bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Children's perspectives of learning through play in the majority world: Findings from Bangladesh, Colombia and Uganda
Authors: D'Sa Nikhit , Robson Sue , Pyle Angela , Zosh Jennifer M. , Pavel Kazi Ferdous , Maldonado‐Carreno Carolina , Largacha Eduardo Escallon , Ariapa Martin , Giacomazzi Mauro , Hatch Rachel , Omoeva Carina
Published: November 2024

As efforts to use learning through play (LtP) expand globally, it is important to explore how children's perspectives impact the efficacy and experience of this pedagogical approach. LtP has been conceptualized as a spectrum from free play to guided play to teacher‐directed play. This spectrum describes different ways in which play happens—with varying levels of adult support—and acknowledges that children's agency is characterized by choice and the ability to direct, participate in, and/or initiate play. Previous research has primarily focused on adult perceptions of LtP for preschool children in high‐resource contexts. We present the perspectives on LtP of children (3–12 years) in Bangladesh, Colombia and Uganda. We photographed learning activities in community centres and schools that incorporated play‐based practices. In group discussions, we used these photographs to elicit children's perspectives on the difference between play and learning in the classroom, the factors that influence their construction of play and learning, and the role that teachers play in these activities. Conceptualizations across the three research sites and ages were similar: Children associated learning with play if the activity was fun and social; distinctions between play and learning were defined by content, modality, materials and location; and teachers were seen as involved in play under limited conditions. We discuss the implications of our findings for the implementation of LtP in majority‐world contexts. By moving teachers from a primarily teacher‐directed approach to more guided‐play approaches, we are not only asking teachers to give up some control but are also asking children to think about adults in fundamentally different ways. This research highlights that we may need to couple professional development for teachers with approaches that support children to change their perceptions of agency and choice in the classroom.
Optimal development for the children of prisoners? How children with a parent in prison are supported and why it matters
Authors: Payler Jane , Cooper Victoria , Bennett Stephanie
Published: November 2024

This article examines the need and types of support for children with a parent in prison, the measures in place to know who they are and the consequences of associated policies for their development. These are discussed within a cultural‐historical child development framework and, within that, questions are raised about optimal development and children's rights. The article is grounded in a mixed‐methods study of a support service for children of prisoners in Worcestershire. Parental imprisonment can impact negatively on societal, institutional and personal aspects of children's development. However, when children are supported through family‐centred, relationship‐focused, strengths‐based services, they can engage more fully in the institutions and social situations of their daily lives.
Thalamic Volumes and Functional Networks Linked With Self‐Regulation Dysfunction in Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Ling Zhang , Cancan He , Xinyi Liu , Dandan Fan , Haisan Zhang , Hongxing Zhang , Chunming Xie
Published: November 2024

Aims

Self‐regulation (SR) dysfunction is a crucial risk factor for major depressive disorder (MDD). However, neural substrates of SR linking MDD remain unclear.

Methods

Sixty‐eight healthy controls and 75 MDD patients were recruited to complete regulatory orientation assessments with the Regulatory Focus Questionnaire (RFQ) and Regulatory Mode Questionnaire (RMQ). Nodal intra and inter‐network functional connectivity (FC) was defined as FC sum within networks of 46 thalamic subnuclei (TS) or 88 AAL brain regions, and between the two networks separately. Group‐level volumetric and functional difference were compared by two sample t‐tests. Pearson's correlation analysis and mediation analysis were utilized to investigate the relationship among imaging parameters and the two behaviors. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was conducted to explore the inter‐network FC mode of TS related to behavioral subscales. Network‐based Statistics with machine learning combining powerful brain imaging features was applied to predict individual behavioral subscales.

Results

MDD patients showed no group‐level volumetric difference in 46 TS but represented significant correlation of TS volume and nodal FC with behavioral subscales. Specially, inter‐network FC of the orbital part of the right superior frontal gyrus and the left supplementary motor area mediated the correlation between RFQ/RMQ subscales and depressive severity. Furthermore, CCA identified how the two behaviors are linked via the inter‐network FC mode of TS. More crucially, thalamic functional subnetworks could predict RFQ/RMQ subscales and psychomotor retardation for MDD individuals.

Conclusion

These findings provided neurological evidence for SR affecting depressive severity in the MDD patients and proposed potential biomarkers to identify the SR‐based risk phenotype of MDD individuals.
The Political Economy of Variations in Energy Debt Financing by Two Chinese Policy Banks in Africa
Authors: Wu Tianyi
Published: November 2024

