bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Inhaled Pollutants of the Gero-Exposome and Later-Life Health
Authors: Finch Caleb E , Thorwald Max A 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Inhaled air pollutants (AirP) comprise extraordinarily diverse particles, volatiles, and gases from traffic, wildfire, cigarette smoke, dust, and various other sources. These pollutants contain numerous toxic components, which collectively differ in relative levels of components, but broadly share chemical classes. Exposure and health outcomes from AirP are complex, depending on pollutant source, duration of exposure, and socioeconomic status. We discuss examples in the current literature on organ responses to AirP, with a focus on lung, arteries, and brain. Some transcriptional responses are shared. It is well accepted that AirP contributes to Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions in the Gero-Exposome. However, we do not know which chemical compounds initiate these changes and how activation of these transcriptional pathways is further modified by genetics and prenatal development.
Large-scale genomic survey with deep learning-based method reveals strain-level phage specificity determinants
Authors: Yang Yiyan , Dufault-Thompson Keith , Yan Wei , Cai Tian , Xie Lei , Jiang Xiaofang 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background
Phage therapy, reemerging as a promising approach to counter antimicrobial-resistant infections, relies on a comprehensive understanding of the specificity of individual phages. Yet the significant diversity within phage populations presents a considerable challenge. Currently, there is a notable lack of tools designed for large-scale characterization of phage receptor-binding proteins, which are crucial in determining the phage host range.

Results
In this study, we present SpikeHunter, a deep learning method based on the ESM-2 protein language model. With SpikeHunter, we identified 231,965 diverse phage-encoded tailspike proteins, a crucial determinant of phage specificity that targets bacterial polysaccharide receptors, across 787,566 bacterial genomes from 5 virulent, antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Notably, 86.60% (143,200) of these proteins exhibited strong associations with specific bacterial polysaccharides. We discovered that phages with identical tailspike proteins can infect different bacterial species with similar polysaccharide receptors, underscoring the pivotal role of tailspike proteins in determining host range. The specificity is mainly attributed to the protein’s C-terminal domain, which strictly correlates with host specificity during domain swapping in tailspike proteins. Importantly, our dataset-driven predictions of phage–host specificity closely match the phage–host pairs observed in real-world phage therapy cases we studied.

