bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neuronal Tau Pathology Worsens Late Phase White Matter Degeneration After Traumatic Brain Injury in Transgenic Mice
Authors: Yu Fengshan , Iacono Diego , Perl Daniel P. , Lai Chen , Gill Jessica , Le Tuan Q. , Lee Patricia , Sukumar Gauthaman , Armstrong Regina C.
Published: May 2023

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes diffuse axonal injury which can produce chronic white matter pathology and subsequent post-traumatic neurodegeneration with poor patient outcomes. Tau modulates axon cytoskeletal functions and undergoes phosphorylation and mis-localization in neurodegenerative disorders. The effects of tau pathology on neurodegeneration after TBI are unclear. We used mice with neuronal expression of human mutant tau to examine effects of pathological tau on white matter pathology after TBI. Adult male and female hTau.P301S (Tg2541) transgenic and wild type (Wt) mice received either moderate single TBI (s-TBI) or repetitive mild TBI (r-mTBI; once daily x 5), or matched sham procedures. Acutely, s-TBI produced more extensive axon damage in the corpus callosum (CC) as compared to r-mTBI. After s-TBI, significant CC thinning was present at 6 weeks and 4 months post-injury in Wt and transgenic mice, with homozygous tau expression producing additional pathology of late demyelination. In contrast, r-mTBI did not produce significant CC thinning except at the chronic time point of 4 months in homozygous mice, which exhibited significant CC atrophy (−29.7%) with increased CC microgliosis, but not astrogliosis. Serum biomarker quantification demonstrated neurofilament light detection of early axonal damage one day post-injury in Wt and homozygous mice. At 4 months, high tau and neurofilament in homozygous mice implicated tau in chronic axon pathology. Conclusions: Neuronal tau pathology differentially exacerbated CC pathology based on injury severity and chronicity. Ongoing CC atrophy from s-TBI became accompanied by late demyelination. Pathological tau significantly worsened CC atrophy during the chronic phase after r-mTBI.
Knowledge, attitudes and biosecurity practices among the small-scale dairy farmers in Sylhet District, Bangladesh
Authors: Chowdhury Tonmoy , Ahmed Junayed , Hossain Md Tafazzal , Roy Mithu Chandra , Ashik-Uz-Zaman Md , Uddin Md Nazim , Rahman Md Masudur , Kabir Md Golam , Hossain Ferdaus Mohd Altaf
Published: May 2023

Background

In the context of zoonosis, Bangladesh’s small-scale dairying is yet to frame satisfactory levels due to poor biosecurity practices.

Objectives

This study intended to reveal the degree of knowledge, attitudes, and biosecurity practices among Sylhet district, Bangladesh’s small-scale dairy farmers. We also focused on the association between biosecurity practices and the incidence of non-specific enteritis in humans.

Methods

A questionnaire-based survey was conducted on the farmers’ KAP via personal interviews of 15 farmers from the randomly selected fifteen small-scale dairy farms. The questionnaire was developed with six questions for knowledge, six questions for attitude, and 12 questions for the practice of biosecurity measures. Alongside that, data on the number of non-specific enteritis cases experienced by the farmers or their family members were also recorded. Spearman correlation was used to find out the correlation among KAP variables and between practice scores and non-specific enteritis incidences.

Results

We found an insignificant (p > 0.05) influence of demographic characteristics over knowledge, attitude, and biosecurity practices. Significant (p<0.05) and strong correlations were found in knowledge-attitude (r = 0.65), knowledge-practice (r = 0.71), and attitude-practice (r = 0.64). Incidences of non-specific enteritis and biosecurity measures’ practice were also strongly correlated (r = -0.9232) and statistically significant (p<0.05).

Conclusions

Our study suggests that increasing knowledge and developing a good attitude are necessary to increase the adaptation of biosecurity measures as three of these factors are correlated. Also, farm biosecurity measures are closely related to human health.
Influence of Fast-Spiking Prefrontal Neurons on Working Memory Behavior
Authors: Chung Sophia , Mozumder Rana , Li Sihai , Constantinidis Christos
Published: May 2023

Working memory is a limited-capacity system for maintaining and manipulating information for recall. Neurons that generate persistent activity in the primate dorsolateral prefrontal and posterior parietal cortex have been shown to be predictive of behavior in working memory tasks, though subtle differences between them have been observed in how information was represented, in some tasks. The role of different neuron types in each of these areas has not been investigated at depth. We thus compared the activity of neurons classified as fast-spiking, putative interneurons, and regular-spiking, putative pyramidal neurons, recorded from the prefrontal and posterior parietal cortex of male monkeys, to analyze their role in the maintenance of working memory. Our results demonstrate that fast-spiking neurons are active during a range of tasks and generate persistent activity during the delay period over which stimuli need to be maintained in memory. Furthermore, the activity of fast spiking neurons, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, is predictive of the subject’s recall no less than that of regular-spiking neurons, which are exclusively projection neurons in the cortex and thus capable of transmitting signals from the prefrontal cortex into other areas. Our results shed light onto the fundamental neural circuits that determine subjects’ memories and judgments.
HarnessingEGLN1Gene Editing to Amplify HIF-1α and Enhance Human Angiogenic Response
Authors: Shams Shahin , Stilhano Roberta S. , Silva Eduardo A.
Published: May 2023

