bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association Between Dyadic Coping and Psychosocial Adjustment and the Mediation Effect of Fear of Disease Progression in Patients With Malignancy and Their Caregivers: Based on the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model
Authors: Ma Hualong , He Yongyue , Wu Weixin , Ye Qiuyun , Wu Qinyang , Hu Ke , Jiang Xiaohao , Tang Lu , Yang Qiaohong
Published: August 2024

Background

Psychosocial adjustment (PSA) in patients exhibits a positive correlation with dyadic coping (DC) and a negative correlation with fear of disease progression (FoP). However, few studies have explored how DC impacts PSA and whether FoP mediates this relationship.

Objective

To investigate the status of DC, FoP, and PSA in patients with malignancy and their caregivers and to explore the actor-partner and mediating effect of FoP on the association between PSA and DC.

Methods

This study employed a cross-sectional design with convenience sampling to select patients with malignancy and their caregivers from 2 hospitals in China. SPSS and AMOS were used for data analysis.

Results

The model showed the mediation effect accounts for 28.30% of the total effect. For the actor effects, patients’ and their caregivers’ DC influenced their PSA directly (bothβ= −.138,P <.05) or through their FoP (β =−.050 andβ= −.55, bothP <.05). As for partner effects, patients’ DC influenced the caregivers’ PSA directly or through the patients’ FoP (β= −.118 andβ= −.020, bothP <.05). Caregivers’ DC also influenced patients’ PSA directly (β= −.118,P <.05) or through the patients’ or caregivers’ FoP (β= −.098 andβ= −.018, bothP <.05).

Conclusions

The model revealed a significant mediating effect of FoP on the association between the PSA and DC of patients with malignancy and their caregivers.

Implications for practice

Nurses should adopt a comprehensive perspective that includes caregivers in holistic care to improve their PSA by improving their level of DC or mitigating FoP.
Foreseeably Early Deaths in Patients With Psychiatric Disorders
Authors: Yager Joel , Treem Jonathan , Strouse Thomas B.
Published: August 2024

Patients with psychiatric disorders often have foreshortened lives, attributed both to “natural” medical and “unnatural” external causes of death such as suicide, homicide, and accident. Many deaths are foreseeable due to circumstances linked to patients' psychiatric disorders. These can include illness-associated disparities, adverse treatment effects, lack of self-care, and behaviors stemming directly from psychopathological processes. Whereas some of these processes contribute indirectly to patients' causes of death, others are more directly consequential, causing patients to “die from” their psychiatric disorders. Some patients manifest likely fatal trajectories that may lead to “end-stage” psychiatric disorders. Palliative approaches may optimize their quality of life and potentially alter these trajectories, but patients with psychiatric disorders are less likely to receive optimal end-of-life care. Although assuring a “good death” can be challenging, systematic efforts can assist in providing patients with psychiatric disorders deaths with dignity rather than indignity.
The Role of Object Relations in the Physician-Patient Relationship in a Primary Care Setting
Authors: Porcerelli John H. , Richardson Laura A. , Huprich Steven K.
Published: August 2024

A good physician-patient relationship is essential for the delivery of quality health care and is associated with better health outcomes. This study explored the association between patients' object relations and the physician-patient relationship. Primary care patients (n = 72) and physicians (n = 21) participated in the study. Patients' early memories were obtained prior to their medical visit and were coded with the Social Cognition and Object Relations–Global Method (SCORS-G). Patients and physicians independently rated the quality of the physician-patient encounter. Results indicated that object relations (SCORS-G Cognitive-structural and Self factors) incrementally predicted physician-patient relationship ratings, as rated by the patient, above and beyond psychological distress, somatization, and level of physician training. Patient education, psychological distress, and level of physician training predicted physician ratings of the medical encounter. The authors discuss the discrepancy between physician and patient ratings as they relate to patients' object relations.
The Resurgence of Exogenous Psychosis
Authors: Ricci Valerio , Maina Giuseppe , Di Petta Gilberto , Martinotti Giovanni
Published: August 2024

The psychopathological manifestations associated with substance use, including induced psychotic experiences, are increasingly relevant but not well-understood within the medical community. Novel psychoactive substances and potentiated old compounds like cannabis and cocaine have emerged as a global concern, especially among adolescents and young adults. Transition rates from substance-induced psychosis (SIP) to persistent psychosis are significant, particularly in cases of cannabis-induced psychosis. Scientific inquiry into induced psychotic phenomena has revealed differences between SIP and primary psychotic disorders, highlighting the risk factors associated with each. The concept of exogenous psychosis, including its toxic variant known as lysergic psychoma, provides valuable insights into the role of external factors in psychosis development. A phenomenological approach characterizes this disruption in perception as a shift in temporal and spatial dimensions, leading to auditory and visual hallucinations. The “twilight state” of consciousness plays a crucial role in the transition from substance use to psychosis, with implications for spatiality, intersubjectivity, and temporality. This complex path to psychosis challenges traditional diagnostic models and underscores the need for a more nuanced understanding of substance-induced psychopathological experiences.
Compensation After Surgical Treatment for Hallux Valgus: A Review of 369 Claims to the Norwegian System of Patient Injury Compensation 2010–2020
Authors: Randsborg Per-Henrik , Aae Tommy Frøseth , Bukholm Ida Rashida Khan , Jakobsen Rune Bruhn
Published: August 2024

Purpose

The aim of the study is to identify the most common avoidable patient injuries related to hallux valgus surgery.

