bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of epilepsy surgery on quality of life: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Shakhatreh Lubna , Foster Emma , Siriratnam Pakeeran , Neal Andrew , Carney Patrick W. , Jackson Graeme D. , O'Brien Terence J. , Kwan Patrick , Chen Zhibin , Ademi Zanfina
Published: May 2023

Improved quality of life (QoL) is an important outcome goal following epilepsy surgery. This study aims to quantify change in QoL for adults with drug‐resistant epilepsy (DRE) who undergo epilepsy surgery, and to explore clinicodemographic factors associated with these changes. We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis using Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. All studies reporting pre‐ and post‐epilepsy surgery QoL scores in adults with DRE via validated instruments were included. Meta‐analysis assessed the postsurgery change in QoL. Meta‐regression assessed the effect of postoperative seizure outcomes on postoperative QoL as well as change in pre‐ and postoperative QoL scores. A total of 3774 titles and abstracts were reviewed, and ultimately 16 studies, comprising 1182 unique patients, were included. Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory–31 item (QOLIE‐31) meta‐analysis included six studies, and QOLIE‐89 meta‐analysis included four studies. Postoperative change in raw score was 20.5 for QOLIE‐31 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 10.9–30.1, I2 = 95.5) and 12.1 for QOLIE‐89 (95% CI = 8.0–16.1, I2 = 55.0%). This corresponds to clinically meaningful QOL improvements. Meta‐regression demonstrated a higher postoperative QOLIE‐31 score as well as change in pre‐ and postoperative QOLIE‐31 score among studies of cohorts with higher proportions of patients with favorable seizure outcomes. At an individual study level, preoperative absence of mood disorders, better preoperative cognition, fewer trials of antiseizure medications before surgery, high levels of conscientiousness and openness to experience at the baseline, engagement in paid employment before and after surgery, and not being on antidepressants following surgery were associated with improved postoperative QoL. This study demonstrates the potential for epilepsy surgery to provide clinically meaningful improvements in QoL, as well as identifies clinicodemographic factors associated with this outcome. Limitations include substantial heterogeneity between individual studies and high risk of bias.
Rape, ritual, rupture, and repair: Decentering Euro‐American logics of trauma and healing in an analytic autoethnography of the five years after my rape in Sierra Leone
Authors: Schneider Luisa Theresia
Published: May 2023

Responses to the trauma of rape vary. People find different responses helpful and a multiplicity of trauma theories should be considered. Through an autoethnography and critical phenomenology of myself and my collaborators in Sierra Leone after I was raped there, I analyze how subjective and cultural frames for managing rape impact an individual's processing of the experience; how they shape ideas of self, community, and world; and how they frame their unraveling and remaking. While I retreated, internalized, and individualized my rape, my collaborators wanted me to externalize it, let the community help, and undergo a ritual to disconnect me from my rapist. Cross‐cultural exchange can enhance understandings of responses to trauma and approaches to healing. This is done not to cement cultural frames, to localize or to particularize trauma, nor to overgeneralize but to consider interlocking factors, fill in politically created gaps in focus and memory, and consider multiplicity as enriching on a level playing field. This may help decenter Euro‐American notions of trauma and foster an ethics of care.
The impact of geography and climate on the population structure and local adaptation in a wild bee
Authors: Samad‐zada Farida , Kelemen Evan P. , Rehan Sandra M.
Published: May 2023

Deciphering processes that contribute to genetic differentiation and divergent selection of natural populations is useful for evaluating the adaptive potential and resilience of organisms faced with various anthropogenic stressors. Insect pollinator species, including wild bees, provide critical ecosystem services but are highly susceptible to biodiversity declines. Here, we use population genomics to infer the genetic structure and test for evidence of local adaptation in an economically important native pollinator, the small carpenter bee (Ceratina calcarata). Using genome‐wide SNP data (n = 8302), collected from specimens across the species' entire distribution, we evaluated population differentiation and genetic diversity and identified putative signatures of selection in the context of geographic and environmental variation. Results of the analyses of principal component and Bayesian clustering were concordant with the presence of two to three genetic clusters, associated with landscape features and inferred phylogeography of the species. All populations examined in our study demonstrated a heterozygote deficit, along with significant levels of inbreeding. We identified 250 robust outlier SNPs, corresponding to 85 annotated genes with known functional relevance to thermoregulation, photoperiod, and responses to various abiotic and biotic stressors. Taken together, these data provide evidence for local adaptation in a wild bee and highlight genetic responses of native pollinators to landscape and climate features.
Clinical efficacy and safety of two different hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether‐mediated photodynamic therapy regimen in Chinese children with port‐wine stain
Authors: Zhang Sheng , Wang Xiuwei , Chen Hongguang , Cao Huina , Zhang Hongli , Yang Ming , Zhu Yun , Qin Qin , Liu Xiaoyan , Wang Jianhua , Zhang Gaolei
Published: May 2023

Hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether‐photodynamic therapy (HMME‐PDT) has achieved encouraging clinical outcomes in adult port‐wine stain (PWS). Optimal treatment option for children with PWS was minimal. To compare whether the clinical effectiveness of HMME‐PDT with the 5‐min (fast) administration treatment regimen (FATR) was better than the 20‐min (slow) administration treatment regimen (SATR) for PWS of children in vivo and in vitro. Thirty‐four children with PWS were divided into two groups including FATR and SATR. The two groups received three times HMME‐PDT, respectively. Treatment efficacy and safety were evaluated in vivo and in vitro. Erythema index (EI) was used to evaluate the clinical outcomes. Both FATR and SATR were effective and safe in children with PWS after HMME‐PDT. There were significance differences between the two groups in reductions of EI after the second treatment (p < 0.001) and the third treatment (p < 0.001) with HMME‐PDT. The serum HMME concentration reach the peak level at short time compare with SATR group. A significance increased superoxide levels were observed in FATR group compare to SATR groups in vitro (p < 0.05). Our study suggested that HMME‐PDT was effective and safe for children with PWS, the therapy regimen with FATR was better in clinical efficacy than that of the SATR.
Deep‐SQA: A deep learning model using motor activity data for objective sleep quality assessment assisting digital wellness in healthcare 5.0
Authors: Arora Anshika , Chakraborty Pinaki , Bhatia M. P. S. , Kumar Akshi
Published: May 2023

Wearable sensor‐based devices like actigraphs collect motor activity data which provide objective measures of physical activity. This research puts forward a novel methodology for assessment of objective sleep quality using actigraph recordings of motor activity. High level features of sequential motor activity data are extracted using Long‐Short Term Memory (LSTM) model which are then paired with a significant statistical feature namely, zero percent which describes the percentage of events with zero activity over a series. Overlapping sliding window is used to input sequences into LSTM to capture superior features in activity recordings. The predictive ability of the combined feature vector is evaluated using support vector machine (SVM) classifier. This hybrid LSTM‐SVM framework is validated on a benchmark dataset namely, the MESA Actigraphy dataset and achieves an accuracy of 85.62% for sleep quality prediction. Effectiveness of overlapping sliding window and statistical feature are evaluated, and their significance is validated. It is validated that the concept of overlapping sliding window improves the performance accuracy by 3.51% and the use of discriminative statistical feature improves sleep quality prediction task by 2.95%. Comparison with state of the art validates that this is the first study using objective sleep quality indicator for assessment of sleep quality via actigraph‐based motor activity data.
Multi‐objective sunflower optimization: A new hypercubic meta‐heuristic for constrained engineering problems
Authors: Pereira João Luiz Junho , Gomes Guilherme Ferreira
Published: May 2023

In order to solve challenging engineering problems, the state‐of‐the‐art in multi‐objective optimization shows a trend toward using meta‐heuristics and a posteriori decision‐making methods. This encourages the search for algorithms better able to find Pareto fronts with more convergence, coverage, and lower computational cost. This work shows the creation and validation of the Multi‐objective Sunflower Optimization (MOSFO), a hypercubic and constrained multi‐objective meta‐heuristic inspired by the phototropic life cycle of sunflowers around the sun. Having a much simpler programming model than most evolutionary algorithms, MOSFO was validated using the most difficult set of test functions in the literature (CEC 2009) and applied to ten constrained multi‐objective optimization problems (CEC 2021). The proposed algorithm was compared with ten other powerful algorithms: MOGWO, MOPSO, NSGA‐II, MOEA/D, NSGA‐III, CCMO, ARMOEA, ToP, TiGE 2, and AnD. Inverted General Distance, Spacing, Maximum Spread, and Hyper volume were used as comparison metrics to evaluate the convergence and coverage capabilities of the algorithms. MOSFO had the best average IGD value in 8 of the 10 test functions when compared with the other algorithms. In terms of MS, MOSFO had the highest average value of MS for 7 of the test functions. In summary, MOSFO showed substantial convergence and coverage capabilities and proved to be very competitive among the algorithms used, which were carefully selected to be popular and recent. The method is even more promising for problems with three or more objectives.
On 50 years of fatigue crack closure dispute
Authors: Kujawski Daniel , Vasudevan Asuri K. , Ricker Richard Edmond , Sadananda K.
Published: May 2023

In this article, we examine the 50 years of observations and interpretations into the subject of fatigue crack closure in lab air and aqueous solutions: disputes and implications. Over this period, several closure concepts have been invoked to explain why the crack propagation threshold ΔKth should reduce with load ratio R. Among these, three types are the most popular and these are closure induced by crack (i) plasticity (PICC), (ii) oxides (OICC), and (iii) roughness (RICC). Therefore, these three and their role in shielding the fatigue crack tip are critically examined. This analysis finds that the reduction in ΔKth with increasing R‐ratio in lab air and aqueous solutions is weakly linked to decreasing crack closure behind the crack tip but strongly related to the access of the environment to the crack tip region and its influence on fatigue damage at and ahead of the crack tip. Supporting evidence for this interpretation comes from the lack of ΔKth dependence on R in a good vacuum (with partial pressure of 10−5 Pa or less). In chemical environments, our viewpoint is supported by a critical analysis of corrosion processes that found that there is insufficient time for most metallic species to form ions, hydrolyze, and transform into hard phases at the crack tip before closure. Therefore, when closure occurs at the crack tip, most of the oxidized metallic species will exist as aquo‐complexes, gel, or colloids that have insufficient shear strength to wedge crack faces during unloading.
Insights into the particle size, protein form, pasting and dough rheological properties of flour obtained from wheat grown at high and low altitude
Authors: Singh Narpinder , Katyal Mehak , Virdi Amardeep Singh , Saini Johar Singh , Singh Anju Mahendru , Ahlawat Arvind Kumar
Published: May 2023

