bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Herb Stevia rebaudiana’s functionalities, safety and applications: a review
Authors: Li Ji , Thaker Pradeep , Jiang Deshou , Huang Qingrong , Ho Chi-Tang
Published: July 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the functionalities, safety regulations and product applications of herb Stevia rebaudiana extract. This plant material is embedded with multiple functionalities such as antioxidant, antidiabetics, anti-inflammation and antimicrobial. The regulations released from global authorities are covered to ensure the safety premise of stevia. Besides, the product applications of the extract of aerial parts of the herb S. rebaudiana helps us to recognize its value from commercial side.

Design/methodology/approach

Relevant literatures are selected and obtained from main scientific databases such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed and trade magazines published between 2000 and 2023. The keywords and their possible combinations such as sweetening, antioxidant, antidiabetics, anti-inflammation, safety and product development were used to ensure the preciseness and completeness of literature searching. Major data such as sweetness, total phenolic content and dose together with latter critical conclusions from searched publications were appropriately used and discussed. In this review, approximately 150 scientific literatures were meticulously ordered and analyzed. In applications, it is the first time that sentiment analysis was used to obtain a market assessment of the stevia-containing products.

Findings

This review paper helps rearrange the scientific affairs of those stevia extract’s functions like sweetening, antioxidant, antidiabetics and inflammation. Sweetness indexes of steviol glycosides were summarized together for comparison while various in vitro and in vivo approaches were reviewed to quantify those functions’ capacities and to depict the related mechanism. The regulation of steviol glycoside compounds such as rebaudioside A was established by global authorities such as US Food and Drug Administration and Joint FAO/World Health Organization Expert Committee to ensure the safety endorsement before commercialization. Then, this study discussed about the market performance of stevia ingredients or products with the self-developed data analytics. This study also investigated the product development progress of stevia-containing food products in the categories of beverage, bakery, dairy and confectionery. Those stevia-containing food consumer goods can be acceptable by certain consumers.

Originality/value

This review paper precisely presents the evidential information about the stevia’s multiple functionalities with mechanisms and global regulation milestones. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is then the first time to probe the stevia-containing products’ market performance through data analytics.
Exploring the role of community-based enterprises in consumers’ voluntary clothing disposition via UK swapping events using theory of social practice
Authors: Počinková Lucie , Henninger Claudia E. , Le Normand Aurelie , Blazquez Cano Marta
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to explore consumers’ voluntary disposition practices through swapping events organised by community-based enterprises. The paper investigates consumers’ decision-making strategies and factors affecting voluntary clothing disposition via public swapping events across the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper investigates UK swapping events, through conducting 18 semi-structured consumer interviews. Data were transcribed and analysed using the seven-step guide proposed by Easterby-Smith et al. (2018).

Findings

Findings indicate that within community-based enterprises an implicit social contract emerges between the enterprises and swappers which has an influence on the clothing brought to swaps, thereby impacting the competence and meaning elements of practice. This is linked to peer-pressure susceptibility which affects consumers’ participation in swapping. The findings further reveal an emerging consumer strategy aiding decision-making process regarding items brought to swaps. The use of a particular strategy is found to be linked with the respective level of swapping expertise.

Research limitations/implications

Though the interviews provide a rich narrative, this paper is limited by its sample size meaning data cannot be generalised. Although the data is limited by singular country perspective, research participants were recruited from across the UK, thus, offering a broad picture of the swapping practice.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to and advances an understanding of swapping events organised by community-based enterprises. The theory of social practice lens offers a unique viewpoint on the elements influencing the consumers’ decision-making process with reference to voluntary disposition.
Trust, convenience and environmental concern in consumer purchase intention for organic food
Authors: Prakash Gyan , Singh Pankaj Kumar , Ahmad Anees , Kumar Gaurav
Published: July 2023

Purpose

The customers are demanding the products which are not only healthy but also clean and environment friendly i.e. call for sustainable consumption products. Therefore, this study aims to identify the important drivers of organic food purchase intention.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional research design involving the collection of primary data from 234 respondents was adopted in this study. Responses were gathered from the consumers of organic food representative of the Indian population. Structural equation modelling was applied to analyze data and validate the research model.

Findings

The findings of the study would help practitioners understand the factors leading to the purchase intention of organic food products in a growing consumer market. This knowledge would help them devise marketing and communication strategies to increase the consumption of organic food products.

Originality/value

The present study advances existing literature on organic food consumption by extending the theory of planned behaviour with factors, namely, environmental concern, convenience and trust, and establishing their role in developing the purchase intention for organic food products.
Does banner advertising still capture attention? An eye-tracking study
Authors: Simonetti Aline , Bigne Enrique
Published: July 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate how much visual attention is given to banner ads embedded in Web page content dependent on whether the user’s task is goal- or not goal-oriented, as well as the interplay between attention, banner location, banner click and banner recognition.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a within-subjects design where 100 participants performed two tasks – reading a news and finding where to click next – on a Web page containing three banner ads embedded into the website content. The authors gathered behavioral and eye-tracking data.

