bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analyzing the challenges of e-waste management practices in India during COVID-19
Authors: Trivedi Vibha , Pandey Krishan Kumar , Trivedi Ashish
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This paper is aimed at analyzing the inter-contextual relationships among the factors that led to inadequate management of electronic and electrical waste (WEEE) during COVID-19 using a subjective perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

Grey sets and a Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL)-based approach has been employed to identify the causal association of intertwined WEEE management barriers.

Findings

Results reveal the lack of implementation of the legislative framework, extended producer responsibility and lesser corporate initiatives are some of the most challenging WEEE management challenges during the current pandemic.

Practical implications

The findings of the study would enable stakeholders of WEEE management toward building resilient policies and effective implementation plans during as well as post-crisis situations.

Originality/value

COVID-19 led challenges related to healthcare waste have attracted a significant amount of scholarly attention, but there has been lesser attention toward e-waste management challenges during the pandemic. Negligence toward e-waste management can pose threats to the environment as well as human well-being.
Neighbours consistently influence tree growth and survival in a frequently burned open oak landscape
Authors: Davis Mark A. , Condit Richard
Published: May 2022

Successful management of fire‐prone woody ecosystems is challenging and requires knowledge of the spatial arrangement of the trees and how the tree distribution patterns influence the nature and consequences of subsequent fires.

In open tree landscapes, trees are often aggregated, and the ability of trees within the clumps to survive fires plays a significant role in determining subsequent landscape dynamics. If positive interactions exist among neighbouring trees, this will help maintain the patterns of clumped trees. However, the tree‐aggregated landscape will continue to exist only if the positive neighbour interactions persist consistently over time. In cases where disturbances are episodic, detecting these interactions is only possible through long‐term studies.

Data reported here are from a 25‐year study involving the annual tree censusing of a large grid‐plot in a frequently burned open oak landscape dominated by Quercus macrocarpa and Quercus ellipsoidallis. The results showed that while having neighbours reduced tree growth, neighbours consistently facilitated survival, irrespective as to whether the neighbours were conspecifics or heterospecifics. Trees of all sizes in close proximity to neighbours were considerably more likely to survive fire throughout the study. This neighbour facilitation is likely the result of a reduction of both herbaceous and woody fuel within clumps.

Synthesis. This is the first study to document consistent neighbour facilitation among trees experiencing repeated stressors over an extended time period. Our findings support the literature documenting positive neighbour effects among plants in stressful and highly disturbed environments, in accordance with the stress‐gradient hypothesis. While aggregated tree regeneration is typically viewed as the primary cause for the development of tree clumps in fire‐prone ecosystems, our study showed that aggregated tree survival, by itself, can also be an important driver of post‐fire tree clumping. Our results support the growing literature emphasizing the importance of landscape heterogeneity as a driver of resilience in fire‐prone tree ecosystems, and the value of maintaining or creating this heterogeneity during forest management.
Idea paper: Trophic transmission as a potential mechanism underlying the distribution of parasite diversity in food webs
Authors: Liu Wei‐Chung , Chen Hsuan‐Wien
Published: May 2022

Parasites are ubiquitous and constitute a substantial amount of natural biomass. Host species differ greatly in how many parasite species they harbor. In this idea paper, we ask what may cause the distribution of parasite diversity in an ecosystem. Since host species interact trophically in a food web and parasites are often transmitted along trophic links, we argue that trophic transmission can be a potential mechanism for explaining parasite diversity distribution. We propose a modeling framework for investigating this issue. The feasibility of our idea is demonstrated by fitting a simulation model to data derived from the Carpinteria ecosystem. Our preliminary analysis suggests that a model with trophic transmission is able to produce parasite diversity distribution similar to the empirical data better than a model without trophic transmission can. We also discuss possible extensions of our preliminary work for future research.
e‐Evidence Cooperation in Criminal Matters from an EU Perspective
Authors: Rojszczak Marcin
Published: May 2022

For several years there has been debate among EU Member States on the need to regulate cross‐border access to electronic data used as evidence in criminal proceedings and how best to do this. The existing model of cooperation, based mainly on bilateral agreements, appears dysfunctional and is perceived by many as a barrier to effectively combatting rising cross‐border crime. In response, work has begun on several new legal mechanisms, most importantly the draft e‐Evidence Regulation from the European Commission and a proposal to extend the Convention on Cybercrime – already in operation for almost 20 years – with an additional new protocol. At the same time, the United States has proposed its own model of cooperation, arising from the CLOUD Act. This article discusses the current state of play and the expected shape of future regulations – in terms of both facilitating law enforcement cooperation and clarifying obligations imposed on digital service providers.
Cryoglobulinemia and double‐filtration plasmapheresis: Personal experience and literature review
Authors: Naciri Bennani Hamza , Banza Augustin Twite , Terrec Florian , Noble Johan , Jouve Thomas , Motte Lionel , Malvezzi Paolo , Rostaing Lionel
Published: May 2022

Background

Cryoglobulinemia is defined as the presence of an abnormal immunoglobulin that may be responsible for vasculitis of small‐caliber vessels. Apheresis can be used in order to temporarily eliminate circulating cryoglobulins. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of apheresis (double‐filtration plasmapheresis‐DFPP‐) in symptomatic and/or severe cryoglobulinemias.

