bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Learning to discriminate the eye‐of‐origin during continuous flash suppression
Authors: Sarı İzel D. , Recht Samuel , Lunghi Claudia
Published: May 2024

Helmholtz asked whether one could discriminate which eye is the origin of one's perception merely based on the retinal signals. Studies to date showed that participants' ability to tell the eye‐of‐origin most likely depends on contextual cues. Nevertheless, it has been shown that exogenous attention can enhance performance for monocularly presented stimuli. We questioned whether adults can be trained to discriminate the eye‐of‐origin of their perceptions and if this ability depends on the strength of the monocular channels. We used attentional feed‐forward training to improve the subject's eye‐of‐origin discrimination performance with voluntary attention. During training, participants received a binocular cue to inform them of the eye‐of‐origin of an upcoming target. Using continuous flash suppression, we also measured the signal strength of the monocular targets to see any possible modulations related to the cues. We collected confidence ratings from the participants about their eye‐of‐origin judgements to study in further detail whether metacognition has access to this information. Our results show that, even though voluntary attention did not alter the strength of the monocular channels, eye‐of‐origin discrimination performance improved following the training. A similar pattern was observed for confidence. The results from the feedforward attentional training and the increase in subjective confidence point towards a high‐level decisional mechanism being responsible for the eye‐of‐origin judgements. We propose that this high‐level process is informed by subtle sensory cues such as the differences in luminance or contrast in the two monocular channels.
‘Take Back Control’: The implications of Brexit uncertainty on investor perception of ESG reputational events
Authors: Akyildirim Erdinc , Conlon Thomas , Corbet Shaen , Oxley Les
Published: May 2024

This study examines the impact of Brexit on investor reactions to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) events in UK companies. Post‐Brexit, investors show reduced sensitivity to ESG incidents, suggesting relaxed corporate accountability for ESG disasters. We observe varied investor responses to different ESG events, with most having less financial influence after Brexit. This research informs regulators, stakeholders and policymakers in the post‐Brexit era, emphasising the need for strong ESG regulations and communication in influencing investor behaviour. It contributes to understanding the relationship between regulatory changes, corporate reputation and investor reactions post‐Brexit.
MEDIS—A comprehensive spatial database on Mediterranean islands for biogeographical and evolutionary research
Authors: Santi Francesco , Testolin Riccardo , Zannini Piero , Di Musciano Michele , Micci Virginia , Ricci Lorenzo , Guarino Riccardo , Bacchetta Gianluigi , Fernández‐Palacios José María , Fois Mauro , Kougioumoutzis Konstantinos , Kunt Kadir Boğaç , Lucchi Federico , Médail Frédéric , Nikolić Toni , Otto Rüdiger , Pasta Salvatore , Panitsa Maria , Proios Konstantinos , Sfenthourakis Spyros , Simaiakis Stylianos M. , Tranne Claudio A. , Triantis Kostas A. , Chiarucci Alessandro
Published: May 2024

Motivation

The intrinsic characteristics of islands make them a unique study system for the investigation of ecological and evolutionary dynamics. The Mediterranean Basin, an island‐rich biodiversity hotspot, still lacks a comprehensive spatial database for these geographic features. This study presents the first comprehensive spatial database of all Mediterranean islands larger than 0.01 km2, aiding ecological investigations and interdisciplinary research.

Main types of variable contained

The MEDIS spatial database offers detailed information on 39 geographic, climatic, ecological and land‐use variables, including island area, perimeter, isolation metrics, climatic space, terrain data, land cover, palaeogeography, road networks and geological information, providing a multifaceted view of each island's characteristics.

Spatial location and grain

The study encompasses 2217 islands in the Mediterranean Basin larger than 0.01 km2. The spatial grain of the datasets on which the selected variables are based varies from 10 m (ESA WorldCover) to 1 km (CHELSA‐BIOCLIM+).

Time period and grain

The spatial database incorporates data from various sources, each with its own timeframe, such as the Global Shoreline Vector from 2014 Landsat imagery and the WorldCover dataset from 2021. Historical data like the Paleocoastlines GIS dataset offer insights into island configurations during the Last Glacial Maximum.

Major taxa and level of measurement

While not focusing on specific taxa, the study lays the foundation for comprehensive research on Mediterranean islands, facilitating comparisons and investigations into the distribution of native, endemic or alien species. The level of measurement is extensive, encompassing a wide range of variables and providing polygonal features rather than centroids' coordinates.
Association between arsenic exposure and melanoma: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Shuai Wenlong , Huang Qing , Xu Liuli , Mu Yunzhu
Published: May 2024

Background

Melanoma is a highly malignant tumor. Moreover, its prevalence is increasing at a rapid rate year after year. Currently, UV light is the leading cause of melanoma, although numerous other risk factors exist, including arsenic. The link between arsenic and the likelihood of developing melanoma has long been debated. As a result, we conducted a meta‐analysis of the available data to investigate the association between arsenic exposure and melanoma.

Methods

We identified seven non‐randomized controlled studies with 41,949 participants by searching the Chinese CNKI, Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases. We then used random‐effects or fixed‐effects models to evaluate the pooled odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). Subgroup analyses were also carried out with different included regions.

