bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of antiviral therapy for disease progression and non‐invasive liver fibrosis index in patients with chronic hepatitis C: Markov chain model analysis
Authors: Kaneko Shun , Kurosaki Masayuki , Kurisu Akemi , Akita Tomoyuki , Tanaka Junko , Kanto Tatsuya
Published: May 2022

Background/aim

Antiviral therapy advancements resulted in an era in which eradication of hepatitis C has become a goal, however, there are few reports on the long‐term course of liver disease progression with antiviral therapy. The aim of this study was to use the Markov model to analyze disease progression and non‐invasive liver fibrosis index in hepatitis C Patients.

Methods

Patients with chronic hepatitis C (n = 1432) were diagnosed between January 2012 and May 2021 in the Musashino Red Cross Hospital. Patients with other hepatitis virus co‐infection, chronic liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at the beginning of the study were excluded. A total of 618 patients with a 1‐year or longer observation period were studied. The liver disease state was defined as chronic hepatitis (CH), compensated liver cirrhosis (CLC), decompensated liver cirrhosis (DLC), and HCC.

Results

Cirrhosis and high FIB‐4 index (≥3.61) were 42 cases (6.8%) and 208 cases (33.6%), respectively at the start of the study. The 40 years estimated transition analysis of 40‐year‐old CH low FIB‐4 level (<3.61) revealed that the proportion of CH low/high, CLC low/high, DLC low/high, and HCC were 10.83%/10.86%, 0.35%/2.64%, 0%/3.21% 72.11% in untreated unit and 47.83%/9.21%, 6.69%/1.32%, 0.70%/0.99%, 33.27% in treated unit, respectively. Antiviral therapy suppressed liver fibrosis, disease progression, and HCC development significantly.

Conclusion

Markov model analysis of hepatitis C virus patients showed the impact of antiviral therapy on the suppression of disease progression in the order of CH, CLC, and DLC.
Clinician knowledge and attitudes of mental health advance statements in Victoria, Australia
Authors: James Russell , Maude Phil , Searby Adam
Published: May 2022

Embedded into Victoria's mental health legislation as part of the 2014 Mental Health Act suite of reforms, advance statements are designed to convey an individuals' preferences for treatment during times when the ability to communicate or make decisions may be impaired. This study investigated Victorian mental health clinicians' knowledge and attitudes of advance statements as well as their experience with training and implementation. We used an online Qualtrics survey of Victorian mental health clinicians (n = 190) to achieve this aim. Instrument validity was determined using the Content Validity Index (CVI) with field experts rating each item for relevance. A value of 80% or higher was sought and computed for each individual item on the scale, as well as for the overall scale. The Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was conducted to determine internal consistency reliability with a value of α = 0.721 for the survey, suggesting that the scale had acceptable internal consistency and reliability. Despite widespread support and positive attitudes towards advance statements existing among mental health clinician participants, the level of knowledge and perception of barriers continues to significantly affect the wide‐spread uptake of advance statements. The quality and extent of training in legal and clinical aspects of advance statement varied widely among the study participants, with the quality and benefits of the training affecting participant reported confidence level as well as their practical experience with advance statements. Three recommendations can be made: that advance statements are embed into routine mental health practice to identify individuals who have existing advance statements and support those who do not to prepare one; that regular co‐produced and facilitated training be provided to increase understanding, promotion, and overall use and uptake of advance statements; and finally, for local mental health service to develop a culture for positive engagement and promotion of autonomy through inclusive practices around decision‐making.
DC‐driven ultrafast transient liquid phase bonding of 3YSZ and GH3128 superalloy using Ni interlayer
Authors: Li Lin , Shen Ping
Published: May 2022

A direct current (DC)‐driven transient liquid phase bonding strategy was proposed for joining 3 mol% Y2O3‐stabilized ZrO2 (3YSZ) and GH3128 superalloy with a Ni interlayer. The DC application triggered the rapid formation and diffusion of metallic Zr in 3YSZ and chemical reactions at the 3YSZ/Ni interface. The formed Ni–Zr eutectic liquid well wetted 3YSZ and hence completely filled the bonding gap in seconds. Eutectic structures in the joints were eventually transformed into Ni–Zr intermetallic compounds or a Ni‐based solid solution. The remaining Ni interlayer effectively alleviated residual stress through plastic deformation during cooling stage, and thereby contributed substantially to the high joint strength. Under the joining conditions of a current density of 30 mA/mm2, an energization time of 30 s, and a joining temperature of 1100°C, the obtained joints exhibited a maximum shear strength of 188 ± 8 MPa. This paper proposes an economical and reliable method for the rapid preparation of YSZ/metal joints for high‐temperature applications.
ScoMorphoFISH: A deep learning enabled toolbox for single‐cell single‐mRNA quantification and correlative (ultra‐)morphometry
Authors: Siegerist Florian , Hay Eleonora , Dikou Juan Saydou , Pollheimer Marion , Büscher Anja , Oh Jun , Ribback Silvia , Zimmermann Uwe , Bräsen Jan Hinrich , Lenoir Olivia , Drenic Vedran , Eller Kathrin , Tharaux Pierre‐Louis , Endlich Nicole
Published: May 2022