Methods

Four male patients presenting cryoglobulinemic vasculitis and who received DFPP sessions were included.

Results

Their mean age was 57 ± 15 years. One patient had hepatitis‐C virus (HCV)‐related cryoglobulinemia and the other three patients were carriers of an IgM Kappa monoclonal gammopathy. Mean duration of follow‐up was 15 ± 2 months. DFPP allowed healing of ulcerative skin lesions in the first patient and remission of nephrotic syndrome in the other patients after a median of 6(5–10) sessions.

Conclusion

DFPP can be used safely in cryoglobulinemic‐vasculitis and can be considered early to achieve a faster and sustained clinical‐biological response.
Police body‐worn camera policies as democratic deficits? Comparing public support for policy alternatives
Authors: Bromberg Daniel E. , Faubert Camille , Charbonneau Étienne
Published: May 2022

Research Summary

Policies that govern the use of body‐worn cameras (BWCs) by police vary widely between American cities. However, it is currently unclear whether citizen preferences for these policies vary in a similar manner. More specifically, do BWC policies reflect citizen preferences or are existing policies disfavored by a majority of the public? To investigate these questions, we randomly sampled 1000 respondents for each of the three representative metropolitan areas, Los Angeles, CA; Seattle, WA; and Charlotte, NC, in addition to a further 1000 Americans across the country to inquire about policy preferences. We found that most respondents prefer the BWC policies recommended by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to those currently implemented in their regional police departments. In other words, elements of the BWC policies in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Charlotte do not reflect residents’ preferences.

Policy Implications

The policy stating that footage access should be given to parents of minors, a deceased subject's family members, or anyone filmed in an encounter, a model promoted by ACLU, is a clear favorite in the United States at large, but also in the three cities we studied. The policy stating that footage access should not be given to superior officers to find disciplinary infractions, also backed by the ACLU, is less popular among Americans at large and residents of Seattle. Beyond the high support for BWCs within the American population, decision makers need to make sure that the policies that govern the use of this tool respect democratic principles. Therefore, the voice of citizens needs to be heard to avoid a democratic deficit.
The impact of prenatal alcohol exposure on gray matter volume and cortical surface area of 2 to 3‐year‐old children in a South African birth cohort
Authors: Subramoney Sivenesi , Joshi Shantanu H. , Wedderburn Catherine J. , Lee David , Roos Annerine , Woods Roger P. , Zar Heather J. , Narr Katherine L. , Stein Dan J. , Donald Kirsten A.
Published: May 2022

Background

There is a growing literature that demonstrates the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on brain development in school‐aged children. Less is known, however, on how PAE impacts the brain early in life. We investigated the effects of PAE and child sex on subcortical gray matter volume, cortical surface area (CSA), cortical volume (CV), and cortical thickness (CT) in children aged 2 to 3 years.

Methods

The sample was recruited as a nested cross‐sectional substudy of the Drakenstein Child Health Study. Images from T1‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging were acquired on 47 alcohol‐exposed and 124 control children (i.e., with no or minimal alcohol exposure), aged 2 to 3 years, some of whom were scanned as neonates. Brain images were processed through automated processing pipelines using FreeSurfer version 6.0. Subcortical and a priori selected cortical regions of interest were compared.

Results

Subcortical volume analyses revealed a PAE by child sex interaction for bilateral putamen volumes (Left: p = 0.02; Right: p = 0.01). There was no PAE by child sex interaction effect on CSA, CV, and CT. Analyses revealed an impact of PAE on CSA (p = 0.04) and CV (p = 0.04), but not CT in this age group. Of note, the inferior parietal gyrus CSA was significantly smaller in children with PAE compared to control children.

Conclusions

Findings from this subgroup scanned at age 2 to 3 years build on previously described subcortical volume differences in neonates from this cohort. Findings suggest that PAE persistently affects gray matter development through the critical early years of life. The detectable influence of PAE on brain structure at this early age further highlights the importance of brain imaging studies on the impact of PAE on the young developing brain.
Primary cutaneous Rosai–Dorfman–Destombes disease with features mimicking IgG4‐related disease: A challenging case report and literature review
Authors: Zghal Mouna , Makni Saadia , Saguem Ines , Karra Amir , Graja Soumaya , Gouiaa Naourez , Sellami Tahya , Mellouli Manel
Published: May 2022

