bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Whole Genome Sequencing based Identification of Human Tuberculosis caused by Animal-lineageMycobacterium orygis
Authors: Islam Md Rashedul , Sharma Meenu K. , KhunKhun Rupinder , Shandro Cary , Sekirov Inna , Tyrrell Gregory J. , Soualhine Hafid
Published: March 2023

A recently described member of theMycobacterium tuberculosiscomplex (MTBC) isMycobacterium orygis,which can cause disease primarily in animals but also in humans. AlthoughM. orygishas been reported from different geographic regions around the world, due to a lack of proper identification techniques, the contribution of this emerging pathogen to the global burden of zoonotic tuberculosis is not fully understood. In the present work, we report single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) analysis using whole genome sequencing (WGS) that can accurately identifyM. orygisand differentiate it from other members of MTBC species. WGS-based SNPs analysis was performed for 61 isolates from different Provinces in Canada that were identified asM. orygis. A total of 56M. orygissequences from the public databases were also included in the analysis. Several unique SNPs ingyrB, PPE55, Rv2042c, leuS, mmpL6,andmmpS6genes were used to determine their effectiveness as genetic markers for the identification ofM. orygis. To the best of our knowledge, five of these SNPs,viz., gyrB277(A→G),gyrB1478(T→C),leuS1064(A→T),mmpL6486(T→C), andmmpS6334(C→G) are reported for the first time in this study. Our results also revealed several SNPs specific to other species within MTBC. The phylogenetic analysis shows that studied genomes were genetically diverse and clustered withM. orygissequences of human and animal origin reported from different geographic locations. Therefore, the present study provides a new insight into the high confidence identification ofM. orygisfrom MTBC species based on WGS data, which can be useful for reference and diagnostic laboratories.
Self-dyeing textiles grown from cellulose-producing bacteria with engineered tyrosinase expression
Authors: Walker Kenneth T. , Keane Jennifer , Goosens Vivianne J. , Song Wenzhe , Lee Koon-Yang , Ellis Tom
Published: March 2023

Environmental concerns are driving interests in post-petroleum synthetic textiles produced from microbial and fungal sources. Bacterial cellulose is a promising sustainable leather alternative, on account of its material properties, low infrastructure needs and biodegradability. However, for alternative textiles like bacterial cellulose to be fully sustainable, alternative ways to dye textiles need to be developed alongside alternative production methods. To address this, we here use genetic engineering ofKomagataeibacter rhaeticusto create a bacterial strain that grows self-dyeing bacterial cellulose. Dark black pigmentation robust to material use is achieved through melanin biosynthesis in the bacteria from recombinant tyrosinase expression. Melanated bacterial cellulose production can be scaled up for the construction of prototype fashion products, and we illustrate the potential of combining engineered self-dyeing with tools from synthetic biology, via the optogenetic patterning of gene expression in cellulose-producing bacteria. With this work, we demonstrate that combining genetic engineering with current and future methods of textile biofabrication has the potential to create a new class of textiles.
LDHA maintains the growth and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells and promotes neointima formation via crosstalk between K5 crotonylation and K76 mono-ubiquitination
Authors: Chen Zhi-Huan , Cao Shan-Hu , Ren Zhi-Yan , Jiang Han-Mei , Hu Zhao-Kun , Dong Li-Hua
Published: March 2023

Phenotypic plasticity of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) under stress is believed to be a key factor in neointima formation. Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), a key enzyme for glycolysis, has been demonstrated to promote the proliferation and migration of VSMCs. However, the mechanism by which LDHA regulates this process is still unclear. Here we show that the crotonylation and mono-ubiquitination of LDHA are increased in platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB-induced proliferative VSMCs. Crotonylation at lysine 5 (K5) activates LDHA through tetramer formation to enhance lactate production and VSMCs growth. Mono-ubiquitination at K76 induces the translocation of LDHA into mitochondria, which promotes mitochondria fission and subsequent the formation of lamellipodia and podosomes, thereby enhancing VSMC migration and growth. Furthermore, the increase of crotonylation and ubiquitination were also observed in the carotid arteries of ligation injury mice. Deletion of LDHA K5 crotonylation or K76 mono-ubiquitination decreases ligation-induced neointima formation. Our study reveals a novel mechanism that combines VSMC metabolic reprogramming and behavioral abnormity through crosstalk between LDHA K5 crotonylation and K76 mono-ubiquitination.
A novel method for sampling subgingival microbiome - a comparative metatranscriptomic study
Authors: Demusaj Diana , Toma Ryan , Khan Tanveer , Hu Lan , Banavar Guruduth , Vuyisich Momchilo
Published: March 2023

