bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prediction of Severe Baseline Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis and Subsequent Risk of Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Poorthuis Michiel H.F. , Hageman Steven H.J. , Fiolet Aernoud T.L. , Kappelle L. Jaap , Bots Michiel L. , Steg Ph. Gabriel , Visseren Frank L.J. , Bhatt Deepak L. , de Borst Gert J. 
Published: September 2024

BACKGROUND:
Risk models to identify patients at high risk of asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (ACAS) can help in selecting patients for screening, but long-term outcomes in these patients are unknown. We assessed the diagnostic and prognostic value of the previously published Prevalence of ACAS (PACAS) risk model to detect ACAS at baseline and to predict subsequent risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease (CVD) during follow-up.

METHODS:
We validated the discrimination and calibration of the PACAS risk model to detect severe (≥70% narrowing) ACAS with patients from the Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health registry. We subsequently calculated the incidence rates of stroke and CVD (fatal and nonfatal stroke or myocardial infarction or vascular death) during follow-up in 4 risk groups (low, medium, high, and very high, corresponding to sum scores of ≤9, 10–13, 14–17, and ≥18, respectively).

RESULTS:

Among 26 384 patients, aged between 45 and 80 years, without prior carotid procedures, 1662 (6.3%) had severe baseline ACAS. During ≈70 000 patient-years of follow-up, 1124 strokes and 2484 CVD events occurred. Discrimination of the PACAS model was 0.67 (95% CI, 0.65–0.68), and calibration showed adequate concordance between predicted and observed risks of severe baseline ACAS after recalibration. Significantly higher incidence rates of stroke (
P
trend
<0.011) and CVD (
P
trend
<0.0001) during follow-up were found with increasing PACAS risk groups. Among patients with high PACAS sum score of ≥14 (corresponding to 27.7% of all patients), severe baseline ACAS prevalence was 11.4%. In addition, 56.6% of incident strokes and 64.9% of incident CVD events occurred in this group.

CONCLUSIONS:
The PACAS risk model can reliably identify patients at high risk of severe baseline ACAS. Incidence rates of stroke and CVD during follow-up were significantly higher in patients with high PACAS sum scores. Selective screening of patients with high PACAS sum scores may help to prevent future stroke or CVD.
Strategic Ambiguity in the Time of  a  Second Cold  War
Authors: Abrenica Maria Joy V. , Guzman Ricardo Rafael S. , Sabarillo Anthony G. 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
In the competition for hegemony of major powers, it seems logical for a small or middle power state to be ambiguous on its preference. Aligning with one protagonist for protection and preferential treatment can only be at the expense of antagonizing the other. Conventional wisdom holds that hedging is practical as it allows a country to leverage on its amicable relations with both powers.
The ASEAN states are caught in the middle of the U.S.–China economic rivalry as well as directly engaged in maritime disputes with China. This paper evaluates strategic ambiguity versus alignment against the backdrop of trade decoupling of rival superpowers. Using a multi-sector, multi-country Ricardian trade model, our simulation results reveal that it is in the interest of some economies to align with one of two camps, contrary to conventional wisdom. The diverse welfare effects of decoupling on member states prevent the attainment of a unified ASEAN position and undermine ASEAN centrality in curbing the risk of a second cold war.
Fragmentation in International Investment and Trade
Authors: Kaaresvirta Juuso , Kerola Eeva , Nuutilainen Riikka 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
We study the signs of fragmentation—that is, the process of weakening economic interdependence between blocs of countries—in world trade and investment during the U.S.–China trade war (2018–21) relative to the period preceding it (2014–17). We show that although bilateral flows between the United States and China have been badly hurt, there is still little evidence of a wider fragmentation, even for technology intensive manufactures. We find some shifts in global trade, especially toward Central and Eastern Europe and ASEAN countries. This may reflect partial reshuffling of global value chains but is not necessarily driven by geoeconomic factors. Both China and the United States have been favoring these regions during the trade war.
