bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatial non-equilibrium and distribution dynamic evolution of the development level of national health in China’s provinces
Authors: Xiao Qin , Xiao Haiting
Published: June 2023

Background

Physical health is the material basis of a country’s socio-economic development, and an in-depth study of the spatial pattern and dynamic evolution of the distribution of national physical fitness in China is of great practical significance for improving national physical fitness.

Methods

Based on the national health physique monitoring data of 31 provinces (cities, districts) in China in 2005, 2010 and 2015, the Gini coefficient and its decomposition method and nonparametric density estimation method were used to study the population, males, females, urban and rural nationals in China. Spatial non-equilibrium characteristics and dynamic evolution trend of healthy physique development level.

Results

The regional disparities in the development level of health and physique among the general, female, urban and rural nationals in China all show a trend of narrowing at first and then expanding.There is obvious heterogeneity in the regional disparities in the development level of national health and physique within the three regions of East, Middle and West. The distribution of the nuclear density curve of the development level of the Chinese national health constitution showed a dynamic characteristic of evolution from a “spiky, multi-peak” shape to a “broad-peak, single-peak” shape.

Conclusions

The low-level provinces have the characteristics of “club convergence”. However, there is a “catch-up effect” between provinces with low levels of rural national health and physique development.
Endometrial cyclin A2 deficiency is associated with human female infertility and is recapitulated in a conditional knockout mouse model
Authors: Aljubran Fatimah , Shumacher Katelyn , Graham Amanda , Gunewardena Sumedha , Marsh Courtney , Lydic Michael , Holoch Kristin , Nothnick Warren B.
Published: June 2023

Proper action of the female sex steroids, 17β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) on endometrium is essential for fertility. Beyond its role in regulating the cell cycle, cyclin A2 (CCNA2) also mediates E2 and P4 signalingin vitro, but a potential role in modulating steroid action for proper endometrial tissue development and function is unknown. To fill this gap in our knowledge, we examined human endometrial tissue from fertile and infertile women for CCNA2 expression and correlated this with pregnancy outcome. Functional assessment of CCNA2 was validatedin vivousing a conditional Ccna2 uterine deficient mouse model whilein vitrofunction was assessed using human cell culture models. We found that CCNA2 expression was significantly reduced in endometrial tissue, specifically the stromal cells, from women undergoing in vitro fertilization who failed to achieve pregnancy. Conditional deletion of Ccna2 from moue uterine tissue recapitulated the inability to achieve successful pregnancy which appears to be due to alterations in the process of decidualization, which was confirmed using in vitro models. From these studies, we conclude that CCNA2 expression during the proliferative/regenerative stage of the menstrual cycle acts as a safeguard allowing for proper steroid responsiveness, decidualization and pregnancy. When CCNA2 expression levels are insufficient there is impaired endometrial responsiveness, aberrant decidualization and loss of pregnancy.

Graphical Abstract
Channeling Chirmi
Authors: Vyas Astha , Srivastava Ritu , Gupta Parul
Published: June 2023

Learning outcomes

The case is intended to assist students to:1. understand the customer’s purchase decision with reference to channel values;2. evaluate and assess the channel strategy using conventional and digital channels; and3. design the channel strategy for start-ups in emerging markets.

Case overview/synopsis

The subject area for this teaching case was marketing management. The teaching case could be used for the undergraduation and graduation levels of students. The case was about the marketing channel strategy of a small start-up boutique called Chirmi in India, with the theory of consumption values explained. In this case, primary data was taken directly from Chirmi, whereas secondary data for market analysis was taken from various reports, articles and other sources. Because the owner provided the records and documentation, the account was therefore substantiated by the collected first-hand information. The case uses quantitative methods to make students understand the channel arithmetic and consumption values of all the channels used by Chirmi.

Complexity academic level

In the course of core marketing classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels, this case may be used. The case addresses the channel structure, including wholesaling, retailing and e-commerce. Distribution channel management, the theory of consumption values and e-commerce marketing management are explained. Evaluation of channel strategy, design, implementation and management is emphasized.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS: 8: Marketing.
Driving smartness for organizational performance through Industry 4.0: a systems perspective
Authors: Abiodun Temitayo Seyi , Rampersad Giselle , Brinkworth Russell
Published: June 2023

Purpose

The internationalization of business has grown the production value chains and created performance challenges for industrial production. Industry 4.0, the digital transformation of industrial processes, promises to deliver performance improvements through smart functionalities. This study investigates how digital transformation translates to performance gain by adopting a systems perspective to drive smartness.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses qualitative research to collect data on the lived experiences of digital transformation practitioners for theory development. It uses semi-structured interviews with industry experts and applies the Gioia methodology for analysis.

Findings

The study determined that enterprise smartness is an organizational capability developed by digital transformation, it is a function of integration and the enabler of organizational performance gains in the Industry 4.0 context. The study determined that performance gains are experienced in productivity, sustainability, safety and customer experience, which represents performance metrics for Industry 4.0.

