bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimated cost of extra work hours from co‐workers' drinking in Thailand
Authors: Saengow Udomsak , Chaiyasong Surasak , Nontarak Jiraluck , Saokaew Surasak , Artaman Ali , Vichitkunakorn Polathep , Waleewong Orratai
Published: October 2023

Introduction

Alcohol's harm to others (AHTO) in workplaces has received little attention. A few studies from high‐income countries have estimated the cost of AHTO in workplaces, while data from the low‐ and middle‐income countries are lacking. This study aimed to estimate the cost of AHTO in workplaces and to explore factors associated with the cost of AHTO in workplaces.

Methods

Data were taken from 1392 employed respondents who participated in a survey conducted in Thailand from September 2012 to March 2013. The cost of extra work hours was estimated from the hourly wage and extra hours of work. The hourly wage was computed by converting monthly income to weekly income and dividing weekly income by weekly working hours. The gamma regression with log link was used to determine factors associated with the cost of extra working hours.

Results

The past‐year prevalence of harm from co‐workers' drinking was 17.8% among the employed population. The prevalence of working extra hours was 6.1%. On average, an affected worker worked 16.0 extra hours due to co‐workers' drinking. In total, 28.8 million hours of extra work was attributed to co‐workers' drinking in 1 year. The cost of these extra work hours was 1.8 billion Thai baht (57.8 million USD). Age, education and type of employment were associated with the cost of working extra hours.

Discussion and Conclusions

The burden of alcohol in workplaces extends beyond drinking workers. Our findings indicate that alcohol imposes a significant cost on co‐workers of drinkers.
Nigeria's Sugar Master Plan: Ignoring losers from industrial policy can be costly
Authors: Odijie Michael
Published: October 2023

Motivation

Industrial policies, as tools for economic advancement, disrupt established systems and practices, leading to disputes. The Nigerian Sugar Master Plan (2013–2024) is just such a case. The Plan proposed to stimulate domestic sugar growing and refining, by restricting imports and providing incentives for investors in sugar estates and refining mills.

Purpose

This study examines the impact of industrial policies on different groups, identifying the origins and impacts of subsequent disputes. Specifically, it explores how the failure to anticipate opposition caused the Nigerian Sugar Master Plan to largely fail.

Methods and approach

Informed by the framework of political settlements, we divide disputes into general (public) and specific (individual), exploring the nuances of each through qualitative analysis. Empirical data from case studies, particularly focusing on disputes over land use and trade in sugar, are used to unravel the layered repercussions of policy‐induced disputes.

Findings

Unaddressed disputes, both broader societal and individual, have stymied the objectives of the Nigerian Sugar Master Plan.

Land allocations to investors in large‐scale sugar estates have been disputed by dispossessed farmers, preventing establishment of several estates: production targets for sugar growing have been missed.

Importers of refined sugar could not legally continue their trade; instead, some reverted to smuggling in refined sugar, driving down the local prices—and cutting the profits of companies growing and refining sugar.

Opposition to the Sugar Plan, despite media campaigns to convince the public to accept it, has caused the Plan to fail in large part.

Policy implications

Industrial policies need to address the concerns of those potentially losing their businesses, jobs, and land to the policies. If not, opposition by losing parties is likely to cause the policies to fail.
Killing two birds with one stone? Sound investment with social impact
Authors: Gamtkitsulashvili Tea , Plekhanov Alexander , Stepanov Alexander
Published: October 2023

This paper uses a novel dataset on investments by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to quantify a (sizeable) trade‐off between the impact and financial objectives of a large lender. The unique feature of this dataset is ex ante records of impact. These are made at the early stages of work on each transaction alongside probability‐of‐default scores. Impact scores are further updated at the final approval stage with around 55 percent of transaction concepts translating into signed deals. We show that this approach delivers a simultaneous selection of debt investments on the quality of credit and impact with a sizable trade‐off between pursuing commercial and development objectives. For commercially riskier investments, impact characteristics have a greater bearing on the probability of an investment going ahead. We further use machine‐learning analysis to show that the impact of some investments is strengthened prior to project approval.
The pattern of maxillofacial fractures associated with rollover accidents: A 7‐year retrospective study
Authors: Yari Amir , Hasheminasab Mahboube , Fasih Paniz , Nouralishahi Atieh , Arianezhad S. Marjan
Published: October 2023

Background/Aim

This study aimed to assess the incidence and pattern of maxillofacial fractures and related demographic data in the victims of rollover crashes.

Patients and Methods

This retrospective study was based on medical records of patients who sustained maxillofacial injuries following rollover accidents. Investigated data included age, gender, accident date and time, accident cause, seat belt usage, airbag deployment, road type, anatomical location of the facial fracture, and treatment approach.

Results

Among the 147 patients who met the inclusion criteria, the most prevalent age groups were 20–30 (36.7%) and 30–40 (32.7%) years, with a mean age of 33.6 ± 9.7 years. The male‐to‐female ratio was 6:1. Most crashes occurred in March, August, and July. These accidents involved 69.4% light vehicles and 39.6% heavy vehicles. The leading causes of rollover crashes were speeding (58.5%) followed by distracted driving (21.1%) and traffic rule violations (13.6%). The most prevalent injuries were fractures of the maxillary sinus wall (40.8%), nasal bones (39.5%), zygomaticomaxillary complex (36.1%), and the mandible (32.6%). Surgical intervention was necessary for 44.2% of patients, while 12.9% of cases underwent close reduction, and 42.9% did not require any surgical intervention. The occurrence of nasal bone fractures was significantly lower in cases where seat belts were worn and zygomatic arch fractures were less frequent in incidents with airbag deployment.