Flours from four wheat varieties grown at high (~3180 m) and low altitude (~247 m) were compared for particle size distribution, protein composition (monomeric and polymeric), amino acids, pasting and dough rheological properties. High altitude wheat (HAW) flours showed greater proportion of large size particles and higher protein content, gluten, ash content and each category of gliadins and high molecular weight glutenins but revealed lower gluten index than low altitude wheat (LAW) flours. HAW showed higher extractable polymeric, unextractable monomeric proteins, pasting temperature, damaged starch and arabinoxylans while lower unextractable polymeric, extractable monomeric protein, paste viscosity, dough stability and development time than LAW flours. HAW flours from PBW725 and HD3086 showed higher concentration of total aromatic and lower of total sulphur amino acids than their counterpart LAW flour. Differences in flours characteristics of LAW and HAW were clearly due to differences in accumulation of protein, starch and arabinoxylans.
The potential of dietary nanoparticles to enhance allergenicity of milk proteins: an in vitro investigation
Authors: Xu Ke , Phue Wut Hmone , Basu Niladri , George Saji
Published: May 2023

In recent years, the popularity of dietary nanoparticles (NPs) in the food industry as additives has raised concerns because of the lack of knowledge about potential adverse health outcomes ensuing from the interactions of NPs with components of the food matrix and gastrointestinal system. In this study, we used a transwell culture system that consisted of human colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco‐2) cells in the apical insert and Laboratory of Allergic Diseases 2 mast cells in the basal compartment to study the effect of NPs on milk allergen delivery across the epithelial layer, mast cell responses and signaling between epithelial and mast cells in allergenic inflammation. A library of dietary particles (silicon dioxide NPs, titanium dioxide NPs and silver NPs) that varied in particle size, surface chemistry and crystal structures with or without pre‐exposure to milk was used in this investigation. Milk‐interacted particles were found to acquire surface corona and increased the bioavailability of milk allergens (casein and β‐lactoglobulin) across the intestinal epithelial layer. The signaling between epithelial cells and mast cells resulted in significant changes in the early phase and late‐phase activation of the mast cells. This study suggested that antigen challenge in mast cells with the presence of dietary NPs may cause the transition of allergic responses from an immunoglobulin E (IgE)–dependent mechanism to a mixed mechanism (both IgE‐dependent and IgE‐independent mechanisms).
Phylogeography and distribution modelling reveal the history and future of a saproxylic beetle of European conservation concern
Authors: Sikora Katarzyna , Zając Krzysztof , Bieniek Agnieszka , Jaworski Tomasz , Kadej Marcin , Plewa Radosław , Gutowski Jerzy M. , Ruta Rafał , Smolis Adrian , Eckelt Andreas , Bonacci Teresa , Brandmayr Pietro , Čížek Lukas , Davenis Sigitas Algis , Fuchs Ludovic , Heibl Christoph , Horák Jakub , Kapla Andrej , Kulijer Dejan , Olbrycht Tomasz , Merkl Otto , Miłkowski Marek , Müller Jorg , Noordijk Jinze , Saluk Sergey , Thomaes Arno , Vrezec Al , Kajtoch Łukasz
Published: May 2023

Aim

The biogeography of European forests presents many interesting case studies, as inferred from phylogeography, contemporary population genetics, and distribution modelling of saproxylic species. Here, we pose four main hypotheses: (i) the phylogeographic paradigm known for temperate species in Europe is also applicable for saproxylic taxa; (ii) current expansion is occurring only in some genetic lineages; (iii) genetic diversity decreases from east to west, reflecting differences in forest naturalness and management; and (iv) climatic changes will force a northward range shift.

Location

Europe.

Taxon

The saproxylic beetle, Cucujus cinnaberinus (Scopoli, 1763).

Methods

Beetles from 37 locations throughout the species range were genotyped using microsatellites and mtDNA (468 and 237 individuals, respectively). Molecular data were analysed to describe population diversity, structure, and demography. 200 records were used to model distribution based on climate data.

Results

mtDNA analyses revealed three clades: the most divergent in Italy and two less distinct in north‐western and central‐to‐southeastern Europe. Microsatellites showed no clear geographic distribution pattern except for a distinct lineage in Italy. The highest genetic diversity was found in southern refugia, in natural forests of Central‐Eastern Europe, and in a mixing zone in Pannonia. During the Holocene, the Italian population declined, whereas populations in the rest of Europe showed no clear changes. Distribution models revealed the existence of glacial refugia along the coasts of the Adriatic and Black Seas, and northward dispersal in the Holocene continued in the XXI century.

