bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does unemployment affect the relationship between income inequality and food security?
Authors: Haini Hazwan , Musa Siti Fatimahwati Pehin Dato , Wei Loon Pang , Basir Khairul Hidayatullah
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study examines whether unemployment affects the relationship between income inequality and food security in 143 advanced and developing economies from 2000 to 2019. The authors specifically explore whether unemployment can weaken the negative impact of income inequality on food security.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors estimate a new and robust index of food security using a generalized least squares approach. The authors then employ the system generalized method of moments to estimate the model as it allows the authors to control for endogeneity and simultaneity. The authors estimate an interaction term to account for the moderating impact of unemployment.

Findings

The authors consistently find that income inequality has a negative and significant association with food security. However, the results differ between advance and developing economies. The authors find that unemployment rates have a negative relationship with food security in the sample of developing countries, where high levels of unemployment exacerbate the adverse effects of income inequality on food security. This is insignificant for advanced economies.

Research limitations/implications

The major limitation lies in the use of aggregated data, which overlooks the issue of food security at the household or individual level.

Practical implications

Policymakers in developing economies can ensure job security in order to lessen the adverse effects of income inequality on food security.

Originality/value

This study provides new empirical evidence on whether unemployment can potentially moderate and alleviate the impact of income inequality in advanced and developing economies.
Multi-criteria decision analysis of significant enablers for a competitive supply chain
Authors: Singh Satbir , Agrawal Vivek , Mohanty R.P.
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this research paper is to study the significant enablers for a competitive supply chain and analyze the relationships among them by using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques. The supply chain (SC) managers will get better insights from the models of this study to design their SCs that are more competitive for competitive advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

After an extensive review of literature followed by experts' opinions, 21 significant enablers for a competitive SC (CSC) were selected for structural modeling using MCDM techniques of total interpretive structural modeling (TISM), Impact Matrix Cross-Reference Multiplication Applied to a Classification (MICMAC), followed by decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach.

Findings

Top management commitment is the most prominent causing enabler of a CSC; customer satisfaction is the topmost effect enabler; the operational performance of individual firms in the supply chain is a crucial enabler of a CSC.

Practical implications

The results and findings of this study would provide better insights to SC professionals and practitioners to comprehend the significant enablers of a CSC for designing and executing SC operations more competitively to achieve better customer satisfaction and sustainable business performance.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a foremost study focusing on the significant enablers of a CSC by utilizing the TISM along with MICMAC and DEMATEL methods. It is expected that this research will offer useful guidance for assessing and considering the SC enablers for achieving a CSC and facilitate new research in this area with more thrust.
Interactive effects of self-congruity and need for uniqueness on brand loyalty via brand experience and brand attachment
Authors: Chieng Fayrene , Sharma Piyush , Kingshott Russel PJ , Roy Rajat
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the differences in the process by which three types of self-congruity (actual, ideal and social) interact with the need for uniqueness (NFU) to influence brand loyalty via brand experience and brand attachment.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey with 428 members of an Australian consumer panel. The data are analyzed using the structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

The results show that social self-congruity (SSC) has a direct effect on the brand attachment, but actual and ideal self-congruity (ASC and ISC) influence it only indirectly through brand experience. Moreover, the NFU strengthens the positive effect of ISC but weakens the effect of SSC on brand attachment.

Research limitations/implications

This study uses publicly consumed brands and the NFU as the moderator. Future research may study privately consumer brands and use other moderators, such as regulatory focus (promotion vs prevention).

Originality/value

This study extends current research on brand attachment by highlighting the positive influence of SSC on brand attachment. It also establishes the mediating role of brand experience and the moderating role of the NFU. These are new insights about the underlying process and the boundary conditions for the well-established relationship between self-congruity and brand attachment.
Bridging the gap: why, how and when HR analytics can impact organizational performance
Authors: McCartney Steven , Fu Na
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Despite the growth and adoption of human resource (HR) analytics, it remains unknown whether HR analytics can impact organizational performance. As such, this study aims to address this important issue by understanding why, how and when HR analytics leads to increased organizational performance and uncover the mechanisms through which this increased performance occurs.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data collected from 155 Irish organizations, structural equation modeling was performed to test the chain mediation model linking HR technology, HR analytics, evidence-based management (EBM) and organizational performance.

Findings

The study's findings support the proposed chain model, suggesting that access to HR technology enables HR analytics which facilitates EBM, which in turn enhances organizational performance.

Originality/value

This research contributes significantly to the HR analytics and EBM literature. First, the study extends our understanding of why and how HR analytics leads to higher organizational performance. Second, the authors identify that access to HR technology enables and is an antecedent of HR analytics. Finally, empirical evidence is offered to support EBM and its impact on organizational performance.
Grounding clinical guidelines in service users’ experiences of endings
Authors: Webb Kimberley , Schröder Thomas , Gresswell David Mark
Published: January 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore service users’ experiences of the process of ending from national health service (NHS) community personality disorder services.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants recruited from four NHS community personality disorder services.

