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Matches in Ghent University Academic Bibliography for { ?s <http://schema.org/abstract> ?o. }

• 01GQHPQ9NZSMX9W1DFBYVVTXX8 abstract "In het vak ‘Duurzame steden’ werden in het academiejaar 2022-2023 verschillende zogenaamde niche-initiatieven verkend rond het jaarthema ‘Veranderende publieke ruimte in de Gentse Bloemekenswijk’. Studenten analyseerden het Hyacintpark, de Westerbegraafplaats, de Groenklimaatassen met het Westerringspoor, de Guislainsite met de oude boomgaard, het sociaal restaurant ‘Balenmagazijn’, de buurtkeuken Bloemekenswijk, het bedrijventerrein U-Connect, het parkeergebouw ‘Het Getouw’ en de HUBP van vzw Jong. Naast een beschrijving van het algemeen opzet, werden telkens de ambities op vlak van duurzaamheid en stedelijke transformatie geschetst. De docenten reikten hiervoor een discussiekader aan dat focust op ecologische duurzaamheid, sociale rechtvaardigheid en het transformatief karakter van het initiatief. Onder meer door een kritische vergelijking met een binnen- of buitenlands referentieproject reflecteerden de studenten ook over het ‘politieke’ transitiepad dat het onderzochte initiatief in zich draagt. In deze paper gaan de docenten eerst in op de context van deze opdracht alsook op de aangereikte analysekaders, waarna de analyses van de 9 initiatieven door de studenten volgen.".
• 01GQHPVBQWF2KMZVGYK3JF7ARZ abstract "With reference to earth pressure balance (EPB) shield tunnelling, the pressure infiltration of foam into saturated sand is investigated through model study. The model accounts for the companion liquid flow during the foam spurt that was experimentally measured in a previous paper. A micro-stability model is established to predict the maximum foam penetration depth that is based on the minimum pressure difference over an individual foam bubble through the pore throats. From tests on three different sands, the micro-stability model compared well with two sands but underestimated the maximum penetration depth for the third. This is attributed to a case where many bubbles are small enough to flow through the larger pore throats unhindered. Further results from numerical simulation are in accordance with the measured discharge behaviour during the foam spurt. The general agreement suggests that the model could explain the foam infiltration behaviour and can be used to describe the foam spurt during foam infiltration that can be expected in EPB shield tunnelling.".
• 01GQHQCFMP1AKHX7VBHHBCAMJW abstract "Shade trees are used in many coffee production systems across the globe. Beyond the benefits on biodiversity conservation, climate buffering, carbon sequestration and pathogen regulation, shade trees can impact the soil nutrient status via, for instance, litter inputs and nitrogen fixation. Since soil nutrients affect coffee quality and taste, there is also a potential indirect effect of shade tree species on coffee quality. Yet, in spite of the potentially large impact of shade tree species, quantitative data on the effects of shade trees on (i) soil biogeochemistry and (ii) the associated coffee bean quality remain scarce. We quantified to what extent four widely used shade trees species (Acacia abyssinica, Albizia gummifera, Cordia Africana and Croton macrostachyus) in a plantation coffee agroforestry system in Ethiopia impact soil biogeochemistry, and how this in turn affects coffee quality, measured as cupping scores. We found especially significant negative impacts of N-fixing shade tree species on soil pH and base cation concentrations. Plant-available and total phosphorus was enhanced by the presence of Albizia gummifera. Thus, the present findings demonstrate that careful selection and integration of shade tree species such as Acacia abyssinica and Albizia gummifera into coffee production systems is a good practice for sustaining soil chemical properties in coffee agroecosystem. In spite of the impacts on soil characteristics, the shade tree species did not impact cupping scores of the resulting coffee beverage except some effect on the bean mass. Hence, further research should focus more on coffee-shade tree associations such that our understanding of the biogeochemical impacts can be improved, especially given the microclimatic importance of shade tree species in buffering the negative impacts from heatwaves and droughts due to climate change.".
• 01GQHQPM5M7F7Z312Z16TM0ZE8 abstract "The systemic inflammatory response post-SARS-CoV-2 infection increases pro-inflammatory cytokine production, multi-organ damage, and mortality rates. Mast cells (MC) modulate thrombo-inflammatory disease progression (e.g., deep vein thrombosis) and the inflammatory response post-infection. ObjectiveTo enhance our understanding of the contribution of MC and their proteases in SARS-CoV-2 infection and the pathogenesis of the disease, which might help to identify novel therapeutic targets. MethodsMC proteases chymase (CMA1), carboxypeptidase A3 (CPA3), and tryptase beta 2 (TPSB2), as well as cytokine levels, were measured in the serum of 60 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection (30 moderate and 30 severe; severity of the disease assessed by chest CT) and 17 healthy controls by ELISA. MC number and degranulation were quantified by immunofluorescent staining for tryptase in lung autopsies of patients deceased from either SARS-CoV-2 infection or unrelated reasons (control). Immortalized human Fc epsilon R1(+)c-Kit(+) LUVA MC were infected with SARS-CoV-2, or treated with its viral proteins, to assess direct MC activation by flow cytometry. ResultsThe levels of all three proteases were increased in the serum of patients with COVID-19, and strongly correlated with clinical severity. The density of degranulated MC in COVID-19 lung autopsies was increased compared to control lungs. The total number of released granules and the number of granules per each MC were elevated and positively correlated with von Willebrand factor levels in the lung. SARS-CoV-2 or its viral proteins spike and nucleocapsid did not induce activation or degranulation of LUVA MC in vitro. ConclusionIn this study, we demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 is strongly associated with activation of MC, which likely occurs indirectly, driven by the inflammatory response. The results suggest that plasma MC protease levels could predict the disease course, and that severe COVID-19 patients might benefit from including MC-stabilizing drugs in the treatment scheme.".
• 01GQHQTYTZ28AVKDQD95Y1VE51 abstract "Low-delay live streaming applications desire fast channel switching and packet-loss repair capabilities. However, existing methods that provide these capabilities have a negative impact on the stream of steady-state users. To minimize this impact, techniques such as the High Efficiency Streaming Protocol (HESP) utilize keyframe injection. Such techniques combine compression-efficient normal streams with corresponding companion streams that are used in case of random access or packet loss. Unfortunately, because a companion stream is needed for every normal stream, the distribution cost and encoding complexity are considerable costs. Additionally, injecting a companion keyframe into a normal stream causes a bitrate spike. Therefore, this paper evaluates the impact of utilizing mixed-resolution keyframe injection in the H.266/VVC standard. By providing a single companion stream for all normal streams of a bitrate ladder, the three mentioned downsides can be mitigated. We found that injecting a lower-resolution keyframe effectively reduces the bitrate spike, at the cost of only a modest quality loss. For dynamic video content, the quality impact reduces over time, and is less perceptible than traditional packet-loss repair using frame copy. In conclusion, mixed-resolution HESP can reduce the bitrate spike and computational/distribution overhead of HESP when enabling fast channel switching or packet-loss repair.".
• 01GQHRDRS3RZ29VWDBDC98QJJ1 abstract "Ferroptosis induction is an emerging strategy to treat cancer and contrast the tricky issue of chemoresistance, which can arise towards apoptosis. This work elucidates the anticancer mechanisms evoked by perillaldehyde, a monoterpenoid isolated from Ammodaucus leucotrichus Coss. & Dur. We investigated and characterized its antileukemic potential in vitro, disclosing its ability to trigger ferroptosis. Specifically, perillaldehyde induced lipid peroxidation, decreased glutathione peroxidase 4 protein expression, and depleted intracellular glutathione on HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells. Besides, it stimulated the active secretion of ATP, one of the most crucial events in the induction of efficient anticancer response, prompting further studies to disclose its possible nature as an immunogenic cell death inducer. To preliminarily assess the clinical relevance of perillaldehyde, we tested its ability to induce cell death on patient-derived acute myeloid leukemia biopsies, recording a similar mechanism of action and potency compared to HL-60 cells. To round the study off, we tested its selectivity towards tumor cells and disclosed lower toxicity on normal cells compared to both HL-60 and acute myeloid leukemia biopsies. Altogether, these data depict a favorable risk-benefit profile for perillaldehyde and reveal its peculiar antileukemic potential, which qualifies this natural product to proceed further through the drug development pipeline.".
• 01GQHTVN37KNK0HVEFR59KHTVE abstract "Background Even though the population-attributable fraction (PAF) is a well-established metric, it is often incorrectly estimated or interpreted not only in clinical application, but also in statistical research articles. The risk of bias is especially high in more complex time-to-event data settings. Methods We explain how the PAF can be defined, identified and estimated in time-to-event settings with competing risks and time-dependent exposures. By using multi-state methodology and inverse probability weighting, we demonstrate how to reduce or completely avoid severe types of biases including competing risks bias, immortal time bias and confounding due to both baseline and time-varying patient characteristics. Results The method is exemplarily applied to a real data set. Moreover, we estimate the number of deaths that were attributable to ventilator-associated pneumonia in France in the year 2016. The example demonstrates how, under certain simplifying assumptions, PAF estimates can be extrapolated to a target population of interest. Conclusions Defining and estimating the PAF in advanced time-to-event settings within a framework that unifies causal and multi-state modelling enables to tackle common sources of bias and allows straightforward implementation with standard software packages.".
• 01GQHV7CR8548FZPEXABPK4GV3 abstract "Many countries have reduced corporate income tax rates or introduced tax deductions, exclusions and credits to attract foreign direct investment. This paper analyzes the introduction of the notional interest deduction (NID) in Belgium, which allows companies to deduct from their taxable income an interest that is calculated based on the company's equity. We use an event type study approach to analyze the evolution of employment and investment of foreign affiliates in Belgium. We find that the tax deduction has increased employment and investment in the Belgian affiliates on average by 7.4 and 6.1%, respectively, in the period after the introduction of the NID. The NID, however, also provides a higher after-tax return on investment to domestic Belgian firms. Using a matching analysis, we find that domestic Belgian firms with low external financial dependence also respond to the NID but somewhat less strongly, domestic firms with high external financial dependence do not show NID-driven investment nor employment creation.".
• 01GQHW1RJXC4NF8TKZ5NKG8R84 abstract "Background and aims Climate-change induced warmer spring temperatures advance tree leaf-out and result in earlier shading of the forest floor. Climate change also leads to more frequent droughts. Forest understorey herbs may respond to these environmental changes by varying traits at different hierarchical levels of organization. While trait mean variation at the inter-individual level in response to environmental changes is well-studied, little is known about how variation at the intra-individual level responds. Methods We sampled genets of the forest understorey herb Galium odoratum from 21 populations in three regions in Germany, varying in microclimatic conditions. The genets were transplanted into a common garden, where we applied shading and drought treatments. We measured plant height and leaf length and width, and calculated the coefficient of variation (CV) at different hierarchical levels: intra-population, intra-genet, intra-ramet and intra-shoot. Key results Variance partitioning showed that intra-shoot CV represented most of the total variation, followed by intra-ramet CV. We found significant variation in CV of plant height and leaf width among populations of origin, indicating that CV is at least partly genetically based. The soil temperature at populations' origins correlated negatively with CV in plant height, suggesting adaptation to local conditions. Furthermore, we observed that early shade led to increased intra-ramet CV in leaf length, while drought reduced intra-shoot CV in leaf width. Finally, intra-shoot leaf width mean and CV were independent under control conditions but correlated under drought. Conclusions Our experimental results reveal correlations of intra-individual variation with soil temperature, indicating that intra-individual variation can evolve and may be adaptive. Intra-individual variation responded plastically to drought and shading, suggesting functional changes to improve light capture and reduce evapotranspiration. In conclusion, intra-individual variation makes up the majority of total trait variation in this species and can play a key role in plant adaptation to climatic change.".
• 01GQHW43B4R5VFFDE5GC598A77 abstract "(Semi-)natural ecosystems provide many important benefits to nature and people, but are often located near populated and urbanized areas across the globe. During recreational activities, many people bring dogs into peri-urban forests and nature, but their nutrient inputs per unit space and time via dog faeces and urine into ecosystems remain scarcely quantified. Here, we estimate net fertilization rates of dogs in peri-urban ecosystems, with a focus on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) because of their evident effects on plant biodiversity. We used 487 direct-count censuses over 1.5 years to collect accurate dog abundance data per hectare per year in four sites in peri-urban forests and nature reserves in Belgium. Based on estimated dog densities and a systematic literature search of nutrient concentrations in urine and faeces, we calculate N and P fertilization rates from urine and faeces deposits, also propagating uncertainty and variability in these estimates. We find that canine N and P fertilization rates on average amount to 11 kg N (more or less equally from urine and faeces) and 5 kg P (predominantly from faeces) per hectare per year, respectively. These estimated amounts are substantial when compared to atmospheric inputs of N and extractable amounts via traditional nature management (e.g. mowing and hay removal). Our estimated dog N and P fertilization rates in peri-urban forests and nature are substantial. Such levels of nutrient inputs may considerably influence biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, and co-determine restoration outcomes. Our results underpin the need for managers and policy makers to more often (i) consider currently neglected nutrient inputs by dogs in management plans and restoration goals, (ii) communicate to dog walkers the role of their dog as 'fertilizer' and highlight the necessity to remove at least canine solid faecal waste, (iii) in sensitive oligotrophic ecosystems with species adapted to nutrient-poor soils, establish nearby off-leash dog parks, enforce the use of short leashes and/or apply dog bans such that high dog abundances can be avoided.".
• 01GQHW47KK12CQT3NN0AJT5HMQ abstract "In the last decade, alarmingly high honeybee mortality rates have been registered. This trend is problematic because honeybees play a crucial role in natural and agricultural ecosystems. These increased mortality rates have several causes with the varroa mite (Varroa destructor) as the most important cause. However, independently of its cause, the end result is the same: the honeybee's immune system fails and the whole hive dies. To improve insights into this phenomenon, thorough understanding of the immune system is of major importance. The immune system protects the honeybee and the hive against the different causes of mortality. Despite the honeybee's great importance and the substantial amount of scientific publications, research on their cellular immunity is still limited. In this article, the different hemocyte research obstacles are described, such as traumatic collection methods, lack of standardization and uncareful extrapolation (of insects and ages). Lastly, a short overview of the probable hemocyte types and functions is given.".
• 01GQHW6X04F8KWPSM6107YYS3T abstract "Alpine ecosystems harbor remarkably diverse and distinct plant communities that are characteristically limited to harsh, and cold climatic conditions. As a result of thermal limitation to species occurrence, mountainous ecosystems are considered to be particularly sensitive to climate change. Our understanding of the impact of climate change is mainly based on vascular plants however, whereas cryptogams (i.e., lichens and bryophytes) are generally neglected or simply considered as one functional group. Here we aimed to improve our understanding of the drivers underlying temporal changes in vegetation of alpine ecosystems. To this end, we repeatedly surveyed the vegetation on four mountain summits along an elevational gradient in northern Sweden spanning a 19-year period. Our results show that the vascular plant communities remained relatively stable throughout the study period, despite fluctuations in terms of ground cover and species richness of shrubs and graminoids. In contrast, both lichens and bryophytes substantially decreased in cover and diversity, leading to alterations in community composition that were unrelated to vascular plant cover. Thermophilization of the vascular plant community was found only on the two intermediate summits. Our findings are only partially consistent with (long-term) climate-change impacts, and we argue that local non-climatic drivers such as herbivory might offset vegetation responses to warming. Hence, we underline the importance of considering local non-climatic drivers when evaluating temporal vegetation change in biologically complex systems.".
