bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intra-Brain and Plasma Levels of L-Serine Are Associated with Cognitive Status in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Iwata Yasunori , Nakade Yusuke , Kinoshita Masashi , Sabit Hemragul , Nakajima Riho , Furuichi Kengo , Mita Masashi , Nakane Maiko , Sakai Norihiko , Kitajima Shinji , Toyama Tadashi , Miyagawa Taro , Hara Akinori , Shimizu Miho , Sato Kouichi , Oshima Megumi , Nakagawa Shiori , Yamamura Yuta , Ogura Hisayuki , Koshino Yoshitaka , Nakada Mitsutoshi , Wada Takashi
Published: January 2023

Introduction: The number of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing worldwide. Cognitive impairment is one of the comorbidities of CKD. With the increased number of aged population, novel biomarkers of impaired cognitive function are required. Intra-body profile of amino acid (AA) is reportedly altered in patients with CKD. Although some AAs act as neurotransmitters in the brain, it is not clear whether altered AA profile are associated with cognitive function in patients with CKD. Therefore, intra-brain and plasma levels of AAs are evaluated with respect to cognitive function in patients with CKD. Methods: Plasma levels of AAs were compared between 14 patients with CKD, including 8 patients with diabetic kidney disease, and 12 healthy controls to identify the alteration of specific AAs in CKD. Then, these AAs were evaluated in the brains of 42 patients with brain tumor using non-tumor lesion of the resected brain. Cognitive function is analyzed with respect to intra-brain levels of AAs and kidney function. Moreover, plasma AAs were analyzed in 32 hemodialyzed patients with/without dementia. Results: In patients with CKD, plasma levels of asparagine (Asn), serine (Ser), alanine (Ala), and proline (Pro) were increased as compared to patients without CKD. Among these AAs, L-Ser, L-Ala, and D-Ser show higher levels than the other AAs in the brain. Intra-brain levels of L-Ser was correlated with cognitive function and kidney function. The number of D-amino acid oxidase or serine racemase-positive cells was not correlated with kidney function. Moreover, the plasma levels of L-Ser are also decreased in patients with declined cognitive function who are treated with chronic hemodialysis. Conclusion: The decreased levels of L-Ser are associated with impaired cognitive function in CKD patients. Especially, plasma L-Ser levels may have a potential for novel biomarker of impaired cognitive function in patients with hemodialysis.
Aktuelle Vorgehensweisen bei der Transition von Jugendlichen mit Immundefizienz und autoinflammatorischen Erkrankungen – Europäische Umfrage
Authors: Adler Sabine
Published: January 2023

Background: Due to the absence of curative treatments for inborn errors of immunity (IEI), children born with IEI require long-term follow-up for disease manifestations and related complications that occur over the lifespan. Effective transition from pediatric to adult services is known to significantly improve adherence to treatment and long-term outcomes. It is currently not known what transition services are available for young people with IEI in Europe. Objective: To understand the prevalence and practice of transition services in Europe for young people with IEI, encompassing both primary immunodeficiencies (PID) and systemic autoinflammatory disorders (AID). Methods: A survey was generated by the European Reference Network on immunodeficiency, autoinflammatory, and autoimmune diseases Transition Working Group and electronically circulated, through professional networks, to pediatric centers across Europe looking after children with IEI. Results: Seventy-six responses were received from 52 centers, in 45 cities across 17 different countries. All services transitioned patients to adult services, mainly to specialist PID or AID centers, typically transferring up to ten patients to adult care each year. The transition process started at a median age of 16–18 years with transfer to the adult center occurring at a median age of 18–20 years. 75% of PID and 68% of AID centers held at least one joint appointment with pediatric and adult services prior to the transfer of care. Approximately 75% of PID and AID services reported having a defined transition process, but few centers reported national disease-specific transition guidelines to refer to. Conclusions: Transition services for children with IEI in Europe are available in many countries but lack standardized guidelines to promote best practice.
Gradual Modifications and Abrupt Replacements: Two Stochastic Lexical Ingredients of Language Evolution
Authors: Pasquini Michele , Serva Maurizio , Vergni Davide
Published: January 2023

The evolution of the vocabulary of a language is characterized by two different random processes: abrupt lexical replacements, when a complete new word emerges to represent a given concept (which was at the basis of the Swadesh foundation of glottochronology in the 1950s), and gradual lexical modifications that progressively alter words over the centuries, considered here in detail for the first time. The main discriminant between these two processes is their impact on cognacy within a family of languages or dialects, since the former modifies the subsets of cognate terms and the latter does not. The automated cognate detection, which is here performed following a new approach inspired by graph theory, is a key preliminary step that allows us to later measure the effects of the slow modification process. We test our dual approach on the family of Malagasy dialects using a cladistic analysis, which provides strong evidence that lexical replacements and gradual lexical modifications are two random processes that separately drive the evolution of languages.
Deep Permutation Design: A New Potential Artificial Intelligence-Based Design Methodology
Authors: Terzidis Kostas , Fabrocini Filippo , Lee Hyejin , Daumard Louis
Published: January 2023

