bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Barriers and facilitators to adherence to Optimal Care Pathways for diagnosis and treatment of cancer for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Authors: Ivers Rowena , Dickson Michelle , Taylor Kathleen , Levett Trish , Wynn Kyla , Trees Janelle , Webster Emma , Garvey Gail , Cunningham Joan , Whop Lisa , Diaz Abbey
Published: September 2023

Background The Optimal Care Pathways (OCP) are a framework to promote high-quality and integrated cancer care for all Australians, from prevention through to end-of-life-care. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience disproportionate cancer incidence and mortality, but little research has addressed whether cancer care for Aboriginal people meets the standards prescribed by the OCPs. This study aims to consider barriers and facilitators to quality cancer care for Aboriginal people. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 health professionals who deliver care to Aboriginal people with cancer in primary care and hospital settings in New South Wales, Australia. Health professionals included Aboriginal Health Workers, nurses, general practitioners, and community workers. Interviews were conducted in 2019–2020 and explored participant perspectives of barriers and facilitators of optimal cancer care, particularly related to prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment for Aboriginal people. Data were qualitatively analysed using framework analysis. Results In general, participants perceived Aboriginal patients to have good access to preventive care. In terms of early detection and diagnosis, access to primary care, pathology, radiology, and some specialists (e.g. respiratory physicians) was seen as optimal. However, access to hospital-based gastroenterologists for colonoscopy was perceived to be poor due to long wait times. Access to optimal care for cancer treatment was perceived to be hindered due to the lack of bulk-billing for bowel cancer, breast cancer, and cardiothoracic surgery. Other barriers to care identified by participants included unclear referral pathways, poor communication between patient and the treating team, and a lack of timely provision of discharge summaries. Conclusions Facilitators of optimal care during treatment and survivorship included: the Integrated Team Care and Close the Gap programs, and presence of key health workers to help patients navigate the health system. The major barriers to quality cancer care for Aboriginal people appeared to be to specialist and procedural access, demonstrating that the ‘Inverse Care’ law applied in reducing access for populations at higher risk of cancer.
TET3-mediated DNA oxidation is essential for intestinal epithelial cell response to stressors
Authors: Gonzalez Edward A. , Liu Yue , Wang Dahui , Jeziorek Maciej , Bandyopadhyay Sheila , Rao Anjana , Gao Nan , Etchegaray Jean-Pierre
Published: September 2023

DNA methylation functions as a repressive epigenetic mark that can be reversed by the Ten-eleven translocation (TET) family of DNA dioxygenases that sequentially oxidize 5-methylcytosine into 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC), and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC). Both 5fC and 5caC can be excised by DNA base-excision repair factors leading to unmodified cytosines. TET enzymes were recently implicated as potential risk factors for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but the contribution of TET-mediated DNA oxidation to intestinal homeostasis and response to environmental stressors are unknown. Here, we show prominent roles of TET3 in regulating mouse intestinal epithelial differentiation and response to luminal stressors. Compared with wild-type littermates, mice with intestinal epithelial cell-specific ablation of
Tet3
(
Tet3

ΔIEC

) demonstrated a decreased transcriptome involved in innate immune response, Paneth cell differentiation, and epithelial regeneration.
Tet3

IEC

mice exhibited an elevated susceptibility to enteric pathogen infection that is correlated with a decreased epithelial 5hmC abundance. Infection of human enterocytes or mice with the pathogenic bacteria acutely increased 5hmC abundance. Genome-wide 5hmC profiling revealed a shift of genomic enrichment of 5hmC toward genes involved in activating Notch, Wnt, and autophagy pathways. Furthermore, chemical stressor dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) represses epithelial 5hmC abundance in a temporal fashion, and
Tet3

IEC

mice exhibited increased susceptibility to DSS experimental colitis with reduced regenerative capacity. TET3 is a critical regulator of gut epithelial DNA methylome and transcriptome, especially in response to luminal stressors, for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis.
Self-affirmation increases reemployment success for the unemployed
Authors: Pfrombeck Julian , Galinsky Adam D. , Nagy Noemi , North Michael S. , Brockner Joel , Grote Gudela
Published: September 2023

Losing a job is one of life’s most stressful events. Furthermore, maladaptive reactions to unemployment can trap people in a vicious cycle that derails their reemployment efforts. The current research tested whether a brief values-based self-affirmation intervention increases the odds of reemployment after a job loss and during unemployment, which presumably breaks this vicious cycle. Two field experiments, including one with a governmental employment agency, found that a 15-min self-affirmation exercise—i.e., reflecting on one’s most important values—increased key employment-related outcomes after 4 wk, including the probability and speed of reemployment and the number of job offers. Because the ordeal of job loss and the probability of reemployment may be particularly challenging for individuals above the age of 50 y, we also explored whether the intervention was equally effective for those above and below 50 y of age. Demonstrating the generality of this effect, the efficacy of the intervention did not differ between individuals below and above the age of 50, and it was also effective for both recently unemployed and chronically unemployed individuals. Because self-affirmations have more typically been tested in educational contexts, the current research demonstrates the wide-ranging value of this intervention. By diminishing the vicious cycle of unemployment, the present studies show how a simple self-affirmation intervention can help individuals succeed in the labor market.
Picobirnaviruses encode proteins that are functional bacterial lysins
Authors: Gan Tianyu , Wang David
Published: September 2023