The subgingival microbiome has been implicated in several oral and systemic diseases, such as periodontitis, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease. However, subgingival sampling is challenging and cannot be readily performed outside of primary care facilities. In order to support global, diverse, direct-to-participant clinical research studies, we developed a novel method of sampling the subgingival microbiome by rotationally swabbing the supragingival area, which we named subgingival-P (for proxy) samples. To validate this method, we sampled and metatranscriptomically analyzed subgingival and subgingival-P samples of three different teeth in 20 individuals. The subgingival-P samples were comparable to the subgingival samples in the relative abundances of microorganisms and microbial gene expression levels. Our data demonstrate that the novel method of collecting and analyzing the subgingival-P samples can act as a proxy for the subgingiva, paving the way for large and diverse studies investigating the role of the subgingival microbiome in health and disease.
Bacterial and molecular contamination of a small freshwater effluent used for drinking water
Authors: de Santana Carolina Oliveira , Spealman Pieter , Gresham David JJ , Dueker M. Elias , Perron Gabriel G
Published: March 2023

Sewage contamination of freshwater occurs in the form of raw waste or as effluent (at varying levels of treatment) from wastewater treatment plants. Global management of this contamination has focused on detection of live sewage-indicating bacteria in freshwater, drinking water, and irrigation systems. While raw waste (animal and human) and underfunctioning WWTP's can introduce live enteric bacteria to freshwater systems, most WWTP's, even when operating correctly, do not remove bacterial genetic material from treated waste, resulting in the addition of concentrated enteric bacterial DNA (molecular contamination), including antibiotic resistance genes, into water columns and sediment of freshwater systems. In freshwater systems with both raw and treated waste inputs, then, there will be increased interaction between live sewage-associated bacteria (untreated sewage) and molecular contamination (from both untreated and treated wastewater effluent), with the potential of increasing antibiotic resistance in the live bacterial populations. To evaluate this understudied interaction between molecular and bacterial contamination in the freshwater environment, we conducted a three-month field-based study of sewage-associated bacteria and genetic material in water and sediment in a freshwater tributary of the Hudson River (NY, USA) that supplies drinking water and receives treated and untreated wastewater discharges from several municipalities. Using both molecular and culture-based bacterial analyses, we demonstrate both treated and untreated sewage influences on water and sediment bacterial communities in this tributary, and water-sediment exchanges of enteric bacteria and associated genetic material with rain events. Furthermore, treated sewage effluent on this waterway serves as a concentrated source of int1 (antibiotic resistance) genes, which appear to collect in the sediments below the outfall along with fecal indicating bacteria, serving as a possible genetic exchange substrate and a source for future molecular and bacterial water contamination.
Machine learning methods for results merging in patent retrieval
Authors: Stamatis Vasileios , Salampasis Michail , Diamantaras Konstantinos
Published: March 2023

Purpose

In federated search, a query is sent simultaneously to multiple resources and each one of them returns a list of results. These lists are merged into a single list using the results merging process. In this work, the authors apply machine learning methods for results merging in federated patent search. Even though several methods for results merging have been developed, none of them were tested on patent data nor considered several machine learning models. Thus, the authors experiment with state-of-the-art methods using patent data and they propose two new methods for results merging that use machine learning models.

Design/methodology/approach

The methods are based on a centralized index containing samples of documents from all the remote resources, and they implement machine learning models to estimate comparable scores for the documents retrieved by different resources. The authors examine the new methods in cooperative and uncooperative settings where document scores from the remote search engines are available and not, respectively. In uncooperative environments, they propose two methods for assigning document scores.

Findings

The effectiveness of the new results merging methods was measured against state-of-the-art models and found to be superior to them in many cases with significant improvements. The random forest model achieves the best results in comparison to all other models and presents new insights for the results merging problem.

Originality/value

In this article the authors prove that machine learning models can substitute other standard methods and models that used for results merging for many years. Our methods outperformed state-of-the-art estimation methods for results merging, and they proved that they are more effective for federated patent search.
Asymmetric link between economic well-being and labour market equity in Turkey
Authors: Beton Kalmaz Demet
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Female labour force participation (FLFP) is undeniably critical for both developing and developed countries. This study aims to investigate the impact of economic risk on FLFP, controlling economic well-being, fertility rate and education, considering the asymmetric relationship among the indicators in Turkey.

Design/methodology/approach

Time series data covering years from 1988Q1 to 2019Q4 is deployed for the empirical analysis to identify the long-run asymmetric link. Empirical analysis of the study starts with the employment of the Augmented Dickey-Fuller unit root test with the breakpoint to test for the order of integration of time series and to capture the breakpoints. The Brock-Dechert-Scheibkman test is applied to determine if or not the econometric model is correctly identified. Nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) bounds test is used to examine the existence of an asymmetric link between FLFP and economic well-being. The empirical analysis follows the investigation of the determinants of FLFP through the employment of the NARDL model.

Findings

The existence of long-run link among the time series is confirmed through the results obtained from the NARDL bounds test. Furthermore, long-run NARDL estimations confirm that (i) positive shocks in economic well-being increases FLFP; (ii) positive shock in education negatively impacts FLFP; (iii) FLFP is negatively affected by economic risk; and (iv) finally, increased fertility rate increases FLFP in Turkey.