Findings

Consumers disregard banner ads when they are performing a focused task (reading news). Visual attention paid to the banners while reading – but not while free browsing – and banner location do not impact ad clicking. In addition, it is not necessary to pay full attention to a banner ad to be able to recognize it afterward.

Practical implications

The strategy of embedding banners in the main content of a Web page leads to higher visual attention when consumers are browsing a Web page compared to a focused task (e.g. reading). It also increases ad recognition over time compared to benchmark levels for ads placed in traditional positions.

Originality/value

Previous studies mainly assessed effectiveness of banners located at the top or lateral of a Web page. The authors used eye tracking as an objective measure of visual attention to banner ads embedded in Web page content and behavioral metrics to assess ad interest and measured ad recognition over time.
A comprehensive ATR‐FTIR spectroscopic analysis for the identification and differentiation of lip balms
Authors: Yadav Arti , Nimi Chongtham , Sharma Sweety , Kaur Jasleen , Singh Rajinder
Published: July 2023

Lip balm may be encountered as physical evidence in cases involving sexual assaults, homicides, and kidnappings. Lip balm can be used as corroborative evidence by providing a potential link between the victim, accused, and the crime scene. For lip balms to be used as evidence, it is important to understand the diversity and their aging process under different conditions. Therefore, in this study, ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy in conjunction with chemometric tools such as principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) has been used for the objective identification and differentiation of 20 brands of lip balms. Moreover, lip balms on different substrates and wearing effects over time were also investigated. The results show that the PCA‐LDA training accuracy was 92.5%, whereas the validation accuracy comes out to be 83.33%. A blind study using pristine samples was also performed which resulted in 80% PCA‐LDA accuracy. PCA‐LDA prediction of samples on various substrates showed a higher chemometric prediction accuracy for nonporous substrates (glass, plastic, and steel), than for porous substrates (cotton cloth, cotton swab stick, dry tissue paper, and white paper) for samples kept in room temperature and under sunlight for 15 days. The substrate study showed that the samples from various substrates could effectively generate respective spectra which can help in brand‐level identification even after several days. The present method demonstrates a potential for lip balm samples to be used in forensic casework applications.
Relationship between gastric xanthoma, gastric precancerous lesions, and gastric cancer: A retrospective study
Authors: Shen Wei Na , Qu Xiao Dong , Chen Sha Sha , Liu Yu Huan , Gao Meng Jie , Shi Yong Quan
Published: July 2023

Objective

To evaluate the relationship between gastric cancer and its precancerous lesions and gastric xanthoma.

Methods

Medical records of 47 736 patients who underwent gastroscopy in our center from January 2020 to December 2021 were reviewed. Patients’ age, sex, endoscopic and histopathological findings, and the presence, number and location of gastric xanthoma were recorded. To investigate the detection rate of gastric xanthoma at different stages of gastric lesions, the participants were further divided into the chronic gastritis group (n = 42 758), the precancerous lesion group (n = 3672), and the gastric cancer group (n = 1306), respectively.

Results

The overall detection rate of gastric xanthoma was 2.85%, and it was most commonly observed in the gastric antrum (52.50%). In addition, gastric xanthoma was more common in men and more likely to be single lesion. It was most detected in the precancerous lesion group (8.39%), followed by the gastric cancer group (5.44%), and least in the chronic gastritis group (2.29%). Multivariate analysis showed that gastric xanthoma was closely related to precancerous lesions (odds ratio [OR] 3.197, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.791–3.662, P < 0.001) and gastric cancer (OR 1.794, 95% CI 1.394–2.309, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Gastric xanthoma is closely related to gastric precancerous lesions and gastric cancer.
What are the missing pieces needed to stop antibiotic resistance?
Authors: Martínez José L. , Baquero Fernando
Published: July 2023

As recognized by several international agencies, antibiotic resistance is nowadays one of the most relevant problems for human health. While this problem was alleviated with the introduction of new antibiotics into the market in the golden age of antimicrobial discovery, nowadays few antibiotics are in the pipeline. Under these circumstances, a deep understanding on the mechanisms of emergence, evolution and transmission of antibiotic resistance, as well as on the consequences for the bacterial physiology of acquiring resistance is needed to implement novel strategies, beyond the development of new antibiotics or the restriction in the use of current ones, to more efficiently treat infections. There are still several aspects in the field of antibiotic resistance that are not fully understood. In the current article, we make a non‐exhaustive critical review of some of them that we consider of special relevance, in the aim of presenting a snapshot of the studies that still need to be done to tackle antibiotic resistance.
A novel peptide derived from vascular endothelial growth factor prevents amyloid beta aggregation and toxicity
Authors: Bouvet P. , de Gea P. , Aimard M. , Chounlamountri N. , Honnorat J. , Delcros J. G. , Salin P. A. , Meissirel C.
Published: July 2023

