bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Metabolic phenotyping in people living with obesity: Implications for dietary prevention
Authors: Blaak Ellen E. , Goossens Gijs H.
Published: August 2023

Given the increasing number of people living with obesity and related chronic metabolic disease, precision nutrition approaches are required to increase the effectiveness of prevention strategies. This review addresses these approaches in different metabolic phenotypes (metabotypes) in obesity. Although obesity is typically associated with an increased cardiometabolic disease risk, some people with obesity are relatively protected against the detrimental effects of excess adiposity on cardiometabolic health, also referred to as ‘metabolically healthy obesity’ (MHO). Underlying mechanisms, the extent to which MHO is a transient state as well as lifestyle strategies to counteract the transition from MHO to metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) are discussed. Based on the limited resources that are available for dietary lifestyle interventions, it may be reasonable to prioritize interventions for people with MUO, since targeting high-risk patients for specific nutritional, lifestyle or weight-loss strategies may enhance the cost-effectiveness of these interventions. Additionally, the concept of tissue insulin resistant (IR) metabotypes is discussed, representing distinct etiologies towards type 2 diabetes (T2D) as well as cardiovascular disease (CVD). Recent evidence indicates that these tissue IR metabotypes, already present in individuals with obesity with a normal glucose homeostasis, respond differentially to diet. Modulation of dietary macronutrient composition according to these metabotypes may considerably improve cardiometabolic health benefits. Thus, nutritional or lifestyle intervention may improve cardiometabolic health, even with only minor or no weight loss, which stresses the importance of focusing on a healthy lifestyle and not on weight loss only. Targeting different metabotypes towards T2D and cardiometabolic diseases may lead to more effective lifestyle prevention and treatment strategies. Age and sex-related differences in tissue metabotypes and related microbial composition and functionality (fermentation), as important drivers and/or mediators of dietary intervention response, have to be taken into account. For the implementation of these approaches, more prospective trials are required to provide the knowledge base for precision nutrition in the prevention of chronic metabolic diseases.
Research trends and frontiers in lupus nephritis: a bibliometric analysis from 2012 to 2022
Authors: Qi Jiaping , Wu Teng , Wang Jing , Zhang Ju , Chen Lin , Jiang Zhaoyu , Li Yixuan , Jiang Huan , Sun Qiong , Gu Qingchen , Ying Zhenhua
Published: August 2023

Objectives

Lupus nephritis is a prevalent renal manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality associated with the disease. This study endeavors to undertake a meticulous bibliometric analysis of LN publications to comprehend the research hotspots and future directions.

Methods

The literature on LN was acquired from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Co-occurrence and cooperative relationship analysis of authors, institutions, countries, journals, references and keywords in the publication was performed through CiteSpace, VOSviewer and a bibliometric online analysis platform. The knowledge graphs were created, and clustering and emergence analyses were performed.

Results

According to the search strategy, a total of 2077 publications related to lupus nephritis (LN) have been identified, with China being the largest contributor globally. The Ohio State University emerged as the most prolific institution. Lupus is the most cited and published journal. Jan J Weening and Brad Rovin were the most prolific and cocited authors. The current research focus revolved around the “nirp3 inflammasome,” “biomarker,” and “voclosporin”. “international society,” “thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA),” and “pathway” were identified to be future research hotpots by keyword burst analysis.

Conclusions

This bibliometric analysis summarizes for the first time the progress of LN research (2012–2022), and qualitatively and quantitatively evaluates the bibliometric information of LN research. There has been a steady increase in the scientific literature on LN over the past 11 years, with an average growth rate of 7.27%. In this field, researchers are primarily based in China and the United States. The pathogenic mechanisms, management strategies and prognostic outcomes of LN are acknowledged as prospective research hotspots. Bibliometrically, the research status and trends of LN publications may greatly assist and be a significant reference for future research in the area.
Tracking contaminants of concern in wet-weather sanitary sewer overflows
Authors: Besley Colin H. , Batley Graeme E. , Cassidy Michele
Published: August 2023

Four representative sites in the greater city of Sydney, Australia, were selected for a study of the wet-weather overflow of sanitary (separate to stormwater) sewerage systems. Water samples were collected by autosamplers from up to eight wet weather overflow events over 16 months and from companion receiving water sites. The objective was to identify the risks posed by sewage contaminants to aquatic biota in the receiving waters, to aid in prioritising management actions. Twelve organic contaminants were identified in influents across the four sites under rainfall ingress diluted conditions, with measurements showing that the highest concentrations were restricted to the anti-inflammatory acetaminophen and the diabetes medication metformin. Lesser contaminants included theobromine, ibuprofen, sucralose, and three benzotriazoles (mainly 1-H benzotriazole). An assessment of the toxicity of the identified organic chemicals indicated that none appeared to pose concerns for ecosystem health before wet-weather ingress dilution, and this was even less likely after dilution in the receiving waters. Metal concentrations were low; however, ammonia concentrations in the influent did pose a risk to ecosystem health, although receiving water dilution diminished this risk at four of the five receiving water locations studied.
Dreamland—a dream content questionnaire in German based on the English version
Authors: Ableidinger Severin , Klösch Gerhard , Holzinger Brigitte
Published: August 2023

