bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wake and non-rapid eye movement sleep dysfunction is associated with colonic neuropathology in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Sadoc Mathilde , Clairembault Thomas , Coron Emmanuel , Berthomier Christian , Le Dily Séverine , Vavasseur Fabienne , Pavageau Albane , St. Louis Erik K. , Péréon Yann , Neunlist Michel , Derkinderen Pascal , Leclair-Visonneau Laurène
Published: October 2023

Study Objectives

The body-first Parkinson’s disease (PD) hypothesis suggests initial gut Lewy body pathology that propagates to the pons before reaching the substantia nigra, and subsequently progresses to the diencephalic and cortical levels. This disease course may also be the most likely in PD with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD).

Objectives

We aimed to explore the potential association between colonic phosphorylated alpha-synuclein histopathology (PASH) and diencephalic or cortical dysfunction evidenced by non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and wakefulness polysomnographic markers.

Methods

In a study involving 43 patients with PD who underwent clinical examination, rectosigmoidoscopy, and polysomnography, we detected PASH on colonic biopsies using whole-mount immunostaining. We performed a visual semi-quantitative and automated quantification of spindle and slow wave features of NREM sleep, and the wake dominant frequency, and then determined Braak and Arizona stage classifications for PD severity based on sleep and wake electroencephalographic features.

Results

The visual analysis aligned with the automated quantified spindle characteristics and the wake dominant frequency. Altered NREM sleep and wake parameters correlated with markers of PD severity, colonic PASH, and RBD diagnosis. Colonic PASH frequency also increased in parallel to presumed PD Braak and Arizona stage classifications.

Conclusions

Colonic PASH in PD is strongly associated with widespread brain sleep and wake dysfunction, pointing toward likely extensive diffusion of the pathological process in the presumptive body-first PD phenotype. Visual and automated analyses of polysomnography signals provide useful markers to gauge covert brain dysfunction in PD.

Statement of Significance

The presence of gut synucleinopathy in Parkinson’s disease can be linked to the body-first hypothesis in its pathophysiology. This study, performed in a cohort of 43 patients with Parkinson’s disease that underwent clinical assessment, rectosigmoidoscopy and polysomnography, provides evidence that colonic neuropathology in Parkinson’s disease is associated with widespread brain dysfunction, as evaluated by wake and non-rapid eye movement sleep polysomnographic markers. Our results support the assumption of an extensive diffusion of the pathological process to diencephalic and neocortical structures in the presumptive body-first phenotype. They also suggest the use of routine polysomnography in phenotyping patients with Parkinson’s disease. Future studies should investigate the brain diffusion pattern and its sleep markers in the hypothesized brain-first phenotype of Parkinson’s disease.
Diet order affects energy balance in randomized crossover feeding studies that vary in macronutrients but not ultra-processing
Authors: Sciarrillo Christina M. , Guo Juen , Hengist Aaron , Darcey Valerie L. , Hall Kevin D.
Published: October 2023

BACKGROUND

Crossover studies can induce order effects, especially when they lack a wash-out period.

OBJECTIVE

To explore diet order effects on energy balance and food intake between randomized diet order groups in two inpatient crossover studies originally designed to compare within-subject differences inad libitumenergy intake between either minimally processed low carbohydrate (LC) versus low fat (LF) diets or macronutrient-matched diets composed of mostly minimally processed food (MPF) or ultra-processed food (UPF).

METHODS

Diet order group comparisons of changes in body weight, body composition, and differences in energy expenditure, and food intake were assessed over four weeks in 20 adults randomized to either the LC followed immediately by the LF diet (LC→LF) or the opposite order (LF→LC) as well as 20 adults randomized to either the MPF followed by UPF (MPF→UPF) diets or the opposite order (UPF→MPF).

RESULTS

Subjects randomized to LC→LF lost 2.9 ± 1.1 kg more body weight (p< 0.001) and 1.5 ± 0.6 kg more body fat (p= 0.03) than the LF→LC group likely because the LC→LF group consumed 922 ± 304 kcal/d less than the LFàLC group (p= 0.0024). Reduced energy intake in LC→LFvsLFàLC was driven by the last two weeks (−1610 ± 306 kcal/d;p<0.00001) perhaps due to carryover effects of gut adaptations over the first two weeks arising from large differences in the mass of food (1295 ± 209 g/d;p<0.00001) and fiber intake (58 ± 5 g/d;p<0.00001). There were no diet order effects onad libitumenergy intake, body weight, or body composition change between UPF→MPF versus MPF→UPF groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Diet order influences dailyad libitumenergy intake, body weight change, and fat change within the context of a 4-week crossover inpatient diet study varying in macronutrients, but not varying in extent and purpose of processing.

