bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In an arms race between host and parasite, a lungworm's ability to infect a toad is determined by host susceptibility not parasite preference
Authors: Eyck Harrison J. F. , Brown Gregory P. , Rollins Lee A. , Shine Richard
Published: March 2022

Evolutionary arms races can alter both parasite infectivity and host resistance, and it is difficult to separate the effects of these twin determinants of infection outcomes. We used a co-introduced, invasive host–parasite system (the lungworm
Rhabdias pseudosphaerocephala
and cane toads
Rhinella marina
), where rapid adaptation and dispersal have led to population differences in infection resistance. We quantified behavioural responses of parasite larvae to skin-chemical cues of toads from different invasive populations, and rates at which juvenile hosts became infected following standardized exposure to lungworms. Chemical cues from toad skin altered host-seeking behaviour by parasites, similarly among populations. The number of infection attempts (parasite larvae entering the host's body) also did not differ between populations, but rates of successful infection (establishment of adult worm in host lungs) were higher for range-edge toads than for range-core conspecifics. Thus, lower resistance to parasite infection in range-edge juvenile toads appears to be due to less effective immune defences of the host rather than differential behavioural responses of the parasite. In this ongoing host–parasite arms race, changing outcomes appear to be driven by shifts in host immunocompetence.
Dynamic resource allocation for controlling pathogen spread on a large metapopulation network
Authors: Cristancho-Fajardo Lina , Ezanno Pauline , Vergu Elisabeta
Published: March 2022

To control the spread of an infectious disease over a large network, the optimal allocation by a social planner of a limited resource is a fundamental and difficult problem. We address this problem for a livestock disease that propagates on an animal trade network according to an epidemiological–demographic model based on animal demographics and trade data. We assume that the resource is dynamically allocated following a certain score, up to the limit of resource availability. We adapt a greedy approach to the metapopulation framework, obtaining new scores that minimize approximations of two different objective functions, for two control measures: vaccination and treatment. Through intensive simulations, we compare the greedy scores with several heuristics. Although topology-based scores can limit the spread of the disease, information on herd health status seems crucial to eradicating the disease. In particular, greedy scores are among the most effective in reducing disease prevalence, even though they do not always perform the best. However, some scores may be preferred in real life because they are easier to calculate or because they use a smaller amount of resources. The developed approach could be adapted to other epidemiological models or to other control measures in the metapopulation setting.
The energy cost and optimal design of networks for biological discrimination
Authors: Yu Qiwei , Kolomeisky Anatoly B. , Igoshin Oleg A.
Published: March 2022

Many biological processes discriminate between correct and incorrect substrates through the kinetic proofreading mechanism that enables lower error at the cost of higher energy dissipation. Elucidating physico-chemical constraints for global minimization of dissipation and error is important for understanding enzyme evolution. Here, we identify theoretically a fundamental error–cost bound that tightly constrains the performance of proofreading networks under any parameter variations preserving the rate discrimination between substrates. The bound is kinetically controlled, i.e. completely determined by the difference between the transition state energies on the underlying free energy landscape. The importance of the bound is analysed for three biological processes. DNA replication by T7 DNA polymerase is shown to be nearly optimized, i.e. its kinetic parameters place it in the immediate proximity of the error–cost bound. The isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase (IleRS) ofE. colialso operates close to the bound, but further optimization is prevented by the need for reaction speed. In contrast,E. coliribosome operates in a high-dissipation regime, potentially in order to speed up protein production. Together, these findings establish a fundamental error–dissipation relation in biological proofreading networks and provide a theoretical framework for studying error–dissipation trade-off in other systems with biological discrimination.
Stochastic rounding: implementation, error analysis and applications
Authors: Croci Matteo , Fasi Massimiliano , Higham Nicholas J. , Mary Theo , Mikaitis Mantas
Published: March 2022

Stochastic rounding (SR) randomly maps a real number
x
to one of the two nearest values in a finite precision number system. The probability of choosing either of these two numbers is 1 minus their relative distance to
x
. This rounding mode was first proposed for use in computer arithmetic in the 1950s and it is currently experiencing a resurgence of interest. If used to compute the inner product of two vectors of length
n
in floating-point arithmetic, it yields an error bound with constant

n

u

with high probability, where
u
is the unit round-off. This is not necessarily the case for round to nearest (RN), for which the worst-case error bound has constant
nu
. A particular attraction of SR is that, unlike RN, it is immune to the phenomenon of stagnation, whereby a sequence of tiny updates to a relatively large quantity is lost. We survey SR by discussing its mathematical properties and probabilistic error analysis, its implementation, and its use in applications, with a focus on machine learning and the numerical solution of differential equations.
Prion protein gene mutation detection using long-read Nanopore sequencing
Authors: Kroll François , Dimitriadis Athanasios , Campbell Tracy , Darwent Lee , Collinge John , Mead Simon , Vire Emmanuelle
Published: March 2022

Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative conditions that affect humans and animals. Rapid and accurate sequencing of the prion gene PRNP is paramount to human prion disease diagnosis and for animal surveillance programmes. Current methods for PRNP genotyping involve sequencing of small fragments within the protein-coding region. The contribution of variants in the non-coding regions of PRNP including large structural changes is poorly understood. Here we use long-range PCR and Nanopore sequencing to sequence the full length of PRNP, including its regulatory region, in 25 samples from blood and brain of individuals with various prion diseases. Nanopore sequencing detected the same variants as identified by Sanger sequencing, including repeat expansions/contractions. Nanopore identifies additional single-nucleotide variants in the non-coding regions of PRNP, but no novel structural variants were discovered. Finally, we explore somatic mosaicism of PRNP’s octapeptide repeat region, which is a hypothetical cause of sporadic prion disease. While we find changes consistent with somatic mutations, we demonstrate that they may have been generated by the PCR. Our study illustrates the accuracy of Nanopore sequencing for rapid and field prion disease diagnosis and highlights the need for single-molecule sequencing methods for the detection of somatic mutations.
Beer ethanol and iso-α-acid level affect microbial community establishment and beer chemistry throughout wood maturation of beer
Authors: Bossaert Sofie , Kocijan Tin , Winne Valérie , Schlich Johanna , Herrera-Malaver Beatriz , Verstrepen Kevin J. , Van Opstaele Filip , De Rouck Gert , Crauwels Sam , Lievens Bart
Published: March 2022

Sour beers produced by barrel-aging of conventionally fermented beers are becoming increasingly popular. However, as the intricate interactions between the wood, the microbes and the beer are still unclear, wood maturation often leads to inconsistent end products with undesired sensory properties. Previous research on industrial barrel-aging of beer suggests that beer parameters like the ethanol content and bitterness play an important role in the microbial community composition and beer chemistry, but their exact impact still remains to be investigated. In this study, an experimentally tractable lab-scale system based on anin-vitrocommunity of four key bacteria (Acetobacter malorum,Gluconobacter oxydans,Lactobacillus brevisandPediococcus damnosus) and four key yeasts (Brettanomyces bruxellensis,Candida friedrichii,Pichia membranifaciensandSaccharomyces cerevisiae) that are consistently associated with barrel-aging of beer, was used to test the hypotheses that beer ethanol and bitterness impact microbial community composition and beer chemistry. Experiments were performed using different levels of ethanol (5.2 v/v%, 8 v/v% and 11 v/v%) and bitterness (13 ppm, 35 ppm and 170 ppm iso-α-acids), and beers were matured for 60 days. Samples were taken after 0, 10, 20, 30 and 60 days to monitor population densities and beer chemistry. Results revealed that all treatments and the maturation time significantly affected the microbial community composition and beer chemistry. More specifically, the ethanol treatments obstructed growth ofL. brevisandG. oxydansand delayed fungal growth. The iso-α-acid treatments hindered growth ofL. brevisand stimulated growth ofP. membranifaciens, while the other strains remained unaffected. Beer chemistry was found to be affected by higher ethanol levels, which led to an increased extraction of wood-derived compounds. Furthermore, the distinct microbial communities also induced changes in the chemical composition of the beer samples, leading to concentration differences in beer- and wood-derived compounds like 4-ethyl guaiacol, 4-ethyl phenol, cis-oak lactone, vanillin, furfural and 5-methyl furfural. Altogether, our results indicate that wood-aging of beer is affected by biotic and abiotic parameters, influencing the quality of the final product. Additionally, this work provides a new, cost-effective approach to study the production of barrel-aged beers based on a simplified microbial community model.
A comparison of hard and soft direct methods for DNA extraction from soil
Authors: Hill Patrick , Dextraze Mathieu F , Kroetsch David , Boddy Christopher N
Published: March 2022

Nucleic acid extraction is the first step in molecular biology studies of soil bacterial communities. The most common used soil DNA extraction method is the direct, hard extraction Mobio method, which uses bead beating to lyse bacteria. In this study we compared the Mobio method with a soft, enzymatic lysis extraction method. Next generation sequencing (Illumina and Pyrosequencing) of amplicons generated from four 16S primer pairs and DNA from 12 soils and 3 composts was used to compare the two extraction methods.

Four bacterial orders, the delta proteobacterial Desulfuromonadales and gamma proteobacterial Pseudomonadales, Enterobacteriales, and Alteromonadales were more common in amplicons from soft extracted DNA, sometimes by two orders of magnitude. These groups can be a significant fraction of the bacterial population. For example the Pseudomonadales made up to 16 % and Enterobacteriales 10% of amplicons from Soft extracted DNA. The JG30-KF-CM45 order was under extracted by the enzymatic lysis extraction method. Results differed more by primer choice than extraction method and the phylogenetic resolution of differences between extraction methods changed with primer choice.

