bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Distribution and status of vitamin B12 in Chinese adults with hypertension: a comprehensive report across 14 provinces
Authors: Cao Tianyu , Huang Xiao , Chen Ping , Huang Zena , Cheng Zaihua , Lu Wenyang , Spence J. David , Shi Hanping , Cheng Xiaoshu , Liu Lishun
Published: January 2024

Background:

Vitamin B12 (VB12) is an essential biomarker for population health, and its deficiency status leads to severe health burdens. A comprehensive and updated investigation on the distribution of VB12 levels and status is critically needed to address public health and clinical concerns.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data obtained from the Precision Medical Program, which encompassed 14 provinces in China. Specific criteria based on previously published cutoffs and our study population’s characteristics are adopted to define B12 deficiency. Biochemical B12 deficiency was identified with circulating VB12 levels <148 pmol/L. Metabolic B12 deficiency was determined with circulating VB12 levels ≥148 and ≤258 pmol/L with concomitant elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy ≥14 µmol/L). Normal B12 status included VB12 levels >258 pmol/L or VB12 levels ranging from 148 to 258 pmol/L with tHcy levels below 14 µmol/L. VB12 levels and status were analyzed and stratified by age, sex, and geographical region.

Results:

This study enrolled a total of 2174 hypertensive adults, with a mean age of 63.0 years (±13.4) and 45.8% female. The overall mean VB12 levels were 322.3 (85.0) pmol/L. The prevalence rates of B12 biochemical deficiency, metabolic deficiency, metabolic deficiency with excluded renal dysfunction, and adequate status were 0.7%, 13.3%, 11.5%, and 85.9%, respectively. Females exhibited higher VB12 levels than males, with a β value of 19.72 (95% confidence interval [CI], 10.59–28.84) in the multivariate model. The southern population demonstrated higher VB12 levels than people from the north, with a β value of −18.14 (95% CI, −25.72 to −10.76). Males had a higher prevalence of metabolic VB12 deficiency in comparison to females (15.8% vs. 10.4%).

Conclusions:

Our study revealed that Chinese hypertensive adults exhibit relatively higher levels of VB12. Additionally, while biochemical B12 deficiency is uncommon, a noteworthy proportion of individuals were affected by metabolic VB12 deficiency. This study has important implications for nutritional counseling and vitamin B supplement strategies.
The Shunt Valve Recession Technique as a Neuroplastic Surgery Adjunct in Complex and High-Risk Shunt Revisions: Technical Note and Case Series
Authors: Lagziel Tomer , Lee Ryan P. , Gordon Chad R. , Luciano Mark , Ben-Shalom Netanel
Published: January 2024

Background and Objectives:

Ventricular shunting is one of the most common procedures in neurosurgery. However, complications and revisions are frequent. Patients requiring multiple revisions often suffer secondary issues with scalp healing over hardware. Many common ventricular shunt valves have an obligate thickness that creates a visible protrusion and can potentially cause local tissue ischemia and breakdown in the setting of repeated surgery. The authors present a simple technique for recessing the shunt valve into the underlying bone to alleviate protrusion in high-risk cases. Three example cases utilizing this technique are presented.

Methods:

The skull directly underlying the planned valve site is uniformly recessed with a cutting burr several millimeters as desired while maintaining the inner cortical bone layer. The valve is fixed with standard cranial plating hardware.

Expected Outcomes:

Three patients are reported who underwent shunt valve recession as an adjunct to their shunt revision with neuroplastic surgery assistance. All patients had undergone multiple prior surgeries that had resulted in thin and high-risk fragile scalp. In 1 patient, the prior valve was eroding through the scalp before the described revision. All patients had satisfactory cosmetic outcomes, and there were no revisions in the 2-month follow-up period.

Discussion:

Complex and high-risk ventricular shunt patients should be considered for shunt valve recession into the bone to reduce wound-related complications and enhance healing. This is a technically simple, safe, and effective technique to include as a neuroplastic adjunct.
Exploring the Effect of Head-Worn Displays on Prehospital Teamwork Using Online Simulation
Authors: Davidson Thomas J. , Waxenegger Harald , Mohamed Ismail , McConnell Duncan S. , Sanderson Penelope M.
Published: January 2024

Introduction

Prehospital teamwork occurs in dynamic environments where paramedics work together using technologies to care for patients. Despite increasing interest in using head-worn displays (HWDs) to support prehospital workers, little is known about how HWDs affect teamwork.

Methods

We tested the effect of HWDs on the team processes and patient care of paramedic trainee teams in a laboratory study using an online prehospital simulation environment, SPECTRa. In a randomized crossover design, 20 two-person teams worked in the SPECTRa laptop environment from separate physical rooms to assess and treat 2 simulated patients in 3 prehospital patient care scenarios. In each scenario, each trainee used either an HWD, a tablet computer (TAB), or no mobile device (CON) to help them monitor the vital signs of both patients. We measured team processes based around 3 themes of mutual understanding, team performance, and administered an 18-item questionnaire about teamwork and use of the devices.

