bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tutorial: A Novel Runtime Environment for Accelerator-Rich Heterogeneous Architectures
Authors: Mack Joshua , Krishnakumar Anish , Ogras Umit , Akoglu Ali
Published: August 2024

As the landscape of computing advances, system designers are increasingly exploring methodologies that leverage higher levels of heterogeneity to enhance performance within constrained size, weight, power, and cost parameters. CEDR (Compiler-integrated Extensible DSSoC Runtime) stands as an ecosystem facilitating productive and efficient application development and deployment across heterogeneous computing systems. It fosters the co-design of applications, scheduling heuristics, and accelerators within a unified framework. Our goal is to present CEDR as a promising environment for lifting the barriers to research on heterogeneous systems and addressing the broader challenges within domain-specific architectures. We introduce CEDR and discuss the evolutionary design decisions underlying its programming model. Subsequently, we explore its utility for a broad range of users through design sweeps on off-the-shelf heterogeneous platforms across scheduling heuristics, hardware compositions, and workload scenarios.
Cortical Layer-Dependent Signaling in Cognition: Three Computational Modes of the Canonical Circuit
Authors: Miyashita Yasushi
Published: August 2024

The cerebral cortex performs computations via numerous six-layer modules. The operational dynamics of these modules were studied primarily in early sensory cortices using bottom-up computation for response selectivity as a model, which has been recently revolutionized by genetic approaches in mice. However, cognitive processes such as recall and imagery require top-down generative computation. The question of whether the layered module operates similarly in top-down generative processing as in bottom-up sensory processing has become testable by advances in the layer identification of recorded neurons in behaving monkeys. This review examines recent advances in laminar signaling in these two computations, using predictive coding computation as a common reference, and shows that each of these computations recruits distinct laminar circuits, particularly in layer 5, depending on the cognitive demands. These findings highlight many open questions, including how different interareal feedback pathways, originating from and terminating at different layers, convey distinct functional signals.
VCAM-1 mediates proximal tubule-immune cell cross talk in failed tubule recovery during AKI-to-CKD transition
Authors: Melchinger Isabel , Guo Kailin , Li Xiaoxu , Guo Jiankan , Cantley Lloyd G. , Xu Leyuan
Published: August 2024

We demonstrated the induction of VCAM-1 and its biological function in proximal tubules. We found that proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β) significantly induced VCAM-1 expression via NF-κB signaling pathway. TNF-α treatment or overexpression of VCAM-1 in immortalized MPT cells increased CD45+ splenocyte adhesion. Pharmacological inhibition of NF-κB or genetic deletion of Vcam1 suppressed TNF-α-induced splenocyte adhesion in vitro, suggesting that VCAM-1 mediates proximal tubular-immune cell cross talk in failed tubule recovery during AKI-to-CKD transition.
Acute effects of local vibration inducing tonic vibration reflex or illusion of movement on maximal wrist force production
Authors: Amiez Nicolas , Géhin Pierre , Martin Alain , Paizis Christos
Published: August 2024

The maximal force production of the vibrated muscle is reduced after 6 min of LV only in TVR condition. Furthermore, the amount of TVR is negatively correlated with this force decrease. When measuring the effects of LV on maximal force production, it is important to control and report any phenomena induced during vibration, such as TVR or movement illusion, which can be achieved by recording EMG activity of vibrated muscle and quantifying illusion.
Patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment have higher cerebrovascular impedance than cognitively normal older adults
Authors: Sugawara Jun , Tarumi Takashi , Tomoto Tsubasa , Pasha Evan , Cullum C. Munro , Zhang Rong
Published: August 2024

This is the first study to compare cerebrovascular impedance between patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and age-matched cognitively normal individuals. Patients with aMCI had higher cerebrovascular impedance modulus than age-matched cognitively normal individuals, which was correlated with brain hypoperfusion. These results suggest the presence of cerebrovascular dysfunction in the dynamic regulation of cerebral blood flow in older adults who have high risks of Alzheimer’s disease.
The calculating brain
Authors: Nieder Andreas
Published: August 2024

The human brain possesses neural networks and mechanisms enabling the representation of numbers, basic arithmetic operations, and mathematical reasoning. Without the ability to represent numerical quantity and perform calculations, our scientifically and technically advanced culture would not exist. However, the origins of numerical abilities are grounded in an intuitive understanding of quantity deeply rooted in biology. Nevertheless, more advanced symbolic arithmetic skills require a cultural background with formal mathematical education. In the past two decades, cognitive neuroscience has seen significant progress in understanding the workings of the calculating brain through various methods and model systems. This review begins by exploring the mental and neuronal representations of nonsymbolic numerical quantity and then progresses to symbolic representations acquired in childhood. During arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), these representations are processed and transformed according to arithmetic rules and principles, leveraging different mental strategies and types of arithmetic knowledge that can be dissociated in the brain. Although it was once believed that number processing and calculation originated from the language faculty, it is now evident that mathematical and linguistic abilities are primarily processed independently in the brain. Understanding how the healthy brain processes numerical information is crucial for gaining insights into debilitating numerical disorders, including acquired conditions like acalculia and learning-related calculation disorders such as developmental dyscalculia.
Fabrication of Reinforcement from Sisal Fiber and Its Application in Leather Goods
Authors: Ahmed Seid , Ayele Million , Babo Ketema Alemu
Published: August 2024

