bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nanostructured Si–Ge thermoelectric material for 1200 V/W highly sensitive infrared thermopile sensor device
Authors: Kakuyama Kyohei , Hirose Kotaro , Adachi Masahiro , Takeuchi Tsunehiro , Kimata Masafumi
Published: March 2023

In this paper, we report the characteristics of a thermopile infrared sensor in which a nanostructured Si–Ge thermoelectric material is used. Although the thermopile infrared sensor is capable of being operated without power consumption, a challenge has been improving its sensitivity. With the aim of improving its sensitivity, we have realized a nanostructured Si–Ge thermoelectric material with low thermal conductivity (0.8 W/m K or less) by forming nanocrystals through heat treatment of amorphous Si–Ge. The thermopile infrared sensor composed of this material exhibited a high sensitivity of 1200 V/W at a pressure of 1.0 × 10−1 Pa or less.
Effects of dietary valine-to-lysine ratio on placenta growth, the placental nutrient transporters, and reproductive performance in sows
Authors: Wang Kai , Liu Junze , Zhao Liangyu , Li Yansen , Li Chunmei
Published: March 2023

Context Valine-to-lysine ratio (V:L) in the diet has been found to affect the placental development of sows, and thus the production performance, but the mechanism is still unclear. Aim To investigate the effects of the V:L on placental growth and reproductive performance of sow. Methods Twenty-seven sows (average parities = 5) from 85 days of gestation were randomly assigned into five experimental groups with five ratios of total V:L of 0.75:1, 0.87:1, 0.99:1, 1.11:1, 1.23:1. Litter size was recorded. The placenta and colostrum were collected immediately after farrowing for mRNA analysis. Key results The results showed that dietary valine increased the sows’ placental area and the fetal-to-placental weight ratio (P < 0.05). Dietary valine does not affect the litter size of sows, but significantly reduces the delivery time and accelerates the delivery process. Dietary valine improved the average daily feed intake of the sows in the lactation (P < 0.05) and decreased the number of stillborns (P < 0.05). Additionally, the placental gene expression of LAT1, 4F2hc, LAT2, LAT3, SNAT1, SNAT2, and SNAT4 increased in the groups whose diet contained higher V:L ratios (P < 0.01). The increase in the ratio of dietary V:L increased the expression of GLUT1, GLUT3 and GLUT4 genes in the placenta tissue (P < 0.01). Conclusions The results suggested that suitable V:L positively affects pregnant and lactating sow’s performance. Implications Therefore, V:L can be adjusted to promote sow reproductive performance and increase production efficiency.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, can the development of coastal ecological resources create a safe leisure and tourism environment, maintain ecology, and promote economic development in villages?
Authors: Lin Hsiao-Hsien , Ling Ying , Shen Chih-Chien , Huang Chung-Hsiang , Liang Zhou-Fu , Lin Tzu-Yun
Published: March 2023

Context and aims The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of environmental development in the seashore waters of Maluan Bay on the current situation of sustainable development of coastal villages. Methods We used SPSS statistical software (ver. 26.0) to analyse the data with statistical verification, Student’s t-test and ANOVA, the used the inverview method to solicit opinions on the questionnarie results, and, finally, conducted multivariate inspection and analysis to explore the results. Key results The development of seashore waters can effectively enhance people’s positive perceptions of the current economic, social, environmental and coastal ecological development, and increase their willingness to revisit and purchase property. Also, the insufficient number of security guards in villages can be improved, the environmental awareness of residents and their willingness to participate in decision-making can be enhanced. Conclusions and implications Providing tourists with better tourism facilities, transportation, hotel and restaurant management and planning will increase leisure opportunities and solve environmental and waste problems such as in this scenic location. It will help achieve the goal of sustainable circular economy of water.
L2 pragmatics in action
Authors: Martínez-Flor Alicia , Sánchez-Hernández Ariadna , Barón Júlia
Published: March 2023

Over the last four decades, interlanguage pragmatics studies have paid special attention to instructional pragmatics; that is, to what extent instruction plays a role in developing learners’ second/foreign language (L2) pragmatic ability in instructional settings (Plonsky & Zhuang, 2019). Research has traditionally focused on the teaching-learning process, but there is still a lack of scholarly interest in the two main protagonists: the teachers and the learners. To address this research gap, the present chapter presents an overview of the current picture of L2 pragmatics in instructional contexts by focusing on the teachers (i.e. what they know, believe and do regarding L2 pragmatics), the learners (i.e. who they are, and how they learn L2 pragmatics) and the pedagogical approaches that bring together teachers and learners in action.
Task motivation effects on L2 pragmatics
Authors: Takahashi Satomi
Published: March 2023

Noticing target pragmatic features in the input does not necessarily lead to learning, as evidenced by Takahashi (2013, 2015). By focusing on aware learners, this study explored the extent to which Japanese English language learners’ task motivation affects their awareness of English bi-clausal request forms in implicit intervention and their subsequent learning outcomes. Data from the awareness tasks and learning assessment measures were analysed in the framework of provision (noticing + learning) versus non-provision (noticing only) learners. The results indicated that the target forms were most likely to be learned by those who maintained their mastery goals regarding the target forms and adequate motivational intensity throughout the multiple tasks.
Usage-based approach to teaching L2 pragmatics
Authors: Li Qiong , Taguchi Naoko
Published: March 2023

