bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mitigating Collaboration Overload to Improve Workforce Well-Being at Johnson & Johnson
Authors: Martin Cody , Hoffman Michael , Kofford Clint
Published: February 2025

A trend of increasingly collaborative activities accelerated during the transition to remote and hybrid work, overloading employees and straining employee sentiment and well-being. This case study delves into how Johnson & Johnson applied different methodologies, including active and passive organization network analysis (ONA), employee experience data, and performance data, to investigate employee well-being and collaborative overload. The chapter describes how researchers strategically moved from a general diagnostic sentiment survey to a more targeted design using passive ONA and then finally to an even more precise and comprehensive method applying active ONA. The case highlights specific methods, measures, and insights applied to improve well-being by better balancing collaborative demands.
Advancing Human Resources Practice by Adopting a Social Network Perspective
Authors: Downes Patrick
Published: February 2025

Human resources (HR) research has traditionally focused on how to manage individual employees with diverse characteristics, personalities, and human capital. The emerging social network perspective on HR complements this focus on individual characteristics by calling attention to the social context within which employees are embedded. This perspective changes our understanding of HR practices and why they are valuable to organizations. This chapter reviews research across a wide variety of HR functions to reveal how they have (or can be) advanced by adopting a social network perspective. In doing so, it provides examples of how organizations might make HR practices more relational in order to build a more efficient and flexible workforce.
Network Drivers of Employee Innovation
Authors: Grosser Travis J , Cui Ziyue
Published: February 2025

Organizational innovation is a social phenomenon that requires the talent and coordination of multiple individuals to successfully enact. The increasing appreciation of the social aspect of innovation in recent decades led to an explosion of research on the relationship between social networks and innovation. The purpose of this chapter is to review that research. The chapter concentrates primarily on research that has examined the relationship between the social network characteristics of individual employees and individual-level innovation outcomes (i.e., idea generation, idea evaluation, idea implementation, and “overall” innovation performance). The review identifies (a) the primary network drivers of innovation outcomes, (b) the antecedents to social network characteristics that reliably drive innovation, and (c) the factors that enable employees to enhance the return they receive from their networks. The chapter concludes with a discussion of three future directions that have the potential to significantly advance practice.
Strategies for Creating Adaptive Space to Support Innovation at General Motors
Authors: Arena Michael
Published: February 2025

Amplified by disruptive technologies, most companies are challenged to achieve accelerated innovation, creativity, and agility to stay competitive. This reality is no less true for the iconic General Motors (GM); the hundred-year-old manufacturing giant was challenged to “self-disrupt” into a more nimble mobility company, pioneering autonomous and electric inventions while maintaining the mass production capabilities required to keep the lights on. Organizations, including GM, need to apply social and organizational network principles and practices to help accelerate entrepreneurial initiatives through intentional collaboration designed to empower the discovery of new ideas, develop those ideas rapidly, diffuse their adoption into the core operation, and thoughtfully disrupt the status quo. This case shares how GM applied organizational network analysis to reveal, develop, and leverage deliberate connections to cultivate adaptive space where the future of mobility could be invented and scaled.
Managing Internal and External Networks for Team Effectiveness
Authors: Maupin Cynthia , Park Semin
Published: February 2025

The ability to effectively leverage teams is critical for organizational success. One of the most important factors determining whether teams can capitalize on their full potential is whether they have the right social relationships, helping them coordinate internal and external team processes. This chapter describes how internal and external team networks influence team processes and performance. Moreover, it explains why teams must effectively manage their social connections such that they balance their internal networks (i.e., the social relationships among team members) and external networks (i.e., team leaders’ or team members’ social connections outside the team) to promote optimal team functioning and achieve success. Through a comprehensive exploration of these themes, we aim to equip leaders and teams with the knowledge and strategies needed to thrive in the networked organizations of the future.
Social Networks and Organizational Change Implementation
Authors: Vardaman James M , Zhou Feigu
Published: February 2025

Organizational change is an omnipresent part of modern organizational life but is often resisted by those tasked with its implementation. Social network applications can be a powerful tool for managers seeking to overcome resistance and successfully implement change. This chapter offers a review of the scholarly research on the role of social networks in organizational change implementation. The themes in the literature provide insight into how practicing managers can leverage social networks to foster effective implementation. These findings are ideal for use by scholar-practitioners or those who use research to solve practical problems and enable effective change implementation in their organizations. In reviewing the literature, several directions for future study emerged, including network contagion, gaining a multilevel understanding, and the role of differential network content. This chapter provides research-based insights for those tasked with bringing about change in their organizations.
Mayo Clinic’s Exploration of Barriers to Women in Leadership
Authors: Decker-Tonnesen Patrick , Zehner Deb , Bhagra Anjali
Published: February 2025

