bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A novel cancer risk prediction score for the natural course of FA patients with biallelic BRCA2/FANCD1 mutations
Authors: Radulovic Ivana , Schündeln Michael M , Müller Lisa , Ptok Johannes , Honisch Ellen , Niederacher Dieter , Wiek Constanze , Scheckenbach Kathrin , Leblanc Thierry , Larcher Lise , Soulier Jean , Reinhardt Dirk , Schaal Heiner , Andreassen Paul R , Hanenberg Helmut
Published: February 2023

Biallelic germline mutations in BRCA2 occur in the Fanconi anemia (FA)-D1 subtype of the rare pediatric disorder, FA, characterized clinically by severe congenital abnormalities and a very high propensity to develop malignancies early in life. Clinical and genetic data from 96 FA-D1 patients with biallelic BRCA2 mutations were collected and used to develop a new cancer risk prediction score system based on the specific mutations in BRCA2. This score takes into account the location of frameshift/stop and missense mutations relative to exon 11 of BRCA2, which encodes the major sites for interaction with the RAD51 recombinase, and uses the MaxEnt and HBond splicing scores to analyze potential splice site perturbations. Among 75 FA-D1 patients with ascertained BRCA2 mutations, 66 patients developed 102 malignancies, ranging from one to three independent tumors per individual. The median age at the clinical presentation of peripheral embryonal tumors was 1.0, at the onset of hematologic malignancies 1.8 and at the manifestation of CNS tumors 2.7 years, respectively. Patients who received treatment lived longer than those without. Using our novel scoring system, we could distinguish three distinct cancer risk groups among FA-D1 patients: in the first, patients developed their initial malignancy at a median age of 1.3 years (n = 36, 95% CI = 0.9–1.8), in the second group at 2.3 years (n = 17, 95% CI = 1.4–4.4) and in the third group at 23.0 years (n = 22, 95% CI = 4.3—n/a). Therefore, this scoring system allows, for the first time, to predict the cancer manifestation of FA-D1 patients simply based on the type and position of the mutations in BRCA2.
Effect of 5-HT1A Receptor Partial Agonists of the Azapirone Class as an Add-On Therapy on Psychopathology and Cognition in Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Yamada Risa , Wada Ayumu , Stickley Andrew , Yokoi Yuma , Sumiyoshi Tomiki
Published: February 2023

Background

There are ongoing efforts to examine the effect of 5-HT1A receptor partial agonists as an add-on therapy for several symptoms of schizophrenia. By conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis, we evaluated whether augmentation with 5-hydroxtrypatamine (5-HT)1A partial agonists of the azapirone class improves psychotic symptoms and attention/processing speed, a key domain of cognition, in patients with schizophrenia.

Methods

A literature search was performed from 1987 to February 25, 2022, to identify randomized controlled trials. The standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated when there were 2 or more studies. Seven studies, involving 435 patients, met the inclusion criteria.

Results

Random-effects model meta-analyses revealed that add-on therapy with buspirone or tandospirone had a significant beneficial effect on overall psychotic symptoms (SMD = –1.13, 95% CI = –1.98 to –0.27) and positive symptoms (SMD = –0.72, 95% CI =–1.31 to –0.12), while the effect on negative symptoms did not reach statistical significance (SMD = –0.93, 95% CI = –1.90 to 0.04). A significant positive effect was also observed on attention/processing speed (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.12 to 0.61).

Conclusions

These findings support the idea that some compounds that stimulate 5-HT1A receptors provide an effective pharmacologic enhancer in the treatment of schizophrenia. Further clinical trials are warranted to determine the benefits of the adjunctive use of 5-HT1A partial agonists in ameliorating symptoms and improving functional outcomes in patients with schizophrenia or other psychiatric disorders.
We’re Miles Apart: Disproportionate Deductions from Wages, Industrial Action and Human Rights
Authors: Mead David
Published: February 2023

This article sets out a human rights-based critique of one aspect of the common law wage/work bargain: the rule that entitles employers to deduct an entire week’s pay from those taking action short of strike, and who thereby perform most, but not all, of their contractual duties. It makes the case that that rule, established in Miles v Wakefield MDC and Wiluszynski v Tower Hamlets over 35 years ago, constitutes a disproportionate interference with an employee’s right to strike and to take industrial action, under Article 11 of the ECHR. The article shows how such cases might be brought, depending on whether an employee is in the public or private sector and iterates the argument for implying a duty of ‘rights-obedience’ into the contract—either as a free-standing duty or as part of an expansion of the duty of mutual trust and confidence—as a corrective.
Safety and Immunogenicity of an Investigational Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine (RSVPreF3) in Mothers and Their Infants: A Phase 2 Randomized Trial
Authors: Bebia Zourab , Reyes Osvaldo , Jeanfreau Robert , Kantele Anu , De Leon Ruth Graciela , Sánchez Marta García , Banooni Peyman , Gardener Glenn J , Rasero José Luis Bartha , Pardilla Maria Begoña Encinas , Langley Joanne M , Di Leo Claudio Maañón , Botelho-Nevers Elisabeth , Buttery Jim , Laurichesse Helene , Madhi Shabir A , García Adrián Martín , Stanley Thorsten , Barjat Tiphaine , Griffith Rebecca , Castrejón-Alba Maria Mercedes , de Heusch Magali , Dieussaert Ilse , Hercor Melanie , Lese Patricia , Qian Hui , Tullio Antonella N , Henry Ouzama
Published: February 2023

Background

In a phase 1/2 study, a maternal respiratory syncytial virus vaccine candidate (RSVPreF3) demonstrated an acceptable safety profile and efficiently increased RSV-specific humoral immune responses in non-pregnant women.

