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Handbook of Blockchain Analytics
No full textThis handbook delves into the multifaceted domain of blockchain technology and its applications, offering insights across technological, economic, and practical dimensions. It is divided into several parts, reflecting analysis techniques specific to different fields of application, including digital finance, security and supply chains, among others.
The book begins with a foundational exploration of blockchain technology, providing a comprehensive understanding of its core mechanisms. The analysis extends to cutting-edge topics such as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and visualization technologies, which reveal the dynamic interplay between digital assets and technological innovation.
Cryptocurrency liquidity and market dynamics are also examined, employing principles like Metcalfe's Law and Log-Periodic Power Laws to unravel complex market behaviors. Empirical studies shed light on volatility forecasting and the impact of sudden market jumps, enriching the predictive frameworks for cryptocurrency trading.
In the realm of blockchain analytics, advanced methodologies like process mining are applied to uncover patterns in blockchain applications, while network analytics provide tools for fraud detection and heuristic evaluation. Decision-making in blockchain transactions is explored through the lens of mempool dynamics, providing practical insights for optimizing blockchain operations.
The narrative extends to business applications, highlighting strategies for blockchain-driven development and the legal and financial implications of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). Blockchain’s transformative potential in healthcare is showcased, alongside a survey of federated learning frameworks that leverage blockchain for secure and decentralized machine learning.
Security remains a pivotal theme, with a focus on the role of blockchain in cybersecurity and compliance functions. The investigation addresses decentralized finance (DeFi) vulnerabilities through case studies on attacks, offering lessons to enhance system robustness. Finally, the text envisions a future where decentralized models democratize foundational technologies, and blockchain facilitates innovations in maritime supply chains, driving efficiency and transparency in global logistics.
This compilation serves as a gateway to understanding the theoretical and practical dimensions of blockchain, emphasizing its evolving role in reshaping industries and economic systems
Macrophages amplify spontaneous activity of damaged sensory neurons in a human co-culture model of neuropathic pain
Get PDFNeuropathic pain is a highly prevalent condition for which treatments are hampered by low efficacy and dose-limiting side-effects. Injury to the somatosensory nervous system causes maladaptive plasticity that initiates and maintains chronic pain. Emerging evidence suggests that inflammatory cells of the innate immune system shape the response of the injured nervous system and thereby contribute to the pathogenesis of pain. Data from preclinical models and human patient biopsies have specifically implicated peripheral macrophage populations for a pro-algesic role, yet how these cell types influence damaged sensory neurons and whether they directly contribute to neuronal hyperexcitability is unclear.
Here, we have developed an iPSC co-culture system to study the interactions of macrophages and sensory neurons in a fully humanised experimental model. We found that analogous to endogenous counterparts, iPSC-derived macrophages (iMacs) display a dynamic molecular and functional profile that is highly dependent on neuronal state. Co-culture with injured iPSC-derived sensory neurons (iSNs) induces morphological, gene expression, and secretory profile changes in iMacs that are consistent with the response of macrophages to nerve injury in vivo. iMacs in turn amplify spontaneous firing in damaged sensory neurons, implicating macrophages in this cardinal feature of neuropathic pain.
These results illustrate the utility of an iPSC-based model to study signalling between these two cell types; they support a role for macrophages in directly amplifying damaged sensory neuron activity and highlight disrupting pathological signalling between these cell types as a promising strategy for future analgesic drug development
The natural history and impact of urinary tract infections in kidney transplant recipients
Get PDFBackground:
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common infection following kidney transplantation. However, the natural history of UTIs is incompletely understood, as is the impact of UTIs on patient outcomes.
Methods:
A single-center cohort study of kidney-only transplant recipients at the West of Scotland Renal Transplant Unit, UK was undertaken. A standardized protocol for UTI screening and treatment was followed. Patients were categorized into 3 groups based on the number of culture-proven UTI: no UTIs, 1-2 UTIs and ≥3 UTIs. Proportional odds logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors for developing UTIs, with adjustment for age, sex, primary renal diagnosis, donor type and induction immunosuppression.
Results:
Of 1412 recipients, 1169 (82.8%) had no UTIs, 180 (12.7%) had 1-2, and 63 (4.5%) had ≥3. Key risk factors for ≥3 UTIs were female sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.48, 1.15-1.91), older age (aOR: 1.01, 1.00-1.02) and ATG induction (aOR: 3.73, 2.16-6.45). Recipients whose kidney failure had been caused by lower urinary tract disorders were at increased risk of developing one or more UTIs (aOR: 1.86 1.03-3.34). Recipients with ≥3 UTIs had a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at 2 years post-transplant (49.7 vs. 59.2 mL/min/1.73 m², p = .03), but there was no significant difference is patient or graft survival at 2 years.