Conclusions

In rollover crashes, the midface is the most vulnerable anatomical location. Utilization of seat belts and airbag deployment has the potential to prevent nasal bone and zygomatic arch fractures.
The reactions of two species of aphid to chemotactile cues from a wolf spider match their vulnerability to predation
Authors: Latham Lindy A. , Rypstra Ann L.
Published: October 2023

Various strategies have evolved to protect animals from predators. We explored the activity and predation risk experienced by two species of aphid. Both species will drop from plants when disturbed and face a suite of predators, including wolf spiders, when they reach the ground. We focused on Aphis fabae Scopoli and Aphis nerii Boyer de Fonscolombe (Hemiptera: Aphididae, Aphidini); A. nerii sequesters cardiac glycosides when it feeds on milkweed. We explored the interactions between these aphids and the wolf spider Pardosa milvina Hentz (Araneae: Lycosidae) that is likely a predator they encounter when they are not on their host plants. We hypothesized that there would be differences in the susceptibility of the two species to predation and that the more vulnerable species would react more strongly to substrate‐borne cues deposited by the spider. We predicted that any behavioral reactions that the aphid displayed in response to predator cues would be effective in reducing risk. We documented the activity of each aphid species on chemotactile cues from P. milvina and measured predation rate in arenas with and without those same cues. Aphis fabae altered their activity in the presence of P. milvina cues but A. nerii did not. Likewise, A. fabae was more susceptible to predation by P. milvina when no cues were present, but when cues were present, predatory success was much lower. Aphis nerii, the less desirable prey for this predator, moved less and had a different locomotory pattern than A. fabae in control trials with no spider cues and so we cannot determine whether its chemical protection or activity were more important in reducing predation levels. These results provide insight into the risks faced by aphids when they are off of their host plant and in a barren environment.
Treatment with low‐dose, single‐agent belantamab mafodotin is safe and provides long‐term responses in heavily pretreated multiple myeloma patients
Authors: Avivi Irit , Shragai Tamir , Luttwak Efrat , Trestman Svetlana , Cohen Yael C.
Published: October 2023

Objectives

To evaluate whether low‐dose belantamab mafodotin (B‐MAF) dosing results in lower toxicity and better overall outcome.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated nine consecutive patients treated with low‐dose (1.9 mg/kg) B‐MAF.

Results

The median age was 70 years. Most patients were penta‐refractory. Ocular toxicity was observed in 77.7%. Adverse events resulting in treatment delays were recorded in 9 out of 124 cycles being given. Overall response rate was 66% (6/9), and all responding patients achieved very good partial response or better. Within a median follow‐up of 12 (range 0.5–13.8) months, median progression‐free survival and overall survival were 14 (CI95% 6–22) and 20 (95%CI 0–41) months, respectively.

Conclusion

Low‐dose B‐MAF regimen showed high‐efficacy and low‐toxicity profile.
Age, growth, and biomass projections of red porgy Pagrus pagrus (Teleostei, Sparidae) after the fishery collapse in southern Brazil
Authors: Kikuchi Eidi , Cardoso Luis Gustavo , Mourato Bruno L. , Sant'Ana Rodrigo , Haimovici Manuel
Published: October 2023

A formerly unexploited stock of red porgy that was intensely fished along southern Brazil in the 1970s collapsed in less than a decade. Subsequently, population dynamics or stock status has not been reported, so we updated growth parameters by analysis of otolith annual‐increments and micro‐increments. Growth did not change after the stock collapsed, which suggested no density‐dependent effect. Given the lack of growth changes and data‐limitation, we used an age‐structured assessment model set until 1984 to forecast relative spawning biomass and assess recovery possibilities. Projections showed that a 19 years moratorium would have been necessary for the stock to rebuild. The model suggested an annual catch of at least 170 t in the post‐collapse period because the stock did not recover, and a small‐scale hand‐line fishery with unreported landings continued fishing. Our results reinforced the need for more curated and up‐to‐date data collection to properly assess and manage this formerly abundant stock.
Selection of succeeding crops for a double‐cropping system in alpine pastoral areas of the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau
Authors: Ren Yuxin , Liu Hancheng , Tian Xinhui , Du Wenhua
Published: October 2023

