bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Race is not Associated with Medical Emergency Team Evaluation Prior to In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Authors: Gathers Cody-Aaron L. , Morgan Ryan W. , Alvey Jessica S. , Reeder Ron , Goldberger Zachary D. , Fowler Jessica , Naim Maryam Y. , O’Halloran Amanda , Merchant Raina M. , Kienzle Martha , Nadkarni Vinay , Berg Robert A. , Sutton Robert M. ,   the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Resuscitation Investigators
Published: April 2024

Background

Black patients have worse outcomes after in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA). Whether these racial disparities are associated with medical emergency team (MET) evaluation prior to IHCA remains unknown.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study of adults age ≥ 18 years from the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines® Resuscitation registry who had an IHCA between 2000 and 2021 with acute physiologic decline (modified early warning score [MEWS] ≥ 3) during the 24 hours prior to IHCA. A propensity-weighted cohort was constructed to balance confounders between Black and White patients. The association between race and MET evaluation was quantified with weighted multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Among 354,480 patients, 88,507 met the initial inclusion criteria, of which 29,714 patients (median age 69 [IQR 58-79] years, 42.5% female, and 26.9% Black) had acute physiologic decline during the 24 hours prior to IHCA. Among patients with acute physiologic decline, 4102 (13.8%) patients had a preceding MET evaluation before IHCA. Rates of MET evaluation prior to cardiac arrest did not differ significantly between Black and White patients with acute physiologic decline (aOR 1.02, 95% CI 0.94-1.11, p = 0.62).

Conclusions

Though racial disparities in IHCA outcomes exist, this study did not detect a difference in rates of MET evaluation prior to IHCA among patients with acute physiologic decline as a potential mechanism for these disparities.

Clinical Perspective What Is New?

With the goal to identify potential mechanisms leading to racial disparities in outcomes from adult in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA), this multicenter prospective observational study is the first study to analyze the association between race and medical emergency team (MET) evaluation among patients with evidence of clinical deterioration. IHCA

We found that rates of MET evaluation among patients with clinical deterioration (i.e., vital sign abnormalities) prior to IHCA did not differ between Black and White patients.

What Are the Clinical Implications?

These data demonstrate that race is not associated with MET evaluation prior to adult in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Future studies should evaluate other links in the American Heart Association’s in-hospital chain of survival (e.g., resuscitation quality, post-arrest care) as potential targets to mitigate racial disparities in IHCA survival.
Hemato-Chemical Variations- A Diagnostic Tool for Babesia, Theileria and Anaplasma Infections in Captive Hog Deer (Axis Porcinus)
Authors: Azhar Muhammad , Saleem Muhammad Hassan , Safdar Ayesha , Khan Muhammad Rizwan , Khan Bushra Nisar , Fatima Rida , Awan Furqan , Khalid Muhammad Mujahid , Nadeem Junaid
Published: April 2024

Hog deer are an essential component of Pakistan’s biodiversity. Their conservation helps maintain integrity of local ecosystems, contributing to overall stability and balance of region’s wildlife populations. In Pakistan, they are classified as an endangered species according to IUCN. Theileria, babesia and anaplasma are among most prevalent blood parasites in ruminants which require diagnosis at early stages of the infection so that treatment protocols can be followed and more severe pathological alterations can be prevented. The changes in hemato-chemical parameters caused by Theileria, babesia and anaplasma were recorded individually and then compared with healthy group of hog deer respectively. Alterations in hemato-chemical parameters produced by these parasite-infected hog deer were assessed as potential diagnostic tools for distinguishing between individual blood parasites. Total leukocyte count, monocytes and eosinophils were observed to be higher than normal in babesia infected hog deer while level was lower than normal hog deer in anaplasma and theileria infected hog deer. The main objective of this study is to promote early diagnosis of parasitic infections in hog deer to facilitate prompt treatment, pathological prevention and allocate resources for further research on hemato-chemical parameters as diagnostic tools, enhancing understanding and management of blood parasite infections in hog deer.
An imbalance between proliferation and differentiation underlies the development of microRNA-defective pineoblastoma
Authors: Fraire Claudette R. , Desai Kavita , Obalapuram Uma A. , Mendyka Lindsay K. , Rajaram Veena , Sebastian Teja , Wang Yemin , Onel Kenan , Lee Jeon , Skapek Stephen X. , Chen Kenneth S.
Published: April 2024

