bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Giant amplification of Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition temperature in superconducting systems characterized by cooperative interplay of small-gapped valence and conduction bands
Authors: Midei Giovanni , Perali Andrea
Published: February 2024

Two-dimensional superconductors and electron-hole superfluids in van der Waals heterostructures having tunable valence and conduction bands in the electronic spectrum are emerging as rich platforms to investigate novel quantum phases and topological phase transitions. In this work, by adopting a mean-field approach considering multiple-channel pairings and the Kosterlitz-Nelson criterion, we demonstrate giant amplifications of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition temperature and a shrinking of the pseudogap for small energy separations between the conduction and valence bands and small density of carriers in the conduction band. The presence of the holes in the valence band, generated by intra-band and pair-exchange couplings, contributes constructively to the phase stiffness of the total system, adding up to the phase stiffness of the conduction band electrons that is boosted as well, due to the presence of the valence band electrons. This strong cooperative effect avoids the suppression of the BKT transition temperature for low density of carriers, that occurs in single-band superconductors where only the conduction band is present. Thus, we predict that in this regime, multi-band superconducting and superfluid systems with valence and conduction bands can exhibit much larger BKT critical temperatures with respect to single-band and single-condensate systems.
A highly sensitive MoS2 nanosheet gas sensor prepared by mechanically exfoliating for room temperature H2S detection
Authors: Yu Zhiyu , Li Pinghua , Liao Jialuo , Jin Yingyu , Li Gaolin , Zhuang Xuye
Published: February 2024

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a hazardous gas that is highly hazardous to human health, even at extremely low concentrations. Due to surface defects easily caused by hydrothermal or stepwise self-assembly methods, the response of the molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) gas sensor usually does not exceed 60%. In this article, mechanical exfoliation and full dry transfer techniques were used to reduce the surface defects of MoS2 nanosheets, improving the response of gas sensors to H2S at room temperature. The response to H2S was about 80% at a concentration of 15 ppm and about 12% at a concentration as low as 500 ppb. In addition, for 10 ppm H2S, applying a negative gate voltage, the response can be increased by approximately 10% to enhance the gas response. This study demonstrates the enormous potential of the gas sensor based on mechanical exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets for detecting low concentrations of H2S, providing new insight into the materials preparation of highly sensitive gas sensors.
Cross-shaped nanoaperture nanoantennas inside plasmonic nanorings for large SERS enhancement and multiple hotspots
Authors: Ahmed Kaleem , Dhawan Anuj
Published: February 2024

We have designed a novel nanostructure consisting of a cross-shaped nanoaperture nanoantenna inside plasmonic nanorings for achieving very large values of electric field enhancement, as well as large theoretical surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement factor, towards the center of the nanostructure. In this work, we employed Finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) numerical modeling to simulate the plasmonic (gold) nanostructures present on silica substrates. We found that the nanostructures being proposed by us show very high localized electric field enhancements as well as multiple hotspots in which the electric field is enhanced and localized. We observed that these hotspots have large electric field enhancements (and therefore large theoretical SERS enhancement factors) at more than one wavelength. Thus, the proposed nanostructure can be used to achieve a multiple wavelength SERS response. The electric field enhancements and the resonance wavelengths of nanostructures can be tuned in the visible and the NIR region by modifying the nanostructure dimensions like the gap between the tips in the central nanoaperture structure, height of nanostructure, and tip angle variation. It is observed that as the number of gold nanorings increase, the electric field enhancement (as well as the theoretical SERS enhancement factor) also increase due to the focusing of light towards the center of nanostructure, and after the addition of a few rings, the electric field enhancement becomes almost constant. We also studied the polarization dependence of the nanostructure by varying the angle of polarization of the incident light to check the variation of the electric field of the nanostructure, and observed that the proposed nanostructures did not have much polarization dependence. Moreover, due to the symmetric nature of the plasmonic nanostructure, the position of the hotspot region shifts to the adjacent corner on rotating the incident field polarization. We optimized all the dimensional parameters to get the best possible theoretical SERS enhancement factor of ∼ 1010. Moreover, we simulated a periodic array of these plasmonic nanostructures on the silica substrates, having equal periodicity in X and Y directions, and achieved a theoretical SERS enhancement factor of ∼ 1011.
Quantum computing library for quantum chemistry applications
Authors: Makushin K M , Sapova M D , Fedorov A K
Published: February 2024

