Research Program Research Articles

Piaget as Metamodernist

The emerging discourse on metamodernism as an answer to the aporia of postmodernism seems to crystalize more and more into coherent and compelling configurations. Different and to some extent divergent conceptions of metamodernism—such as aesthetic sensibility, structure of feeling, cultural phase, political movement, and philosophical paradigm—have been considered by some to be expressions of a common underlying generative structure: that is, a worldview structure or developmental stage of cultural evolution. In this contribution, I will argue that developmentalism is indeed inherent in metamodern thought and that Piaget’s research program of genetic epistemology presents an early exploration of what might be called the metamodern condition. I will outline how the Piagetian project anticipates the principal themes now associated with metamodernism, such as an overcoming of relativism and particularism; a developmental view on ontology, epistemology, and ethics; a reconciliation of facts and values; a normative perspective on knowledge and validity; a relational view on subject/object and subject/subject interaction; a dialectical thinking that synthesizes opposing views; a reconstruction of developmental principles and construction laws; a depth-hermeneutic interpretation of cultural artifacts; an attitude of sincerity and hopefulness; a commitment for a political mission; a spirituality without religion; and, perhaps most significantly, a return of metanarratives.

Protocol and research program of the European registry and biobank for interstitial lung diseases (eurILDreg)

Abstract Background and Aims Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), encompassing both pediatric and adult cases, present a diverse spectrum of chronic conditions with variable prognosis. Despite limited therapeutic options beyond antifibrotic drugs and immunosuppressants, accurate diagnosis is challenging, often necessitating invasive procedures that may not be feasible for certain patients. Drawn against this background, experts across pediatric and adult ILD fields have joined forces in the RARE-ILD initiative to pioneer novel non-invasive diagnostic algorithms and biomarkers. Collaborating with the RARE-ILD consortium, the eurILDreg aims to comprehensively describe different ILDs, analyze genetically defined forms across age groups, create innovative diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers, and employ artificial intelligence for data analysis. Methods The foundation of eurILDreg is built on a comprehensive parameter list developed and adopted by clinical experts, encompassing over 1,800 distinct parameters related to patient history, clinical examinations, diagnosis, lung function and biospecimen collection. This robust dataset is further enriched with daily assessments captured through the patientMpower app, including handheld spirometry and exercise tests, conducted on approximately 350 patients over the course of a year. This approach involves app-based daily assessments of quality of life, symptom tracking, handheld spirometry, saturation measurement, and the 1-min sit-to-stand test (1-STST). Additionally, pediatric data from the ChILD-EU registry will be integrated into the RARE-ILD Data Warehouse, with the ultimate goal of including a total of 4.000 ILD patients and over 100.000 biospecimen. Discussion The collaborative efforts within the consortium are poised to streamline research endeavors significantly, promising to advance patient-centered care, foster innovation, and shape the future landscape of interstitial lung disease research and healthcare practices. Trial Registration EurILDreg is registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS 00028968, 26.07.2022), and eurIPFreg is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02951416).

A strategy to what end? “The strategy of model building in population biology” in its programmatic context

Abstract“The Strategy of Model Building in Population Biology” published by Richard Levins in 1966 has been cited over 2500 times. For a paper concerned with modeling approaches in population biology a surprisingly large part of the attention. The Strategy received comes from history and philosophy of biology, and specifically from accounts on model and model formulation. The Strategy is an unusual paper; it presents neither new data nor a new formal model; at times it reads like a manifesto for some modeling approach, without specifying which broader program that approach intends to support. When these peculiarities of The Strategy are even mentioned, the philosophical literature tends to explain them away by invoking Levins’ Marxist commitments. In contrast, I argue that those peculiarities can be explained by examining the programmatic purpose of the paper; starting from his doctoral work, Levins was trying to establish a research program meant to account for the relations between fitness and environment in different terms than the prevalent lock-and-key view. My paper brings that program back to the discussion, explains its relation to competing approaches and examines Levins’ approach to modeling in light of that context

Evaluating Performance and Agreement of Coronary Heart Disease Polygenic Risk Scores.

Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for coronary heart disease (CHD) are a growing clinical and commercial reality. Whether existing scores provide similar individual-level assessments of disease susceptibility remains incompletely characterized. To characterize the individual-level agreement of CHD PRSs that perform similarly at the population level. Cross-sectional study of participants from diverse backgrounds enrolled in the All of Us Research Program (AOU), Penn Medicine BioBank (PMBB), and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) ATLAS Precision Health Biobank with electronic health record and genotyping data. Polygenic risk for CHD from published PRSs and new PRSs developed separately from testing samples. PRSs that performed population-level prediction similarly were identified by comparing calibration and discrimination of models of prevalent CHD. Individual-level agreement was tested with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Light κ. A total of 48 PRSs were calculated for 171 095 AOU participants. The mean (SD) age was 56.4 (16.8) years. A total of 104 947 participants (61.3%) were female. A total of 35 590 participants (20.8%) were most genetically similar to an African reference population, 29 801 (17.4%) to an admixed American reference population, 100 493 (58.7%) to a European reference population, and the remaining to Central/South Asian, East Asian, and Middle Eastern reference populations. There were 17 589 participants (10.3%) with and 153 506 participants without (89.7%) CHD. When included in a model of prevalent CHD, 46 scores had practically equivalent Brier scores and area under the receiver operator curves (region of practical equivalence ±0.02). Twenty percent of participants had at least 1 score in both the top and bottom 5% of risk. Continuous agreement of individual predictions was poor (ICC, 0.373 [95% CI, 0.372-0.375]). Light κ, used to evaluate consistency of risk assignment, did not exceed 0.56. Analysis among 41 193 PMBB and 53 092 ATLAS participants yielded different sets of equivalent scores, which also lacked individual-level agreement. CHD PRSs that performed similarly at the population level demonstrated highly variable individual-level estimates of risk. Recognizing that CHD PRSs may generate incongruent individual-level risk estimates, effective clinical implementation will require refined statistical methods to quantify uncertainty and new strategies to communicate this uncertainty to patients and clinicians.

Leveraging the All of Us Database for Primary Care Research with Large Datasets.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) are supporting the All of Us research program, a large multicenter initiative to accelerate precision medicine. The All of Us database contains information on greater than 400,000 individuals spanning thousands of medical conditions, drug exposure types, and laboratory test types. These data can be correlated with genomic information and with survey data on social and environmental factors which influence health. A core principle of the All of Us program is that participants should reflect the diversity present in the United States population.The All of Us database has advanced many areas of medicine but is currently underutilized by primary care and public health researchers. In this Special Communication article, I seek to reduce the "barrier to entry" for primary care researchers to develop new projects within the All of Us Researcher Workbench. This Special Communication discusses (1) obtaining access to the database, (2) using the database securely and responsibly, (3) the key design concepts of the Researcher Workbench, and (4) details of data set extraction and analysis in the cloud computing environment. Fully documented, tutorial R statistical programming language and Python programs are provided alongside this article, which researchers may freely adapt under the open-source MIT license. The primary care research community should use the All of Us database to accelerate innovation in primary care research, make epidemiologic discoveries, promote community health, and further the infrastructure-building strategic priority of the family medicine 2024 to 2030 National Research Strategy.

First Steps Toward a Participatory Research Program: Early Intervention Perspectives on SLP Services for Children of Diverse Backgrounds.