Reinforcement materials are an essential component of leather goods. They provide support, structure, and protection to the leather and can be used to change its drape and handling. The nonbiodegradability of existing reinforcements in leather goods and the high cost of materials are major challenges. The objective of this study is to fabricate reinforcement materials from sisal fiber with a face‐centered central composite design. The main factors involved in the experiment with their respective levels are polyvinyl alcohol in grams (30, 35, and 40), sisal fiber in grams (20, 22, and 24), and binder in milliliters (mL) (10, 15, and 20). The dependent variables studied are tensile strength, tear strength, and elongation at the break of reinforcement material. The results of the experiment revealed that as the amount of fiber increased by 14%, the tensile strength of reinforcement material increased by 5%, and as the fiber loading increased by 16%, elongation at break decreased by 30%. However, as the fiber loading increased to 15%, the tear strength of the material decreased by 35%. Increasing the amount of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in the reinforcement material by 50% increased elongation at the break by 15% and reduced the tear strength by 3% and the tensile strength by 10%. Varying the amount of binder did not affect the tensile and tear strength of the reinforcement material; however, it had a positive effect on the elongation of the material. The reinforcement material produced from sisal fiber has a comparable quality parameter to commercially available synthetic‐based materials, and it could be used in leather goods production.
Maternal Vitamin B12 in Pregnancy and Placental Development
Authors: Arcot Amrita , Walker Rachel E. , Gallagher Kelly , Klatt Kevin C. , Gernand Alison D.
Published: August 2024

Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is an essential nutrient required for diverse physiological functions secondary to its role as a critical cofactor for two mammalian enzymes, methionine synthase and methylmalonyl‐CoA mutase. While essential throughout all life stages, several pathways that require vitamin B12, including hematopoiesis, myelination, and DNA/histone methylation, are particularly critical during pregnancy and fetal development. This narrative review aims to describe vitamin B12 in pregnancy, with emphasis on the placenta’s role in ensuring adequate nutrition of the fetus and impacts of vitamin B12 deficiency on placental development and function. Our literature search included preclinical model systems and human cohorts and interventions. Our review identified evidence of B12 deficiency resulting in impaired placental development, greater placental inflammation, and modulation of placental docosahexaenoic acid concentration, collectively suggestive of vitamin B12 deficiency as a determinant of both maternal and fetal health outcomes. Heterogeneity in study design complicated generalization of findings. Future studies should consider selecting a B12 marker that is relatively stable across pregnancy, such as holotranscobalamin, while accounting for important confounders such as maternal folate.
Experimental Investigation on Off‐Design Performance of a Small‐Scale Two‐Stage Counter‐Rotating Impulse Turbine
Authors: Peng Ningjian , Wang Enhua , Meng Fanxiao , Zhang Wen , Wang Yongzhen , Zhang Bo , Zhao Yuxuan , Yenga Yenga Enovic Chansa
Published: August 2024

The high‐efficiency turbine design is of great importance for small‐scale power systems with a high expansion pressure ratio (EPR). A two‐stage counter‐rotating impulse turbine is optional, with the advantages of a high efficiency and a compact size. However, few experimental investigations were reported. The performance characteristics incorporating power output and turbine efficiency against operation parameters need to be revealed. In this study, the off‐design performance of a two‐stage counter‐rotating impulse turbine with a rated power of 1.5 kW is investigated experimentally. The internal flow is analyzed based on a 3D numerical simulation. First, a test rig is set up for the small‐scale Rankine cycle. The performances are estimated under various rotational speeds and mass flow rates. Then, a 3D CFD simulation is employed to investigate the internal flow inside the supersonic nozzle and the flow passages of the two rotors. The effect of the second counter‐rotating impeller is analyzed. The results indicate that the mass flow rate increases almost linearly from 7.2 to 18.5 kg/hr as the inlet pressure rises from 200 to 540 kPa. The isentropic efficiency of the turbine increases as the EPR descends, and the superheated degree ascends and is correlated as a linear function of the reciprocal of EPR and superheated degree. The measured maximum efficiency is 0.574. When the turbine speed ascends, the power proportion of the first impeller increases while the second impeller declines. Because the increment of the impeller 1 is more prominent, the overall power output is enhanced. Meanwhile, the second impeller can improve the power output apparently under the off‐design conditions with a high EPR and a low rotational speed. The power proportion of the second stage reaches 32.59% when the EPR is 52.34 and the speed is 17,201 r/min. In this novel two‐stage counter‐rotating impulse turbine, the exit energy of the first rotor can be recovered effectively by the second rotor thanks to a compact structure because of no stator between the two rotors.
Characteristics of Peripheral Retinal Refraction and Its Role in Children with Different Refractive States
Authors: Zhao Qi , Wang Yanhua , Liang Tiangang , Nie Weixiang , Xue Pei , Cheng Jie
Published: August 2024

