bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatial metabolomics reveals localized impact of influenza virus infection on the lung tissue metabolome
Authors: Dean Danya A. , Klechka London , Hossain Ekram , Parab Adwaita R. , Eaton Krystin , Hinsdale Myron , McCall Laura-Isobel
Published: November 2021

The influenza virus (IAV) is a major cause of respiratory disease, with significant infection increases in pandemic years. Vaccines are a mainstay of IAV prevention, but are complicated by consideration of IAV’s vast strain diversity, manufacturing and vaccine uptake limitations. While antivirals may be used for treatment of IAV, they are most effective in early stages of the infection and several virus strains have become drug resistant. Therefore, there is a need for advances in IAV treatment, especially host-directed, personalized therapeutics.Given the spatial dynamics of IAV infection and the relationship between viral spatial distribution and disease severity, a spatial approach is necessary to expand our understanding of IAV pathogenesis. We used spatial metabolomics to address this issue. Spatial metabolomics combines liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry of metabolites extracted from systematic organ sections, 3D models and computational techniques, to develop spatial models of metabolite location and their role in organ function and disease pathogenesis. In this project, we analyzed plasma and systematically sectioned lung tissue samples from uninfected or infected mice. Spatial mapping of sites of metabolic perturbations revealed significantly lower metabolic perturbation in the trachea compared to other lung tissue sites. Using random forest machine learning, we identified metabolites that responded differently in each lung position based on infection, including specific amino acids, lipids and lipid-like molecules, and nucleosides. These results support the implementation of spatial metabolomics to understand metabolic changes upon IAV infection and to identify candidate pathways to be targeted for IAV therapeutics.

Importance

The influenza virus is a major health concern. Over 1 billion people become infected annually despite the wide distribution of vaccines, and antiviral agents are insufficient to address current clinical needs. In this study, we used spatial metabolomics to understand changes in the lung and plasma metabolome of mice infected with influenza A virus, compared to uninfected controls. We determined metabolites altered by infection in specific lung tissue sites and distinguished metabolites perturbed by infection between lung tissue and plasma samples. Our findings highlight the importance of a spatial approach to understanding the intersection between lung metabolome, viral infection and disease severity. Ultimately, this approach will expand our understanding of respiratory disease pathogenesis and guide the development of novel host-directed therapeutics.
Bacterial Sensitivity to Chlorhexidine and Povidone-Iodine Antiseptics Over Time: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Human-Derived Data
Authors: Aftab Raiyyan , Dodhia Vikash H , Jeanes Christopher , Wade Ryckie G
Published: November 2021

Background

Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most common complication of surgery, increasing healthcare costs and hospital stay. Topical biocides such as chlorhexidine (CHX) and povidone-iodine (PVI) are used for skin antisepsis to minimise SSIs. There is an increasing concern of developing resistance to topical biocides, however the clinical implications of this remains unclear.

Outcomes

The objective of this review was to determine whether the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) for topical preparations of CHX or PVI have changed over time, in microbes relevant to SSI.

Methods

We searched for studies which reported the mean bactericidal concentration (MBC) of laboratory and clinical isolates of common SSI causing microbes to CHX and PVI. We excluded samples derived from non-humans and studies using antimicrobial solvents or mixtures of biocides with other active substances. MBC was pooled in random effects meta-analyses and change in MBC over time was explored using meta-regression.

Results

79 studies were including, analysing 6218 microbes between 1976 and 2021. Most studies used CHX (93%) and there was insufficient data for meta-analysis of PVI. Enterobacteriales had the highest MBC for CHX (20 mg/L [95% CI 14, 25]; I2 95%) whilst MRSA had the lowest (3 mg/L [95% CI 1, 2]; I2 93%). There was no change in MBC of CHX to Staphylococci (β 0.12 [-1.13, 1.37]; I2 99%) or Streptococci (β 0.13 [-0.35, 0.62]; I2 97%).

Conclusions

There is no evidence of change in susceptibility of common SSI-causing microbes to CHX over time. This study provides reassurance that the worldwide guidance that CHX should remain the first-choice agent for skin asepsis prior to surgery.
Factors correlated with the perceived usefulness of online reviews for consumers: a meta-analysis of the moderating effects of product type
Authors: Zhu Zhangxiang , Liu Jiapei , Dong Wei
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The conclusions of studies on the factors correlated with the perceived usefulness of online reviews are inconsistent due to differences in research perspectives, research objects, research methods and data types. This study conducted a meta-analysis to verify a proposed model of perceived usefulness to obtain general conclusions.

Design/methodology/approach

A meta-analysis was conducted to study the factors correlated with the perceived usefulness of online reviews based on 51 studies.

Findings

The results indicate that, with the exception of negative reviews, the order of relevance for the perceived usefulness of online reviews is as follows: the trust tendency of review readers, review replies, review depth, review pictures, reviewer trustworthiness, positive reviews, reviewer expertise, review time and reviewer information disclosure. Perceived usefulness was significantly positively correlated with purchase intention. Review time, positive reviews and negative reviews were also more significantly correlated with perceived usefulness for search products than for experiential products. Review depth, reviewer trustworthiness, reviewer expertise and purchase intention had greater positive correlations with perceived usefulness for experiential products than for search products.