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes a model that inserts smartness in the linkage between digital transformation and organizational outcomes to the digital transformation and production management literature.

Practical implications

The study indicates that digital transformation programs should focus on developing smartness rather than technology implementations, which must be considered an enabling activity.

Originality/value

Existing studies recognized the positive impact of technology on performance in industrial production. The study addresses a missing link in the Industry 4.0 value creation process. It adopts a systems perspective to establish the role of smartness in translating technology use to performance outcomes. Smart capabilities have been the critical missing link in the literature on harnessing digital transformation in organizations. The study advances theory development by contributing an Industry 4.0 value model that establishes a link between digital technologies, smartness and organizational performance.
Creeping COVID catastrophe: the impact of COVID-19 on nonprofits by sector
Authors: Intindola Melissa , Burke-Kolehmainen Cari
Published: June 2023

Purpose

This study aims to provide a timely “first look” at the impact of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on the financial distress of nonprofits.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses Internal Revenue Service Form 990 returns, US census information, and Oxford COVID-19 workplace restriction data and utilizes logistic regression to analyze results.

Findings

Nonprofits with greater COVID-19 lockdown restrictions are more likely to experience financial distress, whether measured by a 30% reduction in total, program, management and general, or fundraising expenses. This paper also examines results by subsector using National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities data and finds that the Human Services and Public and Society subsectors drive the full sample results when the authors use total, program, or managerial and general expenses in the measure of financial distress, and the Education and Environment and Animals subsectors drive the results when using fundraising expenses in the measure of financial distress.

Originality/value

Broadly speaking, this paper contributes to the limited research stream examining the impact of crises on nonprofits. More specifically, this study is among the earliest to rely on quantitative data to investigate such effects.
Adjustment strategies for firms affected by international sanctions
Authors: Aliasghar Omid , Rose Elizabeth L.
Published: June 2023

Purpose

When terrorism threaten geopolitical stability, many policymakers turn to economic sanctions. In this way, governments and multilateral organizations continue to affect corporate and managerial choices, through the shaping and constraining of international trade policies. Still, most of the international business remain relatively quiet about the impact of the non-market environment on firms’ strategic efforts. Questions remain about how firms adjust their strategies in the face of the often-sudden impact of changes in multilateral rules and enforcement mechanisms. This study aims to address this question by shedding light on three potential adjustment strategies for firms that have been impacted by sanctions.

Design/methodology/approach

As part of a larger, multimethod study, the authors undertook 16 semi-structured interviews with senior managers of firms whose operations have been affected by international sanctions.

Findings

International and political tensions can affect businesses in many ways, from exporting to strategies associated with global knowledge sourcing. Learnings from organizations that have had to respond to sudden and extreme changes in their fragile ecosystems will aid this study. In this commentary paper, the authors offer suggestions about how to adapt, respond and operate in a new reality.

Originality/value

While the imposition of long-term political sanctions, especially by powerful nations and multilateral institutions, has become more frequent, how businesses cope with these extreme external shifts still remains unknown. This paper focuses on firms operating in a sanctioned regime, investigating how they deal with these sudden changes in their environment.
Scaling social impact in women-led social enterprises in developing countries: a knowledge-based perspective
Authors: Hafiz Nusrat , Mohiuddin Md. Fazla , Abdul Latiff Ahmad Shaharudin , Yasin Ida Md. , Abd Wahab Sazali , Abdul Latiff Ahmed Razman
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Although scaling is considered a “hot topic”, very little is known about how knowledge management (KM) assists in scaling social impact. To fill this gap, the authors draw on knowledge-based and social capital theories and investigate how various KM practices and external networks (e.g. bridging social capital) affect scaling social impact in developing countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Applying structural equation modeling (SEM) with AMOS version 23, the authors conducted a survey with 354 women leaders who are working in women-led social enterprises in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Findings

The authors found that knowledge codification, training and mentoring, and bridging social capital are positively and significantly associated with scaling social impact.

Originality/value

This is one of the pioneering study that explore how KM impacts scaling social impact for women-led social enterprises in the context of a developing country. The authors also extend knowledge-based theory by applying it at the individual level. Finally, the authors enhance the understanding of women entrepreneurship by showing that women entrepreneurs in developing countries are also utilizing bridging social capital to overcome challenges associated with scaling social impact.
Accounting and religious influence in the seventh day Adventist church in the Pacific islands
Authors: Kuma Clayton , Fukofuka Peni , Yong Sue
Published: June 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the practice of accounting in the Seventh-day Adventist church of the Pacific Islands and pays particular attention to the coexisting of two control devices: accounting and religion.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper implemented a qualitative field study design collecting interview data from church members from the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Fiji. Data were also collected through focus group discussions, document reviews, website analysis and participant observations. Pierre Bourdieu’s thinking on symbolic violence, doxa and capital are used to interpret the findings.

