bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Artificial intelligence features and expectation confirmation theory in digital banking apps: Gen Y and Z perspective
Authors: Bhatnagr Puneett , Rajesh Anupama
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This study aimed to explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) characteristics, namely Perceived Animacy (PAN), perceived intelligence (PIN), and perceived anthropomorphism (PAI), on user satisfaction (ESA) and continuous intentions (CIN) by integrating Expectation Confirmation Theory (ECT), with a particular focus on Generation Y and Z.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a quantitative method, the study collected 495 data from Gen Y (204) and Z (291) respondents who were users of digital banking apps through structured questionnaires that were analysed using PLS-SEM. The latter helped investigate the driving forces of AI characteristics and user behavioural intentions as well as reveal generation-specific features of digital banking engagement.

Findings

The study revealed that PAN and PIN have significant positive effects on the anthropomorphic perceptions of digital banking apps, which in turn increases perceived usefulness, satisfaction, and continuous intentions. In particular, the influence of these AI attributes varies across generations; Gen Y’s loyalty is mostly based on the benefits derived from AI features, whereas Gen Z places a greater value on the anthropomorphic factor of AI. This marked a generational shift in the demand for digital banking services.

Research limitations/implications

The specificity of Indian Gen Y and Z users defines the scope of this study, suggesting that demographic and geographical boundaries can be broadened in future AI-related banking research.

Practical implications

The results have important implications for bank executive officers and policymakers in developing AI-supported digital banking interfaces that appeal to the unique tastes of millennial customers, thus emphasising the importance of personalising AI functionalities to enhance user participation and loyalty.

Originality/value

This study enriches the digital banking literature by combining AI attributes with ECT, offering a granular understanding of AI’s role in modulating young consumers' satisfaction and continuance intentions. It underscores the strategic imperative of AI in cultivating compelling and loyalty-inducing digital banking environments tailored to the evolving expectations of Generations Y and Z.
Unveiling the antecedents and the outcome of materiality disclosure: insights from sustainability reporting of Malaysian public listed companies
Authors: Ngu Sie-Bing , Amran Azlan
Published: July 2024

Purpose

The materiality principle is one of the top trends in sustainability reporting globally. Stakeholders have focused on the principle of materiality because of its vital importance in the context of sustainability. Materiality serves as a content-selection principle for determining the most significant sustainability matters to be included in sustainability reports. This has made reports more relevant for various stakeholders. Using the resource-based view and stakeholder theory, this paper aims to examine and uncover the antecedents and outcome of materiality disclosure in sustainability reporting.

Design/methodology/approach

To measure the extent of materiality disclosure, a content analysis was performed on the corporate reports of the largest listed companies in Malaysia. The relationships among the variables under investigation were examined using the partial least squares structural equation modelling technique.

Findings

While the results show that board activity, board independence and board size play significant roles as antecedents of materiality disclosure, this is not so with nationality diversity and gender diversity. In addition, the results have shown that the outcome of materiality disclosure is not significantly linked to corporate financial performance. The results show that normative stakeholder considerations are the primary motivating factor behind corporate sustainability reporting in Malaysia.

Practical implications

These results are of great interest to regulators, stakeholders, investors and companies alike. Enhancing materiality disclosure in sustainability reports can help in the transition to sustainable development and the successful achievement of the United Nations sustainable development goals.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study to examine the interplay between board diversity and materiality disclosure, along with their connections to corporate financial performance.
Letter from a teacher: A plea for school-university partners to rethink educator burnout and attrition through an ethic of care
Authors: Drew Sally Valentino , Heyboer Kate Atwood , Paddock Betsy J. , McLachlan William Michael , Nicoll-Senft Joan
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Guided by several of the 9 essentials of what it means to be a PDS (NAPDS, 2021), authors share a plea to rethink the teacher burnout-attrition-staffing crisis with a call toward a moral imperative of recentering an ethic of care. Many schools are operating under anti-care practices which directly undermine teacher wellness in part due to secondary traumatic stress, rising workload demands and intensive student needs.

Design/methodology/approach

Reflecting a compilation of teacher voices, including participants from three research studies and the collective decades-worth experience of educator scholars, this paper presents a synthesis of educator burnout and the role of educator wellness within trauma-informed social emotional learning initiatives.

Findings

The practical model of educator resilience offers a potential solution to burnout and attrition by prioritizing care for teachers individually and collectively prior to addressing care for students.

Originality/value

The model articulates educator resilience as the motivational force of life within a school community focused on an ethic of care that drives the collective and individuals within the collective to be their best. This aligns with foundation principles of PDS schools and Goodlad and colleagues’ decades-old call to foreground the moral dimensions of teaching in school reform (1990).
A grounded theory of tolerance of corruption in public organizations: emotion, rationalization and whistleblowing – the Colombian case
Authors: Peralta-Borray Diego Alejandro , Acuña Johana Sareth , Zapata Sebastián
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Despite the most efficient mechanism to fight against corruption is whistleblowing, in most cases, civil servants prefer to remain silent. For this reason, this research seeks to understand the decision-making process by which civil servants, who witness corrupt actions, prefer to remain silent.

