bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Understanding communicative relationships between caregivers and foreign retirees: a diffractive vignettes approach
Authors: Phanthaphoommee Narongdej , Siwapathomchai Sunida 
Published: February 2024

PurposeThis article seeks to provide a fresh perspective on the methodological approach to studying caregiving in a transnational context by analysing, local caregiver’s lifeworld, informal interpreting/translation and professional communication with foreign retirees.Design/methodology/approachThis project explores the complex and multifaceted meanings of everyday objects through diffractive vignettes to illuminate the communicative entanglements that arise between caregivers and foreign retirees receiving care in Thailand. To identify intra-actions in caregiving, we collected data through informal interviews, observations and various artefacts before combining them in a group of potential communicative relationships by creating a narrative summary of situations.FindingsCommunicative relationships in the vignettes are multidimensional, with diverse logics underlying choices, rapport formation and communication effectiveness. This premise also illuminates how caregivers perceive and intra-act with their accommodation strategies, considering trust, comfort and comprehension. Our findings were also discussed with the concept of communication accommodation theory.Originality/valueAs an extension of the post-humanist approach to the diffractive reading of vignettes, this study sees its value in studying agent-related informal translation/interpreting and human-to-human relationships.
Long‐term survival with systemic therapy in the last decade: Can melanoma be cured?
Authors: Namikawa Kenjiro , Nakano Eiji , Ogata Dai , Yamazaki Naoya 
Published: February 2024

AbstractImmune checkpoint inhibitors have been shown to prolong survival of patients with several types of cancer, and the finding was first established in melanoma. Previously, systemic therapy for advanced melanoma aimed only at tumor control and palliation of symptoms. However, in recent years, some patients who received systemic therapy have achieved a complete response and survived without continuous treatment for more than several years. This review discusses the long‐term survival rates achieved with currently used systemic therapies and their future perspectives. Long‐term survival is currently most likely to be achieved with the use of the standard‐dose combination of nivolumab plus ipilimumab, however, this regimen is associated with a high frequency of serious or persistent immune‐related adverse events. Several new anti‐PD‐1‐based combination therapies with a better risk–benefit balance are currently under development. Although the acral and mucosal subtypes tend to be less responsive to immune checkpoint inhibitors, anti‐PD‐1‐based combination therapy should continue to be investigated for these subtypes owing to its potential for better long‐term survival. With the development of efficacious immunotherapy and targeted therapy, it is important to determine the optimal duration of systemic therapy to avoid unnecessary health and financial burdens as well as to improve efforts to support long‐term cancer survivors. As the goal of systemic therapy shifts from tumor control to long‐term survival, in future clinical trials, long‐term clinical outcomes should be evaluated to assess the benefits of novel agents.
Acetic acid stress response of the acidophilic sulfate reducer Acididesulfobacillus acetoxydans
Authors: Egas Reinier A. , Sahonero‐Canavesi Diana X. , Bale Nicole J. , Koenen Michel , Yildiz Çağlar , Villanueva Laura , Sousa Diana Z. , Sánchez‐Andrea Irene 
Published: February 2024

