bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of growth mindset in shaping teachers' intercultural competencies: A study among Finnish teachers
Authors: Rissanen Inkeri , Kuusisto Elina
Published: April 2023

Cultural heterogenisation of classrooms and existing achievement gaps have led to an acknowledgement of the need to develop teachers' intercultural competencies. A growth mindset (a belief that intelligence, personality and other such qualities can be cultivated) predicts positive intergroup attitudes and reduces stereotyping, but has not been researched as an aspect of teachers' intercultural competence. This study analyses the role of growth mindset in shaping three aspects relevant to teachers' intercultural competencies: process versus trait orientation to students, diversity beliefs and orientation to social justice and equity. Fifteen Finnish comprehensive schoolteachers were interviewed. Significant differences were found between teachers with fixed and growth mindsets. Teachers with a growth mindset were more likely to hold polyculturalist beliefs about the interconnectedness and changeability of cultures, and to recognise and combat issues of social injustice and inequity. Teachers with a fixed mindset made trait‐focused interpretations of their students and did not easily recognise problems of social justice in school or in society. These results encourage us to suggest that a growth mindset is a construct with a lot of potential to introduce novel approaches to multi/intercultural and social justice teacher education, but more research is needed. The implications of the findings for teacher education and further research are discussed.
Social support on calling: Mediating role of work engagement and professional identity
Authors: Zhang Leigang , Guo Xiaofei
Published: April 2023

Researchers suggest that personal and contextual factors may interact to predict career calling; however, the antecedents of career calling have received less research attention. Consequently, the aim of this research is to develop and test a research model that investigates work engagement and professional identity as mediators of the effect of social support on career calling among 456 Chinese special education teachers. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that perceived social support predicted high levels of work engagement, professional identity, and career calling. Furthermore, work engagement and professional identity simultaneously and sequentially mediated the relationship between perceived social support and career calling. Our findings suggest that supportive social relationships may increase the willingness to dedicate one's time and efforts and enhance the clarity of professional identity, ultimately fostering a sense of career calling. This research would be valuable to both academics and practitioners who are seeking to explore various antecedents of career calling.
Improved flexural strength and morphology of gypsum by wollastonite
Authors: Ikuyinminu Ayokunle Blessing , Pritzel Christian , Trettin Reinhard
Published: April 2023

The role of β‐wollastonite on the flexural strength of gypsum obtained from the hydration of alpha‐hemihydrate was investigated in this work. Starting with a synthesized Xonotlite obtained from the industry, dehydration was carried out at 880°C giving rise to the β‐wollastonite which was identified by X‐ray diffraction. The pure gypsum samples were prepared and compared with 3% and 5% replacements of the wollastonite. Increased flexural strengths were observed for 2, 7 and 28 days of storage in room temperature, normal water, and cold water. It was remarkable that the strength in water storage increased. The crystal morphology of the obtained gypsum was also improved in the presence of β‐wollastonite.
Thermocatalytic Dehydrogenation‐Enabled Arene‐Alkane Couplings†
Authors: Yu Feng , Tao Renqing , Gan Lan , Ni Hao , Kang Qi‐Kai , Liu Guixia , Huang Zheng
Published: April 2023

Comprehensive Summary

The direct use of non‐prefunctionalized arene and alkane as the starting materials to construct Caryl−Calkyl bond is an unfulfilled target and approaches to this challenge rarely surface in methodology studies. Current methods for thermocatalytic arene‐alkane couplings (AAC) occur with specific substrates and/or inconvenient reagents. Herein, we report a one‐pot relay bicatalysis system for AAC involving (pincer)Ir‐catalyzed alkane transfer dehydrogenation and Fe(OTf)3‐catalyzed olefin hydroarylation. This system exhibits broad scope and is particularly effective for alkylation of arenes with arylalkanes to form 1,1‐diarylalkanes with high chemo‐ and regioselectivity, making it potentially useful for late‐stage alkylation of complex molecules. Experimental mechanistic data provide a view into the factors controlling the regioselectivity. Finally, the strategy of dehydrogenation‐enabled arene‐alkane couplings has been successfully extended to a tandem catalysis by using a heterogeneous olefin hydroarylation catalyst.
Metallo‐Supramolecular Structures Binding CO2: Self‐Assembly of Fluorescent Nanoparticles Based on Pyridine Derivatives of Pillar[5]arene and Cu(I)
Authors: Aleksandrova Yulia I. , Shurpik Dmitriy N. , Mostovaya Olga A. , Nazmutdinova Viktoriya A. , Vakhitov Iskander R. , Gerasimov Alexander V. , Islamov Daut R. , Kuzin Yurii I. , Evtugyn Gennady A. , Stoikov Ivan I.
Published: April 2023