Methods

In this phase 2 observer-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial (NCT04126213), the safety of RSVPreF3 (60 or 120 µg), administered during late second or third trimester, was evaluated in 213 18- to 40-year-old healthy pregnant women through 6 months postdelivery and their offspring through infancy; immunogenicity was evaluated through day 43 postdelivery and day 181 postbirth, respectively.

Results

RSVPreF3 was well tolerated. No pregnancy-related or neonatal adverse events of special interest were considered vaccine/placebo related. In the 60 and 120 µg RSVPreF3 groups: (1) neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers in mothers increased 12.7- and 14.9-fold against RSV-A and 10.6- and 13.2-fold against RSV-B, respectively, 1 month postvaccination and remained 8.9–10.0-fold over prevaccination at day 43 postdelivery; (2) nAb titers were consistently higher compared to placebo recipients; (3) placental transfer ratios for anti-RSVPreF3 antibodies at birth were 1.62 and 1.90, respectively, and (4) nAb levels in infants were highest at birth and declined through day 181 postbirth.

Conclusions

RSVPreF3 maternal vaccination had an acceptable safety risk profile and induced robust RSV-specific immune responses with successful antibody transfer to their newborns.

Clinical Trials Registration

NCT04126213.
Now is the Time to Scale Up Birth-Dose Hepatitis B Vaccine in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Authors: Thompson Peyton , Parr Jonathan B , Boisson Alix , Razavi-Shearer Devin , Ezechi Oliver C , Wang Su H , Tucker Joseph D
Published: February 2023

Fewer than half of the world's infants have access to the birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine (HBV), which prevents mother-to-child transmission of HBV and subsequent liver cancer. Now is the time to expand access for infants born in low-resource settings.
A TaqMan Assay for the Detection and Monitoring of Potentially Invasive Lasiocampids, With Particular Attention to the Siberian Silk Moth, Dendrolimus sibiricus (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae)
Authors: Stewart Don , Djoumad Abdelmadjid , Holden Dave , Kimoto Troy , Capron Arnaud , Dubatolov Vladimir V , Akhanaev Yuriy B , Yakimova Maria E , Martemyanov Vyacheslav V , Cusson Michel
Published: February 2023

The Siberian silk moth, Dendrolimus sibiricus Tschetverikov, is a very serious pest of conifers in Russia and is an emerging threat in North America where an accidental introduction could have devastating impacts on native forest resources. Other Dendrolimus Germar species and related Eurasian lasiocampids in the genus Malacosoma (Hubner) could also present a risk to North America’s forests. Foreign vessels entering Canadian and U.S. ports are regularly inspected for Lymantria dispar (Linnaeus) and for the presence of other potentially invasive insects, including suspicious lasiocampid eggs. However, eggs are difficult to identify based on morphological features alone. Here, we report on the development of two TaqMan (Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., Rotkreuz, Switzerland) assays designed to assist regulatory agencies in their identification of these insects. Developed using the barcode region of the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene and run in triplex format, the first assay can detect Dendrolimus and Malacosoma DNA, and can distinguish North American from Eurasian Malacosoma species. The second assay is based on markers identified within the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region and was designed to specifically identify D. sibiricus, while discriminating closely related Dendrolimus taxa. In addition to providing direct species identification in the context of its use in North America, the D. sibiricus assay should prove useful for monitoring the spread of this pest in Eurasia, where its range overlaps with those of the morphologically identical D. superans (Butler) and similar D. pini (Linnaeus). The assays described here can be performed either in the lab on a benchtop instrument, or on-site using a portable machine.
Acute genitourinary toxicity of pencil beam scanning proton therapy for localized prostate cancer: utility of the transition zone index and average urinary flow rate in predicting acute urinary retention
Authors: Takaoka Taiki , Yanagi Takeshi , Tanaka Atsushi , Kiriyama Yuka , Tanaka Yoshihiro , Kondo Takuhito , Takano Seiya , Takahashi Shinsei , Shibamoto Yuta , Tomita Natsuo , Hiwatashi Akio
Published: February 2023

Background

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of acute genitourinary toxicities in patients undergoing pencil beam scanning proton therapy for prostate cancer and investigate predictive factors associated with acute urinary retention.

Methods

A total of 227 patients treated between 2018 and 2021 were divided into the normo-fractionated proton therapy group (n = 107) and the moderately hypo-fractionated proton therapy group (n = 120), with prescribed doses of 76–78 Gy relative biological effectiveness in 38–39 fractions and 60–63 Gy relative biological effectiveness in 20–21 fractions, respectively. Uroflowmetry parameters and the transition zone index were prospectively evaluated.