AbstractAcid mine drainage (AMD) waters are a severe environmental threat, due to their high metal content and low pH (pH <3). Current technologies treating AMD utilize neutrophilic sulfate‐reducing microorganisms (SRMs), but acidophilic SRM could offer advantages. As AMDs are low in organics these processes require electron donor addition, which is often incompletely oxidized into organic acids (e.g., acetic acid). At low pH, acetic acid is undissociated and toxic to microorganisms. We investigated the stress response of the acetotrophic Acididesulfobacillus acetoxydans to acetic acid. A. acetoxydans was cultivated in bioreactors at pH 5.0 (optimum). For stress experiments, triplicate reactors were spiked until 7.5 mM of acetic acid and compared with (non‐spiked) triplicate reactors for physiological, transcriptomic, and membrane lipid changes. After acetic acid spiking, the optical density initially dropped, followed by an adaptation phase during which growth resumed at a lower growth rate. Transcriptome analysis revealed a downregulation of genes involved in glutamate and aspartate synthesis following spiking. Membrane lipid analysis revealed a decrease in iso and anteiso fatty acid relative abundance; and an increase of acetyl‐CoA as a fatty acid precursor. These adaptations allow A. acetoxydans to detoxify acetic acid, creating milder conditions for other microorganisms in AMD environments.
Taxonomic and metabolic diversity of Actinomycetota isolated from faeces of a 28,000‐year‐old mammoth
Authors: van Bergeijk Doris A. , Augustijn Hannah E. , Elsayed Somayah S. , Willemse Joost , Carrión Victor J. , Du Chao , Urem Mia , Grigoreva Lena V. , Cheprasov Maksim Y. , Grigoriev Semyon , Jansen Hans , Wintermans Bas , Budding Andries E. , Spaink Herman P. , Medema Marnix H. , van Wezel Gilles P. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractAncient environmental samples, including permafrost soils and frozen animal remains, represent an archive with microbial communities that have barely been explored. This yet unexplored microbial world is a genetic resource that may provide us with new evolutionary insights into recent genomic changes, as well as novel metabolic pathways and chemistry. Here, we describe Actinomycetota Micromonospora, Oerskovia, Saccharopolyspora, Sanguibacter and Streptomyces species were successfully revived and their genome sequences resolved. Surprisingly, the genomes of these bacteria from an ancient source show a large phylogenetic distance to known strains and harbour many novel biosynthetic gene clusters that may well represent uncharacterised biosynthetic potential. Metabolic profiles of the strains display the production of known molecules like antimycin, conglobatin and macrotetrolides, but the majority of the mass features could not be dereplicated. Our work provides insights into Actinomycetota isolated from an ancient source, yielding unexplored genomic information that is not yet present in current databases.
Adding experimental precision to the realism of field observations: Plant communities structure bacterial communities in a glacier forefield
Authors: He Xie , Hanusch Maximilian , Böll Laura , Lach Alexander , Seifert Tobias , Junker Robert R. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractEcological studies are aligned along a realism–precision continuum ranging from field observations to controlled lab experiments that each have their own strengths and limitations. Ecological insight may be most robust when combining approaches. In field observations along a successional gradient, we found correlations between plant species composition and soil bacterial communities, while bacterial Shannon diversity was unrelated to vegetation characteristics. To add a causal understanding of the processes of bacterial community assembly, we designed lab experiments to specifically test the influence of plant composition on bacterial communities. Using soil and seeds from our field site, we added different combinations of surface‐sterilised seeds to homogenised soil samples in microcosms and analysed bacterial communities 4 months later. Our results confirmed the field observations suggesting that experimental plant community composition shaped bacterial community composition, while Shannon diversity was unaffected. These results reflect intimate plant–bacteria interactions that are important drivers of plant health and community assembly. While this study provided insights into the role of plants underlying the assembly of bacterial communities, we did not experimentally manipulate other drivers of community assembly such as abiotic factors. Therefore, we recommend multi‐factorial laboratory experiments to quantify the relative importance of different factors contributing to microbial composition.
Effects of COVID‐19 support measures on bank lending: Lessons from the release of countercyclical capital buffer and loan guarantee schemes in Hong Kong
Authors: Wong Eric , Ho Kelvin , Wong Andrew , Lo Vincent Pok Ho 
Published: February 2024

AbstractBased on a panel of banks in Hong Kong, we found that banks with a relatively thin capital buffer and liquidity before the pandemic may constrain their post‐pandemic loan growth. We further found strong evidence that the release of countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) requirements amid the pandemic mitigated the capital constraint to support continued provision of bank credit to the real economy, but mainly to non‐hard hit economic sectors. Nevertheless, the credit flow to hard‐hit economic sectors is found to be well supported by the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme.
Strategic communication in committees with expressive payoffs
Authors: Breitmoser Yves , Valasek Justin 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThis article explores information aggregation and strategic communication in settings where committee members are held accountable, formally or informally, for their individual voting decisions. We show that if decisions are made via majority voting, expressive payoffs introduce a free‐rider problem that prevents the committee from communicating truthfully and taking optimal decisions. In contrast, if decisions are made by unanimity, free‐riding is mitigated because all agents are responsible for the committee's decision. In a controlled laboratory experiment, we find that under unanimity subjects are more truthful and are ultimately more likely to take the optimal decision.
Phenological coding of Crambe abyssinica Hochst. according to the BBCH system
Authors: Sória‐Teixeira Luiz , Narcisa‐Oliveira Jeniffer , do Nascimento Santos Renata , Rodrigues Carla , Costa Reginaldo , Reneta Marques Rubia , Hugo Brito Vitor 
Published: February 2024

AbstractCrambe (Crambe abyssinica Hochst.) is an oilseed crop domesticated in the Mediterranean region that is becoming increasingly important worldwide. Crambe is now considered as an alternative to bioenergy crops and oleochemicals, because of its ability to acclimatise under inhospitable conditions. Despite the interest in the agronomic characteristics and applications of this crop, research on crambe is still scarce and has focused only on production, taking into account the phenological stages of this species. Therefore, a single criterion for quantifying the phenology of the species can be a useful tool for both researchers and growers. In the present study, a proposed scale of the phenological growth stages of crambe was applied according to the BBCH (Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und Chemische Industrie) coding system. The phenological stages were described using the one‐ and two‐digit decimal coding of the BBCH system and corresponded to stage 0: germination; stage 1: leaf development; stage 2: lateral sprout formation; stage 5: inflorescence emergence; stage 6: flowering; stage 8: fruit ripening and stage 9: senescence. Growth stages 3 and 4 (main stem elongation and development of collectable vegetative parts, respectively) have been omitted. Figures have been included to illustrate the main stages, and plant growth has been represented by a technical botanical illustration. The BBCH system has been effective in providing phenological data on crambe, allowing for better growing management of the crop under varying climatic conditions, as well as contributing to the standardisation of research methods on the species.
Europe's ambitious pesticide policy and its impact on agriculture and food systems
Authors: Finger Robert 
Published: February 2024