Amyloid‐β oligomers (Aβo) are the most pathologically relevant Aβ species in Alzheimer's disease (AD), because they induce early synaptic dysfunction that leads to learning and memory impairments. In contrast, increasing VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) brain levels have been shown to improve learning and memory processes, and to alleviate Aβ‐mediated synapse dysfunction. Here, we designed a new peptide, the blocking peptide (BP), which is derived from an Aβo‐targeted domain of the VEGF protein, and investigated its effect on Aβ‐associated toxicity. Using a combination of biochemical, 3D and ultrastructural imaging, and electrophysiological approaches, we demonstrated that BP strongly interacts with Aβo and blocks Aβ fibrillar aggregation process, leading to the formation of Aβ amorphous aggregates. BP further impedes the formation of structured Aβo and prevents their pathogenic binding to synapses. Importantly, acute BP treatment successfully rescues long‐term potentiation (LTP) in the APP/PS1 mouse model of AD, at an age when LTP is highly impaired in hippocampal slices. Moreover, BP is also able to block the interaction between Aβo and VEGF, which suggests a dual mechanism aimed at both trapping Aβo and releasing VEGF to alleviate Aβo‐induced synaptic damage. Our findings provide evidence for a neutralizing effect of the BP on Aβ aggregation process and pathogenic action, highlighting a potential new therapeutic strategy.
Pitfalls of predicting age‐related traits by polygenic risk scores
Authors: Escott‐Price Valentina , Schmidt Karl Michael
Published: July 2023

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) are a method increasingly used to capture the combined effect of genome‐wide significant variants and those which individually do not show genome‐wide significant association but are likely to contribute to the risk of developing diseases. However, their practical use incurs complications and inconsistencies that so far limit their clinical applicability. The aims of the present review are to discuss the PRS for age‐related diseases and to highlight pitfalls and limitations of PRS prediction accuracy due to ageing and mortality effects. We argue that the PRS is widely used but the individual's PRS values differ substantially depending on the number of genetic variants included, the discovery GWAS and the method employed to generate them. Moreover, for neurodegenerative disorders, although an individual's genetics do not change with age, the actual score depends on the age of the sample used in the discovery GWAS and is likely to reflect the individual's disease risk at this particular age. Improvement of PRS prediction accuracy for neurodegenerative disorders will come from two sides, both the precision of clinical diagnoses, and a careful attention to the age distribution in the underlying samples and validation of the prediction in longitudinal studies.
C‐reactive protein is a prognostic biomarker in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients
Authors: Bonazzi Vanessa F. , Aoude Lauren G. , Brosda Sandra , Bradford Julia J. , Lonie James M. , Loffler Kelly A. , Gartside Michael G. , Patel Kalpana , Mukhopadhyay Pamela , Keane Colm , Gebski Val , Kench James G. , Goldstein David , Waddell Nicola , Barbour Andrew P. ,   the Australasian Gastro‐Intestinal Trials Group (AGITG) GAP investigators
Published: July 2023

Aim

The 5‐year survival rate of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is approximately 11% and has only improved marginally over the last three decades. For operable PDAC, resection and adjuvant FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy is standard of care. There is growing interest in perioperative regimens to improve outcomes. The non‐randomized Phase II study “Gemcitabine and Abraxane for resectable Pancreatic cancer” (GAP) demonstrated the feasibility of perioperative gemcitabine/abraxane. Long‐term survival in PDAC requires an effective immune response; hence, we undertook this translational study of the GAP trial cohort to identify immune‐oncology biomarkers for clinical use.

Methods

We combined Nanostring nCounter technology with immunohistochemistry to investigate the correlation between gene expression and overall patient survival. Findings were investigated in samples from the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC, n = 88) and the Australian Pancreatic Genome Initiative (APGI, n = 227).

Results

We confirmed that human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1) expression was not a prognostic marker in PDAC but patients with high levels of hENT1 were more likely to live longer than 24 months post‐surgery. Additionally, CD274 (PD‐L1) and two novel biomarkers of survival, cathepsin W (CTSW) and C‐reactive protein (CRP), were identified in the GAP cohort (n = 19). CRP expression was confirmed in data from the ICGC. Although PD‐L1 and CTSW proteins were not significant across all three cohorts, results show that low CRP mRNA and protein expression are associated with longer overall survival in all three patient groups.

Conclusion

PDAC patients with long survival have higher hENT1 expression levels. Furthermore, CRP expression is a biomarker of poor prognosis following perioperative chemotherapy and resection in PDAC patients and thus may be useful for identifying patients who could benefit from more aggressive adjuvant strategies.
Anti‐heat shock protein 10 IgG in chronic spontaneous urticaria: Relation with miRNA‐101‐5p and platelet‐activating factor
Authors: Choi Bo Youn , Yang Eun‐Mi , Jung Hae‐Won , Shin Min‐Kyoung , Jo Junghyun , Cha Hyun‐Young , Park Hae‐Sim , Kang Ho‐Chul , Ye Young‐Min
Published: July 2023

Background

Anti‐heat shock protein (HSP) autoantibodies are detected in autoimmune diseases. We sought to ascertain whether anti‐HSP10 IgG is present in patients with CSU and to elucidate the role of HSP10 in CSU pathogenesis.

