bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association of atrial fibrillation with survival in patients with low-flow low-gradient aortic stenosis with preserved ejection fraction undergoing TAVI
Authors: Nakase Masaaki , Tomii Daijiro , Heg Dik , Praz Fabien , Stortecky Stefan , Lanz Jonas , Reineke David , Windecker Stephan , Pilgrim Thomas 
Published: July 2023

Abstract

Aims
There is limited evidence on the prognostic significance of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with low flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis with preserved ejection fraction (LFLG-pEF AS). We aimed to evaluate the recovery of stroke volume after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and clinical outcomes in patients with LFLG-pEF AS stratified by presence or absence of AF.

Methods and results
In a prospective TAVI registry, patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF ≥ 50%) were stratified according to flow-gradient status and presence of AF. Among 2259 TAVI patients with preserved LVEF between August 2007 and June 2021, 765 had high-gradient AS (HG AS) and 444 had LFLG-pEF AS. AF was observed in 199 patients with HG AS (26.0%) and 190 patients with LFLG-pEF AS (42.8%). At 1 year, stroke volume index (SVi) was significantly improved in LFLG-pEF AS patients without AF, while SVi remained low in patients with AF (from 25.9 ± 8.5 mL/m2 to 37.2 ± 9.9 mL/m2 and from 26.8 ± 5.1 mL/m2 to 26.1 ± 9.1 mL/m2, respectively). LFLG-pEF AS patients with AF had an increased risk of 1-year all-cause mortality compared with those without AF (adjusted hazard ratio (HRadjusted) 2.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44–4.59). LFLG-pEF AS patients without AF had similar mortality compared with HG AS patients without AF (HRadjusted 0.85; 95% CI 0.49–1.46).

Conclusion
Patients with LFLG-pEF AS and AF experienced no relevant recovery of stroke volume after TAVI, but a more than two-fold increased risk of death compared to patients with HG AS or LFLG-pEF AS without AF.

Clinical Trial Registration
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. NCT01368250.
The Forward-Looking Effect of Increasing the Full Retirement Age
Authors: Carta Francesca , De Philippis Marta 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
This paper analyses the effects of increasing the statutory retirement age for claiming full pension benefits on the labour force participation of middle-aged individuals and their partners. Identification relies on a difference-in-differences setting that exploits the heterogeneous increase in age eligibility for retirement caused by an unexpected pension reform. We detect a rise in the participation rate of middle-aged women that spills over into the labour supply of their husbands, who choose to postpone their retirement. The overall labour supply response has important implications for the extent of the fiscal externality associated with pension reforms that increase the retirement age.
PCR-based gene targeting in Hanseniaspora uvarum
Authors: Badura Jennifer , van Wyk Niël , Zimmer Kerstin , Pretorius Isak S , von Wallbrunn Christian , Wendland Jürgen 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Lack of gene-function analyses tools limits studying the biology of Hanseniaspora uvarum, one of the most abundant yeasts on grapes and in must. We investigated a rapid PCR-based gene targeting approach for one-step gene replacement in this diploid yeast. To this end, we generated and validated two synthetic antibiotic resistance genes, pFA-hygXL and pFA-clnXL, providing resistance against hygromycin and nourseothricin, respectively, for use with H. uvarum. Addition of short flanking-homology regions of 56–80 bp to these selection markers via PCR was sufficient to promote gene targeting. We report here the deletion of the H. uvarum LEU2 and LYS2 genes with these marker genes via two rounds of consecutive transformations, each resulting in the generation of auxotrophic strains (leu2/leu2; lys2/lys2). The hereby constructed leucine auxotrophic leu2/leu2 strain was subsequently complemented in a targeted manner, thereby further validating this approach. PCR-based gene targeting in H. uvarum was less efficient than in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, this approach, combined with the availability of two marker genes, provides essential tools for directed gene manipulations in H. uvarum.
Computational Modeling of Substrate-Dependent Mitochondrial Respiration and Bioenergetics in the Heart and Kidney Cortex and Outer Medulla
Authors: Sadri Shima , Zhang Xiao , Audi Said H , Cowley Jr. Allen W , Dash Ranjan K 
Published: July 2023