Originality/value

This study proposes an extended information adoption model based on argument quality and source credibility. The model includes personal factors such as the trust tendency of review readers, constructs a theoretical model of the factors correlated with the perceived usefulness of online reviews and considers the moderating effects of product type.
Value cocreation research in tourism and hospitality: a comparative bibliometric analysis
Authors: Liu Xinyi , Zeng Ying , He Juan , Li Zhiyong
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to present a holistic review of journal articles on value cocreation in the tourism and hospitality field. By distinguishing similarities and differences in the contexts of China and other regions, the authors identify targeted research directions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collected 438 English articles and 31 Chinese articles on value cocreation in tourism and hospitality published in the Web of Science, Scopus and China National Knowledge Infrastructure online databases. After analyzing the study location of all articles in the sample, the authors identified 79 English-language articles that adopted China as the context of the study. The first data set included non-China-focused publications and the second data set included China-focused publications. A comparative bibliometric methodology was conducted.

Findings

The results indicate similarities and differences between the two data sets in terms of research methods, topics and future research directions. Seven major concepts were identified in the first data set: hospitality value cocreation; the value generation process; key stakeholders; outcome variables; the application of service-dominant logic; peer-to-peer accommodation and destination management. Four research focuses were identified in the second data set: the application of customer-dominant logic; the value generation process; resource integration and the cocreation experience.

Research limitations/implications

This research contributes to the understanding of tourism and hospitality cocreation systems through literature analysis and encourages future research on the nexus of the Chinese and global contexts. This systematic investigation extends the concept of value cocreation by integrating its implementation process and value categories and further evaluates the consequences and benefits of value cocreation, which helps clarify how winners and losers can adjust their strategies accordingly.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper lies in the adopted comparative bibliometric analysis which comprehensively reviewed and compared the characteristics of value cocreation research across two contexts. In addition, the study dialectically assesses Chinese tourism cocreation phenomena and their impacts from a global perspective.
Unsafe at home: the increased trend of domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh
Authors: Jahid Anita
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The pandemic situation has increased the domestic violence rate against women and children significantly around the world. However, it is difficult to measure the accurate rate of increased domestic violence because of restrictions and limited mobility in accessing help and reporting. This paper aims to highlight the current situation of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and domestic violence in Bangladesh. It also states the challenges of the unprecedented situation and how to encounter increasing domestic violence cases.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a viewpoint of the COVID-19 pandemic and domestic violence situation in Bangladesh. Accordingly, this paper includes a comprehensive literature review that summarises related articles and newspapers on domestic violence.

Findings

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to COVID-19 because of its most dense population. Currently, the COVID-19 virus is spreading rapidly in all parts of Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, the COVID-19 pandemic is increasing domestic violence for women and girls. Because of the lockdown, financial stress and livelihood scarcity, domestic violence rates show an increasing tendency that should not be overlooked to ensure the safety and security of women and girls in Bangladesh.

Originality/value

This paper delivers information about the current situation of COVID-19 in Bangladesh and the challenges of domestic violence that have risen. This paper will be helpful to policymakers, government and non-government officials for developing effective social safety net interventions.
Workplace learning experienced by employees in information technology-enabled work environments – a developing country experiences
Authors: Wickramasinghe Vathsala , Ramanathan Udayabanu
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a study that investigated workplace learning activities and drivers that enhanced learning as experienced by employees in Sri Lanka.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was conducted in the knowledge process outsourcing sector, where employees perform knowledge work in flatter team-based structures with information technology-enabled work environments. From the 17 firms that volunteered to participate in the study, 239 technical/professional employees volunteered for the survey. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify the association between drivers of workplace learning and learning activities experienced by employees and whether individual demographic characteristics and the number of employees in the firm are associated with workplace learning activities experienced by employees.

Findings

This study found that organisation-related, individual-related and team-related drivers significantly influence workplace learning activities experienced by employees. In addition, employees’ age, firm-specific experience and the number of employees in the firm significantly influence the same.

Originality/value

This paper presents learning activities experienced by employees in the completion of work-related job tasks at hand and drivers experienced by employees in the new normal that has existed since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Unsettling colonial mentalities in family therapy: Entering negotiated spaces
Authors: Jordan Lorien S.
Published: November 2021

This article discusses the settler colonial roots of family therapy, positing that much of what is considered the standard or ideal family form comes from colonialism. Utilising settler colonial theory as a guide, I identify how the colonial nations, built through the violent exclusion of Indigenous and exogenous peoples, utilised the family to further their goals. Rather than suggest settler colonialism was an historic event, I consider how it continues today, privileging white families of European descent. To move the conversation forward on how white therapists from majoritised cultures can engage with racialised clients, I describe the negotiated spaces as a meeting ground where therapists and clients navigate differing worldviews. In these negotiations, our clients trust us, and to be accountable to this trust, we can unsettle the influence of settler colonialism. To conclude this paper, I discuss four possible pathways to begin the complicated process of unsettling.

