bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of dynamic parameters of journal bearings in an asymmetric rotor-bearing system
Authors: Chen Yinsi , Li Yuan , Liu Heng , Liu Yi
Published: July 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify the dynamic parameters of journal bearings in asymmetric rotor systems without additional test runs or excitations.

Design/methodology/approach

An asymmetric rotor-bearing test rig was set up for the identification experiment. Comparations were made between the measured response of the asymmetric rotor and the symmetric rotor. The mathematical model of the asymmetric rotor is established by the finite element method. The identification algorithm is based on the model of the rotor and the measured vibration response to identify bearing parameters. The influence of modeling error and measurement noise on the identification results are numerically analyzed. The dynamic parameters of the journal bearings under different rotational speeds are identified and compared with the theoretical values calculated by the perturbation method.

Findings

The experiment results show that the vibration characteristics of the asymmetric rotor and the symmetric rotor are different. The numerical evaluation of the identification algorithm shows that the algorithm is accurate and has good robustness to modeling error and measurement noise. The identified dynamic parameters agree reasonably well with the parameters derived from the theoretical bearing model.

Originality/value

The proposed identification method uses the unique vibration characteristics of asymmetric rotors to identify the bearing dynamic parameters. As the method does not require excitations or additional test runs, it is suitable for the field test.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-03-2024-0096/
Learning to search and learning to slow down or “The quick and the dead”
Authors: Morrison Renee
Published: June 2024

Purpose

This study examines the temporal dynamics shaping our understanding of search in education and the role language plays in legitimising these dynamics. It critiques the way online search is discursively constructed using home-education as a case study, and problematises how particular discourses are privileged, whom this privileging serves, as well as the likely consequences.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs Faircloughian Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as its methodological framework. Search and discursive practices were recorded during observations, search-tasks and interviews with five Australian home-educating families. Discursive features from the Google interface were also analysed.

Findings

A discursive privileging of hasty search practices was identified. This was found alongside largely ineffectual search, but participants continued to discursively represent search as fast and easy. The study highlights the complex co-option of discourses surrounding online search that privilege particular temporal and commercial landscapes.

Originality/value

This study contributes new knowledge regarding time as a context for understanding search behaviours, locating the perception of temporal scarcity in education within broader discursive and social structures. To date, no studies are found which investigate the temporal factors surrounding search in home-education. Increasing global reliance upon online search means the findings have broad significance, as does the proliferation of home-education induced by COVID-19. Additionally, while much work problematises the power search engines wield to privilege certain discourses, few investigate the day-to-day discursive practices of searchers affording Google and others this power.
Students’ e-learning acceptance: empirical evidence from higher learning institutions
Authors: Shaikh Imran Mehboob , Tanakinjal Geoffrey Harvey , Amin Hanudin , Noordin Kamaruzaman , Shaikh Junaid
Published: June 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that influence business students’ adoption of e-learning systems by merging innovation diffusion theory (IDT) and the teaching for professional competence model (TPCM).

Design/methodology/approach

Snowball sampling was used to conduct the survey. In addition, 217 responses were obtained from students at private educational institutions. Similarly, literature on the determinants of e-learning adoption, TPCM, and IDT were reviewed to contribute to the factors that are instrumental in determining e-learning systems adoption.

Findings

The findings of the study show that e-learning systems adoption is influenced by factors such as online collaborative learning (OCL) and technology self-efficacy. Above all, the OCL variable was found to be influential in determining students’ adoption of e-learning systems platforms. On the contrary, perceived attributes such as perceived compatibility and perceived relative advantage were found not to be significant determinants of e-learning systems adoption.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributed not only to the theoretical extensions but also to practical implications, which would benefit the policymakers of higher education providers in terms of e-learning system adoption in the country.

Originality/value

IDT and TPCM models are evaluated alongside additional variables, namely, OCL and technology self-efficacy. As a result, this paper will serve as a useful reference guide for academicians, higher education administrators, and future researchers.
An approach to intercultural training deemphasizing cross-cultural differences
Authors: Poortinga Ype H.
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to present an approach to intercultural training (IT) in which course participants are informed about various approaches to differences between peoples. Pitfalls in communication are identified that are due to overgeneralization of incidental observations of behavior and to psychological mechanisms such as stereotyping, ethnocentrism and attribution. Effects of poor command of a second language and paralinguistic factors are also included.

Design/methodology/approach

Intercultural communication training or IT programs often over-generalize incidental observations and make attributions about broad differences between “us” and “others”. An approach to IT is described that challenges the way in which notions about “culture” and “cultures” tend to be used.

Findings

A training module based on the principles mentioned is described that was originally developed for military officers preparing for international peace-keeping and peace-building missions and later has been administered in various settings and countries.

