bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
IK-175, an oral AHR inhibitor, as monotherapy and in combination with nivolumab in patients with urothelial carcinoma resistant/refractory to PD-1/L1 inhibitors.
Authors: Aggen David H , McKean Meredith , Hoffman-Censits Jean H. , Lakhani Nehal J. , Alhalabi Omar , Guancial Elizabeth A. , Bashir Babar , Bowman I. Alex , Tan Alan , Lingaraj Trupti , Kim Katherine , Timothy Marissa , Ortiz-Otero Nerymar , Bartolini Wilmin , Kacena Katherine , Santillana Sergio , Luke Jason J.
Published: June 2024

2599

Background: IK-175 is an oral, selective, small molecule Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) inhibitor. AHR is a ligand-activated transcription factor that binds kynurenine causing gene expression that promotes an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, possibly driving resistance to PD-1/L1 inhibitors (CPIs). Urothelial carcinoma (UC) demonstrates increased AHR signaling and nuclear protein localization as shown by gene expression analysis and tissue-based immunohistochemistry. Methods: This is a first-in-human, open-label, multicenter, study of IK-175 monotherapy and with nivolumab initially in solid tumors and for expansion in UC. Dose expansion patients received 1200mg QD of IK-175. Nivolumab was given at 480mg q4w in the combination cohorts. Both monotherapy and combination expansion arms utilized Simon 2-stage designs, and enrolled heavily pretreated UC patients who progressed ≤ 12 weeks of last dose of PD-1/L1 inhibitors (CPIs) and were enriched for nuclear AHR+ tumors by IHC. Study objectives included evaluation of safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, MTD, RP2D and antitumor activity (RECIST 1.1) of IK-175 as a monotherapy and in combination with nivolumab. Results: Fifty-seven UC expansion patients were evaluated for safety. Median age was 69 years (range 26-81), 52/57 (91%) patients received ≥2 lines of prior therapy including CPIs. 5/14 monotherapy and 14/43 combo had nuclear AHR+ tumors. The most common treatment-related AEs were nausea, fatigue, and diarrhea. Infrequent immune-related AEs occurred in <9% of patients and included adrenal insufficiency, proteinuria, rash, pneumonitis, and immune-related arthritis. Significant reduction in tumor target lesions (-30% to -100%) was observed in 6/46 (13%) response-evaluable UC patients (both arms). DCR was 46% and 49% for monotherapy and combination. Confirmed partial responses were observed in 1/13 (7.7%) monotherapy (DoR 22.6 months) and 2/33 (6%) in combo (DoR 4.4 and 7.3 months). Two patients in combo were treated beyond progression (for 4 and 10 months) due to investigator-assessed clinical benefit, including tumor shrinkage of target lesions. Conclusions: IK-175 showed a predictable, consistent safety profile as a monotherapy and in combination with nivolumab. Meaningful clinical benefit and objective, durable, prolonged responses were demonstrated in both monotherapy and combination arms in heavily pretreated UC patients with tumors refractory to CPI and supports further development of this asset in solid tumors. Clinical trial information: NCT04200963 .
It Will Always Be You
Authors: Kentridge William
Published: June 2024

This chapter offers a discussion in nine points by a fellow artist-filmmaker that highlights aspects of how Penny Siopis’s films intervene in film form and as cinema. A focus of the discussion is how sound and image work to defamiliarize each other, so that sound makes the viewer see something differently or the image makes us hear something differently. The unspoken or unsolvable riddles of sound in the films make the viewer active and complicit, it is argued, trying to make connections and find echoes, and becoming an active sense-maker. The films are thus often constituted by brilliant surprises and their figuring of various brainstorms mean that the medium becomes the medium of thinking itself. Water appears in multiple filmic sequences, in each case carrying echoes of other waters, bodies or water or memories of water: these are the liquid worlds of Siopis’s films.
Communing with Communion
Authors: Pollock Griselda
Published: June 2024

Penny Siopis’s film Communion revisits a historical enigma by commemorating aesthetically a haunting event that occurred in South Africa in 1952: police violence against the ANC’s Defiance Campaign of non-violent resistance against apartheid. This chapter offers a close reading of the film in relation to rituals and symbolic relations embedded in Christianity as colonial ideology and erupting in this historical and political “event” in a township in South Africa in 1952 where its contradictions were sacrificially played out on a Christian woman’s body: “the body of a nun.” It argues that Siopis does not aestheticize trauma and suffering; rather Siopis’s use of found home movie footage works to riddle this historical trauma into critical consciousness that, following Ettinger, might become a “transport-station of trauma.” Siopis’s film work uncannily echoes the process, it is argued, with the project of art historian Aby Warburg, who treated images as materialized mnemonic stores, transporting across time once embodied and performed psychic intensities. Warburg assembled images achronologically, intermedially, and transculturally to piece together and render perceptible the contradictions and violences of the modern Christianocentric Western world.
The Turning Liquid of the Real
Authors: Mbembe Achille
Published: June 2024

