International Center of Photography

The Keepers Registry (Keepers) (https://keepers.issn.org), managed by the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) International Centre since 2019, is the only service monitoring preservation arrangements for digital and digitized serials, including scholarly journals. Keepers Registry aggregates data supplied by sixteen partner archiving agencies—located in Asia, Europe, North America, South America—with its own data. It gives an overview of the preservation status of about 70,000 titles as of November 2022. The ISSN International Centre is currently developing a new service that will allow librarians to upload journal metadata (i.e. ISSNs, titles) via a tabular list and retrieve information about the extent of preservation for these titles. Returned data will contain names of preserving agencies, and for each agency, years covered by preservation compared with years of publication, an assessment of archived content completeness per agency, and related serial publishers. The presentation will include a demonstration of the service as well as a case study based on University of California, Davis collections, with preliminary title level data revealing only 40 percent of the collection has Keepers. Librarians were invited to give their feedback on the service and reflect upon its functionalities

Employing nuclear spin hyperpolarization to enhance NMR sensitivity opens new horizons for metabolic studies and chemical reaction monitoring. Among the hyperpolarization techniques, Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange (SABRE) is prominent for its ability to transfer spin order from parahydrogen to target nuclei, especially 13C and 15N, without the chemical modification of the substrate under study. Despite its power, existing implementations of SABRE require expensive equipment like radiofrequency (RF) hardware and magnetic shielding. This paper demonstrates the SLIC-SABRE method at low magnetic fields as a low-cost and efficient technique for achieving high 15N polarization using a simple setup, consisting only of a small set of magnetic coils driven by a desktop PC sound card. The method yields up to 17% polarization across various SABRE-active molecules, outperforming the conventional SABRE-SHEATH approach and significantly enhancing the accessibility of hyperpolarization techniques.

The largest tropical peatland complex in the Cuvette Centrale is marked by persistent knowledge gaps. We assessed recent peat forest disturbances and their direct drivers from 2019 to 2021 in Cuvette Centrale, spanning the Republic of Congo (ROC) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Utilizing peatland maps and Radar for Detecting Deforestation alert data, we analyzed spatial and temporal patterns of disturbances. Further, we examined 2267 randomly sampled peat forest disturbance events through visual interpretation of monthly Planet and Sentinel 2A data to identify direct drivers. Our findings revealed that between 2019 and 2021, about 91% of disturbances occurred in DRC, with hotspots concentrated in the northwest Sud-Ubangi district. Disturbances predominantly followed a sharp seasonal pattern, recurring during the first half of each year with temporal hotspots emerging between February and May, closely associated with smallholder agriculture activities. Smallholder agriculture accounted for over 88% of disturbances in Cuvette Centrale, representing a leading role both in ROC (∼77%) and DRC (∼89%). While small-scale logging contributed 7% to the disturbances in the region, it constituted an important driver (18%) in the ROC. Other drivers included floods, roads, and settlements. Approximately 77% of disturbances occurred outside managed forest concessions in Cuvette Centrale, with 40% extending into protected areas. About 90% of disturbances were concentrated within 1 km of peat forest edges and ∼76% of the disturbances occurred within 5 km of road or river networks. The insights underscore the crucial need for effective peat forest conservation strategies in Cuvette Centrale and can inform national policies targeting peatland protection, aligning with commitments in the Brazzaville Declaration and the Paris Agreement. Further, our findings on direct driver assessment could serve as a reference dataset for machine learning models to automate the visual interpretation and upscale the assessment across the entire region.

Introduction: Although postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis has not been shown to prevent surgical site infections, prolonged antibiotic administration is common in low- and middle-income countries. We developed a quality improvement program to reduce unnecessary postoperative antibiotics through hospital-specific guideline development and the use of a brief, multidisciplinary discussion of antibiotic indication, choice, and duration during clinical rounds. We assessed reduction in the number of patients receiving ≥24 h of antibiotic prophylaxis after clean and clean-contaminated surgery. Methods: We piloted the program at a referral hospital in Ethiopia from February to September 2023. After a 6-week baseline assessment, multidisciplinary teams adapted international guidelines for surgical prophylaxis to local disease burden, medication availability, and cost restrictions; stakeholders from surgical departments provided feedback. Surgical teams implemented a "timeout" during rounds to apply these guidelines to patient care; compliance with the timeout and antibiotic administration was assessed throughout the study period. Results: We collected data from 636 patients; 159 (25%) in the baseline period and 477 (75%) in the intervention period. The percentage of patients receiving ≥24 h of antibiotic prophylaxis after surgery decreased from 50.9% in the baseline period to 40.9% in the intervention period (p = 0.027) and was associated with a 0.5 day reduction in postoperative length of stay (p = 0.047). Discussion: This antibiotic stewardship pilot program reduced postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis in a resource-constrained setting in Sub-Saharan Africa and was associated with shorter length of stay. This program has the potential to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use in this population.

