bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An exploratory study on the prevalence of workplace violence: the case of Algerian hospitals
Authors: Heddar Yamina , Djebabra Mébarek , Saadi Saadia
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Workplace violence is a universal phenomenon that is constantly increasing. In this regard, this study aims to investigate the prevalence of violence committed against Algerian health professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey, based on an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire, was conducted in healthcare settings of eastern Algeria (where 144 respondents participated in this study). Besides, socio-demographic characteristics and data related to violence, including its prevalence, different forms, perpetrators, reporting and the way it is handled, were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Findings

Half of the respondents were victims of violence. More specifically, 90.1% of them were verbally abused. Compared to physical violence, verbal violence was significantly perpetrated against women and young health professionals (p < 0.05). However, nurses and those with less than or equal to five years of work experience were the most vulnerable to both types of violence (p < 0.05). Moreover, the main perpetrators were the patients' relatives (70%) followed by the patients themselves (51.4%). In terms of risk treatment, aggressors were verbally warned (60%). For violence reporting, 31% of the respondents observe such a fact as not being important. Finally, 65.7% of the participants reported that their employers had provided them with security measures (guards).

Originality/value

This is the first study conducted in Algeria that examines the prevalence of violence and its relationship with socio-demographic characteristics. Authorities must react effectively to solve this problem by implementing preventive and anticipatory strategies.
Drivers and interrelationships of three types of pro-environmental behaviors in the workplace
Authors: Kim Minseong , Lee Sae-Mi
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Prior research in the human resources management fields focused primarily on one type of employees’ pro-environmental behaviors yet failed to empirically investigate interrelationships among the distinct dimensions of their pro-environmental behaviors. To build a deeper understanding of the psychological process in becoming an environmental activist in the workplace, this study aims to examine the interrelationships among frontline employees’ green autonomous motivation, green external motivation, environmental concern, self-efficacy and three types of pro-environmental behaviors (i.e. green idea generation behavior, green idea promotion behavior and green idea activist behavior).

Design/methodology/approach

With the survey method, the data were collected from frontline employees working at hospitality enterprises in South Korea. This study analyzed the collected data, including frequency analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.

Findings

The empirical results showed that autonomous motivation significantly influenced environmental concern, self-efficacy, green idea generation behavior and green idea promotion behavior. Also, external motivation significantly affected environmental concern, self-efficacy and green idea promotion behavior. Furthermore, environmental concern had significant influences on self-efficacy and green idea promotion behavior, and self-efficacy had significant effects on green idea generation behavior and green idea promotion behavior. Finally, green idea activist behavior was significantly influenced by green idea generation behavior and green idea promotion behavior only.

Practical implications

This study proposes managerial implications to hospitality organizations and public policymakers for maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of their green initiatives via frontline employees’ green idea activist behavior.

Originality/value

Based on the empirical findings, this study proposes several theoretical and practical implications for the extant literature and the service industry in the context of frontline employees’ three types of pro-environmental behaviors from their working motivation.
In this together: the long-term effect of a collective crisis on the retail and service sector
Authors: Ferraro Carla , Sands Sean , Schnack Alexander , Elms Jonathan , Campbell Colin L.
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This research explores anticipated long-term change in the retail and services marketplace, directly arising as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

A series of 20 in-depth interviews were conducted with retail and service stakeholders (executives, suppliers and thought-leaders) from across Asia-Pacific (New Zealand and Australia), the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States.

Findings

We identify six guiding principles for long-term change in the retail and services sector required to guide future business development and practice, including embedding new ways of working, rethinking the role and purpose of physical space, prioritizing digital elements, integrating employees in community, building agile supply and planning for future turbulence.

Originality/value

The Covid-19 pandemic is different from prior disruptive experiences in that it was a sudden shock to business and was collectively experienced by firms, workers and consumers across the globe. This research provides a view of decision-makers’ sensemaking and anticipated changes impacting the future retail and services marketplace.
Turn the table around: workplace incivility, coworker deviance, turnover intentions and nurses' job performance
Authors: Faheem Muhammad Asim , Ali Hafiz Yasir , Akhtar Muhammad Waheed , Asrar-ul-Haq Muhammad
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The present study aims to analyze the effect of workplace incivility and coworker deviant behavior on turnover intentions and nurses' job performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained from 318 nurses using a structured questionnaire. The multistage sampling technique was used to distribute the questionnaire and analysis was performed through structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings show association between workplace incivility and coworker deviant behavior on turnover intentions and nurses' job performance. Further, the findings state that coworker deviant behavior has impact on turnover intentions and nurses' job performance.

Research limitations/implications

Results of the study show critical situation for healthcare sector. Findings show that negative behaviors influence nurses' performance and escalate their intentions to leave this profession. These findings can help authorities to take some actions and use interventions to suppress or control these negative behaviors to improve the nursing performance at workplace.