Results

Participants in the study who were exposed to arsenic had a somewhat higher chance of developing melanoma than those who were not (OR = 1.47, 95% CI 1.01–2.13). A subgroup analysis was also carried out for the US region, and the findings were not statistically significant (OR = 1.40, 95% CI 0.94–2.07).

Conclusion

This meta‐analysis shows that arsenic exposure relates to an increased risk of melanoma.
Mild cognitive impairment in pemphigus
Authors: Ghadirzade Arani Leila , Advani Soroor , Mardani Ghazal , Moslemi Haghighi Shima , Abdollahimajd Fahimeh , Robati Reza M , Mozafari Nikoo , Moravvej Hamideh , Gheisari Mehdi , Nasiri Soheila , Dadkhahfar Sahar
Published: May 2024

Background

Pemphigus is a group of autoimmune blistering disorders that have been associated with dementia in previous studies. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be the first stage of progression into dementia. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the frequency of MCI in pemphigus patients compared to a control group.

Methods

This case‐control study included 80 patients with pemphigus referred to the dermatology clinics of Shohadaye Tajrish and Loghman Hakim hospitals, Tehran, Iran, in 2021. A group of 80 individuals without pemphigus who visited the same clinics for cosmetic consultation or interventions were regarded as controls. Age, sex, marital status, and education were recorded for all participants. Disease duration, medications, and severity were noted for pemphigus patients. The Persian version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test was used to assess cognitive function.

Results

MCI was significantly more frequent in pemphigus patients than in controls (55% vs. 37.5%, P = 0.026). Furthermore, the total MoCA score was significantly lower in pemphigus patients compared to controls (23.98 ± 3.77 vs. 25.21 ± 3.45, P = 0.032); however, among MoCA's different domains, only the executive functions score was significantly lower in pemphigus patients (P = 0.010). After adjustment, multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that every 1‐year higher education in patients decreased the odds of MCI by 52% (adjusted odds ratio = 0.483, 95% confidence interval 0.326; 0.715, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

The frequency of MCI was found to be significantly higher, and overall scores of the MoCA test, as well as its executive function domain, were significantly lower among pemphigus patients in this study compared to the control group. Additionally, a higher level of education was associated with decreased odds of MCI in pemphigus patients. Identifying pemphigus patients with MCI through the use of the MoCA test can facilitate early intervention, enabling them to seek help and support.
A multicenter, open‐label, single‐arm trial of the long‐term safety of empagliflozin treatment for refractory diabetes mellitus with insulin resistance (EMPIRE‐02)
Authors: Hirota Yushi , Kakei Yasumasa , Imai Junta , Katagiri Hideki , Ebihara Ken , Wada Jun , Suzuki Junichi , Urakami Tatsuhiko , Omori Takashi , Ogawa Wataru
Published: May 2024

Aims/Introduction

Insulin resistance syndrome and lipoatrophic diabetes are rare conditions characterized by the development of treatment‐refractory diabetes with severe insulin resistance. We recently conducted a 24 week, multicenter, single‐arm trial (EMPIRE‐01) that demonstrated a certain level of effectiveness and safety of empagliflozin for these conditions. To evaluate treatment safety over a longer period, we have now performed an additional 28 week trial (EMPIRE‐02) that followed on from EMPIRE‐01.

Materials and Methods

The primary and secondary outcomes were safety and efficacy evaluations, respectively. All eight subjects of the EMPIRE‐01 trial participated in EMPIRE‐02.

Results

Twenty adverse events (AEs) were recorded among five individuals during the combined 52 week treatment period of both trials. Whereas one case of chronic hepatitis B was moderate in severity, all other AEs were mild. There were thus no serious AEs or events necessitating discontinuation or suspension of treatment or a reduction in drug dose. Whereas ketoacidosis or marked increases in serum ketone body levels were not observed, the mean body mass of the subjects was decreased slightly after completion of EMPIRE‐02. The improvement in mean values of glycemic parameters observed in EMPIRE‐01 was not sustained in EMPIRE‐02, mostly because of one individual whose parameters deteriorated markedly, likely as a result of nonadherence to diet therapy. The improvement in glycemic parameters was sustained during EMPIRE‐02 after exclusion of this subject from analysis.

Conclusions

Empagliflozin demonstrated a certain level of safety and efficacy for the treatment of insulin resistance syndrome and lipoatrophic diabetes over 52 weeks, confirming its potential as a therapeutic option.
Continuous production and recirculation of plasma‐activated water bubbles under different flow regimes for mixed‐species bacterial biofilm inactivation inside pipelines
Authors: Dhaliwal Harleen Kaur , Yang Xianqin , Roopesh M. S.
Published: May 2024

