bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anillin forms linear structures and facilitates furrow ingression after septin and formin depletion
Authors: Lebedev Mikhail , Chan Fung-Yi , Bellessem Jennifer , Osório Daniel S. , Rackles Elisabeth , Mikeladze-Dvali Tamara , Carvalho Ana X. , Zanin Esther
Published: December 2022

During cytokinesis a contractile ring consisting of unbranched filamentous actin (F-actin) and myosin II filaments assembles and constricts at the cell equator. Unbranched F-actin isde novogenerated by formin and without formin cleavage furrow ingression fails. InC. elegansdepletion of septin restores cleavage furrow ingression in formin (CYK-1) mutants. How the cleavage furrow ingresses without a detectable unbranched F-actin ring is not known. We report, that in this setting anillin (ANI-1) is essential for furrow ingression and forms a meshwork of linear structures, which circumferentially align around the cell equator. Although equatorial ANI-1 recruitment is facilitated by septins, the formation of linear ANI-1 structures is septin independent. Analysis of ANI-1 deletion mutants reveals that its disordered linker region is required for linear structure formation and furrow ingression. We also found that myosin II (NMY-2) decorates linear ANI-1 structures and promotes their circumferential alignment. NMY-2 also interacts with various lipids and forms membrane localized clusters in absence of F-actin and anillin binding. This suggests that NMY-2 represents an independent link between the F-actin / ANI-1 network and the plasma membrane. Collectively, our data reveals a compensatory mechanism, mediated by ANI-1 linear structures and membrane-bound NMY-2, that promotes furrow formation and ingression when formins are depleted and therefore unbranched F-actin polymerization is compromised.
Cyber threat: its origins and consequence and the use of qualitative and quantitative methods in cyber risk assessment
Authors: Crotty James , Daniel Elizabeth
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Consumers increasingly rely on organisations for online services and data storage while these same institutions seek to digitise the information assets they hold to create economic value. Cybersecurity failures arising from malicious or accidental actions can lead to significant reputational and financial loss which organisations must guard against. Despite having some critical weaknesses, qualitative cybersecurity risk analysis is widely used in developing cybersecurity plans. This research explores these weaknesses, considers how quantitative methods might address the constraints and seeks the insights and recommendations of leading cybersecurity practitioners on the use of qualitative and quantitative cyber risk assessment methods.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based upon a literature review and thematic analysis of in-depth qualitative interviews with 16 senior cybersecurity practitioners representing financial services and advisory companies from across the world.

Findings

While most organisations continue to rely on qualitative methods for cybersecurity risk assessment, some are also actively using quantitative approaches to enhance their cybersecurity planning efforts. The primary recommendation of this paper is that organisations should adopt both a qualitative and quantitative cyber risk assessment approach.

Originality/value

This work provides the first insight into how senior practitioners are using and combining qualitative and quantitative cybersecurity risk assessment, and highlights the need for in-depth comparisons of these two different approaches.
Target tracking and enclosing via UAV/UGV cooperation using energy estimation pigeon-inspired optimization and switchable topology
Authors: Shen Yankai , Wei Chen
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The research of unmanned air/ground vehicle (UAV/UGV) cooperation has attracted much attention due to its potential applications in disaster rescue and target surveillance. This paper aims to focus on the UAV/UGV cooperative target tracking and enclosing, considering the limits of detection and sensor failures.

Design/methodology/approach

The UAV/UGV cooperation structure is designed, contributing to homogeneous consistency and heterogeneous communication. The target tracking of UAVs is converted into a constraint optimization problem involving tracking cost, and the target enclosing of UGVs is modeled as formation control.

Findings

The energy estimation pigeon-inspired optimization is developed to generate control inputs for UAVs. And the controller combined with switchable topology is proposed, where the switching rule is flexible in dealing with some emergencies.

Practical implications

The proposed structure and algorithms can be easily applied to practice and help design the UAV/UGV control system.

Originality/value

The energy estimation mechanism is proposed for the target tracking of UAVs, and the rules of switching topologies ensure the target enclosing process of UGVs.
Gender differences of color preferences for interior spaces in the residential built environment in Prishtina, Kosovo
Authors: Hoxha Visar , Metin Hasan , Hasani Islam , Pallaska Elvida , Hoxha Jehona , Hoxha Dhurata
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The overall purpose of the study is to identify the gender differences in color preferences for different types of interior space in the residential built environment in Prishtina, Kosovo. Additionally, the purpose of the study is also to identify the gender differences in the emotions that various colors trigger in occupants of the mainly residential built environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study uses a quantitative study andχ2test to analyze whether the variables formulated by study hypotheses are dependent on gender. The data are gathered by a questionnaire to measure the color preferences of the respondents. The study uses a questionnaire with eight questions that were distributed to 303 respondents using the stratified probability sampling, using gender as the main stratum for probability sampling.