Funding sources

Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health

Clinical Trial Registration

NCT03407053 andNCT03878108
Longitudinal Associations of Dietary Fructose and Psychological Stress with Vascular Aging Index and Incident Cardiovascular Disease in the CARDIA Cohort
Authors: Osborne Meaghan , Bernard Alexa , Falkowski Emily , Peterson Deni , Vavilikolanu Anusha , Komnenov Dragana
Published: October 2023

Background

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk increases exponentially with age, largely due to vascular aging. We explored how dietary behaviors (sucrose, fructose, sodium, and potassium consumption) and endured psychological stress in young adult males and females impact the vascular aging index (VAI) and CVD risk by mid-life.

Methods

Data were obtained from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study, an ongoing longitudinal study. Included participants (n=2,656) had undergone carotid artery ultrasound Doppler scans at year 20 allowing VAIs to be calculated. Demographics, dietary data and depression scale scores were obtained at the initial visit. Regression analyses were used to assess the predictors of VAI 20 years later. Cox regression analyses were conducted to assess the risk of fatal and non-fatal CVD, hypertensive CVD, and stroke.

Results

Predictors of vascular aging were found to be sex-specific. In females, CES-D scores at baseline were positively associated with VAI (B-weight=0.063, p=0.015). In males, sodium intake at year 20 positively predicted VAI (B-weight=0.145, p=0.003) and potassium intake inversely predicted VAI (B-weight=-0.160, p<0.001). On Cox regression analyses, BMI significantly predicted CVD, stroke, and death. In addition, fructose consumption at year 20 was a significant predictor of CVD risk while having blood pressure above 130/80 mmHg at baseline was significantly associated with stroke risk.

Conclusion

Our findings support the promotion of nutrient-specific behavior changes (specifically, limiting fructose consumption) to prevent vascular aging in early adulthood and CVD risk in mid-life.
Transposon mutagenesis reveals differential essential pathways in modelSalmonellaTyphimurium strains SL1344 and SL3261
Authors: Rooke Jessica L. , Goodall Emily C. A. , Pullela Karthik , Costa Rochelle Da , Martinelli Nicole , Henderson Ian R.
Published: October 2023

Salmonella entericais a globally disseminated pathogen that is the cause of over 100 million infections per year. The resulting diseases caused byS. entericaare dependent upon host susceptibility and the infecting serovar. For example, Typhoid fever is a human exclusive disease caused byS. entericaserovar Typhi. AsS. entericaserovar Typhimurium induces a typhoid like disease in mice, this model has been used extensively to illuminate various aspects ofSalmonellainfection and host responses. However, the infection is so severe that even one infectious bacterium injected intravenously will cause mortality in 100% of animals within one week of infection. Due to this severity, researchers often use strains of mice resistant to infection or attenuatedSalmonellastrains to understand adaptive immunity and infection dynamics. Despite decades of research, many aspects ofSalmonellainfection and fundamental biology remain poorly understood. Here, we use a Transposon Insertion Sequencing (TIS) technique to interrogate the essential genomes of widely used isogenic wild-type and attenuatedS. Typhimurium strains. We reveal differential essential pathways between strains, provide a direct link between iron starvation, DNA synthesis and bacterial membrane integrity, and showS.Typhi andS.Typhimurium have similar requirements for iron.
Investigation of H9N2 avian influenza immune escape mutant that lacks haemagglutination activity
Authors: Karunarathna Thusitha K. , Sadeyen Jean-Remy , Bhat Sushant , Chang Pengxiang , Yang Jiayun , Qureshi Mehnaz , Sealy Joshua E. , Daines Rebecca , Iqbal Munir
Published: October 2023

H9N2 avian influenza viruses pose a global threat to animal and human health. While vaccination is essential for mitigating disease impact, these viruses evolve to evade vaccine immunity through changes in the haemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein. In this study, we identified immune escape mutation in an H9N2 virus resulting from pressure exerted by homologous chicken antisera. The immune-escape variant acquired an amino acid substitution, replacing glycine (G) with glutamic acid (E) at position 149 in the HA protein. The G149E mutant virus lost the ability to agglutinate chicken erythrocytes, while still maintaining replication comparable to the wild-type virus in chicken embryos and cells. This led to the hypothesis that the G149E substitution, leading to a shift from a neutral to a negative charge polarity at HA position 149, might be crucial for the optimal interaction between the virus and receptors on erythrocytes. Investigation indicated that agglutination could be restored by substituting E to positively charged amino acids histidine (H), arginine (R) or lysine (K). These findings suggest that the H9N2 virus may be likely acquire the G149E mutation under immune pressure in nature. This mutation poses challenges to vaccination and surveillance efforts as it partially evades immune protection and is not easily detectable by conventional haemagglutination assays. This underscores the intricate interplay between antigenic variation and viral traits, emphasising the critical need for ongoing surveillance and research to effectively mitigate the risks associated with avian influenza H9N2 viruses.

