bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Response to extreme events: do morphological differences affect the ability of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) to resist drought stress?
Authors: Mathes Thomas , Seidel Dominik , Annighöfer Peter 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Adaptive silvicultural approaches intend to develop forests that can cope with changing climatic conditions. Just recently, many parts of Germany experienced 3 years of summer drought in a row (2018–2020). This study analysed the effects of this event on beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in two regions in northern Bavaria, Germany. For this purpose, 990 beech trees were studied on 240 plots in drought-stressed forests. We examined trees of different social position and different size. Their morphology (e.g. tree height, crown volume) was recorded by laser scanning, and drought stress was quantified by tree core sample analyses. In addition to increment analyses, the δ13C signal was determined by year.
Results show that the dominant tree collective was particularly affected by the drought. They still managed to perform well in 2018, but the radial growth decreased significantly in 2019 and 2020, partly resembling the performance values of subordinate trees. Subordinate trees, on the other hand, provide some consistency in growth during drought years. The drought was so severe that the effects of competition on tree growth began to disappear. The difference in growth of two geographically distinct study areas equalized due to drought. With continuing drought, increasing levels of the δ13C signal were detected. Similar patterns at different δ13C levels were found across the social positions of the trees. The influence of tree morphological variables on tree resistance to drought showed no clear pattern. Some trends could be found only by focusing on a data subset.
We conclude that the intensity of the 2018–2020 drought event was so severe that many rules and drivers of forest ecology and forest dynamics (social position, morphology and competition) were overruled. The influence of morphological differences was shown to be very limited. The weakening of dominant trees could potentially be no longer linear and drought events like the one experienced in 2018–2020 have the potential of acting as tipping points for beech forests.
The Legacy of Infectious Disease Exposure on the Genomic Diversity of Indigenous Southern Mexicans
Authors: Garcia Obed A , Arslanian Kendall , Whorf Daniel , Thariath Serena , Shriver Mark , Li Jun Z , Bigham Abigail W 
Published: February 2023

AbstractTo characterize host risk factors for infectious disease in Mesoamerican populations, we interrogated 857,481 SNPs assayed using the Affymetrix 6.0 genotyping array for signatures of natural selection in immune response genes. We applied three statistical tests to identify signatures of natural selection: locus-specific branch length (LSBL), the cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity (XP-EHH), and the integrated haplotype score (iHS). Each of the haplotype tests (XP-EHH and iHS) were paired with LSBL and significance was determined at the 1% level. For the paired analyses, we identified 95 statistically significant windows for XP-EHH/LSBL and 63 statistically significant windows for iHS/LSBL. Among our top immune response loci, we found evidence of recent directional selection associated with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) signaling pathway. These findings illustrate that Mesoamerican populations' immunity has been shaped by exposure to infectious disease. As targets of selection, these variants are likely to encode phenotypes that manifest themselves physiologically and therefore may contribute to population-level variation in immune response. Our results shed light on past selective events influencing the host response to modern diseases, both pathogenic infection as well as autoimmune disorders.
Odor Threshold Differs for Some But Not All Odorants Between Older and Younger Adults
Authors: Sabiniewicz Agnieszka , Brandenburg Marnie , Hummel Thomas 
Published: February 2023

Abstract

Objectives
Olfactory function deteriorates with age, and definitive mechanisms by which this decline occurs are likely multifactorial. The present study, conducted on a large cohort of healthy participants, aimed to investigate whether odor thresholds would differ for variable odors with different physicochemical (e.g., heavy- vs lightweight molecules) and perceptual characteristics.

Methods
In 81 participants (51%, ≥50 years old), we assessed odor threshold in 2 sessions.

Results
Linear mixed-model analyses revealed that odor thresholds in younger and older adults changed with different odor conditions, presumably due to the common exposition to some of the odors, their trigeminality, and lipophilicity. This effect was observed for piperine, eucalyptol, 2-nonanone, gamma-valerolactone, and pinene-alpha, but not for the other 15 odorants studied. Furthermore, suprathreshold perception, that is, intensity and, to some extent, irritation, contributed independently to sensorial odor threshold, the latter ones particularly in older adults. We also found that the molecular weight of the odorants did not add to their threshold by, respectively, younger and older adults.