Findings

Three main themes emerged; “Service users” experiences in the context of “Reflective versus Reactive practice”, “Endings held in mind” and “What next”?

Originality/value

Further recommendations are provided for practitioners supporting individuals managing endings alongside a “readiness to end” model which may be used in clinical practice.
My team makes me think I can (not) do it: team processes influence proactive motivational profiles over time
Authors: Ontrup Greta , Kluge Annette
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study aims to investigate cross-level influences of team cohesion, trust and conflicts on team member’s proactive motivational profiles and outcomes of profile membership over time.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected in a four-month longitudinal field study with 47 teams (N = 202).

Findings

Latent profile analysis derived four proactive motivational profiles. The higher motivated profiles reported better study outcomes, higher levels of team trust and cohesion and fewer conflicts over time. Team trust and interpersonal conflicts emerged as significant predictors of profile membership.

Practical implications

Recommendations are derived on how to best manage teams and the members comprising it when trust in teams is low or interpersonal conflicts are high.

Originality/value

Applying a person-centred approach in a team context advances multi-level theories of team motivation by mapping the cross-level effects of team processes on different kinds of motivational states.
The effect of the protective face mask on cardiorespiratory response during aerobic exercise
Authors: do Prado Danilo Marcelo Leite , Silvino Valmir Oliveira , Motta‐Santos Daisy , dos Santos Marcos Antônio Pereira
Published: January 2022

The protective face mask (PFM) has been widely used for safety purposes and, after the advent of the COVID‐19 pandemic, its use is growing steadily, not only among healthcare personnel but also the general population. While the PFM is important to preserve the wearer from contaminating agents present in the airflow, they are well known to increase the subjective perception of breathing difficulty. Although some studies have demonstrated that PFM use worsens exercise tolerance, several studies state that there is no such limitation with the use of PFM. Moreover, no serious adverse effects during physical exercise have been found in the literature. Physical exercise represents a significant challenge to the human body through a series of integrated changes in function that involve most of its physiologic systems. In this respect, cardiovascular and respiratory systems provide the capacity to sustain physical tasks over extended periods. Within this scenario, both convective oxygen (O2) transport (product of arterial O2 content × blood flow) to the working locomotor muscles and O2 diffusive transport from muscle capillaries to mitochondria are of paramount importance to endurance performance. Interestingly, the effects of PFM on cardiorespiratory response during aerobic exercise depends on the type of mask and exercise (i.e., walking, running, or cycling), the ventilatory demands, arterial oxygen levels, maximal oxygen consumption and endurance performance. The purpose of this review is to elucidate the effect of protective face mask‐wearing on (1) cardiorespiratory responses during aerobic exercise and (2) endurance performance.
Cross‐talk of cholinergic and β‐adrenergic receptor signalling in chronic myeloid leukemia K562 cells
Authors: Aydın Banu , Gören Mehmet Zafer , Kanlı Zehra , Cabadak Hülya
Published: January 2022

In many studies on breast, skin and intestinal cancers, β‐adrenergic receptor antagonists have been shown to inhibit cell proliferation and angiogenesis and increase apoptosis in cancers. Carbachol inhibits chronic myeloid leukaemia K562 cell proliferation. Beta‐blockers are known to inhibit cell progression. The aim of this study is to explain the mechanism of action of β‐adrenergic receptors agonists and antagonists on apoptosis in chronic myeloid leukaemia cells. We tried to determine the effect of combined treatment of β‐adrenergic and cholinergic drugs on adrenergic β1 and β2 gene expression, cell proliferation and apoptosis in chronic myeloid leukaemia K562 cells. Cell proliferation was evaluated by the 5‐bromo‐2‐deoxy‐uridine (BrdU) incorporation kit. Caspase 3, 8, 9 activities were measured by the caspase assay kit. Protein expression level was detected by western blotting. We found that exposure to propranolol either by combination with carbachol facilitates additive effects on inhibition of caspase 3 and 8 expression in chronic myeloid leukaemia K562 cells. However, caspase 9 expression level was increased by propranolol alone or with propranolol and carbachol combination. The combined therapy of cholinergic and adrenergic receptor drugs will decrease cell proliferation in K562 cells. This decrease in cell proliferation may be mediated by the mitochondrial‐dependent intrinsic apoptosis pathway.
A bacterial chemoreceptor that mediates chemotaxis to two different plant hormones
Authors: Rico‐Jiménez Miriam , Roca Amalia , Krell Tino , Matilla Miguel A.
Published: January 2022