Picobirnaviruses (PBVs) are double-stranded RNA viruses frequently detected in human and animal enteric viromes. Associations of PBVs with enteric graft-versus-host disease and type I diabetes during pregnancy have been established. Since their discovery in 1988, PBVs have been generally assumed to be animal-infecting viruses despite the lack of culture system, animal model, or detection in animal cells or tissues. Recent studies have proposed that bacteria or fungi could be the hosts of PBVs based on genomic analysis. Here, we functionally demonstrate that multiple PBVs of different genome organizations encode bacterial lysins that lyse
Escherichia coli
. Such genes are typically encoded only by bacteriophages supporting the model that PBVs infect bacterial hosts. Recognition of PBVs as RNA phages in the human gut would completely shift models of how PBVs could impact human health. In addition, expanding the RNA phage world beyond the two recognized clades to three clades has implications for our understanding of the evolution of RNA viruses.
Story, style, and structure
Authors: Moyna María Irene , Blumenthal Teresa
Published: September 2023

This study analyses variation and change in Uruguayan Spanish address between formal (usted) and
informal variants (tú, vos). It focusses on address representations in children’s literature written between 1918
and 1973 – foundational texts that helped consolidate national identity. Our study answers the following questions: (a) What were
the most frequent pronominal and verbal address forms employed in early Uruguayan children’s literature? (b) What were their pragmatic
and stylistic contexts of use? And (c) To what extent did those forms and uses differ from their contemporary counterparts? The
second-person pronouns and verbs from eleven children’s books were analysed quantitatively to establish frequencies. We found that
early children’s literature presented usted and tú as the urban norm. Vernacular
vos was practically absent until the 1940s, and afterwards it was found only in specific constrained
contexts. This differs markedly from contemporary literature for children, which favours voseo and reflects
orality quite accurately.
The history of second-person pronouns in European Portuguese
Authors: Lara Bermejo Víctor
Published: September 2023

European Portuguese is known for the complexity of its second-person pronouns system. Despite this fact, there are
not many works that deal with its evolution, since most analyses focus on case studies. In this article, I aim to pinpoint the
diachrony of the second-person pronominal system of European Portuguese through the analysis of a corpus consisting of letters
that cover the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The data will be compared to the available information regarding the previous
centuries as well as the present. The results show that the European variety has journeyed through three very specific periods in
its history, triggering both loss of inflection and person disagreements. Moreover, it has always maintained the spectrum of
distance or power as the unmarked form of politeness – in contrast to the fashions attested in other languages and elsewhere in
Europe.
The rise of what-general extenders in English
Authors: Brinton Laurel J.
Published: September 2023

General extenders (ges) are elements such as and so forth occurring at the right
periphery. On the referential level, they implicate a set, but they also serve a range of discourse-pragmatic functions, such as
hedging and interpersonal relations. Some sociolinguistic studies have seen the development of ges as synchronic
grammaticalization involving phonetic reduction, decategorialization, semantic bleaching and pragmatic enrichment, but other
studies have found no evidence of ongoing grammaticalization. Historical studies of ges are few. This paper sets out to
fill this gap by studying the rise of disjunctive, adjunctive and bare ges formed with what –
(or/and) what you will, or what, or/and what else, (or) whatever, (or/and) what not and (or/and) what
have you. Despite their apparent similarity, these are shown to have quite different sources and histories. Their
development conforms to some of the recognized parameters of grammaticalization but is more fruitfully understood from a
constructionist approach.
Performance evaluation of an Ultra-Fast IR Detector for Astronomy Transients
Authors: Drago A , Pace E , Bini S , Cestelli Guidi M , Cioeta F , Marcelli A , Bocci V
Published: September 2023

In this work, we present the design of an ultra-fast IR (InfraRed) detector for the search of astronomical transients. Time-domain astronomy is a field in continuous growth in the last years, with interest in detectors with nanosecond performance, in order to observe potential fast transients with the time scale of GRBs (Gamma Ray Bursts) and FRBs (Fast Radio Bursts). An ultra-fast temporal detector based on HgCdTe photoconductors is under development in Italy, at the Frascati National Laboratory of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics, by tests at SINBAD, the DAFNE infrared beamline. The detector will be used for mid-IR observations together with a ground-based reflecting telescope or launched on a scientific balloon.
High sensitivity fiber optic esophageal pressure sensor based on OFDR
Authors: Han Jingyi , Chen Mingsong , Wen Jialin , Yang Tianyu , Dong Yuming
Published: September 2023

