bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A generic framework for hierarchical de novo protein design
Authors: Harteveld Zander , Bonet Jaume , Rosset Stéphane , Yang Che , Sesterhenn Fabian , Correia Bruno E.
Published: October 2022

De novo protein design enables the exploration of novel sequences and structures absent from the natural protein universe. De novo design also stands as a stringent test for our understanding of the underlying physical principles of protein folding and may lead to the development of proteins with unmatched functional characteristics. The first fundamental challenge of de novo design is to devise “designable” structural templates leading to sequences that will adopt the predicted fold. Here, we built on the TopoBuilder (TB) de novo design method, to automatically assemble structural templates with native-like features starting from string descriptors that capture the overall topology of proteins. Our framework eliminates the dependency of hand-crafted and fold-specific rules through an iterative, data-driven approach that extracts geometrical parameters from structural tertiary motifs. We evaluated the TopoBuilder framework by designing sequences for a set of five protein folds and experimental characterization revealed that several sequences were folded and stable in solution. The TopoBuilder de novo design framework will be broadly useful to guide the generation of artificial proteins with customized geometries, enabling the exploration of the protein universe.
News on fake news
Authors: Farkas Johan
Published: October 2022

This article presents a qualitative study of media discourses around fake news, examining 288 news articles from two national elections in Denmark in 2019. It explores how news media construct fake news as a national security threat and how journalists articulate their own role in relation to this threat. The study draws on discourse theory and the concept of logics to critically map how particular meaning ascriptions and subject positions come to dominate over others, finding five logics undergirding media discourses: (1) a logic of anticipation; (2) a logic of exteriorisation; (3) a logic of technologisation; (4) a logic of securitisation; and (5) a logic of pre-legitimation. The article concludes that fake news is constructed as an ‘ultimate other’ in Danish media discourses, potentially contributing to blind spots in both public perception and political solutions. This resonates with previous studies from other geo-political contexts, calling for further cross-national research.
Electronic health record-based facilitation of familial hypercholesterolaemia detection sensitivity of different algorithms in genetically confirmed patients
Authors: Mohammadnia Niekbachsh , Akyea Ralph K , Qureshi Nadeem , Bax Willem A , Cornel Jan H
Published: October 2022

Aims

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a disorder of LDL cholesterol clearance, resulting in increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Recently, we developed a Dutch Lipid Clinic Network (DLCN) criteria-based algorithm to facilitate FH detection in electronic health records (EHRs). In this study, we investigated the sensitivity of this and other algorithms in a genetically confirmed FH population.

Methods and results

All patients with a healthcare insurance-related coded diagnosis of ‘primary dyslipidaemia’ between 2018 and 2020 were assessed for genetically confirmed FH. Data were extracted at the time of genetic confirmation of FH (T1) and during the first visit in 2018–2020 (T2). We assessed the sensitivity of algorithms on T1 and T2 for DLCN ≥ 6 and compared with other algorithms [familial hypercholesterolaemia case ascertainment tool (FAMCAT), Make Early Diagnoses to Prevent Early Death (MEDPED), and Simon Broome (SB)] using EHR-coded data and using all available data (i.e. including non-coded free text). 208 patients with genetically confirmed FH were included. The sensitivity (95% CI) on T1 and T2 with EHR-coded data for DLCN ≥ 6 was 19% (14–25%) and 22% (17–28%), respectively. When using all available data, the sensitivity for DLCN ≥ 6 was 26% (20–32%) on T1 and 28% (22–34%) on T2. For FAMCAT, the sensitivity with EHR-coded data on T1 was 74% (67–79%) and 32% (26–39%) on T2, whilst sensitivity with all available data was 81% on T1 (75–86%) and 45% (39–52%) on T2. For Make Early Diagnoses to Prevent Early Death MEDPED and SB, using all available data, the sensitivity on T1 was 31% (25–37%) and 17% (13–23%), respectively.

Conclusions

The FAMCAT algorithm had significantly better sensitivity than DLCN, MEDPED, and SB. FAMCAT has the best potential for FH case-finding using EHRs.
A rare case of gastric duplication cyst in a male paediatric Caucasian patient: a case report
Authors: Duvuru Ruthwik , AlAwadhi Ahmad , Nawaz Faisal , Ahmed Aftab , Jobran Afnan W M , Zazo Aya
Published: October 2022

Anywhere in the alimentary canal, you can find a gastric duplication cyst, a spherical muscle formation lined by mucosal membrane. It is an uncommon example of a group of congenital intestinal abnormalities. Gastric cysts typically develop on the stomach’s greater curvature. A Caucasian 4-year-old boy came in with his family after experiencing colicky central stomach pain for 2 days, along with vomiting for 4 days, decreased oral intake, a temperature of up to 38.5°C and regular bowel movements. A region of the transverse colon with degraded and inflammatory serosa covered in omentum with black necrotic sections was seen during the procedure.
South Africa in Africa, from Apartheid to Post-Apartheid
Authors: Ogunnubi Olusola
Published: October 2022

