bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adolescent Stress Confers Resilience to Traumatic Stress Later in Life: Role of the Prefrontal Cortex
Authors: Cotella E.M. , Nawreen N , Moloney R.D. , Martelle S.E. , Oshima K.M. , Lemen P. , NiBlack J. N. , Julakanti R. R. , Fitzgerald M. , Baccei M.L. , Herman J.P.
Published: March 2021

Stress during adolescence is usually associated with psychopathology later in life. However, under certain circumstances, developmental stress can promote an adaptive phenotype, allowing individuals to cope better with adverse situations in adulthood, thereby contributing to resilience. The aim of the study was to understand how adolescent stress alters behavioral and physiological responses to traumatic stress in adulthood. Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to adolescent chronic variable stress (adol CVS) followed by single prolonged stress (SPS) in adulthood. One week after SPS, animals were tested for acquisition, extinction, extinction recall and reinstatement of auditory-cued fear conditioning, with neuronal recruitment during reinstatement assessed by Fos expression. Patch clamp electrophysiology was performed to examine physiological changes associated with resilience. We observed that adol CVS blocked SPS-induced impairment of extinction learning (males) and enhancement fear reinstatement (both sexes). SPS effects were associated with a reduction of infralimbic (IL) cortex neuronal recruitment after reinstatement in males and increased engagement of the central amygdala in females, both of which were also prevented by adol CVS. We explored the mechanism behind reduced IL recruitment in male rats by studying the intrinsic excitability of IL pyramidal neurons. SPS reduced excitability of IL neurons and prior adol CVS prevented this effect, indicating that adolescent stress can impart resilience to the effects of traumatic stress by modification of IL output in males. Overall, our study suggests that prior stress exposure can limit the impact of a subsequent severe stress exposure in adulthood, effects that are mediated by sex-specific modification of infralimbic and amygdala signaling.
The arrested state of processing bodies supports mRNA regulation in early development
Authors: Sankaranarayanan M. , Emenecker Ryan J. , Jahnel Marcus , Trussina Irmela R. E. A. , Wayland Matt , Alberti Simon , Holehouse Alex S. , Weil Timothy T.
Published: March 2021

Biomolecular condensates that form via liquid-liquid phase separation can exhibit diverse physical states. Despite considerable progress, the relevance of condensate physical states forin vivobiological function remains limited. Here, we investigated the physical properties ofin vivoprocessing bodies (P bodies) and their impact on mRNA storage in matureDrosophilaoocytes. We show that the conserved DEAD-box RNA helicase Me31B forms P body condensates which adopt a less dynamic, arrested physical state. We demonstrate that structurally distinct proteins and hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, together with RNA and intrinsically disordered regions, regulate the physical properties of P bodies. Finally, using live imaging, we show that the arrested state of P bodies is required to prevent the premature release ofbicoid(bcd) mRNA, a body axis determinant, and that P body dissolution leads tobcdrelease. Together, this work establishes a role for arrested states of biomolecular condensates in regulating cellular function in a developing organism.
Computational Evaluation of DNA Metabarcoding for Universal Diagnostics of Invasive Insect Pests
Authors: Piper Alexander M. , Cogan Noel O.I. , Cunningham John Paul , Blacket Mark J.
Published: March 2021

Appropriate design and selection of PCR primers plays a critical role in determining the sensitivity and specificity of a metabarcoding assay. Despite several studies applying metabarcoding to insect pest surveillance, the diagnostic performance of the short “mini-barcodes” required by high-throughput sequencing platforms has not been established across the broader taxonomic diversity of invasive insects. We address this by computationally evaluating the diagnostic sensitivity and predicted amplification bias for 68 published and novel cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) primers on a curated database of 110,676 insect species, including 2,625 registered on global invasive species lists. We find that mini-barcodes between 125-257 bp can provide comparable resolution to the full-length barcode for both invasive insect pests and the broader Insecta, conditional upon the subregion of COI targeted and the genetic similarity threshold used to identify species. Taxa that could not be identified by any barcode lengths were phylogenetically clustered within ‘problem groups’, many arising through taxonomic inconsistencies rather than insufficient diagnostic information within the barcode itself. Substantial variation in predicted PCR bias was seen across published primers, with those including 4-5 degenerate nucleotide bases showing almost no mismatch to major insect orders. While not completely universal, a single COI mini-barcode can successfully differentiate the majority of pest and non-pest insects from their congenerics, even at the small amplicon size imposed by 2 × 150 bp sequencing. We provide a ranked summary of high-performing primers and discuss the bioinformatic steps required to curate reliable reference databases for metabarcoding studies.
B cells imprint adoptively transferred CD8+T cells with enhanced tumor immunity
Authors: Smith Aubrey S. , Knochelmann Hannah M. , Wyatt Megan M. , Rivera Guillermo O. Rangel , Rivera-Reyes Amalia M. , Dwyer Connor J. , Neskey David M. , Rubinstein Mark P. , Liu Bei , Thaxton Jessica E. , Bartee Eric , Paulos Chrystal M.
Published: March 2021