Adopting usage-based approaches, this study analysed second language L2 Chinese learners’ development of Chinese sentence final particles (SFPs) in two computer-mediated communication (CMC) conditions: CMC with and without instruction. The experimental condition provided opportunities to interact with native speakers via CMC and provided direct instruction on SFPs, while the control condition only offered opportunities to interact in CMC. Two L2 Chinese groups participated in the CMC with native speakers. This study examined whether the SFP use in the input coming from native speakers has any effect on L2 learners’ SFP output, and if so, how such effect compares between the two conditions. Results revealed a positive impact of SFP use in the experimental group but not in the control group.
A concept-based approach to teaching L2 pragmatics
Authors: Nicholas Allan , Perkins Jeremy
Published: March 2023

We use a concept-based instruction (CBI) approach to teach L2 English oral requests among Japanese EFL learners. Control (n = 30) and enrichment groups (n = 26) participated in a classroom-based investigation of CBI and requests. The enrichment group engaged in a short CBI programme, while the control group received no instruction. Pre- and post-enrichment phases for both groups consisted of role play-type tasks in dyads, and self-assessment of performances. Comparing these phases, the enrichment group saw a significant increase in self-evaluation scores; similarly, analysis of request performances found significant increases in conversational features and strategies. However, there was no significant change in the ways enrichment group participants connected their language choices to social context. Results are discussed, and implications for classroom practice suggested.
Initiating reason-for-the-call action in mundane mobile phone conversation
Authors: Kazemi Ali
Published: March 2023

This study takes as its analytic topic the identification of different sequentially organized phenomena endemic to initiation of reason-for-the call action in Farsi mobile calls. Using Conversation Analysis, through fine-grained analysis of participants’ observable orientation to the formulation of the reason for the call, it documents the trajectory of talk and the sequential phenomena associated with the statement of the reason for Farsi mobile phone calls. The findings suggest callers routinely perform the task of warranting their calls either by overtly announcing the reason, using the discourse marker of ‘migam’ (I meant to say) and its permutations or non-overtly, by positioning the reason for initiating the contact in anchor position, enabling their co-participants to pinpoint the warrant prompting the call out of various things said by callers and to relevantly respond to it. In addition, location enquiries figure in the reason-for-the-call, if seeking geographic information has localization purposes.
The Influence of Canine Ownership on Maternal and Fetal Microbiomes and Their Associated Health Outcomes: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Stenger Carrie
Published: March 2023

The human microbiome is the collection of microbes across both internal and external body sites that exist mutualistically with each person. There is a strong correlation between diverse microbial communities and improved health. Many factors influence microbial diversity including diet, exercise, medication use, and pet ownership. Canine ownership is touted as a direct and indirect means to combat modern overly hygienic conditions due to increased exposure to microbes in the outside environment. To examine this effect on maternal and fetal health, large-scale comparisons were made between various canine and human microbiomes. Microbes can be transferred from the mother’s gut, skin, oral, respiratory, vaginal, and placental microbiomes to her bloodstream and immune system. Here microbes are passed to the amniotic cavity where the fetus benefits from early exposure to these diverse microbes. Studies have consistently shown that canine ownership is linked to greater microbial diversity in both the mother and fetus. This includes beneficial microbes such as
Lactobacillus
species which decrease the risk of asthma and allergic reactions. It also confers benefits by decreasing the concentration of pathogenic or opportunistic microbes such as
Ureaplasma,
which is linked to preterm birth. The metabolites of these microbes also serve valuable roles, including short-chain fatty acids that provide a strengthened intestinal barrier and decreased HPA overactivity. This increased microbial diversity also correlates with enhanced immune system functioning as seen by decreased rates of allergic diseases, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis over-reactivity, inflammatory cytokines, and IgE-mediated reactions while enhancing NK cell function. This microbial diversity helps to prevent short-term negative outcomes including preterm birth and neonatal infections as well as long-term outcomes including cancer, diabetes, depression, dementia, gastrointestinal disease, and cardiovascular disease.
Andexanet alfa in acute aortic syndrome: first UK experience
Authors: Al-Attar Nawwar , Sedeek Ahmed F , McCall Philip , Travers Jennifer
Published: March 2023

Andexanet alfa was employed to reverse the anticoagulant effect of direct oral anticoagulants in 3 patients who required emergent surgery for repair of type A aortic dissection. Its use was instrumental in securing haemostasis. However, we caution against the administration of Andexanet alfa prior to cardiopulmonary bypass as it can induce heparin resistance and complicate the perioperative monitoring of anticoagulation during cardiopulmonary bypass.
Minimal Log Discrepancies of Regularity One
Authors: Moraga Joaquín
Published: March 2023

