bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variety of flow patterns in a liquid bridge subjected to a gas stream
Authors: Gaponenko Y. , Yasnou V. , Mialdun A. , Bou-Ali M. M. , Nepomnyashchy A. , Shevtsova V.
Published: February 2023

We present an experimental and two-phase computational study of convection in a liquid bridge (

P
r

=
14

) that develops under the action of a parallel gas flow. The study focuses on tracking the evolution of hydrothermal waves by increasing the applied temperature difference

Δ
T

and the temperature of gas moving at the velocity

0.1
 

m

 

s

−
1

. Our experiments revealed certain regularity in the change of oscillatory states with an increase in the control parameters. Above the instability threshold, the nonlinear dynamics passes through three oscillatory regimes, which are repeated in a somewhat similar way at higher values of the control parameters. They are periodic, quasi-periodic with two or three frequencies and multi-frequency state when the Fourier spectrum is filled with clusters of duplex, triplex or higher numbers of frequencies. Three-dimensional numerical simulation, complemented by a deep spectral analysis, sheds light on the evolution of the flow pattern observed in experiments. The developed methodology identified conditions for the existence of a multi-frequency regime such as the presence of a weak low-frequency mode that can modulate strong high-frequency modes, the existence of strong azimuthal modes with different wavenumbers and the

m
=
0

mode, and the structured combination of peaks in the Fourier spectrum.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘New trends in pattern formation and nonlinear dynamics of extended systems’.
Evaluation of the ID NOW among symptomatic individuals during the Omicron wave
Authors: Stokes William , Venner Allison A. , Buss Emily , Tipples Graham , Berenger Byron M.
Published: February 2023

Introduction. Starting in December, 2020, the ID NOW was implemented throughout the province of Alberta, Canada (population 4.4 million) in various settings.

Gap statement. ID NOW’s test performance with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant BA.1 is unknown.

Aim. To assess the ID NOW performance among symptomatic individuals during the BA.1 Omicron wave and compare it to previous SARS-CoV-2 variant waves.

Methodology. The ID NOW was assessed in two locations among symptomatic individuals: rural hospitals and community assessment centres (AC) during the period 5–18 January 2022. Starting 5 January, Omicron represented >95 % of variants detected in our population. For every individual tested, two swabs were collected: one for ID NOW testing and the other for either reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmation of negative ID NOW results or for variant testing of positive ID NOW results.

Results. A total of 3041 paired samples were analysed (1139 RT-PCR positive). From this, 1873 samples were from 42 COVID-19 AC and 1168 from 69 rural hospitals. ID NOW sensitivity for symptomatic individuals presenting to community AC and rural hospitals was 96.0 % [95 % confidence interval (CI) 94.5–97.3 %, n=830 RT-PCR positive], and 91.6 % (95 % CI 87.9–94.4 %, n=309 RT-PCR positive), respectively. SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate was very high for both populations (44.3 % at AC, 26.5 % in hospital).

Conclusions. Sensitivity of ID NOW SARS-CoV-2, compared to RT-PCR, is very high during the BA.1 Omicron wave, and is significantly higher when compared to previous SARS-CoV-2 variant waves.
Improving Clinical Decision Making with a Two-Stage Recommender System: A Case Study on MIMIC-III Dataset
Authors: Raza Shaina
Published: February 2023

Clinical decision-making is a challenging and time-consuming task that involves integrating a vast amount of patient data, including medical history, test results, and notes from clinicians. To assist this process, clinical recommender systems have been developed to provide personalized recommendations to healthcare practitioners. However, creating effective clinical recommender systems is complex due to the diversity and intricacy of clinical data and the need for customized recommendations. In this paper, we propose a two-stage recommender framework for clinical decision-making basedon the publicly available MIMIC dataset of electronic health records. The first stage of the framework employs a deep neural networkbased model to retrieve a set of candidate items, such as diagnosis, medication, and prescriptions, from the patient’s electronic health records. The model is trained to extract relevant information from clinical notes using a pre-trained language model. The second stage of the framework utilizes a deep learning model to rank and recommend the most pertinent items to healthcare providers. The model considers the patient’s medical history and the context of the current visit to offer personalized recommendations. To evaluate the proposed model, we compared it to various baseline models using multiple evaluation metrics. The findings indicate that the proposed model achieved a precision of 89% and a macro-average F1 score of approximately 84%, indicating its potential to improve clinical decision-making and reduce information overload for healthcare providers. The paper also discusses challenges, such as data availability, privacy, and bias, and suggests areas for future research in this field.
Detection and clearance of type-specific and phylogenetically related genital human papillomavirus infections in young women in new heterosexual relationships
Authors: Arthur Andrew W. , El-Zein Mariam , Burchell Ann N. , Tellier Pierre-Paul , Coutlée Francois , Franco Eduardo L.
Published: February 2023

Background

Understanding the natural history of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections is essential to effective cervical cancer prevention planning. We examined these outcomes in-depth among young women.

