bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ring Bose-Einstein condensate in a cavity: Chirality detection and rotation sensing
Authors: Pradhan Nalinikanta , Kumar Pardeep , Kanamoto Rina , Dey Tarak Nath , Bhattacharya M. , Mishra Pankaj Kumar
Published: February 2024

Recently, a method has been proposed to detect the rotation of a ring Bose-Einstein condensate, , in real-time, and with minimal destruction by using a cavity driven with optical fields carrying orbital angular momentum []. This method is sensitive to the magnitude of the condensate winding number but not its sign. In the present work, we consider simulations of the rotation of the angular lattice formed by the optical fields and show that the resulting cavity transmission spectra are sensitive to the sign of the condensate winding number. We demonstrate the minimally destructive technique on persistent current rotational eigenstates, counter-rotating superpositions, and a soliton singly or in collision with a second soliton. Conversely, we also investigate the sensitivity of the ring condensate, given knowledge of its winding number, to the rotation of the optical lattice. This characterizes the effectiveness of the optomechanical configuration as a laboratory rotation sensor. Our results are important to studies of rotating ring condensates used in atomtronics, superfluid hydrodynamics, simulation of topological defects and cosmological theories, interferometry using matter-wave solitons, and optomechanical sensing.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Chemical freeze-out parameters via a functional renormalization group approach
Authors: Shao Jun-xiang , Fu Wei-jie , Liu Yu-xin
Published: February 2024

We study the freeze-out parameters in a QCD-assisted effective theory that accurately captures the quantum and in-medium effects of QCD at low energies. The functional renormalization group approach is implemented in our work to incorporate the nonperturbative quantum, thermal, and density fluctuations. By analyzing the calculated baryon number susceptibility ratios χ2B/χ1B and χ3B/χ2B, we determine the chemical freeze-out temperatures and baryon chemical potentials in cases of hard thermal or dense loop improved μ-dependent gluon potential and μ-independent gluon potential. We calculate the χ4B/χ2B(κσ2) and χ6B/χ2B along the freeze-out line for both cases. It is found that κσ2 exhibits a nonmonotonic behavior in a low collision energy region and approaches one for lower collision energy. χ6B/χ2B shows a similar complicated behavior in our calculation.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Competition between lanes and transient jammed clusters in driven binary mixtures
Authors: Yu Honghao , Jack Robert L.
Published: February 2024

We consider mixtures of oppositely driven particles, showing that their nonequilibrium steady states form lanes parallel to the drive, which coexist with transient jammed clusters where particles are temporarily immobilized. We analyze the interplay between these two types of nonequilibrium pattern formation, including their implications for macroscopic demixing perpendicular to the drive. Finite-size scaling analysis indicates that there is no critical driving force associated with demixing, which appears as a crossover in finite systems. We attribute this effect to the disruption of long-ranged order by the transient jammed clusters.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Propagator Zeros and Lattice Chiral Gauge Theories
Authors: Golterman Maarten , Shamir Yigal
Published: February 2024

Symmetric mass generation (SMG) has been advocated as a mechanism to render mirror fermions massive without symmetry breaking, ultimately aiming for the construction of lattice chiral gauge theories. It has been argued that in an SMG phase, the poles in the mirror fermion propagators are replaced by zeros. Using an effective Lagrangian approach, we investigate the role of propagator zeros when the gauge field is turned on, finding that they act as coupled ghost states. In four dimensions, a propagator zero makes an opposite-sign contribution to the one-loop beta function as compared to a normal fermion. In two dimensional Abelian theories, a propagator zero makes a negative contribution to the photon mass squared. In addition, propagator zeros generate the same anomaly as propagator poles. Thus, gauge invariance will always be maintained in an SMG phase, in fact, even if the target chiral gauge theory is anomalous, but unitarity of the gauge theory is lost.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Risks and financial performance of Indian banks: a cursory look at the COVID-19 period
Authors: Goswami Anju , Malik Pooja
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused financial stress and limited their lending agility, resulting in more non-performing loans (NPLs) and lower performance during the II wave of the coronavirus crisis. Therefore, it is essential to identify the risky factors influencing the financial performance of Indian banks spanning 2018–2022.

Design/methodology/approach

Our sample consists of a balanced panel dataset of 75 scheduled commercial banks from three different ownership groups, including public, private and foreign banks, that were actively engaged in their operations during 2018–2022. Factor identification is performed via a fixed-effects model (FEM) that solves the issue of heterogeneity across different with banks over time. Additionally, to ensure the robustness of our findings, we also identify the risky drivers of the financial performance of Indian banks using an alternative measure, the pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) model.

