bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diverse gut pathogens exploit the host engulfment pathway via a conserved mechanism
Authors: Anandachar Mahitha Shree , Roy Suchismita , Sinha Saptarshi , Boadi Agyekum , Ibeawuchi Stella-Rita , Gementera Hobie , Amamoto Alicia , Katkar Gajanan D. , Ghosh Pradipta
Published: April 2023

Macrophages clear infections by engulfing and digesting pathogens within phagolysosomes. Pathogens escape this fate by engaging in a molecular arms race; they useWxxxEmotif-containing “effector” proteins to subvert the host cells they invade and seek refuge within protective vacuoles. Here we define the host component of the molecular arms race as an evolutionarily conserved polar ‘hotspot’ on the PH-domain of ELMO1 (Engulfment and CellMotility1), which is targeted by diverseWxxxE-effectors. Using homology modeling and site-directed mutagenesis, we show that a lysine triad within the ‘patch’ directly binds allWxxxE-effectors tested: SifA (Salmonella), IpgB1 and IpgB2 (Shigella), and Map (enteropathogenicE. coli). Using an integrated SifA•host protein-protein interaction (PPI) network,in-siliconetwork perturbation, and functional studies we show that the major consequences of preventing SifA•ELMO1 interaction are reduced Rac1 activity and microbial invasion. That multiple effectors of diverse structure, function, and sequence bind the same hotpot on ELMO1 suggests that theWxxxE-effector(s)•ELMO1 interface is a convergence point of intrusion detection and/or host vulnerability. We conclude that the interface may represent the fault line in co-evolved molecular adaptations between pathogens and the host and its disruption may serve as a therapeutic strategy.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

In brief

This work defines the nature of a conserved molecular interface, assembled between diverse WxxxEmotif-containing effector proteins encoded by gut pathogens and the host innate immune sensor, ELMO1, via which pathogens exploit the host’s engulfment machinery.
Photoswitchable Molecular Glues Enable Optical Control of Transcription Factor Degradation
Authors: Arp Christopher J. , Reynders Martin , Sreekanth Vedagopuram , Kokkonda Praveen , Pagano Michele , Choudhary Amit , Trauner Dirk
Published: April 2023

Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs), which include thalidomide and its derivatives, have emerged as the standard of care against multiple myeloma. They function as molecular glues that bind to the E3 ligase cereblon (CRBN) and induce protein interactions with neosubstrates, including the transcription factors Ikaros (IKZF1) and Aiolos (IKZF3). The subsequent ubiquitylation and degradation of these transcription factors underlies the antiproliferative activity of IMiDs. Here, we introduce photoswitchable immunomodulatory drugs (PHOIMiDs) that can be used to degrade Ikaros and Aiolos in a light-dependent fashion. Our lead compound shows minimal activity in the dark and becomes an active degrader upon irradiation with violet light. It shows high selectivity over other transcription factors, regardless of its state, and could therefore be used to control the levels of Ikaros and Aiolos with high spatiotemporal precision.
HSP70 binds to specific non-coding RNA and regulates human RNA Polymerase III
Authors: Leone Sergio , Srivastava Avinash , Hummel Barbara , Tittel Lena , Aprile-Garcia Fernando , Herrero-Ruiz Andrés , Rawat Prashant , Willis Anne E. , Sawarkar Ritwick
Published: April 2023

Molecular chaperones are critical for protein homeostasis and are implicated in several human pathologies such as neurodegeneration and cancer. While the binding of chaperones to nascent and misfolded proteins has been studied in great detail, the direct interaction between chaperones and RNA has not been systematically investigated. Here we provide the evidence for widespread interaction between chaperones and RNA in human cells. We show that the major chaperone Heat-Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) binds to non-coding RNA transcribed by RNA Polymerase III (Pol III) such as tRNA and 5S rRNA. Global chromatin profiling revealed that HSP70 binds genomic sites of transcription by Pol III. Detailed biochemical analyses showed that HSP70 facilitates transcription of its target non-coding RNA by binding to Pol III. Thus our study uncovers an unexpected role of HSP70-RNA interaction in the biogenesis of a specific class of non-coding RNA with wider implications in neurodegeneration and cancer.
Psychometric properties of the university student engagement inventory among Chinese students
Authors: She Long , Khoshnavay Fomani Fatemeh , Marôco João , Allen Kelly-Ann , Sharif Nia Hamid , Rahmatpour Pardis
Published: April 2023

Purpose

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in China, student engagement in online learning has been a critical issue for all educational institutions. The university student engagement inventory (USEI) is the most used scale for assessing the construct of student engagement. The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the USEI among 1504 Chinese university students who completed a survey through an online platform between December 2020 and January 2021.

Design/methodology/approach

In this cross-sectional study, content validity, construct validity and reliability of the scale were assessed.