This chapter examines South Africa’s foreign policy, particularly with regard to Africa, prior to and after 1994 when the country emerged from apartheid. South Africa’s foreign relations date back to the First and Second World Wars, when the country played a crucial role as a key member of the British Empire and the Commonwealth. Using information gathered from secondary material and other relevant archival sources, the chapter captures the patterns, changes, thrusts, and nuances of South Africa’s foreign policy perspective over a period of about sixty years, from the era of “Grand Apartheid” during the late 1950s and 1960s through the presidency of Cyril Ramaphosa in 2020. Critical in this endeavor is the periodization of South Africa’s foreign policy from the apartheid period to the post-apartheid democratic dispensation. This chapter accounts for the evolution of South Africa’s foreign policy in the two political dispensations of apartheid (from the late 1950s to 1993) and post-apartheid (1994 to date). The former is divided into four periods (1958–1966; 1966–1978; 1978–1989; 1989–1993), with the latter also divided into four periods (1994–1999; 1999–2008; 2009–2018; 2018–2020). This enables an historical-evolutionary analysis of the foreign policy of each period and administration and the transition from one period to another while noting the unique characteristics of that period for comparative assessment.
Investigation of murine host sex as a biological variable in epithelial barrier function and muscle contractility in human intestinal organoids
Authors: Beanland Brooke T. , McNeill Eoin P. , Sequeira David J. , Xue Hasen , Shroyer Noah F. , Speer Allison L.
Published: October 2022

Intestinal failure (IF) occurs when intestinal surface area or function is not sufficient to support digestion and nutrient absorption. Human intestinal organoid (HIO)‐derived tissue‐engineered intestine is a potential cure for IF. Research to date has demonstrated successful HIO transplantation (tHIO) into mice with significant in vivo maturation. An area lacking in the literature is exploration of murine host sex as a biological variable (SABV) in tHIO function. In this study, we investigate murine host SABV in tHIO epithelial barrier function and muscle contractility. HIOs were generated in vitro and transplanted into nonobese diabetic, severe combined immunodeficiency gamma chain deficient male and female mice. tHIOs were harvested after 8–12 weeks in vivo. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were conducted to compare tight junctions and contractility‐related markers in tHIOs. An Ussing chamber and contractility apparatus were used to evaluate tHIO epithelial barrier and muscle contractile function, respectively. The expression and morphology of tight junction and contractility‐related markers from tHIOs in male and female murine hosts is not significantly different. Epithelial barrier function as measured by transepithelial resistance, short circuit current, and fluorescein isothiocyanate‐dextran permeability is no different in tHIOs from male and female hosts, although these results may be limited by HIO epithelial immaturity and a short flux time. Muscle contractility as measured by total contractile activity, amplitude, frequency, and tension is not significantly different in tHIOs from male and female hosts. The data suggest that murine host sex may not be a significant biological variable influencing tHIO function, specifically epithelial barrier maintenance and muscle contractility, though limitations exist in our model.
Risk stratification in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: Looking beyond the left side myocardial function
Authors: Chang Hao-Chih , Cheng Hao-Min , Kuo Ling , Lee Dan-Ying , Sung Shih-Hsien , Chen Chen-Huan , Yu Wen-Chung
Published: October 2022

Background:

Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have heterogeneous outcomes. As risk stratification mostly focuses on left-side myocardial function, we sought to investigate the prognostic value of right ventricular (RV) function in patients with HCM.

Methods:

This retrospective cohort study included patients with HCM. Conventional ventricular functional parameters, including left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), and fractional area change were obtained. The longitudinal strain was analyzed using the speckle tracking method. The primary endpoint was defined as a composite of hospitalization for heart failure, sustained ventricular tachycardia, or all-cause death.

Results:

A total of 56 patients with HCM (aged 58.0 ± 14.9 years, 64.3% male) were included. After a mean follow-up duration of 30.1 ± 17.4 months, primary endpoints developed in 10 (20%) of 50 patients who were treated medically. Patients with cardiovascular events had a more reduced LV thickest segmental strain, worse TAPSE, and more impaired RV free wall strain. After adjusting for age, sex, and LVEF, TAPSE (hazard ratio [HR], 95% confidence intervals [CIs]: 0.24, 0.06-0.93) and RV free wall strain (HR, 95% CIs:1.12, 1.03-1.21) remained independent prognostic predictors. Incorporating either TAPSE or RV free wall strain provides incremental prognostic value to the LV strain alone (net reclassification improvement by 31.4% and 34.1%, respectively, both p < 0.05).

Conclusion:

RV function assessed by TAPSE or RV free wall strain is predictive of subsequent cardiac events, suggesting that a comprehensive evaluation of RV function is useful for risk stratification in patients with HCM.
Lipid management to mitigate poorer postkidney transplant outcomes
Authors: Skulratanasak Peenida , Larpparisuth Nuttasith
Published: October 2022

Purpose of review

Lipid disorder is a prevalent complication in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) resulting in cardiovascular disease (CVD), which influences on patient outcomes. Immunosuppressive therapy demonstrated the major detrimental effects on metabolic disturbances. This review will focus on the effect of immunosuppressive drugs, lipid-lowering agents with current management, and future perspectives for lipid management in KTRs.