Here we report a novel strategy to reverse the tolerant state of adoptively transferred CD8+T cells against melanoma throughex vivoexpansion with the TLR9 agonist CpG. T cells generated in the presence of CpG display potent anti-tumor efficacy withoutin vivoco-administration of high dose IL-2 or vaccination, which are classically required for effective treatment of solid tumors using adoptive cell therapies. CD8+T cells adopt a unique proteomic signature and are characterized by an IL-2RαhighICOShighCD39lowphenotype after CpG-mediated expansion. Surprisingly, we found that the presence of B cells, in the culture, was essential for imprinting CD8+T cells with this phenotype and moreover purified B cells were sufficient to mediate the CpG-associated changes in T cells. These findings reveal a vital role for B cells in the generation of effective antitumor CD8+T cells and have immediate implications for profoundly improving immunotherapy for patients.

SUMMARY STATEMENT

The TLR9 agonist CpG allows B cells to license adoptively transferred CD8+ T cells with potent tumor immunity. These licensed T cells have a unique proteomic signature, are marked by low CD39 and high ICOS and IL-2Rα expression, and engraft robustlyin vivo.
An inconvenient association between granzyme A and Nicotinamide Nucleotide Transhydrogenase
Authors: Rawle Daniel J. , Le Thuy T. , Dumenil Troy , Bishop Cameron , Yan Kexin , Nakayama Eri , Bird Phillip I. , Suhrbier Andreas
Published: March 2021

Granzyme A (GzmA) is a serine protease secreted by cytotoxic lymphocytes, with GzmA-/-mouse studies informing our understanding of GzmA’s physiological function. We show herein that GzmA-/-mice have a mixed C57BL/6J and C57BL/6N background and retain the full length Nicotinamide Nucleotide Transhydrogenase (Nnt) gene, whereasNntis truncated in C57BL/6J mice. Chikungunya viral arthritis was substantially ameliorated in GzmA-/-mice; however, the presence ofNnt, rather than loss of GzmA, was responsible for this phenotype by constraining lymphocyte infiltration. A new CRISPR active site mutant C57BL/6J GzmAS211Amouse provided the first insights into GzmA’s bioactivity free of background issues, with circulating proteolytically active GzmA promoting immune-stimulating and pro-inflammatory signatures. Remarkably, k-mer mining of the Sequence Read Archive illustrated that ≈27% of Run Accessions and ≈38% of Bioprojects listing C57BL/6J as the mouse strain, hadNntsequencing reads inconsistent with a C57BL/6J background. TheNntissue has clearly complicated our understanding of GzmA and may similarly have influenced studies across a broad range of fields.
Structural analysis of the OC43 coronavirus 2′-O-RNA methyltransferase
Authors: Dostalik Pavel , Krafcikova Petra , Silhan Jan , Boura Evzen
Published: March 2021

The OC43 coronavirus is a human pathogen that usually causes only the common cold. One of its key enzymes, similar to other coronaviruses, is the 2′-O-RNA methyltransferase (MTase) that is essential for viral RNA stability and expression. Here, we report the crystal structure of the 2′-O-RNA MTase in a complex with the pan-methyltransferase inhibitor sinefungin solved at 2.2 Å resolution. The structure revealed an overall fold consistent with the fold observed in other coronaviral MTases. The major differences are in the conformation of the C-terminus of the nsp16 subunit and an additional helix in the N-terminus of the nsp10 subunits. The structural analysis also revealed very high conservation of the SAM binding pocket suggesting that the SAM pocket is a suitable spot for the design of antivirals effective against all human coronaviruses.

Importance

Some coronaviruses are dangerous pathogens while some cause only common colds. The reasons are not understood although the spike proteins probably play an important role. However, to understand the coronaviral biology in sufficient detail we need to compare the key enzymes from different coronaviruses. We solved the crystal structure of 2′-O-RNA methyltransferase of the OC43 coronavirus, a virus that usually causes mild colds. The structure revealed some differences in the overall fold but also revealed that the SAM binding site is conserved suggesting that development of antivirals against multiple coronaviruses is feasible.
B.1.1.7 became the dominant variant in Lebanon
Authors: Younes Mahmoud , Hamze Kassem , Carter Daniel P. , Osman Karen L. , Vipond Richard , Carroll Miles , Pullan Steven T. , Nassar Hassan , Mohamad Nada , Makki Mohamad , Ghadar Maysaa , Nguewa Paul , Sater Fadi Abdel
Published: March 2021

Recently, a new variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) designated VOC 202012/01 (or B.1.1.7 lineage) has become highly prevalent in several countries, after first being described in the United Kingdom (UK). Its rate of transmission has been estimated to be increased compared to other lineages. In the present study, we show the emergence, dominance and the rapid spread of the B.1.1.7 lineage in Lebanon.
Causal associations between fatty acid measures and schizophrenia – a two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Jones Hannah J , Borges Maria Carolina , Carnegie Rebecca , Mongan David , Rogers Peter J , Lewis Sarah J , Thompson Andrew D , Zammit Stanley
Published: March 2021

Objective

Although studies suggest that erythrocyte concentrations of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are lower in individuals with schizophrenia, evidence of beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is limited. This study therefore aimed to determine whether omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid levels are causally related to schizophrenia.