This research was designed to deepen the understanding of contributing factors to disparities in speech-language pathology (SLP) service delivery to children of diverse backgrounds with language and communication delays, as well as to initiate community connections. We sought to understand the perspectives and experiences of those who provide or oversee SLP services to children with communication disorders in early intervention settings in Washington State. Individual semistructured interviews were completed with six SLPs and three administrators across five organizations. The interviews were designed to understand both individual- and systems-level contributing factors to service delivery challenges. Interviews were analyzed using an iterative coding process with multiple rounds of coding and multiple coders. In addition to synthesizing participants' understandings of, and preparation for, culturally responsive practice, three overarching themes are presented: (1) assets of early intervention as a service delivery model, (2) the distance between families and the practitioners and systems that serve them, and (3) compromised access and quality of services due to a predominantly monolingual-English system. Findings inform the next steps for building community partnerships with early intervention organizations. The long-term goal of this work is to collaboratively develop a participatory research program on equitable service delivery that addresses children's, families', and SLPs' needs.

Multimodal classifier of medical risk based on a multielectrode bioimpedance converter

The purpose of the research. The aim of the study is Russian and foreign studies have shown that malignant breast tumors have significantly different impedance from normal tissues. However, bioimpedance analysis has limitations in resolution, as well as in the imperfection of bioimpedance models required to generate input vectors for machine learning systems.Methods. The presented study proposes a multimodal classifier, the raw data for which are obtained through an electrode matrix. It also has three channels for processing the results of bioimpedance analysis, with subsequent aggregation of their solutions. An impedance model of biomaterial is proposed, which allows forming descriptors for medical risk classifiers.Results. Hardware and software for bioimpedance studies have been developed, which include a data collection device for bioimpedance spectroscopy based on an electrode matrix, a device for communication with the object of study, and a device for bioimpedance spectroscopy using an electrode matrix. The software includes interface windows for setting up the bioimpedance research program and training and testing fully connected neural networks. An experimental study of the multimodal classifier on a physical model was conducted using inclusions of higher conductivity (tumor imitation) of various types and sizes in the conductivity range from 1.1 to 1.9 of the background. Based on the obtained images in the two-level neural network of the first channel, the integral risk of breast cancer was determined for all pixels of the image. Statistical studies (ROC analysis) showed sufficient sensitivity and specificity for the screening method - > 0.75. Conclusion. Thus, a new model of intelligent support for medical decision-making has been created, integrating the capabilities of bioimpedance spectroscopy, convolutional neural networks and expert assessment of images generated by bioimpedance mapping. However, current data confirming the possibility of separating benign and malignant breast tumors using bioimpedancemetry methods are very limited, which requires further research in this direction.

Research for all: building a diverse researcher community for the All of Us Research Program.

The NIH All of Us Research Program (All of Us) is engaging a diverse community of more than 10 000 registered researchers using a robust engagement ecosystem model. We describe strategies used to build an ecosystem that attracts and supports a diverse and inclusive researcher community to use the All of Us dataset and provide metrics on All of Us researcher usage growth. Researcher audiences and diversity categories were defined to guide a strategy. A researcher engagement strategy was codeveloped with program partners to support a researcher engagement ecosystem. An adapted ecological model guided the ecosystem to address multiple levels of influence to support All of Us data use. Statistics from the All of Us Researcher Workbench demographic survey describe trends in researchers' and institutional use of the Workbench and publication numbers. From 2022 to 2024, some 13 partner organizations and their subawardees conducted outreach, built capacity, or supported researchers and institutions in using the data. Trends indicate that Workbench registrations and use have increased over time, including among researchers underrepresented in the biomedical workforce. Data Use and Registration Agreements from minority-serving institutions also increased. All of Us built a diverse, inclusive, and growing research community via intentional engagement with researchers and via partnerships to address systemic data access issues. Future programs will provide additional support to researchers and institutions to ameliorate All of Us data use challenges. The approach described helps address structural inequities in the biomedical research field to advance health equity.

