bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sleep and long COVID: Preexisting sleep issues and the risk of PASC in a large general population using 3 different model definitions
Authors: Quan Stuart F. , Weaver Matthew D. , Czeisler Mark É. , Barger Laura K. , Booker Lauren A. , Howard Mark E. , Jackson Melinda L. , Lane Rashon I. , McDonald Christine F. , Ridgers Anna , Robbins Rebecca , Varma Prerna , Wiley Joshua F. , Rajaratnam Shantha M.W. , Czeisler Charles A.
Published: June 2024

Study Objectives

Insomnia, poor sleep quality and extremes of sleep duration are associated with COVID-19 infection. This study assessed whether these factors are related to Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC).

Methods

Cross-sectional survey of a general population of 24,803 U.S. adults to determine the association of insomnia, poor sleep quality and sleep duration with PASC.

Results

Prevalence rates of PASC among previously COVID-19 infected participants for three definitions of PASC were COPE (21.9%), NICE (38.9%) and RECOVER PASC Score (15.3%). PASC was associated with insomnia in all 3 models in fully adjusted models with adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) ranging from 1.30 (95% CI: 1.11-1.52, p≤0.05, PASC Score) to 1.52 (95% CI: 1.34-1.71, p≤0.001, (NICE). Poor sleep quality was related to PASC in all models with aORs ranging from 1.77 (95% CI: 1.60-1.97, p≤0.001, NICE) to 2.00 (95% CI: 1.77-2.26, p≤0.001, COPE). Sleep <6 hours was associated with PASC with aORs between 1.59 (95% CI: 1.40-1.80, p≤0.001, PASC Score) to 1.70 (95% CI: 1.53-1.89, p≤0.001, COPE). Sleep>9 hours was not associated with PASC in any model. Although vaccination with COVID-19 booster decreased the likelihood of developing PASC, it did not attenuate associations between insomnia, poor sleep quality and short sleep duration with PASC in any of the models.

Conclusions

Insomnia, poor sleep quality and short sleep duration are potential risk factors for PASC. Interventions to improve sleep may decrease the development of PASC.

Brief Summary

Current Knowledge/Study Rationale

Insomnia, poor sleep quality, and extremes of sleep duration have been associated with a higher likelihood of COVID-19 infection. However, evidence implicating an association with the development of Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) is scant.

Study Impact

Results indicate that insomnia, poor sleep quality and sleep duration<6 hours are associated with an increase in the prevalence of PASC among persons who have previously had a COVID-19 infection. The findings provide support for employing interventions to improve sleep as a means to decrease the development of PASC.
Localized K63 ubiquitin signaling is regulated by VCP/p97 during oxidative stress
Authors: Maduka Austin O. , Manohar Sandhya , Foster Matthew W. , Silva Gustavo M.
Published: June 2024

Under stress conditions, cells reprogram their molecular machineries to mitigate damage and promote survival. Ubiquitin signaling is globally increased during oxidative stress, controlling protein fate and supporting stress defenses at several subcellular compartments. However, the rules driving subcellular ubiquitin localization to promote these concerted response mechanisms remain understudied. Here, we show that K63-linked ubiquitin chains, known to promote proteasome-independent pathways, accumulate primarily in non-cytosolic compartments during oxidative stress induced by sodium arsenite in mammalian cells. Our subcellular ubiquitin proteomic analyses of non-cytosolic compartments expanded 10-fold the pool of proteins known to be ubiquitinated during arsenite stress (2,046) and revealed their involvement in pathways related to immune signaling and translation control. Moreover, subcellular proteome analyses revealed proteins that are recruited to non-cytosolic compartments under stress, including a significant enrichment of helper ubiquitin-binding adaptors of the ATPase VCP that processes ubiquitinated substrates for downstream signaling. We further show that VCP recruitment to non-cytosolic compartments under arsenite stress occurs in a ubiquitin-dependent manner mediated by its adaptor NPLOC4. Additionally, we show that VCP and NPLOC4 activities are critical to sustain low levels of non-cytosolic K63-linked ubiquitin chains, supporting a cyclical model of ubiquitin conjugation and removal that is disrupted by cellular exposure to reactive oxygen species. This work deepens our understanding of the role of localized ubiquitin and VCP signaling in the basic mechanisms of stress response and highlights new pathways and molecular players that are essential to reshape the composition and function of the human subcellular proteome under dynamic environments.
Fluorescence Anisotropy Analysis of the Interaction between Doxorubicin and DNA Origami Nanostructures
Authors: Lisitsyna Ekaterina S. , Klose Anna , Vuorimaa-Laukkanen Elina , Ijäs Heini , Lajunen Tatu , Suhling Klaus , Linko Veikko , Laaksonen Timo
Published: June 2024