AbstractIntegrated computational modeling provides a mechanistic and quantitative framework to characterize alterations in mitochondrial respiration and bioenergetics in response to different metabolic substrates in-silico. These alterations play critical roles in the pathogenesis of diseases affecting metabolically active organs such as heart and kidney. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop and validate thermodynamically constrained integrated computational models of mitochondrial respiration and bioenergetics in the heart and kidney cortex and outer medulla (OM). The models incorporated the kinetics of major biochemical reactions and transport processes as well as regulatory mechanisms in the mitochondria of these tissues. Intrinsic model parameters such as Michaelis–Menten constants were fixed at previously estimated values, while extrinsic model parameters such as maximal reaction and transport velocities were estimated separately for each tissue. This was achieved by fitting the model solutions to our recently published respirometry data measured in isolated rat heart and kidney cortex and OM mitochondria utilizing various NADH- and FADH2-linked metabolic substrates. The models were validated by predicting additional respirometry and bioenergetics data, which were not used for estimating the extrinsic model parameters. The models were able to predict tissue-specific and substrate-dependent mitochondrial emergent metabolic system properties such as redox states, enzyme and transporter fluxes, metabolite concentrations, membrane potential, and respiratory control index under diverse physiological and pathological conditions. The models were also able to quantitatively characterize differential regulations of NADH- and FADH2-linked metabolic pathways, which contribute differently toward regulations of oxidative phosphorylation and ATP synthesis in the heart and kidney cortex and OM mitochondria.
Modeling Recombination Rate as a Quantitative Trait Reveals New Insight into Selection in Humans
Authors: Drury Austin L , Gout Jean-Francois , Dapper Amy L 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Meiotic recombination is both a fundamental biological process required for proper chromosomal segregation during meiosis and an important genomic parameter that shapes major features of the genomic landscape. However, despite the central importance of this phenotype, we lack a clear understanding of the selective pressures that shape its variation in natural populations, including humans. While there is strong evidence of fitness costs of low rates of recombination, the possible fitness costs of high rates of recombination are less defined. To determine whether a single lower fitness bound can explain the variation in recombination rates observed in human populations, we simulated the evolution of recombination rates as a sexually dimorphic quantitative trait. Under each scenario, we statistically compared the resulting trait distribution with the observed distribution of recombination rates from a published study of the Icelandic population. To capture the genetic architecture of recombination rates in humans, we modeled it as a moderately complex trait with modest heritability. For our fitness function, we implemented a hyperbolic tangent curve with several flexible parameters to capture a wide range of existing hypotheses. We found that costs of low rates of recombination alone are likely insufficient to explain the current variation in recombination rates in both males and females, supporting the existence of fitness costs of high rates of recombination in humans. With simulations using both upper and lower fitness boundaries, we describe a parameter space for the costs of high recombination rates that produces results consistent with empirical observations.
Dynamics of nucleic acid mobility
Authors: Singh Shailja , Hu Xinyi , Dixelius Christina 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Advances in sequencing technologies and bioinformatic analyses are accelerating the quantity and quality of data from all domains of life. This rich resource has the potential to reveal a number of important incidences with respect to possible exchange of nucleic acids. Ancient events have impacted species evolution and adaptation to new ecological niches. However, we still lack a full picture of processes ongoing within and between somatic cells, gametes, and different organisms. We propose that events linked to acceptance of alien nucleic acids grossly could be divided into 2 main routes in plants: one, when plants are exposed to extreme challenges and, the second level, a more everyday or season-related stress incited by biotic or abiotic factors. Here, many events seem to comprise somatic cells. Are the transport and acceptance processes of alien sequences random or are there specific regulatory systems not yet fully understood? Following entrance into a new cell, a number of intracellular processes leading to chromosomal integration and function are required. Modification of nucleic acids and possibly exchange of sequences within a cell may also occur. Such fine-tune events are most likely very common. There are multiple questions that we will discuss concerning different types of vesicles and their roles in nucleic acid transport and possible intracellular sequence exchange between species.
Cannabis sativa: origin and history, glandular trichome development, and cannabinoid biosynthesis
Authors: Xie Ziyan , Mi Yaolei , Kong Lingzhe , Gao Maolun , Chen Shanshan , Chen Weiqiang , Meng Xiangxiao , Sun Wei , Chen Shilin , Xu Zhichao 
Published: July 2023

