bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Should the monetary authorities be sensitive to inequality concerns? Empirical evidence for a panel of 62 countries
Authors: Martín-Legendre Juan Ignacio , Castellanos-García Pablo , Sánchez-Santos José Manuel
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to study, by means of an empirical approach, how monetary policy might affect the distribution of individual income.

Design/methodology/approach

After describing the channels through which monetary policy could impinge on income distribution, the authors carry out a panel analysis of 62 countries that control their monetary policy for the period 1996–2015.

Findings

Using two possible proxy variables for monetary policy (the monetary aggregate M3 and the real interest rates), the results reveal a significant positive relationship between real interest rates and income inequality measured through the market Gini coefficient and polarization ratios. The findings suggest that central bankers should be more aware of the redistributive effects of monetary policy.

Research limitations/implications

It should be mentioned the major challenge of data limitation in the empirical investigation on the relationship between monetary policies and inequalities.

Practical implications

The empirical evidence presented in this paper supports the premise that central bankers should not ignore the unintended redistributive consequences of their actions. In this regard, it is worth noting that if, in addition to price stability, central banks are also responsible for financial stability; the rationale behind central bank independence needs to be reconsidered.

Originality/value

An outstanding feature of the paper is its sample size and the variety of countries included in the sample, which includes countries from all continents and with very different levels of economic development. Also, unlike papers based on forecasting modeling – e.g. Vector autoregression (VAR) or Structural vector autoregression (SVAR) models, the study follows an explanatory approach, including not only monetary variables, but also a series of regressors that may have a meaningful and significant impact on inequality, according to a wide literature.
Development of halal supply chain risk management framework for frozen food industries
Authors: Kristanto Dwi , Kurniawati Dwi Agustina
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This study aims to identify the risks, the risk agents, and the mitigation steps and then propose a halal supply chain risk management framework for frozen food halal industries, especially for the milkfish brain product.

Design/methodology/approach

Following the quantitative research design, semi-interviews with the owner of the milkfish brain company and data were analyzed using the supply chain operations reference model and the House of Risk method. The development of halal supply chain risk management framework involves several phases. First, to map the supply chain activities. Next is identifying the risk and risk agent. Then measurements of mitigations are based on the company’s resources that have a profound effect on risks such as employee activity, machinery and work environment.

Findings

The findings in this study are the prioritized mitigations for the frozen food companies, especially the milkfish brain products, are training of good manufacturing practice, making and applying halal standard operating procedure, the creation of clean-up watch schedules, halal use of raw materials and additional materials, and additional purses and facility.

Research limitations/implications

This study may further use various perspectives in supply chains such as suppliers, distributors, agents and consumers.

Practical implications

The risks, risk agents, and mitigation steps are used to develop a general framework for halal supply chain risk management which can be used by all frozen food companies, especially for milkfish brain products.

Originality/value

This study is one of few studies about halal supply chain risk management for frozen food industries. The study contributes to the effort of halal supply chain risk management by proposing general framework for milkfish brain halal supply chain risk management. The risks, risk agents and mitigation efforts are established based on impact and intensity that affect risk occurrence.
A risk-neutral approach to the RAROC method of loan pricing using account-level data
Authors: Misra Arun Kumar , Rahman Molla Ramizur , Tiwari Aviral Kumar
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This paper has used account-level data of corporate and retail borrowers, assessed their credit risk through the risk-neutral principle and examined its implication on loan pricing.

Design/methodology/approach

It derives the capital charge and credit risk-premium for expected and unexpected losses through a risk-neutral approach. It estimates the risk-adjusted return on capital as the pricing principle for loans. Using GMM regression, the article has assessed the determinants of risk-based pricing.

Findings

It has been found that risk-premium is not reflected in the current loan pricing policy as per Basel II norms. However, the GMM estimation on RAROC can price risk premium and probability of default, LGD, risk weight, bank beta and capital adequacy, which are the prime determinants of loan pricing. The average RAROC for retail loans is more than that of corporate loans despite the same level of risk capital requirement for both categories of loans. The robustness tests indicate that the RAROC method of loan pricing and its determinants are consistent against the time and type of borrowers.

Research limitations/implications

The RAROC method of pricing effectively assesses the inherent risk associated with loans. Though the empirical findings are confined to the sample bank, the model can be used for any bank implementing the Basel principle of risk and capital assessments.

Practical implications

The article has developed and validated the model for estimating RAROC, as per Basel II guidelines, for loan pricing that any bank can use.

Social implications

It has developed the risk-based loan pricing model for retail and corporate borrowers. It has significant practical utility for banks to manage their risk, reduce their losses and productively utilise the public deposits for societal developments.

Originality/value

The article empirically validated the risk-neutral pricing principle using a unique 1,520 retail and corporate borrowers dataset.
The metaverse era: leveraging augmented reality in the creation of novel customer experience
Authors: Habil Sandra Gamil Metry , El-Deeb Sara , El-Bassiouny Noha
Published: January 2023

Purpose

The main aim of this research is to portray how augmented reality (AR) characteristics (augmentation, interactivity, personalization, spatial presence, novelty, entertainment and informativeness) can enhance online customer experience (OCE).