Design/methodology/approach

A grounded theory was constructed, based on the coding of 27 in-depth interviews with civil servants from Bogotá, Colombia, who claimed having witnessed acts of corruption.

Findings

It is proposed that corruption tolerance is a process in which, upon observing an act of corruption, there is an emotional response (apathy, anger and fear) that influences the way civil servants rationalize irregular situations and determines their intention to whistleblowing. Additionally, it was found that behaviors such as patronage are normal for civil servants while irregular procurement and fraud are considered serious moral transgressions.

Originality/value

This research explores two important elements to advance the understanding of public corruption: (1) The comprehension, of the role that plays emotions in the corruption tolerance process by civil servants. Results revealed the existence of an ambivalence between anger and fear that could condition the decision to whistleblowing. (2) The validation of some theoretical elements that had been analyzed in previous research comparing them with the collected empirical information.
Assessing economic and environmental performance of infill materials through BIM: a life cycle approach
Authors: Sajid Zeerak Waryam , Khan Shayan Ali , Hussain Fazal , Ullah Fahim , Khushnood Rao Arsalan , Soliman Nancy
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Infill materials play a pivotal role in determining buildings’ life cycle costing (LCC) and environmental impacts. International standards prescribe LCC and life cycle assessments (LCA) to assess materials’ economic and environmental sustainability. The existing methods of LCC and LCA are tedious and time-consuming, reducing their practical application. This study sought to integrate LCC and LCA with building information modeling (BIM) to develop a swift and efficient approach for evaluating the life cycle performance of infill materials.

Design/methodology/approach

The BIM model for a case study was prepared using Autodesk Revit®, and the study included four infill materials (lightweight aggregate concrete block (LECA), autoclaved cellular concrete (AAC), concrete masonry and bricks). LCC was conducted using Revit® and Autodesk Insight 360® to estimate costs incurred across different project phases. LCA was conducted using “One Click LCA®,” a BIM-based platform featuring a comprehensive material inventory. Carbon emissions, acidification, and eutrophication were chosen as environmental impact factors for LCA.

Findings

LECA was the preferred choice due to its lower cost and environmental impact. Its lifetime cost of $440,618 was 5.4% lower than bricks’, with 2.8% lower CO2 emissions than AAC’s, which were second-place options, respectively. LECA had 6.4 and 27% lower costs than concrete blocks, and AAC’s carbon emissions were 32 and 58% lower than concrete blocks and bricks, respectively.

Originality/value

BIM has been employed for life cycle analysis in existing literature, but its efficacy in evaluating the lifetime costs and environmental impacts of infill materials remains unexplored. The current study presents a BIM-based approach for conducting LCC and LCA of infill materials, facilitating informed decision-making during the planning phase and promoting sustainable construction practices.
How do ESG challenges affect default risk? An empirical analysis from the global banking sector perspective
Authors: Korzeb Zbigniew , Karkowska Renata , Matysek-Jędrych Anna , Niedziółka Paweł
Published: July 2024

Purpose

A review of the literature provides a solid reason to believe that an increase in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) activities have a positive impact on banks’ default risk (DR). However, the increasing impact of climate risk on credit, operational and market risks, as well as the reduced availability of funding for banks that underperform in terms of ESG risk, is a concern. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to verify the relevance of the implementation of ESG policies to a bank’s DR, against the background of macroeconomic and bank-specific factors.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a data set of 303 commercial banks from 61 countries from 2012 to 2021 and a panel regression methodology, the empirical importance of ESG activities for bank DR is documented. The two-stage generalized method of moments estimator was used to test the research questions.

Findings

Comparing different factors, the results highlight the positive impact of ESG activities on the bank’s DR. However, this relationship varies according to the specific pillars of the bank’s sustainability policies and changes into negative ones.

Originality/value

This paper fits the domain of DR management research, investigating whether ESG performance affects bank DR while controlling macroeconomic and market drivers. Prior literature has shown evidence on the relationship between macro and market forces and a bank’s risk profile while a limited one on the non-market drivers. The main contribution is to consider ESG (in total and as separate pillars) as independent drivers of the bank risk profile.
Capturing the smile: Exploring embodied and social acts of smiling
Authors: Kettle J. , Warren L.
Published: July 2024

