bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
4D structural biology: quantitative dynamics in the eukaryotic RNA exosome complex
Authors: Liebau Jobst , Lazzaretti Daniela , Fürtges Torben , Bichler Anna , Pilsl Michael , Rudack Till , Sprangers Remco
Published: January 2024

Molecular machines play pivotal roles in all biological processes. Most structural methods, however, are unable to directly probe molecular motions. Here, we demonstrate that dedicated NMR experiments can provide quantitative insights into functionally important dynamic regions in very large asymmetric protein complexes. We establish this for the 410 kDa eukaryotic RNA exosome complex that contains ten distinct protein chains. Methyl-group and fluorine NMR experiments reveal site-specific interactions among subunits and with an RNA substrate. Furthermore, we extract quantitative insights into conformational changes within the complex in response to substrate and subunit binding for regions that are invisible in static cryo-EM and crystal structures. In particular, we identified a flexible plug region that can block an aberrant route of RNA towards the active site. Based on molecular dynamics simulations and NMR data we provide a model that shows how the flexible plug is structured in the open and closed conformations. Our work thus demonstrates that a combination of state-of-the-art structural biology methods can provide quantitative insights into large molecular machines that go significantly beyond the well-resolved and static images of biomolecular complexes, thereby adding the time domain into structural biology.
Expanding the RNA polymerase biocatalyst solution space for mRNA manufacture
Authors: Curry Edward , Sedelnikova Svetlana , Rafferty John , Hulley Martyn , Brown Adam
Published: January 2024

All mRNA products are currently manufactured inin vitrotranscription (IVT) reactions that utilize single-subunit RNA polymerase (RNAP) biocatalysts. Although it is known that discrete polymerases exhibit highly variable bioproduction phenotypes, including different relative processivity rates and impurity generation profiles, only a handful of enzymes are generally available for mRNA biosynthesis. This limited RNAP toolbox restricts strategies to design and troubleshoot new mRNA manufacturing processes, which is particularly undesirable given the continuing diversification of mRNA product lines towards larger and more complex molecules. Herein, we describe development of a high-throughput RNAP screening platform, comprising complementaryin silicoandin vitrotesting modules, that enables functional characterisation of large enzyme libraries. Utilizing this system, we identified eight novel sequence-diverse RNAPs, with associated active cognate promoters, and subsequently validated their performance as recombinant enzymes in IVT-based mRNA production processes. By increasing the number of available characterized functional RNAPs by > 130% and providing a platform to rapidly identify further potentially useful enzymes, this work significantly expands the RNAP biocatalyst solution space for mRNA manufacture, thereby enhancing capability to achieve application and molecule-specific optimisation of product yield and quality.
Synaptic motility and functional stability in the whisker cortex
Authors: Sherf Nimrod , Shamir Maoz
Published: January 2024

The high motility of synaptic weights raises the question of how the brain can retain its functionality in the face of constant synaptic remodeling. Here we used the whisker system of rats and mice to study the interplay between synaptic plasticity (motility) and the transmission of sensory signals downstream.

Rats and mice probe their surroundings by rhythmically moving their whiskers back and forth. The azimuthal position of a whisker can be estimated from the activity of whisking neurons that respond selectively to a preferred phase along the whisking cycle. These preferred phases are widely distributed on the ring. However, simple models for the transmission of the whisking signal downstream predict a distribution of preferred phases that is an order of magnitude narrower than empirically observed. Here, we suggest that synaptic plasticity in the form of spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) may provide a solution to this conundrum. This hypothesis is addressed in the framework of a modeling study that investigated the STDP dynamics in a population of synapses that propagates the whisking signal downstream.

The findings showed that for a wide range of parameters, STDP dynamics do not relax to a fixed point. As a result, the preferred phases of downstream neurons drift in time at a non-uniform velocity which in turn, induces a non-uniform distribution of the preferred phases of the downstream population. This demonstrates how functionality, in terms of the distribution of preferred phases, can be retained not simply despite, but because of the constant synaptic motility. Our analysis leads to several key empirical predictions to test this hypothesis.
Analysis of Postnatal Mutant Phenotypes in Mice
Authors: Papaioannou Virginia E. , Behringer Richard R.
Published: January 2024

Viable homozygous mutant newborn mice may show effects of a mutation at any time during their development by exhibiting abnormal structure, function, or lethality. This overview guides the analysis of postnatal mice through gross anatomical assessment and the detection of visible phenotypes prior to weaning such as altered growth patterns, neurological problems, or abnormalities in movement or coordination. Advice on marking pups for identification purposes and providing adequate nutrition in the event of eating problems is given. After weaning and at the onset of puberty, different phenotypes may become manifest, including compromised growth and vigor and reproductive problems in males and/or females. Assessing infertility in each sex is addressed.
Backcrossing to Generate a Congenic Mouse Strain
Authors: Papaioannou Virginia E. , Behringer Richard R.
Published: January 2024