Practitioner Points

Settler colonialism contributed to the standardisation of the nuclear family, informing the foundations of family therapy.

Establishing a ‘negotiated space’ in therapy can encourage ethical engagement between therapist and client as they navigate differences in culture, knowledge and meaning.

To ethically be in the negotiated spaces, therapists from majoritised cultures can ‘unsettle’ settler colonialism’s influence.

Learning personal and disciplinary relationships to settler colonialism, developing cultural humility and attending to power is the first step in unsettling.
Does Criminalizing Torture Deter Police Torture?
Authors: Berlin Mark S.
Published: November 2021

Much research casts doubt on the effectiveness of legal norms for improving respect for human rights. But such studies have mostly focused on treaty ratifications or constitutional provisions. In contrast, I focus on national criminal law. I argue that criminalization of torture is more likely to deter police torture than these other forms of legal prohibition, because criminalization more credibly increases the threat of material and social costs of torture, while also helping to catalyze mobilization that amplifies these deterrent effects. Using an original, global dataset on national criminal laws against torture, I find that states that criminalize torture and define it in line with the standards codified in the UN Convention against Torture experience reductions in police torture. These findings highlight a largely unexplored angle on the relationship between law and human rights protection and underscore the general importance of domestic legal internalization for the effectiveness of international law.
Complementary bottles during the first month and risk of cow’s milk allergy in breastfed infants
Authors: Garcette Karine , Hospital Véronique , Clerson Pierre , Maigret Pascal , Tounian Patrick
Published: November 2021

Aim

To assess the impact of complementary feeding bottles given at maternity hospital and/or over the first month after discharge from the maternity ward on cow's milk allergy (CMA) risk in breastfed infants.

Methods

Case‐control study involving infants aged 6–9 months and who were breastfed for at least 1 month.

Results

In 554 cases with a diagnosis of CMA and 211 controls, feeding bottles at maternity hospital, feeding bottles during the first month of life, avoidance of dairy products during pregnancy or breastfeeding, family history of allergy, intake of antibiotics and consumption of proton‐pump inhibitors or antacids by the infant during the first month of life were associated with increased risk of CMA in a univariate model. In a multivariate model, only feeding bottle at maternity hospital (OR = 1.81 [1.27; 2.59]), family history of allergy (OR = 2.83 [2.01; 3.99]) and avoidance of dairy products during pregnancy or breastfeeding (OR = 5.62 [1.99; 15.87]) were independent risk factors of CMA.

Conclusion

Complementary bottles given at maternity hospital to newborns who will be exclusively breastfed increases the later risk of CMA. Similarly, avoidance of dairy products during pregnancy or breastfeeding should be discouraged.
Serum growth differentiation factor 15 predicts hepatocellular carcinoma occurrence after hepatitis C virus elimination
Authors: Myojin Yuta , Hikita Hayato , Tahata Yuki , Doi Akira , Kato Seiya , Sasaki Yoichi , Shirai Kumiko , Sakane Sadatsugu , Yamada Ryoko , Kodama Takahiro , Hagiwara Hideki , Imai Yasuharu , Hiramatsu Naoki , Tamura Shinji , Yamamoto Keiji , Ohkawa Kazuyoshi , Hijioka Taizo , Fukui Hiroyuki , Doi Yoshinori , Yamada Yukinori , Yakushijin Takayuki , Mita Eiji , Sakamori Ryotaro , Tatsumi Tomohide , Takehara Tetsuo
Published: November 2021

Background

After hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination, patients should be followed up due to risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is a cytokine induced by mitochondrial dysfunction or oxidative stress.

Aim

To evaluate the prognostic value of GDF15 for HCC occurrence after HCV elimination.

Methods

We measured GDF15 levels in stored serum from patients with chronic HCV infection without a history of HCC who had achieved sustained virological response with direct‐acting antiviral agents (DAAs). The patients were randomly divided into derivation (n = 964) and validation (n = 642) cohorts.

Results

In the derivation cohort, serum GDF15 levels were higher in those with HCC occurrence after DAA treatment than in those without. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed baseline GDF15 (>1350 pg/mL, HR 2.54), AFP (>5 ng/mL, HR 2.00), and the FIB‐4 index (>3.25, HR 2.69) to be independent risk factors for HCC. Scoring based on GDF15, AFP and the FIB‐4 index stratified HCC occurrence risk. In the validation cohort, the cumulative HCC occurrence rate at 3 years was 0.64%, 3.27% and 15.3% in low‐score (N = 171), medium‐score (N = 300) and high‐score (N = 166) groups, respectively. In the total cohort, scoring divided patients with a FIB‐4 index ≤3.25, whose HCC occurrence rate was 2.0% at 3 years, into medium‐score and low‐score groups with HCC occurrence rates at 3 years of 3.76% and 0.24%, respectively.