Biofilm formation in broiler drinking water systems is a public health concern. Bacterial detachment from the pipes into the drinking water subsequently increases the risk of waterborne transmission and has detrimental effects on animal and human health. The study evaluated the antimicrobial effectiveness of plasma‐activated water bubbles (PAWBs) recirculated under different flow regimes against the mixed‐species biofilms of Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC13311 and Aeromonas australiensis 03‐09 grown on the inner surfaces of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes. A benchtop pipeline model representing broiler drinker lines was developed to compare the biofilm inactivation efficacy of PAWB recirculated at different flow rates, corresponding to Reynold's number of 1000, 2500, and 4000. The synergistic mechanical and oxidative recirculation using PAWB resulted in a higher biofilm inactivation from the pipe walls as compared to recirculation using distilled water alone. Apart from the flow regimes, various parameters including the volume of PAWB circulated, the concentration of the major plasma reactive species, and treatment time affected the susceptibility of the mixed‐species biofilms to PAWB treatment. Under all tested conditions, the bacterial cells were below the detection limit of 1 log CFU/mL in water after PAWB treatments. A better understanding of the hydrodynamic variations prevalent in the drinking water system is important for designing an effective disinfection protocol using PAWB. The results obtained from the study provide important information on the use of PAWB for biofilm control strategies.
Personal and work‐related factors associated with post‐traumatic growth in nurses: A mixed studies systematic review
Authors: Tang Lian Kwang , Yobas Piyanee , Wong Dionne Ning Xuan , Pikkarainen Minna , Zhang Renwen , Ho Dean , He Hong‐Gu
Published: May 2024

Introduction

Nurses, assuming a wide range of clinical and patient care responsibilities in a healthcare team, are highly susceptible to direct and indirect exposure to traumatic experiences. However, literature has shown that nurses with certain traits developed a new sense of personal strength in the face of adversity, known as post‐traumatic growth (PTG). This review aimed to synthesize the best available evidence to evaluate personal and work‐related factors associated with PTG among nurses.

Design

Mixed studies systematic review.

Methods

Studies examining factors influencing PTG on certified nurses from all healthcare facilities were included. Published and unpublished studies were identified by searching 12 databases from their inception until 4th February 2023. Two reviewers independently screened, appraised, piloted a data collection form, and extracted relevant data. Meta‐summary, meta‐synthesis, meta‐analysis, as well as subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Integration of results followed result‐based convergent design.

Results

A total of 98 studies with 29,706 nurses from 18 countries were included. These included 49 quantitative, 42 qualitative, and seven mixed‐methods studies. Forty‐six influencing factors were meta‐analyzed, whereas nine facilitating factors were meta‐summarized. A PTG conceptual map was created. Four constructs emerged from the integration synthesis: (a) personal system, (b) work‐related system, (c) event‐related factors, and (d) cognitive transformation.

Conclusion

The review findings highlighted areas healthcare organizations could do to facilitate PTG in nurses. Practical implications include developing intervention programs based on PTG facilitators. Further research should examine the trend of PTG and its dynamic response to different nursing factors.

Clinical Relevance

Research on trauma‐focused therapies targeting nurses' mental health is lacking. Therefore, findings from this review could inform healthcare organizations on the PTG phenomenon and developing support measures for nurses through healthcare policies and clinical practice.
Foreign shareholding and corporate environmental expenditure: Evidence from China
Authors: Luo Zhi , Yang Huanhuan , Zhang Yinuo
Published: May 2024

This paper estimates the effects of foreign investments on the environmental expenditure of listed companies in China by differentiating pre‐IPO foreign investors from post‐IPO foreign investors. Our findings indicate that while pre‐IPO foreign investments make significant and positive contributions, the influence of post‐IPO foreign investments is negligible. These results are particularly pronounced for enterprises that are privately owned, located in coastal China, operating in heavily polluting industries, and whose management lacks prior experience in environmental protection and international vision. Furthermore, research efforts are devoted to uncovering potential channels through which pre‐IPO foreign investments affect corporate environmental expenditure, including environmental regulations in home countries or regions, government attention to environmental issues, media coverage, and corporate financial constraints.
The market for model laws: The diffusion of NAIC model laws
Authors: Alexander Charlotte S. , Grace Martin F. , Luo Jingshu
Published: May 2024

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) issues model laws to promote uniformity in the US state‐based insurance regulatory system. In this paper, we study the diffusion of 197 NAIC model laws, examining the adoption patterns and influencing factors. Employing a network algorithm, we uncover the underlying network over which model laws spread. The NAIC plays a central role in this network, and its influence increases over time. Additionally, we explore factors affecting states' model law adoptions from three perspectives: the laws' attributes, the states' internal characteristics, and external influences. We find that a law's attributes play a key role. Model laws characterized by low complexity, distinct from existing state laws, mandated for accreditation compliance, and recently amended are more likely to be adopted. While we do not find significant impacts of various state‐internal characteristics, our results reveal that states follow geographic and ideological neighbors in adopting model laws.
Psychological inflexibility as a predictor associated with insomnia
Authors: El Rafihi‐Ferreira Renatha , Linares Ila Marques Porto , Paulos‐Guarnieri Léo , Zakiei Ali
Published: May 2024

