bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Finding a fit between CXO’s experience and AI usage in CXO decision-making: evidence from knowledge-intensive professional service firms
Authors: Kondapaka Poojitha , Khanra Sayantan , Malik Ashish , Kagzi Muneza , Hemachandran Kannan
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications’ usage in Chief Officers’ (CXOs’) decision-making is a topic of current research interest. A fundamental dilemma is carefully planning an effective combination of a CXO’s professional experiences and AI applications’ decision-making responsibility. However, the existing literature fails to specify the value of co-creation of AI applications and the human experience in managerial decision-making. To address this gap in the literature, the authors’ examine how an ideal cognitive-technology fit can be created between human experiences and AI-based solutions at CXO-level decision-making using the theoretical lens of the Service-Dominant Logic.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors’ employed a grounded theory approach and conducted a focus group discussion with seven participants to shed light on the factors that may balance AI applications’ usage and CXOs’ experience in making business decisions. This was followed by 21 in-depth interviews with employees from knowledge-intensive professional service firms to validate the findings further of a new phenomenon. Further, given the newness of the phenomenon, this approach allowed researchers a retrospective and real-time understanding of interviewees’ experiences of the phenomenon under consideration.

Findings

The advantages and constraints of both CXOs’ experiences and AI applications deserve due consideration for successfully implementing technology in knowledge-intensive professional service organizations.

Research limitations/implications

This study may appeal to researchers and practitioners interested in the future of decision-making, as the authors’ study findings advocate for balancing CXO’s expertise and the use of AI in decision-making.

Originality/value

Based on the preliminary findings, the authors developed a theoretical framework to understand the factors that govern AI implementation in an organization and how a competitive strategy may emerge from value co-created by AI applications and CXOs’ experience, particularly in knowledge-intensive professional service firms.
The users' expectations of library service quality in the college libraries of Pakistan: a LibQUAL study
Authors: Mahmood Khalid , Rehman Shafiq Ur , Ashiq Murtaza
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This research study is conducted to thoroughly investigate the users' expectations for excellent library service quality (LSQ) from college libraries. It will also identify whether there is any difference in the desired library service quality among different type of users, gender and academic discipline.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey method was used, and the data were collected from 998 respondents, which included faculty members, masters, bachelor's and intermediate students. In order to conduct the study, LibQUAL + instrument were adapted.

Findings

The results demonstrated that the users expected a higher level of services from the college libraries of Pakistan. The highest desired expectation of the users were related to “library as a place (LP)” dimension, while the lowest expectation was with regards to the “information control (IC)” dimension. The results indicated a significant difference among the various types of users and academic disciplines regarding their expectations with library services.

Practical implications

The appointment of college librarians against nearly 500 vacant posts would significantly improve the LSQ in these libraries. The result of the study would indeed be useful for the college administration, librarians the Government of the Punjab and the Punjab Higher Education Commission (HEC) for future planning, improvement of services and allocation of resources.

Originality/value

This study is the first in-depth effort into investigating the LSQ of the college libraries of the Punjab, Pakistan. This study will be helpful to understand the LSQ from developing countries’ perspective.
The reader's way: student process guiding library practice
Authors: Armstrong Annie R. , Insua Glenda M. , Lantz Catherine
Published: February 2023

Purpose

This paper explores the academic reading behaviors of first-year students in an attempt to understand their experiences and develop potential reading interventions to support undergraduate students.

Design/methodology/approach

Researchers used qualitative research methods to elicit in-depth findings regarding reading behaviors. They interviewed fifteen first-year students who had completed a required writing course regarding their reading habits and used open coding to analyze interviews.

Findings

Investigators discovered that the narrative from national media that students do not read discounts the volume and variety of texts that students regularly interact with in a variety of contexts. Several themes emerged from the interviews: (1) Students like to read in a variety of designated spaces at any time of the day or night, (2) Students prefer reading in print, but mostly read online, and (3) Students reported difficult vocabulary as the most significant challenge in reading academic texts, but also reported emotional concerns regarding reading.

Originality/value

While previous studies have focused on factors such as format preference and time limitations that influence reading behaviors, this study contributes to the body of research looking at the reading behaviors of college students more holistically, providing new insights informing a range of library interventions to support student success in academic reading. In its use of student interviews, this study offers a student-centered contribution to the literature on student reading behaviors and considers the implications of these behaviors on librarian practice.
Decision-making using regression analysis: a case study on Top Tier Holidays LLP
Authors: Kumar Nitesh , Rath Abinash , Singh Anil Kumar , Akoijam Sunildro L.S.
Published: February 2023

Research methodology

This study aims to investigate the factors that contribute to the overall tour experience and services provided by Top Tier Holidays. The study is mixed in nature, and the researchers have used analytical tools to analyse the data factually. Multiple regression using MS Excel is used in the study.

Case overview/synopsis

This case is based on the experiences of a real-life travel and tour company located in New Delhi, India. The case helps understand regression analysis to identify independent variables significantly impacting the tour experience. The CEO of the company is focused on improving the overall customer experience. The CEO has identified six principal determinants (variables) applicable to tour companies’ success. These variables are hotel experience, transportation, cab driver, on-tour support, itinerary planning and pricing.