• 01GQHW9F4QC5MQPYE5Z6W3J7MV abstract "Aim Leaves support a large diversity of fungi, which are known to cause plant diseases, induce plant defences or influence leaf senescence and decomposition. To advance our understanding of how foliar fungal communities are structured and assembled, we assessed to what extent leaf flush and latitude can explain the within- and among-tree variation in foliar fungal communities. Location A latitudinal gradient spanning c. 20 degrees in latitude in Europe. Taxa The foliar fungal community associated with a foundation tree species, the pedunculate oak Quercus robur. Methods We examined the main and interactive effects of leaf flush and latitude on the foliar fungal community by sampling 20 populations of the pedunculate oak Quercus robur across the tree's range. We used the ITS region as a target for characterization of fungal communities using DNA metabarcoding. Results Species composition, but not species richness, differed between leaf flushes. Across the latitudinal gradient, species richness was highest in the central part of the oak's distributional range, and foliar fungal community composition shifted along the latitudinal gradient. Among fungal guilds, the relative abundance of plant pathogens and mycoparasites was lower on the first leaf flush, and the relative abundance of plant pathogens and saprotrophs decreased with latitude. Conclusions Changes in community composition between leaf flushes and along the latitudinal gradient were mostly a result of species turnover. Overall, our findings demonstrate that leaf flush and latitude explain 5%-22% of the small- and large-scale spatial variation in the foliar fungal community on a foundation tree within the temperate region. Using space-for-time substitution, we expect that foliar fungal community structure will change with climate warming, with an increase in the abundance of plant pathogens and mycoparasites at higher latitudes, with major consequences for plant health, species interactions and ecosystem dynamics.".
• 01GQHWJNFZW3RT6VJ09DZCY2BS abstract "Met de snelle ontwikkeling in technologie en de steeds toenemende eisen van mensen, wordt van textiel verwacht dat het naast het warm en comfortabel maken van mensen ook extra functionaliteiten vertoont. Dit leidde tot de ontwikkeling van "slim textiel" (smart textile). Slim textiel zijn materialen die hun gedrag kunnen veranderen als reactie op de invloed van externe factoren. Hoewel draagbaar slim textiel op alle gebieden van ons leven kan worden gebruikt, is de gezondheidszorg het meest opmerkelijke marktgebied. Draagbare medische apparaten kunnen verschillende elektrische fysiologische activiteiten bewaken. Dit onderzoek richt zich op de ontwikkeling van textielelektroden voor ECG-monitoring, het vergelijken van hun prestaties en het ontwerpen van een draagbaar ECG-monitoringsysteem door ontwikkelde elektroden te integreren in een in de handel verkrijgbare schouderband. De ECG-acquisitieprestaties van de ontwikkelde elektroden onder verschillende situaties werden bestudeerd. De ontwikkelde textielelektroden zijn met succes gebruikt voor ECG-monitoring (van mens en dier) en de verkregen resultaten hebben aangetoond dat de elektroden het potentieel hebben om de commerciële Ag/AgCl-elektroden voor langdurige ECG-bewaking te vervangen. De ontwikkelde elektroden zijn in staat ECG-signalen op te vangen, zowel in statische als dynamische omstandigheden, en de signaalkwaliteit neemt toe met een toename van de elektrodegrootte en houddruk.".
• 01GQHWSMYGZQ4T0ZP0V6JSGNPT abstract "The magnitudes and distributions of the pressures around a tunnel lining are the most significant variables in shield tunnel design, as they determine the safety of the lining structure and influence the investment cost of the tunnel project. The grouting process has a negligible effect on the pressures exerted on the shield tunnel segmental linings when the boring machine is drilling. However, improper grouting control might result in large bending moments, local damage of segments and leakage at joints, leading to a reduction of the linings' safety, durability and serviceability. On the other hand, more and more special-section shield tunnels are developed to solve the problems associated with infrastructure construction under complex environmental conditions. How-ever, previous studies on the pressure distribution around tunnel linings all focused on circular tunnels. Few research about the loads during construction on special-section shield tunnels was conducted. In this study, three in-situ monitoring tests for the total pressure distributions of shallow buried quasi-rectangular tunnels in soft soils were carried out, which is deemed to be the first field study for special-section shield tunnels. Different grouting situations were adopted and the temporal and spatial distributions of the lining pressures during and after the construction were obtained. When the lining segments are pushed out of the shield tail, the adverse pressure distributions caused by grout ejections were observed which are typical non-uniform and unsymmet-rical. The effect of different grouting situations attenuates quickly in the longitudinal direction within a range of 9 rings. Additionally, the influence of the following back-up equipment and transportation carriages on the pressures outside the linings were first observed and studied by means of these field tests. The outside pressures fluctuated in different stages with the coincident pace of construction activities and performed as a counterforce and to resist the inside loads, which was different from the active loads exerted on the lining when the segmental rings were pushed out. From the long-term perspective, the pressure distributions in different tests tend to stabilize at a similar state. The influence of the grouting process or other construction loads on the lining pressures needed about 50 days to be relieved. A comparison between the measured results and the theoretical long-term pressures was conducted and the applicability of the proposed load distributions in the design model for quasi-rectangular tunnels was demonstrated. Additionally, a pressure mode combining cosinusoidal pressures and theoretical long-term pressures is proposed to predict the grouting pressures when lining segments are pushed out of the shield.".
• 01GQHWSMYSMHAZSRP2YDTRD2BF abstract "At the start of the C-Bridge project in 2018, the number of fibre-reinforced composite bridges in the Flanders region of Belgium was limited to a handful. These limited achievements were largely due to the poor knowledge of clients (public and private), project managers, design engineers, and contractors, which made the option of composites either unknown or still viewed with a certain degree of suspicion. In addition, there were no standards at the Belgian or European level for the design of such constructions. The C-Bridge project (roadmap into design, guidelines, and execution of composite bridges in Flanders) aimed to stimulate the design, the realization and the construction of composite bridges in Flanders by providing the necessary knowledge to the construction sector in the most suitable form. This knowledge consists of the current state of the art of composites in bridge construction, selection criteria for composite bridges, recommendations for specification texts, and in situ testing of composite bridges and structural and vibration analysis. This C-Bridge project should allow the awarding authorities and contractors to be able to make informed choices regarding fibre-reinforced polymer (fibre composite) bridges but also offer the possibility of making the necessary transformation to this new and promising material to various Flemish companies. The results of the project enable Flemish clients to draw up specifications for FRP bridges in the correct manner. Moreover, they can correctly interpret the calculation notes made available and make a correct assessment. The Flemish engineering firms, on the other hand, will be able to make their own designs of FRP bridges and bridge components. They can also build up a value chain within Flanders with Flemish contractors and producers. From the producers and suppliers' point of view, the results of the project will lead to a clearer profile of their products on the public and private market. Finally, the general contractors and constructors will be armed to withstand the challenges that FRP bridges entail to subcontractors in terms of execution, follow-up, delivery, and maintenance. The findings are helpful for the acceptance of fibre-reinforced composite bridges as an alternative to timber, steel, or concrete bridges and should generate a market expansion for FRP in the traditionally conservative bridge-building sector first in Flanders and later internationally.".
• 01GQHWSMYXVYNWQ6J03DQ8AW5Q abstract "This paper reports full-scale fatigue tests, conducted to explore the distortion-induced fatigue behavior of vertical stiffener web gaps in steel girder bridges, considering parameters such as web gap size, nominal stress ratio and distortion ratio (a newly proposed physical parameter). The results show that the fatigue strength of weathering steel web gaps improves with the increase of the web gap size, but worsens with the increase of the stress ratio and the distortion ratio. It was found that the fatigue strength for 20 mm, 40 mm and 60 mm weathering steel web gaps corresponds to categories 36, 71 and 100 in Eurocode 3, when the nominal stress ratio and the distortion ratio are less than 0.3. However, when the nominal stress ratio and distortion ratio are between 0.3 and 0.5, the fatigue strength for 20 mm is below category 36, while for 40 mm and 60 mm, it corresponds to categories 45 and 80, proving the stress and distortion ratio dependency.".
• 01GQHWSMZ1ZFM5KWH9258B688M abstract "Curved composite box girder bridges with corrugated steel webs (CSWs) have already been constructed around the world. However, limited work has been done on the comparisons of mechanical properties between curved box girders (CBGs) with CSWs and CBGs with traditional concrete webs. This can be attributed to the difficulty separating flexure, torsion, and distortion using experimental or finite element analysis methods. In this paper, first, a practical method that can solve deflections, torsional angles, distortional angles, stresses, and internal forces of simply supported and continuous CBGs with intermediate diaphragms is introduced. Then, a parametric analysis is conducted to study the difference in mechanical properties of CBGs with CSWs and CBGs with concrete webs. The results show that: (1) Compared with traditional concrete box girders, the torsional and distortional resistances of box girders with CSWs are significantly reduced. Under external loading, all deflections, torsional angles, distortional angles, flexural normal stresses, restrained torsional and distortional warping normal stresses are generally larger. (2) For the example presented in this paper, the torsional warping normal stresses can reach 30% of the flexural normal stresses, and the distortional warping normal stresses can reach 80% of the flexural normal stresses. For this reason, they cannot be neglected in the design. (3) By increasing the number of intermediate diaphragms, drawbacks of using CSWs due to the increase in distortional angles and distortional warping normal stresses can be mitigated, closing the gap between the 2 different web types. In this regard, it is suggested that at least 1 diaphragm should be installed at midspan and if the diaphragms are arranged by equal spacing, their number is suggested to be odd.".
• 01GQHWSMZ6K9XRJRPEYTG7KK9T abstract "The modified routine modelling (MRM) and the beam spring modelling (BSM) are two of the classical design methods for circular shield tunnels, but a comparison between their applications in special-section shield tunnels (SSSTs) has not yet been conducted. In this study, these two methods are investigated and compared specifically for the case of quasi-rectangular shield tunnels (QRSTs). While the MRM gives acceptable results for axial force values, some critical bending moments in joint sections and segment sections can be overestimated or underestimated, not giving accurate values for design. It is demonstrated that the MRM cannot precisely predict the degree of bending moment transfer and convergence deformations of the studied SSST, and should only be used in preliminary design. On the other hand, deeper insights into the mechanical behaviour of the QRST lining structure can be gained through the analysis of the BSM. The staggered assembly pattern results in a bending moment transfer between rings and the relatively stiff area sustains the transferred moment from its neighbouring less stiff areas. For most of the longitudinal joints, 20% to 40% of bending moment is redistributed to its neighbouring segments. The transfer increases the non-symmetric distribution of bending moments in the two halves of a QRST lining ring. This characteristic does not exist in a traditional circular shield tunnel but needs due attention to the types of shield tunnels with two compartments in one tube. Finally, the influences of different parameters related to the assumed pressures and soil reactions are discussed.".
• 01GQHWSMZBJ4SF94YAVC4Q4G9M abstract "To examine the flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams with maximum reinforcement ratio, several reinforced concrete sections with different rebars are designed and analyzed using OpenSees. It was found that, although reasonable for rebars with yield point, the determination of the relative depth of the rectangular stress block for balanced failure given in the Chinese Concrete Code (GB50010-2010) is somewhat small for rebars without yield point. Based on the American Concrete Code (ACI318-19) and the work of previous scholars, this paper proposes a more accurate calculation method for the relative depth of the rectangular stress block for balanced failure based on the requirement of a conservative bearing capacity, and further extends it to prestressed medium strength rebars. Two reinforced concrete beams and one prestressed concrete beam were designed and tested with the proposed maximum reinforcement ratios. The outcomes demonstrate the validity of the proposed formula.".
• 01GQHYG59A9FYQKJRBZM65DAPH abstract "Two series of experiments were carried out to examine pressurised bentonite slurry infiltration into saturated sand columns. Three types of sand were examined, and water–bentonite and water–bentonite–sand slurries were used in series 1 and 2, respectively. Series 1 investigated the effect of sand particle size and series 2 examined the effect of the fine-sand particle content in the slurry. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging was used to observe the morphological features of the dry slurry-infiltrated sand samples. A solution for the infiltration distance during mud spurt for water–bentonite–sand slurry infiltration was verified using the data from series 2. The infiltration test results showed that the hydraulic conductivity of the slurry-infiltrated coarse sand for slurry in series 2 was lower than that in series 1. Visual observations and the SEM images showed that sand particles were bound to a bentonite film, indicating that, during infiltration, the channels for fluid flow among the sand particles are blocked by the bentonite particles adhered to the sand particles. The solution for the infiltration distance during mud spurt for water–bentonite–sand slurry infiltration showed good agreement with the experimental results.".
• 01GQHYWRA069SAMAJ208D61Q37 abstract "center dot PURPOSE: To assess the visual outcome of cataract surgery in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). center dot DESIGN: Retrospective, noncomparative clinical study. center dot METHODS: Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data of patients with RP who were undergoing cataract surgery were collected from several expertise centers across Europe. center dot RESULTS: In total, 295 eyes of 226 patients were included in the study. The mean age at surgery of the first eye was 56.1 17.9 years. Following surgery, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved significantly from 1.03 to 0.81 logMAR (ie, 20/214 to 20/129 Snellen) in the first treated eye (-0.22 logMAR; 95% CI = -0.31 to -0.13; P < .001) and from 0.80 to 0.56 logMAR (ie, 20/126 to 20/73 Snellen) in the second treated eye (-0.24 logMAR; 95% CI = -0.32 to -0.15; P .001). Marked BCVA improvements (postoperative change in BCVA of 0.3 logMAR) were observed in 87 of 226 patients (39%). Greater odds for marked visual improvements were observed in patients with moderate visual impairment or worse. The most common complications were zonular dialysis (n = 15; 5%) and (exacerbation of) cystoid macular edema (n = 14; 5%), respectively. Postoperative posterior capsular opacifications were present in 111 of 295 eyes (38%). center dot CONCLUSION: Significant improvements in BCVA are observed in most patients with RP following cataract surgery. Baseline BCVA is a predictor of visual outcome. Preoperative evaluation should include the assessment of potential zonular insufficiency and the presence of CME, as they are relatively common and may increase the risk of complications. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ))".
• 01GQHZ6PF6B5EM6GTPBFFE8P0F abstract "Tot op heden leidde de exploitatie van de mariene omgeving door de mens tot verscheidene anthropogene contaminaties verspreid over de oceaan. Types vervuiling kunnen gaan van menselijke structuren op de zeebodem, zowel met opzet als per ongeluk daar terechtgekomen, tot het lekken van petroleum of plastiekvervuiling. Hoe deze vervuilingen de balans van het globale mariene ecosysteem beïnvloeden en hoe lang historische contaminatie de marine omgeving beïnvloedt, is één van de vragen die ons sterk intrigeert aangezien wij, als mensen, sterk afhankelijk zijn van de oceanen voor voedsel, zuurstof, energie en nog zoveel meer ecosysteemdiensten. In Hoofdstuk 2 hebben we inzicht verworven in de dynamica, samenstelling en oorsprong van de bacteriële gemeenschap die aanwezig is in het sediment rond scheepswrakken, één van de puntvervuilingen die zorgen voor koolwaterstofpollutie op de bodem van de zee. Rekening houdend met het feit dat de olie- en gasindustrie in steeds diepere wateren aan het gaan is voor exploitatie, weten we dat de kans op ecologische risico's die komen met mogelijke lekkages en morsen ten gevolge van steeds dieper boren stijgt. Dit heeft een zoektocht geopend naar snelle en duurzame mitigatietechnieken. In Hoofdstuk 3 werden diepzeesedimenten verrijkt in verschillende nutriënten- en koolstofcondities bij verschillende waterdrukken om het lokale natuurlijke cold seep microbioom te onderzoeken op zijn bioaugmentatiepotentieel. Het vermogen van samenwerking tussen de geïsoleerde stammen en in het bijzonder van de piëzotolerante Alcanivorax werd onderzocht om hun bioaugmentatiepotentieel te verbeteren. Dit deden we door de isolaten uit Hoofdstuk 3 terug samen te proberen opkweken in verschillende omstandigheden. Bovendien werden hun interacties met stammen geïsoleerd uit andere omgevingen ook verder geëvalueerd in Hoofdstuk 4. We toonden aan dat in voortzetting van eerder onderzoek naar samenwerking en competitie tussen microben, zwaardere fysico-chemische omstandigheden meer positieve interacties tussen soorten veroorzaakten. Alcanivorax sp. hebben in het verleden al een aanleg en een groot potentieel getoond voor bioremediatie en bioaugmentatiedoeleinden. Echter veel obligaat oliedegradeerders van het geslacht Alcanivorax zijn heel gevoelig aan hoge hydrostatische druk, echter zijn er enkele die het beter doen. In Hoofdstuk 5 werd een studie uitgevoerd om te evalueren hoe aanpassing aan hogedrukomstandigheden anders wordt gemoduleerd in piëzogevoelige Alcanivorax sp. versus meer piëzotolerante Alcanovorax sp. Dit om uit te vissen hoe waterdruk als fysieke stressor in het mariene milieu de bioaugmentatie-inspanningen kan beïnvloeden bij het gebruik van obligaat olie-afbrekende bacteriën, waarvan algemeen is aangetoond dat ze van nature piëzogevoelig zijn. Het potentieel van het geslacht Alcanivorax werd vervolgens verder onderzocht in Hoofdstuk 6, aangezien verschillende studies hebben aangetoond dat het één van de dominante geslachten is in de gemeenschap die groeit op plasticvervuiling in de zee. Er is geen consensus in de mariene microbiologie of de Alcanivorax actief deelneemt aan de afbraak van de polymeren of liever leeft van de restjes geproduceerd door andere plastic-afbrekende microben (d.w.z. polymeren of monomeren). In conclusie zijn in dit onderzoek verschillende inzichten verkregen over de ecologie van obligaat oliedegraderende bacteriën, in het bijzonder het geslacht Alcanivorax.".
