bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patterns of indulgent parenting and adolescents' psychological development
Authors: Cui Ming , Jiao Chengfei , Darling Carol A.
Published: February 2023

Objective

In this study, researchers aimed to extend the current literature by examining the patterns of indulgent parenting of both mothers and fathers and their associations with adolescents' basic psychological needs satisfaction, self‐control, and self‐efficacy.

Background

Indulgent parenting could be harmful for the development of psychological needs satisfaction and cognitive abilities when adolescents seek autonomy and gain emotional regulatory skills. Yet research is limited on investigating the patterns of indulgent parenting and their relationships to adolescents' psychological development.

Method

The sample consisted of 268 adolescents in Grades 9 to 11 from several high schools in a southeastern region of the United States. Participants took an online survey about their perceptions of parental indulgent parenting, their psychological development, and demographic information.

Results

Results from multivariate mixture modeling suggested four distinct classes of perceived maternal and paternal indulgence. Further, these classes demonstrated differential associations with adolescents' basic psychological needs satisfaction, self‐control, and self‐efficacy.

Conclusion

The findings revealed different patterns of perceived indulgent parenting practices. Further, these findings also highlighted the negative role of perceived behavioral indulgence on adolescents' psychological development.

Implications

Implications for interventions targeted at parenting and adolescent development were noted.
Characterizing maternal isolation‐induced ultrasonic vocalizations in a gene–environment interaction rat model for autism
Authors: Möhrle Dorit , Yuen Megan , Zheng Alice , Haddad Faraj L. , Allman Brian L. , Schmid Susanne
Published: February 2023

Deficits in social communication and language development belong to the earliest diagnostic criteria of autism spectrum disorders. Of the many risk factors for autism spectrum disorder, the contactin‐associated protein‐like 2 gene, CNTNAP2, is thought to be important for language development. The present study used a rat model to investigate the potential compounding effects of autism spectrum disorder risk gene mutation and environmental challenges, including breeding conditions or maternal immune activation during pregnancy, on early vocal communication in the offspring. Maternal isolation‐induced ultrasonic vocalizations from Cntnap2 wildtype and knockout rats at selected postnatal days were analyzed for their acoustic, temporal and syntax characteristics. Cntnap2 knockout pups from heterozygous breeding showed normal numbers and largely similar temporal structures of ultrasonic vocalizations to wildtype controls, whereas both parameters were affected in homozygously bred knockouts. Homozygous breeding further exacerbated altered pitch and transitioning between call types found in Cntnap2 knockout pups from heterozygous breeding. In contrast, the effect of maternal immune activation on the offspring's vocal communication was confined to call type syntax, but left ultrasonic vocalization acoustic and temporal organization intact. Our results support the “double‐hit hypothesis” of autism spectrum disorder risk gene–environment interactions and emphasize that complex features of vocal communication are a useful tool for identifying early autistic‐like features in rodent models.
Exercise variables and pain threshold reporting for strength training protocols in people with haemophilia: A systematic review of clinical trials
Authors: Cruz‐Montecinos Carlos , Núñez‐Cortés Rodrigo , Chimeno‐Hernández Ana , López‐Bueno Rubén , Andersen Lars Louis , Mendez‐Rebolledo Guillermo , Pérez‐Alenda Sofía , Calatayud Joaquín
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Although strength exercise is often prescribed for people with haemophilia (PWH), it remains unknown how exercise variables and pain thresholds are used to prescribe strength training in PWH.

Aim

To analyse how strength exercise variables and pain thresholds have been used to prescribe strength training in PWH.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CENTRAL and CINAHL databases from inception to 7 September 2022. Studies whose intervention included strengthening training in adults with haemophilia were included. Two independent reviewers were involved in study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment.

Results

Eighteen studies were included. The least reported variables among the studies were: prophylactic factor coverage (11.1%), pain threshold/tolerability (5.6%), intensity (50%), total or partial range of motion (27.8%), time under tension (27.8%), attentional focus modality (0%), therapist experience in haemophilia (33.3%) and adherence assessment (50%). In contrast, weekly frequency (94.4%), duration (weeks) (100%), number of sets/repetitions (88.9%), repetitions to failure/not to failure (77.8%), types of contraction (77.8%), rest duration (55.6%), progression (55.6%), supervision (77.8%), exercise equipment (72.2%) and adverse event record (77.8%) had a higher percentage of reported (>50% of studies).

Conclusion

Future research on strength training for PWH should improve information on pain threshold and other important variables such as prophylactic factor coverage, intensity, range of motion, time under tension, attentional focus modality, therapist experience in haemophilia and adherence assessment. This could improve clinical practice and comparison of different protocols.
An NGS based MRD evaluation from acute myeloid leukemia patients
Authors: Chen Bin , Wang Lingling , Wang Zhe , Zhang Hong , Chen Long , Zhang Lei , Li Jing , Yan Xiaoyan , Zhao Miaoqing , Lin Yani , Ru Kun
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Measurable residual disease (MRD) is a prognostic factor for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A next‐generation sequencing (NGS) based MRD panel was developed and the results were validated.

Methods

The NGS sequencing data was collected from 1003 Chinese AML patients.