Multiple regression analysis using Microsoft Excel is conducted on the above determinants (the independent variables) and the overall tour experience (the dependent variable). This analysis would help identify the relationship between the independent and dependent variables and find the variables that significantly impact the dependent variable. This case also helps us appreciate the importance of various parameters that affect the overall customer tour experience and the challenges a tour operator company faces in the current competitive business environment.

Complexity academic level

This case is designed for discussion with the undergraduate courses in business management, commerce and tourism management programmes. The case will build up readers’ understanding of linear regression with multiple variables. It shows how multiple linear regression can help companies identify the significant variables affecting business outcomes.
Reconsideration of the previously classified incompatibility groups of plasmids, IncP‐1 and IncP‐11
Authors: Shintani Masaki , Suzuki Haruo , Nojiri Hideaki , Suzuki Masato
Published: February 2023

This study presents the reassessment of earlier published data with reference to the article published in Environmental Microbiology entitled ‘IncP‐type plasmids carrying genes for antibiotic resistance or aromatic compound degradation are prevalent in sequenced Aromatoleum and Thauera strains’ by Lo et al. This correspondence clarifies misperceptions of plasmids classified under incompatibility (Inc) groups IncP‐1 and IncP‐11.
Evidence‐based practice: the use and abuse of research
Authors: Imray Peter , Kossyvaki Lila , Sissons Mike
Published: February 2023

The authors of this position paper argue that there is currently very little evidence‐based practice in relation to learners with severe learning disabilities (SLD) and profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD), and that which there is, has often been badly used and/or abused. More specifically, we argue that relevant educational research undertaken so far has a strong tendency towards: (i) conflating the need for common strategies to be universally used in teaching, with the ‘need’ for a common curriculum; (ii) quoting research that applies to children with certain types of SEND as though it applies to all children with SEND; (iii) assuming there is a homogeneity of learning disability among people with the same condition (for example Down's syndrome, autism) and (iv) encouraging assumptions that any academic progress, no matter how small the gain, is axiomatically superior in value for all pupils. The authors conclude that there is need for a new look at ‘evidence‐based practice’ for these populations.
The paradoxes of failure in post‐welfare: an auto‐ethnography of caregiver labour for disabled persons in New York State
Authors: Reno Joshua
Published: February 2023

In conditions of post‐welfare, failure takes a variety of forms. I offer an auto‐ethnographic account of state‐funded caregiving for people diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities in New York State, where both caregiver labour and its management have been subjected to greater discipline as post‐welfare initiatives seek to re‐educate recipients of benefits and careworkers to be simultaneously more autonomous from and more accountable to the state. Placing these changes within the specific history of failed disability care in the United States, I explain how new disciplinary devices for reporting further alienate caregiver labour and complicate welfare management in practice.
Assembly‐free quantification of vagrant DNA inserts
Authors: Becher Hannes , Nichols Richard A.
Published: February 2023

Inserts of DNA from extranuclear sources, such as organelles and microbes, are common in eukaryote nuclear genomes. However, sequence similarity between the nuclear and extranuclear DNA, and a history of multiple insertions, make the assembly of these regions challenging. Consequently, the number, sequence and location of these vagrant DNAs cannot be reliably inferred from the genome assemblies of most organisms. We introduce two statistical methods to estimate the abundance of nuclear inserts even in the absence of a nuclear genome assembly. The first (intercept method) only requires low‐coverage (<1×) sequencing data, as commonly generated for population studies of organellar and ribosomal DNAs. The second method additionally requires that a subset of the individuals carry extranuclear DNA with diverged genotypes. We validated our intercept method using simulations and by re‐estimating the frequency of human NUMTs (nuclear mitochondrial inserts). We then applied it to the grasshopper Podisma pedestris, exceptional for both its large genome size and reports of numerous NUMT inserts, estimating that NUMTs make up 0.056% of the nuclear genome, equivalent to >500 times the mitochondrial genome size. We also re‐analysed a museomics data set of the parrot Psephotellus varius, obtaining an estimate of only 0.0043%, in line with reports from other species of bird. Our study demonstrates the utility of low‐coverage high‐throughput sequencing data for the quantification of nuclear vagrant DNAs. Beyond quantifying organellar inserts, these methods could also be used on endosymbiont‐derived sequences. We provide an R implementation of our methods called “vagrantDNA” and code to simulate test data sets.
The effect of US tax reform on the taxation of US firms' domestic and foreign earnings
Authors: Dyreng Scott D. , Gaertner Fabio B. , Hoopes Jeffrey L. , Vernon Mary E.
Published: February 2023

