bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Marine transmissible cancer navigates urbanized waters, threatening spillover
Authors: Hammel M. , Touchard F. , Burioli E. A. V. , Paradis L. , Cerqueira F. , Chailler E. , Bernard I. , Cochet H. , Simon A. , Thomas F. , Destoumieux-Garzón D. , Charrière G. M. , Bierne N.
Published: February 2024

Inter-individual transmission of cancer cells represents a unique form of microparasites increasingly reported in marine bivalves. In this study, we sought to understand the ecology of the propagation of
Mytilus trossulus
Bivalve Transmissible Neoplasia 2 (MtrBTN2), a transmissible cancer affecting four
Mytilus
mussel species worldwide. We investigated the prevalence of MtrBTN2 in the mosaic hybrid zone of
M. edulis
and
M. galloprovincialis
along the French Atlantic coast, sampling contrasting natural and anthropogenic habitats. We observed a similar prevalence in both species, probably due to the spatial proximity of the two species in this region. Our results showed that ports had higher prevalence of MtrBTN2, with a possible hotspot observed at a shuttle landing dock. No cancer was found in natural beds except for two sites close to the hotspot, suggesting spillover. Ports may provide favourable conditions for the transmission of MtrBTN2, such as high mussel density, stressful conditions, sheltered and confined shores or buffered temperatures. Ships may also spread the disease through biofouling. Our results suggest ports may serve as epidemiological hubs, with maritime routes providing artificial gateways for MtrBTN2 propagation. This highlights the importance of preventing biofouling on docks and ship hulls to limit the spread of marine pathogens hosted by fouling species.
Neutrality in plant–herbivore interactions
Authors: Pan Vincent S. , Wetzel William C.
Published: February 2024

Understanding the distribution of herbivore damage among leaves and individual plants is a central goal of plant–herbivore biology. Commonly observed unequal patterns of herbivore damage have conventionally been attributed to the heterogeneity in plant quality or herbivore behaviour or distribution. Meanwhile, the potential role of stochastic processes in structuring plant–herbivore interactions has been overlooked. Here, we show that based on simple first principle expectations from metabolic theory, random sampling of different sizes of herbivores from a regional pool is sufficient to explain patterns of variation in herbivore damage. This is despite making the neutral assumption that herbivory is caused by randomly feeding herbivores on identical and passive plants. We then compared its predictions against 765 datasets of herbivory on 496 species across 116° of latitude from the Herbivory Variability Network. Using only one free parameter, the estimated attack rate, our neutral model approximates the observed frequency distribution of herbivore damage among plants and especially among leaves very well. Our results suggest that neutral stochastic processes play a large and underappreciated role in natural variation in herbivory and may explain the low predictability of herbivory patterns. We argue that such prominence warrants its consideration as a powerful force in plant–herbivore interactions.
Late-instar monarch caterpillars sabotage milkweed to acquire toxins, not to disarm plant defence
Authors: Betz Anja , Bischoff Robert , Petschenka Georg
Published: February 2024

Sabotaging milkweed by monarch caterpillars (
Danaus plexippus
) is a famous textbook example of disarming plant defence. By severing leaf veins, monarchs are thought to prevent the flow of toxic latex to their feeding site. Here, we show that sabotaging by monarch caterpillars is not only an avoidance strategy. While young caterpillars appear to avoid latex, late-instar caterpillars actively ingest exuding latex, presumably to increase sequestration of cardenolides used for defence against predators. Comparisons with caterpillars of the related but non-sequestering common crow butterfly (
Euploea core
) revealed three lines of evidence supporting our hypothesis. First, monarch caterpillars sabotage inconsistently and therefore the behaviour is not obligatory to feed on milkweed, whereas sabotaging precedes each feeding event in
Euploea
caterpillars. Second, monarch caterpillars shift their behaviour from latex avoidance in younger to eager drinking in later stages, whereas
Euploea
caterpillars consistently avoid latex and spit it out during sabotaging. Third, monarchs reared on detached leaves without latex sequestered more cardenolides when caterpillars imbibed latex offered with a pipette. Thus, we conclude that monarch caterpillars have transformed the ancestral ‘sabotage to avoid’ strategy into a ‘sabotage to consume’ strategy, implying a novel behavioural adaptation to increase sequestration of cardenolides for defence.
Only rare classical MHC-I alleles are highly expressed in the European house sparrow
Authors: Watson Hannah , Drews Anna , Skogsmyr Kelly Hultman , Neto Júlio Manuel , Roved Jacob , Westerdahl Helena
Published: February 2024

