bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of global health emergency on learning analytics research in higher education: a bibliometric analysis
Authors: Kushwaha Pooja S. , Badhera Usha , Kamila Manoj Kumar
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This bibliometric study aims to analyze publication trends, active countries, collaborations, influential citations and thematic evolution in learning analytics (LA) research focused on higher education (HE) during and after the COVID-19 lockdown period.

Design/methodology/approach

From the Scopus database, this bibliometric analysis extracts and evaluates 609 scholarly articles on LA in HE starting in 2019. The multidimensional process identifies the scope impacts, advancing the understanding of LA in HE. An analysis of co-citation data uncovers the key influences that have shaped the literature. This study uses the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory to suggest future research directions and organizational adaptations to new LA technologies and learner responses to LA-enabled personalized interventions.

Findings

Learning analytics are becoming important in the HE environment during and after the COVID-19 lockout. Institutions have used LA to collect socio-technical data from digital platforms, giving them important insights into learning processes and systems. The data gathered through LA has assisted in identifying areas for development, opening the path for improved student success and academic performance evaluation and helping students transition to the workforce.

Research limitations/implications

The study’s concentration on the post-COVID-19 timeframe may lead to paying attention to potential pandemic developments. Nonetheless, the findings provide a thorough picture of LA’s contributions to HE and valuable ideas for future study initiatives. Future research with the SOR framework suggests areas for additional study to maximize LA’s potential in diverse HE situations.

Originality/value

This study adds to the growing corpus of knowledge on learning analytics in HE, especially in light of the COVID-19 lockdown and its aftermath. By using bibliometric analysis, the study provides a complete and evidence-based understanding of how LA has been used to address challenges related to HE. This study uses bibliometric analysis and SOR theory to appraise and map HE learning analytics research. The selected study themes can help scholars, educators and institutions shape their future efforts to improve teaching, learning and support mechanisms through learning analytics.
Charity begins at the office: issuing cheap stock and stock options to employees and insiders before going public
Authors: Finnerty John D.
Published: September 2024

Purpose

Press reports have indicated that firms frequently underprice restricted stock and employee stock options. I test for underpricing of stock and options.

Design/methodology/approach

I examined a sample of 5,333 private firm stock and option issuances between 1985 and 2017. I tested for underpricing using two approaches: assuming investors have no special market-timing ability and assuming instead they have perfect market-timing ability.

Findings

I find evidence of widespread stock and option underpricing by private firms before they go public reflecting large discounts that exceed reasonable compensation for lack of marketability. Unreported underpricing is more frequent in the last pre-IPO private equity transactions that offer the last opportunity to give such discounts before the stock is publicly traded, but the discounts are greater in the earlier pre-IPO transactions where unreported discounts are presumably tougher for the SEC to detect. Underpricing is still detected even when the actual DLOMs are tested against a benchmark that assumes investors have perfect market-timing ability.

Research limitations/implications

Firms frequently underprice restricted stock and employee stock options. Firms tend to underprice stock options more frequently than restricted stock, but restricted stock tends to be priced at deeper discounts when recipients are assumed not to have any special market-timing ability.

Practical implications

Private firms issue restricted stock and options as incentive compensation. Lowballing the valuation transfers wealth from outside stockholders to employees/insiders. Wealth transfers take place through the issuance of equity claims to employees/insiders before firms go public. I found that more than a quarter of the DLOMs exceed the theoretical maximum by, on average, between 16% (median) and 20% (mean). This finding raises two questions worthy of investigation. First, to what extent do the frequency and magnitude of DLOMs above the theoretical maximum depend on whether a board of directors obtains an independent appraisal of a stock’s fair market value? Second, if DLOMs above the theoretical maximum are observed even when the stock is independently appraised, how do appraisers justify such large DLOMs?

Social implications

The wealth transfers that take place through the issuance of equity claims to employees/insiders before firms go public benefit employees/insiders at the expense of outside shareholders.

Originality/value

My paper is the first to furnish evidence of widespread stock and option underpricing by private firms before they go public; demonstrate that the unreported underpricing is more frequent in the last pre-IPO private equity transactions that offer the last opportunity to give such discounts before the stock is publicly traded and show that the discounts are greater in the earlier pre-IPO transactions where unreported discounts are presumably tougher for the SEC to detect.
Unlocking the omnichannel shopping myth: can service convenience, shopping value and channel congruence strengthen perceived trust and satisfaction?
Authors: Hsu Chia-Lin , Yu Li-Chen , Tung Wei-Feng , Chen Kwen-Wan
Published: September 2024

Purpose

This study broadens the understanding of how omnichannel service convenience, shopping value and channel congruence affect customer perceived trust and satisfaction and, in turn, affect selection intention after an omnichannel shopping experience.

Design/methodology/approach

Target participants were recruited based on previous purchases from the Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo. A questionnaire was distributed via social media. In total, 341 valid responses were collected for structural equation modelling (SEM).