• 01GQHZB01DVS8V6BT4986FDVSY abstract "Wandelgids expo Cumont Licht uit het Oosten / Licht op het Oosten. Franz Cumont (1868-1947) en de antieke mysterieculten. 24 november tot 17 december 2022, Vandenhove Centrum voor Architectuur en Kunst Universiteit Gent, Rozier 1, B-9000 Gent BOF/MVF/202103/032".
• 01GQHZCHSRR9YSJAGFGJQ6XCW9 abstract "Modelonderzoek in de geotechniek wordt regelmatig uitgevoerd in een centrifuge, met een versnelling veel hoger dan de zwaartekrachtversnelling. Onlangs heeft Deltares een nieuwe centrifuge voor dit onderzoek in gebruik genomen. Dit artikel beschrijft waarom die hogere versnelling nodig is, hoe die wordt gerealiseerd en welke zogenoemde schaalregels van belang zijn. Het artikel sluit af met twee voorbeelden.".
• 01GQHZHQ11SGXFGPEZPZES2FC0 abstract "CEP290-associated Leber congenital amaurosis type 10 (LCA10) is a retinal disease resulting in childhood blindness. Sepofarsen is an RNA antisense oligonucleotide targeting the c.2991+1655A>G variant in the CEP290 gene to treat LCA10. In this open-label, phase 1b/2 (NCT03140969), 12-month, multicenter, multiple-dose, dose-escalation trial, six adult patients and five pediatric patients received <= 4 doses of intravitreal sepofarsen into the worse-seeing eye. The primary objective was to evaluate sepofarsen safety and tolerability via the frequency and severity of ocular adverse events (AEs); secondary objectives were to evaluate pharmacokinetics and efficacy via changes in functional outcomes. Six patients received sepofarsen 160 mu g/80 mu g, and five patients received sepofarsen 320 mu g/160 mu g. Ten of 11 (90.9%) patients developed ocular AEs in the treated eye (5/6 with 160 mu g/80 mu g; 5/5 with 320 mu g/160 mu g) versus one of 11 (9.1%) in the untreated eye; most were mild in severity and dose dependent. Eight patients developed cataracts, of which six (75.0%) were categorized as serious (2/3 with 160 mu g/80 mu g; 4/5 with 320 mu g/160 mu g), as lens replacement was required. As the 160-mu g/80-mu g group showed a better benefit-risk profile, higher doses were discontinued or not initiated. Statistically significant improvements in visual acuity and retinal sensitivity were reported (post hoc analysis). The manageable safety profile and improvements reported in this trial support the continuation of sepofarsen development.".
• 01GQJ1SPSXTA8KWP5XWE98B4YX abstract "Introduction Lenadogene nolparvovec is a promising novel gene therapy for patients with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) carrying the m.11778G > A ND4 mutation (MT-ND4). A previous pooled analysis of phase 3 studies showed an improvement in visual acuity of patients injected with lenadogene nolparvovec compared to natural history. Here, we report updated results by incorporating data from the latest phase 3 trial REFLECT in the pool, increasing the number of treated patients from 76 to 174.Methods The visual acuity of 174 MT-ND4-carrying patients with LHON injected in one or both eyes with lenadogene nolparvovec from four pooled phase 3 studies (REVERSE, RESCUE and their long-term extension trial RESTORE; and REFLECT trial) was compared to the spontaneous evolution of an external control group of 208 matched patients from 11 natural history studies.Results Treated patients showed a clinically relevant and sustained improvement in their visual acuity when compared to natural history. Mean improvement versus natural history was - 0.30 logMAR (+ 15 ETDRS letters equivalent) at last observation (P < 0.01) with a maximal follow-up of 3.9 years after injection. Most treated eyes were on-chart as compared to less than half of natural history eyes at 48 months after vision loss (89.6% versus 48.1%; P < 0.01) and at last observation (76.1% versus 44.4%; P < 0.01). When we adjusted for covariates of interest (gender, age of onset, ethnicity, and duration of follow-up), the estimated mean gain was - 0.43 logMAR (+ 21.5 ETDRS letters equivalent) versus natural history at last observation (P < 0.0001). Treatment effect was consistent across all phase 3 clinical trials. Analyses from REFLECT suggest a larger treatment effect in patients receiving bilateral injection compared to unilateral injection.Conclusion The efficacy of lenadogene nolparvovec in improving visual acuity in MT-ND4 LHON was confirmed in a large cohort of patients, compared to the spontaneous natural history decline. Bilateral injection of gene therapy may offer added benefits over unilateral injection.".
• 01GQJ2BD4681XFCGHGZB7FCDP0 abstract "Modern democratic societies tend to appeal to the authority of science when dealing with important challenges and solving their problems. Nevertheless, distrust in science remains widespread among the public, and, as a result, scientific voices are often ignored or discarded in favour of other perspectives. Though superficially "democratic", such a demotion of science in fact hinders democratic societies in effectively tackling their problems. Worryingly, some philosophers have provided ammunition to this distrust and scepticism of science. They either portray science as an institution that has unrightfully seized political power, or they claim that science constitutes only one voice among many and that scientists should know their proper place in our societies. As philosophers of science, we believe that it is potentially dangerous to undermine trust in science in this way. Instead, we believe that philosophers should help people to understand why science, even though it is far from perfect, deserves our trust and its special standing in modern societies. In this paper, we outline what such an explanation may look like from a naturalistic and pragmatic perspective, and we discuss the implications for the role of philosophy of science in science education.".
• 01GQJ2ETD7E96MV5FF4JQSTKDW abstract "What, if anything, is wrong with conspiracy theories (CTs)? A conspiracy refers to a group of people acting in secret to achieve some nefarious goal. Given that the pages of history are full of such plots, however, why are CTs often regarded with suspicion and even disdain? According to "particularism," the currently dominant view among philosophers, each CT should be evaluated on its own merits and the negative reputation of CTs as a class is wholly undeserved. In this paper, I defend a moderate version of "generalism," the view that there is indeed something prima facie suspicious about CTs, properly defined, and that they suffer from common epistemic defects. To demarcate legitimate theorizing about real-life conspiracies from "mere conspiracy theories" (in the pejorative sense), I draw on a deep asymmetry between causes and effects in the natural world. Because of their extreme resilience to counterevidence, CTs can be seen as the epistemological equivalent of black holes, in which unwary truth-seekers are drawn, never to escape. Finally, by presenting a generic "recipe" for generating novel CTs around any given event, regardless of the circumstances and the available evidence, I rescue the intuitions beneath colloquial phrases like "That's just a conspiracy theory."".
• 01GQJ3HN0XDMEZC8Q738JEDSRN abstract "Targeting the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway with cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs), the natural STING agonists, is a promising immunotherapeutic strategy for cancer. However, the clinical application of natural CDNs as therapeutics is greatly hindered by their intrinsic properties including negative charges, small molecular weight, and high susceptibility to enzymatic degradation. Mn2+ ions have been recently discovered to directly activate the cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS) and augment cGAMP-STING binding affinity. Here, a PEGylated manganese(II) phosphate (MnP-PEG) nanocluster is developed with high biocompatibility and potent capacity to stimulate the cGAS-STING pathway. MnP-PEG nanoclusters activate the immature bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs) leading to 57.3- and 13.3-fold higher production of interferon beta and interleukin-6 than free cGAMP, respectively. The potent STING activation capacity is likely due to the efficient cellular internalization of MnP-PEG nanoclusters by DCs and acid-triggered release of Mn2+ ions in the endolysosomes. Intratumoral administration of MnP-PEG nanoclusters markedly enhances tumor infiltration as well as maturation of DCs and macrophages, and promotes activation and cytotoxicity of T cells and natural killer cells in the tumor. MnP-PEG nanocluster in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor leads to significant tumor regression in the B16F10 murine melanoma model without any overt toxicities.".
• 01GQJ3YQ5G6P7C60M6G148FYAB abstract "Immune stimulatory antibodies and cytokines elicit potent antitumor immunity. However, the dose-limiting systemic toxicity greatly hinders their clinical applications. Here, we demonstrate a chemical approach, termed "switchable" immune modulator (Sw-IM), to limit the systemic exposure and therefore ameliorate their toxicities. Sw-IM is a biomacromolecular therapeutic reversibly masked by biocompatible polymers through chemical linkers that are responsive to tumor-specific stimuli, such as high reducing potential and acidic pH. Sw-IMs stay inert (switch off) in the circulation and healthy tissues but get reactivated (switch on) selectively in tumor via responsive removal of the polymer masks, thus focusing the immune boosting activities in the tumor microenvironment. Sw-IMs applied to anti-4-1BB agonistic antibody and IL-15 cytokine led to equivalent antitumor efficacy to the parental IMs with markedly reduced toxicities. Sw-IM provides a highly modular and generic approach to improve the therapeutic window and clinical applicability of potent IMs in mono- and combinational immunotherapies.".
• 01GQJ407DEHVAM9CQT3HAGAZ07 abstract "Adjuvant is an essential component in subunit vaccines. Many agonists of pathogen recognition receptors have been developed as potent adjuvants to optimize the immunogenicity and efficacy of vaccines. Recently discovered cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway has attracted much attention as it is a key mediator for modulating immune responses. Vaccines adju-vanted with STING agonists are found to mediate a robust immune defense against infections and cancer. In this review, we first discuss the mechanisms of STING agonists in the context of vaccination. Next, we present recent progress in novel STING agonist discovery and the delivery strategies. We next highlight recent work in optimizing the efficacy while minimizing toxicity of STING agonist-assisted subunit vac-cines for protection against infectious diseases or treatment of cancer. Finally, we share our perspectives of current issues and future directions in further developing STING agonists for adjuvanting subunit vaccines. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).".
• 01GQJ41S0P98TDPJGHTF8N35EK abstract "In situ anti-tumor vaccination is an attractive type of cancer immunotherapy which relies on the effectiveness of dendritic cells (DCs) to engulf tumor antigens, become activated, and present antigens to T cells in lymphoid tissue. Here, a multifunctional nanocomplex based on calcium crosslinked polyaspartic acid conjugated to either a toll-like receptor (TLR)7/8 agonist or a photosensitizer is reported. Intratumoral administration of the nanocomplex followed by laser irradiation induces cell killing and hence generation of a pool of tumor-associated antigens, with concomitant promotion of DCs maturation and expansion of T cells in tumor-draining lymph nodes. Suppression of tumor growth is observed both at the primary site and at the distal site, thereby hinting at successful induction of an adaptive anti-tumor response. This strategy holds promise for therapeutic application in a pre-operative and post-operative setting to leverage to mutanome of the patient's own tumor to mount immunological memory to clear residual tumor cells and metastasis.".
• 01GQJ4AKT0J5EKR9W8J50JJRXP abstract "Introduction and Aims. Self-Determination Theory-based studies showed the importance of developing teachers' motivating style (i.e. being autonomy-supportive and providing structure) while minimizing their demotivating style (i.e. being controlling and chaotic), since teachers’ motivating style is associated with various positive students’ outcomes, whereas a teacher’s demotivating style is related to negative students’ outcomes (e.g. Haerens et al., 2016). However, most research relied on self-reported measures. Therefore, the objective of the current study is to develop an observation tool that allows to assess teachers’ (de-)motivating style by using observations. A second objective is to rely on observations to refine the known relation between teachers’ (de-)motivating style and students’ outcomes (i.e. students’ motivation and need-based experiences). Methods. The study sample consisted of 65 PE-teachers (M age = 40,15 (11,50) years) and 904 students (M age = 13,23 (1.18) years). One PE lesson of each teacher was video- and audiotaped. At the end of each lesson, students completed questionnaires on their motivation and need-based experiences. Experts used a newly-developed observation tool to rate teachers’ (de)motivating style (41 items). Reliability (intrarater-, interrater-reliability, and internal consistency) and (internal) validity of the tool were assessed. Multilevel analyses were performed to examine the relations between teachers’ observed (de-)motivating style and students’ outcomes. Results. The observation tool showed good reliability and validity, with observations confirming the circular structure of PE teachers’ (de-)motivating style that was also previously found based on questionnaires (Escriva-Boulley et al., 2021). Teachers’ observed autonomy-supportive, structuring, and chaotic style were significantly related to students’ autonomous motivation and amotivation. Teachers’ observed controlling style showed a trend towards a significant negative relation with controlled motivation (p = 0.07). Teachers’ observed autonomy-supportive style was also positively related to students’ need satisfaction and was negatively related to students’ need frustration. Conclusion. In conclusion, this study extends previous SDT-based studies and gives a more refined insight into the relation between teachers’ (de)motivating style and students’ outcomes. First, we managed to create an observation tool that allows to assess PE teachers (de)motivating style in a comprehensive manner, with observations of autonomy-support, structure, control and chaos being depicted in a circular model. Second, the findings revealed that students indeed value and enjoy PE lessons more if their teachers are observed as more autonomy-supportive and structuring, and less chaotic.".
• 01GQJ51E7S6DSN336FDQFC13BH abstract "Self-Determination Theory-based studies showed the importance of developing teachers' motivating style (i.e. being autonomy-supportive and providing structure) while minimizing their demotivating style (i.e. being controlling and chaotic). However, most research relied on self-reported measures. This study extends previous research by relying on observations. The study sample consisted of 65 PE-teachers (M age = 40,15 (11,50) years) and 904 students (M age = 13,23 (1.18) years). One PE lesson of each teacher was video- and audiotaped. At the end of each lesson, students completed questionnaires on their motivation and need-based experiences. Experts used a newly-developed observation tool to rate teachers’ (de)motivating style. Reliability (intrarater-, interrater-reliability, and internal consistency) and (internal) validity of the tool were assessed. Multilevel analyses were performed to examine the relations between teachers’ observed (de-)motivating style and students’ outcomes. The observation tool showed good reliability and validity, with teachers’ (de)motivating style being depicted in a circular model. Teachers’ autonomy-supportive and structuring styles were significantly and positively related to students’ autonomous motivation and negatively to amotivation. Teachers’ controlling style showed a trend towards a significant negative relation with controlled motivation. Teachers’ chaotic style was significantly and negatively related to students’ autonomous motivation and positively to amotivation. Teachers’ autonomy-supportive style was also significantly and positively related to students’ need support and negatively to students’ need frustration. Thus, we managed to create an observation tool that allows to assess PE teachers (de)motivating style in a comprehensive manner. The observed behaviors were correlated in a meaningful way with students’ outcomes.".