Building on techniques drawn from speculative analysis, this chapter explores Demitrios Tsafendas’s life as refracted in Penny Siopis’s film Obscure White Messenger. It offers an analysis of how Siopis finds ways of giving form to a traumatic past, at the intersection of Tsafendas’s tragic life and the psychic life of a state born out of a racial orgy. Ultimately, crossing the borders of consciousness is what is pursued in the film. This is done oceanically, by means of musical saturation and oneiric imagination, hence the idea of the “turning liquid of the real.” Forms of heightened perception akin to dream states are what the film achieves, thus taking us deeper into aspects of Tsafendas’s inner worlds.
Angry Witnessing, Monstrous Play
Authors: Gqola Pumla Dineo
Published: June 2024

This chapter explores the constitutive bond between Penny Siopis’s paintings and films. Through a close reading of the dual showing of her Shame paintings (2002-2005) alongside the film Shadow Shame Again in 2021, as well as her 2019 exhibition Warm Water Imaginaries—which placed both mediums in intimate relation—this text observes how Siopis jointly employs her works as psychoanalytical tools, facilitating the audience’s subjective understanding of her heavily researched concepts. Described as “fraternal twins,” the chapter attends to Siopis’s symmetrical treatment of these mediums, both materially and formally, to provide a kinetic and kinaesthetic experience of meaning. The paintings and films are each marked by a language of accretion and assemblage, both testaments to processes of flux and becoming, and together they perform the duties of a conduit. In this capacity, they become entry points for an immersive process of understanding and triggers for the unravelling of a personalized knowing.
Contagion
Authors: Nuttall Sarah
Published: June 2024

In May 2020, scientists at the World Health Organization named COVID variants via letters of the Greek alphabet. Penny Siopis conjoins diseased celluloid with Greek mythology and the science of the viral in her film Celluloid Body to craft a figuring of an ill world in need of re-enchantment. The coda to the film is dense with reference to a pantheic Arcadian world, the world of Eros and Pan, reaching across the spirits of the ages to find a freer place in an age of contagion. Contagion, infection, and a diseased state produce an intimacy of form not only with human others but with pathogens and the viral life of the nobuman world. This draws into our analytical ambit Donna Haraway’s sense of life as a window of vulnerability and of a semipermeable or transcorporeal self.
What type of social media posts about sustainable construction is better for audience engagement?
Authors: Primožič Lea , Dolezal Franz , Prislan Rok , Kutnar Andreja
Published: June 2024

Background In an effort to move to a sustainable society, new concepts and findings related to sustainable construction are being developed. With ambition to transfer newly developed knowledge to society, various communication paths are being used. In this study we investigated what kind of messages shared on institutional social media channels (Facebook, Twitter (now renamed to X), and LinkedIn) about sustainable construction create more audience engagement. Methods The study consisted of two phases of weekly social media posts. In each phase, 15 posts were published on the same day and time, while engagement was monitored. Three different types of posts were created, that were sequential cycling each week. Type 1 was written informative content related to research activities; type 2 was image content related to the research activities and equipment, with a short text caption of the image; and type 3 was image content with people – scientists working on research activities with a short text caption of the image. Results Poisson regression analysis revealed that type 3 posts result in the most audience engagement on LinkedIn, suggesting that using images of people in combination with short text captions is the most effective way to engage social media audiences. These findings can help organizations to use social media to promote sustainable construction and other sustainability-related research. The engagement was lower on Facebook and Twitter (X). Conclusions As the science is aiming to be closer to the society, these findings deliver an important insight of science communication through the social media. Although the study delivered several lessons learnt related to science communication through social media studies, it provides an important bases for further studies. Conclusions can support research organizations in improving their science communication.
Care Literacy for Culture, Nature, and Future
Authors: Costantini Hiroko , Nihei Misato , Sugiyama Masakazu , Yagi Nobuyuki , Costantini James
Published: June 2024

Within the broader sustainability agenda, an important element relates to the need for a transformative approach to nature. This motivates and is reflected in the Natures Futures Framework. Within this framework, this letter focuses on the relational value of Nature as Culture/One with Nature. This is important yet complex as part of the re-orienting of values to enable truly significant change, and which necessitates individual and community involvement on the value of caring for nature. As a means for understanding and enabling individuals’ potential to engage and contribute, the notion of ‘care for nature literacy’ is put forward.
Evaluation of general and local usage of Turkish names of Seriola dumerili (Risso, 1810) and Lichia amia (Linnaeus, 1758) species
Authors: Irmak Erhan
Published: June 2024

In this study, the local names of Seriola dumerili and Lichia amia were evaluated by the use of Turkish names by fishermen in 10 provinces and 11 stations on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, and amateur fishermen, who are stakeholders in the subject, were evaluated through social media. In addition, the subject was examined in chronological order in printed sources. According to the results of the field studies, it was determined that 89% of all fishermen named S. dumerili as akya, mainly in our coastal provinces. It has been observed that 5% is used as kuzu, 3% as avcı and 3% as imtiyaz. It has been determined that L. amia is called 73% çıplak. It has been observed that 15% is used as akya fulya, 9% as çatal kuyruk and 3% as liça. The names amateur fishermen use for S. dumerili in our coastal provinces are 54% kuzu, 37% akya and 9% sarı kuyruk. For L. amia, the names used by amateur fishermen were 45% liça, 28% çatal kuyruk, 15% liça, 11% çıplak and 1% akya fulya, respectively. In written sources such as articles, books and technical reports, it has been seen that they use akya for L. amia and sarı kuyruk for S. dumerili. From past to present, it would be correct to use L. amia as çıplak and S. dumerili as akya, which fishermen have used to avoid incorrect usage and have unity of name.
Puch marny po spisku. Obraz kobiety w spiskiej frazematyce
Authors: Broda Małgorzata
Published: June 2024