In dream research there exists a multitude of dream questionnaires and dream content analysis scales. However, many of them are either limited, not standardized or validated, or require a lot of effort. At the same time there are often divergent or even contradictory results in dream research, and comparability between different studies is often limited. Large sample sizes are rare but would be necessary for representative and compelling findings. For studies analyzing large samples of dreams, short and easy-to-use questionnaires would be of great assistance. As an easy-to-use questionnaire that covers all relevant dream aspects, the Dreamland Questionnaire, was developed in 1997. The questionnaire has since been revised and partially validated. In this paper, we give an overview of the questionnaire and its underlying methodology. The questionnaire is separated into three parts measuring dream quantities and dream qualities as well as lucidity. The questionnaire further encourages the dreamer to write down their dream. In different studies it has already been used to show that dreams sampled in the laboratory and dreams sampled at home differ and that emotionality in dreams differs if rated by the dreamer themselves or by external raters. The questionnaire is also available in German.
Design and analysis of performance for wider field of view of concentrator
Authors: Zheng Hongqing , Jiang Yuesong , Cheng Wei , Cai Fan
Published: August 2023

A novel wider field of view of concentrators, which is composed of an optical fisheye lens with wider field of view and a traditional compound parabolic concentrator (CPC), is proposed in this paper. In this novel concentrator, exits of rays of meniscus fisheye lens and entrances of rays of CPC is fitted tightly on the basis of principles of ray trace, so that the proposed concentrator can be used to concentrate higher optical power than traditional CPC. In this paper, based on the geometry construction model of the new wide-field concentrator is established, the optics simulation software of TracePro is employed to model and design the structure of the concentrator, and analyses of performances for the concentrator is also carried out. The results show that this new wide-field concentrator can significantly increase the light energy received by the concentrator compared with a conventional concentrator without a wide-field fisheye lens, and can significantly improve the performance of LED wireless optical communication systems if used in the receiving optical antenna of LED wireless optical communication systems.
Identification and Environmental Assessments for Different Scenarios of Repurposed Decommissioned Wind Turbine Blades
Authors: Johst P. , Kucher M. , Bühl M. , Schulz P. , Kupfer R. , Schilling L. , Santos R. M. , Carneiro C. , Voigt P. , Modler N. , Böhm R.
Published: August 2023

The rapidly growing wind industry poses a fundamental problem for wind turbine blade (WTB) disposal in many areas of the world. WTBs are primarily manufactured from composites consisting of a thermoset matrix and reinforcing fibers. Currently, there are no economically viable recycling technologies available for such large-scale composite products. Thus, other treatment strategies for disposed WTBs have to be considered. This study explores the repurpose of WTBs as a promising alternative approach from a processual and technological point of view. For this purpose, the study is guided by the categorization into four different types of repurposed applications: high-loaded complete structure (T1), low-loaded complete structure (T2), high-loaded segmented structure (T3), and low-loaded segmented structure (T4). A three-dimensional CAD model of an Enercon-40/500 (E40) wind turbine blade is derived in a reverse engineering procedure to obtain knowledge about the actual geometry of the WTB. Based on the design, three ecosystems of product scenarios (S) with different manufacturing technologies involved are investigated: a climbing tower (S1), a playground (S2) and the combination of a photovoltaic (PV)-floating pontoon, and a lounger (S3). A screening life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted to evaluate the three repurposed scenarios according to environmental aspects. It is shown that the repurpose of E40 WTB composite material can reduce the environmental impact and leads to significant resource savings in relation to a reference product of similar quality. A particularly high saving potential is identified for the substitution of emission-intensive materials in construction applications. Furthermore, it is found that transport processes are the primary contributor to the environmental impact of repurposed applications.
Designerly Ways of Entrepreneuring for a Sustainable Circular Economy - Envisioning a Smartphone Firm of the Future
Authors: Junge Ines P.
Published: August 2023

The smartphone industry is undergoing a slow transition towards sustainable design and circular business models in response to mounting social and ecological concerns. This paper discusses a smartphone concept regarding sustainable value creation over its entire lifecycle—thereby urging the creation of alternative designs and future-fit businesses. Hence, drawing inspiration from existing start-ups seeking to establish a sustainable smartphone market, a speculative business proposal is synthesised. It employs an analytical framework, with the three layers ‘agent-situation’, ‘product system’, and ‘business/venture’, custom-made to explore value creation in smartphone design, production, and consumption for both existing businesses and this study’s case. Through the simultaneous consideration of designing and business modelling, this case exemplifies a sensible navigation between sustainability values, regardless of whether trade-offs or even synergies emerge. The resulting cross-fertilisation of the two fields contributes to stretching notions of what is possible and desirable in an advanced circular society future.
Storying the earth: decolonising literacy education through the pedagogical imagination
Authors: McKnight Lucinda
Published: August 2023