Methods

The HPV Infection and Transmission among Couples through Heterosexual Activity (HITCH) study is a prospective cohort of 501 college-age women who recently initiated a heterosexual relationship. We tested vaginal samples collected at six clinical visits over 24 months for 36 HPV types. Using rates and Kaplan-Meier analysis, we estimated time-to-event statistics with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for detection of incident infections and liberal clearance of incident and present-at-baseline infections (separately). We conducted analyses at the woman- and HPV-levels, with HPV types grouped by phylogenetic relatedness.

Results

By 24 months, we detected incident infections in 40.4%, CI:33.4-48.4 of women. Incident subgenus 1 (43.4, CI:33.6-56.4), 2 (47.1, CI:39.9-55.5) and 3 (46.6, CI:37.7-57.7) infections cleared at similar rates per 1000 infection-months. We observed similar homogeny in HPV-level clearance rates among present-at-baseline infections.

Conclusions

Our woman-level analyses of infection detection and clearance agreed with similar studies. However, our HPV-level analyses did not clearly indicate that high oncogenic risk subgenus 2 infections take longer to clear than their low oncogenic risk and commensal subgenera 1 and 3 counterparts.
Cellular and molecular heterogeneities and signatures, and pathological trajectories of fatal COVID-19 lungs defined by spatial single-cell transcriptome analysis
Authors: Das Arun , Meng Wen , Liu Zhentao , Hasib Md Musaddaqul , Galloway Hugh , Ramos da Silva Suzane , Chen Luping , Sica Gabriel L , Paniz-Mondolfi Alberto , Bryce Clare , Grimes Zachary , Sordillo Emilia Mia , Cordon-Cardo Carlos , Rivera Karla Paniagua , Flores Mario , Chiu Yu-Chiao , Huang Yufei , Gao Shou-Jiang
Published: February 2023

Despite intensive studies during the last 3 years, the pathology and underlying molecular mechanism of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain poorly defined. Here, we examined postmortem COVID-19 lung tissues by spatial single-cell transcriptome analysis (SSCTA). We identified 18 major parenchymal and immune cell types, all of which are infected by SARS-CoV-2. Compared to the non-COVID-19 control, COVID-19 lungs have reduced alveolar cells (ACs), and increased innate and adaptive immune cells. Additionally, 19 differentially expressed genes in both infected and uninfected cells across the tissues mirror the altered cellular compositions. Spatial analysis of local infection rates revealed regions with high infection rates that are correlated with high cell densities (HIHD). The HIHD regions express high levels of SARS-CoV-2 entry-related factors including ACE2, FURIN, TMPRSS2, and NRP1, and co-localized with organizing pneumonia (OP) and lymphocytic and immune infiltration that have increased ACs and fibroblasts but decreased vascular endothelial cells and epithelial cells, echoing the tissue damage and wound healing processes. Sparse non- negative matrix factorization (SNMF) analysis of neighborhood cell type composition (NCTC) features identified 7 signatures that capture structure and immune niches in COVID-19 tissues. Trajectory inference based on immune niche signatures defined two pathological routes. Trajectory A progresses with primarily increased NK cells and granulocytes, likely reflecting the complication of microbial infections. Trajectory B is marked by increased HIHD and OP, possibly accounting for the increased immune infiltration. The OP regions are marked by high numbers of fibroblasts expressing extremely high levels of COL1A1 and COL1A2. Examination of single-cell RNA-seq data (scRNA-seq) from COVID-19 lung tissues and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) identified similar cell populations primarily consisting of myofibroblasts.

Immunofluorescence staining revealed the activation of IL6-STAT3 and TGF-²-SMAD2/3 pathways in these cells, which likely mediate the upregulation of COL1A1 and COL1A2, and excessive fibrosis in the lung tissues. Together, this study provides an SSCTA atlas of cellular and molecular signatures of fatal COVID-19 lungs, revealing the complex spatial cellular heterogeneity, organization, and interactions that characterized the COVID-19 lung pathology.
Comparison of Machine Learning Methods in Mild Cognitive Impairment Prediction for Cancer Patients Using EHR Data
Authors: Zhang Xiaodan , Witteveen-Lane Martin , Li Yanzeng , Kulkarni Omkar , Chesla Dave , Chen Bin
Published: February 2023

