bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development-induced dispossession: Adivasi existence in the milieu of contemporary Indian texts in translation
Authors: Varughese Roshan , Mukherjee Soumen 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe paradigms of development around the globe involves mechanisms associated with its social purpose, which is more often than not dubious in nature! Natural resources form the fundamental aspect of any developmental activity. But in the process of accumulating these resources, the beneficiaries often rely on malignant mechanisms. The capitalist discourse has always been successful in manifesting their agendas of development as constructive and profitable for the entire humanity. Periodically, when the utility of development is foregrounded by dominant cultural forms, often the ramifications of progress remain uncritiqued. The developmental projects earmarked for the rural population remain unnoticed, for it serves the interest of the elite and the urban middle class. Many a time, the indigenous population, who inhabit the resource rich area are swayed away by the false propaganda for development, ultimately aggravating their existing deprivation. In the case of India, too, amidst all the development activities, the marginalized populace or the so-called Adivasis are the worst sufferers, because they have been encountering displacement for ages. The current study attempts to unveil the displacement of the tribal population (Adivasi) of India due to development projects, thereby offering a critical analysis of the social policies. The study employs select translated literary narratives to examine the development-induced dispossession of tribal population in the colonial, postcolonial and neo-liberal phase of Indian history, adopting the theoretical framework of new historicism.
Equal Opportunities in Rural Tourism Entrepreneurship: Challenges in Malaysia
Authors: Gan Joo-Ee 
Published: May 2024

Summary
Malaysia’s rural demography is multi-racial, with a blend of indigenous sub-groups. To advance the socio-economic status of rural communities, the government introduced various incentives and protectionist policies, including targeted measures in tourism development. As rural Malaysia is predominantly home to the Malays, the indigenous Orang Asli and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, these policies are consistent with the government’s constitutional responsibility to safeguard these groups’ welfare. Notwithstanding the equal opportunity premise of the tourism policies, the government’s initiatives to advance rural tourism entrepreneurship arguably benefit some groups more than others. In West Malaysia, this is due to the indigenous Orang Asli’s lack of entrepreneurial readiness, which means that they are less able to capitalize on these opportunities. Consequently, the Malay entrepreneurs reap the benefits of protectionist policies and government aid, while the Orang Asli lag behind in tourism participation. This is arguably the outcome of a broad-brush approach in capacity building, with limited differentiation between the rural communities.

Information
© The Author 2024
Evidence Use in Policymaking: The Case of a Hotel Policy in Western Australia
Authors: Garcia Carolina I. , Pforr Christof , Volgger Michael 
Published: May 2024

Summary

This case study explores the development of a policy launched in 2011 to incentivise hotel investments in Western Australia, especially in its capital city, Perth. To understand the policy process, we studied relevant documents, including policy plans, promotional material, annual reports, industry reports and records of Parliament debates. This approach allowed us to assess the use of evidence throughout three policy phases: (i) the process of building a case for the development of hotel incentives (the
why
); (ii) the design of hotel incentives as part of a broader tourism strategy (the
what
); and (iii) the implementation of this policy and the outcomes it achieved (the
how
).

Information
© The Authors 2024
Community Tourism and Indigenous Territory Defense: The Case of San Miguel del Bala in the Bolivian Amazon
Authors: Machaca Natalia M. , Leigue Gabriela R. 
Published: May 2024

Summary
In Bolivia, the Madidi National Park is home to the Tacana Indigenous Community “San Miguel del Bala,” which, within the framework of the plurinational process, obtained its title as a Community Territory of Origin in 2021. Concurrently, during the 1990s, the government began establishing the first protected areas, adopting regulations with a primary focus on biodiversity conservation. In some cases, this led to restrictions and limitations on economic and subsistence activities rooted in ancestral practices. Community-based tourism, implemented by San Miguel del Bala, emerged as one of the few possibilities to alleviate and address these restrictions. Simultaneously, it became a means of revaluing the culture. The overlapping of San Miguel del Bala as a Community Territory of Origin and a protected area involves constitutional rights for shared management, a process that currently has several limitations. Adding to this complex situation is the entrance of extractive projects that contradict conservation regulations and the rights of prior consultation with indigenous populations regarding resource exploitation. As a result, they pose threats to the lives, cultures, and territories of the Tacana. In this context, the development of indigenous community tourism is transforming into a strategy for the defense of ancestral Indigenous territory.