Originality/value

The nursing literature is devoid of evidence about how workplace incivility and coworker deviant behavior influence employee outcomes.
Naïve Bayesian classification of cumulative oil production from stochastic amplitude variation with angle inversion attributes: As applied to SEAM and a West Africa Field
Authors: Powers Hayden , Trainor‐Guitton Whitney , Hoversten G. Michael
Published: February 2022

Cumulative oil predictions are made from stochastically inverted earth attributes. The inverted attributes are from the SEAM Life of Field model and an offshore field in West Africa. To perform the prediction, we use a naïve Bayesian classifier for its transparency in methodology, computational efficiency and flexibility. The inverted properties we use for classification consist of porosity, P‐S wave velocity ratio (Vp/Vs), acoustic impedance and density which are extracted from within a set radius around the well‐path. The production from the wells in both SEAM and the West African field serve as the labels for the naïve Bayesian classifier, which are ultimately placed into two classes: the ‘high’ and ‘low’ producers. For calculating the accuracy of the classifier, we perform full cross‐validation with a set number of training wells. The cross‐validation accuracy is 78.0% and 83.3% for the SEAM model and the West African Field respectively. The classifier's sensitivity to the chosen radius around the wells and its inherent independence assumption are investigated and shown to change the bulk accuracy by less than 3.0%. We implement full reservoir classifications on SEAM to highlight potential drilling locations and show the capability of the classifier. Overall, we demonstrate how the naïve Bayesian classifier can efficiently and transparently synthesize the entire distribution of stochastic inversions of seismic data to predict oil production.
The Correlation of Wealth Between Parents and Children in Australia
Authors: Siminski Peter , Yu Sin Hung (Timothy)
Published: February 2022

We present the first estimates of intergenerational wealth mobility for Australia. The rank correlation is 0.253, compared to 0.306 for the United States using comparable methods. This correlation varies greatly by child age when wealth is observed, from 0.1 before age 30, to 0.5 after age 40. This sharp increase with age is stronger than for other countries, is not explained by sample selection bias and is not specific to particular types of wealth. We also argue that neither income mobility nor wealth mobility, as operationalised in empirical work, align neatly with the wealth concept in the Becker & Tomes framework.
‘Don't be so serious’: ethical play, Islam, and the transcendent
Authors: Birchok Daniel Andrew
Published: February 2022

Modes of play and playfulness are central to ethics, yet have not been as rigorously considered by anthropologists as have more earnest forms of ethical life. In this article, I argue that attention to play reframes recent anthropological debates about ethical transcendence and immanence. I do so through a consideration of the Islamic discourse of ‘calculation’ (ḥisāb), an idiom by which Muslims articulate their hoped‐for state in the hereafter through the imagery of a divine accounting of good and bad deeds. Drawing on ethnography from the Indonesian province of Aceh, I show howḥisābcultivates forms of epistemological play through which Muslims explore the inscrutability of transcendence. Such play reveals the socially and theologically emergent qualities of transcendent truths and values, suggesting hidden affinities between transcendent stances and more immanent forms of ethical life.
Histomorphological, histochemical and scanning electron microscopic investigation of the proventriculus (Ventriculus glandularis) of the hooded crow (Corvus cornix)
Authors: Abdel Maksoud Mohamed K. M. , Ibrahim Azza A. H. , Nabil Taghreed Mohamed , Moawad Usama Kamal
Published: February 2022

The current investigation aimed to clarify the histomorphological features, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and histochemistry of the proventriculus in the adult hooded crow (Corvus cornix). Twenty‐two adult birds of both sexes were collected from El‐Fayoum and Beni‐Suef governorates, Egypt; ten were used for anatomical investigation, two were scanned using SEM, and ten were subjected to routine histological technique. The obtained anatomical results revealed a small‐sized spindle‐shaped proventriculus obliquely located in the left ventral part of the body cavity with an average body weight, length and diameter of 1.689 ± 0.231 gm, 1.54 ± 0.383cm and 3.51 ± 0.416cm, respectively. The histological examination revealed a typical tubular organ. The mucosa exhibited several plicae and sulci that were lined with simple columnar cells. The lamina propria was composed of collagenous connective tissue infiltrated by lymphocytes, lymphatic aggregations and tubular glands. The submucosa consisted of collagenic fibres and compound tubuloalveolar glandular lobules lined with oxynticopeptic cells and enteroendocrine cells. The oxynticopeptic cells reacted negatively with PAS and Alcian Blue stains, whereas the ductal cells reacted positively with PAS only. Enteroendocrine cells were seen singly in the lamina epithelialis mucosae and were abundant in submucosal glands. The tunica musclaris was arranged in two layers covered by serosa. The proventricular glands’ openings were noticed by SEM as raised tubes with regular circular outlines surrounded by anastomosed microscopic folds. The obtained histomorphological structure of the hooded crow's proventriculus revealed some shared morphological features with most species of birds and some variations that might be attributed to their diet and feeding behaviour.
The predictive value of the ages and stages questionnaire in late infancy for low average cognitive ability at age 5
Authors: Bowe Andrea K. , Hourihane Jonathan , Staines Anthony , Murray Deirdre M.
Published: February 2022

Aim

This retrospective, longitudinal study examined the predictive value of the ages and stages questionnaire (ASQ) in late infancy for identifying children who progressed to have low cognitive ability at 5 years of age.