Decasubstituted pillar[5]arenes containing 2‐ and 4‐thiopyridine and thiophenol fragments were synthesized for the first time. The spatial structure of pillar[5]arene containing 4‐thiopyridine fragments was established by X‐ray crystallography. Unique fluorescent self‐assembling metallo‐supramolecular structures with Cu(I) cations were synthesized based on the macrocycle. It was found that the obtained metallo‐supramolecular structures are able to bind CO2, which was confirmed by a number of methods. The effect of CO2molecules on pillar[5]arene/Cu(I) complexation was also tested using an electrochemical device, and the selectivity of electron exchange and the reversibility of changes in voltammograms were shown, which makes it possible to use the synthesized complex for selective monitoring of CO2in gaseous media and in the development of new photosynthetic systems.
Computing rank‐revealing factorizations of matrices stored out‐of‐core
Authors: Heavner N. , Martinsson P. G. , Quintana‐Ortí G.
Published: April 2023

This paper describes efficient algorithms for computing rank‐revealing factorizations of matrices that are too large to fit in main memory (RAM), and must instead be stored on slow external memory devices such as disks (out‐of‐core or out‐of‐memory). Traditional algorithms for computing rank‐revealing factorizations (such as the column pivoted QR factorization and the singular value decomposition) are very communication intensive as they require many vector‐vector and matrix‐vector operations, which become prohibitively expensive when data is not in RAM. Randomization allows to reformulate new methods so that large contiguous blocks of the matrix are processed in bulk. The paper describes two distinct methods. The first is a blocked version of column pivoted Householder QR, organized as a “left‐looking” method to minimize the number of the expensive write operations. The second method results employs a UTV factorization. It is organized as an algorithm‐by‐blocks to overlap computations and I/O operations. As it incorporates power iterations, it is much better at revealing the numerical rank. Numerical experiments on several computers demonstrate that the new algorithms are almost as fast when processing data stored on slow memory devices as traditional algorithms are for data stored in RAM.
An improved DC link voltage control with double frequency second‐order generalized integrator for enhanced power quality of grid‐interfaced DFIG system
Authors: Hamid Bisma , Hussain Ikhlaq , Javed Iqbal Sheikh , Singh Bhim , Das Souvik
Published: April 2023

In this study, an optimal double frequency second order generalized integrator (DFSOGI) based grid side converter control (GSC) is used for monitoring active power injection from the DFIG wind energy system as well as improving power quality at utility grid terminals. The reference DC voltage is adapted to variations in voltage at the point of common coupling (PCC) that reduces the burden on the converter switches and switching losses. In addition, an intelligent control technique based on white shark optimization algorithm (WSO) is endorsed, where an objective problem is formulated to obtain the desired parameters of the controller. Finally, time‐domain simulations are conducted in MATLAB environment that demonstrate the validity of the implemented control over various operating conditions. To affirm the adequacy of the proposed control strategy, the response of DC link voltage obtained through optimal tuning is compared to the conventional one. The proposed WSO tuning outperforms traditional manual tuning pertaining to enhancing the overall performance of the DFIG system. The designed WSO gains exhibit better steady‐state and transient performance including settling time, steady‐state error, and peak of over amplitude and harmonic distortion. The grid currents' total harmonic distortion (THD) is within 5% that meets specified IEEE‐519 standard.
Optimization of an amplicon sequencing‐based microsatellite panel and protocol for stock identification and kinship inference of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)
Authors: Marcy‐Quay Benjamin , Wilson Chris C. , Osborne Christopher A. , Marsden J. Ellen
Published: April 2023

Kinship‐based methods of population assessment such as close‐kin mark‐recapture require accurate and efficient genotyping methods capable of resolving complex relationships among kin. Inference of such relationships can be difficult using biallelic loci due to the large number of markers required to obtain the necessary power. Sequencing‐based microsatellite panels offer an efficient alternative, combining high polymorphism with efficient next‐generation methods. Here we construct, optimize, and test one such panel for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) using a combination of previously‐published loci adapted for sequencing and de novo loci mined from a genome assembly. We performed three rounds of primer optimization, yielding a final panel of 131 loci, followed by testing with two different levels of PCR multiplexing (all primers in one or two groups) and two different reaction volumes (5 and 10 μL). Our results showed that the use of the largest multiplex and smallest reaction volume did not substantially change results, allowing significant cost and time savings. To test panel accuracy, we used both a set of 153 known‐origin samples from origins of management interest and a series of hatchery crosses representing nine families with parent‐offspring, half‐sibling, and largely‐unrelated pairs. Our results indicate that sequencing‐based microsatellite panels can efficiently and accurately provide the information required for a population genetics analyses including population assignment, calculation of between‐population FST, and kinship‐based population estimation techniques. Such techniques are seeing increasing applications for a wide range of taxa; our findings should provide insight and guidance for the development of the necessary molecular resources.
Communal rearing induces high predatory capacity in a solitary wolf spider and its potential in pest control
Authors: Peng Yaqi , Zhang Fan , Hu Die , Li Dong , Zhao Yao , Peng Yu
Published: April 2023

