bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Feasibility of 68Ga-FAPI-46 PET for evaluating fibrosis activity in aortic aneurysm
Authors: Paeng J , Suh H Y , Kim Y K , Choi J W 
Published: June 2024

Abstract

Purpose
Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) expression is upregulated in tissue fibrosis, active inflammation, and tumors. Aortic aneurysm (AA) is a disease where aortic wall loses its elasticity with fibrotic change. We investigated the feasibility of 68Ga-labelled FAP inhibitor (FAPI) PET and its quantitative indexes, as a non-invasive imaging for evaluating fibrosis activity in AA.

Methods
Twenty patients with AA who were planned for aneurysmal resection were prospectively enrolled. 68Ga-FAPI-46 PET was preoperatively performed to examine FAP expression in the AA. Nine 68Ga-FAPI-46 PET cases from lung cancer patients were used as control. Expressions of FAP and other markers in the resected AA tissue and remote aorta were assessed by western blotting. 68Ga-FAPI-46 PET was evaluated visually, and quantitatively using SUV and target-to-liver ratio (TLR). The image findings and quantitative indexes were compared with the clinicopathologic factors.

Results
When AA tissues were divided into tertiles according to the visual grading of PET, the quantitative indexes showed significant differences among groups (Low 2.07±0.36 vs. Moderate 2.80±0.47 vs. High 3.55±0.37, p=0.002 for SUVmax; Low 2.37±0.57 vs. Moderate 2.81±1.16 vs. High 4.44±0.13, p=0.042 for TLR). Quantitative indexes of FAPI PET were significantly higher in AA patients compared to control group (1.99±0.36 vs. 2.51±0.67, p=0.048 for SUVmax; 2.10±0.71 vs. 2.81±1.03, p=0.038 for TLR). On western blotting, the AA tissue showed variable but overall increased FAP expression compared to the remote aorta (p=0.012). The quantitative indexes of FAPI PET were significantly correlated with the degree of FAP expression on western blotting (rho=0.75, p=0.0020 for SUVmax; rho=0.68, p=0.0070 for TLR). CT growth rate was significantly different among groups (Low -0.0051±0.011 vs. Moderate 0.0074±0.00947 vs. High 0.034±0.043, p=0.037) and positive correlation was found between CT growth rate and SUVmax (rho=0.53, p=0.043). No significant correlation was found between the indexes and other markers including smooth muscle proliferation (a-SMA) or inflammation (TGF-b).

Conclusion
AA tissues show variable but overall increased FAP expression. The quantitative indexes of FAPI PET are well correlated with the FAP expression on the tissue. FAPI PET can be an effective non-invasive imaging for evaluating fibrosis activity of AA, and further studies are warranted to assess clinical implication of fibrosis activity in the AA.
Whitewashing American Exceptionalism: Racialized Subject-Positioning and US Foreign Policy
Authors: Maass Richard W 
Published: June 2024

Abstracts
American exceptionalism is enjoying a revival of scholarly interest amid new approaches to studying foreign policy narratives and unease regarding how US policymakers will manage a less unipolar international system. That revival coincides temporally, though not yet substantively, with growing attention to racialized dynamics and Eurocentrism within international relations. This article examines how core strands of American exceptionalism—the prevailing narrative framing of US foreign policy—reflect a whitewashed understanding of US foreign policy that can best be understood as the product of racialized subject-positioning that saturated its historical development. After conceptualizing American exceptionalism, it develops a theoretical framework to capture how racialized subject-positioning stratifies understandings of a nation’s role in the world. It proceeds to investigate how this process shaped the development of American exceptionalism in line with epistemologies of immanence, ignorance, and innocence, producing exceptionalist narratives that neglect non-white populations as meaningful others in the construction of US national identity and that negate US interactions with those groups as relevant evidence that might undercut its exceptionalism. These whitewashing effects remained embedded even as overtly racist discourse became delegitimized, posing enduring obstacles for US diplomacy today.
A primer for quantum computing and its applications to healthcare and biomedical research
Authors: Durant Thomas J S , Knight Elizabeth , Nelson Brent , Dudgeon Sarah , Lee Seung J , Walliman Dominic , Young Hobart P , Ohno-Machado Lucila , Schulz Wade L 
Published: June 2024

Abstract

Objectives
To introduce quantum computing technologies as a tool for biomedical research and highlight future applications within healthcare, focusing on its capabilities, benefits, and limitations.