Smiling is an embodied and complex social act. Smiling is presented as facilitating individual health and wellbeing, but the value placed on smiling raises questions about structural conditions acting on the body. While smiling has been considered sociologically, psychologically and historically, we argue that further exploration of the embodied smile offers fruitful avenues for future research. This article attempts to advance understanding of the smile and its importance by: (I) Bringing together literature on smiling as a social act and smiling as embodied. (II) Systematically identifying key themes, which recognise sociological insights and the relevance of oral health. (III) Pointing to useful directions for future sociological research into smiling. In this article, we review literature on body techniques; impression management and social interaction; gender, race and smiling; and emotional, aesthetic and affective labour. We move on to embodiment, considering the mouth as a body project and in relation to the ageing body, before reflecting on the significance of oral health and dentistry. We highlight future directions for sociological research on smiling, building on eight interrelated and cross‐cutting themes: norms and expectations, aesthetic ideals, self and identity, health and wellbeing, body work, commodification and labour, inclusion and exclusion and resistance.
Cervical cerclage: An evolving evidence base
Authors: Story Lisa , Shennan Andrew
Published: July 2024

Cervical cerclage is an established intervention for the management of pregnancies at high risk of preterm birth. Although studies exist to support its use in certain situations, particularly in singleton pregnancies, many questions such as adjunct therapies and efficacy in specific subgroups of high‐risk women have not been fully elucidated. This review will assess the current evidence as well as areas where there is currently a paucity of data and an urgent requirement for further research.
Hypernatremia in hospitalised adult patients: A protocol for a scoping review
Authors: Wichmann Sine , Rønhøj Rasmus , Ellekjær Karen L. , Møller Morten Hylander , Bestle Morten H.
Published: July 2024

Background

Hypernatremia is a common electrolyte disturbance in hospitalised patients associated with adverse outcomes. The aetiology is diverse but often related to fluid therapy and sodium‐containing medicaments. We aim to outline the evidence base on hypernatremia in adult hospitalised patients.

Methods

We will conduct a scoping review and adhere to the preferred reporting items for systematic and meta‐analysis extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA‐ScR). We will systematically search the Cochrane Library, Medline, Pubmed, and Embase from inception with no limitations to language, and include all study designs. We will use the population, exposure, comparator, and outcome‐based approach to define eligibility criteria. The population: adult hospitalised patients; exposure: hypernatremia; comparator: no hypernatremia or all types of treatments of hypernatremia; and outcomes: all reported outcomes. Two authors will independently screen and select studies followed by full‐text assessment and data extraction in duplicate. All outcome measures will be reported, and descriptive analyses will be performed. The certainty of evidence will be assessed according to an adapted grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Discussion

This scoping review will provide an overview of the current evidence regarding the incidence of hypernatremia, treatment modalities, and outcomes reported for hospitalised adult patients with hypernatremia.
Anthropogenic linear features exhibit greater mammal activity relative to surrounding game trails in a woody savannah
Authors: Fitzpatrick Ryan S. , Kissel Miranda C. , Wuensch Matthew A. , Michael Taylor C. , Ward David
Published: July 2024

Anthropogenic development throughout African savannahs results in changes to landscapes and wildlife habitat. Linear features (e.g. roads and powerlines) have become more prevalent and can reshape how many mammal species navigate the landscape. This study assesses how mammals use anthropogenic linear features and game trails in a woody savannah via camera traps. We found that a greater number of species, especially carnivores, used linear features rather than game trails. Additionally, 15 mammal taxa were associated with anthropogenic linear features, whereas only four taxa were associated with game trails, suggesting that anthropogenic development throughout the African savannah may alter wildlife landscape use.
Invasive species or legal alien? Confrontation and controversy in protecting sabras in Israel
Authors: Shani Liron
Published: July 2024

In an era marked by heightened globalization and climate crisis, the proliferation of alien or invasive species has emerged as a critical issue. This article delves into the contentious debates surrounding strategies for addressing these species, offering insights into divergent visions of “environmental futures” and the intricate interplay of concern, risk, and power relations in the Anthropocene. Through ethnographic research, the article scrutinizes discourses and practices related to the preservation of sabras, recent immigrants from the Americas that have become emblematic in Israel/Palestine, symbolizing a shared connection to the land for Jews and Palestinians. The primary focus is on efforts to protect sabras from an invasive insect threat, which involves introducing a “natural enemy” to combat the intruder, sparking controversy among scientists and stakeholders. By employing the concept of “Anthropocene concern,” the article unveils the anxieties of various actors regarding nonhuman entities and demonstrates how these perceptions drive human actions or inaction. Despite the temptation to associate the political struggle only with the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the article shows the importance of analyzing the political–scientific struggle around the appropriate approach to dealing with invasive species and how emotions, politics, and science are intertwined at different levels, requiring careful analysis and interpretation.
HCN channels in the lateral habenula regulate pain and comorbid depressive‐like behaviors in mice
Authors: Cao Xue‐zhong , Zhu Meng‐ye , Xu Gang , Li Fan , Yan Yi , Zhang Jin‐jin , Wang Jianbing , Zeng Fei , Bao Yang , Zhang Xue‐xue , Liu Tao , Zhang Da‐ying
Published: July 2024

Aims

Comorbid anxiodepressive‐like symptoms (CADS) in chronic pain are closely related to the overactivation of the lateral habenula (LHb). Hyperpolarization‐activated cyclic nucleotide‐gated (HCN) channels have been implicated to play a key role in regulating neuronal excitability. However, the role of HCN channels in the LHb during CADS has not yet been characterized. This study aimed to investigate the effect of HCN channels in the LHb on CADS during chronic pain.