In this article, we use the cone of nef curves to study minimal log discrepancies. The first result is an improvement of the nef cone theorem in the case of log Calabi–Yau dlt pairs. Then, we prove that the ascending chain condition for $n$-dimensional minimal log discrepancies of regularity one holds around zero. Furthermore, we show that there exists an upper bound for the minimal log discrepancy of any $n$-dimensional klt singularity of regularity one.
Integrating patient voices into the extraction of social determinants of health from clinical notes: ethical considerations and recommendations
Authors: Hartzler Andrea L , Xie Serena Jinchen , Wedgeworth Patrick , Spice Carolin , Lybarger Kevin , Wood Brian R , Duber Herbert C , Hsieh Gary , Singh Angad P ,   SDoH Community Champion Advisory Board, Cragg Kase , Goomansingh Shoma , Simons Searetha , Wong J J , Yancey-Watson Angeilea’
Published: March 2023

Identifying patients’ social needs is a first critical step to address social determinants of health (SDoH)—the conditions in which people live, learn, work, and play that affect health. Addressing SDoH can improve health outcomes, population health, and health equity. Emerging SDoH reporting requirements call for health systems to implement efficient ways to identify and act on patients’ social needs. Automatic extraction of SDoH from clinical notes within the electronic health record through natural language processing offers a promising approach. However, such automated SDoH systems could have unintended consequences for patients, related to stigma, privacy, confidentiality, and mistrust. Using Floridi et al’s “AI4People” framework, we describe ethical considerations for system design and implementation that call attention to patient autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and explicability. Based on our engagement of clinical and community champions in health equity work at University of Washington Medicine, we offer recommendations for integrating patient voices and needs into automated SDoH systems.
Delayed Tracheoesophageal Fistula and Refractory Respiratory Failure Caused by Inhalation Burns and Emergency Venovenous ECMO to Facilitate Its Management: A Case Report
Authors: Dhanani Jayesh , Pincus Jason , Townsend Shane , Pang George , Vujcich Elizabeth , Windsor Morgan , Reade Michael C
Published: March 2023

Acquired tracheoesophageal fistulae are uncommon in burn patients but can occur as a complication of inhalation injury. We report a case of a 30-yr-old male patient presenting after suffering from inhalation and 25% total body surface area burns. On postburns day 14, he developed a massive tracheoesophageal fistula causing refractory acute respiratory failure. Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane (VV ECMO) oxygenation was initiated without systemic anticoagulation via bi-femoral cannulation under transthoracic echocardiography guidance. He underwent successful 5-hr apnoeic ventilation-assisted surgical repair of the fistula via a right posterolateral thoracotomy. ECMO was discontinued after 36 hr, and he was discharged to the ward after 33 d in the intensive care unit. Inhalation burn injury can cause a delayed life-threatening tracheoesophageal fistula. Surgical repair can be successfully performed for this condition. VV- ECMO can be used to facilitate prolonged apnoeic surgery and to manage refractory respiratory failure due to this condition.
Accuracy and ‘Error’ in the Production of John Foxe and John Day’s Acts and Monuments
Authors: Rankin Mark
Published: March 2023

This essay focuses upon John Foxe and John Day’s approach to the correction of error in the production of successive editions of Acts and Monuments, especially through the use of slip-cancels, tiny scraps of paper which are intended for pasting over erroneous text, as well as the use of stop-press correction and the labeling of the book’s well-known woodcut illustrations. The bibliographical nature of successive editions of Foxe’s book overseen by Day emerges as even more complex than previously described. The argument adds to scholarly understanding of the goals and methodologies of both Foxe and Day. Bibliographical fluidity associated with John Day’s approach to error during production points toward the better understanding of textual fluidity within successive editions of Foxe’s work.
The Book Factory of Little Gidding
Authors: Ransome David R
Published: March 2023

This paper brings together for the first time the writings of four Little Gidding authors of the early seventeenth century. What they then saw as a merely auxiliary effort became in the nineteenth century a matter of international bibliographical concern. The three siblings, John and Nicholas Ferrar and their older sister Susanna, and John’s son Nicholas, created at least thirty-eight works, not all now extant. They included a commonplace book, translations, promotional works, memoranda of instruction, and—most famously—biblical concordances. Thirty years of study has extended, though not completed, their provenance.
The Publications of A. J. A. Symons
Authors: Edwards A S G
Published: March 2023

This article seeks to record the various writings of A. J. A. Symons (1900–1941). While best known for his biography, The Quest for Corvo (1934) Symons wrote widely on biography and on bibliographical and bibliophilic matters. He also made many contributions to the various publications of the First Edition Club, of which he was Director. In addition, in his later years he wrote extensively on food and wine. The range of his publications indicates the steadily widening extent of his interests in his brief life.
Toward a democratic theory of contagion: virality and performativity with Eve Sedgwick, JL Austin, Hortense Spillers, and Patricia Williams
Authors: Honig Bonnie
Published: March 2023

