bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prediction of chronological age and its applications in forensic casework: methods, current practices, and future perspectives
Authors: Refn Mie Rath , Kampmann Marie-Louise , Morling Niels , Tfelt-Hansen Jacob , Børsting Claus , Pereira Vania 
Published: June 2023

AbstractEstimating an individual’s age can be relevant in several areas primarily related to the clinical and forensic fields. In the latter, estimation of an individual’s chronological age from biological material left by the perpetrator at a crime scene may provide helpful information for police investigation. Estimation of age is also beneficial in immigration cases, where age can affect the person’s protection status under the law, or in disaster victim identification to narrow the list of potential missing persons. In the last decade, research has focused on establishing new approaches for age prediction in the forensic field. From the first forensic age estimations based on morphological inspections of macroscopic changes in bone and teeth, the focus has shifted to molecular methods for age estimation. These methods allow the use of samples from human biological material that does not contain morphological age features and can, in theory, be investigated in traces containing only small amounts of biological material. Molecular methods involving DNA analyses are the primary choice and estimation of DNA methylation levels at specific sites in the genome is the most promising tool. This review aims to provide an overview of the status of forensic age prediction using molecular methods, with particular focus in DNA methylation. The frequent challenges that impact forensic age prediction model development will be addressed, together with the importance of validation efforts within the forensic community.
Prevalence and determinants of diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections among children aged under five years in West Africa: evidence from demographic and health surveys
Authors: Owusu Derrick Nyantakyi , Duah Henry Ofori , Dwomoh Duah , Alhassan Yakubu 
Published: June 2023

Abstract

Background
Diarrhoea and pneumonia are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children aged &lt;5 y (under five) globally. This study sought to investigate the prevalence and determinants of diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections (ARIs) among children under five in West Africa.

Methods
The most recent demographic and health survey (DHS) standard for 13 West African countries was used in the study. We calculated the prevalence of diarrhoea and ARIs (2 wk prior to the survey) and performed multivariable complex logistic regression analysis to identify possible predictors of diarrhoea and ARIs.

Results
The weighted prevalence of diarrhoea and ARI was 13.7% and 15.9%, respectively. The prevalence of comorbid diarrhoea and ARI was 4.4%. Children aged &lt;2 y (p&lt;0.001), mothers aged &lt;30 y (p&lt;0.003), mothers without formal education (p&lt;0.001), poor households (p&lt;0.001) and poor nutritional status, wasting (p=0.005) and underweight (p&lt;0.001), were the independent predictors of diarrhoea. The independent predictors of ARIs were children with no childhood vaccinations (p=0.002), use of solid fuel in the household (p=0.007), being underweight (p=0.05) and diarrhoea (p&lt;0.001).

Conclusions
The findings imply the need for holistic public health interventions such as increased vaccination coverage, population-based nutritional programmes and campaigns on the use of cleaner cooking fuel targeted at high-risk subgroups in the population to reduce the burden and adverse effects of diarrhoea and ARIs in the West African region.
A PROBLEM of RULES: Sexual Exploitation and UN Legitimacy
Authors: Westendorf Jasmine-Kim 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Twenty years ago, the UN adopted a zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) by its personnel. After prohibiting sex with children and the exchange of sex for “cash, food and things,” it “strongly discourages” sexual relationships with beneficiaries because “they are based on inherently unequal power dynamics” and undermine the UN’s credibility and integrity. Taking inspiration from the critical feminist project of understanding what happens when feminist ideas and projects become institutionalised, I consider the effectiveness and unintended consequences of the policy's discouraged relationships standard. I argue that by centring an “inherent power imbalance” between peacekeepers and local people, the policy undermines the UN’s capacity to meaningfully address that imbalance in practice. Moreover, the discouraged relationships standard diminishes the policy’s perceived legitimacy among staff, with ramifications beyond the prevention and punishment of sexual misconduct. Based on research in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Timor-Leste, Geneva, and New York, this article generates insights about the persistent challenges to preventing and punishing SEA and situates them in relation to broader questions around how international missions view and interact with local populations, and how this affects the integrity and effectiveness of their work.
In vitro activity of cefiderocol against MBL-producing Gram-negative bacteria collected in North America and Europe in five consecutive annual multinational SIDERO-WT surveillance studies (2014–2019)
Authors: Takemura Miki , Wise Mark G , Hackel Meredith A , Sahm Daniel F , Yamano Yoshinori 
Published: June 2023