Findings

The study finds that there are no gender differences in color preferences for home lighting, living room, bedroom, study room and children’s rooms in the residential built environment. The study also finds that there is a gender difference in color preferences that trigger emotions of tranquility, stability and security and warmth and pleasure in both male and female respondents.

Practical implications

The implications of this study are that real estate and facility management firms must conduct marketing research to identify the color preferences for both housing interior and exterior depending on the different local cultural backgrounds of clients. Firms must provide training for real estate agents on the color preferences of clients for various types of spaces and the differences that may exist based on gender but also other variables.

Originality/value

The present study is the first quantification of gender differences in color preferences of the residential built environment in the capital city of an understudied region such as Kosovo.
Integrability features of a new (3+1)-dimensional nonlinear Hirota bilinear model: multiple soliton solutions and a class of lump solutions
Authors: Wazwaz Abdul-Majid , El-Sherif Lamiaa , El-Tantawy Samir
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a new (3+1)-dimensional integrable Hirota bilinear equation characterized by five linear partial derivatives and three nonlinear partial derivatives.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors formally use the simplified Hirota's method and lump schemes for determining multiple soliton solutions and lump solutions, which are rationally localized in all directions in space.

Findings

The Painlevé analysis shows that the compatibility condition for integrability does not die away at the highest resonance level, but integrability characteristics is justified through the Lax sense.

Research limitations/implications

Multiple-soliton solutions are explored using the Hirota's bilinear method. The authors also furnish a class of lump solutions using distinct values of the parameters via the positive quadratic function method.

Practical implications

The authors also retrieve a bunch of other solutions of distinct structures such as solitonic, periodic solutions and ratio of trigonometric functions solutions.

Social implications

This work formally furnishes algorithms for extending integrable equations and for the determination of lump solutions.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper introduces an original work with newly developed Lax-integrable equation and shows new useful findings.
A comparative study on motivational factors in choosing teaching profession
Authors: Koklu Onder
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This study aims to identify the main motivational factors that led practicing teachers to choose teaching as a profession in the United States and Turkey. Another purpose of this research is to investigate the possible significant difference between male and female teachers from the United States and Turkey considering motivational factors that lead them to choose teaching as a profession.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect and analyze the data. First, randomly selected middle grades teachers were asked to write personal statements where they explain their main reasons for choosing teaching as a career. Then, qualitative data obtained from personal statements were coded. The coding process allowed the researcher to create factors. Then, cross-tabular representation was produced by descriptive data. Finally, ANOVA was run in order to identify significant differences among groups of participants in terms of all motivational factors.

Findings

Results indicated that (1) female teachers are motivated mostly by “Leisure and Comfort”; (2) “Enjoyment of subject” is a big motivator for US male teachers; (3) Turkish male teachers are motivated mostly by “Necessities” (4) male teachers have no strong desire to work with kids; (5) female teachers enjoy teaching more comparing the male teachers; (6) US Female teachers feel more personal fulfillment in teaching.

Practical implications

Motivational factors and reasons for choosing a teaching career can be further investigated by qualitative case studies with selected male and female teachers in order to better understand the reasons that derived both male and female teachers to specific kinds of motivational factors. That may provide a tick description of how motivation for the teaching profession develops over time starting from early memories and experiences in education and schooling. Through the lens of these kinds of qualitative studies, we may better understand how lived experiences are affecting decision-making by developing interest in specific areas.

Originality/value

Although there is a considerable amount of studies conducted to examine preservice teachers' reasons given for joining the teaching profession, limited research has been done with practicing teachers to better understand the factors that motivated them to join the teaching profession.
Modeling the moderating effect of technology anxiety on the relationship between smart city–built environment and the quality of life of citizens
Authors: Dash Ajitabh
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This study aims to comprehend the smart city–built environment’s (SCBE) effect on citizens’ quality of life in the smart cities of a developing country such as India. This study also sought to investigate the moderating effect of technological anxiety on the association, as mentioned earlier.

Design/methodology/approach

This study’s hypotheses were tested using data from 494 sample respondents who lived in the top five smart cities of India using partial least square-based structural equation modeling.

Findings

This study validated five dimensions of an SCBE, including smart governance, smart economy, smart people, smart transportation, smart environment and smart living, and demonstrated a favorable connection between a SCBE quality of life. This study confirmed that technology anxiety strongly moderates the relationship between the built environment of smart cities and citizens’ quality of life.