Findings

The results revealed that in omnichannel shopping context, perceived trust and satisfaction are positively affected by service convenience and shopping value and are especially affected by channel congruence. Further analysis showed that perceived trust and satisfaction have a positive effect on omnichannel selection intention, with satisfaction playing a mediating role in the relationships of omnichannel service convenience, shopping value and channel congruence with omnichannel selection intention.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on omnichannel customer behaviour by shedding light on the antecedents of intention to select omnichannel retailers from the customer’s perspective.
Promoting quality education through blended learning during and post COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Dei De-Graft Johnson
Published: September 2024

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on all facets of education. This led to educational institutions deploying blended and online systems for teaching and learning. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of blended learning in promoting quality education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The qualitative research design was deployed in this study and enabled the researcher to collect data via in-depth interviews. Twenty-five (25) tertiary institutions accredited by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) were randomly selected to participate in this study. The registrars of the institutions were purposively selected and served as the participants for the study. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the data collected via the interview. Ethical considerations were adhered to during the study.

Findings

The study established that COVID-19 had a devastating effect on tertiary institutions; multiple technological and open-sourced systems were deployed for teaching and learning; blended learning was adopted to augment the traditional face-to-face mode of teaching and learning due to its ease of use, usefulness and accessibility as it was used for quizzes and assignments, accessing lecture notes, among others. Despite these, the deployment of technological and blended systems was met with challenges that somehow affected effective teaching, learning.

Research limitations/implications

The study was limited to 25 tertiary educational institutions in Ghana. It was again limited to the COVID-19 era.

Practical implications

This research aids in understanding the extent of the impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning and how blended learning is currently deployed and used in tertiary institutions in Ghana. The findings are relevant to policymakers and management of educational institutions as it informs them of the right method and tools to deploy for teaching and learning during pandemics.

Originality/value

As educational institutions globally are dealing with the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is prudent to look into how tertiary institutions in Ghana deploy blended learning to facilitate teaching and learning. Thus, this paper is original as it fills the relevant literature gap in terms of scope, setting, methodology and findings.
Psoriasis treatment and biologic switching: The association with clinical characteristics and laboratory biomarkers over a 13‐year retrospective study
Authors: Koyama Asumi , Li Lixin , Yamamoto Toyoki , Taira Haruka , Sugimoto Eiki , Ito Yukiko , Mizuno Yuka , Awaji Kentaro , Tateishi Shoko , Kanda Hiroko , Sato Shinichi , Shibata Sayaka
Published: September 2024

The advent of biologics has greatly improved patient outcomes, yet some patients are compelled to switch therapies. Predicting these therapeutic failures is important; however, the factors associated with switching biologics have not been fully explored. This study examined patterns and determinants of biologics switching in psoriasis treatment retrospectively over 13 years. We focused on the association between clinical characteristics, basal laboratory data, and frequency of biologics switching. The findings revealed that elevated Psoriasis Area Severity Index scores and the presence of arthritis were observed in patients who experienced two or more treatment switches compared with those without treatment switches. Moreover, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio was associated with higher biologics switching rates, indicating that systemic inflammation significantly impacts treatment adherence. A treatment approach, taking into account both the clinical presentation and inflammatory biomarkers, may be important for optimizing patient management in psoriasis.
Population asynchrony within and between trophic levels have contrasting effects on consumer community stability in a subtropical lake
Authors: Rao Xiao , Chen Jun , Wang Shaopeng , Su Haojie , Rao Qingyang , Xia Wulai , Liu Jiarui , Fan Xiaoyue , Deng Xuwei , Shen Hong , Xie Ping
Published: September 2024

Clarifying the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem stability in the context of global environmental change is crucial for maintaining ecosystem functions and services. Asynchronous changes between trophic levels over time (i.e. trophic community asynchrony) are expected to increase trophic mismatch and alter trophic interactions, which may consequently alter ecosystem stability. However, previous studies have often highlighted the stabilising mechanism of population asynchrony within a single trophic level, while rarely examining the mechanism of trophic community asynchrony between consumers and their food resources.

In this study, we analysed the effects of population asynchrony within and between trophic levels on community stability under the disturbances of climate warming, fishery decline and de‐eutrophication, based on an 18‐year monthly monitoring dataset of 137 phytoplankton and 91 zooplankton in a subtropical lake.

Our results showed that species diversity promoted community stability mainly by increasing population asynchrony both for phytoplankton and zooplankton. Trophic community asynchrony had a significant negative effect on zooplankton community stability rather than that of phytoplankton, which supports the match‐mismatch hypothesis that trophic mismatch has negative effects on consumers. Furthermore, the results of the structural equation models showed that warming and top‐down effects may simultaneously alter community stability through population dynamics processes within and between trophic levels, whereas nutrients act on community stability mainly through the processes within trophic levels. Moreover, we found that rising water temperature decreased trophic community asynchrony, which may challenge the prevailing idea that climate warming increases the trophic mismatch between primary producers and consumers.