Abstract

Objectives
To evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity of cefiderocol, a siderophore cephalosporin against MBL-producing clinical isolates.

Methods
MBL-producing strains were selected from clinical isolates of Enterobacterales, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii complex collected in North America and Europe in five consecutive annual multinational SIDERO-WT surveillance studies from 2014 to 2019. MICs of cefiderocol and comparator agents were determined by the broth microdilution method according to the CLSI guideline.

Results
A total of 452 MBL-producing strains consisting of 200 Enterobacterales, 227 P. aeruginosa and 25 A. baumannii complex were identified. The highest number of MBL-producing Enterobacterales strains were detected in Greece. MBL-producing strains of both P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii complex were isolated most frequently in Russia. For Enterobacterales, 91.5% or 67.5% of MBL-producing strains had cefiderocol MIC values ≤4 mg/L (CLSI susceptibility breakpoint) or ≤2 mg/L (EUCAST susceptibility breakpoint), respectively. All MIC values of cefiderocol for MBL-producing P. aeruginosa strains were ≤4 mg/L (CLSI susceptibility breakpoint), and 97.4% of them had cefiderocol MIC values ≤2 mg/L (EUCAST susceptibility breakpoint). For A. baumannii complex, 60.0% or 44.0% of MBL-producing strains had cefiderocol MIC values ≤4 mg/L (CLSI susceptibility breakpoint) or ≤2 mg/L (EUCAST pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic susceptibility breakpoint), respectively. Against all types of MBL-producing strains, MIC distribution curves of cefiderocol were located in the lowest numerical values, compared with other β-lactams and β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations tested and ciprofloxacin.

