bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Linkage of El Niño-Southern Oscillation to astronomic forcing
Authors: Valle-Levinson Arnoldo
Published: August 2024

Deciphering the causes of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) represents one of the greatest scientific and societal challenges because ENSO impacts people’s safety, food, water, health, and economy. Traditionally, ENSO has been considered a phenomenon that is mostly influenced by the interactions between oceanic and atmospheric processes, i.e. by the internal variability in Earth’s ocean-atmosphere system. However, dendrochronological records of climate indices, ENSO among them, have statistically significant variance at periodicities related to solar activity (sunspots) and lunar precessions. Other studies indicate a modulation by the lunar nodal cycle of ocean’s mixing and its implications on water and air temperatures, steric sea levels, coastal flooding, rain, river discharge and heat transport. Those findings suggest that astronomic forces may influence ENSO. In fact, this study shows that a fit to well-established periodicities from lunar precessions, solar activity and their interactions explains 91% of the variance of an ENSO index smoothed at 5 years, and 67% of a 3 yr filtered ENSO index. Provided that the future Earth’s ocean-atmospheric system remains roughly within historical bounds under a changing climate in the next 2–3 decades, one can venture a projection into the future of 3- and 5 yr smoothed ENSO variability. Such projection is given here and might help in preparations for adaptation and mitigation measures caused by ENSO-related coastal hazards.
Socio-environmental impacts of mineral mining and conflicts in Southern and West Africa: navigating reflexive governance for environmental justice
Authors: Leonard Llewellyn
Published: August 2024

Mineral mining activities in Africa have long been associated with a myriad of socio-environmental impacts and conflicts, posing significant challenges to sustainable development and environmental justice. This paper explores the complex interplay between mineral mining, socio-environmental impacts, and conflicts in the Southern and West African region, with a focus on the imperative of reflexive governance for achieving just transitions and environmental justice. Drawing on a comprehensive literature review and cases from Southern and Western African countries, this paper examines the multifaceted nature of socio-environmental impacts resulting from mineral mining. These impacts encompass ecological degradation and social inequalities, among others. Furthermore, the paper delves into the dynamics of conflicts arising from mineral mining and competing interests such as natural resources and land rights. Additionally, the paper examines governance structures aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and environmental sustainability. The paper concludes by highlighting the implications of reflexive governance as a transformative tool for addressing the socio-environmental impacts of mineral mining and conflicts in Southern and West Africa. It underscores the urgency of adopting holistic and integrated approaches that prioritize environmental protection, social equity, and community well-being in the context of mineral resource extraction. The African Union can serve as the catalyst for reflexive governance and environmental justice in mineral resource extraction, with citizens also holding national governments accountable.
Satellite-observed SST and chlorophyll reveal contrasting dynamical-biological effects of mesoscale eddies in the North Atlantic
Authors: Han Guiyan , Quartly Graham D , Chen Ge , Yang Jie
Published: August 2024

The influence of mesoscale eddies on chlorophyll (Chl) has received significant attention due to Chl being a proxy for phytoplankton, which plays a crucial role in marine ecosystems. Solely relying on the analysis of satellite-observed Chl poses challenges in determining the phytoplankton response to mesoscale eddies. To address this, our study takes a collaborative approach, utilizing satellite-derived sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) and chlorophyll anomalies (CHLA) to comprehensively investigate the dynamical-biological processes associated with eddies in the subtropical and mid-latitude North Atlantic. In the subtropics, the patterns in CHLA and SSTA predominantly exhibit a dipole nature, with the dipole component providing more than 70% of the explained variance (EV). This suggests that eddy stirring is the dominant mechanism driving the observed anomaly patterns. Conversely, in the mid-latitudes, the monopole components (TM
) explain more than 60% of the EV, implying a more influential role for eddy trapping and vertical modulations. The signs of the TM
of eddy SSTA persist throughout their lifetime, being consistent with the lowering (raising) of isopycnals within AEs (CEs). However, the subtropical CHLA response is higher in AEs than CEs, indicating additional factors, such as eddy-induced Ekman pumping and/or mixing to a deeper level may be important. This finding is also corroborated by subsurface observations from Argo floats. At mid-latitudes, there is a clear inverse correspondence between the CHLA and mixed layer depth. In contrast, no significant correlation is observed in the subtropics, except during winter when a positive relationship emerges. These patterns suggest that phytoplankton exhibit highly diverse responses to the physical dynamics associated with eddies. Our work offers a method to estimate eddy dynamical-biological impacts on phytoplankton using satellite products, compensating for the limitations of in-situ observations. It also reveals potential contributions to marine primary production, global carbon cycles, and the development of biogeochemical models.
Decoherence of a charged Brownian particle in a magnetic field: an analysis of the roles of coupling via position and momentum variables
Authors: Bhattacharjee Suraka , Mandal Koushik , Sinha Supurna
Published: August 2024