Design/methodology/approach

This study conceptualizes a new framework that proposes various relationships between AR characteristics and OCE.

Findings

This study is extending the relationships between AR and OCE by including various AR characteristics that have not been tackled by the previous research.

Originality/value

This research provides an original framework on the relationship between AR characteristics and OCE through highlighting the role of media richness theory. The study is considered the first of its kind to combine these AR characteristics and customer experience in a comprehensive framework.
Forecasting agricultural price volatility of some export crops in Egypt using ARIMA/GARCH model
Authors: Mahmoud Sayed Agbo Hanan
Published: January 2023

Purpose

This study focuses on forecasting the price of the most important export crops of vegetables and fruits in Egypt from 2016 to 2030.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applied generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) model and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model.

Findings

The results show that ARIMA (1,1,1), ARIMA (2.1,2), ARIMA (1,1,0), ARIMA (1,1,2), ARIMA (0,1,0) and ARIMA (1,1,1) are the most appropriate fitted models to evaluate the volatility of price of green beans, tomatoes, onions, oranges, grapes and strawberries, respectively. The results also revealed the presence of ARCH effect only in the case of Potatoes, hence it is suggested that the GARCH approach be used instead. The GARCH (1,1) is found to be a better model in forecasting price of potatoes.

Originality/value

The study of food price volatility in developing countries is essential, since a significant share of household budgets is spent on food in these economies, so forecasting agricultural prices is a substantial requirement for drawing up many economic plans in the fields of agricultural production, consumption, marketing and trade.
Passive acoustic monitoring provides a fresh perspective on fundamental ecological questions
Authors: Ross Samuel R. P.‐J. , O'Connell Darren P. , Deichmann Jessica L. , Desjonquères Camille , Gasc Amandine , Phillips Jennifer N. , Sethi Sarab S. , Wood Connor M. , Burivalova Zuzana
Published: January 2023

Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) has emerged as a transformative tool for applied ecology, conservation and biodiversity monitoring, but its potential contribution to fundamental ecology is less often discussed, and fundamental PAM studies tend to be descriptive, rather than mechanistic.

Here, we chart the most promising directions for ecologists wishing to use the suite of currently available acoustic methods to address long‐standing fundamental questions in ecology and explore new avenues of research. In both terrestrial and aquatic habitats, PAM provides an opportunity to ask questions across multiple spatial scales and at fine temporal resolution, and to capture phenomena or species that are difficult to observe. In combination with traditional approaches to data collection, PAM could release ecologists from myriad limitations that have, at times, precluded mechanistic understanding.

We discuss several case studies to demonstrate the potential contribution of PAM to biodiversity estimation, population trend analysis, assessing climate change impacts on phenology and distribution, and understanding disturbance and recovery dynamics. We also highlight what is on the horizon for PAM, in terms of near‐future technological and methodological developments that have the potential to provide advances in coming years.

Overall, we illustrate how ecologists can harness the power of PAM to address fundamental ecological questions in an era of ecology no longer characterised by data limitation.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Unravelling the relationship between plant diversity and vegetation structural complexity: A review and theoretical framework
Authors: Coverdale Tyler C. , Davies Andrew B.
Published: January 2023

Vegetation structural complexity (VSC)—the three‐dimensional distribution of plants within an ecosystem—is an important ecological trait. To date, research has focused primarily on theeffectsof VSC on ecological patterns and processes, but comparatively little is known about what drives variation in VSC.

Recent advances in active remote sensing technology, particularly light detection and ranging and radio detection and ranging, have allowed the measurement of VSC at unprecedented spatial scales and resolutions. Out of this and earlier work has emerged evidence that VSC is typically associated with greater ecosystem functioning (especially microclimate regulation, productivity, faunal diversity and habitat provisioning), making restoration of vegetation complexity a potentially powerful restoration tool.

Recent studies of VSC across natural and experimental gradients of plant diversity have also revealed that more diverse plant communities tend to be more structurally complex. However, the shape and generality of this relationship—and the mechanism(s) by which phytodiversity might contribute to structural complexity—remain poorly understood.

Here, we review how active remote sensing has facilitated recent VSC research and shaped our understanding of the relationship between vegetation complexity and ecosystem function. We then present a theoretical framework for the relationship between phytodiversity and VSC based on classic biodiversity‐ecosystem functioning principles. Finally, we evaluate the evidence for the notion that diverse plant assemblages tend to be more structurally complex and explore the shape of the relationship between phytodiversity and VSC using data from 13 recent remote sensing studies.