An artificial intelligence-based design methodology is presented based on permutations and neural networks. Elements are combined in all possible ways to form all possible design solutions, and a neural network extracts the best solution after being trained on either objective or subjective criteria. This methodology is projected to have many applications in fashion, architecture, music, storytelling, cooking, or any other design or art field that can be represented as a set of permutations.
Headbobing behavior in the high mountain lizard Phymaturus palluma: effects of sex and context
Authors: Vicenzi Nadia , Vicente Natalin S.
Published: January 2023

Headbobbing represents one of the primary sources of communication in Iguanian lizards. Here, we describe and analyze for the first time the form and structure of the headbob display in a species of the Phymaturus genus, and compare it across sexes, social contexts, and with other species of its family. We video-recorded Phymaturus palluma adult lizards, obtained the form and structure of headbobs and evaluated the effect of sex and social context on their performing generalized linear mixed models. We found that in P. palluma, headbob is a complex display composed of several units. Headbob pattern is stereotyped, with less than 35% of variation between individuals, suggesting that it is species-specific. Moreover, units vary among sex and social context, revealing that this display is multicomponent and non-redundant following the multiple-message hypothesis. We also found that the headbob pattern was more complex than in other Liolaemidae lizards, which probably is related to the social systems registered in Phymaturus.
Cyberpragmatics: Complaints and the Collective Perspective
Authors: Olshtain Elite , Treger Idan
Published: January 2023

The aim of this article is to lay some groundwork for expanding the study of speech act pragmatics within the cyber-world. For this purpose, we have investigated complaints in Hebrew online, in an attempt to highlight features that distinguish online communication from face-to-face communication. We have analysed complaints in three major spheres: a) complaints towards public institutions, b) complaints against commercial firms and c) sharing complaints for the common benefit of a social community. In all instances, complainers online co-construct the context and the shared knowledge of the offence (complainable).

Like many other studies of online communication, we too found a tendency towards uncivil or aggressive expressions (Vladimirou et al., 2021) especially when there was no hope for “repair” of the situation (ex: these damned people lie to us (in Hebrew ‘arurim’)). Furthermore, there were individual complainers who used the online platform to gain social and political power presenting themselves as defenders of justice and of the well-being of the community.
Rockefeller Foundation Philanthropy and Modern Public Health in China and India
Authors: Longkumer Tiasangla
Published: January 2023

The Rockefeller Foundation (RF) was the first major American philanthropic organization to engage in public health issues in China and India. Since the early years of its inception, the RF has been very influential in the global development of public health, not only through its grant-making but also by participating in shaping concepts and policies. Science-based innovations with a biomedical focus have formed the basis of the foundation’s public health approach and there has always been an overt focus on technological solutions to social issues. This article explores the differences in the scope, nature, and depth of the engagement of the RF with health institutions and programmes in China and India in the early twentieth century. Drawing from archival resources and secondary literature, this article traces the RF’s historical development in China and India in depth, its philanthropic giving, its impact on knowledge construction, social policies, and the agenda it has sought to fulfil.
Nanomaterials and Advances in Tumor Immune-Related Therapy: A Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Sun Xiaohan , Li Tian , Wang Peng , Shang Liqi , Niu Meng , Meng Xianwei , Shao Haibo
Published: January 2023

With the rapid growth of the research content of nanomaterials and tumor immunity, the hot spots and urgent problems in the field become blurred. In this review, noticing the great development potential of this research field, we collected and sorted out the research articles from The
Clarivate Analytics Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection database in the field over the past 20 years. Next, we use Excel 2019 from Microsoft (Microsoft Corp, Redmond,WA, USA), VOSviewer (version 1.6.18, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands), CiteSpace (Chaomei Chen, Drexel University, USA)
and other softwares to conduct bibliometric analysis on the screened literatures. This paper not only analyzes the countries, institutions and authors with outstanding contributions in the current research field, but also comes up with the hot spots of current research. We hope that by analyzing
and sorting out the past data, we can provide help for the current clinical work and future scientific research.
Synergistic Antibacterial Effect from Silver Nanoparticles and Anticancer Activity Against Human Lung Cancer Cells
Authors: Ma Liang , Qiu Siyu , Chen Kang , Tang Jianxin , Liu Jianxin , Su Wei , Liu Xueying , Zeng Xiaoxi
Published: January 2023