Behavioral plasticity is of great significance because it allows individuals to flexibly respond to variations in the ecological and social environment. To date, there is little published data on the topic of whether the early rearing experience of spiders influences their later foraging behavior. Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae) is a solitary wolf spider, it is a major predator of pests such as Nilaparvata lugens in rice fields. In this study, we aim to develop a communal rearing protocol for spiders. We conducted a rearing study in the lab that one group of wolf spiders was reared communally and a second group was reared individually. We compared the survival rates and predatory capacity of P. pseudoannulata in both settings. Survival rates were similar overall. At forty‐five days, survival rates were below 40% for both groups. Raising spiders communally led to higher foraging levels. Across all tested time points, spiders reared communally hunted more fruit flies than those reared individually. Significant differences were found between the two rearing groups after hunting for seven and 10 min. Field experiment showed that release of communal‐reared spiders significantly reduced the pest N. lugens population. Our research provides reference for the large‐scale breeding of spiders and their application as biological control agents.
After COVID‐19, what's next for colleges?
Authors: Dennis Marguerite J.
Published: April 2023

To begin, while higher education in the United States is currently stable, Fitch Ratings Service has taken a pessimistic view of the sector's future. According to the bond rating agency, enrollment instability, inflation, and the impact of the “great resignation” will impact the stability of U.S. colleges and universities in the year, and years, to come.
Fully online courses impacted student mental health
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: April 2023

College students who accessed their courses in a fully online format reported more psychological distress during the COVID‐19 pandemic than their peers in face‐to‐face courses, or peers who took classes in both online and face‐to‐face formats. That's according to research published in JAMA Network Open, based on data from 59,250 undergraduate students.
Frontal lobe epilepsy and mild malformation with oligodendroglial hyperplasia: Further observations on electroclinical and imaging phenotypes, and surgical perspectives
Authors: Garganis Kyriakos , Gkiatis Kostakis , Maletic Jelena , Harushukuri Jean , Kondylidis Nikolaos , Dinopoulos Argiris , Vorgia Pelagia , Coras Roland , Bluemcke Ingmar , Zountsas Basilios
Published: April 2023

Objective

Mild malformation with oligodendroglial hyperplasia (MOGHE) is a recently described clinicopathologic entity, associated with drug‐resistant epilepsy and extensive epileptogenic networks. Knowledge is accumulating about particular electroclinical phenotypes, correlations with imaging, and potential prognostic significance for surgical outcomes. The study adds relevant information by documenting the presence of a hyperkinetic frontal lobe seizure phenotype in adolescents and an epileptic encephalopathy phenotype in young children.

Methods

Five cases were subjected to a structured presurgical evaluation protocol, including EEG‐FMRI, chronic and acute invasive EEG, subjected to frontal lobe surgery with postoperative follow‐up between 15 months and 7 years.

Results

In the two adult cases, surface EEG demonstrated lateralized widespread frontal lobe epileptogenicity and hyperkinetic semiological features. MRI demonstrated cortical white matter blurring and deeper white matter abnormalities. EEG‐FMRI suggested concordant frontal lobe involvement. iEEG demonstrated a widespread frontal lobe epilepsy network. The three young children demonstrated a diffuse epileptic encephalopathy phenotype, with nonlocalizing, nonlateralizing surface EEG, and “spasms” as the main seizure type. MRI demonstrated extensive frontal lobe subcortical gray and white matter abnormalities, consistent with MOGHE literature for this age, while EEG‐FMRI, in 2/3, demonstrated concordant frontal lobe involvement. They did not undergo chronic iEEG, and the resection was assisted by acute intraoperative ECoG. All cases were subjected to extensive frontal lobectomies with Engel class IA (2/5), IB (1/5), and IIB (2/5) outcomes.

Significance

The study confirms the presence of frontal lobe epilepsy and epileptic encephalopathy phenotypes, in accordance with epilepsy phenotypes already described in MOGHE literature. Presurgical evaluation studies, including EEG‐FMRI, can provide strong lateralizing and localizing evidence of the epileptogenic networks involved. All responded favorably to extensive frontal lobe resections, despite widespread epileptic activity recorded by surface and intracranial EEG pre‐ and postoperatively; an epileptic encephalopathy phenotype, in the first years of life, should not discourage such a resection.
Phytobioactive compounds as therapeutic agents for human diseases: A review
Authors: Riaz Muhammad , Khalid Ramsha , Afzal Muhammad , Anjum Fozia , Fatima Hina , Zia Saadiya , Rasool Ghulam , Egbuna Chukwuebuka , Mtewa Andrew G. , Uche Chukwuemelie Zedech , Aslam Muhammad Aamir
Published: April 2023

Phytobioactive compounds are plant secondary metabolites and bioactive compounds abundantly present in medicinal plants and have remarkable therapeutic potential. Oxidative stress and antibiotic resistance are major causes of present‐day ailments such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, and inflammation. The data for this review were collected from Google Scholar, PubMed, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and Science Direct by using keywords: “Medicinal plants, Phytobioactive compounds, Polyphenols, Alkaloids, Carotenoids etc.” Several studies have reported the pharmacological and therapeutic potential of the phytobioactives. Polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenes, and polysaccharides isolated from medicinal plants showed remarkable antioxidant, anticancer, cytotoxic, anti‐inflammatory, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, and antidiabetic activities. This literature review was planned to provide comprehensive insight into the biopharmacological and therapeutic potential of phytobioactive compounds. The techniques used for the extraction and isolation of phytobioactive compounds, and bioassays required for their biological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti‐inflammatory, and cytotoxic activities, have been discussed. Characterization techniques for the structural elucidation of phytobioactive compounds such as HPLC, TLC, FTIR, GC–MS/MS, and NMR have also been discussed. This review concludes that phytobioactive compounds may be used as potential alternative to synthetic compounds as therapeutic agents for the treatment of various diseases.
The effect of high‐polyphenol sumac (Rhus coriaria) on food intake using sensory and appetite analysis in younger and older adults: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Soleymani Majd Nasim , Coe Shelly , Lightowler Helen , Thondre Pariyarath Sangeetha
Published: April 2023