Overall, our study provides the first evidence that population and trophic community asynchrony have contrasting effects on consumer community stability, which offers a valuable insight for addressing global environmental change.
From anthropogenic toward natural acidification: Effects of future deposition and climate on recovery in a humic catchment in Norway
Authors: de Wit Heleen A. , Clayer François , Kaste Øyvind , Norling Magnus
Published: September 2024

Five decades of monitoring data (1974–2022) at the acidified forested catchment of Langtjern in southern Norway document strong chemical recovery and browning of surface water, related to changes in sulfur (S) deposition. Further recovery is likely to be impacted by future air quality and climate, through catchment processes sensitive to climate change, where the relative importance of these drivers of recovery is poorly known. Here, we explore the importance of the aforementioned drivers for recovery using the well‐established process‐oriented Model of Acidification of Groundwater In Catchments (MAGIC) with historical and projected deposition and climate from 1860 to 2100. New in MAGIC are (i) a solubility control of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from S deposition, which allows inclusion of the role of organic acids in chemical recovery and (ii) climate‐dependency of weathering rates. MAGIC successfully described observed chemical recovery and browning, and the change toward organic acid dominated acidification status. Hindcasts of pH predicted lower preindustrial pH than previously modeled with MAGIC (simulated without S‐dependency of DOC solubility). Future deposition resulted in limited further recovery. Climate scenarios indicated a substantially wetter future, leading to increased base cation losses and slight surface water reacidification. A sensitivity analysis revealed that a 25%–50% increase of weathering rates was needed to reach preindustrial acid‐neutralizing capacity in 2100, provided S deposition is reduced to a minimum. We predict that the limited chemical recovery from reduced S deposition will be counteracted by climate‐driven reacidification from base cation losses, but that enhanced weathering rates could partly compensate these losses.
Evaluation of protein–polysaccharide interactions through ζ‐potential and particle size measurements to assess their functionality in wine
Authors: Burken Olivia , Sommer Stephan
Published: September 2024

Protein–polysaccharide–tannin interactions are important in every aspect of red wine production from physical stability to color, astringency, and body. For this model study, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was selected as the protein, while carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), mannoproteins, and pectin were the model polysaccharides. Each protein–polysaccharide combination was analyzed for zeta (ζ) potential and particle size at neutral pH and within the wine‐like solution. Mixtures were assessed regarding their protective, affinitive, and aggregative behaviors. Based on their individual ζ‐potentials, pectin and mannoprotein were most stable at lower concentrations. At higher concentrations, they reduced the suspension's stability and increased the aggregate sizes. CMC consistently increased the stability of any solution under neutral pH conditions. However, with increasing concentrations, these large aggregates are expected to precipitate. Fruit pectin (FP) and BSA interactions seemed to be the main factors in the formation of visible precipitates at neutral pH. FP and the mannoprotein decreased stability enough to cause precipitation without haze formation. The mannoprotein decreased particle sizes, in both the suspension and precipitation, which may indicate greater selectivity toward proteins. FP also decreased the suspended particle sizes under wine conditions. These findings demonstrate the use of ζ‐potential and particle size values to characterize macromolecular interactions in model systems and can also be used to indicate effective fining agents.

Practical Application

This work demonstrates the capabilities of ζ‐potential analysis paired with size particle measurements to predict and characterize the interactions between macromolecules in complex systems. The interactions between model wine macromolecules can be evaluated with this technology at a level that cannot be reached with any other analytical technique.
Exome capture of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) for cost effective genotyping and population genetics with historical collections
Authors: White Oliver W. , Walkington Sarah , Carter Hugh , Hughes Lauren , Clark Melody , Mock Thomas , Tarling Geraint A. , Clark Matthew D.
Published: September 2024

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana) is a keystone species in the Southern Ocean ecosystem, with ecological and commercial significance. However, its vulnerability to climate change requires an urgent investigation of its adaptive potential to future environmental conditions. Historical museum collections of krill from the early 20th century represent an ideal opportunity to investigate how krill have changed over time due to predation, fishing and climate change. However, there is currently no cost‐effective method for implementing population scale collection genomics for krill given its genome size (48 Gbp). Here, we assessed the utility of two inexpensive methods for population genetics using historical krill samples, specifically low‐coverage shotgun sequencing (i.e. ‘genome‐skimming’) and exome capture. Two full‐length transcriptomes were generated and used to identify 166 putative gene targets for exome capture bait design. A total of 20 historical krill samples were sequenced using shotgun and exome capture. Mitochondrial and nuclear ribosomal sequences were assembled from both low‐coverage shotgun and off‐target of exome capture data demonstrating that endogenous DNA sequences could be assembled from historical collections. Although, mitochondrial and ribosomal sequences are variable across individuals from different populations, phylogenetic analysis does not identify any population structure. We find exome capture provides approximately 4500‐fold enrichment of sequencing targeted genes, suggesting this approach can generate the sequencing depth required to call identify a significant number of variants. Unlocking historical collections for genomic analyses using exome capture, will provide valuable insights into past and present biodiversity, resilience and adaptability of krill populations to climate change.
Climate change and antibiotic resistance: A scoping review
Authors: Fernández Salgueiro María , Cernuda Martínez José Antonio , Gan Rick Kye , Arcos González Pedro
Published: September 2024

