bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The impact of logging on vertical canopy structure across a gradient of tropical forest degradation intensity in Borneo
Authors: Milodowski David T. , Coomes David A. , Swinfield Tom , Jucker Tommaso , Riutta Terhi , Malhi Yadvinder , Svátek Martin , Kvasnica Jakub , Burslem David F. R. P. , Ewers Robert M. , Teh Yit Arn , Williams Mathew
Published: May 2021

Forest degradation through logging is pervasive throughout the world's tropical forests, leading to changes in the three‐dimensional canopy structure that have profound consequences for wildlife, microclimate and ecosystem functioning. Quantifying these structural changes is fundamental to understanding the impact of degradation, but is challenging in dense, structurally complex forest canopies.

We exploited discrete‐return airborne LiDAR surveys across a gradient of logging intensity in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, and assessed how selective logging had affected canopy structure (Plant Area Index, PAI, and its vertical distribution within the canopy).

LiDAR products compared well to independent, analogue models of canopy structure produced from detailed ground‐based inventories undertaken in forest plots, demonstrating the potential for airborne LiDAR to quantify the structural impacts of forest degradation at landscape scale, even in some of the world's tallest and most structurally complex tropical forests.

Plant Area Index estimates across the plot network exhibited a strong linear relationship with stem basal area (R2 = 0.95). After at least 11–14 years of recovery, PAI was ~28% lower in moderately logged plots and ~52% lower in heavily logged plots than that in old‐growth forest plots. These reductions in PAI were associated with near‐complete lack of trees >30‐m tall, which had not been fully compensated for by increasing plant area lower in the canopy. This structural change drives a marked reduction in the diversity of canopy environments, with the deep, dark understorey conditions characteristic of old‐growth forests far less prevalent in logged sites. Full canopy recovery is likely to take decades.

Synthesis and applications. Effective management and restoration of tropical forests requires detailed monitoring of the forest and its environment. We demonstrate that airborne LiDAR can effectively map the canopy architecture of the complex tropical forests of Borneo, capturing the three‐dimensional impact of degradation on canopy structure at landscape scales, therefore facilitating efforts to restore and conserve these ecosystems.
Rock removal associated with agricultural intensification will exacerbate the loss of reptile diversity
Authors: Michael Damian R. , Moore Harry , Wassens Skye , Craig Michael D. , Tingley Reid , Chapple David G. , O’Sullivan Jackie , Hobbs Richard J. , Nimmo Dale G.
Published: May 2021

Rocky environments host rich levels of biodiversity and provide vital habitat for specialised organisms, range‐restricted species and a broad range of ectotherms adapted to saxicoline environments.

In Australia, rock habitat is being destroyed during soil amelioration practices associated with agricultural intensification. Advances in rock crushing technology, developed to expand or increase crop yields and efficiency, pose an undocumented threat to global biodiversity, especially reptiles dependent on non‐renewable rock habitat in agricultural landscapes. Rock removal is a legislated key threatening process in parts of Australia and will accelerate biodiversity loss if not mitigated.

We estimated reptile species’ range overlap with dryland cropping and modified pastoral regions within the Australian wheat‐sheep zone to assess the potential impacts of rock crushing practices. We examined species‐ and family‐richness within the impact zone and across bioregions within the impact zone, to identify areas where rock removal has the greatest potential to impact terrestrial and fossorial squamates.

Our analysis revealed that 159 potentially impacted reptile species occur within the study area, representing 16% of Australian terrestrial squamates. Fourteen of these species, including six threatened species, have more than 50% range overlap with areas of intensive agriculture, and include several endangered pygopodids, scincids and agamids.

Bioregions rich in rock and burrow‐dwelling reptiles include the Brigalow Belt South, Murray Darling Depression, Darling Riverine Plains, Eyre Yorke Block, Avon Wheatbelt, Nandewar, Flinders Lofty Block and New South Wales South Western Slopes.

Synthesis and applications. The conservation of reptiles in agricultural landscapes requires appropriate management and retention of surface rocks. Potential yield increases from destroying rock habitat to intensify or expand cropland will not compensate for the net loss of reptile populations dependent on non‐renewable resources. Financial incentives to prevent the expansion and transformation of non‐arable landscapes to cropland are required to prevent the ongoing loss of biodiversity.
How changes in spring and autumn phenology translate into growth‐experimental evidence of asymmetric effects
Authors: Zohner Constantin M. , Renner Susanne S. , Sebald Veronica , Crowther Thomas W.
Published: May 2021

Earlier leaf‐out and later autumn leaf senescence under climate warming have been linked to increases in plant productivity and ecosystem carbon uptake. Yet, despite the potential implications of shifting phenology for plant carbon uptake, the degree to which phenological changes affect overall plant growth and the partitioning between above‐ and below‐ground biomass remains unclear.

Here we use a 3‐year experiment to quantify changes in root and shoot growth of three woody plant species (two common European tree species, Fagus sylvatica and Quercus robur, and one shrub Lonicera xylosteum) under spring and autumn warming.

