bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The experience of an adult diabetic foot unit continuing face‐to‐face consults during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Gong Joanna Y. , Collins Lucy , Barmanray Rahul D. , Pang Nang S. K. , Le Minh V. , Wraight Paul R. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBackground and AimsThe COVID‐19 pandemic significantly disrupted lower limb diabetes care. We aimed to map trends in diabetes‐related lower limb amputation and hospitalisation rates through the COVID‐19 pandemic.MethodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study of all individuals who underwent a lower limb amputation for a diabetes‐related foot complication from 2018 to 2021 at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, a quaternary hospital in Australia. Hospitalisation rates with a diabetes‐related foot complication were collected for comparison. The start of the COVID‐19 epoch was defined as 16 March 2020, when a state of emergency was declared in Melbourne.ResultsDuring the study period, 360 lower limb amputations for diabetes‐related foot complications were performed in 247 individuals. The median monthly number of amputations remained stable prior to and during the COVID‐19 epoch; there was a median of 8.0 amputations per month (interquartile range (IQR) = 6.5–11) before COVID‐19, compared to 6.5 amputations (IQR = 5.0–8.3) during the COVID‐19 epoch (P = 0.23). Hospitalisation with a diabetes‐related foot complication significantly increased from a median monthly rate of 11 individuals (IQR = 9.0–14) before COVID‐19 to 19 individuals (IQR = 14–22) during the COVID‐19 epoch (p < 0.001).ConclusionsDespite increased hospitalisations for diabetes‐related foot complications during COVID‐19, there was not a corresponding increase in amputation rates. Face‐to‐face care of diabetes‐related foot complications was prioritised at this centre and may have contributed to stable amputation rates during the pandemic.
Contributions of each of the BAFF receptors to the lymphocyte profiles in C57BL/6 mice
Authors: Stohl William , Wu Ying , Stohl Malka 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBAFF, a vital B cell survival and differentiation factor, has three receptors: B‐cell maturation antigen (BCMA), transmembrane activator and CAML interactor (TACI) and BR3. Although B cells are greatly reduced in B6.Baff−/− (which harbour no BAFF) and B6.Br3−/− mice (which harbour supra‐normal levels of BAFF), the distributions of B cell subsets and relationships between Foxp3+ and CD4+ cells in these mice differ. Using a large panel of B6 congenic knockout and/or transgenic mice, we demonstrate that (1) supra‐normal levels of BAFF per se do not explain the phenotypic differences between B6.Baff−/− and B6.Br3−/− mice; (2) B cells are expanded in B6.Taci−/− mice, with preferential expansion of follicular (FO) B cells at the expense of CD19+CD21−/loCD23−/lo B cells but without the preferential expansion of Foxp3+ cells observed in B6 mice bearing a Baff transgene; (3) despite no expansion in total B cells, percentages of FO B cells and marginal zone B cells are higher and percentages of CD19+CD21−/loCD23−/lo B cells are lower in young B6.Bcma−/− mice, consistent with the inability of B6.Br3−/−.Taci−/− mice to recapitulate the B cell profile of B6.Baff−/− mice; and (4) percentages of Foxp3+ cells in B6.Br3−/−.Taci−/− mice are intermediate between those in B6.Br3−/− and B6.Taci−/− mice despite the B cell profile of B6.Br3−/−.Taci−/− mice strongly resembling that of B6.Br3−/− mice. Collectively, our findings point to a non‐redundant role for each of the BAFF receptors in determining the ultimate lymphocyte profile of the host. This may have clinically relevant ramifications in that the degree that a candidate therapeutic agent blocks engagement of any given individual BAFF receptor may affect its clinical utility.