Synthesis. The relationship between phytodiversity and VSC appears to be almost universally positive. Preliminary evidence further suggests that the most common relationships between phytodiversity and VSC are linear or saturating, indicating that the extent of functional redundancy between species varies across plant communities and ecosystems. In contrast, we find little evidence for exponential or negative relationships between plant diversity and VSC, suggesting that even modest increases in plant diversity could markedly increase structural complexity. Additional investigations of phytodiversity‐VSC relationships are necessary to establish whether the observed positive relationships are causal (and, if so, in which direction) and to clarify the potential impact of plant community restoration on structural complexity and broader ecosystem function.
A systemic‐oriented child and adolescent psychiatric unit in Piraeus, Greece: Sailing in troubled waters
Authors: Kottorou Dimitra , Karantoni Maria , Georgitsi Athena , Rigizou Fotini , Margaroni Ariadni , Pomini Valeria
Published: January 2023

A systemic approach to child and adolescent psychiatry involves not only the immediate family but also the wider environment in which the subject lives. Despite growing evidence confirming the effectiveness of systemic family therapy in child and adolescent psychiatry, this approach is not well represented in inpatient services in Greece. We present systemic principles as practiced at a child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient clinic embedded in a general hospital. We consider the competencies and strengths achieved by the team within a systemic epistemology, the difficulties of functioning in a biomedical‐oriented environment, and the challenges faced during the 10‐year socioeconomic crisis and the COVID‐19 pandemic.
THE POWER OF IMPENDING ZONING: Governance through Inaction in a Secondary City in Burkina Faso
Authors: Bjarnesen Jesper
Published: January 2023

A comprehensive zoning plan has been under way for more than a decade for an urban informal settlement in Bobo‐Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. In this article I explore the narratives and strategies of its residents in response to the impending restructuring, suggesting that the continual postponements of the zoning plan's implementation may be understood as constituting an elusive form of urban governance that relegates strategies of both resistance and accommodation to formal governance to the sphere of micro‐politics at the level of the neighbourhood. Urban governance is thus approached here neither as a set of formal policies nor through the day‐to‐day workings of the state bureaucracy, but as a much less tangible form of urban governance that is best studied through its perceivable effects instead of its stated intentions or institutionalized techniques. In the relative absence of the state in the everyday lives of urban residents, the main effects of the workings of the state bureaucracy in this context seem to be to discourage citizen involvement and to slow official procedures to a halt. I argue that the force with which impending evictions and yet‐to‐be‐implemented urban zoning shape residents’ outlook and opportunities for negotiation and mobilization constitutes a form of governance through inaction.
The long‐term outcomes of vaginoplasty using acellular porcine small intestinal submucosa grafts in patients with Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser syndrome: A case series
Authors: Xu Zhi‐yang , Li Ling‐xia , Wang Xing‐guo , Wang Meng‐xin , Cao Gai‐jing , Chen Bi‐liang , Liu Shu‐juan
Published: January 2023

Objective

To investigate the long‐term outcomes for Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser syndrome (MRKH) patients undergoing vaginoplasty using acellular porcine small intestinal submucosa grafts (SIS).

Design

A case series.

Population

Seventy‐eight MRKH syndrome patients and a post‐SIS patient who delivered a baby following the world's first robot‐assisted uterus transplantation.

Methods

Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser syndrome patients were grouped based on the postoperative time and the diagnosis–surgery interval. Outcomes of sexual function and psychological status were assessed using the female sexual function index (FSFI), self‐rating scale of body image (SSBI) and self‐acceptance questionnaire (SAQ). Anatomical outcomes were measured by clinicians.

Main Outcome Measures

The primary outcome was restoration of sexual function, defined by an FSFI score in the ‘good’ range. Anatomical and psychological outcomes were also analysed.

Results

Sexual function was restored in 42.3% (33/78) of patients and the total FSFI score was 23.44 ± 4.43. Three factors (body defect, recognition of physical appearance and willingness to change physical appearance scores) in the SSBI and two in the SAQ decreased as the postoperative time increased. Based on the interval between diagnosis and surgery, the total SSBI score was lower in the short‐interval group than in the long‐interval group (7.25 ± 5.55 versus 12.04 ± 10.21, p = 0.038).

Conclusions

Nearly half of MRKH patients in our study had good long‐term sexual function after SIS vaginoplasty. Sexual function and psychological status improved as postoperative time increased. In addition, reducing the diagnosis to surgery interval was associated with improved psychological function.
Monitoring Financial Conditions and Downside Risk to Economic Activity in Australia*
Authors: Hartigan Luke , Wright Michelle
Published: January 2023

We develop a new financial conditions index for Australia and use it to apply the growth‐at‐risk framework to the Australian economy. The index correlates closely with previous episodes of financial instability and allows us to estimate how important current financial conditions are in explaining future downside risk to key macroeconomic variables. As such, it provides a way to quantify the economic costs of financial instability. We find that more restrictive financial conditions play an important role in explaining downside risk to growth in both gross domestic product and employment and upside risk to changes in the unemployment rate. Our measure of financial conditions is, however, less useful for explaining risks to growth in household consumption and business investment. Overall, the framework provides a useful characterisation of the relationship between financial stability and economic activity in Australia.
Immune functions of C‐type lectins in medical arthropods
Authors: Ming Zhihao , Chen Zhiqiang , Tong Hao , Zhou Xia , Feng Tingting , Dai Jianfeng
Published: January 2023