Methods

The ASQ was performed on 755 participants from the Irish BASELINE birth cohort at 24 or 27 months of age. Intelligence quotient was measured at age 5 with the Kaufmann Brief Intelligence Test, Second Edition, and low cognitive ability was defined as a score more than 1 standard deviation below the mean. The ASQ’s predictive value was examined, together with other factors associated with low cognitive ability at 5 years.

Results

When the ASQ was performed at 24 or 27 months, the overall sensitivity for identifying low cognitive ability at 5 years was 20.8% and the specificity was 91.1%. Using a total score cut‐off point increased the sensitivity to 46.6% and 71.4% at 24 and 27 months, but specificity fell to 74.1% and 67.2%, respectively. After adjusting for ASQ performance, maternal education and family income were strongly associated with cognitive outcomes at 5 years.

Conclusion

The ASQ did not detect the majority of children with low cognitive ability at age 5. Alternative methods need investigation.
The double impact of deep social unrest and a pandemic: Evidence from Chile
Authors: Madeira Carlos
Published: February 2022

This work studies the impact of the Social Explosion and COVID‐19 crisis on the household sector in Chile. The Social Explosion in October 2019 represented a mass protest, much larger than similar events in other nations such as the yellow jackets. Using delinquency models calibrated with survey data, I show that household debt risk increased substantially after the Social Explosion across all income backgrounds but fell slightly with the COVID‐19 pandemic due to the public policies implemented. The expansion of the public support policies in August 2020 decreased the debt risk to levels similar to before the two crises.
Evaluating the mitigation effectiveness of forests managed for conservation versus commodity production using an Australian example
Authors: Keith Heather , Mackey Brendan , Kun Zoltan , Mikoláš Martin , Svitok Marek , Svoboda Miroslav
Published: February 2022

Forests are critical for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation: reducing emissions, increasing removals, and providing resilient ecosystems with stable long‐term carbon storage. However, evaluating the mitigation effectiveness of forests managed for conservation versus commodity production has been long debated. We assessed factors influencing evaluation of mitigation effectiveness––land area, time horizon, reference level, carbon stock longevity––and tested the outcomes using analyses of carbon dynamics from an Australian ecosystem. Results showed that landscape scale accounting using carbon carrying capacity as the reference level and assessed over a series of time horizons best enables explicit evaluation of mitigation benefits. Time horizons need to differentiate between near‐term emissions reduction targets (2030 and 2050), relative longevity of carbon stocks in different reservoirs, and long‐term impacts on atmospheric CO2 concentration. Greatest mitigation benefits derive from conservation through continued forest growth (52% gain in carbon stock by 2050) and accumulating carbon to attain carbon retention potential (70% gain). Cumulative emissions from harvesting result in permanent elevation of atmospheric CO2 concentration (32 times the annual emission by rotation end). We recommend these time horizons and landscape scales for evaluating forest management to better guide policies and investments for achieving climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation.
Global plant‐frugivore trait matching is shaped by climate and biogeographic history
Authors: McFadden Ian R. , Fritz Susanne A. , Zimmermann Niklaus E. , Pellissier Loïc , Kissling W. Daniel , Tobias Joseph A. , Schleuning Matthias , Graham Catherine H.
Published: February 2022

Species interactions are influenced by the trait structure of local multi‐trophic communities. However, it remains unclear whether mutualistic interactions in particular can drive trait patterns at the global scale, where climatic constraints and biogeographic processes gain importance. Here we evaluate global relationships between traits of frugivorous birds and palms (Arecaceae), and how these relationships are affected, directly or indirectly, by assemblage richness, climate and biogeographic history. We leverage a new and expanded gape size dataset for nearly all avian frugivores, and find a positive relationship between gape size and fruit size, that is, trait matching, which is influenced indirectly by palm richness and climate. We also uncover a latitudinal gradient in trait matching strength, which increases towards the tropics and varies among zoogeographic realms. Taken together, our results suggest trophic interactions have consistent influences on trait structure, but that abiotic, biogeographic and richness effects also play important, though sometimes indirect, roles in shaping the functional biogeography of mutualisms.
A test of Darwin’s naturalization conundrum in birds reveals enhanced invasion success in the presence of close relatives
Authors: Sol Daniel , Garcia‐Porta Joan , González‐Lagos Cesar , Pigot Alex L. , Trisos Christopher , Tobias Joseph A.
Published: February 2022

Biological invasions pose one of the most severe environmental challenges of the twenty‐first century. A longstanding idea is that invasion risk is predictable based on the phylogenetic distance – and hence ecological resemblance – between non‐native and native species. However, current evidence is contradictory. To explain these mixed results, it has been proposed that the effect is scale‐dependent, with invasion inhibited by phylogenetic similarity at small spatial scales but enhanced at larger scales. Analyzing invasion outcomes in a global sample of bird communities, we find no evidence to support this hypothesis. Instead, our results suggest that invaders are locally more successful in the presence of closely related and ecologically similar species, at least in human‐altered environments where the majority of invasions have occurred. Functional trait analyses further confirm that the ecological niches of invaders are phylogenetically conserved, supporting the notion that successful invasion in the presence of close relatives is driven by shared adaptations to the types of niches available in novel environments.
Sex roles in birds: Phylogenetic analyses of the influence of climate, life histories and social environment
Authors: Gonzalez‐Voyer Alejandro , Thomas Gavin H. , Liker András , Krüger Oliver , Komdeur Jan , Székely Tamás
Published: February 2022