Cancer and dementia are common in aging populations. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a stage between the cognitive changes of normal aging and dementia that can lead to a decline in quality of life. With the substantial improvement of survival in many cancers, maintaining a high quality of life has become a new goal in cancer care. Identifying those patients with a high risk of developing MCI may facilitate early intervention and further improve patient care. The objective of this study is to survey machine learning techniques and AutoML to model the early detection of MCI in patients with cancers using the features which are known risk factors in dementia and accessible in the electronic health records (EHR). We compared multiple machine learning methods and explored AutoML to predict 1-year risk of MCI for cancer patients. Among 27 models, XGBoost in AutoML gave the highest AUC (0.79), suggesting the superiority of using automated machine learning tools to search for the best model and parameters. The feature importance analysis revealed that cancer patients with brain malignancy, hypertension, or cardiovascular diseases are more likely to develop MCI. The overall poor performance indicates more efforts should be made to improve data quality and increase features and sample size.
Conservation implications of elucidating the Korean wolf taxonomic ambiguity through whole-genome sequencing
Authors: Hernández-Alonso Germán , Ramos-Madrigal Jazmín , Sun Xin , Scharff-Olsen Camilla Hjorth , Sinding Mikkel-Holger S. , Martins Nuno F. , Ciucani Marta Maria , Mak Sarah S. T. , Lanigan Liam Thomas , Clausen Cecilie G. , Bhak Jong , Jeon Sungwon , Kim Changjae , Eo Kyung Yeon , Cho Seong-Ho , Bazartseren Boldgiv , Gantulga Gankhuyag , Unudbayasgalan Zunduibaatar , Kosintsev Pavel A. , Stenøien Hans K. , Gilbert M. Thomas P. , Gopalakrishnan Shyam
Published: February 2023

The taxonomic status of the now likely extirpated Korean Peninsula wolf has been extensively debated, with some arguing it represents an independent wolf lineage,Canis coreanus. To investigate the Korean wolf genetic affiliations and their taxonomic implications, we sequenced and analysed the genomes of a historical Korean wolf dated to the beginning of the 20th century, and a captive wolf originally located at the Pyongyang Central Zoo. Our results indicated that the Korean wolf bears similar genetic ancestry to other regional East Asian populations, therefore suggesting it is not a distinct taxonomic lineage. We identified regional patterns of wolf population structure and admixture in East Asia with potential conservation consequences in the Korean Peninsula and on a regional scale. We find the Korean wolf has similar diversity and inbreeding to other East Asian wolves. Finally, we show that, in contrast to the historical sample, the captive wolf is more genetically similar to wolves from the Tibetan Plateau, hence, Korean wolf conservation programs might not benefit from the inclusion of this specimen.
The human pathome shows sex specific aging patterns post-development
Authors: Ben Ezra Michael , Garbrecht Jonas Bach , Rasmussen Nasya , Heckenbach Indra , Petr Michael Angelo , Bakula Daniela J , Mortensen Laust Hvas , Scheibye-Knudsen Morten
Published: February 2023

Little is known about tissue specific changes that occur with aging in humans. Using the description of 33 million histological samples we extract thousands of age- and mortality-associated features from text narratives that we call The Human Pathome (pathoage.com). Notably, we can broadly determine when pathological aging starts, indicating a sexual dimorphism with females aging earlier but slower and males aging later but faster. Using machine learning, we employ unsupervised topic-modelling to identify terms and themes that predict age and mortality. As a proof of principle, we cross reference these terms in PubMed to identify nintedanib as a potential aging intervention and show that nintedanib reduces markers of cellular senescence, reduces pro-fibrotic gene pathways in senescent cells and extends the lifespan of fruit flies. Our findings pave the way for expanded exploitation of population datasets towards discovery of novel aging interventions.
Interplay between perceived value, trust and continuance intention: evidence in the sharing economy
Authors: Tumaku John , Ren Jianxin , Boakye Kwabena Gyasi , Ofori Kwame Simpe , Abubakari Aidatu
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Over the past decade, research into sharing economy platforms has gained prominence. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of perceived value (both hedonic and utilitarian) in attracting consumer engagement in the sharing economy, as well as its link with trust.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a survey method to empirically tested the proposed model using the partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling on data from 320 DiDi app users.

Findings

The study's findings revealed that both hedonic and utilitarian value had a significant effect on satisfaction and trust in the platform. Although the results showed no effect of hedonic and utilitarian values on trust in driver, the authors found trust in driver and platform, and satisfaction had significant influences on users’ continued intention to use the Taxi-hailing app. Interestingly, this study suggests that trust in the platform is transferred to trust in the driver.

Originality/value

The results from the Necessary Condition Analysis shows that satisfaction and utilitarian value are necessary conditions of continuance intention.
Antecedents and consequences of strategic online-reputation management: moderating effect of online tools
Authors: Peco-Torres Francisco , Polo-Peña Ana I. , Frías Jamilena Dolores M.
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the antecedents and consequences of strategic online-reputation management among tourism firms. It is proposed that customer relationship management (CRM) is an antecedent of strategic online-reputation management, brand equity is a consequence of strategic online-reputation management and the use of online tools moderates the effect of strategic online-reputation management and CRM on brand equity.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative empirical study is conducted among online marketing managers of chain hotels. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to verify the proposed relationships.