Results

Forty-five patients (42%) in the normo-fractionated proton therapy and 33 (28%) in the moderately hypo-fractionated proton therapy developed acute grade 2 genitourinary toxicities (P = 0.02). The most common acute genitourinary toxicity was acute urinary retention. Thirty-nine patients (36%) treated with normo-fractionated proton therapy and 27 (23%) treated with moderately hypo-fractionated proton therapy developed grade 2 acute urinary retention (P = 0.02). No patients developed grade ≥ 3 toxicity. Univariate analysis showed the transition zone index, prostate volume, international prostate symptom score, voided volume, maximum flow rate and average flow rate were associated with grade 2 acute urinary retention. Multivariate analysis in both groups revealed the transition zone index (P = 0.025 and 0.029) and average flow rate (P = 0.039 and 0.044) were predictors of grade 2 acute urinary retention.

Conclusions

The incidence of acute genitourinary toxicities was lower in the moderately hypo-fractionated proton therapy compared with the normo-fractionated proton therapy. Lower pretreatment average flow rate and a higher transition zone index were useful predictors of grade 2 acute urinary retention.
Trace-class Gaussian priors for Bayesian learning of neural networks with MCMC
Authors: Sell Torben , Singh Sumeetpal Sidhu
Published: February 2023

This paper introduces a new neural network based prior for real valued functions. Each weight and bias of the neural network has an independent Gaussian prior, with the key novelty that the variances decrease in the width of the network in such a way that the resulting function is well defined in the limit of an infinite width network. We show that the induced posterior over functions is amenable to Monte Carlo sampling using Hilbert space Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. This type of MCMC is stable under mesh refinement, i.e. the acceptance probability does not degenerate as more parameters of the function's prior are introduced, even ad infinitum. We demonstrate these advantages over other function space priors, for example in Bayesian Reinforcement Learning.
On inference in high-dimensional regression
Authors: Battey Heather S , Reid Nancy
Published: February 2023

This paper develops an approach to inference in a linear regression model when the number of potential explanatory variables is larger than the sample size. The approach treats each regression coefficient in turn as the interest parameter, the remaining coefficients being nuisance parameters, and seeks an optimal interest-respecting transformation, inducing sparsity on the relevant blocks of the notional Fisher information matrix. The induced sparsity is exploited through a marginal least-squares analysis for each variable, as in a factorial experiment, thereby avoiding penalization. One parameterization of the problem is found to be particularly convenient, both computationally and mathematically. In particular, it permits an analytic solution to the optimal transformation problem, facilitating theoretical analysis and comparison to other work. In contrast to regularized regression, such as the lasso and its extensions, neither adjustment for selection nor rescaling of the explanatory variables is needed, ensuring the physical interpretation of regression coefficients is retained. Recommended usage is within a broader set of inferential statements, so as to reflect uncertainty over the model as well as over the parameters. The considerations involved in extending the work to other regression models are briefly discussed.
Why Early Modern Mass Incarceration Matters: The Bamberg Malefizhaus, 1627–31
Authors: Weinreich Spencer J
Published: February 2023

In 1627, at the height of the Bamberg witch-hunt (1595–1631), the prince-bishopric erected the Malefizhaus (“witchcraft-house”), the first cellular prison purpose-built for solitary confinement. This article recovers the history of the Malefizhaus to establish the importance of imprisonment and carceral institutions to the early modern witch-craze. The prison at once concretized the ideology of the hunt and furnished a fearsome weapon of persecution, extracting the confessions without which no inquisitorial campaign could function. By reconstructing the singular architecture and internal regimen of the Malefizhaus, this article demonstrates the sophistication of early modern interrogations, a process distorted by an outsized interest in torture. Having recognized the Malefizhaus as a driver of the witch-hunt, it is possible to recognize the prison’s impact upon Bamberg’s seventeenth-century history—disrupting political and economic relationships, displacing populations, and disciplining social life. The case of the Bamberg witches’ prison counters the modernist slant of the study of the prison, proof that medieval and early modern carceral institutions shaped the history of their societies, despite smaller scales and weaker state apparatuses. In turn, the essay argues that the critical tools of carceral studies, developed to study contemporary mass incarceration, can profitably be applied to premodern practices and institutions, offering insight into patterns of violence, the development of repressive structures, and the problems of “crime” as a historical category.
Plastids: diving into their diversity, their functions, and their role in plant development
Authors: Sierra Julio , Escobar-Tovar Lina , Leon Patricia
Published: February 2023

Plastids are a group of essential, heterogenous semi-autonomous organelles characteristic of plants that perform photosynthesis and a diversity of metabolic pathways that impact growth and development. Plastids are remarkably dynamic and can interconvert in response to specific developmental and environmental cues, functioning as a central metabolic hub in plant cells. By far the best studied plastid is the chloroplast, but in recent years the combination of modern techniques and genetic analyses has expanded our current understanding of plastid morphological and functional diversity in both model and non-model plants. These studies have provided evidence of an unexpected diversity of plastid subtypes with specific characteristics. In this review, we describe recent findings that provide insights into the characteristics of these specialized plastids and their functions. We concentrate on the emerging evidence that supports the model that signals derived from particular plastid types play pivotal roles in plant development, environmental, and defense responses. Furthermore, we provide examples of how new technologies are illuminating the functions of these specialized plastids and the overall complexity of their differentiation processes. Finally, we discuss future research directions such as the use of ectopic plastid differentiation as a valuable tool to characterize factors involved in plastid differentiation. Collectively, we highlight important advances in the field that can also impact future agricultural and biotechnological improvement in plants.
Just enough fruit: understanding feedback mechanisms during sexual reproductive development
Authors: Sadka Avi , Walker Catriona H , Haim Dor , Bennett Tom
Published: February 2023