This article engages speculatively with Rachel Tonkin’s award-winning work of children’s literary non-fiction Leaf litter: Exploring the mysteries of a hidden world as a potential text for study in the primary or secondary literacy/English classroom. It considers the affordances and issues that may accompany teaching this text, and the pedagogical moves that might make it useful in contemporary times and in pursuit of racial and planetary justice. This work foregrounds the role of the pedagogical imagination in curriculum design, in anticipating how teachers, students and texts perform in the classroom. A more inclusive pedagogical imagination might be pursued, not through reliance on white, Western epistemologies, but through a First Nations First dialogic approach that recognises the intimate entanglements of human and other bodies and matter. This also includes identifying the ubiquity of the white “we”, a coercive pronoun that literacy classrooms can challenge.
Herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid interferes with MAP kinase signaling in Fusarium graminearum and is inhibitory to fungal growth and pathogenesis
Authors: Duan Kaili , Shen Qifang , Wang Yu , Xiang Ping , Shi Yutong , Yang Chenfei , Jiang Cong , Wang Guanghui , Xu Jin-Rong , Zhang Xue
Published: August 2023

Plant hormones are important for regulating growth, development, and plant-pathogen interactions. Some of them are inhibitory to growth of fungal pathogens but the underlying mechanism is not clear. In this study, we found that hyphal growth of Fusarium graminearum was significantly reduced by high concentrations of IAA and its metabolically stable analogue 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Besides inhibitory effects on growth rate, treatments with 2,4-D also caused significant reduction in conidiation, conidium germination, and germ tube growth. Treatments with 2,4-D had no obvious effect on sexual reproduction but significantly reduced TRI gene expression, toxisome formation, and DON production. More importantly, treatments with 2,4-D were inhibitory to infection structure formation and pathogenesis at concentrations higher than 100 µM. The presence of 1000 µM 2,4-D almost completely inhibited plant infection and invasive growth. In F. graminearum, 2,4-D induced ROS accumulation and FgHog1 activation but reduced the phosphorylation level of Gpmk1 MAP kinase. Metabolomics analysis showed that the accumulation of a number of metabolites such as glycerol and arabitol was increased by 2,4-D treatment in the wild type but not in the Fghog1 mutant. Transformants expressing the dominant active FgPBS2S451D T455D allele were less sensitive to 2,4-D and had elevated levels of intracellular glycerol and arabitol induced by 2,4-D in PH-1. Taken together, our results showed that treatments with 2,4-D interfere with two important MAP kinase pathways and are inhibitory to hyphal growth, DON biosynthesis, and plant infection in F. graminearum.
Electricity consumption characteristics and prediction model of a large airport terminal in Beijing
Authors: Yang Yi , Chen Chao , Li Zhiyong , Guan Dongya , Su Feifei
Published: August 2023

The large airport terminal is the city's transportation hub and logistics center, and its building electricity consumption is twice or even higher than that of general large public buildings. Energy-saving and consumption reduction of the terminal building is not only the need to improve the operational efficiency and reduce the operation cost of the airport but also the need to realize the goal of "double carbon" in China. In this study, a large airport terminal in Beijing is taken as the research object. According to the characteristics of its main electrical equipment system, and the measured data of passenger flow from January 2020 to February 2023, combined with Pearson correlation analysis, K-means cluster analysis and multiple regression analysis, the influence and correlation characteristics of building scale, passenger flow and outdoor meteorological parameters on its electricity consumption are analyzed. The results show that: 1) The daily electricity consumption of the terminal can be analyzed by five levels according to the daily passenger flow, namely, 10,000 < N ≤ 30,000,30,000 < N ≤ 50,000, 50,000 < N ≤ 70,000, 70,000 < N ≤ 100,000, and 100,000 < N ≤ 130,000; 2) The electricity consumption of the terminal can be divided into three categories: basic electricity consumption related to the building scale of the terminal, variable electricity consumption I related to passenger flow, and variable electricity consumption II related to outdoor air temperature and passenger flow. Based on this, the terminal's daily electricity consumption prediction model is constructed, and the measured data verify the model's effectiveness. 3) Put forward the evaluation reference value of the daily electricity consumption of different passenger flow in this terminal, When the year passenger flow reaches the design value of 45 million, the normal daily electricity consumption level ranges from 0.44 to 0.48 kW·h/(m2·day). The research results can provide methods and evaluation reference for electricity consumption prediction, and accurate control of electricity consumption of main equipment systems in airport terminal.
A critical issue: assessing the critical thinking skills and dispositions of undergraduate health science students
Authors: Dissen Anthony
Published: August 2023