Results

The sequencing data from 586 newly diagnosed AML patients showed that NRAS mutation was most common (20.8%), followed by NPM1 (19.4%), FLT3‐ITD (18.5%), and DNMT3A (15.4%). NPM1 and FLT3‐ITD mutations were less in Chinese than in Caucasian AML patients, and the result of KRAS mutation was opposite. A new panel named “AML NGS‐MRD hot‐spot panel” was designed, containing 178 hot‐spot exons from 52 mutated genes and only 62.8 Kb in size. With this hot‐spot panel, 92.5% newly diagnosed AML patients were found to carry ≥1 mutations. To verify the performance of this panel, additional 205 newly diagnosed AML patients and 212 post‐treatment AML patients were evaluated, and the hot‐spot panel achieved a similar detection rate (91.2% for newly diagnosed AML patients and 89.2% for post‐treatment AML patients). Finally, this study found that the mutation frequencies of signaling pathway genes (e.g., KRAS, NRAS, FLT3‐ITD, KIT) were significantly reduced in post‐treatment AML.

Conclusion

The “AML NGS‐MRD hot‐spot panel” detected the mutations from relapsed AML patients with minimal panel size, and was a reliable and cost‐effective panel for AML patients.
Visual classification of pressure injury stages for nurses: A deep learning model applying modern convolutional neural networks
Authors: Seo Suryang , Kang Jaeyeon , Eom In Hyang , Song Hyeji , Park Jun Ho , Lee Youngsoo , Lee Haeyoung
Published: February 2023

Aims

To develop a deep learning model for pressure injury stages classification based on real‐world photographs and compare its performance with that of clinical nurses to seek the opportunity of its application in clinical settings.

Design

This was a retrospective observational study using a deep learning model.

Review Methods

A plastic surgeon and two wound care nurses labelled a set of pressure injury images. We applied several modern Convolutional Neural Networks architectures and compared the performances with those of clinical nurses.

Data Sources

We retrospectively analysed the electronic medical records of hospitalized patients between January 2019 and April 2021.

Results

A set of 2464 pressure injury images were compiled and analysed. Using EfficientNet, in classifying pressure injury images, the macro F1‐score was calculated to be 0.8941, and the average performance of two experienced nurses was reported as 0.8781.

Conclusion

A deep learning model for classifying pressure injury images by stages was successfully developed, and the performance of the model was compared with that of experienced nurses. The classification model developed in this study is expected to help less‐experienced nurses or those working in under‐resourced healthcare settings determine the stages of pressure injury.

Impact

Our deep learning model can minimize discrepancies in nurses' assessment of classifying pressure injury stages. Follow‐up studies on improving the performance of deep learning models using modern techniques and clinical usability will lead to improved quality of care among patients with pressure injury.

No Patient or Public Contribution

Patients or the public were not involved in our research's design, conduct, reporting or dissemination plans because this was a retrospective study that used electronic medical records.
Transition to retirement: The lived experiences of adults with intellectual disabilities
Authors: Anderson Lynda Lahti , Hall Sarah , Kramme Julie E. D. , Stancliffe Roger
Published: February 2023

Background

Adults with intellectual disabilities are living longer and experiencing retirement. However, research about retirement experiences is limited.

Method

This qualitative study used semi‐structured interviews with 10 retired/retiring U.S. adults with intellectual disabilities and an ally of their choice.

Results

Participants described factors that pushed or pulled them into retirement, such as health issues or wanting to spend more time with family. Individuals in community work settings described greater self‐determination in their decision to retire. Regardless of reasons for retiring, all participants described initial difficulties with adjusting to retirement but over time people's situation, including their mental and physical health, reportedly improved.

Conclusion

Retirement is a significant life transition. More attention is needed about planning and developing age‐appropriate and person‐cantered inclusive retirement options for older adults with intellectual disabilities, similar to the transition into adulthood and work life.
The use of annotations to explain labels: Comparing results from a human‐rater approach to a deep learning approach
Authors: Lottridge Susan , Woolf Sherri , Young Mackenzie , Jafari Amir , Ormerod Chris
Published: February 2023

Background

Deep learning methods, where models do not use explicit features and instead rely on implicit features estimated during model training, suffer from an explainability problem. In text classification, saliency maps that reflect the importance of words in prediction are one approach toward explainability. However, little is known about whether the salient words agree with those identified by humans as important.

Objectives

The current study examines in‐line annotations from human annotators and saliency map annotations from a deep learning model (ELECTRA transformer) to understand how well both humans and machines provide evidence for their assigned label.

Methods

Data were responses to test items across a mix of United States subjects, states, and grades. Humans were trained to annotate responses to justify a crisis alert label and two model interpretability methods (LIME, Integrated Gradients) were used to obtain engine annotations. Human inter‐annotator agreement and engine agreement with the human annotators were computed and compared.

Results and Conclusions

Human annotators agreed with one another at similar rates to those observed in the literature on similar tasks. The annotations derived using the integrated gradients (IG) agreed with human annotators at higher rates than LIME on most metrics; however, both methods underperformed relative to the human annotators.

