bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Weather and topography regulate the benefit of a conditionally helpful parasite
Authors: Monsinjon Jonathan R. , McQuaid Christopher D. , Nicastro Katy R. , Seuront Laurent , Oróstica Mauricio H. , Zardi Gerardo I. 
Published: October 2021

Abstract

Heat‐induced mass mortalities involving ecosystem engineers may have long‐lasting detrimental effects at the community level, eliminating the ecosystem services they provide.

Intertidal mussels are ecologically and economically valuable with some populations facing unprecedented heat‐induced mass mortalities. Critically, mussels are also frequently infested by endolithic parasites that modify shell albedo, hence reducing overheating and mortality rates under heat stress.

Using a biophysical model, we explored the topographical and meteorological conditions under which endolithically driven thermal buffering becomes critical to survival. Based on meteorological data from a global climate analysis, we modelled body temperatures of infested and non‐infested mussels over the last decade (2010–2020) at nine sites spread across c. 20° of latitude.

We show that thermal buffering is enhanced where and when heat stress is greatest, that is, on sun‐exposed surfaces under high solar radiation and high air temperature.

These results suggest that new co‐evolutionary pathways are likely to open for these symbiotic organisms as climate continues to change, potentially tipping the balance of the relationship from a parasitic to a more mutualistic one. However, endolithically driven reductions in body temperatures can also occur at or below optimal temperatures, thereby reducing the host's metabolic rates and making the interplay of positive and negative effects complex.

In parallel, we hindcasted body temperatures using empirical data from nearby weather stations and found that predictions were very similar with those obtained from two global climate reanalyses (i.e. NCEP‐DOE Reanalysis 2 and ECMWF Reanalysis v5).

This result holds great promise for modelling the distribution of terrestrial ectotherms at ecologically relevant spatiotemporal scales, as it suggests we can reasonably bypass the practical issues associated with weather stations. For intertidal ectotherms, however, the challenge will be incorporating body temperatures over the full tidal cycle.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Plant–soil biota interactions explain shifts in plant community composition under global change
Authors: Huang Kailing , Kardol Paul , Yan Xuebin , Luo Xi , Guo Hui 
Published: October 2021

Abstract

Plant–soil biota interactions play a crucial role in the assembly of plant communities and the maintenance of plant species diversity. However, few studies have tested how the effect of soil biota on plant species and communities depends on environmental context and whether shifts in plant community composition caused by environmental change are associated with variation in plant–soil biota interactions.

We combined a field experiment in a Tibetan alpine meadow and a greenhouse experiment with factorial combinations of nitrogen (N) enrichment and warming to examine the role of plant–soil biota interactions in plant community dynamics.

The results showed that plant relative abundances were negatively correlated with the net effects of soil biota on plant growth but only under ambient field conditions. Warming and N enrichment alleviated the negative soil biota effects in the greenhouse, and changed plant community composition and reduced species diversity in the field. Importantly, changes in soil biota effects on plant growth were positively correlated with changes in plant relative abundances caused by warming and N enrichment in field. In a parallel field experiment, the diversity of mycorrhizal fungi increased while the diversity of fungal pathogens remained unchanged under warming and N enrichment, indicating that soil biodiversity may play a critical role in plant responses to environmental change.

This study empirically demonstrates that altered plant–soil biota interactions explain shifts in plant community composition under global change, providing new insights into the mechanisms of diversity loss in a changing world.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Positive heterospecific interactions can increase long‐term diversity of plant communities more than negative conspecific interactions alone
Authors: Trevenen Elizabeth J. , Veneklaas Erik J. , Teste François P. , Dobrowolski Mark P. , Mucina Ladislav , Renton Michael 
Published: October 2021

Abstract

Negative conspecific interactions have been shown to promote diversity in plant communities, as have some heterospecific interactions such as intransitive competition and facilitation. However, it is unclear whether combinations of conspecific and other heterospecific interactions can also promote diversity in plant communities. We therefore investigated the effects of heterospecific plant interaction network architecture with and without conspecific interactions on alpha diversity, beta diversity and long‐term diversity.