Method

Using a human proteome microarray, six potential autoantibodies had higher expression in 10 CSU samples compared with 10 normal controls (NCs). Among them, HSP10 IgG autoantibody was quantified by immune dot‐blot assay in sera from 86 CSU patients and 44 NCs. The serum levels of HSP10 and microRNA‐101‐5p were measured in CSU patients and NCs. The effects of HSP10 and miR‐101‐5p on mast cell degranulation in response to IgE, compound 48/80, and platelet‐activating factor (PAF) were investigated.

Results

CSU patients had higher IgG positivity to HSP10 (40.7% vs. 11.4%, p = .001), lower serum HSP10 levels (5.8 ± 3.6 vs. 12.2 ± 6.6 pg/mL, p < .001) than in NCs, and their urticaria severity was associated with anti‐HSP10 IgG positivity, while HSP10 levels were related to urticaria control status. MiR‐101‐5p was increased in CSU patients. PAF enhanced IL4 production in PBMCs from CSU patients. IL‐4 upregulated miR‐101‐5p and reduced HSP10 expression in keratinocytes. Transfection of miR‐101‐5p reduced HSP10 expression in keratinocytes. MiR‐101‐5p promoted PAF‐induced mast cell degranulation, while HSP10 specifically prevented it.

Conclusion

A new autoantibody, anti‐HSP10 IgG was detected in CSU patients, which showed a significant correlation with UAS7 scores. A decreased serum HSP10 level was associated with upregulation of miR‐101‐5p due to increased IL‐4 and PAF in CSU patients. Modulation of miR‐101‐5p and HSP10 may be a novel therapeutic approach for CSU.
Risks and benefits of oral modified‐release compared with oral immediate‐release opioid use after surgery: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Liu S. , Athar A. , Quach D. , Patanwala A. E. , Naylor J. M. , Stevens J. A. , Levy N. , Knaggs R. D. , Lobo D. N. , Penm J.
Published: July 2023

Prescription of modified‐release opioids for acute postoperative pain is widespread despite evidence to show their use may be associated with an increased risk of adverse effects. This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to examine the available evidence on the safety and efficacy of modified‐release, compared with immediate‐release, oral opioids for postoperative pain in adults. We searched five electronic databases from 1 January 2003 to 1 January 2023. Published randomised clinical trials and observational studies on adults who underwent surgery which compared those who received oral modified‐release opioids postoperatively with those receiving oral immediate‐release opioids were included. Two reviewers independently extracted data on the primary outcomes of safety (incidence of adverse events) and efficacy (pain intensity, analgesic and opioid use, and physical function) and secondary outcomes (length of hospital stay, hospital readmission, psychological function, costs, and quality of life) up to 12 months postoperatively. Of the eight articles included, five were randomised clinical trials and three were observational studies. The overall quality of evidence was low. Modified‐release opioid use was associated with a higher incidence of adverse events (n = 645, odds ratio (95%CI) 2.76 (1.52–5.04)) and worse pain (n = 550, standardised mean difference (95%CI) 0.2 (0.04–0.37)) compared with immediate‐release opioid use following surgery. Our narrative synthesis concluded that modified‐release opioids showed no superiority over immediate‐release opioids for analgesic consumption, length of hospital stay, hospital readmissions or physical function after surgery. One study showed that modified‐release opioid use is associated with higher rates of persistent postoperative opioid use compared with immediate‐release opioid use. None of the included studies reported on psychological function, costs or quality of life.
Low testosterone at age 31 associates with maternal obesity and higher body mass index from childhood until age 46: A birth cohort study
Authors: Laru Johanna , Pinola Pekka , Ojaniemi Marja , Korhonen Elisa , Laikari Lotta , Franks Stephen , Piltonen Terhi T. , Tapanainen Juha S. , Niinimäki Maarit , Morin‐Papunen Laure
Published: July 2023

Background

Low testosterone (T) levels in men associate with increased risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases. However, most studies are cross‐sectional with follow‐up‐time < 10 years, and data on early growth are limited.

Objective

To compare prenatal factors and body mass index (BMI) development from birth to age 46 in relation to low T at age 31.

Materials and methods

Men with low T (T < 12.1 nmol/L, n = 132) and men with normal T at age 31 (n = 2561) were derived from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. Prenatal factors, longitudinal weight and height data from birth to age 14, and cross‐sectional weight and height data at ages 31 and 46, and waist‐hip‐ratio (WHR) and T levels at age 31 were analyzed. Longitudinal modeling and timing of adiposity rebound (AR, second BMI rise at age 5–7 years) were calculated from fitted BMI curves. Results were adjusted for mother's pre‐pregnancy BMI and smoking status, birth weight for gestational age, alcohol consumption, education level, smoking status, and WHR at age 31.

