bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Running modulates primate and rodent visual cortex differently
Authors: Liska John P , Rowley Declan P , Nguyen Trevor Thai K. , Muthmann Jens-Oliver , Butts Daniel A , Yates Jacob L , Huk Alexander Christopher
Published: June 2022

When mice run, activity in their primary visual cortex (V1) is strongly modulated. This observation has altered conceptions of a brain region assumed to be a passive image processor. Extensive work has followed to dissect the circuits and functions of running-correlated modulation. However, it remains unclear whether visual processing in primates might similarly change during locomotion. We therefore measured V1 activity in marmosets while they viewed stimuli on a treadmill. In contrast to mouse, running-correlated modulations of marmoset V1 were small, and tended to be slightly suppressive. Population-level analyses revealed trial- to-trial fluctuations of shared gain across V1 in both species, but while strongly correlated with running in mice, gain modulations were smaller and more often negatively correlated with running in marmosets. Thus, population-wide fluctuations of V1 may reflect a common feature of mammalian visual cortical function, but important quantitative differences point to distinct consequences for the relation between vision and action in primates versus rodents.
Accurate and Fast Clade Assignment via Deep Learning and Frequency Chaos Game Representation
Authors: Cartes Jorge Avila , Anand Santosh , Ciccolella Simone , Bonizzoni Paola , Della Vedova Gianluca
Published: June 2022

Background

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic there has been an explosion of sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, making it the most widely sequenced virus in the history. Several databases and tools have been created to keep track of genome sequences and variants of the virus, most notably the GISAID platform hosts millions of complete genome sequences, and it is continuously expanding every day. A challenging task is the development of fast and accurate tools that are able to distinguish between the different SARS-CoV-2 variants and assign them to a clade.

Results

In this paper, we leverage the Frequency Chaos Game Representation (FCGR) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to develop an original method that learns how to classify genome sequences that we implement into CouGaR-g, a tool for the clade assignment problem on SARS-CoV-2 sequences. On a testing subset of the GISAID, CouGaR-g achieves an 96.29% overall accuracy, while a similar tool, Covidex, obtained a 77, 12% overall accuracy. As far as we know, our method is the first using Deep Learning and FCGR for intra-species classification. Furthermore, by using some feature importance methods CouGaR-g allows to identify k-mers that matches SARS-CoV-2 marker variants.

Conclusions

By combining FCGR and CNNs, we develop a method that achieves a better accuracy than Covidex (which is based on Random Forest) for clade assignment of SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences, also thanks to our training on a much larger dataset, with comparable running times. Our method implemented in CouGaR-g is able to detect k-mers that capture relevant biological information that distinguishes the clades, known as marker variants.

Availability

The trained models can be tested online providing a FASTA file (with one or multiple sequences) at https://huggingface.co/spaces/BIASLab/sars-cov-2-classification-fcgr. CouGaR-g is also available at https://github.com/AlgoLab/CouGaR-g under the GPL.
Transcriptional Cartography Integrates Multiscale Biology of the Human Cortex
Authors: Wagstyl Konrad , Adler Sophie , Seidlitz Jakob , Vandekar Simon , Mallard Travis T. , Dear Richard , DeCasien Alex R. , Satterthwaite Theodore D. , Liu Siyuan , Vértes Petra E. , Shinohara Russell T. , Alexander-Bloch Aaron , Geschwind Daniel H. , Raznahan Armin
Published: June 2022

The cerebral cortex underlies many of our unique strengths and vulnerabilities - but efforts to understand human cortical organization are challenged by reliance on incompatible measurement methods at different spatial scales. Macroscale features such as cortical folding and functional activation are accessed through spatially dense neuroimaging maps, whereas microscale cellular and molecular features are typically measured with sparse postmortem sampling. Here, we integrate these distinct windows on brain organization by building upon existing postmortem data to impute, validate and analyze a library of spatially dense neuroimaging-like maps of human cortical gene expression. These maps allow spatially unbiased discovery of cortical zones with extreme transcriptional profiles or unusually rapid transcriptional change which index distinct microstructure and predict neuroimaging measures of cortical folding and functional activation. Modules of spatially coexpressed genes define a family of canonical expression maps that integrate diverse spatial scales and temporal epochs of human brain organization - ranging from protein-protein interactions to large-scale systems for cognitive processing. These module maps also parse neuropsychiatric risk genes into subsets which tag distinct cyto-laminar features and differentially predict the location of altered cortical anatomy and gene expression in patients. Taken together, the methods, resources and findings described here advance our understanding of human cortical organization and offer flexible bridges to connect scientific fields operating at different spatial scales of human brain research.
Condensin I folds theC. elegansgenome
Authors: Das Moushumi , Semple Jennifer I. , Haemmerli Anja , Volodkina Valeriia , Scotton Janik , Gitchev Todor , Annan Ahrmad , Campos Julie , Statzer Cyril , Dakhovnik Alexander , Ewald Collin Y. , Mozziconacci Julien , Meister Peter
Published: June 2022

The Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) complexes, cohesin and condensins, are named for their roles in separating and compacting chromosomes during meiosis and mitosis. Recent data from mammalian cells have revealed additional functions for cohesin, including folding the interphase genome into loops and domains. However, it remains unclear what determines genome folding in holocentric species. To address this question, we systematically and acutely inactivated each SMC complex. Surprisingly, we found that, in contrast to mammals, condensin I is the major long-range genome loop extruder, while cohesin only creates small loops. Specifically, loss of condensin I led to genome-wide decompaction, chromosome mixing, and the disappearance of topologically associating domain (TAD) structures, while reinforcing fine-scale epigenomic compartments. Strikingly, inactivating condensin I and its X-specific variant condensin IDCfrom the X chromosomes revealed the existence of a third compartment that groups together a subset of previously characterized loading sites for condensin IDCand binding sites for the X-targeting complex SDC. Although the inactivation of cohesin, condensin II, and condensin I/IDCled to minor transcriptional changes for all autosomes, removing condensin I/IDCfrom the X chromosome resulted in the up-regulation of X-linked genes. In conclusion, our findings describe a novel function forC. eleganscondensin I/IDCin organizing holocentric interphase chromosomes, which substitutes for the role played by cohesin in mammals.
Playing to the audience? Multilevel interactions between stakeholders and institutions around CSR in Bangladesh
Authors: Roy Taposh , Burchell Jon , Cook Joanne
Published: June 2022

Purpose

While corporate social responsibility (CSR) research and practice has expanded and evolved rapidly in recent years, little is known about how MNC subsidiaries develop their CSR strategies and how they reconcile global and local demands and pressures from both institutions and stakeholders. The paper aims to understand how institutions and stakeholder pressures interact at both national and international levels and how these interactions shape MNC subsidiaries' CSR in Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

Multiple case studies were used to investigate the CSR practices of 10 MNC subsidiaries operating in Bangladesh. To collect data, twenty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted. For supplementing primary data, secondary data from annual reports and websites were collected.

Findings

The article demonstrates that the practice of CSR in Bangladesh is a result of pressures exerted by parent companies, international institutions and international stakeholders. The article reveals how lack of pressure from local stakeholders and institutions enables subsidiaries to gain traction and use their agency to apply globalised CSR conceptualisations not necessarily applicable to the localised context.

Originality/value

The study has synthesised existing approaches to develop a multilevel framework for understanding how the intricate interactions between institutions and stakeholders from different levels (i.e. national and international levels) determine the trajectory of CSR adopted by subsidiaries in developing countries. This interaction undoubtedly plays a key role in determining the types of CSR strategy being enacted, the potential agency of different actors to shape change and the extent to which such pressures are likely to lead to CSR strategies that actually reflect and respond to the needs of local stakeholders.
A holistic approach to pressure almond oil production
Authors: Roncero Heras Jose María , Alvarez-Ortí Manuel , Pardo-Giménez Arturo , Rabadán Adrián , Pardo José Emilio , Roncero Alicia
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Almond oil is a gourmet product with functional food characteristics owing to its high almond oil content and high nutritional quality. One of the primary constraints on its production is the lack of information regarding oil extraction from an industrial perspective, including by-products generation.

Design/methodology/approach

The performance, quality and composition characteristics were analyzed, both from the physical-chemical and organoleptic point of view, of the almond oils obtained through two pressure systems: screw press (SP) and hydraulic press (HP). To ensure the success of almond oil production at a commercial scale, in this work, an economic study of the costs of the process was carried out as a complementary part of optimizing the production of virgin almond oil.

Findings

Physicochemical analysis showed little difference, just in total sterols (HP 2069, SP 2153) and some quality indexes (K232: HP 1.63, SP 2.13; peroxide index: HP 1.74, SP 0.95), in contrast to sensory analysis. Consumer judges valued roasted almond oil extracted using a HP the best. The production cost of the oil extracted with the SP was €23.05/l. With the HP it was €25.13/l, owing to the lower oil yield in the extraction. The most expensive treatment was for the HP with toasted almonds (€27.76/l), owing to the greater need for processing.

Originality/value

Production costs derived from the method used have received little attention. This paper presents data that allow for the transference between academic and industrial ambit and their economic viability.
Potential effects of green brand legitimacy and the biospheric value of eco-friendly behavior on online food delivery: a mediation approach
Authors: Chen Xiaohua , Lee Timothy J.
Published: June 2022

Purpose

This study aims to apply legitimacy theory and self-identity theory to the online food delivery (OFD) app service and then to investigate the impact of green brand legitimacy and biospheric value orientation perceived by customers on eco-friendly behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

This study focuses on the mediating role of trust in green brands and its perceived benefits (including psychological and environmental benefits). This study involved an online survey of 445 customers who had experienced using OFD services in the past six months.