The exceptional polymorphism observed within genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), a core component of the vertebrate immune system, has long fascinated biologists. The highly polymorphic
classical
MHC class-I (MHC-I) genes are maintained by pathogen-mediated balancing selection (PMBS), as shown by many sites subject to positive selection, while the more monomorphic
non-classical
MHC-I genes show signatures of purifying selection. In line with PMBS, at any point in time, rare classical MHC alleles are more likely than common classical MHC alleles to confer a selective advantage in host–pathogen interactions. Combining genomic and expression data from the blood of wild house sparrows
Passer domesticus
, we found that only rare classical MHC-I alleles were highly expressed, while common classical MHC-I alleles were lowly expressed or not expressed. Moreover, highly expressed rare classical MHC-I alleles had more positively selected sites, indicating exposure to stronger PMBS, compared with lowly expressed classical alleles. As predicted, the level of expression was unrelated to allele frequency in the monomorphic non-classical MHC-I alleles. Going beyond previous studies, we offer a fine-scale view of selection on classical MHC-I genes in a wild population by revealing differences in the strength of PMBS according to allele frequency and expression level.
Quantum field theory, worldline theory, and spin magnitude change in orbital evolution
Authors: Bern Zvi , Kosmopoulos Dimitrios , Luna Andres , Roiban Radu , Scheopner Trevor , Teng Fei , Vines Justin
Published: February 2024

A previous paper [Z. Bern , Binary dynamics through the fifth power of spin at O(G2), ] identified a puzzle stemming from the amplitudes-based approach to spinning bodies in general relativity: additional Wilson coefficients appear compared to current worldline approaches to conservative dynamics of generic astrophysical objects, including neutron stars. In this paper we clarify the nature of analogous Wilson coefficients in the simpler theory of electrodynamics. We analyze the original field-theory construction, identifying definite-spin states some of which have negative norms, and relating the additional Wilson coefficients in the classical theory to transitions between different quantum spin states. We produce a new version of the theory which also has additional Wilson coefficients, but no negative-norm states. We match, through O(α2) and O(S2), the Compton amplitudes of these field theories with those of a modified worldline theory with extra degrees of freedom introduced by releasing the spin supplementary condition. We build an effective two-body Hamiltonian that matches the impulse and spin kick of the modified field theory and of the worldline theory, displaying additional Wilson coefficients compared to standard worldline approaches. The results are then compactly expressed in terms of an eikonal formula. Our key conclusion is that, contrary to standard approaches, while the magnitude of the spin tensor is still conserved, the magnitude of the spin vector can change under conserved Hamiltonian dynamics and this change is governed by the additional Wilson coefficients. For specific values of Wilson coefficients the results are equivalent to those from a definite spin obeying the spin supplementary condition, but for generic values they are physically inequivalent. These results warrant detailed studies of the corresponding issues in general relativity.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Equation of State and Thermometry of the 2D
SU(N)
Fermi-Hubbard Model
Authors: Pasqualetti G. , Bettermann O. , Darkwah Oppong N. , Ibarra-García-Padilla E. , Dasgupta S. , Scalettar R. T. , Hazzard K. R. A. , Bloch I. , Fölling S.
Published: February 2024

We characterize the equation of state (EoS) of the SU(N>2) Fermi-Hubbard Model (FHM) in a two-dimensional single-layer square optical lattice. We probe the density and the site occupation probabilities as functions of interaction strength and temperature for N=3, 4, and 6. Our measurements are used as a benchmark for state-of-the-art numerical methods including determinantal quantum Monte Carlo and numerical linked cluster expansion. By probing the density fluctuations, we compare temperatures determined in a model-independent way by fitting measurements to numerically calculated EoS results, making this a particularly interesting new step in the exploration and characterization of the SU(N) FHM.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Scalable measurement error mitigation via iterative bayesian unfolding
Authors: Pokharel Bibek , Srinivasan Siddarth , Quiroz Gregory , Boots Byron
Published: February 2024

Measurement errors are a significant obstacle to achieving scalable quantum computation. To counteract systematic readout errors, researchers have developed postprocessing techniques known as measurement error mitigation methods. However, these methods face a tradeoff between scalability and returning nonnegative probabilities. In this paper, we present a solution to overcome this challenge. Our approach focuses on iterative Bayesian unfolding, a standard mitigation technique used in high-energy physics experiments, and implements it in a scalable way. We demonstrate our method on experimental Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state preparation on up to 127 qubits and on the Bernstein-Vazirani algorithm on up to 26 qubits. Compared to state-of-the-art methods (such as M3), our implementation guarantees valid probability distributions, returns comparable or better-mitigated results, and does so without a noticeable time and memory overhead.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
High-fidelity robust qubit control by phase-modulated pulses
Authors: Kuzmanović Marko , Björkman Isak , McCord John J. , Dogra Shruti , Paraoanu Gheorghe Sorin
Published: February 2024