Target Audience
Investigators seeking to explore quantum computing and create quantum-based applications for healthcare and biomedical research.

Scope
Quantum computing requires specialized hardware, known as quantum processing units, that use quantum bits (qubits) instead of classical bits to perform computations. This article will cover (1) proposed applications where quantum computing offers advantages to classical computing in biomedicine; (2) an introduction to how quantum computers operate, tailored for biomedical researchers; (3) recent progress that has expanded access to quantum computing; and (4) challenges, opportunities, and proposed solutions to integrate quantum computing in biomedical applications.
Heteroplasmy Is Rare in Plant Mitochondria Compared with Plastids despite Similar Mutation Rates
Authors: Khachaturyan Marina , Santer Mario , Reusch Thorsten B H , Dagan Tal 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Plant cells harbor two membrane-bound organelles containing their own genetic material—plastids and mitochondria. Although the two organelles coexist and coevolve within the same plant cells, they differ in genome copy number, intracellular organization, and mode of segregation. How these attributes affect the time to fixation or, conversely, loss of neutral alleles is currently unresolved. Here, we show that mitochondria and plastids share the same mutation rate, yet plastid alleles remain in a heteroplasmic state significantly longer compared with mitochondrial alleles. By analyzing genetic variants across populations of the marine flowering plant Zostera marina and simulating organelle allele dynamics, we examine the determinants of allele segregation and allele fixation. Our results suggest that the bottlenecks on the cell population, e.g. during branching or seeding, and stratification of the meristematic tissue are important determinants of mitochondrial allele dynamics. Furthermore, we suggest that the prolonged plastid allele dynamics are due to a yet unknown active plastid partition mechanism. The dissimilarity between plastid and mitochondrial novel allele fixation at different levels of organization may manifest in differences in adaptation processes. Our study uncovers fundamental principles of organelle population genetics that are essential for further investigations of long-term evolution and molecular dating of divergence events.
How “baked in” ideas hinder ideational robustness: the International Monetary Fund and “fiscal space”
Authors: Clift Ben 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThis paper brings insights into ideational robustness to bear on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) fiscal policy thinking. It advances understanding of both the IMF and the concept of ideational robustness by focusing on economic ideas as they are put into practice by expert economic institutions. The IMF has traditionally enjoyed a reputation as a hawkish enforcer of neoliberal doctrine and conservative fiscal discipline, foregrounding deficit bias and fiscal sustainability concerns. Capitalist crises, notably the 2008 crash and COVID, have seen public debt increase while rendering growth and stability increasingly elusive. This turbulence has spurred some rethinking of Fund fiscal ideas. The IMF has added the new concept of fiscal space to its policy commentary and advocacy. Fiscal space seeks to reconcile economic stabilization and supporting growth to the Fund’s overarching concern to maintain fiscal discipline and sustainability. A focus on how ideas are put into practice shows that long-standing Fund fiscal priorities are hardwired into operational frameworks, curtailing the new emphasis and adaptions. Thus, key to the institutional conditions of IMF fiscal policy actions are “baked in” economic ideas. These are operationalized through economic models, analytical tools, fiscal evaluation frameworks, and standard operating procedures. The “politics of economic method,” in the form of deliberation and contestation over different normative ideas that can underpin alternative constructions of such policy frameworks, plays an important role in shaping which economic ideas come to matter, and how, for the IMF. The Fund’s “fiscal space” episode can be interpreted as a quest for ideational robustness (through increased flexibility), which thus far remains unrealized due to the crucial role of these mechanisms, institutional conditions, and ideational path dependencies.
Exposure to family and domestic violence in the prenatal period is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for bronchiolitis in children under 2 years
Authors: Orr Carol , Kelty Erin , Belinelo Patricia , Fisher Colleen , Glauert A Rebecca , O’Donnell Melissa , Preen David B 
Published: June 2024

