bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A National Study of Expedited Partner Therapy Use in Emergency Departments: A Survey of Medical Director Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices
Authors: Solnick Rachel E , Cortes Rafael , Chang Ethan , Dudas Paul , Deng Daxuan , Jamison Cornelius , Mmeje Okeoma , Kocher Keith E.
Published: April 2023

Background

Emergency departments (EDs) are the primary source of healthcare for many patients diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Expedited partner therapy (EPT), treating the partner of patients with STIs without an exam of the partner, is an evidence-based practice for patients who might not otherwise seek care. Little is known about EPT use in the ED. In a national survey, we describe ED medical directors’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices of EPT.

Methods

A cross-sectional internet survey of medical directors from academic EDs using the Academy of Academic Administrators of Emergency Medicine (AAAEM) Benchmarking Group from July through September 2020. Primary outcomes were EPT awareness, support, and use. The survey also examined barriers and facilitators. Multivariable regressions explored predictors of EPT support.

Results

Forty-eight of 70 (69%) medical directors responded, representing EDs with a median volume of 67,840 patients/year. Awareness of EPT was high (73%), but fewer knew how to prescribe it (38%), and only 19% of EDs had implemented EPT. Most (79%) supported EPT and were more likely to if they were aware of EPT (89% vs. 54%) p=0.01. Of non-implementers, 41% thought EPT was feasible, and 56% thought departmental support would be likely. Of potential barriers, ED directors were most concerned about legal liability (25% moderately to extremely). Benefits of EPT were rated with similar importance, with preventing sequelae of untreated STIs most frequently rated as “extremely important” (44%). Linear regression showed increased years in practice, and ED’s proportion of Medicaid patients was significantly positively associated with support for EPT.

Conclusion

ED medical directors expressed strong support for EPT and reasonable levels of feasibility for implementation but low utilization. Our findings highlight the need to identify mechanisms for EPT implementation and develop ED-tailored implementation tools to bolster this practice.
RNA landscapes of brain tissue and brain tissue-derived extracellular vesicles in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection and SIV-related central nervous system pathology
Authors: Huang Yiyao , Abdelgawad Ahmed , Turchinovich Andrey , Queen Suzanne , Abreu Celina Monteiro , Zhu Xianming , Batish Mona , Zheng Lei , Witwer Kenneth W.
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Antiretroviral treatment regimens can effectively control HIV replication and some aspects of disease progression. However, molecular events in end-organ diseases such as central nervous system (CNS) disease are not yet fully understood, and routine eradication of latent reservoirs is not yet in reach. Brain tissue-derived extracellular vesicles (bdEVs) act locally in the source tissue and may indicate molecular mechanisms in HIV CNS pathology. Regulatory RNAs from EVs have emerged as important participants in HIV disease pathogenesis. Using brain tissue and bdEVs from the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) model of HIV disease, we profiled messenger RNAs (mRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), seeking to identify possible networks of RNA interaction in SIV infection and neuroinflammation.

Methods

Postmortem occipital cortex tissue were collected from pigtailed macaques: uninfected controls and SIV-infected subjects (acute phase and chronic phase with or without CNS pathology). bdEVs were separated and characterized in accordance with international consensus standards. RNAs from bdEVs and source tissue were used for sequencing and qPCR to detect mRNA, miRNA, and circRNA levels

Results

Multiple dysregulated bdEV RNAs, including mRNAs, miRNAs, and circRNAs, were identified in acute infection and chronic infection with pathology. Most dysregulated mRNAs in bdEVs reflected dysregulation in their source tissues.These mRNAs are disproportionately involved in inflammation and immune responses, especially interferon pathways. For miRNAs, qPCR assays confirmed differential abundance of miR-19a-3p, let-7a-5p, and miR-29a-3p (acute SIV infection), and miR- 146a-5p and miR-449a-5p (chronic with pathology) in bdEVs. In addition, target prediction suggested that several circRNAs that were differentially abundant in source tissue might be responsible for specific differences in small RNA levels in bdEVs during SIV infection.

Conclusions

RNA profiling of bdEVs and source tissues reveals potential regulatory networks in SIV infection and SIV-related CNS pathology.
Mast cells are upregulated in Hidradenitis Suppurativa Tissue, associated with epithelialized tunnels and normalised by Spleen Tyrosine Kinase Antagonism
Authors: Flora A , Jepsen R , Kozera EK , Woods JA , Cains GD , Radzieta M , Jensen SO , Malone M , Frew JW
Published: April 2023

Mast cells have traditionally been associated with allergic inflammatory responses; however they play important roles in cutaneous innate immunity and wound healing. The Hidradenitis Suppurativa tissue transcriptome is associated with alterations in innate immunity and wound healing associated pathways, however the role of Mast cells in the disease is unexplored. We demonstrate that Mast cell associated gene expression (using whole tissue RNAseq) is upregulated, and in-silico cellular deconvolution identifies activated mast cells upregulated and resting mast cells downregulated in lesional tissue. Tryptase/Chymase positive Mast cells (identified using IHC) localize adjacent to epithelialised tunnels, fibrotic regions of the dermis and at perivascular sites associated with Neutrophil Extracellular Trap formation and TNF-alpha production.