Background Recently, patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have experienced a higher incidence and severer degree of vascular calcification (VC), which leads to an increase in the incidence and mortality of vascular complications in patients with T2DM. Hypothesis To construct and validate prediction models for the risk of VC in patients with T2DM. Methods Twenty‐three baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were extracted from the electronic medical record system. Ten clinical features were screened with least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method and were used to develop prediction models based on eight machine learning (ML) algorithms ( k ‐nearest neighbor [ k ‐NN], light gradient boosting machine, logistic regression [LR], multilayer perception [(MLP], Naive Bayes [NB], random forest [RF], support vector machine [SVM], XGBoost [XGB]). Model performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, and precision. Results A total of 1407 and 352 patients were retrospectively collected in the training and test sets, respectively. Among the eight models, the AUC value in the NB model was higher than the other models (NB: 0.753, LGB: 0.719, LR: 0.749, MLP: 0.715, RF: 0.722, SVM: 0.689, XGB:0.707, p < .05 for all). The k ‐NN model achieved the highest sensitivity of 0.75 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.633–0.857), the MLP model achieved the highest accuracy of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.767–0.852) and specificity of 0.875 (95% CI: 0.836–0.912). Conclusions This study developed a predictive model of VC based on ML and clinical features in type 2 diabetic patients. The NB model is a tool with potential to facilitate clinicians in identifying VC in high‐risk patients.

MRI study of the human fetal brain is a complicated, important and difficult scientific problem, which has an application inclinical practice. Meanwhile, the boundaries of individual geometric characteristics of fetal brain structures are still blurred andrequire a clarification. A sample of 105 participants with healthy fetal brain, is considered. It is shown that the relationshipbetween the growth of individual brain structures sizes (cerebral fronto-occipital diameter, cerebral biparietal diameter, corpuscallosum length, transverse cerebellum diameter, vermis height) differs depending on the trimester. The advantage of lineardependence for the growth of brain structures for each of the considered trimesters was demonstrated versus power-lawregression. The resulting growth models for each trimester will make it possible to more accurately determine whether a casecorresponds to the norm using a combination of several linear dimensions at once.

Understanding and controlling spin dynamics in organic dyes is of significant scientific and technological interest. The investigation of 2,5-dihydropyrrolo[4,3-c]pyrrolo-1,4-dione derivatives (DPPs), one of the most widely used dyes in many fields, has so far been limited to closed-shell molecules. We present a comprehensive joint experimental and computational study of DPP derivatives covalently linked to two nitronyl nitroxide radicals (DPPTh-NN2). Synthesis, single crystal X-ray diffraction study, photophysical properties, magnetic properties established using steady-state and pulse EPR, fast spin dynamics, and computational modelling using density functional theory and ab initio methods of electronic structure and spectroscopic properties of DPPTh-NN2 are presented. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of DPPTh-NN2 and computational modeling of its electronic structure suggest that effective conjugation along the backbone leads to noticeable spin-polarization transfer. Calculations using ab initio methods predict a weak exchange interaction of radical centers through a singlet ground state of DPPTh with a small singlet–triplet splitting (ΔEST) of about 25 cm⁻¹ (∼0.07 kcal mol⁻¹). In turn, a strong ferromagnetic exchange interaction between the triplet state of DPPTh chromophore and nitronyl nitroxides (with J ∼ 250 cm⁻¹) was predicted.

Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted the dynamics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) on a global scale; however, the cycling of RSV subtypes in the pre- and post-pandemic period remains poorly understood. Here, we use a two subtype RSV model supplemented with epidemiological data to study the impact of NPIs on the two circulating subtypes, RSV-A and RSV-B. The model is calibrated to historic RSV subtype data from the United Kingdom and Finland and predicts a tendency for RSV-A dominance prior to RSV-B following the implementation of NPIs. Using a global genetic dataset, we confirm that RSV-A has prevailed over RSV-B in the post-pandemic period, consistent with a higher R 0 for RSV-A. With new RSV infant monoclonals and maternal and elderly vaccines becoming widely available, these results may have important implications for understanding intervention effectiveness in the context of disrupted subtype dynamics.