Findings

The results supported the three-factor model with acceptable goodness of fit (χ2 (71) = 369.717, p = 0.13, χ2/df = 5.207, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.967, normed fit index (NFI) = 0.960, Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) = 0.958, standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.030, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) (90% CI) = 0.053 [0.049, 0.057]), good internal consistency and construct reliability (Cronbach's alpha and omega coefficient >0.70) and strong convergent validity. Also, the measurement invariance was confirmed across gender.

Originality/value

This study showed that the 3-factor structure of USEI with Chinese university students had good construct validity, internal consistency and reliability. It could help measure student engagement in online learning in China.
Improvement research on the stability of explicit integration algorithms with 3D viscoelastic artificial boundary elements
Authors: Li Shutao , Bao Xin , Liu Jingbo , Wang Fei , Wang Dong
Published: April 2023

Purpose

When explicit integral analysis is performed on a numerical model with viscoelastic artificial boundary elements, an instability phenomenon is likely to occur in the boundary area, reducing the computational efficiency of the numerical calculation and limiting the use of viscoelastic artificial boundary elements in the explicit dynamic analysis of large-scale engineering sites. The main purpose of this study is to improve the stability condition of viscoelastic artificial boundary elements.

Design/methodology/approach

A stability analysis method based on local subsystems was adopted to analyze and improve the stability conditions of three-dimensional (3D) viscoelastic artificial boundary elements. Typical boundary subsystems that can represent the localized characteristics of the overall model were established, and their analytical stability conditions were derived with an analysis based on the spectral radius of the transfer matrix. Then, after analyzing the influence of each physical parameter on the analytical-stability conditions, a method for improving the stability condition of the explicit algorithm by increasing the mass density of the artificial boundary elements was proposed.

Findings

Numerical wave propagation simulations in uniform and layered half-space models show that, on the premise of ensuring the accuracy of the viscoelastic artificial boundary, the proposed method can effectively improve the numerical stability and the efficiency of the explicit dynamic calculations for the overall system.

Originality/value

The stability improvement method proposed in this study are significant for improving the applicability of viscoelastic artificial boundary elements in explicit dynamic calculations and the calculation efficiency of wave analysis at large-scale engineering sites.
Mind the gap: an empirical analysis of pay discrimination in Hollywood
Authors: Kräft Charlotte , Kaimann Daniel , Frick Bernd
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This study aims to identify and explain a possible gender pay gap in the creative industry. By using the salary information of Hollywood actors, this paper restricts the analysis to a relatively homogenous group of workers. In addition, actors' human capital endowments and past performance can be measured precisely. The factors that impact the salaries of movie stars are likely to influence the pay of other high-wage employees, such as athletes and executives.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a rich panel data set including 178 female and male actors in 973 movies released between 1980 and 2019. Using a random-effects model and the Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition approach, this paper distinguishes between a fraction of the gender pay gap that can be explained and another fraction that cannot be explained. Hence, only the unexplained residual typically obtained by estimating two standard Mincer-type earnings functions is due to discriminatory pay practices.

Findings

This study reveals a pay difference between female and male actors. Gender-specific representation in leading roles and systematic differences in performance measures can explain this pay difference. While female actors' underrepresentation in leading roles reflects consumer tastes and, therefore, reflects discriminatory attitudes, no evidence can be found for direct pay discrimination in Hollywood's movie business.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first Hollywood study to relying on a rich panel data set that includes various measures of the human capital characteristics of the different individual actors. This paper's theoretical contribution lies in applying classic labor economics reasoning to explain pay determination in Hollywood's movie business.
Contesting the boundaries of marianismoand entrepreneurial identity: meanings of motherhood amongst Latin American migrant women entrepreneurs
Authors: Cruz García Ana , Villares-Varela María
Published: April 2023

Purpose

To critically analyse how Latin American migrant women entrepreneurs living in Ireland and the UK negotiate their entrepreneurial and motherhood identities in transnational settings. The paper explores (1) how motherhood influences the choices of becoming entrepreneurs; (2) how women reconcile the social imaginaries of motherhood from their country of origin in the new contexts of settlement; and (3) the impact of these transformations on their businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on six biographical case studies (three in Ireland and three in the UK) and employs the theoretical lens of translocational positionality to analyse entrepreneurship as context-specific and relational processes that bring together a multiplicity of social and geographical locales.

Findings

Latin American women entrepreneurs navigate their roles as “good mothers” and “good businesswomen” by simultaneously (1) complying with core values of marianismo that confine them to traditional gender roles and (2) renegotiating these values in ways that empower them through entrepreneurship. Finally, juxtaposing these two contexts (Ireland and the UK), this study (3) illuminates the similarities of the ever-continuing gender power struggles of egalitarianism for Latin American migrant women in both contexts.