This scoping review aimed to investigate the potential association between climate change and the rise of antibiotic resistance while also exploring the elements of climate change that may be involved. A scoping review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews, comprehensively searching scientific literature up to 31 January 2024. Multiple databases were utilized, including MEDLINE, Web of Science and SCOPUS. Various search strategies were employed, and selection criteria were established to include articles relevant to antibiotic resistance and climate change. The review included 30 selected articles published predominantly after 2019. Findings from these studies collectively suggest that rising temperatures associated with climate change can contribute to the proliferation of antibiotic resistance, affecting diverse ecosystems. This phenomenon is observed in soil, glaciers, rivers and clinical settings. Rising temperatures are associated with a rise in the prevalence of antibiotic resistance across various environments, raising concerns for global health. However, these studies provide valuable insights but do not establish a definitive causal link between environmental temperature and antibiotic resistance. The selective pressure exerted by antibiotics and their residues in ecosystems further complicates the issue.
Headstarting boosts population of a threatened wader, the black‐tailed godwit
Authors: Donaldson L. , Hughes R. , Smart J. , Jarrett N. S. , Burgess M. D. , Batey C. , Dessi N. , Hilton G. M.
Published: September 2024

Measures to boost populations can help ensure population persistence in the short‐term while longer‐term conservation interventions take effect. Headstarting, involving the collection of wild early life‐stage individuals, rearing in captivity, and release into a new or existing population once independent, has recently been identified as a potential translocation technique to assist small breeding populations of waders declining due to low levels of productivity. However, the demographic rates of headstarted individuals have not been quantified, and their impact on target populations not understood, which is required to determine the efficacy of this technique as a tool for species recovery. Between 2017 and 2022, headstarting was trialled as a tool to supplement the critically small sub‐population of black‐tailed godwit (Limosa limosa limosa) breeding at the Ouse Washes, Eastern England. We demonstrate that a high survival rate for eggs and chicks can be achieved through artificial incubation and hand‐rearing, and that headstarting can substantially increase the overall productivity of a small population. Using survival analysis and mixed effects modelling, we show that apparent survival and breeding success of headstarted individuals is comparable to wild‐reared conspecifics. The survival rate of released birds was sufficient to significantly boost the breeding population, reaching over five times the number of breeding pairs at the release site during the trial. Providing demographic rates remain the same, the number of godwits breeding at the Ouse Washes is predicted to continue to increase moderately over the next 20 years. This study highlights the potential of headstarting to boost small populations of breeding waders, and demonstrates the value of this technique to assist with the recovery of threatened populations when there is a clear justification that headstarting can negate the effects of population limiting factors.
Understanding early reproductive failure in turtles and tortoises
Authors: Lavigne A. , Bullock R. , Shah N. J. , Tagg C. , Zora A. , Hemmings N.
Published: September 2024

Turtles and tortoises (Order Testudines) are facing an extinction crisis, and ecosystems are at risk of collapsing with the loss of key roles they play. Hatching failure is a crucial barrier to population growth and persistence, but its causes are poorly understood, and it is unknown whether fertilization rates are declining as many populations become smaller and more female‐biased. Here, we show that very few studies of turtle and tortoise hatching success consider fertilization rates, and those that do use unreliable methods to determine egg fertility. We also show that studies of hatching success are biased towards marine turtles, as opposed to freshwater and terrestrial species, and wild rather than captive populations. To address the lack of reliable methods for assessing fertilization rates in turtles and tortoises, a microscopy‐based method (originally designed for bird eggs) for detecting perivitelline membrane (PVM) bound sperm and embryonic nuclei in the germinal disc of unhatched eggs has been developed and tested (in turtle and tortoise eggs). We demonstrate that this method provides unequivocal evidence of egg fertilization in five different turtle and tortoise species from both captive and wild populations, even after eggs have been left in wild nests for the full incubation period. This methodological approach represents a valuable tool for monitoring egg fertility and embryo survival rates in turtles and tortoises, with the potential to provide important insights into the underlying drivers of reproductive failure in threatened captive and wild populations.
Business ethics, law and zemiology: The criminology of social and environmental harm
Authors: Klimecki Robin , Parker Martin
Published: September 2024