We quantify the immediate net effect of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) on the tax burden of corporate profits for public US corporations. We find similar reductions in effective tax rates for domestic and multinational firms, yet the entirety of multinational tax savings stemmed from tax savings on their domestic, not foreign, earnings. We find no significant change in the federal tax burden on foreign earnings neither on average norspecifically for firms most likely to be subject to new anti‐abuse provisions. We find some evidence that firms not targeted by anti‐abuse provisions saw reductions in their federal tax burden on foreign income. Overall, while the tax burden on domestic income decreased significantly, our findings suggest the tax burden on the foreign earnings of US multinationals is largely unaffected despite the overhaul of the international tax system. Importantly for US multinationals' investment decisions, while foreign income was heavily tax‐favored prior to tax reform, we find that foreign and domestic incomes are similarly taxed after TCJA enactment.
Habitat use patterns suggest that climate‐driven vegetation changes will negatively impact mammal communities in the Amazon
Authors: Rocha D. G. , Sollmann R.
Published: February 2023

Climate change will affect species persistence and distribution, particularly in high‐diversity ecosystems like the Amazon. Studies predict that as temperature and deforestation increase and precipitation patterns change in the Amazon, areas along its southern and eastern borders will suffer large‐scale savannization, the conversion of tropical forest to degraded savannah‐like vegetation. Here, we aim to identify the terrestrial mammal species potentially most at risk from savannization by studying their use of natural forest and savannah habitats within four protected areas, using camera‐trap surveys and community occupancy models. We grouped species into categories according to the overlap of their global distributions with the Amazon and Cerrado biome (Amazon, Cerrado and generalist species) and investigated the effect on their space use of savannah cover within a 100‐m buffer, and of the immediate habitat type (continuous forest, riparian forest and savannah) at the camera trap. Both savannah cover and savannah habitat type affected space use of most Amazon and generalist species strongly negatively. Only Cerrado species ever showed strong positive responses to savannah cover. These results suggest that most of the terrestrial mammal community is potentially vulnerable to savannization, including several species typically considered habitat generalists. Negative effects of disturbed savannah‐like habitats are likely even stronger than effects of natural savannah reported here. Although less favorable than continuous forest, riparian forest had a strong negative effect for only a small fraction of species, indicating that effects of savannization may be buffered to some extent by riparian forests. Our results suggest that climate change‐induced vegetation changes may reduce the ability of protected areas in the southern Brazilian Amazon to safeguard populations of terrestrial mammals and should be considered when assessing potential climate‐change effects on these species.
Monitoring the population status of a secretive lizard, the threatened heath skinkLiopholis multiscutata, in south‐eastern Australia using surrogate metrics: An update
Authors: Brown Geoff W. , Fanson Ben G.
Published: February 2023

Our recent study compared monitoring data collected using surrogate metrics during 2014–2018 inclusive with baseline data from 2007 to evaluate the trajectory of the population status of the threatened heath skinkLiopholis multiscutatain Victoria. The heath skink is a secretive burrowing species that is a habitat specialist and exists in north‐western Victoria as a few small and highly disjunct populations on large dunes in semi‐arid heathland or mallee. We re‐assessed the trajectories of the Victorian populations with additional monitoring data collected in 2021 and found continuing decline across all four Victorian heath skink populations. Urgent management intervention is required to arrest this decline, likely due to predation, reduced availability of habitat and life history and demographic traits that make this species susceptible to decline.
Assessment of copy number variants in three Brazilian locally adapted cattle breeds using whole‐genome re‐sequencing data
Authors: Peripolli Elisa , Stafuzza Nedenia Bonvino , Machado Marco Antonio , do Carmo Panetto João Cláudio , do Egito Andréa Alves , Baldi Fernando , da Silva Marcos Vinícius Gualberto Barbosa
Published: February 2023

Further characterization of genetic structural variations should strongly focus on small and endangered local breeds given their role in unraveling genes and structural variants underlying selective pressures and phenotype variation. A comprehensive genome‐wide assessment of copy number variations (CNVs) based on whole‐genome re‐sequencing data was performed on three Brazilian locally adapted cattle breeds (Caracu Caldeano, Crioulo Lageano, and Pantaneiro) using the ARS‐UCD1.2 genome assembly. Data from 36 individuals with an average coverage depth of 14.07× per individual was used. A total of 24 945 CNVs were identified distributed among the breeds (Caracu Caldeano = 7285, Crioulo Lageano = 7297, and Pantaneiro = 10 363). Deletion events were 1.75–2.07‐fold higher than duplications, and the total length of CNVs is composed mostly of a high number of segments between 10 and 30 kb. CNV regions (CNVRs) are not uniformly scattered throughout the genomes (n = 463), and 105 CNVRs were found overlapping among the studied breeds. Functional annotation of the CNVRs revealed variants with high consequence on protein sequence harboring relevant genes, in which we highlighted the BOLA‐DQB, BOLA‐DQA5, CD1A, β‐defensins, PRG3, and ULBP21 genes. Enrichment analysis based on the gene list retrieved from the CNVRs disclosed over‐represented terms (p < 0.01) strongly associated with immunity and cattle resilience to harsh environments. Additionally, QTL associated with body conformation and dairy‐related traits were also unveiled within the CNVRs. These results provide better understanding of the selective forces shaping the genome of such cattle breeds and identify traces of natural selection pressures by which these populations have been exposed to challenging environmental conditions.
What predicts perceived discrimination among white Americans? Findings from two nationally representative studies
Authors: Okuyan Mukadder , Vollhardt Johanna Ray , Stewart Andrew
Published: February 2023