IMPORTANCE

Understanding how avian influenza viruses evolve to persist in nature is crucial for enhancing disease mitigation tools such as vaccines, diagnostics, and risk assessment. In this study, we identified an H9N2 virus antibody escape mutant with G149E mutation in the haemagglutinin that had lost the ability to agglutinate chicken erythrocytes, while retaining infectivity and replication fitness. The lack of haemagglutination activity potentially negatively impacts routine surveillance and commonly used diagnostics such as haemagglutination assay or haemagglutination inhibition assay. Therefore, it is urgent to develop and adopt alternative methods for viral detection. Difficult to detect variants potentially that are not compatible with common surveillance techniques could circulate remain silent while reassort with other influenza viruses, which posing unpredictable risks to animal and human health. This research helps us better understand avian influenza, leading to improved disease control, diagnostics, and risk assessment to protect both animals and humans.
Interfacial water confers transcription factors with dinucleotide specificity
Authors: Morgunova Ekaterina , Yin Yimeng , Zhu Fangjie , Xiao Tianyi , Sokolov Ilya , Popov Alexander , Laughton Charles , Taipale Jussi
Published: October 2023

Transcription factors bind to DNA by recognizing specific bases within their binding motifs. Binding to each DNA mononucleotide within the motif often contributes independently to total binding energy. However, some transcription factors (TFs) can bind to DNA more specifically than predicted by this model, by directly recognizing DNA dinucleotides. To understand this process, we have solved the structures of the basic helix-loop-helix protein MYF5, and the homeodomain protein BARHL2 together with DNA containing a set of dinucleotides that have different affinities to the proteins at high resolution (< 1 Å). We observe that dinucleotides can be recognized either enthalpically by an extensive water network that connects the adjacent bases to the TF, or entropically by formation of a hydrophobic patch that maintains water mobility at the protein-DNA interface. The two distinct thermodynamic signatures of the two equally optimal sites also confer differential temperature sensitivity to the optimal sites, with implications for thermal regulation of gene expression. Our results uncover the enigma of how TFs can recognize more complex local features than mononucleotides, and demonstrate that water-mediated recognition is important in predicting affinities of macromolecules from their sequence.
Human Striatal Association Megaclusters
Authors: Kosakowski Heather L. , Saadon-Grosman Noam , Du Jingnan , Eldaief Mark E. , Buckner Randy L.
Published: October 2023

The striatum receives projections from multiple regions of the cerebral cortex consistent with its role in diverse motor, affective, and cognitive functions. Supporting cognitive functions, the caudate receives projections from cortical association regions. Building on recent insights about the details of how multiple cortical networks are specialized for distinct aspects of higher-order cognition, we revisited caudate organization using within-individual precision neuroimaging (n=2, each participant scanned 31 times). Detailed analysis revealed that the caudate has side-by-side zones that are coupled to at least Give distinct distributed association networks, paralleling the specialization observed in the cerebral cortex. Examining correlation maps from closely juxtaposed seed regions in the caudate recapitulated the Give distinct cerebral networks including their multiple spatially distributed regions. These results extend the general notion of parallel specialized basal ganglia circuits, with the additional discovery that even within the caudate, there is Gine-grained separation of multiple distinct higher-order networks.
Viral-mediated expression of Erk2 in the nucleus accumbens regulates responses to rewarding and aversive stimuli
Authors: Parise Lyonna F. , Iñiguez Sergio D. , Warren Brandon L. , Parise Eric M. , Bachtell Ryan K. , Dietz David , Nestler Eric J. , Bolaños-Guzmán Carlos A.
Published: October 2023

Second-messenger signaling within the mesolimbic reward circuit is involved in both the long-lived effects of stress and in the underlying mechanisms that promote drug abuse liability. To determine the direct role of kinase signaling within the nucleus accumbens, specifically mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (ERK2), in mood- and drug-related behavior, we used a herpes-simplex virus to up- or down-regulate ERK2 in adult male rats. We then exposed rats to a battery of behavioral tasks including the elevated plus-maze, open field test, forced-swim test, conditioned place preference, and finally cocaine self-administration. Herein, we show that viral overexpression or knockdown of ERK2 in the nucleus accumbens induces distinct behavioral phenotypes. Specifically, over expression of ERK2 facilitated depression- and anxiety-like behavior while also increasing sensitivity to cocaine. Conversely, down-regulation of ERK2 attenuated behavioral deficits, while blunting sensitivity to cocaine. Taken together, these data implicate ERK2 signaling, within the nucleus accumbens, in the regulation of affective behaviors and modulating sensitivity to the rewarding properties of cocaine.
Chromatinization Modulates Topoisomerase II Processivity
Authors: Lee Jaeyoon , Wu Meiling , Inman James T. , Singh Gundeep , Park Seong ha , Lee Joyce H. , Fulbright Robert M. , Hong Yifeng , Jeong Joshua , Berger James M. , Wang Michelle D.
Published: October 2023