Originality/value

Despite the agreed need for exploring motherhood as one of the critical aspects shaping family and business cycles, this area needs to be sufficiently analysed in its intersection with ethnicity or migratory status, particularly with participants from the global South. This article aims at bridging that gap.
Government policy, IT capabilities, digital transformation, and innovativeness in Post-Covid context: case of Vietnamese SMEs
Authors: Mai Binh Tan , Nguyen Phuong V. , Ton Uyen Nu Hoang , Ahmed Zafar U.
Published: April 2023

Purpose

COVID-19 has made businesses increasingly dependent on technology to be competitive and efficient. Small and medium enterprises (SME) digitalisation and innovation research are widespread. SME digital transformation and innovation require government policies, initiatives and assistance. How the government can help SMEs achieve these goals is unclear. So, this paper aims to investigate how government policy may assist Vietnamese SMEs to boost innovation performance and digital transformation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study will take a quantitative approach, with questionnaires distributed to 659 respondents from SMEs in Vietnam through snowball and convenience sampling procedures. The structural equational modelling method is used for data analysis.

Findings

The study indicated that government policies supported Vietnamese SMEs’ innovation and information technology (IT) capabilities. Government policy assistance also boosted IT capabilities and innovation. Furthermore, mediation effects show that digital transformation fully mediates the relationship between innovativeness and firm performance, whereas IT capabilities partially mediate this relationship.

Research limitations/implications

Further research that replicates the findings and analyses contextual heterogeneities between nations is advised because Vietnam’s pandemic setting was both similar and dissimilar.

Practical implications

The study demonstrated government-company interactions through supportive policy. It investigated whether SMEs seeking digital transformation and innovativeness might gain competitive benefits by implementing effective knowledge management and enhancing their IT capabilities.

Originality/value

A resource-based theoretical framework is extended to study how innovation, public policy and digital transformation for SMEs interact. The study confirms government policy strongly influences enterprises’ digital development. Specifically, the new mediating effects of IT capabilities and digital transformation are explored and provide new insights into the existing literature.
Successful competence development for retail professionals: investigation of key mechanisms in informal learning
Authors: Derwik Pernilla , Hellström Daniel
Published: April 2023

Purpose

Competence development is a prerequisite for successfully meeting existing and future challenges in the retail sector. However, current human resource development practices are often limited in their scope and offerings. This study sets out to investigate and bring to light informal learning among retail professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

This research consists of two exploratory studies focused on store managers and procurement officers, respectively. Based on a typology of learning mechanisms, the authors conducted eleven in-depth interviews, generating a rich body of empirical data centred on how informal learning takes place at work.

Findings

The research points out key learning mechanisms for each occupation and offers detailed narratives of how they are embedded in everyday learning. In addition, the findings provide a synthesis of the complex nature of learning mechanisms and their variations in form and orientation.

Practical implications

By generating tangible and explicit knowledge on the topic of informal learning, the results contribute to both professionals, who may actively engage in useful learning mechanisms, and managers, who may develop processes and structures based on key learning mechanisms.

Originality/value

This paper helps to demystify the tacit and often unnoticed learning that takes place at work. In doing so, it broadens the perspective on competence development and facilitates future discussions of human resource development practices in the retail industry and the research community.
Shari'ah governance quality and environmental, social and governance performance in Islamic banks. A cross-country evidence
Authors: Boudawara Yossra , Toumi Kaouther , Wannes Amira , Hussainey Khaled
Published: April 2023

Purpose

The paper aims to examine the impact of Shari'ah governance quality on environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance in Islamic banks.

Design/methodology/approach

The study's sample consists of 66 Islamic banks from 14 countries over 2015–2019. The research uses the Heckman model, which is a two-stage estimation method to obtain unbiased estimates, as ESG scores are only observable for 17 Islamic banks in Eikon Refinitiv database at the time of the analysis.

Findings

The analysis shows that Shari'ah governance has a beneficial role to achieve ESG performance. The analysis also shows that enhanced profiles of Shari'ah supervisory boards' (SSB) attributes are more efficient than the operational procedures to promote ESG performance. In addition, the analysis shows that enhanced SSBs' attributes strengthen the bank's corporate governance framework, while sound-designed procedures increase the bank's social activities by emphasizing their roles to ensure Shari'ah compliance. Finally, the analysis sheds light on the failure of Shari'ah governance to promote environmental performance.

Research limitations/implications

The existing databases providing companies' ESG-related information still do not offer sufficient data to conduct an international study with a larger sample of Islamic banks (IBs) having ESG scores for a more extended period.

Practical implications

The research provides policy insights to Islamic banks' stakeholders to promote social and governance performance in the Islamic finance industry through improving Shari'ah governance practices. However, raising environmental awareness is imminent among all actors implicated in the Shari'ah governance processes to help overcome the anthropogenic risks.

Originality/value

The research complements the governance-banks' ESG performance literature by examining the role of Shari'ah governance. The research also extends the literature on Islamic banks' sustainability by pointing to the Shari'ah governance failure to enhance environmental performance and thus achieve Maqasid al-Shariah regarding the environment.
Peace and war themes in canonical poems included in literature anthologies for junior high schools in Israel
Authors: Zamir Sara
Published: April 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this research was to study the manifestation of peace and war in the poems included in the new literature curriculum for the junior high school students in Israel.