Purpose The RESPIRA cohort aims to describe the nature, magnitude, time course and efficacy of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination, population prevalence, and household transmission of COVID-19. Participants From November 2020, we selected age-stratified random samples of COVID-19 cases from Costa Rica confirmed by PCR. For each case, two population-based controls, matched on age, sex and census tract were recruited, supplemented with hospitalised cases and household contacts. Participants were interviewed and blood and saliva collected for antibodies and PCR tests. Participants will be followed for 2 years to assess antibody response and infection incidence. Findings to date Recruitment included 3860 individuals: 1150 COVID-19 cases, 1999 population controls and 719 household contacts from 304 index cases. The age and regional distribution of cases was as planned, including four age strata, 30% rural and 70% urban. The control cohort had similar sex, age and regional distribution as the cases according to the study design. Among the 1999 controls recruited, 6.8% reported at enrolment having had COVID-19 and an additional 12.5% had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Compliance with visits and specimens has been close to 70% during the first 18 months of follow-up. During the study, national vaccination was implemented and nearly 90% of our cohort participants were vaccinated during follow-up. Future plans RESPIRA will enable multiple analyses, including population prevalence of infection, clinical, behavioural, immunological and genetic risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 acquisition and severity, and determinants of household transmission. We are conducting retrospective and prospective assessment of antibody levels, their determinants and their protective efficacy after infection and vaccination, the impact of long-COVID and a series of ancillary studies. Follow-up continues with bimonthly saliva collection for PCR testing and biannual blood collection for immune response analyses. Follow-up will be completed in early 2024. Trial registration number NCT04537338 .

High-spin organic tetraradicals with significant intramolecular exchange interactions have high potential for advanced technological applications and fundamental research, but reported to date examples exhibit limited stability and processability. In this work, we designed the first tetraradical based on an oxoverdazyl core and nitronyl nitroxide radicals and successfully synthesized it using a palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of oxoverdazyl radical bearing three iodo-phenylene moieties with a gold(I) nitronyl nitroxide-2-ide complex in the presence of a recently developed efficient catalytic system. The molecular and crystal structures of the tetraradical were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The tetraradical possesses good thermal stability with decomposition onset at ∼115 °C in an inert atmosphere. The resulting unique verdazyl-nitroxide conjugate was thoroughly studied using a complex of SQUID magnetometry of polycrystalline powders, EPR spectroscopy in various matrices, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and high-level quantum chemical calculations. All collected data confirm the high thermal stability of the resulting tetraradical and quintet multiplicity of its ground state, which makes the synthesis of this important paramagnet a new milestone in the field of creating high-spin systems.

The big con takes a close look at the global consulting industry and its impact on governments and governance models across the world. It offers a bold, meticulously researched and extensively referenced critique of the history and practices of modern consulting, which is ‘the history of modern capitalism’ (p. 6). The key message is that, over decades of dominance, consultancies have created hollowed-out and timid governments with limited capacity to deal with increasingly complex issues. Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington expose how the underlying conflicts of interest and the lack of transparency in the way consultancies operate have created many problems around the world. Tracing the history of consulting from its inception in the 1870s, the authors show how, by the 1990s, consultants were advising governments to privatize functions, reform management, outsource public services and reduce public spending under the sway of austerity. The rise of a neo-liberal ideology promoting efficiency has both fuelled and been fuelled by the consultancy industry and the proliferation of multinational corporations, in pursuit of ‘value maximisation’ and ‘rent’ extraction (p. 3).

Population density is known to affect the health and survival of many species, and is especially important for social animals. In mice, living in crowded conditions results in the disruption of social interactions, chronic stress, and immune and reproductive suppression; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the role of chemosignals in the regulation of mouse physiology and behavior in response to social crowding. The pheromone 2,5-dimethylpyrazine (2,5-DMP), which is released by female mice in crowded conditions, induced aversion, glucocorticoid elevation and, when chronic, resulted in reproductive and immune suppression. 2,5-DMP olfaction induced genome destabilization in bone marrow cells in a stress-dependent manner, providing a plausible mechanism for crowding-induced immune dysfunction. Interestingly, the genome-destabilizing effect of 2,5-DMP was comparable to a potent mouse stressor (immobilization), and both stressors led to correlated expression changes in genes regulating cellular stress response. Thus, our findings demonstrate that, in mice, the health effects of crowding may be explained at least in part by chemosignals and also propose a significant role of stress and genome destabilization in the emergence of crowding effects.