In both tree species, the magnitude—and in Quercus even the direction—of the effects of growing‐season length on growth depends on whether the warming happened in spring or in autumn. Each day earlier leaf‐out in response to warming resulted in total biomass increases of 0.8%–2.5%, whereas delayed senescence led to reductions of 0.2%–2.1%. Advances in leaf‐out also led to increased root‐to‐shoot biomass ratios because root growth was proportionally more stimulated than shoot growth. In the shrub species, earlier leaf‐out had no effect, while delayed senescence led to increases in root, but not shoot, biomass.

Synthesis. The strong asymmetry between growth responses to spring versus autumn phenology demonstrates that growing‐season length per se is a weak indicator of individual‐level tree productivity. The results further imply that phenological shifts are reshaping the functional balance between above‐ and below‐ground growth, which is critical for quantifying forest carbon dynamics under climate change.
The pollination seesaw of Rhynchospora cephalotes (L.) Vahl (Cyperaceae): Influence of plant location on the role of wind and insects as pollen vectors
Authors: da Costa Ana Carolina Galindo , Thomas William Wayt , Machado Isabel Cristina
Published: May 2021

Ambophily (wind and insect pollination) has been reported for some genera of the typically wind‐pollinated family Cyperaceae, including the genus Rhynchospora. The significance of wind and insect pollination can vary, depending on local microclimatic conditions. Rhynchospora cephalotes is an ambophilous species that can grow under different environmental conditions, either along forest edges or inside forest fragments. This study, therefore, tests the hypothesis that (a) there is greater contribution by wind than insects to fruit set of the individuals at the forest edge and (b) there is greater contribution by insects than wind to fruit set of the individuals inside the forest. Field work was carried out in a fragment of Atlantic Forest in northeastern Brazil. We quantified the number of visits by insects, wind velocity and the reproductive success (fruit set) of R. cephalotes provided by wind and insects through exclusion experiments performed at the edge of and inside the forest. We observed a greater number of visits per day by pollinating bees to individuals inside the forest (36.83 ± 7.46) than to individuals at the edge (16.66 ± 6.53). The wind speed was significantly higher at the edge (1.71 ± 0.46 m/s) than inside the forest (0.97 ± 0.18 m/s). Bees and wind are both pollen vectors of R. cephalotes, but bees were the pollen vector that contributed most to fruit set (63.3%) for individuals inside the forest, whereas wind was the primary vector for individuals at the forest edge (76.6%). This seesaw in importance of each pollen vector in the two different environments guarantees high fruit set in R. cephalotes under different microclimatic conditions.
Movements and Gatekeepers in a Hybrid Media Environment: A Comparison of the Twitter Networks of Corbynism and the People's Vote Movement
Authors: Bassett Lewis , Mills Tom
Published: May 2021

Digital technology has recalibrated and become integrated with existing media institutions, practices and power structures. From the perspective of movements, this hybridised media environment presents a new set of opportunities and constraints. Movement messages can be directly disseminated without relying on media ‘gatekeepers’, and a movement's prominence on digital platforms can translate into much broader reach via the ‘legacy’ media, which continue to reach the largest audiences. This article compares the extent to which two influential political movements in the UK, the Corbyn movement and the movement for a People's Vote, were able to attract the attention of mainstream media ‘gatekeepers’ on Twitter. We do so first by identifying core actors in both movements on Twitter, and then editors, political editors and digital editors at major news media outlets on the platform. We find that the People's Vote movement attracted far more attention from editors than the Corbyn movement, largely owing to the extent to which the former integrated some key players from the British news media into its online network.
Excitable models: Projections, targets, and the making of futures without disease
Authors: Rhodes Tim , Lancaster Kari
Published: May 2021

In efforts to control disease, mathematical models and numerical targets play a key role. We take the elimination of a viral infection as a case for exploring mathematical models as ‘evidence‐making interventions’. Using interviews with mathematical modellers and implementation scientists, and focusing on the emergence of models of ‘treatment‐as‐prevention’ in hepatitis C control, we trace how projections detach from their calculative origins as social and policy practices. Drawing on the work of Michel Callon and others, we show that modelled projections of viral elimination circulate as ‘qualculations’, taking flight via their affects, including as anticipation. Modelled numerical targets do not need ‘actual numbers’ or precise measurements to perform their authority as evidence of viral elimination or as situated matters‐of‐concern. Modellers grapple with the ways that their models transform in policy and social practices, apparently beyond reasonable calculus. We highlight how practices of ‘holding‐on’ to projections in relation to imaginaries of ‘evidence‐based’ science entangle with the ‘letting‐go’ of models beyond calculus. We conclude that the ‘virtual precision’ of models affords them fluid evidence‐making potential. We imagine a different mode of modelling science in health, one more attuned to treating projections as qualculative, affective and relational, as excitable matter.
Collective Action in the Digital Reality: the Case of Platform‐Based Workers
Authors: Katsabian Tammy
Published: May 2021