Conclusions
Although the types of MBL-producing strains isolated by country varied, cefiderocol showed potent in vitro activity against all types of MBL-producing Gram-negative bacteria regardless of the bacterial species.
Cooperative DNA-binding activities of Chp2 are critical for its function in heterochromatin assembly
Authors: Rahayu Anisa Fitri , Hayashi Aki , Yoshimura Yuriko , Nakagawa Reiko , Arita Kyohei , Nakayama Jun-ichi 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) is an evolutionarily conserved protein that plays a critical role in heterochromatin assembly. HP1 proteins share a basic structure consisting of an N-terminal chromodomain (CD) and a C-terminal chromoshadow domain (CSD) linked by a disordered hinge region. The CD recognizes histone H3 lysine 9 methylation, a hallmark of heterochromatin, while the CSD forms a dimer to recruit other chromosomal proteins. HP1 proteins have been shown to bind DNA or RNA primarily through the hinge region. However, how DNA or RNA binding contributes to their function remains elusive. Here, we focus on Chp2, one of the two HP1 proteins in fission yeast, and investigate how Chp2's DNA-binding ability contributes to its function. Similar to other HP1 proteins, the Chp2 hinge exhibits clear DNA-binding activity. Interestingly, the Chp2 CSD also shows robust DNA-binding activity. Mutational analysis revealed that basic residues in the Chp2 hinge and at the N-terminus of the CSD are essential for DNA binding, and the combined amino acid substitutions of these residues alter Chp2 stability, impair Chp2 heterochromatin localization and lead to a silencing defect. These results demonstrate that the cooperative DNA-binding activities of Chp2 play an important role in heterochromatin assembly in fission yeast.
Crack growth degradation-based diagnosis and design of high pressure liquefied natural gas pipe via designable data-augmented anomaly detection
Authors: Yang Dabin , Lee Sanghoon , Lee Jongsoo 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
A new approach to anomaly detection termed “anomaly detection with designable generative adversarial network (Ano-DGAN)” is proposed, which is a series connection of a designable generative adversarial network and anomaly detection with a generative adversarial network. The proposed Ano-DGAN, based on a deep neural network, overcomes the limitations of abnormal data collection when performing anomaly detection. In addition, it can perform statistical diagnosis by identifying the healthy range of each design variable without a massive amount of initial data. A model was constructed to simulate a high-pressure liquefied natural gas pipeline for data collection and the determination of the critical design variables. The simulation model was validated and compared with the failure mode and effect analysis of a real pipeline, which showed that stress was concentrated in the weld joints of the branch pipe. A crack-growth degradation factor was applied to the weld, and anomaly detection was performed. The performance of the proposed model was highly accurate compared with that of other anomaly detection models, such as support vector machine, 1D convolutional neural network, and long short-term memory. The results provided a statistical estimate of the design variable ranges and were validated statistically, indicating that the diagnosis was acceptable.
Repeated mild closed head injury in neonatal rats results in sustained cognitive deficits associated with chronic microglial activation and neurodegeneration
Authors: Raghupathi Ramesh , Prasad Rupal , Fox Douglas , Huh Jimmy W 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Abusive head trauma in infants is a consequence of multiple episodes of abuse and results in axonal injury, brain atrophy, and chronic cognitive deficits. Anesthetized 11-day-old rats, neurologically equivalent to infants, were subjected to 1 impact/day to the intact skull for 3 successive days. Repeated, but not single impact(s) resulted in spatial learning deficits (p &lt; 0.05 compared to sham-injured animals) up to 5 weeks postinjury. In the first week following single or repetitive brain injury, axonal and neuronal degeneration, and microglial activation were observed in the cortex, white matter, thalamus, and subiculum; the extent of the histopathologic damage was significantly greater in the repetitive-injured animals compared to single-injured animals. At 40 days postinjury, loss of cortical, white matter and hippocampal tissue was evident only in the repetitive-injured animals, along with evidence of microglial activation in the white matter tracts and thalamus. Axonal injury and neurodegeneration were evident in the thalamus up to 40 days postinjury in the repetitive-injured rats. These data demonstrate that while single closed head injury in the neonate rat is associated with pathologic alterations in the acute post-traumatic period, repetitive closed head injury results in sustained behavioral and pathologic deficits reminiscent of infants with abusive head trauma.
Modulating moderation: a history of objectionability in Twitter moderation practices
Authors: de Keulenaar Emillie , Magalhães João C , Ganesh Bharath 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
With their power to shape public discourse under unprecedented scrutiny, social media platforms have revamped their speech control practices in recent years by building complex systems of content moderation. The contours of this tectonic shift are relatively clear. Yet, little work has systematically documented, examined, and theorized this process. This article uses digital methods and web history to trace the evolution of objectionable content on Twitter content moderation policies and practices between 2006 and 2022. Its conclusions suggest that, more than abandoning an Americanized view of freedom of speech, Twitter has aimed at building a crisis-resistant speech architecture that can withstand external shocks, criticisms, and shifting speech norms. This kind of modulated moderation, as we term it, hinges on a form of normative plasticity, whose goal is not necessarily adjudicating content as more or less acceptable, but moderating it on the basis of evolving and ever contingent public conceptions of objectionability.
Fragile Solidarities: Contestation and Ambiguity at European Borderzones
Authors: Monforte Pierre , Steinhilper Elias 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Borders as legal, social, and material aspaces of inclusion/exclusion constantly spark resistance, by both migrants and solidarity actors. In this article, we combine the dual observation of a proliferation of border control policies and of migrant and solidarity activism to analyse how different types of border control policies affect the forms of resistance that emerge in them. We inquire on three different cases: first the Calais region at the territorial border between France and the UK; second the camps and detention centres for refugees and migrants marking borders within Europe; and third the intimate space of encounters between citizens and migrants during practices of migrant support. In our theory oriented qualitative analysis, we carve out how power relations, and thereby notions of inclusion/exclusion, deservingness and (il)legality play out differently on the ambivalent solidarities unfolding in these settings.
Loss-of-function mutations in IQCN cause male infertility in humans and mice owing to total fertilization failure
Authors: Wang Yulin , Chen Guoyong , Tang Zhenzhen , Mei Xiaoyan , Lin Chunli , Kang Jingyi , Lian Jianqing , Lu Jun , Liu Yun , Lan Fenghua , Huang Wujian , Zhang Duo 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Fertilization failure is a significant manifestation of unexplained male infertility. Previous work has suggested a genetic origin. In this study, we report on a man with unexplained infertility from a large consanguineous marriage family. Whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing identified a homozygous frameshift variation of the IQ motif containing N (IQCN; GenBank: NM_001145304.1; c.1061_1062delAT; p.Y354Sfs*13) in the proband and one of his two brothers, who also remained infertile. Analyses of spermatozoa by quantitative RT-PCR indicated that the level of IQCN mRNA was significantly reduced compared to fertile men and the protein could not be detected by western blotting and immunofluorescent staining in the proband. Immunofluorescent staining of spermatozoa from fertile men showed that IQCN was located in the acrosomal region and translocated to the equatorial segment after the acrosome reaction. The proband spermatozoa had abnormal morphology and function. Finally, the proband couple underwent IVF with donor sperm and a healthy baby was born. Furthermore, we developed an Iqcn-KO mouse model using the CRISPR/Cas9 technique. Sperm quality, except for sperm motility, and the fertility of male Iqcn−/− mice were consistent with those of the proband. In conclusion, the findings in humans and mice demonstrate that the homozygous frameshift variant of IQCN causes male infertility owing to autosomal-recessive fertilization failure.
Using imlifidase to elucidate the characteristics and importance of anti-GBM antibodies produced after start of treatment
Authors: Tyrberg Linnéa , Andersson Fanny , Uhlin Fredrik , Hellmark Thomas , Segelmark Mårten 
Published: June 2023