Findings

The platform's green brand legitimacy and consumer perceived biospheric value orientation positively impact trust in green brands. Trust in green products and services significantly affects customers' perceived benefits and has a positive impact on eco-friendly service using behavior. Mediating effect analysis indicated that brand legitimacy and biospheric value have a positive indirect influence on the psychological benefits of supporting green activities and utilitarian environmental benefits.

Research limitations/implications

The convenience sampling method is used, and its purely quantitative nature may limit the generalization of the research results.

Practical implications

The OFD platform should encourage online catering retailers to use more eco-friendly packages for packaging food and minimize the provision of disposable tableware. The platform manager can provide consumers with knowledge and information on lowering related environmental pollution sources when ordering food.

Originality/value

This study innovatively introduces brand legitimacy into the green consumption literature. This is an essential expansion of the content of brand legitimacy and a supplement for the research field of eco-friendly behavior.
The contribution of critical thinking and self-efficacy beliefs to teaching style preferences in higher education
Authors: Amirian Seyyed Mohammad Reza , Ghaniabadi Saeed , Heydarnejad Tahereh , Abbasi Saeed
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Following the significant role of critical thinking (CT), sense of efficacy beliefs and teaching style preferences in the success of teachers and consequently the success of the educational system, this study intended to explore their relationship and the possible influence of these three factors among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university professors.

Design/methodology/approach

To this end, Watson–Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal-Form A, Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) and Grasha's Teaching Style Inventory (TSI) were administered to 320 Iranian EFL university professors.

Findings

The data were examined via path analysis indicated that teachers' CT abilities and sense of self-efficacy beliefs significantly influenced the teaching style preferences. Moreover, it was concluded that Iranian EFL university professors' CT skills positively affect their sense of efficacy beliefs.

Research limitations/implications

Future studies may advance the possible relationships among the sub-components of CT, self-efficacy beliefs and teaching style. Furthermore, further investigations are recommended to study the influence of university professors' CT, self-efficacy beliefs and teaching style preferences in enhancing their learners' achievement.

Practical implications

The implications of the present study may contribute to the field of teacher education in providing opportunities for teachers to develop and practice higher-order thinking and self-assisted skills.

Social implications

The implications of this study may redound to the advantage of university professors, teacher educators and policy-makers.

Originality/value

This research is original. To the best of the researchers' knowledge, there has been no study investigated the possible relationships between CT, sense of efficacy beliefs and teaching style preferences in higher education.
How does institutional environment in the digital context affect technology entrepreneurship? The moderating roles of government digitalization and gender
Authors: Jiao Hao , Wang Lindong , Shi Yang
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Based on institutional theory, this study aims to analyze the influencing mechanisms of the institutional environment in the digital context on technology entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, World Bank and World Economic Forum, this study builds a multilevel database covering 79 countries and 97,146 individuals from 2013 to 2017. A mixed-effects logistic regression model with the fixed part and random part was chosen to test the hypotheses in this study. The mixed-effects logistic regression model used in this study includes a random intercept with random effects at the country level, while the robustness test considers a more complex two-level model with a random intercept plus random slope.

Findings

The findings indicate that different dimensions of the institutional environment in the digital context have different effects on individual technology entrepreneurship. The analysis shows that exposure to digital networks and innovative culture positively influences technology entrepreneurship. However, intellectual property rights protection has a negative impact on technology entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the government digitalization has different effects on above relationships. When a government digitalization is higher, there will be a weaker positive relationship between exposure to digital networks and technology entrepreneurship. When a government digitalization is higher, there will be a stronger positive relationship between innovative culture and technology entrepreneurship. When a government digitalization is higher, there will be a weaker negative relationship between Intellectual property rights protection and technology entrepreneurship. Finally, the effect of innovative culture on technology entrepreneurship in the digital context is stronger for females than for males.

Originality/value

The aforementioned findings contribute to a better understanding of the theoretical logic underlying digital factors affecting the institutional environment and technology entrepreneurship and act as a reference for the country in terms of raising its scientific and technological levels and promoting economic structure transformation in the digital era.
Birds of a feather flock together: matched personality effects of product recommendation chatbots and users
Authors: Jin Eunjoo , Eastin Matthew S.
Published: June 2022

Purpose

AI-driven product recommendation chatbots have markedly reduced operating costs and increased sales for marketers. However, previous literature has paid little attention to the effects of the personality of e-commerce chatbots. This study aimed to examine the ways that the interplay between the chatbot's and the user's personality can increase favorable product attitudes and future intentions to use the chatbot. Based on prior literature, we specifically focused on the degree of extroversion of both chatbot and user.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 291 individuals participated in this study. Two different versions of chatbot were created for this study (i.e. extroversion: high vs. low). Participants self-reported their degree of extroversion. The PROCESS macro Model 1 and Model 7 with the Johnson–Neyman technique were employed to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results showed that the high extroversion chatbot elicited greater user satisfactions and perceptions of chatbot friendliness among users with a high level of extroversion. On the contrary, the low extroversion chatbot resulted in greater user satisfactions and perceived chatbot friendliness among users with a low level of extroversion. This study further found that user satisfactions and perceived chatbot friendliness mediated the effects of the chatbot on greater intentions to use the chatbot and more favorable product attitudes.