Implications

Saliency map‐based engine annotations show promise as a form of explanation, but do not reach human annotation agreement levels. Future work should examine the appropriate unit for annotation (e.g., word, sentence), other gradient based methods, and approaches for mapping the continuous saliency values to Boolean annotations.
Clinical use conditions of lead deployment and simulated lead fracture rate in left bundle branch area pacing
Authors: Zou Jiangang , Chen Keping , Liu Xingbin , Xu Yuanning , Jiang Lingyun , Dai Yan , Lin Jinxuan , Hou Xiaofeng , Qiu Yuanhao , Himes Adam , Lucas Ryan , Demmer Wade , Mara Nicki , Zhou Xiaohong , Lu Hongyang
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) is achieved by advancing the lead tip deep in the septum. Most LBBAP implants are performed using the Medtronic SelectSecure™ MRI SecureScan™ Model 3830 featuring a unique 4 Fr fixed helix lumenless design. Details of lead use conditions and long‐term reliability have not been reported. This study was designed to quantify the mechanical use conditions for the 3830 lead during and after LBBAP implant, and to evaluate reliability using bench testing and simulation.

Methods

Fifty bradycardia patients with implantation of the 3830 lead for LBBAP were enrolled. Use conditions of lead deployment at implantation were collected and computed tomography (CT) scans were performed at 3‐month follow‐up. Curvature amplitude along the pacing lead was determined with CT images. Fatigue bending was performed using accelerated testing in a more severe environment than routine clinical use conditions. Conductor fracture rate in a simulated patient population was estimated based on clinical use conditions and fatigue test results.

Results

The number of attempts to place the 3830 lead for LBBAP was 2.1 ± 1.3 (range: 1–7) with 13 ± 6 lead rotations at the final attempt. Extreme implant conditions were simulated in bench testing with 5 applications of 20 turns followed by up to 400 million bending cycles. Reliability modeling predicted a 10‐year fracture rate of 0.02%.

Conclusions

LBBAP implants require more lead rotations than standard pacing implants and result in unique lead bending. Application of simulated LBBAP use conditions to the 3830 lead in an accelerated in‐vitro model does not produce excess conductor fractures.

IMAGE‐LBBP Study ID of ClinicalTrial.GOV: NCT04119323.
Catheter ablation of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia with an irrigated contact‐force sensing radiofrequency ablation catheter
Authors: Panday Priya , Holmes Douglas , Park David S. , Jankelson Lior , Bernstein Scott A. , Knotts Robert , Kushnir Alexander , Aizer Anthony , Chinitz Larry A. , Barbhaiya Chirag R.
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) slow pathway modification for catheter ablation of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) is traditionally performed using a 4‐mm nonirrigated (NI) RF ablation catheter. Slow pathway modification using irrigated, contact‐force sensing (ICFS) RFA catheters has been described in case reports, but the outcomes have not been systematically evaluated.

Methods

Acute procedural outcomes of 200 consecutive patients undergoing slow pathway modification for AVNRT were analyzed. A 3.5‐mm ICFS RFA catheter (ThermoCool SmartTouch STSF, Biosense Webster, Inc.) was utilized in 134 patients, and a 4‐mm NI RFA catheter (EZ Steer, Biosense Webster, Inc.) was utilized in 66 patients. Electroanatomic maps were retrospectively analyzed in a blinded fashion to determine the proximity of ablation lesions to the His region.

Results

The baseline characteristics of patients in both groups were similar. Total RF time was significantly lower in the ICFS group compared to the NI group (5.53 ± 4.6 vs. 6.24 ± 4.9 min, p = 0.03). Median procedure time was similar in both groups (ICFS, 108.0 (87.5–131.5) min vs. NI, 100.0 (85.0–125.0) min; p = 0.2). Ablation was required in closer proximity to the His region in the NI group compared to the ICFS group (14.4 ± 5.9 vs. 16.7 ± 6.4 mm, respectively, p = 0.01). AVNRT was rendered noninducible in all patients, and there was no arrhythmia recurrence during follow‐up in both groups. Catheter ablation was complicated by AV block in one patient in the NI group.

Conclusion

Slow pathway modification for catheter ablation of AVNRT using an ICFS RFA catheter is feasible, safe, and may facilitate shorter duration ablation while avoiding ablation in close proximity to the His region.
Synergistic effect of PARP inhibitor and BRD4 inhibitor in multiple models of ovarian cancer
Authors: Huang Yuhan , Liu Chen , You Lixin , Li Xi , Chen Gang , Fan Junpeng
Published: February 2023

Ovarian cancer has the highest facility rate among gynaecological tumours. Current therapies including PARP inhibitors have a defect that ovarian tumour is easy to recurrent and become resistant to therapy. To solve this problem, we found that BRD4 inhibitor AZD5153 and PARP inhibitor olaparib had a widespread synergistic effect in multiple models with different gene backgrounds. AZD5153 sensitizes cells to olaparib and reverses the acquired resistance by down‐regulating PTEN expression levels to destabilize hereditary materials. In this study, we used the following multiple ovarian cancer models PDX, PDO and 3D/2D cell lines to elucidate the co‐effect of AZD5153 and olaparib in vivo and in vitro. The similar results of these models further proved that the mechanism identified was consistent with the biological process occurring in ovarian cancer patients after drug treatment. This consistency between the results of different models suggests the possibility of translating these laboratory research findings into clinical studies towards developing treatments.
Drying of peaches by a combination of convective and microwave methods
Authors: Chatzilia Theodora , Kaderides Kyriakos , Goula Athanasia M.
Published: February 2023