In this paper, a distributed esophageal pressure measurement sensor is proposed. Optical frequency domain reflection (OFDR) technology is adopted to measure the axial strain change of the optical fiber. By designing a sensitizing structure, the sensing performance can be well improved. The analysis based on finite element simulation of the sensor is carried out and its feasibility is verified. Compared with the solid high-resolution esophageal manometry system widely used at this stage, the proposed sensor is low cost and simple in structure. The sensitivity of the sensor can reach 65.920μɛ/kPa.
A thread scheduling model for highly concurrent IoT platforms
Authors: Li Zhongwen , Xie Zelun , Tang Zhenhui
Published: September 2023

To accept and process the requests many IoT devices give, the server on the IoT platform must open many threads. Enhancing server speed while working with constrained processors, memory, and other resources is extremely difficult. In this paper, we propose a thread scheduling model that abstracts server resources, combines queues to handle resource contention, avoids the issue of frequent switching of the server’s underlying processor context in traditional thread scheduling, and combines with a specific thread weighting mechanism to enable the server to handle more requests from IoT devices with the same overhead. Finally, we carry out tests to show that our model is valid.
Limited driving of elevated CO2 on vegetation greening over global drylands
Authors: Jian Dongnan , Niu Guo-Yue , Ma Zhuguo , Liu Hongyan , Guan Dabo , Zhou Xin , Zhou Juan
Published: September 2023

Drylands are the world’s largest biome and dominate the trends and interannual variability of global carbon sinks. Although a ‘greening’ trend of global drylands has been widely reported, large uncertainties remain in attributing its drivers. It is increasingly emphasized that elevated CO2 has greatly contributed to the vegetation greening over global drylands. Here we quantified the contributions of climate change, elevated CO2, and land use and land cover change (LULCC) on leaf area index (LAI) over drylands, using a process-based land surface model Noah-MP to investigate the drivers of vegetation change. The state-of-the-art model shows better performance in simulating the interannual variability of satellite-observed LAI over global drylands compared with that of the multi-model ensemble mean LAI from the TRENDY results. The area that LAI changes dominated by climate change (44.03%) is three times greater than that by CO2 (13.89%), and climate change also contributes most to the global drylands greening trend (55.07%). LULCC shows regional dominance over 13.35% of the global drylands, which is associated with afforestation, woody plant encroachment, and agricultural intensification. Our results imply that the vegetation greening area driven by elevated CO2 is much limited relative to the overwhelming climatic driving, which should be considered in predictions of trends and interannual variations of global carbon sinks.
Internationalization and multinational corporations’ environmental performance: the role of corporate governance
Authors: Peng Xuhui , Li Jingduan , Zhang Huan , Nakandala Dilupa
Published: September 2023

Owing to critical climate change issues, the environmental responsibility of multinational corporations (MNCs) has recently attracted considerable attention from academia. However, few studies have examined how corporate governance (CG) affects MNCs’ environmental strategies during internationalization. Therefore, informed by the Institutional and stakeholder theories, this study focuses on Fortune Global 500 MNCs and theoretically discusses and empirically tests the relationship between internationalization and MNCs’ environmental performance and the moderating effects of CG on this relationship. The results indicate that there is a positive impact of internationalization on MNCs’ environmental performance and a positive moderating effect of board independence. Moreover, additional analyses show the joint moderating effects of CG on this relationship. Our results emphasize the importance of MNCs’ environmental responsibility that focuses on global stakeholders’ demands, how board independence strengthens board attention to stakeholders’ concerns, and why the joint effects of CG enhance environmental performance. Finally, suggestions for promoting MNCs’ environmental responsibility by strengthening CG regulations targeting policymakers and MNCs are provided.
Evaluation of the physical properties and filtration efficiency of PVDF/PAN nanofiber membranes by using dry milk protein
Authors: Mustfa Wissam Mohammed , Habeeb Salih Abbas
Published: September 2023

In engineering applications, especially ultrafiltration (UF) applications, it is very important to use polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanofiber membranes. In this study, membrane nanofibers made of pure PAN, PVDF: PAN blends, and pure PVDF (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, and M6), were produced by the electrospinning technique with different contents of PVDF in each blend. The prepared membranes were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle measurements, x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometry, and differential scanning calorimetry-thermogravimetric analysis (DSC-TGA). In terms of the physical properties, the viscosity of the membranes increased with an increase in the content of PVDF in the blends compared with the viscosity of the pure polymer solutions. This led to increases in nanofiber diameter, pore size, and porosity by 261.664%, 875.107%, and 114.41%, respectively, when the content of PVDF increased from 20% (M2) to 80% (M5); this was also accompanied by an increase in the surface wettability of the membrane depending on its contact angle. In addition, the thermal properties and crystallinity of PAN improved after increasing the PVDF content from 20% (M2) to 60% (M4). Moreover, the filtration efficiency of the membranes was measured to determine the per cent reduction in pure water flux, reduction in mean depth (RMD) before and after using dry milk protein, the flux recovery ratio and porosity, giving values of 15.68%, 82.51%, 84.32%, and 67.79%, respectively, for the M4 membrane.
Reducing cost in DNA-based data storage by sequence analysis-aided soft information decoding of variable-length reads
Authors: Park Seong-Joon , Kim Sunghwan , Jeong Jaeho , No Albert , No Jong-Seon , Park Hosung
Published: September 2023

Motivation

DNA-based data storage is one of the most attractive research areas for future archival storage. However, it faces the problems of high writing and reading costs for practical use. There have been many efforts to resolve this problem, but existing schemes are not fully suitable for DNA-based data storage, and more cost reduction is needed.

