bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rational Protein Design Yields a CD20 CAR with Superior Antitumor Efficacy Compared with CD19 CAR
Authors: Chen Ximin , Chen Laurence C. , Khericha Mobina , Meng Xiangzhi , Salvestrini Emma , Shafer Amanda , Iyer Neha , Alag Anya S. , Ding Yunfeng , Nicolaou Demetri M. , Chen Yvonne Y. 
Published: November 2022

Abstract

Chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) are fusion proteins whose functional domains are often connected in a plug-and-play manner to generate multiple CAR variants. However, CARs with highly similar sequences can exhibit dramatic differences in function. Thus, approaches to rationally optimize CAR proteins are critical to the development of effective CAR T-cell therapies. Here, we report that as few as two amino-acid changes in nonsignaling domains of a CAR were able to significantly enhance in vivo antitumor efficacy. We demonstrate juxtamembrane alanine insertion and single-chain variable fragment sequence hybridization as two strategies that could be combined to maximize CAR functionality, and describe a CD20 CAR that outperformed the CD19 CAR in antitumor efficacy in preclinical in vitro and in vivo assays. Precise changes in the CAR sequence drove dramatically different transcriptomic profiles upon antigen stimulation, with the most efficacious CAR inducing an enrichment in highly functional memory T cells upon antigen stimulation. These findings underscore the importance of sequence-level optimization to CAR T-cell function, and the protein-engineering strategy described here may be applied to the development of additional CARs against diverse antigens.
See related Spotlight by Scheller and Hudecek, p. 142
Enjambement am Pentameterende
Authors: Brandenburg Yannick 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
This paper traces the enjambment techniques employed by Hellenistic and Latin authors at the end of the elegiac couplet. While the Alexandrians make deliberate use of enjambment at the end of the pentameter, in later Hellenistic and in Latin epigram there is a discernible movement toward a unity of syntax and metre, as testified by the poets’ tendency to avoid enjambment between distichs. The earliest Latin epigrammatists loyally render their Greek contemporaries’ aesthetics. Catullus, in his turn to Callimachean poetics, at times employs enjambment in this position, especially in elegy (as opposed to epigram). These techniques are largely abandoned by the Augustan poets, who rigidly introduce epigrammatic avoidance of enjambment into longer elegiac poems; among them, only Propertius in his fourth book rarely uses it as a stylistic means.
Turbulence Generated through Critical Reflection of Internal Waves off the Seafloor due to Nontraditional Effects
Authors: Delorme Bertrand L. , Thomas Leif N. 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
Recent work has shown that, when nontraditional (NT) effects associated with the horizontal component of the Coriolis parameter are taken into account, equatorial waves (EWs) experience critical reflection when they reflect off the seafloor at the latitude where their frequency is equal to the inertial frequency. As a result, the vertical shear associated with the wave is strongly enhanced locally and results in bottom-intensified mixing. Using an off-the-shelf parameterization for mixing, these studies have shown that this process could play an important role in driving diapycnal upwelling in the abyssal ocean, but the specific mechanisms generating the mixing have not been studied yet. In this work, we address this limitation by running two-dimensional, high-resolution, nonhydrostatic simulations of the critical reflection of internal waves modified by NT effects. These simulations can resolve the instabilities triggered when the wave reflects off the bottom, allowing us to characterize the energy cascade to smaller scales and to estimate the mixing it generates. We find that shear instabilities drive elevated turbulent diffusivities between 10−1 and −10−3 m2 s−1 over a critical layer of 100–300 m thick. The shear instabilities result directly from the enhancement of kinetic energy in the reflected wave that is confined against the seafloor during the critical reflection process. Simultaneously, higher harmonics are generated and flux energy upward in the water column. These higher harmonics are unstable to parametric subharmonic instability, which absorbs their energy and drive enhanced dissipation above the critical layer, to a height of O(1000) m off the bottom. We show how these results depend on key elements of the EWs and of the medium and discuss the implementation of a parameterization of these effects in global ocean models.
Immigrant generation, acculturation, and mental health literacy among former Soviet Union immigrants in Israel
Authors: Knaifel Evgeny , Youngmann Rafael , Neter Efrat 
Published: November 2022

