bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The sulfated peptide CLEL6 is a negative regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis inArabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Bühler Eric , Fahrbach Elisa , Schaller Andreas , Stührwohldt Nils
Published: November 2022

Post-translationally modified peptides are now recognized as important regulators of plant stress responses. Here we identified the small sulfated CLE-LIKE6 (CLEL6) peptide as a negative regulator of stress-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis. The expression ofCLEL6and its negative effect on anthocyanin biosynthesis were strongly down-regulated by light. The function of CLEL6 depends on proteolytic processing of the CLEL6 precursor by the subtilisin-like serine proteinase 6.1 (SBT6.1), and on tyrosine sulfation by tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase (TPST). Loss of function mutants of eithersbt6.1ortpstshowed significantly higher anthocyanin accumulation upon light stress. The overaccumulation phenotype ofsbt6.1andtpstwas suppressed by application of mature CLEL6. Further confirming the role of CLEL6 as an inhibitor of anthocyanin biosynthesis, overexpression and external application of CLEL6 inhibited the expression of genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis in etiolated and light-stressed seedlings. Small post-translationally modified peptides are known to be perceived by leucine-rich-repeat receptor like kinases. Through a genetic approach, using a ROOT MERISTEM GROWTH FACTOR 1 INSENSITIVE (RGI) receptor quintuple mutant, we could show the essential function of the RGI receptor family in CLEL6 signaling. Our data indicate that CLEL6 inhibits anthocyanin biosynthesis through RGI receptors in dark-grown seedlings, and that this inhibition is released when CLEL6 expression is down-regulated upon transition to light.

One sentence summary

The formation of CLEL6 as a negative regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis depends on proteolytic processing by SBT6.1, post-translational modification by TPST, and perception by RGI receptors.
Analysis of the polar residues located at the head domain of focal adhesion protein vinculin under the presence of theShigellaeffector IpaA and its possible implications duringin vivomechanotransduction
Authors: Cocom-Chan Benjamin , Khakzad Hamed , Valencia-Gallardo Cesar , Van Nhieu Guy Tran
Published: November 2022

Vinculin is a protein associated to linking adhesion receptors facing the outside of cells and reinforcing them by linking it’s intracellular domain of those receptors or, in the case of Cell-Matrix adhesions, to bind to a first level adaptor protein such as talin. The structural organization of vinculin allows it to bind on one part to specific amphipathic motifs collectively designated as vinculin binding sites (VBS), to a set of different vinculin coactivators or actin regulators, and finally a domain responsible to constantly bind to F-actin in a catch bond manner. However, the ability of vinculin to effectively bind all of those intracellular partners, is highly dependent on its structural organization. Which is critically dependent on its ability to respond to mechanical tension on the molecule itself and not necessarily to its binding capacity to VBSs and complementary activators. This is recognized as the combinatorial model of activation. Nonetheless, Shigella’s IpaA effector protein is able to mimic the conformational changes associated with the ones associated with the mechanical deformation of the molecule. This model of vinculin activation is designated as the non-combinatorial model, as the presence of a single activation-partner is enough to get the same effect. This work is devoted to dig in further to develop the previous work from this lab, as we have been able to characterize thein vitroandin vivoeffects of Shigella’s IpaA-Cterm region as the one responsible for both inducing conformational changes in solution, as well as the formation of super-stable adhesion, associated to maturity markers as VASP and alpha actinin. Additionally the IpaA-Cterm transfection renders those cells with the ability to maintain the adhesion structures stable and even resist the action of actomyosin relaxing molecules. Which renders them as mechanically-independent adhesions. We found that residue substitution at the surface of D1 and D2 interphase, (as well as residues maintaining the D2 domain helical bundles folded), might participate in the maintaining the structural integrity and interdomain interaction during force dependent as revealed by its ability to form protein complexes in vitro and under force-independent settings, as the morphology of cellular adhesions is altered in a way different from the previously reported targeting only the D1-D5 interaction.
Anticodon sequence determines the impact of mistranslating tRNAAlavariants
Authors: Cozma Ecaterina , Rao Megha , Dusick Madison , Genereaux Julie , Rodriguez-Mias Ricard A. , Villén Judit , Brandl Christopher J. , Berg Matthew D.
Published: November 2022