Design/methodology/approach

Content analysis.

Findings

The results of the research, comprised by the content analysis methodology, showed that only three poems could be attributed to the category of war theme. Most of the poems fit to the category of didactic war motif; namely, they describe and refer to wars but are aimed at socializing the readers to peace by presenting them the vainness of wars.

Research limitations/implications

The brief review addresses only canonic poems and not popular songs.

Practical implications

The brief review will be directed to decision-makers in author’s country.

Social implications

Literary works have the ability to play a key role in peace education. Political behavior studies show that patterns of political behavior, such as support for a certain political party, tolerance of minorities and support for human rights are formed and internalized by the individual during childhood and adolescence.

Originality/value

This research produces a new and sophisticated approach towards the process of political socialization. This brief paper also conveys the new term of “didactic war theme”.
Causality of price movements in VIX exchange-traded products and VIX futures contracts
Authors: O'Neill Michael , Rajaguru Gulasekaran
Published: April 2023

Purpose

The authors analyse six actively traded VIX Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) including 1x long, −1x inverse and 2x leveraged products. The authors assess their impact on the VIX Futures index benchmark.

Design/methodology/approach

Long-run causal relations between daily price movements in ETPs and futures are established, and the impact of rebalancing activity of leveraged and inverse ETPs evidenced through causal relations in the last 30 min of daily trading.

Findings

High frequency lead lag relations are observed, demonstrating opportunities for arbitrage, although these tend to be short-lived and only material in times of market dislocation.

Originality/value

The causal relations between VXX and VIX Futures are well established with leads and lags generally found to be short-lived and arbitrage relations holding. The authors go further to capture 1x long, −1x inverse as well as 2x leveraged ETNs and the corresponding ETFs, to give a broad representation across the ETP market. The authors establish causal relations between inverse and leveraged products where causal relations are not yet documented.
Improving agricultural relations and innovation: financial inclusion through microfinancing
Authors: Kayongo Sarah , Mathiassen Lars
Published: April 2023

Purpose

Although microfinance (MF) has been established as an effective approach to provide access to financial services for people in low income countries, close to one-third of adults worldwide, about 2 billion people, are still without access. The purpose of this study is therefore to provide knowledge on how MF institutions (MFIs) can innovate and scale their services to improve financial inclusion for more people in need, particularly small holder farmers.

Design/methodology/approach

Recent research suggests that Grameen Foundation builds on well-established MF models and focuses on continuously improving the design and increasing the reach of its services. Based on a retrospective longitudinal design, this study draws on dynamic capability theory to identify important lessons in MF innovation at Grameen through analyses of seven key agricultural MF programs.

Findings

This study finds that Grameen innovated these programs by sensing country-specific needs; seizing opportunities to use existing technology; creating linkages across multisector partners; adopting a business model that enabled replicability and sustainability of innovation transfer; and 5 integrating solutions that enabled process automation and scaling of outcomes. A key theoretical finding in applying dynamic capabilities theory to studies of innovation in MF revealed the core concepts to be transferrable, valuable, imitable and nonsubstitutable resources.

Research limitations/implications

Using these insights, this study discusses theoretical, practical and policy implications of MF innovation to improve financial inclusion in low-income countries. Practitioners and researchers should assess the transferability of our findings to other MFIs and economic development contexts.
Libraries and cyber security: the importance of the human factor in preventing cyber attacks
Authors: Kont Kate-Riin
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate cyber security awareness of the staff of Estonian libraries and gives an overview why libraries could be a target of cyber attacks and why librarians need cyber security at first place.

Design/methodology/approach

The data used in this paper is based on a review of relevant literature to provide an overview of the concept of cyber security, and the results of the original online survey created by the paper’s author, conducted among Estonian librarians. The online questionnaire was developed using the world-recognised human aspects of information security questionnaire (HAIS-Q), which is based on the knowledge-attitudes-behaviour (KAB) methodology. A total of 388 completed questionnaires were returned from employees of academic, specialised, public and school libraries. The results are interpreted on the basis of descriptive statistics and Kruger and Kearney approach.

Findings

The final score of library employees is 86, which is classified as good, but based on the result, two focus areas need more attention than previously, which are the use of devices and prevention and handling of incidents.

Originality/value

The cyber behaviour of library employees has not been widely studied in the world using HAIS-Q and KAB models, and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no research has been previously carried out in the Estonian library context into cyber security awareness.
Business environment, technological innovation and government intervention: influences on high-quality economic development
Authors: Zhong Zhaoqiang , Chen Zhiguang
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the impact of business environment on high-quality economic development (HQED) and clarify the role of technological innovation and government intervention in this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on China’s provincial panel data from 2010 to 2019, this paper adopts the system generalized method of moments to empirically analyze the influential mechanism and heterogeneity of the business environment on HQED. Furthermore, the authors construct a dynamic panel threshold model to test the threshold effect of government intervention.