The study of decoherence plays a key role in our understanding of the transition from the quantum to the classical world. Typically, one considers a system coupled to an external bath which forms a model for an open quantum system. While most of the studies pertain to a position coupling between the system and the environment, some involve a momentum coupling, giving rise to an anomalous diffusive model. Here we have gone beyond existing studies and analyzed the non-Markovian master equation, involving the quantum Langevin dynamics of a harmonically oscillating charged Brownian particle in the presence of a magnetic field and coupled to Ohmic (s = 1), sub-Ohmic (s < 1) and super-Ohmic (s > 1) heat baths via both position and momentum couplings. The presence of both position and momentum couplings leads to a stronger interaction with the environment, resulting in a faster loss of coherence compared to a situation where only position coupling is present. The rate of decoherence can be tuned by controlling the relative strengths of the position and momentum coupling parameters. In addition, the magnetic field results in the slowing down of the loss of information from the system, irrespective of the nature of coupling between the system and the bath. A faster decoherence rate is observed for higher values of the Ohmicity parameter ‘s’. Our results can be experimentally verified by designing a suitable ion trap setup.
Excellent NO2 sensor based on porous Pd-ZnO nanorods prepared by a facile hydrothermal method
Authors: Luu Hoang Minh , Pham Thi Thuy Thu , Nguyen Van Duy , Pham Van Tong
Published: August 2024

Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) decorated on the surface of semiconducting metal oxides to enhance the gas-sensitive properties of sensing materials have attracted considerable interest from numerous researchers worldwide. Here, we introduce an effective method to decorate Pd NPs on the surface of porous ZnO nanorods to improve NO2 gas-sensing performance. Porous ZnO nanorods were synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method without surfactant. Surface decoration of porous ZnO nanorods with Pd NPs was performed through in situ reduction of PdCl2 using Pluronic as the reducing agent. The gas-sensing properties of porous Pd-ZnO nanorods were evaluated toward NO2 toxic gas in a concentration range of 0.1–2 ppm at various operating temperatures of 25 °C–250 °C. Pd NPs decorated on the surface of porous ZnO nanorods not only improve the sensor response (3-folds) and reproducibility but also reduce the optimal operating temperature. The improvement in gas-sensing activity is attributed to the modulation of the depletion layer via oxygen adsorption and the formation of the Schottky potential barrier between Pd and ZnO through chemical and electronic mechanisms.
Race in nature stewardship: an autoethnography of two racialised volunteers in urban ecology
Authors: Scott Jacqueline L , Tenneti Ambika
Published: August 2024

Urban nature stewardships can connect people to nature in their neighbourhood, foster a sense of belonging and citizenship, and increase well-being and place-making. This article examines how race intersects with urban nature stewardship, via a critical autoethnography by two co-authors who are racialised volunteers, Black and South Asian, in stewardship projects. Race is centered as a unit of analysis. In Toronto, Canada, racialised people are the majority of the population but are noticeable by their absence in nature stewardships and the broader environmentalism. Most urban nature stewardships operate on a colour-blind approach which masks how systemic racial inequities shape stewardship projects at the personal, place-making, and ecological levels. The article is illustrated by stewardship in tree planting and community gardens as urban ecology restoration projects. It concludes with some recommendations on how to engage racialised volunteers in nature stewardship.
Incidence of post-operative delirium increases as severity of frailty increases
Authors: Ehrlich April , Oh Esther S , Psoter Kevin J , Bettick Dianne , Wang Nae-Yuh , Gearhart Susan , Sieber Frederick
Published: August 2024

Objective

The surgical population is ageing and often frail. Frailty increases the risk for poor post-operative outcomes such as delirium, which carries significant morbidity, mortality and cost. Frailty is often measured in a binary manner, limiting pre-operative counselling. The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between categorical frailty severity level and post-operative delirium.

Methods

We performed an analysis of a retrospective cohort of older adults from 12 January 2018 to 3 January 2020 admitted to a tertiary medical center for elective surgery. All participants underwent frailty screening prior to inpatient elective surgery with at least two post-operative delirium assessments. Planned ICU admissions were excluded. Procedures were risk-stratified by the Operative Stress Score (OSS). Categorical frailty severity level (Not Frail, Mild, Moderate, and Severe Frailty) was measured using the Edmonton Frail Scale. Delirium was determined using the 4 A’s Test and Confusion Assessment Method-Intensive Care Unit.

Results

In sum, 324 patients were included. The overall post-operative delirium incidence was 4.6% (15 individuals), which increased significantly as the categorical frailty severity level increased (2% not frail, 6% mild frailty, 23% moderate frailty; P < 0.001) corresponding to increasing odds of delirium (OR 2.57 [0.62, 10.66] mild vs. not frail; OR 12.10 [3.57, 40.99] moderate vs. not frail).

