bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bridges: a tourist attraction and iconic element at urban cities’ tourism promotion websites
Authors: Florido-Benítez Lázaro
Published: August 2023

Purpose

The nuclear purpose of this research paper is to analyse representative bridges around the world as a tourist attraction and iconic element through destination marketing organisations’ (DMOs’) tourism official websites where these are localised and three online travel agencies’ (OTAs’) websites.

Design/methodology/approach

This research used a mixed method. The author carried out Google research (13 March 2023) that included the following search word string “iconic bridges around the world” and “the most famous bridges worldwide” to select the most relevant bridges around the globe. Moreover, this research used a content analysis to examine how Expedia, Booking and Orbitz OTAs promote the bridges through their websites in terms of a tourist attraction, iconic element, tourist package, images and information.

Findings

Findings suggest that the most representative bridges analysed in this study are promoted as iconic element and tourist attraction through DMOs’ websites. Nevertheless, Booking, Expedia and Orbitz OTAs promote and sell products and services related to bridges selected, except in the case of the Millau Viaduct in France, the Si-O-Se-Pol bridge in Iran, the Danyang Kunshan Grand bridge in China and the Royal Gorge in the USA. Furthermore, results support that OTAs need to enhance the quality and variety of products and services that are linked to iconic bridges sightseeing tours because at the moment, there is a great uniformity in the promotion of products and services provided.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to broader debates in the importance of bridges as a tourist attraction and iconic element to attract tourists through tourism promotion websites.
Improving ethical usage of corporate data in higher education: Enhanced Enterprise Data Ethics Framework
Authors: McNicol Trinity , Carthouser Bailey , Bongiovanni Ivano , Abeysooriya Sasenka
Published: August 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to address the generalised lack of guidance on ethical treatment of corporate (e.g. non-research) data in higher education institutions, by focusing on the case of the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia). No actionable framework is currently available in the country to govern the ethical usage of corporate data. As such, this research takes a stakeholder-centred approach to data ethics; the lived experience of the stakeholders involved coupled with a theory-based ethical framework allowed the authors build to build a framework to guide ethical data practice.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting a revised canonical action research approach focused on intervention on the context, the authors conducted a review of the literature on ethical usage of data in higher education institutions; administered one survey to university students (n = 168); and facilitated three workshops with professional staff (two) and students (one).

Findings

Collected data highlighted how, among other themes, the role and ethical importance of transparency was the dominant claim among all stakeholder groups. Findings helped the authors develop an Enhanced Enterprise Data Ethics Framework (EEDEF) emphasising transparency and stakeholder-centricity.

Practical implications

Legislation is the driver to regulate the use of corporate data in higher education; however, this can be problematic because legislation is retrospective, lacks normativity and offers scarce directions for cases that do not exactly follow within the legislative mandate. In light of these regulatory limitations, the authors’ EEDEF offers operators guidance on how to ethically manage corporate data in the higher education environment.

Originality/value

This study fills gaps in praxis and theory; that is the lack of literature and guiding ethical frameworks to inform data practice in higher education. This research fosters a more ethical data management by virtue of genuine and authentic engagement with stakeholders and emphasises the importance of strategic decision-making and maturity of data culture in the higher education sector.
Evaluating the perceived usefulness and fairness of forensic accounting and investigation standards
Authors: Mandal Abinash , S. Amilan
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the perceived willingness to adopt and use Forensic Accounting and Investigation Standards (FAIS) in Forensic Accounting and Investigation (FAI) assignments. The study also analyses the usefulness of FAIS in achieving the principle of natural justice (PNJ) concerning fairness.

Design/methodology/approach

The respondents comprised 118 accounting professionals whose online survey responses were analyzed descriptively. This study also uses a 2 × 2 contingency analysis representing two levels of usefulness and fairness.

Findings

The results revealed that FAIS 410 received the highest mean rating while FAIS 240 received the lowest mean rating in willingness to adopt and use FAIS, and most of the standards were related to the PNJ concerning fairness. The study shows the accounting professionals’ readiness to adapt and flourish with the help of these Standards in FAI assignments.

Practical implications

The findings of this study will increase practitioners’ awareness of the usefulness and fairness of FAIS, which will enhance their understanding of the significance of implementing these newly developed standards to harmonize the investigative process in forensic audits. Additionally, the findings may encourage regulators, researchers, accounting bodies and their members to adopt and conduct further FAIS studies that can advance financial crime prevention, detection and investigation knowledge.

Originality/value

This paper substantially contributes to the literature as it is the first to examine the usefulness and fairness of “Forensic Accounting and Investigation Standards” in the context of forensic audits and investigations, which has not been previously explored.
Future strategies for tourism destination management: post COVID-19 lessons observed from Borobudur, Indonesia
Authors: Heslinga Jasper Hessel , Yusuf Mohamad , Damanik Janianton , Stokman Menno
Published: August 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to show practical post COVID-19 observations as lessons for the future of tourism destination management and help inspire the tourism industry and academic community.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on observations by, and discussions among, both international and Indonesian tourism experts and relate to the case of the famous UNESCO World heritage site, the Borobudur temple, in Indonesia.