Genetic background can have subtle or profound effects on mutant phenotypes, providing additional information regarding the function of the gene. If your mutation is maintained on one genetic background but you wish to analyze it on another, it is a simple matter to transfer the mutation to a recipient strain background by repeated backcrossing (introgression) as detailed in this protocol. The resulting strain is called a congenic strain, defined as a strain carrying the mutation within a segment of chromosome from the donor strain with the remainder of the genome from the recipient strain.
Origin of the extreme and anisotropic magnetoresistance in the Weyl semimetal NbP
Authors: Balduini F. , Molinari A. , Rocchino L. , Hasse V. , Felser C. , Zota C. , Schmid H. , Gotsmann B.
Published: January 2024

The fascination with semimetals, especially Dirac and Weyl semimetals, is given by their surprisingly strong response to magnetic fields. In particular, the extremely large magnetoresistance (XMR), i.e., the change in electrical resistivity as a function of the applied magnetic field, has attracted interest because of its deviation by several orders of magnitude from the behavior of normal metals, and its potential for technological applications. To date, it is unclear if the XMR in topological semimetals is inherently correlated to the very high electron mobility and electron-hole compensation, or to other exotic mechanisms. Here, we show that the relativistic and topological nature of charge carriers of the Weyl semimetal niobium phosphide (NbP) are only indirect causes of the XMR. Instead, the XMR can be explained by the very long mean free path le(4K)≈8µm in combination with the small cyclotron orbits emerging in the presence of a magnetic field rc(9T)≈20 nm of the NbP's Weyl electrons. More precisely we find MR=cle/rc, where c is a parameter independent of temperature and angle between the magnetic field and the crystal. To demonstrate, we use temperature and angle-dependent magnetoresistance measurements, and extract the mean free path and cyclotron radius from an analysis of the Shubnikov–de Haas oscillation.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Understanding the intricacies of risky indebtedness, impulse buying and perceived risk in buy-now-pay-later adoption
Authors: Kumar Syam , Nayak Jogendra Kumar
Published: January 2024

Purpose

This study aims to establish that the relationship between the risky indebtedness behavior (RIB) of consumers and their attitude toward adopting buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) is not immediate but is mediated through impulse buying. Moreover, it explores how perceived risk moderates the association between the attitude to adopt BNPL and its adoption intention.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used the existing theoretical and empirical evidence to propose a model and validated it using the data collected from 339 young shoppers in India. Analysis of data is conducted using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

Findings

The study results show that consumers’ RIB is not directly related to their attitude toward BNPL. However, impulse buying fully mediates this relationship, influencing the attitude toward BNPL. Impulse buying and attitude serially mediate the relationship between RIB and BNPL adoption intention. Further, in the context of BNPL, perceived risk strengthens the attitude-intention gap.

Practical implications

This study advises policymakers and BNPL providers to carefully assess users’ creditworthiness to prevent those already in debt from entering into a detrimental loop.

Originality/value

This study provides novel perspectives on consumer’s RIB and BNPL within the Indian context. The study additionally identifies the mediating influence of impulse buying and the moderating effect of perceived risk on BNPL adoption intention.
Community relations discovery methods for users in Fancircle based on sentiment analysis in China
Authors: Wang Kai
Published: January 2024

Purpose

The identification of network user relationship in Fancircle contributes to quantifying the violence index of user text, mining the internal correlation of network behaviors among users, which provides necessary data support for the construction of knowledge graph.

Design/methodology/approach

A correlation identification method based on sentiment analysis (CRDM-SA) is put forward by extracting user semantic information, as well as introducing violent sentiment membership. To be specific, the topic of the implementation of topology mapping in the community can be obtained based on self-built field of violent sentiment dictionary (VSD) by extracting user text information. Afterward, the violence index of the user text is calculated to quantify the fuzzy sentiment representation between the user and the topic. Finally, the multi-granularity violence association rules mining of user text is realized by constructing violence fuzzy concept lattice.

Findings

It is helpful to reveal the internal relationship of online violence under complex network environment. In that case, the sentiment dependence of users can be characterized from a granular perspective.

Originality/value

The membership degree of violent sentiment into user relationship recognition in Fancircle community is introduced, and a text sentiment association recognition method based on VSD is proposed. By calculating the value of violent sentiment in the user text, the annotation of violent sentiment in the topic dimension of the text is achieved, and the partial order relation between fuzzy concepts of violence under the effective confidence threshold is utilized to obtain the association relation.
A Hamiltonian equation produces a variety of Painlevé integrable equations: solutions of distinct physical structures
Authors: Wazwaz Abdul-Majid
Published: January 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a variety of Painlevé integrable equations derived from a Hamiltonian equation.

Design/methodology/approach

The newly developed Painlevé integrable equations have been handled by using Hirota’s direct method. The authors obtain multiple soliton solutions and other kinds of solutions for these six models.

Findings

The developed Hamiltonian models exhibit complete integrability in analogy with the original equation.

