bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of Modular Wheel for Bicycle Electricfication
Authors: Sharanraj K , Lakshmipathi J , Saravanakumar D , Manickavasagam P , Govardhan YS , Sakthivel G , Jegadeeshwaran R
Published: October 2023

Our entire world is in the future. Technology has made our lives better throughout time. They use electric bicycles. Cycling is always more environmentally friendly than driving, but the E-bike has seen the most widespread adoption of green transportation during the decade. Just picture an electric bike replacing gasoline-powered scooters rather than a traditional bicycle. The paper focuses on the complete design of modular wheel for bicycle, which includes a hub motor, a customized battery pack, electrical components, and the structural elements. The entire assembly will be contained within a wheel, and wireless communication is used to transmit the throttling signal to the controller. To keep the battery pack and control circuit module to be static while the wheel is spinning was one of the main challenges we faced. The battery pack is mounted to the stator core for non-rotary operation and planetary gear setup is used to generate rotational motion. The design of a proposed modular wheel has been developed using the software tools Solid works, Ansys-Work Bench and Arduino IDE.
Nutritional challenges of substituting farmed animals for wild fish in human diets
Authors: Heilpern Sebastian A , Almeida Rafael M , Fiorella Kathryn J , Flecker Alexander S , Williams Demetra , McIntyre Peter B
Published: October 2023

Wild fisheries provide billions of people with a key source of multiple essential nutrients. As fisheries plateau or decline, nourishing more people will partially rely on shifting consumption to farmed animals. The environmental implications of transitions among animal-sourced foods have been scrutinized, but their nutritional substitutability remains unclear. We compared concentrations of six essential dietary nutrients across >5000 species of wild fishes, aquaculture, poultry and livestock species, representing >65% of animals consumed globally. Wild fishes are both more nutrient-dense and variable than farmed animals; achieving recommended intake of all nutrients with farmed species could require consuming almost four times more biomass than with wild fish. The challenge of substituting farmed animals for wild fishes are magnified in fishery-dependent nations with high biodiversity and prevalence of malnutrition. Ultimately, the better ability of wild fishes to meet multiple nutrients simultaneously underscores the importance of drawing upon a diverse portfolio of animal- and plant-based foods as societies seek to offset changes in fisheries while achieving healthy and sustainable diets.
Local-scale circulation associated with enhanced poleward moisture transport for Meiyu-Baiu heavy rainfall over western Japan
Authors: Matsumura Shinji , Iizuka Satoshi
Published: October 2023

Heavy rainfall events in western Japan during early July have become more frequent, yet the underlying mechanism behind this trend during the late stage of the Meiyu-Baiu rainy season remains unclear. Our long-term analysis of short-duration events revealed that a quasi-stationary Rossby wave train enhances the poleward transport of moisture from the western Pacific, contributing to the frequent occurrence of heavy rainfall events over western Japan. The local-scale circulation over the East China Sea plays a substantial role in producing this quasi-stationary Rossby wave train, which is closely linked to enhanced deep convection over the Kuroshio warm current, characterized by a distinct sea surface temperature (SST) front. The coarse resolution of both the model and SST data may hinder the ability of climate simulations to capture the local-scale circulation, underscoring the importance of quasi-stationary atmospheric circulation for a better understanding of heavy rainfall events through poleward moisture transport.
Inhomogeneous entropy production in active crystals with point imperfections
Authors: Caprini L , Löwen H , Marini Bettolo Marconi U
Published: October 2023

The presence of defects in solids formed by active particles breaks their discrete translational symmetry. As a consequence, many of their properties become space-dependent and different from those characterizing perfectly ordered structures. Motivated by recent numerical investigations concerning the nonuniform distribution of entropy production and its relation to the configurational properties of active systems, we study theoretically and numerically the spatial profile of the entropy production rate (EPR) when an active solid contains an isotopic mass defect. The theoretical study of such an imperfect active crystal is conducted by employing a perturbative analysis that considers the perfectly ordered harmonic solid as a reference system. The perturbation theory predicts a nonuniform profile of the entropy production extending over large distances from the position of the impurity. The EPR decays exponentially to its bulk value with a typical healing length that coincides with the correlation length of the spatial velocity correlations characterizing the perfect active solids in the absence of impurities. The theory is validated against numerical simulations of an active Brownian particle crystal in two dimensions with Weeks–Chandler–Andersen repulsive interparticle potential.
Setting time acceleration of cement concrete with addition of termite mound clay
Authors: Gopika S , Unnikrishnan S
Published: October 2023

As part of government programs, strategies are put in place to militate against cost of construction, geared towards encouraging reduction in the use of construction inputs such as cement, aggregates, steel, reinforcement steel, etc. The objective of this research is based on the use of wastes and natural local materials as substitutes to the conventional materials. It is observed that termite clay mound (TMC) can be used as an accelerator. The setting times decreased as the percentage addition of cement by TMC increased, this is because the dissolved TMC form a close network that acts as dense barrier for the needle (used to measure the setting time) to penetrate the paste and thus, indicate accelerated setting time. The setting of cement paste is honored to be caused by adding volume of hydration products and leads to a decrease in the distance between individual particles until plastic flow is confined by cohesive forces. The water affinity of TMC cement pastes increased as the dosage increased. With this behaviour, the termite mound clay can be classified as an accelerator and thus it can be used for cold weather concreting. Along with this, the strength of concrete by the addition of TMC is analysed.
Utilization of glass powder and precious slag balls as a partial replacement of cement and fine aggregates
Authors: Nath G K , Rajendran P
Published: October 2023