Recent findings

The main pathogenesis of hyperlipidemia indicates an increase in lipoprotein synthesis whilst the clearance of lipid pathways declines. Optimization of immunosuppression is a reasonable therapeutic strategy for lipid management regarding immunologic risk. Additionally, statin is the first-line lipid-lowering drug, followed by a combination with ezetimibe to achieve the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal. However, drug interaction between statins and immunosuppressive medications should be considered because both are mainly metabolized through cytochrome P450 3A4. The prevalence of statin toxicity was significantly higher when concomitantly prescribed with cyclosporin, than with tacrolimus.

To improve cardiovascular outcomes, LDL-C should be controlled at the target level. Initiation statin at a low dose and meticulous titration is crucial in KTRs. Novel therapy with proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors, which is highly effective in reducing LDL-C and cardiovascular complications, and might prove to be promising therapy for KTRs with statin resistance or intolerance.
Individual and household factors associated with non-disclosure of positive HIV status in a population-based HIV serosurvey
Authors: Lawton Jonathan , Lavoie Marie-Claude , Bashorun Adebobola , Dalhatu Ibrahim , Jahun Ibrahim , Agbakwuru Chinedu , Boyd Mary , Stafford Kristen , Swaminathan Mahesh , Aliyu Gambo , Charurat Manhattan
Published: October 2022

Objectives:

Non-disclosure of positive HIV status in population-based surveys causes underestimation of national HIV diagnosis and biases inferences about engagement in the care continuum. This study investigated individual and household factors associated with HIV non-disclosure to survey interviewers in Nigeria.

Design:

Secondary analysis of a cross sectional population-based household HIV survey.

Methods:

We analyzed data from adults aged 15–64 years who tested positive for HIV and had antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in their blood from a nationally representative HIV sero-survey conducted in Nigeria in 2018. We considered ARV use as a proxy for knowledge of HIV diagnosis; thus, respondents who self-reported to be unaware of their HIV status were classified as non-disclosers. We estimated the associations between non-disclosure and various sociodemographic, clinical, and household characteristics using weighted logistic regression.

Results:

Among 1266 respondents living with HIV who were taking ARVs, 503 (40%) did not disclose their HIV status to interviewers. In multivariable statistical analyses, the adjusted odds of non-disclosure were highest among respondents aged 15–24 years, those with less than a primary school education, and those who were the only person living with HIV in their household.

Conclusions:

Non-disclosure of positive HIV status to survey personnel is common among adults who are receiving treatment in Nigeria. These findings highlight the importance of validating self-reported HIV status in surveys using biomarkers of ARV use. Meanwhile, it is crucial to improve disclosure by strengthening interview procedures and tailoring strategies towards groups that are disproportionately likely to underreport HIV diagnoses.
Sympathetic blockage attenuates fasting-induced hepatic steatosis
Authors: Zheng Lin , Gong Lijun , Cai Xinqi , Lu Siyu , Zhou Yiming , Duan Zhigui , Wei Fang , Li Guolin
Published: October 2022

Although the central nervous system coordinates whole-body metabolism, the neural mechanism for hepatic steatosis remains unclear. This study is aimed to explore the neural mechanism of fasting-induced hepatic steatosis. Mice were pretreated with 6-hydroxydopamine to block sympathetic nerve activity before fasting, and to explore the potential effects of chemical sympathectomy on fasting-induced hepatic steatosis and transcriptional changes. Twenty-four hours fasting led to obvious hepatic steatosis, low-core temperature, and similar effects to cold-induced white adipose lipolysis. The alterations in hepatic mRNA expression revealed that the hepatic lipid accumulation did not result from an increase in hepatic lipogenesis or a decrease in fatty acid oxidation but from enhanced fatty acid uptake as indicated by upregulation of CD36. Blockage of the sympathetic nervous system via chemical sympathectomy attenuated fasting-induced hepatic steatosis and suppressed CD36 upregulation in the liver, but did not obviously alter the expression of genes associated with lipogenesis or fatty acid oxidation. These findings indicate that the sympathetic nervous system orchestrates the mechanism for fasting-induced hepatic steatosis via modulating CD36 expression and adipose fat trafficking into the liver, which provides clues to reveal new targets for fatty liver diseases.
Zavarzinia marina sp. nov., a novel hydrocarbon-degrading bacterium isolated from deep chlorophyll maximum layer seawater of the West Pacific Ocean and emended description of the genus Zavarzinia
Authors: Hu Ziyan , Chen Yongqing , Lai Qiliang , Yu Ziquan , Shao Zongze , Dong Chunming
Published: October 2022

A Gram-stain-negative, motile, non-spore-forming, strictly aerobic and rod-shaped bacterial strain, Adcm-6AT, was isolated from a seawater sample collected from the deep chlorophyll maximum layer in the West Pacific Ocean. Strain Adcm-6AT grew at 20–37 °C (optimum, 28–32 °C), at pH 6–11 (pH 7) and in the presence of 0–6 % (1–2 %) NaCl (w/v). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that it belonged to the genus