This speculative paper introduces zemiology, an extension of radical criminology which explores why many ‘crimes’ are not ‘illegal’ by focussing on the problem of ‘social harm’. Zemiology insists that we should begin with social or environmental problems, and not allow their foreclosure by the distraction of whether a particular practice is legal or illegal, or defined as ethical or unethical. We argue that business ethics might learn from zemiology's attempt to radicalise criminology, particularly in terms of thinking about forms of procedural or restorative justice that might encourage corporations to claim responsibility for systemic harms rather than externalising them.
Modernizing Canada's Electoral System: What Drove the Creation of the National Register of Electors?
Authors: Catney Ryan , Kingsley Jean‐Pierre
Published: September 2024

In 1997, Canada reformed its system of voter registration, adopting a permanent voters list. Existing accounts fail to adequately account for the political dynamics motivating the Chrétien government's decision to adopt a register. After decades of development in policy circles, a register was championed by policy entrepreneurs as a solution to growing problems with the enumeration system. Drawing on data from the parliamentary record, and the first‐hand experience of an Elections Canada official, this article argues that the pivotal factor in winning political support for the adoption of a register was the shortened electoral calendar it enabled.
Systematic conservation prioritization with the prioritizr R package
Authors: Hanson Jeffrey O. , Schuster Richard , Strimas‐Mackey Matthew , Morrell Nina , Edwards Brandon P. M. , Arcese Peter , Bennett Joseph R. , Possingham Hugh P.
Published: September 2024

Plans for expanding protected area systems (prioritizations) need to fulfill conservation objectives. They also need to account for other factors, such as economic feasibility and anthropogenic land‐use requirements. Although prioritizations are often generated with decision support tools, most tools have limitations that hinder their use for decision‐making. We outlined how the prioritizr R package (https://prioritizr.net) can be used for systematic conservation prioritization. This decision support tool provides a flexible interface to build conservation planning problems. It can leverage a variety of commercial (e.g., Gurobi) and open‐source (e.g., CBC and SYMPHONY) exact algorithm solvers to identify optimal solutions in a short period. It is also compatible with a variety of spatially explicit (e.g., ESRI Shapefile, GeoTIFF) and nonspatial tabular (e.g., Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet) data formats. Additionally, it provides functionality for evaluating prioritizations, such as assessing the relative importance of different places selected by a prioritization. To showcase the prioritizr R package, we applied it to a case study based in Washington state (United States) for which we developed a prioritization to improve protected area coverage of native avifauna. We accounted for land acquisition costs, existing protected areas, places that might not be suitable for protected area establishment, and spatial fragmentation. We also conducted a benchmark analysis to examine the performance of different solvers. The prioritization identified 12,400 km2 of priority areas for increasing the percentage of species’ distributions covered by protected areas. Although open source and commercial solvers were able to quickly solve large‐scale conservation planning problems, commercial solvers were required for complex, large‐scale problems.. The prioritizr R package is available on the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN). In addition to reserve selection, it can inform habitat restoration, connectivity enhancement, and ecosystem service provisioning. It has been used in numerous conservation planning exercises to inform best practices and aid real‐world decision‐making.
ESG Ratings and Dividend Changes: Evidence From the Initiation of Nonfinancial Agency Coverage
Authors: Tsang Albert , Wang Yujie , Xiang Yi , Yu Li
Published: September 2024

Research Question/Issue

This paper examines whether the coverage of nonfinancial rating (NFR) agencies affects corporate dividend policy.

Research Findings/Insights

We argue that dividend payout may decrease (increase) if NFR agencies provide information that reduces (increases) shareholder–manager agency (shareholder–stakeholder) conflict. We find that the coverage by an NFR agency is followed by an increase in dividends. This result is more pronounced for firms with more influential shareholders, poorer financial performance, and greater ESG commitment. We corroborate our findings using the acquisitions of NFR agencies and the expansion of NFR agencies' coverage as two main exogenous shocks. Lastly, our results hold for both US firms and non‐US firms.

Theoretical/Academic Implications

Collectively, this paper supports that the ESG ratings made available by NFR rating agencies following their rating coverage increase shareholder–stakeholder conflict to a greater extent than its effect on reducing shareholder–managers agency conflict.

Practitioner/Policy Implications

Our paper delivers critical insights to regulators striving to comprehend the functions of NFR agencies within the capital market more effectively. Such an understanding can further support their efforts to formulate new guidelines suitable for the burgeoning and swiftly evolving industry of NFR agencies.
Analysis of the waitlist performance and post‐transplant outcomes of lung transplant in elderly recipients in Korea: A nationwide cohort study
Authors: Jang Jin Ho , Kim Do Hyung , Son Bong Soo , Park Jong Myung , So Min Wook , Lee Daesup , Jeon Doosoo , Kim Yun Seong , Cho Woo Hyun , Yeo Hye Ju
Published: September 2024

Background

There is a lack of information on the waitlist performance and post‐transplant outcomes of lung transplants in elderly recipients in Korea.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed and analyzed data from the Korean Network for Organ Sharing database between March 2010 and August 2023.