Aging is accompanied by a decline in appetite and food intake with associated deficiencies in both macronutrients and micronutrients. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of adding Iranian brown sumac (Rhus coriaria) (CIBS) into butternut squash soup on sensory evaluation and food intake among older adults (n = 20; >65 years old) and younger adults (n = 20; 18–35 years old). To evaluate the polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of the sumac samples, a Folin–Ciocalteu assay (FCR) and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay were used, respectively. L‐glutamic acid was assessed using a Megazyme L‐glutamic acid assay. Compusense software was used to assess the sensory evaluation attributes of free‐living older adults and younger adults receiving different doses of sumac in butternut squash soup. Nutritics software was used to assess food intake following the addition of 0.37 g of sumac to soup. CIBS was selected based on a preliminary assessment in vitro for L‐glutamic acid, antioxidant, and polyphenol content of six varieties of sumac. Sensory evaluation results revealed that the difference in perceived intensity of brown color between the soup samples with different doses of CIBS was greater in the younger adults' group (p = .001) than in older adults (p = .037). In addition, the food intake study found that during the ad libitum lunch, older adults consumed more energy (kcal; p = .014), protein (g; p = .025), carbohydrate (g; p = .013), and fat (g; p = .002) after soup with sumac compared to control soup. The overall findings of this study suggest that the addition of sumac to food may have a potential benefit in enhancing ad libitum lunch intake in older adults leading to effective management of malnutrition. This may promote healthy aging and minimize the burden and the consequences of anorexia of aging as main public health concerns.
The increased expression of cytokeratin 13 leads to an increase in radiosensitivity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma HNE‐3 cells by upregulating ERRFI1
Authors: Wang Huan , Shi Ming , Wan Jia , Yu Hong
Published: April 2023

The main factors contributing to the unfavorable outcome in the clinical treatment of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients are radiation resistance and recurrence. This study aimed to investigate the sensitivity and molecular foundation of cytokeratin 13 (CK13) in the radiotherapy of NPC. To achieve this, a human NPC cell line overexpressing CK13, HNE‐3‐CK13, was constructed. The effects of CK13 overexpression on cell viability and apoptosis under radiotherapy conditions were evaluated using the CCK‐8 assay, immunofluorescence, and western blotting (WB). Next‐generation sequencing was performed to identify the downstream genes and signaling pathways of CK13 that mediate radiotherapy response. The potential role of the candidate gene ERRFI1 in CK13‐induced enhancement of radiosensitivity was investigated through rescue experiments using clone formation and WB. The effects of ERRFI1 on cell viability, cell apoptosis, cell cycle, and the related key genes were further evaluated using CCK‐8, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, quantitative polymerase chain reaction and WB. The results showed that CK13 overexpression in HNE‐3 significantly inhibited cell survival under radiotherapy and promoted apoptosis marker γH2AX expression, leading to a significant increase of ERRFI1. Knockdown of ERRFI1 rescued the decreased cell viability and proliferation and the increased cell apoptosis that were caused by CK13 overexpression‐mediated radiotherapy sensitization of NPC cells. In this process, EGFR, AKT, and GSK‐3β were found involved. In the end, ERRFI1 was proven to inhibit expression levels of CDK1, CDK2, cyclin B1, and cyclin D1, resulting an increased G2/M cell ratio. Overexpression of CK13 enhances the radiosensitivity of NPC cells, which is characterized by decreased cell viability and proliferation and increased apoptosis. This regulation may affect the survival of HNE‐3 cells by increasing the expression of ERRFI1 and activating the EGFR/Akt/GSK‐3β signaling pathway, providing new potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of NPC.
Dual‐slit confocal light‐sheet microscopy using birefringent crystals
Authors: Xu Xin , Ye Hong , Wang Jixiang , Zhang Xin , Shi Guohua
Published: April 2023

We present a method to use a birefringent crystal for generating two illumination beams in a digital scanned laser light‐sheet microscopy (DSLM) system. Upon this, a conventional confocal DSLM can be easily upgraded to a dual‐slit confocal DSLM with two‐fold imaging speed. We have implemented this method to our bidirectional DSLM system, locating two identical calcite crystals on both illumination paths from both sides of the sample. The neurons of in vivo larval zebrafish have been fast imaged with sterling image quality, especially ~2.5 times higher contrast, compared to the conventional DSLM.
Silencing LINC00491 inhibits prostate cancer development through the miR‐384/TRIM44 axis
Authors: Zhou Songlin , Wu Cheng , Tang Qingsheng , Zhou Xunrong , He Bin , Chang Pingan , He Xiaozhou
Published: April 2023

