bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The design of the mixed repetitive sampling plans based on the Cpk index
Authors: Marques Rafaela Aparecida Mendonça , Maciel Aline Cristina , Costa Antonio Fernando Branco , Santos Kleber Roberto da Silva
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This study investigates the repetitive mixed sampling (MRS) plan based on the Cpk index that was proposed by Aslam et al. (2013a). They were the first to study the MRS plan, but they did not pay attention to the fact that submitting to the variable inspection a sample that was first submitted to the attribute inspection, truncates the X observations. In addition, they did not work with an accurate expression to calculate the probabilities of the Cpk statistic.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors presented the results based on their original sampling plan through Monte Carlo simulation and defined the theoretical results of their plan when the sample submitted to the variable inspection is no longer the same one submitted to the attribute inspection.

Findings

The β risks of the optimum sampling plans presented by Aslam et al. (2013a) are pretty high, exceeding 46%, on average – this same problem was also observed in Saminathan and Mahalingam (2018), Balamurali (2020) and Balamurali et al. (2020), where the β risks of their proposed sampling plans are yet higher.

Originality/value

In terms of originality, the authors can declare the following. It is not a big deal to propose new sampling plans, if one does not know how to obtain their properties. The miscalculations of the sampling plans risks are dangerous; imagine the situation where the acceptance of bad lots exceeds 50% just because the sampling plan was incorrectly designed. Yes, it is a big deal to warn that this type of problem is arising in a growing number of papers. The authors of this study are the pioneers to discover that many studies focusing on the sampling plans need to be urgently revised.
Perceived brand localness of foreign brands and its impacts on brand trust and purchase intentions in developing countries in Asia: a social identity theory perspective
Authors: Han C. Min , Nam Hyojin , Swanepoel Danielle
Published: July 2023

Purpose

The study draws primarily on social identity theory and conceptualizes perceived brand localness (PBL) as a signal of in-group membership to local consumers and investigates how it affects consumer trust and purchase intentions for foreign brands in developing countries in Asia. In addition, the authors examine boundary conditions for these hypothesized PBL effects.

Design/methodology/approach

Using consumer survey data from three countries in Southeast Asia (the Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar), the authors empirically validate the positive effects of PBL on consumer trust and purchase intentions for foreign brands in developing countries.

Findings

The findings support the social identity theory conceptualization of PBL for foreign brands, in which it can create identification-based trust (Tanis and Postmes, 2005) and active ownership through a process of self-stereotyping (van Veelen et al., 2015).

Originality/value

The findings suggest that social identity theory can be a promising theoretical framework for conceptualizing PBL and gaining a deeper insight into its mechanization and how it impacts consumers.
How does an imaginary persona's attractiveness affect designers' perceptions and IT solutions? An experimental study on users' remote working needs
Authors: Salminen Joni , Santos João M. , Jung Soon-gyo , Jansen Bernard J.
Published: July 2023

Purpose

The “what is beautiful is good” (WIBIG) effect implies that observers tend to perceive physically attractive people in a positive light. The authors investigate how the WIBIG effect applies to user personas, measuring designers' perceptions and task performance when employing user personas for the design of information technology (IT) solutions.

Design/methodology/approach

In a user experiment, the authors tested six different personas with 235 participants that were asked to develop remote work solutions based on their interaction with a fictitious user persona.

Findings

The findings showed that a user persona's perceived attractiveness was positively correlated with other perceptions of the persona. The personas' completeness, credibility, empathy, likability and usefulness increased with attractiveness. More attractive personas were also perceived as more agreeable, emotionally stable, extraverted and open, and the participants spent more time engaging with personas they perceived attractive. A linguistic analysis indicated that the IT solutions created for more attractive user personas demonstrated a higher degree of affect, but for the most part, task outputs did not vary by the personas' perceived attractiveness.

Research limitations/implications

The WIBIG effect applies when designing IT solutions with user personas, but its effect on task outputs appears limited. The perceived attractiveness of a user persona can impact how designers interact with and engage with the persona, which can influence the quality or the type of the IT solutions created based on the persona. Also, the findings point to the need to incorporate hedonic qualities into the persona creation process. For example, there may be contexts where it is helpful that the personas be attractive; there may be contexts where the attractiveness of the personas is unimportant or even a distraction.

Practical implications

The findings point to the need to incorporate hedonic qualities into the persona creation process. For example, there may be contexts where it is helpful that the personas be attractive; there may be contexts where the attractiveness of the personas is unimportant or even a distraction.