Critical thinking skills and dispositions are significantly important factors that aid in one’s ability to understand and solve complex problems. Within the field of higher education, critical thinking skills and dispositions are valued and encouraged but are not always fully developed at the completion of the undergraduate degree experience. Those students who are studying to enter the healthcare field are particularly in need of strong critical thinking skills and dispositions in order to provide patients and communities with effective, evidence-based care in the midst of an ever-increasingly complex environment. What program of study a student selects, and the unique curriculum design of that program, may impact the development of these skills and dispositions during undergraduate study. This quantitative study sought to explore and understand the critical thinking skills and dispositions of undergraduate students enrolled in a BS in Health Science (BSHS) degree program, and how these skills in particular compared to the national student population. During the Spring 2022 academic semester, 140 senior-level BSHS students were given the opportunity to complete the California Critical Thinking Skills Test and the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory. Results show less development in critical thinking skills when compared to the national student population, with Numeracy skills being the most poorly developed, and Truth-Seeking being the most inconsistent disposition possessed by the student participants. The implications of these findings, particularly for faculty who teach students planning to enter the healthcare field, are offered, including recommendations for curricular design and modification.
Populocracy
Authors: Fieschi Catherine
Published: August 2023

Populism has become a significant feature of mature democracies in the twenty-first century and the rise of populist parties is proving a powerful and disruptive force. Catherine Fieschi offers a comparative analysis of the rise of populist parties in France, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK in the context of major digital and political transformations. Populism is effective, Fieschi shows, because it originates from within the democratic tradition and has been able to turn some of democracy's key strengths against it - what she calls Jiu-jitsu politics. Populism needs to be understood not simply as a response to globalization by the 'disillusioned' or 'left behind', but as a consequence of the digital revolution on our political and democratic expectations. She demonstrates how new dynamics unleashed by social media - the fantasy of radical transparency, the demand for immediacy and the rejection of expert truth and facts - have been harnessed by populism, enabling it to make unprecedented inroads into our political landscapes.
Flawed Capitalism
Authors: Coates David
Published: August 2023

Drawing on over four decades of research and writing on the political economy of the UK and United States, David Coates offers a masterly account of the Anglo-American condition and the social and economic crisis besetting both countries.

Charting the rise and fall of the social settlements that have shaped and defined the postwar years, Coates traces the history of the two economies through their New Deal and then their Reaganite periods - ones labelled differently in the UK, but similarly marked by the development of a Keynesian welfare state and then a Thatcherite neoliberal one.

Coates exposes the failings and shortcomings of the Reagan/Thatcher years, showing how the underlying fragility of a settlement based on the weakening of organized labour and the extensive deregulation of business culminated in the financial crisis of 2008.

The legacies of that crisis haunt us still - a squeezed middle class, further embedded poverty, deepened racial divisions, an adverse work-life balance for two-income families, and a growing crisis of housing and employment for the young. Flawed Capitalism deals with each in turn, and makes the case for the creation of a new transatlantic social settlement - a less flawed capitalism - one based on greater degrees of income equality and social justice.

As members of the millennial generation come to their maturity on each side of the Atlantic, Flawed Capitalism offers the critical intellectual tools that they will need if they are ever to break decisively with the failed public policies of the past.
Indigenous Archaeologies, Shell Heaps, and Climate Change
Authors: Newsom Bonnie , Soctomah Donald , Blackwood Emily , Brough Jason
Published: August 2023

Indigenous communities globally are challenged by threats to heritage resources due to residual effects of colonization, outsider encroachment on traditional spaces, and economic and political inequities. The effects of climate change add another dimension to these challenges, not only by altering familiar ecosystems and landscapes but also through the destruction of Indigenous heritage spaces. The University of Maine's Northeast archaeology program supports Indigenous resilience to climate change through community-engaged approaches to archaeological research. Recent shell heap research at the Holmes Point West site in Machiasport, Maine, exemplifies these efforts by blending archaeological science with service through Passamaquoddy language preservation and community engagement. This article discusses the University of Maine's partnership with the Passamaquoddy Nation and reflects on the nexus of Indigenous archaeology, heritage protection, and climate change resilience.
High-power free-running single-longitudinal-mode diamond Raman laser enabled by suppressing parasitic stimulated Brillouin scattering
Authors: Liu Yuxuan , Zhu Chengjie , Sun Yuxiang , Mildren Richard P. , Bai Zhenxu , Zhang Baitao , Chen Weibiao , Chen Dijun , Li Muye , Yang Xuezong , Feng Yan
Published: August 2023

A continuous-wave (CW) single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) Raman laser at 1240 nm with power of up to 20.6 W was demonstrated in a free-running diamond Raman oscillator without any axial-mode selection elements. The SLM operation was achieved due to the spatial-hole-burning free nature of Raman gain and was maintained at the highest available pump power by suppressing the parasitic stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). A folded-cavity design was employed for reducing the perturbing effect of resonances at the pump frequency. At a pump power of 69 W, the maximum Stokes output reached 20.6 W, corresponding to a 30% optical-to-optical conversion efficiency from 1064 to 1240 nm. The result shows that parasitic SBS is the main physical process disturbing the SLM operation of Raman oscillator at higher power. In addition, for the first time, the spectral linewidth of a CW SLM diamond Raman laser was resolved using the long-delayed self-heterodyne interferometric method, which is 105 kHz at 20 W.
On the micelle formation of DNAJB6b
Authors: Carlsson Andreas , Olsson Ulf , Linse Sara
Published: August 2023