Given how often Mobio extraction is used, these proteobacterial orders are probably under-represented in the studies of soil bacteria that use nucleic acid methods. Further improvements in soil DNA extraction are needed. Amplicons sequencing studies should use a range of different primers to confirm the phylogenetic resolution of their results.

Importance

Several large scale studies of soil bacteria that compare thousands of soil samples across continents have used the Mobio method for DNA extraction. Large scale studies like these are increasing with the recent establishment of the Global Soil Biodiversity Observation Network (Soil BON), which also uses the Mobio method. The results of this work will be used to make policy decisions about how to manage the soil and may be a guide for bioprospectors. As the Mobio method is so widely used, it is important to know its limitations. Studies that use the Mobio method underestimate the fraction of several proteobacterial groups. Most notably the Enterobacteria and Pseudomonas can be under extracted by 10-100 fold. The degree of under extraction varies with different soils.
Powerful and interpretable control of false discoveries in differential expression studies
Authors: Enjalbert-Courrech Nicolas , Neuvial Pierre
Published: March 2022

Motivation

The standard approach for statistical inference in differential expression (DE) analyses is to control the False Discovery Rate (FDR). However, controlling the FDR does not in fact imply that the proportion of false discoveries is upper bounded. Moreover, no statistical guarantee can be given on subsets of genes selected by FDR thresholding. These known limitations are overcome by post hoc inference, which provides guarantees of the number of proportion of false discoveries among arbitrary gene selections. However, post hoc inference methods are not yet widely used for DE studies.

Results

In this paper, we demonstrate the relevance and illustrate the performance of adaptive interpolation-based post hoc methods for DE studies. First, we formalize the use of permutation-based methods to obtain sharp confidence bounds that are adaptive to the dependence between genes. Then, we introduce a generic linear time algorithm for computing post hoc bounds, making these bounds applicable to large-scale DE studies. The use of the resulting Adaptive Simes bound is illustrated on a RNA sequencing study. Comprehensive numerical experiments based on real microarray and RNA sequencing data demonstrate the statistical performance of the method.

Availability

A cross-platform open source implementation within the R package sanssouci is available at https://pneuvial.github.io/sanssouci/.
Numerical study of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in dry microburst environment using large eddy simulation (LES) model
Authors: V. Somashekar , A. Immanuel Selwynraj
Published: March 2022

Purpose

In a microburst wind, the profiles and characteristics are significantly different from those of normal boundary layer winds. The objective of this work is to study the microburst effect on the performance of aircraft for providing guidelines to frame escape strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

Large eddy simulation model is used to study the effect of microburst by simulating the actual physical process of microburst-generated downdraft environment over the unmanned aerial vehicle. In this work, an attempt has been made to simulate the dry microburst (microburst not accompanied by rain) numerically using the impinging jet model to explore the effect of microburst at 12° angle of attack for flight take-off condition with a Mach number 0.04.

Findings

The numerical results revealed the aerodynamic performance loss of an aircraft in the microburst-generated downdraft during take-off condition quantitatively. This could be a more valuable information to the aviation industry. The authors believe that the results shown in this paper will be useful for the designers of aircraft. This will also help train the pilots to control the airplanes in a microburst environment.

Practical implications

Severe thunderstorms are significant weather phenomena that have a significant impact on various facets of national activity, including civil and defence operations, specifically aviation, space vehicle launch and agriculture, in addition to their potential to cause damage to life and property.

Originality/value

The maximum percentage of pressure increases on the upper surface of the aircraft between 2 and 7 s is 99.86% under the microburst-generated downdraft condition. The flight escape maneuver could be initiated, before increasing the pressure on the upper surface of the aircraft. The aircraft flies with high airspeed through the microburst environment, where the microburst-generated downdraft is most severe.
The effect of opportunism on the success of international development (ID) projects in a context dominated by a collectivist culture
Authors: Kaboré Somnoma Edouard , Sané Seydou
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The effects of opportunism have been examined before, but not in specific contexts dominated by a collectivist culture. Thus, this research aims to examine the influence of opportunism on the success of International Development (ID) projects by incorporating a moderating factor – the collectivist dimension of national culture.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on a primary database collected by questionnaire from 76 ID project coordinators in Burkina Faso (West Africa). The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Method (PLS-SEM) was used to test our hypotheses.

Findings

Our results show that opportunism has a direct negative impact on the success of ID projects. Similarly, the collectivist cultural context is to be considered as an independent variable and not a moderating factor. Indeed, the collectivist cultural context has an important positive influence on the project success. Our results call for the implementation of governance mechanisms (especially relational) to prevent opportunistic behaviour.

Originality/value

Until now, the study of the role of culture in the relationship between opportunism and project success has been neglected. Syntheses of the scientific literature on this topic do not mention any studies that have explored the moderating role of collectivist culture on the relationship between opportunism and project success. This is, to our knowledge, the first study conducted in Africa to examine these relationships in the context of ID projects.
Corporate social responsibility and earnings quality in family firms
Authors: Brahem Emna , Depoers Florence , Lakhal Faten
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility and earnings quality, specifically in family firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a sample of French-listed firms from the period 2005 to 2016, the authors use the instrumental variable approach based on a two-stage least-squares (2SLS) estimator.