Economic Globalization Under a New Cold War: Taiwan's Ambiguous and Critical Role
Authors: Kuo Chun-Chien 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Producing 92 percent of the world's high-end chips, a critical component for the United States and a strategic asset China aims to control, Taiwan plays an important role in the New Cold War amid escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Several conclusions emerge from the analysis of this role. First, improved communication among the United States, China, and Taiwan is essential. Second, a peaceful Taiwan Strait benefits all parties, as a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would have catastrophic global repercussions. Third, the future of Taiwan's status and the world economy heavily depends on the evolution of U.S.–China relations and whether China opts for aggressive or peaceful policies.
ECCENTRIC: A fast and unrestrained approach for high-resolution in
vivo metabolic imaging at ultra-high field MR
Authors: Klauser Antoine , Strasser Bernhard , Bogner Wolfgang , Hingerl Lukas , Courvoisier Sebastien , Schirda Claudiu , Rosen Bruce R. , Lazeyras Francois , Andronesi Ovidiu C. 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
A novel method for fast and high-resolution metabolic imaging, called ECcentric Circle ENcoding TRajectorIes for Compressed sensing (ECCENTRIC), has been developed at 7 Tesla MRI. ECCENTRIC is a non-Cartesian spatial-spectral encoding method designed to accelerate magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) with high signal-to-noise at ultra-high field. The approach provides flexible and random sampling of the Fourier space without temporal interleaving to improve spatial response function and spectral quality. ECCENTRIC enables the implementation of spatial-spectral MRSI with reduced gradient amplitudes and slew-rates, thereby mitigating electrical, mechanical, and thermal stress of the scanner hardware. Moreover, it exhibits robustness against timing imperfections and eddy-current delay. Combined with a model-based low-rank reconstruction, this approach enables simultaneous imaging of up to 14 metabolites over the whole brain at 2–3 mm isotropic resolution in 4–10 min. MRSI ECCENTRIC was performed on four healthy volunteers, yielding high-resolution spatial mappings of neurochemical profiles within the human brain. This innovative tool introduces a novel approach to neuroscience, providing new insights into the exploration of brain activity and physiology.
The effects of locus coeruleus optogenetic stimulation on global
spatiotemporal patterns in rats
Authors: Anumba Nmachi , Kelberman Michael A. , Pan Wenju , Marriott Alexia , Zhang Xiaodi , Xu Nan , Weinshenker David , Keilholz Shella 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Whole-brain intrinsic activity as detected by resting-state fMRI can be summarized by three primary spatiotemporal patterns. These patterns have been shown to change with different brain states, especially arousal. The noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) is a key node in arousal circuits and has extensive projections throughout the brain, giving it neuromodulatory influence over the coordinated activity of structurally separated regions. In this study, we used optogenetic-fMRI in rats to investigate the impact of LC stimulation on the global signal and three primary spatiotemporal patterns. We report small, spatially specific changes in global signal distribution as a result of tonic LC stimulation, as well as regional changes in spatiotemporal patterns of activity at 5 Hz tonic and 15 Hz phasic stimulation. We also found that LC stimulation had little to no effect on the spatiotemporal patterns detected by complex principal component analysis. We hypothesize that localized effects could be due to engagement of LC modules that support behaviors induced by our specific stimulation parameters, in addition to noradrenergic receptor profile distributions. Nonetheless, these results show that the effects of LC activity on the BOLD signal in rats may be small and regionally concentrated, as opposed to widespread and globally acting, further supporting emerging evidence of a modular LC.
