bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Natural Killer Cell Dysfunction In Human Bladder Cancer Is Caused By Tissue-Specific Suppression of SLAMF6 Signaling
Authors: Farkas Adam M. , Youssef Dina , Tran Michelle A. , Balan Sreekumar , Newman Jenna H. , Audenet François , Anastos Harry , Velazquez Leandra G. , Peros Ante , Ananthanarayanan Aparna , Daza Jorge , Gonzalez-Gugel Elena , Sadanala Keerthi , Theorell Jakob , Galsky Matthew D. , Horowitz Amir , Sfakianos John P. , Bhardwaj Nina
Published: May 2024

NK cells are innate lymphocytes critical for surveillance of viruses and tumors, however the mechanisms underlying NK cell dysfunction in cancer are incompletely understood. We assessed the effector function of NK cells from bladder cancer patients and found severe dysfunction in NK cells derived from tumors versus peripheral blood. While both peripheral and tumor-infiltrating NK cells exhibited conserved patterns of inhibitory receptor over-expression, this did not explain the observed defects in NK surveillance in bladder tumors. Rather, TME-specific TGF-β and metabolic perturbations such as hypoxia directly suppressed NK cell function. Specifically, an oxygen-dependent reduction in signaling through SLAMF6 was mechanistically responsible for poor NK cell function, as tumor-infiltrating NK cells culturedex vivounder normoxic conditions exhibited complete restoration of function, while deletion of SLAMF6 abrogated NK cell cytolytic function even under normoxic conditions. Collectively, this work highlights the role of tissue-specific factors in dictating NK cell function, and implicates SLAMF6 signaling as a rational target for immuno-modulation to improve NK cell function in bladder cancer.

Graphical Abstract
ntEmbd: Deep learning embedding for nucleotide sequences
Authors: Hafezqorani Saber , Nip Ka Ming , Birol Inanc
Published: May 2024

Enabled by the explosion of data and substantial increase in computational power, deep learning has transformed fields such as computer vision and natural language processing (NLP) and it has become a successful method to be applied to many transcriptomic analysis tasks. A core advantage of deep learning is its inherent capability to incorporate feature computation within the machine learning models. This results in a comprehensive and machine-readable representation of sequences, facilitating the downstream classification and clustering tasks. Compared to machine translation problems in NLP, feature embedding is particularly challenging for transcriptomic studies as the sequences are string of thousands of nucleotides in length, which make the long-term dependencies between features from different parts of the sequence even more difficult to capture. This highlights the need for nucleotide sequence embedding methods that are capable of learning input sequence features implicitly. Here we introduce ntEmbd, a deep learning embedding tool that captures dependencies between different features of the sequences and learns a latent representation for given nucleotide sequences. We further provide two sample use cases, describing how learned RNA features can be used in downstream analysis. The first use case demonstrates ntEmbd’s utility in classifying coding and noncoding RNA benchmarked against existing tools, and the second one explores the utility of learned representations in identifying adapter sequences in nanopore RNA-seq reads. The tool as well as the trained models are freely available on GitHub athttps://github.com/bcgsc/ntEmbd
Morphodynamics of chloroplast network control light-avoidance response in the non-motile dinoflagellatePyrocystis lunula
Authors: Schramma Nico , Casas Canales Gloria , Jalaal Maziyar
Published: May 2024

Photosynthetic algae play a significant role in oceanic carbon capture. Their performance, however, is constantly challenged by fluctuations in environmental light conditions. Here, we show that the non-motile single-celled marine dinoflagellatePyrocystis lunulacan internally contract its chloroplast network in response to light. By exposing the cell to various physiological light conditions and applying temporal illumination sequences, we find that network morphodynamics follows simple rules, as established in a mathematical model. Our analysis of the chloroplast structure reveals that its unusual reticulated morphology constitutes properties similar to auxetic metamaterials, facilitating drastic deformations for light-avoidance, while confined by the cell wall. Our study shows how the topologically complex network of chloroplasts is crucial in supporting the dinoflagellate’s adaptation to varying light conditions, thereby facilitating essential life-sustaining processes.
MicroRNA hsa-miR-203a-3p promotes H1N1 and NDV Virus Replication by suppressing the IFNA signaling
Authors: kumar Pramod , Kumar Ashish , Kumar Akhilesh , Kumar Himanshu
Published: May 2024

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding molecules that act as essential post-transcriptional regulators in various biological processes. Many studies suggest that miRNAs may modulate the host’s immune response during virus infections. We analyzed publicly available transcriptomics data involving infection with different RNA viruses and selected the most prominent candidate, miR-203a-3p. miR-203a-3p is upregulated during H7N1, HCV, and HIV+HPV infections. Interestingly, pathway analysis of microRNA-targeted genes shows that miR-203a-3p targets the type–I interferon pathway. In this study, we report that the expression of miR-203a-3p is elevated in response to polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)] transfection and infection with RNA viruses like Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) and H1N1 influenza virus. We found that overexpression of miR-203-3p promotes the replication of H1N1 virus by suppressing the host’s type-I interferons and interferon-stimulated genes. In addition, miR-203a-3p overexpression reduced the expression of ISGs, and is attributed to the binding of miR-203a-3p to 3’ UTRs of Janus-activated kinase 1 (JAK1), STAT1, SOCS3, and multiple IFNA transcripts, as shown by luciferase and Ago-2 pulldown assays. Altogether, these findings strongly suggest that miR-203a-3p acts as a pro-viral molecule during H1N1 and NDV infection by targeting the host’s IFN signaling pathways.
A unified VCF data set from nearly 1,500 diverse maize accessions and resources to explore the genomic landscape of maize
Authors: Andorf Carson M. , Ross-Ibarra Jeffrey , Seetharam Arun S. , Hufford Matthew B. , Woodhouse Margaret R.
Published: May 2024

