. In this study we used transcriptome analyses to examine changes in gene expression of salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive rice plants. The salt-tolerant cultivar HH11 and salt-sensitive cultivar IR29 were treated with 200 mM NaCl solution for 0 h, 6 h, 24 h and 48 h at the three leaf stage. Physiological parameters and transcriptome were measured and analyzed after each treatment. Activity of SOD and POD, as well as the MDA and protein content of the two rice cultivars generally increased with increasing time of exposure to NaCl. Meanwhile, the APX activity first increased, then decreased in both cultivars, with maximum values seen at 6 h for IR29 and at 24 h for HH11. The GR and GPX activity of HH11 were stronger than that of IR29 in response to salt stress. The H2O2 content first increased at 0–6 h, then decreased at 6–24 h, and then increased again at 24–48 h under salt stress. Compared with IR29, SOD, POD and APX activity of HH11 was more sluggish in response to salt stress, reaching the maximum at 24 h or 48 h. The MDA, H2O2 and proline content of HH11 was lower than that of IR29 under salt stress. Relative to untreated HH11 plants (0 h) and those exposed to salt for 6 h, 24 h, and 48 h (H0-H6, H0-H24 and H0-H48), 7462, 6363 and 6636, differentially expressed genes (DEGs), respectively, were identified. For IR29, the respective total DEGs were 7566, 6075 and 6136. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that metabolic pathways related to antioxidative responses and osmotic balance played vital roles in salt stress tolerance. Sucrose and starch metabolism, in addition to flavonoid biosynthesis and glutathione metabolism, showed positive responses to salt stress. Expression of two SPS genes (LOC_Os01g69030 and LOC_Os08g20660) and two GST genes (LOC_Os06g12290 and LOC_Os10g38740) was up-regulated in both HH11 and IR29, whereas expression of LOC_Os09g12660, a glucose-1-phosphate adenylyltransferase gene, and two SS genes (LOC_Os04g17650 and LOC_Os04g24430) was up-regulated differential expression in HH11. The results showed that HH11 had more favorable adjustment in antioxidant and osmotic activity than IR29 upon exposure to salt stress, and highlighted candidate genes that could play roles in the function and regulation mechanism of salt tolerance in rice.
Applying self-powered sensor and support vector machine in load energy consumption modeling and prediction of relational database
Authors: Yang Dexian , Yu Jiong , He Zhenzhen , Li Ping , Du Xusheng
Published: November 2023

This study explores the analysis and modeling of energy consumption in the context of database workloads, aiming to develop an eco-friendly database management system (DBMS). It leverages vibration energy harvesting systems with self-sustaining wireless vibration sensors (WVSs) in combination with the least square support vector machine algorithm to establish an energy consumption model (ECM) for relational database workloads. Through experiments, the performance of self-sustaining WVS in providing power is validated, and the accuracy of the proposed ECM during the execution of Structured Query Language (SQL) statements is evaluated. The findings demonstrate that this approach can reliably predict the energy consumption of database workloads, with a maximum prediction error rate of 10% during SQL statement execution. Furthermore, the ECM developed for relational databases closely approximates actual energy consumption for query operations, with errors ranging from 1 to 4%. In most cases, the predictions are conservative, falling below the actual values. This finding underscores the high predictive accuracy of the ECM in anticipating relational database workloads and their associated energy consumption. Additionally, this paper delves into prediction accuracy under different types of operations and reveals that ECM excels in single-block read operations, outperforming multi-block read operations. ECM exhibits substantial accuracy in predicting energy consumption for SQL statements in sequential and random read modes, especially in specialized database management system environments, where the error rate for the sequential read model is lower. In comparison to alternative models, the proposed ECM offers superior precision. Furthermore, a noticeable correlation between model error and the volume of data processed by SQL statements is observed. In summary, the relational database ECM introduced in this paper provides accurate predictions of workload and database energy consumption, offering a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for the development of eco-friendly DBMS.
eRNA co-expression network uncovers TF dependency and convergent cooperativity
Authors: Lee Seungha Alisa , Kristjánsdóttir Katla , Kwak Hojoong
Published: November 2023

Enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) are non-coding RNAs produced by transcriptional enhancers that are highly correlated with their activity. Using a capped nascent RNA sequencing (PRO-cap) dataset in human lymphoblastoid cell lines across 67 individuals, we identified inter-individual variation in the expression of over 80 thousand transcribed transcriptional regulatory elements (tTREs), in both enhancers and promoters. Co-expression analysis of eRNAs from tTREs across individuals revealed how enhancers are associated with each other and with promoters. Mid- to long-range co-expression showed a distance-dependent decay that was modified by TF occupancy. In particular, we found a class of “bivalent” TFs, including Cohesin, that both facilitate and isolate the interaction between enhancers and/or promoters, depending on their topology. At short distances, we observed strand-specific correlations between nearby eRNAs in both convergent and divergent orientations. Our results support a cooperative model of convergent eRNAs, consistent with eRNAs facilitating adjacent enhancers rather than interfering with each other. Therefore, our approach to infer functional interactions from co-expression analyses provided novel insights into the principles of enhancer interactions as a function of distance, orientation, and binding landscapes of TFs.
The urinary RNA atlas of patients with chronic kidney disease
Authors: Lv Li-Zhi
Published: November 2023

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a significant global health burden. Currently employed CKD biomarkers are influenced by various factors and lack accuracy in reflecting early-stage renal fibrosis severity. Consequently, there is an urgent need for the identification of early, noninvasive CKD biomarkers. Urine, easily collectible and kidney-derived, has demonstrated potential as a diagnostic source for various kidney diseases by leveraging its RNA content. To address this, we obtained RNA-seq data pertaining to urinary RNAs from both CKD patients and healthy controls via the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO). The DEseq2 software was utilized to identify differentially expressed RNAs (DE-RNAs). To evaluate the overall accuracy of these DE-RNAs in urine, we performed Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis (ROC). Selected urinary RNAs were subsequently validated using reverse-transcription quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) in conjunction with ROC analysis. Computational and experimental analyses revealed significant increases in miR-542-5p, miR-33b-5p, miR-190a-3p, miR-507, and CSAG4 within the urine of CKD patients, exhibiting high AUC values. In conclusion, our findings suggest that urinary RNAs hold promise as diagnostic biomarkers for CKD.
Data-driven prediction of the equivalent sand-grain roughness
Authors: Ma Haoran , Li Yuhao , Yang Xin , Ye Lili
Published: November 2023

Surface roughness affects the near-wall fluid velocity profile and surface drag, and is commonly quantified by the equivalent sand-grain roughness $${k}_{s}$$

k
s

. It is essential to estimate $${k}_{s}$$

k
s

for accurate fluid dynamic problem modeling. While numerous roughness correlation formulas have been proposed to predict $${k}_{s}$$

k
s

in the fully rough regime, most of them are restricted to certain roughness types, with various geometric parameters considered in each case, leading to ongoing disagreements regarding its parameterization and lack of universality. In this study, a Particle Swarm Optimized Backpropagation (PSO-BP) method is proposed to predict $${k}_{s}$$

k
s

based on the selected surface parameters from previous DNS, LES, and experimental results for flow behavior over various surface roughness. The PSO-BP model’s ability to predict $${k}_{s}$$

k
s

in the fully rough region is evaluated and compared with both the existing roughness correction formulas as well as the traditional BP model. An optimized polynomial function is also proposed to serve as a ‘white box’ for predicting $${k}_{s}$$

k
s

. It turns out that the PSO-BP method has better performance in the evaluation metrics compared to other methods, yielding a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 0.0390, a Mean Squared Error (MSE) of 0.0026 and a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 28.12%. This novel approach for estimating $${k}_{s}$$

k
s

has practical applicability and holds promise for improving the precision and efficiency of calculations related to equivalent sand-grain roughness, and thus provides more accurate and effective solutions for CFD and other engineering applications.
Evaluation of industrial ecology in the π-shaped curve area of China’s Yellow River based on the grey Lotka–Volterra model
Authors: Sun Yifang
Published: November 2023

Industrial ecology (IE) is the process of constructing industrial-ecological systems (IES) with the realization of the mutual benefits for industrial system (IS) and ecological system (ES). Therefore, the IE level depends on the IES development and the relationship between IS and ES. This paper calculated the development index of ES and IS to account for IES development and adopted the grey Lotka–Volterra to analyze the relationship between IS and ES. Choosing the π-shaped curve area in the Yellow River basin of China as the study area, this paper analyzed its IE level and influence factors from 2005 to 2019. Findings include: (1) The development level of IES in the Area presented significant spatial differentiation and could be classified into three levels. (2) IS and ES remained in the stage of isolated development or mutual restriction. (3) IE was found to be positively correlated with scientific innovation, economic development, openness degree, pollution control, and industrial structure while negatively correlated with urbanization, resource consumption, and government influence.
Recent changes in the climatological characteristics of daily contiguous rain areas over India
Authors: Bhowmick Mansi , Sahany Sandeep , Das Ananda Kumar
Published: November 2023