Hyponatremia Associated with the Use of Common Antidepressants in the All of Us Research Program.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), and norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NRI) antidepressants can cause hyponatremia through syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). This study assesses the differential risks of hyponatremia associated with commonly prescribed SSRIs (fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, citalopram, escitalopram), SNRIs (duloxetine, venlafaxine) and NRI (bupropion), as well as omeprazole as a reference, with a retrospective observational cohort study in the All of Us Research Program, a national multicenter research cohort containing de-identified electronic health records (EHR). Participants who had been prescribed monotherapy with any of eight common antidepressants were included, with each drug considered as a separate arm indexed with a start date. Events were defined as the first occurrence of a low plasma sodium measurement or a clinical diagnosis recorded for either hyponatremia or SIADH. Those who did not have events were censored at their last plasma sodium measurement. A total of 17,439 individuals were exposed to one of the eight antidepressants as monotherapy. The overall incidences for hyponatremia were 0.87% in the first 30 days and 10.5% in the first 3 years in the antidepressant arms. Compared to sertraline, duloxetine (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.37 [1.19-1.58]) and escitalopram (HR = 1.16 [1.01-1.33]) were associated with the highest overall risk of hyponatremia, and bupropion (HR = 0.83 [0.73-0.94]) and paroxetine (HR = 0.78 [0.65-0.93]) were associated with the lowest risk. The risks were unchanged after adjusting for comorbidity and polypharmacy. Such information could help guide providers in managing patients and their risks of hyponatremia when on common antidepressants.

Genetic Analysis of Asymptomatic Antinuclear Antibody Production.

Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are detected in up to 14% of the population, and many individuals with ANA are asymptomatic. The literature on the genetic contribution to asymptomatic ANA positivity is limited. In this study, we aimed to perform a genome-wide association study of asymptomatic ANA positivity in multiple populations. Asymptomatic individuals who were either ANA positive or ANA negative from the All of Us Research Program were included in this study, selecting those with an ANA test performed by immunofluorescence and no evidence of autoimmune disease. Imputation was performed, and a multipopulation meta-analysis including approximately 6 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was conducted. Genome-wide SNP-based heritability was estimated using the Genome-wide Complex Trait Analysissoftware. A cumulative genetic risk score for lupus was constructed using previously reported genome-wide significant loci. A total of 1,955 asymptomatic ANA positive and 3,634 asymptomatic ANA negative individuals across three populations were included. The multipopulation meta-analysis revealed SNPs with a suggestive association (P <1 × 10-5) across 8 different loci, but no genome-wide significant loci were identified. A gene variant upstream of HLA-DQB1, (rs17211748, P = 1.4 × 10-6, odds ratio 0.82, 95% confidence interval 0.76-0.89), showed the most significant association. The heritability of asymptomatic ANA positivity was estimated to be 24.9%. Individuals who were asymptomatic and ANA positive did not exhibit increased cumulative genetic risk for lupus compared with individuals who were ANA negative. ANA production is not associated with significant genetic risk and is primarily determined by environmental factors.

Development of a robust SNP marker set for genotyping diverse gene bank collections of polyploid roses.

Due to genetic depletion in nature, gene banks play a critical role in the long-term conservation of plant genetic resources and the provision of a wide range of plant genetic diversity for research and breeding programs. Genetic information on accessions facilitates gene bank management and can help to conserve limited resources and to identify taxonomic misclassifications or mislabelling. Here, we developed SNP markers for genotyping 4,187 mostly polyploid rose accessions from large rose collections, including the German Genebank for Roses. We filtered SNP marker information from the RhWag68k Axiom SNP array using call rates, uniformity of the four allelic dosage groups and chromosomal position to improve genotyping efficiency. After conversion to individual PACE® markers and further filtering, we selected markers with high discriminatory power. These markers were used to analyse 4,187 accessions with a mean call rate of 91.4%. By combining two evaluation methods, the mean call rate was increased to 95.2%. Additionally, the robustness against the genotypic groups used for calling was evaluated, resulting in a final set of 18 markers. Analyses of 94 pairs of assumed duplicate accessions included as controls revealed unexpected differences for eight pairs, which were confirmed using SSR markers. After removing the duplicates and filtering for accessions that were robustly called with all 18 markers, 141 out of the 1,957 accessions showed unexpected identical marker profiles with at least one other accession in our PACE® and SSR analysis. Given the attractiveness of NGS technologies, 13 SNPs from the marker set were also analysed using amplicon sequencing, with 76% agreement observed between PACE® and amplicon markers. Although sampling error cannot be completely excluded, this is an indication that mislabelling occurs in rose collections and that molecular markers may be able to detect these cases. In future applications, our marker set could be used to develop a core reference set of representative accessions, and thus optimise the selection of gene bank accessions.