Psychological flexibility has recently attracted the attention of researchers in the field of sleep disorders; therefore, in the study, psychological flexibility was evaluated as a predictor or factor related to the presence/severity of insomnia. We included 2218 individuals selected from the randomized–control trial for behavioural therapy for insomnia and cross‐sectional studies, including 1797 individuals with insomnia and 421 controls without insomnia. All participants completed the DSM‐5‐based insomnia diagnosis interview, Insomnia Severity Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Acceptance Action Questionnaire‐II. Linear regression and multinomial logistic regression models were used. Sex, education, occupation, marital status, anxiety, depression and psychological inflexibility were possible predictors or factors associated with the severity of insomnia. Multivariate linear regression analysis demonstrated that sex (𝛽 = 0.88; t = 2.80; p = 0.005), depression (𝛽  = 0.41; t = 10.7; p < 0.001), anxiety (𝛽  = 0.58; t = 14.1; p < 0.001) and psychological inflexibility (𝛽  = 0.09; t = 5.07; p < 0.001) were predictors of insomnia. The results of the multinomial logistic regression demonstrate that, in comparison to the absence of insomnia, insomnia at all levels (mild, moderate and severe) was associated with sex, anxiety and depression. Psychological inflexibility was only associated with severe insomnia (odds ratio = 1.04). These findings are important from a public health perspective because behavioural strategies designed to treat insomnia with a focus on psychological flexibility are low‐cost and may help improve sleep quality in adults with insomnia, which also influences mental health.
Salivary metabolomic identification of biomarker candidates for oral melanoma and oral squamous cell carcinoma in dogs
Authors: Ploypetch Sekkarin , Luo Xian , Zhao Shuang , Roytrakul Sittiruk , Li Liang , Suriyaphol Gunnaporn
Published: May 2024

Background

Oral melanoma (OM) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are frequently diagnosed in dogs, presenting a challenge in distinguishing them from benign oral tumors (BN). Salivary metabolomic biomarkers offer a practical solution because of saliva's direct contact with tumors and the noninvasive nature of collection.

Objective

Assess the diversity and abundance of the salivary metabolome in dogs with BN, OM, and OSCC using amine/phenol submetabolome analysis and high‐performance chemical isotope labeling liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (CIL LC‐MS).

Animals

Study included 11 BN, 24 OM, 10 OSCC, and 20 healthy control dogs.

Methods

Case‐control cross‐sectional study was conducted to assess salivary submetabolic profiles in dogs with BN, OM, and OSCC and healthy dogs. Samples were labeled with 12C‐dansyl chloride and analyzed using CIL LC‐MS targeted to amine‐ and phenol‐containing metabolites for amine/phenol submetabolome analysis.

Results

Distinct clusters and significant differences in metabolite concentrations were observed among the oral cancer, BN, and control groups. A total of 154 and 66 metabolites showed significantly altered concentrations, particularly in OM and OSCC, respectively, when compared with BN (Padj < .05). Potential metabolic biomarkers were identified for each cancer, including decreased concentrations of seryl‐arginine and sarcosine in OSCC. Moreover, high‐confidence putative metabolites were identified, including an increase in tryptophyl‐threonine and a decrease in 1,2‐dihydroxynapthalene‐6‐sulfonic acid and hydroxyprolyl‐hydroxyproline for OM.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

We identified high coverage of the amine/phenol submetabolome, including seryl‐arginine, and sarcosine, in OSCC. Our findings emphasize the potential of these biomarkers for distinguishing between oral OSCC and BN in dogs.
Proactive Language Learning Theory
Authors: Papi Mostafa , Hiver Phil
Published: May 2024

Second language acquisition theory has traditionally focused on the cognitive and psycholinguistic processes involved in additional language (L2) learning. In addition, research on learner psychology has primarily centered on learners’ cognitive abilities (e.g., aptitude and working memory) and internal traits or states (e.g., dispositions, motivations, and affect). Language learning behavior, however, has remained largely neglected and under‐theorized. To address this gap, this paper proposes the proactive language learning theory, which delineates the agentic and strategic behaviors that learners employ to learn an additional language. These behaviors include input‐seeking behavior, interaction‐seeking behavior, information‐seeking behavior, and feedback‐seeking behavior. This paper presents theoretical arguments supporting the proposal, describes the four behavioral dimensions of the theory, and outlines general hypotheses concerning the contextual and learner‐related antecedents of these behaviors and their effects on L2 outcomes. Finally, the potential implications of this theory for advancing our understanding of L2 learning and instruction are discussed.
The Tree of Life eDNA metabarcoding reveals a similar taxonomic richness but dissimilar evolutionary lineages between seaports and marine reserves
Authors: Macé Bastien , Mouillot David , Dalongeville Alicia , Bruno Morgane , Deter Julie , Varenne Alix , Gudefin Anaïs , Boissery Pierre , Manel Stéphanie
Published: May 2024