Results

The mean number (HWD = 11; TAB = 7; P = 0.061) and duration (HWD = 1746 milliseconds; TAB = 1563 milliseconds; P = 0.504) of attention switches that teams made toward the mobile device did not differ with HWDs or TABs. However, teams switched attention between patients less with HWDs than with TABs (P = 0.026) or CON (P = 0.007) (medians: HWD = 5; TAB = 8; CON = 8). Teams communicated less when using HWDs than TABs (P = 0.017) (medians: HWD = 76; TAB = 96; CON = 83), but there were other mixed effects on communication. Team performance did not differ across device conditions on the timeliness to notice critical patient changes (P = 0.387) (medians: HWD = 244 seconds; TAB = 246 seconds; CON = 168 seconds) or to complete the scenarios (P = 0.212) (medians: HWD = 800 seconds; TAB = 913 seconds; CON = 835 seconds). Questionnaire results revealed some perceived benefits of the HWD.

Conclusions

Head-worn displays may let prehospital teams monitor each other's performance more efficiently than TABs or CON, requiring less communication to maintain patient care performance with lower workload than with TABs. However, improvements in mutual understanding with HWDs compared with CON were more evident in teams' preferences than in actual behavior. Further research is needed to confirm and extend these results.
Mindfulness Based Interventions for Surgeons
Authors: Coopersmith Ari S. , Shroff Yash V. , Wen George A. , Berler Michael H. , Gonzales Paul A. , Ojute Feyisayo M. , Lebares Carter C.
Published: January 2024

Objective:

To review the evidence on mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for surgeons.

Background:

Healthcare professionals have alarmingly high rates of burnout, yet little is known about psychological factors that support resilience. MBIs, which involve codified training in specific skills such as self-awareness, emotional regulation, and perspective-taking, have shown benefit to professionals in high stress environments, but have had limited implementation in the healthcare workplace and in surgery. To our knowledge, there has not been a scoping review of MBIs in surgery to date.

Methods:

We conducted a scoping review of the evidence for the feasibility and effectiveness of MBIs for surgeons, including evidence on interventions that explicitly train mindfulness, which spans multiple cohorts and settings, utilizing different methodologies and outcome measures.

Results:

This scoping review yielded 24 studies, including two mixed method/qualitative studies, nine randomized control trials, three non-randomized interventional studies, and eight single-arm interventional studies.

Conclusions:

We find that MBIs in surgery 1) are feasible in surgical contexts, with implementation science providing insights on sustainability; 2) increase mindfulness, 3) improve well-being in terms of burnout and both psychological and neurophysiological measures of stress, and 4) enhance performance as measured in executive function, surgical skills, and communication skills. These conclusions are supported by psychometric measures, observations of technical skills, and neurophysiological evidence. Future directions include studying MBIs in larger and more diverse populations, and iteratively tailoring mindfulness-based interventions to other healthcare contexts.
Metagenome-assembled genomes from mineral tundra soils in Rásttigáisá, northern Norway
Authors: Pessi Igor S. , Rutanen Aino , Hultman Jenni
Published: January 2024

Microbial communities in tundra soils remain largely unknown despite their important roles in the cycling of greenhouse gases. Here, we report 59 non-redundant metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) recovered from mineral tundra soils in Rásttigáisá, northern Norway. The MAGs were obtained by clustering contigs according to tetranucleotide frequency and differential coverage and were manually curated to remove contigs with outlying GC content and/or mean coverage. Most MAGs were assigned to the bacterial phyla Candidatus Dormibacterota (n=12), Verrucomicrobiota (n=10), and Acidobacteriota (n=9). All archaeal MAGs (n=4) belong to the genus Candidatus Nitrosopolaris (phylum Thermoproteota). The 59 Rásttigáisá MAGs expand our knowledge of the diversity and ecological roles of tundra microbiomes.
Sand flies around Tona, an artificial water reservoir in Bucaramanga (Santander, Colombia): diversity, spatiotemporal frequency, and efficacy of four sampling methods
Authors: Rengifo-Correa Laura , Castillo Ruth M , Cuadros Juliana , Galati Eunice A B , Duque Jonny E
Published: January 2024

Characterizing the sand fly diversity is crucial for an effective design of control strategies for Leishmaniasis. We aimed to characterize the sand fly biodiversity around the Tona Reservoir (Santander, Colombia) and to compare the performance of four sampling methods. A sampling of insects was performed in 2017 in the most preserved and least preserved areas close to the Tona Reservoir, using Torre Vigia-UIS and HomeTrap-UIS, two sticky traps previously designed by our working group, CDC, and Bg-Sentinel traps. We collected 268 Phlebotominae specimens, most with CDC (47.8%) and Torre Vigia-UIS (30.2%) traps. Some specimens (47%) could not be determined because of their preservation status; these samples came mostly from the sticky traps. We found 16 sand fly morphospecies, of which 12 were determined to species level. Here, we report two new records for Santander:Pintomyia youngi(Feliciangeli and Murillo, 1987) andLutzomyia ceferinoi(Ortíz and Álvarez, 1963). We also collected some confirmed vectors ofLeishmania:Pi. youngi,Lutzomyia gomezi(Nitzulescu, 1931), andLu. longipalpis(Lutz and Neiva, 1912). The highest diversity was collected in the most disturbed area (15 spp.), and in the rainy season (April, 12 spp.).Pintomyia youngidistribution was broad through the Tona Reservoir in all the sampled periods, and we suggest tracking it to infer leishmaniasis risk in the Tona Reservoir. Torre Vigia-UIS seems a valuable tool for vector control, but we do not recommend it for biodiversity studies.
Genotype sampling for deep-learning assisted experimental mapping of fitness landscapes
Authors: Wagner Andreas
Published: January 2024