Conclusions
Our research provides a rich resource, including both the method and a database derived from a large-scale genomics survey. This substantially enhances understanding of phage specificity determinants at the strain level and offers a valuable framework for guiding phage selection in therapeutic applications.
Piloting racial bias training for hospital emergency department providers treating patients with opioid use disorder
Authors: Gibbons Jason B , Harris Samantha J , Sugarman Olivia K , Hulsey Eric G , Rwan Julie , Rosner Esther M , Saloner Brendan 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Racial disparities in opioid overdose have increased in recent years. Several studies have linked these disparities to health care providers’ inequitable delivery of opioid use disorder (OUD) services. In response, health care policymakers and systems have designed new programs to improve equitable OUD care delivery. Racial bias training has been 1 commonly utilized program. Racial bias training educates providers about the existence of racial disparities in the treatment of people who use drugs and the role of implicit bias. Our study evaluates a pilot racial bias training delivered to 25 hospital emergency providers treating patients with OUDs in 2 hospitals in Detroit, Michigan. We conducted a 3-part survey, including a baseline assessment, post-training assessment, and a 2-month follow-up to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of scaling the racial bias training to larger audiences. We also investigate preliminary data on changes in self-awareness of implicit bias, knowledge of training content, and equity in care delivery to patients with OUD. Using qualitative survey response data, we found that training participants were satisfied with the content and quality of the training and especially valued the small-group discussions, motivational interviewing, and historical context.
The transcription factor CpMYB62 controls the genetic network that leads to the determination of female flowers in Cucurbita pepo
Authors: Segura María , García Alicia , Gamarra German , Benítez Álvaro , Iglesias-Moya Jessica , Martínez Cecilia , Jamilena Manuel 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
In monoecious species, female flowering constitutes the developmental process that determines the onset and production of fruit and is therefore closely related to crop yield. This article presents the identification and phenotypic and molecular characterization of myb62, an ethylmethane sulfonate loss-of-function mutation that completely blocks the female floral transition, converting all female flowers into male flowers. BSA-seq analysis coupled with WGS showed that myb62 corresponds to a C&gt;T transition in the coding region of the gene CpMYB62, generating a premature stop codon and a truncated transcription factor without its N-terminal effector domain. The myb62 phenotype was partially rescued by exogenous ethylene application, indicating that the function of CpMYB62 is mediated by ethylene. Different evidence supports this conclusion: first, the reduced ethylene production of the mutant, and second, the male flower productive phenotype of the double mutant between myb62 and the ethylene-insensitive mutant etr2b, which demonstrated that myb62 is epistatic over etr2b. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis of WT and myb62 apical shoots confirmed that CpMYB62 regulates master sex-determining genes, upregulating those encoding the ethylene biosynthesis enzymes CpACO2B and CpACS27A and those encoding for transcription factors that promote the development of carpels(CpCRC), but downregulating those involved in the arrest of carpels (CpWIP1), In the gene network controlling sex determination in cucurbits, CpMYB62 occupies the most upstream position, activating ethylene and other sex determining genes involved in female flower determination in Cucurbita pepo.
US–UK–France relations amid the Russia–Ukraine war: a new strategic alignment?
Authors: Rees Wyn , Xu Ruike 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the recognition of the rising challenge from China have resulted in a closer alignment of American, British and French strategic interests. This policy paper explores how the strategic relationship between the United States, the United Kingdom and France has evolved amid this changed threat environment. The Russia–Ukraine war exposed the limitations of France's policy of ‘strategic autonomy’ and reasserted the importance of an American role in European security. The war has re-focused attention upon the Lancaster House framework in which the UK and France have the potential to enhance their contribution to European defence. The UK still regards its ‘special relationship’ with the US as being of critical importance to its foreign policy. But the UK's diminishing military power makes it a less valuable ally to the US whose attention is increasingly upon the Indo-Pacific region. The paper argues that the alignment between the three countries has been closer over the Russian war in Ukraine compared to attitudes towards China, where tensions between France and the ‘Anglo-Saxons’ persist. France has been unwilling to adopt the American approach towards China and has stuck to its vision of a multipolar world. The AUKUS deal arranged between the US, UK and Australia had the effect of alienating France. The policy paper contends that the temporary alignment between US, UK and French interests will erode as long-standing conflicts of interest re-emerge. In particular, the unpredictability of US leadership will damage the trilateral relationship if Donald Trump regains the presidency in November 2024.
Prospective Evaluation of the Prediction Score for a Mild Course of Crohn’s Disease (PreMiCC) in Newly Diagnosed Patients With Crohn’s Disease: The PROGNOS Study
Authors: Kruis Wolfgang , Bokemeyer Bernd , Jessen Petra , Hoesl Mark , Mroß Michael , Morgenstern Julia , Reimers Birgitta , Müller-Grage Nike , Leifeld Ludger 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background and Aims
The course of Crohn’s disease (CD) is highly variable. The Prospektive Evaluation eines Score zur Vorhersage eines milden Verlaufsbei neu diagnostizierten Morbus Crohn-Patienten in gastroenterologischen Fachpraxen (PROGNOS) study aimed to determine the frequency of a mild disease course and validate a proposed prediction score.

Methods
The PROGNOS study is a prospective study of CD patients who were newly diagnosed and, except for 1 course of 5-aminosalicylic acid or steroids for ≤10 days, therapy-naïve. Among other predefined inclusion criteria, the initial diagnosis had to be made ≤6 weeks before enrollment. All inception cohort patients were diagnosed and screened consecutively in participating gastroenterology practices in Germany specialized in inflammatory bowel disease. All screened CD patients were scored and, if possible, included in the study for up to 5 years (NCT02193048).