Mayo Clinic conducted an active organizational network analysis to provide novel insights into promoting inclusion, particularly in women’s advancement into leadership positions. Findings revealed gender disparities in network dynamics, with men often in central positions while women remained on the periphery of the network despite their contributions. This analysis also revealed challenges related to workload management, work–life balance, and obstacles new employees face in forming professional connections. Lessons learned underscore the importance of proactive strategies for addressing gender disparities, mitigating work challenges, and supporting new hires. This case illustrates Mayo Clinic’s commitment to equity and diversity in healthcare, utilizing network analysis to foster an engaged and inclusive environment in line with its mission and values.
Noise-Induced Randomization in Regression Discontinuity Designs
Authors: Eckles Dean , Ignatiadis Nikolaos , Wager Stefan , Wu Han
Published: February 2025

Regression discontinuity designs assess causal effects in settings where treatment is determined by whether an observed running variable crosses a prespecified threshold. Here we propose a new approach to identification, estimation, and inference in regression discontinuity designs that uses knowledge about exogenous noise (e.g., measurement error) in the running variable. In our strategy, we weight treated and control units to balance a latent variable of which the running variable is a noisy measure. Our approach is driven by effective randomization provided by the noise in the running variable, and complements standard formal analyses that appeal to continuity arguments while ignoring the stochastic nature of the assignment mechanism.
Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals the impaired epidermal differentiation and pathological microenvironment in diabetic foot ulcer
Authors: Liu Yiling , Wang Peng , Li Jingting , Chen Lei , Shu Bin , Wang Hanwen , Liu Hengdeng , Zhao Shixin , Zhou Junli , Chen Xiaodong , Xie Julin
Published: February 2025

Background

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is one of the most common and complex complications of diabetes, but the underlying pathophysiology remains unclear. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has been conducted to explore novel cell types or molecular profiles of DFU from various perspectives. This study aimed to comprehensively analyse the potential mechanisms underlying impaired reepithelization of DFU in a single-cell perspective.

Methods

We conducted scRNA-seq on tissues from human normal skin (NS), acute wound (AW) and DFU to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying impaired epidermal differentiation and the pathological microenvironment. Pseudo-time and lineage inference analyses revealed the distinct states and transition trajectories of epidermal cells under different conditions. Transcription factor analysis revealed the potential regulatory mechanism of key subtypes of keratinocytes. Cell–cell interaction analysis revealed the regulatory network between the proinflammatory microenvironment and epidermal cells. Laser-capture microscopy coupled with RNA sequencing (LCM-seq) and multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) were used to validate the expression and location of key subtypes of keratinocytes.

Results

Our research provided a comprehensive map of the phenotypic and dynamic changes that occur during epidermal differentiation, alongside the corresponding regulatory networks in DFU. Importantly, we identified two subtypes of keratinocytes: basal cells (BC-2) and diabetes-associated keratinocytes (DAK) that might play crucial roles in the impairment of epidermal homeostasis. BC-2 and DAK showed a marked increase in DFU, with an inactive state and insufficient motivation for epidermal differentiation. BC-2 was involved in the cellular response and apoptosis processes, with high expression of TXNIP, IFITM1 and IL1R2. Additionally, the pro-differentiation transcription factors (TFs) were downregulated in BC-2 in DFU, indicating that the differentiation process might be inhibited in BC-2 in DFU. DAK was associated with cellular glucose homeostasis. Furthermore, increased CCL2 + CXCL2+ fibroblasts, VWA1+ vascular endothelial cells and GZMA+CD8+ T cells were detected in DFU. These changes in the wound microenvironment could regulate the fate of epidermal cells through the TNFSF12-TNFRSF12A, IFNG-IFNGR1/2 and IL-1B-IL1R2 pathways, which might result in persistent inflammation and impaired epidermal differentiation in DFU.

Conclusions

Our findings offer novel insights into the pathophysiology of DFU and present potential therapeutic targets that could improve wound care and treatment outcomes for diabetic patients.
Flufenamic acid inhibits pyroptosis in ischemic flaps via the AMPK-TRPML1-Calcineurin signaling pathway
Authors: Chen Liang , Yang Ningning , Chen Kongbin , Huang Yingying , Liu Xian , Yu Gaoxiang , Wang Fulin , Gou Yong , Wang Yi , Lu Xiaolang , Wang Yuqi , Zhu Lipeng , Gao Weiyang , Ding Jian
Published: February 2025

Background

Ischemic injury is a primary cause of distal flap necrosis. Previous studies have shown that Flufenamic acid (FFA) can reduce inflammation, decrease oxidative stress (OS), and promote angiogenesis, suggesting its potential role in protecting flaps from ischemic damage. This study investigated the effects and mechanisms of FFA in enhancing the survival of ischemic flaps.

Methods

The viability of ischemic flaps was evaluated using laser doppler blood flow (LDBF) and survival rates. We examined levels of pyroptosis, OS, transcription factor E3 (TFE3)-induced autophagy, and elements of the AMPK-TRPML1-Calcineurin pathway through western blotting (WB), immunofluorescence (IF), molecular docking (MD), cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR).

Results

The findings suggest that FFA significantly enhances the viability of ischemic flaps. The improvement in flap survival associated with FFA can be attributed to increased autophagy, diminished OS, and the suppression of pyroptosis. Notably, the promotion of autophagy flux and an augmented resistance to OS are instrumental in curbing pyroptosis in these flaps. Activation of TFE3 by FFA promoted autophagy and diminished oxidative damage. The therapeutic effects of FFA were negated when TFE3 levels were decreased using adeno-associated virus (AAV)-TFE3shRNA. Additionally, FFA modified TFE3 activity through the AMPK-TRPML1-Calcineurin pathway.