Motivation

Experimental characterization of fitness landscapes, which map genotypes onto fitness, is important for both evolutionary biology and protein engineering. It faces a fundamental obstacle in the astronomical number of genotypes whose fitness needs to be measured for any one protein. Deep learning may help to predict the fitness of many genotypes from a smaller neural network training sample of genotypes with experimentally measured fitness. Here I use a recently published experimentally mapped fitness landscape of more than 260,000 protein genotypes to ask how such sampling is best performed.

Results

I show that multilayer perceptrons, recurrent neural networks (RNNs), convolutional networks, and transformers, can explain more than 90 percent of fitness variance in the data. In addition, 90 percent of this performance is reached with a training sample comprising merely ≈103sequences. Generalization to unseen test data is best when training data is sampled randomly and uniformly, or sampled to minimize the number of synonymous sequences. In contrast, sampling to maximize sequence diversity or codon usage bias reduces performance substantially. These observations hold for more than one network architecture. Simple sampling strategies may perform best when training deep learning neural networks to map fitness landscapes from experimental data.
Toward a unified theory of microbially-mediated invasion
Authors: Martignoni Maria M. , Garnier Jimmy , Tyson Rebecca C. , Harris Keith D. , Kolodny Oren
Published: January 2024

Biological invasions pose major ecological and economic threats, and extensive research has been dedicated to understanding and predicting their dynamics. Most studies focus on the biological invasion of single species, and only in recent years has it been realized that multi-species interactions that involve native and invasive host species and their microbial symbionts can play important roles in determining invasion outputs. A theoretical framework that treats these interactions and their impact is lacking. Here we offer such a framework and use it to explore possible dynamics that may emerge from the horizontal sharing of native and non-native microbial symbionts among native and non-native host individuals and species. Thus, for example, invasive plants might benefit from native mycorrhizal networks in the soil, or might be particularly successful if they carry with them parasites to which competing native hosts are susceptible. On the other hand, invasion might be hindered by native parasites that spread from native to invasive individuals. The mathematical framework that we lay out in this study provides a new mechanistic, cohesive, and intuition-enhancing tool for theoretically exploring the ways by which the subtleties of the relationships between hosts and microbes may affect invasion dynamics. We identify multiple pathways through which microbes can facilitate (or prevent) host invasion, microbial invasion, and the invasion of both hosts and their co-introduced microbes. We disentangle invasion outcomes and highlight modalities of ecological dynamics that have so far not been considered in invasion biology. Our work sets the foundations for invasion theory that includes a community-level view of invasive and native hosts as well as their microbial symbionts.
Sex-specific and Developmental Effects of Early Life Adversity on Stress Reactivity are Rescued by Postnatal Knockdown of 5-HT1AAutoreceptors
Authors: Dixon Rushell , Malave Lauren , Thompson Rory , Wu Serena , Li Yifei , Sadik Noah , Anacker Christoph
Published: January 2024

Early Life Adversity (ELA) predisposes to stress hypersensitivity in adulthood, but neurobiological mechanisms that protect from the enduring effects of ELA are poorly understood. Serotonin 1A (5HT1A) autoreceptors in the raphé nuclei regulate adult stress vulnerability, but whether 5HT1Acould be targeted to prevent ELA effects on susceptibility to future stressors is unknown. Here, we exposed mice with postnatal knockdown of 5HT1Aautoreceptors to the limited bedding and nesting model of ELA from postnatal day (P)3-10 and tested behavioral, neuroendocrine, neurogenic, and neuroinflammatory responses to an acute swim stress in male and female mice in adolescence (P35) and in adulthood (P56). In females, ELA decreased raphé 5HT neuron activity in adulthood and increased passive coping with the acute swim stress, corticosterone levels, neuronal activity, and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) levels in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. ELA also reduced neurogenesis in the ventral dentate gyrus (vDG) of the hippocampus, an important mediator of individual differences in stress susceptibility, and increased microglia activation in the PVN and vDG. These effects of ELA were specific to females and manifested predominantly in adulthood, but not earlier on in adolescence. Postnatal knockdown of 5HT1Aautoreceptors prevented these effects of ELA on 5HT neuron activity, stress reactivity, neurogenesis, and neuroinflammation in adult female mice. Our findings demonstrate that ELA induces long-lasting and sex-specific impairments in the serotonin system, stress reactivity, and vDG function, and identify 5HT1Aautoreceptors as potential targets to prevent these enduring effects of ELA.
Viral entry is a weak barrier to zoonosis
Authors: Dufloo Jérémy , Andreu-Moreno Iván , Valero-Rello Ana , Sanjuán Rafael
Published: January 2024

