bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The evolving just transition: definitions, context, and practical insights for Africa
Authors: Otlhogile Monkgogi , Shirley Rebekah 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions, with impacts on food security already being felt while the continent also battles unprecedented levels of unemployment and economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The inherent connectivity between the twin challenges of climate and economic vulnerability is becoming more and more apparent, and the concept of the Just Transition is gaining traction across development spheres to address these multidimensional problems, albeit with many different interpretations. These varied interpretations of the Just Transition movement can lead to vastly different priorities, policy routes and outcomes—a concerning risk especially where the governing definitions and principles are not produced, advanced, or owned by African stakeholders. This commentary aims to bring more clarity and specificity to the discourse on Just Transitions in Africa. We first provide a short history of the Just Transition movement and its evolution, and then demonstrate how the term has become an umbrella for more specific interest groups and communities, as seen through the expansion of the Just Urban, Rural, Circular Economy, and Energy Transition movements. Through a literature review, drawing from pivotal international examples, and based on the authors’ perspectives, we offer insights into the meaningfulness of these distinctions and posit clearer working definitions. We then explore the direct relevance of these movements to the African context through case studies of successful local and regional initiatives and programs. This commentary aims to provide readers with a simple, succinct, and structured explanation of the Just Transitions movements, and practical insights for their further advancement in Africa. Our exploration does not aim to be definitive or exhaustive, but rather demonstrates that truly just transitions on the continent will require attention first and foremost to consensus-building at the local and national level. This will require shareable research and data about programs and initiatives for each other to learn from, and significantly more climate financing dedicated to African-led initiatives.
The nonlinear effects of air pollution on criminal behavior: evidence from Mexico City and New York
Authors: Sarmiento Luis 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
This article proposes an inverted U-shape relationship between air pollution and criminal behavior. Exposure increases criminality by raising criminals’ taste for risk and violent behavior while also reducing it by changing the number of felons and crime opportunities in the market through exacerbated morbidity and avoidance behavior. I illustrate both mechanisms with an expected utility model of the decision to delict and a simplified search and matching frictions model between criminals and crime opportunities. Linear, quadratic, and nonparametric Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood estimator panel models confirm this bell-shaped relationship for Mexico City and New York, suggesting that the linear association between pollution and criminality uncovered by late studies may be better estimated with nonlinear models.
Strong Coexpression of Transcription Factors PU.1 and Oct-2 in Rosai-Dorfman Disease
Authors: Kiruthiga Kala Gnanasekaran , Younes Sheren , Natkunam Yasodha 
Published: October 2022

AbstractObjectivesRosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare disorder characterized by the accumulation of large S100 protein-positive histiocytes that typically exhibit emperipolesis. The recently reported expression of Oct-2 in RDD histiocytes led us to explore whether PU.1, a transcription factor that is required for monocyte and B-cell development, could similarly function as a diagnostic marker in RDD.MethodsWe evaluated the expression of PU.1 and Oct-2 using immunohistochemistry in 19 patients diagnosed with RDD involving nodal, extranodal, and cutaneous sites.ResultsBoth PU.1 and Oct-2 were positive in all cases studied, with a strong intensity of staining in 84% of cases in which more than 50% of the lesional cells were positive. In three patients, both markers showed weak to moderate intensity of staining. Two patients had concomitant RDD and Langerhans cell histiocytosis in which PU.1 stained both types of histiocytes while Oct-2 stained only the RDD component.ConclusionsPU.1 emerged as a robust marker with crisp nuclear staining in RDD histiocytes as well as in engulfed inflammatory cells. Strong coexpression of PU.1 and Oct-2 is a useful diagnostic marker in differentiating histiocytic/dendritic cell proliferations.
Integrated genetic analysis of leaf blast resistance in upland rice: QTL mapping, bulked segregant analysis and transcriptome sequencing
Authors: Tan Qingqun , He Haiyong , Chen Wen , Huang Lu , Zhao Dailin , Chen Xiaojun , Li Jiye , Yang Xuehui 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Elite upland rice cultivars have the advantages of less water requirement along with high yield but are usually susceptible to various diseases. Rice blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is the most devastating disease in rice. Identification of new sources of resistance and the introgression of major resistance genes into elite cultivars are required for sustainable rice production. In this study, an upland rice genotype UR0803 was considered an emerging source of blast resistance. An F2 mapping population was developed from a cross between UR0803 and a local susceptible cultivar Lijiang Xintuan Heigu. The individuals from the F2 population were evaluated for leaf blast resistance in three trials 7 days after inoculation. Bulked segregant analysis (BSA) by high-throughput sequencing and SNP-index algorithm was performed to map the candidate region related to disease resistance trait. A major quantitative trait locus (QTL) for leaf blast resistance was identified on chromosome 11 in an interval of 1.61-Mb genomic region. The candidate region was further shortened to a 108.9-kb genomic region by genotyping the 955 individuals with 14 SNP markers. Transcriptome analysis was further performed between the resistant and susceptible parents, yielding a total of 5044 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). There were four DEGs in the candidate QTL region, of which, two (Os11g0700900 and Os11g0704000) were upregulated and the remaining (Os11g0702400 and Os11g0703600) were downregulated in the susceptible parent after inoculation. These novel candidate genes were functionally annotated to catalytic response against disease stimulus in cellular membranes. The results were further validated by a quantitative real-time PCR analysis. The fine-mapping of a novel QTL for blast resistance by integrative BSA mapping and transcriptome sequencing enhanced the genetic understanding of the mechanism of blast resistance in upland rice. The most suitable genotypes with resistance alleles would be useful genetic resources in rice blast resistance breeding.
Climate aridity and habitat drive geographical variation in morphology and thermo-hydroregulation strategies of a widespread lizard species
Authors: Chabaud Chloé , Berroneau Matthieu , Berroneau Maud , Dupoué Andréaz , Guillon Michaël , Viton Robin , Gavira Rodrigo S B , Clobert Jean , Lourdais Olivier , Le Galliard Jean-François 
Published: October 2022

