bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influenza virus infection and aerosol shedding kinetics in a controlled human infection model
Authors: Shetty Nishit , Shephard Meredith J. , Rockey Nicole C. , Macenczak Hollie , Traenkner Jessica , Danzy Shamika , Vargas-Maldonado Nahara , Arts Peter J. , Le Sage Valerie , Anderson Evan J. , Lyon G. Marshall , Fitts Eric Charles , Gulick Dalia A. , Mehta Aneesh K. , El-Chami Mikhael F. , Kraft Colleen S. , Wigginton Krista R. , Lowen Anice C. , Marr Linsey C. , Rouphael Nadine G. , Lakdawala Seema S. 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Establishing effective mitigation strategies to reduce the spread of influenza virus requires an improved understanding of the mechanisms of transmission. We evaluated the use of a controlled human infection model using an H3N2 seasonal influenza virus to study critical aspects of transmission, including symptom progression and the dynamics of virus shedding. Eight volunteers were challenged with influenza A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2) virus between July and September 2022 at Emory University Hospital. Viral shedding in the nasopharynx, saliva, stool, urine, and respiratory aerosols was monitored over the quarantine period, and symptoms were tracked until day 15. In addition, environmental swabs were collected from participant rooms to examine fomite contamination, and participant sera were collected to assess seroconversion by hemagglutination inhibition or microneutralization assays. Among the eight participants, influenza virus infection was confirmed in six (75%). Infectious virus or viral RNA was found in multiple physiological compartments, fecal samples, aerosol particles, and on surfaces in the immediate environment. Illness was moderate, with upper respiratory symptoms dominating. In participants with the highest viral loads, antibody titers rose by day 15 post-inoculation, while in participants with low or undetectable viral loads, there was little or no increase in functional antibody titers. These data demonstrate the safety and utility of the human infection model to study features critical to influenza virus transmission dynamics in a controlled manner and will inform the design of future challenge studies focused on modeling and limiting transmission.

CLINICAL TRIALS

This study is registered with
ClinicalTrials.gov
as
NCT05332899
.

IMPORTANCE
We use a controlled human infection model to assess respiratory and aerosol shedding kinetics to expand our knowledge of influenza infection dynamics and help inform future studies aimed at understanding human-to-human transmission.
Changes in the diversity and functionality of viruses that can bleach healthy coral
Authors: Zhang Zhengyi , Tong Mengmeng , Ding Wei , Liu Shuikai , Jong Mui-Choo , Radwan Ahmed A. , Cai Zhonghua , Zhou Jin 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Coral microbiomes play a crucial role in maintaining the health and functionality of holobionts. Disruption in the equilibrium of holobionts, including bacteria, fungi, and archaea, can result in the bleaching of coral. However, little is known about the viruses that can infect holobionts in coral, especially bacteriophages. Here, we employed a combination of amplicon and metagenomic analyses on
Acropora muricata
and
Galaxea astreata
to investigate the diversity and functionality of viruses in healthy and bleached corals. Analysis showed that the alpha diversity of holobionts (bacteria, eukaryotes, zooxanthellae, and lysogenic and lytic viruses) was higher in bleached corals than that in healthy corals. Meanwhile, bleached corals exhibited a relatively higher abundance of specific viral classes, including Revtraviricetes, Arfiviricetes, Faserviricetes, Caudoviricetes, Herviviricetes, and Tectiliviricetes; moreover, we found that the expression levels of functional genes involved in carbon and sulfur metabolism were enriched. An increase in
Vibrio
abundance has been reported as a notable factor in coral bleaching; our analysis also revealed an increased abundance of
Vibrio
in bleached coral. Finally, bleached corals contained a higher abundance of
Vibrio
phages and encoded more virulence factor genes to increase the competitiveness of
Vibrio
after coral bleaching. In conclusion, we attempted to understand the causes of coral bleaching from the perspective of phage–bacteria–coral tripartite interaction.