Findings

As a result, the authors observed the following measures that have been taken by the local authorities; setting limits to the amount of visitors, increase the visitor area, provide guided tours only, work with price mechanism, mitigate the physical impacts of visits and involve the local community in the value chain. The paper shows that the COVID pandemic has unintentionally created urgency and an opportunity for the local authorities to deal with already ongoing and structural overtourism related issues. This demonstrated that a lockdown was needed to get out of a lock-in.

Originality/value

This paper fits in the ongoing debate on the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector. As it provides a practical case, the values of this paper lie in bridging the gap between conceptual contributions to the debate and practical observations. Also many links with the continuation of the overtourism debate are made.
Leading hybrid teams in a transition to the future knowledge workplace
Authors: Detjen Jodi , Webber Sheila Simsarian
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Leaders face a unique opportunity to rethink the workplace in a post-pandemic environment. Virtual work demands and unclear messaging from senior leadership has created burnout and frustration. Reverting to traditional organizational structures and policies fails to recognize and leverage the potential to capitalizing on the momentum to change the nature of work. Creating a hybrid work environment by delegating the design process to teams and giving team leaders the tools and skills necessary to be successful leverages the transition to the future workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

We worked with a knowledge-based organization to transition employees to a hybrid team environment.

Findings

We offer the diverse approaches organizations are taking in a post-pandemic workplace and the challenges facing leaders reverting to the traditional work environment. Focusing on the future of work in a hybrid environment, we provide an approach enabling team leaders and team members to be the arbiters of their work environment.

Practical implications

Our multistep process allows team leaders to quickly adapt and implement effective hybrid teamwork.

Originality/value

We propose a multistep process for team leaders to leverage the transition to improve high-performing teams in a hybrid workplace.
We hear you: Listening to the perspectives of families regarding the education and opportunities for children in special school settings
Authors: Forbes Fiona , Aspland Tania
Published: August 2023

This article presents new insights into the views of families regarding the educational opportunities for their children in special school settings. It reports on a study designed to capture the perspectives of families regarding the opportunities to consult and engage with teachers on the education of their child or children with disabilities across special schools in Australia. The methodology provided a framework of investigation critical to the research in this study. Furthermore, a significant body of parental voices was manifested through the study providing a rich bank of perspectives regarding their preferred delivery models of education for their families and children with disabilities.

Key points

The findings of this study provide deep insights into families' perspectives on curriculum and inclusive programmes that add value to the learning experiences of their children with disabilities in special school settings in Australia.

The paper articulates the reasons why an overwhelming majority of parents who completed a large mix methods survey expressed confidence in the expertise of teachers, staff and leaders in the provision of education for students with disabilities in special school settings in Australia.

For the first time in recent research in Australia, the voices of parents of students with disabilities are heard, respected and valued through a set of open‐ended questions within a large‐scale survey.

A strong call from parents to sustain the provision of special schools in Australia, in keeping with the UN Rights of the Child (1990), is expressed and is supported by evidence elicited from parents in over 300 schools in Australia.
A rare case of double primary lung adenocarcinomas with uncommon complex EGFR G719X and S768I mutations and pleomorphic carcinoma
Authors: Morimoto Toshiki , Yamasaki Kei , Shingu Tatsuya , Higashi Yasuyuki , Maeda Yukinori , Uryu Takumu , Kubo Naoto , Kawaguchi Takako , Nishida Chinatsu , Yatera Kazuhiro
Published: August 2023

Epidermal growth factor receptor‐tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR‐TKI)‐targeted therapy has emerged as a viable treatment for patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer with common EGFR mutations. The uncommon G719X and S768I mutations can co‐occur as complex mutations in the same tumor. Here we report a case of a 72‐year‐old male patient with double lung carcinoma, with G719X and S768I complex mutations detected in the right upper lung lobe along with brain metastases. Osimertinib (80 mg/day) was administered as the first‐line treatment, and a reduction in the right lobe tumor and brain lesions was achieved. However, the left upper lung lobe mass remained unchanged; histopathological examination via a lobectomy revealed pleomorphic carcinoma. Thus, the patient was diagnosed with multiple primary lung cancers. In conclusion, osimertinib is a viable treatment option for lung cancer with rare EGFR G719X and S768I complex mutations.
Tick‐tock… says the moon and the sun: Daily activity patterns of mid‐large‐sized mammals in grassland‐dominated landscapes afforested withEucalyptus
Authors: Cravino Alexandra , Brazeiro Alejandro
Published: August 2023