Rosai–Dorfman–Destombes disease (RDD) is a rare histiocytic disorder affecting lymph nodes as well as extranodal sites. Although cutaneous involvement in RDD is common, primary cutaneous RDD is a distinct and not well‐documented entity with unknown aetiology and non‐specific clinicopathological features. We report a case of a 57‐year‐old patient, who presented with an indolent skin nodule in the left sub‐nipple area. Surgical excision was performed. Histological examination concluded to the diagnosis of cutaneous RDD with histological features mimicking IgG4‐related disease. The diagnosis of systemic RDD with cutaneous involvement was ruled out after exclusion of extracutaneous involvement. No recurrence or systemic progression was observed during follow‐up. The diagnosis of primary cutaneous RDD is very uncommon and hence is challenging for pathologist and dermatologist especially with features of IgG4‐related disease. Careful systemic and microscopic examinations help in establishing the appropriate diagnosis.
Development and an initial validation of the Responses to Illness Severity Quantification (RISQ) score for severely malnourished children
Authors: Dale Nancy M. , Ashir Garba Mohammed , Maryah Lawan Bukar , Shepherd Susan , Tomlinson George , Briend André , Zlotkin Stanley , Parshuram Christopher
Published: May 2022

Aim

To develop and perform an initial validation of a score to measure the severity of illness in hospitalised children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

Methods

A prospective study enrolled SAM children aged 6–59 months hospitalised in Borno State, Nigeria. Candidate items associated with inpatient mortality were combined and evaluated as candidate scores. Clinical and statistical methods were used to identify a preferred score.

Results

The 513 children enrolled had a mean age of 15.6 months of whom 48 (9%) died. Seven of the 10 evaluated items were significantly associated with mortality. Five different candidate scores were tested. The final score, Responses to Illness Severity Quantification (RISQ), included seven items: heart rate, respiratory rate, respiratory effort, oxygen saturation, oxygen delivery, temperature and level of consciousness. The mean RISQ score on admission was 2.6 in hospital survivors and 7.3 for children dying <48 h. RISQ scores <24 h before death had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.93. The RISQ score performed similarly across differing clinical conditions with AUROCs 0.77–0.98 for all conditions except oedema.

Conclusion

The RISQ score can identify high‐risk malnourished children at and during hospital admission. Clinical application may help prioritise care and potentially improve survival.
Hang up on stereotypes: Domestic violence and an anti‐abuse helpline campaign
Authors: Colagrossi Marco , Deiana Claudio , Geraci Andrea , Giua Ludovica
Published: May 2022

We estimate the effectiveness of a government‐led anti‐domestic‐abuse campaign launched in the midst of the covid‐19 pandemic on the number of calls to the Italian domestic violence helpline. In the week after the start of the campaign, we document a sharp increase in the number of calls. By exploiting geographical variation in the exposure to the campaign ads aired on public TV networks, we find that greater exposure is associated with an increase in the number of calls after the launch of the campaign. However, the effectiveness of the media campaign is hindered in areas where gender stereotypes are stronger.
Hoxb5 reprogrammes murine multipotent blood progenitors into haematopoietic stem cell‐like cells
Authors: Huang Dehao , Zhao Qianhao , Zhang Mengyun , Weng Qitong , Zhang Qi , Wang Kaitao , Dong Fang , Cheng Hui , Hu Fangxiao , Wang Jinyong
Published: May 2022

Objectives

The expression of transcription factor Hoxb5 specifically marks the functional haematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in mice. However, our recent work demonstrated that ectopic expression of Hoxb5 exerted little effect on HSC but could convert B‐cell progenitors into functional T cells in vivo. Thus, cell type‐ and development stage‐specific roles of Hoxb5 in haematopoietic hierarchy await more extensive exploration. In this study, we aim to investigate the effect of Hoxb5 expression in multipotent blood progenitor cells.

Materials and Methods

A Mx1cre/RosaLSL‐Hoxb5‐EGFP/+ mouse model was used to evaluate the effect of Hoxb5 expression in blood multipotent progenitor cells (MPP). Golden standard serial transplantation experiments were used to test the long‐term haematopoiesis potential of Hoxb5‐expressing MPP. Single‐cell RNA‐seq analysis was used to characterize the gained molecular features of Hoxb5‐expressing MPP and to compare with the global transcriptome features of natural adult HSC and fetal liver HSC (FL HSC).

Results

Here, with a mouse strain engineered with conditional expression of Hoxb5, we unveiled that induced expression of Hoxb5 in MPP led to the generation of a de novo Sca1+c‐kit+CD11b+CD48+ (CD11b+CD48+SK) cell type, which can repopulate long‐term multilineage haematopoiesis in serial transplantations. RNA‐seq analysis showed that CD11b+CD48+SK cells exhibited acquired features of DNA replication and cell division.

Conclusions

Our current study uncovers that Hoxb5 can empower MPP with self‐renewal ability and indicates an alternative approach for generating HSC‐like cells in vivo from blood lineage cells.
Knowledge graphs of ethical concerns of cerebral organoids
Authors: Ding Lulu , Xiao Zhenyu , Gong Xia , Peng Yaojin
Published: May 2022

Objectives

The rapid development of cerebral organoid technology and the gradual maturity of cerebral organoids highlight the necessity of foresighted research on relevant ethical concerns. We employed knowledge graphs and conducted statistical analysis with CiteSpace for a comprehensive analysis of the status quo of the research on the ethical concerns of cerebral organoids from a bibliometric perspective.

