bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disparate behavioral types in wild and reared juveniles of gilthead seabream
Authors: Sanllehi Javier , Signaroli Marco , Pons Aina , Martorell-Barceló Martina , Mulet Júlia , Lana Arancha , Barcelo-Serra Margarida , Aspillaga Eneko , Grau Amalia , Catalán Ignacio A. , Viver Tomeu , Alós Josep
Published: July 2023

Fish differ consistently in behavior within the same species and population, reflecting distinct behavioral types (BTs). Comparing the behavior of wild and reared individuals provides an excellent opportunity to delve into the ecological and evolutionary consequences of BTs. In this work, we evaluated the behavioral variation of wild and reared juvenile gilthead seabreams,Sparus aurata, a highly relevant species for aquaculture and fisheries. We quantified behavioral variation along the five major axes of fish behavioral traits (exploration-avoidance, aggressiveness, sociability, shyness-boldness, and activity) using standardized behavioral tests and a deep learning tracking algorithm for behavioral annotation. Results revealed significant repeatability in all five behavior traits, suggesting high consistency of individual behavioral variation across the different axes in this species. We found reared fish to be more aggressive, social and active compared to their wild conspecifics. Reared individuals also presented less variance in their aggressiveness, lacking very aggressive and very tame individuals. Phenotypic correlation decomposition between behavioral types revealed two different behavioral syndromes: exploration-sociability and exploration-activity. Our work establishes the first baseline of repeatability scores in wild and reared gilthead seabreams, providing novel insight into the behavior of this important commercial species with implications for fisheries and aquaculture.
Comparison of commercially available differentiation media on cell morphology, function, and anti-viral responses in conditionally reprogrammed human bronchial epithelial cells
Authors: Awatade Nikhil T. , Reid Andrew T. , Nichol Kristy S. , Budden Kurtis F. , Veerati Punnam Chander , Pathinayake Prabuddha S. , Grainge Christopher L. , Hansbro Philip M. , Wark Peter A. B.
Published: July 2023

Primary air liquid interface (ALI) cultures of bronchial epithelial cells are used extensively to model airway responses. A recent advance is the development of conditional reprogramming that enhances proliferative capability. Several different media and protocols are utilized, yet even subtle differences may influence cellular responses. We compared the morphology and functional responses, including innate immune responses to rhinovirus infection in conditionally reprogrammed primary bronchial epithelial cells (pBECs) differentiated using two commonly used culture media. pBECs collected from healthy donors (n = 5) were CR using g-irradiated 3T3 fibroblasts and Rho Kinase inhibitor. CRpBECs were differentiated at ALI in either PneumaCult (PN-ALI) or bronchial epithelial growth medium (BEGM)-based differentiation media (BEBM:DMEM, 50:50, Lonza)—(AB-ALI) for 28 days. Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), immunofluorescence, histology, cilia activity, ion channel function, and expression of cell markers were analyzed. Viral RNA was assessed by RT-qPCR and anti-viral proteins quantified by LEGENDplex following Rhinovirus-A1b infection. CRpBECs differentiated in PneumaCult were smaller and had a lower TEER and cilia beat frequency compared to BEGM media. PneumaCult media cultures exhibited increased FOXJ1 expression, more ciliated cells with a larger active area, increased intracellular mucins, and increased calcium-activated chloride channel current. However, there were no significant changes in viral RNA or host antiviral responses. There are distinct structural and functional differences in pBECs cultured in the two commonly used ALI differentiation media. Such factors need to be taken into consideration when designing CRpBECs ALI experiments for specific research questions.
A novel prognostic signature for hepatocellular carcinoma based on SUMOylation-related genes
Authors: Wang Jianping , Cong Peipei , Jin Zhipeng , Liu Lingli , Sun Dongxu , Zhu Wenjing , Shi Guangjun
Published: July 2023

SUMOylation (SUMO modification) has been confirmed to play an essential role in the progression of various malignancies. As the value of SUMOylation-related genes (SRGs) in prognosis prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been explored, we aim to construct an HCC SRGs signature. RNA sequencing was utilized to identify differentially expressed SRGs. The 87 identified genes were used in Univariate Cox regression analysis and the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) analysis to build a signature. The accuracy of the model was validated by the ICGC and GEO datasets. The GSEA revealed that the risk score was associated with common cancer-related pathways. The ssGSEA showed that NK cells in the high-risk group were significantly reduced. The sensitivities of anti-cancer drugs confirmed the sensitivity of the high-risk group to sorafenib was lower. Further, our cohort showed that risk scores were correlated with advanced grade and vascular invasion (VI). Finally, the results of H&E staining and immunohistochemistry of Ki67 showed that higher-risk patients are more malignant.
Forensic toxicokinetics of difenidol hydrochloride in vivo verified by practical lethal cases
Authors: Niu Weifen , Ren Tongxi , Wang Yandan , Wang Zheyu , Zhang Chao , Jia Juan , Wei Zhiwen , Su Hongliang , Guo Zhongyuan , Guo Xiangjie , Yun Keming
Published: July 2023