Findings

Empirical evidence indicates that default risk, solvency risk and COVAR reduce financial performance in India. However, high liquidity, Z-score and the COVID-19 crisis enhance the financial performance of Indian banks. Unsystematic risk and systemic risk factors play an important role in determining the prognosis of COVID-19. The study supports the “bad-management,” “moral hazard” and “tail risk spillover of a single bank to the system” hypotheses. Public sector banks (PSBs) have considerable potential to achieve financial performance while controlling unsystematic risk and exogenous shocks relative to their peer group. Finally, robustness check estimates confirm the coefficients of the main model.

Practical implications

This study contributes to the knowledge in the banking literature by identifying risk factors that may affect financial performance during a crisis nexus and providing information about preventive measures. These insights are valuable to bankers, academics, managers and regulators for policy formulation. The findings of this paper provide important insights by considering all the risk factors that may be responsible for reducing the probability of financial performance in the banking system of an emerging market economy.

Originality/value

The empirical analysis has been done with a fresh perspective to consider unsystematic risk, systemic risk and exogenous risk (COVID-19) with the financial performance of Indian banks. Furthermore, none of the existing banking literature explicitly explores the drivers of the I and II waves of COVID-19 while considering COVID-19 as a dependent variable. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to make efforts in this direction.
Mapping the research landscape of vocational education and entrepreneurship: insights and future directions
Authors: Raj Vijay Amrit , Jasrotia Sahil Singh , Rai Siddharth Shankar
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Vocational education and entrepreneurship are constantly increasing in research fields. However, what is the current state of vocational education and entrepreneurial research? Where will the area go next? These questions are still unanswered; thus, this study tries to map the research landscape of the study area to get insights and provide directions for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

This research collected extant literature on vocational education and entrepreneurship using Scopus scientific database. Bibliometric analysis has been performed to extract insights from 175 documents published in the study area. Content analysis on the extant literature has also been committed to getting contextual information and developing an integrated research framework for future researchers.

Findings

The bibliometric analysis revealed that training, career choice, curriculum, self-employment, student psychology, better job opportunity, learning environment and innovation are the most discussed in the vocational education and entrepreneurship literature. Developed nation’s strong presence, indicated by the number of publications in the field.

Originality/value

This study significantly contributes to entrepreneurship by disclosing advances in the literature and some of the most active research fronts in this sector, delivering insights that have yet to be wholly appreciated or appraised. The study also developed an integrated framework that could benefit various vocations, education and entrepreneurship stakeholders.
Case-based activities for risk management education
Authors: Prakash Anand , Ambekar Sudhir
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This study aims to describe the fundamentals of teaching risk management in a classroom setting, with an emphasis on the learning interface between higher education and the workplace environment for business management students.

Design/methodology/approach

The study reviews literature that uses spreadsheets to visualize and model risk and uncertainty. Using six distinct case-based activities (CBAs), the study illustrates the practical applications of software like Palisade @RISK in risk management education. It helps to close the gap between theory and practice. The software assists in estimating the likelihood of a risk event and the impact or repercussions it will have if it occurs. This technique of risk analysis makes it possible to identify the risks that need the most active control.

Findings

@RISK can be used to create models that produce results to demonstrate every potential scenario outcome. When faced with a choice or analysis that involves uncertainty, @RISK can be utilized to enhance the perspective of what the future might contain.

Originality/value

The insights from this study can be used to develop critical thinking, independent thinking, problem-solving and other important skills in learners. Further, educators can apply Bloom’s taxonomy and the problem-solving taxonomy to help students make informed decisions in risky situations.
Refocusing digital entrepreneurship: an updated overview of the field, emerging opportunities and challenges
Authors: Olan Femi , Troise Ciro , Damij Nadja , Newbery Robert
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Existing research of modern literature have shown that the phenomenon of digital entrepreneurship is lacking in robust theoretical foundations on several occasions. This article is a comprehensive literature study that focuses on the phenomena of digital entrepreneurship and offers views on the subject to provide insights into recent advancements in the area.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to achieve a conception of the phenomena, using the PRISMA flow chart, the significant findings were organised into themes, contexts and approaches. A comprehensive evaluation of the relevant previous research was carried out. Both the Web of Science and Scopus were utilised to locate, extract, select and evaluate relevant papers based on the keywords found during the search. In the end, papers from 92 different publications that are indexed by SSCI were chosen for this investigation.

Findings

This comprehensive literature analysis was to identify current research routes on digital entrepreneurship. In conclusion, this study generates outcomes that describe the process by which digital entrepreneurship are recognised and discussed: digital business models; digital entrepreneurship process; platform tactics; technology adoption; entrepreneurship and digital business.