Mutations in the microRNA processing genesDICER1andDROSHAdrive several cancers that resemble embryonic progenitors. To understand how microRNAs regulate tumorigenesis, we ablatedDroshaorDicer1in the developing pineal gland to emulate the pathogenesis of pineoblastoma, a brain tumor that resembles undifferentiated precursors of the pineal gland. Accordingly, these mice develop pineal tumors marked by loss of microRNAs, including the let-7/miR-98-5p family, and de-repression of microRNA target genes. Pineal tumors driven by loss ofDroshaorDicer1mimic tumors driven byRb1loss, as they exhibit upregulation of S-phase genes and homeobox transcription factors that regulate pineal development. Blocking proliferation of these tumors facilitates expression of pinealocyte maturation markers, with a concomitant reduction in embryonic markers. Select embryonic markers remain elevated, however, as the microRNAs that normally repress these target genes remain absent. One such microRNA target gene is the oncofetal transcription factorPlagl2, which regulates expression of pro-growth genes, and inhibiting their signaling impairs tumor growth. Thus, we demonstrate that tumors driven by loss of microRNA processing may be therapeutically targeted by inhibiting downstream drivers of proliferation.
Cardiorespiratory exercise and self-management early after stroke to increase daily physical activity: results from a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial
Authors: Devasahayam Augustine J. , Tang Ada , Taylor Denise , Inness Elizabeth L. , Fleck Rebecca , French Esmé , Jagroop David , Danells Cynthia , Mansfield Avril
Published: April 2024

Trial design

Stepped-wedge cluster superiority randomized controlled trial.

Objective

This study aimed to determine if Promoting Optimal Physical Exercise for Life (PROPEL) program increases participation in physical activity up to six months post-discharge from stroke rehabilitation, compared to participation in group cardiorespiratory exercise (GCE) alone.

Methods

People with sub-acute stroke participated in the PROPEL (n=107) or GCE (n=65) intervention phases. The primary outcome was adherence to physical activity guidelines over seven days at six months post-discharge from rehabilitation. Secondary outcomes were exercise self-efficacy (Short Self-Efficacy for Exercise scale), exercise-related beliefs and attitudes (Short Outcome Expectation for Exercise scale), and perceived barriers to physical activity (Barriers to Being Active Quiz).

Results

Fifty seven participants (PROPEL, n=29; GCE, n=28) were included in the analysis. At six months post-discharge, 6/17 PROPEL participants and 9/22 GCE participants met the guidelines for intensity and duration of physical activity; the odds of meeting the physical activity guidelines did not differ between phases (p>0.84). PROPEL participants reported higher self-efficacy for exercise than GCE participants (p=0.0047).

Conclusions

Participation in the PROPEL increases self-efficacy for exercise compared to GCE alone after stroke. However, increased self-efficacy for exercise did not increase the odds of meeting physical activity guidelines.

Trial registration

NCT02951338
Survey of vitamin D intake in the general population in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Multicentre cross-sectional study
Authors: Bihehe Dieudonne Masemo , Mbaz Jacques Musung , Isaga Bertin , Shamputi Willy David , Mulume Jean Luhaga , Selemani Jean Missel , Mbo Jean Mukonkole , Bwihangane Ahadi Birindwa , Etale Eric , Ngongo Paul Tshonda , Lwandiko Roland Cibenda , Katchunga Philippe Bianga
Published: April 2024

Aim

Data on vitamin D intake are not available for the Democratic Republic of Congo. The aim of this study was to determine the level of sun exposure and dietary intake of vitamin D in the general adult Congolese population.

Methods

Between January and March 2024, 14,750 respondents (age= 31.3±12.5 years, 53.5% male) completed a questionnaire on sun exposure and dietary vitamin D intake. The association between satisfactory vitamin D intake ≥ 15 µg/day and hypothesised determinants was modelled in a multiple logistic regression.

Results

Of the 14,750 participants, 1,238 (8.4%) had very fair skin, 4,601 (31.2%) had less than 15 minutes’ exposure to the sun, 5,281 (35.8%) had only their head exposed to the sun and 2,509 (17.0%) had a vitamin D test. Fish was the main source of vitamin D intake [3.0 (1.0-7.0) µg/100 gr/day]. Finally, satisfactory vitamin D intake was significantly more frequent in participants aged < 40 years (adjusted OR= 2.45; p=0.0007), in those with a low socio-economic level (adjusted OR= 1.23; p=0.01) and in one of the towns studied (adjusted OR= 1.64; p=0.0001).

Conclusion

A low level of sun exposure and dietary intake of vitamin D is observed in the general Congolese population. Vitamin D intake is influenced by age and socio-economic status. The introduction of a vitamin D programme integrated into funded programmes (TB, HIV) would make it possible, at a lower cost, to combat vitamin D deficiency by raising awareness, screening and treating the general Congolese population.
Combined Effects of Prunus Cerasus (Montmorency Tart Cherry) and Apocynum Venetum (Venetron®) On Sleep and Anxiety in Adults with Insomnia
Authors: Erfe Marie Crisel B. , Oliver Paige L. , Kazaryan Armenouhi , Grant Azure D. , Yoon Roy , Patel Ruchir P. , Tan Belinda , Craft Noah
Published: April 2024

Purpose

Sleep aids derived from traditional plant medicines are strong candidates for safely improving insomnia but require wider validation in patient populations.