Research limitations/implications

An exit questionnaire and postmission interviews have suggested positive effects of the training, but more systematic evaluation research is needed.

Practical implications

Cross-cultural communication (3C) training is mostly about how other people differ from “us”. Better understanding may be gained with an approach that emphasizes how much humans everywhere are alike and that perceived differences can also be in the eye of the beholder.

Social implications

Mutual understanding is critical to positive interaction. The approach to 3C training taken here explains how much humans everywhere are alike and puts manifest differences into perspective.

Originality/value

The training module builds on available knowledge, notably from cross-cultural psychology. Except for a questionnaire to demonstrate ethnocentrism, there is hardly new information. However, the approach arranges available knowledge in a way that is rather novel for the field of 3C training.
An initial model construction method constrained by stratigraphic sequence representation for pre‐stack seismic inversion
Authors: Chen Ting , Zou Bangli , Wang Yaojun , Cai Hanpeng , Yu Gang , Hu Guangmin
Published: July 2024

The construction of an accurate and high‐resolution reservoir parameter model is crucial for reservoir characterization. However, due to the band‐limited characteristics of seismic data, the inversion results heavily rely on the accuracy of the initial model. Most existing techniques for constructing an initial model interpolate well logging data within the stratigraphic framework, neglecting the effect of the stratigraphic sequence, which compromises the reliability of the initial model. The stratigraphic sequence is essential for dividing stratigraphic evolution stages and defining a geological relationship between reservoirs within the stratigraphic framework. Therefore, an initial model construction method constrained by stratigraphic sequence representation is proposed for pre‐stack seismic inversion. The process begins with establishing the stratigraphic framework using horizon and fault data. Subsequently, the collaborative sparse representation algorithm is used to learn a joint dictionary that captures the relationship of structural features between seismic data and stratigraphic sequence from the well logging data. In the process of seismic data representation, the stratigraphic sequence is accurately represented in three‐dimensional space by sharing sparse coefficients in the joint dictionary. Finally, the elastic parameter model is constructed by integrating the stratigraphic framework, stratigraphic sequence and well logging data, providing a reliable initial model for pre‐stack seismic inversion. The main innovation of the proposed method is the three‐dimensional representation of the stratigraphic sequence. A synthetic example demonstrates that the proposed method produces a more accurate initial model than conventional interpolation methods. Additionally, when applied to field data, it yields satisfactory results even without complete S‐wave velocity well logging data.
Estimating encounter‐habitat relationships with scale‐integrated resource selection functions
Authors: Egan Michael E. , Gorman Nicole T. , Crews Storm , Eichholz Michael W. , Skinner Dan , Schlichting Peter E. , Rayl Nathaniel D. , Bergman Eric J. , Ellington E. Hance , Bastille‐Rousseau Guillaume
Published: June 2024

Encounters between animals occur when animals are close in space and time. Encounters are important in many ecological processes including sociality, predation and disease transmission. Despite this, there is little theory regarding the spatial distribution of encounters and no formal framework to relate environmental characteristics to encounters. The probability of encounter could be estimated with resource selection functions (RSFs) by comparing locations where encounters occurred to available locations where they may have occurred, but this estimate is complicated by the hierarchical nature of habitat selection.

We developed a method to relate resources to the relative probability of encounter based on a scale‐integrated habitat selection framework. This framework integrates habitat selection at multiple scales to obtain an appropriate estimate of availability for encounters. Using this approach, we related encounter probabilities to landscape resources. The RSFs describe habitat associations at four scales, home ranges within the study area, areas of overlap within home ranges, locations within areas of overlap, and encounters compared to other locations, which can be combined into a single scale‐integrated RSF. We apply this method to intraspecific encounter data from two species: white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and elk (Cervus elaphus) and interspecific encounter data from a two‐species system of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) and coyote (Canis latrans).

Our method produced scale‐integrated RSFs that represented the relative probability of encounter. The predicted spatial distribution of encounters obtained based on this scale‐integrated approach produced distributions that more accurately predicted novel encounters than a naïve approach or any individual scale alone.

Our results highlight the importance of accounting for the conditional nature of habitat selection in estimating the habitat associations of animal encounters as opposed to ‘naïve’ comparisons of encounter locations with general availability. This method has direct relevance for testing hypotheses about the relationship between habitat and social or predator–prey behaviour and generating spatial predictions of encounters. Such spatial predictions may be vital for understanding the distribution of encounters driving disease transmission, predation rates and other population and community‐level processes.
England's statutory biodiversity metric enhances plant, but not bird nor butterfly, biodiversity
Authors: Marshall Cicely A. M. , Wade Kristian , Kendall Isla S. , Porcher Hannah , Poffley Jakob , Bladon Andrew J. , Dicks Lynn V. , Treweek Jo
Published: June 2024

Biodiversity net gain is a policy focus worldwide, acknowledging ongoing losses of biodiversity to development, and a commitment to offsetting any residual impacts on biodiversity elsewhere. At least 37 countries have mandatory offsetting policies, and a further 64 countries enable voluntary offsets. Offsets rely on credible and evidence‐based methods to quantify biodiversity losses and gains.