In Euripides’ Bacchae, the 2015 film The Fits, and John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice (1971), refusal is depicted as worryingly contagious and efforts are made to contain it. But each represents a different model of contagion. In the Bacchae, refusal breaks out all-at-once; in The Fits, a contagion passes through a community in a sequence, mutating as it travels; in A Theory of Justice, refusal is contagious but isolable. In each of these examples, efforts to contain contagion are made via ‘deformatives’, Eve Sedgwick’s term for Austinian performative utterances that shame or stigmatize gender queerness and are themselves, she says, ‘uniquely contagious’. Might their phobic contagion be reworked into a more philic form for democratic theory? Sedgwick might object since she thinks Austin’s exemplary performative is the ‘I do’ of the straight, marrying couple. But How To Do Things with Words shows Austin turning not just to the couple but also to the crowd, which may be gathered or dispersed by another recurring example—that of a bull in the field. This is the first of three counterexamples offered here of the potentially democratic and viral powers of performativity: Austin’s crowd-drawing and-dispersing bull (isolable, yet uncontainable), Hortense Spillers’ viral constitutionalism which may be made to mutate (the sequence model), and Patricia Williams’s alchemy of rights (the all-at-once model of outbreak). In all three, the power and impotence of law is explored: in the comedy of Austin’s memorandum warning about the bull, in Spiller’s constitutionalism, and in Williams’ new rights. In all three contagion is let loose. Efforts to contain it with law, whether by way of property, romance, or whiteness, are mocked, and new consideration of contagion’s democratic possibilities are invited.each virus tells its own story

– J Osmundson, Virology
Rare variant analyses in large-scale cohorts identified SLC13A1 associated with chronic pain
Authors: Ao Xiang , Parisien Marc , Zidan Maha , Grant Audrey V. , Martinsen Amy E. , Winsvold Bendik S. , Diatchenko Luda
Published: March 2023

Chronic pain is a prevalent disease with increasing clinical challenges. Genome-wide association studies in chronic pain patients have identified hundreds of common pathogenic variants, yet they only explained a portion of individual variance of chronic pain. With the advances in next-generation sequencing technologies, it is now feasible to conduct rarer variants studies in large-scale databases. Here, we performed gene-based rare variant analyses in 200,000 human subjects in the UK biobank whole-exome sequencing database for investigating 9 different chronic pain states and validated our findings in 3 other large-scale databases. Our analyses identified the SLC13A1 gene coding for sodium/sulfate symporter associated with chronic back pain and multisite pain at the genome-wide level and with chronic headache, knee, and neck and shoulder pain at the nominal level. Seven loss-of-function rare variants were identified within the gene locus potentially contributing to the development of chronic pain, with 2 of them individually associated with back pain and multisite pain. These 2 rare variants were then tested for replication in 3 other biobanks, and the strongest evidence was found for rs28364172 as an individual contributor. Transcriptional analyses of Slc13a1 in rodents showed substantial regulation of its expression in the dorsal root ganglia and the sciatic nerve in neuropathic pain assays. Our results stress the importance of the SLC13A1 gene in sulfate homeostasis in the nervous system and its critical role in preventing pain states, thus suggesting new therapeutic approaches for treating chronic pain in a personalized manner, especially in people with mutations in the SLC13A1 gene.
JMM Profile: Sindbis virus, a cause of febrile illness and arthralgia
Authors: Harding Sophie , Sewgobind Sanam , Johnson Nicholas
Published: March 2023

Sindbis virus (SINV) is the causative agent of a febrile infection commonly called Ockelbo disease, Pogosta disease or Karelian fever in northern Europe. Finland, Sweden, Russia and South Africa experience periodic SINV outbreaks. SINV is classified within the family Togaviridae and genus Alphavirus. Symptoms of SINV infection in humans include joint inflammation and pain, fever, rash and fatigue. In some cases, joint symptoms can persist for years after recovery from the initial infection. Clinical signs of SINV infection are rarely reported in animals, although infection in horses has been documented. There is no specific treatment or vaccination. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, particularly those belonging to the Culex genus, but Aedes, Culiseta or Mansonia species may also act as vectors. Wild birds act as amplifying hosts and are implicated in the long-distance spread of the virus.
Comparative genomic analysis identifies great-ape-specific structural variants and their evolutionary significance
Authors: Zhou Bin , He Yaoxi , Chen Yongjie , Su Bing
Published: March 2023

During the origin of great apes about 14 million years ago, a series of phenotypic innovations emerged, such as the increased body size, the enlarged brain volume, the improved cognitive skill and the diversified diet. Yet, the genomic basis of these evolutionary changes remains unclear. Utilizing the high-quality genome assemblies of great apes (including human), gibbon and macaque, we conducted comparative genome analyses, and identified 15,885 great-ape-specific structural variants (GSSVs), including 8 coding GSSVs resulting in the creation of novel proteins (e.g.ACANandCMYA5). Functional annotations of the GSSV-related genes revealed the enrichment of genes involved development and morphogenesis, especially neurogenesis and neural network formation, suggesting the potential role of GSSVs in shaping the great-ape-shared traits. Further dissection of the brain-related GSSVs show great-ape-specific changes of enhancer activities and gene expression in the brain, involving a group of GSSV-regulated genes (such asNOL3) that potentially contribute to the altered brain development and function in great apes. The presented data highlights the evolutionary role of structural variants in the phenotypic innovations during the origin of the great lineage.
Genomic insights into greater yam tuber quality traits
Authors: Mota Ana Zotta , Dossa Komivi , Lechaudel Mathieu , Cornet Denis , Mournet Pierre , Lopez David , Chaïr Hana
Published: March 2023

