bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Addressing chemical pollution in biodiversity research
Authors: Sigmund Gabriel , Ågerstrand Marlene , Antonelli Alexandre , Backhaus Thomas , Brodin Tomas , Diamond Miriam L. , Erdelen Walter R. , Evers David C. , Hofmann Thilo , Hueffer Thorsten , Lai Adelene , Torres Joao P. M. , Mueller Leonie , Perrigo Allison L. , Rillig Matthias C. , Schaeffer Andreas , Scheringer Martin , Schirmer Kristin , Tlili Ahmed , Soehl Anna , Triebskorn Rita , Vlahos Penny , vom Berg Colette , Wang Zhanyun , Groh Ksenia J.
Published: March 2023

Climate change, biodiversity loss, and chemical pollution are planetary‐scale emergencies requiring urgent mitigation actions. As these “triple crises” are deeply interlinked, they need to be tackled in an integrative manner. However, while climate change and biodiversity are often studied together, chemical pollution as a global change factor contributing to worldwide biodiversity loss has received much less attention in biodiversity research so far. Here, we review evidence showing that the multifaceted effects of anthropogenic chemicals in the environment are posing a growing threat to biodiversity and ecosystems. Therefore, failure to account for pollution effects may significantly undermine the success of biodiversity protection efforts. We argue that progress in understanding and counteracting the negative impact of chemical pollution on biodiversity requires collective efforts of scientists from different disciplines, including but not limited to ecology, ecotoxicology, and environmental chemistry. Importantly, recent developments in these fields have now enabled comprehensive studies that could efficiently address the manifold interactions between chemicals and ecosystems. Based on their experience with intricate studies of biodiversity, ecologists are well equipped to embrace the additional challenge of chemical complexity through interdisciplinary collaborations. This offers a unique opportunity to jointly advance a seminal frontier in pollution ecology and facilitate the development of innovative solutions for environmental protection.
Sex differences in migraine attack characteristics: A longitudinal E‐diary study
Authors: Verhagen Iris E. , van der Arend Britt W. H. , van Casteren Daphne S. , le Cessie Saskia , MaassenVanDenBrink Antoinette , Terwindt Gisela M.
Published: March 2023

Objective

In this prospective cohort study, characteristics of perimenstrual and non‐perimenstrual migraine attacks in women were compared with migraine attacks in men.

Background

Women report longer migraine attacks and more accompanying symptoms than men in cross‐sectional questionnaire studies, but this has not been confirmed in longitudinal studies. Supposed differences could result from different characteristics specific to perimenstrual migraine attacks, or of attacks in women in general.

Methods

This cohort study was performed among patients with migraine who were treated at the Leiden Headache Clinic. We assessed differences in migraine attack characteristics between men and women who were prospectively followed by a previously validated electronic headache diary. The primary outcome was “attack” duration. Differences between perimenstrual (Days −2 to +3 of the menstrual cycle) and non‐perimenstrual attacks in women versus attacks in men were corrected for age, chronic migraine, and medication overuse headache.

Results

A total of 1347 women and 284 men were included, reflecting the preponderance of women in migraine prevalence. Crude median (first and third quartile [Q1−Q3]) attack duration in men was 32.1 [17.7–53.6] h, compared to 36.7 [21.9–62.4] h for non‐perimenstrual migraine attacks and 44.4 [17.9–79.0] h for perimenstrual migraine attacks in women. After correction for confounding, perimenstrual migraine attacks were 1.62 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.47–1.79; p < 0.001) and non‐perimenstrual 1.15 (95% CI 1.05–1.25; p = 0.003) times longer compared to migraine attacks in men. The mean relapse percentage in men was 9.2%, compared to 12.6% for non‐perimenstrual migraine attacks, and 15.7% for perimenstrual migraine attacks. Relapse risk was greater for perimenstrual (odds ratio [OR] 2.39, 95% CI 1.93–2.95; p < 0.001), but not for non‐perimenstrual (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.97–1.45; p = 0.060) attacks. Migraine attacks in women were more often accompanied by photophobia, phonophobia, and nausea, but less often aura.

Conclusion

Compared to attacks in men, both perimenstrual and non‐perimenstrual migraine attacks are of longer duration and are more often accompanied by associated symptoms. A sex‐specific approach to migraine treatment and research is needed.
YouTube as a source of information on Helicobacter pylori: Content and quality analysis
Authors: Ergenç Muhammer , Uprak Tevfik K.
Published: March 2023

Background

Helicobacter pylori infection is the most common cause of infectious diseases worldwide, and management is a current and vital problem for physicians and patients. One of the online platforms that people use most to access health information is YouTube. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the quality and reliability of H. pylori information videos on YouTube.

Materials and Methods

The “Helicobacter pylori” keyword was searched with default filters on YouTube. Two hundred videos were evaluated. The source of videos was categorized as academic institutions, professional organizations, physicians, healthcare professionals other than physicians, health information websites, and independent users. The target audience of the videos was classified as patients and healthcare professionals. The Global Quality Scale (GQS), JAMA, and modified DISCERN video scores were obtained by taking the average of the scores given by the two authors.

