bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The readability and narrative tone of risk and risk management disclosures for South African listed companies
Authors: Enslin Zack , du Toit Elda , Puane Mangwakong Faith
Published: October 2023

Purpose

Risk information provides information to enable stakeholders to make informed decisions about a company. Corporate communications should be readable and unbiased so as not to hamper disclosure usefulness. This study assesses whether risk disclosures in the integrated reports are readable and unbiased.

Design/methodology/approach

The readability and narrative tone of South African listed companies' risk and risk management disclosures as disclosed in their integrated reports are analysed using automated software for the Top 40 JSE listed companies from 2015 to 2019.

Findings

The results show that risk and risk management disclosures are unreadable and lack any improvement in readability during the period. Additionally, these disclosures are biased toward narrative tones signalling communality and certainty.

Originality/value

The study adds to the literature on the readability of corporate reports, by focussing on the readability and narrative tone of risk and risk management disclosures during a period of increased scrutiny over the content of such disclosures. Also, by analysing risk disclosure and risk management disclosure separately, and by performing trend analysis to determine whether requirement changes related to content (specifically King IV) affect readability and narrative tones.
Recent developments in entrepreneurial marketing: systematic literature review, thematic analysis and research agenda
Authors: Breit Luca A. , Volkmann Christine K.
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The developing field of entrepreneurial marketing reflects input from both marketing and entrepreneurship. Since the early 1980s, it has evolved heterogeneously, without a coherent theory, leading to complex scholarly views. Therefore, this literature review aims to shed light on the recent developments, reveal various research perspectives related to entrepreneurial marketing and derive future research avenues.

Design/methodology/approach

To account for recent scientific contributions and establish a more transparent view of divergent insights, the systematic literature review reported herein covers 207 peer-reviewed journal articles published after the “Charleston Summit” over 12 years (2010–2021) and details their contributions based on descriptive and inductive thematic analysis.

Findings

First, a descriptive analysis illustrates recent scientific developments indicating that entrepreneurial marketing is a vibrant research field with a continuous increase in publications worldwide and a wide range of research methods applied. Second, the thematic analysis suggests a three-part classification into entrepreneur, business and market perspectives. The authors present the most frequent themes and subthemes within this literature domain, as well as offering a critical assessment of the field that reveals key directions for expanding existing research.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first comprehensive review systematically examining entrepreneurial marketing literature while conducting an in-depth thematic analysis. It enhances current knowledge of the field by extending previous narrative and bibliographic reviews and discussing research directions. Aside from specific research questions, an alternative way to narrow down the multiple research objects is elaborated by critically debating the perspectives.
Personal touch in digital customer service: a conceptual framework of relational personalization for conversational AI
Authors: Blümel Jan Hendrik , Zaki Mohamed , Bohné Thomas
Published: October 2023

Purpose

Customer service conversations are becoming increasingly digital and automated, leaving service encounters impersonal. The purpose of this paper is to identify how customer service agents and conversational artificial intelligence (AI) applications can provide a personal touch and improve the customer experience in customer service. The authors offer a conceptual framework delineating how text-based customer service communication should be designed to increase relational personalization.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a systematic literature review on conversation styles of conversational AI and integrates the extant research to inform the development of the proposed conceptual framework. Using social information processing theory as a theoretical lens, the authors extend the concept of relational personalization for text-based customer service communication.

Findings

The conceptual framework identifies conversation styles, whose degree of expression needs to be personalized to provide a personal touch and improve the customer experience in service. The personalization of these conversation styles depends on available psychological and individual customer knowledge, contextual factors such as the interaction and service type, as well as the freedom of communication the conversational AI or customer service agent has.

Originality/value

The article is the first to conduct a systematic literature review on conversation styles of conversational AI in customer service and to conceptualize critical elements of text-based customer service communication required to provide a personal touch with conversational AI. Furthermore, the authors provide managerial implications to advance customer service conversations with three types of conversational AI applications used in collaboration with customer service agents, namely conversational analytics, conversational coaching and chatbots.
Connecting managers’ international work experience, advice networks, and subsidiary-unit performance: a social capital perspective
Authors: Kim Taehyung , Chung Chul , Brewster Chris , Yoon Sang-Hyeak
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine whether and why subsidiary-unit managers’ prior international work experiences across multinational enterprises’ (MNEs) home and host countries impact their subsidiary-unit performance, considering the mediating effect of their advice networks.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey on 222 subsidiary-unit managers (154 parent country nationals [PCNs] and 68 host country nationals [HCNs]) of a Korean MNE operating in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Hungary and Slovakia was conducted. The authors analyzed the data using partial least square structural equation modeling, multigroup analysis and bootstrapping techniques.

Findings

PCN subsidiary managers with more prior international work experience manage better-performing units due to the strength of the manager’s advice networks across local parties. However, for HCN subsidiary managers, this study did not find such mediating roles of the size and strength of their advice networks in the MNE home country.