High-spin organic tetraradicals with significant intramolecular exchange interactions have high potential for advanced technological applications and basic research, but those synthesized to date possess limited stability and processability. In this work, we designed a tetraradical based on the Blatter’s radical and nitronyl nitroxide radical moieties and successfully synthesized it using the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of triiodotriazine with gold(I) nitronyl nitroxide-2-ide complex in the presence of a newly developed efficient catalytic system. The molecular and crystal structure of the tetraradical was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The tetraradical possesses good thermal stability with decomposition onset at ∼150 °C in an inert atmosphere. The tetraradical exhibits reversible redox waves (at −0.54 and 0.45 V vs Fc/Fc+), unprecedented for high-spin tetraradicals. The magnetic properties of the tetraradical were characterized by SQUID magnetometry of polycrystalline powders and EPR spectroscopy in various matrices. The collected data, analyzed using high-level quantum chemical calculations, confirmed that the tetraradical has a triplet ground state and a nearby excited quintet state. The unique high stability of the prepared triazinyl-nitronylnitroxide tetraradical is a new milestone in the field of creating high-spin systems.

In the domain of single-molecule dynamics, we investigate the impact of electrostatic forces on molecular motion. Our study delves into the interplay between quantum mechanics and electrostatic interactions, resulting in trajectories reminiscent of planetary motion and gravity-assisted acceleration. By employing state-dependent diffusion and Green's functions, we establish a robust theoretical foundation that explains quantum control over molecules. We find that surface charge density critically influences diffusion coefficients, following linear scaling similar to Coulombic forces. Our research extends the range of observed diffusion coefficients, reaching up to 6000 µm2ms-1. These findings have practical applications in materials science and molecular engineering. This study advances our understanding of molecular motion and highlights the potential for precise control over single-molecule dynamics through quantum manipulation—an exploration at the nanoscale.

In this study, we utilized advanced quantitative MRI techniques, specifically Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging, and Мacromolecular Proton Fraction Mapping, to investigate microstructural differences and alterations in the specific regions in patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Previous studies have illustrated that the cingulate and prefrontal gyrus, along with the amygdala, are involved in emotional processing and the development of abnormal emotional responses in depression. Our findings revealed no significant interaction between Мacromolecular proton fraction Mapping with depressive disorder. However, patients with major depressive disorder exhibited a statistically significant increase in mean, axial and radial diffusivity (F = 6.3, p = 0.01, F = 5.0, p = 0.03, F = 7.08, p = 0.01, respectively) in the bilateral amygdala compared to healthy controls, as well as in mean and radial diffusivity in the anterior cingulate cortex (F = 5.61, p = 0.02, F = 7.08, p = 0.01, respectively). These results suggest that altered molecular diffusion characteristics in the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex may be specifically associated with major depressive disorder. The identification of novel markers for brain microstructural changes could have implications for early prediction of depressive disorder. Our study demonstrates the utility of new quantitative MRI techniques in assessing structural alterations on the molecular level in the brain and enhances our understanding of the pathophysiology of depression.

Symmetric molecules exist as distinct nuclear spin isomers (NSIMs). A deeper understanding of their properties, including interconversion, requires efficient techniques for NSIMs enrichment. Selective hydrogenation of acetylene with parahydrogen (p-H2) was used to achieve the enrichment of ethylene NSIMs and to study their equilibration processes. The effect of stereoselectivity of H2 addition to acetylene on the imbalance of ethylene NSIMs was experimentally demonstrated by using different heterogeneous catalysts (an immobilized Ir complex and two supported Pd catalysts). The interconversion of NSIMs with time during ethylene storage was studied with NMR spectroscopy by reacting ethylene with bromine water which renders the p-H2-derived protons in the produced 2-bromoethan(2H)ol (BrEtOD) magnetically inequivalent, thereby revealing the non-equilibrium nuclear spin order of ethylene. A thorough analysis of the shape and transformation of the 1H NMR spectra of hyperpolarized BrEtOD allowed us to reveal the initial distribution of produced ethylene NSIMs and their equilibration processes. Comparison of the results obtained with different catalysts was key to properly attributing the derived characteristic time constants to different NSIMs interconversion processes: ~ 3-6 s for interconversion between NSIMs with the same inversion symmetry (i.e., within g or u manifolds) and ~ 1700-2200 s between NSIMs with different inversion symmetries.