Results

In total, 2574 patients were listed for lung transplantation during the study period, with 511 (19.9%) of them being over 65 years of age. Among these, 188 patients (36.8%) underwent transplantation, while 184 patients (36%) passed away without undergoing transplantation at the time of data extraction. The most prevalent underlying disease on the waitlist was idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, accounting for 68.1%. The 1‐year survival rate was significantly lower in the elderly compared to that in the nonelderly (65.4 vs. 75.4%;p = .004). In the multivariate Cox analysis, elderly (hazard ratio [HR], 1.49; 95% CI, 1.14–1.97;p = .004) and a high urgent status at registration (HR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.40–2.40;p < .001) were significantly associated with post‐transplant 1‐year mortality. Kaplan–Meier curves demonstrated a significant difference in post‐transplant mortality based on the urgency status at enrollment (χ2 = 8.302,p = .016). Even with the same highly urgent condition at the time of transplantation, different prognoses were observed depending on the condition at listing (χ2 = 9.056,p = .029).

Conclusion

The elderly exhibited worse transplant outcomes than nonelderly adults, with a highly urgent status at registration identified as a significant risk factor. Unprepared, highly urgent transplantation was associated with poor outcomes.
Differential functions of phosphatidylinositol 4‐kinases in neurotransmission and synaptic development
Authors: Richter Gorey Claire L. , St. Louis Alexandria P. , Chorna Tetyana , Brill Julie A. , Dason Jeffrey S.
Published: September 2024

Phosphoinositides, such as PI(4,5)P2, are known to function as structural components of membranes, signalling molecules, markers of membrane identity, mediators of protein recruitment and regulators of neurotransmission and synaptic development. Phosphatidylinositol 4‐kinases (PI4Ks) synthesize PI4P, which are precursors for PI(4,5)P2, but may also have independent functions. The roles of PI4Ks in neurotransmission and synaptic development have not been studied in detail. Previous studies on PI4KII and PI4KIIIβ at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction have suggested that PI4KII and PI4KIIIβ enzymes may serve redundant roles, where single PI4K mutants yielded mild or no synaptic phenotypes. However, the precise synaptic functions (neurotransmission and synaptic growth) of these PI4Ks have not been thoroughly studied. Here, we used PI4KII and PI4KIIIβ null mutants and presynaptic‐specific knockdowns of these PI4Ks to investigate their roles in neurotransmission and synaptic growth. We found that PI4KII and PI4KIIIβ appear to have non‐overlapping functions. Specifically, glial PI4KII functions to restrain synaptic growth, whereas presynaptic PI4KIIIβ promotes synaptic growth. Furthermore, loss of PI4KIIIβ or presynaptic PI4KII impairs neurotransmission. The data presented in this study uncover new roles for PI4K enzymes in neurotransmission and synaptic growth.
Temperature and light timing effects on diapause progression in Daphnia magna
Authors: Chen Luxi , Gómez Rocío , Horstmann Martin , Weiss Linda C.
Published: September 2024

Diapause is a survival strategy for freshwater crustaceans in the genus Daphnia that involves a genetically encoded inhibition of organism growth, development and reproduction. While the environmental triggers for Daphnia to produce diapause‐destined embryos and those that induce hatching are well documented, the influence of environmental challenges during different diapause sub‐phases remains unexplored.

In this study, we exposed diapause‐destined embryos of Daphnia magna to different temperatures and light conditions during designated diapause sub‐phases.

Our results underscore the importance of the maternal environment for the embryos that are in preparation for diapause. Moreover, we demonstrate a period of obligate developmental arrest during which reinitiation of development cannot be triggered. Additionally, we illustrate the embryos' ability to adjust hatching in response to environmental changes during the hatching process.

This study reveals the inherent developmental pattern in Daphnia embryos as they progress through diapause and their adaptability to environmental changes.
Capsaicin modulates TRPV1, induces β‐defensin expression, and regulates NF‐κB in oral senescent cells and a murine model
Authors: Ikuyo Yoriko , Yokoi Haruna , Wang Jingshu , Furukawa Masae , Raju Resmi , Yamada Mitsuyoshi , Aoki Yu , Matsushita Kenji
Published: September 2024

Aging is associated with a decline in oral immune function, marked by reduced levels of antimicrobial peptides such as defensins. Capsaicin, a bioactive component found in chili peppers, has been theorized to modulate immune responses through specific receptor pathways. This study examined the effects of aging on oral defensin levels and the potential mitigating role of capsaicin, mediated by the immune response in oral tissues. We conducted a comparative analysis between young and aged mice, with or without capsaicin supplementation, for 3 months. The effect of capsaicin was also studied in vitro in senescence‐induced human oral keratinocytes. We found that aging did not reduce defensin levels uniformly but did so in some instances. Capsaicin treatment increased defensin levels in these cases, potentially through transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1)‐mediated pathways in the oral cavity. Capsaicin supplementation may counteract age‐related declines in oral defensin levels, enabling the maintenance of oral immune function during aging.
Thrombospondins: Conserved mediators and modulators of metazoan extracellular matrix
Authors: Adams Josephine C.
Published: September 2024