We present a set of and pulses that realize paradigmatic operations such as the transfer of the ground state population into the excited state and arbitrary X/Y rotations on the Bloch sphere. These pulses are based on the phase modulation of the control field. We provide an experimental proof-of-concept of these operations by using a transmon qubit, demonstrating resilience against deviations in the drive amplitude of more than ≈20%, and/or detuning from the qubit transition frequency in the order of 10MHz. This modulation scheme is straightforward to implement in practice and can be deployed to any other qubit-based experimental platform.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Doubly stochastic continuous time random walk
Authors: Arutkin Maxence , Reuveni Shlomi
Published: February 2024

Since its introduction some 60 years ago, the Montroll-Weiss continuous time random walk has found numerous applications due its ease of use and ability to describe both regular and anomalous diffusion. Yet, despite its broad applicability and generality, the model cannot account for effects coming from random diffusivity fluctuations, which have been observed in the motion of asset prices and molecules. To bridge this gap, we introduce a doubly stochastic version of the model in which waiting times between jumps are replaced with a fluctuating jump rate. We show that this newly added layer of randomness gives rise to a rich phenomenology while keeping the model fully tractable, allowing us to explore general properties and illustrate them with examples. In particular, we show that the model presented herein provides an alternative pathway to Brownian yet non-Gaussian diffusion, which has been observed and explained via diffusing diffusivity approaches.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Realization of an Extremely Anisotropic Heisenberg Magnet in Rydberg Atom Arrays
Authors: Kim Kangheun , Yang Fan , Mølmer Klaus , Ahn Jaewook
Published: February 2024

Strong mutual interaction which correlates elementary excitations of quantum matter plays a key role in a range of emergent phenomena, from binding and condensation to quantum thermalization and many-body localization. Here, we employ a Rydberg quantum simulator to experimentally demonstrate strongly correlated spin transport in anisotropic Heisenberg magnets, where the magnon-magnon interaction can be tuned 2 orders of magnitude larger than the magnon hopping strength. In our approach, the motion of magnons is controlled by an induced spin-exchange interaction through far off-resonant driving, which enables coherent transport of a single Rydberg excitation across a chain of ground-state atoms. As the most prominent signature of a giant anisotropy, we show that nearby Rydberg excitations form distinct types of magnon-bound states, where a tightly bound pair exhibits frozen dynamics in a fragmented Hilbert space, while a loosely bound pair propagates and establishes correlations beyond a single lattice site. Our scheme complements studies using resonant dipole-dipole interactions between Rydberg states and opens the door to exploring quantum thermodynamics with ultrastrong interactions and kinetic constraints.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Quantum Complexity of the Kronecker Coefficients
Authors: Bravyi Sergey , Chowdhury Anirban , Gosset David , Havlíček Vojtěch , Zhu Guanyu
Published: February 2024

Whether or not the Kronecker coefficients of the symmetric group count some set of combinatorial objects is a longstanding open question. In this work we show that a given Kronecker coefficient is proportional to the rank of a projector that can be measured efficiently using a quantum computer. In other words a Kronecker coefficient counts the dimension of the vector space spanned by the accepting witnesses of a QMA verifier, where QMA is the quantum analogue of NP. This implies that approximating the Kronecker coefficients to within a given relative error is not harder than a certain natural class of problems that captures the complexity of estimating thermal properties of quantum many-body systems. A second consequence is that deciding positivity of Kronecker coefficients is contained in QMA, complementing a recent NP-hardness result of Ikenmeyer, Mulmuley, and Walter. We obtain similar results for the related problem of approximating row sums of the character table of the symmetric group. Finally, we discuss an efficient quantum algorithm that approximates normalized Kronecker coefficients to inverse-polynomial additive error.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Simulations of dislocation contrast in dark-field X-ray microscopy
Authors: Borgi Sina , Ræder Trygve Magnus , Carlsen Mads Allerup , Detlefs Carsten , Winther Grethe , Poulsen Henning Friis
Published: February 2024

Dark-field X-ray microscopy (DFXM) is a full-field imaging technique that non-destructively maps the structure and local strain inside deeply embedded crystalline elements in three dimensions. In DFXM, an objective lens is placed along the diffracted beam to generate a magnified projection image of the local diffracted volume. This work explores contrast methods and optimizes the DFXM setup specifically for the case of mapping dislocations. Forward projections of detector images are generated using two complementary simulation tools based on geometrical optics and wavefront propagation, respectively. Weak and strong beam contrast and the mapping of strain components are studied. The feasibility of observing dislocations in a wall is elucidated as a function of the distance between neighbouring dislocations and the spatial resolution. Dislocation studies should be feasible with energy band widths of 10−2, of relevance for fourth-generation synchrotron and X-ray free-electron laser sources.
Spiritual leadership and work engagement: a mediating role of spiritual well-being
Authors: Samul Joanna
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Recently, both researchers and practitioners have been very interested in the impact of leadership on employee engagement. Thus, I aimed to examine the relationship between spiritual leadership and work engagement through the mediating role of spiritual well-being at work.