Conclusions

Incidence of post-operative delirium increases as categorical frailty severity level increases. This suggests that frailty severity should be considered when counselling older adults about their risk for post-operative delirium prior to surgery.
Obesity management in the pediatric patient
Authors: Matson Kelly L , Fenn Norman E
Published: August 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this review is to discuss treatment modalities for obesity in children and adolescents, including nonpharmacological, pharmacological, and surgical interventions.

The prevalence of pediatric obesity has dramatically risen, with rates of 20.7% and 22.2% among children and adolescents, respectively. Obesity is a complex medical condition with multifactorial risk factors, including diet and exercise, social determinants of health, and environmental and genetic factors. The management approach among children and adolescents with obesity includes nutrition counseling, increased physical activity, and readiness for behavioral change. Pharmacotherapy may be recommended, yet the literature has not elucidated the most appropriate first-line treatment. Metformin and orlistat have been studied and may be considered in pediatric patients with comorbid complications, including type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Phentermine and topiramate in combination, as well as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, have provided modest benefits in weight reduction among youth. Setmelanotide has a unique mechanism of action and may be considered for those with obesity due to genetic disorders. Bariatric surgery should be reserved for adolescents meeting criteria for severe obesity.

Conclusion

Treatment for obesity in children and adolescents includes a comprehensive approach with structured lifestyle programs, mental health support, and mitigation of social determinants of health. Pharmacotherapy may also be considered, yet no medication is recommended over another, giving flexibility for shared decision-making with the patient and family regarding comorbidities and potential drug interactions. Adolescents with severe obesity who meet specified criteria may also be referred for surgical evaluation.
Disseminated juvenile xanthogranuloma harbouring a GAB2::BRAF fusion successfully treated with trametinib: a case report
Authors: Shen Kai-ni , Lin He , Chang Long , Cao Xin-xin
Published: August 2024

We present an interesting case of disseminated juvenile xanthogranuloma harbouring a GAB2::BRAF fusion that exhibited dramatic response to trametinib, highlighting the utility of RNA sequencing and targeted next-generation sequencing in non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis in identifying potential therapeutic targets.
Three-dimensional dose prediction based on deep convolutional neural networks for brain cancer in CyberKnife: accurate beam modelling of homogeneous tissue
Authors: Miao Yuchao , Ge Ruigang , Xie Chuanbin , Dai Xiangkun , Liu Yaoying , Qu Baolin , Li Xiaobo , Zhang Gaolong , Xu Shouping
Published: August 2024

Objectives

Accurate beam modelling is essential for dose calculation in stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT), such as CyberKnife treatment. However, the present deep learning methods only involve patient anatomical images and delineated masks for training. These studies generally focus on traditional intensity-modulated radiation therapy (RT) plans. Nevertheless, this paper aims to develop a deep CNN-based method for CyberKnife plan dose prediction about brain cancer patients. It utilized modelled beam information, target delineation, and patient anatomical information.

Methods

This study proposes a method that adds beam information to predict the dose distribution of CyberKnife in brain cases. A retrospective dataset of 88 brain and abdominal cancer patients treated with the Ray-tracing algorithm was performed. The datasets include patients’ anatomical information (planning CT), binary masks for organs at risk (OARs) and targets, and clinical plans (containing beam information). The datasets were randomly split into 68, 6, and 14 brain cases for training, validation, and testing, respectively.

Results

Our proposed method performs well in SRT dose prediction. First, for the gamma passing rates in brain cancer cases, with the 2 mm/2% criteria, we got 96.7% ± 2.9% for the body, 98.3% ± 3.0% for the planning target volume, and 100.0% ± 0.0% for the OARs with small volumes referring to the clinical plan dose. Secondly, the model predictions matched the clinical plan’s dose-volume histograms reasonably well for those cases. The differences in key metrics at the target area were generally below 1.0 Gy (approximately a 3% difference relative to the prescription dose).

Conclusions

The preliminary results for selected 14 brain cancer cases suggest that accurate 3-dimensional dose prediction for brain cancer in CyberKnife can be accomplished based on accurate beam modelling for homogeneous tumour tissue. More patients and other cancer sites are needed in a further study to validate the proposed method fully.

Advances in knowledge

With accurate beam modelling, the deep learning model can quickly generate the dose distribution for CyberKnife cases. This method accelerates the RT planning process, significantly improves its operational efficiency, and optimizes it.
Calcineurin inhibition prevents synaptic plasticity deficit induced by brain-derived tau oligomers
Authors: Scaduto Pietro , Marcatti Michela , Bhatt Nemil , Kayed Rakez , Taglialatela Giulio
Published: August 2024