The aim of the paper is to reconstruct the image of a woman based on phrasematic material from the Spisz dialect. Examples of phrases from the Spisz dialect are presented from an ethnolinguistic perspective to show a fragment of the linguistic image of the world and, more specifically, the image of a woman. Research of this type is not only part of cultural linguistics, but also of memory studies. In order to properly arrange the material the focus was on rites of passage. According to Arnold van Gennep’s theory, the life of an individual in a society is a series of transitions from one age group to the next and from one position to another. Those transitions are frequently accompanied by specific actions. What is meant by that, is that permanent systems are expressed in special rituals through which the community accepts the new role of its member. However, this kind of acceptance happens under certain conditions, setting the requirements and establishing the standards for their fulfilment. This is a boundless field for phraseological research, because what is common in the rhythm of life is usually also strongly represented in language, especially in phrasematics. Both the evidence collected by cultural researchers and the ethnolinguistic analysis of linguistic material indicate that the roles assigned to the genders and attitudes towards them, as well as what was required, allowed and prohibited, create a coherent system of “common” judgments shared by all members of the community. This was the case at least until Spisz inhabitants were granted universal access to education and increased their mobility. Nonetheless, the dialect, as a source of a linguistic image of a world that no longer exists, has been preserving gender stereotypes and as a consequence has maintained their continuity despite the completely different realities of today.
Felietony „Kuby spod Wartemborka” jako źródło do badania frazematyki warmińskiej
Authors: Wełpa-Siudek Agnieszka
Published: June 2024

The main problem discussed in article are phrasemes in columns “Kuba spod Wartemborka” published in “Gazeta Olsztyńska” between 1922 and 1924. The authors of the texts tried to use Warmian dialect to make it easier for readers and more familiar. Phrasemes and proverbs are often typical for Polish language but the authors used dialectal words or phonetic features. Much of the materials is confirmed in other Warmian texts such as “Warmian dictionary” written by Wiktor Steffen.
UK Safety Alert regarding measurement of kidney function: standardising kidney measurements across the UK
Authors: Kondratowicz Joanna , Gama Rouvick , Clarke Paul , Marrington Rachel , Bramham Kate
Published: June 2024

Chronic kidney disease is a growing public health issue affecting one in seven adults in the UK and is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death
Implementing a Medication Switching Policy: Analysis of the Saskatchewan Biosimilars Initiative
Authors: Fox Kirsten
Published: June 2024

Biologics are drugs that are uniquely created through advanced biotechnology. Biologics can be classified as either a reference biologic or a biosimilar. Reference biologics are innovator drugs whereas biosimilars are structurally similar, but not identical, to the reference biologic. Biologic drugs, especially reference biologics, are expensive and their use is steadily increasing across Canada. In response to increasing medication costs associated with the use of biologic drugs, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health implemented the Saskatchewan Biosimilars Initiative on 20 October 2022. The Saskatchewan Biosimilars Initiative is a medication-switching policy that requires patients using a reference biologic to transition to an available biosimilar. This policy is intended to increase the uptake of biosimilars, which cost up to 50% less than the reference biologic. Similar switching policies that have been implemented internationally have produced significant cost savings to public health insurance programs. Currently, no economic data from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health or the Drug Plan and Extended Benefits Branch is available to assess policy effectiveness.
Les produits biologiques sont des médicaments créés de manière unique grâce à une biotechnologie avancée. Les produits biologiques peuvent être classés en tant que produits biologiques de référence ou biosimilaires. Les produits biologiques de référence sont des médicaments innovants, tandis que les biosimilaires sont structurellement similaires, mais pas identiques, au produit biologique de référence. Les médicaments biologiques, en particulier les médicaments biologiques de référence, sont coûteux et leur utilisation est en constante augmentation au Canada. En réponse à l’augmentation des dépenses associées à l’utilisation des médicaments biologiques, le ministère de la santé de la Saskatchewan a mis en place l’initiative des biosimilaires de la Saskatchewan le 20 octobre 2022. La Saskatchewan Biosimilars Initiative est une politique de substitution non médicale qui exige que les patients utilisant un médicament biologique de référence pour lequel existe un biosimilaire passent à ce biosimilaire. Cette politique vise à accroître l’utilisation des biosimilaires, qui coûtent jusqu’à 50 % de moins que le produit biologique de référence. Des politiques similaires de transition non médicale mises en œuvre à l’échelle internationale ont permis aux programmes publics d'assurance maladie de réaliser des économies considérables. À l’heure actuelle, le ministère de la santé de la Saskatchewan ou la Drug Plan and Extended Benefits Branch ne disposent d'aucune donnée économique permettant d’évaluer l’efficacité de la politique.
A-shaped switchable asymmetric transmission metasurface based on VO2 in the THz band
Authors: Cao Maoyong , Yang Zhou , Li Hengguang , Li Ziqi , Zheng Wenjing , Yang Xiuwei , Li Kuilong , Wang Tongling
Published: June 2024