AbstractIs Cannabis a boon or bane? Cannabis sativa has long been a versatile crop for fiber extraction (industrial hemp), traditional Chinese medicine (hemp seeds), and recreational drugs (marijuana). Cannabis faced global prohibition in the twentieth century because of the psychoactive properties of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol; however, recently, the perspective has changed with the recognition of additional therapeutic values, particularly the pharmacological potential of cannabidiol. A comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanism of cannabinoid biosynthesis is necessary to cultivate and promote globally the medicinal application of Cannabis resources. Here, we comprehensively review the historical usage of Cannabis, biosynthesis of trichome-specific cannabinoids, regulatory network of trichome development, and synthetic biology of cannabinoids. This review provides valuable insights into the efficient biosynthesis and green production of cannabinoids, and the development and utilization of novel Cannabis varieties.
What Does Queer IR Want? A Queer Psychoanalytic Critique
Authors: Valle Luiz 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
This article presents a sympathetic critique of the concept of “queer” operative in the subfield of Queer International Relations from a psychoanalytic perspective. I first reconstruct queer International Relations (IR) in relation to disciplinary IR and queer theory, and offer an appraisal of the current state of the field's division between LGBT+ theorists and queer theorists. I then consider Cynthia Weber’s recent work and suggest that the boundary between the two camps of queer IR is precarious in that both require and presuppose an opposition to some concept of the straight world. I suggest that, thus construed, the form of the queer/straight distinction approximates that of the mirror stage Jacques Lacan theorized in the 1930s. Read through Lacan, the notion of “queer” in queer IR can be shown to reduce the concept of desire to that of identity, which precludes understanding of the political import of queerness in respect of the LGBT+ group. Finally, I apply the Freudian–Lacanian reflection on narcissism, group formation, and desire to the debate on LGBT+ rights, and conclude that attending to the Lacanian concept of pure desire (via queer readings of Antigone) may be productive for queer IR's rethinking of the deadlocks it has run into in its brief history.
Beyond “Sing Hallelujah to the Lord”: Diffused Religion and Religious Co-Optations in Hong Kong
Authors: Guo Ting 
Published: July 2023