The article explores the challenges of collective action in the digital reality and focuses on the efforts of platform‐based workers to unionise and their legal right to do so in accordance with UK law. Using sociological scholarship, the article elaborates on the emergence of flexibility and individualisation in the digital reality, in particular in platform‐based work, and on the way it hinders the creation of collective action. The article then describes how platform‐based workers currently organise themselves. It demonstrates how these current collective actions are characterised by the same individualisation and flexibility typifying the digital reality and why they do not enjoy the protection of the law. Based on this reality, the article proposes making several accommodations to the right to unionise for platform‐based workers, by adjusting some of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 clauses, thus enabling some platform‐based workers to enjoy its protection.
Incentivising and retaining public servants in remote areas: A discrete choice experiment with agricultural extension agents in Ethiopia
Authors: Regassa Mekdim D. , Abate Gashaw T. , Kubik Zaneta
Published: May 2021

Increased deployment of agricultural extension agents (EAs) in rural areas is recommended to spur agricultural productivity and mitigate spatial imbalances in welfare. However, high turnover and low motivation levels of EAs in remote areas pose challenges for equitable service provision and, in some cases, exacerbate geographical welfare disparities. We assess the effectiveness of selected potential policy interventions to incentivise and retain EAs in remote areas of Ethiopia. To this end, we conducted a choice experiment to elicit the preferences of 761 EAs for job attributes. We apply a random parameters logit model to estimate parameters of interest and to simulate the impact of possible policy interventions. Our results show that offering education opportunities is by far the most powerful instrument to attract and retain EAs. It increases uptake of the extension job in remote locations by 77 percentage points, which is significantly higher than the effect from doubling current salary levels. EAs also expressed a strong preference for work environments with basic amenities, housing, transportation services, and well‐equipped Farmer Training Centres (FTCs). Furthermore, the results from sub‐sample analyses show that female EAs are less responsive to pecuniary incentives and are more concerned with the availability of infrastructure and amenities. Current salary levels, years of employment, and location of work are also important sources of heterogeneity in the response of EAs to potential policy changes.
Adaptive capacities and social resilience on Kangaroo Island: Beyond the staples trap
Authors: Argent Neil
Published: May 2021

This article uses the lens of evolutionary economic geography to consider adaptive capacities and forms of social resilience that manifest in rural, primary commodity‐dependent regions in the face of structural forces to which such regions seem predisposed. Using a case study of Kangaroo Island, South Australia, the article explores the demographic and social impacts that a sudden and dramatic commodity market collapse in the 1990s had on this rural economy and community and on its regional development. During late 2017 and early 2018, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with six representatives of the Kangaroo Island business community, including those from the farm, tourism, and small business sectors (three interviews) and from local government (one interview), as well as with a former rural financial counsellor and the former Commissioner for Kangaroo Island. Although the collapse of the wool market and of a flawed managed investment scheme for agroforestry had dramatically negative impacts on local economic and social systems, the Island's subsequent demographic recovery and Islanders' ongoing commitments to their sporting clubs both point to considerable adaptive capacities and social resilience. The research highlights what can be achieved by people with high levels of place attachment and commitment, as individuals and as collectives also able to draw on support scales beyond the local.
Doing the right thing? An institutional perspective on responsible restructuring in UK local government
Authors: Johnson Mathew , Watt Laura
Published: May 2021

Drawing on institutional theory, this paper advances understanding of how restructuring practices are shaped by the organisational and institutional context and the concerns for legitimacy. Longitudinal case study findings from UK local government suggest a pattern of incremental deviance where repeated cutbacks are legitimised through a narrative of continuous improvement. This results in increased labour flexibility, work intensity and managerialism within services. We argue that the lack of resistance to change can be explained by the steady desensitisation of workers to repeated cutbacks as opposed to the inherent fairness of management actions. Through context‐specific research the theoretical and empirical distinctions between responsible and pure restructuring, and soft and hard Human Resource Management policies, are challenged.
Flexible integrated sensing platform for monitoring wound temperature and predicting infection
Authors: Zhang Yuheng , Lin Bin , Huang Rong , Lin Zhixiao , Li Yongqian , Li Jinqing , Li Xueyong
Published: May 2021

Wound infection is a challenging clinical problem that imposes substantial economic and psychological burdens on patients. However, the wound covered by a dressing is in an ‘unknown’ state. Recently, researchers have focused on understanding the condition of the wound without removing the dressing. Here, we presented a flexible integrated sensing platform (FISP) that can monitor multiple indicators, including local temperature. The platform consists of a flexible sensor chip (FSC), a controlled printed circuit board (CPCB) and a customized application installed on a smartphone that can receive and display data from the sensor chip through Bluetooth Low Energy 4.0 (BLE4.0) and upload real‐time wound information. This device exhibits satisfactory measurement accuracy, stability, durability, skin compliance and biocompatibility. It was applied to infected wounds on the back of rabbits to reveal the temperature changes characteristic of wounds infected with different bacteria, and this information was compared with the changes in the core body temperature of animals. We found differences in the temperature among wounds infected with different pathogens and the temperature of the wound infection occurred earlier than the change in anal temperature. The combined application of the FISP and dressings might help identify the ‘unknown’ state of wounds in the clinic.
Global warming impact on the expansion of fundamental niche of Cryptococcus gattii VGI in Europe
Authors: Cogliati Massimo
Published: May 2021