The aim of this work is to study a method to extend the storage life of peaches reducing energy and time consumption and ensuring food quality. The conventional method of hot air dying presents many drawbacks, whereas the microwave drying usually leads to overheating and textural damage. Thus, in this work, a combination of convective and microwave methods, more specifically a two‐stage drying process with an initial convective air drying followed by a microwave drying (microwave finishing), was studied for the drying of peaches. Peaches dried at 70°C for various times, 200, 278, 355, 433, and 510 min, were then dried in a microwave oven at powers of 300, 500, and 800 W. Drying rates were examined, whereas dry peaches were characterized for their color, antioxidant capacity, shrinkage, and rehydration ability under optimized conditions for the situations with and without pretreatment with ascorbic acid. Mass transfer of water was described by nine empirical models and by the diffusional approach. The shrinkage of peach tissue during microwave finishing was evaluated and diffusion coefficients were assessed with shrinkage considered. The microwave finishing reduced the drying time by 89 ± 40%, while a smaller shrinkage was observed, with better rehydration characteristics.

Practical applications

Peaches are important commodities in terms of global agricultural production. As peach is a perishable product with a short shelf‐life, the food industry has been forced to find methods, such as drying, that extend its storage life by months. The conventional method of hot air dying presents many disadvantages. Last decades, microwave drying proposed an alternative way to improve the quality of dehydrated products. However, microwave is rarely used alone as a drying method and is usually combined with other drying techniques. The main goal of this work is to study an innovative method to extend the storage life of peaches reducing energy and time consumption and ensuring food quality.
A new measure of physicians' erroneous assumptions towards adults with intellectual disability: A first study
Authors: Bacherini A. , Havercamp S. M. , Balboni G.
Published: February 2023

Background

Incomplete knowledge and unfamiliarity with intellectual disability (ID) contribute to erroneous assumptions of physicians towards ID, which negatively impact the health equity of people with ID. This study aimed to identify the erroneous assumptions that, based on the ID stakeholders' perceptions, were the most prevalent in physicians and damaging for the healthcare of adults with ID, verify their unidimensionality and that no personal characteristics of ID stakeholders were associated with their ratings of erroneous assumptions' prevalence and damage.

Methods

Seventy‐four possible physician erroneous assumptions were developed concerning health, daily living skills and quality of life of individuals with ID. ID stakeholders rated each one for perceived prevalence in physicians and damage for the healthcare of adults with ID. Frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis and correlations were run separately for participants' prevalence and damage ratings.

Results

Twenty‐seven erroneous assumptions were identified as those perceived most prevalent and damaging. Their unidimensionality was ascertained and participants' characteristics were not associated with their prevalence and damage ratings.

Conclusions

The identified assumptions are appropriate to represent the items of a new instrument that can be used in medical education to guide the development of curricula to change erroneous assumptions.
Global ideals and restorative extraction: Negotiated Indigeneity on the margins of a Peruvian copper mine
Authors: Gilfoy Kieran
Published: February 2023

This article elucidates the unintended outcomes produced by extractive industries and Indigenous activism in eastern Apurímac, Peru. The article documents the rise and fall of an identity‐based organization in the shadow of the Bambas copper mine using the concept of emergence amid Indigenous spaces to interpret the negotiated products of ideals and realities. I show how notions of historical debt and desires for “a better life” undergird the lived experience of Cotabamban peoples, placing particular demands upon any Indigenous awakening. Over time, creative alterations to activist endeavors shift from a right to culture toward a right to action, infusing artisanal mining ventures with moral credibility. Restorative extraction becomes an Indigenous practice of redress, tackling realities of marginalization and national reciprocity that have been exacerbated by corporate development. Rather than articulating an acceptable identity, restorative extraction temporarily redeems prolonged states of exclusion pertinent for certainpotentiallyIndigenous communities enmeshed in resource booms.
Sex‐specific susceptibility to psychotic‐like states provoked by prenatal THC exposure: Reversal by pregnenolone
Authors: Frau Roberto , Melis Miriam
Published: February 2023