The asymmetric transmission of terahertz (THz) waves has attracted considerable interest because of its novel applications in isolators and wireless communication. An A-shaped switchable asymmetric transmission metasurface integrating vanadium dioxide (VO2) in the THz band is proposed, which achieved dynamic control of asymmetric transmission by exploiting insulator-to-metal transition characteristics of VO2. When VO2 is in an insulating state, the proposed metadevice realized an asymmetric transmission effect of the asymmetric transmission parameter reaching up to 0.76 and realized linear polarization conversion with a 95% polarization conversion rate. Furthermore, the proposed metadevice prevented asymmetric transmission and polarization conversion as VO2 transforms in the metallic state. This work provides a new ideal for the design of switchable asymmetric transmission metadevices and has potential applications in wireless communication, sensing, and polarization control.
Low-complexity MLSE for coherent optical fiber transmission systems with symbol correlation
Authors: Feng Zeyu , Tian Zhongxing , Xu Hansheng , Zhang Kaisheng , Zhang Chao , Jiang Chenxu , Huang Huan , Sun Lin , Wang Xiaoling , Liu Gordon Ning , Zhang Qun , Zhang Fan , Shen Gangxiang , Cai Yi
Published: June 2024

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a simplified maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) approach in enhancing the performance of coherent optical fiber transmission systems, particularly under conditions of linear and nonlinear symbol correlation. To counter the high complexity of traditional MLSE in high-speed systems, we introduce what we believe to be a novel simplification method. This approach replaces the conventional channel impulse response (CIR) convolution with a look-up table (LUT) and simplifies the Euclidean distance (ED) calculations. Additionally, we provide a detailed analysis of algorithmic operations, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transistor count, and power consumption across various technology nodes. The proposed simplified MLSE scheme has the potential to reduce implementation complexity to approximately 5% of the conventional approach. The proposed low-complexity approach was verified with both simulations and experiments. The results show that the performance loss is less than 0.3 dB in Q-factors for both linear and nonlinear bandwidth-constrained transmission scenarios.
Detection efficiency measurement of an up-conversion single-photon detector at 3.39μm based on SPDC
Authors: Wang Huili , Chen Renhui , Zhang Pengju , Zhai Wenchao , Zheng Xiaobing , Xia Maopeng
Published: June 2024

Up-conversion single-photon detector (UCSPD) is promising in weak light radiometry at mid-infrared spectrum. This paper proposed a method to measure the detection efficiency of UCSPD at 3.39μm based on the visible-infrared correlated photons generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC). No infrared standard light source or standard detector was used in measurement and calibration result was insensitive to ambient thermal radiation. An experimental facility was established to obtained a detection efficiency of 0.0085 with a relative uncertainty of 2.8% (k = 1). Factors affecting measuring uncertainty were analyzed and corrected. Bandwidth matching between trigger channel and channel under test is a key problem in detection efficiency calibration. By measuring the bandwidth of the trigger channel and analyzing the bandwidth of the optical elements in the channel under test, we confirm that the acceptance bandwidth of up-conversion crystal is the narrowest. The two channels meet the bandwidth matching conditions, and the detection efficiency can be obtained directly without the bandwidth correction algorithm. Measured detection efficiency agreed well with the result obtained by a continuous laser measurement facility within a difference about 4.7%.
Schottky-contact intrinsic current blocking layer for high efficiency AlGaInP-based red mini-LEDs
Authors: Zhou Shengjun , Shi Lang , Cui Siyuan , Sun Yuechang , Xu Zhou
Published: June 2024

AlGaInP-based red light emitting diodes (LEDs) are considered as promising light sources in future full-color displays. At present, vertical chip configuration is still the mainstream device structure of AlGaInP-based red LEDs. However, current crowding around p-electrode severely hinders an efficient improvement. Here, we propose a Schottky-contact current blocking layer (SCBL) to enhance current spreading and to improve light extraction efficiency of AlGaInP-based red vertical miniaturized LEDs (mini-LEDs). By utilizing the Schottky contact between ITO and p-GaP, the SCBL can hinder current crowding around the p-electrode. The current is forced to inject into an active region through a p-GaP+ ohmic contact layer, avoiding light absorption by p-electrode. Through the transfer length method, the Schottky contact characteristics between the ITO and p-GaP as well as the ohmic contact characteristics between ITO and p-GaP+ are demonstrated. Benefiting from superior current spreading and improved light extraction, a mini-LED with SCBL realizes an enhancement of 31.8% in external quantum efficiency (EQE) at 20 mA in comparison with a mini-LED without SCBL.
Low-complexity turbulence resilience enabled by a multi-mode bi-directional transceiver
Authors: Lavery Martin , Daly Ultan , Iga Fortune , Boldin Aleksandr , Vallance Adam , Cox Mitchell
Published: June 2024