Efforts to capture and analyze maize nucleotide diversity have ranged widely in scope, but differences in reference genome version and software algorithms used in these efforts inhibit comparison. To address these continuity issues, The Maize Genetics and Genomics Database has collaborated with researchers in the maize community to offer variant data from a diverse set of 1,498 inbred lines, traditional varieties, and teosintes through a standardized variant-calling pipeline against version 5 of the B73 reference genome. The output was filtered for mapping quality, coverage, and linkage disequilibrium, and annotated based on variant effects relative to the B73 RefGen_v5 gene annotations. MaizeGDB has also updated a web tool to filter, visualize, and download genotype sets based on genomic locations and accessions of interest. MaizeGDB plans to host regular updates of these resources as additional resequencing data become available, with plans to expand to all publicly available sequence data.
ERK hyperactivation in epidermal keratinocytes impairs intercellular adhesion and drives Grover disease pathology
Authors: Simpson Cory L. , Tiwaa Afua , Zaver Shivam A. , Johnson Christopher J. , Chu Emily Y. , Harms Paul W. , Gudjonsson Johann E.
Published: May 2024

Grover disease is an acquired dermatologic disorder characterized by pruritic vesicular and eroded skin lesions. While its pathologic features are well-defined, including impaired cohesion of epidermal keratinocytes, the etiology of Grover disease remains unclear and it lacks any FDA-approved therapy. Interestingly, drug-induced Grover disease occurs in patients treated with B-RAF inhibitors that can paradoxically activate C-RAF and the downstream kinase MEK. We recently identified hyperactivation of MEK and ERK as key drivers of Darier disease, which is histologically identical to Grover disease, supporting our hypothesis that they share a pathogenic mechanism. To model drug-induced Grover disease, we treated human keratinocytes with clinically utilized B-RAF inhibitors dabrafenib or vemurafenib and leveraged a fluorescent biosensor to confirm they activated ERK, which disrupted intercellular junctions and compromised keratinocyte sheet integrity. Consistent with clinical data showing concomitant MEK blockade prevents Grover disease in patients receiving B-RAF inhibitors, we found that MEK inhibition suppressed excess ERK activity to rescue cohesion of B-RAF-inhibited keratinocytes. Validating these results, we demonstrated ERK hyperactivation in skin biopsies of vemurafenib-induced Grover disease, but also in spontaneous Grover disease. In sum, our data define a pathogenic role for ERK hyperactivation in Grover disease and support MEK inhibition as a therapeutic strategy.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Ancient cyanobacterial proto-circadian clock adapted to short day-night cycles ∼ 0.95 billion years ago
Authors: Li Silin , Zhou Zengxuan , Wan Yufeng , Jia Xudong , Wang Peiliang , Wang Yu , Dong Shuqi , He Jun , Wang Xujing , Qin Ximing , Xie Qiguang , Xu Xiaodong , Zhao Yuwei , Liang Dan , Zhang Peng , Zhang Qinfen , Guo Jinhu
Published: May 2024

In the early history, the Earth rotation was much faster; however, how ancient organisms adapted to the day-night cycles of that time remains unclear. We resurrected the ancestor KaiABC (anKaiABC) genes circa 0.95 billion years (Ga) ago when the daily-night cycling period was ∼ 18 h. Compared with its contemporary counterpart KaiC, the anKaiC protein shows subtle structural differences, and the activities of kinase, phosphatase activities, and adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) of anKaiC are lower. The anKaiAB proteins are less effective in regulating KaiC/anKaiC phosphorylation status. The anKaiABC system does not sustain an endogenous oscillation but it can be entrained by an 18-h light/dark cycle. The strain expressinganKaiABCshows better adaptation under 9-h light/9-h dark cycles (LD9:9) which mimic the 18-h day-night cycles. These findings suggest that the ancient cyanobacterial proto-circadian system may not be endogenous, but it conferred the capability to adapt to daily cycles ∼ 0.95 Ga ago.
Temperature influences immune cell development and body length in purple sea urchin larvae
Authors: Wilkins Emily M. , Anderson Audrey M. , Buckley Katherine M. , Strader Marie E.
Published: May 2024