Type IIA topoisomerases are essential DNA processing enzymes that must robustly and reliably relax DNA torsional stressin vivo. While cellular processes constantly create different degrees of torsional stress, how this stress feeds back to control type IIA topoisomerase function remains obscure. Using a suite of single-molecule approaches, we examined the torsional impact on supercoiling relaxation of both naked DNA and chromatin by eukaryotic topoisomerase II (topo II). We observed that topo II was at least ∼ 50-fold more processive on plectonemic DNA than previously estimated, capable of relaxing > 6000 turns. We further discovered that topo II could relax supercoiled DNA prior to plectoneme formation, but with a ∼100-fold reduction in processivity; strikingly, the relaxation rate in this regime decreased with diminishing torsion in a manner consistent with the capture of transient DNA loops by topo II. Chromatinization preserved the high processivity of the enzyme under high torsional stress. Interestingly, topo II was still highly processive (∼ 1000 turns) even under low torsional stress, consistent with the predisposition of chromatin to readily form DNA crossings. This work establishes that chromatin is a major stimulant of topo II function, capable of enhancing function even under low torsional stress.
Therapeutic Targeting of TIM-4-L With Engineered T Cells for Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Cieniewicz Brandon , Oliveira Edson , Saxton Mike , Torabi Damoun , Bhatta Ankit , Kukutla Phanidhar , Arballo Alexander , Yang Zhou , Yu Bi , Fate Maria , Ning Hongxiu , Corey Lawrence , Maiti Abhishek , Corey Daniel
Published: October 2023

Disruption of the lipid asymmetric bilayer is a common feature observed in cancer cells. We utilized the natural immune receptor TIM-4 to interrogate for loss of plasma membrane phospholipid polarity in primary acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) samples. We performed FACs analysis in 33 patients and correlated TIM-4-L expression frequency and intensity with molecular disease characteristics. In normal tissues, TIM-4-L is confined to the internal leaflet of the plasma membrane. By contrast, 86% of untreated AML blasts in our analysis displayed upregulation of cell surface TIM-4-L. These observations were agnostic to AML genetic classification, as samples with mutations inTP53, ASXL1, andRUNX1, also displayed TIM-4-L upregulation similar to that seen in favorable and intermediate subtypes. This TIM-4-L dysregulation was also stably present in both Kasumi-1 and MV-4-11 AML cell lines. To evaluate the potential of upregulated TIM-4-L to serve as a target for adoptive T cell therapy (ACT), we constructed TIM-4-L-directed engineered T cells, which demonstrated potent anti-leukemic effects, effectively eliminating AML cell lines both in vitro and in vivo. This approach led to the eradication of AML cells across a range of endogenous TIM-4-L expression levels. These results highlight TIM-4-L as a highly prevalent and novel target for T cell-based therapy in AML. Further investigations into the role of TIM-4-L in AML pathogenesis and its potential as an anti-leukemic target for clinical development are warranted.
Localized molecular chaperone synthesis maintains neuronal dendrite proteostasis
Authors: Alecki Célia , Rizwan Javeria , Le Phuong , Jacob-Tomas Suleima , Fernandez-Comaduran Mario , Verbrugghe Morgane , Xu Jia Ming Stella , Minotti Sandra , Lynch James , Wu Tad , Durham Heather , Yeo Gene W. , Vera Maria
Published: October 2023

Proteostasis is maintained through regulated protein synthesis and degradation and chaperone-assisted protein folding. However, this is challenging in neuronal projections because of their polarized morphology and constant synaptic proteome remodeling. Using high-resolution fluorescence microscopy, we discovered that hippocampal and spinal cord motor neurons of mouse and human origin localize a subset of chaperone mRNAs to their dendrites and use microtubule-based transport to increase this asymmetric localization following proteotoxic stress. The most abundant dendritic chaperone mRNA encodes a constitutive heat shock protein 70 family member (HSPA8). Proteotoxic stress also enhancedHSPA8mRNA translation efficiency in dendrites. Stress-mediatedHSPA8mRNA localization to the dendrites was impaired by depleting fused in sarcoma—an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-related protein—in cultured spinal cord mouse motor neurons or by expressing a pathogenic variant of heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2/B1 in neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. These results reveal a crucial and unexpected neuronal stress response in which RNA-binding proteins increase the dendritic localization ofHSPA8mRNA to maintain proteostasis and prevent neurodegeneration.
Firm's life cycle and cash flow classification: evidence from Indian firms
Authors: Mulchandani Kalyani , Mulchandani Ketan , Jain Megha
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The study examines the influence of a firm's life cycle on the cash flow classification of Indian firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs Dickinson's (2011) cash flow patterns to classify firm years under various life-cycle stages. Cash flow classification is employed to measure a firm's classification shifting (CS) practices. The study includes Indian firms listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange during 2012–2020, an ordinary least squares regression model, a fixed-effect model and a panel corrected with standard error regression method.