Results
A total of 201 CD patients were included in the study (43.3% male; mean age 33 years, mean follow-up 38 months). Altogether, 29.5% of the patients had a mild course at 36 months. Among those with a score ≤2, therapy escalation at 36 months was necessary for only 24.2%, whereas in the group with a score &gt;2, therapy escalation was necessary for 70.2% of patients. In the Kaplan-Meier curve showing time to therapy escalation in the 2 groups, there was a pronounced and statistically significant divergence of the curves starting at 3 months and extending to 48 months (P &lt; .001).

Conclusions
In this prospective study, about 30% of incident CD patients had a mild disease course. Our suggested PreMiCC (prediction score for a mild course of Crohn’s disease) successfully predicted this.
Surfaces of General Type with Maximal Picard Number Near the Noether Line
Authors: Bin Nguyen , Lorenzo Vicente 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The first published non-trivial examples of algebraic surfaces of general type with maximal Picard number are due to Persson, who constructed surfaces with maximal Picard number on the Noether line $K^{2}=2\chi -6$ for every admissible pair $(K^{2},\chi )$ such that $\chi \not \equiv 0 \ \text {mod}\ 6$. In this note, given a non-negative integer $k$, algebraic surfaces of general type with maximal Picard number lying on the line $K^{2}=2\chi -6+k$ are constructed for every admissible pair $(K^{2},\chi )$ such that $\chi \geq 2k+10$. These constructions, obtained as bidouble covers of rational surfaces, not only allow to fill in Persson’s gap on the Noether line, but also provide infinitely many new examples of algebraic surfaces of general type with maximal Picard number above the Noether line.
The Global Gig Economy: How Transport Platform Companies Adapt to Regulatory Challenges—A Comparative Analysis of Six Countries
Authors: Muldoon James , Sun Ping 
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACT
Non-standard employment practises in the gig economy have recently drawn critical attention from regulators and the courts in a number of jurisdictions across the globe. Transport platform companies have responded to these challenges in several distinct ways in an emerging global battle to preserve their business model. This article provides a typology of the different strategies employed by these companies in six countries, highlighting five key strategies of regulatory activism, strategic litigation in defence of a business model, tactical subcontracting, negotiations with labour unions and threatening to withdraw services. It then shows how the structural features of the gig economy may be diverging into four distinct models in the European Union, China, the United States and the rest of the world. The study contributes to our understanding of the global nature of the struggle for fair working conditions and how platform companies operate in different institutional and regulatory contexts.
Identification and characterization of putative enhancer regions that direct Il6 transcription in murine macrophages
Authors: Kano Norisuke , Miki Takeo , Uehara Yurina , Ori Daisuke , Kawai Taro 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a crucial role in various cellular functions, including innate and adaptive immune responses. Dysregulated expression of IL-6 is associated with hyperinflammation and chronic inflammatory diseases. In this study, we aimed to identify the enhancer regions responsible for robust Il6 mRNA expression in murine macrophages. Through comprehensive genome-wide ChIP- and ATAC-seq analyses, we identified two distinct clusters, termed E1 and E2 regions, located at −144 to −163 kb relative to the Il6 transcription start site in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated murine macrophages. These clusters exhibited an accumulation of histone modification marks (H3K27ac and H3K4me1), as well as open chromatin, and were found to contain binding sites for the transcription factors PU.1, NF-κB, C/EBPβ, and JunB. Upregulation of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) transcripts from the E1 and E2 regions was observed upon LPS stimulation, and repression of these ncRNAs resulted in abrogation of Il6 expression. Additionally, deletion of either E1 or E2 region significantly impaired Il6 expression, while CRISPR/dCas9 activation-mediated recruitment of the co-activator p300 to the E1 and E2 regions facilitated Il6 expression. Collectively, our findings suggest that the E1 and E2 regions serve as putative enhancers for Il6 expression.