Results

We propose whole encoding and decoding procedures for DNA storage. The encoding procedure consists of a carefully designed single low-density parity-check code as an inter-oligo code, which corrects errors and dropouts efficiently. We apply new clustering and alignment methods that operate on variable-length reads to aid the decoding performance. We use edit distance and quality scores during the sequence analysis-aided decoding procedure, which can discard abnormal reads and utilize high-quality soft information. We store 548.83 KB of an image file in DNA oligos and achieve a writing cost reduction of 7.46% and a significant reading cost reduction of 26.57% and 19.41% compared with the two previous works.

Availability and implementation

Data and codes for all the algorithms proposed in this study are available at: https://github.com/sjpark0905/DNA-LDPC-codes.
FunTaxIS-lite: a simple and light solution to investigate protein functions in all living organisms
Authors: Bianca Federico , Ispano Emilio , Gazzola Ermanno , Lavezzo Enrico , Fontana Paolo , Toppo Stefano
Published: September 2023

Motivation

Defining the full domain of protein functions belonging to an organism is a complex challenge that is due to the huge heterogeneity of the taxonomy, where single or small groups of species can bear unique functional characteristics. FunTaxIS-lite provides a solution to this challenge by determining taxon-based constraints on Gene Ontology (GO) terms, which specify the functions that an organism can or cannot perform. The tool employs a set of rules to generate and spread the constraints across both the taxon hierarchy and the GO graph.

Results

The taxon-based constraints produced by FunTaxIS-lite extend those provided by the Gene Ontology Consortium by an average of 300%. The implementation of these rules significantly reduces errors in function predictions made by automatic algorithms and can assist in correcting inconsistent protein annotations in databases.

Availability and implementation

FunTaxIS-lite is available on https://www.medcomp.medicina.unipd.it/funtaxis-lite and from https://github.com/MedCompUnipd/FunTaxIS-lite.
Placental galectins: a subfamily of galectins lose the ability to bind β-galactosides with new structural features
Authors: Pei Xuejing , Zhu Jiahui , Wang Yuchen , Zhang Fali , He Yufeng , Li Yuchun , Si Yunlong
Published: September 2023

Galectins are a phylogenetically conserved family of soluble β-galactoside binding proteins. There are 16 different of galectins, each with a specific function determined by its distinct distribution and spatial structure. Galectin-13, galectin-14, and galectin-16 are distinct from other galectin members in that they are primarily found in placental tissue. These galectins, also referred to as placental galectins, play critical roles in regulating pregnancy-associated processes, such as placenta formation and maternal immune tolerance to the embedded embryo. The unique structural characteristics and the inability to bind lactose of placental galectins have recently received significant attention. This review primarily examines the novel structural features of placental galectins, which distinguish them from the classic galectins. Furthermore, it explores the correlation between these structural features and the loss of β-galactoside binding ability. In addition, the newly discovered functions of placental galectins in recent years are also summarized in our review. A detailed understanding of the roles of placental galectins may contribute to the discovery of new mechanisms causing numerous pregnancy diseases and enable the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of these diseases, ultimately benefiting the health of mothers and offspring.
Preferential attachment with reciprocity: properties and estimation
Authors: Cirkovic Daniel , Wang Tiandong , Resnick Sidney I
Published: September 2023

Reciprocity in social networks is a measure of information exchange between two individuals, and indicates interaction patterns between pairs of users. A recent study finds that the reciprocity coefficient of a classical directed preferential attachment (PA) model does not match empirical evidence. Towards remedying this deficiency, we extend the classical three-scenario directed PA model by adding a parameter that controls the probability of creating a reciprocal edge. This proposed model also allows edge creation between two existing nodes, making it a realistic candidate for fitting to datasets. We provide and compare two estimation procedures for fitting the new reciprocity model and demonstrate the methods on simulated and real datasets. One estimation method requires careful analysis of the heavy tail properties of the model. The fitted models provide a good match with the empirical tail distributions of both in- and out-degrees but other mismatched diagnostics suggest that further generalization of the model is warranted.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delayed care of cardiovascular diseases in Europe: a systematic review
Authors: Khan Yasmine , Verhaeghe Nick , Devleesschauwer Brecht , Cavillot Lisa , Gadeyne Sylvie , Pauwels Nele , Van den Borre Laura , De Smedt Delphine
Published: September 2023

Aims

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death worldwide. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted healthcare systems, causing delays in essential medical services, and potentially impacting CVD treatment. This study aims to estimate the impact of the pandemic on delayed CVD care in Europe by providing a systematic overview of the available evidence.