Originality/value

This paper is checked from turnitin for the plagiarism which is estimated to be less than 20%. It is an original paper that fills the gap in literature and provides meaningful insight both for the policymakers and academics.
Analysis on machining uniformity in reciprocating magnetorheological polishing based on abrasive particle trajectory
Authors: Wang Rensheng , Sun Cong , Xiu Shichao , Wang Qi , Liang Dongming , Zhao Qi
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to study the effects of the processing parameters in the reciprocating magnetorheological polishing (RMRP) on abrasive particle trajectory by the simulation analysis, which provides a basis for the machining uniformity of the workpiece.

Design/methodology/approach

The principle of the RMRP method is discussed, and a series of simulation analysis of the abrasive particle trajectory are performed to evaluate the effects of the workpiece’s rotational speed, the eccentric wheel’s rotational speed, the eccentricity and the frame gap on abrasive particle trajectory by using the RMRP method.

Findings

The processing parameters have a significant influence on the abrasive particle trajectory, and then the machining uniformity of the workpiece is affected. Under certain experimental conditions, the height difference of workpiece measuring points varies between 4 and 11 µm, and the height difference of equal radial measuring points is less than 1.5 µm by optimizing processing parameters.

Originality/value

In this study, the optimal processing parameters can be obtained by the simulation analysis of abrasive particle trajectory, which can replace the experimental methods to obtain the reasonable processing parameters for the machining uniformity of the workpiece. It provides references for the selection of processing parameter values in magnetorheological polishing process.
Expanded corporate social responsibility framework: companies’ role in improving higher education institutions infrastructure to Sustainable Development Goal 4
Authors: Ebekozien Andrew , Aigbavboa Clinton Ohis , Samsurijan Mohamad Shaharudin , Radin Firdaus Radin Badarudin , Rohayati Mohd Isa
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Public higher education institutions (HEIs) infrastructure funding is challenging in many developing countries. Encouraging private investment in HEIs infrastructure via a developed expanded corporate social responsibility (ECSR) may improve physical facilities. ECSR is a form of infrastructure tax relief providing physical facilities for HEIs. Academic literature is scarce concerning how ECSR can improve Nigeria’s public HEIs infrastructure and achieve education infrastructure related to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4). Therefore, this study aims to proffer measures to improve public HEIs infrastructure and achieve sustainable development connected to Goal 4 focussing on infrastructure via a developed framework.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an expansion of an ongoing study, and data were collated via virtual interviews across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. The analysed data were presented in a thematic pattern.

Findings

A total of 18 measures (sub-variables) emerged and were re-grouped into six variables. This includes institutionalising ECSR, HEIs infrastructure via ECSR awareness, HEIs infrastructure incentives, national and state action plans on HEIs infrastructure, a legal framework for HEIs infrastructure and key stakeholders’ participation. Also, the study used the generated six main variables to develop the improved public HEIs infrastructure via ECSR in developing countries, using Nigeria as a case study. This can enhance achieving infrastructure associated with SDG 4 (quality education) and targets.

Originality/value

This study intends to develop the philosophy (ECSR) with an implementable framework to encourage the private sector further to expand their CSR in the infrastructure development to the educational sector, especially in developing countries higher institutions, using Nigeria as a case study.
Investigating the impact of large-scale exhibitions on hotel room rates from a spatial-temporal perspective: a case of the Canton Fair in China
Authors: Zhou Li , Lu Ying , Yu Hu , Lu Lin , Wu Dianting , Zhao Juanjuan
Published: March 2023

Purpose

While the economic benefits of the exhibition industry for the hotel sector have been addressed, the impact of exhibitions on individual hotels is unknown, especially when individual hotels’ star classification and locations are considered. This study aims to provide a better understanding of how room rates of different hotels change during different stages of the Canton Fair in China from a spatial-temporal perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

Room rates of 681 star-hotels within the city of Guangzhou before, during and after the Fair were extracted from websites. Through spatial interpolation and autocorrelation analysis and geographical detector (GeoDetector) technique, spatial and temporal patterns of hotel room rates and the interdependence between the convention center and the hotels with different star classification and locations were examined.

Findings

An inverse-U shape of room rate change was identified before, during and after the Fair, and the five-star hotels had the sharpest increase. Moreover, the distribution of hotel room rates followed the law of distance decay. The variation of hotel rates became larger when the distance to the convention center was larger. Spatial high-high clusters varied among hotels with different star classification.

Originality/value

This study contributed to the hotel literature by providing empirical evidence regarding how hotels with different star classification and locations were affected by events. This study also advanced the event literature by introducing GeoDetector. The findings of this study offered insights into the hotel location selection, pricing strategies and hotel collaboration with events.
Corruption disclosure practices of Islamic and conventional financial firms in Bangladesh: the moderating role of Big4
Authors: Masud Md. Abdul Kaium , Hossain Mohammad Sharif , Rahman Mahfuzur , Chowdhury Mohammad Ashraful Ferdous , Rahman Mohammed Mizanur
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Corporate corruption reporting (CCR) is an emerging issue of the corporation for measuring transparency, integrity and accountability to the stakeholders and society. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of CCR and financial management responsibility regarding the issue of corruption control.