Originality/value

By setting the framework for additional research development and motivating scholars to pursue this issue, the study contributes to the understanding of the conceptualisation of digital entrepreneurship.
Follow the leader (or not): the influence of superstars on crowd size in crowdsourcing contests
Authors: Liu Zhongzhi , Lai Fujun , Yin Qiaoyi
Published: February 2024

Purpose

As the application of crowdsourcing contests grows, leveraging the participation of superstars (i.e. solvers who have outstanding performance records in a crowdsourcing platform) becomes an emergent approach for managers to solve crowdsourced problems. Although much is known about superstars’ performance implications, it remains unclear whether and how their participation affects the size of a contest crowd for a crowdsourcing contest. Based on social contagion theory, this paper aims to examine the impact of superstars’ participation on the crowd size and studies how this impact varies across solvers with different heterogeneity in terms of skills, exposure and cultural proximity with superstars in crowdsourcing contests.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses secondary data from one crowdsourcing platform that includes 6,587 innovation contests to examine superstars’ main and contextual effects on the crowd size of a contest.

Findings

Our results reveal that superstars’ participation positively affects the crowd size of a contest in general. This finding suggests that social contagion is a fundamental mechanism underlying crowd formation in crowdsourcing contests. Our results also indicate that in contests that involve multiple superstars, superstars’ effect on crowd size becomes negative when we simultaneously consider other solvers’ heterogeneity in terms of skills, exposure and cultural background, and this negative effect will be intensified by increases in the skill gap, extent of exposure and cultural proximity between superstars and other solvers in the same contest.

Originality/value

Our research enhances the understanding of the influence of superstars and the mechanism underlying the emergence of contest crowds in crowdsourcing contests and contributes knowledge to better understand social contagion in a competitive setting. The results are meaningful for sourcing managers and platform supervisors to design contests and supervise crowd size in crowdsourcing contests.
User profiling for Chinese super-new generation wine consumers based on improved density peak clustering algorithm
Authors: Feng Yumeng , Mu Weisong , Li Yue , Liu Tianqi , Feng Jianying
Published: February 2024

Purpose

For a better understanding of the preferences and differences of young consumers in emerging wine markets, this study aims to propose a clustering method to segment the super-new generation wine consumers based on their sensitivity to wine brand, origin and price and then conduct user profiles for segmented consumer groups from the perspectives of demographic attributes, eating habits and wine sensory attribute preferences.

Design/methodology/approach

We first proposed a consumer clustering perspective based on their sensitivity to wine brand, origin and price and then conducted an adaptive density peak and label propagation layer-by-layer (ADPLP) clustering algorithm to segment consumers, which improved the issues of wrong centers' selection and inaccurate classification of remaining sample points for traditional DPC (DPeak clustering algorithm). Then, we built a consumer profile system from the perspectives of demographic attributes, eating habits and wine sensory attribute preferences for segmented consumer groups.

Findings

In this study, 10 typical public datasets and 6 basic test algorithms are used to evaluate the proposed method, and the results showed that the ADPLP algorithm was optimal or suboptimal on 10 datasets with accuracy above 0.78. The average improvement in accuracy over the base DPC algorithm is 0.184. As an outcome of the wine consumer profiles, sensitive consumers prefer wines with medium prices of 100–400 CNY and more personalized brands and origins, while casual consumers are fond of popular brands, popular origins and low prices within 50 CNY. The wine sensory attributes preferred by super-new generation consumers are red, semi-dry, semi-sweet, still, fresh tasting, fruity, floral and low acid.

Practical implications

Young Chinese consumers are the main driver of wine consumption in the future. This paper provides a tool for decision-makers and marketers to identify the preferences of young consumers quickly which is meaningful and helpful for wine marketing.

Originality/value

In this study, the ADPLP algorithm was introduced for the first time. Subsequently, the user profile label system was constructed for segmented consumers to highlight their characteristics and demand partiality from three aspects: demographic characteristics, consumers' eating habits and consumers' preferences for wine attributes. Moreover, the ADPLP algorithm can be considered for user profiles on other alcoholic products.
Experimental drought reduces the productivity and stability of a calcareous grassland
Authors: Jackson J. , Middleton S. L. , Lawson C. S. , Jardine E. , Hawes N. , Maseyk K. , Salguero‐Gómez R. , Hector A.
Published: February 2024

Grasslands, which encompass 40% of terrestrial ecosystems, hold global significance for food production, carbon storage and other ecosystem services. However, grasslands across the biosphere are becoming increasingly exposed to both wet and dry precipitation extremes resulting from climate change.

Therefore, understanding how grasslands will respond to precipitation extremes is a pressing issue for managing changes to biodiversity and ecosystem service provision.

Here, we use experimental manipulations of precipitation (50% increase and 50% decrease in growing‐season precipitation) over 6 years to investigate the stability and resistance of both productivity and community diversity in a calcareous grassland community.