Increasing the information depth of single kidney biopsies can improve diagnostic precision, personalized medicine and accelerate basic kidney research. Until now, information on mRNA abundance and morphologic analysis has been obtained from different samples, missing out on the spatial context and single‐cell correlation of findings. Herein, we present scoMorphoFISH, a modular toolbox to obtain spatial single‐cell single‐mRNA expression data from routinely generated kidney biopsies. Deep learning was used to virtually dissect tissue sections in tissue compartments and cell types to which single‐cell expression data were assigned. Furthermore, we show correlative and spatial single‐cell expression quantification with super‐resolved podocyte foot process morphometry. In contrast to bulk analysis methods, this approach will help to identify local transcription changes even in less frequent kidney cell types on a spatial single‐cell level with single‐mRNA resolution. Using this method, we demonstrate that ACE2 can be locally upregulated in podocytes upon injury. In a patient suffering from COVID‐19‐associated collapsing FSGS, ACE2 expression levels were correlated with intracellular SARS‐CoV‐2 abundance. As this method performs well with standard formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded samples and we provide pretrained deep learning networks embedded in a comprehensive image analysis workflow, this method can be applied immediately in a variety of settings.
N‐acetylcysteine improves diabetic associated erectile dysfunction in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic mice by inhibiting oxidative stress
Authors: Ma Zhen , Wang Wenzhen , Pan Chao , Fan Cuiqin , Li Ye , Wang Wenjing , Lan Tian , Gong Fangxin , Zhao Changbo , Zhao Zichao , Yu Shuyan , Yuan Mingzhen
Published: May 2022

Oxidative stress appears to play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus erectile dysfunction (DMED). This study aimed to investigate the effect of N‐acetylcysteine (NAC) on DMED in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic mice and to explore potential mechanisms. In the present study, we show that an erectile dysfunction is present in the streptozotocin‐induced mouse model of diabetes as indicated by decreases in intracavernous pressure responses to electro‐stimulation as well as from results of the apomorphine test of erectile function. After treatment of NAC, the intracavernous pressure was increased. In these DMED mice, oxidative stress and inflammatory responses were significantly reduced within the cavernous microenvironment, while activity of antioxidant enzymes in this cavernous tissue was enhanced after NAC treatment. These changes protected mitochondrial stress damage and a significant decreased in apoptosis within the cavernous tissue of DMED mice. This appears to involve activation of the nuclear factor erythroid 2‐like‐2 (Nrf2) signalling pathway, as well as suppression of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) p38/ NF‐κB pathway within cavernous tissue. In conclusion, NAC can improve erectile function through inhibiting oxidative stress via activating Nrf2 pathways and reducing apoptosis in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic mice. NAC might provide a promising therapeutic strategy for individuals with DMED.
The Commission's Approach to Rule of Law Backsliding: Managing Instead of Enforcing Democratic Values?
Authors: Priebus Sonja
Published: May 2022

In response to noncompliance with the EU's fundamental values such as democracy and the rule of law in Hungary and Poland, the EU Commission has established the Justice Scoreboard, the Rule of Law Framework and the Rule of Law Mechanism. Moreover, the Commission has proposed linking the disbursement of funds to respect for the rule of law (Rule of Law conditionality). However, the deployment of these measures has not restored compliance. Drawing on the two dominant approaches in compliance studies, the management approach and the enforcement approach, this paper argues that with the exception of Rule of Law conditionality, the Commission's tools are characterized by a mismatch between the causes of the problems identified and the solutions chosen. Instead of sanctioning voluntary noncompliance, they rely on soft measures, which are recommended in cases of involuntary noncompliance, but which are not suitable in cases of deliberate noncompliance.
Field margins and botanical insecticides enhance Lablab purpureus yield by reducing aphid pests and supporting natural enemies
Authors: Ochieng Lawrence O. , Ogendo Joshua O. , Bett Philip K. , Nyaanga Jane G. , Cheruiyot Erick K. , Mulwa Richard M. S. , Arnold Sarah E. J. , Belmain Steven R. , Stevenson Philip C.
Published: May 2022