Owing to doxorubicin’s high DNA binding affinity, doxorubicin-loaded DNA origami nanostructures (DOX-DONs) are promising nanocarriers against cancer. However, understanding the interactions between doxorubicin (DOX) and DNA origami nanostructures (DONs) is important to ensure the quality of DOX-DONs. This interaction is often taken for granted and the influence of DOX loading conditions is poorly characterized. Exploiting the inherent fluorescence of DOX, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy spectroscopy techniques are used for characterizing non-destructively the binding between DOX and DONs, and the purity of formed complexes. The difference in fluorescence anisotropy between free DOX and DOX-DONs confirms the DOX-DON complex formation. Further, at loading ratios of DOX to DNA base pairs > 0.5, homo-Förster resonance energy transfer (homo-FRET) between closely packed DOX molecules is observed. Moreover, time-resolved anisotropy reveals DOX aggregation on DONs at high loading ratios > 1. For loading ratios > 0.1, spin-filtration to remove excess free DOX is efficient and necessary, though at loading ratios > 1 some DOX aggregates remain attached to the DONs. In summary, fluorescence anisotropy analysis provides more detailed information and insight into DOX-DONs compared to regularly used fluorescence intensity-based characterization methods, and these results can help designing more efficient and safer DNA intercalator-based nanocarriers.
Mechanistic insights into RNA cleavage by bacterial RNA polymerase from a comprehensive mutational screen
Authors: Mäkinen Janne J. , Belogurov Georgiy A.
Published: June 2024

RNA polymerase (RNAP) mediates the synthesis of an RNA copy of the template DNA—the first and often decisive step in gene expression. All cellular RNAPs possess an additional capacity to cleave nucleotides from the 3’ end of the nascent RNA. This ability potentially enhances the efficiency and accuracy of transcription, enabling RNAP to maintain processivity and ensure the fidelity of the RNA transcript. This study investigates the contributions of various active site regions to the RNA cleavage activity using a large collection ofEscherichia coliRNAP variants. Unlike previous studies conducted under non-physiological conditions, this research employed backtracked RNAP complexes that cleave nascent RNA on a timescale of minutes under physiological pH and low Mg2+concentrations. Our findings provide key insights into the RNA cleavage activity of the RNAP active site. Complete closure of the active site by the Trigger Loop (TL) facilitates RNA cleavage in 1-nt backtracked states, but not in 2-nt backtracked states. However, the RNA-proximal N-terminus of the TL influences the cleavage rate in both states. β subunit Asp814 plays an important role in RNA cleavage, regardless of backtracking depth, likely by coordinating the Mg2+ion responsible for generating the nucleophile. During RNA cleavage, the pre-translocated RNA nucleotide is base-paired to the template DNA, but its sugar-phosphate backbone is shifted compared to canonical pre-translocated and NTP-bound states. Bulky substitutions in the E-site (NTP entry area) stimulate RNA cleavage, suggesting that RNA binding in this site inhibits the reaction.
Prediction of exosomal miRNA-based biomarkers for liquid biopsy
Authors: Arora Akanksha , Raghava Gajendra Pal Singh
Published: June 2024

In this study, we investigated the properties of exosomal miRNAs to identify potential biomarkers for liquid biopsy. We collected 956 exosomal and 956 non-exosomal miRNA sequences from RNALocate and miRBase to develop predictive models. Our initial analysis reveals that specific nucleotides are preferred at certain positions in miRNAs associated with exosomes. We employed an alignment-based approach, artificial intelligence (AI) models, and ensemble methods for predicting exosomal miRNAs. For the alignment-based approach, we used a motif-based method with MERCI and a similarity-based method with BLAST, achieving high precision but low coverage of about 29%. The AI models, developed using machine learning, deep learning techniques, and large language models, achieved a maximum AUC of 0.707 and an MCC of 0.268 on an independent dataset. Finally, our ensemble method, combining alignment-based and AI-based models, reached a maximum AUC of 0.73 and an MCC of 0.352 on an independent dataset. We have developed a web server, EmiRPred, to assist the scientific community in predicting and designing exosomal miRNAs and identifying associated motifs (https://webs.iiitd.edu.in/raghava/emirpred/).

Key points

Exosomal miRNAs have potential applications in liquid biopsy

An ensemble method has been developed to predict and design exosomal miRNA

An array of predictive models were built using alignment-based approaches and AI-based approaches (ML, DL, LLM)

A variety of important features and motifs for exosomal miRNA have been identified

A webserver, a python package, a github, and a standalone software have been created
Xenon plasma focused ion beam lamella fabrication on high-pressure frozen specimens for structural cell biology
Authors: Berger Casper , Watson Helena , Naismith James , Dumoux Maud , Grange Michael
Published: June 2024