In the present study, we analysed how geographical distribution of the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus gattii VGI in Europe and Mediterranean area has evolved in the last four decades based on the climatic changes, and we tried to predict the scenario for the next decade. Niche modelling by Maxent analysis showed that recent climate changes have significantly affected the distribution of the fungus revealing a gradual expansion of the fundamental niche from 1980 to 2009 followed by an impressive increase in the last decade (2010–2019) during which the environmental surface suitable for the fungal survival was more than doubled. In the next decade, our model predicted an increase in the area of distribution of C. gattii VGI from the coasts of the Mediterranean basin towards the more internal sub‐continental areas. On the basis of these predictions, an increase of cases of cryptococcosis due to C. gattii VGI is expected in the next decade and a constant monitoring of the epidemiology of this fungal pathogen represents a crucial strategy to detect the onset of future outbreaks.
Limited effect of afatinib in a non‐small cell lung cancer patient harboring an epidermal growth factor receptor K860I missense mutation: A case report
Authors: Tamura Tomoki , Kawakado Keita , Makimoto Go , Nakanishi Masamoto , Kuyama Shoichi
Published: May 2021

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are key drugs in the treatment of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR mutations; however, first‐generation EGFR‐TKIs, such as gefitinib and erlotinib, are not effective in patients with uncommon EGFR mutations. In contrast, efficacy of afatinib has been reported in some types of uncommon EGFR mutation such as G710X, L861Q. The effect of afatinib in NSCLC patients with the EGFR K860I mutation has been shown in vitro, but its clinical efficacy has not been demonstrated. Here, we report the experience of afatinib administration in an NSCLC patient with an EGFR K860I mutation. A 69‐year‐old woman presented with right hemiplegia and dysarthria. Multiple brain and lung tumors were observed. She underwent craniotomy and was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma. After stereotactic brain radiation therapy, cisplatin, pemetrexed, and bevacizumab combination therapy was initiated. Unfortunately, she was unable to continue chemotherapy as she had an intestinal perforation after two cycles. After five months, recurrence of multiple brain metastases and an increase in primary lung cancer were confirmed. Next‐generation sequencing (NGS) was performed in a clinical trial, and an EGFR K860I mutation was detected in her tumor. Afatinib was administered and the primary lung tumor shrank, but multiple brain metastases were exacerbated. After irradiation of the brain, afatinib administration was continued. In conclusion, afatinib may show an effect in NSCLC patients with the EGFR K860I mutation, but its efficacy is limited.
Effect of chronic ethanol consumption in rhesus macaques on the nucleus accumbens core transcriptome
Authors: Walter Nicole , Cervera‐Juanes Rita , Zheng Christina , Darakjian Priscila , Lockwood Denesa , Cuzon‐Carlson Verginia , Ray Karina , Fei Suzanne , Conrad Don , Searles Robert , Grant Kathleen , Hitzemann Robert
Published: May 2021

The nucleus accumbens core (NAcc) has been repeatedly demonstrated to be a key component of the circuitry associated with excessive ethanol consumption. Previous studies have illustrated that in a nonhuman primate (NHP) model of chronic ethanol consumption, there is significant epigenetic remodeling of the NAcc. In the current study, RNA‐Seq was used to examine genome‐wide gene expression in eight each of control, low/binge (LD*), and high/very high (HD*) rhesus macaque drinkers. Using an FDR < 0.05, zero genes were significantly differentially expressed (DE) between LD* and controls, six genes between HD* and LD*, and 734 genes between HD* and controls. Focusing on HD* versus control DE genes, the upregulated genes (N = 366) were enriched in genes with annotations associated with signal recognition particle (SRP)‐dependent co‐translational protein targeting to membrane (FDR < 3 × 10−59), structural constituent of ribosome (FDR < 3 × 10−47), and ribosomal subunit (FDR < 5 × 10−48). Downregulated genes (N = 363) were enriched in annotations associated with behavior (FDR < 2 × 10−4), membrane organization (FDR < 1 × 10−4), inorganic cation transmembrane transporter activity (FDR < 2 × 10−3), synapse part (FDR < 4 × 10−10), glutamatergic synapse (FDR < 1 × 10−6), and GABAergic synapse (FDR < 6 × 10−4). Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) revealed that EIF2 signaling and mTOR pathways were significantly upregulated in HD* animals (FDR < 3 × 10−33 and <2 × 10−16, respectively). Overall, the data supported our working hypothesis; excessive consumption would be associated with transcriptional differences in GABA/glutamate‐related genes.
Immediate impacts of COVID‐19 on female and male farmers in central Myanmar: Phone‐based household survey evidence
Authors: Ragasa Catherine , Lambrecht Isabel , Mahrt Kristi , Aung Zin Wai , Wang Michael
Published: May 2021