Results

Neither gestational age nor birth weight was associated with low T at age 31; however, maternal obesity during gestation was more prevalent among men with low T (9.8% vs. 3.5%, adjusted aOR: 2.43 [1.19−4.98]). Men with low T had earlier AR (5.28 vs. 5.82, aOR: 0.73 [0.56−0.94]) and higher BMI (p < 0.001) from AR onward until age 46. Men with both early AR and low T had the highest BMI from AR onward.

Conclusions

In men, maternal obesity and early weight gain associate with lower T levels at age 31, independently of adulthood abdominal obesity. Given the well‐known health risks related to obesity, and the rising prevalence of maternal obesity, the results of the present study emphasize the importance of preventing obesity that may also affect the later reproductive health of the offspring.
Water is dying everywhere
Authors: Hyde Sandra Teresa
Published: July 2023

This flash piece asks what development means for rivers, indigenous farmers, and tourists when we redirect, move, and siphon water from one region to another. The work considers rivers as traces of time, peoples, and environments, following my chronology and physical residence(s) in California, Hunan, Guangxi, and Yunnan in China. I begin in the Bay Area, where I grew up, and move to my time spent on five rivers in Southern China: the Xiangjiang, the Li, the Jinsha, the Lancang, and the Nujiang.
Farmers’ organizations and sustainable development: An introduction
Authors: Ma Wanglin , Marini Marco A. , Rahut Dil B.
Published: July 2023

This special issue features 14 new research papers investigating the role of farmers’ organizations (e.g., collective action, self‐help groups, producer companies/organizations, and cooperatives) in supporting sustainable development. The key findings include: (1) farmer groups and cooperatives promote farmers’ adoption of good farm management practices, new agricultural technologies and sustainable farming practices, although not substantially improving farm yield; (2) outsourcing services provided by agricultural cooperatives help to increase the technical efficiency of crop production; (3) cooperative membership enhances members’ bargaining power and enables them to sell their products at higher prices; (4) cooperatives motivate rural laborers to work in off‐farm sectors, while self‐help groups empower rural women in decision‐making; (5) internet use improves agricultural cooperatives’ economic, social, and innovative performances; (6) direct administrative intervention supporting cooperative development may lead to the emergence of shell cooperatives; (7) participation in forest farmer organizations enables wood value chain upgrading; (8) increasing the cooperative size in terms of income, equity, and assets increases the profitability of savings and credit cooperatives; and (9) creating cross‐border cooperation between cooperatives generates benefits for all parties involved. These findings can inspire the design of policies aimed to support farmers’ organizations in achieving sustainable development goals.
Verbal but not visual–spatial working memory contributes to complex arithmetic calculation
Authors: Chen Chunhui , Liu Pengfei , Lu Shuzhen , Li Siqi , Zhang Chunli , Zhou Xinlin
Published: July 2023

The contribution of working memory to mathematics has been extensively studied. It has been proposed that verbal working memory (VWM) and visual–spatial working memory (VSWM) have distinct contributions, but results have been inconclusive. Here, we hypothesized that VWM and VSWM contribute differentially to separate sub‐domains of mathematics. To test this hypothesis, we enrolled 199 primary school students and measured their VWM and VSWM with number/letter/matrix backward span tasks, and tested mathematics performance with simple subtraction, complex subtraction, multi‐step calculation and number series completion, while controlling for several aspects of cognition. We found that while letter backward span had a significant contribution to complex subtraction, multi‐step computation and number series completion, number backward span only had a significant contribution to multi‐step computation, and matrix span had no effect on any math task. These results suggest that only VWM associated with complex mathematics, which might reflect verbal rehearsal. In contrast, VSWM does not appear to associated with mathematics.
Acceptability and influence of a complex personalized intervention on changes in photoprotection behaviours among people with xeroderma pigmentosum
Authors: Walburn Jessica , Foster Lesley , Araújo‐Soares Vera , Sarkany Robert , Weinman John , Sainsbury Kirby , Morgan Myfanwy
Published: July 2023

Objectives

Rigorous photoprotection is the only means to prevent skin cancer in people with the rare condition of xeroderma pigmentosum (XP). We conducted a qualitative process evaluation of patient experiences and responses to a highly personalized, multi‐component intervention, ‘XPAND’, designed to influence the psychosocial determinants of inadequate photoprotection among adults with XP.

Design

Qualitative study of 15 patients following participation in a RCT.

Methods

Semi‐structured interviews explored acceptability, changes in photoprotection and attributions for behavioural changes. Analysis followed a framework approach.

Results

Participants were overwhelmingly positive in their views of the quality and range of components of XPAND and the relevance to their personal photoprotection barriers. All participants reported improved adherence to at least one photoprotection activity and nearly two‐thirds of participants noted improvements across multiple activities. Participants believed improvements in their photoprotection behaviours were influenced by different change mechanisms. Sunscreen application, was mainly facilitated by habit formation, prompted by text messages, whereas the wearing of a photoprotective face buff was influenced by strategies, learnt during one‐to‐one sessions, to overcome worry about looking different. Enhancement of general self‐confidence and perceived support from XPAND described by participants facilitated change more broadly.