Originality/value

Because personas are created to closely resemble real people, the authors might expect the WIBIG effect to apply. The WIBIG effect might lead decision makers to favor more attractive personas when designing IT solutions. However, despite its potential relevance for decision making with personas, as far as the authors know, no prior study has investigated whether the WIBIG effect extends to the context of personas. Overall, it is important to understand how human factors apply to IT system design with personas, so that the personas can be created to minimize potentially detrimental effects as much as possible.
Discriminating factors in financial risk tolerance: investors' economic perspective
Authors: Chhatoi Biswajit Prasad , Mohanty Munmun
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to identify the variables responsible for classifying the investors into risk takers (RT) and risk avoiders (RA) across their economic perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

The research offers a novel and unobtrusive measure of classifying investors into RT and RA based on a set of financial risk tolerance (FRT) questions. The authors have investigated the causes of discrimination across economic perspectives over a sample of 552 investors exposed to market risk.

Findings

The authors identify that out of the total of 11 risk assessment variables, only three are responsible for classifying investors into RA and RT. The variables are risk return trade-off, comfort level dealing with risk, and understanding short-term volatility. Financial literacy is considered as an emerging cause of discrimination. Further, the authors highlight the most striking finding to be the discriminating factors across wealth and source of income of the investors.

Originality/value

Existing research on FRT can be loosely segregated into three groups: the relationship between an individual's financial and non-FRT, estimation of FRT score (FRTS), and perceived self-assessed FRTS. The current research roughly falls into the third category of study where the authors have not only studied the self-assessed risk tolerance but also evaluated the predictors. Most of the studies have focussed on estimating self-assessed FRT with the help of one direct question to the respondent. However, the uniqueness of this study is that the researchers have used an instrument comprising a series of direct and indirect questions that can easily estimate the self-assessed risk perception and also discriminate the role of the economic factors that have any impact on self-assessed FRTS.
Entrepreneurial retirement and family business: a perspective article
Authors: Stephens Simon
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This paper highlights the need for studies that explore the experiences of entrepreneurs based in a family business setting who are considering retirement.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on a concise review of the literature.

Findings

Retirement planning and subsequent succession management is a significant event in a family business and is an issue that requires research that captures and interprets the perspectives of the different stakeholders.

Originality/value

This paper synthesizes existing research on retirement in an entrepreneurial context, with an emphasis on family business and proposes three key areas of research.
How overqualified teams motivate members to explore the external environment – the mediating role of change self-efficacy
Authors: Yang Ye , Yuan Ling , Zhuo Fanchao , Liu Ziyi
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Much of the research on overqualification has focused on the negative effects at the individual level. However, in the face of the increasing tendency to recruit overqualified employees, managing the perception of team overqualification can be effective in motivating team members in the current complex and changing business environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the person–environment fit theory, this study examines how team overqualification affects employees' change self-efficacy and how it further motivates employees to engage in strategic scanning behavior toward proactive external information gathering and analysis. The data collection for this study was divided into two stages, spaced three months apart. The analysis of questionnaire data from 290 employees and 72 supervisors confirmed the theoretical hypothesis of this study.

Findings

When employees perceive a higher level of team overqualification, they will generate more strategic scanning behavior. And the change self-efficacy plays a mediating role between team overqualification and strategic scanning behavior and thus team members actively seek information from the external environment to develop future plans and work strategies. Meanwhile, transformational leadership positively moderates this process.

Originality/value

Firstly, this study extends the positive manifestations of overqualification at the team level. Secondly, this study verifies that change self-efficacy mediates the relationship between team overqualification and strategic scanning, enriching the research on the antecedent and outcome variables of change self-efficacy. Finally, this study verified that the interaction effect of transformational leadership and team overqualification had an impact on employee strategic scanning behavior through change self-efficacy.
The influence of internal audit departments on external municipal audit reports
Authors: Lopes Catarina , Almeida Bruno , Leite Joana , Morais Maria
Published: July 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the voluntary implementation of an internal audit department (IAD) by municipalities has any influence on external auditors' opinions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study population comprises the 308 Portuguese municipalities, from which the authors extracted a sample of 179. Financial and audit reports were collected from the period under analysis (2014–2017). The sample was then divided into two groups: municipalities that had voluntarily implemented an IAD and those that had not. Internal audit departments were characterized according to their robustness – whether they were more or less robust. First, a descriptive statistical analysis of the dataset was performed to analyze the representativeness of the sample and to extract insights. To address the research questions, ordinal random effect regression models were considered.

Findings

Contrary to the authors' expectations, the voluntary implementation of an IAD had no influence on the audit report type. However, when the authors refined the approach to include the robustness of the IAD, it became clear that this variable does influence the report issued by the external auditor.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the current literature by determining the effects of the robustness of IADs on municipality audit reports. As far as the authors know, this paper is novel. Since auditing plays an important role in the transparency of public financial statements and in promoting equity, this study shows that a robust IAD is an advantage in the pursuit of these goals.
The role of cuteness on consumer attachment to artificial intelligence agents
Authors: Yim Alexis , Cui Annie Peng , Walsh Michael
Published: July 2023

Purpose

This paper identifies the effects of different dimensions of the cuteness (i.e. baby schema cuteness and whimsical cuteness) of artificial intelligence (AI) agents on attachment to them. In addition, the current paper examines the consequences of the attachment to AI agents.