Background: Research on Mental Health Literacy (MHL) has been growing in different geographical and cultural contexts. However, little is known about the relationship between immigrant generations, acculturation, stigma, and MHL among immigrant populations. Aims: This study aims to examine differences in MHL among immigrant generations (first, 1.5, and second) from the former Soviet Union (FSU) in Israel and to assess whether differences are accounted for by immigration generation or acculturation. Method: MHL was assessed among 420 participants using a cross-sectional survey adapted from the Australian National Survey. Associations of immigrant generation, socio-demographic characteristics, and acculturation with MHL indices were examined using bivariate and multivariable analyses. Results: First generation immigrants reported poorer identification of mental disorders and higher personal stigma than both 1.5- and second-generation immigrants. Acculturation was positively associated with identification of mental disorders and negatively associated with personal stigma across all immigrants’ generations. When all variables were entered into a multivariate model predicting MHL indices, acculturation and gender were associated with personal stigma and only acculturation was associated with better identification of mental disorders. Conclusion: Differences in MHL among FSU immigrants in Israel are mainly explained by acculturation rather than by immigrant generation. Implications for policy makers and mental health professionals working with FSU immigrants are discussed.
Physical analysis and statistical investigation of tensile and fatigue behaviors of glass fiber-reinforced polyester via novel fibers arrangement
Authors: Mahmoud Zaghloul Mahmoud Yousry , Yousry Zaghloul Moustafa Mahmoud , Yousry Zaghloul Mai Mahmoud 
Published: November 2022

Polymer composite researchers have extensively explored the influences of fiber orientation, volume fraction, type, length, as well as the impacts of matrix type, matrix/reinforcement interface, fibers hybridization, and nanoparticle incorporation on the mechanical behaviors of fiber-reinforced composite materials. The impacts of tailored fiber architectures on the mechanical characteristics of bulk polymeric-based composites, on the other hand, have not been investigated. The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of fiber arrangement on the mechanical characteristics of glass fiber-reinforced polymeric materials (GFRP). Unreinforced (UR) polyester, surface reinforced arranged (SRA) composites and bulk reinforced arranged (BRA) composites were fabricated. Characterizations have been performed using scanning electron microscope rotating bending fatigue machine and a universal testing machine. Results demonstrate that SRA’s lifespan after being exposed to bending fatigue has increased significantly with respect to UR and BRA samples. Average fatigue life for SRA samples is 61 times longer than the life of BRA samples at 56 MPa bending stress. Furthermore, a Weibull distribution function with shape parameter and scale parameter was implemented to analyze the fatigue life dataset statistically. The introduction of SRA novel design has promising results for cost reduction as well as quality improvement.
Russian Foreign Policy in Latin America and the Caribbean in the Twenty-first Century
Authors: Kosevich Ekaterina 
Published: November 2022

A comprehensive examination of Russia's foreign policy in Latin America and the Caribbean shows that, while interstate relations varied in the first quarter of the twenty-first century with shifts in the international environment and the foreign and domestic sociopolitical situation, this policy was symbolic, ill-considered, and reactive. Post-Soviet Russia has not created a system of partnerships in the region that would ensure the stability of foreign policy outcomes in the face of fluctuations of the regional conjuncture. Un análisis exhaustivo de la política exterior de Rusia en América Latina y el Caribe muestra que, si bien las relaciones interestatales variaron en el primer cuarto del siglo XXI con cambios en el entorno internacional y la situación sociopolítica exterior e interna, esta política fue simbólica, poco recomendable y reactiva. La Rusia postsoviética no ha creado un sistema de asociaciones en la región que garantice la estabilidad de los resultados en política exterior ante las fluctuaciones de la coyuntura regional.
Economic evaluation of digitally enabled aged and neurological rehabilitation care in the Activity and MObility UsiNg Technology (AMOUNT) trial
Authors: Pinheiro Marina B , Hassett Leanne , Sherrington Catherine , Hayes Alison , van den Berg Maayken , Lindley Richard I , Crotty Maria , Chagpar Sakina , Treacy Daniel , Weber Heather , Fairhall Nicola , Wong Siobhan , McCluskey Annie , Togher Leanne , Scrivener Katharine , Howard Kirsten 
Published: November 2022