Microbially synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with high stability and bioactivity have recently shown considerable promise in biomedical research and application. In this study, AgNPs prepared by Penicillium aculeatum Su1 exhibited effective antibacterial action by inhibiting
bacterial growth and destroying cellular structure. Meanwhile, their assessed increased in fold area (IFA) through the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method proved that, the AgNPs showed synergistic antibacterial effect on different bacteria when combined with antibiotics, especially for drug-resistant
P. aeruginosa (4.58∼6.36-fold) and B. subtilis (4.2-fold). Moreover, the CCK-8 assay and flow cytometric analysis were used to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of AgNPs on normal cells (HBE) and lung cancer cells (HTB-182), which confirmed that they presented higher biocompatibility
towards HBE cells when compared with silver ions, but high cytotoxicity in a dosedependent manner with an IC50 values of 35.00 μg/mL towards HTB-182 cells by raising intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, hindering cell proliferation, and ultimately leading
to cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis. These results demonstrate that, the biosynthesized AgNPs could be a potential candidate for future therapies of infection caused by drug-resistant bacteria, as well as lung squamous cell carcinoma.
Comparison of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells-Derived Exosomes, Microvesicles, and Soluble Proteins on Their Chondroprotective Effects and Therapeutic Efficacy of Osteoarthritis Treatment
Authors: Gu Liling , Song Xiongbo , Huang Yang , Wang Xin , Chen Cheng , Chen Long , Sun Li
Published: January 2023

As a disabling joint disorder, osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by the degeneration of articular cartilage. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) is considered and used as a tool that is regulated by paracrine for the treatment of OA. Herein, we explored the potential of exosomes
(Exos), microvesicles (MVs), and soluble proteins (SPs) produced and isolated from rat BMSCs. First, we observed the biological effects of Exos, MVs, and SPs on IL-1β treated rat chondrocytes. Then, we intra-articularly injected Exos, MVs, SPs, and BMSCs in anterior cruciate ligament
transection (ACLT)-induced rat OA model, and observed their therapeutic efficacy. SPs rather than Exos and MVs isolated from rat BMSCs exerted a chondroprotective effect in vitro; MVs and SPs showed comparable effects to the intra-articular injection of BMSCs, whereas the chondroprotective
effects of Exos were less potent in vivo. In conclusion, the BMSCs secretome might have inconsistent effects in vivo with in vitro, and Exos might not be superior than other secretome in posttraumatic OA prevention.
Near-Infrared Liposome-Capped Au-Rare Earth Bimetallic Nanoclusters for Fluorescence Imaging of Tumor Cells
Authors: Ye Jing , Hu Tianxiang , Wu Yanqi , Chen Hui , Qiu Qianqian , Geng Rongqing , Ding Hui , Zhao Xiaojuan
Published: January 2023

Early detection of cancer can effectively improve the survival rate of cancer patients. Fluorescence imaging has the advantages of high sensitivity and rapid imaging, and is widely used in the precise imaging detection of tumors. In this study, five kinds of Au-rare earth bimetallic
nanoclusters (Au/Ln NCs) were prepared by template method using five representative rare earth elements doped with gold. The morphologies, surface charges, sizes, fluorescence quantum yields and maximum fluorescence emission wavelengths of these five kinds of Au/Ln NCs were characterized and
contrasted. The findings indicated that the Au/Ce nanoclusters (Au/Ce NCs) prepared by Ce doping have the longest fluorescence emission wavelength (695 nm) and higher quantum yield, which could effectively avoid the interference of autofluorescence, and was suitable for fluorescence imaging
of tumor cells. In order to improve the specific accumulation of nanoclusters in tumor cells, Au/Ce NCs were coated with folic acid modified liposomes (lip-FA) to constructed a targeted fluorescent imaging probe with near-infrared response (Au/Ce@lip-FA), which was successfully used for fluorescence
imaging of tumor cells. The probe has the characteristics of stable fluorescence signal, good targeting, easy internalization, and safe metabolism, and can provide high-resolution and high-brightness imaging information, which is expected to play an important role in the clinical diagnosis
and surgical treatment of tumors.
USP36 Facilitates the Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Upregulating Myc
Authors: Jin Zhaoqing , Yang Ziqiang , Sheng Zhen , Teng Jiao , Chen Weiqing , Chen Feihua , Gong Mouchun
Published: January 2023

Objective: Our study will explore the function and regulatory mechanism of USP36 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: USP36-overexpressed and USP36-knockdown cells were established. The USP36 and Myc level were checked by Western blotting and the cell viability
was checked by the MTT method. The apoptotic rate was checked by flow cytometry, while the migration was detected by the Transwell assay. A xenograft model was constructed in nude mice to explore the function of USP36 in HCC. USP36-overexpressed and USP-knockdown cells were constructed by
transfecting pcDNA3.1-USP36 and siRNA-USP36 (si-USP36), respectively. Myc-overexpressed cells were constructed by transfecting pcDNA3.1-Myc. Results: Significantly declined cell viability, increased apoptotic rate, elevated number of migrated cells, downregulated Myc, and repressed
tumor growth were observed in USP36-knockdown HepG2 and HUH7 cells, while opposite results were observed in USP36-overexpressed HepG2 and HUH7 cells. The expression level of Myc was positively regulated by USP36. However, the USP36 level was not regulated by Myc. Lastly, the declined cell
viability, increased apoptotic rate, and elevated number of migrated cells in USP36-knockdown HepG2 cells were dramatically abrogated by the overexpression of Myc. Conclusion: USP36 facilitated the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma by upregulating Myc.
Macrophage-Secreted Exosomal HCG11 Promotes Autophagy in Antigen 85B-Infected Macrophages and Inhibits Fibroblast Fibrosis to Affect Tracheobronchial Tuberculosis Progression via the miR-601/Sirtuin 1 Axis
Authors: Zhou Lei , Luo Li , Luo Linzi , Ding Yan , Lu Zhibin , Feng Dan , Xiao Yangbao
Published: January 2023

