bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatial transcriptome profiling uncovers metabolic regulation of left-right patterning
Authors: Yagi Hisato , Cui Cheng , Saydmohammed Manush , Gabriel George , Baker Candice , Devine William , Wu Yijen , Lin Jiuann-huey , Malek Marcus , Bais Abha , Murray Stephen , Aronow Bruce , Tsang Michael , Kostka Dennis , Lo Cecilia W.
Published: April 2023

Left-right patterning disturbance can cause severe birth defects, but it remains least understood of the three body axes. We uncovered an unexpected role for metabolic regulation in left-right patterning. Analysis of the first spatial transcriptome profile of left-right patterning revealed global activation of glycolysis, accompanied by right-sided expression ofBmp7and genes regulating insulin growth factor signaling. Cardiomyocyte differentiation was left-biased, which may underlie the specification of heart looping orientation. This is consistent with knownBmp7stimulation of glycolysis and glycolysis suppression of cardiomyocyte differentiation. Liver/lung laterality may be specified via similar metabolic regulation of endoderm differentiation.Myo1d, found to be left-sided, was shown to regulate gut looping in mice, zebrafish, and human. Together these findings indicate metabolic regulation of left-right patterning. This could underlie high incidence of heterotaxy-related birth defects in maternal diabetes, and the association of PFKP, allosteric enzyme regulating glycolysis, with heterotaxy. This transcriptome dataset will be invaluable for interrogating birth defects involving laterality disturbance.
Geometry of ecological coexistence and niche differentiation
Authors: Blumenthal Emmy , Mehta Pankaj
Published: April 2023

A fundamental problem in ecology is to understand how competition shapes biodiversity and species coexistence. Historically, one important approach for addressing this question has been to analyze Consumer Resource Models (CRMs) using geometric arguments. This has led to broadly applicable principles such as Tilman’sR*and species coexistence cones. Here, we extend these arguments by constructing a novel geometric framework for understanding species coexistence based on convex polytopes in the space of consumer preferences. We show how the geometry of consumer preferences can be used to predict species coexistence and enumerate ecologically-stable steady states and transitions between them. Collectively, these results constitute a qualitatively new way of understanding the role of species traits in shaping ecosystems within niche theory.
Mitochondrial genome editing: a possible interplay of atherosclerosis-associated mutation m.15059G>A with defective mitophagy
Authors: Khotina Victoria A. , Kalmykov Vladislav A. , Zhuravlev Alexander D. , Sinyov Vasily V. , Sobenin Igor A. , Orekhov Alexander N. , Sukhorukov Vasily N.
Published: April 2023

Background

It was assumed that the cause of chronic inflammation in atherosclerosis is a disturbance of the innate immunity response, caused, among other factors, by mitochondrial dysfunctions. It was also suggested that mitochondrial dysfunction may be caused by heteroplasmic mutations in mitochondrial DNA. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the mitochondrial nonsense mutation m.15059G>A on cellular functions in atherosclerosis: lipoidosis, pro-inflammatory response, and mitophagy.

Methods

The human monocytic cell line THP-1 and cytoplasmic hybrid cell line TC-HSMAM1 were used. An original approach based on the CRISPR/Cas9 system was developed and used for the elimination of mtDNA copies carrying the m.15059G>A mutation in theMT-CYBgene. Using this approach, the Cas9-TC-HSMAM1 cells with an eliminated m.15059G>A mutation was obtained. The gene expression levels of genes encoding enzymes related to cholesterol metabolism were analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR. The evaluation of pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion was assessed using ELISA. Mitophagy in cells was detected using confocal microscopy.

Results

In contrast to intact TC-HSMAM1 cybrids, in Cas9-TC-HSMAM1 cells, incubation with atherogenic LDL led to a decrease in the expression of the gene encoding fatty acid synthase (FASN). It was found that TC-HSMAM1 cybrids are characterized by defective mitophagy and are also unable to reduce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (to form immune tolerance) in response to repeated LPS stimulation. Elimination of mtDNA carrying the m.15059G>A mutation led to the restoration of immune tolerance and activation of mitophagy in the studied cells.