Recent advances in viral metagenomics have led to the discovery of many mammalian viruses, but experimental tests to determine whether they pose a threat to humans are largely lacking. A first step for a virus to cross the species barrier is to penetrate host cells. Here, we use gene synthesis and viral pseudotyping to experimentally test the ability of viral receptor-binding proteins (RBPs) from >100 enveloped RNA viruses to mediate entry into human cells. Analysis of thousands of RBP-cell pairs demonstrated such ability for most viruses, with significant variation among the 14 viral families studied. Comparison of RBP-mediated infectivity with cellular gene expression data showed that viral entry is often not limited by the presence of a receptor and revealed the contribution of additional host factors. Our results prove the weakness of interspecies barriers at the early stages of infection and identify molecular interactions that enable viral zoonosis.
OCT4 is expressed in extraembryonic endoderm stem (XEN) cell progenitors during somatic cell reprogramming
Authors: Moauro Alexandra , Hickey Stephanie L. , Halbisen Michael A. , Parenti Anthony , Ralston Amy
Published: January 2024

During development, progenitors of embryonic stem (ES) and extraembryonic endoderm stem (XEN) cells are concomitantly specified within the inner cell mass (ICM) of the mouse blastocyst. Similarly, XEN cells are induced (iXEN cells) alongside induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells following overexpression ofOct4,Sox2,Klf4andMyc(OSKM) during somatic cell reprogramming. It is unclear how or why this cocktail produces both stem cell types, but OCT4 has been associated with non-pluripotent outcomes. In this report, we show that, during OSKM reprogramming, many individualOct4-GFP-expressing cells are fated to become iXEN cells. Interestingly, SKM alone was also sufficient to induce iXEN cell formation, likely via activation of endogenousOct4.These observations indicate that iXEN cell formation is not strictly an artifact ofOct4overexpression. Moreover, our results suggest that a pathway to XEN may be an integral feature of establishing pluripotency during reprogramming, as in early embryo development.
fNIRS Dataset During Complex Scene Analysis
Authors: Ning Matthew , Duwadi Sudan , Yücel Meryem A. , Lühmann Alexander Von , Boas David A. , Sen Kamal
Published: January 2024

When analyzing complex scenes, humans often focus their attention on an object at a particular spatial location. The ability to decode the attended spatial location would facilitate brain computer interfaces for complex scene analysis (CSA). Here, we investigated capability of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to decode audio-visual spatial attention in the presence of competing stimuli from multiple locations. We targeted dorsal frontoparietal network including frontal eye field (FEF) and intra-parietal sulcus (IPS) as well as superior temporal gyrus/planum temporal (STG/PT). They all were shown in previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies to be activated by auditory, visual, or audio-visual spatial tasks. To date, fNIRS has not been applied to decode auditory and visual-spatial attention during CSA, and thus, no such dataset exists yet. This report provides an open-access fNIRS dataset that can be used to develop, test, and compare machine learning algorithms for classifying attended locations based on the fNIRS signals on a single trial basis.
Chaperone quality control in liquid-phase separated organelles
Authors: Scheidt Tom , Lemke Edward A.
Published: January 2024

Molecular chaperones, central to the cellular proteostasis network, play an essential role in preventing the formation and proliferation of harmful aggregates associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Notably, for many intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), which are prone to form such damaging deposits, the formation of nano-clusters and phase separation into organelles prior to aggregation have been observed. The impact of molecular chaperones on such assemblies, remains unclear. In our study, we concentrated on the family of small heat shock proteins (sHsps), which are typically dynamic and form large oligomeric structures. While sHsps are mainly structured/folded proteins, they can undergo transient multivalent interactions, like many IDPs. Thus, sHsps might be a suitable regulator for vital and ubiquitous formation of membrane-less organelles in eukaryotic cells rich in IDPs and to inhibit aberrant aggregation. Here we show, using microfluidic diffusional sizing, that the formation of nano-clusters of FUS, associated with neurodegenerative diseases can be inhibited by the presence of sHsps. Furthermore, we identify that, depending on their assembly state, sHsps are capable of targeting specifically the interface between the dense droplet phase and the dilute phase not only of FUS but also of TDP-43, likely because the interface is the primary starting point for fibril formation or protein aggregation in general. Our findings emphasise the impact of molecular chaperones on maintaining the homeostasis of IDPs in the dilute and condensed phase. This could help to understand how chaperone dysregulation can influence aberrant protein association.
Link between shape dependent lifetimes and thermal escape in quantum dots and rings
Authors: Sullivan H. T. , Cole J. H.
Published: January 2024

Understanding the optical emission characteristics of semiconductor nanostructures is important when determining their device applicability. Their emission depends on the material and its geometry, but also depends on other processes such as thermal escape from the nanostructure. Although it is widely accepted that scattering involving longitudinal optical phonons is the key process in thermal escape, it remains unclear why some quantum structures thermally emit excitons while others emit uncorrelated electron-hole pairs or single charge carriers. To investigate this phenomenon, we theoretically determine the energy levels and temperature- lifetime relationships of quantum dots and rings. We find that replicating the observed temperature dependence of the exciton lifetime requires both an eigenspectrum and a thermal escape mechanism which are geometry dependent. This suggests that geometry may be a significant factor in determining the dominant thermal escape process in quantum structures.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Elastic Contractile Stress in the Basement Membrane Generates Basal Tension in Epithelia
Authors: Guerra Santillán K. Yanín , Dahmann Christian , Fischer-Friedrich Elisabeth
Published: January 2024

