bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Partial Input Loss Differentially Modifies Neural Pathways
Authors: Lee Joo Yeun , Kastner David B , Harris Scott C , Santina Luca Della , John Jeremiah V , Stone Natalia S , Dunn Felice A
Published: February 2025

Following input loss from degeneration, injury, and/or aging, downstream circuits undergo modifications that can impact fundamental sensory computations. Using the retina to leverage known cell types, well-defined circuitry, and molecular tools, we show how multiple pathways adjust their functional properties differently to common input loss and further locate these changes within each pathway. Specifically, we asked if two OFF ganglion cell types, alpha OFF-sustained (AOFF-S) and OFF-transient (AOFF-T) cells, and their respective dominant presynaptic partners, type 2 and type 3a cone bipolar cells, respond differentially to partial cone loss. We find that AOFF-Tganglion cells exhibit more circuit changes than AOFF-Sganglion cells, resulting in altered spatiotemporal tuning following partial cone loss. We show that the underlying mechanisms include changes in glutamatergic, GABAergic, and glycinergic circuits in the pathway of AOFF-Tganglion cells. In response to common input loss, our study finds different locations of circuit modifications across OFF pathways. These distinct functional changes in two pathways contribute to maintaining perceptually relevant information, preserving key visual features despite input loss. These findings provide insight into how sensory systems can compensate to ultimately serve vision.
Coro1a promotes the multivesicular body and plasma membrane fusion by facilitating PKM2-mediated SNAP-23 phosphorylation
Authors: Cai Zhenzhai , Li Zhijie , Yan Tingting , Fu Beilei , He Xinyu , Li Nannan , Wang Chenxing , Chen Yujiao , Zhang Dingli , Cai Zhijian , Cai Jing , Zhu Weiguo , Wu Hao
Published: February 2025

During the formation of endosomal pathway-dependent extracellular vesicles (EVs), intraluminal vesicles in multivesicular bodies (MVBs) fuse with the plasma membrane (PM), releasing intraluminal vesicles to produce exosomes. Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex, membrane fusion effector, is essential in this process. However, which SNARE complex is involved in MVB and PM fusion and how its assembly is regulated remain elusive. We have demonstrated that neddylation of Coro1a inhibits EV secretion by inducing Rab7-mediated degradation of MVBs. Here, we find that Coro1a increases EV biogenesis by promoting the assembly of SNARE complex STX-12-SNAP-23-VAMP-7 in a neddylation-independent manner. Coro1a activates PKM2 to enhance SNAP-23 phosphorylation in the presence of neddylation inhibitor MLN4924, which drives SNAP-23 to recruit more STX-12 and VAMP7, leading to increased formation of the STX-12-SNAP-23-VAMP-7 complex. Correspondingly, Coro1a-induced EV biogenesis is eliminated by PKM2 inhibitor or SNAP-23 silencing independent of neddylation. Reduced EVs from tumors due to Coro1a knockout cannot be observed in MLN4924-treated tumor mice with PKM2 inhibitor treatment either. Furthermore, Coro1a increases in tumor tissues from lung tumor patients with tumor progression, and high Coro1a indicates unfavorable survival of tumor patients, suggesting that increased Coro1a-mediated enhanced EV production from tumors accelerates tumor progression. Altogether, our data demonstrate that Coro1a facilitates EV biogenesis by promoting the assembly of STX-12-SNAP-23-VAMP-7 complex during MVB and PM fusion independent of neddylation, thereby being involved in the progression of EV-related diseases.
A General Framework for Branch Length Estimation in Ancestral Recombination Graphs
Authors: Deng Yun , Song Yun S. , Nielsen Rasmus
Published: February 2025

Inference of Ancestral Recombination Graphs (ARGs) is of central interest in the analysis of genomic variation. ARGs can be specified in terms of topologies and coalescence times. The coalescence times are usually estimated using an informative prior derived from coalescent theory, but this may generate biased estimates and can also complicate downstream inferences based on ARGs. Here we introduce, POLEGON, a novel approach for estimating branch lengths for ARGs which uses an uninformative prior. Using extensive simulations, we show that this method provides improved estimates of coalescence times and lead to more accurate inferences of effective population sizes under a wide range of demographic assumptions. It also improves other downstream inferences including estimates of mutation rates. We apply the method to data from the 1000 Genomes Project to investigate population size histories and differential mutation signatures across populations. We also estimate coalescence times in the HLA region, and show that they exceed 30 million years in multiple segments.
Identification of PKN2 and MOB4 as Coordinators of Collective Cell Migration
Authors: Fokin Artem I. , Lin Yueying , Guschin Dmitry Y. , Chen Hsiang-Ying , James John , Yan Jie , Silberzan Pascal , Gautreau Alexis M.
Published: February 2025