Design/methodology/approach

I assessed spiritual leadership, engagement, and well-being in an empirical study based on a sample of 223 employees. I collected data through a survey-based method and analyzed them using structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

The present study contributes to the existing knowledge in the leadership field, especially spiritual leadership. The results revealed that spiritual leadership impacts employees’ work engagement by indirectly influencing employees’ spiritual well-being.

Research limitations/implications

Theoretically, the findings imply that spiritual well-being can be one of the factors considered in enhancing work engagement through spiritual leadership.

Practical implications

Finding evidence that spiritual leadership, like other leadership styles, can foster employee engagement. Therefore, leaders should take care of employees’ spiritual needs.

Originality/value

Many researchers have indicated that well-being is associated with employee engagement. However, they overlooked employees’ spiritual well-being in the research. The study confirmed the unexplored mediating role of spiritual well-being between spiritual leadership and employee engagement.
Developing meaningful leadership in organizations: Evidence from a cross-case analysis in India
Authors: Pattanayak Anindya , Majhi Siddharth Gaurav
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The extant organizational leadership literature acknowledges the utility of pursuing meaningful leadership, yet the scarcity of meaningful leaders persists. This paper compares two cases to elicit the factors distinguishing successful and unsuccessful meaningful leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper delves into the strategies and practices of leaders in two organizations, and data are collected in the form of field notes of participant observations, and informal conversations with the members of both organizations. It seeks to unveil the defining characteristics of a leader who fosters member meaningfulness (Organization X) compared to one who does not (Organization Y).

Findings

The paper highlights distinct strategies that contribute to meaningful leadership. Effective leaders emphasize broader objectives, align values, adopt participatory leadership, mitigate meaninglessness, and promote continuous learning and growth. Conversely, ineffective leaders prioritize short-term goals, overlook value alignment, and lack participative engagement; together, these factors enable leaders to inspire, engage, and guide their teams with a sense of meaning.

Practical implications

By acknowledging that meaningful leaders may not be easily developed, organizations can shift focus towards identifying and nurturing such leaders, enhancing their capacity to foster genuine meaning among members and thereby improving overall organizational effectiveness.

Originality/value

This paper’s unique contribution lies in its comparative analysis of real-world cases, illuminating the specific practices that underlie meaningful leadership. By delineating the critical factors contributing to meaningfulness, this research lays a foundation for organizations to locate and cultivate leaders capable of engendering authentic meaning within their teams.
CEO dark triad traits and organization COVID-19 response: the mediating effect of COVID-19 anxiety and moderating effect of follower self-leadership
Authors: Williams Ethlyn A. , McCombs Kate M. , Pillai Rajnandini , Lowe Kevin B.
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This research aims to examine the influence of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) dark triad traits, follower COVID-19 anxiety and self-leadership on follower evaluations of the effectiveness of organizations’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper data were collected over two time periods. At time 1, mid-October 2021, 650 participants responded to questions on their CEO’s leadership traits and self-leadership. At time 2, (3-week lag) 275 matched individual responses provided followers’ evaluations of the effectiveness of the organization’s COVID-19 response and follower self-leadership.

Findings

CEO dark triad traits had direct and indirect negative effects on followers’ evaluations of the organization’s COVID-19 response (through COVID-19 anxiety). Follower self-leadership mitigated the negative effects.

Research limitations/implications

By examining the moderating role of self-leadership, we can offer organizations evidence-based strategies to mitigate some harmful effects of leaders exhibiting dark triad traits.

Practical implications

Given that organizations are still dealing with the ongoing ramifications of COVID-19 and planning for future crises, our findings emphasize the negative effects of dark traits on COVID-19 anxiety, and in turn, on follower’s evaluation of effective organization response to a crisis, highlighting the importance of top-level leader selection.

Social implications

Our results bolster Manz’s (1986) argument that self-leadership might be key to achieving peak performance in organizations and important for follower well-being.

Originality/value

This study of dark traits is especially important in a crisis context to understand how leaders affect followers’ perceptions about organizational outcomes and factors that might mediate or moderate the negative impact. Despite interest in understanding leadership during a crisis, the majority of research is focused on positive traits of leaders (Palmer et al., 2020).
Leadership pathways for women’s leadership development: a multifaceted undergraduate leadership development initiative
Authors: Tan Sherylle J.
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The Women in Leadership Development (WLD) Initiative is a year-long, multifaceted co-curricular leadership development opportunity created to support the unique developmental needs of emerging women leaders. WLD was intentionally designed around the context of second-generation gender bias with a firm grounding of research and theory on gender and leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

Organized around three leadership pathways – leadership training, leadership coaching, and leadership support networks – WLD brings together the best practices of leadership development in combination with feminist pedagogy and critical perspectives to foster meaningful and impactful development of women leaders.