Methods and results

PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched until mid-September 2022 for studies focused on the impact of delayed CVD care due to the pandemic in Europe among adult patients. Outcomes were changes in hospital admissions, mortality rates, delays in seeking medical help after symptom onset, delays in treatment initiation, and change in the number of treatment procedures. We included 132 studies, of which all were observational retrospective. Results were presented in five disease groups: ischaemic heart diseases (IHD), cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), cardiac arrests (CA), heart failures (HF), and others, including broader CVD groups. There were significant decreases in hospital admissions for IHD, CVA, HF and urgent and elective cardiac procedures, and significant increases for CA. Mortality rates were higher for IHD and CVA.

Conclusion

The pandemic led to reduced acute CVD hospital admissions and increased mortality rates. Delays in seeking medical help were observed, while urgent and elective cardiac procedures decreased. Adequate resource allocation, clear guidelines on how to handle care during health crises, reduced delays, and healthy lifestyle promotion should be implemented. The long-term impact of pandemics on delayed CVD care, and the health-economic impact of COVID-19 should be further evaluated.
Environmental dependence of mutational (co)variances of adaptive traits
Authors: Kannan Ashvitha , Dugand Robert J , Appleton Nicholas C , Chenoweth Stephen F , Sgrò Carla M , McGuigan Katrina
Published: September 2023

Standing genetic variation, and capacity to adapt to environment change, will ultimately depend on the fitness effects of mutations across the range of environments experienced by contemporary, panmictic, populations. We investigated how mild perturbations in diet and temperature affect mutational (co)variances of traits that evolve under climatic adaptation, and contribute to individual fitness in Drosophila serrata. We assessed egg-to-adult viability, development time and wing size of 64 lines that had diverged from one another via spontaneous mutation over 30 generations of brother–sister mating. Our results suggested most mutations have directionally concordant (i.e., synergistic) effects in all environments and both sexes. However, elevated mutational variance under reduced macronutrient conditions suggested environment-dependent variation in mutational effect sizes for development time. We also observed evidence for antagonistic effects under standard versus reduced macronutrient conditions, where these effects were further contingent on temperature (for development time) or sex (for size). Diet also influenced the magnitude and sign of mutational correlations between traits, although this result was largely due to a single genotype (line), which may reflect a rare, large effect mutation. Overall, our results suggest environmental heterogeneity and environment-dependency of mutational effects could contribute to the maintenance of genetic variance.
New Medical Herbalism Formulations as a Targeted Therapeutic Strategies Used in Southern Tunisia to Promote Neo-Epithelium, Angiogenesis, and Collagen Biosynthesis and to Impede Scar Formation Post-Third-Degree Burned Skin
Authors: Guesmi Fatma , Saidi Issam , Dridi Imen , Bouzenna Hafsia , Hfaiedh Najla , Ali Borgi Mohamed , Landoulsi Ahmed
Published: September 2023

The aim of the study is to assess the suitability of the herbal formulation for topical application as a skin burn dressing on the in vivo wound-closure of third-degree wound injuries. Rat wound models were used to prove the in vivo skin burn-healing process. Body weight gain, food and water intake, and behavior were investigated daily during treatment period. Cutaneous biopsies of the burned wound surfaces were monitored at days 4, 13, and 28. Formulation markedly (P < .05) increased wound repair rate and collagen production compared to untreated burnt skin. Macroscopic and histological analysis of the wound of formula (F)-treated group showed significant skin contraction rate and rapid wound healing without scar through regeneration of epidermis that were approved in formula mixed with honey (F-hY)- and Drs-treated wound compared with thymol, and the untreated wound tissues that were not covered by denuded epithelial. Furthermore, the wound healing efficacy of F-hY, F, and Drs cream was proved by decreased the amount of malondialdehyde compared to untreated rats. In conclusion, F and F-hY was found to promote cutaneous wound repair. In all case, the formula alone or mixed with honeybees was even better than thymol in the repair of cutaneous wound.
Evaluating spotted lanternfly (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) infestation in the Northern Ohio Valley
Authors: Vetrovec Melody , Payne Christopher J
Published: September 2023

Lycorma delicatula White (spotted lanternfly; SLF) is an invasive pest insect threatening increased agricultural costs as it spreads rapidly westward across the United States. As such, surveying was conducted adjacent to the insect’s westernmost quarantine area in 2021–2022 to support multi-state monitoring. Specifically, 2,077 visual and sticky-trap surveys were performed in 13 repeatedly surveyed plots strategically located near high-traffic roadways and rail-lines along the Ohio-West Virginia border. Sites were located in Jefferson (Ohio), Brooke (West Virginia), and Hancock (West Virginia) counties. Only one SLF was detected in 2021 (the third documented Ohio site containing SLF) in close proximity to a railway, consistent with rail-mediated dispersal trends recorded throughout the United States. Thirty-one SLF were captured in 2 Ohio sites in 2022, 30 of which were captured at the same railway site as in 2021. However, 1 of the 31 SLF was found in a plot on a university campus 1.25 km from the nearest railway, along with 10 additional specimens found in a follow-up visual survey of a neighboring woodlot. Failure to detect SLF at nearby survey plots nearer to the closest rail line and commuter parking lots suggests local unaided dispersal in a state with primarily train-mediated dispersal—mirroring trends in affected states with more established SLF populations. Data from this survey are valuable for establishing baselines and early-invasion patterns of SLF dispersal into Ohio, anticipating SLF expansion patterns in Ohio, and eventually contributing to improved SLF dispersal modeling in Ohio, the Midwest, and the United States.
Gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma 1-year after sleeve gastrectomy
Authors: Brown Kevin C , Esnaola Gabriela , Boffa Dan , Morton John M
Published: September 2023