Conclusions

FFA promotes ischemic flap survival via induction of autophagy and suppression of oxidative stress by activation of the AMPK-TRPML1-Calcineurin-TFE3 signaling pathway. These findings could have therapeutic implications.
Deployable machine learning-based decision support system for tracheostomy in acute burn patients
Authors: Li Haisheng , Zhen Ni , Lin Shixu , Li Ning , Zhang Yumei , Luo Wei , Zhang Zhenzhen , Wang Xingang , Han Chunmao , Yuan Zhiqiang , Luo Gaoxing
Published: February 2025

Background

Airway obstruction is a common emergency in acute burns with high mortality. Tracheostomy is the most effective method to keep patency of airway and start mechanical ventilation. However, the indication of tracheostomy is challenging and controversial. We aimed to develop and validate a deployable machine learning (ML)-based decision support system to predict the necessity of tracheostomy for acute burn patients.

Methods

We enrolled 1011 burn patients from Southwest Hospital (2018–2020) for model development and feature selection. The final model was validated on an independent internal cross-temporal cohort (2021, n = 274) and an external cross-institutional cohort (Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine 2020–2021, n = 376). To improve the model’s deployment and interpretability, an ML-based nomogram, an online calculator, and an abbreviated scale were constructed and validated.

Results

The optimal model was the eXtreme Gradient Boosting classifier (XGB), which achieved an AUROC of 0.973 and AUPRC of 0.879 in training dataset, and AUROCs of greater than 0.95 in both cross-temporal and cross-institutional validation. Moreover, it kept stable discriminatory ability in validation subgroups stratified by sex, age, burn area, and inhalation injury (AUROC ranging 0.903–0.990). The analysis of calibration curve, decision curve, and score distribution proved the feasibility and reliability of the ML-based nomogram, abbreviated scale, and online calculator.

Conclusions

The developed system has strong predictive ability and generalizability in cross-temporal and cross-institutional evaluations. The nomogram, online calculator, and abbreviated scale based on machine learning show comparable prediction performance and can be deployed in broader application scenarios, especially in resource-limited clinical environments.
Brain Pro-TCT: a prospective, quasi-experimental study on early delirium detection with Delirium Observation Screening Scale versus single-channel EEG after cardiac surgery in patients aged over 70 years
Authors: ten Broeke Miarca , Henckens Wim P R , Weierink Anna , Speekenbrink Ron G H , van der Palen Job , Halfwerk Frank R
Published: February 2025

Aim

Delirium is common in patients aged over 70 years after cardiac surgery. Screening to detect delirium in high-risk patients is important, yet hypoactive delirium is often missed in nurse-reported screening. Polymorphic delta waves are associated with delirium, and can be detected with single-channel electroencephalography (SC-EEG). The aim of the study is to assess whether SC-EEG as a screening instrument for delirium will increase the detection rate of postoperative delirium and reduce hospital stay of delirious patients.

Methods and results

A prospective quasi-experimental study compared Delirium Observation Screening Scale (DOSS) screening (442 patients) to SC-EEG screening (462 patients) to detect postoperative delirium in cardiac surgery patients aged over 70 years. Delirium was diagnosed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition.

Detection of delirium was higher in the SC-EEG group (20%) compared to DOSS group (14%), p = 0.016. A difference in length of stay for delirious patients was attributed to baseline differences as pneumonia and EuroSCORE II, but not delirium screening method. Length of stay for all patients was -0.11 (95% CI -0.18 to -0.04) night shorter for SC-EEG cohort patients compared to DOSS cohort patients, p = 0.002.

Conclusion

Screening with SC-EEG increased delirium detection after cardiac surgery. Only length of stay for all patients was significantly reduced in the SC-EEG cohort. This reduction in hospital stay is small, yet relevant for high volume cardiac surgery centres and should be further studied in other centres.

Registration

International Clinical Trials Registry Platform: NL-OMON27069
The differential impact of abdominal obesity on fasting and non-fasting triglycerides and cardiovascular risk
Authors: Christiansen Malene Revsbech , Romero-Lado María J , Carrasquilla German D , Kilpeläinen Tuomas O
Published: February 2025

Aims

We previously showed that abdominal obesity is associated with increased TG levels after a high-fat meal, irrespective of fasting levels. However, whether these findings are applicable to the general population and have implications for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk remains uncertain. We aimed to examine the effects of abdominal obesity on fasting and non-fasting TG and CVD risk in the UK Biobank.

Methods

Random TG levels were measured in 352,782 individuals and fasting duration was self-reported. We used waist-hip ratio adjusted for BMI (WHRadjBMI) and its polygenic score to assess abdominal obesity and tested for interactions with fasting duration on TG levels. We evaluated the implications for CVD risk by analysing associations with the incidence of myocardial infarction and stroke.