Findings

The results indicate that optimizing the business environment can significantly promote HQED, technological innovation plays a partial mediating role in the impact of business environment on HQED, mainly by enhancing the intensity of innovation input and increasing innovation output to facilitate HQED. Government intervention can regulate the impact of business environment on HQED, and there is a double threshold effect, and it possesses an inverted U-shaped feature of first promoting and then inhibiting.

Originality/value

This paper examines the influence path of business environment on HQED from the perspective of technological innovation and government intervention, filling the gap in the study of provincial business environment. Moreover, the conclusions furnish a theoretical basis for optimizing the business environment and facilitating the HQED in China.
Barking up the wrong tree: when you do not hire a business lawyer, reality bites
Authors: Clark Robin , Kimbell Joanna , Biggs William
Published: April 2023

Research methodology

This case was developed from both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources were interviews. The secondary sources include legal opinions and journal articles.

Case overview/synopsis

In 2012, Scot and his co-owner, both experienced groomers, planned to open their own grooming business. Scott talked with his accountant about the best legal entity for their situation, and the accountant advised Scott that a limited liability company (LLC) would be the best choice. The accountant steered Scott to Legal Zoom, an online legal resource that helps people form business entities, including LLCs. A few years after starting their business, Scott and his co-owner reached an impasse: Scott wanted to expand the business; his co-owner did not. Scott talked with an attorney and learned that the standard form LLC operating agreement from Legal Zoom did not cover this kind of situation. How is an LLC formed? What are the consequences of a flawed LLC formation? What kinds of duties do accountants owe business owners?

Complexity academic level

This case was written for use in an undergraduate introductory business law course, an introductory accounting course or an accounting ethics course. The focus of the case supports classroom discussion for online and face-to-face instruction regarding business entity formation and fiduciary duties. Educators who use critical thinking in lessons to apply information about the roles of accountants and attorneys working with business owners can use this case to explore and discuss the impact ethical decisions can have on business owner clients.

Learning objectives

Through evaluating and examining this case, students will be able to:

• understand what an LLC is and explain how one is formed;

• recognize the consequences of flawed LLC business entity formation; and

• articulate the roles of accountants in the formation of an LLC.
The culture of excellence and its dimensions in higher education
Authors: Wiśniewska Małgorzata Zdzisława , Grudowski Piotr
Published: April 2023

Purpose

To recognize the existing state of knowledge on a culture of excellence (CoE) in higher education institutions (HEIs) and to define the CoE in HEI and the dimensions that make up that culture. A subsidiary goal is to propose a qualitative tool to measure CoE maturity.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was based on the qualitative method, the preferred reporting system of systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA). Next, the conceptual work method was used.

Findings

A research gap in the topic of CoE in HE has been confirmed. The CoE's own definition has been proposed, as well as a set of seven dimensions that comprise it, such as: Clear vision, mission and goals for excellence; Leadership oriented to excellence; Employee engagement; Human resources management; Meeting and exceeding student and staff expectations; Continuous improvement of processes through innovation and excellent practices; and Partnership and teamwork for improvement.

Research limitations/implications

The study research was limited to open-access articles. Therefore, in the future, the search can be broadened to include monographs or doctoral dissertations, and other peer-reviewed studies. The research implications are related to the originality of our work and the proposals of two concepts – a CoE model and a CoE maturity assessment tool.

Practical implications

Leaders at universities, e.g. rectors and deans, can take into account the identified dimensions and progressively provide them as conditions conducive to achieving above-average levels.

Originality/value

This is the first literature review on CoE in HEIs, which can be considered an original contribution to science and practice. The original contribution of the paper is also the proposal of a CoE conceptual model and a CoE maturity assessment tool.
A metabarcoding analysis of the wrackbed microbiome indicates a phylogeographic break along the North Sea–Baltic Sea transition zone
Authors: Berdan Emma L. , Roger Fabian , Wellenreuther Maren , Kinnby Alexandra , Cervin Gunnar , Pereyra Ricardo , Töpel Mats , Johannesson Kerstin , Butlin Roger K. , André Carl
Published: April 2023

