bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Three modes of evolution? Remarks on rates of evolution and time scaling
Authors: Hansen Thomas F 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Rates of evolution get smaller when they are measured over longer time intervals. As first shown by Gingerich, rates of morphological change measured from fossil time series show a robust minus-one scaling with time span, implying that evolutionary changes are just as large when measured over a hundred years as when measured over a hundred-thousand years. On even longer time scales, however, the scaling shifts toward a minus-half exponent consistent with evolution behaving as Brownian motion, as commonly observed in phylogenetic comparative studies. Here, I discuss how such scaling patterns arise, and I derive the patterns expected from standard stochastic models of evolution. I argue that observed shifts cannot be easily explained by simple univariate models, but require shifts in mode of evolution as time scale is changing. To illustrate this idea, I present a hypothesis about three distinct, but connected, modes of evolution. I analyze the scaling patterns predicted from this, and use the results to discuss how rates of evolution should be measured and interpreted. I argue that distinct modes of evolution at different time scales act to decouple micro- and macroevolution, and criticize various attempts at extrapolating from one to the other.
Pollen-borne ilarviruses of peach: biology, ecology, and disease management
Authors: Tayal Mandeep , Rodriguez Bonilla Fabian , Powell Garner , Cieniewicz Elizabeth 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) and prune dwarf virus (PDV) are pollen-transmitted ilarviruses that affect stone fruits. Both viruses are widespread in peach orchards in the southeastern United States. Although symptoms may not always be present, typical symptoms of PNRSV infection in peaches include stunting, chlorosis, and decline of the tree over time, while PDV infection is associated with stunted growth and shortened internodes. Co-infection with PNRSV and PDV can lead to peach stunt disease, causing yield losses of up to 55%. Here we provide information on the diagnostic methods currently available with considerations for selecting the best method based on plant tissue, sampling season, sample number, and cost. The ecology of PNRSV and PDV, including their movement within and between plants and the role of wild hosts as reservoirs, is also discussed. Both PNRSV and PDV are primarily transmitted through vegetative propagation and pollen; the latter could be horizontal between co-occurring blooming trees and/or vertical from parent to progeny. Certain insect groups play a role in spreading PNRSV and PDV in greenhouse and field settings. Management strategies to prevent virus spread, including clean plant programs which provide virus-negative propagation materials, and cultural management practices, such as removing infected trees, are emphasized to prevent secondary spread. While practical challenges persist in managing infection sources and wild hosts, proactive measures are essential to mitigate the spread of PNRSV and PDV and safeguard the peach industry.
An Unseen Amphetamine Epidemic in West Africa, 1960–1980
Authors: Daly Samuel Fury Childs 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