Introduction. Peripheral retinal refraction plays a crucial role in myopia, but the specific mechanism is not clear. We refined the retinal partitions to explore the characteristics of peripheral retinal refraction and its role in emmetropic, low, and moderate myopic children aged 6 to 12 years. Methods. A total of 814 subjects (814 eyes) were enrolled in the study. The participants were divided into three groups according to the central spherical equivalent refraction (SER), which were emmetropia group (E), low myopia group (LM) and moderate myopia group (MM). Multispectral refractive topography (MRT) was used to measure the retinal absolute and relative refractive difference value (RDV) in different regions. The range was divided into superior, inferior, temporal, and nasal RDV (SRDV, IRDV, TRDV, and NRDV) on the basis of several concentric circles extending outward from the macular fovea (RDV15, RDV30, RDV45, RDV30–15, RDV45–30, and RDV‐45). Kruskal–Wallis test was used to analyze the differences of peripheral refraction for all the regions among the three groups. Spearman rank correlation was performed to explore correlations between SER and RDV, axial length (AL) and RDV. Results. The absolute value of RDV decreased with increasing degree of myopia in all regions (P < 0.01). Subjects with different refractive degrees had different relative value of RDV. In nasal position within 45° and temporal position within 30°, the peripheral retina exhibited significantly different relative hyperopic refractive status among Group E, Group LM, and Group MM (P < 0.05). SER was negatively correlated with NRDV within 30° (especially in the range of NRDV30–15) (r = −0.141, P < 0.01), positively correlated with TRDV within 15° (r = 0.080, P = 0.023), and not significantly correlated with SRDV and IRDV when the retina was divided into four parts. AL was positively correlated with NRDV within 30° (especially in the range of NRDV30–15) (r = 0.109, P = 0.002), negatively correlated with TRDV within 15° (r = −0.095, P = 0.007). Conclusions. The peripheral defocus has significant implications for the genesis of myopia. The peripheral defocus of the horizontal direction, especially within the range of NRDV30, has greater effect on the development of myopia in children. Higher NRDV30 is associated with lower SER and longer AL.
Tyrosine Protein Kinase SYK-Related Gene Signature in Baseline Immune Cells Associated with Adjuvant Immunotherapy–Induced Immune-Related Adverse Events in Melanoma
Authors: Monson Kelsey R. , Ferguson Robert , Handzlik Joanna E. , Xiong Jiahan , Dagayev Sasha , Morales Leah , Chat Vylyny , Bunis Anabelle , Sreenivasaiah Chaitra , Dolfi Sonia , Tenney Daniel J. , Shao Yongzhao , Osman Iman , Weber Jeffrey S. , Kirchhoff Tomas
Published: August 2024

Purpose:

Immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) shows benefits in adjuvant (AT) and neoadjuvant melanoma treatments. However, ICI frequently induces severe immune-related adverse events (irAE). Unlike metastatic disease, in which irAEs are a clinical trade-off for treatment that improves survival, the toxicity burden from ICI in the AT setting is a substantial clinical problem urging for irAE-predictive biomarkers.

Experimental Design:

We assessed postsurgical, pre–ICI treatment peripheral CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from clinical trial patients (CheckMate 915) treated with AT nivolumab (n = 130) or ipilimumab/nivolumab (COMBO, n = 82). Performing RNA sequencing differential gene expression analysis, we tested baseline differences associated with severe (grades 3–5) irAEs and constructed an irAE-predictive model using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator–regularized logistic regression.

Results:

The analysis of predicted protein–protein interactions among differentially expressed genes in peripheral CD4+ cells revealed significant enrichment of the spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) pathway, associated with severe irAEs in COMBO-treated patients. This gene expression signature predicted severe-irAE COMBO patients (χ2P value = 0.001) with 73% accuracy and was independent of disease recurrence (P = 0.79). The irAE-predictive model incorporating this gene expression signature demonstrated 82% accuracy (χ2P value = 8.91E−06).

Conclusions:

We identified baseline gene expression differences in key immune pathways of peripheral blood T cells from COMBO-treated patients with grades 3 to 5 irAEs and defined a SYK-related gene signature correctly identifying ∼60% of COMBO-treated patients with grades 3 to 5 irAEs. This finding aligns with our previous work linking anti-CTLA4 irAEs with a germline variant associated with high SYK expression. This gene signature may serve as a baseline biomarker of severe grade 3 to 5 irAE risk, which is especially important in AT treatment.
Targeting the FGFR Pathway in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors
Authors: Chehade Chadi Hage , Ozay Zeynep Irem , Agarwal Neeraj
Published: August 2024

In the phase II FUZE trial targeting the FGFR pathway, Debio 1347 showed limited antitumor activity and manageable toxicity in patients with advanced solid tumors. Results from transcriptome-based analysis enhanced our understanding of the genomic landscape of FGFR fusion–driven tumors, informing clinical trial design and generating hypotheses for resistance mechanisms.