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) maintain translation fidelity through accurate charging by their cognate aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and codon:anticodon base pairing with the mRNA at the ribosome. Mistranslation occurs when an amino acid not specified by the genetic message is incorporated into proteins and has applications in biotechnology, therapeutics and is relevant to disease. Since the alanyl-tRNA synthetase uniquely recognizes a G3:U70 base pair in tRNAAlaand the anticodon plays no role in charging, tRNAAlavariants with anticodon mutations have the potential to mis-incorporate alanine. Here, we characterize the impact of the 60 non-alanine tRNAAlaanticodon variants on the growth ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae. Overall, 36 tRNAAlaanticodon variants decreased growth in single-or multi-copy. Mass spectrometry analysis of the cellular proteome revealed that 52 of 57 anticodon variants, not decoding alanine or stop codons, induced mistranslation when on single-copy plasmids. Variants with G/C rich anticodons resulted in larger growth deficits than A/U rich variants. In most instances, synonymous anticodon variants impact growth differently, with anticodons containing U at base 34 being the least impactful. For anticodons generating the same amino acid substitution, reduced growth generally correlated with the abundance of detected mistranslation events. Differences in decoding specificity, even between synonymous anticodons, resulted in each tRNAAlavariant mistranslating unique sets of peptides and proteins. We suggest that these differences in decoding specificity are also important in determining the impact of tRNAAlaanticodon variants.
Dynamic Interaction Learning and Multimodal Representation for Drug Response Prediction
Authors: Bi Yanguang , Zhou Mu , Hu Zhiqiang , Zhang Shaoting , Lyu Guofeng
Published: November 2022

Mining multimodal pharmaceutical data is crucial for in-silico drug candidate screening and discovery. A daunting challenge of integrating multimodal data is to enable dynamic feature modeling generalizable for real-world applications. Unlike conventional approaches using a simple concatenation with fixed parameters, in this paper, we develop a dynamic interaction learning network to adaptively integrate drug and different reactants on multimodal tasks towards robust drug response prediction. The primary objective of dynamic learning falls into two key aspects: at micro-level, we aim to dynamically search specific relational patterns on the whole reactant range for each drug-reactant pair; at macro-level, drug features can be used to adaptively correlate with different reactants. Extensive experiments demonstrate the validity of our approach in both drug protein interaction (DPI) and cancer drug response (CDR) tasks. Our approach achieves superior performance on both DPI (AUC = 0.967) and CDR (AUC = 0.932) tasks, outperforming competitive baselines from four real-world, drug-outcome datasets. In addition, the performance on the challenging blind subsets is remarkably improved, where AUC value increases from 0.843 to 0.937 on blind protein set of DPI task, and Pearson’s correlation value increases from 0.516 to 0.566 on blind drug set of CDR task. A series of case studies highlight the potential generalization and interpretability of dynamic learning in the in-silico drug response assessment.
Inhibition of myeloperoxidase attenuates thoracic aortic aneurysm formation in Marfan disease
Authors: Mehrkens Dennis , Nettersheim Felix Sebastian , Ballmann Felix , Bastigkeit Jil , Brückner Alexander , Dohr Johannes , Geissen Simon , De Vore Lauren , Schelemei Patrik , Picard Felix Ruben , Kochen Malte , Braumann Simon , Kreuzberg Wiebke , Hof Alexander , Guthoff Henning , Brandtner Adrian , Mensah Benedicta Quaye , Groenink Maarten , van Andel Mitzi , Mieremet Arnout , Pfeiler Susanne , Gerdes Norbert , Flögel Ulrich , Zimmermann Laura-Maria , Sengle Gerhard , Eich Marie-Lisa , Schömig-Mariefka Birgid , Adam Matti , Fleischmann Bernd K , Wenzel Daniela , de Waard Vivian , Klinke Anna , Baldus Stephan , Mollenhauer Martin , Winkels Holger
Published: November 2022

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is the most prevalent inherited connective tissue disorder, still remains uncurable, and is characterized by high mortality at early age driven by dissection and rupture of thoracic aortic aneurysms. MFS is caused by mutations in the fibrillin-1 gene and aberrant TGFß signaling.

Here we addressed whether myeloperoxidase (MPO), a leukocyte derived enzyme with potent matrix modulating properties also influences the aortic phenotype in MFS.

MFS patients displayed increased circulating MPO levels compared to controls as well as marked aortic MPO deposition. In an MFS mouse model, MPO induced inflammatory endothelial activation and endothelial to mesenchymal transition which triggered aortic leukocyte recruitment. Moreover, MPO directly contributed to adverse extracellular matrix remodeling by promoting oxidative stress and nitration of proteins within the vascular wall. Genetic MPO deficiency and pharmacological MPO inhibition attenuated MFS-related aneurysm formation. We herein identify MPO as a critical mediator of MFS-related thoracic aortic aneurysm formation and - in the absence of any pharmacological treatment so far in this disease - a first anti-inflammatory target to modulate disease progression.
scCDC: a computational method for gene-specific contamination detection and correction in single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-seq data
Authors: Wang Weijian , Cen Yihui , Lu Zezhen , Xu Yueqing , Sun Tianyi , Xiao Ying , Liu Wanlu , Li Jingyi Jessica , Wang Chaochen
Published: November 2022