Findings

This paper describes the design of the initiative and how each leadership pathway supports the leadership development journey for emerging women leaders. It provides a model that is impactful as well as foundational, for undergraduate women’s leadership development.

Originality/value

Women leaders, in particular, can benefit from leadership development that takes gender into account (DeFrank-Cole & Tan, 2022a; Ely et al., 2011).
What makes a difference in teacher innovativeness? Evidence from the TALIS 2018 US teacher data
Authors: Xia Jiangang , O'Shea Cailen
Published: February 2024

Purpose

This study looked into the factors that could make a difference in teachers’ individual innovativeness and team innovativeness. We investigated five categories of factors: (1) innovation-related teacher preparedness, (2) innovation-related teacher professional development, (3) teacher professional practices, (4) teacher empowerment and (5) innovation-related teacher self-efficacy.

Design/methodology/approach

The data source is the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) US data. The samples include about 165 schools and 2,560 teachers. We applied the structural equation model to analyze the data and the unit of analysis is set at the individual teacher-level.

Findings

We found that all factors matter except professional development and that they matter differently for different innovativeness outcomes.

Originality/value

This study is significant in several aspects: first, it is among the first that examined the factors that could make a difference in teacher innovativeness. Second, we differentiated between individual and team teacher innovativeness. Third, the findings highlight the importance of several factors including teacher preparation, teacher collaboration, teacher participation in school decisions and teacher self-efficacy.
Fluctuation and forecasting of gold prices in Saudi Arabia’s market
Authors: Khan Ruby
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze the fluctuations in gold prices within the Saudi Arabian market and to develop a reliable forecasting model to aid market participants and policymakers in making informed decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, we employ a rigorous time series analysis methodology, including the ARIMA (Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average) model, to analyze historical gold price data in the Saudi Arabian market. The approach involves identifying optimal model parameters and assessing forecast accuracy to provide actionable insights for market participants.

Findings

The study showcases that the autoregressive properties of past gold prices play a pivotal role in capturing the inherent serial correlation within the market, enabling the ARIMA model to effectively forecast future gold price movements with accuracy.

Research limitations/implications

Our study primarily focuses on quantitative analysis, whereas few qualitative parameters are not included. Future studies may benefit from incorporating qualitative factors and expert opinions to enhance the robustness of gold price predictions and capture the full spectrum of market dynamics.

Social implications

Participants and policymakers may find this study helpful in navigating the complicated Saudi Arabian gold market. By understanding financial stability and investment decisions more thoroughly, individuals and institutions may be able to manage their portfolios more effectively.

Originality/value

By combining historical insights with advanced ARIMA modeling techniques, this research provides valuable insight into gold price dynamics in the Saudi Arabian market.
Humble leadership and work–family enrichment: promotion focused and thriving
Authors: Huang Yong , Zhang Yancui , Cui Min , Peng Xin
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Drawing upon work-home resources model, this study aims to investigate how and when humble leadership influences followers’ work–family enrichment. Specifically, this study focuses on the mediating role of thriving at work and moderating role of promotion focus.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 292 employees of science and technology enterprises in China through a three-wave questionnaire survey. Hierarchical regression analysis and bootstrapping approach were employed to test hypotheses.

Findings

This study found that thriving at work significantly mediated the relationship between humble leadership and work–family enrichment. Promotion focus strengthened the positive relationship between humble leadership and thriving at work and the indirect effect of humble leadership on work–family enrichment through thriving at work.

Practical implications

The findings of this study offer guidance for managers to enhance thriving at work and improve employees’ work–family experiences.

Originality/value

First, this study explores the work-to family spillover effects of humble leadership by examining the family outcomes of humble leadership. Second, this study further uncovers the underlying mechanism between humble leadership and work–family enrichment by demonstrating the mediating role of thriving at work. Third, by exploring the moderating role of promotion focus, this study provides insight into the boundary conditions of the impact of humble leadership.
Gaillardin exerts potent antileukemic effects on HL‐60 cells and intensifies arsenic trioxide cytotoxicity: Providing new insight into sesquiterpene lactones in leukaemia treatment
Authors: Noormohamadi Hanieh , Hamzeloo‐Moghadam Maryam , Bashash Davood , Kargar Maryam , Izadirad Mehrdad , Hasanpour Seyedeh Zahra , Gharehbaghian Ahmad
Published: February 2024