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated the key role of long noncoding (lnc)RNAs in tumorigenesis. Prostate cancer (PCa) is a cancer with high mortality that requires further exploration of the underlying molecular mechanisms. In the present study, we aimed to discover novel potential biomarkers for diagnosing PCa and targeting treatment. Overexpression of the lncRNA, LINC00491, was verified in PCa tumor tissues and cell lines using the real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Cell proliferation and invasion were then analyzed via the Cell Counting Kit‐8, colony formation, and transwell assays in vitro, and tumor growth in vivo. The interaction of miR‐384 with LINC00491, as well as TRIM44, was investigated via bioinformatics analyses, subcellular fractionation, luciferase reporter gene assays, radioimmunoprecipitation, pull‐down, and western blot analyses. LINC00491 was overexpressed in PCa tissues and cell lines. LINC00491 knockdown resulted in impaired cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and decreased tumor growth in vivo. Moreover, LINC00491 acted as a sponge for miR‐384 and its downstream target, TRIM44. Additionally, miR‐384 expression was downregulated in PCa tissues and cell lines, and its expression was negatively correlated with LINC00491. A miR‐384 inhibitor restored the inhibitory effects of LINC00491 silencing on PCa cell proliferation and invasion. LINC00491 is a tumor promoter in PCa via enhancing TRIM44 expression by sponging miR‐384 to facilitate the development of PCa. LINC00491 plays a significant role in PCa and could serve as both a biomarker for early diagnosis and a novel treatment target.
Novel hydrostable Z‐scheme Ag/CsPbBr3/Bi2WO6 photocatalyst for effective degradation of Rhodamine B in aqueous solution
Authors: Xue Jia‐Rong , Xue Rong‐Chao , Chen Pei‐Yao , Wang Yong , Yu Li‐Ping
Published: April 2023

In this study, a hydrostable Z‐scheme Ag/CsPbBr3/Bi2WO6 photocatalyst was designed and fabricated for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). The structural instability of CsPbX3 perovskites in water is one of the main obstacles that restrict their practical application in photocatalytic wastewater treatment. The photocatalyst was prepared in three steps: passivation of CsPbBr3 nanocrystals (NCs) with 3‐mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), construction of a heterojunction between MPA‐passivated CsPbBr3 NCs and Bi2WO6 ultrathin nanosheets, and doping Ag nanoparticles as charge mediators in the heterojunction. The as‐obtained 5%Ag/20%CsPbBr3/Bi2WO6 exhibits good stability and excellent photocatalytic activity. The degradation rate is 93.9% in 120 min, which is 4.41 times than that of Bi2WO6.
A DFT study on the reaction mechanism of the gold(I)‐catalyzed cycloisomerization of alkynylhydroxyallylamides to 4‐Oxa‐6‐azatricyclo[3.3.0.02,8]octane and 3‐Acyl‐4‐alkenylpyrrolidine
Authors: Jung Daero , Kang Youn K.
Published: April 2023

In this study, we use density functional theory calculations to investigate the discrepancy between two experimental results of Au(I)‐catalyzed cycloisomerization reactions of alkynylhydroxyallyl tosylamide under similar reaction conditions, with the only variations being reaction temperature and time. The experimental results reported by Yeh and Chung groups, respectively, showed that 3‐acyl‐4‐alkenylpyrrolidines are produced dominantly at ambient temperature, while 4‐aza‐6‐oxatricyclo[3.3.0.02,8]octanes are produced in higher yield at elevated temperature. Using (Z)‐4‐([3‐phenylprop‐2‐yn‐1‐yl]amino)but‐2‐en‐1‐ol and [Au(PPh3)]+ as the model starting material and active catalyst species, respectively, we identified two major pathways leading to 4‐aza‐6‐oxatricyclo[3.3.0.02,8]octane (pathway I) and 3‐acyl‐4‐alkenylpyrrolidine (pathway II). The overall free energy barrier (ΔG‡max) and the energetic span (ΔG‡span) of each pathway were 38.3 and 48.4 kcal/mol for pathway I and 29.0 and 37.1 kcal/mol for pathway II. Our analysis shows that the disparate outcomes observed in the experiments by two separate groups mainly originate in the reaction kinetics, with both the overall activation barrier and energetic span being the important factor.
The impact of health inequities on physicians' occupational well‐being during COVID‐19: A qualitative analysis from four US cities
Authors: Browne Alyssa , Jenkins Tania , Berlinger Nancy , Buchbinder Liza , Buchbinder Mara
Published: April 2023

Objective

The aim of this study is to describe frontline physicians' perceptions of the impact of racial–ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in COVID‐19 infection and mortality on their occupational well‐being.

Methods

One hundred and forty‐five qualitative, semistructured interviews were conducted between February 2021 and June 2022 with hospital medicine, emergency medicine, pulmonary/critical care, and palliative care physicians caring for hospitalized COVID‐19 patients in four US cities.