Cement manufacture on a large scale affects the environment negatively and depletes natural resources. Waste glass is disposed off in landfills after it becomes waste, which is unsustainable because glass does not disintegrate in the environment. Use of waste glass powder in concrete as a partialreplacement of cement can be a practical policy in reducing cement usage. Concrete’s most frequently used aggregates are crushed stone, rock, etc. and their excavation has a higher negative influence on the environment and causes an ecological imbalance. Thus, a suitable alternative material must be used in place of the natural stone aggregate. Precious Slag (PS) Ball is a novel environmentally friendly material that can be created by rapid cooling of slag which generated from steel making process by means of Slag Atomizing Technology (SAT). This study aims to examine the combined effect of two industrial wastes, namely glass powder (GP) and precious slag (PS) balls, as substitute materials for cement and fine aggregate on the performance of concrete. In this study, both cement and fine aggregates in concrete has been substituted for glass powder and PS Balls respectively to varying degrees (0%, 10%,15%, 20%,25%). Together with tests to analyze mechanical properties, durability tests were also conducted. The outcome demonstrates that glass powder and PS Balls can serve as an acceptable substitute for cement and fine aggregate respectively with 20% substitution dosage being the optimum for both glass powder and PS Balls.
Artificial coarse aggregate from waste materials, fly ash and Msand dust through geopolymerization
Authors: Mathew Gifty Mary , Binu Grace Susan , joice Geo George , Biju Leni Ann , Mathew Mini
Published: October 2023

Coarse aggregate is considered the most vital aspect, providing quantity and strength to the concrete. The aggregates are obtained mainly from natural resources by quarrying rocks or riverbeds. Each year, construction industries use large amounts of natural aggregates, resulting in the depletion of raw materials. Different methods, such as sintering, cold bombing, autoclaving, and geopolymerization, can prepare artificial coarse aggregates. Geopolymerization is a chemical reaction between an alkali solution and source materials containing alumina and silicate. The main objective of this study is to develop artificial aggregates with M sand dust and fly ash by geo polymerization. The ratio of Fly ash to M Sand Dust adopted is 40:60 by weight. Different molarities of sodium hydroxide was used for making the artificial aggregates with a solution-to-binder (S/B) ratio of 3.5 and a sodium silicate-to-sodium hydroxide ratio of 2.5. The mechanical properties of the developed lightweight aggregate are determined as per the specification requirement in IS 9142 (1979) for artificial lightweight aggregates for concrete masonry units. By comparison, these geopolymer aggregates are sustainable, and aggregates with 12 molarity NaOH showed better properties than other molarity NaOH aggregates based on its mechanical properties.
Blockchain Powered IoT Platform for Autonomous Drone Operations in Smart Farming for Environment Sustainability
Authors: Aruna Devi K , Ranjitha M , Divya M O
Published: October 2023

A blockchain based platform can be decentralized, meaning that it is not controlled by a single entity or organization. This can help to cut down the risk of data manipulation or fraud, and can also make the platform more resilient to cyber-attacks or other security threats. By automating many of the processes involved in data collection and analysis, blockchain technology can assist farmers to decrease their costs and increase profitability. Architecture for blockchain powered IoT platform for autonomous drone operations in smart farming is proposed. It has three layers which include data acquistion and encryption in IoT layer and creation and management of ledger in the blockchain layer and service provider layer that include user interaction and farming software. Agriculture integrates many of the new automation technologies already in their routine. The proposed architecture enriches the functioning of farming without affecting the current framework. Overall, the blockchain powered IoT platform for autonomous drone operations in smart farming can help farmers improve their efficiency, increase transparency and security, reduce costs, and ultimately achieve more environment sustainability and profitable farming practices.
3D printing of solid polymer electrolytes by fused filament fabrication: challenges towards in-space manufacturing
Authors: Bourseau Félix , Grugeon Sylvie , Lafont Ugo , Dupont Loïc
Published: October 2023