Following the introduction of the United Kingdom's Environment Act in November 2021, all new developments requiring planning permission in England must demonstrate a biodiversity net gain of at least 10% biodiversity net gain from 2024, calculated using a statutory biodiversity metric framework. The metric uses habitat as a proxy for biodiversity, scoring habitats' intrinsic distinctiveness and current condition.

We carried out a study of the metric's performance across England in terms of outcomes for biodiversity. We used generalized linear mixed models to regress baseline biodiversity units against five long‐established single‐attribute proxies for biodiversity (species richness, individual abundance, number of threatened species, mean species range and mean species range/population change). Data were gathered for species belonging to three commonly used indicator taxa (vascular plants, butterflies and birds) from 24 sites, including all terrestrial broad habitats except urban.

In baseline assessments, metric‐derived biodiversity units correlated with most plant biodiversity variables, but not with any of the bird or butterfly biodiversity variables used in this study. Plant species recorded in habitats with higher baseline biodiversity units had slightly more restricted ranges (slope −16.22 ± 1.52, p < 0.001) on average and had shown stronger past declines (slope −0.02 ± 0.00, p < 0.001) than those in habitats with lower baseline biodiversity units. Each additional baseline biodiversity unit was associated with a 1% increase in plant species richness (p < 0.01).

Synthesis and applications: Using the statutory biodiversity metric to define 10% biodiversity net gain without additional species‐focused conservation management is likely to translate into small gains for plant biodiversity, and negligible gains for birds and butterflies. We make specific recommendations to improve the metric's efficacy in achieving desirable biodiversity outcomes. Our results provide a valuable case study for other countries interested in developing metrics to support biodiversity net gain policies.
Family and career: an analysis across Europe and North America
Authors: Guirola Luis , Hospido Laura , Weber Andrea
Published: June 2024

Using data on 17 countries in Europe and North America, we compare the career trajectories of mothers and fathers and of women and men without children across cohorts, and at different points of their life cycle. There is wide variation across countries in employment and earnings gaps at age 30. At age 50, however, the employment gap between mothers and non‐mothers has closed in most countries. We also observe convergence in employment gaps between mothers and fathers by age 50, but these gaps do not fully close. Motherhood gaps in earnings also close by age 50 between mothers and non‐mothers, particularly among the highly educated. But there is strong persistence in earnings gaps between mothers and fathers even among highly educated parents. The main reasons for the remaining gaps at later stages in the life cycle are part‐time work among women and fatherhood premia as fathers' earnings outperform non‐fathers' over their life cycle.
Examining inequalities: from labour markets to social outcomes in Finland
Authors: Paukkeri Tuuli , Ravaska Terhi , Riihelä Marja
Published: June 2024

Finland is known for low income inequality by international comparison. In this paper we provide a long‐run perspective on inequalities in Finland, and show that inequality is higher in the 21st century compared with many previous decades. We discuss the drivers of inequality in more detail, focusing on wages, earnings, employment and education, and also social outcomes such as partner‐finding and family formation in the working‐age population. The collective wage‐setting system is a likely contributor to the relatively low and stable wage and earnings inequality among working indviduals. However, women fare worse in the labour market than men, despite having a higher education level on average. We also find that individuals who are out of work or have low education have a lower probability of finding a partner, indicating that social inequalities are linked with those in the labour market. Finally, we discuss the importance of redistribution as well as changes in tax legislation that have contributed to an increasing concentration of capital income, which has been an important factor in increasing households’ disposable income inequality.
Health status and quality of life before critical illness: Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study
Authors: Niittyvuopio Miikka , Hietanen Siiri , Liisanantti Janne , Spalding Michael , Auvinen Juha , Ala‐Kokko Tero
Published: June 2024

Background

Previous findings support the claim intensive care unit (ICU) patients have a higher rate of comorbidities and reduction of health‐ and functional status compared with the normal population.

Aim

In this prospective observational study, our aim was to determine those health‐related factors at the age of 31 years which were associated with a later critical illness among previously un‐hospitalized individuals by exploring data obtained from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966).

Methods

NFBC1966 is a Finnish birth cohort, which includes 12,058 live births with expected dates of delivery during 1966. The study was conducted among cohort participants who had not been hospitalized for any reason before the cohort follow‐up visit at the age of 31. The study group included NFBC1966 participants who were admitted to the ICU of the Oulu University Hospital. The control group included participants who were treated for any reason in regular hospital wards. The data considering the participants’ health status and behavior at the age of 31 were collected from the NFBC1966 database. The gathering of ICU and hospitalization data was concluded on December 31, 2016.