• 01GQJ5VAS4P2XCRDFBMYPW0S4B abstract "Building on the Self-Determination Theory, this study investigated the degree to which PE teachers combine different need-supportive and need-thwarting styles. In a sample of high school students (n = 673), this study examined how teachers combine autonomy-supportive and structuring styles (i.e., need-supportive) with a controlling style. Based on k-means cluster analyses, six different profiles were identified: “Outspoken Need-Supportive”, “High Need-Supportive and Controlling”, “Relatively Moderate Need-Supportive”, “Relatively High Structuring”, “Low Need-Supportive and Controlling”, and “Relatively Controlling”. Students in the “Outspoken Need-Supportive” group displayed the highest levels of autonomous motivation and the lowest levels of controlled motivation. Instead, students in the “Relatively Controlling” group displayed an opposite pattern. The other profiles fell in between. Results further showed that students in the “High Need-Supportive and Controlling” group displayed higher external regulation and amotivation, in comparison to the “Outspoken Need-Supportive” group. So, even when the teacher is additionally perceived as autonomy-supportive and structuring, the detrimental effect of a perceived controlling style is evident. Interestingly, the profile “High Need-Supportive and Controlling” and the profile “Low Need-Supportive and Controlling” yielded respectively the highest and lowest introjected regulation. In conclusion, according to the students, PE teachers rely on different combinations of need-supportive and need-thwarting styles to different degrees. When students perceive their PE teachers as highly autonomy-supportive and structuring and lowly controlling, this generates the most optimal motivational outcomes.".
• 01GQJ5XQ610Z1VA6MPJT0MRHMG abstract "Most applications and services of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) rely on accurate and continuous vehicle location information. The traditional localization method based on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is the most commonly used. However, it does not provide reliable, continuous, and accurate positioning in all scenarios, such as tunnels. Therefore, in this work, we present an algorithm that exploits the existing Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communication channel that operates within the LTE-V frequency band to acquire in-tunnel vehicle location information. We propose a novel solution for vehicle localization based on Doppler shift and Time of Arrival measurements. Measurements performed in the Beveren tunnel in Antwerp, Belgium, are used to obtain results. A comparison between estimated positions using Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) on Doppler shift measurements and individual Kalman Filter (KF) on Doppler shift and Time of Arrival measurements is carried out to analyze the filtering methods performance. Findings show that the EKF performs better than KF, reducing the average estimation error by 10 m, while the algorithm accuracy depends on the relevant RF channel propagation conditions and other in-tunnel-related environment knowledge included in the estimation. The proposed solution can be used for monitoring the position and speed of vehicles driving in tunnel environments.".
• 01GQJ65JPJ3KW0Z4EJ7HQM6A60 abstract "This paper presents indoor radio channel measurements and models at D-band frequencies. A Line-of-Sight (LOS) alpha-beta-gamma path loss model is created based on indoor measurements up to 8.5 m in a laboratory and office room, resulting in a floating intercept alpha of 34.2 dB, PL exponent beta 1.9 and frequency dependency gamma 1.9. The penetration losses for wood, acrylic, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and glass are measured, resulting in a respective loss of 8, 3.5, 3 and 12 dB/cm. Furthermore, attenuation due to desk objects obstructing the LOS path is found to range from 3 to 10 dB for one or more universal serial bus (USB) cables, and 8 to 13 dB for a computer keyboard and mouse. A laptop screen completely blocks the LOS path. Therefore, we measured the attenuation of the reflected path when the LOS path is blocked, and conclude that desk objects provide valid fallback paths.".
• 01GQJ6JFWM2VRAASXXEZK9K6NR abstract "In the shipping industry, wireless communication systems are desired for enabling digitalization and tracking advancements throughout the complete shipping process. In this paper, we present an 868 MHz path loss model for outdoor industrial container terminal environments, based on a measurement campaign using a spectrum analyzer-based channel sounder. Due to the container layout, i.e., containers are stacked in rows with gaps in between, the path loss exponent of the one-slope path loss model is very low. The container stack attenuation equals 21 dB, which is much higher than the penetration loss of objects in other industrial environments.".
• 01GQJ7498QC999EAY2BTPZN246 abstract "High-frequency wireless technologies realize fixed wireless access networks as an alternative to fiber for bringing high-throughput internet connectivity to the home. In the design of wireless networks, channel models are of utmost importance for having realistic link budget calculations. This paper provides a measurement setup for obtaining rain attenuation values in the V-band, ranging from 50 to 75 GHz. By continuously measuring received power over an extended time, and linking path loss data to meteorological data, we see that rain attenuation for moderate rain intensity ranges from 0.12 dB/m at 55 GHz, to 0.22 dB/m at 70 GHz. Furthermore, other meteorological phenomena also impact measured attenuation.".
• 01GQJ7BPHAYABSM47SKYRBFAYX abstract "The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated quarantines in many urban settings, and rules have been enforced to ensure that citizens are complying with health-related mandates. However, anecdotal and empirical evidence confirm the prevalence of policy transgressions. Non-compliance with COVID-19 mandates can have severe consequences for individual health, societal fear, and the global economy. Thus, it is important to better understand the etiology of such misbehavior in the hopes of ensuring policy adherence. Using Agnew's social concern theory as a conceptual framework, this study investigates quarantine-related misbehavior in the urban context of Rasht, Iran. Survey data of 393 university students indicate that social concern theory can explain quarantine-related misbehavior. Specific findings, implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.".
• 01GQJ7K26GBVEY26KN5K22JX3D abstract "A 9-month-old male entire Doberman Pinscher presented with acute onset of severe cervical hyperesthesia after a fall. Neurological examination revealed a normal gait with low head carriage and severe cervical hyperesthesia. A CT scan of the cervical vertebral column revealed the presence of a comminuted fracture at the dorsomedial aspect of the right occipital condyle and sclerosis of the underlying bone. Medical management was initiated consisting of an external bandage, strict rest, and pain medication. Due to the lack of clinical improvement, the dog was euthanized 2 months after diagnosis. Histopathology of the lesion was compatible with a healing fracture.".
• 01GQJ7XNKYT3NSTX8JNF81TS28 abstract "In a previous vaccination study in pigs, heterologous prime-boost vaccination with whole-inactivated H1N1 virus vaccines (WIV) induced superior antibody responses and protection compared to homologous prime-boost vaccination. However, no pan-H1 antibody response was induced. Therefore, to stimulate both local and systemic immune responses, we first vaccinated pigs intranasally with a pseudorabies vector vaccine expressing the pH1N1 hemagglutinin (prvCA09) followed by a homologous or heterologous WIV booster vaccine. Homologous and heterologous WIV-WIV vaccinated groups and mock-vaccinated or prvCA09 single-vaccinated pigs served as control groups. Five weeks after the second vaccination, pigs were challenged with a homologous pH1N1 or one of two heterologous H1N2 swine influenza A virus strains. A single prvCA09 vaccination resulted in complete protection against homologous challenge, and vector-WIV vaccinated groups were significantly better protected against heterologous challenge compared to the challenge control group or WIV-WIV vaccinated groups. Furthermore, vector-WIV vaccination resulted in broader hemagglutination inhibition antibody responses compared to WIV-WIV vaccination and higher numbers of antibody-secreting cells in peripheral blood, draining lymph nodes and nasal mucosa. However, even though vector-WIV vaccination induced stronger antibody responses and protection, we still failed to induce a pan-H1 antibody response.".
• 01GQJ82TAMVACH6RFGWMHE89BQ abstract "Scientific literature on veterinary dentistry in alpacas has historically focused on the description of tooth root abscesses. However, recent studies have shown a variety of other, sometimes preceding dental conditions to be widespread in this species. To allow the development and finetuning of treatment strategies in this species, a more thorough understanding of the underlying etiopathogenesis of dental disease is required. Histological studies focusing on normal dental and surrounding tissues might serve as a basis for this purpose. Nine teeth, extracted from seven alpacas were collected. All samples were retrieved from animals that died or were euthanized for non-dental reasons. Histological sections were prepared at three different levels in each tooth and examined using light microscopy focusing on the assessment of pulp tissue, dentin, cementum, periodontal tissues and the apical region. The histological appearance of the investigated dental tissues in alpacas showed great similarities with other hypsodont species. However, a rather rare type of dentin called "vasodentin" could be identified in all examined cheek teeth. Another species-specific finding was the extremely close proximity of varying neighboring tooth roots that seemed to be responsible for inducing massive resorptive lesions. The results of this study might contribute to a better understanding of the etiopathogenesis of some dental diseases in the alpaca.".
• 01GQJA532395EK7XFG8PZCNDYP abstract "Galaxies, dark matter haloes, and star clusters have a finite extent, yet most simple dynamical models have an infinite extent. The default method to generate dynamical models with a finite extent is to apply an energy truncation to the distribution function, but this approach is not suited to construct models with a preset density profile and it imposes unphysical constraints on the orbit population. We investigate whether it is possible to construct simple dynamical models for spherical systems with a preset density profile with a finite extent, and ideally with a different range of orbital structures. We systematically investigate the consistency of radially truncated dynamical models, and demonstrate that no spherical models with a discontinuous density truncation can be supported by an ergodic orbital structure. On the other hand, we argue that many radially truncated models can be supported by a tangential Osipkov-Merritt orbital structure that becomes completely tangential at the truncation radius. We formulate a consistency hypothesis for radially truncated models with such an orbital structure, and test it using an analytical example and the numerical exploration of a large model parameter space using the SpheCow code. We physically interpret our results in terms of the occupancy of bound orbits, and we discuss possible extensions of the tangential Osipkov-Merritt orbital structure that can support radially truncated models.".
• 01GQJBR091AGSCX0QKX099CXVJ abstract "Background Chronic radiation-associated dysphagia (C-RAD) is considered to be one of the most severe functional impairments in head and neck cancer survivors treated with radiation (RT) or chemoradiation (CRT). Given the major impact of these late toxicities on patients' health and quality of life, there is a strong need for evidence-based dysphagia management. Although studies report the benefit of strengthening exercises, transference of changes in muscle strength to changes in swallowing function often remains limited. Therefore, combining isolated strengthening exercises with functional training in patients with C-RAD may lead to greater functional gains. Methods This 3-arm multicenter randomized trial aims to compare the efficacy and possible detraining effects of mere strengthening exercises (group 1) with a combination of strengthening exercises and functional swallowing therapy (group 2) and non-invasive brain stimulation added to that combination (group 3) in 105 patients with C-RAD. Patients will be evaluated before and during therapy and 4 weeks after the last therapy session by means of swallowing-related and strength measures and quality of life questionnaires. Discussion Overall, this innovative RCT is expected to provide new insights into the rehabilitation of C-RAD to optimize post-treatment swallowing function.".
• 01GQJCFJQHNQWAQK27Q1XS35DF abstract "Background: Previous studies on the endotyping of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) that were based on inflammatory factors have broadened our understanding of the disease. However, the endotype of CRS combined with inflammatory and remodeling features has not yet been clearly elucidated. Objective: We sought to identify the endotypes of patients with CRS according to inflammatory and remodeling factors. Methods: Forty-eight inflammatory and remodeling factors in the nasal mucosal tissues of 128 CRS patients and 24 control subjects from northern China were analyzed by Luminex, ELISA, and ImmunoCAP. Sixteen factors were used to perform the cluster analysis. The characteristics of each cluster were analyzed using correlation analysis and validated by immunofluorescence staining. Results: Patients were classified into 5 clusters. Clusters 1 and 2 showed non-type 2 signatures with low biomarker concentrations, except for IL-19 and IL-27. Cluster 3 involved a low type 2 endotype with the highest expression of neutrophil factors, such as granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, IL-8, and myeloperoxidase, and remodeling factors, such as matrix metalloproteinases and fibronectin. Cluster 4 exhibited moderate type 2 inflammation. Cluster 5 exhibited high type 2 inflammation, which was associated with relatively higher levels of neutrophil and remodeling factors. The proportion of CRS with nasal polyps, asthma, allergies, anosmia, aspirin sensitivity, and the recurrence of CRS increased from clusters 1 to 5. Conclusion: Diverse inflammatory mechanisms result in distinct CRS endotypes and remodeling profiles. The explicit differentiation and accurate description of these endotypes will guide targeted treatment decisions. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2023;151:458-68.)".
• 01GQJKF3595BK2SXC09452CMPJ abstract "The Asplenium pekinense complex mainly comprises one diploid, A. sarelii Hook. (rare), one autotetraploid, A. pekinense Hance (best known and very common), and shares two allotetraploids, A. anogrammoides Christ (common but often misidentified) and A. altajense (Komarov) Grubov (rare and endemic) with the A. varians complex. The latter is further constituted by two diploids, A. tenuicaule Hayata (widespread) and A. semivarians Viane & Reichstein (rare), as well as other three tetraploids, A. kansuense Ching (barely known), A. varians Wallich ex Hooker & Greville (well-known, relatively common, and morphologically variable), and A. kukkonenii Viane & Reichstein (rare and often misidentified). These two species complexes are notorious for their taxonomic difficulty based on general morphology, which is mainly caused by their history of reticulate evolution. Here, we collected most species within the two complexes, and obtained ploidy information by spore size measurement and flow cytometry investigation. Phylogenetic analyses using DNA markers representing maternally inherited chloroplast and biparentally inherited nuclear genomes helped to reconstruct the reticulate evolution history. The present results support previous hypotheses that A. sarelii is the ancestor of both A. pekinense and A. anogrammoides, as well as that A. tenuicaule is the common progenitor of A. anogrammoides, A. varians, and A. kukkonenii. We also unraveled the autotetraploid origin of A. kansuense from A. tenuicaule for the first time, and found that A. altajense shares essentially identical genomes with A. anogrammoides.".
• 01GQJM47R40TCSZSJRF6S9RHZA abstract "The infrageneric relationships and taxonomy of the largest fern genus, Asplenium (Aspleniaceae), have remained poorly understood. Previous studies have focused mainly on specific species complexes involving a few or dozens of species only, or have achieved a large taxon sampling but only one plastid marker was used. In the present study, DNA sequences from six plastid markers (atpB, rbcL, rps4, rps4-trnS, trnL and trnL-F) of 1030 accessions (616 of them newly sequenced here) representing c. 420 species of Asplenium (60% of estimated species diversity), 16 species of Hymenasplenium, three Diplaziopsidaceae, and four Rhachidosoraceae were used to produce the largest genus-level phylogeny yet for ferns. Our major results include: (i) Asplenium as broadly circumscribed is monophyletic based on our inclusion of representatives of 32 of 38 named segregate genera; (ii) 11 major clades in Asplenium are identified, and their relationships are mostly well-resolved and strongly supported; (iii) numerous species, unsampled in previous studies, suggest new relationships and numerous cryptic species and species complexes in Asplenium; and (iv) the accrued molecular evidence provides an essential foundation for further investigations of complex patterns of geographical diversification, speciation and reticulate evolution in this family.".
• 01GQJQNR5HQW5AZE3XBQ0YPX42 abstract "The current agriculture main challenge is to maintain food production while facing multiple threats such as increasing world population, temperature increase, lack of agrochemicals due to health issues and uprising of weeds resistant to herbicides. Developing novel, alternative, and safe methods is hence of paramount importance. Here, we show that complementary peptides (cPEPs) from any gene can be designed to target specifically plant coding genes. External application of synthetic peptides increases the abundance of the targeted protein, leading to related phenotypes. Moreover, we provide evidence that cPEPs can be powerful tools in agronomy to improve plant traits, such as growth, resistance to pathogen or heat stress, without the needs of genetic approaches. Finally, by combining their activity they can also be used to reduce weed growth. Feeding an increasing world population in the context of climate change is one of the grand challenges faced by our generation. Here, the authors show that external application of synthetic complementary peptides can increase the abundance of target proteins to modulate plant growth or stress resistance.".
• 01GQJQXW8EABWWYM096B8P47K4 abstract "The plasma membrane (PM) protects cells from extracellular threats and supports cellular homeostasis. Some pathogens produce pore-forming toxins (PFTs) that disrupt PM integrity by forming transmembrane pores. High PFT concentrations cause massive damage leading to cell death and facilitating infection. Sub-lytic PFT doses activate repair mechanisms to restore PM integrity, support cell survival and limit disease. Shedding of extracellular vesicles (EVs) has been proposed as a key mechanism to eliminate PFT pores and restore PM integrity. We show here that cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs), a specific family of PFTs, are at least partially eliminated through EVs release, and we hypothesize that proteins important for PM repair might be included in EVs shed by cells during repair. To identify new PM repair proteins, we collected EVs released by cells challenged with sub-lytic doses of two different bacterial CDCs, listeriolysin O and pneumolysin, and determined the EV proteomic repertoire by LC-MS/MS. Intoxicated cells release similar EVs irrespectively of the CDC used. Also, they release more and larger EVs than non-intoxicated cells. A cluster of 70 proteins including calcium-binding proteins, molecular chaperones, cytoskeletal, scaffold and membrane trafficking proteins, was detected enriched in EVs collected from intoxicated cells. While some of these proteins have well-characterized roles in repair, the involvement of others requires further study. As proof of concept, we show here that Copine-1 and Copine-3, proteins abundantly detected in EVs released by intoxicated cells, are required for efficient repair of CDC-induced PM damage. Additionally, we reveal here new proteins potentially involved in PM repair and give new insights into common mechanisms and machinery engaged by cells in response to PM damage.".