The fruit and seed produced by a small number of crop plants provide the majority of food eaten across the world. Given the growing global population, there is a pressing need to increase yields of these crops without using more land or more chemical inputs. Many of these crops display prominent ‘fruit–flowering feedbacks’, in which fruit produced early in sexual reproductive development can inhibit the production of further fruit by a range of mechanisms. Understanding and overcoming these feedbacks thus presents a plausible route to increasing crop yields ‘for free’. In this review, we define three key types of fruit–flowering feedback, and examine how frequent they are and their effects on reproduction in a wide range of both wild and cultivated species. We then assess how these phenomenologically distinct phenomena might arise from conserved phytohormonal signalling events, particularly the export of auxin from growing organs. Finally, we offer some thoughts on the evolutionary basis for these self-limiting sexual reproductive patterns, and whether they are also present in the cereal crops that fundamentally underpin global diets.
VST ATLAS galaxy cluster catalogue I: cluster detection and mass calibration
Authors: Ansarinejad Behzad , Murphy David , Shanks Tom , Metcalfe Nigel
Published: February 2023

Taking advantage of ∼4700 deg2 optical coverage of the Southern sky offered by the VST ATLAS survey, we construct a new catalogue of photometrically selected galaxy groups and clusters using the orca cluster detection algorithm. The catalogue contains ∼22 000 detections with N200 > 10 and ∼9000 with N200 > 20. We estimate the photometric redshifts of the clusters using machine learning and find the redshift distribution of the sample to extend to z ∼ 0.7, peaking at z ∼ 0.25. We calibrate the ATLAS cluster mass-richness scaling relation using masses from the MCXC, Planck, ACT DR5, and SDSS redMaPPer cluster samples. We estimate the ATLAS sample to be $\gt 95~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ complete and $\gt 85~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ pure at z < 0.35 and in the M200m>$1\times 10^{14}h^{-1}\, \mbox{M}_\odot$ mass range. At z < 0.35, we also find the ATLAS sample to be more complete than redMaPPer, recovering a $\sim 40~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ higher fraction of Abell clusters. This higher sample completeness places the amplitude of the z < 0.35 ATLAS cluster mass function closer to the predictions of a ΛCDM model with parameters based on the Planck CMB analyses, compared to the mass functions of the other cluster samples. However, strong tensions between the observed ATLAS mass functions and models remain. We shall present a detailed cosmological analysis of the ATLAS cluster mass functions in paper II. In the future, optical counterparts to X-ray-detected eROSITA clusters can be identified using the ATLAS sample. The catalogue is also well suited for auxiliary spectroscopic target selection in 4MOST. The ATLAS cluster catalogue is publicly available at http://astro.dur.ac.uk/cosmology/vstatlas/cluster_catalogue/.
The TIME Table: rotation and ages of cool exoplanet host stars
Authors: Gaidos Eric , Claytor Zachary , Dungee Ryan , Ali Aleezah , Feiden Gregory A
Published: February 2023

Age is a stellar parameter that is both fundamental and difficult to determine. Among middle-aged M dwarfs, the most prolific hosts of close-in and detectable exoplanets, gyrochronology is the most promising method to assign ages, but requires calibration by rotation-temperature sequences (gyrochrones) in clusters of known ages. We curated a catalogue of 249 late K- and M-type (Teff = 3200–4200 K) exoplanet host stars with established rotation periods, and applied empirical, temperature-dependent rotation–age relations based on relevant published gyrochrones, including one derived from observations of the 4-Gyr-old open cluster M67. We estimated ages for 227 of these stars, and upper limits for eight others, excluding 14 which are too rapidly rotating or are otherwise outside the valid parameter range of our gyrochronology. We estimated uncertainties based on observed scatter in rotation periods in young clusters, error in the gyrochrones, and uncertainties in temperature and non-solar metallicity. For those stars with measured metallicities, we provide but do not incorporate a correction for the effects of deviation from solar-metallicity. The age distribution of our sample declines to near zero at 10 Gyr, the age of the Galactic disc, with the handful of outliers explainable by large uncertainties. Continued addition or extension of cluster rotation sequences to more thoroughly calibrate the gyrochronology in time and temperature space, more precise and robust measurement of rotation periods, and more accurate stellar parameter measurements will enable continued improvements in the age estimates of these important exoplanet host stars.
A CCD search for variable stars in the open cluster NGC 6611
Authors: Michalska G , Kołaczkowski Z , Leiton R , Szewczyk O , Kinemuchi K , Kalari V M
Published: February 2023