Results

849 NFBC1966 participants met the inclusion criteria: 69 were treated in the ICU (study group) and 780 on regular hospital wards (controls). In the study group, the rate of neurological diseases (26% vs. 16%, 95% CI: −21.8%, −0.2%), malignancy (3% vs. 0.7%, 95% CI: −9.7%, 0.0%), alcohol abuse (4.5% vs. 1%, 95% CI: −11.5%, −0.3%) and smoking (77% vs. 65%, 95% CI: −21.6%, −0.3%) were higher compared with the control group. The patients in the ICU group were also more prone to violent injuries, (17% vs. 7%, 95% CI: −20.2%, −1.9%), practiced less hard physical activity (65% vs. 78%, 95% CI: 2.1%, 25.3%) and had lower maximal muscle strength according to the hand grip test (30 vs. 34 kg, 95% CI: −8.2, 8.6 kg).

Conclusions

In this study examining previously un‐hospitalized patients, the main factors associated with future critical illness were neurological comorbidities, malignancy, alcohol misuse, smoking, low maximum muscle strength, and less frequent physical exercise compared with those with hospitalization not requiring ICU admission.
Precision emergency medicine
Authors: Strehlow Matthew , Alvarez Al'ai , Blomkalns Andra L. , Caretta‐Wyer Holly , Gharahbaghian Laleh , Imler Daniel , Khan Ayesha , Lee Moon , Lobo Viveta , Newberry Jennifer A. , Ribeira Ryan , Sebok‐Syer Stefanie S. , Shen Sam , Gisondi Michael A.
Published: June 2024

Background

Precision health is a burgeoning scientific discipline that aims to incorporate individual variability in biological, behavioral, and social factors to develop personalized health solutions. To date, emergency medicine has not deeply engaged in the precision health movement. However, rapid advances in health technology, data science, and medical informatics offer new opportunities for emergency medicine to realize the promises of precision health.

Methods

In this article, we conceptualize precision emergency medicine as an emerging paradigm and identify key drivers of its implementation into current and future clinical practice. We acknowledge important obstacles to the specialty‐wide adoption of precision emergency medicine and offer solutions that conceive a successful path forward.

Results

Precision emergency medicine is defined as the use of information and technology to deliver acute care effectively, efficiently, and authentically to individual patients and their communities. Key drivers and opportunities include leveraging human data, capitalizing on technology and digital tools, providing deliberate access to care, advancing population health, and reimagining provider education and roles. Overcoming challenges in equity, privacy, and cost is essential for success. We close with a call to action to proactively incorporate precision health into the clinical practice of emergency medicine, the training of future emergency physicians, and the research agenda of the specialty.

Conclusions

Precision emergency medicine leverages new technology and data‐driven artificial intelligence to advance diagnostic testing, individualize patient care plans and therapeutics, and strategically refine the convergence of the health system and the community.
A study on acute expectation effects on affective state and intention after a brief full‐body workout in a student sample
Authors: Hösl Benedikt , Straif Julia , Niedermeier Martin , Kopp Martin
Published: June 2024

Brief exercise bouts can have positive effects on the affective state, which in turn could affect the intention for future exercise. Such benefits may be enhanced by manipulating expectations. The aim of this study was to examine whether the affective state after physical activity or the intention for future exercise can be influenced by manipulating expectations. Furthermore, the relationship between affect and intention was investigated. In an online experiment, 121 persons completed either a 10‐minute workout (PA), a workout after manipulation of expectations (PA + EM), or a control intervention (CG) after randomized group allocation. Data on affective state, expectations, and intention were collected before and after the intervention using questionnaires. After intervention, PA groups showed significantly more positive values than CG in several affective parameters, in other affective parameters, only PA + EM differed from CG. Affect was positively associated with intention alongside outcome expectations. No difference was found in intention. Although no significant effects of expectation manipulation on affective state or intention were found, latent effects cannot be ruled out. Further exploration of the importance of word choice in describing physical activity in the context of interventions to increase physical activity is necessary. Here, affect should be considered.
Letter: Over‐the‐scope clips in patients at high risk of rebleeding following upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding—The magic bullet for everyone? Authors'reply
Authors: Song Kai , Yang Daiyu , Xu Hemiao , He Kun , Wang Qiang , Wu Dong
Published: June 2024

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to He et al papers. To view these articles, visithttps://doi.org/10.1111/apt.18093andhttps://doi.org/10.1111/apt.18130
Beads of Alexandria: Non‐invasive analysis of glass from Roman, Late Antique and Islamic Kom el‐Dikka, Egypt
Authors: Then‐Obłuska Joanna , Syta Olga
Published: July 2024

Written sources indicate that Alexandria in Egypt was a leading producer of Roman glass. Furthermore, archaeological finds have provided evidence for the local production of drawn glass and gold‐in‐glass beads, which were distributed throughout the world. In this study, we present an analysis of the chemical composition of more than two hundred glass objects from the Roman (2nd–3rd/4th century ce) and Late Antique (4th/5th–7th century ce) glass bead workshops located at Kom el‐Dikka in Alexandria. This study is based on the results of portable X‐ray fluorescence (pXRF) analyses carried out on raw glass, bead semi‐products, products and waste from both periods. Additionally, the glass chemistry of some Islamic (8th–12th century ce) beads found at the site has been analysed.