The human chaperone DNAJB6b increases the solubility of proteins involved in protein aggregation diseases and suppresses the nucleation of amyloid structures. Due to such favourable properties, DNAJB6b has gained increasing attention over the past decade. The understanding of how DNAJB6b operates on a molecular level may aid the design of inhibitors against amyloid formation. In this work, fundamental aspects of DNAJB6b self-assembly have been examined, providing a basis for future experimental designs and conclusions. The results imply the formation of large chaperone clusters in a concentration-dependent manner. Microfluidic diffusional sizing (MDS) was used to evaluate how DNAJB6b average hydrodynamic radius varies with concentration. We found that, in 20 mM sodium phosphate buffer, 0.2 mM EDTA, at pH 8.0 and room temperature, DNAJB6b displays a micellar behaviour, with a critical micelle concentration (CMC) of around 120 nM. The average hydrodynamic radius appears to be concentration independent between ∼10 μM and 100 μM, with a mean radius of about 12 nm. The CMC found by MDS is supported by native agarose gel electrophoresis and the size distribution appears bimodal in the DNAJB6b concentration range ∼100 nM to 4 μM.
THE PROGRESS OF 14C-AMS ANALYSIS FOR ULTRA-SMALL SAMPLES AT XI’AN AMS CENTER
Authors: Du Hua , Fu Yunchong , Cheng Peng , Zhao Haiyan , Hou Yaoyao , Xiong Xiaohu , Gu Huachun , Yang Ling
Published: August 2023

As there exists a growing demand for chronological research and tracer applications using radiocarbon (14C) analyses of samples smaller than 100 μg C, a compact micro-specific hydrogen graphitization method has been developed at the Xi’an Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) Center. This article describes the performance of the system and the mass of carbon background produced during ultra-small sample preparation. Furthermore, we discuss the results of contamination corrections and perform 14C analyses on small samples with known age or reference values. The results reveal that our 14C analysis of ultra-small samples of 10–100 μg C can obtain accurate and reliable results, and the micro-scale 14C-AMS analysis technique meets our research objectives for dating and tracer applications.
Demons Only Virgins Can See: Divination with Child-Mediums as a Medieval Type of Clerical Child Abuse
Authors: BARBEZAT MICHAEL
Published: August 2023

This article examines the use of child-mediums in divination and magic as a specific medieval understanding of child abuse. Medieval authors believed that children were used in this way by learned men, particularly churchmen. They believed the practice was abusive, causing physiological and psychological harm. Many also thought, for different reasons, that it could produce revelations. This topic provided medieval authors with an opportunity to theorise about a specifically clerical form of child abuse, and it is an example of the kind of ritual magic extant in clerics’ own social worlds that fuelled paranoid conspiratorial fantasies, such as witchcraft.
Effectiveness of the sternocleidomastoid muscle contraction asymmetry and filter: cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential
Authors: Hançer Arslan G , Arslan M , Aran O T , Özberk E H , Baydan Aran M
Published: August 2023

Objective

This study aimed to determine the precautions that can be taken to increase the reliability of the vestibular evoked myogenic potentials test without being affected by the asymmetry of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the issues that should be considered in the interpretation of vestibular evoked myogenic potential results if these precautions are not taken.

Method

Individuals with sternocleidomastoid muscle activity of less than 30 μV in cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing and an asymmetry ratio of more than 0.35 were excluded. In our study, individuals were divided into different groups according to sternocleidomastoid muscle asymetry.

Results

A total of 53 individuals were included in the study. Intergroup comparisons were made to determine the effect of electromyogram scaling and filter use on amplitude asymmetry ratio according to sternocleidomastoid muscle asymmetry.

Conclusion

Keeping the sternocleidomastoid muscle asymmetry not exceeding 10 μV maximises the reliability of cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials. As a result of our study, it can be concluded that in clinical applications the asymmetry should not exceed 20 μV.
RODOLFO LANCIANI AND THE SOUTHWEST QUIRINAL: FROM EXCAVATION TO THE FORMA URBIS ROMAE
Authors: Brennan Brian
Published: August 2023

In 1885, during excavations on the southwest slope of the Quirinal Hill, two magnificent Hellenistic bronzes were discovered by Rodolfo Lanciani. Although Lanciani dated the burial of the bronzes to the era of the barbarian attacks on the city of Rome, here it will be argued that the bronzes may have been excavated elsewhere by clandestine diggers and then reburied on the Quirinal slope, in a stash of robbers’ loot. Utilizing newly located archival sources that shed fresh light on the excavation, and interrogating Lanciani's published accounts of it, this paper presents a case study of this small area of the hill. This leads in turn to an investigation of Lanciani's practice as a cartographer in plate XXII of his Forma Urbis Romae where the hillside was subsequently depicted. Plate XXII has a wider relevance for any user of the FUR because a close analysis of this one plate suggests that Lanciani's representation of the southwest Quirinal is dominated by a cartographic rhetoric. This is composed of significant omissions, obfuscations and graphic hierarchies all of which are employed to influence and manipulate the reader. It is argued that plate XXII of Lanciani's map is a persuasive rendering rather than a disinterested record of the ancient structures that were found buried there. This has significance for any reader of the FUR.
HTA capacity building in Asia: towards one goal
Authors: Mundy Linda , Maddern Guy
Published: August 2023

Objectives

The aim of the 2022 Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi) Asia Policy Forum (APF) was to discuss experiences and challenges around health technology assessment (HTA) capacity building for both HTA agencies and companies in the Asia region and to identify possible solutions as part of a capacity building roadmap.