The Normalization of Contestation: The Sociology of Knowledge and the Challenges to the Liberal International Order
Authors: Adler-Nissen Rebecca 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Many of the in-built contradictions in the liberal international order were pointed out by critics early on. Why were these voices not heard? How was contestation ignored or made acceptable by the people governing within liberal sub-orders, articulating progress, rationality, and equality? Drawing on insights from the sociology of knowledge and theories of organizational culture, I address this puzzle through the lens of the “normalization of deviance.” Beyond understanding the challenges as a crisis of and within the liberal international order, I argue that they unveil the limitations of hegemonic expertise governing this order. Part of the current predicament of the liberal international order has to do with the entrenched positioning and organizational cultures of political leaders and experts, making them blind to their own blindness. As they justify deviations and defend “their” order, they normalize contestation. The implications extend beyond the immediate challenges to the liberal international order, offering insights into reimagining its future and prompting a reconsideration of the discipline dedicated to understanding it.
Ecological relevance of flagellar motility in soil bacterial communities
Authors: Ramoneda Josep , Fan Kunkun , Lucas Jane M , Chu Haiyan , Bissett Andrew , Strickland Michael S , Fierer Noah 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Flagellar motility is a key bacterial trait as it allows bacteria to navigate their immediate surroundings. Not all bacteria are capable of flagellar motility, and the distribution of this trait, its ecological associations, and the life history strategies of flagellated taxa remain poorly characterized. We developed and validated a genome-based approach to infer the potential for flagellar motility across 12 bacterial phyla (26 192 unique genomes). The capacity for flagellar motility was associated with a higher prevalence of genes for carbohydrate metabolism and higher maximum potential growth rates, suggesting that flagellar motility is more prevalent in environments with higher carbon availability. To test this hypothesis, we applied a method to infer the prevalence of flagellar motility in whole bacterial communities from metagenomic data and quantified the prevalence of flagellar motility across four independent field studies that each captured putative gradients in soil carbon availability (148 metagenomes). We observed a positive relationship between the prevalence of bacterial flagellar motility and soil carbon availability in all datasets. Since soil carbon availability is often correlated with other factors that could influence the prevalence of flagellar motility, we validated these observations using metagenomic data from a soil incubation experiment where carbon availability was directly manipulated with glucose amendments. This confirmed that the prevalence of bacterial flagellar motility is consistently associated with soil carbon availability over other potential confounding factors. This work highlights the value of combining predictive genomic and metagenomic approaches to expand our understanding of microbial phenotypic traits and reveal their general environmental associations.
Antibiotic resistance in Sudan: assessing the knowledge and practices of healthcare workers in Khartoum
Authors: Osman Einas A , Omer Sara A , Elmubarak Rashida M A , Abdelnabi Manal , Abdelgadir Safaa , Ahmed Dalal G , Arbab Nasr Mohamed H , Yousif Muna , Mukhtar Maowia , Al-Hassan Leena 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background
Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is a major public health issue, associated with increased patient morbidity and mortality globally, with significantly higher rates in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Assessment of contextual factors, such as information, education, infrastructure and regulations are important for developing local solutions against ABR.