Therapeutic angiogenesis has been the focus of hundreds of clinical trials but approval for human treatment remains elusive. Current strategies often rely on the upregulation of a single proangiogenic factor, which fails to recapitulate the complex response needed in hypoxic tissues. Hypoxic oxygen tensions dramatically decrease the activity of hypoxia inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase 2 (PHD2), the primary oxygen sensing portion of the hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) proangiogenic master regulatory pathway. Repressing PHD2 activity increases intracellular levels of HIF-1α and impacts the expression of hundreds of downstream genes directly associated with angiogenesis, cell survival, and tissue homeostasis. This study explores activating the HIF-1α pathway throughSpCas9 knockout of the PHD2 encoding geneEGLN1as an innovativein situtherapeutic angiogenesis strategy for chronic vascular diseases. Our findings demonstrate that even low editing rates ofEGLN1lead to a strong proangiogenic response regarding proangiogenic gene transcription, protein production, and protein secretion. In addition, we show that secreted factors ofEGLN1edited cell cultures may enhance human endothelial cell neovascularization activity in the context of proliferation and motility. Altogether, this study reveals thatEGLN1gene editing shows promise as a potential therapeutic angiogenesis strategy.
Insights into the genomic features, lifestyle and therapeutic potential of B1 sub-cluster mycobacteriophages
Authors: Das Ritam , Arora Ritu , Nadar Kanika , Saroj Saroj , Singh Amit Kumar , Patil Shripad A , Raman Sunil Kumar , Misra Amit , Bajpai Urmi
Published: May 2023

Background

A large number (about 1200) of mycobacteriophages (phages) have been isolated onMycobacterium smegmatismc2155. Their genome analysis shows high sequence diversity; therefore, based on nucleotide sequence similarity and genomic architecture, the related phages have been grouped in clusters and sub-clusters. However, a deeper study of mycobacteriophages has been conducted only for a few clusters. This study explores the traits of phages belonging to the B1 sub-cluster. We have attempted to functionally annotate and experimentally characterize B1 phages to get an insight into their biology and explore their therapeutic potential.

Methods

Analysis of B1 sub-cluster phage genomes to understand their key characteristics & lifestyle and to determine the putative function of hypothetical proteins (HPs), we developed a framework with a specific set of computational tools available online. For the experimental characterization, mycobacteriophages were isolated from environmental samples and were examined for their morphology, lysogeny status, effect on biofilm and activity against drug-resistantM. smegmatis. The B1 sub-cluster phages were identified by PCR using the specific primers.

Results

We have predicted the function of about 55% of the 77 representative proteins in B1 phages, which were previously deemed hypothetical. We studied ten B1 phages (Phages 1-10)which included their morphological characteristics, lysogeny status and antibiofilm activity. TEM analysis, showing an average head & tail size of 65 nm and 202.12 nm, respectively. The turbid morphology of several plaques suggested these phages to be temperate. To verify, we tested their potential to lysogenizeM. smegmatisand later found the spontaneous release from the putative lysogens. Interestingly, a putative RepA-like protein was identified in B1 phage genomes, indicating a possibility of extrachromosomal replication of prophages. Further, the impact ofPhages 1-10onM. smegmatisbiofilm was found to be potent; the highest inhibitory and disruptive effect of phages (at a fixed titre of 108pfu/ml) was 64% and 46%, respectively. Also, all ten phages could kill 4XR1 (the isoniazid-resistantM. smegmatisstrain).

Conclusion

We believe this combination of experimental analysis and exploration of genomic features of mycobacteriophages belonging to a sub-cluster can provide deeper insights into mycobacteriophage biology and also help in understanding their therapeutic potential.
Structure of (R,R)-4-bromo-2-{4-[4-bromo-1-(4-toluenesulfonyl)-1H-pyrrol-2-yl]-1,3-dinitrobutan-2-yl}-1-(4-toluenesulfonyl)-1H-pyrrole, another ostensible by-product in the synthesis of geminal-dimethyl hydrodipyrrins
Authors: Sample Harry C. , Twamley Brendan , Senge Mathias O.
Published: May 2023

The crystal structure of (R,R)-4-bromo-2-{4-[4-bromo-1-(4-toluenesulfonyl)-1H-pyrrol-2-yl]-1,3-dinitrobutan-2-yl}-1-(4-toluenesulfonyl)-1H-pyrrole (1, C26H24Br2N4O8S2) is presented. The title compound was isolated in suitable yield as a by-product in our synthesis of geminal-dimethyl hydrodipyrrins. We observe an unforeseen enantiomeric resolution both in the bulk sample and the crystal of 1, with distinct C—H...O (Cmethyl—H...Onitro, Csp
3—H...Osulfonyl) interactions observed in the enantiomers present, along with other interactions, namely C5-pyrrolyl—H...Osulfonyl, forming a polymer along the crystallographic c-axis direction. Whilst pyrrolic fragments are well documented in the literature, little data is found surrounding the 1,3-dinitrobutane scaffold.
High-frequency CSI300 futures trading volume predicting through the neural network
Authors: Xu Xiaojie , Zhang Yun
Published: May 2023