Design/methodology/approach

A pretest to validate the measurement scale for the attachment to AI agents and a survey study were conducted with AI agent users. The authors used structural equation modeling to analyze the data for hypothesis testing.

Findings

The baby schema and whimsical cuteness of AI agents drive consumers to develop stronger attachments to their AI agents. This is because consumers perceive cute AI agents as being more trustworthy. As a result, consumers who feel attached to their AI agents are more inclined to report higher satisfaction and commitment levels. They are also more likely to purchase products or services recommended by their AI agents and use them more frequently.

Originality/value

Despite the growing popularity of AI agents, there is a lack of understanding regarding which characteristics of AI agents affect consumer behavior. Therefore, this research examines how the attribute of cuteness influences consumers' attachment to AI agents and subsequently affects their satisfaction and purchase intention toward products recommended by AI agents. Our study demonstrates that the element of cuteness in AI agents plays a crucial role in shaping perceptions of benevolence trustworthiness, as well as fostering users' attachment to AI agents. Furthermore, we observe positive consumer behaviors as a result of their attachment to AI agents. The findings from this study provide valuable insights for practitioners on how to effectively utilize cuteness in AI agents.
A longitudinal study of seaport selection: the perspective of container shipping companies
Authors: Sim Min-Seop , Kim Sung-Ho , Kim Yul-Seong , Seo Young-Joon
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Competition among seaports is rapidly increasing due to various factors such as the global recession, resurgence of COVID-19, tight environmental regulations of IMO, sharp rise in ocean freight charges, increasing global uncertainties and growth in ship sizes. It is essential to have precise knowledge of shipping companies' port selection factors to secure the competitive advantage of seaports. This study aims to empirically analyze recent changes in the importance of port selection factors.

Design/methodology/approach

By employing a longitudinal study, this study conducted the t-test analysis. The first survey was conducted from January 2005 to April 2005. Then, the second survey was conducted in May 2021.

Findings

First, the importance of port facilities (berth length and the number of berths, shed and terminal areas, possession of adequate equipment and maximum berth size) increased significantly. Second, while ship and cargo safety were the critical port service factors in previous studies, speed, flexibility and reliability for handling cargo and berthing schedule were found to be crucial in this study. Third, the importance of ship arrival/departure frequency, route diversity and ship arrival/departure information systems increased when shipping companies selected the port.

Originality/value

This study has academic significance in that it reveals the changing importance of port selection factors in the 2020s and has taken the form of a longitudinal study on the importance of port selection factors from 2005 to 2021, moving beyond the cross-sectional approach. This study can provide valuable insights into and implications for port policymakers and managers when developing and formulating port policies and strategies.
Elevational variations in stem hydraulic efficiency and safety of Abies fabri
Authors: Tang Zishu , Zhai Biying , Wang Genxu , Gessler Arthur , Sun Shouqin , Hu Zhaoyong
Published: July 2023

The structural and functional traits of coniferous trees can reflect their growth states and adaptive strategies to a harsh environment. However, it is still unclear if and how hydraulic traits of subalpine conifers change with altitude.

Therefore, the changes in stem hydraulic characteristics of Abies fabri along an elevational gradient (2700–3700 m a.s.l.) were identified in a subalpine ecosystem in southwest China and linked to anatomical properties.

Xylem hydraulic efficiency decreased with increasing elevation. Surprisingly, higher hydraulic dysfunction and vulnerability to embolism occurred at higher altitudes. The trade‐off between hydraulic efficiency and safety was weak in A. fabri at higher elevations. Low temperature and superfluous precipitation may be the main constraints for hydraulic function and mechanical strength ((t/b)2)) in plants at high elevations (p < 0.05). The strongly limited hydraulic transport system reflected the severe growth constraint of A. fabri at high elevations. Although series of anatomical traits varied with elevation (e.g. smaller mean diameter of tracheid, mean hydraulic conduit diameter and mean pit aperture diameter at higher altitude) and revealed the adaptive strategies to enhance embolism resistance, thickness‐to‐span ratio ((t/b)2) played a dominant role in the trade‐off between hydraulic efficiency and safety. Thickness‐to‐span ratio was positively correlated with stem hydraulic conductivity but negatively correlated with percent loss of conductivity and water potential at 50% loss of conductivity, (t/b)2 and specific leaf area. Therefore, plants with better hydraulic and growth states at low elevations could allocate more resources to building up solid mechanical supporting systems to cope with high wind load, while those at high elevations with impaired growth states and limited hydraulic functions had to invest more resources in leaves under the harsh environment. The weak trade‐off between hydraulic efficiency and safety (lower hydraulic efficiency and high risk of embolism) could limit the growth and distribution of A. fabri at timberlines; however, global warming trends may facilitate hydraulic transport and benefit plants' growth in the future.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Enrichment of native plastic‐associated biofilm communities to enhance polyester degrading activity
Authors: Howard Sophie A. , Carr Clodagh M. , Sbahtu Habteab Isaack , Onwukwe Uchechukwu , López Maria J. , Dobson Alan D. W. , McCarthy Ronan R.
Published: July 2023