Coastal areas host a major part of marine biodiversity but are seriously threatened by ever‐increasing human pressures. Transforming natural coastlines into urban seascapes through habitat artificialization may result in loss of biodiversity and key ecosystem functions. Yet, the extent to which seaports differ from nearby natural habitats and marine reserves across the whole Tree of Life is still unknown. This study aimed to assess the level of α and β‐diversity between seaports and reserves, and whether these biodiversity patterns are conserved across taxa and evolutionary lineages. For that, we used environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to survey six seaports on the French Mediterranean coast and four strictly no‐take marine reserves nearby. By targeting four different groups—prokaryotes, eukaryotes, metazoans and fish—with appropriate markers, we provide a holistic view of biodiversity on contrasted habitats. In the absence of comprehensive reference databases, we used bioinformatic pipelines to gather similar sequences into molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs). In contrast to our expectations, we obtained no difference in MOTU richness (α‐diversity) between habitats except for prokaryotes and threatened fishes with higher diversity in reserves than in seaports. However, we observed a marked dissimilarity (β‐diversity) between seaports and reserves for all taxa. Surprisingly, this biodiversity signature of seaports was preserved across the Tree of Life, up to the order. This result reveals that seaports and nearby marine reserves share few taxa and evolutionary lineages along urbanized coasts and suggests major differences in terms of ecosystem functioning between both habitats.
Pushing, standing and bringing to light: How medical trainees conceptualise professional resistance
Authors: Konopasky Abigail , Ma Ting Lan , Wyatt Tasha R.
Published: May 2024

Background

Much of the literature on harm and injustice in medical education focuses on the impact of oppression rather than trainees' efforts to create change. To acknowledge and make visible these efforts, medical education professionals must grasp how trainees perceive resistance and their role in effecting change. Employing functional linguistic and ‘everyday’ resistance theories, this critical qualitative study aims to understand trainees' conceptions of resistance practices and their representational choices in moments when they talked about and conceptualised resistance.

Methods

Gathering participants through professional networks and snowball sampling, this study employed in‐depth interviews to explore the conceptualisations of resistance among North American medical trainees (9 medical students, 9 residents and fellows). With the use of an applied functional linguistic analysis framework, we analysed the representational metafunction in trainees' conceptualisation of their resistance efforts against social injustice. We began with open coding for ‘everyday’ acts of resistance and then shifted to focused coding on verbal process types in participants' language to characterise their conceptualisations of resistance.

Findings

Participants conceptualised their resistance practices in three distinct ways: first, an almost physical pushing back, drawing largely on material process types (doing); second, an embodied standing up and being present, based predominantly on material and relational process types (being); and third, an epistemic bringing to light, grounded mostly in mental and verbal process types (thinking). These processes of resistance reflect participants' conceptualisations of their efforts to challenge the status quo around inequity, harm and injustice in medical education.

Conclusion

This study builds on resistance literature, offering a potential typology of resistance practices as pushing back, being and bringing to light. Because these are ‘everyday’ acts of resistance, these are tactics available to everyone, including faculty; we all have the power to resist, whether it is in teaching and learning or interacting with larger structures in medicine.
The guideline multiple: beyond the dilemma of either relationships or standards
Authors: Bearman Margaret , Ajjawi Rola
Published: May 2024

Teaching the guideline multiple! This commentary offers a means of teaching clinical reasoning that takes account of tensions between written guidelines & the messy world of clinical practice
Unlikely Alliances: How the Wars in Karabakh And Gaza Shape Northwest Asian Security
Authors: Souleimanov Emil A.
Published: May 2024

This study analyzes how ongoing conflicts in the Levant and the post‐Soviet South Caucasus have upset the balance of relationships among Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Israel, Turkey, and Russia—and how this could escalate into a major, cross‐regional war. Azerbaijan's military victories of 2020 and 2023 over the Armenia‐occupied, separatist republic of Nagorno‐Karabakh have antagonized Iran, which has seen these gains, coupled with Baku's increasingly revanchist rhetoric, as a major threat to regional security. With Armenia left on its own by its Russian ally, and with Turkey's and Israel's backing of Azerbaijan, the Gaza war has driven Iran to see Baku as a dangerous “Israeli asset.” However, the Palestine conflict has also sparked a rift between Turkey and Israel, throwing into question Baku's strength. If the militarist rhetoric of Azerbaijani elites leads the state to invade its weakened neighbor Armenia, this will increase the potential for a military confrontation between the two Shiite nations of Azerbaijan and Iran, with Armenia, Turkey, Israel, and Russia likely to be dragged in.
The immune interactions of gut glycans and microbiota in health and disease
Authors: Demirturk Mahmut , Cinar Mukaddes Sena , Avci Fikri Y.
Published: May 2024

The human digestive system harbors a vast diversity of commensal bacteria and maintains a symbiotic relationship with them. However, imbalances in the gut microbiota accompany various diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and colorectal cancers (CRCs), which significantly impact the well‐being of populations globally. Glycosylation of the mucus layer is a crucial factor that plays a critical role in maintaining the homeostatic environment in the gut. This review delves into how the gut microbiota, immune cells, and gut mucus layer work together to establish a balanced gut environment. Specifically, the role of glycosylation in regulating immune cell responses and mucus metabolism in this process is examined.
Taste of microbes: the terroir explained by rhizospheric microbes
Authors: Nakano Ryohei Thomas
Published: May 2024

This article is a Commentary on Walsh et al. (2024), 243: 1951–1965.
Effect of body mass index on exercise capacity following pediatric heart transplantation
Authors: Wang Alan P. , Ward Kendra , Griffith Garett , Gambetta Katheryn
Published: May 2024