Originality/value

This study is a pioneering effort that explores the relationship between SCBE and the quality of life of its residents and the moderating effect of technology anxiety on this relationship.
Effectiveness of leader-member exchange on employee outcomes in cross-cultural environment of China–Pakistan economic corridor
Authors: Arshad Hafiz Muhammad , Akhtar Muhammad Waheed , Imran Muhammad , Batool Irem , Asrar-ul-Haq Muhammad , Akbar Minhas
Published: December 2022

Purpose

China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a framework of regional connectivity in which employees have to work in a cross-cultural environment. This study has extended the leader-member exchange theory by investigating the mediating role of employee commitment (EC) between the relationship of leader-member exchange (LMX) and employee's work-related behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

PLS-SEM technique was used to test the model by utilizing a multi-wave/two-source data collected from employees and their supervisors (n = 500) working in different energy projects of CPEC.

Findings

According to the results/findings, LMX has a significant positive impact on employee commitment, employee performance (EP) and open-minded discussions, but insignificant impact on innovative work behaviour (IWB). Mediating role of employee commitment was significant between the relationship of LMX with EP and open-minded discussions, but insignificant with the IWB.

Originality/value

The study contributes empirical evidence to understanding the leader-member exchange relationship among Chinese managers and Pakistani workers. It also contributes to the LMX theory literature by investigating the effect of LMX on followers' outcomes (employee performance, IWB, open-minded discussions) through employee commitment.
Mutual funds' performance and relative strength of factor exposures
Authors: Chauhan Gaurav S.
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to measure mutual funds' manager performance by attributing it to their abilities to choose better securities (selectivity effect) and to allocate these securities better than their benchmarks (allocation effect). The study enables the authors to examine the relative contributions of the commonly known asset-pricing factors in mutual funds' performance.

Design/methodology/approach

To examine managers' ability to steer funds' returns, the authors conduct a two-dimensional holdings-based analysis using factor-specific decomposition of funds' excess returns into their ability to select and allocate securities better than their benchmarks. Subsequently, the authors conduct an analysis of the covariance (ANCOVA) due to these factors in explaining funds' excess returns over time.

Findings

While managers' ability to choose better securities than the benchmarks (the selectivity effect) appears modest, some funds (especially the winners) allocate securities in their portfolios better than their benchmarks (the allocation effect) based on their exposures to certain factors (e.g. the momentum factor for the winner funds). However, although funds consistently gain through their ability to predict the size and value factors well, they do not consistently possess the skills to predict the momentum factor.

Research limitations/implications

Although the paper analyzes all the available diversified funds, the sample excludes several other categories, such as thematic and international funds. Further, the analysis is based on equity-oriented Indian funds. Broader studies of changes in factor exposures and the inclusion of more factors apart from those conventionally used may shed more light on the managers' ability to maneuver these factors.

Practical implications

The results show that mutual fund managers lack persistence in their performance, even though some of them could predict specific factors well. Since the activity in active mutual funds could not lead to superior performance over time, investors could be better off by selecting cheaper passive funds for their long-term investments.

Originality/value

The paper presents a novel approach to studying funds' performance by conducting a two-dimensional holdings-based analysis to capture the relative contributions of common asset-pricing factors in the cross-section as well as over time.
Social spending and chronic unemployment: evidence from OECD countries
Authors: Çelikay Ferdi
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Social spending is at the forefront of the tools used to repair the damage caused by the global epidemic. However, one of the most critical questions in recent days is as follows: what are the effects of social expenditures in eliminating unemployment? The primary purpose of this article is to provide empirical evidence on the impact of social spending on chronic unemployment in the selected organization for economic co-operation and development (OECD) countries.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the data of 30 selected OECD countries between 1991 and 2018 have been compiled. First, countries have been divided into four categories according to their spending intensity to determine the effects of social spending on the long-term unemployment rate. Then, the auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach and the error correction models (ECM) examine the variables' short- and long-term interactions.

Findings

The author found that the change in the share of social expenditures in GDP affects chronic unemployment similarly. This finding is consistent with the results of studies in the literature dealing with the relationship between public sector size and unemployment. However, the research findings are specifically about the effects of social expenditures on chronic unemployment. In this respect, the results reflect that expenditures with passive characteristics have an expansionary effect on long-term unemployment. In addition, the progressive effect of social expenditures on chronic unemployment is increasing in countries with high expenditure intensity. In countries with relatively low spending intensity, the impact of social spending is limited to the short run and is lower.