From the early 1960s to the late 1970s, a massive trade in the stimulant known as “speed” took place from the United Kingdom to Nigeria. British manufacturers sold West African pharmacists hundreds of millions of doses of dexamphetamine sulphate, and the British government made a long and mostly ineffectual attempt to stop them. The dexamphetamine trade fed an epidemic of addiction caused by economic precarity and climate change. Students took it to study through the night, and cattle herders used it to drive their herds greater distances as drought shrunk their pastures. Amphetamine dependency went mostly unnoticed at the time, but it had lasting consequences. Stimulants were an anomaly in the broader political economy of postcolonial Africa, and dexamphetamine was a counterpoint to the later history of the cocaine trade from Africa to Europe. In the 1980s, cocaine would flow in the other direction—from Lagos to London—much to the ire of the British government. But for many years, the United Kingdom was not the destination for Nigeria’s illicit drugs—it was their source.
Tomorrow and the Day After in Semitic
Authors: Rubin Aaron D 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
No word for ‘tomorrow’ can be reconstructed for Proto-Semitic, and the attested words in both the ancient and modern languages vary greatly. Despite the prodigious variation and repeated innovation that we find, almost every attested word for ‘tomorrow’ has developed along the same semantic pathway, namely, from a word or root meaning ‘morning’ or ‘dawn’. Semitic languages also have special adverbs (or adverbial phrases) for ‘the day after tomorrow’, and sometimes even for days beyond that, and these exhibit a wider range of sources.
Falling Down and Apart: Post-Orientalism and Iranian American Identity in Sons and Other Flammable Objects
Authors: Shelat Jay Nitin 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
This article theorizes how post-Orientalism—what I term the racialization processes that render Muslims terroristic based on monolithic assumptions—temporally tethers anti-Iranian hate from the late 1970s into the present day. Reading Porochista Khakpour’s 2007 novel Sons and Other Flammable Objects as a case study, I argue that identity is depicted as in freefall because of how post-Orientalist paradigms shape the social and legal reception of Iranian Americans. More specifically, Khakpour illustrates the personal-political contestations of identity in the novel through instances and images of falling. I claim that tumbles, falls, and collapses convey the lack of control the Iranian American characters, especially protagonist Xerxes, have in shaping their own identities against dominating racializing structures. Ultimately, Khakpour’s novel uncovers the multiple ways in which post-Orientalism infiltrates and reorganizes intimate spheres and relationships, making inextricable the personal and political.
“An Actual Experience of Finality”: Melodramatic Retention and Generative Discomfort in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s An Octoroon
Authors: Williamson Em 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
The focus of this piece is on Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s retention and appropriation of melodramatic convention in his 2014 play An Octoroon. By examining how Jacobs-Jenkins alters melodramatic convention, especially the scene-ending tableaux he adapts from Dion Boucicault’s original The Octoroon (1859), this essay asserts that An Octoroon utilizes such outmoded theatrical technique as a means to engender a more contemporary sense of self-reflection in the audience. In this way, Jacobs-Jenkins’s adaptation does not so much send up the antebellum racism on display in Boucicault’s work but rather contemporary modes of racist thinking.
Phase II clinical trial of docetaxel and trastuzumab for HER2-positive advanced extramammary Paget’s disease (EMPD-HER2DOC)
Authors: Hirai Ikuko , Tanese Keiji , Nakamura Yoshio , Fukuda Keitaro , Ouchi Takeshi , Hayashida Tetsu , Kameyama Kaori , Abe Takayuki , Amagai Masayuki , Funakoshi Takeru 
Published: June 2024