Conclusions

C. cinnaberinus has a complex historical biogeography, discordant with patterns known for temperate or boreal taxa. The current expansion occurs only in populations from mainland Europe, whereas southernmost populations are in decline. Current genetic diversity is shaped by recent forest management, which is the least intensive in Eastern Europe. Climate change will most likely enhance northward dispersal and threaten the survival of the southernmost populations.
On crowns, caravans and windmills: Commentary on an essay by Turcotte P., et al.
Authors: Wyer Peter C.
Published: May 2023

Patient‐oriented research (POR) is a trend that has emerged over several decades and is particularly prominent in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. It involves patient and other stakeholder participation in the planning, conduct and dissemination of biomedical and health services research and it can be seen as a form of public participation and engagement in activities that affect the lives and well‐being of communities. Criticisms of POR revolve around its susceptibility to tokenistic treatment of patient participants and paternalistic dominance of the research agenda by professional researchers, academics and clinicians. This commentary addresses one such critique by situating the POR agenda within the challenges and dilemmas faced by the health‐related research enterprise over the past 30 years. It will explore the interface between POR, community activism and community‐based participatory research. The contextual importance of the COVID‐19 pandemic experience is stressed. The commentary will particularly focus on the US‐based Patient Centred Outcomes Research Institute, its origins within a movement to enhance emphasis on publicly funded comparative effectiveness research, and its more recent evolution in the direction of community empowerment in POR.
Higher circulating levels of proneurotensin are associated with increased risk of incident NAFLD
Authors: De Vito Francesca , Cassano Velia , Mancuso Elettra , Succurro Elena , Hribal Marta Letizia , Sciacqua Angela , Andreozzi Francesco , Sesti Giorgio , Fiorentino Teresa Vanessa
Published: May 2023

Background

Neurotensin (NT), an intestinal peptide able to promote fat absorption, is implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity. Increased levels of proneurotensin (pro‐NT), a stable NT precursor fragment, have been found in subjects with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, whether higher pro‐NT levels are associated with an increased NAFLD risk independently of other metabolic risk factors is unsettled.

Methods

Ultrasound‐defined presence of NAFLD was assessed on 303 subjects stratified into tertiles according to fasting pro‐NT levels. The longitudinal association between pro‐NT levels and NAFLD was explored on the study participants without NAFLD at baseline reexamined after 5 years of follow‐up (n = 124).

Results

Individuals with higher pro‐NT levels exhibited increased adiposity, a worse lipid profile, and insulin sensitivity as compared to the lowest tertile of pro‐NT. Prevalence of NAFLD was progressively increased in the intermediate and highest pro‐NT tertile as compared to the lowest tertile. In a logistic regression analysis adjusted for several confounders, individuals with higher pro‐NT levels displayed a raised risk of having NAFLD (OR = 3.43, 95%CI = 1.48–7.97, p = 0.004) than those in the lowest pro‐NT tertile. Within the study cohort without NAFLD at baseline, subjects with newly diagnosed NAFLD at follow‐up exhibited higher baseline pro‐NT levels than those without incident NAFLD. In a cox hazard regression analysis model adjusted for anthropometric and metabolic parameters collected at baseline and follow‐up visit, higher baseline pro‐NT levels were associated with an increased risk of incident NAFLD (HR = 1.52, 95%CI = 1.017–2.282, p = 0.04).

Conclusion

Higher pro‐NT levels are a predictor of NAFLD independent of other metabolic risk factors.
Who gives? Characteristics of those who have taken the Giving What We Can pledge
Authors: Wilks Matti , McCurdy Jessica , Bloom Paul
Published: May 2023

Objective

In the current project, we focus on another group of unusual altruists: people who have taken the Giving What We Can (GWWC) pledge to donate at least 10% of their income to charity. Our project aims to understand what is unique about this population.

Background

Many people care about helping, but in recent years there has been a surge of research examining those whose moral concern for others goes far beyond that of the typical population. These unusual altruists (also termed extraordinary or extreme altruists or moral exemplars) make great personal sacrifices to help others—such as donating their kidneys to strangers or participating in COVID‐19 vaccine challenge trials.

Method

In a global study (N = 536) we examine a number of cognitive and personality traits of GWWC pledgers and compare them to a country‐matched comparison group.

Results

In accordance with our predictions, GWWC pledgers were better at identifying fearful faces, more morally expansive and higher in actively open‐minded thinking, need for cognition and two subscales of utilitarianism and, tentatively, lower in social dominance orientation. Against our predictions, they were lower in maximizing tendency. Finally, we found an inconclusive relationship between pledger status and empathy/compassion that we believe warrants further examination.

Conclusions

These findings offer initial insights into the characteristics that set apart those who have made the decision to donate a substantial portion of their income to help others.
Inter‐ and intraregional inequality in a spatial economy
Authors: Lopez Juan Carlos , Morita Tadashi
Published: May 2023