Purpose

For policymakers and participants of financial markets, predictions of trading volumes of financial indices are important issues. This study aims to address such a prediction problem based on the CSI300 nearby futures by using high-frequency data recorded each minute from the launch date of the futures to roughly two years after constituent stocks of the futures all becoming shortable, a time period witnessing significantly increased trading activities.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to answer questions as follows, this study adopts the neural network for modeling the irregular trading volume series of the CSI300 nearby futures: are the research able to utilize the lags of the trading volume series to make predictions; if this is the case, how far can the predictions go and how accurate can the predictions be; can this research use predictive information from trading volumes of the CSI300 spot and first distant futures for improving prediction accuracy and what is the corresponding magnitude; how sophisticated is the model; and how robust are its predictions?

Findings

The results of this study show that a simple neural network model could be constructed with 10 hidden neurons to robustly predict the trading volume of the CSI300 nearby futures using 1–20 min ahead trading volume data. The model leads to the root mean square error of about 955 contracts. Utilizing additional predictive information from trading volumes of the CSI300 spot and first distant futures could further benefit prediction accuracy and the magnitude of improvements is about 1–2%. This benefit is particularly significant when the trading volume of the CSI300 nearby futures is close to be zero. Another benefit, at the cost of the model becoming slightly more sophisticated with more hidden neurons, is that predictions could be generated through 1–30 min ahead trading volume data.

Originality/value

The results of this study could be used for multiple purposes, including designing financial index trading systems and platforms, monitoring systematic financial risks and building financial index price forecasting.
Emotional and behavioural appeals as key determinants in Ghanaian consumer pre-banking behaviour
Authors: Tannor Linus Linnaeus , Carter Stephen
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The pre-purchase phase of consumer behaviour for financial services, especially retail banking, has been under-researched. This study explored the determinants of consumer pre-banking behaviour (BAB) in the Ghanaian banking sector.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach was employed by extending the constructs of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and technology acceptance model (TAM) to include affective and conative components and utilising a partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis.

Findings

Affective, conative, cognitive attitude, emotions and perceived trust (PT) were significant determinants of consumer pre-BAB. From a practical point of view, marketing managers need to be emotionally connected with their potential consumers to enhance the propensity of automatic purchasing.

Research limitations/implications

The country context, sample type and size are limitations and so extending the study to other countries, with larger samples and additional insights on subjective norms (SNs), could help improve the model's efficacy.

Originality/value

The results presented in this paper are relevant and original because it is the only study, based on potential customers in an emergent economy context, to advocate the need for an emotional connection with potential consumers at the pre-banking stage to enhance the possibility of automatic purchasing.
Time for different thinking: housing need, policy and practice for people living with dementia and older people in Scotland
Authors: Tolson Debbie , Ritchie Louise , Smith Michael , Brown Margaret Mullen , Tolson Steven
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to examine housing need for older people and people with dementia, with reference to Scotland. This paper also examines policy responses and tensions arising from such need and looks critically at the evidence of care needs and what older people want in relation to later life conditions, including dementia.

Design/methodology/approach

Taking the Being Home: Housing and Dementia in Scotland report (2017) as a baseline descriptor, the authors have collated evidence from a range of sources to help them examine what has changed in terms of policy, practice and population ageing. Set against this backdrop, using desk-based analytical methods, the authors interrogate existing planning processes and systems in Scotland.

Findings

Scottish Spatial Planning has a policy blindness on the overwhelming evidence of the housing needs derived from an ageing population. Policy focus is geared towards the amount of housing supplied, rather than appropriate types of housing, leaving older people with little choice of suitable accommodation. A key area to improve is in establishing greater co-operation and policy synthesis between health, social, housing and planning functions. Broad policy ambition must be transferred into detailed reality for older people and people with dementia to benefit.

Originality/value

The integrated approach and in-depth analysis, linked to planning policy and housing need, is highly original and much needed.
Shariah board characteristics and Islamic banks’ performance: a meta-analysis
Authors: Grassa Rihab , El-Halaby Sherif , Khlif Hichem
Published: May 2023

Purpose

Shariah board (SB) is a unique corporate governancemechanism in Islamic financial institutions. Over the last decade, an increasing number of studies discusses the relationship between SB and Islamic banks' (IB) performance. These researches report conflicting findings due to the heterogeneity of their samples. Therefore,the purpose of this paper is to meta-analyze the results of the previous empirical studies to assess if the differences in findings were attributable to moderating effects related either to the system of SB or the used SB variables or the variables used to identify performance.

Design/methodology/approach

To examine the direct and moderating effects of SB attributes, this study uses a meta-analysis technique on a sample of 46 empirical studies, using Hunter and Schmidt’s approach followed by three exploratory moderator analyses: ROE, ROA and Tobin’ Q. Significant results are discussed.