Botanical insecticides offer an environmentally benign insect pest management option for field crops with reduced impacts on natural enemies of pests and pollinators while botanically rich field margins can augment their abundance. Here, we evaluated the non‐target effects on natural enemies and pest control efficacy on bean aphids in Lablab of three neem‐ and pyrethrum‐based botanical insecticides (Pyerin75EC®, Nimbecidine® and Pyeneem 20EC®) and determine the influence of florally rich field margin vegetation on the recovery of beneficial insects after treatment. The botanical insecticides were applied at the early and late vegetative growth stages. Data were collected on aphids (abundance, damage severity and percent incidence) and natural enemy (abundance) both at pre‐spraying and post‐spraying alongside Lablab bean yield. The efficacy of botanical insecticides was similar to a synthetic pesticide control and reduced aphid abundance by 88% compared with the untreated control. However, the number of natural enemies was 34% higher in botanical insecticide‐treated plots than in plots treated with synthetic insecticide indicating that plant‐based treatments were less harmful to beneficial insects. The presence of field margin vegetation increased further the number of parasitic wasps and tachinid flies by 16% and 20%, respectively. This indicated that non‐crop habitats can enhance recovery in beneficial insect populations and that botanical insecticides integrate effectively with conservation biological control strategies. Higher grain yields of 2.55–3.04 and 2.95–3.23 t/ha were recorded for both botanical insecticide and synthetic insecticide in the presence of florally enhanced field margins in consecutive cropping seasons. Overall, these data demonstrated that commercial botanical insecticides together with florally rich field margins offer an integrated, environmentally benign and sustainable alternative to synthetic insecticides for insect pest management and increased productivity of the orphan crop legume, Lablab.
Molecular data reallocates Sorosphaerula radicalis (Plasmodiophorida, Phytomyxea, Rhizaria) to the genus Hillenburgia
Authors: Hittorf Michaela , Kirchmair Martin , Garvetto Andrea , Neuhauser Sigrid
Published: May 2022

This study reports the first record of Sorosphaerula radicalis (Phytomyxea, Rhizaria) in continental Europe (Tirol, Austria) and provides first molecular data for this species. An 18S rRNA phylogeny placed S. radicalis into the Plasmodiophorida, although distant from other members of the genus Sorosphaerula and close to the parasite of water cress Hillenburgia nasturtii. To resolve this polyphyly, we compare morphological data and life cycles of Sorosphaerula veronicae (the type species of the genus Sorosphaerula), Hillenburgia nasturtii, and Sorosphaerula radicalis. We conclude that Sorosphaerula radicalis belongs to the recently established genus Hillenburgia.
Prevalence of co‐occurring serious illness diagnoses and association with health care utilization at the end of life
Authors: Nothelle Stephanie , Chamberlain Alanna M. , Jacobson Debra , Green Ariel R. , Boyd Cynthia M. , Rocca Walter A. , Fan Chun , St. Sauver Jennifer L.
Published: May 2022

Introduction

End‐of‐life care differs by serious illness diagnosis. Cancer and dementia are serious illnesses that have been associated with less intensive end‐of‐life health care use. It is not known how health care utilization varies in the presence of >1 serious illness.

Methods

We used the Rochester Epidemiology Project to identify persons living in a midwestern area who died on July 1, 2017–June 30, 2018 at age ≥65 years, and were seriously ill. We examined the number of emergency department (ED), hospital, and intensive care unit (ICU) stays in the last 6 months and the last 30 days of life. We used Poisson regression to determine the incidence rate ratio for ED, hospital, and ICU stay in the last 6 months and 30 days of life by number of serious illness diagnoses. For cancer and dementia, we examined the effect of an additional serious illness.

Results

We included a population of 1372 adults who were, on average, 84 years, 52% female, and 96% white. Approximately 41% had multiple serious illnesses. Compared to older adults with 1 serious illness diagnosis, rates of hospitalization, and ICU stay for adults with 2 or ≥3 serious illness diagnoses were at least 1.5 times higher in the last 6 months and the last 30 days of life. Rates of ED visits were significantly higher for older adults with 2 or ≥3 serious illness diagnoses in the last 6 months of life, but only higher for those with ≥3 versus 1 serious illness diagnosis in the last 30 days of life. For both cancer and dementia, rates of ED visits, hospitalization and ICU stay were lower for the condition alone than when an additional serious illness diagnosis was present.

Conclusion

Having multiple serious illnesses increases the risk of health care utilization at the end of life.
A terminology for downcycling
Authors: Helbig Christoph , Huether Jonas , Joachimsthaler Charlotte , Lehmann Christian , Raatz Simone , Thorenz Andrea , Faulstich Martin , Tuma Axel
Published: May 2022

The term downcycling is often used anecdotally to describe imperfections in recycling. However, it is rarely defined. Here, we identify six meanings of the term downcycling as used in scientific articles and reports. These encompass the material quality of reprocessed materials, target applications, product value, alloying element losses, material systems, and additional primary production. In a proposal for harmonized and more specific terminology, we define downcycling as the phenomenon of quality reduction of materials reprocessed from waste relative to their original quality. We further identify that the reduced quality can express itself thermodynamically, functionally, and economically, covering all perspectives on downcycling. Dilution, contamination, reduced demand for recycled materials, and design‐related issues can cause those downcycling effects. We anticipate that this more precise terminology can help quantify downcycling, keep materials in the loop longer, use materials more often and at higher quality, and therefore assist in reducing material‐related environmental impacts.
Comparison of submillisecond pulse (FRAC3) and long‐pulse 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser hair removal
Authors: Byalakere Shivanna Chandrashekhar , Shenoy Chaithra , Lalitha Sree , Jaju Priyanka , Zorman Anže
Published: May 2022

Background

Laser hair reduction gained popularity in the last decade and is presently the most frequently used long‐term hair removal method. It works on the principle of selective photothermolysis—the laser damages the hair follicle without damaging the skin. Shorter Nd:YAG pulses are also effective in hair reduction, while maintaining better comfort for the patient.