Anthropogenic climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves that may broadly impact the health of marine invertebrates. Rising ocean temperatures lead to increases in disease prevalence in marine organisms; it is therefore critical to understand how marine heatwaves impact immune system development. The purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus)is an ecologically important, broadcast-spawning, omnivore that primarily inhabits kelp forests in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. TheS. purputatuslifecycle includes a relatively long-lived (∼2 months) planktotrophic larval stage. Larvae have a well-characterized cellular immune system that is mediated, in part, by a subset of mesenchymal cells known as pigment cells. To assess the role of environmental temperature on the development of larval immune cells, embryos were generated from adult sea urchins conditioned at 14 °C. Embryos were then cultured in either ambient (14 °C) or elevated (18 °C) seawater. Results indicate find that larvae raised in an elevated temperature were slightly larger and had more pigment cells than those raised at ambient temperature. Further, the larval phenotypes varied significantly among genetic crosses, which highlights the importance of genotype in structuring how the immune system develops in the context of the environment. Overall, these results suggest that developmental temperature shapes the larval immune system and may adversely affect survival long-term.
Model-based prediction and ascription of deforestation risk within commodity sourcing domains: Improving traceability in the palm oil supply chain
Authors: Glick Henry B. , Ament Judith M. , Dallinga Jorn S. , Torres-Batlló Juan , Verma Megha , Clinton Nicholas , Wilcox Andrew
Published: May 2024

Palm oil accounts for approximately 50% of global vegetable oil production, and trends in consumption have driven large-scale expansion of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations in Southeast Asia. This expansion has led to deforestation and other socio-environmental concerns that challenge consumer goods companies to meet no deforestation and sustainability commitments. In support of these commitments and supply chain traceability, we seek to improve on the current industry standard sourcing model for ascribing social and environmental risks to particular actors. Using passive geolocational traceability data (n= 3,355,437 cellular pings) and machine learning models, we evaluate the industry standard sourcing model, and we predict with high accuracy the undisclosed sourcing domains for 1,570 Indonesian and Malaysian palm oil mills on the Universal Mill List (as of November 2021). In combination with the World Wide Fund for Nature – Netherlands’ Forest Fore-sight, we use our predicted sourcing domains to provide an illustrative example of the proportional allocation of future deforestation, carbon loss, and biodiversity risk to relevant actors, permitting targeted outreach, contract negotiation, and mitigation of large-scale resource degradation. This example depends on a subset of model predictions in the absence of disclosed traceability data. The utilization of additional predictions or disclosed traceability data would influence and improve the results.
Monitoring biodiversity in the global change era: The importance of herbaria and genetic diversity
Authors: Viveiros-Moniz Melissa , García-Muñoz Ana , Matias Luis , Abdelaziz Mohamed , Muñoz-Pajares A. Jesús
Published: May 2024

Climate change is having far-reaching consequences on all living beings, altering ecosystems, habitats, and biodiversity worldwide. Species distributions are shifting or decreasing, with alpine plant species being particularly threatened. Natural population monitoring allows the assessment of the impact of human-induced global changes. However, traditional monitoring strategies based on individual counts may produce delayed signals of biodiversity loss. These approaches overlook the fact that genetic diversity is the fundamental basis for evolutionary processes, as it enables populations to adapt to environmental changes, including those caused by climate change. Here, we draw attention to the use of genetic diversity in monitoring schemes to anticipate negative trends in biodiversity and propose two fundamental methodologies: genomics and the use of herbarium specimens. Firstly, in contrast to genetic markers conventionally used to quantify genetic diversity, such as microsatellite markers, genomic approaches provide a vast amount of data that does not require previous knowledge of the studied organism, making them suitable for the study of non-model species. Secondly, herbaria worldwide serve as excellent sources of plant material for comparative studies across time with their precise chronologically recorded collection data. The accuracy of genetic diversity estimates increases with sample size, therefore a large number of vouchers is ideally required. However, the availability of specimens from the same species and populations in public herbaria is limited. Different strategies to quantify genetic diversity are proposed depending on the number of specimens available and their geographic distribution. Finally, we illustrate the potential of this approach in the most restrictive scenario, where only a few individuals are available, and there is no conspecific reference genome. Even in this restrictive scenario, there are signs of genetic depauperation in an alpine species with a narrow distribution, but not in a widely distributed congeneric.
Dynamic Electrical Stimulation Promotes hiPSC-CM Differentiation and Functionality
Authors: Kalkunte Nikhith , Sohn Sogu , Delambre Talia , Meng Sarah , Brock Amy , Zoldan Janet
Published: May 2024

Human induced pluripotent stem cell differentiated cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) hold great potential to resolve cardiovascular disease but are stymied by their functional immaturity. The complex electric potentials measured during cardiogenesis point to the potential of exogenous electrical stimulation in improving cardiac differentiation and functionality. Herein, we create, validate, and implement a low-cost electrical stimulation device to stimulate hiPSCs during cardiac differentiation. Notably, our open-source device enables the generation of complex electrical stimulation regimes that may vary in frequency and pulse duration over time. Our results demonstrate that dynamic stimulation during differentiation improves cardiac differentiation efficiency, calcium handling, and flow velocity, and promotes significant transcriptomic pathway enrichment compared to static stimulation or no stimulation controls. Moreover, dynamic stimulation enhances electrochemical coupling and promotes the expression of cardiogenic pathways, potentially via sarcomere development. We anticipate that more complex dynamic electrical stimulation regimens may be generated to further optimize hiPSC-CM functionality and maturity.
The opposite aging effect to single cell transcriptome profile among cell subsets
Authors: Okada Daigo
Published: May 2024