Results

Physicians reported encountering COVID‐related health disparities and inequities at the societal, organizational, and individual levels. Encountering these inequities, in turn, contributed to stress among frontline physicians, whose concerns revealed how structural conditions both shaped COVID disparities and constrained their ability to protect populations at risk from poor outcomes. Physicians reported feeling complicit in the perpetuation of inequities or helpless to mitigate observed inequities and experienced feelings of grief, guilt, moral distress, and burnout.

Conclusions

Health inequities are an under‐acknowledged source of physicians' occupational stress that requires solutions beyond the clinical context.
Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) and allergy
Authors: De Ruvo Ermenegildo , Petrungaro Mattia , De Luca Lucia , Bressi Edoardo , Bruni Giuseppe , Fagagnini Alessandro , Grieco Domenico , Martino Anna Maria , Panuccio Marco , Politano Alessandro , Rebecchi Marco , Calò Leonardo
Published: April 2023

Advances in cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) have prolonged life expectancy in various medical settings. However, the issue of hypersensitivity to components of CIEDs is still a concern. Since 1970, allergic reactions to metallic and nonmetallic components of CIEDs have been reported. Hypersensitivity reactions to medical devices are rare and not fully understood. In some cases, diagnosis and treatment are difficult. Cardiologists should always keep in mind pacemaker allergy when a patient appears with wound complications and no signs of infection. Patch testing should be tailored toward the specific biomaterials used in a device, in addition to testing with standard screening allergens in select cases.
Multicenter retrospective database evaluation of Takotsubo syndrome in subjects undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation
Authors: Sinha Neha , Tian Zizhong , Zhou Shouhao , Thomas Neal J. , Krawiec Conrad
Published: April 2023

Background

Intracardiac catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation with pulmonary vein isolation may result in Takotsubo syndrome (TS), but the frequency, predisposing factors (age, sex, mental health disorders), and outcomes are currently unknown. This study sought to assess the frequency, predisposing factors, and outcomes of subjects who underwent intracardiac catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation with pulmonary vein isolation and were diagnosed with TS.

Methods

This was a retrospective observational cohort study utilizing TriNetX® electronic health record (EHR) data. We included subjects aged older than 18 years who underwent intracardiac catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation with pulmonary vein isolation. The study population was divided into two groups (no TS diagnostic code presence and TS diagnostic code presence). We analyzed the distributions of age, sex, race, diagnostic codes, common terminology procedures (CPT), and vasoactive medication codes and examined mortality rate within 30 days.

Results

We included 69,116 subjects. Of these, 27 (0.04%) had a TS diagnostic code, the cohort was comprised mostly of females [17 (63.0%)], and 1 (3.7%) death within 30 days was reported. There were no significant differences in age and frequency of mental health disorders between those patients in TS and non‐TS cohorts. Adjusting for age, sex, race, ethnicity, patient regionality, and mental health disorder diagnostic code, those patients who developed TS had a significantly higher odds of dying in 30 days after catheter ablation compared to those without TS (OR = 15.97, 95% CI: 2.10–121.55, p = .007).

Conclusions

Approximately 0.04% of subjects who underwent intracardiac catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation by pulmonary vein isolation had a subsequent diagnostic code of TS. Further study is needed to determine whether there are predisposing factors associated with the development of TS in subjects who undergo catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation by pulmonary vein isolation.
Data quality control and homogenization of daily precipitation and air temperature (mean, max and min) time series of Ukraine
Authors: Skrynyk Oleg , Sidenko Vladyslav , Aguilar Enric , Guijarro Jose , Skrynyk Olesya , Palamarchuk Liudmyla , Oshurok Dmytro , Osypov Valeriy , Osadchyi Volodymyr
Published: April 2023

In this paper we present the results of quality control and homogenization procedures applied to long time series of daily atmospheric precipitation sums (Rr) and daily mean (Tm), maximum (Tx) and minimum (Tn) air temperature collected in Ukraine. The daily data from 178 meteorological stations covering the period of 1946–2020 were analysed. In order to perform a thorough quality assurance check, we used the R package INQC, while the Climatol homogenization software was used to detect and remove breaks from the time series. The INQC quality assurance tests revealed a relatively small number of erroneous records (around 0.01% for each variable) and suspicious values (up to 0.09%). The application of Climatol resulted in 195, 296, 355 and 359 break points, detected for Rr, Tm, Tx and Tn, respectively. These quantities coincide roughly with the results of the HOMER homogenization procedure applied to monthly time series for the same stations and almost the same period (performed in the previous works of the authors). To verify the homogenization results, statistical comparison of the raw and homogenized time series was performed. The verification demonstrated that the quality control and homogenization procedures detected and removed errors and breaks very well, and air temperature and precipitation fields after the homogenization are more self‐consistent compared to the original raw data.
Phosphatidylglucose alleviates atherosclerosis by increasing cholesterol alienation to bile acids and cholesterol efflux in ApoE−/− mice
Authors: Yang Jin‐Yue , Zhang Tian‐Tian , Yu Zhu‐Lin , Li Xiao‐Yue , Zhao Ying‐Cai , Mao Xiang‐Zhao , Wang Yu‐Ming , Xue Chang‐Hu
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is considered to be the major dietary source for choline, which is associated with atherosclerosis progress. Thus, phosphatidylglucose (PG) was prepared by enzymatic modification of PC to investigate the effects on atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E deficient (ApoE−/−) mice, as well as to investigate its dose–response relationship.