Conclusions

The m.15059G>A mutation was found to be associated with defective mitophagy, immune tolerance, and impaired metabolism of intracellular lipids due to upregulation of theFASN. Thus, this mutation may play an important role in atherogenesis due to its contribution to the chronification of inflammation, which aggravates the progression of atherosclerosis.
CHAF1A promotes the translesion DNA synthesis pathway in response to DNA replication stress
Authors: Wen Bing , Zheng Hai-Xiang , Deng Dan-Xia , Zhang Zhi-Da , Heng Jing-Hua , Liao Lian-Di , Xu Li-Yan , Li En-Min
Published: April 2023

The translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) pathway mediated by proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) monoubiquitination is an essential mechanism by which cancer cells bypass DNA damage caused by DNA replication stress to maintain genomic stability and cell survival. Chromatin assembly factor 1 subunit A (CHAF1A) traditionally promotes histone assembly during DNA replication. Here, we revealed that CHAF1A is a novel regulator of the TLS pathway. High expression of CHAF1A is significantly associated with poor prognosis in cancer patients. CHAF1A promotes fork restart under DNA replication stress and maintains genome integrity. CHAF1A enhances the interaction between PCNA and E3 ubiquitin protein ligase RAD18 and promotes PCNA monoubiquitination, thereby promoting the recruitment of Y-family DNA polymerase Pol η and enhancing cancer cell resistance to stimuli that trigger replication fork blockade. Mechanistically, CHAF1A-mediated PCNA monoubiquitination is independent of CHAF1A-PCNA interaction. CHAF1A interacts with both RAD18 and replication protein A2 (RPA2), mediating RAD18 binding on chromatin in response to DNA replication stress. Taken together, these findings improve our understanding of the mechanisms that regulate the TLS pathway and provide insights into the relationship between CHAF1A and the malignant progression of cancers.
Investigation of microstructure of fretting wear behavior in 6061-T6 aluminum alloy
Authors: Erturun Veysel , Odabaş Durmuş
Published: April 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the microstructure of fretting wear behavior in 6061-T6 aluminum alloy. The fretting wear of blind riveted lap joints of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy plates, which are widely used in aircraft construction, was investigated. Fretting damages were investigated between the contact surface of the plates and between the plate and the rivet contact surface.

Design/methodology/approach

Experiments were carried out using a computer controlled Instron testing machine with 200 kN static and 100 kN dynamic load capacity. Max package computer program was used for the control of the experiments. Fretting scars, width of wear scars, microstructure was investigated by metallographic techniques and scanning electron microscopy.

Findings

It was found that fretting damages were occurred between the plates contacting surface and between the plate and rivet contact surface. As load and cycles increased, fretting scars increased. Fretting wear initially begins with metal-to-metal contact. Then, the formed metallic wear particles are hardened by oxidation. These hard particles spread between surfaces, causing three-body fretting wear. Fretting wear surface width increases with increasing load and number of cycles.

Originality/value

The useful life of many tribological joints is limited by wear or deterioration of the fretting components due to fretting by oscillating relative displacements of the friction surfaces. Such displacements are caused by vibrations, reciprocating motion, periodic bending or twisting of the mating component, etc. Fretting also tangibly reduces the surface layer quality and produces increased surface roughness, micropits, subsurface microphone.
Field BIM and mobile BIM technologies: a requirements taxonomy and its interactions with construction management functions
Authors: Jowett Benjamin , Edwards David John , Kassem Mohamad
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This study aims to develop a taxonomy of requirements for mobile BIM technologies (MBT), clarify the relating terms and concepts, and identify the interactions between MBT features and the construction management functions on sites.

Design/methodology/approach

A positivist approach with elements of interpretivism is adopted to allow to capture what is perceived as “reality” in relation to individuals’ interpretation and experience in the use and implementation of MBT. This is achieved by using a mixed qualitative-quantitative approach that can capture the various understandings of MBT. The research methods included a longitudinal case study over 12 months, two project workshops, expert interviews and an industry survey that together helped to investigate MBT at project, enterprise and industry levels.

Findings

The MBT requirements taxonomy included requirements relating to both project and organisation. Project requirements addressed MBT functionalities for sites and information management, while organisation requirements focused on the integration of MBT solutions with the enterprise from information technology, legal and security perspectives. A detailed matrix showing the interactions between five key MBT features and seven construction management functions was also developed.

Research limitations/implications

The two constructs developed by this study can help researchers to structure their investigation of key uses of MBT applications and their benefits. It can be used by researchers aiming to investigate integrated approaches to the digitalisation of construction sites, such as those enabled by Digital Twins. The interaction matrix can aid researchers in evaluating the intersections between the MBT functionalities and the site construction management functions (e.g. theoretical analysis of interactions from Lean Construction, benefit evaluation perspective). More broadly, the two constructs can support research and practice investigating the development of data-driven approaches on construction sites.

Practical implications

The developed MBT taxonomy can guide construction organisations in selecting suitable MBT for Field BIM for their projects. It can also act as a baseline against which varying MBT solutions can be compared.