Background

Obesity and impaired exercise tolerance following heart transplantation increase the risk of post‐transplant morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of body mass index on markers of exercise capacity in pediatric heart transplant recipients and compare this effect with a healthy pediatric cohort.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of cardiopulmonary exercise test data between 2004 and 2022 was performed. All patients exercised on a treadmill using the Bruce protocol. Inclusion criteria included patients aged 6–21 years, history of heart transplantation (transplant cohort) or no cardiac diagnosis (control cohort) at the time of testing, and a maximal effort test. Patients were further stratified within these two cohorts as underweight, normal, overweight, and obese based on body mass index groups. Two‐way analyses of variance were performed with diagnosis and body mass index category as the independent variables.

Results

A total of 250 exercise tests following heart transplant and 1963 exercise tests of healthy patients were included. Heart transplant patients across all body mass index groups had higher resting heart rate and lower maximal heart rate, heart rate recovery at 1 min, exercise duration, and peak aerobic capacity (VO2peak). Heart transplant patients in the normal and overweight body mass index categories had higher VO2peak and exercise duration when compared to underweight and obese patients.

Conclusion

Underweight status and obesity are strongly associated with lower VO2peak and exercise duration in heart transplant patients. Normal and overweight heart transplant patients had the best markers of exercise capacity.
Improvement of starvation resistance via periodic fasting is genetically variable in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Lenhart Benedict A. , Ahsan Ayesha , McHaty Margaret , Bergland Alan O.
Published: May 2024

Organisms subjected to periodic nutrient limitation early in life exhibit improvements in aspects of survival, including resistance to some environmental stressors. Recent findings indicate that forms of periodic fasting, such as intermittent fasting and time‐restricted feeding, can improve starvation resistance. However, it remains unclear to what extent this survival improvement persists across different genetic backgrounds. In this study, we examine fasting‐induced starvation resistance across a broad survey of wild‐derived lineages and document genetic variation within this trait. We adopt a standard dietary intervention and show improvement in starvation resistance within a common laboratory lineage, replicating previous results. Next, we examine fasting‐induced starvation resistance across isofemale lines collected across latitudes and in different seasons, and among inbred lines derived from flies collected on different continents. We discover genetic variation of fasting‐induced starvation resistance and show that fasting improved starvation resistance as often as it worsened starvation resistance. Fasted flies generally showed reduced fat concentration, and their starvation survival varied with sex, season of collection and geographic origin. While specific lineages common to the laboratory can show a specific fasting‐induced phenotype, we show that this result is not consistent across genetic backgrounds, reinforcing the idea that phenotypes observed in historic laboratory strains may not be conserved across a species.
Sparse sensing to dense assessment: Incorporating spatial autocorrelation for assessing flood impacts
Authors: Chen Yudi , Ji Wenying
Published: May 2024

A rapid and comprehensive assessment of flood impacts is critical to assist emergency managers in conducting effective relief operations. With advances in information technologies, various types of sensors have been widely used to assess flood impacts promptly as they are capable of providing rapid flood impact information. However, sensor‐driven approaches are limited in the provision of a comprehensive impact assessment as sensors are often sparsely distributed. In this research, the authors integrate the sparse flood impact information obtained from sensors and the spatial autocorrelation of flood‐impacted areas, in order to achieve a rapid and comprehensive flood impact assessment. To achieve such a purpose, a systematic approach is proposed to (1) extract flood impact information from sparsely distributed sensors; (2) model the spatial autocorrelation of flood‐impacted areas based on flood evolution and geography principles; (3) learn the parameters of the spatial autocorrelation model through a gradient descent method; (4) infer the flood impacts of sensor‐uncovered areas based on the sparsely sensed impacts and the modeled spatial autocorrelation. To illustrate the proposed approach, we studied flood impacts on Highways in Houston, Texas during Hurricane Harvey. Results show that the spatial autocorrelation model presents a decent generalization capability in inferring the probability of neighboring highway blocks having the same flood impacts. Compared to purely sensor‐driven approaches, the proposed approach is capable of greatly extending the coverage of flood impact assessment while maintaining the nearly same accuracy.
The donation method: A new behavioral measure for white collar crime?
Authors: Constantin Katie , Reese Bruce , Boyett Kirstie
Published: May 2024

To comprehensively grasp, predict, and address the complexity of white collar crime, robust measurement tools are imperative. The burgeoning interdisciplinary interest in this domain has spurred the development of diverse assessment tools aimed at capturing offending behavior and its proxies. In the present paper, we provide an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of several commonly employed measures, including official statistics, victimization surveys, self‐report surveys, and (quasi)experimental measures. Drawing insights from this review, we then introduce a novel behavioral measure: the donation method. Although the task was originally designed to examine behaviors of interest to behavioral economists, we carefully outline strategies to refine and implement the donation method to assess white collar crime, addressing challenges such as task suitability and controlling for respondent behavior. Additionally, we provide a sample task to illustrate how such a tool could be used within this field. We conclude by underlining the appeal of adopting innovative measurement tools like the donation method to advance our collective understanding of white collar crime. By advocating for its widespread adoption and providing guidance for its use, we endeavor to catalyze progress in the field, facilitating unique insights and, potentially, more efficacious strategies for confronting and surmounting the methodological obstacles inherent in studying this elusive form of criminal activity.
Liberalising non‐tariff measures through regional trade agreements: The impact on multinational production
Authors: Raimondi Valentina , Scoppola Margherita
Published: May 2024