Methods

After chronic neuropathic pain induction by spared nerve injury (SNI), mice underwent a sucrose preference test, forced swimming test, tail suspension test, open‐field test, and elevated plus maze test to evaluate their anxiodepressive‐like behaviors. Electrophysiological recordings, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, pharmacological experiments, and virus knockdown strategies were used to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

Results

Evident anxiodepressive‐like behaviors were observed 6w after the SNI surgery, accompanied by increased neuronal excitability, enhanced HCN channel function, and increased expression of HCN2 isoforms in the LHb. Either pharmacological inhibition or virus knockdown of HCN2 channels significantly reduced LHb neuronal excitability and ameliorated both pain and depressive‐like behaviors.

Conclusion

Our results indicated that the LHb neurons were hyperactive under CADS in chronic pain, and this hyperactivation possibly resulted from the enhanced function of HCN channels and up‐regulation of HCN2 isoforms.
Contact sensitization to fragrance mix I and fragrance mix II among European dermatitis patients: A systematic review
Authors: Botvid Sofia , Bennike Niels H. , Simonsen Anne Birgitte , Johansen Jeanne Duus , Uter Wolfgang
Published: June 2024

Background

Fragrance substances are a frequent cause of contact allergy worldwide. Fragrance exposure varies by sex, age and possibly country, influenced by cosmetic availability, environmental conditions and cultural practices.

Objectives

To systematically review and gather prevalence of sensitization to fragrance mix I (FM I) and fragrance mix II (FM II) in consecutively patch tested European dermatitis patients.

Method

A total of 4134 publications on patch test results of European dermatitis patients, published from 1981 to 2022, were systematically reviewed according to a previously registered and published PROSPERO protocol.

Results

Eighty‐four eligible original articles were analysed. Overall prevalence of sensitization to fragrance mix I (FM I) was 6.81% (95% CI: 6.37–7.28), and FM II was 3.64% (95% CI: 3.3–4.01). Sensitization to FM I was most prevalent in Central and Eastern Europe and to FM II in Western Europe. No clear time trends were observed. Among paediatric dermatitis patients, sensitization prevalence for FM I and FM II was 4.09% (95% CI: 3.37–4.96) and 2.17% (95% CI: 1.53–3.07).

Conclusion

The frequency of positive patch test results for both FMI and FMII remains high. Sensitization is also prevalent among children. Enhanced regulation and labelling of cosmetic products play a vital role in averting exposure and sensitization to fragrance allergens.
Adaptive weighted feature fusion for multiscale atrous convolution‐based 1DCNN with dilated LSTM‐aided fake news detection using regional language text information
Authors: Rathinapriya V , Kalaivani J.
Published: July 2024

The people in the world rely on social media for gathering news, and it is mainly because of the development of technology. The approaches employed in natural language processing are still deficient in judgement factors, and these techniques frequently rely upon political or social circumstances. Numerous low‐level communities in the area are curious after experiencing the negative effects caused by the spread of false information in different sectors. Low‐resource languages are still distracted, because these techniques are extensively employed in the English language. This work aims to provide an analysis of regional language fake news and develop a referral system with advanced techniques to identify fake news in Hindi and Tamil. This proposed model includes (a) Regional Language Text Collection; (b) Text preprocessing; (c) Feature Extraction; (d) Weighted Stacked Feature Fusion; and (e) Fake News Detection. The text data is collected from the standard datasets. The collected text data is preprocessed and given into the feature extraction, which is done by using bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT), transformer networks, and seq2seq network for extracting the three sets of language text features. These extracted feature sets are inserted into the weighted stacked feature fusion model, where the three sets of extracted features are integrated with the optimized weights that are acquired through the enhanced osprey optimization algorithm (EOOA). Finally, these resultant features are given to multi‐scale atrous convolution‐based one‐dimensional convolutional neural network with dilated long short‐term memory (MACNN‐DLSTM) for detecting the fake news. Throughout the result analysis, the experimentation is conducted based on the standard Tamil and Hindi datasets. Moreover, the developed model shows 92% for Hindi datasets and 96% for Tamil datasets which shows effective performance regarding accuracy measures. The experimental analysis is carried out by comparing with the conventional algorithms and detection techniques to showcase the efficiency of the developed regional language‐based fake news detection model.
KDBI special issue: Explainability feature selection framework application for LSTM multivariate time‐series forecast self optimization
Authors: Rodrigues Eduardo M. , Baghoussi Yassine , Mendes‐Moreira João
Published: July 2024