Many national or racial majority groups increasingly perceive discrimination against their group, despite objective indicators of advantage. The present studies simultaneously test three individual‐level explanations of perceived discrimination among White Americans: system legitimizing beliefs, economic precarity, and group interest, in addition to corresponding predictors at the context (state) level. Using multilevel analysis, we analyzed nationally‐representative data from the 2016 American National Election Survey (N = 2631)—an election period marked by discourse about majority group grievances. Results showed that, at the individual level, system‐legitimizing beliefs (symbolic racism, conservatism, realistic, and symbolic threat) predicted perceived discrimination among Whites, as did objective (income) and subjective (perceived financial insecurity) economic precarity. Conversely, group interest (indicated by White racial identification) was not a significant predictor. At the state level, support for the Republican candidate also predicted perceived discrimination. These findings replicated with data from the 2012 American National Election Survey (N = 3261). We discuss the implications of White Americans’ discrimination claims in the current socio‐political climate.
Pharmacokinetic and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic characterization of the dolutegravir/rilpivirine two‐drug regimen in SWORD‐1/‐2 phase 3 studies
Authors: Mehta Rashmi , Lagishetty Chakradhar V. , Angelis Konstantinos , Aylott Alicia , Kahl Lesley , Blair Libby , Matthews Jessica , Wynne Brian , Crauwels Herta , Underwood Mark , Adkison Kimberly K.
Published: February 2023

Aim

SWORD‐1 and SWORD‐2 phase 3 studies concluded that switching virologically suppressed participants with HIV‐1 from their current three‐ or four‐drug antiretroviral regimen (CAR) to the two‐drug regimen of once‐daily dolutegravir (DTG, 50 mg) and rilpivirine (RPV, 25 mg) was safe, well tolerated and noninferior for maintaining HIV‐1 suppression at week 48 and highly efficacious to week 148. A secondary objective was to characterize drug exposure and exposure‐efficacy/safety relationships.

Methods

Adults with plasma HIV‐1 RNA <50 copies/mL were randomized to switch to once‐daily DTG + RPV on day 1 or to continue CAR for 52 weeks before switching. Trough plasma concentrations (C0) of DTG and RPV, the proportion of participants with HIV‐1 RNA <50 copies/mL and adverse events to week 100 were summarized and subjected to exposure‐response analyses in the overall population, in the subset of participants who switched from CAR containing enzyme‐inducing drugs and by age category (≥50 and <50 years). The relationship between C0avg (individual average C0 across visits) and efficacy/safety was investigated.

Results

Although week 2 DTG and RPV C0 were lower in participants switching from enzyme‐inducing antiretroviral drugs, C0 and C0avg stayed above in vitro antiviral protein binding‐adjusted IC90 and to week 100 with viral suppression >89%. DTG or RPV C0avg showed no relationship with virologic failures or safety. Participants ≥50 years had similar C0avg and safety response to younger participants.

Conclusion

No clinically relevant relationship between DTG or RPV exposures and virologic or safety response was observed, confirming the DTG + RPV switch for participants as a safe and effective treatment.
Improved Inference for Doubly Robust Estimators of Heterogeneous Treatment Effects
Authors: Shin Heejun , Antonelli Joseph
Published: February 2023

We propose a doubly robust approach to characterizing treatment effect heterogeneity in observational studies. We develop a frequentist inferential procedure that utilizes posterior distributions for both the propensity score and outcome regression models to provide valid inference on the conditional average treatment effect even when high-dimensional or nonparametric models are used. We show that our approach leads to conservative inference in finite samples or under model misspecification and provides a consistent variance estimator when both models are correctly specified. In simulations, we illustrate the utility of these results in difficult settings such as high-dimensional covariate spaces or highly flexible models for the propensity score and outcome regression. Lastly, we analyze environmental exposure data from NHANES to identify how the effects of these exposures vary by subject-level characteristics.
Lenalidomide maintenance fails to overcome the unfavourable prognosis of low NK‐cell counts in rituximab–chemotherapy responsive elderly DLBCL patients: A LYSA group study
Authors: Beldi‐Ferchiou Asma , Jais Jean‐Philippe , Ghesquieres Hervé , Casasnovas Rene Olivier , Tilly Hervé , Fruchart Christophe , Morschhauser Franck , Haioun Corinne , Lazarovici Julien , Perrot Aurore , Nicolas‐Virelizier Emmanuelle , Salles Gilles , Godard Nathalie , Zamali Imen , De Colella Jean‐Marc Schiano , Claudel Alexis , Corront Bernadette , Oberic Lucie , Briere Josette , Gaulard Philippe , Thieblemont Catherine , Delfau‐Larue Marie‐Hélène
Published: February 2023

