bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Round-Robin test for the histological diagnosis of acute colonic Graft-versus-Host disease validating established histological criteria and grading systems
Authors: Hippe Katrin , Kreft Andreas , Reu-Hofer Simone , Rosenwald Andreas , Ferrazzi Fulvia , Daniel Christoph , Amann Kerstin , Kraus Sabrina , Holler Ernst , Kandulski Arne , Hirsch Daniela , Buttner Anke , Rösler Wolf , Hildner Kai , Winkler Julia , Büttner-Herold Maike
Published: May 2023

Histomorpholgy is one of the mainstays of acute Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) diagnosis. However, concerns about reproducibility and the most appropriate grading system question its usefulness. Our aim was to assess histomorphological parameters and previously reported grading systems for GvHD regarding reproducibility and validity. Moreover, we propose that sum scores, derived by combining separately scored morphological parameters into a total score, might provide a simplified but equally effective means to grade GvHD. A total of 123 colon biopsies were assessed across four pathologists for intestinal GvHD using a Round-Robin test and results were correlated with clinical findings. Interobserver reproducibility was high for histological parameters that were evaluated as indicators of acute GvHD. Published grading systems were moderately reproducible (ICC 0.679–0.769) while simplified sum scores, in comparison, showed better interrater reliability (ICC 0.818–0.896). All grading systems and sum scores were associated with clinical signs of GvHD and in part with therapy response and survival. However, they were not able to stratify patients according to the clinical severity of GvHD. In a hot-spot analysis 1 crypt apoptotic body (CAB) in 10 crypts was a reasonable cut-off value for minimal diagnostic criteria of GvHD. In conclusion, histology can contribute to the diagnosis of GvHD and is reproducible. Published grading systems are able to reflect clinical findings as are simplified sum scores, which showed improved reproducibility and might be easier to handle as they are based on adding up histological parameters rather than transferring histological findings into a separate grading system. Sum scores will have to be further tested in a prospective setting.
Prevention of radiation-induced liver toxicity after interstitial HDR brachytherapy by pentoxifylline and ursodeoxycholic acid: patient compliance and outcome in a randomized trial
Authors: Damm Robert , Wybranska Joanna , Hass Peter , Walke Mathias , Omari Jazan , Pech Maciej , Seidensticker Ricarda , Ricke Jens , Seidensticker Max
Published: May 2023

Aim

To investigate the impact of pentoxifylline (PTX, 3 × 400 mg per day) and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA, 3 × 250 mg per day) administered for 12 weeks on radiation-induced liver toxicity.

Materials and methods

Inclusion criteria were liver metastases of extrahepatic malignancies undergoing HDR-BT. 36 patients were prospectively randomized to the

medication (N = 18) or control arm (N = 18) and follow-up by hepatobiliary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was scheduled 6 and 12 weeks after local ablation by HDR-BT. We determined the threshold doses of fRILI by image fusion of MRI with the dosimetry data.

Results

32 patients completed the study schedule. Per-protocol treatment was limited to 8 patients in the medication group and 16 patients in the control group. 22 adverse events of any grade likely or certainly related to PTX were recorded in 12 patients leading to the discontinuation of the study medication in 7 patients and to a dose reduction of PTX in 2 patients. In the per-protocol population, statistical analysis failed to prove a reduction of fRILI 6 and 12 weeks after HDR-BT. The incidence of adverse effects attributed to PTX (70.6%) was well above the data found in the literature for its approved indication.

Conclusion

The study endpoint was not met mainly attributed to the low statistical power of the small per-protocol cohort. Independently, PTX cannot be recommended for the reduction of radiation-induced liver toxicity in oncologic patients undergoing HDR-BT of liver metastases. Further studies might focus on a combination of UDCA with other potential drugs to help establish a preventive and tolerable regimen.
Semi-reduced order stochastic finite element methods for solving contact problems with uncertainties
Authors: Zheng Zhibao , Nackenhorst Udo
Published: May 2023

This paper develops two-step methods for solving contact problems with uncertainties. In the first step, we propose stochastic Lagrangian multiplier/penalty methods to compute a set of reduced basis. In the stochastic Lagrangian multiplier method, the stochastic solution is represented as a sum of products of a set of random variables and deterministic vectors. In the stochastic penalty method, the problem is divided into the solutions of non-contact and possible contact nodes, which are represented as sums of the products of two different sets of random variables and deterministic vectors, respectively. The original problems are then transformed into deterministic finite element equations and one-dimensional (corresponding to stochastic Lagrangian multiplier method)/two-dimensional (corresponding to stochastic penalty method) stochastic algebraic equations. The deterministic finite element equations are solved by existing numerical techniques, and the one-/two-dimensional stochastic algebraic equations are solved by a sampling method. Since the computational cost for solving stochastic algebraic equations does not increase dramatically as the stochastic dimension increases, the proposed methods avoid the curse of dimensionality in high-dimensional problems. Based on the reduced basis, we propose semi-reduced order Lagrangian multiplier/penalty equations with two components in the second step. One component is a reduced order equation obtained by smooth solutions of the reduced basis and the other is the full order equation for the nonsmooth solutions. A significant amount of computational cost is saved since the sizes of the semi-reduced order equations are usually small. Numerical examples of up to 100 dimensions demonstrate the good performance of the proposed methods.
Lexicon-based probabilistic indexing of handwritten text images
Authors: Vidal Enrique , Toselli Alejandro H. , Puigcerver Joan
Published: May 2023