Comparing transcriptome profiling between younger and older samples reveals genes related to aging and provides insight into the biological functions affected by aging. Recent research has identified sex, tissue, and cell type-specific age-related changes in gene expression. This study reports the overall picture of the opposite aging effect, in which aging increases gene expression in one cell subset and decreases it in another cell subset. Using the Tabula Muris Senes dataset, a large public single-cell RNA sequencing dataset from mice, we compared the effects of aging in different cell subsets. As a result, the opposite aging effect was observed widely in genome-wide genes, particularly enriched in genes related to ribosomal function and translation. The opposite aging effect was observed in the known aging-related genes. Furthermore, the opposite aging effect was observed in the transcriptome diversity quantified by the number of expressed genes and the Shannon entropy. This study highlights the importance of considering the cell subset when intervening with aging-related genes.
Dual role of BdMUTE during stomatal development in the model grassBrachypodium distachyon
Authors: Spiegelhalder Roxane P. , Berg Lea S. , Nunes Tiago D. G. , Dörr Melanie , Jesenofsky Barbara , Lindner Heike , Raissig Michael T.
Published: May 2024

Grasses form morphologically derived, four-celled stomata, where two dumbbell-shaped guard cells (GCs) are flanked by two lateral subsidiary cells (SCs). This innovative form enables rapid opening and closing kinetics and efficient plant-atmosphere gas exchange. The mobile bHLH transcription factor MUTE is required for SC formation in grasses. Yet, if and how MUTE also regulates GC development and if MUTE mobility is required for SC recruitment is unclear. Here, we transgenically impaired BdMUTE mobility from GC to SC precursors in the emerging model grassBrachypodium distachyon. Our data indicates that reduced BdMUTE mobility severely affected the spatiotemporal coordination of GC and SC development. Furthermore, while BdMUTE has a cell-autonomous role in GC division orientation, complete dumbbell morphogenesis of GCs required SC recruitment. Finally, leaf-level gas exchange measurements showed that dosage-dependent complementation of the four-celled grass morphology was mirrored in a gradual physiological complementation of stomatal kinetics. Together, our work revealed a dual role of grass MUTE in regulating GC division orientation and SC recruitment, which in turn was required for GC morphogenesis and the rapid kinetics of grass stomata.
Adapting C4photosynthesis to atmospheric change and increasing productivity by elevating Rubisco content in Sorghum and Sugarcane
Authors: Salesse-Smith Coralie E. , Adar Noga , Kannan Baskaran , Nguyen Thaibinhduong , Wei Wei , Guo Ming , Ge Zhengxiang , Altpeter Fredy , Clemente Tom E. , Long Stephen P.
Published: May 2024

Meta-analyses and theory show that with rising atmospheric [CO2], Rubisco has become the greatest limitation to light-saturated leaf CO2assimilation rates (Asat) in C4crops. So would transgenically increasing Rubisco increaseAsatand result in increased productivity in the field? Here, we successfully overexpressed the Rubisco small subunit (RbcS) with Rubisco accumulation factor 1 (Raf1) in both sorghum and sugarcane, resulting in significant increases in Rubisco content of 13-25% and up to 90% respectively.Asatincreased 12-15% and Rubisco enzyme activity ∼40% in three independent transgenic events of both species. Sorghum plants also showed increased speeds of photosynthetic induction and decreased bundle sheath leakiness. These improvements translated into average increases of 15.5% in biomass in field-grown sorghum and a 37-81% increase in greenhouse-grown sugarcane. This suggests a potential opportunity to achieve substantial increases in productivity of this key economically important clade of C4crops, future proofing their value under global atmospheric change.

Significance Statement

The world is projected to need a 60% increase in food supply by 2050 (UN), and this must be achieved under conditions of global change without expanding onto yet more land. C4crops, while few in number, account for a large proportion of agricultural productivity. We reason that rising atmospheric [CO2] has very recently made Rubisco, the enzyme used for all carbon fixation in plants, the greatest limitation to light saturated photosynthesis in C4crops. We demonstrate that transgenically increasing Rubisco content in sorghum and sugarcane, increases their photosynthetic efficiency and productivity, including in a field trial of sorghum. This shows a means to sustainably increase the productivity of this key group of crops.
Cell-type and dynamic state govern genetic regulation of gene expression in heterogeneous differentiating cultures
Authors: Popp Joshua M. , Rhodes Katherine , Jangi Radhika , Li Mingyuan , Barr Kenneth , Tayeb Karl , Battle Alexis , Gilad Yoav
Published: May 2024