A new chapter of space exploration is opening with future long-duration space missions toward the Moon and Mars. In this context, the European Space Agency is developing out-of-the-earth manufacturing abilities, to overcome the absence of regular supplies for astronauts’ vital needs (food, health, housing, energy). Additive manufacturing is at the heart of this evolution because it allows the fabrication of tailorable and complex shapes, with a considerable ease of process. Fused filament fabrication (FFF), the most generalized 3D printing technique, has been integrated into the International Space Station to produce polymer parts in microgravity. Filament deposition printing has also a key role to play in Li-ion battery (LIB) manufacturing. Indeed, it could reduce manufacturing cost & time, through one-shot printing of LIB, and improve battery performances with suitable 3D architectures. Thus, additive manufacturing via FFF of LIB in microgravity would open the way to in-space manufacturing of energy storage devices. However, as liquid and volatile species are not compatible with a space station-confined environment, solvent-free 3D printing of polymer electrolytes (PEs) is a necessary step to make battery printing in microgravity feasible. This is a challenging stage because of a strong opposition between the mechanical requirements of the feeding filament and electrochemical properties. Nowadays, PE manufacturing remains a hot topic and lots of strategies are currently being studied to overcome their poor ionic conductivity at room temperature. This work firstly gives a state of the art on the 3D printing of LIBs by FFF. Then, a summary of ionic conduction mechanisms in PEs permits to understand the several strategies studied to enhance PEs performances. Thanks to the confrontation with the specifications of FFF printing and the microgravity environment, polymer blends and composite electrolytes turn out to be the most suitable strategies to 3D print a lithium-ion polymer battery in microgravity.
Incidence of Stomach, Liver, and Colorectal Cancers by Geography and Social Vulnerability Among American Indian and Alaska Native Populations, 2010–2019
Authors: Melkonian Stephanie C , Jim Melissa A , Reza Avid , Peipins Lucy A , Haverkamp Donald , Said Nathania , Sharpe J Danielle
Published: October 2023

Social determinants of health and associated systems, policies, and practices are important drivers of health disparities. American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations in the United States have elevated incidence rates of stomach, liver, and colorectal cancers compared with other racial/ethnic groups. In this study, we examined incidence rates of 3 types of gastrointestinal cancer among non-Hispanic AI/AN (NH-AI/AN) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) populations by geographic region and Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) score. Incident cases diagnosed during 2010–2019 were identified from population-based cancer registries linked with the Indian Health Service patient registration databases. Age-adjusted incidence rates (per 100,000 population) for stomach, liver, and colorectal cancers were compared within NH-AI/AN populations and between the NH-AI/AN and NHW populations by SVI score. Rates were higher among NH-AI/AN populations in moderate– and high–SVI-score counties in Alaska, the Southern Plains, and the East than in low-SVI counties. Incidence rates among NH-AI/AN populations were elevated when compared with NHW populations by SVI category. Results indicated that higher social vulnerability may drive elevated cancer incidence among NH-AI/AN populations. Additionally, disparities between NH-AI/AN and NHW populations persist even when accounting for SVI. Exploring social vulnerability can aid in designing more effective interventions to address root causes of cancer disparities among AI/AN populations.
Aggression rates increase around seasonally exploited resources in a primarily grass-eating primate
Authors: Jarvey Julie C , Low Bobbi S , Azanaw Haile Abebaw , Chiou Kenneth L , Snyder-Mackler Noah , Lu Amy , Bergman Thore J , Beehner Jacinta C , Schneider-Crease India A
Published: October 2023

Female social relationships are often shaped by the distribution of dietary resources. Socioecological models predict that females should form strict linear dominance hierarchies when resources are clumped and exhibit more egalitarian social structures when resources are evenly distributed. While many frugivores and omnivores indeed exhibit dominance hierarchies accompanied by differential resource access, many folivores deviate from the expected pattern and display dominance hierarchies despite evenly distributed resources. Among these outliers, geladas (Theropithecus gelada) present a conspicuous puzzle; females exhibit aggressive competition and strict dominance hierarchies despite feeding primarily on non-monopolizable grasses. However, these grasses become scarce in the dry season and geladas supplement their diet with underground storage organs that require relatively extensive energy to extract. We tested whether female dominance hierarchies provide differential access to underground storage organs by assessing how rank, season, and feeding context affect aggression in geladas under long-term study in the Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. We found that the likelihood of receiving aggression was highest when feeding belowground and that the inverse relationship between rank and aggression was the most extreme while feeding belowground in the dry season. These results suggest that aggression in geladas revolves around belowground foods, which may mean that underground storage organs are an energetically central dietary component (despite being consumed less frequently than grasses), or that even “fallback” foods can influence feeding competition and social relationships. Further work should assess whether aggression in this context is directly associated with high-ranking usurpation of belowground foods from lower-ranking females following extraction.
Modeling effects of habitat structure on intraguild predation frequency and spatial coexistence between jaguars and ocelots
Authors: Richards Sean , Gámez Siria , Harris Nyeema C
Published: October 2023

Species within the same ecological guild exhibit niche attributes that vary in association with their diet, spatial occupancy, and temporal activity to reduce competition. In the case of the tropical felid community, many species exhibit substantial overlap in these niche dimensions. Consequently, jaguars (Panthera onca) will sometimes kill the smaller ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) competitor in a phenomenon called intraguild predation (IGP), which is a major structuring force in tropical forests. We developed a spatially explicit agent-based model to understand IGP with the expectation that ocelots employ spatial avoidance strategies using available forest canopy as the more arboreal species. We parameterized model agents with realistic behaviors to replicate the real-world environment. Jaguar and ocelot agents were allowed to move, hunt, and reproduce with varying numbers, heights, and canopy thickness of trees as we recorded IGP events and ocelot canopy occupancy. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to demonstrate how the number and height of trees significantly affected IGP occurrence. In accordance with our hypothesis, we found that the main contributor mediating coexistence between the two species was spatial avoidance of jaguars by ocelots by using available canopy refuges. Our modeling approach has broad application to different environments with similar intraguild interactions to predict the importance of forest structure and can inform policy directed toward forest management and habitat conservation.
Qmatey: an automated pipeline for fast exact matching-based alignment and strain-level taxonomic binning and profiling of metagenomes
Authors: Adams Alison K , Kristy Brandon D , Gorman Myranda , Balint-Kurti Peter , Yencho G Craig , Olukolu Bode A
Published: October 2023