Information
© The Authors 2024
British Architecture
Authors: Arnold Dana 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
British Architecture: A Very Short Introduction presents an original and engaging introduction to the architecture of the British Isles from medieval times to the present. Avoiding the traditional approach of a chronological survey of architects and architectural style, the chapters present thematic explorations of key aspects of British architecture that still have relevance today. The illustrated chapters demonstrate the cultural significance of British architecture, how it reflects social trends, and the ways in which it can project identity. Written in an accessible jargon-free style, this VSI is a refreshing and sophisticated consideration of British architecture that is essential reading for students, professionals, and those wishing to know more about this fascinating topic.
There’s no place like home
Authors: Arnold Dana 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
This chapter looks into how different concepts of a home shaped British architecture. In British society, home refers to a place that embodies an impact on society while also being a place upon which society impacts. The chapter shows how the country house served as an indicator of the owners’ social status and wealth, and in turn how the growing interest in landscape design and developments in farming practices led to significant changes to other forms of housing, including new forms of urban dwellings. The chapter then notes that standardization and basic quantity surveying were the hallmarks of the production of the Georgian terraced house. Housing types in the 19th century and the development of New Towns in the 20th century are also considered.
Gradient boosted regression as a tool to reveal key drivers of temporal dynamics in a synthetic yeast community
Authors: Conacher Cleo Gertrud , Watson Bruce William , Bauer Florian Franz 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Microbial communities are vital to our lives, yet their ecological functioning and dynamics remain poorly understood. This understanding is crucial for assessing threats to these systems and leveraging their biotechnological applications. Given that temporal dynamics are linked to community functioning, this study investigated the drivers of community succession in the wine yeast community. We experimentally generated population dynamics data and used it to create an interpretable model with a gradient boosted regression tree approach. The model was trained on temporal data of viable species populations in various combinations, including pairs, triplets, and quadruplets, and was evaluated for predictive accuracy and input feature importance. Key findings revealed that the inoculation dosage of non-Saccharomyces species significantly influences their performance in mixed cultures, while Saccharomyces cerevisiae consistently dominates regardless of initial abundance. Additionally, we observed multispecies interactions where the dynamics of Wickerhamomyces anomalus were influenced by Torulaspora delbrueckii in pairwise cultures, but this interaction was altered by the inclusion of S. cerevisiae. This study provides insights into yeast community succession and offers valuable machine learning-based analysis techniques applicable to other microbial communities, opening new avenues for harnessing microbial communities.
#956 Exome sequencing in adults with secondary thrombotic microangiopathy with kidney involvement
Authors: Lombardi Yannis , Rafat Cédric , Doreille Alice , Mousseaux Cyril , Luque Yosu , Dancer Marine , Coppo Paul , Mesnard Laurent 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background and Aims
Currently, genetic testing is recommended in patients with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) and renal involvement when a complement-dependent TMA is clinically suspected. Due to a possibly poor phenotype-genotype correlation, this strategy may be suboptimal. We aimed to assess the impact of a strategy using Exome Sequencing (ES) regardless of initial suspicion.

Method
We conducted a prospective observational study. Data was collected in all consecutive adult patients who received a primary diagnostic ES test as part of routine care for unexplained chronic kidney disease between October 10, 2017, and December 31, 2022, at the Nephrology Department of Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris/Sorbonne University, Paris, France (Tenon and Pitié-Salpêtrière hospitals). Patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura or typical hemolytic and uremic syndrome were not included. The association between patients’ phenotypes and genotypes was explored using a validated method relying on Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF).

Results
1 413 patients underwent ES, of whom 153 (11%) had biological and/or histological indicators of TMA. ES identified a variant consistent with the renal phenotype in 20/153 (13%) cases. In 13/20 cases (65%), a genetic disorder which was not complement TMA was diagnosed: five patients had nephronophthisis (TTC21B, n = 4, NPHP3, n = 1); two had Alport's disease (COL4A4 and COL4A3, n = 1); one had Cobalamin-C deficiency (MMACHC); five had other distinct conditions (variants in SOX18, IFT140, WT1, TREX1 and UMOD). Direct clinical implications of performing ES were observed in 35/153 (23%) cases. An interactive web-app was developed to enable in-depth exploration of phenotype-genotype association, and no association between patients’ phenotypes and genotypes were observed.