Indole‐3‐acetic acid (IAA) is the main naturally occurring auxin and is produced by organisms of all kingdoms of life. In addition to the regulation of plant growth and development, IAA plays an important role in the interaction between plants and growth‐promoting and phytopathogenic bacteria by regulating bacterial gene expression and physiology. We show here that an IAA metabolizing plant‐associated Pseudomonas putida isolate exhibits chemotaxis to IAA that is independent of auxin metabolism. We found that IAA chemotaxis is based on the activity of the PcpI chemoreceptor and heterologous expression of pcpI conferred IAA taxis to different environmental and human pathogenic isolates of the Pseudomonas genus. Using ligand screening, microcalorimetry and quantitative chemotaxis assays, we found that PcpI failed to bind IAA directly, but recognized and mediated chemoattractions to various aromatic compounds, including the phytohormone salicylic acid. The expression of pcpI and its role in the interactions with plants was also investigated. PcpI extends the range of central signal molecules recognized by chemoreceptors. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a bacterial receptor that responds to two different phytohormones. Our study reinforces the multifunctional role of IAA and salicylic acid as intra‐ and inter‐kingdom signal molecules.
Testing antemortem blood samples for ethanol after four to seven years of refrigerated storage
Authors: Kosecki Patrick Allan , Raines Melinda Evonne
Published: January 2022

The previous studies on ethanol stability in antemortem blood samples stored under various conditions have shown that ethanol concentration decreases with storage. The feasibility of measuring a forensically meaningful blood ethanol concentration in antemortem blood samples stored refrigerated (~4°C) from 4–7 years after the blood draw was evaluated in this research. All blood samples were collected into two 10‐ml gray top Vacutainer® tubes as part of police driving under the influence investigations. In 29 cases, blood in the tube originally analyzed was retested after 5–7 years of refrigerated storage. Blood in 41 cases was analyzed in a previously unopened blood tube from the case after 4–7 years of refrigerated storage. The first analysis of blood in each case occurred within 35 days of the blood draw. Initial blood ethanol concentrations ranged from 0.094 g/dl to 0.301 g/dl. No samples showed an increase in ethanol concentration with storage that exceeded the uncertainty of the initial measurement. All decreases in ethanol concentration were less than 0.020 g/dl. The mean differences in ethanol concentration in previously opened and unopened tubes were −0.014 g/dl and −0.010 g/dl, respectively. The results of this research support that antemortem blood in previously opened and unopened refrigerated blood tubes can be analyzed for ethanol content more than 4 years and as much as 7 years after the blood draw and provide a result consistent with the amount of ethanol loss expected from a test done within 1–3 years of the blood draw.
Qualitative Imputation of Missing Potential Outcomes
Authors: Coppock Alexander , Kaur Dipin
Published: January 2022

We propose a framework for meta‐analysis of qualitative causal inferences. We integrate qualitative counterfactual inquiry with an approach from the quantitative causal inference literature called extreme value bounds. Qualitative counterfactual analysis uses the observed outcome and auxiliary information to infer what would have happened had the treatment been set to a different level. Imputing missing potential outcomes is hard and when it fails, we can fill them in under best‐ and worst‐case scenarios. We apply our approach to 63 cases that could have experienced transitional truth commissions upon democratization, eight of which did. Prior to any analysis, the extreme value bounds around the average treatment effect on authoritarian resumption are 100 percentage points wide; imputation shrinks the width of these bounds to 51 points. We further demonstrate our method by aggregating specialists' beliefs about causal effects gathered through an expert survey, shrinking the width of the bounds to 44 points.
“Stuck In‐Between”: Placing the Underdocumented Youth Movement in Georgia
Authors: Freshour Carrie , Iniestra Varelas Daniela
Published: January 2022

This paper draws on participant‐observation and a series of focus group interviews with TPS and DACA youth in Northeast Georgia to understand youth activism emerging from their positionality of being “stuck in‐between”. “Stuck in‐between” captures the liminal legal status of DACA and TPS, denotes the feeling of “stuckness” in mixed‐status multigenerational families, and foregrounds the profound ways in which place and race intersect with legal, social, and ideological practices of inclusion/exclusion. Underdocumented youth form multiracial coalitions, guided by Black geographies of the region, to challenge imperial borders that criminalise and (re)produce categories of vulnerability. This place in‐between shapes underdocumented youth understanding of the world, informed by, rather than in competition with, Black radical visions of themselves and of the place of the US South.
Preparing the ocular surface for glaucoma filtration surgery: an unmet clinical need
Authors: Agnifili Luca , Sacchi Matteo , Figus Michele , Posarelli Chiara , Lizzio Rosario Alfio Umberto , Nucci Paolo , Mastropasqua Leonardo
Published: January 2022