In animals, collective cell migration is critical during development and adult life for repairing organs. It remains, however, poorly understood compared with single cell migration. Polymerization of branched actin by the RAC1-WAVE-Arp2/3 pathway is well established to power membrane protrusions at the front of migrating cells, but also to maintain cell junctions in epithelial monolayers. Here we performed a screen for novel regulators of collective cell migration by identifying genes associated with the RAC1-WAVE-Arp2/3 pathway at cell junctions using dependency maps and by inactivating these candidates using CRISPR/Cas9. In wound healing, MCF10A epithelial cells collectively migrate towards the free space in a coordinated manner. PKN2 knockout (KO) cells display decreased collective migration due to destabilization of adherens junctions, whereas MOB4 KO cells display increased collective migration with a swirling behavior. Upon wound healing, PKN2 relocalizes to lateral junctions and maintains coordinated migration in the monolayer, whereas MOB4 relocalizes to the front edge of cells migrating towards the wound. The role of MOB4 in controlling collective migration requires YAP1, since MOB4 KO cells fail to activate YAP1 and their phenotype is rescued by constitutively active YAP1. Together, our data reveal two complementary activities required for coordinating cells in collective migration.
Nested parasitism in hypersaline environments: viruses and virus satellites of haloarchaea and their nanosized cellular symbionts
Authors: Zhou Yifan , Gutiérrez-Preciado Ana , Liu Ying , Moreira David , Yakimov Michail M. , López-García Purificación , Krupovic Mart
Published: February 2025

It is increasingly recognized that hyperparasitism, whereby a parasite exploits a host which itself is a parasite, is a common phenomenon across ecosystems and domains of life. Here, to explore hyperparasitism in Archaea, we focused on ultra-small archaea of the phylum Nanohaloarchaeota, a distinct lineage within the DPANN superphylum, which establish obligate symbiotic interactions with extreme halophiles of the class Halobacteria. We assembled five metagenomes originating from geothermally influenced salt lakes in the Danakil Depression, Ethiopia, and reconstructed the viromes associated with both haloarchaea and nanohaloarchaea. Both archaeal lineages were associated with viruses from four distinct groups, including head-tailed viruses (classCaudoviricetes), tailless icosahedral viruses, pleomorphic viruses and spindle-shaped viruses, which represent 12 previously undescribed families. The haloarchaeal viruses (HVs) and nanohaloarchaeal viruses (NHVs) are only distantly related, suggesting that viruses from the four groups co-evolved with their respective hosts for an extended period, likely since the divergence of the two archaeal lineages from their last common ancestor. Consistently, our results show that HVs and NHVs are well-adapted to replicate in their respective hosts and to thrive in hypersaline environments. No evidence of host switching between haloarchaea and nanohaloarchaea was obtained, but multiple horizontal transfers of genes implicated in virion structure and morphogenesis between HVs and NHVs were detected. We also identified several NHVs-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes implicated in nucleotide and amino acid metabolisms, which could enhance the metabolic capabilities of the nanohaloarchaeal hosts that have highly reduced genomes. Finally, in addition to HVs and NHVs, we describe plasmid-derived virus satellites that appear to have originated convergently to parasitize spindle-shaped viruses of both haloarchaea and nanohaloarchaea, uncovering an additional layer of parasitism. Collectively, our findings fill the knowledge gap on the diversity of HVs and NHVs, highlight the complexity of virus-host and virus-virus interactions in hypersaline environments, and open doors for further mining of the virosphere of the globally distributed DPANN archaea.
Simultaneous in vitro expression of minimal 21 transfer RNAs by tRNA array method
Authors: Miyachi Ryota , Shimizu Yoshihiro , Ichihashi Norikazu
Published: February 2025

Transfer RNA (tRNA) plays a central role in translation. The simultaneousin vitrosynthesis of minimal yet sufficient tRNA species (at least 21) poses a challenge for constructing a self-reproducible artificial cell. A key obstacle is the processing of the 5’ and 3’ ends, which requires a multi-step reaction in natural cells. In this study, we developed a simplified processing method that allows simultaneous expression of all 21 tRNAs in a reconstituted transcription/translation system (PURE system). We tested three available methods (leader, 5’-G variants, and HDVR attachment methods) and one new method (direct tRNA linkage method). Using these methods, we succeeded in simultaneous expression of six non-G-start tRNA from monocistronic six DNA templates in the PURE system. Furthermore, we developed a method that combines the direct tRNA linkage and HDVR attachment methods (termed tRNA array method). Using this method, we succeeded in simultaneous expression of all 21 tRNAs from a single polycistronic DNA template in the PURE system. The tRNA mixture produced by the tRNA array method supported a similar level of translation to the individually synthesized tRNA mixture. Additionally, we demonstrated that the minimal tRNA sets prepared by the tRNA array method can be used for genetic code engineering. This study represents a step toward the realization of self-reproducible artificial cells and also provides an easy method for preparing all tRNAs useful for genetic code engineering.
Reference-based chemical-genetic interaction profiling to elucidate small molecule mechanism of action inMycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Bond Austin N. , Orzechowski Marek , Zhang Shuting , Ben-Zion Ishay , Lemmer Allison , Garry Nathaniel , Lee Katie , Chen Michael , Delano Kayla , Gath Emily , Golas Aaron , Nietupski Raymond , Fitzgerald Michael , Ehrt Sabine , Rubin Eric J. , Sassetti Christopher M. , Schnappinger Dirk , Shoresh Noam , Hunt Diana K. , Gomez James E. , Hung Deborah T.
Published: February 2025