Quantum computing is aimed to solve tasks, which are believed to be exponentially hard to existing computational devices and tools. A prominent example of such classically hard problems is simulating complex quantum many-body systems, in particular, for quantum chemistry. However, solving realistic quantum chemistry problems with quantum computers encounters various difficulties, which are related, first, to limited computational capabilities of existing quantum devices and, second, to the efficiency of algorithmic approaches. In the present work, we address the algorithmic side of quantum chemistry applications by introducing a Python 3 code library, whose primary objective is to speed up the development of variational quantum algorithms for electronic structure problems. We describe the various features and capabilities of this library, including its ease in constructing customized versions of variational quantum algorithms. We elucidate how the developed library allows one to design quantum circuits and enable for the efficient execution of quantum algorithms. Furthermore, the library facilitates the integration of classical and quantum algorithms for hybrid computations and helps to realize the cross-verification of data with traditional computational methods, thereby enhancing the overall reliability of quantum chemistry simulations.
Ursolic acid loaded tri-block copolymer nanoparticles based on triphenylphosphine for mitochondria-targeted cancer therapy
Authors: Ding Jieqiong , Tan Jie , Peng Xiaohang , Cheng Liyuan , Huang Weiling , Luo Binhua
Published: February 2024

A novel biodegradable amphiphilic triblock copolymer, polyphosphate, polyethylene glycol, and polylactic acid (PAEEP-PEG-PLLA), was synthesized by twice ring-opening polymerization and triphenylphosphine (TPP) was grafted onto the block copolymer to synthesize a carrier material TPP-PAEEP-PEG-PLLA, which was identified by 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy. The TPP-PAEEP-PEG-PLLA nanoparticles encapsulated with ursolic acid (UA) were prepared by the emulsion-solvent evaporation method and characterized by dynamic light scattering. The mitochondrial targeting ability of fluorescently labeled nanoparticles was evaluated by laser confocal microscopy. The average particle size and surface charge of the UA -loaded nanoparticle solution were 180.07 ± 1.67 nm and +15.57 ± 1.33 mV, respectively. The biocompatibility of nanoparticles was briefly evaluated by erythrocyte hemolysis assay. In vitro cell proliferation assay and scratch migration assay were performed to compare the difference in anti-tumor effect between UA and UA nanoparticles. The results showed that TPP-modified triblock copolymers had good mitochondrial targeting and improved the low bioavailability of UA, and UA nanoparticles exhibited more pronounced anti-tumor capabilities. In summary, the results suggested that our UA nanoparticles were a promising drug-targeted delivery system for the treatment of tumors.
Transparent injectable sericin-honey hydrogel with antioxidant and antibacterial activities combined with feeding sericin accelerates diabetic wound healing
Authors: Wei Yongkang , Li Yanwei , Li Yurong , Xu Gang , Wu Tangfeng , Li Xiang , Ye Ruixi , Xi Meilin , Li Xiaomei , Zhang Guozheng , Zhang Yeshun
Published: February 2024

Wound healing in diabetics is often impaired or delayed due to the presence of high reactive oxygen species and low antioxidant levels. Here, a sericin-honey semi-interpenetrating network hydrogel with excellent antioxidant activity was prepared. Besides, the sericin-honey hydrogel is transparent, injectable, sticky, highly porous, and has good swelling properties, antibacterial activity, and cell compatibility. Based on its good performance in vitro, sericin-honey hydrogel achieved effective in vivo treatment on a mouse diabetic wound model, significantly accelerating the wound healing process. Furthermore, the combined effect of feeding sericin solution played a positive role in strengthening the effect of diabetic wound repair.
Exploration and identification of morphological characters of local Samosir shallot (Allium ascalonicum L.) accessions for sustainable agriculture
Authors: Hasanah Y , Hanafiah D S , Nursa’adah  , Tanjung D R , Purba G N
Published: February 2024

Samosir local shallots are a superior local resource commodity with a very distinctive taste and aroma, more pungent and fragrant, the color is redder and shiny. Currently, Samosir local shallots are experiencing a shortage therefore exploratory research is needed to obtain sources of quality planting material for sustainable agriculture. The objective of the research was to explore and identify the morphological characters of Samosir local shallots accessions at Bakti Raja District. The research method was carried out using a descriptive exploratory method. The results showed that the Samosir local shallots from all the accessions observed had cylindrical leaves with holes, with dark green leaf color, medium leaf size, low leaf density, umbrella-like flower shape, white flower color and purple/white bulb color. There is diversity in the shape of the bulb, namely Siunong-unong Julu accession, Simangulampe 1 and Simangulampe 2 have a globe tuber shape, while Simamora 1 accession has broad elliptic leaf shapes, Simamora 2, Simamora 3, Simamora 4 Marbun Tonga Dolok, Tipang 1 and Tipang 2 has a broad oval shape. Tipang 2 accession had the highest weight of 100 dry shallot bulbs, Simangulampe 1 and Simangulampe 2 accessions had the highest tuber diameter.
Comparative effectiveness of sacubitril/valsartan versus angiotensin receptor blockers in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: A real-world study
Authors: Riaz Munaza , Smith Steven M , Dietrich Eric A , Winchester David E , Guo Jingchuan , Park Haesuk
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Sacubitril/valsartan (SAC/VAL) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are recommended therapy for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but little is known about their real-world comparative effectiveness among patients with HFpEF. The objective of this study was to determine the comparative effectiveness of SAC/VAL vs ARBs in preventing HF-related hospitalization or all-cause hospitalization among patients with HFpEF.

