bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wolves alter the trajectory of forests by shaping the central place foraging behaviour of an ecosystem engineer
Authors: Gable Thomas D. , Johnson-Bice Sean M. , Homkes Austin T. , Fieberg John , Bump Joseph K.
Published: November 2023

Predators can directly and indirectly alter the foraging behaviour of prey through direct predation and the risk of predation, and in doing so, initiate indirect effects that influence myriad species and ecological processes. We describe how wolves indirectly alter the trajectory of forests by constraining the distance that beavers, a central place forager and prolific ecosystem engineer, forage from water. Specifically, we demonstrate that wolves wait in ambush and kill beavers on longer feeding trails than would be expected based on the spatio-temporal availability of beavers. This pattern is driven by temporal dynamics of beaver foraging: beavers make more foraging trips and spend more time on land per trip on longer feeding trails that extend farther from water. As a result, beavers are more vulnerable on longer feeding trails than shorter ones. Wolf predation appears to be a selective evolutionary pressure propelled by consumptive and non-consumptive mechanisms that constrain the distance from water beavers forage, which in turn limits the area of forest around wetlands, lakes and rivers beavers alter through foraging. Thus, wolves appear intricately linked to boreal forest dynamics by shaping beaver foraging behaviour, a form of natural disturbance that alters the successional and ecological states of forests.
Methanovulcanius yangii gen. nov., sp. nov., a hydrogenotrophic methanogen, isolated from a submarine mud volcano in the offshore area of southwestern Taiwan
Authors: Chien Hsin-Hsin , Lai Mei-Chin , Weng Chieh-Yin , Chen Mei-Fei , Wu Sue-Yao , Lin Saulwood , Chen Sheng-Chung
Published: November 2023

A novel mesophilic, hydrogenotrophic methanogen, strain CYW5T, was isolated from a sediment sample of a piston core collected from submarine mud volcano MV5 located in the offshore area of southwestern Taiwan. Cells of strain CYW5T were irregular coccids, 0.5–1.0 µm in diameter and lysed easily by 0.01 % sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) treatment. Strain CYW5Tutilized formate or hydrogen plus carbon dioxide as catabolic substrates for methanogenesis. The optimal growth conditions were 37 °C, 0.043–0.085 M NaCl and pH 6.02–7.32. The genomic DNA G+C content calculated from the genome sequence of strain CYW5T was 56.2 mol%. The results of phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain CYW5T represented a member of the family

Methanomicrobiaceae

in the order

Methanomicrobiales

, and was closely related to the members of the genus

Methanogenium

. The most closely related species was

Methanogenium cariaci

JR1T (94.9 % of 16S rRNA gene sequence identity). The average nucleotide identity and average amino acid identity values between strain CYW5T and members of the family

Methanomicrobiaceae

were 74.7–78.5 % and 49.1–64.9%, respectively. Although many of the morphological and physiological characteristics of strain CYW5T and the species of the genus

Methanogenium

were similar, they were distinguishable by the differences in genomic G+C content and temperature, NaCl and pH ranges for growth. Based on these phenotypic, phylogenetic and genomic results, we propose that strain CYW5T represents a novel species, of a novel genus, named Methanovulcanius yangii gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain is CYW5T (=BCRC AR10048T=DSM 100756T=NBRC 111404T).
Distinguishing recrudescence from reinfection in lymphatic filariasis: a genomics-based approach for monitoring worm burden
Authors: Choi Young-Jun , Fischer Kerstin , Méité Aboulaye , Koudou Benjamin G. , Fischer Peter U. , Mitreva Makedonka
Published: November 2023

Background

The Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis is the largest public health program based on mass drug administration (MDA). Despite decades of MDA, ongoing transmission in some countries remains a challenge. To optimize interventions, it is essential to differentiate between recrudescence (poor drug response and persistent infection) and new infections (ongoing transmission). Since adult filariae are inaccessible in humans, an approach that relies on genotyping the offspring microfilariae (mf) is required.

Methods

We utilizedBrugia malayiadults and mf obtained from gerbils with a known pedigree to develop and validate our whole-genome amplification and kinship analysis approach. We then sequenced the genomes ofWuchereria bancroftimf from infected humans from Côte d’Ivoire (CDI), characterized the population genetic diversity, and made inferences about the adult breeders. We developed a whole-exome capture panel forW. bancroftito enrich parasite nuclear DNA from lower-quality samples contaminated with host DNA.

Results

We established a robust analysis pipeline usingB. malayiadult and mf. We estimated the pre-treatment genetic diversity inW. bancroftifrom 269 mf collected from 18 individuals, and further analyzed 1-year post-treatment samples of 74 mf from 4 individuals. By reconstructing and temporally tracking sibling relationships across pre- and post-treatment samples, we differentiated between new and established maternal families, suggesting reinfection in one subject and recrudescence in three subjects. Estimated reproductively active adult females ranged between 3 and 9 in the studied subjects. Hemizygosity of the male X-chromosome allowed for direct inference of haplotypes, facilitating robust maternal parentage inference, even when the genetic diversity was low. Population structure analysis revealed genetically distinct parasites among our CDI samples. Sequence composition and variant analysis of whole-exome libraries showed that the hybridization capture approach can effectively enrich parasite nuclear DNA and identify protein-coding variants with ∼95% genotype concordance rate.

