bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Probing the Structural Basis of Citrus Phytochrome B using Computational Modelling and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Approaches
Authors: Tahir ul Qamar Muhammad , Mirza Muhammad Usman , Song Jia-Ming , Rao Muhammad Junaid , Zhu Xitong , Chen Ling-Ling
Published: May 2021

Phytochromes (Phys) are known as red/far-red light photoreceptors and are responsible for directing the photosensory responses across the species, majorly from fungal, bacterial and plant kingdoms. Such responses majorly include photosynthetic potential and pigmentation in bacteria, whereas in a plant, they are involved in chloroplast development and photomorphogenesis. Many prokaryotic Phys have been modelled for their structural and functional analysis, but their plant counterparts have not been explored yet. To date, only the crystal structures of the photo-sensing module (PSM) of PhyB isoform from Arabidopsis thaliana and Glycine max have been resolved experimentally. Thus, in this study, we elucidated the complete 3D structure of Citrus PhyB. Initially, the structure and organisation of the Citrus PhyB have been predicted computationally, which were found to have the same domain organisation as A. thaliana and G. max PhyBs, yet their considerable distinct structural difference indicated potential divergence in signaling and functioning. Therefore, to evaluate the structural and functional implications of Citrus PhyB, we compared its structure with A. thaliana and G. max PhyBs using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation approaches. The modeling studies revealed that the region of Citrus PhyB-GAF domain possibly contributes to the variations between Citrus, A. thaliana and G. max PhyBs structures/functions. Hence, structural and molecular insights into Citrus PhyB can help to discover the Phys signaling and thus, an essential framework can be designed for optogenetic reagents and various agricultural/horticulture benefits.

One sentence summary

A complete Citrus PhyB structure together with photo-sensory and out-put modules provides significant information to evaluate its biological activities for agricultural benefits.
SARS-CoV-2 Variant Identification Using a Genome Tiling Array and Genotyping Probes
Authors: Shimada Ryota , Alden Emily N. , Hoff Kendall , Ding Xun , Sun Jiayi , Halasz Adam M. , Zhou Wei , Edwards Jeremy S.
Published: May 2021

With over three million deaths worldwide attributed to the respiratory disease COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, it is essential that continued efforts be made to track the evolution and spread of the virus globally. We previously presented a rapid and cost-effective method to sequence the entire SARS-CoV-2 genome with 95% coverage and 99.9% accuracy. This method is advantageous for identifying and tracking variants in the SARS-CoV-2 genome when compared to traditional short read sequencing methods which can be time consuming and costly. Herein we present the addition of genotyping probes to our DNA chip which target known SARS-CoV-2 variants. The incorporation of the genotyping probe sets along with the advent of a moving average filter have improved our sequencing coverage and accuracy of the SARS-CoV-2 genome.
Responding to COVID-19 pandemic: interior designs’ trends of houses in Jordan
Authors: Shamaileh Anas Atef
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The emergence of COVID-19 pandemic in the late 2019 was accompanied by various consequences that included almost the entire life aspects worldwide. To cope with the pandemic, imposing restricted measures was required, such as quarantine, lockdown and social distancing. The purpose of this paper is to identify the houses' interior designs responses in Jordan under Covid-19 Pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

Under such conditions, people have to spend long periods inside their houses. This issue highlighted the importance and the vital role of houses interior design in meeting the various needs of residents under emergent and changing conditions.

Findings

This study revealed current and future responses that may be implemented to cope with the pandemic consequences in terms of houses’ interior design. Moreover, a conceptual model was proposed. Number of suggestions and further research were introduced considering the revealed findings.

Originality/value

This study aimed at identifying the houses’ interior design responses in Jordan under COVID-19 pandemic. The study methodology adopted both inductive and qualitative approaches to achieve its goals. Under the qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were undertaken by interviewing ten interior designers and academics.
Board performance and its relation to dividend payout: evidence from Malaysia
Authors: Subramaniam Ravichandran , Sakthi Mahenthiran
Published: May 2021

Purpose

To examine the board of directors’ performance and if higher performance helps protect minority shareholders in an emerging capital market. Additionally, we determine if the different types of company ownership moderate the level of protection to minority shareholders.

Design/methodology/approach

The study develops a measure of board performance with their compensation. And it tests its association with the dividend payout decision of 300 of the largest Malaysian public listed companies (referred to as PLCs) over the period 2008 to 2014.

Findings

The results find that higher board productivity in terms of return on capital employed is associated with higher dividend payout. Additionally, the study finds that the board performance measure interacts with race, ethnicity and gender of the board of directors and CEO duality to affect the dividend payout decision of Malaysian PLCs.

Research limitations/implications

It is a single-country study of large Malaysian PLCs. And it uses only the governance mechanisms that have been shown in emerging capital markets to have the most significant effect on affecting the relationship between board performance and dividend payout.

Practical implications

The findings show the importance of inclusivity and diversity in governing State-controlled firms in an emerging capital market.