Plastic pollution is an increasing worldwide problem urgently requiring a solution. While recycling rates are increasing globally, only 9% of all plastic waste has been recycled, and with the cost and limited downstream uses of recycled plastic, an alternative is needed. Here, we found that expanded polystyrene (EPS) promoted high levels of bacterial biofilm formation and sought out environmental EPS waste to characterize these native communities. We demonstrated that the EPS attached communities had limited plastic degrading activity. We then performed a long‐term enrichment experiment where we placed a robust selection pressure on these communities by limiting carbon availability such that the waste plastic was the only carbon source. Seven of the resulting enriched bacterial communities had increased plastic degrading activity compared to the starting bacterial communities. Pseudomonas stutzeri was predominantly identified in six of the seven enriched communities as the strongest polyester degrader. Sequencing of one isolate of P. stutzeri revealed two putative polyesterases and one putative MHETase. This indicates that waste plastic‐associated biofilms are a source for bacteria that have plastic‐degrading potential, and that this potential can be unlocked through selective pressure and further in vitro enrichment experiments, resulting in biodegradative communities that are better than nature.
Detection of fentanyl, synthetic opioids, and ketamine in hair specimens from purposive samples of American and Italian populations
Authors: Salomone Alberto , Galletto Martina , Massano Marta , Di Corcia Daniele , Palamar Joseph J. , Vincenti Marco
Published: July 2023

With the current crisis related to the diffusion of fentanyl and other novel opioids in several countries and populations, new and effective approaches are needed to better elucidate the phenomenon. In this context, hair testing offers a unique perspective in the investigation of drug consumption, producing useful information in terms of exposure to psychoactive substances. In this research, we applied targeted ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) analytical methods to detect novel synthetic and prescription opioids and other common controlled psychoactive drugs in the keratin matrix. A total of 120 hair samples were analyzed from the United States (US) and Italy, segmented when longer than 6 cm, and then analyzed. In the 60 samples (83 segments in total) analyzed from a purposive sample of data collected in the US, fentanyl was detected in 14 cases (16.9%), with no detection of nitazens or brorphine. We also detected fentanyl metabolites, despropionyl‐p‐fluorofentanyl, and prescription opioids. In the 60 samples collected in Italy (91 segments in total), ketamine was the most prevalent compound detected (in 41 cases; 45.1%), with ketamine demonstrating a strong correlation with detection of amphetamines and MDMA, likely due to co‐use of these substances in recreational contexts. Several common drugs were also detected but no exposure to fentanyl or its analogs were detected. Results of this retrospective exploration of drug use add to increasing evidence that hair testing can serve as a useful adjunct to epidemiology studies that seek to determine biologically confirmed use and exposure in high‐risk populations.
Impact of tourism on the vigilance behavior of the Cyprus rock agama (Laudakia cypriaca)
Authors: GOLAWSKI Artur , CHARALAMBIDOU Iris , GOLAWSKA Sylwia
Published: July 2023

Escape behavior is a common antipredator strategy among wild animals. Here, we investigated the effect of four factors on the vigilance behavior of the endemic Cyprus rock agama (Laudakia cypriaca). Flight initiation distance (FID, the minimum distance to which an observer can approach a lizard before it flees) was measured in relation to the type of location (tourist vs. nontourist area), the observer's starting distance, air temperature, and substrate temperature. We collected data for 39 agamas in tourist areas and 34 of these lizards in nontourist areas. As a whole, the mean starting distance was 10.5 m and the FID was 3.6 m. The average substrate temperature was 34.0°C and the average air temperature 29.6°C. Only the type of area affected the agamas’ escape decisions with FID being 1.8 m shorter in tourist areas than in nontourist areas (2.7 m vs. 4.5 m). This is probably due to the habituation of lizards to the presence of humans in the former areas. This study shows that tourism strongly affects the behavior of lizards, which may have consequences for the functioning of the population. Tourists can increase the safety of lizards by creating a human shield to deter predators. Once the tourist season is over, lizards may become more vulnerable to predators.
A comprehensive framework for detecting copy number variants from single nucleotide polymorphism data: ‘rCNV’, a versatile r package for paralogue and CNV detection
Authors: Karunarathne Piyal , Zhou Qiujie , Schliep Klaus , Milesi Pascal
Published: July 2023