Conclusions

We have generated resources to facilitate development of field-deployable genotyping tools that can estimate worm burdens and monitor parasite populations. These tools are essential for the success of lymphatic filariasis MDA programs. With further expansion of the databases to include geographically diverse samples, we will be able to spatially track parasite movement associated with host/vector migration.
Universal protection against SARS-CoV-2 viruses by multivalent mRNA vaccine in mice
Authors: Lei Zhengyang , Zhai Shiyao , Yuan Xi , Wang Runming , Wang Yunpeng , Pandey Vijay , Zhang Can Yang , Ji Jiansong , Yu Dongmei , Chen Zhenglin , Bian Sumin , Qin Peiwu
Published: November 2023

The continual emergence of new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants challenges available SARS-CoV-2 vaccines for adequate control of outbreaks. Currently, universal vaccines capable of obviating the need for exact strain matching between mRNA vaccines and circulating viruses are absent. In this study, we designed, manufactured, and evaluated a nucleoside-modified lipid nanoparticle mRNA vaccine, aimed for offering broad-spectrum protection against recent SARS-CoV-2 variants. Additionally, the protection efficiency of monovalent, bivalent, quadrivalent, and XBB.1.5 mRNA vaccines was compared with the proposed universal vaccine. The neutralizing antibody activity against wuhan-1, BA.4/5, XBB.1.5, B.1.1.529, BQ.1.1, EG.5.1 and JN.1 was assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, rapid fiber-optic biolayer interferometry-based biosensor, and pseudovirus neutralization test. Our results reveal that the proposed multivalent vaccine affords comprehensive protection against previously circulating, current and previously unidentified SARS-CoV-2 strains.
Small Fiber Neuropathy after COVID-19: A Key to Long COVID
Authors: McAlpine Lindsay S. , Zubair Adeel S. , Joseph Phillip , Spudich Serena S.
Published: November 2023

Objectives

Report a case series of new onset small fiber neuropathy (SFN) after COVID-19 treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). SFN is a critical objective finding in long COVID and amenable to treatment.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients seen in the NeuroCOVID Clinic at Yale who developed new-onset SFN after a documented COVID-19 illness. We documented demographics, symptoms, treatments, diagnostics, and clinical response to treatment.

Results

Sixteen patients were diagnosed with length dependent or independent SFN on skin biopsy (median age 47, 75% female, 75% Caucasian). Among the nine patients tested for autoantibodies, six were positive for either trisulfated heparin disaccharide (TS-HDS) or fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3). Eight patients underwent treatment with IVIG and experience significant clinical improvement in their neuropathic symptoms. 92% of patients reported post-exertional malaise characteristic of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and six patients underwent invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing (iCPET), which demonstrated neurovascular dysregulation and dysautonomia consistent with ME/CFS.

Discussion

Here we present preliminary evidence that SFN is responsive to treatment with IVIG and linked with neurovascular dysregulation and dysautonomia. A larger clinical trial is indicated to further demonstrate the clinical utility of IVIG in treating post-infectious small fiber neuropathy.
Aperiodic neural activity is a biomarker for depression severity
Authors: Hacker C. , Mocchi M.M , Xiao J. , Metzger B.A. , Adkinson J.A. , Pascuzzi B.R. , Mathura R.C. , Oswalt D. , Watrous A. , Bartoli E. , Allawala A. , Pirtle V. , Fan X. , Danstrom I. , Shofty B. , Banks G. , Zhang Y. , Armenta-Salas M. , Mirpour K. , Provenza N. , Mathew S. , Cohn J. , Borton D. , Goodman W. , Pouratian N. , Sheth S.A. , Bijanki K.R.
Published: November 2023

A reliable physiological biomarker for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is necessary to improve treatment success rates by shoring up variability in outcome measures. In this study, we establish a passive biomarker that tracks with changes in mood on the order of minutes to hours. We record from intracranial electrodes implanted deep in the brain – a surgical setting providing exquisite temporal and spatial sensitivity to detect this relationship in a difficult-to-measure brain area, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). The aperiodic slope of the power spectral density captures the balance of activity across all frequency bands and is construed as a putative proxy for excitatory/inhibitory balance in the brain. This study demonstrates how shifts in aperiodic slope correlate with depression severity in a clinical trial of deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The correlation between depression severity scores and aperiodic slope is significant in N=5 subjects, indicating that flatter (less negative) slopes correspond to reduced depression severity, especially in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. This biomarker offers a new way to track patient response to MDD treatment, facilitating individualized therapies in both intracranial and non-invasive monitoring scenarios.