Metagenomics is a powerful tool for understanding organismal interactions; however, classification, profiling and detection of interactions at the strain level remain challenging. We present an automated pipeline, quantitative metagenomic alignment and taxonomic exact matching (Qmatey), that performs a fast exact matching-based alignment and integration of taxonomic binning and profiling. It interrogates large databases without using metagenome-assembled genomes, curated pan-genes or k-mer spectra that limit resolution. Qmatey minimizes misclassification and maintains strain level resolution by using only diagnostic reads as shown in the analysis of amplicon, quantitative reduced representation and shotgun sequencing datasets. Using Qmatey to analyze shotgun data from a synthetic community with 35% of the 26 strains at low abundance (0.01–0.06%), we revealed a remarkable 85–96% strain recall and 92–100% species recall while maintaining 100% precision. Benchmarking revealed that the highly ranked Kraken2 and KrakenUniq tools identified 2–4 more taxa (92–100% recall) than Qmatey but produced 315–1752 false positive taxa and high penalty on precision (1–8%). The speed, accuracy and precision of the Qmatey pipeline positions it as a valuable tool for broad-spectrum profiling and for uncovering biologically relevant interactions.
Comment on ‘rigorous benchmarking of T cell receptor repertoire profiling methods for cancer RNA sequencing’
Authors: Davydov Alexey N , Bolotin Dmitry A , Poslavsky Stanislav V , Chudakov Dmitry M
Published: October 2023

Transcriptome sequencing has become common in cancer research, resulting in the generation of a substantial volume of RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data. The ability to extract immune repertoires from these data is crucial for obtaining information on infiltrating T- and B-lymphocyte clones when dedicated amplicon T-cell/B-cell receptors sequencing (TCR-Seq/BCR-Seq) methods are unavailable. In response to this demand, several dedicated computational methods have been developed, including MiXCR, TRUST and ImRep. In the recent publication in Briefings in Bioinformatics, Peng et al. have conducted an intensive, systematic comparison of the three previously mentioned tools. Although their effort is commendable, we do have a few constructive critiques regarding technical elements of their analysis.
Accurately identifying nucleic-acid-binding sites through geometric graph learning on language model predicted structures
Authors: Song Yidong , Yuan Qianmu , Zhao Huiying , Yang Yuedong
Published: October 2023

The interactions between nucleic acids and proteins are important in diverse biological processes. The high-quality prediction of nucleic-acid-binding sites continues to pose a significant challenge. Presently, the predictive efficacy of sequence-based methods is constrained by their exclusive consideration of sequence context information, whereas structure-based methods are unsuitable for proteins lacking known tertiary structures. Though protein structures predicted by AlphaFold2 could be used, the extensive computing requirement of AlphaFold2 hinders its use for genome-wide applications. Based on the recent breakthrough of ESMFold for fast prediction of protein structures, we have developed GLMSite, which accurately identifies DNA- and RNA-binding sites using geometric graph learning on ESMFold predicted structures. Here, the predicted protein structures are employed to construct protein structural graph with residues as nodes and spatially neighboring residue pairs for edges. The node representations are further enhanced through the pre-trained language model ProtTrans. The network was trained using a geometric vector perceptron, and the geometric embeddings were subsequently fed into a common network to acquire common binding characteristics. Finally, these characteristics were input into two fully connected layers to predict binding sites with DNA and RNA, respectively. Through comprehensive tests on DNA/RNA benchmark datasets, GLMSite was shown to surpass the latest sequence-based methods and be comparable with structure-based methods. Moreover, the prediction was shown useful for inferring nucleic-acid-binding proteins, demonstrating its potential for protein function discovery. The datasets, codes, and trained models are available at https://github.com/biomed-AI/nucleic-acid-binding.
Autoantibodies to beta tubulin in autoimmune liver diseases—Relation to pANCA and clinical relevance
Authors: Preuß Beate , Frank Amelie , Terjung Birgit , Spengler Ulrich , Berg Christoph , Klein Reinhild
Published: October 2023

There was evidence that perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (pANCA) in autoimmune liver diseases react with human beta-tubulin-5 (TBB5). Here, we reevaluate the specificity and clinical relevance of anti-TBB5 antibodies.

Patients with untreated autoimmune hepatitis (AIH; n = 53), AIH under immunosuppressive therapy (AIH-IS; n = 125), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC; n = 40), primary biliary cholangitis (PBC; n = 250), nonautoimmune liver diseases (n = 158), inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD; n = 30), and healthy individuals (n = 62) were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for IgG- and IgA-antibodies against recombinant human TBB5. pANCA were detected by immunofluorescence test. Sera were absorbed with TBB5 coupled to cyanogen bromide-activated sepharose.