Aims

The aim of this study was to compare the short and long pulsed methods of Nd:YAG for facial hair removal on darker Fitzpatrick skin types (IV–V).

Patients/Methods

This prospective split face, evaluator‐blinded comparison of short‐pulse Nd:YAG laser versus long‐pulse Nd:YAG laser study included 10 untanned healthy women. There were two outcome measers, two blinded dermatologists compared baseline photographs with those taken 3 months after last session and FotoFinder was used to compare the terminal hair count reduction at the baseline and 3 months after 6th session.

Results

Both blinded assesors observed significant hair reduction with both lasers; excellent results were achieved in 20% with long pulse and in 55% with short pulse. Both treatment options showed reduction in number of terminal hair with statistical significance using FotoFinder. Comparison of the efficacy of the two pulse durations measured by percent reduction in the number of terminal hair 3 months after the last session showed no significant difference between the groups.

Conclusion

Hair reduction using 1064 nm Nd:YAG is a safe and effective method of hair reduction especially in darker skin types. We have shown that short pulses are better or at least equally safe and effective as the “gold standard” long pulses.
Straight OUTTA Detroit: Embracing Stigma as Part of the Entrepreneurial Narrative
Authors: Cowden Birton J. , Bendickson Joshua S. , Mathias Blake D. , Solomon Shelby J.
Published: May 2022

Through an inductive field study, we set out to better understand how and why ventures would embrace a non‐core stigma; this is perplexing given that a majority of stigma literature suggests that organizations tend to avoid/disidentify from stigmatized entities. To do so, we study organizational locational stigma, which we define as a label arising from an organization's geographic location that evokes a collective stakeholder group‐specific perception that an organization possesses a fundamental, deep‐seated flaw that deindividuates and discredits the organization. Our findings from Detroit, Michigan reveal that entrepreneurs embrace the locational stigma by taking part in Detroit's underdog narrative and comeback story. Entrepreneurs use the underdog narrative in hope of differentiating their ventures from those in other locations, while they leverage the comeback story to gain access to the resources and in‐group advantages. We thus advance the concept of locational stigma and show how it can benefit organizations.
Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt for portal hypertension: 30 years experience from China
Authors: Lv Yong , Fan Daiming , Han Guohong
Published: May 2022

Liver diseases are a major cause of illness and death worldwide. In China, liver diseases, primarily viral hepatitis, affect approximately 300 million people, thus having a major impact on the global burden of liver diseases. Portal hypertension is the most severe complication of chronic liver diseases, including ascites, hepatic encephalopathy and bleeding from gastroesophageal varices. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) represents a very effective treatment of these complications. Since its introduction 30 years ago in China, the use of TIPS has evolved and has played an increasingly important role in the management of the complications of portal hypertension. This review will focus on the history, current application and management of complications of TIPS in China.
The effect of electronic job aid assisted one‐to‐one counselling to support exclusive breastfeeding among 0–5‐month‐old infants in rural Bangladesh
Authors: Billah Sk Masum , Ferdous Tarana E. , Siddique Abu Bakkar , Raynes‐Greenow Camille , Kelly Patrick , Choudhury Nuzhat , Ahmed Tahmeed , Gillespie Stuart , Hoddinott John , Haider Rukhsana , Menon Purnima , El Arifeen Shams , Dibley Michael J.
Published: May 2022

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first 6 months has established benefits, yet had slow improvements globally. Little is known about electronic job aid‐assisted counselling to support EBF. As a secondary outcome of a cluster randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh, we assessed the effect of electronic job aid‐supported nutrition counselling and practical demonstration on EBF. We randomized pregnant women to one of five study arms in the trial and followed mother–child dyads until 2 years of age. Community health workers (CHWs) provided breastfeeding counselling with or without prenatal and complementary nutrient supplements in all four intervention arms. The comparison arm continued with the usual practice where mothers could receive nutrition counselling at routine antenatal and postnatal care, and during careseeking for childhood illnesses. We assessed breastfeeding indicators at birth and monthly until the child was 6 months old, in both intervention and comparison arms. To evaluate the effect of nutrition counselling on breastfeeding, we combined all four intervention arms and compared them with the comparison arm. Intervention newborns had half the risk (relative risk [RR]: 0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.39, 0.76) of receiving prelacteal feeds than those in the comparison arm. EBF declined steeply in the comparison arm after 3 months of age. EBF was 16% higher in the intervention than the comparison arm at 4 months (RR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.23) and 22% higher at 5 months of age (RR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.33). Maternal background and household characteristics did not modify the intervention effect, and we observed no difference in EBF among caesarean versus vaginal births. Breastfeeding counselling and practical demonstration using an electronic job aid by CHWs are promising interventions to improve EBF and are scalable into existing community‐based programmes.
A network approach to decipher the dynamics of Lysobacteraceae plasmid gene sharing
Authors: Richard Damien , Roumagnac Philippe , Pruvost Olivier , Lefeuvre Pierre
Published: May 2022