Findings

The results show that CRM is an antecedent of strategic online-reputation management, and that strategic online-reputation management and CRM exert a positive effect on brand equity among firms that frequently use a range of online tools. No such effect is found in cases of limited usage of online tools.

Practical implications

Tourism firms seeking to achieve greater brand equity by means of strategic online-reputation management should implement CRM and make extensive use of online tools.

Originality/value

The main contributions of this study are that it analyzes the antecedents and consequences of strategic online-reputation management jointly and empirically; studies the moderating role of the use of online tools in the effect of online strategies – such as online-reputation management and CRM – on brand equity; and studies the consequences of CRM in online media.
Muslim Indonesian women entrepreneurs: a factor analysis of business performance
Authors: ChoudhuryKaul Sanjukta , Supriyadi Ono , Fahlevi Nabilla
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Muslim Indonesian women entrepreneurs (MIWEs) lie at the intersection of religion and gender. Given the growing participation of women in entrepreneurship and economic stability in Indonesia, the purpose of this study is to identify the factors (and their significance) influencing MIWEs’ business performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 101 MIWEs was conducted, and results were analyzed via structural modelling equation using SmartPLS 3.

Findings

The findings of this study suggest that, within the macro frame of the moderate version of Islam practiced and women’s economic engagement, women business owners’ skills and religious factors significantly influence their business performance. Factor analysis indicates that the role of the veil, Shariah guidance for business and managing stress through the practice of Salah (prayer) are important for MIWEs. However, this study also indicates that, in addition to religious factors, MIWEs’ own effective and participative leadership style, honesty and fairness reputation in business dealings and a good market image are also significant variables affecting business performance. This is in contrast to past studies, where the role of environmental factors such as access to capital, family and government has been shown to have a stronger influence on Muslim women entrepreneurs’ business performance.

Originality/value

Because of Indonesia’s unique pluralistic national context, along with increasing women’s economic participation, MIWEs emerge as a distinct category of entrepreneurs who integrate religion and their own skills to navigate their business performance.
A preliminary post-occupancy evaluation of the built-environment in office buildings: a case study from Saudi Arabia
Authors: Hassanain Mohammad A. , Mahroos Mohammed S.
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of office buildings, accommodating large number of users, is significantly demanded, to ascertain the provision and upkeep of users' requirements. This paper presents the findings of a POE of an office building located in Saudi Arabia, as a case study.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative research activities were conducted to achieve the objective of this study. Previous studies were analyzed to identify 28 performance indicators, grouped under seven technical and functional performance elements in office buildings. A walkthrough served to gain familiarity with the building, and identify the obvious performance defects. Interviews were conducted to solicit the users' perceptions about the performance elements, and initiate discussions based on the findings of the walkthrough. A user satisfaction survey was then deployed to quantify the user's feedback on the performance of the building.

Findings

Users of the case study office building were generally satisfied with all the technical performance elements, except visual comfort. They were also dissatisfied with two functional performance elements, namely office layout and building equipment.

Practical implications

Recommendations were developed to improve the performance of the case study building. The approach followed and the defined indicators can be of practical value to design professionals, administrators and facilities managers, responsible for the design and operation of office buildings.

Originality/value

Office buildings are valuable business capital for their corporate organizations. This study contributes to the facilities management literature, through providing a systematic approach for the quality and performance appraisal of the performance elements of office buildings.
The role of leadership in effective implementation of quality assurance mechanisms in higher education: an exploratory case study from Pakistan
Authors: Ahmad Sohail , Ahmed Afaq
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This study aims to explore whether and how leaders’ attributes, understanding of and attitude towards quality assurance (QA) shape their practices towards effective implementation of QA in universities.

Design/methodology/approach

Using qualitative case study, the data were collected from nine institutional leaders purposively selected from two universities. The data, collected through semi-structured interviews, were analysed using thematic analysis technique.

Findings

The findings revealed that personal attributes of leaders such as understanding of QA, attitude towards QA and practices shape leadership style either as transformational or compliance leader. The transformational leader implements QA procedures with the intention of bringing improvement in teaching learning and research quality. In contrast, the compliance leaders are primarily concerned with implementation of QA procedures merely to fulfil the requirements of an external regulatory body.

Research limitations/implications

This study acknowledges that certain other factors (e.g. demographics, institutional policies or practices) might have an influence on leadership practices. Using the framework of this study, further quantitative and/or mixed methods research can expand by bringing more factors that can shape leadership practices.

Originality/value

The role of leadership is significant to the success of any university. A plethora of studies have reported various aspects of successful leadership in higher education (HE). However, in the changing nature of HE due to the emergence of formal QA, there is paucity of research that focusses on the role of leader’s attributes in the effective implementation of QA procedures.
The symbolic meanings and practice of shopping malls in Hong Kong beyond consumption: a case study of Kwai Chung Plaza
Authors: Cheung Siu Fung
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the symbolic meanings of the local shopping malls inscribed by the shoppers from the sociocultural lens other than merely departing from the economic dimensions.