A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method for the determination of difenidol hydrochloride in biological specimens has been developed. The method exhibited excellent recovery (> 90%) and precision (RSD < 10%), and the LOD was 0.05 μg/mL or μg/g, which met the requirements of bioanalytical method. Through the animal model of the forensic toxicokinetics, the dynamic distribution, postmortem redistribution (PMR) and stability in specimen preservation process of difenidol in animals were studied. The experimental results showed that after intragastric administration, the difenidol’s concentrations in the heart-blood and various organs increased over time except stomach, and then decreased gradually after reaching the peaks of concentration. The toxicological kinetics equation and toxicokinetic parameters were established by processing the data of the mean drug concentration of difenidol changing with time. In PMR experiment, the concentrations of difenidol in some organs closer to the gastrointestinal tract (heart-blood, heart, liver, lung, kidney, and spleen) changed significantly at different time points. But the concentration of difenidol in brain tissues which were far away from the gastrointestinal tract and muscles with larger overall mass was relatively stable. PMR of difenidol was therefore confirmed. Thus, the effect of PMR on the concentration of difenidol in the specimens should be considered in cases involving difenidol poisoning or death. Furthermore, the stability of difenidol in heart-blood samples from poisoned rats was investigated at various time points and under different preservation conditions (20 °C, 4 °C, − 20 °C and 20 °C (1% NaF)) for a period of two months. Difenidol was stable and did not decompose in the preserved blood. Therefore, this study provided the experimental basis for the forensic identification of the cases of difenidol hydrochloride poisoning (death). PMR has been verified by practical lethal cases.
Reducing primary cesarean delivery rate through implementation of a smart intrapartum surveillance system
Authors: Cheng Po Jen , Cheng You Hung , Shaw Steven S. W. , Jang Hung Chi
Published: July 2023

The rapid changes in clinical maternity situations that occur in a labor and delivery unit can lead to unpredictable maternal and newborn morbidities. Cesarean section (CS) rate is a key indicator of the accessibility and quality of a labor and delivery unit. This retrospective cross-sectional study assesses the nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex (NTSV) cesarean delivery rates before and after the implementation of a smart intrapartum surveillance system. Research data were collected from the electronic medical records of a labor and delivery unit. The primary outcome was the CS rate of the NTSV population. The data of 3648 women admitted for delivery were analyzed. Of the studied deliveries, 1760 and 1888 occurred during the preimplementation and postimplementation periods, respectively. The CS rate for the NTSV population was 31.0% and 23.3% during the preimplementation and postimplementation periods, respectively, indicating a significant 24.7% (p = 0.014) reduction in CS rate after the implementation of the smart intrapartum surveillance system (relative risk, 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.71–0.80). In the NTSV population, the vaginal and CS birth groups, no significant difference in terms of newborn weight, neonatal Apgar scores, composite neonatal adverse outcome indicator, and the occurrence of the following: neonatal intensive care unit admission, neonatal meconium aspiration, chorioamnionitis, shoulder dystocia, perineal laceration, placental abruption, postpartum hemorrhage, maternal blood transfusion, and hysterectomy before and after the implementation of the smart intrapartum surveillance system. This study reveals that the use of the smart intrapartum surveillance system can effectively reduce the primary CS rate for low-risk NTSV pregnancies without significantly affecting perinatal outcomes.
Coevolution of the Tlx homeobox gene with medusa development (Cnidaria: Medusozoa)
Authors: Travert Matthew , Boohar Reed , Sanders Steven M. , Boosten Manon , Leclère Lucas , Steele Robert E. , Cartwright Paulyn
Published: July 2023

Cnidarians display a wide diversity of life cycles. Among the main cnidarian clades, only Medusozoa possesses a swimming life cycle stage called the medusa, alternating with a benthic polyp stage. The medusa stage was repeatedly lost during medusozoan evolution, notably in the most diverse medusozoan class, Hydrozoa. Here, we show that the presence of the homeobox gene Tlx in Cnidaria is correlated with the presence of the medusa stage, the gene having been lost in clades that ancestrally lack a medusa (anthozoans, endocnidozoans) and in medusozoans that secondarily lost the medusa stage. Our characterization of Tlx expression indicate an upregulation of Tlx during medusa development in three distantly related medusozoans, and spatially restricted expression patterns in developing medusae in two distantly related species, the hydrozoan Podocoryna carnea and the scyphozoan Pelagia noctiluca. These results suggest that Tlx plays a key role in medusa development and that the loss of this gene is likely linked to the repeated loss of the medusa life cycle stage in the evolution of Hydrozoa.
Collecting the space-distributed Maxwell's displacement current for ultrahigh electrical density of TENG through a 3D fractal structure design
Authors: Zhang Li Ang , Liu Shuhai , Wen Juan , Huo Xiaoqing , Cheng Bolang , Wu Zhiyi , Wang Longfei , Qin Yong , Wang Zhong Lin
Published: July 2023