Cryo focused ion beam lamella preparation is a potent tool forin situstructural biology, enabling the study of macromolecules in their native cellular environments. However, throughput is currently limited, especially for thicker, more biologically complex samples. We describe how xenon plasma focused ion beam milling can be used for routine bulk milling of thicker, high-pressure frozen samples during lamellae preparation with a high success rate and determine a 4.0 Å structure of theEscherichia coliribosome on these lamellae using sub volume averaging. We determine the effects of increased ion currents on sample integrity during bulk milling of thicker planar samples, also showing that beyond an initial region of damage, no measurable structural damage propagates beyond this. The use of xenon results in substantial structural damage to particles up to 30 nm in depth from the milled surfaces, with detectable damage observed to 45 nm. Ours results outlines how the use of high currents using xenon plasma focused ion beam milling may be integrated into FIB milling regimes for preparing thin lamellae for high-resolutionin situstructural biology.
Theta-phase locking of single neurons during human spatial memory
Authors: Guth Tim A. , Brandt Armin , Reinacher Peter C. , Schulze-Bonhage Andreas , Jacobs Joshua , Kunz Lukas
Published: June 2024

The precise timing of single-neuron activity in relation to local field potentials may support various cognitive functions. Extensive research in rodents, along with some evidence in humans, suggests that single-neuron activity at specific phases of theta oscillations plays a crucial role in memory processes. Our fundamental understanding of such theta-phase locking in humans and its dependency on basic electrophysiological properties of the local field potential is still limited, however. Here, using single-neuron recordings in epilepsy patients performing a spatial memory task, we thus aimed at improving our understanding of factors modulating theta-phase locking in the human brain. Combining a generalized-phase approach for frequency-adaptive theta-phase estimation with time-resolved spectral parameterization, our results show that theta-phase locking is a strong and prevalent phenomenon across human medial temporal lobe regions, both during spatial memory encoding and retrieval. Neuronal theta-phase locking increased during periods of elevated theta power, when clear theta oscillations were present, and when aperiodic activity exhibited steeper slopes. Theta-phase locking was similarly strong during successful and unsuccessful memory, and most neurons activated at similar theta phases between encoding and retrieval. Some neurons changed their preferred theta phases between encoding and retrieval, in line with the idea that different memory processes are separated within the theta cycle. Together, these results help disentangle how different properties of local field potentials and memory states influence theta-phase locking of human single neurons. This contributes to a better understanding of how interactions between single neurons and local field potentials may support human spatial memory.
Time-based quantitative proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis of A549-ACE2 cells during SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Milhano dos Santos Fátima , Vindel Jorge , Ciordia Sergio , Castro Victoria , Orera Irene , Garaigorta Urtzi , Gastaminza Pablo , Corrales Fernando
Published: June 2024

The outbreak of COVID-19, a disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, led to an ongoing pandemic with devastating consequences for the global economy and human health. With the global spread of SARS-CoV-2, multidisciplinary initiatives were launched to explore new diagnostic, therapeutic, and vaccination strategies. From this perspective, proteomics could help to understand the mechanisms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and to identify new therapeutic targets for antiviral drug repurposing and/or discovery. A TMT-based quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics analysis was performed to study the proteome remodeling of human lung alveolar cells transduced to express human ACE2 (A549-ACE2) after infection with SARS-CoV-2. Targeted PRM analysis was performed to assess the detectability in serum and prognostic value of selected proteins. A total of 6802 proteins and 6428 phospho-sites were identified in A549-ACE2 cells after infection with SARS-CoV-2. Regarding the viral proteome, 8 proteins were differentially expressed after 6 h of infection and reached a steady state after 9 h. In addition, we detected several phosphorylation sites of SARS-CoV-2 proteins, including two novel phosphorylation events at S410 and S416 of the viral nucleoprotein.

Importance

The differential proteins here identified revealed that A549-ACE2 cells undergo a time-dependent regulation of essential processes, delineating the precise intervention of the cellular machinery by the viral proteins. From this mechanistic background and by applying machine learning modelling, 29 differential proteins were selected and detected in the serum of COVID-19 patients, 14 of which showed promising prognostic capacity. Targeting these proteins and the protein kinases responsible for the reported phosphorylation changes may provide efficient alternative strategies for the clinical management of COVID-19.
Privileged representational axes in biological and artificial neural networks
Authors: Khosla Meenakshi , Williams Alex H , McDermott Josh , Kanwisher Nancy
Published: June 2024

How do neurons code information? Recent work emphasizes properties of population codes, such as their geometry and decodable information, using measures that are blind to the native tunings (or ‘axes’) of neural responses. But might these representational axes matter, with some privileged systematically over others? To find out, we developed methods to test for alignment of neural tuning across brains and deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs). Across both vision and audition, both brains and DCNNs consistently favored certain axes for representing the natural world. Moreover, the representational axes of DCNNs trained on natural inputs were aligned to those in perceptual cortices, such that axis-sensitive model-brain similarity metrics better differentiated competing models of biological sensory systems. We further show that coding schemes that privilege certain axes can reduce downstream wiring costs and improve generalization. These results motivate a new framework for understanding neural tuning in biological and artificial networks and its computational benefits.
Association of age-friendly communities with health and well-being among older adults: an ecological and multilevel analysis from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study
Authors: Noguchi Taiji , Fujihara Satoko , Ide Kazushige , Jeong Seungwon , Saito Tami , Kondo Katsunori , Ojima Toshiyuki
Published: June 2024