One sentence summary

The aperiodic component of the power spectral density robustly tracks depression severity on the order of minutes to hours.
Analytical validation and clinical utilization of K-4CARETM: a comprehensive genomic profiling assay with personalized MRD detection
Authors: Nguyen Thien-Phuc Hoang , Nguyen Tien Anh , Tran Nam HB , Nguyen Hoang Van-Anh , Dao Hong Thuy Thi , Tran Vu-Uyen , Nguyen Yen Nhi , Nguyen Anh Tuan , Nguyen Thi Cam Tu , Do Thi Thanh Thuy , Nguyen Duy Sinh , Nguyen Hoai-Nghia , Giang Hoa , Tu Lan N
Published: November 2023

abstract

Background

Biomarker testing has gradually become standard of care in precision oncology to help physicians select optimal treatment for patients. Compared to single-gene or small gene panel testing, comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) has emerged as a more time- and tissue-efficient method. This study demonstrated in-depth analytical validation of K-4CARE, a CGP assay that integrates circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) tracking for residual cancer surveillance.

Methods

The assay utilized a panel of 473 cancer-relevant genes with a total length of 1.7 Mb. Reference standards were used to evaluate limit of detection (LOD), concordance, sensitivity, specificity and precision of the assay to detect single nucleotide variants (SNVs), small insertion/deletions (Indels), gene amplification and fusion, microsatellite instability (MSI) and tumor mutational burden (TMB). The assay was then benchmarked against orthogonal methods using 155 clinical samples from 10 cancer types. In selected cancers, top tumor-derived somatic mutations, as ranked by our proprietary algorithm, were used to detect ctDNA in the plasma.

Results

For detection of somatic SNVs and Indels, gene fusion and amplification, the assay had sensitivity of >99%, 94% and >99% respectively, and specificity of >99%. Detection of germline variants also achieved sensitivity and specificity of >99%. For TMB measurement, the correlation coefficient between whole-exome sequencing and our targeted panel was 97%. MSI analysis when benchmarked against polymerase chain reaction method showed sensitivity of 94% and specificity of >99%. The concordance between our assay and the TruSight Oncology 500 assay for detection of somatic variants, TMB and MSI measurement was 100%, 89% and 98% respectively. When CGP-informed mutations were used to personalize ctDNA tracking, the detection rate of ctDNA in liquid biopsy was 79%, and clinical utility in cancer surveillance was demonstrated in 2 case studies.

Conclusions

K-4CARETMassay provides comprehensive and reliable genomic information that fulfills all guideline-based biomarker testing for both targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Integration of ctDNA tracking helps clinicians to further monitor treatment response and ultimately provide well-rounded care to cancer patients.
Analysis of 245,368 diverse individuals from the NIH All of Us Cohort identifies incomplete penetrance of the VEXAS-defining UBA1 p.M41L somatic mutation
Authors: Corty Robert W. , Byram Kevin , Springer Jason , Grayson Peter C. , Bick Alexander
Published: November 2023

Objective

Somatic mutations inUBA1cause the recently described systemic auto-inflammatory syndrome, VEXAS. Study of this disease has largely been limited to highly symptomatic patients. We sought to determine the prevalence of VEXAS-associated somatic mutations and their disease penetrance in a diverse, unselected population.

Methods

We analyzed clinical-grade whole genome sequencing data from 245,368 individuals in the All of Us Research Program. We compared persons with canonical VEXAS-associated mutations to ten age, sex, and ancestry matched controls across the domains of diagnoses, medications, and laboratory values.

Results

74 persons were identified with a VEXAS-defining somatic mutation at c.121A>C (p.Met41Leu) inUBA1. The variant allele fraction ranged from 4.5% to 33%. No other canonical VEXAS-associated mutations were identified. Of the 74 persons, 62 (84%) were women, 20 (27%) were African American, and 14 (19%) were American Admixed / Latino. There was no statistically significant association between case/control status and any diagnosis code, medication prescription, or laboratory value.

Conclusion

We report the largest cohort to date of persons with the VEXAS-associated p.Met41Leu mutation. This cohort differed substantially from reported cohorts of patients with clinical VEXAS, having a higher proportion of persons who were young, female, and of diverse ancestry. Variant allele fractions of p.Met41Leu mutations were lower than reported in clinical VEXAS and none of the patients had bioinformatically apparent VEXAS syndrome. The p.Met41LeuUBA1variant displayed incomplete penetrance for VEXAS. Further study is needed to determine the natural history of VEXAS-associated mutations in the pre-disease phase.
Structural insights into the RNA maturation of the mitoribosome by GTPBP10
Authors: Nguyen Thu Giang , Ritter Christina , Kummer Eva
Published: November 2023