In this paper, we develop a three‐region economic geography model with workers of heterogeneous skills and mobility rates to consider how first‐nature, regional differences impact both inter‐ and intraregional inequality. In our model, the skill premium within a region summarizes both the degree of intraregional inequality between mobile, skilled workers and immobile, unskilled workers and the interregional inequality through differences in the welfare of unskilled workers across regions. Regions with the highest skill premium have the greatest degree of intraregional inequality and provide the lowest level of welfare to unskilled workers, relative to other regions. We find that the skill premium will be higher in regions with a greater supply of unskilled labor, lower supply of housing, or are more remote. An increase in a region's housing supply or centrality will lower intraregional inequality and raise the welfare of the local, unskilled workforce. However, the magnitude of these changes are declining in the initial number of skilled workers in the region. The model is extended to consider imperfectly elastic housing supply. The larger the price elasticity of housing, the larger the range of values, such that more populated regions will host a disproportionate share of skilled workers, have lower levels of intraregional inequality, and provide higher levels of welfare for unskilled workers.
Mafia doesn't live here anymore: Antimafia policies and housing prices
Authors: Calamunci Francesca M. , Ferrante Livio , Scebba Rossana , Torrisi Gianpiero
Published: May 2023

It is well known that the value of a house depends both on the physical characteristics and on some features of the neighborhood in which it is located. If so, organized‐crime activities can significantly affect urban real estate values. Antimafia policies, in turn, can be intended as a tool to influence those external features. This paper compares the effects on real estate values of the two main antimafia policies implemented in Italy since the 1990s at the municipal level. While we do not find any significant effect of dismissal policies on house prices, we find a statistically significant effect of reassignment policies depending on the specific destination of confiscated property.
Christ, Country, and Conspiracies? Christian Nationalism, Biblical Literalism, and Belief in Conspiracy Theories
Authors: WALKER BROOKLYN , VEGTER ABIGAIL
Published: May 2023

When misinformation is rampant, “fake news” is rising, and conspiracy theories are widespread, social scientists have a vested interest in understanding who is most susceptible to these false narratives and why. Recent research suggests Christians are especially susceptible to belief in conspiracy theories in the United States, but scholars have yet to ascertain the role of religiopolitical identities and epistomological approaches, specifically Christian nationalism and biblical literalism, in generalized conspiracy thinking. Because Christian nationalists sense that the nation is under cultural threat and biblical literalism provides an alternative (often anti‐elite) source of information, we predict that both will amplify conspiracy thinking. We find that Christian nationalism and biblical literalism independently predict conspiracy thinking, but that the effect of Christian nationalism increases with literalism. Our results point to the contingent effects of Christian nationalism and the need for the religious variables in understanding conspiracy thinking.
Uncertainty tolerance scales: Weighing up the research
Authors: Patel Priya , Hancock Jason
Published: May 2023

Patel and Hancock explore the uncertainty tolerance literature to determine how it ties in with quantitive scales developed to measure uncertainty tolerance.
Weight loss and weight gains in patients starting peritoneal dialysis; the effect of peritonitis
Authors: Davenport Andrew
Published: May 2023

Aim

Earlier studies reported that peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients gained fat mass after initiating dialysis. Clinical practice and demographics have changed over time with earlier initiation of dialysis and increasing numbers of elderly, co‐morbid patients. As such, we wished to review changes in body composition with dialysis.

Methods

Changes in body composition were compared by dual x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 151 adult PD patients, 81 males (54.6%), 50 diabetic (30.1%), mean age 60.5 ± 16.7 years, shortly after starting PD and then a median of 24 months later, to allow for the initial impact of dialysis.

Results

Overall, weight appeared stable (71.7 ± 15.4 vs. 71.9 ± 15.3 kg). On follow‐up, total weekly urea clearance fell from 2.29 (1.85–3.0) to 1.93 (1.63–2.4) whereas peritoneal glucose absorption increased from 119 (46–217) to 321 (187–805) mmol/day, p < .001, and estimated dietary protein (nPNA) fell from 0.92 ± 0.23 to 0.86 ± 0.23 g/kg/day, p = .006. However, 69 (45.7%) patients gained weight, with greater change in both lean and fat mass index versus those with weight loss (0.8 [−0.5 to 2.0] vs. −0.7 [−2.1 to 0.2] and 0.9 [−0.1 to 2.3] vs. 0 [−2.6 to 0.8] kg/m2, p < .001), respectively. Although there were no differences in hospital admissions, patients who gained weight experienced fewer episodes of PD peritonitis (0 [0–1] vs. 1[0–2], p = .019).

Conclusion

Dietary protein intake declined over time, and more PD patients lost weight. The major difference between those who gained and lost weight was episodes of peritonitis. Greater attention to nutritional support may potentially reduce loss of lean body mass.
Associations between trilobite intraspecific moulting variability and body proportions: Estaingia bilobata from the Cambrian Emu Bay Shale, Australia
Authors: Drage Harriet B. , Holmes James D. , García‐Bellido Diego C. , Paterson John R.
Published: May 2023