Originality/value

The findings suggest improving corporate boards’ performance, protecting minority shareholders and contributing to the corporate governance literature. Notably, the study highlights boardroom diversity’s importance to enhance the boards of State-controlled firms’ performance.
Motivations behind backers’ contributions in reward-based crowdfunding for movies and web series
Authors: Baber Hasnan , Fanea-Ivanovici Mina
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Crowdfunding as an alternative financing method has recently gained ground and become a legitimate and feasible option for supporting creative and cultural projects. Whereas the reasons behind raising money on crowdfunding platforms are easy to understand, there is still a knowledge gap concerning backer’s motivations to fund creative projects. The aim of this study is to investigate backers’ main motivations to contribute to movies and web series crowdfunding projects.

Design/methodology/approach

Using PLS-SEM, we analyzed the influence of intrinsic motivation, inner innovativeness, shared values and campaign involvement on perceived trust and perceived risk; the last two were further analyzed in relation to their influence on participation intention (N = 432). Data was collected from Europe and Asia using convenience and snowball sampling through a structured questionnaire.

Findings

Perceived trust was found to be positively influenced by intrinsic motivation, shared values and campaign involvement, and perceived risk was surprisingly found to be positively influenced by campaign involvement. Also, perceived trust as generated by platform and crowdfundraiser jointly and perceived risk have a positive influence on participation intention.

Research limitations/implications

This study is a useful tool in the hands of filmmakers and web series producers in the process of crowdfunding campaign design and for the crowdfund platform owner, who will seek to enhance perceived trust in order to attract larger audiences and increase profitability.

Originality/value

This is an original first study to examine the intentions of people from Europe and Asia toward movie and web series crowdfunding projects.
Retrospective on the launch ofIJPDLM– lessons for the future of logistics and supply chain management research
Authors: van Hoek Remko
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This paper offers a retrospective on the launch and first volumes of this journal. It describes the history of a unique period in our discipline when founding fathers in the US and UK collaborated with industry and each other to create a new field.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors interviewed founding editor Professor Martin Christopher and coeditor in Chief Professor Doug Lambert, conducted a bibliometric review of the first volumes of the journal and informed the analysis by approaches taken in other retrospectives published in the journal. The authors also feature historical artifacts from the journal.

Findings

The editorial focus during the early days of the journal demonstrate how the roots of the field are in cost modeling and technical work but quickly moved toward customer orientation and managerial focus. The editorial approach during the early days of the journal was on innovative research and publishing, scholarship engaged with industry, a focus on relevance and industry impact as well as leveraging research in education.

Originality/value

There have been retrospectives on the journals most recent volumes but what the authors aim to do is to reflect upon the launch and the first volumes of the journal. The authors expand and further detail the timeline of the development of the logistics field. In the process, the authors identify several historical roots for topics of greater focus in logistics and supply chain management in later years. The authors also find that many of the essential approaches and lessons learned in the period leading up to the launch and shortly after the launch of the journal do not only capture the early development of the discipline it also offers an approach and model for scholarship worthy of consideration still today. On top of that, several of the lessons learned in that period hold high relevance still today and they imply part of the path forward for the discipline and the journal, the authors develop questions for future research and research and editorial strategies.
Role of perceived countries’ advantages of cashless economy in behavioral intentions of using cashless transactions: an empirical analysis
Authors: Raj L. Vimal , S. Amilan , K. Aparna
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The ultimate aim of this paper is to contribute an extension of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model. The modified UTAUT provides a better explanation for the adoption of cashless transactions. However, it does not consider individuals’ perceived countries’ advantages when cashless transactions are made in the economy. Hence, this research investigates whether individuals’ perceived countries’ advantages of the cashless economy influence behavioral intentions of using cashless transactions.

Design/methodology/approach

A structured questionnaire has administered with 375 respondents in selected commercially vibrant places, such as Shopping Malls, big retail shops, hotels, and the like, covering the 15 zones of Greater Chennai city Corporation, India. From the 375 respondents, 325 respondents returned the filled-in questionnaire in time. For analysis, exploratory factor analyses used for underlying new latent factors from the identified variables used for measuring the individuals’ perceived countries’ advantages of a cashless economy. After identifying the latent factors, the extracted factors regressed with the intention level of using cashless transactions to validate the influence of newly identified factors.

Findings

The results of the regression analysis proved that the identified new factors, such as Perceived Economic Offense Reduction (PEOR), Perceived Economic Benefit (PEB), and Perceived Economy’s Security (PES), are positively and significantly influencing the behavioral intention of using cashless transactions.

Research limitations/implications

This study’s unique contribution is the validation of a measurement scale based on individuals’ perception of countries’ advantages when cashless transactions are made in the economy. The scale development in the present study is an essential step toward the advancement of the UTAUT research model, and this study also proved that identified new latent factors such as PEOR, PEB and the PES are positively and significantly influencing individuals’ behavioral intention toward the use of the cashless transaction. Hence, this study’s result may help contribute an extension of the UTAUT model in a comprehensive view, and this extension may enrich UTAUT’s ability to explain and predict the acceptance of cashless transactions.