Findings

This paper’s main contribution shows that while there is a divine and profane divide, social agents, given their agency, can move back and forth from one side of the divide to the other. Accounting as a control device does not include features such as faith, which is helpful for decision-making; accordingly, religion is relied upon when it comes to decision-making. In contrast, accounting has features that are useful for stewardship purposes. Accordingly, when it comes to the church’s stewardship function accounting in the form of financial reports is relied upon.

Research limitations/implications

Pacific Island culture almost permeates all facets of life, including church life; however, this study did not clarify this. Later studies can explore the implications of culture on the deployment of accounting in a religious setting.

Practical implications

This rich empirical study describes the control dynamics and the tension between accounting and religion in a religious organisation. Accounting needs to adapt to churches’ unique characteristics, whereby religious/doctrinal beliefs must be accounted for and respected. Unlike in the corporate world, accountants in churches cannot fully practice their training or exercise the kind of influence they usually hold in organisations due to their religious belief systems.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is one of a few studies on the religion-accounting relationship. While the focus of earlier studies was generally on a secular and sacred divide, this study looks at coexisting of accounting and religion. This study adds to the sparse literature on accounting and religion and their controlling influence.
Funding a “good death”: the financial crisis facing hospices
Authors: Scourfield Peter
Published: June 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to highlight current finding issues relating to the provision of hospice care services which are largely provided by the independent sector and heavily reliant on charitable fund raising. The primary focus is on the UK, but it is an issue of relevance to many other countries around the world.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is an opinion piece informed by contemporary reports, official publications and research findings, as well as the author’s own work within the hospice sector.

Findings

As with many other countries around the world, the bulk of hospice funding in the UK comes from charitable donations of various kinds. However, the impact of COVID-19 highlighted both the fragility of this funding model and the precarious nature of hospice sector finances currently.

Practical implications

This is an issue of growing importance that affects older people and their families not only in the UK but in all countries with ageing populations. Hospices play an important role in providing end-of-life care and, with demand for services steadily rising due to demographic trends, there are important questions about the sustainability of the current hospice funding model.

Social implications

Issues of funding require a much higher level of engagement from policymakers if hospice care is going to continue to play a significant part in achieving a good death for people from all sections of society.

Originality/value

Although hotly debated within the hospice sector and in official reports, this issue has yet to be properly examined within academic circles.
The significance of dense fine speckled pattern in antinuclear antibody‐associated rheumatic disease and coexisting autoantibodies: A propensity score‐matched cohort study
Authors: Cheng Chiao‐Feng , Lan Ting‐Yuan , Kao Jui‐Hung , Lu Cheng‐Hsun , Chang Yu‐Cheng , Huang Yi‐Min , Yang Feng‐Jung , Chen Jen‐Hao , Lin Yen‐Chun , Chuang Chieh‐An , Chang Chih‐Hui , Li Ko‐Jen , Shen Chieh‐Yu , Hsieh Song‐Chou
Published: June 2023

Aim

To investigate the relationship between the prevalence of antinuclear antibody (ANA) ‐associated rheumatic diseases (AARD) and the presence of dense fine speckled (DFS) and homogeneous patterns in ANA tests.

Methods

This retrospective study enrolled adult patients with either a DFS or homogeneous pattern in their ANA test. A mixed pattern was defined as the presence of more than one pattern reported in the test. The presence of anti‐DFS70 antibodies and other common autoantibodies were detected using EUROLINE ANA Profile 23. A 1:2 propensity score matching was applied to control for demographic and other interfering factors.

Results

A total of 59 patients with a DFS pattern were enrolled and compared with a matched homogeneous group. The DFS group had a significantly lower prevalence of AARD (3.4% vs. 16.9%, p = .008) and the subgroup with anti‐DFS70 antibodies showed an even lower prevalence (2% vs. 20%, p = .002). Among the 33 patients with monospecific anti‐DFS70 antibodies, five had a mixed pattern, and all patients with common autoantibodies had an isolated DFS pattern.

Conclusions

The findings of this study suggest that patients with a DFS pattern in their ANA test may have a lower prevalence of AARD compared with those with a homogeneous pattern. However, an isolated DFS pattern in ANA testing does not necessarily indicate the presence of monospecific anti‐DFS70 antibodies or AARD. Confirmatory testing for the monospecific anti‐DFS70 antibody is mandatory to exclude AARD.
Taking stock of systems for organizing existential and global catastrophic risks: Implications for policy
Authors: Taggart Gabel
Published: June 2023

This article takes stock of the literature that is advancing knowledge about how to classify, organize and think about existential risks and globally catastrophic risks altogether. It then points out policy implications from this literature and applies those implications to a short case study on the National Risk Register, a comprehensive risk policy in the United Kingdom. In doing so, it names three broad systems that have emerged in the literature, which are those that organize risks by (1) consequences of risks, (2) sources or causes of risks and (3) risk processes and interactions with human systems. Organizing risks by consequences aids in risk prioritization, while classifying risks by source or cause aids in risk prevention and mitigation. Analysing risk processes and interactions with human systems opens the policy frame to broader policies of risk response and resilience.
Treatment of postpartum psychotic‐ or mood disorder requiring admission: A nationwide study from Denmark
Authors: Hauge Charlotte , Rohde Christopher , Østergaard Søren D.
Published: June 2023

