bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Precarious status: illegality and mental health among immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic”
Authors: Manzano Russell Rice
Published: October 2024

Purpose

During the COVID-19 pandemic, immigrants faced new challenges that increased their precarity which often perpetuated existing social and health-related inequities. This compounded inadequate access to healthcare, harsh working conditions, marginalization due to legal status and fear of deportation, all of which were worsened during the height of the pandemic. This article aims to examine how existing social factors that marginalize immigrant populations were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic based on a study with immigrant farmworkers in Apopka, Florida.

Design/methodology/approach

The author analyzes how they were affected by stress both before and during the pandemic, and how these factors affected their mental health.

Findings

The author concludes that im/migrants’ often precarious status negatively affects their experiences with mental health, and that this was heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the long-term nature of precarity for this vulnerable population, this study captures these issues as they were experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Originality/value

This research contributes to emerging scholarship concerning social factors and mental health during the pandemic by examining the experiences of one of the most marginal populations in the United States.
Positive perceptions and purchase of sustainable foods is associated with higher diet quality in Australian university students
Authors: Kent Katherine , Siu Yan Hin , Hutchesson Melinda , Collins Clare , Charlton Karen
Published: October 2024

Purpose

This study aims to understand university students' perception and engagement with sustainable food practices and the relationship with diet quality.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey assessed Australian university students' sustainable food perceptions and purchasing behaviours, diet quality using the validated Australian Recommended Food Score and attitudes towards on campus sustainable food options.

Findings

Of respondents (n = 197; 63% female), over half (58%) perceived it was important to purchase sustainable foods. These students were eight times more likely report purchasing sustainable foods (OR: 8.1; 95%CI 4.2–15.7; SE: 0.3; p < 0.001) and had significantly higher diet quality (Beta coefficient: 2.9; 95% Confidence Intervals 0.4–5.4; Standard Error: 1.3; p = 0.024). Students who reported frequently purchasing all types of sustainable foods, except organic foods, had significantly higher diet quality. Few students perceived there were sufficient sustainable food choices on campus (19%), but most supported the development of an edible campus (80%).

Originality/value

The results highlight the potential impact of promoting sustainable food options and creating a supportive campus food environment towards improving students’ diet quality.
Spatial disparity in household indebtedness across the UK
Authors: Hutchison Norman E. , Tiwari Piyush , Koblyakova Alla , Green David , Tan Yan Liang
Published: October 2024

Purpose

This paper assesses the lending risks associated with the level of total household indebtedness at the local authority level across the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

Using GIS-based Exploratory Data Analysis and mapping, the paper identifies local concentrations of household borrowing, both secured and unsecured, which is referenced against regional Gross Added Value.

Findings

Significant local differences are revealed which are tracked over the period 2013–2019. Total debt relative to the size of economy is larger in London and local authorities around London. A positive correlation was revealed between areas of multiple deprivation in England and those local authorities with proportionally high unsecured lending, confirming that the less well-off require access to debt facilities and in the absence of availability of secured loans, resort to unsecured borrowing.

Originality/value

Understanding where the additional lending risks are located across the UK is relevant when evaluating the robustness of the economy to recession, with its uneven effects on different sectors and households and the impact of monetary policy changes, particularly sharp rises in interest rates. The mapping of these risks is illuminating and aids understanding.
Strengthening the fight: is the adoption of IPSAS helping Latin America tackling corruption?
Authors: Lira Aluska Ramos de , Chagas Cruz Michel Richard , Jorge Susana
Published: October 2024

Purpose

This paper examines the relationship between the adoption of accrual-based IPSAS and the level of perceived corruption of Latin-American countries, considering the moderating effect of the country’s institutional quality.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a longitudinal analysis of 19 countries, between 2010 and 2020, following a quantitative approach by using multiple linear regression with panel data.

Findings

Main findings indicate that the harmonization of public sector accounting through the adoption of IPSAS generates a positive effect on the corruption level in Latin-American countries, causing a reduction in their indexes of perception of corruption. The countries’ institutional context, as hypothesized, increases such effect, making it even more significant in the cases of partial adoption.

Practical implications

To improve accountability and decision-making in public sector entities overall, contributing to reduce corruption, IPSAS adoption requires an institutional environment favorable to take the best of their benefits.

Social implications

The adoption of IPSAS in an environment with a high institutional quality, allows a greater effect in reducing corruption in the jurisdiction.

Originality/value

This study contributes by providing a comprehensive view of IPSAS and its impact on perceived corruption levels, expanding the existing research to Latin America, where corruption is generally high and IPSAS may contribute to reduce it. It makes an important addition by defining and considering an index of the country’s institutional quality, providing evidence that when this is high, the context enhances the work of institutions, including IPSAS, to fight corruption.
Monitoring, mentoring and nurturing value in government venture capital entrepreneur development programmes
Authors: Crehan Eugene , Duane Aidan , Kelliher Felicity
Published: October 2024

Purpose

This research explores the provision of monitoring, mentoring and nurturing in a government venture capital (GVC) entrepreneur development programme and how these activities might create value for high potential startups (HPSUs).