Sandy beaches are biogeochemical hotspots that bridge marine and terrestrial ecosystems via the transfer of organic matter, such as seaweed (termed wrack). A keystone of this unique ecosystem is the microbial community, which helps to degrade wrack and re‐mineralize nutrients. However, little is known about this community. Here, we characterize the wrackbed microbiome as well as the microbiome of a primary consumer, the seaweed fly Coelopa frigida, and examine how they change along one of the most studied ecological gradients in the world, the transition from the marine North Sea to the brackish Baltic Sea. We found that polysaccharide degraders dominated both microbiomes, but there were still consistent differences between wrackbed and fly samples. Furthermore, we observed a shift in both microbial communities and functionality between the North and Baltic Sea driven by changes in the frequency of different groups of known polysaccharide degraders. We hypothesize that microbes were selected for their abilities to degrade different polysaccharides corresponding to a shift in polysaccharide content in the different seaweed communities. Our results reveal the complexities of both the wrackbed microbial community, with different groups specialized to different roles, and the cascading trophic consequences of shifts in the near shore algal community.
The efficacy and safety of nanoparticle albumin bound‐paclitaxel‐based regimen as second‐ or third‐line treatment in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Xin Dao , Song Yan , Mu Lan , Zhang Bo , Qi Ling , Gao Jing , Wang Xingyuan , Xu Jianping , Qu Tao , Huang Jing
Published: April 2023

Background

There are limited reports on nanoparticle albumin bound‐paclitaxel (nab‐paclitaxel) regimens as second‐ or third‐line treatments for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Additionally, its safety and efficacy in ESCC patients after failure of first‐line programmed cell death protein‐1 (PD‐1) blockade plus chemotherapy have not been reported. In this study, we aimed to assess the efficacy and tolerability of nab‐paclitaxel regimens as second‐ or later‐line treatment in advanced ESCC.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed clinical data of advanced ESCC patients who participated in a randomized phase III clinical study and received serplulimab or placebo plus chemotherapy at our institution, and consecutive patients who received subsequent nab‐paclitaxel‐based regimens as second‐ or later‐line treatment were included for data collection and analysis.

Results

A total of 39 patients were included, 25 (64.1%) received serplulimab plus chemotherapy and 14 (35.9%) received chemotherapy alone as first‐line treatment. Treatment strategies included nab‐paclitaxel monotherapy (7/39, 17.9%), or in combination with other chemotherapy (19/39, 48.7%), with anti‐PD‐1 antibodies (12/39, 30.8%) or with nimotuzumab (1/39, 2.6%). Overall, the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 33.3% (13/39) and 61.5% (24/39), respectively. With a median follow‐up of 9.7 months, the median progression‐free survival and median overall survival were 5.0 and 7.9 months, respectively. The most common adverse events were neuropathy peripheral (30.8%), anemia (30.8%), neutrophil count decreased (23.1%), and nausea (20.5%).

Conclusions

Nab‐paclitaxel‐based regimen could be a safe and effective option as second‐ or later‐line treatment in patients with advanced ESCC, regardless of their previous exposure to PD‐1 inhibitors.
Evaluating the impact of the Adelaide Rural Clinical School longitudinal clinical placement on the rural medical workforce: A retrospective cohort study of graduates, 2004–2019
Authors: Williams Susan , Morgan Katrina , Herde Bronwyn , Risley Dee , McArthur Lawrie , Walters Lucie , Gonzalez‐Chica David
Published: April 2023

Objective

To evaluate the contribution of the Adelaide Rural Clinical School (ARCS) longitudinal integrated clerkship to the rural medical workforce.

Methods

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Practice location data were sourced from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA, January 2021) and matched using university records.

Participants: University of Adelaide medical school alumni graduating between 2004 and 2019 (ARCS alumni who completed a full year of rural training [n = 423], metropolitan‐trained peers [n = 1655]).

Main outcome measures: The proportions of medical graduates working in a rural location (Modified Monash Model [MMM3‐7] or Australian Statistical Geography Standard [ASGS‐RA2‐5] classifications). Logistic regression was used to examine the association between ARCS training and working rurally, and the influence of rural background and sociodemographic factors.

Results

Working in a rural location was almost three times more frequent among ARCS alumni than their metropolitan‐trained peers, using the MMM3‐7 (14.7% vs. 5.3%) classification; for ASGS‐RA2‐5 classification (21.3% vs. 8.9%). In adjusted analysis, working rurally (MMM3‐7) was associated with having a rural/remote residence on enrolment (OR 8.29, 95% CI 4.22–16.26) and was 3.1 times more likely for ARCS alumni (OR 3.06, 95% CI 2.06–4.53) than their peers. The magnitude of the effects of ARCS training on whether they are working rurally was similar among those with metropolitan or rural background (p‐value for interaction 0.873). Similar associations were observed using ASGS‐RA2‐5 classifications.

Conclusions

Extended rural placements through the Adelaide Rural Clinical School increased the rural medical workforce, with a similar impact among those with a rural or metropolitan background.
Monte‐Carlo simulation of a thick lens IOL power calculation
Authors: Langenbucher Achim , Szentmáry Nóra , Cayless Alan , Gatinel Damien , Debellemanière Guillaume , Wendelstein Jascha , Hoffmann Peter
Published: April 2023

Background

The purpose of this Monte‐Carlo study is to investigate the effect of using a thick lens model instead of a thin lens model for the intraocular lens (IOL) on the resulting refraction at the spectacle plane and on the ocular magnification based on a large clinical data set.