Sex roles describe sex differences in courtship, mate competition, social pair‐bonds and parental care. A key challenge is to identify associations among the components and the drivers of sex roles. Here, we investigate sex roles using data from over 1800 bird species. We found extensive variation and lability in proxies of sex roles, indicating remarkably independent evolution among sex role components. Climate and life history showed weak associations with sex roles. However, adult sex ratio is associated with sexual dimorphism, mating system and parental care, suggesting that social environment is central to explaining variation in sex roles among birds. Our results suggest that sex differences in reproductive behaviour are the result of diverse and idiosyncratic responses to selection. Further understanding of sex roles requires studies at the population level to test how local responses to ecology, life histories and mating opportunities drive processes that shape sex role variation among higher taxa.
Identification and functional analysis of a new type of Z,E‐mixed prenyl reductase from mycobacteria
Authors: Abe Tohru , Hakamata Mariko , Nishiyama Akihito , Tateishi Yoshitaka , Matsumoto Sohkichi , Hemmi Hisashi , Ueda Daijiro , Sato Tsutomu
Published: February 2022

Isoprenoids with reduced Z,E‐mixed prenyl groups are found in various organisms. To date, only polyprenol reductases (PR‐Dol) involved in dolichol biosynthesis have been identified as enzymes capable of reducing Z,E‐mixed prenyl groups. Although C35‐isoprenoids with reduced Z,E‐mixed prenyl groups are found in mycobacteria, Z,E‐mixed heptaprenyl reductase (HepR) remains unidentified. In the present study, the identification and functional analysis of HepR was performed. No PR‐Dol homolog gene was detected in the genome of Mycolicibacterium vanbaalenii. However, a homolog of geranylgeranyl reductase (GGR), which reacts with an all‐E prenyl group as a substrate, was encoded in the genome; thus, we analyzed it as a HepR candidate. In vitro enzymatic assay and in vivo gene suppression analysis identified the GGR homolog as HepR and revealed that HepR catalyzes the reduction of ω‐ and E‐ prenyl units in Z,E‐mixed heptaprenyl diphosphates, and C35‐isoprenoids are mainly biosynthesized using E,E,E‐geranylgeranyl diphosphate as a precursor. Thus, it was demonstrated that the Z,E‐mixed prenyl reductase family exists in the GGR homologs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first identification of a new type of Z,E‐mixed prenyl reductase with no sequence homology to PR‐Dol. The substrate specificity of HepR significantly differed from that of GGR, suggesting that it is a new enzyme. HepR homologs are widely distributed in mycobacterial genomes, and lipid analysis suggests that many strains, including pathogenic species, produce HepR metabolites. The discovery of this new enzyme will promote further research on Z,E‐mixed isoprenoids.
Surface temperatures reveal the patterns of vegetation water stress and their environmental drivers across the tropical Americas
Authors: Green Julia K. , Ballantyne Ashley , Abramoff Rose , Gentine Pierre , Makowski David , Ciais Philippe
Published: February 2022

Vegetation is a key component in the global carbon cycle as it stores ~450 GtC as biomass, and removes about a third of anthropogenic CO2emissions. However, in some regions, the rate of plant carbon uptake is beginning to slow, largely because of water stress. Here, we develop a new observation‐based methodology to diagnose vegetation water stress and link it to environmental drivers. We used the ratio of remotely sensed land surface to near surface atmospheric temperatures (LST/Tair) to represent vegetation water stress, and built regression tree models (random forests) to assess the relationship between LST/Tairand the main environmental drivers of surface energy fluxes in the tropical Americas. We further determined ecosystem traits associated with water stress and surface energy partitioning, pinpointed critical thresholds for water stress, and quantified changes in ecosystem carbon uptake associated with crossing these critical thresholds. We found that the top drivers of LST/Tair, explaining over a quarter of its local variability in the study region, are (1) radiation, in 58% of the study region; (2) water supply from precipitation, in 30% of the study region; and (3) atmospheric water demand from vapor pressure deficits (VPD), in 22% of the study region. Regions in which LST/Tairvariation is driven by radiation are located in regions of high aboveground biomass or at high elevations, while regions in which LST/Tairis driven by water supply from precipitation or atmospheric demand tend to have low species richness. Carbon uptake by photosynthesis can be reduced by up to 80% in water‐limited regions when critical thresholds for precipitation and air dryness are exceeded simultaneously, that is, as compound events. Our results demonstrate that vegetation structure and diversity can be important for regulating surface energy and carbon fluxes over tropical regions.
Management of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in patients with resolved HBV infection based on a highly sensitive HB core‐related antigen assay
Authors: Hagiwara Shinya , Kusumoto Shigeru , Inoue Takako , Ogawa Shintaro , Narita Tomoko , Ito Asahi , Ri Masaki , Komatsu Hirokazu , Suzuki Takanori , Matsuura Kentaro , Yagi Shintaro , Kaneko Atsushi , Aoyagi Katsumi , Iida Shinsuke , Tanaka Yasuhito
Published: February 2022

