bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation of mechanical and fracture behavior of pure and carbon fiber reinforced ABS samples processed by fused filament fabrication process
Authors: Boğa Cem
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), as a light and high strength thermoplastic polymer, has found extensive applications in different industries. Fused filament fabrication, known as three-dimensional (3D) printing technique is considered a rapid prototyping technique that is frequently applied for production of samples of ABS material. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanical and fracture behavior of such materials and the techniques to improve such properties.

Design/methodology/approach

Experimental and numerical analyses have been conducted to investigate the effects of internal architecture and chopped carbon fiber (CF) fillers on the mechanical properties and mixed mode fracture behavior of the ABS samples made by 3D printing technique. Four different filling types at 70% filling ratios have been used to produce tensile and special fracture test samples with pure and CF filled ABS filaments (CF-ABS) using 3D process. A special fixture has been developed to apply mixed mode loading on fracture samples, and finite element analyses have been conducted to determine the geometric function of such samples at different loading angles.

Findings

It has been determined that the printing pattern has a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the sample. The addition of 15% CF to pure ABS resulted in a significant increase in tensile strength of 46.02% for line filling type and 15.04% for hexagon filling type. It has been determined that as the loading angle increases from 0° to 90°, the KIC value decreases. The addition of 15% CF increased the KIC values for hexagonal and line filling type by 64.14% and 12.5%, respectively.

Originality/value

The damage that will occur in ABS samples produced in 3D printers depends on the type, amount, filling speed, filling type, filling ratio, filling direction and mechanical properties of the additives. All these features are clearly dependent on the production method. Even if the same additive is used, the production method difference shows different microstructural parameters, especially different mechanical properties.
An empirical examination of the effects of demographic groups on socially responsible consumption behaviour
Authors: Azamussan Syed , Shanmugam Munuswamy
Published: June 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of demographic groups (i.e. gender groups, marital status groups, age groups, income groups, experience groups, education groups and occupation groups) on socially responsible consumption (hereafter SRC) behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was carried out in Chennai city, the capital of Tamil Nadu state of India. A total of 214 responses were collected during the survey. The respondents were the university staff composed of lecturer/professor, lab instructor, admin staff and support staff. A socially responsible purchase and disposal scale has been used to measure SRC behaviour amongst consumers. The convenience sampling technique was used for data collection. Independent-samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques were used for hypotheses testing.

Findings

Factor analyses confirmed the multidimensional structure of the SRC construct with the following axes: firms’ internal corporate social responsibility (hereafter CSR) performance, firms’ external CSR performance, firms’ environmental CSR performance and consumers’ personal social responsibility. In addition, this study found that demographic groups have no effects on SRC behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

The current research will be a step forward to a richer and more inclusive understanding of the effects of demographic groups on SRC behaviour.

Practical implications

This study would help managers to understand consumer markets, formulate strategy and develop sustainable products.

Originality/value

This study is amongst the few attempted to examine the effects of demographic groups on SRC behaviour amongst consumers. This research endeavoured to validate the multidimensional nature of the SRC construct.
Why do organizations share their most important capital? The provision of an open innovation model based on human capital
Authors: Sahami Elham , Safari Ali , Ansari Reza , Shaemi Barzoki Ali
Published: June 2021

Purpose

In this study, an open innovation (OI) model was designed in which the organization’s human resource systems comprise the main core. To identify the various dimensions of the model, this study aims to investigate how and under what conditions the organizations update and upgrade their knowledge and experiences in the human capital (HC) systems domain within the OI framework and in line with sharing them with other organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

In this qualitative study, the data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews and analyzed through grounded theory, which led to the extraction of the final model.

Findings

The implementation of the HC-based OI helps upgrade knowledge in the organization and industry knowledge, create win-win relationships and increase the interaction capital, power and credit of the organization.

Originality/value

In this study, HC systems have been regarded as the core of the OI model (rather than an intervening factor in OI). This is the main innovative aspect of the current study. In addition, the special attention paid to the inside-out approach to OI and the examination of the human and social aspects of inter-organizational knowledge sharing – particularly in the light of the fact that the study was carried out in a developing country – are the other innovative aspects of this study.
Flood‐stimulated herbivory drives range retraction of a plant ecosystem
Authors: Rocca Camila , Daleo Pedro , Nuñez Jesús , Silliman Brian R. , Iribarne Oscar , Angelini Christine , Alberti Juan
Published: June 2021

Climate change is generating extreme climate events, affecting ecosystem integrity and function directly through increases in abiotic stress and disturbance and indirectly through changes in the strength of biotic interactions. As consumers play an essential role in ecosystem functioning and have been shown to be highly sensitive to climate conditions, improved understanding of their role under changing environmental conditions is necessary to accurately anticipate climate change impacts on ecosystem integrity.

We evaluated if prolonged periods of extreme rain, a climatic event increasing in severity in many places around the world, and coincident increases in coastal flooding duration intensify consumer control of foundational salt marsh grass structure and quantify the consequences of flooding–consumer interactions on salt marsh range extent. To achieve this, we analysed: historic trends in crab grazing; crab numbers and activity in and out of rainy years on the low marsh edge; vegetation retreat from the low marsh edge at a plot scale in a manipulative exclosure experiment; vegetation retreat at a landscape‐scale from drone image analyses; and the vertical erosion in the lowest edge of an Argentinean salt marsh.