To establish artificial grassland annually, oats, a traditional forage species, are normally cultivated in Qinghai–Tibetan alpine pastoral areas in spring and harvested the same year. Selection a suitable autumn‐sown forage species and succeeding crop, thus harvest of two crops per year, would increase forage yield and quality. We used the triticale variety Gannong No. 2 as an autumn‐sown crop and evaluated the performance of different succeeding crops: B1 (50% triticale and 50% common vetch), B2 (40% rye and 60% common vetch), B3 (50% oats and 50% common vetch), B4 (triticale), B5 (rye), and B6 (oats). We analysed crop productivity and nutrition at two sites in China in 2019 and 2020: Hezuo, and Lhasa. The highest hay yield (15.03 t ha−1) and crude protein content (12.22%) of autumn‐sown triticale as well as the highest average hay yield (6.05 t ha−1) and comprehensive evaluation value (0.80) of the six succeeding crops were obtained at the Lhasa site. At both sites, the succeeding crop with the highest average hay yield (6.30 t ha−1), crude protein content (13.08%), and comprehensive evaluation value (1.00) was B1. In regard to the interaction of environment and succeeding crop, the highest hay yield (8.07 t ha−1) and comprehensive evaluation value (0.95) were obtained with B1 at the Hezuo site. Forage yield and nutrition can be significantly elevated by using autumn‐sown triticale double‐cropped with B1. The results first examine double cropping in alpine pastoral areas, provide a theoretical basis for establishing a double‐cropping cultivation system in this region.
Moving towards social inclusion: Engaging rural voices in priority setting for health
Authors: Tugendhaft Aviva , Christofides Nicola , Stacey Nicholas , Kahn Kathleen , Erzse Agnes , Danis Marion , Gold Marthe , Hofman Karen
Published: October 2023

Background

Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) in the context of limited resources will require prioritising the most vulnerable and ensuring health policies and services are responsive to their needs. One way of addressing this is through the engagement of marginalised voices in the priority setting process. Public engagement approaches that enable group level deliberation as well as individual level preference capturing might be valuable in this regard, but there are limited examples of their practical application, and gaps in understanding their outcomes, especially with rural populations.

Objective

To address this gap, we implemented a modified priority setting tool (Choosing All Together—CHAT) that enables individuals and groups to make trade‐offs to demonstrate the type of health services packages that may be acceptable to a rural population. The paper presents the findings from the individual choices as compared to the group choices, as well as the differences among the individual choices using this tool.

Methods

Participants worked in groups and as individuals to allocate stickers representing the available budget to different health topics and interventions using the CHAT tool. The allocations were recorded at each stage of the study. We calculated the median and interquartile range across study participants for the topic totals. To examine differences in individual choices, we performed Wilcoxon rank sum tests.

Results

The results show that individual interests were mostly aligned with societal ones, and there were no statistically significant differences between the individual and group choices. However, there were some statistically significant differences between individual priorities based on demographic characteristics like age.

Discussion

The study demonstrates that giving individuals greater control and agency in designing health services packages can increase their participation in the priority setting process, align individual and community priorities, and potentially enhance the legitimacy and acceptability of priority setting. Methods that enable group level deliberation and individual level priority setting may be necessary to reconcile plurality. The paper also highlights the importance of capturing the details of public engagement processes and transparently reporting on these details to ensure valuable outcomes.

Public Contribution

The facilitator of the CHAT groups was a member from the community and underwent training from the research team. The fieldworkers were also from the community and were trained and paid to capture the data. The participants were all members of the rural community‐ the study represents their priorities.
The effect of CLIL on productive thematic vocabulary
Authors: Geoghegan Leah
Published: October 2023

In recent years, content and language integrated learning (CLIL) has become increasingly popular throughout Spain. One suggested benefit of this approach is that it increases students’ exposure to the language and facilitates their acquisition of subject‐specific vocabulary (SSV). However, there is a scarcity of research demonstrating this advantage, particularly in terms of lexical availability (LA). This has led to calls to focus on semantic prompts which are linked to the CLIL subject, to better understand the effect of this linguistic exposure. This study investigates the LA of students taking either science or economics through English. Results indicate that CLIL instruction plays an important role in acquiring SSV, revealing that it can help students improve their token production to the extent that they can effectively bridge the gap between them and students with a higher language level and greater token production in other domains.
An Econometric Study of Advertising and Cigarette Demand in the United Kingdom
Authors: Duffy Martyn
Published: October 2023

This article reports the results of an empirical investigation of the effect of total cigarette advertising on aggregate demand for cigarettes in the United Kingdom. The research is conducted within the framework of the Becker‐Murphy model of rational addictive behaviour, using time series spanning the period 1963–1992. No evidence is found in this research to back up the view that aggregate cigarette advertising has the effect of expanding total market demand for cigarettes.
Television Advertising: In Need of Reinvention?
Authors: Dawson Charles
Published: October 2023

As the media technologies carrying advertising messages advance in sophistication, commercial communication inexorably becomes more fragmented, more targeted and individual in focus, and more consumer‐driven. Advertising as an industry continues to grow, but is still based on its original mass‐communication models. The industry must now consider reinventing itself.
Direct Marketing in Europe: How European Advertising and Media Companies and Agencies see Direct Marketing
Authors:   A survey of members of FEDIM
Published: October 2023

It is clear that new electronic services will make a great impact on a number of direct marketing response mechanisms, from a survey of a hundred companies across Europe, on the trends in direct marketing in the next five to ten years, undertaken by FEDIM in October 1995. They will change the way direct marketing is done, but will not completely replace traditional systems. Postal services will be replaced to a certain degree by the new electronic media, due in part to increases in paper costs and postal rates, but direct mail is still expected to remain the most popular medium, followed by television, particularly as it becomes interactive (teleshopping) and telemarketing (although in the long run this may be overtaken by point‐to‐point computers). The liberalisation of the telecommunications sector, with consequent decreases in prices and growth in competition, will play an important role, as will changes in national and European legislation.
Tripe Palms: A Cutaneous Marker of Internal Malignancy
Authors: Requena Luis , Aguilar Antonio , Renedo Guadalupe , Martín Lucia , Piqué Enric , Fariña M. Carmen , Escalonilla Pilar
Published: October 2023