Design/methodology/approach

To explore the influences of corruption disclosure, this study considers the keywords-based content analysis of the listed financial firms of the Dhaka Stock Exchange in Bangladesh for 2012–2016. The research considers stakeholders and theoretical legitimacy lens for discussing corporate corruption disclosure. This study identified 143 self-driven keywords by classifying, analyzing and selecting the appropriate large set of keywords from the prior literature. This study examines 247 firm-year observations of all financial firms in Bangladesh using secondary data sources.

Findings

The results of the hierarchical regression analysis report that financial firms following Sharia principles have a negative and significant association with CCR, while Big4 has a positive and significant influence. Moreover, the interaction effect of Big4 on the relationship between Sharia principles and CCR is negative and insignificant. The findings reported that Islamic financial firms disclose less corruption information than conventional financial firms in Bangladesh.

Practical implications

This study findings are expected to significantly impact corporate management and policymakers of developing and highly corrupted economies to enhance corporate accountability, transparency and reputation. The regulatory body can consider the findings to promulgate anti-corruption reporting rules and regulations.

Originality/value

The authors believe the theoretical lens used to support the method and findings of this paper are unique and novel.
Smartphone addiction and psychological distress among Vietnamese college students: cyber-victimization as a mediator and academic stress as a moderator
Authors: Ho Thi Truc Quynh , Tran Thi Khanh Linh , Huynh Son Van
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of cyber-victimization (CV) and the moderating effect of academic stress (AS) in the link between smartphone addiction (SPA) and psychological distress (PD) among a sample of Vietnamese college students.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 423 college students participated in this study. Measures of SPA, CV, AS and PD were used for data collection. Using PROCESS macro software (Model 4 and Model 1) and the bootstrapping method, the author performed a mediation analysis and a moderation analysis.

Findings

Results indicated a significant mediating effect of CV in the link between SPA and PD. Moreover, this relationship was moderated by AS.

Originality/value

The findings could serve as a guide for future research and mental health professionals.
How social media self-efficacy and social anxiety affect customer purchasing from agile brands on social media
Authors: Bozkurt Sıddık , Gligor David , Locander Jennifer , Ahmad Rather Raouf
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This study aims to contribute to the social media agility literature by examining the impact of perceived social media agility on customer purchases. More specifically, this study seeks to reveal whether perceived social media agility positively affects customer purchases. Furthermore, this study examines the moderating roles of social media self-efficacy and social anxiety to increase the model's explanatory power. That is, this study investigates whether social media self-efficacy positively moderates the impact of perceived social media agility on customer purchases. Similarly, this study examines whether social anxiety negatively moderates the impact of perceived social media agility on customer purchases.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was conducted on Qualtrics platforms to test the research hypotheses. To test the main effect, a linear regression was used. To test moderating relationships, PROCESS Macro Model 1 was used. Finally, the moderating effects were probed with the Johnson–Neyman technique to gain further insights into the interaction effects.

Findings

The study results show that when customers perceive a brand as agile on social media platforms, they are more willing to buy the goods/services of the brand. Notably, individuals who are high on social media self-efficacy (relative to low on it) display more willingness to purchase the brand's products/services. However, customers who are high on social anxiety (relative to low on it) are less willing to purchase the brand's products/services.

Originality/value

This study examines the effect of perceived social media agility on customer purchases while accounting for the moderating role of perceived social media self-efficacy and social anxiety. The results provide noteworthy theoretical and managerial contributions.
Cultural capital and perception of teacher‐student relationships: Uncovering inequalities at schools in China
Authors: Olivos Francisco , Araki Satoshi
Published: March 2023

A long tradition in stratification research argues students with higher cultural capital are likely to be treated by their teachers as possessing the “right culture,” which positively affects their academic performance. Nevertheless, the literature has paid little attention to the role of students' perception in this process. Using two waves of the China Educational Panel Survey, we investigate how students' cultural capital affects their own understanding of teacher‐student interactions, including its gender difference. Fixed effects regressions show a substantially positive effect of cultural capital on the perceived frequency of teachers praising and calling on students to answer questions across subjects. Nonetheless, we also find the lack of cultural capital is not punished and that the cultural capital's effect varies across its specific components and gender. These findings pave the way for elucidating the entire causal chain of intergenerational social inequality via cultural capital, teacher bias, students’ perception, and their educational outcomes.
Profession and residency matter: Farmers' preferences for farmland price regulation in Germany
Authors: Jauernig Johanna , Brosig Stephan , Hüttel Silke
Published: March 2023