Results

Fasting duration modified the effect of the WHRadjBMI phenotype and its polygenic score on TG levels (PInteraction= 6.5x10-32 and PInteraction=0.034). The polygenic score increased non-fasting TG 0.1 mmol/L more than fasting TG per standard deviation increase in WHRadjBMI. Higher TG levels, regardless of fasting status, were associated with higher CVD risk. The association between WHRadjBMI polygenic score and CVD risk was attenuated by 27% (from HR=1.41 to HR=1.30) after adjusting for non-fasting TG levels, and by 11% (from HR=1.38 to HR=1.34) after adjusting for fasting TG levels.

Conclusions

Polygenic score for abdominal obesity has a stronger effect on non-fasting than fasting TG levels, reflecting impaired postprandial lipid metabolism. Measuring TG levels in fasting state may underestimate CVD risk in individuals with abdominal obesity.
Social Work during Skilled Home Health Care: Prevalence and Determinants
Authors: Burgdorf Julia G , Smiley Adrianne , Barron Yolanda , Goodman Jeri , McDonald Margaret V
Published: February 2025

Background and Objectives

Medicare-funded Home Health (HH) delivers skilled care via visits to patients’ homes. Social work (SW) services are included within the HH benefit and may positively impact outcomes for HH patients with complex needs. However, no prior work has quantitatively assessed SW provision during HH.

Research Design and Methods

We examined 2018 linked HH claims, assessment, and HH agency data for a national sample of 1,372,570 Medicare HH patients. We described the prevalence, number, and timing of SW visits, compared characteristics of those who did vs did not receive SW, and modelled odds of receiving SW using a multilevel logistic model clustering at the HH agency level and adjusting for patient sociodemographic characteristics and clinical status and HH agency characteristics.

Results

Just 11.3% of HH patients received SW. On average, those who received SW had a single SW visit (mean=1.3; SD=0.6) occurring about a week (mean=8.8 days; SD=6.6) after HH admission. The patient-level factors most significantly associated with receiving SW included being Non-Hispanic Black compared to Non-Hispanic White (aOR: 1.70; 95% CI: 1.66-1.74), being Medicaid-enrolled (aOR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.24-1.28), living alone (aOR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.28-1.33), having high cognitive impairment (aOR: 2.12; 95% CI: 2.07-2.18), and exhibiting depressive symptoms (aOR: 2.17; 95% CI: 2.10-2.23). Patients also had greater odds of a SW visit if receiving care from a HH agency that was non-profit (aOR: 1.31; 1.19-1.45) and lower odds if the HH agency had a rural service area (aOR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.61-0.74).

Discussion and Implications

Findings indicate that SW access remains rare during HH and is driven by both demand-side (i.e., patient needs) and supply-side (i.e., agency characteristics) factors. There is a need to identify patient profiles most likely to benefit from SW services during HH and to develop strategies to mitigate agency-level barriers to access.
NSUN2-mediated HCV RNA m5C Methylation Facilitates Viral RNA Stability and Replication
Authors: Li Zhu-Li , Xie Yan , Wang Yafen , Wang Jing , Zhou Xiang , Zhang Xiao-Lian
Published: February 2025

RNA modifications have emerged as new efficient targets against viruses. However, little is known about 5-methylcytosine (m5C) modification in the genomes of Flaviviruses. Herein, we demonstrate that hepatitis C virus (HCV), dengue virus, and Zika virus contain high levels of viral RNA m5C modification. We find that m5C modification in HCV RNA genome is located at C7525 site in the viral NS5A gene. HCV infection increases host m5C machinery NSUN2 expression via transcription factor E2F1. Deficiency of NSUN2 decreases HCV RNA m5C methylation levels, which further reduces viral RNA stability, replication as well as viral assembly and budding. HCV RNA genomic m5C specific abrogating mutation at C7525 site reduces viral replication, assembly, and budding through decreasing viral RNA stability. Deficiency of NSUN2 also reduces host global messenger RNA (mRNA) m5C modification levels during HCV infection, which upregulates antiviral innate immune response genes expression and further suppresses HCV RNA replication. Supported by both cellular and mouse infection models, our findings reveal that NSUN2-mediated HCV RNA and host mRNA m5C methylations facilitate viral RNA replication. HCV infection promotes host NSUN2 expression to facilitate HCV replication, which implies a positive feedback loop. NSUN2 could be a potential new target for Flavivirus therapeutics.
Functional characterization of OXTR-associated enhancers
Authors: Laboy Cintrón Dianne , Sheng Rory R , Ahituv Nadav
Published: February 2025