Methods

Discussions during the 2022 APF, informed by a pre-meeting survey of HTA agencies and industry attendees from the region, form the basis of this paper.

Results

HTA is an essential element of priority-setting in healthcare; however, the scarcity of skilled technical HTA practitioners is a rate-limiting step in the conduct of HTA. The lack of investment in HTA and the political will to mandate the use of HTA in decision-making may be due to a lack of understanding of the value of the HTA process, and how HTA is interpreted and used in the healthcare decision-making process.

Conclusions

Increased demand for HTA is created when the value of HTA is recognized. HTA capacity-building challenges may be mitigated by educating stakeholders, particularly policymakers, on the value of, and the need to invest in, HTA as a transparent process to ensure equitable access to health care for all. Investigating a means of funding and implementing an HTA intern program between agencies, in partnership with industry, to facilitate a supportive environment to foster HTA skills and knowledge, build capacity or strengthen existing capacity should be a priority.
Letters to the Paulaharjus from Ruija: The emergence of two writing cultures in Finnish among Kvens in the early twentieth century
Authors: Haataja Daniel , Niiranen Leena
Published: August 2023

Samuli Paulaharju was a Finnish ethnographer who visited the Kven minority in Northern Norway – Ruija – in the 1920s and 1930s. Together with his wife Jenny he collected ethnographic material among the Kvens, and corresponded frequently with some of them. Many wrote in Finnish, and most were self-taught writers.

We focus on the orthography used by these writers who were writing in a multilingual environment. We identify two writing cultures, one associated with Old Literary Finnish and Early Modern Finnish, the other with Modern Written Finnish (MWF). The orthography used by the former is characterized by the use ofb,d,gforp,t,kin native Finnish words, which we attribute to influence from Norwegian. By contrast, the orthography of the latter largely resembles the MWF of the time. However, both groups substitutetford– a phenomenon found in Finland during the same time period – as well as occasionally use Norwegian characters.
The European Commission's Glass Fibre Fabrics Investigation and the Boundaries Between Investment and Trade
Authors: AHMAD Zaker
Published: August 2023

In a 2020 anti-subsidy investigation concerning glass fibre fabric (GFF) products from Egypt, the European Commission (EC) attributed the Chinese government's conduct to the government of Egypt in a way that raised a systemic question about the boundary between trade and investment. This article argues that despite some overlap between the boundaries of these legal disciplines, the notions of trade and investment remain conceptually distinct. Customary rules of interpretation dictate that World Trade Organization (WTO) covered agreements are construed as facilitating trade relations and no further. Hence, an extension of WTO subsidy rules to cover outward investment promotion measures using the principles of state responsibility is untenable. Such a unilateral approach disproportionately affects the interests of developing countries, harming their efforts to draw green investments. This article recommends that new, balanced rules be designed to promote outward investments while limiting adverse trade impacts.
Drivers of Surface Ocean Acidity Extremes in an Earth System Model
Authors: Burger Friedrich A. , Frölicher Thomas L.
Published: August 2023

Oceanic uptake of anthropogenic carbon causes acidification, a process that describes the increase in hydrogen ion concentrations ([H+]) and decrease in calcium carbonate mineral saturation states (Ω). Of particular concern are ocean acidity extreme (OAX) events, which pose a significant threat to many calcifying marine organisms. However, the mechanisms driving such extreme events are not well understood. Here, we use high‐frequency output from a fully coupled Earth system model of all processes that influence the surface ocean temperature and carbon budgets and ultimately [H+] and Ω anomalies to quantify the driving mechanisms of the onset and decline of high [H+] and low Ω extreme events. We show that enhanced temperature plays a crucial role in driving [H+] extremes, with increased net ocean heat uptake being the dominant driver of the event onset in the subtropics. In the mid‐to‐high latitudes, decreased downward vertical diffusion and mixing of warm surface waters during summer, and increased vertical mixing with warm and carbon‐rich subsurface waters during winter are the main drivers of high [H+] extreme event onset. In the tropics, increases in vertical advection of carbon‐rich subsurface waters are the primary driver of the onset of high [H+] extremes. In contrast, low Ω extremes are driven in most regions by increases in surface carbon concentration due to increased vertical mixing with carbon‐rich subsurface waters. Our study highlights the complex interplay between heat and carbon anomalies driving OAX events and provides a first foundation for more accurate prediction of their future evolution.
Ferroptosis and pyroptosis signatures in critical COVID-19 patients
Authors: Peleman Cédric , Van Coillie Samya , Ligthart Symen , Choi Sze Men , De Waele Jan , Depuydt Pieter , Benoit Dominique , Schaubroeck Hannah , Francque Sven M. , Dams Karolien , Jacobs Rita , Robert Dominique , Roelandt Ria , Seurinck Ruth , Saeys Yvan , Rajapurkar Mohan , Jorens Philippe G. , Hoste Eric , Vanden Berghe Tom
Published: August 2023