Originality/value

This study provides novel insights and empirical evidence about the effect of the length of prior international work experience of subsidiary managers on their advice-seeking networks and subsidiary-unit performance. In addition, it draws on and add to social capital theory about how international work experience impacts dealing with local businesses and the relationship with corporate headquarters.
Development of a textile multilayered device with piezoelectric property using different knitted fabric structures
Authors: Maestri Gabriela , Merlini Claudia , Mejia Leonardo , Steffens Fernanda
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study aims to develop two piezoelectric textile devices formed from different weft knitted fabric rapports (Jersey and Pique) to be applied in the renewable energy’s (RE) area.

Design/methodology/approach

Two different weft knitted rapports were produced with polyester (PES). The device developed has five layers: a central of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nonwoven, involved by two insulating layers of PES knitted fabric; and two conductive external layers, made of polypyrrole-coated PES knitted fabric. The piezoelectric textile devices were joined by sewing the five layers of the device.

Findings

The FTIR technique confirmed the β-phase in the PVDF nonwoven. This study produced and tested two different textiles devices with piezoelectric behavior, confirmed by the correlated pattern of voltage and tensile stress difference curves, showing the potential application in RE’s and sustainable energies field as smart textiles, such as devices incorporated in garments in the areas of high movement (elbow, knee, foot, fingers and hands, among others), and as an energy generator device

Originality/value

Textile materials with piezoelectric properties promise to advance RE’s developments due to their high material flexibility and sensitivity to the electrical response. The knitted fabric technology presents flexibility due to its construction process. Comparative studies analyzing the electrical response between knitted and woven fabrics have already been realized. However, there is a gap in terms of research scientific research regarding the comparison of the piezoelectric effect in a material that presents different knitted fabric rapports.
Evaluation of solanum tuberosum potato peel waste for use as an eco-friendly antibacterial finish for cotton fabrics
Authors: Mpofu Nonsikelelo Sheron , Mwasiagi Josphat Igadwa , Mecha Cleophas Achisa , Nganyi Eric Oyondi
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the potential use of potato peel extracts as antibacterial finishes for cotton fabrics against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Potato peels are abundant as waste and provide a natural, cheaper and sustainable alternative means of preventing the spread of bacterial infections on cotton fabric.

Design/methodology/approach

This research included the characterization of potato peel extracts, application of the extract onto cotton fabric and efficacy testing of the treated cotton fabric against bacteria. Phytochemical screening, agar well diffusion antibacterial test, minimum inhibitory concentration and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) tests were used to characterize the extract. Antibacterial efficacy of the treated fabric was determined qualitatively using the disc diffusion assay and quantitatively using the bacteria reduction test.

Findings

Phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of several secondary metabolites including phenols and flavonoids. Antibacterial tests revealed a positive response in Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with a zone of inhibition of 6.50 mm and 5.60 mm, respectively. Additional peaks on the FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the presence of potato peel extract on the treated cotton fabric. The treated cotton fabrics showed efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli up to 20 washes.

Originality/value

This study introduced the application of potato peel extracts onto cotton fabrics and assessment of the antibacterial properties before and after washing. Results of this study suggest that potato peel extracts can be used as an organic eco-friendly antibacterial finish for cotton fabrics.
Positive family connections: co-producing a virtual group programme for family carers of children with learning disabilities or who are autistic
Authors: Griffin Joanna , Austin Debbie , Lynham John , Hafidh Rasha , Boxill Natasha , Sutherland Daniel , Flynn Samantha , Hastings Richard P.
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to outline the process of developing a new co-produced virtual group support programme called Positive Family Connections (PFC) aimed at family carers of children with a learning disability, or who are autistic, aged between 8 and 13 years.

Design/methodology/approach

Development process: family carers were recruited to develop PFC prior to a feasibility randomised controlled trial being conducted (not reported in this paper). The programme was positively oriented and family systems-focused. PFC was developed by family carers, along with the research team, and designed to be delivered by family carer facilitators. The development process included several meetings to design the format and content of the programme. An initial pilot was then delivered and further amendments made to the programme in response to the pilot participants’ feedback.

Findings

The programme: the co-produced PFC programme involved attending six weekly sessions on Zoom; each 2-h session focused on different themes (e.g. communication and activities).

Research limitations/implications

Reflections on the co-production process: key ingredients of co-production included ensuring clarity on roles, positive communication and understanding of the family carers’ situation and utilising the varied skills family carers can bring to research and practise.