Findings

The results show that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) performance is positively associated with the relevance and faithful representation of earnings. This means that companies that commit to CSR activities are more likely to provide high earnings quality. The results also show that the positive association between CSR performance and earnings quality is more prevalent in family firms suggesting that socially responsible family firms are willing to preserve their socio-emotional wealth by disclosing high quality earnings.

Research limitations/implications

The results suggest that French firms commit to CSR to satisfy the interests of their stakeholders by disclosing high-quality information supporting the conflict resolution view of CSR. The findings also support the socio-emotional wealth perspective and suggest that family firms that engage in CSR activities provide a rich informational environment through high earnings quality.

Practical implications

This study’s findings can be thus useful to investors for their portfolio management decisions by enabling them to identify the profile of companies with high earnings quality. These results may also help standard-setters and capital-market regulators improve market transparency by introducing new requirements to encourage investing in CSR.

Originality/value

This study extends the research on the relationship between CSR and earnings quality by focusing on two fundamental characteristics including relevance and faithful representation. This paper focuses on the effect of CSR on earnings quality in the specific context of family firms. This study offers then a better understanding of whether socially responsible family firms communicate stronger or weaker earnings quality than non-family firms based on the agency and socio-emotional wealth perspectives.
Quality of work-life: scale construction and validation
Authors: Zaman Sumbul , Ansari Amirul Hasan
Published: March 2022

Purpose

There is a compelling need for developing constructs in management science rather than adapting the constructs that have been developed in other domains. Having emerged in the 1950s, quality of work-life (QWL) measures have proved to be ineffective due to the lack of conceptual clarity and theoretical support. The article analyses the QWL measures highlights their coherence and verifies them for being used in specific contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

The study includes three stages to develop a QWL Measurement Scale. Fourteen questions were developed based on QWL concepts. They were validated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) which split the dimensions into five factors. A survey was conducted on 375 medical residents. Finally, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), convergence and validity were tested along the five dimensions.

Findings

Results extend the QWL concept and provide theoretical support for the same. Five dimensions were developed to measure QWL namely: pay and benefits, supervision, intra-group relations, working conditions and training.

Practical implications

The study may offer an overview of evaluation strategies to researchers and organizations that aim to improve employee QWL while they enhance its effectiveness through reliable instruments.

Originality/value

The scale developed in this study contributes to the body of QWL literature in the healthcare arena. It may be beneficial to carry out further research in this domain.
Linking climate change vulnerability research and evidence on conservation action effectiveness to safeguard European seabird populations
Authors: Hakkinen Henry , Petrovan Silviu O. , Sutherland William J. , Dias Maria P. , Ameca Eric I. , Oppel Steffen , Ramírez Iván , Lawson Becki , Lehikoinen Aleksi , Bowgen Katharine M. , Taylor Nigel G. , Pettorelli Nathalie
Published: March 2022

An increasing number of species are facing unprecedented levels of threat to their long‐term survival due to the direct and indirect impacts of climate change. Key opportunities for science to inform wildlife management are linked to increasing our understanding of how changes in climatic conditions will impact species, as well as whether, and how, managers may facilitate species' ability to adapt to change. However, information on species' climate change vulnerability and the effectiveness of potential conservation actions are not yet strategically collected or collated; this disconnect between threat level, ecological research and conservation practice is reducing the opportunities to guide decision‐making, ultimately hindering conservation outcomes.

To demonstrate this point, we explore how existing knowledge can be brought together in a pressure‐state‐response framework that connects climate change ecology, conservation evidence assessments and management. Seabirds in Western Europe are used as a case study, as they are well‐researched and vulnerable to climate change. Using a combination of literature reviews and surveys, we identify the main threats posed to seabirds in the region by climate change, as well as existing conservation actions that could be applied to lessen the impacts of each of these threats.

Our results show that 29% of the types of actions considered for reducing the impacts of climate change on seabirds are either associated with conflicting evidence or lack sufficient information to make robust conclusions about their effectiveness: actions aiming at restoring or creating habitat, encouraging relocation, treating or preventing disease, and reducing inter‐species competition all have limited or mixed evidence to support their use. Moreover, several threats identified by conservation practitioners as being of high priority to address, such as changes in prey abundance and eutrophication, have few or no viable identified actions to reduce their impact on seabirds.

Synthesis and applications. We suggest that existing knowledge on species vulnerability to climate change and evidence of conservation action effectiveness should be more commonly brought together in tailored pressure‐state‐response frameworks. Such an approach provides an easily transferable platform for identifying missing information and areas where connections between research and management need to be tightened to improve conservation outcomes.
Plant chemical diversity and its frequency have distinct but complementary effects on insect foraging
Authors: Hauri Kayleigh C. , Glassmire Andrea E. , Randall Brendan , Zehr Luke N. , Wetzel William C.
Published: March 2022

Variability in plant traits such as nutrients and defences can challenge insect herbivores searching for a host plant. Cultivar mixtures are designed to harness this variability to reduce herbivore damage in agroecosystems but have had mixed success.