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative in-depth case study pursued the research question – how does GVC entrepreneur development programme provision of non-financial monitoring, mentoring and nurturing create value for HPSU businesses? The paper uses quasi-random sampling of case entrepreneurs selected from publicly available lists of HPSUs and interviews with entrepreneurs, employees and co-founders, in tandem with reviewing HPSU documentation.

Findings

Findings highlight monitoring, mentoring and nurturing create value for HPSU entrepreneurs, and that GVC entrepreneur development programmes offer greater value to HPSUs than GVC investment alone. Programme activities build capacity by skills acquisition, access to a variety of external experts in non-technical business functions plus national and international private VC networks.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides evidence that robust monitoring, mentoring and nurturing activities of a GVC entrepreneur development programme creates entrepreneur readiness for private investor engagement.

Practical implications

This research highlights the influence of monitoring, mentoring and nurturing activities on HPSU entrepreneurs embedded in a GVC entrepreneur development programme. HPSUs seem better prepared for investor interactions by considering “non-monetary needs” in their funding strategies.

Originality/value

The findings illustrate how a GVC entrepreneur development programme can positively impact GVC-entrepreneur influence and outcomes. In offering an in-depth case study of better practice, we extend prior literature on how GVCs can help bridge the equity gap by providing value adding non-financial supports, without creating a false VC market where GVCs crowd out private investors.
Chatbots adoption intention in public sector in Malaysia from the perspective of TOE framework. The moderated and mediation model
Authors: Jais Ramizatunnisah , Ngah Abdul Hafaz , Rahi Samar , Rashid Aamir , Ahmad Syed Zamberi , Mokhlis Safiek
Published: October 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the motivating factors for Malaysian governmental agencies (MGAs) to embrace chatbot technology.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the technology-organisation-environment (TOE) framework, using purposive and snowball sampling techniques, 262 online data from the MGA top management were gathered. Smart PLS4 was employed to test the hypotheses of the study.

Findings

The findings demonstrated positive relationships between technological readiness (TR), big data analytics (BDA), organisational readiness (OR), organisational learning capabilities (OLC) and governmental policies (GP) concerning chatbot adoption intention and also the relationship GP with OR. A mediating effect was also observed, which indicated the OLC role in positively mediating BDA, the OR role in positively mediating OLC and the OR role in positively mediating GP with OR and OLC as sequential mediators in the relationship between BDA and chatbot adoption intention. Furthermore, the presence of citizen demand (CD) strengthened the relationship between TR, OR and chatbot adoption intention.

Research limitations/implications

This study was limited to Malaysian federal government agencies who still not adopting Chatbots.

Practical implications

The findings offer valuable insight into factors affect the adoption of chatbots among Malaysian government agencies. Stakeholders, including department heads, can use these findings to strategically enhance counter service by promoting chatbot adoption.

Originality/value

The study demonstrated that the TOE framework was effective in identifying the factors contributing to the decision-making process for adopting chatbots across MGAs. Organisational readiness and organisation learning capability was found to sequentially mediate the relationship between big data analytic and intention to adopt chatbot. Citizen demand was found to have moderation effect on the relationship between organisational readiness and technological readiness towards the intention to adopt a chatbot.
Exploring the nexus of green entrepreneurship and environment quality in selected Asian economies
Authors: Shivani  , Sharma Seema , Singh Shveta
Published: October 2024

Purpose

This study examines the relationship between green entrepreneurship and environmental quality in selected Asian economies. The impact of green entrepreneurship dimensions, i.e. renewable energy utilization, innovation orientation, green funding and resource efficiency is empirically assessed on environmental quality. The research assists in opening the “black box” mechanism of how green entrepreneurship affects the environmental pillar of sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

An analysis of 11 Asian countries is conducted over the period from 2000 to 2019, using panel regression techniques to examine the link between green entrepreneurship dimensions and environmental quality indicators.

Findings

The findings reveal that all four dimensions of green entrepreneurship have an inverse relationship with carbon emissions and ecological footprint while showing a positive relationship with the load capacity factor. This implies that green entrepreneurship contributes positively to environmental sustainability by enhancing the ecosystem’s resilience and capacity to support life.

Practical implications

We advocate for policymakers to prioritize green entrepreneurship to stimulate innovation for energy transition and environmental sustainability. Furthermore, creating a conducive atmosphere for green entrepreneurs can spur job creation, economic growth and societal well-being, thus fostering a more resilient and sustainable future for all.