Originality/value

This is the first family systems-focused programme that the authors know of, that has been co-produced with family carers and solely delivered virtually by trained family carer facilitators from the outset.
r/K selection of GC content in prokaryotes
Authors: Aliperti Lucio , Aptekmann Ariel A. , Farfañuk Gonzalo , Couso Luciana L. , Soler‐Bistué Alfonso , Sánchez Ignacio E.
Published: October 2023

The guanine/cytosine (GC) content of prokaryotic genomes is species‐specific, taking values from 16% to 77%. This diversity of selection for GC content remains contentious. We analyse the correlations between GC content and a range of phenotypic and genotypic data in thousands of prokaryotes. GC content integrates well with these traits into r/K selection theory when phenotypic plasticity is considered. High GC‐content prokaryotes are r‐strategists with cheaper descendants thanks to a lower average amino acid metabolic cost, colonize unstable environments thanks to flagella and a bacillus form and are generalists in terms of resource opportunism and their defence mechanisms. Low GC content prokaryotes are K‐strategists specialized for stable environments that maintain homeostasis via a high‐cost outer cell membrane and endospore formation as a response to nutrient deprivation, and attain a higher nutrient‐to‐biomass yield. The lower proteome cost of high GC content prokaryotes is driven by the association between GC‐rich codons and cheaper amino acids in the genetic code, while the correlation between GC content and genome size may be partly due to functional diversity driven by r/K selection. In all, molecular diversity in the GC content of prokaryotes may be a consequence of ecological r/K selection.
How to be a good guest: American ethnographers in Turkey in the long 1968
Authors: Sipahi Ali
Published: October 2023

The article uncovers a forgotten chapter in the history of anthropology by revealing the experiences of American ethnographers in Turkey between 1967 and 1969. Using original archival documents and oral history interviews, it focuses on the trials of Professor Lloyd A. Fallers as well as doctoral students Michael Meeker, Peter Benedict, and June Starr in navigating Turkish bureaucracy and global politics. Conceptually, the article evaluates the case of anthropologists in Cold War Turkey from the perspective of hospitality studies with a particular focus on guest‐to‐guest relationships. Adopting the guests’ points of view shows us that hospitality assemblages are forged by other‐oriented thinking and behaviour, which involves misunderstandings, empathy, and projection. The article conceives the hospitality relationship as an encounter among perceptions of hospitality.
Of agency, Allah, and authority: the making of a divine trial among Muslims with same‐sex attraction in Indonesia
Authors: Ramadhan Febi R.
Published: October 2023

This article delves into the life stories of Indonesian Muslims who struggle with same‐sex attraction (henceforth SSA) and believe that their SSA is divinely foreordained as a test from Allah. I draw on seventeen months of ethnographic research in an online community called Yayasan Peduli Sahabat (henceforth YPS) which prescribes ways to live heterosexually to its members and clients with SSA. In this article, I argue that the members of YPS are exercising their agency when they try to discipline their sexuality and live as heterosexuals. In this way, this study contributes to the existing literature on the agency of illiberal religious subjects by discussing the extent to which agency is practised in the face of one's relations with the divine and human‐mediated religious authority. Drawing on these interrelated themes, this article conjoins anthropological scholarship on self‐cultivation, divine intervention, and religious authority. Instead of understanding Muslims’ lives through the shift from a self‐cultivation paradigm to the paradigm of divine intervention, I suggest that both paradigms are instructive and attending to them could elucidate how Muslims with SSA exercise their agency while continuing to be affected by the divine.
The Alchemical Oedipus: Re‐Visioning the Myth
Authors: Ajuonuma Reginald
Published: October 2023

The Oedipus myth is foundational to depth psychology due to Freud’s use of Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex in the creation of psychoanalysis. But analytical psychology’s engagement with the myth has been limited despite the importance Jung also places upon it. The absence of a developed Jungian response to Oedipus means the myth’s psychologically constructive elements have been overlooked in favour of reductive Freudian interpretations. I examine whether analytical psychology can fruitfully re‐engage with Oedipus by reinterpreting his story as a paternal rebirth. This is achieved by reincorporating those parts of the myth that occur before and after the period portrayed in Oedipus Rex. Such a move reintegrates Oedipus’ father, King Laius, into the story and unveils important parallels with the alchemical trope of the king’s renewal by his son. Using Jung’s method of amplification, Oedipus is recast as Laius’ redeemer and identified with the archetype of psychological wholeness, the Self. The contention is that such an understanding of Oedipus supports a clearer recognition of the potentially generative quality of human suffering, restoring to the myth the quality of moral instruction it possessed in antiquity.
Emergence and institutionalization of interorganizational coordination structures in crises
Authors: Frykmer Tove , Becker Per
Published: October 2023

Crises often reveal a mismatch between organizational and problem structures, demanding interorganizational coordination or new organizational solutions. Much is known about functions and roles of such organizational solutions, but less about the processes underlying them. This study investigates the processes behind the emergence and institutionalization of organizational solutions to meet new coordination needs in crises, using the Swedish County Administrative Boards' coordination offices for Covid‐19 and Ukraine as a case. Based on 94 interviews across political‐administrative levels, this study reveals that the coordination office emerged as an interorganizational coordination structure during Covid‐19 but is now institutionalized and central to the crisis management system. The institutionalization began during the 2018 wildfires, demonstrating the importance of a decisive event in initiating and shaping organizational adaptation to crises. Thereafter, practices were institutionalized through increasing returns connected to incentives, commitments to norms and identities and objectification of shared ideas and routines. The findings motivate consideration of criteria for evaluating new coordination structures that may become permanent. Contingently evolving practices, often taken for granted and embedded in professional norms and identities, calls for explicit consideration of alternative practices. Last, this study illustrates the importance of appreciating the past when understanding present and future coordination structures.
Insulin resistance induces earlier initiation of cognitive dysfunction mediated by cholinergic deregulation in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Izuo Naotaka , Watanabe Nobuhiro , Noda Yoshihiro , Saito Takashi , Saido Takaomi C. , Yokote Koutaro , Hotta Harumi , Shimizu Takahiko
Published: October 2023