Materials and Methods

We performed a statistical analysis of published papers on cerebral organoid ethics, keyword co‐occurrence graph, literature co‐citation and knowledge clustering graph to examine the status of the ethics research, internal relationship between technological development and ethical research, and ethical concerns of the academia. Finally, we used a keyword time zone graph and related statistics to analyze and predict the trends and popular topics of future cerebral organoids ethics research.

Results

We demonstrated that although the ethical concerns of cerebral organoids have long been discussed, it was not until 2017 that the ethical issues began to receive more attention, when cerebral organoids were gradually mimicking the human brain more closely and increasingly being combined with chimera research. The recent key ethical concerns are primarily divided into three categories: concerns that are common in life sciences, specific to cerebral organoids, and present in cross‐fields. These increasing ethical concerns are inherently related to the continual development of technology. The analysis pointed out that future research should focus on the ethical concerns of consciousness that are unique to cerebral organoids, ethical concerns of cross‐fields, and construction and improvement of legislative and regulatory systems.

Conclusions

Although research on cerebral organoids can benefit the biomedicine field, the relevant ethical concerns are significant and have received increasing attention, which are inherently related to the continual development of technology. Future studies in ethics regarding cerebral organoid research should focus on the ethical concerns of consciousness, and cross‐fields, as well as the improvement of regulatory systems.
Dynamics of the dyad: How mothers and infants co‐construct interaction spaces during object play
Authors: Schneider Joshua L. , Roemer Emily J. , Northrup Jessie B. , Iverson Jana M.
Published: May 2022

Studies of dyadic interaction often examine infants’ social exchanges with their caregivers in settings that constrain their physical properties (e.g., infant posture, fixed seating location for infants and adults). Methodological decisions about the physical arrangements of interaction, however, may limit our ability to understand how posture and position shape them. Here we focused on these embodied properties of dyadic interaction in the context of object play. We followed 30 mother–infant dyads across the first year of life (at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months) and observed them during 5 min of play with a standard set of toys. Using an interval‐based coding system, we measured developmental change in infant posture, how mothers and infants positioned themselves relative to one another, and how they populated interaction spaces with objects. Results showed that mother–infant dyads co‐constructed interaction spaces and that the contributions of each partner changed across development. Dyads progressively adopted a broader spatial co‐orientation during play (e.g., positioned at right angles) across the first year. Moreover, advances in infants’ postural skills, particularly increases in the use of independent sitting in real time, uniquely predicted change in dyadic co‐orientation and infants’ actions with objects, independent of age. Taken together, we show that the embodied properties of dyadic object play help determine how interactions are physically organized and unfold, both in real time and across the first year of life.
Tolerability and efficacy of adjunctive brivaracetam in adults with focal seizures by concomitant antiseizure medication use: Pooled results from three phase 3 trials
Authors: Ryvlin Philippe , Dimova Svetlana , Elmoufti Sami , Floricel Florin , Laloyaux Cédric , Nondonfaz Xavier , Biton Victor
Published: May 2022

Objective

This study was undertaken to evaluate safety/tolerability and efficacy of adjunctive brivaracetam (BRV) in patients on one or two concomitant antiseizure medications (ASMs) and in patients on one specific concomitant ASM.

Methods

Post hoc analysis was made of double‐blind trials (N01252/NCT00490035, N01253/NCT00464269, and N01358/NCT01261325) in adults with focal seizures randomized to BRV (50–200 mg/day; approved therapeutic dose range for adults) or placebo with concomitant ASM regimen unchanged throughout a 12‐week evaluation period. Outcomes were analyzed in patients on one or two concomitant ASMs, and those on concomitant carbamazepine (CBZ), lamotrigine (LTG), oxcarbazepine (OXC), or valproate (VPA) only.

Results

Patients randomized to BRV with one or two concomitant ASMs, respectively (n = 181/557), reported similar incidences of treatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAEs; 68.0%/66.4%), drug‐related TEAEs (41.4%/41.5%), and TEAEs leading to discontinuation (6.6%/5.4%). Respective values for patients randomized to placebo with one or two concomitant ASMs (n = 95/331) were 60.0%/60.7% (TEAEs), 32.6%/30.2% (drug‐related TEAEs), and 2.1%/4.5% (TEAEs leading to discontinuation). The incidences of TEAEs, drug‐related TEAEs, and TEAEs leading to discontinuation by specific concomitant ASM (CBZ, LTG, OXC, VPA) were similar to the overall incidences in patients taking one concomitant ASM. In patients on one or two concomitant ASMs, respectively, 50% responder rates were numerically higher on BRV (42.3%/36.8% [n = 175/511]) versus placebo (18.3%/19.5% [n = 93/298]). Patients with one or two ASMs on BRV (n = 175/509) versus placebo (n = 92/298) also had numerically higher 100% responder rates (BRV, 9.1%/4.5%; placebo, 1.1%/.3%) and seizure freedom (6.9%/3.7%; 1.1%/0). For patients taking concomitant CBZ, LTG, OXC, or VPA, efficacy was numerically higher with BRV (n = 54/30/27/27) versus placebo (n = 34/13/10/14–15; 50% responder rates: BRV, 31.5%/30.0%/40.7%/70.4%; placebo, 17.6%/7.7%/20.0%/33.3%; 100% responder rates: BRV, 5.6%/10.0%/11.1%/11.1%; placebo, 0 for all; seizure freedom: BRV, 3.7%/6.7%/7.4%/11.1%; placebo, 0 for all).