Compelling evidence suggests that cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease is associated with the accumulation and aggregation of tau protein, with the most toxic aggregates being in the form of oligomers. This underscores the necessity for direct isolation and analysis of brain-derived tau oligomers from patients with Alzheimer’s disease, potentially offering novel perspectives into tau toxicity. Alzheimer’s brain-derived tau oligomers are potent inhibitors of synaptic plasticity; however, the involved mechanism is still not fully understood. We previously reported a significantly reduced incidence of Alzheimer’s disease in ageing humans chronically treated with a Food and Drug Administration–approved calcineurin inhibitor, FK506 (tacrolimus), used as an immunosuppressant after solid organ transplant. Using a combination of electrophysiological and RNA-sequencing techniques, we provide here evidence that FK506 has the potential to block the acute toxic effect of brain-derived tau oligomers on synaptic plasticity, as well as to restore the levels of some key synaptic mRNAs. These results further support FK506 as a promising novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Structural generation by inverse transformation using principal component analysis enhances conformational sampling of protein
Authors: Morita Rikuri , Shigeta Yasuteru , Harada Ryuhei
Published: August 2024

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are frequently used to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying protein behavior. Based on a conformational search with MD simulations, protein structures rich in high-dimensional data can be quantitatively evaluated in free-energy landscapes (FELs). Generally, FELs are defined in low-dimensional subspaces spanned by reaction coordinates to characterize biological functions. When calculating FELs of proteins, principal component analysis (PCA) is particularly useful for capturing large-amplitude motions via dimensionality reduction into low-dimensional subspaces. In this study, to efficiently calculate FELs, a simple and convenient method is proposed by accelerating conformational search in a PCA subspace, which is achieved by quick generation of protein configurations. Specifically, inverse transformation driven by PCA facilitates the quick generation of diverse protein configurations from arbitrary grids in a defined PCA subspace. In our conformational search, a set of newly generated configurations serves as initial structures for multiple MD simulations, enabling one to calculate FELs of proteins by building Markov state models from their multiple trajectories. In conclusion, the conformational search from protein configurations broadly distributed in a PCA subspace accelerates FEL calculations, which supports a comprehensive approach to understanding collective protein dynamics.
‘Do no harm’: mass supervision and the ruse of carceral humanism
Authors: Kurti Zhandarka
Published: August 2024

In recent years, scholarship has chronicled the role of probation in the rise of mass incarceration and has concluded that community supervision is a trap that routinely punishes the poor under the threat of incarceration. Starting in 2010, under a reform-minded new commissioner, the New York City Department of Probation (DOP) sought to roll back probation’s punitive role. In sharp contrast to the tough-on crime approach of previous decades, the DOP adopted the motto ‘Do no harm, do more good, and do it in the community’, and became the first probation department in the nation to spearhead a local justice reinvestment project. Its signature initiative was the decentralization of probation into a series of store front offices known as the Neighbourhood Opportunity Network, which embedded the agency more deeply into poor and working-class communities of colour. Relying on ethnographic research with probation officers, systems involved youth of colour, and non-profit organizations in the South Bronx, this article examines the limits of carceral humanism as a growing trend in recent criminal justice reform efforts.
Capturing and reporting topical treatment use in childhood eczema: lessons for data collection in eczema trials
Authors: Memory Katherine E , MacNeill Stephanie J , Thomas Kim S , Santer Miriam , Ridd Matthew J
Published: August 2024

Background

Emollients and topical corticosteroids (TCS) prevent and treat flares in eczema. However, topical treatment use is poorly recorded and reported in clinical trials. There is no clear consensus of how best to capture and summarize topical treatment use.

Objectives

To explore different ways of capturing and reporting topical treatment use in childhood eczema.

Methods

This was a secondary data analysis using 450 participants from the Best Emollients for Eczema (BEE) trial. Participants were allocated to use one type of emollient (lotion, cream, gel or ointment) ‘twice daily and when required’ for 16 weeks. Otherwise, clinical management remained unchanged. Parents completed weekly questions about topical therapy use and eczema symptoms. Two versions of topical treatment use questionnaires were used. The first (n = 202, 44.9%) asked parents to report treatment use on days 1–7, starting completion on the day they were randomized. The second (n = 248, 55.1%) reported use by day of the week (Monday to Sunday), starting completion the first Monday after randomization. Both underwent patient and public involvement review but the second version was tested more thoroughly using cognitive interviewing techniques, following parent feedback that questions on the first version were confusing. Descriptive statistics compared questionnaire completion and differences in emollient and TCS use.

Results

Overall, questionnaire completion for both emollient and TCS use decreased with time, but at weeks 1 and 16, it was 84.7% (381/450) and 58.9% (265/450) for emollient use, and 94.2% (424/450) and 80.4% (362/450) for TCS use, respectively. Fewer emollient use questionnaires were completed with the first (33.5%, 1082/3232 patient-weeks) than the second (87.9%, 3489/3968 patient-weeks) version (P < 0.001). TCS use questionnaire completion were similar for both (84.9%, 2744/3232 patient-weeks and 87.4%, 3468/3968 patient-weeks, P = 0.002). We present different ways of summarizing topical treatment use.