Free-space optical (FSO) communication systems are acutely affected by the pointing issues and distortions that result from mechanical instability and environmental factors such as turbulence. These distortions have generally prevented single-mode bi-directional systems from being deployed without adaptive optics due to high optical losses. We investigate and compare the performance of both step and graded index multi-mode fibers for bi-directional communications over an emulated 400 m FSO channel. We propose that OM5 graded index fiber will simultaneously provide a near Gaussian optical transmission mode and a factor of greater than 5 increase in the field of view compared to single-mode fiber. We demonstrate that OM5 can support an error-free throughput of 10 Gbps for low-turbulence (𝐷/𝑟0 = 3) and 9.1 Gbps for high-turbulence (𝐷/𝑟0 = 9) using commercial bi-directional small form-factor pluggable (SFP+) transceivers with no adaptive optical components.
The cascading impacts of attacks on health in Syria: A qualitative study of health system and community impacts
Authors: Haar Rohini , Rayes Diana , Tappis Hannah , Rubenstein Leonard , Rihawi Anas , Hamze Mohamed , Almhawish Naser , Wais Reham , Alahmad Hesham , Burbach Ryan , Abbara Aula
Published: June 2024

Syria has experienced over a decade of armed conflict, characterized by targeted violence against healthcare. The impacts of these attacks have resulted in both direct and indirect attacks on health and reverberating effects on local communities. This study aims to explore the perspectives of health workers based in northern Syria who have experienced such attacks on health to understand the impacts on the health system as well as communities served. In-depth interviews were conducted with health workers in the northern regions of Syria where attacks on health have been frequent. Participants were identified using purposive and snowball sampling. Interviews were coded and analyzed using the Framework Method. Our inductive and deductive codes aligned closely with the WHO Health System Building Blocks framework, and we therefore integrated this framing into the presentation of findings. We actively sought to include female and non-physician health workers as both groups have been under-represented in previous research in northern Syria. A total of 40 health workers (32.5% female, 77.5% non-physicians) who experienced attacks in northern Syria between 2013 and 2020 participated in interviews in 2020–2021. Participants characterized attacks on health as frequent, persistent over years, and strategically targeted. The attacks had both direct and indirect impacts on the health system and consequently the wider health of the community. For the health system, participants noted compounded impacts on the delivery of care, health system governance, and challenges to financing, workforce, and infrastructure. Reconstructing health facilities or planning services in the aftermath of attacks on health was challenging due to poor health system governance and resource challenges. These impacts had ripple effects on the health of the community, particularly the most vulnerable. The impacts of attacks on health in Syria are multiple, with both short- and long-term consequences for the health system(s) across Syria as well as the health of communities in these respective areas. Though such attacks against healthcare are illegal under international humanitarian law, this and other legal frameworks have led to little accountability in the face of such attacks both in Syria and elsewhere. Characterizing their impacts is essential to improving our understanding of the consequences of attacks as a public health issue and supporting protection and advocacy efforts.
Examining recurrent hurricane exposure and psychiatric morbidity in Medicaid-insured pregnant populations
Authors: Herbst Kelsey , Malmin Natasha P. , Paul Sudeshna , Williamson Trey , Sugg Margaret M. , Schreck Carl J. , Runkle Jennifer D.
Published: June 2024

The wide-ranging mental health consequences of a major hurricane have been widely documented, but important gaps remain in understanding the mental health burden of recurrent exposure to multiple hurricanes. The objective of this study was to examine the mental health burden in at-risk pregnant populations recurrently exposed to major hurricanes Matthew (2016), Florence (2018), Michael (2018), and Dorian (2019). Daily emergency department (ED) admissions were obtained on pregnant Medicaid beneficiaries for incident maternal disorders of pregnancy (MDP), perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD), severe mental illness (SMI), and substance use (SUD). County-level hurricane exposure was derived from a novel meteorologic-based Hurricane Insurance Protection- Wind Index (HIP-WI) metric. A difference-in-difference analysis assessed county-level changes in ED-related visits for psychiatric morbidity in pregnant populations following single hurricane events and a marginal Generalized Estimating Equation model assessed the cumulative impact of recurrent county-level hurricane exposure. A total of 258,157 (59.0%) pregnant cases were exposed to no storms, 113,157 (25.8%) were exposed to one storm, and 66,407 (15.2%) were exposed to two or more storms. Results showed higher risks for MDP after Matthew (RR: 1.83, 95%CI: 1.53, 2.18) and after Florence (RR: 1.09, 95%CI: 0.99, 1.19); higher risk of SMI (RR: 1.46, 95%CI: 1.11, 1.91) and PMAD (RR: 1.52, 95%CI: 1.32, 1.74) after Matthew. Compared to no storm exposure, exposure to two or more storms was associated with a higher risk of MDP (RR: 1.58, 95% CI [1.47,1.63]); PMAD (RR: 1.51, 95% CI [1.44, 1.59]); and SMI (RR: 1.34, 95% CI [1.23, 1.47]). Access to maternity care services, urbanity, and economic and residential segregation were important effect modifiers. Our population-based ecological study demonstrated that cumulative hurricane exposure confers an increased risk for psychological morbidity in pregnant Medicaid beneficiaries, particularly for mood and anxiety disorders, incident mental disorders, and severe mental illness for a Southern state outside of the U.S. Gulf Coast.
CRISPR-Cas9 knockout of membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase or cadherin does not confer resistance to Cry toxins in Aedes aegypti
Authors: Pacheco Sabino , Gallegos Adrián S. , Peláez-Aguilar Ángel E. , Sánchez Jorge , Gómez Isabel , Soberón Mario , Bravo Alejandra
Published: June 2024