Improving Online Citizen Science Platforms for Biodiversity Monitoring
Authors: Della Rocca Francesca , Musiani Marco , Galaverni Marco , Milanesi Pietro 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundMonitoring biodiversity is crucial in biogeography. Citizen science and biodiversity platforms have revolutionized data access across taxa, but they struggle to provide robust raw data essential for conservation decisions.AimsThis study addresses data gaps for under‐represented species and locations, observer expertise variability, and the lack of absence data and sampling effort information to improve data representation and suitability for statistical analyses.Materials & MethodsWe collected, compared to IUCN‐recognized taxonomic groups, all worldwide living being (animal, plant and fungi) observations held by four major biodiversity platforms: eBird, GBIF, iNaturalist, and Observation.org. We also organized such observations by country of origin and based on their Human Development Index (HDI).ResultsWe found that, while GBIF, iNaturalist, and Observation.org cover all life forms, birds are the most observed (eBird is a bird‐specific platform), whereas fish, other marine organisms, arthropods, and invertebrates are dramatically underrepresented. Moreover, none of the above‐mentioned biodiversity platforms considered or directly analysed expertise variability among observers and, apart from eBird, the other three biodiversity platforms do not accommodate data on species absence and sampling effort.Discussion and ConclusionFinally, we found that species observations on biodiversity platforms considered in this study are skewed towards high HDI countries, primarily North America and Europe. By enhancing the effectiveness of biodiversity platforms, this study has the potential to significantly advance the field of biogeography, paving the way for more informed and effective conservation strategies. Overall, our findings underscore the untapped potential of these platforms in contributing to our understanding of the spatial and temporal patterns of biodiversity.
Troriluzole rescues glutamatergic deficits, amyloid and tau pathology, and synaptic and memory impairments in 3xTg‐AD mice
Authors: Pfitzer Jeremiah , Pinky Priyanka D. , Perman Savannah , Redmon Emma , Cmelak Luca , Suppiramaniam Vishnu , Coric Vladimir , Qureshi Irfan A. , Gramlich Michael W. , Reed Miranda N. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractAlzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition in which clinical symptoms are highly correlated with the loss of glutamatergic synapses. While later stages of AD are associated with markedly decreased glutamate levels due to neuronal loss, in the early stages, pathological accumulation of glutamate and hyperactivity contribute to AD pathology and cognitive dysfunction. There is increasing awareness that presynaptic dysfunction, particularly synaptic vesicle (SV) alterations, play a key role in mediating this early‐stage hyperactivity. In the current study, we sought to determine whether the 3xTg mouse model of AD that exhibits both beta‐amyloid (Aβ) and tau‐related pathology would exhibit similar presynaptic changes as previously observed in amyloid or tau models separately. Hippocampal cultures from 3xTg mice were used to determine whether presynaptic vesicular glutamate transporters (VGlut) and glutamate are increased at the synaptic level while controlling for postsynaptic activity. We observed that 3xTg hippocampal cultures exhibited increased VGlut1 associated with an increase in glutamate release, similar to prior observations in cultures from tau mouse models. However, the SV pool size was also increased in 3xTg cultures, an effect not previously observed in tau mouse models but observed in Aβ models, suggesting the changes in pool size may be due to Aβ and not tau. Second, we sought to determine whether treatment with troriluzole, a novel 3rd generation tripeptide prodrug of the glutamate modulator riluzole, could reduce VGlut1 and glutamate release to restore cognitive deficits in 8‐month‐old 3xTg mice. Treatment with troriluzole reduced VGlut1 expression, decreased basal and evoked glutamate release, and restored cognitive deficits in 3xTg mice. Together, these findings suggest presynaptic alterations are early events in AD that represent potential targets for therapeutic intervention, and these results support the promise of glutamate‐modulating drugs such as troriluzole in Alzheimer's disease.
image
FinTech Credit and Entrepreneurial Growth
Authors: HAU HARALD , HUANG YI , LIN CHEN , SHAN HONGZHE , SHENG ZIXIA , WEI LAI 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACTBased on automated credit lines to vendors trading on Alibaba's online retail platform and a discontinuity in the credit decision algorithm, we document that a vendor's access to FinTech credit boosts its sales growth, transaction growth, and the level of customer satisfaction gauged by product, service, and consignment ratings. These effects are more pronounced for vendors characterized by greater information asymmetry about their credit risk and less collateral, which reveals the information advantage of FinTech credit over traditional credit technology.