Low baseline NK‐cell counts (NKCCs) in patients with diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are associated with a poor prognosis. The REMARC phase III trial (NCT01122472) showed that lenalidomide maintenance prolonged PFS in rituximab–chemotherapy responders. We conducted a REMARC ancillary study analysing the impact of lenalidomide maintenance on the prognostic value of low NKCCs. Blood samples from 335 elderly French patients enrolled in the REMARC trial were analysed by flow cytometry to obtain NKCCs at diagnosis (n = 220), at randomization (n = 186) and/or six months after randomization (n = 184). Baseline NKCCs < 100 cells/μl were associated with shorter PFS and OS (HRs = [2.2 (1.4, 3.3), p < 0.001] and [2.8 (1.7, 4.5), p < 0.001], respectively), independently of aaIPI. In a competing risk analysis, low NKCCs at baseline were associated with a higher risk of relapse/progression (p = 0.0025), but not of death without progression (p = 0.33). Lenalidomide did not affect the prognosis value of low baseline NKCCs (p  = 0.6349). Similar results were obtained for low NKCCs at randomization. Our results demonstrate that low NKCCs at baseline and post rituximab–chemotherapy are robust prognostic factors in DLBCL and reveal that lenalidomide has no impact on this parameter. Other therapeutic strategies aiming at improving NK‐cell function could improve outcomes in DLBCL.
Reflections on oral health inequalities: Theories, pathways and next steps for research priorities
Authors: Tsakos Georgios , Watt Richard G. , Guarnizo‐Herreño Carol C.
Published: February 2023

Health inequalities, including those in oral health, are a critical problem of social injustice worldwide, while the COVID‐19 pandemic has magnified previously existing inequalities and created new ones. This commentary offers a summary of the main frameworks used in the literature of oral health inequalities, reviews the evidence and discusses the potential role of different pathways/mechanisms to explain inequalities. Research in this area needs now to move from documenting oral health inequalities, towards explaining them, understanding the complex mechanisms underlying their production and reproduction and looking at interventions to tackle them. In particular, the importance of interdisciplinary theory‐driven research, intersectionality frameworks and the use of the best available analytical methodologies including qualitative research is discussed. Further research on understanding the role of structural determinants on creating and shaping inequalities in oral health is needed, such as a focus on political economy analysis. The co‐design of interventions to reduce oral health inequalities is an area of priority and can highlight the critical role of context and inform decision‐making. The evaluation of such interventions needs to consider their public health impact and employ the wider range of methodological tools available rather than focus entirely on the traditional approach, based primarily on randomized controlled trials. Civil society engagement and various advocacy strategies are also necessary to make progress in the field.
Localized activity alternations in periventricular nodular heterotopia‐related epilepsy
Authors: Liu Wenyu , Zhang Hesheng , Hu Xinyu , Zhou Dong , Wu Xintong
Published: February 2023

Objective

Periventricular nodular heterotopia (PNH) is a common type of heterotopia usually characterized by epilepsy. Previous studies have identified alterations in structural and functional connectivity related to this disorder, but its local functional neural basis has received less attention. The purpose of this study was to combine univariate analysis and a Gaussian process classifier (GPC) to assess local activity and further explore neuropathological mechanisms in PNH‐related epilepsy.

Methods

We used a 3.0‐T scanner to acquire resting‐state data and measure local regional homogeneity (ReHo) alterations in 38 patients with PNH‐related epilepsy and 38 healthy controls (HCs). We first assessed ReHo alterations by comparing the PNH group to the HC group using traditional univariate analysis. Next, we applied a GPC to explore whether ReHo could be used to differentiate PNH patients from healthy patients at an individual level.

Results

Compared to HCs, PNH‐related epilepsy patients exhibited lower ReHo in the left insula extending to the putamen as well as in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) extending to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) [p < 0.05, family‐wise error corrected]. Both of these regions were also correlated with epilepsy duration. Furthermore, the ReHo GPC classification yielded a 76.32% accuracy (sensitivity = 71.05% and specificity = 81.58%) with p < 0.001 after permutation testing.

Interpretation

Using the resting‐state approach, we identified localized activity alterations in the left insula extending to the putamen and the sgACC extending to the OFC, providing pathophysiological evidence of PNH. These local connectivity patterns may provide a means to differentiate PNH patients from HCs.
The nexus between corruption and academic freedom: An international investigation of the underlying linkages
Authors: Capasso Salvatore , Goel Rajeev K. , Saunoris James W.
Published: February 2023

Studying a relatively under‐researched aspect in economics, this paper examines the nexus between corruption and academic freedom. Our main hypothesis is that greater corruption undermines academic freedom and we test this hypothesis using data for 104 nations from 2012 to 2018. Our results support the main hypothesis, and this finding also generally holds across alternative aspects of academic freedom. Another contribution of this work lies in dissecting the direct and indirect (through corruption) effects of various drivers of academic freedom. Finally, additional insights are gained by considering different dimensions of academic freedom and how they are impacted by corruption.
How do Antecedent Semantics Influence Pronoun Interpretation? Evidence from Eye Movements
Authors: Simovic Tiana V. , Chambers Craig G.
Published: February 2023