We found that decreased growing‐season precipitation led to reductions in mean productivity (25% decrease in peak above‐ground biomass) and its temporal stability (54% increase in the coefficient of variation of biomass across years). Productivity losses were more pronounced for graminoids and legumes, but this was not reflected in species per cent cover. Community composition was resistant to the precipitation manipulations, with no clear differences in overall community compositional turnover, dissimilarity or biodiversity indices. There was also no detectible effect of increased precipitation on productivity or community composition, which may indicate a lack of efficacy of the irrigation treatment in increasing soil moisture. Finally, the precipitation manipulations had no effect on temporal trends of community change, with an overall increase in richness and shift in grassland community composition across the study period independent of treatment.

Synthesis. While the diversity and composition of this calcareous grassland was resistant to precipitation extremes (at least in the short term), sustained reductions in growing‐season precipitation reduced productivity and its temporal stability, particularly for graminoids and legumes. Therefore, we highlight that different properties of grasslands can vary in their responses to changes in precipitation.
Dapagliflozin alleviates high glucose‐induced injury of endothelial cells via inducing autophagy
Authors: Li Gen , Hou Ningxin , Liu Huagang , Li Jun , Deng Hongping , Lan Hongwen , Xiong Sizheng
Published: February 2024

Hyperglycaemia is a key factor in the progression of diabetes complications. Dapagliflozin (DAPA), a new type of hypoglycaemic agent, has been shown to play an important role in anti‐apoptotic, anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Previous studies have demonstrated an endothelial protective effect of DAPA, but the underlying mechanism was still unclear. Autophagy is a homeostatic cellular mechanism that circulates unfolded proteins and damaged organelles through lysosomal dependent degradation. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether DAPA plays a protective role against high glucose (HG)‐induced endothelial injury through regulating autophagy. The results showed that DAPA treatment resulted in increased cell viability. Additionally, DAPA treatment decreased interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6, and tumour necrosis factor‐α levels in endothelial cells subjected to HG conditions. We observed that HG inhibited autophagy, and DAPA increased the autophagy level by inhibiting the protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway. Chloroquine reversed all of these beneficial effects as an autophagy inhibitor. In summary, the endothelial protective effect of DAPA in HG can be attributed in part to its role in activating of autophagy via the AKT/mTOR signalling pathway. Therefore, suggesting that the activation of autophagy by DAPA may be a novel target for the treatment of HG‐induced endothelial cell injury.
Income diversification patterns and their impact on bank risk
Authors: Kaur Parneet , Bansal Aanchal
Published: February 2024

This study focuses on the crucial topic of income diversification and its implications for bank risk, using the context of India's public and private Sector banks. The research spans the years 2005–2021, investigating the influence of varying degrees of non‐interest income on the risk profiles of Indian banks. Employing a program impact evaluation methodology, the study employs the generalised propensity score‐fractional dose–response function technique to ascertain the impact of different levels of non‐interest income on bank risk. The outcomes underscore the diverse effects of diversification contingent upon factors like bank size and ownership type, including large and small banks as well as public and private sector institutions. Notably, the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis introduced distinctive dynamics to income diversification's impact. By segmenting the study timeline into two periods—2005–2013 and 2014–2021—it emerges that income diversification lowered bank risk in the earlier period, while conversely amplifying risk in the latter phase. These insights bear significance as an early warning mechanism for bank executives, policymakers, and regulatory authorities, enabling them to navigate strategic transitions associated with non‐interest income. Employing a novel approach, this research contributes to the literature by evaluating the interplay between income diversification and bank risk across diverse levels of non‐interest income mix. In contrast to conventional econometric methods, the use of the generalised propensity score method stands out as a robust technique to mitigate confounding biases inherent in non‐experimental inquiries.
Energy agendas: A longitudinal analysis of Finnish parliamentary debates
Authors: Mykkänen Juri , Repo Petteri , Matschoss Kaisa
Published: February 2024

Energy agendas in national parliaments are crucial when countries seek to develop their energy futures while adhering to international obligations. This article examines how energy agendas emerge and evolve in parliamentary debates using data from Finland over a period of 12 years. By relying on topic modelling, we can show how the key energy agendas relate to an overall energy solution, promoting domestic energy production and seeking carbon‐neutral energy, and how they evolve successively alongside general concerns for the country's task ahead in the field. Examining more detailed agendas, in turn, validates the first analysis and exposes some differences in the agendas of political parties. These differences were few. This further specifies the nature of Finnish energy politics, which is often considered consensual except for nuclear power and peat as sources of energy. The article demonstrates that scholars who examine parliamentary politics may benefit from the use of language‐based computational methodologies to uncover insights that have previously been difficult to attain.
Establishment of a rapid counting method for lactic acid bacteria and yeast in dairy products
Authors: Li Yuhui , Wang Chunyan , Wang Jungang
Published: February 2024