In an era of increasing resistance, new and effective strategies are needed for antibiotic discovery. Whole-cell active screens yield candidate compounds lacking mechanism-of-action (MOA) information and thus do not provide biological insight for prioritization. We previously reported PROSPECT (PRimary screeningOfStrains toPrioritizeExpandedChemistry andTargets), an antimicrobial discovery strategy that measures chemical-genetic interactions between small molecules and a pool ofMycobacterium tuberculosismutants, each depleted of a different essential protein target. PROSPECT facilitates efficient hit prioritization by simultaneously identifying whole-cell active compounds with high sensitivity and providing early insights into their MOA. Here, we report a reference-based approach to infer MOA from often complex PROSPECT data. For this aim, we curated a reference set of 437 compounds with published, annotated MOA and known or suspected antitubercular activity, and applied PROSPECT to it. We then developedPerturbagenCLass (PCL) analysis, a computational method that predicts MOA by comparing chemical-genetic interaction profiles of unknown compounds to those of this reference set. In leave-one-out cross-validation, PCL analysis correctly predicted MOA with 70% sensitivity and 75% precision. When applied to 75 antitubercular leads with known MOA previously reported by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), PCL analysis similarly achieved 69% sensitivity and 87% precision. We also analyzed 98 GSK compounds lacking MOA information, predicting 60 of them to act via a reference MOA, and followed up with functional validation of 29 compounds predicted to target respiration-related MOAs. Finally, we applied PROSPECT and PCL analysis to ∼5,000 compounds from larger unbiased libraries that had not been preselected for antitubercular activity. PCL analysis identified a novel scaffold lacking wild-type activity but predicted to inhibit respiration via QcrB, and we confirmed this prediction while chemically optimizing this scaffold to achieve wild-type activity. PCL analysis of PROSPECT data thus enables rapid MOA assignment and hit prioritization, advancing the discovery of new, potent antitubercular compounds.
They’re involved, will you be involved? Research on the impact of social network embeddedness on customers’ online referral intention
Authors: Zeng Hui , Xu Hao , Yu Zhenpeng
Published: February 2025

Purpose

People’s economic behaviors are often embedded in their social networks. Based on social embeddedness theory, this study investigates how customers’ social network embeddedness (structural and relational embeddedness) affects their online referral intentions through four studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a vignette experimental design and used both offline and online channels to collect data. The respondents were undergraduate students and consumers, covering different age groups and occupation types. We used the ANOVA and bootstrap methods of SPSS to conduct data processing and hypothesis testing.

Findings

We found that when fewer (vs more) people in a customer’s social network participated in reward referral programs (RRPs), the customer’s online referral intention was also lower because of higher perceived social costs and lower perceived control. However, when the tie strength, reciprocity and normative influence between customers and people who have participated in RRPs were high, customers’ online referral intention also increased, ignoring the influence of participants’ network size. In these relationships, perceived social costs and perceived control played important mediating roles.

Practical implications

The results provide practical implications for enterprises to develop efficient RRPs in the context of the increasing popularity of the mobile Internet and intelligent terminals.

Originality/value

This study offers insights into the influence mechanism of social network embeddedness on referral likelihood, contributing to the field of RRPs and social embeddedness theory.
Investor’s priority towards the sustainable environment: evidence from Pakistan
Authors: Bashir Zahid , Iqbal Muhammad Sabeeh , Aamir Muhammad , Usman Muhammad
Published: February 2025

Purpose

The study aims to identify the preferred factors among economic, social and governance (ESG) that influence the decisions of Pakistani retail investors.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers collected the required responses through self-administrative comparison questionnaires from a sample of 512 individual investors of Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). To test the study’s hypothesis, the researcher applied a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP).

Findings

The findings indicate that the most crucial dimension for an individual investor in Pakistan when making investment decision is environmental criteria. However, investors prioritize governance second and social factors third, according to fuzzy AHP estimations.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are applicable and generalizable to the financial equity market of Pakistan for an individual investors only. Future research may explore ESG priority among institutional investors.

Practical implications

The study enhances the theory of responsible investment by incorporating the ESG dimensions that influence individual investors’ decisions in Pakistan. It holds practical implications for individual investors, investment/financial advisors, companies, regulatory authorities, stockbrokers, investment firms and society.

Originality/value

The study contributes to extending the theory of socially responsible investment and fills a research gap in the domain of ESG dimensions as a priority for investment decisions by individual investors in Pakistan.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-10-2023-0791
Does the 2013 COSO internal control framework improve the information environment in the U.S. capital markets?
Authors: Gupta Parveen P. , Sami Heibatollah , Zhang Joseph H. , Zhou Haiyan
Published: February 2025

Purpose

SOX Section 404 requires that public companies evaluate and have their auditors attest to the effectiveness of their internal control over financial reporting (ICFR). These companies compare their ICFR effectiveness to the Internal Control Frameworks issued by Committee of the Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). This paper aims to examine whether the implementation of the 2013 Control Framework has a positive impact on the information environment of U.S. public companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The study sample comprises firms from the S&P 1500 index and the Russell 2000 index firms that filed their annual reports after December 15, 2014. This paper uses bid-ask spread as a primary measure of information asymmetry, while controlling for the simultaneous effects of the new COSO framework on trading volumes and price volatility.