Methods

We conducted a cohort study using IBM MarketScan commercial and Medicare supplemental databases to identify patients aged 18 years or older with a diagnosis of HFpEF and initiation of SAC/VAL (2015-2020) or ARB (2009-2014) therapy. The index date was the date of the first SAC/VAL or ARB prescription fill. After propensity score (PS) matching with a ratio of 1 up to 3, Cox proportional hazards regression was used with robust variance estimators to compare the risks of HF-related hospitalization and all-cause hospitalization between the 2 therapies. Several subgroup and sensitivity analyses were conducted to check the robustness of the main analysis.

Results

After PS matching, 2,520 patients (846 receiving SAC/VAL and 1,674 receiving an ARB) were included in the final analyses. After controlling for covariates, there was no difference in the risk of HF-related hospitalization between SAC/VAL and ARB recipients (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99-1.77). There was also no difference in the risk of all-cause hospitalization between SAC/VAL and ARB recipients (aHR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.91-1.24).

Conclusion

Among individuals with private or Medicare Advantage insurance plans, there was no significant difference in the risk of HF-related hospitalization or all-cause hospitalization between adults with HFpEF who received SAC/VAL and those who received ARB therapy.
Fracture risk based on high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography measures does not vary with age in older adults—the bone microarchitecture international consortium prospective cohort study
Authors: Szulc Pawel , Dufour Alyssa B , Hannan Marian T , Kiel Douglas P , Chapurlat Roland , Sornay-Rendu Elisabeth , Merle Blandine , Boyd Steven K , Whittier Danielle E , Hanley David A , Goltzman David , Wong Andy Kin On , Lespessailles Eric , Khosla Sundeep , Ferrari Serge , Biver Emmanuel , Bouxsein Mary L , Samelson Elizabeth J
Published: February 2024

Fracture risk increases with lower areal bone mineral density (aBMD); however, aBMD-related estimate of risk may decrease with age. This may depend on technical limitations of 2-dimensional (2D) dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) which are reduced with 3D high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT). Our aim was to examine whether the predictive utility of HR-pQCT measures with fracture varies with age. We analyzed associations of HR-pQCT measures at the distal radius and distal tibia with two outcomes: incident fractures and major osteoporotic fractures. We censored follow-up time at first fracture, death, last contact or 8 years after baseline. We estimated hazard ratios (HR) and 95%CI for the association between bone traits and fracture incidence across age quintiles. Among 6835 men and women (ages 40–96) with at least one valid baseline HR-pQCT scan who were followed prospectively for a median of 48.3 months, 681 sustained fractures. After adjustment for confounders, bone parameters at both the radius and tibia were associated with higher fracture risk. The estimated HRs for fracture did not vary significantly across age quintiles for any HR-pQCT parameter measured at either the radius or tibia. In this large cohort, the homogeneity of the associations between the HR-pQCT measures and fracture risk across age groups persisted for all fractures and for major osteoporotic fractures. The patterns were similar regardless of the HR-pQCT measure, the type of fracture, or the statistical models. The stability of the associations between HR-pQCT measures and fracture over a broad age range shows that bone deficits or low volumetric density remain major determinants of fracture risk regardless of age group. The lower risk for fractures across measures of aBMD in older adults in other studies may be related to factors which interfere with DXA but not with HR-pQCT measures.
AI covers: legal notes on audio mining and voice cloning
Authors: Baris Antonios
Published: February 2024

This article explores the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the music industry, particularly focusing on the case of AI-generated covers. The emergence of AI technologies has been raising concerns not just about the originality and protection of AI-generated outputs but also about the complex input and training phase of those systems. The focus of this contribution is the latter, analysing the case of AI covers from the perspective of copyright and image rights. In the first part, an overview of the text and data mining (TDM) exception found in Article 4 of Directive 2019/790 is presented, with a primary focus on the opt-out mechanism in connection with the three-step test. Moving to the second part, the analysis delves into the complexities of voice cloning, highlighting the absence of a comprehensive European Union regime for image rights. By addressing these issues, this contribution unveiled two crucial points. First, AI models trained on various artists’ works to create and spread deepfake covers not only violate copyright but also reveal shortcomings in the TDM exception. Second, while the multifaceted image right regime may not be as exhaustive as necessary, it proves to be a viable solution against voice cloning with anticipated advancements in the future.
Beyond Conceptual Analysis: Social Objectivity and Conceptual Engineering to Define Disease
Authors: Gagné-Julien Anne-Marie
Published: February 2024

In this article, I side with those who argue that the debate about the definition of “disease” should be reoriented from the question “what is disease” to the question of what it should be. However, I ground my argument on the rejection of the naturalist approach to define disease and the adoption of a normativist approach, according to which the concept of disease is normative and value-laden. Based on this normativist approach, I defend two main theses: (1) that conceptual analysis is not the right method to define disease and that conceptual engineering should be the preferred method and (2) that the method of conceptual engineering should be implemented following the principles of Alexandrova’s account of social objectivity in the context of the definition of disease.
Reference-Class Problems Are Real: Health-Adjusted Reference Classes and Low Bone Mineral Density
Authors: Binney Nicholas
Published: February 2024