Methods

Causality was evaluated using the inverse variance weighted (IVW) 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method using fatty acid levels and schizophrenia genome-wide association study results. Weighted median, weighted mode, and MR Egger regression methods were used as sensitivity analyses. To address the mechanism, analyses were performed using instruments within the FADS and ELOVL2 genes. Multivariable MR (MVMR) was used to estimate direct effects of omega-3 fatty acids on schizophrenia, independent of omega-6 fatty acids, lipoproteins and triglycerides.

Results

MR analyses indicated that long-chain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid levels were associated with lower risk of schizophrenia (docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] ORIVW: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.75-0.92). In contrast, short-chain fatty acids were associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia (alpha-linolenic acid ORIVW: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.98-1.18). Causal effects were consistent across sensitivity and FADS single-SNP analyses. MVMR indicated that the protective effect of DHA on schizophrenia persisted after conditioning on other lipids (ORIVW: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.71-1.01).

Conclusions

Results are consistent with protective effects of long-chain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids on schizophrenia suggesting that people with schizophrenia may have difficulty converting short-chain to long-chain PUFAs. Long-chain PUFA supplementation or diet enrichment, particularly in higher risk individuals, might help prevent onset of disorder.
On the protective role of the blood vessels in glaucomatous damage: a transversal study
Authors: Cánovas-Serrano Yaiza , Vallés-San-Leandro Lorenzo , Rodríguez-Izquierdo Miguel Ángel , Lajara-Blesa Jerónimo , López-Serrano Rafael
Published: March 2021

Purpose

To corroborate whether vessels on the surface of the optic nerve head can provide protection against the loss of underlying axons in subjects with manifest glaucoma.

Methods

In this pilot study, thirty-six glaucomatous eyes with a perimetric defect in the Bjerrum area were included. The retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness was measured in each of the sectors of the clock-hour map obtained by Cirrus HD-OCT considering the presence or absence of blood vessels. These sectors were related with their corresponding areas of the retina examined in the visual field using a mathematical model of the retina introduced by Jansonius, in order to determine the values of threshold sensitivity in those areas in the presence or absence of vessels.

Results

We corroborated the protective role of the blood vessel for peripapillary RNFL thickness of clock-hour 12 despite obtaining a p-value (p = 0.023; w = 228.5) close to the acceptance zone (p ≥ 0.05). The mean ± standard deviation with vessel and without vessel were 70.95 ± 24.35 and 88.46 ± 23.96, respectively. No differences were found between the mean values of threshold sensitivity to the presence or absence of blood vessels in each of the sectors considered.

Conclusions

Our findings do not allow us to affirm that there is an association between the presence of a vessel and protection against glaucomatous damage in subjects with an advanced manifestation of the disease. In the future, more extensive studies are needed to study this relationship in subjects with early glaucoma.
Estimating occupancy dynamics and encounter rates with species misclassification: a semi-supervised individual-level approach
Authors: Spiers Anna I. , Royle J. Andrew , Torrens Christa L. , Joseph Maxwell B.
Published: March 2021

Large-scale, long-term biodiversity monitoring is essential to meeting conservation and land management goals and identifying threats to biodiversity. However, multispecies surveys are prone to various types of observation error, including false positive/negative detection, and misclassification, where a species is encountered but its species identity is not correctly identified. Previous methods assume an imperfect classifier produces species-level classifications, but in practice, particularly with human observers, we may end up with extraspecific classifications including “unknown”, morphospecies designations, and taxonomic identifications coarser than species. Disregarding these types of species misclassification in biodiversity monitoring datasets can bias estimates of ecologically important quantities such as demographic rates, occurrence, and species richness.

Here we develop an occupancy model that accounts for species non-detection and misclassification. Our framework accommodates extinction and colonization dynamics, allows for additional uncertain ‘morphospecies’ designations in the imperfect species classifications, and makes use of individual specimen with known species identities in a semi-supervised setting. We compare the performance of our joint classification-occupancy model to a reduced classification model that discards information about occupancy and encounter rate on a withheld test set. We illustrate our model with an empirical case study of the carabid beetle (Carabidae) community at the National Ecological Observatory Network Niwot Ridge Mountain Research Station, west of Boulder, CO, USA, and quantify taxonomist identification error by accounting for classification probabilities.

Species occupancy varied through time and across sites and species. The model yielded high probabilities (30 to 92% medians) of classification where the imperfect classifier matched the true species. The classification model informed by occupancy and encounter rates outperformed the classification that was not, and these differences were most pronounced for abundant species.