This article examines the puzzle of why China's two policy banks, China Development Bank (CDB) and the Export‐Import Bank of China (Eximbank), have lending portfolios for power‐generation projects in Africa that have drastically different levels of carbon dioxide emissions. From the supplier side, Eximbank balances two imperatives: Beijing's ideational ambition as a new development provider to African recipients with sustainability commitments, and China's industrial goal to offshore non‐renewable capacity. In contrast, the CDB prioritizes its commercial interests, which results in the bank lending solely for coal projects. On the demand side, Eximbank's concessional capital has emerged as a second‐best option among international financial sources for renewable and hydropower generation projects. Conversely, CDB's market‐rate lending makes it the fiscal last resort for host countries seeking financial support for thermal‐power projects which are shunned by other financiers. This divergence can be understood through the polycentric development finance model, which captures the parallel decision‐making institutions governing Chinese energy financing in Africa. Specifically, the lending decisions of Eximbank are linked with institutionalized policy processes, translating priorities of Chinese and African state actors. Meanwhile, the loan origination processes of CDB are more independent of state actors, allowing greater autonomy for the financier to pursue commercial interests.
Early movement restriction impairs the development of sensorimotor integration, motor skills and memory in rats: Towards a preclinical model of developmental coordination disorder?
Authors: Khalki Hanane , Lacerda Diego Cabral , Karoutchi Corane , Delcour Maxime , Dupuis Orlane , Kochmann Marine , Brezun Jean‐Michel , Dupont Erwan , Amin Mamta , Darnaudéry Muriel , Canu Marie‐Hélène , Barbe Mary F. , Coq Jacques‐Olivier
Published: November 2024

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as developmental coordination disorder (DCD), exhibit gross to fine sensorimotor impairments, reduced physical activity and interactions with the environment and people. This disorder co‐exists with cognitive deficits, executive dysfunctions and learning impairments. Previously, we demonstrated in rats that limited amounts and atypical patterns of movements and somatosensory feedback during early movement restriction manifested in adulthood as degraded postural and locomotor abilities, and musculoskeletal histopathology, including muscle atrophy, hyperexcitability within sensorimotor circuitry and maladaptive cortical plasticity, leading to functional disorganization of the primary somatosensory and motor cortices in the absence of cortical histopathology. In this study, we asked how this developmental sensorimotor restriction (SMR) started to impact the integration of multisensory information and the emergence of sensorimotor reflexes in rats. We also questioned the enduring impact of SMR on motor activities, pain and memory. SMR led to deficits in the emergence of swimming and sensorimotor reflexes, the development of pain and altered locomotor patterns and posture with toe‐walking, adult motor performance and night spontaneous activity. In addition, SMR induced exploratory hyperactivity, short‐term impairments in object‐recognition tasks and long‐term deficits in object‐location tasks. SMR rats displayed minor alterations in histological features of the hippocampus, entorhinal, perirhinal and postrhinal cortices yet no obvious changes in the prefrontal cortex. Taken all together, these results show similarities with the symptoms observed in children with DCD, although further exploration seems required to postulate whether developmental SMR corresponds to a rat model of DCD.
Linking Unlinkable Tests: A Step Forward
Authors: Testa Silvia , Miceli Renato , Miceli Renato
Published: November 2024

Random Equating (RE) and Heuristic Approach (HA) are two linking procedures that may be used to compare the scores of individuals in two tests that measure the same latent trait, in conditions where there are no common items or individuals. In this study, RE—that may only be used when the individuals taking the two tests come from the same population—was used as a benchmark for evaluating HA, which, in contrast, does not require any distributional assumptions. The comparison was based on both simulated and empirical data. Simulations showed that HA was good at reproducing the link shift connecting the difficulty parameters of the two sets of items, performing similarly to RE under the condition of slight violation of the distributional assumption. Empirical results showed satisfactory correspondence between the estimates of item and person parameters obtained via the two procedures.
Small fiber neuropathy associated with COVID‐19 infection and vaccination: A prospective case–control study
Authors: Donadio Vincenzo , Incensi Alex , Furia ALessandro , Parisini Sara , Colaci Francesco , Giannoccaro Maria Pia , Morelli Luana , Ricciardiello Fortuna , Di Stasi Vitoantonio , De Maria Andrea , Rizzo Giovanni , Liguori Rocco
Published: November 2024

Background

Small fiber neuropathy (SFN) after both COVID‐19 infection or vaccination has been reported in sporadic cases, but a detailed description and comparison are missing. We aimed to screen a large cohort of patients complaining of pain and autonomic symptoms after COVID‐19 natural infection or vaccination to ascertain the presence of SFN and its correlation with autoimmune diseases.

Methods

We prospectively recruited for this case–control study 66 patients: 33 developing sensory and autonomic symptoms after a natural COVID‐19 infection (P‐COVID) and 33 after a mRNA vaccination against COVID‐19 (P‐VAC). We also used 33 matched healthy controls (HC) collected before 2019 when the COVID‐19 virus appeared. Patients underwent neurological examination and clinical scales, an extensive serum screening, and skin biopsy to detect small nerve fiber involvement.

Results

Clinical scales showed higher scores for autonomic symptoms in P‐COVID patients than in P‐VAC patients, but the other scales did not differ. P‐COVID and P‐VAC patients showed a significant decrease in somatic small nerve fibers compared with HC, whereas autonomic innervation did not differ. SFN was more frequent in P‐COVID patients (94%) than in P‐VAC patients (79%). Epidermal innervation was correlated with clinical scales for pain and autonomic dysfunctions. Autoimmune abnormalities were frequent in both groups but importantly they were not correlated with SFN.