Poland’s Cultural Diplomacy in Ukraine

The article examines the peculiarities of the implementation of the Republic of Poland's implementation of cultural diplomacy in Ukraine. Considerable attention is paid to the analysis of the basic foundations and principles of the development of Polish cultural diplomacy in modern modern times, and the activities of governmental and non-governmental institutions working in the field of cultural diplomacy. It is noted that the development of Poland's cultural diplomacy has been positively influenced by its EU membership, the modernization and expansion of cultural infrastructure, the growing number of cultural institutions in Poland, and the intensification of Ukrainian-Polish cultural cooperation The activities of cultural diplomacy actors such as the Polish Institute in Kyiv, the Center for Polish Culture and European Dialogue in Ivano-Frankivsk, the Mickiewicz Institute, the Stefan Batory Foundation, the Other Space Foundation, the Krzysztof Skubiszewski Foundation, and the Lane Kirkland Program, and their roles in developing and strengthening Ukrainian-Polish cultural cooperation are analyzed. Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it is noted that the Polish government has continued to advance cultural diplomacy in Ukraine. The Polish Institute, in particular, has been implementing numerous cultural and artistic projects at various levels. Support for the Polish diaspora during the war has intensified, Polish culture is being increasingly promoted, and scientific diplomacy is actively progressing, particularly through joint Ukrainian-Polish research, scientific exchanges, and academic mobility programs for scholars.

Association between fine particulate matter and eczema: A cross-sectional study of the All of Us Research Program and the Center for Air, Climate, and Energy Solutions.

The prevalence of eczema has increased with industrialization. Industrial practices generate ambient air pollution, including fine particulate matter of diameter ≤ 2.5μm (PM2.5). Studies investigating the relationship between PM2.5 and eczema in the US are scarce. The objective of this study was to determine the risk of eczema with PM2.5 exposure in a diverse national cohort of American adults. In this cross-sectional study, eczema cases in the All of Us Research Program were linked via three-digit zip code to average annual PM2.5 concentrations from the Center for Air, Climate, and Energy Solutions. Eczema cases and controls were compared using Pearson's χ2 test for categorical variables and one-way analysis of variance for continuous variables. The relationship between PM2.5 and eczema was assessed via logistic regression adjusting for demographic factors, smoking, and atopic comorbidities. Individuals with eczema (n = 12,695) lived in areas with significantly higher PM2.5 concentrations than did individuals without eczema (n = 274,127) (0.83 x 10 μg/m3 v. 0.81 x 10 μg/m3, P < .001). PM2.5 concentration was significantly associated with eczema in univariable analysis (odds ratio 1.97, 95% confidence interval 1.77-2.19, P < .001), and in multivariable analyses, both controlling for demographics and smoking status (odds ratio 2.21, 95% confidence interval 1.98-2.47, P < .001) and with the addition of atopic comorbidities (odds ratio 2.38, 95% confidence interval 2.12-2.67, P < .001). The odds of eczema increased with greater PM2.5 concentration in this large, diverse, adult American cohort. Ambient air pollution is an environmental hazard that influences inflammatory skin disease, suggesting possible targeted interventions.