Conclusion
First-tier ES in patients with TMA and renal involvement, irrespective of clinical suspicion, revealed diagnoses that would not have been initially obtained according to the currently recommended strategy. In patients with TMA and renal involvement, we did not find an association between patients’ phenotypes and genotypes.
#2045 Epigenetic data can predict initial treatment response in nephrotic syndrome
Authors: Hayward Samantha , Suderman Matthew , Welsh Gavin , Saleem Moin 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background and Aims
The majority of children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) and adults with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and Minimal Change Disease (MCD) receive glucocorticoid treatment at diagnosis. Only those with a high likelihood of having monogenic disease or a contraindication to steroids might avoid this treatment. About 10% overall will not respond to steroids and we have no reliable way of prospectively identifying these patients. Therefore, some patients will receive a futile treatment which is accompanied by significant side effects.
DNA methylation (DNAm) is an epigenetic mechanism meaning that it can induce stable but reversible changes in gene expression without any change in underlying DNA sequence. DNAm has shown great potential as a treatment stratification tool, for example, DNAm data is used in oncology to identify which patients are likely to benefit from alkylating chemotherapy.
We investigated whether DNAm can predict initial response to steroids in children and young adults with nephrotic syndrome.

Method
Three hundred and seventeen patients with INS were selected from the NephroS and NURTuRE cohorts. All patients were diagnosed with INS ≤ 30 years of age and those who underwent a renal biopsy had a histological diagnosis of either FSGS or MCD. Peripheral blood DNAm measurements were generated using the Illumina MethylationEPIC Beadchip (&gt;850, 000 CpG sites). Clinical data was used to label patients by their initial response to steroids (sensitive, n = 156, or resistant, n = 161).
Machine learning models were created to predict steroid response from the DNAm data. Models were generated using elastic net following feature filtering, and model hyperparameters were tuned and performance measured within the context of cross validation.
To exclude whether cumulative steroid exposure prior to sample collection had impacted our results, the CpG sites in the final model were compared to those identified in a published study examining steroid exposure and DNAm (4).

Results
The 317 INS patients had a median age at diagnosis of 5 years (IQR 2-10) and a median time between diagnosis and DNAm sample collection of 4 years (IQR 1-10). The steroid resistant group were made up of patients with known monogenic disease (n = 75, 24%) and those without pathogenic variants (n = 86, 27%).
Initial response to steroid treatment could be predicted with 65% accuracy and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.75, (sensitivity 0.65, specificity of 0.66, see Fig. 1) using DNAm levels at 14 CpG sites. There was no overlap between the 14 CpG sites in our prediction model and those that are known to alter with steroid treatment.

Conclusion
We have demonstrated that peripheral blood cell DNAm profiles are a promising predictor of steroid response in INS. Further work to incorporate genetic data into the prediction models is underway and external validation of the results in a separate cohort of patients is required.
#162 Single-nucleus RNA-seq of biopsy-confirmed IgA nephropathy reveals cell-specific transcriptomic alteration
Authors: Kim Dong Ki , Park Sehoon , Joo Jeongho , Cho Jeong Min , Joo Kwon Wook 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background and Aims
Single-nucleus RNA-seq (SnRNA-seq) is a valuable method for identifying cell-specific transcriptomic alterations in kidney cells. Our objective was to investigate SnRNA-seq data from biopsy-confirmed IgA nephropathy (IgAN) cases and identify cell-specific alterations in the transcriptome.

Method
We collected snap-frozen kidney biopsy tissues from 6 cases of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and 7 nephrectomy control cases. The disease control group included 3 cases of diabetic kidney disease, 6 cases of minimal change disease, and 6 PLA2R-Ab positive membranous nephropathy cases. SnRNA-seq was performed on the kidney tissues, and kidney cells were identified in the dataset through UMAP clustering. We investigated differences in the proportion of kidney cell types and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Additionally, we searched for representative gene loci previously reported in a multiethnic genome-wide association study (GWAS).

Results
We successfully collected transcriptomic profiles of &gt;50 000 cells from IgAN, with a considerable enrichment of intraglomerular cells. The DEG analysis revealed a high number of DEGs in mesangial cells, fibroblasts, and vascular smooth muscle cells in the IgAN transcriptome compared to the nephrectomy and disease control cases. In the gene set enrichment analysis, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway was enriched in the glomerular cells of IgAN. Furthermore, among various GWAS loci, ETS1 was the gene significantly highly expressed in the mesangial cells of IgAN, consistent across the compared control groups.