Abstract
Thermo-hydroregulation strategies involve concurrent changes in functional traits related to energy, water balance and thermoregulation and play a key role in determining life-history traits and population demography of terrestrial ectotherms. Local thermal and hydric conditions should be important drivers of the geographical variation of thermo-hydroregulation strategies, but we lack studies that examine these changes across climatic gradients in different habitat types. Here, we investigated intraspecific variation of morphology and thermo-hydroregulation traits in the widespread European common lizard (Zootoca vivipara louislantzi) across a multidimensional environmental gradient involving independent variation in air temperature and rainfall and differences in habitat features (access to free-standing water and forest cover). We sampled adult males for morphology, resting metabolic rate, total and cutaneous evaporative water loss and thermal preferences in 15 populations from the rear to the leading edge of the distribution across an elevational gradient ranging from sea level to 1750 m. Besides a decrease in adult body size with increasing environmental temperatures, we found little effect of thermal conditions on thermo-hydroregulation strategies. In particular, relict lowland populations from the warm rear edge showed no specific ecophysiological adaptations. Instead, body mass, body condition and resting metabolic rate were positively associated with a rainfall gradient, while forest cover and water access in the habitat throughout the season also influenced cutaneous evaporative water loss. Our study emphasizes the importance of rainfall and habitat features rather than thermal conditions for geographical variation in lizard morphology and physiology.
Management and outcome of patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and intercurrent non-coronary precipitating events
Authors: Sharon Amir , Fishman Boris , Massalha Eias , Itelman Edward , Mouallem Meir , Fefer Paul , Barbash Israel M , Segev Amit , Matetzky Shlomi , Guetta Victor , Grossman Ehud , Maor Elad 
Published: October 2022

Abstract

Aims
To evaluate the effect of an intercurrent non-coronary illness on the management and outcome of patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).

Methods and results
Consecutive hospitalized patients with a primary diagnosis of NSTEMI between August 2008 and December 2019 at Sheba Medical Center. All patients’ records were reviewed for the presence of a non-coronary precipitating event (NCPE): a major intercurrent acute non-coronary illness or condition, either cardiac or non-cardiac. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Cox regression with interaction analysis was applied. Final study population comprised 6491 patients, of whom 2621 (40%) had NCPEs. Patients with NCPEs were older (77 vs. 69 years) and more likely to have comorbidities. The most prevalent event was infection (35%, n = 922). During a median follow-up of 30 months, 2529 patients died. Patients with NCPEs were 43% more likely to die during follow-up in a multivariable model (95% CI: 1.31–1.55). Invasive strategy was associated with a 55% lower mortality among patients without NCPE and only 44% among patients with NCPE (P for interaction &lt; 0.001). Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) was associated with a 20% lower mortality in patients without NCEP and a non-significant mortality difference among patients with NCPE (P for interaction = 0.014). Sub-analysis by the specific NCPE showed the highest mortality risk among patients with infectious precipitant. The lower mortality associated with invasive strategy was not observed in this subgroup.