Conclusions

Serum GDF15 predicts de novo HCC occurrence. Scoring using GDF15, AFP, and the FIB‐4 index can predict de novo HCC occurrence risk after HCV elimination.
Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+‐ATPase (SERCA2b) mediates oxidation‐induced endoplasmic reticulum stress to regulate neuropathic pain
Authors: Li Shaoheng , Zhao Fang , Tang Qinglian , Xi Chuchu , He Jing , Wang Yujing , Zhu Michael X. , Cao Zhengyu
Published: November 2021

Background and Purpose

Neuropathic pain is a widespread health problem with limited curative treatment. Decreased sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+‐ATPase (SERCA) expression has been reported in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of animals suffering from neuropathic pain. We aimed to establish the relationship between SERCA expression and the pain responses and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism.

Experimental Approach

Neuropathic pain was modelled using rat chronic constriction injury (CCI). Ca2+ imaging and current clamp patch‐clamp were used to determine cytosolic Ca2+ levels and action potential firing, respectively. Western blots, immunofluorescence staining and qRT‐PCR were used to quantitatively assess protein and mRNA expression, respectively. H&E staining and coupled enzyme assays were used to evaluate the nerve injury and SERCA2b activity, respectively.

Key Results

SERCA2b is the predominant SERCA isoform in rat DRG and its expression is decreased after CCI at mRNA, protein and activity levels. Whereas inhibiting SERCA with thapsigargin causes neuronal hyperexcitation, nerve injury, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, satellite glial cell activation and mechanical allodynia, activating SERCA by CDN1163 or overexpressing SERCA2b in DRG after CCI produces long‐term relief of mechanical and thermal allodynia accompanied by morphological and functional restoration through alleviation of ER stress. Furthermore, the down‐regulation of DRG SERCA2b in CCI rats is caused by increased production of ROS through Sp1‐dependent transcriptional inhibition.

Conclusion and Implications

Our findings reveal a novel pathway centring around SERCA2b as the key molecule underlying the mechanism of development and maintenance of neuropathic pain, and SERCA2b activators have the potential for therapeutic treatment of neuropathic pain.
Group I PAKs in myelin formation and repair of the central nervous system: what, when, and how
Authors: Wang Yan , Guo Fuzheng
Published: November 2021

p21‐activated kinases (PAKs) are a family of cell division control protein 42/ras‐related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Cdc42/Rac1)‐activated serine/threonine kinases. Group I PAKs (PAK1–3) have distinct activation mechanisms from group II PAKs (PAK4–6) and are the focus of this review. In transformed cancer cells, PAKs regulate a variety of cellular processes and molecular pathways which are also important for myelin formation and repair in the central nervous system (CNS). De novo mutations in group I PAKs are frequently seen in children with neurodevelopmental defects and white matter anomalies. Group I PAKs regulate virtually every aspect of neuronal development and function. Yet their functions in CNS myelination and remyelination remain incompletely defined. Herein, we highlight the current understanding of PAKs in regulating cellular and molecular pathways and discuss the status of PAK‐regulated pathways in oligodendrocyte development. We point out outstanding questions and future directions in the research field of group I PAKs and oligodendrocyte development.
Gradient boosting approaches can outperform logistic regression for risk prediction in cutaneous allergy
Authors: Cunningham Louise , Ganier Clarisse , Ferguson Felicity , White Ian R. , Watt Fiona M. , McFadden John , Lynch Magnus D.
Published: November 2021

Background

Contact allergy is a major clinical and public health challenge. It is important to identify individuals who are at risk and perform patch testing to identify relevant allergens. Predicting clinical risk on the basis of input parameters is common in clinical medicine and traditionally has been achieved with linear models.

Objectives

We hypothesized that the risk of a clinically relevant positive patch test could be predicted according to clinical and demographic parameters.

Methods

We compared the predictive accuracy of logistic regression with more sophisticated machine learning approaches such as gradient boosting, in the prediction of patch testing results.

Results

We found that both logistic regression and more sophisticated machine learning approaches were able to predict the risk of positive patch tests. For certain predictions, including the overall risk of a clinically relevant positive patch test, gradient boosting approaches can outperform logistic regression.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that complex nonlinear interactions between input variables are relevant in risk prediction. While a risk prediction model cannot replace the judgment of an experienced clinician, quantifying the risk of a clinically relevant positive patch test result has the potential to assist in decision making and to inform discussions with patients.
Who Lost Most Wages and Household Income during the COVID‐19 Pandemic in Poor Rural China?
Authors: Long Wenjin , Zeng Junxia , Sun Tongquan
Published: November 2021