Treatment with Spleen Tyrosine Kinase antagonist (Fostamatinib) reduces the expression of mast cell associated gene transcripts, associated biochemical pathways, and number of tryptase/chymase positive mast cells in lesional hidradenitis suppurativa tissue.

This data indicates that although Mast cells are not the most abundant cell type in Hidradenitis Suppurativa tissue, the dysregulation of mast cells is associated with B cell/plasma cell inflammation, inflammatory epithelialized tunnels and epithelial budding. This provides an explanation as to the mixed inflammatory activation signature seen in HS, the correlation with dysregulated wound healing and potential pathways involved in the development of epithelialized tunnels.
APART-QSM: an improved sub-voxel quantitative susceptibility mapping for susceptibility source separation using an iterative data fitting method
Authors: Li Zhenghao , Feng Ruimin , Liu Qiangqiang , Feng Jie , Lao Guoyan , Zhang Ming , Li Jun , Zhang Yuyao , Wei Hongjiang
Published: April 2023

The brain tissue phase contrast in MRI sequences reflects the spatial distributions of multiple substances, such as iron, myelin, calcium, and proteins. These substances with paramagnetic and diamagnetic susceptibilities often colocalize in one voxel in brain regions. Both opposing susceptibilities play vital roles in brain development and neurodegenerative diseases. Conventional QSM methods only provide voxel-averaged susceptibility value and cannot disentangle intravoxel susceptibilities with opposite signs. Advanced susceptibility imaging methods have been recently developed to distinguish the contributions of opposing susceptibility sources for QSM. The basic concept of separating paramagnetic and diamagnetic susceptibility proportions is to include the relaxation ratewithin QSM. The magnitude decay kernel, describing the proportionality coefficient betweenand susceptibility, is an essential reconstruction coefficient for QSM separation methods. In this study, we proposed a more comprehensive complex signal model that describes the relationship between 3D GRE signal and the contributions of paramagnetic and diamagnetic susceptibility to the frequency shift andrelaxation. The algorithm is implemented as a constrained minimization problem in which the voxel-wise magnitude decay kernel and sub-voxel susceptibilities are determined alternately in each iteration until convergence. The calculated voxel-wise magnitude decay kernel could realistically model the relationship between therelaxation and the volume susceptibility. Thus, the proposed method effectively prevents the errors of the magnitude decay kernel from propagating to the final susceptibility separation reconstruction. Phantom studies,ex vivomacaque brain experiments, andin vivohuman brain imaging studies were conducted to evaluate the ability of the proposed method to distinguish paramagnetic and diamagnetic susceptibility sources. The results demonstrate that the proposed method provides state-of-the-art performances for quantifying brain iron and myelin compared to previous QSM separation methods. Our results show that the proposed method has the potential to simultaneously quantify whole brain iron and myelin during brain development and aging.

The proposed model was also deployed with multiple-orientation complex GRE data input measurements, resulting in high-quality QSM separation maps with more faithful tissue delineation between brain structures compared to those reconstructed by single-orientation QSM separation methods.
Ciliary protein CEP290 regulates focal adhesion via microtubule system in non-ciliated cells1
Authors: Matsuo Kazuhiko , Nakajima Yoshiro , Shigeta Masaki , Kobayashi Daisuke , Sakaki Shinichiro , Inoue Satoshi , Takeshita Naoki , Ueyama Atsuko , Nishikawa Kousuke , Saba Rie , Yokoyama Takahiko , Yashiro Kenta
Published: April 2023

Almost all differentiated mammalian cells have primary cilia on their surface. Ciliary dysfunction causes ciliopathy in humans. Centrosomal protein 290 (CEP290) is a ciliary protein that causes ciliopathies, localizes at the cilial base in ciliated cells, whereas it localizes to the centrosome in non-ciliated proliferating cells. The cilia-dependent function of CEP290 has been extensively studied; however, the cilia-independent function, which is likely responsible for the wider phenotypic spectra of CEP290-related ciliopathies, remains largely unknown. Here, we examined cilia-independent functions of CEP290 in non-ciliated cells. Our study showed thatCep290function loss suppresses microtubule elongation due to microtubule organizing center malfunction. Surprisingly, CEP290 forms a complex with the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) protein encoded by theadenomatous polyposis coligene. The APC-CEP290 complex exists in the centrosome and on microtubule fibers. Notably, the reduced focal adhesion formation is likely responsible for theCep290mutant phenotypes, including impaired directed cell migration, shrunken cell shape, and reduced adhesive capacity to the extracellular matrix. The APC-CEP290 complex is consistently important for transporting a focal adhesion molecule, paxillin, to focal adhesions in non-ciliated cells. Thus, our findings provide a novel platform to better understand the ciliopathies.
Remotely sensed normalized difference red-edge index for rangeland biomass estimation
Authors: Sharifi Alireza , Felegari Shilan
Published: April 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is rangeland biomass estimation and its spatial–temporal dynamics. Remote sensing has been a significant method for estimating biomass in recent years. The connection between vegetation index and field biomass will be used to assign probabilities, but in some cases, it does not provide acceptable results because of soil background and geographical and temporal variability.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the normalized difference red-edge (NDRE) index was used to calculate the rangeland biomass in comparison to five vegetation indices. Field measurements of biomass of natural rangeland in the West of Iran were taken in 2015, 2018 and 2021, and SENTINEL-2 data were used for analysis.