AbstractMost discussions on religious activism in Hong Kong focus on Christianity. Building on C. K. Yang’s classic theory of diffused religion, this article first distinguishes Chinese religious institutions from less institutional religious practices and expressions and argues beyond this popular assumption and representation of Christianity by considering elements of Buddhism, Daoism, and Chinese folk religions in recent activism, revealing a more complex religious ecology. Second, this paper uncovers a longer historical trajectory whereby colonial forces attempted to co-opt Christianity to legitimize their power, which explains why assumptions concerning Christian domination exist in the first place. Furthermore, colonial policies, Cold War politics, and Chinese regimes have all co-opted institutional religious elites in Hong Kong for ideological purposes, resulting in institutional Chinese religions in Hong Kong, such as Buddhism and Daoism, being connected with the Chinese Communist Party, whereas the linkage between Christianity and liberty is reinforced. At the same time, without secularizing forces from Mainland China, religions in Hong Kong, including Christianity, institutional Chinese religions, and less institutional folk religions, have all diffused into secular institutions and with each other, contributing to the foundation of the Chinese community in the past and the pursuit of democracy, justice, and freedom today on a grassroots, non-institutional level. In this way, this article not only offers critical insight into the role of religion in Hong Kong activism and the often neglected history of religious co-optations under British colonialism and in the Cold War but also provides a theoretical contribution in terms of furthering our understanding of the relationship among religious institutions, state apparatuses, and diffused religion on the ground.
A genome assembly for the southern Pacific rattlesnake, Crotalus oreganus helleri, in the western rattlesnake species complex
Authors: Westeen Erin P , Escalona Merly , Holding Matthew L , Beraut Eric , Fairbairn Colin , Marimuthu Mohan P A , Nguyen Oanh , Perri Ralph , Fisher Robert N , Toffelmier Erin , Shaffer H Bradley , Wang Ian J 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Rattlesnakes play important roles in their ecosystems by regulating prey populations, are involved in complex coevolutionary dynamics with their prey, and exhibit a variety of unusual adaptations, including maternal care, heat-sensing pit organs, hinged fangs, and medically-significant venoms. The western rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) is one of the widest ranging rattlesnake species, with a distribution from British Columbia, where it is listed as threatened, to Baja California and east across the Great Basin to western Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. Here, we report a new reference genome assembly for one of six currently recognized subspecies, C. oreganus helleri, as part of the California Conservation Genomics Project (CCGP). Consistent with the reference genomic sequencing strategy of the CCGP, we used Pacific Biosciences HiFi long reads and Hi-C chromatin-proximity sequencing technology to produce a de novo assembled genome. The assembly comprises a total of 698 scaffolds spanning 1,564,812,557 base pairs, has a contig N50 of 64.7 Mb, a scaffold N50 of 110.8 Mb, and BUSCO complete score of 90.5%. This reference genome will be valuable for studies on the genomic basis of venom evolution and variation within Crotalus, in resolving the taxonomy of C. oreganus and its relatives, and for the conservation and management of rattlesnakes in general.
2021 Elizabeth Colson Lecture, Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford
Authors: Cabot Heath 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
This article features a long-term refugee in Greece who decided to return to his home country in the face of severe illness. I ask what his illness and treatment in Greece, and ultimately his return to Sudan, reveal about protection regimes: as he sought care, respite from pain, and a good—or at least dignified—death. His return enabled him to be among family again, in once-familiar places, and to be laid to rest among ancestors. Yet rather than reading his return as a form of closure or resolution, I probe its afterlives: the frayed, tangled, still-unfurling edges of the story, which speak to the ongoing nature of displacement.
Third-Generation Sequencing Reveals the Adaptive Role of the Epigenome in Three Deep-Sea Polychaetes
Authors: Perez Maeva , Aroh Oluchi , Sun Yanan , Lan Yi , Juniper Stanley Kim , Young Curtis Robert , Angers Bernard , Qian Pei-Yuan 
Published: July 2023