Keyword Spotting (KWS) is here considered as a basic technology for Probabilistic Indexing (PrIx) of large collections of handwritten text images to allow fast textual access to the contents of these collections. Under this perspective, a probabilistic framework for lexicon-based KWS in text images is presented. The presentation aims at providing formal insights which help understanding classical statements of KWS (from which PrIx borrows fundamental concepts), as well as the relative challenges entailed by these statements. The development of the proposed framework makes it clear that word recognition or classification implicitly or explicitly underlies any formulation of KWS. Moreover, it suggests that the same statistical models and training methods successfully used for handwriting text recognition can advantageously be used also for PrIx, even though PrIx does not generally require or rely on any kind of previously produced image transcripts. Experiments carried out using these approaches support the consistency and the general interest of the proposed framework. Results on three datasets traditionally used for KWS benchmarking are significantly better than those previously published for these datasets. In addition, good results are also reported on two new, larger handwritten text image datasets (Bentham and Plantas), showing the great potential of the methods proposed in this paper for indexing and textual search in large collections of untranscribed handwritten documents. Specifically, we achieved the following Average Precision values: IAMDB: 0.89, George Washington: 0.91, Parzival: 0.95, Bentham: 0.91 and Plantas: 0.92.
Niche differentiation of Mucoromycotinian and Glomeromycotinian arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi along a 2-million-year soil chronosequence
Authors: Mansfield Thomas M. , Albornoz Felipe E. , Ryan Megan H. , Bending Gary D. , Standish Rachel J.
Published: May 2023

Current literature suggests ecological niche differentiation between co-occurring Mucoromycotinian arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (M-AMF) and Glomeromycotinian AMF (G-AMF), but experimental evidence is limited. We investigated the influence of soil age, water availability (wet and dry), and plant species (native Microlaena stipoides and exotic Trifolium subterraneum) on anatomical root colonisation and DNA profiles of M-AMF and G-AMF under glasshouse conditions. We grew seedlings of each species in soils collected from the four stages of a soil chronosequence, where pH decreases from the youngest to oldest stages, and phosphorus (P) is low in the youngest and oldest, but high in the intermediate stages. We scored the percentage of root length colonised and used DNA metabarcoding to profile fungal richness and community composition associated with treatment combinations. Soil age, water availability, and plant species were important influencers of root colonisation, although no M-AMF were visible following staining of M. stipoides roots. Soil age and host plant influenced fungal richness and community composition. However, response to soil age, potential host species, and water availability differed between M-AMF and G-AMF. Root colonisation of T. subterraneum by M-AMF and G-AMF was inversely correlated with soil P level. Community composition of M-AMF and G-AMF was structured by soil age and, to a lesser extent, plant species. Richness of M-AMF and G-AMF was negatively, and positively, correlated with available P, respectively. These findings are experimental evidence of ecological niche differentiation of M-AMF and G-AMF and invite further exploration into interactive effects of abiotic and biotic factors on their communities along successional trajectories.
The mechanical loading of the spine in physical activities
Authors: Schäfer Robin , Trompeter Katharina , Fett Daniela , Heinrich Kai , Funken Johannes , Willwacher Steffen , Brüggemann Gert-Peter , Platen Petra
Published: May 2023

Purpose

To summarize the mechanical loading of the spine in different activities of daily living and sports.

Methods

Since the direct measurement is not feasible in sports activities, a mathematical model was applied to quantify spinal loading of more than 600 physical tasks in more than 200 athletes from several sports disciplines. The outcome is compression and torque (normalized to body weight/mass) at L4/L5.

Results

The data demonstrate high compressive forces on the lumbar spine in sport-related activities, which are much higher than forces reported in normal daily activities and work tasks. Especially ballistic jumping and landing skills yield high estimated compression at L4/L5 of more than ten times body weight. Jumping, landing, heavy lifting and weight training in sports demonstrate compression forces significantly higher than guideline recommendations for working tasks.

Conclusion

These results may help to identify acute and long-term risks of low back pain and, thus, may guide the development of preventive interventions for low back pain or injury in athletes.
Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of a novel alphaendornavirus, the first virus described from the oomycete plant pathogen Phytophthora heveae
Authors: Raco Milica , Jung Thomas , Horta Jung Marilia , Chi Nguyen Minh , Botella Leticia , Suzuki Nobuhiro
Published: May 2023