Despite the limitations of the method, the vast majority of samples exhibited compositions confirming their general dating and Egyptian origin. Remarkably, a single bead was made of high‐alumina glass and appeared to be an import from India, possibly a remnant of the Indo‐Pacific glass bead route that connected Red Sea ports and Europe in Late Antiquity. In addition, we offer a new analytical approach to the method that has potential to enhance the value of pXRF in the analysis of archaeological glass.
Afatinib plus PEM and CBDCA overcome osimertinib resistance in EGFR‐mutated NSCLC with high thrombospondin‐1 expression
Authors: Onda Naomi , Nakamichi Shinji , Hirao Mariko , Matsuda Kuniko , Matsumoto Masaru , Miyanaga Akihiko , Noro Rintaro , Gemma Akihiko , Seike Masahiro
Published: June 2024

Osimertinib induces a marked response in non–small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations. However, acquired resistance to osimertinib remains an inevitable problem. In this study, we aimed to investigate osimertinib‐resistant mechanisms and evaluate the combination therapy of afatinib and chemotherapy. We established osimertinib‐resistant cell lines (PC‐9‐OR and H1975‐OR) from EGFR‐mutant lung adenocarcinoma cell lines PC‐9 and H1975 by high exposure and stepwise method. Combination therapy of afatinib plus carboplatin (CBDCA) and pemetrexed (PEM) was effective in both parental and osimertinib‐resistant cells. We found that expression of thrombospondin‐1 (TSP‐1) was upregulated in resistant cells using cDNA microarray analysis. We demonstrated that TSP‐1 increases the expression of matrix metalloproteinases through integrin signaling and promotes tumor invasion in both PC‐9‐OR and H1975‐OR, and that epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) was involved in H1975‐OR. Afatinib plus CBDCA and PEM reversed TSP‐1‐induced invasion ability and EMT changes in resistant cells. In PC‐9‐OR xenograft mouse models (five female Balb/c‐Nude mice in each group), combination therapy strongly inhibited tumor growth compared with afatinib monotherapy (5 mg/kg, orally, five times per week) or CBDCA (75 mg/kg, intraperitoneally, one time per week) + PEM (100 mg/kg, intraperitoneally, one time per week) over a 28‐day period. These results suggest that the combination of afatinib plus CBDCA and PEM, which effectively suppresses TSP‐1 expression, may be a promising option in EGFR‐mutated NSCLC patients after the acquisition of osimertinib resistance.
Severe Allergy as a Chronic Inflammatory Condition From a Systems Biology Perspective
Authors: Delgado Dolset M. I. , Pablo‐Torres C. , Contreras N. , Couto‐Rodríguez A. , Escolar‐Peña A. , Graña‐Castro O. , Izquierdo E. , López‐Rodríguez J. C. , Macías‐Camero A. , Pérez‐Gordo M. , Villaseñor A. , Zubeldia‐Varela E. , Barber D. , Escribese M. M.
Published: June 2024

Persistent and unresolved inflammation is a common underlying factor observed in several and seemingly unrelated human diseases, including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Particularly, in atopic conditions, acute inflammatory responses such as those triggered by insect venom, food or drug allergies possess also a life‐threatening potential. However, respiratory allergies predominantly exhibit late immune responses associated with chronic inflammation, that can eventually progress into a severe phenotype displaying similar features as those observed in other chronic inflammatory diseases, as is the case of uncontrolled severe asthma. This review aims to explore the different facets and systems involved in chronic allergic inflammation, including processes such as tissue remodelling and immune cell dysregulation, as well as genetic, metabolic and microbiota alterations, which are common to other inflammatory conditions. Our goal here was to deepen on the understanding of an entangled disease as is chronic allergic inflammation and expose potential avenues for the development of better diagnostic and intervention strategies.
HDR syndrome: Large cohort and systematic review
Authors: Rive Le Gouard Nicolas , Lafond‐Rive Valentin , Jonard Laurence , Loundon Natalie , Achard Sophie , Heidet Laurence , Mosnier Isabelle , Lyonnet Stanislas , Brioude Frederic , Serey Gaut Margaux , Marlin Sandrine
Published: June 2024