Recent studies have highlighted the significant role of copy number variants (CNVs) in phenotypic diversity, environmental adaptation and species divergence across eukaryotes. The presence of CNVs also has the potential to introduce genotyping biases, which can pose challenges to accurate population and quantitative genetic analyses. However, detecting CNVs in genomes, particularly in non‐model organisms, presents a formidable challenge. To address this issue, we have developed a statistical framework and an accompanying r software package that leverage allelic‐read depth from single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data for accurate CNV detection. Our framework capitalises on two key principles. First, it exploits the distribution of allelic‐read depth ratios in heterozygotes for individual SNPs by comparing it against an expected distribution based on binomial sampling. Second, it identifies SNPs exhibiting an apparent excess of heterozygotes under Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. By employing multiple statistical tests, our method not only enhances sensitivity to sampling effects but also effectively addresses reference biases, resulting in optimised SNP classification. Our framework is compatible with various NGS technologies (e.g. RADseq, Exome‐capture). This versatility enables CNV calling from genomes of diverse complexities. To streamline the analysis process, we have implemented our framework in the user‐friendly r package ‘rCNV’, which automates the entire workflow seamlessly. We trained our models using simulated data and validated their performance on four datasets derived from different sequencing technologies, including RADseq (Chinook salmon—Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), Rapture (American lobster—Homarus americanus), Exome‐capture (Norway spruce—Picea abies) and WGS (Malaria mosquito—Anopheles gambiae).
HMSS2: An advanced tool for the analysis of sulphur metabolism, including organosulphur compound transformation, in genome and metagenome assemblies
Authors: Tanabe Tomohisa Sebastian , Dahl Christiane
Published: July 2023

The global sulphur cycle has implications for human health, climate change, biogeochemistry and bioremediation. The organosulphur compounds that participate in this cycle not only represent a vast reservoir of sulphur but are also used by prokaryotes as sources of energy and/or carbon. Closely linked to the inorganic sulphur cycle, it involves the interaction of prokaryotes, eukaryotes and chemical processes. However, ecological and evolutionary studies of the conversion of organic sulphur compounds are hampered by the poor conservation of the relevant pathways and their variation even within strains of the same species. In addition, several proteins involved in the conversion of sulphonated compounds are related to proteins involved in sulphur dissimilation or turnover of other compounds. Therefore, the enzymes involved in the metabolism of organic sulphur compounds are usually not correctly annotated in public databases. To address this challenge, we have developed HMSS2, a profiled Hidden Markov Model‐based tool for rapid annotation and synteny analysis of organic and inorganic sulphur cycle proteins in prokaryotic genomes. Compared to its previous version (HMS‐S‐S), HMSS2 includes several new features. HMM‐based annotation is now supported by nonhomology criteria and covers the metabolic pathways of important organosulphur compounds, including dimethylsulphoniopropionate, taurine, isethionate, and sulphoquinovose. In addition, the calculation speed has been increased by a factor of four and the available output formats have been extended to include iTol compatible data sets, and customized sequence FASTA files.
Efficacy of different lures for Phloeosinus aubei and other native and exotic bark and ambrosia beetles
Authors: Fiala Tomáš , Pyszko Petr , Holuša Jaroslav
Published: July 2023

Phloeosinus aubei is invasive in Central Europe, spreading northward from the Mediterranean region because of climate change. P. aubei has the potential to become a pest of mature, naturally occurring juniper trees (Juniperus communis) in protected areas, as well as junipers, thujas and cypresses in nurseries and urban environments. In 2020 and 2021, we conducted two experiments to compare various lures for trapping P. aubei. In the first experiment, we compared four lures: α‐pinene; turpentine; a mixture of cade oil, juniper berry oil and ethanol; and a juniper branch (8–10 cm long, 3–5 cm wide) deployed with ethanol. In the second experiment, we compared Hostowit® with a juniper branch (8–10 cm long, 3–5 cm wide) deployed with ethanol. In both experiments, juniper branches deployed with ethanol attracted a greater number of P. aubei beetles compared to the other lures. In total, we captured 1056 individuals belonging to 36 species of Scolytinae. Among the most abundant species, Xyleborinus saxesenii, Xyleborus monographus and Anisandrus dispar were lured by ethanol in combination with other substances or deployed with juniper branches. Xyleborus dryographus showed a positive association with turpentine. Ips typographus was positively associated with α‐pinene, while Orthotomicus laricis, Hylastes attenuatus and Gnathotrichus materiarius were positively associated with Hostowit® lure.
Intronic variants of LGALS13 gene encoding placental protein (PP13) are linked with increased risk of infection‐associated spontaneous preterm birth
Authors: Bhati Tanu , Ray Ankita , Arora Renu , Siraj Fouzia , Parvez Suhel , Rastogi Sangita
Published: July 2023

Problem

Spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) is a global health issue. Studies suggest infection and infection‐based inflammatory responses are major risk factors for sPTB. Considering the important role of anti‐inflammatory proteins in pregnancy, the study aimed to find the association between anti‐inflammatory LGALS13 gene variants IVS2‐22 A/G (rs2233706) and IVS3+72 T/A (rs2233708) and the risk of sPTB during Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum infection in Indian population.

Method of study

Placental samples of 160 sPTB and 160 term women were collected. Pathogens were detected by PCR. The genotyping of LGALS13 gene variants IVS2‐22 A/G (rs2233706) and IVS3+72 T/A (rs2233708) was done by qualitative real‐time PCR using allelic discrimination method (VIC‐ and FAM‐labeled).