Species can change their activity patterns in response to biotic and abiotic factors, such as sunlight and moonlight. The influence of these variables is a key question for ecological research and biodiversity conservation. The conversion of natural grasslands into tree plantations has reached high levels in temperate South America. These novel ecosystems elicit behavioural changes that can be detrimental or beneficial to wildlife. In this research, we describe the activity patterns of mammals (mid and large‐sized) during sun and lunar phases using camera trap data (2015–2021; 22 926 camera/nights) to assess the effects of the season (warm and cold), habitat type (native forests, grasslands,Eucalyptusplantations) and landscape afforestation degree (10%–90%) in eight landscape samples (5 km radius) at Uruguayan grasslands. This represents the first study of temporal patterns in grassland afforestation worldwide, and concerning solar time and lunar patterns in Uruguay. Across 257 camera trap stations, 5297 independent detections of 13 species were recorded. While there were no significant differences among seasons nor through a landscape gradient of afforestation cover, the local habitat type affected most species temporal niches, finding significant differences between native ecosystems andEucalyptusplantations, despite their close spatial proximity. Cathemeral and nocturnal activity patterns were seen for 12 species, and nine showed lunarphobic or lunarphilic trends according to habitat cover. In tree plantations, five of seven species narrowed their temporal activity compared to native habitats, and four changed their nocturnal activity. These alterations showed that several species adjust their daily activity patterns according to sun and moon phases underEucalyptusplantations, probably reacting to changes in predation risk, hunting pressure, or foraging opportunities. Given that afforestation is projected to grow in southern South America, we must improve our understanding of how species adjust their activities in such novel ecosystems to identify measures needed to increase their conservation opportunities.
One‐year follow up of contraceptive use and pregnancy rates after early medical abortion: Secondary outcomes from a randomized controlled trial of immediate post‐abortion placement of intrauterine devices
Authors: Hogmark Sara , Envall Niklas , Gemzell‐Danielsson Kristina , Kopp Kallner Helena
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Intrauterine devices (IUDs) effectively prevent unwanted pregnancies. Little is known about long‐term outcomes of women choosing an IUD after early medical abortion.

Material and methods

We present secondary outcome data of continuation rates, factors associated with continuation and discontinuation, choice of IUD type, women's satisfaction with IUD, and IUD expulsions, subsequent pregnancies, and abortions within 1 year post‐abortion in a randomized, controlled, multicenter trial on IUD placement within 48 hours compared with placement 2–4 weeks after medical abortion up to 63 days’ gestation (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03603145).

Results

Of the 240 women studied, 112/120 (93.3%) in the intervention group vs 113/120 (94.2%) in the control group completed the 12‐month follow‐up. The rate of IUD use at 12 months was 84/112 (75%) in the intervention group vs 75/113 (66.4%) in the control group (P = 0.19). Attendance at the IUD placement visit was the only predictor of long‐term IUD use (relative risk [RR] = 5.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.03–16.0; P = 0.001). The main reason for choosing an IUD was high contraceptive effectiveness. The most common reasons for IUD discontinuation were bleeding problems and abdominal pain. IUD expulsion was rare and did not differ between groups. Satisfaction among IUD users at 1 year was high (>94%) and the majority of all participants would recommend IUD to a friend (65.8%). Use of no contraception and experience of unprotected intercourse were less common in the intervention group (11/112 [9.8%] vs 25/113 [22.1%], P = 0.02 and 17/112 [15.2%] vs 32/113 [28.3%], P = 0.02, respectively). There was no difference in the rate of subsequent pregnancies and abortions (pregnancies 14/112, 12.5% in the intervention group vs 8/113, 7.1% in the control group, P = 0.19; abortions 5/112, 4.5% vs 3/113, 2.7%, P = 0.5).

Conclusions

IUD placement after medical abortion led to high continuation and satisfaction rates with no difference between groups. We found no difference in IUD expulsions after immediate compared with later placement. Unprotected intercourse was significantly less common in the immediate group. In clinical practice, immediate placement of IUDs available free of charge at the abortion clinic is likely to increase attendance to the placement visit and continued use of IUDs after abortion.
No evidence of increased anti‐M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor autoantibodies in SSA‐positive connective tissue disease patients
Authors: Hatipoğlu Elif , Mikkelsen Jakob Hauge , Korsholm Trine‐Line , Hvid Malene , Deleuran Bent , Dahl Marie Louise Næstholt
Published: August 2023

Anti‐muscarinic type 3 receptor autoantibodies (M3R) and anti‐SSA antibodies are both related to salivary secretion. The presence of M3R antibodies in Sjögren's syndrome is previously demonstrated; nevertheless, the relationship between the anti‐SSA antibodies and M3R fragment antibodies, namely the N terminal, first, second, and third extracellular loops, remains to be elucidated. In this study, we analyzed the antibodies against the M3R epitopes in healthy controls and anti‐SSA antibody‐positive connective tissue disease patients through ELISA method. Antibodies against the first, second, and third extracellular loop (M3R211–230) were not increased in anti‐SSA positive patients compared to healthy controls. Indeed, antibodies against the N terminal (M3R1–33) were found to be high in healthy controls. High levels of M3R1–33 in healthy controls are a novel original finding; further research is needed for the clinical significance. There is no significant difference between SSA‐positive patients and healthy controls in terms of autoantibodies against the remainder of the linear M3R fragments.
A review of thermal stress in cattle
Authors: Shephard RW , Maloney SK
Published: August 2023