Methods

We conducted an open label trial of the impact of a compound, Sip2Sleep®, containing Montmorency tart cherry (prunus cerasus) extract and Venetron®(apocynum venetum) on subjective sleep quality, subjective daytime alertness, sleep duration, sleep latency, anxiety, and insomnia in 43 adults with moderate to severe insomnia. Participants collected data over four weeks, with the sleep aid consumed prior to bed during weeks two and four.

Results

The Montmorency tart cherry and Venetron®mixture statistically improved subjective sleep quality, daytime alertness, insomnia symptoms, and anxiety without impacting sleep duration and latency. Subjective improvements in sleep quality exhibited a statistical upward trend across the entire study window, suggesting potential persistence of the compounds days after consumption and greater improvement with longer-term consumption.

Conclusions

The combination of Montmorency tart cherry and Venetron®in this commercially available tincture is a promising sleep aid warranting further investigation in larger trials.
Large Language Models Are Poor Clinical Decision-Makers: A Comprehensive Benchmark
Authors: Liu Fenglin , Li Zheng , Zhou Hongjian , Yin Qingyu , Yang Jingfeng , Tang Xianfeng , Luo Chen , Zeng Ming , Jiang Haoming , Gao Yifan , Nigam Priyanka , Nag Sreyashi , Yin Bing , Hua Yining , Zhou Xuan , Rohanian Omid , Thakur Anshul , Clifton Lei , Clifton David A.
Published: April 2024

The adoption of large language models (LLMs) to assist clinicians has attracted remarkable attention. Existing works mainly adopt the closeended question-answering (QA) task with answer options for evaluation. However, many clinical decisions involve answering open-ended questions without pre-set options. To better understand LLMs in the clinic, we construct a benchmarkClinicBench. We first collect eleven existing datasets covering diverse clinical language generation, understanding, and reasoning tasks. Furthermore, we construct six novel datasets and clinical tasks that are complex but common in real-world practice, e.g., open-ended decision-making, long document processing, and emerging drug analysis. We conduct an extensive evaluation of twenty-two LLMs under both zero-shot and few-shot settings. Finally, we invite medical experts to evaluate the clinical usefulness of LLMs1.
Peristromal niches protect lung cancers from targeted therapies through a combined effect of multiple molecular mediators
Authors: Desai Bina , Miti Tatiana , Prabhakaran Sandhya , Miroshnychenko Daria , Henry Menkara , Marusyk Viktoriya , Gatenbee Chandler , Bui Marylin , Scott Jacob , Altrock Philipp M. , Haura Eric , Anderson Alexander R.A. , Basanta David , Marusyk Andriy
Published: April 2024

Targeted therapies directed against oncogenic signaling addictions, such as inhibitors of ALK in ALK+ NSCLC often induce strong and durable clinical responses. However, they are not curative in metastatic cancers, as some tumor cells persist through therapy, eventually developing resistance. Therapy sensitivity can reflect not only cell-intrinsic mechanisms but also inputs from stromal microenvironment. Yet, the contribution of tumor stroma to therapeutic responsesin vivoremains poorly defined. To address this gap of knowledge, we assessed the contribution of stroma-mediated resistance to therapeutic responses to the frontline ALK inhibitor alectinib in xenograft models of ALK+ NSCLC. We found that stroma-proximal tumor cells are partially protected against cytostatic effects of alectinib. This effect is observed not only in remission, but also during relapse, indicating the strong contribution of stroma-mediated resistance to both persistence and resistance. This therapy-protective effect of the stromal niche reflects a combined action of multiple mechanisms, including growth factors and extracellular matrix components. Consequently, despite improving alectinib responses, suppression of any individual resistance mechanism was insufficient to fully overcome the protective effect of stroma. Focusing on shared collateral sensitivity of persisters offered a superior therapeutic benefit, especially when using an antibody-drug conjugate with bystander effect to limit therapeutic escape. These findings indicate that stroma-mediated resistance might be the major contributor to both residual and progressing disease and highlight the limitation of focusing on suppressing a single resistance mechanism at a time.
A look beyond the QR code of SNARE proteins
Authors: Yadav Deepak , Hacisuleyman Aysima , Dergai Mykola , Khalifeh Dany , Abriata Luciano A. , Dal Peraro Matteo , Fasshauer Dirk
Published: April 2024

Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor Attachment protein REceptor (SNARE) proteins catalyze the fusion process of vesicles with target membranes in eukaryotic cells. To do this, they assemble in a zipper-like fashion into stable complexes between the membranes. Structural studies have shown that the complexes consist of four different helices, which we subdivide into Qa-, Qb-, Qc-, and R-helix on the basis of their sequence signatures. Using a combination of biochemistry, modeling and molecular dynamics, we investigated how the four different types are arranged in a complex. We found that there is a matching pattern in the core of the complex that dictates the position of the four fundamental SNARE types in the bundle, resulting in a QabcR complex. In the cell, several different cognate QabcR-SNARE complexes catalyze the different transport steps between the compartments of the endomembrane system. Each of these cognate QabcR complexes is compiled from a repertoire of about 20 SNARE subtypes. Our studies show that exchange within the four types is largely tolerated structurally, although some non-cognate exchanges lead to structural imbalances. This suggests that SNARE complexes have evolved for a catalytic mechanism, a mechanism that leaves little scope for selectivity beyond the QabcR rule.
Growth characteristics of natural microbial populations are skewed towards bacteria with low specific growth rates
Authors: Bulseco Ashley N , Yang Wenzhou , Huber Julie A , Vallino Joseph J
Published: April 2024