Research limitations/implications

The present study is to address these two main motivations: the study of the integrability features and solitons and other useful solutions for the developed equations.

Practical implications

The work introduces six Painlevé-integrable equations developed from a Hamiltonian model.

Social implications

The work presents useful algorithms for constructing new integrable equations and for handling these equations.

Originality/value

The paper presents an original work with newly developed integrable equations and shows useful findings.
Promoting fintech: driving developing country consumers’ mobile wallet use through gamification and trust
Authors: Rahman Saleem ur , Nguyen-Viet Bang , Nguyen Yen Thi Hoang , Kamran Sohail
Published: January 2024

Purpose

M-wallets have emerged as one of the most important financial innovations of the 21st century, enabling users to carry digital cash by securely storing payment methods on their mobile devices. However, the continued use of m-wallets varies among people for several reasons. This study used the technology continuation theory (TCT), gamification and trust factors to examine the variables affecting consumers' intentions to continue using mobile wallets.

Design/methodology/approach

The SmartPLS partial least squares software was used to analyze data from 431 m-wallet users in Vietnam using the structural equation modeling technique.

Findings

The data revealed that the research model can predict users' intentions to continue using mobile wallets. TCT constructs demonstrated strong exploratory power in explaining consumer satisfaction and attitudes towards m-wallets. Furthermore, the study confirmed the direct effect of the perceived effectiveness of gamification on perceived ease of use and attitude, as well as its indirect effect on consumers' continued use intentions of mobile wallets via attitude. In addition, the trust negatively influenced consumers' intentions to continue using m-wallets.

Practical implications

The findings of this study can help researchers, practitioners and policymakers improve m-wallet design, development and adoption, as well as advance financial technology and define the future of digital payments in terms of consumer attraction, engagement and financial inclusion.

Originality/value

Based on TCT theory, this study enriches m-wallet research by examining two important factors, gamification and trust, and thus provides insights into how to improve consumers’ intentions to continue using m-wallets in developing countries. This study offers timely insights into theory and practice regarding these factors. It therefore paves the way for researchers and practitioners to learn how easy, enjoyable and secure the end-user experience should be to keep users engaged with m-wallets.
Everyday prejudices: an intersectional exploration of the experiences of lesbian and gay entrepreneurs
Authors: Kidney Etain , McAdam Maura , Cooney Thomas M.
Published: January 2024

Purpose

There is a gap in understanding with regards to the discrimination and prejudice experienced by gay entrepreneurs. To address this, an intersectional perspective is adopted to facilitate a better understanding of how lesbian and gay entrepreneurs may experience heterosexism.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study uses semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of 14 lesbian and gay entrepreneurs as they navigate homophobia and heterosexism.

Findings

The study contributes novel insights to the field of entrepreneurship, extending the study of lesbian and gay entrepreneurs to include gender and a fine-grained analysis of the experience of heterosexism. Its inclusion of an intersectional perspective of the lesbian-female entrepreneur expands the emerging body of literature examining intersectional identities of minority entrepreneurs.

Originality/value

The authors provide a more nuanced understanding of the impact of heterosexism on LGBT+ entrepreneurial activities. This is facilitated by the authors' adoption of an intersectional perspective which shows how the different axes of identity influenced gender identity performance in relation to the model of perceived neutrality in LGBT+ entrepreneurship. The authors also make an original contribution to minority stress literature through the authors' exploration of one facet of minority entrepreneurship, namely the impact of heterosexism on LGBT+ entrepreneurial activities.
Counting on strengths: harnessing character strengths to stimulate innovative work behaviour
Authors: Janapati Gayathri , Vijayalakshmi V.
Published: January 2024

Purpose

Proposing a strengths-based perspective for innovative work behaviour (IWB), the purpose of this paper is to explore character strengths (CS) as antecedents to IWB. Extending the literature and operating in the framework of positive organisational behaviour, this paper considers creative self-efficacy a crucial link between CS and IWB. The role of growth mindset and learning organisation in facilitating IWB, presented as a conceptual model, contributes to the theory in this field, aiding in developing an overarching theory to understand IWB.

Design/methodology/approach

A narrative literature review was performed on the CS, IWB and positive organisational behaviour literature to adapt theories and develop propositions for the conceptual model.

Findings

This paper develops a conceptual framework proposing direct relationships between CS and IWB. This study posits creative self-efficacy (CSE) as the mediator between this relationship and growth mindset, learning organisation as the moderators for the link between CS and CSE and CSE and IWB.