Results

Seventy‐four videos were analyzed, and the median duration was 9.25 (range: 1.14–121) min. The target audience of 43 (58.1%) videos was healthcare professionals, and 31 (41.9%) videos were for patients. There was no correlation between likes, dislikes, views, and the quality‐usefulness of the videos. Video characteristics such as duration, likes, number of views, and time since video upload day were not associated with the source. The JAMA and DISCERN scores were significantly higher in academic institutions than in other sources. Health information websites had a significantly higher GQS score than other video sources (p = .01). In comparison, there was no significant difference between the target audience (patients and healthcare professionals) in terms of JAMA, modified DISCERN, and GQS scores.

Conclusions

YouTube has numerous videos for healthcare information nowadays. Although the quality and reliability of YouTube videos on H. pylori are average according to common scoring systems, we recommend videos produced by academic institutions and health information websites to inform patients.
Development of the Engage with Impact Toolkit: A comprehensive resource to support the evaluation of patient, family and caregiver engagement in health systems
Authors: Abelson Julia , Tripp Laura , MacNeil Maggie , Lang Amy , Fancott Carol , Ganann Rebecca , Granieri Marisa , Hofstetter Cathie , King Bernice , Kristy Betty‐Lou , Maybee Alies , Smith Maureen , You Jeonghwa ,   The Evaluating Patient Engagement Working Group
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Recent shifts in the patient, family and caregiver engagement field have focused greater attention on measurement and evaluation, including the impacts of engagement efforts. Current evaluation tools offer limited support to organizations seeking to reorient their efforts in this way. We addressed this gap through the development of an impact measurement framework and accompanying evaluation toolkit—the Engage with Impact Toolkit.

Methods

The measurement framework and toolkit were co‐designed with the Evaluating Patient Engagement Working Group, a multidisciplinary group of patient, family and caregiver partners, engagement specialists, researchers and government personnel. Project activities occurred over four phases: (1) project scoping and literature review; (2) modified concept mapping; (3) working group deliberations and (4) toolkit web design.

Results

The project scope was to develop a measurement framework and an evaluation toolkit for patient engagement in health systems that were practical, accessible, menu‐driven and aligned with current system priorities. Concept mapping yielded 237 impact statements that were sorted, discussed and combined into 81 unique items. A shorter list of 50 items (rated 8.0 or higher out of 10) was further consolidated to generate a final list of 35 items mapped across 8 conceptual domains of impact: (1) knowledge and skills; (2) confidence and trust; (3) equity and inclusivity; (4) priorities and decisions; (5) effectiveness and efficiency; (6) patient‐centredness; (7) culture change and (8) patient outcomes and experience. Working Group members rated the final list for importance (1–5) and identified a core set of 33 items (one for each of the 8 domains and 25 supplementary items). Two domains (priorities and decisions; and culture change) yielded the highest overall importance ratings (4.8). A web‐based toolkit (www.evaluateengagement.ca) hosts the measurement framework and related evaluation supports.

Conclusion

The Engage with Impact Toolkit builds on existing engagement evaluation tools but brings a more explicit focus to supporting organizations to assess the impacts of their engagement work.

Patient Contribution

Patient, family and caregiver partners led the early conceptualization of this work and were involved at all stages and in all aspects of the work. As end‐users of the toolkit, their perspectives, knowledge and opinions were critical.
Diagnostic test accuracy meta‐analysis of PRAME in distinguishing primary cutaneous melanomas from benign melanocytic lesions
Authors: Kunc Michał , Żemierowska Natalia , Skowronek Filip , Biernat Wojciech
Published: March 2023

PRAME is a novel immunohistochemical marker that aids the diagnosis of melanocytic lesions. Diffuse PRAME positivity suggests melanoma, whereas benign naevi are negative or only weakly positive. However, the factual diagnostic accuracy of PRAME is not well established. Moreover, some studies have suggested that the threshold of 3+/50% positive cells may be more useful in practice than the most widely used cut‐off (4+/75% of positive cells). Hence, we performed a systematic review and diagnostic accuracy meta‐analysis to evaluate sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios and optimal threshold for PRAME in distinguishing benign melanocytic proliferations from melanomas. Twenty‐six studies were enrolled into the meta‐analysis. A total of 2915 melanocytic lesions were analysed. The optimal threshold for PRAME positivity was estimated at 3.11, which translates into 3+ in practice. Sensitivity and specificity calculated from SROC at the 3+ threshold were 0.735 (0.631–0.818) and 0.915 (0.834–0.958), respectively, compared to 0.679 (0.559–0.957) and 0.957 (0.908–0.981) at the 4+ cut‐off. In subgroup analysis, the spitzoid subgroup was characterised by the lowest sensitivity and diagnostic odds ratio of PRAME. Our findings indicate that PRAME immunohistochemistry may serve as an ancillary marker to support the diagnosis of melanoma. Nevertheless, the accuracy of PRAME may be lower in spitzoid neoplasms. Our meta‐analysis suggests that the 3+/50% threshold might be more useful in practice than the 4+/75% cut‐off, as it shows higher sensitivity with retained satisfactory specificity.
ESE position statement on root resorption
Authors: Patel Shanon , Krastl Gabriel , Weiger Roland , Lambrechts Paul , Tjäderhane Leo , Gambarini Gianluca , Teng Peng‐Hui
Published: March 2023