Genetic adaptation despite high gene flow in a range‐expanding population
Authors: Lee Andy , Daniels Benjamin N. , Hemstrom William , López Cataixa , Kagaya Yuki , Kihara Daisuke , Davidson Jean M. , Toonen Robert J. , White Crow , Christie Mark R. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractSignals of natural selection can be quickly eroded in high gene flow systems, curtailing efforts to understand how and when genetic adaptation occurs in the ocean. This long‐standing, unresolved topic in ecology and evolution has renewed importance because changing environmental conditions are driving range expansions that may necessitate rapid evolutionary responses. One example occurs in Kellet's whelk (Kelletia kelletii), a common subtidal gastropod with an ~40‐ to 60‐day pelagic larval duration that expanded their biogeographic range northwards in the 1970s by over 300 km. To test for genetic adaptation, we performed a series of experimental crosses with Kellet's whelk adults collected from their historical (HxH) and recently expanded range (ExE), and conducted RNA‐Seq on offspring that we reared in a common garden environment. We identified 2770 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between 54 offspring samples with either only historical range (HxH offspring) or expanded range (ExE offspring) ancestry. Using SNPs called directly from the DEGs, we assigned samples of known origin back to their range of origin with unprecedented accuracy for a marine species (92.6% and 94.5% for HxH and ExE offspring, respectively). The SNP with the highest predictive importance occurred on triosephosphate isomerase (TPI), an essential metabolic enzyme involved in cold stress response. TPI was significantly upregulated and contained a non‐synonymous mutation in the expanded range. Our findings pave the way for accurately identifying patterns of dispersal, gene flow and population connectivity in the ocean by demonstrating that experimental transcriptomics can reveal mechanisms for how marine organisms respond to changing environmental conditions.
Selection on genome‐wide gene expression plasticity of rice in wet and dry field environments
Authors: Hamann Elena , Groen Simon C. , Dunivant Taryn S. , Ćalić Irina , Cochran Colleen , Konshok Rachel , Purugganan Michael D. , Franks Steven J. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractGene expression can be highly plastic in response to environmental variation. However, we know little about how expression plasticity is shaped by natural selection and evolves in wild and domesticated species. We used genotypic selection analysis to characterize selection on drought‐induced plasticity of over 7,500 leaf transcripts of 118 rice accessions (genotypes) from different environmental conditions grown in a field experiment. Gene expression plasticity was neutral for most gradually plastic transcripts, but transcripts with discrete patterns of expression showed stronger selection on expression plasticity. Whether plasticity was adaptive and co‐gradient or maladaptive and counter‐gradient varied among varietal groups. No transcripts that experienced selection for plasticity across environments showed selection against plasticity within environments, indicating a lack of evidence for costs of adaptive plasticity that may constrain its evolution. Selection on expression plasticity was influenced by degree of plasticity, transcript length and gene body methylation. We observed positive selection on plasticity of co‐expression modules containing transcripts involved in photosynthesis, translation and responsiveness to abiotic stress. Taken together, these results indicate that patterns of selection on expression plasticity were context‐dependent and likely associated with environmental conditions of varietal groups, but that the evolution of adaptive plasticity would likely not be constrained by opposing patterns of selection on plasticity within compared to across environments. These results offer a genome‐wide view of patterns of selection and ecological constraints on gene expression plasticity and provide insights into the interplay between plastic and evolutionary responses to drought at the molecular level.
Impact of home visiting nurses on home death proportion in Japan: A nationwide longitudinal ecological study
Authors: Yoshida Shuhei , Hirahara Yumi , Mutai Rieko , Miyamori Daisuke , Kikuchi Yuka , Ikeda Kotaro , Shigenobu Yuya , Ito Masanori 
Published: August 2024

AbstractObjectiveHome visiting nurses contribute to end‐of‐life home care in an aging society. However, few previous studies reported patient outcomes based on nursing practices. This study aimed to examine the correlation between the number of them and the change in home death proportion.MethodsWe divided the number of home visiting nurses into four categories: absent, shortage, medium, and abundant. This study adopted the interaction term between the nurse categories and year as the major exposure variable, and home death proportion per municipality as the objective variable. We estimated the average marginal effects (AME) as the change in home death proportion from 2015 to 2020.ResultsThe total number of home visiting nurses was 36,483 in 2015 and 65,868 in 2020. The coefficients of the interaction term were statistically significant in medium and abundant municipalities (Medium: 1.26 (95% CI: 0.49–2.04), Abundant: 2.15 (95% CI: 0.76–3.55)). Increased home death proportion were estimated as AME: 1.56% (95% CI: 0.99–2.13), 1.35% (95% CI: 0.85–1.84), 2.82% (95% CI: 2.30–3.35), and 3.71% (95% CI: 2.44–4.99) in the absent, shortage, medium, and abundant areas, respectively.ConclusionsTo increase the proportion of home deaths, municipalities require a certain number of home visiting nurses.