Research limitations/implications

The paper presents a conceptual framework focusing on the positive personality traits of employees, precisely their CS. This study explores how leveraging these strengths can enhance their capacity for IWB. The suggested model also prompts additional research in understanding IWB.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the conceptual framework proposed is the first to explore the diverse individual differences factors and the role of contextual facilitation in enhancing employees’ IWB. This study contributes to the growing field of positive organisational behaviour and assists HR managers in tapping into employees’ internal resources. This paper’s theoretical and practical discourse can inspire future research and encourage a strengths-based view of workplace processes.
The politics of smiling: the interplay of emotion, power and discourse in sensegiving and sensemaking
Authors: Zhu Yi
Published: January 2024

Purpose

This research investigates the politics of smiling as a central driver for employees to navigate power dynamics within the prevailing discourse at a Japanese retailer in Hong Kong. Existing critical management studies emphasize power in organizational language, often neglecting the role of employees’ emotions in sustaining discourse. This paper examines employees’ smiles as tools for legitimizing (sensegiving) and interpreting (sensemaking) discourse. It explores how the use of their emotional display influenced the outcome of the company’s attempt to legitimize discourse. This research divides the discourse process into five phases: formation, codification, implementation, monitoring and adaptation.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the critical sensegiving and sensemaking approach, this paper discusses how employees’ interpretations of corporate policies shape the perpetuation of dominant discourse and outcomes. Data were collected through the author’s long-term participant observation in the Hong Kong branches of Japanese retailers.

Findings

The formation phase discusses the emergence of a dominant discourse favoring Japanese practices in the company’s Hong Kong operations. Codification involves the conceptualization of standard smiles in customer service policies. In practice (implementation, monitoring and adjustment), employee smiles serve as tools for negotiating power—shaping careers, earnings and shift preferences. This paper argues that this discourse shapes organizational norms while employees’ sensemaking influences the discourse implementation. Furthermore, this paper highlights the transnational impact of Japanese culture in Hong Kong, which has shaped the way Japanese top management and local employees interpret the dominant discourse.

Originality/value

This study demonstrates the importance of discussing the display of emotions and employees’ intentions to understand their impact on the outcome of discourse implementation. This study also reiterates the significance of discussing the influence of one culture on another to understand the broader social context that affects the perpetuation of discourse.
Effective leadership: start with your strengths
Authors: Rosen Diane
Published: January 2024

Purpose

This paper aims to offer a roadmap for a strengths-based approach to leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

A review and synthesis of various concepts relating to strengths in the workplace.

Findings

A strengths-based approach to leadership can lead to many positive outcomes, including increased employee engagement, productivity, satisfaction, performance and a more positive work environment.

Originality/value

This is a synthesis of a variety of ideas about how to lead with strengths and the positive implications of a strengths-oriented workplace culture.
Cross‐tolerance: Salinity gradients and dehydration increase photosynthetic heat tolerance in mangrove leaves
Authors: Bryant Callum , Harris Rosalie J. , Brothers Nigel , Bone Catherine , Walsh Ned , Nicotra Adrienne B. , Ball Marilyn C.
Published: January 2024

Understanding the drivers of variation in thermal ecophysiology is essential for characterizing the risks to plant communities posed by the increasing frequencies and intensities of heat waves predicted with climate warming. We evaluated the effects of estuarine salinity and short‐term leaf dehydration on photosynthetic (PSII) heat tolerance (PHT).

In the leaves of 12 mangrove species sampled at contrasting salinities along a 20 km estuarine salinity gradient, we measured minimum chlorophyll fluorescence (F0) with increasing leaf temperature to determine Tcrit (the temperature beyond which PSII is destabilized and F0 rises rapidly) and Tmax (the temperature where F0 declines rapidly with catastrophic cell membrane failure). Furthermore, to assess the impacts of leaf dehydration on PHT over short time scales, we re‐measured leaves following a bench‐drying dehydration treatment.

Tcrit was ~2.51°C higher in leaves of high‐salinity‐distributed mangrove species, increasing by ~0.74°C per practical salinity unit (PSU, ppt) along the estuarine salinity gradient. Tmax was ~1.1°C higher in high‐salinity‐distributed species, increasing by ~0.38°C ppt−1. Following dehydration, Tcrit increased by ~3.4°C in low‐salinity‐distributed species; however, no increase in Tcrit was observed in high‐salinity‐distributed species. Following dehydration, Tmax increased by ~1.8°C in both low and high‐salinity‐distributed mangrove species.

Our results illustrate that spatial gradients in salinity, and the variation in growth environments they produce, are associated with gradients in PHT across mangrove species differing in salinity tolerance and within species with broad salinity tolerances. Further, we show that variation in leaf hydration over short time scales influences PHT, with leaf dehydration improving the heat tolerance of PSII. Combined, these results highlight that both tissue and environmental water availability gradients may produce cross‐tolerance in PSII, that is, increasing stability at high temperatures. Our results underscore the need for greater resolution of the interactive effects of plant water relations, hydration status and photosynthetic thermal safety across biomes and in a warming world.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Chronic intermittent hypoxia‐induced oxidative stress activates TRB3 and phosphorylated JNK to mediate insulin resistance and cell apoptosis in the pancreas
Authors: Zeng Shan , Wang Yeying , Ai Li , Huang Liwei , Liu Zhijuan , He Chunxia , Bai Qiaohui , Li Yongxia
Published: January 2024