Results

The frequency of AG or GG genotype of LGALS13 IVS2‐22A/G polymorphism (rs2233706) was 75.5% in infected sPTB cases and 14.4% in uninfected sPTB cases and 7.3% in term birth controls (p < .0001), while the frequency of TA or AA genotype of LGALS13 IVS3+72T/A polymorphism (rs2233708) was 83.6% in infected sPTB cases and 18% in uninfected sPTB cases and 12.7% in term birth controls (p < .0001). The genotypic frequencies for both the variants of LGALS13 were statistically significant (p < .0001) in the infected sPTB versus uninfected sPTB and term birth controls.

Conclusions

Study reveals strong association between the presence of immunological gene variants LGALS13 IVS2‐22 A/G (rs2233706) and LGALS13 IVS3+72 T/A (rs2233708) and risk of sPTB during C. trachomatis, M. hominis and U. urealyticum infection.
Design and characteristics of the prophylactic intra‐operative ventricular arrhythmia ablation in high‐risk LVAD candidates (PIVATAL) trial
Authors: Huang David T. , Gosev Igor , Wood Katherine L. , Vidula Hima , Stevenson William , Marchlinski Frank , Supple Gregory , Zalawadiya Sandip K. , Weiss J. Peter , Tung Roderick , Tzou Wendy S. , Moss Joshua D. , Kancharla Krishna , Chaudhry Sunit‐Preet , Patel Parin J. , Khan Arfaat M. , Schuger Claudio , Rozen Guy , Kiernan Michael S. , Couper Gregory S. , Leacche Marzia , Molina Ezequiel J. , Shah Anand D. , Lloyd Michael , Sroubek Jakub , Soltesz Edward , Shivkumar Kalyanam , White Casey , Tankut Sinan , Johnson Brent A. , McNitt Scott , Kutyifa Valentina , Zareba Wojciech , Goldenberg Ilan
Published: July 2023

Background

The use of a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) in patients with advanced heart failure refractory to optimal medical management has progressed steadily over the past two decades. Data have demonstrated reduced LVAD efficacy, worse clinical outcome, and higher mortality for patients who experience significant ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VTA). We hypothesize that a novel prophylactic intra‐operative VTA ablation protocol at the time of LVAD implantation may reduce the recurrent VTA and adverse events postimplant.

Methods

We designed a prospective, multicenter, open‐label, randomized‐controlled clinical trial enrolling 100 patients who are LVAD candidates with a history of VTA in the previous 5 years. Enrolled patients will be randomized in a 1:1 fashion to intra‐operative VTA ablation (n = 50) versus conventional medical management (n = 50) with LVAD implant. Arrhythmia outcomes data will be captured by an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to monitor VTA events, with a uniform ICD programming protocol. Patients will be followed prospectively over a mean of 18 months (with a minimum of 9 months) after LVAD implantation to evaluate recurrent VTA, adverse events, and procedural outcomes. Secondary endpoints include right heart function/hemodynamics, healthcare utilization, and quality of life.

Conclusion

The primary aim of this first‐ever randomized trial is to assess the efficacy of intra‐operative ablation during LVAD surgery in reducing VTA recurrence and improving clinical outcomes for patients with a history of VTA.
Syn‐ and post‐rift lower crustal flow under the Sunda Shelf, southern Vietnam: A role for climatically modulated erosion
Authors: Clift Peter D. , Wilson Leora J.
Published: July 2023

Tectonic subsidence on rifted, passive continental margins are largely controlled by patterns of extension and the nature of strain partitioning in the lithosphere. The Sunda Shelf, adjacent to the SW South China Sea, is characterized by deep basins linked to regional Cenozoic extension associated with propagating seafloor spreading caused by slab pull from the south. Analysis of seismic reflection profiles and drilled sections crossing the Nam Con Son and Cuu Long basins highlight Oligocene extension, with most of the thinning concentrated in the ductile mid‐lower crust. Upper crustal extension was modest and ductile flow is inferred to be directed northwestwards, towards the oceanic crust. Basin inversion occurred in the Mid Miocene, associated with the collision of the Dangerous Grounds Block and Borneo. Subsequent accelerated tectonic subsidence exceeded predictions from uniform extension models assumed to relate to extensional collapse after inversion. We correlate this to a period of faster erosion onshore driven by strong monsoon rains in Indochina and Peninsular Thailand at that time. Erosion of the onshore basement, inducing rock uplift and coupled with loading of the basins offshore, drives ductile mid‐lower crustal flow, likely to the northeast under Indochina, and/or to the west where Plio‐Pleistocene subsidence of the shelf is very slow. Significant sediment delivery from the Mekong River into the Cuu Long Basin began in the Late Miocene and migrated seawards as the basin filled. Mass balancing suggests that the basins of this part of the Sunda Shelf are filled through erosion of bedrock sources around the Gulf of Thailand. There is no need for sediment delivery from a major river draining the Tibetan Plateau to account for the deposited volumes.
Health inequalities in the geographic distribution of dental practitioners in Costa Rica: An ecological study
Authors: Barboza‐Solis Cristina , Barahona‐Cubillo Juan , Fantin Romain
Published: July 2023

Objective

The uneven distribution of dental health services in a territory can cause an imbalance in accessibility, increasing health inequalities. This study aimed to describe the geographical distribution of dental health practitioners according to urbanicity and area‐level socio‐economic status in Costa Rica.