We present the results of the UBVIC variability survey in the young open cluster NGC 6611 based on observations obtained during 34 nights spanning one year. In total, we found 95 variable stars. Most of these stars are classified as periodic and irregular pre-main sequence (PMS) stars. The analysis of the JHKS 2MASS photometry and four-colour IRAC photometry revealed 165 Class II young stellar sources, 20 of which are irregular variables and one is an eclipsing binary. These classifications, complemented by JHK UKIDSS photometry and riHα VPHAS photometry, were used to identify 24 candidates for classical T Tauri stars and 30 weak-lined T Tauri stars. In addition to the PMS variables, we discovered eight δ Scuti candidates. None of these were previously known. Furthermore, we detected 17 eclipsing binaries where two were previously known. Based on the proper motions provided by the Gaia EDR3 catalogue, we calculated the cluster membership probabilities for 91 variable stars. For 61 variables, a probability higher than 80 per cent was determined, which makes them cluster members. Only 25 variables with a probability less than 20 per cent were regarded to be non-members.
Tidal resurfacing model for (99942) Apophis during the 2029 close approach with Earth
Authors: Kim Yaeji , DeMartini Joseph V , Richardson Derek C , Hirabayashi Masatoshi
Published: February 2023

We numerically investigate tidally induced surface refreshing on Apophis during its close approach with Earth within a perigee distance of 5.96 Earth radii on 2029 April 13. We implement a tidal resurfacing model with two stages: dynamics modelling of the entire body to determine time-varying accelerations and surface slope profiles felt by each surface patch during the 6-h-long closest encounter, and discrete-element method modelling to track motions of surface grains in localized patches. The surface slope profiles and measured grain motions are combined to statistically extrapolate the ‘expected’ percentage of resurfaced area. Using the tidal resurfacing model, we present surface maps showing the total expected resurfacing on Apophis given three representative encounter orientations. Our simulation results indicate that tidal resurfacing, limited to certain localized regions, will likely occur half an hour before perigee and on the scale of 1 per cent of Apophis’s entire surface area. Our models indicate that the most likely locations to detect tidal resurfacing are: initially high-sloped regions (>30°) regardless of the encounter orientation of Apophis, and mid-sloped regions (15°–30°) that experience a significant positive slope variation (>0.5°), which is mainly controlled by the encounter orientation. Expected data from ground-based observations of the 2029 flyby will help us better constrain the targeted locations likely to experience tidal resurfacing. We thus expect to find evidence supporting tidal resurfacing via further analysis of post-encounter surface images or albedo changes at the expected resurfaced areas.
Discovery of a red backsplash galaxy candidate near M81
Authors: Casey Kirsten J , Greco Johnny P , Peter Annika H G , Davis A Bianca
Published: February 2023

Understanding quenching mechanisms in low-mass galaxies is essential for understanding galaxy evolution overall. In particular, isolated galaxies are important tools to help disentangle the complex internal and external processes that impact star formation. Comparisons between quenched field and satellite galaxies in the low-mass regime offer a substantial opportunity for discovery, although very few quenched galaxies with masses below $M_{\star }\, \sim \, 10^{9} {\rm M}_{\odot }$ are known outside the virial radius, Rvir, of any host halo. Importantly, simulations and observations suggest that an in-between population of backsplash galaxies also exists that may complement interpretations of environmental quenching. Backsplash galaxies – like field galaxies – reside outside the virial radius of a host halo, but their star formation can be deeply impacted by previous interactions with more massive systems. In this paper, we report the concurrent discovery of a low-mass ($M_{\star }\, \sim \, 10^{7} {\rm M}_{\odot }$) quenched galaxy approximately 1Rvir in projection from the M81 group. We use surface brightness fluctuations (SBF) to investigate the possibility that the new galaxy, dw0910+7326 (nicknamed Blobby), is a backsplash galaxy or a more distant field galaxy. The measured SBF distance of $3.21\substack{+0.15 +0.41 \\-0.15 -0.36}$ Mpc indicates that Blobby likely lies in the range 1.0 < R/Rvir < 2.7 outside the combined M81–M82 system. Given its distance and quiescence, Blobby is a good candidate for a backsplash galaxy and could provide hints about the formation and evolution of these interesting objects.
Evolved cataclysmic variables as progenitors of AM CVn stars
Authors: Sarkar Arnab , Ge Hongwei , Tout Christopher A
Published: February 2023

We model cataclysmic variables (CVs) with solar metallicity donors (X = 0.7 and Z = 0.02) that evolve to form AM CVn stars through the evolved CV formation channel using various angular momentum loss mechanisms by magnetic braking (AMLMB). We find that the time-scale for AMLMB in our double-dynamo (DD) model is shorter than that of previously used empirical formulae. Owing to the shorter time-scales, a larger parameter space of initial conditions evolves to form AM CVn stars with the DD model than with other models. We perform an analysis of the expected number of AM CVn stars formed through the Evolved CV channel and find about 3 times as many AM CVn stars as reported before. We evolve these systems in detail with the Cambridge stellar evolution code (stars) and show that evolved CVs populate a region with orbital period $P_\mathrm{orb}\ge 5.5\, \mathrm{hr}$. We evolve our donors beyond their orbital period minimum and find that a significant number become extremely H-exhausted systems. This makes them indistinguishable from systems evolved from the He-star and the White Dwarf (WD) channels in terms of the absence of H in their spectra. We also compare the masses, mass-transfer rates of the donor, and the orbital period with observations. We find that the state of the donor and the absence of H in systems such as YZ LMi and V396 Hya match with our modelled trajectories, while systems such as CR Boo and HP Lib match with our modelled tracks if their actual donor mass lies on the lower-end of the observed mass range.
Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Interventions for Sexual and/or Gender Minority-Identified People and the Theories That Underpin Them: A Scoping Review
Authors: McQuoid Julia , Durazo Arturo , Mooney Evan , Heffner Jaimee L , Tan Andy S L , Kong Amanda Y , Clifton Shari , Horn Elizabeth
Published: February 2023

Introduction

This scoping review takes stock of the social and behavior change theories that have underpinned tobacco interventions tailored to sexual and/or gender minority (SGM) people and reflects on the need to target contextually based drivers of SGM tobacco use inequities.