Findings

Overall, the meta-analysis findings show that there is a positive significant association between SB meetings and qualifications and IBs’ performance. In testing the moderating effects of financial performance measurement during the post-subprime crisis period, the meta-analysis findings suggest that there is a positive significant association between SB characteristics (size, qualification, reputation, interlock and expertise) and performance. The meta-analysis findings stress the importance of several SB attributes in improving IBs’ performance, especially, during the economic recovery period.

Originality/value

This paper adds significance to the extant Islamic finance literature as well as assists the appropriate stakeholders in assessing the determinants of IBs’ performance from Shariah governance perspective. It further aims to reconcile the findings of the previous studies around the world. Moreover, the findings help future research to build a comprehensive Shariah governance index for IBs.
Zone of peace: beliefs, roles, and practices
Authors: Jabor Rodgen Marginado
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the understanding and observance of the program “This School is a Zone of Peace” (SZOP) in schools where conflict and violence are not prevalent.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper followed a qualitative research tradition – narrative inquiry. Eight teachers and a school head participated in the study. Data were gathered through nonparticipant observation, photography and focus group discussion with photo elicitation.

Findings

The participants elucidated the declaration, “This School is a Zone of Peace,” as a message of assurance to the community that the school is a home for learners that is welcoming and violence free. Furthermore, learners in a school that is a zone of peace are honed holistically with the participation, cooperation and togetherness of the school community members. Teachers at the forefront viewed themselves as mentors, implementers and models. Teachers contended that peacebuilding practices in schools could be sustained through regular implementation, encouraging others to get involved and have commitment.

Originality/value

A handful of articles have illustrated the essence of the School as Zone of Peace program, which pointed out to create a culture of peace in schools; however, it leaned toward the negative conception of peace – the absence of conflict and violence. This study bared additional insights and fresh perspectives of the SZOP initiative observed in schools with different contexts and experiences that may be helpful to policymakers for the enhancement of the adapted program with the goal of peacebuilding to making schools highly functional.
Examining the linkages between human capital and economic growth in India
Authors: Yadav Pooja , Mohapatra Geetilaxmi
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The main aim of this study is to explore the role of multi-dimensional human capital on the economic growth of the Indian economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used the methodology given by World Bank, 2018) in calculating the human capital index (HCI). The HCI has been constructed at a regional level for all 28 Indian states and 8 Union Territories (UTs) for the period of 2015–2016. The study explored the linkages between HCI and per capita gross state domestic product (PGSDP). The study further employed OLS (Ordinary Least Square) for overall significance and Spearmen’s Rank correlation coefficient test for establishing the linkage between HCI and PGSDP.

Findings

The results indicate that quality education, expected year of schooling, and infant mortality rate play a significant role in the improvement of HCI which further impacts the productivity rate of the upcoming generation and the inclusive growth of the country. The findings show that Mizoram, Chandigarh and Kerala are better performing states while the Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are the worst performers. The results also show that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between PGSDP and HCI and its components. Further, the results show that public expenditure on health and education has significant effect on HCI.

Practical implications

The results of this study would be useful for policymakers to identify the determinants and improve the position of Indian states in HCI. The results show that policymakers should focus on quality education and health to improve the productivity of future generation workers for sustainable and inclusive growth.

Originality/value

The study is the pioneering study to analyze the state-wise HCI in India using methods mentioned by the World Bank. Unlike previous studies, variables such as expected year of schooling, under-5 mortality rates and survival rates are constructed more pragmatically.
Avoiding the scenario of “The farmer and the snake”: the dark side of servant leadership and an intervention mechanism
Authors: Gao Riguang , Liu Bo
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This study aims to reveal the potential dark side of servant leadership by exploring its differential impact on followers with varying degrees of Machiavellianism and to uncover the role of leader negative feedback as an intervention mechanism in attenuating this negative impact.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-wave survey with one-month intervals was conducted with 344 participants from different industries.

Findings

The results suggest that servant leadership triggered psychological entitlement among followers with high Machiavellianism, leading to organizational and interpersonal deviance, but only when negative feedback from the leader was weak.

Practical implications

When leaders implement servant leadership, they should beware of breeding psychological entitlement among highly Machiavellian followers, as this can activate their deviant behavior, and should make full use of negative feedback as an intervention mechanism.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to use the self-evaluation perspective to examine the negative impact of servant leadership on follower behavior via attitude and to explore boundary conditions to overcome this effect.
Employee involvement and participation in digital transformation: a combined analysis of literature and practitioners' expertise
Authors: Ullrich André , Reißig Malte , Niehoff Silke , Beier Grischa
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This paper provides a systematization of the existing body of literature on both employee participation goals and the intervention formats in the context of organizational change. Furthermore, degrees of employee involvement that the intervention formats address are identified and related to the goals of employee participation. On this basis, determinants of employee involvement and participation in the context of digital transformation are unveiled.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a systematic literature review the authors structure and relate employee participation goals and formats. Through a workshop with expert practitioners, the authors transfer and enhance these theoretical findings in the context of digital transformation. Experts rated the three most important goals and identified accompanying success factors, barriers and effects.