We examine how the spatial frequency of plant trait variability—a fundamental but rarely examined feature of variability—influences insect foraging and survival. We released a generalist herbivore into monocultures of two chemically distinct tomato varieties or dicultures of the two varieties with two spatial frequencies of chemical diversity and tracked herbivore movement and feeding damage.

We found the pattern of herbivore feeding damage was more spatially concentrated in both diculture treatments than in either monoculture, indicating that the presence of chemical diversity, regardless of its spatial frequency, influences herbivore foraging.

In contrast, total amount of feeding damage was reduced by 25% in dicultures where genotypes were grouped compared to monocultures or dicultures with alternating genotypes, which had similar levels of damage.

Similarly, herbivore survival in the low‐frequency diculture was nearly half the survival in the high‐frequency diculture or monocultures.

Synthesis and applications. Whereas previous work investigates how the amount of chemical diversity in a plant population influences insect ecology, our results indicate that local spatial distribution of diversity is equally important. A key implication of this work is the potential to design cultivar mixtures spatially, at the movement scale of target organisms, to create more effective pest management landscapes and promote sustainable agriculture.
Reflecting Team Practices outside the therapy room: A thematic analysis of a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) away‐day process with a team undergoing change
Authors: Coles Sarah Jane , Reed‐Purvis Shona
Published: March 2022

This paper evaluates whether Reflecting Team Practices (RTP) are a helpful tool to a team (i) undergoing change and (ii) to facilitate staff being heard across the hierarchy. We hypothesised that RTP would enable staff to speak and be listened to, in relation to their experiences of organisational restructuring. We offered three team away‐day and follow‐up processes. Due to the paucity of systematic research in this area, we designed a qualitative process, utilising individual interviews with four team members aged 30–59 years. Interview data were analysed using thematic analysis. Thematic analysis yielded seven themes, which enabled understanding of our team’s experiences of separating talking and listening. It has also led to wider changes in our teams functioning and our communication with other parts of the organisation in which we work. The results are very limited due to the small sample size, but further research in this area is warranted.
(Extra)ordinary News: Foreign Reporting on English Politics under William III
Authors: Schaich Michael
Published: March 2022

During the late 17th and early 18th centuries a number of German governments received regular updates on English politics from London‐based intelligencers. This article examines and compares two sets of these reports from the year 1694, composed by Guillaume Beyrie and Frédéric Bonnet for the Guelph courts in Celle and Hanover and the Prussian court in Berlin respectively. It describes the distinctive character of the reports and situates them within a typology of scribal news ranging from commercial newsletters to the classic diplomatic despatch. In addition, it analyses the detailed political coverage of the accounts which was centred mainly on the royal court and parliament and uncovers some of the sources from which the information originated.
‘Sir Madam’: Female Consumers of Parliamentary News in Manuscript Newsletters
Authors: King Rachael Scarborough
Published: March 2022

This article examines the manuscript newsletters received by two women in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Anne Pole and Susannah Newey. Although women have often been excluded from discussion of manuscript news circulation, these women's newsletters, especially the parliamentary news they contained, reveal important information about the turn of the 18th‐century news industry. Both women received and shared parliamentary news provided by paid news writers in London. Their roles as recipients and circulators of manuscript newsletters elucidate how the news industry was developing and professionalising at a moment that also saw the takeoff of the printed newspaper.
Inscripting Rebellion: The Newdigate Manuscript Newsletters, Printed Newspapers and the Cultural Memory of the 1715 Rising*
Authors: Davis Leith
Published: March 2022

In this essay, I bring a literary critic's perspective to the study of the continued use of manuscript newsletters in the 18th century. I suggest that by comparing and contrasting the treatment of political news in official manuscript newsletters and printed newspapers during a specific and limited time period in the early 18th century, the beginning of what became known as the 1715 Jacobite Rising, we can see in relief the different affordances of each medium, gain further information about what role scribal news played in conveying political information and understand why it eventually lost traction. Analysing the news coverage in the Newdigate manuscript newsletters and in five newspapers ranging across the political spectrum, I suggest that the 1715 Rising in fact presented an opportunity for newspapers to compete with manuscript newsletters’ established authority as they conveyed news that was occurring in the locations of conflict in a more timely and thorough manner. At the same time, the affordances of the newspaper form also amplified the impression of the 1715 Rising as a disjointed and uncontrollable series of events. The essay concludes by examining the information management that took place in the printed histories produced in the aftermath of the conflict as they wove the newspaper reports together into narratives that minimised the danger that the events of 1715 had actually posed.
Isolation and characterization of the anthocyanins derived from red radishes (Raphanus sativus L.) and the protective ability of β‐lactoglobulin against heat‐induced oxidation
Authors: Li Wenfeng , Gong Pengling , Xu Mengyi , Li Deyang , Sun Jiatong , Zhou Dayong , Zhu Beiwei
Published: March 2022