• 01GQJR3XXZ7Q3PD2PX6Z6HF1DD abstract "Adriaenssens et al. provide evidence suggesting that cytosolic small heat shock proteins localize to the mitochondrial intermembrane space, where they operate as molecular chaperones. Mitochondria are complex organelles with different compartments, each harbouring their own protein quality control factors. While chaperones of the mitochondrial matrix are well characterized, it is poorly understood which chaperones protect the mitochondrial intermembrane space. Here we show that cytosolic small heat shock proteins are imported under basal conditions into the mitochondrial intermembrane space, where they operate as molecular chaperones. Protein misfolding in the mitochondrial intermembrane space leads to increased recruitment of small heat shock proteins. Depletion of small heat shock proteins leads to mitochondrial swelling and reduced respiration, while aggregation of aggregation-prone substrates is countered in their presence. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease-causing mutations disturb the mitochondrial function of HSPB1, potentially linking previously observed mitochondrial dysfunction in Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2F to its role in the mitochondrial intermembrane space. Our results reveal that small heat shock proteins form a chaperone system that operates in the mitochondrial intermembrane space.".
• 01GQJS6FS62GRASRW2QSCVR5MY abstract "The microstructure of a damaged bearing from the field was characterized in this work with the intention to better understand microstructural features behind formation of White Etching Cracks (WEC) in bearings. Microstructural characterization of the altered white etching area (WEA) involved conventional electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), followed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD). In addition, automated crystallographic orientation mapping in TEM was performed on lamellae from selected regions of the WEA extracted via focus ion beam milling. The results revealed that the orientation of detectable grains within WEA is similar to that of the vicinal bulk material. WEA consists of small spherical grains (average 30 nm) and the orientation of the grains varied significantly in the deformed zone, suggesting that recrystallization had occurred. The interface between bulk material and the deformed zone is very sharp. Furthermore, needle-like grains, most likely originating from the zone undergoing only modest levels of severe plastic deformation, occurred in WEA. The occurrence of different grain sizes in WEA and incomplete plastic deformation strongly support the hypothesis of WEC formation via severe plastic deformation followed by recrystallization.".
• 01GQKPN3Q3ZJTC0CHKPR4PXEN2 abstract "Om traditionele modellen voor machinaal leren toe te passen op complexe datastructuren zoals netwerken zijn transformaties nodig. Methoden voor het leren van netwerkrepresentaties bieden dergelijke transformaties en vormen daarmee een hoeksteen van onderzoek op netwerken. Ondanks de populariteit van het veld is er echter slechts beperkte vooruitgang. In deze dissertatie verkennen we eerst de belangrijkste factoren die tot deze situatie leiden, waaronder uitdagingen rond evaluatie, de reproduceerbaarheidscrisis en een gebrek aan benchmarks. Om het effect van sommige van deze factoren te verlichten introduceren wij EvalNE, een uitgebreid evaluatiepakket voor het netwerkrepresentaties. EvalNE garandeert correctheid, consistentie en reproduceerbaarheid van resultaten. Voortbouwend op dit pakket belichten we de huidige stand van het onderzoek, door systematische evaluaties van de prestaties en de robuustheid van verschillende methoden voor het leren van netwerkrepresentaties. Ten slotte laten we zien hoe een onderbelicht representatieparadigma het potentieel heeft om de grenzen te verleggen in een subgebied van netwerkonderzoek, namelijk tekennetwerken. Wij verwachten dat de theoretische en praktische resultaten van dit werk als uitgangspunt zullen dienen voor betere praktijken inzake evaluatie en reproduceerbaarheid, en zo de vooruitgang in het vakgebied stimuleren.".
• 01GQM0NXN90ZH1BWNRGFK2AVRX abstract "Purpose: The available questionnaires for quality-of-life (QoL) assessments are age-group specific, limiting comparability and impeding longitudinal analyses. The comparability of measurements, however, is a necessary condition for gaining scientific evidence. To overcome this problem, we assessed the viability of harmonising data from paediatric and adult patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures. Method: To this end, we linked physical functioning scores from the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) and the Paediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire (PEDQOL) to the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) for adults. Samples from the EURAMOS-1 QoL sub-study of 75 (PedsQL) and 112 (PEDQOL) adolescent osteosarcoma patients were concurrently administered both paediatric and adult questionnaires on 98 (PedsQL) and 156 (PEDQOL) occasions. We identified corresponding scores using the single-group equipercentile linking method. Results: Linked physical functioning scores showed sufficient concordance to the EORTC QLQ-C30: Lin's r Z 0.74 (PedsQL) and Lin's r Z 0.64 (PEDQOL). Conclusion: Score linking provides clinicians and researchers with a common metric for assessing QoL with PRO measures across the entire lifespan of patients. (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.".
• 01GQM1X92G38EC9PSVZMFSPC3Q abstract "During stem elongation, wheat (Triticum aestivum) increases its stem carbohydrate content before anthesis as a reserve for grain filling. Hydraulic functioning during this mobilization process is not well understood, and contradictory results exist on the direct effect of drought on carbohydrate mobilization. In a dedicated experiment, wheat plants were subjected to drought stress during carbohydrate mobilization. Measurements, important to better understand stem physiology, showed some unexpected patterns that could not be explained by our current knowledge on water transport. Traditional water flow and storage models failed to properly describe the drought response in wheat stems during carbohydrate mobilization. To explain the measured patterns, hypotheses were formulated and integrated in a dedicated model for wheat. The new mechanistic model simulates two hypothetical water storage compartments: one where water is quickly exchanged with the xylem and one that contains the carbohydrate storage. Water exchange between these compartments is turgor-driven. The model was able to simulate the measured increase in stored carbohydrate concentrations with a decrease in water content and stem diameter. Calibration of the model showed the importance of turgor-driven apoplastic water flow during carbohydrate mobilization. This resulted in an increase in stem hydraulic capacitance, which became more important under drought stress.".
• 01GQM2X51XBWQ20KH2AY5GDCBN abstract "The Horn of Africa drylands (HAD) are highly vulnerable to hydroclimatic extremes, with droughts and floods frequently leading to famines, crop losses, and significant humanitarian crises. However, development of robust mitigation measures has been hindered by the lack of understanding of the drivers of the two main rainfall seasons in the region: the long (March–May) and short (October–December) rains. In particular, the inter-annual variability of the long rains has been subject of much debate; a significant amount of research has attempted to diagnose the drivers of the observed decline in the long rains. Given the ecological and socio-economic importance of the two rain seasons for the HAD region, understanding the major moisture sources and their variability in both space and time is essential. Such an analysis can help disentangle the causes of temporal variability in rainfall, especially the long rains, improve forecasts, and build ecosystem and community resilience against hydroclimatic extremes. To trace the origin of rainfall over the HAD region, we use global simulations of the FLEXPART version 9.01, forced with the ERA-Interim reanalysis for a period of 37 years (1980–2016). The FLEXPART outputs include the properties of the air parcels at 3-hourly time steps, which are then post-processed to identify the source regions of rainfall using the Heat and Moisture Tracking Framework (HAMSTER v1.2.0) described by Keune et al. (2021). Using this framework, we first trace the rainfall occurring over the HAD region during the long and short rain seasons to their terrestrial and oceanic sources spatially. Then, we track the changes in the contributions of ocean and land evaporation to HAD rainfall in time over the 37-year period.".
• 01GQM3AK3MMJ831KWEKFC3QJVF abstract "Global warming increases the number and severity of deadly heatwaves. Recent heatwaves often coincided with soil droughts that acted to intensify air temperature but lower air humidity. Since lowering air humidity may reduce human heat stress, the net impact of soil desiccation on the morbidity and mortality of heatwaves remains unclear. Combining weather balloon and satellite observations, atmospheric modelling, and meta-analyses of heatwave mortality, we find that soil droughts—despite their warming effect—lead to a mild reduction in heatwave lethality. More specifically, morning dry soils attenuate the afternoon heat stress anomaly by ~5%. This occurs due to reduced surface evaporation and increased entrainment of dry air from aloft. The benefit appears more pronounced during specific events, such as the Chicago 1995 and Northern U.S. 2006 and 2012 heatwaves. Likewise, our findings suggest that irrigated agriculture may intensify lethal heat stress, and question recently proposed heatwave mitigation measures involving surface moistening to increase evaporative cooling.".
• 01GQM4D6NH1R51QF7YQW9ZAP9S abstract "The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the geopolitical drivers and potential consequences of the development of clean hydrogen value chains.".
• 01GQM4W28VTV2SAE0GM4MBANJ4 abstract "Python code: Heat And Moisture Tracking framEwoRk (HAMSTER) v.1.2.0 to estimate the origins of atmospheric moisture and heat using Lagrangian models".
• 01GQM5C7M6F57RJ4MZ8GKZXV5K abstract "The predicted increase in drought occurrence and intensity will pose serious threats to global future water and food security. This was hinted by several historically unprecedented droughts over the last two decades, taking place in Europe, Australia, Amazonia or the USA. It has been hypothesised that the strength of these events responded to self-reinforcement processes related to land–atmospheric feedbacks: as rainfall deficits dry out soil and vegetation, the evaporation of land water is reduced, then the local air becomes too dry to yield rainfall, which further enhances drought conditions. Despite the 'local' nature of these feedbacks, their consequences can be remote, as downwind regions may rely on evaporated water transported by winds from drought-affected locations. Following this rationale, droughts may not only self-reinforce locally, due to land atmospheric feedbacks, but self-propagate in the downwind direction, always conditioned on atmospheric circulation. This propagation is not only meteorological but relies on soil moisture drought, and may lead to a downwind cascading of impacts on water resources. However, a global capacity to observe these processes is lacking, and thus our knowledge of how droughts start and evolve, and how this may change as climate changes, remains limited. Furthermore, climate and forecast models are still immature when it comes to representing the influences of land on rainfall. Here, the largest global drought events are studied to unravel the role of land–atmosphere feedbacks during the spatiotemporal propagation of these events. We based our study on satellite and reanalysis records of soil moisture, evaporation, air humidity, winds and precipitation, in combination with a Lagrangian framework that can map water vapor trajectories and explore multi-dimensional feedbacks. We estimate the reduction in precipitation in the direction of drought propagation that is caused by the upwind soil moisture drought, and isolate this effect from the influence of potential evaporation and circulation changes. By doing so, the downwind lack of precipitation caused by upwind soil drought via water vapor deficits, and hence the impact of drought self-propagation, is determined. We show that droughts occurring in dryland regions are particularly prone to self-propagate, as evaporation there tends to respond strongly to enhanced soil stress and precipitation is frequently convective. This kind of knowledge may be used to improve climate and forecast models and can be exploited to develop geo-engineering mitigation strategies to help prevent drought events from aggravating during their early stages.".
• 01GQM5GRF8F6NSFTA0GEP1JZEJ abstract "Alloy 718 is commonly used in the maritime and aerospace industries due to its strength and durability, particularly in engine rotating components such as disks, fan blades, and high-pressure compressors. As a new type of 3D printing technology, directed energy deposition (DED) can employ lasers to melt metal powders or wires to fabricate arbitrary-shaped workpieces directly from customized data, thereby making machining more synergistic and intuitive. However, the surface properties of the DED-printed alloy 718 samples, such as surface roughness and wear resistance, are typically subpar. By introducing severe plastic deformation to the near-surface, ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) can be used as a post-processing method and results in altered properties. The uniaxial tensile test reveals that the UNSM-treated alloy 718 exhibits a higher mechanical property. Moreover, using a fretting test rig in accordance with the cylinder-on-plane agreement, a higher wear resistance for UNSM-treated alloy 718 is observed. This study employs the finite element method to fully comprehend the effect of UNSM on wear performance. The fretting wear process of Inconel 718 alloy is established using an energy-based finite element model. Considering the severe practical scenarios, the Johnson-Cook constitutive model is implemented, with the linear isotropic hardening model capturing the plastic behavior. In comparison to experimental measurements, the finite element results demonstrate unprecedented wear loss consistency with an error of less than 2%. Therefore, we conclude that the finite element model built in this study exhibits a high accuracy and can be used to analyze the effect of UNSM on fretting wear behavior. According to finite element analysis, as the normal load increases, the improvement in wear resistance induced by UNSM decreases. Given that the finite element model is based on the energy method, the effects of coefficient of friction (COF) and wear coefficient modified by UNSM are investigated separately. According to the findings, the UNSM-modified COF and wear coefficient play a significant role in determining the wear characteristics. Due to the removal of a substantial amount of material from the central area of the alloy 718 surface by wear, it is also possible to observe that severe plastic strains are primarily concentrated at the edges of the wear scars.".
• 01GQM5KSQT25K1396F0REEXV4E abstract "Redistribution of evapotranspiration from land via atmospheric circulation is an important Earth system process. Globally, evapotranspiration contributes significantly to terrestrial rainfall, on both regional and more remote scales. In wet, tropical regions (e.g. the Congo basin), transpiration and interception loss from the dense forest cover are the primary drivers of moisture recycling, which plays a crucial role in preserving regional ecosystem functioning. However, for semi-arid and arid regions, our knowledge on the extent and significance of evapotranspiration for moisture recycling is still very limited, despite the significance this may have for addressing challenges of desertification in times of rapid environmental change. Considering this, we are taking the Sahel region as a case study and investigate its contribution to precipitation in the African continent. In addition, we specifically study what fraction of the precipitation originates from vegetation in the Sahel through transpiration and interception loss. Our study is based on simulated atmospheric moisture trajectories derived from the Lagrangian model FLEXPART with a 1-degree resolution, driven by ECMWF reanalysis data over 1980–2016. Preliminary results show (1) the temporal variability in the contribution of the region to precipitation in African drylands, and (2) a significant contribution of local precipitation recycling. We conclude that consideration of the naturally and anthropogenically-driven greening of the Sahel, as well as land use and land cover changes in the region, may have both local and far-reaching impacts via the transport of moisture through the atmosphere.".
• 01GQM5XYYGFST419PJ2213D1BR abstract "Process tracing is a single case-study method that allows students to use within-case evidence to explain a specific outcome that they are interested in and/or to test a theory for some general phenomenon or relationship in the social world. The method offers the tools to either test the explanatory value of a given causal theory or to develop a causal theory. The unique advantage of process tracing is that it enables the transparent and convincing development of a causal explanation, translate this explanation into expected empirical observations, and critically assess the explanatory value of empirical observations. These features of process tracing significantly increase the confidence that students can have in their case study work. Process tracing is a method that is increasingly used in qualitative social science research, especially in the fields of comparative politics, international relations and political economy. After having read this chapter, students should be able to: understand and discuss the objectives and key features of process tracing; outline a basic process-tracing research design; develop a causal mechanism for some outcome of interest; operationalize a causal mechanism into expected observations and tests; and critically assess empirical observations.".
• 01GQM5ZX09X9MAEYNA5WZ7HMVY abstract "Introduction: Bicuspid aortic valve is difficult to detect on standard transverse images.Purpose: We aimed to investigate the usefulness of the hammock sign for detection of bicuspid aortic valve.Methods: We retrospectively investigated the usefulness of a newly proposed 'hammock sign' in a population of 45 contrast enhanced computer tomographic studies to discern tricuspid (22) from anatomical bicuspid aortic (23) valves. The gold standard of aortic morphology was the definite diagnosis in the patient's medical file, established by computed tomography, magnetic resonance, or surgery.Results: Computer tomographic (CT) studies of each aortic morphology were randomly evaluated for the presence of the hammock sign on coronal and sagittal images, by two readers blinded to the diagnosis. Sensitivity for detecting an anatomic bicuspid valve was 86%, and specificity was 100%.Conclusion: The hammock sign allows for a quick and easy diagnosis of an anatomical bicuspid aortic valve, merely by scrolling through the standard coronal reconstructions of any type of contrast-enhanced thoracic CT study, and regardless of any other findings associated with bicuspid aortic valve. Functional bicuspid aortic valves were not the scope of this study".