Our probabilistic framework can be applied to datasets with imperfect species detection and classification. This model can identify commonly misclassified species, helping biodiversity monitoring organizations systematically prioritize which samples need validation by an expert. Our Bayesian approach propagates classification uncertainty to offer an alternative to making conservation decisions based on point estimates
Antibody elicited by HIV-1 immunogen vaccination in macaques displaces Env fusion peptide and destroys a neutralizing epitope
Authors: Abernathy Morgan E. , Gristick Harry B. , Vielmetter Jost , Keeffe Jennifer R. , Gnanapragasam Priyanthi NP , Lee Yu E. , Escolano Amelia , Gautam Rajeev , Seaman Michael S. , Martin Malcolm A. , Nussenzweig Michel C. , Bjorkman Pamela J.
Published: March 2021

HIV-1 vaccine design aims to develop an immunogen that elicits broadly neutralizing antibodies against a desired epitope, while eliminating responses to off-target regions of HIV-1 Env. Here we report isolation and characterization of Ab1245, an off-target antibody against the Env gp120-gp41 interface, from V3-glycan patch immunogen-primed and boosted macaques. A 3.7Å cryo-EM structure of an Ab1245-Env complex reveals one Ab1245 Fab binding asymmetrically to Env trimer at the gp120-gp41 interface using its long CDRH3 to mimic regions of gp41. The mimicry includes positioning of a CDRH3 methionine into the gp41 tryptophan clasp, resulting in displacement of the fusion peptide and fusion peptide-proximal region. Despite fusion peptide displacement, Ab1245 is non-neutralizing even at high concentrations, implying that only two fusion peptides per trimer are required for viral–host membrane fusion. These structural analyses facilitate immunogen design to prevent elicitation of Ab1245-like antibodies that block neutralizing antibodies against the fusion peptide.
Dissecting the roles of MBD2 isoforms in regulating NuRD complex function during cellular differentiation
Authors: Schmolka Nina , Bhaskaran Jahnavi , Karemaker Ino D. , Baubec Tuncay
Published: March 2021

The Nucleosome Remodelling and Deacetylation (NuRD) complex is a crucial regulator of cellular differentiation. Two members of the Methyl-CpG-binding domain (MBD) protein family, MBD2 and MBD3, are known to be integral, but mutually exclusive subunits of the NuRD complex. Several MBD2 and MBD3 isoforms are present in mammalian cells, resulting in distinct MBD-NuRD complexes. If these different complexes serve distinct biochemical and/or functional activities during differentiation is not completely understood. Based on the essential role of MBD3 in lineage commitment, we systematically investigated a diverse set of MBD3 and MBD2 variants for their potential to rescue the differentiation block observed in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) lacking MBD3. Our study reveals that while MBD3 is indeed crucial for ESC differentiation to neuronal cells, this function is independent of its MBD domain or binding to methylated DNA. While MBD3 isoforms are highly redundant, we identify that MBD2 isoforms vary in their potential to fully rescue the absence of MBD3 during lineage commitment. Full-length MBD2a only partially rescues the differentiation block; MBD2b, which lacks the N-terminal GR-rich repeat, fully rescues the differentiation block in MBD3 KO ES cells, and cells expressing the testis-specific isoform MBD2t that lacks the coiled-coil domain required for NuRD interactions are not able to generate any differentiated cells. In case of MBD2a, we further show that removing the m-CpG DNA binding capacity or the GR-rich repeat renders the protein fully redundant to MBD3, highlighting the requirements for these domains in diversifying NuRD complex function. In sum, our results highlight a partial redundancy of MBD2 and MBD3 during cellular differentiation and point to specific functions of distinct MBD2 isoforms and specific domains within the NuRD complex.
Implementation and acceleration of optimal control for systems biology
Authors: Sharp Jesse A , Burrage Kevin , Simpson Matthew J
Published: March 2021

Optimal control theory provides insight into complex resource allocation decisions. The forward-backward sweep method (FBSM) is an iterative technique commonly implemented to solve two-point boundary value problems (TPBVPs) arising from the application of Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle (PMP) in optimal control. In this review we discuss the PMP approach to optimal control and the implementation of the FBSM. By conceptualising the FBSM as a fixed point iteration process, we leverage and adapt existing acceleration techniques to improve its rate of convergence. We show that convergence improvement is attainable without prohibitively costly tuning of the acceleration techniques. Further, we demonstrate that these methods can induce convergence where the underlying FBSM fails to converge. All code used in this work to implement the FBSM and acceleration techniques is available on GitHub athttps://github.com/Jesse-Sharp/Sharp2021.
A Phytosociological Classification of the Peruvian Vegetation
Authors: Galán-de-Mera Antonio , Campos-de-la-Cruz José , Linares-Perea Eliana , Montoya-Quino Juan , Torres-Marquina Iván , Vicente-Orellana José Alfredo
Published: March 2021