Yams are important tubers widely consumed in developing countries in various forms, mainly boiled, pounded and fried. Tuber quality is a key criterion for acceptance by the various actors in the value chain. However, the genetics of yam tuber quality has not yet been comprehensively investigated. Given this lack of knowledge, we used population genomics and candidate gene association approaches to unravel the genetic basis of the three main quality attributes of boiled yam, namely texture, starch content and colour indices. We re-sequenced the whole genome of 127 yam genotypes with different quality attributes, and performed an enrichment of the already available functional genome annotation using comparative genomics. Population genomics analysis highlighted three main genetic groups and 1,053 genes under selection. We focused this work on three known quality trait-related pathways: pectin, starch content and flavonoid biosynthesis, and inventoried in the genome all the structural genes related to those pathways by comparative genomics. We improved the functional annotation of the three pathways with 48% more genes. A total of 18 candidate genes containing genetic variants significantly associated with the target traits were detected, including eight genes that were also found under selection. The texture-related candidate genes were distributed between the pectin and starch pathways. Overall, the use of comparative genomics has allowed the generation of an unprecedented genomic resource. The improved functional annotation of the yam genome is a promising predictive tool for identifying other core genes associated with any trait of interest to meet the growing need and diversified demands for yams.
Abnormal weather drives disease outbreaks in wild and agricultural plants
Authors: Kirk Devin , Cohen Jeremy M. , Nguyen Vianda , Childs Marissa L. , Farner Johannah E. , Davies T. Jonathan , Flory S. Luke , Rohr Jason R. , O’Connor Mary I. , Mordecai Erin A.
Published: March 2023

Predicting effects of climate change on plant disease is critical for protecting ecosystems and food production. Climate change could exacerbate plant disease because parasites may be quicker to acclimate and adapt to novel climatic conditions than their hosts due to their smaller body sizes and faster generation times. Here we show how disease pressure responds to the anomalous weather that will increasingly occur with climate change by compiling a global database (5380 plant populations; 437 unique plant–disease combinations; 2,858,795 individual plant–disease samples) of disease incidence in both agricultural and wild plant systems. Because wild plant populations are assumed to be adapted to local climates, we hypothesized that large deviations from historical conditions would increase disease incidence. By contrast, since agricultural plants have been transported globally, we did not expect the historical climate where they are currently grown to be as predictive of disease incidence. Supporting these hypotheses, we found that disease outbreaks tended to occur during periods of warm temperatures in agricultural and cool-climate wild plant systems, but also occurred in warm-adapted wild (but not agricultural) plant systems experiencing anomalously cool weather. Outbreaks were additionally associated with higher rainfall in wild systems, especially those with historically wet climates. Our results suggest that historical climate affects susceptibility to disease for wild plant–disease systems, while warming drives risks for agricultural plant disease outbreaks regardless of historical climate.
aenmd: Annotating escape from nonsense-mediated decay for transcripts with protein-truncating variants
Authors: Klonowski Jonathan , Liang Qianqian , Akdemir Zeynep Coban , Lo Cecilia , Kostka Dennis
Published: March 2023

Summary: DNA changes that cause premature termination codons (PTCs) represent a large fraction of clinically relevant pathogenic genomic variation. Typically, PTCs induce a transcript's degradation by nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) and render such changes loss-of-function alleles. However, certain PTC-containing transcripts escape NMD and can exert dominant-negative or gain-of-function (DN/GOF) effects. Therefore, systematic identification of human PTC-causing variants and their susceptibility to NMD contributes to the investigation of the role of DN/GOF alleles in human disease. Here we present aenmd, a software for annotating PTC-containing transcript-variant pairs for predicted escape from NMD. aenmd is user-friendly and self-contained. It offers functionality not currently available in other methods and is based on established and experimentally validated rules for NMD escape; the software is designed to work at scale, and to integrate seamlessly with existing analysis workflows. We applied aenmd to variants in the gnomAD, Clinvar, and GWAS catalog databases and report the prevalence of human PTC-causing variants in these databases, and the subset of these that could exert DN/GOF effects via NMD escape. Availability and implementation: aenmd is implemented in the R programming language. Code is available on GitHub as an R package (github.com/kostkalab/aenmd.git), and as a containerized command-line interface (github.com/kostkalab/aenmd_cli.git).
Orthogonal inducible control of Cas13 circuits enables programmable RNA regulation in mammalian cells
Authors: Ding Yage , Tous Cristina , Choi Jaehoon , Chen Jingyao , Wong Wilson W.
Published: March 2023