Identifying the molecular effects of human genetic variation across cellular contexts is crucial for understanding the mechanisms underlying disease-associated loci, yet many cell-types and developmental stages remain underexplored. Here we harnessed the potential of heterogeneous differentiating cultures (HDCs), anin vitrosystem in which pluripotent cells asynchronously differentiate into a broad spectrum of cell-types. We generated HDCs for 53 human donors and collected single-cell RNA-sequencing data from over 900,000 cells. We identified expression quantitative trait loci in 29 cell-types and characterized regulatory dynamics across diverse differentiation trajectories. This revealed novel regulatory variants for genes involved in key developmental and disease-related processes while replicating known effects from primary tissues, and dynamic regulatory effects associated with a range of complex traits.
Navigating the landscape of epitranscriptomics and host immunity
Authors: Huang Elaine , Frydman Clara , Xiao Xinshu
Published: May 2024

RNA modifications, also termed epitranscriptomic marks, encompass chemical alterations to individual nucleotides, including processes such as methylation and editing. These marks contribute to a wide range of biological processes, many of which are related to host immune system defense. The functions of immune-related RNA modifications can be categorized into three main groups: regulation of immunogenic RNAs, control of genes involved in innate immune response, and facilitation of adaptive immunity. Here, we provide an overview of recent research findings that elucidate the contributions of RNA modifications to each of these processes. We also discuss relevant methods for genome-wide identification of RNA modifications and their immunogenic substrates. Finally, we highlight recent advances in cancer immunotherapies that aim to reduce cancer cell viability by targeting the enzymes responsible for RNA modifications. Our presentation of these dynamic research avenues sets the stage for future investigations in this field.
Crystal structure of the long Rib domain of the LPXTG-anchored surface protein from Limosilactobacillus reuteri
Authors: Xue Yi , Wu Zhen , Kang Xue
Published: May 2024

The Rib domain, which is often found as tandem-repeat structural modules in surface proteins of Gram-positive bacteria, plays important roles in mediating interactions of bacteria with their environments and hosts. A comprehensive structural analysis of various Rib domains is essential to fully understand their impact on the structure and functionality of these bacterial adhesins. To date, structural information has been limited for this expansive group of domains. In this study, the high-resolution crystal structure of the second member of the long Rib domain, a unique subclass within the Rib-domain family, derived from Limosilactobacillus reuteri is presented. The data not only demonstrate a highly conserved structure within the long Rib domain, but also highlight an evolutionary convergence in structural architecture with other modular domains found in cell-adhesion molecules.
Crystal structure characterization, Hirshfeld surface analysis, and DFT calculation studies of 1-(6-amino-5-nitronaphthalen-2-yl)ethanone
Authors: Shi Xin-Wei , Bai Ming-Sheng , Zheng Shao-Jun , Lu Qiang-Qiang , Li Gen , Zhou Ya-Fu
Published: May 2024

The title compound, C12H10N2O3, was obtained by the deacetylation reaction of 1-(6-amino-5-nitronaphthalen-2-yl)ethanone in a concentrated sulfuric acid methanol solution. The molecule comprises a naphthalene ring system bearing an acetyl group (C-3), an amino group (C-7), and a nitro group (C-8). In the crystal, the molecules are assembled into a two-dimensional network by N...H/H...N and O...H/H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions. n–π and π–π stacking interactions are the dominant interactions in the three-dimensional crystal packing. Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important contributions are from O...H/H...O (34.9%), H...H (33.7%), and C...H/H...C (11.0%) contacts. The energies of the frontier molecular orbitals were computed using density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP-D3BJ/def2-TZVP level of theory and the LUMO–HOMO energy gap of the molecule is 3.765 eV.
trans-Dichloridobis(secnidazole-κN
3)copper(II)
Authors: Angel-Nieto Ismael , Arroyo-Carmona Rosa Elena , Pérez-Benítez Aarón , Aguirre-Hernández Gerardo , Bernès Sylvain
Published: May 2024

The use of acetic acid (HOAc) in a reaction between CuCl2·2H2O and secnidazole, an active pharmaceutical ingredient useful in the treatment against a variety of anaerobic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, affords the title complex, [CuCl2(C7H11N3O3)2]. This compound was previously synthesized using ethanol as solvent, although its crystal structure was not reported [Betanzos-Lara et al. (2013). Inorg. Chim. Acta, 397, 94–100]. In the molecular complex, the Cu2+ cation is situated at an inversion centre and displays a square-planar coordination environment. There is a hydrogen-bonded framework based on intermolecular O—H...Cl interactions, characterized by H...Cl separations of 2.28 (4) Å and O—H...Cl angles of 175 (3)°. The resulting supramolecular network is based on R2
2
(18) ring motifs, forming chains in the [010] direction.
A high-resolution characterization of surface film formed on alloys 800 and 690 exposed to chloride and thiosulfate-containing solution at 300°C
Authors: Gao Shan , Wang Bin , Yao Xinjie , Yuan Quan
Published: May 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to characterize the surface film formed on Alloys 800 and 690 in chloride and thiosulfate-containing solution at 300°C.

Design/methodology/approach

Alloy 800 and 690 were immersed in chloride and thiosulfate-containing solution at 300°C up to five days, and then the surface film was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometers (EDX).