Background

Postpartum psychotic‐ or mood disorders are psychiatric emergencies associated with risk of suicide and infanticide. Except from case reports, there are only few descriptions of its treatment. Therefore, we aimed to describe the treatment of women admitted with postpartum psychotic‐ or mood disorder in Denmark with emphasis on the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Methods

We conducted a register‐based cohort study of all women with incident postpartum psychotic‐ or mood disorder (no prior diagnoses of psychotic‐ or mood disorder or treatment with ECT) requiring admission in the period from 2011 to 2018. For these patients, we described the treatment and the 6‐month readmission risk.

Results

We identified 91 women with postpartum psychotic‐ or mood disorder with a median admission length of 27 days (interquartile range: 10–45). Of those, 19% received ECT with a median time from admission to first ECT of 10 days (interquartile range: 5–16). The median number of ECT sessions was eight (interquartile range: 7–12). In the 6 months following discharge, 90% of the women received some form of psychopharmacological treatment (62% antipsychotics, 56% antidepressants, 36% anxiolytics/sedatives, 19% lithium, and 9% mood stabilizing antiepileptics), and 31% were readmitted.

Conclusion

Psychiatric admission for incident postpartum psychotic‐ or mood disorder is rare in Denmark. Among those admitted, ECT and psychopharmacological treatment is commonly used. The 6‐month readmission risk is high, warranting close follow‐up. The fact that there is no international consensus on the optimal treatment of postpartum psychotic‐ or mood disorder is problematic and calls for action.
The story of the great computer
Authors: Cool Alison
Published: June 2023

What can sci‐fi novels, language‐learning exercises, research databases, and gossip magazines tell us about Sweden? The strict word limits of flash ethnography invite playful approaches to theoretical impasses. In this piece, written for a special section on flash ethnography, I return to longstanding anthropological dilemmas—how to distinguish between humans and computers, where technology meets society—to experiment with a new genre of creative nonfiction.
Retirement project
Authors: Cohen Lawrence
Published: June 2023

This piece honors the work of Katie Stewart through the form of the “hundred.” Invoking Stewart's figure of attunement in the context of park cruising, I write about the relation of stories to forms of life from which one may be estranged in time. Against anthropology's magic—in which story emerges as something like a perfectible form—a fragment is offered, some context for words exchanged in a park, opening perhaps to another mode of narration.
Grace's paradise requiem beast‐time love story: Belize 2022
Authors: Little Kenneth
Published: June 2023

This story is part of a special section in honor of Kathleen Stewart, who is ever mindful of how we language what we world. My story is written as an exercise in poetic force, generating the life of beast‐signs and backtalk, which were fundamental concepts in Stewart's early writing. In this “hundreds,” Miss Grace tells a disaster story meant to encourage a scanning for signs of “the beast” in the trauma of a deadly Caribbean hurricane that destroyed her beachside village leaving only anguish and hordes of tourist investors in its wake. Miss Grace worlds beast‐time encounters with some'ting crazy, as vibratory conjurations and transductions, as in some quality of an accidental discovery of feelings. I turn to the power of crazy, fluid connections through which Grace's sea‐stormy encounters became a make‐believe space that composed itself as a dense entanglement of sensation, attention, and matter. I re‐imagine the evidence of Grace's beast‐time affective economy as a dynamized force, co‐constituting enactments of trauma and curiosity, attempts to find room to maneuver in a new tourist real, on a beach, in Belize.
A multidimensional account of social justice for global health research
Authors: Pratt Bridget
Published: June 2023

A transformation of global health research is urgently needed if it is to eliminate long‐standing structural inequities within the field and help reduce global health disparities. Ethics has a key role to play in fostering such a transformation: it can help identify what the transformation should entail. Yet, ethics scholarship linking global health research to greater equity and social justice has limited authority and capacity to do so for two related reasons: it largely fails to apply theories and concepts of justice from the global South and it says little about whether or how to address the coloniality and epistemic injustices inherent within global health research. This paper develops a multidimensional social justice lens using social justice and decolonial theory from the global North and global South. This lens identifies five core dimensions of social justice: power, recognition, harmony, inclusion, and well‐being. This paper then applies the multidimensional lens to the global health research context. For each dimension of social justice, several key ways to transform global health research are identified and described. They include shifting control of global health research funding, education, conduct, and publishing away from the global North and making knowledge from the global South visible and valued. To conclude, potential objections are considered.
Relationships between physical and immunological tumor microenvironment in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Igata Yu , Kojima Motohiro , Suzuki Toshiyuki , Ishii Genichiro , Morisue Ryo , Suzuki Toshihiro , Kudo Masashi , Sugimoto Motokazu , Kobayashi Shin , Martin John D. , Stylianopoulos Triantafyllos , Cabral Horacio , Kano Mitsunobu R. , Konishi Masaru , Gotohda Naoto
Published: June 2023