Conclusions

Exploration of responses to XPAND is required in the international XP population, followed by adaptation and evaluation to see if it could benefit other patient groups at higher risk of skin cancer. Implications for approaches to behaviour change include the acceptability of complex multidimensional interventions, the importance of dynamic personalization and the interactive nature of behaviour change mechanisms.
Developmental patterns of children's shyness: Relations with physiological, emotional, and regulatory responses to being treated unfairly
Authors: Hassan Raha , Smith Cynthia L. , Schmidt Louis A. , Brook Christina A. , Bell Martha Ann
Published: July 2023

The dysregulation of social fear has been widely studied in children's shyness, but we know little about how shy children regulate during unfair treatment. We first characterized developmental patterns of children's shyness (N = 304, ngirls = 153; 74% White, 26% Other) across 2 (Mage = 2.07), 3 (Mage = 3.08), 4 (Mage = 4.08), and 6 (Mage = 6.58) years of age. Data collection occurred from 2007 to 2014. At age 6, the high stable group had higher cardiac vagal withdrawal and lower expressed sadness and approach‐related regulatory strategy than the low stable group when being treated unfairly. Although shy children may be more physiologically impacted by being treated unfairly, they may mask their sadness to signal appeasement.
Evaluation of α‐synuclein in CNS‐originating extracellular vesicles for Parkinsonian disorders: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Taha Hash Brown , Ati Shomik S.
Published: July 2023

Background & Aims

Parkinsonian disorders, such as Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal syndrome (CBS), share early motor symptoms but have distinct pathophysiology. As a result, accurate premortem diagnosis is challenging for neurologists, hindering efforts for disease‐modifying therapeutic discovery. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain cell‐state‐specific biomolecules and can cross the blood‐brain barrier to the peripheral circulation, providing a unique central nervous system (CNS) insight. This meta‐analysis evaluated blood‐isolated neuronal and oligodendroglial EVs (nEVs and oEVs) α‐synuclein levels in Parkinsonian disorders.

Methods

Following PRISMA guidelines, the meta‐analysis included 13 studies. An inverse‐variance random‐effects model quantified effect size (SMD), QUADAS‐2 assessed risk of bias and publication bias was evaluated. Demographic and clinical variables were collected for meta‐regression.

Results

The meta‐analysis included 1,565 patients with PD, 206 with MSA, 21 with DLB, 172 with PSP, 152 with CBS and 967 healthy controls (HCs). Findings suggest that combined concentrations of nEVs and oEVs α‐syn is higher in patients with PD compared to HCs (SMD = 0.21, p = 0.021), while nEVs α‐syn is lower in patients with PSP and CBS compared to patients with PD (SMD = ‐1.04, p = 0.0017) or HCs (SMD = ‐0.41, p < 0.001). Additionally, α‐syn in nEVs and/or oEVs did not significantly differ in patients with PD vs. MSA, contradicting the literature. Meta‐regressions show that demographic and clinical factors were not significant predictors of nEVs or oEVs α‐syn concentrations.

Conclusion

The results highlight the need for standardized procedures and independent validations in biomarker studies and the development of improved biomarkers for distinguishing Parkinsonian disorders.
Risky business: Protecting nature, protecting wealth?
Authors: Irvine‐Broque Audrey , Dempsey Jessica
Published: July 2023

Finance is a precondition for many of the activities that harm ecosystems, but how to address this underlying driver of biodiversity loss remains a topic of debate. This paper reviews the Task Force on Nature‐Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), a corporate‐led effort that aims to identify how changes to biodiversity may create financial risks for companies and investors. This approach is also promoted as a strategy for managing the impact of business on biodiversity, with the assumption that risk disclosure will more effectively price biodiversity‐harming activities. We assess the potential of the TNFD toward this end, and invite conservation scientists, practitioners, and policymakers to engage critically with its theory of change. We find that the relationship between disclosing biodiversity risk and redirecting finance away from environmental degradation is tenuous and unproven, making this mechanism insufficient for addressing the impact of the financial sector on nature. We question the embrace of another industry‐led mechanism that implies that a lack of information is the greatest barrier to stopping biodiversity loss. Further, there are risks that this financial sector approach to biodiversity will reinforce the highly unequal concentration of power and wealth, which is itself inimical to transformative change, as called for by the Intergovernmental Science–Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
Causation in cerebral palsy: Parental beliefs and associated emotions
Authors: Smyth Renée , Reid Susan M. , Paton Kate , Guzys Angela T. , Wakefield Claire E. , Amor David J.
Published: July 2023

Aim

To better understand parents' beliefs about causation in cerebral palsy (CP) and the emotions related to those beliefs.

Method

We surveyed 226 parents of children with CP aged 1 to 18 years, recruited from the Victorian Cerebral Palsy Register, to evaluate their beliefs about the causes of CP, including genetic causes, causes specific to their own child, and their attitudes and emotions in relation to these.