Findings

This paper finds a significant reduction in bid-ask spreads – a proxy for an improved information environment – among our sample firms following the adoption of the 2013 Control Framework, leading us to conclude that the 2013 Control Framework represents a substantial improvement.

Research limitations/implications

This study specifically examines the impact of control frameworks on the information environment under SOX 404. Future research could explore other economic consequences associated with the adoption of the new COSO Framework. Additionally, it would be valuable to investigate whether the Cadbury model, which also qualifies as a “suitable” control framework under the SEC rules for ICFR assessments, produces similar or different outcomes. Future studies could also analyze the implementation details across all five components concerning the three types of objectives.

Practical implications

The findings will provide valuable insights for policymakers on the effectiveness of the COSO 2013 Framework in enhancing internal control reporting.

Social implications

The findings will also contribute to improving the information environment in the capital markets by guiding policymakers and regulators in assessing the effectiveness of the new COSO framework.

Originality/value

While extensive research has focused on the consequences of accounting and related internal control disclosures, there has been limited examination of how the underlying internal control benchmarks affect the quality and reliability of ICFR assessments and disclosures. This research aims to address this gap.
Coexistence between Przewalski's horse and Asiatic wild ass in the desert: The importance of people
Authors: Cao Qing L. , Zhang Yongjun , Songer Melissa , Leimgruber Peter , Hu Defu , Li Jicai , Wang Chen , Rubenstein Daniel I.
Published: February 2025

Przewalski's horses and Asiatic wild asses were thought to have coexisted in the past. After reintroducing the extinct‐in‐the‐wild Przewalski's horses within the range of Asiatic wild asses around 2000, it was hoped they would coexist through different resource utilization strategies. However, equid species worldwide rarely share landscapes. The Dzungarian Gobi, with limited water availability, also seems incapable of supporting two equids even though they exhibit differentiated niches.

We delimited their fundamental and realized niches in water use by captive experiments and camera traps at watering points at Kalamaili Nature Reserve, China. Using generalized linear models and circular statistics, we analysed how interspecific competition, human presence and environmental factors (temperature, precipitation, water salinity and water deficits) affected each species' daily water use patterns.

The two equids exhibited distinct water‐use patterns. In captivity, Przewalski's horses showed higher water dependency than wild asses—drinking more frequently, consuming more water per unit body weight (0.095 vs. 0.032 L/kg) and displaying greater sensitivity to high temperatures. Field observations from 316,556 camera trap photos over 665 days revealed that horses relied on fixed watering points and avoided saline and near‐depleted watering points, unlike asses. While both could drink freely day and night when separated, their interactions in shared territories showed a clear pattern: horses primarily drank during the daytime when heat loading peaked and used physical dominance to keep smaller‐bodied asses away from low‐salinity, long‐lasting watering points until nightfall when they left to forage. This forced asses to either drink at low‐salinity watering points at night or use high‐salinity ones during the day.

The numerical advantage of wild asses—travelling in large herds—often results in their depleting watering points that were spring‐fed. However, watering points near human settlement, though scarce, remain accessible to horses as asses avoid them, thus providing reliable drinking spots for horses, particularly harems, after night‐time foraging. They serve as crucial refuges, preventing competitive exclusion by the numerically—but not physically—dominant asses.

Synthesis and applications: Our findings highlight the importance of people in permitting sympatric coexistence during resource scarcity. However, human involvement requires careful management. Increased human presence may benefit horses but restrict wild asses' access to some quality water, potentially weakening their climate resilience.
Contrasting Methane, Sulfide and Nitrogen‐Loading Regimes in Bioreactors Shape Microbial Communities Originating From Methane‐Rich Coastal Sediment of the Stockholm Archipelago
Authors: Echeveste Medrano Maider J. , Smith Garrett J. , Sánchez‐Andrea Irene , Jetten Mike S. M. , Welte Cornelia U.
Published: February 2025

Coastal ecosystems are increasingly exposed to high nutrient loads and salinity intrusions due to rising seawater levels. Microbial communities, key drivers of elemental cycles in these ecosystems, consequently, experience fluctuations. This study investigates how the methane‐rich coastal sediment microbiome from the Stockholm Archipelago copes with high and low nitrogen and sulfide loading by simulating coastal conditions in two methane‐saturated anoxic brackish bioreactors. Over a year, the bioreactors were subjected to the same ratio of nitrate, ammonium and sulfide (2:1:1) under eutrophic or oligotrophic conditions and monitored using 16S rRNA gene amplicon and metagenomic sequencing. Sulfide was depleted in both conditions. Sulfide‐dependent denitrification was the predominant process in eutrophic conditions, whereas dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium dominated under oligotrophic conditions. Methane oxidation was driven by Methylobacter and Methylomonas in eutrophic conditions, whereas a more diverse methane‐oxidising microbial community developed under oligotrophic conditions, which likely competed for nitrate with anaerobic methanotrophic archaea and the gammaproteobacterial MBAE14. Novel putative copper‐dependent membrane‐bound monooxygenases (Cu‐MMOs) were identified in MBAE14 and co‐enriched Rugosibacter genomes, suggesting the need for further physiological and genetic characterisation. This study highlights the importance of understanding coastal anoxic microbiomes under fluctuating conditions, revealing complex interactions and novel pathways crucial for ecosystem functioning.
“With Delight and Desire”: Gender and Emotion in the Conversions of Japanese Women in Sixteenth‐Century Southern Japan
Authors: O'Leary Jessica
Published: February 2025