Findings

The results indicated that the overall advantage of NDRE stems from the fact that it adjusts for changes in leaf water content while overcoming the detrimental effects of soil substrate heterogeneity, both of these factors have a significant impact on pasture biomass. These results suggest that an NDRE-based biomass estimation model might be useful for estimating and monitoring biomass in large rangelands with significant geographical and temporal variability.

Originality/value

Identifying the best vegetation index to establish a vegetation-based biomass regression model for rangelands in large areas with different climatic conditions, plant compositions and soil types is the overall aim of this study.
Experimental study on the tribological behavior of ceramic disks for application in mixer taps under different lubrication conditions
Authors: Ziegler Marlene Kristin , Rothammer Benedict , Bartz Marcel , Wartzack Sandro , Beau Patrick , Patzer Gregor , Henzler Stephan , Marian Max
Published: April 2023

Purpose

The evaluation of the haptics of water taps and wear-related changes during usage usually involves time- and cost-intensive testing. The purpose of this paper is to abstract the tribo-system between technical ceramic disks of water tap mixer cartridges to the model level and study the tribological behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

The friction and wear behavior was studied by means of an alumina ball-on-original alumina disk setup at different temperatures as well as under dry conditions and under lubrication by different greases. Thereby, the frictional behavior was measured in situ, and the wear losses were analyzed by means of laser scanning microscopy.

Findings

It was shown that friction and wear can behave in a contrasting way, whereby one grease might lead to low friction, that is, an easy-going movability of the water tap, but to increased wear losses. The latter, in turn, is an indicator for the usability and service life, which cannot be explained from friction alone. Thereby, the viscosity of the base oil, the grease consistency and additives were identified as relevant grease formulation parameters to allow for fluid film (re-)formation and removal of wear particles.

Originality/value

To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first approach to systematically analyze the friction and wear behavior of technical ceramic disks of water tap mixer cartridges in dependency on the temperature as well as the used lubricating grease. This approach is relevant for developing screening test strategies as well as for the selection of lubricants for water tap applications.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-11-2022-0334/
Entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial communities in India: does gender really play a role?
Authors: Joshi Maheshkumar P. , Pandit Deepak , Tiwari Shalini Rahul , Choudhary Archana
Published: April 2023

Purpose

Using the extant literature review, this paper aims to explore the relationship between gender, entrepreneurial education (EE) and entrepreneurial intention (EI) in the Indian context, which the authors believe is a novel approach to this research stream. The authors also use career preparedness as a control variable to examine this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 368 undergraduate students across four Indian universities (one exclusively for female students) through a standard structured questionnaire. Additionally, rather than examining, EI has been treated as a monolithic construct; however, the authors conceptualize it as comprising three different dimensions that include grand vision and risk-taking ability; opportunity exploitation; and ability to persevere. An additional analysis was conducted for the students who reported higher scores for “being well prepared for their careers” through their institutes’ academic programs and communities of entrepreneurs. The authors also interviewed some entrepreneurship instructors, who confirmed the present findings through their observations.

Findings

The findings indicate that, essentially, there is a positive relationship between EE and EI. The authors find that male students scored higher for the first two dimensions of EI but not the third. Additionally, the authors used career preparedness as a control variable for additional analysis. The authors observed that students with higher “career preparedness” reported a positive relationship between EE and EI, independent of gender, for all three dimensions of EI. Thus, it may be assumed that if a community of entrepreneurs needs to be developed in India, a focus on career preparedness is critical.

Research limitations/implications

First, given that the present survey reflected a single moment in linking EE to EI (which may be considered a limitation of the study), future researchers might focus on a longitudinal approach. Second, all the respondents are attending urban universities (and, as such, very likely belong to the upper middle class of Indian society). The financial divide between urban and rural India is well known; as such, the results might be different if the sample was drawn from rural and poor India.