Microbes are often functionally characterized by traits that specify their optimum environmental conditions for growth, such as temperature or pH, as well as upper and lower bounds where growth is possible. While any given microbe will have a narrow environmental window where growth can occur, a diverse community can span a much larger range of conditions where growth is possible by at least some members of the community. One important trait of microbes is maximum specific growth rate, as this trait determines if a microbe can persist in environments with short residence times. In this study, we conducted a chemostat experiment with natural microbial communities and manipulated dilution rate to test how it would act as a selective force controlling community dynamics and microbial diversity. Using both experimental chemostats and trait-based modeling, we examine how the composition of a microbial community collected from a coastal meromictic pond changes as dilution rate increases from 0.1 to 10 d−1. We compare experimental results from 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequences to the output from two different simulations of the trait-based model, one in which maximum specific growth rate is initially evenly distributed across the community and another where maximum specific growth rate traits are pulled from a beta probability distribution that is skewed towards low specific growth rates. Our experimental results match the simulation where the initial natural population is dominated by slow-growing microbes. Our results also highlight the importance of initial trait distributions in modeling community response to environmental changes.

Importance

All living organisms are constrained by environmental boundaries that govern where growth is possible, such as minimum and maximum temperature or pH. An organism’s maximum specific growth rate places a lower bound on the residence or turnover time of a system where an organism can persist without being removed from the system. While we have good bounds on the maximum specific growth rate of culturable organisms, such asEscherichiaorVibriospecies, information is lacking on how the maximum specific growth rate trait is distributed in natural microbial communities. This information is critical for understanding how a community will respond to changes in residence time. Using chemostats and trait-based modeling, this study assesses how maximum specific growth rate is distributed in a natural community collected from a coastal, salinity-stratified pond.
Harnessing Emergent Properties of Microbial Consortia: Assembly of the Xilonen SynCom
Authors: Gastélum Gabriela , Gómez-Gil Bruno , Olmedo-Álvarez Gabriela , Rocha Jorge
Published: April 2024

Synthetic communities (SynComs) are valuable tools for addressing fundamental questions in microbial ecology regarding community assembly. They could also potentially aid in successfully manipulating microbial communities for clinical, biotechnological, and agricultural applications. SynCom design is complicated since interactions between microbes cannot be predicted based on their individual properties. Here, we aimed to assemble a higher-order SynCom from seed-endophytic bacteria isolated from native maize landraces. We screened co-cultures that included strains from the Bacilli class, and theBurkholderiaandPseudomonasgenera since these taxa have been previously shown to be important for the fertility of native maize landraces. We developed a combinatorial, bottom-up strategy aimed at the detection of a complex colony architecture as an emergent collective property. Using this simplified approach, we assembled a SynCom composed ofBacillus pumilusNME155,Burkholderia contaminansXM7 andPseudomonassp. GW6. The strains exhibited positive and negative interactions when evaluated in pairs, but their higher-order assembly results in a complex colony architecture, which is considered a proxy of biofilm formation. This SynCom was namedXilonenafter the Aztec goddess of young maize and fertility. TheXilonenSynCom will aid in studying the molecular and ecological basis mediating maize fertility.
Vaginal metatranscriptome meta-analysis reveals functional BV subgroups and novel colonisation strategies
Authors: Dos Santos Scott J , Copeland Clara , Macklaim Jean M , Reid Gregor , Gloor Gregory B
Published: April 2024

Background: The application of '-omics' technologies to study bacterial vaginosis (BV) has uncovered vast differences in composition and scale between the vaginal microbiomes of healthy and BV patients. Compared to amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomic approaches focusing on a single or few species, investigating the transcriptome of the vaginal microbiome at a system-wide level can provide insight into the functions which are actively expressed and differential between states of health and disease. Results: We conducted a meta-analysis of vaginal metatranscriptomes from three studies, split into exploratory (n = 44) and validation (n = 297) datasets, accounting for the compositional nature of sequencing data and differences in scale between healthy and BV microbiomes. Conducting differential abundance analyses on the exploratory dataset, we identified a multitude of strategies employed by microbes associated with states of health and BV to evade host cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs); putative mechanisms used by BV-associated species to resist and counteract the low vaginal pH; and potential approaches to disrupt vaginal epithelial integrity so as to establish sites for adherence and biofilm formation. Moreover, we identified several distinct functional subgroups within the BV population, distinguished by genes involved in motility, chemotaxis, biofilm formation and co-factor biosynthesis. After defining molecular states of health and BV in the validation dataset using KEGG orthology terms rather than community state types, differential abundance analysis confirmed earlier observations regarding CAMP resistance and compromising epithelial barrier integrity in healthy and BV microbiomes, and also supported the existence of motile vs. non-motile subgroups in the BV population. These findings were independent of the functional classification system used (KEGG or EggNOG). Conclusions: Our findings highlight a need to focus on functional rather than taxonomic differences when considering the role of microbiomes in disease and identify pathways for further research as potential BV treatment targets.
A complete map of specificity encoding for a partially fuzzy protein interaction
Authors: Zarin Taraneh , Lehner Ben
Published: April 2024