Significance

Therapeutic doses of BRV were efficacious and well tolerated regardless of the number of concomitant ASMs (one or two) or specific concomitant ASM (CBZ, LTG, OXC, VPA).
Registries, multicentre and genome‐wide association studies in hidradenitis suppurativa
Authors: Jemec Gregor B. E. , del Marmol Véronique , Bettoli Vincenzo , Augustin Matthias , Prens Errol P. , Zouboulis Christos C.
Published: May 2022

The European Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation (EHSF) e.V. has taken several initiatives for collaborative studies. They result from the data of the European Registry of Hidradenitis Suppurativa (ERHS) based on the knowledge obtained from the regional Northern countries (HISREG) and Italian (IRHIS) registries and the real‐world data generated from claims data from insurance databases. Multicentre studies, such as the Hidradenitis Suppurativa collaborative study of subtypes (HORUS) and the Global Hidradenitis Suppurativa Atlas (GHISA), are planned to provide an ideal complement to the register studies. Most recently, the role of EHSF as a coordinator or key player is being explored in multiple genetic studies, such as a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) and the exome sequencing and cellular/molecular profiling project, which will speed up gene and drug discovery in HS.
Resilient consumers accelerate the plant decomposition in a naturally acidified seagrass ecosystem
Authors: Lee Juhyung , Gambi Maria Cristina , Kroeker Kristy J. , Munari Marco , Peay Kabir , Micheli Fiorenza
Published: May 2022

Anthropogenic stressors are predicted to alter biodiversity and ecosystem functioning worldwide. However, scaling up from species to ecosystem responses poses a challenge, as species and functional groups can exhibit different capacities to adapt, acclimate, and compensate under changing environments. We used a naturally acidified seagrass ecosystem (the endemic Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica) as a model system to examine how ocean acidification (OA) modifies the community structure and functioning of plant detritivores, which play vital roles in the coastal nutrient cycling and food web dynamics. In seagrass beds associated with volcanic CO2 vents (Ischia, Italy), we quantified the effects of OA on seagrass decomposition by deploying litterbags in three distinct pH zones (i.e., ambient, low, extreme low pH), which differed in the mean and variability of seawater pH. We replicated the study in two discrete vents for 117 days (litterbags sampled on day 5, 10, 28, 55, and 117). Acidification reduced seagrass detritivore richness and diversity through the loss of less abundant, pH‐sensitive species but increased the abundance of the dominant detritivore (amphipod Gammarella fucicola). Such compensatory shifts in species abundance caused more than a threefold increase in the total detritivore abundance in lower pH zones. These community changes were associated with increased consumption (52%–112%) and decay of seagrass detritus (up to 67% faster decomposition rate for the slow‐decaying, refractory detrital pool) under acidification. Seagrass detritus deployed in acidified zones showed increased N content and decreased C:N ratio, indicating that altered microbial activities under OA may have affected the decay process. The findings suggest that OA could restructure consumer assemblages and modify plant decomposition in blue carbon ecosystems, which may have important implications for carbon sequestration, nutrient recycling, and trophic transfer. Our study highlights the importance of within‐community response variability and compensatory processes in modulating ecosystem functions under extreme global change scenarios.
Institutional theory‐based research on corporate social responsibility: Bringing values back in
Authors: Risi David , Vigneau Laurence , Bohn Stephan , Wickert Christopher
Published: May 2022

Research applying institutional theory to corporate social responsibility (CSR) has experienced remarkable momentum. Institutional theory‐based CSR research illustrates the role of values in guiding both agentic choices for CSR and the influence of institutional structures on CSR agency. Although values have been explored in this literature, systematic studies of values that seek to gain insights into the mutual relationship between agentic choices and structures are lacking. Such insights are crucial for exploring whether and how CSR is enabled or constrained. We thus ask two interrelated questions: (1) What is the role of values in institutional theory‐based CSR research? (2) How and along which avenues should future institutional theory‐based CSR research that focuses on values be mobilised? Based on our analysis of this line of literature from 1989 until 2021, first, we take stock of established institutional theory perspectives on CSR and disentangle what role values have played in this literature. Second, we outline how to mobilise values in future institutional CSR research based on four promising but under‐investigated areas. From our literature analysis, two central functions emerge (which we label ‘bridging’ and ‘referencing’) that values can perform in the institutional analysis of CSR. Based on these two functions, our values‐focused framework will help scholars examine the moral foundations that inform business–society interactions as well as understand how companies can responsibly manage those interactions with societal stakeholders.
Bi3+/Mn4+ co‐doped dual‐emission phosphors for potential plant lighting
Authors: Wu Sheng , Liu Quan , Brik Mikhail G. , Xiong Puxian , Wang Dong , Zhang Guoxing , Chen Yan
Published: May 2022