Aim. To obtain extended data on the impact of collateral circulation on the recovery of left ventricular (LV) function after recanalization of chronic coronary total occlusion (CTO), especially in patients with reduced left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF). Material and methods. This single-center, prospective, non-randomized study included 20 patients with single-vessel CTO with reduced LVEF (<50%), confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), who underwent successful recanalization. All patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the severity of collateral circulation. After 1, 3 and 6 months, MRI was repeated to assess LV function recovery. Results. All patients had prior myocardial infarction, while in 70% of cases — in the area of the occluded artery. A previous attempt to recanalize CTO was noted in 30%. The mean baseline LVEF according to echocardiography was 38,80±6,72%. The most common target vessel was the right coronary artery (n=17, 85%), followed by the circumflex and anterior descending arteries — 1 (5%) and 2 (10%) patients, respectively. In the group with high collateral circulation, the initial LVEF according to MRI was higher compared to the group with mild collateral circulation (35,8±7,33% vs 30,7±8,82%, p=0,17). After 6 months, MRI showed significant changes in end-diastolic volume (from 226±71,1 ml to 203±55,2 ml) and LV endsystolic volume (from 153±72,8 ml to 118±57,6 ml), as well as mean increase in LVEF by 3,3%, 4,8% and 5,2% at 1, 3 and 6 months, respectively (p=0,01 compared with baseline). The predictors of LVEF recovery in multivariate regression analysis were the initial LVEF according to MRI, and the filling rate of distal CTO bed on coronary angiography (R ² =0,63). Conclusion. Successful percutaneous coronary intervention with CTO improves LV function in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, regardless of the degree of collateral circulation. LV function recovery generally occurs within 3 months after revascularization.

Previous studies have illustrated that the cingulate and prefrontal gyrus, along with the amygdala, are involved in emotional processing and the development of abnormal emotional responses in depression. In this study, we utilized advanced quantitative MRI techniques, specifically Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging, and Мacromolecular Proton Fraction Mapping, to investigate microstructural differences and alterations in these regions in patients diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. Our findings revealed no significant interaction between Мacromolecular proton fraction Mapping and diffusion kurtosis parameters with depressive disorder. However, patients with Major Depressive Disorder exhibited a statistically significant increase in mean, axial and radial diffusivity (F = 6.3, p = 0.01, F = 5.0, p = 0.03, F = 7.08, p = 0.01, respectively) in the bilateral amygdala compared to healthy controls, as well as in mean and radial diffusivity in the anterior cingulate cortex (F = 5.61, p = 0.02, F = 7.08, p = 0.01, respectively). These results suggest that altered molecular diffusion characteristics in the amygdala and in the anterior cingulate cortex may be specifically associated with Major Depressive Disorder. The identification of novel markers for brain microstructural changes could have implications for early prediction of depressive disorder. Our study demonstrates the utility of new quantitative MRI techniques in assessing structural alterations on the molecular level in the brain and provides valuable insights into the pathophysiology of depression.

New meta-analyses are presented that provide further evidence supporting the effectiveness of oral prolonged-release mesalazine compared to other oral mesalazines as induction therapy in patients with moderately active ulcerative colitis.

Tropical peat swamp forests are major global carbon (C) stores highly vulnerable to human intervention. In Peruvian Amazonia, palm swamps, the prevalent peat ecosystem, have been severely degraded through recurrent cutting of Mauritia flexuosa palms for fruit harvesting. While this can transform these C sinks into significant sources, the magnitude of C fluxes in natural and disturbed conditions remains unknown. Here, we estimated emissions from degradation along a gradient comprising undegraded (Intact), moderately degraded (mDeg) and heavily degraded (hDeg) palm swamps. C stock changes above- and below-ground were calculated from biomass inventories and peat C budgets resulting from the balance of C outputs (heterotrophic soil respiration (Rh), dissolved C exports), C inputs (litterfall, root mortality) and soil CH4 emissions. Fluxes spatiotemporal dynamics were monitored (bi)monthly over 1–3 years. The peat budgets (Mg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) revealed that medium degradation reduced by 88% the soil sink capacity (from − 1.6 ± 1.3 to − 0.2 ± 0.8 at the Intact and mDeg sites) while high degradation turned the soil into a high source (6.2 ± 0.7 at the hDeg site). Differences stemmed from degradation-induced increased Rh (5.9 ± 0.3, 6.2 ± 0.3, and 9.0 ± 0.3 Mg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ at the Intact, mDeg, and hDeg sites) and decreased C inputs (8.3 ± 1.3, 7.1 ± 0.8, and 3.6 ± 0.7 Mg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ at the same sites). The large total loss rates (6.4 ± 3.8, 15.7 ± 3.8 Mg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ under medium and high degradation), originating predominantly from biomass changes call for sustainable management of these peatlands.