Tripe palms is a distinctive paraneoplastic cutaneous sign which is frequently associated with internal malignancy, specially carcinomas of the lung and stomach. We describe a patient with ovary carcinoma who showed a curious rugose thickening of the palms with accentuation of the normal dermatoglyphic ridges. The lesions were a specially prominent on the fingertips. The patient also showed classical acanthosis nigricans in the axillae and groin. The soles were spared. Histopathologic findings in palmar lesions consisted of an undulant epidermis, with hyperkeratosis, acanthosis, and papillomatosis. Excision of the ovary carcinoma was followed by complete regression of the cutaneous lesions. We review the literature about tripe palms and discuss the relationship between this striking cutaneous manifestation and internal malignancy.
Sugar‐coated liposomes: a novel delivery system for increased drug efficacy and reduced drug toxicity
Authors: Medda S. , Mukherjee S. , Das N. , Naskar K. , Mahato SB , Basu MK
Published: October 2023

The uptake of glycoside‐bearing liposomes by macrophages has been studied in vitro. Since the uptake was found to be specific for the end sugar attached to the glycoside, the possibility is raised that glycoside‐bearing liposomes might be used in vivo as systems to deliver drugs to macrophages. Using the antileishmanial drug urea stibamine, these delivery systems have been tested in vivo against model leishmaniasis. The results indicate that the drug encapsulated in sugar‐coated liposomes is much more potent in comparison with normal liposome‐encapsulated drug or to the free drug. Mannose‐grafted liposomes are more efficient in transportation of drugs compared with those bearing glucose. Toxicity studies involving blood parameters, histological staining of tissues and specific enzyme activities related to liver function, show no apparent toxicity with the drugs. Hence, drug encapsulated sugar‐coated liposomes may have possible applications to humans.
Inhibition of the RNA‐directed DNA polymerase activity of a recombinant HIV‐1 p51 reverse transcriptase by a p15 ribonuclease H domain
Authors: Evans DB , Kezdy FJ , Tarpley G. , Sharma SK
Published: October 2023

The polymerase domain of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) reverse transcriptase, called the p51 reverse transcriptase (p51 RT), was expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein also contained an N‐terminal affinity tag designed to facilitate its purification by immobilized metal affinity chromatography. The purified p51 RT is a predominantly monomeric protein and it catalyses RNA‐dependent DNA polymerization with poly(rA).oligo(dT) as the template.primer. Recently we have also reported the isolation of the recombinant RNAase H domain of HIV‐1 RT that is enzymically active (Evans, Brawn, Deibel, Tarpley and Sharma [1991] J. Biol. Chem. 266, 20583–20585). The latter directly inhibits the RNA‐dependent DNA polymerase activity of p51 RT. Kinetic experiments show that the p15 RNAase H‐mediated inhibition of p51 RT is competitive with respect to the poly(rA).oligo(dT) template.primer (Ki = 320 +/‐ 50 nM), and it does not interfere directly with the binding of dTTP to the enzyme. Thus the kinetic behaviour is consistent with the binding of p15 RNAase H at or near the template.primer‐binding site in this replicase. If the binding of the p15 RNAase H involves only a small segment of this protein, then identification of that segment may open up new opportunities towards the design of novel inhibitors of RNA‐dependent DNA polymerase activity.
The macroheterogeneity of recombinant human interferon‐gamma produced by Chinese‐hamster ovary cells is affected by the protein and lipid content of the culture medium
Authors: PM Castro , AP Ison , PM Hayter , AT Bull
Published: October 2023

The culture environment exerts a major effect on the glycosylation pattern of recombinant human interferon‐gamma (IFN‐gamma) produced by Chinese‐hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The recombinant IFN‐gamma is heterogeneous and consists of a mixture of fully (2N), partially (1N) and non‐glycosylated (0N) glycoforms, and throughout batch cultures there is a decline in the proportion of fully glycosylated IFN‐gamma. Glucose and glutamine, nutrients that are depleted early in such cultures, were prima facie candidates for causing such a shift in glycoform profile. Batch feeding of these nutrients did not prevent the decline in 2N glycoform, but the glycosylation pattern of IFN‐gamma was affected by the initial glutamine concentration in the culture. Under different serum‐free environments the extent of IFN‐gamma glycosylation was affected by (1) the concentration of BSA, (2) the quality of BSA, (3) the lipid composition of the culture medium and (4) the presence of surfactants. Moreover, the inclusion of serum in cultures caused changes in the molecular masses of the major glycoforms, that was indicative of cleavage of the core polypeptide. The results reported emphasize the necessity of considering the effects of culture media on product quality as well as on product quantity during process optimization.
Properties of laccase isoenzymes produced by the basidiomycete Ceriporiopsis subvermispora
Authors: Salas C. , Lobos S. , Larrain J. , Salas L. , Cullen D. , Vicuna R.
Published: October 2023