Originality/value

In recent literature, many conceptual and empirical studies have discussed the countries’ advantages resulting from cashless transactions. This study attempts to integrate those advantages as variables through measurement instruments, whether they influence the behavioral intention to use cashless transactions from the general public perspective.
Modeling the co-citation dependence on semantic layers of co-cited documents
Authors: Yaghtin Maryam , Sotudeh Hajar , Nikseresht Alireza , Mirzabeigi Mahdieh
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Co-citation frequency, defined as the number of documents co-citing two articles, is considered as a quantitative, and thus, an efficient proxy of subject relatedness or prestige of the co-cited articles. Despite its quantitative nature, it is found effective in retrieving and evaluating documents, signifying its linkage with the related documents' contents. To better understand the dynamism of the citation network, the present study aims to investigate various content features giving rise to the measure.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study examined the interaction of different co-citation features in explaining the co-citation frequency. The features include the co-cited works' similarities in their full-texts, Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms, co-citation proximity, opinions and co-citances. A test collection is built using the CITREC dataset. The data were analyzed using natural language processing (NLP) and opinion mining techniques. A linear model was developed to regress the objective and subjective content-based co-citation measures against the natural log of the co-citation frequency.

Findings

The dimensions of co-citation similarity, either subjective or objective, play significant roles in predicting co-citation frequency. The model can predict about half of the co-citation variance. The interaction of co-opinionatedness and non-co-opinionatedness is the strongest factor in the model.

Originality/value

It is the first study in revealing that both the objective and subjective similarities could significantly predict the co-citation frequency. The findings re-confirm the citation analysis assumption claiming the connection between the cognitive layers of cited documents and citation measures in general and the co-citation frequency in particular.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available athttps://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-04-2020-0126.
Parasite spillover to native hosts from more tolerant, supershedding invasive hosts: Implications for management
Authors: Ortega Nicole , Roznik Elizabeth A. , Surbaugh Kerri L. , Cano Natalia , Price Wayne , Campbell Todd , Rohr Jason R.
Published: May 2021

Introduced hosts are capable of introducing parasite species and altering the abundance of parasites that are already present in native hosts, but few studies have compared the tolerances of native and invasive hosts to introduced parasites or identified the traits of introduced hosts that make them supershedders of non‐native parasites.

Here, we compare the effects of a nematodeAplectana hamatospiculathat is native to Cuba but appears to be introduced to Florida on the native Floridian treefrog,Hyla femoralis, and on the Cuban treefrog (CTF),Osteopilus septentrionalis. We were particularly interested in CTFs because their introduction to Florida has led to reported declines of native treefrogs.

In the laboratory, infection withA. hamatospiculacaused a greater loss in body mass ofH. femoralisthan CTFs despiteH. femoralisshedding fewer total worms in their faeces than CTFs. Field collections of CTFs,H. femoralis, and another native Floridian treefrog,H.squirella(Squirrel treefrog) from Tampa, FL also showed that CTFs shed more larval worms in their faeces than both native frogs when controlling for body size. Hence, the non‐native CTF is a supershedder of this non‐native parasite that is spilling over to less tolerant native treefrogs.

Any conservation intervention to reduce the effects of CTFs on native treefrogs would benefit from knowing the traits that contribute to the invasive host being a supershedder of this parasite. Hence, we conducted necropsies on 330 CTFs to determine how host sex and body size affect the abundance ofA. hamatospicula, and two other common parasites in this species (acuariid nematodes and trematode metacercariae).

There was a significant linear increase inA. hamatospiculaand encysted acuariids with CTF body size, but there was no detectable relationship between host body size and the intensity of metacercariae. Female CTFs were bigger, lived longer and, on average, had moreA. hamatospiculathan male CTFs.

Synthesis and applications. These results of the study suggest that there is parasite spillover from the invasive Cuban treefrog (CTF) to native treefrogs in Florida. Additionally, at least some of the adverse effects of CTFs on native treefrogs could be caused by the introduction and amplification of this introduced parasite, and female and larger CTFs seem to be amplifying these infections more than males and smaller CTFs, respectively, suggesting that management could benefit from targeting these individuals.
Soil chemical properties drive the structure of bacterial communities in the cotton soil of arid Northwest China
Authors: Liu Haiyan , Wang Jingjing , Zhao Wei , Chen Yun , Lv Ning , Yi Zhengbing , Huang Zhiyong , Yang Rong , Lv Xin
Published: May 2021