Abstract

Background
Existing research has acknowledged a correlation between stress in pregnancy and poorer respiratory health in offspring. However, research focusing on stress caused by family and domestic violence in the prenatal period is missing.

Methods
A retrospective cohort study included children born 1987–2010 who were identified as being exposed to FDV in the prenatal period (n = 1477) from two sources: WA Police Information Management System and WA Hospital Morbidity Data Collection (HMDC) and a non-exposed comparison group (n = 41 996). Hospitalization for bronchiolitis was identified in HMDC. Cox regression was used to estimate the adjusted and unadjusted hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval for bronchiolitis hospitalizations contact.

Results
Children exposed to FDV had a 70% (HR 1.70, 95% CI: 1.49–1.94) increased risk of hospitalization for bronchiolitis than non-exposed counterparts by age two. Children exposed to FDV had a longer average hospital stay for bronchiolitis than non-exposed children (4.0 days vs. 3.8 days, P &lt; 0.001).

Conclusions
Prenatal exposure to FDV is associated with bronchiolitis hospitalization in children &lt;2 years. Along with other risk factors, clinicians should give consideration to maternal stress factors, including experiencing FDV as a potential contributor to bronchiolitis.
The United States Stereotactic EEG Survey: Current Practice and Future Opportunities
Authors: Gavvala Jay R. 
Published: June 2024

Purpose:
Stereotactic EEG (SEEG) is being increasingly used in the intracranial evaluation of refractory epilepsy in the United States. A 2022 survey of SEEG practices among National Association of Epilepsy Centers tertiary referral (NAEC level IV) centers found largely similar practices across institutions. However, a few significant differences were noted in technical and patient care practice, and in the level of SEEG background training. In the year since publication, we review the identified challenges facing SEEG practice and suggest specific corrective action.

Conclusions:
Stereotactic EEG has rapidly become the principal method for intracranial EEG monitoring in epilepsy surgery centers in the United States. The rate of adoption of SEEG is currently higher than the growth of invasive monitoring overall. Most report similar indications for SEEG, although significant variability exists in personnel expertise and technical and patient care practice. Consensus statements, guidelines, and review of postgraduate training curricula are urgently needed to benchmark SEEG practice and develop appropriate skillsets in the next generation of practitioners in the United States.
Visualizing lipid nanoparticle trafficking for mRNA vaccine delivery in non-human primates
Authors: Buckley Maureen , Araínga Mariluz , Maiorino Laura , Pires Ivan S. , Kim B.J. , Michaels Katarzyna Kaczmarek , Dye Jonathan , Qureshi Kashif , Zhang Yiming , Mak Howard , Steichen Jon M. , Schief William R. , Villinger Francois , Irvine Darrell J 
Published: June 2024

SUMMARYmRNA delivered using lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) has become an important subunit vaccine modality, but mechanisms of action for mRNA vaccines remain incompletely understood. Here, we synthesized a metal chelator-lipid conjugate enabling positron emission tomography (PET) tracer labeling of LNP/mRNA vaccines for quantitative visualization of vaccine trafficking in live non-human primates (NHPs). Following i.m. injection, we observed LNPs distributing through injected muscle tissue, simultaneous with rapid trafficking to draining lymph nodes (dLNs). Deltoid injection of LNPs mimicking human vaccine administration led to stochastic LNP delivery to 3 different sets of dLNs. LNP uptake in dLNs was confirmed by histology, and cellular analysis of tissues via flow cytometry identified antigen-presenting cells as the primary cell type responsible for early LNP uptake and mRNA translation. These results provide insights into the biodistribution of mRNA vaccines administered at clinically relevant doses, injection volumes, and injection sites in an important large animal model for vaccine development.
Evolution of iGluR ligand specificity, polyamine regulation, and ion selectivity inferred from a placozoan Epsilon receptor
Authors: Singh Anhadvir , Zhorov Boris S. , Yanez-Guerra Luis A. , Aleotti Alessandra , Yanartas C. Defne , Song Yunqi , Senatore Adriano 
Published: June 2024