Findings

Firms face different opportunities and challenges at different stages of the firm's life cycle and therefore adopt cash flow CS. The results show that firms adopt cash flow CS during introduction, growth and decline stage of life cycle either to boost or to reduce operating cash flows.

Originality/value

This study is one of its kind to study the influence of a firm's life cycle on the cash flow classification of Indian firms.
Safety governance during COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: a benchmarking inquiry of multiple countries
Authors: Hong Paul C. , Jung Euisung , Ahn Na Young , Hyun Youngran
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine the role of safety governance in ensuring public–private interface ecosystems in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to highlight the role of safety governance in the complex interfaces of pandemic response mechanisms. The analysis is conducted at the national level, considering safety governance issues in terms of test, confirmed cases, fatality rates, vaccination rate, medical capabilities, Information and communications technology capability, Hofstede’s cultural index (individualism and power distance scores), public safety, personal privacy and national health capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

Using multigovernance theory and technology, organization and environment theory, the authors present a research model that defines four independent factors and country level performance outcomes and conducted analysis of variance tests.

Findings

Research findings suggest that countries are classified by diverse groups using multiple criteria (e.g. country size, Hofstede’s cultural indexes, ICT capabilities and Governance index). Countries indicate differences in their policy approaches according to their private and public ecosystems. COVID-19 response performance indicators are substantially different.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides the relevance of the multigovernance theory. The empirical results suggest that effective crisis governance is characterized by vertically integrated organizational hierarchies with horizontally connected communication channels that seek maximum voluntary participation and a high level of motivation of informed societal members as a whole. Crisis events occur occasionally, and livelihood routines demonstrate incredible human agility. Gaining insight of the findings from this article may be useful to respond to future crisis events.

Originality/value

This significant study highlights the political and social factors that define response patterns of different countries regarding COVID-19 response mechanisms. With the wide vaccination administration, the COVID-19 landscape shows differences in these countries. This study is rare in providing research framework using Hofstede cultural value and examines with actual data provided by each national government, World Health Organization and credible information sources.
Effects of the UNE 166.002 standards on the incremental and radical product innovation and organizational performance
Authors: Giménez Espín Juan Antonio , Martínez-Costa Micaela , Jiménez Jiménez Daniel
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The purpose of the study has been to fill the gap detected in the literature and to analyze whether the application of management of R&D in accordance with UNE 166002:2021 allows companies to obtain higher product innovation and better performance, specifically incremental and radical product innovations.

Design/methodology/approach

The population used in this study included Spanish manufacturing organizations that were active, had more than 50 employees according to the SABI. The information was collected through a structured questionnaire previously tested using a company specializing in the sector under the supervision of the authors. A total of 1,154 companies were randomly contacted in order to reach an acceptable number of 225 valid questionnaires. The data analysis has been carried out with structural equation methodology.

Findings

The results obtained with a sample of 225 companies show that the application of this standard for innovation management promotes the development of new products with incremental and radical changes, and improves business performance. It has also been found that incremental and radical product innovations mediate the relationship between this standard and performance.

Research limitations/implications

Firstly, the survey is only addressed to the company's operations manager. Secondly, the sample used is cross-sectional, whereas innovation management implies a broad implementation process.

Practical implications

Managers must know that radical and incremental product innovation can improve the company's operational performance. And the most direct implication of this work is that, those companies that are committed to the development of innovations should seriously consider the application of the principles incorporated in Standard 166,002, as an instrument that improves the results of innovation in the organization. Since this SIMS promotes both types of innovations, it improves results directly and indirectly through these product innovations.

Originality/value

The existing literature indicates that no empirical study has focused on the benefits of this SIMSs for innovation and BP. This paper fills this gap detected in the literature and analyzes the results of the implementation of this standard on incremental and radical product innovations and business performance.
Empirically studying university faculty caring intelligence
Authors: Hendrickson Kenny A. , Francis Kula A.
Published: October 2023

Purpose

In a previous study of authentic university academic caring (AUAC) at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), students perceived teaching faculty as the primary provider of academic caring and caregiving. This paper presents a research study on university faculty caring intelligence. University faculty caring intelligence is faculty's capacity to recognize the meaning and realities of caring within their performance, relationships and work environment.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive exploratory correlational research design was used to examine university faculty caring intelligence. A university academic caring framework and a faculty version of the Caring About Academic Care Inventory (CAACI) were employed. The university academic caring framework was used to guide the research. The faculty version of the CAACI assessed university faculty's discernments of AUAC within identified interfacing university academic caregiving points (institutional, instructional, academic management and academic counseling). The study sample consisted of 76 UVI faculty.

Findings

Factor score correlation completed in this work revealed strong relationships between the identified features university academic caring based on faculty perceptions.