Modern Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) include, among other chapters, ones concerning sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and technical barriers to trade (TBT). Drawing on recent literature highlighting the relationship between “deep” RTAs and the global organisation of production, this paper empirically investigates whether these SPS and TBT provisions affect multinational production in the food, beverages and tobacco industry. To this end, we combine two different databases to estimate, in a panel gravity framework, both the intensive and extensive margins of multinational production. Because the extensive margin of multinational production may be persistent, a dynamic probit specification is used. Our results show that legally enforceable SPS sections in RTAs, in particular, influence multinational production, though with a rather differentiated pattern in terms of intensive and extensive margins; further, the impact changes depending on the country of origin and destination.
Spurious hyperbicarbonatemia and a negative anion gap in a cat and a dog with severe rhabdomyolysis
Authors: Bouschor Jennifer , Shiprack Christopher S. , Lake Zachary , Racette Molly A. , Heinrich Daniel A.
Published: May 2024

A 3‐year‐old male neutered domestic shorthair cat and a 2‐year‐old male neutered Labrador‐mix dog were separately presented to the Veterinary Medical Center for evaluation after sustaining significant muscle trauma due to a dog attack and seizure activity, respectively. In both cases, biochemical analysis was consistent with rhabdomyolysis. Additionally, a markedly increased measured serum bicarbonate concentration and negative calculated anion gap were observed. As these biochemical abnormalities were not expected and deemed incompatible with life, an interference with the analyzer measurement of bicarbonate involving marked increases in pyruvate and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) following myocyte injury was suspected. Venous blood gas analysis calculated bicarbonate concentration and anion gap were within reference interval, while measured LDH activity was markedly increased. These findings supported an analyzer‐generated interference. This is the first published report of a previously described chemistry analyzer interference of markedly increased LDH activity with serum bicarbonate concentration measurement in dogs and cats. Awareness of this interference is important, particularly in the emergency setting, as it may influence case management.
Teaching Philippine English through schoolscapes
Authors: Bernardo Alejandro S.
Published: May 2024

Schools in general and their so‐called linguistic schoolscape in particular have become an interesting object and subject of (socio)linguistic investigation over the past few years. This article, therefore, explores how schoolscapes may be turned into a potential pedagogical arsenal for teaching and learning a local variety of English – Philippine English – and an avenue for a conceptualisation that English is indeed a plural language. One may note that in spite of the fact that schoolscapes are (socio)linguistically intricate and a learning space itself, the literature about linguistic schoolscapes as an instructional apparatus for teaching English and its varieties remains scant, and thus this article hopes to be a touchstone for an ongoing conversation about the pedagogical promise of schoolscapes more specifically in English language teaching in the Philippine setting. Put more succinctly, this article hopes to further explore the fertile intersection between schoolscape and slanted towards Philippine English pedagogy.
Analysis of Dyonic ModMax black hole through accretion disk
Authors: Shahzad M. R. , Abbas G. , Rehman H. , Ma Wen-Xiu
Published: May 2024

In the present study, we probe the geodesic motion and accretion of particles around the spherically symmetric Dyonic ModMax black hole using isothermal fluid. The geodesic motion of the particles around the black hole leads to the formation of disk like structure during the accretion process. We compute the radiant temperature, radioactive efficiency, radiant flux energy, circular orbits and observe the behavior of particles within stable circular orbits in the equatorial plane. We examine how the particles are perturbed during the process by using restoring forces and the oscillatory behavior of the particles surrounding a compact object and also investigate the fluid’s critical flow and maximum accretion rate. Our findings demonstrate how the black hole parameter $$\gamma $$
γ
and charge Q affect the circular geodesic of particles as well as the maximum accretion rate of the Dyonic ModMax black hole.
Explaining the $$B^+\rightarrow K^+ \nu \bar{\nu }$$ excess via a massless dark photon
Authors: Gabrielli Emidio , Marzola Luca , Müürsepp Kristjan , Raidal Martti
Published: May 2024

The Belle II collaboration has recently observed the rare decay $$B^+\rightarrow K^+ \nu \bar{\nu }$$

B
+

→

K
+

ν

ν

¯

, finding an excess with respect to the Standard Model prediction. We explore the possibility that the data entails long-distance interactions induced by a massless dark photon, $$\gamma _{\scriptscriptstyle {D}}$$

γ

D

. This couples at the tree-level to an invisible, dark sector and to the Standard Model via higher-dimensional operators, such as the chromomagnetic-dipole coupling that we use to explain the excess. As the process $$B^+\rightarrow K^+ \gamma _{\scriptscriptstyle {D}}$$