This study documents the climatological feature (1951–1980) and recent changes (1981–2020) in rainfall characteristics considering the observed nearly full spectrum of rain event sizes (daily contiguous rain area (CRA) events) in all seasons over India. It is found that the low frequency very large CRA (~synoptic scale) from monsoon season contributes ~50% of annual rainfall. However, the small-sized CRA (isolated thunderstorms) are the most frequent daily rain events (~70% of annual frequency) and hence are important for rain-fed agricultural practices. The well-documented widespread drying trend in the monsoon season has manifested in the annual rainfall trend but with reduced magnitude illustrating the compensatory effect from other seasons. Spatial aggregated annual statistics show that there is no significant change in rainfall amount and frequency of occurrence of rain events in the recent past compared to the base period. However, seasonally the pre-monsoon rainfall amount has increased significantly. Annually, the number of extremely heavy CRA (EHR) events have significantly increased by ~55% owing to a significant increase in pre-monsoon and monsoon rainfall. In all seasons, small-sized extremely heavy CRA has intensified substantially by 50–200% as compared to the base period. Additionally, the rain events from areal category large (~Mesoscale Convective Complexes (MCC)) have intensified in all seasons except winter. Thus, to decrease the uncertainty in rain-fed agricultural practices and better prediction of EHR to develop effective climate change mitigation strategies; process studies beyond monsoon season and processes other than synoptic scales are also required.
LncRNA SNHG14 activates autophagy via regulating miR-493-5p/Mef2c axis to alleviate osteoporosis progression
Authors: Xue Jingbo , Liu Lulu , Liu Hao , Li Zepeng
Published: November 2023

Osteoporosis is a progressive bone disease caused by impaired function of endogenous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Herein, we investigated the mechanism of lncRNA SNHG14 in osteoporosis progression. BMSCs were isolated from BALB/c mice. The osteogenic ability of BMSCs was assessed by Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Alizarin Red S Staining (ARS) staining. The interaction between miR-493-5p and SNHG14 or myocyte enhancer factor 2 C (Mef2c) was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Bone histomorphometry changes were evaluated to analyze SNHG14’roles in osteoporosis in vivo. Our results illustrated SNHG14 and Mef2c levels were increased in a time-dependent manner in BMSCs, and miR-493-5p expression was decreased. SNHG14 knockdown inhibited osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, and SNHG14 upregulation had the opposite effect. SNHG14 overexpression elevated bone mineral density and bone trabecular number, and alleviated osteoporosis progression in vivo. Mechanically, miR-493-5p was a target of SNHG14, and miR-493-5p targeted the Mef2c gene directly. SNHG14 overexpression reversed the inhibition of miR-493-5p on the osteogenic ability of BMSCs, and miR-493-5p silencing accelerated BMSCs osteogenesis by activating Mef2c-mediated autophagy to accelerate BMSCs osteogenesis. In short, SNHG14 activated autophagy via regulating miR-493-5p/Mef2c axis to alleviate osteoporosis progression, which might provide a new molecular target for osteoporosis treatment.
A quantum battery with quadratic driving
Authors: Downing Charles Andrew , Ukhtary Muhammad Shoufie
Published: November 2023

Quantum batteries are energy storage devices built using quantum mechanical objects, which are developed with the aim of outperforming their classical counterparts. Proposing optimal designs of quantum batteries which are able to exploit quantum advantages requires balancing the competing demands for fast charging, durable storage and effective work extraction. Here we study theoretically a bipartite quantum battery model, composed of a driven charger connected to an energy holder, within two paradigmatic cases of a driven-dissipative open quantum system: linear driving and quadratic driving. The linear battery is governed by a single exceptional point which splits the response of the battery into two regimes, one of which induces a good amount of useful work. Quadratic driving leads to a squeezed quantum battery, which generates plentiful useful work near to critical points associated with dissipative phase transitions. Our theoretical results may be realized with parametric cavities or nonlinear circuits, potentially leading to the manifestation of a quantum battery exhibiting squeezing.
Ultra-stretchable and shape-memorable ability of an output-boosted triboelectric nanogenerator utilizing highly ordered microdome-crowning thermoplastic polyurethane for a finger-motion detection sensor
Authors: Chau Ngoc Mai , Tran Phuong Mai , Le Thu Ha , La Thi Thai Ha , Bui Van-Tien
Published: November 2023