Gendered distributional impacts of ownership of mobile money account on farm input expenditures: A micro perspective from rural maize farmers in Ghana
Authors: Asante Bright Owusu , Ankrah Daniel Adu , Agyei‐Holmes Andrew , Prah Stephen 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThis article investigates the distributional impact of mobile money account ownership on farm input expenditures among maize farmers in southern Ghana. Using cross‐sectional data from 1044 farm households, we employed an instrumental variable quantile regression to account for endogeneity and selection bias. We find that socioeconomic, spatial location, and institutional factors significantly influence male and female‐headed household decisions to own mobile money accounts. The empirics show that male‐headed households spend more on fertilizer and pesticide relative to female‐headed households. Mobile money account ownership increases fertilizer expenditure in male‐headed households more than female‐headed households. Male‐headed families with mobile money accounts spend 13.9% and 6.5% more on fertilizer at the 40th and 60th quantiles. High 80th quantile female‐headed households spend 4.3% more on fertilizer. For male‐headed households, farming experience and education positively influence mobile money account ownership on fertilizer expenditure, while off‐farm activity at the 40th quantile positively influences female‐headed households. Our results distill useful policy implications that call for concerted efforts targeted at digital financial inclusion with an eye to bridging differential gender gaps.
External Focus of Attention Reduces Cartilage Load During Drop Landings
Authors: Slovák Lukáš , Panfilov Egor , Zahradník David , Casula Victor , Nieminen Miika T. , Land William M. , Iwatsuki Takehiro , Abdollahipour Reza 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACTThe aim of the present study was to examine the effects of attentional focus instructions on acute changes in the transverse relaxation time (T2) of the femorotibial cartilage and in cartilage volume during repeated drop‐jump landings. Ten healthy females (Mage = 20.4 ± 0.8 years) performed a drop landing task from a 50 cm high box over the course of 3 days (50 repetitions each day) across three attentional focus conditions: external focus (EF: focus on landing as soft as possible), internal focus (IF: focus on bending your knees when you land), and control (CON: no‐focus instruction), which was counterbalanced across focus conditions. T2 mapping and the volume of femorotibial cartilage were determined from magnetic resonance imaging scans at 1.5 T for the dominant knee before and after completing the drop landings in each attentional focus condition per day. Results indicated a smaller change in cartilage T2 relaxation time and volumetry in the central load‐bearing lateral cartilage under the EF, compared to IF and CON. Moreover, the change in T2 and cartilage volume was greater for lateral tibial cartilage as compared to femoral cartilage and was independent of attentional focus instructions. No significant acute quantitative changes were observed in the medial compartment. The peak vertical ground reaction force was found to be the lowest under the EF, compared to IF and CON. These findings suggest that external focus of attention may reduce cartilage load, potentially aiding in the control or management of cartilage injuries during landing in female athletes.
Prehospital central venous catheters
Authors: Studer Nicholas M. , Pickett Jason R. , Winckler C. J. , Smith William R. , Cap Andrew P. , Cunningham Cord W. 
Published: August 2024

KEY IDEAS
The use of whole blood in the prehospital setting is increasing.
Currently available intraosseous and peripheral venous catheters limit the flow of blood products and fluid during resuscitation.
Central venous catheters can be effectively placed in the prehospital environment.
Rapid, high‐volume infusion of blood products can be lifesaving.