B
+

→

K
+

γ

D

is forbidden by angular momentum conservation, the transition mediated by the off-shell dark photon yields a three-body final state comprising a pair of dark fermions that show as a missing energy continuum in the detector, faking the neutrino signature. We show that the Belle II data is explained for perturbative values of the parameters of the model. This scenario predicts new contributions to the neutral B meson decays $$B^0\rightarrow K^* \gamma _{\scriptscriptstyle {D}}$$

B
0

→

K
∗

γ

D

, in which the emission of a on-shell dark photon is allowed, yielding a monochromatic missing energy signature. Analogously, an excess due to the emission of a dark photon is predicted for the $$B^0_s\rightarrow \phi + E_\textrm{miss}$$

B
s
0

→
ϕ
+

E
miss

decay that could be scrutinized next at the LHCb experiments.
Link prediction based on fundamental heuristic elements
Authors: Fang Shiyu , Li Longjie , Bai Shenshen , Ma Zhixin , Chen Xiaoyun
Published: May 2024

Considerable efforts have been made for link prediction by researchers from various disciplines because of its important value in a wide range of applications. Heuristics methods, which predict links based on some assumptions, can attain commendable accuracy when their assumptions are met. Otherwise, their effectiveness may be unsatisfactory. On the other hand, the methods that leverage Graph Neural Networks to learn the representations of node pairs have been confirmed to be effective for link prediction. However, they are usually very time-consuming. To circumvent these issues, we put forth the HELF method, a new link prediction technique built on fully connected neural networks (FCNNs) with fundamental heuristic elements. By investigating the formulas of a collection of heuristic methods, we extract a series of fundamental heuristic elements from them, which cover the core structural profiles of node pairs. Then, we encode target node pairs into feature vectors using these fundamental heuristic elements and feed the feature vectors to a FCNN to gauge the existence of links. Extensive experiments are conducted on several networks to evaluate the performance of our HELF method. The results demonstrate that HELF outperforms the well-known heuristic methods and state-of-the-art neural network-based methods subject to AUC and AP. Additionally, HELF runs much faster than these neural network-based methods.
Enhanced fifth-kind Chebyshev polynomial Petrov–Galerkin algorithm for time-fractional Fokker–Planck equation
Authors: Magdy E. , Atta A. G. , Moatimid G. M. , Abd-Elhameed W. M. , Youssri Y. H.
Published: May 2024

This paper employs a numerical method for the numerical treatment of the time fractional Fokker–Planck equation. This method is based on applying the spectral Petrov–Galerkin method. We utilize suitable combinations for the shifted Chebyshev polynomial of the fifth-kind as basis functions. The key idea of the suggested strategy is to transform the governed boundary-value problem into a set of linear algebraic equations using the spectral Petrov–Galerkin method. Several approaches are available to solve the resultant linear system. An in-depth investigation is conducted on the convergence and error analysis of the expansion of the shifted Chebyshev polynomial function of the fifth kind. Many examples are provided to illustrate the precision of the suggested approach.
DIRTY INPUTS IN POWER PRODUCTION AND ITS CLEAN UP: A SIMPLE MODEL
Authors: SEN PARTHA , MITRA SIDDHARTHA
Published: May 2024

This paper develops a model in which a country, which only has access to a dirty technology for producing electric power in the short run, looks to expand its production in the long run by only permitting new power plants based on clean technology. The model mimics current reality in which major developing countries are being pushed by factors, such as the Paris Climate agreement of 2015 and the large burden of mortality and morbidity resulting from use of fossil fuels, to rely more on clean technologies. Our model shows how emissions and emission intensity of power output after the adoption of clean technologies are increasing in the targets for power production set by the government before availability of such technology and supply variables such as the wage rate and expenses on fixed capital, and decreasing in the tax on power production before the availability of clean technologies. Finally, it is seen that for low enough cost of the clean resource input, a country with a higher demand is able to set a higher target for production with the dirty technology when the clean technology is not available and yet achieves lower emissions and emission intensity in the long run.
MACHINE LEARNING AND ECONOMETRICS
Authors: HSIAO CHENG
Published: May 2024

The fundamental methodologies of machine learning and econometrics are reviewed. We also discuss the challenges of integrating the data-driven and model-based causal approaches and conjecture how it may yield new insights to empirical economic studies.
VOLATILITY SPILLOVER BETWEEN CHINA’S CRUDE OIL FUTURES AND SECTORAL STOCK MARKETS FROM A FREQUENCY DYNAMICS PERSPECTIVE
Authors: WANG JIANLI , ZHU HUIDI , WANG HONGXIA , DONG MINGHUA
Published: May 2024

This work investigates the dynamic volatility spillovers between China’s crude oil future market and sectoral stock markets. We demonstrate that the overall risk transmission is predominantly driven by long-term spillovers. Several major events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia–Ukraine conflict, increase the time-varying connectedness. Moreover, we find that the role of the crude oil futures market shifts from a net receiver to a risk contributor under the impacts of these events. We also clarify the heterogeneity in the net pairwise spillovers between the crude oil future market and different sectors. Our finding on volatility spillovers is helpful for both policymakers and investors to understand the systematic risk.