This article provides evidence of the immediate impacts of the first months of the COVID‐19 crisis on farming communities in central Myanmar using baseline data from January 2020 and follow‐up phone survey data from June 2020 with 1,072 women and men. Heterogeneous effects among households are observed. Fifty‐one percent of the sample households experienced income loss from various livelihood activities, and landless households were more severely affected by the crisis, mainly because of lost farm and nonfarm employment and negative impacts on rural enterprises. Women and men in these landless households were equally engaged and affected by lower wages or more difficulties in finding farm work; fewer women were engaged in nonfarm work, but almost all of them lost such nonfarm wage employment. Women in landless households are also particularly vulnerable in terms of worsened workload and increased tension in the household during COVID‐19. Landed households were also affected through lower prices, lower demand for crops, and difficulties in input access. Women and men differ in levels of stress, fear, and pessimism regarding the effects of COVID‐19. In most households, there were no signs that household task‐sharing and work balance improved, and no clear shift in intrahousehold relations was observed.
Which Is more Important, Carbon or Albedo? Optimizing Harvest Rotations for Timber and Climate Benefits in a Changing Climate
Authors: Lintunen Jussi , Rautiainen Aapo , Uusivuori Jussi
Published: May 2021

Boreal coniferous forests decrease climate forcing by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. However, they also increase climate forcing through their effect on surface albedo, as coniferous forests make Earth's surface darker. Ignoring the warming effect of albedo can lead to a flawed climate policy that overstates the benefits of forest carbon sequestration. In this paper, we examine how these climate externalities affect the socially optimal harvest rotations and the social land value of a forest stand that is managed for timber, carbon, and albedo under changing economic and ecological conditions. We also examine how the relative importance of these externalities changes over time. We show that the rotations and the land value are sensitive to the changing external conditions, especially in the long run. Hence, for policy‐ relevance, stand‐level analyses with long examination horizons should account for these changes. In general, the carbon externality increases land value and lengthens rotations, whereas the albedo externality decreases land value and shortens rotations. At our study site in Finland, the positive effect of carbon on land value is stronger than the negative effect of albedo. The opposite effects of the two externalities on the timing of harvests are currently of equal strength, which means that they cancel out. More generally, inferences regarding the impacts of the externalities vary depending on climatic conditions, the incidence of solar irradiance, and the shadow prices of carbon and albedo. We discuss the extrapolation of our results throughout the boreal region based on variation in these factors.
Docetaxel and cisplatin induction chemotherapy with or without fluorouracil in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A retrospective propensity score matching analysis
Authors: Tao Hao‐Yun , Zhan Ze‐Jiang , Qiu Wen‐Ze , Liao Kai , Yuan Ya‐Wei , Zheng Rong‐Hui
Published: May 2021

Purpose

To investigate whether the addition of fluorouracil to docetaxel and cisplatin induction chemotherapy (IC) can truly improve the prognosis of patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods

A total of 801 patients newly diagnosed with non‐metastatic locoregionally advanced NPC were included as the subjects. In this study, propensity score matching (PSM) was used for analysis of overall survival (OS), distant metastasis‐free survival (DMFS), progression‐free survival (PFS) and locoregional relapse‐free survival (LRRFS), and the chi‐squared test or Fisher's exact test was used to investigate toxic reactions.

Results

Patients received treatment with docetaxel and cisplatin (TP) or docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil (TPF). With a median follow‐up time of 60 months (range: 5–124 months), the TPF group had better 5‐year OS (84.7% vs 79.0%; P = 0.037), PFS (84.6% vs 76.8%; P = 0.008) and DMFS (89.5% vs 82.3%; P = 0.004) than the TP group. After PSM, 258 patients were matched in each cohort. The Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the 5‐year OS, PFS and DMFS were 85.5%, 84.2% and 89.2%, respectively, in the TPF group, higher than the 80.8%, 75.0% and 81.4%, respectively, in the TP group (P = 0.048, 0.009 and 0.006, respectively). Moreover, the multivariate analysis revealed that different IC regimens were independent prognostic factors for PFS and DMFS (P = 0.014 and 0.010, respectively).

Conclusion

This study found that compared with the TP regimen, TPF induction chemotherapy is associated with improved survival in patients with locoregionally advanced NPC. TPF can produce more mucosal and nausea/vomiting adverse reactions than TP.
Comparison of immunohistochemistry and gene expression profiling subtyping for diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma in the phase III clinical trial of R‐CHOP ± ibrutinib
Authors: Balasubramanian Sriram , Wang Songbai , Major Christopher , Hodkinson Brendan , Schaffer Michael , Sehn Laurie H. , Johnson Peter , Zinzani Pier Luigi , Carey Jodi , Shreeve S. Martin , Sun Steven , Gerecitano John , Vermeulen Jessica , Staudt Louis M. , Wilson Wyndham
Published: May 2021