Results

Although 92% of participants reported that understanding the causes of their child's CP was important, uncertainty about the cause was expressed by 13%. The most frequently endorsed causal factors, in general and in their own child respectively, were intrapartum hypoxia (81%, 36%) or brain damage (69%, 22%), brain damage during pregnancy (73%, 28%), and preterm birth (66%, 28%). Genetic causes were deemed relevant by 13% of participants and hospital or professional error by 16%. Parents shared related feelings of anger (59%), sadness (80%), guilt (61%), and confusion (53%); parental anger was more likely when their child's CP was attributed to intrapartum events.

Interpretation

Substantial parental interest in understanding the causes of CP, together with uncertainty about the causes, parents' causal attributions, and significant emotional sequelae, highlight a strong need for provision of information and support for families of children recently diagnosed with CP.

What this paper adds

Understanding the causes of their child's cerebral palsy (CP) was important to parents.

Parents most often endorsed intrapartum factors as a cause of CP.

Parents reported experiencing strong emotions about the causes of their child's CP.
Are electronic government innovations helpful to deter corruption? Evidence from across the world
Authors: Martins João , Veiga Linda , Fernandes Bruno
Published: July 2023

Electronic government innovations have been a critical development in public administration in recent years. Many countries have implemented e‐government policies to enhance efficiency and transparency and combat corruption. This paper examines the impact of e‐government on corruption using longitudinal data for more than 170 countries from 2002 to 2020. The empirical results suggest that e‐government serves as a deterrent to corrupt activities. We analyse which e‐government domains affect corruption, which types of corruption are more affected by e‐government and the circumstances under which e‐government is more effective in reducing corruption. The empirical results suggest that online service completion and e‐participation are important features of e‐government as an anticorruption tool. Evidence suggests that e‐participation reduces corrupt legislature activities, public sector theft, executive bribery, and corrupt exchanges. The potential of e‐government to deter corruption is higher in countries where corruption is moderate or high and economic development is lower. Higher levels of GDP per capita, foreign direct investment, and political rights are also associated with lower levels of corruption.
Fear of terrorism: Recognizing scenarios of potential danger in urban space
Authors: Ilum Stine
Published: July 2023

This article is about the fear of terrorism. The few and mainly quantitative studies on the topic have categorized people as afraid or not afraid, treating fear as a known constant detached from time and space. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Copenhagen, Denmark, this article argues instead that the fear of terrorism is momentary and transient; it flares up as flashes of fear. These flashes are triggered by the sensory experience of the urban environment combined with recollections of mediatized horror stories about previous terrorist attacks. This article shows how affects related to historical events, such as terrorist attacks, do not exclusively linger in the exact places or cities where they unfolded. Rather, affects can also, via media, travel to and flash up in scenarios that are geographically distant yet aesthetically resonant with historical events. This article thus provides an understanding of the temporal and emplaced dimensions of fear, and conceptualizes the relationship between the affects we experience, the surroundings we live in, and the stories we are exposed to via media.
Life in the fast lane: Revisiting the fast growth—High survival paradigm during the early life stages of fishes
Authors: Robert Dominique , Shoji Jun , Sirois Pascal , Takasuka Akinori , Catalán Ignacio A. , Folkvord Arild , Ludsin Stuart A. , Peck Myron A. , Sponaugle Su , Ayón Patricia M. , Brodeur Richard D. , Campbell Emily Y. , D'Alessandro Evan K. , Dower John F. , Fortier Louis , García Alberto G. , Huebert Klaus B. , Hufnagl Marc , Ito Shin‐ichi , Joh Mikimasa , Juanes Francis , Nyuji Mitsuo , Oozeki Yoshioki , Plaza Guido , Takahashi Motomitsu , Tanaka Yosuke , Tojo Naoki , Watari Shingo , Yasue Naotaka , Pepin Pierre
Published: July 2023

Early life survival is critical to successful replenishment of fish populations, and hypotheses developed under the Growth‐Survival Paradigm (GSP) have guided investigations of controlling processes. The GSP postulates that recruitment depends on growth and mortality rates during early life stages, as well as their duration, after which the mortality declines substantially. The GSP predicts a shift in the frequency distribution of growth histories with age towards faster growth rates relative to the initial population because slow‐growing individuals are subject to high mortality (via starvation and predation). However, mortality data compiled from 387 cases published in 153 studies (1971–2022) showed that the GSP was only supported in 56% of cases. Selection against slow growth occurred in two‐thirds of field studies, leaving a non‐negligible fraction of cases showing either an absence of or inverse growth‐selective survival, suggesting the growth‐survival relationship is more complex than currently considered within the GSP framework. Stochastic simulations allowed us to assess the influence of key intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the characteristics of surviving larvae and identify knowledge gaps on the drivers of variability in growth‐selective survival. We suggest caution when interpreting patterns of growth selection because changes in variance and autocorrelation of individual growth rates among cohorts can invalidate fundamental GSP assumptions. We argue that breakthroughs in recruitment research require a comprehensive, population‐specific characterization of the role of predation and intrinsic factors in driving variability in the distribution and autocorrelation of larval growth rates, and of the life stage corresponding to the endpoint of pre‐recruited life.
Father trait anger and associations with father–infant bonding and caregiving: The mediating role of mentalizing
Authors: Francis Lauren M. , Greenwood Christopher J. , Enticott Peter G. , Mansour Kayla A. , Smith Imogene , Graeme Liam G. , Olsson Craig A. , Milgrom Jeannette , Skouteris Helen , Macdonald Jacqui A.
Published: July 2023