Laccase is one of the ligninolytic enzymes found in liquid cultures of the fungus Ceriporiopsis subvermispora in defined medium. As an approach to a clarification of the role of laccases during the attack on lignin by the fungus, the enzyme has been characterized further. The levels of this phenol oxidase increase 2‐fold in the presence of p‐anisidine and are severely affected when addition of either Mn(II) or Cu(II) ions to the medium is omitted. Isoelectrofocusing allowed the resolution of two laccase isoenzymes, with pIs of 3.65 and 3.59. In rich medium, laccase activity is 10‐fold higher than in salt medium, and it is not affected by the external addition of p‐anisidine or Mn(II). Four isoenzymes were detected in these cultures, with pIs between 3.76 and 3.60. In a wheat bran medium, four isoenzymes with pIs in the range 3.63‐3.46, plus a fifth isoenzyme of high pI (4.82), were also identified. The absorption spectrum of a pool containing the four isoenzymes from rich medium shows a maximum at 600 nm, typical of laccase possessing a type I copper atom. The molecular mass of the isoenzyme with pI 3.60 is 79 kDa, as determined by SDS/PAGE. Upon treatment with endoglycosidase F, the molecular mass of this isoform decreases to 63 kDa, indicating a high degree of glycosylation. Substrate specificity studies conducted with the four isoenzymes from rich medium and a combination of isoenzymes from salt medium showed marked differences among them. The amino‐terminal sequences (24 residues) of three isoenzymes isolated from rich medium were determined. Two of them are identical, whereas the third one differs from these in three amino acid residues. The consensus sequence reveals clear homology with laccases from other microorganisms.
Preparation and characteristics of magnetite‐labelled antibody with the use of poly(ethylene glycol) derivatives
Authors: Suzuki M. , Shinkai M. , Kamihira M. , Kobayashi T.
Published: October 2023

With a view to the application of magnetic particles in cancer thermotherapy (hyperthermia), methods of preparing a bio‐applicable magnetite with targeting activity towards cancer cells were investigated, and the properties of the material examined. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)‐magnetite consisting of magnetite (Fe3O4) and PEG with terminal carboxy or amino groups was prepared. Monoclonal antibody was then immobilized covalently on to the PEG‐magnetite. Among three different immobilization methods employed, the highest immobilization density of 492 mg of protein/g of PEG‐magnetite was achieved by using water‐soluble carbodi‐imide. However, with respect to residual antibody activity, only the method in which IgG sugar chains were oxidized to give aldehyde groups for coupling to N‐terminal PEG‐magnetite was satisfactory, with about 60% of the activity surviving. The immobilization density by this method (109 mg of protein/g of PEG‐magnetite) was also sufficiently high. The product, termed magnetite‐labelled antibody, was of sub‐micrometre size and showed easy magnetophoresis. It was further elucidated that cancer‐specific magnetite‐labelled antibody bound to cancer cells at an amount of 50 mg of magnetite/cm3 of cells. The PEG‐magnetite generates heat at an evolution rate of 31.5 W/g, and the amount adsorbed to the cells was calculated to be high enough to heat a tumour 1 cm in diameter to more than 42 degrees C in 30 s under an alternating magnetic field [at an intensity of 572 Oe (approx. 45.5 kA/m) and a frequency of 240 kHz]. This magnetite‐labelled antibody is expected to be applicable clinically as a therapeutic agent for the induction of hyperthermia.
Industrial‐scale production and rapid purification of an archaeal beta‐glycosidase expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Morana A. , Moracci M. , Ottombrino A. , Ciaramella M. , Rossi M. , De Rosa M.
Published: October 2023

The application of enzymes isolated from extreme thermophiles in biotechnological processes is hampered by their unconventional fermentation conditions. The expression, in mesophilic hosts, of genes encoding for thermophilic proteins enables these difficulties to be overcome and permits the production of enzymes in high yield by using conventional fermentation plants and an efficient enzyme purification utilizing heat precipitation of host proteins. The beta‐glycosidase gene from Sulfolobus solfataricus, a thermoacidophilic archaeon growing at 87 degrees C and pH 3.5, has been cloned and expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast). The fermentation of a S. cerevisiae strain on a 100‐litre scale and the two‐step purification of the expressed beta‐glycosidase by cell autolysis and extracts thermal precipitation is described. This procedure, after 72 h of autolysis, gave a yield 56‐fold higher with respect to that obtained with the beta‐glycosidase from S. solfataricus.
Purification and characterization of copper‐metallothionein from Aspergillus niger by affinity chromatography
Authors: Goetghebeur M. , Kermasha S. , Kensley J. , Metche M.
Published: October 2023

Biomass of Aspergillus niger was obtained from a microbial culture and a copper (Cu) induction was performed after 72 h of fermentation. The crude induced metallothionein extract was obtained by cell disruption and partly purified by a heat treatment and ultrafiltration. The purification of metallothionein by affinity chromatography resulted in three major fractions: FIVa, FIVb and FIVc3. Cu analysis demonstrated that only fraction FIVc contained the Cu‐metallothionein. Spectrophotometric analyses of FIVc demonstrated the presence of a peak at 259 nm and a ratio of 78 mol of Cu per mol of protein. Electrophoretic analyses of FIVc, performed under denaturing conditions, showed the presence of one band with molecular mass of 21 kDa; however, two isoforms were observed under native conditions with molecular masses of 9.5 and 10.5 kDa and isoelectric points of 6.2 and 6.5, suggesting a recombination process due to denaturation.
Enhanced biological activity of human recombinant interleukin 2 coupled to mouse red blood cells as evaluated using the mouse Meth A sarcoma model
Authors: RB Moyes , Kirch H. , JR DeLoach
Published: October 2023