We have strategically imprinted hexagonally arranged microdome arrays onto the surface of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) to enhance both the output performance and reliability of a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG).
3D printing of non-iridescent structural color inks for optical anti-counterfeiting
Authors: Guo Qilin , Wang Xiuli , Guo Jia , Wang Changchun
Published: November 2023

A novel strategy for facile creation of patterns with non-iridescent structural color inks through 3D printing is developed for optical anti-counterfeiting, the patterns are black under ambient light yet sparkling color under strong white light.
What Does an Adult Hemato-Oncology Physician Expect from a Hematopathologist?
Authors: Saj Fen Tity , Ganesan Prasanth
Published: November 2023

Recent advances in the field of hemato-oncology have significantly improved outcomes for patients. However, these changes have also increased the complexity of investigations required at the time of diagnosis and during the follow-up of these patients. Close interaction and exchange of information between the pathologist and the clinician is important for sucessful management of patients. This article briefly discusses the advances in the field and the impact of these changes on the management of patients. A clinician's perspective of what is required from a hematopathologist while managing patients in the current era is presented. An attempt is made to classify the requirements as to what is expected in ideal as well as in resource-limited settings.
Application of Lasers in Vascular Anomalies
Authors: Patil Uddhav Anandrao
Published: November 2023

Laser technology has significantly improved giving better results, which in turn has led to an increase in the indications for laser therapy. Vascular anomalies comprise vascular tumors and malformations. They are classified according to the type of vessels involved including arteries, capillaries, postcapillary venules, veins, lymphatic vessels, and a combination of two or more of these. Laser needs a chromophore to get absorbed and act. Hemoglobin, both oxy and deoxy, is one of the naturally occurring chromophore that is abundant in vascular lesions. Therefore, in most of the vascular lesions, lasers can bring improvement of a varying degree, while for superficial hemangiomas and port wine stain (PWS) laser treatment is now the standard of care. However, even though there is increase in the use of lasers in clinical practice, many surgeons are still unaware of its versatility and they are unsure about its safety. This article provides a brief overview of laser and intense pulsed light (IPL) technology, and describes the key principles in using these energy sources in vascular malformations. Readers are also familiarized with possible adverse effects and measures to prevent and treat them.
Inpatient Outcomes for Myocarditis-Related Heart Failure
Authors: Alabbas Mohammad , Gibson Cheryl , Morad Abdulrahman , Mohammad Alahmad Mohammad Alhoda
Published: November 2023

Background Heart failure (HF) is one of the leading causes of hospitalizations among adults, accounting for high rates of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Myocarditis is a less common etiology of HF, and its outcomes are less well understood.

Methods We used the Nationwide Readmissions Database from 2016 to 2019, extracting adult patients with a primary diagnosis of HF who were admitted between January and November of each year studied. We excluded patients with missing data on event time or length of stay. Inpatient outcomes were compared between cases of HF without myocarditis and myocarditis-associated HF (MAHF). Survey procedures were applied. Propensity scores as covariates were used in survey-weighted models to estimate the population average treatment effect on the treated using SAS 9.4.

Results We included 4,454,272 HF-related weighted admissions for which 4,605 patients (0.1%) had a concurrent diagnosis of myocarditis. Overall, patients with MAHF, compared with HF without myocarditis, were younger (mean age: 53 years vs. 72 years, p < 0.001) with fewer women (45 vs. 48%), respectively. Patients with MAHF had more inpatient complications including cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, and use of mechanical circulatory support (p < 0.001) despite having fewer comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and renal disease. Patients with MAHF had longer mean lengths of stay (9.2 vs. 5.5 days, p < 0.001). In-hospital mortality during index admission was significantly higher in MAHF at 3.9% compared with 2.8% for HF without myocarditis (p < 0.001). Myocarditis was a key predictor of inpatient mortality adjusting for risk factors.