The shaping of epithelial tissues into functional organs often depends on dynamic changes of mechanical tension at the apical and basal sides of cells. While on the apical side, tension is known to be regulated by the apical actomyosin meshwork, basal tension regulation remains elusive due to the presence of a basal sheet of specialized extracellular matrix, the basement membrane. Here, we use atomic force microscopy to provide direct measurements of mechanical tension in the basal surface of the wing disk epithelium of in control and perturbed conditions. We find that next to actomyosin, the basement membrane is a key structure for the generation of basal tension. Furthermore, we show that the basement membrane is a solidlike sheet subject to an expansile stretch in epithelial homeostasis. Performing osmotic shocks and optogenetic actomyosin activation, we find evidence that basal stretch and tension can be generated by intracellular hydrostatic pressure and actomyosin tension in lateral cell faces of the epithelium. In conclusion, we propose that elastic contractile stress corresponding to the actomyosin-induced expansile stretch of the basement membrane generates a major contribution to basal tension. We thereby disclose fundamental differences in the mechanical regulation of apical and basal epithelial tension.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Double-slit asymmetrical dynamical diffraction of X-rays in ideal crystals
Authors: Balyan Minas
Published: January 2024

The theoretical investigation of double-slit asymmetrical dynamical diffraction of X-rays in perfect crystals establishes that Young's interference fringes on the exit surface are formed. The position of the fringes in the cross section of the beam depends on deviation from the Bragg exact orientation and asymmetry angle. An equation for the period of the fringes is presented, according to which the period is polarization sensitive. The period increases with increasing the absolute value of the asymmetry angle. In its turn, the size of the interference region also increases with increasing the absolute value of the asymmetry angle. However, the ratio of interference region size to period, i.e. the number of observed fringes, decreases with increasing the absolute value of the asymmetry angle. The size of the interference region can be of the order of a few tens of mm, which can be used for obtaining Fourier dynamical diffraction holograms of a large size. This type of diffraction can also be used for obtaining double-slit dynamical diffraction contrast of defects and deformations. Due to the phase difference information, in comparison with single-slit diffraction, double-slit diffraction is more sensitive to the existence of objects and deformations in the path of the wave.
Protean career orientation to turnover intentions: moderating roles of current organizational career growth and future organizational career growth prospect
Authors: Zhu Linna , Yang Hui , Gao Yong , Wang Qiong
Published: January 2024

Purpose

Targeting at the inconsistent relationship between protean career orientation and turnover intentions, this study aims to uncover when and why such inconsistency occurs. It emphasized the mediating role of organizational identification and moderating effects of current organizational career growth and future organizational career growth prospect.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a three-wave time-lagged study over seven months, with a sample of 1,012 participants from various occupations.

Findings

The relationship of protean career orientation to turnover intentions via organizational identification was negative when current organizational career growth was high, and it was positive when current growth was low. Future organizational career growth prospect weakened organizational identification–turnover intentions relationship. Those two moderators jointly influenced the indirect relationship. For employees low in both states, the positive indirect relationship was the most significant.

Originality/value

By integrating social identity theory and social cognitive theory, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of protean career orientation–turnover intentions relationship. It also enriches studies on protean career orientation and organizational identification–turnover intentions relationship.
Board effectiveness and corporate investment in emerging markets: evidence from the gulf cooperation council countries
Authors: Jafeel Adam Yahya , Chu Ei Yet , Abdalla Yousif Abdelbagi
Published: January 2024

Purpose

This study aims to empirically examine the impact of internal corporate governance mechanisms (ICGM) related to the size of the board, board composition, CEO duality and audit committee independence as a single metric on a firm’s investment decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study attempts to develop an internal corporate governance quality index comprising 10 items under four main ICGMs – size and independence of the board, CEO duality and audit committee independence – employing panel data analysis to investigate its impact on the investment decisions in 301 nonfinancial firms listed in six emerging capital markets in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries for the years 2015–2020. Data were extracted from sample companies' websites, stock markets, annual reports and Refinitiv database.

Findings

This study provides convincing evidence that effective ICGMs minimize inefficient investment and ultimately boost investment efficiency. The findings remain consistent even after considering the potential endogeneity bias.

Originality/value

This study provides empirical evidence on investment efficiency in the GCC region and emphasizes the importance of high-quality ICGMs in reducing inefficient investment. By examining the impact of ICGMs on investment inefficiencies, this study contributes to the corporate governance literature. The GCC region's unique economic and social contexts, with its growing economies, are considered to shed light on this issue.
A new technique for determination of the optimum cut height according to the fabric type in garment production
Authors: Küçük Mehmet
Published: January 2024

Purpose

Fabrics, which are one of the raw materials of the clothing industry, constitute approximately 40–45% of the total cost of an apparel product. Due to the labor-intensive nature of this industry and failure to apply scientific methods along with the manufacturing processes, the wastes in the raw materials, including fabrics, become higher. Besides, quality deficiencies are encountered due to the same reasons. This study aims to determine the optimum total fabric layer height based on the fabric type during the cutting process with a straight knife cutting machine, which provided a decrease in the cutting errors.