Conclusion
Among NSTEMI patients, the presence of an NCPE is associated with poor survival and modifies the effect of management strategies.
An artificial intelligence-based platform for automatically estimating time-averaged wall shear stress in the ascending aorta
Authors: Lv Lei , Li Haotian , Wu Zonglv , Zeng Weike , Hua Ping , Yang Songran 
Published: October 2022

AbstractAimsAortopathies are a series of disorders requiring multiple indicators to assess risk. Time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS) is currently considered as the primary indicator of aortopathies progression, which can only be calculated by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). However, CFD's complexity and high computational cost, greatly limit its application. The study aimed to construct a deep learning platform which could accurately estimate TAWSS in ascending aorta.Methods and resultsA total of 154 patients who had thoracic computed tomography angiography were included and randomly divided into two parts: training set (90%, n = 139) and testing set (10%, n = 15). TAWSS were calculated via CFD. The artificial intelligence (AI)-based model was trained and assessed using the dice coefficient (DC), normalized mean absolute error (NMAE), and root mean square error (RMSE). Our AI platform brought into correspondence with the manual segmentation (DC = 0.86) and the CFD findings (NMAE, 7.8773% ± 4.7144%; RMSE, 0.0098 ± 0.0097), while saving 12000-fold computational cost.ConclusionThe high-efficiency and robust AI platform can automatically estimate value and distribution of TAWSS in ascending aorta, which may be suitable for clinical applications and provide potential ideas for CFD-based problem solving.
Use of artificial intelligence for point-of-care echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction among COVID-19 patients
Authors: Dadon Z , Levi N , Orlev A , Belman D , Butnaru A , Glikson M , Gottlieb S , Alpert E A 
Published: October 2022

Abstract

Background
The association between COVID-19 infection and the cardiovascular system has been well described. Isolation precautions limit the use of formal echocardiography in this setting. Artificial intelligence (AI) utilization using a hand-held device in these patients can be a reliable tool for left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) assessment.

Aims
To prospectively investigate the accuracy of AI-base tool for LVEF assessment using a hand-held echocardiogram in patients with COVID-19.

Methods
From April-28 through July-26, 2020, consecutive patients with COVID-19 underwent a real-time LVEF assessment within 48-h of admission using a hand-held echocardiogram evaluation (Vscan Extend) equipped with LVivoEF, an AI-based tool that automatically evaluates LVEF. The examinations were further analyzed off-line by a blinded fellowship-trained echocardiographer for LVEF as a gold standard.

Results
Among 42 patients, 21 (50%) were male (aged 53.3±17.8 years, mean BMI 27.6±5.1 kg/m2). Seven (16.7%) patients couldn't turn on their left side and three (7.1%) couldn't maintain effective communication. The mean length of each echocardiogram study was 6.8±2.2 minutes, battery usage was 13.4±4.9%, and mean operator-to-patient proximity was 64.5±9.3 cm.
A fair to good correlation was demonstrated between the AI and the echocardiographer LVEF assessment (Pearson's correlation of 0.691, p&lt;0.001). An almost perfect agreement was demonstrated between the AI and the echocardiographer for LVEF using a threshold of 45% (kappa=0.806, p&lt;0.001).
The sensitivity of focused echocardiogram for 45% LVEF threshold is 85.7%, specificity is 97.1% with a PPV of 85.7% and NPV of 97.1%.

Conclusions
An AI-based algorithm incorporated into an existing hand-held echocardiogram device can be reliably utilized as a decision support tool for automatic real-time LVEF assessment among COVID-19 patients.

Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: None.
Right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain (RVFWSL) a new outcome predictor in patients candiate for TAVI
Authors: Dellino C , Pergola V , Torresan F , Cecchetto A , Aruta P , Tarantini G , Fraccaro C , Mele D , Iliceto S 
Published: October 2022

Abstract

Background
Right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction is considered an outcome predictor in various cardiovascular diseases. RV dysfunction, assessed by RV free wall longitudinal strain (RVFWSL) in patients candidate for trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), has not been extensively explored as an outcome predictor.

Purpose
Evaluate the prognostic value of pre intervention RVFWSL in patients undergoing TAVI.

Methods
Retrospective analysis of 100 patients who underwent transfemoral TAVI in our hospital from 2015 to 2019, with at least a pre and post-TAVI echocardiography. Clinical and echocardiographic data before and after TAVI and follow-up data were collected. We considered the value of [23.3]% the cut-off of normality for RVFWSL. The primary end-point was a composite of death from any cause and hospitalization for heart failure.

Results
The median age of the patients was 81 years (79–83) with a functional status NYHA II–III (81%) before the intervention. EF was preserved in most of the patients (median 56%, 55–58), while Right ventricle dysfunction assessed with RVFWLS was reduced in half of the patients at baseline. At a median follow-up of 1023 days (630–1387), the univariate analysis demonstrated a predictive value for a reduced RVFWSL (&lt;[23.3]%, P=0.015) and EF&lt;50% (P=0.014) before TAVI. Cox regression analysis found that pre-TAVI reduced RVFWSL (HR 2.875, 95% CI: 1.113–7.425; P=0.03) and EF &lt;50% (HR 2.511, 95% CI: 1.07–5.892; P=0.03) were independently associated with composite end-point of the study. Moreover, a reduced EF associated with RVFWSL &lt;[23.3]% showed an incremental value in predicting the outcome (P=0.021).