Originality/value

The salience/value of this study lies in the conceptualization of EI comprising three sub-constructs to understand the impact of formal EE (with three sub-constructs) on EI. The focus on career preparedness for a female student is a new direction of inquiry with respect to entrepreneurial intention.
Can regulations prevent financial crises? Uses of the past in the evolution of regulatory reforms in Sweden
Authors: Malmstrom Rognes Asa , Larsson Mats
Published: April 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine whether regulations can prevent financial crises based on the case of Sweden in the 20th century. The evolution of banking regulation relies heavily on learning across borders as well as responding to recent and remembered crises. Sweden went from being an open economy with a highly protected national banking system with several banking crises under the Classical regime, through the Statist regime with no crises followed by abrupt liberalisation in the 1980s as the country changed to a more market-based regime. This study examines the regulatory responses to crises in each of these periods to assess how, and whether, an often backward-looking regulatory framework can address forward-looking risks.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is a qualitative study using a historical method. The authors use archival material, official publications and statistical data as well as secondary literature to succinctly analyse crises and regulatory responses in different regulatory regimes in the 20th century. The theoretical framework builds on three macro- and microeconomic policy regimes, the Classical, the Statist and the Market regime.

Findings

The authors find that regulations can play a decisive role in alleviating a banking crisis, but the relationship between regulations and economic development is complex, and regulations alone cannot prevent a crisis.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study of banking regulations in Sweden and how these change in response to crises with the aim of improving the role of banks in financial intermediation and financial stability. This study contributes to a body of literature on financial crises with a long-term perspective and an assessment of regulations as a policy response.
Who discloses carbon information? The joint role of ownership and factor market distortion
Authors: Chen Yu , Zhu Xiaoning , Xiong Xueli , Zhang Cen , Huang Jiashun
Published: April 2023

Purpose

Corporations, as key contributors of greenhouse gas emissions, have been increasingly scrutinized by governments and stakeholders. Corporations have been asked to disclose their carbon-related information. This study investigates public corporate carbon disclosure, an imperative communication channel between firms.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses generalized estimation equation models with a longitudinal panel data of 311 listed firms in the China A-share stock index from 2010 to 2020. This study collected firm-level data from the Carbon Disclosure Project survey, the China Stock Market and Accounting Research, and the National Economic Research Institute of China. Stata was used as the primary statistic software in empirical analyses.

Findings

This study finds that compared to state-owned enterprises (SOEs), private firms are more willing to disclose carbon information under legitimate environmental pressure, and firms in highly distorted factor-markets are reluctant to disclose carbon information. This study finds that factor-distortion markets further moderate ownership and lead private firms in highly distorted factor-markets to behave like SOEs by significantly reducing their carbon disclosures.

Originality/value

This study intends to contribute to the corporate carbon disclosure literature by adding important institutional determinants to the conversation in the context of China.
Investigating environmental policy stringency in OECD countries: implications for the Arab world
Authors: Taha Sara , Yousri Dina , Richter Christian
Published: April 2023

Purpose

As the world began to witness an unprecedented rate of environmental destruction, economists and international institutions have been toiling away for decades, making every effort to dissect the dynamics of the relationship between the environment and the economy. Many claims have preached that there is a trade-off between environmental wellbeing and economic prosperity, where economic growth would be hindered by environmental protection. As we continue to neglect nature, will the world be capable of maintaining infinitely growing economies without falling into a deficit of natural resources? The foundation of all forms of economic growth springs from nature. Therefore, this study aims to explore the true impact of environmental protection policies on economic performance, and claims that well-designated environmental policies would only strengthen economies.

Design/methodology/approach

This study aims to investigate the impact of environmental protection policies on gross domestic product (GDP) growth utilizing a selected sample of 18 OECD countries. Fixed effects panel regression was conducted for the sample from 1998 to 2015.

Findings

Findings suggest that an increase in the environmental protection stringency is associated with an increase in GDP in the long-run. Whereas in the short run, more stringent environmental policies have been shown to have a questionable impact on GDP, brought to light by the mixed results portrayed in the short-run data.

Research limitations/implications

While it is true that this study has utilized data from the The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the findings could be applicable to countries of the MENA region. This is due to the fact that GDP levels of OECD countries and Middle East and North African (MENA) countries have been converging over the past few decades. The convergence suggests that both regions seem to be following similar trends since the year 1990, with an increasing similarity in trend over the years.

Originality/value

This paper empirically proves that the protection of nature is necessary for the sustenance of long-term economic growth. This study also provides an approximate time range of when the economic gains of environmental protection would be realized, specifically in the beginning of a green growth transition. This makes the study findings accurately relevant to Arab countries, where providing a time range is necessary to alleviate some the uncertainty of policymakers in the MENA region towards environmental policies.
A celebration of the rich tapestry of phenomenology's commonalities
Authors: Turley Emma L.
Published: April 2023

Purpose

Phenomenology has a long tradition as a qualitative research method in the social and health sciences. The application of phenomenological methods to understand lived experiences and subjectivities offers researchers a rich tapestry of methodological approaches, often however, the availability of these methods to researchers is tempered as a result of inflexible ideas regarding their use. This article aims to highlight the uniting features between approaches.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper begins by offering a brief overview of the two traditions within phenomenology, the descriptive and interpretive approaches and traces the development of each one. It then presents an overview of the commonalities shared by both approaches in with particular reference to the philosophical and methodological cohesion between them.