Mitochondria contain their own genetic information and a dedicated translation system to express it. The mitochondrial ribosome is assembled from mitochondrial-encoded RNA and nuclear-encoded ribosomal proteins. Assembly is coordinated in the mitochondrial matrix by biogenesis factors that transiently associate with the maturing particle. Here, we present a structural snapshot of a previously unknown large mitoribosomal subunit assembly intermediate containing 7 biogenesis factors including the GTPases GTPBP7 and GTPBP10. Our structure illustrates how GTPBP10 aids the folding of the ribosomal RNA during the biogenesis process, how this process is related to bacterial ribosome biogenesis, and why mitochondria require 2 biogenesis factors in contrast to only 1 in bacteria.
Interaction between Solo and PDZ-RhoGEF is involved in actin cytoskeletal remodeling and response to substrate stiffness
Authors: Kunitomi Aoi , Chiba Shuhei , Higashitani Nahoko , Higashitani Atsushi , Sato Shinichi , Mizuno Kensaku , Ohashi Kazumasa
Published: November 2023

Recent findings indicate that Solo, a RhoGEF, is involved in cellular mechanical stress responses. However, the mechanism of actin cytoskeletal remodeling via Solo remains unclear. Therefore, this study was aimed at identifying Solo-interacting proteins using the BioID, a proximal-dependent labeling method and elucidating the molecular mechanisms of function of Solo. We identified PDZ-RhoGEF (PRG) as a Solo-interacting protein. PRG co-localized with Solo in the basal area of cells, depending on Solo localization, and enhanced actin polymerization at Solo accumulation sites. Additionally, Solo and PRG interaction was necessary for actin cytoskeletal remodeling and RhoA activation. Moreover, overexpression of the binding domains of Solo and PRG had a dominant-negative effect on actin polymerization and actin stress fiber formation in response to substrate stiffness. Therefore, Solo restricts the localization of PRG and regulates actin cytoskeletal remodeling in synergy with PRG in response to the surrounding mechanical environment.
Effect of post-treated methods on corrosion resistance of MF-DC magnetron sputtering Al coating on TC4
Authors: Li Wensheng , Zhang Yiding , Xu Yanwei , Jiao Guangming , Zuo Dunwen , Lu Wenting , Cheng Quanshi , Yu Jiaqi , Chen Yajun
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the effect of post-treatment on anti-corrosion performance of Al coating on the surface of Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) fastener.

Design/methodology/approach

The Al coatings with different layer structures were prepared on TC4 by middle-frequency and direct-current combined magnetron sputtering. The cross-sectional morphology and surface roughness of coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope. The corrosion resistance was evaluated by electrochemical method. The monolayer coating was post-treated by Alodine chemical conversion, Ar+ bombardment and a combination of two methods above.

Findings

The results show that the interfaces in bilayer and trilayer coatings reduce the defects. Ar+ bombardment reduces the corrosion current density, and Alodine chemical conversion leads to a higher pitting corrosion potential. The combined post-treatment has the highest polarization resistance.

Originality/value

The corrosion resistance of the Al coating is enhanced as the layer quantity increases. The combination of two post-treatments, Ar+ bombardment and Alodine chemical conversion, could achieve an overall improvement in corrosion resistance of Al coating.
Will the “nouveau-riche” (new-rich) waste more food? Evidence from China
Authors: Hao Na , Wang H. Holly , Wang Xinxin , Michael Wetzstein
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study aims to test the compensatory consumption theory with the explicit hypothesis that China's new-rich tend to waste relatively more food.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the authors use Heckman two-step probit model to empirically investigate the new-rich consumption behavior related to food waste.

Findings

The results show that new-rich is associated with restaurant leftovers and less likely to take them home, which supports the compensatory consumption hypothesis.

Practical implications

Understanding the empirical evidence supporting compensatory consumption theory may improve forecasts, which feed into early warning systems for food insecurity. And it also avoids unreasonable food policies.

Originality/value

This research is a first attempt to place food waste in a compensatory-consumption perspective, which sheds light on a new theory for explaining increasing food waste in developing countries.
Digitalization and sustainable development goals in emerging Islamic economies
Authors: Tlemsani Issam , Zaman Asif , Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Ashmel , Matthews Robin
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This study examines the intersection of emerging Islamic economies and the digital economy in the context of the United Nations sustainable development goals (UN SDGs). This study aims to investigate the opportunities, challenges and barriers faced by emerging Islamic economies in the context of the digital economy. It specifically focuses on how these economies can contribute to the achievement of UN SDGs established in 2015. In addition, the study explores the prospects of Islamic digital finance and its potential to facilitate the adoption of the UN SDGs.

Design/methodology/approach

The following components outline the design, methods and approach of this study, identify and select specific UN SDGs that are relevant to the research aims. These selected goals serve as the basis for evaluating the impact of conventional and Islamic digital financial inclusion, gathered data from credible sources such as Bloomberg and Refinitiv Thomson Reuters to support the analysis. These sources provide comprehensive data on global indicators, progress and targets related to the UN SDGs, compare and evaluate the impact of both conventional and Islamic digital financial inclusion strategies on the selected UN SDGs; the study uses qualitative interpretation of the gathered data, which involves identifying patterns, themes and connections within the data to draw meaningful conclusions.