Methods

A National Dentist Survey was developed to identify employment status, number of working hours, address and list of the working clinics. Data was completed using information from the national College of Surgeons, including all Costa Rican dentists. The Minimal Geographic Units (MGU) allowed for aggregating the population's individual level socio‐economic position. Local Potential Accessibility (LPA) calculated the density of full‐time hour's equivalents around each MGU using floating sectors. Clinics were geocoded using Geographic Information Systems, creating 2853 clinical points. Distance between each MGU and the nearest accessible clinics considering full‐time working hours equivalents was estimated. MGU were divided into six categories: ‘No accessibility’, ‘Very low accessibility’, ‘Low accessibility’, ‘Good accessibility’ ‘High accessibility’ and ‘Very high accessibility’.

Results

Mean national LPA was 6.5 full‐time equivalents per 10 000 inhabitants, 3.4% of the Costa Rican population had no access to dentist; 12.9% had very low accessibility, 22.7% had low accessibility, 35.0% had good accessibility, 16.2% had high accessibility, and 9.8% had very high accessibility. Overall, 39% of the population has a rather low accessibility. LPA was higher in urban districts compared to rural districts and in wealthiest districts compared to most disadvantaged districts. Within districts, after adjustment for district's characteristics, LPA was higher in urban MGU compared to rural MGU and in wealthiest MGU compared to most disadvantaged MGU.

Conclusions

This study found that despite having a high number of dentists, their numbers are small in many areas, increasing inequalities in access to health care. The dentist's free establishment, where they can decide to provide private services within a community, creates zones with very high densities, in particular in the wealthiest urban areas, and others with very low densities, in particular the poorest rural areas. The lack of territorial planning has been one of the reasons that has encouraged an imbalance in the availability of dental human resources. To achieve effective universal health coverage, public institutions should focus their efforts on improving access to dental services in underserved areas.
Paediatric phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma: A clinical update
Authors: Nazari Matthew A. , Jha Abhishek , Kuo Mickey J. M. , Patel Mayank , Prodanov Tamara , Rosenblum Jared S. , Talvacchio Sara , Derkyi Alberta , Charles Kailah , Pacak Karel
Published: July 2023

Paediatric phaeochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs), though rare tumours, are associated with significant disability and death in the most vulnerable of patients early in their lives. However, unlike cryptogenic and insidious disease states, the clinical presentation of paediatric patients with PPGLs can be rather overt, allowing early diagnosis, granted that salient findings are recognized. Additionally, with prompt and effective intervention, prognosis is favourable if timely intervention is implemented. For this reason, this review focuses on four exemplary paediatric cases, succinctly emphasizing the now state‐of‐the‐art concepts in paediatric PPGL management.
Cuproptosis facilitates immune activation but promotes immune escape, and a machine learning–based cuproptosis‐related signature is identified for predicting prognosis and immunotherapy response of gliomas
Authors: Feng Shi , Zhang Yonggang , Zhu Hua , Jian Zhihong , Zeng Zhi , Ye Yingze , Li Yina , Smerin Daniel , Zhang Xu , Zou Ning , Gu Lijuan , Xiong Xiaoxing
Published: July 2023

Aims

Cell death, except for cuproptosis, in gliomas has been extensively studied, providing novel targets for immunotherapy by reshaping the tumor immune microenvironment through multiple mechanisms. This study aimed to explore the effect of cuproptosis on the immune microenvironment and its predictive power in prognosis and immunotherapy response.

Methods

Eight glioma cohorts were included in this study. We employed the unsupervised clustering algorithm to identify novel cuproptosis clusters and described their immune microenvironmental characteristics, mutation landscape, and altered signaling pathways. We verified the correlation among FDX1, SLC31A1, and macrophage infiltration in 56 glioma tissues. Next, based on multicenter cohorts and 10 machine learning algorithms, we constructed an artificial intelligence–driven cuproptosis‐related signature named CuproScore.

Results

Our findings suggested that glioma patients with high levels of cuproptosis had a worse prognosis owing to immunosuppression caused by unique immune escape mechanisms. Meanwhile, we experimentally validated the positive association between cuproptosis and macrophages and its tumor‐promoting mechanism in vitro. Furthermore, our CuproScore exhibited powerful and robust prognostic predictive ability. It was also capable of predicting response to immunotherapy and chemotherapy drug sensitivity.