The use of all‐trans retinoic acid and arsenic trioxide resulted in favourable therapeutic responses in standard‐risk acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) patients. However, resistance to these agents has made treating the high‐risk subgroup more problematic, and possible side effects limit their clinical dosages. Numerous studies have proven the cytotoxic properties of Gaillardin, one of the Inula oculus‐christi‐derived sesquiterpene lactones. Due to the adverse effects of arsenic trioxide on the high‐risk subgroup of APL patients, we aimed to assess the cytotoxic effect of Gaillardin on HL‐60 cells as a single or combined‐form approach. The results of the trypan blue and MTT assays outlined the potent cytotoxic properties of Gaillardin. The flow cytometric analysis and the mRNA expression levels revealed that Gaillardin attenuated the proliferative capacity of HL‐60 cells through cell cycle arrest and induced apoptosis via reactive oxygen species generation. Moreover, the results of synergistic experiments indicated that this sesquiterpene lactone sensitizes HL‐60 cells to the cytotoxic effects of arsenic trioxide. Taken together, the findings of the present investigation highlighted the antileukemic characteristics of Gaillardin by inducing G1 cell cycle arrest and triggering apoptosis. Gaillardin acts as an antileukemic metabolite against HL‐60 cells and this study provides new insight into treating APL patients, especially in the high‐risk subgroup.
A Semantically Rich ‘Do’‐Support Verb in the Camuno Dialect of Northern Italy
Authors: Swinburne Nicola
Published: February 2024

In the Camuno dialect of northern Italy, ‘do’‐support may be used to form the interrogative. In some varieties, this is optional, and it co‐exists with the alternative interrogative method of using the main verb alone. Through an elicitation experiment, participants produced their preferred version of a question based on a certain main verb with given context. The likelihood that ‘do’‐support was used varied according to the supported verb's semantics and the context pragmatics, specifically: (a) the degree to which the verb denotes activity (directly or indirectly); and (b) the role of the subject as an effector, or ‘do’‐er of that activity. Unlike for ‘do’‐support in English, a purely syntactic function does not seem relevant for Camuno ‘do’. The study shows that: (1) even if, syntactically, the support verb resembles an auxiliary, it may have full lexical content; and (2) that there exists a credible grammaticalisation pathway from a lexical ‘do’ verb to a semantically bleached, contentless ‘do’, seemingly motivated by a social preference for the ‘do’‐support construction and a desire to simplify the interrogative system.
Probiotic‐fermented edible herbs as functional foods: A review of current status, challenges, and strategies
Authors: Cui Rui , Zhang Cong , Pan Zhen‐Hui , Hu Teng‐Gen , Wu Hong
Published: February 2024

Recently, consumers have become increasingly interested in natural, health‐promoting, and chronic disease‐preventing medicine and food homology (MFH). There has been accumulating evidence that many herbal medicines, including MFH, are biologically active due to their biotransformation through the intestinal microbiota. The emphasis of scientific investigation has moved from the functionally active role of MFH to the more subtle role of biotransformation of the active ingredients in probiotic‐fermented MFH and their health benefits. This review provides an overview of the current status of research on probiotic‐fermented MFH. Probiotics degrade toxins and anti‐nutritional factors in MFH, improve the flavor of MFH, and increase its bioactive components through their transformative effects. Moreover, MFH can provide a material base for the growth of probiotics and promote the production of their metabolites. In addition, the health benefits of probiotic‐fermented MFH in recent years, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, anti‐neurodegenerative, skin‐protective, and gut microbiome‐modulating effects, are summarized, and the health risks associated with them are also described. Finally, the future development of probiotic‐fermented MFH is prospected in combination with modern development technologies, such as high‐throughput screening technology, synthetic biology technology, and database construction technology. Overall, probiotic‐fermented MFH has the potential to be used in functional food for preventing and improving people's health. In the future, personalized functional foods can be expected based on synthetic biology technology and a database on the functional role of probiotic‐fermented MFH.
Cell counting to monitor swab efficiency
Authors: Nolan Madison , Linacre Adrian
Published: February 2024

Plastic bags, such as ziplock bags, have been used to transport illicit materials worldwide; however, very few studies have tried to optimize the recovery of DNA from these items. This study reports on the best combination of swabs and moistening solution for the greatest recovery of cellular material from ziplock bags. Five swabs, two different variations of Copan Diagnostics nylon 4N6FLOQSwabs, one Medical Wire rayon DRYSWAB, one IsoHelix rayon swab, and one Livingstone cotton swab, were evaluated with two moistening solutions, Triton X‐100 in either distilled water or isopropanol. Fingermarks were deposited on ziplock bags and stained with Diamond™ Nucleic Acid Dye to allow visualization of the cells pre‐ and post‐swabbing to determine the number of cells recovered. Based on cell counting data, swabs moistened with Triton X‐100 in distilled water performed better than those moistened with isopropanol. Livingstone cotton swabs had the worst recovery of cellular material, while the other swabs tested had no significant difference in their respective solutions. A comparison of the best three swabs for cellular recovery yielded no differences in the DNA concentration extracted. A linear relationship was observed between the log number of cells recovered by swabbing and the DNA concentration following extraction and quantification. The process of monitoring cell collection using fluorescence microscopy on ziplock bags allowed evaluation of swabbing efficacy. Additionally, this study highlights the ability to evaluate cellular recovery independently of traditional extraction, quantification, or profiling techniques which may unequally affect samples.
MicroRNA response to temperature stress in the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae)
Authors: Zhang Haoran , Wang Zonglin , Song Yilan , Zhang Fanxue , Wen Lelei , Xiao Rong , Jin Daochao
Published: February 2024