The Aedes aegypti cadherin-like protein (Aae-Cad) and the membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase (Aae-mALP) are membrane proteins identified as putative receptors for the larvicidal Cry toxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis bacteria. Cry toxins are the most used toxins in the control of different agricultural pest and mosquitos. Despite the relevance of Aae-Cad and Aae-mALP as possible toxin-receptors in mosquitoes, previous efforts to establish a clear functional connection among them and Cry toxins activity have been relatively limited. In this study, we used CRISPR-Cas9 to generate knockout (KO) mutations of Aae-Cad and Aae-mALP. The Aae-mALP KO was successfully generated, in contrast to the Aae-Cad KO which was obtained only in females. The female-linked genotype was due to the proximity of aae-cad gene to the sex-determining loci (M:m). Both A. aegypti KO mutant populations were viable and their insect-development was not affected, although a tendency on lower egg hatching rate was observed. Bioassays were performed to assess the effects of these KO mutations on the susceptibility of A. aegypti to Cry toxins, showing that the Aae-Cad female KO or Aae-mALP KO mutations did not significantly alter the susceptibility of A. aegypti larvae to the mosquitocidal Cry toxins, including Cry11Aa, Cry11Ba, Cry4Ba, and Cry4Aa. These findings suggest that besides the potential participation of Aae-Cad and Aae-mALP as Cry toxin receptors in A. aegypti, additional midgut membrane proteins are involved in the mode of action of these insecticidal toxins.
Cancer diagnostic service use in people living with HIV in South Africa: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Olago Victor , Nimako Gideon , Bartels Lina , Bohlius Julia , Dhokotera Tafadzwa , Egger Matthias , Singh Elvira , Sengayi-Muchengeti Mazvita
Published: June 2024

Objective

The objective of this study was to map place of cancer diagnosis in relation to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) care centre among people living with HIV (PLHIV) within South Africa (SA) using national laboratory database.

Design

We linked HIV and cancer laboratory data from 2004–2014 using supervised machine-learning algorithms. We performed a cross-sectional analysis comparing province where individuals accessed their HIV care versus where they had their cancer diagnosis.

Setting

We used laboratory test records related to HIV diagnostics and care, such as CD4 cell counts and percentages, rapid tests, qualitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), antibody and antigen tests for HIV data that was documented as HIV positive and laboratory diagnosed cancer records from SA.

Study population

Our study population consisted of HIV records from the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) that linked to cancer record at the National Cancer Registry (NCR) between 2004–2014.

Primary and secondary outcomes

We linked HIV records from NHLS to cancer records at NCR in order to study the inherent characteristics of the population with both HIV and cancer.

Results

The study population was 68,284 individuals with cancer and documented HIV related laboratory test. The median age at cancer diagnosis was 40 [IQR, 33–48] years for the study population with most cancers in PLHIV diagnosed in females 70.9% [n = 46,313]. Of all the PLHIV and cancer, 25% (n = 16,364 p < 0.001) sought treatment outside their province of residence with 60.7% (n = 10,235) travelling to Gauteng. KZN had 46.6% (n = 4,107) of its PLHIV getting cancer diagnosis in Gauteng. Western Cape had 95% (n = 6,200) of PLHIV getting cancer diagnosis within the province.

Conclusions

Our results showed health systems inequalities across provinces in SA with respect to cancer diagnosis. KZN for example had nearly half of the PLHIV getting cancer diagnosis outside the province while Western Cape is able to offer cancer diagnostic services to most of the PLHIV in the province. Gauteng is getting over burdened with referral for cancer diagnosis from other provinces. More effort is required to ensure equitable access to cancer diagnostic services within the country.
Network science and explainable AI-based life cycle management of sustainability models
Authors: Ipkovich Ádám , Czvetkó Tímea , A. Acosta Lilibeth , Lee Sanga , Nzimenyera Innocent , Sebestyén Viktor , Abonyi János
Published: June 2024

Model-based assessment of the potential impacts of variables on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can bring great additional information about possible policy intervention points. In the context of sustainability planning, machine learning techniques can provide data-driven solutions throughout the modeling life cycle. In a changing environment, existing models must be continuously reviewed and developed for effective decision support. Thus, we propose to use the Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) life cycle framework. A novel approach for model identification and development is introduced, which involves utilizing the Shapley value to determine the individual direct and indirect contributions of each variable towards the output, as well as network analysis to identify key drivers and support the identification and validation of possible policy intervention points. The applicability of the methods is demonstrated through a case study of the Hungarian water model developed by the Global Green Growth Institute. Based on the model exploration of the case of water efficiency and water stress (in the examined period for the SDG 6.4.1 & 6.4.2) SDG indicators, water reuse and water circularity offer a more effective intervention option than pricing and the use of internal or external renewable water resources.
Effects of different observed datasets on the calibration of crop model parameters with GLUE: A case study using the CROPGRO-Soybean phenological model
Authors: Zhang Yonghui , Zhang Yujie , Jiang Haiyan , Tang Liang , Liu Xiaojun , Cao Weixing , Zhu Yan
Published: June 2024

