Sexual Abuse and Violence in the Hebrew Bible: Terminology, Masculinity, and Intersectionality, Reprised

This chapter brings together scholars who explored both the language of violence in the Hebrew Bible and its ideological foundations. Sandie Gravett was one of several scholars to write on the terminology for sexual violence in the Hebrew Bible and on the translation of such terminology. Gravett addresses why it is appropriate and important to use the word rape rather than depending on a circumlocution or euphemism. Ken Stone was a pioneer in establishing the relationship between masculinity and its performance in the Hebrew Bible and the sexual violence in its pages. His work speaks to the significance of gender construction with reference to the roles of both perpetrators and victims. Sarojini Nadar interrogates and elucidates the intersection of race, colonialism, and sexual violence revealed both in the Hebrew Bible and in the work of its interpreters

DLco, Kco and FVC/DLco in suspected systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary hypertension: insights from the ASPIRE registry

Objectives There are limited data comparing parameters reflecting gas transfer used to assess the likelihood of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and regarding the impact of transitioning to Global Lung Initiative (GLI)-predicted values. Methods 632 patients with suspected SSc associated PH were identified from the ASPIRE registry. Spirometry and CT reports were reviewed to identify significant lung disease. ROC curve analysis and correlations of the 3 markers of gas transfer with pulmonary arterial pressure were performed. Results Correlations of GLI-derived values with mean pulmonary arterial pressure were: DLco% r=−0.45, Kco% r=−0.42 and FVC%/DLco% r=0.37. Correlations in patients without lung disease were: DLco% r=−0.51, Kco% r=−0.44, FVC%/DLco% r=0.38, compared to patients with lung disease: DLco% r=−0.41, Kco% r=−0.39, FVC%/DLco% r=0.39. Area under the curve for the presence of PH in the overall study cohort was significantly superior for DLco% at 0.84 (optimal threshold 53%), compared with Kco% 0.74 (60%) and FVC%/DLco% was 0.74 (1.91), p both <0.001. Compared with European Coal and Steel Community-derived data, GLI-derived percent-predicted lung volumes were lower, DLco% and Kco% were higher and consequently FVC%/DLco% lower (p all <0.001). Conclusion DLco performed as least as strongly as Kco or FVC%/DLco% in terms of correlations with mPAP and diagnostic utility, regardless of the presence or absence of lung disease. Transitioning to GLI equations led to lower predicted spirometric volumes and higher DLco%. This should be considered when interpreting changes in values over time and when using screening algorithms

Tailoring ultrahigh index plasmonic combinatorial metamaterials for SEIRA and SERS by tuning the fill fraction

Plasmonic materials with strong mid-infrared resonances allow enhanced molecular sensing, but obtaining the required high field enhancements in easily constructed geometries is challenging. Multilayer aggregates (MLaggs) of close-packed gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) exhibit strong extinction resonances that enhance both surface-enhanced Raman (SERS) and IR absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopies. Here, we show that these simply fabricated MLaggs behave as low-loss high refractive index (n) metamaterials in the mid-infrared and that they can reach a refractive index of n > 10. By admixing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with AuNPs and co-aggregating them, we demonstrate combinatorial metamaterials with near-perfect absorption and controlled linewidth. By selective dissolution, we are able to control the aggregate fill fraction and tune both the SEIRA resonance and the refractive index. Dissolution of the AgNPs leads to more porous aggregates, which enable adsorption and detection of larger analytes, making MLaggs useful for healthcare sensing applications

Estimating the lifetime costs and benefits of the incredible years teacher classroom management intervention using data from 30 months follow-up of the supporting teachers and children in schools trial

Objectives: The Incredible Years Teacher® Classroom Management (IY-TCM) intervention is associated with short-term improvements in mental health difficulties in young people. The aim was to estimate the long-term impact and cost-effectiveness of the IY-TCM intervention compared with no intervention. Methods: An existing health economic model (LifeSim 1.0) was used to translate short-term changes in the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), based on the Supporting Teachers and childRen in Schools cluster randomized controlled trial of the IY-TCM intervention in schools, into estimated medium- and long-term effects using multiple longitudinal data sets. LifeSim 1.0 was adapted to incorporate teacher-reported SDQ and account for individual heterogeneity. Cost-effectiveness analyses were conducted using the trial-based intervention cost with subgroup analyses on deprivation, conduct scores and parental depression in the simulated baseline population. Results: Regression analyses show significant predictor variables for intervention effectiveness, including deprivation and baseline SDQ. LifeSim results indicate small gains in long-term outcomes, and cost-effective analyses estimated that the IY-TCM intervention could be cost-effective, but there was a large amount of uncertainty (net monetary benefit = £10, Estimated CI = −£134, £156). Benefits and certainty of cost-effectiveness were greater for some subgroups, such as those with high conduct scores at baseline (net monetary benefit = £206, Estimated CI = £26, £318). Conclusions: IY-TCM could be cost-effective, but there was a large amount of uncertainty around costs and benefits. Greater benefits for pupils with difficulties at baseline suggest that the intervention may be more cost-effective for schools in more deprived areas with high levels of conduct problems