This study explores the potential mechanisms of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) complicates type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by which chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) induces insulin resistance and cell apoptosis in the pancreas through oxidative stress. Four‐ and eight‐week CIH rat models were established, and Tempol (100 mg/kg/d), was used as an oxidative stress inhibitor. This study included five groups: 4‐week CIH, 4‐week CIH‐Tempol, 8‐week CIH, 8‐week CIH‐Tempol and normal control (NC) groups. Fasting blood glucose and insulin levels were measured in the serum. The expression levels of 8‐hidroxy‐2‐deoxyguanosine (8‐OHdG), tribbles homologue 3 (TRB3), c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK), phosphorylated JNK (p‐JNK), insulin receptor substrate‐1 (IRS‐1), phosphorylated IRS‐1 (Ser307) (p‐IRS‐1ser307), protein kinase B (AKT), phosphorylated AKT (Ser473) (p‐AKTser473), B cell lymphoma protein‐2 (Bcl‐2), cleaved‐caspase‐3 (Cl‐caspase‐3), and the islet cell apoptosis were detected in the pancreas. CIH induced oxidative stress in the pancreas. Compared with that in the NC group and CIH‐Tempol groups individually, the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) and apoptosis of islet cells was increased in the CIH groups. CIH‐induced oxidative stress increased the expression of p‐IRS‐1Ser307 and decreased the expression of p‐AKTSer473. The expression levels of TRB3 and p‐JNK were higher in the CIH groups than in both the CIH‐Tempol and NC groups. Meanwhile, the expressions of Cl‐caspase‐3 and Bcl‐2 were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in the CIH groups. Hence, the present study demonstrated that CIH‐induced oxidative stress might not only induce insulin resistance but also islet cell apoptosis in the pancreas through TRB3 and p‐JNK.
Youth support for direct versus talk‐centric democratic processes in Finland
Authors: Huttunen Janette
Published: January 2024

Growing worries over young people's lack of engagement in institutionalized political processes have been appeased by theories of young people's political preferences for alternative, more engaged political activities. However, young people's institutionalized participation is important for the quality of participation. Democratic innovations, institutions that are designed to increase citizen participation, have been suggested as one solution to bring young people back into institutionalized politics. However, in research, different forms of democratic innovations are often treated as a bulk measure and not examined separately—depriving us of knowledge of youth support for different types of participatory processes. This paper contributes to the literature by examining youth support for a direct versus talk‐centric democratic process in Finland. The results indicate that young people support both referendums and discussion forums more than older people do and that discussion forums are more popular than referendums. Additionally, democratic satisfaction has a reversed effect on support for discussion forums for young and old people.
RpUGT344J7 is involved in the reproduction switch of Rhopalosiphum padi with holocyclic life cycle
Authors: Wang Suji , Huang Wenjie , Li Mengtian , Wang Ni , Liu Xi , Chen Maohua , Peng Xiong
Published: January 2024

Many aphid species exhibit both cyclical parthenogenesis (CP) and the obligate parthenogenesis (OP) life history, which are genetically determined. In CP aphid lineages, the parthenogenetic individuals can switch from asexual to sexual reproduction quickly in response to environmental factors such as changes in photoperiod and temperature. However, the OP aphid lineages do not undergo sexual reproduction under any conditions. So far, mechanisms underlying the reproduction switch in CP aphids have not been fully elucidated. Rhopalosiphum padi, a serious worldwide insect pest of wheat, has both CP and OP lineages. Uridine diphosphate‐glycosyltransferases (UGTs) are enzymes that participate in the metabolic detoxification of xenobiotics. Here, we identified 43 RpUGT genes from R. padi genome and transcriptome sequences, and found that: (1) the UGT content of the CP lineage was significantly higher than that in the OP lineage at the key time points when CP lineage mainly produce virginoparae, gynoparae, and males under inducing condition, while there were no significant difference under normal conditions; (2) RpUGT344J7 gene was highly expressed during the time points when CP lineages produce gynopara and males; (3) the critical time points for CP lineages to produce virginoparaee, gynoparae, and males were affected when the CP lineages were injected with dsRpUGT344J7; (4) the knockdown of RpUGT344J7 caused a significant reduction in the total number of virginoparae, gynoparae, and males in the offspring under inducing condition. The findings contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the quick shift from asexual to sexual reproduction in aphid species.
Cybersecurity carrots and sticks
Authors: Hiller Janine , Kisska‐Schulze Kathryn , Shackelford Scott
Published: January 2024