Aims and Methods

Data sources were Medline (Ovid), Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar (January 01, 1946 to October 27, 2022). Peer-reviewed publications in English from anywhere in the world describing SGM-tailored tobacco cessation and/or prevention interventions were independently identified by a librarian and screened by the first and third authors. Three hundred and sixty-seven articles were extracted; an additional two were found by hand searching. A total of 369 articles were assessed for eligibility. Exclusion criteria were: Not an intervention, review article, not SGM-tailored, or tobacco-focused. We documented the intervention name, intervention components, theoretical frameworks cited in reference to intervention design and/or implementation, and evaluation outcomes. All authors provided input on theoretical framework categorization.

Results

We identified 22 publications corresponding to 15 unique interventions. Individual-level behavior change theories (ie, those focusing on within-person behavior change processes) were the most prominent. Among these, the Transtheoretical Model was the most frequently utilized, while Social Inoculation Theory, Theory of Reasoned Action, and Theory of Psychological Reactance were also employed. A minority of interventions referenced frameworks that more explicitly engaged with SGM people’s social contexts, namely, Theory of Diffusion of Innovations and Minority Stress Model.

Conclusions

Future SGM-tailored tobacco interventions should leverage both the strengths of individual-level behavior change theories and those of frameworks that understand tobacco use inequities as indivisible from place, context, and policy.

Implications

This scoping review describes the theoretical underpinnings of sexual and/or gender minority (SGM)-tailored tobacco interventions published in the peer-review literature in English. It reflects on the need for greater utilization of social and behavior change theoretical frameworks that can engage with unique drivers of SGM tobacco use and barriers to cessation.
Heart of Darkness and Other Tales
Authors: Conrad Joseph
Published: February 2023

The finest of all Conrad’s tales, ‘Heart of Darkness’ is set in an atmosphere of mystery and menace, and tells of Marlow’s perilous journey up the Congo River to relieve his employer’s agent, the renowned and formidable Mr Kurtz. What he sees on his journey, and his eventual encounter with Kurtz, horrify and perplex him, and call into question the very bases of civilization and human nature. Endlessly reinterpreted by critics and adapted for film, radio, and television, the story shows Conrad at his most intense and sophisticated.
Conspicuous Leisure
Authors: Veblen Thorstein
Published: February 2023

If its working were not disturbed by other economic forces or other features of the emulative process, the immediate effect of such a pecuniary struggle as has just been described in outline would be to make men industrious and frugal. This result actually follows,...
Devout Observances
Authors: Veblen Thorstein
Published: February 2023

A discursive rehearsal of certain incidents of modern life will show the organic relation of the anthropomorphic cults to the barbarian culture and temperament. It will likewise serve to show how the survival and efficacy of the cults and the prevalence of their schedule of...
IV
Authors: Norris Frank
Published: February 2023

The days passed. McTeague had finished the operation on Trina’s teeth. She did not come any more to the ‘Parlors.’ Matters had readjusted themselves a little between the two during the last sittings. Trina yet stood upon her reserve, and McTeague still felt himself...
VI
Authors: Norris Frank
Published: February 2023

No, Trina did not know. ‘Do I love him? Do I love him?’ A thousand times she put the question to herself during the next two or three days. At night she hardly slept, but lay broad awake for hours in her little, gayly...
VIII
Authors: Norris Frank
Published: February 2023

The next two months were delightful. Trina and McTeague saw each other regularly, three times a week. The dentist went over to B Street Sunday and Wednesday afternoons as usual; but on Fridays it was Trina who came to the city. She spent the...
XI
Authors: Norris Frank
Published: February 2023

On that particular morning the McTeagues had risen a half hour earlier than usual and taken a hurried breakfast in the kitchen on the deal table with its oilcloth cover. Trina was house-cleaning that week and had a presentiment of a hard day’s work...
XIV
Authors: Norris Frank
Published: February 2023

‘Well, what do you think?’ said Trina.

She and McTeague stood in a tiny room at the back of the flat and on its very top floor. The room was whitewashed. It contained a bed, three cane-seated chairs, and a wooden washstand with...
XVI
Authors: Norris Frank
Published: February 2023

A week passed, then a fortnight, then a month. It was a month of the greatest anxiety and unquietude for Trina. McTeague was out of a job, could find nothing to do; and Trina, who saw the impossibility of saving as much money as...
XXII
Authors: Norris Frank
Published: February 2023

Within a month after his departure from San Francisco, Marcus had ‘gone in on a cattle ranch’ in the Panamint Valley with an Englishman, an acquaintance of Mr Sieppe’s. His headquarters were at a place called Modoc, at the lower extremity of the valley,...
Toward mechanistic modeling and rational engineering of plant respiration
Authors: Wendering Philipp , Nikoloski Zoran
Published: February 2023