This Position Statement on root resorption represents the consensus of an expert committee convened by the European Society of Endodontology (ESE). The statement is based on current clinical and scientific evidence as well as the expertise of the committee. The aim is to provide clinicians with authoritative information on the aetiology, histopathology, clinical presentation and recommendations for the management of root resorption. It is the intention of the committee to update this position statement at appropriate intervals as further evidence emerges.
Risk of de‐novo formation of chlormequat and mepiquat in industrial cocoa products assessed by ion chromatography coupled with high‐resolution mass spectrometry
Authors: Nardin Tiziana , Savastano Riccardo , Franceschini Jakob , Abballe Franco , Larcher Roberto
Published: March 2023

Mepiquat (MQ) and chlormequat (CQ) are two main food contaminants that could be naturally present in various animal and plant foods due to heat treatments. Cocoa and its derivative products seem to be a matrix inclined, for both chemical characteristics and production technologies, to the formation of MQ and CQ. In this study, exploiting the selectivity and sensitivity of IC‐HRMS, a new reliable analytical method was developed and validated for MQ and CQ quantification. The LOD of the method was set at 1.9 μg kg−1 for both CQ and MQ, and the linearity was defined from 6.25 to 625 μg kg−1. Average recoveries, at 2 μg L−1, were 96.5% and 97.5% for CQ and MQ, respectively, while precision as repeatability (RSDr%) was 2.3% and 5.1% respectively. Subsequently, a laboratory‐scale experiment was conducted to assess, for the first time, the actual risk of MQ and CQ formation, confirming in cocoa products the presence of MQ at detectable concentration after 55 min at 180 °C, approximately 8 μg kg−1 for cocoa and 7 μg kg−1 for chips. However, the investigation of a wide variety of commercial cocoa and nuts products has fortunately ruled out the presence of such contaminants at detectable concentrations.
T‐cell exhaustion in CAR‐T‐cell therapy and strategies to overcome it
Authors: Yin Xuechen , He Lingfeng , Guo Zhigang
Published: March 2023

Tumour immunotherapy has achieved good therapeutic effects in clinical practice and has received increased attention. Cytotoxic T cells undoubtedly play an important role in tumour immunotherapy. As a revolutionary tumour immunotherapy approach, chimeric antigen receptor T‐cell (CAR‐T‐cell) therapy has made breakthroughs in the treatment of haematological cancers. However, T cells are easily exhausted in vivo, especially after they enter solid tumours. The exhaustion of T cells can lead to poor results of CAR‐T‐cell therapy in the treatment of solid tumours. Here, we review the reasons for T‐cell exhaustion and how T‐cell exhaustion develops. We also review and discuss ways to improve CAR‐T‐cell therapy effects by regulating T‐cell exhaustion.
Type I interferon autoantibodies in hospitalized patients with Middle East respiratory syndrome and association with outcomes and treatment effect of interferon beta‐1b in MIRACLE clinical trial
Authors: Alotaibi Faizah , Alharbi Naif Khalaf , Rosen Lindsey B. , Asiri Ayed Y. , Assiri Abdullah M. , Balkhy Hanan H. , Al Jeraisy Majed , Mandourah Yasser , AlJohani Sameera , Al Harbi Shmeylan , Jokhdar Hani A. Aziz , Deeb Ahmad M. , Memish Ziad A. , Jose Jesna , Ghazal Sameeh , Al Faraj Sarah , Al Mekhlafi Ghaleb A. , Sherbeeni Nisreen Murad , Elzein Fatehi Elnour , AlMutairi Badriah M. , Al‐Dawood Abdulaziz , Abdullah Mashan L. , Barhoumi Tlili , Alenazi Mohammed W. , Almasood Abdulrahman , Holland Steven M. , Arabi Yaseen M. ,   the Saudi Critical Care Trials Group
Published: March 2023

Background

Type I interferons (IFNs) are essential antiviral cytokines induced upon respiratory exposure to coronaviruses. Defects in type I IFN signaling can result in severe disease upon exposure to respiratory viral infection and are associated with worse clinical outcomes. Neutralizing autoantibodies (auto‐Abs) to type I IFNs were reported as a risk factor for life‐threatening COVID‐19, but their presence has not been evaluated in patients with severe Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

Methods

We evaluated the prevalence of type I IFN auto‐Abs in a cohort of hospitalized patients with MERS who were enrolled in a placebo‐controlled clinical trial for treatment with IFN‐β1b and lopinavir‐ritonavir (MIRACLE trial). Samples were tested for type I IFN auto‐Abs using a multiplex particle‐based assay.

Results

Among the 62 enrolled patients, 15 (24.2%) were positive for immunoglobulin G auto‐Abs for at least one subtype of type I IFNs. Auto‐Abs positive patients were not different from auto‐Abs negative patients in age, sex, or comorbidities. However, the majority (93.3%) of patients who were auto‐Abs positive were critically ill and admitted to the ICU at the time of enrollment compared to 66% in the auto‐Abs negative patients. The effect of treatment with IFN‐β1b and lopinavir‐ritonavir did not significantly differ between the two groups.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates the presence of type I IFN auto‐Abs in hospitalized patients with MERS.
Modulating the characteristics of jackfruit seed starches by annealing and autoclaving‐cooling modifications
Authors: Kushwaha Radha , Singh Vinti , Kaur Seeratpreet , Kaur Devinder
Published: March 2023

This study investigated the effects of physical modification (annealing and autoclaving) on functional, structure and thermal properties of jackfruit seed starch. The amylose, amylopectin, morphological properties, functional group identification, crystalline behavior, viscosity and thermal properties of modified jackfruit seed starch were analyzed. Results showed that compared with the native starch, amylose content of annealed jackfruit seed starch increased (from 30.68% to 32.39%) while after autoclaving it was decreased (from 30.68% to 25.44%). There were no changes in the X‐ray diffraction patterns of annealed starches while in autoclaving‐cooling treatment, a new peak appeared, causing the crystalline change in structure of starch from A‐type to B‐type. DSC data revealed that thermal properties of jackfruit seed starches improved after both annealing and autoclaving‐cooling treatments. This paper can potentially be used as a theoretical reference to prompt more investigations for the extensive utilization of jackfruit seed starches in the food and other industries.