During flooded periods, crabs congregated in the low marsh, resulting in localized overgrazing of salt marsh grass and the rapid horizontal retreat of the marsh edge (98.5 cm on average). Salt marsh edge retreat resulted in a loss of ~4.5% of the total marsh area at the landscape scale. Inside crab exclusion plots, although grass cover declined slightly during the study period, the marsh edge did not retreat.

Synthesis. This study provides experimental evidence that an extreme climate event can destabilize a local consumer–prey interaction, indirectly triggering the range contraction of a critical coastal habitat. This work contributes to a growing body of research demonstrating that consumers can be unleashed, rather than suppressed, by extreme climatic events. Moreover, in cases where consumer fronts form during such events, the result can be not only local (along habitat edges) but also landscape‐scale extinction of foundation species and the habitats they biogenically create. Together, this supports the general idea that models of future climate scenarios integrate the indirect effects on ecosystem‐regulating food web interactions.
Bacterial responses to background organic pollutants in the northeast subarctic Pacific Ocean
Authors: Martinez‐Varela Alícia , Cerro‐Gálvez Elena , Auladell Adrià , Sharma Shalabh , Moran Mary Ann , Kiene Ronald P. , Piña Benjamí , Dachs Jordi , Vila‐Costa Maria
Published: June 2021

Thousands of man‐made synthetic chemicals are released to oceans and compose the anthropogenic dissolved organic carbon (ADOC). Little is known about the effects of this chronic pollution on marine microbiome activities. In this study, we measured the pollution level at three sites in the Northeast Subarctic Pacific Ocean (NESAP) and investigated how mixtures of three model families of ADOC at different environmentally relevant concentrations affected naturally occurring marine bacterioplankton communities' structure and metabolic functioning. The offshore northernmost site (North) had the lowest concentrations of hydrocarbons, as well as organophosphate ester plasticizers, contrasting with the two other continental shelf sites, the southern coastal site (South) being the most contaminated. At North, ADOC stimulated bacterial growth and promoted an increase in the contribution of some Gammaproteobacteria groups (e.g. Alteromonadales) to the 16 rRNA pool. These groups are described as fast responders after oil spills. In contrast, minor changes in South microbiome activities were observed. Gene expression profiles at Central showed the coexistence of ADOC degradation and stress‐response strategies to cope with ADOC toxicities. These results show that marine microbial communities at three distinct domains in NESAP are influenced by background concentrations of ADOC, expanding previous assessments for polar and temperate waters.
Social Prescribing in National Health Service Primary Care: What Are the Ethical Considerations?
Authors: BROWN REBECCA C.H. , MAHTANI KAMAL , TURK AMADEA , TIERNEY STEPHANIE
Published: June 2021

Policy Points

Social prescribing is proposed as a way of improving patients’ health and well‐being by attending to their non‐clinical needs. This is done by connecting patients with community assets (typically voluntary or charitable organizations) that provide social and personal support.

In the United Kingdom, social prescribing is used to improve patient well‐being and reduce use of National Health Service resources.

Although social prescribing schemes hold promise, evidence of their effects and effectiveness is sparse.

As more information on social prescribing is gathered, it will be important to consider the associated ethical issues for patients, clinicians, link workers, and community assets.
Strain diversity of plant‐associated Lactiplantibacillus plantarum
Authors: Yu Annabelle O. , Goldman Elissa A. , Brooks Jason T. , Golomb Benjamin L. , Yim Irene S. , Gotcheva Velitchka , Angelov Angel , Kim Eun Bae , Marco Maria L.
Published: June 2021

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (formerly Lactobacillus plantarum) is a lactic acid bacteria species found on plants that is essential for many plant food fermentations. In this study, we investigated the intraspecific phenotypic and genetic diversity of 13 L. plantarum strains isolated from different plant foods, including fermented olives and tomatoes, cactus fruit, teff injera, wheat boza and wheat sourdough starter. We found that strains from the same or similar plant food types frequently exhibited similar carbohydrate metabolism and stress tolerance responses. The isolates from acidic, brine‐containing ferments (olives and tomatoes) were more resistant to MRS adjusted to pH 3.5 or containing 4% w/v NaCl, than those recovered from grain fermentations. Strains from fermented olives grew robustly on raffinose as the sole carbon source and were better able to grow in the presence of ethanol (8% v/v or sequential exposure of 8% (v/v) and then 12% (v/v) ethanol) than most isolates from other plant types and the reference strain NCIMB8826R. Cell free culture supernatants from the olive‐associated strains were also more effective at inhibiting growth of an olive spoilage strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Multi‐locus sequence typing and comparative genomics indicated that isolates from the same source tended to be genetically related. However, despite these similarities, other traits were highly variable between strains from the same plant source, including the capacity for biofilm formation and survival at pH 2 or 50°C. Genomic comparisons were unable to resolve strain differences, with the exception of the most phenotypically impaired and robust isolates, highlighting the importance of utilizing phenotypic studies to investigate differences between strains of L. plantarum. The findings show that L. plantarum is adapted for growth on specific plants or plant food types, but that intraspecific variation may be important for ecological fitness and strain coexistence within individual habitats.
National trends in population rates of opioid‐related mortality, hospitalization and emergency department visits in Canada between 2000 and 2017. A population‐based study
Authors: Alsabbagh Mhd. Wasem , Chang Feng , Cooke Martin , Elliott Susan J. , Chen Meixi
Published: June 2021