Findings

The results show that it is not necessarily the degree of involvement but a context-specific selection of measures, the quality of their implementation as well as the actual uptake of suggestions and activities developed by employees that contribute to employees accepting and participating in goal-directed transformations. Moreover, employees must have sufficient information and time for their participation in transformation processes.

Originality/value

This paper is based on a transformative approach, combining literature analysis to identify formats and goals of employee participation with experiential knowledge of digital transformation practitioners. In addition to relating intervention formats to goals pursued in organizational change processes, empirical and experiential perspectives are used to identify three very relevant goals and respective determinants in digital transformation processes.
Work stress, office clutter and employees’ performance during COVID-19 waves
Authors: Malik Muhammad Imran , Hyder Shabir , Hussain Saddam , Muhammad Niaz , Sabir Muhammad , Saleem Farida
Published: May 2023

Purpose

The aim of the study is to test the integrated model involving work stress, office clutter and employee performance with the moderating roles of training and self-discipline (SD) after the re-opening of the banks after the COVID-19 wave.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used 333 respondents from banking industry, whose responses were recorded using a closed ended questionnaire. The authors used partial least square path anaysis to analyze the data.

Findings

Work stress significantly increases office clutter, which harms the employees’ performance. Moreover, SD and training significantly improve employees’ performance by reducing work stress and thereby office clutter. There are various mechanisms through which both these factors reduced stress and office clutter.

Practical implications

The employee’s performance can be enhanced with lower levels of office clutter. The office clutter can be managed through having lower levels of stress and providing people with training and inculcating SD among them. A greater understanding of the factors that count toward office clutter might help bank managers and employees to address the issues related to their performance.

Originality/value

The authors have proposed a new framework involving conservation of resources theory for the employees’ performance. They posit employees’ performance is an organizational resource, which can be conserved as well as enriched both by employers and employees through their own contribution.
Diagnostic and disease severity determination criteria for hydroa vacciniforme lymphoproliferative disorders and severe mosquito bite allergy
Authors: Hirai Yoji , Asada Hideo , Hamada Toshihisa , Kawada Jun‐ichi , Kimura Hiroshi , Arai Ayako , Ohshima Koichi , Ohga Shouichi , Iwatsuki Keiji ,   Committee for Guidelines for the Management of Chronic Active EBV Disease and Related Disorders (the MHLW Research Team in Japan)
Published: May 2023

Hydroa vacciniforme lymphoproliferative disorder (HV‐LPD) and severe mosquito bite allergy (SMBA) are both cutaneous forms of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)‐associated T/natural killer (NK) cell LPDs and are closely related to chronic active EBV disease (CAEBV) and EBV‐associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV‐HLH). HV‐LPD is further divided into classic HV, a benign subtype mediated by EBV‐positive γδT cells, and systemic HV, another life‐threatening subtype mainly associated with EBV‐positive αβT or γδT cells. The vast majority of patients with SMBA have increased numbers of EBV‐infected NK cells in the blood. Clinical symptoms of HV‐LPD and SMBA often overlap in the same patient and may progress to more serious disease conditions equivalent to the systemic form of CAEBV. To define the disease spectrum of HV‐LPD and SMBA, we propose the diagnostic criteria and the determination criteria for disease severity. The proposed diagnostic criteria are consistent with those for CAEBV and EBV‐HLH in the guidelines for the management for CAEBV and related disorders 2023.
A framework to apply trait‐based ecological restoration at large scales
Authors: Coutinho André G. , Carlucci Marcos B. , Cianciaruso Marcus V.
Published: May 2023

Upscaling trait‐based restoration to regional levels is necessary as we enter the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. For this, we need to select species that achieve functional targets considering the regional species pool.

Here, we present a framework to achieve multiple restoration targets using a regional species pool containing the species available on the market, species unavailable, and species that occur in reference ecosystems. The framework enables optimising functional diversity (FD), recovering FD and composition using reference ecosystems, reducing cost and increasing species diversity in restoration. Additionally, our framework allows the detection of functionally relevant species in the regional pool that are unavailable for restoration on the market. We illustrate our framework with a data set of Brazilian savanna tree communities.

It was not possible to optimise FD with the species available on the market. To achieve this target, it would be necessary to use unavailable species from the regional pool. However, with the species available on the market it was possible to obtain communities resistant to fire and to restore functional composition and diversity to levels similar to or greater than those observed in reference ecosystems.