Deep learning models are widely used in multivariate time series forecasting, yet, they have high computational costs. One way to reduce this cost is by reducing data dimensionality, which involves removing unimportant or low importance information with the proper method. This work presents a study on an explainability feature selection framework composed of four methods (IMV‐LSTM Tensor, LIME‐LSTM, Average SHAP‐LSTM, and Instance SHAP‐LSTM) aimed at using the LSTM black‐box model complexity to its favour, with the end goal of improving the error metrics and reducing the computational cost on a forecast task. To test the framework, three datasets with a total of 101 multivariate time series were used, with the explainability methods outperforming the baseline methods in most of the data, be it in error metrics or computation time for the LSTM model training.
Metamorphosis alters concentrations of bioaccumulated pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors in caddisflies: Implications for transfer of aquatic–terrestrial subsidies
Authors: Veseli Marina , Rožman Marko , Petrović Mira , Previšić Ana
Published: July 2024

Aquatic insects serve as vital inter‐habitat linkages between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, as their life cycle includes both aquatic and terrestrial stages. They facilitate the flow of energy and nutrients and play an important role in the transport of waterborne contaminants to terrestrial environments. This study focused on the under‐investigated environmental fate of emerging contaminants (ECs), particularly pharmaceuticals (PhACs) and endocrine‐disrupting compounds (EDCs), which originate from wastewater effluents and accumulate in aquatic insects.

Using an in situ study of a highly abundant caddisfly species (Trichoptera), Silo nigricornis (Pictet, 1834), inhabiting a wastewater‐impacted drainage ditch, we examined the bioaccumulation and bioamplification of PhACs and EDCs across the aquatic and terrestrial life stages of the caddisfly.

We observed variations in the highest concentrations of PhACs and EDCs in different sample types, including water, biofilm and different life stages of S. nigricornis. Adult S. nigricornis exhibited the highest total concentrations of ECs among the different life stages, with 17 different ECs bioaccumulated in caddisfly tissues. Most of these ECs had higher concentrations in terrestrial adults compared to aquatic larvae and pupae. The total concentration of ECs increased significantly with development, revealing a 41% higher concentration in adult terrestrial caddisflies compared to pupae and larvae.

Bioamplification factors provided insights into the increased body burden of the majority of compounds during at least one stage of metamorphosis in S. nigricornis. Evidence of bioamplification was observed in both metamorphosis stages, with certain compounds, such as antibiotics (azithromycin and tilmicosin), endocrine disruptors (TCPP – tris[1‐chloro‐2‐propyl]phosphate and parabens; methylparaben, propylparaben), consistently exhibiting increased concentrations from larval to pupal and from pupal to adult stages. The observed pattern of increasing body burden of contaminants during the caddisfly life cycle emphasises the effects of metamorphosis on the concentration of PhACs and EDCs in adult holometabolous aquatic insects.

Our results emphasise the importance of adult caddisflies for the transport of waterborne contaminants such as PhACs and EDCs from aquatic to terrestrial environments. Therefore, our results emphasise the need to include adult trichopterans in the assessment of habitat quality, as their influence extends beyond the boundaries of the aquatic ecosystem.
The role of deadwood substrates in promoting moss growth: Decay class and particle size effects
Authors: Shi Bingyang , Wang Xiurong , Yang Shuoyuan , Chen Hongmei , Zhao Yang , Liu Qiao , Zou Rong , Pan Yannan
Published: July 2024

Plagiomnium acutum has a high value of landscape application and medicinal value, but there is a lack of related research on propagation and cultivation techniques. The deadwood substrate has rich nutrients and superior water retention properties, which will be conducive to promoting the growth of moss. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms by which deadwood influences moss growth are not yet fully unclear. In this study, we pulverized deadwood from five decay classes of Pinus massoniana into three distinct particle sizes. Through a pot experiment, we investigated the effects of decay class and physicochemical properties on the growth and physiology of Plagiomnium acutum, aiming to identify the most suitable growth substrate. The results indicated that both the decay class and particle diameter of deadwood significantly affect the substrate's physicochemical characteristics and the growth indexes of P. acutum, with the decay class exerting a more pronounced effect. The water‐holding porosity, water‐holding capacity, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium and lignin content of the substrate positively affected the growth of P. acutum, while the bulk density, void ratio, total carbon, carbon‐to‐nitrogen ratio, condensed tannin content and cellulose content had negative impacts. A comprehensive evaluation using a fuzzy membership function indicated that deadwood with higher decay classes (IV and V) was more conducive to the growth of P. acutum. Specifically, substrates from decay class IV with particle sizes of 10–20 mm provided the most favorable conditions for P. acutum and were recommended as the optimal cultivation substrate. The results of this study provide theoretical basis and technical support for the propagation and cultivation of P. acutum, and provide a foundation for further development of the industrial, pharmaceutical and environmental biotechnology potential of P. acutum.
An N‐terminal and ankyrin repeat domain interactome of Shank3 identifies the protein complex with the splicing regulator Nono in mice
Authors: Okuzono Sayaka , Fujii Fumihiko , Setoyama Daiki , Taira Ryoji , Shinmyo Yohei , Kato Hiroki , Masuda Keiji , Yonemoto Kousuke , Akamine Satoshi , Matsushita Yuki , Motomura Yoshitomo , Sakurai Takeshi , Kawasaki Hiroshi , Han Kihoon , Kato Takahiro A. , Torisu Hiroyuki , Kang Dongchon , Nakabeppu Yusaku , Ohga Shouichi , Sakai Yasunari
Published: July 2024