Methods

A pseudophakic model eye with a thin spectacle correction, a thick cornea (curvatures for both surfaces and central thickness) and a thick IOL (equivalent power PL derived from a thin lens IOL, Coddington factor CL (uniformly distributed from −1.0 to 1.0), either preset central thickness LT = 0.9 mm (A) or optic edge thickness ET = 0.2 mm, (B)) was set up. Calculations were performed on a clinical data set containing 21 108 biometric measurements of a cataractous population based on linear Gaussian optics to derive spectacle refraction and ocular magnification using the thin and thick lens IOL models.

Results

A prediction model (restricted to linear terms without interactions) was derived based on the relevant parameters identified with a stepwise linear regression approach to provide a simple method for estimating the change in spectacle refraction and ocular magnification where a thick lens IOL is used instead of a thin lens IOL. The change in spectacle refraction using a thick lens IOL with (A) or (B) instead of a thin lens IOL with identical power was within limits of around ±1.5 dpt when the thick lens IOL was placed with its haptic plane at the plane of the thin lens IOL. In contrast, the change in ocular magnification from considering the IOL as a thick lens instead of a thin lens was small and not clinically significant.

Conclusion

This Monte‐Carlo simulation shows the impact of using a thick lens model IOL with preset LT or ET on the resulting spherical equivalent refraction and ocular magnification. If IOL manufacturers would provide all relevant data on IOL design data and refractive index for all power steps, this would make it possible to perform direct calculations of refraction and ocular magnification.
Analysis of glaucoma genes in Finnish patients with juvenile open‐angle glaucoma
Authors: Liuska Perttu J. , Tadji Abdessallam , Repo Pauliina , Hiltunen Juho , Backlund Michael , Järvinen Reetta‐Stiina , Ojanen Eeva , Majander Anna , Kivelä Tero T. , Harju Mika , Turunen Joni A.
Published: April 2023

Purpose

To identify germline variants in myocilin (MYOC) and other known monogenic glaucoma genes in Finnish patients with juvenile open‐angle glaucoma (JOAG).

Methods

Finnish patients with JOAG treated between 2010 and 2018 at the Department of Ophthalmology, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland, were enrolled. We sequenced all exonic regions and flanking splice sites of MYOC for five patients and one healthy relative using Sanger sequencing. In 48 patients, we performed exome sequencing to identify variants also in 28 other glaucoma‐related genes.

Results

Fifty‐three individuals with JOAG from 50 pedigrees, and one healthy relative, participated. The mean age at diagnosis was 30.8 years [SD 7.6; range 11 to 39]. Five probands had probably pathogenic variants in MYOC: c.1102C>T p.(Gln368Ter), c.1109C>T p.(Pro370Leu), c.1130C>T p.(Thr377Met), c.1132G>A p.(Asp378Asn) and c.1456C>T p.(Leu486Phe). Four of these patients had a family history of dominantly inherited JOAG. The frequency of MYOC variants was 10% (5 of 50 families). One patient and his mother with JOAG had a novel loss‐of‐function variant in the FOXC1 gene, c.366G>A p.(Trp122Ter). A patient with sporadic JOAG had a homozygous likely pathogenic variant in the LTBP2 gene, c.3938G>A p.(Cys1313Tyr). The genetic variants explained 14% (7 out of 50 families; 95% CI, 6%–23%) of JOAG in our cohort.

Conclusions

The frequency of pathogenic variants in previously known glaucoma‐associated genes is low in Finnish patients with JOAG. Because of the distinct genetic background of Finns, it might be possible to identify novel glaucoma genes through our JOAG series in the future.
Aberrant voxel‐based degree centrality and functional connectivity in Parkinson's disease patients with fatigue
Authors: Shan Aidi , Zhang Heng , Gao Mengxi , Wang Lina , Cao Xingyue , Gan Caiting , Sun Huimin , Yuan Yongsheng , Zhang Kezhong
Published: April 2023

Aims

The study aimed to investigate alterations in the inherent connectivity pattern of global functional networks in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with fatigue.

Methods

Eighteen PD patients with fatigue (PD‐F), 20 PD patients without fatigue (PD‐NF), and 23 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited and analyzed by the voxel‐wise degree centrality (DC) and the seed‐based functional connectivity (FC) analysis. Meanwhile, the surface‐based morphometry (SBM) analysis was also commanded to explore the structural alternations among groups.

Results

PD‐F patients displayed reduced DC values in the left postcentral gyrus relative to PD‐NF and HCs groups, while increased DC values in the bilateral precuneus compared to HCs. Simultaneously, altered DC value in the left postcentral gyrus negatively corresponded to the mean fatigue severity scale (FSS) in PD‐F patients. Additionally, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves uncovered that the reduced DC value of the left postcentral gyrus could discriminate PD‐F from PD‐NF and HCs groups. Our FC analysis further revealed that altered FC was located predominantly in the sensorimotor network in the PD‐F group. Moreover, we discovered no statistically significant differences between the three groups concerning cortical thickness.