The oxytocin receptor (OXTR) has a vital role in regulating human behavior, controlling lactation, parturition, pair bonding, maternal behavior, anxiety, and sociability. However, its regulatory elements and how variation in these sequences lead to behavioral changes remain largely unknown. Here, we identified seven OXTR candidate cis-regulatory elements (cCREs) from mouse and human hypothalamus single-cell RNA/ATAC-seq data and characterized them in cells and mice. Luciferase assays in hypothalamus cell lines identified three of the seven to be functional enhancers. Mouse enhancer assays for the most robust enhancer, OXTR candidate enhancer 7 (OCE7), found it to be active in the mouse olfactory bulb at postnatal day 28 and day 56. In summary, using genomic data coupled with cell and mouse enhancer assays, we characterized the OXTR regulatory landscape and identified a novel olfactory bulb OXTR-associated enhancer.
A chromosome-scale genome assembly and Epigenomic profiling reveal temperature-dependent histone methylation in iridoid biosynthesis regulation in Scrophularia ningpoensis
Authors: Xu Qing , Liu Chang , Li Bin , Tian Kewei , You Lei , Xie Li , Wang Huang , Zhang Meide , Zhou Wuxian , Zhang Yonghong , Zhou Chao
Published: February 2025

Understanding how medicinal plants adapt to global warming, particularly through epigenetic mechanisms that modify phenotypes without changing DNA sequences is crucial. Scrophularia ningpoensis Hemsl., a traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), produces bioactive compounds that are influenced by environmental temperatures, making it an ideal model for studying the biological basis of TCM geoherbalism. However, the adaptive potential of epigenetic marks in S. ningpoensis under varying temperatures remains understudied, partly due to the absence of a reference genome. Here, it was demonstrated that mild warm temperatures contribute to the metabolic accumulation and the cultivated migration of S. ningpoensis using a global dataset. A high-quality chromosome-level genome was assembled, and an atlas of epigenetic, metabolic, and transcriptomic profiles across different tissues. Transcriptome analysis identified 3,401 allele-specific expressed genes (ASEGs) across nine tissues by comparing two haplotypes. ChIP-seq and BS-seq data from leaf and root tissues revealed that ASEGs are associated with distinct epigenetic patterns, particularly the active mark H3K36me3, which functions differently in these tissues. Notably, genes marked with H3K36me3 in iridoid synthesis pathway predominantly expressed in roots. Additionally, the histone methyltransferase SnSDG8 was identified to regulate ectopic H3K36me3 in iridoid biosynthesis in response to warming temperatures. Our results highlight the epigenetic mechanisms of global warming on herb-derived products, significant for medicinal plant breeding under temperature stress.
Genomic insights into the domestication and genetic basis of yield in papaya
Authors: Yang Min , Kong Xiangdong , Zhou Chenping , Kuang Ruibin , Wu Xiaming , Liu Chuanhe , He Han , Xu Ze , Wei Yuerong
Published: February 2025

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is an important tropical and subtropical fruit crop, and understanding its genome is essential for breeding. In this study, we assembled a high-quality genome of 344.17 Mb for the newly cultivated papaya ‘Zihui,’ which contains 22 250 protein-coding genes. By integrating 201 resequenced papaya genomes, we identified four distinct papaya groups and a 34 Mb genomic region with strong domestication selection signals. Within these regions, two key genes associated with papaya yield were discovered: Cp_zihui06549, encoding a leucine-rich receptor-like protein kinase, and Cp_zihui06768, encoding the accumulation of photosystem one 1 (APO1) protein. Heterologous expression of Cp_zihui06549 in tomato confirmed that the total number of fruits in transgenic lines more than doubled compared to wild-type plants, resulting in a significant yield increase. Furthermore, we constructed a pan-genome of papaya and obtained a 77.41 Mb non-reference sequence containing 1543 genes. Within this pan-genome, 2483 variable genes we detected, including four genes annotated as the ‘terpene synthase activity’ Gene Ontology term, which were lost in cultivars during domestication. Finally, gene retention analyses were performed using gene presence and absence variation (PAV) data and differentially expressed genes across various tissues and organs. This study provides valuable insights into the genes and loci associated with phenotypes and domestication processes, laying a solid foundation for future papaya breeding efforts.
Securing Critical National Infrastructure
Authors: Collington Kelsey
Published: February 2025

A team of academic writers and researchers explores the organisational considerations for software automation in CNI. With care and respect, they suggest, AI can help keep the lights glowing, water flowing and nuclear power plants working.
Changing Times
Authors: Powell Grant
Published: February 2025

Sam Gregson, Building Structures Digital Lead at Mott MacDonald, looks at some changes we can expect to see in the near future when it comes to designing and planning construction projects.
Debating AI's Benefits and Harms
Authors: Cooper Martin
Published: February 2025

The BCS SGAI-2024 conference celebrated groundbreaking work in developing AI and how the technology can be used. Far from being blind to AI's drawbacks and limitations, the conference also explored how the AI community can ensure AI becomes a source of social good. Martin Cooper MBCS reports.
Rapid screening of multiple pesticide residues in Lycii Fructus and raw juice samples by using an automated sample clean-up platform combined with GC-Q-TOF/MS
Authors: Chen Ting , Zhu Renyuan , Zhang Wen , Xu Yanli , Wang Xingzhi
Published: February 2025

Background

Lycii Fructus and its raw juice are widely consumed but may be contaminated with pesticide residues, posing health risks. Traditional methods for pesticide residue detection are often labor-intensive and time-consuming.

Objective

This study aims to develop a rapid, automated method for screening pesticide residues in Lycii Fructus and its raw juice using a combination of micro solid-phase extraction (μ-SPE) and gas chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-Q-TOF/MS).