Synthesis and applications. Our framework selects species to achieve multiple targets in large‐scale trait‐based restoration initiatives. The framework shows a range of solutions that can be achieved with the regional species pool. That allows the restoration practitioner to verify if functional parameters are truly optimised and which species should be added to the market or collected from the wild to achieve restoration targets. It also shows how different selected communities are from reference ecosystems, avoiding the unintentional creation of novel ecosystems.
Nexus between renewable energy consumption, economic growth, and CO2 emissions in Algeria: New evidence from the Fourier‐Bootstrap ARDL approach
Authors: Elbadri Marei , Bsikre Salah , Alamari Osama , Balcilar Mehmet
Published: May 2023

Governments often impose new energy strategies to support new CO2 emission‐reducing technologies without affecting economic growth. Hence, this study aims to re‐investigate the relationship between economic growth, renewable energy use, and CO2 emissions in Algeria from 1990 to 2018. Motivated by the mixed findings of the existing literature, which ignore the Fourier function and bootstrap test and apply the newly developed Fourier bootstrap autoregressive distributed lag model (FARDL). Our findings indicate that renewable energy use and growth have a long‐run relationship with CO2 emissions and do not accept the existence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis for CO2 emissions in Algeria. In the long term, the results show that renewable energy use has a negative and significant impact, and growth has a positive and statistically significant effect on CO2 emissions. In the short run, the findings indicate that renewable energy use reduces CO2 emissions, while both the growth and squared growth had positive and statistically insignificant impacts on CO2 emissions, confirming the lack of evidence supporting the EKC hypothesis. Moreover, the causality test indicates a one‐way causation from growth to renewable energy use, confirming the conservation hypothesis for Algeria and from growth to CO2 emissions. Interestingly, we found one‐way causality from CO2 emissions to renewable energy use, attributing this to the fact that renewable energy usage has yet to reach a point that it can significantly cause a CO2 emissions reduction. Based on the results, we recommend that policymakers design appropriate policies to decarbonize energy consumption, e.g., increasing fossil fuel costs and implementing a carbon tax. In contrast, Algeria should promote new CO2 emission‐reducing technologies without affecting economic growth, e.g., tax exemptions and reductions for enterprise owners in the renewable energy industry.
Production and characterization of nanofibrillated cellulose gels simultaneously exhibiting thermally stable green color and oil‐in‐water emulsion stabilizing capability from Centella asiatica
Authors: Thiabmak Chompunutch , Chiewchan Naphaporn , Devahastin Sakamon
Published: May 2023

Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) gels simultaneously exhibiting Pickering stabilizing capability and thermally stable green color were developed for use as food additive in thermally processed food emulsion requiring the expression of color. Chopped Centella asiatica plant was mixed with zinc amino acid chelate solution and subject to autoclaving at 130°C for 2 h to form zinc‐chlorophylls complex and to remove noncellulosic components. Autoclaved sample was high‐shear homogenized at 26,000 rpm for 15 min and microfluidized at either 80, 120, or 160 MPa for 5 passes. An increase in microfluidization pressure resulted in a decrease in NFC diameters; microfluidization at 160 MPa did not nevertheless yield any further reduction in the diameters when compared with that at 120 MPa. From energy consumption point of view, microfluidization at 120 MPa for 5 passes was then noted as optimal condition for preparation of NFC coloring gel; NFC with diameters of 8–42 nm and crystallinity index of 35% was obtained. Freshly prepared gel exhibited gel‐like behavior and dark green color. Heating at 121°C for 1 h did not affect diameters, viscoelasticity, and color of the gel. Addition of the gel at 0.9% or 1.2% (w/w) into soybean oil‐in‐water emulsion, in combination with high‐shear homogenization at 18,000 rpm for 5 min, resulted in adequate emulsion stability. The emulsion exhibited stable dark green color and no phase separation after heating at 121°C for 1 h and during storage for 8 weeks.

Practical Applications

Information presented here can serve as a guideline for further development of a multifunctional food ingredient exhibiting thermally stable green color and oil‐in‐water emulsion stabilizing capability. In other words, one simple ingredient can serve at the same time as both natural food colorant and emulsion stabilizer.
The risks of standing out to mate: Predation of Hylodes cardosoi by Bothrops jararaca
Authors: D'Bastiani Elvira , Oliveira Glauco , Campião Karla M.
Published: May 2023

Vocalization, visual and chemical signals are courtship behaviours of anurans that may expose them to the risk of predation. Here, we described a predation event in which a population of the torrent frog Hylodes cardosoi was in intense courtship behaviour and one individual was caught by a specimen of the pitviper Bothrops jararaca. The predation event was recorded in a region of Atlantic Forest, Paraná, Brazil. We hypothesized that the pitviper was ambush hunting and captured a female frog that was attracted by the vocalization of a nearby male. Predatory interactions are important ecological factors driving the evolution and population size of both prey and predator. This report increases the prey richness described for B. jararaca and also extends the known geographic distribution of H. cardosoi. Our observation contributes to knowledge of the natural history of the species involved.
Individual specialization is the highest in generalist populations from intermediary to high trophic positions in tropical freshwater fishes
Authors: Brazil‐Sousa Clarissa , Soares Bruno Eleres , Svanbäck Richard , Albrecht Míriam Pilz
Published: May 2023