Zavarzinia

and had 97.7 and 96.9 % sequence similarity to

Zavarzinia compransoris

DSM 1231T and

Zavarzinia aquatilis

JCM 32263T, respectively. Digital DNA–DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values between strain Adcm-6AT and the two type strains were 22.2–22.9 % and 79.7–80.4 %, respectively. The principal fatty acids were C19:0 cyclo ω8c, summed feature 8 (C18:1
ω6c and/or C18:1
ω7c) and C16:0. The predominant respiratory quinone was Q-10. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, two phosphatidylethanolamines, two phosphatidyglycerols and an unidentified lipid. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain Adcm-6AT was 67.7 %. Based on phylogenetic analysis and genomic-based relatedness indices, as well as phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, strain Adcm-6AT represents a novel species within the genus

Zavarzinia

, for which the name Zavarzinia marina sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Adcm-6AT (=MCCC M24951T=KCTC 82849T).
The Serotonergic Neural Circuit Between The Dorsal Raphe Nucleus And The Basolateral Amygdala Is Implicated In Modulating The Arousal from Sevoflurane Anesthesia
Authors: Yu Qian , Gu LeYuan , Lian XiTing , Wang YuLing , Xu Qing , Ma HaiXiang , Liu Lu , Shao WeiHui , GU JiaXuan , Shen Yue , Chen LiHai , Zhang HongHai
Published: October 2022

Although some advancements concerning the arousal involved in mediating the delayed emergency from general anesthesia, which will lead to the serious complications, had been made, the role by arousal in modulating in delayed emergency still remains to be unclear. In our models, based on our previous working that activation of the 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) by optogenetics can significantly reduce the emergency time by activating arousal pathway, we further test whether the serotonergic neural circuit between the DRN and the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is implicated in modulating the arousal from the sevoflurane anesthesia and the emergency time of sevoflurane anesthesia by the pharmacological, optogenetics and fiber photometry. Our findings showed that whether the serotonergic neural circuit between the DRN and the basolateral amygdala (BLA) plays a key role in modulating the arousal from the sevoflurane anesthesia and the emergency time of sevoflurane anesthesia. Based on the serotonergic neural circuit, the 5-HT 1 A receptor is of great significance to mediate the arousal and the emergency time of the sevoflurane anesthesia.

Graphical Abstract

Figure1
Health and Policy Associations of Homelessness in the United States
Authors: Awasthi Raghav , Saxena Vibhor , Nagori Aditya , Dhingra Lovedeep Singh , Puntambekar Varad , Sethi Tavpritesh
Published: October 2022

Importance

Homelessness is a complex challenge with an estimated yearly economic burden of $6 billion in the United States. Mitigating homelessness requires an understanding of determinants of homelessness, their interaction with health factors, and quantification of impact.

Objective

To investigate the health, social and policy factors influencing homelessness in a longitudinal integrative machine learning analysis.

Data Sources and Study design

This retrospective longitudinal study integrated Global Burden of Disease (GBD), Health Inequality, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) datasets for 3131 counties in the United States. We used the disease burden data of 2014, health inequalities data of 2001-2014, and homelessness count of 2015.

Primary Outcome and Measurement Results

Homelessness, the burden of disease, health inequalities, economic policies, ethnic, social, and racial factors.

Methods

Spearman rank correlation test was performed to check pairwise associations. A unified probabilistic model with temporal causality was fitted using a data-driven structure learning algorithm. The resulting associations adjusted for other variables in the network were quantified using network inference algorithms. Finally, counterfactual analysis was performed to quantify the potential impact of the learned interventions.

Results

The total burden of homelessness was significantly (p<0.001) and positively associated with rates of HIV and hepatitis mortality. Inference from the unified probabilistic model indicated that a state with a high hepatitis mortality rate had a 9% higher homelessness. Further, the rate of rheumatic heart disease mortality had a 29% decrease with the provision of shelter in young adults experiencing homelessness (p<0.001). Finally, states with moderate tax progressivity had a mitigating effect on homelessness as compared to both high and low tax progressivity (2% and 5% respectively). We evaluated the counterfactual impact of policy interventions to provide more support to cancer patients to prevent homeless and provision of shelter to prevent rheumatic heart disease mortality in young adults experiencing homelessness.

Conclusion and Relevance

Control of infectious diseases and the implementation of tax policies are critical interventions for the reduction of homelessness in the United States.

Key Points

Homelessness, Bayesian Network, Counterfactual Analysis

Question

What are the health associations and determinants of homelessness in the United States?

Finding

In this study on 3131 US Counties, we found infectious diseases mortality and tax progressivity to be strong determinants of homelessness using a Bayesian network model.