C‐type lectins (CTLs) are a family of proteins that contain 1 or more carbohydrate‐recognition domains (CRDs) and bind to a broad repertoire of ligands in the presence of calcium ions. CTLs play important roles in innate immune defenses against microorganisms by acting as pattern‐recognition receptors (PRRs) for invading pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. After binding to pathogen‐associated ligands, CTLs mediate immune responses, such as agglutination, phagocytosis, and the activation of phenol oxidase progenitors, thereby clearing pathogens. CTLs are an evolutionarily conserved family found in almost all vertebrates and invertebrates. Medical arthropods can acquire and transmit a range pathogens through various approaches, such as bloodsucking, lancing, and parasitism, thus infecting humans and animals with related diseases, some of which can be life‐threatening. Recent studies have shown that lectins are important components of the arthropod immune system and are essential for the immune responses of arthropods to arthropod‐borne pathogens. This article reviews the current understanding of the structure, function, and signaling pathways involved in CTLs derived from important medical arthropods.
Community care emergency room use and specialty care leakage from Veterans Health Administration hospitals
Authors: Palani Sivagaminathan , Garrido Melissa M. , Tenso Kertu , Pizer Steven D.
Published: January 2023

Background

Care leakage from health systems can affect quality and cost of health care delivery. Identifying modifiable predictors of care leakage may help health systems avoid adverse consequences. Out‐of‐system emergency department (ED) use may be one modifiable cause of care leakage. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between out‐of‐system ED use and subsequent specialty care leakage.

Methods

We used the Veterans Health Administration's (VA) Corporate Data Warehouse data from January 2021 to July 2021. A total of 330,547 patients who had at least one ED visit (in‐house or community care [CC]) in the index period (January 2021–March 2021) were included. Outcomes were the proportions of specialty care visits in the community within 30, 60, 90, and 120 days from the index ED visit. Instrumental‐variables regressions, using VA ED physician capacity as an instrument for Veterans' CC ED use, were utilized to estimate the proportions of subsequent specialty care visits in the community. Estimates were adjusted for patient and facility characteristics.

Results

A CC ED visit was associated with increases in the proportions of specialty care visits in the community within 30, 60, 90, and 120 days from index visit. Within 30 days from index visit, CC ED patients were estimated to have a 45‐percentage‐point (pp; 95% confidence interval [CI], 43–47 pp) higher proportion of CC specialty care visits than patients with an in‐house ED visit (p < 0.001). We observed similar, though slightly attenuated, results over long time periods since the index visit.

Conclusions

Veterans who have a CC ED visit have a greater proportion of subsequent specialty care visits in CC hospitals and clinics than Veterans with a VA ED visit. This relationship persists when we examine Veterans whose decision to go to a CC ED is influenced by VA ED physician capacity rather than general preferences for CC.
Corporate codes of ethics and cash holdings: International evidence
Authors: Gotti Giorgio , Kang Tony , Wolfe Michael C. , Yoo Yong Keun
Published: January 2023

In the presence of agency costs, managers retain cash for their own benefit at the expense of shareholder wealth. Extending prior literature on the role of corporate governance in mitigating the effects of agency conflicts on corporate cash holdings, we study a governance mechanism that has largely been overlooked, namely, corporate codes of ethics. We find a negative association between code of ethics quality and cash holdings, which suggests that managers hold less cash when the firm has a strong code of ethics in place. The effect is greater when agency costs are elevated due to weaker country‐level investor protections. We also find that payouts and the marginal value of cash holdings to investors are increasing in code quality. Overall, our results are consistent with codes of ethics helping to limit opportunistic behaviour from managers when determining the firm's level of cash holdings.
Competition and the life table of cladocerans from a tropical shallow lake
Authors: Ferreira Tania Cristina dos Santos , Arcifa Marlene Sofia
Published: January 2023

Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the influence of competition for food, with different combinations of species, using life table data. In Experiment 1, the cultivated chlorophycean Desmodesmus spinosus (Chodat) Hegewald, at a low concentration (0.25 mg C L−1), was used to feed the cladocerans Daphnia gessneri Herbst and Diaphanosoma birgei Kořínek; in Experiment 2, the same alga was used in an even lower concentration (0.15 mg C L−1) to feed three species, D. gessneri, D. birgei, and Ceriodaphnia richardi Sars, in pairs. Three treatments were set up in Experiment 1 (four replicates each): a. control with the species alone; and b. in shared cultures. For Experiment 2, six treatments were set up (three replicates each): a. control with the species alone; and b. pairs of species in shared cultures. Competition for the chlorophycean occurred in Experiment 1, when D. birgei significantly reduced the average life span of D. gessneri, and D. gessneri significantly reduced the gross and net reproductive rates of D. birgei, despite the greater efficiency in all parameters, of survival and reproduction, of the second species. D. birgei was the only species that reproduced under extreme food limitation; in Experiment 2, despite gross and net reproductive rates, generation time, population growth rate and reproductive effort negatively influenced by C. richardi and D. gessneri, in addition to the average life span, also affected by D. gessneri. D. birgei was competitively superior to the other two species being able to reproduce and grow at very low food concentrations.
Retrospective review of safety and efficacy of anlotinib in advanced osteosarcoma with metastases after failure of standard multimodal therapy
Authors: Li Hanqing , Li Yang , Song Lei , Ai Qiuchi , Zhang Shuai
Published: January 2023

Aim

To study the safety and efficacy of anlotinib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in the treatment of advanced osteosarcoma (OSS) with metastases.