Individual specialization (IS) refers to intrapopulation variation in resource use unrelated to ontogeny, sexual dimorphism, or discrete morphological variation. A broad niche increases individual specialization because individuals might segregate in niche space. If trophic position influences niche breadth, it would indirectly constrain the degree of individual specialization. Intermediate trophic levels, usually associated with omnivory, might display fewer constraints on their trophic niche, leading to high levels of individual specialization. We investigate the degree of individual specialization and its relationship to the trophic position in 121 fish populations belonging to 32 species from the upper Tocantins River, Central Brazil. We calculated IS using the index V based on the stomach contents of individuals, whereas values close to 1 indicate strong IS. IS ranged from 0 to 0.87 and greatly varied among species. We showed that niche breadth positively affects a population's individual specialization regardless of its trophic position. Populations occupying intermediate and high trophic positions displayed the highest degrees of individual specialization. Omnivory has no significant effect over individual specialization values. We argue that the intricate relationship among individual specialization, trophic position, and niche breadth relates to the great ecological opportunity and trophic plasticity in tropical fishes.
International Finance and Geopolitics
Authors: Eichengreen Barry
Published: May 2023

Recent events, notably financial sanctions imposed on Russia by the USA and its geopolitical allies together with mounting economic and political tensions between the USA and China, have highlighted the role of geopolitics in shaping global monetary and financial relations. What these developments imply for the future will turn on how US–China tensions play out. In what follows I consider two scenarios: the status‐quo scenario and the breakdown‐in‐relations scenario. The former would see ongoing but very gradual international reserve and financial diversification from the dollar to the renminbi. The latter see a bifurcation of the international financial system into two silos centered on the respective currencies, with highly disruptive implications for the global economy.
Loan packaging decisions for beginning African American and other socially disadvantaged farmers
Authors: Escalante Cesar L. , Gao Penghui , Secor William
Published: May 2023

This study presents evidence on the relative accommodation of credit requests made by minority start‐up entrepreneurs in the U.S. farm sector. Loan packaging terms (amount, interest rate, and maturity) prescribed by lending officers of the Farm Service Agency, the government's lending arm to the farm sector, are analyzed and compared across racial/ethnic and gender groups of borrowers. The intention is to discern whether prescribed loan terms are favorable and supportive of the new farms' business growth and survival goals and uncover any trends of preferential treatment for certain groups of borrowers. Econometric results did not uncover any significant deviations in the lenders' decisions for beginning African American and White farmers for all three components of the loan package. While most packaging term decisions were similar among borrowers of different racial/ethnic attributes, the only exceptional terms were significantly larger loan amounts for American Indians and higher interest rates for Hispanic Americans. Compared to farmers in the South, loan term decisions seem to align with regional concentrations of farm typologies, such as the prevalence of livestock operations in the Plains and Midwest that require longer loan repayment periods and larger crop farms in the West with higher loan amount approvals.
Out of the ordinary: Everyday life and the “carnival of Mussolini”
Authors: Heywood Paolo
Published: May 2023

Ordinary life is in many ways the quintessential object of anthropological analysis. Yet little attention has been paid to contexts in which it is important to people themselves that they and their actions are seen to be ordinary and to the work that goes into making something or someone appear ordinary. An exploration of ordinary life in Predappio, Italy, birthplace and grave of Benito Mussolini and premier site of neofascist tourism, reveals just how much effort has to go into producing a scaled sense of ordinariness in this extraordinary place. In this way, ordinary life is exposed as the object, not the site, of such work. This suggests the need to reconsider our usage of ordinary life in order to attend to situations in which the category itself—not just its particular contents—has ethnographic relevance.
Combining sarcopenia and ASA status to inform emergency laparotomy outcomes: could it be that simple?
Authors: Ming Yan Joyce , Howley Peter , Holmes Merran , Gani Jon , Pockney Peter ,   the Hunter Emergency Laparotomy Collaborator Group
Published: May 2023

Background

Risk assessment for emergency laparotomy (EL) is important for guiding decision‐making and anticipating the level of perioperative care in acute clinical settings. While established tools such as the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program calculator (ACS‐NSQIP), the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit Risk Prediction Calculator (NELA) and the Portsmouth Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enumeration of Mortality and Morbidity calculation (P‐POSSUM) are accurate predictors for mortality, there has been increasing recognition of the benefits from including measurements for frailty in a simple and quantifiable manner. Psoas muscle to 3rd lumbar vertebra area ratio (PM:L3) measured on CT scans was proven to have a significant inverse association with 30‐, 90‐ and 365‐day mortality in EL patients.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was conducted of 500 patients admitted to four Australian hospitals who underwent EL during 2016–2017, and had contemporaneous abdomino‐pelvic CT scans. Radiological sarcopenia was measured as PM:L3 ratios. ASC‐NSQIP, NELA and P‐POSSUM were retrospectively calculated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression modelling was used to assess these ratios and scores, as well as American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) classification separated into ASA I‐III and IV/V (simplified ASA), as potential predictors of 30‐, 90‐ and 365‐day mortality.