Originality/value

In this study, we adopted a multidimensional approach for measuring green entrepreneurship, which represents an advancement over existing literature that predominantly relied on renewable energy consumption to gauge the green entrepreneurship phenomenon at the macro level.
Marketing affordance of social media for product innovation: the role of organizational structures
Authors: Liu Linlin , Chen Jiawen
Published: October 2024

Purpose

Despite substantial research attention on the business use of social media in innovation literature, the action-based mechanisms through which social media affect firms' product innovation remain unclear. We address this gap by drawing on the affordance theory and examining the effects of social media applications on product innovations.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was based on analyzing data collected through a questionnaire survey of Chinese firms. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was applied to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results show that social media applications have a positive effect on marketing affordances (including customer behavior pattern discovery, real-time market response and marketing ambidexterity), in turn positively influencing product innovation performance. Organizational structures shape the actualization of the marketing affordance of social media; while organizational formalization positively moderates the relationships between social media application and marketing affordances, organizational centrality weakens these relationships.

Practical implications

Managers will benefit from understanding how social media can be applied to help their firms achieve product innovation. When manufacturing firms engage in social media for product innovation, they may find it worthwhile to focus on marketing actions such as customer behavior pattern discovery, real-time market response and marketing ambidexterity.

Originality/value

This study elucidates the action-based mechanism of marketing affordance by which social media usage improves product innovation performance. This study also highlights the design of organizational structure as an important approach to realizing the potential benefits of social media in product innovation.
Reshaping disaster management: An integrated community‐led approach
Authors: De Sisto Marco , Shearing Clifford , Heffernan Timothy , Sanderson David
Published: October 2024

The management of disasters has traditionally involved public, private, and nongovernmental organisations working together. While scholars have examined the value of collaborations among these entities, less is known about how to successfully engage and empower communities in disaster management. Based on network governance theory, this article contributes to the growing body of public management literature on community engagement by presenting findings from an Australian research initiative conducted after the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires in New South Wales. Through workshops and semi‐structured interviews with a total of 58 members from local communities and emergency agencies, this paper identifies differing perspectives on power distribution among stakeholders, indicating complexities in achieving an integrated and community‐led disaster management approach. The findings underscore the need to shift from exclusively centralised to more inclusive systems, recognising the unique contributions of nonofficial community‐based groups. To address this, the study suggests: a funded community consultation committee, ensuring government and local community representation; collaborative debriefing sessions, leveraging technology for knowledge capture; and the adoption of different leadership styles able to identify, include, and integrate communities as both steerers and rowers within established hierarchical arrangements.

Points for practitioners

The current centralised emergency management system, which relies on recognised experts and state‐controlled facilities, limits the integration of nonofficial resources and community‐based knowledge.

A shift towards a more community‐centric and integrated approach (collaborative polycentric governance) is needed to enhance disaster resilience and response in Australia.

Different stages of disaster reduction could and should have different leadership styles: a transformational, collaborative community‐based style should be implemented before and after the disaster, while a transactional leadership style, more focused on restructuring the system or how it is applied, should be adopted during the disaster.
Epidemiology of large vasculitis in Shanghai, China: A 10‐year multicenter hospital‐based study and systematic review
Authors: Sun Ying , Kong Xiufang , Dai Xiaomin , Jiang Lindi ,   East China Takayasu Arteritis Cooperative Working Group
Published: October 2024

Background

Takayasu arteritis (TAK) and giant cell arteritis (GCA) are two major large vessel vasculitis, with varied epidemiology by geographical location, age, and race. However, the epidemiological data in Chinese population is rarely reported. This study estimated the epidemiology of TAK and GCA in Shanghainese individuals residing in China over a 10‐year period.

Methods

TAK data for individuals over 16 years and GCA data for individuals over 50 years were retrieved from 38 comprehensive hospitals in Shanghai, China through the electronic medical record systems between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2020. A systematic literature review was performed to determine the global distribution of TAK and GCA by searching PubMed, Ovid‐Medline, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), and Web of Science.

Results

In 173 identified TAK cases (67% females; mean age, 46 ± 15 years), the period prevalence was 11.72 cases per million, and the mean annual incidence was 1.33 cases per million. The highest prevalence (17.74 cases per million) and incidence (1.71 cases per million) were observed in the 16‐ to 34‐year‐old age group. In 92 identified GCA cases (56% females; age, >50 years), the period prevalence was 2.73 cases per 100 000 persons, and the mean annual incidence was 1.91 cases per 100 000 persons. Meta‐analysis of the incidence study of TAK and GCA showed that the pooled incidence rate of TAK and GCA was 1.29 per million and 15.48 per 100 000 person‐years, respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that the incidence of TAK was significantly higher in Asia than in other regions, while the incidence of GCA was higher in Europe, especially North Europe.