RNA plays an indispensable role in mammalian cell functions. Cas13, a class of RNA-guided ribonuclease, is a flexible tool for modifying and regulating coding and non-coding RNAs, with enormous potential for creating new cell functions. However, the lack of control over Cas13 activity has limited its cell engineering capability. Here, we present the CRISTAL (Control ofRNA with InducibleSpliTCAs13 Orthologs and ExogenousLigands) platform. CRISTAL is powered by a collection (10 total) of orthogonal split inducible Cas13s that can be turned ON or OFF via small molecules in multiple cell types, providing precise temporal control. Also, we engineered Cas13 logic circuits that can respond to endogenous signaling and exogenous small molecule inputs. Furthermore, the orthogonality, low leakiness, and high dynamic range of our inducible Cas13d and Cas13b enable the design and construction of a robust incoherent feedforward loop, leading to near-perfect and tunable adaptation response. Finally, using our inducible Cas13s, we achieve simultaneous multiplexed control of multiple genesin vitroand in mice. Together, our CRISTAL design represents a powerful platform for precisely regulating RNA dynamics to advance cell engineering and elucidate RNA biology.
Dynamic perceived quality analysis using social media data at macro- and micro-levels
Authors: Yang Tong , Dang Yanzhong , Wu Jiangning
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a method for dynamic product perceived quality analysis using social media data and to achieve a macro–micro combination analysis. The method enables the prioritization of perceived quality attributes and provides perception causes.

Design/methodology/approach

To rationalize the macro–micro combination, ANOVA and multiple linear regression were used to identify the main factors affecting perceived quality which served as the combination basis; by using the combination basis for consumer segmentation, macro-knowledge (i.e. attribute importance and quality category of the attribute) is achieved by term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF)-based attribute importance calculation and KANO-based attribute classification, which is combined with micro-quality diagnostic information (i.e. perceived quality, perception causes and quality parameters). Further, dynamic perception Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) is built to present the attribute priority and perception causes.

Findings

The framework was validated by the new energy vehicle (NEV) data of Autohome. The results show that price and purchase purpose are the most influential factors of perceived quality and that dynamic perception IPA can effectively prioritize attributes and mine perception causes.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to analyze dynamic perceived quality using social media data, which contributes to the research on perceived quality. The paper also contributes by achieving a combined macro–micro analysis of perceived quality. The method rationalizes the macro–micro combination by identifying the factors influencing perceived quality, which provides ideas for other studies using social media data.
Mapping tourism strategy patterns on tourism area life cycle
Authors: Gore Surabhi , Borde Nilesh , Hegde Desai Purva
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Tourist destinations are constantly changing products, evolving as per the controls exerted by the stakeholders. The study aims to map the pattern of tourism development and identify the strategies formed at the destination over a seven-decade period for a state as a unit of analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper evaluates tourism development through the tourism area life cycle (TALC) model and uses Mintzberg's strategy analysis process to identify strategies. The study involves time series analysis, pattern matching and explanation-building techniques. The TALC is plotted for the number of tourist arrivals from 1947 to 2019, and strategies are mapped for each stage.

Findings

The TALC shows a cycle-recycle pattern of tourism development. The research revealed several strategies at different stages. Both the central and state governments and entrepreneurs, distinctively and in conjunction, have formed strategies. The pattern shows the period of piecemeal and global strategic changes contributing to tourism development.

Research limitations/implications

The research unearths the strategies that drive the development curves of TALC, emphasising the integration of TALC with other theories. The research also assesses the strategy formed in the pre-tourism stage.

Practical implications

The research brings to light the use of TALC as a strategic road-mapping tool. In addition, the study emphasises the significance of global and piecemeal strategic periods and stakeholder's regulatory and operational roles.

Originality/value

The research uses a unique methodology that maps the strategies, periods of strategic changes and incremental strategies for each stage of TALC, along with identifying the stakeholders.
Seeking thrills during a crisis? A TSR and hierarchy of effects perspective of the transformative potential of travel
Authors: Mulcahy Rory , Pourfakhimi Shahab , Prayag Girish , Falatoonitoosi Elham , Scott Noel
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This study aims to theorise and empirically test a model based on the hierarchy of effects behavioural learning approach (“do-think-feel”) to explain how travel during a crisis assists consumer well-being. The paper also examines whether the effect travel has on well-being is serially mediated by perceived risk and resilience and moderated by the personality trait of sensation-seeking.

Design/methodology/approach

This research uses a quasi-experimental design involving Australian consumers based on a sample of n = 307 who had travelled and n = 277 who had not during the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 584). A replication study (N = 290) is also undertaken to assess the robustness of the hierarchy of effects uncovered in the main study. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) and Hayes PROCESS macro.

Findings

The results reveal travellers have significantly higher levels of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being than non-travellers, suggesting the transformative potential of travel experiences during a crisis. The transformative potential of travel is driven by perceived risk and psychological resilience, which mediate the relationship between travel frequency and well-being. Further, spotlight moderation analysis demonstrates that the effect of travel on well-being is most profound for those with lower levels of sensation-seeking. These relationships are also confirmed in the replication study.