Sociocultural attitudes towards cannabis legalization contribute to the common misconception that it is a relatively safe drug and its use during pregnancy poses no risk to the fetus. However, longitudinal studies demonstrate that maternal cannabis exposure results in adverse outcomes in the offspring, with a heightened risk for developing psychopathology. One of the most reported psychiatric outcomes is the proneness to psychotic‐like experiences during childhood. How exposure to cannabis during gestation increases psychosis susceptibility in children and adolescents remains elusive. Preclinical research has indicated that in utero exposure to the major psychoactive component of cannabis, delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), deranges brain developmental trajectories towards vulnerable psychotic‐like endophenotypes later in life. Here, we present how prenatal THC exposure (PCE) deregulates mesolimbic dopamine development predisposing the offspring to schizophrenia‐relevant phenotypes, exclusively when exposed to environmental challenges, such as stress or THC. Detrimental effects of PCE are sex‐specific because female offspring do not display psychotic‐like outcomes upon exposure to these challenges. Moreover, we present how pregnenolone, a neurosteroid that showed beneficial properties on the effects elicited by cannabis intoxication, normalizes mesolimbic dopamine function and rescues psychotic‐like phenotypes. We, therefore, suggest this neurosteroid as a safe “disease‐modifying” aid to prevent the onset of psychoses in vulnerable individuals. Our findings corroborate clinical evidence and highlight the relevance of early diagnostic screening and preventative strategies for young individuals at risk for mental diseases, such as male PCE offspring.
Association between maternal psychological distress and children's neurodevelopment in offspring aged 4 years in Japan: The Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three‐Generation Cohort Study
Authors: Takahashi Ippei , Obara Taku , Kikuchi Saya , Kobayashi Mika , Ishikuro Mami , Murakami Keiko , Ueno Fumihiko , Noda Aoi , Onuma Tomomi , Matsuzaki Fumiko , Kobayashi Natsuko , Hamada Hirotaka , Iwama Noriyuki , Saito Masatoshi , Sugawara Junichi , Tomita Hiroaki , Kure Shigeo , Yaegashi Nobuo , Kuriyama Shinichi
Published: February 2023

Aim

An association between maternal psychological distress and children's development has been reported, but  reports from Japan are limited. This study aimed to examine the association of maternal psychological distress with children's neurodevelopment in Japan.

Methods

The study assessed data of 7646 mother–infant pairs in the Japanese population. We used Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, a screening tool for psychological distress, to assess maternal psychological distress in early pregnancy and 2 years postpartum and divided it into four categories: none in both the pre‐natal and post‐natal periods, only the pre‐natal period, only the post‐natal period and both the pre‐natal and post‐natal periods. Children's neurodevelopment was assessed using the Ages & Stages Questionnaires Third Edition (ASQ‐3) at 4 years of age. ASQ‐3 comprises five domains (communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving and personal–social), and the score of less than −2 standard deviation relative to the mean in reference was defined as having developmental delay. We conducted multivariate logistic regression analysis to examine the association between maternal psychological distress and children's neurodevelopment.

Results

The prevalence of developmental delay of communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving and personal–social were 4.0%, 4.3%, 4.9%, 3.8% and 4.6%, respectively. Maternal psychological distress in only the postpartum period and both pre‐natal and postpartum periods were associated with risks of developmental delay in all domains. Maternal psychological distress in only the pre‐natal period was associated with developmental delay in communication.

Conclusions

Maternal psychological distress is associated with risks of children's developmental delay.
Coexistence of grasses and shrubs in Patagonian steppes. Norm or exception?
Authors: Biancari Lucio , Oñatibia Gastón R. , Gaitán Juan J. , Aguiar Martín R.
Published: February 2023

Questions

(1) Is the co‐dominance of grasses and shrubs a general feature of Patagonian steppes? (2) At a local scale, does it change with domestic grazing intensity or decadal changes in precipitation?

Locations

Question 1. Patagonia region in southern South America. Question 2. Shrub–grass steppes (45°24′S, 70°17′W) subjected to different grazing intensity for decades.

Methods

We sampled vegetation to estimate perennial grass and shrub cover at two scales: regional and local. At the regional (phytogeographical) scale, we sampled grazed steppes under different climates and soils (n = 324 sites over ca. 487,000 km2). At the local scale, we sampled paddocks subjected to known grazing management, from commercial intensive densities of sheep to total (experimental) exclusion. Also, in the same site, we sampled permanent plots (25 years old) in a grazing exclosure to study the effects of precipitation variation.

Results

Mixed communities are the predominant form of community organization in the Patagonia region. At the regional scale, shrub cover was negatively related to grass cover and communities where shrubs had higher cover than grasses represent 54% of the data set. At the local scale for an arid steppe, perennial grasses had higher cover than shrubs, regardless of grazing pressure. The shrub‐to‐grass ratio was increased only by intensive grazing. Permanent plots in a grazing‐excluded paddock indicate that decadal xeric or humid climate periods decrease or increase total cover, respectively. Surprisingly, the relative shrub‐to‐grass ratio did not change significantly.

Conclusions

Although perennial grasses and shrubs cover are negatively correlated, they coexist in the Patagonian steppes under a wide range of climate, soil and grazing conditions. At a local scale, selective herbivory promotes species replacement but did not substantially change the life‐form covers. Water shortages, as well as periods of water surplus, similarly affect both life forms without compromising their coexistence.
Icos gene disruption in non‐obese diabetic mice elicits myositis associated with anti‐troponin T3 autoantibodies
Authors: Bourdenet Gwladys , Pileyre Baptiste , Drouot Laurent , Martinet Jérémie , Bécourt Chantal , Carrette Marion , Riou Gaétan , Bergua Cécile , Jaworski Thara , Chan Philippe , Jean Laetitia , Fréret Manuel , Cosette Pascal , Boitard Christian , Abad Catalina , Boyer Olivier
Published: February 2023

Aims

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are autoimmune inflammatory disorders leading to skeletal muscle weakness and disability. The pathophysiology of IIM is poorly understood due to the scarcity of animal disease models. Genetic deletion of Icos or Icosl (inducible T cell co‐stimulator/ligand) in non‐obese diabetic (NOD) mice leads to muscle disease. Our aim was to characterise Icos−/− NOD myopathy and to search for novel autoantibodies (aAbs) in this model.