IMPORTANCE
Viruses, especially bacteriophages, outnumber other microorganisms by approximately 10-fold and represent the most abundant members of coral holobionts. Corals represent a model system for the study of symbiosis, the influence of viruses on organisms inhabiting healthy coral reef, the role of rapid horizontal gene transfer, and the expression of auxiliary metabolic genes. However, the least studied component of coral holobiont are viruses. Therefore, there is a critical need to investigate the viral community of viruses, and their functionality, in healthy and bleached coral. Here, we compared the composition and functionality of viruses in healthy and bleached corals and found that viruses may participate in the induction of coral bleaching by enhancing the expression of virulence genes and other auxiliary metabolic functions.
Genetic modification of the shikimate pathway to reduce lignin content in switchgrass (
Panicum virgatum
L.) significantly impacts plant microbiomes
Authors: Liu Shuang , Chou Ming-Yi , Benucci Gian Maria Niccolò , Eudes Aymerick , Bonito Gregory 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Switchgrass (
Panicum virgatum
L.) is considered a sustainable biofuel feedstock, given its fast-impact growth, low input requirements, and high biomass yields. Improvements in bioenergy conversion efficiency of switchgrass could be made by reducing its lignin content. Engineered switchgrass that expresses a bacterial 3-dehydroshikimate dehydratase (QsuB) has reduced lignin content and improved biomass saccharification due to the rerouting of the shikimate pathway towards the simple aromatic protocatechuate at the expense of lignin biosynthesis. However, the impacts of this QsuB trait on switchgrass microbiome structure and function remain unclear. To address this, wild-type and QsuB-engineered switchgrass were grown in switchgrass field soils, and samples were collected from inflorescences, leaves, roots, rhizospheres, and bulk soils for microbiome analysis. We investigated how QsuB expression influenced switchgrass-associated fungal and bacterial communities using high-throughput Illumina MiSeq amplicon sequencing of ITS and 16S rDNA. Compared to wild-type, QsuB-engineered switchgrass hosted different microbial communities in roots, rhizosphere, and leaves. Specifically, QsuB-engineered plants had a lower relative abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Additionally, QsuB-engineered plants had fewer
Actinobacteriota
in root and rhizosphere samples. These findings may indicate that changes in the plant metabolism impact both AMF and
Actinobacteriota
similarly or potential interactions between AMF and the bacterial community. This study enhances understanding of plant-microbiome interactions by providing baseline microbial data for developing beneficial bioengineering strategies and by assessing nontarget impacts of engineered plant traits on the plant microbiome.

IMPORTANCE
Bioenergy crops provide an important strategy for mitigating climate change. Reducing the lignin in bioenergy crops could improve fermentable sugar yields for more efficient conversion into bioenergy and bioproducts. In this study, we assessed how switchgrass engineered for low lignin impacted aboveground and belowground switchgrass microbiome. Our results show unexpected reductions in mycorrhizas and actinobacteria in belowground tissues, raising questions on the resilience and function of genetically engineered plants in agricultural systems.
Scrotal hematoma and subsequent abscess following urethral catheterisation
Authors: Ono Ryosuke , Horibata Ken 
Published: November 2024

A man in his early 70s with advanced Lewy body dementia was admitted to the hospital for treatment of aspiration pneumonia and a severe sacral pressure ulcer. An indwelling urinary catheter was placedto manage urinary retention and to prevent urine contamination of the sacral ulcer.On the 25th day of hospitalisation, swelling and tenderness developed in the patient’s left scrotum. CT and ultrasonography suggested a scrotal hematoma without testicular abnormalities. Clinical monitoring was initially chosen. However, on the 37th day, the scrotum became red and swollen again. Ultrasound and needle aspiration revealed a scrotal abscess, cultures identifiedKlebsiella pneumoniae. The abscess was successfully treated with drainage and ceftriaxone (2 g every 24 hours for 2 weeks). Despite recovery from the abscess, the patient later died from recurrent aspiration pneumonia on the 120th day of hospitalisation.
SENNA: Unified Hardware/Software Space Exploration for Parametrizable Neural Network Accelerators
Authors: ­Kwon Jungyoon , Min Hyemi , Egger Bernhard 
Published: November 2024