Originality/value

This research is among the first in transformative service research (TSR) to test the mediators of perceived risk and resilience together in a singular study, showing how experiences such as travel are potentially transformative. It also evaluates personality traits such as sensation-seeking as a moderating factor, which is uncommon in TSR. Further, this study empirically validates a do–think–feel behavioural learning approach, as opposed to other hierarchy of effects sequences that are dominant in TSR and the wider services marketing literature.
The relationship between extreme contexts, organizational change capacity, and firm product and process innovation
Authors: Akgün Ali E. , Cemberci Murat , Kircovali Selim
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This study investigates the mediating role of organizational change capacity (OCC) in the relationship between the perception of extreme contexts and firm product and process innovation, which was not empirically investigated in the literature. In addition, this study explores the moderating role of the perception of extreme contexts-related variables, which were not operationalized in ordinary firms, on the relationship between OCC and firm product and process innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire-based research was conducted to test the suggested hypotheses. The data were gathered from 90 firms during the peak period of COVID-19.

Findings

This study shows that OCC, which covers contexts, process and learning dimensions, fully mediates the relationship between the perception of extreme contexts and firm product and process innovation. Also, this study discovers that the perception of extreme contexts, including temporal ordering of extremity, the magnitude of consequences, proximity among people and operational deficiencies, positively moderate the relationship between OCC and firm product innovation.

Research limitations/implications

This study has constraints inherited in survey design, primarily sampling and country context.

Originality/value

This study identifies, conceptualizes and operationalizes the term extreme context, conceptually argued for particular organizations/units in ordinary/mundane organization settings so far. In addition, this study extends the current understanding of how the perception of extreme contexts interacts with a firm's capability to increase innovation efforts. Further, this study shows how OCC mediates the relationship between extreme contexts and firm product and process innovation.
Modified VAIC model: measuring missing components information and treatment of exogenous factors
Authors: Ahmad Fawad
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Value-added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) is extensively used as a measure of intellectual capital (IC), but it is criticized for not capturing the totality of IC. Therefore, this study aims to analyse critiques of the original VAIC and proposes a modified VAIC by adding missing IC components and adjusting for exogenous factors. The study uses a modified VAIC model to investigate the relationship between IC, firm performance (FP) and market value (MV) for US non-financial firms.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed fundamental data of US non-financial firms listed on the NYSE and NASDAQ from 1980 to 2019. A final sample consisted of 6,019 firms and 62,686 firm-year observations.

Findings

The results provide a significant positive effect of aggregate and components of modified VAIC on FP and MV. Moreover, results validate the modified VAIC model and find that the modified VAIC explains changes in shareholders' MV. In addition, findings indicate that modified VAIC serves as an additional intangible factor to explain firms' capital structure decisions.

Practical implications

The findings have important implications for management, owners, researchers and investors.

Originality/value

The modified VAIC model differs from the original VAIC model in four ways: first, it corrects the measurement of structural capital efficiency (SCE) following the accounting principle. Second, it replaces SCE with innovation capital efficiency (InVCE) and relational capital efficiency (RCE) to account for missing components of information of structural capital (SC). Third, the modified VAIC model adjusts for exogenous factors like business cycles and cross-industry variations. Finally, with the addition of InVCE and RCE as components of SCE, innovation capital (InVC) and relational capital (RC) are added to the calculation of value-added (VA) as components of IC.
COVID‐19 disease frequency, risk factors, and re‐infection rates in patients with autoimmune rheumatic disease receiving rituximab
Authors: Armağan Berkan , Konak Hatice Ecem , Özdemir Bahar , Apaydın Hakan , Atalar Ebru , Akyüz Dağlı Pınar , Güven Serdar Can , Erden Abdulsamet , Küçükşahin Orhan , Omma Ahmet , Erten Şükran
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Rituximab, which is used in autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD), can cause both an increased risk of development of COVID‐19 disease and re‐infection due to its potent and long‐acting immunosuppression. So, we aimed to evaluate the frequency, risk factors and re‐infection rates of COVID‐19 in ARD patients receiving rituximab.

Methods

A single‐center retrospective study was performed with patients receiving rituximab for ARD in 12 months before the onset of COVID‐19 in Turkey. The data regarding severe acute respiratory syndrome‐coronavirus 2 reverse transcription polymerized chain reaction (RT‐PCR) test, clinical, laboratory, and mortality data of all patients were collected from medical records. Logistic regression analysis was used for predictors of COVID‐19 disease. COVID‐19 re‐infection was defined as RT‐PCR positivity and recurrence of acute COVID‐19 symptoms after at least 1 negative RT‐PCR in patients with clinical improvement.

Results

Ninety‐eight ARD patients with rituximab were evaluated and 23 (23%) of them had COVID‐19. The presence of hypogammaglobulinemia increased the risk of COVID‐19 disease 8‐fold. COVID‐19 pneumonia occurred in 13 (57%) and these patients' age was higher than those without pneumonia (59.6 ± 11.8 vs 44.9 ± 14.2 years, P = 0.013). Mortality due to COVID‐19 was 13% and COVID‐19 re‐infection was seen in 20% of survivors.