This article examines the interplay of gender, emotions, and material culture in Jesuit conversion accounts in sixteenth‐century Japan. I analyse the rhetorical strategies of missionaries like Luís Fróis to better understand how conversion narratives were crafted to advance the Jesuits' goal of propagating Christianity in Japan and beyond. Although we cannot access the emotional experiences of these women, their representation and description, offers some insight into the tensions and conflicts in conversion narratives and, taken together with other sources, may open up new avenues to access their agencies in religious encounter.
Getting Inside Closed‐Loop Referrals: Exploring the Patient Experience of Finding and Connecting to Social Care With a Community Resource Referral System Using a Community‐Based Participatory Approach
Authors: Olson Anthony W. , Allen Nik , Elmayan Ardem , Green Kim , Harry Melissa L. , Kempfert Jenny , Kuenstler Emily , Maki Heath , Nelson Sarah , Rapps Mary , St. John Rose , Witherspoon Salaam , Brown Shawandala , Castaldo Ashlie , Grimes Melissa , Jenkins Treasure , Mosher Kennedy
Published: February 2025

Objective

To explore the experiences of patients who found and/or connected to social care via a community resource referral system named “Resourceful” (linked with FindHelp.org) linked to a health system's electronic health record.

Study Setting and Design

The mixed‐methods study was co‐designed and conducted using community‐based participatory processes by a team of researchers at a multi‐state health system (Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin) and community members with lived experience addressing unmet social needs. Study participants were individuals referred to, connected to, or delivered social care through Resourceful in the health system's service area. Quantitative surveys were emailed to 780 patients and 38 healthcare workers (HCWs) tied to closed‐loop referrals between 8/2022 and 2/2023. Qualitative interview invites were emailed to 19 patient survey respondents wanting to interview, and the five HCWs and 12 community‐based organizations (CBOs) involved in their social care experience. Descriptive statistics analyzed sociodemographic and patient experience variables developed via the participatory process. We coded qualitative data using thematic analysis, extracting thematic factors informing survey responses.

Data Sources and Analytic Sample

We collected primary data from online surveys and semi‐structured phone interviews.

Principal Findings

Usable survey responses from 62 patients and 14 HCWs were analyzed. Most respondents agreed on some level that their experience using Resourceful strengthened patient trust (patients:66%, HCWs:86%), improved communication about what patients need to be healthy (patients:61%, HCWs:57%), provided “helpful help” reducing social care barriers (patients:56%, HCWs:93%), and enhanced person‐centeredness (patients:60%, HCWs:79%). Qualitative analysis yielded six thematic factors corresponding to 23 actionable takeaways potentially important for using CRRS to improve the seeker experience of social care: resource/service environment; platform access/usability/utilization; helper integration/coordination/continuity; helpful help; reliable sources/partnerships; responsive relationships.

Conclusions

Differences in the perceptions of patient experiences involving resourceful were observed between patients and HCWs/CBOs. Thematic factors clarified these differences and how to improve patient experiences with closed‐loop referrals.
A forgetful ethnography: Memory, memoir, and brain injuries
Authors: Elliott Denielle
Published: February 2025

In this paper, I consider how one writes an ethnographic memoir about memories, time, and our fieldwork when our memories, or our interlocutors’ memories, are unreliable, inconsistent, false, or simply missing. Reflecting on a brain injury that resulted during fieldwork, my (dis)ordered memories, and the intense reliance on memory in sociocultural anthropology, I ask what writing would look like for anthropologists if we wrote with the forgetfulness? Imperceptible to most, and escaping clinical and lab evaluations, the e/affects of my brain injury have reshaped how I am in this world and shifted how I approach and understand the ethnographic project. I suggest that by writing with memory loss, by admitting there are gaps and fissures, by embracing the confusion and confabulations, and by acknowledging the paralleled unfinishedness of the ethnographic project, we work toward a reformed anthropology that no longer uncritically esteems memory as the basis for the anthropological project. In doing so, the paper contributes to what Marlovitz and Wolf‐Meyer have called a “psychotic anthropology,” one that disrupts disciplinary ideas about minds, methods, and memoir and contributes to a productively unruly, and inclusive, ethnographic practice.
Association of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours With Incident Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Population‐Based Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Ho Fai Fai , Gao Yin‐Yan , Chen Yuting , Wang Betty Huan , Wu Justin Che Yuen , Zheng Hong , Cheung Yin Ting , Lam Chun Sing , Wang Maggie Haitian , Wu Irene Xin‐Yin , Mao Chen , Chung Vincent Chi Ho
Published: February 2025

Background

The combined effects of some modifiable lifestyle factors on incident inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are uncertain.