HDR syndrome is a rare disease characterized by hypoparathyroidism, deafness, and renal dysplasia. An autosomal dominant disease caused by heterozygous pathogenic GATA3 variants, the penetrance of each associated condition is variable. Literature reviews have provided some answers, but many questions remain, in particular what the relationship is between genotype and phenotype. The current study examines 28 patients with HDR syndrome combined with an exhaustive review of the literature. Some conditions such as hearing loss are almost always present, while others described as rare initially, do not seem to be so rare after all (genital malformations and basal ganglia calcifications). By modeling pathogenic GATA3 variants found in HDR syndrome, we found that missense variations appear to always be located in the same area (close to the two Zinc Finger domain). We describe new pathogenic GATA3 variants, of which some seem to always be associated with certain conditions. Many audiograms were studied to establish a typical audiometric profile associated with a phenotype in HDR. As mentioned in the literature, hearing function should always be assessed as early as possible and follow up of patients with HDR syndrome should include monitoring of parathyroid function and vesicoureteral reflux in order to prevent complications.
Reptile responses to fire across the western Mediterranean Basin
Authors: Santos Xavier , Chergui Brahim , Belliure Josabel , Moreira Francisco , Pausas Juli G.
Published: July 2024

Effects of anthropogenic activities, including climate change, are modifying fire regimes, and the dynamic nature of these modifications requires identification of general patterns of organisms’ responses to fire. This is a challenging task because of the high complexity of factors involved (including climate, geography, land use, and species‐specific ecology). We aimed to describe the responses of the reptile community to fire across a range of environmental and fire‐history conditions in the western Mediterranean Basin. We sampled 8 sites that spanned 4 Mediterranean countries. We recorded 6064 reptile sightings of 36 species in 1620 transects and modeled 3 community metrics (total number of individuals, species richness, and Shannon diversity) as responses to environmental and fire‐history variables. Reptile community composition was also analyzed. Habitat type (natural vs. afforestation), fire age class (time since the last fire), rainfall, and temperature were important factors in explaining these metrics. The total number of individuals varied according to fire age class, reaching a peak at 15–40 years after the last fire. Species richness and Shannon diversity were more stable during postfire years. The 3 community metrics were higher under postfire conditions than in unburned forest plots. This pattern was particularly prevalent in afforested plots, indicating that the negative effect of fire on reptiles was lower than the negative effect of afforestation. Community composition varied by fire age class, indicating the existence of early‐ and late‐successional species (xeric and saxicolous vs. mesic reptiles, respectively). Species richness was 46% higher in areas with a single fire age class relative to those with a mixture of fire age classes, which indicates pyrodiverse landscapes promoted reptile diversity. An expected shift to more frequent fires will bias fire age distribution toward a predominance of early stages, and this will be harmful to reptile communities.
Uncertainty in consensus predictions of plant species' vulnerability to climate change
Authors: Rose Miranda Brooke , Velazco Santiago José Elías , Regan Helen M. , Flint Alan L. , Flint Lorraine E. , Thorne James H. , Franklin Janet
Published: June 2024

Aim

Variation in spatial predictions of species' ranges made by various models has been recognized as a significant source of uncertainty for modelling species distributions. Consensus approaches that combine the results of multiple models have been employed to reduce the uncertainty introduced by different algorithms. We evaluate how estimates of habitat suitability, projected using species distribution models (SDMs), varied among different consensus methods relative to the variation introduced by different global climate models (GCMs) and representative concentration pathways (RCPs) used for projection.

Location

California Floristic Province (California, US portion).

Methods

We modelled the current and future potential distributions of 82 terrestrial plant species, developing model predictions under different combinations of GCMs, RCPs, time periods, dispersal assumptions and SDM consensus methods commonly used to combine different species distribution modelling algorithms. We assessed how each of these factors contributed to the variability in future predictions of species habitat suitability change and aggregate measures of proportional change in species richness. We also related variability in species‐level habitat change to species' attributes.

Results

Assuming full dispersal capacity, the variability between habitat predictions made by different consensus methods was higher than the variability introduced by different RCPs and GCMs. The relationships between species' attributes and variability in future habitat predictions depended on the source of uncertainty and dispersal assumptions. However, species with small ranges or low prevalence tended to be associated with high variability in range change forecasts.