Background and aims

Existing assessments of the time‐trends of opioid‐related mortality, hospitalization and emergency department visits in Canada have relied mainly on provincial databases, while national assessments generally do not provide information before 2016. We aimed to estimate Canadian national time trends in opioid‐related mortality from 2000 to 2017 and opioid‐related hospitalization and emergency department visits between 2000 and 2012.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting and participants

Residents of all Canadian provinces and territories for which comparable data were available from 2000 to 2017.

Measurements

We identified opioid‐related mortality, hospitalization and emergency department visits using validated algorithms using ICD codes from administrative databases. We calculated crude rates and sex‐ and age‐adjusted rates per million. For hospitalizations, we calculated case‐fatality, 90‐day and 365‐day all‐cause mortality and opioid‐related re‐hospitalization rates. We used Poisson regression to examine the significance of the time trend.

Findings

From 2000 to 2017, the adjusted opioid mortality rate in Canada (outside Quebec) increased significantly by 592.9% (from 20.0 opioid deaths per million in 2000 to 118.3 in 2017). The highest year‐to‐year increases were from 2015 to 2016 (31.8%) and from 2016 to 2017 (52.2%). The adjusted hospitalizations doubled significantly during the study period (an increase of 103.7%, from 159.7 opioid hospitalizations per million Canadians in 2000 to 325.3 in 2012). The adjusted rate of emergency department visits increased significantly by 188.7% (from 280.6 per million in 2000 to 810.1 in 2012). Case‐fatality was 2.3% overall and was mainly constant during the study period. Both 90‐ and 365‐day all‐cause mortality increased significantly between 2000 and 2011 (from 1.7 to 3.1% and 3.9 to 7.4%, respectively), while re‐hospitalization for opioid‐related diagnoses was reduced (from 7.8 to 6.4% and 14.2 to 12.9%, respectively).

Conclusions

Opioid‐related mortality, hospitalization and emergency department visits in Canada have been increasing gradually since 2000.
Political Campaigns, Voter Outreach, and American Democracy: Socializing Effective Participation and Citizen Agency in the United States
Authors: Maceyko Melissa
Published: June 2021

Drawing from linguistic and ethnographic data collected from Women for Obama, South Hills (WFOSH) volunteers and Obama for America (OFA) campaign operatives in western Pennsylvania during the 2012 general election cycle, this study examines metacommentary about the ideal form and function of citizen‐to‐citizen political interaction in the United States, focusing on the persuasive impact of language objects, mediation, and the construction of relatability in voter outreach, as well as subsequent assessments of outreach effectiveness. Voter outreach, considered as direct communication between local campaign volunteers and voters, was strategically advanced by both OFA and WFOSH for meeting campaign goals. However, clashes between volunteers and operatives reveal competing understandings of effective political participation within outreach interactions. This analysis suggests that operatives within contemporary data‐driven American political campaigns more and less overtly socialize citizens’ understandings of democracy in ways that can exacerbate polarization and devalue citizens’ knowledge and agency in political practice. [democracy, discursive political participation, political agency, language materiality and mediation, political campaigns, United States]
Letter: coronary atherosclerosis in patients with significant hepatic fibrosis in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease—a realm for non‐invasive testing. Authors' reply
Authors: Park Jung Gil , Jung Jinho , Loomba Rohit
Published: June 2021

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Park et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16324 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16435
Exploring the reliability and its influencing factors of peer assessment in massive open online courses
Authors: Li Hongxia , Zhao ChengLing , Long Taotao , Huang Yan , Shu Fengfang
Published: June 2021

As an innovative evaluation tool, peer assessment is essential in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). In both formative and summative peer assessments in MOOCs, providing reliable feedback is crucial in enhancing learning outcomes. Peer assessment has been highlighted as a reliable tool in both traditional classrooms and small‐scale online learning contexts by a wealth of studies. Factors impacting the result of peer assessment have also been identified. However, such exploration in MOOCs is very limited. Through an examination of 5,722 assignment submissions and 56,794 review scores collected from 18 peer assessments in three courses on Chinese University MOOC platform, this study investigated the inter‐reliability of peer assessment in MOOCs utilizing Krippendorff's alpha and ICC[1]. It also revealed factors affecting peer assessment reliability in MOOCs. The results of this study show that students tended to mark extreme scores, and peer assessment in MOOCs seemed unreliable. In addition, the reliability of the peer assessment in these MOOCs was inversely correlated to the number of reviewers per assignment and reviews completed per reviewer. The assignment type also matters; peer assessment using e‐portfolios format was found more reliable than those using papers and proposals. Suggestions on how to improve the reliability of peer assessments in MOOCs are also provided.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

Both the formative and summative peer assessment mode, providing reliable feedback is needed, which is of great value for improving the quality of online learning.