Findings

Frequently, the literature fails to focus on how these methodologies can be used together, and instead foregrounds the ontological and methodological differences between them. While an overview of some of the more vociferous debates within phenomenology are included and acknowledged, the paper calls for a focus on the shared goals of the phenomenological project.

Originality/value

This article aims to illustrate that, while recognising differences, the two phenomenological traditions have more in common that unites them, and argues that once this is applied pragmatically, a multiplicity of phenomenological traditions are available to researchers.
Phages and engineered lysins as an effective tool to combat Gram‐negative foodborne pathogens
Authors: Kocot Aleksandra Maria , Briers Yves , Plotka Magdalena
Published: April 2023

One of the biggest challenges faced by food producers is ensuring microbiological safety. Despite strict criteria for food products, foodborne diseases are a global problem and pose a real risk to consumers. Therefore, it is necessary to identify new and more effective methods for eliminating pathogens from food and the food processing environment. According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the most common foodborne diseases are caused by Campylobacter, Salmonella, Yersinia, Escherichia coli, and Listeria. Out of the five listed, four are Gram‐negative bacteria. Our review focuses on the use of bacteriophages, which are ubiquitous bacterial viruses, and bacteriophage endolysins to eliminate Gram‐negative pathogens. Endolysins cleave specific bonds within the peptidoglycan (PG) of the bacterial cell, causing the cell to burst. Single phages or phage cocktails, which are, in some instances, commercially available products, eliminate pathogenic bacteria in livestock and various food matrices. Endolysins have matured as the most advanced class of antibacterial agents in the clinical sector, but their use in food protection is highly unexplored. Advanced molecular engineering techniques, different formulations, protein encapsulation, and the addition of outer membrane (OM) permeabilization agents enhance the activity of lysins against Gram‐negative pathogens. This creates space for groundbreaking research on the use of lysins in the food sector.
Exemption: A Gendered History
Authors: Haskins Victoria K.
Published: April 2023

Diverse questions might be contemplated once we consider the gender implications and impacts of Aboriginal exemption policies. The article traces such questions in relation to a series of distinct episodes in the history of exemption. The first of these focuses on postwar New South Wales, where marital status was core to the application process from the point of its introduction, and the system built upon older policies of ‘training’ Aboriginal girls as servants. The second moment, moving back in time, discusses a petition for collective exemption for a group of women domestic workers in Broome, Western Australia, that was presented to a government enquiry in 1934. The third concerns the quest for release from government controls by several domestic workers brought to Adelaide in South Australia, from the Northern Territory, in the late 1920s. Finally, the article reflects upon the efforts of young women placed in service in early‐twentieth‐century Brisbane, Queensland, to secure exemptions, and the responses of the authorities. While exemption policies may have been designed to impose Anglo‐Australian gender norms of female dependence, Aboriginal women who worked in service consistently subverted these aims, by using the discourses of domesticity to challenge and resist the authorities' power.
Explaining the pattern of “war on drugs” violence in the Philippines under Duterte
Authors: Iglesias Sol
Published: April 2023

A national “war on drugs” under former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte killed an estimated 12,000 to 30,000 victims. Duterte used state terror tactics, generating an unprecedented level of violence within a broader process of democratic backsliding. The violence peaked early, within the first few months of his term of office, then declined and remained low for years afterwards. How do campaigns of large‐scale state violence decline? This article explores the context‐specific drivers of the drug war's implementation in the Philippines. It presents findings from a model predicting violence escalation and de‐escalation using a Poisson regression to estimate the weekly number of killings from 2016 to 2021. The study's main finding is that the violence declined, and remained low throughout the rest of Duterte's term, due to the mobilization of accountability mechanisms—particularly over corruption controversies. This study offers insights into how resistance can impede autocratization, even in weak democracies.
Surviving or solidarity? Crisis responses of small and medium‐sized enterprises during the Covid‐19 pandemic
Authors: Roloff Julia
Published: April 2023

The Covid‐19 pandemic posed a serious threat to small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). This explorative qualitative study of 100 SMEs from 20 industries and 21 countries investigates how entrepreneurs responded to the Covid‐19 pandemic and which cognitive frames guided their actions. Observed cognitive frames prioritize either business survival, conversion of business and stakeholder interest, or acceptance of conflicting social and financial goals. These cognitive frames influence the choice of crisis response without determining it. Four response patterns were found: weathering the storm, bricolage, solidarity and support, and social innovation. Strategic innovation creating access to new markets is the most successful response. The findings support a more encompassing definition of the concept of organizational resilience and shed light on motivations for acts of solidarity and social innovation as crisis responses.
A plausible role of imagination in pretend play, counterfactual reasoning, and executive functions
Authors: Francis Gill Althia , Gibson Jenny Louise
Published: April 2023