Meaning

These findings suggest that decreasing the burden of infectious diseases and moderate tax progressivity are vital factors for mitigating homelessness in the United States.
Neural mechanisms of musical syntax and tonality, and the effect of musicianship
Authors: Jiang Lei , Zhang Ruiqing , Tao Lily , Zhang Yuxin , Zhou Yongdi , Cai Qing
Published: October 2022

The neural basis for the processing of musical syntax has previously been examined almost exclusively in classical tonal music, which is characterized by strictly organized hierarchical structure. The present study investigated the neural mechanisms for processing musical syntax across genres varying in tonality - classical, impressionist, and atonal music - and, in addition, examined how musicianship modulates such processing. Results showed that, first, the dorsal stream, including bilateral inferior frontal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus, plays a key role in the perception of tonality. Second, right fronto-temporal regions were crucial in allowing musicians to outperform non-musicians in musical syntactic processing; musicians also benefit from a cortical-subcortical network including pallidum and cerebellum, suggesting more auditory–motor interaction in musicians than in non-musicians. Third, left pars triangularis carries out on-line computations independently of tonality and musicianship, whereas right pars triangularis is sensitive to tonality and partly dependent on musicianship. Finally, unlike tonal music, processing of atonal music could not be differentiated from that of scrambled notes, both behaviorally and neurally, even among musicians. The present study highlights the importance of studying varying music genres and experience levels, and provides a better understanding of musical syntax and tonality processing and how such processing is modulated by music experience.
Genetic and histological correlation between the musk gland and skin of Chinese forest musk deer
Authors: Li Long , Cao Heran , Yang Jinmeng , Ma Yuxuan , Jin Tianqi , Wang Yang , Li Zhenpeng , Chen Yining , Gao Huihui , Zhu Chao , Yang Tianhao , Deng Yalong , Yang Fangxia , Dong Wuzi
Published: October 2022

Chinese forest musk deer (FMD,Moschus berezovskii) glands have the ability to secrete musk, which plays an important role in attracting females during the breeding season. Sebaceous glands (SGs) are exocrine skin glands associated with hair follicles that continuously release a mixture of sebum, lipids and cellular debris, by holocrine secretion. Both the musk glands and the skin tissues of the FMD contain abundant sebaceous glands, andSox9, Caveolin1, andAndrogen receptor(AR) are all involved in the regulation of sebum secretion by the sebaceous glands. However, there are fewer studies on the correlation between skin and musk glands and the expression ofSox9, Caveolin1, andARin the musk glands and skin tissue of FMD. To address this gap, we analyzed biochemical data from FMD skin tissues and musk glands using transcriptomic data, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, western blotting (WB), immunohistochemistry (IHC), tissue dissection, and RT-qPCR. Anatomical results show that only adult male FMD had complete glandular part and sachets, while 4-month-old FMD do not have well-developed sachets. Transcriptomic data showed that 88.24% of genes were co-expressed in the skin and musk glands tissues of FMD. The WB, IHC, and RT-qPCR results showed that the genes involved in regulating sebum secretion,Sox9, Caveolin1, andARwere expressed in the skin tissues and musk glands. In summary, skin tissues and musk glands tissue have a strong correlation, andSox9, Caveolin1, andARmay play important roles in skin tissues and musk glands tissue.
Directed evolution of aerotolerance in sulfide-dependent thiazole synthases
Authors: Van Gelder Kristen , Oliveira-Filho Edmar R. , García-García Jorge Donato , Hu You , Bruner Steven D. , Hanson Andrew D.
Published: October 2022

Sulfide-dependent THI4 thiazole synthases could potentially be used to replace plant cysteine-dependent suicide THI4s, whose high protein turnover rates make thiamin synthesis exceptionally energy-expensive. However, sulfide-dependent THI4s are anaerobic or microoxic enzymes and hence unadapted to the aerobic conditions in plants; they are also slow enzymes (kcat<1 h-1). To improve aerotolerance and activity, we applied continuous directed evolution under aerobic conditions in the yeast OrthoRep system to two sulfide-dependent bacterial THI4s. Six beneficial single mutations were identified, of which five lie in the active-site cleft predicted by structural modeling and two recapitulate features of naturally aerotolerant THI4s. That single mutations gave substantial improvements suggests that further advance under selection will be possible by stacking mutations. This proof-of-concept study established that the performance of sulfide-dependent THI4s in aerobic conditions is evolvable and, more generally, that yeast OrthoRep provides a plant-like bridge to adapt nonplant enzymes to work better in plants.
Turn-on Rate Determines the Blinking Propensity of Rhodamine Fluorophores for Super-Resolution Imaging
Authors: Zheng Ying , Ye Zhiwei , Xiao Yi
Published: October 2022