See related article by Grivas et al., p. 4572
Blocking CX3CR1+ Tumor-Associated Macrophages Enhances the Efficacy of Anti-PD1 Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Xiang Xiaonan , Wang Kai , Zhang Hui , Mou Haibo , Shi Zhixiong , Tao Yaoye , Song Hongliang , Lian Zhengxing , Wang Shuai , Lu Di , Wei Xuyong , Xie Haiyang , Zheng Shusen , Wang Jianguo , Xu Xiao
Published: August 2024

The efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains limited, highlighting the need for further investigation into the mechanisms underlying treatment resistance. Accumulating evidence indicates that tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) within the tumor microenvironment demonstrate a key role in immune evasion and treatment resistance. This study explored the role of TAMs in the HCC tumor microenvironment. Our findings reveal that TAMs expressing CX3C motif chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1) induced T-cell exhaustion through IL27 secretion in orthotopic models of HCC following treatment with anti-PD1. Moreover, we identified prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), released by immune-attacked tumor cells, as a key regulator of TAM transition to a CX3CR1+ phenotype. To augment the therapeutic response to anti-PD1 therapy, we propose targeting CX3CR1+ TAMs in addition to anti-PD1 therapy. Our study contributes to the understanding of the role of TAMs in cancer immunotherapy and highlights potential clinical implications for HCC treatment. The combination of targeting CX3CR1+ TAMs with anti-PD1 therapy holds promise for enhancing the efficacy of immunotherapeutic interventions in patients with HCC.
Figure 6 from Estrogen Receptor Blockade Potentiates Immunotherapy for Liver Metastases by Altering the Liver Immunosuppressive Microenvironment
Authors: Benslimane Yasmine , Amalfi Kevin , Lapin Sara , Perrino Stephanie , Brodt Pnina
Published: August 2024

Fulv enhances the inhibitory effect of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy against CRCLM. Experimental LM were generated by intrasplenic/portal injection of 105 MC-38 cells. Treatment consisted of subcutaneous injection of 20 mg/kg Fulv or vehicle on day 1 post-injection, followed by intraperitoneal administration of 10 mg/kg anti-PD-1 or control IgG on day 2, with no treatment on day 3, a protocol that was repeated until day 15 [as shown in A]. Mice were sacrificed and metastases enumerated on day 18. Shown in B are metastases counts per liver (n = 4–9, pooled data of two separate experiments), in C nodule size range (n = 4–9), in D representative liver images, and in E representative H&E-stained formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections. *, P ≤ 0.05; **, P ≤ 0.01; ***, P ≤ 0.001, Mann–Whitney test.
Figure 3 from Estrogen Receptor Blockade Potentiates Immunotherapy for Liver Metastases by Altering the Liver Immunosuppressive Microenvironment
Authors: Benslimane Yasmine , Amalfi Kevin , Lapin Sara , Perrino Stephanie , Brodt Pnina
Published: August 2024

Increased CXCR3 expression in hepatic macrophages associated with early stages of the metastatic process. FC was conducted on hepatic immune cells from mice injected with 5 × 105 MC-38 cells 8 days earlier. Shown in A–D are FC results for the indicated cell populations (n = 3–4). Confocal images (E, F, H) were acquired for 10 μm liver cryostat sections from these mice that were immunostained with the indicated antibodies and counterstained with 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole. Cell counts per field (means ± SD, n = 10) are shown on the right. Representative RNAscope images were obtained from cryostat sections probed for CXCL10 expression in NKT (G) or macrophages (I), as indicated. Image analysis (G, I, right) was based on 15 fields per group (n = 2–3). Yellow arrows denote NK1.1+ or CD68+ cells expressing CXCL10, and green arrows denote cells with high CXCL10 expression. *, P ≤ 0.05; **, P ≤ 0.01; ***, P ≤ 0.001; ****, P ≤ 0.0001, Student t test.
Poor Prognosis among Radiation-Associated Bladder Cancer Is Defined by Clinicogenomic Features
Authors: Wijetunga N. Ari , Gessner Kathryn H. , Kanchi Krishna , Moore Jay A. , Fleischmann Zoe , Jin Dexter X. , Frampton Garrett M. , Sturdivant Michael , Repka Michael , Sud Shivani , Corcoran David L. , Galsky Matthew D. , Milowsky Matthew I. , Wobker Sara E. , Kim William Y. , Rose Tracy L. , Damrauer Jeffrey S.
Published: August 2024

Radiotherapy (RT) for prostate cancer has been associated with an increased risk for the development of bladder cancer. We aimed to integrate clinical and genomic data to better understand the development of RT-associated bladder cancer. A retrospective analysis was performed to identify control patients (CTRL; n = 41) and patients with RT-associated bladder cancer (n = 41). RT- and CTRL-specific features were then identified through integration and analysis of the genomic sequencing data and clinical variables. RT-associated bladder tumors were significantly enriched for alterations in KDM6A and ATM, whereas CTRL tumors were enriched for CDKN2A mutation. Globally, there were an increased number of variants within RT tumors, albeit at a lower variant allele frequency. Mutational signature analysis revealed three predominate motif patterns, with similarity to SBS2/13 (APOBEC3A), SBS5 (ERCC2/smoking), and SBS6/15 (MMR). Poor prognostic factors in the RT cohort include a short tumor latency, smoking status, the presence of the smoking and X-ray therapy mutational signatures, and CDKN2A copy number loss. Based on the clinical and genomic findings, we suggest at least two potential pathways leading to RT-associated bladder cancer: The first occurs in the setting of field cancerization related to smoking or preexisting genetic alterations and leads to the development of more aggressive bladder tumors, and the second involves RT initiating the oncogenic process in otherwise healthy urothelium, leading to a longer latency and less aggressive disease.