Over the last few decades, much of the desert‐oasis ecotone in northwestern China has been reclaimed for cotton cultivation. However, we still know little about the composition of the soil bacterial community relative to soil chemical properties in reclaimed soil after long‐term monocultural cotton production in arid and extremely arid areas. Here, we collected soil samples from two farms where cotton has been continuously planted for more than 20 years. We found that the composition of the soil bacterial communities was significantly different between these two farms, variance in which could be explained by available K, N, and P, total N, and soil pH. The relative abundance of Verrucomicrobia was significantly higher at the Xinhu farm, while Bacteroidetes and Nitrospirae predominated at the Tenth farm. Across sites, the abundance of Bacteroidetes was positively correlated with available N and P, while the abundance of Verrucomicrobia was positively correlated with total N and available K. Moreover, bacterial community diversity, as quantified via phylogenetic diversity, Shannon diversity, and operational taxonomic unit richness, was higher at the Tenth farm. These soil bacterial diversities were all positively correlated with available N, but negatively correlated with available K in arid and extremely arid areas. Our results suggest that available K, N, and P, total N, and pH are all key factors in shaping soil bacterial communities. The influence of available N and K on bacterial community diversity should therefore be considered for cotton cultivation in reclaimed soil.
PD‐L1 and CD47 co‐expression predicts survival and enlightens future dual‐targeting immunotherapy in non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Yang Zhenlin , Peng Yue , Guo Wei , Xu Jiachen , Li Lin , Tian He , Li Renda , Liu Lei , Tan Fengwei , Gao Shugeng , He Jie
Published: May 2021

Backgroud

Recent studies have indicated that programmed cell death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) and cluster of differentiation 47 (CD47) play an essential role in tumor immune evasion and may serve as potential targets for combined immunotherapy. The aim of our study was to evaluate the PD‐L1/CD47 expression status in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), and explore its survival impact and relevance with the immune microenvironment.

Methods

The specimens from 190 LUSC and 240 LUAD patients who underwent intent‐to‐treat surgeries were retrospectively collected for immunohistochemistry assays of PD‐L1, CD47, cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8), and cluster of differentiation 68 (CD68).

Results

A total of 96 (22.3%) and 296 (68.8%) cases were positive for PD‐L1 and CD47 expression, respectively, and 80 (18.6%) of them demonstrated the co‐expression of PD‐L1/CD47. The rate of PD‐L1/CD47 co‐expression was 23.7% in LUSC, significantly higher than the 14.6% in LUAD (p = 0.018). The median overall survival (OS) for all patients was 55.9 months (range 2.0–146.0 months). The univariate analysis showed that patients with positive CD47 expression (LUSC p = 0.003, LUAD p = 0.036) and PD‐L1/CD47 co‐expression (LUSC p = 0.023, LUAD p = 0.004) exhibited significantly worse prognosis. The multivariate analysis demonstrated that PD‐L1/CD47 co‐expression was an independent prognostic factor for OS (LUSC hazard ratio [HR] 1.922, 95% CI 1.245–2.969, p = 0.003; LUAD HR 1.549, 95% CI 1.015–2.364, p = 0.043). PD‐L1/CD47 co‐expression was associated with high CD8‐positive T‐lymphocyte density in LUSC (p = 0.004) and LUAD (p = 0.043), and with high CD68‐positive macrophage density in LUSC (p = 0.026).

Conclusions

PD‐L1/CD47 co‐expression was an independent prognostic factor for LUSC and LUAD patients and may serve as a potential predictive biomarker for combined dual‐targeting immunotherapy.
Operational factors associated with emergency department patient satisfaction: Analysis of the Academy of Administrators of Emergency Medicine/Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine national survey
Authors: Reznek Martin A. , Larkin Celine M. , Scheulen James J. , Harbertson Cathi A. , Michael Sean S.
Published: May 2021

Background

Patient satisfaction is a focus for emergency department (ED) and hospital administrators. ED patient satisfaction studies have tended to be single site and focused on patient and clinician factors. Inclusion of satisfaction scores in a large, national operations database provided an opportunity to conduct an investigation that included diverse operational factors.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of the 2019 Academy of Administrators in Academic Emergency Medicine/Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine (AAAEM/AACEM) benchmarking survey to identify associations between operational factors and patient satisfaction. We identified 59 database variables as potential predictors of Press Ganey likelihood‐to‐recommend and physician overall scores. Using random forest modeling, we identified the top eight predictors in the models and described their associations.

Results

Forty‐three (57.3%) academic departments responding to the AAAEM/AACEM survey reported patient satisfaction scores for 78 EDs. Likelihood to recommend ranged from 30.0 to 93.0 (median = 74.8) and was associated with ED length of stay, boarding, use of hallway spaces, hospital annual admissions, faculty base clinical hours, proportion of patients leaving before treatment complete (LBTC), and provider in triage hours per day. Physician overall score ranged from 53.3 to 93.4 (median = 81.9) and was associated with faculty base clinical hours, x‐ray utilization, annual ED arrivals, LBTC, use of hallway spaces, arrivals per attending hour, and CT utilization.