A notable observation is the similarities in the cognitive processes of pretend play (PP) and counterfactual reasoning (CFR) as both involve thinking about alternatives to reality. It is argued by Weisberg and Gopnik (Cogn. Sci., 37, 2013, 1368) that alternative thinking in PP and CFR is underpinned by an imaginary representational capacity but few studies have empirically investigated this link. We use a variable latent modelling approach to test a hypothetical model of the structural relationship of PP and CFR predicting that if PP and CFR are cognitively similar; they should have similar patterns of associations with Executive Functions (EFs). Data were collected on PP, CFR, EFs and Language from 189 children (M = 4.8 years, males = 101, females = 88). Confirmatory factor analyses showed that measures of PP and CFR loaded onto single latent constructs and were significantly correlated (r = .51, p = .001) with each other. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that EF accounted for unique significant variance in both PP (β = 21) and CFR (β = 22). The results of the structural equation modelling revealed that the data were a good fit for the hypothetical model. We discuss the plausible role of a general underlying imaginative representational capacity to explain similarities in the cognitive mechanisms of different states of alternative thinking like PP and CFR.
Hydrogen sulfide and epigenetics: Novel insights into the cardiovascular effects of this gasotransmitter
Authors: Spezzini Jacopo , Piragine Eugenia , d'Emmanuele di Villa Bianca Roberta , Bucci Mariarosaria , Martelli Alma , Calderone Vincenzo
Published: April 2023

Epigenetics studies the heritable modifications of genome expression that do not affect the nucleotide sequence. Epigenetic modifications can be divided into: DNA methylation, histone modifications, and modulation of genome expression by non‐coding RNAs. Alteration of these mechanisms can alter the phenotype, and can lead to disease onset. The endogenous gasotransmitter hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays pleiotropic roles in many systems, including the cardiovascular (CV) system, and its mechanism of action mainly includes S‐persulfidation of cysteine residues. Recent evidence suggests that many H2S‐mediated biological activities are based on the epigenetic regulation of cellular function, with effects ranging from DNA methylation to modification of histones and regulation of non‐coding RNAs. This review describes the role of H2S‐regulating epigenetic mechanisms, providing a panorama of the current literature, and offers a novel scenario for the development of H2S‐releasing ‘epidrugs’ with a potential clinical use in the prevention and treatment of many CV and non‐CV disorders.
TFP5 attenuates cyclin‐dependent kinase 5‐mediated islet β‐cell damage in diabetes
Authors: Liu Shunyao , Li Bo , Ma Danna , Tao Yuejia , Song Jiang , Bao Li , Zhang Guoqing , Luo Hongyan , Cao Shilu , E Jing , Zheng Yali
Published: April 2023

Islet β‐cell damage and dysfunction represent the pathophysiological basis of diabetes. Excessive activation of cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) is involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), although the exact mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the role of a CDK5 inhibitor (TFP5) in islet β‐cell damage under diabetic conditions by regulating the expression of CDK5 in vitro and in vivo. CDK5 was upregulated under high glucose conditions in vivo and in vitro, which resulted in inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis of islet β‐cells, thereby decreasing insulin secretion. However, TFP5 treatment inhibited the overexpression of CDK5; reduced the inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and apoptosis of islet β cells; and restored insulin secretion. In conclusion, CDK5 is involved in islet β‐cell damage under high glucose conditions, and TFP5 may represent a promising candidate for the development of treatments for T2DM.
Role of club cell 16‐kDa secretory protein in asthmatic airways
Authors: Jung Chang‐Gyu , Cao Thi Bich Tra , Quoc Quang Luu , Yang Eun‐Mi , Ban Ga‐Young , Park Hae‐Sim
Published: April 2023

Background

Club cell 16‐kDa secretory protein (CC16) is a pneumoprotein and functions as an anti‐inflammatory or antioxidant protein. However, altered levels of serum CC16 as well as their effect on airways inflammation have not been fully evaluated.

Methods

We recruited 63 adult asthmatics on maintenance medications and 61 healthy controls (HCs). The asthmatic subjects were divided into two groups according to the result of bronchodilator responsiveness (BDR) test: the present BDR (n = 17) and absent BDR (n = 46) groups. Serum CC16 levels were measured by ELISA. As an in vitro study, the effect of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus antigen 1 (Der p1) on the production of CC16 in airways epithelial cells (AECs) according to a time‐dependent manner was assessed; the effects of CC16 protein on oxidative stress system, airways inflammation and remodelling were tested.

Results

Serum CC16 levels showed significantly higher in the asthmatics than in the HCs (p < .001) with a positive correlation with FEV1% (r = .352, p = .005). The present BDR group had significantly lower levels of serum CC16, FEV1% and MMEF%, but showed higher level of FeNO than the absent BDR group. Serum CC16 levels (below 496.0 ng/mL) could discriminate the present BDR group from the absent BDR group (area under the curve = 0.74, p = .004). In vitro testing demonstrated that Der p1 exposure significantly induced CC16 release from AECs for 1 h, which was progressively decreased after 6 h and followed by MMP‐9 and TIMP‐1 production. These findings were associated with oxidant/antioxidant disequilibrium and restored by CC16 treatment (but not dexamethasone).