Elselijn Kingma argues that Christopher Boorse’s biostatistical theory (the BST) does not show how the reference classes it uses are objective and naturalistic. Recently, philosophers of medicine have attempted to rebut Kingma’s concerns. I argue that these rebuttals are theoretically unconvincing, and that there are clear examples of physicians adjusting their reference classes according to their prior knowledge of health and disease. I focus on the use of age-adjusted reference classes to diagnose low bone mineral density in children. In addition to using the BST’s age, sex, and species, physicians also choose to use other factors to define reference classes, such as pubertal status, bone age, body size, and muscle mass. I show that physicians calibrate the reference classes they use according to their prior knowledge of health and disease. Reference classes are also chosen for pragmatic reasons, such as to predict fragility fractures.
The Disease Loophole: Index Terms and Their Role in Disease Misclassification
Authors: Roberts Alex N
Published: February 2024

The definitions of disease proffered by philosophers and medical actors typically require that a state of ill health be linked to some known bodily dysfunction before it is classified as a disease. I argue that such definitions of disease are not fully implementable in current medical discourse and practice. Adhering to the definitions would require that medical actors keep close track of the current state of knowledge on the causes and mechanisms of particular illnesses. Yet, unaddressed problems in medical terminology can make this difficult to do. I show that unrecognized misuse of “heterogeneous,” “biomarker,” and other important health terms—which I call index terms—can misrepresent the current empirical evidence on illness pathophysiology, such that unvalidated illness constructs become mistaken for diseases. Thus, implementing common definitions of disease would require closing this “loophole” in medical discourse. I offer a simple rule that, if followed, could help do just that.
Using deep learning to analyse the times of the UN Security Council
Authors: Blanke Tobias
Published: February 2024

This article analyses how digital humanities scholarship can make use of recent advances in deep learning to analyse the temporal relations in an online textual archive. We use transfer learning as well as data augmentation techniques to investigate changes in United Nations Security Council resolutions. Instead of pre-defined periods, as it is common, we target the years directly. Such a text regression task is novel in the digital humanities as far as we can see and has the advantage of speaking directly to historical relations. We present not only very good experimental results but also demonstrate how such text regressions can be interpreted directly and with surrogate topic models.
What makes elites more or less egalitarian? Variations in attitudes towards inequality within the economic, political and cultural elites in Chile
Authors: Carranza Rafael , Contreras Dante , Otero Gabriel
Published: February 2024

This article investigates how the type of elite to which a person belongs and their intergenerational contextual experiences are associated with attitudes towards inequality among elite individuals. We propose that membership of the economic elite and access to private schools, higher education business schools and affluent residential areas may contribute to the development of views that favour inequality. Using unique survey data collected in 2018 from a sample of 416 individuals belonging to Chile’s economic, political and cultural elites, we construct an additive score to measure attitudes towards inequality. Results of our regression analyses indicate that individuals belonging to the economic and political elite are more tolerant of inequality than members of the cultural elite. Moreover, intergenerational experiences at both private schools and higher education business schools significantly contribute to the formation of attitudes that favour inequality. These contextual experiences also relate to significant attitudinal variations within all elite groups.
Adding Vertebral Bone Quality to the Fusion Risk Score
Authors: Ramos Omar , Razzouk Jacob , Beauchamp Eduardo , Mueller Benjamin , Shafa Eiman , Mehbod Amir A. , Cheng Wayne , Danisa Olumide , Carlson Bayard C.
Published: February 2024

Study Design.

Retrospective review of prospectively collected data.

Objective.

The current study evaluates whether the addition of the Vertebral Bone Quality (VBQ) score to the Fusion Risk Score (FRS) improves its ability to predict perioperative outcomes.

Summary of Background Data.

The FRS was developed to assess preoperative risk in patients undergoing thoracic and lumbar fusions. It includes patient-derived and surgical variables, but it does not include one that directly accounts for bone health. The VBQ score allows assessment of bone quality and has been shown to correlate to DEXA-measured bone mineral density (BMD) scores.

Methods.

The VBQ score was weighted based on a regression model and then added to the FRS (FRS/VBQ). The ability of the two scores to predict the outcomes was then assessed using the area under the curve (AUC).

Patient sample.

Patients undergoing elective thoracic and lumbar spinal fusion from January 2019 to June 2020 were included.

Outcome measures.

The study evaluated various perioperative adverse outcomes, including major and minor adverse events, discharge other than home, extended length of stay, 90-day emergency department visits, 90-day readmission, and 90-day and 2-year reoperation rates.

Results.

A total of 353 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The FRS/VBQ demonstrated improved predictive ability compared with the FRS alone when evaluating 90-day reoperation. Both scores showed fair predictive ability for any adverse event, major adverse events, minor adverse events, and 2-year reoperation rates, with AUCs ranging from 0.700 to 0.737. Both had poor predictive ability for the other outcomes.