Parametrizable neural network accelerators enable the deployment of targeted hardware for specialized environments. Finding the best architecture configuration for a given specification, however, is challenging. A large number of hardware configurations have to be considered, and for each hardware instance, an efficient software execution plan needs to be found, leading to a vast search space. Prior work has tackled this problem by dividing the search into subproblems for individual layers of a network. There is no guarantee, however, that the overall best hardware configuration that delivers the desired end-to-end performance across the entire network is among the best individual layer configurations.
This work presents SENNA, a unified hardware/software space exploration framework for parametrizable neural network accelerators. To guide the exploration toward the overall best configuration, SENNA employs a multi-objective genetic algorithm with a novel design space representation that encodes the configuration of hardware and software parameters in a single chromosome. Using the Parallel Island Model (PIM), each layer is represented by one or more individual islands each containing a separate population to simultaneously search for the best configuration across the entire network. A tailored gene migration technique enables the exchange of genes between the populations of different islands.
SENNA is evaluated with three parametrizable architectures and four neural networks. The evaluation result demonstrates that SENNA achieves upto 1.92x EDP improvement compared to the State-of-the-Art. With equivalent evaluation budgets, SENNA shows 2.5x–9.3x speedup compared to an Oracle scheme and the State-of-the-Art.
Case 331: Cardiac Sarcoidosis
Authors: Umer Muhammad , Sagheer Usman , Furtado Wilfred , Shotwell Matthew , Joshi Jonathan , Shetty Mrinali , Kalra Dinesh K. 
Published: November 2024

History A 43-year-old male patient with no known past medical history presented to the emergency department with new-onset bitemporal headache, dizziness, and bilateral lower extremity weakness for 1 day. The patient denied chest pain, shortness of breath, cough, or recent exposure to sick individuals. He was not on any medications and denied alcohol or illicit drug use. Vital signs were unremarkable. Physical examination was notable for a left-sided pronator drift and bilateral dysmetria that was more pronounced on the left. Results of routine laboratory workup, including complete blood count, metabolic panel, and high-sensitivity troponin level, were normal. An electrocardiogram revealed sinus tachycardia with a heart rate of 102 beats per minute, T-wave inversions in the inferior leads, left axis deviation, incomplete right bundle branch block, and frequent premature ventricular contractions. A radiograph of the chest was unremarkable. CT of the head without contrast enhancement demonstrated no acute intracranial abnormalities. MRI of the brain without contrast enhancement revealed multiple acute infarcts involving left posterior inferior cerebellar artery distribution, right cerebellar hemisphere, right mesial temporal lobe, and right posterior limb of the internal capsule. CT angiography of the head and neck showed an occlusion of the right posterior cerebral artery near its origin, with a trace of distal flow. Given that these findings were concerning for a cardioembolic etiology of acute ischemic stroke, transesophageal echocardiography was performed. This showed mild left ventricular systolic dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 40%, mild global hypokinesis, and an additional finding also seen at subsequent cardiac CT and MRI, disclosed herein. The patient was started on systemic anticoagulation and guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. CT of the chest showed no evidence of lymphadenopathy or abnormalities in the lung parenchyma or interstitium. Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) was performed, followed by cardiac MRI.
Clinical Characteristics and Remission Monitoring of 6q24‐Related Transient Neonatal Diabetes
Authors: McCullough Michael E. , Letourneau-Freiberg Lisa R. , Bowden Tiana L. , Kandasamy Balamurugan , Ray Angela , Wroblewski Kristen , del Gaudio Daniela , Mackay Deborah J. G. , Philipson Louis H. , Greeley Siri Atma W. 
Published: November 2024