• 01GQM6BGCCNS9RRKSBFAMFRCJM abstract "In two experiments, we investigated a cross-task transfer of implicit knowledge between two dissimilar tasks requiring manual motor activity. In the first experiment, participants were aware of the relevance of their experience in one task for the solution of the other. In this condition, we observed transfer. In the second experiment, the participants did not know about the relationships between the two tasks, and the transfer did not occur. Concurrent verbalisation was harmful in the first experiment but helped participants in the second experiment. We conclude that one has to be metacognitively aware that one has a relevant representation to allow for its transfer between two dissimilar tasks. We discuss the obtained results within recent theories of analogous transfer from different research domains, such as problem-solving, implicit learning, and motor control.".
• 01GQM6DYNFPDJFWJ13383VN5XH abstract "Meloidogyne graminicola is a widely spread nematode pest of rice that reduces crop yield up to 20% on average in Asia, with devastating consequences for local and global rice production. Due to the ban on many chemical nematicides and the recent changes in water management practices in rice agriculture, an even greater impact of M. graminicola can be expected in the future, stressing the demand for the development of new sustainable nematode management solutions. Recently, a source of resistance to M. graminicola was identified in the Oryza sativa japonica rice variety Zhonghua 11 (Zh11). In the present study, we examine the genetics of the Zh11 resistance to M. graminicola and provide new insights into its cellular and molecular mechanisms. The segregation of the resistance in F-2 hybrid populations indicated that two dominant genes may be contributing to the resistance. The incompatible interaction of M. graminicola in Zh11 was distinguished by a lack of swelling of the root tips normally observed in compatible interactions. At the cellular level, the incompatible interaction was characterised by a rapid accumulation of reactive oxygen species in the vicinity of the nematodes, accompanied by extensive necrosis of neighbouring cells. The expression profiles of several genes involved in plant immunity were analysed at the early stages of infection during compatible (susceptible plant) and incompatible (resistant plant) interactions. Notably, the expression of OsAtg4 and OsAtg7, significantly increased in roots of resistant plants in parallel with the cell death response, suggesting that autophagy is activated and may contribute to the resistance-mediated hypersensitive response. Similarly, transcriptional regulation of genes involved in hormonal pathways in Zh11 indicated that salicylate signalling may be important in the resistance response towards M. graminicola. Finally, the nature of the resistance to M. graminicola and the potential exploitation of the Zh11 resistance for breeding are discussed.".
• 01GQM6VVVC56QEHPH7WRCM0QXD abstract "Plant-parasitic nematodes need to deliver effectors that suppress host immunity for successful parasitism. We have characterized a novel isochorismatase effector from the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita, named Mi-ISC-1. The Mi-isc-1 gene is expressed in the subventral oesophageal glands and is up-regulated in parasitic-stage juveniles. Tobacco rattle virus-induced gene silencing targeting Mi-isc-1 attenuated M. incognita parasitism. Enzyme activity assays confirmed that Mi-ISC-1 can catalyse hydrolysis of isochorismate into 2,3-dihydro-2,3-dihydroxybenzoate in vitro. Although Mi-ISC-1 lacks a classical signal peptide for secretion at its N-terminus, a yeast invertase secretion assay showed that this protein can be secreted from eukaryotic cells. However, the subcellular localization and plasmolysis assay revealed that the unconventional secretory signal present on the Mi-ISC-1 is not recognized by the plant secretory pathway and that the effector was localized within the cytoplasm of plant cells, but not apoplast, when transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves by agroinfiltration. Ectopic expression of Mi-ISC-1 in N. benthamiana reduced expression of the PR1 gene and levels of salicylic acid (SA), and promoted infection by Phytophthora capsici. The cytoplasmic localization of Mi-ISC-1 is required for its function. Moreover, Mi-ISC-1 suppresses the production of SA following the reconstitution of the de novo SA biosynthesis via the isochorismate pathway in the cytoplasm of N. benthamiana leaves. These results demonstrate that M. incognita deploys a functional isochorismatase that suppresses SA-mediated plant defences by disrupting the isochorismate synthase pathway for SA biosynthesis to promote parasitism.".
• 01GQM75SP3CJW10S0QBKVGTP4B abstract "The potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida acquires all of its nutrients from an elaborate feeding site that it establishes in a host plant root. Normal development of the root cells is re-programmed in a process coordinated by secreted nematode effector proteins. The biological function of the G. pallida GpIA7 effector was investigated in this study. GpIA7 is specifically expressed in the subventral pharyngeal glands of pre-parasitic stage nematodes. Ectopic expression of GpIA7 in potato plants affected plant growth and development, suggesting a potential role for this effector in feeding site establishment. Potato plants overexpressing GpIA7 were shorter, with reduced tuber weight and delayed flowering. We provide evidence that GpIA7 associates with the plant growth regulator StEBP1 (ErbB-3 epidermal growth factor receptor-binding protein 1). GpIA7 modulates the regulatory function of StEBP1, altering the expression level of downstream target genes, including ribonucleotide reductase 2, cyclin D3;1, and retinoblastoma related 1, which are down-regulated in plants overexpressing GpIA7. We provide an insight into the molecular mechanism used by the nematode to manipulate the host cell cycle and demonstrate that this may rely, at least in part, on hindering the function of host EBP1.".
• 01GQM78Q11NZBC1VX9QR6YP6HE abstract "Objectives: Congenital tracheomalacia can be the cause of respiratory failure in young children. Although the indication for surgical treatment has already been dis-cussed vigorously, no clear guidelines about the modality are available.Methods: Through a sternotomy approach, a combination of posterior pexy and anterior tracheopexy using a tailored ringed polytetrafluoroethylene prosthesis is performed. Patient demographic characteristics, as well as operative details and postoperative outcomes, are included in the analysis.Results: Between 2018 and 2022, 9 children underwent the operation under review. All patients showed severe clinical symptoms of tracheomalacia, which was confirmed on bronchoscopy. The median age was 9 months. There was no opera-tive mortality. Eight patients could be weaned from the ventilator. One patient died because of interstitial lung disease with bronchomalacia and concomitant severe cardiac disease. The longest follow-up now is 4 years, and shows overall excellent clinical results, without any reintervention. Conclusions: Surgical treatment of tracheomalacia through a combination of pos-terior and anterior pexy is feasible, with acceptable short-and midterm results. (JTCVS Techniques 2023;17:159-63)".
• 01GQM7A9Y6C1NGWX15T5TK9TY4 abstract "Potato cyst nematodes (PCN) are economically important pests with a worldwide distribution in all temperate regions where potatoes are grown. Because above ground symptoms are non-specific, and detection of cysts in the soil is determined by the intensity of sampling, infestations are frequently spread before they are recognised. PCN cysts are resilient and persistent; their cargo of eggs can remain viable for over two decades, and thus once introduced PCN are very difficult to eradicate. Various control methods have been proposed, with resistant varieties being a key environmentally friendly and effective component of an integrated management programme. Wild and landrace relatives of cultivated potato have provided a source of PCN resistance genes that have been used in breeding programmes with varying levels of success. Producing a PCN resistant variety requires concerted effort over many years before it reaches what can be the biggest hurdle-commercial acceptance. Recent advances in potato genomics have provided tools to rapidly map resistance genes and to develop molecular markers to aid selection during breeding. This review will focus on the translation of these opportunities into durably PCN resistant varieties.".
• 01GQM7DRKBGM977F30GD282H72 abstract "Taxonomy Phylum Nematoda; class Chromadorea; order Rhabditida; suborder Tylenchina; infraorder Tylenchomorpha; superfamily Tylenchoidea; family Heteroderidae; subfamily Heteroderinae; Genus Globodera. Biology Potato cyst nematodes (PCN) are biotrophic, sedentary endoparasitic nematodes. Invasive (second) stage juveniles (J2) hatch from eggs in response to the presence of host root exudates and subsequently locate and invade the host. The nematodes induce the formation of a large, multinucleate syncytium in host roots, formed by fusion of up to 300 root cell protoplasts. The nematodes rely on this single syncytium for the nutrients required to develop through a further three moults to the adult male or female stage. This extended period of biotrophy-between 4 and 6 weeks in total-is almost unparalleled in plant-pathogen interactions. Females remain at the root while adult males revert to the vermiform body plan of the J2 and leave the root to locate and fertilize the female nematodes. The female body forms a cyst that contains the next generation of eggs. Host range The host range of PCN is limited to plants of the Solanaceae family. While the most economically important hosts are potato (Solanum tuberosum), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and aubergine (Solanum melongena), over 170 species of Solanaceae are thought to be potential hosts for PCN (Sullivan et al., 2007). Disease symptoms Symptoms are similar to those associated with nutrient deficiency, such as stunted growth, yellowing of leaves and reduced yields. This absence of specific symptoms reduces awareness of the disease among growers. Disease control Resistance genes (where available in suitable cultivars), application of nematicides, crop rotation. Great effort is put into reducing the spread of PCN through quarantine measures and use of certified seed stocks. Useful websites Genomic information for PCN is accessible through WormBase ParaSite.".
• 01GQM7P3FE0X21TGP0FED5DARC abstract "Although the use of natural resistance is the most effective management approach against the potato cyst nematode (PCN) Globodera pallida, the existence of pathotypes with different virulence characteristics constitutes a constraint towards this goal. Two resistance sources, GpaV (from Solanum vernei) and H3 from S. tuberosum ssp. andigena CPC2802 (from the Commonwealth Potato Collection) are widely used in potato breeding programmes in European potato industry. However, the use of resistant cultivars may drive strong selection towards virulence, which allows the increase in frequency of virulent alleles in the population and therefore, the emergence of highly virulent nematode lineages. This study aimed to identify Avirulence (Avr) genes in G. pallida populations selected for virulence on the above resistance sources, and the genomic impact of selection processes on the nematode. The selection drive in the populations was found to be specific to their genetic background. At the genomic level, 11 genes were found that represent candidate Avr genes. Most of the variant calls determining selection were associated with H3-selected populations, while many of them seem to be organised in genomic islands facilitating selection evolution. These phenotypic and genomic findings combined with histological studies performed revealed potential mechanisms underlying selection in G. pallida.".
• 01GQM847KE1MB8WVTSS3V9863D abstract "Potato cyst nematodes (PCN) are estimated to cause over 50 pound million worth of crop losses in the UK each year. It has been shown that the infective juveniles are able to alter their surface composition to avoid damage from host defence mechanisms. However, relatively few proteins present on the cuticle surface of PCN juveniles have been identified. We have developed a method based upon biotinylation that allows selective labelling of proteins present on the cuticle surface of PCN. Isolated proteins can consequently be affinity purified and identified using mass spectrometry proteomics. Using this technique. we identify a variety of proteins present on the surface of PCN, including all previously described PCN surface proteins. Identification of known surface coat proteins using these methods demonstrates the viability of the process for isolation of novel surface coat proteins. Subsequent analysis confirmed that the genes encoding seven of the novel proteins were expressed in the hypodermis. This work provides a technique for study of surface proteins in a wide range of nematodes and expands our knowledge of the surface protcome of PCN.".
• 01GQM8GKXB7S7GMBCJR7VAJQRT abstract "Interactions between plant-parasitic nematodes and their hosts are mediated by effectors, i.e. secreted proteins that manipulate the plant to the benefit of the pathogen. To understand the role of effectors in host adaptation in nematodes, we analysed the transcriptome ofHeterodera sacchari, a cyst nematode parasite of rice (Oryza sativa) and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum). A multi-gene phylogenetic analysis showed thatH. sacchariand the cereal cyst nematodeHeterodera avenaeshare a common evolutionary origin and that they evolved to parasitise monocot plants from a common dicot-parasitic ancestor. We compared the effector repertoires ofH. sacchariwith those of the dicot parasitesHeterodera glycinesandGlobodera rostochiensisto understand the consequences of this transition. While, in general, effector repertoires are similar between the species, comparing effectors and non-effectors ofH. sacchariandG. rostochiensisshows that effectors have accumulated more mutations than non-effectors. Although most effectors show conserved spatiotemporal expression profiles and likely function, someH. saccharieffectors are adapted to monocots. This is exemplified by the plant-peptide hormone mimics, the CLAVATA3/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION-like (CLE) effectors. Peptide hormones encoded byH. sacchariCLE effectors are more similar to those from rice than those from other plants, or those from other plant-parasitic nematodes. We experimentally validated the functional significance of these observations by demonstrating that CLE peptides encoded byH. sacchariinduce a short root phenotype in rice, whereas those from a related dicot parasite do not. These data provide a functional example of effector evolution that co-occurred with the transition from a dicot-parasitic to a monocot-parasitic lifestyle.".
• 01GQM957Q4KWQTZN9TED3TBV63 abstract "Simple Summary Tumors of the skin are one of the most commonly observed neoplasms in captive lizards. The current study characterizes keratoacanthoma, a previously undescribed skin tumor, in five male lizards (one bearded dragon, one veiled chameleon, and three panther chameleons) with an average to high age. In all lizards, keratoacanthomas presented as cystic nodules with a central keratin pearl that was predominantly located at the body wall. In all chameleons, a multicentric distribution was observed. Following surgical removal of the keratoacanthomas in all lizards, a follow-up period of one to two years was established. While the skin neoplasia reappeared in the bearded dragon and the veiled chameleon, no recurrence was seen in the panther chameleons. Keratoacanthoma constitutes a rather benign histologic variant of squamous cell carcinoma, representing a non-invasive but rapidly growing skin neoplasia that may be associated with the inappropriate use of ultraviolet lighting in the captive environment. In addition, panther chameleons may show a species predisposition as well as a tendency to develop multicentric keratoacanthomas. The present study delivers pertinent results for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of keratoacanthomas in lizards. The present study describes the clinical behavior as well as the histopathologic and immunohistochemical characteristics of keratoacanthomas (Kas) in three different saurian species. While Kas presented as two dermal lesions in a bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps), multicentric Kas were observed in three panther chameleons (Furcifer pardalis) and a veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus). Macroscopically, Kas presented as dome-shaped skin tumors with a centralized keratinous pearl and a diameter ranging from 0.1-1.5 cm. In all lizards, Kas were predominantly located at the dorsolateral body wall, and KA of the eyelid was additionally observed in three out of four chameleons. Histologically, KAs presented as relatively well-defined, circumscribed epidermal proliferations that consisted of a crateriform lesion containing a central keratinous pearl with minimally infiltrating borders. In all KAs, a consistent immunohistochemical pattern was observed, with the expression of cyclooxygenase-2, E-cadherin, and pan-cytokeratin. A follow-up period of one to two years was established in all lizards. While no recurrence was observed in the panther chameleons, recurrence of a single keratoacanthoma was observed in the bearded dragon after one year, and in the veiled chameleon, multicentric keratoacanthomas reappeared during a follow-up period of two years. We describe KA as a previously unrecognized neoplastic entity in lizards that constitutes a low-grade, non-invasive but rapidly growing skin tumor that may show a multicentric appearance, especially in chameleons. As previously postulated for dermal squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), artificial ultraviolet lighting may play an important role in the oncogenesis of KAs in lizards. Although dermal SCCs in lizards show similar predilection sites and gross pathologic features, our results suggest that KA should be considered as a histologic variant of SCC that represents a rather benign squamous proliferation in comparison to conventional SCCs. Early diagnosis of KA and reliable discrimination from SCCs are essential for the prognosis of this neoplastic entity in lizards.".