Originality/value

Multiple studies have reported that public policies developed in line with the incentives of active employment and public or private sector investments reduce the unemployment rate by positively affecting the output/employment level. This study, unlike other studies, focuses on the effects of social expenditures on chronic unemployment. It also compares the effects of social spending on the long-term unemployment rate for countries with varying spending intensities. Therefore, this article tests the impact of social expenditures used against a concrete socioeconomic problem in the OECD sample. In this respect, the findings contribute to the literature by addressing the relationship between social spending and chronic unemployment.
A duoethnographic exploration of colonialism in the cultural layer of the objective psyche
Authors: Charura Divine , Bushell Stephen
Published: December 2022

Using a duoethnological approach, supported by Jung’s theory of archetypes and the layered objective psyche, the paper demonstrates how a duoethnological encounter can lead to new formulations of archetypal theory that challenge attitudes to diversity. The paper arises from the authors’ desire to explore the shame and pain of colonialism, initially in a diversity workshop and later by way of duoethnological dialogue, using transcripts of recorded conversation between the authors as well as email exchange. Notions of a colonizer archetype and ethnic shadow are presented and elaborated. The six conceptualized themes in relation to the exploration of colonialism in the cultural layer of the objective psyche are as follows: (1) Belonging, (2) The layered psyche and our understanding of difference, (3) Facing the ethnic shadow, (4) The colonizing archetype in the consulting room, (5) The exploration of colonial structures in the psyche and, lastly, (6) Valuing emancipatory encounter. These themes support an argument for the praxis of societal and internal encounters in order to raise the colonizer archetype and split off shadow material to consciousness, in the hope of bringing about a personal and cultural shift away from oppression.
Critical features of an in vitro intestinal absorption model to study the first key aspects underlying food allergen sensitization
Authors: Dijk Wieneke , Villa Caterina , Benedé Sara , Vassilopoulou Emilia , Mafra Isabel , Garrido‐Arandia María , Martínez Blanco Mónica , Bouchaud Gregory , Hoppenbrouwers Tamara , Bavaro Simona Lucia , Giblin Linda , Knipping Karen , Castro Ana Maria , Delgado Susana , Costa Joana , Bastiaan‐Net Shanna
Published: December 2022

New types of protein sources will enter our diet in a near future, reinforcing the need for a straightforward in vitro (cell‐based) screening model to test and predict the safety of these novel proteins, in particular their potential risk for de novo allergic sensitization. The Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) for allergen sensitization describes the current knowledge of key events underlying the complex cellular interactions that proceed allergic food sensitization. Currently, there is no consensus on the in vitro model to study the intestinal translocation of proteins as well as the epithelial activation, which comprise the first molecular initiation events (ME1‐3) and the first key event of the AOP, respectively. As members of INFOGEST, we have highlighted several critical features that should be considered for any proposed in vitro model to study epithelial protein transport in the context of allergic sensitization. In addition, we defined which intestinal cell types are indispensable in a consensus model of the first steps of the AOP, and which cell types are optional or desired when there is the possibility to create a more complex cell model. A model of these first key aspects of the AOP can be used to study the gut epithelial translocation behavior of known hypo‐ and hyperallergens, juxtaposed to the transport behavior of novel proteins as a first screen for risk management of dietary proteins. Indeed, this disquisition forms a basis for the development of a future consensus model of the allergic sensitization cascade, comprising also the other key events (KE2‐5).
Exploring a hospital's response to children who have no fixed address
Authors: Booth Sarah , Azzopardi Elysia , Nguyen Kim
Published: December 2022

Objective

To explore how a tertiary metropolitan public healthcare provider supported children who presented with ‘no fixed address’ (NFA).

Methods

A retrospective data mining of the electronic medical records of patients with an NFA classification, over 12 months period.

Results

Data mining identified 475 NFA patients, 6% were children. Of the children with NFA, 96% attended the ED only; 10% were referred internally for psychosocial support; 34% had existing psychosocial services; 69% had no recorded discharge location; and 48% self‐discharged prior to assessment.

Conclusion

The hospital system did not effectively identify or respond to the psychosocial needs of children with NFA.
Explaining the Unintended Consequences of Management Control Systems: Managerial Cognitions and Inertia in the Case of Nokia Mobile Phones*
Authors: Malmi Teemu , Kolehmainen Katja , Granlund Markus
Published: December 2022

Management control systems (MCS) have been known to produce unintended, dysfunctional consequences. However, relatively little is known about how MCS can contribute to the inertia and even decline of a firm. Our analysis in the abductive mode was triggered by a surprising case study observation that although Nokia Mobile Phones (NMP) certainly had many capabilities that could have facilitated a timely response to disruptive environmental change, this did not happen. In developing an explanation for this, we draw on the managerial cognitions literature, showing how the cognitions at NMP, developed in the era of organizational success, became embedded in its MCS. This embeddedness, in turn, intensified existing cognitions. As the cognitions became less accurate over time, the once effective MCS started to cause various inertial effects, such as suboptimal and slow decision‐making. We contribute to the literature on the dysfunctional consequences of MCS by theorizing how MCS can contribute to inertia via cognitions in two ways: first, by reinforcing prevailing cognitions and hence preventing management from realizing a need for change; and second, by moderating the impact cognitions have on actions by delaying actions based on renewed cognitions. Both ways may be fatal, especially in hyper‐competitive contexts.
Alcohol withdrawal produces changes in excitability, population discharge probability, and seizure threshold
Authors: Alberto Gregory E. , Klorig David C. , Goldstein Allison T. , Godwin Dwayne W.
Published: December 2022