The reliability and influence factors of peer assessment has been highlighted by a wealth of studies in traditional classrooms and small‐scale online learning contexts.

There are still limited explorations in MOOCs.

What the paper adds

The students tended to give extreme scores in peer assessment in MOOC, and the peer assessment in MOOC may was not particularly reliable.

The Assignment type being rated affected the reliability, and peer assessment using e‐portfolios format was found more reliable than those using papers and proposals.

The reliability of peer assessment in MOOC was negative related to the number of reviewers per assignment and the reviews completed per reviewer.

Implications for practice and/or policy

Avoid using peer assessment as a summative assessment method, and should be assigned relatively low weights to final grades.

Using papers and proposals as learning assignments can appropriately reduce the proportion of peer assessment in the final grade.

Training on how to identify medium quality work should be provided.

Instructional strategies should be designed to encourage learners to actively participate in peer assessments and thoroughly assess.
Tobacco smoking and risk of thyroid cancer according to BRAFV600E mutational subtypes
Authors: Rahman Sabbir T. , Pandeya Nirmala , Neale Rachel E. , McLeod Donald S. A. , Baade Peter D. , Youl Philippa H. , Allison Roger , Leonard Susan , Jordan Susan J.
Published: June 2021

Objective

Smoking has been associated with a reduced risk of thyroid cancer, but whether the association varies between higher‐ and lower‐risk cancers remains unclear. We aimed to assess the association between smoking and risk of thyroid cancer overall as well as by tumour BRAF mutational status as a marker of potentially higher‐risk cancer.

Design and Patients

We recruited 1013 people diagnosed with thyroid cancer and 1057 population controls frequency‐matched on age and sex.

Methods

Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association overall and in analyses stratified by tumour characteristics. We used sensitivity analysis to assess the potential for selection bias.

Results

We found little evidence of an association with current smoking (odds ratio [OR] = 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.69–1.26; current vs. never smoking), but a higher number of pack‐years of smoking was associated with a lower risk of thyroid cancer (OR = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.57–0.99; ≥20 pack‐years vs. never). However, after correcting for potential selection bias, we observed a statistically significant inverse association between current smoking and risk of thyroid cancer (bias‐corrected OR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.51–0.83). Those with BRAF‐positive cancers were less likely to be current smokers than those with BRAF‐negative cancers (prevalence ratio: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.62–0.99).

Conclusion

We found smoking was inversely related to thyroid cancer risk and, in particular, current smoking was associated with a reduced risk of potentially more aggressive BRAF‐positive than the likely more indolent BRAF‐negative papillary thyroid cancers.
Easier Said Than Done? Task Difficulty's Influence on Temporal Alignment, Semantic Similarity, and Complexity Matching Between Gestures and Speech
Authors: De Jonge‐Hoekstra Lisette , Cox Ralf F.A. , Van der Steen Steffie , Dixon James A.
Published: June 2021

Gestures and speech are clearly synchronized in many ways. However, previous studies have shown that the semantic similarity between gestures and speech breaks down as people approach transitions in understanding. Explanations for thesegesture–speech mismatches, which focus on gestures and speech expressing different cognitive strategies, have been criticized for disregarding gestures’ and speech's integration and synchronization. In the current study, we applied three different perspectives to investigate gesture–speech synchronization in an easy and a difficult task:temporal alignment,semantic similarity, andcomplexity matching. Participants engaged in a simple cognitive task and were assigned to either an easy or a difficult condition. We automatically measured pointing gestures, and we coded participant's speech, to determine the temporal alignment and semantic similarity between gestures and speech. Multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis was used to determine the extent of complexity matching between gestures and speech. We found that task difficulty indeed influenced gesture–speech synchronization in all three domains. We thereby extended the phenomenon of gesture–speech mismatches to difficult tasks in general. Furthermore, we investigated how temporal alignment, semantic similarity, and complexity matching were related in each condition, and how they predicted participants’ task performance. Our study illustrates how combining multiple perspectives, originating from different research areas (i.e., coordination dynamics, complexity science, cognitive psychology), provides novel understanding about cognitive concepts in general and about gesture–speech synchronization and task difficulty in particular.
Dasiglucagon, a next‐generation glucagon analogue, for treatment of severe hypoglycaemia via an autoinjector device: Results of a phase 3, randomized, double‐blind trial
Authors: Bailey Timothy S. , Willard Julie , Klaff Leslie J. , Yager Stone Jenine , Melgaard Anita , Tehranchi Ramin
Published: June 2021

Aim

To confirm the efficacy and safety of dasiglucagon when administered via an autoinjector device.

Materials and Methods

In this double‐blind trial, 45 participants with type 1 diabetes were randomized 3:1 to receive a single subcutaneous dose of dasiglucagon 0.6 mg or placebo following controlled induction of hypoglycaemia. The primary endpoint was time to plasma glucose recovery, defined as a plasma glucose increase of 20 mg/dL or higher from baseline without rescue intravenous glucose.