Introduction: Transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (TNDM) is a heterogeneous subtype of neonatal diabetes that usually presents within the first days or weeks of life, spontaneously remits in infancy, but can recur in childhood or adolescence as a permanent form of diabetes. Approximately 70% of TNDM cases are due to overexpression of genes at chromosome 6q24 (6q24‐TNDM) caused by one of three potential mechanisms: paternal uniparental disomy (pUPD6), paternal duplication, or hypomethylation of the maternal allele. Our aim was to further elucidate the clinical characteristics of a relatively large group of individuals with this rare condition.Methods: Participants with a genetically confirmed diagnosis of 6q24‐TNDM were identified through the University of Chicago Monogenic Diabetes Registry. Some participants had testing done on a clinical basis, with the remainder having received research‐based genetic testing. Clinical information was extracted from survey responses and medical records.Results: There were 33 participants with 6q24‐TNDM (58% were male). Eight (24%) had hypomethylation of the maternal allele, seven (21%) had paternal duplication, 17 (52%) had pUPD6, and one individual had 6q24 hypomethylation of unknown etiology. The median age of initial diabetes presentation was 2 days (n = 33). Remission occurred at a median age of 3 months (n = 28). The median age of relapse was 14 years (range 12–31 years, n = 9). The majority (71%) of participants were born small for gestational age and 32% of participants were born before 37 weeks gestation. The most common extra‐pancreatic features were umbilical hernia (22%, n = 6/27), macroglossia (56%, n = 15/27), and speech pathologies (36%, n = 10/28). No significant differences in clinical characteristics were identified across the three genetic etiologies (pUPD6, paternal duplication, maternal hypomethylation).Conclusions: Clinical characteristics were not different across underlying genetic mechanism groups, suggesting that genetic testing is required to definitively determine the mechanism and diagnosis of 6q24‐TNDM. Clarification of the specific underlying mechanism is strongly encouraged to clarify recurrence risk, but whether these subcategories may have other clinically relevant differences remains to be elucidated. Early assessment for speech therapy should be considered for this patient population. We recommend that patients in remission be equipped to check blood glucose levels as needed, such as during illness, and should continue seeing a diabetes provider at least occasionally, especially around the time of puberty and thereafter.
Phase I/II Study of the Aurora Kinase A Inhibitor Alisertib and Pembrolizumab in Refractory, Rb-Deficient Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas
Authors: Johnson Faye M. , O’Hara Madison P. , Yapindi Lacin , Jiang Peixin , Tran Hai T. , Reuben Alexandre , Xiao Weihong , Gillison Maura L. , Sun Xiaowen , Khalaf Alexander , Lee J. Jack , Sastry Jagannadha K. , Ghosh Soma 
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Purpose:
Effective therapy for recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) that is refractory to chemotherapy and immunotherapy is a considerable need. Aurora kinase A inhibition leads to apoptosis and immunogenic cell death in preclinical models of human papilloma virus (HPV)–driven cancers.

Patients and Methods:
Alisertib was administered orally twice daily on days 1–7 and pembrolizumab on day 1 of a 21-day cycle to adults with advanced solid tumors (phase I) or with immunotherapy- and platinum-resistant, HPV-positive HNSCC (phase II).

Results:
The recommended phase II alisertib dose was 40 mg, which had only the expected toxicity including cytopenia that led to dose reductions in two phase II patients at cycles 13 and 16. We saw no objective responses, but the combination led to prolonged stable disease (SD) in several patients, including two of 10 phase I patients (8 and 27 months). Eight of the 15 HPV-positive patients had SD, of which four (heavily pretreated) had ≥6 months, with median overall and progression-free survival durations of 16.8 and 1.4 months, respectively. In circulating immune cells and plasma, patients with SD had markedly higher levels of HLA de novo resistance–expressing NK cells than did progressive disease patients who demonstrated a more immunosuppressive and inflammatory profile. Pharmacokinetics did not indicate any significant drug-drug interactions between pembrolizumab and alisertib.