Abstract

The present work is an update of the syntaxonomic scheme of Peru, with the results obtained to present. We currently recognize 218 phytosociological associations, of which 11 are novelties:Ageratino azangaroensis-Polylepidetum incarumass. nov.,Alchemillo pinnatae-Stipetum hans-meyeriass. nov.,Barnadesio dombeyanae-Polylepidetum racemosaeass. nov.,Eclipto prostratae-Echinochloetum crus-pavonisass. nov.,Geoffroeetum decorticantisass. nov.,Junellio arequipensis-Proustietum cuneifoliaeass. nov.,Lemnetum aequinoctialisass. nov.,Mutisio cochabambensis-Polylepidetum incarumass. nov.,Poo glaberrimae-Calamagrostietum eminentisass. nov.,Sarcocornietum andinaeass. nov., andSchino mollis-Prosopidetum calderensisass. nov. These 218 associations belong to 34 phytosociological classes, four of which are described here for the first time:Limoselletea australiscl. nov.,Mimulo glabrati-Plantaginetea australiscl. nov.,Tillandsietea latifolio-landbeckiicl. nov.,Woodsio montevidensis-Cheilanthetea pruinataecl. nov. In addition, 5 new orders (Alternanthero pungentis-Cynodontetalia dactylonisord. nov.,Coreopsietalia fasciculataeord. nov.,Echinopsio schoenii-Proustetalia cuneifoliaeord. nov.,Mimulo glabrati-Plantaginetalia australisord. nov.,Tillandsietalia latifolio-landbeckiiord. nov.), and 7 new alliances (Azollo filiculoidis-Lemnion gibbaeall. nov.,Ditricho submerse-Isoetion lechleriall. nov.,Echinopsio schoenii-Proustion cuneifoliaeall. nov.,Haageocerion acranthiall. nov.,Lepidio chichicarae-Cynodontion dactylonisall. nov.,Schoenoplection tatoraeall. nov., andTillandsion purpureo-latifoliaeall. nov.) are also described.
Prediction of burning performance and emissions indexes of a turboprop motor with artificial neural network
Authors: Kayaalp Kiyas , Metlek Sedat
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to estimate different air–fuel ratio motor shaft speed and fuel flow rates under the performance parameters depending on the indices of combustion efficiency and exhaust emission of the engine, a turboprop multilayer feed forward artificial neural network model. For this purpose, emissions data obtained experimentally from a T56-A-15 turboprop engine under various loads were used.

Design/methodology/approach

The designed multilayer feed forward neural network models consist of two hidden layers. 75% of the experimental data used was allocated as training, 25% as test data and cross-referenced by the k-fold four value. Fuel flow, rotate per minute and air–fuel ratio data were used for the training of emission index input values on the designed models and EICO, EICO2, EINO2and EIUHCdata were used on the output. In the system trained for combustion efficiency, EICOand EIUHCdata were used at the input and fuel combustion efficiency data at the output.

Findings

Mean square error, normalized mean square error, absolute mean error functions were used to evaluate the error obtained from the system as a result of the test. As a result of modeling the system, absolute mean error values were 0.1473 for CO, 0.0442 for CO2, 0.0369 for UHC, 0.0028 for NO2, success for all exhaust emission data was 0.0266 and 7.6165e-10 for combustion efficiency, respectively.

Originality/value

This study has been added to the literature T56-A-15 turboprop engine for the current machine learning methods to multilayer feed forward neural network methods, exhaust emission and combustion efficiency index value calculation.
The impact of legibility and seating areas on social interaction in the neighbourhood park and plaza
Authors: Paydar Mohammad , Kamani Fard Asal
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Promoting social interaction contributes to social sustainability in the urban setting. And, legibility is one of the key qualities of successful urban places. This research aims to examine the impacts of legibility and the quality of seating areas on the level of engagement with place as well as social interaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The levels of social interaction in different public spaces of the selected neighbourhood were observed. On this basis, the neighbourhood park and neighbourhood entry plaza were selected. A sample of 234 people was determined and a quantitative approach was used to examine the objectives.

Findings

Inhabitants were more interested in passive engagement with place. Certain cultural and spatial attributes contribute to enhancing social interaction. Legibility was poorly recognizable especially due to the weak level of visibility. The quality and quantity of seating area provision as well as visual connectivity are to be improved so that the legibility as well as the social interaction enhances. Finally, the implications in regards the prospect-refuge theory were described.

Originality/value

Promoting social interaction has been less regarded by urban planners and policy makers in the context of Asian cities. In a historical context with a mix of native-born citizens and immigrants, where different types of crime exist and it suffers from illegible structure in its different parts, understanding the urban design interventions of engagement with place as well as social interaction is an important subject. Policy makers may apply these findings to improve the positive social interactions in such residential neighbourhoods.
Assessing the post-occupancy performance of educational design/build: the thinking while doing initiative
Authors: Verderber Stephen
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Educational design/build (e-d/b) curricula in university-level professional schools of architecture have flourished in recent years, internationally, as new programs are launched and the volume of built work increases dramatically. This growing body of built work, however, has typically not been subjected to rigorous behavioral assessment from the standpoint of what is actually built, as experienced through the eyes of user-recipients in the everyday milieu. The lack of rigor in this aspect of assessing the efficacy of what gets built continues to hinder evidence-based academic scholarship on this subject.

Design/methodology/approach

An interdisciplinary research initiative titled Thinking While Doing, spanning the years 2013–2019, centered on exploring the inner profundities of e-d/b. As part of a multifaceted project involving seven universities in Canada and the United States, behaviorally focused post-occupancy assessments were conducted of three open-air pavilion structures from the viewpoint of 161 respondents' impressions, degree of satisfaction and everyday uses.

Findings

Functionality, community context, materiality and aesthetic factors were among the set of variables analyzed. Among the results, the three open air pavilions were viewed as tectonically sound and aesthetically iconic and were considered to be valued additions to their immediate physical contexts and local community.