Significance:

Clinicogenomic analysis of radiation-associated bladder cancer uncovered mutational signatures that, in addition to a short tumor latency, smoking, and CDKN2A loss, are associated with a poor outcome. These clinical and genomic features provide a potential method to identify patients with prostate cancer who are at an increased risk for the development of aggressive bladder cancer following prostate RT.
Kabuki Syndrome: Case Report of Severe Prenatal Midface Hypoplasia (Binder Phenotype), due to a Novel Variant in the KMT2D Gene
Authors: Gatsis Athanasios , Alvanou Maria , Christidou Elisavet , Demertzidou Eleftheria , Kontou Aggeliki , Stathopoulou Theodora , Sarafidis Kosmas , Sotiriadis Alexandros , Ververi Athina
Published: August 2024

Introduction: Kabuki syndrome (KS) is a rare genetic disorder with a prevalence of 1/86,000–1/32,000. Pathogenic variants in the KMT2D and KDM6A genes are responsible for the majority of KS cases and are inherited in an autosomal dominant and X-linked manner, respectively. Despite KS being genetically pleiotropic, specific phenotypic features, such as hypotonia, developmental disorders, mental retardation, dermatoglyphic and facial abnormalities, are widely manifested among patients with KS. Only few prenatal findings have been associated with KS so far. Case Presentation: This report highlights an interesting and infrequent case of a neonate with severe midface hypoplasia and multiple congenital anomalies, which were noted on the 2nd trimester antenatal scan. The degree of hypoplasia was indicative of chondrodysplasia punctata, but there was no relevant pregnancy history or other features of a skeletal dysplasia. The pregnancy was complicated by preterm premature rupture of membranes. The neonate was born at 27 weeks of gestation and died 16 days later, due to complications of prematurity. Whole exome sequencing identified a novel de novo KMT2D pathogenic variant. Conclusion: Although midface hypoplasia has been previously reported in individuals with KS, the severity noted in the index individual is an unusual feature of the syndrome.
Body Mass Index Is Associated with Post-Acute Elevations in Biomarkers of Platelet Activation and Inflammation in Unvaccinated Adults Diagnosed with COVID-19 in the Previous 8 Weeks
Authors: Fessler Samantha N. , Liu Li , Chang Yung , Johnston Carol S.
Published: August 2024

Introduction: Obesity has arisen as a prominent risk factor for COVID-19 severity and long COVID, potentially owed in part to the obesity-induced proinflammatory state. This study aimed to examine relationships among circulating inflammatory biomarkers and body mass index in nonhospitalized adults recently diagnosed with COVID-19. Methods: This analysis included participants who completed a randomized placebo-controlled trial conducted in October 2020–March 2021. Participants (19–53 years) were unvaccinated and enrolled following COVID-19 diagnosis as allowed by CDC return-to-work guidance. Anthropometrics and biomarkers were assessed at study baseline and week four. We examined the associations between body mass index (BMI) and inflammatory biomarkers via multiple regression models. Results: At study baseline (i.e., the point of enrollment following COVID-19 diagnosis) across all participants (N = 60), a higher BMI was associated with elevations in several inflammatory biomarkers including IL-6 (β = 7.63, 95% CI = 3.54, 11.89, p = 0.0004), ferritin (β = 6.31, 95% CI = 1.97, 10.83, p = 0.0047), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (β = 13.1, 95% CI = 8.03, 18.42, p = < 0.0001), tumor necrosis factor-α (β = 3.23, 95% CI = 0.91, 5.60, p = 0.0069), IL-12p40 (β = 3.69, 95% CI = 0.93, 6.52, p = 0.0094), IL-13 (β = 5.11, 95% CI = 1.00, 9.40, p = 0.0154), and IL-1Ra (β = 7.57, 95% CI = 3.61, 11.70, p = 0.0003). In control group participants (n = 30) after 4 weeks, a higher BMI was associated with elevations in IL-4 (β = 17.8, 95% CI = 0.84, 37.6, p = 0.0397) and sP-selectin (β = 1.16, 95% CI = 0.22, 2.11, p = 0.0182), controlling for baseline and covariates. Conclusions: Here, BMI was positively associated with circulating biomarkers of platelet activation and inflammation in adults recently diagnosed with COVID-19 after 4 weeks. The shift in post-acute COVID-19 inflammatory biomarkers associated with an increasing BMI noted here shares similarities to biomarkers of LC reported in the literature.
MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF Donax faba (BIVALVIA: DONACIDAE) OBTAINED FROM KUTANG BEACH, LAMONGAN, INDONESIA
Authors: Ambarwati Reni , Rachmadiarti Fida , Fitrihidajati Herlina , Purnomo Tarzan , Rahayu Dwi Anggorowati , Faizah Ulfi
Published: August 2024