This study employed the “two‐step dialysis” method and AB‐8 or D101 macroporous resin chromatography to isolate the anthocyanins in red radishes (ARR). The red radish juice was dialyzed twice at 3000 and 500 Da, respectively. UHPLC‐QqQ‐MS/MS revealed 24 types of ARRs, of which pelargonidin (Pg)‐3‐diglucoside‐5‐(malonyl)glucoside (P3D5MG), Pg‐3‐diglucoside‐5‐glucoside (P3D5G), Pg‐3‐(feruloyl)diglucoside‐5‐(malonyl)glucoside (P3FD5MG), Pg, and malvidin (Mv) represented the main compounds. The total anthocyanin content in the ARR prepared via the “two‐step dialysis” method was 29.69% and 18.44% higher than that obtained using AB‐8 and D101 macroporous resins, respectively. The ARRs inhibited heat‐induced β‐lactoglobulin (β‐Lg) oxidation. The amino acid residue microenvironment and secondary β‐Lg structure were modified via ARR binding. The energy involved in P3D5MG and β‐Lg binding was −392 kJ/mol, which was significantly lower than that during the binding process of P3D5M, P3FD5MG, Pg, and Mv to β‐Lg (−338 to −168 kJ/mol). These results indicated that “two‐step dialysis” was a promising method for deriving natural pigment with strong antioxidant activity from red radishes.

Practical Application

As a natural food colorant, anthocyanins have attracted increasing attention in the food industry in recent years. This study used “two‐step dialysis” to effectively separate ARRs. Moreover, the anthocyanins in ARR can bind to β‐Lg to protect against heating‐induced oxidation. Therefore, ARRs may not only act as a food pigment but also as antioxidants.
Application of three‐dimensional reconstruction of left upper lung lobes in anatomical segmental resection
Authors: Fan Kun , Feng Jinteng , Li Yixing , Liu Bohao , Tao Runyi , Wang Zhiyu , Zhao Heng , Zhang Yanpeng , Wang Jiansheng , Zhang Guangjian
Published: March 2022

Background

The lobar and segmental anatomy are the basis for anatomical pulmonary segmentectomy.

Methods

From October 2017 to June 2021, 136 patients with small pulmonary nodules scheduled for anatomical pulmonary segmentectomy at our institution underwent three‐dimensional (3D) lung reconstruction. The anatomy of the left upper lobe (LUL) was statistically analyzed and graphically mapped using the reconstructed models, and the role of this reconstruction method in performing pulmonary segmentectomy was explored.

Results

Through the analysis of the reconstructed models, the upper stem (S1 + 2 + 3) bronchus was classified as having two (94/136 cases) or three branches (42/136 cases). The upper stem artery had two branches in 24/136 patients, three in 60/136 cases, four in 44/136 cases, and five in 8/136 cases. A total of 103/136 upper stem veins had two branches, 26/136 had three branches, and 7/136 had four branches. The lingual stem (S4 + 5) bronchus was two‐branched in 116/136 cases and three‐branched in 20/136 cases, while the lingual artery was single‐branched in 61/136 cases, two‐branched in 70/136 cases, and three‐branched in rare cases (5/136 cases). The lingual stem vein was unbranched in 119/136 cases and two‐branched in 17/136 cases. Additionally, six unusual variants (<5%) were identified: one in the bronchus, with four cases; three in the pulmonary artery, with six cases; and two in the pulmonary vein, with two cases.

Conclusions

3D reconstruction can yield results similar to specimens for lung segment studies. The reconstruction strategy and the data presented in this article will be valuable references for thoracic surgeons performing anatomic resections.
Isolated left ventricular assist device implantation produces variable changes to patient body mass index
Authors: Chandratre Sonal R. , Smith Nathan J. , Walsh Richard W. , Kindel Tammy L. , Sundararajan Sakthi K. , Joyce David L. , Mohammed Asim
Published: March 2022

Background

Body mass index (BMI) is an important consideration for transplant‐eligible left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients. LVAD therapy’s impact on BMI is unclear. We evaluated BMI changes in patients who underwent LVAD implantation. The association between these patients’ BMI and the transplant was studied.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent LVAD implantation between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2018 at our institution. Patients were stratified by preoperative BMI (kg/m2) into four groups: <30, 30–34.9, 34.9–39.9, and ≥40. BMI data were collected at 12 and 6 months prior to implantation, time of implantation, and 3‐ and 6‐ months postimplantation.