Here, we report the discovery and complete genome sequence of a novel virus, designated as “Phytophthora heveae alphaendornavirus 1” (PhAEV1), from a single isolate of the plant pathogenic oomycete Phytophthora heveae (kingdom Stramenipila) isolated from a tropical evergreen lowland rainforest in northern Vietnam. PhAEV1 was detected by both cellulose affinity chromatography of dsRNA and high-throughput sequencing of total RNA, and its presence and sequence were confirmed by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. The PhAEV1 genome, 12,820 nucleotides (nt) in length, was predicted to encode a single large polyprotein with the catalytic core domain of viral (superfamily 1) RNA helicase (HEL, amino acid [aa] positions 1,287-1,531), glycosyltransferase (GT, aa positions ca. 2,800-3,125), and RNA-directed RNA polymerase (RdRp, aa positions 3,875-4,112). PhAEV1 is the most similar to Phytophthora cactorum alphaendornavirus 3, sharing 39.4% and 39.1% nt and aa sequence identity, respectively. In addition to the first 5′-terminal AUG codon, three additional in-frame methionine codons were found in close proximity (nt 14-16, 96-98, and 176-178), suggesting potential additional translation initiation sites. Conserved RdRp motifs (A-E) similar to those detected in related endornaviruses were identified in PhAEV1, as well as in several previously described alphaendornaviruses from other Phytophthora species in which these motifs had not been identified previously. Phylogenetic analysis showed that PhAEV1 clusters with members of the genus Alphaendornavirus in the family Endornaviridae and is basal to two other alphaendornaviruses described from another oomycete, Phytophthora cactorum. PhAEV1 is the first virus reported in P. heveae.
Dentoskeletal features and growth pattern in Beckwith-Wiedemann spectrum: is surgical tongue reduction always necessary?
Authors: Defabianis Patrizia , Ninivaggi Rossella , Romano Federica
Published: May 2023

Objectives

The role of tongue reduction surgery (TRS) in preventing excessive mandibular growth and anterior open bite in children with Beckwith–Wiedemann Spectrum (BWSp) is still controversial. This cross-sectional study aimed at comparing craniofacial growth pattern in children affected by BWSp either treated or not treated with early TRS for severe macroglossia. Considering the invasive nature of such surgery, the present study could help in clarifying the need for TRS to reduce or prevent growth disturbances.

Materials and methods

Orthopantomography and lateral skull x-ray images were taken either from surgically treated or non-surgically treated patients, aged 5 to 8 years, to compare dentoskeletal features and craniofacial growth by cephalometric analysis. Molecular testing results were collected from their medical records.

Results

Eighteen BWSp patients were consecutively recruited: 8 underwent TRS at 14.9 ± 2.2 months of age, while 10 did not. Anterior open bite and dental class III were more frequently observed in the surgically treated group, but none showed skeletal class III. No statistically significant differences were observed in growth pattern, but children treated with TRS showed a tendency towards both maxillary and mandibular prognathism with protruding lower lip. Growth pattern seemed to be not related to molecular subtypes.

Conclusions

These preliminary data suggest that early TSR does not improve craniofacial growth pattern and dentoskeletal features in BWSp children.

Clinical relevance

Reductive glossectomy may not be justified for preventing or avoiding oro-facial deformities in BWSp; therefore, early monitoring of maxillofacial development of each affected child has a great clinical significance.
Effect of apical root resection, orthodontic extrusion, and surgical crown lengthening on load capability
Authors: Naumann M. , Adali U. , Rosentritt M. , Happe A. , Frankenberger R. , Sterzenbach G.
Published: May 2023

Objectives

This study aims to investigate the load-to-fracture of procedures changing crown-to-root ratio (RCRR) aimed to restore severely damaged upper central incisors to avoid tooth extraction compared to implant placement. There is no evidence on load capability after apical root resection (AR), orthodontic extrusion (OE), and surgical crown lengthening (SCL) in respect to RCRR, respectively.

Material and methods

Human maxillary central incisors were endodontically treated, decoronated, and divided into 4 groups (n = 48). The following specimen preparation was performed: (I) adhesive core-and-post build-up (control), (II) as (I) and 2 mm apical root resection (AR), (III) before adhesive core-and-post build-up teeth were shortened 2 mm coronally (OE) (IV) as (I), but specimens were embedded 4 mm instead of 2 mm below the CEJ (SCL), group (V) implant-borne restoration with individual all-ceramic abutments (n = 12; ∅4.1/l = 12 mm) (IBR). All specimens received all-ceramic crowns, thermo-mechanical (TML), and subsequent linear loading (LL) until failure. RCRR were calculated and log-rank, Kruskal–Wallis, Mann–Whitney U, ANOVA, and chi-square tests applied (p = 0.05).

Results

Fracture loads after subsequent LL differed significantly (p = 0.001) between groups, while implants showed the highest values. Fmax median (min/max) were as follows: (I) 252 (204/542), (II) 293 (243/443), (III) 253 (183/371), (IV) 195 (140/274), and (V) 446 (370/539). Pair-wise comparison showed significant differences (p = 0.001) between group I/IV and group V, I, and IV (p = 0.045), II and IV (p = 0.001), and III compared to IV (p = 0.033), respectively. RCRR below 1 significantly increased load capability compared to RCRR = 1.

Conclusions

OE appears to preferably ensure biomechanical stability of teeth that are endodontically treated and receive core-and-post and crown placement compared to SCL. AR has no adverse biomechanical impact. RCRR < 1 is biomechanically beneficial.