Gastroesophageal malignancy after sleeve gastrectomy is rare. A 70-year-old male with a BMI of 46 underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy with normal endoscopy. By 10 months postop, the patient had reduced BMI to 30.5. Eleven months postop, he presented with emesis and endoscopy showed severe stenosis at the gastroesophageal junction with EUS showing a circumferential mass. Patient had adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus HER 3+ and MMR proficient, clinical T2N1. He underwent esophageal stent placement followed by FOLFOX switched to carboplatin-Taxol with radiation therapy complicated by a localized perforation requiring antibiotics. After PET scan of esophageal mass indicated response, he underwent an open distal esophagectomy, total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy, and placement of feeding tube. Pathology revealed poorly differentiated invasive adenocarcinoma with negative margins. In the USA, this represents only the second adenocarcinoma following a sleeve gastrectomy and the first in a non-immune compromised patient.
Management of Severe Burn Wounds Colonized With Multi-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Fusarium Using Marine Omega3 Wound Matrix in a Female Victim of War
Authors: Smolle Christian , Holzer-Geissler Judith C J , Auinger Daniel , Mykoliuk Iurii , Luze Hanna , Nischwitz Sebastian P , Kamolz Lars-Peter
Published: September 2023

War-related burns are common injuries, also among the civilian population. Additional trauma such as fractures or shrapnel wounds may add significant morbidity. Burn injuries in war zones are furthermore frequently undertreated and hence prone to complications. We report a case of a young female victim of war, whose severely infected burn wounds could be successfully healed using a combination of targeted antimicrobial therapy, wound conditioning using decellularized fish skin, and subsequent skin grafting.
Uchuu–ν2GC galaxies and AGN: cosmic variance forecasts of high-redshift AGN for JWST, Euclid, and LSST
Authors: Oogi Taira , Ishiyama Tomoaki , Prada Francisco , Sinha Manodeep , Croton Darren , Cora Sofía A , Jullo Eric , Klypin Anatoly A , Nagashima Masahiro , Cacheiro J López , Ruedas José , Kobayashi Masakazu A R , Makiya Ryu
Published: September 2023

Measurements of the luminosity function of active galactic nuclei (AGN) at high redshift (z ≳ 6) are expected to suffer from field-to-field variance, including cosmic and Poisson variances. Future surveys, such as those from the Euclid telescope and JWST, will also be affected by field variance. We use the Uchuu simulation, a state-of-the-art cosmological N-body simulation with 2.1 trillion particles in a volume of 25.7 Gpc3, combined with a semi-analytic galaxy and AGN formation model, to generate the Uchuu–ν2GC catalogue, publicly available, that allows us to investigate the field-to-field variance of the luminosity function of AGN. With this Uchuu–ν2GC model, we quantify the cosmic variance as a function of survey area, AGN luminosity, and redshift. In general, cosmic variance decreases with increasing survey area and decreasing redshift. We find that at z ∼ 6 − 7, the cosmic variance depends weakly on AGN luminosity. This is because the typical mass of dark matter haloes in which AGN reside does not significantly depend on luminosity. Due to the rarity of AGN, Poisson variance dominates the total field-to-field variance, especially for bright AGN. We also examine the effect of parameters related to galaxy formation physics on the field variance. We discuss uncertainties present in the estimation of the faint-end of the AGN luminosity function from recent observations, and extend this to make predictions for the expected number of AGN and their variance for upcoming observations with Euclid, JWST, and the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).
Statistical analysis of stochastic magnetic fluctuations in space plasma based on theMMSmission
Authors: Macek Wiesław M , Wójcik Dariusz
Published: September 2023

Based on the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission we look at magnetic field fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetosheath. We apply the statistical analysis using a Fokker–Planck equation to investigate processes responsible for stochastic fluctuations in space plasmas. As already known, turbulence in the inertial range of hydromagnetic scales exhibits Markovian features. We have extended the statistical approach to much smaller scales in space, where kinetic theory should be applied. Here we study in detail and compare the characteristics of magnetic fluctuations behind the bow shock, inside the magnetosheath, and near the magnetopause. It appears that the first Kramers–Moyal coefficient is linear and the second term is a quadratic function of magnetic increments, which describe drift and diffusion, correspondingly, in the entire magnetosheath. This should correspond to a generalization of Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. We demonstrate that the second-order approximation of the Fokker–Planck equation  leads to non-Gaussian kappa distributions of the probability density functions. In all cases in the magnetosheath, the approximate power-law distributions are recovered. For some moderate scales, we have the kappa distributions described by various peaked shapes with heavy tails. In particular, for large values of the kappa parameter this shape is reduced to the normal Gaussian distribution. It is worth noting that for smaller kinetic scales the rescaled distributions exhibit a universal global scale invariance, consistently with the stationary solution of the Fokker–Planck equation. These results, especially on kinetic scales, could be important for a better understanding of the physical mechanism governing turbulent systems in space and astrophysical plasmas.
Lowest accreting protoplanetary discs consistent with X-ray photoevaporation driving their final dispersal
Authors: Ercolano Barbara , Picogna Giovanni , Monsch Kristina
Published: September 2023