Conclusion
This investigation represents the largest SnRNA-Seq profiling of IgAN kidney cells to date. We identified notable enriched cell-specific pathways in IgAN. ETS1 may be a kidney-indwelling causal factor for IgAN pathophysiology, considering its notable significance in both previous GWAS results and the current SnRNA-Seq data.
#369 Anti-nephrin antibodies identify patients with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome responsive to immunosuppressants
Authors: Raglianti Valentina , Angelotti Maria Lucia , Cirillo Luigi , Landini Samuela , Palazzo Viviana , Ghiggeri Gian Marco , Angeletti Andrea , Mazzinghi Benedetta , Francesca Becherucci , Romagnani Paola 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background and Aims
The presence of circulating anti-nephrin antibodies has been recently reported in some patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS) and minimal change lesions, implying an autoimmune podocytopathy subset. We hypothesized that the presence of anti-nephrin antibodies would identify a subset of patients with steroid resistant NS (SRNS) and explain their response to second-line immunosuppressant therapy before and after kidney transplantation.

Method
We evaluated 31 patients with available kidney biopsy samples of our previously described prospective cohort of SRNS patients, genetically tested with whole exome sequencing at Meyer University Hospital IRCCS. By using high-resolution confocal microscopy, we assessed the co-localization between IgG and nephrin staining on kidney biopsy. To unequivocally establish anti-nephrin specificity of the deposited IgG, we performed super-resolution STimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscopy.

Results
We observed anti-nephrin antibodies in 35.5% of patients with SRNS irrespective of podocytopathy lesion pattern. Antibody-positive (Antibody+) patients had a more severe NS at onset and better response to immunosuppression therapy compared to antibody-negative (Antibody-) patients. Only 1/11 Antibody+ patient developed chronic kidney disease compared to 9/20 Antibody- patients over a 10-year period. The single multidrug-resistant Antibody+ patient reached kidney failure had a pathogenic variant in the autosomal dominant-transmitted LMX1B. The patient experienced recurrence of NS after kidney transplantation with a positive response to plasmapheresis and rituximab. The allograft biopsy confirmed the presence of anti-nephrin antibodies.

Conclusion
The observed variability in patients with SRNS, influenced by a combination of genetic factors and nephrin autoimmunity, likely contributes to the diverse long-term outcomes and variations in responses to second-line immunosuppressant therapy.
#2510 Urokinase plasminogen activator receptor upregulation in lupus nephritis associates with distinct interferon hub genes in stressed podocytes
Authors: Zeisberg Michael , Tampe Björn 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background and Aims
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease characterized by immune system dysfunction, leading to inflammation and damage in various organs and tissues. Renal involvement known as lupus nephritis is one of the most severe complications occurring in 60% of patients with SLE, significantly impacting patient morbidity and mortality. Understanding the intricate relationship between SLE and renal manifestations is crucial for effective management and improved patient outcomes. Recently, the cell surface urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) has emerged as a significant player in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis. However, the molecular mechanisms through which uPAR influences lupus nephritis remain an active area of investigation. Therefore, we here pursued a transcriptome array-based approach to identify molecular patterns in association with uPAR in lupus nephritis.

Method
PLAUR mRNA expression levels (encoding uPAR, reporter ID: 210845_s_at, platform: Affymetrix Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array, altCDF v10) were extracted from microdissected control kidneys (glomerular compartment: n = 14) and lupus nephritis (glomerular: n = 32, tubulointerstitial: n = 32). Pathway analysis was performed for gene enrichment associated with PLAUR mRNA expression with a correlation threshold of ≥0.5 by using reactome (https://reactome.org), pathways with a predefined entities value of P ≤ .001 were included. Data was validated in cultured podocytes stressed with Adriamycin, protein expression profiling was performed by mass spectrometry in combination with stable isotope labelling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC).

Results
We here identified a predominant glomerular expression of uPAR in lupus nephritis that was increased as compared to healthy controls. While glomerular uPAR expression was predominantly associated with interferon signaling, none of type I or type II interferons were induced. Interestingly, we identified distinct interferon hub genes that were associated with uPAR in lupus nephritis and enriched in stressed podocytes (GBP2: P &lt; .0001, IFI30: P = .0006, IFIT1: P &lt; .0001, IFITM3: P = .0308). Finally, uPAR and associated interferon hub genes correlated with proteinuria in lupus nephritis.

Conclusion
The therapeutic implications of targeting uPAR in lupus nephritis are promising, and ongoing research endeavors are aimed at unraveling the complexities of uPAR as a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for this challenging renal pathology. We here expand our current knowledge and link uPAR upregulation in lupus nephritis to distinct interferon hub genes in stressed podocytes.