Background: Tracheobronchial tuberculosis (TBTB) is a serious threat to human health. We aimed to explore the potential regulatory mechanism by which macrophages secrete exosomes that regulate TBTB progression. Methods: Bioinformatics analysis predicted lncRNAs with low
expression in TBTB. Macrophage-derived exosomes were isolated and identified. HCG11 was knocked down and overexpressed, and miR-601 was overexpressed. ELISA was utilized to measure TGF-β, IL-8, IL-6 and IFN-γ levels. Based on bioinformatics prediction and dual-luciferase
assay analysis, lncRNA HCG11 bound to miR-601, and miR-601 bound to SIRT1. The mRNA or protein expressions of lncRNA HCG11, miR- 601, SIRT1, PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway-related factors, ATG5 and LC3B, as well as COL-1, MMP2, Timp-1 and Timp-3, were evaluated. Results: HCG11 was expressed
at low levels in TBTB patients. Macrophage-secreted exosomes inhibited Ag85B-induced macrophage proinflammatory response and promoted autophagy. Moreover, normal macrophage (MØ)-exo-derived HCG11 could inhibit Ag85B-induced macrophage proinflammatory response and promote autophagy.
HCG11 bound to miR-601, and miR-601 bound to SIRT1. HCG11 inhibited miR-601 to upregulate SIRT1. In addition, MØ-exo-derived HCG11 reduced Ag85B-induced fibroblast hyperproliferation and extracellular matrix deposition through the miR-601/SIRT1 axis. Conclusion: Macrophage-secreted
exosomal HCG11 promotes autophagy in Ag85B-infected macrophages and inhibits fibroblast fibrosis to affect TBTB progression via the miR-601/SIRT1 axis.
Preparation, characterization and application of long-chain fatty alcohol-based polymeric micelles
Authors: Chu Bingyang , Qu Ying , He Chuan , Qian Zhiyong
Published: January 2023

Polymeric micelles have been shown to be promising carriers for drug delivery. However, the present developed micelle carriers are usually based on inert materials, and the potential influence on the body still needs to be further considered. In this work, we synthesized a kind of polymeric
carrier based on hydrophobic long chain fatty alcohol (LCFA), which possesses beneficial biological properties for the human body. These polymeric carriers could self-assemble to form micelles with small sizes. Except for MPEG2k–C24, and MPEG2k–C26,
other polymeric micelles showed good blood compatibility and high biosafety. In addition, MPEG2k–C28, MPEG2k–C30 and MPEG2k–C32 micelles could efficiently encapsulate paclitaxel (PTX) with about 10% drug loading
content and >90% encapsulation efficiency. Overall, our prepared MPEG-LCFA conjugates may have potential clinical application prospects and deserve further research.
Moist Baroclinic Instability along the Subtropical Mei-Yu Front
Authors: Yang Guang , Li Tim
Published: January 2023

Differing from classic midlatitude dry baroclinic instability theory, atmospheric motions over the subtropical mei-yu front in boreal summer are dominated by synoptic-scale disturbances coupled with precipitation and moisture under a weaker background vertical shear. This moisture–precipitation–circulation interactive feature, along with a preferred zonal wavelength of about 3400 km and eastward phase propagation, is explained by a moist baroclinic instability theoretical framework. The new framework is an extension of a traditional two-level baroclinic model by considering a prognostic moisture equation, the moisture–precipitation–circulation feedback, and an interactive planetary boundary layer. An eigenvalue analysis of the model shows that the most unstable mode has a preferred zonal wavelength of 3400 km, a westward-tilted vertical structure, and a phase leading of maximum moisture and precipitation anomalies relative to a lower-tropospheric trough, all of which are in good agreement with observations. Both anomalous horizontal and vertical advection processes contribute to the moisture increase. Further sensitivity tests show that the instability and the zonal-scale selection primarily arise from the moisture–convection–circulation feedback, while the vertical shear provides an additional energy source for the perturbation growth. This moist baroclinic instability theory explains well the observed characteristics of the development of synoptic-scale disturbances along the mei-yu front.
Comparison of Perineal Closure Techniques after Abdominoperineal Resections for Carcinoma of the Anus
Authors: Cataneo Jose L. , Mathis Sydney A. , Faqihi Sabreen , Valle Diana D. del , Perez-Tamayo Alejandra M. , Mellgren Anders F. , Alkureishi Lee W. T. , GanttJr Gerald
Published: January 2023

Background

Perineal reconstruction following salvage APR’s for squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) are scant with conflicting results from large and single center studies. We analyzed these techniques taking into account sociodemographic and oncologic variables.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study from 2016-2019 using a targeted ACS/NSQIP database stratified into primary closure (PC), abdominal myocutaneous (AM), lower extremity (LE), and omental pedicled (OP) flaps. We analyzed major and wound complications through univariate and multivariate regression analysis.