Suitable combinations of observed datasets for estimating crop model parameters can reduce the computational cost while ensuring accuracy. This study aims to explore the quantitative influence of different combinations of the observed phenological stages on estimation of cultivar-specific parameters (CPSs). We used the CROPGRO-Soybean phenological model (CSPM) as a case study in combination with the Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) method. Different combinations of four observed phenological stages, including initial flowering, initial pod, initial grain, and initial maturity stages for five soybean cultivars from Exp. 1 and Exp. 3 described in Table 2 are respectively used to calibrate the CSPs. The CSPM, driven by the optimized CSPs, is then evaluated against two independent phenological datasets from Exp. 2 and Exp. 4 described in Table 2. Root means square error (RMSE) (mean absolute error (MAE), coefficient of determination (R2), and Nash Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE)) are 15.50 (14.63, 0.96, 0.42), 4.76 (3.92, 0.97, 0.95), 4.69 (3.72, 0.98, 0.95), 3.91 (3.40, 0.99, 0.96) and 12.54 (11.67, 0.95, 0.60), 5.07 (4.61, 0.98, 0.93), 4.97 (4.28, 0.97, 0.94), 4.58 (4.02, 0.98, 0.95) for using one, two, three, and four observed phenological stages in the CSPs estimation. The evaluation results suggest that RMSE and MAE decrease, and R2 and NSE increase with the increase in the number of observed phenological stages used for parameter calibration. However, there is no significant reduction in the RMSEs (MAEs, NSEs) using two, three, and four observed stages. Relatively reliable optimized CSPs for CSMP are obtained by using at least two observed phenological stages balancing calibration effect and computational cost. These findings provide new insight into parameter estimation of crop models.
In vitro and in silico investigation of effects of antimicrobial peptides from Solanaceae plants against rice sheath blight pathogen Rhizoctinia solani
Authors: Mustapha Tijjani , B Shefin , Zubair Talha , Patil Rajesh B. , Bhongade Bhoomendra A. , Sangshetti Jaiprakash N. , Mali Aniket , Babalola Balogun Joshua , Moin Abu Tayab , Islam Tofazzal
Published: June 2024

Rhizoctonia solani, the causative agent of sheath blight disease in rice, poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity. Traditional management approaches involving chemical fungicides have been effective but come with detrimental consequences for the ecosystem. This study aimed to investigate sustainable alternatives in the form of antifungal peptides derived from Solanaceous plant species as potential agents against R. solani. Peptide extracts were obtained using an optimized antimicrobial peptide (AMP) extraction method and desalted using the solid-phase extraction technique. The antifungal potential of peptide-rich extracts from Solanum tuberosum and Capsicum annum was assessed through in vitro tests employing the agar well diffusion method. Furthermore, peptide-protein docking analysis was performed on HPEPDOCK and HDOCK server; and molecular dynamics simulations (MDS) of 100 ns period were performed using the Gromacs 2020.4. The results demonstrated significant inhibition zones for both extracts at concentrations of 100 mg/mL. Additionally, the extracts of Solanum tuberosum and Capsicum annum had minimum inhibitory concentrations of 50 mg/mL and 25 mg/mL, respectively with minimum fungicidal concentrations of 25 mg/mL. Insights into the potential mechanisms of key peptides inhibiting R. solani targets were gleaned from in-silico studies. Notably, certain AMPs exhibited favorable free energy of binding against pathogenicity-related targets, including histone demethylase, sortin nexin, and squalene synthase, in protein-peptide docking simulations. Extended molecular dynamics simulations lasting 100 ns and MM-PBSA calculations were performed on select protein-peptide complexes. AMP10 displayed the most favorable binding free energy against all target proteins, with AMP3, AMP12b, AMP6, and AMP15 also exhibiting promising results against specific targets of R. solani. These findings underscore the potential of peptide extracts from S. tuberosum and C. annum as effective antifungal agents against rice sheath blight caused by R. solani.
Cocoa, livelihoods, and deforestation within the Tridom landscape in the Congo Basin: A spatial analysis
Authors: Ngouhouo-Poufoun Jonas , Chaupain-Guillot Sabine , Ndiaye Youba , Sonwa Denis Jean , Yana Njabo Kevin , Delacote Philippe
Published: June 2024