Originality/value

By showing the effects of matching the personality of the chatbot and user, this study revealed that similarity-attraction effects also apply to human–chatbot interaction in e-commerce. Future studies would benefit by investigating the similarity-attraction effects in different characteristics, such as appearance, opinion and preference. This study also provides useful information for e-commerce marketers and chatbot UX/UI designers.
You’re so good-looking and wise, my powerful leaders! When deference becomes flattery in employee–authority relations
Authors: De Clercq Dirk , Pereira Renato
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between employees’ deference to leaders’ authority and their upward ingratiatory behavior, which may be invigorated by two personal resources (dispositional greed and social cynicism) and two organizational resources (informational justice and forgiveness climate).

Design/methodology/approach

In this study survey data were collected among employees who work in the banking sector.

Findings

Strict adherence to leaders’ authority stimulates upward ingratiatory behavior, especially when employees (1) have a natural tendency to want more, (2) are cynical about people in power, (3) believe they have access to pertinent organizational information and (4) perceive their organization as forgiving of mistakes.

Practical implications

For human resource (HR) managers, this study points to the risk that employees’ willingness to comply blindly with the wishes of organizational leaders can escalate into excessive, inefficient levels of flattery. Several personal and organizational conditions make this risk particularly likely to materialize.

Originality/value

This study extends prior human resource management (HRM) research by revealing the conditional effects of an unexplored determinant of upward ingratiatory behavior, namely, an individual desire to obey organizational authorities unconditionally.
Strategic response to COVID-19: how do social enterprises navigate crisis situations?
Authors: Sarma Sushanta Kumar , Kumar Kunal Kamal , Mishra Sushanta Kumar
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Social enterprises (SEs) have experienced unprecedented uncertainty due to COVID-19, and it has challenged the fundamental assumptions underlying the SEs. Little is known about the strategic response of SEs when their fundamental characteristics are being challenged. The purpose of this paper is to explore – how do SEs respond to a crisis caused by the pandemic?

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts a case study approach and reports the response strategy of impulse social enterprises (ISE) from India. Data were collected through interviews, Webinars and organizational reports. To analyze the data, the authors examined the fundamental assumption on SE that was challenged by the pandemic.

Findings

The response strategy of ISE is driven by social and substantive rationality focusing on the relationship with the community and doing what is good for them. The role of communication was vital in gathering support and resources to continue with their function. ISE adapted a mindset of mission agility and created an alternative market for its product.

Originality/value

This study highlights the response strategy of SE in an emerging economy like India, which experienced one of the stringent lockdowns. It is probably one of the few studies that examined the responses of SE under a crisis that challenged their fundamental attributes by adopting the framework of Bacq and Lumpkin (2021).
Soil mesofauna may buffer the negative effects of drought on alien plant invasion
Authors: Jin Huifei , Chang Liang , van Kleunen Mark , Liu Yanjie
Published: June 2022

Although many studies have tested the direct effects of drought on alien plant invasion, less is known about whether drought affects alien plant invasion indirectly via interactions of plants with other groups of organisms such as soil mesofauna.

To test for such indirect effects, we grew single plants of nine naturalized alien target species in pot mesocosms with a community of five native grassland species under four combinations of two drought (well‐watered vs. drought) and two soil‐mesofauna inoculation (with vs. without) treatments.

We found that drought decreased the absolute and the relative biomass production of the alien plants, and thus reduced their competitive strength in the native community. Drought also decreased the abundance of soil mesofauna, particularly soil mites, but did not affect the abundance and richness of soil herbivores. Soil‐fauna inoculation did not affect the biomass of the alien plants but increased the biomass of the native plant community, and thereby decreased the relative biomass production of the alien plants. This increased invasion resistance due to soil fauna, however, tended (p = 0.09) to be stronger for plants growing under well‐watered conditions than under drought.