We examined the association of age-friendly communities with health and well-being among older adults in Japan. Ecological and multilevel analyses of 71,824 older adults across 145 communities revealed that the community’s age-friendliness consistently showed associations with health and well-being. Age-friendly physical environments (accessibility to barrier-free outdoor spaces, buildings, and transportation resources) exhibited an inverse association with functional health deficits. Social engagement and communication (participation in community groups, volunteer engagement, and information use) were inversely associated with depressive symptoms. Social inclusion and dementia-friendliness (respect and inclusion for older adults and positive attitudes toward people with dementia) were positively associated with happiness. The community’s age-friendliness reflected well the multiple aspects of older adults’ health and well-being.
Brain Cell-based Genetic Subtyping and Drug Repositioning for Alzheimer Disease
Authors: Sahelijo Nathan , Rajagopalan Priya , Qian Lu , Rahman Rufuto , Priyadarshi Dhawal , Goldstein Daniel , Thomopoulos Sophia I. , Bennett David A. , Farrer Lindsay A. , Stein Thor D. ,   AI4AD Consortium, Shen Li , Huang Heng , Nho Kwangsik , Andrew Saykin J. , Davatzikos Christos , Thompson Paul M. , TCW Julia , Jun Gyungah R.
Published: June 2024

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is characterized by its complex and heterogeneous etiology and gradual progression, leading to high drug failure rates in late-stage clinical trials. In order to better stratify individuals at risk for AD and discern potential therapeutic targets we employed a novel procedure utilizing cell-based co-regulated gene networks and polygenic risk scores (cbPRSs). After defining genetic subtypes using extremes of cbPRS distributions, we evaluated correlations of the genetic subtypes with previously defined AD subtypes defined on the basis of domain-specific cognitive functioning and neuroimaging biomarkers. Employing a PageRank algorithm, we identified priority gene targets for the genetic subtypes. Pathway analysis of priority genes demonstrated associations with neurodegeneration and suggested candidate drugs currently utilized in diabetes, hypertension, and epilepsy for repositioning in AD. Experimental validation utilizing human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived astrocytes demonstrated the modifying effects of estradiol, levetiracetam, and pioglitazone on expression ofAPOEand complementC4genes, suggesting potential repositioning for AD.
Personalized Heart Disease Detection via ECG Digital Twin Generation
Authors: Hu Yaojun , Chen Jintai , Hu Lianting , Li Dantong , Yan Jiahuan , Ying Haochao , Liang Huiying , Wu Jian
Published: June 2024

Heart diseases rank among the leading causes of global mortality, demonstrating a crucial need for early diagnosis and intervention. Most traditional electrocardiogram (ECG) based automated diagnosis methods are trained at population level, neglecting the customization of personalized ECGs to enhance individual healthcare management. A potential solution to address this limitation is to employ digital twins to simulate symptoms of diseases in real patients. In this paper, we present an innovativeprospective learningapproach for personalized heart disease detection, which generates digital twins of healthy individuals’ anomalous ECGs and enhances the model sensitivity to the personalized symptoms. In our approach, avector quantized feature separatoris proposed to locate and isolate the disease symptom and normal segments in ECG signals with ECG report guidance. Thus, the ECG digital twins can simulate specific heart diseases used to train a personalized heart disease detection model. Experiments demonstrate that our approach not only excels in generating high-fidelity ECG signals but also improves personalized heart disease detection. Moreover, our approach ensures robust privacy protection, safeguarding patient data in model development. The code can be found athttps://github.com/huyjj/LAVQ-Editor.
HARMONY (HARM reduction for Opiates, Nicotine and You): Statistical Analysis Plan for a Randomised Controlled Trial of the Effectiveness of Vaporised Nicotine Products for Tobacco Smoking Cessation amongst NSW Opiate Agonist Treatment Clients
Authors: Oldmeadow C , Nolan E , Bonevski B , Jackson M , Lintzeris N , Ezard N , Gartner C , Haber P , Hallinan R , Rodgers C , Ho T , Dunlop A
Published: June 2024

Background

The HARMONY study is a multicentre, randomised, single-blinded parallel group trial. It will compare the effectiveness of a 12-week course of liquid nicotine delivered via vapourised nicotine products (VNPs) to best practice nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for smoking cessation in individuals receiving opiate agonist treatment (OAT).

The aim of publishing this statistical analysis plan is to make the pre-specified statistical principles and procedures to be performed in the analysis of data generated by the HARMONY study, publicly accessible prior to the commencement of data analysis.