An autism‐associated gene Shank3 encodes multiple splicing isoforms, Shank3a‐f. We have recently reported that Shank3a/b‐knockout mice were more susceptible to kainic acid‐induced seizures than wild‐type mice at 4 weeks of age. Little is known, however, about how the N‐terminal and ankyrin repeat domains (NT‐Ank) of Shank3a/b regulate multiple molecular signals in the developing brain. To explore the functional roles of Shank3a/b, we performed a mass spectrometry‐based proteomic search for proteins interacting with GFP‐tagged NT‐Ank. In this study, NT‐Ank was predicted to form a variety of complexes with a total of 348 proteins, in which RNA‐binding (n = 102), spliceosome (n = 22), and ribosome‐associated molecules (n = 9) were significantly enriched. Among them, an X‐linked intellectual disability‐associated protein, Nono, was identified as a NT‐Ank‐binding protein. Coimmunoprecipitation assays validated the interaction of Shank3 with Nono in the mouse brain. In agreement with these data, the thalamus of Shank3a/b‐knockout mice aberrantly expressed splicing isoforms of autism‐associated genes, Nrxn1 and Eif4G1, before and after seizures with kainic acid treatment. These data indicate that Shank3 interacts with multiple RNA‐binding proteins in the postnatal brain, thereby regulating the homeostatic expression of splicing isoforms for autism‐associated genes after birth.
Boron oxide influencing phase transformations in Eu and Dy co‐doped Sr4Al14O25 exhibiting persistent luminescence
Authors: Khabbaz Abkenar Sirous , Cosgun Ergene Arzu , Gulgun Mehmet Ali , Ow‐Yang Cleva W.
Published: July 2024

The addition of boron oxide is well‐known to dramatically extend the afterglow persistence (PersiL) from minutes to hours in Sr4Al14O25 (S4A7) co‐doped with 1 at% Eu and 1 at% Dy (S4A7EDxB), while the longest duration occurs when 30–40 mol% B2O3 is used. To elucidate the influence of B2O3 on the S4A7EDxB structure supporting PersiL, the thermodynamics and kinetics of phase transformation from amorphous preceramics of S4A7EDxB are investigated in the present work. Powders of S4A7EDxB containing x = 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 mol% B2O3 were prepared by Pechini processing, and their phase evolution was analyzed at characteristic exothermic reaction temperatures. Differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetry at different heating rates, X‐ray diffraction, micro‐Raman, and scanning electron microscopy methods are used to reveal that S4A7 forms along different reaction pathways involving SrAl2O4, γ‐Al2O3, and SrAl4O7, with the pathway determined primarily by the amount of boron oxide present. Evidence is presented correlating the energy barrier of different phase transformations to the relative stability of Al3+ coordination polyhedral networks that form the scaffolding in each crystal phase. To lift the kinetic limitations for direct crystallization of S4A7, at least 30 mol% B2O3 is required for sufficient liquid borate to enable both the Sr2+ diffusion and the reorganization in topological connectivity in the Al3+ polyhedral scaffolding.
Combined effect of timing, position and management on Halyomorpha halys feeding injury assessment on apple cultivars
Authors: Zapponi Livia , Chiesa Serena Giorgia , Anfora Gianfranco , Chini Loris , Gallimbeni Luca , Ioriatti Claudio , Mazzoni Valerio , Saddi Alberto , Angeli Gino
Published: June 2024

Halyomorpha halys is an invasive stink bug, native to east Asia, responsible for extensive economic loss in numerous crops. Since several factors can influence the severity of the recorded injury level, we performed field and semi‐field experiments in commercial apple orchards to monitor their interaction. To establish how position (both in the orchard and on the canopy), management and cultivar interact in determining pre‐harvest injury levels, more than 100,000 apples, distributed over 106 orchard blocks, were examined in the field. Apples located higher in the canopy, on edge rows and in orchards with organic management had a higher number of external injuries and such factors were more relevant when occurring in combination, and on mid and late‐season cultivars. Exclusion cages were used to assess if the injury severity changed with the apple growth stage and with the life stage of H. halys, exposing Red delicious apples to adults and nymphs for 48 hours, from May to July. Early‐season injuries did not evolve in distinct depressions nor in wide areas with necrotic tissue. Later in season, the injury severity was higher and similar for adults and older nymphs (fourth and fifth instars), with the development of depressions externally and necrotic tissue internally. Thus, even a low number of individuals could cause severe damage, over a short exposure period, when it happened near full maturation. The combined results offer new insights to support the development of informed and sustainable control strategies.
Types of sensory disability are differentially associated with mental health in older US adults over time
Authors: Wang Alexander Z. , Wroblewski Kristen E. , Hawkley Louise , Pinto Jayant M.
Published: June 2024

Background

Sensory disability in older adults is associated with increased rates of depressive symptoms and loneliness. Here, we examined the impact of hearing, vision, and olfaction disability on mental health outcomes in older US adults.