In droplet-based single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) and single-nucleus RNA-seq (snRNA-seq) assays, systematic contamination of ambient RNA molecules biases the estimation of genuine transcriptional levels. To correct the contamination, several computational methods have been developed. However, these methods do not distinguish the contamination-causing genes and thus either under- or over-corrected the contamination in our in-house snRNA-seq data of virgin and lactating mammary glands. Hence, we developed scCDC as the first method that specifically detects the contamination-causing genes and only corrects the expression counts of these genes. Benchmarked against existing methods on synthetic and real scRNA-seq and snRNA-seq datasets, scCDC achieved the best contamination correction accuracy with minimal data alteration. Moreover, scCDC applies to processed scRNA-seq and snRNA-seq data with empty droplets removed. In conclusion, scCDC is a flexible, accurate decontamination method that detects the contamination-causing genes, corrects the contamination, and avoids the over-correction of other genes.
PRESGENE: A web server for PRediction of ESsential GENE using integrative machine learning strategies
Authors: Nandi Sutanu , Panditrao Gauri , Ganguli Piyali , Sarkar Ram Rup
Published: November 2022

Study of essential genes in disease-causing organisms has wide application in the prediction of therapeutic targets and exploring different clinical strategies. Predicting gene essentiality for large set of genes in non-model, less explored organisms is challenging. Computational methods that use machine learning (ML)-based strategies are popularly adopted for essential gene prediction as they provide key advantage of considering diverse biological features. Previous works from our group have demonstrated two ML-based pipelines for predicting essential genes with high accuracy that mitigates the problems of sufficient labeled imbalanced dataset and limited labeled datasets of essential genes. Here we present PRESGENE athttps://presgene.ncl.res.in, a ML-based web server for prediction of essential genes in unexplored eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. Our algorithms mitigate the problems of training dataset imbalance and limited availability of experimentally labeled data for essential genes. PRESGENE with its user-friendly web interface and high accuracy will prove to be a seamless experience for biologists looking for an accurate essential gene prediction server with limited labeled data for novel organisms.
The Sino-African higher education exchange: toward building a literature
Authors: Bouchaib Chkaif
Published: November 2022

Purpose

This paper intends to provide a thematic literature review of the scholarly research articles orbiting the Sino–African education cooperation and exchange, published between 2005 and 2022.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology used in this paper is qualitative in nature with a thematic approach. The author used content analysis techniques to spotlight the major themes of the topic studied. The author selected the papers and theses, based on their heuristic capacity, from two major databases for the English and Chinese literature: Web of Science and CNKI. The selection process resulted in 60 high-quality peer-reviewed articles and theses. Another 30 research articles and theses were used as supplementary resources.

Findings

The literature concentrates on six points: the historical development, the nature of the exchange, the frameworks of the cooperation, vocational training and knowledge transfer, African students in China and their experiences, and education cooperation and soft power. However, research tends to be somewhat polemical rather than an academic debate between Chinese researchers and their western peers. Therefore, empirical studies beyond the geopolitical preoccupations and the “YEA” or “NAY” to the Sino–African education exchange are critically needed.

Practical implications

The implications of this study go beyond the east/west or developed/developing world rhetoric and focus more on sustainable educational development on a global scale. Understanding how the literature on the Sino–African education engagement is shaping, provides valuable insights into international education in the global south. It can also be implied to approach educational engagement with other destinations such as India, Türkiye and Brazil.

Originality/value

This thematic literature review concentrates on the educational aspect of Sino–African relations. It compares English and Chinese peer-reviewed scholarly articles and theses on China–Africa educational engagement and has heuristic implications for sustainable educational development globally.
An investigation of visual comprehension in memory for 360-degree video advertisements amongst adolescents
Authors: Jayawardena Nirma Sadamali , Ross Mitchell , Quach Sara , Grace Debra
Published: November 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate visual comprehension in memory for 360-degree video advertisements amongst adolescents under single and repeated viewing conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study explored visual comprehension in memory for 360-degree video advertisements using the theoretical assumptions of the social psychology theory of social information processing by Wyer (2003). The authors conducted two experiments over a timeline of three months. In the first experiment, participants watched the 360-degree video advertisement once, and after one week, the same set of participants watched the same advertisement again. The theoretical assumptions in the comprehension unit were used to design the experiments and to explore visual comprehension in memory for 360-degree video advertisements. The data were collected using surveys and interviews through an experimental research design approach. NVivo software was used to analyse the data.

Findings

This study found that while female participants were able to comprehend colours in the visuals better, male participants were better able to comprehend facial expressions presented in the visuals. Further, both female and male participants were able to comprehend locations within the advertisement visuals. It was found that participants understood the plot or the story of the advertisement better after the second viewing than after the first viewing.