Methods

Diabetes, weight, myopathy incidence/clinical score and grip strength were assessed over time. Locomotor activity was analysed with the Catwalk XT gait analysis system. Muscle histology was evaluated in haematoxylin/eosin and Sirius red‐stained sections, and immune infiltrates were characterised by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. 2D gel electrophoresis of muscle protein extracts and mass spectrometry were used to identify novel aAbs. NOD mice were immunised with troponin T3 (TNNT3) in incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) and R848. An addressable laser bead immunoassay (ALBIA) was developed to measure aAb IgG serum levels.

Results

Icos−/− NOD mice did not exhibit diabetes but developed spontaneous progressive myositis with decreased muscle strength and altered locomotor activity. Muscle from these mice exhibited myofibre necrosis, myophagocytosis, central nuclei, fibrosis and perimysial and endomysial cell infiltrates with macrophages and T cells. We identified anti‐TNNT3 aAbs in diseased mice. Immunisation of NOD mice with murine TNNT3 protein led to myositis development, supporting its pathophysiological role.

Conclusions

These data show that Icos−/− NOD mice represent a spontaneous model of myositis and the discovery of anti‐TNNT3 aAb suggests a new autoantigen in this model.
Liberalism, nationalism and federalism: Reflections on the life and work of Meïr Goldschmidt
Authors: Johnsen Alex Grøn , Hall John A
Published: February 2023

The Danish‐Jewish publisher Meïr Aron Goldschmidt was an active political voice in Denmark in the 1840s and 1850s during the crisis of the Danish Oldenburg monarchy, when the ‘Danish Empire’ was troubled by territorial defragmentation, succession crisis, foreign military threats, Danish–German ethnic tensions and calls for democratic reforms by National Liberals.

This article reflects on Goldschmidt's life and works as he attempted to syncretise the inherent dualities of nationalism and liberalism. His vision became a Swiss‐inspired federalism that should create a shared national identity based on liberal democracy to reunite the ethnic groups of the ‘Danish Empire’.

Ultimately, history took another course, and the nationalist path was taken with disastrous results for Denmark. However, Goldschmidt has left a legacy in his writings as a microcosm of the ideas of his time by trying to syncretise nationalism and liberalism, cosmopolitanism and nationalism and a Danish and Jewish national identity.
Foliar nutrient resorption stoichiometry and microbial phosphatase catalytic efficiency together alleviate the relative phosphorus limitation in forest ecosystems
Authors: Peng Ziyang , Wu Yuntao , Guo Lulu , Yang Lu , Wang Bin , Wang Xin , Liu Weixing , Su Yanjun , Wu Jin , Liu Lingli
Published: February 2023

Understanding how plants adapt to spatially heterogeneous phosphorus (P) supply is important to elucidate the effect of environmental changes on ecosystem productivity. Plant P supply is concurrently controlled by plant internal conservation and external acquisition. However, it is unclear how climate, soil, and microbes influence the contributions and interactions of the internal and external pathways for plant P supply.

Here, we measured P and nitrogen (N) resorption efficiency, litter and soil acid phosphatase (AP) catalytic parameters (Vmax(s) and Km), and soil physicochemical properties at four sites spanning from cold temperate to tropical forests.

We found that the relative P limitation to plants was generally higher in tropical forests than temperate forests, but varied greatly among species and within sites. In P‐impoverished habitats, plants resorbed more P than N during litterfall to maintain their N : P stoichiometric balance. In addition, once ecosystems shifted from N‐limited to P‐limited, litter‐ and soil‐specific AP catalytic efficiency (Vmax(s)/Km) increased rapidly, thereby enhancing organic P mineralization.

Our findings suggested that ecosystems develop a coupled aboveground–belowground strategy to maintain P supply and N : P stoichiometric balance under P‐limitation. We also highlighted that N cycle moderates P cycles and together shape plant P acquisition in forest ecosystems.
miR394 enhances WUSCHEL‐induced somatic embryogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Lu Lu , Holt Anna , Chen Xinying , Liu Yang , Knauer Steffen , Tucker Elise J. , Sarkar Ananda Kumar , Hao Zhaodong , Roodbarkelari Farshad , Shi Jisen , Chen Jinhui , Laux Thomas
Published: February 2023

Many plant species can give rise to embryos from somatic cells after a simple hormone treatment, illustrating the remarkable developmental plasticity of differentiated plant cells. However, many species are recalcitrant to somatic embryo formation for unknown reasons, which poses a significant challenge to agriculture, where somatic embryogenesis is an important tool to propagate desired genotypes. The micro‐RNA394 (miR394) promotes shoot meristem maintenance in Arabidopsis thaliana, but the underlying mechanisms have remained elusive.

