bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Effective are Decentralized Anti‐poverty Programs?
Authors: Chen Shuai , Cheng Mingda , Tan‐Soo Jie‐Sheng
Published: July 2024

This study examines the effectiveness of China's National Poor Counties (NPC) program, a decentralized anti‐poverty initiative, by analyzing five rounds of individual‐level panel data from 1988 to 2008. The impact of two waves of the NPC program (1994 and 2001) is evaluated utilizing a panel fixed‐effects regression model. The results indicate substantial positive effects, with residents in NPC counties experiencing a 47 percent income increase, 3.1 percent higher employment rates, and a 5.7 percent rise in household expenditure from 1988 to 2008, in comparison with non‐NPC counties. Notably, the program benefited vulnerable populations, dispelling concerns about “elite capture.” The study also reveals that evolving policy focus has played a pivotal role in sustaining the effects of the program over time. The 1994 round prioritized low‐skilled employment, and the 2001 wave emphasized productivity enhancement through skills development. These findings highlight the continued efficacy of decentralized anti‐poverty efforts.
Exploring the gender gap in agricultural productivity: Evidence from Sri Lanka
Authors: Fukase Emiko , Kim Yeon Soo , Chiarella Cristina
Published: July 2024

Motivation

Men farmers typically achieve higher productivity than women farmers, a gender gap that reflects women's disadvantages in farming. Sri Lanka seems an exception, because women farmers achieve higher land productivity (gross value of output per hectare) than men farmers. That said, despite women's productivity advantage, men earn higher agricultural incomes.

Purpose

We investigate the factors contributing to the unconditional agricultural productivity advantage of women farmers and the gender gap in agricultural earnings in favour of men in Sri Lanka.

Approach and methods

Using data from the nationally representative 2016 Sri Lanka Household Income and Expenditure Survey, we employ Oaxaca‐Blinder decomposition to analyse factors behind the gender disparities in agricultural productivity and earnings.

Findings

The leading factor contributing to higher female land productivity is the smaller plot size cultivated by women, reflecting an inverse relation between cultivated area and yield. The next most important factor is the gendered pattern of crop mix: women tend to cultivate high‐value export crops such as tea, while men are more likely to grow paddy — a less productive crop. When plot size and crop mix are controlled, men farmers achieve a conditional productivity advantage over women farmers. For crop earnings, men have both unconditional and conditional advantages, mainly due to their greater access to land and other inputs. While women's small plots have high yields, their size limits women's farm incomes.

Policy implications

Policies to improve women's lagging access to land, inputs and other agricultural resources — often due to inherent gender bias — are needed to close the gender gap in agricultural income. Government policies favouring import‐competing commodities such as paddy, mainly through fertilizer subsidies, tend to benefit disproportionately men who are more likely to engage in paddy farming. Reallocating public spending on agriculture could enhance both efficiency and gender equality.
Changes in the treatment landscape of metastatic hormone‐sensitive prostate cancer following approval of upfront androgen receptor signaling inhibitors: A multicenter study
Authors: Urabe Fumihiko , Muramoto Katsuki , Yanagisawa Takafumi , Fukuokaya Wataru , Mori Keiichiro , Tashiro Kojiro , Katsumi Kota , Takahashi Hidetsugu , Yoshihara Kentaro , Miyajima Keiichiro , Imai Yu , Iwatani Kosuke , Kayano Sotaro , Igarashi Taro , Murakami Masaya , Tsuzuki Shunsuke , Shimomura Tatsuya , Yamada Hiroki , Miki Jun , Kimura Takahiro ,   JIKEI‐YAYOI Collaborative Group
Published: July 2024

Background

A multicenter database was utilized to examine the current treatment landscape and clinical outcomes among patients with metastatic hormone‐sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) following approval of upfront androgen receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSIs).

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed patients with mHSPC who commenced treatment between February 2018 and June 2023. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to assess oncological outcomes, including time to castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), progression‐free survival 2 (PFS2, duration from initial treatment to tumor progression during second‐line treatment), cancer‐specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS). Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the impact of treatment choices on oncological outcomes. In addition, the incidence rate of adverse events was assessed.

Results

In total, 829 patients were analyzed; 42.5% received ARSIs with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), 44.0% received combined androgen blockade (CAB), and 13.5% received ADT alone. Kaplan–Meier curves and multivariate Cox regression analyses indicated higher rates of CRPC and shorter PFS2 in patients treated with CAB versus ARSIs with ADT. By contrast, CSS and OS were not significantly different between the ARSI with ADT group and the CAB group. Grades 3–4 adverse events occurred in 1.9% of patients receiving CAB and 6.0% of those receiving ARSIs with ADT.

Conclusions

Initial treatment with ARSIs in combination with ADT resulted in a longer time to CRPC and longer PFS2 compared to CAB. Although CAB and ADT alone were associated with fewer adverse events, ARSIs with ADT should be considered a first‐line treatment option given its superior oncological outcomes.
Effect of Rab18 on liver injury and lipid accumulation by regulating perilipin 2 and peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Zhang Lei , Xu Lidong , Rong Aimei , Cui Yuanbo , Wang Lin , Li Lu , Han Xiaomeng , Xiao Xingguo , Wu Huili
Published: July 2024

Background and Aim

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is currently one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide, characterized by the presence of lipid droplets. Rab18 is an important lipid droplet protein; however, its effects and mechanisms of action on NAFLD remain unclear.