Building the foundation for polar bear science: Fifty years of research on polar bears in Western Hudson Bay

In 1966, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) (then Canadian Wildlife Service) initiated a research program on polar bears belonging to the Western Hudson Bay subpopulation (WH). This paper provides an overview of that program, highlighting the long-term research on WH polar bears with a focus on ECCC-led work. The WH research program, which has now extended across five decades with data on over 4600 individual bears, has evolved from a study of the basic ecology of polar bears into foundational work on the life history, demography, genetics, movement, behaviour, and ecology of an apex predator in a rapidly changing Arctic. Research on polar bears in Canada supports commitments under the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears (1973), the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992), and Canada’s Species at Risk Act (2002). Among Canada’s 13 polar bear subpopulations, only WH has sufficient long-term monitoring of individuals to assess demographic, behavioural, and life history consequences of climate change and other anthropogenic stressors. Future research should continue to ask key questions on how long-term environmental changes impact the ecology of polar bears. Integrating community priorities into the research program is necessary for it to continue to be successful in the future.

Leveraging the ARIS BI Toolkit to Equip Faculty for Career&amp;mdash;and CAREER&amp;mdash;Success

Research development professionals at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) used the Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS) Broader Impacts (BI) Toolkit with early-career faculty preparing grant proposals for the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER). This prestigious career-development funding mechanism places unique emphasis on the integration of research and education, positioning awardees to enhance the impact of their research programs through education initiatives like curriculum development, outreach, and community engagement. However, many early-career faculty lack experience or training to develop robust education plans that are thoughtfully aligned with and responsive to their research. With the aim of developing practical ways to help faculty gain these skills, the study team used mixed methods to analyze the integration of research and education in CAREER proposals submitted by UNL faculty. These methods included using the ARIS BI Rubric to evaluate the proposals, convening two panel review discussions, and interviewing principal investigators about their ARIS BI Toolkit use and approach to research-education integration. Case study findings reveal that while effective and impactful integration can take many forms, early-career faculty and those who support them can utilize the ARIS BI Toolkit strategically to strengthen this aspect of grant proposals, positioning faculty to write well-integrated CAREER proposals and potentially contributing to long-term grant-writing and research program success.

Non-steroidal Immune Modulating Therapies and Reduced Risk of Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Dermatomyositis and Polymyositis: A Cohort Study in the All of Us Research Program.

Non-steroidal Immune Modulating Therapies and Reduced Risk of Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Dermatomyositis and Polymyositis: A Cohort Study in the All of Us Research Program.

A Complete Study of Remote Sensing- Sentinel-2 Satellite Data for Land Use / Land Cover (LULC) Analysis