Methods

We studied respondents from the first three rounds (2005/6, 2010/11, and 2015/16) of the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project, a nationally representative, longitudinal study of older US adults. Sensory function was assessed by structured interviewer ratings (hearing and vision) and objective assessment (olfaction). Cox proportional hazards models and one degree of freedom tests for trend were utilized to analyze the relationships between sensory disability and self‐rated mental health, frequent depressive symptoms, frequent perceived stress, frequent anxiety symptoms, and frequent loneliness symptoms over time, adjusting for demographics, health behaviors, comorbidities, and cognitive function.

Results

We analyzed data from 3940 respondents over 10 years of follow‐up. A greater number of sensory disabilities was associated with greater hazard of low self‐rated mental health, frequent depressive symptoms, frequent perceived stress, and frequent loneliness symptoms over time (p ≤ 0.003, all). After adjusting for covariates, older adults with a greater number of sensory disabilities had greater hazard of low self‐rated mental health (HR = 1.22, CI = [1.08, 1.38], p = 0.002) and loneliness symptoms (HR = 1.13, CI = [1.05, 1.22], p = 0.003) over time in our tests for trend. In our Cox proportional hazards model, older adults with vision disability had greater hazard of low self‐rated mental health (HR = 1.34, 95% CI = [1.05, 1.72], p = 0.02) and loneliness symptoms (HR = 1.21, CI = [1.04, 1.41], p = 0.01).

Conclusions

Older US adults with greater numbers of sensory disabilities face worse subsequent mental health. Future longitudinal studies dissecting the relationship of all five classical senses will be helpful in further understanding how improving sensory function might improve mental health in older adults.
The effectiveness of the in‐person and online Gottman Seven Principles Couple Enhancement Program: A propensity score matching design
Authors: Zahl‐Olsen Rune , Thuen Frode , Bertelsen Thomas Bjerregaard
Published: July 2024

This study investigates the effectiveness of the 12‐h Gottman Seven Principles couple enhancement program delivered in person and online. In Norway, we recruited 490 participants and 242 people for a control group. All were in close relationships. The revised dyadic adjustment scale (RDAS) was used to assess the quality of their relationships before and after program participation, and at 6‐month follow‐up. Repeated measures ANOVA, t tests, reliable change, and multilevel multiple regression using propensity score matching to control for confounders were used to investigate the effectiveness of the course. The results demonstrate that the Gottman Seven Principles course improves couple relationships and is equally effective whether delivered in person or online. Furthermore, it does not matter whether there are therapists with a clinical background delivering the course, suggesting that the material itself is sufficient.
Investigating the role of adversity and benevolence beliefs in predicting prosociality
Authors: Lim Daniel , Poulin Michael J. , Shaffer‐Morrison C. Dale , Ministero Lauren M. , Silver Roxane Cohen
Published: July 2024

Background

Does experiencing adversity engender kindness, and if so, for whom? Two studies tested the hypothesis that adversity predicts increased pro‐social outcomes, and that this relationship is strongest for individuals who view others as good and trustworthy, or benevolent.

Method

In Study 1, a cross‐sectional survey design was utilized, and in Study 2 a longitudinal survey was conducted.

Results

In Study 1 (N = 359), the number of lifetime adverse life events was associated with increased volunteering, empathic concern, and self‐reported altruism. The association of adversity and altruism was stronger for those with greater benevolence beliefs. In Study 2 (N = 1157), benevolence beliefs were assessed, and in subsequent years, adverse life events were reported. The number of past‐year adverse life events predicted more volunteering and charitable involvement, but only among people with high benevolence beliefs.

Conclusion

Exposure to adversity may be associated with increased pro‐social behavior among those with higher benevolence beliefs. In part, this could be due to benevolence beliefs increasing the expectation that one's efforts will be appreciated and reciprocated.
Investigating extrusion impact on functional, textural properties, morphological structure, and molecular interactions in hulless barley‐based extruded snacks supplemented with mung bean
Authors: Singh Gurpreet , Singh Baljit , Singh Arashdeep
Published: July 2024