China managed to eliminate all extreme poverty in rural areas in 2020. Poor households, however, may risk falling back into poverty due to the COVID‐19. This paper examines the impacts of the pandemic on wages and household incomes among different groups in poor areas of rural China. Using a unique dataset from five poverty‐stricken counties, we found that the pandemic has had large negative effects on wage income for migrant workers and workers in manufacturing, the private sector, and small enterprises. Compared with households relying on wage income, households relying on small businesses have suffered much more from the pandemic, whereas households depending on farming or transfer payments have been less affected. Although poor and ethnic minority households lost significant amounts of wage income due to the pandemic, they did not lose more household income than nonpoor and nonminority households. We conclude that support from the government has kept vulnerable households from suffering more than other households from the effects of COVID‐19. Our findings suggest that the government can play a strong role in alleviating the negative impacts of the COVID‐19.
Work‐from‐home productivity during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Evidence from Japan
Authors: Morikawa Masayuki
Published: November 2021

This study examines the productivity of working from home (WFH) practices during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The results reveal that the mean WFH productivity relative to working at the usual workplace was about 60%–70%, and it was lower for employees and firms that started WFH practice only after the spread of the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, there was a large dispersion of WFH productivity, both by individual and firm characteristics. Highly educated and high‐wage employees tended to exhibit a small reduction in WFH productivity. The results obtained from the employee and employer surveys were generally consistent with each other.
A year in perspective: The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on engagement with Jigsaw youth mental health services
Authors: Rossouw Johannes , Carey Eleanor , Doyle Elizabeth , O'Brien Gillian , Cullinan Sarah , O'Reilly Aileen
Published: November 2021

Aim

The COVID‐19 pandemic has presented significant challenges for young people and youth mental health services. To address a gap in knowledge about the impact of the pandemic and associated restrictions on youth mental health services, this paper examined the nature of young people's engagement with Jigsaw's brief intervention service during the pandemic.

Method

Data gathered from young people engaging with Jigsaw's brief intervention service in the 12 months after the official declaration of the COVID‐19 pandemic (n = 6161), and 12 months prior (n = 8665) were examined.

Results

There were less referrals to Jigsaw during the pandemic, especially during lockdown periods, but this rebounded when public health restrictions were eased. A higher proportion of females (p < .001) and 12–17 year olds (p < .001) were referred during the pandemic period. There was an increase in the proportion of young people who presented with anxiety (p < .001) and sleep changes (p < .001). Although 12–16 year olds reported significantly higher levels of distress during the pandemic (p < .05), the effect size was small. Young people reported high levels of satisfaction with the new phone/video modes of support offered by Jigsaw, and the overall attendance rate improved during the pandemic period.

Conclusions

The impact of COVID‐19 on young people's mental health needs to be considered as a priority. This paper is helpful for services considering the long‐term mental health needs of young people, and the best way of meeting those needs.
Foraging behaviours lead to spatiotemporal self‐similar dynamics in grazing ecosystems
Authors: Ge Zhenpeng , Liu Quan‐Xing
Published: November 2021

Biological behaviour‐driven self‐organized patterns have recently been confirmed to play a key role in ecosystem functioning. Here, we develop a theoretical phase‐separation model to describe spatiotemporal self‐similar dynamics, which is a consequence of behaviour‐driven trophic interactions in short‐time scales. Our framework integrates scale‐dependent feedback and density‐dependent movement into grazing ecosystems. This model derives six types of selective foraging behaviours that trigger pattern formation for top‐down grazing ecosystems, and one of which is consistent with existing foraging theories. Self‐organized patterns nucleate under moderate grazing intensity and are destroyed by overgrazing, which suggests ecosystem degradation. Theoretical results qualitatively agree with observed grazing ecosystems that display spatial heterogeneities under variable grazing intensity. Our findings potentially provide new insights into self‐organized patterns as an indicator of ecosystem transitions under a stressful environment.
Quantification of Advective Transport Phenomena to Better Understand Dispersion in the Field
Authors: de Lange Willem J.
Published: November 2021

Observation of dispersion in field situations has left three issues that may be better understood by applying advective transport phenomena. (1) In some experiments, the longitudinal dispersivity becomes constant with increasing pathlength and in other cases it remains growing. (2) Dispersivities reported from multiple comprehensive observations at a single site differ at similar pathlength in some cases more than a factor two. (3) The observed difference between the plume fronts and plume tails is not represented in the reported parameters. The analytic equations for advective transport phenomena at macroscale of De Lange (2020) describe the thickness of the affected flow‐tube and the spread of the plume front and tail. The scale factor defines the size of the averaging domain and so of the initial phase. The new macroscale correlation coefficient relates the growth of the longitudinal dispersivity beyond the initial phase to the aquifer heterogeneity. Using stochastic parameters for the aquifer heterogeneity, the parameters are quantified at 14 field experiments in the United States, Canada and Europe enabling the comparison of calculated and reported final dispersivities. Using the quantified parameters, 146 reported and calculated dispersivities along the traveled paths show a good match. A dispersivity derived from the local plume growth may differ a factor of two from the aquifer‐representative value. The growths of plume fronts and tails between two plume stages are assessed in 14 cases and compared to calculated values. Distinctive parameters for the plume front and tail support better understanding of field situations. A user‐ready spreadsheet is provided.
Travail et technologie – Réflexion sur un siècle de débat dans la Revue internationale du Travail
Authors: HOWCROFT Deborah , RUBERY Jill
Published: November 2021