Methods

An automated sample clean-up platform (PAL-RTC) was integrated with μ-SPE technology for sample preparation. Matrix-matched external standards were used for quantification, and method validation was conducted to compare μ-SPE with dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE). Performance parameters including linearity, limit of quantitation (LOQ), recovery rates, and relative standard deviations (RSD) were evaluated.

Results

84.5% of the pesticides showed strong linearity (R2 > 0.99) over the concentration range of 2–1000 μg/L. LOQ for 91.4% of pesticides was below 20 μg/kg, with recovery rates between 70% and 120% and RSD ≤ 20%. Screening detection limits (SDLs) were between 1–20 μg/kg, with 96.8% of pesticides having SDLs below 5 μg/kg. The μ-SPE method demonstrated superior reproducibility at the low spiking level (10 μg/kg), detecting 415 pesticides, compared to 369 for d-SPE. Analysis of 100 Lycii Fructus and 50 raw juice samples revealed the presence of 24 pesticides, including 3 restricted types.

Conclusion

The μ-SPE method, integrated with PAL-RTC and GC-Q-TOF/MS, offers a more efficient and accurate approach for detecting pesticide residues in Lycii Fructus and its raw juice compared to traditional methods, reducing labor and improving reproducibility.

Highlights

Compared to the d-SPE method, the μ-SPE method integrated with PAL-RTC demonstrated better reproducibility and stability at low spiking levels, significantly enhancing the efficiency of sample clean-up.
Carcinogenicity assessment: "Modern Toxicology" considerations from an experience in the evaluation of a carbon nanotube
Authors: Kanno Jun
Published: February 2025

The novel properties and functions of nanomaterials have naturally alerted the toxicologists to the fact that such materials may also have novel effects on the human body and living organisms. In particular, materials with high stability or biopersisteny have been shown to have a tendency to accumulate in the body, leading to chronic toxicity including carcinogenicity. However, at the early stages of toxicity research, the information is often limited to the effects of short-term exposure studies, and findings on chronic effects are very much delayed. In this context, it was rather exceptional that studies on multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have started with the verification of their potential to induce mesothelioma. This toxicological endpoint was expected on the basis of existing knowledge of asbestos and asbestos-like fiber particles. This movement has led to the achievement of the original mission of the “Modern Toxicology”, which is “to achieve a win-win situation where both industrial promotion and safety assurance are ensured by communicating and sharing toxicity information to developers and consumers at a stage before mass production and consumption begins, that is, before massive exposure of the general public begins”.

Inaccurate toxicity assessments of asbestos in the 1980s and 1990s allowed its spread to our living environment, which is difficult to decontaminate, and the damage still continues to this day. However, the case described here could be an example of realizing the proposition that ‘nanomaterials, the flagship of high technology, must not repeat the same mistakes.’
Leaf sheath stomata density is a driver of water use in a grass crop: genetic and physiological evidence on barley
Authors: Zhen Xiaoxing , Zhang Yangyang , López José R , Qiu Yinjie , Muehlbauer Gary J , Sadok Walid
Published: February 2025

Recent evidence pointed to functional stomata on the abaxial side of barley leaf sheaths. However, the extent to which variation in sheath stomata densities (SD SheathAb) drives canopy water use and whether it has a genetic basis remains unknown. To address this, we phenotyped, twice, a mapping population consisting of 156 barley genotypes (936 plants) for their abaxial and adaxial leaf sheath and blade SDs, whole-plant transpiration rate (TR) and canopy conductance (Gs). Across the four SD traits, SD SheathAb exhibited the highest repeatability (0.73) and was the only one that correlated significantly and positively with TR and Gs. None of the quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling leaf blade SD co-localized with TR and Gs QTL. In contrast, a major QTL common to SD SheathAb, TR and Gs was found on Chr 2H (PVE up to 50%), and mapped to a region enriched in F-box protein genes that included Ppd-H1. Gas exchange measurements confirmed that increases in SD SheathAb cause higher sheath-based transpiration, photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, and that sheath transpiration positively tracked with TR. Our investigation provides first-time evidence that genetic manipulation of SD SheathAb could improve crop water-use efficiency, with no apparent trade-offs with leaf blade gas exchange.
Company Towns in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Vergara Ángela
Published: February 2025