Synthesis. Our multispecies experiment thus shows that soil fauna might help native communities to resist alien plant invasions, but that this effect might be weakened under drought. In other words, soil mesofauna may buffer the negative effects of drought on alien plant invasions.
Activating dark earths: somatosoils and the carbonic loops of Amazonian ecologies
Authors: Arregui Aníbal G.
Published: June 2022

Inspired by the fertility and climate change‐mitigation properties of the so‐called Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs), soil science has devised a technoscientific replica, a soil amendment known as biochar, intended to improve agricultural sustainability and carbon storage in the biosphere. Drawing on fieldwork with Afroindigenous horticulturalists, this article shows, however, that the activation of these soils’ vibrant ecology responds to looping, carbonic, and socially mediated forms of human and other‐than‐human corporeal interplay. With an ethnography of swidden horticulture in Amazonia, I propose the notion of ‘somatosoils’ to consider that the fertility and other metabolic properties of ADEs might be located notin the soil, butin the relationsbetween the earth's bodies and the specific human gestures that stimulate these soils’ inner life.
The socio‐organizational and human dynamics of resilience in a hospital: The case of the COVID‐19 crisis
Authors: De La Garza Cecilia , Lot Nicolas
Published: June 2022

The aim of this paper is to analyze COVID‐19 crisis management from the perspective of organizational resilience. An empirical study was conducted from April to June 2020 in one French hospital in Paris. The study focused on the organizational changes implied by the ‘all COVID‐19 strategy’, the success factors facilitating the organizational resilience, and the difficulty factors. We show that organizational resilience in this case was based on a link between the anticipation and adaptation processes. This capacity for resilience can also be organized using an original structure that connects strategic decisions with the reality on the ground, takes account of the demands and constraints of operational actors, and offers them the necessary support. The description and analysis of real work carried out by operational actors illustrates the contribution made by expertize to organizational resilience, and the social dynamics of the adaptation process. Finally, the emotional aspects, rarely featured in the literature, are highlighted as an intrinsic element of a crisis. The results will provide evidence to help better understand crisis management and feedback to strengthen the management of future crises.
Systemic sclerosis in Native Americans of the American Southwest
Authors: Emil N. Suzanne , Vondenberg Jaime A. , Waters Yvonne M. , Muruganandam Maheswari , Ariza‐Hutchinson Angie , Patel Rosemina A. , Nunez Sharon E. , Gibb James I. , McElwee Matthew K. , Poole Janet L. , O’Sullivan Frank X. , Fields Roderick A. , Sibbitt Wilmer L.
Published: June 2022

Objective

Many indigenous non‐Caucasian populations, including Native Americans, have been reported to have higher rates, distinct clinical phenotypes, increased complications, and greater severity of systemic sclerosis (SSc). However, little is known of SSc specifically in Native Americans of the American Southwest. This study compared the clinical and serologic manifestations and outcomes of SSc in Native Americans and non‐Native Americans (non‐Natives) of this region.

Methods

This cross‐sectional retrospective study included 137 SSc patients (109 [80%] were non‐Native and 28 [20%] were Native Americans) followed over a mean of 11.5 ± 7.6 years. Participants were repetitively evaluated with medical history, physical examination, echocardiography, chest imaging, and serologic testing. Disease characteristics and outcomes were statistically compared between Native Americans and non‐Native patients.

Results

The estimated prevalence of SSc in Native Americans was 40.0 cases/100 000 vs 17.1 cases/100 000 for non‐Natives (odds ratio 2.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.55‐3.55, P < .001). The cohorts were similar in terms age, age of onset, limited vs diffuse cutaneous SSc, telangiectasias, gastroesophageal reflux disease, Raynaud phenomenon, serologies, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension, scleroderma renal crisis, cancer prevalence, and overall mortality (all P > .05). However, for Native Americans, mortality specifically from fatal infections was 3.94‐fold that of non‐Natives (hazard ratio 6.88, 95% CI 1.37‐34.64; P < .001).

Conclusion

In Native Americans of the American Southwest, SSc is increased in prevalence but is phenotypically similar to SSc in non‐Natives. However, mortality due specifically to infection is increased in Native Americans with SSc.
A case series describing the multidisciplinary management of pulmonary arterial hypertension in pregnancy: Time for optimism
Authors: Boyers Samuel , Nayyar Roshini , Melov Sarah J. , Tanous David , Brown Jane
Published: June 2022

Background

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a high‐risk condition during pregnancy, with recent literature describing mortality rates of up to 23%.

Aim

To describe the course and outcomes of pregnancy for women with PAH in a major Australian metropolitan referral centre over a 15‐year period.

Methods

Retrospective review of medical records of all pregnant women with PAH over the period 2005–2020.

Results

We report the outcomes of nine pregnancies in six women. In five women, seven pregnancies proceeded to term with birth of a healthy neonate, five vaginal births and two caesareans. Two women opted for a termination of pregnancy in the first trimester following counselling. The planning of care and patient‐centred decision‐making was individually tailored by a multidisciplinary team. The pulmonary hypertension clinic provided specialist support including the management of pulmonary vasodilators. All women who delivered a live offspring received neuraxial anaesthesia.