Methods

Free fatty acid‐stimulated AML‐12 cells and high‐fat diet (HFD)‐fed mice were used as NAFLD models. Lentiviruses overexpressing Rab18 (Rab18‐OE) or knockdown (Rab18‐KD) were used to generate stable cell lines for genetic analysis. Blood serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, glucose, and leptin were measured using a biochemical autoanalyzer. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed to detect pathological damage to the liver. Lipid accumulation in the cells was assessed by Oil Red O staining. Target expression was measured using qPCR, western blotting, and immunocytochemistry.

Results

Rab18 mRNA and protein expression levels increased in free fatty acid‐stimulated AML‐12 cells and the livers of HFD‐fed mice. Rab18‐OE increased lipid accumulation in vitro, which was attenuated by Rab18‐KD. In vivo, Rab18‐OE augmented liver pathological damage, serum alanine aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase activity, and triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low‐density lipoprotein levels, whereas Rab18‐KD decreased these indicators. Rab18‐KD also downregulated blood glucose levels in HFD‐fed mice. Mechanistically, Rab18‐OE and Rab18‐KD regulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of perilipin 2 (PLIN2) and peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Immunocytochemistry revealed that Rab18 colocalized with PLIN2 and PPARγ in AML‐12 cells.

Conclusion

Rab18 expression was elevated in vitro and in vivo in the NAFLD mouse model. Rab18 regulates PLIN2 and PPARγ expression to exaggerate liver injury and lipid accumulation in patients with NAFLD. Thus, Rab18 may be a crucial protein in this disease and a potential therapeutic target.
Industry Exposure to Artificial Intelligence, Board Network Heterogeneity, and Firm Idiosyncratic Risk
Authors: Hudson Kerry , Morgan Robert E.
Published: July 2024

Despite the growing impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in business, there is little research examining its effects on firm idiosyncratic risk (IR). This is an important issue for boards: as key conduits of firm–environment information flows via board interlock networks, traditional risk oversight functions are being increasingly augmented with strategic decision‐making and communications. Accordingly, we explore how AI and board interlocks independently and interactively affect IR, focusing on the heterogeneity of the board's network ties. We hypothesize these effects within signalling theory, positing that a firm's AI exposure and board network will differentially affect market perceptions of risk contingent on their perceived cost and relative signal strength under different environmental conditions. We find that while AI and board network heterogeneity both favourably affect risk, operating in a high‐AI industry while occupying a network position that spans industry boundaries mitigates these effects, leading to an increase in IR for firms in the most technologically advanced industries. Additional analyses of diversification corroborate these theoretical mechanisms: as a costly signal of competence across multiple domains, diversification enables firms to simultaneously engage with AI and diverse knowledge networks without market penalties. Our findings offer practical insights for directors and avenues for theoretical development.
Dynamic equilibrium with insider information and general uninformed agent utility
Authors: Detemple Jerome , Robertson Scott
Published: July 2024

We study a continuous time economy where agents have asymmetric information. The informed agent (“”), at time zero, receives a private signal about the risky assets' terminal payoff , while the uninformed agent (“”) has no private signal. is an arbitrary payoff function, and follows a time‐homogeneous diffusion. Crucially, we allow to have von Neumann–Morgenstern preferences with a general utility function on satisfying the standard conditions. This extends previous constructions of equilibria with asymmetric information used when all agents have exponential utilities and enables us to study the impact of U's initial share endowment on equilibrium. To allow for to have general preferences, we introduce a new method to prove existence of a partial communication equilibrium (PCE), where at time 0, receives a less‐informative signal than . In the single asset case, this signal is recoverable by viewing the equilibrium price process over an arbitrarily short period of time, and hence the PCE is a dynamic noisy rational expectations equilibrium. Lastly, when has power (constant relative risk aversion) utility, we identify the equilibrium price in the small and large risk aversion limits.
Reinforcing the Resistance: Iran and the Levant in a Multipolar Middle East
Authors: Wastnidge Edward
Published: July 2024

Hamas's al‐Aqsa Flood operation, Israel's brutal response, and the regional escalation of the conflict, including Iran's and Israel's unprecedented strikes on each other's territory, mark a critical juncture for the Middle East. These events have brought a renewed focus on the Levant as a key area of Iranian geopolitical interest and rivalry with Israel. Syria and the broader subregion are viewed by Tehran as vital for its national security and that of its alliance network, the Axis of Resistance, and for the survival of the regime. This article explores Iran's policy toward the Levant, focusing on Syria as the crucible of Iran's engagement with the region over the last decade. The study highlights how Iran's approach is defined by its continued desire to maintain its projection of strategic depth, thus ensuring its own security and that of the Axis of Resistance. Israel looms large over this calculus as the Islamic Republic looks to strengthen its allies’ positions against its enduring rival.
Braden score predicts 30‐day mortality risk in patients with ischaemic stroke in the ICU: A retrospective analysis based on the MIMIC‐IV database
Authors: Tang Yonglan , Li Xinya , Cheng Hongtao , Tan Shanyuan , Ling Yitong , Ming Wai‐kit , Lyu Jun
Published: July 2024

Background

Ischaemic stroke remains a significant global health challenge, associated with high mortality rates. While the Braden Scale is traditionally employed to assess pressure ulcer risk, its potential to predict mortality among the intensive care unit (ICU) patients with ischaemic stroke has not been thoroughly investigated.