Results

A total of 766 patients were analyzed, 512 (67%) had PC, 196 (25%) AM, 36 (5%) OP and 22 (3%) LE. Rates of chemotherapy and radiation within 90 days were similar between the groups. Having 2 or more additional organs resected was more common for the AM group (AM 4.1%, PC 1.6%, OP 3.3%, LE 0%). Overall, major complication rate was 41% (n = 324). Primary closure had 35.0%, OP 47.2%, AM 52.6%, and LE 45.5%. Wound complication rate was highest in AM with 11.7%, followed by OP 8.3%, PC 5.9%, and LE 0%. The multivariate regression analysis demonstrated none of the closure techniques to be associated with increasing or decreasing the probability of having a major or wound complication. Morbidity probability was the sole predictor of major complication (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.04-1.1)

Conclusions

Myocutaneous and omental flaps are associated with comparable wound and major complications when taking into account the baseline, oncologic and perioperative variables that drive the clinical decision making when selecting a perineal reconstruction.
Information Sharing and Collusion: General Principles and the Agri Stats Experience
Authors: Sappington David E. M. , Turner Douglas C.
Published: January 2023

We review some central conclusions from the economics literature regarding the likely impact of information sharing by industry suppliers on consumer welfare. We also review the specific information sharing activities undertaken by Agri Stats. We conclude that although some elements of Agri Stats’ activities may have had the potential to enhance consumer welfare, several elements of the activities reflect features of information sharing that the common wisdom suggests are relatively likely to harm consumers.
Silver/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite materials synthesized via a green molecular level mixing
Authors: Silvain Jean-François , Thomas Benjamin , Constantin Loic , Pontoreau Maël , Lu Yongfeng , Grosseau-Poussard Jean-Luc , Lacombe Guillaume
Published: January 2023

The fabrication of nano reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs) is scientifically essential to further upgrade the thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties of current MMCs. Here, we present a green molecular mixing (MLM) of silver (Ag) and graphene (G) to overcome these challenges. Experimental results show that the green MLM allows to homogeneously mix 3 vol. % of G as observed with traditional MLM while adding a control on the oxidation steps. Metal and GO reductions can be precisely control by varying the solution temperature. Highly thermal conductivity and strong elastic modulus nanocomposites are fabricated making it an eco-friendlier mixing process.
A Grounded Theory of the Process of Healing From Opioid Addiction
Authors: McDonald James E. , Cook Jennifer M. , Tocci Bianca A.
Published: January 2023

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that opioids are involved in almost 71% of all drug overdose deaths. Although there is increased attention on the lethal potential of opioid addiction, narratives about healing, wherein people have sustained long-term health and well-being from opioid addiction, are few. Our purpose with this study was to develop a biopsychosocial understanding of how people heal from opioid addiction, not only maintain abstinence. The Theory of Healing from Opioid Addiction yielded five categories, 15 themes, and seven subthemes. Results showed four phases of healing (i.e., Inactive Healing, Early Active Healing, Middle Active Healing, and Late Active Healing), four Continuous Core Components of healing (i.e., 12-Step Programs, Psychotherapy, Spirituality, and Relationships with Others), and 15 themes ranging from Substance Use Treatment to Effectively Processing Trauma to Self-Love. Participants’ ( N = 11) healing journey began during opioid addiction itself and continued through to the last phase of healing, wherein participants had transformed their lives and concretized a sense of personal empowerment.
Creating Effective Marketing Messages Through Moderately Surprising Syntax
Authors: Atalay A. Selin , Kihal Siham El , Ellsaesser Florian
Published: January 2023

Language is critical to the effectiveness of marketing messages. Achieving a desired outcome requires arranging words to formulate a message (i.e., syntax), but this task is not trivial. The authors study the role of syntax in marketing communications by focusing on syntactic surprise (i.e., how unexpected the syntax of a message is). They introduce a measure that captures syntactic surprise, establishes its internal and external validity, and tests its effectiveness for marketing messages. In a series of studies that include field data and randomized field experiments from contexts such as donations, advertising, and product reviews, the authors show that a message's syntactic surprise is related to its effectiveness. This relationship follows an inverted U-shape, such that medium-syntactic-surprise messages are the most effective. The authors then conduct experiments on Facebook and Instagram to demonstrate how these findings can be used to write effective marketing messages. In collaboration with two independent companies, they show that ads for products, services, or jobs that are written with medium syntactic surprise result in higher click-through rates than ads written with low or high syntactic surprise.
Save More Today or Tomorrow: The Role of Urgency in Precommitment Design
Authors: Reiff Joseph , Dai Hengchen , Beshears John , Milkman Katherine L. , Benartzi Shlomo
Published: January 2023