Predicting the macrovascular contribution to resting-state fMRI
functional connectivity at 3 Tesla: A model-informed approach
Authors: Zhong Xiaole Z. , Polimeni Jonathan R. , Chen J. Jean 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Macrovascular biases have been a long-standing challenge for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), limiting its ability to detect spatially specific neural activity. Recent experimental studies, including our own, found substantial resting-state macrovascular blood-oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI contributions from large veins and arteries, extending into the perivascular tissue at 3 T and 7 T. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of predicting, using a biophysical model, the experimental resting-state BOLD fluctuation amplitude (RSFA) and associated functional connectivity (FC) values at 3 Tesla. We investigated the feasibility of both 2D and 3D infinite-cylinder Models as well as macrovascular anatomical networks (macro-VANs) derived from angiograms. Our results demonstrate that (1) with the availability of macro-VANs, it is feasible to model macrovascular BOLD FC using both the macro-VAN-based model and 3D infinite-cylinder Models, though the former performed better; (2) biophysical modelling can accurately predict the BOLD pair-wise correlation near to large veins (with R2 ranging from 0.53 to 0.93 across different subjects), but not near to large arteries; (3) compared with FC, biophysical modelling provided less accurate predictions for RSFA; (4) modelling of perivascular BOLD connectivity was feasible at close distances from veins (with R2 ranging from 0.08 to 0.57), but not arteries, with performance deteriorating with increasing distance. While our current study demonstrates the feasibility of simulating macrovascular BOLD in the resting state, our methodology may also apply to understanding task-based BOLD. Furthermore, these results suggest the possibility of correcting for macrovascular bias in resting-state fMRI and other types of fMRI using biophysical modelling based on vascular anatomy.
Coffee and its waste repel second-stage juveniles of Meloidogyne species and inhibit their infection of lettuce roots
Authors: Oka Yuji 
Published: September 2024

Summary
Second-stage juveniles (J2) of Meloidogyne species are known to be repelled by several compounds. Although such repellents could serve for nematode control, effective, practical and sustainable repellents are unknown. The present study tested instant coffee crystals (ICC) and a methanolic extract of spent coffee grounds (SCG) for their repellency against, and infection inhibition of, J2 of Meloidogyne species on agar plate assays. J2 of Meloidogyne javanica, M. hapla and M. marylandi were repelled by the SCG extract and ICC. When ICC were mixed with chemical J2 attractants, their attractiveness to M. javanica J2 was reduced or abolished. ICC and the SCG extract deposited near lettuce seedling roots on the agar plate reduced the number of M. javanica, M. incognita, and M. hapla J2 attracted to the root tips by 84.3-96.4%, decreased infection rates by 37.5-75.0%, and increased root length 1.3- to 2.8-fold compared to seedlings grown on the non-treated side of the same plate. Thoroughly mixing the SCG extract into the plated agar reduced the number of J2 of the three species attracted to lettuce root tips by 46.7-98.6% and the infection rate by 87.5-95.8%, and increased the root length of the seedlings up to 2.8-fold, although no nematicidal effect was found. The same SCG-treated agar plate reduced the attraction of M. javanica J2 to a chemical attractant. The results suggest that ICC and the SCG extract have repellent and infection-inhibitory activity against Meloidogyne J2 and are potential control means for Meloidogyne species.
Colonial Echoes: Unraveling Economic Legacies and Geopolitical Shifts in the South Pacific Islands
Authors: Prabhakar Akhilesh Chandra 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
The research delves into the intricate geopolitical dynamics underpinning the economy of the South Pacific region, focusing on attaining self-sufficiency and environmental sustainability amidst competing interests from global powers such as the United States, Australia, Japan, India, New Zealand, and China. It scrutinizes the geopolitical and geoeconomic factors influencing Pacific nations, curating data from academic papers, policy documents, media, and relevant websites. Challenges, opportunities, and concerns facing the region are discerned within historical and contemporary contexts, emphasizing the need for Pacific nations to integrate with China and India’s economies. Recommendations prioritize transparent, sustainable partnerships, advocating for alignment with Chinese and Indian economic prowess while safeguarding regional interests and values. A mixed-methods research framework is employed, upholding ethical standards and furnishing pragmatic recommendations for policymakers, international entities, and local stakeholders. Emphasizing reconciliation, community empowerment, and sustainable development, the research aims for a more equitable and resilient future. By illuminating the enduring imprint of colonialism on the region’s socio-economic trajectory and geopolitical dynamics, this study contributes to understanding and navigating the complexities of colonial legacies in the South Pacific Islands.