Research limitations/implications

Study limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Practical implications

Student learning objectives in relation to the design intent of the built structures are highlighted.

Social implications

This evidence-based design research empowers stakeholders seeking campus-community partnership opportunities.

Originality/value

This is the first comparative, behaviorally focused appraisal of its type from the perspective of everyday user-recipients in the realm of e-d/b.
Review of empirical research on university social responsibility
Authors: Huang Yung-Fu , Do Manh-Hoang
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to systematically review the university social responsibility (USR) implementation from the empirical studies, which published during the period from 2004 to 2020.

Design/methodology/approach

The bibliometric method has been employed to review prior empirical research on higher education social responsibility topics.

Findings

These synthesis results confirmed that USR initiatives as an excellent tool to attain sustainability and enhance university performance worldwide. Universities in developed nations underline paying more attention to the core values in the long-term; meanwhile, their counterparts in transitional countries to pay more attention to short-term activities by focusing on stakeholders.

Research limitations/implications

The notable limitation is that in terms of the number of empirical papers employed as the data to analyze in this manuscript.

Practical implications

This paper's findings have described the USR implementations and how well to define USR adoption from the empirical studies globally. Thus, it has theoretical implications in enriching the USR knowledge and providing useful guidance for universities, then recommend new research directions in the future for other scholars.

Originality/value

This research is an initial attempt to systematize studies on USR implementation in universities between developed countries and developing nations.
Study on risk index system and prevention mechanism under information disclosure in China
Authors: Jin Luosong , Liu Weidong , Chen Cheng , Wang Wei , Long Houyin
Published: March 2021

Purpose

With the advent of the information age, this paper aims to apply risk analysis theories to study the risk prevention mechanism of information disclosure, thus supporting the green electricity supply.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper conducts a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the impact of power market transactions, power market operations and effective government supervision, so as to figure out the core risk content of power market information disclosure. Moreover, AHP-entropy method is adopted to weigh different indicators of information disclosure risks for the participants in the electricity market.

Findings

The potential reasons for information disclosure risk in the electricity market include insufficient information disclosure, high cost of obtaining information, inaccurate information disclosure, untimely information disclosure and unfairness of information disclosure.

Originality/value

Some suggestions and implications on risk prevention mechanism of information disclosure in the electricity market are provided, so as to ensure the green electricity supply and promote the electricity market reform in China.
Firms’ legitimation through corporate governance and its association with risk and return in Brazil
Authors: Miranda Kléber Formiga , Melo Jefferson Ricardo do Amaral , Martins Orleans Silva
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine the listing of firms at the highest corporate governance level of the Brazilian stock exchange (B3) as a means of legitimation and its relationship with risk and return on investment.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyzes 205 companies from 2010 to 2019, in which firms listed at the Novo Mercado level were compared with groups composed of other firms traded on B3.

Findings

The main results demonstrate that a listing at the supposedly higher level of corporate governance in Brazil does not indicate lower risk, a higher return or even a better risk-return ratio.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are restricted to this sample, representing the association identified between the analyzed phenomena and not a cause-effect relationship.

Practical implications

The highest level of corporate governance in Brazil brings together firms that present a higher risk (at least systematic) and lower returns (at least financial) because they seek to legitimize themselves in the market as firms committed to better management practices.

Social implications

These findings are useful to investors, the stock exchange, regulatory agents and the companies themselves to reflect on the purpose and usefulness of different levels of corporate governance in Brazil.

Originality/value

This study differs from the others that relate corporate governance to risk or return because it does not deal individually with corporate governance practices, but rather the phenomenon that is listed in a special governance level, created by the stock exchange, serving as a kind of seal legitimation.
Bodies of data: doubles, composites, and aggregates
Authors: Douglas‐Jones Rachel
Published: March 2021

In this essay, I describe three bodies of data, analysing how relations are drawn between physical, digital, and political composites. Following the phrase ‘getting to know your data self’, my aim is to draw out the kinds of relations people use data to make, and the versions of the body that I find codified in data imaginaries. Thematically, the stories give different accounts of control over data, as the data body is doubled, built out of composites, and aggregated into a body politic.
Review article: Emergency department crowding measures associations with quality of care: A systematic review
Authors: Jones Peter G , Mountain David , Forero Roberto
Published: March 2021