Originality/value

Constructs such as taxonomies for MBTs; an understanding of MBT capabilities and use within the industry; and a lack of delineation between related terms, such as Mobile BIM, Field BIM, Site BIM, Cloud BIM and Mobile Apps, were lacking in the literature. This study contributed to addressing this gap.
Reduction of exceeding the guaranteed service time for external trucks at the DCT Gdańsk container terminal using a six sigma framework
Authors: Moszyk Karol , Deja Mariusz
Published: April 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate ways to reduce the average amount of exceeded guaranteed service time for external trucks at Deepwater Container Terminal Gdańsk Sp z o.o. (DCT Gdańsk) via dosing the gate activities, in particular IN-Gate entry process, of trucks carrying import/export/transit containers.

Design/methodology/approach

A Six Sigma methodology with the define, measure, analyze, improve, and Control (DMAIC) methods along with the SIPOC chart, cause and effect diagram, scatterplot, benchmark and brainstorming and finally multi-voting tool are used as analyses tools in this research.

Findings

DCT Gdańsk reorganized and modernized the gate operations. Gate reorganization and modernization include streaming line traffic at the gates, external parking lot optimization, implementation of dedicated supporting software and installation of dedicated CCTV cameras to provide 24 h live view. During gates development, the external truck service times data were collected and analysed. The obtained materials concerned the measurement of the average truck turnaround time before and after the implementation of the improvements.

Originality/value

The proposed approach of reducing the average amount of exceeded guaranteed service time of external trucks at the container terminal is unique and relatively cheap mainly due to organizational changes with some widely available low-cost investments and can be applied on a different scale to other container terminals or to transport and logistics companies.
The role of signals in new venture financing in the context of an emerging market: a configurational approach
Authors: Topaler Başak , Adar Gülcan
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This study proposes a portfolio of new venture signals that are likely to attract investors' attention in the context of an emerging market and examines how they work in combination to affect the likelihood of obtaining funding.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use data on early-stage venture capital investments for high-tech start-ups in Turkey. The authors adopt a configurational approach and use fuzzy QCA and regression analysis.

Findings

The findings suggest that financing of new ventures in an emerging economy is shaped by signals of context-specific capabilities that are required to survive and thrive in this market environment alongside and in interaction with signals of general capabilities required for business success. Different combinations of these signals provide equifinal pathways to obtain funding. Furthermore, signals that differ in type and content interact in complex ways to affect investors' decisions.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that entrepreneurs with no prior experience in the emerging market context can increase their chances of obtaining funding by affiliating with a venture development organization. Another promising strategy is to form a founding team that includes members affiliated with a developed country together with members who have emerging market experience. Finally, entrepreneurs may consider combining signals of context-specific capabilities with signals of general capabilities as they work in a complementary way to attract funding.

Originality/value

This study addresses two major shortcomings of the literature on new venture signaling, first, by positing the emerging market context as a unique signaling environment and, second, by demonstrating the value of considering signals as portfolios with potential interdependencies.
Exploring the barriers and motivators of value co-creation through a theoretical lens of service-dominant logic
Authors: Ajmal Mian M. , Jan Amin , Khan Mehmood , Hussain Matloub , Salameh Anas A.
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This study aims to identify and categorize the barriers and motivators to value co-creation and to establish its theoretical link with the five axioms of value co-creation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a qualitative approach based on a bibliographic literature review for identifying barriers and motivators of value co-creation. Subsequently, this study grouped those barriers and motivators into three categories. It further linked those barriers and motivators with five axioms of value co-creation using the grounded theory.

Findings

Results based on the categorization of barriers show that the first category “organization and system-related barriers” is associated with Axioms 1, 2 and 5 of the service-dominant logic. The second category “customer-oriented barriers” is associated with Axioms 2, 4 and 5. The third category of barriers “social environmental and economic barriers” is related to only Axiom 3. Results based on the motivators show that the first category “organization and system-related motivators” is associated with Axioms 2 and 4. The second category of “customer-oriented motivators” is associated with Axioms 1, 2, 3 and 5. The third category of motivators “social environmental and economic motivators” is related to Axioms 3 and 5.

Practical implications

These results provide insights to managers for eradicating barriers from the value co-creation process by emphasizing strategic intrusion into those axioms that contain a high percentage of barriers. Similarly, it also provides insights to managers for expediting motivators of value co-creation by strategic intrusion based on the axioms that contain a high percentage of motivators. Overall, this study will serve for greater value co-creation by eradicating barriers and promoting motivators. This study also provides a theoretical foundation for future studies intended to establish a theoretical connection between the barriers and motivators with value co-creation in other industries.

Originality/value

This study is novel in terms of identifying barriers and motivators of value creation by categorizing those identified barriers and motivators into three sub-categories. This study is the first one for linking barriers and motivators with five axioms of value creation for a micro-level policy formulation.
Why do consumers engage in a social media brand community: investigating the effect of psychological empowerment on commitment and loyalty
Authors: Shukla Mahima , Misra Richa , Gupta Rahul
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This study aims to use empowerment theory to examine the relationship between a user's engagement type (active or passive) and psychological empowerment (intrapersonal and interactional) in the context of a social media brand community (SMBC). This study also looks at the impact of psychological empowerment on brand community commitment (CC) and brand loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

Convenience and snowball sampling were used to select respondents from mobile phone brand communities in India. The conceptual model was tested using structure equation modelling.