Discussion
To conclude, the present findings are in line with previous studies showing that the age-related change of chemosensory abilities is a multifaceted phenomenon, which does not affect all odorants.
A novel cancer risk prediction score for the natural course of FA patients with biallelic BRCA2/FANCD1 mutations
Authors: Radulovic Ivana , Schündeln Michael M , Müller Lisa , Ptok Johannes , Honisch Ellen , Niederacher Dieter , Wiek Constanze , Scheckenbach Kathrin , Leblanc Thierry , Larcher Lise , Soulier Jean , Reinhardt Dirk , Schaal Heiner , Andreassen Paul R , Hanenberg Helmut 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Biallelic germline mutations in BRCA2 occur in the Fanconi anemia (FA)-D1 subtype of the rare pediatric disorder, FA, characterized clinically by severe congenital abnormalities and a very high propensity to develop malignancies early in life. Clinical and genetic data from 96 FA-D1 patients with biallelic BRCA2 mutations were collected and used to develop a new cancer risk prediction score system based on the specific mutations in BRCA2. This score takes into account the location of frameshift/stop and missense mutations relative to exon 11 of BRCA2, which encodes the major sites for interaction with the RAD51 recombinase, and uses the MaxEnt and HBond splicing scores to analyze potential splice site perturbations. Among 75 FA-D1 patients with ascertained BRCA2 mutations, 66 patients developed 102 malignancies, ranging from one to three independent tumors per individual. The median age at the clinical presentation of peripheral embryonal tumors was 1.0, at the onset of hematologic malignancies 1.8 and at the manifestation of CNS tumors 2.7 years, respectively. Patients who received treatment lived longer than those without. Using our novel scoring system, we could distinguish three distinct cancer risk groups among FA-D1 patients: in the first, patients developed their initial malignancy at a median age of 1.3 years (n = 36, 95% CI = 0.9–1.8), in the second group at 2.3 years (n = 17, 95% CI = 1.4–4.4) and in the third group at 23.0 years (n = 22, 95% CI = 4.3—n/a). Therefore, this scoring system allows, for the first time, to predict the cancer manifestation of FA-D1 patients simply based on the type and position of the mutations in BRCA2.
Effect of 5-HT1A Receptor Partial Agonists of the Azapirone Class as an Add-On Therapy on Psychopathology and Cognition in Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Yamada Risa , Wada Ayumu , Stickley Andrew , Yokoi Yuma , Sumiyoshi Tomiki 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBackgroundThere are ongoing efforts to examine the effect of 5-HT1A receptor partial agonists as an add-on therapy for several symptoms of schizophrenia. By conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis, we evaluated whether augmentation with 5-hydroxtrypatamine (5-HT)1A partial agonists of the azapirone class improves psychotic symptoms and attention/processing speed, a key domain of cognition, in patients with schizophrenia.MethodsA literature search was performed from 1987 to February 25, 2022, to identify randomized controlled trials. The standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated when there were 2 or more studies. Seven studies, involving 435 patients, met the inclusion criteria.ResultsRandom-effects model meta-analyses revealed that add-on therapy with buspirone or tandospirone had a significant beneficial effect on overall psychotic symptoms (SMD = –1.13, 95% CI = –1.98 to –0.27) and positive symptoms (SMD = –0.72, 95% CI =–1.31 to –0.12), while the effect on negative symptoms did not reach statistical significance (SMD = –0.93, 95% CI = –1.90 to 0.04). A significant positive effect was also observed on attention/processing speed (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.12 to 0.61).ConclusionsThese findings support the idea that some compounds that stimulate 5-HT1A receptors provide an effective pharmacologic enhancer in the treatment of schizophrenia. Further clinical trials are warranted to determine the benefits of the adjunctive use of 5-HT1A partial agonists in ameliorating symptoms and improving functional outcomes in patients with schizophrenia or other psychiatric disorders.
We’re Miles Apart: Disproportionate Deductions from Wages, Industrial Action and Human Rights
Authors: Mead David 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
This article sets out a human rights-based critique of one aspect of the common law wage/work bargain: the rule that entitles employers to deduct an entire week’s pay from those taking action short of strike, and who thereby perform most, but not all, of their contractual duties. It makes the case that that rule, established in Miles v Wakefield MDC and Wiluszynski v Tower Hamlets over 35 years ago, constitutes a disproportionate interference with an employee’s right to strike and to take industrial action, under Article 11 of the ECHR. The article shows how such cases might be brought, depending on whether an employee is in the public or private sector and iterates the argument for implying a duty of ‘rights-obedience’ into the contract—either as a free-standing duty or as part of an expansion of the duty of mutual trust and confidence—as a corrective.
Safety and Immunogenicity of an Investigational Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine (RSVPreF3) in Mothers and Their Infants: A Phase 2 Randomized Trial
Authors: Bebia Zourab , Reyes Osvaldo , Jeanfreau Robert , Kantele Anu , De Leon Ruth Graciela , Sánchez Marta García , Banooni Peyman , Gardener Glenn J , Rasero José Luis Bartha , Pardilla Maria Begoña Encinas , Langley Joanne M , Di Leo Claudio Maañón , Botelho-Nevers Elisabeth , Buttery Jim , Laurichesse Helene , Madhi Shabir A , García Adrián Martín , Stanley Thorsten , Barjat Tiphaine , Griffith Rebecca , Castrejón-Alba Maria Mercedes , de Heusch Magali , Dieussaert Ilse , Hercor Melanie , Lese Patricia , Qian Hui , Tullio Antonella N , Henry Ouzama 
Published: February 2023