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is physically palpated as a hard tumor with an unfavorable prognosis. Assessing physical features and their association with pathological features could help to elucidate the mechanism of physical abnormalities in cancer tissues. A total of 93 patients who underwent radical surgery for pancreatic and bile duct cancers at a single center hospital during a 28‐month period were recruited for this study that aimed to estimate the stiffness of PDAC tissues compared to the other neoplasms and assess relationships between tumor stiffness and pathological features. Physical alterations and pathological features of PDAC, with or without preoperative therapy, were analyzed. The immunological tumor microenvironment was evaluated using multiplexed fluorescent immunohistochemistry. The stiffness of PDAC correlated with the ratio of Azan‐Mallory staining, α‐smooth muscle actin, and collagen I‐positive areas of the tumors. Densities of CD8+ T cells and CD204+ macrophages were associated with tumor stiffness in cases without preoperative therapy. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma treated with preoperative therapy was softer than that without, and the association between tumor stiffness and immune cell infiltration was not shown after preoperative therapy. We observed the relationship between tumor stiffness and immunological features in human PDAC for the first time. Immune cell densities in the tumor center were smaller in hard tumors than in soft tumors without preoperative therapies. Preoperative therapy could alter physical and immunological aspects, warranting further study. Understanding of the correlations between physical and immunological aspects could lead to the development of new therapies.
Drivers and sustainability of bird hunting in Madagascar
Authors: Borgerson Cortni , Bankoff Richard J. , Golden Christopher D. , Razafindrapaoly Be Noel , Rasolofoniaina Be Jean Rodolph , Rajaona Delox , Pascal Elison , De Angelo Peter , Martin Dominic A.
Published: June 2023

Bird conservation depends on robust data on the densities of and threats to each species, and an understanding of the choices and incentives of bird hunters. This first comprehensive study of bird hunting and its effects in Madagascar uses 8 years of data on 87 bird species to determine bird densities and hunting pressure, incentives, choices, methods, spatial variation, and sustainability on the Masoala Peninsula of Madagascar. We find that bird hunting is common, affecting human wellbeing and, for some species, long‐term population viability. Hunters caught more abundant species of lower trophic levels and consumers preferred the flavor of abundant granivores and nectarivores, while they disliked carnivores, scavengers, and species with common cultural proscriptions. Wealth increased species selectivity among consumers, whereas food insecurity increased hunting pressure overall. Projected and documented declines in at least three species are concerning, qualifying at least two for increased IUCN threatened species categories. We provide novel, data‐driven assessments of hunting's threat to Madagascar's birds, identify key species of concern, and suggest both species‐ and consumer‐specific conservation actions.
Engagement with three or more healthy lifestyle behaviours is associated with improved quality of life over 7.5 years in people with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Fidao Alexander , Jelinek George , Simpson‐Yap Steve , Neate Sandra , Nag Nupur
Published: June 2023

Background and purpose

People with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) report reduced quality of life (QoL). Engagement with healthy lifestyle behaviours, including consuming a healthy diet, regular physical activity, and adequate vitamin D exposure, is associated with higher QoL. We aim to assess whether individual lifestyle behaviours are more beneficial to QoL than others, and whether there are additive benefits to QoL by engaging in multiple healthy behaviours concurrently.

Methods

Data from pwMS who completed an online survey at baseline, and at 2.5‐, 5‐ and 7.5‐year follow‐up, were analysed. Behaviours assessed were consumption of a no‐meat/dairy‐plus‐omega‐3 supplementation diet, meditation practice, physical activity, non‐smoking, and vitamin D exposure. Mental QoL (mQoL) and physical QoL (pQoL) were assessed by the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life (MSQOL‐54) questionaire. Linear regression analyses were performed to assess associations of individual behaviours at baseline and follow‐up time points with QoL, as well as between number of behaviours and QoL.

Results

At baseline, healthy diet and regular physical activity were associated with higher mQoL (5.3/100 and 4.0/100) and higher pQoL (7.8/100 and 6.7/100). Prospectively, diet was positively associated with mQoL, and physical activity with both mQoL and pQoL. At baseline, engagement with ≥3 behaviours was positively associated with mQoL and pQoL, with additive positive associations for each additional behaviour. Prospectively, engagement with ≥3 behaviours was positively associated with mQoL and pQoL, with strongest associations observed with engagement with five behaviours.