Plasmids provide an efficient vehicle for gene sharing among bacterial populations, playing a key role in bacterial evolution. Network approaches are particularly suitable to represent multipartite relationships and are useful tools to characterize plasmid‐mediated gene sharing events. The bacterial family Lysobacteraceae includes plant commensal, plant pathogenic and opportunistic human pathogens for which plasmid‐mediated adaptation has been reported. We searched for homologues of plasmid gene sequences from this family in the entire diversity of available bacterial genome sequences and built a network of plasmid gene sharing from the results. While plasmid genes are openly shared between the bacteria of the family Lysobacteraceae, taxonomy strongly defined the boundaries of these exchanges, which only barely reached other families. Most inferred plasmid gene sharing events involved a few genes only, and evidence of full plasmid transfers were restricted to taxonomically closely related taxa. We detected multiple plasmid–chromosome gene transfers, including the known sharing of a heavy metal resistance transposon. In the network, bacterial lifestyles shaped substructures of isolates colonizing specific ecological niches and harbouring specific types of resistance genes. Genes associated with pathogenicity or antibiotic and metal resistance were among those that most importantly structured the network, highlighting the imprints of human‐mediated selective pressure on pathogenic populations. A massive sequencing effort on environmental Lysobacteraceae is therefore required to refine our understanding of how this reservoir fuels the emergence and the spread of genes among this family and its potential impact on plant, animal and human health.
Large‐scale DNA barcoding of the subfamily Culterinae (Cypriniformes: Xenocyprididae) in East Asia unveils a geographical scale effect, taxonomic warnings and cryptic diversity
Authors: Chen Weitao , Hubert Nicolas , Li Yuefei , Xiang Denggao , Cai Xingwei , Zhu Shuli , Yang Jiping , Zhou Chuanjiang , Li Xinhui , Li Jie
Published: May 2022

Geographical scale might be expected to impact significantly the efficiency of DNA barcoding as spatially comprehensive sampling provides opportunities to uncover intricate relationships among closely related species and to detect cryptic diversity for widespread taxa. Here, we present a DNA barcoding study on a Xencyprididae subfamily (Culterinae) involving the production of 998 newly generated DNA barcodes from East Asian drainages (80 localities). Together with 513 barcodes mined from BOLD and GenBank, a reference library consisting of 1511 DNA barcodes (116 localities) for 42 species was assembled, accounting for 66% of known Culterinae species. Intraspecific genetic distances are positively correlated to geographical scale, while a negative correlation is detected between interspecific genetic distances and geographical scale. The present study demonstrates that geographical scale influences the efficiency of DNA barcoding by narrowing the width of the barcoding gap. DNA‐based species delimitation analyses delimited 44 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs). Rampant cryptic diversity is detected within eight species with multiple MOTUs, whereas 25 species present mismatch between morphological and molecular delimitations. A total of 18 species are lumped into nine MOTUs due to low interspecific divergence and/or mixed lineages. Several MOTU divergences are hypothesized to relate to known biogeographical barriers and geological events during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. This study provides new insights into the taxonomy and phylogeography of the subfamily Culterinae.
Effect of hiatus hernia on reflux patterns and mucosal integrity in patients with non‐erosive reflux disease
Authors: Sawada Akinari , Rogers Benjamin , Visaggi Pierfrancesco , de Bortoli Nicola , Gyawali C. Prakash , Sifrim Daniel
Published: May 2022

Background

Hiatus hernia (HH) contributes to development of gastroesophageal reflux disease, Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma. This study was aimed to investigate the influence of HH on reflux patterns and distal esophageal mucosal integrity in non‐erosive reflux disease (NERD).

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed PPI‐refractory NERD patients referred to three tertiary referral centers who underwent high‐resolution manometry and off‐PPI 24‐h impedance‐pH monitoring (with or without bile spectrophotometry). Patients with HH ≥2 cm (HH group, n = 42) or no HH (non‐HH group, n = 40) with similar esophageal acid exposure time (AET 6%–12%) were included.

Key Results

Age, gender, BMI, esophageal motility, AET, and esophageal clearance were similar between the two groups. The HH group had higher numbers of total reflux episodes (p = 0.015) with similar proportion of acid/non‐acid reflux compared with the non‐HH group. Mean nocturnal baseline impedance (MNBI) in the distal esophagus was significantly lower in the HH group than the non‐HH group at both 5 cm (p = 0.002) and 3 cm (p = 0.015) above the lower esophageal sphincter. Multivariable regression analysis showed that HH, less non‐acid reflux and lower post‐reflux swallow‐induced peristaltic wave index (PSPWI) were independently associated with lower MNBI. Among 31 patients tested with bile spectrophotometry, the HH group had significantly longer bile exposure time than the non‐HH group (p = 0.011), and bile reflux inversely and significantly correlated with MNBI (rho = −0.75, p < 0.001).