Conclusions

Somatic SFN was frequently found in both P‐COVID and P‐VAC patients, with a higher incidence in the former group. Spared skin autonomic innervation was spared in both groups although a subtle autonomic involvement in P‐COVID patients was suggested by a high COMPASS‐31 scale score. SFN was not correlated with autoimmune dysfunctions, although autoimmune diseases were frequent in both groups.
Long‐term characterization of behavior phenotypes in children with seizures: Analytic approach matters
Authors: Morales Karina , Harvey Danielle , Dunn David , Jones Jana , Byars Anna , Austin Joan , Hermann Bruce , Oyegbile‐Chidi Temitayo
Published: November 2024

Objective

Behavioral problems in children with new onset epilepsies have been well established in the literature. More recently, the literature indicates the presence of unique behavioral patterns or phenotypes in youth with epilepsy that vary significantly in vulnerability and resilience to behavioral problems. This study contrasts the interpretation of behavioral risk as inferred from cross‐sectional versus latent group analytic perspectives, as well as the presence, consistency, stability, and progression of behavioral phenotypes in youth with new onset epilepsy and sibling controls over 3 years.

Methods

Three hundred twelve participants (6–16 years old) were recruited within 6 weeks of their first recognized seizure along with 223 unaffected siblings. Each child's behavior was recorded by parents and teachers frequently over 36 months using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and each child completed self‐report measures of depression symptoms over 36 months. Measures were evaluated cross‐sectionally and longitudinally to identify clusters with prototypical behavioral trajectories.

Results

Cross‐sectional analyses exhibited a pattern of generalized and undifferentiated behavioral problems compared to sibling controls at baseline and prospectively. In contrast, latent trajectory modeling identified three distinct behavior phenotype clusters across all raters (parents, teachers, and youth) over baseline and longitudinal assessments. CBCL Cluster 1 (~30% of youth with epilepsy) exhibited behavior similar to/better than controls, Cluster 2 (~50%) exhibited moderate behavior issues, and Cluster 3 (~20%) exhibited the most pronounced/problematic behavior, falling into Achenbach's clinically relevant behavior range. Behavior within clusters remained stable and consistent. Teachers' and children's behavior assessments corresponded to these cluster groupings consistently over 36 months. Predictors of cluster membership include seizure syndrome type and social determinants of health.

Significance

This study demonstrates the varying public health perspectives of behavioral risk in youth with epilepsy that result as a function of analytic approach as well as the presence of distinct latent behavioral trajectory phenotypes over time in youth with new onset epilepsy.
Transition from pediatric to adult care system in patients with complex epilepsies: Necker model for transition evaluated on 70 consecutive patients
Authors: Nabbout Rima , Molimard Agathe , Scorrano Giovanna , Aubart Melodie , Breuillard Delphine , Delaune Morgane , Barcia Giulia , Chemaly Nicole , Barthez Marie‐Anne , Desguerre Isabelle
Published: November 2024

Objective

Complex epilepsies such as epileptic and developmental encephalopathies require multidisciplinary care throughout life. A coordinated transition program is therefore essential to provide optimal support for patients leaving pediatric for adult care. The aim of this study is to describe and evaluate our transition program for complex epilepsies, focusing on the last step in this program, that is, the multidisciplinary transition day hospital (MTDH).

Methods

We performed a retrospective observational study including patients with complex epilepsies who underwent the full steps of the transition program at Necker–Enfants Malades Hospital between May 2021 and June 2023, with a follow‐up until February 2024. We described the cohort and detailed the interventions performed during the MTDH including medical, medicosocial, educational, daily life abilities, and laboratory and imaging assessments with the participation of one member of the adult team.

We evaluated two indicators of our program: (1) the “adult first clinic attendance rate,” defined by the percentage of patients attending their first adult clinic; and (2) the “return rate,” defined by the percentage of patients who requested a pediatric encounter after their transfer.

Results

Our cohort included 70 patients with a mean age of 19.1 years (interquartile range = 16.3–19.5). Eighty percent had an epilepsy syndrome diagnosis; 72.8% were treated with three or more antiseizure medications. All patients had their appointment at the adult clinic within 6 months of the day hospital, and only two families requested a pediatric encounter after the transfer.

Significance

The transition program is key for an optimal transfer of patients with complex epilepsies to adult care. It requires a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach and provides a complete summary of the medical record. Our program secures a smooth landing in adult care and is a promising model to better manage the challenging transition process, especially in patients with complex epilepsy.
Accounting for Salmon Body Size Declines in Fishery Management Can Reduce Conservation Risks
Authors: Ohlberger Jan , Schindler Daniel E. , Staton Benjamin A.
Published: November 2024

Changes in population demographic structure can have tangible but unknown effects on management effectiveness. Fishery management of Pacific salmon is often informed by estimates of the number of spawners expected to produce maximum sustainable yield (SMSY), implicitly assuming that reproductive output per spawner does not change over time. However, many salmon populations have experienced long‐term trends in age, sex and length compositions that have resulted in smaller body sizes of mature fish. We present an empirically based simulation approach for evaluating management implications of declining reproductive output resulting from shifting demographics. We simulated populations with or without demographic trends, selective or unselective harvests, and harvest policies based on assessment methods that did or did not account explicitly for demographic trends when estimating SMSY. A management strategy evaluation showed reduced expected harvests and run sizes when populations exhibited negative demographic trends. Reduced abundances and increased conservation risks (higher probability of falling below an abundance threshold) could be partially mitigated by using stock‐recruitment analyses based on total egg mass instead of spawner abundance, or via precautionary management where target escapements were higher than SMSY, especially in fisheries that selectively removed large fish. Explicit accounting of demographic trends in stock‐recruit analyses resulted in up to 25% higher run sizes and up to 20% lower conservation risks compared to traditional methods when trends toward smaller, younger and male‐biased runs were present in the population. Conservation of population demographic structure may be critical for sustaining productive fish populations and their benefits to ecosystems and people.
SENSORY EXPERIMENTS, SENSORY ORDERS, AND AESTHETIC EDUCATION
Authors: Lalu Premesh
Published: November 2024