Objectives
To determine the knowledge and practices of healthcare workers (HCWs) towards ABR in hospitals in Sudan.

Materials and methods
A survey was conducted in three different hospitals in Khartoum, Sudan from February to December 2020. HCWs of different specialties and expertise were invited to participate. Data were descriptively analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

Results
ABR was identified as a big challenge by 89% of 345 HCWs who participated. The results show that 79% of doctors don’t rely on the clinical microbiology laboratory (CML) results for antibiotic prescription or clinical decision-making. Sixty percent of HCWs agreed there are infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines in their hospital, but 74% of them don’t have access to them, and infrequently receive relevant IPC training. Furthermore, HCWs obtain ABR information from other colleagues informally, not through local data or reports.

Conclusions
Despite adequate knowledge of ABR locally, there are significant contextual technical challenges facing HCWs in Sudan, such as availability of policies and accurate data from CMLs. The results indicate a poor link between HCWs and the CMLs for infection management and it is essential to improve communication between the different hospital departments with regard to ABR transmission, and ensure the effectiveness of local IPC policies based on locally available data.
Cross-reactivity of 24 cannabinoids and metabolites in blood using the Immunalysis Cannabinoids Direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
Authors: Patton Amy L , Pacheco Igor C , Seither Joshua Z , Brown Jordan T , Walterscheid Jeffrey P , Karschner Erin L 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
With wider availability of synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids in the consumer space, there is a growing impact on public health and safety. Forensic toxicology laboratories should keep these compounds in mind as they attempt to remain effective in screening for potential sources of human performance impairment. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a commonly utilized tool in forensic toxicology, as its efficiency and sensitivity make it useful for rapid and easy screening for a large number of drugs. This screening technique has lower specificity, which allows for broad cross-reactivity among structurally similar compounds. In this study, the Cannabinoids Direct ELISA kit from Immunalysis was utilized to assess the cross-reactivities of 24 cannabinoids and metabolites in whole blood. The assay was calibrated with 5 ng/mL of 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and the analytes of interest were evaluated at concentrations ranging from 5 to 500 ng/mL. Most parent compounds demonstrated cross-reactivity ≥20 ng/mL, with increasing alkyl side-chain length relative to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol resulting in decreased cross-reactivity. Of the 24 analytes, only the carboxylic acid metabolites, 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol, 11-nor-9(R)-carboxy-hexahydrocannabinol and 11-nor-9(S)-carboxy-hexahydrocannabinol, were cross-reactive at levels ≤10 ng/mL. Interestingly, 11-nor-9(R)-carboxy-hexahydrocannabinol demonstrated cross-reactivity at 5 ng/mL, where its stereoisomer 11-nor-9(S)-carboxy-hexahydrocannabinol, did not. As more information emerges about the prevalence of these analytes in blood specimens, it is important to understand and characterize their impact on current testing paradigms.
Political Power, Elite Control, and Long-Run Development: Evidence from Brazil
Authors: Ferraz Claudio , Finan Frederico , Martinez-Bravo Monica 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
This paper analyzes how changes in the concentration of political power affect long-run development. We study Brazil’s military dictatorship whose rise to power dramatically altered the distribution of power of local political elites. We document that municipalities that were more politically concentrated prior to the dictatorship in the 1960s are relatively richer in 2000, despite being poorer initially. Our evidence suggests that this reversal of fortune was the result of the military’s policies aimed at undermining the power of traditional elites. These policies increased political competition among traditional elites, leading to better governance, more public goods, and higher income levels.
Leukocyte activation patterns in hospitalized children: comparing SARS-CoV-2, bacterial infections, and inflammatory pathologies
Authors: Domitien Payet Léa , Bedin Anne Sophie , Desselas Émilie , Marie-Jeanne Carole , Mollevi Caroline , Malergue Fabrice , Bourgoin Penelope , Van de Perre Philippe , Tuaillon Édouard , Jeziorski Éric 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
In adults, monocytes and neutrophils play important roles in the hyperinflammatory responses characteristic of severe forms of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We assessed leukocyte activation in 55 children attending the emergency department for acute fever between March 2020 and September 2021. The following markers were analyzed by flow cytometry: CD169 and HLA-DR on monocytes, CD64 and CD16 on neutrophils, and CD38 on lymphocytes TCD8. Fifteen of the children had SARS-CoV-2 infection, 15 had bacterial infections, and 15 had inflammatory diseases. We observed overexpression of CD169 on monocytes and CD38 on T lymphocytes in all patients with a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, while overexpression of CD64 on neutrophils was observed with bacterial infections and inflammatory diseases. There was a decrease in the expression of HLA-DR on monocytes in the bacterial infection and inflammatory pathology groups. Leukocyte analysis identifies distinct activation patterns in children during SARS-CoV-2 infections, bacterial infections, and inflammatory diseases.