Results

PM:L3, simplified ASA, ACS‐NSQIP, NELA and P‐POSSUM were each statistically significant predictors of 30‐day, 90‐day and 365‐day mortality (P < 0.001). Logistic regression models of 30‐, 90‐ and 365‐day mortality combining PM:L3 (P = 0.001) and simplified ASA (P < 0.001) exhibited AUCs of 0.838 (0.780, 0.896), 0.805 (0.751, 0.860) and 0.775 (0.729, 0.822), respectively, which were comparable to that of ACS‐NSQIP and NELA.

Conclusion

Combining the semi‐physiological parameter ASA classification with PM:L3 provides a quick and simple alternative to the more complex established risk assessment scores and is superior to PM:L3 alone.
Low‐quality muscle mass rather than normal‐quality muscle mass determines fibrosis progression in biopsy‐proven NAFLD
Authors: Lee Yun Kyu , Koo Bo Kyung , Joo Sae Kyung , Lee Dong Hyeon , Jang Heejoon , Chai Jee Won , Lee Myoung Seok , Jang Si Won , So Young Ho , Park Jeong Hwan , Chang Mee Soo , Kim Won ,   Innovative Target Exploration of NAFLD (ITEN) Consortium
Published: May 2023

Background and aims

Sarcopaenia is associated with advanced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the impact of the muscle mass categorised by muscle quality on fibrosis progression remains unclear.

Methods

A total of 292 patients with biopsy‐proven NAFLD who underwent serial vibration‐controlled transient elastography assessments at least 1 year from baseline were selected. The skeletal muscle area (SMA) was determined on abdominal computed tomography (CT) at the third lumbar vertebra level and categorised to normal‐attenuation muscle area (NAMA), low‐attenuation muscle area (LAMA) and intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) using a muscle quality map. These SMAs were normalised by the height squared to obtain the skeletal muscle index (SMI).

Results

At baseline, as the histological fibrosis stage increased, SMINAMA decreased and SMILAMA increased (p for trend = 0.014 and p for trend <0.001, respectively), which was not significant after adjustment for age, sex and obesity. During a median follow‐up of 41 months, fibrosis progression was detected in 48 out of 292 patients, and higher SMILAMA quartiles independently increased the risk of fibrosis progression in a dose‐dependent manner (hazard ratio [HR] per quartile: 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04–1.91). The highest quartile of SMILAMA increased the risk of fibrosis progression by 3.25 times compared to the lowest quartile of SMILAMA (95% CI, 1.18–8.90). SMINAMA quartiles were not associated with the risk of fibrosis progression.

Conclusion

Increased low‐quality muscle mass, but not decreased normal‐quality muscle mass, as assessed by a muscle quality map in CT, predicts fibrosis progression in patients with NAFLD.
Changes in piglet and litter characteristics across parities in two highly prolific sow hybrids in an outdoor organic herd
Authors: Kobek‐Kjeldager Cecilie , Larsen Mona Lillian Vestbjerg , Pedersen Lene Juul
Published: May 2023

High piglet mortality constitutes a welfare challenge in organic pig production. Litter characteristics were investigated from parities 1–5 of two hyper‐prolific hybrids with different selection traits in an organic commercial herd (DanBred vs. Topigs Norsvin [TN70]). TN70 sows had more functional teats than DanBred sows, and their offspring had higher birth weights. Several interactions between hybrid and parity were found. The total born increased with higher parity and was more pronounced for DanBred sows. Litter weight at weaning was higher in parities 1–4 for TN70 compared with DanBred, and within DanBred parities 4 and 5 had higher litter weight at weaning than parity 1. The survival rate was higher for TN70 in parities 1 and 2 compared with DanBred, and for both hybrids, the survival rate was higher in parities 1 and 2 compared with parities 4 and 5. The number of weaned piglets was stable across parities 1–4 but lower in parity 5 for both hybrids. Thus, despite a lower number of total born piglets in TN70, TN70 sows weaned the same number of piglets as DanBred, with a lower mortality rate and a heavier litter at weaning.
The capacity of ante‐mortem inspection of pigs at the abattoir to predict post‐mortem findings and associated financial implications: A study at batch level
Authors: Teixeira Dayane Lemos , Salazar Laura C. , Boyle Laura A.
Published: May 2023

This study aimed to investigate the associations between severe ear, tail, and skin lesions, hernias, bursitis, and rectal prolapses and meat inspection finding in slaughter pigs, including carcass weight and financial implications associated with carcass condemnations at batch level. Data were collected from 13,296 pigs from 116 batches from a single abattoir. Spearman's correlation coefficients were calculated to analyze the degree of association between the prevalence of welfare issues and condemnation findings. The association between batch‐level results of carcass weight, batch size, and the prevalence of welfare issues was analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. The prevalence of tail lesions was significantly associated with both entire (r = 0.224; p = 0.0432) and partial (r = 0.276; p = 0.0120) carcass condemnation. Batches with pigs affected by more than one welfare issue were 9.9 kg lighter than those without welfare issues (p < 0.05), which was equivalent to a potential loss of €11.28 per pig. Our findings indicate that ante‐mortem inspection could be useful to predict post‐mortem findings at batch level and that welfare issues in pigs represent a financial loss to producers, as they are paid on a per kg basis and have tight margins.