We analyzed whether miR394 affects indirect somatic embryogenesis and determined the transcriptome of embryogenic callus upon miR394‐enhanced somatic embryogenesis.

We show that ectopic miR394 expression enhances somatic embryogenesis in the recalcitrant Ler accession when co‐expressed with the transcription factor WUSCHEL (WUS) and that miR394 acts in this process through silencing the target LEAF CURLING RESPONSIVENESS (LCR). Furthermore, we show that higher endogenous miR394 levels are required for the elevated embryogenic potential of the Columbia accession compared with Ler, providing a mechanistic explanation for this natural variation.

Our transcriptional analysis provides a framework for miR394 function in regulating pluripotency by expanding WUS‐mediated direct transcriptional repression.
TaTPP‐7A positively feedback regulates grain filling and wheat grain yield through T6P‐SnRK1 signalling pathway and sugar–ABA interaction
Authors: Liu Hongxia , Si Xuemei , Wang Zhenyu , Cao Liangjing , Gao Lifeng , Zhou Xiaolong , Wang Wenxi , Wang Ke , Jiao Chengzhi , Zhuang Lei , Liu Yunchuan , Hou Jian , Li Tian , Hao Chenyang , Guo Weilong , Liu Jun , Zhang Xueyong
Published: February 2023

Grain size and filling are two key determinants of grain thousand‐kernel weight (TKW) and crop yield, therefore they have undergone strong selection since cereal was domesticated. Genetic dissection of the two traits will improve yield potential in crops. A quantitative trait locus significantly associated with wheat grain TKW was detected on chromosome 7AS flanked by a simple sequence repeat marker of Wmc17 in Chinese wheat 262 mini‐core collection by genome‐wide association study. Combined with the bulked segregant RNA‐sequencing (BSR‐seq) analysis of an F2 genetic segregation population with extremely different TKW traits, a candidate trehalose‐6‐phosphate phosphatase gene located at 135.0 Mb (CS V1.0), designated as TaTPP‐7A, was identified. This gene was specifically expressed in developing grains and strongly influenced grain filling and size. Overexpression (OE) of TaTPP‐7A in wheat enhanced grain TKW and wheat yield greatly. Detailed analysis revealed that OE of TaTPP‐7A significantly increased the expression levels of starch synthesis‐ and senescence‐related genes involved in abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene pathways. Moreover, most of the sucrose metabolism and starch regulation‐related genes were potentially regulated by SnRK1. In addition, TaTPP‐7A is a crucial domestication‐ and breeding‐targeted gene and it feedback regulates sucrose lysis, flux, and utilization in the grain endosperm mainly through the T6P‐SnRK1 pathway and sugar–ABA interaction. Thus, we confirmed the T6P signalling pathway as the central regulatory system for sucrose allocation and source–sink interactions in wheat grains and propose that the trehalose pathway components have great potential to increase yields in cereal crops.
Minimal invasiveness in lateral bone augmentation with simultaneous implant placement: A systematic review
Authors: Severi Mattia , Trombelli Leonardo , Heitz‐Mayfield Lisa , Farina Roberto , Simonelli Anna
Published: February 2023

The presence of a peri‐implant bone dehiscence (BD) or fenestration (BF) is a common finding after implant placement in a crest with a reduced bucco‐lingual bone dimension. The presence of a residual BD is associated with a relevant incidence of peri‐implant biological complications over time. Guided bone regeneration (GBR), performed at implant placement, is the most validated treatment to correct a BD. In the present systematic review, the evidence evaluating factors which could reduce the invasiveness of a GBR procedure with respect to patient‐reported outcomes, intra‐ and post‐ surgical complications, was summarized. Factors included were: technical aspects, regenerative materials for GBR, and peri‐ and post‐operative pharmacological regimens. The available evidence seems to indicate that the use of membrane fixation and flap passivation by means of a double flap incision technique may reduce the incidence of post‐surgical complications. When feasible, the coronal advancement of the lingual flap is suggested. The use of a non‐cross linked resorbable membrane positively impacts on patient discomfort. The adjunctive use of autogenous bone to a xenograft seems not to improve BD correction, but could increase patient discomfort. Systemic antibiotic administration after a GBR procedure does not seem to be justified in systemically healthy patients.
Development is in the details: Event‐related theta oscillations reveal children and adults verify multiplication facts differently
Authors: Wood Matthew , Grenier Amandine E. , Wicha Nicole Y. Y.
Published: February 2023