The effect of varying extrusion conditions on the functional properties of hulless barley–mung bean (70:30) extruded snacks was investigated using response surface methodology with feed moisture (FM), barrel temperature (BT), and screw speed (SS) as process variables. Results revealed significant impacts on functional characteristics with varying extrusion conditions. Bulk density (BD) of extruded snacks ranged from 0.24 to 0.42 g/cm3, showing that lower FM and higher BT results in lower BD while it increased with increasing FM, SS, and BT. The expansion ratio (ER) of extruded snacks ranged between 2.03 and 2.33, showing BT and SS had a desirable positive effect, whereas increasing FM led to decreased ER. Increasing BT and SS depicted a negative effect on water absorption index, whereas FM showed positive effect, which ranged between 4.21 and 4.82 g/g. A positive effect on water solubility index was depicted by BT and SS, which ranges between 9.01% and 13.45%, as higher SS and BT led to starch degradation and increased solubility suggesting better digestibility. The hardness of extruded snacks ranged from 32.56 to 66.88 Newton (N), showing increasing FM increased hardness, whereas higher SS and BT resulted in lowering the hardness. Scanning electronic microscope (SEM) analysis revealed structural changes in extrudates in comparison with nonextruded flour, indicating starch gelatinization and pore formation affected by varying processing parameters. Shifts in absorption bands were observed in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), suggesting structural changes in starch and protein. Understanding the effects of extrusion parameters on product properties can help tailored production to meet consumers' preferences and the development of functional snacks with improved nutritional quality.
Durable complete response in a patient with leptomeningeal melanoma after treatment with dabrafenib, trametinib, and nivolumab
Authors: Lochrin Sarah E. , Buonocore Darren J. , Young Robert J. , Kaley Thomas J. , Postow Michael A. , Wolchok Jedd D. , Shoushtari Alexander N. , Momtaz Parisa , Betof Warner Allison S. , Callahan Margaret K.
Published: July 2024

Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) is a devastating complication of melanoma with a dismal prognosis. We present the case of a young man with stage IV BRAF V600E mutant melanoma with lung, lymph node, and brain metastases initially treated with ipilimumab and nivolumab, who subsequently developed LMD. Upon change to BRAF/MEK targeted therapy with nivolumab, a durable complete response was achieved and remains ongoing, off treatment, 7 years from diagnosis. Management of symptomatic LMD remains a critical unmet clinical challenge, with limited clinical trial data. This exceptional case is instructive, as the first published case of the use of the triplet, and the first durable response with therapy discontinuation, in melanoma LMD. The triple‐drug regimen may be considered a viable option in fit patients. This case highlights the potential for long‐term disease control and the critical and urgent need to develop clinical trials inclusive of patients with LMD to define the best treatment strategies.
Antenna development, function and its direct or indirect impact on physiology and behaviour of Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Dhar Gyanaseni , Basu Srirupa , Sabat Debabrat , Mishra Monalisa
Published: June 2024

Sensory mechanotransduction is the process of deciphering physical stimuli into neural electrical receptor potentials, essential to Drosophila, the fruit fly. Nearly every aspect of an adult Drosophila intricate behavioural repertoire that involves the senses of proprioception, hearing, touch, olfaction, balancing and graviception. Mechanotransduction are mediated by a wide variety of specialized sensilla and sensory neurons that comprise the antenna. The eye and antenna of Drosophila melanogaster are derived from a cluster of approximately 23 cells that are set aside during embryonic development and are constantly divided during the three larval stages, organizing into an epithelial sac known as the eye‐antennal imaginal disc. During late larval and pupal development, the forward lobe of this epithelium, known as the antennal disc, gives rise to the antenna (an organized tripartite structure), whereas the posterior lobe, known as the eye disc, gives rise to the eye. The development of the antenna is a complex and intricate process that relies on the interplay of numerous genes. Each gene involved contributes to the regulatory network that governs the formation, differentiation, and patterning of specific structures within the antenna, ensuring its proper functionality. Thus, aberrant expression or mutation of any gene results in a faulty antenna. The defectiveness appears in terms of antennal structure leading to loss of function including defective behaviour found in an organism. A similar kind of structure–function relation of hearing with a behavioural defect has been reported in vertebrates. Some of the behavioural defects associated with genes are conserved in both vertebrates and Drosophila. Thus, a behavioural assay is an adaptable approach to studying the functionality of various genes associated with the antennae. Here a crucial relationship is established between the genetic regulation of mechanosensory neurons and an organism's behaviour. The current review summarizes antennae development, function and several methods used to study the mechanosensory behaviour associated with Drosophila antennae.
Navigating aquaculture losses: Tackling fish‐killing phytoflagellates in a changing global landscape
Authors: Mehdizadeh Allaf Malihe , Erratt Kevin J.
Published: July 2024

Aquaculture has emerged as a pivotal alternative for seafood production, addressing the challenges posed by depleting wild fish stocks. However, the industry faces substantial challenges, notably the presence of harmful algal blooms (HABs), which can cause serious economic consequences. The proliferation of major species of phytoflagellates leading to massive fish mortality is on the rise, possibly attributed to increasing global temperatures and eutrophication. This underscores the critical need for robust detection, prevention, and mitigation strategies to safeguard the aquaculture industry. This contribution offers valuable insights into comprehending and addressing the challenges posed by HABs in the fish aquaculture sector in an era of global change.