Local farmers' preferences for farmland price regulations in competitive markets have not been studied systematically. We investigate farmers' preferences in Germany, where recent price increases have driven calls for regulatory changes. The results of an online vignette experiment show that farmers prefer stricter regulation against the admission of non‐local (but even more so of non‐farmer) land buyers. Our analysis also shows that local farmers' preferences are motivated primarily by self‐interest rather than adherence to principles. We conclude that most farmers prefer price regulations that consider their particular concerns about increasing competition in Germany.
Research progress on the application of different controlling strategies to minimizing ethyl carbamate in grape wine
Authors: Deng Huan , Ji Lin , Han Xiaoyu , Wu Tianyang , Han Bing , Li Chenyu , Zhan Jicheng , Huang Weidong , You Yilin
Published: March 2023

Ethyl carbamate (EC) is a probable carcinogenic compound commonly found in fermented foods and alcoholic beverages and has been classified as a category 2A carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Alcoholic beverages are one of the main sources of EC intake by humans. Therefore, many countries have introduced a standard EC limit in alcoholic beverages. Wine is the second largest alcoholic beverage in the world after beer and is loved by consumers for its rich taste. However, different survey results showed that the detection rate of EC in wine was almost 100%, while the maximum content was as high as 100 μg/L, necessitating EC content regulation in wine. The existing methods for controlling the EC level in wine mainly include optimizing raw fermentation materials and processes, using genetically engineered strains, and enzymatic methods (urease or urethanase). This review focused on introducing and comparing the advantages, disadvantages, and applicability of methods for controlling EC, and proposes two possible new techniques, that is, changing the fermentation strain and exogenously adding phenolic compounds. In the future, it is hoped that the feasibility of this prospect will be verified by pilot‐scale or large‐scale application to provide new insight into the regulation of EC during wine production. The formation mechanism and influencing factors of EC in wine were also introduced and the analytical methods of EC were summarized.
Copper in grape and wine industry: Source, presence, impacts on production and human health, and removal methods
Authors: Wang Jiaqi , Ma Tingting , Wei Mengyuan , Lan Tian , Bao Shihan , Zhao Qinyu , Fang Yulin , Sun Xiangyu
Published: March 2023

Heavy metals are of particular concern in grape and wine processing, especially copper. The sources of copper are diverse, including vineyard soil, copper‐containing pesticides on the fruit surface, copper wine‐making equipment, and exogenous addition in winemaking. Copper has potential risks to human nerves, metabolism, and others. It can inhibit yeast growth, delay fermentation, and also mediate oxidation reactions, which has a huge impact on the nutritional quality and sensory quality of fresh wine and aged wine. It is therefore crucial to detect, quantify, and remove copper from grapes and wine. However, the copper situations in the wine industries of various countries are complicated and diverse, and the existing forms of copper are quite different, which makes the research challenging. This review summarizes and analyzes the existence and influence of copper in the wine industry by analyzing the sources of, the current situation regarding, and the detection and removal methods for copper in wine. With the study, a better understanding of copper's impact on wine production will be gained, facilitating further control of copper in wine and helping the wine industry grow.
Effect of DAP and glutamine supplementation on sulfur‐containing volatiles and sensory properties of Chardonnay wine fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast
Authors: Zhu Hangxin , Yang Hongyan , Zhou Xianyu , Li Huan , Feng Ruiqi , Yuan Fang , Pan Siyi , Xu Xiaoyun
Published: March 2023

Volatile compounds in wine have a critical impact on the consumers’ senses. In this study, the effect of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and glutamine on sulfur‐containing volatiles and sensory properties of Chardonnay wine fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast were evaluated. Fermentation kinetics was determined by monitoring reducing sugar consumption rates during fermentation. The volatile profile of wines was analyzed by headspace solid phase microextraction (HS‐SPME) coupled with gas‐chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). The volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) were analyzed by HS‐SPME‐GC‐MS/MS. Flavor attributes of wines were assessed by a sensory panel with quantitative descriptive analysis. A total of 53 volatiles, including 6 VSCs, were identified and quantified in the Chardonnay wine. The results suggested that glutamine supplementation at the beginning of fermentation could help to initiate fermentation earlier and promote the formation of isoamyl acetate, phenethyl acetate, ethyl nonanoate, methyl decanoate, diethyl succinate and phenethyl alcohol, isobutanol, while DAP supplementation had no obvious effect on the volatile composition of the resulting wine and fermentation kinetics.

Practical Application

Suitable nitrogen source is helpful to a healthy fermentation, and can also prevent the off‐flavor and regulate aroma profile of wine. This study provides insights on the volatile and sensory characteristics of Chardonnay wines affected by different nitrogen source addition.
Using functional traits and species diversity to evaluate restoration success of coastal dunes
Authors: Chollet Simon , Rozé Françoise , Jung Vincent
Published: March 2023

Questions

Evaluating reasons for the success (or failure) of restoration projects is one of the major goals for applied ecologists in the context of the dramatic worldwide decline in biodiversity. To that end, finding appropriate indicators and reference ecosystems is mandatory, especially for habitats in which restoration projects have been barely evaluated over the long term, such as coastal sand dunes. Do different indicators provide complementary information to evaluate restoration success? How successful is sand dune restoration after 30 years?