In order to circumvent the toxicity associated with high‐dose interleukin 2 (IL2) administration and its rapid clearance from the circulation, a carrier system for IL2 is needed. Red blood cells (RBCs) coated with recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL2) provide a means of delivering IL2 into the system in a continuous low‐dose manner which, in turn, maintains a low, potentially non‐toxic, IL2 concentration. Murine RBCs coated with rIL2 (RBCs‐rIL2) are able to induce cytotoxic activity in mouse spleen cells in vitro against malignant murine YAC‐1 cells (53‐62% cytotoxicity) using less than 4500 i.u./10(9) RBCs per mouse. Cytotoxicity (21‐31%) becomes apparent upon cytotoxic testing of spleens cells stimulated in vivo. Using the murine Meth A sarcoma model, the effectiveness of this RBC‐rIL2 vehicle is demonstrated in vivo by a 84% reduction in tumour size as compared with the soluble‐rIL2‐treated mice. Moreover, the RBC‐rIL2 vehicle is able to induce tumoricidal cytotoxicity with very low rIL2 concentrations (about 10,000 i.u. of rIL2/mouse). These results indicate that rIL2 retains its biological activity when bound to the RBC and therefore could prove useful as a therapeutic delivery system for cancer treatment.
Antiplatelet agents affecting the interaction of Tissue Factor‐Factor VIIa complex with Factor X in a continuous‐flow reactor
Authors: Gir S. , Reavis R. , VT Turitto , Gollamudi R.
Published: October 2023

The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of antithrombotic agents in the activation of Factor X in the presence of the Tissue Factor‐Factor VIIa (TF‐VIIa) complex in a continuous‐flow reactor. Tissue Factor immobilized in a phospholipid bilayer on the inner surface of a capillary tube (internal diameter = 0.27 mm) was exposed to a perfusate containing Factors VIIa and X flowing at a flow rate of 12.7 microliters/min, corresponding to a wall shear rate of 100 s‐1. Factor Xa (the activated form of Factor X) in the effluent was determined by a chromogenic assay. The effectiveness of two platelet aggregation inhibitors, alpha,alpha'‐bis‐[3‐(N,N‐diethylcarbamoyl)piperidino‐p‐xylene dihydrobromide (A‐1) and alpha,alpha'‐bis‐[3‐N‐benzyl‐N‐methylcarbamoyl)piperidino]‐p‐xylen e dihydrobromide (A‐4) in inhibiting Factor X activation is reported here. The results suggest that the Tissue Factor pathway, mediated through TF‐VIIa complex, produces significantly lower levels of Factor Xa in the presence of compounds A‐1 and A‐4. On the basis of these findings, it appears that the anticoagulation action of these compounds reinforces their platelet aggregation‐inhibitory properties. These carbamoylpiperidines (nipecotamides) therefore appear to be useful antithrombotic agents.
Behaviour of isolated rat and human red blood cells upon hypotonic‐dialysis encapsulation of carbonic anhydrase and dextran
Authors: FJ Alvarez , Herraez A. , MC Tejedor , JC Diez
Published: October 2023

Rat and human carrier red blood cells (RBCs) were prepared by hypotonic‐dialysis encapsulation. The standard conditions used for encapsulation were 80 mOsm/kg for 60 min. The encapsulation behaviour of rat and human RBCs was studied using radiolabelled carbonic anhydrase and fluorescently labelled dextran. Both markers are incorporated to slightly greater extents by human than by rat RBCs by hypotonic treatment. Cell recovery of rat and human RBCs loaded with either carbonic anhydrase or fluorescent dextran accounted for 49% and 80% respectively. The cellular integrity of the loaded cells was revealed by the presence of fluorescence labelling in rat and human RBCs. Fluorescence studies showed an increase of size dispersion in loaded rat and human RBCs, giving cellular volume variations in both types of cells resulting from the encapsulation procedure. Two loaded cell populations were evident in both species, one with high fluorescence content and another with background staining. Apparently the proportion of high fluorescently labelled loaded cells was higher in the case of the human RBCs. A reduced level of fluorescence labelling was observed in rat and human RBC membranes, which indicates a process of adsorption of dextran to the membranes.
Mobilizing and Sustaining Grassroots Dissent
Authors: Woliver Laura R.
Published: October 2023

This article examines barriers to grassroots mobilization, and how they have been overcome. The thesis of this paper is that the probability of mobilizing and sustaining grassroots dissenting groups is shaped by fluid social movements framing work, social interactions, and citizens' conceptions of their responsibilities to their communities. Examples from recent studies of grassroots group formation and results illustrate these factors of group mobilization and citizen political engagement and quiescence.
Suicide Prevention in Adolescents (Age 12–18)
Authors: Berman Alan L. , Jobes David A.
Published: October 2023