Results

A total of 107 patients underwent LVAD implantation at our institution. Data were available for 80 patients. Baseline characteristics included a mean age of 56.0 years, 69% male, and a mean implant BMI of 29.9 ± 6.8 kg/m2. The mean BMI (kg/m2) for each of the BMI (kg/m2) groups <30, 30–34.9, 35–39.9, and ≥40 (n = 60, 25, 12, and 10, respectively) was 25.1, 32.5, 36.8, and 43.8, respectively. There was no consistent pattern with weight change across differing implant BMIs. No patient with a BMI of <30 gained sufficient weight to impact transplant candidacy. Twenty‐three percent of patients with a BMI of 30–34.9 kg/m2, 60% of patients with a BMI of 35–39.9 kg/m2, and 87.5% of patients with a BMI of ≥40 kg/m2 had a 6‐month BMI potentially affecting transplant.

Conclusions

Associated weight changes during LVAD support may significantly impact transplant candidacy. Higher BMI groups may benefit from multimodal and multidisciplinary targeted weight‐loss interventions.
Local healthcare professionals need to work together to implement bronchiolitis guidelines that stop unnecessary tests and treatments
Authors: Korppi Matti
Published: March 2022

Aim

This mini review summarised studies published over a 10‐year period on the impact of guidelines for diagnosing and managing bronchiolitis in children, with a special focus on interventions that enhanced adherence during implementation.

Methods

PubMed was searched from 1 December 2011 to 31 November 2021 for papers published in English that used the terms bronchiolitis, child or infant, guidelines and either implementation or impact. After the exclusion criteria had been applied, 27 articles were reviewed in more detail. Eight described protocols without any comparisons and were excluded. Ten of the 19 remaining studies evaluated the impact of bronchiolitis guidelines, and 9 examined the effects of interventions linked to their publication.

Results

Just releasing evidence‐based guidelines had a poor impact, but this improved when local tailored current care, clinical practice or best‐practice guidelines were issued. Even better results were achieved when all the staff treating bronchiolitis patients participated in the preparation and implementation of local guidelines. Adherence to the guidelines was as high as 85% when multidisciplinary, and multifaceted interventions were used to complement the publication of guidelines.

Conclusion

Healthcare professionals need to work together to avoid children receiving bronchiolitis management that is unnecessary and not based on evidence.
“Biosimilar, so it looks alike, but what does it mean?” A qualitative study of Danish patients' perceptions of biosimilars
Authors: Varma Meera , Almarsdóttir Anna Birna , Druedahl Louise C.
Published: March 2022

Biosimilars are highly similar follow‐on products for biologics that can foster biologics competition. Questionnaire studies have attempted to gauge the patient perspective on biosimilars, but none have delved deeper into how patients view biologics and switching of these. Considering Denmark has one of the highest biosimilar uptakes worldwide, the aim of this study was to investigate how Danish patients with psoriasis, arthritic diseases or inflammatory bowel disease perceive biosimilars. Twelve participants were semi‐structurally interviewed in either a focus group or an internet‐based, individual interview between May 2019 and July 2019. Content analysis was inductively applied. Participants on originators voiced more reluctance towards using biosimilars than those already using them. Both participants using originator and biosimilar products expressed concerns about reoccurrence of disease symptoms due to differences in effectiveness and safety. Participants generally struggled with understanding biosimilarity, and they voiced a need to be well‐informed about switching. They were all aware of and accepted how healthcare budget restrictions played a role in the push to use biosimilars. To improve biosimilar uptake and willingness to switch to a biosimilar, patient‐centred information on efficacy and safety and explanation of the societal benefits of the savings from using biosimilars must be carefully communicated.
British Society for Haematology guidelines for the laboratory diagnosis of malaria
Authors: Rogers Claire L. , Bain Barbara J. , Garg Mamta , Fernandes Savio , Mooney Ciaran , Chiodini Peter L. ,   British Society for Haematology
Published: March 2022

The laboratory diagnosis of malaria depends on skilled examination of well‐stained thick and thin blood films. Rapid diagnostic tests are a useful supplement and the use of nucleic acid‐based testing in diagnostic laboratories should also be considered. These British Society for Haematology guidelines update the 2003 guidelines for malaria diagnosis. Training, quality control, incidental diagnosis, differential diagnosis and reference laboratory referral are considered.
Horizontal mergers, cost savings, and network effects
Authors: Cosnita‐Langlais Andreea , Rasch Alexander
Published: March 2022

We consider a horizontally differentiated oligopoly and investigate the relationship between merger cost savings and network effects for the incentives of firms to merge and for the postmerger welfare outcomes. We show that it is more profitable to be an insider rather than an outsider of the merger, unless both cost savings and network effects are too low. Mergers can improve customer and total welfare provided both cost savings and network effects are high enough. We find that the possibility for network effects to lead to a Pareto improvement through merger is shown to depend on the number of outside firms.
Vascular endothelial growth factor‐C modulates cortical NMDA receptor activity in cortical lesions of young patients and rat model with focal cortical dysplasia
Authors: Shen Kai‐Feng , Duan Qing‐Tian , Duan Wei , Xu Sen‐Lin , An Ning , Ke Yan‐Yan , Wang Li‐Ting , Liu Shi‐Yong , Yang Hui , Zhang Chun‐Qing
Published: March 2022