Conclusions.

Adding VBQ to the FRS significantly enhances its predictive accuracy for reoperation rate. This updated risk score provides a more comprehensive understanding of a patient’s preoperative risk profile, aiding both patients and physicians in assessing surgical risks and optimizing outcomes through preoperative risk stratification.

Level of Evidence.

3.
Correlation of Radiographic Healing on Advanced Imaging in Young Adults and Adolescents With Symptomatic Spondylolysis Before and After Treatment
Authors: Gauthier Chase , Bakaes Yianni , Puckett Haley , Dinger John , Giakas Alec , Horan Michael
Published: February 2024

Study Design.

Retrospective chart review.

Objective.

To determine the effect of conservative measures on radiographic outcomes in those with isolated spondylolysis.

Summary of Background Data.

Spondylolysis is a common cause of low back pain in pediatric patients, affecting between 4.4% and 4.7% of all pediatric patients. This rate is even higher in high-level athletes, with recent studies suggesting a rate of 47% in this population. Conservative measures are recommended for treating symptomatic spondylolysis and are effective in controlling symptoms, but there is little evidence regarding their effect on radiographic outcomes.

Methods.

A retrospective review was conducted of patients diagnosed with spondylolysis who were treated at a single academic institution between January 1, 2012, and January 1, 2022. Data collected included demographics, presentation characteristics, pretreatment and post-treatment radiologic findings, types of treatments employed, and final symptomatic status at follow-up. The Student t test and the Wilcoxon rank sum test were used to compare continuous variables. The χ2 test was used to compare categorical variables.

Results.

A total of 119 patients were included in the study. There was an 81.5% rate of healing on advanced imaging for those treated with conservative measures. When comparing those with healing on advanced imaging to those without, those with healing were more likely to have an acute fracture (P=0.04), have symptomatic improvement (P<0.01), and return-to-play (P=0.02) compared with those without. Those with healing also had an odds ratio of 6.9 (P<0.01) and 4.5 (P=0.02) to achieve symptomatic improvement and return to their sport, respectively, compared with those who did not.

Conclusion.

Our study found those with isolated spondylolysis who were treated with conservative measures had a high healing rate on advanced imaging and those with healing had significantly higher odds of having symptomatic improvement and returning to play compared with those without.

Level of Evidence.

4.
Associations of pollen and cardiovascular disease morbidity in Atlanta during 1993–2018
Authors: Lappe Brooke L. , Scovronick Noah , D’Souza Rohan R. , Manangan Arie , Chang Howard H. , Ebelt Stefanie
Published: February 2024

Background:

Pollen exposure is associated with substantial respiratory morbidity, but its potential impact on cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains less understood. This study aimed to investigate the associations between daily levels of 13 pollen types and emergency department (ED) visits for eight CVD outcomes over a 26-year period in Atlanta, GA.

Methods:

We acquired pollen data from Atlanta Allergy & Asthma, a nationally certified pollen counting station, and ED visit data from individual hospitals and the Georgia Hospital Association. We performed time-series analyses using quasi-Poisson distributed lag models, with primary analyses assessing 3-day (lag 0–2 days) pollen levels. Models controlled for temporally varying covariates, including air pollutants.

Results:

During 1993–2018, there were 1,573,968 CVD ED visits. Most pairwise models of the 13 pollen types and eight CVD outcomes showed no association, with a few exceptions potentially due to chance.

Conclusion:

We found limited evidence of the impact of pollen on cardiovascular morbidity in Atlanta. Further study on pollen exposures in different climactic zones and exploration of pollen-pollution mixture effects is warranted.
Glomerulonephritis as a renal manifestation in a patient with systemic sclerosis overlapped with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis
Authors: Kudsi Maysoun , Hodaifa Yara , Tarcha Raghad , Almajzoub Rahaf , Hamsho Suaad , Ghazal Afraa
Published: February 2024

Introduction and Importance:

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic immune disorder that may overlap with other rheumatologic disease; however, overlapping with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis is rare.

Case Presentation:

A 28-year-old Syrian male patient with SSc diagnosed according to the American College of Rheumatology/European League against Rheumatism 2013 criteria with a disease duration of 4 years, was admitted to the hospital complaining of palpable purpura in the lower limbs and hemoptysis and later, a rise in creatinine level. Laboratory tests showed high levels of perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (p-ANCA). The renal biopsy results were consistent with the diagnosis of glomerulonephritis. He was treated with methylprednisolone, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab, as he was diagnosed with SSc overlapping antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis.

Clinical Discussion:

SSc most commonly renal manifestations are proliferative vasculopathy leading to scleroderma renal crisis. However, other types of renal involvement were also reported in SSc patients with comorbid autoimmune diseases such as glomerulonephritis and signs of concurrent vasculitis. SSc may overlap with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythromatosus, polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM), and Sjogren Syndrome. Overlapping with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis is mentioned in rare cases.

The authors reported a rare case of overlapping SSc with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis with renal involvement.