Main Conclusions

Our results support exploring multiple consensus approaches when considering changes in habitat suitability outside of species' current distributions, especially when projecting species with low prevalence and small range sizes, as these species tend to be of the greatest conservation concern yet produce highly variable model outputs. Differences in vulnerability between diverging greenhouse gas concentration scenarios are most readily observed for end‐of‐century time periods and within species' currently occupied habitats (no dispersal).
Metabolic profiling of tryptophan pathways: Implications for obesity and metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease
Authors: Arto Carmen , Rusu Elena Cristina , Clavero‐Mestres Helena , Barrientos‐Riosalido Andrea , Bertran Laia , Mahmoudian Razieh , Aguilar Carmen , Riesco David , Chicote Javier Ugarte , Parada David , Martínez Salomé , Sabench Fàtima , Richart Cristóbal , Auguet Teresa
Published: June 2024

Background and Aims

The rise in obesity highlights the need for improved therapeutic strategies, particularly in addressing metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). We aim to assess the role of tryptophan metabolic pathways in the pathogenesis of obesity and in the different histological stages of MASLD.

Materials and Methods

We used ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography to quantify circulating levels of 15 tryptophan‐related metabolites from the kynurenine, indole and serotonin pathways. A cohort of 76 subjects was analysed, comprising 18 subjects with normal weight and 58 with morbid obesity, these last being subclassified into normal liver (NL), simple steatosis (SS) and metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Then, we conducted gene expression analysis of hepatic IDO‐1 and kynyrenine‐3‐monooxygenase (KMO).

Results

Key findings in obesity revealed a distinct metabolic signature characterized by a higher concentration of different kynurenine‐related metabolites, a decrease in indole‐3‐acetic acid and indole‐3‐propionic acid, and an alteration in the serotonin pathway. Elevated tryptophan levels were associated with MASLD presence (37.659 (32.577–39.823) μM of tryptophan in NL subjects; 41.522 (38.803–45.276) μM in patients with MASLD). Overall, pathway fluxes demonstrated an induction of tryptophan catabolism via the serotonin pathway in SS subjects and into the kynurenine pathway in MASH. We found decreased IDO‐1 and KMO hepatic expression in NL compared to SS.

Conclusions

We identified a distinctive metabolic signature in obesity marked by changes in tryptophan catabolic pathways, discernible through altered metabolite profiles. We observed stage‐specific alterations in tryptophan catabolism fluxes in MASLD, highlighting the potential utility of targeting these pathways in therapeutic interventions.
Genetic and epigenetic differentiation in response to genomic selection for avian lay date
Authors: Lindner Melanie , Verhagen Irene , Mateman A. Christa , van Oers Kees , Laine Veronika N. , Visser Marcel E.
Published: June 2024

Anthropogenic climate change has led to globally increasing temperatures at an unprecedented pace and, to persist, wild species have to adapt to their changing world. We, however, often fail to derive reliable predictions of species' adaptive potential. Genomic selection represents a powerful tool to investigate the adaptive potential of a species, but constitutes a ‘blind process’ with regard to the underlying genomic architecture of the relevant phenotypes. Here, we used great tit (Parus major) females from a genomic selection experiment for avian lay date to zoom into this blind process. We aimed to identify the genetic variants that responded to genomic selection and epigenetic variants that accompanied this response and, this way, might reflect heritable genetic variation at the epigenetic level. We applied whole genome bisulfite sequencing to blood samples of individual great tit females from the third generation of bidirectional genomic selection lines for early and late lay date. Genomic selection resulted in differences at both the genetic and epigenetic level. Genetic variants that showed signatures of selection were located within genes mostly linked to brain development and functioning, including LOC107203824 (SOX3‐like). SOX3 is a transcription factor that is required for normal hypothalamo‐pituitary axis development and functioning, an essential part of the reproductive axis. As for epigenetic differentiation, the early selection line showed hypomethylation relative to the late selection line. Sites with differential DNA methylation were located in genes important for various biological processes, including gonadal functioning (e.g., MSTN and PIK3CB). Overall, genomic selection for avian lay date provided insights into where within the genome the heritable genetic variation for lay date, on which selection can operate, resides and indicates that some of this variation might be reflected by epigenetic variants.
The price impact of tweets: A high‐frequency study
Authors: Yang Ni , Fernandez‐Perez Adrian , Indriawan Ivan
Published: June 2024

We examine the mechanism by which social media sentiment affects stock prices. Specifically, we assess the impact of Twitter feeds on stock returns at the intraday level. We find that an increase in buyer‐initiated trades has a significantly positive price impact. This impact, however, is stronger with an increase in the number of tweets and sentiment, and persists even after controlling for volatility, liquidity shock, and limit‐order activity. The impact of Twitter sentiment on prices causes a lingering mispricing effect that is not fully assimilated at the intraday level. Rather, this mispricing takes several days to correct.
Controlled experiments fail to capture plant phenological response to chilling temperature
Authors: Wang Huanjiong , Lin Shaozhi , Dai Junhu , Ge Quansheng
Published: June 2024

Aim

Controlled experiments are increasingly important for investigating how and to what degree plant phenology responds to global climate change. Current experiments underline that chilling and forcing temperatures are two major environmental cues shaping the budburst date of temperate species, but whether experiments could reflect the observed responses to chilling has rarely been examined.