Conclusions

Although questionnaire completion was similar for TCS use, emollient-use data completeness was higher in the second version. When designing questionnaires, balancing the detail and complexity of questions is important, especially if being collected as a secondary outcome measure. Numerous ways of summarizing the same data can provide different information. Future collection and reporting of treatment use should reflect specific trial aims.
Pembrolizumab-induced hypertrophic lichenoid dermatitis with involvement of an old tattoo
Authors: Bala Laksha , Hussain Khawar , Shetty Rashmi , Patel Neil P
Published: August 2024

We present the case of a 58-year-old man who developed hypertrophic lichenoid dermatitis secondary to pembrolizumab, with involvement of normal skin as well as the red-ink areas of an old tattoo site. Lichenoid dermatitis is a well-recognized immune-related adverse event to immune checkpoint inhibitors, but the hypertrophic variant secondary to pembrolizumab has been reported infrequently in the literature. Successful management of the cutaneous eruption in this case enabled the patient to resume life-prolonging adjuvant immunotherapy for clear-cell renal-cell carcinoma.
Anuran communities increase aggregations of conspecific calls in response to aircraft noise
Authors: Zhao Longhui , Deng Ke , Wang Tongliang , Guo Rui , Cui Jianguo , Wang Jichao
Published: August 2024

Noise pollution has been shown to affect wild animals in various ways, but little is known about its consequences at the community level. Investigating animals’ overall vocal responses to noise across multiple sympatric species can reveal the complex nature of noise impacts but is challenging. In this study, we employed social network analysis (SNA) to evaluate how anuran communities and populations vary their calling behaviors in response to aircraft noise. SNA of anuran communities revealed that conspecific individuals increase the aggregation of their spectral (i.e., minimum frequency, maximum frequency, and dominant frequency), temporal (call duration, call rate, and call effort), and overall spectral–temporal features as an airplane passes through. SNA of populations also revealed that anurans could increase the interindividual similarity of multiple call characteristics in response to airplane noise. Furthermore, our network analysis of multiple species and multiple call traits revealed an effect of noise in species whose calling behavior did not change in previous separate analyses of each species and single traits. This study suggests that noise pollution may change the pattern of combined acoustic properties at the community level. Our findings highlight the importance of integrated methods and theories for understanding the ecological consequences of noise pollution in future studies.
Case report: arrhythmic mitral valve prolapse syndrome—are risk factors underdiagnosed?
Authors: Steinmaurer Martina , Sandmeyer Jakob , Sinner Moritz F , Lu Kun , Hagl Christian
Published: August 2024

Background

Arrhythmic mitral valve prolapse syndrome (ARMV) is a recognized but underdiagnosed disease pattern. Risk factors for ARMV are established but not very well known, and the association of the structural abnormality with ventricular arrhythmias is incompletely understood.

Case summary

Here, we present the case of a young man who presented at our hospital for radiofrequency catheter ablation and mitral valve surgery after two episodes of survived sudden cardiac arrest. We discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies that were used. We shine light on the risk factors for ARMV and why early identification is crucial. We address the topic of primary prevention and its limitations. Finally, we discuss different treatment modalities for patients with ARMV.

Discussion

More awareness for ARMV is crucial. A consensus statement on clinical management exists, but scientific gaps in prospective data for primary prevention need to be filled and there is a need for a better understanding of the pathogenesis of ARMV.
Genetic testing for inherited arrhythmia syndromes and cardiomyopathies: results of the European Heart Rhythm Association survey
Authors: Zeljkovic Ivan , Gauthey Anaïs , Manninger Martin , Malaczynska-Rajpold Katarzyna , Tfelt-Hansen Jacob , Crotti Lia , Behr Elijah R , Migliore Federico , Wilde Arthur , Chun Julian , Conte Giulio
Published: August 2024

Aims

Indications and clinical impact of genetic testing for cardiac diseases have increased significantly over the past years. The aim of this physician-based European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) survey was to assess current clinical practice and access to genetic testing for cardiac diseases across European Society of Cardiology countries and to evaluate adherence to the 2022 EHRA/HRS/APHRS/LAHRS Expert Consensus Statement on genetic testing.

Methods and results

An online questionnaire composed of 28 questions was submitted to the EHRA Research Network and European Reference Network GUARD-Heart healthcare partners and promoted via dedicated social media channels. There were 357 respondents from 69 countries, 40% working in a hospital setting with a cardiac genetic service and/or a dedicated clinic focusing on inherited cardiac diseases and 27% with an onsite genetic laboratory. No genetic testing or low annual rate (<10/year) was declared by 39% of respondents. The majority of respondents (78%) declared issues or limitations to genetic testing access in their clinical practice. The main reasons for not providing or limited access to genetic testing were no availability of dedicated unit or genetic laboratory (35%) or reimbursement issues (25%). The most frequently reported indication for genetic testing was diagnostic purpose (55%). Most respondents (92%) declared offering genetic testing preceded by genetic counselling and 42% regular multidisciplinary evaluations for patients with cardiac genetic diseases. The perceived value of genetic testing in the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic assessment was variable (67, 39, and 29%, respectively) and primarily based on the specific inherited disease. The majority of respondents recommended cascade genetic testing for the first-degree family members in case of pathogenic/likely pathogenic variant in the proband.