Developing environment‐friendly dual‐emission phosphors of both blue–cyan and deep‐red lights is desirable for the utilized indoor plant lighting research. Notably, the naked 6s and 6p Bi3+ ions are sensitive to the lattice sites, which emit from Ultraviolet (UV) to red lights in various crystal compounds. Meanwhile, the 2E → 4A2g transition of Mn4+ ions promises its deep‐red light emissions, which satisfies the demand for specific wavelength lights for plants growth. Hence, a Bi3+/Mn4+ co‐doped Sr2LaGaO5: Bi3+, Mn4+ (SLGO:Bi3+:Mn4+) phosphor was finally synthesized. The phase, micromorphology and luminescent properties were systematically evaluated. Upon excitation at 350 nm light, dual emissions of both blue–cyan (470 nm) and deep‐red (718 nm) lights were observed. Besides, due to the pronounced photoluminescence (PL) spectral overlap between Bi3+ and Mn4+ ions, a potential energy transfer process from Bi3+ to Mn4+ ions was confirmed. The relative PL intensities between Bi3+ and Mn4+ ions can be tuned just by adjusting the Mn4+ ion concentration. Besides, Li+ co‐doping has been evidenced to improve the deep‐red emissions (718 nm) of SLGO:0.005Mn4+ due to charge compensation and rationally designed lattice distortion, together with the improved thermal stability. Finally, the emissions of SLGO:Bi3+, Mn4+, Li+ phosphor suit properly with the absorption of the four fundamental pigments for plant growth, indicating that the prepared phosphorescent materials may have a prospect in plant light‐emitting diodes lighting.
Historical biogeography of the gingers and its implications for shifts in tropical rain forest habitats
Authors: Zhao Jian‐Li , Yu Xiang‐Qin , Kress W. John , Wang Ya‐Li , Xia Yong‐Mei , Li Qing‐Jun
Published: May 2022

Aim

The relationships between biome shifts and global environmental changes in temperate zone habitats have been extensively explored; yet, the historical dynamics of taxa found in the tropical rain forest (TRF) remain poorly known. This study aims to reconstruct the relationships between tropical rain forest shifts and global environmental changes through the patterns of historical biogeography of a pantropical family of monocots, the Zingiberaceae.

Location

Global.

Taxon

Zingiberaceae.

Methods

We sampled DNA sequences (nrITS, trnK, trnL‐trnF and psbA‐trnH) from GenBank for 77% of the genera, including 30% of species, in the Zingiberaceae. Global fossil records of the Zingiberaceae were collected from literatures. Rates of speciation, extinction and diversification were estimated based on phylogenetic data and fossil records through methods implemented in BAMM. Ancestral ranges were estimated using single‐tree BioGeoBEARS and multiple‐trees BioGeoBEARS in RASP. Dispersal rate through time and dispersal rate among regions were calculated in R based on the result of ancestral estimation.

Results

The common ancestor of the Zingiberaceae likely originated in northern Africa during the mid‐Cretaceous, with later dispersal to the Asian tropics. Indo‐Burma, rather than Malesia, was likely a provenance of the common ancestor of Alpinioideae–Zingiberoideae. Several abrupt shifts of evolutionary rates from the Palaeocene were synchronized with sudden global environmental changes.

Main conclusions

Integrating phylogenetic patterns with fossil records suggests that the Zingiberaceae dispersed to Asia through drift of the Indian Plate from Africa in the late Palaeocene. Formation of island chains, land corridors and warming temperatures facilitated the emigration of the Zingiberaceae to a broad distribution across the tropics. Moreover, dramatic fluctuations of the speciation rate of Zingiberoideae appear to have been synchronized with global climate fluctuations. In general, the evolutionary history of the Zingiberaceae broadens our understanding of the association between TRF shifts in distribution and past global environmental changes, especially the origin of TRF in Southeast Asia.
Production of Oscillatoria sp. BTA‐170 biomass in photobioreactor: Analysis of composition, drying behavior, sorption isotherm, and powder flow characteristics
Authors: Sharma Ramesh , Nath Pinku Chandra , Pabbi Sunil , Bandyopadhyay Tarun Kanti , Vanitha Kondi , Mahata Nibedita , Bhunia Biswanath , Tiwari Onkar Nath
Published: May 2022