Conclusion

Decreased CC16 production contributes to persistent airways inflammation and lung function decline. CC16 may be a potential biomarker for asthmatics with BDR.
Compound heterozygous variants in WLS gene causes Zaki syndrome
Authors: Yu Cuicui , Wang Chunli , Zhou Wei , Zhang Aihua , Jia Zhanjun , Zheng Bixia , Ding Guixia
Published: April 2023

Biallelic Wnt ligand secretion mediator (WLS gene) variants are associated with Zaki syndrome (OMIM: #619648). Here, we report the first case with Zaki syndrome in the Chinese population. Whole‐exome gene sequencing (WES) identified compound heterozygous variants in the WLS gene (c.1427A > G; p.Tyr476Cys and c.415C > T, p.Arg139Cys; NM_001002292) in a 16‐year‐old boy presenting with facial dysmorphism, astigmatism, renal agenesis, and cryptorchidism. In vitro functional characterization showed that the two variants led to decreased WLS production and secretion of WNT3A, eventually affecting the WNT signal. We also found that the decreased mutant WLS expression can be rescued by 4‐Phenylbutyric acid (4‐PBA).
A recurrent de novo variant in NUSAP1 escapes nonsense‐mediated decay and leads to microcephaly, epilepsy, and developmental delay
Authors: Mo Alisa , Paz‐Ebstein Emuna , Yanovsky‐Dagan Shira , Lai Abbe , Mor‐Shaked Hagar , Gilboa Tal , Yang Edward , Shao Diane D. , Walsh Christopher A. , Harel Tamar
Published: April 2023

NUSAP1 encodes a cell cycle‐dependent protein with key roles in mitotic progression, spindle formation, and microtubule stability. Both over‐ and under‐expression of NUSAP1 lead to dysregulation of mitosis and impaired cell proliferation. Through exome sequencing and Matchmaker Exchange, we identified two unrelated individuals with the same recurrent, de novo heterozygous variant (NM_016359.5 c.1209C > A; p.(Tyr403Ter)) in NUSAP1. Both individuals had microcephaly, severe developmental delay, brain abnormalities, and seizures. The gene is predicted to be tolerant of heterozygous loss‐of‐function mutations, and we show that the mutant transcript escapes nonsense mediated decay, suggesting that the mechanism is likely dominant‐negative or toxic gain of function. Single‐cell RNA‐sequencing of an affected individual's post‐mortem brain tissue indicated that the NUSAP1 mutant brain contains all main cell lineages, and that the microcephaly could not be attributed to loss of a specific cell type. We hypothesize that pathogenic variants in NUSAP1 lead to microcephaly possibly by an underlying defect in neural progenitor cells.
Faster Edge‐Path Bundling through Graph Spanners
Authors: Wallinger Markus , Archambault Daniel , Auber David , Nöllenburg Martin , Peltonen Jaakko
Published: April 2023

Edge‐Path bundling is a recent edge bundling approach that does not incur ambiguities caused by bundling disconnected edges together. Although the approach produces less ambiguous bundlings, it suffers from high computational cost. In this paper, we present a new Edge‐Path bundling approach that increases the computational speed of the algorithm without reducing the quality of the bundling. First, we demonstrate that biconnected components can be processed separately in an Edge‐Path bundling of a graph without changing the result. Then, we present a new edge bundling algorithm that is based on observing and exploiting a strong relationship between Edge‐Path bundling and graph spanners. Although the worst case complexity of the approach is the same as of the original Edge‐Path bundling algorithm, we conduct experiments to demonstrate that the new approach is 5–256 times faster than Edge‐Path bundling depending on the dataset, which brings its practical running time more in line with traditional edge bundling algorithms.
Prioritizing ecological restoration of converted lands in Canada by spatially integrating organic carbon storage and biodiversity benefits
Authors: Currie Jessica , Merritt Will , Liang Chris , Sothe Camile , Beatty Craig R. , Shackelford Nancy , Hirsh‐Pearson Kristen , Gonsamo Alemu , Snider James
Published: April 2023