Clinical relevance

For endodontically treated and restored teeth, orthodontic extrusion should be preferred compared to surgical crown lengthening prior single-crown restoration. As orthodontic extrusion, apical root resection has no adverse effect on load capability. Single-crown implant-borne restorations are most load capable.
Differential outcomes of outpatient only versus combined inpatient/outpatient treatment in early intervention for adolescent borderline personality disorder
Authors: Cavelti Marialuisa , Seiffert Nora , Lerch Stefan , Koenig Julian , Reichl Corinna , Kaess Michael
Published: May 2023

Clinical guidelines for adults with borderline personality disorder (BPD) recommend outpatient psychotherapy as first-line treatment. Little is known whether this recommendation is also applicable to adolescents. The current study examined the relationship between treatment setting and the outcome of early intervention for adolescents with BPD pathology. One-hundred and seventy-eight adolescents from a specialized outpatient clinic were assessed at baseline, and at 1- and 2-year follow-up. Sixty-three participants who received inpatient treatment during the first year were assigned to the “combined inpatient/outpatient group”, 115 participants to the “outpatient only group”. Generalized linear and mixed models with inverted probability weights to adjust for baseline differences were applied to examine the impact of group on clinical changes over time. Both groups demonstrated a significant decrease in BPD features, depressive symptoms, psychopathological distress, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, and overall illness severity, and a significant increase in quality of life and psychosocial functioning from baseline to follow-up 2. The decrease in NSSI and overall illness severity, and the increase in psychosocial functioning from baseline to follow-up 1 were greater in the outpatient only group, with comparable improvements between groups from follow-up 1 to follow-up 2. Both outpatient treatment and combined outpatient/inpatient treatment resulted in clinical improvements over time, with some indication for faster changes in the outpatient only setting. The findings provide preliminary evidence that the recommendation of outpatient psychotherapy as the first-line treatment for BPD also holds true for adolescents.
DETEXA: declarative extensible text exploration and analysis through SQL
Authors: Foufoulas Yannis , Zacharia Eleni , Dimitropoulos Harry , Manola Natalia , Ioannidis Yannis
Published: May 2023

Metadata enrichment through text mining techniques is becoming one of the most significant tasks in digital libraries. Due to the exponential increase of open access publications, several new challenges have emerged. Raw data are usually big, unstructured, and come from heterogeneous data sources. In this paper, we introduce a text analysis framework implemented in extended SQL that exploits the scalability characteristics of modern database management systems. The purpose of this framework is to provide the opportunity to build performant end-to-end text mining pipelines which include data harvesting, cleaning, processing, and text analysis at once. SQL is selected due to its declarative nature which offers fast experimentation and the ability to build APIs so that domain experts can edit text mining workflows via easy-to-use graphical interfaces. Our experimental analysis demonstrates that the proposed framework is very effective and achieves significant speedup, up to three times faster, in common use cases compared to other popular approaches.
Effect of CYP2D6 pharmacogenetic phenotype and phenoconversion on serum concentrations of antidepressants and antipsychotics: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Scherf-Clavel Maike , Frantz Amelie , Eckert Andreas , Weber Heike , Unterecker Stefan , Deckert Jürgen , Reif Andreas , Hahn Martina
Published: May 2023

Background

Pharmacogenetics (PGx), especially in regard to CYP2D6, is gaining more importance in routine clinical settings. Including phenoconversion effects (PC) in result interpretation could maximize its potential benefits. However, studies on genetics of pharmacokinetic genes including the functional enzyme status are lacking.

Aim

The retrospective analyses of clinical routine data aimed to investigating how the CYP2D6 functional enzyme status affects serum concentrations and metabolite-to-parent ratios of seven common psychotropic drugs and allows an evaluation of the relevance of this information for patient care.

Method

Two patient cohorts (total n = 316; 44.2 ± 15.4 years) were investigated for the CYP2D6 functional enzyme status and its associations with drug exposure and metabolism of venlafaxine, amitriptyline, mirtazapine, sertraline, escitalopram, risperidone and quetiapine.

Results

We found an increase in intermediate and poor metabolizers, as well as a decrease in normal metabolizers of CYP2D6 when including PC. Moreover, we found associations between amitriptyline exposure with the phenoconversion-corrected activity score of CYP2D6 (Spearman correlation; p = 0.03), and risperidone exposure with CYP2D6 functional enzyme status (Kruskal–Wallis test; p = 0.01), as well as between metabolite-to-parent ratio of venlafaxine and risperidone with CYP2D6 functional enzyme status (Kruskal–Wallis test; p < 0.001; p = 0.05).

Conclusion

The data stress the relevance of PC-informed PGx in psychopharmacological treatment and suggest that PC should be included in PGx result interpretation when PGx is implemented in routine clinical care, especially before initiating amitriptyline- or risperidone-treatment, to start with a dose adequate to the respective CYP2D6 functional enzyme status. Moreover, PGx and therapeutic drug monitoring should be used complementary but not alternatively.
Laser Treatment of Pilonidal Disease — Immediate and Mid-term Results
Authors: Nuutinen Henrik , Savikkomaa Elina , Tyrväinen Emmi , Myllykangas Heidi
Published: May 2023