Cattle control body temperature in a narrow range over varying climatic conditions. Endogenous body heat is generated by metabolism, digestion and activity. Radiation is the primary external source of heat transfer into the body of cattle. Cattle homeothermy uses behavioural and physiological controls to manage radiation, convection, conduction, and evaporative exchange of heat between the body and the environment, noting that evaporative mechanisms almost exclusively transfer body heat to the environment. Cattle control radiation by shade seeking (hot) and shelter (cold) and by huddling or standing further apart, noting there are intrinsic breed and age differences in radiative transfer potential. The temperature gradient between the skin and the external environment and wind speed (convection) determines heat transfer by these means. Cattle control these mechanisms by managing blood flow to the periphery (physiology), by shelter‐seeking and standing/lying activity in the short term (behaviourally) and by modifying their coats and adjusting their metabolic rates in the longer term (acclimatisation). Evaporative heat loss in cattle is primarily from sweating, with some respiratory contribution, and is the primary mechanism for dissipating excess heat when environmental temperatures exceed skin temperature (~36°C). Cattle tend to be better adapted to cooler rather than hotter external conditions, with Bos indicus breeds more adapted to hotter conditions than Bos taurus. Management can minimise the risk of thermal stress by ensuring appropriate breeds of suitably acclimatised cattle, at appropriate stocking densities, fed appropriate diets (and water), and with access to suitable shelter and ventilation are better suited to their expected farm environment.
Mediating processes underlying the associations between maternal obesity and the likelihood of cesarean birth
Authors: Wyss Carmen , Inauen Jennifer , Cignacco Eva , Raio Luigi , Aubry Evelyne M.
Published: August 2023

Background

Pregnant women with obesity are more likely to experience cesarean birth compared to women without obesity. Yet, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. The objective of this study was therefore to evaluate how mediators contribute to the association between obesity and prelabor/intrapartum cesarean birth.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed Swiss cohort data from 394,812 singleton, cephalic deliveries between 2005 and 2020. Obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) was defined as the exposure and prelabor or intrapartum cesarean birth as the outcomes. Hypothesized mediators included gestational comorbidities, large‐for‐gestational‐age infant, pregnancy duration >410/7 weeks, slower labor progress, labor induction, and history of cesarean birth. We performed path analyses using generalized structural equation modeling and assessed mediation by a counterfactual approach.

Results

Women with obesity had a cesarean birth rate of 39.36% vs. 24.12% in women without obesity. The path models mainly showed positive direct and indirect associations between obesity and cesarean birth. In the total sample, the mediation models explained up to 39.47% (95% CI 36.92–42.02) of the association between obesity and cesarean birth, and up to 57.13% (95% CI 54.10–60.16) when including history of cesarean birth as mediator in multiparous women. Slower labor progress and history of cesarean birth were found to be the most clinically significant mediators.

Conclusions

This study provides empirical insights into how obesity may increase cesarean birth rates through mediating processes. Particularly allowing for a slower labor progress in women with obesity might reduce cesarean birth rates and prevent subsequent repeat cesarean births in multiparous women.
Adipocyte regulation of cancer stem cells
Authors: Khaledian Behnoush , Thibes Lisa , Shimono Yohei
Published: August 2023

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a highly tumorigenic subpopulation of the cancer cells within a tumor that drive tumor initiation, progression, and therapy resistance. In general, stem cell niche provides a specific microenvironment in which stem cells are present in an undifferentiated and self‐renewable state. CSC niche is a specialized tumor microenvironment for CSCs which provides cues for their maintenance and propagation. However, molecular mechanisms for the CSC‐niche interaction remain to be elucidated. We have revealed that adipsin (complement factor D) and its downstream effector hepatocyte growth factor are secreted from adipocytes and enhance the CSC properties in breast cancers in which tumor initiation and progression are constantly associated with the surrounding adipose tissue. Considering that obesity, characterized by excess adipose tissue, is associated with an increased risk of multiple cancers, it is reasonably speculated that adipocyte–CSC interaction is similarly involved in many types of cancers, such as pancreas, colorectal, and ovarian cancers. In this review, various molecular mechanisms by which adipocytes regulate CSCs, including secretion of adipokines, extracellular matrix production, biosynthesis of estrogen, metabolism, and exosome, are discussed. Uncovering the roles of adipocytes in the CSC niche will propose novel strategies to treat cancers, especially those whose progression is linked to obesity.
From cyanosis to diagnosis: A case report on right atrial fibroma in a pediatric patient
Authors: Sevinc Sengul Fatma , Yildiz Okan , Deveci Murat , Ayyildiz Pelin , Guzeltas Alper
Published: August 2023

A 3‐year‐old female patient presented with symptoms of cyanosis and intermittent eyelid edema, leading to the discovery of a lobulated mass in the right atrium, obstructing the superior vena cava. Despite the inability to entirely remove the mass due to its origins in the right atrium myocardium and its extension towards the sinoatrial node, successful surgical intervention and subsequent histopathological evaluation identified the mass as a fibroma, and postoperative symptoms were significantly alleviated.
Evaluation of the efficacy of injectable platelet‐rich fibrin versus platelet‐rich plasma in the regeneration of traumatized necrotic immature maxillary anterior teeth: A randomized clinical trial
Authors: Abo‐Heikal Maha Mohamed , El‐Shafei Jealan M. , Shouman Samia A. , Roshdy Nehal N.
Published: August 2023

Background/Aim

This study aimed at comparing the regenerative potential of injectable platelet‐rich fibrin (i‐PRF) (Group 1) and platelet‐rich plasma (Group 2) scaffolds.