Design/methodology/approach

Frequently used fabric types in an enterprise operating in organic cotton knitwear were listed. During the cutting tests, the straight knife cutting machine was used as the cutting device. The weight and thickness values of the fabrics were obtained to provide a comparison basis. Two different algorithms were created to evaluate the defective pieces according to fabric type, cutting height and error placement. Cutting resistances of these fabrics were also determined to evaluate the defect reasons. In the end, optimum total fabric layer count and total cutting height suggestions were proposed for each fabric type for a minimum cutting error.

Findings

At the end of this study, the error-free layers were identified per fabric type. At the same time, the optimum cutting height was suggested for each fabric basis. For 40/1 single jersey fabrics, the cutting height should be between 2.10 cm and 10.40 cm; for 30/1 single jersey fabrics, between 1.65 cm and 5.70 cm; for 20/1 single jersey fabrics, between 1.83 cm and 6.70 cm; for two-thread fleece fabrics, between 2.13 cm and 4.70 cm; and for three-thread fleece fabrics, between 0 cm and 4.90 cm.

Research limitations/implications

Within the scope of the study, since the products made of knitted fabric were produced more frequently and in large quantities, the study was carried out with 15 different types of knitted fabrics at 10 different layers. The same methods should be applied for woven, denim and nonwoven fabric types, which would shed light on the following studies.

Originality/value

Due to scarce research carried out on the cutting procedure of the clothing industry in regards to sustainability, this study aims to contribute to this area. The main difference between this study and the studies that mostly make mathematical predictions about the cutting procedure is that it is practice-oriented.
Assessing the roles of green innovations and renewables in environmental sustainability of resource‐rich Sub‐Saharan African states: A financial development perspective
Authors: Musah Mohammed , Gyamfi Bright Akwasi , Onifade Stephen Taiwo , Sackey Frank Gyimah
Published: January 2024

Environmental literature keeps expanding on the natural resources‐environmental sustainability conundrum. However, most studies examine this conundrum in different geographical locations other than resource‐rich Sub‐Saharan African (SSA) countries while also neglecting the criticality of issues like green innovations, financial development, and renewable energy. Besides, the likelihood of a nonlinear relationship has often been jettisoned in the framework. Thus, the resources‐sustainability nexus was examined in the SSA using robust econometric techniques, while underscoring the roles of green innovations, renewable energy, and financial development. Using the cross‐sectional augmented auto‐regressive distributed lag (CS‐ARDL), cross‐sectional augmented distributed lag (CS‐DL), and the common correlated effect mean group (CCEMG) approaches that conciliate with residual cross‐sectional dependence and heterogeneity amongst others, we discovered that (i) the natural resources‐sustainability nexus is nonlinear in SSA. (ii) unlike the environmental gains from green innovations and renewables in the SSA, natural resource harms their environmental sustainability (iii) the interaction between financial development and natural resources worsened the ecosystem of the countries (iv) the interaction between natural resources and the duo of green innovations and renewable energy enhances SSA's ecological quality (v) urbanization damage environmental sustainability by spurring ecological footprints. Furthermore, one‐way causality paths were observed from the trio of natural resources, financial development, and green innovations to ecological footprints. But renewable energy and urbanization had a feedback causal relationship with ecological footprints. The findings are robust to CO2 emissions as an alternative environmental quality measure. Policy implications to foster SDGs‐related pollution mitigation agenda were thereafter extensively discussed for the SSA.
Solid‐state fermentation by S. cerevisiae with high resistance to ferulic acid improves the physicochemical properties of wheat bran and quality of bran‐rich Chinese steamed bread
Authors: Zhang Bobo , Xie Xinhua , Zhu Hongshuai , Niu Bin , Liang Dan , Chen Kai , Sun Wenhong , Shi Dongfeng
Published: January 2024

Wheat bran has numerous health benefits, but its poor processing and sensory properties limit its application in the staple food industry. Fermentation by S. cerevisiae changes the performance of wheat bran. However, high levels of ferulic acid (FA) inhibit S. cerevisiae. The effects of solid‐state fermentation of S. cerevisiae with high resistance to FA on the physicochemical properties of wheat bran and the quality of bran‐rich Chinese steamed bread (CSB) were investigated. The results showed that the growth of S. cerevisiae was inhibited by FA in a dose‐dependent manner. Short‐term adaptation strategies efficiently improved the tolerance of S. cerevisiae to FA stress. Compared with the parental strain (PS), fermentation of the short‐term adapted strains (adapted strains) significantly increased the FA, total phenol, and soluble dietary fiber content in wheat bran. Wheat bran fermented by the adapted strains had a higher antioxidant capacity than wheat bran fermented by PS. In addition, compared with the PS, the wheat bran fermented by the adapted strains can decrease the hardness, improve the specific volume, and the quality of CSB. Thus, solid‐state fermentation of the adapted strain is a potentially effective method to improve the nutritional and physicochemical properties of wheat bran as a cereal food ingredient.
Identifying high‐risk factors and mitigation strategies for acrylamide formation in air‐fried lotus root chips: Impact of cooking parameters, including temperature, time, presoaking, and seasoning
Authors: Lee Hee Won , Baek Chung Hun , Ma Yongzhe , Lee Jihyun , Moon BoKyung , Lee Kwang‐Won , Jung Mun Yhung
Published: January 2024