Pronoun interpretation is often described as relying on a comprehender's mental model of discourse. For example, in some psycholinguistic accounts, interpreting pronouns involves a process ofretrieval, whereby a pronoun is resolved by accessing information from its linguistic antecedent. However, linguistic antecedents are neither necessary nor sufficient for interpreting a pronoun, and even when an antecedent has been introduced in earlier discourse, there is little evidence for the retrieval of linguisticform. The current study extends our understanding of pronoun interpretation by examining whether thesemanticsof antecedent expressions are retrieved from representations of past discourse. Participants were instructed to move displayed objects in a Visual World eye‐tracking task. In some cases, the semantics of the antecedent were no longer viable after an instruction was completed (e.g., “Move the house on the left to area 12,” where the result was that a different house is now the leftmost one). In this case, retrieving antecedent semantics at the point of hearing a subsequent pronoun (“Now, move it…”) should entail a processing penalty. Instead, the results showed that antecedent semantics have no direct effect on interpretation, raising additional questions about the role that retrieval might play in pronoun interpretation.
Ketamine and its metabolite 2R,6R‐hydroxynorketamine promote ocular dominance plasticity and release tropomyosin‐related kinase B from inhibitory control without reducing perineuronal nets enwrapping parvalbumin interneurons
Authors: Cannarozzo Cecilia , Rubiolo Anna , Casarotto Plinio , Castrén Eero
Published: February 2023

Ketamine has been described as a fast‐acting antidepressant, exerting effects in depressed patients and in preclinical models with a rapid onset of action. The typical antidepressant fluoxetine is known to induce plasticity in the adult rodent visual cortex, as assessed by a shift in ocular dominance, a classical model of brain plasticity, and a similar effect has been described for ketamine and its metabolite 2R,6R‐hydroxynorketamine (R,R‐HNK). Here, we demonstrate that ketamine (at 3 or 20 mg/kg) and R,R‐HNK facilitated the shift in ocular dominance in monocularly deprived mice, after three injections, throughout the 7‐day monocular deprivation regimen. Notably, the comparison between the treatments indicates a higher effect size of R,R‐HNK compared with ketamine. Treatment with ketamine or R,R‐HNK failed to influence the levels of perineuronal nets (PNNs) surrounding parvalbumin‐positive interneurons. However, we observed in vitro that both ketamine and R,R‐HNK are able to disrupt the tropomyosin‐related kinase B (TRKB) interaction with the protein tyrosine phosphatase sigma (PTPσ), which upon binding to PNNs dephosphorylates TRKB. These results support a model where diverse drugs promote the reinstatement of juvenile‐like plasticity by directly binding TRKB and releasing it from PTPσ regulation, without necessarily reducing PNNs deposits.
Not a benign motor neuron disease: longitudinal imaging captures relentless motor connectome disintegration in primary lateral sclerosis
Authors: Tahedl Marlene , Tan Ee Ling , Shing Stacey Li Hi , Chipika Rangariroyashe H. , Siah We Fong , Hengeveld Jennifer C. , Doherty Mark A. , McLaughlin Russell L. , Hardiman Orla , Finegan Eoin , Bede Peter
Published: February 2023

Background and purpose

Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) is a progressive upper motor neuron disorder associated with considerable clinical disability. Symptoms are typically exclusively linked to primary motor cortex degeneration and the contribution of pre‐motor, supplementary motor, cortico‐medullary and inter‐hemispheric connectivity alterations are less well characterized.

Methods

In a single‐centre, prospective, longitudinal neuroimaging study 41 patients with PLS were investigated. Patients underwent standardized neuroimaging, genetic profiling with whole exome sequencing, and comprehensive clinical assessments including upper motor neuron scores, tapping rates, mirror movements, spasticity assessment, cognitive screening and evaluation for pseudobulbar affect. Longitudinal neuroimaging data from 108 healthy controls were used for image interpretation. A standardized imaging protocol was implemented including 3D T1‐weighted structural, diffusion tensor imaging and resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Following somatotopic segmentation, cortical thickness analyses, probabilistic tractography, blood oxygenation level dependent signal analyses and brainstem volumetry were conducted to evaluate cortical, brainstem, cortico‐medullary and inter‐hemispheric connectivity alterations both cross‐sectionally and longitudinally.

Results

Our data confirm progressive primary motor cortex degeneration, considerable supplementary motor and pre‐motor area involvement, progressive brainstem atrophy, cortico‐medullary and inter‐hemispheric disconnection, and close associations between clinical upper motor neuron scores and somatotopic connectivity indices in PLS.

Discussion

Primary lateral sclerosis is associated with relentlessly progressive motor connectome degeneration. Clinical disability in PLS is likely to stem from a combination of intra‐ and inter‐hemispheric connectivity decline and primary, pre‐ and supplementary motor cortex degeneration. Simple ‘bedside’ clinical tools, such as tapping rates, are excellent proxies of the integrity of the relevant fibres of the contralateral corticospinal tract.
“Kapit” at “Bahay” concepts of Filipino neighboring: A cultural revalidation
Authors: Fatalla Jimbo M.
Published: February 2023