Materials and methods

Twenty‐three patients, aged from 9 to 24 years, having 24 immature traumatized necrotic maxillary anterior teeth, were enrolled. Teeth trauma was confirmed by patients' history. Preoperative three‐dimensional scans were done. In the first visit, canals were irrigated with 1.5% sodium hypochlorite then medicated with calcium hydroxide. After 2 weeks, patients were randomly assigned into one of the treatment groups (n = 12). The platelet concentrate was applied after centrifuging 10 mL of autologous venous blood with respect to the centrifugation protocol for each platelet concentrate. Patients were recalled at 6 and 12 months posttreatment, during which clinical and radiographic examinations and assessment of pulp sensitivity were done. Three‐dimensional scanning was done after 12 months. The increase in root length and decrease in root canal diameters were calculated at three canal levels. Statistical analysis was done using the paired t‐test and the independent t‐test. The significance level was set at p < .05.

Results

There was no statistically significant difference between both groups regarding the increase in root length, decrease in coronal and middle canal diameters and the response to the electric pulp tester. Group (1) showed significantly greater decrease in apical canal diameter than Group (2) (p = .008).

Conclusion

I‐PRF can be considered as a valid regenerative scaffold for clinical use and with regards to the easier preparation technique, it is more recommended than platelet‐rich plasma.
Investigating the effectiveness of Twitter sentiment in cryptocurrency close price prediction by using deep learning
Authors: Amirshahi Bahareh , Lahmiri Salim
Published: August 2023

In recent years, cryptocurrencies' price prediction has attracted the interest of many people including investors, researchers and practitioners. In this study, we proposed a hybrid model for predicting the daily close price of cryptocurrencies based on different neural networks such as long short‐term memory, convolutional neural network and attention mechanism. Using an ensemble of three pre‐trained language models, we extracted sentiment of cryptocurrency‐related tweets posted between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021. We constructed 20 different versions of our model and evaluated their performance on data of 27 most traded cryptocurrencies using a history of previous days' sentiment data along with close prices as input data. The flexible input layer of our model enables different ways of feeding data into the model to adjust it for different cryptocurrencies to obtain better predictions. Our analysis revealed several important findings. We showed that longer sequences of input data achieve most accurate predictions on average. More specifically, using a history of 14‐ and 21‐days' data results in lowest RMSE values on average compared to using a history of 7 days. However, there is no significant difference between the results related to the input sequences with lengths of 14 and 21. In addition, our findings suggest that sentiment data can be useful in predicting prices for more than 70% of the studied cryptocurrencies. Thus, peoples' emotions, opinions, and sentiment that are expressed through their posts on Twitter platform play a significant role in prediction of cryptocurrencies' prices.
Evolution of iron and oxygen biogeochemical cycles during the Precambrian
Authors: Watanabe Yasuto , Tajika Eiichi , Ozaki Kazumi
Published: August 2023

Iron (Fe) is an essential element for life, and its geochemical cycle is intimately linked to the coupled history of life and Earth's environment. The accumulated geologic records indicate that ferruginous waters existed in the Precambrian oceans not only before the first major rise of atmospheric O2 levels (Great Oxidation Event; GOE) during the Paleoproterozoic, but also during the rest of the Proterozoic. However, the interactive evolution of the biogeochemical cycles of O2 and Fe during the Archean–Proterozoic remains ambiguous. Here, we develop a biogeochemical model to investigate the coupled biogeochemical evolution of Fe–O2–P–C cycles across the GOE. Our model demonstrates that the marine Fe cycle was less sensitive to changes in the production rate of O2 before the GOE (atmospheric pO2 < 10−6 PAL; present atmospheric level). When the P supply rate to the ocean exceeds a certain threshold, the GOE occurs and atmospheric pO2 rises to ~10−3–10−1 PAL. After the GOE, the marine Fe(II) concentration is highly sensitive to atmospheric pO2, suggesting that the marine redox landscape during the Proterozoic may have fluctuated between ferruginous conditions and anoxic non‐ferruginous conditions with sulfidic water masses around continental margins. At a certain threshold value of atmospheric pO2 of ~0.3% PAL, the primary oxidation pathway of Fe(II) shifts from the activity of Fe(II)‐utilizing anoxygenic photoautotrophs in sunlit surface waters to abiotic process in the deep ocean. This is accompanied by a shift in the primary deposition site of Fe(III) hydroxides from the surface ocean to the deep sea, providing a plausible mechanistic explanation for the observed cessation of iron formations during the Proterozoic.
Local thermal adaptation and local temperature regimes drive the performance of a parasitic helminth under climate change: The case of Marshallagia marshalli from wild ungulates
Authors: Aleuy O. Alejandro , Peacock Stephanie J. , Molnár Péter K. , Ruckstuhl Kathreen E. , Kutz Susan J.
Published: August 2023