Trilobites were notably flexible in the moulting behaviours they employed, producing a variety of moult configurations preserved in the fossil record. Investigations seeking to explain this moulting variability and its potential impacts are few, despite abundant material being available for study. We present the first quantitative study on moulting in a single trilobite species using a dataset of almost 500 moult specimens of Estaingia bilobata from the Cambrian (Series 2, Stage 4) Emu Bay Shale, South Australia. Specimens were categorized by moulting mode (Salter's or Sutural Gape) and their associated configurations, and their body proportions measured from both a museum collection (including a bycatch sample) and a randomly‐collected field sample. This enabled analysis of the proportion of E. bilobata specimens displaying the Sutural Gape and Salter's modes of moulting and their different configurations, and tests for association between moulting behaviour and body proportions. The results show a wide range of E. bilobata moulting configurations in all samples, suggesting that configurations represent definable instances in a largely continuous spectrum of variation. Analyses comparing body proportions of specimens showing the two modes of moulting were non‐significant, suggesting there is no true association between moulting behaviour and body proportion, except for a single significant result for body length. All results were relatively consistent between the museum and field samples. However, removing accessioned specimens from the museum sample brought results even further in line with the field sample, supporting the need for consideration of museum collection bias in palaeontological analyses.
Identifying Chinese supply shocks: Effects of trade on labor markets
Authors: Fischer Andreas M. , Herkenhoff Philipp , Sauré Philip
Published: May 2023

An influential literature estimates the impact of trade on labor markets with shift‐share instrumental variable designs under the assumption that common demand shocks in advanced economies are negligible. This article documents empirical patterns, which suggest that such common demand shocks are prevalent. It then proposes a strategy that directly identifies country‐specific export supply shocks. Finally, it uses these supply shocks in reduced‐form regression, which suggest contractions of manufacturing employment that are larger than those in the seminal contribution by Autor et al. (American Economic Review, 2013, 103, 2121–2168).
Century‐scale sequences and density‐flow deltas of the late Holocene and modern Dead Sea coast, Israel
Authors: Moran Mary Grace , Holbrook John , Lensky Nadav G. , Ben Moshe Liran , Mor Ziv , Eyal Haggai , Enzel Yehouda
Published: May 2023

Late Holocene Dead Sea rift‐margin strata reveal century‐scale sequences. Sequences are known to form at millennial timescales, but whether they can form at scales as short as centuries (seventh‐order, sensu Vail et al., 1991) was previously unconfirmed. This study maps lithofacies and sequence‐stratigraphic surfaces from a ca 35 m high outcrop of the post‐1500 ad part of the Holocene falling‐stage wedge, and adjacent subaerial environments, along the Nahal Darga of the western Dead Sea coast, using drone images. The study also produces the first maps of subaqueous delta environments from remotely operated vehicle photographs. Comparison of outcrop and remotely operated vehicle data show that delta foresets form by debris‐flow lobes accreting onto the delta face. Debris lobes increase in size with depth, have sorted cobble heads, and stack compensationally. Debris lobes dewater to form mostly erosive turbidity currents that cut channels and obstacle scours down slope. Topsets comprising fluvial, beach‐ridge and lagoonal deposits prograde over these foresets. Surfaces separating foreset and topset elements of this Gilbert‐delta system bind systems tracts and record downstep and upstep of the shoreface associated with base‐level rises and falls. These surfaces match known lake‐level changes in the Dead Sea in magnitude, timing and direction. They confirm Medieval (ca 600 to 1300 ad) and Modern (ca 1300 ad to Modern) century‐scale sequences. These microsequences form in the Dead Sea because this climate‐sensitive lake can generate metres‐scale lake‐level cycles on century timescales, and because depositional systems can, as shown here, reestablish sufficiently rapidly (≤101 years) to record century‐scale cycles with complete systems tracts. Although conditions for generating microsequences are optimal in the Dead Sea, they are not unique. These microsequences pose a challenge to sequence stratigraphy because they typically fall below seismic resolution, may geometrically resemble higher‐order composite sequences and complicate defining of anchor sequences within a sequence hierarchy.
Shape‐dependent settling velocity of skeletal carbonate grains: Implications for calciturbidites
Authors: Slootman Arnoud , de Kruijf Max , Glatz Guenther , Eggenhuisen Joris T. , Zühlke Rainer , Reijmer John J. G.
Published: May 2023

Particle transport and deposition in turbidity currents is governed by the balance between turbulent suspension and gravitational settling, with settling velocity becoming dominant during the final rain‐out phases of decelerated turbidity currents on lobes. Differential particle settling velocities play a role in the sorting of grains in turbidity currents; there is a preference of grains with higher settling velocities to be deposited first, yielding a settling‐velocity gradient in vertical and longitudinal cross‐sections through turbidite beds. If sediments contain little variation in particle shape and density (for example, siliciclastics), then settling velocity is dominantly controlled by grain size. Carbonate sediments, in contrast, are composed of non‐skeletal and skeletal grains with various growth structures, producing a wide distribution of particle shapes (from spheroidal to platy, bladed and elongated forms). The present paper aims to constrain the extent to which shape‐dependent differential settling velocities influence sorting mechanisms in carbonate turbidity currents. Experiments using natural skeletal sand were conducted to investigate the settling of carbonate grains in: (i) isolation; (ii) suspension clouds; and (iii) turbidity currents. Size, density and shape parameters, including Corey Shape Factor and Zingg diagrams, were analysed using high‐resolution micro‐computed tomography. The slower settling of non‐spheroidal shapes was quantified. In the sinking suspensions, a sorting mechanism operated through differential velocities yielding an abundance of spheroidal grains at the base and enrichment in less‐spheroidal grains towards the top of suspension deposits. This trend was also observed longitudinally in carbonate turbidity currents, for which enhanced advection lengths caused less spheroidal grains to be transported farther into the basin. The effect of particle shape becomes increasingly significant as grain size increases, in particular above medium sand. Carbonate turbidites may therefore be more poorly sorted than siliciclastic turbidites, which is expected to result in lower primary porosity in calciturbidites compared to siliciclastic turbidites.
Predictors of suicide coping self‐efficacy among youth presenting to a psychiatric emergency department
Authors: Arango Alejandra , Czyz Ewa K. , Magness Christina S. , Hong Victor , Smith Tayla , Kettley John , Ewell Foster Cynthia
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Low levels of youth‐reported self‐efficacy to cope with suicidal urges have been shown to prospectively predict repeat emergency department (ED) visits and suicide attempts, yet little is known about how self‐efficacy may change following receipt of crisis services or about factors that may strengthen self‐efficacy. Protective factors (e.g., parent‐reported youth competence, parent‐family connectedness, and receipt of mental health services) were examined in relation to self‐efficacy at the time of a psychiatric ED visit and 2 weeks later.