ABSTRACTBackgroundAutoantibodies are common in glomerulonephritis, but the clinical benefit of rapid elimination has not been determined, even in anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease. Even less is known about the importance of autoantibody characteristics, including epitope specificity and immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclass distribution. We aimed to address this by characterizing the autoantibody profile in anti-GBM patients: we utilized samples from the GOOD-IDES-01 (treating GOODpasture's disease with Imunoglobulin G Degrading Enzyme of Streptococcus pyogenous) (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03157037) trial , where imlifidase, which cleaves all IgG in vivo within hours, was given to 15 anti-GBM patients.MethodsIn the GOOD-IDES-01 trial, plasmapheresis was (re)started if anti-GBM antibodies rebounded. Serum samples were collected prospectively for 6 months and analyzed for anti-GBM epitope specificity using recombinant constructs of the EA and EB epitopes, IgG subclass using monoclonal antibodies, and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). The results were correlated with clinical data.ResultsPatients with a rebound (n = 10) tended to have lower eGFR at 6 months (11 vs 34 mL/min/1.73 m2, P = .055), and patients with dialysis at 6 months had a higher EB/EA ratio at rebound (0.8 vs 0.5, P = .047). Moreover, two patients demonstrated increasing epitope restriction and several patients displayed a shift in subclass distribution at rebound. Six patients were double positive for ANCA. ANCA rebound was seen in 50% of patients; only one patient remained ANCA positive at 6 months.ConclusionsIn this study, rebound of anti-GBM antibodies, especially if directed against the EB epitope, was associated with a worse outcome. This supports the notion that all means should be used to eliminate anti-GBM antibodies. In this study ANCA was removed early and long-term by imlifidase and cyclophosphamide.
Insulin feedback is a targetable resistance mechanism of PI3K inhibition in glioblastoma
Authors: Noch Evan K , Palma Laura N , Yim Isaiah , Bullen Nayah , Qiu Yuqing , Ravichandran Hiranmayi , Kim Junbum , Rendeiro Andre , Davis Melissa B , Elemento Olivier , Pisapia David J , Zhai Kevin , LeKaye Hongbiao Carl , Koutcher Jason A , Wen Patrick Y , Ligon Keith L , Cantley Lewis C 
Published: June 2023