Conclusion:

The authors revealed a rare case of overlapping SSc with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis with renal involvement. In SSc, renal involvement as glomerulonephritis is infrequent and should be detect in other rheumatologic disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus or antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis.
The effect of unpredictability on the perception of pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Pavy Fabien , Zaman Jonas , Van den Noortgate Wim , Scarpa Aurelia , von Leupoldt Andreas , Torta Diana M.
Published: February 2024

Despite being widely assumed, the worsening impact of unpredictability on pain perception remains unclear because of conflicting empirical evidence, and a lack of systematic integration of past research findings. To fill this gap, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on the effect of unpredictability on pain perception. We also conducted meta-regression analyses to examine the moderating effect of several moderators associated with pain and unpredictability: stimulus duration, calibrated stimulus pain intensity, pain intensity expectation, controllability, anticipation delay, state and trait negative affectivity, sex/gender and age of the participants, type of unpredictability (intensity, onset, duration, location), and method of pain induction (thermal, electrical, mechanical pressure, mechanical distention). We included 73 experimental studies with adult volunteers manipulating the (un)predictability of painful stimuli and measuring perceived pain intensity and pain unpleasantness in predictable and unpredictable contexts. Because there are insufficient studies with patients, we focused on healthy volunteers. Our results did not reveal any effect of unpredictability on pain perception. However, several significant moderators were found, ie, targeted stimulus pain intensity, expected pain intensity, and state negative affectivity. Trait negative affectivity and uncontrollability showed no significant effect, presumably because of the low number of included studies. Thus, further investigation is necessary to clearly determine their role in unpredictable pain perception.
Cluster decomposition-based anomaly detection for rare cell identification in single-cell expression data
Authors: Xu Yunpei , Wang Shaokai , Li Hong-Dong , Feng Qilong , Li Yaohang , Wang Jianxin
Published: February 2024

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies have been widely used to characterize cellular landscapes in complex tissues. Large-scale single-cell transcriptomics holds great potential for identifying rare cell types critical to the pathogenesis of diseases and biological processes. Existing methods for identifying rare cell types often rely on one-time clustering using partial or global gene expression. However, these rare cell types may be overlooked in the initial clustering step, making them difficult to distinguish. In this paper, we propose a Cluster decomposition-based Anomaly Detection method (scCAD), which iteratively decomposes clusters based on the most differential signals in each cluster to effectively separate rare cell types and achieve accurate identification. We benchmark scCAD on 25 real-world scRNA-seq datasets, demonstrating its superior performance compared to 10 state-of-the-art methods. In-depth case studies across diverse datasets, including mouse airway, brain, intestine, human pancreas, immunology data, and clear cell renal cell carcinoma, showcase scCAD’s efficiency in identifying rare cell types in complex biological scenarios. Furthermore, scCAD can correct the annotation of rare cell types and identify immune cell subtypes associated with disease, providing new insights into disease progression.
MARK2/MARK3 kinases are catalytic co-dependencies of YAP/TAZ in human cancer
Authors: Klingbeil Olaf , Skopelitis Damianos , Tonelli Claudia , Alpsoy Aktan , Minicozzi Francesca , Aggarwal Disha , Russo Suzanne , Ha Taehoon , Demerdash Osama E. , Spector David L. , Tuveson David A. , Cifani Paolo , Vakoc Christopher R.
Published: February 2024

The Hippo signaling pathway is commonly dysregulated in human cancer, which leads to a powerful tumor dependency on the YAP/TAZ transcriptional coactivators. Here, we used paralog co-targeting CRISPR screens to identify the kinases MARK2/3 as absolute catalytic requirements for YAP/TAZ function in diverse carcinoma and sarcoma contexts. Underlying this observation is direct MARK2/3-dependent phosphorylation of NF2 and YAP/TAZ, which effectively reverses the tumor suppressive activity of the Hippo module kinases LATS1/2. To simulate targeting of MARK2/3, we adapted the CagA protein fromH. pylorias a catalytic inhibitor of MARK2/3, which we show exerts anti-tumor activityin vivo. Together, these findings reveal MARK2/3 as powerful co-dependencies of YAP/TAZ in human cancer; targets that may allow for pharmacology that restores Hippo pathway-mediated tumor suppression.
Early diagnosis of transthyretin amyloidosis by detection of monomers in plasma microsamples using a protein crystal-based assay
Authors: Costa-Rodrigues Diogo , Leite José P. , Saraiva Maria João , Almeida Maria Rosário , Gales Luís
Published: February 2024