Aims

To prevent hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation‐related hepatitis, we examined the clinical usefulness of a highly sensitive HB core‐related antigen (iTACT‐HBcrAg) assay in patients with resolved HBV infection after nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) treatment for HBV reactivation.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 27 patients with resolved HBV infection who experienced HBV reactivation (defined as HBV DNA levels of 1.3 log IU/ml or more), and who received systemic chemotherapies for hematological malignancies between 2008 and 2020. iTACT‐HBcrAg, HBsAg‐HQ, and antibodies against hepatitis B surface antigen (anti‐HBs) were measured using samples stored after HBV reactivation. The lower limit of quantification for iTACT‐HBcrAg was 2.0 log U/ml.

Results

HBV reactivation was diagnosed at a median HBV DNA level of 1.8 log IU/ml, and then all patients received NA treatment. No patient had HBV‐related hepatitis with a median maximum HBV DNA level of 2.0 log IU/ml. The positivities of iTACT‐HBcrAg and HBsAg‐HQ were 96% and 52% after HBV reactivation, respectively. Of 25 patients with detectable iTACT‐HBcrAg at the initiation of NA treatment, 17 (68%) achieved iTACT‐HBcrAg loss. Median durations from NA treatment to HBV DNA loss and iTACT‐HBcrAg loss or the last follow‐up were 35 and 175 days, respectively. Recurrence of HBV reactivation after NA cessation was not observed in seven of eight patients who achieved iTACT‐HBcrAg loss or seropositive for anti‐HBs during follow‐up, except for one without anti‐HBs after allogeneic transplantation.

Conclusions

iTACT‐HBcrAg could be a potential surrogate marker for diagnosing early‐stage HBV reactivation as well as safe cessation of NA treatment in patients with resolved HBV infection after HBV reactivation.
High willingness to use injectable antiretroviral therapy among women who have been lost to follow‐up from HIV programmes: A nested cross‐sectional study
Authors: Odongpiny Eva Laker Agnes , Cresswell Fiona , Arinaitwe Arnold , Nakate Vivian , Kyenkya Joshua , Lamorde Mohammed , Waitt Catriona , Meya David , Kiragga Agnes
Published: February 2022

Objectives

Efforts to achieve zero transmission of HIV to infants born to women living with HIV in sub‐Saharan African are undermined by high rates of loss to follow‐up in prevention of vertical transmission (PVT) programmes. The fear of HIV status disclosure through the discovery of pill bottles at home is a major contributor. Injectable antiretroviral therapy (ART) has proved to be efficacious in clinical trials and is discreet, offering a potential solution. We investigated the knowledge and willingness to use injectable ART among women who were lost to follow‐up from the PVT programme in Uganda.

Methods

Women were traced by nurse counsellors and knowledge and opinions relating to injectable ART, including willingness to use it when it becomes available, were collected. Generalized linear models were used to determine predictors of willingness to use injectable ART.

Conclusions

Among 1023 women registered between 2017 and 2019 under the PVT programmes in Kampala and Wakiso districts, Uganda, 385 (38%) were lost to follow‐up from care and 22% of these (83/385) were successfully traced and interviewed. Only 25% (21/83) had heard of injectable ART. Over half (55%, 46/83) were very willing to use injectable ART, 40% (33/83) were somewhat willing and four (5%) were not willing. Those who associated ART tablets with disclosure risk were more willing to consider injectable ART (adjusted odds ratio = 4.21; 95% confidence interval: 1.45–12.19; p = 0.008).

We report high willingness to use injectable ART associated with fears that ART tablets were a potential source of HIV status disclosure. Injectable ART could be a solution for women who have challenges with disclosure.
Routine blood biomarkers for the detection of multiple myeloma using machine learning
Authors: Fan Gaowei , Cui Ruifang , Zhang Rui , Zhang Shunli , Guo Ruipeng , Zhai Yuhua , Yue Yuhong , Wang Qingtao
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Primary laboratory tests performed in the diagnosis of multiple myeloma (MM) include bone marrow examination and free light chain assay; however, these may only be ordered after clinical suspicion of disease. In contrast, routine blood test results are readily available.

Methods

Machine learning algorithms (ML) combined with routine blood tests were used to detect MM. Feature selection was performed to achieve improved classification performance. The robustness of the classification models was assessed in an internal and external validation data set. To minimize the divergence, the training and validation data sets were combined and used to assess the performance of the ML algorithms.

Results

The AdaBoost‐DecisionTable produced the best performance (accuracy =94.75%, sensitivity =87.70%, positive predictive value (PPV) =92.50%, F‐measure =90.00%, and areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) =97.50%) in the training data set using a 10‐fold cross‐validation. Performance in the validation data sets was affected by the divergence of the data sets, with accuracy greater than 85% and AUC greater than 90% in the validation data sets. The ML algorithm achieved a high accuracy of 92.61%, high AUC (96.80%), a sensitivity value of 85.20%, a PPV value of 88.50%, and an F‐measure of 86.80% in a test set that was randomly selected from the combined data set.