Conclusion

The epidemiological patterns of TAK and GCA were comprehensively mapped globally and locally, in Shanghai, China.
The evolution of transnational municipal knowledge networks
Authors: Weidenfeld Adi , Clifton Nick
Published: October 2024

The recent growth of transnational municipal networks requires a better understanding of their evolution. For some actors, this growth has resulted in arbitrary or top‐down decisions on network membership followed by low commitment and inefficient use of time and financial resources. By reinterpreting secondary data through an evolutionary approach, this paper argues that the overall systemic nature of the networks is shaped not only by their institutional settings and the composition of actors but also by a set of specific qualities (coherence, boundedness and unified function) that may change over time. Based on the network perspective and system approach, the paper advances our understanding of transnational knowledge networks and the maximising of their effectiveness. Using exemplars, it suggests a conceptual framework for the evolution of transnational municipal knowledge networks.
SUMO: A new perspective to decipher fibrosis
Authors: Li Ling , Gao Ping‐Ping , Chen Ting‐Ting , Li Nan , Zhang Hui‐Juan , Li Meng‐Qi , Chen Ya‐Ning , Wei Wei , Wang Hua , Sun Wu‐Yi
Published: October 2024

Fibrosis is characterized by excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition resulting from dysregulated wound healing and connective tissue repair mechanisms. Excessive accumulation of ECM leads to fibrous tissue formation, impairing organ function and driving the progression of various fibrotic diseases. Recently, the role of small ubiquitin‐like modifiers (SUMO) in fibrotic diseases has attracted significant attention. SUMO‐mediated SUMOylation, a highly conserved posttranslational modification, participates in a variety of biological processes, including nuclear‐cytosolic transport, cell cycle progression, DNA damage repair, and cellular metabolism. Conversely, SUMO‐specific proteases cleave the isopeptide bond of SUMO conjugates, thereby regulating the deSUMOylation process. Mounting evidence indicates that SUMOylation and deSUMOylation regulate the functions of several proteins, such as Smad3, NF‐κB, and promyelocytic leukemia protein, which are implicated in fibrotic diseases like liver fibrosis, myocardial fibrosis, and pulmonary fibrosis. This review summarizes the role of SUMO in fibrosis‐related pathways and explores its pathological relevance in various fibrotic diseases. All evidence suggest that the SUMO pathway is important targets for the development of treatments for fibrotic diseases.
Clinical Trial Design Considerations for Hospitalised Patients With Ulcerative Colitis Flares and Application to Study Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in the NIDDK HBOT‐UC Consortium
Authors: Dulai Parambir S. , Bonner Lauren Balmert , Sadler Charlotte , Raffals Laura E. , Kochhar Gursimran , Lindholm Peter , Buckey Jay C. , Toups Gary N. , Rosas Libeth , Narula Neeraj , Jairath Vipul , Honap Sailish , Peyrin‐Biroulet Laurent , Sands Bruce E. , Hanauer Stephen B. , Scholtens Denise M. , Siegel Corey A. ,   the HBOT‐UC Consortium Investigators
Published: October 2024

Background

Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) who are hospitalised for acute severe flares represent a high‐risk orphan population.

Aim

To provide guidance for clinical trial design methodology in these patients.

Methods

We created a multi‐centre consortium to design and conduct a clinical trial for a novel therapeutic intervention (hyperbaric oxygen therapy) in patients with UC hospitalised for moderate–severe flares. During planning, we identified and addressed specific gaps for inclusion/exclusion criteria; disease activity measures; pragmatic trial design considerations within care pathways for hospitalised patients; standardisation of care delivery; primary and secondary outcomes; and sample size and statistical analysis approaches.

Results

The Truelove‐Witt criteria should not be used in isolation. Endoscopy is critical for defining eligible populations. Patient‐reported outcomes should include rectal bleeding and stool frequency, with secondary measurement of urgency and nocturnal bowel movements. Trial design needs to be tailored to care pathways, with early intervention focused on replacing and/or optimising responsiveness to steroids and later interventions focused on testing novel rescue agents or strategies. The PRECIS‐2 framework offers a means of tailoring to local populations. We provide standardisation of baseline testing, venous thromboprophylaxis, steroid dosing, discharge criteria and post‐discharge follow‐up to avoid confounding by usual care variability. Statistical considerations are provided given the small clinical trial nature of this population.

Conclusion

We provide an outline for framework decisions made for the hyperbaric oxygen trial in patients hospitalised for UC flares. Future research should focus on the remaining gaps identified.
Changes of Otolith and Balance Function Related to Cochlear Implant in Hearing Loss With Inner Ear Malformations Children
Authors: Shen Mengya , Xue Shujin , Wei Xingmei , Chen Biao , Kong Ying , Li Yongxin
Published: October 2024

Objectives

The increase of bilateral cochlear implantation (CI) in recent years has made it essential to comprehend the effects of CI on otolith function. This study aimed to investigate the development of gross motor and otolith function in patients with inner ear malformations (IEMs) using vestibular‐evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs).

Materials and Methods

Overall, 78 patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) (age 5.7 ± 4.1 years) were divided into two groups based on the presence (IEM group, n = 39) or absence (control group, n = 39) of IEMs. VEMP testing was performed both before and 1–3 months after CI, and the evaluation of gross motor development was carried out.