Prevalence and reactivity of IgG anti-TBB5 were significantly higher in patients with untreated AIH (68%; arbitrary units [AU] median: 369) than in PSC (28%; AU median: 84, P < 0.001), other liver diseases (14%; AU median: 185, P < 0.0001), IBD (3%; AU median: 111, P < 0.0001), and healthy controls (3%; AU median: 135; P < 0.0001). Anti-TBB5 did not correlate with pANCA, and immunoprecipitation with TBB5 did not abolish pANCA reactivity. In untreated AIH, anti-TBB5-reactivity was significantly higher than in AIH-IS. Transaminases decreased under IS preferentially in anti-TBB5-negative patients. There was no correlation between anti-TBB5-reactivity and histological stages. IgA-anti-TBB5 was mainly found in alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD; 39%).

Our data do not support TBB5 as an autoantigenic target of pANCA. However, IgG-anti-TBB5 showed high specificity for (untreated) AIH. While they did not correlate with histological and laboratory parameters, their presence may indicate a poor response to IS.
Temporal association activates projections from the perirhinal cortex and ventral CA1 to the prelimbic cortex and from the prelimbic cortex to the basolateral amygdala
Authors: Santos Thays B , Kramer-Soares Juliana C , Coelho Cesar A O , Oliveira Maria G M
Published: October 2023

In trace fear conditioning, the prelimbic cortex exhibits persistent activity during the interval between the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli, which maintains a conditioned stimulus representation. Regions cooperating for this function or encoding the conditioned stimulus before the interval could send inputs to the prelimbic cortex, supporting learning. The basolateral amygdala has conditioned stimulus- and unconditioned stimulus-responsive neurons, convergently activated. The prelimbic cortex could directly project to the basolateral amygdala to associate the transient memory of the conditioned stimulus with the unconditioned stimulus. We investigated the neuronal circuit supporting temporal associations using contextual fear conditioning with a 5-s interval, in which 5 s separates the contextual conditioned stimulus from the unconditioned stimulus. Injecting retrobeads, we quantified c-Fos in prelimbic cortex- or basolateral amygdala-projecting neurons from 9 regions after contextual fear conditioning with a 5-s interval or contextual fear conditioning, in which the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli overlap. The contextual fear conditioning with a 5-s interval activated ventral CA1 and perirhinal cortex neurons projecting to the prelimbic cortex and prelimbic cortex neurons projecting to basolateral amygdala. Both fear conditioning activated ventral CA1 and lateral entorhinal cortex neurons projecting to basolateral amygdala and basolateral amygdala neurons projecting to prelimbic cortex. The perirhinal cortex → prelimbic cortex and ventral CA1 → prelimbic cortex connections are the first identified prelimbic cortex afferent projections participating in temporal associations. These results help to understand time-linked memories, a process required in episodic and working memories.
Impact of a Purified Microbiome Therapeutic on Abundance of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Patients With RecurrentClostridioides difficileInfection
Authors: Straub Timothy J , Lombardo Mary-Jane , Bryant Jessica A , Diao Liyang , Lodise Thomas P , Freedberg Daniel E , Wortman Jennifer R , Litcofsky Kevin D , Hasson Brooke R , McGovern Barbara H , Ford Christopher B , Henn Matthew R
Published: October 2023

Background

The gastrointestinal microbiota is an important line of defense against colonization with antimicrobial resistant (AR) bacteria. In this post hoc analysis of the phase 3 ECOSPOR III trial, we assessed impact of a microbiota-based oral therapeutic (fecal microbiota spores, live; VOWST Oral Spores [VOS], formerly SER-109]; Seres Therapeutics) compared with placebo, on AR gene (ARG) abundance in patients with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI).

Methods

Adults with rCDI were randomized to receive VOS or placebo orally for 3 days following standard-of-care antibiotics. ARG and taxonomic profiles were generated using whole metagenomic sequencing of stool at baseline and weeks 1, 2, 8, and 24 posttreatment.

Results

Baseline (n = 151) and serial posttreatment stool samples collected through 24 weeks (total N = 472) from 182 patients (59.9% female; mean age: 65.5 years) in ECOSPOR III as well as 68 stool samples obtained at a single time point from a healthy cohort were analyzed. Baseline ARG abundance was similar between arms and significantly elevated versus the healthy cohort. By week 1, there was a greater decline in ARG abundance in VOS versus placebo (P = .003) in association with marked decline of Proteobacteria and repletion of spore-forming Firmicutes, as compared with baseline. We observed abundance of Proteobacteria and non–spore-forming Firmicutes were associated with ARG abundance, while spore-forming Firmicutes abundance was negatively associated.