The neighbor concept and relations vary across spatial and temporal milieux. My fieldwork in a rural residential barangay in Marinduque province revalidates the Filipino concept of kapitbahay through the locals’ social interaction and sense of community. Using the pagtatanong‐tanong (asking questions) cross‐indigenous interview involving ten permanent residents reveals the kapitbahay as a threefold category involving dimensions of space, social relations, and time. The kapitbahay pertains to social responsibility (the “I” or Ako as the kapitbahay), a support system (“They” or Sila as the kapitbahay), and a recognition of kapwa or shared identity (“We” or Kami as magkapitbahay). I propose a “Kapit” at “Bahay” model of Filipino neighboring that views the concept as primarily relational, denoted by kapit (to hold on), and spatial on account of the physical extended neighborhood context rooted in the term bahay (house), with an underlying temporal dimension called panahon.
Large‐scale genetic surveys for main extant population of wild giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) reveals an urgent need of human management
Authors: Li Wanyu , Zhou Chuang , Cheng Meiling , Tu Hongmei , Wang Guannan , Mao Yeming , Huang Yaohua , Chen Minghua , Price Megan , Meng Yang , Yue Bisong , Zhang Xiuyue
Published: February 2023

There are only six isolated living giant panda populations, and a comprehensive understanding of their genetic health status is crucial for the conservation of this vulnerable species. Liangshan Mountains is one of the main distribution areas of living giant pandas and is outside the newly established Giant panda national park. In this study, 971 giant panda fecal samples were collected in the heartland of Liangshan Mountains (Mabian Dafengding Nature Reserve: MB; Meigu Dafengding Nature Reserve: MG; and Heizhugou Nature Reserve: HZG). Microsatellite markers and mitochondrial D‐loop sequences were used to estimate population size and genetic diversity. We identified 92 individuals (MB: 27, MG: 22, HZG: 43) from the three reserves. Our results showed that: (1) genetic diversity of three giant panda populations was moderate; (2) several loci deviated significantly from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and almost all these deviated loci showed significant heterozygote deficiencies and inbreeding; (3) three giant panda populations have substantial genetic differentiation with the most differentiation between MB and the two other populations; and (4) a large amount of giant panda feces outside the three reserves were found, implying the existence of protection gap. These results indicated that under stochastic events, the giant panda populations in Liangshan Mountains are at risk of genetic decline or extinction and urgent need of human management. This study revealed that high attention should be paid to the protection of these giant panda populations outside the Giant panda national park, to ensure their survival in their distribution areas.
Young adults' perceptions of technology use with extended family
Authors: Hessel Heather M. , LeBouef Samantha
Published: February 2023

Objective

The current study explores young adults' perceptions of the use and impact of technology on their relationships with extended family.

Background

Young adults are avid technology users and communicate frequently with parents and siblings using a variety of online tools. There is limited research examining young adults' use of technology to communicate with extended family members, despite studies suggesting that these relationships serve a unique and valuable role in their lives.

Method

Qualitative data were collected from 529 U.S. 18–29‐year‐old young adults (N = 529; M age = 25.91 years, SD = 2.53) utilizing an online survey.

Results

An inductive content analysis revealed five primary themes: Technology facilitates giving and receiving support, technology enables family bonding, technology allows young adults to mediate distance and closeness, technology environments as places of family discovery, and paradoxes exist in technology use with extended family.

Conclusion

Young adults connect with extended family online in beneficial and sometimes contradictory ways; technology serves as a mechanism for modulating levels of involvement with family, enabling young adults to preserve or grow autonomy while also providing opportunities for interaction in their everyday lives.

Implications

Family practitioners and educators working with young adults can assist them in tapping into extended family as a resource using a range of communication channels.
Invaders they are a‐changing†: A recent, unexpected surge of invasive loaches in Catalonia
Authors: Clavero Miguel , Suh Jongmo , Franch Nati , Aparicio Enric , Buchaca Teresa , Caner Jenny , Garcia‐Rodriguez Sergi , Llimona Francesc , Pou‐Rovira Quim , Rocaspana Rafel , Ventura Marc
Published: February 2023

Risk analyses for invasive species often assume that the characteristics of future invaders will resemble those already successful, but these features may change.

Here, we use data from more than 3,500 fish sampling events, sequencing of mitochondrial and nuclear genes and analyses of several traits describing non‐native fish to describe the irruption and rapid expansion of non‐native loaches in Catalonia, north‐east Iberian Peninsula, and framing this surge in the knowledge of previous invasions.

We report the establishment of at least five (Cobitis bilineata, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, Misgurnus bipartitus, Paramisgurnus dabryanus, and a yet undescribed Barbatula species) non‐native loach species in Catalonia, most of which are currently spreading. Furthermore, one of the two regionally native loach species (Cobitis paludica) has been introduced and is spreading through river basins where it is not native.

Genetic analyses were fundamental to understand loach invasions, by clarifying specific statuses, identifying the origin of non‐native populations and/or detecting independent introduction events. Genetic results also highlighted the unresolved taxonomy of loaches, particularly for European Barbatula.

Loaches are recent, diverse, and successful invaders whose traits differ from those of most previously established invasive fish species, signalling potential weaknesses of prevention of biological invasions based on prohibited species lists. We call for the development of more flexible management tools (e.g. based on fish traits and not only on species identities) and prioritising prevention and rapid responses to new introductions.
Fasting serum fructose is associated with metabolic dysfunction‐associated fatty liver disease: A prospective study
Authors: Fan Yujuan , Zhang Yuecheng , Chen Congling , Ying Zhen , Su Qing , Li Xiaoying , Chen Ying
Published: February 2023

Aim

The association between sugar‐sweetened beverages and metabolic disorders has been well studied. However, it has not been determined whether fasting serum fructose is associated with metabolic dysfunction‐associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).