Methods

We retrospectively studied patients with advanced OSS and metastases who received anlotinib treatment in our hospital from June 2018 to April 2020. All patients had received standard multimodal therapies, before taking anlotinib. Therapeutic doses of anlotinib were 12 mg for adults and 10 mg for children and adolescents once a day for 2 consecutive weeks, followed by a week of withdrawal. This 3‐week cycle of treatment was continued until the tumor progressed rapidly or the patients failed to tolerate the side effects. Adverse drug reactions were recorded, and therapeutic efficacy was evaluated based on progression‐free survival (PFS), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), and objective response rate (ORR).

Results

The median PFS was 9.8 ± .9 months, and the 6‐ and 10‐month PFS rates were 73% and 33%, respectively. The median OS was 11.4 ± .6 months. No patients achieved complete response. After 6 months of treatment, the DCR and ORR were 80% and 13%, respectively. No drug‐related deaths or Grade 4 adverse events occurred in the patients. Five patients (33%) had Grade 3 adverse events. The most common drug‐related adverse events were hand‐food syndrome, fatigue, high blood pressure, anorexia, and pneumothorax.

Conclusions

Anlotinib had a modest therapeutic effect in patients with advanced OSS after the failure of standard treatment. The adverse events were mostly tolerable or relieved after treatment.
Fremantle protocol: Multicenter clinical outcomes for a pragmatic protocol for intravesical bacillus Calmette–Guerin
Authors: Tan Kuok Liang , Viswambaram Pravin , McCombie Stephen , Moe Andrew , Goodwin Robert , Kuan Melvyn , Ha Tanya , Lozinskiy Mikhail , Dyer John , Hayne Dickon
Published: January 2023

Objectives

To examine the utility and efficacy of a multifaceted protocol for the administration of intravesical bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) for non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

Subjects and methods

A multicenter retrospective review was conducted among 83 patients undergoing Fremantle protocol intravesical BCG for NMIBC within 4 major hospitals in Western Australia between January 2016 and December 2018. The Fremantle protocol consists of weekly BCG instillations for 6 weeks during the induction phase, followed by monthly BCG instillations for 10 months during the maintenance phase with integrated clearance‐to‐proceed algorithms for urine MSU checks, flexible cystoscopies performed at 3 monthly intervals during maintenance BCG, and repeat GA cystoscopies with four quadrant bladder biopsies routinely obtained following the completion of induction and maintenance treatment.

Results

For patients undergoing Fremantle protocol BCG, 98.8% (82/83) and 75.9% (63/83) of patients completed their induction and maintenance courses of BCG, respectively. Induction BCG was delivered over a median duration of 35 days (range 34–84 days), and maintenance BCG was delivered over a median duration of 266 days (range 1–682 days). The tumor recurrence rate was 10.8% (9/83) at the time of post‐induction biopsies, 2.4% (2/83) during maintenance treatment, 0% (0/60) at the time of post‐maintenance biopsies, and 8.8% (5/57) after a median further follow‐up of 16 months (range 0–51 months).

Conclusion

The Fremantle protocol appears to be a safe and effective BCG regimen with several advantages over other BCG protocols, including high completion rates, low recurrence rates, and being highly pragmatic.
Relationship between selection criteria and trainee performance in medical specialty training: A retrospective longitudinal study
Authors: Jiang Chali , O'Neill Brett , Bennett Haley , Yazdabadi Anosha
Published: January 2023

Background

Investigation of tools used for candidate selection as predictors of future performance in medical education has been primarily undertaken within the undergraduate setting, but little is known about the selection to medical specialist programs. This retrospective longitudinal study aims to explore correlations between selection tools and the performance of trainees enrolled in the Australasian College of Dermatologists (ACD), the accredited specialist medical college for training in dermatology in Australia.

Methods

Data were collected from consecutive cohorts of ACD trainees commencing from 2007 to 2015. Predictive variables were trainee demographics and selection tools (prior academic qualification; research experience; clinical experience; curriculum vitae [CV] rating; interview scores). The outcome variables were exam performance. First Year ([Pharmacology and Clinical Sciences] and Fellowship Exam [Written, Clinical, and Overall Score]). Statistical analyses included: descriptive statistics summaries; bivariate correlation of selection criteria and demographic data with exam performance; and linear regression analysis to identify predictors of exam performance.