Conclusion Myocarditis-related HF is associated with increased inpatient mortality, resource utilization, and prolonged hospitalization.
Healthcare resource utilisation and economic burden of patients with adequate and inadequate responses to biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs for rheumatoid arthritis in Japan
Authors: Ikeda Kei , Kaneko Yuko , Tsujita Yuki , Kawaguchi Isao , Patel Jayeshkumar , Yamazaki Toru , Fang Siran , Kawahito Yutaka
Published: November 2023

Objective

To compare healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU) and direct costs between responders versus non-responders to advanced therapies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods

Patients initiating ≥1 advanced therapy (October 2018 − September 2019) with ≥1 RA claim (6-month pre-index period), ≥2 RA claims (any period), and ≥12 months follow-up were identified from the Medical Data Vision claims database. HCRU and all-cause and RA-related costs [direct medical, emergency department (ED), laboratory, and pharmacy] were compared between responders and non-responders. Adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for HCRU or cost were calculated via multivariable analyses.

Results

Among 2446 patients [non-responders (n = 1817); responders (n = 629)], non-responders had significantly longer hospitalisation days [IRR: 1.8 (95% CI: 1.2 − 2.6)], and significantly more ED visits [2.5 (1.5 − 4.2)] and prescriptions [1.1 (1.1 − 1.2)]. Mean all-cause hospital/outpatient medical costs were significantly higher for non-responders [1.4 (1.3 − 1.6), ¥530,895 versus ¥357,009 ($3992 versus $2684) for responders; ¥173,886 ($1307) difference]; RA-related medical costs showed a similar trend [¥351,306 vs ¥253,030 ($2641 vs $1902); ¥98,276 ($739) difference]. No differences between responders and non-responders were observed in mean all-cause and RA-related pharmacy costs.

Conclusions

Non-responders to advanced therapies had greater HCRU and all-cause/RA-related direct costs as compared with responders, suggesting a need for more effective RA therapies to reduce the economic burden associated with non-response.
Introduction
Authors: Smith Anthony D
Published: November 2023

The aim of this book is to examine the bases of national identity, in the hope of discovering some of the reasons for the widespread persistence of national identities in the modern world. Such an undertaking may seem to be increasingly dated and paradoxical. As we are so often told, we have already entered into a ‘post-national’ epoch.1 The boundaries of nations have become increasingly porous and the loyalties of populations are being transferred to supranational-or to subnational-collectivises. Technologies, currencies, goods, services, and people flow across boundaries with increasing speed and ease. Mass electronic communications and digital technology bind people, and peoples, together in ways that are wholly unprecedented, and that make the old national loyalties seem naive and even bizarre. We have entered a new world of global outlooks, mass migrations, and continental associations, in which power and identity accrue only to the largest of communities commanding vast resources and offering unimagined benefits. In such a world, nationalism is, in the words of Eric Hobsbawm, at most a complicating factor, or a catalyst for other developments: ‘Nations and nationalism will be present in this history, but in subordinate, and often rather minor roles’ (Hobsbawm 1990: 181, 182). But this may be only one side of a more complex picture. For, if this were all there was to it, why do we see so many
Nationalism and Religion
Authors: Smith Anthony D
Published: November 2023

It is usual to see in nationalism a modern, secular ideology that replaces the religious systems found in premodern, traditional societies. In this view, ‘religion’ and ‘nationalism’ figure as two terms in the conventional distinction between tradition and modernity, and in an evolutionary framework that sees an inevitable movement whether liberating or destructive-from the one to the other. Perhaps the most trenchant and penetrating statement of this position was provided by Elie Kedourie in a book entitled simply Nationalism(1960). Here Kedourie set out to show how a new doctrine of political change, propounded by German philosophers at the beginning of the nineteenth century, had subverted and destroyed the old, traditional order in Europe, which had been based upon the ideas of hierarchy, the sacred, and the separation of the public and private domains. For Kedourie, nationalism was a spiritual child of the Enlightenment. As such it was a modern, secular, European, and invented ideology. It proclaimed the overthrow of God and the power of man as the measure of all things; and it offered a purely terrestrial and anthropocentric vision of perfection in place of earlier religious and other-worldly conceptions.
Missionary Peoples
Authors: Smith Anthony D
Published: November 2023