Methods

Participants were enrolled from 2011 to 2012 in Shanghai. Fasting serum fructose concentration was measured with a validated liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method.

Results

A total of 954 participants without diabetes were included. They were followed for an average of 3.5 years. A total of 320 (33.5%) participants had MAFLD at baseline. With the increase in fasting serum fructose level by quartile, the MAFLD prevalence was increased by 27.0%, 25.0%, 37.4%, and 44.5%, respectively (p < 0.001). Each SD increase in fasting serum fructose level was associated with a 60% increased risk of MAFLD (odds ratio 1.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36–1.88; p < 0.001). Fasting serum fructose levels were more closely associated with four components of MAFLD (hepatic steatosis, prediabetes, insulin resistance, and low high‐density lipoprotein). We built a diagnostic model named the fructose fat index (FFI). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the FFI was 0.879 (95% CI, 0.850–0.908) in the derivation cohort and 0.827 (95% CI, 0.776–0.878) in the validation cohort. Subsequent prospective studies found that the incidence risk of MAFLD was 2.26 times higher in the high‐fructose group than in the low‐fructose group among female participants (95% CI, 1.46–3.49; p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Fasting serum fructose concentration, which mostly reflects endogenous fructose, was associated with a higher risk of MAFLD. The FFI derived from fasting serum fructose could be used to predict MAFLD.
Loss of functionSMAD4nonstop mutations in human cancer
Authors: Bauer Anna H , Basta David W , Hornick Jason L , Dong Fei
Published: February 2023

Background

SMAD4is a tumour suppressor gene that is mutated in a variety of cancers.SMAD4nonstop mutations, which convert stop codons to sense codons that extend transcription, have been identified in genomic databases but have not been characterised in human pathology samples. The frequency ofSMAD4nonstop mutations and the consequences of nonstop mutations on SMAD4 protein expression are unknown.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed our cancer sequencing database of 38,002 tumour specimens and evaluated the spectrum ofSMAD4mutations. SMAD4 protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in tumours withSMAD4nonstop mutations.

Results

In total, 1956SMAD4mutations were identified in 1822 tumours.SMAD4mutations were most common in tumours of the gastrointestinal tract and included nonsense variants (n = 344), frameshift indels (n = 258), splice site variants (n = 104), and missense variants at codon R361 (n = 245). In a subset of cases with immunohistochemistry, SMAD4 expression was lost in 23 of 25 tumours (92%) with protein truncating variants and in 7 of 27 tumours (26%) with missense variants. Four cases harbouredSMAD4nonstop mutations.SMAD4nonstop mutations were identified in two pancreatic adenocarcinomas, one colonic adenocarcinoma, and one non‐small cell lung carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated loss of SMAD4 protein expression in each of the four tumours withSMAD4nonstop mutations.

Conclusion

SMAD4nonstop mutations are associated with loss of SMAD4 protein expression in multiple tumour types.SMAD4nonstop mutations should be clinically interpreted as pathogenic loss of function alterations when identified in cancer sequencing panels.
Mouse guanylate‐binding protein 1 does not mediate antiviral activity against influenza virus in vitro or in vivo
Authors: Tessema Melkamu B , Tuipulotu Daniel Enosi , Oates Clare V , Brooks Andrew G , Man Si Ming , Londrigan Sarah L , Reading Patrick C
Published: February 2023

Many interferon (IFN)‐stimulated genes are upregulated within host cells following infection with influenza and other viruses. While the antiviral activity of some IFN‐stimulated genes, such as the IFN‐inducible GTPase myxoma resistance (Mx)1 protein 1, has been well defined, less is known regarding the antiviral activities of related IFN‐inducible GTPases of the guanylate‐binding protein (GBP) family, particularly mouse GBPs, where mouse models can be used to assess their antiviral properties in vivo. Herein, we demonstrate that mouse GBP1 (mGBP1) was upregulated in a mouse airway epithelial cell line (LA‐4 cells) following pretreatment with mouse IFNα or infection by influenza A virus (IAV). Whereas doxycycline‐inducible expression of mouse Mx1 (mMx1) in LA‐4 cells resulted in reduced susceptibility to IAV infection and reduced viral growth, inducible mGBP1 did not. Moreover, primary cells isolated from mGBP1‐deficient mice (mGBP1−/−) showed no difference in susceptibility to IAV and mGBP1−/− macrophages showed no defect in IAV‐induced NLRP3 (NLR family pyrin domain containing 3) inflammasome activation. After intranasal IAV infection, mGBP1−/− mice also showed no differences in virus replication or induction of inflammatory responses in the airways during infection. Thus, using complementary approaches such as mGBP1 overexpression, cells from mGBP1−/− mice and intranasal infection of mGBP1−/− we demonstrate that mGBP1 does not play a major role in modulating IAV infection in vitro or in vivo.