Plant respiration not only provides energy to support all cellular processes, including biomass production, but also plays a major role in the global carbon cycle. Therefore, modulation of plant respiration can be used to both increase the plant yield and mitigate the effects of global climate change. Mechanistic modeling of plant respiration at sufficient biochemical detail can provide key insights for rational engineering of this process. Yet, despite its importance, plant respiration has attracted considerably less modeling effort in comparison to photosynthesis. In this update review, we highlight the advances made in modeling of plant respiration, emphasizing the gradual but important change from phenomenological to models based on first principles. We also provide a detailed account of the existing resources that can contribute to resolving the challenges in modeling plant respiration. These resources point at tangible improvements in the representation of cellular processes that contribute to CO2 evolution and consideration of kinetic properties of underlying enzymes to facilitate mechanistic modeling. The update review emphasizes the need to couple biochemical models of respiration with models of acclimation and adaptation of respiration for their effective usage in guiding breeding efforts and improving terrestrial biosphere models tailored to future climate scenarios.
MdERF114 enhances the resistance of apple roots toFusarium solaniby regulating the transcription ofMdPRX63
Authors: Liu Yusong , Liu Qianwei , Li Xuewen , Zhang Zhijun , Ai Shukang , Liu Cheng , Ma Fengwang , Li Chao
Published: February 2023

As the main fungal etiologic agent of apple (Malus domestica) replant disease (ARD), Fusarium solani seriously damages apple roots. Ethylene response factors (ERFs) play an important role in plant resistance to biotic stress. Here, we show that MdERF114 is expressed during F. solani infections and positively regulates the resistance of apple roots to F. solani. Yeast one-hybrid, dual-luciferase, electrophoretic mobility shift assays and determinations of lignin content indicated that MdERF114 directly binds the GCC-box of the MdPEROXIDASE63 (MdPRX63) promoter and activates its expression, resulting in lignin deposition in apple roots and increased resistance to F. solani. We identified a WRKY family transcription factor, MdWRKY75, that binds to the W-box of the MdERF114 promoter. Overexpression of MdWRKY75 enhanced resistance of apple roots to F. solani. MdMYB8 interacted with MdERF114 to enhance resistance to F. solani by promoting the binding of MdERF114 to the MdPRX63 promoter. In summary, our findings reveal that the MdWRKY75-MdERF114-MdMYB8-MdPRX63 module is required for apple resistance to F. solani and the application of this mechanism by Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated root transformation provides a promising strategy to prevent ARD.
Arabidopsis AGAMOUS-LIKE16 and SUPPRESSOR OF CONSTANS1 regulate the genome-wide expression and flowering time
Authors: Dong Xue , Zhang Li-Ping , Tang Yin-Hua , Yu Dongmei , Cheng Fang , Dong Yin-Xin , Jiang Xiao-Dong , Qian Fu-Ming , Guo Zhen-Hua , Hu Jin-Yong
Published: February 2023

Flowering transition is tightly coordinated by complex gene regulatory networks, in which AGAMOUS-LIKE 16 (AGL16) plays important roles. Here, we identified the molecular function and binding properties of AGL16 and demonstrated its partial dependency on the SUPPRESSOR OF CONSTANS 1 (SOC1) function in regulating flowering. AGL16 bound to promoters of more than 2,000 genes via CArG-box motifs with high similarity to that of SOC1 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Approximately 70 flowering genes involved in multiple pathways were potential targets of AGL16. AGL16 formed a protein complex with SOC1 and shared a common set of targets. Intriguingly, only a limited number of genes were differentially expressed in the agl16-1 loss-of-function mutant. However, in the soc1-2 knockout background, AGL16 repressed and activated the expression of 375 and 182 genes, respectively, with more than a quarter bound by AGL16. Corroborating these findings, AGL16 repressed the flowering time more strongly in soc1-2 than in the Col-0 background. These data identify a partial inter-dependency between AGL16 and SOC1 in regulating genome-wide gene expression and flowering time, while AGL16 provides a feedback regulation on SOC1 expression. Our study sheds light on the complex background dependency of AGL16 in flowering regulation, thus providing additional insights into the molecular coordination of development and environmental adaptation.
Transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis reveals a protein module involved in preharvest apple peel browning
Authors: Wang Hui , Zhang Shuhui , Fu Qingqing , Wang Zidun , Liu Xiaojie , Sun Lulong , Zhao Zhengyang
Published: February 2023