Findings

Through static immersion experiments in a high-temperature and high-pressure water environment, the alloy samples covered by surface film after five days of immersion were obtained. The morphology of the surface film was characterized at both horizontal and cross-sectional scales using SEM and focused ion beam-TEM techniques. It was observed that due to the influence of the quartz lining, the surface film primarily exhibited a bilayered structure. The first layer contained a significant amount of SiO2, with a higher content of metal hydroxides compared to metal oxides. The second layer was predominantly composed of Fe, Ni and Cr, with a higher content of metal oxides compared to metal hydroxides.

Originality/value

The results showed that the materials of the lining of the autoclave could significantly influence the film composition of the tested material, which should be paid attention when analyzing the corrosion mechanism at high temperature.
Like minds think alike: impacts of cultural and trust congruences on joint innovation
Authors: Fang Mingjie , Wang Mengmeng
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Engaging suppliers in joint innovation can be an effective means for buyer firms to overcome internal resource/capability limitations. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impacts of cultural and trust congruences between the supplier and buyer firms on joint innovation. In addition, we examine the relationship commitment as an antecedent of cultural and trust congruences.

Design/methodology/approach

The study constructs a theoretical model based on social exchange theory (SET) and examines it using data from Chinese manufacturing firms.

Findings

The results suggest that cultural and trust congruences between suppliers and buyers positively influence joint processes and product innovations. Furthermore, we find that while normative relationship commitments of supplier firms promote cultural and trust congruences with buyers, instrumental relationship commitments only positively affect trust congruence.

Originality/value

This study enhances our understanding of social exchanges by adopting a dyadic view to examine the interconnectedness between relationship commitment, cultural and trust congruences, and joint innovation. These findings also offer practical managerial implications for managing collaborative innovation projects.
Enabling near-real-time safety glove detection through edge computing and transfer learning: comparative analysis of edge and cloud computing-based methods
Authors: Gugssa Mikias , Li Long , Pu Lina , Gurbuz Ali , Luo Yu , Wang Jun
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Computer vision and deep learning (DL) methods have been investigated for personal protective equipment (PPE) monitoring and detection for construction workers’ safety. However, it is still challenging to implement automated safety monitoring methods in near real time or in a time-efficient manner in real construction practices. Therefore, this study developed a novel solution to enhance the time efficiency to achieve near-real-time safety glove detection and meanwhile preserve data privacy.

Design/methodology/approach

The developed method comprises two primary components: (1) transfer learning methods to detect safety gloves and (2) edge computing to improve time efficiency and data privacy. To compare the developed edge computing-based method with the currently widely used cloud computing-based methods, a comprehensive comparative analysis was conducted from both the implementation and theory perspectives, providing insights into the developed approach’s performance.

Findings

Three DL models achieved mean average precision (mAP) scores ranging from 74.92% to 84.31% for safety glove detection. The other two methods by combining object detection and classification achieved mAP as 89.91% for hand detection and 100% for glove classification. From both implementation and theory perspectives, the edge computing-based method detected gloves faster than the cloud computing-based method. The edge computing-based method achieved a detection latency of 36%–68% shorter than the cloud computing-based method in the implementation perspective. The findings highlight edge computing’s potential for near-real-time detection with improved data privacy.

Originality/value

This study implemented and evaluated DL-based safety monitoring methods on different computing infrastructures to investigate their time efficiency. This study contributes to existing knowledge by demonstrating how edge computing can be used with DL models (without sacrificing their performance) to improve PPE-glove monitoring in a time-efficient manner as well as maintain data privacy.
Does transparency facilitate the fundraising capacity of public welfare crowdfunding? An empirical examination on Weibo
Authors: Liang Ling , Xie Jiqing , Ren Jie , Wang Jialiang , Wang Chang
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Information opacity in donation crowdfunding activities has constrained the healthy development of China’s public welfare activities. Addressing the trust crisis and enhancing public engagement warrants further investigation. This study aims to uncover the moderating effect of activity transparency by utilizing data from 1,029 donation crowdfunding projects on the Sina Weibo Public Welfare Social Platform. In this way, we seek to elucidate the impact of donation crowdfunding events on fundraising ability.

Design/methodology/approach

This study selects text complexity, number of supporters, creator experience, and social capital as explanatory variables; innovatively selects the number of updates of online crowdfunding activities and total reading volume as moderating variables; selects the number of shares of crowdfunding activities as a mediating variable; and constructs a moderated mediation multiple regression model for fundraising ability.

Findings

Our findings indicate that independent variables, such as text complexity, number of supporters, and social capital, can significantly affect the dependent variable, fundraising ability. However, creator experience does not influence fundraising ability. Furthermore, social interaction has a mediating effect, whereas activity transparency has a reverse moderating effect. These results indicate that social interaction can enhance the fundraising ability of donation crowdfunding events. However, with an increase in information transparency, the fundraising ability of social media decreases.