Conclusion

Our findings indicated that the altered functional connectivity in the sensorimotor network centering on the left postcentral gyrus and the bilateral precuneus might be the potential pathogenesis of PD with fatigue.
Emperor goose fall–winter harvest monitoring and hunter's perspectives in Alaska
Authors: Naves Liliana C. , Schamber Jason L. , Mengak Lara F. , Keating Jacqueline M. , Fall James A.
Published: April 2023

Monitoring harvests and understanding hunters' perspectives are key for effective harvest management. Emperor goose (Anser canagicus)harvest in Alaska was recently re‐authorized after a 30‐year closure, but relatively small numbers of geese are available for a sustainable harvest. We characterized participation in the fall–winter hunting permit program, evaluated harvest monitoring, documented hunter's perspectives, and provided management recommendations. Participants in fall–winter bird hunting include rural, urban, Alaska Native, non‐Indigenous, subsistence, and sport (recreational) hunters, and these categories may overlap. In 2017–2019, 1367 permits were issued to urban Alaska residents (49%), rural residents (47%), and nonresidents (4%). Permit reporting documented take below the fall–winter federal quota. However, ancillary harvest surveys in rural Alaska suggested a substantially higher harvest. In a survey of 2017 and 2018 permit holders, most Alaska urban and nonresident respondents as well as more than half of rural respondents identified sport hunting as their primary motivation for obtaining a permit. These respondents often mentioned a taxidermy mount as a reason for obtaining a permit. About half of respondents motivated by subsistence hunting mentioned food as a reason. Finetuning harvest management include actions to increase participation by rural hunters in the fall–winter permit program, adjustments to boundaries of hunt areas so they are meaningful for hunters, and complementary harvest monitoring for all regulatory seasons.
Interpreting and analysing measures of motor inhibition in Tourette research and beyond
Authors: Dyke Katherine , Holmes Nicholas P.
Published: April 2023

This commentary is on the original article by Batschelett et al. on pages 1321–1331 of this issue.
How to avoid immortal time bias
Authors: Day Steven M. , Reynolds Robert J.
Published: April 2023

This commentary is on the original article by Harihanan et al. on pages 1190–1198 of this issue. A response to this commentary is available as a Letter to the Editor on the Mac Keith Press website: https://www.mackeith.co.uk/journal/letters‐to‐the‐editor/
Severe cerebral palsy survival is similar in California, USA and Victoria, Australia
Authors: Walz Lucas , Brooks Jordan C. , Strauss David J. , Shavelle Robert M.
Published: April 2023

This letter to the editor is on the original article by Hinwood et al. To view this paper visit https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.15420
Cost‐effectiveness analysis of once‐daily insulin glargine 300 U/mL versus insulin degludec 100 U/mL using the BRAVO diabetes model
Authors: Shao Hui , Shi Lizheng , Fonseca Vivian , Alsaleh Abdul Jabbar Omar , Gill Jasvinder , Nicholls Charlie
Published: April 2023

Aims

A cost‐effectiveness analysis was conducted to compare insulin glargine 300 U/mL (Gla‐300) versus insulin degludec 100 U/mL (IDeg‐100) in insulin‐naïve adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) sub‐optimally controlled with oral anti‐diabetic drugs (OADs).

Methods

The BRAVO diabetes model was used to assess costs and outcomes for once‐daily Gla‐300 versus once‐daily IDeg‐100 from a US healthcare sector perspective. Baseline clinical data were based on BRIGHT, a 24‐week, non‐inferiority, randomised control trial comparing Gla‐300 and IDeg‐100 in adults with T2D sub‐optimally controlled with OADs (with or without glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists). Treatment costs were based on doses observed in BRIGHT as well as net prices. Costs associated with complications were based on published literature. Lifetime costs (US$) and quality‐adjusted life‐years (QALYs) were predicted and used to calculate incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio estimates; extensive scenario and sensitivity analyses were conducted.

Results

Overall lifetime medical costs were estimated to be $327,904 and $330,154 for people receiving Gla‐300 and IDeg‐100, respectively; insulin costs were $43,477 and $44,367, respectively. People receiving Gla‐300 gained 8.024 QALYs and 18.55 life‐years, while people receiving IDeg‐100 gained 7.997 QALYs and 18.52 life‐years. Because Gla‐300 was associated with a cost‐saving of $2250 and 0.027 additional QALYs, it was considered to be dominant compared with IDeg‐100. Results of the scenario and sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the base case results.

Conclusion

Gla‐300 was the dominant treatment option compared with IDeg‐100 based on the willingness‐to‐pay threshold of $50,000/QALY. Results remained robust against a wide range of alternative assumptions on key parameters.