Results

Demographic analysis (N = 172) showed that 64% of trainees were female, the average age was 30.5 years (± 3.47) and trainees living in high socioeconomic status (SES) areas were over‐represented. Using Pearson correlation analysis, interview scores were significantly positively correlated with First Year Pharmacology results (p = 0.018), Fellowship Written results (p = 0.002), and Fellowship Overall Scores (p = 0.006). First Year Pharmacology Exam performance was most highly correlated with Fellowship Exam performance (p = 0.000). No association was identified between exam performance and gender, SES, prior academic qualification, research experience or CV rating. Linear regression analysis showed that interview score (p = 0.012), entry age (p = 0.026) and First Year Pharmacology score (p = 0.002) were predictors of Fellowship exam performance.

Conclusion

These results suggest that the comprehensive selection tools used by ACD are effective, with interviews being a highly valid tool linked to exam performance. These findings have important practical implications for assessing the selection process in specialist dermatology training.
Does Relative Deprivation Condition the Effects of Social Protection Programs on Political Support? Experimental Evidence from Pakistan
Authors: Kosec Katrina , Mo Cecilia Hyunjung
Published: January 2023

Could perceived relative economic standing affect citizens’ support for political leaders and institutions? We explore this question by examining Pakistan's national unconditional cash transfer program, the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP). Leveraging a regression discontinuity approach using BISP's administrative data and an original survey experiment, we find that perceptions of relative deprivation color citizen reactions to social protection. When citizens do not feel relatively deprived, receiving cash transfers has little sustained effect on individuals’ reported level of support for their political system and its leaders. However, when citizens feel relatively worse off, those receiving cash transfers become more politically satisfied while those denied transfers become more politically disgruntled. Moreover, the magnitude of the reduction in political support among non‐beneficiaries is larger than the magnitude of the increase in political support among beneficiaries. This has important implications for our understanding of the political ramifications of rising perceived inequality.
Autologous fat graft injections for the treatment of perianal fistulas in Crohn's disease: a systematic review and single‐arm meta‐analysis
Authors: De Gregorio Michael , Tiang Thomas , Lee Tanya , Stellingwerf Merel E. , Singh Siddharth , Thompson Alexander J. , D'Souza Basil , Ding Nik S. ,   SVHM IBD Collaborative Group
Published: January 2023

Background

Crohn's perianal fistulas are often refractory to standard management. Fat graft injections are hypothesised to improve fistula healing rates. We evaluated the treatment efficacy of fat graft injections for Crohn's perianal fistulas in a systematic review (PRISMA).

Methods

We completed database searches of MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, and PubMed.

All studies published in English in full text or abstract, from January 2001 to August 2021, evaluating fat graft injections for Crohn's perianal fistulas were selected. Included randomized controlled trials, single‐arm intervention trials, cohort studies, and case series; excluded single case reports. Primary outcome was pooled clinical healing, defined as non‐draining treated fistulas, or closure, defined as closure of treated fistulas. Secondary outcomes were clinical healing, clinical closure, radiologic response, and adverse events.

Results

Of 1258 publications identified, 891 articles were assessed for eligibility, and 107 relevant for manuscript review. Forty‐nine patients received fat graft injections for Crohn's perianal fistulas across four single‐arm intervention trials. Clinical healing or closure was achieved in 74% in a pooled single‐arm meta‐analysis (95% confidence interval: 57%, 85%), with moderate heterogeneity between studies. Clinical healing was achieved in 20% and 60% at 3 and 12 months, respectively. Clinical closure was achieved in 83% at 6 months. Variable parameters were used to define radiologic response, with success rates from 20% to 67%. Minimal adverse events were reported.

Conclusion

Fat graft injections show promise as a novel treatment for Crohn's perianal fistulas in this systematic review and meta‐analysis. Assessment in controlled matched studies is warranted.
A ‘needle in a haystack’: Drug‐induced thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura—Association or causality?
Authors: Scully Marie
Published: January 2023

The risk of a drug associated with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) demonstrating causality is rare, but it is important to keep an open mind of possible associations. Use of criteria to ascertain causality of drugs that may be related to thrombotic microangiopathies and exclude TTP, may be a useful resource.