In an unsustainable trend, each year is touted as the worst on record for data and system breaches. 2020's dubious top distinction was exceeded across numerous metrics in 2021, and 2022's numbers set another unwanted record. The growing epidemic of ransomware, data breaches, and cyber‐enabled attacks pushes policymakers and business leaders to consider what can be done to reverse the cyber‐insecurity spiral. Amidst the current cybersecurity landscape fraught with regulatory gaps, dependence on self‐regulation, and resource constraints of small‐ and medium‐sized businesses, policymakers should seize opportunities to reward reasonable cybersecurity postures and disincentivize underinvestment in cybersecurity best practices. Bold and coordinated actions are needed to dislodge the unsustainable trend of increasingly damaging cyberattacks, and to create a more holistically secure digital future. To move the needle toward a more robust cybersecurity ecosystem, this article proposes an incentive‐based strategy that breaks the mandate‐versus‐self‐regulation dichotomy, leveraging a carrots and sticks tax approach to spur stronger cybersecurity postures across the ecosystem. Such proposal outlines a framework for a Federal Cybersecurity Investment Tax Credit, tailored and mapped to select entity types, combined with a cyberinsecurity tax, thus promoting the principle that businesses have basic cybersecurity responsibilities and fundamental duties to operate securely in a digital society. In addition, this article introduces supplementary tools as part of an enhanced cybersecurity tax policy toolkit. Given pressing national and global cyber risks, this article continues a long‐standing conversation about the operative use of tax policy as part of a holistic approach to reaching a secure and sustainable digital future.
The dopamine 3 receptor as a candidate biomarker and therapeutic for opioid use disorder
Authors: Banks Matthew L. , Sprague Jon E.
Published: January 2024

Here, we present recent studies suggesting that specific DRD3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, e.g. rs324029 and rs2654754) might serve as prognostic biomarkers for opioid use disorder (OUD). Additionally, preclinical studies with novel dopamine 3 receptor (D3R) partial agonists and antagonists have been evaluated as candidate OUD therapeutics and have shown a reduced risk of cardiovascular toxicity compared with the original D3R antagonist. From these findings, we argue that DRD3 SNPs could serve as a diagnostic tool for assessing OUD risk and that more research is warranted examining the D3R as a safe and effective therapeutic target for treating OUD.
Flexible Inflation Targeting and Macroeconomic Performance: Evidence from ASEAN
Authors: Nookhwun Nuwat , Waiyawatjakorn Rawipha
Published: January 2024

The experience of flexible inflation targeting in ASEAN‐5 has been favorable. The present paper shows improvements in macroeconomic outcomes consistent with the framework's mandated objectives: lower levels and volatility of inflation, more stable economic growth, and a well‐functioning financial system. Using difference‐in‐difference approaches, we find that, for ASEAN‐5 and developing countries, the inflation targeting framework mainly benefits adopters in terms of reducing inflation levels. In response to the challenges emanating from capital flow volatility and domestic financial imbalances, over the past 20 years, ASEAN‐5 policy frameworks have continuously evolved to incorporate various policy tools. These include, among others, foreign exchange intervention, macroprudential policy, and capital flow measures. A multitude of policy tools is arguably one of the key factors contributing to sound macroeconomic outcomes during the post‐targeting periods.
Black Cuban women primary school teachers negotiating the responsibilities of social reproduction
Authors: Crumdy Angela
Published: January 2024

Investigations into teacher dissatisfaction often limit concerns to the school setting; however, this ethnographic study investigated how Cuban women's employment as primary school teachers forced them to make strategic negotiations related to childbirth and eldercare. Interviews and participant observation conducted with five Black primary teachers revealed tensions between economic production and biological reproduction. Attention to teachers’ lives outside of the classroom and the complications they experience are useful for Cuba and other counties experiencing shortages.
Business Strategy and CEO Compensation: Evidence from the Hospitality and Tourism Industry*
Authors: Kim Hye Seok , Akindayomi Akinloye , Chung Chune Young , Ogunmakin Adeduro Adesola
Published: January 2024

This study examines the relationship between a hospitality and tourism (HT) firm's business strategy and the level and structure of compensation for its chief executive officer (CEO). Using the ordinary least square (OLS) estimation method, we find that firms in the HT industry that adopt an innovation‐oriented business strategy increase their CEOs' total compensation. The increased compensation is not derived from a cash‐based component but from an equity‐based component of the total CEO compensation. The higher levels of risk exposure that HT firms encounter when adopting an innovation‐oriented business strategy motivate these compensation dynamics. Further, HT firms that implement an innovation‐oriented business strategy and possess a higher firm value are those that remunerate their CEOs using equity‐based compensation. We find no such evidence for cash‐based compensation. Therefore, we advocate for a strategy‐induced compensation premium in the CEOs' compensation contracting for the HT industry.
Diverse presentations of Cushing's syndrome during pregnancy – A case series
Authors: Stoinis Natasha , Creeper Katherine , Phillips Jessica , Graham Dorothy , Lim Ee Mun
Published: January 2024

Background

Cushing's syndrome (CS) encompasses various causes of hypercortisolism including adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secreting pituitary adenoma with or without bilateral adrenal hyperplasia, an adrenal adenoma or carcinoma, ectopic ACTH or corticotrophin‐releasing hormone (CRH) secretion by a neoplasm or exogenous corticosteroid therapy. The diagnosis of CS in pregnancy presents a challenge due to overlapping clinical features of pregnancy (weight gain, striae, acne). If untreated, CS in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of maternal and fetal complications.