The mutual relationship among medical therapy, ocular surface (OS) and filtration surgery (FS) represents one of the most crucial issues in glaucoma management. As the long‐term use of intraocular pressure‐lowering medications significantly affect the OS health, patients with an uncontrolled disease frequently undergo glaucoma surgery in less‐than‐ideal conditions. As we known, OS changes strongly affect the post‐operative bleb filtration capability. Therefore, improving the OS conditions before proceeding with FS is needed. Currently, given the rapid diffusion of new surgical procedures, this need is even more perceived. Nevertheless, despite surgeons retain the OS preparation of primary importance, and recognize the OS disease (OSD) as the only modifiable risk factor for filtration failure, there is no agreement on which strategies should be preferred to prepare patients. This is largely due to the lack of validated guidelines, which forces clinicians to adopt personal approaches based on evidence derived from low‐quality studies. In this review, we provided an overview of risk factors involved in the FS failure, with particular attention to those depending on OS changes, and how OSD negatively affects the aqueous humor resorption after surgery. Moreover, we reported the most exploited measures to mitigate the OSD before surgery, the possible reasons underlying the absence of shared approaches, and the upcoming area of intervention to preserve the OS health during glaucoma management. Finally, based on the current evidence, we proposed a pre‐operative outline reporting the main risk factors that should be considered before surgery, and the therapeutical options available to improve the OS.
Altered microfilament dynamics contribute to the formation of diploid metaphase spindles in porcine oocytes which fail to reach the metaphase‐II stage during in vitro maturation
Authors: Somfai Tamás , Dang‐Nguyen Thanh Quang , Kikuchi Kazuhiro
Published: January 2022

Premature meiotic arrest during in vitro maturation (IVM) of porcine oocytes after germinal vesicle breakdown is associated with microfilament degradation. We aimed to clarify (1) if such arrest occurs at the metaphase‐I (MI) stage or the oocyte progresses to a so‐called diploid metaphase‐II (MII) stage and (2) if microfilament degradation is the cause or result of the meiotic arrest. The number and morphology of chromosomes in oocytes showing premature meiotic arrest at 44 h IVM (38 monovalents) was similar to those cultured in the presence of the actin polymerization‐inhibitor cytochalasin‐B, but different from those of MI‐stage (19 bivalents), and MII‐stage oocytes (19 monovalents) at 33 and 44 h of IVM, respectively. Immunostaining revealed similar frequencies of microfilament degradation in prematurely arrested and cytochalasin‐B‐treated oocytes (58.7% and 57.2%, respectively), which were higher (P < 0.05) than those in MI‐ and MII‐stage oocytes (10.6% and 6.8%, respectively). Induction of MI‐arrest by nocodazole did not affect microfilament morphology. ATP and mRNA levels of microfilament‐related genes in oocytes were similar among all groups. These results suggest that altered microfilament dynamics contribute to the formation of diploid metaphase spindles in oocytes, which fail to reach the MII stage. However, the cause of microfilament degeneration remains unclear.
Clinical trial diversity: An opportunity for improved insight into the determinants of variability in drug response
Authors: Gross Annette S. , Harry Anya C. , Clifton Christine S. , Della Pasqua Oscar
Published: January 2022

Although the number of countries participating in pivotal trials submitted to enable drug registration has nearly doubled over the past 25 years, there has not been a substantial increase in the diversity of clinical trial populations. In parallel, our understanding of factors that influence medicine response and variability has continued to evolve. The notion of intrinsic and extrinsic sources of variability has been embedded into different regulatory guidelines, including the recent guideline on the importance of enhancing the diversity of clinical trial populations.

In addition to presenting the clinical and scientific reasons for ensuring that clinical trial populations represent the demographics of patient populations, this overview outlines the efforts of regulatory agencies, patient advocacy groups and clinical researchers to attain this goal through strategies to meet representation in recruitment targets and broaden eligibility criteria. Despite these efforts, challenges to participation in clinical trials remain, and certain groups continue to be underrepresented in development programmes. These challenges are amplified when the representativeness of specific groups may vary across countries and regions in a global clinical programme.

Whilst enhanced trial diversity is a critical step towards ensuring that results will be representative of patient populations, a concerted effort is required to characterise further the factors influencing interindividual and regional differences in response for global populations. Quantitative clinical pharmacology principles should be applied to allow extrapolation of data across groups or regions as well as provide insight into the effect of patient‐specific characteristics on a medicine's dose rationale and efficacy and safety profiles.
A new case of photoallergic contact dermatitis caused by benzophenones in magazine covers
Authors: Samaran Quentin , Raison‐Peyron Nadia , Clark Evangeline , Svedman Cecilia , Dahlin Jakob , Dereure Olivier , Bruze Magnus , Bourrain Jean Luc
Published: January 2022

Background

Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) and photoallergic contact dermatitis (PACD) to benzophenone present in printing ink have been reported. However, precise chemical analyses and extended photo‐patch tests have not been performed in these cases.

Objectives

To determine which components present in a magazine cover are responsible for a patient's skin reaction, to determine the primary sensitizer, and precisely diagnose ACD and PACD.