Thousands of human proteins function by binding short linear motifs embedded in intrinsically disordered regions. How affinity and specificity are encoded in these binding domains and the motifs themselves is not well understood. The evolvability of binding specificity - how rapidly and extensively it can change upon mutation - is also largely unexplored, as is the contribution of ‘fuzzy’ dynamic residues to affinity and specificity in protein-protein interactions. Here we report the first complete map of specificity encoding for a globular protein domain. Quantifying >200,000 energetic interactions between a PDZ domain and its ligand identifies 20 major energetically coupled pairs of sites that control specificity. These are organized into six modules, with most mutations in each module reprogramming specificity for a single position in the ligand. Nine of the major energetic couplings controlling specificity are between structural contacts and 11 have an allosteric mechanism of action. The dynamic tail of the ligand is more robust to mutation than the structured residues but contributes additively to binding affinity and communicates with structured residues to enable changes in specificity. Our results quantify the binding specificities of >1,800 globular proteins to reveal how specificity is encoded and provide a direct comparison of the encoding of affinity and specificity in structured and dynamic molecular recognition.
Realization of a Programmable Multipurpose Photonic Quantum Memory with Over-Thousand Qubit Manipulations
Authors: Zhang Sheng , Shi Jixuan , Cui Zhaibin , Wang Ye , Wu Yukai , Duan Luming , Pu Yunfei
Published: April 2024

Quantum networks can enable various applications such as distributed quantum computing, long-distance quantum communication, and network-based quantum sensing with unprecedented performances. One of the most important building blocks for a quantum network is a photonic quantum memory which serves as the interface between the communication channel and the local functional unit. A programmable quantum memory which can process a large stream of flying qubits and fulfill the requirements of multiple core functions in a quantum network is still to be realized. Here we report a high-performance quantum memory which can simultaneously store 72 optical qubits carried by 144 spatially separated atomic ensembles and support up to a thousand consecutive write or read operations in a random access way, 2 orders of magnitude larger than the previous record. Because of the built-in programmability, this quantum memory can be adapted on demand for several functions. As example applications, we realize quantum queue, stack, and buffer which closely resemble the counterpart devices for classical information processing. We further demonstrate the storage and reshuffle of four entangled pairs of photonic pulses with probabilistic arrival time and arbitrary release order via the memory, which is an essential requirement for the realization of quantum repeaters and efficient routing in quantum networks. Realization of this multipurpose programmable quantum memory thus constitutes a key enabling building block for future large-scale fully functional quantum networks.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Inferring the Dynamics of Ionic Currents from Recursive Piecewise Data Assimilation of Approximate Neuron Models
Authors: Wells Stephen A. , Taylor Joseph D. , Morris Paul G. , Nogaret Alain
Published: April 2024

We construct neuron models from data by transferring information from an observed time series to the state variables and parameters of Hodgkin-Huxley models. When the learning period completes, the model will predict additional observations and its parameters uniquely characterize the complement of ion channels. However, the assimilation of biological data, as opposed to model data, is complicated by the lack of knowledge of the true neuron equations. Reliance on guessed conductance models is plagued with multivalued parameter solutions. Here, we report on the distributions of parameters and currents predicted with intentionally erroneous models, overspecified models, and an approximate model fitting hippocampal neuron data. We introduce a recursive piecewise data assimilation algorithm that converges with near-perfect reliability when the model is known. When the model is unknown, we show model error introduces correlations between certain parameters. The ionic current waveforms reconstructed from these parameters are excellent predictors of true currents and carry a higher degree of confidence, greater than 95.5%, than underlying parameters, which is 53%. Unexpressed ionic currents are correctly filtered out even in the presence of mild model error. When the model is unknown, the covariance eigenvalues of parameter estimates are found to be a good gauge of model error. Our results suggest that biological information may be retrieved from data by focusing on current estimates rather than parameters.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Platform service decision and selling mode selection under different power structures
Authors: Wan Nana , Fan Jianchang
Published: April 2024

Purpose

This paper forms an e-commerce supply chain that include a manufacturer providing products and an online platform providing service. The reselling platform mode and the agent platform mode are considered through an exploration of the manufacturer Stackelberg (MS), vertical Nash (VN), platform Stackelberg (PS) power structures. The purpose of this paper is to explore the pricing and platform service decisions under different platform selling modes and channel power structures.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the game theory models, this paper investigates the interaction between the manufacturer and the online platform under four different scenarios. The optimal solutions of four models are provided. Through comparison analyses, this paper evaluates the impacts of platform selling mode and channel power structure on the pricing and platform service decisions and the members’ profits.