Commentary on: Schofield et al. Drug‐induced thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: A systematic review and review of European and North American pharmacovigilance data. Br J Haematol 2023;200:766‐773.
Development of an osteosarcoma model with MYCN amplification and TP53 mutation in hiPS cell‐derived neural crest cells
Authors: Mukae Kyosuke , Takenobu Hisanori , Endo Yuki , Haruta Masayuki , Shi Tianyuan , Satoh Shunpei , Ohira Miki , Funato Michinori , Toguchida Junya , Osafune Kenji , Nakahata Tatsutoshi , Kanda Hiroaki , Kamijo Takehiko
Published: January 2023

Mesenchymal stem cell‐ or osteoblast‐derived osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumor. Its highly metastatic malignant phenotypes, which are often associated with a poor prognosis, have been correlated with the modulation of TP53‐ and cell‐cycle‐related pathways. MYC, which regulates the transcription of cell‐cycle modulating genes, is used as a representative prognostic marker for osteosarcoma. Another member of the MYC oncoprotein family, MYCN, is highly expressed in a subset of osteosarcoma, however its roles in osteosarcoma have not been fully elucidated. Here, we attempted to create an in vitro tumorigenesis model using hiPSC‐derived neural crest cells, which are precursors of mesenchymal stem cells, by overexpressing MYCN on a heterozygous TP53 hotspot mutation (c.733G>A; p.G245S) background. MYCN‐expressing TP53 mutated transformed clones were isolated by soft agar colony formation, and administered subcutaneously into the periadrenal adipose tissue of immunodeficient mice, resulting in the development of chondroblastic osteosarcoma. MYCN suppression decreased the proliferation of MYCN‐induced osteosarcoma cells, suggesting MYCN as a potential target for a subset of osteosarcoma treatment. Further, comprehensive analysis of gene expression and exome sequencing of MYCN‐induced clones indicated osteosarcoma‐specific molecular features, such as the activation of TGF‐β signaling and DNA copy number amplification of GLI1. The model of MYCN‐expressing chondroblastic osteosarcoma was developed from hiPSC‐derived neural crest cells, providing a useful tool for the development of new tumor models using hiPSC‐derived progenitor cells with gene modifications and in vitro transformation.
Frontiers in mass spectrometry–based clinical proteomics for cancer diagnosis and treatment
Authors: Haga Yoshimi , Minegishi Yuriko , Ueda Koji
Published: January 2023

Numerous omics studies, primarily genomics analyses, have been conducted to fully understand the molecular biological characteristics of cancer. In recent years, the depth of proteomic analysis, which comprehensively analyzes proteins and molecules that function directly in vivo, has increased dramatically. Proteomics using mass spectrometry (MS) is a promising technology to directly examine proteoforms, including post‐translational modifications and variants originating from genomic aberrations. Recent advances in MS‐based proteomics have enabled direct, in depth, and quantitative analysis of the expression levels of various cancer‐related proteins, as well as their cancer‐specific proteoforms, and proteins that fluctuate with cancer initiation and progression in cell lines and tissue samples. Additionally, the integration of proteomic data with genomic, epigenomic, and transcriptomic data has formed the growing field of proteogenomics, which is already yielding new biological and diagnostic knowledge. Deep proteomic profiling provides clinically useful information in various aspects, including understanding the mechanisms of cancer development and progression and discovering targets for diagnosis and drug development. Furthermore, it is expected to make a significant contribution to the promotion of personalized medicine. In this review, recent advances and impacts in MS‐based clinical proteomics are highlighted with a focus on oncology.
Validating graph‐based connectivity models with independent presence–absence and genetic data sets
Authors: Daniel Alexandrine , Savary Paul , Foltête Jean‐Christophe , Khimoun Aurélie , Faivre Bruno , Ollivier Anthony , Éraud Cyril , Moal Hervé , Vuidel Gilles , Garnier Stéphane
Published: January 2023

Habitat connectivity is a key objective of current conservation policies and is commonly modeled by landscape graphs (i.e., sets of habitat patches [nodes] connected by potential dispersal paths [links]). These graphs are often built based on expert opinion or species distribution models (SDMs) and therefore lack empirical validation from data more closely reflecting functional connectivity. Accordingly, we tested whether landscape graphs reflect how habitat connectivity influences gene flow, which is one of the main ecoevolutionary processes. To that purpose, we modeled the habitat network of a forest bird (plumbeous warbler [Setophaga plumbea]) on Guadeloupe with graphs based on expert opinion, Jacobs’ specialization indices, and an SDM. We used genetic data (712 birds from 27 populations) to compute local genetic indices and pairwise genetic distances. Finally, we assessed the relationships between genetic distances or indices and cost distances or connectivity metrics with maximum‐likelihood population‐effects distance models and Spearman correlations between metrics. Overall, the landscape graphs reliably reflected the influence of connectivity on population genetic structure; validation R2 was up to 0.30 and correlation coefficients were up to 0.71. Yet, the relationship among graph ecological relevance, data requirements, and construction and analysis methods was not straightforward because the graph based on the most complex construction method (species distribution modeling) sometimes had less ecological relevance than the others. Cross‐validation methods and sensitivity analyzes allowed us to make the advantages and limitations of each construction method spatially explicit. We confirmed the relevance of landscape graphs for conservation modeling but recommend a case‐specific consideration of the cost‐effectiveness of their construction methods. We hope the replication of independent validation approaches across species and landscapes will strengthen the ecological relevance of connectivity models.
Protected area planning to conserve biodiversity in an uncertain future
Authors: Schuster Richard , Buxton Rachel , Hanson Jeffrey O. , Binley Allison D. , Pittman Jeremy , Tulloch Vivitskaia , La Sorte Frank A. , Roehrdanz Patrick R. , Verburg Peter H. , Rodewald Amanda D. , Wilson Scott , Possingham Hugh P. , Bennett Joseph R.
Published: January 2023