Remote sensing based Satellite collected Images is a complete advanced process of both the automatic detecting observation and overall earth monitoring as well as observing the mainly physical level of characteristics of an area by mainly measuring its reflected and emitted radiation at a distance mainly used from both satellite and aircraft. Special quality cameras collect remotely based sensed images, which help all researchers "sense" things about overall Earth observation. The European Research Space Agency (ESA) and the European (member countries) Union-EU both have equally provided together to specially a very powerful observation of the whole planet surface by simply making the remote sensing based Sentinel type-2 numerous spectral based results. The Sentinel category 2 satellite was successfully launched on June, 23rd 2015 to deliver satellite collection of data and imagery. The sentinel category-1 is the mission of the introductory satellite of Copernicus oriented research project for the artificial satellite based asterism organized by all Europe countries Space Research Agency. The satellite series of Sentinel 1A was successfully produced in the month of April, 03 2014, the same as Sentinel-1B satellite was successfully launched in the month of April, 25 2016. The Sentinel category-2 is the second category of satellite constellation of the All European countries Space Research Program designed mainly for a series of Sentinel missions. The main goal of the Sentinel category-2 satellite series mission is primary provide a very good quality of best pixel-resolution space satellite data / information used mainly for Land surface Cover (LC)/ Land Usage (LU) observation, coastal surface observation, different climate (Cloud) change and natural disaster damage mapping, Natural disaster, Earth Observatory, Forestry, Wildfire Assessment, Humanitarian operations with a best complementing to the other remote sensing satellite series missions mainly as-”LANDSAT”. Therefore, the review of advanced Sentinel type -2 is primary highlighted on these two important parameters: First, The main advantage of the ESA-Sentinel type 2 to different Land surface cover / Land usage classification or monitoring, second, Discovering total overall results of the ESA- Sentinel type-2 satellite data / imagery in various remote sensing based applications (such as the green-forest monitoring, urban area locality, natural level incident hazard analyze monitoring, coastal monitoring). The complete overall accuracy of data analysis can be improved when the possibility to simply integrate Sentinel type-2 satellite data with additional various types of advanced remotely based satellite observed details. The overall literature review of the Sentinel type-2 also describes a use of advanced remote sensing Sentinel type-2 details which are produced a very high level accuracies (&gt;81 to 85% by using various advanced machine-learning classification algorithms mainly as: Logistic standard Regression, Support based-Vector (classification) Machine-SVM, Decision level of Trees and Random standard forest-RF algorithm. Remaining, other classifier techniques commonly known as Maximum-Likelihood Analysis (MLA) are most commonly used. Although the sentinel type-2 also provides good level of opportunities mainly for Land surface cover-LC / Land usage-LU based on various classification, as well as they have many complex difficulties which added different mismatching with data of Landsat satellite based on OLI-category 8 additionally a gap of various thermal level bands, and different spatial based resolution (pixel) among the various bands of Sentinel type-2 satellite. The Sentinel-2 data has the good quality of probable to significantly present in the direction of land surface coverage with land usage monitoring as well as classification.

Specific road safety issues in LMICs: an overview and some illustrative examples

This paper gives an overview of the work of PIARC Working Group 3.1.1 ‘Specific road safety issues for LMICs’. The working group performed its activities in the period 2019–2023. We prepared two deliverables: (a) a literature review, and (b) an overview of illustrative examples. The review started from the notion that the road safety problem requires a multi-disciplinary approach. The safe system approach is generally considered as the central concept for this purpose and this starting point is also taken in this study. However new directions are needed to make the safe system concept work in LMICs. The period of the first UN Decade of Action for Road Safety has brought us a series of valuable problem analysis and overview articles prepared by a variety of institutions and institutes. As a PIARC working group we did not repeat this effort, but used it as a starting point to indicate which specific issues do require a boost in LMICs for the coming period up to 2030. We concluded that the following 12 issues deserve special attention. Strategical: (i) Sustainable Development Goals integral approach, (ii) safety culture, (iii) road safety management and leadership, (iv) building road safety expertise and science; Tactical: (v) transportation system as a whole, (vi) city design, architecture, land use, rural planning, (vii) cost effectiveness, (viii) legislation and enforcement; Operational: (ix) speed, (x) sustainable safe roads, (xi) vehicles as a safe system component, (xii) post-crash health care. As a result of our discussions and analyses we also concluded that it is worthwhile and necessary to make a distinction between the issues in terms of levels of approach. Making roads and vehicles safe may be considered as operational safety measures on a component level, whereas city design and transport system issues do represent a more tactical approach. On top of that, organisational and cultural aspects do have a more strategical nature. As in many managerial and planning tasks the distinction between strategical, tactical and operational levels of approach is needed in the road safety field. It illustrates that the Safe System concept asks for a multi-level vision, thus preventing a silo approach with a limited focus on human behaviour, safe roads or vehicle safety. A further analysis for each of the selected issues resulted in priority areas, i.e. topics that deserve special attention in the LMIC context. In a similar line of reasoning we also described illustrative examples, i.e. LMIC related before-after studies that show the perspective of certain measures on an evidence basis. Although we found some illustrative cases for each of these issues, our search for evidence based cases confirmed the findings from recent overview articles indicating the lack of LMIC related road safety research. A more widespread implementation of effective road safety measures in LMICs would require a stronger national commitment and leadership from the road safety agencies point of view in the first place. Moreover an evidence based policy asks for a strong national and regional knowledge infrastructure. Ultimately road safety policies and road safety research programs are to be considered as inseparable. A strong local knowledge infrastructure may thus become the basis for an effective national road safety policy.