Photoevaporation from high-energy stellar radiation has been thought to drive the dispersal of protoplanetary discs. Different theoretical models have been proposed, but their predictions diverge in terms of the rate and modality at which discs lose their mass, with significant implications for the formation and evolution of planets. In this paper, we use disc population synthesis models to interpret recent observations of the lowest accreting protoplanetary discs, comparing predictions from EUV-driven, FUV-driven, and X-ray-driven photoevaporation models. We show that the recent observational data of stars with low accretion rates (low accretors) point to X-ray photoevaporation as the preferred mechanism driving the final stages of protoplanetary disc dispersal. We also show that the distribution of accretion rates predicted by the X-ray photoevaporation model is consistent with observations, while other dispersal models tested here are clearly ruled out.
Chromene-based BioAIEgens: ‘in-water’ synthesis, regiostructure-dependent fluorescence and ER-specific imaging
Authors: Cai Xu-Min , Lin Yuting , Zhang Jianyu , Li Ying , Tang Zhenguo , Zhang Xuedan , Jia Ying , Wang Wenjin , Huang Shenlin , Alam Parvej , Zhao Zheng , Tang Ben Zhong
Published: September 2023

Exploration of artificial aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) has garnered extensive interest in the past two decades. In particular, AIEgens possessing natural characteristics (BioAIEgens) have received more attention recently due to the advantages of biocompatibility, sustainability and renewability. However, the extremely limited number of BioAIEgens extracted from natural sources have retarded their development. Herein, a new class of BioAIEgens based on the natural scaffold of chromene have been facilely synthesized via green reactions in a water system. These compounds show regiostructure-, polymorphism- and substituent-dependent fluorescence, which clearly illustrates the close relationship between the macroscopic properties and hierarchical structure of aggregates. Due to the superior biocompatibility of the natural scaffold, chromene-based BioAIEgens can specifically target the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via the introduction of tosyl amide. This work has provided a new chromene scaffold for functional BioAIEgens on the basis of green and sustainable ‘in-water’ synthesis, applicable regiostructure-dependent fluorescence, and effective ER-specific imaging.
Evaluation of the Geographical Accessibility of Genome-Matched Clinical Trials on a National Experience
Authors: Crimini Edoardo , Tini Giulia , Tarantino Paolo , Ascione Liliana , Repetto Matteo , Beria Paolo , Ranghiero Alberto , Marra Antonio , Belli Carmen , Criscitiello Carmen , Esposito Angela , Guerini Rocco Elena , Barberis Massimo C P , Mazzarella Luca , Curigliano Giuseppe
Published: September 2023

Background

Molecular-driven oncology allows oncologists to identify treatments that match a cancer’s genomic profile. Clinical trials are promoted as an effective modality to deliver a molecularly matched treatment. We explore the role of geographical accessibility in Italy, and its impact on patient access to clinical trials.

Material and Methods

We retrospectively reviewed molecular data from a single-institutional case series of patients receiving next-generation sequencing testing between March 2019 and July 2020. Actionable alterations were defined as the ones with at least one matched treatment on Clinicaltrials.gov at the time of genomic report signature. We then calculated the hypothetical distance to travel to reach the nearest assigned clinical trial.

Results

We identified 159 patients eligible for analysis. One hundred and one could be potentially assigned to a clinical trial in Italy, and the median distance that patients needed to travel to reach the closest location with a suitable clinical trial was 76 km (interquartile range = 127.46 km). Geographical distribution of clinical trials in Italy found to be heterogeneous, with Milan and Naples being the areas with a higher concentration. We then found that the probability of having a clinical trial close to a patient’s hometown increased over time, according to registered studies between 2015 and 2020.

Conclusions

The median distance to be travelled to the nearest trial was generally acceptable for patients, and trials availability is increasing. Nevertheless, many areas are still lacking trials, so efforts are required to increase and homogenize the possibilities to be enrolled in clinical trials for Italian patients with cancer.
Random Forest for Predicting Treatment Response to Radioiodine and Thyrotropin Suppression Therapy in Patients With Differentiated Thyroid Cancer But Without Structural Disease
Authors: Sa Ri , Yang Taiyu , Zhang Zexu , Guan Feng
Published: September 2023

Background

We aimed to develop a machine-learning model for predicting treatment response to radioiodine (131I) therapy and thyrotropin (TSH) suppression therapy in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) but without structural disease, based on pre-treatment information.