Conclusion

Consumption of a healthy diet, and regular physical activity, are both potential interventions to improve QoL. Engagement with multiple lifestyle behaviours may provide additional benefits and should be encouraged and supported for multiple sclerosis management.
High‐Resolution Geological Information from Crosshole Ground Penetrating Radar in Clayey Tills
Authors: Jensen Bolette B. , Rosenberg Louise , Tsitonaki Aikaterini , Tuxen Nina , Bjerg Poul L. , Nielsen Lars , Hansen Thomas M. , Looms Majken C.
Published: June 2023

Heterogeneous glacial deposits dominate large parts of the Northern Hemisphere. In these landscapes, high‐resolution characterization of the geology is crucial for understanding contaminant transport. Geological information is mostly obtained from multiple boreholes drilled during a site investigation, but such point‐based data alone do not always provide the required resolution to map small‐scale heterogeneity between boreholes. Crosshole ground penetrating radar (GPR) is suggested as a tool for adding credible geological information between boreholes at contaminated site investigations in industrial sites where infrastructure, such as electrical installations, can pose a challenge to other geophysical methods. GPR data are sensitive to the dielectric permittivity and the bulk electrical conductivity, which can be related to the distribution of water content and sand/clay occurrences. Here we present a detailed crosshole GPR dataset collected at an industrial contaminated site in a clay till setting. The data are processed using a novel inversion approach where information on changes in the velocity and attenuation of the radar signal are obtained independently. The GPR results are compared to borehole logs, grain size analyses, and relative permeability data from the site. The GPR data analysis provided valuable information on the understanding of the lateral geological variability. A silt layer with a thickness of a few decimeters, likely important for flow characterization, was confirmed and resolved by GPR data. Our findings suggest that crosshole GPR has the potential for contributing with high‐resolution geological information by filling the data gap between boreholes, thereby becoming a relevant tool in contaminated site investigations.
The wetting‐to‐nonwetting transition of CVD BN coatings deposited at different temperatures
Authors: Lu Zilong , Qi Zhe , Yang Jinhua , Liu Hu , Jiao Jian
Published: June 2023

Boron nitride (BN) coatings (thickness 20–40 μm) were prepared on graphite substrates by chemical vapor deposition, with precursors of BCl3 and NH3 (ratio of 1:4) and pressure of 500 ± 50 Pa. The influence of the deposition temperature (650°C–1250°C) on the wettability of BN coatings with deionized water was studied. The wetting angle rapidly increases at 1100°C–1250°C, and the wetting‐to‐nonwetting transition occurs. The crystal structure and surface morphology of the BN coatings were characterized by a stylus instrument, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Research shows that the contact angle or nonwettability increases with a higher degree of crystallinity and a lower surface roughness, which were both under the control of the deposition temperature since the pressure and gas flows were kept constant in this study. At a deposition temperature of 650°C–950°C, the increase in the degree of crystallinity dominates; at 950°C–1100°C, the increase in surface roughness takes over. At 1100°C–1250°C, the degree of crystallinity continues to increase, while the surface roughness decreases due to the advantage of nucleation and the breakage of large surface clusters into smaller clusters. This results in increases (650°C–950°C), then decreases (950°C–1100°C) and again fast increases (1100°C–1250°C) in the wetting angle between the BN coating and deionized water and finally in the wetting‐to‐nonwetting transition (1100°C–1250°C).
Effect of Al2O3 on the structure–property relationship of sodium aluminophosphate glasses: A combined study of experiments, MD simulations, and QSPR analysis
Authors: Yan Jingping , Zhang Yajiao , Wang Feimei , Shi Caijuan , Jiang Fangling , Deng Lu , Xue Tianfeng , Ruan Minzhi , Li Zhongdi , Chen Shubin , Hu Lili
Published: June 2023

Aluminophosphate glasses have found wide applications in various fields, such as biomedical materials, optical components, sealing materials, and nuclear waste forms. In spite of their well‐investigated short‐range ordered structures, the relationship between the properties and the medium‐range structural features is far from being understood. In this paper, atomistic structures of sodium aluminophosphate (SAP) glasses were reproduced by molecular dynamics simulations. In addition, experimental methods, including Raman, differential scanning calorimetry, and synchrotron X‐ray total scattering, have been applied to characterize the structures of these glasses, together with the measurements of various glass properties, such as the density, glass transition temperature (Tg), coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), and hardness. Moreover, the quantitative structure–property relationship (QSPR) analysis was performed to correlate the simulated glass structures with the experimentally measured properties. The simulation results reveal that the P–O–P linkages in the glass network are gradually replaced by the P–O–Al linkages with additional alumina to the compositions, which contributes to the property changes of the SAP glass systems. Meanwhile, the long chains in the SAP glasses tend to form ring structures, and the primitive rings are concentrated in the range between 4‐ and 20‐membered rings. Furthermore, QSPR analysis shows that the simulated structures have good correlations with the experimental properties, and the established structure–property model is promising in predicting certain properties of aluminophosphate glass systems.
Diagnostic momentum in physical therapy clinical reasoning
Authors: Aron Adrian , Cunningham Shala , Yoder Isaac , Gravley Elizabeth , Brown Olivia , Dickson Charles
Published: June 2023

Rationale and Objectives

Diagnostic momentum refers to ruling in a particular diagnosis without adequate evidence. As the field of physical therapy continues to transition more towards autonomous practitioners with direct access, there is a need to identify the effect of a physician diagnosis on a therapist's examination and treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify if diagnostic momentum exists in physical therapy and whether this phenomenon could affect the ability of the therapist to identify clinical red flags.