Although insulin resistance increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the mechanisms remain unclear, partly because no animal model exhibits the insulin‐resistant phenotype without persistent hyperglycemia. Here we established an AD model with whole‐body insulin resistance without persistent hyperglycemia (APP/IR‐dKI mice) by crossbreeding constitutive knock‐in mice with P1195L‐mutated insulin receptor (IR‐KI mice) and those with mutated amyloid precursor protein (AppNL‐G‐F mice: APP‐KI mice). APP/IR‐dKI mice exhibited cognitive impairment at an earlier age than APP‐KI mice. Since cholinergic dysfunction is a major characteristic of AD, pharmacological interventions on the cholinergic system were performed to investigate the mechanism. Antagonism to a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α7 (nAChRα7) suppressed cognitive function and cortical blood flow (CBF) response to cholinergic‐regulated peripheral stimulation in APP‐KI mice but not APP/IR‐dKI mice. Cortical expression of Chrna7, encoding nAChRα7, was downregulated in APP/IR‐dKI mice compared with APP‐KI. Amyloid β burden did not differ between APP‐KI and APP/IR‐dKI mice. Therefore, insulin resistance, not persistent hyperglycemia, induces the earlier onset of cognitive dysfunction and CBF deregulation mediated by nAChRα7 downregulation. Our mouse model will help clarify the association between type 2 diabetes mellitus and AD.
Is ‘pupae busting’ or destroying overwintering pupae of Helicoverpa spp. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) still relevant today in Australian Bt cotton?
Authors: Whitehouse Mary E. A. , Tann Colin R. , Braunack Michael V.
Published: October 2023

Transgenic Bt cotton was developed to control lepidopteran pests like the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera. However, there was concern that H. armigera would develop resistance to Bt cotton as this species had developed resistance to many insecticides and Bt toxins. To counter resistance, the cotton industry developed a resistance management plan (RMP) that included techniques to block resistant genes surviving from one season to the next (seasonal quarantining). One such technique is pupae busting, where cotton fields are cultivated after harvest, destroying potentially resistant pupating Helicoverpa spp. While pupae busting was important when there was only one insecticidal gene in Bt cotton, is it still relevant now Bt cotton has three insecticidal Bt genes? To address this question, we reviewed the development of pupae busting as a tool and its role in the current RMP. This included examining the ecology and behavioural characteristics of Helicoverpa spp. that impact on pupae busting efficacy (e.g., diapause, pupal mortality and pupae depth); the effect of soil type and different tillage techniques on pupae busting efficacy; and pupae busting within the context of Australia's current cotton farming system. We also looked at alternative forms of seasonal quarantining, such as using bisexual attract‐and‐kill techniques against adults. We confirmed that soil for pupae busting needs to be checked for moisture, which ideally should be less than the soil plastic limit. Comparisons between reports indicated that under good conditions, ‘go‐devils’ and chisel ploughs were excellent pupae busters. While a bisexual attract‐and‐kill strategy of late season moths has a place within the industry, pupae busting is still the best method in seasonal quarantining and has a good fit within the modern cotton industry, particularly given differences in the biology and ecology of H. armigera and H. punctigera, and the presence of dominant resistance to Bt toxins by H. armigera in China.
EAACI guidelines on the diagnosis of IgE‐mediated food allergy
Authors: Santos Alexandra F. , Riggioni Carmen , Agache Ioana , Akdis Cezmi A. , Akdis Mubeccel , Alvarez‐Perea Alberto , Alvaro‐Lozano Montserrat , Ballmer‐Weber Barbara , Barni Simona , Beyer Kirsten , Bindslev‐Jensen Carsten , Brough Helen A. , Buyuktiryaki Betul , Chu Derek , Del Giacco Stefano , Dunn‐Galvin Audrey , Eberlein Bernadette , Ebisawa Motohiro , Eigenmann Philippe , Eiwegger Thomas , Feeney Mary , Fernandez‐Rivas Montserrat , Fisher Helen R. , Fleischer David M. , Giovannini Mattia , Gray Claudia , Hoffmann‐Sommergruber Karin , Halken Susanne , Hourihane Jonathan O’B. , Jones Christina J. , Jutel Marek , Knol Edward , Konstantinou George N. , Lack Gideon , Lau Susanne , Marques Mejias Andreina , Marchisotto Mary Jane , Meyer Rosan , Mortz Charlotte G. , Moya Beatriz , Muraro Antonella , Nilsson Caroline , Lopes de Oliveira Lucila Camargo , O’Mahony Liam , Papadopoulos Nikolaos G. , Perrett Kirsten , Peters Rachel L. , Podesta Marcia , Poulsen Lars K. , Roberts Graham , Sampson Hugh A. , Schwarze Jürgen , Smith Peter , Tham Elizabeth Huiwen , Untersmayr Eva , Van Ree Ronald , Venter Carina , Vickery Brian P. , Vlieg‐Boerstra Berber , Werfel Thomas , Worm Margitta , Du Toit George , Skypala Isabel
Published: October 2023