Conclusions

Women with this condition are ideally managed in a centre with expertise in PAH; counselling regarding the risks is imperative. Regional anaesthesia, irrespective of the mode of delivery, facilitated safe delivery and improved patient experience. The option of aiming for a term vaginal birth needs to be considered in these complex women.
Clostridium difficile infection risk in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa
Authors: Sanghvi Anuj Pranav , Miles J. Alex , Sayed Christopher
Published: June 2022

Widespread use of antibiotics for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) opens up the possibility of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and an increased risk of mortality. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for acquiring CDI in patients with HS. We suggest that providers should take risk factors including increased antibiotic class, hospitalizations, and advanced patient age into consideration when prescribing antibiotics for HS.
Dynamic induction of the myelin‐associated growth inhibitor Nogo‐A in perilesional plasticity regions after human spinal cord injury
Authors: Schwaiger Carmen , Haider Thomas , Endmayr Verena , Zrzavy Tobias , Gruber Victoria E. , Ricken Gerda , Simonovska Anika , Hametner Simon , Schwab Jan M. , Höftberger Romana
Published: June 2022

The myelin‐associated inhibitor Nogo‐A (Reticulon 4, RTN4) restricts axonal outgrowth, plasticity, and neural circuitry formation in experimental models of spinal cord injury (SCI) and is targeted in clinical interventions starting treatment within 4 weeks post‐SCI. Specifically, Nogo‐A expressed by oligodendroglia restricts compensatory neurite sprouting. To interrogate the hypothesis of an inducible, lesion reactive Nogo‐A expression over time, we analyzed the spatiotemporal Nogo‐A expression at the spinal lesion core (region of tissue necrosis and axonal damage/pruning) and perilesional rim (region of plasticity formation). Spinal cord specimens of SCI subjects (n = 22) were compared to neuropathologically unaltered controls (n = 9). Nogo‐A expression was investigated ranging from acute (0–3 days), early subacute (4–21 days), late subacute (22–90 days) to early chronic–chronic (91 days to 1.5 years after SCI) stages after SCI. Nogo‐A expression in controls is confined to motoneurons in the anterior horn and to oligodendrocytes in gray and white matter. After SCI, the number of Nogo‐A+ and TPPP/p25+ oligodendrocytes (i) inclined at the organizing perilesional rim specifically, (ii) increased further over time, and (iii) peaked at chronic stages after SCI. By contrast, at the lesion core, the number of Nogo‐A+ and TPPP/p25+ oligodendrocytes did not increase. Increasing numbers of Nogo‐A+ oligodendrocytes coincided with oligodendrogenesis corroborated by Nogo‐A coexpression of Ki67+, TPPP/p25+ proliferating oligodendrocytes. Nogo‐A oligodendrocyte expression emerges at perilesional (plasticity) regions over time and suggests an extended therapeutical window for anti‐Nogo‐A pathway targeting interventions beyond 4 weeks in patients after SCI.
Janus kinase inhibitor treatment improved both subcutaneous and pulmonary sarcoidosis in a patient with glaucoma
Authors: Liu Bei , Yin Hanlin , Yang Shaoying , Lu Liangjing
Published: June 2022

This is the first case to provide significant evidence that JAK inhibitor is an effective treatment for both subcutaneous and pulmonary sarcoidosis, and it is also the first case in which tofacitinib was used in a patient who has a contraindication for corticosteroid therapy.
Fishing gear entanglement threatens recovery of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales
Authors: Knowlton Amy R. , Clark James S. , Hamilton Philip K. , Kraus Scott D. , Pettis Heather M. , Rolland Rosalind M. , Schick Robert S.
Published: June 2022

North Atlantic right whales frequently become entangled in fishing gear, which can negatively affect their reproductive output and probability of survival. We estimated individual whale health from a hierarchical Bayesian model fit to photographic indices of health. We reviewed 696 whales sighted from 1980 to 2011 and assigned 1196 entanglement events to 573 individuals in six categories of increasing injury severity and estimated monthly median health scores (0–100 scale) for the duration of their life within the study period. We then quantified the relationship between entanglement injury events and their severity with survival, reproduction, and population health. Severe entanglements resulted in worse health for all whales—males and females with severe injuries were eight times more likely to die than males with minor injuries. Females with severe injuries that survived had the lowest birth rates. Though the relationship between entanglement and fecundity was complex, we found that as the health of reproductively active females declined, their calving intervals increased. Unimpacted whale health scores declined significantly over three decades, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, suggesting food limitations may be contributing to population‐wide health declines. Decadal health scores of entangled whales showed a more notable reduction in health suggesting a clear and perhaps synergistic effect.
Erythropoiesis‐stimulating agents and incident malignancy in chronic kidney and end‐stage renal disease: A population‐based study
Authors: Huang Yu‐Shan , Li Ming‐Feng , Lin Mei‐Chen , Ou Shih‐Hsiang , Wang Jen‐Hung , Huang Chien‐Wei , Chou Kang‐Ju , Fang Hua‐Chang , Lee Po‐Tsang , Hsu Chih‐Yang , Chen Jin‐Shuen , Chen Hsin‐Yu
Published: June 2022