Aims

To evaluate the combined association between healthy lifestyle behaviours and IBD incidence.

Methods

This population‐based prospective cohort study used data from the UK Biobank. We included 105,715 participants aged 40–70 who had no IBD diagnosis at baseline in the analyses. The five healthy lifestyle behaviours that we studied were never smoking, optimal sleep, high level of vigorous physical activity, high dietary quality, and moderate alcohol intake. The outcome was the overall incidence of IBD and individual incidences of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). We derived hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations.

Results

The multivariable adjusted HRs (95% CI) associated with having 1, 2 and 3–5 healthy lifestyle behaviours for IBD incidence compared with those with none of these behaviours were 0.75 (0.59–0.97), 0.72 (0.56–0.92), and 0.50 (0.37–0.68), respectively (p for trend < 0.001). We observed similar findings for CD and UC. Only never smoking exhibited significant independent inverse associations with the overall incidence of IBD (HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.58–0.83, p < 0.001) and the incidence of UC (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.48–0.72, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Healthy lifestyle behaviours are significantly associated with lower IBD incidence in middle‐aged and elderly individuals, suggesting the potential of lifestyle modifications as a primary prevention strategy for IBD.
Two‐Year Spawning Migration as a Life‐History Strategy of Sea Trout (Salmo trutta L.) in Large, High‐Latitude River Systems
Authors: Lähteenmäki Linus , Huusko Riina , Hellström Gustav , Snickars Martin , Romakkaniemi Atso
Published: February 2025

Migrating animals are found throughout the animal kingdom, as movement between habitats can be vital for survival, growth, and reproduction. Mature sea trout (Salmo trutta L.) undertake seasonal migrations from marine feeding areas to freshwater spawning habitats, but the migration dynamics may vary considerably between rivers of different morphology and location. In this study, we used radio‐telemetry with multi‐year tags to observe the riverine movements and spawning migration behaviour of wild sea trout tagged in a large, northern Baltic Sea river system, the Tornio River. Both immature and mature trout were observed to have similar overwintering behaviour as they mainly overwintered in the same locations in the lower river. Many immature trout returned to overwinter for multiple consecutive winters without spawning, a behaviour that has been rarely reported for sea trout in rivers of the northern Baltic Sea. The results from a support vector model highlighted the importance of trout age and previous spawning experience for the direction of the migration, as previously spawned and older trout were more likely to migrate upstream for spawning while their younger counterparts returned to sea in summer after spending the winter in freshwater. The riverine movement patterns indicate that the majority of mature sea trout migrating upstream for spawning in the river system have adopted a spawning migration strategy, which extends for almost two calendar years. Mature sea trout enter freshwater in autumn the year prior to spawning, migrate to spawning habitats and spawn in the year following freshwater entry, and overwinter in‐river for a second time post‐spawning. This migration strategy has not been previously reported for sea trout native to Baltic Sea river systems. The extended freshwater stays and numerous migrations between sea and river habitats in large, high‐latitude rivers need to be considered in management to ensure adequate protection of both immature and mature sea trout.
Changes in Plant Biomass Are Driven by Persisting Plant Species, but Species Gains Drive Nematode Carbon Dynamics
Authors: Zhang Anning , Chen Shuyan , Liu Ziyang , Chen Jingwei , Song Hongxian , Cui Hanwen , Yang Zi , Xiao Sa , An Lizhe , Genung Mark A.
Published: February 2025

Global change drivers, such as shrub encroachment, alter above‐ and belowground communities, and the consequences of these changes for ecosystem functioning are largely unknown. We used the modified Price equation to quantify how the presence of shrubs alters the richness, composition, and abundance of plant and nematode communities and the resulting effects on ecosystem functioning (i.e., plant biomass and nematode carbon [C] metabolism) on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. Plots with shrubs had increased plant biomass (mostly due to persisting plant species producing more biomass) and nematode C metabolism (mostly due to increases in nematode species richness). The strength of the species richness effect on plant biomass was positively associated with the strength of the species richness on nematode C metabolism. Increases in the biomass of persisting species and species gains promote plant biomass and nematode C metabolism, respectively, which may accelerate decomposition and C turnover on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau.
Do environmental, social, and governance disclosure assurance reduce the cost of equity capital? Evidence from Chinese listed financial institutions
Authors: Huang Hao , Tang Li , Zhao Ling
Published: February 2025