Methods

The plan outlines the analysis procedures for analysing the primary outcome of self-reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence from tobacco after 12-weeks of treatment. Secondary outcomes include biochemically verified abstinence, self-reported 30-day abstinence, number of cigarettes smoked each day, craving and withdrawal symptoms, and VNP safety. Between-group comparisons will be conducted at end of treatment, and at 12-weeks post-treatment. Researchers collecting outcome data are blind to the treatment group of each participant.

Analysis

Bayesian hierarchical models will be used to estimate the treatment effects for all outcomes with uninformative prior distributions for all effect parameters. Alongside the treatment effect estimate of each outcome, a 95% credible interval (highest posterior density), Bayes factor, and probability of direction will be presented. The analyses will be performed under an ITT framework assuming missing at random. All missing outcome and baseline data will be multiply imputed with predictive mean matching.

Conclusion

Making the statistical analysis plan for the HARMONY study publicly accessible prior to the commencement of data analysis minimises the risk of bias in the analysis of data, and the interpretation and reporting of results generated by the study.

Registration

The study was registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (Reference ACTRN12621000148875).
Mental health in Germany before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Patzina Alexander , Collischon Matthias , Hoffmann Rasmus , Obrizan Maksym
Published: June 2024

Based on nationally representative panel data (N person-years=40,020; N persons=18,704; Panel Labour Market and Social Security; PASS) from 2018 to 2022, we investigate how mental health changed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We employ time-distributed fixed effects regressions to show that mental health (Mental Health Component Summary Score of the SF-12) decreased from the first COVID-19 wave in 2020 onward, leading to the most pronounced mental health decreases during the Delta wave, which began in August 2021. In the summer of 2022, mental health had not returned to baseline levels. An analysis of the subdomains of the mental health measure indicates that long-term negative mental health changes are mainly driven by declines in psychological well-being and calmness. Furthermore, our results indicate no clear patterns of heterogeneity between age groups, sex, income, education, migrant status, childcare responsibilities or pre-COVID-19 health status. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have had a uniform effect on mental health in the German adult population and did not lead to a widening of health inequalities in the long run.
Long-read Ribo-STAMP simultaneously measures transcription and translation with isoform resolution
Authors: Jagannatha Pratibha , Tankka Alexandra T. , Lorenz Daniel A. , Yu Tao , Yee Brian A. , Brannan Kristopher W. , Zhou Cathy J. , Underwood Jason G. , Yeo Gene W.
Published: June 2024

Transcription and translation are intertwined processes in which mRNA isoforms are crucial intermediaries. However, methodological limitations in analyzing translation at the mRNA isoform level have left gaps in our understanding of critical biological processes. To address these gaps, we developed an integrated computational and experimental framework called long-read Ribo-STAMP (LR-Ribo-STAMP) that capitalizes on advancements in long-read sequencing and RNA-base editing–mediated technologies to simultaneously profile translation and transcription at both the gene and mRNA isoform levels. We also developed the EditsC metric to quantify editing and leverage the single-molecule, full-length transcript information provided by long-read sequencing. Here, we report concordance between gene-level translation profiles obtained with long-read and short-read Ribo-STAMP. We show that LR-Ribo-STAMP successfully profiles translation of mRNA isoforms and links regulatory features, such as upstream open reading frames (uORFs), to translation measurements. We apply LR-Ribo-STAMP to discovering translational differences at both the gene and isoform levels in a triple-negative breast cancer cell line under normoxia and hypoxia and find that LR-Ribo-STAMP effectively delineates orthogonal transcriptional and translation shifts between conditions. We also discover regulatory elements that distinguish translational differences at the isoform level. We highlightGRK6, in which hypoxia is observed to increase expression and translation of a shorter mRNA isoform, giving rise to a truncated protein without the AGC Kinase domain. Overall, LR-Ribo-STAMP is an important advance in our repertoire of methods that measures mRNA translation with isoform sensitivity.
Static force from generalized Wilson loops on the lattice using the gradient flow
Authors: Brambilla Nora , Leino Viljami , Mayer-Steudte Julian , Vairo Antonio
Published: June 2024

The static QCD force from the lattice can be used to extract ΛMS¯, which determines the running of the strong coupling. Usually, this is done with a numerical derivative of the static potential. However, this introduces additional systematic uncertainties; thus, we use another observable to measure the static force directly. This observable consists of a Wilson loop with a chromoelectric field insertion. We work in the pure SU(3) gauge theory. We use gradient flow to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and to address the field insertion. We extract ΛMS¯nf=0 from the data by exploring different methods to perform the zero-flow-time limit. We obtain the value 8t0ΛMS¯nf=0=0.629−26+22, where

t

0

is a flow-time reference scale. We also obtain precise determinations of several scales: r0/r1, 8t0/r0, 8t0/r1, and we compare these to the literature. The gradient flow appears to be a promising method for calculations of Wilson loops with chromoelectric and chromomagnetic insertions in quenched and unquenched configurations.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Unbiased estimation of sampling variance for Simpson's diversity index
Authors: Tiffeau-Mayer Andreas
Published: June 2024