Covenanted peoples tend to turn inwards, away from the profane world in their dedication to, and witness of, the true faith and the sacred duty of obedience to God’s commands. Missionary peoples are equally dedicated to what they see as the true faith and the word of God, but they seek to expand into and transform the world, by example, persuasion, or force, or a combination of these. Typically, we find their leaders and their dominant elites and institutions bent on entering and converting the profane or heathen world-through missionary activities, or conquest. Through such transforming acts, the true nature of the communities they lead are revealed, for the sacred task entrusted to them by the deity is both in and of this world, their goal being nothing less than the submission of the profane world to the deity and its sanctification through the salvation of souls. Of course, the distinction between missionary and covenanted peoples is one of degree only. We know that the ancient Judahites sought to convert the Edomites through conquest by the Hasmoneans, and that the Solomonic dynasty of medieval Ethiopia was equally dedicated to the conquest and conversion of neighbouring heathen peoples to the true Monophysite faith. Indeed, at different periods of their history,
Ethnohistory and the Golden Age
Authors: Smith Anthony D
Published: November 2023

If nations exist in space, they are equally anchored in time. History, a sense of history, and an ethnic past or pasts, have all been habitually deemed to be either defining characteristics or causal factors in the formation of nations-by nationalists, certainly, but also by other members of the nations concerned, and by many analysts. Thus, David Miller, who favours a ‘civic’ version of the nation, nevertheless includes the temporal element in his definition of ‘nationality’ as ‘a community (I) constituted by shared belief and mutual commitment, ( 2) extended in time, (3) active in character, ( 4) connected to a particular territory, and ( 5) marked off from other communities by its distinct public culture’ (Miller I995: 27). For Walker Connor, too, the idea of the nation assumes a temporal dimension. The nation, he writes, ‘is a group of people who feel that they are ancestrally related’ (Connor I994: 202). Even Benedict Anderson, for whom the nation is an imagined political community, and imagined as sovereign, finite, and horizontally cross-class, regards the temporal dimension as crucial, even if it is not part of his definition of the concept. Nations are imagined as moving in linear fashion through ‘empty, homogeneous time’, and therefore they could not be imagined without the revolution in our concept of time that accompanied the rise of ‘print-capitalism’ (Anderson I99I: 23-4).
Nationalism and Golden Ages
Authors: Smith Anthony D
Published: November 2023

If golden ages can be found among peoples before the era of nationalism, they become a sine qua non for modern nationalists. Not only is a golden age a vital component of nationalist mythology; it is indispensable to an understanding of national ‘character’. Without a golden age, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to discover the ‘true self’ of the people. For many peoples, there were ample records to hand. Documents and artefacts and oral traditions could be used by nationalist movements, under the influence of Romanticism, to seek and recover a golden age for the designated nation, and to draw from it the moral lessons needed to mobilize and unify the people. Even peoples with few records and uncertain traditions embarked on the quest for an age of heroism and creativity, in the belief that its discovery and recovery would unlock the secrets of their ‘true self’ and help it to become a fully-fledged nation-in their own eyes, as well as those of outsiders. So we find Ukrainians and Belarusians sifting through the records of their pasts, and treating legends and traditions as history or at least as an approximation to the ‘truth’ of their pasts, even when the patrimony was contested. This was the case with Kievan Rus’, claimed by the Ukrainians as exclusively their golden age, but also by the Russians as the first of their golden ages.
The Glorious Dead
Authors: Smith Anthony D
Published: November 2023

The drama of the nation has three climactic moments, each of them glorious: its golden age, its ultimate national destiny, and the sacrifice of its members. But, since the ultimate destiny of the nation can never be known, though many may hope to divine it, all we can be sure of is that it will come about only through the commitment and self-sacrifice of its members, and that is what the nation must continually uphold, remember, and celebrate. What we might term ‘destiny through sacrifice’, therefore, forms the final sacred foundation of national identity, at once seen and unseen, actively cultivated, and a silent presence. At the outset, we must be clear that it is not so much the actions of those held to have made a sacrifice that concerns us, as the memory and report of those actions. In this context, public memory and report are more important than private, though the two often overlap and reinforce each other, at least as far as their expression is concerned. Grief, like hope and defiance, may start in the privacy of individuals’ hearts, but its overt expression, outside the immediate family, becomes a form of public communication, a generalized language of mourning and celebration whose sentiments and messages are standard, if not universal, beneath the variety of national forms.
How Evolution and Ethics Might be Related
Authors: Rachels James
Published: November 2023

THE history of thought since Darwin has produced two noteworthy attempts to connect evolution and ethics: the first was the programme of ‘evolutionary ethics’ championed by Herbert Spencer; the second is the more recent proposal by some sociobiologists to reinterpret morality along lines suggested by their new science. In this chapter I will begin by reviewing these two projects, neither of which seems especially promising. Then I will describe a different and perhaps more profitable line of enquiry.