Results

Median (95% CI) observed time to recovery was 10.0 (8.0; 12.0) minutes for dasiglucagon and 35.0 (20.0; −) minutes for placebo (P < .001). Plasma glucose recovery was achieved within 15 minutes by 88% of participants receiving dasiglucagon versus none receiving placebo (P < .01). Site of injection (buttock or deltoid) was not shown to have any effect on time to recovery (P = .84). No serious adverse events occurred. As expected for glucagon treatment, nausea and vomiting were common adverse events in dasiglucagon‐treated participants.

Conclusions

Dasiglucagon provided rapid reversal of hypoglycaemia in adults with type 1 diabetes. Dasiglucagon administration was well tolerated. The aqueous formulation of dasiglucagon in a ready‐to‐use autoinjector device that can be carried at room temperature may provide a reliable treatment for severe hypoglycaemia.
Successional syndromes of saplings in tropical secondary forests emerge from environment‐dependent trait–demography relationships
Authors: Lai Hao Ran , Craven Dylan , Hall Jefferson S. , Hui Francis K. C. , van Breugel Michiel
Published: June 2021

Identifying generalisable processes that underpin population dynamics is crucial for understanding successional patterns. While longitudinal or chronosequence data are powerful tools for doing so, the traditional focus on community‐level shifts in taxonomic and functional composition rather than species‐level trait–demography relationships has made generalisation difficult. Using joint species distribution models, we demonstrate how three traits—photosynthetic rate, adult stature, and seed mass—moderate recruitment and sapling mortality rates of 46 woody species during secondary succession. We show that the pioneer syndrome emerges from higher photosynthetic rates, shorter adult statures and lighter seeds that facilitate exploitation of light in younger secondary forests, while ‘long‐lived pioneer’ and ‘late successional’ syndromes are associated with trait values that enable species to persist in the understory or reach the upper canopy in older secondary forests. Our study highlights the context dependency of trait–demography relationships, which drive successional shifts in sapling's species composition in secondary forests.
Determinants of community compositional change are equally affected by global change
Authors: Avolio Meghan L. , Komatsu Kimberly J. , Collins Scott L. , Grman Emily , Koerner Sally E. , Tredennick Andrew T. , Wilcox Kevin R. , Baer Sara , Boughton Elizabeth H. , Britton Andrea J. , Foster Bryan , Gough Laura , Hovenden Mark , Isbell Forest , Jentsch Anke , Johnson David S. , Knapp Alan K. , Kreyling Juergen , Langley J. Adam , Lortie Christopher , McCulley Rebecca L. , McLaren Jennie R. , Reich Peter B. , Seabloom Eric W. , Smith Melinda D. , Suding Katharine N. , Suttle K. Blake , Tognetti Pedro M.
Published: June 2021

Global change is impacting plant community composition, but the mechanisms underlying these changes are unclear. Using a dataset of 58 global change experiments, we tested the five fundamental mechanisms of community change: changes in evenness and richness, reordering, species gains and losses. We found 71% of communities were impacted by global change treatments, and 88% of communities that were exposed to two or more global change drivers were impacted. Further, all mechanisms of change were equally likely to be affected by global change treatments—species losses and changes in richness were just as common as species gains and reordering. We also found no evidence of a progression of community changes, for example, reordering and changes in evenness did not precede species gains and losses. We demonstrate that all processes underlying plant community composition changes are equally affected by treatments and often occur simultaneously, necessitating a wholistic approach to quantifying community changes.
The different fates of two Asian horseshoe crab species with different dispersal abilities
Authors: Tang Qian , Shingate Prashant , Wardiatno Yusli , John Akbar , Tay Boon Hui , Tay Ywee Chieh , Yap Laura‐Marie , Lim Jasmin , Tong Hor Yee , Tun Karenne , Venkatesh Byrappa , Rheindt Frank E.
Published: June 2021

Impending anthropogenic climate change will severely impact coastal organisms at unprecedented speed. Knowledge on organisms’ evolutionary responses to past sea‐level fluctuations and estimation of their evolutionary potential is therefore indispensable in efforts to mitigate the effects of future climate change. We sampled tens of thousands of genomic markers of ~300 individuals in two of the four extant horseshoe crab species across the complex archipelagic Singapore Straits. Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda Latreille, a less mobile mangrove species, has finer population structure and lower genetic diversity compared with the dispersive deep‐sea Tachypleus gigas Müller. Even though the source populations of both species during the last glacial maximum exhibited comparable effective population sizes, the less dispersive C. rotundicauda seems to lose genetic diversity much more quickly because of population fragmentation. Contra previous studies’ results, we predict that the more commonly sighted C. rotundicauda faces a more uncertain conservation plight, with a continuing loss in evolutionary potential and higher vulnerability to future climate change. Our study provides important genomic baseline data for the redirection of conservation measures in the face of climate change and can be used as a blueprint for assessment and mitigation of the adverse effects of impending sea‐level rise in other systems.
Differences in ontogenetic and diurnal microhabitat selection by sympatric live‐bearing fish species with different reproductive modes
Authors: Hagmayer Andres , Furness Andrew I. , Pollux Bart J. A.
Published: June 2021

A pregnancy imposes a heavy reproductive burden on females. Some live‐bearing species have evolved reproductive adaptations to reduce this burden, which may influence their ability to use specific microhabitats.