The Sea Is No Longer (Rev 21:1c)
Authors: Larsen David W. 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
The absence of the sea from new creation (Rev 21:1c) is a curious observation made by the author of the book of Revelation, prompting traditional assumptions with insufficient conclusions. Since the sea had/has been a symbol of a realm of evil in the first creation, it has been assumed that the sea needed to be eliminated from the new creation. However, since the earth was able to be recreated, thereby eliminating its prior traces of evil, why could the sea not have been, returning to being a realm that is good and aligns with its original placiality (Gen 1:9–10). This article proposes that the elimination of the sea is a de facto polemic against Rome, with the city of “New Jerusalem” possessing a footprint that dwarfed Rome as a city and rivalled the footprint of the Roman Empire itself, leaving no room for a sea within the city’s borders.
Credibility of Churches’ Antiracism Engagement
Authors: van der Ham Kirsten , Reddie Anthony , Smit Peter-Ben , Klomp Mirella 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
This article aims to explore how the entanglement of Protestant Christianity and race and racism is manifested in contemporary Dutch society, and to identify which themes for introspection this yields for majority white Dutch Protestant churches. We argue that introspection on perceived superiority of white Dutch Protestantism is crucial to uncover subtle, unconscious mechanisms and ideas that are present in majority white Dutch Protestant churches and that contribute to maintaining racism. Furthermore, we argue that contemporary topical issues such as racism and colonial history run the risk of being pushed to the margins again as long as there is no systematic review of power and privilege of white Dutch Protestantism.
Intuitions about the Digitability of Religion among Transnationally Rooted Digital Natives in Switzerland
Authors: Menzfeld Mira 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
This article presents positions on the digitability of religion as they are lived and reasoned about by digital natives who claim to be religious, spiritual, and/or searching and curious in this regard. Data were collected through explorative participant observations and semistructured interviews with digital natives with transmigratory biography elements in Switzerland. Examples of the borders that interlocutors drew between digitable and nondigitable aspects of religion are also presented to provide an overview of the emic assumptions about the possibilities and limits of religious digitability in the field. The analysis revealed that digital natives tended to see almost all aspects of religion but not all aspects of the religious community experience as digitable, and sometimes value the nondigitability of certain nuances of community explicitly.
Jains in Switzerland
Authors: Iseli Mirjam 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
There are 120 Jains living in Switzerland today. Desiring to exchange information about their religion and to expand their knowledge, they started to meet in 2008. This initiated a community-building process in which Jains of different branches took part. Such a process, as well as the diaspora situation itself, is always connected with negotiations and religious transformations, which is also evident in the Swiss context. Following the common meetings, a distinct form of Jainism was created in Switzerland. This new form is supradenominational and universal and based on aspects such as vegetarianism, environmentalism, and nonviolence. Additionally, the Swiss Jains developed new strategies of knowledge transfer. This article focuses on not only the formation of a Swiss Jain community but also its dissolution as no common gatherings have taken place since 2016. Therefore, factors are named that can lead to the dissolution of a community.
Butyrate-producing bacteria as probiotic supplement: beneficial effects on metabolism and modulation of behaviour in an obesity mouse model
Authors: Garcia-Serrano A.M. , Skoug C. , Axling U. , Korhonen E.R. , Teixeira C. , Ahrén I.L. , Mukhopadhya I. , Boteva N. , Martin J. , Scott K. , Gratz S. , Stenkula K.G. , Holm C. , Duarte J.M.N. 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Obesity is a risk factor for cardio-metabolic and neurological disease. The contribution of gut microbiota to derangements of the gut-brain axis in the context of obesity has been acknowledged, particularly through physiology modulation by short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Thus, probiotic interventions and administration of SCFAs have been employed with the purpose of alleviating symptoms in both metabolic and neurological disease. We investigated the effects of four butyrate-producing bacteria from the Lachnospiraceae family on the development of metabolic syndrome and behavioural alterations in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. Male mice were fed either a high-fat diet (HFD) or an ingredient-matched control diet for 2 months, and bacteria cultures or culture medium were given by gavage to HFD-fed mice every second day. Mice were assessed through a battery of metabolic and behaviour tests, and fluxes through the gut barrier and blood-brain barrier were determined using Dextran-based tracers. One of the administered bacteria from the Coprococcus genus, which produces butyrate and formate, afforded some degree of protection against the development of obesity and its complications. Results from this study, however, are insufficient to support brain health benefits of the bacteria tested. None of the bacteria modulated permeability through the gut or blood-brain barriers. Our results suggest health benefits of a bacteria from Lachnospiraceae family, and encourage further exploration of its use as probiotic.