Live-cell single-molecule localization microscopy has advanced with the development of self-blinking rhodamines. A pKcyclingof <6 is recognized as the criterion for self-blinking, yet partial rhodamines matching the standard fail for super-resolution reconstruction. To resolve this controversy, we constructed two typical self-blinking rhodamines (pKcycling= 5.67, 5.35) and a tetramethylsulfonamide rhodamine with unfit pKcyclingcharacteristic (7.00). Kinetic study uncovered slow equilibrium rates and limited blink numbers resulted in the reconstruction failure of partial rhodamines. From the kinetic disparity, a turn-on rate was abstracted to reveal the natural blinking frequency. The new parameter independent from applying laser satisfactorily explained the imaging failure, efficacious for determining the propensity of self-blinking from a kinetic perspective. Following the prediction from this parameter, the tetramethylsulfonamide rhodamine enabled live-cell super-resolution imaging of various organelles through Halo-tag technology. It is convinced that the turn-on rate would be a practical indicator of self-blinking and imaging performance.
Credit booms and bank risk in Southeast Asian countries: does credit information sharing matter?
Authors: Tran Son , Nguyen Dat , Nguyen Khuong , Nguyen Liem
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This study investigates the relationship between credit booms and bank risk in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, with credit information sharing acting as a moderator.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use a two-step System Generalized Method of Moments (SGMM) estimator on a sample of 79 listed banks in 5 developing ASEAN countries: Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in the period 2006–2019. In addition, the authors perform robustness tests with different proxies for credit booms and bank risk. The data are collected on an annual basis.

Findings

Bank risk is positively related to credit booms and is negatively associated with credit information sharing. Further, credit information sharing reduces the detrimental effect of credit booms on bank stability. The authors find that both public credit registries and private credit bureaus are effective in enhancing bank stability in ASEAN countries. These results are robust to regression models with alternative proxies for credit booms and bank risk.

Research limitations/implications

Banks in ASEAN countries tend to have strong lending growth to support the economy, but this could be detrimental to stability of the sector. Credit information sharing schemes should be encouraged because these schemes might enable growth of credit without compromising bank stability. Therefore, policymakers could promote private credit bureaus (PCB) and public credit registries (PCR) to realize their benefits. The authors' research focuses on developing ASEAN countries, but future research could provide more evidence by expanding this study to other emerging economies. In-depth interviews and surveys with bankers and regulatory bodies about these concerns could provide additional insights in the future.

Originality/value

The study is the first to examine the role of PCB and PCR in alleviating the negative impact of credit booms on bank risk. Furthermore, the authors use both accounting-based and market-based risk measures to provide a fuller view of the impact. Finally, there is little evidence on the link between credit booms, credit information sharing and bank risk in ASEAN, so the authors aim to fill this gap.
Are consumers influenced by the use of green practices in five-star hotels: an assessment of guest's revisit intentions, inclusive ratings and hotel performance
Authors: Gupta Vikas , Sajnani Manohar , Dixit Saurabh Kumar , Mishra Abhinav , Gani Mohammad Osman
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This study aims to find out the influence of green practices used by the five-star hotels on the guest’s online hotel assessment and their revisit intentions. It also evaluated how the use of green practices by the hotels influenced the guest’s willingness to pay a premium price. Apart from the conventional hotel service attributes, this study also identified some new and innovative services offered by the hotels which have an overall effect on the guest’s revisit intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applied focus group interviews from 12 hotel managers and accessed the hotel’s internal database to identify the latest and innovative service attributes offered by the hotels. The information regarding the green practices offered by the hotels was collected through TripAdvisor and LEED-IGBC website. It identified 10 independent and four dependent variables based on previous literature. Guest’s revisit intentions were measured on a five-point Likert scale. Data was analysed using a multi-step hierarchical regression model.

Findings

The use of green practices by the hotels revealed a positive and significant influence on the guest’s revisit-intentions and their intention to pay a premium price. It was also found that the use of new and innovative green practices has a positive influence on the guest’s overall online evaluation of the hotel.

Practical implications

This study suggests that the amalgamation of green practices along with the conventional service attributes may help in the incremental revisit and online hotel assessment intentions, which might be of use for the managers and hotel policymakers.

Originality/value

Although previous studies have explored the conventional hotel service attributes in the context of Indian Hotel industry, this is one of the first studies which discussed the influence of recent and emerging hotel service attributes on the guest’s revisit and pay a premium price intention. Moreover, the influence of green practices on the guest’s overall online evaluation of the five-star hotels in Delhi was discussed in this study which was not performed before.
The relationship between city size, decentralisation and economic growth
Authors: Clifford John Paul , Doran Justin , Crowley Frank , Jordan Declan
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This article examines the links between average city size, fiscal decentralisation, and national economic growth in 33 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The data in this paper comprise an unbalanced panel dataset which contains economic growth indicators, average city size, fiscal decentralisation indicators and control variables in 33 OECD member countries from 1975 to 2015 in five-year intervals. Fixed-effects (FE) estimators are used for the analysis.

Findings

This research finds i) countries with larger weighted average city sizes have higher economic growth, ii) countries with greater fiscal decentralisation have higher economic growth, but iii) countries with larger weighted average city sizes with greater decentralisation have lower rates of economic growth.