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are conserved noncoding small RNAs that play essential regulatory roles in gene function by regulating target genes. Pardosa pseudoannulata is an important natural predatory enemy of insect pests and plays a significant role in controlling pests in rice fields, with temperature having a significant impact on their growth and development. To understand the response of miRNAs to temperature stress in P. pseudoannulata, we performed miRNA identification analyses of adult spiders exposed to 10°C and 40°C for 12 h, as low‐temperature and high‐temperature treatment groups, respectively. We obtained 54.74 M clean reads from 69.84 M raw reads after filtering out low‐quality reads, and 78 miRNAs including 13 novel miRNAs were identified from three small RNA libraries (10°C, 25°C and 40°C). At the low temperature and the high temperature, eight (one upregulated and seven downregulated) and ten (nine upregulated and one downregulated) differentially expressed miRNAs were identified, respectively. These differentially expressed miRNAs negatively regulated 43 and 12 target mRNA (the unigenes in our previous transcriptome sequence data) in response to low‐ and high‐temperature stress, respectively. These target genes are mainly involved in translation, ribosome structure and biotransformation, as well as the generation and conversion of energy. This study represents the first report of miRNA identification related to the Araneae spider species in response to temperature stress. These results will greatly facilitate our understanding of the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of spiders in response to temperature stress, which might be beneficial for the conservation and utilization of this species as an important natural insect enemy of pests in rice ecosystems.
Assessment of freeze, continuous, and intermittent infrared drying methods for sliced persimmon
Authors: Polat Ahmet , Taskin Onur , Izli Nazmi
Published: February 2024

Persimmons contribute positively to human health. Although off‐season utilization typically presents a challenge due to permissions’ perishable nature, it may become feasible through the implementation of appropriate drying methods. In this study, round sliced samples were dried to assess drying kinetics, modeling potential, color attributes, rehydration capacity, energy consumption (EC), cost index, and thermal properties. The fruits were subjected to distinct drying methodologies including freeze‐drying, continuous infrared drying (300, 400, and 500 W), and intermittent infrared drying (PR = 1 [continuous], PR = 2 [30 s on–30 s off], and PR = 3 [20 s on–40 s off]). The duration of the drying process ranged from 40 to 390 min. It was determined that the most suitable models for depicting continuous and infrared drying kinetics of persimmon fruit were the Midilli et al. and Page models, whereas the Logarithmic model was identified as the optimal choice for characterization of freeze‐drying kinetics. Assessment of EC revealed that both intermittent and continuous infrared drying methods incurred lower energy expenditure in comparison to the freeze‐drying technique. Remarkably, throughout the course of the infrared drying processes, product surface temperatures varied between 106.33 and 22.65°C across different treatments. Despite its high EC, it has been found that high‐quality products are produced by freeze‐drying. However, infrared and intermittent infrared applications can be a low energy cost and feasible method for drying persimmon with a shorter duration.

Practical Application

Persimmon is an important fruit with high nutritional value. However, as with many fresh products, they have a short shelf life. Within the scope of this research, three different drying methodologies were employed in the desiccation of persimmon specimens, and the impact of these methodologies on the overall qualitative attributes of the persimmon product was investigated. Despite its elevated energy consumption, the freeze‐drying approach was found to yield high‐quality products. Moreover, it was discerned that infrared drying represented a viable and expeditious alternative for drying the fruit, particularly when executed intermittently.
Adenovirus pneumonia mimicking osimertinib‐induced pneumonitis in a patient with advanced NSCLC with EGFR mutation: A case report
Authors: Imai Toru , Yoshida Tatsuya , Ohe Yuichiro
Published: February 2024

Drug‐related pneumonitis (DRP) caused by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is a fatal adverse event in patients with EGFR‐mutant non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The diagnosis of DRP is based on radiological findings, the temporal association of presentation with the initiation of a systemic therapeutic agent, and the exclusion of other likely causes. Here we report a case in which severe adenoviral pneumonia mimicking DRP occurred during treatment with osimertinib, and osimertinib was successfully resumed after recovery from adenoviral pneumonia.
N‐homocysteinylation of DJ‐1 promotes neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Guo Tao , Zhou Lingyan , Xiong Min , Xiong Jing , Huang Juan , Li Yiming , Zhang Guoxin , Chen Guiqin , Wang Zhi‐Hao , Xiao Tingting , Hu Dan , Bao Anyu , Zhang Zhentao
Published: February 2024