Research investigating incident malignancy risk in erythropoiesis‐stimulating agent (ESA) users with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is lacking. We aimed to compare the incident cancer risk between ESA and non‐ESA users with CKD or end‐stage renal disease (ESRD). In this retrospective cohort study, all adults newly diagnosed with CKD or ESRD between 2000 and 2012 were enrolled. The study population included 98,748 patients. After case–control matching, 7115 patients were included. The defined daily dose (DDD) of ESA was used as the unit for measuring the amount of ESA prescribed. The primary outcome was the risk of incident malignancy. The secondary outcomes were incident malignancy risk in different tertiles of cumulative ESA doses and the risk of different types of cancers. The risk of incident malignancy was 1.84 times higher with ESA treatment than without ESA treatment (hazard ratio, 1.84; 95% confidence interval, 1.43–2.36; p < 0.001). The malignancy risk was positively correlated with the cumulative dose of ESA (p‐for‐trend = 0.001) and a significant difference in the high annual cumulative DDD cohort (hazard ratio [HR], 2.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.76–3.25; p < 0.001). The risk of genitourinary malignancy was 12.55 times higher with ESA treatment than without ESA treatment (HR, 12.55; 95% CI, 5.78–27.24; p < 0.001). ESA usage is associated with an increased risk of malignancy, particularly genitourinary cancers, in patients with CKD or ESRD. Clinicians should be aware of the occurrence of malignancy, and keep ESA dosage as low as possible.
Spatio‐temporal turnover and drivers of bentho‐demersal community and food web structure in a high‐latitude marine ecosystem
Authors: Pecuchet Laurene , Jørgensen Lis Lindal , Dolgov Andrey V. , Eriksen Elena , Husson Berengere , Skern‐Mauritzen Mette , Primicerio Raul
Published: June 2022

Aim

Assess the spatial and temporal turnover of bentho‐demersal marine fauna by integrating ecological metrics at the community and food web levels and evaluate their main environmental and anthropogenic drivers.

Location

Barents Sea.

Method

We analysed data of benthic and bentho‐pelagic fish and megabenthic invertebrates caught in the Barents Sea ecosystem survey in August–September 2009–2017 to characterize the spatial and temporal variability of bentho‐demersal communities and food webs. We used a trait dataset and highly resolved bentho‐demersal food web to calculate community and food web metrics in space and time. We spatially clustered the community and food web based on their properties using archetypal analysis and investigated their co‐variation with environmental and fishing pressure using (hierarchical) redundancy analysis.

Result

The community and food web metrics partitioned the Barents Sea into four sub‐regions where different pressures act on the bentho‐demersal fauna, such as sea ice loss and fisheries. Multiple community metrics (e.g. mean body length and trophic level) varied along an environmental gradient of annual mean sea bottom temperature, trawling intensity and ice‐cover, whereas multiple food web metrics (e.g. nestedness and connectance) varied along an environmental gradient of depth and sediment composition. Communities had higher biomass‐weighted variability in body size and omnivory values in areas where the Atlantic and Arctic water masses mix. Several food web and community metrics co‐varied (e.g. food chain length and mean trophic level). We found no clear temporal trends in the ecological metrics in any of the four sub‐regions, but the metrics had large inter‐annual variability with some local minima or maxima coinciding with high sea temperature and ice‐cover anomalies.

Conclusion

Analyses at the community and food web level are seldom integrated in ecological studies, while this integration gives complementary information to assess patterns and drivers of ecosystem state and to better prioritize conservation efforts.
Life history traits modulate the influence of environmental stressors on biodiversity: The case of fireflies, climate and artificial light at night
Authors: Khattar Gabriel , Vaz Stephanie , Braga Pedro Henrique Pereira , Macedo Margarete , Silveira Luiz Felipe Lima da
Published: June 2022

Aim

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is an unprecedented stressor recently introduced in the abiotic milieu of natural landscapes. As such, understanding how ALAN and other natural stressors act in concert to shape the spatial distribution of biodiversity is a core goal in conservation ecology. Here, we aim at understanding how ALAN and climate interact with life history traits and courtship signalling systems to dictate the composition of firefly communities in a global biodiversity hotspot.

Location

An extensive elevational gradient in the Atlantic rain forest (Brazil) currently known as the hottest hotspot of fireflies on Earth.