Erica Fretwell's Sensory Experiments: Psychophysics, Race, and the Aesthetics of Feeling (2020) raises crucial questions about the making of a concept of difference through marshaling the senses to the ends of a sensory order in postbellum United States. In this essay, I argue that Fretwell's book has opened a crucial horizon for rethinking how race and ideas of difference marking gender and disability were remade through the short‐lived but deeply consequential science of psychophysics. While the study focuses on how psychophysics and its aftermaths recast questions of difference in the US, Fretwell indirectly poses a major challenge for the critique of the twentieth‐century experience of race elsewhere—for example, of apartheid in South Africa. In this review essay, I argue that, beyond the US, Fretwell's meticulously elaborated argument renews approaches to the problem and problematization of race and difference. Read in relation to the making of race in South Africa, the book inadvertently brings into view a deceptive plot of petty apartheid, a banal everyday constitution of a sensory order that shares its origins in the discourse of psychophysics. When placed alongside the more pronounced forms of grand apartheid, the resultant psychophysical aesthesis conscripts the human sensorium to a cybernetic mode of power that shifts between a racialization of labor and a racialization of desire. Fretwell effectively invites us to consider the endpoints of psychophysics in a hierarchy of the senses, for which an aesthetic education may yet be required to short‐circuit and reroute the senses through intervals of synesthesia.
Reaching new heights: Arboreal ant diversity in a North American temperate forest ecosystem
Authors: Kirchner Michelle , Sorenson Clyde , Blaimer Bonnie B. , Youngsteadt Elsa
Published: November 2024

Most canopy insect research takes place in tropical forests, where communities are highly vertically stratified. However, temperate forest canopies also provide critical resources to many species and are under intense pressure from global change drivers. The relative lack of knowledge regarding temperate canopy insect ecology impedes our forest management and conservation decisions such that we may be losing temperate canopy biodiversity before we know it exists.

We directly compared ant diversity and community composition on the ground and in the tree canopy of North American temperate deciduous forests for the first time. We also evaluated two canopy sampling methods—baits and hand collections.

We collected 34 ant species from 102 trees across seven sites. Ant diversity was greater on the ground than in the canopy, and species turnover created distinct communities across vertical strata. Only 12% of species were exclusively arboreal, but 47% were collected in both strata, indicating the canopy is an important resource for temperate ants, even if they are not restricted there.

Baiting and hand‐collecting recovered similar species richness, but whether baits captured a subset of hand‐collected species or a unique assemblage was site‐dependent. Nevertheless, we suggest that these methods are most effective in conjunction.

Hand collection allowed us to document arboreal nests of 10 species, including the invasive needle ant, Brachyponera chinensis, which was previously thought to be strictly terrestrial.

Our results emphasise the importance of including the canopy in temperate forest ecology and conservation assessments.
Anti‐MDA5 positivity: describing the frequency and spectrum of clinically evident MDA5 disease
Authors: See Janelle , Fairley Jessica L. , Yeo Ai L. , Ojaimi Samar , Morand Eric F.
Published: November 2024

To evaluate experience in a tertiary rheumatology service with melanoma differentiation‐association‐protein‐5 (MDA5) disease and testing, patients with positive autoantibody results were reviewed for the presence of clinical disease. Anti‐MDA5 positivity was detected in 2% of myositis‐specific antibody tests. Of these, 29% did not have features consistent with anti‐MDA5 disease. However, when present, MDA5 disease is severe with a high mortality.
Balanced regulation of ROS production and inflammasome activation in preventing early development of colorectal cancer
Authors: Li Longjun , Xu Tao , Qi Xiaopeng
Published: November 2024

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and inflammasome activation are the key components of the innate immune response to microbial infection and sterile insults. ROS are at the intersection of inflammation and immunity during cancer development. Balanced regulation of ROS production and inflammasome activation serves as the central hub of innate immunity, determining whether a cell will survive or undergo cell death. However, the mechanisms underlying this balanced regulation remain unclear. Mitochondria and NADPH oxidases are the two major sources of ROS production. Recently, NCF4, a component of the NADPH oxidase complex that primarily contributes to ROS generation in phagocytes, was reported to balance ROS production and inflammasome activation in macrophages. The phosphorylation and puncta distribution of NCF4 shifts from the membrane‐bound NADPH complex to the perinuclear region, promoting ASC speck formation and inflammasome activation, which triggers downstream IL‐18‐IFN‐γ signaling to prevent the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, we review ROS signaling and inflammasome activation studies in colitis‐associated CRC and propose that NCF4 acts as a ROS sensor that balances ROS production and inflammasome activation. In addition, NCF4 is a susceptibility gene for Crohn's disease (CD) and CRC. We discuss the evidence demonstrating NCF4's crucial role in facilitating cell–cell contact between immune cells and intestinal cells, and mediating the paracrine effects of inflammatory cytokines and ROS. This coordination of the signaling network helps create a robust immune microenvironment that effectively prevents epithelial cell mutagenesis and tumorigenesis during the early stage of colitis‐associated CRC.
Effectiveness of Bivalent mRNA Vaccines in Preventing Symptomatic SARS‐CoV‐2 Infection—Increasing Community Access to Testing Program, United States, January–September 2023
Authors: Ciesla Allison Avrich , Mak Josephine , Roper Lauren E. , Fleming‐Dutra Katherine E. , Smith Zachary R. , Wiegand Ryan E. , Britton Amadea , Miller Joseph , Link‐Gelles Ruth
Published: November 2024