Abstract

Background
In a phase 1/2 study, a maternal respiratory syncytial virus vaccine candidate (RSVPreF3) demonstrated an acceptable safety profile and efficiently increased RSV-specific humoral immune responses in non-pregnant women.

Methods
In this phase 2 observer-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial (NCT04126213), the safety of RSVPreF3 (60 or 120 µg), administered during late second or third trimester, was evaluated in 213 18- to 40-year-old healthy pregnant women through 6 months postdelivery and their offspring through infancy; immunogenicity was evaluated through day 43 postdelivery and day 181 postbirth, respectively.

Results
RSVPreF3 was well tolerated. No pregnancy-related or neonatal adverse events of special interest were considered vaccine/placebo related. In the 60 and 120 µg RSVPreF3 groups: (1) neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers in mothers increased 12.7- and 14.9-fold against RSV-A and 10.6- and 13.2-fold against RSV-B, respectively, 1 month postvaccination and remained 8.9–10.0-fold over prevaccination at day 43 postdelivery; (2) nAb titers were consistently higher compared to placebo recipients; (3) placental transfer ratios for anti-RSVPreF3 antibodies at birth were 1.62 and 1.90, respectively, and (4) nAb levels in infants were highest at birth and declined through day 181 postbirth.

Conclusions
RSVPreF3 maternal vaccination had an acceptable safety risk profile and induced robust RSV-specific immune responses with successful antibody transfer to their newborns.