ARTICLE HIGLIGHTSThis study revealed 19 morphological variations of edible wedge clams, Donax faba (Bivalvia: Donacidae), from Kutang Beach, Lamongan, Indonesia, which has significant role as part of coastal ecosystem.This reseach also highlights the DNA barcoding of Donax faba based on COI gene (Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit I).The average genetic distance of the research samples was 0.46%, while the value of this parameter between the research samples and the ingroup was found to be 1.51%.
ABSTRACTDonax faba is a type of wedge clams with significant ecological and economic roles, as well as variations in color, pattern, and morphometric properties. Recently, a particular population of unidentified D. faba was reported from Kutang Beach, Lamongan, Indonesia. Therefore, this research aimed to assess the morphological variations and molecular characteristics of D. faba obtained from Kutang Beach based on COI gene. A total of 288 samples were collected during the lowest tide for morphological characterization of the color, pattern, and morphometrics of the shells. Additionally, molecular characterization was conducted based on the composition of nucleotide bases and amino acids of COI gene, genetic distance, as well as the relationships. The results showed that D. faba had 19 morphological variations, among which the most dominant type contained a whitish exterior with brown spots and a whitish purple interior. The average genetic distance of the samples was 0.46%, while the value was calculated as 1.51% between the samples and the ingroup. Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) analysis performed using a prior maximal distance of 0.001 showed the separation of these species into distinct categories.
Abstract 2718: Does the Lack of Ventricular Dyssynchrony Prior to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Affect Ventricular Remodeling and Long-Term Clinical Outcomes?
Authors: Waggoner Alan D , de las Fuentes Lisa , Faddis Mitchell N , Gleva Marye J , Spence Karen E , Davila-Roman Victor G
Published: August 2024

Introduction:
Left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony, determined by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), has been proposed as a method to select patients with heart failure (HF) with prolonged QRS intervals that are likely to respond to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). It has been reported that the lack of LV dyssynchrony prior to CRT can be associated with less LV reverse remodeling and less clinical improvement after CRT.

Methods
: 80 patients were evaluated by 2D/pulsed-wave Doppler (PWD) echocardiography and TDI prior to and 4 ± 1 months after CRT. Measurements included LV end-diastolic (EDV), end-systolic (ESV) volume and ejection fraction (LVEF). TDI-derived time intervals of Q to peak systolic (Sm) velocity were measured at 4 mitral annular sites (i.e., lateral, septal, anterior, inferior); maximal difference between sites was defined as presence of LV dyssynchrony. Functional measurements included NYHA class, HF score, and 6 minute walk distance. Clinical events, defined as HF re-hospitalization or cardiac-related death/transplant, were evaluated at median follow-up of 30 months (range 3– 68). Patients were grouped by pre-CRT TDI-derived Q-Sm difference of ≤ or > 65 ms (

Bax et al

JACC

2004
;
44
:
1834
–40

).

Results:
Age, gender, HF etiology, QRS duration, and LV lead position were similar between groups. LV volumes decreased and LVEF increased significantly in both groups after CRT (see table

). TDI-determined Q-Sm difference decreased significantly only in the ≤ 65 ms group. Functional measurements improved in both groups. Clinical events at long-term follow-up were similar in the group with Q-Sm ≤ 65 ms. vs. Q-Sm > 65 ms. [n = 13 (33%) vs. n = 11 (28%), respectively].

Conclusions:
Despite a lack of significant LV dyssynchrony by TDI measurements prior to CRT, LV volumes decreased, LVEF increased, and functional measurements improved significantly at 4-month follow-up. Furthermore, the lack of LV dyssynchrony did not influence long-term clinical outcomes.
It’s Conditional: Improving the Measurement of Populism
Authors: Bernhard Laurent , Chueri Juliana
Published: August 2024

This article seeks to advance the literature by improving the measurement of populism in content analyses. Following the conceptualization of the ideational approach, we argue that populist key elements (such as people-centrism and anti-elitism) need to co-occur for a political actor to be considered a populist. Strikingly enough, this conditional requirement only plays a marginal role in empirical analyses thus far. When it comes to the aggregation of populist key elements into a composite measure scholar tend to rely on summary indices. To better differentiate between populists and non-populists, we propose the use of an alternative aggregation procedure, the conditional summary index (CSI). Based on a quantitative content analysis of campaign speeches given by 22 candidates in South American presidential elections (2012–2018), we show that, contrary to the summary index, the CSI only yields positive scores for those politicians that the literature commonly identifies as being populist (i.e., Hugo Chávez, Rafael Correa, Evo Morales and Jair Bolsonaro).
Description of two new species of the genus Dollmania (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae)
Authors: PROZOROV ALEXEY M. , SALDAITIS AIDAS , PROZOROVA TATIANA A. , YAKOVLEV ROMAN V. , VOLKOVA JULIA S. , SULAK HARALD , TUJUBA TESFU FEKENSA , REVAY EDITA E. , MÜLLER GÜNTER C.
Published: August 2024

Two new species of the genus Dollmania Tams, 1930 are described: Dollmania lola sp. n. from Ivory Coast and Dollmania reggie sp. n. from Somalia. Two new junior subjective synonyms, Dollmania purpurascens (Aurivillius, 1909) syn. n. and Dollmania plinthochroa Tams, 1930 syn. n., are established for Dollmania cuprea (Distant, 1897) based on results of molecular analysis. Thus, D. cuprea has the largest distribution in the genus including: Republic of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Tanzanian Dollmania marwitzi (Strand, 1913) stat. rev. and Dollmania reussi (Strand, 1913) stat. rev. previously considered to be synonyms of D. purpurascens are raised back to the species level based on results of molecular analysis. Female genitalia of all species are illustrated for the first time. Adults, their genitalia, maps with collecting sites, phylogenetic tree, and matrix with p-distances are illustrated as well.
Thinking Blue / Writing Red
Authors: Tumino Stephen
Published: August 2024