Quantification of measurement uncertainty is crucial for robust scientific inference, yet accurate estimates of this uncertainty remain elusive for ecological measures of diversity. Here, we address this longstanding challenge by deriving a closed-form unbiased estimator for the sampling variance of Simpson's diversity index. In numerical tests the estimator consistently outperforms existing approaches, particularly for applications in which species richness exceeds sample size. We apply the estimator to quantify biodiversity loss in marine ecosystems and to demonstrate ligand-dependent contributions of T-cell-receptor chains to specificity, illustrating its versatility across fields. The novel estimator provides researchers with a reliable method for comparing diversity between samples, essential for quantifying biodiversity trends and making informed conservation decisions.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Quantum Information Spreading in Generalized Dual-Unitary Circuits
Authors: Foligno Alessandro , Kos Pavel , Bertini Bruno
Published: June 2024

We study the spreading of quantum information in a recently introduced family of brickwork quantum circuits that generalizes the dual-unitary class. These circuits are unitary in time, while their spatial dynamics is unitary only in a restricted subspace. First, we show that local operators spread at the speed of light as in dual-unitary circuits, i.e., the butterfly velocity takes the maximal value allowed by the geometry of the circuit. Then, we prove that the entanglement spreading can still be characterized exactly for a family of compatible initial states (in fact, for an extension of the compatible family of dual-unitary circuits) and that the asymptotic entanglement slope is again independent on the Rényi index. Remarkably, however, we find that the entanglement velocity is generically smaller than 1. We use these properties to find a closed-form expression for the entanglement-membrane line tension.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Gravitational Form Factors of the Proton from Lattice QCD
Authors: Hackett Daniel C. , Pefkou Dimitra A. , Shanahan Phiala E.
Published: June 2024

The gravitational form factors (GFFs) of a hadron encode fundamental aspects of its structure, including its shape and size as defined from, e.g., its energy density. This Letter presents a determination of the flavor decomposition of the GFFs of the proton from lattice QCD, in the kinematic region 0≤−t≤2  GeV2. The decomposition into up-, down-, strange-quark, and gluon contributions provides first-principles constraints on the role of each constituent in generating key proton structure observables, such as its mechanical radius, mass radius, and D term.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Public health infrastructure and human resources in tribal areas of India: a decadal assessment (2012–2022) with Rural Health Statistics data
Authors: Tripathi Vinay , Preetha G.S.
Published: June 2024

Purpose

The recommended public healthcare infrastructure and human resources are essential to deliver healthcare services, particularly in tribal areas, as the country’s tribal population depends mainly on the public healthcare system for their medical needs. India has a substantial share of the tribal population, accounting for approximately 9% of the total population. The paper reviews the state of public healthcare infrastructure and human resources in tribal areas for a period that spreads over a decade.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper relied on data from the Government of India’s Rural Health Statistics (RHS) reports (2011–2012 and 2021–2022). From these reports, data on the physical infrastructure and human resources in the tribal areas were extracted. The extracted data were compiled and analyzed using Microsoft Excel.

Findings

The analysis showed that the improvement in public healthcare infrastructure and human resource situation in tribal areas of the country was not commensurate with the tribal population growth seen in the last decade. As a result, the average population covered by a health facility was greater than the prescribed norms in the tribal-dominated geographies. The health worker-population ratio at the primary healthcare level was also higher than the national norms. However, there was a substantial improvement in the doctor-population ratio at the primary health center level. In comparison to tribal-lean states, tribal-dominated states faced the concurrent challenge of a growing population and strained healthcare facilities and human resources. As a result, the healthcare infrastructure and human resource gap continued in the tribal-dominated states of the country. The gaps in health infrastructure and human resources in tribal-dominated states must be addressed as a priority under the health infrastructure strengthening efforts to ensure that the tribal population receives and has access to quality health care from publicly funded health facilities, leading to improved health outcomes in the tribal population and the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Originality/value

We have not come across any paper that has carried out pancountry analysis of healthcare infrastructure and human resources in tribal areas.
Testing the relationship between housing prices and inflation in the OECD countries
Authors: Rufai Aliyu Akorede , Aor Raymond Liambee , Salisu Afees Adebare
Published: June 2024

Purpose

This study aims to construct alternative models to establish the dynamic nexus between inflation and housing prices by estimating the short- and long-run relationship between housing prices and inflation for 15 OECD countries from 1980Q1 to 2022Q4. Furthermore, the authors examined this association using the core and headline inflation and price-income and price-rent ratios as proxies for inflation and housing prices, respectively.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use the panel autoregressive distributed lag technique to examine the nexus between housing prices and inflation to capture the distinct characteristics of the sample countries, estimate various short-run and long-run dynamics cum separate analyses for turbulent and calm periods in the relationship between housing prices and inflation.