Research limitations/implications

Though the study is limited due to the sampling, UVI faculty's perception of AUAC was significantly evaluated. A model of UVI faculty caring intelligence was constructed from empirical evidence.

Originality/value

Studying caring intelligence of university faculty offered something new: a means to assess how faculty recognize the meaning of caring within themselves, their function, relationships and work environment. Caring intelligence can be used to predict faculty performance and their relationships within the university academic environment.
It takes a village: what lessons can the UK learn from rural community mental health services in Ghana?
Authors: Ferazzoli Maria Teresa , Kpobi Lily
Published: October 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to provide new insights into and offer potential solutions to the challenges encountered by mental health services working with remote, rural or underserved communities in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors reflect on the utility of integrating conventional clinical approaches, with preventive care and empowering work within the community, to provide culturally sensitive and accessible mental health services. The authors describe an example of community intervention from a mental health service in Ghana designed to enhance reach within remote and rural communities and identify potential lessons for practice in the UK.

Findings

The partnership between community mental health services and the rural communities, including families and existing social frameworks, applies collaborative care to overcome the lack of resources and facilitate the acceptability of mental health services to the local population. There are a series of important lessons from this experience including the importance of understanding the culture of a community to optimise reach and the importance of working IN the community and WITH the community.

Originality/value

This paper is novel because it provides learning from a model of care applied in the global south that has potential for implementation with underserved populations in the UK. The authors suggest a reframing of the notion of community care to encompass existing frameworks of community, not merely a biomedical conceptualisation.
Explicating the factors influencing successful implementation and management of sustainable innovation practices in research intensive organizations
Authors: Subramanian Bhuvaneashwar , Bhattacharyya Som Sekhar
Published: October 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that contribute to the successful implementation and management of sustainable innovation in research-intensive sectors such as the life sciences industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted through a combination of two methods. The first was qualitative interviews of 21 sustainability experts and leaders in the life sciences industry who were responsible for implementing sustainable innovation. They were selected through nonprobabilistic purposive sampling. The second method was thematic content analysis using the MAXQDA software.

Findings

The study identified that successful implementation of sustainable innovation in research-intensive firms begins with the alignment of the executive vision for sustainability with the business objectives of the research-intensive firm. Furthermore, implementation of sustainability practices is identified as a function of organizational reconfigurations that facilitate purposeful inflow and outflow of ideas and knowledge between internal firm resources and external stakeholders, anchored by the objectives of the research-intensive firm.

Research limitations/implications

The study explicated factors only within life sciences industry based on qualitative interviews. The study offers scope for cross-sector quantitative evaluation.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first studies to systematically delineate the underlying factors that govern successful implementation of sustainable innovation in research-intensive industries, through integration of the resource-based view and stakeholder theory and thereby provide a framework for research-intensive organizations to implement sustainable innovation practices.
Media events in an age of “cross-media”: a smartphone diary app study
Authors: Lev-On Azi , Lowenstein-Barkai Hila
Published: October 2023

Purpose

Aiming to explore how audience consume and produce media events in the digital, distributed and social era we live in, the paper analyzes the viewing patterns of video news items during a media event (the week of Donald Trump's presidential visit to Israel, the first to a country outside the US), compared to a parallel comparable “ordinary” period (two weeks later, in which no inordinacy events occurred). The comparison focused on simultaneous activities of audiences engaged with the event, with either related (i.e. second screening) or unrelated (i.e. media multitasking).

Design/methodology/approach

The research is a diary study based on a dedicated mobile app in which respondents reported their news-related behavior during two periods: a media event period and comparable “ordinary” period.

Findings

Participants reported watching significantly more news video items in the first day of the media event week compared to the first day of the “ordinary” week. More than half of the viewing reports of the media event were not on TV. In the media event week, there were significantly higher percentages of viewing reports on smartphones/computers and significantly higher percentages of second-screening reports.

Originality/value

This is the first study that empirically explores the viewing patterns of video news items during a media event, compared to an “ordinary” period, focusing on media second screening of audiences engaged with the event. This comparison may reveal whether (1) media events still retain their centrality in a multi-screen era and (2) the role of the internet and online social media in the experience of media events.
Thermal plasticity in development and diapause strategy in a temperate butterfly across a latitudinal gradient
Authors: Verspagen Nadja , Ikonen Suvi , Maes Dirk , Stefanescu Constanti , DiLeo Michelle F. , Saastamoinen Marjo
Published: October 2023

Trade‐offs among traits are central to life‐history theory and often closely linked to an organism's fitness. Understanding how these trade‐offs vary among populations and across environments is therefore important to more accurately predict species' responses to future climate change. However, the extent to which responses vary across populations remains unknown because few studies investigate intraspecific differences.