Design/methodology/approach

In this research, Kwai Chung Plaza was adopted as the case study. The author interviewed 12 local shoppers through an in-depth individual interview. All interviewees were selected through convenience and snowball sampling. All names of the participants in this paper are kept pseudonymous to protect their privacy.

Findings

An integrated model, which consists of three major levels, namely, the spatial, individual and community levels, has been formed to show that the shopping mall was not merely a place for buy-and-sell transactions but rather a place that could be understood as an extension of the street, a body of collective memories and a place for Hongkongers.

Research limitations/implications

The most significant limitation of this study was the lack of a diversified demographic profile adding that the sample was restricted to the young generation. It is recommended that future research should consider including interviews with middle-aged and old-aged shoppers to ensure the generalizability of results. Future research may also consider examining other small/medium-sized shopping malls for comparison.

Originality/value

The findings demonstrated the diversified social roles and functions of the local shopping malls in a community. In addition, the present study, to the author’s knowledge, is one of the few scholarly discussions on small/medium-sized shopping malls from a sociocultural perspective.
Efficacy and safety of osimertinib plus anlotinib in advanced non‐small‐cell lung cancer patients after drug resistance
Authors: Wang Mingzhao , Zhao Jun , Chen Tong , Hu Xingsheng , Wang Lin , Shi Yuankai , Liu Yutao
Published: February 2023

Objective

To retrospectively analyze the efficacy and safety of osimertinib combined with anlotinib in the treatment of advanced non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after drug resistance, and to explore the related factors affecting the efficacy.

Methods

The clinical data of 34 patients with advanced NSCLC who received osimertinib combined with anlotinib as three or more lines of treatment in the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College from June 2019 to March 2022 were collected, and the therapeutic efficacy and safety were analyzed.

Results

A total of 34 advanced NSCLC patients met the inclusion criteria. The objective response rate was 20.6%, the disease response rate was 88.2%, the median overall survival was 19.0 months, and the median progression‐free survival was 6.0 months. The common adverse events were mainly grade 1–2, and only three cases (11.1%) of adverse events were grade 3, including hypertension, proteinuria, and vomiting. No grade 4 or above adverse events were observed. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status score and bone metastasis were independent prognostic factors for osimertinib combined with anlotinib as three or more lines of treatment in advanced NSCLC.

Conclusions

Osimertinib combined with anlotinib as three or more lines of treatment in advanced NSCLC was effective and adverse events were tolerable.
Adult asthma with symptomatic eosinophilic inflammation is accompanied by alteration in gut microbiome
Authors: Gu Bon‐Hee , Choi Jun‐Pyo , Park Tansol , Kim A‐Sol , Jung Ho Young , Choi Doo Young , Lee Sang Jin , Chang Yoon‐Seok , Kim Myunghoo , Park Han‐Ki
Published: February 2023

Background

Accumulating evidence suggests that the gut microbiome is associated with asthma. However, altered gut microbiome in adult asthma is not yet well established. We aimed to investigate the gut microbiome profiles of adult asthmatic patients with symptomatic eosinophilic inflammation.

Methods

The 16 s rRNA gene metagenomic analysis of feces in the symptomatic eosinophilic asthma group (EA, n = 28) was compared with the healthy control (HC, n = 18) and the chronic cough control (CC, n = 13). A correlation analysis between individual taxa and clinical markers was performed within the EA group. Changes in the gut microbiome were examined in patients with significant symptom improvement in the EA group.

Results

The relative abundances of Lachnospiraceae and Oscillospiraceae significantly decreased and Bacteroidetes increased in the EA group. Within EA group, Lachnospiraceae was negatively correlated with indicators of type 2 inflammation and lung function decline. Enterobacteriaceae and Prevotella was positively associated with type 2 inflammation and lung function decline, respectively. The abundance of predicted genes associated with amino acid metabolism and secondary bile acid biosynthesis was diminished in the EA group. These functional gene family alterations could be related to gut permeability, and the serum lipopolysaccharide concentration was actually high in the EA group. EA patients with symptom improvement after 1 month did not show a significant change in the gut microbiome.

Conclusions

Symptomatic eosinophilic adult asthma patients showed altered the gut microbiome composition. Specifically, a decrease in commensal clostridia was observed, and a decrease in Lachnospiraceae was correlated with blood eosinophilia and lung function decline.
Inpatient and outpatient treatment by specialist infant nutrition centres in Argentina effectively reduced child malnourishment
Authors: Santiano Flavia Eliana , Fernandez‐Muñoz Juan Manuel , Pistone‐Creydt Virginia , Zoppino Felipe Carlos Martín , López‐Fontana Constanza Matilde , Carón Rubén Walter
Published: February 2023

Aim

We evaluated the impact of inpatient and outpatient treatment provided by an infant nutrition foundation in Las Heras, Mendoza, Argentina and identified the factors that influenced nutritional recovery.