Practical applications

Physically modified jackfruit seed starch with improved functionality makes the starch well suitable for various food applications due to changes in solubility, water absorption, and swelling ability. These modified starches can be potentially used during the preparation of noodles, doughs, baked products, pie‐fillings, soups, and sausages and will also remove the environmental burden and food waste.
Nucleolar protein treacle ribosome biogenesis factor 1 maintains gastric cancer cell proliferation by regulating R‐loop associated DNA replication stress
Authors: Nie Xin , Zhao Chong , Zhang Yuan , Huang Wenqi , Zhou Youlian , Liu Haiying , Nie Yuqiang , Xie Keping , Jia Lin
Published: March 2023

Background and Aim

Gastric cancer (GC) is a common malignant neoplasm in the gastrointestinal tract, accounting for high mortality globally. Treacle ribosome biogenesis factor 1 (TCOF1) is a nucleolar protein, which has been reported to be implicated in the pathogenesis of Treacher Collins syndrome and the development of several types of human cancer. However, the role of TCOF1 in GC is not known.

Methods

Immunohistochemistry was carried out to determine TCOF1 expression in GC tissues. Immunofluorescence, co‐IP, and DNA fiber assays were conducted to investigate the function of TCOF1 in GC‐derived BGC‐823 and SGC‐7901 cell lines.

Results

TCOF1 expression was aberrantly increased in GC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. In addition, we found that TCOF1 left the nucleolus and localized to R‐loops (DNA/RNA hybrids) during S phase in GC cells. Furthermore, TCOF1 interacted with DDX5 and suppressed R‐loop levels. Knockdown of TCOF1 led to increased nucleoplasmic R‐loops specifically during S phase, which restrained DNA replication and cell proliferation. Overexpression of R‐loop eraser RNaseH1 rescued the DNA synthesis defects and decreased DNA damage caused by TCOF1 depletion.

Conclusion

These findings demonstrate a novel role of TCOF1 in maintaining GC cell proliferation by alleviating R‐loop associated DNA replication stress.
Human dermal fibroblast‐derived extracellular matrix reduces postinflammatory hyperpigmentation after fractional carbon dioxide laser facial resurfacing in Asians
Authors: Choi Sang‐Min , Kook Kwang‐Sik , Park Jun , Lew Bark‐Lynn , Kwon Soon‐Hyo
Published: March 2023

Background

Extracellular matrix (ECM) components promote the development of skin wounds by providing biological scaffolds and regenerative microenvironments.

Aims

To evaluate the beneficial effects of human dermal fibroblast‐derived ECM after fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing in Asians.

Patients/Methods

In this double‐blind, randomized, vehicle‐controlled, split‐face study, 15 participants with features of facial skin aging were treated with a single session of fractional carbon dioxide laser, followed by the application of either ECM (ECM group) or placebo (control group). In vivo skin parameters were measured at baseline and after 4 and 12 weeks of treatment using the Antera 3D®, Cutometer® MPA580, Dermascan®, and Tewameter®.

Results

A total of 14 participants (mean age 45.1 ± 9.7 years) completed the study. The change in melanin level was significantly lower in the ECM group than in the control group at week 12 (p < 0.05). Transient increase in erythema level was observed at week 4 in the control group, and the change in the erythema level was greater in the control group than in the ECM group (p = 0.014). Though the ECM group showed improvements in the dermal density, texture, transepidermal water loss, marionette lines (volume, maximum depth, and average depth), and nasolabial folds (volume, maximum depth, and length), no significant differences were found between the two groups. Treatment‐related adverse events were not reported.

Conclusions

We suggest that human dermal fibroblast‐derived ECM may be used as adjunctive therapy after fractional carbon dioxide resurfacing to prevent postinflammatory hyperpigmentation in Asians.
Linguistic, affective, parental, and educational contributions to the bicultural identity development of Balkan minority adolescents
Authors: Laketa Aleksandra , Chrysochoou Elisavet , Studenica Arvesa , Vivas Ana B.
Published: March 2023

This study investigated linguistic, affective, parental, and educational contributions to bicultural identity, in two samples of younger (13‐ to 14‐year‐old; N = 95) and older (16‐ to 17‐year‐old; N = 67) bilingual adolescents, who were immigrants or belonged to ethnic minority communities in the Balkans. While bicultural identity level was not differentiated as a function of age group, there was an age‐related shift in its predictors. Bicultural identity level was significantly predicted by perceived educators' attitudes toward linguistic/cultural diversity in the younger adolescent group, but by personal affective states (motivation and attitudes) toward the mainstream language in the older adolescent group. Implications of the findings are discussed regarding educational and family practices that would facilitate biculturalism in minority adolescents.
The impact of daylight‐saving time (DST) on patients with delayed sleep‐wake phase disorder (DSWPD)
Authors: Reis Cátia , Pilz Luísa K. , Kramer Achim , Lopes Luísa V. , Paiva Teresa , Roenneberg Till
Published: March 2023