Clinical Trials Registration
NCT04126213.
Now is the Time to Scale Up Birth-Dose Hepatitis B Vaccine in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Authors: Thompson Peyton , Parr Jonathan B , Boisson Alix , Razavi-Shearer Devin , Ezechi Oliver C , Wang Su H , Tucker Joseph D 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Fewer than half of the world's infants have access to the birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine (HBV), which prevents mother-to-child transmission of HBV and subsequent liver cancer. Now is the time to expand access for infants born in low-resource settings.
A TaqMan Assay for the Detection and Monitoring of Potentially Invasive Lasiocampids, With Particular Attention to the Siberian Silk Moth, Dendrolimus sibiricus (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae)
Authors: Stewart Don , Djoumad Abdelmadjid , Holden Dave , Kimoto Troy , Capron Arnaud , Dubatolov Vladimir V , Akhanaev Yuriy B , Yakimova Maria E , Martemyanov Vyacheslav V , Cusson Michel 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
The Siberian silk moth, Dendrolimus sibiricus Tschetverikov, is a very serious pest of conifers in Russia and is an emerging threat in North America where an accidental introduction could have devastating impacts on native forest resources. Other Dendrolimus Germar species and related Eurasian lasiocampids in the genus Malacosoma (Hubner) could also present a risk to North America’s forests. Foreign vessels entering Canadian and U.S. ports are regularly inspected for Lymantria dispar (Linnaeus) and for the presence of other potentially invasive insects, including suspicious lasiocampid eggs. However, eggs are difficult to identify based on morphological features alone. Here, we report on the development of two TaqMan (Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., Rotkreuz, Switzerland) assays designed to assist regulatory agencies in their identification of these insects. Developed using the barcode region of the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene and run in triplex format, the first assay can detect Dendrolimus and Malacosoma DNA, and can distinguish North American from Eurasian Malacosoma species. The second assay is based on markers identified within the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region and was designed to specifically identify D. sibiricus, while discriminating closely related Dendrolimus taxa. In addition to providing direct species identification in the context of its use in North America, the D. sibiricus assay should prove useful for monitoring the spread of this pest in Eurasia, where its range overlaps with those of the morphologically identical D. superans (Butler) and similar D. pini (Linnaeus). The assays described here can be performed either in the lab on a benchtop instrument, or on-site using a portable machine.
Acute genitourinary toxicity of pencil beam scanning proton therapy for localized prostate cancer: utility of the transition zone index and average urinary flow rate in predicting acute urinary retention
Authors: Takaoka Taiki , Yanagi Takeshi , Tanaka Atsushi , Kiriyama Yuka , Tanaka Yoshihiro , Kondo Takuhito , Takano Seiya , Takahashi Shinsei , Shibamoto Yuta , Tomita Natsuo , Hiwatashi Akio 
Published: February 2023

Abstract

Background
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of acute genitourinary toxicities in patients undergoing pencil beam scanning proton therapy for prostate cancer and investigate predictive factors associated with acute urinary retention.

Methods
A total of 227 patients treated between 2018 and 2021 were divided into the normo-fractionated proton therapy group (n = 107) and the moderately hypo-fractionated proton therapy group (n = 120), with prescribed doses of 76–78 Gy relative biological effectiveness in 38–39 fractions and 60–63 Gy relative biological effectiveness in 20–21 fractions, respectively. Uroflowmetry parameters and the transition zone index were prospectively evaluated.

Results
Forty-five patients (42%) in the normo-fractionated proton therapy and 33 (28%) in the moderately hypo-fractionated proton therapy developed acute grade 2 genitourinary toxicities (P = 0.02). The most common acute genitourinary toxicity was acute urinary retention. Thirty-nine patients (36%) treated with normo-fractionated proton therapy and 27 (23%) treated with moderately hypo-fractionated proton therapy developed grade 2 acute urinary retention (P = 0.02). No patients developed grade ≥ 3 toxicity. Univariate analysis showed the transition zone index, prostate volume, international prostate symptom score, voided volume, maximum flow rate and average flow rate were associated with grade 2 acute urinary retention. Multivariate analysis in both groups revealed the transition zone index (P = 0.025 and 0.029) and average flow rate (P = 0.039 and 0.044) were predictors of grade 2 acute urinary retention.