Amyloid diseases are frequently associated with the appearance of an aberrant form of a protein, whose detection enables early diagnosis. In the case of transthyretin amyloidosis, the aberrant protein – the monomers – constitute the smallest species of the amyloid cascade, which creates engineering opportunities for sensing that remain virtually unexplored. Here, a two-step assay is devised, combining molecular sieving and immunodetection, for quantification of circulating monomeric transthyretin in the plasma. It is shown that mesoporous crystals built from biomolecules can selectively uptake transthyretin monomers up to measurable quantities. Furthermore, it was found that the use of endogenous molecules to produce the host framework drastically reduces unspecific adsorption of plasma proteins at the crystal surface, a feature that was observed with metal-organic frameworks. The assay was used to analyse plasma microsamples of patients and healthy controls. It shows a significant increase in the levels of monomeric transthyretin in the patients, proving its usefulness to establish the monomers as soluble and non-invasive marker of the disease. In addition, the assay can evaluate transthyretin stabilizers, an emergent strategy that broadened the treatment approach to the disease. Sensing the initial event of the transthyretin amyloid cascade with the proposed assay can make the difference for early diagnosis and eliminate the currently adopted invasive biopsies modalities for detection of the final products of the aggregation pathway.
What does it take to make progress in a disease?
Authors: Ringel Michael S. , Dethier Julie , Davitt Michelle J. , Denslow Maria , Fowler R. Andrew , Hasenfuss Sebastian C. , Schulze Ulrik
Published: February 2024

In this paper, we investigate what conditions need to be in place to make progress in combating a disease using a case-control design: we compare cases (diseases with a successful therapy) to controls (diseases without a successful therapy). We find five conditions (“hurdles”) must typically be cleared for success: (A) understanding of biological drivers, (B) ability to modulate biology, (C) availability of translational models, (D1) ability to identify patients, and (D2) ability to measure clinical response. This framework is similar to ones deployed to evaluate individual drug candidates but is employed here to make inferences about entire diseases. It can be used to identify diseases most ready for progress, where efforts should be focused to make progress in diseases that are currently intractable, and where the industry could benefit from development of tools to address the hurdle that is most commonly the last to be cleared across diseases—namely, (C) translational models.
Enlighting the toxinological dark matter of spider venom enzymes
Authors: Dresler Josephine , Herzig Volker , Vilcinskas Andreas , Lüddecke Tim
Published: February 2024

Spiders produce highly adapted venoms featuring a complex mixture of biomolecules used mainly for hunting and defense. The most prominent components are peptidic neurotoxins, which have been the focus of research and drug development, whereas venom enzymes have been largely neglected. Nevertheless, investigation of venom enzymes not only reveals insights into their biological functions, but also provides templates for future industrial applications. Here we compared spider venom enzymes contained in the VenomZone database and in other publicly available proteo-transcriptomic datasets. We found extensive discrepancies between these sources, revealing a previously unrecognized abundance and diversity of venom enzymes. Furthermore, we assigned the reported enzymes to cellular processes and known venom functions, including toxicity, prey pre-digestion, venom preservation, venom component activation, and venom spreading factors. Our study reveals a gap between databases and publications in terms of enzyme coverage which impedes development of new applications based on the rich and diverse spectrum of enzymes contained in spider venom.
Drought influences the fungal community structure, diversity, and functionality inhabiting the grapevine xylem and enhances the abundance ofPhaeomoniella chlamydospora
Authors: Leal C. , Bujanda R. , Carbone M. J. , Kiss T. , Eichmeier A. , Gramaje D. , Maldonado-González M. M.
Published: February 2024

The productivity of grapevines in Mediterranean regions faces significant threats from global warming, which may intensify competition for water resources. Recent research highlights the impact of water deficit on the root-associated microbiota of grapevines, particularly organisms capable of mitigating abiotic and biotic stressors. This study explores the influence of drought on the structure, diversity, and functionality of xylem- inhabiting fungal communities of grapevine, with a focus on the fungal pathogenPhaeomoniella chlamydosporaassociated with esca and Petri diseases. One-year-old grapevine rootlings grown under greenhouse conditions were subjected to three water regimes: severe water deficit (SWD) at 25% of field capacity, moderate water deficit (MWD) at 50% of field capacity, and no water deficit (AWD) at 100% of field capacity. Wood samples were non-destructively collected before planting (t0) and one (t1) and two (t2) growing seasons after planting from the bottom, medium, and apical parts of the rootstock. Fungal composition andP. chlamydosporaabundance were assessed using ITS high-throughput amplicon sequencing (HTAS) and droplet-digital PCR (ddPCR), respectively. The induced water stress not only altered the diversity and composition of the fungal microbiome in the xylem vessels but also affected co- occurrence networks, resulting in less complex networks with fewer correlations between taxa, potentially increasing grapevine vulnerability to various biotic and abiotic stresses. SWD significantly reduced microbial diversity, leading to a shift in the abundance of pathotrophs such asP. chlamydosporain the xylem. This underscores the interconnectedness between water stress, microbiome dynamics, and plant health. The combination of compromised plant defenses, altered physiological conditions, and shifts in the surrounding microbial community may create conditions conducive to increasedP. chlamydosporaabundance in the xylem vessels of young vines following water stress.
Diverging nonlocal fields: Operationalizing critical disability physics identity with neurodivergent physicists outside academia
Authors: McDermott Liam G. , Mosley Nazeer A. , Cochran Geraldine L.
Published: February 2024