Methods

We assessed the claims reported to the Norwegian System of Patient Injury Compensation (NPE) following surgery for hallux valgus in light of hospital volume. Data from NPE was categorized according to age, sex, reason for claim, and reason for accepted/rejected claim. The institutions were grouped by catchment population into low volume (<150,000), middle volume (150,000–300,000), and high volume (>300,000) institutions. The effect of hospital volume on the likelihood of an accepted claim was estimated.

Results

NPE received 369 claims of which 173 (46.9%) were accepted. The main reason for accepted claims was recurrence of the deformity, wrong level osteotomy or insufficient fixation. A quarter of the claims were accepted because of lack of indication and one in 5 accepted claims was due to a postoperative infection. Patient treated at low-volume institutions had a higher fraction of accepted claims (P< 0.01). The odds ratio for an accepted claim in the low volume hospitals was 5.8 (95% confidence interval 4.1–8.3) compared with the middle- and high-volume institutions.

Conclusions

The likelihood of a treatment error that leads to compensation was higher in low-volume institutions.

Level of Evidence

Level II Prospective cohort study
A Feasibility Study of HoloLens Ear Image Guidance for Ear Reconstruction
Authors: Jiang Dongwen , Wang Shuang , Ma Chenhao , Yang Jinxiu , He Leren
Published: August 2024

Background

An ideal 3D cartilage framework and accurate anatomical location are the most important factors to carry out a satisfactory reconstruction of the ear. To streamline this process, we developed an augmented reality assistance system, HoloLens Ear Image Guidance, which is based on computed tomography (CT) data, tailor-made navigation kits to guide reconstruction, data processing software, and HoloLens hardware. The objective of this study is to verify its feasibility in a clinical setting.

Methods

This study first validated our system in healthy controls and then extrapolated data to test on patients with microtia. First, three healthy volunteers were recruited, and reconstructive navigation kits were made using 3D printing. CT data were collected for the head and neck and imported into the HoloLens Ear Image Guidance Application to generate a personalized 3D virtual ear image. Volunteers then wore the navigation kits while researchers observed them through the HoloLens to check accuracy, track delay, and view the ear image guide.

Ten patients with unilateral microtia were recruited and CT data were collected, and reconstructive navigation kits were made to assist with surgery. The procedure was monitored to record the surgeon's experience wearing the HoloLens, the patients' complications associated with wearing navigation kit, and to measure the symmetry between the reconstructed ear and the reference counterpart.

Results

In control patients, the deviation between the virtual image and the real ear was less than 2.4% (±0.22%); the tracking delay was less than 1.26 s (±0.09 s), the display effect was good, and surgeons did not report discomfort or dizziness while wearing the HoloLens. Volunteers did not report any pain from holding the navigation reference in their mouth during the test. Following validation, the HoloLens-assisted procedures were not associated with surgeon discomfort or dizziness. No complications were noted in patients including injury to the oral mucosa. Symmetry between the reconstructed ear and the contralateral ear was noted to be satisfactory in HoloLens-assisted surgery.

Conclusions

The HoloLens Ear Image Guidance initially met clinical demands in registration accuracy, tracking speed, and subjective user experience, which can be used as the basis for continual software improvements and clinical application.
Impact of Multi-Institutional Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Protocol Implementation on Elective Colorectal Surgery Outcomes
Authors: Antoniv Marta , Nikiforchin Andrei , Sell Naomi M , Bordeianou Liliana G , Francone Todd D , Ahmed Fraz , Rubin Marc S , Bleday Ronald
Published: August 2024

BACKGROUND:

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols aim to improve surgical patient outcomes, although their effectiveness may vary. This study assessed the impact of multi-institutional ERAS implementation on postoperative morbidity in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery.

STUDY DESIGN:

We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study using the American College of Surgeons NSQIP database from 2012 to 2020. We analyzed patient outcomes before (2012 to 2014) and after (2015 to 2020) ERAS implementation across 4 hospitals. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the impact of ERAS program on certain outcomes.

RESULTS:

A total of 8,930 cases were analyzed: 3,573 in the pre-ERAS and 5,357 in the ERAS cohort. The ERAS cohort demonstrated significant reductions in superficial surgical site infection (SSI; 7.5% vs 2.5%, p < 0.001), deep SSI (0.6% vs 0.2%, p = 0.016), urinary tract infection (3.3% vs 1.5%, p < 0.001), pulmonary embolism (0.7% vs 0.4%, p = 0.022), deep vein thrombosis (1.4% vs 0.9%, p = 0.020), sepsis (3.0% vs 2.1%, p = 0.006), and other complications. Median length of stay decreased from 5 to 4 days (p < 0.001), and 30-day readmission rate dropped from 11.3% to 9.8% (p = 0.022). Overall, ERAS implementation was associated with a 35% decrease in the odds of all 30-day complications (odds ratio 0.65, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.73). There was no effect on 30-day (p = 0.962) or overall mortality rates (p = 0.732).