Practical implications

The two main contributions from this study are as follows: from a theoretical perspective, the application of a social psychology theory for the advertising sector enables us to gather more insights about the social cognition stages of a human mindset such as information retrieval, judgement, decision making, goal stimulation and short- and long-term memory. In doing so, this study not only explored adolescents' visual comprehension memory of 360-degree video advertisements, but it also contributed to the theory of social information processing by Wyer (2003) by exploring consumer visual comprehension memory. From a practical perspective, the findings of this study provide a solid foundation for future advertising firms or agencies, marketers, and salespeople on how to design effective advertisements using 360-degree video versions in a way that appeals to consumer visual memory.

Originality/value

This paper can be considered as amongst the first studies which combine social psychology with advertising to investigate visual comprehension memory for 360-degree video advertisements amongst adolescents.
Resource Overall Equipment Cost Loss indicator to assess equipment performance and product cost
Authors: Stefana Elena , Cocca Paola , Fantori Federico , Marciano Filippo , Marini Alessandro
Published: November 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to overcome the inability of both comparing loss costs and accounting for production resource losses of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)-related approaches.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a literature review about the studies focusing on approaches combining OEE with monetary units and/or resource issues. The authors developed an approach based on Overall Equipment Cost Loss (OECL), introducing a component for the production resource consumption of a machine. A real case study about a smart multicenter three-spindle machine is used to test the applicability of the approach.

Findings

The paper proposes Resource Overall Equipment Cost Loss (ROECL), i.e. a new KPI expressed in monetary units that represents the total cost of losses (including production resource ones) caused by inefficiencies and deviations of the machine or equipment from its optimal operating status occurring over a specific time period. ROECL enables to quantify the variation of the product cost occurring when a machine or equipment changes its health status and to determine the actual product cost for a given production order. In the analysed case study, the most critical production orders showed an actual production cost about 60% higher than the minimal cost possible under the most efficient operating conditions.

Originality/value

The proposed approach may support both production and cost accounting managers during the identification of areas requiring attention and representing opportunities for improvement in terms of availability, performance, quality, and resource losses.
Does internal control contribute to quality management in higher education institutions? Indonesia's adoption experience of the COSO integrated framework
Authors: Sofyani Hafiez , Abu Hasan Haslida , Saleh Zakiah
Published: November 2022

Purpose

This study investigates internal control implementation contribution to quality management at higher education institutions (HEIs).

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed a qualitative method by conducting semi-structured interviews. The research respondents (interviewees) consisted of internal auditors, HEI management members and accreditation assessors of Indonesian HEIs. A total of 15 respondents were successfully interviewed to collect the data; 12 were from different HEIs, and 3 were from the HEI accreditation board.

Findings

This study deduced that internal control implementation could contribute to HEI quality management and improvement if integrated with other control policies, such as internal quality assurance, performance measurement systems and performance-based budgeting. By doing so, internal control corroborates total quality management (TQM) implementation within HEIs since it promotes employee empowerment and supervision, reduces budget wastage, increases the achievement of budget targets on output and outcome of programs and activities, enhances strategic and integrated system practices, provides reliable information for better decision-making, and promotes effective communication and coordination and good leadership culture.

Practical implications

The current study presents beneficial suggestions for HEI management on how internal control contributes to quality management at HEIs.

Originality/value

As suggested by Chalmers et al. (2019), most studies related to internal control were conducted in profit-oriented organisation settings, i.e. companies, and focused on their impact on economic aspects, such as profitability, cost efficiency and fraud mitigation. Meanwhile, internal control-related studies in the context of non-profit-oriented organisations, such as HEIs, and their role in non-economic aspects, in this case, the quality management in HEIs, is still lacking.
Interspecific and intraspecific trait variability differentially affect community‐weighted trait responses to and recovery from long‐term drought
Authors: Luo Wentao , Griffin‐Nolan Robert J. , Song Lin , Te Niwu , Chen Jiaqi , Shi Yuan , Muraina Taofeek O. , Wang Zhengwen , Smith Melinda D. , Yu Qiang , Knapp Alan K. , Han Xingguo , Collins Scott L.
Published: November 2022

Plant traits are useful proxies of plant strategies and can influence community and ecosystem responses to climate extremes, such as severe drought. Few studies, however, have investigated both the immediate and lagged effects of drought on community‐weighted mean (CWM) plant traits, with even less research on the relative roles of interspecific vs. intraspecific trait variability in such responses.

We experimentally reduced growing season precipitation by 66% in two cold‐semi‐arid grassland sites in northern China for four consecutive years to explore the drought resistance of CWM traits as well as their recovery 2 years following the drought. In addition, we isolated the effects of both interspecific and intraspecific trait variability on shifts in CWM traits.

At both sites, we observed significant effects of drought on interspecific and intraspecific trait variability which, in some cases, led to significant changes in CWM traits. For example, drought led to reduced CWM plant height and leaf phosphorous content, but increased leaf carbon content at both sites, with responses primarily due to intraspecific trait shifts. Surprisingly, these CWM traits recovered completely 2 years after the extreme drought. Intraspecific trait variability influenced CWM traits via both positive and negative covariation with interspecific trait variability during drought and recovery phases.