Results

The mean ages for achieving head control and independent walking were delayed in the IEM group compared with the control group (p = 0.02). The preoperative cervical VEMP (cVEMP) and ocular VEMP (oVEMP) response rates were higher in the control group (60% and 86.95%) than in the IEM group (57.69% and 74.35%) (p < 0.05). Additionally, abnormal cVEMP was associated with delayed acquisition of independent walking (p = 0.017). Saccular and utricular functions after CI were lost by 40% and 31.75%, respectively, in patients who elicited preoperative VEMPs waveform (n = 25).

Conclusions

Among SNHL patients, balance development is more delayed in patients of IEMs than in patients without IEMs. The cVEMP and oVEMP waveforms differed greatly between the two groups. The otolith‐vestibular nerve conduction pathway can be affected by CI, potentially leading to otolith function impairment. Therefore, it is essential to assess otolith and balance functions before CI, and this evaluation should be considered an integral part of clinical practice.
A lipidomic approach towards identifying the effects of fragrance hydroperoxides on keratinocytes
Authors: Moore Aaron I. , Moreira Ana S. P. , Guerra Inês M. S. , Goracci Laura , Domingues Pedro , Melo Tânia , Domingues M. Rosário , O'Boyle Niamh M.
Published: October 2024

Background

Limonene and linalool are used in cosmetic products for their floral scents, but their oxidation products are strong contact allergens whose mechanisms of action are still not fully understood.

Objectives

The effects of limonene hydroperoxide (Lim‐2‐OOH) and linalool hydroperoxides (Lin‐6/7‐OOH) on the lipid profile of a human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) were evaluated. 2,4‐Dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) was also included.

Methods

Lim‐2‐OOH and Lin‐6/7‐OOH were synthesised according to previous methods. HaCaT cells were treated with allergens (10 μM) for 24 h and the cellular lipid extracts were analysed by C18 liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Data analysis was performed using Lipostar software. Statistical analysis was carried out using Metaboanalyst and R software.

Results

All three sensitisers used caused significant changes in the lipidome of HaCaT cells in a similar trend. There was an upregulation in several plasmanyl/plasmenyl phospholipids (O‐/P‐phosphatidylcholines [PC] and O‐/P‐phosphatidylethanolamines [PE]), sphingolipids (HexCer) and triacylglycerol lipid species, and a decrease in some polyunsaturated fatty acids‐containing phospholipid (PE and PC) species suggesting oxidative stress and inflammation.

Conclusions

This study is the first to evaluate the plasticity of the HaCaT cell lipidome in response to allylic hydroperoxide allergens Lim‐2‐OOH and Lin‐6/7‐OOH, together with the experimental contact allergen DNFB. These allergens are able to upregulate and downregulate certain lipid classes to a varying degree.
Cloud‐Enabled Mobile‐Based Approach for Enhancing Psychosis Cognitive Assessment
Authors: Walia Shilpa , Kumar Neelesh , Khosla Praveen Kumar , Grover Sandeep
Published: October 2024

Aim

The study aims to assess the feasibility of developing cognitive tools and integrating the cloud‐enabled mobile‐based technology into routine clinical practice for psychotic patients. Furthermore, it aims to investigate the correlation between the results obtained using developed tools and established clinical measures, offering valuable insights into tools for enhancing the accuracy, efficiency and ease of administration of cognitive evaluation.

Methods

A total of 160 participants were recruited (83 outpatients with early course of schizophrenia (SZs) and 77 healthy controls [HCs]). The participants were subjected to cognitive assessments, and the data were collected by cognitive assessment digital smart tool (CADST) and PGI memory scale (PGIMS) to assess attention (ATT) and working memory (WM). Outcome measures of these parameters were digit span (score,time) for ATT and delayed recall (score,time) for WM.

Results

The total average score in HCs was significantly higher than in SZs for ATT and WM, and CADST was significantly correlated with PGIMS for evaluating ATT and WM. Furthermore, test completion times for ATT and WM were observed more in SZs although most of SZs had achieved scores as high as that of HCs.

Conclusion

The potential of CADST as a valuable addition to the conventional cognitive assessment method is highlighted, showing promising feasibility and strong correlations with the established tool. The importance of integrating time parameters suggests broader implications for understanding cognitive function beyond conventional scoring metrics. It demonstrates the effective and accurate approach for large‐scale screening of cognitive parameters in public service settings.
Penetration of Intracoronal Bleaching Agents Across a Calcium Silicate‐Based Coronal Barrier in Pulpless Immature Permanent Teeth: An In Vitro Study
Authors: Devi Karthikeyan Pavithra , Thomas Rathika , Gunasekaran Abishek , Tewari Nitesh , Upadhyay Ashish Dutt , Morankar Rahul , Mathur Vijay Prakash , Bansal Kalpana
Published: October 2024

Objective

Tooth bleaching procedures on nonvital teeth have been performed for crown discoloration caused by regenerative endodontic therapy (RET). However, leakage of bleaching agents across the root canal can be detrimental. This study aimed to assess and compare the penetration levels of hydrogen peroxide (HP) from different bleaching agents across calcium silicate‐based coronal barriers in immature permanent teeth.