Location

Brittany (France).

Methods

We report changes in the plant community over a period of 30 years following restoration using trampling protection and marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) planting in four sites that were highly degraded by sand extraction and over‐frequentation. We used several indicator types (geomorphological, taxonomic, functional) at different spatial scales (alpha, beta, gamma) to assess recovery since restoration in four sites of the northern coast of Brittany and undertook comparison with reference sites.

Results

Our results indicate that over the 30 years after restoration the gamma richness of typical species and overall vegetation conservation status increased. We also found that restoration induces the recovery of zonation in plant communities, which become organized along the typical sea–inland gradient. We showed that use of functional traits and diversity indices is effective to compare restored communities with reference data from the literature. Based on this approach, we demonstrated that, according to most functional indicators, restored communities converge over time with the patterns found in reference data.

Conclusions

We demonstrated that restoration of coastal dunes after 30 years induced the recovery of sand accumulation, typical species cover, sea–inland plant community zonation and community functional characteristics. Despite these positive results, which indicated overall success and confirmed interest in such restoration projects, we found an important discrepancy in restoration success among study sites (e.g., level of recovery of typical species cover, functional diversity). Finally, our study confirms the interest of functional composition and functional diversity as restoration success metrics.
A multicomponent positive psychology intervention for euthymic patients with bipolar disorder to improve mental well‐being and personal recovery: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial
Authors: Kraiss Jannis T. , ten Klooster Peter M. , Chrispijn Melissa , Stevens Anja , Doornbos Bennard , Kupka Ralph W. , Bohlmeijer Ernst T.
Published: March 2023

Objective

Mental well‐being and personal recovery are important treatment targets for patients with bipolar disorder (BD). The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an 8‐week group multicomponent positive psychology intervention (PPI) for euthymic patients with BD as an adjunct to treatment as usual (TAU) compared to TAU alone.

Methods

Patients with BD were randomized to receive TAU (n = 43) or the PPI in addition to TAU (n = 54). The primary outcome was well being measured with the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form. Personal recovery was measured with the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery. Data were collected at baseline, mid‐treatment, post‐treatment and 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐up. Life chart interviews were conducted at 12 months to retrospectively assess recurrence of depression and mania.

Results

Significant group‐by‐time interaction effects for well‐being and personal recovery were found favouring the PPI. At post‐treatment, between‐group differences were significant for well‐being (d = 0.77) and personal recovery (d = 0.76). Between‐group effects for well‐being were still significant at 6‐month follow‐up (d = 0.72). Effects on well‐being and personal recovery within the intervention group were sustained until 12‐month follow‐up. Survival analyses showed no significant differences in time to recurrence.

Conclusions

The multicomponent PPI evaluated in this study is effective in improving mental well‐being and personal recovery in euthymic patients with BD and would therefore be a valuable addition to the current treatment of euthymic BD patients. The fact that the study was carried out in a pragmatic RCT demonstrates that this intervention can be applied in a real‐world clinical setting.
Morphology and phylogenetic significance of the pelvic articular region in elasmobranchs (Chondrichthyes)
Authors: da Silva João Paulo C. B. , Vaz Diego F. B.
Published: March 2023

The morphology of paired fins is commonly overlooked in morphological studies, particularly the pelvic girdle and fins. Consequently, previous phylogenetic studies incorporating morphological data used few skeletal characters from this complex. In this paper, the phylogenetic significance of pelvic articular characters for elasmobranchs is discussed in light of the morphological variation observed in 130 species, the most comprehensive study exploring the morphology of the pelvic girdle done so far. The 10 morphological characters proposed herein for the pelvic articulation were incorporated into a molecular matrix of NADH2 sequences and submitted to an analysis of maximum parsimony employing extended implied weighting. The most stable tree was selected based on the distortion coefficients, SPR distances (subtree pruning and regrafting) and fit values. Some of the striking synapomorphies recovered within elasmobranchs include the presence of an articular surface for the first enlarged pelvic radial supporting Elasmobranchii and the pelvic articular region for the basipterygium extending from the posterolatral margin of the pelvic girdle over its lateral surface inEchinorhinus + Hexanchiformes. Additionally, the proposed characters and their distributions are discussed considering the relationships recovered and also compared with previous morphological and molecular phylogenetic hypotheses.
La pobreza extrema es prioridad: Un argumento sobre la distribución equitativa de la vacuna contra el COVID‐19 en Perú
Authors: Yabar Carlos Augusto
Published: March 2023