Findings

According to the study findings, active user involvement in SMBC is strongly associated to both intrapersonal and interactional empowerment (IE), but passive user engagement is weakly related to IE. Furthermore, customer empowerment and CC have a strong impact on brand CC and brand loyalty.

Practical implications

SMBC is now a significant point of contact for building strong consumer–brand relationships. SMBC members who are actively involved in the community have greater emotional bonding, trust and commitment to the brand. Therefore, social media marketers should encourage their customers to get involved in a brand community and empower them by involving them in brand related decision, etc. This will help the community grow and thrive.

Originality/value

This study addresses a research gap by examining how active and passive members of an SMBC facilitate both focal points of psychological empowerment (intrapersonal and interactional), which increase the brand community's commitment and brand loyalty.
Exploring entrepreneurial intentions within equine sector from Romania: an environmental economics approach
Authors: Lupoae Oana Daniela , Capatina Alexandru , Radu Riana Iren , Isai Violeta Maria , Schin George Cristian
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the correlations between latent variables embedded into three clusters (equine agritourism, therapeutic horse riding and equine sports) and entrepreneurial intentions of people interested to invest in equestrian sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose a conceptual framework focused on three latent variables that influence the interest of horse enthusiasts to embrace an entrepreneurial career. Statistical analyses via Pearson’s chi-square tests, analysis of variance (statistical formula used to compare variances across the means (or average) of different groups) and regression analysis have been performed to validate our assumptions.

Findings

Findings reveal a high level of interest of from horse enthusiasts to opt for an entrepreneurial career, as funding opportunities in this sector are growing due to European union and national funding available for this endeavour.

Originality/value

Very limited research studies have been explored the entrepreneurial intentions in equine industry. This study proves that sports and therapeutic activities influence to the greatest extent, the entrepreneurial intention in the equestrian sector.
Gender diversity and risk-taking: evidence from dual banking systems
Authors: Sbai Hicham , Ed-Dafali Slimane
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the relationship between gender diversity and the risk profile of 141 listed banks from 14 emerging countries over the period of 2012–2020. Specifically, this study investigates whether the relationship between gender diversity and banking risk varies between Islamic banks and conventional banks, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second aim is to investigate whether COVID-19 health crisis moderates the effect of gender diversity on banks’ risk-taking behavior within a dual banking system.

Design/methodology/approach

This study derives its theoretical foundation from both the token theory and the critical mass theory. Both fixed and random effects are combined to examine the relationship between gender diversity and bank risk-taking in emerging countries.

Findings

The results show that female presence on the board of directors reduces banks' financial risk. However, the presence of women continues to positively affect the capital adequacy ratio of large banks. The results also show that the presence of at least two female directors significantly reduces banking risk. The findings support the expectations of the token and critical mass theories. In addition, the presence of female board members, per se, does not influence the risk-taking behavior of Islamic banks. Finally, this study demonstrates that the moderating role of the COVID-19 health crisis is only more effective for large banks than for small ones. The analyses demonstrate good reliability and robustness of the findings of this study.

Practical implications

The study provides novel insights for policymakers and practitioners on how female directors impact banks’ risk-taking behavior in dual-banking countries. It also contributes to the debate on gender diversity and corporate governance literature, which can help in monitoring bank risk-taking and improving financial stability.

Originality/value

This study presents new evidence about the importance of board gender diversity for bank risk-taking in a dual banking system by considering the moderating influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also contributes to the literature on bank risk-taking by applying two measures of gender diversity and a critical mass of women on boards.
Inequalities in democratic worker-owned firms by gender, race and immigration status: evidence from the first national survey of the sector
Authors: Reibstein Sarah , Hanson Schlachter Laura
Published: April 2023

Purpose

Worker cooperative practitioners and developers often claim that democratic worker ownership advances egalitarianism within and beyond the workplace, but most of the empirical evidence in the USA is based on ethnographic case studies or small-scale surveys. This study aims to leverage the first national survey about individuals' experiences in these unique firms to test for the presence of inequalities by gender, race and immigration status in the broader sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a 2017 survey comprising a sample of 1,147 workers from 82 firms. This study focuses on measures of workplace benefits that capture material and psychological ownership, wealth accumulation, wages, workplace autonomy and participation in governance. This study uses ordinary least squares regression models with fixed effects alongside pooled models to determine the effects of gender, race, immigration status and the intersection of gender and race on these outcomes, both within and between firms.