This study was conducted to identify high‐risk factors and mitigation strategies for acrylamide formation in air‐fried lotus root chips by studying the impact of various cooking parameters, including temperature, time, presoaking, and pre‐seasoning treatments. The temperature and time had a surprisingly high impact on acrylamide formation. The chips prepared at high temperatures with longer cooking times contained an extremely high acrylamide content, reaching 12,786 ng/g (e.g., 170°C/19 min). A particularly concerning discovery was that the chips with extremely high acrylamide content (up to 17 times higher than the EU benchmark level for potato chips) did not appear overcooked or taste burnt. Higher cooking temperatures required shorter cooking times to properly cook lotus root chips for consumption. A high temperature with a short cooking time (170°C/13 min) greatly benefited acrylamide reduction compared to low temperature with a long cooking time (150°C/19 min). Presoaking in a 0.1% acetic acid solution and pre‐seasoning with 1% salt reduced acrylamide levels by 61% and 47%, respectively. However, presoaking in water, vinegar solution, and citric acid solution did not significantly decrease the acrylamide content in the chips. Furthermore, some seasonings significantly increased acrylamide levels (up to 7.4 times higher). For the first time, these findings underscore the high risks associated with air‐frying lotus root chips without considering these factors. This study also provides proper air‐frying parameters and pretreatment strategies for minimizing acrylamide formation in air‐fried lotus chips.
Ancient and modern inscriptions in the basalt desert: News from the 2023 season of the Badia Epigraphic Survey in north‐east Jordan
Authors: Al‐Manaser Ali , Macdonald Michael C. A.
Published: January 2024

The Badia Epigraphic Survey (BES) Project was launched in 2015 by Ali Al‐Manaser and Michael C. A. Macdonald and, with two gaps, has been conducting annual surveys in the ḥarra of north‐eastern Jordan ever since. The 2023 survey, like that of 2018, set out to rediscover the cairns at the border between the ḥarra and the ḥamād at which, in the late 1950s, Professor Fred V. Winnett and Gerald Lankester Harding (WH) discovered over 4000 inscriptions. The purpose was to identify the WH cairns by the inscriptions on them, to give them exact locations using Global Positioning System and to photograph all the inscriptions, most of which WH had had to record in hand copies. In the process, numerous inscriptions at other cairns were also recorded, as well as large numbers of modern Arabic inscriptions carved in the 65 years since the WH expedition. This article describes some of the finds made, gives the exact locations of the WH cairns rediscovered and discusses some of the interesting ancient and modern inscriptions and drawings which were found.
Effects of prazosin treatment on liver enzymes are moderated by alcohol withdrawal symptoms in individuals with alcohol use disorder
Authors: Martins Bradford S. , Fogelman Nia , Tate Marshall , Hermes Gretchen H. , Sinha Rajita
Published: January 2024

Background

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is associated with significant liver pathology marked by elevated liver enzymes. Prazosin, an alpha1‐noradrenergic antagonist significantly improves alcohol drinking outcomes in individuals with alcohol withdrawal symptoms (AW), but effects on liver enzymes are unknown. We assessed the effects of prazosin treatment on the liver enzymes alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and gamma‐glutamyltransferase (GGT) in individuals with AUD.

Methods

Participants (N=100) with AUD were enrolled in a 12‐week randomized controlled trial and received either placebo or 16 mg/day of prazosin. Whole blood was drawn from 92 participants to measure liver enzyme levels every 4 weeks, and severity of AW was assessed weekly. Analysis predicting liver function outcomes used linear mixed effects models.

Results

Controlling for alcohol consumption, a significant AW × treatment effect was seen for ALT (p < 0.05), AST (p < 0.05) and GGT (p < 0.01). Additionally, AST (b = 0.2, p < 0.01), ALT (b = 0.2, p < 0.05), and GGT (b = 0.3, p < 0.01) were elevated in individuals with higher AW in the placebo but not in the prazosin group (AST: p > 0.66; ALT: p > 0.65). Only in the prazosin group were lower GGT levels associated with higher withdrawal severity (b = −0.16, p < 0.05).