Patients and Methods

Overall, 597 and 326 patients with DTC but without structural disease were randomly assigned to “training” cohorts for predicting treatment response to 131I therapy and TSH suppression therapy, respectively. Six supervised algorithms, including Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machine, Random Forest (RF), Neural Networks, Adaptive Boosting, and Gradient Boost, were used to predict effective response (ER) to 131I therapy and biochemical remission (BR) to TSH suppression therapy.

Results

Stimulated and suppressed thyroglobulin (Tg) and radioiodine uptake before the current course of 131I therapy were mostly attributed to ER to 131I therapy, while thyroid remnant available on the post-therapeutic whole-body scan at the last course of 131I therapy and TSH were greatly contributed to Tg decline under TSH suppression therapy. RF showed the best performance among all models. The accuracy and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for segregating ER from non-ER during 131I therapy with RF were 81.3% and 0.896, respectively. The accuracy and AUC for predicting BR to TSH suppression therapy with RF were 78.7% and 0.857, respectively.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that machine learning models, especially the RF algorithm are useful tools that may predict treatment response to 131I therapy and TSH suppression therapy in DTC patients without structural disease based on pre-treatment routine clinical variables and biochemical markers.
Investigations into Economic Returns Resulting from Foliar Fungicides and Application Timing on Management of Tar Spot in Indiana Hybrid Corn
Authors: Ross Tiffanna J. , Allen Tom W. , Shim Sujoung , Thompson Nathanael M. , Telenko Darcy E. P.
Published: September 2023

Tar spot, caused by Phyllachora maydis, is the most significant yield-limiting disease of corn (Zea mays L.) in Indiana. Currently, fungicides are an effective management tool for this disease, and partial returns from their use under different disease severity conditions has not previously been studied. Between 2019 and 2021, two separate field experiments were conducted in each year in Indiana to assess the efficacy of nine foliar fungicide products and nine fungicide application timings based on corn growth stages on tar spot symptoms and stromata, canopy greenness, yield, and influence on partial returns. All fungicides evaluated significantly suppressed tar spot development in the canopy and increased canopy greenness over the nontreated control. Additionally, applications of mefentrifluconazole + pyraclostrobin, metconazole + pyraclostrobin, cyproconazole + picoxystrobin at tassel, and propiconazole + benzovindiflupyr + azoxystrobin between the tassel and dough growth stages were the most effective at significantly reducing disease severity, increasing canopy greenness, protecting yield, and offered the greatest partial return. Fungicide products varied in their ability to protect yield under low and high disease severity conditions relative to the nontreated control. Consistently, positive yield increases were observed when disease severity was high, which translated to greater profitability relative to low severity conditions. On average, the yield increases across foliar fungicide products and timed application treatments were 544.6 and 1,020.7 kg/ha greater, and partial returns using a grain value of $0.17/kg were $92.6/ha and $173.5/ha greater, respectively, when high severity conditions occurred. This research demonstrates that foliar fungicides and appropriately timed fungicide applications can profitably be used to manage tar spot in Indiana under high disease severity conditions.
Transcriptome and Hormonal Analysis of Agaricus bisporus Basidiome Response to Hypomyces perniciosus Infection
Authors: Zhang Chun-Lan , Naicker Odeshnee , Zhang Bo , Jin Zheng-Wen , Li Shu-Jing , Miao Liu , Karunarathna Samantha C.
Published: September 2023

Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach is the most widely cultivated mushroom in the world. A. bisporus wet bubble disease is one of the most severe diseases of white button mushrooms and is caused by the fungal pathogen Hypomyces perniciosus. The pathogen causes a drastic reduction in mushroom yield because of malformation and deterioration of the basidiomes. However, the mechanism of the button mushroom’s malformation development after infection with H. perniciosus remains obscure. Therefore, to reveal the mechanism of A. bisporus malformation caused by H. perniciosus, the interaction between the pathogen and host was investigated in this study using histopathological, physiological, and transcriptomic analyses. Results showed that irrespective of the growth stages of A. bisporus basidiomes infected with H. perniciosus, the host’s malformed basidiomes and enlarged mycelia and basidia indicated that the earlier the infection with H. perniciosus, the more the malformation of the basidiomes. Analyzing physiological and transcriptomic results in tandem, we concluded that H. perniciosus causes malformation development of A. bisporus mainly by affecting the metabolism level of phytohormones (N6-isopentenyladenosine, cis-zeatin, and N6-[delta 2-isopentenyl]-adenine) of the host’s fruiting bodies rather than using toxins. Our findings revealed the mechanism of the button mushroom’s malformation development after infection with H. perniciosus, providing a reference for developing realistic approaches to control mushroom diseases. Our results further clarified the interaction between A. bisporus and H. perniciosus and identified the candidate genes for A. bisporus wet bubble disease resistance breeding. Additionally, our work provides a valuable theoretical basis and technical support for studying the interaction between other pathogenic fungi and their fungal hosts.