We simulated long‐term plant community dynamics for theoretical plant interaction scenarios with modular, ring and nested networks of positive or negative heterospecific interactions and conspecific interactions, using a spatially explicit cellular automaton model that accounted for stochastic effects. Throughout the simulations several measures of diversity were recorded.

The way that heterospecific interactions affected diversity depended strongly on various characteristics of the architecture of the interaction network. Negative conspecific interactions generally promoted alpha diversity and reduced beta diversity, with a few key exceptions. Positive heterospecific ring interactions that resulted in cyclic appearance and disappearance of species groups led to the greatest long‐term diversity (a measure of the total diversity over time).

This study provides new theoretical insights into how the network architecture of heterospecific plant interactions can affect the diversity of plant communities over time and provides the first evidence that heterospecific plant interactions can increase long‐term diversity more than negative conspecific interactions alone.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Taxation et croissance économique en Afrique: la qualité des institutions importe‐t‐elle?
Authors: Okombi Idrys Fransmel 
Published: October 2021

RésuméL'objectif de cette étude est d'examiner le niveau d'imposition qui maximise la croissance en tenant compte de la qualité de la démocratie, du niveau de la corruption et de l'efficacité du gouvernement. L'analyse porte sur un échantillon de 44 pays africains et se fonde sur un modèle dynamique de croissance. Les principaux résultats obtenus sur la base des méthodes LSDVC et GMM‐SYS suggèrent que le point de retournement de la relation entre l'impôt et la croissance varie en fonction de la qualité des institutions.
Patient selection in the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model
Authors: Ko Hyunkyu , Martin Brook I. , Nelson Richard E. , Pelt Christopher E. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractObjectiveTo understand whether the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program induces participating hospitals to (1) preferentially select lower risk patients, (2) reduce 90‐day episode‐of‐care costs, (3) improve quality of care, and (4) achieve greater cost reduction during its second year, when downside financial risk was applied.Data sourcesWe identified beneficiaries of age 65 years or older undergoing hip or knee joint replacement in the 100% sample of Medicare fee‐for‐service inpatient (Part A) claims from January 1, 2013 to August 31, 2017. Cases were linked to subsequent outpatient, Part B, home health agency, and skilled nursing facility claims, as well as publicly available participation status for CJR.Study designWe estimated the effect of CJR for hospitals in the 67 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) selected to participate in CJR (785 hospitals), compared to those in 104 non‐CJR MSAs (962 hospitals; maintaining fee‐for‐service). A difference‐in‐differences approach was used to detect patient selection, as well as to compare 90‐day episode‐of‐care costs and quality of care between CJR and non‐CJR hospitals over the first two performance years.Data collectionWe excluded 172 hospitals from our analysis due to their preexisting BPCI participation. We focused on elective admissions in the main analysis.Principal findingsWhile reductions in 90‐day episode‐of‐care costs were greater among CJR hospitals (−$902, 95% CI: −$1305, −$499), largely driven by a 16.8% (p < 0.01) decline in 90‐day spending in skilled nursing facilities, CJR hospitals significantly reduced the 90‐day readmission rate (−3.9%; p < 0.05) and preferentially avoided patients aged 85 years or older (−5.9%; p < 0.01) and Black (−7.0%; p < 0.01). Cost reduction was greater in 2017 than in 2016, corresponding to the start of downside risk.ConclusionsParticipation in CJR was associated with a modest cost reduction and a reduction in 90‐day readmission rates; however, we also observed evidence of preferential avoidance of older patients perceived as being higher risk among CJR hospitals.
Retrospective identification of latent subgroups of emergency department patients: A machine learning approach
Authors: Duwalage Kalpani I , Burkett Ellen , White Gentry , Wong Andy , Thompson M Helen 
Published: October 2021