Conclusions

ED patient satisfaction was associated with intrinsic and extrinsic factors, some being potentially manageable within the ED but others being relatively fixed or outside the control of ED operations. For likelihood to recommend, patient flow was dominant, with erosion of satisfaction observed with increased boarding and longer LOS. Factors associated with physician overall score were more varied. The use of hallway spaces and base clinical hours greater than 1,500 per year were associated with both lower likelihood‐to‐recommend and lower physician overall scores.
Moving the needle on fall prevention: A Geriatric Emergency Care Applied Research (GEAR) Network scoping review and consensus statement
Authors: Hammouda Nada , Carpenter Christopher R. , Hung William W. , Lesser Adriane , Nyamu Sylviah , Liu Shan , Gettel Cameron J. , Malsch Aaron , Castillo Edward M. , Forrester Savannah , Souffront Kimberly , Vargas Samuel , Goldberg Elizabeth M. ,   the GEAR Network
Published: May 2021

Background

Although falls are common, costly, and often preventable, emergency department (ED)‐initiated fall screening and prevention efforts are rare. The Geriatric Emergency Medicine Applied Research Falls core (GEAR‐Falls) was created to identify existing research gaps and to prioritize future fall research foci.

Methods

GEAR’s 49 transdisciplinary stakeholders included patients, geriatricians, ED physicians, epidemiologists, health services researchers, and nursing scientists. We derived relevant clinical fall ED questions and summarized the applicable research evidence, adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses for Scoping Reviews. The highest‐priority research foci were identified at the GEAR Consensus Conference.

Results

We identified two clinical questions for our review (1) fall prevention interventions (32 studies) and (2) risk stratification and falls care plan (19 studies). For (1) 21 of 32 (66%) of interventions were a falls risk screening assessment and 15 of 21 (71%) of these were combined with an exercise program or physical therapy. For (2) 11 fall screening tools were identified, but none were feasible and sufficiently accurate for ED patients. For both questions, the most frequently reported study outcome was recurrent falls, but various process and patient/clinician‐centered outcomes were used. Outcome ascertainment relied on self‐reported falls in 18 of 32 (56%) studies for (1) and nine of 19 (47%) studies for (2).

Conclusion

Harmonizing definitions, research methods, and outcomes is needed for direct comparison of studies. The need to identify ED‐appropriate fall risk assessment tools and role of emergency medical services (EMS) personnel persists. Multifactorial interventions, especially involving exercise, are more efficacious in reducing recurrent falls, but more studies are needed to compare appropriate bundle combinations. GEAR prioritizes five research priorities: (1) EMS role in improving fall‐related outcomes, (2) identifying optimal ED fall assessment tools, (3) clarifying patient‐prioritized fall interventions and outcomes, (4) standardizing uniform fall ascertainment and measured outcomes, and (5) exploring ideal intervention components.
An update on emerging therapeutics to combat COVID‐19
Authors: Shah Naveed Nazir , Nabi Showkat Ul , Rather Muzafar Ahmad , Kalwar Qudratullah , Ali Sofi Imtiyaz , Sheikh Wajid Mohammad , Ganai Alveena , Bashir Showkeen Muzamil
Published: May 2021

Background

The COVID‐19 pandemic has demanded effective therapeutic protocol from researchers and clinicians across the world. Currently, a large amount of primary data have been generated from several preclinical studies. At least 300 clinical trials are underway for drug repurposing against COVID‐19; the clinician needs objective evidence‐based medication to treat COVID‐19.

Observations

Single‐stranded RNA viral genome of SARS‐CoV‐2 encodes structural proteins (spike protein), non‐structural enzymatic proteins (RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase, helicase, papain‐like protease, 3‐chymotrypsin‐like protease) and other accessory proteins. These four enzymatic proteins on spike protein are rate‐limiting steps in viral replications and, therefore, an attractive target for drug development against SARS‐CoV‐2. In silico and in vitro studies have identified various potential epitomes as candidate sequences for vaccine development. These studies have also revealed potential targets for drug development and drug repurposing against COVID‐19. Clinical trials utilizing antiviral drugs and other drugs have given inconclusive results regarding their clinical efficacy and side effects. The need for angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE‐2) inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers and corticosteroids has been recommended. Western countries have adopted telemedicine as an alternative to prevent transmission of infection in the population. Currently, no proven, evidence‐based therapeutic regimen exists for COVID‐19.