Like in other parts of the world, employers in Latin America planned and built company towns and villages to develop extractive industries, make production possible in isolated places, and shape and control the workforce. Company towns contributed to expanding the capitalist and industrial frontier, becoming a common sight from the Andes to the Caribbean coast of Central America. Early studies defined company towns as foreign enclaves and examined the unique characteristics of isolated mining camps and agricultural states. Multinational companies used camps to attract and settle a diverse workforce, and housing, company stores, and social and recreational services were standard, although their quality varied. Companies enforced a strict separation between foreign managers and local workers, a practice that increased tensions and conflicts and undermined the influence of their paternalist agenda. Throughout the twentieth century, large-scale mining and petroleum exploitations radically transformed the local ecology, and the camps and the plants became symbols of modernity but also environmental destruction. Violence also defined the history of export and resource company towns, and many of these places became sites of state and company repression, such as the case of the banana strikes. Recent studies have moved away from a strict definition of enclave, arguing that workers developed many social, cultural, and political connections with the outside world. Except for textile mills and their vilas opérarias in Brazil, classic factory towns, such as the ones that characterized the industrial landscape of the United States, Canada, and western Europe, were less common in Latin America. Instead, large factories built or subsidized neighborhoods and offered some social and recreational services. In some cases, such as the cement, steel, or meatpacking industry, companies were the most important employers. While they did not officially own the town, they exerted a strong influence outside the factory walls. A rich labor historiography has explored the experience of industrial workers, including the impact of company housing and other paternalistic practices. Local history, oral interviews, and a bottom-up approach have contributed to documenting the complexity of workers’ identity, the role of women and families, and the many forms of resistance and adaption. Company towns were also built around railroads, ports, military bases, and construction sites. While these villages varied in size, they usually shared a common discourse and were made not just to house people but to create a modern and loyal workforce. By the end of the twentieth century, neoliberal reforms, industrial restructuring, and privatization of large state companies made company towns obsolete. Processes of closure have been marked by unemployment, displacement, and dispossession, which have had long-term consequences for workers, families, and local communities.
Amos
Authors: Houston Walter
Published: February 2025

The book of Amos is the third of the twelve so-called “minor” prophets in the Masoretic Text (MT), and the second in the Septuagint (LXX). Among the Twelve, it has arguably attracted the greatest amount of attention in modern times. There are several reasons for this. The text of the book is relatively straightforward and free of corruption. It is thus a frequent object of study by beginning students. Amos is widely viewed as the earliest of the so-called writing prophets, dated to the mid-eighth century bce, and the text is demonstrably alluded to in several relatively late prophetic writings. And the book’s emphasis on social justice and its absence in 8th-century Israel has become the inspiration for many Christian and Jewish believers contending for justice in their own contemporary societies. Issues discussed in the literature on Amos include questions on the style and on the rhetoric of the book. The latter include questions of the structure of the book and its audience, given the paradox that the accusations of injustice target a minority in positions of wealth and power, but the more general announcements of doom embrace “my people Israel” as a whole. Is it the aim of the book (and/or the prophet) to announce the inexorable doom of the kingdom or people of Israel, or to call them to repentance? Is the book, as distinct from the words of judgment it contains, addressed to Israel before the fall of Samaria, or to Judah after it as a warning? Further, what is the social background of the poverty and social injustice denounced in it and what ethical ideas govern the oracles of judgment? These questions intersect with historical issues, including the book’s composition and redaction. To what extent may the material be held to go back to a prophet Amos in the eighth century? Finally, there are questions on the reception of the book, broadly conceived. What are its relations with the other texts in the Book of the Twelve? How has it been received and interpreted in Jewish and Christian circles? How may it be interpreted, how is it interpreted, to address present-day contexts of social injustice?
European Art and Diplomacy in the Global Early Modern Period
Authors: Carrió-Invernizzi Diana
Published: February 2025

The history of diplomacy, which may be traced back to Herodotus and Thucydides, was systematized by Ranke in the nineteenth century. In more recent decades, this branch of historical study has been shaped by a shift toward the cultural facets of diplomacy, and since the pioneering historiographical work of Norbert Elias in the 1940s, increasing attention has been paid to its material, artistic, and performative dimensions. However, to a great extent, it continues to be indebted to Mattingly’s classic (1955) study, which established the idea that the origin of modern diplomacy may be traced back to early modern Italy and the emergence of Humanism and quattrocento art. This foundational alliance is understood to have been responsible for the modernization of diplomacy. Subsequently, permanent embassies went on to be established, and the role of the ambassador was increasingly governed by a range of conventions and regulations. Such theses are not exempt from Eurocentrism and a degree of teleologism: diplomacy inevitably developed into what it would be in the nineteenth century. The trend indebted to Mattingly was based on two views that have since been called into question: diplomacy is the antithesis of political conflict, and it is an art that flourished solely in times of peace. On the international stage of the early modern period, a range of objects were exchanged, often in a considerable volume, during times of conflict. Recent studies have questioned the notion of the primacy of European and Italian diplomacy by revealing how, long before European diplomacy came to play a significant role, sophisticated networks of trade and political alliances extended across China during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Mughal Empire, Safavid Persia, and the Ottoman Empire. Across these geopolitical regions, there were systems of diplomatic negotiation that were just as regularized and codified as those in Europe. The transformation of diplomatic studies owes a great deal to cross-cultural studies, and the understanding that between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, emissaries operated on both a local and a global scale. In addition, literary studies have made a significant contribution, and literary texts have been analyzed as a mode of constructing new diplomatic models during the early modern period. Another area of research that has proved itself to be especially relevant for diplomatic history is the exchange of gifts. Together, all these lines of inquiry have contributed to a renewed focus on the relationship of art and diplomacy.
Intra-annual stem radius growth and cell formation of two diffuse-porous tree species in a subtropical forest in Southwest China
Authors: Zhang Yi-Xue , Fu Pei-Li , Yan Qiao-Shun , Bräuning Achim , Fan Ze-Xin
Published: February 2025