AbstractObjectiveThis research aims to (i) identify latent subgroups of ED presentations in Australian public EDs using a data‐driven approach and (ii) compare clinical, socio‐demographic and time‐related characteristics of ED presentations broadly using the subgroups.MethodsWe examined presentations to four public hospital EDs in Queensland from 2009 to 2014. An unsupervised machine learning algorithm, Clustering Large Applications, was used to cluster ED presentations.ResultsThere were six subgroups common across the EDs, primarily distinguishable by age, and subsequently by triage category, ED length of stay, arrival mode, departure status and several time‐related attributes. Around 10% to 30% of the total presentations had high resource utilisation, with half of these from older patients (55+ years). ED resource utilisation per population was highest among the oldest cohort (75+ years). Children and young adults more frequently presented to the ED outside general‐practitioner hours, mostly on Sundays. Older persons were more likely to present at any time, rather than specific hours, days or seasons. ED service performance measured against commonly used access‐target indicators were rarely satisfied for older people and frequently satisfied for children.ConclusionClustering Large Applications is effective in finding latent groups in large‐scale mixed‐type data, as demonstrated in the present study. Six types of ED presentations were identified and described using clinically relevant characteristics. The present study provides evidence for policy makers in Australia to develop alternative ED models of care tailored around the care needs of the differing groups of patients and thereby supports the sustainable delivery of acute healthcare.
Chest imaging findings in COVID‐19‐positive patients in an Australian tertiary hospital
Authors: Tang Jennifer SN , Lai Jeffrey KC , McCusker Mark W , Irving Louis , Pascoe Diane M , Heinze Stefan B 
Published: October 2021

AbstractIntroductionCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has infected over 215 million individuals worldwide. Chest radiographs (CXR) and computed tomography (CT) have assisted with diagnosis and assessment of COVID‐19. Previous reports have described peripheral and lower zone predominant opacities on chest radiographs. Whilst the most common patterns on CT are bilateral, peripheral basal predominant ground glass opacities (Wonget al.,Radiology, 296, 2020, E72; Karimian and Azami,Pol J Radiol, 86, 2021, e31). This study describes the imaging findings in an Australian tertiary hospital population.MethodsCOVID‐PCR‐positive patients who had chest imaging (CXR, CT and ventilation perfusion (V/Q) scans) from January 2020 to August 2020 were included. Distribution, location and pattern of involvement was recorded. Evaluation of the assessors was performed using Fleiss Kappa calculations for review of radiographic findings and qualitative analysis of CT findings.ResultsA total of 681 studies (616 CXRs, 59 CTs, 6 V/Q) from 181 patients were reviewed. The most common chest radiograph finding was bilateral lower lobe predominant diffuse opacification and most common CT pattern being ground glass opacities. Of the CT imaging, 33 were CT Pulmonary Angiograms of which five demonstrated acute pulmonary emboli. There was good inter‐rater agreement between radiologists in assessment of imaging appearances on CXR (kappa 0.29–0.73) and CT studies.ConclusionA review of imaging in an Australian tertiary hospital demonstrates similar patterns of COVID‐19 infection on chest X‐ray and CT imaging when compared to the international population.
Beeporter: Tools for high‐throughput analyses of pollinator‐virus infections
Authors: Evans Jay D. , Banmeke Olubukola , Palmer‐Young Evan C. , Chen Yanping , Ryabov Eugene V. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractPollinators are in decline thanks to the combined stresses of disease, pesticides, habitat loss, and climate. Honey bees face numerous pests and pathogens but arguably none are as devastating as Deformed wing virus (DWV). Understanding host‐pathogen interactions and virulence of DWV in honey bees is slowed by the lack of cost‐effective high‐throughput screening methods for viral infection. Currently, analysis of virus infection in bees and their colonies is tedious, requiring a well‐equipped molecular biology laboratory and the use of hazardous chemicals. Here we describe virus clones tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) or nanoluciferase (nLuc) that provide high‐throughput detection and quantification of virus infections. GFP fluorescence is measured noninvasively in living bees via commonly available long‐wave UV light sources and a smartphone camera, or a standard ultraviolet transilluminator gel imaging system. Nonlethal monitoring with GFP allows continuous screening of virus growth and serves as a direct breeding tool for identifying honey bee parents with increased antiviral resistance. Expression using the nLuc reporter strongly correlates with virus infection levels and is especially sensitive. Using multiple reporters, it is also possible to visualize competition, differential virulence, and host tissue targeting by co‐occuring pathogens. Finally, it is possible to directly assess the risk of cross‐species “spillover” from honey bees to other pollinators and vice versa.
Prepartum, childbirth, and immediate puerperium: Nursing diagnoses of mothers of extremely preterm infants
Authors: Dell'Agnolo Cátia M. , Delatore Silvana , de Carvalho Elias C. A. , Pelloso Sandra Marisa , Cardelli Alexandrina A. M. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractBackgroundMaternal mortality remains high, despite all the advances and efforts that have occurred in recent years and is directly related to the quality of care provided during pregnancy, childbirth, and in the puerperium.PurposeIdentify the possible nursing diagnoses of mothers of newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care in the prepartum period, childbirth, and the puerperium.MethodsObservational, cross‐sectional study carried out by analyzing the medical records of mothers of newborns who required hospitalization in neonatal intensive care and determining the diagnoses through a process of diagnostic inference, based on NANDA‐I Taxonomy, during the period from 2007 to 2016.FindingsAfter reviewing the medical records of 272 mothers, a total of 3,843 observations were identified, distributed in 42 diagnoses, with Excessive fluid volume presenting the greatest predictive power over the outcome variable. The second group of more predictive variables comprised the Risk of vascular trauma, Risk of infection, Impaired parenthood, and Risk of body temperature imbalance. The third group, in turn, consisted of the following diagnoses: Insomnia, Pain during labor, Risk of impaired bonding, Acute pain, and Ineffective Breastfeeding.ConclusionsThe present study enabled the identification of the most frequent NANDA‐I nursing diagnoses occurring during the prepartum period, childbirth, and the immediate puerperium of mothers of newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care, as well as those of greatest importance. Based on the encountered diagnoses, it can be concluded that future studies should be carried out in order for validation.ImplicationsThe knowledge of these diagnoses can contribute to the instrumentalization of nursing professionals, with consequent improvements in the nursing process and the provided assistance, aiming to assist in the reduction of maternal morbidity and mortality.
CDK2 phosphorylation of Werner protein (WRN) contributes to WRN’s DNA double‐strand break repair pathway choice
Authors: Lee Jong‐Hyuk , Shamanna Raghavendra A. , Kulikowicz Tomasz , Borhan Fakouri Nima , Kim Edward W. , Christiansen Louise S. , Croteau Deborah L. , Bohr Vilhelm A. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractWerner syndrome (WS) is an accelerated aging disorder characterized by genomic instability, which is caused by WRN protein deficiency. WRN participates in DNA metabolism including DNA repair. In a previous report, we showed that WRN protein is recruited to laser‐induced DNA double‐strand break (DSB) sites during various stages of the cell cycle with similar intensities, supporting that WRN participates in both non‐homologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR). Here, we demonstrate that the phosphorylation of WRN by CDK2 on serine residue 426 is critical for WRN to make its DSB repair pathway choice between NHEJ and HR. Cells expressing WRN engineered to mimic the unphosphorylated or phosphorylation state at serine 426 showed abnormal DSB recruitment, altered RPA interaction, strand annealing, and DSB repair activities. The CDK2 phosphorylation on serine 426 stabilizes WRN’s affinity for RPA, likely increasing its long‐range resection at the end of DNA strands, which is a crucial step for HR. Collectively, the data shown here demonstrate that a CDK2‐dependent phosphorylation of WRN regulates DSB repair pathway choice and cell cycle participation.
Thoroughbred stallion fertility is significantly associated with FKBP6 genotype but not with inbreeding or the contribution of a leading sire
Authors: Castaneda C. , Juras R. , Kjöllerström J. , Hernandez Aviles C. , Teague S. R. , Love C. C. , Cothran E. G. , Varner D. D. , Raudsepp T. 
Published: October 2021