Methods

An online survey with randomized case scenarios was completed by 75 licensed practicing physical therapists. Participants received one of two scenarios: a case vignette where the patient was referred to physical therapy for left shoulder pain and presented with ‘red flags’ indicative of myocardial infarction, or a similar vignette with additional results from an exercise stress test that ruled out myocardial infarction. The subjects were asked if they would ‘treat’ or ‘refer’ to another healthcare provider and the reason behind their decision. Independent t‐tests and χ2 analyses were conducted to understand the differences between the groups. A thematic analysis was used to explore the therapists' responses regarding the reasoning for their decision.

Results

There was no significant difference in clinical decision making based on age, gender, years of experience, advanced certification, primary caseload or primary practice setting. Among those who received the case without the stress test, 31.4% of participants indicated that they would refer, compared to 12.5% of the participants that had the additional stress test result included within their case. The presence of the negative stress test was indicated as the main reason for choosing to treat without referral by 65.7% of the subjects that received the additional stress test result.

Conclusion

This study suggests that practicing physical therapists may be influenced by diagnostic decisions made by other clinicians, causing them to overlook signs and symptoms of possible myocardial infarction.
Economic evaluation of telemonitoring as a follow‐up approach for patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome starting treatment with continuous positive airway pressure
Authors: Ssegonja Richard , Ljunggren Mirjam , Sampaio Filipa , Tegelmo Tove , Theorell‐Haglöw Jenny
Published: June 2023

Telemonitoring of obstructive sleep apnea patients is increasingly being adopted though its cost‐effectiveness evidence base is scanty. This study investigated whether telemonitoring is a cost‐effective strategy compared with the standard follow‐up in patients with obstructive sleep apnea who are starting continuous positive airway pressure treatment. In total, 167 obstructive sleep apnea patients were randomised into telemonitoring (n = 79) or standard follow‐up (n = 88), initiated continuous positive airway pressure treatment, and were followed up for 6 months. The frequencies of healthcare contacts, related costs (in USD 2021 prices), treatment effect and compliance were compared between the follow‐up approaches using generalised linear models. The cost effectiveness analysis was conducted from a healthcare perspective and the results presented as cost per avoided extra clinic visit. Additionally, patient satisfaction between the two approaches was explored. The analysis showed no baseline differences. At follow‐up, there was no significant difference in treatment compliance, and the mean residual apnea–hypoapnea index. There was no difference in total visits, adjusted incidence rate ratio 0.87 (0.72–1.06). Participants in the telemonitoring arm made eight times more telephone visits, 8.10 (5.04–13.84), and about 73% fewer physical healthcare visits 0.27 (0.20–0.36). This translated into significantly lower total costs for the telemonitoring approach compared with standard follow‐up, −192 USD (−346 to −41). The form of follow‐up seemed to have no impact on the extent of patient satisfaction. These results demonstrate the telemonitoring of patients with obstructive sleep apnea initiating continuous positive airway pressure treatment as a cost saving strategy and can be argued as a potential worthy investment.
Steatotic hepatocyte‐derived extracellular vesicles promote β‐cell apoptosis and diabetes via microRNA‐126a‐3p
Authors: Chen Qi , Jiang Fang‐jie , Gao Xin , Li Xiao‐Ying , Xia Pu
Published: June 2023

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as a unique mediator of interorgan communications, playing important roles in the pathophysiologic process of various diseases, including diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Here, we reported that the EVs released by steatotic hepatocytes exerted a detrimental effect on pancreatic β cells, leading to β‐cell apoptosis and dysfunction. The effect was profoundly attributable to an up‐regulation of miR‐126a‐3p in the steatotic hepatocyte‐derived EVs. Accordingly, overexpression of miR‐126a‐3p promoted, whereas inhibition of miR‐126a‐3p prevented β‐cell apoptosis, through a mechanism related to its target gene, insulin receptor substrate‐2. Moreover, inhibition of miR‐126a‐3p by its specific antagomir was able to partially reverse the loss of β‐cell mass and ameliorate hyperglycaemia in diabetic mice. Thus, the findings reveal a novel pathogenic role of steatotic hepatocyte‐derived EVs, which mechanistically links nonalcoholic fatty liver disease to the development of diabetes.
The soybean immune receptor GmBIR1 regulates host transcriptome, spliceome, and immunity during cyst nematode infection
Authors: Hawk Tracy E. , Piya Sarbottam , Zadegan Sobhan Bahrami , Li Peitong , Rice John H. , Hewezi Tarek
Published: June 2023

BAK1‐INTERACTING RECEPTOR LIKE KINASE1 (BIR1) is a negative regulator of various aspects of disease resistance and immune responses.

Here, we investigated the functional role of soybean (Glycine max) BIR1 (GmBIR1) during soybean interaction with soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines) and the molecular mechanism through which GmBIR1 regulates plant immunity.