Findings

This study finds no evidence of wage gaps by gender, race or immigration status within worker cooperatives, with job type, tenure and worker ownership status instead explaining within-firm variation in pay. Still, this study documents sector-wide disparities in material and non-material outcomes by gender, race and immigration status, reflecting differences in individual-level human capital and job characteristics as well as widespread occupational segregation and homophily.

Originality/value

The paper offers a novel contribution to the literature on workplace empowerment and inequality in participatory firms by analyzing race, gender and immigration status in the most robust dataset that has been collected on worker cooperatives in the USA.
Resilience strategies in coping to disruptions of wheat supply chain caused by the Russia–Ukraine war crisis: case study from an emerging economy
Authors: Rahbari Misagh , Arshadi Khamseh Alireza , Sadati-Keneti Yaser
Published: April 2023

Purpose

The Russia–Ukraine war has disrupted the wheat supply worldwide. Given that wheat is one of the most important agri-food products in the world, it is necessary to pay attention to the wheat supply chain during the global crises. The use of resilience strategies is one of the solutions to face the supply chain disruptions. In addition, there is a possibility of multiple crises occurring in global societies simultaneously.

Design/methodology/approach

In this research, the resilience strategies of backup suppliers (BS) and inventory pre-prepositioning (IP) were discussed in order to cope with the wheat supply chain disruptions. Furthermore, the p-Robust Scenario-based Stochastic Programming (PRSSP) approach was used to optimize the wheat supply chain under conditions of disruptions from two perspectives, feasibility and optimality.

Findings

After implementing the problem of a real case in Iran, the results showed that the use of resilience strategy reduced costs by 9.33%. It was also found that if resilience strategies were used, system's flexibility and decision-making power increased. Besides, the results indicated that if resilience strategies were used and another crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, supply chain costs would increase less than when resilience strategies were not used.

Originality/value

In this study, the design of the wheat supply chain was discussed according to the wheat supply disruptions due to the Russia–Ukraine war and its implementation on a real case. In the following, various resilience strategies were used to cope with the wheat supply chain disruptions. Finally, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the wheat supply chain in the conditions of disruptions caused by the Russia–Ukraine war was investigated.
Psychological wellbeing practitioners’ experiences of improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) services cultural competency training
Authors: Bucheeri Hala , Faheem Afsana
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This study aims to explore whether the cultural competency training in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services is sufficient to equip Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP) to support Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) service users.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative design was adopted using semi-structured interviews with six PWP participants. Reflexive thematic analysis using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step process was used in data analysis.

Findings

Three themes revealed evaluations of PWP training, factors supporting PWPs’ cultural competency and points of improvement for PWP training. The training briefly and superficially covered cultural competency content; however, it encouraged PWPs to explore potential personal and cultural biases in therapy. PWP training can also be improved by providing more culturally relevant resources and involving BAME service users.

Research limitations/implications

A small sample size (N = 6) was used, impacting the findings’ generalizability.

Practical implications

PWP training does not sufficiently equip PWPs to support BAME service users. PWPs’ reflection of their own ethnic identity and personal experiences, when combined with training, can improve cultural competency. IAPT training should focus on cultural awareness, knowledge and skills to enhance therapeutic experience. Moreover, PWPs should reflect on their identity, personal biases and experiences when working with diverse communities.

Originality/value

This is one of the few qualitative studies evaluating the cultural competencies of PWPs in IAPT.
An experimental study of the effectiveness of fact checks: interplay of evidence type, veracity and news agreement
Authors: Tsang Stephanie Jean , Zheng Jingwei , Li Wenshu , Salaudeen Mistura Adebusola
Published: April 2023

Purpose

Given the rapid growth in efforts on misinformation correction, the study aims to test how evidence type and veracity interact with news agreement on the effectiveness of fact-checking on how well a corrective message discount a false news information.

Design/methodology/approach

Experimental participants (N = 511) in Hong Kong were exposed to the same news article and then to a piece of corrective information debunking the news article with variation in the types of evidence (numerical vs narrative) and veracity (no verdict vs half false vs entirely false) in 2019.

Findings

Among the participants who disagreed with the news article, numerical fact-checking was more effective than narrative fact-checking in discounting the news article. Some evidence of the backfire effect was found among participants for whom the article was attitude incongruent.