Different forms of treatment of pilonidal disease include traditional open surgery with or without flap reconstruction, phenolization, and laser treatment. However, no significantly large series have been published about the laser method. This case series analysis consisted of 69 consecutive pilonidal disease patients, who were operated upon with a Fistula-tract laser Closure in the plastic surgery department of a single academic teaching hospital between August 2019 and December 2021. The follow-up was done by phone at 2 weeks and 4 weeks. The outpatient clinic follow-ups were at 6 weeks and 6 months postoperatively. The mean number of sick leave days was 6.2 ± 8.9 days. The mean number of outpatient clinic visits (including phone calls) was 3.4 ± 3.9. The mean secretion time was 22.1 ± 20.3 days. During the follow-up, 54 (81.8%) patients wounds healed. Eight (12.1%) patients had postoperative wound infection. There were no other complications. The mean follow-up time was 15.3 ± 7.7 months. Laser treatment for sinus pilonidal is promising and minimally invasive procedure. The procedure can be performed under local anesthesia. A re-operation comes into question if the operation area does not heal in the primary operation.
Discovery of novel anticancer candidates based on a combination strategy of synthesis, characterization, biological activity evaluation, consensus docking and molecular modeling
Authors: Atlam Faten M. , Hekal Hend A.
Published: May 2023

Through the Kabachnic-Fields three-component reaction of 3(2-amino-acetyl)-quinazolin-4(3H)-one, compound III, various aromatic aldehydes, triphenyl phosphite, and lithium perchlorate as Lewis acid catalyst, new α-amino phosphonates molecules, IVa-f have been produced in a high yield. FT-IR, 1H-NMR, elemental analysis, and mass spectral data were used to determine the structures of the newly synthesized chemicals. Examined phosphonates, Iva–f, have been tested for their in vitro anticancer effects on the five cell lines HePG-2, MCF-7, Hela, HCT-116, PC-3, and normal cell, WI-38. Newly synthesized compounds' antioxidant activities were also covered. The novel-created α-amino phosphonate compounds have been evaluated on six cell lines and exhibit good anti-proliferative properties. The IVc molecule is the most effective antioxidant and anticancer candidate. Utilizing DFT/B3LYP/6-311G (d, p) method, the electronic and geometric characteristics derived from the stable structure of the studied compounds were examined. Additionally, there are outcomes for HOMO–LUMO, molecule electrostatic potential, and quantum chemical parameters. The stability of the most active phosphonate molecule, IVc, is attributed to hyper-conjugative interactions and charge delocalization. This was investigated using NBO analysis. Theoretical FT-IR and 1H-NMR measurements were applied to demonstrate the relationship between theory and experiment. An excellent concurrence between experimental and theoretical data was discovered. A docking simulation study was applied to forecast the inhibitory mode of action of the most active substance inside the cavity of estrogen receptor-positive (ER +) MCF-7 breast cancer.
Designing a deep-tech venture builder to address grand challenges and overcome the valley of death
Authors: Romme A. Georges L. , Bell John , Frericks Guus
Published: May 2023

A vital problem of the European economy has long been its limited capacity to transform technological inventions and breakthroughs into successful new companies that help solve grand challenges in, for example, climate change, energy production, and poverty. Various measures and initiatives addressing this problem have not yet resulted in increasing numbers of successful ventures overcoming the so-called valley of death, especially in the case of deep-tech innovations arising from technological breakthroughs in, for example, new materials, mechatronics, high-precision engineering, and photonics. In this paper, we adopt a design perspective on crafting a Deep-Tech Venture (DTV) builder that creates, supports, and develops new ventures arising from deep-tech breakthroughs accomplished in leading research institutes in Europe. This approach to building DTVs incorporates key elements of extant theories and tools in the field of entrepreneurship but also moves beyond the contemporary body of knowledge. As such, the DTV approach provides a comprehensive system for creating and scaling deep-tech ventures—the most complex and risky, yet most impactful breed of ventures. The DTV blueprint was implemented and further developed in a venture builder that sources technologies from leading research institutes, such as CERN and European Space Agency. The initial results are highly promising. The main contribution of this study involves a comprehensive system design for building deep-tech ventures that help solve the SDGs, one that is (a) grounded in the literature on technology sourcing, entrepreneurship, ecosystems, entrepreneurial finance, and talent acquisition and (b) tested in a major European venture builder.
Lucretius and the End of Masculinity
Authors: Pope Michael
Published: May 2023

From beginning to end, the De rerum natura upsets expectations. This book's premise is that Lucretius intentionally provokes his imagined male audience, playfully and forcefully proving to them that they are not the men they suppose themselves to be. From astral bodies to the magnetic draw of human sexuality to the social bonds linking parents to children, Lucretius shows that everything is compounded material, both a source of atomic issue and receptacle of atomic ingress. The universe, as Lucretius presents it, is a never-ending cycle of material interpenetration, connectivity, and dissolution. Roman men, in the vastness of it all, are only exceptional in their self-defeating fantasies. Close analysis of Lucretius' poetics reveals an unremitting assault upon the fictions that comprise Roman masculinity, from seminal conception in utero to existential decomposition in the grave. Nevertheless, Lucretius offers an Epicurean vision of masculinity that just might save the Republic.
The Bacchic Gold Tablets and Poetic Tradition
Authors: McClay Mark
Published: May 2023