We assessed the concordance between immunohistochemistry (IHC) and gene expression profiling (GEP) for determining diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cell of origin (COO) in the phase III PHOENIX trial of rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R‐CHOP) with or without ibrutinib. Among 910 of 1114 screened patients with non‐germinal centre B cell‐like (non‐GCB) DLBCL by IHC, the concordance with GEP for non‐GCB calls was 82·7%, with 691 (75·9%) identified as activated B cell‐like (ABC), and 62 (6·8%) as unclassified. Among 746 of 837 enrolled patients with verified non‐GCB DLBCL by IHC, the concordance with GEP was 82·8%, with 567 (76·0%) identified as ABC and 51 (6·8%) unclassified; survival outcomes were similar regardless of COO or treatment, whereas among patients with ABC DLBCL aged <60 years, the overall and event‐free survival were substantially better with ibrutinib versus placebo plus R‐CHOP [hazard ratio (HR) 0·365, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0·147–0·909, P = 0·0305; HR 0·561, 95% CI 0·326–0·967, P = 0·0348, respectively]. IHC and GEP showed high concordance and consistent survival outcomes among tested patients, indicating centralised IHC may be used to enrich populations for response to ibrutinib plus R‐CHOP.
Two hundred years of zooplankton vertical migration research
Authors: Bandara Kanchana , Varpe Øystein , Wijewardene Lishani , Tverberg Vigdis , Eiane Ketil
Published: May 2021

Vertical migration is a geographically and taxonomically widespread behaviour among zooplankton that spans across diel and seasonal timescales. The shorter‐term diel vertical migration (DVM) has a periodicity of up to 1 day and was first described by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1817. In 1888, the German marine biologist Carl Chun described the longer‐term seasonal vertical migration (SVM), which has a periodicity of ca. 1 year. The proximate control and adaptive significance of DVM have been extensively studied and are well understood. DVM is generally a behaviour controlled by ambient irradiance, which allows herbivorous zooplankton to feed in food‐rich shallower waters during the night when light‐dependent (visual) predation risk is minimal and take refuge in deeper, darker waters during daytime. However, DVMs of herbivorous zooplankton are followed by their predators, producing complex predator–prey patterns that may be traced across multiple trophic levels. In contrast to DVM, SVM research is relatively young and its causes and consequences are less well understood. During periods of seasonal environmental deterioration, SVM allows zooplankton to evacuate shallower waters seasonally and take refuge in deeper waters often in a state of dormancy. Both DVM and SVM play a significant role in the vertical transport of organic carbon to deeper waters (biological carbon sequestration), and hence in the buffering of global climate change. Although many animal migrations are expected to change under future climate scenarios, little is known about the potential implications of global climate change on zooplankton vertical migrations and its impact on the biological carbon sequestration process. Further, the combined influence of DVM and SVM in determining zooplankton fitness and maintenance of their horizontal (geographic) distributions is not well understood. The contrasting spatial (deep versus shallow) and temporal (diel versus seasonal) scales over which these two migrations occur lead to challenges in studying them at higher spatial, temporal and biological resolution and coverage. Extending the largely population‐based vertical migration knowledge base to individual‐based studies will be an important way forward. While tracking individual zooplankton in their natural habitats remains a major challenge, conducting trophic‐scale, high‐resolution, year‐round studies that utilise emerging field sampling and observation techniques, molecular genetic tools and computational hardware and software will be the best solution to improve our understanding of zooplankton vertical migrations.
Marketing involvement in product platform creation: The role of personal and structural coordination mechanisms
Authors: van Bommel Ties , Nijssen Edwin J. , Alblas Alex A.
Published: May 2021

Integrating market knowledge in the architecture of product platforms can be a challenge for firms. In this study, we draw on knowledge‐based theory to propose the importance of bilateral knowledge: a marketer's knowledge of product platforms and a platform architect's knowledge of the market opportunity for securing marketing involvement and platform success. Along with these two personal coordination mechanisms, we examine the impact of a marketing department's level of product platform knowledge as a structural coordination mechanism and account for its moderating effects on these personal mechanisms. To test our model, we conducted a survey at a multinational electronics company, with the architects of product platforms as key informants. Our results show that an architect's knowledge of market opportunities for the product platform fuels marketing's involvement and improves financial performance, as does the marketer's knowledge of product platforms, although this is entirely mediated by marketing's involvement. A marketing department's product platform knowledge has a strong, direct and moderating impact; it acts as a substitute for the individual marketer's personal knowledge, yet enhances the impact of the architect's knowledge of the market opportunity. Therefore, innovation managers are advised to foster their marketing department's understanding of product platforms.
Studying the social determinants of COVID‐19 in a data vacuum
Authors: Choi Kate H. , Denice Patrick , Haan Michael , Zajacova Anna
Published: May 2021