Conclusion

Regardless of the underlying rheumatic disease and organ involvements, hypogammaglobulinemia in ARD could be a risk factor for COVID‐19 development, and advanced age could be for COVID‐19 severity. Moreover, COVID‐19 re‐infection rates are high.
Tools and data for the analysis of gender policies: A review
Authors: Escot Lorenzo , Latorre María C. , Fernández‐Cornejo José Andrés
Published: March 2023

One of the targets of the UN's Our Common Agenda Report is placing women at the centre. In this paper, we propose a three‐step methodology for the analysis of gender inequality: (1) we explain how gender gaps are measured and present several indicators of inequality and discrimination against women. Several international institutions are paying close attention to the topic, and we present their main indexes; (2) we show the different ways that exist to identify the main factors that explain these gaps, in order to propose gender policies; (3) we evaluate the success of real policies in reducing the gender gaps. Discrimination against women exists, but the extent of ‘real’ gender discrimination is quite complex to identify. We describe some techniques for carefully dealing with this issue. It is clear that real discrimination should be eradicated and that the elimination of gender gaps requires the consideration of different social dimensions: work, occupation, income, poverty, social exclusion, education, health, civil rights, political empowerment, participation in culture, relations within the family, co‐responsibility in childcare and reconciliation of professional life, different forms of violence against women, among others.
Our common metrics? Our Common Agenda report and the epistemic infrastructure of the Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Bandola‐Gill Justyna
Published: March 2023

Our Common Agenda—the flagship report by the UN Secretary General released in September 2021—promises a transformative change in the face of a post‐pandemic crisis in the progress towards global human development. As such, the report is not only closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals but also from the outset outlines its ambition to ‘accelerate’ progress towards the SDGs. This paper unpacks the complex interplay between the two frameworks through the theoretical lens of an epistemic infrastructure of quantification. The paper shows how Our Common Agenda could be seen as a move towards an expansion of the existing infrastructure of measurement to include a new temporal dimension. Overall, the paper argues that the transformative potential of the epistemic infrastructure is in fact impeded by the statistical path dependency of the existing metrics and the distinct politics of infrastructure which promotes blurred accountability lines and lacks specific solutions.
Thymic atypical carcinoid tumors with elevated mitotic counts in a patient with multiple endocrine neoplasia: A case report
Authors: Hiro Shuntaro , Teranishi Shuhei , Sawazumi Tomoe , Nagaoka Satoshi , Sugimoto Chihiro , Nagayama Hirokazu , Segawa Wataru , Kajita Yukihito , Maeda Chihiro , Kubo Sousuke , Seki Kenichi , Tashiro Ken , Kobayashi Nobuaki , Yamamoto Masaki , Kudo Makoto , Kaneko Takeshi
Published: March 2023

Thymic neuroendocrine tumors associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia are only defined as carcinoid and are not associated with large‐cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC). We report the case of a multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 patient with atypical carcinoid tumors with elevated mitotic counts (AC‐h), an intermediate condition between carcinoid and LCNEC. A 27‐year‐old man underwent surgery for an anterior mediastinal mass and was diagnosed with thymic LCNEC. Fifteen years later, a mass appeared at the same site, which was determined to be a postoperative recurrence based on the pathological results of a needle biopsy and the clinical course. The patient's disease remained stable for 10 months on anti‐programmed death‐ligand 1 antibody and platinum‐containing chemotherapy. The needle biopsy specimen was submitted for next‐generation sequencing, which revealed a MEN1 gene mutation, and after further examination, a diagnosis of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 was made. A re‐examination of the surgical specimen from 15 years prior showed that it corresponded to AC‐h. Although thymic AC‐h is classified as thymic LCNEC according to the current definition, our data suggests that a search for multiple endocrine neoplasia is warranted in such patients.
Glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists to expand the healthy lifespan: Current and future potentials
Authors: Kreiner Frederik Flindt , von Scholten Bernt Johan , Kurtzhals Peter , Gough Stephen Charles Langford
Published: March 2023

To help ensure an expanded healthy lifespan for as many people as possible worldwide, there is a need to prevent or manage a number of prevalent chronic diseases directly and indirectly closely related to aging, including diabetes and obesity. Glucagon‐like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP‐1 RAs) have proven beneficial in type 2 diabetes, are amongst the few medicines approved for weight management, and are also licensed for focused cardiovascular risk reduction. In addition, strong evidence suggests several other beneficial effects of the pleiotropic peptide hormone, including anti‐inflammation. Consequently, GLP‐1 RAs are now in advanced clinical development for the treatment of chronic kidney disease, broader cardiovascular risk reduction, metabolic liver disease and Alzheimer's disease. In sum, GLP‐1 RAs are positioned as one of the pharmacotherapeutic options that can contribute to addressing the high unmet medical need characterising several prevalent aging‐related diseases, potentially helping more people enjoy a prolonged healthy lifespan.