The plate count agar (PCA) method is a common technique used to count microorganisms in dairy products, but this method is time‐consuming and highly selective by the medium. This study adopted Lab158 and PF2 as the universal probes for hybridising lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, respectively, and investigated the effects of fixation time, hybridisation time, hybridisation temperature, probe concentration and propidium iodide (PI) concentration on hybridisation efficiency in the samples. The results showed that the highest hybridisation efficiency for lactic acid bacteria and yeast, along with the best double staining results, was observed under the following conditions: a fixation time of 80 min, a hybridisation time of 180 min, a hybridisation temperature of 48°C, a probe volume of 5 μL for lactic acid bacteria and 3 μL for yeast, and a PI volume of 5 μL for lactic acid bacteria and 3 μL for yeast. The fluorescence in situ hybridisation‐flow cytometry (FISH‐FCM) and PCA counting results showed a significant positive correlation (r > 0.9). The FISH‐FCM and PCA counting results showed a significant positive correlation (r > 0.9). The FISH‐FCM counting method can serve as a quick and accurate method for the counting of lactic acid bacteria and yeast in dairy products.
A comparative study on the moderating impact of renewable energy and innovation on environmental quality
Authors: Pal Shreya , Villanthenkodath Muhammed Ashiq , Ansari Mohd Arshad
Published: February 2024

This study explores the complex interactions between renewable energy production, innovation, economic growth, institutional quality, economic globalization, and CO2 emissions in OECD countries and emerging economies from 1996 to 2021. Results from Driscoll–Kraay standard error and feasible generalized least square reveal distinct trends: renewable energy production leads to increased CO2 emissions in emerging economies but significantly reduces emissions in OECD countries. Besides, residential and non‐residential innovation, along with total innovation, show similar effects. Notably, technology‐moderated renewable energy production effectively lowers CO2 emissions in both country groups. Similarly, economic growth enhances environmental quality in both sets of countries. However, institutional quality needs improvement in emerging economies, while current levels suffice in OECD nations to maintain environmental quality. Moreover, the study emphasizes the importance of considering globalization's impact on CO2 emissions, advocating for international agreements to leverage globalization for environmental benefits. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights for shaping renewable energy policies, fostering innovation, promoting economic growth, enhancing institutional quality, and harnessing globalization efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and enhance environmental quality.
Homicides involving Black victims are less likely to be cleared in the United States
Authors: Campedelli Gian Maria
Published: February 2024

Does a victim's race explain variation in the likelihood of homicide clearance? Attempts to address this issue date back to the 1970s. Yet, despite its theoretical and policy relevance, we lack a comprehensive and clear empirical answer to this critical question. Here, I causally focus on this problem by investigating racial disparity in homicide clearance in the United States, exploiting two sources covering the 1991–2020 period: the Murder Accountability Project data set (N = 522,278) and the National Incident‐Based Reporting System data set (N = 98,677). I primarily analyze these sources by employing exact matching to achieve perfect covariate balance and subsequently isolate the effect of race on the probability of clearance. For comparative purposes, I also use regression adjustment without matching obtaining complementary estimates. I demonstrate that the likelihood of clearance is 3.4 to 4.8 percent lower for homicides involving Black victims, depending on the sampling and estimation approach. In addition, I empirically show that this race effect is slightly higher for males and that racial disparity has moderately but significantly increased over time. These findings contribute to the extensive amount of evidence on discrimination affecting Black individuals in the administration of justice in the United States, calling for structural efforts to reduce this divide.
Camellia oil exhibits anti‐fatigue property by modulating antioxidant capacity, muscle fiber, and gut microbial composition in mice
Authors: Huang Shiying , Sun Huiyu , Lin Dai , Huang Xinjue , Chen Ruiran , Li Minli , Huang Jialing , Guo Fuchuan
Published: February 2024

Camellia seed oil (CO) has high nutritional value and multiple bioactivities. However, the specific anti‐fatigue characteristics and the implied mechanism of CO have not yet been fully elucidated. Throughout this investigation, male C57BL/6J mice, aged 8 weeks, underwent exhaustive exercise with or without CO pretreatment (2, 4, and 6 mL/kg BW) for 28 days. CO could extend the rota‐rod and running time, reduce blood urea nitrogen levels and serum lactic acid, and increase muscle and hepatic glycogen, adenosine triphosphate, and anti‐oxidative indicators. Additionally, CO could upregulate the mRNA and Nrf2 protein expression levels, as well as enhance the levels of its downstream antioxidant enzymes and induce the myofiber‐type transformation from fast to slow and attenuate the gut mechanical barrier. Moreover, CO could ameliorate gut dysbiosis by reducing Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio at the phylum level, increasing the percentage of Alistipes, Alloprevotella, Lactobacillus, and Muribaculaceae, and decreasing the proportion of Dubosiella at the genus level. In addition, specific bacterial taxa, which were altered by CO, showed a significant correlation with partial fatigue‐related parameters. These findings suggest that CO may alleviate fatigue by regulating antioxidant capacity, muscle fiber transformation, gut mechanical barrier, and gut microbial composition in mice.