To encourage farsighted behaviors, previous research suggests that marketers should invite consumers to precommit to adopting these behaviors “later.” However, the authors propose that people will draw different inferences from different types of precommitment offers, and that these inferences can help explain when precommitment is (and is not) effective at increasing adoption of farsighted behaviors. Specifically, the authors theorize that simultaneously offering consumers the opportunity to adopt a farsighted behavior now or later (i.e., offering “simultaneous precommitment”) may signal that the behavior is not urgently recommended; however, offering consumers the opportunity to adopt that behavior immediately and then, only if they decline, inviting them to adopt it later (i.e., offering “sequential precommitment”) may signal just the opposite. In a multisite field experiment (N = 5,196), the authors find that simultaneously giving consumers the chance to increase their savings now or later reduced retirement savings. Two preregistered lab studies (N = 5,080) show that simultaneous precommitment leads people to infer that taking action is not urgently recommended, and such inferences predict less adoption of recommended behaviors. Importantly, offering sequential precommitment increases inferred urgency, predicting greater adoption. Together, this research advances knowledge about the limits and potential of precommitment.
How Can Publishers Collaborate and Compete with News Aggregators?
Authors: Amaldoss Wilfred , Du Jinzhao
Published: January 2023

Publishers face an existential threat from a variety of news aggregators, such as free aggregators (e.g., Google News, Yahoo News), micropayment-facilitating aggregators (e.g., Blendle), and subscription-charging aggregators (e.g., Apple News+). The authors seek to theoretically examine whether publishers can collaborate and compete with the different types of news aggregators and, if so, what pricing and content-sharing strategies publishers should pursue. In the absence of a news aggregator, publishers sell their content as a composite publication; this intensifies interpublisher price competition and hurts publishers’ profits. A free aggregator, however, could help unbundle the articles of a publisher. Moreover, if publishers share articles on the same topic with a free aggregator, they can completely eliminate interpublisher competition and replace it with competition between the aggregator and the publishers, but they only partially eliminate interpublisher competition if they share articles on different topics with it. Yet, the free aggregator needs to bring sufficient additional traffic to the publishers to motivate them to share content and collaborate with it. Conversely, publishers will be willing to collaborate with a micropayment-facilitating aggregator even if it does not bring additional traffic to the publishers. This is because a micropayment-facilitating aggregator helps publishers unbundle their content and price discriminate. Lastly, publishers can be motivated to collaborate even with a subscription-charging aggregator that is powerful enough to dictate the terms of the revenue-sharing arrangement with the publishers. This is because the subscription-charging aggregator improves its profits without hurting the publishers’ surplus.
Introducing the parliamentary deployment votes database
Authors: Ostermann Falk , Wagner Wolfgang
Published: January 2023

The Parliamentary Deployment Votes Database provides data on the voting behaviour of 301 political parties in 1,022 parliamentary votes on military missions between 1990 and 2019 in 21 countries of the Global North. This special data feature introduces the database and presents descriptive statistics and basic patterns on some of its key variables: general, political, and regional characteristics of missions and votes themselves; the level of agreement; and party-political contestation. The number of deployment votes has increased over the course of the 1990s and then fluctuated around a stable annual average of 40 to 50 votes. At the same time, legislative–executive relations in security and defence policy and, as a consequence, the number of deployment votes, continue to differ substantially between countries. Whereas support for military missions has increased over time, the degree of contestation, as measured by an agreement index, differs considerably across the countries under study. Whether a political party supports a military mission depends not only on it being part of a governing coalition or in opposition but also on its political ideology: support is lowest among parties of the Radical Left, increases among green and social-democratic parties and peaks among liberal, conservative and Christian-democratic parties. Radical-right parties are less supportive than centrist parties but more supportive than radical-left parties. Regional peculiarities notwithstanding, this pattern can be found in Western and Eastern Europe, East Asia and North America. The database will be interesting for scholars of the democratic politics of military missions and particularly legislative–executive relations and political parties in security and defence policy, providing the foundations for a comparative analysis of different missions, the ideological foundations of contestation, government–opposition dynamics and legislative–executive relations in security and defence policy.
The role of environmental enrichment in the aetiopathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus facial, periorbital and retroorbital abscesses in mice
Authors: Sánchez-Morgado José M
Published: January 2023

In this observational retrospective study, an outbreak of Staphylococcus aureus abscesses was correlated with the presence of sharp edges in damaged plastic environmental enrichment within the cages. In 2010, Lawson reported cases of S. aureus mandibulofacial and maxillofacial abscess in mice and proposed excessive barbering or grooming, leading to the mastication and fragmentation of hair, as an aetiopathogenesis of S. aureus abscesses. In contrast, in this study, the presence of hair was not found in any of the histopathology, and abscesses were present in the periorbital area. S. aureus colonises the skin, nasopharynx and intestines, and may cause pyogenic infections if a breach in local defences promotes staphylococcal invasion. Whole genome sequencing and analysis supported the hypothesis that this outbreak resulted from clonal expansion of S. aureus infected C57BL6/J mice imported into the area and infection transmission from humans to mice was ruled out. An additional aetiopathogenesis is proposed for S. aureus abscesses with the sharp edges of damaged plastic environmental enrichment items leading to oral mucosal injury allowing S. aureus entrance into tissues, its carriage into the submucosa, followed by abscess formation.
Are There Really Social Causes?
Authors: Faller August
Published: January 2023