• 01GQMC8CDJ107BAH5K5S93QSFK abstract "Background After 1 year of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) may have a normal GLOBE score despite high alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels. Aim To assess the association between ALP and liver transplantation (LT)-free survival according to the GLOBE score. Methods Among patients with a normal or elevated GLOBE score in the Global PBC cohort, the association between ALP after 1 year of UDCA therapy and the risk of LT/death was assessed. The LT-free survival was compared with that of a matched general population. Results After 1 year of UDCA, ALP was associated with the risk of LT/death (aHR 1.31, 95% CI 1.003-1.72, p = 0.048) among 2729 patients with a normal GLOBE score. The 10-year LT-free survival among these patients with an ALP >2.0 x ULN was 94.0% (95% CI 90.1-97.9) for those <50 years and 82.6% (95% CI 76.5-88.7) for those >= 50 years, which was significantly lower (p = 0.040) and similar (p = 0.736) to that of the matched population, respectively. The 10-year LT-free survival in patients >= 50 years with normal GLOBE score and normal ALP (90.8%, 95% CI 87.7-93.9) was significantly higher (p = 0.022) than the matched population. Among 1045 patients with an elevated GLOBE score, ALP was associated with LT/death only in those <50 years (aHR 1.38, 95% CI 1.06-1.81, p = 0.016). Conclusion The LT-free survival of patients with PBC with a normal GLOBE score is optimal in case of normal ALP levels, also in relation to the general population. Despite their generally favourable prognosis, an elevated ALP level may still indicate a need for add-on therapy.".
• 01GQMC8CF5ZP94BSW6WPS356TH abstract "Background & Aims Evidence for the benefit of scheduled imaging for early detection of hepatobiliary malignancies in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is limited. We aimed to compare different follow-up strategies in PSC with the hypothesis that regular imaging improves survival. Methods We collected retrospective data from 2975 PSC patients from 27 centres. Patients were followed from the start of scheduled imaging or in case of clinical follow-up from 1 January 2000, until death or last clinical follow-up alive. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Results A broad variety of different follow-up strategies were reported. All except one centre used regular imaging, ultrasound (US) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Two centres used scheduled endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in addition to imaging for surveillance purposes. The overall HR (CI95%) for death, adjusted for sex, age and start year of follow-up, was 0.61 (0.47-0.80) for scheduled imaging with and without ERCP; 0.64 (0.48-0.86) for US/MRI and 0.53 (0.37-0.75) for follow-up strategies including scheduled ERCP. The lower risk of death remained for scheduled imaging with and without ERCP after adjustment for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) or high-grade dysplasia as a time-dependent covariate, HR 0.57 (0.44-0.75). Hepatobiliary malignancy was diagnosed in 175 (5.9%) of the patients at 7.9 years of follow-up. Asymptomatic patients (25%) with CCA had better survival if scheduled imaging had been performed. Conclusions Follow-up strategies vary considerably across centres. Scheduled imaging was associated with improved survival. Multiple factors may contribute to this result including early tumour detection and increased endoscopic treatment of asymptomatic benign biliary strictures.".
• 01GQMDZB6CRZ80C7QJWDYSZHER abstract "Through the analysis of the Citravali (1613 CE) by Usman, this article explores the interrelation between aesthetics, gender and religion within the Indian Sufi romances (premakhyans) in Avadhi language. These narratives reinterpret the Sufi semantics of love, narrating the quest of the hero in yogic disguise in search of the heroine, portrayed as a divine woman. Usman creatively reimagines the heroine of his romance as an artist, drawing on this motif to trace the allegory of creation as divine art. Therefore, this article identifies conventional aesthetic patterns in Usman's narrative reproducing relevant gender dynamics, such as the eroticized and yet idealized image of the heroine in relation to the hero's spiritual growth, contrasting with the escalation of the villain's sexual desire. The traditional Hindu setting of the story broadly reflects the socio-cultural norms of the North Indian world in early modern times, and implies gender hierarchies established by the local society. The intersection of these points in the Citravali suggests further reflections on the articulation of gender in a rich branch of Sufi literature composed in a regional language of India, which may open new perspectives in the interpretation of the relationship between mysticism and eroticism.".
• 01GQMHQJY8RT2NBNMDDZNX0CZ6 abstract "The design of a broadband adiabatic coupler for interfacing PICs to ORDLs is presented, enabling optical interconnections between PICs, or providing an interface towards an optical fiber connector. As first proof-of-concept, the coupling between a SiN waveguide and a polymer waveguide ORDL is investigated. A generic taper-layout model, implemented in Lumerical Mode, maximizes the SiN-to-ORDL coupling efficiency for various integration techniques. We obtain polarization-tolerant coupling losses smaller than 1 dB across the O-band, while maintaining the SiN taper length below the 1-mm footprint limit. The 1-dB SiN-to-ORDL lateral alignment tolerance is ±1.8 μm, within reach of our target integration/assembly tools.".
• 01GQMJAH941B0CVQ0X1VDKAMHW abstract "Background: There is increasing evidence that a complex interplay of factors within environments in which children grows up, contributes to children's suboptimal mental health and cognitive development. The concept of the life-course exposome helps to study the impact of the physical and social environment, including social inequities, on cognitive development and mental health over time. Methods: Equal-Life develops and tests combined exposures and their effects on children's mental health and cognitive development. Data from eight birth-cohorts and three school studies (N = 240.000) linked to exposure data, will provide insights and policy guidance into aspects of physical and social exposures hitherto untapped, at different scale levels and timeframes, while accounting for social inequities. Reasoning from the outcome point of view, relevant stakeholders participate in the formulation and validation of research questions, and in the formulation of environmental hazards. Exposure assessment combines GIS-based environmental indicators with omics approaches and new data sources, forming the early-life exposome. Statistical tools integrate data at different spatial and temporal granularity and combine exploratory machine learning models with hypothesis-driven causal modeling. Conclusions: Equal-Life contributes to the development and utilization of the exposome concept by (1) integrating the internal, physical and social exposomes, (2) studying a distinct set of life-course effects on a child's development and mental health (3) characterizing the child's environment at different developmental stages and in different activity spaces, (4) looking at supportive environments for child development, rather than merely pollutants, and (5) combining physical, social indicators with novel effect markers and using new data sources describing child activity patterns and environments.".
• 01GQMJGZF431PF8XZG8KDE31W4 abstract "In contrast to the increasingly repressive migration policies at national and supranational scales, new pro-migrant policies, networks, and practices of support have been initiated at the local scale. In numerous European municipalities, political visions and concrete experiences of inclusive approaches in the field of migration have emerged in recent years that combine questions of the right to global freedom of movement and social rights. While numerous studies have examined these "politics of scale" and scale-making at the local level in different places, this forum aims to further these debates by reflecting the entanglement of social movements and civil society organisations with the local municipalities across Europe and by bringing the analyses and experiences of diverse initiatives into discussion. We therefore examine practices, relations and institutions of local migration politics that re-negotiate and bypass national and supranational borders at local scales, but also create new borders and boundaries in these processes. With this multidisciplinary forum, we aim at advancing empirical analysis as well as theoretical debates in the wider field of migration and geopolitics. Each contribution deals with a concrete empirical case of local politics and the challenges that emerge in these contexts - focusing on European "host societies" in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, and Germany - as well as with analytical concepts that are key to understanding these cases and to linking them to broader societal structures and dynamics.".
• 01GQMJWJPKRC70PJ7W7X2Y16SF abstract "Background: Three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping and radiofrequency catheter ablation have been performed in horses with atrial tachycardia and demonstrated that the caudal right atrium, especially the region 1-8cm caudal to the fossa ovalis (FO), is a ‘hot spot’ for atrial ectopic foci or re-entry, often associated with areas of slow conduction and conduction block. Objectives: To investigate the anatomical and histological characteristics of the myocardial sleeves (MS), atrial myocardial extensions, between FO and caudal vena cava (CaVC) in order to identify a potential substrate for atrial arrhythmias. Study design: Cross-sectional. Methods: In post-mortem specimen from 17 Warmblood horses without cardiovascular disease, the distribution of myocardium in the area between FO and CaVC was examined macroscopically and the area, length, width and shape of the myocardium were recorded. At least 6 tissue samples from the area between FO and CaVC were taken for histological examination and stained with Masson’s trichrome. Results: Myocardial sleeves into the CaVC were observed in all horses caudal to the FO and covered a median area of 23.7[range 12.2-36.5]cm2. The distal end of the MS was located 5.3[3.5-7.5]cm caudal to the FO and the dorsoventral width was 4.2[3.4-7.0]cm. In 11 horses (65%) a ventral extension of 0.7[0-1.4]cm was present. Histologically, myocardial fibres were not well aligned (predominantly circular arrangement) and were surrounded by fibrous and adipose tissue, features known to result in slow conduction and pro-arrhythmia. Main Limitations: Horses with a history of atrial arrhythmia were not included. Conclusion: This study confirms that the anatomy of the equine MS between the FO and CaVC has characteristics known to favor re-entry making this area a possible substrate for atrial tachyarrhythmias. Marked individual variations were observed. Further tissue characterisation of this area is needed to improve treatment of right atrial arrhythmias by radiofrequency catheter ablation.".
• 01GQMMHTJKZT96BGQECJ906VWC abstract "Background Iron supplementation and erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) administration represent the hallmark therapies in preoperative anemia treatment, as reflected in a set of evidence-based treatment recommendations made during the 2018 International Consensus Conference on Patient Blood Management. However, little is known about the safety of these therapies. This systematic review investigated the occurrence of adverse events (AEs) during or after treatment with iron and/or ESAs. Methods Five databases (The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, Transfusion Evidence Library, Web of Science) and two trial registries (ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO ICTRP) were searched until 23 May 2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort, and case-control studies investigating any AE during or after iron and/or ESA administration in adult elective surgery patients with preoperative anemia were eligible for inclusion and judged using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tools. The GRADE approach was used to assess the overall certainty of evidence. Results Data from 26 RCTs and 16 cohort studies involving a total of 6062 patients were extracted, on 6 treatment comparisons: (1) intravenous (IV) versus oral iron, (2) IV iron versus usual care/no iron, (3) IV ferric carboxymaltose versus IV iron sucrose, (4) ESA+iron versus control (placebo and/or iron, no treatment), (5) ESA+IV iron versus ESA+oral iron, and (6) ESA+IV iron versus ESA+IV iron (different ESA dosing regimens). Most AE data concerned mortality/survival (n=24 studies), thromboembolic (n=22), infectious (n=20), cardiovascular (n=19) and gastrointestinal (n=14) AEs. Very low certainty evidence was assigned to all but one outcome category. This uncertainty results from both the low quantity and quality of AE data due to the high risk of bias caused by limitations in the study design, data collection, and reporting. Conclusions It remains unclear if ESA and/or iron therapy is associated with AEs in preoperatively anemic elective surgery patients. Future trial investigators should pay more attention to the systematic collection, measurement, documentation, and reporting of AE data.".
• 01GQMMHTJQW6B353GJYMMZQ4D2 abstract "Background and Objectives To protect transfusion recipients from transfusion-transmissible infections, blood donors are deferred from donating after recent tattooing or piercing. To explore to what extent and how this deferral impacts donor availability, we performed an international study to investigate how many donors were deferred for a recent tattoo or piercing and how many of these donors returned to donate. Materials and Methods We surveyed blood centre members of the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative and the European Blood Alliance Donor Studies Working Group on their numbers of donations, tattoo and piercing deferrals, and return rates in the year 2017. Results Eight blood centres participated. Overall, deferral rates were lower for repeat donors compared to new donors. Repeat donors were more likely to return than new donors. Women and young donors were more often deferred than male and older donors. Men were more demotivated by tattoo or piercing deferral, resulting in lower return rates compared to women. Return rates differed greatly between blood centres. Conclusion Tattoo and piercing deferrals lead to missed donations and result in lower return rates. However, the numbers vary largely internationally, probably due to cultural and policy differences. Shortening deferral periods after tattooing or piercing may reduce the impact on donor availability, which should be investigated in single-centre studies.".
• 01GQMMHTJWCW53TAMJK3G8PBH4 abstract "Background and Objectives Timely and adequate access to safe blood forms an integral part of universal health coverage, but it may be compromised by natural or man-made disasters. This systematic review provides an overview of the best available scientific evidence on the impact of disasters on blood donation rates and safety outcomes. Materials and Methods Five databases (The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and CINAHL) were searched until 27 March 2020 for (un)controlled studies investigating the impact of disasters on blood donation rates and/or safety. Risk of bias and overall certainty of the evidence were assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Results Eighteen observational studies were identified, providing very low certainty of evidence (due to high risk of bias, inconsistency and/or imprecision) on the impact of natural (12 studies) and man-made/technological (6 studies) disasters. The available evidence did not enable us to form any generalizable conclusions on the impact on blood donation rates. Meta-analyses could not detect any statistically significant changes in transfusion-transmissible infection (TTI) rates [hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1/2, human T-lymphotropic virus I and II (HTLV-I/II) and syphilis] in donated blood after a disaster, either in first-time or repeat donors, although the evidence is very uncertain. Conclusion The very low certainty of evidence synthetized in this systematic review indicates that it is very uncertain whether there is an association between disaster occurrence and changes in TTI rates in donated blood. The currently available evidence did not allow us to draw generalizable conclusions on the impact of disasters on blood donation rates.".
• 01GQMP09NTRK63G4SVHFYSPXSV abstract "Effect of multiple lead electrocardiogram recording and electrode position on measured durations of waves, complexes and intervals Short title: ECG measurements and leads Marie Demeyere, Gunther van Loon, Ellen Paulussen, Annelies Decloedt, Glenn Van Steenkiste Equine Cardioteam Ghent, Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University. Background: One of the cornerstones of electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation is the measurement of the duration of intervals, P and T waves, and QRS complexes. Electrode positioning for ECG recording in horses is not standardised and little is known about the effect of different electrode positions on those measurements. Objective: Comparing measurements from a commonly used modified base apex ECG to those of a multiple lead recording. Study design: Experimental study. Methods: In 52 standing unsedated horses, a 29-lead ECG was recorded for 5 minutes. The ECG electrode configuration allowed offline reconstruction of different ECG lead configurations. Data analysis was semi-automatic with a custom-made algorithm that performed QRS detection, calculated multiple median complexes over a 12 second sliding window and annotated Ponset, Pnotch, Poffset, QRSonset, QRSoffset and Toffset on the root mean square of the median complexes. ECG measurements included duration of Ponset-Pnotch,, Pnotch-Poffset, Ponset-Poffset, PQ, QRS and QT. All results were visually checked by an observer who rejected poor quality or incorrectly annotated recordings. Measurements were taken over all leads (the ‘true’ ECG durations) and from a two-lead modified base-apex ECG. The Chi-squared test was used to check for normality of the data and for all duration values the median was calculated. Normally and non-normally distributed data was analysed using a paired t-test and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, respectively. Results: Of 52 recordings, 48 and 27 could be used for QRS-T and P wave annotations, respectively. The differences in duration of Ponset-Pnotch, Pnotch-Poffset and Ponset_Poffset were -1±4ms, 1±4ms and 0±1ms, respectively. The differences in PQ, QRS and QT durations were 2±3ms, -3±6ms and 27±29ms. The PQ (P<0.001), QRS (P=0.007) and QT (P<0.001) intervals were significantly (P<0.05) different. Conclusion: Differences for PQ and QRS duration were relatively small but for accurate QT duration measurement multiple lead recording is required to avoid underestimation. Ethical Animal Research: Approval of the Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, was obtained (EC2018/11). Informed Consent: Informed owner consent was obtained. Competing interests: Not applicable. Sources of Funding: Not applicable".