Originality/value

The research highlights the importance of agglomerations and decentralised governance and management for economic growth. While the findings are consistent with previous evidence that larger city sizes and fiscal decentralisation are separately associated with higher rates of economic growth, the authors find countries which have larger cities and greater fiscal decentralisation experience lower rates of economic growth highlighting a need for caution on decentralisation agendas in such cases. The implications of this suggest policymakers should proceed with caution on decentralisation agendas in countries with large cities.
Do products branded with handwritten scripts suffer more amid product-harm crises?
Authors: Bai Rubing , Ma Baolong , Hu Zhichen , Wang Hong
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to explore whether products branded with handwritten scripts suffer more from the effects of product-harm crises than other brands. Most studies on handwritten scripts focus on their positive effects, such as humanizing a product or creating an emotional tie with consumers. However, seldom have researchers investigated the negative effects of handwritten scripts. This paper goes some way to filling this gap.

Design/methodology/approach

Five experimental studies were conducted to test three hypotheses. These experiments provide evidence of the negative effects of handwritten scripts. In addition, they reveal the mechanisms that lead to these outcomes and outline the boundary conditions of the negative effects.

Findings

Framed by attribution theory, three conclusions can be drawn from the experiments: when a product-harm crisis occurs, consumers react with greater negativity toward the brand using handwritten scripts than to those using machine typefaces. The negative effect is explained by a serial mediation process that follows the pattern: typeface → perceived humanization → brand responsibility → brand attitude. The negative effect decreases when the crisis is perceived to be an accident.

Originality/value

This paper enriches the theory of marketing in terms of both handwritten scripts and product-harm crises, providing valuable guidance for enterprises that use handwritten scripts in their marketing activities.
It's about the type of career: The political ambition gender gap among youth wing members
Authors: AMMASSARI SOFIA , McDONNELL DUNCAN , VALBRUZZI MARCO
Published: October 2022

One of the main supply‐side explanations for women's underrepresentation in politics is the gender gap in nascent political ambition. While this has been examined in terms of electoral ambition, the aspiration to pursue non‐electoral careers within parties has been overlooked. In our study, we therefore investigate whether both types of ambition – electoral and non‐electoral – vary among young women and men participating in a key entry point for political careers in Western democracies: party youth wings. To do so, we surveyed almost 2,000 members of six centre‐left and centre‐right youth wings in Australia, Italy and Spain. We find that while, as expected, women in youth wings display lower levels of electoral ambition, they are almost as likely as men to express non‐electoral ambition. Furthermore, and contrary to our expectations, we show that women in centre‐right youth wings are no less interested in pursuing electoral and non‐electoral political careers than women in centre‐left ones. Our study thus provides new insights into the gendered nature of political ambition, highlighting that women's lower interest in electoral office does not necessarily reflect reduced interest in a political career.
Combined effect of pulsed electric field and osmotic dehydration pretreatments on mass transfer and quality of air‐dried pumpkin
Authors: Paraskevopoulou Eleni , Andreou Varvara , Dermesonlouoglou Efimia K. , Taoukis Petros S.
Published: October 2022

Pulsed electric field (PEF) and osmotic dehydration (OD) pretreatment can accelerate the time‐consuming drying process and minimize its high energy demands. The effect of PEF and OD pre‐processing conditions and osmotic solution composition on mass transfer kinetics (water loss, solid gain, water activity) and quality properties (color, texture, total sensory quality) during OD and subsequent air‐drying (AD) of pumpkin was studied. Application of PEF (2.0 kV/cm–1500 pulses) significantly enhanced mass transfer during subsequent air‐drying (increased effective diffusivity coefficient Des and drying rate kdrying, respectively). PEF and OD treatments led to a significant reduction of the processing time by 12 and 10%, respectively (p < 0.05). The maximum reduction of processing time by 27% (p < 0.05) (compared to untreated sample) resulted in combined use of PEF and OD as pretreatments prior to AD. When PEF pretreatment was combined with OD prior to AD, the corresponding energy was by 50% less than the respective energy required for nonprocessed samples.

Practical Application

Pulsed electric fields (PEF) and osmotic dehydration (OD) can be applied for the production of air‐dried pumpkin cuts of superior quality (in terms of quality and sensory characteristics) and reduced energy requirements (as a result of total processing time decrease).
Strategic population responses of Daphnia spinulata Birabén, 1917 to salinity changes through laboratory bioassays
Authors: Alvarez M. Fernanda , Benítez Hernán H. , Ferrando Noelia S. , Claps M. Cristina , Gabellone Néstor A.
Published: October 2022