Background

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) results from the sudden cessation of chronic alcohol use and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Alcohol withdrawal‐induced central nervous system (CNS) hyperexcitability results from complex, compensatory changes in synaptic efficacy and intrinsic excitability. These changes in excitability counteract the depressing effects of chronic ethanol on neural transmission and underlie symptoms of AWS, which range from mild anxiety to seizures and death. The development of targeted pharmacotherapies for treating AWS has been slow, due in part to the lack of available animal models that capture the key features of human AWS. Using a unique optogenetic method of probing network excitability, we examined electrophysiologic correlates of hyperexcitability sensitive to early changes in CNS excitability. This method is sensitive to pharmacologic treatments that reduce excitability and may represent a platform for AWS drug development.

Methods

We applied a newly developed method, the optogenetic population discharge threshold (oPDT), which uses light intensity response curves to measure network excitability in chronically implanted mice. Excitability was tracked using the oPDT before, during, and after the chronic intermittent exposure (CIE) model of alcohol withdrawal (WD).

Results

Alcohol withdrawal produced a dose‐dependent leftward shift in the oPDT curve (denoting increased excitability), which was detectable in as few as three exposure cycles. This shift in excitability mirrored an increase in the number of spontaneous interictal spikes during withdrawal. In addition, Withdrawal lowered seizure thresholds and increased seizure severity in optogenetically kindled mice.

Conclusion

We demonstrate that the oPDT provides a sensitive measure of alcohol withdrawal‐induced hyperexcitability. The ability to actively probe the progression of excitability without eliciting potentially confounding seizures promises to be a useful tool in the preclinical development of next‐generation pharmacotherapies for AWS.
Regional pain relief with focused cooling of peripheral nerves
Authors: Shah Aakash M.
Published: December 2022

Opioids are an effective remedy for pain control, but their detrimental side effects are prompting the development of less systemic and addictive options. A team from Pusan National University has developed an implant capable of precisely desensitizing peripheral nerves with temperature regulation. The device employs microfluidic technology.
Settlement of a stable wolf pack in a highly anthropic area of Pisan hills: Relationship with animal husbandry and hunting in a human–wolf coexistence perspective
Authors: Coppola Francesca , Baldanti Samuele , Di Rosso Alessia , Vecchio Giuseppe , Casini Lucia , Russo Claudia , Lucchini Vittorio , Boni Chiara Benedetta , Malasoma Michele , Gabbani Cosimo , Felicioli Antonio
Published: December 2022

Anthropic areas play a pivot role for main wolf conservation challenges. Wolf presence in the higher Pisan hills has been well documented while wolf settlement in the lower Pisan hills is still uncertain. In this study, long‐term information on wolf presence in a highly anthropic area of the lower Pisan hills was collected by using non‐invasive monitoring techniques. Furthermore, both the relationship of this predator with human activity and the impact of hunting on wolf presence have been investigated. The results obtained indicate the presence of a stable and reproductive wolf pack composed by both Italian wolf and hybrids individuals in the municipalities of Crespina Lorenzana and Casciana Terme Lari. A high impact of wolf on livestock was recorded in this area since no prevention systems were adopted by farmers. Wolf appears not to have a negative impact on wild boar population. Similarly, wild boar drive hunting does not appear to affect the wolf pack presence in the area. Thereby wolf may play a key role as controller of wild population. Prevention strategies improvement becomes instrumental to promote wolf–human coexistence. Further investigation to monitor pack hybridization level and turnover and to assess the impact of packs on wild population and livestock in anthropic areas is desirable.
Mansoor's Self‐Report Tool for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment predicts adverse in‐hospital events in patients with pulmonary embolism
Authors: Keller Karsten , Schmitt Volker H. , Ostad Mir A. , Münzel Thomas , Hobohm Lukas , Espinola‐Klein Christine
Published: December 2022

Background

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life‐threatening acute disease accompanied by high morbidity and mortality. Regarding hospitalizations of patients with PE, risk stratification of these patients is crucial. Thus, risk stratification tools like risk scores are of key interest.

Methods

The nationwide German inpatient sample of the years 2005–2018 was used for this present analysis. Hospitalized PE patients were stratified according to Mansoor's Self‐Report Tool for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment class, and the performance of this score was evaluated to predict adverse in‐hospital events.