Findings

Changes in housing prices have a greater impact on core inflation than headline inflation. Overall, the authors establish a positive (negative) relationship between housing prices and core inflation in the long run (short run) based on alternative proxies of housing prices. However, this connection tends to be less significant for headline inflation and episodic over smaller samples, as it seems stronger during calm periods than turbulent ones.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the authors are the first to examine the association between housing prices and inflation by demonstrating how these variables behave during calm and turbulent periods.
Tourism efficiency and quality of life in Chinese cities
Authors: Peypoch Nicolas , Song Yuegang , Tan Rui , Zhang Linjia
Published: June 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between tourism efficiency at the city level and the quality of life (QOL) of residents. It focuses on assessing whether more efficient tourism cities in China, from an economic standpoint, also offer a higher quality of life for their residents.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 40 Chinese cities from 2010 to 2019 is analyzed. The study first employs Data Envelopment Analysis to construct a production technology and estimate the technical tourism efficiency of each city. Subsequently, a nonparametric statistical test of independence is applied yearly to explore potential relationships between the cities’ tourism efficiency rankings and their residents’ QOL. This latter is measured by constructing an index for each city following the OECD framework.

Findings

The findings of the study are mixed, revealing no clear relationship between tourism efficiency and residents’ quality of life within the analyzed period. This suggests a complex interplay between economic efficiency in tourism and the broader social and environmental factors contributing to QOL.

Originality/value

This study enhances the literature on tourism efficiency by investigating the relationship between tourism efficiency and QOL, an aspect frequently overlooked in efficiency evaluations. Our approach offers a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between economic performance in the tourism sector and the social well-being of city populations. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first instance where such a relationship has been explored at the city level within the Chinese context.
Improving the prediction of firm performance using nonfinancial disclosures: a machine learning approach
Authors: Sufi Usman , Hasan Arshad , Hussainey Khaled
Published: June 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to test whether the prediction of firm performance can be enhanced by incorporating nonfinancial disclosures, such as narrative disclosure tone and corporate governance indicators, into financial predictive models.

Design/methodology/approach

Three predictive models are developed, each with a different set of predictors. This study utilises two machine learning techniques, random forest and stochastic gradient boosting, for prediction via the three models. The data are collected from a sample of 1,250 annual reports of 125 nonfinancial firms in Pakistan for the period 2011–2020.

Findings

Our results indicate that both narrative disclosure tone and corporate governance indicators significantly add to the accuracy of financial predictive models of firm performance.

Practical implications

Our results offer implications for the restoration of investor confidence in the highly uncertain Pakistani market by establishing nonfinancial disclosures as reliable predictors of future firm performance. Accordingly, they encourage investors to pay more attention to these disclosures while making investment decisions. In addition, they urge regulators to promote and strengthen the reporting of such nonfinancial information.

Originality/value

This study addresses the neglect of nonfinancial disclosures in the prediction of firm performance and the scarcity of corporate governance literature relevant to the use of machine learning techniques.
Measuring levels of family stress and engagement in child protection social work: an explorative analysis of parental stress and social worker practice skills
Authors: Antonopoulou Vivi , Killian Michael , Forrester Donald
Published: June 2024

Purpose

Effectively engaging parents under stress is a key component of skilful child welfare practice. This paper aims to investigate how social workers practice with parents with either high or normal levels of stress.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a mixed methods design including observations and audio recordings of meetings between families and social workers, interviews with parents/carers and questionnaires with social workers. Validated instruments, including the general health questionnaire (GHQ) for stress levels and the working alliance inventory (WAI), were used to explore how levels of stress influence practice.

Findings

Data from 366 families found twice as many parents had clinically elevated GHQ scores compared to the general population (40% to about 20%). Stressed parents reported significantly less good working relationships with social workers [WAI, for the less stressed parents/carers, M = 65.3 vs highly stressed M = 60.6, t(324) = 2.407, p = 0.017, d = 0.28]. When quality of practice was directly measured, workers showed higher level of relationship skills with the less stressed group [t(291) = 1.71, p = 0.44, d = 0.205].

Originality/value

This study explored the interaction between practitioner skills and family factors influencing engagement, such as stress and anxiety. Engagement with stressed families may be particularly challenging, making it all the more important to understand how social workers engage such families to provide effective help and support. A better understanding of the parent-worker relationship under stress can lead to the development of training and practice strategies aimed at overcoming barriers in family engagement. This study also highlights the need for practice to re-focus on the relational elements and the emotional well-being of families.
Ownership structure and performance of European companies: mediator role of integrated reporting
Authors: Dhifi Kawther , Zouari Ghazi
Published: June 2024

Purpose

Integrated reporting (IR) has been proposed to “reform” corporate financial statements, fill gaps in existing reporting practices and provide a better understanding of financial and nonfinancial information in an integrated manner. The purpose of this study aims to provide empirical evidence of the role of IR in mediating the effect of ownership structure on firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modeling on panel data are used to study the impact of the role of IR in mediating the effect of ownership structure on firm performance. The present empirical study was based on a sample of 431 European firms belonging to common or civil law between 2012 and 2020.