Methods

Participants were 205 youth (ages 10–17), presenting to a psychiatric ED due to a suicide‐related concern. Youth primarily identified as biological female (63%) and White (87%). Multivariate hierarchical linear regressions were used to examine candidate protective factors in relation to initial and follow‐up suicide coping self‐efficacy.

Results

Self‐efficacy significantly improved in the 2 weeks following the ED visit. Parent‐family connectedness was positively related to suicide coping self‐efficacy at the time of the ED visit. Parent‐family connectedness and receipt of inpatient psychiatric care following the ED visit were associated with higher follow‐up suicide coping self‐efficacy.

Conclusions

During the adolescent developmental period when suicidal thoughts and behaviors notably increase, study findings highlight potential malleable intervention targets, including parent‐family connectedness, that may strengthen suicide coping self‐efficacy.
Identification of the novel KIR3DL3*118 allele in a Chinese Han individual
Authors: Zhen Jianxin , Yang Zhichao , Chen Hao , Deng Zhihui
Published: May 2023

The novel KIR3DL3*118 allele differs from the closest allele KIR3DL3*01002 by a single missense mutation at CDS nt502 A > G in exon 4.
Characterization of the novel HLA‐DPB1*1299:01N allele by next‐generation sequencing
Authors: Wang Fang , Zhao Shuoxian , Li Ying , Zhang Wei , Zhu Faming
Published: May 2023

HLA‐DPB1*1299:01N differs from HLA‐DPB1*427:01 by one single nucleotide substitution and one nucleotide insertion.
A Qualitative Analysis of a Positive Elite Parasport Performance Culture
Authors: Papailiou Athina , Coates Janine K. , Plateau Carolyn R. , Gilmore Hugh , Barker Jamie B.
Published: May 2023

Organizational culture in sports affects well-being, performance, and overall success. Although team culture has been explored within able-bodied teams, little is known about culture development within parasport. Using a descriptive case study approach, our study examined the culture development and experiences of an elite parasport team. Two semistructured individual telephone interviews were conducted with nine participants (athletes and staff), and one athlete-participant completed one interview. An inductive thematic analysis revealed two themes: approach to culture development and team culture components. Culture development was linked with facilitative leadership and important resources. This supported the team to create their shared values and mechanisms, including a behavioral framework, other artifacts (e.g., shared language and team motto), and a relaxed environment. These helped to maintain their agreed culture and benefited their well-being, progress, and team cohesion. Our results offer a starting point regarding research into the culture of elite parasport and have practical implications for managers, coaches, and psychologists.
Female Athlete Representation and Dietary Control Methods Among Studies Assessing Chronic Carbohydrate Approaches to Support Training
Authors: Kuikman Megan A. , McKay Alannah K.A. , Smith Ella S. , Ackerman Kathryn E. , Harris Rachel , Elliott-Sale Kirsty J. , Stellingwerff Trent , Burke Louise M.
Published: May 2023

The aim of this audit was to assess the representation of female athletes, dietary control methods, and gold standard female methodology that underpins the current guidelines for chronic carbohydrate (CHO) intake strategies for athlete daily training diets. Using a standardized audit, 281 studies were identified that examined high versus moderate CHO, periodized CHO availability, and/or low CHO, high fat diets. There were 3,735 total participants across these studies with only ∼16% of participants being women. Few studies utilized a design that specifically considered females, with only 16 studies (∼6%) including a female-only cohort and six studies (∼2%) with a sex-based comparison in their statistical procedure, in comparison to the 217 studies (∼77%) including a male-only cohort. Most studies (∼72%) did not provide sufficient information to define the menstrual status of participants, and of the 18 studies that did, optimal methodology for control of ovarian hormones was only noted in one study. While ∼40% of male-only studies provided all food and beverages to participants, only ∼20% of studies with a female-specific design used this approach for dietary control. Most studies did not implement strategies to ensure compliance to dietary interventions and/or control energy intake during dietary interventions. The literature that has contributed to the current guidelines for daily CHO intake is lacking in research that is specific to, or adequately addresses, the female athlete. Redressing this imbalance is of high priority to ensure that the female athlete receives evidence-based recommendations that consider her specific needs.
SARS-CoV-2 airway infection results in the development of somatosensory abnormalities in a hamster model
Authors: Serafini Randal A. , Frere Justin J. , Zimering Jeffrey , Giosan Ilinca M. , Pryce Kerri D. , Golynker Ilona , Panis Maryline , Ruiz Anne , tenOever Benjamin R. , Zachariou Venetia
Published: May 2023