L'objet de ce numéro du centenaire est de dresser le bilan d'un siècle de débats sur les rapports entre travail et technologie, tels qu'en rendent compte divers articles de la Revue internationale du Travail. La récente vague d'intérêt pour le changement sociotechnique et ses implications quant à l'avenir du travail conduit de nombreux commentateurs à affirmer que nous sommes à l'aube d'un changement sans précédent, un véritable séisme. Cette sélection de quatorze articles publiés entre 1925 et 2020 vient à point nommé alimenter la réflexion sur des questions de fond qui restent d'actualité.
Habitat area and environmental filters determine avian richness along an elevation gradient in mountain peatlands
Authors: Reynolds Jordan N. H. , Swanson Heidi K. , Rooney Rebecca C.
Published: November 2021

Globally, relationships between avian richness and elevation in mountain ecosystems typically reflect one of four well‐documented patterns, but the mechanisms responsible for these patterns are poorly understood. We investigated which pattern best described bird species richness in peatlands of the Upper Bow Basin of the Canadian Rocky Mountains (1300–2000 m a.s.l.) and used a model competition framework to investigate possible mechanisms. Avian richness displayed a plateauing (cubic) relationship in response to increasing elevation (AICc weight = 0.48). Log richness was significantly positively related to log peatland area (R2 = 0.42, p = 0.001); however, and once we accounted for the richness–area relationship (area was not related to elevation (R2 = 0.13, p = 0.083)), the richness–elevation relationship was best described by a negative linear model rather than a cubic model (AICc weight = 0.69, R2 = 0.39). Consequently, we reject the neutral model of the mid‐domain effect and conclude that peatland area and one or more environmental filters are simultaneously driving relationships between avian richness and elevation in Rocky Mountain peatlands. Multicausality likely explains why researchers in different geographies observe inconsistent patterns between richness and elevation: drivers and interactions among drivers may vary spatially. Importantly, Natural Subregion was a stronger predictor of avian species richness than elevation per se (AICc weight = 0.96), suggesting that the responsible environmental filter(s) is relatively homogenous within ecological land classes (e.g. primary productivity) rather than directly variable with elevation (e.g. temperature). The results also lend insight into priorities for future research on richness–elevation patterns in mountain birds.
A standardised inventory for New Zealand's stopbank (levee) network and its application for natural hazard exposure assessments
Authors: Crawford‐Flett Kaley , Blake Daniel M. , Pascoal Eduardo , Wilson Matthew , Wotherspoon Liam
Published: November 2021

Flooding is New Zealand's most frequent natural hazard, responsible for the highest number of declared civil defence emergencies and greatest regular economic loss. Stopbanks (levees) perform a critical flood protection function in all regions of the country. However, there have been limited and inconsistent records on the location and physical attributes of these stopbanks at a national level. Through collaboration with regional government representatives, we provide the first standardised national inventory of stopbanks, the New Zealand Inventory of Stopbanks (NZIS). The NZIS provides a standardised geospatial overview of New Zealand's 5284 km long stopbank network, enabling spatial reviews and comparisons of flood protection characteristics at national and regional scales. Around 64% of New Zealand's total stopbank length is situated within five regions (Canterbury, Waikato, Southland, Manawatū‐Whanganui and Bay of Plenty), while the nation's most densely population region, Auckland, accounts for just 1.9% of the total national stopbank length. Our research uses the NZIS geospatial dataset to conduct a preliminary exposure assessment of New Zealand's stopbank network to seismic and co‐seismic hazards; including proximity to known active earthquake faults, ground shaking intensities and susceptibility to liquefaction and landslides. Preliminary exposure assessments provide an example of how the NZIS can be adopted and applied.
Ultrasound assessment of abdominal adipose panniculus in patients treated with a single session of cryolipolysis in a clinical setting
Authors: Ponga‐Manso Montserrat
Published: November 2021

Objective

To assess the effectiveness and safety of cryolipolysis treatment (four‐to‐six cycles in one session) for reducing abdominal fat.

Methods

Retrospective study conducted on consecutive healthy women who underwent one session of cryolipolysis for abdominal fat reduction. Ultrasound images (USI) were acquired at baseline and at month 6 after treatment. A patient‐tailored approach based on adipose tissue depth and architecture was selected.

Results

Thirty women were included. The mean age was 51.4 ± 3.4 years, and 27 (90%) were menopausal. At month 6, the mean abdominal fat layer thickness reduction was 46.6% (41.2%–51.9%). The mean contour was significantly reduced from 84.3, 99.2, 90.6, and 97.1 cm to 81.0, 93.6, 85.8, and 92.2 cm in the infracostal, supraumbilical, umbilical, and ischiopubic regions, respectively; p < 0.0001 each. There were no significant changes in weight, body mass index, fat mass, or lean mass throughout the study. After adjusting for smoking, exercise, hypothyroidism, and type of fat, there was a significant reduction in abdominal fat layer thickness (−4.5 ± 0.9 mm, p < 0.0001) and contour measurements in infracostal (−3.3 ± 2.4 mm, p = 0.0317); supraumbilical (−4.8 ± 2.1 mm, p = 0.0254); umbilical (−5.6 ± 2.3, p = 0.0161); and ischiopubic (−4.9 ± 1.8 mm, p = 0.0080). The qualitative analysis of the USI suggested the appearance of numerous bands of ordered and structured collagen fibers.