Methods

Fifty extracted single‐rooted human teeth were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10): Group I (HH)–35% hydrogen peroxide (HP); Group II (SS)−a mixture of sodium perborate (SP) powder and saline; Group III (SH)−a mixture of SP powder and 30% HP liquid; Group IV (CP)–10% carbamide peroxide gel. The control group (Group V, CC) was treated with distilled water. The bleaching agent was replaced on the 4th day, and penetration analysis was performed on the 7th day using ferro thiocyanate (FTC) method and a UV‐spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 480 nm.

Results

Compared with the control group, the SH group (SP mixed with HP) showed a significant difference, indicating substantial HP penetration across the root canal space (p value < 0.0001). Intergroup comparisons also revealed a significant difference between the SS and SH groups (p value < 0.0001), suggesting that the SS group had less penetration.

Conclusion

Compared with other bleaching agents, SP mixed with saline/water resulted in the lowest HP penetration in the pulp canals of the RET‐simulated tooth models.

Clinical Significance

This study is the first to investigate HP penetration from different bleaching agents in teeth that have undergone RET, identifying the safest bleaching agent for use in these cases. This study also provides a foundation for further research to develop precise guidelines for nonvital tooth bleaching protocols in RET‐treated teeth.
Describing the musculature of mystacial pads in harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) using diceCT
Authors: Elder Alyx , Evans Elizabeth , Brassey Charlotte , Kitchener Andrew C. , Hantke George , Grant Robyn
Published: October 2024

Pinnipeds have long, sensitive, moveable mystacial vibrissae. In other mammals, intrinsic muscles contribute to protracting the vibrissae. However, the mystacial muscles of pinnipeds have not yet been systematically described. Using traditional histological methods provides us with two‐dimensional muscle images, but having the ability to visualise these structures in three dimensions would allow for a more comprehensive understanding of pinniped vibrissal anatomy, especially given the challenges posed by their large and extremely curved mystacial pad. We predicted that harbour seals would have large, regular intrinsic muscles due to their well‐organised, moveable vibrissae. We adopted diffusible iodine contrast‐enhanced computer tomography (diceCT) to describe, for the first time, the three‐dimensional architecture of the mystacial vibrissal muscles found in harbour seals. Our observations show that their vibrissae are organised into grids within the mystacial pad. We identified both sling‐shaped and oblique intrinsic muscles that connect one vibrissae to the next in the same row. We also identified extrinsic muscles, including the m. nasolabialis, m. maxillolabialis, m. levator nasolabialis and m. orbicularis oris. Contrary to our prediction, the intrinsic muscles were not very large, although they were regularly distributed throughout the pad. Rather, the extrinsic muscles, particularly the m. nasolabialis and m. maxillolabialis were large, deep and well‐defined, running throughout the length of the mystacial pad. Therefore, we suggest that these extrinsic muscles, the m. nasolabialis and m. maxillolabialis, are responsible for driving vibrissal protraction underwater. These findings demonstrate the importance of three‐dimensional visualisation techniques in advancing our understanding of mystacial anatomy and function in pinnipeds.
Parents' Experiences of Accessing Mental Health Services for Their Adolescents With Mental Health Challenges: A Scoping Review
Authors: Nic Dhonnacha Seána , Kerr Lisa , McCague Yvonne , Cawley Des
Published: October 2024

Aim

To analyse the literature on parents' experiences of accessing mental health services with their adolescents for mental health challenges in Ireland.

Background

Health systems globally have inadequately addressed mental health service needs resulting in notable gaps between population needs and access to adolescent mental health services.

Methods

This scoping review followed Arksey and O'Malley's six‐stage framework and PRISMA‐ScR reporting guidelines. Five electronic databases SocINDEX, MEDLINE, CINHAL, Scopus and EBSCO were searched and reference lists screened 2015–2024.

Results

Twenty‐three studies were included. Applying Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis identified three themes: adolescent community mental health services for adolescents with mental health challenges, accessing mental healthcare services via emergeny departments for adolescents with mental health challenges and parents' experiences of accessing mental health services for their adolescents with mental health challenges.

Conclusion

Parents' experiences of accessing mental health services for their adolescents are not fully understood, and further research is required to map key concepts to inform practice and policymaking.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

The findings from this scoping review highlight challenges for adolescent mental health services in Ireland and internationally. Heightening awareness of these issues is necessary to improve the clinical practice of nurses.