Originality/value

When debunking false information with people exposed to attitude-incongruent news, a milder verdict presented in the form of a half-false scale can prompt a more positive perception of the issue at stake than an entirely false scale, implying that a less certain verdict can help in mitigating the backfire effect compared to a certain verdict.
Reducing physical restraint in educational settings: a systematic literature review
Authors: Hodgkiss Bethany , Harding Emma
Published: April 2023

Physical restraint is a restrictive practice used in schools across the UK and there have been recent concerns around the appropriateness and frequency of using this intervention with pupils. Current data suggest that pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN), a vulnerable and diverse group, are experiencing the majority of physical restraint used in educational settings. Physical restraint can lead to negative emotional and physical consequences in pupils who experience it and it is, therefore, important to explore alternative strategies to reduce or eliminate its use in educational settings. A systematic literature search found 15 studies (date range 1999–2019) that explored the effectiveness of school‐wide or individual approaches in reducing the frequency and/or duration of physical restraint. Most studies saw a significant decrease in physical restraint, and this study will discuss the key elements of the successful approaches, as well as consider the facilitators and barriers to implementation.
Determining decidability: How issue salience divergence structures party systems and affects citizens
Authors: GUNDERSON JACOB R.
Published: April 2023

This paper argues that issue salience divergence – the extent to which parties in a party system diverge in their allocation of salience across issues – is a key characteristic of party system decidability. Elections do not only matter in that politicians and parties with different policy positions may come to power. They can also matter if competing elites emphasize different issues. Using data from the MARPOR project and the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems, I demonstrate that voters perceive greater differences between parties when parties propose agendas that diverge with respect to issue salience. Furthermore, I demonstrate that perceptions of differences between parties mediate the effect of issue salience divergence on respondents’ satisfaction with democracy and self‐reported voter turnout. These findings indicate that salience‐based differentiation influences the quality of party systems alongside the traditional party system characteristics with important implications for public opinion and political behavior.
A 91% decline in a common anuran in an otherwise stable amphibian community inferred from 17 years of rapid road surveys
Authors: Lacroix C. , Schueler F. W. , Rollinson N.
Published: April 2023

Amphibians are disproportionately represented among the many vertebrate taxa that are declining globally. Few long‐term studies of amphibians exist, especially in temperate climates, hindering our understanding of long‐term trends in amphibian communities, which may delay or prevent management action. Here, we develop and deploy an inexpensive monitoring method with potentially broad scientific and community uptake, ‘rapid road surveys’. We test whether this protocol is useful in understanding relative abundance in an amphibian community over a 17‐year period. From 2003 to 2019, we performed thousands of rapid (5–15 min) amphibian surveys and recorded the number of on‐road amphibians along a single, 267 m stretch of secondary roads in rural Canada. Assuming that on‐road occurrence reflects relative amphibian population sizes, we show that amphibians have declined by approximately 73% from 2003 to 2019. The decline was driven by a remarkable 91% decrease in the abundance of northern leopard frogs (Lithobates pipiens), the species comprising the most observation records, while all other species did not show a temporal trend. We cannot attribute a definitive mechanism to the L. pipiens decline. However, by ruling out a number of putative causes, we hypothesize that it may be related to land‐use change or infectious disease. Our results show that a simple, temporally replicated road survey protocol, deployed in a spatially restricted area, can be a valuable tool for conservation scientists to understand trends in abundance across an entire community. We discuss how these rapid road surveys are likely a viable option for future community science initiatives.
Prognostic value of mitral regurgitation in patients undergoing left ventricular assist device deployment: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Arjomandi Rad Arian , Zubarevich Alina , Shah Viraj , Yilmaz Ogulcan , Vardanyan Robert , Naruka Vinci , Moorjani Narain , Ruhparwar Arjang , Punjabi Prakash P. , Weymann Alexander
Published: April 2023

Background

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) represent an important therapeutic option for patients progressing to end‐stage heart failure. LVAD has previously been shown to have a promising role in improving mitral regurgitation (MR). Nevertheless, the prognostic value of preoperative uncorrected MR in this population remains unclear.

Methods

A systematic database search with meta‐analysis was conducted of comparative original articles of patients with preoperative mild MR (Grade 0–I) versus moderate–severe MR (Grade II–III) undergoing LVAD implantation, in EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane database, and Google Scholar, from inception to June 2022. Primary outcomes were overall and operative mortality. Secondary outcomes were neurological dysfunction, gastrointestinal bleeding, right heart failure, LVAD thrombosis, and driveline infection.

Results

Our search yielded 2228 relevant studies. A total of 19 studies met the inclusion criteria with a total of 11 873 patients. LVAD caused a statistically significant decrease of 35.9% in the number of patients with moderate–severe MR (grade II–III) postoperatively. No significant difference was observed in terms of overall mortality, operative mortality, GI bleeding, LVAD thrombosis, and driveline infection rates between mild and moderate–severe MR. An increased rate of right heart failure was seen among patients with moderate–severe MR, while lower rates of neurological events were also observed.