Studying tree growth and xylem formation is essential for understanding tree resilience to extreme droughts, which are expected to intensify with climate warming. However, researches on intra-annual stem growth and xylogenesis remain limited, particularly in moist subtropical forests. This study monitored the intra-annual stem radius growth and xylem formation of two diffuse-porous tree species, Stewartia pteropetiolata and Schima noronhae, in a subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest in Southwest China, using high-resolution dendrometer measurements for recording stem growth and micro-coring for xylem formation. We analyzed the seasonal patterns of stem radius growth and xylem formation, and their responses to seasonal climate variability. Our results revealed that S. noronhae, found at lower elevations, exhibited a later onset of stem growth and xylogenesis, developing wider vessels with thinner walls during a longer enlarging phase. In contrast, S. pteropetiolata, which is distributed at higher elevations, produced smaller vessels with thicker walls during a longer cell wall thickening phase. Both species showed high relative growth rates under conditions of high temperatures and low vapor pressure deficit (VPD). More specifically, S. noronhae maintained higher relative growth rates under a narrower range of favorable temperature and soil water conditions during the rainy season, while S. pteropetiolata sustained growth for a longer growth period in colder and drier conditions. These findings enhance the understanding of angiosperm wood cell kinetics and the eco-physiological response of diffuse-porous trees to climate change in moist subtropical forests.
Umbilical Cord pH Levels and Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality
Authors: Andersson Charlotte Brix , Klingenberg Claus , Thellesen Line , Johnsen Søren Paaske , Kesmodel Ulrik Schiøler , Petersen Jesper Padkaer
Published: February 2025

(Abstracted from JAMA Network Open 2024;7:e2427604)

Umbilical cord pH (UC-pH) is a measure used to identify infants with intrapartum hypoxia leading to acidosis. Severe acidosis can lead to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, and severe intrapartum hypoxia can result in multiorgan injury.
Pressure-Mediated Biofeedback With Pelvic Floor Muscle Training for Urinary Incontinence: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Wang Xiuqi , Qiu Jin , Li Dan , Wang Zhongmin , Yang Yanjing , Fan Guorong , Mao Xiaoyan , Wang Jiandi , Gao Shan , Zhu Xihui , Xu Tao , Sun Zhijing
Published: February 2025

(Abstracted from JAMA Netw Open 2024;7:e2442925)

Pelvic floor dysfunction is common to a variety of conditions, the most prevalent of which is stress urinary incontinence (SUI). This condition can have significant impact on physical and psychological health, quality of life, as well as cause increased socio-economic burden.
What Provides the Best Value for Your Time in Spine Surgery? An Analysis of Relative Value Units
Authors: Tariq Muhammad B. , Simcox Trevor , Becker Jacob , Petrizzo Anthony , Hishmeh Shuriz
Published: February 2025

Design:

Retrospective database analysis.

Objective:

This study aims to assess the RVU compensation model for the most common spine surgeries.

Background:

Physician work is commonly valued by utilizing the relative value unit (RVU) model for compensation. Our aim in this study was to assess RVU and RVU per minute valuations of the most common spine procedures comparing cervical versus lumbar and fusion versus non-fusion cases.

Methods:

The ACS-NSQIP database was utilized to identify the most commonly performed spine procedures. RVU and RVU per minute values were calculated and compared in each group.

Results:

In all, 18,779 entries encompassing 28 CPT codes/code combinations were identified. Average RVUs were higher in cervical spine cases compared with lumbar cases (29 vs. 20 RVUs, respectively). Furthermore, cervical cases had significantly higher RVUs per minute compensation compared with lumbar cases (0.26 vs. 0.18 RVUs/min; P=0.01). Fusion cases also fared higher average RVUs compared with nonfusion cases (28 vs. 19 RVUs, respectively). However, when corrected for operative time, fusion cases did not differ significantly in RVUs per minute (P=0.13).

Conclusions:

Cervical spine surgery provides the best value for the surgeon in terms of RVUs per minute. We highlight key aspects of the compensation model in spine surgery.

Level of Evidence:

Level III—economic study.
A Cross-Sectional Study Exploring Nurse Burnout and Satisfaction With the Electronic Health Record
Authors: Campbell Caitlin Marley , Montgomery Aoyjai , Ruffin Asiah , Baernholdt Marianne , Patrician Patricia A.
Published: February 2025

Nurse burnout remains a significant problem affecting the nursing workforce today. However, despite calls for changes that could reduce clinician administrative burdens due to their relationship with burnout, minimal opportunities for improvement have been identified. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between nurse burnout and nurse satisfaction with the electronic health record (EHR). A cross-sectional survey was administered in 2018 to nurses practicing in the state of Alabama in the United States (N = 950). The survey inquired about participants' burnout, EHR satisfaction, and the nurse work environment. In multiple regression models, years of experience, nurse satisfaction with the EHR, and the nurse work environment explained 20%-34% of the variation in nurses' work-related burnout. Although additional research is needed, the EHR may be one actionable area that organizations could modify to help reduce nurse burnout.