Conclusions

Cuproptosis facilitates immune activation but promotes immune escape. The CuproScore could predict prognosis and immunotherapy response in gliomas.
Photography in dermatology ‐ a scoping review: Practices, skin of color, patient preferences, and medical‐legal considerations
Authors: Kashetsky Nadia , Mar Kristie , Liu Chaocheng , Rivers Jason K , Mukovozov Ilya
Published: July 2023

Clinical photography is essential in dermatology. However, a comprehensive literature review of photography in dermatology is lacking. This scoping review aims to summarize the literature regarding photography practices in dermatology, photography of skin of color, patient preferences, and medical‐legal considerations. A search was conducted utilizing Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Evidence Based Medicine databases in accordance with the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews. In total, 33 studies were summarized. Clinical photography is commonly used in biopsy site marking, assessment, diagnosis, disease monitoring, evaluation of treatment response, medical education, research, seeking advice from colleagues, and teledermatology. Although dermatologic photography remains devoid of skin of color representation, photographic considerations for darker skin are available. Most patients support medical photography, with a preference for clinical photographs to be taken by their own physicians, and for use of clinic/hospital‐owned cameras over personal devices. Pertinent medical‐legal issues include concerns around privacy, personal device use, and documentation of consent. Photography in dermatology is continuously evolving with broader applications. Improved practices and innovations will benefit individuals of various skin tones. Management of consent and privacy must be upheld to sustain the increasing ease of image capture and sharing.
Simultaneous establishment of pancreatic cancer organoid and cancer‐associated fibroblast using a single‐pass endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle biopsy specimen
Authors: Kim Seokhwi , Woo Kyoung Jin , Yang Chan Mo , Park So Hyun , Hwang Jae Chul , Yoo Byung Moo , Kim Jin Hong , Lee Dakeun , Yang Min Jae
Published: July 2023

Considering the critical roles of cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in pancreatic cancer, recent studies have attempted to incorporate stromal elements into organoid models to recapitulate the tumor microenvironment. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of patient‐derived organoid (PDO) and CAF cultures by using single‐pass endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle biopsy (EUS‐FNB) samples from prospectively enrolled pancreatic cancer patients. The obtained samples were split into two portions for PDO and CAF cultures. PDOs and CAFs were cultured successfully in 54.4% (31/57) and 47.4% (27/57) of the cases, respectively. Both components were established in 21 cases (36.8%). Various clinicopathologic factors, including the tumor size, tumor location, clinical stage, histologic subtype, and tumor differentiation, did not influence the PDO establishment. Instead, the presence of necrosis in tumor samples was associated with initial PDO generation but no further propagation beyond passage 5 (P = 0.024). The “poorly cohesive cell carcinoma pattern” also negatively influenced the PDO establishment (P = 0.018). Higher stromal proportion in tumor samples was a decisive factor for successful CAF culture (P = 0.005). Our study demonstrated that the coestablishment of PDOs and CAFs is feasible even with a single‐pass EUS‐FNB sample, implying an expanding role of endoscopists in future precision medicine.
Association between the use of lipid‐lowering drugs and the risk of inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Liu Xuxu , Lv Zhenyi , Xie Zhihong , Wang Qiang , Yao Wenchao , Yu Jingjing , Jing Qingxu , Meng Xianzhi , Ma Biao , Xue Dongbo , Hao Chenjun
Published: July 2023

Background

Observational studies have suggested an association between lipid‐lowering drugs and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) risk. This study aimed to assess the causal influence of lipid‐lowering agents on IBD risk using Mendelian randomization analysis.

Method

In a population of 173,082 individuals of European ancestry, 55 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms were identified as instrumental variables for 6 lipid‐lowering drug targets (HMGCR, NPC1LC, PCSK9, LDLR, CETP and APOB). Summary statistics for the genome‐wide association study of IBD, ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) were obtained from the FinnGen consortium, Program in Complex Trait Genomics and UK Biobank. Inverse‐variance weighted was employed as the primary MR method, and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals were reported as the results. Sensitivity analyses using conventional MR methods were conducted to assess result robustness.

Results

Gene‐proxied inhibition of Niemann‐Pick C1‐like 1 (NPC1L1) was associated with an increased IBD risk (OR [95% CI]: 2.31 [1.38, 3.85]; p = .001), particularly in UC (OR [95% CI]: 2.40 [1.21, 4.74], p = .012), but not in CD. This finding was replicated in the validation cohort. Additionally, gene‐proxied inhibition of low‐density lipoprotein receptor was associated with reduced IBD (OR [95% CI]: .72 [.60, .87], p < .001) and UC risk (OR [95% CI]: .74 [.59, .92], p = .006), although this result was not replicated in the validation cohort. Other drug targets did not show significant associations with IBD, UC or CD risk.

Conclusion

Inhibition of the lipid‐lowering drug‐target NPC1L1 leads to an increased IBD risk, mainly in the UC population.