Conclusion

This survey highlights a significant heterogeneity of genetic testing access and provision and issues attributable to the availability of dedicated unit/genetic laboratory and reimbursement. However, adequate adherence to indications in the current recommendations for genetic testing in patients with cardiac diseases was observed.
Characterization of Effects of mTOR Inhibitors on Aging in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Zhang Aihan , Meecham-Garcia Gadea , Nguyen Hong Chiminh , Xie Peiyun , Kern Carina C , Zhang Bruce , Chapman Hannah , Gems David
Published: August 2024

Pharmacological inhibition of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway with rapamycin can extend lifespan in several organisms. Although this includes the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, effects in this species are relatively weak and sometimes difficult to reproduce. Here we test effects of drug dosage and timing of delivery to establish the upper limits of its capacity to extend life, and investigate drug effects on age-related pathology and causes of mortality. Liposome-mediated rapamycin treatment throughout adulthood showed a dose-dependent effect, causing a maximal 21.9% increase in mean lifespan, but shortening of lifespan at the highest dose, suggesting drug toxicity. Rapamycin treatment of larvae delayed development, weakly reduced fertility and modestly extended lifespan. By contrast, treatment initiated later in life robustly increased lifespan, even from Day 16 (or ~70 years in human terms). The rapalog temsirolimus extended lifespan similarly to rapamycin, but effects of everolimus were weaker. As in mouse, rapamycin had mixed effects on age-related pathologies, inhibiting one (uterine tumor growth) but not several others, suggesting a segmental antigeroid effect. These findings should usefully inform future experimental studies with rapamycin and rapalogs in C. elegans.
How Does Successful Aging Apply to Black Women? A Latent Class Analysis
Authors: Lewis Joshua C J , Drentea Patricia , Warner David F
Published: August 2024

Background and Objectives

Although prior research has identified racial/ethnic and gender differences in successful aging (SA), heterogeneity within groups has been little examined. We consequently explore the variety of aging experiences among older Black women.

Research Design and Methods

We used the 2010/2012 U.S. Health and Retirement Study, limiting analyses to Black women who completed the Psychosocial Leave-Behind Questionnaire (N = 1,186). We conducted latent class analysis using indicators of physical health, psychological well-being, social support/strain, and social engagement.

Results

Six SA latent classes were identified and labeled according to their distinctive characteristics: infirm, isolated, taxed, independent, vivacious, and robust. The infirm class had uniformly poor health, whereas the isolated class was in poor physical health but also lacked social relations. Although both had average physical health and psychological well-being, the taxed class experienced high levels of social support and social strain compared to the high support (and unpartnered) independent class. The vivacious and robust classes exhibited high physical health and psychological well-being, high social support/low social strain, and high social engagement, but vivacious women (23% of respondents) were unpartnered and robust women (16% of respondents) were partnered. The robust class had the highest physical and psychological well-being, and best social relations across all classes.

Discussion and Implications

Using nationally representative data, we reveal significant heterogeneity in Black women’s aging experiences. Although many face difficult aging experiences, 39% of older Black women fit the SA framework well. Future work should recognize that Black women’s aging experiences are not homogenous.
Perceptions of multi-cancer early detection tests among communities facing barriers to health care
Authors: Roybal Kristi L , Husa Robyn A , Connolly Maria , Dinh Catherine , Bensley Kara M K , Wendt Staci J
Published: August 2024

Marginalized racial and ethnic groups and rural and lower income communities experience significant cancer inequities. Blood-based multi-cancer early detection tests (MCEDs) provide a simple and less invasive method to screen for multiple cancers at a single access point and may be an important strategy to reduce cancer inequities. In this qualitative study, we explored barriers and facilitators to MCED adoption among communities facing health care access barriers in Alaska, California, and Oregon. We used reflexive thematic analysis to analyze general barriers to cancer screening, MCED-specific barriers, facilitators of MCED adoption, and MCED communication strategies. We found barriers and facilitators to MCED adoption across 4 levels of the social-ecological model: (1) individual, (2) interpersonal, (3) health care system, and (4) societal. These included adverse psychological impacts, positive perceptions of MCEDs, information and knowledge about cancer screening, the quality of the patient–provider relationship, a lack of health care system trustworthiness, logistical accessibility, patient supports, and financial accessibility. Optimal MCED communication strategies included information spread through the medical environment and the community. These findings underscore the importance of understanding and addressing the multilevel factors that may influence MCED adoption among communities facing health care access barriers to advance health equity.
Explaining Support for Border Closures During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exposure, Political Attitudes, or Pandemic Policy Feedback?
Authors: Michel Elie , Manatschal Anita , Green Eva G T
Published: August 2024