AbstractEpsilon ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) belong to a recently described sub-family of metazoan receptors that is distinct from the AMPA, Kainate, Delta, and Phi (i.e., AKDF) sub-family, the NMDA sub-family, and the Lambda subfamily. Here, we sought to better understand the evolutionary and functional properties of Epsilon receptors by focusing on homologues from the basal invertebrateTrichoplax adhaerens(phylum Placozoa). We provide an updated species-guided phylogeny of eukaryotic iGluRs, and a comprehensive phylogeny of placozoan receptors uncovering marked diversification of Epsilon receptors within three conserved subclades, and four invariable subclades of AKDF receptors. Detailed functional characterization of theT. adhaerensEpsilon receptor GluE1αA revealed robust activation by glycine, alanine, serine, and valine, but not glutamate. Through combined of structural modeling and mutation experiments, we used GluE1αA to test the hypothesis that only a small set of amino acids in the ligand binding domain determine ligand selectivity. Mutation of just three amino acids converted GluE1αA selectivity to glutamate, resulted in nascent sensitivity to AMPA, and increased sensitivity to the AMPA/Kainate receptor blocker CNQX. Lastly, combined modeling and mutation experiments revealed that an atypical serine residue in the pore NQR site of GluE1αA, along with an aspartate four amino acids downstream, confers sensitivity to voltage-dependent polyamine block, while the serine alone diminishes both polyamine block and Ca2+permeation compared to asparagine and glutamine residues of AMPA and Kainate receptors. Altogether, we demonstrate conserved molecular determinants for polyamine regulation between Epsilon and AKDF receptors, and evidence that natural variations in NQR residues have important implications for ion permeation and regulation by polyamines.
Climate change and climate-linked finance
Authors: Turvey Calum G. , Mastrianni Morgan Paige , Liu Shuxin , Gong Chenyan 
Published: June 2024

PurposeThis paper investigates the relationship between climate finance and climate ergodicity. More specifically the paper examines how climate ergodicity as measured by a mean-reverting Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process affects the value of climate-linked bonds.Design/methodology/approachBond valuation is evaluated using Monte Carlo methods of the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. The paper describes climate risk in terms of the Hurst coefficient and derives a direct linkage between the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process and the Hurst measure.FindingsWe use the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck mean reversion relationship in its OLS form to estimate Hurst coefficients for 5 × 5° grids across the US for monthly temperature and precipitation. We find that the ergodic property holds with Hurst coefficients between 0.025 and 0.01 which implies increases in climate standard deviation in the range of 25%–50%.Practical implicationsThe approach provides a means to stress-test the bond prices to uncover the probability distribution about the issue value of bonds. The methods can be used to price or stress-test bonds issued by firms in climate sensitive industries. This will be of particular interest to the Farm Credit System and the Farm Credit Funding Corporation with agricultural loan portfolios subject to spatial climate risks.Originality/valueThis paper examines bond issues under conditions of rising climate risks using Hurst coefficients derived from an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process.
A new energy-saving block and invisible multiribbed frame structure
Authors: Li Shengcai , Lin Jianqing , Lin Wencong , Zheng Jianying , Tu Yanzhou , Zheng Jiansheng 
Published: June 2024

Purpose
Based on the conceptual design of seismic resistance in buildings, this study aims to put forward a new construction structure energy-saving block structure with invisible multiribbed frame.