Zooplankton play a key role in aquatic ecosystems constituting an essential intermediate component in aquatic food webs. Cladocerans in particular are widely studied as model of generalist filter feeders. At the regional level, the cladoceran Daphnia spinulata is found in numerous habitats with wide conductivity range (160 μS cm−1 to 14.000 μS cm−1), but information about the species's tolerance range or life history is scarce. Our objective was to generate essential information about D. spinulata's life history and the main parameters related to two contrasting salinity levels representative of water bodies of the pampean plain. Results obtained in laboratory bioassays showed that individuals at low conductivity (700 μS cm−1) had more moults, a lower mortality and a higher life expectancy at birth, a higher generation time, and an earlier peak density than those at high‐conductivity treatments (5000 μS cm−1). The maximum density reached was similar for both conductivities indicating a similar growth capability attained by different strategies. Moreover, the results indicated that D. spinulata at different conductivities was able to reproduce, with the offspring thus contributing to population growth. This study provided a knowledge of the life history strategies of this endemic cladoceran at two different conductivities, thus generating crucial information on the population dynamics and for evaluating the species's role as a possible salinity indicator in pampean water bodies. Nevertheless, future investigations will be necessary in order to identify the absolute limits of tolerance and the optimum conductivity for this species and determinate which stressors will act as a mictic stimuli.
Interspecific variation in fish spatial synchrony relates to reproductive traits in a highly fragmented river
Authors: Rodrigues Amanda Cantarute , Granzotti Rafaela Vendrametto , dos Santos Natália Carneiro Lacerda , Bini Luis Mauricio , Severi William , Gomes Luiz Carlos
Published: October 2022

Spatial synchrony occurs when the abundance of populations in different locations rise and fall together. This pattern is caused mainly by dispersal and spatially correlated environmental stochasticity. The levels of spatial synchrony can vary between species, yet little is known about which species traits can explain this interspecific variation. In addition, traits may have different degrees of influence on spatial synchrony levels because of their differences in plasticity. We hypothesized that conservative traits—reproductive and morphological—will best explain interspecific variation in synchrony, while those that may vary according to the environment—feeding and habitat preference—will be weakly related to this interspecific variation. We evaluated the spatial synchrony of freshwater fish species in a highly fragmented river in the Neotropical region and related the levels of synchrony to seven predictors: diet, reproductive traits (migration, fecundation, parental care and spawning), position in the water column, niche breadth, body size, body shape and average temporal occurrence of each species. The fish species showed low levels of spatial synchrony but a high interspecific variation (correlation values ranging from −0.11 to 0.41). We found that this variation was mainly related to species' reproductive traits, that is, sedentary species with partial spawning and without parental care had higher mean spatial synchrony than species with the opposite characteristics. In contrast, more plastic traits (diet and habitat preferences) were poor predictors of mean spatial synchrony. We speculate that, despite the low spatial synchrony found, if extreme impacts continue to occur in the basin at the regional scale, it may negatively affect local fish populations in a synchronous manner, resulting in increased risk of simultaneous declines.
Rurality as a predictor of perinatal mental health and well‐being in an Australian cohort
Authors: Galbally Megan , Watson Stuart J. , Coleman Mathew , Worley Paul , Verrier Leanda , Padmanabhan Vineet , Lewis Andrew J.
Published: October 2022

Objective

Perinatal emotional well‐being is more than the presence or absence of depressive and anxiety disorders; it encompasses a wide range of factors that contribute to emotional well‐being. This study compares perinatal well‐being between women living in metropolitan and rural regions.

Design

Prospective, longitudinal cohort.

Participants/setting

Eight hundred and six women from Victoria and Western Australia recruited before 20 weeks of pregnancy and followed up to 12 months postpartum.

Main outcome measures

Rurality was assessed using the Modified Monash Model (MM Model) with 578 in metropolitan cities MM1, 185 in regional and large rural towns MM2‐MM3 and 43 in rural to remote MM4‐MM7. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV (SCID‐IV) was administered at recruitment to assess depression, and symptoms of depression and anxiety were measured using the Edinburgh Post‐natal Depression Scale and the State and Trait Anxiety Scale, respectively. Other measures included stressful events, diet, exercise, partner support, parenting and sleep.

Results

The prevalence of depressive disorders did not differ across rurality. There was also no difference in breastfeeding cessation, exercise, sleep or partner support. Women living in rural communities and who also had depression reported significantly higher parenting stress than metropolitan women and lower access to parenting activities.

Conclusions

Our study suggests while many of the challenges of the perinatal period were shared between women in all areas, there were important differences in parenting stress and access to activities. Furthermore, these findings suggest that guidelines and interventions designed for perinatal mental health should consider rurality.
The adjustment of social trust and Internet use on cognitive bias in social status: Perspective of performance perception
Authors: Li Mengfan
Published: October 2022

People in different social statuses have different perceptions due to differences in cognition. Combined with the characteristics of public behaviour and cognition, this study examined the impact of the widespread cognitive biases in social status on performance perception. This study used the ordinary least squares model to verify that the cognitive bias in social status has a significant positive impact on the perception of social governance performance. At the same time, a moderated mediation model was constructed to verify that social trust plays a partial mediating role in the influence mechanism of cognitive bias in social status on the perception of social governance performance. The use of the Internet significantly inhibited the influence of cognitive bias in social status on the perception of social governance performance. Although it also weakened the influence of cognitive bias in social status on social trust, the moderating effect on the mediating effect is not obvious. This study verifies and analyses the internal relationship and mechanism of social status cognition deviation and perception of social governance performance from multidisciplinary dimensions, which enriches the social cognition theory of social status, and expands the research on the perception of social governance performance.