We investigate whether two such reproductive adaptations, placentation (embryo provisioning via a placenta) and superfetation (the ability to carry multiple broods at various developmental stages), influence microhabitat selection by five sympatric Costa Rican live‐bearing fish species (family Poeciliidae). Theory predicts that placentation and superfetation should both reduce the reproductive burden of females during pregnancy, improve their body streamlining, and swimming performance, and consequently allow them to use more performance‐demanding microhabitats.

Here we apply underwater visual fish surveys to test a key prediction of this hypothesis, which is that the presence of these two reproductive adaptations is correlated with the use of microhabitats in the river that are characterised by a higher‐flow velocity.

Consistent with our predictions, we observed significant interspecific differences in daytime microhabitat use: species that had both placentation and superfetation were found in deeper and faster‐flowing parts of the river, species that lacked both adaptations were confined to shallow slow‐flowing areas, and species with one adaptation (i.e. only superfetation) inhabited intermediate areas. This interspecific daytime microhabitat use was strongest in reproductive adults, intermediate in immatures, and absent in juveniles (the latter of which were all found in shallow low‐velocity zones), suggesting that ontogeny influences species‐specific microhabitat use. Finally, at night, all fishes, regardless of the species or age‐class, congregated in shallow slow‐flowing waters to rest (sleep) on the river bottom.

Taken together, our results suggest that placentation and superfetation may be hitherto unrecognised reproductive features that help to explain differences in ontogenetic and diurnal microhabitat preferences between sympatric live‐bearing fish species living in environments characterised by large flow variation.
Genetic differentiation in Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) from the Azores
Authors: Andrade Pedro , Rodrigues Tiago M. , Muths Delphine , Afonso Sandra , Lopes Susana , Godinho Raquel , Leitão Manuel , Ferrand Yves , Ferrand Nuno , Gonçalves David
Published: June 2021

The Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola is a widespread Palaearctic migratory wader, with purportedly sedentary populations occurring in the Macaronesian archipelago of the Azores. Here we used microsatellite markers to investigate patterns of genetic diversity and differentiation in these insular birds, and compared Azorean populations with those from mainland Europe. Azorean populations show a (non‐significant) trend for reduced diversity, and low but consistent differentiation from mainland populations; evidence for widespread over‐water migration (in either direction) is weak but must occasionally occur given the recovery of an Azorean ringed bird in France. It is thus likely that the Azorean populations diverged recently from their mainland counterparts, but gene flow is currently restricted.
Study of texture properties of ‘laba’ garlic in different color states and their change mechanisms
Authors: Lu Rongrong , Ma Yue , Wang Xu , Zhao Xiaoyan , Liang Hao , Wang Dan
Published: June 2021

In addition to color, texture of ‘laba’ garlic can also change. To study texture properties of ‘laba’ garlic and their change mechanisms during pickling, texture, ultrastructures, membrane permeability, water status, wall polysaccharides contents, and enzyme activities of garlics in three color states (white, green, and yellow) were studied. The results showed that the firmness, fracturability, membrane permeability, malonaldehyde, protopectin, and chelator‐soluble pectin contents, and cellulase and polygalacturonase activities of garlic decreased significantly (P < 0.05), while the water, cellulose, and water‐soluble pectin contents, and pectin methylesterase (PME) activity increased after pickling. In addition, the more content of free water and less content of immobilised water were contained in ‘laba’ garlic than in fresh garlic owing to wall degradation and water translocation, especially in yellow garlic. In summary, texture changes in ‘laba’ garlic are mainly dependent on pectin composition, water status, and PME activity.
Changes in texture qualities and pectin characteristics of fermented minced pepper during natural and inoculated fermentation process
Authors: Xu Haishan , Chen Yuyu , Ding Shenghua , Qin Yeyou , Jiang Liwen , Zhou Hui , Deng Fangming , Wang Rongrong
Published: June 2021

Texture qualities and pectin characteristics in fermented minced pepper (FMP) prepared by natural fermentation (NF) and inoculated fermentation (IF) were analysed during fermentation. The results showed variation in texture qualities and pectin characteristics was similar during NF and IF process. The hardness, cell wall material, sodium carbonate‐soluble pectin (SSP) and chelate‐soluble pectin (CSP) content, and CSP esterification degree decreased, while water‐soluble pectin (WSP) content significantly (P < 0.05) increased after fermentation. The rhamnose (Rha) molar ratio in three pectins increased, but arabinose (Ara) and galactose (Gal) molar ratios in most pectins decreased after fermentation. Changes in Ara/Gal and (Gal + Ara)/Rha ratios represented the backbone and branched chains of rhamnogalacturonan‐I in three pectins depolymerised during fermentation. The decrease of molecular weight (Mw) in CSP was more obvious than that in WSP and SSP, and it was extensively depolymerised into low‐Mw pectin after fermentation. Pearson's correlation analysis showed FMP hardness was extremely (P < 0.01) positively correlated with CSP content and significantly (P < 0.05) positively correlated with SSP content and CSP Mw. Hence, CSP was the main pectin to affect texture compared with WSP and SSP, and its characteristics played a crucial role for regulating FMP texture during NF and IF process.
Circ_0002984 induces proliferation, migration and inflammation response of VSMCs induced by ox‐LDL through miR‑326‐3p/VAMP3 axis in atherosclerosis
Authors: Li Ruogu , Jiang Qiliang , Zheng Yue
Published: June 2021