ED crowding has been reported to reduce the quality of care. There are many proposed crowding metrics, but the metric most strongly associated with care quality remains unknown. The present study aims to determine the crowding metric with the strongest links with processes and outcomes of care linked to the Institute of Medicine quality domains. Systematic searches in healthcare databases were conducted using terms for ‘crowding’, ‘metrics’ and ‘performance’, supplemented by grey literature and citation searches. The level of evidence for each association was assessed using an explicit tool. The body of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Evidence was synthesised using harvest plots. Titles and abstracts of 2052 studies were screened, 452 selected for full‐text review and 183 included. Inter‐observer agreement was moderate κ = 0.54 (95% confidence interval 0.50–0.59). Two thirds were from urban tertiary hospitals in North America (65%), Australasia (13%), Europe (12%) and Asia (8%). One third provided Level 3 or higher evidence. Metrics were based on occupancy (38%), time (31%), workload (19%) or combinations (9%). Data were synthesised from 25 607 375 patients, 2368 staff, 9089 hospitals and 101 177 sampling times. Almost all crowding metrics were patient‐centred and reflect timeliness and efficiency. ED length of stay, boarding time and total occupancy had the strongest association with safety and effectiveness of care. ED length of stay was also associated with equity. The certainty of evidence for associations between crowding measures varied across domains of quality, from very low to moderate certainty.
No reliance on guidance: counter‐signaling in management forecasts
Authors: Aghamolla Cyrus , Corona Carlos , Zheng Ronghuo
Published: March 2021

This study presents and provides an explanation for a novel stylized fact: both high‐performing and troubled companies withhold issuing earnings guidance. We assume that the manager's ability affects the level of earnings and the accuracy of guidance, but issuing a forecast is costless for all manager types. Managers are thus able to signal their ability through accuracy in their forecasts. While high ability managers would seem to benefit the most from issuing guidance, in equilibrium we find that both high and low ability managers withhold issuing guidance, while intermediate types forecast. Hence, high ability managers counter‐signal in equilibrium, which does not result in a subsequent “punishment” by the market.
Plasma HMGB1 levels and physical performance in ICU survivors
Authors: Brück Emily , Svensson‐Raskh Anna , Larsson Jacob W. , Caravaca April S. , Gallina Alessandro L. , Eberhardson Michael , Sackey Peter V. , Olofsson Peder S.
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Physical impairment after critical illness is recognized as a part of the post‐intensive care syndrome (PICS). About one third of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors suffer from long‐term physical disability, yet the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. The pro‐inflammatory alarmin, high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), promotes muscle dysfunction in experimental models, and HMGB1 stays elevated in some patients after ICU discharge. Accordingly, we investigated the relationship between HMGB1 plasma levels and physical performance in ICU survivors.

Methods

Prospective cohort study of 100 ICU survivors from the general ICU at the Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden. Patients returned for follow up at 3 (58 patients) and 6 months (51 patients) after ICU discharge. Blood samples were collected, and a 6‐minute walk test (6‐MWT), a handgrip‐strength test (HST), and a timed‐stands test (TST) were performed.

Results

Compared to reference values of the different physical tests, 16% of patients underperformed at all tests at 3 months and 12% at 6 months. All test results, except hand‐grip strength left, improved significantly over the follow‐up period (P < .05). There was no significant association between plasma HMGB1 levels at 3 and 6 months and scores on the three tests (6‐MWT, TST, and HST) (P = .50‐0.69).

Conclusion

In this follow‐up study of ICU survivors, we found no significant association between plasma HMGB1 levels and physical performance. Additional follow‐up studies of HMGB1 plasma levels and muscle function in ICU survivors are still warranted.

Editorial Comment

HMGB‐1, a marker of cell damage and activation, is known to increase in ICU patients. In study participants at 3‐ to 6‐month post‐ICU stay, HMGB‐1 levels were still elevated, although no association to the primary outcome, physical performance, was found. Mechanisms for failure to recover physical performance post‐ICU remain unclear, and investigations into cause of post‐intensive care syndrome need to continue.

Trial registrations

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02914756.
Meta‐analyses of gabapentinoids for pain management after knee arthroplasty: A caveat emptor? A narrative review
Authors: Joshi Girish P. , Kehlet Henrik
Published: March 2021

The use of gabapentinoids for perioperative pain management after total knee arthroplasty has been the subject of nine systematic reviews and meta‐analyses. A critical analysis of the clinical aspects of the methodology of these publications shows major flaws which limit the interpretation for the recommended use of perioperative gabapentinoids in pain management for unilateral primary total knee arthroplasty. Consequently, readers and authors of systematic reviews and meta‐analyses should critically assess the clinical aspects of the included studies.
Mesenchymal stem cell‐derived extracellular vesicles reduce senescence and extend health span in mouse models of aging
Authors: Dorronsoro Akaitz , Santiago Fernando E. , Grassi Diego , Zhang Tianpeng , Lai Ruenn Chai , McGowan Sara J. , Angelini Luise , Lavasani Mitra , Corbo Lana , Lu Aiping , Brooks Robert W. , Garcia‐Contreras Marta , Stolz Donna B. , Amelio Antonio , Boregowda Siddaraju V. , Fallahi Mohammad , Reich Adrian , Ricordi Camillo , Phinney Donald G. , Huard Johnny , Lim Sai Kiang , Niedernhofer Laura J. , Robbins Paul D.
Published: March 2021