Thinking Blue/Writing Red interrogates contemporary culture across a range of texts, from the pandemic (‘Covid’ and ‘Trump Speak’) to high theory (Melville's narratives) and popular culture (Beyoncé's ‘Formation’ and Super Bowl performance, Twin Peaks , metamodern ‘cli-fi’ films). Inspired by Derrida’s idea of the secret, Tumino examines the significance of social movements (Black Lives Matter, Occupy, alter-globalization) and naïve art (Darger, Ryden) to argue that these texts speak of the secrets that capitalism cannot speak. Contending that the cultural surfaces narrate only the ‘nonsecret,’ that to see the social logic of the culture one must dig into what Bruno Latour questions as the ‘deep dark below,’ Thinking Blue/Writing Red reads these texts to tease out the underlying narratives of the culture of capital.

This book will be of interest to students in several disciplines, including philosophy, literary and cultural studies, film studies, women's studies, critical race studies, history, LGBTQ+ studies and environmental studies.
1. Marxism
Authors: Tumino Stephen
Published: August 2024

Chapter One ("Marxism") argues that among all contesting social theories now, only Orthodox Marxism has been able to produce an integrated knowledge of the existing social totality and provide lines of praxis that will lead to building a society free from necessity. It outlines the distinguishing marks of Orthodox Marxism and provides a polemical map of the contestations over Orthodox Marxism within the Marxist theories now to explain why any emancipatory theory has to be founded on recognition of the priority of Marx's labor theory of value and not repeat the technological determinism of corporate theory ('knowledge work') that masquerades as social theory today.

The chapter puts on display the parody of politics that has taken over left politics in the US and Europe. A parody in which — after the dead-end of the designer socialisms of postmarxisms — suddenly everyone is an ‘orthodox’ Marxist. Parody is always the effect of a slippage and the slippage here is that in spite of the sudden popularity of ‘orthodox’ Marxism, the actual theories and practices of the newly orthodox are more than ever before flexodox. 'Orthodox' Marxism has become the latest cover by which the bourgeois left authenticates its radical credentials and proceeds to legitimate the economics of the ruling class and its anti-proletarian politics. In Orthodox Marxism class is the central issue. But in the flexodox parody masquerading as orthodox Marxism today class is turned into a useless Habermasian communicative act.

Keywords: Orthodox Marxism; Slavoj Žižek; Judith Butler; Rosemary Hennessy; Michael Sprinker; cultural theory; labor theory; ideology; class; capitalism; inequality.
4. Affect
Authors: Tumino Stephen
Published: August 2024

Chapter Four ("Affect"): Every year the Modern Language Association of America (MLA), which gives (or denies) legitimacy to ideas and practices in the teaching of the humanities in the United States (which is then followed in most other institutions abroad), publishes a book titled Profession. Profession 2008 is no exception: it is a collection of essays that, in the name of debating various modes of teaching, produces what is in effect a coerced consensus—a consensus that, for example, inhibits critique and contestations of ideas (Rita Felski, Gerald Graff, Peter Brooks), limits experimental modes of knowledge ("Stopping Cultural Studies"), and offers empty talk about humanities and human rights without ever offering a critique that would make it clear that "human rights" are essentially rights to own and trade in the "free" market. In this chapter I focus on the structure which shapes the different discourses that explains what is behind the consensus—what I will call the pedagogy of affect. The pedagogy of affect represents itself as an open space attuned to difference that is positioned as a retreat from which to assess what does and does not work in the university so as to manage the contradictions that have arisen there from the conflict between capital and labor. It represents itself above all therefore as a place where these conflicts can be considered "reasonably," with all its associations of nonpartisan neutrality, and relegates to an "ideological" past the university as site of commitment to theory for social transformation.

Keywords: affect; pedagogy; Rita Felski, Gerald Graff, Peter Brooks; queer; academe; Modern Language Association of America (MLA).
10. Trump Speak
Authors: Tumino Stephen
Published: August 2024

Chapter Ten ("Trump Speak"): Trump bragged about how the US has done a "beautiful job" because "only" upwards of 120,000 and counting had died of coronavirus at the time. Although this particular example of Trump Speak had been widely commented on because the commenters did not analyze its class politics the commentary itself was a diversion that served to normalize the prevailing cynicism of Americans toward politics so perfectly captured in Trump's "mission accomplished" speech. To understand how such a comment could be so normalized that despite the "buzz" it generated it is treated as hardly worthy of serious analysis and critique requires an investigation into the cultural politics of interpretation. Such an investigation, however, requires abstract concepts that in the mainstream commentary are widely taken to be irrelevant as well as elitist. After an investigation in which I use Roland Barthes discourse theory to read the Liberal "readerly" interpretation of Trump Speak as well as the "writerly" interpretation given by Right-wingers such a Peter Thiel, I go beyond the cultural politics of interpretation by arguing for Marx's concept of the "speecherly" function of language as a relay of class. Reading, I argue, is always the cultural effect of class. Reading, in other words, is not an isolated act of "readerly" interpretation (discovering "the truth"), nor is it an ethical "writerly" performance (making "truth"). Reading, rather, is a social process that is needed to train the workforce to submit to being exploited by capital. The fact that Trump can brag about the necronomics of the US so openly and it is not exposed for what it is at bottom—the failure of capitalism—is a testament to the underlying ideological consensus between Trump Speak and his American audience.