Aim/s

This study evaluates the predictive value of the Braden Scale for 30‐day mortality among patients with ischaemic stroke admitted to ICU.

Study Design

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 4710 adult patients with ischaemic stroke from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)‐IV database. The association between the Braden Scale scores and 30‐day mortality was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, Cox regression models and Kaplan–Meier survival estimates.

Results

Patients with Braden Scale scores ≤ 15.5 showed significantly higher 30‐day mortality rates (p‐value < 0.001; hazard ratio (HR): 2.08, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.71–2.53). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.71, demonstrating good predictive performance. Multivariate analysis confirmed the Braden Scale as an independent predictor of mortality, after adjusting for age, gender and comorbidities.

Conclusions

The Braden Scale effectively identifies high‐risk ischaemic stroke patients in ICU settings, endorsing its integration into routine assessments to facilitate early intervention strategies.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

Integrating the Braden Scale into routine ICU evaluations can enhance mortality risk stratification and improve patient care tailoring.
Future climate doubles the risk of hydraulic failure in a wet tropical forest
Authors: Robbins Zachary , Chambers Jeffrey , Chitra‐Tarak Rutuja , Christoffersen Bradley , Dickman L. Turin , Fisher Rosie , Jonko Alex , Knox Ryan , Koven Charles , Kueppers Lara , McDowell Nate , Xu Chonggang
Published: July 2024

Future climate presents conflicting implications for forest biomass. We evaluate how plant hydraulic traits, elevated CO2 levels, warming, and changes in precipitation affect forest primary productivity, evapotranspiration, and the risk of hydraulic failure.

We used a dynamic vegetation model with plant hydrodynamics (FATES‐HYDRO) to simulate the stand‐level responses to future climate changes in a wet tropical forest in Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We calibrated the model by selecting plant trait assemblages that performed well against observations. These assemblages were run with temperature and precipitation changes for two greenhouse gas emission scenarios (2086–2100: SSP2‐45, SSP5‐85) and two CO2 levels (contemporary, anticipated).

The risk of hydraulic failure is projected to increase from a contemporary rate of 5.7% to 10.1–11.3% under future climate scenarios, and, crucially, elevated CO2 provided only slight amelioration. By contrast, elevated CO2 mitigated GPP reductions. We attribute a greater variation in hydraulic failure risk to trait assemblages than to either CO2 or climate.

Our results project forests with both faster growth (through productivity increases) and higher mortality rates (through increasing rates of hydraulic failure) in the neo‐tropics accompanied by certain trait plant assemblages becoming nonviable.
Modified Tracheal Traction Exercise Reduces the Incidence of Dysphagia in Patients with Multilevel Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion
Authors: Wei Jiasen , Li Fudong , Sun Jingchuan , Zhu Zhenjun , Shi Rui , Shi Jiangang , Sun Kaiqiang
Published: July 2024

Objectives

Dysphagia, an impairment in swallowing, is a frequent and debilitating complication for patients undergoing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), a common surgical treatment for degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). This retrospective study aimed to assess the efficacy of modified tracheal traction exercise (MTTE) in alleviating postoperative dysphagia and improving clinical outcomes for these patients.

Methods

A cohort of 143 patients underwent multilevel fusions, equally distributed between MTTE (n = 75) and traditional tracheal traction exercise (TTTE) (n = 68) groups. Demographic parity was observed in gender distribution, age averages (MTTE: 51.43 ± 11.25 years; TTTE: 52.35 ± 10.43 years), body mass index (BMI), comorbidities, fusion segments, and preoperative hospitalization days. Surgical duration differences were assessed. Clinical outcomes, dysphagia incidence, blood loss, postoperative complications, Cervical Japanese Orthopedic Association (c‐JOA) scores, and functional outcome swallowing scale evaluations were conducted. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to explore factors influencing dysphagia.

Results

Modified tracheal traction exercise demonstrated advantages with a significantly lower dysphagia incidence (25.33% vs. 44.12%, p = 0.018), reduced blood loss (102.03 ± 17.04 vs. 113.46 ± 14.92, p < 0.001), shorter surgical durations (159.04 ± 9.82 vs. 164.41 ± 12.22 min, p = 0.004), and fewer postoperative complications (choking cough, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and hoarseness). Postoperative c‐JOA scores at 2 and 6 weeks favored MTTE, but no significant differences were observed at 12 and 24 weeks. Functional outcome swallowing scale evaluations favored MTTE with significantly higher percentages of “normal” and lower incidences of “mild” and “moderate dysphagia” at various postoperative intervals compared to TTTE. Factors significantly associated with dysphagia included MTTE, age, and BMI according to logistic regression analyses.