Ecosystem restoration is a fundamental way of delivering nature‐based solutions to improve resilience in a changing climate and sustain biodiversity. Spatial analyses to identify where ecosystem restoration would yield targeted environmental benefits are critical to inform, and coordinate restoration initiatives at multiple scales to achieve national commitments and global goals. Here, we provide an optimization analysis for restoration potential of converted terrestrial ecosystems in Canada by integrating carbon storage and biodiversity benefits as key considerations. Our results show that converted landscapes are prevalent in southern anthropic regions of Canada, with the greatest potential for biodiversity benefits through forest and grassland restoration. At national scales, carbon density (tonnes C/km2) and total carbon storage (tonnes C) potential were greatest for wetland and forest restoration, respectively. When biodiversity and carbon were both included in an optimization framework, consistent priorities across all three restoration targets (50,000; 100,000; and 150,000 km2) comprised forest restoration in the St. Lawrence and Lake Erie Lowlands, with the Lake Manitoba Plains, Interlake Plains, and Manitoulin‐Lake Simcoe ecoregions also frequently identified. Our analysis will help decision‐makers identify where restoration of converted lands may support considerable gains in simultaneously achieving climate and biodiversity goals in Canada.
Benign mesenchymal tumours of the tongue: A report of adult‐type rhabdomyoma and granular cell tumour with a review of the literature
Authors: Saoud Carla , McGowan Molly , Johnson Jeremy , Ali Syed Z.
Published: April 2023

The cytomorphological features of benign mesenchymal tumours of the tongue have rarely been reported. Herein, we present the cytomorphological features of adult‐type rhabdomyoma, which occurred in the tongue of a female patient, and granular cell tumour (GCT), which occurred in the tongue of a male patient; both patients were in their mid‐50s. The cytological features of the adult‐type rhabdomyoma case included large polygonal to ovoid cells with abundant and granular cytoplasm with predominantly peripherally located, uniform, round to oval nuclei and small nucleoli. Cross‐striation and crystalline intracytoplasmic structures were not seen. The cytological features of the GCT case included large cells with abundant granular pale cytoplasm, small round nuclei and small distinct nucleoli. The cytological differential diagnoses of these tumours overlap; thus, the cytological findings of the different entities included in their differential diagnoses are discussed.
Investment policy reform as a driver of foreign direct investment: Evidence from China
Authors: Leibrecht Markus , Bellak Christian
Published: April 2023

A longstanding concern has been the proposition that the international investment treaty system lacks reform. Governments forgo Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and thus forgo a driver of economic growth, employment and innovation. We assess the validity of this concern in the context of a major home and host country for global foreign direct investment, China, and the major reform of its Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs). Besides other innovations, the so‐called ‘third‐generation’ BITs of China introduce a strong dispute resolution mechanism, which makes Chinese BITs more investor‐friendly. Our evidence suggests that more investor‐friendly BITs exert a positive impact on FDI in China. We argue that the positive impact of reforming BITs in a country like China, which offers a high degree of stability of the legal and political system and a strong culture of informal dispute resolution, points towards the relevance of the enforceability of property rights for investments.
Microstructure evolution during sintering: discrete element method approach
Authors: Engelke Lukas , Brendel Lothar , Wolf Dietrich E.
Published: April 2023

We present a new numerical model describing the transformation of a powder of crystalline particles into a dense poly‐crystalline material. It is based on the key phenomena of sintering: shrinkage and grain coarsening driven by the minimization of the free energy. Representing each grain by a truncated sphere, the model takes into account the complex and changing shape of grains for determining the thermodynamic driving forces and associated kinetic coefficients. We validate the model by comparing the temporal evolution of a system of four particles with that obtained from a mesh‐based method. We performed simulations on polydisperse packings of up to 16,000 particles. Using material and process parameters from the literature, the model accurately reproduces experimental data on the evolution of the grain size distribution for alumina.
The integration of the small‐island effect and nestedness pattern
Authors: Wang Yanping , Chen Chuanwu , Millien Virginie
Published: April 2023

Aim

The small‐island effect (SIE) and nestedness are two important patterns in the fields of island biogeography and community ecology. However, to date, no study has tried to integrate the SIE and nestedness pattern. Therefore, the aim of this study was to integrate these two biogeographical patterns by proposing a new integrative hypothesis. The integrative hypothesis posits that the degree of nestedness of the large island matrix will be larger than that of the small island matrix split by the threshold of the SIE.

Location

Global.

Taxon

Plants, invertebrates and vertebrates.

Methods

We compiled 219 global datasets with both the presence‐absence matrices and the variables of area and species richness. We also collected six island characteristics influencing the SIE and nestedness patterns, that is island type, taxonomic group, area range, the number of islands, species range and matrix fill. We applied breakpoint regressions to detect SIEs and used the metric NODF (Nestedness metric based on Overlap and Decreasing Fill) to quantify nestedness. We then employed logistic regressions and an information‐theoretic approach to determine which combination of island characteristics was important in determining whether the integrative hypothesis was supported.

Results

Among the 92 datasets in which SIEs were unambiguously detected, nestedness analyses showed that in 64 cases (69.6%) the values of NODFc (nestedness among sites) for the large island matrices were larger than those of the small island matrices. Matrix fill and area range were substantially important in determining whether the integrative hypothesis was supported. By contrast, island type, taxonomic group, the number of islands and species range received considerably less support.

Main Conclusions

Our study was the first to integrate the SIE and nestedness pattern. Overall, we found prevalent support for our integrative hypothesis. The integration of the SIE and nestedness provides new and interesting insights into these two biogeographical patterns.