Background

On September 2, 2022, bivalent COVID‐19 mRNA vaccines, were recommended to address reduced effectiveness of COVID‐19 monovalent vaccines during SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron variant predominance.

Methods

Using national pharmacy‐based SARS‐CoV‐2 testing program data from January 15 to September 11, 2023, this test‐negative, case–control design study assessed bivalent COVID‐19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) against symptomatic infection.

Results

VE against symptomatic infection of a bivalent dose between 2 weeks and 1 month after bivalent vaccination ranged from 46% (95% CI: 38%–52%) for those aged ≥ 65 years to 61% (95% CI 41%–75%) for those aged 12–17 years.

Conclusion

Bivalent vaccines protected against symptomatic infection. However, effectiveness waned over time, emphasizing the need to stay up to date with COVID‐19 vaccination.
Clinical Factors Affecting the Quality of Life of Women With Endometriosis
Authors: Bień Agnieszka , Pokropska Aleksandra , Grzesik‐Gąsior Joanna , Korżyńska‐Piętas Magdalena , Zarajczyk Marta , Rzońca Ewa , Jurek Krzysztof
Published: November 2024

Aim

The study aimed to analyse selected clinical data affecting the quality of life of women with endometriosis.

Design

A cross‐sectional study.

Method

The study was conducted in 2020–2022 among 425 women with endometriosis receiving health care. A diagnostic survey method with a questionnaire technique was used. The research tools are the Endometriosis Health Profile and a standardised interview questionnaire.

Results

Infertility, medical treatment and sexual intercourse were the dimensions of quality of life most poorly rated by respondents with endometriosis. Lower quality of life was linked to the presence of painful periods, the presence of pain during intercourse and having surgery for endometriosis.

Conclusion

The main clinical variables influencing the quality of life of women with endometriosis include problems with getting pregnant, the necessity for long‐term therapy and sexual problems caused by the condition. The occurrence of painful menstruation, dyspareunia and having undergone surgery for endometriosis is associated with lower ratings of women's general quality of life.

Implications for the Profession

The study will help to develop a more holistic approach to caring for endometriosis patients. This will result in a better diagnosis, individualised therapy and psychological support, all of which will enhance the overall quality of life. The study's results may impact the development of health policies, endometriosis support services for women and public awareness initiatives.

Impact

The study highlighted key determinants affecting health‐related quality of life for women with endometriosis. The analysis of clinical data revealed that infertility, treatment and dyspareunia are the dimensions of quality of life most poorly rated by women with endometriosis. These findings are significant for those providing care to women with endometriosis, as well as for policymakers responsible for the organisation of health care systems.

Reporting Method

The STROBE guidelines.

Patient or Public Contribution

No patient or public contribution.
Drivers of Interspecific Spatial Segregation in Two Closely‐Related Seabird Species at a Pan‐Atlantic Scale
Authors: Bonnet‐Lebrun Anne‐Sophie , Matthiopoulos Jason , Lemaire‐Patin Rémi , Deville Tanguy , Barrett Robert , Bogdanova Maria I. , Bolton Mark , Christensen‐Dalsgaard Signe , Daunt Francis , Dehnhard Nina , Descamps Sébastien , Elliott Kyle , Erikstad Kjell Einar , Frederiksen Morten , Gilchrist Grant , Harris Mike , Kolbeinsson Yann , Linnebjerg Jannie Fries , Lorentsen Svein‐Håkon , Mallory Mark , Merkel Flemming , Mosbech Anders , Owen Ellie , Patterson Allison , Pratte Isabeau , Strøm Hallvard , Þórarinsson Þorkell Lindberg , Wanless Sarah , Ratcliffe Norman
Published: November 2024

Aim

Ecologically similar species living in sympatry are expected to segregate to reduce the effects of competition where resources are limiting. Segregation from heterospecifics commonly occurs in space, but it is often unknown whether such segregation has underlying environmental causes. Indeed, species could segregate because of different fundamental environmental requirements (i.e., ‘niche divergence’), because competitive exclusion at sympatric sites can force species to either change the habitat use they would have at allopatric sites (i.e., ‘niche displacement’) or to avoid certain areas, independently of habitat (i.e., ‘spatial avoidance’). Testing these hypotheses requires the comparison between sympatric and allopatric sites. Understanding the competitive mechanisms that underlie patterns of spatial segregation could improve predictions of species responses to environmental change, as competition might exacerbate the effects of environmental change.

Location

North Atlantic and Arctic.

Taxa

Common guillemots Uria aalge and Brünnich's guillemots Uria lomvia.