• 01GQMR2PPZ8FH676N25RM53EC7 abstract "Soil structural degradation has become very common and leads to a serious decline in soil health. Improving or maintaining soil structure is key to build resilience against drought and flooding, and thus contributes to assuring food and water security. Quantification of soil structural quality is usually accomplished by traditional laboratory-based methods, which are time-, labour-and money-consuming. Visual soil evaluation and exami-nation methods comprise rapid and simple tests that offer a numeric semi-quantitative assessment of soil structure. The common criteria are aggregate size and shape, ease of break or rupture resistance, and inter-or intra-aggregate porosity. In this study, the CoreVESS method, a variant of the Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) method originally developed for topsoil assessment, was applied on 250 cm(3) undisturbed soil core samples. Resulting soil quality scores (Sq, ranging between 1, good, and 5, poor) were compared with soil quality indicators (SQi) derived from traditional quantitative methods of soil structure analysis. Tested SQi's included penetration resistance, bulk density, soil hydraulic properties, soil organic carbon and texture (percentage of clay, silt and sand). The objective of the study was to assess and quantify the state of soil structural degradation induced by agricultural operations using a suite of methods of analysis at a regional scale, with a special focus on CoreVESS. Soil core samples were taken in Belgium from 42 cropped fields, at two positions (headland and in-field zone) and from three layers, notably the ploughed topsoil (TOP, 10-20 cm), the compacted subsoil (CSUB, 30-40 cm) and the deeper subsoil (SUB, 60-70 cm), totalling the sample horizons to 252. Test and sampling sites comprised all major soil texture classes within the Belgian soil textural triangle and varied from sand to heavy clay. In-field positions (IN-FIELD) showed significantly better coreVESS-based Sq scores as compared to headland positions (HEAD), with the CSUB layers always exhibiting significantly lower quality than the other two layers. Laboratory-derived soil quality indicator (SQi) values portrayed the same trend, with CSUB layers always indicating the poorest soil quality. Significant differences in SQi's were also found between soils of acceptable (Sq & LE; 3) and degraded (Sq > 3) structure. Likewise, grouping soils into the same categories resulted in significant differences in the soil water retention and hydraulic conductivity curves in their wet ranges. There were good significant relationships between the SQi values and CoreVESS-based Sq scores, with for example Pearson R correlation coefficients of 0.64 for both penetration resistance and bulk density. Also, Sq scores related well with an SQi-based soil quality index (SQI) value averaged per layer and texture class (Pearson R of 0.60). The study confirmed that agricultural operations and their intensity clearly affect soil structural quality across various soil textures, with CoreVESS being as responsive to variation in soil structure quality as traditional quantitative methods, even when applied in the subsoil. VESS methods thus have a potential for monitoring soil structural quality over a variety of textures in a rapid, intuitive, practical and cheap way, as an alternative for or being complementary to more expensive labour-intensive traditional quantitative methods.".
• 01GQMR2PQ3YYCVB5AVXVECS5SA abstract "Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) methods receive increasing attention and are gaining popularity. Since in modern agriculture, soil structure degradation becomes very common, it is essential to protect and improve soil structure quality. Methods that enable its straightforward monitoring are therefore needed. Numerous visual soil evaluation techniques that serve this purpose exist, and are varying in objective, evaluation depth (topsoil/ subsoil), evaluation method, number of criteria assessed and their final scoring. In this study, we mainly focus on three VESS methods, two of which were employed in the field along a profile wall (Visual Evaluation of Subsoil Structure, SubVESS, and Double Spade VESS method, DSVESS), and one in the laboratory on soil cores (Cor-eVESS). The main aim of this research was to test and compare these VESS-based methods in terms of their feasibility and repeatability in detecting soil structure degradation in the topsoil and subsoil. Sixteen cropped fields were chosen in Belgium covering six of seven major soil texture classes according to the Belgian soil textural triangle (i.e., sand, loamy sand, light sandy loam, silt loam, clay, and heavy clay). SubVESS and DSVESS were performed in the same pits until 80 cm and 40 cm, respectively. Soil cores for CoreVESS and for the determination of soil quality indicators (SQi) with conventional laboratory methods were taken from three layers, that is, the ploughed topsoil (-10--20 cm, "TOP"), the compacted subsoil (-30--40 cm, "CSUB"), and the deeper subsoil (-60--70 cm, "SUB"), totalling 96 horizons. While SubVESS and CoreVESS were originally developed to evaluate subsoil and topsoil, respectively, they were thus used here beyond those zones. Moreover, all sampling and field evaluation was done at two positions per field -the more compacted headland and the less compacted in-field zone. It was shown that the soil quality (Sq) scores assigned to the cores with CoreVESS were not significantly influenced by operators with different backgrounds but all having received basic VESS training. When comparing field and laboratory results, positive relationships were found between Sq scores of SubVESS, DSVESS and CoreVESS. All VESS methods were able to assign significantly better soil quality (lower scores) at in-field positions (IN-FIELD) as compared to headland positions (HEAD), and significantly lower quality (higher scores) to CSUB layers than to the other two layers. Laboratory-derived SQi values presented a similar trend, with CSUB layers always indicating worse situations. There were good significant relationships between the SQi values and the different VESS-based Sq scores as well, with DSVESS showing the best correlations among the three VESS methods. The study thus confirmed that the different VESS methods all have a potential for moni-toring soil structure quality in a fast, cheap, intuitive and practical way, although they all have their own ad-vantages and disadvantages. Additionally, those methods that were employed at depths other than those for which they were developed did perform well.".
• 01GQMRG6CQSGWSGDHC2C7MWNRE abstract "Relational Frame Theory (RFT, Hayes et al., 2001) predicts that some topographies of relational responding should map onto one another more closely than others. By extension, training one type of relational responding should differentially improve other relational responses as a function of their relatedness to the trained relation. We investigated these predictions in two experiments. Using an elaborated version of the Relational Abilities Index (Colbert et al., 2020) in Experiment 1, we investigated the correlations between various types of relational responding. In Experiment 2, we then provided targeted relational training to two separate groups. Both groups trained on a different relation (either difference or containment relations). We found that this training not only increased performance on the directly trained relation, but also performance on other related relations.".
• 01GQMSESJ7HC8JYGVJSXQM5FRQ abstract "Advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing are allowing faster and more affordable generation of molecular phylogenetic trees for many organisms. However, resolving relationships at species level is still challenging, particularly for taxonomically difficult groups. Until recently, the classification of Ochna had been based only on morphological data. Here, we present the first comprehensive phylogenomic study for the genus using targeted sequencing with a custom probe kit. We sampled c. 85% of species to evaluate the current infrageneric classification. Our results show that the data generated using the custom probe kit are effective in resolving relationships in the genus, revealing three sections consistent with the current classification and a new section consisting of species from Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands. Our results provide the first insights into the evolutionary relationships of several widespread and morphologically diverse species numerous poorly known and potentially new species to science. We demonstrate that for morphologically challenging groups such as Ochna, an integrated approach to classification is essential. Phylogenomic results are only informative when derived from accurately named samples. There is a symbiotic relationship between molecular phylogenomics and morphology-based taxonomy, with taxonomic expertise a requirement to accurately interpret the phylogenomic results.".
• 01GQMSNZARRHHS8SGTVK5D6AJS abstract "Mapanoioideae are one of two subfamilies of Cyperaceae and consist of 186 species. Molecular phylogenetic relationships in subfamily Cyperoideae have recently been studied well, whereas evolutionary relationships in Mapanioideae remain little known. Subfamily Mapanioideae include two tribes. This study focuses on Hypolytreae, which is represented by three genera in Africa (Hypolytrum, Mapania and Principina). In this paper, we present the first molecular phylogenetic study of African Hypolytreae using a Sanger sequencing approach. We aim to (1) test whether Hypolytrum, Mapania and Principina are reciprocally monophyletic; (2) investigate whether the morphologically based sections in Hypolytrum and Mapania represent monophyletic taxa; (3) resolve species delimitation where multiple accessions could be sequenced and (4) explore the relationships of species occurring in West Tropical Africa vs. Central Africa. Our phylogenetic analyses strongly support Mapania and Hypolytrum as separate genera, but Principina is nested in Hypolytrum. This result is consistent with morphological differences. Mapania spp. are obligate rainforest species, but our results show that species from West Tropical Africa and species from Central Africa do not form separate clades. Dispersal between these regions may have happened during interglacial periods when the rainforest was continuous.".
• 01GQMSTAN3017QKQM55A42JAWP abstract "Best known as low maintenance houseplants, sansevierias are a diverse group of flowering plants native to Africa, Madagascar, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Indian subcontinent. Traditionally recognised as a distinct genus, Sansevieria was recently merged with the larger genus Dracaena based on molecular phylogenetic data. Within the Sansevieria Clade of Dracaena, taxonomic uncertainties remain despite attempts to unravel the relationships between the species. To investigate the evolutionary relationships, morphological evolution and biogeographical history in the group, we aim to reconstruct a robust dated phylogenetic hypothesis. Using genome skimming, a chloroplast genome (cpDNA) dataset and a nuclear ribosomal (nrDNA) dataset were generated. The sampling included representatives of all sections and informal groups previously described in Sansevieria based on morphology. Analysis of the cpDNA dataset using a maximum likelihood approach resulted in a well-supported phylogeny. The time-calibrated phylogeny indicated a recent radiation with five main clades emerging in the Pliocene. Two strongly supported clades align with previously defined groups, i.e., Sansevieria section Dracomima, characterised by the Dracomima-type inflorescence, and the Zeylanica informal group, native to the Indian subcontinent. Other previously defined groups were shown to be polyphyletic; a result of convergent evolution of the identifying characters. Switches between flat and cylindrical leaves occurred multiple times in the evolution of the Sansevieria Clade. Similarly, the Cephalantha-type inflorescence has originated multiple times from an ancestor with a Sansevieria-type inflorescence. Analysis of the nrDNA dataset resulted in a phylogenetic hypothesis with low resolution, yet it supported the same two groups confirmed by the cpDNA dataset. This study furthers our understanding of the evolution of the Sansevieria Clade, which will benefit taxonomic and applied research, and aid conservation efforts.".
• 01GQMT0TTNXGTGHJ1M0NP1T7WG abstract "Chloroplast genomes are considered to be highly conserved. Nevertheless, differences in their sequences are an important source of phylogenetically informative data. Chloroplast genomes are increasingly applied in evolutionary studies of angiosperms, including Magnoliaceae. Recent studies have focused on resolving the previously debated classification of the family using a phylogenomic approach and chloroplast genome data. However, most Neotropical clades and recently described species have not yet been included in molecular studies. We performed sequencing, assembly, and annotation of 15 chloroplast genomes from Neotropical Magnoliaceae species. We compared the newly assembled chloroplast genomes with 22 chloroplast genomes from across the family, including representatives from each genus and section. Family-wide, the chloroplast genomes presented a length of about 160 kb. The gene content in all species was constant, with 145 genes. The intergenic regions showed a higher level of nucleotide diversity than the coding regions. Differences were higher among genera than within genera. The phylogenetic analysis in Magnolia showed two main clades and corroborated that the current infrageneric classification does not represent natural groups. Although chloroplast genomes are highly conserved in Magnoliaceae, the high level of diversity of the intergenic regions still resulted in an important source of phylogenetically informative data, even for closely related taxa.".
• 01GQMT6P2WK1EK1HJMKZPXJ99Q abstract "This paper provides a linear classification of two subfamilies, 24 tribes, 10 subtribes and 95 genera of the monocot family Cyperaceae (Poales), based on a stable phylogenetic framework resulting from years of morphological, molecular phylogenetic and phylogenomic studies. The family includes c. 5687 species. The most species-rich tribes are the monogeneric tribe Cariceae with c. 2003 species, and tribe Cypereae with c. 1131 species. The highest generic diversity is found in tribe Schoeneae (25 genera), which resulted in the recognition of eight subtribes to facilitate studying this group. The linear classification will help the organisation of Cyperaceae specimens in herbaria according to a systematic order and provides an easy-to-use summary of the current classification of the family.".
• 01GQMT8Z0TZ7PRTS0B33S7PQ2B abstract "An endemic species of Bulbostylis (Abildgaardieae, Cyperaceae) from Madagascar is described as new to science. Bulbostylis itremoensis is only known from two localities: the Itremo and Isalo massifs in the province of Fianarantsoa. The species can be recognised by its habit with numerous crowded culms, leaves and thick, soft roots with an outer mycorrhizal layer. Its culm is hairy, angular with about 10 rounded longitudinal ridges without conspicuous surface cells. The leaf sheaths are light brown to straw-coloured with numerous longitudinal nerves, densely short-hairy on the nerves but with numerous flexuose whitish hairs at their oblique orifices. Its inflorescence is a dense hemispherical head of c. 15 crowded spikelets with many erect or spreading involucral bracts. Its glumes are ovate, densely scabrid of which medium-reddish brown with a prominent 1 – 3-nerved green midrib ending below the obtuse apex or excurrent into a short mucro. This species is described, illustrated and compared to the other species of Bulbostylis that occur in the Itremo Massif Protected Area.".
• 01GQMTDP4P36HNAMV0E4W81B3X abstract "Conservation action plans need to be devised and implemented if we are to reduce the extinction risk faced by globally threatened plants. However, most plant species categorized as threatened globally on the IUCN Red List lack conservation action plans. In West Africa, Guinea is one of the most diverse countries in terms of botanical species. In total, 273 plant species in Guinea have been assessed as being threatened globally, reflecting increasing pressure from the extractive industry and a growing population requiring food and fuel. In parallel with the implementation of an Important Plant Area programme in Guinea, we developed conservation action plans for 20 threatened plant species through a pilot study. We outline the methods we used and demonstrate the importance of adopting a collaborative approach and having up-to-date field information. The need for such plans is urgent, with recent estimates suggesting that one-third of African plants are threatened with extinction. Based on our experience with the first 20 conservation action plans for Guinea species, we suggest that the preparation of multi-species conservation action plans would be an efficient use of the limited resources available for species conservation.".
• 01GQMTJ2B49A2QJ7B74K9R6TSN abstract "Cyperus sect. Incurvi (Cyperaceae) contains 31 species worldwide, with important continental radiations in Australasia, Tropical Africa and Madagascar, and the Neotropics. Here, a monograph of the African and Madagascan species of Cyperus sect. Incurvi is presented, including descriptions, illustrations, synonymy, notes on habitat and ecology, geographic distribution ranges and conservation assessments. Our results identify eight species of Cyperus sect. Incurvi endemic to Madagascar, and a further three species native to Tropical Africa. Seven species of Cyperus sect. Incurvi have been typified herein. Six rare Madagascan endemics are assessed as threatened with extinction.".
• 01GQMTQPVF2CPASB3M2BDJRP7F abstract "A taxonomic study of Cyperus L. (Cyperaceae) in the Central-West region of Brazil is presented. We examined more than 1300 herbarium specimens. Many of the species were also studied in the field. Our results recognize 59 species of Cyperus in the Central-West of Brazil, including three species endemic to the country that are potentially threatened with extinction, i.e., C. hooperae G. C. Tucker, C. longiculmis Pereira-Silva, Hefler & R. Trevis., and C. tuckerianus Pereira-Silva, Hefler & R. Trevis. Cyperus oxylepis Nees ex Steud. is reported from Brazil for the first time. Cyperus incomtus Kunth var. miguelii Kük. is proposed as a synonym of C. pearcei C. B. Clarke. We designate lectotypes for 20 names, a neotype for C. oxylepis, and an epitype for C. surinamensis Rottb. and select second-step lectotypes for 10 names. We also provide detailed morphological descriptions, illustrations, distribution data, an identification key for all species, and assessments of the conservation status for most species.".
• 01GQN0D1BWC5YFWDV3CP4ZA651 abstract "Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by an immune-mediated progressive destruction of the insulin-producing beta-cells. Proinflammatory cytokines trigger endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and subsequent insulin secretory deficiency in cultured beta-cells, mimicking the islet microenvironment in T1D. beta-cells undergo physiologic ER stress due to the high rate of insulin production and secretion under stimulated conditions. Severe and uncompensated ER stress in beta-cells is induced by several pathological mechanisms before onset and during T1D. We previously described that the small drug Compound A (CpdA), a selective glucocorticoid receptor (GR/NR3C1, nuclear receptor subfamily 3, group C, member 1) ligand with demonstrated inflammation-suppressive activity in vivo, is an effective modulator of effector T and dendritic cells and of macrophages, yet, in a GR-independent manner. Here, we focus on CpdA's therapeutic potential in T1D cellular and animal models. We demonstrate that CpdA improves the unfolded protein response (UPR) by attenuating ER stress and favoring the survival and function of beta-cells exposed to an environment of proinflammatory cytokines. CpdA administration to NODscid mice adoptively transferred with diabetogenic splenocytes (from diabetic NOD mice) led to a delay of disease onset and reduction of diabetes incidence. Histological analysis of the pancreas showed a reduction in islet leukocyte infiltration (insulitis) and preservation of insulin expression in CpdA-treated normoglycemic mice in comparison with control group. These new findings together with our previous reports justify further studies on the administration of this small molecule as a novel therapeutic strategy with dual targets (effector immune and beta-cells) during autoimmune diabetes.".

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