Critical COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) frequently suffer from severe multiple organ dysfunction with underlying widespread cell death. Ferroptosis and pyroptosis are two detrimental forms of regulated cell death that could constitute new therapeutic targets. We enrolled 120 critical COVID-19 patients in a two-center prospective cohort study to monitor systemic markers of ferroptosis, iron dyshomeostasis, pyroptosis, pneumocyte cell death and cell damage on the first three consecutive days after ICU admission. Plasma of 20 post-operative ICU patients (PO) and 39 healthy controls (HC) without organ failure served as controls. Subsets of COVID-19 patients displayed increases in individual biomarkers compared to controls. Unsupervised clustering was used to discern latent clusters of COVID-19 patients based on biomarker profiles. Pyroptosis-related interleukin-18 accompanied by high pneumocyte cell death was independently associated with higher odds at mechanical ventilation, while the subgroup with high interleuking-1 beta (but limited pneumocyte cell death) displayed reduced odds at mechanical ventilation and lower mortality hazard. Meanwhile, iron dyshomeostasis with a tendency towards higher ferroptosis marker malondialdehyde had no association with outcome, except for the small subset of patients with very high catalytic iron independently associated with reduced survival. Forty percent of patients did not have a clear signature of the cell death mechanisms studied in this cohort. Moreover, repeated moderate levels of soluble receptor of advanced glycation end products and growth differentiation factor 15 during the first three days after ICU admission are independently associated with adverse clinical outcome compared to sustained lower levels. Altogether, the data point towards distinct subgroups in this cohort of critical COVID-19 patients with different systemic signatures of pyroptosis, iron dyshomeostasis, ferroptosis or pneumocyte cell death markers that have different outcomes in ICU. The distinct groups may allow ‘personalized’ treatment allocation in critical COVID-19 based on systemic biomarker profiles.
BPIFB4 and its longevity-associated haplotype protect from cardiac ischemia in humans and mice
Authors: Cattaneo Monica , Aleksova Aneta , Malovini Alberto , Avolio Elisa , Thomas Anita , Alvino Valeria Vincenza , Kilcooley Michael , Pieronne-Deperrois Marie , Ouvrard-Pascaud Antoine , Maciag Anna , Spinetti Gaia , Kussauer Sophie , Lemcke Heiko , Skorska Anna , Vasudevan Praveen , Castiglione Stefania , Raucci Angela , David Robert , Richard Vincent , Beltrami Antonio Paolo , Madeddu Paolo , Puca Annibale Alessandro
Published: August 2023

Long-living individuals (LLIs) escape age-related cardiovascular complications until the very last stage of life. Previous studies have shown that a Longevity-Associated Variant (LAV) of the BPI Fold Containing Family B Member 4 (BPIFB4) gene correlates with an extraordinarily prolonged life span. Moreover, delivery of the LAV-BPIFB4 gene exerted therapeutic action in murine models of atherosclerosis, limb ischemia, diabetic cardiomyopathy, and aging. We hypothesize that downregulation of BPIFB4 expression marks the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in human subjects, and supplementation of the LAV-BPIFB4 protects the heart from ischemia. In an elderly cohort with acute myocardial infarction (MI), patients with three-vessel CAD were characterized by lower levels of the natural logarithm (Ln) of peripheral blood BPIFB4 (p = 0.0077). The inverse association between Ln BPIFB4 and three-vessel CAD was confirmed by logistic regression adjusting for confounders (Odds Ratio = 0.81, p = 0.0054). Moreover, in infarcted mice, a single administration of LAV-BPIFB4 rescued cardiac function and vascularization. In vitro studies showed that LAV-BPIFB4 protein supplementation exerted chronotropic and inotropic actions on induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes. In addition, LAV-BPIFB4 inhibited the pro-fibrotic phenotype in human cardiac fibroblasts. These findings provide a strong rationale and proof of concept evidence for treating CAD with the longevity BPIFB4 gene/protein.
Diversity, distribution and intrinsic extinction vulnerability of exploited marine bivalves
Authors: Huang Shan , Edie Stewart M. , Collins Katie S. , Crouch Nicholas M. A. , Roy Kaustuv , Jablonski David
Published: August 2023