Conclusion

LVAD improves the haemodynamics of the left ventricle, to promote resolution of MR. Nevertheless, the severity of preoperative mitral regurgitation in patients undergoing LVAD deployment does not seem to affect mortality.
Near and dear: How the politicians' home bias influences corporate philanthropy in China
Authors: Yin Juelin , Cao Chunfang , Jia Fansheng , Zhao Jiaxin
Published: April 2023

Building on institutional theory, we examine the effect of politicians' hometown favouritism on a firm's philanthropic engagement in China. We propose that firms headquartered in the politicians' hometowns tend to reduce their philanthropic investment because identification with their hometown activates the politicians' tendency to extend political legitimacy to hometown firms. Analysing a large sample of publicly listed Chinese firms for 2003–2015, we demonstrate that hometown firms evade their social responsibility by taking advantage of the incumbent provincial political leader's “home bias”. We also find that such a “home bias” effect exists when the political leader comes into power and disappears after the leader leaves office. Further analyses show that the firms' political dependency strengthens the “home bias” effect, so that firms in sensitive industries, with greater financial resources and private ownership, are more likely to evade their social engagement by taking advantage of the politicians' hometown favouritism. Our study highlights the critical role of hometown connections in corporate social responsibility in the Chinese relationship‐based business system. It also advances a normative institutional assessment of hometown‐based favouritism by highlighting its distinct dynamics and impacts on focal firms' social decision‐making.
Study of capsule endoscopy delivery at scale through enhanced artificial intelligence‐enabled analysis (the CESCAIL study)
Authors: Lei Ian Io , Tompkins Katie , White Elizabeth , Watson Angus , Parsons Nicholas , Noufaily Angela , Segui Santi , Wenzek Hagen , Badreldin Rawya , Conlin Abby , Arasaradnam Ramesh P.
Published: April 2023

Aim

Lower gastrointestinal (GI) diagnostics have been facing relentless capacity constraints for many years, even before the COVID‐19 era. Restrictions from the COVID pandemic have resulted in a significant backlog in lower GI diagnostics. Given recent developments in deep neural networks (DNNs) and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in endoscopy, automating capsule video analysis is now within reach. Comparable to the efficiency and accuracy of AI applications in small bowel capsule endoscopy, AI in colon capsule analysis will also improve the efficiency of video reading and address the relentless demand on lower GI services. The aim of the CESCAIL study is to determine the feasibility, accuracy and productivity of AI‐enabled analysis tools (AiSPEED) for polyp detection compared with the ‘gold standard’: a conventional care pathway with clinician analysis.

Method

This multi‐centre, diagnostic accuracy study aims to recruit 674 participants retrospectively and prospectively from centres conducting colon capsule endoscopy (CCE) as part of their standard care pathway. After the study participants have undergone CCE, the colon capsule videos will be uploaded onto two different pathways: AI‐enabled video analysis and the gold standard conventional clinician analysis pathway. The reports generated from both pathways will be compared for accuracy (sensitivity and specificity). The reading time can only be compared in the prospective cohort. In addition to validating the AI tool, this study will also provide observational data concerning its use to assess the pathway execution in real‐world performance.

Results

The study is currently recruiting participants at multiple centres within the United Kingdom and is at the stage of collecting data.

Conclusion

This standard diagnostic accuracy study carries no additional risk to patients as it does not affect the standard care pathway, and hence patient care remains unaffected.
Risk of anorectal cancer in patients with Crohn's disease and perianal fistula: a nationwide Danish cohort study
Authors: El‐Hussuna Alaa , Lemser Camilla Engel , Iversen Aske Thorn , Allin Kristine Højgaard , Jess Tine
Published: April 2023

Aim

Patients with Crohn's disease (CD) often suffer from perianal fistulizing disease. Their risk of anorectal cancer remains uncertain. We aimed to examine the long‐term risk of anorectal cancer in a population‐based cohort of CD patients with anorectal fistula.

Method

Our study population covered all individuals (n = 7 987 520) aged 15+ years living in Denmark from 1978 to 2018. We identified all patients with CD and anorectal fistula in the Danish National Patient Register (NPR) and 50 matched noninflammatory bowel disease (IBD) individuals from the general population. Using Cox regression analyses, we examined the risk of anorectal cancer in CD fistula patients versus non‐IBD individuals. All patients with CD were identified using codes from the International Classification of Diseases and their data extracted from the NPR. The main outcome measure was cases of anorectal cancer.

Results

A total of 2786 CD patients with anorectal fistula and 139 300 non‐IBD individuals were followed for 1 553 917 person‐years. During follow‐up, anorectal cancer was observed in 19 CD patients (0.68%) and 340 non‐IBD individuals (0.24%), corresponding to a 2.9‐fold increased hazard ratio (HR) of anorectal cancer in CD fistula patients (95% CI 1.80–4.53), with a particularly high risk of anal cancer (HR 15.13, 95% CI 6.88–33.31) and a mean time from CD fistula diagnosis to anorectal cancer of 6.7 (SD 6.5) years. The risk was slightly higher in women than men and had no apparent relation to treatment with tumour necrosis factor‐α inhibitors. Sensitivity analyses using CD nonfistula patients for comparison revealed similar results. Individual data on smoking and infection with human papilloma virus were not available.