Across a species' range, populations are exposed to their local thermal environments, which on an evolutionary scale, may cause adaptative differences among populations. Helminths often have broad geographic ranges and temperature‐sensitive life stages but little is known about whether and how local thermal adaptation can influence their response to climate change. We studied the thermal responses of the free‐living stages of Marshallagia marshalli, a parasitic nematode of wild ungulates, along a latitudinal gradient. We first determine its distribution in wild sheep species in North America. Then we cultured M. marshalli eggs from different locations at temperatures from 5 to 38°C. We fit performance curves based on the metabolic theory of ecology to determine whether development and mortality showed evidence of local thermal adaptation. We used parameter estimates in life‐cycle‐based host–parasite models to understand how local thermal responses may influence parasite performance under general and location‐specific climate‐change projections. We found that M. marshalli has a wide latitudinal and host range, infecting wild sheep species from New Mexico to Yukon. Increases in mortality and development time at higher temperatures were most evident for isolates from northern locations. Accounting for location‐specific parasite parameters primarily influenced the magnitude of climate change parasite performance, while accounting for location‐specific climates primarily influenced the phenology of parasite performance. Despite differences in development and mortality among M. marshalli populations, when using site‐specific climate change projections, there was a similar magnitude of impact on the relative performance of M. marshalli among populations. Climate change is predicted to decrease the expected lifetime reproductive output of M. marshalli in all populations while delaying its seasonal peak by approximately 1 month. Our research suggests that accurate projections of the impacts of climate change on broadly distributed species need to consider local adaptations of organisms together with local temperature profiles and climate projections.
Quantifying microcyte and macrocyte percentages in archived red blood cell volume histogram images
Authors: Barton James C. , Barton J. Clayborn
Published: August 2023

Introduction

We sought to quantify percentages of microcytes and macrocytes in archived automated hematology analyzer (AHA) red blood cell (RBC) volume histogram images.

Methods

In preliminary studies, we demonstrated that an on‐line application of Gauss' area formula (SketchAndCalc™) measured percentage areas of 20 segments under a computer‐generated normal distribution curve (−3.0 standard deviations [SD] to +3.0 SD) with accuracy and precision (Pearson's correlation of measured areas with corresponding theoretical areas r [20] = 0.9962 [p < 0.0001]). Thus, we used SketchAndCalc™ to quantify percentages of microcytes (50–80 fL) and macrocytes (110–200 fL) in archived AHA histogram images in women with previously untreated iron‐deficiency anemia (IDA) and previously untreated hemochromatosis.

Results

Median microcyte percentages in 13 women with IDA and 13 women with hemochromatosis were 63.6% (range 13.5–76.8) and 6.7% (range 3.4–24.8), respectively (p < 0.0001). Mean macrocyte percentages in women with IDA and hemochromatosis were 8.8% ± 6.1 SD and 33.8% ± 11.7 SD, respectively (p < 0.0001). Spearman's correlations of microcyte percentages with macrocyte percentages, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin in 26 women were rs [26] = −0.9485, rs [26] = −0.9641, and rs [26] = −0.9036, respectively (each p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

This method of quantifying microcyte and macrocyte percentages could enable other studies of RBC volume subpopulations in archived AHA histogram images.
Mutations in the bZip region of the CEBPA gene: A novel prognostic factor in patients with acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Rivera Juan Carlos , Nuñez Daniel , Millar Elizabet , Ramirez Kimberly , Chandía Mauricio , Aguayo Claudio
Published: August 2023

Background

Hematopoiesis, the process of blood cell formation involves on a complex network of transcription factors. Among them, the CCAAT‐enhancer‐binding protein alpha (CEBPA) plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance between myeloid proliferation and differentiation. Imbalances in this network can lead to disrupted differentiation and contribute to the development of malignant diseases.

Aim

Understanding of disease development and explore potential therapeutic strategies for hematological disorders associated CEPBA gen.

Materials and Methods

The research involved a comprehensive analysis of CEBPA gene mutations in the context of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This encompassed a thorough exploration of point mutations and double mutations in AML patients.

Results

In the context of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), mutations in the CEBPA gene, especially point mutations, are frequently observed. A significant number of AML patients present with double mutations in CEBPA, which have been linked to a more favorable prognosis in terms of overall survival and event‐free survival. These patients also tend to exhibit enhanced responsiveness to treatment. Discussion: Unraveling the intricate interplay of transcription factors, particularly CEBPA, holds significant implications for decoding the mechanisms governing hematopoiesis. This understanding offers a potential avenue for deciphering disease development and devising novel therapeutic strategies for hematological disorders.