CONCLUSIONS:

A standardized ERAS protocol, used across multiple institutions, significantly improves elective colorectal surgery outcomes, reducing complications, length of hospital stay, and readmissions. These findings support the broader implementation of ERAS to enhance patient care and reduce healthcarecosts.
Nicoliella lavandulae sp. nov., a novel fructophilic Nicoliella species isolated from flowers of Lavandula angustifolia
Authors: Alcántara Cristina , Peirotén Ángela , Ramón-Nuñez Luis A. , Landete José M. , Zúñiga Manuel , Monedero Vicente
Published: August 2024

A corrigendum of this article has been published full details can be found at

https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijsem.0.006538

A survey of fructophilic lactic acid bacteria associated with wild and cultivated plants in the metropolitan area of Valencia (Spain) led to the isolation of a novel strain of the genus Nicoliella, named Es01T, from flowers of Lavandula angustifolia. The genus Nicoliella encompasses a single species, Nicoliella spurrieriana. Partial 16S rRNA coding gene sequencing revealed a similarity of 98.8% to N. spurrieriana SGEP1_A5T. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) calculations revealed an ANI value of 80.49% with strain SGEP1_A5T, the only N. spurrieriana strain with an available genomic sequence. A digital DNA–DNA hybridization value of 20% was estimated by the Type Strain Genome Server tool when Es01T was compared with strain SGEP1_A5T. On the basis of these results, strain Es01T represents a novel species, for which the name Nicoliella lavandulae sp. nov. is proposed with Es01T (=CECT 30999T=DSMZ 117325T=CCM 9394T) as type strain.
Kinetic modeling of ethylene biosynthesis and signaling pathways in ripening tomato fruit
Authors: Viet Nguyen Thao Minh , Tran Dinh Thi , Mata Clara I. , Van de Poel Bram , Nicolaï Bart M. , Hertog Maarten L. A. T. M.
Published: August 2024

Ethylene biosynthesis and signaling are pivotal pathways in various plant aging processes, including fruit ripening. Kinetic models can be used to better understand metabolic pathways, but modeling of the ethylene-related pathways is limited and the link between these pathways remains unsolved.

A transcriptomics-based kinetic model was developed, consisting of ordinary differential equations describing ethylene biosynthesis and signaling pathways in tomato during fruit development, ripening and post-harvest storage.

This model was calibrated against a large volume of transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolic data during on-vine ripening of tomato fruit grown in winter and summer. The model was validated using data on off-vine postharvest ripening. The ethylene biosynthesis pathway under different conditions appeared to be largely driven by gene expression levels.

The ethylene-regulation of fruit ripening of a heat tolerant tomato grown in different seasons is identical but with quantitative differences at the targeted omics levels. This is reflected by some of the same parameters with distinct values for summer and winter fruit. The current model is the first attempt to model the ethylene signaling pathway starting from gene expression, the various protein – protein interactions, including the link with ethylene production, internal ethylene levels and its receptors.
YOLO-Behaviour: A simple, flexible framework to automatically quantify animal behaviours from videos
Authors: Hang Chan Alex Hoi , Putra Prasetia , Schupp Harald , Köchling Johanna , Straßheim Jana , Renner Britta , Schroeder Julia , Pearse William D. , Nakagawa Shinichi , Burke Terry , Griesser Michael , Meltzer Andrea , Lubrano Saverio , Kano Fumihiro
Published: August 2024

Manually coding behaviours from videos is essential to study animal behaviour but it is labour-intensive and susceptible to inter-rater bias and reliability issues. Recent developments of computer vision tools enable the automatic quantification of behaviours, supplementing or even replacing manual annotations. However, widespread adoption of these methods is still limited, due to the lack of annotated training datasets and domain-specific knowledge required to optimize these models for animal research. Here, we present YOLO-Behaviour, a flexible framework for identifying visually distinct behaviours from video recordings. The framework is robust, easy to implement, and requires minimal manual annotations as training data. We demonstrate the flexibility of the framework with case studies for event-wise detection in house sparrow nestling provisioning, Siberian jay feeding, human eating behaviours, and frame-wise detections of various behaviours in pigeons, zebras, and giraffes. Our results show that the framework reliably detects behaviours accurately, and retrieve comparable accuracy metrics to manual annotation. However, metrics extracted for event-wise detection were less correlated with manual annotation, and potential reasons for the discrepancy between manual annotation and automatic detection are discussed. To mitigate this problem, the framework can be used as a hybrid approach of first detecting events using the pipeline and then manually confirming the detections, saving annotation time. We provide detailed documentation and guidelines on how to implement the YOLO-Behaviour framework, for researchers to readily train and deploy new models on their own study systems. We anticipate the framework can be another step towards lowering the barrier of entry for applying computer vision methods in animal behaviour.
Neural tracking of auditory statistical regularities is reduced in adults with dyslexia
Authors: Ringer Hanna , Sammler Daniela , Daikoku Tatsuya
Published: August 2024