This article investigates the causal efficacy of social properties, which faces the following puzzle. First, for both intuitive and scientific reasons, it seems social properties have causal import. But, second, social properties are also characteristically extrinsic: to have some social property depends, in typical cases, on what one’s society is like around them. And, third, there is good reason to doubt that extrinsic properties make a genuine causal contribution. After elaborating on these three claims, I defend the following resolution to the puzzle: social causation occurs at the level at which social properties are intrinsic.
“Bounded Equity: The Limits of Economic Models of Social Justice in Cannabis Legislation”
Authors: Hendy Katherine , Mauri Amanda I. , Creary Melissa
Published: January 2023

Social equity provisions in cannabis legislation are premised on the hope that the profit generated around adult-use cannabis can be leveraged to ameliorate the damage done by racially biased enforcement of prohibition in black and brown communities. As such, they encapsulate an attempt to reconcile the history of racism in the enforcement of cannabis law through its new future as a profit generating commodity. These programs are gaining traction, but with minimal empirical examination. The development and implementation of these programs raises a number of questions in need of study that we outline in this paper. We argue that Creary’s concept of bounded justice—which critiques the inherent limitations of social justice projects that ignore structural forms of social exclusion—can provide a framework for critical understanding of the limitations of such programs, ethnographically grounded empirical research, and a framework for evaluating the justice impacts of legislation. Specifically, we argue that in order to interrogate the possibilities for social justice projects around cannabis, we must address equity at a deeper level by working with communities to investigate hyper-localized and historical factors that have influenced systems and structures.
Development Projects, Models of Capitalism, and Political Regimes in Brazil, 1988–2021
Authors: Pinho Carlos Eduardo Santos
Published: January 2023

The Bolsonaro government combines authoritarianism with a model of capitalism that destroys social rights. Despite the expansion of the neoliberal reforms put in place during the 1990s and the decline of the inclusionary policies of the 2000s, there is a causal link between the content of neoliberal public policies, the drop in the level of political participation in their implementation, the militarization of the Bolsonaro government, and the decay of democratic institutions in Brazil.

O governo Bolsonaro combina o autoritarismo com um modelo de capitalismo destruidor de direitos sociais. Além do aprofundamento das reformas neoliberais dos anos 1990 e da regressão das políticas de inclusão dos anos 2000, há uma relação de causalidade entre o conteúdo de políticas públicas neoliberais, a redução do nível de participação política em sua implementação, a militarização do governo Bolsonaro e a degeneração de instituições democráticas no Brasil.
A Tale of Two Clocks: A Framework for Assessing Time Pressure and Advantage in the Russo-Ukrainian War
Authors: Gioe David V. , Manganello Tony
Published: January 2023

This article assesses the role and understanding of war’s most inflexible factor—time—and its associated pressures and advantages in the Russo-Ukrainian War. While there seems to be no consensus on who might prevail (and of course the elements of what constitutes victory itself can vary), the passage of time—frequently understood in military terms as endurance and exhaustion—is a useful framework to assess the direction of the war, relative advantage at various stages, who may ultimately prevail, and under what conditions that may be possible. Although timetables and schedules have played an enormous role in military history, there appears to be no systematic assessment of the role of time in relation to strategy and victory in the Russo-Ukrainian war. This article sets out to fill that gap through a systematic comparison of time’s passing and time pressures facing the combatants.
A novel-enhanced metaheuristic algorithm for FOPID-controlled and Bode’s ideal transfer function–based buck converter system
Authors: Izci Davut , Ekinci Serdar
Published: January 2023

The search for a better approach to design a convenient controlling scheme is one of the main challenges of the research field related to power converters. This paper brings forward a significant contribution as part of this challenge. In this regard, novel approaches have been proposed for both controller scheme and tuning algorithm. In terms of controlling scheme, a fractional-order proportional–integral–derivative (FOPID) controller was used alongside the Bode’s ideal transfer function to achieve optimum performance of a buck converter system. To achieve a greater performance of the FOPID controller, a novel metaheuristic algorithm, which consists of a balanced structure in terms of explorative and exploitative phases, has also been developed by hybridizing the hunger games search algorithm with simulated annealing technique. The proposed hybrid algorithm helped tuning the FOPID controller optimally. The proposed algorithm and controlling scheme have been proved to be a better approach for controlling a buck converter system in terms of time and frequency domains along with disturbance rejection. To further verify the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid algorithm–based controlling scheme, it was compared with other reported and capable approaches which have also confirmed the greater performance of the proposed approach.
The Role of Language in Organizational Sensemaking: An Integrative Theoretical Framework and an Agenda for Future Research
Authors: Whittle Andrea , Vaara Eero , Maitlis Sally
Published: January 2023