SummaryThis is a follow‐up study to validate the previously detected association of the FKBP6 gene with stallion subfertility. Using a select cohort of 150 Thoroughbred stallions with detailed breeding records, we confirm significant association (P < 0.0001) between low per‐cycle pregnancy rates (≤50%) and a combined A/A–A/A genotype of SNPs chr13:11 353 372G>A and chr13:11 353 436A>C in FKBP6 exon 5. We also show that stallion subfertility and the combined genotype A/A–A/A are not associated with the level of genetic diversity based on 12 autosomal microsatellite markers, or with pedigree‐based inbreeding rate, or the extent of contribution of a leading Thoroughbred sire, Northern Dancer, in a stallion’s pedigree. We develop a TaqMan allelic discrimination assay for the two SNPs to facilitate accurate and high‐throughput genotyping. We determine allele, genotype and combined genotype frequencies of FKBP6 exon 5 SNPs in a global cohort of 518 Thoroughbreds (76% stallions or geldings and 24% mares) and show that the frequency of the A/A–A/A genotype is 4%. Because there is no similar association between the FKBP6 exon 5 genotype and stallion subfertility in Hanoverians, we suggest that the two SNPs are not causative but rather tagging a breed‐specific haplotype with genetic variants unique to Thoroughbreds. Further WGS‐based research is needed to identify the molecular causes underlying the observed genotype–phenotype association in Thoroughbred stallions.
The impact of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansions on agricultural workers' health insurance coverage, medical care utilization, and labor supply
Authors: Kandilov Amy M. G. , Kandilov Ivan T. 
Published: October 2021

AbstractNearly 30% of documented agricultural workers, that is, those who are authorized to work in the U.S. and may be eligible for government‐sponsored Medicaid coverage, lacked health insurance coverage in 2016. We estimate the impact of the 2014 state‐level Medicaid expansions that were part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on farm workers' health insurance coverage, health care utilization, and labor supply. Using confidential individual‐level data from the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) for the decade between 2007 and 2016, we employ a difference‐in‐differences econometric model to compare workers in states that expanded Medicaid in 2014 to workers in states that did not. We find that, following the ACA Medicaid expansions, documented agricultural workers experience a 12‐percentage point (24%) increase in the likelihood of having health insurance, which is entirely driven by an increase in the likelihood of having a government‐sponsored health insurance plan. We do not detect a decrease in private (employer‐sponsored or worker‐acquired) health insurance coverage. Further, we find no evidence that the ACA Medicaid expansions led to a decline in farm workers' labor supply; in fact, our results imply that there was a small increase in farm workers' hours. In a number of falsification tests, we also show that the Medicaid expansions do not appear to have an impact on undocumented (unauthorized) farm workers' health care utilization, and there was no increase in Medicaid payments for health services among this group of farm workers who were largely ineligible for Medicaid.
Injury profiles and clinical management of older patients with major trauma
Authors: Ferrah Noha , Dipnall Joanna , Gabbe Belinda , Cameron Peter , Ibrahim Joseph , Beck Ben 
Published: October 2021

AbstractObjectivesThis study aimed to characterise the most common injury profiles and interventions in older major trauma patients, and how they change with age.MethodsThis is a retrospective review of interventions, injury profiles and outcomes of major trauma patients aged 65 years and older from 2007 to 2018, using data from the Victorian State Trauma Registry. A latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify homogenous injury groups.ResultsThe LCA identified five injury profiles: isolated head injury; chest/upper limb injuries; multi‐trauma; isolated spine; and head/chest/upper limb. Among 10,001 patients, 50% had an isolated head injury, and 83% of patients received definitive treatment at a major trauma centre. 50% of patients received a surgical or non‐surgical intervention, and 36% underwent surgery. These proportions declined with increasing age.ConclusionsOlder patients with major trauma are a heterogeneous group, whose mechanisms and patterns of injury, and clinical management change with increasing age.