Abstract

Background
No consensus has been reached regarding the optimal chemotherapy for metastatic extramammary Paget’s disease (EMPD), a rare cutaneous adenocarcinoma, because of the lack of solid evidence from prospective trials. However, the immunohistochemical profile of EMPD reportedly resembles that of breast cancer, particularly in terms of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression, suggesting that HER2 is a promising therapeutic target for advanced HER2-positive EMPD.

Methods
In this phase II single-arm trial, 13 Japanese patients received intravenous trastuzumab (loading dose of 8 mg/kg and maintenance dose of 6 mg/kg) and docetaxel (75 mg/m2) every 3 weeks for up to 2 years. The docetaxel dose was reduced or discontinued according to its toxicity. The primary trial endpoints were objective response rate (ORR) after 3 cycles of treatment and safety throughout the study period.

Results
All 13 patients completed 3 cycles of combination therapy. The median follow-up was 27.9 months. The ORR was 76.9% (n = 10/13; 90% CI, 50.5-93.4). Frequently observed adverse events were neutropenia (100%), hypoalbuminemia (84.6%), and mucocutaneous infection (84.6%), all of which were well tolerated.

Conclusion
The combination of docetaxel and trastuzumab demonstrated a favorable clinical effect and acceptable tolerability, which makes it a good treatment option for HER2-positive metastatic EMPD (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: UMIN000021311, jRCTs031180073).
The Economic Consequences of Legal Framework
Authors: Karkalakos Sotiris 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
The legal origins of a state do influence significantly its economic growth. The current work verifies that countries whose legal framework is based on common law tend to have better economic results compared to countries based on civil law. It investigates the role of an effective regulatory framework in promoting economic growth and development in recent years. Regulation can have potentially significant macroeconomic consequences by helping or hampering the dynamics of economic restructuring and resource reallocation that characterize the growth process. Achieving good regulatory outcomes is almost always a co-operative effort: by the government, regulators, the regulated, and the broader community. In the European Union, the drivers to initiate better regulation strategies, varied from country to country. Nevertheless, economic growth, competitiveness and the needs of businesses have been the prominent reasons for engaging in better regulation policies. This paper has concluded that countries which have actively reformed their legal systems focusing on quality standards succeed in the creation of a solid social and economic environment.
STAT3-induced upregulation of lncRNA TTN-AS1 aggravates podocyte injury in diabetic nephropathy by promoting oxidative stress
Authors: Wang Wenzhe , Li Yongxia , Zhu Fan , Huang Yunfang 
Published: June 2024

Abstract

Background
Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), being the second cause of end-stage renal disease globally. Podocyte injury is closely associated with DN developmen. Our study aimed to investigate the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) TTN-AS1 in DN-associated podocyte injury.

Methods
The mouse podocyte cell line (MPC5) and human primary podocytes were stimulated by high glucose (HG; 30 nM glucose) to establish the cellular model of DN. Before HG stimulation, both podocytes were transfected with sh-TTN-AS1#1/2 or pcDNA3.1/STAT3 to evaluate the influence of TTN-AS1 knockdown or STAT3 overexpression on HG-induced podocyte injury. TTN-AS1 and STAT3 expression in both podocytes was examined by RT-qPCR. Cell viability and death were assessed by CCK-8 and LDH release assay. ELISA was adopted for testing IL-6 and TNF-α contents in cell supernatants. The levels of oxidative stress markers (ROS, MDA, SOD, and GSH) in cell supernatants were determined by commercial kits. Western blotting was used for measuring the expression of fibrosis markers (fibronectin and α-SMA and podocyte function markers (podocin and nephrin) in podocytes.

Results
HG stimulation led to decreased cell viability, increased cell death, fibrosis, inflammation, cell dysfunction and oxidative stress in podocytes. However, knockdown of TTN-AS1 ameliorated HG-induced podocyte injury. Mechanically, the transcription factor STAT3 interacted with TTN-AS1 promoter and upregulated TTN-AS1 expression. STAT3 overexpression offset the protective effect of TTN-AS1 silencing on HG-induced podocyte damage.

Conclusion
Overall, STAT3-mediated upregulation of lncRNA TTN-AS1 could exacerbate podocyte injury in DN through suppressing inflammation and oxidative stress.
Influenza A genomic diversity during human infections underscores the strength of genetic drift and the existence of tight transmission bottlenecks
Authors: Martin Michael A , Berg Nick , Koelle Katia 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Influenza infections result in considerable public health and economic impacts each year. One of the contributing factors to the high annual incidence of human influenza is the virus’s ability to evade acquired immunity through continual antigenic evolution. Understanding the evolutionary forces that act within and between hosts is therefore critical to interpreting past trends in influenza virus evolution and in predicting future ones. Several studies have analyzed longitudinal patterns of influenza A virus genetic diversity in natural human infections to assess the relative contributions of selection and genetic drift on within-host evolution. However, in these natural infections, within-host viral populations harbor very few single-nucleotide variants, limiting our resolution in understanding the forces acting on these populations in vivo. Furthermore, low levels of within-host viral genetic diversity limit the ability to infer the extent of drift across transmission events. Here, we propose to use influenza virus genomic diversity as an alternative signal to better understand within- and between-host patterns of viral evolution. Specifically, we focus on the dynamics of defective viral genomes (DVGs), which harbor large internal deletions in one or more of influenza virus’s eight gene segments. Our longitudinal analyses of DVGs show that influenza A virus populations are highly dynamic within hosts, corroborating previous findings based on viral genetic diversity that point toward the importance of genetic drift in driving within-host viral evolution. Furthermore, our analysis of DVG populations across transmission pairs indicates that DVGs rarely appeared to be shared, indicating the presence of tight transmission bottlenecks. Our analyses demonstrate that viral genomic diversity can be used to complement analyses based on viral genetic diversity to reveal processes that drive viral evolution within and between hosts.
Microbiota influence on behavior: Integrative analysis of serotonin metabolism and behavioral profile in germ‐free mice
Authors: Roussin Léa , Gry Elisa , Macaron Mira , Ribes Sandy , Monnoye Magali , Douard Véronique , Naudon Laurent , Rabot Sylvie 
Published: June 2024