Despite the rapid growth of research on organizational sensemaking and an acknowledgment of the critical role of language in the sensemaking process, the literature on sensemaking and language is fragmented. In particular, there is no systematic review that explains the roles and functions of different linguistic elements in meaning construction. The purpose of this review paper is to develop an integrative theoretical framework that organizes existing research in a way that allows us to better understand how different linguistic processes shape the construction of meaning in sensemaking. First, we explain how a cognitive linguistic perspective elucidates how language provides the cognitive associations, schema, and frames used in sensemaking. Second, we discuss how a focus on the social practices of language use, as in rhetorical, narrative, or interactionist approaches, illuminates the patterns of meaning-making among organizational members in social interaction. Third, we explain how a focus on discourse helps us to understand how discursive structures enable or constrain sensemaking and thereby reproduce or transform systems of thought. This leads us to turn to the differences in these perspectives and suggest how they can be brought together in an integrative theoretical framework. Finally, we discuss the contributions of our framework and propose an agenda for future research focusing on the multifaceted role of language in sensemaking, intertextual and multimodal links in the language of sensemaking, the agentic and structural role of language in sensemaking, episodic and latent aspects of language use in sensemaking, and the role of power in discursive sensemaking.
Learning About the Incidence and Lethality of COVID-19 in Vulnerable Neighborhoods: The Case of Malaga (Spain)
Authors: García-Peña Carmen , Molina Julián , Ruiz Sinoga José Damián
Published: January 2023

This research delves into the need to use granular analyses at the neighborhood level to study the preexisting conditions of vulnerability that best explain the waves of COVID-19 incidence and mortality. It seems most appropriate to use the comprehensive approach of the sustainable development with variables that analyze the economic, social, environmental, and governance dimensions, given the extensive literature that identifies each as a determining factor for the impact of disease. The work utilizes a composite vulnerability index that allows the city of Malaga to be divided into 434 census sections; waves of incidence and mortality for each section are constructed for the period of March 2020 to March 2021. Cluster analysis reveals that there are five different cluster incidence patterns, whereas the lethality waves are found to behave as a hot-spot phenomenon. The results reveal that neighborhoods that are the most vulnerable in terms of their demographic conditions (large proportion over 65 years of age and dependent) and socioeconomic conditions (severe material deprivation), have been the most affected by COVID-19 infection and mortality.
Climate Change, Inequality, and Vulnerabilities in Pre-Modern Korea: Implications for Mission After COVID-19
Authors: Lee Bright Myeong-Seok
Published: January 2023

Korea's late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Chosŏn Dynasty is marked by evidence of climate change. A distinctive feature of this period was the frequent outbreak of plagues such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid, especially among the less privileged. There was, consequently, a large-scale discontentment among the poor. In this milieu, some local Confucian scholars, dismayed by the prevailing corruption in the central government, withdrew themselves from government business, focused on studying imported Catholic texts from China, and converted to Catholicism. The emergence of indigenous religious movements also reflected this social reality. This paper explores the correlation among climate anomalies, decline in agricultural productivity, competition for limited common resources, heightened social inequality, and frequent plagues, and how Catholicism, an indigenous religious movement, and Protestant Christianity impacted and were impacted by these processes in Korea's late Chosŏn Dynasty. It also suggests missional implications of this in the post-Covid-19 era.
Validation of the slaughterhouse porcine heart model for ex-situ heart perfusion studies
Authors: Kaffka genaamd Dengler Selma E , Mishra Mudit , van Tuijl Sjoerd , de Jager Saskia CA , Sluijter Joost PG , Doevendans Pieter A , van der Kaaij Niels P
Published: January 2023

Introduction

To validate slaughterhouse hearts for ex-situ heart perfusion studies, we compared cold oxygenated machine perfusion in less expensive porcine slaughterhouse hearts ( N = 7) to porcine hearts that are harvested following the golden standard in laboratory animals ( N = 6).

Methods

All hearts received modified St Thomas 2 crystalloid cardioplegia prior to 4 hours of cold oxygenated machine perfusion. Hearts were perfused with homemade modified Steen heart solution with a perfusion pressure of 20–25 mmHg to achieve a coronary flow between 100–200 mL/min. Reperfusion and testing was performed for 4 hours on a normothermic, oxygenated diluted whole blood loaded heart model. Survival was defined by a cardiac output above 3 L with a mean aortic pressure above 60 mmHg.

Results

Both groups showed 100% functional survival, with laboratory hearts displaying superior cardiac function. Both groups showed similar decline in function over time.

Conclusion

We conclude that the slaughterhouse heart can be used as an alternative to laboratory hearts and provides a cost-effective method for future ex-situ heart perfusion studies.