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education research and physics education research, in particular, are currently struggling with a dearth of research into understanding the experiences and identity development of neurodivergent students. In addition, an even larger gap in research exists looking into nonacademic members who have left the field and still strongly identify with their disciplinary identity. As valued members of our physics community, these colleagues provide a unique perspective as to how identity and participation are nurtured and developed, particularly among rising disabled physicists. To resolve these current issues and aid in future research, we operationalize our new Critical Disability Physics Identity framework and present results from interviews with three neurodivergent post-baccalaureate nonacademic physicists (those who have left physics and retain a strong affinity toward their identity as a physicist). As the first paper in a four-part phenomenological study into the identity development of neurodivergent physicists, we also present an analysis of each interview through a Critical Disability Physics Identity lens and discuss the implications of their Critical Disability Physics Identity development. We find that neurodivergent students experience very little outright discrimination and violence but experience structural ableism in the form of assessment that is not constructed for how neurodivergent physicists perform physics-related tasks. Additionally, we find that neurodivergent physicists seem to ground identity in having a strong interest in physics, something that is only shaken by professors and others in power being neutral toward the discrimination experienced by neurodivergent people. We find that there are very large power imbalances between professors and neurodivergent students and that only when professors and others in power are actively anti-ableist is this power imbalance remedied and neurodivergent students begin to feel that they are physicists.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Yashram Lifestyle Brands Pvt Ltd: strategizing for omnichannel approach
Authors: D Tamizharasi , Singh Padmalini
Published: February 2024

Learning outcomes

After completion of the case study, the students will be able to illustrate issues in offline marketing and strategy for an in-store business, familiarize students with the challenges involved in the decision-making in integrating online and offline marketing strategies, evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of online and offline marketing and motivate students to apply marketing strategies to real-world business situations

Case overview/synopsis

Deepa Kumar, the founder of Yashram Lifestyle, had successfully built a niche brand with a strong online presence in the lingerie industry. Yashram Lifestyle was known for its innovative products and commitment to addressing the real-life vulnerabilities faced by women at different stages of life. With a vision to be a one-stop destination for all intimate and practical needs of women and girls, Yashram had introduced unique products such as period panties, starter bras, incontinence underwear and hygiene panties. On the contrary, Kumar acknowledged that offline marketing strategies, such as pop-up stores, collaborations with physical retailers and participation in industry events, could provide valuable insights into customer preferences, enhance brand visibility and foster direct customer engagement. Offline channels might also enable Yashram Lifestyle to better understand the market dynamics and further drive product innovation. However, owing to the associated costs, logistics and potential risks, Kumar was apprehensive about venturing into offline marketing. She wondered whether Yashram Lifestyle had the necessary assets and expertise to successfully scale up its operations while making these alternate decisions. Furthermore, she questioned herself whether offline marketing efforts would be worth the investment and whether they could lead to substantial growth and increased market share for Yashram Lifestyle.

Complexity academic level

The purpose of this case study is to provoke critical thought among undergraduate and postgraduate business and management students about Kumar’s potential course of action for Yashram Lifestyle to engage in offline marketing. It applies to the implementation of marketing strategy.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 8: Marketing.
Retrospective observational study of aged care facility residents presenting to ED post fall: A case for person‐centred shared decision making
Authors: Nash Terry , MacRae Nicola , Pitt Daniel , Bennetts Casey , Scanlan Alyce , Eley Robert
Published: February 2024

Objective

Identify the incidence of intracranial haemorrhage in people from residential aged care facilities following falls who had a CT head performed. The secondary objectives were to identify predictor variables for intracranial haemorrhage to inform person‐centred shared decision making.

Methods

Retrospective chart review of aged care residents who presented to ED with a triage of fall. Documented evidence of vomiting, headache, external signs of head injury, deviation from baseline neurology and the presence of anticoagulation or antiplatelet agents was reviewed. The rates of CT head, intracranial haemorrhage, emergent interventions, disposition and mortality were assessed.

Results

Of the 2546 presentations, 1732 (68.0%) had a CT head and intracranial haemorrhage was found in 76 (4.4%) patients. External signs of head injury and deviation from neurological baseline have a strong association with intracranial haemorrhage in 26 (22.2%) patients, only 4 (0.61%) patients with intracranial haemorrhage had neither. There was a strong association between these clinical features and identification of intracranial haemorrhage on CT head. Anticoagulation and antiplatelet use had no association with intracranial haemorrhage. A 30‐day mortality was increased in patients with deviation from neurological baseline. No neurosurgical intervention was performed, and there was inconsistent advice regarding anticoagulation or antiplatelet agents.

Conclusions

Deviation from neurological baseline or external signs of head injury may be predictors of intracranial haemorrhage. Vomiting, headache, anticoagulation or antiplatelets were not associated with intracranial haemorrhage. A person‐centred decision‐making approach, that is informed by treatment options could better guide clinicians on when to order a CT head after a fall.