Location

Europe and North America.

Time periods

1951–2021.

Major taxa studied

Temperate trees and shrubs.

Methods

Using an experimental database of budburst dates for 50 species derived from previous literature and observational data of the same species at 12,579 stations in Europe and 1469 stations in the USA, we compared the response of forcing requirement (FR) of the budburst date to chilling accumulation (CA) between observations and experiments using a common measure of FR and CA.

Results

The median, variance and probability distribution of CA‐FR curves differed significantly between experiments and observations in most cases. The distinction in chilling effects between experiments and observations could be attributed to the difference in thermal space, heat stress, genetic variation among provenances, different forcing treatments adopted and plant materials used in the experiments.

Main conclusions

Our results suggest that the uncertainty of phenological models based solely on the experimental data needs to be re‐evaluated when predicting future spring phenological responses across broad spatial scales.
Impact of specialized renal technologists on optimizing delivery of continuous kidney replacement therapy in critical care areas a retrospective study
Authors: Khater Noha Abou , Sadeq Ahmed Adel , Al Absi Dima Tareq , Simsekler Mecit Can Emre , Khattab Islam Mohamed , Shalaby Ehab Aboualazayem , AbuKhater Rawan , Kashiwagi Deanne Tomie , Andras Christian , Molesi Andrea , Omar Fahad , Abbas Mezher , Pirayil Mohammed Sifar , Anwar Siddiq
Published: June 2024

Background

Continuous renal replacement therapy (CKRT) is delivered to some of the most critically ill patients in hospitals. This therapy is expensive and requires coordination of multidisciplinary teams to ensure the prescribed dose is delivered. With increased demands on the critical care nursing staff and increased complexities of patients admitted to critical care units, we evaluated the role of specialized renal technologists in ensuring the prescribed dose is delivered. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the impact of supporting intensive care unit nurses with specialized renal technologists on optimizing efficiency of CKRT sessions in the United Arab Emirates.

Methods

This is a retrospective study that compared critically ill patients on CKRT overseen by specialized renal technologists versus who are non‐covered in the year 2021.

Results

A total of 331 sessions on 158 patients were included in the study. The mean filter life was longer in specialized renal technologists—covered patients compared to the non‐covered group (66 vs. 59 h, p = 0.019). After adjustment by multiple regression analysis for risk factors (i.e., age, gender, mechanical ventilation, sepsis, mean arterial pressure, vasopressors, and SOFA) that may affect CKRT machines' filter life, presence of a specialized renal technologists resulted in significantly longer filter life (co‐efficient 0.129; CI 95% 1.080, 11.970; p‐value: 0.019).

Conclusion

Our study suggests that specialized renal technologists play a vital role in prolonging CKRT machine's filter life span and optimizing CKRT machine's efficiency. Further research should focus on other potential benefits of having specialized renal technologists performing CKRT sessions, and to confirm the finding of this study. Additionally, a cost–benefit analysis could be conducted to determine the economic impact of having specialized teams performing CKRT.
Genetic polymorphisms associated with developmental defects of enamel: A systematic review
Authors: Lopes‐Fatturi Aluhê , Fonseca‐Souza Gabriela , Wambier Leticia Maira , Brancher João Armando , Küchler Erika Calvano , Feltrin‐Souza Juliana
Published: July 2024

Background

Polymorphisms in genes related to enamel formation and mineralization may increase the risk of developmental defects of enamel (DDE).

Aim

To evaluate the existing literature on genetic polymorphisms associated with DDE.

Design

This systematic review was registered in the PROSPERO (CRD42018115270). The literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, LILACS, BBO, Cochrane Library, and in the gray literature. Observational studies assessing the association between DDE and genetic polymorphism were included. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used to assess the risk of bias.

Results

One thousand one hundred and forty‐six articles were identified, and 28 met the inclusion criteria. Five studies presented a low risk of bias. Ninety‐two genes related to enamel development, craniofacial patterning morphogenesis, immune response, and hormone transcription/reception were included. Molar–incisor hypomineralization (MIH) and/or hypomineralization of primary second molars (HPSM) were associated with 80 polymorphisms of genes responsible for enamel development, immune response, morphogenesis, and xenobiotic detoxication. A significant association was found between the different clinical manifestations of dental fluorosis (DF) with nine polymorphisms of genes responsible for enamel development, craniofacial development, hormonal transcription/reception, and oxidative stress. Hypoplasia was associated with polymorphisms located in intronic regions.

Conclusion

MIH, HPSM, DF, and hypoplasia reported as having a complex etiology are significantly associated with genetic polymorphisms of several genes.