Conclusions

Combining ML and routine serum biomarkers hold a potential benefit in MM diagnosis.
Simulation‐based training module on urosepsis improves knowledge and skills of urology nurses in Karachi, Pakistan: A brief project report
Authors: Chagani Sajida Salman , Aziz Wajahat , Farhan Zohra
Published: February 2022

Simulation‐based training has become an essential part of medical and healthcare education. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the improvement in knowledge and skills of nurses by introducing a new training methodology simulation‐based training module. A ‘cause and effect’ tool was used to identify care concerns and learning needs experienced by urology nurses in patient care settings. Early identification and management of sepsis/urosepsis was identified as a learning theme. A timeline was set and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Quality Improvement Model, methodology was used to enact a plan‐do‐study‐act cycle to develop a strategy for project execution. To improve care provided by urology nurses and to improve the clinical outcomes, a biannual traditional training course for urology nurses was refurbished converting it into a simulation‐based training module. Via this module nursing staff gained knowledge about a standard sepsis protocol and were able to perform focused assessment on a high fidelity SimMan 3G® simulator. Staff were further able to identify early signs of urosepsis and demonstrate an ability in its initial management. Participants had skills signed off at the end of simulation‐based training session. Improvement in knowledge was assessed by multiple choice questions following pre and post‐tests. An online evaluation form was filled by each participant to assess effectiveness of module and strengths, weaknesses opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis was done. Fifty four out of 93 nurses within a Nephrology‐Urology service participated. Improvement in knowledge was calculated by pre‐test average score about recognition and early management of sepsis which was 59%, with an average post‐test score of 75%. Besides this, nurses were evaluated for skills sign off with at least a ‘satisfactory’ performance. At the end of the session evaluation forms were completed by the participants to determine the perceived usefulness of the training. A SWOT analysis identified the main strength of the project which was that it offered hands‐on skills to identify early warning signs of sepsis along with the opportunity to practice the management of these issues efficiently. Simulation‐based module significantly improved the knowledge and skills of urology nurses and participants demonstrated a positive attitude toward this new pedagogy.
Extracellular vesicles and immune response during pregnancy: A balancing act*
Authors: Morelli Adrian E. , Sadovsky Yoel
Published: February 2022

The mechanisms underlying maternal tolerance of the semi‐ or fully‐allogeneic fetus are intensely investigated. Across gestation, feto‐placental antigens interact with the maternal immune system locally within the trophoblast‐decidual interface and distantly through shed cells and soluble molecules that interact with maternal secondary lymphoid tissues. The discovery of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as local or systemic carriers of antigens and immune‐regulatory molecules has added a new dimension to our understanding of immune modulation prior to implantation, during trophoblast invasion, and throughout the course of pregnancy. New data on immune‐regulatory molecules, located on EVs or within their cargo, suggest a role for EVs in negotiating immune tolerance during gestation. Lessons from the field of transplant immunology also shed light on possible interactions between feto‐placentally derived EVs and maternal lymphoid tissues. These insights illuminate a potential role for EVs in major obstetrical disorders. This review provides updated information on intensely studied, pregnancy‐related EVs, their cargo molecules, and patterns of fetal‐placental‐maternal trafficking, highlighting potential immune pathways that might underlie immune suppression or activation in gestational health and disease. Our summary also underscores the likely need to broaden the definition of the maternal‐fetal interface to systemic maternal immune tissues that might interact with circulating EVs.
miR‐221 promotes keratinocyte proliferation and migration by targeting SOCS7 and is regulated by YB‐1
Authors: Feng Xiao , Zhang Lei , Feng Wei , Zhang Ce , Jin Tingting , Li Jingyu , Guo Jincai
Published: February 2022

Proliferation and migration of keratinocytes are vital processes for the successful epithelization specifically after wounding. MiR‐221 has been identified to play a potential role in promoting wound regeneration by inducing blood vessel formation. However, little is known about the role of miR‐221 in the keratinocyte proliferation and migration during wound healing. An in vivo mice wound‐healing model was generated; the expression levels of miR‐221 were assessed by qRT‐PCR and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Initially, we found that miR‐221 was upregulated in the proliferative phase of wound healing. Further, in an in vivo wound‐healing mice model, targeted delivery of miR‐221 mimics accelerated wound healing. Contrastingly, inhibition of miR‐221 delayed healing. Additionally, we observed that overexpression of miR‐221 promoted cell proliferation and migration, while inhibition of miR‐221 had the opposite effects. Moreover, we identified SOCS7 as a direct target of miR‐221 in keratinocytes and overexpression of SOCS7 reversed the effects of miR‐221 in HaCaT keratinocytes. Finally, we identified that YB‐1 regulates the expression of miR‐221 in HaCaT keratinocytes. Overall, our experiments suggest that miR‐221 is regulated by YB‐1 in HaCaT keratinocytes and acts on SOCS7, thereby playing an important role in HaCaT keratinocyte proliferation and migration during wound healing.
Energy and exergy analyses of solar drying of black cardamom (Amomum subulatom Roxburgh) using indirect type flat plate collector solar dryer
Authors: Dash Soumya , Choudhury Shibabrata , Dash Kshirod Kumar
Published: February 2022