Methods

This 2010–2018 retrospective study was based on 300 children up to 5 years of age with primary malnutrition, who were treated by an inpatient recovery centre, then an outpatient prevention centre. We analysed the children's height, weight, psychomotor development and living conditions when they were admitted, discharged and had received 1 year of outpatient treatment. There were full data on 241 children and just admission and discharge data for 59.

Results

The children's mean age on admission and weight were 14.8 ± 12.4 months and 6.9 ± 2.3 kg and they stayed in hospital for a mean of 59.5 ± 49.7 days. We observed a significant increase in the weight‐for‐age, height‐for‐age and weight‐for‐height z‐scores when all three time points were compared (p < 0.001). Psychomotor development improved considerably in all patients after treatment. The factors that negatively influenced nutritional recovery were higher age at admission, suboptimal breastfeeding practices, low birth weight, longer hospital stays, younger maternal age and overcrowded housing.

Conclusion

Combining inpatient recovery and outpatient preventive treatment was effective for undernourished children in Argentina.
Genetic stratification reveals COL4A variants and spontaneous remission in Egyptian children with proteinuria in the first 2 years of life
Authors: Elshafey Samar Atef , Thabet Mohamed Alaa Eldin Hassan , Abo Elwafa Reham Abdel Haleem , Schneider Ronen , Shril Shirlee , Buerger Florian , Hildebrandt Friedhelm , Fathy Hanan M
Published: February 2023

Aim

The earlier the onset of proteinuria, the higher the incidence of genetic forms. Therefore, we aimed to analyse the spectrum of monogenic proteinuria in Egyptian children presenting at age <2 years.

Methods

The results of 27‐gene panel or whole‐exome sequencing were correlated with phenotype and treatment outcomes in 54 patients from 45 families.

Results

Disease‐causing variants were identified in 29/45 (64.4%) families. Mutations often occurred in three podocytopathy genes: NPHS1, NPHS2 and PLCE1 (19 families). Some showed extrarenal manifestations. Additionally, mutations were detected in 10 other genes, including novel variants of OSGEP, SGPL1 and SYNPO2. COL4A variants phenocopied isolated steroid‐resistant nephrotic syndrome (2/29 families, 6.9%). NPHS2 M1L was the single most common genetic finding beyond the age of 3 months (4/18 families, 22.2%). Biopsy results did not correlate with genotypes (n = 30). On renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system antagonists alone, partial and complete remission occurred in 3/24 (12.5%) patients with monogenic proteinuria each, whereas 6.3% (1/16) achieved complete remission on immunosuppression.

Conclusion

Genotyping is mandatory to avoid biopsies and immunosuppression when proteinuria presents at age <2 years. Even with such a presentation, COL4A genes should be included. NPHS2 M1L was prevalent in Egyptian children (4 months–2 years) with proteinuria, demonstrating precision diagnostic utility.
Empathy and parenthood: The moderating role of maternal trait empathy on parental burnout
Authors: Kadosh‐Laor Tamar , Israeli‐Ran Liat , Shalev Ido , Uzefovsky Florina
Published: February 2023

The ability to empathize with others enables us to effectively interact with each other and may have specifically evolved to support parental roles and caregiving. The relationship between parenting and trait empathy is little understood as previous research focused on empathy exclusively in the context of parenting, for example parental sensitivity. Here we aimed to understand how trait empathy may moderate the association between child's negative emotionality and parental burnout. Two cohorts were examined (1) parents of infants (10–18 months old; N = 203) and (2) parents of children (3–10 years old, N = 201). Parents filled out a battery of online questionnaires assessing maternal empathy, parental burnout and child temperament. We found that the relationship between higher levels of negative emotionality and parental burnout is moderated by specific aspects of maternal emotional empathy. Our findings suggest that maternal emotional empathy acts as a buffer against parental burnout when faced with a child's characteristics that incur higher parental demands.
Mealtimes in the context of poverty: Comparison of ECEC services providing food and those requiring food provided from home
Authors: Searle Bonnie , Staton Sally , Littlewood Robyn , Thorpe Karen
Published: February 2023

Background

In developed economies, most children attend Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services before school entry, many from early life and across long days. For this reason, ECEC services present significant potential to provide food environments that positively influence eating behaviours and food preferences with attendant effect on life course trajectories of health and wellbeing. Yet there is evidence that feeding practices that limit optimal ongoing nutrition, such as pressure and restriction, are amplified in ECEC services serving disadvantaged communities. We sought to identify underlying explanatory mechanisms through observation of children's feeding experiences and educator explanations comparing, family‐provided and service‐provided meals.

Method

This study used qualitative analyses of educator interviews and observation records from 55 mealtimes in 10 ECEC services: 5 providing food and 5 requiring family food provision.