Conclusion

Modified tracheal traction exercise demonstrates superior short‐term outcomes in multilevel ACDF, showcasing reduced dysphagia incidence, blood loss, and specific postoperative complications. Notably, factors contributing to dysphagia, including operation technique and patient‐related variables, emphasize the significance of MTTE and patient characteristics in optimizing postoperative outcomes in multilevel ACDF procedures.
Cross‐sectoral collaboration in times of crisis: Comparing the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland
Authors: Plaček Michal , Valentinov Vladislav , Daniel Gabriela , Ochrana František , Mikołajczak Paweł , Waligóra Anna
Published: July 2024

The Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland, with their shared political histories, have confronted the compounded challenges of the COVID‐19 pandemic and the Ukraine war. These difficulties spurred the emergence of public–nonprofit collaboration in all three countries, each taking distinct paths. Our study aims to unravel these divergent trajectories of public–nonprofit collaboration through the lens of historical institutionalism. Using this lens, we attribute this divergence to the influence of the broader institutional environment, whose evolution has followed distinct trajectories in the examined countries. To achieve our objectives, we employed single‐country case study methods, leveraging desk research and structured interviews with management informants from nonprofit organizations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland (37 respondents in total). Our study demonstrates that the perceptions of the institutional environment by nonprofit actors directly shape the effectiveness of collaborations between the public sector and nonprofit organizations. Contrary to Western expectations, our findings challenge the seemingly prevailing optimism regarding the outcomes of public–nonprofit collaboration and emphasize the influence of factors such as path dependency, mutual distrust, and prior negative experiences.
Coping With COVID‐19: Perspectives of Caregivers of Children and Young People With Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Piotrowski Caroline C. , Strong Julie , Giesbrecht Ashley , Goldberg Aviva , Kudar Kira , Pappas Katerina , Rempel Gina
Published: July 2024

Background

Caregivers of children and young people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) face challenging circumstances on a daily basis; however, the difficulties they experienced during the COVID‐19 pandemic, as well as potentially positive experiences, are not yet fully understood. The aim of this study was to explore the pandemic‐related experiences of these caregivers.

Methods

Twelve caregivers were recruited from a hospital‐based pediatric renal program; eight families were posttransplant. Caregivers participated in virtual semistructured interviews conducted between March 2021 and November 2022. They provided responses to open‐ended questions concerning how the pandemic affected their child with CKD, their family, and themselves. Interviews were transcribed and coded using thematic analysis.

Results

Four main themes were identified: (1) Family Life, which included disruptions in routine, reduced social supports, and changes in the quality of family relationships; (2) Mental Health and Coping, which included increased anxiety and positive coping strategies; (3) Work and School Life, which included changes to work and school; and (4) Health and Health Care Systems, which included virtual health care and public health restrictions.

Conclusions

Despite facing profound challenges, caregivers identified both positive and negative aspects of their pandemic experiences. Their coping strategies highlighted individual and family resilience characteristics. Implications for health care providers, including future pandemic planning, support for the transition from in‐person to virtual care, and strategies to better address barriers to resources for families of children with chronic kidney disease were discussed.
De Novo and Progressive Pulmonary Vein Stenosis Following Pediatric Heart Transplantation: A Multicenter Retrospective Study
Authors: Butto Arene , O'Halloran Conor , Kuo James , Joong Anna , Hauck Amanda L. , Nugent Alan , Mahle William , Tannous Paul
Published: July 2024

Background

Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is a rare condition in which neointimal proliferation leads to venous and arterial hypertension. Little is known about PVS after heart transplant (HTx) in children. We sought to describe the characteristics and outcomes of children who develop PVS after HTx.

Methods

We performed a retrospective review of patients ≤18 years old who underwent HTx at two HTx centers between April 2012 and October 2023. Patients with PVS were identified via database queries. Cardiac diagnosis, PVS location and extent, and outcomes were recorded.

Results

Over 11.5 years, 422 patients underwent HTx across both centers. Nineteen patients with PVS (10 male) were identified, 15 with de novo PVS. Sixteen had underlying congenital heart disease (CHD), two with anomalous pulmonary venous return. PVS was diagnosed at a median of 2 months (range 2 weeks to 14 years) after HTx. At time of initial diagnosis, 13 patients had one‐vessel PVS. At final follow‐up, 7/19 (37%) had increases in the number of vessels involved. Six patients underwent surgery, and nine patients had stent or balloon angioplasty. Two patients were treated for pulmonary hypertension following PVS diagnosis. Three patients died from right heart failure secondary to PVS.