Listeners implicitly use statistical regularities to segment continuous sound input into meaningful units, e.g., transitional probabilities between syllables to segment a speech stream into separate words. Implicit learning of such statistical regularities in a novel stimulus stream is reflected in a synchronisation of neural responses to the sequential stimulus structure. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that neural tracking of the statistical stimulus structure is reduced in individuals with dyslexia who have weaker reading and spelling skills, and possibly also weaker statistical learning abilities in general, compared to healthy controls. To this end, adults with and without dyslexia were presented with continuous streams of (non-speech) tones, which were arranged into triplets, such that transitional probabilities between single tones were high within triplets and low between triplets. We found that neural tracking of the triplet structure, i.e., phase coherence of EEG response at the triplet rate relative to the tone rate, was reduced in adults with dyslexia compared to the control group. Moreover, enhanced neural tracking of the statistical structure was associated with better spelling skills. These results suggest that individuals with dyslexia have a rather broad deficit in processing structure in sound instead of a merely phonological deficit.
Readaptation of mesenchymal stem cells to high stiffness and oxygen environments modulate the extracellular matrix
Authors: Caramelo Inês , Domingues Catarina , Mendes Vera M. , Anjo Sandra I. , Geraldo Margarida , Cardoso Carla M. P. , Grãos Mário , Manadas Bruno
Published: August 2024

The therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been explored over the past decades due to their ability to modulate the microenvironment through paracrine signaling. Consequently, the secretome of MCSs has emerged as a cell-free therapy rather than a cell therapy, offering the advantages of being readily commercialized as an off-the-shelf product without immunogenicity compatibility issues. As a result, strategies to manipulate and enhance the secretory profile of MSCs’ secretome are emerging. MSCs from the Wharton’s jelly niche are accommodated to the stiffness and oxygen level found at the umbilical cord (UC), which are 2 to 5kPa (Young’s modulus) and 2.4% to 3.8% O2, respectively. Howeverin vitroculture conditions (2-3 GPa and 18.5% O2) are largely different from the one observed in vivo. Here, we present a proteomic characterization of the secretome of MSCs primed (48h) or readapted (7-10 days) to soft (3kPa) (mechanomodulated) or low oxygen levels (5% O2) (physioxia). Maintaining MSCs on soft platforms for long periods increased the secretion of proteins associated with cell redox homeostasis, such as protein disulfide isomerases and mitochondrial proteins, while physioxia enhanced the secretion of immunomodulatory proteins. The high secretion of these proteins might confer a therapeutical advantage by favoring a regenerative environment at the injury site. Interestingly, lowering the stiffness or oxygen converged on the downregulation of several extracellular matrix proteins (ECM), particularly collagen fibrils, on primed and readapted cells. These results suggest that a massive reorganization of the extracellular space occurs upon culturing MSCs on conventional culture conditions, which may affect not only matrix stiffness but also several signaling pathways initiated at the cell membrane, such as PDGF signaling pathways (e.g., PI3K-AKT), consequently biasing stem cell fate. In conclusion, mimicking physiological culture conditionsin vitromodulates secretome composition, which may empower its therapeutical properties by enriching proteins that promote cell survival.

Graphical Abstract
Extracellular matrix stiffness determines the phenotypic behavior of dedifferentiated melanoma cells through a DDR1/2-dependent YAP mechanotransduction pathway
Authors: Lecacheur Margaux , Berestjuk Ilona , Carminati Alexandrine , Bouvet Océane , Diazzi Serena , Biber Pierric , Rovera Christopher , Irondelle Marie , Larbret Frédéric , Prod’homme Virginie , Girard Christophe A. , Deckert Marcel , Tartare-Deckert Sophie
Published: August 2024

Extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffening, resulting from increased collagen deposition and cross-linking, is a key biophysical factor of the tumor microenvironment. Cutaneous melanoma is a deadly metastatic cancer. Its aggressiveness stems from high intratumoral heterogeneity, resulting from the plasticity of melanoma cells, which transit from a melanocytic state to dedifferentiated therapy-resistant and invasive phenotypes, characterized by mesenchymal and/or neural crest stem cell-like features. Phenotypic plasticity is regulated by stroma-derived soluble factors, but the functional impact of ECM stiffening on melanoma cell phenotypes remains ill defined. Here, we found that melanoma cell subpopulations display difference in mechanical responsiveness. Compared to melanocytic cells, mesenchymal dedifferentiated cells showed increased proliferation, migration and resistance to MAP kinase-targeted therapy when seeded on stiff collagen. By contrast, a soft ECM impaired their proliferation and migration and sensitized them to targeted therapy. In addition, extracellular mechanical signals are required to sustain melanoma cell identity and dedifferentiation features. Further analyses indicated that the mechanosensitivity nature of dedifferentiated cells relies on the expression and activation of collagen receptors DDR1 and DDR2 that control actomyosin cytoskeleton reorganization and YAP mechanotransduction pathway. Inhibiting both DDR in dedifferentiated melanoma cells abrogated their mechano-induced behavior and drug-resistant phenotype, while forcing their expression in melanocytic cells induced mechanical responsiveness and a less differentiated phenotype. Our results reveal that phenotypic reprogramming endows dedifferentiated melanoma cells with increased sensitivity and addiction to ECM stiffness. We propose that mechano-addiction mediated by DDR collagen receptors may represent a novel vulnerability for aggressive dedifferentiated cancer cells that can be exploited for therapeutic benefits.
Antimycin A induces light hypersensitivity of photosystem II in the presence of QB-site binding herbicides
Authors: Imaizumi Ko , Takagi Daisuke , Ifuku Kentaro
Published: August 2024

Photosynthetic electron transport consists of linear electron flow and two cyclic electron flow (CEF) pathways around photosystem I (PSI). PGR5-dependent CEF-PSI is thought to be the major CEF-PSI pathway and an important regulator of photosynthetic electron transfer. Antimycin A (AA) is commonly recognized as an inhibitor of PGR5-dependent CEF-PSI in photosynthesis. Although previous findings imply that AA may also affect photosystem II (PSII), which does not participate in CEF-PSI, these “secondary effects” tend to be neglected, and AA is often used for inhibition of PGR5-dependent CEF-PSI as if it were a specific inhibitor. Here, we investigated the direct effects of AA on PSII using isolated spinach PSII membranes, and spinach andChlamydomonasthylakoid membranes. Measurements of QA−reoxidation kinetics showed that AA affects the acceptor side of PSII and inhibits electron transport within PSII. Furthermore, repetitiveFv/Fmmeasurements revealed that, in the presence of QB-site binding inhibitors, AA treatment results in severe photoinhibition even from a single-turnover flash. The direct effects of AA on PSII are non-negligible and caution is required when using AA as an inhibitor of PGR5-dependent CEF-PSI. Meanwhile, we found that the commercially available compound AA3, which is a component of the AA complex, inhibits PGR5-dependent CEF-PSI without having notable effects on PSII. Thus, we propose that AA3 should be used for the physiological study of the PGR5-dependent CEF-PSI.
A theory of rapid behavioral inferences under the pressure of time
Authors: Hermundstad Ann M. , Młynarski Wiktor F.
Published: August 2024

To survive, animals must be able quickly infer the state of their surroundings. For example, to successfully escape an approaching predator, prey must quickly estimate the direction of approach from incoming sensory stimuli. Such rapid inferences are particularly challenging because the animal has only a brief window of time to gather sensory stimuli, and yet the accuracy of inference is critical for survival. Due to evolutionary pressures, nervous systems have likely evolved effective computational strategies that enable accurate inferences under strong time limitations. Traditionally, the relationship between the speed and accuracy of inference has been described by the “speed-accuracy tradeoff” (SAT), which quantifies how the average performance of an ideal observer improves as the observer has more time to collect incoming stimuli. While this trial-averaged description can reasonably account for individual inferences made over long timescales, it does not capture individual inferences on short timescales, when trial-to-trial variability gives rise to diverse patterns of error dynamics. We show that an ideal observer can exploit this single-trial structure by adaptively tracking the dynamics of its belief about the state of the environment, which enables it make more rapid inferences and more reliably track its own error but also causes it to violate the SAT. We show that these features can be used to improve overall performance during rapid escape. The resulting behavior qualitatively reproduces features of escape behavior in the fruit flyDrosophila melanogaster, whose escapes have presumably been highly optimized by natural selection.
Assessing neuronal correlates of salience and their adaptability with naturalistic textures in macaque V1 and V2
Authors: Davila Aida , Kohn Adam
Published: August 2024

Salience is critical to vision. It allows stimuli that are different from their surroundings to ‘pop out’, drawing our attention. Perceptual salience is postulated to be encoded via a saliency map, based on differences in neuronal responsivity to simple image features at different spatial locations. Simple image features such as luminance, orientation and color are known to affect saliency and many of these features are encoded in primary visual cortex (V1), which several influential theories propose instantiate a saliency map. However, the degree to which more complex image features can determine salience, and whether there are neural correlates of salience which are computed outside of V1, remains unclear. Here we use displays of naturalistic textures to test for neural correlates of salience—termed pop-out responses—in V1 and area V2 of anesthetized macaque monkeys. Sensitivity to higher-order texture statistics arises in V2, so pop-out responses for these displays, if they exist, would be expected to be computed after V1. We presented displays in which a target texture, presented within the neuronal receptive field, was surrounded by distractors. Distractors could differ from the target texture in either higher-order texture statistics only, or in both lower- and higher-order statistics. We found little evidence for pop-out signals in either V1 or V2, for either display type. However, brief periods of adaptation could induce pop-out responses in V2. This suggests that adaptation might define which features of the environment are most salient, even if those features would otherwise not evoke pop-out responses.