When verifying the correctness of single‐digit multiplication problems, children and adults show a robust ERP correctness effect thought to reflect similar cognitive processes across groups. Recent studies suggest that this effect is instead a modulation of the negative‐going N400 component in children, reflecting access to semantic memory, and the positive‐going P300 component in adults, reflecting stimulus categorization. However, the relative difference in ERP amplitude is the same for both components, more positive for correct than incorrect solutions, presenting a challenge to ascertaining the appropriate interpretation. Time‐frequency analysis (TFA) of the N400/P300 window provides an objective approach to dissociating these effects. TFA measured from solution onset during single‐digit multiplication verification revealed significant modulations of event‐related as theta power (3–6 Hz) in both groups. Correct trials elicit less power in children (9–12 years) and more power in adults relative to incorrect trials. These findings are consistent with modulations of the N400 and P300, respectively, where opposite effects were predicted for spectral power. The ERP results further support a reinterpretation of the multiplication correctness effect. In contrast, TFA of the N400 effect elicited to a word‐picture verification task revealed the same event‐related theta effect in both groups, with increased power for mismatched than matched pictures. Together, these findings provide evidence for a developmental shift in cognitive processing specific to the multiplication task. Models of arithmetic should account for this overlooked difference in cognitive processing between children and adults.
Restoration success varies based on time since restoration in a disturbance‐dependent ephemeral wetland ecosystem
Authors: Cayton Heather L. , Haddad Nick M. , Henry Erica H. , Himes Boor Gina K. , Kiekebusch Elsita M. , Morris William F. , Aschehoug Erik T.
Published: February 2023

Habitat restoration frequently focuses on reaching an idealized steady state, but this is unrealistic for disturbance‐dependent ecosystems where temporal variability is inherent and habitat conditions are expected to fluctuate. Understanding the ways in which the outcomes of restoration change over time in disturbance‐dependent ecosystems can better inform adaptive management plans and increase the likelihood that restoration efforts will be effective. We conducted a decade‐long restoration experiment to test how restoration efforts to increase disturbance levels impact habitat quality and populations of an endangered butterfly over time. We show that changes in plant communities as a response to disturbance vary depending on time since restoration, with target host plants initially increasing and peaking several years postrestoration but then declining. In the absence of further disturbance, butterfly population sizes follow a similar pattern, with population declines concurrent with declines in host plants. Due to this nonlinear response, management actions within disturbance‐dependent ecosystems need to include long‐term monitoring in order to accurately capture changes in habitat response, as well as active, adaptive planning that shifts according to current system stability. Restoration efforts within these dynamic habitats are more likely to succeed when temporal variability is explicitly tracked and multiple cycles of restoration are considered as part of management actions.
Powerful stories of local climate action: Comparing the evolution of narratives using the “narrative rate” index
Authors: Nagel Melanie , Schäfer Melanie
Published: February 2023

The complex relationship between local climate action and reducing global emissions is often difficult to grasp and cities might scale back their ambitions if they realize that the way is hard and rocky. We analyze local climate change narratives through the lens of the narrative policy framework (NPF). Following the NPF, policy actors use narratives to communicate information to change an existing system in order to achieve a specific goal. For our study, this implies that local climate action can be improved by using narratives to communicate information to achieve climate neutrality. We focus on the position and interplay of the most important and dominant actors and concepts in the plot of the narratives. To better analyze the main actors and content of the NPF plot in a systematic and comparable way, we offer the “narrative rate index” to dynamically trace the narratives. To include the dynamics and effects of global significant developments in the plots of the NPF narratives, we selected three phases between January 2018 and June 2021. What are the main characters and dominant actors in the plot of the narratives in the two cases? Are the narratives different depending on the context of the city, and are there general observable patterns? Our findings identify the central actors in the narratives of both cities: the science institute in Karlsruhe and the City Administration in Mannheim. Karlsruhe, a climate change pioneer, has slowed down its climate change activities somewhat, while Mannheim is a latecomer with high ambitions.
Anatomy of a diamondiferous gravel barrier spit at the palaeo‐Orange River mouth, south‐western Namibia
Authors: Spaggiari Renato (Spaggs) , Bordy Emese M.
Published: February 2023

The sedimentary facies architecture of a Plio‐Pleistocene diamond‐bearing gravel barrier spit within the palaeo‐Orange River mouth in south‐western Namibia has been revealed during onshore mining activities. Four sedimentary facies associations build this ancient coastal landform and have been interpreted, from a seaward to landward direction, as sediments in: (i) the foreshore, represented by an intertidal beach; (ii) a subtidal spit platform on which the spit developed; (iii) storm‐constructed spit head recurves on the landward side of the spit; and (iv) an estuarine back‐barrier. This sedimentary record reflects an evolving spit that grew in response to a combination of marine and fluvial processes in a wave‐dominated, high‐energy coastal regime. Here, the southern Atlantic Ocean aggressively dispersed sediment delivered by a Plio‐Pleistocene Orange River, ensuring that the fine‐grained sediments were removed to allow only the gravel fraction to build up along the coastline. This extreme dispersal of sediment also precluded the construction of a classic delta; hence sediment storage offshore of the river mouth was limited and spit growth was dependent on the direct supply of river sediment. In response to the intermittent supply of sediment, spit growth and decay alternated during periods of sediment abundance and starvation, respectively. During positive sediment budget, the spit extended northward and cut off parts of the mainland to form an estuarine back‐barrier. Foreshore and spit head progradation was sustained under these conditions, and formed a beach‐ridge plain with a topographic expression of several coast‐parallel ridges that curved at the spit head into the back‐barrier. Spit extension and recurve development were controlled by a combination of high sediment supply, a vigorous longshore drift and powerful waves approaching from various directions. This Plio‐Pleistocene coastal landform in Namibia offers a depositional model relevant to gravel‐dominated barrier spits near river mouths along wave‐dominated clastic coasts.