Conclusion

The COVID‐19 pandemic has put tremendous pressure on researchers to evaluate and approve drugs effective against the disease. Well‐controlled randomized trials should assess medicines that are not marketed with substantial evidence of safety and efficacy and more emphasis on time tested approaches for drug evaluation.
From theory to practice in pattern‐oriented modelling: identifying and using empirical patterns in predictive models
Authors: Gallagher Cara A. , Chudzinska Magda , Larsen‐Gray Angela , Pollock Christopher J. , Sells Sarah N. , White Patrick J. C. , Berger Uta
Published: May 2021

To robustly predict the effects of disturbance and ecosystem changes on species, it is necessary to produce structurally realistic models with high predictive power and flexibility. To ensure that these models reflect the natural conditions necessary for reliable prediction, models must be informed and tested using relevant empirical observations. Pattern‐oriented modelling (POM) offers a systematic framework for employing empirical patterns throughout the modelling process and has been coupled with complex systems modelling, such as in agent‐based models (ABMs). However, while the production of ABMs has been rising rapidly, the explicit use of POM has not increased. Challenges with identifying patterns and an absence of specific guidelines on how to implement empirical observations may limit the accessibility of POM and lead to the production of models which lack a systematic consideration of reality. This review serves to provide guidance on how to identify and apply patterns following a POM approach in ABMs (POM‐ABMs), specifically addressing: where in the ecological hierarchy can we find patterns; what kinds of patterns are useful; how should simulations and observations be compared; and when in the modelling cycle are patterns used? The guidance and examples provided herein are intended to encourage the application of POM and inspire efficient identification and implementation of patterns for both new and experienced modellers alike. Additionally, by generalising patterns found especially useful for POM‐ABM development, these guidelines provide practical help for the identification of data gaps and guide the collection of observations useful for the development and verification of predictive models. Improving the accessibility and explicitness of POM could facilitate the production of robust and structurally realistic models in the ecological community, contributing to the advancement of predictive ecology at large.
Competitive Cr3+ occupation in persistent phosphors toward tunable traps distribution for dynamic anti‐counterfeiting
Authors: Zhang Mengya , Wang Zhijun , Wang Xuejiao , Suo Hao , Cao Lingwei , Yao Yao , Zheng Mingjie , Cui Jia , Yang Zhibin , Li Panlai
Published: May 2021

Red/near infrared (NIR) long persistent phosphors have received extensive attentions in biomedical, food inspection, iris recognition, biological imaging, etc. Herein, a new phosphor, Li2ZnGe3O8:Cr3+, is reported with deep red persistent luminescence peaking at 708 nm. By adjusting the Cr3+ doping concentration, the competitive site occupation at [ZnO6] and [GeO6] polyhedral enables different traps behaviors including trap types, trap concentration and trap depth, which in turn leads to different afterglow duration time from 2 to 20 h. The persistent luminescence mechanisms originated from different trap models have been discussed, and it is found that they can cooperate or inhibit each other, enabling different luminescence depending on time. The dynamic anti‐counterfeiting applications have been demonstrated, which provides a new way to rationally designing for multi‐functional luminescent materials.
Novel association between a transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 5 expression quantitative trait locus rs35197079 and decreased susceptibility of gestational diabetes mellitus in a Chinese population
Authors: Li Xi , Lai Liping , Su Jindi , Chen Shiguo , Lin Sheng , Wang Baojiang , Gao Jian , Zhang Linghua , Yao Keqin , Duan Shan
Published: May 2021

Aims/Introduction

Emerging evidence suggests that expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) are more likely to associate with complex diseases. Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 5 (TRPM5) is a ubiquitously expressed voltage‐gated cation channel that acts indispensably to trigger insulin secretion in pancreatic β‐cells. The present study evaluated the association between TRPM5 eQTL single‐nucleotide polymorphisms and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a Chinese population.

Materials and Methods

A total of 380 unrelated Chinese pregnant women including 241 GDM patients and 139 controls were included in this study. The eQTL single‐nucleotide polymorphisms of TRPM5 were obtained from the GTEx eQTL Browser, and were subsequently genotyped using the Agena MassARRAY iPLEX platform.

Results

Logistic regression analysis and linear regression analysis showed that rs35197079 and rs74848824 were significantly associated with reduced GDM risk and lower fasting plasma glucose levels after adjusting confounder factors in dominant genetic models. Stratification analysis based on pre‐pregnancy body mass index validated a strong association between rs35197079 and GDM susceptibility in underweight and normal weight individuals. Luciferase and electrophoretic mobility shift assays carried out in rat pancreatic β‐cells showed that rs35197079 was functional.

Conclusions

The TRPM5 eQTL single‐nucleotide polymorphism rs35197079 was associated with decreased GDM susceptibility in a Chinese population, especially in underweight and normal weight pregnant women, and it was functional in modulating gene transcription.
Antibiotic prescribing to Kentucky Medicaid children, 2012‐2017: Prescribing is higher in rural areas
Authors: Wattles Bethany A. , Vidwan Navjyot K. , Feygin Yana , Jawad Kahir S. , Creel Liza M. , Smith Michael J.
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Antibiotic resistance is a major public health threat. Antibiotic use is the main driver of resistance, with children and the state of Kentucky having particularly high rates of outpatient antibiotic prescribing. The purpose of this study was to describe patient and provider characteristics associated with pediatric antibiotic use in Kentucky Medicaid children.

Methods

We used Medicaid prescription claims data from 2012 to 2017 to describe patterns of pediatric antibiotic receipt in Kentucky. Patient and provider variables were analyzed to identify variations in prescribing.