Conclusions
Among patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVI, a reduced pre-implant RVFWSL is able to predict long-term outcome.

Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: None.
Myocardial strain indices and coronary flow reserve are only mildly affected in healthy hypertensive patients
Authors: Evangelou D , Bechlioulis A , Tzeltzes G , Lakkas L , Theodorou I , Kalaitzidis R , Dounousi E , Michalis L K , Naka K K 
Published: October 2022

Abstract

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is associated with functional and structural changes in the heart and the vessels.
Left ventricular deformation imaging with 2D Strain Echocardiography (2DSTE) and stress echocardiography with a vasodilator,such as dipyridamole (DIPSE), are useful tools for the detection of early myocardial abnormalities in hypertensive patients
The aim of the current study was to investigate whether early (relatively healthy) hypertensive patients with normal left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction may differ in 2D Strain indices at baseline and in response to a stress test such as dipyridamole, compared to healthy controls. In the current study, the associations of 2DSTE indices and their changes following DIPSE with other studied parameters were also assessed.
Forty-seven male hypertensive patients (aged 57±9 years) with normal ejection fraction and without left ventricular hypertrophy and 20 healthy male subjects were studied with conventional and 2D Strain echocardiography at rest and post DIPSE. Coronary flow reserve (CFR) in the left anterior descending artery following DIPSE was also evaluated.
Global longitudinal strain (GLS) and TWIST were higher while UNTWIST rate was lower in hypertensives versus controls (p&lt;0.05 for all). TWIST remained higher in hypertensives (p=0.021) after adjustment for differences in age and body mass index (BMI) between the groups. CFR was higher in controls compared to hypertensives even after adjustment for confounders (4.14 vs. 2.53, p=0.001).
DIPSE-induced changes did not differ between the groups after adjustment for age and BMI (p&gt;0.05 for all).
DIPSE-induced improvement in GLS was associated with higher CFR only in hypertensive patients (r −0.372, p=0.010).
The current study showed that well controlled hypertensive patients have mild echocardiographic differences compared to controls. Some of these differences appear to depend on age and Body mass index. A “hyper-rotation” phenomenon (higher TWIST) early in hypertension may be a compensatory mechanism to preserve global systolic LV function. Coronary microcirculatory function was impaired in hypertensive patients, albeit within normal range, and was associated with DIPSE-induced changes in myocardial long-axis systolic function.

Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: None.
Speckle tracking echocardiography in patients with systemic sclerosis: a meta-analysis
Authors: Velagapudi S , Sharma B , Hussain K , Sana M K , Kannayiram S , Murthi M , Khanal S , Gomez J 
Published: October 2022

Abstract

Background
Myocardial dysfunction is well established in systemic sclerosis (SSc). The utility of standard echocardiography is limited to detect the onset of myocardial dysfunction. Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and strain imaging has emerged as a useful technique to quantify left ventricle hemodynamics and myocardial function in early stages of myocardial dysfunction. We aimed to systematically analyze the existing literature on the application of STE and strain analysis in identifying SSc associated myocardial dysfunction

Methods
PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar were queried for studies from the inception of the databases to 2022. Case control studies that used 2D STE for assessment of strain in SSc patients and controls, were included for the analysis. PRISMA guidelines were followed for selections of studies. Two independent reviewers extracted data. Analysis was done using Cochrane Review Manager 5.0.

Results
Total of 19 studies were included in the analysis that compared strain analysis in SSc patient's vs healthy controls. Of the 16 studies that reported left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain, we found significantly lower LV global longitudinal strain in SSc patients (mean difference 1.92; 95% CI 0.98–2.87). Six studies reported LV circumferential strain which was noted to be lower in SSc patients compared to healthy controls (mean difference 3.55; 95% CI 1.60–5.51). Five studies reported LV global radial strain with a similar decrease in radial strain among SSc patients compared to controls (mean difference 4.39; 95% CI −6.95 to −1.83). 10 studies reported right ventricular longitudinal strain with a decrease in longitudinal strain in SSc patient's vs controls (mean difference 2.57; 95% CI 2.03–3.12).

Conclusions
SSc patients have lower strain values compared to controls, which is suggestive of an impaired myocardial function in left and right ventricle. Strain analysis by STE could help with early detection of myocardial dysfunction.

Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: None.