Practical Application

Our study revealed that camellia seed oil (CO) could ameliorate exercise‐induced fatigue in mice by modulating antioxidant capacity, muscle fiber, and gut microbial composition in mice. Our results promote the application of CO as an anti‐fatigue functional food that targets oxidative stress, myofiber‐type transformation, and microbial community.
Electroacupuncture at ST36 modulates the intestinal microecology and may help repair the intestinal barrier in the rat model of severe acute pancreatitis
Authors: Xu Huimin , Wen Qian , Hu Hangqi , Yang Sihao , Lu Lingyun , Hu Xiangyun , Li Hao , Huang Xianhao , Li Ning
Published: February 2024

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) onset and development are closely associated with intestinal barrier injury. Evidence from clinical practice and research has shown that electroacupuncture (EA) at the Zusanli (ST36) acupoint can improve intestinal barrier function and abdominal symptoms in patients with SAP; however, the specific mechanisms of action remain unclear. This study aimed to observe the changes in the intestinal microbiota and metabolites in SAP rats and to explore the effect of EA at ST36 on intestinal barrier injury in SAP rats. 16S rRNA gene sequencing combined with microbial diversity analysis, short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs)‐targeted metabolomics, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, western blotting, and other techniques were used to explore the mechanism of EA at bilateral ST36 acupoints on SAP‐related intestinal barrier injury. Our results showed that EA at ST36 could repair intestinal barrier injury by modulating intestinal microecology, thereby reducing intestinal inflammation, restoring intestinal function, and ultimately alleviating the prognosis of SAP. Our study provides new insights into the mechanisms and treatment of intestinal barrier injury in patients with SAP from the perspectives of microbiota and SCFAs regulation.
On the ever‐growing functional versatility of the CRISPR‐Cas13 system
Authors: Montagud‐Martínez Roser , Márquez‐Costa Rosa , Heras‐Hernández María , Dolcemascolo Roswitha , Rodrigo Guillermo
Published: February 2024

CRISPR‐Cas systems evolved in prokaryotes to implement a powerful antiviral immune response as a result of sequence‐specific targeting by ribonucleoproteins. One of such systems consists of an RNA‐guided RNA endonuclease, known as CRISPR‐Cas13. In very recent years, this system is being repurposed in different ways in order to decipher and engineer gene expression programmes. Here, we discuss the functional versatility of the CRISPR‐Cas13 system, which includes the ability for RNA silencing, RNA editing, RNA tracking, nucleic acid detection and translation regulation. This functional palette makes the CRISPR‐Cas13 system a relevant tool in the broad field of systems and synthetic biology.
Factors affecting accuracy of clinical staging in resectable non‐small cell lung cancer in a real‐world study
Authors: Gwon Hye Ran , La Woo A. , Yong Seung Hyun , Park Youngmok , Kim Song Yee , Kim Eun Young , Jung Ji Ye , Kang Young Ae , Park Moo Suk , Park Seong Yong , Lee Sang Hoon
Published: February 2024

Background

The clinical staging of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is well known to be related to their prognosis. However, there is usually a discrepancy between clinical staging and pathological staging. There are few analyses of clinical staging accuracy in patients with NSCLC. We compared the concordance rate between clinical and pathological staging of NSCLC and evaluated factors affecting the accuracy in real‐world data.

Methods

Altogether, 811 patients with primary NSCLC who had undergone curative lung resection surgery in Severance Hospital from January 2019 to December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. We used the eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer TNM staging.

Results

Among 811 patients, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) and positron emission tomography (PET‐CT) were performed in 31.6% and 96.7%, respectively. The concordance rates between clinical and pathological TNM staging, T factor, and N factor, were 68.7%, 77.7%, and 85.8%, respectively. With multivariable logistic regression analysis, current smokers (OR 0.49; 95% CI: 0.32–0.76, p = 0.001) and a higher clinical stage (p < 0.001) contributed to the clinical staging inaccuracy. Additionally, the presence of a bronchoscopy specialist was significantly associated with clinical staging accuracy (OR 1.53; 95% CI: 1.10–2.13, p = 0.011).

Conclusion

Clinical staging accuracy in NSCLC improved compared to before the widespread use of PET‐CT and EBUS in clinical staging work‐up. Smoking history and absence of expert bronchoscopy specialists showed a meaningful correlation with the inaccuracy of clinical staging. Thus, training more bronchoscopy experts would improve the staging accuracy of NSCLC, which could positively affect the prognosis of NSCLC.
The Effect of Gamification on Employee Boredom and Performance*
Authors: Zhao Zhuoyi
Published: February 2024