Methods

Here, we examine support for these explanations for spatial segregation in two closely‐related seabird species, common guillemots (Uria aalge) and Brünnich's guillemots (U. lomvia). For this, we collated a pan‐Atlantic data set of breeding season foraging tracks from 1046 individuals, collected from 20 colonies (8 sympatric and 12 allopatric). These were analysed with habitat models in a spatially transferable framework to compare habitat preferences between species at sympatric and allopatric sites.

Results

We found no effect of the distribution of heterospecifics on local habitat preferences of the focal species. We found differences in habitat preferences between species, but these were not sufficient to explain the observed levels of spatial segregation at sympatric sites.

Main Conclusions

Assuming we did not omit any relevant environmental variables, these results suggest a mix of niche divergence and spatial avoidance produces the observed patterns of spatial segregation.
Rates of and Indications for Subcutaneous ICD Extraction: A Multihospital Healthcare System Analysis
Authors: Gangadharan Arati , Peigh Graham , Arif Mariam , Baman Jayson , Patil Kaustubha , Chicos Alexandru , Kim Susan S. , Lin Albert C. , Pfenniger Anna , Passman Rod S. , Knight Bradley P. , Verma Nishant
Published: November 2024

Introduction

The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S‐ICD) is an alternative to a transvenous ICD in patients who meet the criteria for ICD implantation without concurrent need for cardiac pacing. The objective of this study is to examine the rates of and indications for S‐ICD removal and extraction.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent S‐ICD implantation between 2010 and 2022 at a single multihospital healthcare system was performed. The primary endpoint was S‐ICD removal or extraction. Patient and device characteristics were abstracted from the electronic medical record. Univariate and multivariate analyses were completed to determine factors associated with S‐ICD extraction.

Results

A total of 372 patients (69.5% male; 48.6 ± 14.4 years old) underwent S‐ICD implantation during the study period. There were 22 (5.9%) patients (81.8% male; 52.1 ± 13.2 years old) who underwent S‐ICD extraction over a median follow‐up period of 4.4 [2.0−6.5] years. The median length of time between implantation and extraction was 39.6 [8.3−64.6] months. The most common indications for S‐ICD extraction were the need for bradycardia pacing (frequency among extractions, 18.2%), infection (22.7%), and inappropriate shocks due to oversensing (22.7%). A smoking history and higher body mass index were independently associated with S‐ICD extraction.

Conclusions

The overall rate of S‐ICD extraction over 4.4 [2.0−6.5] years was 5.9%, with the most common indications for extraction being the need for bradycardia pacing, infection, and inappropriate shocks due to oversensing. A smoking history and high body mass index are associated with increased rates of S‐ICD extraction. With appropriate patient selection for the S‐ICD, the need to remove the device after implantation is low.
Building a European Union ‘Treasury’: Explaining the European Commission's New Approach to Debt Issuance and Management
Authors: Spielberger Lukas , Hodson Dermot , Howarth David , Mugnai Iacopo
Published: November 2024

This article examines how the European Commission went from being an occasional participant in capital markets in the 1970s to an established bond issuer by the 2020s. As a result of these changes, the Commission has moved away from its traditional model of back‐to‐back lending using a wide array of funding instruments towards the regular issuance of EU bonds and bills in the style of a European treasury. Using a principal–agent approach, we ask whether this shift was driven by member states seeking to reap the benefits of collective borrowing or rather by slippage by the Commission aimed at spurring European integration. Our results show that the Commission's occasional attempts to advance wider political objectives were rebuffed by member states, which, nonetheless, ultimately embraced the idea of a European treasury. Our findings emphasise the logic of delegation over agency slack when it comes to the EU's evolution as a borrower.
Fighting for Europe: The EU's Democratic Pull Phenomenon in Ukraine, Poland and Belarus
Authors: Onuch Olga
Published: November 2024

What drives ordinary citizens to want their country to join or stay in the European Union (EU)? Whilst scholarship addressed value‐based dispositions as drivers of pro‐EU positions, material benefits dominate explanations of support for EU accession and membership. New research suggests that it is precisely the growing import of being an adherent of liberal democratic values that drove citizens in countries as disparate as Ukraine, Poland and Belarus to support EU accession and remained the key driver for those already in the Union wanting to stay in. Employing national surveys and regression analyses, this article shows that (a) not only is a shift to supporting EU accession accompanied by citizens also moving towards supporting democracy in Ukraine; (b) this EU democratic pull phenomenon can also be identified amongst citizens of other EU neighbourhood countries, as well as in EU member states.
A Study Into Systemic and Oral Levels of Proinflammatory Biomarkers Associated With Endpoints After Active Non‐Surgical Periodontal Therapy
Authors: Werner Nils , Frasheri Iris , Heck Katrin , Scalia Carla , Pitchika Vinay , Summer Burkhard , Ern Christina , Heym Richard , Schwendicke Falk , Bumm Caspar Victor , Folwaczny Matthias
Published: November 2024

Aim

To analyse whether some selected inflammatory biomarkers collected from venous blood and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) were associated with the outcome of non‐surgical periodontal therapy.