AbstractPrevious studies on germ‐free (GF) animals have described altered anxiety‐like and social behaviors together with dysregulations in brain serotonin (5‐HT) metabolism. Alterations in circulating 5‐HT levels and gut 5‐HT metabolism have also been reported in GF mice. In this study, we conducted an integrative analysis of various behaviors as well as markers of 5‐HT metabolism in the brain and along the GI tract of GF male mice compared with conventional (CV) ones. We found a strong decrease in locomotor activity, accompanied by some signs of increased anxiety‐like behavior in GF mice compared with CV mice. Brain gene expression analysis showed no differences in HTR1A and TPH2 genes. In the gut, we found decreased TPH1 expression in the colon of GF mice, while it was increased in the cecum. HTR1A expression was dramatically decreased in the colon, while HTR4 expression was increased both in the cecum and colon of GF mice compared with CV mice. Finally, SLC6A4 expression was increased in the ileum and colon of GF mice compared with CV mice. Our results add to the evidence that the microbiota is involved in regulation of behavior, although heterogeneity among studies suggests a strong impact of genetic and environmental factors on this microbiota‐mediated regulation. While no impact of GF status on brain 5‐HT was observed, substantial differences in gut 5‐HT metabolism were noted, with tissue‐dependent results indicating a varying role of microbiota along the GI tract.
Contact with Wet Cement—A Preventable Cause of Chemical Burn: Case Report and Discussion
Authors: Levine Jeffrey M. , Parekh Nayana S. , Cooper Michael L. 
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT
Alkali burn from wet cement is an often unrecognized and completely preventable chemical injury. The prevalence of cement burns is likely underestimated because of a lack of awareness and knowledge among both individuals who work with cement and healthcare providers. Chemical injuries have important differences compared with thermal burns: they are usually produced by longer exposure to noxious agents as opposed to short-term exposure that is quickly stopped. As a result, first aid approaches are different.
Chemical burns from cement can be avoided with adequate skin and eye protection as well as immediate first aid if contact occurs. Manufacturers of bagged cement place warning notices on packaging, but these can be small and go unnoticed by consumers. Construction workers and amateur do-it-yourselfers should avoid direct contact with cement for any prolonged amount of time. Watertight boots, gloves, and clothing will prevent contact, and any accidental splash on exposed skin should be immediately washed away. Education and awareness of the consequences of cement burns are the best prevention.

GENERAL PURPOSE
To review the management of a patient with a chemical burn from wet cement.

TARGET AUDIENCE
This continuing education activity is intended for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses with an interest in skin and wound care.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES
After participating in this educational activity, the participant will:
1. Recognize the clinical presentation of a patient with a chemical burn from contact with wet cement.
2. Describe features related to the pathophysiology of alkali burns from wet cement.
3. Select the proper decontamination procedure after exposure to wet cement.
4. Identify steps in the treatment of a patient with a chemical burn from contact with wet cement.
Operative Management of Y-Shaped Metatarsal with Biphalangeal Sixth Toe
Authors: Montaño-Jiménez Pedro , Pérez-Belloso Ana Juana , Muriel-Sánchez Juan Manuel , Márquez-Reina Salvador , Goméz-Carrión Alvaro , Coheña-Jiménez Manuel 
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT

Background
In the literature, there is no consensus regarding the surgical management of postaxial polydactyly, and few cases of polymetatarsia with polydactyly have been reported. Treatment of the complete deformity will prevent further foot and gait disorders.