Marine bivalves are important components of ecosystems and exploited by humans for food across the world, but the intrinsic vulnerability of exploited bivalve species to global changes is poorly known. Here, we expand the list of shallow-marine bivalves known to be exploited worldwide, with 720 exploited bivalve species added beyond the 81 in the United Nations FAO Production Database, and investigate their diversity, distribution and extinction vulnerability using a metric based on ecological traits and evolutionary history. The added species shift the richness hotspot of exploited species from the northeast Atlantic to the west Pacific, with 55% of bivalve families being exploited, concentrated mostly in two major clades but all major body plans. We find that exploited species tend to be larger in size, occur in shallower waters, and have larger geographic and thermal ranges—the last two traits are known to confer extinction-resistance in marine bivalves. However, exploited bivalve species in certain regions such as the tropical east Atlantic and the temperate northeast and southeast Pacific, are among those with high intrinsic vulnerability and are a large fraction of regional faunal diversity. Our results pinpoint regional faunas and specific taxa of likely concern for management and conservation.
Data-driven predictions of complex organic mixture permeation in polymer membranes
Authors: Lee Young Joo , Chen Lihua , Nistane Janhavi , Jang Hye Youn , Weber Dylan J. , Scott Joseph K. , Rangnekar Neel D. , Marshall Bennett D. , Li Wenjun , Johnson J. R. , Bruno Nicholas C. , Finn M. G. , Ramprasad Rampi , Lively Ryan P.
Published: August 2023

Membrane-based organic solvent separations are rapidly emerging as a promising class of technologies for enhancing the energy efficiency of existing separation and purification systems. Polymeric membranes have shown promise in the fractionation or splitting of complex mixtures of organic molecules such as crude oil. Determining the separation performance of a polymer membrane when challenged with a complex mixture has thus far occurred in an ad hoc manner, and methods to predict the performance based on mixture composition and polymer chemistry are unavailable. Here, we combine physics-informed machine learning algorithms (ML) and mass transport simulations to create an integrated predictive model for the separation of complex mixtures containing up to 400 components via any arbitrary linear polymer membrane. We experimentally demonstrate the effectiveness of the model by predicting the separation of two crude oils within 6-7% of the measurements. Integration of ML predictors of diffusion and sorption properties of molecules with transport simulators enables for the rapid screening of polymer membranes prior to physical experimentation for the separation of complex liquid mixtures.
Deep transfer learning for inter-chain contact predictions of transmembrane protein complexes
Authors: Lin Peicong , Yan Yumeng , Tao Huanyu , Huang Sheng-You
Published: August 2023

Membrane proteins are encoded by approximately a quarter of human genes. Inter-chain residue-residue contact information is important for structure prediction of membrane protein complexes and valuable for understanding their molecular mechanism. Although many deep learning methods have been proposed to predict the intra-protein contacts or helix-helix interactions in membrane proteins, it is still challenging to accurately predict their inter-chain contacts due to the limited number of transmembrane proteins. Addressing the challenge, here we develop a deep transfer learning method for predicting inter-chain contacts of transmembrane protein complexes, named DeepTMP, by taking advantage of the knowledge pre-trained from a large data set of non-transmembrane proteins. DeepTMP utilizes a geometric triangle-aware module to capture the correct inter-chain interaction from the coevolution information generated by protein language models. DeepTMP is extensively evaluated on a test set of 52 self-associated transmembrane protein complexes, and compared with state-of-the-art methods including DeepHomo2.0, CDPred, GLINTER, DeepHomo, and DNCON2_Inter. It is shown that DeepTMP considerably improves the precision of inter-chain contact prediction and outperforms the existing approaches in both accuracy and robustness.
Structural basis for negative regulation of the Escherichia coli maltose system
Authors: Wu Yuang , Sun Yue , Richet Evelyne , Han Zhifu , Chai Jijie
Published: August 2023

Proteins from the signal transduction ATPases with numerous domains (STAND) family are known to play an important role in innate immunity. However, it remains less well understood how they function in transcriptional regulation. MalT is a bacterial STAND that controls the Escherichia coli maltose system. Inactive MalT is sequestered by different inhibitory proteins such as MalY. Here, we show that MalY interacts with one oligomerization interface of MalT to form a 2:2 complex. MalY represses MalT activity by blocking its oligomerization and strengthening ADP-mediated MalT autoinhibition. A loop region N-terminal to the nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) of MalT has a dual role in mediating MalT autoinhibition and activation. Structural comparison shows that ligand-binding induced oligomerization is required for stabilizing the C-terminal domains and conferring DNA-binding activity. Together, our study reveals the mechanism whereby a prokaryotic STAND is inhibited by a repressor protein and offers insights into signaling by STAND transcription activators.
In situ observation of coalescence of nuclei in colloidal crystal-crystal transitions
Authors: Peng Yi , Li Wei , Still Tim , Yodh Arjun G. , Han Yilong
Published: August 2023

Coalescence of nuclei in phase transitions significantly influences the transition rate and the properties of product materials, but these processes occur rapidly and are difficult to observe at the microscopic scale. Here, we directly image the coalescence of nuclei with single particle resolution during the crystal-crystal transition from a multilayer square to triangular lattices. The coalescence process exhibits three similar stages across a variety of scenarios: coupled growth of two nuclei, their attachment, and relaxation of the coalesced nucleus. The kinetics vary with nucleus size, interface, and lattice orientation; the kinetics include acceleration of nucleus growth, small nucleus liquefaction, and generation/annihilation of defects. Related mechanisms, such as strain induced by nucleus growth and the lower energy of liquid-crystal versus crystal-crystal interfaces, appear to be common to both atomic and colloidal crystals.