Findings

Children who were female, less than 2 years old, White, and living in a rural area had consistently higher rates of antibiotic prescriptions. There was significant geographic variability in prescribing, with children in Eastern Kentucky receiving more than 3 courses of antibiotics a year. Most antibiotic prescriptions for children were written by general practitioners and nurse practitioners rather than pediatricians.

Conclusion

These findings support the need for extensive antibiotic stewardship efforts inclusive of rural outpatient practices.
Healthcare professionals’ encounters with ethnic minority patients: The critical incident approach
Authors: Debesay Jonas , Kartzow Anders Huuse , Fougner Marit
Published: May 2021

Ethnic minority patients face challenges concerning communication and are at higher risk of experiencing health problems and consuming fewer healthcare services. They are also exposed to disparaging societal discourses about migrants which might undermine healthcare institutions’ ambitions of equitable health care. Therefore, healthcare professionals need to critically reflect on their practices and processes related to ethnic minority patients. The aim of this article is to explore healthcare professionals’ experiences of working with ethnic minority patients by using the critical incident (CI) technique. In two focus group sessions, participants discussed challenging events in their encounters with patients. The critical incidents show that healthcare professionals may experience unfamiliar situations related to their work performance, prejudice toward patients, and labeling by patients the professionals do not identify with. The professionals’ reflections are discussed in relation to social discourses on migration and their work conditions, and the possible influence on the professionals’ preconceptions and the patient–professional relationship in health care. Reflections about work experiences with ethnic minority patients and aligned societal discourses should be included in healthcare workers’ professional development. Critical incident reflections at work may contribute to better‐coping strategies for healthcare professionals and improved patient–professional relationships with ethnic minority patients.
Obesity and responsibility: Is it time to rethink agency?
Authors: Grannell Andrew , Fallon Finian , Al‐Najim Werd , le Roux Carel
Published: May 2021

Despite obesity declared a disease, there still exists considerable weight stigma in both popular culture and health care, which negatively impacts policy making regarding prevention and treatment. While viewed as a choice or a failure of willpower by many, evidence exists to challenge the argument that both weight gain and failure to achieve weight loss maintenance are the individuals' fault due to personal failure or lack of responsibility. In this article, we draw upon literature from obesity treatment, neuroscience, philosophy of mind, and weight stigma to challenge the commonly held beliefs that individuals are free to choose how much they can weigh, and achievement of long‐term weight loss maintenance is completely subject to conscious choice. In reality, the regulation of hunger, satiety, energy balance, and body weight takes place in subcortical regions of the brain. Thus, hunger and satiety signals are generated in regions of the brain, which are not associated with conscious experience. This points towards biological determinism of weight and challenges ideas of willpower and resultant moralization regarding body weight regulation. In this article, we will thus argue that in the context of dysregulation of hunger and satiety contributing to the obesity epidemic, a wider discourse related to personal responsibility and the stigma of obesity is needed to enhance understanding, prevention, and treatment of this complex disease. Obesity is a chronic disease requiring personalized treatment. Lifestyle interventions alone may not be enough to achieve medically significant and sustained weight loss for many individuals with obesity. By understanding that obesity is not due to a lack of motivation or willpower, the availability and utilization of additional treatments or combination of treatments such as lifestyle, pharmacotherapy, and surgery are likely to improve the quality of life for many suffering with this disease.
Melanopsin Signaling Pathway in HEK293 Cell Line with Stable Expression of Human Melanopsin: Possible Participation of Phospholipase C beta 4 and Diacylglycerol
Authors: Krzysztynska‐Kuleta Olga I. , Olchawa Magdalena M. , Sarna Tadeusz J.
Published: May 2021

Melanopsin, a member of the G protein‐coupled receptors family, is involved in non–image‐forming functions including circadian rhythm, sleep regulation and pupil response. In spite of significant research efforts, the signaling cascade involving melanopsin photoactivation remains poorly characterized. Here, we analyzed the effects of photoactivation of melanopsin on phospholipase C (PLC) and diacylglycerol. As an in vitro model, HEK293 cells with stable expression of human melanopsin were used. Although both the PLCβ1 and PLCβ4 subtypes were activated by the cell exposure to blue light, only PLCβ4 appeared to play a significant role in the studied melanopsin signaling pathway. We have demonstrated, for the first time, that cells expressing human melanopsin and enriched with 11‐cis‐retinal exhibited significantly increased diacylglycerol level. To determine the role of phospholipase C and involvement of diacylglycerols, two approaches were employed: inhibition of the G protein and phospholipase C (using the BIM‐46187 and U73122 inhibitors, respectively), and gene silencing using siRNA of PLCβ1 and PLCβ4. While silencing the PLCβ4 gene and using U73122 inhibited the diacylglycerol and calcium ion responses, the FOS gene expression level was only partially reduced. These results may facilitate a better understanding of the role of phospholipase C and diacylglycerols in the melanopsin signaling pathway.
Synovial fibroblasts regulate the cytotoxicity and osteoclastogenic activity of synovial natural killer cells through the RANKL‐RANK axis in osteoarthritis
Authors: Zhao Wenbin , Liu Yuanfeng , Liu Kang , Tu Feng , Zhang Chen , Wang Hao
Published: May 2021