Conclusions

Four‐to‐six cycles of cryolipolysis, administered in one session, seemed to be a safe and effective procedure for reducing localized fat in the abdominal region in this sample. Additionally, ultrasound images suggested that cryolipolysis was associated with a skin quality improvement and neocollagenesis.
High serum fibroblast growth factor 21 is associated with inferior hepatocellular carcinoma survival: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Liu Zhao‐yan , Luo Yan , Fang Ai‐ping , Wusiman Maierhaba , He Tong‐tong , Liu Xiao‐zhan , Yishake Dinuerguli , Chen Si , Lu Xiao‐ting , Zhang Yao‐jun , Zhu Hui‐lian
Published: November 2021

Background & Aims

Epidemiological evidence linking fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis lacked. We aimed to evaluate the associations between serum FGF21 levels and HCC survival in a large prospective cohort.

Methods

825 newly diagnosed, previously untreated HCC patients from the Guangdong Liver Cancer Cohort were enrolled between September 2013 and April 2017. Serum FGF21 levels were measured by ELISA. Liver cancer‐specific survival (LCSS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were performed to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

Compared with patients in the lowest tertile of serum FGF21 levels, patients in the highest tertile had inferior survival outcomes. HRs in the fully adjusted models were 1.44 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.94; P‐trend = .014) and 1.48 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.97; P‐trend = .002) for LCSS and OS, respectively. The associations were not significantly modified by selected metabolic disorder diseases or state such as arterial hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, fatty liver, cirrhosis, and body mass index ≥25.0 kg/m2, except for that stronger associations were observed in patients co‐occurred more than three metabolic disorder diseases (P‐interaction = .046 for OS and .151 for LCSS), with an HR of 2.01 (95% CI: 1.04, 3.85; P‐trend = .009) for OS and 1.51 (95% CI: 0.73, 3.10; P‐trend = .195) for LCSS.

Conclusions

Higher serum FGF21 levels were associated with worse survival in HCC patients, suggesting that serum FGF21 may be used as a novel metabolism‐related prognostic biomarker for HCC.
Alien Guts? Exploring Lives of and with Irritable Bowels in Denmark
Authors: Laursen Camilla Brændstrup , Meinert Lotte , Grøn Lone
Published: November 2021

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a health challenge in Denmark, especially among young and middle‐aged people. It raises questions about control, alienation, responsiveness, and responsibility in relation to the body in welfare societies. Based on long‐term ethnographic fieldwork, this article explores how young and middle‐aged Danes diagnosed with IBS inhabit and relate to their bodies. Previous studies have described how IBS patients experience their bodies to be unreliable, unpredictable, and embarrassing. Drawing on phenomenological explorations of bodily alterity, we argue that the gut transforms into “an other” for the afflicted. It is involved in a restless process in which it sometimes emerges as “me,” sometimes as “not‐me,” and sometimes as “not‐not‐me.” People attempt to theorize and control their gut trouble, yet it continuously escapes their grasp. How do people live with and care for such an alienness‐within? Does an IBS diagnosis make bodies feel more or less alien?
Neurotherapeutic implications of sense and respond strategies generated by astrocytes and astrocytic tumours to combat pH mechanical stress
Authors: John Sebastian , K. G. Gayathri , Krishna Aswani P. , Mishra Rashmi
Published: November 2021

Aims

Astrocytes adapt to acute acid stress. Intriguingly, cancer cells with astrocytic differentiation thrive even better in an acidic microenvironment. How changes in extracellular pH (pHe) are sensed and measured by the cell surface assemblies that first intercept the acid stress, and how this information is relayed downstream for an appropriate survival response remains largely uncharacterized.

Methods

In vitro cell‐based studies were combined with an in vivo animal model to delineate the machinery involved in pH microenvironment sensing and generation of mechanoadaptive responses in normal and neoplastic astrocytes. The data was further validated on patient samples from acidosis driven ischaemia and astrocytic tumour tissues.

Results

We demonstrate that low pHe is perceived and interpreted by cells as mechanical stress. GM3 acts as a lipid‐based pH sensor, and in low pHe, its highly protonated state generates plasma membrane deformation stress which activates the IRE1‐sXBP1‐SREBP2‐ACSS2 response axis for cholesterol biosynthesis and surface trafficking. Enhanced surface cholesterol provides mechanical tenacity and prevents acid‐mediated membrane hydrolysis, which would otherwise result in cell leakage and death.