Protected areas are a key instrument for conservation. Despite this, they are vulnerable to risks associated with weak governance, land‐use intensification, and climate change. We used a novel hierarchical optimization approach to identify priority areas for expanding the global protected area system that explicitly accounted for such risks while maximizing protection of all known terrestrial vertebrate species. To incorporate risk categories, we built on the minimum set problem, where the objective is to reach species distribution protection targets while accounting for 1 constraint, such as land cost or area. We expanded this approach to include multiple objectives accounting for risk in the problem formulation by treating each risk layer as a separate objective in the problem formulation. Reducing exposure to these risks required expanding the area of the global protected area system by 1.6% while still meeting conservation targets. Incorporating risks from weak governance drove the greatest changes in spatial priorities for protection, and incorporating risks from climate change required the largest increase (2.52%) in global protected area. Conserving wide‐ranging species required countries with relatively strong governance to protect more land when they bordered nations with comparatively weak governance. Our results underscore the need for cross‐jurisdictional coordination and demonstrate how risk can be efficiently incorporated into conservation planning.

Planeación de las áreas protegidas para conservar la biodiversidad en un futuro incierto
Effect of IUCN Red List category on public attention to mammals
Authors: Van Huynh Alex
Published: January 2023

Cultural data is a powerful tool to analyze public awareness of key societal issues, including the conservation of nature. I used two publicly available repositories of cultural data, Google Trends and Google Ngram, to quantify the effect of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List conservation status on public attention toward 4539 mammal species. With Google Trends, I calculated whether Google searches for their common and scientific names have been increasing or decreasing over time. I also ran an anomaly detection analysis to investigate whether a change in red‐list status directly results in an increase in Google searches. Additionally, I quantified the mentions of species’ common and scientific names in English texts with Google Ngram. Overall, Google searches for most mammal species remained at similar levels or increased since 2008. The severity of species’ IUCN Red List status was a significant predictor of increasing Google searches, although the effect size was relatively small. Red‐list status seemed strongly confounded with mammal body size. Species that moved to a higher‐risk category spiked significantly in Google searches directly after the new designation. The mention of species’ common names in the Google Ngram's English 2019 corpus significantly increased as the red‐list category increased. These results provide valuable insight into the importance of the IUCN Red List for increasing public awareness and the usefulness of publicly available cultural data on examining the effectiveness of specific conservation efforts and thus evaluating targets for support and funding.
Identifying socioeconomic and biophysical factors driving forest loss in protected areas
Authors: Powlen Kathryn A. , Salerno Jonathan , Jones Kelly W. , Gavin Michael C.
Published: January 2023

Protected areas (PAs) are a commonly used strategy to confront forest conversion and biodiversity loss. Although determining drivers of forest loss is central to conservation success, understanding of them is limited by conventional modeling assumptions. We used random forest regression to evaluate potential drivers of deforestation in PAs in Mexico, while accounting for nonlinear relationships and higher order interactions underlying deforestation processes. Socioeconomic drivers (e.g., road density, human population density) and underlying biophysical conditions (e.g., precipitation, distance to water, elevation, slope) were stronger predictors of forest loss than PA characteristics, such as age, type, and management effectiveness. Within PA characteristics, variables reflecting collaborative and equitable management and PA size were the strongest predictors of forest loss, albeit with less explanatory power than socioeconomic and biophysical variables. In contrast to previously used methods, which typically have been based on the assumption of linear relationships, we found that the associations between most predictors and forest loss are nonlinear. Our results can inform decisions on the allocation of PA resources by strengthening management in PAs with the highest risk of deforestation and help preemptively protect key biodiversity areas that may be vulnerable to deforestation in the future.
Sentiment analysis of the Twitter response to Netflix's Our Planet documentary
Authors: Acerbi Alberto , Burns John , Cabuk Unal , Kryczka Jakub , Trapp Bethany , Valletta John Joseph , Mesoudi Alex
Published: January 2023

The role of nature documentaries in shaping public attitudes and behavior toward conservation and wildlife issues is unclear. We analyzed the emotional content of over 2 million tweets related to Our Planet, a major nature documentary released on Netflix, with dictionary and rule‐based automatic sentiment analysis. We also compared the sentiment associated with species mentioned in Our Planet and a set of control species with similar features but not mentioned in the documentary. Tweets were largely negative in sentiment at the time of release of the series. This effect was primarily linked to the highly skewed distributions of retweets and, in particular, to a single negatively valenced and massively retweeted tweet (>150,000 retweets). Species mentioned in Our Planet were associated with more negative sentiment than the control species, and this effect coincided with a short period following the airing of the series. Our results are consistent with a general negativity bias in cultural transmission and document the difficulty of evoking positive sentiment, on social media and elsewhere, in response to environmental problems.