Due to time zones, sun time and local time rarely match. The difference between local and sun time, which we designate by Solar Jet Lag (SoJL), depends on location within a time zone and can range from zero to several hours. Daylight saving time (DST) simply adds 1 h to SoJL, independently of the location. We hypothesised that the impact of DST is particularly problematic in patients with delayed sleep‐wake phase disorder (DSWPD), worsening their sleep debt. DSWPD is characterised by a chronic misalignment between the internal and social timing, reflected by an inability to fall asleep and wake‐up at conventional or socially acceptable times. We analysed the clinical records of 162 DSWPD patients from a sleep medicine centre in Lisbon, Portugal (GMTzone), and separated them into two groups: the ones diagnosed across DST or across Standard Time (ST). We included 82 patients (54.9% male; age: median [Q1, Q3] 34.5 [25.0, 45.3]; range 16–92; 54 in DST and 28 in ST) who had Dim Light Melatonin Onset (DLMO) measured as a marker for the circadian phase and sleep timing (onset, SO, mid‐point, MS and end, SE) self‐reported separately for work‐ and work‐free days. Differences between ST and DST were compared using Mann–Whitney or Student'st‐tests. On a weekly average, patients in DST slept less (difference between medians of 37 min.p < .01), mainly due to sleep on workdays (SDw,p < .01), which also correlated with SoJL (rsp = .38,p < .01). While the time from DLMO to SO was similar in those in ST or those in DST, the time from DLMO to SE was significantly shorter for those in DST. The average duration between DLMO and sleep end was close to 10.5 h in ST, the biological night length described in the literature. Our results favour perennial ST and suggest assigning time‐zones close to sun time to prevent social jetlag and sleep deprivation.
A general approximation method for optimal stopping and random delay
Authors: Chen Pengzhan , Song Yingda
Published: March 2023

This study examines the continuous‐time optimal stopping problem with an infinite horizon under Markov processes. Existing research focuses on finding explicit solutions under certain assumptions of the reward function or underlying process; however, these assumptions may either not be fulfilled or be difficult to validate in practice. We developed a continuous‐time Markov chain (CTMC) approximation method to find the optimal solution, which applies to general reward functions and underlying Markov processes. We demonstrated that our method can be used to solve the optimal stopping problem with a random delay, in which the delay could be either an independent random variable or a function of the underlying process. We established a theoretical upper bound for the approximation error to facilitate error control. Furthermore, we designed a two‐stage scheme to implement our method efficiently. The numerical results show that the proposed method is accurate and rapid under various model specifications.
Temporal validation of the Australian estimated post‐transplant survival score
Authors: Irish G. L. , Campbell S. , Kanellis J. , Wyburn Kate , Clayton Philip A.
Published: March 2023

Aims

The Australian estimated post‐transplant survival (EPTS‐AU) prediction score was developed by re‐fitting the United States of America EPTS, without diabetes, to the Australian and New Zealand kidney transplant population over 2002–2013. The EPTS‐AU score incorporates age, previous transplantation and time on dialysis. Diabetes was excluded from the score, as this was not previously recorded in the Australian allocation system. In May 2021, the EPTS‐AU prediction score was incorporated into the Australian kidney allocation algorithm to optimize utility for recipients (maximized benefit). We aimed to temporally validate the EPTS‐AU prediction score to ensure it can be used for this purpose.

Methods

Using the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant (ANZDATA) Registry, we included adult recipients of deceased donor kidney‐only transplants between 2014 and 2021. We constructed Cox models for patient survival. We assessed validation using measures of model fit (Akaike information criterion and misspecification), discrimination (Harrell's C statistic and Kaplan–Meier curves), and calibration (observed vs. predicted survival).

Results

Six thousand four hundred and two recipients were included in the analysis. The EPTS‐AU had moderate discrimination with a C statistic of 0.69 (95% CI 0.67, 0.71), and clear delineation between Kaplan–Meier's survival curves of EPTS‐AU. The EPTS was well calibrated with the predicted survivals equating with the observed survival outcomes for all prognostic groups.

Conclusions

The EPTS‐AU performs reasonably well in choosing between recipients (discrimination) and to predict a recipient's survival (calibration). Reassuringly, the score is functioning as intended to predict post‐transplant survival for recipients as part of the national allocation algorithm.

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Cretaceous pollen cone with three‐dimensional preservation sheds light on the morphological evolution of cycads in deep time
Authors: Elgorriaga Andres , Atkinson Brian A.
Published: March 2023

The Cycadales are an ancient and charismatic group of seed plants. However, their morphological evolution in deep time is poorly understood. While molecular divergence time analyses estimate a Cretaceous origin for most major living cycad clades, much of the extant diversity is inferred to be a result of Neogene diversifications. This leads to long branches throughout the cycadalean phylogeny that, with few exceptions, have yet to be rectified by unequivocal fossil cycads.

We report a permineralized pollen cone from the Campanian Holz Shale located in Silverado Canyon, CA, USA (c. 80 million yr ago). This fossil was studied via serial sectioning, SEM, 3D reconstruction and phylogenetic analyses.