Conclusions

This is the largest study to describe the characteristics of post‐HTx PVS in children. PVS occurs in 4.5% of HTx, and underlying CHD is a strong risk factor. Multiple vessels can be involved and may require catheter‐based or surgical intervention. Clinicians must be vigilant in monitoring the development of PVS in this population.
Chance, ability, and control
Authors: Mandelkern Matthew
Published: July 2024

This paper concerns a controversy between two compelling and popular claims in the theory of ability. One is the claim that ability requires control. The other is the claim that success entails ability, that is, that φ‐ing entails that you are able to φ. Since actually φ‐ing obviously does not entail that φ is in your control, these two claims cannot both be true. I introduce a new form of evidence to help adjudicate this controversy: judgments about the possibility and probability of ability ascriptions. I argue that these judgments provide evidence in favor of the thesis that success entails ability, and against the thesis that ability requires control. Moreover, I argue that these judgments support an analysis of ability in terms of conditionals.
CAX control: multiple roles of vacuolar cation/H+ exchangers in metal tolerance, mineral nutrition and environmental signalling
Authors: Pittman J. K. , Hirschi K. D.
Published: July 2024

Plant vacuolar transporters, particularly CAX (Cation/H+ Exchangers) responsible for Ca2+/H+ exchange on the vacuole tonoplast, play a central role in governing cellular pH, ion balance, nutrient storage, metal accumulation, and stress responses. Furthermore, CAX variants have been employed to enhance the calcium content of crops, contributing to biofortification efforts. Recent research has uncovered the broader significance of these transporters in plant signal transduction and element partitioning. The use of genetically encoded Ca2+ sensors has begun to highlight the crucial role of CAX isoforms in generating cytosolic Ca2+ signals, underscoring their function as pivotal hubs in diverse environmental and developmental signalling networks. Interestingly, it has been observed that the loss of CAX function can be advantageous in specific stress conditions, both for biotic and abiotic stressors. Determining the optimal timing and approach for modulating the expression of CAX is a critical concern. In the future, strategically manipulating the temporal loss of CAX function in agriculturally important crops holds promise to bolster plant immunity, enhance cold tolerance, and fortify resilience against one of agriculture's most significant challenges, namely flooding.
Multi‐model GWAS reveals key loci for horticultural traits in reconstructed garden strawberry
Authors: Rehman Attiq ur , Iso‐Touru Terhi , Junkers Jakob , Rantanen Marja , Karhu Saila , Fischer Daniel , Alsheikh Muath , Hjeltnes Stein Harald , Mezzetti Bruno , Davik Jahn , Schulman Alan H. , Hytönen Timo , Haikonen Tuuli
Published: July 2024

The cultivated garden strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) has a rich history, originating from the hybridization of two wild octoploid strawberry species in the 18th century. Two‐step reconstruction of Fragaria × ananassa through controlled crossings between pre‐improved selections of its parental species is a promising approach for enriching the breeding germplasm of strawberry for wider adaptability. We created a population of reconstructed strawberry by hybridizing elite selections of F. virginiana and F. chiloensis. A replicated field experiment was conducted to evaluate the population's performance for eleven horticulturally important traits, over multiple years. Population structure analyses based on Fana‐50 k SNP array data confirmed pedigree‐based grouping of the progenies into four distinct groups. As complex traits are often influenced by environmental variables, and population structure can lead to spurious associations, we tested multiple genome‐wide association study (GWAS) models. GWAS uncovered 39 quantitative trait loci (QTL) regions for eight traits distributed across twenty chromosomes, including 11 consistent and 28 putative QTLs. Candidate genes for traits including winter survival, flowering time, runnering vigor, and hermaphrodism were identified within the QTL regions. To our knowledge, this study marks the first comprehensive investigation of adaptive and horticultural traits in a large, multi‐familial reconstructed strawberry population using SNP markers.
Overseas R&D, domestic R&D, and parent company innovation performance in emerging market
Authors: Li Jingjing , Wu Xianming , Cui Victor
Published: July 2024

Seeking research and development (R&D) capacity overseas is fast becoming an important leapfrogging strategy for emerging market enterprises. Combining knowledge‐based and institutional‐based views, this study develops an analytical framework for the impact of overseas and domestic R&D on the innovation performance of parent companies. Using panel data of 185 enterprises in China from 2012 to 2020, we find that overseas R&D significantly improves the innovation performance of the parent company; domestic R&D has a significant promoting effect on the innovation performance of the parent company, also playing a partial mediating role between overseas R&D and innovation performance of the parent company. Regional institutional quality positively moderates the relationship between overseas and domestic R&D. Our study contributes to a deeper understanding of the pathways and mechanisms through which overseas R&D affects emerging‐market firms' innovation performance.
Collaborative knowledge braiding for restoration: assessing climate change risks and adaptation options at Wuda Ogwa in southeastern Idaho, United States
Authors: Koutzoukis Sofia , Munger Will , Capito Lindsay , Parry Darren , Parry Brad , Klain Sarah C. , Brunson Mark W. , Huntly Nancy , Taylor Travis
Published: July 2024

The restoration of culturally significant landscapes poses formidable challenges given more than 160 years of settler‐colonial land use change and a rapidly changing climate. A novel approach to these challenges braids Indigenous and western scientific knowledge. This case study braids Indigenous plant knowledge, species distribution models (SDMs), and climate models to inform restoration of the Bear River Massacre site in Idaho, now stewarded by the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation. MaxEnt SDMs were used to project the future spatial distribution of culturally significant plant species under medium (SSP2‐4.5) and high (SSP5‐8.5) emissions scenarios. These results support Tribal revegetation priorities and approaches, identified by tradeoffs between each species' current and future suitability. This research contributes to a knowledge‐braiding approach to the analysis of climate risks, vulnerabilities, and restoration possibilities for Indigenous‐led restoration projects by using the Wuda Ogwa ecological restoration site as a case study.
A classical hypothesis test for assessing the homogeneity of disease transmission in stochastic epidemic models
Authors: Aristotelous Georgios , Kypraios Theodore , O'Neill Philip D.
Published: July 2024