Results

High levels of concern drove educator's controlling feeding practices at mealtimes but presented differently across meal provision modes. In centres that provided food, educators' concern focused on food variety, manifesting in pressure to ‘try’ foods. In centres requiring family‐provided food, concern focused on nutrition quantity and quality and manifested as control of order of food consumption and pacing of intake to ensure food lasted across the day. Interview data suggested that conflict aversion limited optimal nutrition. In centres providing food, this was seen in menus that prioritized child food preferences. In centres requiring family meal provision, conflict aversion was seen as reticence to discuss lunchbox contents with families.

Conclusion

The findings direct attention to public health intervention. Currently, ECEC face significant barriers to realizing their potential to support child nutrition and establish positive life course trajectories of nutrition. To do so requires targeted supports that enable sufficient supply and quality of food in the context of poverty.
Two new cases with novel pathogenic variants reflecting the clinical diversity of Schaaf‐Yang syndrome
Authors: Alavanda Ceren , Arslan Ateş Esra , Yavaş Abalı Zehra , Geçkinli Bilgen Bilge , Turan Serap , Arman Ahmet
Published: February 2023

Schaaf‐Yang syndrome (SHFYNG) is a rare pleiotropic disorder, characterized by hypotonia, joint contractures, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and developmental delay/intellectual disability. Although it shares some common features with Prader‐Willi Syndrome, joint contractures, and ASD were more commonly detected in in this syndrome. Recently, it was shown that truncating variants in the paternal allele of the MAGEL2 gene cause SHFYNG. Here, we present two patients diagnosed with SHFYNG syndrome having two different novel truncating variants in the MAGEL2 gene, one paternally inherited and one de novo. One patient had obesity, brachydactyly and dysmorphic features, and the other patient presented with contractures, severe hypotonia and early death. This is the first report of Turkish SHFYNG syndrome cases presented to emphasize the phenotypic diversity of the syndrome.
Nine decades of electrocorticography: A comparison between epidural and subdural recordings
Authors: Branco Mariana P. , Geukes Simon H. , Aarnoutse Erik J. , Ramsey Nick F. , Vansteensel Mariska J.
Published: February 2023

In recent years, electrocorticography (ECoG) has arisen as a neural signal recording tool in the development of clinically viable neural interfaces. ECoG electrodes are generally placed below the dura mater (subdural) but can also be placed on top of the dura (epidural). In deciding which of these modalities best suits long‐term implants, complications and signal quality are important considerations. Conceptually, epidural placement may present a lower risk of complications as the dura is left intact but also a lower signal quality due to the dura acting as a signal attenuator. The extent to which complications and signal quality are affected by the dura, however, has been a matter of debate. To improve our understanding of the effects of the dura on complications and signal quality, we conducted a literature review. We inventorized the effect of the dura on signal quality, decodability and longevity of acute and chronic ECoG recordings in humans and non‐human primates. Also, we compared the incidence and nature of serious complications in studies that employed epidural and subdural ECoG. Overall, we found that, even though epidural recordings exhibit attenuated signal amplitude over subdural recordings, particularly for high‐density grids, the decodability of epidural recorded signals does not seem to be markedly affected. Additionally, we found that the nature of serious complications was comparable between epidural and subdural recordings. These results indicate that both epidural and subdural ECoG may be suited for long‐term neural signal recordings, at least for current generations of clinical and high‐density ECoG grids.
A review of cellular and molecular mechanisms in endocrinopathic, sepsis‐related and supporting limb equine laminitis
Authors: Elliott Jonathan , Bailey Simon R.
Published: February 2023

Equine laminitis has both fascinated and frustrated veterinary researchers and clinicians for many years. The recognition that many ponies suffering from pasture‐associated laminitis have an insulin‐dysregulated phenotype (endocrinopathic laminitis, EL) and that prolonged insulin and glucose infusions can experimentally induce laminar pathology and functional failure are seminal discoveries in this field. Researchers have studied the molecular basis for disease pathogenesis in models of EL, sepsis‐related laminitis and supporting limb laminitis and generated much data over the last 15 years. This review attempts to synthesise those data, drawing comparisons between models and naturally occurring laminitis. A hypothesis is proposed that the basal epithelial cell stress is a central event in each category of laminitis. Furthermore, in naturally occurring pasture‐associated laminitis, pathways that predominate in each type of laminitis contribute to laminar lamellar pathology to varying extents. Based on the molecular mechanisms determined in experimental models, interactions between these pathways are identified.
Revisiting a central prediction of the Gill Oxygen Limitation Theory: Gill area index and growth performance
Authors: Bigman Jennifer S. , Wegner Nicholas C. , Dulvy Nicholas K.
Published: February 2023