Results

Overall, 1 174 196 hospitalizations of PE patients (53.5% females; 56.4% ≥70 years) were registered in Germany between 2005 and 2018. According to the Mansoor's self‐report tool for cardiovascular risk assessment, 346 126 (29.5%) PE patients were classified as high risk.

Higher Mansoor's Self‐Report Tool for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment class was predictive for in‐hospital death (OR 1.129 [95%CI 1.117–1.141], P < 0.001), shock (OR 1.117 [95%CI 1.095–1.140], P < 0.001), cardiopulmonary resuscitation (OR 1.109 [95%CI 1.092–1.126], P < 0.001), right ventricular dysfunction (OR 1.039 [95%CI 1.030–1.048], P < 0.001), intracerebral bleeding (OR 1.316 [95%CI 1.275–1.358], P < 0.001), and gastro‐intestinal bleeding (OR 1.316 [95%CI 1.275–1.358], P < 0.001). Systemic thrombolysis was not associated with lower in‐hospital mortality in high‐risk class (OR 5.139 [95%CI 4.961–5.323], P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Prognostic performance of the Mansoor's Self‐Report Tool for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment for risk stratification of PE patients was poor and not able to identify those PE patients, who might benefit from systemic thrombolysis. However, the Mansoor's Self‐Report Tool for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment was moderately helpful to identify PE patients at higher risk for bleeding events.
Pancreatoblastoma in an elderly woman: A case report simulating a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour with emphasis on cytomorphological features
Authors: Saoud Carla , Wu Annie A. , Fishman Elliot K. , Hruban Ralph H. , Ali Syed Z.
Published: December 2022

Pancreatoblastoma (PB), a rare malignant epithelial neoplasm, is the most common pancreatic neoplasm of childhood. It is exceptionally rare in the adult population and its occurrence is limited to case reports. Although the neoplastic cells of PB can have a number of different directions of differentiation, PB is defined by the combination of neoplastic cells with acinar differentiation and squamoid morules. We report a case of a female patient in her 70s who presented with elevated creatinine level, concerning a kidney disorder, and was found to have an abdominal mass on CT scan. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) showed cellular smears with numerous 3‐dimentional clusters of acinar cells and scattered squamoid morules. A cell block showed sheets of cells, some of which formed acini. Numerous squamoid morules were noted and were highlighted by nuclear labelling with antibodies to B‐catenin in the cell block. The FNA diagnosis was rendered as “carcinoma with acinar differentiation, favour pancreatoblastoma.” Subsequent histological findings confirmed the PB diagnosis. Next generation sequencing detected a CTNNB1 mutation. Given the wide usage of FNA in the preoperative diagnosis of pancreatic masses, the cytopathologist needs to be aware of the morphological features of PB and its cytological differential diagnosis, even in an elderly patient. The differential diagnosis includes acinar cell carcinoma, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour, and solid pseudopapillary neoplasm. In conclusion, the cytological finding of neoplastic cells with acinar differentiation combined with squamous morules and/or mesenchymal elements in the smears and more commonly in the cell blocks appears to be the most specific finding for the diagnosis of PB.
Selective responding to human ostensive communication is an early developing capacity of domestic dogs
Authors: Byosiere Sarah‐Elizabeth , Mundry Roger , Range Friederike , Virányi Zsófia
Published: December 2022

Ostensive communication, communication motivated not only by an informative intention, but also by an intention to make this informative intention overt, is thought to be restricted to human signalers and to rely on metacognitive skills. On the receiver side, human infants and dogs have been found to selectively respond to human ostensive communication, even if it remains unclear whether they are able to discern the underlying intentions. At present only animals with extensive experiences with humans have demonstrated a response to human attention calling, suggesting that this sensitivity may be an exaptation of communicative skills allowing for context‐specific responding to intraspecific signals. We investigated whether dogs could respond to subtle cues of ostension without clear attention‐calling and how this skill varies across age and with different human‐given signals. Using a two‐way object choice task, we evaluated whether dogs of different ages followed, with their gaze and with their choices, ostensive human pointing and gaze more than a formally similar but non‐ostensive gesture and a directional gaze cue. Dogs followed pointing more than gaze, and older dogs followed the directional cues more accurately than younger dogs. Independent of cue type, we found that dogs of all ages responded to human ostensive signals more than similar directional cues motivated by no communicative intention. Given that dogs are sensitive to subtle cues of ostensive communication from an early age, and that this does not appear to change with age, we suggest that living close to humans may have selected for this skill.

Research Highlights

Like human infants, dogs followed human ostensive cues more than non‐ostensive cues both by their approach behavior and their differential looking behavior.