This paper addresses the problem of assessing the homogeneity of the disease transmission process in stochastic epidemic models in populations that are partitioned into social groups. We develop a classical hypothesis test for completed epidemics which assesses whether or not there is significant within‐group transmission during an outbreak. The test is based on time‐ordered group labels of individuals. The null hypothesis is that of homogeneity of disease transmission among individuals, a hypothesis under which the discrete random vector of groups labels has a known sampling distribution that is independent of any model parameters. The test exhibits excellent performance when applied to various scenarios of simulated data and is also illustrated using two real‐life epidemic data sets. We develop some asymptotic theory including a central limit theorem. The test is practically very appealing, being computationally cheap and straightforward to implement, as well as being applicable to a wide range of real‐life outbreak settings and to related problems in other fields.
Characterization of ClC‐1 chloride channels in zebrafish: a new model to study myotonia
Authors: Gaitán‐Peñas Héctor , Pérez‐Rius Carla , Muhaisen Ashraf , Castellanos Aida , Errasti‐Murugarren Ekaitz , Barrallo‐Gimeno Alejandro , Alcaraz‐Pérez Francisca , Estévez Raúl
Published: July 2024

The function of the chloride channel ClC‐1 is crucial for the control of muscle excitability. Thus, reduction of ClC‐1 functions by CLCN1 mutations leads to myotonia congenita. Many different animal models have contributed to understanding the myotonia pathophysiology. However, these models do not allow in vivo screening of potentially therapeutic drugs, as the zebrafish model does. In this work, we identified and characterized the two zebrafish orthologues (clc‐1a and clc‐1b) of the ClC‐1 channel. Both channels are mostly expressed in the skeletal muscle as revealed by RT‐PCR, western blot, and electrophysiological recordings of myotubes, and clc‐1a is predominantly expressed in adult stages. Characterization in Xenopus oocytes shows that the zebrafish channels display similar anion selectivity and voltage dependence to their human counterparts. However, they show reduced sensitivity to the inhibitor 9‐anthracenecarboxylic acid (9‐AC), and acidic pH inverts the voltage dependence of activation. Reduction of clc‐1a/b expression hampers spontaneous and mechanically stimulated movement, which could be reverted by expression of human ClC‐1 but not by some ClC‐1 containing myotonia mutations. Treatment of clc‐1‐depleted zebrafish with mexiletine, a typical drug used in human myotonia, improves the motor behaviour. Our work extends the repertoire of ClC channels to evolutionary structure–function studies and proposes the zebrafish clcn1 crispant model as a simple tool to find novel therapies for myotonia.

image

Key points

We have identified two orthologues of ClC‐1 in zebrafish (clc‐1a and clc‐1b) which are mostly expressed in skeletal muscle at different developmental stages.

Functional characterization of the activity of these channels reveals many similitudes with their mammalian counterparts, although they are less sensitive to 9‐AC and acidic pH inverts their voltage dependence of gating.

Reduction of clc‐1a/b expression hampers spontaneous and mechanically stimulated movement which could be reverted by expression of human ClC‐1.

Myotonia‐like symptoms caused by clc‐1a/b depletion can be reverted by mexiletine, suggesting that this model could be used to find novel therapies for myotonia.
Brainstem neuronal responses to transcutaneous auricular and cervical vagus nerve stimulation in rats
Authors: Owens Misty M. , Jacquemet Vincent , Napadow Vitaly , Lewis Nicole , Beaumont Eric
Published: July 2024

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) targets subcutaneous axons in the auricular branch of the vagus nerve at the outer ear. Its non‐invasive nature makes it a potential treatment for various disorders. taVNS induces neuromodulatory effects within the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), and due to its widespread connectivity, the NTS acts as a gateway to elicit neuromodulation in both higher‐order brain regions and other brainstem nuclei (e.g. spinal trigeminal nucleus; Sp5). Our objective was to examine stimulation parameters on single‐neuron electrophysiological responses in α‐chloralose‐anaesthetized Sprague–Dawley rats within NTS and Sp5. taVNS was also compared to traditional cervical VNS (cVNS) on single neuronal activation. Specifically, electrophysiological extracellular recordings were evaluated for a range of frequency and intensity parameters (20–250 Hz, 0.5–1.0 mA). Neurons were classified as positive, negative or non‐responders based on increased activity, decreased activity or no response during stimulation, respectively. Frequency‐dependent analysis showed that 20 and 100 Hz generated the highest proportion of positive responders in NTS and Sp5 with 1.0 mA intensities eliciting the greatest magnitude of response. Comparisons between taVNS and cVNS revealed similar parameter‐specific activation for caudal NTS neuronal populations; however, individual neurons showed different activation profiles. The latter suggests that cVNS and taVNS send afferent input to NTS via different neuronal pathways. This study demonstrates differential parameter‐specific taVNS responses and begins an investigation of the mechanisms responsible for taVNS modulation. Understanding the neuronal pathways responsible for eliciting neuromodulatory effects will enable more tailored taVNS treatments in various clinical disorders.

image

Key points

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) offers a non‐invasive alternative to invasive cervical vagus nerve stimulation (cVNS) by activating vagal afferents in the ear to induce neuromodulation.