Conclusions

This proof-of-concept analysis suggests that microbiome remodeling with Firmicutes spores may be a potential novel approach to reduce ARG colonization in the gastrointestinal tract.
Interspecific competitive effects and annual differences in predation of Empoasca onukii (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) by wandering spiders
Authors: Chen Shiyan , Cheng Honghao , Cai Junjie , Zou Yunding , Cheng Xian , Bi Shoudong
Published: October 2023

Empoasca onukii Matsuda is an important pest widely distributed in tea areas in China, which greatly affects tea production and quality. The long-term use of chemical control measures will cause environmental pollution. To better utilize wandering spiders that have strong competitive effects on the predation of E. onukii, we conducted a path analysis between the populations of E. onukii and wandering spiders in 3 tea plantations in 2020 and 2021. The wandering spider species that had the greatest direct and indirect effects on the population of E. onukii were analyzed by the magnitude of the path coefficient. Then, a gray system analysis was conducted to determine the closeness of the populations of different wandering spiders to E. onukii by the magnitude of gray correlation coefficient. Finally, the competition coefficients were calculated to determine the competitiveness of wandering spiders. In addition, considering the influence of the number of E. onukii on the interspecific competition of wandering spiders, the gray correlation coefficient and competition coefficient were combined to derive the competition intensity index, which was used to analyze the competitiveness of wandering spiders in a comprehensive manner. The highest competition coefficients in 2020 and 2021 were found for Ebrechtella tricuspidata Fabricius (Araneae: Thomisidae) (X2, 0.5329) and Clubiona reichlini Fabricius (Araneae: Clubionidae) (X4, 0.8475), respectively. The magnitude of the competition intensity index showed that the most competitive wandering spider in 2020 and 2021 was E. tricuspidata (X2, 0.5692) and C. reichlini (X4, 0.8892), respectively. The least competitive spider in both years was Plexippus setipes Karsch (Araneae: Salticidae) (X7). The more competitive the wandering spider is, the closer it is to E. onukii in terms of numbers, and the more dominant it is in feeding on E. onukii. By reasonably protecting and utilizing the competitive E. tricuspidata (X2) and C. reichlini (X4), we can achieve sustainable and effective control of E. onukii.
A Dance with Death: The Imperial War Graves Commission and Nazi Germany
Authors: Grady Tim
Published: October 2023

In the mid-1930s, Fabian Ware and the other leading members of Britain’s Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC) sought to strengthen relations with Nazi Germany. Their efforts are generally seen as another example of appeasement, misjudging Hitler in a search for international peace. This article, in contrast, places this relationship into a much longer history of wartime death and post-war remembrance. As was the case elsewhere, the IWGC, to the anger of some relatives of the deceased, chose not to repatriate the war dead buried in Germany, and instead concentrated them into four new British war cemeteries. This decision created a clear division between the treatment of the dead of the victors and those of the defeated. While the British and Empire dead in Germany were made more visible, Germany’s war dead buried in Britain remained in their original wartime graves and faded slowly from sight. When Hitler rose to power, the IWGC was suddenly forced to confront these disparities, particularly as Nazis in both Britain and Germany used the war graves to rally support. This article argues that the IWGC started to negotiate with the Nazi regime not to broker peace but purely to defend the cemeteries that it had placed on German soil. However, with Britain and Germany having competing narratives of war and defeat, these discussions were always doomed to fail.
The prevalence of the failure of fixed orthodontic bonded retainers: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Aye Su Thae , Liu Shiyao , Byrne Emer , El-Angbawi Ahmed
Published: October 2023

Objectives

To systematically assess the scientific literature for the prevalence of failure rate of fixed orthodontic bonded retainer (FOBR).

Method

Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and prospective non-RCTs involving participants who had FOBR fitted were included. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of science, MEDLINE, and EMBASE via OVID were searched from inception to January 2023. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 and Newcastle–Ottawa tools. The main outcome was the failure rate of FOBRs. The secondary outcome was to identify factors that can influence the failure of FOBR. Meta-analyses and sensitivity analyses were undertaken using Revman, version5.4. A random-effects model was used. Quality assessment using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation.

Results

Thirty-four studies (25 RCTs and 9 prospective clinical studies) (3484 participants) were included in this review. The overall failure rate of bonded retainers, after excluding high-risk studies, was 35.22% (95% confidence interval [CI] 27.46–42.98). The failure rate is increased with the duration of follow up; with short-term follow-up rate 24.18% (95% CI 20.16–28.21), medium-term follow up 40.09% (95% CI 30.92–49.26), and long-term follow up 53.85% (95% CI 40.31–67.39). There is a low level of evidence to suggest there is no statistically significant difference in the failure rate of fixed retainers using direct versus indirect bonding methods, using liquid resin versus without liquid resin, and fibre-reinforced composite retainers compared to multi-stranded stainless steel retainers.

Discussion

There is low-quality evidence to suggest that the failure rate of FOBR is relatively high. There is a need for high-quality, well-reported clinical studies to assess factors that can influence the failure rate of FOBR.

Registration

CRD42021190910.
Pervasive G × E interactions shape adaptive trajectories and the exploration of the phenotypic space in artificial selection experiments
Authors: Desbiez-Piat Arnaud , Ressayre Adrienne , Marchadier Elodie , Noly Alicia , Remoué Carine , Vitte Clémentine , Belcram Harry , Bourgais Aurélie , Galic Nathalie , Le Guilloux Martine , Tenaillon Maud I , Dillmann Christine
Published: October 2023