Emergence of dysmorphic neurons is the primary pathology in focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) associated pediatric intractable epilepsy; however, the etiologies related to the development and function of dysmorphic neurons are not fully understood. Our previous studies revealed that the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor‐C (VEGF‐C) and corresponding receptors VEGFR‐2, VEGFR‐3 was increased in the epileptic lesions of patients with tuberous sclerosis complex or mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Here, we showed that the expression of VEGF‐C, VEGFR‐2, and VEGFR‐3 was increased at both mRNA and protein levels in patients with cortical lesions of type I, IIa, and IIb FCD. The immunoreactivity of VEGF‐C, VEGFR‐2 and VEGFR‐3 was located in the micro‐columnar neurons in FCD type I lesions, dysplastic neurons (DNs) in FCD type IIa lesions, balloon cells (BCs) and astrocytes in FCD type IIb lesions. Additionally, the amplitude of evoked‐EPSCs (eEPSC) mediated by NMDA receptor, the ratio of NMDA receptor‐ and AMPA receptor‐mediated eEPSC were increased in the dysmorphic neurons of FCD rats established by prenatal X‐ray radiation. Furthermore, NMDA receptor mediated current in dysmorphic neurons was further potentiated by exogenous administration of VEGF‐C, however, could be antagonized by ki8751, the blocker of VEGFR‐2. These results suggest that VEGF‐C system participate in the pathogenesis of cortical lesions in patients with FCD in association with modulating NMDA receptor–mediated currents.
Qualitative evaluation of the pre‐implementation phase of a rural dental clinic co‐located within a health center in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
Authors: Cruz Stephanie , Kerr Darragh , Patiño Nguyen Daisy , Carlyle Adi , Chi Donald L.
Published: March 2022

Objective

The development of a dental clinic within an existing Rural Health Clinic (RHC) was proposed to improve access to dental care for Medicaid enrollees in Washington. This qualitative study assessed the implementation of a co‐located dental clinic in a rural community during the pre‐implementation phase. Additionally, we sought to determine the needs and expectations of community members living in this rural Washington county.

Methods

This study took place in Jefferson County, Washington, a Dental Health Professional Shortage Area. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 42 participants, consisting of administrators (n = 9), health providers (n = 9) and community members (n = 24). Administrators and health providers were interviewed by phone. Community members were interviewed in‐person at Jefferson Healthcare primary care clinics or by phone. Interview data were deductively coded, and thematic analysis with a hybrid inductive‐deductive approach was used to analyse coded data.

Results

Five themes were identified regarding local needs and expectations: dental care as a major need in the community, persisting barriers to dental care access, expecting more than a ‘Medicaid experience’, visions for a clinic that serves the community, and solutions outside the clinic to improve community oral health.

Conclusions

By improving access to dental care, a co‐located dental clinic is helping to address general dental care needs in rural communities. Policy‐level solutions that address housing and food insecurity, improve public transportation, and retain and expand low‐income adult Medicaid dental benefits may be needed to overcome persisting barriers to oral health.
Withdrawal of dopamine agonist treatment in patients with hyperprolactinaemia: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Andersen Ida B. , Sørensen Marie G. R. , Dogansen Sema C. , Cheol Ryong Ku , Vilar Lucio , Feldt‐Rasmussen Ulla , Krogh Jesper
Published: March 2022

Objective

To estimate the proportion of patients with persistent normoprolactinaemia following dopamine agonist (DA) withdrawal and to identify predictors of successful withdrawal in patients with hyperprolactinaemia.

Design, patients, and measurements

A systematic review of observational eligible studies were identified by searching PubMed and Embase. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with normoprolactinaemia after cessation of DA treatment. Secondary outcome included the proportion of patients with normoprolactinaemia after DA withdrawal using individual patient data. Risk of bias was assessed by using Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale. Pooled proportions were estimated using a random effects model in case I2 ≤ 75% or by reporting range of effects if I2 > 75%.

Results

Thirty‐two observational studies enroling 1563 patients were included. The proportion of patients with persistent normoprolactinaemia ranged from 0% to 75% (I2 = 84%). Heterogeneity was partly explained by age with more successful withdrawal in patients of higher age. Individual patient data analyses suggested that the proportion of patients with persistent normoprolactinaemia 6 months after DA withdrawal with a low maintenance dose and full regression of the prolactinoma was 87.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 60.7–97.1; I2 = 0%) and 58.4% (95% CI = 23.8–86.3; I2 = 75%) for microadenomas and macroadenomas, respectively.

Conclusions

The proportion of patients with persistent normoprolactinaemia following DA withdrawal treatment varied greatly, partly explained by the mean age of participants of the individual studies. Individual patient data analysis suggested that successful withdrawal was likely in patients with full regression of prolactinomas using a low maintenance dose before cessation.