These findings highlight the important role of interspecific and intraspecific trait variability in driving the response and recovery of CWM traits following extreme, prolonged drought.

Read the freePlain Language Summaryfor this article on the Journal blog.
Genomic uncertainty and genetic counsellors' professional authority
Authors: Kaufman Rebecca , Timmermans Stefan , Raz Aviad
Published: November 2022

Genomic tests regularly produce Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUS), mutations of which currently little is known but may turn out to be disease‐causing. The communication of such variants in the United States is typically delegated to genetic counsellors. Based on in‐depth interviews, we examined this communication as an indicator of the genetic counsellor’s professional status: did they take a subordinate position by reporting out the results as provided by laboratories or did they assert professional authority by interpreting and possibly reducing the uncertainty of VUS results? We found that genetic counsellors put their professional spin on VUS results and they prepared patients for the full range of possible interpretations by normalising the existence of VUS results; intervened in the ecology of testing laboratories to stack the deck in favour of the expected results; and conducted their own research to reclassify a VUS. They marshalled organisational, technical, scientific and communication expertise to ease the sting of uncertainty but were ultimately limited by their role in the counselling encounter rather than in the basic research or laboratory community. We concluded that genetic counsellors use uncertainty to assert professional authority that interpreted genetic test results in light of the patient’s symptoms and risk profile and uncertainty tolerance.
PREFIGURATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE: Mobility, Citizenship, and the Agency of Objects
Authors: Thorpe Amelia
Published: November 2022

This article examines the unsanctioned installation of infrastructure for walking and cycling as a site of possibility. In contrast to accounts of everyday urbanism that see in these kinds of interventions possibilities for a politics in which the state subsides, I find instead an effort to reclaim the state for more progressive purposes. I focus on groups calling themselves transformation agencies and departments of transformation to argue that DIY infrastructure is deployed on city streets not as an effort to subvert or supplant city authorities, but instead as prefigurative performances of city–citizen relationships ‘as if’ they were otherwise. Exploiting the plurality and contingency of the state and its legal forms, objects are installed to show how quickly things could be different, and sometimes they succeed in prompting significant shifts. Through guerrilla paint and pop‐up posts, transformation agencies work prefiguratively to imagine and enact forms of citizenship that are not centred on automobility.
Saliva microRNA signature to diagnose endometriosis: A cost‐effectiveness evaluation of the Endotest®
Authors: Ferrier Clement , Bendifallah Sofiane , Suisse Stéphane , Dabi Yohann , Touboul Cyril , Puchar Anne , Zarca Kevin , Durand Zaleski Isabelle
Published: November 2022

Objective

To evaluate a saliva diagnostic test (Endotest®) for endometriosis compared with the conventional algorithm.

Design

A cost‐effectiveness analysis with a decision‐tree model based on literature data.

Setting

France.

Population

Women with chronic pelvic pain.

Methods

Strategy I is the French algorithm, representing the comparator. For strategy II, all patients have an Endotest®. For strategy III, patients undergo ultrasonography to detect endometrioma and patients with no endometrioma detected have an Endotest®. For strategy IV, patients with no endometrioma detected on ultrasonography undergo pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect endometrioma and/or deep endometriosis. An Endotest® is then performed for patients with a negative result on MRI.

Main outcomes measures

Costs and accuracy rates and incremental cost‐effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Three analyses were performed with an Endotest® priced at €500, €750, and €1000. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was conducted with Monte Carlo simulations.

Results

With an Endotest® priced at €750, the cost per correctly diagnosed case was €1542, €990, €919 and €1000, respectively, for strategies I, II, III and IV. Strategy I was dominated by all other strategies. Strategies IV, III and II were, respectively, preferred for a willingness‐to‐pay threshold below €473, between €473 and €4670, and beyond €4670 per correctly diagnosed case. At a price of €500 per Endotest®, strategy I was dominated by all other strategies. At €1000, the ICERs of strategies II and III were €724 and €387 per correctly diagnosed case, respectively, compared with strategy I.

Conclusion

The present study demonstrates the value of the Endotest® from an economic perspective.
Does maternal stature modify the association between infants who are small or large for gestational age and adverse perinatal outcomes? A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Yearwood Lauren , Bone Jeffrey N. , Wen Qi , Muraca Giulia M. , Lyons Janet , Razaz Neda , Joseph K. S. , Lisonkova Sarka
Published: November 2022

Objective

To investigate the effect of maternal stature on adverse birth outcomes and quantify perinatal risks associated with small‐ and large‐for‐gestational age infants (SGA and LGA, respectively) born to mothers of short, average, and tall stature.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

USA, 2016–2017.