Abstract

Background
Insulin feedback is a critical mechanism responsible for the poor clinical efficacy of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibition in cancer, and hyperglycemia is an independent factor associated with poor prognosis in glioblastoma (GBM). We investigated combination anti-hyperglycemic therapy in a mouse model of GBM and evaluated the association of glycemic control in clinical trial data from patients with GBM.

Methods
The effect of the anti-hyperglycemic regimens, metformin and the ketogenic diet, was evaluated in combination with PI3K inhibition in patient-derived GBM cells and in an orthotopic GBM mouse model. Insulin feedback and the immune microenvironment were retrospectively evaluated in blood and tumor tissue from a Phase 2 clinical trial of buparlisib in patients with recurrent GBM.

Results
We found that PI3K inhibition induces hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia in mice and that combining metformin with PI3K inhibition improves the treatment efficacy in an orthotopic GBM xenograft model. Through examination of clinical trial data, we found that hyperglycemia was an independent factor associated with poor progression-free survival in patients with GBM. We also found that PI3K inhibition increased insulin receptor activation and T-cell and microglia abundance in tumor tissue from these patients.

Conclusion
Reducing insulin feedback improves the efficacy of PI3K inhibition in GBM in mice, and hyperglycemia worsens progression-free survival in patients with GBM treated with PI3K inhibition. These findings indicate that hyperglycemia is a critical resistance mechanism associated with PI3K inhibition in GBM and that anti-hyperglycemic therapy may enhance PI3K inhibitor efficacy in GBM patients.
Uncover rock-climbing fish's secret of balancing tight adhesion and fast sliding for bioinspired robots
Authors: Tan Wenjun , Zhang Chuang , Wang Ruiqian , Fu Yuanyuan , Chen Qin , Yang Yongliang , Wang Wenxue , Zhang Mingjun , Xi Ning , Liu Lianqing 
Published: June 2023

ABSTRACT
The underlying principle of the unique dynamic adaptive adhesion capability of a rock-climbing fish (Beaufortia kweichowensis) that can resist a pull-off force of 1000 times its weight while achieving simultaneous fast sliding (7.83 body lengths per second (BL/S)) remains a mystery in the literature. This adhesion-sliding ability has long been sought for underwater robots. However, strong surface adhesion and fast sliding appear to contradict each other due to the need for high surface contact stress. The skillfully balanced mechanism of the tight surface adhesion and fast sliding of the rock-climbing fish is disclosed in this work. The Stefan force (0.1 mN/mm2) generated by micro-setae on pectoral fins and ventral fins leads to a 70 N/m2 adhesion force by conforming the overall body of the fish to a surface to form a sealing chamber. The pull-off force is neutralized simultaneously due to the negative pressure caused by the volumetric change of the chamber. The rock-climbing fish's micro-setae hydrodynamic interaction and sealing suction cup work cohesively to contribute to low friction and high pull-off-force resistance and can therefore slide rapidly while clinging to the surface. Inspired by this unique mechanism, an underwater robot is developed with incorporated structures that mimic the functionality of the rock-climbing fish via a micro-setae array attached to a soft self-adaptive chamber, a setup which demonstrates superiority over conventional structures in terms of balancing tight underwater adhesion and fast sliding.