DJ‐1, also known as Parkinson's disease protein 7 (Park7), is a multifunctional protein that regulates oxidative stress and mitochondrial function. Dysfunction of DJ‐1 is implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Hyperhomocysteinemia is associated with an increased risk of PD. Here we show that homocysteine thiolactone (HTL), a reactive thioester of homocysteine (Hcy), covalently modifies DJ‐1 on the lysine 182 (K182) residue in an age‐dependent manner. The N‐homocysteinylation (N‐hcy) of DJ‐1 abolishes its neuroprotective effect against oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, exacerbating cell toxicity. Blocking the N‐hcy of DJ‐1 restores its protective effect. These results indicate that the N‐hcy of DJ‐1 abolishes its neuroprotective effect and promotes the progression of PD. Inhibiting the N‐hcy of DJ‐1 may exert neuroprotective effect against PD.
Sex differences in alcohol's effects on fronto‐amygdalar functional connectivity during processing of emotional stimuli
Authors: McKenna Benjamin S. , Anthenelli Robert M. , Schuckit Marc A.
Published: February 2024

Background

Amygdala function underlying emotion processing has been shown to vary with an individuals' biological sex. Expanding upon functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) findings reported previously where a low level of response was the focus, we examined alcohol and sex effects on functional connectivity between the amygdala and other brain regions. The central hypothesis predicted that sex would influence alcohol's effects on frontal‐limbic functional circuits underlying the processing of negative and positive facial emotions.

Methods

Secondary analyses were conducted on data from a double‐blind, placebo controlled, within‐subjects, cross‐over study in 54 sex‐matched pairs (N = 108) of 18‐ to 25‐year‐old individuals without an alcohol use disorder at baseline. Participants performed an emotional faces fMRI processing task after placebo or approximately 0.7 mL/kg of ethanol. Psychophysiological interaction analyses examined functional connectivity between the amygdala with other brain regions.

Results

There were significant alcohol‐by‐sex interactions when processing negatively valenced faces. Whereas intoxicated men exhibited decreased functional connectivity between the amygdala and ventral and dorsal anterior cingulate, angular gyrus, and middle frontal gyrus connectivity was increased in intoxicated women. There was also a main sex effect where women exhibited less functional connectivity in the middle insula than men regardless of whether they received alcohol or placebo. For happy faces, main effects of both sex and alcohol were observed. Women exhibited less amygdala functional connectivity in the right inferior frontal gyrus than men. Both men and women exhibited greater functional connectivity in the superior frontal gyrus in response to alcohol than placebo.

Conclusions

Alcohol's effects on amygdala functional circuits that underlying emotional processing vary by sex. Women had higher functional connectivity than men following exposure to a moderate dose of alcohol which could indicate that women are better than men at processing affectively laden stimuli when intoxicated.
Testing the effectiveness of lottery incentives in online experiments
Authors: Ahles Amelia , Palma Marco A. , Drichoutis Andreas C.
Published: February 2024

This article investigates the effectiveness of lottery incentive schemes for eliciting consumer valuations in large‐scale online experiments. We implement a fully incentivized condition within a geographically dispersed sample of consumers in which bids for a Criollo steak elicited by a Becker‐DeGroot‐Marschak mechanism are realized with certainty and the products are priority shipped in dry‐ice coolers. The fully incentivized condition is compared to between‐subject random incentivized schemes, in which only a fraction of subjects realize their choices. We tested two treatments with a 10% probability framed as a percentage or an absolute number of subjects, one treatment with a 1% probability, and a purely hypothetical reference condition. The results reveal that between‐subject random incentivized schemes with 10% and 1% payment probabilities are effective in eliciting valuations that are statistically indistinguishable from the fully incentivized scheme. In addition to finding insignificant statistical differences between 10% and 1% and the fully incentivized scheme, all incentivized conditions mitigate hypothetical bias, resulting in lower product valuations than the purely hypothetical condition. We contribute a novel methodological framework for conducting large‐scale experiments with geographically diverse and representative subjects, increasing the external validity and producing reliable valuations while significantly reducing financial and logistic constraints.
Mockery amid shooting: Laughter as an expression of expertise at a public clinic in Greater Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Authors: Lima Pedro Silva Rocha
Published: February 2024

Laughter is one of the “weapons of the weak,” a means of degrading those in a position of power. Seeing laughter as such, however, only offers a view into what the performance does to its target, by belittling it, without saying much about what it does to the performer within a given power relation. This article investigates the potential of mockery and laughter to become expressions of expertise when they establish the performer as a knowing subject in relation to their target. Based on fieldwork conducted at a public clinic in Duque de Caxias, Brazil, this article analyzes how locally resident staff, through their extended work and dwelling in a neighborhood where shootings are frequent, mocked their superiors who did not know how to appropriately assess and react to the sound of shooting. By establishing the performer as the knowing subject in relation to those being mocked, laughter in this setting had the potential to unsettle classed hierarchies of knowledge.