This study has summarized the energy and exergy analyses of flat plate collector solar dryer. The study involves a fundamental method for the design of the solar collector based on minimum entropy generation number (Ns) and mass flow number (M). The optimal performance parameters of the solar collector were determined using thermodynamic optimization procedure. Black cardamom was dried in the solar dryer at the drying air temperature range of 26–62°C. The amount of useful energy varied between 0.07 and 0.63 kW based on the degree of solar insolation. Subsequently, it was observed that the useful energy accumulated by the solar dryer was sufficient to dry black cardamom samples to 8.2% moisture content from an initial moisture content of 80.6%. The range of energy utilization values inside the cabinet was between 7.53 and 74.61 W for a period of 24 hr. It was observed that the energy utilization ratio (EUR) varied from 22.12–80.73%, 22.62–97.71%, and 14.25–77.81%, respectively, for the three consecutive days. The increase in the inlet air temperature led to an increase in the EUR values. Furthermore, during the drying studies, the exergy efficiency of the drying chamber was ranged from 31.19% to 93.28%, with an average of 72.08%. The developed solar dryer incorporates a free energy source, sustainability, increased drying capacity, and the creation of high‐quality products. This dryer can be promoted as beneficial and sustainable equipment for drying agro products by small and marginal farmers.

Practical applications

Free energy sources and sustainability are the benefits of this solar dryer system. Agricultural producers are considering the use of renewable energy, such as solar energy, in the drying of agricultural goods. The design of the solar collector was based on the minimum entropy generation number. In this study, a dynamic model was provided in which the kinetics of moisture reduction are calculated based on the quantity of solar energy received in the collector and the temperature fluctuation in the collector. The exergy input and exergy loss of the dryer are affected by solar radiation. The quantity of energy received and consumed is included in the energy analysis.
Evaluation of patients with telogen effluvium during the pandemic: May the monocytes be responsible for post COVID‐19 telogen effluvium?
Authors: Koç Yıldırım Sema , Erbağcı Ece , Demirel Öğüt Neslihan
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Telogen effluvium (TE) is one of the causes of non‐scarring hair loss that occurred commonly 2–3 months after a triggering factor. It was reported that the incidence of TE increased during the COVID‐19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. However, to date, there is no study evaluating the status of COVID‐19 before the onset of hair loss in patients with TE. The aim of this study is to evaluate the patients with TE whether they had COVID‐19 or not before the onset of their hair loss and to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters of those with and without a history of COVID‐19.

Method

We conducted an observational cohort study of TE patients. The diagnosis of TE depended on anamnesis and physical examination of the patients. Also, hair pull test was performed. Demographic data and the results of COVID‐19 real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) were recorded from the electronic medical records.

Results

Totally, 181 patients with TE were included in the study. Sixty‐four of patients (35.4%) had been diagnosed with COVID‐19 before the hair loss started. The median duration of development of hair loss was 2 months (range 1–11 months, IQR 3) after COVID‐19 diagnosis. In this group, 87.5% of patients (n = 56) had acute TE and 12.5% of patients (n = 8) had chronic TE. The rate of acute TE and the use of vitamin supplements were ignificantly higher (p < 0.001 and p = 0.027, respectively) and the monocyte count in peripheral blood was lower (p = 0.041) in the group diagnosed with COVID‐19.

Discussion and Conclusion

It was stated that monocytes and macrophages infected by SARS‐CoV‐2 can produce pro‐inflammatory cytokines that play a crucial role in the development of COVID‐19‐related complications. Also, it was suggested that the number of monocytes tends to be lower in the late recovery stage. The lower monocyte count in patients with a history of COVID‐19 in our study may be related to evaluating the patients in the late period of recovery and the migration of circulating monocytes to hair follicles. The history of COVID‐19 must be questioned in patients with TE. It should be kept in mind that hair loss that develops after COVID‐19 may be presented as chronic TE form too. The exact mechanisms of hair loss induced by COVID‐19 are not fully explained; the roles of monocytes on the hair follicles may be one of the responsible mechanisms.
miR‐186‐5p inhibits the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma by targeting ITGA6 to impair the activity of the PI3K/AKT pathway
Authors: Chen Min , Zhang Jing
Published: February 2022

Background

microRNAs (miRNAs) are pivotal regulators of multiple biological processes. miR‐186‐5p functions as a tumor suppressor in a variety of cancers and promotes the malignant proliferation of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This study aimed to clarify the role and regulatory mechanism of miR‐186‐5p in OSCC.

Methods

The levels of miR‐186‐5p and integrin subunit alpha 6 (ITGA6) were investigated in clinical specimens and OSCC cell lines by reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The effects of miR‐186‐5p and ITGA6 on the cell migration, proliferation, and phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K)/serine‐threonine kinase (AKT) pathway activity were evaluated by transwell assay, cell counting kit 8 assay, and western blotting, respectively. A xenograft model was used to analyze the effect of miR‐186‐5p on tumor growth. Bioinformatic analyses were conducted to identify the putative targets of miR‐186‐5p in OSCC.