A few months after publication of the Origin, Darwin wrote to Lyell, with obvious amusement: ‘I have noted in a Manchester newspaper a rather good squib, showing that I have proved “might is right” and therefore Napoleon is right and every cheating tradesman is also right.’ The Manchester editorialist thought this was a reason for rejecting Darwinism—obviously, a theory with such implications should not be accepted. Others, however, would soon take a different view. They would accept Darwin’s theory, and conclude that the morality of ruthlessness was a good lesson to be learned from it.
The Early History of Children’s Literature
Authors: Hunt Peter
Published: November 2023

When F. J. Harvey Darton wrote the ‘first assault’ on the history of children’s books, he began with a definition: ‘By “children’s books” I mean printed works produced ostensibly to give children pleasure, and not primarily to teach them, nor solely to make them good, nor to keep them profitably quiet,’ and so he intended only to mention didactic works that ‘gave much latitude to amusement’ ‘ That Darton had anything to write about at all demonstrates how liberal he was in interpreting amusement in terms of pre-eighteenth-century childhood.
Equal Terms: 1940 to the Present
Authors: Hunt Peter
Published: November 2023

The last fifty years have seen children’s literature established as a major commercial area of publishing. Since economic stability was restored in the 1950s, children’s books have weathered the economic storms at least as well as their adult counterparts. Four things have been very noticeable: the first, the move into fantasy in the 1950s and 1960s, and, since then, a swing towards a ‘new realism’: streetwise, multiracial literature, often written from the ‘inside’. The second has been the spectacular growth of high-quality picture-books (under virtually any definition).
Pregnant women and smoking
Authors: Wald Nicholas , Nicolaides-Bouman Ans
Published: November 2023

This section provides a summary of the smoking habits among pregnant women found in the major British surveys conducted between 1959 and 1989. The percentage of women who stopped smoking at some point during the pregnancy ranged from 6 to 9 per cent, or between 13 and 24 per cent of smokers. For most studies the percentage of women who smoke before pregnancy was comparable to the percentage of women who smoke as reported by the TAC or GHS for the relevant age group and the year in which the data was collected.
Principles of Exposure Measurement in Epidemiology
Authors: Armstrong Bruce k. , White Emily , Saracci Rodolfo
Published: November 2023

The objective of much epidemiological research is to relate exposure to external agents to the occurrence of particular diseases. The achievement of this objective depends critically on accurate measurement of exposure. This book brings together for the first time in a single volume the principles and techniques of exposure measurement as they relate specifically to causes of non-infectious diseases. In doing so, it draws on experience and results from a number of disciplines including psychology, survey research, sociology, environmental hygiene, epidemiology, and biostatistics, and synthesizes them for direct practical application in epidemiological and related research. The book covers questionnaire design, conducting personal interviews, abstracting information from medical records, use of proxy respondents, and use of biological and environmental measurements. It gives a comprehensive account of measurement effects, and the design, analysis, and interpretation of validity and reliability studies. Emphasis is given to the ways in which the validity of measurements can be increased. Techniques to maximize participation of subjects in epidemiological studies are discussed, and ethical issues relevant to exposure measurement are outlined. The book will be useful as a handbook for anyone wishing to design or conduct an epidemiological study and can also be used as the text for a graduate course in exposure measurement in epidemiology.
Reducing measurement error and its effects
Authors: Armstrong Bruce k. , White Emily , Saracci Rodolfo
Published: November 2023

In Chapters 3 and 4 we have described the effects of exposure measurement error and how the extent of measurement error can be assessed. The primary focus of exposure measurement, however, should not be on assessment but on the reduction of measurement error and its effects.
Ethical issues
Authors: Armstrong Bruce k. , White Emily , Saracci Rodolfo
Published: November 2023

Ethics are rules or principles that govern right conduct. In the research context, ‘right conduct’ may be defined in terms of what is right for science, what is right for the subjects of the research, or what is right for society at large. Ethics based on social benefit and scientific merit are potentially in conflict with ethics that protect the rights of research subjects. A highly informative and therefore socially valuable investigation which is conducted according to sound scientific principles may carry unacceptable hazards to the subjects. Removal of the hazards may render the investigation less satisfactory, or even worthless scientifically, and therefore less useful, or even useless, socially. Resolution of this conflict between ethics will almost always involve compromise and lead to a result which is less than wholly desirable when measured against some scale of values.