RESULTS

The results showed that dietary PG significantly decreased the atherosclerotic lesion area in a dose‐dependent manner. Further studies found that intervention with a 0.8 g kg−1 and 2 g kg−1 PG diet for 4 months significantly decreased free cholesterol level and thus reduced total cholesterol levels in serum. The results of cholesterol distribution among lipoproteins showed that dietary PG significantly decreased low‐density lipoprotein levels in ApoE−/− mice. In addition, only administration of high‐dose PG significantly reduced total cholesterol levels in liver tissues by 31.2%. Furthermore, mice treated with high‐dose PG had an expanded bile acid pool and increased the ratio of conjugated bile acids to unconjugated bile acids in the liver, serum and gallbladder by increasing hepatic gene expression of primary and conjugated bile acid synthesis. Additionally, low‐dose and high‐dose PG significantly increased total fecal sterols by 20.8% and 11.9%, respectively, by increasing sitosterol and ethylcoprostanol levels.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that PG alleviated atherosclerosis in a dose‐dependent manner by increasing cholesterol alienation to bile acids and cholesterol efflux. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Comparison study of protective effects of porcine bile acids and sheep bile acids against heat stress in chickens
Authors: Li Ning , Liu Defeng , Wang Cheng , Yan Guoning , Zhang Shuyu , Jiang Yunxuan , Shen Mingyue , Jia Baoyu , Xu Li , Huang Bohan , Zhu Ruiliang , Wei Kai
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND

Heat stress (HS) is known to exert negative effects on the poultry and breeding industry, resulting in severe economic losses. Bile acids (BAs), an important component of bile, play a crucial role in improving the production performance of livestock and poultry, alleviating stress injury, and ensuring the health of livestock and poultry. At present, porcine BAs are widely used because of their therapeutic effects on HS; however, it remains unclear whether the same effects are exerted by sheep BAs, which are different from porcine BAs and have different compositions. In this study, we compared the anti‐HS effects of porcine BAs and sheep BAs in the diet by establishing an HS model of chicks and investigating the chicken performance, HS‐related genes' expression, oxidative stress markers, jejunal histoarchitecture, inflammatory cytokines' expression, jejunal secreted immunoglobulin A concentration, and cecal bacterial flora.

RESULTS

The results showed that the addition of sheep BAs to the diet increased the average daily weight gain and the feed conversion ratio of chicks. Under HS, sheep BAs were more effective than porcine BAs in improving the activities of lactate dehydrogenase and glutamic pyruvic transaminase in serum and the content/activity of malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and reduced glutathione in serum and tissue, in reducing the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of heat shock proteins (HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90) in the liver and jejunum, and in improving the histological structure and the expression of tight junction proteins (occludin and zonula occludens‐1) and enriching intestinal bacterial flora. However, porcine BAs were significantly inferior to sheep BAs in reducing the mRNA expression of inflammatory factors (interleukin‐6, interleukin‐1β, and tumor necrosis factor‐α).

CONCLUSION

The effect of sheep BAs was more significant than porcine BAs was in alleviating HS injury in chicks, suggesting that sheep BAs have great potential as new feed nutrition and health additive to improve poultry production performance and prevent HS. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Recent advances and future trends in molecularly imprinted polymers‐based sample preparation
Authors: Díaz‐Álvarez Myriam , Turiel Esther , Martín‐Esteban Antonio
Published: April 2023

Molecular imprinting technology is a well‐established technique for the obtainment of tailor‐made polymers, so‐called molecularly imprinted polymers, with a predetermined selectivity towards a target analyte or structurally related compounds. Accordingly, molecularly imprinted polymers are considered excellent materials for sample preparation providing unprecedented selectivity to analytical methods. However, the use of molecularly imprinted polymers in sample preparation still presents some shortcomings derived from the synthesis procedure itself limiting its general applicability. In this regard, molecularly imprinted polymers use to display binding sites heterogeneity and slow diffusion mass transfer of analytes to the imprinted sites affecting their overall performance. Besides, the performance of molecularly imprinted polymers in organic solvents is excellent, but their selective binding ability in aqueous media is considerably reduced. Accordingly, the present review pretends to provide an updated overview of the recent advances and trends of molecularly imprinted polymers‐based extraction, focusing on those strategies proposed for the improvement of mass transfer and selective recognition in aqueous media. Besides, with the progressive implementation of Green Chemistry principles, the different steps and strategies for the preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers are reviewed from a green perspective.
Causality and wildlife management
Authors: Hone Jim , Krebs Charles J.
Published: April 2023