Conclusions and Inferences

Hiatus hernia, less non‐acid reflux and lower PSPWI were associated with lower MNBI. HH impairs distal esophageal mucosal integrity, the mechanism of which we speculate to be through excessive bile reflux.
Relationship between the vertical distribution of fine roots and residual soil nitrogen along a gradient of hardwood mixture in a conifer plantation
Authors: Morikawa Yumena , Hayashi Seiji , Negishi Yuki , Masuda Chie , Watanabe Mirai , Watanabe Keiji , Masaka Kazuhiko , Matsuo Ayumu , Suzuki Masanori , Tada Chika , Seiwa Kenji
Published: May 2022

In forest ecosystems, understanding the relationship between the vertical distribution of fine roots and residual soil nitrogen is essential for clarifying the diversity–productivity–water purification relationship.

Vertical distributions of fine‐root biomass (FRB) and concentrations of nitrate‐nitrogen (NO3‐N) in soil water were investigated in a conifer plantation with three thinning intensities (Control, Weak and Intensive), in which hardwood abundance and diversity were low, moderate and high, respectively.

Intensive thinning led to the lowest NO3‐N concentration in soil water at all depths (0–100 cm) and highest FRB at shallow depths (0–50 cm). The NO3‐N concentration at a given depth was negatively correlated with total FRB from the surface to the depth at which NO3‐N concentration was measured, especially at shallow depths, indicating that more abundant fine roots led to lower levels of downward NO3‐N leaching. FRB contributed positively to nitrogen content of hardwood leaves.

These findings demonstrate that a hardwood mixture in conifer plantations resulted in sufficient uptake of NO3‐N from soil by well developed fine‐root systems, and translocation to canopy foliage. This study suggests that productivity and water purification can be achieved through a hardwood mixture in conifer plantations.
Sialin mediates submandibular gland regeneration ability by affecting polysialic acid synthesis
Authors: Wang Bin , Li Zhilin , Li Jing , Shao Qi , Qin Lizheng
Published: May 2022

Objectives

Sialin is a multifunctional molecule with a well‐described role in physiological equilibrium regulation. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of sialin in salivary glands regeneration.

Materials and methods

Submandibular gland duct ligation/deligation of rat was performed to develop a rat model of submandibular gland regeneration. Phenotype changes were investigated using Western blotting and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, as well as immunohistochemical staining. LV‐slc17a5‐RNAi vectors were injected into the submandibular glands via retroductal instillation to establish a stable sialin‐knockdown model.

Results

Submandibular gland tissue structure could completely restore 28 days after duct deligation, when the duct had been ligated for 7 days. The expression of sialin, polysialic acid, and polysialyltransferase IV was significantly increased on Day 0 after duct deligation, and it returned to the level of the control group at Day 28. Moreover, sialin knockdown could weakened gland regeneration by reducing polysialic acid synthesis. Supplementing drinking water with polysialic acid precursors (ManNAc) in drinking water could partially rescue submandibular gland regeneration in sialin‐knockdown rats.

Conclusion

These data indicated that sialin was vital for submandibular gland regeneration which mediated the process of gland regeneration by affecting the polysialic acid synthesis.
Herbaceous peony AP2/ERF transcription factor binds the promoter of the tryptophan decarboxylase gene to enhance high‐temperature stress tolerance
Authors: Zhang Tingting , Tang Yuhan , Luan Yuting , Cheng Zhuoya , Wang Xiaoxiao , Tao Jun , Zhao Daqiu
Published: May 2022

Global warming has multifarious adverse effects on plant growth and productivity. Nonetheless, the effects of endogenous phytomelatonin on the high‐temperature resistance of plants and the underlying genetic mechanisms remain unclear. Here, herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactifloraPall.) tryptophan decarboxylase (TDC) gene involved in phytomelatonin biosynthesis was shown to respond to high‐temperature stress at the transcriptional level, and its transcript level was positively correlated with phytomelatonin production. Moreover, overexpression ofPlTDCenhanced phytomelatonin production and high‐temperature stress tolerance in transgenic tobacco, while silencingPlTDCexpression decreased these parameters inP. lactiflora. In addition, a 2402 bp promoter fragment ofPlTDCwas isolated, and DNA pull‐down assay revealed that one APETALA2/ethylene‐responsive element‐binding factor (AP2/ERF) transcription factor, PlTOE3, could specifically activate thePlTDCpromoter, which was further verified by yeast one‐hybrid assay and luciferase reporter assay. PlTOE3 was a nucleus‐localized protein, and its transcript level responded to high‐temperature stress. Additionally, transgenic tobacco overexpressing PlTOE3 showed enhanced phytomelatonin production and high‐temperature stress tolerance, while silencingPlTDCexpression obtained the opposite results. These results illustrated that PlTOE3 bound thePlTDCpromoter to enhance high‐temperature stress tolerance by increasing phytomelatonin production inP. lactiflora.
Serum pepsinogen cut‐off values in Helicobacter pylori‐infected children
Authors: Fujiwara Shin‐ichi , Konno Mutsuko , Watanabe Satoshi , Toita Nariaki , Takahashi Michiko
Published: May 2022

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate the standard values for gender‐ and age‐stratified serum pepsinogen (sPG) in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) non‐infected children and to determine the optimal cut‐off values of sPG for predicting H. pylori‐infected gastritis in children.