Microsporophyll and pollen morphology indicate this cone is assignable to Skyttegaardia, a recently described genus based on disarticulated lignitized microsporophylls from the Early Cretaceous of Denmark. Data from this new species, including a simple cone architecture, anatomical details and vasculature organization, indicate cycadalean affinities for Skyttegaardia. Phylogenetic analyses support this assignment and recover Skyttegaardia as crown‐group Cycadales, nested within Zamiaceae.

Our findings support a Cretaceous diversification for crown‐group Zamiaceae, which included the evolution of morphological divergent extinct taxa with unique traits that have yet to be widely identified in the fossil record.
Nuclear OsFKBP20‐1b maintains SR34 stability and promotes the splicing of retained introns upon ABA exposure in rice
Authors: Jung Haemyeong , Park Hyun Ji , Jo Seung Hee , Lee Areum , Lee Hyo‐Jun , Kim Hyun‐Soon , Jung Choonkyun , Cho Hye Sun
Published: March 2023

Alternative splicing (AS) is a critical means by which plants respond to changes in the environment, but few splicing factors contributing to AS have been reported and functionally characterized in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Here, we explored the function and molecular mechanism of the spliceosome‐associated protein OsFKBP20‐1b during AS.

We determined the AS landscape of wild‐type and osfkbp20‐1b knockout plants upon abscisic acid (ABA) treatment by transcriptome deep sequencing. To capture the dynamics of translating intron‐containing mRNAs, we blocked transcription with cordycepin and performed polysome profiling. We also analyzed whether OsFKBP20‐1b and the splicing factors OsSR34 and OsSR45 function together in AS using protoplast transfection assays.

We show that OsFKBP20‐1b interacts with OsSR34 and regulates its stability, suggesting a role as a chaperone‐like protein in the spliceosome. OsFKBP20‐1b facilitates the splicing of mRNAs with retained introns after ABA treatment; some of these mRNAs are translatable and encode functional transcriptional regulators of stress‐responsive genes. In addition, interacting proteins, OsSR34 and OsSR45, regulate the splicing of the same retained introns as OsFKBP20‐1b after ABA treatment.

Our findings reveal that spliceosome‐associated immunophilin functions in alternative RNA splicing in rice by positively regulating the splicing of retained introns to limit ABA response.
Decolonize the history of nursing by magnifying the contributions of nurses of colour
Authors: Woo Jennifer
Published: March 2023

In this paper, I write about nurses of colour who have made significant contributions to nursing, yet are actively ignored in traditional nursing textbooks related to colonized thinking. One consequence of this is that when we think about comparing the disparities of the past to the present day, we see that we have not made much of a difference. The disparity is still huge. I call on all of us as nurses to challenge ourselves to think beyond the box of colonized thought to what we know is true.
Epistemic communities and their situated practices: Perspectival realism—a primer
Authors: Massimi Michela
Published: March 2023

The epistemic feat that we call science is not an aseptic outcome of reasoning from an eternal viewpoint but the product of myriad epistemic communities with intersecting and interlacing scientific perspectives.
Deep‐water uptake under drought improved due to locally increased root conductivity in maize, but not in faba bean
Authors: Müllers Yannik , Postma Johannes A. , Poorter Hendrik , van Dusschoten Dagmar
Published: March 2023

Moderate soil drying can cause a strong decrease in the soil‐root system conductance. The resulting impact on root water uptake depends on the spatial distribution of the altered conductance relatively to remaining soil water resources, which is largely unknown. Here, we analyzed the vertical distribution of conductance across root systems using a novel, noninvasive sensor technology on pot‐grown faba bean and maize plants. Withholding water for 4 days strongly enhanced the vertical gradient in soil water potential. Therefore, roots in upper and deeper soil layers were affected differently: In drier, upper layers, root conductance decreased by 66%–72%, causing an amplification of the drop in leaf water potential. In wetter, deeper layers, root conductance increased in maize but not in faba bean. The consequently facilitated deep‐water uptake in maize contributed up to 21% of total water uptake at the end of the measurement. Analysis of root length distributions with MRI indicated that the locally increased conductance was mainly caused by an increased intrinsic conductivity and not by additional root growth. Our findings show that plants can partly compensate for a reduced root conductance in upper, drier soil layers by locally increasing root conductivity in wetter layers, thereby improving deep‐water uptake.
Multitraits evaluation of a Solanum pennellii introgression tomato line challenged by combined abiotic stress
Authors: Vitale L. , Francesca S. , Arena C. , D'Agostino N. , Principio L. , Vitale E. , Cirillo V. , de Pinto M. C. , Barone A. , Rigano M. M.
Published: March 2023

Rising daily temperatures and water shortage are two of the major concerns in agriculture.

In this work, we analysed the tolerance traits in a tomato line carrying a small region of the Solanum pennellii wild genome (IL12‐4‐SL) when grown under prolonged conditions of single and combined high temperature and water stress.

When exposed to stress, IL12‐4‐SL showed higher heat tolerance than the cultivated line M82 at morphological, physiological, and biochemical levels. Moreover, under stress IL12‐4‐SL produced more flowers than M82, also characterized by higher pollen viability. In both lines, water stress negatively affected photosynthesis more than heat alone, whereas the combined stress did not further exacerbate the negative impacts of drought on this trait. Despite an observed decrease in carbon fixation, the quantum yield of PSII linear electron transport in IL12‐4‐SL was not affected by stress, thereby indicating that photochemical processes other than CO2 fixation acted to maintain the electron chain in oxidized state and prevent photodamage. The ability of IL12‐4‐SL to tolerate abiotic stress was also related to the intrinsic ability of this line to accumulate ascorbic acid.