Originality/value

The originality of this research is in clarifying the internal factors affecting fundraising ability through induction, making bold assumptions, and focusing on how social media’s effective interaction and activity transparency will affect public welfare crowdfunding fundraising ability.
A systematic literature review to explore the antecedents of employee engagement among remote workers
Authors: Choudhary Neeru , Jain Shilpa
Published: May 2024

Purpose

This study aims to identify and review research articles to understand the conceptualization of employee engagement (EE) in a remote working environment. Specifically, the aim is to explore the antecedents impacting remote workers’ engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was conducted, encompassing empirical studies sourced from EBSCO, Emerald and Gale databases. Studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 2013 and 2023 covering countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) were included. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to capture the review process.

Findings

A total of 25 empirical studies published across 18 journals were synthesized, with the results being reported in terms of three research objectives. The researchers identified that individual, organizational/job resources and organizational/job demands are the three main antecedents affecting EE in remote working environments.

Research limitations/implications

This study can serve as an important source of information for academics and practitioners as well as postulate new avenues for the future research. While the Job Demands-Resources model remains relevant in specifying demands and resources as antecedents of workforce engagement, technological antecedents gain prominence as additional factors contribute to the engagement of remote workforce.

Originality/value

This article studies the shifting landscape of EE with the rise of remote working and the need to gain a better understanding of how to keep remote workers engaged.
Long‐term follow‐up study of the efficacy of fosravuconazole in the treatment of onychomycosis in elderly patients
Authors: Okubo Ayaka , Hanada Miharu , Kodama Saori , Taniguchi Naeko , Miyazaki Yoshinori
Published: May 2024

Onychomycosis is a chronic and intractable disease whose prevalence increases during aging. In elderly patients, if onychomycosis is left untreated and progresses to a severe stage it may cause functional decline of the lower limbs due to foot pain. This could lead to a decline in activities of daily living and secondary impairment such as cognitive decline. Thus, the treatment of onychomycosis in elderly patients is important. We have previously shown that fosravuconazole is relatively safe and effective for onychomycosis in elderly patients. In the present study, we continued the follow‐up study and investigated the efficacy of re‐administration of fosravuconazole in patients with recurrent onychomycosis. One hundred and twenty‐five patients aged ≥65 years who had been initially diagnosed with onychomycosis at our hospital's dermatology department, and who had responded well to fosravuconazole at 48 weeks after the initial treatment, were followed up until 144 weeks after the start of the initial treatment. Patients who experienced a recurrence within 24 weeks after the start of the follow‐up were assigned to the short‐term recurrence group, and those who experienced a recurrence after 24 weeks were assigned to the long‐term recurrence group. All patients in both groups were re‐treated with fosravuconazole to evaluate its efficacy. The short‐term and long‐term recurrence groups consisted of 17 (14.3%) and 10 (8.4%) patients, respectively. There were no significant differences in mean age and sex ratio between the two groups. There were no serious adverse effects in either group, and the toenail opacity ratio was significantly reduced after 12 weeks of re‐treatment in both groups. The short‐term and long‐term recurrence groups were significantly more likely to have wedge‐shaped onychomycosis and total dystrophic onychomycosis, respectively. The results suggest that re‐administration of fosravuconazole is safe and as effective as the first administration for elderly patients with recurrent onychomycosis. This study was registered at UMIN‐CTR (UMIN000053516).
Effects of subtle variation in forest canopy openness on cache pilferage and its implications for forest regeneration
Authors: WANG Hongying , WANG Bo , CHEN Wenwen
Published: May 2024

Scatter‐hoarding rodents play important roles in plant regeneration and species coexistence in many forest ecosystems. Cache pilferage, the behavior of rodents seeking or relocating seeds cached by other individuals, is ubiquitous during the scatter‐hoarding process. The effects of canopy openness on cache pilferage have received considerable attention, most of which have focused on the comparison between full canopy cover and completely open areas, such as forest gaps. However, little attention has been given to whether the subtle variation in forest canopy openness affects cache pilferage, although subtle variation in light environments exists in many forests, especially tropical and subtropical forests, where the overall canopy is large and the forest window is relatively small. Here, we directly tested these questions by simulating 400 artificial caches, each containing one seed from four selected tree species, in a subtropical forest in southwestern China. The overall canopy openness of the forest was relatively small (with a mean value of 11.1%), but subtle spatial variation still existed (ranging from 5.7% to 19.5%). Overall, caches with lower canopy openness were more likely to be pilfered and removed faster, although not all species showed the same pattern. Our study highlights that subtle variation in forest canopy openness, even in a closed primary forest, has significant effects on cache pilferage by rodents, which may influence the following seed germination and forest regeneration processes. Additionally, seedling species composition may further be altered because the canopy effects on cache pilferage are species‐specific.
Feasibility study comparing synthesized mammography with digital breast tomosynthesis and digital mammography for simulated first round screening in a single BreastScreen NSW centre
Authors: Dhurandhar Vikrant , Bhola Nalini , Chan Mico , Choi Sarah , Chung Tzu‐Yun , Giuffre Bruno , Hunter Nigel , Lee Katelyn , McKessar Merran , Reddy Ranjani , Roberts Marian , Shearman Christine , Kay Meredith , Bruderlin Ken , Winarta Niko , Noakes Jennifer
Published: May 2024

Introduction

While digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) has proven to enhance cancer detection and reduce recall rates (RR), its integration into BreastScreen Australia for screening has been limited, in part due to perceived cost implications. This study aims to assess the cost effectiveness of digital mammography (DM) compared with synthesized mammography and DBT (SM + DBT) in a first round screening context for short‐term outcomes.