Race‐based and other demographic information on COVID‐19 patients is not being collected consistently across provinces in Canada. Therefore, whether the burden of COVID‐19 is falling disproportionately on the shoulders of particular demographic groups is relatively unknown. In this article, we first provide an overview of the available geographic and demographic data related to COVID‐19. We then make creative use of these existing data to fill the vacuum and identify key demographic risk factors for COVID‐19 across Canada's health regions. Drawing on COVID‐19 counts and tabular census data, we examine the association between communities’ demographic composition and the number of COVID‐19 infections. COVID‐19 infections are higher in communities with larger shares of Black and low‐income residents. Our approach offers a way for researchers and policymakers to use existing data to identify communities nationwide that are vulnerable to the pandemic in the absence of more detailed demographic and more granular geographic data.
A phase 2 study of polatuzumab vedotin + bendamustine + rituximab in relapsed/refractory diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma
Authors: Terui Yasuhito , Rai Shinya , Izutsu Koji , Yamaguchi Motoko , Takizawa Jun , Kuroda Junya , Ishikawa Takayuki , Kato Koji , Suehiro Youko , Fukuhara Noriko , Ohmine Ken , Goto Hideki , Yamamoto Kazuhito , Kanemura Nobuhiro , Ueda Yasunori , Ishizawa Kenichi , Kumagai Kyoya , Kawasaki Atsuko , Saito Tomohisa , Hashizume Misato , Shibayama Hirohiko
Published: May 2021

Polatuzumab vedotin (pola) is a CD79b‐targeted antibody‐drug conjugate delivering a potent antimitotic agent (monomethyl auristatin E) to B cells. This was an open‐label, single‐arm study of pola 1.8 mg/kg, bendamustine 90 mg/m2, rituximab 375 mg/m2 (pola + BR) Q3W for up to six cycles in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who received ≥1 prior line of therapy and were ineligible for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) or experienced treatment failure with prior ASCT. Primary endpoint was complete response rate (CRR) at the end of the treatment (EOT) by positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET‐CT) using modified Lugano Response Criteria. Secondary endpoints included efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics. Thirty‐five patients (median age 71 [range 46‐86] years) were enrolled. Twenty‐three (66%) patients had refractory disease, and 23 (66%) had ≥2 prior lines of therapy. At a median follow‐up of 5.4 (0.7‐11.9) months, patients received a median of five treatment cycles. CRR was 34.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 19.1‐52.2) at EOT. Overall response rate was 42.9% at EOT, and median progression‐free survival was 5.2 months (95% CI 3.6‐not evaluable). Median overall survival was not reached. No fatal adverse events (AEs) were observed. Grade 3‐4 AEs were mainly hematological: anemia (37%), neutropenia (31%), white blood cell count decreased (23%), thrombocytopenia/platelet count decreased/neutrophil count decreased (20% each), and febrile neutropenia (11%). Grade 1‐2 peripheral neuropathy (PN; sensory and/or motor) was reported in 14% of patients; there were no ≥grade 3 PN events. This study (JapicCTI‐184048) demonstrated the efficacy and safety of pola + BR in Japanese patients with R/R DLBCL who were ineligible for ASCT.
Social participation to support good mental health in neurodisability
Authors: Brooks Rob , Lambert Charlotte , Coulthard Laura , Pennington Lindsay , Kolehmainen Niina
Published: May 2021

Background

Young people with neurodisability experience lower levels of mental wellbeing and are at increased risk of mental illness compared with their non‐disabled peers. Social participation is recognized as a protective factor against mental illness and a potential pathway to support better mental wellbeing in neurodisability.

Method

This co‐design study involved young people, parents and clinicians. First, possible interventions were identified through a rapid systematic evidence review. Any study designs were considered, which included people with a neurodisability aged 0–18 years, which evaluated a therapy intervention with social participation and mental health outcomes. Titles and abstracts were screened by two reviewers, from the included studies data were extracted and then presented using written summaries. Second, the summaries were discussed and prioritized in stakeholder groups with young people, parents and clinicians. Groups were audio recorded and framework analysis was used to identify and specify intervention elements and their delivery.

Results

The evidence review identified 13,870 records, from which 43 were included. These records were published 1994–2017 and reported studies with 4–249 participants aged 16 months—18 years with a range of neurodisabilities. Five intervention approaches (social skills training, arts, sports, technology and play) were identified from the review. Two themes emerged from the stakeholder groups: intervention in the real world, feeling judged and feeling safe. The groups prioritized an intervention in real‐world social leisure contexts (i.e. existing clubs and groups) using nine key intervention elements (e.g. feedback and positive verbal reinforcement) delivered by club leaders trained by healthcare professionals using five intervention procedures (e.g. a manual and video training).