Conclusion

The findings underscore that CEBPA mutations correlate with enhanced overall survival and event‐free survival, with relevance to those presenting within the bZip framework. This knowledge may contribute to advancing personalized treatments for hematological conditions.
Does vision therapy for visual information processing improve academic performance? A randomised clinical trial
Authors: Fricke Timothy R. , Metha Andrew B. , Anderson Dianne P. , Lea Amanda K. , Anderson Andrew J.
Published: August 2023

Purpose

To determine whether a typical vision therapy (VT) programme designed to improve visual information processing (VIP) skills is effective in improving these skills and/or academic performance.

Methods

We used a double‐blind, randomised clinical trial to compare VIP VT to placebo training. Participating schools referred a sample of 579 early primary school children identified as being within the lower third of their class for literacy. From the referred sample, we identified 247 children eligible to participate (passed visions and auditory processing screening, and VIP performance <34th percentile), 94 of whom participated. Matching IQ, school grade and sex was achieved by sorting hierarchically on these values and then alternately allocating to VT or placebo groups. Both programmes ran for 10 weeks and consisted of 33 h working at home and 4 h working in office. The VT programme was indicative of that employed in Australian paediatric optometry practices, with the placebo programme containing similar activities, except targeting skills within a child's competencies and with specific VIP development activities removed. The main outcome measures were score change on three standardised educational tests (reading comprehension, spelling and mathematics) and six VIP tests, both immediately post‐intervention (PI) and 6 months later.

Results

Sixty‐nine children completed the programmes. The VT programme produced no significant improvement in the three educational tests or in five of the six VIP tests compared to the control. The VT programme improved visual sequential memory (VSM) by a moderate amount compared to the control (Cohen's d = 0.57 and 0.52, immediately PI and at 6 months, respectively: p < 0.03 and p < 0.02).

Conclusions

The VIP and academic performance benefits from a VT programme were largely identical to those from a control programme, both immediately and 6‐month PI. Placebo effects and general effects such as improvements in executive function and/or regression‐to‐the‐mean could be mistaken for specific programme effectiveness.
Heat‐dependent postpollination limitations on maize pollen tube growth and kernel sterility
Authors: Wang Yuanyuan , Lv Xuanlong , Sheng Dechang , Hou Xinfang , Mandal Shreya , Liu Xiaoli , Zhang Ping , Shen Si , Wang Pu , Krishna Jagadish S. V. , Huang Shoubing
Published: August 2023

Heat stress has a negative impact on pollen development in maize (Zea mays L.) but the postpollination events that determine kernel sterility are less well characterised. The impact of short‐term (hours) heat exposure during postpollination was therefore assessed in silks and ovaries. The temperatures inside the kernels housed within the husks was significantly lower than the imposed heat stress. This protected the ovaries and possibly the later phase of pollen tube growth from the adverse effects of heat stress. Failure of maize kernel fertilization was observed within 6 h of heat stress exposure postpollination. This was accompanied by a significant restriction of early pollen tube growth rather than pollen germination. Limitations on early pollen tube growth were therefore a major factor contributing to heat stress‐induced kernel sterility. Exposure to heat stress altered the sugar composition of silks, suggesting that hexose supply contributed to the limitations on pollen tube growth. Moreover, the activities of sucrose metabolising enzymes, the expression of sucrose degradation and trehalose biosynthesis genes were decreased following heat stress. Significant increases in reactive oxygen species, abscisic acid and auxin levels accompanied by altered expression of phytohormone‐related genes may also be important in the heat‐induced suppression of pollen tube growth.
Characterization of cell wall polysaccharide from Cladosiphon okamuranus cultivated in different locations
Authors: Awanthi Mahanama Geegana Gamage , Nakasone Natsuki , Oku Hirosuke , Kitahara Kanefumi , Ito Michihiro , Tanaka Atsuko , Sato Yoichi , Numata Yuichiro , Konishi Teruko
Published: August 2023

Cladosiphon okamuranus is an excellent source of fucoidan among any brown algae spp. However, the structure of polysaccharide varies significantly depending on the species, harvesting season and geographical location. To understand how geographic location affects the structure of cell wall polysaccharide, C. okamuranus cultivated in eight places (Bise, Katsuren, Yonashiro, Shikiya, Karimata, Nishihara, Hisamatsu and Ishigaki) in Ryukyu archipelago were collected during the peak harvesting time and the cell wall polysaccharide was analyzed physiochemically. The cell wall was sequentially fractionated into five fractions and its 80% was consisted of hot water fraction (HW) (60–70%) and hemicellulose‐I fraction (HC‐I) (15–20%), which mainly contained fucoidan composed of fucose (Fuc), glucuronic acid (GlcA) and sulfate (SO3−). Although the chemical composition and molecular weight of fucoidan in HW was slightly different at different places, the composition of Fuc, GlcA and SO3− was constant in the molar ratio of 1.0:0.5:0.7–1.0 respectively, suggesting that relatively similar structural fucoidan from C. okamuranus can be obtained from any geographical location in Okinawa Prefecture during peak time. However, considerable variation in the sugar composition in HC‐I was observed, despite the uniform molecular weight and SO3−. Particularly, HC‐I from Bise, where is the northern part of Okinawa Island, is composed of significantly higher amounts of Glc, Gal, Man, Xyl and morphologically thicker lateral branches compared to algae from the other parts of the island.
Sparse additive models in high dimensions with wavelets
Authors: Sardy Sylvain , Ma Xiaoyu
Published: August 2023