Conclusions
The incidence of acute genitourinary toxicities was lower in the moderately hypo-fractionated proton therapy compared with the normo-fractionated proton therapy. Lower pretreatment average flow rate and a higher transition zone index were useful predictors of grade 2 acute urinary retention.
Trace-class Gaussian priors for Bayesian learning of neural networks with MCMC
Authors: Sell Torben , Singh Sumeetpal Sidhu 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThis paper introduces a new neural network based prior for real valued functions. Each weight and bias of the neural network has an independent Gaussian prior, with the key novelty that the variances decrease in the width of the network in such a way that the resulting function is well defined in the limit of an infinite width network. We show that the induced posterior over functions is amenable to Monte Carlo sampling using Hilbert space Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. This type of MCMC is stable under mesh refinement, i.e. the acceptance probability does not degenerate as more parameters of the function's prior are introduced, even ad infinitum. We demonstrate these advantages over other function space priors, for example in Bayesian Reinforcement Learning.
On inference in high-dimensional regression
Authors: Battey Heather S , Reid Nancy 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThis paper develops an approach to inference in a linear regression model when the number of potential explanatory variables is larger than the sample size. The approach treats each regression coefficient in turn as the interest parameter, the remaining coefficients being nuisance parameters, and seeks an optimal interest-respecting transformation, inducing sparsity on the relevant blocks of the notional Fisher information matrix. The induced sparsity is exploited through a marginal least-squares analysis for each variable, as in a factorial experiment, thereby avoiding penalization. One parameterization of the problem is found to be particularly convenient, both computationally and mathematically. In particular, it permits an analytic solution to the optimal transformation problem, facilitating theoretical analysis and comparison to other work. In contrast to regularized regression, such as the lasso and its extensions, neither adjustment for selection nor rescaling of the explanatory variables is needed, ensuring the physical interpretation of regression coefficients is retained. Recommended usage is within a broader set of inferential statements, so as to reflect uncertainty over the model as well as over the parameters. The considerations involved in extending the work to other regression models are briefly discussed.
Why Early Modern Mass Incarceration Matters: The Bamberg Malefizhaus, 1627–31
Authors: Weinreich Spencer J 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
In 1627, at the height of the Bamberg witch-hunt (1595–1631), the prince-bishopric erected the Malefizhaus (“witchcraft-house”), the first cellular prison purpose-built for solitary confinement. This article recovers the history of the Malefizhaus to establish the importance of imprisonment and carceral institutions to the early modern witch-craze. The prison at once concretized the ideology of the hunt and furnished a fearsome weapon of persecution, extracting the confessions without which no inquisitorial campaign could function. By reconstructing the singular architecture and internal regimen of the Malefizhaus, this article demonstrates the sophistication of early modern interrogations, a process distorted by an outsized interest in torture. Having recognized the Malefizhaus as a driver of the witch-hunt, it is possible to recognize the prison’s impact upon Bamberg’s seventeenth-century history—disrupting political and economic relationships, displacing populations, and disciplining social life. The case of the Bamberg witches’ prison counters the modernist slant of the study of the prison, proof that medieval and early modern carceral institutions shaped the history of their societies, despite smaller scales and weaker state apparatuses. In turn, the essay argues that the critical tools of carceral studies, developed to study contemporary mass incarceration, can profitably be applied to premodern practices and institutions, offering insight into patterns of violence, the development of repressive structures, and the problems of “crime” as a historical category.
Plastids: diving into their diversity, their functions, and their role in plant development
Authors: Sierra Julio , Escobar-Tovar Lina , Leon Patricia 
Published: February 2023

AbstractPlastids are a group of essential, heterogenous semi-autonomous organelles characteristic of plants that perform photosynthesis and a diversity of metabolic pathways that impact growth and development. Plastids are remarkably dynamic and can interconvert in response to specific developmental and environmental cues, functioning as a central metabolic hub in plant cells. By far the best studied plastid is the chloroplast, but in recent years the combination of modern techniques and genetic analyses has expanded our current understanding of plastid morphological and functional diversity in both model and non-model plants. These studies have provided evidence of an unexpected diversity of plastid subtypes with specific characteristics. In this review, we describe recent findings that provide insights into the characteristics of these specialized plastids and their functions. We concentrate on the emerging evidence that supports the model that signals derived from particular plastid types play pivotal roles in plant development, environmental, and defense responses. Furthermore, we provide examples of how new technologies are illuminating the functions of these specialized plastids and the overall complexity of their differentiation processes. Finally, we discuss future research directions such as the use of ectopic plastid differentiation as a valuable tool to characterize factors involved in plastid differentiation. Collectively, we highlight important advances in the field that can also impact future agricultural and biotechnological improvement in plants.