A three-dimensional fractal structured nanogenerator (FSNG), which can efficiently collect the space-distributed Maxwell's displacement current and significantly improve the electrical energy density of TENG, has been developed.
Reactive boride as a multifunctional interface stabilizer for garnet-type solid electrolyte in all-solid-state lithium batteries
Authors: Chen Mingzhe , Zhang Jing , Zhang Jiliang , Yu Binkai , Zhou Limin , Xiao Yao , Gao Xu , Xiao Jin , Li Chunsheng , Sun Yan , Liu Huakun , Dou Shixue , Chou Shulei
Published: July 2023

A coating strategy for a garnet-type solid state electrolyte is proposed. This improves ionic conductivity and suppresses electronic conductivity at both high voltages and high temperatures. It extends cycling stability at high current densities.
Biochemical Society Awards: what you need to know when making your nomination
Authors: Ollett Lucy , Bingle Colin , Busby Steve
Published: July 2023

With nominations for the 2025 Biochemical Society Awards opening soon, find out all you need to know about the process of nominating from past and present Chairs of the Awards Committee. Your nominations allow us to recognize outstanding achievement and research across all career stages within our community every year.
Incorporating Metacognitive Strategy Training Into Semantic Treatment Promotes Restitutive and Substitutive Gains in Naming: A Single-Subject Investigation
Authors: Tilton-Bolowsky Victoria E. , Brock Lauren , Nunn Kristen , Evans William S. , Vallila-Rohter Sofia
Published: July 2023

Purpose:

This study tested the effectiveness of a modified semantic feature analysis (SFA) treatment protocol that incorporated metacognitive strategy training (MST). Regarding its restitutive component, SFA most reliably results in improved word retrieval for treated items and untreated, semantically related items, but evidence of response generalization is often small/inconsistent. Regarding its substitutive component, SFA is thought to facilitate successful communication via habituation of the SFA circumlocution strategy. However, repeated practice with SFA's strategy in the absence of direct MST may not result in independent strategy use and/or generalization. Furthermore, people with aphasia's independent use of the SFA strategy in moments of anomia is presently underreported. To address these limitations, we incorporated MST into SFA and directly measured substitutive outcomes.

Method:

Four people with aphasia participated in 24 treatment sessions of SFA + MST in a single-subject, A-B experimental design with repeated measurements. We measured word retrieval accuracy, strategy use, and explicit strategy knowledge. We calculated effect sizes to measure changes in word retrieval accuracy and strategy use and used visual inspection to assess gains in explicit strategy knowledge from pre- to posttreatment and retention.

Results:

Participants achieved marginally small to medium effects in word retrieval accuracy for treated; untreated, semantically related; and untreated, semantically unrelated items and marginally small to large effects in independent strategy use. Explicit strategy knowledge was variable.

Conclusions:

Across participants, SFA + MST yielded positive changes in word retrieval accuracy or strategy use, or both. Positive changes in word retrieval accuracy were comparable to other SFA studies. Positive changes in strategy use demonstrate preliminary evidence of this treatment's ability to yield restitutive and substitutive gains. Overall, this study offers preliminary evidence of SFA + MST's effectiveness and highlights the importance of directly measuring SFA's substitutive outcomes, which showed that people with aphasia can respond to this treatment in multiple successful ways—not just improved target word production.
Study of dual‐hyperchaos synchronization between an erbium‐doped fiber three‐ring laser and an erbium‐doped fiber dual‐ring laser, and their applications to dual‐channel encoding
Authors: Yan S. L.
Published: July 2023

Dual‐hyperchaos synchronization between an erbium‐doped fiber three‐ring laser and an erbium‐doped fiber dual‐ring laser is reported, a dual‐channel encoding and decoding scheme for secure communication. The communication system shows increased security because the three leading Lyapunov exponents are positive. Additionally the dual‐channel scheme enhances encoding flexibility. The result can be used as reference values for chaotic synchronization and for chaotic encoding technology.
A novel investigation into an E2F transcription factor‐related prognostic model with seven signatures for colon cancer patients
Authors: Shen Xiaoyong , Su Zheng , Dou Yan , Song Xin
Published: July 2023

The pathogenesis of colon cancer, a common gastrointestinal tumour, involves complicated factors, especially a series of cell cycle‐related genes. E2F transcription factors during the cell cycle play an essential role in the occurrence of colon cancer. It is meaningful to establish an efficient prognostic model of colon cancer targeting cellular E2F‐associated genes. This has not been reported previously. The authors first aimed to explore the links of E2F genes with the clinical outcomes of colon cancer patients by integrating data from the TCGA‐COAD (n = 521), GSE17536 (n = 177) and GSE39582 (n = 585) cohorts. The Cox regression and Lasso modelling approach to identify a novel colon cancer prognostic model involving several hub genes (CDKN2A, GSPT1, PNN, POLD3, PPP1R8, PTTG1 and RFC1) were utilised. Moreover, an E2F‐related nomogram that efficiently predicted the survival rates of colon cancer patients was created. Additionally, the authors first identified two E2F tumour clusters, which showed distinct prognostic features. Interestingly, the potential links of E2F‐based classification and ‘protein secretion’ issues of multiorgans and tumour infiltration of ‘T‐cell regulatory (Tregs)’ and ‘CD56dim natural killer cell’ were detected. The authors’ findings are of potential clinical significance for the prognosis assessment and mechanistic exploration of colon cancer.
Discovery of H2CCCH+ in TMC-1
Authors: Silva W. G. D. P. , Cernicharo J. , Schlemmer S. , Marcelino N. , Loison J.-C. , Agúndez M. , Gupta D. , Wakelam V. , Thorwirth S. , Cabezas C. , Tercero B. , Doménech J. L. , Fuentetaja R. , Kim W.-J. , de Vicente P. , Asvany O.
Published: July 2023