The epidemiology of adolescent suicide is summarized with particular emphasis on temporal trends by age and gender. “First‐generation” prevention programs, as reviewed and critiqued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are then examined. In the absence of compelling empirically based behavioral outcome data, selective targeted “second‐generation” prevention efforts are then described across the primary‐secondary‐tertiary continuum. These efforts are focused toward targets of individual predisposition, the social milieu, or proximal agents associated with high risk for suicidal behaviors. Finally, with an eye toward the future, current obstacles and unanswered questions are explored as they relate to opportunities and hopes for change in effecting reduced rates of these behaviors.
Assisted Suicide, Euthanasia, and Suicide Prevention: The Implications of the Dutch Experience
Authors: Hendin Herbert
Published: October 2023

What impact would legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia have on our ability to treat suicidal patients and to prevent suicide? Information from a study of the Dutch experience illustrates how legal sanction promotes a culture that transforms suicide into assisted suicide and euthanasia and encourages patients and doctors to see choosing death as a preferred way of dealing with serious or terminal illness. The extension of the right to euthanasia to those who are not physically ill further complicates the problem. So too does the tendency of doctors in such a culture to begin to feel that they can make decisions about ending the life of competent terminally ill patients without consulting the patient. “Normalizing” suicide as a medical option lays the groundwork for a society that turns euthanasia into a “cure” for suicidal depression.
Attitudes Toward the Body in Suicidal, Depressed, and Normal Adolescents
Authors: Orbach Israel , Lotem‐Peleg Meirav , Kedem Peri
Published: October 2023

Our purpose was to investigate the hypothesis that suicidal adolescents, compared with depressed nonsuicidal and nonsuicidal normal adolescents, display a more negative attitude toward their bodies. Scales for suicidal tendencies, dissociative tendencies, perception of actual versus ideal body features, and feelings toward the body were administered to the subjects. The suicidal subjects showed a larger perceived discrepancy between actual versus ideal body features and a more negative feeling toward the body, and scored higher on some aspects of dissociation than the normal group. The suicidal group also displayed more negative feelings toward the body and scored higher on some aspects of dissociation than the depressed group. A series of correlations showed that the higher the suicidal tendency, the higher the dissociation, the larger the discrepancy, and the stronger the negative feelings toward the body. The findings were explained as reflecting unique characteristics of suicidal individuals that develop from early trauma and sadomasochistic relationships. These characteristics may facilitate suicidal behavior.
Reducing Suicide Potential Among High‐Risk Youth: Tests of a School‐Based Prevention Program
Authors: Eggert Leona L. , Thompson Elaine A. , Herting Jerald R. , Nicholas Liela J.
Published: October 2023

This study tested the efficacy of a school‐based prevention program for reducing suicide potential among high‐risk youth. A sample of 105 youth at suicide risk participated in a three‐group, repeated‐measures, intervention study. Participants in (1) an assessment plus 1‐semester experimental program, (2) an assessment plus 2‐semester experimental program, and (3) an assessment‐only group were compared, using data from preintervention, 5‐month, and 10‐month follow‐up assessments. All groups showed decreased suicide risk behaviors, depression, hopelessness, stress, and anger; all groups also reported increased self‐esteem and network social support. Increased personal control was observed only in the experimental groups, and not in the assessment‐only control group. The potential efficacy of the experimental school‐based prevention program was demonstrated. The necessary and sufficient strategies for suicide prevention, however, need further study as the assessment‐only group, who received limited prevention elements, showed improvements similar to those of the experimental groups.
Cross‐Validation of the Five‐Factor Interpretive Model of the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire
Authors: Rogers James R. , DeShon Richard P.
Published: October 2023

This study is a cross‐validation analysis of the five‐factor interpretative model of the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (Domino, Moore, Westlake, & Gibson, 1982) reported by Rogers and DeShon (1992). Results indicated moderate support for the five‐factor model. That is, although the factor analysis results generally supported the 5‐factor model, a number of items loaded equally well across 2 or more factors. Additionally, internal consistency and test–retest reliabilities ranged from .48 to .85 and from .34 to .92, respectively, indicating weaknesses in some of the subscales. Strategies are suggested for the future psychometric development and refinement of the instrument.
Reasons for Living Among Chinese Adolescents in Hong Kong
Authors: Chan David W.
Published: October 2023

Two hundred and seventy‐nine secondary school students in Hong Kong responded to the Chinese version of the Reasons for Living Inventory. The importance of these reasons could be adequately described by five dimensions interpreted as Positive Values and Self‐Efficacy, Optimism, Family Concerns, Concerns for Social Disapproval, and Suicidal Fears. These dimensions corresponded closely to the original subscales of the inventory. Implications of the importance of gender and age group differences in endorsing coping beliefs, rather than fears, in time of crisis are discussed.
The Kurt Cobain Suicide Crisis: Perspectives from Research, Public Health, and the News Media
Authors: Jobes David A. , Berman Alan L. , O'Carroll Patrick W. , Eastgard Susan , Knickmeyer Steve
Published: October 2023