Aims

With fewer than 250 cases currently published, we aim to review the clinical presentations, diagnostic methods, management, and outcomes of patients with CS in pregnancy to help optimise our clinical practice.

Materials and methods

This is a single‐centre, retrospective review of woman with documented hypercortisolism receiving antenatal care at a tertiary maternity hospital in Perth between 2006 to 2022. Data were collated from electronic and chart reviews. OMNI calculator was used for birthweight calculations. Local ethics and patient consent were obtained.

Results

Five women and seven pregnancies were identified. Four women had a pituitary source of ACTH‐dependent CS as confirmed by brain magnetic resonance imaging. One woman had an ectopic source of ACTH. Two women were diagnosed during pregnancy. All pregnancies occurring prior to treatment of the Cushing's disease were complicated by secondary hypertension and diabetes.

Conclusion

CS represents a rare and difficult to diagnose condition in pregnancy. When untreated, maternal and fetal outcomes are compromised. Close monitoring of the associated complications with involvement of a multidisciplinary team are recommended.
The Carceral Geographies of Platform Delivery Work: Essential Workers and Bike Registrations in New York City
Authors: Ramachandran Vignesh
Published: January 2024

The critical platform studies literature is increasingly considering the role of social difference as a structuring logic in the platform economy, complementing understandings of worker precarity facilitated by worker misclassification and algorithmic management. Contributing to this literature, this paper demonstrates how platforms and police produce carceral geographies that manage and exploit immigrant delivery workers as surplus populations. The carceral geographies of the platform economy account for both how carceral space produces and manages the surplus populations from which platform capital draws its workers, facilitating the disposability and exploitation of workers. Focusing on South Asian delivery workers in New York City, the paper uses the example of bike registrations to show how police and platforms expand carceral spaces in immigrant communities, increasing their vulnerability to premature death and violence. Finally, it suggests how delivery worker organising offers instances of situated resistance that challenge platform capital and carceral logics.
Effect of lung metastasis on the treatment and prognosis of patients with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhang Taohong , Guo Ying , He Xinyi , Hou Meng , Wang Lisha , An Ruifang , Gao Li
Published: January 2024

Introduction

Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) is a highly invasive tumor, mainly spreading to the lungs. However, lung metastasis in GTN is usually not considered as an adverse prognostic factor. Therefore, the aim of this study was to summarize the results of previous studies and evaluate the effects of lung metastasis on the treatment and prognosis of GTN.

Material and methods

The study was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023372371). Electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and China Biomedical Literature Database were used for a systematical search of relevant studies published up to November 21, 2022. The observational studies reporting the clinical outcomes of GTN patients with and without lung metastasis were selected. The incidences of resistance, relapse, and mortality of GTN patients were extracted and successively grouped based on the presence of lung metastasis. The pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of the eligible studies were calculated. The qualities of included studies were assessed with the Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale and the certainty of evidence was graded based on the GRADE. The meta‐analysis was performed using Stata 12.0 and GradePro software.

Results

Five publications with 3629 GTN patients were included. The meta‐analysis revealed that the GTN with lung metastasis was strongly correlated with first‐line chemoresistance (pooled RR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.22 to 1.61, p < 0.001), recurrence (pooled RR = 3.03, 95% CI: 1.21 to 7.62, p = 0.018), and disease‐specific death (pooled RR = 22.11, 95% CI: 3.37 to 145.08, p = 0.001). Ethnicity was also an important factor and Caucasian GTN patients with lung metastasis showed a higher risk of recurrence as revealed by the subgroup analysis (pooled RR = 5.10, 95% CI: 2.38 to 10.94, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

GTN patients with lung metastasis exhibited a higher risk of chemoresistance, relapse, and disease‐specific death. Patients with lung metastasis among the Caucasian population had a higher risk of recurrence than Asian populations. Therefore, the presence of lung metastases might be considered as a high‐risk factor for prognosis of GTN and deserves more attention in the choice of first‐line chemotherapy regimens and follow‐up.
Women and urban flooding vulnerability: A case study from Can Tho City in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta
Authors: Dang Ly Quoc
Published: January 2024

The main objectives of this research are to identify (i) how women in Can Tho City experience the impacts of flooding on their health, income, household and personal finances; and (ii) limitations to women's participation in flood‐related planning activities. Qualitative data collection included a household survey, followed by field observation and in‐depth interviews of the affected women and other actors. Following a feminist framing, the research not only offers insight into the unique harms that women experience from floods, but also demonstrates that women have important knowledge and insights into flood‐related planning. The research found that women took on additional flood management roles in the home. Carrying out this work in polluted flood waters placed a physical burden on their bodies, and led to associated financial burdens related to health treatment and protective equipment. Moreover, the time dedicated to this labour resulted in a reduction in women's incomes. Their houses were also damaged by the floods, resulting in repair costs. Women in higher income of full‐time employment are dealing with the losses of income activity and housing, women in lower income or unemployment are dealing with the losses of personal expense and housing. Though women have a unique understanding of and relationship to flooding, government officials exclude them from local planning and training workshops about flooding risks. As a result, they have limited opportunities to use their knowledge to shape flood mitigation efforts. This research concludes that addressing vulnerability to future flooding must draw on Vietnamese women's knowledge and experiences.
“You don't know what you don't know”: A qualitative study of informational needs of patients, family members, and living donors to inform transplant system metrics
Authors: Hart Allyson , Schaffhausen Cory R. , McKinney Warren T. , Gonzales Kristina , Perugini Julia , Snyder Jon J. , Ladin Keren
Published: January 2024