Population

Women with a singleton live birth (N = 7 325 741).

Methods

Using data from the National Center for Health Statistics, short and tall stature were defined as <10th and >90th centile of the maternal height distribution. Modified Poisson regression was used to estimate adjusted risk ratios (aRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs).

Main outcome measures

Preterm birth (<37 weeks of gestation), neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission and severe neonatal morbidity/mortality (SNMM).

Results

With increased maternal height, the risk of adverse outcomes increased in SGA infants and decreased in LGA infants compared with infants appropriate‐for‐gestational age (AGA) (p < 0.001). Infants who were SGA born to women of tall stature had the highest risk of NICU admission (aRR 1.98, 95% CI 1.91–2.05; p < 0.001), whereas LGA infants born to women of tall stature had the lowest risk (aRR 0.85, 95% CI 0.82–0.88; p < 0.001), compared with AGA infants born to women of average stature. LGA infants born to women of short stature had an increased risk of NICU admission and SNMM, compared with AGA infants born to women of average stature (aRR 1.32, 95% CI 1.27–1.38; aRR 1.21, 95% CI 1.13–1.29, respectively).

Conclusions

Maternal height modifies the association between SGA and LGA status at birth and neonatal outcomes. This quantification of risk can assist healthcare providers in monitoring fetal growth, and optimising neonatal care and follow‐up.
Factors affecting clinic attendance for children referred with middle ear conditions
Authors: McLaren Holly , Kim Raymond , MacFater Wiremu , Neeff Michel , Jelicic Tanja , Douglas Richard
Published: November 2022

Background

Middle ear disease is common in children and, if untreated, can lead to long term complications. This study investigated whether ethnic or socioeconomic inequities existed among children referred to a tertiary regional paediatric ORL service.

Methods

All middle ear pathology related referrals to Starship Children's Hospital ORL service during 2018 and 2019 were reviewed. Online clinical records were accessed to collect demographic data and appointment outcomes. The relationships between ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age at referral and clinic attendance were analysed.

Results

A total of 1530 children were referred and 214 (14.0%) of these did not attend their scheduled appointments. Compared with the age of referral for European children, Māori children were referred on average 1.1 years older while Pasifika children were referred 2.4 years older. Compared to European children, Māori children were 4.3 times more likely to miss an appointment while Pasifika were 7.2 times more likely. Socioeconomic status had no significant effect on either age of referral or clinic attendance.

Conclusions

Māori and Pasifika children with middle ear disease are referred later and are more likely to miss outpatient clinic appointments. Pasifika children are affected more than Māori.
Duration of clinical symptoms in children with acute respiratory infection
Authors: Paalanne Niko , Honkila Minna , Mattila Suvi , Pokka Tytti , Renko Marjo , Tapiainen Terhi
Published: November 2022

Aim

To investigate duration of clinical symptoms associated with various respiratory viruses and with the co‐detection of respiratory viral and bacterial pathogens.

Methods

This prospective cohort study included 737 acutely ill children treated in a paediatric emergency department prior to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Nasal swab samples were analysed with multiplex PCR panels for 16 viral and 7 bacterial respiratory pathogens. Parents filled in a questionnaire about the symptoms at the time of the visit and 14 days afterwards.

Results

Persistent symptoms 2 weeks after the onset of acute illness were common: 32% of the patients with a coronavirus 229 E, NL63 or OC43 finding, 31% of those with human metapneumovirus and 25% of those with rhinovirus reported ongoing symptoms. At least one symptom lasting more than 4 weeks was observed in 3–4% of the children. Children with viral and bacterial co‐detection had a longer duration of fever than those with only viral detection (3.3 days [SD 2.8] vs. 1.6 days [SD 2.4], p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Symptoms lasting for more than 2 to 4 weeks appear to be relatively frequent in all respiratory viral infections in children. Viral and bacterial co‐detection may increase the duration of illness.
Re‐drawing the line: Work‐home boundary management profiles and their dynamics during the pandemic
Authors: Urbanavičiūtė Ieva , Lazauskaitė‐Zabielskė Jurgita , Žiedelis Arūnas
Published: November 2022

The present study investigates teleworker's work‐home boundary dynamics during the COVID‐19 lockdown and relates them to work‐related well‐being outcomes such as work engagement and exhaustion. Latent profile analyses were conducted in a sample of 375 employees using six boundary characteristics (i.e. work‐ and home‐directed flexibility‐ability, flexibility‐willingness, and boundary permeability) as profile indicators. Four profiles, interpreted as boundary management styles, were identified: home‐protective, work‐protective, segregative, and integrative. They were shaped by a set of demographic and work characteristics and were also subject to adjustments over time. Subsequent latent transition analyses revealed relatively high within‐person profile stability among employees with the integrative and segregative profiles, whereas those with the home‐ or work‐protective profile were likely to switch into the segregative profile four months later. In terms of employee outcomes, the identified boundary management profiles differentiated well between the initial levels of work engagement but not exhaustion. The integrators demonstrated the highest initial well‐being, but this profile was also associated with a significant loss of engagement. In addition, profile transition scenarios were associated with the dynamics of well‐being over time. Theoretical and practical implications for managing the work‐home interface during the pandemic and beyond are discussed based on these findings.
Association of the origin of contamination and species of microorganisms with short‐term survival in dogs with septic peritonitis
Authors: Uetsu Y , Houston D , Bailey C , Kilpatrick S
Published: November 2022