We performed a full‐factorial split‐brood common garden experiment to test how variation in rearing temperature affects developmental timing and other traits important for survival during diapause in the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia). Pre‐diapause larvae originating from four regions across a latitudinal cline across Europe were reared at four temperatures (25, 28, 31 and 34°C), and we used a reaction norm approach to test for evidence of genetic differentiation and variation in developmental plasticity across regions.

We found clear signs of genetic differentiation in multiple developmental traits, as well as differences in developmental plasticity. Northern larvae entered diapause in the fourth instar when the temperatures were low, whereas southern larvae did so in the fifth instar. As a result, development time is canalized with regards to temperature in northern larvae: due to entering diapause one stage earlier, they develop fast even in the cold, whereas southern larvae always develop slower, especially at low temperatures. As a trade‐off, northern larvae have a lower body mass when reared at cooler temperatures compared to southern larvae, and they show increased plasticity in diapause mass. No clear clinal patterns were found in relative fat content.

Our results show that trade‐offs between body size, development time and growth rate can vary within species living across environmental clines, possibly as a consequence of natural selection to local environmental conditions or other genetic constraints. This variation highlights the importance of recognizing the context dependency of relationships between important life‐history traits and their interactions with local environments in predicting species' responses to climate change.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Communicating Censure: The Relevance of Conditions of Imprisonment at Sentencing and During the Administration of the Sentence
Authors: Manikis Marie , Matheson Audrey
Published: October 2023

In common law, sentencing is chiefly concerned with the duration of a sentence and rarely engages in the conditions under which the sentence is served. Recently, courts in Canada and England and Wales have started to recognise the relevance of certain prison conditions when deciding sentences. These approaches, however, have lacked conceptual clarity and consistency. Building on communicative theories of punishment, this article proposes a novel framework based on ‘state responsibility/blame’ and dynamic censure to justify the relevance of considering the qualitative conditions of imprisonment at sentencing as well as during the administration of the sentence. This framework is coupled by a typology of unjustified harmful carceral conditions that can be considered relevant evidence. This expanded purview of sentencing will offer greater legitimacy of punishment by strengthening communicative practices of punishment that include dynamic censure, including censuring the state for additional and unjustified state‐created harms.
Water‐related fatalities: An examination of body displacement and recovery patterns in British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Martlin Britny A. , Bell Lynne S.
Published: October 2023

Early recovery of human bodies from the water requires an understanding of how a body acts in the water. However, there is currently a lack of baseline data surrounding body movement in British Columbian (B.C.) waters. This study aims to assist Canadian response agencies with understanding and predicting body movement in outdoor waterbodies in B.C. One hundred and eighty‐six water‐related fatalities in B.C. waters, including lakes, rivers, and the coastal Pacific Ocean, were examined to determine the recovery times and displacement patterns of submerged decedents. Cases between 2010 and 2021 were extracted from the Police Records Information Management Environment (PRIME‐BC) for analysis. Most deaths were unintentional, followed by suicide and homicide, and most often occurred in rivers, followed by lakes and the ocean. Regardless of waterbody, the first day was the most successful recovery period, with decedents most often recovered close to the incident location. Nearly 16% of individuals in this study were not recovered. Recovery success was greatest in lakes, followed by rivers and the ocean. Body displacement was the least in lakes, while rivers resulted in the furthest and most variable displacement. Low recovery success in the ocean is likely due to decedents being quickly displaced out of the search area, never to be found. The results of this study suggest that knowledge of body movement in outdoor aquatic environments remains incomplete. Further empirical research based on known data is necessary to continue improving prediction of body movement and increase early recovery success.
DSP2 for sex determination of miscegenated contemporary hip bones
Authors: Lopes Allyson Rodrigo de Oliveira , Silva Ellen Mayara Lima , Nascimento Marcela Martins da Silva , Silva Melina Calmon , Magalhães Carolina Peixoto , Cerqueira Gilberto Santos
Published: October 2023

The bones of the human pelvis are used in sexual diagnosis generating a high level of accuracy for this type of identification. Morphological and/or morphometric methods are used in the identification of sex. Sexual dimorphism may be affected by ethnic differences in the population. One of the methods for determining sex using hip bone is the ‘Diagnose Sexuelle Probabiliste (DSP)’ or Probabilistic Sexual Diagnosis (DSP) method. The method presents a new version (Probabilistic Sexual Diagnosis v.2—DSP2) more advisable to be used because it has a more up‐to‐date database. The objective of this study is to investigate the applicability of the DSP2 method in a population in the Northeast region of Brazil. We used 128 hip bones, 50 female and 78 males, aged between 17 and 101 years, belonging to the Laboratory of Human Identification and Forensic Osteology of the University Federal Government of Pernambuco. The research was conducted between 2019 and 2020 and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Pernambuco no. 43228015.0.0000.5208. The probability equal to or greater than 0.95 was used as the limit for the determination of sex, and the results were compared with the actual sex of each bone. In the Brazilian collection study, it was observed that the percentage of sex estimation provided by the DSP2 tool using all reference samples was 71.09%, and accuracy was 64.06%. In the analysis of the gender estimate, 82.0% and 78% were obtained for females and males, respectively. Regarding accuracy, it was 64.10% and 55.13% for females and males, respectively. In the contemporary osteological collection of the Northeast region of Brazil, which presents immigrant peoples, we obtained a high index of assertiveness in the DSP2 method. The study concluded that the DSP2 method is important for determining the sex of human skeletons in a miscegenated population.
Perceived stigma and post‐traumatic growth among potentially COVID‐19‐infected individuals inside and outside Wuhan: The mediating role of identity
Authors: Duan Wenjie , Tao Ye , Zhang Xiaojing , Bu He
Published: October 2023