Findings

Based on empirical results, this study shows that IR plays a mediating role in the relationship between ownership structure attributes (ownership concentration, institutional ownership and managerial ownership) and the performance of European common law firms. In civil law countries, it only has a mediating effect on the relationship between institutional ownership and performance.

Originality/value

This study provides evidence for IR, ownership structure and firm performance. This chapter highlights the global need for a generally accepted set of standards for sustainability and IR practices.
Flexible but disconnected: Airbnb hosts’ social isolation, work-family experience, and mental wellbeing
Authors: de Janasz Suzanne , Schneer Joy A. , Beutell Nicholas , Kim Sowon
Published: June 2024

Purpose

The understudied psychosocial factors affecting Airbnb hosts are examined in this study by focusing on social isolation and willingness to remain as an Airbnb host. The espoused benefits of host flexibility and autonomy have not been fully contextualized in relation to the real demands and costs of hosting.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses Social Support Theory to examine hosts’ perceptions of their positions. Data from 136 Airbnb hosts were analyzed using a structural model to explore relationships between social isolation, work-family conflict, mental wellbeing, and life satisfaction.

Findings

The results indicate that higher levels of social isolation were linked to greater work-family conflict, lower mental wellbeing, and reduced life satisfaction. Furthermore, social support was negatively correlated with social isolation.

Practical implications

As a result of social isolation, Airbnb hosts will need to find outside support (e.g. online gig worker communities, mental wellbeing apps) to meet work/life challenges. Gig work platforms should provide tools for gig workers to cultivate social support.

Originality/value

This research presents a needed focus on the paradox of gig work. Airbnb hosting can provide flexible employment and extra income, but it may also lead to social isolation, work-family conflict, and reduced wellbeing. These findings have significant implications for gig workers and contracting organizations, underlining the need to prioritize workers' social connections and overall wellbeing in the increasingly pervasive gig economy.
The influence of unfamiliar ingredients on the greenness evaluation of environmentally friendly products
Authors: Li Qingyi , Zhu Hong , Zhou Yayu , Li Zhijun , Xiao Chunqu
Published: June 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to assist brand and product managers in selecting appropriate ingredient names for environmentally friendly products. It investigates the effects of unfamiliar ingredients on consumers’ evaluations of environmental friendliness and their purchase intentions, based on the cue consistency theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Five experimental studies (n = 968) were conducted to achieve the research objectives. Study 1 found that consumers tended to avoid choosing unfamiliar ingredients. Study 2 examined the impact of ingredient familiarity on consumers’ perceived greenness. Study 3 investigated the mediating role of perceived naturalness. Studies 4 and 5, respectively, explored the moderating effects of emphasizing the importance of technology in environmental conservation and product category.

Findings

The findings indicate that when environmentally friendly products are labeled with unfamiliar ingredients (vs. familiar), consumers’ perceived greenness and purchase intentions decrease. This effect is mediated by perceived naturalness. Moreover, the negative impact of unfamiliar ingredients is mitigated by emphasizing the importance of technology and the high-tech product category.

Originality/value

This paper reveals the unique role of unfamiliar ingredients in shaping consumer attitudes toward environmentally friendly products. Based on cue consistency theory, it uncovers how unfamiliar ingredients influence the perceived greenness of environmentally friendly products through perceived naturalness. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates the impact of emphasizing the importance of technology (emphasis vs. control) and product category (high-tech vs. low-tech) on consumer attitudes and behaviors toward environmentally friendly products.
How transformational leadership impact on employee service innovation: the moderating effect of employee creative role identity
Authors: Liu Quanhong , Nie Yu
Published: June 2024

Purpose

This study examines the impact of transformational leadership on employees' service innovation behaviors in service firms and explores the moderating effect of employees' creative role identity on the relationship between the two from an employee psychological perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This study designed two questionnaires to be distributed to supervisors and employees as a means of conducting a questionnaire survey, which resulted in a sample of 328 leader–employee matches. The hypothesized relationships were tested using structural equation modeling and regression analysis.

Findings

Transformational leadership has a significant positive effect on employee service innovation. The analyses further confirmed that creative role identity plays a moderating role between transformational leadership and employee service innovation.

Originality/value

This study confirms the effect of transformational leadership on employee innovative behavior and extends the theoretical basis of this relationship. It also hopes to provide inspiration and reference for local management in China.