In multiple regression, when covariates are numerous, it is often reasonable to assume that only a small number of them has predictive information. In some medical applications for instance, it is believed that only a few genes out of thousands are responsible for cancer. In that case, the aim is not only to propose a good fit, but also to select the relevant covariates (genes). We propose to perform model selection with additive models in high dimensions (sample size and number of covariates). Our approach is computationally efficient thanks to fast wavelet transforms, it does not rely on cross validation, and it solves a convex optimization problem for a prescribed penalty parameter, called the quantile universal threshold. We also propose a second rule based on Stein unbiased risk estimation geared toward prediction. We use Monte Carlo simulations and real data to compare various methods based on false discovery rate (FDR), true positive rate (TPR) and mean squared error. Our approach is the only one to handle high dimensions, and has a good FDR–TPR trade‐off.
Small RNAs contribute to citrus Huanglongbing tolerance by manipulating methyl salicylate signaling and exogenous methyl salicylate primes citrus groves from emerging infection
Authors: Cheng Baoping , Xu Le , Bilal Muhammad Saqib , Huang Qing , Niu Dongdong , Ma Hongyu , Zhou Shaoxia , Peng Aitian , Wei Guo , Chen Feng , Zeng Liang , Lin Hong , Baig Ayesha , Wang Xuefeng , Zou Xiuping , Zhao Hongwei
Published: August 2023

Citrus production is severely threatened by the devastating Huanglongbing (HLB) disease globally. By studying and analyzing the defensive behaviors of an HLB‐tolerant citrus cultivar ‘Shatangju’, we discovered that citrus can sense Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) infection and induce immune responses against HLB, which can be further strengthened by both endogenously produced and exogenously applied methyl salicylate (MeSA). This immune circuit is turned on by an miR2977‐SAMT (encoding a citrus Salicylate [SA] O‐methyltransferase) cascade, by which CLas infection leads to more in planta MeSA production and aerial emission. We provided both transgenic and multi‐year trail evidences that MeSA is an effective community immune signal. Ambient MeSA accumulation and foliage application can effectively induce defense gene expression and significantly boost citrus performance. We also found that miRNAs are battle fields between citrus and CLas, and about 30% of the differential gene expression upon CLas infection are regulated by miRNAs. Furthermore, CLas hijacks host key processes by manipulating key citrus miRNAs, and citrus employs miRNAs that coordinately regulate defense‐related genes. Based on our results, we proposed that miRNAs and associated components are key targets for engineering or breeding resistant citrus varieties. We anticipate that MeSA‐based management, either induced expression or external application, would be a promising tool for HLB control.
On the multiplicity spaces of spherical subgroups of minimal rank
Authors: Francone Luca , Ressayre Nicolas
Published: August 2023

Let be a complex connected semisimple Lie group and be a connected semisimple subgroup of . Consider the branching problem of decomposing the simple ‐representations as a sum of simple ‐representations . When , it is the tensor product decomposition. The multiplicity space satisfies , where the sum runs over the isomorphism classes of simple ‐representations. In the case when is spherical of minimal rank, we describe as the intersection of kernels of powers of root operators in some weight space of the dual space of . When , we recover by geometric methods a well‐known result.
The Vibration Attenuation Characteristics of Dynamic Vibration Absorbers Array for Tuned and Mistuned Bladed Disk
Authors: Wang Shuai , Wang Fangchao , Chen Hong-yong , Zheng Changjun , Bi Chuanxing
Published: August 2023

Dynamic vibration absorbers array (DVAA) is a newly developed and promising technique for vibration attenuation of integrally bladed disk (blisk) by mounting underneath the disk. In this paper, the vibration attenuation characteristics and energy dissipation mechanism of DVAA for tuned and mistuned blisk are parametrically studied, where the viscous and frictional damping are both considered. The lumped parameter model of a blisk is employed for the convenience of parametrical study. Analytical power flow formulas within the blisk–DVAA system are derived to characterize the dynamic interaction between blisk and DVAA. Four typical modes of a blisk with different nodal diameters and deformation characteristics are selected to evaluate the performance of DVAA. Then, the effects of the mass ratio, the frequency ratio and the damping ratio of DVAA on the vibration of tuned and mistuned blisk are addressed. Numerical results show that a light DVAA can significantly mitigate the resonant amplitudes of the tuned and mistuned blisk. Such damper is effective for the modes with different modal characteristics and can provide robust vibration attenuation performance against random mistuning.