Quantitative genetics models have shown that long-term selection responses depend on initial variance and mutational influx. Understanding limits of selection requires quantifying the role of mutational variance. However, correlative responses to selection on nonfocal traits can perturb the selection response on the focal trait; and generations are often confounded with selection environments so that genotype by environment (G×E) interactions are ignored. The Saclay divergent selection experiments (DSEs) on maize flowering time were used to track the fate of individual mutations combining genotyping data and phenotyping data from yearly measurements (DSEYM) and common garden experiments (DSECG) with four objectives: (1) to quantify the relative contribution of standing and mutational variance to the selection response, (2) to estimate genotypic mutation effects, (3) to study the impact of G×E interactions in the selection response, and (4) to analyze how trait correlations modulate the exploration of the phenotypic space. We validated experimentally the expected enrichment of fixed beneficial mutations with an average effect of +0.278 and +0.299 days to flowering, depending on the genetic background. Fixation of unfavorable mutations reached up to 25% of incoming mutations, a genetic load possibly due to antagonistic pleiotropy, whereby mutations fixed in the selection environment (DSEYM) turned to be unfavorable in the evaluation environment (DSECG). Global patterns of trait correlations were conserved across genetic backgrounds but exhibited temporal patterns. Traits weakly or uncorrelated with flowering time triggered stochastic exploration of the phenotypic space, owing to microenvironment-specific fixation of standing variants and pleiotropic mutational input.
Does lateral approach preserve the right ventricular function after HeartMate 3 insertion?
Authors: Hayashi Hideyuki , Kirschner Michael , Vinogradsky Alice , Zhao Yanling , Sun Jocelyn , Kurlansky Paul , Yuzefpolskaya Melana , Colombo Paolo C , Sayer Gabriel T , Uriel Nir , Naka Yoshifumi , Takeda Koji
Published: October 2023

OBJECTIVES

Lateral thoracotomy (LT) approach may preserve the right ventricular (RV) function after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. This study evaluated the short- and long-term RV function using echocardiography after LVAD implantation via LT or median sternotomy (sternotomy).

METHODS

The patients who underwent HeartMate 3 implantation were retrospectively reviewed. The RV function was assessed before and 1 month and 1 year after LVAD implantation. The primary and secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality and a composite of death or readmission due to RV failure, respectively.

RESULTS

Of the 195 patients, 55 (28%) underwent LT and 140 (72%) underwent sternotomy. There were no significant differences in the preoperative RV geometry or function. One month after the LVAD implantation, the LT group had a smaller RV end-diastolic dimension [42 (29–48) vs 47 (42–52) mm; P = 0.003] and RV end-diastolic area [25 (21–28) vs 29 (24–36) cm2; P < 0.001] and a greater RV fractional area change [30 (25–34)% vs 28 (23–31)%; P = 0.04] and peak systolic tissue velocity [8 (7–9) vs 7 (6–8) cm/s; P = 0.01]. Twenty-four patients died and 46 met the composite end point. Kaplan–Meier curve analysis did not reveal significant differences between LT and sternotomy in the 2-year survival (93% vs 83%; log-rank test, P = 0.28) and adverse event rate (76% vs 71%; log-rank test, P = 0.65).

CONCLUSIONS

LT approach yielded a better-preserved RV function at 1 month; however, there were no significant differences in the 2-year survival and adverse event rates.
A pharmacist integrated into a general practice in Australia: an evolving model of care in medicines optimization
Authors: Jordan Margaret , Mullan Judy , Stewart Adele , Chen Timothy F
Published: October 2023

The general practice pharmacist (GPP) role in Australia is evolving. A pilot GPP model of care developed to optimize medicines for patients at risk of medicine-related harm was evaluated. The aims of this study were 2-fold: to evaluate the GPP model of care on medicines optimization, with a focus on deprescribing, in a population at risk of harm due to their medicines, or clinical condition, and to explore the perspectives of study participants. This single practice study involved two phases. Phase 1 (September 2019–May 2020): at risk patients were referred to the GPP for medication reconciliation, recommendations for optimization, and when appropriate, deprescribing support, especially for opioids. Medication plans were developed with patients, GPs, and the GPP. Quantitative data collected from patient records included demographics, discrepancies, medicines reviewed, GPP recommendations and uptake, and medicines deprescribed. Opioid-related data included dose changes from baseline, at 6 and 9 months, standardized to oral morphine equivalents. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Phase 2 (7–21 September 2020): qualitative evaluation using semi-structured interviews was undertaken, to explore the perspectives of GP and patient participants of the GPP model of care. Interview data were thematically analysed. The study had ethical approval. Phase 1: 198 multimorbid patients with multiple medications [median = 13 (9–16)] had at least one GPP consultation (n = 243). Discrepancies were resolved through 88% of GPP consultations; deprescribing commenced or occurred in 54%. Acceptance of GPP recommendations was 86%. Opioids were the most common medicines deprescribed (42% ceased). The baseline median opioid dose [44.4 (30–90) mg] was significantly reduced at 6 months [13.5 (0–40) mg] and 9 months [7 (0–30) mg], P < .0001. Phase 2: Thematic analysis of 28 interviews (10 GPs, 3 practice personnel, 10 patients, 5 carers) identified four key themes: safer foundation for deprescribing, deprescribing opportunities recognition, benefits of embedded GPP, and a supported approach to shared decision-making. General practice provides opportunities for medicine optimization and deprescribing. This study has demonstrated a GPP model of care that achieved functional deprescribing to reduce potential harm in a population at risk and addressed recognized barriers.
Detection of Mpox Virus Using Microbial Cell-Free DNA: The Potential of Pathogen-Agnostic Sequencing for Rapid Identification of Emerging Pathogens
Authors: Park Sarah Y , Lindner Martin S , Brick Kevin , Noll Nicholas , Ounit Rachid , Noa Luis J , Sabzwari Rabeeya , Trible Ronald , Sniffen Jason C , Roth Prerana , Khan Amir , Rodriguez Anamaria , Sahra Syeda , Davis Michael J , Brar Inderjeet S , Balasundaram Gayathri , Nolte Frederick S , Blauwkamp Timothy A , Perkins Bradley A , Bercovici Sivan
Published: October 2023