This review provides a personal overview of significant scientific developments in the thrombospondin field during the course of my career. Thrombospondins are multidomain, multimeric, calcium‐binding extracellular glycoproteins with context‐specific roles in tissue organisation. They act at cell surfaces and within ECM to regulate cell phenotype and signalling, differentiation and assembly of collagenous ECM, along with tissue‐specific roles in cartilage, angiogenesis and synaptic function. More recently, intracellular, homeostatic roles have also been identified. Resolution of structures for the major domains of mammalian thrombospondins has facilitated major advances in understanding thrombospondin biology from molecule to tissue; for example, in illuminating molecular consequences of disease‐causing coding mutations in human pseudoachrondroplasia. Although principally studied in vertebrates, thrombospondins are amongst the most ancient of animal ECM proteins, with many invertebrates encoding a single thrombospondin and the thrombospondin gene family of vertebrates originating through gene duplications. Moreover, thrombospondins form one branch of a thrombospondin superfamily that debuted at the origin of metazoans. The super‐family includes additional sub‐groups, present only in invertebrates, that differ in N‐terminal domain organisation, share the distinctive TSP C‐terminal region domain architecture and, to the limited extent studied to date, apparently contribute to tissue development and organisation. Finally, major lines of translational research are discussed, related to fibrosis; TSP1, TSP2 and inhibition of angiogenesis; and the alleviation of chronic cartilage tissue pathologies in pseudoachrondroplasia.
NONSTANDARD CHOICE IN MATCHING MARKETS
Authors: Caspari Gian , Khanna Manshu
Published: September 2024

We explore the possibility of designing matching mechanisms that can accommodate nonstandard choice behavior. We pin down the necessary and sufficient conditions on participants' choice behavior for the existence of stable and incentive‐compatible mechanisms. Our results imply that well‐functioning matching markets can be designed to adequately accommodate a plethora of choice behaviors, including the standard behavior consistent with preference maximization. To illustrate the significance of our results in practice, we show that a simple modification in a commonly used matching mechanism enables it to accommodate nonstandard choice behavior.
Identification of psoriasis‐associated immune marker G3BP2 through single‐cell RNA sequencing and meta analysis
Authors: Gao Shuangshuang , Fan Huayu , Wang Ting , Chen Jinguang
Published: September 2024

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease with an increasing prevalence each year. However, the mechanisms underlying its onset and progression remain unclear, and effective therapeutic targets are lacking. Therefore, we employs an innovative approach by combining single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) with meta‐analysis. This not only elucidates the potential mechanisms of psoriasis at the cellular level but also identifies immunoregulatory marker genes that play a statistically significant role in driving psoriasis progression through comprehensive analysis of multiple datasets. Skin tissue samples from 12 psoriasis patients underwent scRNA‐seq, followed by quality control, filtering, PCA dimensionality reduction, and tSNE clustering analysis to identify T cell subtypes and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in psoriatic skin tissue. Next, three psoriasis datasets were standardised and merged to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Subsequently, weighted gene co‐expression network analysis (WGCNA) was applied for clustering analysis of gene co‐expression network modules and to assess the correlation between these modules and DEGs. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were conducted to select disease‐specific genes and evaluate their diagnostic value. Single‐cell data revealed nine cell types in psoriatic skin tissue, with seven T cell subtypes identified. Intersection analysis identified ADAM8 and G3BP2 as key genes. Through the integration of scRNA‐seq and Meta analysis, we identified the immunoregulatory marker gene G3BP2, which is associated with the onset and progression of psoriasis and holds clinical significance. G3BP2 is speculated to promote the development of psoriasis by increasing the proportion of CD8+ T cells.
Aspergillus fumigatus‐derived gliotoxin impacts innate immune cell activation through modulating lipid mediator production in macrophages
Authors: Günther Kerstin , Nischang Vivien , Cseresnyés Zoltan , Krüger Thomas , Sheta Dalia , Abboud Zahraa , Heinekamp Thorsten , Werner Markus , Kniemeyer Olaf , Beilhack Andreas , Figge Marc Thilo , Brakhage Axel A. , Werz Oliver , Jordan Paul M.
Published: September 2024