Findings

Results revealed that Islamic digital finance has the potential to contribute significantly to achieving the UN SDGs by promoting financial inclusion, encouraging ethical investments, supporting small and medium enterprises, promoting sustainable investments and leveraging technology to expand access to Islamic financial services and support sustainable investments.

Research limitations/implications

While there are many potential benefits of Islamic digital finance in helping to achieve the UN SDGs, there are also several limitations that should be considered in research, such as limited access to digital infrastructure, regulatory challenges, product offerings, scale, awareness and adoption. Addressing these limitations will be critical to maximizing the potential of Islamic digital finance to contribute to achieving the UN SDGs.

Practical implications

This study points to an important gap in the literature; for practitioners, this study has significant managerial consequences for achieving the UN SDGs in emerging economies by facilitating social impact investments and promoting ethical and sustainable investments.

Originality/value

This study’s uniqueness lies in its exploration of the limited exploration of connecting the implementation of digital financial systems to promote UN SDGs within emerging Islamic economies.
Encouraging prolonged consumption through habit-boosting efforts: conceptualization and research agenda
Authors: Taylor Jennifer F. , Beatty Sharon E. , Roberto Katherine J.
Published: November 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the prolonged consumption journey and how they are sustained by service providers’ use of habit-boosting strategies. Existing research is critically evaluated, and a research agenda is provided to inspire and guide future research.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper develops a conceptual framework that integrates habit and transformative consumer intervention theories with customer journey literature to explain the role of habit in sustaining prolonged consumption journeys. Habit-boosting strategies are introduced as mechanisms for service providers to facilitate their customers’ prolonged consumption journeys.

Findings

This paper argues that habit strength is a limited operant resource that often lacks resource integration efficiency and hinders customers’ abilities to sustain prolonged consumption journeys. Four distinct habit-boosting strategies are identified that provide the potential for service providers to facilitate their customers’ prolonged consumption journeys.

Originality/value

This study presents a typology of habit-boosting strategies and a research agenda that discusses a range of practically relevant and theoretically insightful contributions.
How do employees maintain their well-being during loneliness? The power of organizational nostalgia
Authors: Tatar Berivan , Müceldili Büşra , Erdil Oya
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The spread of technology usage and the increasing popularity of network technology have formed a basis for alternative working systems as virtual teams and teleworking in the working environment. However, social relations have weakened in these working systems and loneliness has become a common emotion in the workplace. Hence, the concept of loneliness has attracted significant interest in recent years. Yet, despite this interest, research examining loneliness in the workplace is limited in the literature. This study aims to investigate the role of workplace loneliness on intrinsic motivation and the effect of intrinsic motivation on employee well-being through the moderating role of organizational nostalgia.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 380 respondents working in different sectors. The hypotheses were tested by using structural equation modeling and PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Findings

Results empirically showed that workplace loneliness negatively relates to intrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation positively relates to employee well-being, intrinsic motivation mediates the link between workplace loneliness and employee well-being and organizational nostalgia moderates the link between workplace loneliness and intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, organizational nostalgia also moderates the indirect effect of workplace loneliness on employee well-being through intrinsic motivation.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study contributes to the existing literature on workplace loneliness by investigating underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions for loneliness in the workplace.
Drivers for design for deconstruction (DfD) implementation among design professionals
Authors: Pittri Hayford , Agyekum Kofi , Botchway Edward Ayebeng , Alencastro João , Oladinrin Olugbenga Timo , Dompey Annabel Morkporkpor Ami
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The design for deconstruction (DfD) technique, a contemporaneous solution to demolition by optimizing disassembly activities to enable reuse, has recently emerged with several promises to promote the circular economy. However, little attention has been given to its implementation among design professionals, especially in the Global South. Therefore, this study aims to explore the drivers for DfD implementation among design professionals in the Ghanaian construction industry (GCI).

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a mixed research approach (explanatory sequential design) with an initial quantitative instrument phase, followed by a qualitative data collection phase. Data from the survey were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, one-sample t-Test, and normalization value (NV) test after a review of pertinent literature. These data were then validated through semistructured interviews with ten design professionals with in-depth knowledge of DfD.

Findings

The findings revealed that although all ten drivers are important, the eight key drivers for the DfD implementation were identified as, in order of importance, “Availability of computer software applications regarding DfD,” “Inclusion of DfD in the formal education of design professionals,” “Increasing public awareness of the concept of DfD,” “Organizing workshops/seminars for design professionals on the concept of DfD,” “Availability of DfD training,” “Regulation regarding DfD,” “Industry guidance regarding DfD” and “Establishing a market for salvaged construction components.”

Originality/value

This study's findings provide insights into an under-investigated topic in Ghana and offer new and additional information and insights into the current state-of-the-art on the factors that drive DfD implementation.
Modelling animal network data in R using STRAND
Authors: Ross Cody T. , McElreath Richard , Redhead Daniel
Published: November 2023

There have been recent calls for wider application of generative modelling approaches in applied social network analysis. At present, however, it remains difficult for typical end users—for example, field researchers—to implement generative network models, as there is a dearth of openly available software packages that make application of such models as simple as other, permutation‐based approaches.