Chronic inflammation plays an important role in the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). Cumulative evidence suggests that natural killer (NK) cells potentially participate in OA inflammation. To investigate the regulation of NK cell reactivity in OA synovium, we characterized the phenotypic and functional properties of infiltrating NK cells in the synovial tissue in a rat collagenase‐induced OA model. Our data indicated that in comparison with splenic NK cells, OA synovial NK cells were poorly responsive to the stimulation of IL‐12 plus IL‐15 and IL‐18, as evidenced by lower production of IFN‐γ, perforin and granzyme B. Consistently, synovial NK cells showed lower cytotoxicity to target cells than splenic NK cells. Further investigations revealed that synovial NK cells highly expressed receptor activator of nuclear factor‐κB (RANK), while OA synovial fibroblasts (SFs) upregulated the expression of RANK ligand (RANKL). Co‐culture of OA SFs with RANK‐expressing NK cells inhibited cytokine‐induced production of above cytotoxic mediators in NK cells and subsequently impaired NK cell cytotoxicity. Gene silencing of RANKL expression in SFs partially recovered the cytotoxicity of NK cells after co‐culture. Furthermore, through the RANKL‐RANK axis, OA SFs induced RANKL expression in NK cells and subsequently promoted the osteoclastogenic activity of NK cells in vitro. Taken together, our study showed that OA SF inhibited the cytotoxicity while augmenting the osteoclastogenic activity of NK cells through the RANKL‐RANK axis. This study reveals a novel mechanism by which SFs modulate the reactivity of synovial NK cells in OA.
Yielding Returns on Homeless Policy Through the Micro‐Economisation of Housing First Recipients
Authors: Grainger Garrett L.
Published: May 2021

Housing First is a hegemonic model of homeless services that advocates immediate placement in permanent supportive housing without preconditions such as sobriety, treatment, or employment. Federal authorities in the United States have adopted Housing First as a governmentality to make social investments through homeless policy. Although research has examined logics that federal authorities used to make this social investment, sociologists have devoted little attention to techniques that frontline workers use to yield returns on social investment in neoliberal cities. This knowledge gap hinders sociologists from theorizing contemporary urban poverty governance. I make three contributions that address this shortcoming. First, I present a unique qualitative analysis that examines techniques that Housing First providers in a U.S. Rust Belt county use to select a lease configuration for their clients. Second, I expand the definition of economization to incorporate logics that Housing First providers use to estimate transaction costs they will confront while mediating rental market exchanges with a particular lease configuration. Third, I demonstrate, unlike federal policymakers who economize homeless populations as public expenditures to make social investments, service providers economize homeless individuals as transaction costs to yield returns on Housing First in urban communities.
The Effect of Social Distancing on the Early Spread of the Novel Coronavirus
Authors: Price Gregory , van Holm Eric
Published: May 2021

This article quantifies the effect of individual social distancing on the spread of the novel coronavirus. To do so, we use data on time spent by individuals on activities that would potentially expose them to crowds from the American Time Use Survey linked with state‐level data on positive tests from the COVID Tracking Project. We estimate count data specifications of observed COVID‐19 infections at the state level as a function of control demographic variables, and a measure of social distance that captures the amount of time individuals across the states spend in activities that potentially expose them to crowds. Parameter estimates reveal that the number of state‐level novel coronavirus infections decrease with respect to our measure of individual social distance. From a practical perspective, our parameter estimates suggest that if the typical individual in a U.S. state were to spend eight hours away from crowds completely, this would translate into approximately 240,000 fewer COVID‐19 infections across the states. Our results suggest that, at least in the United States, social distancing policies are effective in slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The hedge asset for BRICS stock markets: Bitcoin, gold or VIX
Authors: Shahzad Syed Jawad Hussain , Bouri Elie , Rehman Mobeen Ur , Roubaud David
Published: May 2021

We compare the weak/strong hedging abilities of three alternative assets, namely bitcoin, gold and US VIX futures, against the downside movements in BRICS stock market indices. Results from the cross‐quantilogram approach indicate that bitcoin and gold are weak hedges. Analysis from the recursive sampling shows that each of bitcoin, gold and VIX futures has a time‐varying hedging role in some BRICS countries, which has been shaped by the COVID‐19 outbreak. Results from the conditional diversification benefits show appealing roles for the three alternative assets for investors in BRICS stock markets. However, gold appears to have higher and more stable diversification benefits in China, especially during the COVID‐19 outbreak. Conversely, VIX futures offer higher diversification benefits in Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa during the abrupt of the COVID‐19 outbreak.