Objective To investigate the trial-based cost-effectiveness of the addition of a tailored digitally enabled exercise intervention to usual care shown to be clinically effective in improving mobility in the Activity and MObility UsiNg Technology (AMOUNT) rehabilitation trial compared to usual care alone. Design Economic evaluation alongside a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Participants 300 people receiving inpatient aged and neurological rehabilitation were randomized to the intervention ( n = 149) or usual care control group ( n = 151). Main measures Incremental cost effectiveness ratios were calculated for the additional costs per additional person demonstrating a meaningful improvement in mobility (3-point in Short Physical Performance Battery) and quality-adjusted life years gained at 6 months (primary analysis). The joint probability distribution of costs and outcomes was examined using bootstrapping. Results The mean cost saving for the intervention group at 6 months was AU$2286 (95% Bootstrapped cost CI: −$11,190 to $6410) per participant; 68% and 67% of bootstraps showed the intervention to be dominant (i.e. more effective and cost saving) for mobility and quality-adjusted life years, respectively. The probability of the intervention being cost-effective considering a willingness to pay threshold of AU$50,000 per additional person with a meaningful improvement in mobility or quality-adjusted life year gained was 93% and 77%, respectively. Conclusions The AMOUNT intervention had a high probability of being cost-effective if decision makers are willing to pay AU$50,000 per meaningful improvement in mobility or per quality-adjusted life year gained, and a moderate probability of being cost-saving and effective considering both outcomes at 6 months post randomization.
The performance characterization of carbon fiber–reinforced plastic for space applications
Authors: Sun Baolong , Xue Chuang , Shang Weihui , An Mingxin , Zhao Haojiang , Zhang Hansi 
Published: November 2022

In this paper, the excellent dimensional stability and vacuum outgassing of high-performance carbon fiber–reinforced plastic (CFRP) were discussed. First, the high-performance resin matrix was obtained by modifying cyanate resin, and the modified cyanate ester was used to make prepreg and laminates. Then, the mechanical property retention rate of laminates reached 90.79% under proton and electron irradiation. The average values of total mass loss and collected volatile condensable material of high-performance CFRP were 0.116% and 0.008%, respectively. Finally, the candidate tube and frame were fabricated based on the ply lay-up design. The candidate tube and frame were subjected to a series of experiments of thermal deformation and hygroscopic deformation to verify the dimensional stability. The thermal deformations of the tube and frame reached 0.468 μm/m and 4.579 μm/m, respectively, with a temperature variation of 4°C. The measured hygroscopic deformation of the tube reached 8.16 μm/m in nearly 3 months. The experimental results show that the high-performance CFRP can be used for precision optical structures of space telescopes.
Tribological and mechanical properties of cellulose/PMMA composite
Authors: Shi Shih‐Chen , Lin Chi-Feng , Liu Chi-Fan , Chen Tao-Hsing 
Published: November 2022

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) extracted from rice stalks were added to poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) with weight ratios of 0.1–1.0 wt%. The tribological and mechanical properties of the resulting composite materials were evaluated and compared. The addition of CNCs and CNFs reduced the wear volume by around 72–90% compared to pure PMMA samples in ball-on-disk wear tests performed against a chrome steel ball counter body. The CNC and CNF reinforcements also effectively improved flow stress under static and dynamic deformation conditions. Furthermore, the flow stress enhancement increased with an increasing CNC/CNF addition for both composite materials. For a constant strain and strain rate, the maximum enhancement effect was observed in the samples reinforced with CNFs. Overall, the CNF/PMMA showed a better tribological and mechanical performance than the CNC/PMMA. In addition, the CNFs had a longer length and higher aspect ratio than CNCs, which led to a more effective mechanical entanglement effect with the PMMA matrix. This physical entanglement improved the structural integrity of the composites. The CNC reinforcement (CNC percentage from 0% to 1.0 wt.%) also enhanced an effective improvement of about 35%∼45% in yield stress and ultimate strength under dynamic deformation conditions and static deformation conditions. Furthermore, the CNF reinforcement (CNF percentage from 0% to 1 wt%) also enhanced an effective improvement of about double yield stress and ultimate strength under dynamic deformation conditions and static deformation conditions.
Challenges of Nation-Building: Uganda—A Case Study
Authors: Thomas Caroline 
Published: November 2022