Conclusions

We found an interaction of alcohol withdrawal symptoms and prazosin treatment on liver enzyme levels, which were not influenced by week in the trial or the amount of alcohol consumed. Together, these findings suggest that prazosin treatment reduces liver enzymes over the course of AUD treatment among individuals with significant AW, though replication to establish clinical utility is needed.
Anomalous origin of the right subclavian artery in a Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis, Olfers—1818)
Authors: Vélez García Juan Fernando
Published: January 2024

The Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis) is a mustelid distributed geographically from Mexico to Argentina. Anomalous origins of the aortic arch branches are rarely reported in wild carnivorans. Therefore, this study aimed to report the anomalous branching of the aortic arch in one formaldehyde‐fixed specimen of L. longicaudis. The aortic arch provided three branches: the bicarotid trunk and the left and right subclavian arteries. The latter passed dorsally to the esophagus toward the right side without a mark of compression at the esophagus. This is the first report of an anomalous origin of the right subclavian artery in L. longicaudis.
Natural moisturising factor constituents in South African nursing students
Authors: Young Monica , du Plessis Johannes Lodewykus , Kezic Sanja , Jakasa Ivone , Franken Anja
Published: January 2024

Background

The majority of South African healthcare workers are Black Africans with dark‐pigmented skin. Studies on how the markers of skin barrier function and natural moisturising factor (NMF) compare between dark and light‐pigmented skin are limited. Quantifying NMF in a nursing student population during their practical training at university may provide valuable insight into their potential susceptibility to skin conditions associated with low NMF.

Objectives

The objectives of this study were to quantify and compare NMF content of Black African, Mixed Race and White nursing students from their dominant dorsal hand.

Methods

Forty‐nine White, 32 Black African and 5 Mixed Race nursing students participated in this study. Tape strip samples were collected from the participants' dominant dorsal hand and NMF content was measured, including histidine (HIS), pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (PCA), trans‐urocanic acid (t‐UCA) and cis‐urocanic acid (c‐UCA), as well as cytokines interleukin‐1 alpha (IL‐1α) and interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1RA).

Results

No statistically significant differences in PCA, t‐UCA, c‐UCA, IL‐1α or IL‐1RA were found between Black African and White nursing students. HIS was significantly (p = 0.001) higher in White nursing students when compared to Black African students. The ratio of tot‐UCA/HIS was significantly higher in Black Africans (p = 0.0002) when compared to White nursing students.

Conclusion

No significant differences were established in NMF content between White and Black African nursing students, other than HIS which was significantly higher in White students than in Black African students. Different HIS levels between the racial groups suggest variation in histidase activity which may be related to skin pH and pigmentation. This finding may suggest that nursing students at the beginning of their careers may have similar susceptibility to skin diseases related to NMF.
Practitioners' capacity‐building for parent empowerment: A pilot non‐randomized controlled trial
Authors: To Siu‐ming , Dong Lei , Yang Lei , Yan Ming‐wai , So Yuk‐Yan , Chung Mee‐yee
Published: January 2024

Although research has increasingly recognized that parents benefit from parent empowerment programs, studies on the outcomes of the capacity‐building of practitioners of such programs are generally lacking. Using the results of a non‐randomized controlled trial, this study examined the possible outcomes of a related capacity‐building program. A total of 56 practitioners were recruited from 10 social service agencies in Hong Kong to participate. Most of them were females with more than 10 years of social work experience. Of these, 28 participated in a 15‐session capacity‐building program on parent empowerment (serving as the experimental group), while the others did not participate in the capacity‐building program (serving as the control group). MANCOVAs were performed to identify any differences between the two groups at different time points. The post‐test assessment showed that the level of attitudes around parent empowerment of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group with a large effect size, but no difference was found in their self‐perceived competence. Furthermore, the follow‐up test revealed that the level of self‐perceived competence of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group, with a large effect size. A serial mediation of the levels of favorable attitudes at the post‐test and follow‐up test on the association between the capacity‐building program and self‐perceived competence at the follow‐up test was also found. This study can contribute to the limited body of knowledge on how to equip practitioners with the professional attitudes and skills to implement parent empowerment programs.
Cooking quality, textural characteristics and sensory evaluation of heat‐moisture treated unpolished red rice under different cooking conditions
Authors: Tien Nguyen Ngoc Thanh , Phi Nguyen Thi Lan , Thu Nguyen Ngoc Anh , Oanh Truong Thi Hoang , Van Hung Pham
Published: January 2024

The unpolished red rice (URR) previously has been heat‐moisture treated to significantly improve resistant starch content. Continuously, this study aimed to investigate cooking quality, textural characteristics, and sensory evaluation of the URR, and heat‐moisture‐treated URR (HMT‐URR), cooked with water or 0.5 m acetic acid solution (AAS) at 80 or 100 °C for different cooking time ranging from 30 to 70 min. The degree of gelatinisation (DG), water absorption index (WAI) and cooking loss (CL) of the cooked URR and HMT‐URR significantly increased with the increased cooking temperature or time. The results of DG also showed that whole URR and HMT‐URR were well cooked with water at 80 °C for 70 min or with the AAS at 80 °C for 60 min or at 100 °C for 40 min for both. Although the cooked HMT‐URR was much harder than the cooked URR, the hardness of the HMT‐URR was significantly reduced when cooking with the AAS. The morphological structure also indicated that the URR and HMT‐URR cooked with the AAS were more well gelatinised. As a result, the HMT‐URR cooked with 0.5 m acetic acid solution had high scores in terms of all organoleptic attributes even though their odour and flavour were less preferable.