Methods

After initial photo‐patch tests were performed on a patient with a history of reaction to magazine covers after sun exposure, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and high‐performance liquid chromatography analyses of the magazine covers, and additional photo‐patch tests were performed.

Results

The first photo‐patch test results confirmed PACD to ketoprofen and fenofibrate and evoked PACD to the magazine covers. 4‐methyl benzophenone (4‐MBP) and 1‐hydroxy‐cyclohexyl‐phenyl‐ketone (1‐HCPK) were found in the magazine cover. Additional photo‐patch tests confirmed PACD to 1‐HCPK and to benzophenone, and photo‐aggravated ACD to 4‐MBP. The primary sensitizer was ketoprofen.

Conclusions

Benzophenones are present in a wide variety of products, without always being listed on the packaging. Patients previously sensitized to other ketones, such as ketoprofen, may react to benzophenones without being able to avoid contact with these molecules. New regulations may be needed for more efficient eviction advice.
TLR13 contributes to skeletal muscle atrophy by increasing insulin resistance in chronic kidney disease
Authors: Gu Lijie , Wang Zhifang , Zhang Yueyue , Zhu Nan , Li Jiayong , Yang Man , Wang Ling , Rong Shu
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Insulin resistance in chronic kidney disease (CKD) stimulates muscle wasting, but the molecular processes behind the resistance are undetermined. However, inflammation in skeletal muscle is implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and cachexia. Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) are known to regulate local innate immune responses, and microarray data have shown that Tlr13 is upregulated in the muscles of mice with CKD, but the relevance is unknown.

Materials and Methods

We performed in vitro experiments in C2C12 myotubes and constructed a CKD murine model using subtotal nephrectomy to conduct experiments in vivo.

Results

Tlr13 expression was stimulated in C2C12 myotubes treated with uremic serum. The expression of Tlr13 was also upregulated in the tibialis anterior muscles of mice with CKD. Tlr13 knockdown with siRNAs in skeletal muscle cells decreased insulin resistance despite the inclusion of uremic serum. This led to increased levels of p‐AKT and suppression of protein degradation. Using immunofluorescence staining and coimmunoprecipitation assay, we found that TLR13 recruits IRF3, which activates Irf3 expression, resulting in decreased AKT activity. Moreover, insulin resistance and proteolysis are re‐induced by Irf3 overexpression under Tlr13 deletion.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that TLR13 is involved in CKD‐mediated insulin resistance in muscle. In catabolic conditions where insulin signaling is impaired, targeting TLR13 may improve insulin sensitivity and prevent muscle atrophy.
Neuroimaging and neurophysiological diagnosis and prognosis in paediatric disorders of consciousness
Authors: Vitello Marie M. , Szymkowicz Emilie , Laureys Steven , Alnagger Naji , Gosseries Olivia , Thibaut Aurore
Published: January 2022

The diagnosis and prognosis of disorders of consciousness (DOC) such as coma, unresponsive wakefulness syndrome, or minimally conscious state are especially challenging in children. In some paediatric patients with severe acquired brain injury, medical comorbidities or developmental factors may obscure the detection of signs of consciousness via clinical assessments, thus leading to misdiagnosis. To circumvent these biases, patients benefit from multimodal assessments that combine behavioural, neuroimaging, and neurophysiological measures. In this review, we provide original data for such diagnostic procedures in children. Neuroimaging is largely underdocumented in children and most neurophysiological research consists of a cohort study design aimed at providing prognostic markers for clinical outcomes. The scarcity of available data on complementary diagnostic approaches in children makes it difficult to establish clear paediatric guidelines. Although there is preliminary evidence for the applicability of paradigms involving event‐related potentials as support for diagnosis in children, more well‐designed studies need to be conducted to promote evidence‐based practices in paediatric DOC.
Impact of timing and precision of histopathological diagnosis on outcomes of patients with Burkitt lymphoma and high‐grade B‐cell lymphoma
Authors: Graef Claus Moritz , Gödel Philipp , Falderbaum Philipp , Balke‐Want Hyatt , Simon Florian , Sieg Noëlle , Naendrup Jan‐Hendrik , Neumann Marie Anne‐Catherine , Gillessen Sarah , Bröckelmann Paul J. , Eichenauer Dennis A. , Borchmann Peter , von Tresckow Bastian , Heger Jan‐Michel
Published: January 2022

Background

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) and diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are aggressive B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphomas (B‐NHL) with a generally favorable prognosis after immunochemotherapy. The outcome of BL is superior to DLBCL. In 2016, a distinct group of lymphomas displaying characteristics of both BL and DLBCL (high grade B‐cell lymphoma, HGBL) was introduced into the WHO classification. Histopathological discrimination of BL, DLBCL, and HGBL may be challenging. Data on the frequency of histopathological difficulties resulting in revision of the final diagnosis of BL/DLBCL/HGBL and its impact on the prognosis are limited.