The success or failure of nation-building in the new states has far-reaching implications for domestic, regional and international stability and security. This is aptly illustrated in South Asia today, where differences of language, culture and religion forge great obstacles to the creation of single nation states in both India and Sri Lanka. However, of all the regions of the developing world, it is sub-Saharan Africa that perhaps presents the greatest challenge to the idea of a nation-state. Colonial boundaries cut through ethnic groups and led to the creation of post-colonial states that were in no sense nations. These states contained several nations (or tribes) or part of nations within them. Unity that had been forged to rid colonies of foreign rule collapsed when independence was won and tribal loyalties resurfaced. Some states, such as Tanzania, have fared better than others since then in their efforts to create domestic unity, harmony and a nation-state. Others, such as Uganda, have sunk into anarchy. This paper looks at the example of Uganda in some detail. Particular attention is paid to the decade of the 1970's when Idi Amin was in power, and Uganda hit the international headlines on account of his reign of terror. Trends and events, both before and after Amin, are examined in an effort to establish whether the 1970's were an aberration or part of a continuing tradition of represssion in the name of state security. The Tanzanian action of intervening in Uganda, whatever the motive, had the effect of ridding Uganda of Amin. This action is analyzed in terms of its legitimacy and its consequences. The idea that nation-building is something which has to be generated from within, and cannot be imposed from without, is raised.
Chad: From Civil Strife to Big Power Rivalry
Authors: Olufemi Kola 
Published: November 2022

Beginning from 1980 when Libyan tanks first rolled into Chad, international interest and involvement in its 18-year old civil war has been mounting. As the sputtering war erupted with renewed ferocity in summer 1983, the scope and intensity of external involvement became bewildering. France, the erstwhile gendarme of Francophone Africa and Chad's former (?) colonial master despatched hundreds of paratroopers with sophisticated weapons to N'Djamena.1 Apparently disturbed by what looked like an initial foot-dragging in Paris, the Reagan Administration, in a tough move directly committed the United States into the war. Apart from the offer of a $10m military aid package, it also sent its Redeye anti-aircraft missiles, F-15 fighters and two AWACS radar planes to back the forces of President Hissene Habre. As a corrolary, the United States aircraft carrier Eisenhower also steamed around the Mediterranean just off the coast of Libya.2 In its reaction, the Soviet Union described the American posturing as a “proof that NATO powers are openly interfering in Chad's sovereign affairs” while the Chinese Foreign Minister called on the local war lords to “prevent super power meddling and sabotage.”3 From these accounts therefore, what until recently, was a smouldering civil strife with international implications “has become a cosmopolitan war with local complications” and Chad, carrying the unenviable distinction of being the “poorest country of the poorest continent” has emerged as a potential hotbed of super power rivalry in the continent. The present developments have, in effect, confirmed the fears expressed in 1977 by Major Wadel Kamougue, then Chad's Foreign Minister, about the possibility of the country becoming a “strategic-region” that “could easily lead to big power rivalry.”4 In spite of the recent developments, the genesis, development and the external complications of the Chadian conflict remain obscure and unappreciated. What then, is the trouble with Chad? How and why did external forces get involved? What efforts have been made to resolve the conflicts and what are the implications of all these for the country. These are some of the issues discussed in this paper with a view to contributing to the greater awareness of the nature of the conflicts in Chad and the external interests and issues that have now come to overlay them.
Indian Ocean: An Area of Tension and Big Power Pressures
Authors: Kohli S.N. 
Published: November 2022