This European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology guideline provides recommendations for diagnosing IgE‐mediated food allergy and was developed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. Food allergy diagnosis starts with an allergy‐focused clinical history followed by tests to determine IgE sensitization, such as serum allergen‐specific IgE (sIgE) and skin prick test (SPT), and the basophil activation test (BAT), if available. Evidence for IgE sensitization should be sought for any suspected foods. The diagnosis of allergy to some foods, such as peanut and cashew nut, is well supported by SPT and serum sIgE, whereas there are less data and the performance of these tests is poorer for other foods, such as wheat and soya. The measurement of sIgE to allergen components such as Ara h 2 from peanut, Cor a 14 from hazelnut and Ana o 3 from cashew can be useful to further support the diagnosis, especially in pollen‐sensitized individuals. BAT to peanut and sesame can be used additionally. The reference standard for food allergy diagnosis is the oral food challenge (OFC). OFC should be performed in equivocal cases. For practical reasons, open challenges are suitable in most cases. Reassessment of food allergic children with allergy tests and/or OFCs periodically over time will enable reintroduction of food into the diet in the case of spontaneous acquisition of oral tolerance.
Comparison of chemically mediated CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing systems using different nonviral vectors in porcine embryos
Authors: Lin Qingyi , Takebayashi Koki , Torigoe Nanaka , Liu Bin , Namula Zhao , Hirata Maki , Tanihara Fuminori , Nagahara Megumi , Otoi Takeshige
Published: October 2023

The transfection efficiency of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas ribonucleoprotein complexes was compared using three nonviral vector transfection reagents: nonliposomal polymeric (TransIT‐X2), lipid nanoparticle delivery (CRISPRMAX), and peptide (ProteoCarry) systems. Porcine zona pellucida‐free zygotes and embryos were incubated for 5 h with CRISPR‐associated protein 9 (Cas9), guide RNA (gRNA) targeting GGTA1, and one of the reagents. In Experiment 1, optimization of Cas9 protein to gRNA molar ratios of 1:2, 2:2, and 4:2, along with single or double doses of reagents, was performed on zygotes at 10 h post‐in vitro fertilization. In Experiment 2, optimization of timing was performed at 10 or 29 h post‐in vitro fertilization, using optimal molar ratios and reagent doses. Blastocyst formation, mutation rates, and mutation efficiency were measured in each experiment. For each reagent, a 4:2 Cas9:gRNA molar ratio and addition of a double reagent dose exhibited a higher mutation rate; however, blastocyst rate tended to decrease compared with that of control. Moreover, the optimal transfection time varied depending on the reagent, and the proportions of blastocysts carrying mutations were <34%. In conclusion, the above three transfectants allowed gene editing of porcine zygotes and embryos; however, this newly established chemistry‐based technology needs further improvement, especially regarding editing efficiency and embryo development.
Pharmacological inhibition of the integrated stress response accelerates disease progression in an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mouse model
Authors: Marlin Elías , Valencia Miguel , Peregrín Nuria , Ferrero Roberto , Nicolás María Jesús , Vinueza‐Gavilanes Rodrigo , Pineda‐Lucena Antonio , Artieda Julio , Arrasate Montserrat , Aragón Tomás
Published: October 2023

Background and Purpose

The integrated stress response (ISR) regulates translation in response to diverse stresses. ISR activation has been documented in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and ALS experimental models. In experimental models, both ISR stimulation and inhibition prevented ALS neurodegeneration; however, which mode of ISR regulation would work in patients is still debated. We previously demonstrated that the ISR modulator ISRIB (Integrated Stress Response InhiBitor, an eIF2B activator) enhances survival of neurons expressing the ALS neurotoxic allele SOD1 G93A. Here, we tested the effect of two ISRIB‐like eIF2B activators (2BAct and PRXS571) in the disease progression of transgenic SOD1G93A mice.

Experimental Approach

After biochemical characterization in primary neurons, SOD1G93A mice were treated with 2BAct and PRXS571. Muscle denervation of vulnerable motor units was monitored with a longitudinal electromyographic test. We used a clinical score to document disease onset and progression; force loss was determined with the hanging wire motor test. Motor neuronal survival was assessed by immunohistochemistry.

Key Results

In primary neurons, 2BAct and PRXS571 relieve the ISR‐imposed translational inhibition while maintaining high ATF4 levels. Electromyographic recordings evidenced an earlier and more dramatic muscle denervation in treated SOD1G93A mice that correlated with a decrease in motor neuron survival. Both compounds anticipated disease onset and shortened survival time.