Objective
To identify literature relevant to the operative management of Y-shaped metatarsal with biphalangeal sixth toe and related skin and wound care to improve surgical treatment protocols from a clinical experience perspective.

Data Sources
The authors searched several electronic databases in December 2022 for articles related to postaxial polysyndactyly in the feet and polymetatarsia. Databases searched included PubMed, SciELO, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Google Scholar gray literature.

Study Selection
Two independent researchers conducted the searches and read the article titles and abstracts. Studies were included if they were narrative reviews, case studies, or observational studies; written in English or Spanish; and published between 2012 and 2022. Nonhuman studies were excluded. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were fully evaluated. Disagreements between reviewers were resolved by consensus, and when there was no consensus, a senior researcher was consulted.

Data Extraction
The following data were extracted from the included studies using a standardized form: author and year of publication, study type, number of participants, sex, polydactyly location, polymetatarsia, type of polydactyly, participants’ history of hereditary associated diseases or malformations, treatment, removal criteria, and timing of surgery.

Data Synthesis
Authors evaluated 11 studies of postaxial polydactyly that included a total of 153 participants (64 men, 89 women). They also document their clinical experience with a surgical technique used in cases of bilateral postaxial polydactyly of the foot with a Y-shaped metatarsal with biphalangeal sixth toe.

Conclusions
Surgical correction with lateral removal of the sixth toe is a resolutive treatment to improve the functionality of the foot, its aesthetic appearance, and the patient’s quality of life. Case-specific treatment should be applied and tailored to meet the individual needs. The biomechanics of gait and shoe problems in these patients improve with surgical treatment, without presenting secondary aesthetic problems in skin care.
The Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Parents Regarding Sun Protection for Their Children
Authors: Akca Gulfer , Akca Unal , Sahin Mustafa Kursat 
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT

Objective
To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of parents toward protecting their children against skin cancer and the sun.

Methods
This cross-sectional study was performed in Turkey from March through October 2022. The authors used a questionnaire investigating the parents’ and children’s characteristics, attitudes, and practices toward sun protection and the Skin Cancer and Sun Knowledge (SCSK) scale to collect data.

Results
Of 465 parents, 60.2% were women, 83.2% were light-skinned, 20.2% perceived their children as risk-free, 43.8% perceived their children as low risk in terms of skin cancer, 14.6% examined their children from head to foot, 62.3% applied sunscreen to their children, 9.7% made them wear long-sleeved clothing, 60.0% made them wear headgear, 61.1% made them remain in the shade or under a sunshade, and 32.3% made them wear sunglasses. The mean parental SCSK scale score was 14.3 ± 4.1. Scale scores were higher among those who perceived their children as being at high risk for skin cancer (P = .000), whose children had not experienced red or painful sunburn in the previous year (P = .000), and who informed their children about sun protection (P = .000).

Conclusions
Although knowledge of skin cancer and solar protection was high, parental perception of the risk of skin cancer was very low, and attitudes toward skin examination were also very relaxed.
The Experiences of People Who Smoke With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Noonan Devon , Jackson Jennifer , Ghazaleh Haya Abu , Mcdermott Mairtin S. , Sang Elaine , Duaso Maria J. 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Few interventions to support smoking cessation include content specifically about diabetes. This is problematic, as people with diabetes face unique challenges when they stop smoking. The purpose of this study was to understand patients' needs and challenges in relation to smoking with Type 2 diabetes and assess the acceptability of a text message intervention to support smoking cessation. People who smoke and have Type 2 diabetes in the United States and the United Kingdom were recruited to participate in semistructured interviews (n = 20), guided by the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior model. A combination of inductive and deductive approaches with framework analysis was used to analyze the data. Results indicated that the participants' experiences related to the constructs of the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior model and the categories of mental health and diabetes distress were also notable parts of their experiences. Results can be used to guide intervention development in this unique group.