Strategies of text-world consolidation in reviews of Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing

Text World Theory (Gavins, 2007; Werth, 1999) offers a cognitive linguistic account of the mental representations created during discourse comprehension. To date, text-world accounts of comprehension have largely focussed on the mental representations created in the moment of discourse processing, and little attention has so far been paid to how text-world representations change over time. However, the comprehension of novel-length fictional narratives requires readers to draw upon large amounts of text-specific information as they read later sections of a text. This paper reports an exploratory study of 100 reviews of Margaret Atwood’s novel Surfacing, posted to the Goodreads website. 50 precis of the novel are isolated, and the text-world conceptual structures of these precis are compared to the original text. Several potential consolidation strategies are identified to account for how text-world mental representations change as the novel is remembered and later recalled. In particular, evidence is presented to show that readers create an evolving mental representation of the fictional world projected by the text which is built and maintained in the long-term memory and remains distinct from the text-world mental representations created in the moment of reading. In the light of these findings, an argument is made for an expanded Text World Theory which accounts for readers’ long-term memories of fictional texts

Assessing the role of anoxia as a potential extinction driver in the shallow marine Neotethys during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction

Anoxia has been hypothesised as a major kill mechanism for marine ecosystems during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction, but its importance is increasingly debated for shallow marine settings. For the Neotethys Ocean, in particular, geochemical data that is suitable to verify a local anoxic signal is lacking. Here, we investigated two shallow marine successions from the Antalya Nappes, Türkiye, for their redox sensitive metal and rare earth element and Yttrium (REY) composition to reconstruct local redox changes before, during and after the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. The investigated sections recorded reoccurring enrichments in the redox sensitive trace metals Re, U and Mo, supporting dynamic local redox conditions cycling between oxic and anoxic throughout the investigated Permian interval. No clear changes in redox conditions compared to the pre-extinction interval nor evidence of anoxic upwelling coinciding with the extinction event could be identified, questioning the role of anoxia as a local extinction driver. Above the extinction horizon, the sections were generally characterised by low redox sensitive metal enrichments and negative Ce anomalies revealing that post-extinction sediments were deposited in a consistently oxic environment. Hence, local anoxia within the shallow marine ecosystem of the Antalya Nappes appears not persistent enough around the extinction, and did not occur during the recovery, rendering it unlikely to explain biodiversity changes. Therefore, alternative environmental factor(s) should be considered as potential drivers of biodiversity changes for shallow marine ecosystems of the western Neotethys during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction and its recovery

Creating woodland through natural processes: Current understanding and knowledge gaps in Great Britain

1. Creating woodlands through natural processes, as opposed to traditional tree planting, is expected to result in more structurally diverse, locally adapted woodlands that enhance the resilience of existing treescapes. However, the outcomes of natural colonisation can be variable, and there is still considerable uncertainty around the ecological processes involved. 2. To address knowledge gaps and guide a future research and policy agenda, we synthesise current knowledge of the ecology of natural colonisation in Great Britain. We combine expertise from 31 practitioners and researchers spanning varied British contexts, including insights from 15 case studies and an expert survey on the relative importance of ecological factors influencing natural colonisation. 3. The most important determinants of successful natural colonisation, identified by practitioners and researchers, were the availability of seed sources and low levels of herbivory. However, key knowledge gaps remain around the timeframe and trajectory of woodland development and appropriate management practices. Natural colonisation and tree planting can be combined to meet diverse woodland objectives, but this has been little explored to date. 4. Solutions. Land managers and advisors face uncertainty and many knowledge gaps when creating woodland through natural processes. Site monitoring and adaptive management can help meet site objectives that, in turn, can be supported by policies reflecting uncertainties in the process. Collaboration between researchers and land managers to monitor woodland development, use experimental approaches and share knowledge will help further applied ecological understanding, supporting informed decision-making by land managers