No Patient or Public Contribution

This was a scoping review study.
Experiences of Intensive Care Unit Patients as They Transition to the Ward: A Thematic Synthesis
Authors: Yumei Li , Zhang Deping , Xu Yu
Published: October 2024

Background

During the transfer of intensive care unit (ICU) patients to general wards, patients often experience transfer anxiety due to changes in the healthcare environment, staff and unfamiliarity with the new ward. However, the experiences of ICU patients during this transition period have received less attention.

Aims

A systematic review and synthesis of the experiences of patients transitioning from the ICU to the ward.

Design

Thematic synthesis of qualitative studies.

Data Sources

We searched the PubMed, Embase, CINAHL and Web of Science databases for qualitative research on the transition‐to‐ward experience of patients in ICUs for the year 2023 February.

Review Methods

The quality of the literature was evaluated according to the qualitative research quality assessment criteria of the Joanna Briggs Institute, as outlined by the Australian Centre for Evidence‐Based Healthcare. The data were then extracted from the studies, analysed and synthesised using a thematic synthesis approach.

Results

A total of 12 papers were included and the 32 findings were distilled and consolidated into three themes: emotional reactions; imperfections in the transition process; differences between wards and ICUs; and eight sub‐themes: optimism; pessimism; emotionlessness; inadequate information; inadequate communication; physical condition; differences in care; differences in environment.

Conclusions

The transfer from an ICU to a general ward is a major change of environment for the patient and can trigger upset and anxiety. Planning for turn‐out, meeting patients' information needs and easing patients' emotions are critical in this process.
Spatial inequality in unsolved crimes: Evidence from small neighborhoods
Authors: Braakmann Nils , Dursun Bahadir , Zambiasi Diego
Published: October 2024

Using administrative data on the universe of police recorded crime linked to judicial outcomes for England and Wales from January 2013 to December 2018, we document—for the first time—large and persistent spatial inequalities in the proportion of solved and unsolved crimes across small neighborhoods covering a whole country. We find substantial differences across neighborhoods in the same municipality or police force. Fixed effects decompositions suggest that neighborhoods have different clearance rates across different crimes and that high‐crime neighborhoods also have high clearance rates, but with substantial heterogeneity across offences. Clearance rates correlate systematically with neighborhood composition.
Investigating the evolution of green algae with a large transcriptomic data set
Authors: Ferranti David A. , Delwiche Charles F.
Published: October 2024

The colonization of land by plants approximately 450–500 million years ago (Mya) is one of the most important events in the history of life on Earth. Land plants, hereafter referred to as “embryophytes,” comprise the foundation of every terrestrial biome, making them an essential lineage for the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. The embryophytes form a monophyletic clade within one of the two major phyla of the green algae (Viridiplantae), the Streptophyta. Estimates from fossil data and molecular clock analyses suggest the Streptophyte algae (Charophytes) diverged from the other main phylum of green algae, the Chlorophyta, as much as 1500 Mya. Here we present a phylogenetic analysis using transcriptomic and genomic data of 62 green algae and embryophyte operational taxonomic units, 31 of which were assembled de novo for this project. We have focused on identifying the charophyte lineage that is sister to embryophytes, and show that the Zygnematophyceae have the strongest support, followed by the Charophyceae. Furthermore, we have examined amino acid and codon usage across the tree and determined these data broadly follow the phylogenetic tree. We concluded by searching the data set for protein domains and gene families known to be important in embryophytes. Many of these domains and genes have homologous sequences in the charophyte lineages, giving insight into the processes that underlay the colonization of the land by plants. This provides new insights into green algal diversification, identifies previously unknown attributes of genome evolution within the group, and shows how functional mechanisms have evolved over time.
Understanding post‐fire vegetation recovery in southern California ecosystems with the aid of pre‐fire observations from long‐term monitoring
Authors: Li Xinyu , Kimball Sarah , Ta Priscilla , Schmidt Katharina T. , Campbell Diane R.
Published: October 2024

Aims

Post‐fire vegetation recovery is often determined by the similarity of post‐burn with unburned sites because of a lack of in situ information on pre‐fire communities. The inclusion of pre‐fire data can help account for pre‐existing differences and explore recovery also in terms of return to pre‐fire conditions. We used long‐term monitoring data in coastal sage scrub and grasslands to: (a) examine vegetation cover recovery of different functional groups; and (b) determine whether vegetation composition in burned areas has recovered in 4 years after fire with burned to unburned and pre‐ to post‐fire comparisons.

Location

Orange County, California, USA.

Methods

We analyzed long‐term vegetation monitoring (2007–2021) data from 39 grassland and 58 coastal sage scrub transects in southern California, including observations before and after the 2017 Canyon 2 fire. Linear mixed‐effect models were used to determine whether forb, grass, and shrub covers differed between burned and unburned sites while considering the effects of year and repeated monitoring. We used canonical analysis of principal coordinates to analyze vegetation composition based on burn status and time of sampling.