Findings

The manufacturer prefers the MS power structure in any platform mode. The online platform prefers the PS (MS) power structure under a low (high) service cost efficiency in the reselling platform mode, while prefers the PS and VN power structures in the agent platform mode. Moreover, the manufacturer prefers the agent (reselling) platform mode under a low (high) service cost efficiency in any power structure. The online platform prefers the reselling platform mode in the MS and PS power structures, while prefers the reselling (agent) platform mode under a low (high) service cost efficiency in the VN power structures.

Originality/value

The analysis result provides important managerial implications that help the supply chain members develop a better understanding of the selection of the platform selling mode and the effect of the channel power structure in the presence of platform service.
Impact of sub-national synchronization on the behavior of national business cycles in emerging economies with inflation targeting
Authors: Padilla Alcides J. , Quintero Otero Jorge David
Published: April 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess sub-national business cycle (BC) synchronization's impact on national cycles in four emerging markets economies with inflation targeting (IT-EMEs): Brazil, Colombia, South Korea and Mexico.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use panel data models with fixed-effects and distributed lags.

Findings

The authors disclosed that sub-national synchronization increased national cycle amplitudes during expansion and recession phases. The authors also noticed that South Korea exhibited a more pronounced effect compared to Latin American countries, and this seemed to be associated with differences in the homogeneity of the production structures in the regions of these countries.

Research limitations/implications

The authors cautioned that contrasting the findings with prior research on the effects of regional BC synchronization in IT-EMEs or with studies in different geographical contexts, is not possible due to the absence of prior research endeavors with this specific focus.

Originality/value

This study constitutes a first attempt to explain the impact of subnational cycle synchronization on the magnitude of national cycles in four IT-EMEs.
Does leader humor style matter employee knowledge sharing? From the lens of emotional contagion process
Authors: Xu Zhenting , Li Xianmiao , Sun Xiuming
Published: April 2024

Purpose

This study aims to explore the enabling and suppressing effects of leader affiliative and aggressive humor on employee knowledge sharing form the lens of emotional contagion process, which provides theoretical reference for the applications of different leader humor style, thereby enhancing employee knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collected three waves of data and surveyed 379 employees in China. Regression analysis, bootstrapping and latent moderation structural equation were adopted to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Leader affiliative humor has a positive impact on employee knowledge sharing, whereas leader aggressive humor has a negative impact on employee knowledge sharing. Positive emotion plays a mediating role between leader affiliative humor and employee knowledge sharing, and negative emotion plays a mediating role between leader aggressive humor and employee knowledge sharing. Moreover, supervisor–subordinate Guanxi moderates the relationship between leader affiliative humor and positive emotion, and between leader aggressive humor and negative emotion, respectively.

Originality/value

This study not only adds to the knowledge sharing literature calling for the exploration of antecedents and mechanism of employee knowledge sharing, but also contributes to our comprehensive understanding of the suppressing and enabling effects of leader humor style on employee knowledge sharing. Besides, this study also unpacks the dual-path mechanism and boundary condition between leader humor style and employee knowledge sharing and augments the theoretical explanations of emotional contagion theory between leader humor style and employee knowledge sharing.
An analysis of the geopolitical and economics influence on tourist arrivals in Russia using a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model
Authors: Georgescu Irina Alexandra , Oprea Simona Vasilica , Bâra Adela
Published: April 2024

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic and the onset of the conflict in Ukraine led to a sustained downturn in tourist arrivals (TA) in Russia. This paper aims to explore the influence of geopolitical risk (GPR) and other indices on TA over 1995–2023.

Design/methodology/approach

We employ a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model to analyze the effects, capturing both the positive and negative shocks of these variables on TA.

Findings

Our research demonstrates that the NARDL model is more effective in elucidating the complex dynamics between macroeconomic factors and TA. Both an increase and a decrease in GPR lead to an increase in TA. A 1% negative shock in GPR leads to an increase in TA by 1.68%, whereas a 1% positive shock in GPR also leads to an increase in TA by 0.5%. In other words, despite the increase in GPR, the number of tourists coming to Russia increases by 0.5% for every 1% increase in that risk. Several explanations could account for this phenomenon: (1) risk-tolerant tourists: some tourists might be less sensitive to GPR or they might find the associated risks acceptable; (2) economic incentives: increased risk might lead to a depreciation in the local currency and lower costs, making travel to Russia more affordable for international tourists; (3) niche tourism: some tourists might be attracted to destinations experiencing turmoil, either for the thrill or to gain firsthand experience of the situation; (4) lagged effects: there might be a time lag between the increase in risk and the actual impact on tourist behavior, meaning the effects might be observed differently over a longer period.