In this study, Oscillatoria sp. BTA‐170 was grown in a photobioreactor for 15 days, yielding 3.1 g/L of biomass. During the composition analysis of biomass, the moisture, protein, carbohydrate, lipid, and ash contents were found to be 83.27, 6.36, 5.48, 3.79, and 1.1% on a wet basis (w.b), respectively. The tray drying properties of cyanobacterial biomass were investigated at temperatures of 40, 60, and 80°C with constant air velocity of 0.6 m/s. To reduce the moisture content of biomass from 83.27% to <10%, drying time required 2, 12, and 30 hr at 80, 60, and 40°C, respectively. The calculated effective moisture diffusivity of biomass was 5.10 × 10−9, 6.34 × 10−8, and 2.30 × 10−7 m2/s at 40, 60, and 80°C, respectively, and the activation energy was found to be 28.01, 31.04, and 33.27 kJ/mol at 40, 60, and 80°C, respectively. The logarithmic and Henderson and Pabis models showed the highest R2 values of 0.997 and 0.996 at 80°C, respectively, and were thus employed to explain biomass drying characteristics. The drying constant value grew with increasing temperature, with the highest value obtained using the logarithmic model at 80°C being 0.523 (hr−1). The bulk density of biomass powder dried at 80°C was 598.21 kg/m3 and the tapped density was 652.80 kg/m3, with Hausner ratio and Carr index of 1.091 and 8.363, respectively, showing that biomass powder had excellent flow qualities. The dried cyanobacterial biomass is a great source of protein, according to FTIR measurements. Similarly, after selecting four models based on the sorption isotherm, the GAB model was shown to be the best fit to represent the sorption behavior of Oscillatoria sp. BTA‐170 powder.

Practical Applications

The drying characteristics of Oscillatoria sp. BTA‐170 biomass were evaluated using thin‐layer drying models. The primary goal of drying biomass is to remove water from the solids to a point where microorganisms and degradation chemical processes are considerably reduced. The analysis of drying properties aids in the development of a cost‐effective dryer. By hastening the manufacture of biomass powder, the effective design of the drying process helps to decrease time and processing costs. After the drying process, an FTIR analysis can be used to determine the presence of macromolecules. Similarly, sorption isotherm studies were performed to evaluate the safe moisture content of items and to estimate shelf life at a specific temperature and relative humidity.
Polyclonal hen egg yolk antibodies could confer passive protection against Salmonella serotypes in broiler chicks
Authors: Karabasanavar Nagappa , Chakkodabail Benakabhat Madhavaprasad , Agalagandi Gopalakrishna Shilpa , Bagalkote Prashanth S. , Basayya Hiremath Jagadish , Shivanagowda Patil Girish , Krishnan Sivaraman Gopalan , B. Barbuddhe Sukhadeo
Published: May 2022

Non‐typhoidal Salmonella serotypes continue to be major food safety and public health threats worldwide. In the era of emerging antimicrobial resistance, it is imperative to search for alternative strategies of infection control. Present study deals with passive protection of young chicks using polyclonal egg yolk antibodies (IgY). Laying hens were actively immunized with heat inactivated Salmonella serotypes Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotypes S. Enteritidis (SE) and S. Typhimurium (ST) isolated from the poultry. Serotype specific polyclonal IgY isolated from the hen egg yolk were evaluated for in vitro neutralization potential. Chicks challenged with pathogenic SE and ST were evaluated for passive protection that were co‐administered with polyclonal immune IgY. Heat killed antigens (SE/ST) induced protective immune response in the immunized laying hens; and purified immune IgY inhibited the logarithmic phase of Salmonella growth. Administration of egg yolk at 5% (w/w) in the feed containing specific anti‐SE or anti‐ST polyclonal IgY to Salmonella‐challenged chicks resulted in 37.48 and 38.54% reduction in the caecal Salmonella counts. As antimicrobial resistance is emerging as a growing public health problem, findings of this study indicate benefits of prophylactic feeding of egg yolk containing polyclonal IgY for the passive protection of chicks and minimize caecal Salmonella carriage.
Managing Parkinson’s during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Perspectives from people living with Parkinson’s and health professionals
Authors: Soilemezi Dia , Roberts Helen C. , Navarta‐Sánchez Maria Victoria , Kunkel Dorit , Ewings Sean , Reidy Claire , Portillo Mari Carmen
Published: May 2022

Objectives

The aim of this study was to understand how people living with Parkinson's and healthcare professionals perceived their care management and interactions with health services were affected during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Background

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, many governments introduced restrictions and services that support Parkinson's care management had to cease or be delivered remotely. These changes may have had an impact on the well‐being of people living with Parkinson's.

Methods

A qualitative exploratory UK study was carried out. Semi‐structured individual interviews with people living with Parkinson's and health professionals were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using Braun´s and Clarke´s thematic analysis. Eleven patients and 10 health professionals were recruited between April and September 2020. The study was reported using the COREQ.

Results

Two main themes were identified. In the first theme, many patients and professionals reported that the COVID‐19 pandemic made some people living with Parkinson's feel isolated and vulnerable due to disruptions to their social networks and usual activities related to Parkinson's disease care. However, other patients remained connected with their networks. In the second theme, patients and most professionals mentioned that some clinical practices were cancelled, delayed or transformed to remote consultation.

Conclusion

The COVID‐19 restrictions had an impact on how people living with Parkinson's managed their care and in their interactions with healthcare services. Health professionals should assess the risk of vulnerability, social isolation, physical inactivity and confidence with remote consultations in people living with Parkinson's. This might inform a rethinking of existing clinical interactions with people living with Parkinson's towards a flexible, sustainable, person‐centred care model.