Dogs differentiated between ostensive and non‐ostensive human cues from an early age on, without their attention having been called explicitly in advance.

Dogs followed human‐given pointing cues more than human‐given gaze cues, independent of age or intention (ostensive or non‐ostensive).

The early developing sensitivity of dogs to human ostension suggests that living close to humans may have selected for this skill.
On Problematic Situations and Problematizations: Study Practices and the Pragmatics of a World to‐Be‐Made
Authors: Schildermans Hans
Published: December 2022

In this article, Hans Schildermans suggests practices of study as a way for universities to respond to socio‐ecological questions, issues, and problems related to the Anthropocene. He elaborates the concept of study practices by drawing on traditional pragmatic notions, such as problematic situation and problematization, as these are articulated in John Dewey's theory of inquiry. Prompted by concerns about the closed problem–solution nexus, as well as questions concerning the (egological) worldview underlying this theory, Schildermans aims to reread these ideas through the lens of contemporary authors such as Isabelle Stengers. In doing so, he articulates the educational dynamics of practices of study that address problematic situations, with specific attention to matters of educational futurity. In other words, centrally important to this analysis is the question of how these practices of study participate in a world in‐the‐making by activating possible futures — or, to formulate it somewhat differently, how practices of study give shape to a pragmatics of a world to‐be‐made
Behavioral responses of two small‐sized rodents, Phyllotis vaccarum and Abrothrix andina, to energy challenges of high‐altitude habitats in the Andes Mountains
Authors: Ruperto Emmanuel Fabián , Menéndez Josefina , Taraborelli Paula Andrea , Scattolón Federico Omar , Sassi Paola Lorena
Published: December 2022

In mountain environments, both temperature and food availability vary strongly with altitude, leading to a major challenge to the thermo‐energetic balance of organisms. In this sense, the behavioral repertoire is crucial for animals' adequacy because it implies a short‐term response in the face of environmental changes. In this paper, we explored the behavioral versatility of Phyllotis vaccarum and Abrothrix andina (Rodentia: Cricetidae), two of the mammal species with the highest altitudinal distribution worldwide. By radiotelemetry, we analyzed the activity pattern, home range, and microhabitat selection in populations of both species inhabiting at 2300 and 3100 m altitude in the Central Andes of Argentina. We found that A. andina was diurnal at 3100 m and cathemeral at 2300 m a.s.l., while P. vaccarum was nocturnal at both elevations. Moreover, home range size was larger in A. andina males at 3100 m in contrast to females at identical altitude and males at 2300 m; while, in P. vaccarum, there were no differences according to altitude or sex. Furthermore, we recorded a complex and species‐specific microhabitat selection pattern at different altitudes. Finally, the magnitude of behavioral variability was higher in A. andina than in P. vaccarum for all the traits analyzed. These results are discussed with emphasis on the impact of behavioral traits and their plasticity for species adequacy in high‐altitude environments.
Valorization of different landrace and commercial sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) straw varieties by anaerobic digestion
Authors: de la Lama‐Calvente David , Fernández‐Rodríguez María José , Gandullo Jacinto , Desena Irene , de la Osa Clara , Feria Ana Belén , Jiménez‐Rodríguez Antonia , Borja Rafael
Published: December 2022

To reduce the impact on the environment and enhance the sustainability of resources, it is necessary to promote and strengthen the use of landrace cultivars that advocate regenerative agriculture. In this study, the growth and development as well as the anaerobic digestion (AD) of six different landrace cultivars, two commercial hybrids cultivars and a public genotype of Sorghum bicolor have been evaluated. The landrace cultivars, in general, presented greater heights, biomass yields and compactness shoots as well as similar or an improvement in grain production compare to the commercial varieties. The AD of the different sorghum straws was performed in batch mode at mesophilic temperature (35°C). The landrace cultivar Zahina (ZH) obtained the highest final methane yield (413 ± 79 NL CH4 kg−1 VS, volatile solids) but the landrace cultivars Zahina gigante (ZHG) and Trigomillo (TG) were the ones that obtained the highest methane per biomass production (13.7 and 12.7 NL CH4 shoot unit−1, respectively). By contrast, the commercial varieties were the ones that obtained the lowest methane yields. Two mathematical models, first‐order kinetics and the Transference Function model, were used to fit the experimental data with the aim of describing and simulating the anaerobic biodegradation of these S. bicolor straw varieties and obtaining the kinetic constants. Both models allowed for adequately fitting the experimental results of methane production with time. In particular, the fastest biomethanization occurred using the commercial variety PR88Y20 (PR88) (specific rate constant k = 0.148 ± 0.008 days−1), while the slowest one was obtained from Panizo (PAN) variety (k = 0.064 ± 0.005 days−1). In addition, the highest values of the maximum methane production rate, Rm, were attained for the varieties ZH and PR88, which were 87.1% and 71.3% higher than that achieved for the PAN variety, which exhibited the lowest value.
Island life accelerates geographic radiation in the white‐eyes (Zosteropidae)
Authors: Vinciguerra Nicholas T. , Oliveros Carl H. , Moyle Robert G. , Andersen Michael J.
Published: December 2022