La humanidad ya dispone de vacunas eficaces contra el COVID‐19. En Perú se administraron 86 millones de dosis para cubrir la demanda de 33 millones de peruanos. Para ello, se ha priorizado la vacunación en grupos clave: personal de salud, sujetos con condiciones de salud preexistentes y mayores de 65 años. Sin embargo, dada la problemática social y la situación de la salud pública en Perú, este trabajo defiende que la prioridad de la vacunación debe centrarse en la población que vive en extrema pobreza. El método utilizado fue una argumentación ética sobre la distribución de la vacuna contra el COVID‐19 en Perú. Esta argumentación se basa en el análisis de la población peruana que vive en extrema pobreza, la cual presenta diferentes estratos de vulnerabilidad, y que, ante una eventual infección por SARS‐CoV‐2, se irían agravando uno tras otro, a través de un efecto en cascada. Este escenario daría lugar a nuevas vulnerabilidades de las ya existentes, causando mayores daños. Los esfuerzos de vacunación en esta población clave les brindaría oportunidad de seguir encontrando formas de llevar alimentos a sus hogares, reduciendo significativamente el riesgo de contagio en su entorno y mitigando el efecto devastador de las enfermedades locales a las que ya está expuesta. Se plantean cuatro objeciones relacionadas con este argumento, con sus correspondientes respuestas. El acceso prioritario a la vacuna reduciría significativamente el daño a las personas que viven en la extrema pobreza, haciendo prevalecer los principios de justicia y equidad.
Twenty years after Andrea: Postpartum psychosis and the insanity defense
Authors: Nichols Alexandra
Published: March 2023

This Note will examine the inconsistencies in the treatment of mothers diagnosed with postpartum psychosis who claim the insanity defense in cases of infanticide and/or child abuse. The defense of not guilty by reason of insanity is treated inconsistently throughout the U.S. court system, especially in cases involving a defendant suffering from postpartum psychosis. This Note proposes specific jury instructions for cases involving a defendant diagnosed with postpartum psychosis and introduces a new criminal charge of infanticide so that defendants do not have to rely on proving insanity alone.
Cellular senescence: beneficial, harmful, and highly complex
Authors: Baker Darren J. , Narita Masashi , Muñoz‐Cánoves Pura
Published: March 2023

The contribution of cellular senescence to a diverse range of biological processes, including normal physiology, ageing, and pathology were long overlooked but have now taken centre stage. In this Editorial, we will briefly outline the review and original work articles contained in The FEBS Journal's Special Issue on Senescence in Ageing and Disease. It is beginning to be appreciated that senescent cells can exert both beneficial and adverse effects following tissue injury. Additionally, while these cells play critical roles for maintaining a healthy physiology, they also promote ageing and certain pathological conditions (including developmental disorders). Progress has been made in re‐defining and identifying senescent cells, especially in slow‐proliferating or terminally differentiated tissues, such as the brain and cardiovascular system. Novel approaches and techniques for isolating senescent cells will greatly increase our appreciation for senescent properties in tissues. The inter‐organ communication between senescent cells and other residents of the tissue microenvironment, via the senescence‐associated secretory phenotype (SASP), is a focus of several reviews in this Special Issue. The importance of the SASP in promoting tumour development and the evolution of SARS CoV‐2 variants is also highlighted. In one of the two original articles included in the issue, the impact of dietary macronutrients and the presence of senescent cells in mice is investigated. Lastly, we continue to deepen our understanding on the use of senolytics and senomorphics to specifically target senescent cells or their secreted components, respectively, which is discussed in several of the reviews included here.
Functional molecular evolution of a GTP sensing kinase: PI5P4Kβ
Authors: Takeuchi Koh , Senda Miki , Ikeda Yoshiki , Okuwaki Koji , Fukuzawa Kaori , Nakagawa So , Sasaki Mika , Sasaki Atsuo T. , Senda Toshiya
Published: March 2023

Over 4 billion years of evolution, multiple mutations, including nucleotide substitutions, gene and genome duplications and recombination, have established de novo genes that translate into proteins with novel properties essential for high‐order cellular functions. However, molecular processes through which a protein evolutionarily acquires a novel function are mostly speculative. Recently, we have provided evidence for a potential evolutionary mechanism underlying how, in mammalian cells, phosphatidylinositol 5‐phosphate 4‐kinase β (PI5P4Kβ) evolved into a GTP sensor from ATP‐utilizing kinase. Mechanistically, PI5P4Kβ has acquired the guanine efficient association (GEA) motif by mutating its nucleotide base recognition sequence, enabling the evolutionary transition from an ATP‐dependent kinase to a distinct GTP/ATP dual kinase with its KM for GTP falling into physiological GTP concentrations—the genesis of GTP sensing activity. Importantly, the GTP sensing activity of PI5P4Kβ is critical for the manifestation of cellular metabolism and tumourigenic activity in the multicellular organism. The combination of structural, biochemical and biophysical analyses used in our study provides a novel framework for analysing how a protein can evolutionarily acquire a novel activity, which potentially introduces a critical function to the cell.
Multiaxial fatigue life prediction for various metallic materials based on the hybrid CNN‐LSTM neural network
Authors: Heng Fei , Gao Jianxiong , Xu Rongxia , Yang Haojin , Cheng Qin , Liu Yuanyuan
Published: March 2023