Conclusion and Implications

2BAct and PRXS571 anticipate disease onset, aggravating muscle denervation and motor neuronal death of SOD1G93A mice. This study reveals that the ISR works as a neuroprotective pathway in ALS motor neurons and reveals the toxicity that eIF2B activators may display in ALS patients.
A predominantly diurnal tropical mammal increases nocturnality in response to high temperatures
Authors: Peterson Michaela C. , Jorge Maria Luisa S. P. , Keuroghlian Alexine
Published: October 2023

The extent to which animals may compensate for rising temperatures through behavioral thermoregulation is an important unknown in predicting responses to climate change. Flexibility in temporal activity in particular may be an important factor in determining species' vulnerability. In this study, we examine whether the white‐lipped peccary, a predominantly diurnal Neotropical mammal, shifts its temporal activity and microclimate selection in response to daily temperature variation in the Pantanal biome of Brazil. From November 2021 to October 2022, we deployed camera traps and microclimate data loggers to record white‐lipped peccary activity and air temperature on a fine spatiotemporal scale. We found that the percentage of peccary activity that is nocturnal increased with maximum daily temperature at a rate of 3.7% per 1°C past a threshold of 31.2°C, and increased with maximum daily wet‐bulb temperature at a rate of 4.7% per 1°C past a threshold of 24.9°C. The afternoon period (i.e., solar noon to sunset) went from having the highest frequency of peccary activity at the lower end of our observed temperature range to having the lowest frequency of activity at the higher end. We did not find evidence of microclimate selection. Our findings indicate that white‐lipped peccaries in the Pantanal demonstrate substantial behavioral flexibility in their response to high temperatures, which may help to buffer them against the impact of rising temperatures caused by climate change.

Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.
How environmental factors affect the abundance and distribution of two congeneric species of Amazonian frogs
Authors: Moreno Eduardo , Pequeno Pedro , Santorelli Junior Sergio , Ferrão Miquéias , Lima Albertina Pimentel , Magnusson William E.
Published: October 2023

In this study, we test the hypothesis that, at a fine‐scale, environmental variables influence differently sister species that live in sympatry and are phylogenetically closely related. We sampled two Amazonian anuran species, Phyzelaphryne miriamae and Phyzelaphryne sp., in 11 permanent sampling modules distributed across ~600 km in the Purus‐Madeira Interfluve between 2013 and 2014. Using mixed generalized linear models, we found that the species have distinct environmental associations, which may facilitate their coexistence in sympatry. Phyzelaphryne miriamae was more frequent in environments with low precipitation and low water tables, suggesting this species is better adapted to live in drier places. In contrast, Phyzelaphryne sp. appeared to be a generalist regarding to habitat and resource use. These patterns are in accordance with the hypothesis that environmental variables influence sister species differently on a fine scale. Phyzelaphryne miriamae is larger than Phyzelaphryne sp., which may make it more resistant to dehydration, allowing it to explore drier environments. In conclusion, our results are in concordance with the hypothesis that the evolution of characteristics resulting from selection may have reduced competition for resources between closely related species, thus facilitating coexistence in sympatry.

Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.
Comparison of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS‐4D) and Child Health Utility Index (CHU‐9D) in children with oral diseases
Authors: Weerasuriya Sucharitha R. , Hettiarachchi Ruvini M. , Kularatna Sanjeewa , Rohde Alexia , Arrow Peter , Jamieson Lisa , Tonmukayakul Utsana , Senanayake Sameera
Published: October 2023

Objective

Accurate assessment of child oral health is important for guiding economic evaluations and informing healthcare decision‐making. Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS‐4D) is a preference‐based instrument that measures the oral health‐related quality of life of young children. The aim of this study was to compare the utility scores of ECOHIS‐4D and Child Health Utility Index (CHU‐9D), against an oral health indicator to evaluate which utility score corresponds better with the oral health indicator.

Method

The ECOHIS‐4D and CHU‐9D were applied to 314 parent/child dyads from preschools in a primary healthcare setting in Perth, Western Australia. Four parameters were used to assess which instrument corresponds better with the oral health indicator (decayed, missing and filled teeth score‐dmft score): (i) discrimination, the ability to discriminate between different clinical severity groups, (ii) external responsiveness, how much the utility values relate to the changes in dmft scores, (iii) correlation, the association between the two instruments and the related dimensions and (iv) differences in the utility values across the two instruments.

Results

Most participants (81%) were 2–6 years old, and nearly 50% had a dmft score <3. ECOHIS‐4D demonstrated a superior ability to differentiate between dmft severity groups and respond to changes in dmft scores. A significant weak correlation was observed between dmft and ECOHIS‐4D (−0.26, 95%, CI −0.36 to −0.15) compared to a non‐significant very poor correlation between dmft and CHU‐9D (0.01, 95% CI −0.12 to 0.10). The utility scores of the two instruments had relatively good agreement towards good health and weak agreement towards poor health.