The suicide of rock star Kurt Cobain in 1994 raised immediate concerns among suicidologists and the public at large about the potential for his death to spark copycat suicides, especially among vulnerable youth. The Seattle community, where Cobain lived and died, was especially affected by his sudden death. An overview of Cobain's life and death is presented and various crisis center and community‐based interventions that occurred are discussed. Preliminary data collected from the Seattle Medical Examiner's Office and from the Seattle Crisis Center to assess the potential impact of Cobain's death on completed suicides and the incidence of suicide crisis calls are presented. The data obtained from the Seattle King County area suggest that the expected “Werther effect” apparently did not occur, but there was a significant increase in suicide crisis calls following his death. It is hypothesized that the lack of an apparent copycat effect in Seattle may be due to various aspects of the media coverage, the method used in Cobain's suicide, and the crisis center and community outreach interventions that occurred. The Cobain suicide and the role of media influence on copycat suicides are further discussed in commentaries from public health and news media perspectives.
Comorbidity of Symptoms Among Junior and Senior High School Suicide Attempters
Authors: Wagner Barry M. , Cole Robert E. , Schwartzman Paul
Published: October 2023

This paper examines comorbidity among depressive symptoms, conduct problems, and alcohol and drug abuse, in a sample of 1050 junior and senior high school students. Adolescents reporting high levels of depression along with either alcohol abuse or conduct problems were more likely to have made a suicide attempt than were adolescents reporting only one of these disorders. Adolescents reporting comorbid drug abuse plus either depression or conduct problems were more likely to have made a prior suicide attempt than those reporting only depression or conduct problems without drug abuse. The findings are discussed in the context of the literature on comorbidity and suicide attempts in community and clinical samples.
Can central banks be heard over the sound of gunfire?
Authors: Gao Ge , Nikolsko‐Rzhevskyy Alex , Talavera Oleksandr
Published: October 2023

In this study, we examined the effectiveness of central bank communications during times of significant adverse shocks. Specifically, we examined how the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) regulated foreign exchange (FX) markets during the Russo‐Ukrainian War in 2022. Data collected from both the black and authorized FX markets suggested that the content of the NBU's announcements significantly impacted FX market agents. Announcements aimed at maintaining a fixed (floating) FX rate prompted an increase (decrease) in the black market premium in cash transactions. Moreover, the NBU's announcements influenced the sale side of foreign currency more than any other aspect, an area where the black market FX traders held near monopolistic power.
Climate transition risk and bank lending
Authors: Bruno Brunella , Lombini Sara
Published: October 2023

We investigate whether and how banks in the global syndicated loan market adjusted the pricing and supply of credit to account for higher climate transition risk (CTR) in the years following the 2015 Paris Agreement. We measure CTR by considering the pollution levels of borrowers and the engagement of countries where borrowers are headquartered in addressing climate change issues. The evidence is mixed and points to nonlinear relations between lending variables and CO2 emissions. Policy events such as the Paris Agreement and government environmental awareness are significant climate risk drivers that, when combined, may amplify banks' perception of CTR.
Nature and timing of a significant reduction event on the L‐chondrite parent asteroid
Authors: Rubin Alan E. , Turrin Brent D.
Published: October 2023

About 17% of L6 chondrites (15/87) show significant reduction features in BSE images in thin section. Because some thin sections of these meteorites do not show reduction features, this percentage is a lower limit. Reduction features include: (1) 4–5‐μm‐thick BSE‐dark reduction rims on olivine and orthopyroxene grains and along fracture boundaries in these grains, (2) 4–12‐μm‐thick dark bands (probably poorly crystalline pyrrhotite) at the margins and along fractures in troilite grains, and (3) 2–5‐μm‐thick dark rinds of kamacite around some taenite grains. Only one of 70 L‐group chondrites (1.4%) of lower petrologic type exhibits minor reduction. The L6 chondrites showing major reduction have 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages ranging from 156 ± 1 Ma for Guangnan to 4543 ± 3 Ma for Thamaniyat Ajras. Reduction occurred after silicate, sulfide, and metal grains had attained their present sizes during parent‐body thermal metamorphism (and had been fractured by parent‐body collisions). The precise plateau age of Thamaniyat Ajras probably marks the timing of the L6 reduction event. It seems likely the reductant was a low‐viscosity fluid, plausibly CO, derived from oxidation of poorly graphitized and amorphous carbon within fine‐grained matrix. Water‐ice that had accreted to the L‐chondrite asteroid was heated and mobilized during metamorphism, causing oxidation. After peak metamorphism, ~75% of the water had been used up or lost; the remaining water facilitated continuing graphite oxidation so that, after this point, overall reduction effects exceeded those of oxidation. L chondrites of lower petrologic type were less affected by reduction due to their lower metamorphic temperatures.
Pupil Dilation as an Index of Examinee's Cognitive Load in Answering a Mathematics Question: A Comparison Study of Different Approaches
Authors: Wang Tzu‐Hua , Kao Chien‐Hui
Published: October 2023

Studies have demonstrated that task‐evoked pupillary responses (TEPRs) can be adopted to measure the examinee's cognitive load. This study compared three approaches for the measurement of TEPRs, mean pupil diameter, mean pupil dilation, and mean percentage of pupil dilation, to determine the best‐fit measuring method. The valid participants of this study were eight sixth‐grade elementary students. The experimental materials used were two mathematics questions with differing difficulty. The generalized estimating equation (GEE) was employed to compare the goodness of fit of each approach. The results revealed that the measurement of TEPRs based on the mean percentage of pupil dilation measured every 4 s provided the best fit.