Keywords: Trump; Barthes; ideology; Covid-19 pandemic.
12. Critique
Authors: Tumino Stephen
Published: August 2024

Chapter Twelve ("Critique"): According to Bruno Latour, the radical project of critique has "run out of steam" because the binary organization of power that gave "critique its steam and modernism its impetus" ("Compositionist," 477) has been displaced by a new "flat" world; a "biological and cultural network" (472) composed of "billions of people and their trillions of [nonhuman] affliates and commensals" (477) collectively engaged in "composing" a "common world" with "the certainty that this common world has to be built from utterly heterogenous parts that will never make up a whole" (474). It is of course telling that on these terms, cultural theory must abandon even the "mere invocation of the word capitalism" ("Affects," 9) as a way to systematically connect and explain such cultural events as part of the global series of struggles over social resources. The result is to discourage inquiry into the root cause of critique in the social —where, as Marx says, "critique represents a class" ("Postface to Second Edition of Capital") whose dehumanized condition stands as the "ruthless critique of all that exists" (Marx to Ruge, 1843)—and to direct the focus instead to the alien appearance of critique in the everyday because of its defamiliarization of the "normal" (in the Kuhnian sense) mode of sense- making. The dominant attack on ideology critique—whether from the Right or the Left, from above or below, in the academy or in the popular culture—relies on a sentimentality, which is itself the product of the anti-intellectualism of popular media, that makes complex thinking out to be the other of life itself. The (post)critique of the (post)humanities advanced by Rita Felski, for instance, a close supporter of Latourian descriptivism and phenomenalism in such texts as The Uses of Literature (2008), The Limits of Critique (2015), Critique and Postcritique (2017), and Latour and the Humanities (ed. Felski, 2020) is in the end, not ideologically very far from the post-truth politics of Trumpism, which wants to purge the cultural lexicon of its alienating languages so as to liberate the "spirit" of the people from the "tyranny" of "experts" and "elites". But the task of the humanities—if they are to live up to the urgent requirements of the present moment—is to resist the encroaching authoritarianism of this manufactured faux populism and take a stand on the unrelenting necessity of critique against the brutality of class.

Keywords: critique; postcritique; Bruno Latour; Rita Felski; class; posthumanities.
13. Covid
Authors: Tumino Stephen
Published: August 2024

Chapter Thirteen ("Covid"): The global Covid-19 pandemic is not a causeless "event," nor a return of repressed "nature," but the intensification of the underlying conflict between the global organization of labor and private ownership for profit. Millions are losing their jobs and health care as companies downsize or go bust from what was not only a foreseeable but foreseen global health problem because of an economy that puts profits before needs. Such a crisis would not have been allowed to occur in a centrally planned socialist society run by the workers, who are becoming all too aware of the dangers posed by the commodification of human needs for profit. And yet, the revelation of this basic economic truth in the wake of the pandemic is occulted by the post-al Left, who use an "event-al" (Badiou) logic that disconnects effects from their underlying causes lying in the exploitation of labor by capital, to make the pandemic seem a break from the "normal" order rather than its inevitable result. It might be laughable that the philosopher of the event, in encountering what is by his own parameters an "event," declares the global pandemic and subsequent economic crash "uneventful," due merely to the "apocalyptic" rhetoric of "revolutionaries" ("On the Epidemic Situation"). But it is a manifestation of the wider Left abandonment of revolutionary theory and praxis, the consequences of which have been devastating for the struggle to abolish the class relations that prioritize profit over social need.

Keywords: Covid-19; Badiou; pandemic; capitalism.
Assessing Blood Donors' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Blood Donation - A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Easmin Fatema , Khatun Ayesha , Saha Subarna , Islam Khan , Begum Firoza
Published: August 2024

Introduction: Blood donation is vital for saving lives in critical medical conditions, making it a global concern. Ensuring a stable blood supply is essential for emergency treatments, surgeries, and chronic disease therapies. Blood donors, including influential figures like imams, play a critical role in promoting and normalizing blood donation within communities. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of blood donors toward blood donation. Methods: This cross-sectional study at Imam Training Academy of the Islamic Foundation, Bangladesh, included 200 Imams aged 18 above. Conducted from February 2023 to January 2024, data on knowledge, attitudes, and practices were collected through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS Version 26, considering a P-value of <0.05 as significant. Ethical clearance was obtained from the local ethical committee. Result: The study findings indicate that the majority (61.5%) of participants were aged between 20-29 years, with 19.5% aged 30-39 years. Awareness about blood donation was moderate, with 45% aware of their blood group and Rh factor. Most participants (83.5%) understood that receiving infected blood can transmit diseases, and 65% correctly identified the interval for safe blood donation. Knowledge of local blood transfusion centers beyond BSMMU was low at 36%. Attitudes toward blood donation were overwhelmingly positive, with high agreement that donation saves lives (96.5%) and is a moral activity (97.5%). The preference for voluntary non-remunerated donation was unanimous (98%). However, only 35% of respondents had donated blood at least once, with 33.5% donating voluntarily. Conclusion: The study found that blood donors had good knowledge and a positive attitude toward blood donation. However, most individuals were not donating blood regularly as volunteers.