This study investigates the effect of gamification on employee boredom and performance in a repetitive work process. In video games, loot is unpredictable, intermittent rewards used to motivate players to repeat boring actions. In a 2 × 1 laboratory experiment, I examine how gamification, featuring nonmonetary loot point rewards, may impact boredom and performance. I find that individuals have mixed opinions. On the one hand, they recognize the emotional value of gamification and find the repetitive work process more attractive. On the other hand, they experience a violation of fairness even though the point rewards do not impact their monetary payoff. My findings help reconcile the seemingly contradictory predictions from two sets of motivation theories. While some conventional theories (e.g., equity theory, expectancy theory, and agency theory) suggest that unpredictable rewards negatively affect motivation, both the reinforcement theory of motivation and findings from neuroscience research indicate a bright side to those rewards. Due to the countervailing effects, I do not find a significant difference in either boredom or performance between conditions. My results show that when gamifying repetitive work processes with unpredictable rewards such as loot points, managers need to address fairness concerns while maintaining the motivational properties of gamification.
Strengthening resilience potential assessments for coral reef management
Authors: Gudka Mishal , Obura David , Treml Eric A. , Nicholson Emily
Published: February 2024

The persistence of diverse yet threatened ecosystems like coral reefs will require urgent action underpinned by effective assessments of resilience. Resilience potential assessments are commonly used to identify coral reefs likely to be more resilient to disturbances, based on indicators of state and function.

Assessments are intended to support decision‐making, therefore, using principles from decision‐science and indicator design theory, we evaluated the selection, design and analysis of indicators from 68 resilience potential assessments conducted between 2008 and 2022. These principles include justifying and testing indicators and aggregation approaches, representing key parts of the ecosystem, considering uncertainty and meaningful normalisation of indicators.

Although a broad range of indicators were typically evaluated, assessments rarely present structured processes to guide and justify indicator selection, such as selection criteria and conceptual models of ecosystem function. We also found that certain key ecosystem components that confer resilience were represented by indicators in almost all assessments, such as corals, herbivory, competition and reef structure. Other factors were rarely considered, such as abundance and diversity of key fish trophic groups other than herbivores, for example groupers and corallivores, other aspects of biodiversity and competitive interactions with corals. Reference points used to translate variables into resilience indicators were typically derived from the data, such as the highest indicator value of assessed sites. Ecologically meaningful thresholds, such as collapse or historic levels, were used less often as references. In most cases, indicators were not tested or validated against independent data, uncertainties were not presented, and there was a tendency to simplify results into composite indices to rank sites, without justifying aggregation methods.

Despite resource constraints, most resilience potential assessments collect quantitative data that are useful for coral reef management. However, the shortcomings identified can make indicator interpretation difficult, limiting the capacity to predict the resilience of the system and support decisions. Implementation of robust approaches drawn from indicator design and selection theory can help strengthen resilience potential assessments of coral reefs and other ecosystems, ultimately improving the prospects of conservation.
GRADE pearls and pitfalls—Part 2: Clinical practice guidelines
Authors: Granholm Anders , Al Duhailib Zainab , Alhazzani Waleed , Oczkowski Simon , Belley‐Cote Emilie , Møller Morten Hylander
Published: February 2024

Background

The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach is the de facto standard framework for summarising evidence in systematic reviews and developing recommendations in clinical practice guidelines.

Methods

We describe how the GRADE approach is used in clinical practice guidelines, including key points and examples. The intended audience of this overview of GRADE is clinicians and researchers who are, or plan to be, involved in the development or assessment of clinical practice guidelines.

Results

We cover guideline endorsement and adaptation; guideline panels and sponsors; conflicts of interest; guideline questions and outcome prioritisation; systematic review creation, updating and re‐use; rating the overall certainty of evidence; development of recommendations and implications; and peer review, publication, implementation and updating of guidelines.

Conclusions

This overview aims to help developers, assessors and users of clinical practice guidelines understand how trustworthy, high‐quality guidelines are developed using the GRADE approach.
Lower versus higher blood pressure targets in comatose patients resuscitated from out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest—Protocol for a secondary Bayesian analysis of the box trial
Authors: Grand Johannes , Wiberg Sebastian , Kjaergaard Jesper , Hassager Christian , Schmidt Henrik , Møller Jacob E. , Mølstrøm Simon , Granholm Anders
Published: February 2024

Background

The management of blood pressure targets during intensive care after out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a topic of debate. The blood Pressure and Oxygenation Targets After OHCA (BOX) trial explored the efficacy of two different blood pressure targets in 789 patients during intensive care after OHCA. In the primary frequentist analysis, no statistically significant differences were found for neurological outcome after 90 days.