Although largely confined to the airways, SARS-CoV-2 infection has been associated with sensory abnormalities that manifest in both acute and chronic phenotypes. To gain insight on the molecular basis of these sensory abnormalities, we used the golden hamster model to characterize and compare the effects of infection with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus (IAV) on the sensory nervous system. We detected SARS-CoV-2 transcripts but no infectious material in the cervical and thoracic spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) within the first 24 hours of intranasal virus infection. SARS-CoV-2–infected hamsters exhibited mechanical hypersensitivity that was milder but prolonged compared with that observed in IAV-infected hamsters. RNA sequencing analysis of thoracic DRGs 1 to 4 days after infection suggested perturbations in predominantly neuronal signaling in SARS-CoV-2–infected animals as opposed to type I interferon signaling in IAV-infected animals. Later, 31 days after infection, a neuropathic transcriptome emerged in thoracic DRGs from SARS-CoV-2–infected animals, which coincided with SARS-CoV-2–specific mechanical hypersensitivity. These data revealed potential targets for pain management, including the RNA binding protein ILF3, which was validated in murine pain models. This work elucidates transcriptomic signatures in the DRGs triggered by SARS-CoV-2 that may underlie both short- and long-term sensory abnormalities.
Presence of Functionally Active Cytolethal Distending Toxin Genes on a Conjugative Plasmid in a Clinical Isolate of Providencia rustigianii
Authors: Hassan Jayedul , Awasthi Sharda Prasad , Hatanaka Noritoshi , Hoang Phuong Hoai , Nagita Akira , Hinenoya Atsushi , Faruque Shah M. , Yamasaki Shinji
Published: May 2023

Providencia rustigianiiis potentially enteropathogenic in humans. Recently, we identified aP. rustigianiistrain carrying a part of thecdtBgene homologous to that ofProvidencia alcalifacinesthat produces an exotoxin called cytolethal distending toxin (CDT), encoded by three subunit genes (cdtA,cdtB, andcdtC).
Draft Genome Sequences of Three Type Strains, Acetobacter farinalis KACC 21251, Acetobacter suratthaniensis KACC 21252, and Acetobacter thailandicus KACC 21253
Authors: Kim Seunghwan , Choi Hyorim , Kim Yiseul , Lee Daseul , Han Byeong-Hak , Hong Seung-Beom , Kwon Soon-Wo , Heo Jun
Published: May 2023

As part of a genome database construction of type strains, we report the draft genome sequences of three strains of acetic acid bacteria, i.e.,
Acetobacter farinalis
KACC 21251
T
,
Acetobacter suratthaniensis
KACC 21252
T
, and
Acetobacter thailandicus
KACC 21253
T
.
Development of Negative Controls for Fc-C-Type Lectin Receptor Probes
Authors: Hatinguais Rémi , Kay Madalaine , Salazar Fabián , Conn Daniel P. , Williams David L. , Cook Peter C. , Willment Janet A. , Brown Gordon D.
Published: May 2023

While Fc-CTLRs probes are useful tools to study the interaction of CTLRs with ligands, their use is limited by the lack of appropriate negative controls in assays involving fungi and potentially other pathogens. We have developed and characterized 2 negative controls for Fc-CTLRs assays: Fc-control and a Fc-Dectin-1 mutant.
Susceptibility of Ugandan Plasmodium falciparum Isolates to the Antimalarial Drug Pipeline
Authors: Kreutzfeld Oriana , Tumwebaze Patrick K. , Okitwi Martin , Orena Stephen , Byaruhanga Oswald , Katairo Thomas , Conrad Melissa D. , Rasmussen Stephanie A. , Legac Jennifer , Aydemir Ozkan , Giesbrecht David , Forte Barbara , Campbell Peter , Smith Alasdair , Kano Hiroki , Nsobya Samuel L. , Blasco Benjamin , Duffey Maelle , Bailey Jeffrey A. , Cooper Roland A. , Rosenthal Philip J.
Published: May 2023

Drug resistance necessitates the development of new antimalarial drugs. It is important to assess the activities of compounds under development against parasites now causing disease in Africa, where most malaria cases occur, and to determine if mutations in these parasites may limit the efficacies of new agents.
Regulation of Pro-/Antioxidant Balance in Higher Plants by Nanoparticles of Metals and Metal Oxides
Authors: Venzhik Yu. V. , Deryabin A. N.
Published: May 2023

A comparative analysis of available data suggests that metal and metal oxide nanoparticles widely used in plant physiology participate in the regulation of pro-/antioxidant balance in higher plants. The dual role of nanoparticles is shown: on the one hand, they act as triggers of oxidative stress and, on the other hand, they can counteract stress development and improve the efficiency of the plant’s antioxidant system. Under abiotic stress conditions, nanoparticles can act as adaptogens, thus enhancing the antioxidant defense of plants. Possible mechanisms of nanoparticle action, as well as the prospects for their application in fundamental science and agriculture are discussed.