AbstractThe roles of DNA methylation in invertebrates are poorly characterized, and critical data are missing for the phylum Annelida. We fill this knowledge gap by conducting the first genome-wide survey of DNA methylation in the deep-sea polychaetes dominant in deep-sea vents and seeps: Paraescarpia echinospica, Ridgeia piscesae, and Paralvinella palmiformis. DNA methylation calls were inferred from Oxford Nanopore sequencing after assembling high-quality genomes of these animals. The genomes of these worms encode all the key enzymes of the DNA methylation metabolism and possess a mosaic methylome similar to that of other invertebrates. Transcriptomic data of these polychaetes support the hypotheses that gene body methylation strengthens the expression of housekeeping genes and that promoter methylation acts as a silencing mechanism but not the hypothesis that DNA methylation suppresses the activity of transposable elements. The conserved epigenetic profiles of genes responsible for maintaining homeostasis under extreme hydrostatic pressure suggest DNA methylation plays an important adaptive role in these worms.
The surgical management of diffuse gliomas: Current state of neurosurgical management and future directions
Authors: Young Jacob S , Morshed Ramin A , Hervey-Jumper Shawn L , Berger Mitchel S 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
After recent updates to the World Health Organization pathological criteria for diagnosing and grading diffuse gliomas, all major North American and European neuro-oncology societies recommend a maximal safe resection as the initial management of a diffuse glioma. For neurosurgeons to achieve this goal, the surgical plan for both low- and high-grade gliomas should be to perform a supramaximal resection when feasible based on preoperative imaging and the patient’s performance status, utilizing every intraoperative adjunct to minimize postoperative neurological deficits. While the surgical approach and technique can vary, every effort must be taken to identify and preserve functional cortical and subcortical regions. In this summary statement on the current state of the field, we describe the tools and technologies that facilitate the safe removal of diffuse gliomas and highlight intraoperative and postoperative management strategies to minimize complications for these patients. Moreover, we discuss how surgical resections can go beyond cytoreduction by facilitating biological discoveries and improving the local delivery of adjuvant chemo- and radiotherapies.
Sexual Behaviour and STI Incidence in Sexually Active MSM Living With HIV in Times of COVID-19
Authors: Mugglin Catrina , Hamusonde Kalongo , Salazar-Vizcaya Luisa , Kusejko Katharina , Nicca Dunja , Haerry David , Braun Dominique L , Stoeckle Marcel , Kouyos Roger , Calmy Alexandra , Cavassini Matthias , Cipriani Michela , Bernasconi Enos , Rauch Andri , Hachfeld Anna ,   the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS), Abela I , Aebi-Popp K , Anagnostopoulos A , Battegay M , Bernasconi E , Braun D L , Bucher H C , Calmy A , Cavassini M , Ciuffi A , Dollenmaier G , Egger M , Elzi L , Fehr J , Fellay J , Furrer H , Fux C A , Günthard H F , Hachfeld A , Haerry D , Hasse B , Hirsch H H , Hoffmann M , Hösli I , Huber M , Jackson-Perry D , Kahlert C R , Kaiser L , Keiser O , Klimkait T , Kouyos R D , Kovari H , Kusejko K , Labhardt N , Leuzinger K , Martinez de Tejada B , Marzolini C , Metzner K J , Müller N , Nemeth J , Nicca D , Notter J , Paioni P , Pantaleo G , Perreau M , Rauch A , Salazar-Vizcaya L , Schmid P , Speck R , Stöckle M , Tarr P , Trkola A , Wandeler G , Weisser M , Yerly S 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Despite decreased numbers of sexual partners, the COVID-19 pandemic had limited impact on the prevalence of attending private sex parties, traveling for sex within Switzerland, and practicing chemsex in men with HIV who have sex with men. COVID-19 risk perception was low, and STI-diagnosis incidence rates remained stable over time.
Can Geographically Targeted Vaccinations Be Ethically Justified? The Case of Norway During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Amdam Håkon , Norheim Ole Frithjof , Solberg Carl Tollef , Littmann Jasper R 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
This article discusses the fairness of geographically targeted vaccinations (GTVs). During the initial period of local and global vaccine scarcity, health authorities had to enact priority-setting strategies for mass vaccination campaigns against COVID-19. These strategies have in common that priority setting was based on personal characteristics, such as age, health status or profession. However, in 2021, an alternative to this strategy was employed in some countries, particularly Norway. In these countries, vaccine allocation was also based on the epidemiological situations in different regions, and vaccines were assigned based on local incidence rates. The aim of this article is to describe and examine how a geographical allocation mechanism may work by considering Norway as a case study and discuss what ethical issues may arise in this type of priority setting. We explain three core concepts: priority setting, geographical priority setting and GTVs. With a particular focus on Norway, we discuss the potential effects of GTV, the public perception of such a strategy, and if GTV can be considered a fair strategy. We conclude that the most reasonable defence of GTV seems to be through a consequentialist account that values both total health outcomes and more equal outcomes.
Solvation thermodynamics from cavity shapes of amino acids
Authors: Azizi Khatereh , Laio Alessandro , Hassanali Ali 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
According to common physical chemistry wisdom, the solvent cavities hosting a solute are tightly sewn around it, practically coinciding with its van der Waals surface. Solvation entropy is primarily determined by the surface and the volume of the cavity while enthalpy is determined by the solute–solvent interaction. In this work, we challenge this picture, demonstrating by molecular dynamics simulations that the cavities surrounding the 20 amino acids deviate significantly from the molecular surface. Strikingly, the shape of the cavity alone can be used to predict the solvation free energy, entropy, enthalpy, and hydrophobicity. Solute–solvent interactions involving the different chemical moieties of the amino acid, determine indirectly the cavity shape, and the properties of the branches but do not have to be taken explicitly into account in the prediction model.