Results

Whereas vegetation cover in grassland recovered quickly, native vegetation cover in burned coastal sage scrub remained lowered 4 years after fire, though forb and non‐native grass cover were higher in some post‐fire years. Community composition in burned coastal sage scrub was still in recovery 4 years after fire when compared with unburned or pre‐fire composition. Although burned and unburned grassland differed after fire in dominant grass species, inclusion of pre‐fire data showed that this was a pre‐existing difference.

Conclusions

Coastal sage scrub had not recovered pre‐fire vegetation cover and composition by 4 years after fire, whereas grassland cover rebounded quickly, albeit with shifts in composition over time; patterns that were detected only by having pre‐ and post‐fire data from long‐term monitoring efforts.
Assessing State Resilience: Lynching and Its Ramifications on State Credit in the United States
Authors: Dove John A. , Byrd William J.
Published: October 2024

The importance of state capacity and institutional quality has received significant attention within the academic literature. This is especially true as it relates to the protection of property rights and, ultimately, the role it plays in economic development. This study adds to this literature by considering how lynching activity across US states impacts sovereign credit. Given that lynching tends to be associated with weak public‐sector institutions, limited‐access social orders, and the weak protection of individual and property rights, we posit that as lynchings increase so too will bond yields. The analysis covers the period 1883–1920 and find support that state borrowing costs rose as lynching activity increased. The results are robust to a number of specifications, demographic groups, and regions. Implications are discussed.
Elevated Porcupine Disrupts Lipid Metabolism and Promotes Inflammatory Response in MASLD
Authors: Zhang Yalin , Ju Fengyu , Yan Li , Shen Xin , Guo Shiqing , Yu Muchen , Cao Yujia , Wang Wenhui
Published: October 2024

Background and Aims

Metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) presents a high incidence globally and is a major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, lacking of efficient interventions. Patients with MASLD exhibit exceeded serum levels of palmitic acid (PA). However, the association between PA and MASLD remains obscure.

Methods

Gene expression omnibus dataset analysis, western blotting, mRNA‐sequencing, RT‐qPCR, a click chemistry‐immunoprecipitation‐immunofluorescence system, ELISA, lipid extraction and UHPLC–MS/MS analysis, CyTOF mass cytometry, gene knockdown via lentivirus‐mediated shRNA, and high‐fat methionine and choline‐deficient diet‐fed WT and db/db mice models were used to reveal the expression and functions of Porcupine in MASLD development both in vitro and in vivo.

Results

Our findings show that PA, as a crucial substrate for protein palmitoylation, induced the expression of palmitoyltransferase Porcupine in a time‐dependent manner. This induction was closely associated with dysregulated lipid metabolism and stimulated inflammatory response observed in vitro. Porcupine protein levels were significantly increased in liver tissues from both MASLD mice models, which was predominantly localised in lipid droplet‐rich hepatocytes. Pharmacological inhibition of Porcupine by Wnt974 markedly ameliorated the aberrant lipid accumulation and inflammatory response in mouse livers. Furthermore, increased Porcupine positively correlated with CD36 at protein levels, and its inhibition or knockdown decreased CD36 protein levels via mechanisms irrelevant to transcriptional regulation, but primarily dependent on protein palmitoylation.

Conclusions

The current study reveals that PA‐induced Porcupine disrupts lipid metabolism and promotes inflammatory response during MASLD development, which can be ameliorated by the Porcupine inhibitor Wnt974. Therefore, Porcupine may be a potential pharmacological target for the treatment of MASLD.
Psychometric Evaluation of the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey in Brazilian Older People Psychometric Evaluation of MOS‐SSS
Authors: de Brito Tábatta Renata Pereira , Belineli Lilian Miranda , Rocha Greiciane da Silva , Corona Ligiana Pires , Freiria Carolina Neves , Polo Celi Macedo , Reis Rogério Donizeti , Lima Daniela Braga , Nunes Daniella Pires , da Silva Wanderson Roberto
Published: October 2024

Objectives

To evaluate the psychometric properties of different factorial models of the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS‐SSS) and screen the frequency of social support in older Brazilians.

Method

Methodological study. Five factorial models of the MOS‐SSS were tested for their validity and reliability using three Brazilian samples from different locations in the country. The factorial invariance was assessed across locations using multigroup analysis. The global average score was calculated.

Results

A total of 1574 older people participated in the study. For all models, there was adequate factorial and convergent validity and good reliability; the discriminant validity was not achieved. Therefore, a second‐order hierarchical model was proposed and showed validity, reliability and invariance across samples. In the three Brazilian samples, participants presented high frequency of social support.

Conclusion

A second‐order hierarchical model was fitted the Brazilian samples, allowing the calculation of the global score of social support, which was high among the participants.

Implications for Practice

The MOS‐SSS assesses social support levels among older individuals in community or clinical settings. Nurses can tailor interventions based on scale outcomes for personalised care for older people.