A new algorithm optimization‐based hybrid neural network model is proposed in the present study for the multiaxial fatigue life prediction of various metallic materials. Firstly, a convolutional neural network (CNN) is applied to extract the in‐depth features from the loading sequence composed of the critical fatigue loading conditions. Meanwhile, the multiaxial historical loading information with time‐series features is retained. Then, a long short‐term memory (LSTM) network is adopted to capture the time‐series features and in‐depth features of the CNN output. Finally, a full connection layer is used to achieve dimensional transformation, which makes the fatigue life predictable. Herein, the hyperparameters of the LSTM network are automatically determined using the slime mold algorithm (SMA). The test results demonstrate that the proposed model has pleasant prediction performance and extrapolation capability, and it is suitable for the life prediction of various metallic materials under uniaxial, proportional multiaxial, nonproportional multiaxial loading conditions.
Generalizing Impact Computations for the Autoregressive Spatial Interaction Model
Authors: Laurent Thibault , Margaretic Paula , Thomas‐Agnan Christine
Published: March 2023

We extend the impact decomposition proposed by LeSage and Thomas‐Agnan (2015) in the spatial interaction model to a more general framework, where the sets of origins and destinations can be different, and where the relevant attributes characterizing the origins do not coincide with those of the destinations. These extensions result in three flow data configurations which we study extensively: the square, the rectangular, and the noncartesian cases. We propose numerical simplifications to compute the impacts, avoiding the inversion of a large filter matrix. These simplifications considerably reduce computation time; they can also be useful for prediction. Furthermore, we define local measures for the intra, origin, destination and network effects. Interestingly, these local measures can be aggregated at different levels of analysis. Finally, we illustrate our methodology in a case study using remittance flows all over the world.
‘They don't realise how hard it is’. Investigating the lived experiences of higher education students with parental responsibilities during the Covid‐19 pandemic
Authors: Holmes Sarah E. , Nikiforidou Zoi
Published: March 2023

Anecdotal reports of student parents’ challenges during the Covid‐19 pandemic prompted this explorative study; investigating the lived experiences of UK student parents and the provision of Higher Education support. Data was derived from 91 online surveys, 20 follow‐up interviews, and analysis of 100 university websites. This occurred during the pandemic lockdowns whenthe stresses, challenges and opportunities of balancing their simultaneous roles of parent and student were intensified due to school closures. The Double ABC‐X model provided a framework for examining participant's lived experiences, and the role that Higher Education institutions could play in effecting positive coping and adaptation. Findings indicate that universities need to implement strategies to enhance support for this sector, including greater awareness of the vulnerabilities and challenges involved, more flexibility and adaptability in the university ethos, formal and informal policies and structures to provide more effective support and advice for juggling these simultaneous demands.
Local consumer well‐being in a multicultural marketplace: From conflict to engagement
Authors: Elsharnouby Tamer H. , Maher Amro A.
Published: March 2023

This study offers a nuanced understanding of how local consumers experience, interpret and acculturate to expatriates' practices within a multicultural marketplace. We adopt Demangeot et al. bridge framework and its marketplace domains (security, visibility, opportunity, utility, intercultural competence and cultural navigability) to unpack locals' consumption patterns and experiences that produce multicultural tensions or multicultural engagement that contributes to locals' well‐being. Data were collected via 2 focus groups and 20 in‐depth interviews with local consumers in Qatar. The findings offer several theoretical and managerial insights that could enrich the scant literature on acculturation of local minorities within multicultural non‐homogenous societies and enhance our understanding of how local consumers engage with culturally different experiences.
Voting decision‐making of low‐income consumers: Literature review and research agenda
Authors: Mukherjee Srabanti , Datta Biplab , Singh Ramendra
Published: March 2023

This review article examines why and how low‐income voters decide to vote for a political candidate. A total of 163 articles in the last 80 years (1944–2023) have been identified through a systematic literature review. Thereafter, the fragmented literature has been organized using a fusion of 3W1H and TCCM (Theory, context, characteristics, and method) frameworks to obtain a comprehensive overview of the low‐income voters' behaviour. Accordingly, the study has explained the voting contexts of poor consumers. Besides, the fundamental theories and methods employed in this research domain have been identified. This study revealed three characteristics of ‘voting choice’ of low‐income consumers (group identity, communication characteristics, and political environment characteristics) that have been further classified under several sub‐themes. This review article pioneers to provide an integrated and organized analysis of the literature on the voting behaviour of low‐income consumers, highlighting critical research gaps in theories, contexts, methods, and antecedents that future researchers can examine to extend the discourse in this realm.