Methods

A prospective study for determination of sPG levels was performed in children with epigastric pain who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy over the past 16 years. After excluding subjects diagnosed with inflammatory bowel diseases, eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders, or immunoglobulin A vasculitis, the diagnosis of H. pylori infection was defined by positive tissue culture or concordant‐positive results for histology and the rapid urease test.

Results

A total of 405 subjects were diagnosed as being H. pylori‐infected (79) or non‐infected (326). In the H. pylori non‐infected group, there were no significant differences in sPG levels among age groups; males had higher sPG I and sPG II levels than females. In the H. pylori‐infected group, sPG I and sPG II levels were significantly higher and the sPG I/II ratio was lower than those in the non‐infected group. In receiver operating characteristics analyses in diagnosing H. pylori infection, the areas under the curves for sPG I, sPG II and sPG I/II ratio were 0.896, 0.980, and 0.946, respectively. The optimal cut‐off value of sPG II of ≥9.0 ng/mL was considered positive for H. pylori infection (sensitivity: 92.4%, specificity: 93.9%).

Conclusions

The optimal cut‐off value of sPG II of ≥9.0 ng/mL may be a good predictor of H. pylori‐infected gastritis in children.
A probabilistic epidemiological model for infectious diseases: The case of COVID‐19 at global‐level
Authors: Duarte Heitor Oliveira , Siqueira Paulo Gabriel , Oliveira Alexandre Calumbi Antunes , Moura Márcio das Chagas
Published: May 2022

This study has developed a probabilistic epidemiological model a few weeks after the World Health Organization declared COVID‐19 a pandemic (based on the little data available at that time). The aim was to assess relative risks for future scenarios and evaluate the effectiveness of different management actions for 1 year ahead. We quantified, categorized, and ranked the risks for scenarios such as business as usual, and moderate and strong mitigation. We estimated that, in the absence of interventions, COVID‐19 would have a 100% risk of explosion (i.e., more than 25% infections in the world population) and 34% (2.6 billion) of the world population would have been infected until the end of simulation. We analyzed the suitability of model scenarios by comparing actual values against estimated values for the first 6 weeks of the simulation period. The results proved to be more suitable with a business‐as‐usual scenario in Asia and moderate mitigation in the other continents. If everything went on like this, we would have 55% risk of explosion and 22% (1.7 billion) of the world population would have been infected. Strong mitigation actions in all continents could reduce these numbers to, 7% and 3% (223 million), respectively. Although the results were based on the data available in March 2020, both the model and probabilistic approach proved to be practicable and could be a basis for risk assessment in future pandemic episodes with unknown virus, especially in the early stages, when data and literature are scarce.
A New Experiment on the use of Images to Answer Web Survey Questions
Authors: Bosch Oriol J. , Revilla Melanie , Qureshi Danish Daniel , Höhne Jan Karem
Published: May 2022

Images might provide richer and more objective information than text answers to open-ended survey questions. Little is known, nonetheless, about the consequences for data quality of asking participants to answer open-ended questions with images. Therefore, this paper addresses three research questions: (1) What is the effect of answering web survey questions with images instead of text on breakoff, noncompliance with the task, completion time and question evaluation? (2) What is the effect of including a motivational message on these four aspects? (3) Does the impact of asking to answer with images instead of text vary across device types? To answer these questions, we implemented a 2 × 3 between-subject web survey experiment (N = 3043) in Germany. Half of the sample was required to answer using PCs and the other half with smartphones. Within each device group, respondents were randomly assigned to (1) a control group answering open-ended questions with text; (2) a treatment group answering open-ended questions with images; and (3) another treatment group answering open-ended questions with images but prompted with a motivational message. Results show that asking participants to answer with images significantly increases participants' likelihood of noncompliance as well as their completion times, while worsening their overall survey experience. Including motivational messages, moreover, moderately reduces the likelihood of noncompliance. Finally, the likelihood of noncompliance is similar across devices.
Business Culture, Bank Credit, and Corporations in the Russian Empire: Deconstruction of a Russian Banking History Discourse
Authors: SALOMATINA SOFYA
Published: May 2022

This essay deconstructs the discourse on the underdeveloped banking culture in the Russian Empire in the second half of the nineteenth century. This discourse became a specific side effect of adaptation to the theory of world banking, from which the Russian practice was noticeably different, aggravated as it was by a long period of adverse economic conditions in the 1870s and 1880s. At the same time, up‐to‐date studies of nineteenth‐century banking have revealed that the theory was not followed to the letter anywhere in the world at that time and that it was finally rejected as false by the middle of the twentieth century. Nevertheless, the discourse on the underdeveloped Russian banking culture has survived in twentieth century historical studies, and fragments of it emerge in the Russian‐language literature on banking history until now. With the use of archival data, this essay analyzes the actual Russian practice of bank lending to customers in trade, industry, and agriculture. The data show that the trust needed for nineteenth‐century bank lending was concentrated in entrepreneurial communities. Such a system gave preference to large customers, primarily corporate ones, due to their larger size, scale of publicity and wider interlocking with large corporate banks, which made them more creditworthy than small and medium‐sized enterprises. Nevertheless, this restrictive system was able to increase the number of customers significantly at the beginning of the twentieth century.
“Tuk, tuk, tuk!“ A History of Russia's Prison Knocking Language
Authors: BUJALSKI NICHOLAS
Published: May 2022