Genus Stachys—Phytochemistry, Traditional Medicinal Uses, and Future Perspectives

The genus Stachys represents one of the most extensive genera within the subfamily Lamioideae and ranks as one of the largest genera in the Lamiaceae family. Many Stachys species are associated with a rich history in traditional medicine across various cultures, and their extracts and essential oils are rich in non-volatile and volatile compounds. Because of their complex profile of bioactive substances, Stachys members are considered to possess an extensive spectrum of therapeutic properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial, cytotoxic, and wound-healing effects, as well as benefits for memory enhancement, lipid profile regulation, blood glucose control, and weight management. Despite the wide distribution and chemical diversity of the genus, studies on its biological activities remain limited. The aim of this review is to summarize the most relevant data from studies on the bioactive compounds, traditional uses, and pharmacological properties of Stachys species found in databases such as Science Direct, PubMed, and Scopus. Specific keywords were used in the search strategy, including “bioactive compounds”, “Stachys”, “Lamiaceae”, “Stachys extract”, “Stachys essential oil”, “traditional uses”, “chemical composition”, “therapeutic potential”, “clinical trials”, “in vivo studies”, “in vitro studies”. The search strategy was performed according to the guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Data from 171 studies were included. The manuscript highlights the drug-discovery potential of Stachys species, emphasizing their potential applications in medicine, cosmetics, dietary supplements, and the food industry. Moreover, it provides important data that could assist Stachys research programs.

Abstract 4127792: Age-stratified Monogenic and Polygenic Contributions for Atrial Fibrillation in the All of Us Research Program

Background: Rare and common genetic variation both contribute to atrial fibrillation (AF), but the effects may not be uniform across ages. The All of Us Research Program contains whole-genome sequencing of 100,574 adult participants with electronic health records. Hypothesis: Rare genetic variants are associated with early-onset AF; common genetic variants are associated with late-onset AF. Aims: To quantify the diagnostic yield provided by rare and common genetic variation in AF across age. Methods: The clinical, monogenic, and polygenic contributions to AF were assessed in a cross-sectional group of participants in the NIH-funded All of Us Research Program, stratified by three age groups: &lt;45 years (n=22,290), 45-60 years (n= 26,805), &gt;60 years (n=51,659). Variant discovery was performed for pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants among 145 candidate cardiac genes with dominant inheritance for cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia. A previously established polygenic risk score (PRS) was calculated. After adjusting for known clinical factors, multivariable analysis quantified the associations between monogenic and polygenic factors versus AF status in each age group. Results: There were 100,574 participants: 7,811 with AF and 92,763 without AF. The presence of ≥1 P/LP variant(s) were associated with AF across all age groups, with stronger associations in the age &lt;45 group (OR 2.3 [95% CI 1.4-4.1]) compared older groups (OR 1.5 [95% CI 1.1-2.1] in age 45-60, and OR 1.4 [95% CI 1.2-1.7] in age &gt;60). In contrast, PRS was not associated with AF in participants &lt;45 years (OR 1.02 [95% CI 0.88-1.17]) but was associated with AF in the older groups: OR 1.54 [95% CI 1.31-1.80] in age 45-60 and OR 1.49 [95% CI 1.40-1.59] for age &gt;60. Overall, clinical risk factors are highly associated with AF (AUC 0.84 [0.83-0.85]); adding polygenic and monogenic factors contribute only marginal improvement (AUC 0.86 [0.85-0.87]). Conclusion: In this cross-sectional dataset, monogenic and polygenic factors have opposite associations with AF. Monogenic variants are associated with early-onset AF, whereas PRS has no association with AF at younger ages. Clinical risk factors continue to explain the majority of the variation in AF status.