The Bacchic gold tablets are a remarkable collection of objects from the Ancient Greek world: inscribed with short verse texts and buried in graves of mystery initiates, they express extraordinary hopes for post-mortem salvation. Past approaches to these objects have sought to reconstruct their underlying belief system. This book is the first to examine them primarily within the context of early Greek poetry and performance culture. The patterns of thought and expression in the tablets find instructive poetic antecedents and analogies, including in non-canonical and inscribed genres that are not included in conventional descriptions of the poetic tradition. Applying a range of analytical approaches from the fields of epigraphy, anthropology, and religious studies, this book ultimately uses the tablets to cast more familiar literature in a new light.
Wine rankings and the Borda method
Authors: Barberà Salvador , Bossert Walter , Moreno-Ternero Juan D.
Published: May 2023

We propose to establish wine rankings using scores that depend on the differences between favorable and unfavorable opinions about each wine, according to the Borda rule. Unlike alternative approaches and specifications, this method is well-defined even if the panelists’ quality relations are not required to exhibit demanding properties such as transitivity or acyclicity. As an illustration, we apply the method to rank wines assessed by different experts and compare the resulting ranking with that obtained according to Condorcet's method of majority voting.
Transcriptome sequencing analysis revealing the potential mechanism of seed germination in Pulsatilla chinensis (Bunge) Regel
Authors: Dong Yanjing , Zhang Shouwen , Qin Qian , Cai Yating , Wu Danyang
Published: May 2023

Pulsatilla chinensis (Bunge) Regel has been widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. With the deepening of clinical application, the research on its plant resources has attracted much attention. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of distinct germination during Pulsatilla seed development are still mostly unknown. Therefore, in this study, four germination stages of P. chinensis seeds, with obvious differences in seed appearance traits, were used as materials. Transcriptome sequencing technology was used to analyse the molecular mechanisms of seed germination. A total of 27,601 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (six different groups) were determined. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the up-regulated DEGs were enriched in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, photosynthesis, photosynthesis–antenna proteins, plant hormone signal transduction, flavonoid biosynthesis and other pathways. A total of 87 DEGs was enriched in phytohormone signal transduction pathways, including auxin (25), abscisic acid (13), gibberellin (6), ethylene (9) and cytokinin (7). Furthermore, a protein–protein interaction network was constructed using these DEGs. Some DEGs were validated by qRT-PCR analysis. This comprehensive analysis provided basic information on the key genes of plant hormone signal transduction pathways involved in the seed germination process of P. chinensis (Bunge) Regel.
Linear optimization over homogeneous matrix cones
Authors: Tunçel Levent , Vandenberghe Lieven
Published: May 2023

A convex cone is homogeneous if its automorphism group acts transitively on the interior of the cone. Cones that are homogeneous and self-dual are called symmetric. Conic optimization problems over symmetric cones have been extensively studied, particularly in the literature on interior-point algorithms, and as the foundation of modelling tools for convex optimization. In this paper we consider the less well-studied conic optimization problems over cones that are homogeneous but not necessarily self-dual.

We start with cones of positive semidefinite symmetric matrices with a given sparsity pattern. Homogeneous cones in this class are characterized by nested block-arrow sparsity patterns, a subset of the chordal sparsity patterns. Chordal sparsity guarantees that positive define matrices in the cone have zero-fill Cholesky factorizations. The stronger properties that make the cone homogeneous guarantee that the inverse Cholesky factors have the same zero-fill pattern. We describe transitive subsets of the cone automorphism groups, and important properties of the composition of log-det barriers with the automorphisms.

Next, we consider extensions to linear slices of the positive semidefinite cone, and review conditions that make such cones homogeneous. An important example is the matrix norm cone, the epigraph of a quadratic-over-linear matrix function. The properties of homogeneous sparse matrix cones are shown to extend to this more general class of homogeneous matrix cones.

We then give an overview of the algebraic theory of homogeneous cones due to Vinberg and Rothaus. A fundamental consequence of this theory is that every homogeneous cone admits a spectrahedral (linear matrix inequality) representation.

We conclude by discussing the role of homogeneous structure in primal–dual symmetric interior-point methods, contrasting this with the well-developed algorithms for symmetric cones that exploit the strong properties of self-scaled barriers, and with symmetric primal–dual methods for general convex cones.
Temporal and Spatial Synchronicity in West Nile Virus Cases Along the Central Flyway, USA
Authors: Hort H. M. , Ibaraki M. , Schwartz F. W.
Published: May 2023