Significance statement

We tested for neuronal correlates of salience—termed pop-out responses—using displays with multiple patches of naturalistic textures, whose higher-order statistics are encoded by neurons outside primary visual cortex. We found little evidence for pop-out responses in V1 or V2. However, brief periods of adaptation could induce pop-out responses in V2. Our results indicate that the computations that define bottom-up attention (i.e., salience) are malleable and continuously updated by our stimulus history.
Water volume, biological and PCR replicates influence the characterization of deep-sea pelagic fish communities
Authors: Peres Pedro A. , Bracken-Grissom Heather
Published: August 2024

The pelagic deep sea is challenging to investigate due to logistical constraints regarding access and collection of samples, however environmental DNA (eDNA) can potentially revolutionize our understanding of this ecosystem. Although recent advancements are being made regarding eDNA technology and autonomous underwater vehicles, no investigation has been performed to assess the impact of different experimental designs using gear found on many research vessels (i.e., CTD mounted with Niskin bottles). Here, we investigated the effects of sampled water volume, biological and PCR replicates in characterizing deep-sea pelagic biodiversity at the level of species and exact sequence variants (ESVs, representing intraspecific variation). Samples were collected at 450m depth at night in the northern Gulf of Mexico using Niskin bottles, and we targeted the fish community using the MiFish primer (12S rRNA). Our results show that 1L is insufficient to characterize deep-sea pelagic fish communities. The 5L and 10L treatments detected similar community structure (i.e., the combination of number of species and relative occurrence) and numbers of species per biological replicate, but the 10L treatment detected a higher total number of species, more ESVs, and a different community structure when considering ESVs. We found that five biological replicates can detect up to 80% of the species detected in this study in the water collected in both 5L and 10L treatments. PCR replicates also had an important role in species and ESV detection, which implies increasing PCR replicates if water volume is limited. We suggest that future studies collect at least 5L, 5 or more field replicates, and 5-10 PCR replicates to adequately investigate deep-sea pelagic biodiversity using eDNA, considering resource limitations. Our study provides guidance for future eDNA studies and a potential route to expand eDNA studies at a global scale.
Prewetting couples membrane and protein phase transitions to greatly enhance coexistence in models and cells
Authors: Bagheri Yousef , Rouches Mason , Machta Benjamin , Veatch Sarah L.
Published: August 2024

Both membranes and biopolymers can individually separate into coexisting liquid phases. Here we explore biopolymer prewetting at membranes, a phase transition that emerges when these two thermodynamic systems are coupled. In reconstitution, we couple short poly-L-Lysine and poly-L-Glutamic Acid polyelectrolytes to membranes of saturated lipids, unsaturated lipids, and cholesterol, and detect coexisting prewet and dry surface phases well outside of the region of coexistence for each individual system. Notability, polyelectrolyte prewetting is highly sensitive to membrane lipid composition, occurring at 10 fold lower polymer concentration in a membrane close to its phase transition compared to one without a phase transition. In cells, protein prewetting is achieved using an optogenetic tool that enables titration of condensing proteins and tethering to the plasma membrane inner leaflet. Here we show that protein prewetting occurs for conditions well outside those where proteins condense in the cytoplasm, and that the stability of prewet domains is sensitive to perturbations of plasma membrane composition and structure. Our work presents an example of how thermodynamic phase transitions can impact cellular structure outside their individual coexistence regions, suggesting new possible roles for phase-separation-prone systems in cell biology.
Microbial Weathering Analysis of Anshun Tunbao Artifacts
Authors: Abudureyimu Paierzhati , Luo Xiaoyan , Gui Chu , Liu Manchun , Su Xining , Lan Dingsong , Chen Zhi , Lon Jerome Rumdon , Luo Jianfei
Published: August 2024

Abstracts

Cultural heritages are the crystallization of human technology, culture and embody the efforts of many craftsmen in ancient times. Wooden cultural heritages are affected by their own materials, and are very susceptible to microbial invasion under suitable temperature and humidity conditions. This project mainly studies the microbial weathering of the core wood carving masks and wooden ancient stage in Anshun Tunpu cultural heritage, and uses scanning electron microscopy, high-throughput sequencing and traditional culture methods to analyze the characteristics of their microbial communities, and finds that the bacteria represented by Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus and Stenotrophomonas, and the fungi represented by Cladosporium, Alternaria and Aspergillus, are the core microorganisms shared by indoor and outdoor cultural heritage. The dominant genera such as Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, and Cladosporium showed lignocellulose deradation ability. By cultivating insect eggs extracted from sampled specimens and analyzing the correlation with surface microbiota, we verified the role of insect eggs as vectors in dispersing key microbial communities. We speculate that these insects are likely to be Anobiidae family. Furthermore, by comparing the microbial compositions under different climatic conditions, we validated the influence of temperature, humidity, vegetation diversity, and microbial intrinsic structures on microbial growth. Therefore, monitoring the surrounding environment is crucial in microbial weathering studies and cultural heritage preservation efforts. This study pioneered the investigation of microbial weathering aspects on unique heritage of the Tuenbao culture, emphasizing the importance of preserving distinctive ethnic cultures. Additionally, it presented a case study on the microbial weathering of wooden artifacts in karst landscape environments.
Understanding the roles of secondary shell hotspots in protein-protein complexes
Authors: Jayadevan Parvathy , Arangasamy Yazhini , Srinivasan Narayanaswamy , Sowdhamini Ramanathan
Published: August 2024