The closing of national borders was one of the most far-reaching policy measures adopted to limit the spread of the virus during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Despite its unprecedented nature and far-reaching impact on individual lives, blocking almost all human movements not only into but also out of states, popular support for this measure was surprisingly high. How can this support be explained? Using an original 4-wave panel dataset across 11 countries together with cross-national policy data, we explore individual and contextual drivers of border closure support throughout 2020. We find that higher support can partly be explained by political attitudes related to cross-border mobility, such as distrust in foreigners or right-wing ideology. Primarily, however, support for closing borders is shaped by respondents’ evaluation of governments’ handling of the pandemic, as well as the intensity and timing of the constraining measures. We also find that support wanes over time, which may indicate a policy fatigue effect. Interestingly, health concerns (exposure to the virus) have almost no influence on support. Even in this exceptional situation, and when confronted with a new policy issue, citizens’ preferences are thus primarily a politically driven response to government measures.
Mnemonic Encounters: The Construction and Persistence of International “History Wars” and the Case of Japan–South Korea Relations
Authors: Deacon Chris
Published: August 2024

Why does contentious history play such an outsized role in some international relationships? Why do these “history wars” endure, overriding incentives to reconcile? Despite their demonstrable importance, history wars have generally been neglected by conventional conflict and security literature; and, while scholarship concerning the international politics of memory has expanded significantly, overarching frameworks addressing these questions remain underdeveloped. In this article, drawing on theories of memory politics, relational identity and ontological security, I analyze history wars as mnemonic encounters: sites at which national identities are constructed in relation to one another through remembering and forgetting shared history. Within such encounters, history wars may arise and persist where each side's mnemonic practices involve conflicting, negative representations of the other, and such representations constitute an important element of their national identities. This occurs because the rearticulation of conflictual representations constitutes both a means by which the national community is reproduced and a defense mechanism against the ontological threat posed by the other side's counter-constructions. Illustrating this framework, I explicate the construction and persistence of Japan and South Korea's “history problem,” drawing on extensive fieldwork and a discourse analysis of over one thousand original-language texts from both countries across politics, media and culture.
Resilience and Domination: Resonances of Racial Slavery in Refugee Exclusion
Authors: Glanville Luke
Published: August 2024

We are encouraged to think of refugees as resilient people with agency and capacity for flourishing, rather than passive victims needing help. This framing purports to uphold and celebrate refugees’ humanity. But some scholars worry that it problematically serves to demand resilience from refugees, normalize their displacement, and legitimate state bordering practices. This article builds on this critique by examining how powerful actors have long attributed resilience to vulnerable others to legitimate domination and control. I focus on the deployment of resilience-talk by white enslavers and their supporters to justify Black enslavement in the American South. Their philosophical, climatological, and epidemiological arguments about the resilient Black slave were supplemented with a claim that Black people could not survive liberation in the American North. I probe the resonances of this resilience-talk with contemporary invocations of the resilience of refugees in the Global South, and their supposed non-resilience in the Global North.
Current status of the systematics of large branchiopod crustaceans (Branchiopoda: Anostraca, Notostraca, Laevicaudata, Spinicaudata, Cyclestherida)
Authors: Rogers D Christopher
Published: August 2024

The current systematics of the large branchiopod crustaceans are reviewed in relation to other crustacean groups and from class to genus level. Calmanostraca and Diplostraca are raised to superorder, and †Kazacharthra and Notostraca are both treated as orders. Problems and needs regarding the systematics of large branchiopods are presented and discussed, with suggestions for moving forward, stressing the need for modern methods and defensible taxonomic definitions. Subdividing taxonomic categories may or may not be warranted, but should never be based on only one gene, or on limited taxon sampling. Furthermore, splitting species out as new genera, when the original genus is poorly defined can only lead to future problems.
To Whom Much is Given: The Russian Orthodox Church’s Role in the Russo-Ukrainian War
Authors: Negron Zacarias
Published: August 2024