Conclusions

ECOHIS‐4D, the oral health‐specific instrument, is more sensitive in assessing children's oral health‐related quality of life than the generic CHU‐9D. Thus, ECOHIS‐4D is more appropriate for utility estimates in economic evaluations of oral health‐related interventions and resource allocation decision‐making.
Scale in Language
Authors: Enfield N. J.
Published: October 2023

A central concern of the cognitive science of language since its origins has been the concept of the linguistic system. Recent approaches to the system concept in language point to the exceedingly complex relations that hold between many kinds of interdependent systems, but it can be difficult to know how to proceed when “everything is connected.” This paper offers a framework for tackling that challenge by identifying *scale* as a conceptual mooring for the interdisciplinary study of language systems. The paper begins by defining the scale concept—simply, the possibility for a measure to be larger or smaller in different instances of a system, such as a phonemic inventory, a word's frequency value in a corpus, or a speaker population. We review sites of scale difference in and across linguistic subsystems, drawing on findings from linguistic typology, grammatical description, morphosyntactic theory, psycholinguistics, computational corpus work, and social network demography. We consider possible explanations for scaling differences and constraints in language. We then turn to the question of *dependencies between* sites of scale difference in language, reviewing four sample domains of scale dependency: in phonological systems, across levels of grammatical structure (Menzerath's Law), in corpora (Zipf's Law and related issues), and in speaker population size. Finally, we consider the implications of the review, including the utility of a scale framework for generating new questions and inspiring methodological innovations and interdisciplinary collaborations in cognitive‐scientific research on language.
The effect of metformin on urate metabolism: Findings from observational and Mendelian randomization analyses
Authors: Dai Huajie , Hou Tianzhichao , Wang Qi , Zhu Zheng , Zhu Yijie , Zhao Zhiyun , Li Mian , Xu Yu , Lu Jieli , Wang Tiange , Ning Guang , Wang Weiqing , Bi Yufang , Zheng Jie , Xu Min
Published: October 2023

Aim

To evaluate the effect of metformin on urate metabolism.

Materials and Methods

Using the UK Biobank, we first performed association analyses of metformin use with urate levels, risk of hyperuricaemia and incident gout in patients with diabetes. To explore the causal effect of metformin on urate and gout, we identified genetic variants proxying the glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c)‐lowering effect of metformin targets and conducted a two‐sample Mendelian randomization (MR) utilizing the urate and gout genetic summary‐level data from the CKDGen (n = 288 649) and the FinnGen cohort. We conducted two‐step MR to explore the mediation effect of body mass index and systolic blood pressure. We also performed non‐linear MR in the UK Biobank (n = 414 055) to show the results across HbA1c levels.

Results

In 18 776 patients with type 2 diabetes in UK Biobank, metformin use was associated with decreased urate [β = −4.3 μmol/L, 95% confidence interval (CI) −7.0, −1.7, p = .001] and reduced hyperuricaemia risk (odds ratio = 0.87, 95% CI 0.79, 0.96, p = .004), but not gout. Genetically proxied averaged HbA1c‐lowering effects of metformin targets, equivalent to a 0.62% reduction in HbA1c, was associated with reduced urate (β = −12.5 μmol/L, 95% CI −21.4, −4.2, p = .004). Body mass index significantly mediated this association (proportion mediated = 33.0%, p = .002). Non‐linear MR results suggest a linear trend of the effect of metformin on urate reduction across various HbA1c levels.

Conclusions

The effect of metformin may reduce urate levels but not incident gout in the general population.
Heights to white pine blister rust cankers caused by Cronartium ribicola on young Pinus monticola in the Oregon East Cascades
Authors: Oblinger Brent W. , Stauder Cameron M.
Published: October 2023

In addition to breeding for genetic resistance, lower branch pruning is a management strategy to mitigate adverse effects of Cronartium ribicola on young western white pine (Pinus monticola; WWP) in portions of the Interior Northwest, USA (INW). However, only data on heights of white pine blister rust (WPBR) cankers and post‐treatment effects from outside the Oregon East Cascades (OEC) have previously informed INW pruning guidelines. To evaluate the appropriateness of these guidelines for WWP in the OEC, heights to cankers on young WWP (<30 years old) were measured in 120 plots within 12 stands throughout the OEC. Canker heights were analysed for live WWP ≥2.54 cm in diameter at 1.37 m. Incidence and severity of WPBR on live WWP, in addition to heights to cankers, varied among stands. Increased severity of WPBR (number of cankers on live‐infected trees and percent mortality by WPBR) was observed in stands with the alternate host Ribes more frequently occurring in plots. Of all cankers, approximately 97% were found in the lower half of the total tree height, and only 10% of cankers on young WWP were found above the first third of the total tree height. When evaluating canker heights in all stands, mean heights to branch and bole cankers were <2.2 m. Bole cankers were lower than branch cankers (p = .01), reaffirming that potentially lethal cankers in the INW often originate from infections lower in the crown. In stands, the number of plots with Ribes present was positively correlated with the number of cankers on live‐infected WWP and percent mortality of WWP due to WPBR (p < .04). As the incidence of WPBR on live WWP increased in stands, heights to the highest cankers also increased (p = .002). The number of cankers on live‐infected trees was positively correlated with the mean and highest heights to cankers (p < .002). Given that the vast majority of cankers were prunable and occurred in the lower crown of young WWP, pruning lower branches to increase survival of WWP is a management option in the OEC, and prioritization of stands for treatment is recommended.
Assessing non‐right‐handedness and atypical cerebral lateralisation as predictors of paediatric mental health difficulties
Authors: Irani Zubin A. , Sheridan Andrew M. C. , Badcock Nicholas A. , Fox Allison
Published: October 2023