Methods

We used multivariate species distribution models to understand how species traits and courtship signalling systems interact with climate and ALAN to determine species abundance within firefly communities. We also investigated how species‐specific responses to climate and ALAN scale up to determine compositional changes in firefly communities along the elevational gradient.

Results

We found that climate shapes communities by filtering species according to their body size and trophic position. ALAN dictates the dominant courtship signalling system within communities by affecting the abundance of species that use bioluminescence or a combination of bioluminescence and pheromones in courtship. We also found that associations between beta‐diversity and ALAN were non‐stationary, being higher in regions under low levels of light pollution. This suggests that even incipient increases in ALAN within protected areas can yield fast changes in the composition of firefly communities.

Main Conclusions

Firefly responses to climate and ALAN are modulated by traits associated with different facets of their life histories. Given the alarming changes in both stressors predicted for the foreseeable future, our findings indicate that firefly communities are vulnerable to compositional changes even within protected areas.
The cost‐effectiveness of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy
Authors: Landfeldt Erik
Published: June 2022

This commentary is on the original article by Dangouloff et al. on pages 67‐77 of
this issue.
Host patch quality increases parasitoid locomotor activity despite risk of egg limitation
Authors: Paul Ryan L. , Abram Paul K. , Lee Jana C.
Published: June 2022

Theory predicts that egg load and foraging activity of insects should be positively related. Species that emerge with a low initial egg load and mature additional eggs as they age may limit initial foraging activity to avoid egg limitation. Similarly, females, which deplete their egg supply through oviposition, should decrease activity immediately afterwards and then increase activity as new eggs are matured.

The authors used activity monitors to measure daily locomotor activity separately from exposure to host cues with the stink bug egg parasitoid, Trissolcus japonicus. The authors measured activity and egg load as newly emerged wasps aged and tested whether egg depletion from oviposition would reduce activity.

Parasitoid activity increased with age in parallel with egg maturation, with both egg load and activity reaching their maximum about 6–7 days after emergence. Newly emerged wasps began activity later in the day and had lower activity intensity compared with older individuals. When given host experience, females that had laid many offspring, and had thus depleted their egg loads, unexpectedly increased their activity for up to 3 days.

The present study results challenge the generally accepted positive relationship between foraging activity and egg load, suggesting that this relationship may be secondary to host patch quality. The authors provide evidence that host patch quality can influence not only within‐patch but also between‐patch foraging activity.

Plastic responses in activity patterns may allow parasitoids to better exploit rich host environments while minimising foraging costs and decreasing likelihood of egg limitation in low‐quality environments.
Clinician preferences for neurotechnologies in pediatric drug‐resistant epilepsy: A discrete choice experiment
Authors: Apantaku Glory O. , McDonald Patrick J. , Aguiar Magda , Cabrera Laura Y. , Chiong Winston , Connolly Mary B. , Hrincu Viorica , Ibrahim George M. , Kaal K. Julia , Lawson Ashley , Naftel Robert , Racine Eric , Safari Abdollah , Harrison Mark , Illes Judy
Published: June 2022

Objective

Novel and minimally invasive neurotechnologies offer the potential to reduce the burden of epilepsy while avoiding the risks of conventional resective surgery. Few neurotechnologies have been tested in randomized controlled trials with pediatric populations, leaving clinicians to face decisions about whether to recommend these treatments with insufficient evidence about the relevant risks and benefits. This study specifically explores the preferences of clinicians for treating pediatric drug‐resistant epilepsy (DRE) with novel neurotechnologies.

Methods

A discrete‐choice experiment (DCE) was designed to elicit the preferences of clinicians with experience in treating children with DRE using novel neurotechnological interventions. The preferences for six key attributes used when making treatment decisions (chances of clinically significant improvement in seizures, major and minor risks from intervention, availability of evidence, financial burden for the family, and access to the intervention) were estimated using a conditional logit model. The estimates from this model were then used to predict the adoption of existing novel neurotechnological interventions.

Results

Sixty‐eight clinicians completed the survey: 33 neurosurgeons, 28 neurologists, and 7 other clinicians. Most clinicians were working in the United States (74%), and the remainder (26%) in Canada. All attributes, apart from the nearest location with access to the intervention, influenced preferences significantly. The chance of clinically significant improvement in seizures was the most positive influence on clinician preferences, but low‐quality evidence and a higher risk of major complications could offset these preferences. Of the existing neurotechnological interventions, vagus nerve stimulation was predicted to have the highest likelihood of adoption; deep brain stimulation had the lowest likelihood of adoption.

Significance

The preferences of clinicians are drive primarily by the likelihood of achieving seizure freedom for their patients, but preferences for an intervention are largely eradicated if only low quality of evidence supporting the intervention is available. Until better evidence supporting the use of potentially effective, novel neurotechnologies becomes available, clinicians are likely to prefer more established treatments.