Relevance to clinical practice

This study has shown that Parkinson's care management and interactions with healthcare services should provide personalised and flexible support. To meet this challenge, the design of the organisation of health services should include greater involvement of patients and person‐centred care models.
Pareto gains of predonation in monopoly regulation
Authors: Saglam Ismail
Published: May 2022

The revelation principle implies that given any admissible social welfare function, the outcome of Baron and Myerson's (BM) optimal direct‐revelation mechanism under incentive constraints cannot be dominated by any other mechanism in expected utilities. However, since the expected total surplus varies with a change in the social welfare function, Pareto improvements should be possible if the monopolist and consumers can agree, by means of side payments that reveal no additional information to the regulator, on the use of an alternative social welfare function which would generate a lower expected deadweight loss. We check the validity of this intuition by integrating the BM mechanism with an induced cooperative bargaining model where unilateral predonation by consumers or the monopolist is allowed. Under this new mechanism monopolist's predonation in the ex ante stage always leads to ex ante Pareto improvement while a certain amount of it eliminates the expected deadweight loss. Moreover, if optimally designed in the interim stage, the monopolist's predonation may also lead under some cost parameters to interim (and also ex post) Pareto improvement. Consumers, on the other hand, have no incentive to make a unilateral predonation, nor to reverse the optimal predonation of the monopolist.
Corruption and life satisfaction: Evidence from a transition survey
Authors: Andriani Luca , Ashyrov Gaygysyz
Published: May 2022

Fighting corruption cannot lie exclusively on appropriate formal institutions. It also requires social support and public engagement. Particularly in countries under institutional and economic transition. We embrace the recent perspective arguing that higher quality of life conditions makes people better citizens, more civically committed and more conformed to institutional rules. Accordingly, we study whether life satisfaction is a predictor of individuals' corruption aversion across 28 former socialist countries from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. We use data from the third wave of the Life in Transition Survey (2015–2016). 2SLS estimations suggest that individuals reporting higher scores of life satisfaction are more averse to corruption. Our results are robust to a series of sensitivity analyses. Additionally, we estimate predicted values of corruption aversion for different levels of institutional trust across low and high life satisfaction groups. We find that when institutional trust is very low, its impact on corruption aversion does not differ between life satisfaction groups. As institutional trust increases so does corruption aversion and this occurs even more amongst the group of respondents with high life satisfaction.
The educational affordances of external clinician observation of GP trainee consultations
Authors: Sturman Nancy , Fitzmaurice Elizabeth , Waters Erin , Sheldrake Michelle , Lee Cathy
Published: May 2022

Aim

There is widespread agreement about the importance of direct observation of trainee practice by clinical supervisors. Less is known about observation by observers external to the supervisory team. We explored the educational affordances of external observation of GP trainee consultations for educational and assessment purposes, from the perspectives of both observers and trainees.

Method

GP medical educators, who were scheduled to observe sessions of GP trainee consultations, were recruited as participant observers. They completed field notes, reflective memos and a focus group discussion, and conducted post‐observation interviews with trainees, focused on trainee experiences of accessing educational input from supervisors and observers during the sessions. Thematic analysis was guided by constructivist realism and socio‐cultural theory.

Results

A total of 23 observation sessions (131 observed patient consultations), 33 trainee interviews and 23 observer reflections were completed. External observers embraced teaching, coaching and pastoral opportunities, rather than being ‘flies on the wall’, despite also having research and assessment roles. They gained useful insights into the challenges of obtaining and providing in‐consultation supervisory assistance and provided some in‐consultation guidance themselves. Both trainees and observers experienced the sessions as valuable and collegial. Trainees appreciated post‐consultation feedback conversations: topics included consultation challenges, managing uncertainty and variation in clinical practice. Patient expectations and pre‐existing relationships influenced the distinctive interpersonal dynamic of the externally observed consultation.

Conclusions

The educational affordances and interpersonal dynamics of external observation differ from supervisor observation. We recommend wider use in clinical training of observers who cross between educator and clinician communities.
Sexual expression involving people with dementia living in long‐term care facilities: Staff's reactions
Authors: Fonseca Maria Isabel , Almeida Daniela , Martins Ana Paula , Cerqueira Margarida , Villar Feliciano , Martinez de Oliveira José Martinez , Afonso Rosa Marina
Published: May 2022

This study aims to explore and compare the reaction of long‐term care staff towards situations of sexual intercourse in which one or both partners have dementia. Participants were 538 staff members at 28 Portuguese long‐term care facilities. Data were collected using a printed questionnaire with seven vignettes with situations related to the sexuality of LTCF residents. In this study, three of these vignettes were analysed with situations in which residents were having relationships in their bedrooms: (1) one male resident and one female resident; (2) two residents with dementia; (3) two residents, one of them with dementia. For each of the vignettes, participants are asked what they think their ‘colleagues’ would do in each vignette, i.e. ‘What do you think most of your colleagues would do?’ The results revealed that when sexual relationships involved both partners living with dementia, the most selected reaction was ‘Comment on what happened with supervision or direction’, which may suggest that the situation was perceived as difficult or problematic. The most restrictive reactions were most often chosen when only one partner had dementia. This study suggests the need to improve and provide training, so that staff have knowledge and strategies that allow people living with dementia to preserve their sexual rights in long‐term care facilities.