Methods

We assessed histopathological features and clinical outcomes of 66 patients with suspected diagnosis of BL at the reporting institution between 2010 and 2020.

Results

The median age was 51 years (range 19‐82) and final histopathological diagnosis revealed BL (n = 40), DLBCL (n = 12), or HGBL (n = 14). Patients with DLBCL and HGBL were either treated with DLBCL‐directed (83.3% and 35.7%) or BL‐directed (16.7% and 64.3%) protocols. Patients in whom diagnosis was revised from DLBCL to BL after initiation of DLBCL‐directed treatment had a significantly inferior progression‐free survival (PFS) than patients initially diagnosed with BL (p = 0.045), thus resembling rather the prognosis of DLBCL/HGBL. There was no difference between patients with DLBCL and HGBL, respectively, regarding PFS and OS (p = 0.38 and p = 0.27).

Conclusion

These results suggest that timely and precise histopathological diagnosis as well as reference histopathological review of the underlying lymphoma is critical to determine up‐front treatment strategies. Consequently, selection of more aggressive treatment protocols in case of difficulties with discrimination between DLBCL/HGBL/BL may be a reasonable approach.
How Dreaming and Indigenous ancestral stories are central to nature conservation: Perspectives from Walalkara Indigenous Protected Area, Australia
Authors: Robin Langaliki , Robin Kuntjupai , Camerlenghi Ettore , Ireland Luke , Ryan‐Colton Ellen
Published: January 2022

Nature conservation in both theory and practice is increasingly looking to understand different knowledge systems, including Indigenous worldviews, to achieve complementary conservation and socio‐cultural goals. Here, we share stories from one of the longest running Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs), Walalkara IPA, by Langaliki Robin, daughter of the founders of the IPA, who reflected on her parents’ lessons about how Tjukurpa (Dreaming Law) is essential for conservation. Grounded theory analysis of her interview identified the importance of Tjukurpa and the role of Langaliki’s parents, particularly her father Tjilpi Robin Kankapankatja in the establishment of the IPA. Tjukurpa was asserted as a core cultural knowledge system that provides Indigenous people with motivation, strength and well‐being, allowing them to maintain access to Country and work cross‐culturally. Tjukurpa influenced the initial declaration, roads and physical layout of the protected area and continues to guide the daily work activities of IPA rangers. According to Langaliki, the key to maintaining strong people and Country is to pass on cultural knowledge and Tjukurpa from generation to generation, especially to younger people. This research suggested that by knowing who the key knowledge holders are, respecting that Tjukurpa exists without being privy to the details, and continuing multi‐generational access to Country, conservation programmes that embrace Indigenous ways of knowing and doing can achieve successful outcomes for nature conservation and Indigenous well‐being.
Yarning up with Oliver Costello – An interview about Indigenous biocultural knowledges
Authors: Costello Oliver , Cameron Liz
Published: January 2022

This interview began like other initial yarning conversations on who we are and where we belong. Yarning serves as a medium to establish and build respectful relationships, exchange stories and traditions, and preserve and pass on cultural knowledge. The following discussion is with Oliver Costello, a Bundjalung man, from the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Oliver was instrumental in creating the Firesticks Initiative, Firesticks Alliance and Jagun Alliance.
Indigenous ecological knowledge systems – Exploring sensory narratives
Authors: Cameron Liz
Published: January 2022

There is little attention focused on how Indigenous Australian people engage with the environment and how other ecologists can include this interdisciplinary approach into their practice. Despite many ecologists' genuine desire to work across cultural fields together, there are some notable differences between Western and Indigenous ideologies. One of these principles involves an embodied process that allows us as Indigenous people to connect, analyse, predict and measure changes in Country. This cultural tool of knowing is bounded in place‐based narratives that are sensory‐driven to filter and guide our field experiences. This article serves as an essential resource for scientists and conservationists to rethink their connections to place through immersive bodily experiences as a meaningful apparatus to increase public environmental stewardship. After all, is it not our desire to inspire ecological thinking within a public domain?
Integrating scientific and Aboriginal knowledge, practice and priorities to conserve an endangered rainforest ecosystem in the Kimberley region, northern Australia
Authors: Lindsay Malcolm , Beames Louise ,   Yawuru Country Managers,   Nyul Nyul Rangers,   Bardi Jawi Rangers
Published: January 2022