In the context of emerging international trade regulations on deforestation-free commodities, the drivers of households’ deforestation in conservation landscapes are of interest. The role of households’ livelihood strategies including cocoa production, and the effects of human-elephant conflict are investigated. Using a unique dataset from a survey of 1035 households in the Tridom landscape in the Congo basin, the spatial autoregressive model shows that: (1) Households imitate the deforestation decisions of their neighbors; (2) A marginally higher income from cocoa production-based livelihood portfolios is associated with six to seven times higher deforestation compared to other livelihood strategies with a significant spillover effect on neighboring households’ deforestation. The increase in income, mainly from cocoa production-based livelihoods in open-access systems can have a negative effect on forests. Households with a higher share of auto-consumption are associated with lower deforestation. If economic development brings better market access and lower auto-consumption shares, this is likely to positively influence deforestation. Without proper land use planning/zoning associated with incentives, promoting sustainable agriculture, such as complex cocoa agroforestry systems, may lead to forest degradation and deforestation.
Pro-environmental behaviour is undermined by disgust sensitivity: The case of excessive laundering
Authors: Klint Erik , Peters Gregory , Johansson Lars-Olof
Published: June 2024

The amount of laundry washed by European consumers has grown excessively for reasons that cannot be explained by demographics alone. Initiatives trying to curb this trend have repeatedly failed. Previous studies have largely overlooked the psychological dimensions of laundering behaviour. In three separate studies we investigate how disgust, shame, cleanliness norms and environmental identity, mediated through a set of preceding behaviours, affect washing frequency. Our results highlight how conflicting psychological goals between disgust sensitivity and pro-environmental identity can undermine willingness to change laundry behaviour. Policy recommendations are suggested, and future research challenges are discussed.
Clinical impact of rapid molecular diagnostic tests in patients presenting with viral respiratory symptoms: A systematic literature review
Authors: Mojebi Ali , Wu Ping , Keeping Sam , Hale Braden , Chase Jordan G. , Beaubrun Anne
Published: June 2024

Background

Molecular tests can detect lower concentrations of viral genetic material over a longer period of respiratory infection than antigen tests. Delays associated with central laboratory testing can result in hospital-acquired transmission, avoidable patient admission, and unnecessary use of antimicrobials, all which may lead to increased cost of patient management. The aim of this study was to summarize comparisons of clinical outcomes associated with rapid molecular diagnostic tests (RMDTs) versus other diagnostic tests for viral respiratory infections.

Methods

A systematic literature review (SLR) conducted in April 2023 identified studies evaluating clinical outcomes of molecular and antigen diagnostic tests for patients suspected of having respiratory viral infections.

Results

The SLR included 21 studies, of which seven and 14 compared RMDTs (conducted at points of care or at laboratories) to standard (non-rapid) molecular tests or antigen tests to detect SARS-CoV-2 and influenza, respectively. In studies testing for SARS-CoV-2, RMDTs led to reductions in time to test results versus standard molecular tests (range of the reported medians: 0.2–3.8 hours versus 4.3–35.9 hours), with similar length of emergency department stay (3.2–8 hours versus 3.7–28.8 hours). Similarly, in studies testing for influenza, RMDTs led to reductions in time to test results versus standard molecular tests (1–3.5 hours versus 18.2–29.2 hours), with similar length of emergency department stay (3.7–11 hours versus 3.8–11.9 hours). RMDTs were found to decrease exposure time of uninfected patients, rate of hospitalization, length of stay at the hospitals, and frequency of unnecessary antiviral and antibacterial therapy, while improving patient flow, compared to other tests.

Conclusions

Compared to other diagnostic tests, RMDTs improve clinical outcomes, test turnaround time, and stewardship by decreasing unnecessary use of antibiotics and antivirals. They also reduce hospital admission and length of stay, which may, in turn, reduce unnecessary exposure of patients to hospital-acquired infections and their associated costs.
Black surfaces on ancient leather tefillin cases and straps from the Judean Desert: Macroscopic, microscopic and spectroscopic analyses
Authors: Adler Yonatan , Cohen-Ofri Ilit , Maor Yonah , Emmerich Kamper Theresa , Pinkas Iddo
Published: June 2024

Tefillin are Jewish ritual artifacts consisting of leather cases, containing inscribed slips, which are affixed with leather straps to the body of the tefillin practitioner. According to current Jewish ritual law, the tefillin cases and straps are to be colored black. The present study examines seventeen ancient tefillin cases discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls in caves in the Judean Desert. All seventeen cases display grain surfaces with a very dark, nearly black appearance. We start with a hypothesis that the cases were intentionally colored black in antiquity using either a carbon-based or iron-gall-based paint or dye. The aim of this study is to test this hypothesis by subjecting these tefillin cases to a battery of examinations to assess the presence of carbon and iron used as pigments, and of organic materials which may have been used as binding agents in a paint. The tests deployed are: (1) macroscopic and microscopic analyses; (2) multispectral imaging using infrared wavelengths; (3) Raman spectroscopy; (4) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR); and (5) scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The results of these tests found no traces of carbon-based or iron-gall-based pigments, nor of organic compounds which may have served as binders in a paint. These results suggest that our posited hypothesis is unlikely. Instead, results of the SEM examination suggest it more likely that the black color on the surfaces of the tefillin cases is the result of natural degradation of the leather through gelatinization. The Judean Desert tefillin likely represent tefillin practices prior to when the rabbinic prescription on blackening tefillin was widely practiced. Our study suggests that the kind of non-blackened tefillin which the later rabbis rejected in their own times may well have been quite common in earlier times.