Conclusions:
We report a relatively low rate of treated UTIs in the first 2 years post kidney transplantation, with female sex, older age, and ATG induction identified as key risk factors. While UTIs did not increase graft loss or mortality, recurrent infections were associated with lower eGFR at 2 years. Targeted screening and prevention strategies should be considered for identified high-risk recipients
Effects of finerenone on readmissions for heart failure: insights from the FINEARTS-HF trial
Get PDFNo abstract available
Paper-based short-wave infrared spectroscopy for glucose quantification with human serum
No full textAccurate glucose monitoring is essential for diabetes management and clinical diagnostics. We present a paper-based assay utilizing a short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectroscopy for glucose quantification at the 6599 cm⁻¹ (1515 nm) absorption peak, while minimizing the water interference. Our study investigates two structural forms of glucose, α-D-glucose and β-D-glucose (anomers), tracking their ratio in glucose solutions with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), pure human serum, and their mixtures. While the β/α D-glucose ratio remains stable across all measured glucose concentrations in PBS, human serum induces a shift favoring α-D-glucose at higher concentrations, due to glucose interactions with other biomolecules. Our findings may have implications for glucose transport, enzymatic processing, metabolic assessment and understanding nutrient uptake in the body. While SWIR glucose spectroscopy has been explored in prior studies, our work integrates anomeric equilibrium shifts, protein-glucose binding effects, and paper-based sensing into a unified analytical framework, providing an effective approach for glucose quantification with wide-ranging applications in human health
Evaluation of the Yes to Veg! Programme, a food systems approach to increase vegetable exposure and agency in pre-school age children: a quasi-experimental study
No full textChildren's early years food environment can influence dietary habits. We evaluated Yes to Veg! a 4‐week nursery‐based programme on
pre‐school children's vegetable exposure, consumption and agency. A quasi‐experimental study in 11 nurseries (6 intervention/5
controls) located in socio‐economically deprived areas of Glasgow, Scotland. Yes to Veg! delivered locally grown fresh vegetables once‐
per‐week for children's daily nursery activities. Control nurseries received standard healthy eating recommendations. Parental pre‐ and
post‐questionnaires measured child vegetable exposure (vegetables tried from a 27‐item list), consumption frequency (1 = once‐per‐
week to 5 = everyday) and variety consumed (0 = none/1 = 1‐4/2 = 5‐9/3 = 10+ kinds). Qualitative comments reported by parents,
nursery staff and from researcher observations were extracted for qualitative themes. From 257 parent‐child dyads recruited, 57 (n = 34
intervention/n = 23 control, child mean age 51 months) completed both questionnaires. Vegetables tried [Mean(SD)] did not change
between intervention [total score pre 16.7(4.5) vs 16.8(5.6) post, difference 0.19(0.6), p = 0.765] and control group [total score pre
16.4(5.3) vs 16.0(5.6) post, difference −0.39(0.57), p = 0.503]. Median pre‐ and post‐consumption frequency in both groups was 4
(most days); the variety of vegetables consumed was higher in intervention (5‐9 items) vs control (1‐4 items) and these measurements
didn't change between pre‐ and post. Vegetable agency increased in the intervention; parents said children talked more about vegetables
at home (91% vs 65% control) and were willing to try vegetables at home (41% vs 34% control); emerging qualitative themes included
children's engagement with vegetables, sensory interaction and programme acceptance. Yes to Veg! facilitated exposure, engagement
and familiarisation to vegetables, was well implemented and received, but did not change consumption
Gender and the far-right
No full textThe role of gender in far-right parties and movements received little attention until the twentieth century, when feminist and masculinity studies began to draw attention to women's participation in these politics and the gendered nature of men's far-right activism. In the past decade, research in this area has flourished, creating a distinct subspecialty. This review focuses on recent scholarship on the discourse and practices of femininity/women and masculinity/men in the far-right and the transnational antigender movement opposed to feminist and LGBTQ+ political gains. It also suggests topical and methodological directions for the next stage of research and reflects on the ethical, political, and safety challenges that scholars of the far-right and gender encounter today
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