Atherosclerosis can result in multiple cardiovascular diseases. Circular RNAs (CircRNAs) have been reported as significant non‐coding RNAs in atherosclerosis progression. Dysfunction of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is involved in atherosclerosis. However, up to now, the effect of circ_0002984 in atherosclerosis is still unknown. Currently, we aimed to investigate the function of circ_0002984 in VSMCs incubated by oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (ox‐LDL). Firstly, our findings indicated that the expression levels of circ_0002984 were significantly up‐regulated in the serum of atherosclerosis patients and ox‐LDL‐incubated VSMCs. Loss of circ_0002984 suppressed VSMC viability, cell cycle distribution and migration capacity. Then, we carried out ELISA assay to determine TNF‐α and IL‐6 levels. The data implied that lack of circ_0002984 obviously repressed ox‐LDL–stimulated VSMC inflammation. Meanwhile, miR‐326‐3p, which was predicted as a target of circ_0002984, was obviously down‐regulated in VSMCs treated by ox‐LDL. Additionally, after overexpression circ_0002984 in VSMCs, a decrease in miR‐326‐3p was observed. Subsequently, miR‐326‐3p was demonstrated to target vesicle‐associated membrane protein 3 (VAMP3). Therefore, we hypothesized that circ_0002984 could modulate expression of VAMP3 through sponging miR‐326‐3p. Furthermore, we confirmed that up‐regulation of miR‐326‐3p rescued the circ_0002984 overexpressing‐mediated effects on VMSC viability, migration and inflammation. Additionally, miR‐326‐3p inhibitor‐mediated functions on VSMCs were reversed by knockdown of VAMP3. In conclusion, circ_0002984 mediated cell proliferation, migration and inflammation through modulating miR‐326‐3p and VAMP3 in VSMCs, which suggested that circ_0002984 might hold great promise as a therapeutic strategy for atherosclerosis.
Visceral adiposity as a risk factor for lean non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease in potential living liver donors
Authors: Lee Sunyoung , Kim Kyoung Won , Lee Jeongjin , Park Taeyong , Khang Seungwoo , Jeong Heeryeol , Song Gi‐Won , Lee Sung‐Gyu
Published: June 2021

Background and Aim

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between hepatic steatosis (HS) evaluated by biopsy and visceral adiposity assessed by computed tomography in lean living liver donor candidates and to determine the risk factors for lean non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods

This retrospective study included 250 lean (body mass index, < 23 kg/m2) potential living liver donors (mean age, 31.1 ± 8.6 years; 141 men) who had undergone liver biopsy and abdominal computed tomography between 2017 and 2018. Anthropometry, laboratory parameters, body composition, and the degree of HS were evaluated. Logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of lean NAFLD.

Results

The visceral fat area (VFA) was significantly correlated with the degree of HS in men (r = 0.408; P < 0.001) and women (r = 0.360; P < 0.001). The subcutaneous fat area was significantly correlated with the degree of HS in men (r = 0.398; P < 0.001), but not in women. The skeletal muscle area did not correlate with the degree of HS in either men or women. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, the VFA (odds ratio [OR], 1.028; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.013–1.044; P < 0.001) and subcutaneous fat area (OR, 1.016; 95% CI, 1.004–1.028; P = 0.009) were independent risk factors for lean NAFLD in men, and the VFA (OR, 1.036; 95% CI, 1.013–1.059; P = 0.002) was an independent risk factor for lean NAFLD in women.

Conclusions

The severity of non‐alcoholic fatty liver was positively correlated with visceral fat accumulation in a lean Asian population. Visceral adiposity may be a risk factor for lean NAFLD in potential living liver donors.
Engineering broad‐spectrum disease‐resistant rice by editing multiple susceptibility genes
Authors: Tao Hui , Shi Xuetao , He Feng , Wang Dan , Xiao Ning , Fang Hong , Wang Ruyi , Zhang Fan , Wang Min , Li Aihong , Liu Xionglun , Wang Guo‐Liang , Ning Yuese
Published: June 2021

Rice blast and bacterial blight are important diseases of rice (Oryza sativa) caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae and the bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), respectively. Breeding rice varieties for broad‐spectrum resistance is considered the most effective and sustainable approach to controlling both diseases. Although dominant resistance genes have been extensively used in rice breeding and production, generating disease‐resistant varieties by altering susceptibility (S) genes that facilitate pathogen compatibility remains unexplored. Here, using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, we generated loss‐of‐function mutants of the S genes Pi21 and Bsr‐d1 and showed that they had increased resistance to M. oryzae. We also generated a knockout mutant of the S gene Xa5 that showed increased resistance to Xoo. Remarkably, a triple mutant of all three S genes had significantly enhanced resistance to both M. oryzae and Xoo. Moreover, the triple mutant was comparable to the wild type in regard to key agronomic traits, including plant height, effective panicle number per plant, grain number per panicle, seed setting rate, and thousand‐grain weight. These results demonstrate that the simultaneous editing of multiple S genes is a powerful strategy for generating new rice varieties with broad‐spectrum resistance.
Risk of anticholinergic burden in adults with intellectual disabilities: a Scottish retrospective cohort study of n = 17 220
Authors: Ward L. M. , Stanley B. , Greenlaw N. , Cooper S.‐A. , Pacitti C. , Henderson A. , Gibson J. , Kinnear D.
Published: June 2021