Based on a novel laboratory method, 14 millimeter-wave lines of the molecular ion H2CCCH+ have been measured in high resolution, and the spectroscopic constants of this asymmetric rotor determined with high accuracy. Using the Yebes 40 m and IRAM 30 m radio telescopes, we detected four lines of H2CCCH+ toward the cold dense core TMC-1. With a dipole moment of about 0.55 D obtained from high-level ab initio calculations, we derive a column density of 5.4±1×1011 cm−2 and 1.6±0.5×1011 cm−2 for the ortho and para species, respectively, and an abundance ratio N(H2CCC)/N(H2CCCH+) = 2.8±0.7. The chemistry of H2CCCH+ is modeled using the most recent chemical network for the reactions involving the formation of H2CCCH+. We find a reasonable agreement between model predictions and observations, and new insights into the chemistry of C3-bearing species in TMC-1 were obtained.
Diagnostic coproscopique : quelles sont les techniques réalisables au cabinet ?
Authors: Dravigney Laurent
Published: July 2023

Si les techniques coproscopiques utilisées en clinique vétérinaire en France sont nombreuses, il existe néanmoins peu de travaux accessibles établissant scientifiquement quelle méthodologie, réalisable en clientèle rurale, est la plus fiable. Cette synthèse bibliographique vise donc à faire connaître la technique de flottation au sel en dispositif Mini-FLOTAC, qui est actuellement la plus précise, la plus exacte et la plus sensible concernant les strongles gastro-intestinaux, et de proposer la flottation au sulfate de zinc en cellule de McMaster comme une bonne alternative à l’actuel gold standard pour les trématodes (iodomercurate de potassium), non disponible pour le praticien. Ces deux coproscopies quantitatives permettront la réalisation de Tests de Réduction d’Excrétion Fécale, outils décisionnels que les prescripteurs pourront proposer dans un contexte de sélection de résistance. Ce travail a également pour but de saisir les limites de cet examen, les enjeux liés au prélèvement et sa conservation, et propose de mieux comprendre comment interpréter un résultat de coproscopie.
Les tests rapides d’analyses bactériologiques de lait à la ferme
Authors: Lemaire Guillaume , Perrot Florent , Salat Olivier
Published: July 2023

Le diagnostic rapide de l’étiologie des mammites représente un nouvel enjeu fondamental dans la maîtrise des infections mammaires en élevage. En effet, cette étape s’avère indispensable à la bonne utilisation des antibiotiques en élevage laitier. Non seulement, le diagnostic permet de n’utiliser les antibiotiques qu’à bon escient, leur emploi étant sans intérêt pour certaines étiologies, mais il permet également de cibler les thérapies avec des antibiotiques à spectre étroit, potentiellement moins générateurs de sélection d’antibiorésistance. Il existe actuellement 4 types de tests rapides permettant l’identification bactérienne en élevage, mais cette offre est appelée à très vite se développer. Les géloses multicompartimentées ont constitué le premier test disponible, mais plus elles permettent une identification précise, plus leur lecture demande une expérience avec laquelle la taille de nos élevages est peu compatible, sans parler de leur mise en œuvre pratique et de la gestion des déchets. Deux tests, le PétrifilmTM et le mastDecide®, sont plus simples d’emploi, mais n’offrent qu’une orientation diagnostique : absence de bactérie, Gram + ou Gram –. Enfin, il existe un appareil automatisé, le Mastatest®, très simple d’emploi, mais fournissant une identification relativement précise ainsi que des résultats d’antibiosensibilité vis-à-vis de 3 antibiotiques. Les avantages et les inconvénients de ces différents tests ainsi que leur positionnement sont abordés dans le texte.
Bactériologie de mammites : quelle place pour le laboratoire d’analyses ?
Authors: Lequeux Guillaume
Published: July 2023

Au laboratoire, les outils de diagnostic étiologique d’une infection mammaire chez les bovins reposent encore principalement sur la culture et l’identification bactérienne, d’autant plus avec l’apport important de la technologie Maldi-TOF pour l’identification bactérienne ces dernières années. L’identification par Maldi-TOF permet une détermination rapide, facile et fiable des espèces bactériennes isolées et ouvre également des perspectives en termes de caractérisation bactérienne.

L’approche par PCR, disponible depuis une dizaine d’années, permet notamment d’améliorer la sensibilité de la détection, mais constitue une méthode plus sensible aux contaminations et d’interprétation parfois plus délicate que la culture bactérienne.

Les outils de séquençage, plus facilement accessibles dorénavant, ouvrent également des perspectives intéressantes.

La détermination de la sensibilité aux antibiotiques des pathogènes mammaires, bien que limitée dans ses indications, reste un outil indispensable au praticien dans sa prise de décision de thérapeutique antibiotique.