This study examines the benefits of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure assurance (EDA) in reducing a firm's cost of equity capital. Using data on Chinese listed financial institutions from 2006 to 2022, we find a significant and negative relationship between EDA and the cost of equity capital. When an EDA is provided by an accounting firm, as well as when the auditor is a shared resource for the annual report, the cost of equity decreases significantly. Further analysis shows that the effect of EDA on the cost of equity is more pronounced for institutions with lower information transparency and higher operational risk. Additionally, the impact of EDA is amplified when these institutions choose to disclose their ESG information separately rather than integrating it within their financial reporting, when disclosures align with the Global Reporting Initiative standards, and when the content of the disclosures is more comprehensive and detailed.
How Do Consumers Allocate Their Limited Resources to the Food Product? A Framework for the Contagion Effect
Authors: Shih Li‐Chin
Published: February 2025

Across three experiments conducted for this research, it is evident that limited cognitive resources do play a role in the influence of product contagion effects. This research examines how cognitive resource limitations affect consumer evaluations of the product contagion. Results indicate that consumers have the ability to process a product context and to transfer stronger negative contagion effects when they expend less cognitive effort on fewer products or when they are under low cognitive load conditions. In addition, we also use good gestalt to explore the negative contagion effects. Consumers could expend fewer cognitive resources and lower their evaluations when products are arranged in a high degree of closure. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Exploring Consumer Awareness and Perceptions of Canastra Minas Artisanal Cheese: Text Highlighting as a Useful Approach
Authors: Rodrigues Jéssica F. , Siman Ingrid B. , Oliveira Lorena E. A. , Barcelos Alessandra F. , Bresciani Laura L. V. , Pimentel Tatiana C. , Silva Ramon , Freitas Monica Q. , Filho Elson Rogério T. , Esmerino Erick A. , Cruz Adriano G. , Amorim Katiúcia A.
Published: February 2025

This study used text highlighting (TH) and online questionnaires to assess awareness and perceptions of Canastra cheese safety and quality and their impact on purchase decisions. A total of 100 participants performed the TH method in sensory analysis booths, where they read a text about Canastra cheese and used colored pens to highlight terms they liked or disliked. After completing the task, participants responded to attitudinal questions using Likert scales. An online questionnaire was distributed to another 100 Canastra cheese consumers to assess their perceptions of food safety and product quality. The results revealed a positive perception with high participant engagement, though consumer awareness could be improved. Women gave higher credibility on certification and legislation statements. Safety perception significantly influenced purchase intention, with state certification seals having the most significant impact. Canastra cheese has the potential to establish itself as a high‐quality and safe cheese. However, increasing consumer awareness, enhancing legislation, and implementing effective communication strategies are essential to promote and recognize it and similar artisanal products.
Economic and Social Impacts of Olive Quick Decline Syndrome: Analysing Data From the Italian Farm Accountancy Network
Authors: Calderoni Federica , Petrontino Alessandro , Frem Michel , Fucilli Vincenzo , Bozzo Francesco
Published: February 2025

The rapid spread of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca (Xfp) in the Salento area (Apulia region, southern Italy) has caused extensive socio‐economic damage to the olive oil supply chain. This research evaluates the impact of the ‘Xfp treatment’ on selected economic and social variables using a counterfactual approach. We applied propensity score matching and the difference‐in‐difference estimator to a sample of Italian Farm Accountancy Data Network panel olive‐growing farms. The study compared the outcomes of farms affected by the Xfp invasion before (2008–2012) and after (2017–2021), with a control group unaffected by Xfp. The results showed that the socio‐economic performance of Salento's olive‐growing farms is lower than unaffected farms outside the region but comparable to similarly affected farms. Regarding the economic impact of Xfp, the Gross Operating Margin had an Average Treatment Effect on the Treated of around −€837 per hectare, indicating a reduction in profitability, amounting to a total loss of €132 million across the infected area. Social indicators also showed the effects of Xfp, evident in the reduction of total working hours and work units employed on Salento olive farms. The decrease was −7 h/ha, resulting in a total loss of 1,050,000 h across the entire infected area in Apulia (approximately 150,000 ha). These findings have policy implications, because they can assist policymakers in establishing a compensation budget for Apulian olive growers affected by Xfp. Identifying fair compensation is crucial for providing financial and technical support to help farmers convert their crops or adopt alternative agricultural practices.
Revisiting the black shale depositional enigma: Transport processes and contrasting sediment sources in a heterolithic basin fill – Bowland Basin, England
Authors: Li Sen , Wignall Paul B. , Peakall Jeff , Cui Jingwei , Sun Yadong
Published: February 2025