The Indian Ocean has become an area of acute tension—a peril zone with conventional and nuclear naval vessels of the major powers staging a permanent presence in the area. Naval task forces, because of their inherent mobility, can constitute a powerful projection of military might. That is why the non-aligned countries of the Indian Ocean are exercised over the threat posed to their national security from the high seas. They can hardly forget that the powers that dominated and colonised them for centuries came to the area via the high seas. They also remember that, even in the decades since the Second World War there have been several glaring instances of naval might being used by the Big Powers to exert military pressure in almost every ocean. The concern expressed by nations who do not want a return to gun-boat diplomacy and domination by military forces is, therefore, indisputably legitimate. Rivalry and competition are not new trends in international affairs or in the Indian Ocean. They were imported into this ocean by the colonial powers, when they sought to oust one another from enjoying the fruits of colonisation. Today, they exist in the Indian Ocean area for a variety of stated and unstated reasons. When the 26th Session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted in 1971 a resolution proclaiming the Indian Ocean ‘a zone of peace for all times,’ people in many countries heaved a sigh of relief. Those countries whose merchant vessels plied the Indian Ocean hoped that a zone of peace would guarantee their security and enable them to develop economic contacts with different countries of the world. For champions of peace throughout the world demilitarisation of the Indian Ocean would mean elimination of one of the world's most dangerous hot-beds of tension. This however, did not happen. The safeguarding of vital interests of the Big Powers provided to them enough justification for an unprecedented escalation of military presence in the area. There was a time when the ‘vacuum theory’ was universally peddled by the western powers and their mass-media. It postulated that the withdrawal of British naval power from the Indian Ocean would create a void which if not filled by the United States and its allies would invite Soviet presence. The non-aligned countries felt very strongly that if at all there was a vacuum, it should be filled by the littoral states, who alone would be responsible for the security of their waters. Though the vacuum theory is seldom mentioned now, the quantum of the Big Power naval forces in the Indian Ocean has steadily increased.
Custom designed and 3D-printed titanium pelvic implants for acetabular reconstruction after tumour resection
Authors: Broekhuis Demien , Boyle Richard , Karunaratne Sascha , Chua Alfred , Stalley Paul 
Published: November 2022

Background: Reconstructive procedure following resection of large pelvic tumours around the hip joint remains a complex challenge. Methods: This study presents a retrospective case series of patients presenting with benign or malignant pelvic tumour for which an internal hemipelvectomy including the hip joint and subsequent reconstruction with a custom designed 3-dimensional printed titanium pelvic implant (3DPPI) has been performed between August 2013 and January 2018. Results: 15 consecutive patients with a median age of 33.9 years (IQR 26.4–72.2) and a median BMI of 20.7 kg/m2 (IQR 19.0–33.3) were reviewed after median follow-up of 33.8 months (IQR 24.0–78.1). The majority of patients presented with a malignant tumour as their principal diagnosis ( n  = 13, 86.7%). The median surgical time was 5.5 hours (IQR 4.5–8.5) and median peri-operative blood loss was 5000 ml (IQR 2000–10000). The median MSTS score at follow-up was 63.3% (IQR 51.7–86.7%). The median NRS in rest was 0.0 (IQR 0.0–5.0), the median NRS during activity was 2.0 (IQR 0.5–7.0) and the median HOOS-PS was 76.6% (IQR 67.9–91.0). 4 patients had implant-specific complications ( n  = 4, 26.6%); 1 hip dislocation (Henderson type 1a), 3 structural complications (type 3a), 1 deep infection (type 4a) and 1 local tumour recurrence (type 5b). At follow-up, 4 out of 15 implants were classified as a failure, resulting in an implant survival rate of 73.3%. Conclusions: Acceptable peri-operative outcomes, functional results, complication rates and short-term implant survival can be achieved in a cohort of complex patients undergoing 3DPPI reconstruction after hemipelvectomy including the acetabulum.