Conclusions

In summary, activating these lipids or the associated downstream machinery in acidosis‐related neurodegeneration may prevent disease progression, while specifically suppressing this key mechanical ‘sense‐respond’ axis should effectively target astrocytic tumour growth.
Tal2b targets and activates the expression of OsF3H03g to hijack OsUGT74H4 and synergistically interfere with rice immunity
Authors: Wu Tao , Zhang Haimiao , Yuan Bin , Liu Haifeng , Kong Lingguang , Chu Zhaohui , Ding Xinhua
Published: November 2021

Transcription activator‐like (TAL) effectors are major virulence factors secreted by the type III secretion systems of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc) and X. oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), causing bacterial leaf streak and bacterial blight, respectively, in rice. However, the knowledge of Xoc TAL effector function in promoting bacterial virulence remains limited.

Here, we isolated the highly virulent Xoc strain HGA4 from the outbreak region of Huanggang (Hubei, China), which contains four TAL effectors not found in the Chinese model strain RS105. Among these, Tal2b was selected for introduction into RS105, which resulted in a longer lesion length than that in the control.

Tal2b directly binds to the promoter region of the gene and activates the expression of OsF3H03g, which encodes 2‐oxoglutarate‐dependent dioxygenase in rice. OsF3H03g negatively regulates salicylic acid (SA)‐related defense by directly reducing SA, and it plays a positive role in susceptibility to both Xoc and Xoo in rice.

OsF3H03g interacts with a uridine diphosphate‐glycosyltransferase protein (OsUGT74H4), which positively regulates bacterial leaf streak susceptibility and may inactivate SA via glycosylation modification.
The GhMYB36 transcription factor confers resistance to biotic and abiotic stress by enhancing PR1 gene expression in plants
Authors: Liu Tingli , Chen Tianzi , Kan Jialiang , Yao Yao , Guo Dongshu , Yang Yuwen , Ling Xitie , Wang Jinyan , Zhang Baolong
Published: November 2021

Drought and Verticillium wilt disease are two main factors that limit cotton production, which necessitates the identification of key molecular switch to simultaneously improve cotton resistance to Verticillium dahliae and tolerance to drought stress. R2R3‐type MYB proteins could play such a role because of their conserved functions in plant development, growth, and metabolism regulation, however, till date a MYB gene conferring the desired resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses has not been found in cotton. Here, we describe the identification of GhMYB36, a gene encoding a R2R3‐type MYB protein in Gossypium hirsutum, which confers drought tolerance and Verticilium wilt resistance in both Arabidopsis and cotton. GhMYB36 was highly induced by PEG‐simulated drought stress in G. hirsutum. GhMYB36‐silenced cotton plants were more sensitive to both drought stress and Verticillium wilt. GhMYB36 overexpression in transgenic Arabidopsis and cotton plants gave rise to improved drought tolerance and Verticillium wilt resistance. Transient expression of fused GhMYB36‐GFP in tobacco cells was able to localize GhMYB36 in the cell nucleus. In addition, RNA‐seq analysis together with qRT‐PCR validation in transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing GhMYB36 revealed significantly enhanced PR1 expression. Luciferase interaction assays indicated that GhMYB36 are probably bound to the promoter of PR1 to activate its expression and the interaction, which was further verified by Yeast one hybrid assay. Taken together, our results suggest that GhMYB36 functions as a transcription factor that is involved in drought tolerance and Verticillium wilt resistance in Arabidopsis and cotton by enhancing PR1 expression.
Interactions and associated resistance development mechanisms between microplastics, antibiotics and heavy metals in the aquaculture environment
Authors: Li Zhen , Junaid Muhammad , Chen Guanglong , Wang Jun
Published: November 2021

Microplastics (MPs), antibiotics and heavy metals unavoidably contaminate the aquaculture environment, with serious ecological and human health consequences. Antibiotic‐resistance genes (ARGs) and metal resistance genes (MRGs) are induced in microorganisms in the environment as a defence mechanism against antibiotics and heavy metals respectively. Furthermore, heavy metals in the aquaculture environment will cause bacteria to employ antibiotic resistance through co‐selection (co‐resistance or cross‐resistance) and other potential mechanisms. MPs may also act as potential carriers of multidrug resistance in aquaculture environments because they are hotspots for the enrichment and transmission of antibiotic resistance. Multidrug‐resistant (MDR) microorganisms in the aquaculture environment may infiltrate aquatic organisms via the food chain (eg MDR‐microorganisms→myctophids→ tuna/ squid/ whales/ seabirds/ seals), and after long‐term enrichment, they may gain access to the human body, posing a major risk to aquaculture and human health. As a result, this review article summarises contamination of MPs, heavy metal and antibiotics in global aquaculture settings; discusses the generation of ARGs, MRGs and common selection mechanisms for resistance development and emphasises the role of MPs as hot spots for antibiotic‐resistance selective enrichment, as well as potential carriers of multi‐drug‐resistant genes (MDRGs), in the aquaculture environment, posing an increasing threat to aquaculture and even human health.