Overexpression of wild‐type variant of GmBIR1 (WT‐GmBIR1) using transgenic soybean hairy roots significantly increased soybean susceptibility to SCN, whereas overexpression of kinase‐dead variant (KD‐GmBIR1) significantly increased plant resistance. Transcriptome analysis revealed that genes oppositely regulated in WT‐GmBIR1 and KD‐GmBIR1 upon SCN infection were enriched primarily in defense and immunity‐related functions. Quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis identified 208 proteins as putative substrates of the GmBIR1 signaling pathway, 114 of which were differentially phosphorylated upon SCN infection. In addition, the phosphoproteomic data pointed to a role of the GmBIR1 signaling pathway in regulating alternative pre‐mRNA splicing. Genome‐wide analysis of splicing events provided compelling evidence supporting a role of the GmBIR1 signaling pathway in establishing alternative splicing during SCN infection.

Our results provide novel mechanistic insights into the function of the GmBIR1 signaling pathway in regulating soybean transcriptome and spliceome via differential phosphorylation of splicing factors and regulation of splicing events of pre‐mRNA decay‐ and spliceosome‐related genes.
A MYB activator, DcMYB11c, regulates carrot anthocyanins accumulation in petiole but not taproot
Authors: Duan Ao‐Qi , Deng Yuan‐Jie , Tan Shan‐Shan , Xu Zhi‐Sheng , Xiong Ai‐Sheng
Published: June 2023

The first domesticated carrots were thought to be purple carrots rich in anthocyanins. The anthocyanins biosynthesis in solid purple carrot taproot was regulated by DcMYB7 within P3 region containing a gene cluster of six DcMYBs. Here, we described a MYB gene within the same region, DcMYB11c, which was highly expressed in the purple pigmented petioles. Overexpression of DcMYB11c in ‘Kurodagosun’ (KRDG, orange taproot carrot with green petioles) and ‘Qitouhuang’ (QTHG, yellow taproot carrot with green petioles) resulted in deep purple phenotype in the whole carrot plants indicating anthocyanins accumulation. Knockout of DcMYB11c in ‘Deep Purple’ (DPPP, purple taproot carrot with purple petioles) through CRISPR/Cas9‐based genome editing resulted in pale purple phenotype due to the dramatic decrease of anthocyanins content. DcMYB11c could induce the expression of DcbHLH3 and anthocyanins biosynthesis genes to jointly promote anthocyanins biosynthesis. Yeast one‐hybrid assay (Y1H) and dual‐luciferase reporter assay (LUC) revealed that DcMYB11c bound to the promoters of DcUCGXT1 and DcSAT1 and directly activated the expression of DcUCGXT1 and DcSAT1 responsible for anthocyanins glycosylation and acylation, respectively. Three transposons were present in the carrot cultivars with purple petioles but not in the carrot cultivars with green petioles. We revealed the core factor, DcMYB11c, involved in anthocyanins pigmentation in carrot purple petioles. This study provides new insights into precise regulation mechanism underlying anthocyanins biosynthesis in carrot. The orchestrated regulation mechanism in carrot might be conserved across the plant kingdom and useful for other researchers working on anthocyanins accumulation in different tissues.
Functional responses to multiple sequential abiotic stress (waterlogging‐drought) in three woody taxa with different root systems and stress tolerance
Authors: Quiñones Martorello A. S. , Gyenge J. E. , Colabelli M. N. , Petigrosso L. R. , Fernández M. E.
Published: June 2023

There is generally a trade‐off in the resistance to drought and to waterlogging. However, several species are sequentially subjected to both stressors in many environments. We evaluated the ecophysiological strategies to cope with multiple sequential stress of waterlogging and drought (W + D) of three taxa differing in stress resistance and root morphology: the phreatophic Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Ec) and two shallow‐rooted willow clones: Salix matsudana x Salix alba (SmxSa) and Salix nigra (Sn4). Individuals of the three taxa were grown in pots and assigned to either of four treatments: Control (well‐watered plants), well‐watered followed by drought (C + D); waterlogged for 15 days followed by drought (W15d + D) and waterlogged for 30 days followed by drought (W30d + D). Biomass allocation, growth (diameter, height, length of leaves, and roots), specific leaf area, stomatal conductance, water potential, hydraulic conductivity of roots and branches, leaf C13and root cortical aerenchyma formation were determined at different stages of the experiment. Ec growth was not affected by W + D, developing tolerance strategies at leaf and whole plant levels. Differential effects of W + D were observed in both Salix clones depending on the time of waterlogging. In Sn4 and SmxSa, the root biomass was affected in W15d + D treatment, but a root tolerance response (aerenchyma and adventitious root formation) was observed in W30d + D. In the three taxa, and contrary to expectations, the previous exposure to a waterlogging period did not increase the susceptibility of the plants to a subsequent drought event. On the contrary, we found tolerance, which depended on the time of waterlogging exposure.