This study of West Nile virus (WNV) examined the possibility of avian transmission to explain synchronicity in the year‐to‐year variability of WNV case numbers from Texas northward to the Dakotas, and reasons for the large case numbers on the northern Great Plains. We determined correlation coefficients between annual disease incidence per 100,000 people among states within the Great Plains Region, as well as the Central Flyway. There was spatial and temporal synchronicity, as evidenced by Pearson “r,” with values along the core of the Central Flyway (Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota) varying between 0.69 and 0.79. Correlations for North Dakota (r = 0.6), however, were affected by local conditions. The concept of relative amplification is helpful in explaining why northerly states along the Central Flyway have larger annual case numbers per 100,000 than Texas but preserve the temporal signal. States differed in their capacity for amplifying the temporal signal in case numbers. For example, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota case numbers were commonly amplified relative to Texas, with Oklahoma and Kansas deamplified. Relative amplification factors for all states increased as a function of increasing case numbers in Texas. Thus, increased numbers of initially infected birds in Texas likely led to the rapid intensification of the zoonotic cycle as compared to more typical years. The study also confirmed the importance of winter weather in locally modulating disease cases. North Dakota appeared most impacted by these factors to the extent of reducing WNV case numbers in colder years and years with deep snow.
Intermediate Infrared Spectroscopy of Pyroxene: Determination of Ca‐Mg‐Fe Composition in the 4–8 Micron Wavelength Range
Authors: Kremer Christopher H. , Mustard John. F. , Pieters Carlé M.
Published: May 2023

Although pyroxene has been detected remotely across the Solar System, limited information is available from infrared remote sensing about the Mg‐Fe composition of pyroxene, and distinguishing between augite (20 < CaSiO3 < 45) and diopside‐hedenbergite (CaSiO3 > 45) remains challenging. The characteristics of pyroxene in the intermediate infrared range (4–8 μm), meanwhile, have not been documented. Using reflectance spectra of 72 samples ranging across the pyroxene quadrilateral, we investigate the effect of variations in Mg# (Mg/[Mg + Fe] × 100) and Ca‐content on the positions of strong and well‐defined spectral bands at ∼5.1 and ∼5.3 μm in high‐Ca pyroxene and ∼5.2 in low‐Ca pyroxene. We find that the 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3 μm bands move to shorter wavelengths as Mg# increases, whereas Ca‐content does not significantly affect the positions of these bands, enabling the determination of pyroxene Mg# directly from band positions alone. We also find that the ∼5.1 μm band is significantly more distinctive in diopside‐hedenbergite and the ∼5.3 μm band significantly more so in augite. Therefore, the 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3 μm spectral bands enable discrimination among diopside‐hedenbergite, low‐Ca pyroxene, and augite. Additionally, the 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3 μm bands enable direct determination of Mg# of diopside‐hedenbergite, low‐Ca pyroxene, and augite within ±23, ±10, and ±29 mol% Mg‐Fe, respectively.
TMS-EEG perturbation biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease patients classification
Authors: Tăuƫan Alexandra-Maria , Casula Elias P. , Pellicciari Maria Concetta , Borghi Ilaria , Maiella Michele , Bonni Sonia , Minei Marilena , Assogna Martina , Palmisano Annalisa , Smeralda Carmelo , Romanella Sara M. , Ionescu Bogdan , Koch Giacomo , Santarnecchi Emiliano
Published: May 2023

The combination of TMS and EEG has the potential to capture relevant features of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathophysiology. We used a machine learning framework to explore time-domain features characterizing AD patients compared to age-matched healthy controls (HC). More than 150 time-domain features including some related to local and distributed evoked activity were extracted from TMS-EEG data and fed into a Random Forest (RF) classifier using a leave-one-subject out validation approach. The best classification accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and F1 score were of 92.95%, 96.15%, 87.94% and 92.03% respectively when using a balanced dataset of features computed globally across the brain. The feature importance and statistical analysis revealed that the maximum amplitude of the post-TMS signal, its Hjorth complexity and the amplitude of the TEP calculated in the window 45–80 ms after the TMS-pulse were the most relevant features differentiating AD patients from HC. TMS-EEG metrics can be used as a non-invasive tool to further understand the AD pathophysiology and possibly contribute to patients’ classification as well as longitudinal disease tracking.
Evaluation of administrative case definitions for hypertension in Canadian children
Authors: Dart Allison , Singer Alexander , Chanchlani Rahul , Ferguson Thomas , Tangri Navdeep , Zappitelli Michael
Published: May 2023

Hypertension is increasing in children and warrants disease surveillance. We therefore sought to evaluate the validity of case definitions to identify pediatric hypertension in administrative healthcare data. Cases of hypertension in children 3–18 years of age were identified utilizing blood pressures recorded in the Manitoba Primary Care Research Network (MaPCReN) electronic medical record from 2014 to 2016. Prevalence of hypertension and associated clinical characteristics were determined. We then evaluated the validity of 18 case definitions combining outpatient physician visits (ICD9CM codes), hospital claims (ICD9CM/ICD10 codes) and antihypertensive use within 1–3 years of data housed at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy. The MaPCReN database identified 241 children with hypertension and 4090 without (prevalence = 5.6%). The sensitivity of algorithms ranged between 0.18 and 0.51 and the specificity between 0.98 and 1.00. Pharmaceutical use increased the sensitivity of algorithms significantly. The algorithms with the highest sensitivity and area under the ROC curve were 1 or more hospitalization OR 1 or more physician claim OR 1 or more pharmaceutical record. Evaluating 2 years of data is recommended. Administrative data alone reflects diagnosis of hypertension with high specificity, but underestimate the true prevalence of this disease. Alternative data sources are therefore required for disease surveillance.
Respiratory arousal threshold among patients with isolated sleep apnea and with comorbid insomnia (COMISA)
Authors: Yanagimori Marcela , Fernandes Mariana D. , Garcia Michelle L. , Scudeller Paula G. , Carvalho Carlos R. R. , Edwards Bradley , Lorenzi-Filho Geraldo , Genta Pedro R.
Published: May 2023

Insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are common sleep disorders and frequently coexist (COMISA). Arousals from sleep may be a common link explaining the frequent comorbidity of both disorders. Respiratory arousal threshold (AT) is a physiologic measurement of the level of respiratory effort to trigger an arousal from sleep. The impact of COMISA on AT is not known. We hypothesized that a low AT is more common among COMISA than among patients with OSA without insomnia. Participants referred for OSA diagnosis underwent a type 3 sleep study and answered the insomnia severity index (ISI) questionnaire and the Epworth sleepiness scale. Participants with an ISI score ≥ 15 were defined as having insomnia. Sleep apnea was defined as an apnea hypopnea index (AHI) ≥ 15 events/h. Low AT was determined using a previously validated score based on 3 polysomnography variables (AHI, nadir SpO2 and the frequency of hypopneas). OSA-only (n = 51) and COMISA (n = 52) participants had similar age (61[52–68] vs 60[53–65] years), body-mass index (31.3[27.7–36.2] vs 32.2[29.5–38.3] kg/m2) and OSA severity (40.2[27.5–60] vs 37.55[27.9–65.2] events/h): all p = NS. OSA-only group had significantly more males than the COMISA group (58% vs 33%, p = 0.013. The proportion of participants with a low AT among OSA-only and COMISA groups was similar (29 vs 33%, p = NS). The similar proportion of low AT among COMISA and patients with OSA suggests that the respiratory arousal threshold may not be related to the increased arousability of insomnia.
Vacuolar control of stomatal opening revealed by 3D imaging of the guard cells
Authors: Mirasole Filippo Maria , Nastasi Sara Paola , Cubero-Font Paloma , De Angeli Alexis
Published: May 2023

Land plants regulate their photosynthesis and water transpiration by exchanging gases (CO2 and H2Ovapour) with the atmosphere. These exchanges take place through microscopic valves, called stomata, on the leaf surface. The opening of the stomata is regulated by two guard cells that actively and reversibly modify their turgor pressure to modulate the opening of the stomatal pores. Stomatal function depends on the regulation of the ion transport capacities of cell membranes as well as on the modification of the subcellular organisation of guard cells. Here we report how the vacuolar and cytosolic compartments of guard cells quantitatively participate in stomatal opening. We used a genetically encoded biosensor to visualise changes in ionic concentration during stomatal opening. The 3D reconstruction of living guard cells shows that the vacuole is the responsible for the change in guard cell volume required for stomatal opening.
A CRISPR-engineered isogenic model of the 22q11.2 A-B syndromic deletion
Authors: Paranjape Neha , Lin Yu-Hsiu T. , Flores-Ramirez Quetzal , Sarin Vishesh , Johnson Amanda Brooke , Chu Julia , Paredes Mercedes , Wiita Arun P.
Published: May 2023

22q11.2 deletion syndrome, associated with congenital and neuropsychiatric anomalies, is the most common copy number variant (CNV)-associated syndrome. Patient-derived, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) models have provided insight into this condition. However, patient-derived iPS cells may harbor underlying genetic heterogeneity that can confound analysis. Furthermore, almost all available models reflect the commonly-found ~ 3 Mb “A-D” deletion at this locus. The ~ 1.5 Mb “A-B” deletion, a variant of the 22q11.2 deletion which may lead to different syndromic features, and is much more frequently inherited than the A-D deletion, remains under-studied due to lack of relevant models. Here we leveraged a CRISPR-based strategy to engineer isogenic iPS models of the 22q11.2 “A-B” deletion. Differentiation to excitatory neurons with subsequent characterization by transcriptomics and cell surface proteomics identified deletion-associated alterations in proliferation and adhesion. To illustrate in vivo applications of this model, we further implanted neuronal progenitor cells into the cortex of neonatal mice and found potential alterations in neuronal maturation. The isogenic models generated here will provide a unique resource to study this less-common variant of the 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome.
The processing of subthreshold visual temporal order is transitory and motivation-dependent
Authors: Polgári Patrik , Jovanovic Ljubica , van Wassenhove Virginie , Giersch Anne
Published: May 2023

Processing a sequence of events is different from encoding the relative order of the elements composing the sequence. Whether order processing arises automatically from the sequential processing of events is yet unknown, however the literature suggests that order processing can occur at an automatic level when the order of stimuli is not detected consciously. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the question of automatic order processing in a difficult visual task where participants identified one among two possible target luminances. The luminance of the targets was contingent on the order of presentation of two visual cues separated by a subthreshold asynchrony. Participants' performance was compared to that in a control condition where the cues were presented synchronously. In a first experiment, participants’ performance benefited from the use of subthreshold order information compared to the control condition, however this facilitation effect was transient and disappeared over the course of the experiment. In a second experiment, we investigated and confirmed the role of motivation, via a monetary incentive, on the previously observed effect. Taken together, our results suggest that the processing of temporal order of sub-threshold asynchronies is possible, although fragile and likely dependent on task requirements.