Conclusions:
The combination of alisertib and pembrolizumab was well tolerated and led to prolonged SD in some immunotherapy-resistant patients, supporting our hypothesis that Aurora kinase A inhibition can reverse immunotherapy resistance of retinoblastoma protein–deficient HNSCC.
High Sea Freedoms Walking the Plank
Authors: El Mahmoud Khaled 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
This article examines whether and to what extent the concept of the common heritage of humankind (CHH) can be used to remedy the weaknesses of the high seas fisheries regime. Following a brief review of the circumstances in which the CHH emerged, the notion, legal status, and normative content of the concept are examined. Whether the CHH concept has been integrated into other international instruments, thus qualifying it as a general principle of law, is analysed. Subsequently, the high seas fisheries regime is examined closely to identify any existing gaps. The article then turns to the question of the applicability of the CHH as a limitation of the freedom of fishing and draw comparisons between Parts VII and XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, delineating the potential ramifications of such an application. The assessment submitted is based on a perspective sub specie legis ferendae.
Autonomy and Church Membership: Resolving Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Dilemma through John Zizioulas’s Ecclesiology
Authors: Chen Steven 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
This article explores the theological implications of being a church member in a contemporary context that highly values individual autonomy, by engaging with John Zizioulas’s ecclesiological framework. Initially, the article elucidates the notion of the ‘autonomous self’, drawing upon the intellectual contributions and life experiences of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. It posits that Rousseau’s dilemma of losing self or suffering from loneliness represents the challenge faced by those holding this autonomous anthropological assumption. The article subsequently employs John Zizioulas’s constructs of ontological personhood and communion ecclesiology as counterpoints to this quandary. It contends that Zizioulas’s trinitarian-informed theological anthropology offers an ecclesial means to surmount this existential dilemma, arguing that church membership is an act of participating in divine and familial communion.
‘Women Care More’
Authors: Frost Marie-Luise 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Even though African Initiated Churches are often said to be particularly open to women, women are mostly absent from leadership positions. Based on interviews and focus group discussions conducted in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa between 2017 and 2019, this paper investigates which official positions women can or cannot assume in the churches’ hierarchies as well as the reasons behind the decisions. The material of 109 responses reveals that biblical references are used to legitimate both the acceptance as well as the rejection of women in leading positions. Apart from theological aspects, also understandings of gender roles in the wider society have an influence on the positions of women in different churches. The interviews provide insight into how perspectives on and positions of women inside and outside the church mutually affect, reinforce and challenge each other in different ways.
Making Jesus Viral: How Contemporary Churches Have Adapted to TikTok
Authors: Bluedorn Jenna L. 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
As the media landscape is constantly shifting, businesses and individuals alike must adapt their online presence to meet their potential audience across platforms. Very few churches have begun to adapt TikTok into their digital messaging strategies. Little research on church social media use has been conducted, with none having examined TikTok’s use. This research contributes to the larger body of work by filling the gap in TikTok research in general and helping to understand how TikTok fits into the larger social media world. An analysis of three churches’ TikTok presence is provided with recommendations on opportunities for further research.
The Legal Protection of Persons Affected by Sea-Level Rise
Authors: Galvão Teles Patrícia 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Based on the work carried out by the United Nations International Law Commission’s Study Group on Sea-Level Rise in relation to International Law, of which the author is one of the co-chairs, this article looks at the elements that can form the basis for the legal protection of persons affected by climate-change induced sea-level rise. Such elements include human dignity, the protection of persons in vulnerable situations and displaced persons, non-discrimination, non-refoulement, the avoidance of statelessness and safeguarding of cultural heritage. The article also highlights the different obligations of different duty bearers, the importance of combining a needs-based and rights-based approach and the key relevance of international cooperation for the protection of persons affected by sea-level rise.