Trait anger reflects a tendency to feel irritation, annoyance, and rage, and involves a narrowing of cognition and attention. This narrowed scope may impact the capacity to understand the mental states of oneself and others (mentalizing), which for fathers of infants may compromise bonding and caregiving involvement. Here, we investigated the extent to which mentalizing mediated the relationship between father trait anger and both father–infant bonding and father involvement in infant caregiving. Data were from 168 fathers (M = 30.04 years of age, SD = 1.36) of 190 infants (M = 7.58 months of age, SD = 5.06) in the longitudinal Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) study. We assessed fathers' preconception trait anger at Wave 1 and their mentalizing 2 years later at Wave 3. At Waves 3, 4, and/or 5, we assessed father–infant bonding and father involvement in infant caregiving when men had an infant younger than 18 months of age. Associations were examined using path analysis. Poorer mentalizing fully mediated the relationship between preconception trait anger and father–infant bonding (total score), but not involvement in infant caregiving. Further, poorer mentalizing fully mediated the relationships between trait anger and each component of the father–infant bond (i.e., patience and tolerance, affection and pride, and pleasure in interactions). Findings suggest that for men high on trait anger, targeted interventions that facilitate mentalizing capacities may help to develop a foundation for a strong father–infant bond. Interventions may be offered on becoming a father (perinatal), or prior to becoming a father (preconception) to prevent future bonding problems.
MORE THAN MEETS THE FACT: THE UNIVERSALITY OF HISTORY AND THE COLONIAL MEDIATION
Authors: GAY EUGENIA
Published: July 2023

This article examines how mediation is not just limited to the format that's selected to convey the findings of previously conducted research that supposedly followed the conventional protocols of the historical discipline. Rather, it considers mediation as a fundamental part of building historical knowledge, for it assumes that every part of the historiographical operation can be defined as “mediation.” Specifically, it deals with colonial historical mediation, a concept that refers to the combination of an overt or concealed agenda, intentional or unnoticed bias, commonsense assumptions, inherited academic and political traditions, conceptual constellations, and more or less informed theoretical beliefs that configure the subtext upon which historical explanation is built, particularly in Latin America.
Efficacy of mixture of injectable‐platelet‐rich fibrin and type‐1 collagen particles on the closure of through‐and‐through periapical bone defects: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: M Arpitha , S Tewari , P Sangwan , A Gupta
Published: July 2023

Aim

To determine the efficacy of a combination of injectable‐platelet‐rich fibrin and type‐1 collagen particles on the healing of through‐and‐through periapical bone defect and subsequent closure of bony window.

Methodology

The clinical trial was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04391725). Thirty‐eight individuals with radiographic evidence of periapical radiolucency in maxillary anterior teeth and confirmed loss of palatal cortical plates in cone beam computed tomographic imaging were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 19) or the control group (n = 19). A mixture of i‐PRF and collagen as a graft was applied to the defect in adjunct to periapical surgery in the experimental group. No guided bone regeneration procedures were used in the control group. The healing was evaluated using Molven's (2D) and modified PENN 3D (3D) criteria. Percentage reduction of the buccal and palatal bony window area, and complete closure of through‐and‐through periapical bony window (tunnel defect) were assessed using Radiant Diacom viewer software (Version 4.0.2). The reduction in the periapical lesion area and volume was measured using Corel DRAW and ITK Snap software.

Results

Thirty‐four participants (18 and 16 in the experimental and control groups respectively) reported for follow‐up at 12 months. There was 96.9% and 97.96% reduction of buccal bony window area in the experimental and control groups respectively. Similarly, palatal window showed 99.03% and 100% reduction in the experimental and control groups respectively. No significant difference in both buccal and palatal window reduction was noticed between the groups. A total of 14 cases (seven in the experimental group and seven in the control group) showed complete closure of through‐and‐through bony window. No significant difference in clinical, 2D and 3D radiographic healing, percentage reduction in area and volume was observed between the experimental and control groups (p > .05). Neither the area nor the volume of lesion, and the size of buccal or palatal window had significant effect on healing of through‐and‐through defects.

Conclusion

Endodontic microsurgery results in high success rate in large periapical lesions with through‐and‐through communication with more than 80% reduction in volume of lesion and size of both buccal and palatal window after 1 year. A mixture of type‐1 collagen particles and i‐PRF, adjunct to periapical micro‐surgery did not improve the healing in through‐and‐through periapical defects.