The essence of a war is in its justification. In Vladimir Putin’s Russia, the state has turned to Patriarch Kirill and the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) to assemble a tranche of religio-legal justifications for the war in Ukraine. Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor was instantaneously colored by theological proclamations from the Kremlin and the Patriarchate. While powerful as mere propaganda, much more is at stake. In March 2024, the ROC officially declared Russia’s “special military operation” to be a “holy war,” the first time the ROC has made such a statement since the Russo-Japanese War under Tsar Nicholas II. This article argues that the decree is the logical reverberation of a broader urge to revivify Russian imperial mores, particularly in the legitimation of warfare against Ukraine. Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill have instrumentalized one another. Patriarch Kirill gives religious substance to the Russian president’s claims of geopolitical slight, while the latter buttresses the ROC’s relevance amidst modernization. It is a partnership as nostalgic as it is pragmatic, rooted in the symphonic heyday of tsars and primates. An examination of the historical relationship between the Russian state and its church (as the ROC has come to be known) offers a multitude of lessons in the maintenance of the Kremlin’s power, the stateward trend of ROC theology, and the lengths to which states go to legitimate revanchist acts.
Modeling gastric intestinal metaplasia in 3D organoids using nitrosoguanidine
Authors: Li Yuan , Chen Jiena , Li Tao , Lin Jie , Zheng Haocheng , Johnson Nadia , Yao Xuebiao , Ding Xia
Published: August 2024

Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) represents a precancerous stage characterized by morphological and pathophysiological changes in the gastric mucosa, where gastric epithelial cells transform into a phenotype resembling that of intestinal cells. Previous studies have demonstrated that the intragastric administration of N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) induces both gastric carcinoma and intestinal metaplasia in mice. Here, we show that MNNG induces GIM in three-dimensional (3D) mouse organoids. Our histological analyses reveal that MNNG-induced gastric organoids undergo classical morphological alterations, exhibiting a distinct up-regulation of CDX2 and MUC2, along with a down-regulation of ATP4B and MUC6. Importantly, metaplastic cells observed in MNNG-treated organoids originate from MIST1+ cells, indicating their gastric chief cell lineage. Functional analyses show that activation of the RAS signaling pathway drives MNNG-induced metaplasia in 3D organoids, mirroring the characteristics observed in human GIM. Consequently, modeling intestinal metaplasia using 3D organoids offers valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms and spatiotemporal dynamics of the gastric epithelial lineage during the development of intestinal metaplasia within the gastric mucosa. We conclude that the MNNG-induced metaplasia model utilizing 3D organoids provides a robust platform for developing preventive and therapeutic strategies to mitigate the risk of gastric cancer before precancerous lesions occur.
Receiver operating characteristic analysis for paired comparison data
Authors: Huo Ran , Glickman Mark E
Published: August 2024

Paired comparison models are used for analysing data that involves pairwise comparisons among a set of objects. When the outcomes of the pairwise comparisons have no ties, the paired comparison models can be generalized as a class of binary response models. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and their corresponding areas under the curves are commonly used as performance metrics to evaluate the discriminating ability of binary response models. Despite their individual wide range of usage and their close connection to binary response models, ROC analysis to our knowledge has never been extended to paired comparison models since the problem of using different objects as the reference in paired comparison models prevents traditional ROC approach from generating unambiguous and interpretable curves. We focus on addressing this problem by proposing two novel methods to construct ROC curves for paired comparison data which provide interpretable statistics and maintain desired asymptotic properties. The methods are then applied and analysed on head-to-head professional sports competition data.
A state-space perspective on modelling and inference for online skill rating
Authors: Duffield Samuel , Power Samuel , Rimella Lorenzo
Published: August 2024

We summarize popular methods used for skill rating in competitive sports, along with their inferential paradigms and introduce new approaches based on sequential Monte Carlo and discrete hidden Markov models. We advocate for a state-space model perspective, wherein players’ skills are represented as time-varying, and match results serve as observed quantities. We explore the steps to construct the model and the three stages of inference: filtering, smoothing, and parameter estimation. We examine the challenges of scaling up to numerous players and matches, highlighting the main approximations and reductions which facilitate statistical and computational efficiency. We additionally compare approaches in a realistic experimental pipeline that can be easily reproduced and extended with our open-source Python package, abile.
Damping wing absorption associated with a giant Ly α trough at z < 6: direct evidence for late-ending reionization
Authors: Becker George D , Bolton James S , Zhu Yongda , Hashemi Seyedazim
Published: August 2024

Multiple observations now suggest that the hydrogen reionization may have ended well below redshift six. While there has previously been no conclusive proof of extended neutral islands in the $z \lt 6$ intergalactic medium, it is possible that such islands give rise to the giant Ly $\alpha$ absorption troughs seen in the spectra of high-redshift quasars. Here, we present evidence that the deepest and longest known Ly $\alpha$ trough at $z \,\lt\, 6$, towards ULAS J0148 + 0600 (J0148), is associated with damping wing absorption. The evidence comes from a window of strong Ly $\alpha$ transmission at the edge of the J0148 proximity zone. We show that the relatively smooth profile of this transmission window is highly unlikely to arise from resonant absorption alone, but is consistent with the presence of a damping wing. We further argue that the damping wing is unlikely to arise from a compact source due to the lack of associated metal lines, and is more likely to arise from an extended neutral island associated with the giant Ly $\alpha$ trough. We investigate the physical conditions that may give rise to the strong transmission window, and speculate that it may signal an usually deep void, nearby ionizing sources, and/or the recent passage of an ionization front.