Gliotoxin (GT), a secondary metabolite and virulence factor of the fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, suppresses innate immunity and supports the suppression of host immune responses. Recently, we revealed that GT blocks the formation of the chemotactic lipid mediator leukotriene (LT)B4 in activated human neutrophils and monocytes, and in rodents in vivo, by directly inhibiting LTA4 hydrolase. Here, we elucidated the impact of GT on LTB4 biosynthesis and the entire lipid mediator networks in human M1‐ and M2‐like monocyte‐derived macrophages (MDMs) and in human tissue‐resident alveolar macrophages. In activated M1‐MDMs with high capacities to generate LTs, the formation of LTB4 was effectively suppressed by GT, connected to attenuated macrophage phagocytic activity as well as human neutrophil movement and migration. In resting macrophages, especially in M1‐MDMs, GT elicited strong formation of prostaglandins, while bacterial exotoxins from Staphylococcus aureus evoked a broad spectrum of lipid mediator biosynthesis in both MDM phenotypes. We conclude that GT impairs functions of activated innate immune cells through selective suppression of LTB4 biosynthesis, while GT may also prime the immune system by provoking prostaglandin formation in macrophages.
The 4Rs: A collective reflexive methodology for realising critical self‐transformation in ICT4D research practice
Authors: Abbott Pamela Y. , Dasuki Salihu , Jimenez Andrea
Published: September 2024

The “critical turn” in information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) research emphasises a transformative and ethical research practice which can be addressed by developing the critical intent and agency of ICT4D researchers through reflexive practice. There exist, however, limited methodological insights into existing reflexive approaches and a limited understanding of how self‐transformation and change can take place through more critically reflexive ICT4D research practice. To address these issues, this paper proposes a reflexive methodology for ICT4D research, labelled “the 4Rs”, which comprises four interrelated reflective and potentially self‐transforming processes of Retrospection, Representation, Review and Reinterpretation. We present the explanations and justifications of the methodology in detail with illustrative examples. We also employ a metacognitive process to understand how self‐transformation can be realised through the use of this methodology and demonstrate the applicability of the 4Rs for other ICT4D researchers. Our main contribution lies in illustrating how this collective and critical approach can be used to deepen the self‐reflexivity of traditional individual confessional accounts. We also demonstrate how the approach can lead to new collective knowledge and contribute to achieving more critical agency.
Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus in diabetic and non‐diabetic foot infections
Authors: Lavery Lawrence A. , Reyes Mario C. , Suludere Mehmet , Najafi Bijan , Sideman Matthew , Siah Michael C. , Tarricone Arthur N.
Published: September 2024

To identify the incidence of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, reinfection and clinical outcomes. Four hundred forty‐six patients that were admitted to the hospital with moderate or severe foot infections were retrospectively reviewed. Tissue and bone cultures were obtained from the index hospital admission. Conversion was defined as methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus in the first culture and subsequently MRSA when there was a reinfection. The incidence of MRSA was 7.8% (n = 35), with no significant difference between soft tissue infections (7.7%) and osteomyelitis (8.0%). MRSA incidence was 9.4 times higher in non‐diabetics (23.8% vs. 3.2%, p = <0.01). The incidence of reinfection was 40.8% (n = 182). Conversion to MRSA was seen in 2.2% (n = 4) total, occurring in 5.4%. Non‐diabetics were 20.1 times more likely to have MRSA reinfection than people with diabetes (28.6% vs. 1.9%, p < 0.001). MRSA patients had a higher proportion of healed wounds (82.4% vs. 69.3%, p = 0.02). There were no differences in other clinical outcomes in MRSA vs. other infections in reinfection (28.6% vs. 24.3%, p = 0.11), amputation (48.6% vs. 52.0%, p = 0.69) or hospitalization (28.6% vs. 42.6, p = 0.11). The incidence of MRSA for the first infection (7.8%), reinfection (6.0%) and conversion to MRSA (2.2%) was low. MRSA was 9.4 times more common in people without diabetes.
Murine immune responses to Schistosoma haematobium and the vaccine candidate rSh28GST
Authors: LANE A. , BOULANGER D. , RIVEAU G. , CAPRON A. , WILSON R.A.
Published: September 2024

Longitudinal studies of Schistosoma haematobium infection in CBA mice revealed a progressive down‐regulation of cellular immune responses, as measured by mitogenic and antigenic stimulation of in vitro lymphocyte cultures. Antigen‐stimulated production of the Th1 cytokine IFN‐γ by splenocytes increased progressively up to 14 weeks post infection, (four weeks after the onset of parasite egg production), before declining swiftly. Levels of the Th2 cytokine IL‐4 in the same cultures remained low until 14 weeks, after which they rose rapidly as IFN‐γ declined. High levels of IL‐10 coincided with the peak in IFN‐γ production, suggesting a non Th2‐restricted role for this cytokine. Both total and antigen‐specific immunoglobulin production confirmed parasite egg deposition as being a major stimulus for host humoral responses. The S. haematobium tobium infection failed to elicit detectable T cell responses to the antifecundity vaccine candidate rSh28GST. However, low levels of antibody were detectable in infected mouse serum and strong IgG and IgA production was induced by vaccination with rSh28GST plus adjuvant.