Establishing cause and effect (i.e., causality) is a fundamental aim in science and important for wildlife management, as we need to know the cause of an event if we seek to reproduce, enhance, or diminish it. We review 13 alternative approaches for applying 12 criteria to establish causality. Strength of causal inference is greater when more causal criteria are applied so we propose a scaffolding set of criteria to clearly establish causality. We recommend validating predicted outcomes of wildlife management efforts when predictions are based on a unique mechanism and temporality, especially when manipulative experimental studies are not feasible. We use 3 case studies, namely of lamb predation by feral pigs (Sus scrofa), causes of trends in northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina), and causes of trends in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), to illustrate these topics, which are of wide relevance in wildlife management. We recommend greater use of causality and relative strength of causal inference to improve adaptive wildlife management.
Land use conversion impacts on the stability of soil organic carbon in Qinghai Lake using 13C NMR and C cycle‐related enzyme activities
Authors: Yang Ying , Jia Guodong , Yu Xinxiao , Cao Yongxiang
Published: April 2023

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a major role in maintaining long‐term ecological stability. This paper focuses on how land use conversion affects the stability of SOC (e.g., carbon [C] molecular structure) and how soil C cycle‐related enzyme activities are involved in the process. Four land use types around the southern margin of Qinghai Lake were researched: lakeside wetland, natural grassland, cropland, and restored grassland. Soil C was dominated by O‐alkyl carbon (O‐alkyl C, 40.6%–49.3% of total intensity) and alkyl carbon (alkyl C 25.9%–36.7%) in all land use types. Alkyl C and aliphaticity were more abundant in lakeside wetlands than in the other land use types; these values decreased by 29.5% and 36.0%, respectively, after lakeside wetland reclamation. Compared with cropland, restored grassland had higher dissolved organic carbon and β‐glucosidase activity, mainly attributed to the higher plant residues left in the topsoil that provided the polysaccharides required for the higher β‐glucosidase activity. The SOC, labile carbon, alkyl C, and aliphaticity together explained more than 50% of the total variability of soil enzyme activities (p < 0.05) by redundancy analysis, and β‐glucosidase played a regulatory role in soil carbon conversion by path analysis. The lakeside wetland had a more stable SOC than the other land use types around Qinghai Lake at the molecular level due to its higher aliphaticity and aromaticity, which are mainly related to oxygen limitations in lakeside wetlands. To some extent, the accumulation of recalcitrant molecules is limited in restored grassland soils.
Scrutinizing gully erosion hotspots using hybridized deep‐learning analysis to avoid land degradation
Authors: Rahmati Omid , Soleimanpour Seyed Masoud , Shadfar Samad , Zahedi Salahudin
Published: April 2023

Despite the importance of the prediction of land susceptibility to gully erosion, there is a lack of research studies adopting the deep‐learning approach. This study aimed to predict gully susceptibility hotspots using hybridized deep‐learning models and evaluate their efficiency. Field records of gully occurrences in a gully‐prone region, the Talwar watershed (6468 km2), eastern Kurdistan province, Iran, were used to generate a gully inventory dataset. A total of 14 geomorphometric, environmental, and topo‐hydrological gully drivers were selected as predictor variables. The hybridized models were developed using convolutional neural network (NNC) and metaheuristic procedures, including the gray wolf optimizer (GWO) and the imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA). The validity of the resulting outputs was investigated based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results revealed that the NNC‐GWO had the highest efficiency in the validation step (AUC = 97.2%), whereas the NNC‐ICA was the second‐best model (AUC = 95.1%). The standalone NNC model showed the lowest accuracy (AUC = 91.2%) in predicting gully susceptibility hotspots compared to NNC‐GWO and NNC‐ICA. Thus, both hybridized models had better predictive performance for identifying gully susceptibility in comparison with the standalone NNC model. Furthermore, according to the NNC‐GWO model, about 0.2% (1294.8 ha) and 0.05% (235.2 ha) of the study area were identified as high and very high gully susceptibility classes. In addition, the application of the standalone NNC led to an overestimation of the susceptibility degree for gully initiation. This study supports researchers efforts to increase the model's performance when working in the land degradation domain.
Missing a golden opportunity? An analysis of publication trends by income level in the Directory of Open Access Journals 1987–2020
Authors: Druelinger David , Ma Lai
Published: April 2023

The growing prevalence of the gold open access model can exacerbate the monoculture of research and inequality in knowledge production. This study examines publication trends in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) journals by countries' income level from 1987 to 2020. By combining article metadata from journals listed in the DOAJ with World Bank country income data, this analysis examines the trends visible in plots of historical open access publication data. In 2020, the number of articles published in DOAJ journals by authors affiliated with high‐income countries exceeds the sum of the other income categories. Article processing charge waivers seem to have more impact on high‐ and low‐income countries than middle‐income countries. The results show that the gold open access model has not been able to improve the extremely low number of open access articles from low‐income regions. In addition, authors in middle‐income countries publish in gold open access DOAJ journals at lower rates than authors based in other economic regions. The gold open access model is disadvantageous to researchers outside of high‐income countries, highlighting the importance of supporting the diamond open access model as a potential means of improving global equity and epistemic diversity in knowledge production.