Australia’s diverse plants and animals evolved for tens of thousands of years with Aboriginal biocultural knowledge, land management and cultural practice. The interdependency of this biocultural knowledge and land management practice is still ecologically relevant today but is only recently being acknowledged in mainstream scientific conservation management processes and research. We present an example of cross‐cultural collaborative management of the endangered monsoon vine thickets of the Dampier Peninsula, West Kimberley, northern Australia. These vine thickets occur as a network of over 80 patches in the lee of coastal dunes on the Peninsula, and are ecologically rich (containing 25% of Peninsula plant species) and culturally important for Peninsula Aboriginal groups for food, medicine, camping, cultural ceremonies and law. Adversely affected by land‐clearing, weeds and wildfires, the vine thickets were listed as nationally endangered in 2013. The overlapping significance of the vine thickets by scientific and Aboriginal knowledge systems resulted in the formation of the Monsoon Vine Thicket Project in 2008 that aimed to document and conserve the ecosystem and its associated culture. The project has grown successfully over 13 years and has been guided by cross‐cultural collaboration principles of respect for: cultural knowledge, practices and priorities; cultural knowledge holders; and long‐term partnerships. The project has resulted in considerable outcomes in weed and fire management; seed collection, propagation and revegetation; community education; and the documentation, transfer and practice of Aboriginal biocultural knowledge. The greatest challenge for the project has been to better prioritise cultural activities, with examples provided of how this can increase benefits to both ecological conservation and cultural maintenance. The project’s strength was its cross‐cultural approach and resultant respectful and trusting relationships that allowed for project flexibility and adaptation and for the collaborative partners to learn and develop capacity. The integration of cultural and scientific knowledge and practice resulted in greater conservation outcomes for monsoon vine thickets of the Dampier Peninsula, and we believe is an important cross‐cultural model for ecosystem management elsewhere in Australia.
Synthesis of Australian cross‐cultural ecology featuring a decade of annual Indigenous ecological knowledge symposia at the Ecological Society of Australia conferences
Authors: Ens Emilie J. , Turpin Gerry
Published: January 2022

Indigenous Australians are Australia’s first ecologists and stewards of land, sea and freshwater Country. Indigenous biocultural knowledge, as coded in story, song, art, dance and other cultural practices, has accumulated and been refined through thousands of generations of Indigenous tribal groups who have distinct cultural responsibilities for their ancestral estates. European colonisation of Australia had and is still having severe impacts on Indigenous cultural practice, knowledge, people and Country. In contemporary ecology and environmental management, re‐recognition of the unique values of Indigenous biocultural knowledge and practice is occurring and increasingly being deployed alongside Western approaches in what has been described as cross‐cultural, two‐way or right‐way work. This article describes the development of cross‐cultural ecology and environmental approaches in Australia. We then provide an overview of 10 years of conference presentations associated with the annual Indigenous Ecological Knowledge symposiums of the Ecological Society of Australia (ESA). From 2010 to 2020, 173 people participated in the symposia from around Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand), of which 62% were Indigenous Australians and 3% Maori. Most participants were from Indigenous Ranger groups followed by University staff, with a roughly even split of men and women. A total of 100 presentations were given and a word frequency analysis of the presentation titles revealed the dominant words (themes) were: Indigenous, management, Country, fire, working, knowledge and cultural. The increasing Indigenous participation in the ESA conferences was coincident with increasing Indigenous‐led projects across Australia, although we recognise that much more work needs to be done to increase Indigenous participation and control in Australian ecology and environmental management to move from cross‐cultural to Indigenous‐led approaches.
Whole‐genome sequencing elucidates the species‐wide diversity and evolution of fungicide resistance in the early blight pathogen Alternaria solani
Authors: Einspanier Severin , Susanto Tamara , Metz Nicole , Wolters Pieter J. , Vleeshouwers Vivianne G.A.A. , Lankinen Åsa , Liljeroth Erland , Landschoot Sofie , Ivanović Žarko , Hückelhoven Ralph , Hausladen Hans , Stam Remco
Published: January 2022

Early blight of potato is caused by the fungal pathogen Alternaria solani and is an increasing problem worldwide. The primary strategy to control the disease is applying fungicides such as succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHI). SDHI‐resistant strains, showing reduced sensitivity to treatments, appeared in Germany in 2013, shortly after the introduction of SDHIs. Two primary mutations in the SDH complex (SdhB‐H278Y and SdhC‐H134R) have been frequently found throughout Europe. How these resistances arose and spread, and whether they are linked to other genomic features, remains unknown. For this project, we performed whole‐genome sequencing for 48 A. solani isolates from potato fields across Europe to better characterize the pathogen's genetic diversity in general and understand the development and spread of the genetic mutations that lead to SDHI resistance. The isolates can be grouped into seven genotypes. These genotypes do not show a geographical pattern but appear spread throughout Europe. We found clear evidence for recombination on the genome, and the observed admixtures might indicate a higher adaptive potential of the fungus than previously thought. Yet, we cannot link the observed recombination events to different Sdh mutations. The same Sdh mutations appear in different, non‐admixed genetic backgrounds; therefore, we conclude they arose independently. Our research gives insights into the genetic diversity of A. solani on a genome level. The mixed occurrence of different genotypes, apparent admixture in the populations, and evidence for recombination indicate higher genomic complexity than anticipated. The conclusion that SDHI tolerance arose multiple times independently has important implications for future fungicide resistance management strategies. These should not solely focus on preventing the spread of isolates between locations but also on limiting population size and the selective pressure posed by fungicides in a given field to avoid the rise of new mutations in other genetic backgrounds.
Climatic and stand drivers of forest resistance to recent bark beetle disturbance in European coniferous forests
Authors: Jaime Luciana , Batllori Enric , Ferretti Marco , Lloret Francisco
Published: January 2022