The data collected in this study clearly indicate improved tolerance to single and combined abiotic stress for IL12‐4‐SL, making this line a promising one for cultivation in a climate scenario characterized by frequent and long‐lasting heatwaves and low rainfall.
A Leader Who Sees the World as I Do: Voters Prefer Candidates Whose Statements Reveal Matching Social‐Psychological Attitudes
Authors: Baron Denise , Lauderdale Benjamin , Sheehy‐Skeffington Jennifer
Published: March 2023

Politicians are increasingly able to communicate their values, attitudes, and concerns directly to voters. Yet little is known about which of these signals resonate with voters and why. We employ a discrete choice experiment to investigate whether and which social‐psychological attitudes predict how adult British voters respond to corresponding attitudinal signals communicated by candidates in hypothetical social media posts. For all attitudes studied, covering social feelings (trust, collective nostalgia), social perceptions (nationalism, populist sentiment), and social commitments (national identification, authoritarianism, egalitarianism), we find that participants are much more likely to vote for candidates who signal proximity to their own attitudinal position and less likely for candidates who signal opposing views. The strongest effects were observed for national identification, authoritarianism, and egalitarianism, indicating the importance of commitment to a shared group and to particular principles for distributing power and resources within and between groups. We further demonstrate that social‐psychological attitudes are not acting as mere proxies for participants' past votes or left–right ideology. Our results extend adaptive followership theory to incorporate preferences concerning intragroup coordination and intergroup hierarchy, while highlighting the social‐psychological dynamics of political communication that may transcend the concerns of particular election cycles.
Implicit identification with death detects and predicts short‐term suicide risk among adolescents discharged from the emergency room
Authors: Toukhy N. , Barzilay S. , Hamdan S. , Grisaru‐Hergas D. , Haruvi‐Catalan L. , Levis Frenk M. , Apter A. , Benaroya‐Milshtein N. , Fennig S. , Gvion Y.
Published: March 2023

Background

Implicit identification with death, measured by the Death–Suicide‐Implicit Association Test (D/S‐IAT), has been found to predict long‐term suicide risk among adolescents. However, previous studies did not examine the predictive utility of D/S‐IAT on short‐term suicide risk trajectories among adolescents, especially during the critical period following discharge from the emergency room (ER) due to suicide behaviors.

Objective

This study examined the ability of the D/S‐IAT to discriminate and predict suicide risk trajectories during the month following initial suicide risk assessment, among adolescents recently discharged from the ER.

Methods

One hundred and fifteen adolescents aged 9–18 years (77.4% female) were assessed at clinic intake. All participants completed D/S‐IAT and self‐report measures for suicide risk, depression, and anxiety during intake and 1‐month follow‐up.

Results

The D/S‐IAT distinguished and predicted participants with continued heightened suicide risk at follow‐up, above and beyond depression, anxiety, and suicide risk level at intake.

Conclusions

Along with conventional measures, D/S‐IAT may be utilized to predict short‐term suicide risk during post‐ER discharge.
Simultaneous Micro- and Nanoscale Silicon Fabrication by Metal-Assisted Chemical Etch
Authors: Lema Galindo Raul M. , Ajay Paras , Sreenivasan S. V.
Published: March 2023

Simultaneous micro- and nanoscale etching of silicon on a wafer-scale is nowadays performed using plasma etching techniques. These plasma techniques, however, suffer from low throughput due to aspect-ratio dependent etch (ARDE) rate, etch lag from changes in feature size, loading effects from increased etch area, and undesirable surface characteristics such as sidewall taper and scalloping, which are particularly problematic at the nanoscale and can affect the etch uniformity. Additionally, the hardware required for plasma etching can be very expensive. A potential alternative, which addresses the above issues with plasma etching is metal assisted chemical etch (MacEtch). To date, however, an integrated micro- and nanoscale MacEtch process, which has uniform and clean (i.e., without nanowire-like defects in microscale areas) etch front has not been presented in the literature. In this work, we present for the first time a feasible process flow for simultaneous micro-and nanoscale silicon etching without nanowire-like defects, which we call integrated micro- and nanoscale MacEtch (IMN-MacEtch). Successful etching of silicon features ranging from 100 nm to 100 μm was achieved with etch rates of about 1.8 μm/min in a single step to achieve features with an aspect ratio (AR) ∼18:1. We thus conclude that the process represents a feasible alternative to current dry etch methods for patterning feature sizes spanning three orders of magnitude.
Biofidelity Assessment of the WIAMan Thorax by a Comparative Study With Hybrid III, THOR, and PMHS in Frontal Sled Testing
Authors: Zeng Wei , McMahon Justin , Shedd Daniel F. , Carpenter Randolff , Salzar Robert S.
Published: March 2023