Drawing upon the social identity approach, the present study explored the interrelationships among perceived stigma (both group‐based and personal), post‐traumatic growth (PTG), and their underlying mechanisms. Cross‐sectional data were collected from 3100 residents (female: n = 1667, 53.77%; male: n = 1433, 46.23%) of Hubei Province, China, aged between 12 and 65 years. The PROCESS macro (Model 7) in SPSS was employed to examine the moderated mediation effect of Inside/Outside Wuhan status on perceived identity and its associations with perceived stigma and PTG. The measurements included a brief scale assessing COVID‐19‐related stigma, the Multigroup Measure of Ethnic Identity, and the short form of the Post‐Traumatic Growth Inventory. Results showed that perceived stigma was positively associated with PTG, which was mediated by perceived identity. The moderation analysis suggested that the mediating effect of perceived identity on the courtesy stigma–PTG linkage was more pronounced in the Outside Wuhan group compared to the Inside Wuhan group. However, such an effect was not observed when personal affiliate stigma was the antecedent. In conclusion, this study suggests that positive contact and interaction can help reduce discrimination and stigma. Enhancing the perceived identity of stigmatized individuals can ultimately contribute to the achievement of PTG.
Advancing and sustaining volunteerism: Investigating the multifaceted challenges and obstacles to volunteer engagement
Authors: Aslan Harun , Tuncay Tarik
Published: October 2023

Individuals across the globe engage in volunteering activities for various purposes, such as contributing to eradicating poverty, enhancing basic health and education, ensuring access to potable water and proper sanitation, addressing environmental concerns and climate change, mitigating disaster risks, and combating social exclusion and violent conflicts. The ongoing development and sustainability of volunteering are imperative to maintain progress and warrant attention. This study explores the impediments and challenges associated with the development and sustainability of volunteering, encompassing a broad spectrum of factors, from micro‐level individual aspects to macro‐level structural elements. Data were collected via in‐depth interviews with 30 managers within the volunteering sector. The narratives were subjected to thematic analysis, leading to the identification and examination of four distinct themes at various levels. The primary findings underscore the significance of personal experiences, familial backgrounds, organizational structures, and the socio‐political milieu in which they function for comprehending the challenges and barriers to volunteering. In conclusion, this study shows that there are wide‐ranging and multidimensional challenges and barriers to the development and sustainability of volunteering activities. Therefore, analyzing these problems in coordination with the stakeholders of the volunteering field, making arrangements and developing practices may ensure the development of the volunteering field.
Laparoscopic pancreas‐preserving duodenectomy: Minimally invasive surgery for superficial nonampullary duodenal epithelial tumors
Authors: Ito Sunao , Sagawa Hiroyuki , Iwasaki Hiroyasu , Shimura Takaya , Nakano Satsuki , Kusudo Natsuki , Fujita Kohei , Saito Masaki , Harata Shinnosuke , Hayakawa Shunsuke , Okubo Tomotaka , Tanaka Tatsuya , Ogawa Ryo , Takahashi Hiroki , Matsuo Yoichi , Kataoka Hiromi , Takiguchi Shuji
Published: October 2023

No consensus exists regarding the optimal treatment for superficial nonampullary duodenal epithelial tumors. Herein, we describe a laparoscopic pancreas‐preserving duodenectomy for the treatment of a 30‐mm adenoma located in the third portion of the duodenum. The adenoma was located on the pancreatic side, further hindering safe endoscopic resection. Via laparoscopy, the jejunum was transected first. After releasing the third portion of the duodenum from the retroperitoneal space, the jejunum was pulled to the right side of the superior mesenteric artery and separated from the pancreas. Under endoscopic guidance, the duodenum was then transected and duodenojejunostomy performed intracorporeally. Laparoscopic pancreas‐preserving duodenectomy can be considered minimally invasive, achieving tumor radicality while preserving organs and causing minimal destruction to the abdominal wall. In conclusion, although technically demanding, laparoscopic pancreas‐preserving duodenectomy is a valuable treatment option for superficial nonampullary duodenal epithelial tumors.