A NOVEL COST-EFFECTIVE PRESSURE SENSOR BASED FLOOD MONITORING SYSTEM WITH IOT
Authors: Dublin Aaron Clyde , Arce Merardo , Ortiz Enrique , Wong Ludi Mae , Villaruel Kirk Patrick , Arante Hero , Co Davenson , Chua Alvin , Sybingco Edwin , Roque Maria Antonette 
Published: August 2024

Floods are one of the most frequent and destructive natural hazards in the world. Early warning and flood monitoring is beneficial in the response and preparedness for this hazard. This paper presents a novel, low-cost flood monitoring system for disaster prevention, based on a pressure sensor. The system comprises a state-of-the-art microcontroller, a pressure sensor, and a security element. It is connected to an Internet of Things (IoT) cloud service, allowing for further data processing, interaction, and storage. The sensor data is processed to provide real-time flood measurements. The calibration data obtained from the designed system demonstrates a linear correlation between the water level and the sensor output. Additionally, the system was able to provide flood level measurements with an average error of 4.08% using the calibration equation, whereas a 4.40% error was obtained when using theoretical equations to determine the flood height.
GROUNDWATER RESPONSE TO TIDES ON A SANDY BEACH
Authors: Rahim N.S. , Othman Ilya K. , Jamal M.H. Jamal , Ismail Z. 
Published: August 2024

Beach profile formation and morphology have been widely studied in recent years. A key point of understanding the dynamics of sandy beaches is the knowledge of the interactions between tides and groundwater with the beach profile, despite the challenges of conducting high-quality measurements. This study aims to clarify the response of groundwater levels to tides during two fieldworks: inter-monsoon (2017) and Southwest monsoon (2018) at Desaru Beach. Four monitoring wells were installed perpendicular to the beach, alongside a tide gauge, a wave buoy, and an underwater current meter. The findings showed that the water table was generally not flat but fluctuated with time following the tidal pattern at a tangent. Lag times observed in all wells ranged from 3 hours 20 minutes to no lag times during the spring and from about 4 hours 40 minutes to no lag times during the neap. The groundwater closest to the sea indicated a shorter lag time at high tides than low tides during the inter-monsoon and Southwest monsoon. This study indicated that the beach groundwater filled up faster than it drained between rising and falling tides. The time lags of groundwater levels established in this study can be utilised in coastal flood forecasting for similar beach conditions.

Keywords: Sandy beach, water table, tides, morphology, waves

Kajian mengenai pembentukan dan morfologi profil pantai dijalankan secara meluas sejak kebelakangan ini. Satu perkara penting dalam memahami dinamik pantai berpasir adalah pengetahuan tentang interaksi antara pasang surut dan air bumi terhadap profil pantai, meskipun terdapat kesukaran dalam melakukan pengukuran berkualiti tinggi. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menjelaskan respons paras air bumi terhadap pasang surut semasa dua kerja lapangan dijalankan iaitu antara-musim (2017) dan musim barat daya (2018). Empat perigi pemantauan dipasang secara serenjang dengan pantai, bersama-sama dengan tolok pasang surut, boya gelombang dan meter arus. Hasil kajian menunjukkan aras air secara umumnya tidak rata tetapi berubah mengikut corak pasang surut dengan tangen. Air bumi yang terdekat dengan laut menunjukkan masa lengah yang dicerap dalam semua perigi berjulat antara 12 minit hingga 3 jam 35 minit semasa pasang surut perbani dan dari 5 minit hingga 3 jam 55 minit semasa pasang anak. Air bumi yang terdekat dengan laut menunjukkan masa lengah yang lebih pendek semasa pasang tinggi berbanding pasang surut semasa antara-musim, sementara keadaan tersebut kekal relatif konsisten semasa musim barat daya. Kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa air bumi memenuhi dengan lebih cepat daripada mengalir keluar antara pasang naik dan pasang surut. Masa lengah paras air bumi yang ditetapkan dalam kajian ini boleh digunakan dalam meramal banjir pantai untuk keadaan pantai yang serupa.

Kata kunci: Pantai berpasir, aras air, pasang surut, morfologi, gelombang