Here, we outline the STRAND R package, which provides a suite of generative models for Bayesian analysis of animal social network data that can be implemented using simple, base R syntax.

To facilitate ease of use, we provide a tutorial demonstrating how STRAND can be used to model proportion, count or binary network data using stochastic block models, social relation models or a combination of the two modelling frameworks.

STRAND facilitates the application of generative network models to a broad range of data found in the animal social networks literature.
Effects of large mammal exclusion on seedling communities depend on plant species traits and landscape protection in human‐modified Costa Rican forests
Authors: Huanca‐Nuñez Nohemi , Chazdon Robin L. , Russo Sabrina E.
Published: November 2023

Large terrestrial herbivorous mammals (LTH‐mammals) influence plant community structure by affecting seedling establishment in mature tropical forests. Many of these LTH‐mammals frequent secondary forests, but their effects on seedling establishment in them are understudied, hindering our understanding of how LTH‐mammals influence forest regeneration in human‐modified landscapes.

We tested the hypothesis that the strength of LTH‐mammals' effects on seedling establishment depends on landscape protection, forest successional stage and plant species' traits using a manipulative field experiment in six 1‐ha sites with varying successional age and landscape protection. In each site, we established 40 seedling plot‐pairs, with one plot excluding LTH‐mammals and one not, and monitored seedlings of 116 woody species for 26 months.

We found significant effects of LTH‐mammal exclusion on seedling survival contingent upon the protection of forests at the landscape level and forest stage. After 26 months, survival differences between LTH‐mammal exclusion and non‐exclusion treatments were greater in protected than unprotected landscapes. Additionally, plant species' traits were related to the LTH‐mammals' differential effects, as LTH‐mammals reduced the survival of seedlings of larger‐seeded species the most. Overall, LTH‐mammals' effects translated into significant shifts in community composition as seedling communities inside and outside the exclosures diverged. Moreover, lower density and higher species diversity were found as early as 12 and 18 months outside than inside exclosures.

Synthesis and applications. Insight into the interactions between LTH‐mammals and seedling communities in forest regeneration can be instrumental in planning effective restoration efforts. We highlight the importance of landscape protection in seedling survival and the role of LTH‐mammals in promoting seedling diversity in mature forests but also in secondary successional forests. The findings suggest that conservation efforts and possibly trophic rewilding can be important approaches for preserving diversity and influencing the trajectory of secondary tropical forest succession. However, we also caution that an overabundance of LTH‐mammals may adversely impact the pace of forest succession due to their preference for large‐seeded species. Therefore, a comprehensive wildlife management plan is indispensable. Additionally, longer term studies on LTH‐mammals are necessary to understand the effects of temporal fluctuations that are undetected in short‐term studies.
Relics of an Unwanted Past: Slavery, Polygamy and the Harem at the End of the Ottoman Empire
Authors: Karamursel Ceyda
Published: November 2023

This article traces the ways in which the newly inaugurated Turkish Republic dealt with such institutional and legal ‘relics’ as the imperial harem, slavery and polygamy, that it inherited from its immediate, largely undesirable imperial past, condemned retrospectively as ‘backward’, but nevertheless continued to exist for years to come. Focusing on the immediate aftermath of the abolition of the Caliphate and the exile of the Ottoman dynasty, it examines a set of legal, governmental and discursive weapons that the new regime deployed – from expropriation and disposal of dynastic property to exoticisation and sexualisation of court practices – to severe the imperial harem and its erstwhile powerful actors from the political, social and cultural contexts they had long been closely linked with. It argues that while such measures affected a relatively small number of individuals, particularly women, they had significant implications for the republican government's reconceptualisation of citizenship and state belonging for the wider public.
Are party families in Europe ideologically coherent today?
Authors: DE LA CERDA NICOLÁS , GUNDERSON JACOB R.
Published: November 2023

Researchers classify political parties into families by their shared cleavage origins. However, as parties have drifted from the original ideological commitments, it is unclear to what extent party families today can function as effective heuristics for shared positions. We propose an alternative way of classifying parties based solely on their ideological positions as one solution to this challenge. We use model‐based clustering to recast common subjective decisions involved in the process of creating party groups as problems of model selection, thus, providing non‐subjective criteria to define ideological clusters. By comparing canonical families to our ideological clusters, we show that while party families on the right are often too similar to justify categorizing them into different clusters, left‐wing families are weakly internally cohesive. Moreover, we identify two clusters predominantly composed of parties in Eastern Europe, questioning the degree to which categories originally designed to describe Western Europe can generalize to other regions.
Trance, posture, and tobacco in the Casas Grandes shamanic tradition: Altered states of consciousness and the interaction effects of behavioral variables
Authors: VanPool Christine S. , Lee Laura , Robear Paul , VanPool Todd L.
Published: November 2023