Conclusion

Patients with CD and anorectal fistula have a three‐fold increased risk of anorectal cancer compared with the general population. The number needed to surveil to detect one case of anorectal cancer in this patient population was 2160 patients per year in patients with long‐standing fistula (>6 years).
Distributed system anomaly detection using deep learning‐based log analysis
Authors: Han Pengfei , Li Huakang , Xue Gang , Zhang Chao
Published: April 2023

Anomaly detection is a key step in ensuring the security and reliability of large‐scale distributed systems. Analyzing system logs through artificial intelligence methods can quickly detect anomalies and thus help maintenance personnel to maintain system security. Most of the current works only focus on the temporal or spatial features of distributed system logs, and they cannot sufficiently extract the global features of distributed system logs to achieve a good correct rate of anomaly detection. To further address the shortcomings of existing methods, this paper proposes a deep learning model with global spatiotemporal features to detect the presence of anomalies in distributed system logs. First, we extract semi‐structured log events from log templates and model them as natural language. In addition, we focus on the temporal characteristics of logs using the bidirectional long short‐term memory network and the spatial invocation characteristics of logs using the Transformer. Extensive experimental evaluations show the advantages of our proposed model for distributed system log anomaly detection tasks. The optimal F1‐Score on three open‐source datasets and our own collected distributed system datasets reach 98.04%, 94.34%, 88.16%, and 97.40%, respectively.
Genome‐wide screen for anticancer drug resistance in haploid human embryonic stem cells
Authors: Segal Emanuel , Nissenbaum Jonathan , Peretz Mordecai , Golan‐Lev Tamar , Cashman Rivki , Philip Hagit , Reubinoff Benjamin E. , Kopper Oded , Benvenisty Nissim
Published: April 2023

Anticancer drugs are at the frontline of cancer therapy. However, innate resistance to these drugs occurs in one‐third to one‐half of patients, exposing them to the side effects of these drugs with no meaningful benefit. To identify the genes and pathways that confer resistance to such therapies, we performed a genome‐wide screen in haploid human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). These cells possess the advantage of having only one copy of each gene, harbour a normal karyotype, and lack any underlying point mutations. We initially show a close correlation between the potency of anticancer drugs in cancer cell lines to those in hESCs. We then exposed a genome‐wide loss‐of‐function library of mutations in all protein‐coding genes to 10 selected anticancer drugs, which represent five different mechanisms of drug therapies. The genetic screening enabled us to identify genes and pathways which can confer resistance to these drugs, demonstrating several common pathways. We validated a few of the resistance‐conferring genes, demonstrating a significant shift in the effective drug concentrations to indicate a drug‐specific effect to these genes. Strikingly, the p53 signalling pathway seems to induce resistance to a large array of anticancer drugs. The data shows dramatic effects of loss of p53 on resistance to many but not all drugs, calling for clinical evaluation of mutations in this gene prior to anticancer therapy.
Assessing prioritization measures for a private land conservation program in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region
Authors: Kemink Kaylan M. , Pressey Robert. L. , Adams Vanessa M. , Nolte Christoph , Olimb Sarah K. , Healey Aidan M. , Liu Boyan , Frerichs Todd , Renner Randy
Published: April 2023

Private land conservation has become an important tool for protecting biodiversity and habitat, but methods for prioritizing and scheduling conservation on private land are still being developed. While return on investment methods have been suggested as a potential path forward, the different processes linking private landscapes to the socioeconomic systems in which they are embedded create unique challenges for scheduling conservation with this approach. We investigated a range of scheduling approaches within a return on investment framework for breeding waterfowl and broods in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana. Current conservation targeting for waterfowl in the region focuses mostly on the distribution and abundance of breeding waterfowl. We tested whether MaxGain approaches for waterfowl conservation differed from MinLoss approaches in terms of return on investment and which approach performed best in avoiding loss of waterfowl and broods separately. We also examined variation in results based upon the temporal scale of the abundance layers used for input and compared the region's current scheduling approach with results from our simulations. Our results suggested that MinLoss was the most efficient scheduling approach for both breeding waterfowl and broods and that using just breeding waterfowl to target areas for conservation programs might cause organizations to overlook important areas for broods, particularly over shorter timespans. The higher efficiency of MinLoss approaches in our simulations also indicated that incorporating probability of wetland drainage into decision‐making improved the overall return on investment. We recommend that future conservation scheduling for easements in the region and for private land conservation in general include some form of return on investment or cost‐effective analysis to make conservation more transparent.