Hotspots are interfacial residues in protein-protein complexes that contribute significantly to complex stability. Methods for identifying interfacial residues in protein-protein complexes are based on two approaches, namely, (a) distance-based methods, which identify residues that form direct interactions with the partner protein and (b) Accessibility Surface Area (ASA)-based methods, which identify those residues which are solvent-exposed in the isolated form of the protein and become buried upon complex formation. In this study, we introduce the concept of secondary shell hotspots, which are hotspots uniquely identified by the distance-based approach, staying buried in both the bound and isolated forms of the protein and yet forming direct interactions with the partner protein. From the analysis of the dataset curated from Docking Benchmark 5.5, comprising of 94 protein-protein complexes, we find that secondary shell hotspots are more evolutionarily conserved and have distinct Chou-Fasman propensities and interaction patterns compared to other hotspots. Finally, we present detailed case studies to show that the interaction network formed by the secondary shell hotspots is crucial for complex stability and activity. Further, they act as potentially allosteric propagators and bridge interfacial and non-interfacial sites in the protein. Their mutations to any other amino acid types cause significant destabilization. Overall, this study sheds light on the uniqueness and importance of secondary shell hotspots in protein-protein complexes.
rpcFold: residual parallel convolutional neural network to decipher RNA folding from RNA sequence
Authors: Sharma Nandita , Mitra Pralay
Published: August 2024

The complex and versatile structures of the RNA molecules allow them to exhibit a wide range of functionalities in a cell. Precise secondary structure information offers deeper insights into the functionality of many RNA molecules. Earlier approaches primarily relying on the concept of free-energy minimization proved inadequate, as RNA often adopts complex folds that do not adhere strictly to free energy rules, especially with increasing length. Subsequently, learning-based models were introduced, but they struggled with handling cross-family data and tended to avoid longer sequences to mitigate computational overhead and the risk of overfitting or underfitting due to limited data availability. Here, we propose a residual parallel convolutional neural network-based RNA secondary structure prediction model, called rpcFold, which can effectively accommodate RNAs of varying lengths by integrating the sliding window method. Further, we consider all the 16 possible base pairs, including canonical and noncanonical pairs, and compute the base-pairing possibility score for each nucleotide in the sequence using a locally weighted Gaussian function. This helps to gain intricate base pairing information and better understand the long- and short-range interactions. We pass these input features as an image-like representation to our model rpcFold. The rpcFold outperforms the existing works and shows a significant improvement of 15% in the F1-score over the previous best score on the benchmark cross-family dataset. We observe a 7% and 5% enhancement in F1-score and accuracy respectively over the last best score, for within family dataset. Our precise prediction of RNA structures will help in revealing the roles of functional RNAs and advancing the development of biomedical applications based on RNA.
Camouflage in autism: a bibliometric perspective
Authors: Hernández Osvaldo , Durán Leila Regina , Fresno Andrés , Chamorro María Fernanda
Published: August 2024

Purpose

In response to the challenges posed by the social environment, numerous individuals with autism use coping strategies, engaging in a phenomenon known as “camouflaging” to mask their distinctive traits. Despite the growing attention directed toward this area of study, to date, there are no bibliometric studies delineating the evolution of this research theme. This study aims to analyze scientific research on camouflage and the autistic spectrum published in Web of Science (WoS).

Design/methodology/approach

Articles on camouflage and autism were retrieved from the WoS. The advanced search interface used was “Title, Abstract, Keywords (autistic OR asperger syndrome OR Autism OR ASD AND camouflage OR camouflaging AND Masking).” The analysis and visualization of the selected records and their data were carried out using MS Excel (v16.0) and Biblioshiny (v2.0, R package).

Findings

Following the selection process, a total of 70 articles were included. Notably, the UK emerged as the leading contributor in terms of the number of published articles. Prominent authors in this domain included William Mandy, Laura Hull and Meng-Chuan Lai, who exhibited the highest number of published articles and citations. The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders stood out as the most prolific journal. Predominant research themes encompassed camouflage (and its synonyms, masking or compensation), gender differences and mental health.