Here, we describe how Casas Grandes Medio period (AD 1200 to 1450) shamanic practices of the North American Southwest used tobacco shamanism, a ritual stance called the Tennessee Diviner (TD) posture, and cultural expectations to generate trance experiences of soul flight and divination. We introduce a conceptual model that holds that specific trance experiences are the emergent result of human minds interacting with additional factors including entheogens, cultural expectations, physiological states, postures/movement, and sound/stimulation. Experimental and ethnographic evidence indicates initiating trance with either tobacco intoxication or the TD posture accompanied with a rapidly beating drum or rattle corresponds with perceptions of soul flight, transformation, and divination/information acquisition. Both have similar results but pairing them together as they were during the Medio period likely helped ensure the culturally desired trance experiences. This practice of mutually reinforcing factors was likely part of tobacco‐based shamanism found in other New World cultures as well. We suggest our general model can be applied to other contexts to examine how various aspects of trance induction interact to produce the cultural patterns (and resulting cosmological and spiritual frameworks) anthropologists have documented in other cultures.
Treatment rates and factors associated with direct‐acting antiviral therapy for insured patients with hepatitis C‐related hepatocellular carcinoma – A real‐world nationwide study
Authors: Kam Leslie Y. , Yeo Yee Hui , Ji Fanpu , Henry Linda , Cheung Ramsey , Nguyen Mindie H.
Published: November 2023

Background

Since the inception of the interferon‐free direct‐acting antiviral agents (DAAs) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, guidelines as to who should receive this potentially curative treatment have evolved. Treatment with DAAs is now considered for all patients except for those considered moribund.

Aim

To determine the DAA treatment rate for patients with HCV‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

This was a retrospective study from January 2015 to March 2021 of a national sample of privately insured patients with HCV‐related HCC using Optum's Clinformatics® Data Mart (CDM) Database – a large, de‐identified, adjudicated claims database.

Results

We identified 3922 patients with HCV‐related HCC: 922 (23.5%) received DAA. Compared to untreated patients, DAA‐treated patients were younger (65.2 ± 7.5 vs. 66.4 ± 7.5 years, p < 0.001), more frequently saw a gastroenterology/infectious disease (GI/ID) physician (41.2% vs. 34.2%), and had decompensated cirrhosis (56% vs. 53%, p = 0.001). In multivariable analysis, younger age (HR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.97–0.99, p < 0.001), GI/ID care (HR: 3.06, 95% CI: 2.13–4.51, p < 0.001), and having cirrhosis (compensated: HR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.18–2.21, p = 0.003; decompensated: HR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.07–1.98, p = 0.02) were associated with receiving DAA treatment, but not sex, race, or ethnicity. DAA‐treated patients had significantly higher 5‐year survival than untreated patients (47.2% vs. 35.2%, p < 0.001). Following adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and HCC treatment, receiving DAA treatment was associated with lower mortality (aHR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.53–0.69, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

DAA treatment remains underutilised in insured patients with HCV‐related HCC; fewer than one in four patients received treatment. Seeing a specialist and having decompensated cirrhosis were predictors for DAA treatment; additional efforts are needed to increase awareness of HCV treatment.
Children's right to play in times of war
Authors: Glos Aleksandra
Published: November 2023

This paper discusses children's right to play and its bioethical importance for children affected by war. Against the background of the current military conflicts, it analyses physical, psychological, and institutional factors that limit children's right to play in a situation involving armed conflict. Considering that the lack of institutional support of play for children affected by war constitutes a failure to fulfil our societal and political obligation under Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, this paper analyses the understanding of play adopted in this legal instrument. In line with the distinctions made in the Convention, it discusses the importance of play for children's life and survival, for their health and well‐being, as well as for the recovery of trauma experienced by children affected by armed conflict. It thereby aims to contribute to the recognition and protection of this right on the grounds of bioethics and healthcare.
Ethical challenges in accessing and providing healthcare for Syrian refugees in Türkiye
Authors: Barış Maide , Sert Gürkan , Önder Orhan
Published: November 2023

Türkiye hosts approximately 3.6 million Syrian refugees, which accounts for roughly 4.5% of Türkiye's population. This places undeniable pressure on public institutions, particularly on healthcare services. The objective of this study is to document the healthcare structure for Syrian refugees and various challenges faced by Syrians when seeking healthcare and to highlight the ethical concerns emerging from those challenges. To achieve this, we conducted a comprehensive review of several qualitative studies and reports conducted by various organizations and institutions, specifically focusing on health or including a dedicated chapter on health issues, published between 2011 and 2023. Following an extensive analysis of the secondary literature, we classified the challenges into three categories: procedural, cultural, and psychosocial. We argue that each of these challenges is linked to overarching medical ethics concerns. Finally, we propose three possible means to mitigate the challenges Syrians experience in accessing and uptake of healthcare services in Türkiye.
Developing translational bioethics—Suggestions for ways forward
Authors: Frith Lucy
Published: November 2023