Bark beetle infestation is a major driver of tree mortality that may be critical for forest persistence under climate change and the forecasted increase of extreme heat and drought episodes. Under this context, the environmental position of host tree populations within the species’ climatic niche (central vs. marginal populations) is expected to be a determinant in the dynamics of insect–host systems. Here, we analyzed the recent patterns of bark beetle disturbance and forest resistance across European coniferous forests during the 2010–2018 period. We obtained bark beetle attack and tree mortality data from successive continental‐scale forest condition surveys on 130 plots including five host trees and five bark beetle species, and characterized the climatic niche of each species. Then, we analyzed the overall forest resistance and species‐specific responses, in terms of bark beetle attack and induced tree mortality, in relation to the distance to the niche optimum of both host tree and beetle species, previous drought events, and plot characteristics. Regional patterns of recent disturbance revealed that forests in central, north, and east of Europe could be at risk under the attack of multivoltine bark beetle species. We found that overall forest resistance to beetle attack was determined by several driving factors, which varied among species responses. Particularly, the environmental position of the affected forest within the host and beetle species’ climatic niche and plot characteristics mediated the influence of drought on the resistance to beetle attack. In turn, forest resistance to induced tree mortality was determined exclusively by the maximum intensity and duration of drought events. Our findings highlight the importance of disturbance interactions and suggest that the joint influence of drought events and bark beetle disturbance will threaten the persistence of European coniferous forests, even in those tree populations close to their species' climatic optimum.
Suburban sprawl measurement and landscape analysis of cropland and ecological land: A case study of Jiangsu Province, China
Authors: Tian Yasi , Chen Junyi
Published: January 2022

Suburban sprawl occurs when suburban construction exceeds the need for urban–rural development. This phenomenon has garnered considerable attention and criticism due to the outcomes of land resource wastage, environmental pollution, loss of green space, and farmland degradation. However, due to the complexity of suburbs, suburban boundaries remain unclear, which increases the difficulty and uncertainty in the assessment of suburban sprawl. To fill the research gap, this study conducted an empirical study of Jiangsu Province to identify the suburban boundaries in 1998 and 2018 using a logistic‐geographically weighted regression model. By constructing a suburban sprawl index, this study estimates the suburban sprawl at a city scale. This study obtained the following findings: first, from 2000 to 2018, the proportion of suburban areas in Jiangsu increased from 14.36% to 23.29%. Second, the ratio of suburban expansion areas to suburban sprawl areas revealed the efficiency of suburban land use. As results, Nantong had the highest ratio value of 4.49, and Nanjing had the smallest ratio value of 0.58. Finally, this study demonstrated the effects of suburban sprawl on cropland and ecological landscape fragmentation. The present study contributes to a new perspective of identifying suburbs and provides suggestions for cropland and ecological land protection.
Road construction, economic growth, and poverty alleviation in China
Authors: Zhou Yang , Tong Chunyang , Wang Yongsheng
Published: January 2022

Improving transportation infrastructure has been recognized as a necessary instrument for a region to achieve economic growth and poverty alleviation. A systematic assessment of the impact of China's transportation improvements on economic growth and poverty reduction is insufficient, especially in the context of China's targeted poverty alleviation policies. This study first constructed a theoretical framework of road construction promoting economic growth and poverty alleviation. Then, based on county panel data from 2014 to 2018, the spatial analysis technology was applied to investigate the spatio‐temporal patterns of China's road construction and rural poverty alleviation, and finally, a mediating effect model was used to quantitatively measure the impact of road construction on economic growth and poverty alleviation. Results indicate that China has made remarkable achievements in road construction and poverty reduction over the past five years. Road and railway mileage increased by 14 times and 0.66 times, respectively. Road construction in poor areas was dominated by low‐grade roads and railways. There was a mediating effect between road construction and poverty alleviation, and economic growth was the mediating variable between them. The poverty reduction effects of different road levels varied with poverty levels and across regions. But on both the national and regional scale, the poverty reduction effect of road construction was higher than that of railways. The effect of high‐grade road construction on poverty reduction in poor areas was more obvious than that of low‐grade roads. The poverty reduction effect of the primary road construction was 2–3.5 times that of the tertiary road. The poverty reduction effects of railway construction and road construction followed a gradually increasing gradient from east to west. These results indicate that transportation infrastructure construction is an important way to promote economic growth and poverty alleviation in poor areas. Our findings would provide a scientific basis for transportation infrastructure planning and investment decision‐making in less‐developed countries.