Background

Several drugs have anticholinergic side effects that are associated with adverse health outcomes. Anticholinergic burden studies in adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) have focused exclusively on older adults. This study investigates anticholinergic burden and its associations in adults with ID of all ages (17–94 years).

Methods

Adults with ID (n = 4 305), each with three general population age–sex–neighbourhood‐matched controls (n = 12 915), were linked to their prescribed medications with anticholinergic effects between 2009 and 2017. Analyses were undertaken using logistic regression models.

Results

Adults with ID were more likely to be prescribed any anticholinergic medicines, odds ratio (OR) = 1.49 (1.38–1.59), especially ‘very strong’ risk medicines, OR = 2.59 (2.39–2.81); 48.5% had very high total anticholinergic burden (3+) compared with 35.4% of the general population, OR = 1.77 (1.64–1.90). This group difference was greater for males, OR = 2.02 (1.84–2.22), than females, OR = 1.48 (1.33–1.65). Adults with ID had significantly higher odds of having very high total anticholinergic burden up to 75 years old, with the greatest group effect occurring in younger ages, 17‐24‐year‐olds, OR = 3.05 (2.39–3.89), and the extent of the difference decreased as age increased. The main effect of neighbourhood deprivation showed greater group differences with increasing affluence of neighbourhood. Results examining only the ID group showed that very high total anticholinergic burden was greatest for females, OR = 1.21 (1.07–1.37), and those over age 55, and extent of neighbourhood deprivation was not significant.

Conclusions

Adults with ID are at higher risk of anticholinergic burden than the general population, especially young adults. Overall anticholinergic burden increased with age, but burden was high across all ages in the ID group. Very high total anticholinergic burden is prevalent across all types of neighbourhoods for the adults with ID, in contrast to the steeper gradient seen in the general population. Adults with ID have increased likelihood of unintended adverse effects, regardless of potential confounds, so clinicians undertaking medication reviews need to consider anticholinergic side effects and cumulative burden across concomitant medications, including in young adults with ID, not just older adults, and particularly women.
Phase 2a randomized controlled study investigating the safety and efficacy of PDA‐002 in diabetic peripheral neuropathy
Authors: Gibbons Christopher H. , Zhu Junhong , Zhang Xiaokui , Habboubi Nassir , Hariri Robert , Veves Aristidis
Published: June 2021

Neuropathy is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in individuals with diabetes, with no effective therapy to alter the inevitable progression of nerve damage. We hypothesized that mesenchymal stroma cell‐like populations, that are characterized as immune modulators also have the potential of inducing angiogenesis and neurite outgrowth, might be useful in treating diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). The aims of this study were to investigate the efficacy and safety of mesenchymal stem cell‐like product (PDA‐002) in treating DPN. A phase‐2 randomized placebo‐controlled trial was conducted in 26 patients with DPN. Treatment consisted of three rounds of intramuscular injections in one lower limb using one of the three randomized treatment arms PDA‐002 (low‐dose 3 × 106 cells), PDA‐002 (high‐dose 30 × 106 cells), or placebo. Three treatments per patient occurred on days 1, 29, and 57. Study endpoints included efficacy and safety of PDA‐002 in treating DPN in both lower extremities following unilateral local injection. Outcome measures included intra‐epidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) up to 1 year from the day of treatment with 6‐month as the primary outcome measurement. In this phase 2 study of DPN, PDA‐002 was well tolerated in both doses. No significant changes were noted in IENFD in both the treated and untreated leg in the NIS‐LL, NTSS‐6, or UENS. Mesenchymal stem cells represent a novel mechanism for treating diabetic neuropathy and are well tolerated. Preliminary results highlight the need of further investigation of PDA‐001 as a disease modifying agent for treatment of DPN.
Update on management of keloid and hypertrophic scars: A systemic review
Authors: Elsaie Mohamed L.
Published: June 2021

Numerous therapeutic strategies have been described for prevention and reduction of hypertrophic scars and keloids, but none of the treatments is effective in all patients. No universal consensus in treatment regimen has been established, and there is limited evidence‐based literature to guide the correct management. The process of scar development is complex and requires deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms that cause their development and recurrences. Despite many available modes of targeting keloid and hypertrophic scars, yet they remain an ongoing challenge to patients and clinicians. To date, no one therapy has been universally accepted as the gold standard for the treatment of all excessive scars nor has the capability of complete scar resolution The search of literature included peer‐reviewed articles including clinical trials and scientific reviews. Literature was identified from electronic databases (MEDLINE/PubMed) through May 2021 and references of respective articles and only the articles published in English language were included.