Conclusion

This study has identified core elements of social participation interventions that may improve mental health outcomes in young people with neurodisability, which should now be tested.
Love and Truth: What Really Matters for Children Born Through Third‐Party Assisted Reproduction
Authors: Golombok Susan
Published: May 2021

Ever since the birth of the first baby born through in vitro fertilization in 1978, advances in reproductive technologies have raised new concerns about the outcomes for children. In this article, I summarize research on children born through assisted reproduction involving a third party, that is, children born through egg donation, sperm donation, and surrogacy, with particular attention to the findings of a longitudinal study of children born to heterosexual couples in the United Kingdom. The assisted reproduction families generally showed high levels of family functioning and children's adjustment from early childhood through to adolescence, suggesting that biological relatedness is less important than positive parent–child relationships for the well‐being of children conceived by third‐party assisted reproduction. Similarly, studies of families created by third‐party reproduction with two mothers, single mothers, two fathers, and single fathers have shown that these families function well.
The quality and developmental pathways in sibling relationships: A qualitative study of Norwegian children admitted to child welfare service care
Authors: Hovland Wenche , Hean Sarah
Published: May 2021

Siblings are key actors in the social network of young people in care. This paper explores young people's perceptions of changes in the quality of sibling relationships and the pathways relationships follow during the transition from the biological family into care. A thematic analysis of interviews with young Norwegian people (n = 25) in care showed that, in the biological family, sibling relationships are characterized by alliances, parentification, conflicts or nonexistence. After admission to child welfare services care, sibling relationships developed along multiple pathways. Their sibling relationships reshaped into either close and supportive, conflictual or completely broken relationships. Sibling relationships were dynamic, complex, with the pathway, and its impact on well‐being, being unique to each young person. Sibling relationship quality in the biological home did not predict relationship quality after admission to child welfare services. The implications for social worker practice are discussed.
Galectin‐1 ameliorates perioperative neurocognitive disorders in aged mice
Authors: Shen Zhiwen , Xu Hui , Song Wen , Hu Chuwen , Guo Mingyan , Li Jinfeng , Li Junhua
Published: May 2021

Introduction

The incidence of perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PND) is higher in the elderly patients undergoing surgery. Microglia activation‐mediated neuroinflammation is one of the hallmarks of PND. Galectin‐1 has been identified as a pivotal modulator in the central nervous system (CNS), while the role of galectin‐1 in PND induced by microglia‐mediated neuroinflammation is still undetermined.

Methods

An exploratory laparotomy model anesthetized with isoflurane was employed to investigate the role of galectin‐1 on PND in aged mice. Open field test and Morris water maze were used to test the cognitive function 3‐ or 7‐days post‐surgery. The activation of microglia in the hippocampus of aged mice was tested by immunohistochemistry. Western blot, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) were employed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Results

Galectin‐1 attenuated the cognitive dysfunction induced by surgery in aged mice and inhibited microglial activity. Moreover, galectin‐1 decreased the expression level of inflammatory proteins (interleukin‐1β, interleukin‐6, and tumor necrosis factor‐α), and prevented neuronal loss in the hippocampus. Galectin‐1 inhibited the inflammation of BV2 microglial cells induced by lipopolysaccharide via decreasing the translocation of NF‐κB p65 and c‐Jun, while this kind of inhibition was rescued when overexpressing IRAK1.

Conclusion

Our findings provide evidence that galectin‐1 may inhibit IRAK1 expression, thus suppressing inflammatory response, inhibiting neuroinflammation, and improving ensuing cognitive dysfunction. Collectively, these findings unveil that galectin‐1 may elicit protective effects on surgery‐induced neuroinflammation and neurocognitive disorders.
The complex roles of neutrophils in APAP‐induced liver injury
Authors: Guo Huiting , Chen Shiwei , Xie Mingjie , Zhou Cheng , Zheng Min
Published: May 2021

Acetaminophen (APAP) is a widely applied drug for the alleviation of pain and fever, which is also a dose‐depedent toxin. APAP‐induced acute liver injury has become one of the primary causes of liver failure which is an increasingly serious threat to human health. Neutrophils are the major immune cells in human serving as the first barrier against the invasion of pathogen. It has been reported that neutrophils patriciate in the occurrence and development of APAP‐induced liver injury. However, evolving evidences suggest that neutrophils also contribute to tissue repair and actively orchestrate resolution of inflammation. Here, we addressed the complex roles in APAP‐induced liver injury on the basis of brief introduction of neutrophil's activation, recruitment and migration.
The ODMAP protocol: a new tool for standardized reporting that could revolutionize species distribution modeling
Authors: Fitzpatrick Matthew C. , Lachmuth Susanne , Haydt Natalie T.
Published: May 2021

Several recent papers have highlighted best practices, defined metadata standards and proposed checklists for reproducibility of species distribution models (SDMs). A new paper by Zurell et al. (2020) formalizes, extends and implements many of these ideas in a standardized protocol for reporting SDMs called ODMAP (Overview, Data, Model, Assessment, Prediction). ODMAP has the potential to revolutionize species distribution modeling, not through the development of new methods, but rather by providing a long overdue system to document, communicate and reproduce methods. ODMAP could lead to improved basic and applied science outcomes by increasing comprehension and transparency, and by guiding implementation of best practices. However, the impact that ODMAP has on SDMs depends in large part on the extent to which journals, reviewers and funding agencies encourage its use and whether mentors introduce it to the next generation of biodiversity scientists. Important next steps include formalizing mechanisms for the broader research community to participate in future development of ODMAP and related standards for best practices in biodiversity modeling.