From 1870 to the fall of the tsarist autocracy, the political prisons of the Romanov regime were filled with the sound of tapping. This was “knocking language” (perestukivanie)–a coded system of knocks and taps used by incarcerated Russian revolutionaries to communicate with one another through the walls of their solitary cells. This article tells the first scholarly history of this medium–using prison archives and radical memoirs to reveal its development in the prisons of the Peter and Paul Fortress, its varied forms and uses, and its pathways of diffusion and transmission. In doing so, the present text seeks not only to give a new empirical account of an understudied practice of carceral subversion. It also attempts to locate knocking language within the larger discursive landscape of the Russian revolutionary tradition–investigating how the specific ways in which this prison alphabet was wielded and understood reverberate within this period's considerations of self‐narration, radical struggle, and political agency.
From cooperation to conflict: The role of collective narratives in shaping group behaviour
Authors: Bliuc Ana‐Maria , Chidley Alexander
Published: May 2022

In this paper, we review the concept of collective narratives and their role in shaping group behaviour. We see collective narratives as ‘meta‐stories’ embraced by groups that incorporate values and beliefs about social reality, therefore providing a blueprint for group norms which, in turn, inform group members' behaviour. Our aim is to both describe the psychological processes underpinning the relation between collective narratives and group behaviours and develop an integrative typology of the functions of collective narratives (as they connect to various collective behaviours). We start by discussing definitions in the recent literature and propose an integrative conceptualisation which positions collective narratives in the context of collective action research. Next, we focus on the process by which collective narratives provide the bases for identity formation, development, and change, thus shaping group behaviour. We see collective narratives as central in understanding group behaviour, as they function as ‘meta‐stories’ that incorporate moral codes and values, and beliefs about the ingroups and outgroups—providing a blueprint for group norms which, in turn, inform group members' behaviour. In the second part of the article, we describe a typology of collective narratives according to their functions, structured around two core dimensions: the context/s in which collective narratives develop and are shared (i.e., intragroup vs. intergroup) and their effects within these contexts (i.e., driving consensus vs. driving dissent). We identify four distinctive types of collective narrative functions and review research showing how each of them shapes specific social identity content, including behaviour prescribing norms. We then show how these specific norms shape behaviours ranging from cooperation and pro‐social action to hostile intergroup conflict. The implications of this contribution are twofold. First, by providing a systematic account and categorisation of how collective narratives function in society and of their connections to social identities (and their content), we can more accurately deduct group norms and predict behaviours in specific circumstances, including in relation to political violence. Second, by better understanding the narratives that provide the bases of identity formation, development, and change, we can improve attempts to create alternative narratives that unify rather than divide people, so that pathways to co‐operation might be chosen over conflict.
Licensing unergative objects in ergative languages: The view from Polynesian
Authors: Tollan Rebecca , Massam Diane
Published: May 2022

Transitive and unergative verbs have long received a uniform syntactic analysis, where they differ in whether an overt object is present (in transitives) or absent (in unergatives). We examine how objects of unergative verbs are case licensed when theyarepresent, focusing on a contrast between two related Polynesian languages: Samoan and Niuean. Both languages have ergative case systems, with subjects of intransitive verbs receiving absolutive case. When unergatives have an overt object, however, a difference emerges. In Samoan, ergative case is absent: the subject of a transitivized unergative is absolutive, and the object receives “middle case.” In Niuean, the resulting transitive exhibits an ergative–absolutive frame. Working within a split‐vP system, we propose that the contrast between Samoan and Niuean results from the interaction of three parametric differences. This comparative analysis highlights the importance of considering unergative constructions when determining the underlying syntax of any given case system.
Cutting Russia's fossil fuel exports: Short‐term economic pain for long‐term environmental gain
Authors: Chepeliev Maksym , Hertel Thomas , van der Mensbrugghe Dominique
Published: May 2022

In response to the invasion of Ukraine, most OECD countries have announced punishing sanctions against Russia. In addition to targeting financial markets and service sectors, some countries have begun to impose restrictions on exports of Russia's fossil fuels. We analyse a scenario whereby most OECD countries put major restrictions on Russia's energy exports. The short‐term implications are likely to be non‐trivial for the EU – Russia's largest energy export destination. Households' real income could drop by 0.7 to 1.7 percent (relative to the reference case) with energy prices growing by as much as 11 percent. But in the longer run, the cost of such restrictions for the EU is expected to be more modest (0.04 percent slowdown in the annual growth rate of real income over the 2022–2030 period), even as they lead to substantial environmental benefits reducing CO2 (6.6 percent in 2030) and air pollutant emissions (2.8 to 5.9 percent in 2030). Such emission reductions would take the EU more than halfway to its Green Deal mitigation target, reducing the necessary carbon price by around 40 EUR per tCO2. Adverse impacts on the Russian economy would be overwhelming and, in relative terms, 10 time larger than that for EU.