The Warrior Injury Assessment Manikin (WIAMan) anthropomorphic test device (ATD) has been originally developed to predict and prevent injuries for occupants in military vehicles, in an underbody blast environment. However, its crash performance and biofidelity of the thoracic region have not been explored. The aim of this study was to determine and evaluate the WIAMan thoracic responses in a typical frontal sled test. The 40 kph frontal sled tests were conducted to quantify the WIAMan thoracic kinematics, chest deflection, and belt loads. Comparative biofidelities of the WIAMan thorax and other surrogates, including postmortem human surrogates (PMHSs), Hybrid III, and test device for human occupant restraint (THOR) ATDs, were assessed under comparable testing conditions. The similarities and differences between WIAMan and the other surrogates were compared and analyzed, including the motion of bilateral shoulders and T1, time histories of chest deflections, and belt loads. The CORrelation and Analysis (CORA) ratings were used to evaluate the correlations of thoracic responses between the ATDs and PMHS. Compared to the PMHS and THOR, the WIAMan experienced a similar level of left shoulder forward excursions. Larger chest deflection was exhibited in WIAMan throughout the whole duration of belt compression. Differences were found in belt loads between subject types. Overall, WIAMan had slightly lower CORA scores but showed comparable overall performance. The overall thoracic responses of WIAMan under the frontal sled test were more compliant than HIII, but still reasonable compared with PMHS and THOR. Comprehensive systematic studies on comparative biofidelity of WIAMan and other surrogates under different impact conditions are expected in future research.
A Text Analytics Framework for Supplier Capability Scoring Supported by Normalized Google Distance and Semantic Similarity Measurement Methods
Authors: Zandbiglari Kimia , Ameri Farhad , Javadi Mohammad
Published: March 2023

The unstructured data available on the websites of manufacturing suppliers and contractors can provide valuable insights into their technological and organizational capabilities. However, since the capability data are often represented in an unstructured and informal fashion using natural language text, they do not lend themselves well to computational analysis. The objective of this work is to propose framework to enable automated classification and ranking of manufacturing suppliers based on their online capability descriptions in the context of a supplier search and discovery use case. The proposed text analytics framework is supported by a formal thesaurus that uses Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) that provides lexical and structural semantics. Normalized Google Distance (NGD) is used as the metric for measuring the relatedness of terms when ranking suppliers based on their similarities with the queried capabilities. The proposed framework is validated experimentally using a hypothetical supplier search scenario. The results indicate that the generated ranked list is highly correlated with human judgment, especially when the search space is partitioned into multiple classes of suppliers with distinct capabilities. However, the correlation decreases when multiple overlapping classes of suppliers are merged together to form a heterogenous search space. The proposed framework can support supplier screening and discovery solutions by improving the precision, reliability, and intelligence of their underlying search engines.
Dynamics Modeling and Modal Space Control Strategy of Ship-Borne Stewart Platform for Wave Compensation
Authors: Chen Weixing , Wen Yu , Tong Xiaochuan , Lin Chaoxiong , Li Jiang , Wang Shuyou , Xie Wei , Mao Lifeng , Zhao Xianchao , Zhang Weidong , Gao Feng
Published: March 2023

The ship-borne Stewart platform can compensate for the six-degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) motion generated by the ship, which improves the reliability and safety of offshore operations and increases the executable window period. The heavy and off-center load of the gangway significantly influences the high-precision compensation control of the platform. Besides, the gangway assembled on the platform vibrates easily due to its low natural frequency that requires high dynamic performance of the compensating. To deal with the problem mentioned, the modal space control strategy is introduced to fully consider the inertia characteristics. First, based on Kane's method, the complete dynamic model considering the ship's motion and actuator inertia is established. Then, the modal space proportional and derivative (PD) controller (MSPDC) and the modal space sliding mode controller (MSSMC) are designed based on the modal theory. Finally, simulations are carried out to show the advantages of the proposed model and the advantages of proposed controllers in compensation accuracy and anti-interference ability. Furthermore, the significant compensation rate (SCR) is proposed to evaluate the six-DOFs compensation accuracy. Compared with the PD controller with gravity compensation (PDCGC), the position SCR of MSSMC is increased from 95.37% to 99.28%, and the angle SCR increased from 85.57% to 99.65%.
The efficacy of ultrasonography on learning curve and inter-subject performance variability in radial artery cannulation in standardized training for residents: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Shi Li , Ju Yu , Rui Na , Cao Yuanyuan , Shan Tao , Chen Lihai
Published: March 2023

Aim: To evaluate the effect of ultrasound (US) on learning curve and inter-subject performance variability of residents in radial artery cannulation.Material and methods: Twenty non-anesthesiology residents who received standardized training in an anesthesiology department were selected and divided into two groups: anatomy group or US group. After training of relevant anatomy, US recognition and puncture skill, residents selected 10 patients either under US or anatomical localization performing radial artery catheterization. The number and time of successful cases of catheterization were recorded, success rate of first attempt and catheterization, as well as the total success rate of catheterization were calculated. The learning curve and inter-subject performance variability of residents were also calculated. Complications and the residents’ satisfaction for teaching and self-confidence before puncture were also recorded.Results: Compared to the anatomy group, total success rate and the success rate at first attempt were higher in US-guided group (88% vs. 57%, 94% vs. 81%). The average performance time in the US group was significantly less (2.9±0.8 min vs. 4.2±2.1 min) and the mean number of attempts was 1.6, while 2.6 for the anatomy group. With performing cases increasing, the average puncture time of residents in the US group decreased by 19s, while 14s in the anatomy group. More local hematoma occurred in the anatomy group. The satisfaction and confidence degree of residents were higher in US group ([98.5±6.5] vs [68.5±7.3], [90.2±8.6] vs [56.3±5.5]).Conclusion: US can significantly shorten the learning curve, reduce the inter-subject performance variability, improve the first attempt and total success rate of radial artery catheterization for non-anesthesiology residents.