Peel browning is a natural phenomenon that adversely affects the appearance of fruits. Research on the regulation of browning in apples (Malus × domestica Borkh.) has mainly focused on postharvest storage, while studies at the preharvest stage are relatively rare. Apple is an economically important horticultural crop prone to peel browning during growth, especially when the fruits are bagged (dark conditions). The present study's integrated transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis revealed that preharvest apple peel browning was primarily due to changes in phenolics and flavonoids. The detailed analysis identified MdLAC7's (laccase 7) role in the preharvest apple peel browning process. Transient injection, overexpression, and CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of the MdLAC7 gene in apple fruit and calli identified vallinic acid, anthocyanidin, tannic acid, sinapic acid, and catechinic acid as its catalytic substrates. In addition, yeast one-hybrid assay, electrophoretic mobility shift assay, luciferase reporter assay, and ChIP-PCR analysis revealed that MdWRKY31 binds to the promoter of MdLAC7 and positively regulates its activity to promote peel browning of bagged fruits (dark conditions). Interestingly, upon light exposure, the light-responsive transcription factor MdHY5 (ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5) bound to the promoter of MdWRKY31 and inhibited the gene's expression, thereby indirectly inhibiting the function of MdLAC7. Subsequent analysis showed that MdHY5 binds to the MdLAC7 promoter at the G-box1/2 site and directly inhibits its expression in vivo. Thus, the study revealed the MdLAC7-mediated mechanism regulating preharvest apple peel browning and demonstrated the role of light in inhibiting MdLAC7 activity and subsequently reducing peel browning. These results provide theoretical guidance for producing high-quality apple fruits.
Development of a rapid and ultra-sensitive RNA:DNA hybrid immunocapture based biosensor for visual detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA
Authors: Dey Anusree , Prakash Jyoti , Das Rituparna , Shelar Sandeep , Saini Ajay , Cherian Susan , Patel Sofia C , Hassan Puthusserickal A , Khandekar Ashwini , Dasgupta Kinshuk , Misra Hari Sharan , Uppal Sheetal
Published: February 2023

The Development of reliable and field-compatible detection methods is essential to monitoring and controlling the spread of any global pandemic. We herein report a novel anti-RNA:DNA hybrid (anti-RDH) antibody-based biosensor for visual, colorimetric lateral flow assay, using gold nanoparticles, coupled with transcription-mediated-isothermal-RNA-amplification (TMIRA) for specific and sensitive detection of viral RNA. We have demonstrated its utility for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection. This technique, which we have named RDH-LFA (anti-RNA:DNA hybrid antibody-based lateral flow assay), exploits anti-RDH antibody for immunocapture of viral RNA hybridized with specific DNA probes in lateral flow assay. This method uses biotinylated-oligonucleotides (DNAB) specific to SARS-CoV-2 RNA (vRNA) to generate a vRNA-DNAB hybrid. The biotin-tagged vRNA-DNAB hybrid molecules bind to streptavidin conjugated with gold nanoparticles. This hybrid complex is trapped by the anti-RDH antibody immobilized on the nitrocellulose membrane resulting in pink color signal leading to visual naked-eye detection in 1 minute. Combining RDH-LFA with isothermal RNA amplification (TMIRA) significantly improves the sensitivity (LOD:10 copies/µl) with a total turnaround time of an hour. More importantly, RDH-LFA coupled with the TMIRA method showed 96.6% sensitivity and 100% specificity for clinical samples when compared to a commercial gold standard reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase-chain-reaction assay. Thus, the present study reports a rapid, sensitive, specific, and simple method for visual detection of viral RNA, which can be used at the point-of-care without requiring sophisticated instrumentation.
Before the Party Hijacks: The Limited Role of Party Cues in Appraisal of Low-Salience Policies—Experimental Evidence
Authors: Treger Clareta
Published: February 2023

What shapes Americans’ policy preferences: partisanship or policy content? While previous studies have addressed this question, many of them focused on high-salience policies. This raises an identification challenge because the content of such policies contains party cues. The current study employs a diverse set of low-salience policies to discern the unique effects of party cues and policy content, before the issues are “hijacked” by the parties. These policies are embedded in an original conjoint experiment administered among a national US sample. The design enables me to assess the effects of policy content and partisan sponsorship orthogonally. Contrary to previous studies, I find that respondents are attentive to policy content on low-salience issues, and it influences their policy preferences similarly or even more than party cues, across policy domains. Moreover, the support patterns and levels of Democrats and Republicans for many low-salience policies are similar. Party cues, by contrast, polarize partisans’ preferences across domains.
Facilitating discharge planning: the Risk Assessment of Complex Discharge Index
Authors: Bert Fabrizio , Cugudda Eleonora , Lo Moro Giuseppina , Devardo Carolina , Citino Elena , Faenzi Cristina , Scarmozzino Antonio , Siliquini Roberta
Published: February 2023

Background

Untimely social interventions prolong hospitalizations, suggesting discharge planning should begin early. This study aimed to create a tool to identify, already in Emergency department, patients at risk of complex discharge for social reasons.

Methods

We developed the Risk Assessment of Complex Discharge Index (RACDI). In Emergency department, we administered RACDI to patients destined to hospitalization. We calculated sensitivity and specificity of RACDI in identifying patients who need a social intervention. RACDI was compared with simplified BRASS. A multivariable logistic regression explored social intervention predictors (P-value < 0.05).

Results

RACDI was administered to 296 patients. There were significant associations between classes of risk defined by RACDI or by simplified BRASS and social intervention. The sensitivity of RACDI and simplified BRASS was, respectively, 0.59 and 0.43; the specificity 0.81 and 0.83. Chances of social intervention were higher for patients at high risk with RACDI (adjOR:3.13, 95% CI: 1.23–8.00, P = 0.017).

Conclusions

The reduced items and mostly dichotomous answers made RACDI a tool easy to be used in daily practice. RACDI helps in classifying patients needing discharge planning for social care and is a starting point to standardize the evaluation of social context early in hospitalization. Further work is needed to overcome limitations and assess additional outcomes.