La mise en œuvre de certaines de ces méthodes est envisageable en clinique vétérinaire, mais d’autres (Maldi-TOF, séquençage) resteront probablement réservées quasi-exclusivement au domaine du laboratoire d’analyses. Les approches PCR seront probablement amenées à pouvoir se déployer en ESV dans un avenir proche compte-tenu des nouvelles technologies à présent disponibles.
Neuroendoscopy-Assisted Minimal Invasive Management of Chiari 1 Malformation
Authors: Günerhan Göksal , Çağıl Emin , Dağlar Zeynep , Gündüz Uğur Kemal , Dalgıç Ali , Belen Ahmet Deniz
Published: July 2023

Objective The aim this study is to present the results of the minimal invasive neuroendoscopic-assisted system application as an alternative to traditional surgery in patients with Chiari malformation type 1 (CM type 1) with/without syringomyelia.

Design, Setting, and Participants In the study, data of 22 symptomatic patients were prospectively collected. Before and after the operation, patient characteristics, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow dynamics MRI, and outcome scales scores were recorded. Foramen magnum decompression and C1 total laminectomy were performed. The fibrous band at the craniocervical junction was opened and a durotomy was performed. In patients with a syrinx, the pre- and postoperative axial and sagittal lengths of the syrinx were measured and compared.

Results The mean age of the patients was 32 ± 5 years. There were eight male patients. Ten patients had syrinx. The mean visual analog scale (VAS) score before and after surgery was 8 ± 1.06 and 2.18 ± 1.13, respectively. When evaluated according to the Chicago Chiari Outcome Scale, there was improvement in 20 patients, while there was no change in 2 patients. Syrinx resolved completely in 3 of 10 (13.6%) patients with syringomyelia, and the syrinx volume decreased in 3 patients (13.6%). In 4 of 10 (18.1%) patients, there was no significant change in the syrinx volume. The average operation time was 105 minutes (80–150 minutes). The average blood loss was 40 mL (20–110 mL).

Conclusion Although the study was limited due to the small number of patients with a short follow-up, endoscopic decompression was a safe and effective technique for surgery in CM type 1 patients.
Force dipole interactions in tubular fluid membranes
Authors: Jain Samyak , Samanta Rickmoy
Published: July 2023

We construct viscous fluid flow sourced by a force dipole embedded in a cylindrical fluid membrane, coupled to external embedding fluids. We find analytic expressions for the flow in the limit of infinitely long and thin tubular membranes. We utilize this solution to formulate the in-plane dynamics of a pair of pusher-type dipoles along the cylinder surface. We find that a mutually perpendicular dipole pair generically moves together along helical geodesics. Since the cylindrical geometry breaks the in-plane rotational symmetry of the membrane, there is a difference in flows along the axial (ẑ) and transverse (θ̂) directions of the cylinder. This in turn leads to anisotropic hydrodynamic interaction between the dipoles and is remarkably different from flat and spherical fluid membranes. In particular, the flow along the compact θ̂ direction of the cylinder has a local rigid rotation term (independent of the angular coordinate but decays along the axis of the cylinder). Due to this feature of the flow, we observe that the interacting dipole pair initially situated along the axial direction ẑ exhibits an overall “drift” along the compact angular direction θ̂ of the tubular fluid membrane. We find that the drift for the dipole pair increases linearly with time. Our results are relevant for non-equilibrium dynamics of motor proteins in tubular membranes arising in nature, as well as in vitro experiments.
The contribution of rural primary health care to the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination program
Authors: McIntosh Kate , Hyett Nerida
Published: July 2023

Objective The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination response in primary health care provides important learnings for strengthening health systems and preparing for surge response. The aim of this study was to examine the contributions of service providers to the COVID-19 vaccination program in Victoria, Australia, to gain insight into the role of primary health care during surge response and determine if this differs with rurality. Methods A descriptive quantitative study design using existing COVID-19 vaccination data extracted from the Australian Immunisation Record via the Department of Health and Aged Care, Health Data Portal, de-identified for primary health networks, was used. Vaccination administrations were categorised by provider type for the first year of the Australian COVID-19 vaccination program in Victoria, Australia from February 2021 to December 2021. Descriptive analyses describe the total and proportional vaccinations administered by provider type and patient rurality. Results Overall, primary care providers delivered half (50.58%) of total vaccinations for the population, and the number and proportion of vaccinations increased with patient rurality. The largest difference was observed in remote communities where 70.15% of COVID-19 vaccinations were administered by primary care providers. Primary care providers administered fewer COVID-19 vaccines in regional centres at 42.70%, compared to 46.45% administered by state government (and 10.85% administered by other). Conclusion The contribution of primary health care to the COVID-19 vaccine program highlights the importance of rural primary care providers and settings, primarily general practice, to the delivery of population health interventions in rural communities especially during times of crisis.
Undetectable=Untransmittable=Universal Access (U=U=U): transforming a foundational, community-led HIV/AIDS health informational advocacy campaign into a global HIV/AIDS health equity strategy and policy priority
Authors: Hui Christian
Published: July 2023