Methods

This protocol outlines secondary Bayesian analyses of 365‐day all‐cause mortality and two secondary outcomes: neurological outcome after 365 days, and plasma neuron‐specific enolase, a biomarker of brain injury, after 48 h. We will employ adjusted Bayesian logistic and linear regressions, presenting results as relative and absolute differences with 95% confidence intervals. We will use weakly informative priors for the primary analyses, and skeptical and evidence‐based priors (where available) in sensitivity analyses. Exact probabilities for any benefit/harm will be presented for all outcomes, along with probabilities of clinically important benefit/harm (risk differences larger than 2%‐points absolute) and no clinically important differences for the binary outcomes. We will assess whether heterogeneity of treatment effects on mortality is present according to lactate at admission, time to return of spontaneous circulation, primary shockable rhythm, age, hypertension, and presence of ST‐elevation myocardial infarction.

Discussion

This secondary analysis of the BOX trial aim to complement the primary frequentist analysis by quantifying the probabilities of beneficial or harmful effects of different blood pressure targets. This approach seeks to provide clearer insights for researchers and clinicians into the effectiveness of these blood pressure management strategies in acute medical conditions, particularly focusing on mortality, neurological outcomes, and neuron‐specific enolase.
Implementation and analysis of a multifaceted intervention for alcohol use disorder from a single academic urban emergency department
Authors: Duvalyan Eva , Falade Israel , Fan Winnie , Foe Meghan , Mvemba Audrey , Zussman Jay W. , Geier Curtis , LeSaint Kathy T. , Graglia Sally
Published: February 2024

Background

From 2006 to 2014, alcohol‐related visits to the emergency department (ED) increased by 76% in the United States, highlighting the need for improved ED‐driven interventions addressing alcohol use disorder (AUD). Naltrexone is an FDA‐approved medication for AUD shown to decrease craving and self‐administration of alcohol. While oral naltrexone and extended‐release naltrexone have been long utilized in primary care and inpatient hospital settings, the use of naltrexone in the ED is limited.

Methods

This study implemented and analyzed a multifaceted intervention regarding ED naltrexone prescribing at a large safety net, academic, urban hospital. A baseline assessment of preintervention conditions and perspectives on naltrexone prescribing was conducted through a chart review and standardized interviews with ED providers, respectively. The interview results guided design of interventions that addressed identified barriers. These included provider education, prescribing aids, and zero‐cost naltrexone tablets supplied by the ED pharmacy to patients upon discharge.

Results

Between September 1, 2019, and August 31, 2020, of 753 unique patients who had a primary diagnosis or chief complaint containing the word “alcohol,” only five (0.66%) were prescribed naltrexone. ED providers identified lack of training regarding naltrexone, lack of a prescribing protocol, and limited patient and provider education materials as barriers to prescribing naltrexone. Following the intervention, among 278 eligible patients, 11 oral naltrexone prescriptions were written (3.96%) between April 13, 2021, and August 1, 2021. This represents a sixfold increase over the preintervention period.

Conclusions

An intervention to increase ED oral naltrexone prescriptions for AUD was successfully implemented, addressing lack of provider education, lack of prescribing resources, and patient barriers to accessing prescribed medications. Longer‐term follow‐up is needed to assess the efficacy and sustainability of these interventions. Nevertheless, ED clinicians are well positioned to initiate naltrexone prescriptions for patients presenting with AUD.
Intracorporeal LVAD implantation in pediatric patients: A single‐center 10 years' experience
Authors: Cao Irene , Italiano Enrico G. , Bertelli Francesco , Motta Raffaella , Castaldi Biagio , Pergola Valeria , Guariento Alvise , Scattolin Fabio , Di Salvo Giovanni , Vida Vladimiro , Padalino Massimo A.
Published: February 2024

Background

Mechanical cardiac support is currently an effective strategy to reduce morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients. However, solid evidence regarding the feasibility of intracorporeal devices in children still needs to be provided. We report our 10‐year experience with intracorporeal left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) in children.

Materials and Methods

We included all patients undergoing intracorporeal, continuous‐flow LVAD implantation between 2012 and 2022. Baseline and postoperative data were collected from the institutional database.

Results

Seven HeartWare and 4 HeartMate3 were implanted in 11 patients (median age 13.9 years, median body surface area – BSA – 1.42 m2, IQR 1.06–1.68). The most frequent indication to LVAD implant was dilated cardiomyopathy (72.7%). All candidates underwent a thorough preoperative advanced imaging. Three‐dimensional reconstructions and implant fit simulation were performed when BSA was <1.2 m2, weight <30 kg, or internal transverse thoracic diameter <20 cm. There was no operative death. The most common postoperative complication was surgical re‐exploration due to bleeding (27.3%). One patient died of severe neurological complications after about 3 months of hospitalization. No late deaths or unplanned re‐hospitalizations occurred in the remaining 10, 6 of whom were discharged home. There were no major complications at the follow‐up. All survivors underwent successful heart transplantation.

Conclusions

Intracorporeal LVAD implantation proved to be a potentially feasible and safe option in young teenagers and children whose BSA was >1.0 m2. In borderline cases, the 3D reconstruction with implant fit simulation can effectively help to identify those patients who can safely undergo intrathoracic LVAD implantation.