Aging drives progressive loss of the ability of tissues to recover from stress, partly through loss of somatic stem cell function and increased senescent burden. We demonstrate that bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM‐MSCs) rapidly senescence and become dysfunctional in culture. Injection of BM‐MSCs from young mice prolonged life span and health span, and conditioned media (CM) from young BM‐MSCs rescued the function of aged stem cells and senescent fibroblasts. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from young BM‐MSC CM extended life span of Ercc1−/− mice similarly to injection of young BM‐MSCs. Finally, treatment with EVs from MSCs generated from human ES cells reduced senescence in culture and in vivo, and improved health span. Thus, MSC EVs represent an effective and safe approach for conferring the therapeutic effects of adult stem cells, avoiding the risks of tumor development and donor cell rejection. These results demonstrate that MSC‐derived EVs are highly effective senotherapeutics, slowing the progression of aging, and diseases driven by cellular senescence.
Retracted: Nonfatal firearm injuries: Utilization and expenditures for children pre‐ and postinjury
Authors: Pulcini Christian D. , Goyal Monika K. , Hall Matt , Gruhler De Souza Heidi , Chaudhary Sofia , Alpern Elizabeth R. , Fein Joel , Fleegler Eric W.
Published: March 2021

Firearm injuries are one of the leading preventable causes of morbidity and mortality among children. Limited information exists about the impact of nonfatal firearm injuries on utilization and expenditures. Our objective was to compare health care encounters and expenditures 1 year before and 1 year following a nonfatal firearm injury.

This was a retrospective cohort study of children 0 to 18 years with ICD‐9/ICD‐10 diagnosis codes for firearm injury in the emergency department or inpatient setting from 2010 to 2016 in the Medicaid MarketScan claims database. Outcomes included 1) difference in health care encounters for 1 year before and 1 year after injury, 2) difference in health care expenditures, and 3) difference in complex chronic disease status. Descriptive statistics characterized patient demographics and health care utilization. Health expenditures were evaluated with Wilcoxon signed‐rank tests.

Among 3,296 children, there were 47,660 health care encounters before the injury and 61,660 after. Concomitantly, there was an overall increase of $18.5 million in health expenditures ($5,612 per patient). There was a 40% increase in children qualifying for complex chronic condition status after firearm injury.

Children who experience nonfatal firearm injury have increased number of health care encounters, chronic disease classification, and health care expenditures in the year following the injury. Prevention of firearm injuries in this vulnerable age group may result in considerable reductions in morbidity and health care costs.
Consequences of the reintroduction of regionally extinct mammals for vegetation composition and structure at two established reintroduction sites in semi‐arid Australia
Authors: Kemp Jeanette E. , Jensen Rigel , Hall Michelle L. , Roshier David A. , Kanowski John
Published: March 2021

Australia has lost a substantial proportion of its small to medium‐sized mammals since European colonisation. Given the passage of time since local extinctions – decades to more than a century for much of the continent – the consequences of these changes for vegetation are poorly known. In this study, we take advantage of two well‐established mammal reintroduction projects in southern inland Australia to examine the ecological consequences for vegetation of re‐established mammal populations. The study is based on replicated surveys inside and outside fenced reintroduction sites, with treatments characterised by varying presence, absence and composition of reintroduced mammals, feral predators and feral herbivores. We found a suite of differences in vegetation between reintroduction sites and matched controls, with generally lower richness inside reintroduction sites (with one exception). Other compositional differences varied by location, with some functional groups – herbaceous chenopods, shrubby chenopods, introduced geophytes and low shrubs – and a few individual chenopod species – being less frequent inside the reintroduction site at one location. At the same site, mistletoes and orchids were less abundant inside than outside the reintroduction site. Structural differences included a higher percentage of bare ground inside, and a higher ground layer for one inside treatment versus outside. Although the absence of baseline data and replicated temporal data limits inference as to causal factors, many of the results are consistent with data from other reintroduction sites. Some results, especially those for geophytes, mistletoes and some chenopods, may indicate long‐term consequences for those taxa. Whilst predator‐fencing substantially contributes to prevention of extinction of highly threatened mammals, some environmental trade‐offs are inevitable. Nonetheless, given the aims of reintroductions include re‐constructing natural ecosystem processes, the resulting changes to vegetation require ongoing investigation and further monitoring.
Dermatological services; patient profiling in a rural tertiary hospital
Authors: Thomas Lauren , Felmingham Claire , Tilakaratne Dev
Published: March 2021

Background/Objectives

There is a paucity of research available regarding the epidemiology of patients attending dermatology outpatient services in Australia. Our objective was to analyse who was attending public dermatology outpatient clinics in a Northern Territory tertiary hospital, with a particular focus on Indigenous and rural patients.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study of patients who attended dermatology outpatient clinics between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2016. Outcome measures included patient demographics (age, gender, ethnicity and postcode) and referrer details.

Results

Over the 12 month study period, 923 appointments were scheduled for 500 patients. Of the appointments scheduled, 667 were attended. Twelve per cent of patients were Indigenous, and of the total appointment attendances, 10% were by Indigenous patients. Of the 923 appointments, 28% were not attended, with a higher non‐attendance rate for Indigenous patients at 36%. The majority of patients seen were adults, for both groups, but a larger proportion of Indigenous children were seen. Nine per cent of patients with a recorded address were from a remote region.

Conclusion

Dermatology outpatient services are likely under‐utilised by Indigenous, and remote patients. If we are to improve skin health in Australia, barriers such as limited access to dermatological services in remote regions must be addressed.