Objective

To assess the association between anatomical location of contamination and mortality in dogs with gastrointestinal and biliary origin of septic peritonitis.

Methods

Medical records at two private referral hospitals between 2003 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Cases were included if the origin of contamination was confirmed intraoperatively within the gastrointestinal or biliary tract. Cases were excluded if the dog died or was euthanized intraoperatively or where the data regarding the origin of contamination were not available. The association of anatomical origin with survival was assessed specifying the locations as stomach, small intestine, large intestine and biliary tract. The gastrointestinal tract origin was further subdivided into pylorus, nonpylorus, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum and colon.

Results

The overall survival rate was 75.9% (n = 44/58). There were no significant differences in survival among different anatomical origins of contaminations before or after subdivision (P = 0.349 and 0.832, respectively). Also, there was no association between isolated microorganism species in microbiological culture and the anatomical origin (P = 0.951) and the microorganism species was not associated with survival (P = 0.674).

Conclusions

There was no association between anatomical location of leakage, microorganism species and survival although further studies are warranted to analyse the relationships between anatomical leakage site and microorganism species as well as microorganism species and mortality.
Findings from an international survey of urology trainee experience with prostate biopsy
Authors: Brant Aaron , Campi Riccardo , Carrion Diego M. , Esperto Francesco , Sze Christina , Johnson Jeffrey P. , Hu Jim C. , Borregales Leonardo D. ,   ICE‐OUT (International Collaboration on Experiences and Opinions of Urology Trainees) Collaborators
Published: November 2022

Objective

To assess urology trainees' exposure to transperineal prostate biopsy (TP‐Bx) and intent to use TP‐Bx in practice.

Subjects and Methods

A 34‐question survey about prostate biopsy was distributed to urology trainees in the United States and Europe. Primary outcomes were exposure to TP‐Bx in training and intent to use TP‐Bx post training. Exposure to transrectal prostate biopsy (TR‐Bx) and magnetic resonance imaging‐targeted biopsy (MRI‐Bx) was also assessed. Survey answers were compared between groups as categorical variables using Fisher's exact test. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with intent of performing TP‐Bx post training.

Results

A total of 658 trainees from 19 countries completed the survey. Of these, 313 trainees (48%) reported exposure to TP‐Bx, 370 (56%) reported exposure to MRI‐Bx, and 572 (87%) reported exposure to TR‐Bx. There was significant heterogeneity in TP‐Bx exposure among countries (P < 0.001), with the highest prevalence in Italy (72%) and the lowest prevalence in Greece (4%). Intent to perform TP‐Bx post training was higher in those exposed to TP‐Bx during training (89% vs 58%; P < 0.001) and did not differ between trainees in postgraduate year (PGY) 1–3 vs those in PGY ≥4 (73% vs 72%; P = 0.7). On multivariable regression, exposure to TP‐Bx in training was independently associated with increased intent to perform TP‐Bx post training (odds ratio 5.09, 95% confidence interval 3.29–8.03; P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Fewer than half of 658 surveyed urology trainees reported exposure to TP‐Bx, with significant heterogeneity among countries. Greater experience with TP‐Bx in training was associated with greater intent to perform TP‐Bx post training. A minimum requirement of TP‐Bx cases during urological training may increase resident familiarity and adoption of this guideline‐endorsed prostate biopsy approach.
Variations in the reproductive cycle of Bornean montane tree species along elevational gradients on ultrabasic and non‐ultrabasic soils
Authors: Tsujii Yuki , Sakai Shoko , Ushio Masayuki , Aiba Shin‐ichiro , Kitayama Kanehiro
Published: November 2022