This paper will take as its starting point the premise that developing translational bioethics is a worthwhile endeavour. I will develop an account of translational bioethics and discuss what implications this would have for the wider discipline of bioethics and argue that this would be a useful development for bioethics. The paper will conduct a form of ‘translational meta‐bioethics analysis’, in the words of Bærøe. I will argue that if we are serious about instituting translational bioethics, then it will need to look and be organised in a very different way from current bioethics research, this will be a radically different form of bioethics from what we currently have. In this paper I will sketch what translational bioethics might look like. My proposal here is not that translational bioethics should supplant existing ways of doing bioethics, but rather that it should be an addition to it, another subdiscipline of bioethics.
Digenic inheritance accounts for phenotypic variability in amelogenesis imperfecta
Authors: Yang Yi , Qin Man , Zhao Yuming , Wang Xin
Published: November 2023

Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) represents a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorders that affect enamel formation and mineralization. Although AI is commonly considered a monogenic disorder, digenic inheritance is rarely reported. In this study, we recruited two nonconsanguineous Chinese families exhibiting diverse phenotypes of enamel defects among affected family members. Digenic variants were discovered in both probands. In family 1, the proband inherited a paternal frameshift variant in LAMA3 (NM_198129.4:c.3712dup) and a maternal deletion encompassing the entire AMELX gene. This resulted in a combined hypoplastic and hypomineralized AI phenotype, which was distinct from the parents' manifestations. In family 2, whole‐exome sequencing analysis revealed the proband carried a maternal heterozygous splicing variant in COL17A1 (NC_000010.11 (NM_000494.3): c.4156 + 2dup) and compound heterozygous variants in RELT (paternal: NM_032871.4:c.260A > T; maternal: NM_032871.4:c.521 T > G). These genetic changes caused the abundant irregular enamel defects observed in the proband, whereas other affected family members carrying heterozygous variants in both COL17A1 and RELT displayed only horizontal grooves as their phenotype. The pathogenicity of the novel COL17A1 splice site variant was confirmed through RT‐PCR and minigene assay. This study enhances our understanding by highlighting the potential association between the co‐occurrence of variants in two genes and variable phenotypes observed in AI patients.
Association between IL10 rs1800896 polymorphism and risk of pediatric asthma: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhou Zhihong , Zhang Hui , Yuan Yuanhong
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Asthma is a common chronic condition in children. Several studies have explored the potential association between IL10 rs1800896 polymorphism and the risk of asthma in children, but the findings have been inconsistent. To address these discrepancies, we conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis to assess the relationship between IL10 rs1800896 polymorphisms and the susceptibility to pediatric asthma.

Methods

A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and CNKI databases to identify eligible studies through April 2022. Meta‐analysis was then performed using five genetic models: dominant, recessive, homozygous, heterozygous, and allele.

Results

A total of 12 studies comprising 1645 cases along with 1447 controls were included in this meta‐analysis. It was found that rs1800896 was not associated significantly with susceptibility to childhood asthma in all genetic models investigated. Subgroup analysis based on the ethnic background of the subjects revealed that rs1800896 was significantly linked to a lower risk of pediatric asthma among Asians in the homozygous model (OR = 0.311, 95% CI = 0.152–0.637, P = 0.001) and in the recessive model (OR = 0.585, 95% CI = 0.405–0.846, P = 0.004), whereas no significant relationship was observed in Egyptians (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

In conclusion, IL10 rs1800896 polymorphism may be useful as a predictive marker for childhood asthma in Asians, although further studies are needed to validate the study results.
Association between neighborhood‐based material deprivation and liver transplant waitlist registrants demographics and mortality
Authors: Cullaro Giuseppe , Ge Jin , Lee Brian P. , Lai Jennifer C. , Wadhwani Sharad I.
Published: November 2023

Background & aims

Liver transplantation for alcohol‐related liver disease (ARLD) has increased. We examined temporal trends in ARLD listing practices by neighborhood deprivation and evaluated the impact of neighborhood deprivation on waitlist mortality.

Methods

We included all adults > 18 years listed 2008‐2019 in the UNOS registry. Our primary exposure was the neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation index based on patients’ listing zip codes. We determined temporal trends in an ARLD listing diagnosis. We modeled ARLD listing diagnosis using logistic regression and waitlist mortality using Cox proportional hazards models.

Results

The waitlist contained an increasing proportion of patients listed with ARLD over the study period; however, this rate increased the least for patients from the most deprived tertile (p < .001). Patients from the most deprived tertile were the least likely to be listed with ARLD (OR: .97, 95CI: .95‐.98). In our adjusted model, patients from the most deprived tertile had an increased hazard of waitlist mortality (OR: 1.10, 95CI: 1.06‐1.14).

Conclusion

Neighborhood deprivation was associated with a decreased likelihood of being listed with ARLD, suggesting that transplant for ARLD is inequitably available. The increased mortality associated with neighborhood deprivation demands future work to uncover the underlying reasons for this disparity.