Methods

Clients recalled for nonspecific density (NSD) as a single lesion by both readers at the Northern Sydney Central Coast BreastScreen service in 2019 were included. Prior images were excluded to simulate first‐round screening. Eleven radiologists read DM and synthesized mammography with DBT (SM + DBT) images 4 weeks apart. Recall rates (RR), reading time, and diagnostic parameters were measured, and costs for screen reading and assessment were calculated.

Result

Among 65 clients studied, 13 were diagnosed with cancer, with concordant cancer recalls. SM + DBT reduced recall rates (RR), increased reading time, maintained cancer detection sensitivity, and significantly improved other diagnostic parameters, particularly false positive rates. Benign biopsy recalls remained equivalent. While SM + DBT screen reading cost was significantly higher than DM (DM AU$890 ± 186 vs SM + DBT AU$1279 ± 265; P < 0.001), the assessment cost (DM AU$29,504 ± 9427 vs SM + DBT AU$18,021 ± 5606; P < 0.001), and combined screen reading and assessment costs were significantly lower (DM AU$30,394 ± 9508 vs SM + DBT AU$19,300 ± 5721; P = 0.001). SM + DBT screen reading and assessment of 65 patients resulted in noteworthy cost savings (AU$11,094), equivalent to assessing 12 additional clients.

Conclusion

In first round screening, DBT yields significant cost savings by effectively reducing unnecessary recalls to assessment while maintaining diagnostic efficacy.
The failed negotiations to restore the Iran nuclear deal
Authors: Sauer Tom
Published: May 2024

When the Biden administration came to power, the hope was that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) (2015), the so‐called Iran nuclear deal, would be restored. Due to domestic constraints and in the case of Iran also a valid alternative, both the US and the Rohani administration played hardball during the negotiations. As the Iranian nuclear program further advanced and the ties with Russia and China became stronger, the conservative Raisi administration was even less interested in reviving the nuclear deal. What remains are mini‐deals that are more advantageous for Iran than for the US. Billions of dollars of Iran are (or will be) unfrozen by the US, while Iran's break‐out time of its nuclear program has shrunk to zero days. Given that the overall goal of the international community (and especially the US) was to prevent Iran from building the bomb, one can only conclude that that policy has basically failed. Although Teheran has not built the bomb yet, it is now closer to the bomb than ever. Liberal theory and more in particular Putnam's two‐level game help explain this outcome.
Parental linguistic support in a home environment is associated with language development of preschool‐aged children
Authors: Mustonen Riikka , Torppa Ritva , Stolt Suvi
Published: May 2024

Aim

In today's increasingly digitalised society, there is a growing need for information on how parents can support their children's language development at home. We investigated the associations between three types of parental linguistic support and children's language skills in different domains.

Methods

Between April 2019 and March 2020, 164 children aged between 2.5 and 4.1 years and their parents were recruited via daycare centres in Helsinki. Information on how frequently parents read, told free stories and sang to their children was collected. The children's lexical and grammatical skills and general language ability were assessed using validated instruments.

Results

More frequent reading, storytelling and singing were all separately associated with higher‐level expressive lexical and general expressive language ability. More frequent reading and storytelling were also associated with higher‐level phonological skills. Only reading was associated with receptive skills. The regression analyses revealed that reading had the highest explanatory value for lexical and general language ability after controlling for the effect of background factors. Furthermore, storytelling had the highest explanatory value for grammatical skills.

Conclusion

The results highlight the benefits of parental reading. However, broad use of all parental linguistic activities is recommended to support the development of children's different language domains.
Effects of thiazides and new findings on kidney stones and dysglycemic side effects
Authors: Bargagli Matteo , Anderegg Manuel A. , Fuster Daniel G.
Published: May 2024

Thiazide and thiazide‐like diuretics (thiazides) belong to the most frequently prescribed drugs worldwide. By virtue of their natriuretic and vasodilating properties, thiazides effectively lower blood pressure and prevent adverse cardiovascular outcomes. In addition, through their unique characteristic of reducing urine calcium, thiazides are also widely employed for the prevention of kidney stone recurrence and reduction of bone fracture risk. Since their introduction into clinical medicine in the early 1960s, thiazides have been recognized for their association with metabolic side effects, particularly impaired glucose tolerance, and new‐onset diabetes mellitus. Numerous hypotheses have been advanced to explain thiazide‐induced glucose intolerance, yet underlying mechanisms remain poorly defined. Regrettably, the lack of understanding and unpredictability of these side effects has prompted numerous physicians to refrain from prescribing these effective, inexpensive, and widely accessible drugs. In this review, we outline the pharmacology and mechanism of action of thiazides, highlight recent advances in the understanding of thiazide‐induced glucose intolerance, and provide an up‐to‐date discussion on the role of thiazides in kidney stone prevention.