Factors that control the accumulation of organic‐rich shales are keenly debated and include basin redox variations, sediment provenance and diverse depositional processes. The relative importance of hemipelagic settling versus sediment gravity flows has been especially contentious in recent years. This study examines the Bowland Shale, a thick succession of organic‐rich mudrock with subsidiary facies, from the late Mississippian Bowland Basin of northern England that records a broad range of depositional processes. Interbedded amongst the mudrocks are several elongate, calciturbidite fans ca 10 km in length, sourced from a small carbonate platform to the south‐east of the basin, whilst a turbidite body of siliciclastic sand entered the basin from the east. An intrabasinal high in the north‐west of the basin deflected the progradation of the turbidite sandstones and was likely also responsible for the reflection of the carbonate‐carrying sediment gravity flows generating combined flow structures in the calciturbidite fans. Abundant, fine calcareous detritus was also sourced from the south‐east, forming an apron of calcareous mudstone delivered by low‐strength debris flows. Interbedded amongst these diverse facies types, the Bowland Shale primarily consists of hemipelagic, organic‐rich shale with a fabric consisting of compacted clay lenses (0.05–0.4 mm in width), hemipelagic components (including larval shells of bivalves, goniatites and syngenetic framboids) and organic filaments (marine snow). The lenses are interpreted to be faecal pellets formed above the redoxcline before settling to the seabed. An alternative idea, that has gained much traction in mudrock studies, is that the clay lenses are transported intraclasts and that black shales are substantially the product of deposition from traction currents sourced from adjacent basin margins. This idea is problematic because it fails to address why basinal shales have a euxinic geochemical signature rather than recording the well‐oxygenated conditions of the purported source area.
Increasing use of CAR‐T therapy occurs in conjunction with decreasing stem cell transplants with stable resource usage over a 6‐year period: Resource utilization implications
Authors: Chandrasekar Aswath P. , DiGuardo Margret A. , Winters Jeffrey L. , Greiner Carl W. , Dingli David , Alkhateeb Hassan B. , Jacob Eapen K.
Published: February 2025

Background

Since FDA approval in 2017, CAR‐T therapy has seen rapid clinical adoption. Shifting clinical trends have emerged with increasing utilization of CAR‐T therapies and a downward trend in HSCTs. Given the overlapping resources required for the manufacture and storage of these products, we sought to examine trends over a 6‐year period.

Methods

The apheresis patient database and Lab database were reviewed to compile a list of patients that underwent either CAR‐T or HSCT (autologous) collections, and/or received CAR‐T or autologous HSCT infusions between January 1, 2018 and December 12, 2023. This was further examined by year and disease group.

Results

The total number of patients collecting for CAR‐T increased from 52 in 2018 to 150 in 2023 (slope = 21.97; p = .0013), accompanied by a decrease in the number of patients collecting for HSCT, from 425 in 2018 to 341 in 2023 (slope = −21.2; p = .0177). Neither total number (calculated as number of HSCT + CAR‐T) of patients collected (mean 476 + 20.4 per year), nor collection procedures (mean 972 ± 75.8 per year) changed significantly over the 6‐year period. The total number of CAR‐T infusions increased from 24 in 2018 to 111 in 2023 (slope = 17.7; p = .004), with a decrease in auto‐HSCT from 400 to 289 (slope = −28.7; p = .008). The overall number of infusions (calculated as number of HSCT + CAR‐T) did not change significantly (slope = −10.9; p = .13) over the 6‐year period.

Discussion

Our findings confirm the increasing adoption of CAR‐T therapy occurring alongside a decreasing stem‐cell transplants, with stable overall resource utilization.
Erratum to: Magnetic State of Cobalt in Layered Chalcogenide Fe4Co3Se8
Authors: Piskunov Yu. V. , Ogloblichev V. V. , Sadykov A. F. , Akramov D. F. , Smolnikov A. G. , Gerashchenko A. P. , Selezneva N. V. , Baranov N. V.
Published: February 2025

An Erratum to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0031918X24120032
Motor and functional characteristics in school-age survivors of congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a cross-sectional observational study
Authors: Mitsumatsu Takamasa , Ito Yuji , Muramatsu Yukako , Sato Yoshiaki , Ito Tadashi , Narahara Sho , Miura Ryosuke , Yamamoto Hiroyuki , Ito Miharu , Shiraki Anna , Nakata Tomohiko , Kotani Tomomi , Natsume Jun , Hayakawa Masahiro , Takahashi Yoshiyuki , Kidokoro Hiroyuki
Published: February 2025

Background

Children born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) are at risk of poor developmental outcomes. This study aimed to clarify the motor and functional characteristics of school-age CDH survivors and identify perinatal factors associated with motor function deficits.

Methods

Motor function was comprehensively assessed in CDH survivors aged 6–10 years (CDH group, n=24) and in age- and sex-matched controls (n=72). Assessments included physical activity time, grip strength, the five times sit-to-stand test, one-leg standing time, 6 min walking distance and gait ability using a three-dimensional gait analysis. In the CDH group, correlations between perinatal factors and motor function outcomes were analysed.

Results

In the CDH group, all children had isolated CDH. Three were extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treated and 21 were non-ECMO treated. The CDH group exhibited shorter stature, lower weight and reduced physical activity time than the controls. They also showed significantly lower grip strength, longer five times sit-to-stand test time, shorter one-leg standing time and decreased 6 min walking distance. No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding walking speed, step length or Gait Deviation Index. Within the CDH group, a higher observed-to-expected lung area-to-head circumference ratio (o/e LHR) was positively correlated with better grip strength.

Conclusions

School-age survivors of CDH are at risk of impaired motor function. Particularly, grip strength measurement is crucial for those born with a low o/e LHR. Implementing follow-up and intervention programmes focused on improving limb muscle strength, balance, and endurance, and promoting adequate physical activity may enhance motor function.