Materials and Methods

Two‐hundred and nine patients affected by periodontitis were enrolled in the study, who had undergone steps I and II therapy as well as a non‐surgical re‐instrumentation (NSRI) of periodontal pockets after 6 months. Serum (SE), plasma (PL) and GCF samples were quantitatively analysed for the following inflammatory biomarkers: active matrix metalloproteinase‐8 (aMMP‐8), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and surfactant protein D (SP‐D). Therapy outcomes were evaluated using a ‘treat‐to‐target’ endpoint (T2T) at the patient level, defined as ≤ 4 sites with pocket depth ≥ 5 mm.

Results

Patients presented with 23 ± 6 teeth (mean ± SD) at baseline. After steps I and II therapy, 41.6% of the patients reached T2T and after NSRI 47.4%. Univariate analysis identified a potential association between high levels of PL‐SP‐D and more favourable treatment outcomes. Multivariate binary logistic regression adjusted for sex, mean baseline probing depth, diabetes and current smoking status confirmed an independent relationship between baseline PL‐SP‐D and the T2T after steps I and II therapy (aOR 0.432, p = 0.011), implying that a higher level PL‐SP‐D at baseline is associated with a > 50% reduced risk of failing T2T. However, no such association was found for PL‐SP‐D and NSRI.

Conclusion

Higher baseline PL‐SP‐D levels might be associated with more favourable treatment outcomes after steps I and II therapy. This may be due to its role in the regulation of neutrophil function. However, further investigation is required to confirm this hypothesis. If proven, PL‐SP‐D could play a role as a biomarker for identifying individuals who respond differentially to primary therapy.
On Adjusting the One‐Sided Hodrick–Prescott Filter
Authors: WOLF ELIAS , MOKINSKI FRIEDER , SCHÜLER YVES
Published: November 2024

We show that one should not use the one‐sided Hodrick–Prescott (HP‐1s) filter as the real‐time version of the two‐sided HP (HP‐2s) filter: First, in terms of the extracted cyclical component, HP‐1s fails to remove low‐frequency fluctuations to the same extent as HP‐2s. Second, HP‐1s dampens fluctuations at all frequencies—even those it is meant to extract. As a remedy, we propose two small adjustments to HP‐1s, aligning its properties closely with those of HP‐2s: (i) a lower value for the smoothing parameter and (ii) a multiplicative rescaling of the extracted cyclical component. For example, for HP‐2s with (value of smoothing parameter), the adjusted one‐sided HP filter uses and rescales the extracted cyclical component by a factor of 1.1513. Using simulated and empirical data, we illustrate the relevance of these adjustments. For instance, financial cycles may appear to be 72% more volatile than business cycles, where, in fact, volatilities differ only marginally.
Telehealth delivery of GenerationPMTO in the public mental health system: A pragmatic, noninferiority study
Authors: Holtrop Kendal , Piehler Timothy F. , Gray Luann J.
Published: November 2024

Telehealth is a promising means for expanding access to mental health treatment. Yet, more research is needed to ensure that telehealth service delivery is no less effective than in‐person treatment in real‐world service delivery contexts. In the current study, we compared telehealth delivery of the GenerationPMTO parenting intervention to in‐person delivery in the context of the public mental health system. Using a noninferiority approach with a sample of n = 1452 caregivers, we found telehealth delivery to be noninferior to in‐person delivery on all caregiver outcomes: parenting practices, parenting confidence, and caregiver depressive symptoms. We were unable to conclude that telehealth delivery was noninferior to in‐person delivery for child behavior problems. Our findings add to the literature suggesting the utility of using telehealth to provide services to families—particularly for delivering evidence‐based parenting interventions to enhance caregiver outcomes. Implications for couple and family therapy are discussed.
Physical exercise halts further functional decline in an animal model for Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease 1X at an advanced disease stage
Authors: Klein Dennis , Yépez Maria Grijalva , Martini Rudolf
Published: November 2024

Background and Aims

Charcot–Marie–Tooth (CMT) type 1 neuropathies are the most common inherited diseases of the peripheral nervous system. Although more than 100 causative genes have been identified so far, therapeutic options are still missing. We could previously identify that early‐onset physical exercise (voluntary wheel running, VWR) dampens peripheral nerve inflammation, improves neuropathological alterations, and clinical outcome in Cx32def mice, a model for CMT1X. We here investigate the clinical and histopathological effect of late‐onset exercise in Cx32def mice at an advanced disease stage.

Methods

Nine‐month‐old Cx32def mice were allowed to run for 4 days/week on a commercially available running wheel for 3 months, with timely limited access to running wheels, representing a running distance of ~2000 m. Control mutants had no access to running wheels. Afterward, mice were investigated by distinct functional tests and by immunohistochemical and electron microscopical techniques.

Results

We found that late‐onset physical exercise (late VWRlim) prevented the robust functional decline in 12‐month‐old Cx32def mice. This was accompanied by improved neuromuscular innervation of distal muscles and axonal preservation in femoral quadriceps nerves. In contrast to a “pre‐symptomatic” start of physical exercise in Cx32def mice, late‐onset VWR did not alter nerve inflammation and myelin thickness at 12 months of age.