Exploring the East Asian Collection at the Wangensteen Historical Library of Medicine and Biology at the University of Minnesota
Authors: Beck Emily , Hendrickson Lois , Ye Shuqi 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
The Wangensteen Historical Library of Medicine and Biology (WHL) at the University of Minnesota (UMN) is a special collections library founded in the mid-1960s. It has been continuously collecting rare East Asian items over the last fifteen years, and now constitutes more than half of the UMN rare East Asian collection. The materials in WHL were primarily acquired for their relevance to medicine and biology but may also be beneficial to other disciplines. Most of the WHL items are understudied and less well known to the public. This article will feature four items to showcase the collection’s strength and diversity.
Influences of Social Class on the Negotiation of Authority and Community in Practice of Islam in America
Authors: de Rooij Laurens 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study of religious practice in a working-class and middle-class Muslim American community. Given the small sample size (N = 18), this study is exploratory and suggests avenues for future research on social class and religious practice among Muslim Americans. The results indicate that different social classes have different views regarding the proper role of religion in their lives. Moreover, social class provides people with unequal resources to meet certain demands placed on them by their religious community and society in general. Other aspects of community life (e.g., social networks) also intervene and mediate institutional relationships and affect religious practice. The social and cultural elements that facilitate perceived compliance with a particular interpretation of religious praxis can be analysed in terms of social and cultural capital. This study suggests that social and cultural capital can help scholars understand differences in religious practice among Muslims across different localities and classes.
Promoting More High Quality Chinese Studies of China and Their Translation into English Is a Matter of Great Urgency!
Authors: Huang Philip C. C. 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Because the present-day Chinese academic system gives little value to monographic studies, and non-Chinese scholars are very, very rarely able to compose in Chinese, Chinese studies today severely lacks high quality monographic research in Chinese. At the same time, most Chinese scholars in China (distinguished from Chinese-origin scholars abroad) are generally only able to translate from English into their mother tongue Chinese, and seldom able to do the reverse of translating into their non-mother tongue English. As a result, quality English-language studies by mainland Chinese scholars are also rare. On a global level, therefore, high quality book-length scholarship on China is in fact largely limited to English language studies by non-Chinese foreign scholars and overseas Chinese scholars, and is severely lacking in studies by mainland Chinese scholars, whether in Chinese or English. This is a situation that cries out urgently for change.
Enlightenment and Genocide: Johannes Andreas Paravicini’s Mission on Timor in 1756
Authors: Hägerdal Hans 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
The Dutch United East India Company (voc) had a Janus-faced position in early-modern maritime Asia as merchant and politician. The present study highlights this through the case of the Spanish-born diplomat Johannes Andreas Paravicini (1710–71). During his mission to Timor in 1756, he concluded a major contract with numerous indigenous states that ostensibly brought a major part of Timor under the voc, in defiance of the rival Portuguese. The contract itself merits attention as literature due to its Enlightenment rhetoric and stress on general welfare, despite being accompanied by excessive physical violence, genocide, and slaving. The article furthermore scrutinizes the ceremonies and symbols that aimed to subjugate the native states. It is argued that Paravicini, while relying on local informants, misrepresented the Timorese hierarchical power structures and concepts of authority. For the Dutch, this led to a series of disappointments and setbacks in the region during the following decades.