Background Undetectable=Untransmittable (U=U) first emerged in 2016 as a health information campaign to promote rigorous scientific evidence that people living with HIV (PLHIV) on effective treatment who have reached an undetectable or suppressed viral load cannot pass on the virus sexually. Within 7 years, U=U underwent transformation from a global community-led, grassroots movement into a global HIV/AIDS health equity strategy and policy priority. Methods For this narrative review, a targeted literature search on ‘history’ + ‘Undetectable=Untransmittable’ and/or ‘U=U’ on Google and Google Scholar, in addition to a search of online documents on the Prevention Access Campaign (PAC) website, was conducted. The article utilises an interdisciplinary policy studies approach that recognises the roles of multi-stakeholder, especially that of the community and civil society, to effect policy change. Results The narrative review first provides a synopsis of the scientific origination of U=U. The second section highlights the progress and leadership on U=U led by the PAC and civil society partners and efforts of the PLHIV and ally communities in advocating for the broad recognition and dissemination of the evidence, which has proven to be a game-changer within the HIV/AIDS response. The third section spotlights the recent developments of U=U within the local, national, and multilateral spheres. Conclusion The article ends with recommendations for community and HIV/AIDS multi-stakeholders on how they can further integrate, implement, and strategically utilise U=U as an essential and complementary HIV/AIDS pillar to the current Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026 to end inequalities to end AIDS by 2030.
Collective events and individual affect shape autobiographical memory
Authors: Rouhani Nina , Stanley Damian ,   COVID-Dynamic Team, Adolphs Ralph , Rouhani Nina , Stanley Damian , Adolphs Ralph , Maoz Uri , Paul Lynn , Rusch Tessa
Published: July 2023

How do collective events shape how we remember our lives? We leveraged advances in natural language processing as well as a rich, longitudinal assessment of 1,000 Americans throughout 2020 to examine how memory is influenced by two prominent factors: surprise and emotion. Autobiographical memory for 2020 displayed a unique signature: There was a substantial bump in March, aligning with pandemic onset and lockdowns, consistent across three memory collections 1 y apart. We further investigated how emotion, using both immediate and retrieved measures, predicted the amount and content of autobiographical memory: Negative affect increased recall across all measures, whereas its more clinical indices, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, selectively increased nonepisodic recall. Finally, in a separate cohort, we found pandemic news to be better remembered, surprising, and negative, while lockdowns compressed remembered time. Our work connects laboratory findings to the real world and delineates the effects of acute versus clinical signatures of negative emotion on memory.
Dissipative timescales from coarse-graining irreversibility
Authors: Cisneros Freddy A , Fakhri Nikta , Horowitz Jordan M
Published: July 2023

We propose and investigate a method for identifying timescales of dissipation in nonequilibrium steady states modeled as discrete-state Markov jump processes. The method is based on how the irreversibility—measured by the statistical breaking of time-reversal symmetry—varies under temporal coarse-graining. We observe a sigmoidal-like shape of the irreversibility as a function of the coarse-graining time whose functional form we derive for systems with a fast driven transition. This theoretical prediction allows us to develop a method for estimating the dissipative time scale from time-series data by fitting estimates of the irreversibility to our predicted functional form. We further analyze the accuracy and statistical fluctuations of this estimate.
Groundwater effects on net primary productivity and soil organic carbon: a global analysis
Authors: Huang Bei , Zipper Sam , Peng Shaolin , Qiu Jiangxiao
Published: July 2023

Groundwater affects ecosystem services (ES) by altering critical zone ecohydrological and biogeochemical processes. Previous research has demonstrated significant and nonlinear impacts of shallow groundwater on ES regionally, but it remains unclear how groundwater affects ES at the global scale and how such effects respond to environmental factors. Here, we investigated global patterns of groundwater relationships with two ES indicators—net primary productivity (NPP) and soil organic carbon (SOC)—and analyzed underlying factors that mediated groundwater influences. We quantitatively compared multiple high-resolution (∼1 km) global datasets to characterize water table depth (WTD), NPP and SOC, and performed spatial simultaneous autoregressive modeling to test how selected predictors altered WTD-NPP and WTD-SOC relationships. Our results show widespread significant WTD-NPP correlations (61.5% of all basins globally) and WTD-SOC correlations (64.7% of basins globally). Negative WTD-NPP correlations, in which NPP decreased with rising groundwater, were more common than positive correlations (62.4% vs. 37.6%). However, positive WTD-SOC relationships, in which SOC increased with rising groundwater, were slightly more common (53.1%) than negative relationships (46.9%). Climate and land use (e.g., vegetation extent) were dominant factors mediating WTD-NPP and WTD-SOC relationships, whereas topography, soil type and irrigation were also significant factors yet with lesser effects. Climate also significantly constrained WTD-NPP and WTD-SOC relationships, suggesting stronger WTD-NPP and WTD-SOC relationships with increasing temperature. Our results highlight that the relationship of groundwater with ES such as NPP and SOC are spatially extensive at the global scale and are likely to be susceptible to ongoing and future climate and land-use changes.
The Womb Monologues: Toward A Mizrahi Feminist Theory of Israeli Law
Authors: Yefet Karin Carmit
Published: July 2023

Israeli legal feminists have largely overlooked the constitutive theoretical developments that introduced the “third wave” to global feminism. Drawing on the critical insights of black and postcolonial feminist discourse, this Article introduces Mizrahi feminism to Israeli jurisprudence. It aims to lay the groundwork for a new theoretical school of critical legal scholarship in Israel and expose the multidimensional oppression endured by Mizrahi women in Israeli law and history.