Results

Decreased miR‐186‐5p expression levels were observed in OSCC tumor tissues and cell lines. The overexpression of miR‐186‐5p suppressed the proliferation and migration of OSCC cells, and weakened the phosphorylation of PI3K and AKT. Moreover, the overexpression of miR‐186‐5p in xenograft tumor models impedes tumor growth. miR‐186‐5p is bound to ITGA6 and negatively related to ITGA6 expression in tumor tissues. The forced expression of ITGA6 promoted OSCC cell proliferation and migration and enhanced the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and AKT, while additional miR‐186‐5p enrichment partly abolished these effects.

Conclusion

miR‐186‐5p binds to ITGA6 to impair the activity of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thereby blocking the development of OSCC. This study provides insight to understand the pathogenesis of OSCC.
Impact dynamics of the L chondrites' parent asteroid
Authors: Ciocco Marine , Roskosz Mathieu , Doisneau Béatrice , Beyssac Olivier , Mostefaoui Smail , Remusat Laurent , Leroux Hugues , Gounelle Matthieu
Published: February 2022

The dynamics of collisional events have been studied for three highly shocked L chondrites (Tenham, Sixiangkou, and Acfer 040). Crystal growth rates of high‐pressure polymorphs of olivines and pyroxenes and diffusion‐driven redistribution of Mn, Ca, Fe, and Na associated with these polymorphic transitions were studied independently. These two approaches were then applied on the same samples, and for meteorites that underwent different collisional histories. The relevance of the use of pyroxene polymorphs (e.g., akimotoite) is demonstrated. Combined analysis of the exact same ringwoodite and akimotoite crystals by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and NanoSIMS demonstrate that while STEM has a better lateral resolution, the 40 nm maximum resolution of the NanoSIMS is sufficient to distinguish and analyze diffusion profiles. With STEM chemical and structural information concerning the nucleation mechanisms of ringwoodite and akimotoite, the concentration profiles derived from NanoSIMS images were used to derive the shock pulse duration and impactor size for these three meteorites. The two approaches (crystal growth kinetics and elemental diffusion) provide comparable durations assuming that diffusion coefficients are carefully selected. We obtain shock time scales of 1, 7, and 4 s for Tenham, Sixiangkou, and Acfer 040, respectively. Corresponding impactor sizes are also calculated, and the results point toward either (i) an early separation of the L chondrites from the parent body, and secondary impacts resulting in the observed meteorites or (ii) the meteorites all originate from different depths in the parent body.
Mesangial cell‐derived tenascin‐C contributes to mesangial cell proliferation and matrix protein production in IgA nephropathy
Authors: Yan Minhua , Liu Shaojun , Zhang Min , Lai Lingyun , Xie Qionghong , Hao Chuan‐Ming
Published: February 2022

Aim

Tenascin‐C (TNC), a non‐structural extracellular matrix glycoprotein, is transiently expressed during development or after injury, playing an important role in injury and repair process. The potential role of TNC in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) remains to be clarified.

Methods

Immunohistochemistry staining for TNC was conducted on paraffin‐embedded slices from renal biopsies of 107 IgAN patients, and correlation analysis was made between mesangial TNC expression and clinic‐pathological parameters. In situ hybridization for TNC mRNA was further performed to figure out the cells that express TNC within glomeruli. In vitro experiments were also carried out on mouse mesangial cells (SV40 MES13) to elucidate the effect of TNC on mesangial cells.

Results

TNC was expressed in the mesangial area of IgAN, as well as in fibrotic regions. Correlation analysis showed that higher mesangial TNC was associated with higher level of proteinuria, lower estimated glomerular filtration rate and more serious pathological lesions (MEST score). In situ hybridization revealed that abundant TNC mRNA expression was observed in the affected glomeruli of IgAN, but not in minimal change disease. Moreover, TNC mRNA co‐localized with PDGFRβ mRNA, but not with PODXL mRNA, suggesting that TNC mRNA was expressed in the mesangial cells within glomeruli in IgAN. In vitro experiments showed that exogenous TNC promoted matrix protein production and mesangial cell proliferation, which was attenuated by an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor.

Conclusion

Taken together, these results suggest that mesangial cell‐derived TNC contributes to mesangial matrix expansion and mesangial cell proliferation, which is a potential therapeutic target in IgAN.
Ceropegia luzhiensis, a new species of Apocynaceae from Yunnan, China
Authors: Ma Xing‐Da , Wang Huan‐Chong , He Kai‐Hong , Shi Ji‐Pu , Shen Jian‐Yong
Published: February 2022

Ceropegia luzhiensis X.D. Ma & J.Y. Shen, a new species from Yimen, Yunnan, China, is described and illustrated. This species is similar to C. hookeri C. B. Clarke, C. intermedia Wight and C. manoharii Sujanapal, Salim, Anil & Sasidh., but clearly differs in its indumentum, the shape of leaf, the length of peduncle and pedicel, the shape and size of corolla and the shape of interstaminal corona lobe. A table including the morphological characters of related species and a dichotomous key to all 20 species of Ceropegia occurring in China are provided.