Originality/value

This study contributes to existing knowledge on this topic, as well as identifying new areas of research related to autism and camouflage. Moreover, it serves as a valuable resource for health-care professionals, including physicians and clinical psychologists, who may seek to augment their understanding and proficiency in the field.
Heuristics and biases in human–algorithm interaction and hotel revenue management override decision-making
Authors: Mohammed Ibrahim , Denizci Guillet Basak
Published: August 2024

Purpose

This study aims to provide insights into human–algorithm interaction in revenue management (RM) decision-making and to uncover the underlying heuristics and biases of overriding systems’ recommendations.

Design/methodology/approach

Following constructivist traditions, 20 in-depth interviews were conducted with revenue optimisers, analysts, managers and directors with vast experience in over 25 markets and working with different RM systems (RMSs) at the property and corporate levels. The hermeneutics approach was used to interpret and make meaning of the participants’ lived experiences and interactions with RMSs.

Findings

The findings explain the nature of the interaction between RM professionals and RMSs, the cognitive mechanism by which the system users judgementally adjust or override its recommendations and the heuristics and biases behind override decisions. Additionally, the findings reveal the individual decision-maker characteristics and organisational factors influencing human–algorithm interactions.

Research limitations/implications

Although the study focused on human–system interaction in hotel RM, it has larger implications for integrating human judgement into computerised systems for optimal decision-making.

Practical implications

The study findings expose human biases in working with RMSs and highlight the influencing factors that can be addressed to achieve effective human–algorithm interactions.

Originality/value

The study offers a holistic framework underpinned by the organisational role and expectation confirmation theories to explain the cognitive mechanisms of human–system interaction in managerial decision-making.
Critical issues of online learning management in higher educational institutions in a developing country context: examples from Ghana
Authors: Mahama Patrick Yin , Amankwah-Sarfo Fred , Gyedu Francis
Published: August 2024

Purpose

Online learning has come to stay in a technologically advancing world with increasing populations. The search for ways to make online learning more efficient and effective in some developing countries continues as the accompanying issues in developing country contexts abound. This paper explores the issues that underlie online learning management in a developing country context, focusing on the Moodle, Sakai and Zoom platforms used in some selected public universities in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The study relied on the qualitative approach to data collection and a descriptive design for analysis. Using the social constructivism theory, the paper discussed the critical issues students, and to a lesser extent, instructors encounter in their engagement on these platforms for academic learning.

Findings

The study found that the inefficient use of these platforms is due to several factors including the high cost of data, poor perception of the quality of online learning compared to traditional in-person contacts, poor attitude of students, low participation in online learning, lack of computers and poor internet connectivity among others.

Research limitations/implications

It is important to mention that this study was limited to some selected public universities in Ghana. Data could have been collected from a wider sample including other Ghanaian tertiary institutions or some other developing countries. The similarity of study outcomes in other developing countries, however, suggests that similar results would have been obtained in an international sample.

Practical implications

Despite the robustness of the Learning Management systems in place, the evidence suggests that their utilisation is far less than optimal. However, with relevant policies and the provision of needed technical support, training, provision of equipment like computers for use by both students and instructors and efficient internet connectivity, the LMS platforms could be more efficient for online learning.

Originality/value

The authors conducted this research using original data from interviews in the selected public universities in Ghana. The data was meant to inform the discussion on some of the critical issues that underlie online learning in a developing country context. Although the study relied on data from selected public universities in a single country, its outcomes reflect fundamental issues of online learning in a developing country context which find relevance in available study outcomes.
Achieving project performance goals in extreme resource-constrained environments: the role of bricolage in social enterprise projects
Authors: Jewer Jennifer , Pourasgari Pedram , Jugdev Kam
Published: August 2024

Purpose

Achieving project performance goals in extremely resource-constrained environments, such as those of social enterprises, is challenging. These organizations often employ bricolage – making the most of available resources – to navigate challenging landscapes. This study aims to understand how bricolage capabilities enhance or attenuate organizational project outcomes in resource-constrained social enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory survey was conducted to understand project management practices in Canadian social enterprises. Established scales were used to measure constructs with confirmatory factor analysis, and linear regression was employed to analyze relationships.

Findings

The study provides empirical evidence of the positive influence of bricolage on organizational project performance, with a crossover interaction observed for moderators – entrepreneurial leadership and project management capabilities. While project capabilities strengthen the positive impact of bricolage capabilities on project performance, entrepreneurial leadership has the opposite effect.

Practical implications

The insights from this study offer an initial roadmap for project managers for effective resource acquisition and utilization through bricolage, ultimately enhancing project management effectiveness in resource-constrained environments.

Originality/value

Despite the crucial role of bricolage capabilities in resource-constrained environments, the project management literature has largely neglected this concept. It is unclear how organizations use bricolage to manage projects. This lack of understanding challenges organizations, hindering their ability to apply bricolage consistently and thoughtfully in managing projects. Our study provides a deeper understanding of how bricolage facilitates project performance and enriches our understanding of it as an effective resource mobilization strategy within social enterprises.