Research utilising handedness as a proxy for atypical language lateralisation has invoked the latter to explain increased mental health difficulties in left‐/mixed‐handed children. The current study investigated unique associations between handedness and language lateralisation, handedness and mental health, and language lateralisation and mental health, in children, to elucidate the role of cerebral lateralisation in paediatric mental health. Participants were N = 64 (34 females [52%]; MAge = 8.56 years; SDAge = 1.33; aged 6–12 years) typically developing children. Hand preference was assessed via a reaching task, language lateralisation was assessed using functional transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (fTCD) during an expressive language task, and mental health was assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. As hypothesised, leftward hand preference predicted increased general mental health issues in children, with a strong relationship noted between leftward hand preference and the emotional symptoms subscale. Contrary to expectation, no relationship was found between direction of language lateralisation and general mental health issues, although exploratory analyses of subscales showed rightward lateralisation to predict conduct problems. Hand preference and direction of language lateralisation were also not significantly associated. The relatively weak relationship between manual and language laterality coupled with discrepancy regarding the predictive scope of each phenotype (i.e., hand preference predicts overall mental health, whereas language laterality predicts only conduct problems) suggests independent developmental pathways for these phenotypes. The role of manual laterality in paediatric mental health warrants further investigation utilising a neuroimaging method with higher spatial resolution.
Geographic income diversification of large European banks: Better or worse?
Authors: Gerek Caner , Tuncez Ahmet M.
Published: October 2023

This study examines the impact of geographic income diversification of large European banks on performance and risk‐taking by using unique data. By dividing the total operating income into three regions as the home country, the rest of Europe and the rest of the world, we find evidence that geographic income diversification reduces bank performance and increases risk‐taking. Particularly, shifting operations from home countries to other European countries or the rest of the world reduces bank performance and enhances risk‐taking unless the bank is highly concentrated in these areas. We also identify contributing channels, including the “follow‐the‐customer” hypothesis, new subsidiaries and board diversity, to explain the adverse effect.
Climate change affects the distribution of diversity across marine food webs
Authors: Thompson Murray S. A. , Couce Elena , Schratzberger Michaela , Lynam Christopher P.
Published: October 2023

Many studies predict shifts in species distributions and community size composition in response to climate change, yet few have demonstrated how these changes will be distributed across marine food webs. We use Bayesian Additive Regression Trees to model how climate change will affect the habitat suitability of marine fish species across a range of body sizes and belonging to different feeding guilds, each with different habitat and feeding requirements in the northeast Atlantic shelf seas. Contrasting effects of climate change are predicted for feeding guilds, with spatially extensive decreases in the species richness of consumers lower in the food web (planktivores) but increases for those higher up (piscivores). Changing spatial patterns in predator–prey mass ratios and fish species size composition are also predicted for feeding guilds and across the fish assemblage. In combination, these changes could influence nutrient uptake and transformation, transfer efficiency and food web stability, and thus profoundly alter ecosystem structure and functioning.
Relative Variability in Streetscape Skeletons and Spatial Association: Application for Identifying Harmonious and Inharmonious Streetscape Skeletons in Tokyo
Authors: Usui Hiroyuki
Published: October 2023

Whether or not a streetscape skeleton (defined as the 3D street space) is harmonious depends on the degree of difference between heights and setbacks of adjacent buildings, which is called the relative variability in the streetscape skeleton, but this has generally been overlooked. Because streetscape skeletons are ambiguous, evaluating whether or not they are harmonious is thus conceptually and technically challenging. This article, therefore, considers the relative variability in streetscape skeletons and their spatial associations and answers the following question: where are harmonious or inharmonious streetscape skeletons locally clustered? The relative variability in the streetscape skeletons in the districts of the Tokyo metropolitan region was computed, where building heights and setbacks are directly controlled through streetscape promotion district planning stipulated in the City Planning Act. The spatial association of the relative variability in streetscape skeletons was then visualized to identify where streetscape skeletons are harmonious and inharmonious. The results showed that although harmonious streetscape skeletons are spatially clustered inside the domain bounded by wider streets, such clusters are small and spatially scattered. We, therefore, concluded that the effectiveness of direct controls through streetscape‐promoting district planning to maintain and create harmonious streetscape skeletons is spatially limited and thus insufficient.