Design/methodology/approach
The structure is composed of energy-saving block wall panels with invisible multiribbed frames, lightweight partition wall plates and cast-in-place reinforced concrete floor slabs. The structure design is simple and the construction is convenient and fast. The comprehensive economic index of the structure is better than that of brick-and-concrete composite construction. The self-weight of the energy-saving blocks that make up the wall is only about 25% of that of solid clay bricks. The thermal insulation and energy-saving effects of the structure can meet the national energy-saving requirements of buildings.

Findings
This new structure meets the requirements of national technology and economy, wall deformation, thermal insulation and energy-saving, and can be used mainly for multistory and mid- to high-rise residential buildings. For the core components of the new structure energy-saving block and invisible multiribbed frame composite wall, as the axial compression ratio increases in the test parameters range, the peak bearing capacity and ductility of the wall increase and the initial stiffness of the wall decreases. The axial compression ratio has a significant effect on the energy dissipation capacity of the wall. The displacement ductility coefficients ν are all greater than 2, indicating the optimal seismic performance of the wall.

Originality/value
This structure is a new, economical, lightweight, energy-saving, seismic resistant, multistory and mid- to high-rise structure that fully conforms to national conditions.
The interplay of team-level leader-member exchange and artificial intelligence on information systems development team performance: a mediated moderation perspective
Authors: Ali Ahsan , Xue Xianfang , Wang Nan , Yin Xicheng , Tariq Hussain 
Published: June 2024

PurposeThe aim of this study is to investigate how team-level leader-member exchange (LMX) and the instrumental use of artificial intelligence (AI) by team members influence team psychological empowerment and information systems development (ISD) team performance.Design/methodology/approachA survey approach was employed to collect time-lagged, multi-source data for testing the proposed model of this study (N = 514 responses from 88 teams). PROCESS macro was used to analyze the data to generate empirical results.FindingsThe results suggest that instrumental AI use indirectly influences ISD team performance by enhancing team psychological empowerment. Additionally, it moderates the effects of team-level LMX on team psychological empowerment and ISD team performance. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the interaction effect of LMX and instrumental AI use on ISD team performance is mediated by team psychological empowerment.Originality/valueWhile research on ISD consistently demonstrates that teams, data, and technology collectively contribute to the success of these projects. What is less known, however, is how the exchange relationship between ISD teams and their leader, as well as technological factors, contribute to ISD projects. This study draws on LMX theory to propose how team-level LMX and the instrumental use of AI by team members influence team psychological empowerment and ISD team performance. The study puts forth a mediated moderation model to develop a set of hypotheses. It offers valuable contributions to AI and LMX, along with implications for ISD team management.
What drives household credit in France?
Authors: Xidonas Panos , Thomakos Dimitris , Samitas Aristeidis , Lekkos Ilias , Triantafillou Annie 
Published: June 2024

PurposeWho applies for credit, who is credit constrained and who receives credit refusal in France? To address these questions and explore the determinants of certain household credit aspects in France, we exploit a unique dataset from the Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS) led by European Central Bank (ECB).Design/methodology/approachThe anonymized dataset we utilize is based on the third survey wave (2017) and includes 13,555 French households. More specifically, considering a large number of household variables, associated with dimensions such as demographics, employment, income, wealth, assets and expenditures, we estimate three logit regression models, attempting to capture the factors that determine the underlying behavior of households.FindingsWe find that variables such as age, education, housing status, employment situation, wealth and evolution of expenses, play a key role and enter with high statistical significance in the estimated models. Our results are consistent with the existing body of literature, also offering further implications about the research questions we pose. Finally, we provide an elaborate discussion which meticulously clarifies the qualitative dimension of our findings.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, no studies appear in the international literature, focusing on household credit in France, utilizing original data from the ECB.