To this end, the Article focuses on a particular slice of the legal history of the Israeli abortion law reform of the 1970s. Analyzing extensive parliamentary protocols and institutional archival records, the Article pioneers the deconstructive toolbox of Mizrahi feminism in order to extract the subversive ethno-class narrative that has been left invisible in the feminist story of Israeli abortion law—a sorely neglected history of a separatist, quality-control regulatory mechanism that restrains the Mizrahi womb and Orientalizes its female carrier as “unqualified” vis-à-vis the “dignified” Ashkenazi womb.

This intellectual exercise in legal historical study does more than unveil the complex dynamics behind the regulation of the female body in Israel. It also gives a voice to an intra-Jewish ethnic female minority that otherwise remains a transparent and denied gender category in the sociolegal literature.
Testing or Trusting? Urine Cotinine Levels in Plastic Surgery
Authors: Rysin Roman , Shachar Yair
Published: July 2023

Background

Preoperative laboratory examinations are a common practice throughout all surgical disciplines. Smoking prior to and shortly after elective aesthetic surgery is generally discouraged, but abstinence is rarely examined. Nicotine's major metabolite is cotinine, which is distributed in various body fluids, including blood, saliva, and urine. Urine cotinine levels are a useful short-term marker of nicotine exposure, whether active or passive, and correlate with daily tobacco use. Urinary levels are precise, rapid, easy to examine, and accessible.

Objectives

The aim of this literature review was to describe the current body of knowledge relevant to cotinine levels in the fields of general and plastic surgery. It was hypothesized that the current available data are enough to support the judicial use of such tests in high-risk surgical candidates, especially in aesthetic surgeries.

Methods

A literature review via PubMed was conducted to identify publications that used the terms “cotinine” and “surgery,” according to the PRISMA standard flowchart.

Results

After subtracting duplications, the search results yielded 312 papers. After a reduction process as per exclusion criteria, 61 articles were identified and fully reviewed by both authors. Fifteen full-text articles were eligible for qualitative synthesis.

Conclusions

Enough data have accumulated to strongly support the judicial use of cotinine tests prior to elective surgery and specifically in aesthetic surgery.
Are exercise prescriptions for patients with cardiovascular disease, made by physiotherapists, in agreement with European recommendations?
Authors: Marinus Nastasia , Cornelissen Véronique , Meesen Raf , Coninx Karin , Hansen Dominique
Published: July 2023

Aims

Physiotherapists often treat patients with (elevated risk for) cardiovascular disease (CVD), and should thus be able to provide evidence-based exercise advice to these patients. This study, therefore, aims to examine whether exercise prescriptions by physiotherapists to patients with CVD are in accordance with European recommendations.

Methods and results

This prospective observational survey included forty-seven Belgian physiotherapists. The participants agreed to prescribe exercise intensity, frequency, session duration, program duration, and exercise type (endurance or strength training) for the same three patient cases. Exercise prescriptions were compared between physiotherapists and relations with their characteristics were studied. The agreement between physiotherapists’ exercise prescriptions and those from European recommendations (‘agreement score’: based on a maximal score of 60/per case) was assessed. A wide inter-clinician variability was noticed for all exercise modalities, leading to a large variance for total peak-effort training minutes (from 461 up to 9000 over the three cases). The exercise frequency was prescribed fully out of range of the recommendations and the prescription of additional exercise modes was generally flawed. Exercise intensity and program duration were prescribed partially correct. The addition of strength exercises and session duration was prescribed correctly. This led to physiotherapist agreement scores of 25.3 ± 9.6, 23.2 ± 9.9, and 27.1 ± 10.6 (all out of 60), for cases one, two, and three, respectively. A greater agreement score was found in younger colleagues and those holding a Ph.D.

Conclusion

Exercise prescriptions for CVD patients vary widely among physiotherapists and often disagree with European recommendations.

Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05449652
A Requirement of Shame: On the Evolution of the Protection of LGB Refugees
Authors: Åberg Karin
Published: July 2023

The particular difficulties that lesbian, gay, and bisexual refugees face when applying for asylum are in constant flux. As one issue is removed, another takes its place. This article provides a historical overview of these developments and shows how attempts to include lesbian, gay, and bisexual people and their experiences have transformed shame into an implicit legal requirement in certain countries, in particular, Sweden and the Netherlands. While the implementation of the Difference, Stigma, Shame, and Harm (DSSH) model aimed to promote open-ended conversations about the fluidity of sexual orientation, in the contexts examined in this study, it has arguably led to a set of legal requirements that emphasize suffering and internalized homophobia. Further, the article argues that, as developments in refugee law have centred the procedural focus on the credibility of the applicant and have formulated sexual orientation as a fixed identity, this identity has become a decisive requirement in the bureaucracy of border control. In addition, the understanding of this lesbian, gay, or bisexual refugee identity has, in turn, been influenced by colonial perceptions of homophobia and sexuality.
Compact Curve Shortening Flow Solutions Out of Non-Compact Curves
Authors: Bourni Theodora , Reiris Martin
Published: July 2023