The Gill Oxygen Limitation Theory (GOLT) posits that a mismatch in oxygen supply and demand stemming from geometric constraints on gill surface area limits metabolic rate and energy available for biological processes. This theory has been suggested to explain numerous phenomena observed with warming yet is based upon a relationship among maximum size, growth, and gill surface area established over 40 years ago. However, the metric used in this relationship to characterize gill surface area, gill area index, fails to capture the known variability in the scaling of gill surface area and is biased by the sizes at which gills were measured. Here, we revisit a central prediction of the GOLT, asking four key questions that examine limitations in the original relationship. We find that gill area index does indeed explain variation in growth performance across 132 species of fish and this relationship is strikingly similar to the original relationship across 42 species. Yet, we argue that gill area index is not an adequate measure of gill surface area because (1) gill surface area has a non‐linear relationship with size and, thus, changes ontogenetically as an individual grows over time and (2) because it is based on mean estimates of both gill surface area and body mass. Indeed, we show that the value of gill area index for a given species is variable depending on how it is calculated. We therefore suggest a pathway forward for assessing whether gill surface area is an important factor in explaining variation in growth performance.
Soil carbon stocks in stable tropical landforms are dominated by geochemical controls and not by land use
Authors: Reichenbach Mario , Fiener Peter , Hoyt Alison , Trumbore Susan , Six Johan , Doetterl Sebastian
Published: February 2023

Soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics depend on soil properties derived from the geoclimatic conditions under which soils develop and are in many cases modified by land conversion. However, SOC stabilization and the responses of SOC to land use change are not well constrained in deeply weathered tropical soils, which are dominated by less reactive minerals than those in temperate regions. Along a gradient of geochemically distinct soil parent materials, we investigated differences in SOC stocks and SOC (Δ14C) turnover time across soil profile depth between montane tropical forest and cropland situated on flat, non‐erosive plateau landforms. We show that SOC stocks and soil Δ14C patterns do not differ significantly with land use, but that differences in SOC can be explained by the physicochemical properties of soils. More specifically, labile organo‐mineral associations in combination with exchangeable base cations were identified as the dominating controls over soil C stocks and turnover. We argue that due to their long weathering history, the investigated tropical soils do not provide enough reactive minerals for the stabilization of C input in either high input (tropical forest) or low‐input (cropland) systems. Since these soils exceeded their maximum potential for the mineral related stabilization of SOC, potential positive effects of reforestation on tropical SOC storage are most likely limited to minor differences in topsoil without major impacts on subsoil C stocks. Hence, in deeply weathered soils, increasing C inputs may lead to the accumulation of a larger readily available SOC pool, but does not contribute to long‐term SOC stabilization.
Climate warming has direct and indirect effects on microbes associated with carbon cycling in northern lakes
Authors: Winder Johanna C. , Braga Lucas P. P. , Kuhn McKenzie A. , Thompson Lauren M. , Olefeldt David , Tanentzap Andrew J.
Published: February 2023

Northern lakes disproportionately influence the global carbon cycle, and may do so more in the future depending on how their microbial communities respond to climate warming. Microbial communities can change because of the direct effects of climate warming on their metabolism and the indirect effects of climate warming on groundwater connectivity from thawing of surrounding permafrost, especially at lower landscape positions. Here we used shotgun metagenomics to compare the taxonomic and functional gene composition of sediment microbes in 19 peatland lakes across a 1600‐km permafrost transect in boreal western Canada. We found microbes responded differently to the loss of regional permafrost cover than to increases in local groundwater connectivity. These results suggest that both the direct and indirect effects of climate warming, which were respectively associated with loss of permafrost and subsequent changes in groundwater connectivity interact to change microbial composition and function. Archaeal methanogens and genes involved in all major methanogenesis pathways were more abundant in warmer regions with less permafrost, but higher groundwater connectivity partly offset these effects. Bacterial community composition and methanotrophy genes did not vary with regional permafrost cover, and the latter changed similarly to methanogenesis with groundwater connectivity. Finally, we found an increase in sugar utilization genes in regions with less permafrost, which may further fuel methanogenesis. These results provide the microbial mechanism for observed increases in methane emissions associated with loss of permafrost cover in this region and suggest that future emissions will primarily be controlled by archaeal methanogens over methanotrophic bacteria as northern lakes warm. Our study more generally suggests that future predictions of aquatic carbon cycling will be improved by considering how climate warming exerts both direct effects associated with regional‐scale permafrost thaw and indirect effects associated with local hydrology.
Wnt signalling in the articular cartilage: A matter of balance
Authors: Gill Amandeep Kaur , McCormick Peter J. , Sochart David , Nalesso Giovanna
Published: February 2023

Degradation of the articular cartilage is a hallmark of osteoarthritis, a progressive and chronic musculoskeletal condition, affecting millions of people worldwide. The activation of several signalling cascades is altered during disease development: among them, the Wnt signalling plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Increasing evidence is showing that its activation needs to be maintained within a certain range to avoid the triggering of degenerative mechanisms. In this review, we summarise our current knowledge about how a balanced activation of the Wnt signalling is maintained in the articular cartilage, with a particular focus on receptor‐mediated mechanisms.