Originality/value

Our study, employing the NARDL model and utilizing a dataset spanning from 1995 to 2023, investigates the impact of GPR, gross domestic product (GDP), real effective exchange rate (REER) and economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on TA in Russia. This research is unique because the dataset was compiled by the authors. The results show a complex relationship between GPR and TA, indicating that factors influencing TA can be multifaceted and not always intuitive.
Inter-bead void reduction by crossing printing routes of fused filament fabricated composites
Authors: Marchal Valentin , Zhang Yicha , Lachat Rémy , Labed Nadia , Peyraut François
Published: April 2024

Purpose

The use of continuous fiber-reinforced filaments improves the mechanical properties obtained with the fused filament fabrication (FFF) process. Yet, there is a lack of simulation tailored tools to assist in the design for additive manufacturing of continuous fiber composites. To build such models, a precise elastic model is required. As the porosity caused by interbead voids remains an important flaw of the process, this paper aims to build an elastic model integrating this aspect.

Design/methodology/approach

To study the amount of porosity, which could be a failure initiator, this study proposes a two step periodic homogenization method. The first step concerns the microscopic scale with a unit cell made of fiber and matrix. The second step is at the mesoscopic scale and combines the elastic material of the first step with the interbead voids. The void content has been set as a parameter of the model. The material models predicted with the periodic homogenization were compared with experimental results.

Findings

The comparison between periodic homogenization results and tensile test results shows a fair agreement between the experimental results and that of the numerical simulation, whatever the fibers’ orientations are. Moreover, a void content reduction has been observed by increasing the crossing angle from one layer to another. An empiric law giving the porosity according to this crossing angle was created. The model and the law can be further used for design evaluation and optimization of continuous fiber-reinforced FFF.

Originality/value

A new elastic model considering interbead voids and its variation with the crossing angle of the fibers has been built. It can be used in simulation tools to design high performance fused filament fabricated composite parts.
Farmer Protests and Income Developments in the EU
Authors: Matthews Alan
Published: April 2024

Farmer protests are currently taking place in many European countries. There are multiple motives behind these, but low prices and incomes are frequently cited. This can be hard to understand, as agricultural incomes in the past three years in the EU have reached their highest ever levels, largely the result of a decline in the number of farms and farmers. Farms are also very heterogeneous. Those farms producing the majority of agricultural output have the necessary scale to provide a decent income, but the majority of farms are not able to remunerate their labour input adequately. The continued existence of a productivity gap between farm and non‐farm sectors suggests farm consolidation will continue, but stronger environmental interventions could ensure this process occurs in a sustainable way.
“Whether my Body Breaks or the Plum Tree Withers”: Iwanaga Maki, Social Welfare Pioneer, and the jūjikai Women's Religious Order
Authors: McClelland Gwyn
Published: April 2024

Maria Iwanaga Maki (1849–1920) was 23 years old in 1873 when she returned home after a community exile and persecutions of more than 3000 people carried out by the Meiji government. Historians in the public record refer to Iwanaga as otoko‐masari (man‐nish) when she stood up to a representative of the Shogun, while in her public work she became known as the sister of the intersection. She was a social‐work pioneer, believed to have cared for upwards of 900 children. During her family's imprisonment in Bizen (Okayama), Iwanaga's younger sister, Fui, and her father died. Iwanaga and her compatriots started the jūjikai Cross Society, that was the first Japanese Catholic women's order post‐persecution in 1879, working to assist those affected by epidemics and beginning one of, if not the first orphanage in the Meiji era in Japan. In this article by including a family tree, I consider how memory and emotion is transmitted across generations, drawing on Marianne Hirsch's “postmemory,” in the light of the narratives about Iwanaga. I examine three primary sources, including two spoken records and a photograph, to better understand the emotional person of Iwanaga, and her institution of onnabeya, or women's rooms.
Comparative analysis of endometrial, vaginal, and gut microbiota in patients with and without adenomyosis
Authors: Valdés‐Bango Marta , Gracia Meritxell , Rubio Elisa , Vergara Andrea , Casals‐Pascual Climent , Ros Cristina , Rius Mariona , Martínez‐Zamora Maria Ángeles , Mension Eduard , Quintas Lara , Carmona Francisco
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Alterations in microbiota composition have been implicated in a variety of human diseases. Patients with adenomyosis present immune dysregulation leading to a persistent chronic inflammatory response. In this context, the hypothesis that alterations in the microbiota may be involved in the pathogenesis of adenomyosis, by affecting the epigenetic, immunologic, and biochemical functions of the host, has recently been postulated. The aim of the present study was to compare the microbiota composition in the vagina, endometrium, and gut of individuals with and without adenomyosis.