Although lowland tree species in the ever‐wet regions of Southeast Asia are characterized by the supra‐annual cycle of reproduction, the reproductive phenology of montane tree species remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the reproductive phenology of montane tree species using litter samples that were collected every 2 weeks from six rainforest sites, consisting of three elevations (1700, 2700, and 3100 m), on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo. At each elevation, one site was on infertile ultrabasic soil and one was on relatively fertile non‐ultrabasic soil. We used a composite sample from 10 or 20 litter traps per site and sorted it by species. Therefore, the obtained data captured reproductive phenology in the population of each species rather than in an individual tree. Ten‐year time series of flower and fruit litterfall were obtained for 30 and 39 tree species, respectively. Fourier analysis was used to identify the dominant cycle of each time series. The most abundant cycle across species was supra‐annual, followed by sub‐annual, and annual cycles. Many species at higher elevations showed supra‐annual cycles of flower litterfall, whereas species in the 1700 m sites often showed annual or sub‐annual cycles regardless of soil types. No systematic differences were found among sites for fruit litterfall. Mechanisms underlying these elevational patterns in reproductive cycle remain unclear but may include more severe El Niño droughts, lower primary productivity, lower soil fertility, and the absence of some sub‐annually or annually reproducing families at higher elevations.
Critical pedagogy of place to enhance ecological engagement activities
Authors: Cicchino Amanda S. , Weinberg Andrea E. , McMeeking Laura B. Sample , Balgopal Meena M.
Published: November 2022

Scientists in higher education institutions around the globe recognize the importance of engaging with public stakeholders to share their enthusiasm, explain their science, and encourage primary and secondary students to enter the sciences. However, without direct consideration of students’ and teachers’ perspectives and interests, scientists may design activities around their own goals, limiting the impact on school stakeholders (i.e., students, teachers, paraprofessional staff, students’ parents, and other caregivers). We drew from natural and social science research to describe how expanding the conception of place beyond the biophysical can help engage school stakeholders in meaningful ways. We describe the multidimensional PLACE framework that we developed to integrate perspectives, knowledge, and values of all stakeholders in engagement programming. The framework is organized around topics that stakeholders should discuss early on to ensure successful partnerships. We recommend that scientists identify and use pedagogy that is inclusive; language framed around dialogic communication methods; aims and motivations centered on engagement; cultural funds of knowledge of place (i.e., disciplinary, personal, or experiential knowledge); and evaluation of engagement based on meaningful metrics. Two case studies are presented to illustrate how the PLACE framework components, when addressed, can lead to robust, successful partnerships between scientists and schools.
Scenarios of change in the realized climatic niche of mountain carnivores and ungulates
Authors: Dragonetti Chiara , Mendez Angarita Valeria Y. , Di Marco Moreno
Published: November 2022

Mountains are among the natural systems most affected by climate change, and mountain mammals are considered particularly imperiled, given their high degree of specialization to narrow tolerance bands of environmental conditions. Climate change mitigation policies, such as the Paris Agreement, are essential to stem climate change impacts on natural systems. But how significant is the Paris Agreement to the survival of mountain mammals? We investigated how alternative emission scenarios may determine change in the realized climatic niche of mountain carnivores and ungulates in 2050. We based our predictions of future change in species niches based on how species have responded to past environmental changes, focusing on the probabilities of niche shrink and niche stability. We found that achieving the Paris Agreement's commitments would substantially reduce climate instability for mountain species. Specifically, limiting global warming to below 1.5°C would reduce the probability of niche shrinkage by 4% compared with a high‐emission scenario. Globally, carnivores showed greater niche shrinkage than ungulates, whereas ungulates were more likely to shift their niches (i.e., face a level of climate change that allows adaptation). Twenty‐three species threatened by climate change according to the IUCN Red List had greater niche contraction than other species we analyzed (3% higher on average). We therefore argue that climate mitigation policies must be coupled with rapid species‐specific conservation intervention and sustainable land‐use policies to avoid high risk of loss of already vulnerable species.
Reliability of social media data in monitoring the global pet trade in ants
Authors: Gippet Jérôme M. W. , Sherpa Zoé , Bertelsmeier Cleo
Published: November 2022

The global pet trade is a major risk to biodiversity and humans and has become increasingly globalized, diversified, digitalized, and extremely difficult to control. With billions of internet users posting online daily, social media could be a powerful surveillance tool. But it is unknown how reliably social media can track the global pet trade. We tested whether Instagram data predicted the geographic distribution of pet stores and the taxonomic composition of traded species in the emerging pet trade in ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). We visited 138 online stores selling ants as pets worldwide and recorded the species traded. We scraped ∼38,000 Instagram posts from ∼6300 users referencing ants as pets and analyzed comments on post and geolocation (available for ∼1800 users). We tested whether the number of Instagram users predicted the number of ant sellers per country and whether the species referenced as pets on Instagram matched the species offered in online stores, with a particular focus on invasive species. The location of Instagram users referencing ants as pets predicted the location of ant sellers across the globe (R2 = 0.87). Instagram data detected 439 of the 631 ant species traded in online stores (70%), including 59 of the 68 invasive species traded (87%). The number of Instagram users referencing a species was a good predictor of the number of sellers offering the species (R2 = 0.77). Overall, Instagram data provided affordable and reliable data for monitoring the emerging pet trade in ants. Easier access to these data would facilitate monitoring of the global pet trade and help implement relevant regulations in a timely manner.