Our study evaluated taVNS effects on neuronal firing patterns in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and spinal trigeminal nucleus (Sp5) and found that 20 and 100 Hz notably increased neuronal activity during stimulation in both nuclei.

Increasing taVNS intensity not only increased the number of neurons responding in Sp5 but also increased the magnitude of response, suggesting a heightened sensitivity to taVNS compared to NTS.

Comparisons between cVNS and taVNS revealed similar overall activation but different responses on individual neurons, indicating distinct neural pathways.

These results show parameter‐specific and nuclei‐specific responses to taVNS and confirm that taVNS can elicit responses comparable to cVNS at the neuronal level, but it does so through different neuronal pathways.
Transforming Oil Well Drilling: Prediction of Real-Time Rate of Penetration With Novel Machine Learning Approach in Varied Lithological Formations
Authors: Gupta Raunak , Bhui Uttam K.
Published: July 2024

The rate of penetration (ROP) is crucial for efficient and cost-effective oil well drilling. This study introduces a novel prediction method for the rate of penetration that pioneers the use of different types of drill bits and lithologies with traditional drilling parameters. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset from 12 diverse wells, it employs advanced machine learning techniques including an adaptive moment estimation-based artificial neural network for developing the algorithm. By integrating various controllable and uncontrollable drilling parameters, the random forest, decision tree, and K-nearest neighbor models demonstrated superior performance. These models achieved a coefficient of determination of approximately 98% and a mean absolute percentage error of only 3.30%, outperforming traditional models such as Maurer and Bingham, as well as other machine learning models. Using 500 testing and 2000 training data points from real-time measurements reduced the risk of overfitting and enhanced model effectiveness in different drilling environments. The predictions of the developed model can modify the input parameters to increase rate of penetration through various formations. This study highlights the importance of lithology and utilizes feature ablation analysis to transition from a black-to-white box model. Additionally, based on the predictions of this work, post-drilling analysis can reduce costs and time by only requiring surface-measured parameters and eliminates the need for extensive study on geological, laboratory, and drilling data prior to drilling activities. This integrated approach sets new standards for machine learning in drilling, representing a robust and adaptive strategy to enhance operational efficiency.
Concept of Error Compensation for Nonorthogonality in Two-Axis Displacement Measurement System Utilizing Single Grating Scale and Littrow Configuration
Authors: Michihata Masaki , Fujimura Souki , Masui Shuzo , Takahashi Satoru
Published: July 2024

In this study, we proposed a measurement system that compensates for orthogonality in planar stages and demonstrated its principle. The proposed measurement system consists of a single diffraction grating scale placed diagonally across the stage and two interferometers aligned in a Littrow configuration, which are sensitive only to stage displacement in the optical axis direction. The direction of measurement is determined with high accuracy by the pitch of the diffraction grating and optical wavelength of the laser, allowing orthogonality compensation. In the experiments, we demonstrated that the interferometer aligned at Littrow configuration was capable of measuring the stage displacement component in the optical axis direction. In the discussion, our assessment of orthogonality identified two crucial factors: (1) how accurately the Littrow configuration can be aligned and (2) the accuracy of the pitch of the grating scale.
Ultrastable piezoelectric biomaterial nanofibers and fabrics as an implantable and conformal electromechanical sensor patch
Authors: Li Tong , Yuan Yongjiu , Gu Long , Li Jun , Shao Yan , Yan Shan , Zhao Yunhe , Carlos Corey , Dong Yutao , Qian Hong , Wang Xiong , Wu Wenlong , Wang Steven , Wang Zuankai , Wang Xudong
Published: July 2024

Poly(
l
-lactic acid) (PLLA) is a widely used U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved implantable biomaterial that also possesses strong piezoelectricity. However, the intrinsically low stability of its high-energy piezoelectric β phase and random domain orientations associated with current synthesis approaches remain a critical roadblock to practical applications. Here, we report an interfacial anchoring strategy for fabricating core/shell PLLA/glycine (Gly) nanofibers (NFs) by electrospinning, which show a high ratio of piezoelectric β phase and excellent orientation alignment. The self-assembled core/shell structure offers strong intermolecular interactions between the -OH groups on Gly and C=O groups on PLLA, which promotes the crystallization of oriented PLLA polymer chains and stabilizes the β phase structure. As-received core/shell NFs exhibit substantially enhanced piezoelectric performance and excellent stability. An all NF–based nonwoven fabric is fabricated and assembled as a flexible nanogenerator. The device offers excellent conformality to heavily wrinkled surfaces and thus can precisely detect complex physiological motions often found from biological organs.
Direct electromagnetic information processing with planar diffractive neural network
Authors: Gu Ze , Ma Qian , Gao Xinxin , You Jian Wei , Cui Tie Jun
Published: July 2024