Interpretation

We conclude that VWR has robust beneficial effects on nerve function in Cx32def mice, even when applied at a progressed disease stage. These results have important translational implications, suggesting that physical exercise might be an effective treatment option for CMT1 patients, even when disease symptoms have already progressed.
Long‐term safety and tolerability of hyaluronidase‐facilitated subcutaneous immunoglobulin 10% as maintenance therapy for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: Results from the ADVANCE‐CIDP 3 trial
Authors: Hadden Robert D. M. , Andersen Henning , Bril Vera , Basta Ivana , Rejdak Konrad , Duff Kim , Greco Erin , Hasan Shabbir , Anderson‐Smits Colin , Ay Hakan
Published: November 2024

Background and Aims

Hyaluronidase‐facilitated subcutaneous immunoglobulin (fSCIG) consists of subcutaneous human immunoglobulin G (IgG) 10% with recombinant human hyaluronidase (rHuPH20) and can be administered at the same dose and interval as intravenous IgG (IVIG). fSCIG recently received US approval as maintenance therapy for adults with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) and European approval for adults and children with CIDP after stabilization with IVIG.

Methods

ADVANCE‐CIDP 3 (NCT02955355) was an open‐label long‐term extension of the Phase 3 double‐blind randomized placebo‐controlled ADVANCE‐CIDP 1 study (NCT02549170) that examined fSCIG safety and efficacy as maintenance CIDP therapy. Primary outcomes were safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity. Efficacy was an exploratory outcome.

Results

The study provided 220 patient‐years of follow‐up data from 85 patients. Median (range) exposure was 33 (0–77) months. Patients received fSCIG every 4 weeks (88.2%) or every 3 weeks (11.8%). Median (range) 4‐weekly IgG dose equivalent was 64.0 (28.0–200.0) g. Mean (standard deviation) infusion duration was 135.5 (62.8) minutes. Most adverse events (AEs) were mild or moderate and self‐limiting. Of the 1406 AEs, only 48 were severe and 30 were serious. fSCIG‐related AEs (n = 798) included infusion site reactions such as pain, redness, and pruritus. Three infusions (0.1%) were reduced in rate, interrupted, or stopped due to intolerability. Relapse occurred in 10 of 77 patients (13.0%); annual relapse rate was 4.5%. An anti‐rHuPH20 antibody titer ≥1:160 was detected in 14 of 84 patients (16.7%); patients who tested positive (≥1:160) had similar relapse rates versus those who tested negative (16.7% vs. 12.3%, respectively).

Interpretation

ADVANCE‐CIDP 3 demonstrated favorable fSCIG long‐term safety and tolerability consistent with its established safety profile, and a low relapse rate, supporting use as maintenance CIDP treatment.
Health literacy profiles in kidney transplanted patients: A cluster analysis
Authors: Vidnes Tone Karine , Wahl Astrid Klopstad , Larsen Marie Hamilton , Meyer Käthe Birgitte , Hermansen Åsmund , Andersen Marit Helen
Published: November 2024

Background

Health literacy is important in chronic conditions, such as kidney transplantation. Understanding patients' health literacy profiles can assist tailoring follow‐up and educational programmes to the health literacy needs of vulnerable kidney transplant recipients. This approach enabled us to cluster patients according to their profiles of challenges and strengths in different health literacy domains.

Objectives

This study aimed to identify different health literacy profiles within kidney transplant recipients and what characterized the different profiles.

Design

Cross‐sectional study.

Participants

One hundred ninety‐five kidney transplanted recipients were included.

Measurements

We used the self‐reported Health Literacy Questionnaire and analyzed using Ward's method (hierarchical cluster approach). We also collected background characteristics and clinical variables, including psychological distress (Hopkins Symptoms Checklist) and perceived health status (visual analogue scale, EuroQol‐5D).

Results

The analysis revealed four clusters with substantial differences in health literacy profiles. One cluster's patients had the most challenges in all health literacy domains constituting 24% of the sample. Compared to the other three clusters, this cluster was associated with shorter duration of kidney disease, higher number of patients in dialysis before transplantation, higher percentage of male patients, lower number of kidneys from living donors, higher number of patients not working and higher representation of psychological distress. All four clusters reported the most challenges in the same domain: the ability to critically appraise health information.

Conclusion

In kidney transplant recipients, profiling clusters with the Health Literacy Questionnaire and Ward's method aids in identifying health literacy needs in vulnerable groups, enabling transplant professionals to offer tailored health literacy support.
Changes to human sleep architecture during long‐duration spaceflight
Authors: Piltch Oliver , Flynn‐Evans Erin E. , Young Millennia , Stickgold Robert
Published: November 2024

Both rapid eye movement and non‐rapid eye movement sleep are important for cognitive function and well‐being, yet few studies have examined whether human sleep architecture is affected by long‐duration spaceflight. We recorded 256 nights of sleep from five crew members before (n = 112 nights), during (n = 83 nights) and after (n = 61 nights) ~6‐month missions aboard the Mir space station, using the Nightcap sleep monitor. We compared sleep outcomes (including total sleep time, efficiency, latency, rapid eye movement and non‐rapid eye movement) during spaceflight with those on Earth. We also evaluated longitudinal changes over time in space. We found that wakefulness increased by 1 hr in space compared with on Earth. Over time in space, rapid eye movement was initially reduced and then recovered to near preflight levels at the expense of non‐rapid eye movement sleep. Upon return to Earth, sleep architecture returned to preflight distribution. Our findings suggest that spaceflight may alter sleep architecture and should be explored further.