White‐eyes are an iconic avian radiation of small passerines that are mainly distributed across the eastern hemisphere tropics and subtropics. Species diversity of white‐eyes is particularly high on oceanic islands, and many species are restricted to single islands or island groups. The high rate of species diversification of white‐eyes ranks them among the fastest radiations known in birds, but whether their accelerated diversification was the result of repeatedly colonizing islands remains unexplored. We used a newly estimated timetree for nearly all zosteropids and phylogenetic comparative methods to estimate and compare diversification rates between island and continental lineages. We show that island white‐eyes have similar extinction rates, yet higher speciation rates compared with continental white‐eyes. In addition, we find higher rates of transitions from islands to continents. Our results show the importance of islands, such as Wallacean and Melanesian archipelagos of the Indo‐Pacific, in facilitating high rates of speciation within this remarkable clade.
A novel, fixed‐dose calcipotriol and betamethasone dipropionate cream for the topical treatment of plaque psoriasis: Direct and indirect evidence from phase 3 trials discussed at the 30thEADV Congress 2021
Authors: Pinter Andreas , Gold Linda Stein , Reich Adam , Green Lawrence J. , Praestegaard Morten , Selmer Johan , Armstrong April W. , Danø Anne , Dhawan Sunil , Galván Jordi , Stallknecht Sandra E. , Trebbien Paw , Augustin Matthias
Published: December 2022

Four posters about the novel, fixed‐dose calcipotriol and betamethasone dipropionate cream (CAL/BDP cream) based on Poly‐Aphron Dispersion (PAD) Technology were presented at the 30th European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2021 and are summarized here. CAL/BDP cream was compared in two randomized, phase 3 trials to vehicle and active comparator (CAL/BDP gel/topical suspension [TS]) in adults with plaque psoriasis (NCT03802344 and NCT03308799). Pooled data from both trials demonstrated significant greater efficacy in favour of CAL/BDP cream for all efficacy endpoints, including PGA treatment success, mPASI, and mPASI75 compared to CAL/BDP gel/TS. CAL/BDP cream was well tolerated and comparable to CAL/BDP gel/TS with no adverse drug reactions with a frequency >1%. In the NCT03308799 study, CAL/BDP cream demonstrated a substantial improvement in the proportion of participants achieving a minimum 4‐point improvement on the peak pruritus numeric rating scale (NRS) score compared with vehicle at Weeks 1, 4 and 8. CAL/BDP cream also improved quality of life (QoL), as assessed through the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and the EQ‐VAS at Week 8 compared with active comparator. Treatment convenience of CAL/BDP cream, as measured by the Psoriasis Treatment Convenience Scale, was superior to CAL/BDP gel/TS at all studied timepoints, including questions addressing formulation's greasiness and overall treatment satisfaction. Finally, an indirect comparison following the Bucher's method of adjusted indirect comparison and the difference‐in‐differences method was conducted to compare CAL/BDP cream and CAL/BDP foam, as both therapies have been compared to CAL/BDP gel/TS. Indirect evidence showed that treatment with CAL/BDP cream was associated with a trend for greater QoL improvement than CAL/BDP foam when DLQI improvement was assessed at the recommended treatment duration of 8 weeks for CAL/BDP cream and 4 weeks for CAL/BDP foam. CAL/BDP cream was statistically superior versus CAL/BDP foam in four out of five treatment satisfaction domains.
Tomato detection based on convolutional neural network for robotic application
Authors: Liu Shihui , Zhai Binliang , Zhang Jiantao , Yang Leping , Wang Jiaze , Huang Ke , Liu Mingyue
Published: December 2022

The development of agricultural robots and the promotion of agricultural production automation are important means to alleviate the shortage of agricultural labor. Fruit and vegetable detection is a prerequisite for accurate harvesting by robots. It directly determines the efficiency and quality of harvesting operations. In order to meet the requirements of target positioning and recognition of tomato harvesting robots, this paper studies tomato recognition technology based on YOLOv3 convolutional neural network algorithm. And the tomato detection process of the YOLOv3 model is presented. The YOLOv3 model training dataset is constructed based on greenhouse tomato plants. The test results show that the model based on the YOLOv3 convolutional neural network has a better detection effect.