Material and Methods

Cross‐sectional study including 38 adenomyosis patients and 46 controls, performed between September 2021 and October 2022 in a university hospital‐based research center. The diagnosis of adenomyosis was based on sonographic criteria. Fecal, vaginal, and endometrial samples were collected. Study of the microbiota using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Results

Patients with adenomyosis exhibited a significant reduction in the gut microbial alpha diversity compared with healthy controls (Chao1 p = 0.012, Fisher p = 0.005, Observed species p = 0.005). Beta‐diversity analysis showed significant differences in the compositions of both gut and vaginal microbiota between adenomyosis patients and the control group (Adonis p‐value = 0.001; R2 = 0.03 and Adonis p‐value = 0.034; R2 = 0.04 respectively). Specific bacterial taxa were found to be either overrepresented (Rhodospirillales, Ruminococcus gauvreauii group, Ruminococcaceae, and Actinomyces) or underrepresented in the gut and endometrial microbiota of adenomyosis patients compared with controls. Distinct microbiota profiles were identified among patients with internal and external adenomyosis phenotypes.

Conclusions

The study revealed reduced gut microbiota diversity in adenomyosis patients, accompanied by distinct compositions in gut and vaginal microbiota compared with controls. Overrepresented or underrepresented bacterial taxa were noted in the gut and endometrial microbiota of adenomyosis patients, with variations in microbiota profiles among those with internal and external adenomyosis phenotypes. These findings suggest a potential association between microbiota and adenomyosis, indicating the need for further research to comprehensively understand the implications of these differences.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation versus invasive ventilation in patients with COVID‐19 acute respiratory distress syndrome and pneumomediastinum: A cohort trial
Authors: Attou Rachid , Redant Sebastien , Velissaris Dimitrios , Kefer Keitiane , Abou Lebdeh Mazen , Waterplas Eric , Pierrakos Charalampos
Published: April 2024

Background

Patients with severe respiratory failure due to COVID‐19 who are not under mechanical ventilation may develop severe hypoxemia when complicated with spontaneous pneumomediastinum (PM). These patients may be harmed by invasive ventilation. Alternatively, veno‐venous (V‐V) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may be applied. We report on the efficacy of V‐V ECMO and invasive ventilation as initial advanced respiratory support in patients with COVID‐19 and acute respiratory failure due to spontaneous PM.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study performed between March 2020 and January 2022. Enrolled patients had COVID‐19 and acute respiratory failure due to spontaneous PM and were not invasively ventilated. Patients were treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) with invasive ventilation (invasive ventilation group) or V‐V ECMO support (V‐V ECMO group) as the main therapeutic option. The primary outcomes were mortality and ICU discharge at 90 days after ICU admission.

Results

Twenty‐two patients were included in this study (invasive ventilation group: 13 [59%]; V‐V ECMO group: 9 [41%]). The V‐V ECMO strategy was significantly associated with lower mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 0.33 [95% CI 0.12–0.97], p = 0.04). Five (38%) patients in the V‐V ECMO group were intubated and eight (89%) patients in the invasive ventilation group required V‐V ECMO support within 30 days from ICU admission. Three (33%) patients in the V‐V ECMO group were discharged from ICU within 90 days compared to one (8%) patient in the invasive ventilation group (HR 4.71 [95% CI 0.48–45.3], p = 0.18).

Conclusions

Preliminary data suggest that V‐V ECMO without invasive ventilation may improve survival in COVID‐19‐related acute respiratory failure due to spontaneous PM. The study's retrospective design and limited sample size underscore the necessity for additional investigation and warrant caution.
The self‐reference effect in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Ahmed Zahra , Cunningham Sheila J. , Rhodes Sinead , Gow Ailsa , Macmillan Kirsty , Hutchison Jacqui , Ross Josephine
Published: April 2024

The self‐memory system depends on the prioritization and capture of self‐relevant information, so may be disrupted by difficulties in attending to, encoding and retrieving self‐relevant information. The current study compares memory for self‐referenced and other‐referenced items in children with ADHD and typically developing comparison groups matched for verbal and chronological age. Children aged 5–14 (N = 90) were presented with everyday objects alongside an own‐face image (self‐reference trials) or an unknown child's image (other‐referenced trials). They were asked whether the child shown would like the object, before completing a surprise source memory test. In a second task, children performed, and watched another person perform, a series of actions before their memory for the actions was tested. A significant self‐reference effect (SRE) was found in the typically developing children (i.e. both verbal and chronological age‐matched comparison groups) for the first task, with significantly better memory for self‐referenced than other‐referenced objects. However, children with ADHD showed no SRE, suggesting a compromised ability to bind information with the cognitive self‐concept. In the second task, all groups showed superior memory for actions carried out by the self, suggesting a preserved enactment effect in ADHD. Implications and applications for the self‐memory system in ADHD are discussed.