Diffractive neural network in electromagnetic wave–driven system has attracted great attention due to its ultrahigh parallel computing capability and energy efficiency. However, recent neural networks based on the diffractive framework still face the bottlenecks of misalignment and relatively large size limiting their further applications. Here, we propose a planar diffractive neural network (pla-NN) with a highly integrated and conformal architecture to achieve direct signal processing in the microwave frequency. On the basis of printed circuit fabrication process, the misalignment could be effectively circumvented while enabling flexible extension for multiple conformal and stacking designs. We first conduct validation on the fashion-MNIST dataset and experimentally build up a system using the proposed network architecture for direct recognition of different geometry structures in the electromagnetic space. We envision that the presented architecture, once combined with the advanced dynamic maneuvering techniques and flexible topology, would exhibit unlimited potentials in the areas of high-performance computing, wireless sensing, and flexible wearable electronics.
Phenazine-1 carboxylic acid of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
induces the expression of
Staphylococcus aureus
Tet38 MDR efflux pump and mediates resistance to phenazines and antibiotics
Authors: Truong-Bolduc Q. C. , Wang Y. , Lawton B. G. , Brown Harding H. , Yonker L. M. , Vyas J. M. , Hooper D. C.
Published: July 2024

In this study, we showed that phenazine-1 carboxylic acid (PCA) of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
induced the expression of Tet38 efflux pump triggering
Staphylococcus aureus
resistance to tetracycline and phenazines. Exposure of
S. aureus
RN6390 to supernatants of
P. aeruginosa
PA14 and its pyocyanin (PYO)-deficient mutants showed that
P. aeruginosa
non-PYO phenazines could induce the expression of Tet38 efflux pump. Direct exposure of RN6390 to PCA compound at 0.25× MIC led to a five-fold increase in
tet38
transcripts. Expression of Tet38 protein was identified through confocal microscopy using RN6390(pRN-
tet38
p-
yfp
) that expressed YFP under control of the
tet38
promoter by PCA at 0.25× MIC. The MICs of PCA of a Tet38-overexpressor and a
Δtet38
mutant showed a three-fold increase and a two-fold decrease, respectively, compared with that of wild-type. Pre-exposure of RN6390 to PCA (0.25× MIC) for 1 hour prior to addition of tetracycline (1× or 10× MIC) improved bacteria viability of 1.5-fold and 2.6-fold, respectively, but addition of NaCl 7% together with tetracycline at 10× MIC reduced the number of viable PCA-exposed RN6390 of a 2.0-log
10
CFU/mL. The transcript levels of
tetR21
, a repressor of
tet38
, decreased and increased two-fold in the presence of PCA and NaCl, respectively, suggesting that the effects of PCA and NaCl on
tet38
production occurred through TetR21 expression. These data suggest that PCA-induced Tet38 protects
S. aureus
against tetracycline during coinfection with
P. aeruginosa
; however, induced
tet38
-mediated
S. aureus
resistance to tetracycline is reversed by NaCl 7%, a nebulized treatment used to enhance sputum mobilization in CF patients.
Accounting for cellular-level variation in lysis: implications for virus–host dynamics
Authors: Dominguez-Mirazo Marian , Harris Jeremy D. , Demory David , Weitz Joshua S.
Published: July 2024

Viral impacts on microbial populations depend on interaction phenotypes—including viral traits spanning the adsorption rate, latent period, and burst size. The latent period is a key viral trait in lytic infections. Deﬁned as the time from viral adsorption to viral progeny release, the latent period of bacteriophage is conventionally inferred via one-step growth curves in which the accumulation of free virus is measured over time in a population of infected cells. Developed more than 80 years ago, one-step growth curves do not account for cellular-level variability in the timing of lysis, potentially biasing inference of viral traits. Here, we use nonlinear dynamical models to understand how individual-level variation of the latent period impacts virus–host dynamics. Our modeling approach shows that inference of the latent period via one-step growth curves is systematically biased—generating estimates of shorter latent periods than the underlying population-level mean. The bias arises because variability in lysis timing at the cellular level leads to a fraction of early burst events, which are interpreted, artefactually, as an earlier mean time of viral release. We develop a computational framework to estimate latent period variability from joint measurements of host and free virus populations. Our computational framework recovers both the mean and variance of the latent period within simulated infections including realistic measurement noise. This work suggests that reframing the latent period as a distribution to account for variability in the population will improve the study of viral traits and their role in shaping microbial populations.

IMPORTANCE

Quantifying viral traits—including the adsorption rate, burst size, and latent period—is critical to characterize viral infection dynamics and develop predictive models of viral impacts across scales from cells to ecosystems. Here, we revisit the gold standard of viral trait estimation—the one-step growth curve—to assess the extent to which assumptions at the core of viral infection dynamics lead to ongoing and systematic biases in inferences of viral traits. We show that latent period estimates obtained via one-step growth curves systematically underestimate the mean latent period and, in turn, overestimate the rate of viral killing at population scales. By explicitly incorporating trait variability into a dynamical inference framework that leverages both virus and host time series, we provide a practical route to improve estimates of the mean and variance of viral traits across diverse virus–microbe systems.