Impact of pre-transplant induction cycles on post-transplant outcomes in patients with ALL: a study from the ALWP EBMT

The impact of the number of induction cycles required to achieve first complete remission (CR1) on transplant outcomes in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients remains unknown. We conducted a retrospective EBMT registry analysis (2000–2022) of ALL patients who underwent transplantation in CR1 after one (n = 2038), two (n = 296), or three or more (n = 110) induction cycles. Median age was 40 years (range 18–73); 79% had B-ALL. At 2 years, relapse incidence was 23%, 31%, and 32%, while non-relapse mortality was 17%, 18%, and 16%, for those achieving CR1 after one, two, and ≥3 cycles, respectively. Multivariable analysis showed that requiring ≥2 cycles was associated with increased relapse risk. Leukemia‐free survival (LFS) at 2 years was 60%, 51%, and 52%, and overall survival (OS) was 68%, 61%, and 60%, for patients needing one, two, and ≥3 cycles, respectively. Multivariable analysis confirmed significantly worse LFS and OS in patients requiring multiple cycles versus one. These findings suggest that the number of induction cycles to achieve CR1 is a key prognostic factor for post-transplant outcomes in adult ALL and support the development of risk-adapted strategies in this setting

Agent-based modelling of the early stages of actin polymerisation required to drive endocytosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Endocytosis is critical. Its complexity means that many aspects remain poorly understood. We have developed an agent-based model covering key components of actin filament generation in endocytosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The model incorporates realistic values for rates, affinities, concentrations, and mobilities, and reproduces essential features of endocytosis, from the arrival of WASp/Las17 and its inhibitor Sla1 at the membrane up to the burst of actin polymerisation. The model yields relative rates and affinities for interactions that cannot be measured experimentally, and places limitations on plausible scenarios. Specifically, it reveals three novel findings. First, Las17 must form multimeric complexes. Second, de novo F-actin nucleation occurs in two stages, involving the slow formation of linear trimers, followed by rapid polymerisation once an additional actin monomer is positioned at the side of the aligned monomers. Third, competition between SH3 domains and other factors, including actin, is critical to ensure on/off switching. This requires: (1) tandem domains binding to adjacent polyproline sites outcompeting single domains; (2) these tandem domains being weakened in overall affinity through a reduction in avidity by competition with single SH3 domains. We conclude with a pathway that proposes how controlled actin polymerisation occurs, and raises implications for further testing

OXYSTEROLS AND PHYTOSTEROLS IN HUMAN PATHOPHYSIOLOGY: Adipocytes in tumour microenvironment promote chemoresistance in triple-negative breast cancer through oxysterols

Objective Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients with excess adipose tissue experience poorer disease-free survival than those with a healthy body mass index. Adipocytes store and release cholesterol, which can be hydroxylated to form oxysterols. These cholesterol derivatives activate the liver X receptor (LXR) pathway. This study tested the hypothesis that adipocytes contribute to an imbalanced tumour-microenvironment by exposing cancer cells to elevated oxysterols, mimicking chemotherapy-exposure conditions and priming for chemoresistance. Methods Tumour tissue microarray from 148 TNBC patients was assessed using immunohistochemistry for CH25H, CYP46A1, CYP27A1 and P-glycoprotein (Pgp), expression and survival outcomes assessed. Gene expression was compared between tumours from patients (GSE78958) and mouse models (GSE151866) with high versus low adiposity. In vitro, cell lines from lineages fount in the tumour-microenvironment were evaluated for oxysterol content, secretion, expression of relevant enzymes, and ability to induce Pgp expression and drug resistance in TNBC cells. Results In patients, stromal expression of oxysterol-synthesizing enzymes correlated with Pgp expression in cancer epithelial cells and was associated with shorter disease-free survival. Adipocytes conditioned media contained significantly higher oxysterols levels than that conditioned by other cell types and induced Pgp expression and drug resistance in MDA.MB.468 cells. Obese mice had elevated levels of Pgp in tumours compared to lean counterparts. Conclusions Adipocytes secrete oxysterols that promote drug resistance in vitro and correlate with oxysterol:Pgp axis and survival in vivo. Significance This study reveals a mechanism by which adipose tissue contributes to drug resistance in ER-negative breast cancers, identifying the oxysterol-Pgp axis as potential therapeutic target