We construct a slingshot, that is a compact, embedded solution to curve shortening flow that comes out of a non compact curve and exists for a finite time.
Novel antibiotic susceptibility of an RNA polymerase α-subunit mutant in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Cai Wenjie , Lu Mingqi , Dai Weijun
Published: July 2023

Background

RNA polymerase (RNAP) is highly conserved and essential for prokaryotic housekeeping activities, making it an important target for the development of new antibiotics. The rpoB gene, encoding a β-subunit of bacterial RNAP, has a well-known association with rifampicin resistance. However, the roles of other RNAP component genes such as rpoA, encoding an α-subunit of RNAP, in antibiotic resistance remain unexplored.

Objectives

To characterize the antibiotic resistance-related role of RpoA.

Methods

We measured the expression of the MexEF-OprN efflux pump in an RpoA mutant using a transcriptional reporter. The MICs of various antibiotics for this RpoA mutant were determined.

Results

We uncover a novel role of antibiotic susceptibility for an RpoA mutant in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We found that a single amino acid substitution in RpoA resulted in reduced activity of the MexEF-OprN efflux pump, which is responsible for the exportation of various antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, ofloxacin and norfloxacin. This attenuated efflux pump activity, caused by the RpoA mutation, conferred the bacteria further susceptibility to antibiotics regulated by MexEF-OprN. Our work further revealed that certain clinical P. aeruginosa isolates also contained the same RpoA mutation, providing clinical relevance to our findings. Our results elucidate why this new antibiotic-susceptible function of RpoA mutants would have remained undetected in conventional screens for mutants involving antibiotic resistance.

Conclusions

The discovery of antibiotic susceptibility in an RpoA mutant implicates a new therapeutic approach for treating clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa with RpoA mutations, using specific antibiotics regulated by MexEF-OprN. More generally, our work suggests that RpoA could serve as a promising candidate target for anti-pathogen therapeutic purposes.
From root to shoot: quantifying nematode tolerance inArabidopsis thalianaby high-throughput phenotyping of plant development
Authors: Willig Jaap-Jan , Sonneveld Devon , van Steenbrugge Joris J M , Deurhof Laurens , van Schaik Casper C , Teklu Misghina G , Goverse Aska , Lozano-Torres Jose L , Smant Geert , Sterken Mark G
Published: July 2023

Nematode migration, feeding site formation, withdrawal of plant assimilates, and activation of plant defence responses have a significant impact on plant growth and development. Plants display intraspecific variation in tolerance limits for root-feeding nematodes. Although disease tolerance has been recognized as a distinct trait in biotic interactions of mainly crops, we lack mechanistic insights. Progress is hampered by difficulties in quantification and laborious screening methods. We turned to the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, since it offers extensive resources to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying nematode–plant interactions. Through imaging of tolerance-related parameters, the green canopy area was identified as an accessible and robust measure for assessing damage due to cyst nematode infection. Subsequently, a high-throughput phenotyping platform simultaneously measuring the green canopy area growth of 960 A. thaliana plants was developed. This platform can accurately measure cyst nematode and root-knot nematode tolerance limits in A. thaliana through classical modelling approaches. Furthermore, real-time monitoring provided data for a novel view of tolerance, identifying a compensatory growth response. These findings show that our phenotyping platform will enable a new mechanistic understanding of tolerance to below-ground biotic stress.
Using elliptical galaxy kinematics to compare the strength of gravity in cosmological regions of differing gravitational potential – a first look
Authors: Pedersen Eske M , Stubbs Christopher W
Published: July 2023

Various models of modified gravity invoke ‘screening’ mechanisms that are sensitive to the value of the local gravitational potential. This could have observable consequences for galaxies. These consequences might be seen by comparing two proxies for galaxy mass – their luminosity and their internal kinematics – as a function of local galaxy density. Motivated by this prospect, we have compared the observed properties of luminous red galaxies (LRGs) inside and outside of voids in the cosmic large scale structure. We used archival measurements of line widths, luminosities, redshifts, colours, and positions of galaxies in conjunction with recent void catalogues to construct comparison LRG samples inside and outside of voids. We fitted these two samples to the well-established fundamental plane of elliptical galaxies to constrain any differences between the inferred value of the Newtonian gravitational constant G for the two samples. We obtained a null result, with an upper limit on any fractional difference in G within and outside of cosmological voids to be α = δG/G ∼ 40 per cent. This upper bound is dominated by the small-number statistics of our N ∼ 100 within-void LRG sample. With the caveat that environmental effects could influence various parameters such as star formation, we estimate that a 1 per cent statistical limit on α could be attained with data from 105 elliptical galaxies within voids. This is within the reach of future photometric and spectroscopic surveys, both of which are required to pursue this method.