Introduction

Informational needs and potential use of transplant metrics, especially among patients, remain understudied and a critical component of the transplant community's commitment to patient‐centered care. We sought to understand the perspectives and needs of patients, family members/caregivers, living donors, and deceased donor family members.

Methods

We examined decision‐making experiences and perspectives on the needs of these stakeholder groups for data about the national transplant system among 58 participants of 14 focus groups and 6 interviews.

Results

Three major themes emerged: 1) informational priorities and unmet needs (transplantation system processes, long‐term outcomes data, prelisting data, patient‐centered outcomes, and ability to compare centers and regions); 2) challenges obtaining relevant and trustworthy information (patient burden and effort, challenges with medical jargon, and difficulty finding trustworthy information); and 3) burden of facing the unknown (stress and anxiety leading to difficulty processing information, challenges facing the transplant journey when you “don't know what you don't know”).

Conclusion

Patient, family member, and living donor participation in shared decision‐making has been limited by inadequate access to patient‐centered information. New metrics and patient‐facing data presentations should address these content gaps using best practices to improve understanding and support shared decision‐making.
Macrophages enhance regeneration of lateral line neuromast derived from interneuromast cells through TGF‐β in zebrafish
Authors: Hsu Wei‐Lin , Lin Yu‐Chi , Lin Meng‐Ju , Wang Yi‐Wen , Lee Shyh‐Jye
Published: January 2024

Macrophages play a pivotal role in the response to injury, contributing significantly to the repair and regrowth of damaged tissues. The external lateral line system in aquatic organisms offers a practical model for studying regeneration, featuring interneuromast cells connecting sensory neuromasts. Under normal conditions, these cells remain dormant, but their transformation into neuromasts occurs when overcoming inhibitory signals from Schwann cells and posterior lateral line nerves. The mechanism enabling interneuromast cells to evade inhibition by Schwann cells remains unclear. Previous observations suggest that macrophages physically interact with neuromasts, nerves, and Schwann cells during regeneration. This interaction leads to the regeneration of neuromasts in a subset of zebrafish with ablated neuromasts. To explore whether macrophages achieve this effect through secreted cytokines, we conducted experiments involving tail amputation in zebrafish larvae and tested the impact of cytokine inhibitors on neuromast regeneration. Most injured larvae remarkably regenerated a neuromast within 4 days post‐amputation. Intriguingly, removal of macrophages and inhibition of the anti‐inflammatory cytokine transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β) significantly delayed neuromast regeneration. Conversely, inhibition of the pro‐inflammatory cytokines interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) had minor effects on the regeneration process. This study provides insights into how macrophages activate interneuromast cells, elucidating the pathways underlying neuromast regeneration.
Dyadic effects of stigma on quality of life in people with schizophrenia and their family caregivers: Mediating role of patients' perception of caregivers' expressed emotion
Authors: Peng Yanan , Xu Ronghua , Li Yan , Li Ling , Song Lanjun , Xi Juzhe
Published: January 2024

Schizophrenia, as a stressful diagnosis, profoundly impacts the whole family, especially people with schizophrenia and their caregivers. This study tested the potential mediating role of expressed emotion in the association between mental health stigma and quality of life in caregiver‐patient dyads. Using a 2‐wave longitudinal design with a 6‐month interval between assessments, 161 dyads of patients with schizophrenia and their family caregivers (one patient and one caregiver) completed measures of mental health stigma, expressed emotion, and quality of life. The results showed that patients' self‐stigma had no significant actor or partner effect on expressed emotion or quality of life. In contrast, caregivers' stigmatizing attitudes toward patients had a significant partner effect on patients' perception of caregivers' expressed emotion and quality of life. The mediating effect of patients' perception of caregivers' expressed emotion in the association between caregivers' stigmatizing ideas toward patients and patients' quality of life was significant. By focusing on the interdependence of patients and their caregivers, this study highlights the role of caregivers' stigmatizing attitudes toward patients and patients' perception of caregivers' expressed emotion on patients' quality of life. Psychoeducation and interventions should not only aim to reduce the self‐stigma of people with schizophrenia but also their caregivers' stigmatizing ideas toward patients. Family interventions targeted at reducing the EE level of caregivers and patients' perception of caregivers' EE would also benefit the adaptation and quality of life of people with schizophrenia and their caregivers.