Background

The 2022 global outbreak of Monkeypox virus (MPXV) highlighted challenges with polymerase chain reaction detection as divergent strains emerged and atypical presentations limited the applicability of swab sampling. Recommended testing in the United States requires a swab of lesions, which arise late in infection and may be unrecognized. We present MPXV detections using plasma microbial cell-free DNA (mcfDNA) sequencing.

Methods

Fifteen plasma samples from 12 case-patients were characterized through mcfDNA sequencing. Assay performance was confirmed through in silico inclusivity and exclusivity assessments. MPXV isolates were genotyped using mcfDNA, and phylodynamic information was imputed using publicly available sequences.

Results

MPXV mcfDNA was detected in 12 case-patients. Mpox was not suspected in 5, with 1 having documented resolution of mpox >6 months previously. Six had moderate to severe mpox, supported by high MPXV mcfDNA concentrations; 4 died. In 7 case-patients, mcfDNA sequencing detected coinfections. Genotyping by mcfDNA sequencing identified 22 MPXV mutations at 10 genomic loci in 9 case-patients. Consistent with variation observed in the 2022 outbreak, 21 of 22 variants were G > A/C > T. Phylogenetic analyses imputed isolates to sublineages arising at different time points and from different geographic locations.

Conclusions

We demonstrate the potential of plasma mcfDNA sequencing to detect, quantify, and, for acute infections with high sequencing coverage, subtype MPXV using a single noninvasive test. Sequencing plasma mcfDNA may augment existing mpox testing in vulnerable patient populations or in patients with atypical symptoms or unrecognized mpox. Strain type information may supplement disease surveillance and facilitate tracking emerging pathogens.
Exploring synergy between azole antifungal drugs and statins for Candida auris
Authors: Halliday Catriona , Kim Hannah Yejin , Tay Enoch , Chen Sharon C A , Alffenaar Jan-Willem
Published: October 2023

Background

Global emergence of rapidly developing resistance to multiple antifungal drugs and high mortality pose challenges to the treatment of invasive Candida auris infections. New therapeutic approaches are needed, such as repurposing drugs including combination with antifungals. Statins have been reported to exert antifungal effects against various Candida species.

Objectives

Our study investigated potential synergy between the statins (rosuvastatin and fluvastatin) and azoles (voriconazole, posaconazole and isavuconazole) on clinical isolates of C. auris.

Methods

Twenty-one clinical isolates of C. auris were obtained. Chequerboard assays based on the CLSI broth microdilution method were used to assess synergy based on FIC index (FICI) calculations of MICs of individual drugs and in combinations.

Results

Single drug geometric mean (GM) MICs of fluvastatin and rosuvastatin were ≥128 mg/L in all 21 isolates. GM (range) MICs of posaconazole, voriconazole and isavuconazole were 0.259 (0.016–1 mg/L), 0.469 (0.016–2 mg/L) and 0.085 (0.004–1 mg/L), respectively. Combination of azoles with fluvastatin showed synergy in 70%–90% of C. auris isolates. In particular, voriconazole/fluvastatin resulted in 16-fold reduction in voriconazole MIC and synergy in 14/21 (67%) isolates. Posaconazole/fluvastatin resulted in 8-fold reduction in posaconazole MIC and synergy in 19/21 (90%) isolates.

Combining rosuvastatin with the azoles also showed synergy against C. auris in 40%–60% of the isolates and additive effect in 40%–50%. None of the combinations was antagonistic.

Conclusions

Our results provide a rationale for pursuing in vivo synergy tests as well as clinical studies to explore tolerability, treatment outcomes, optimal dose and exposure targets.
Marshall Lecture 2023: Behavioral Macroeconomics via Sparse Dynamic Programming
Authors: Gabaix Xavier
Published: October 2023

This paper proposes a tractable way to model boundedly rational dynamic programming. The agent uses an endogenously simplified, or “sparse,” model of the world and the consequences of his actions and acts according to a behavioral Bellman equation. The framework yields a behavioral version of some of the canonical models in macroeconomics and finance. In the life-cycle model, the agent initially does not pay much attention to retirement and undersaves; late in life, he progressively saves more, generating realistic dynamics. In the consumption-savings model, the consumer decides to pay little or no attention to the interest rate and more attention to his income. Ricardian equivalence and the Lucas critique partially fail because the consumer may not pay full attention to taxes and policy changes. In a Merton-style dynamic portfolio choice problem, the agent endogenously pays limited or no attention to the varying equity premium and hedging demand terms. Finally, in the neoclassical growth model, agents act on a simplified model of the macroeconomy; in equilibrium, fluctuations are larger and more persistent.