AbstractEuropean countries have set ambitious policy goals to reduce the risks of pesticides to the environment and human health. European agriculture could play a leading role in the transition to a low pesticide risk future, with various societal benefits. However, such a transition also involves trade‐offs, costs, and risks for farmers and society. Here, we summarize possible implications for agriculture and food systems in Europe and beyond and discuss avenues for future research.
Implicit attitudes towards dementia after education: Preliminary trial results from Japan
Authors: Matsumoto Hiroshige , Suzuki Haruno , Kugai Haruna , Takaoka Manami , Sakka Mariko , Ito Kenichiro , Yamamoto‐Mitani Noriko , Igarashi Ayumi 
Published: February 2024

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the feasibility and validity of measuring implicit attitudes towards dementia in adults and older adults and evaluate the impact of dementia‐friendly education using virtual reality (VR) on implicit attitudes.MethodsThis study was a secondary analysis of data from a randomised controlled trial. Community members in Tokyo aged 20–90 years participated in dementia‐friendly education with or without VR. At the end of the dementia‐friendly education programs, implicit attitudes towards dementia were measured using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP).ResultsOf the 145 participants, 89 (61%) started the IRAP, and 21 (15%) completed it. Lower age was significantly associated with the start/completion of the IRAP, and the age thresholds at which 50% of participants would not start/complete it were estimated to be 72.3/44.8 years, respectively. Those who had experience interacting with people with dementia other than family members had lower IRAP scores than those who had no such experience. The intervention group participating in the VR program had lower IRAP scores than the control group (p = .09).ConclusionsAlthough measuring implicit attitudes using IRAP is deemed not feasible for people in their 70s and older, the differences in interaction experience would be evidence supporting the validity of the measurements of implicit attitudes towards dementia. The results suggest that dementia‐friendly education, using VR, improves implicit attitudes towards dementia.
Causal relationship between gut microbiome and sex hormone‐binding globulin: A bidirectional two‐sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Yan Ziqiao , Zheng Zheng , Xia Tiantian , Ni Zhexin , Dou Yongqi , Liu Xinmin 
Published: February 2024

AbstractProblemCurrently, there is a variety of evidence linking the gut microbiota to changes in sex hormones. In contrast, the causal relationship between SHBG, a carrier of sex hormones, and the gut microbiota is unclear.Method of StudyBidirectional two‐sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was used to detect the causal effect between SHBG and the gut microbiome. Summary statistics of genome‐wide association studies (GWASs) for the gut microbiome and SHBG were obtained from public datasets. Inverse‐variance weighting (IVW), weighted median, weighted mode, MR‐Egger and simple mode methods were used to operate the MR analysis. F‐statistics and sensitivity analyses performed to evaluate bias and reliability.ResultsWhen we set gut microbiome as exposure and SHBG as outcome, we identified nine causal relationships. In males, Coprobacter (PIVW = 2.01 × 10−6), Ruminococcus2 (PIVW = 3.40 × 10−5), Barnesiella (PIVW = 2.79 × 10−2), Actinobacteria (PIVW = 3.25 × 10−2) and Eubacterium fissicatena groups (PIVW = 3.64 × 10−2) were associated with lower SHBG levels; Alphaproteobacteria (PIVW = 1.61 × 10−2) is associated with higher SHBG levels. In females, Lachnoclostridium (PIVW = 9.75 × 10−3) and Defluviitaleaceae UCG011 (PIVW = 3.67 × 10−2) were associated with higher SHBG levels; Victivallaceae (PIVW = 2.23 × 10−2) was associated with lower SHBG levels. According to the results of reverse MR analysis, three significant causal effect of SHBG was found on gut microbiota. In males, Dorea (PIVW = 4.17 × 10−2) and Clostridiales (PIVW = 4.36 × 10−2) were associated with higher SHBG levels. In females, Lachnoclostridium (PIVW = 7.44 × 10−4) was associated with higherr SHBG levels. No signifcant heterogeneity of instrumental variables or horizontal pleiotropy was found in bidirectional two‐sample MR analysis.ConclusionsThis study may provide new insights into the causal relationship between the gut microbiome and sex hormone‐binding protein levels, as well as new treatment and prevention strategies for diseases such as abnormal changes in sex hormones.
Socio‐economic disadvantage and utilisation of labour epidural analgesia in Scotland: a population‐based study†
Authors: Halliday L. , Shaw M. , Kyzayeva A. , Lawlor D. A. , Nelson S. M. , Kearns R. J. 
Published: February 2024

SummarySocio‐economic deprivation is associated with adverse maternal and childhood outcomes. Epidural analgesia, the gold standard for labour analgesia, may improve maternal well‐being. We assessed the association of socio‐economic status with utilisation of epidural analgesia and whether this differed when epidural analgesia was advisable for maternal safety. This was a population‐based study of NHS data for all women in labour in Scotland between 1 January 2007 and 23 October 2020, excluding elective caesarean sections. Socio‐economic status deciles were defined using the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. Medical conditions for which epidural analgesia is advisable for maternal safety (medical indications) and contraindications were defined according to national guidelines. Of 593,230 patients in labour, 131,521 (22.2%) received epidural analgesia. Those from the most deprived areas were 16% less likely to receive epidural analgesia than the most affluent (relative risk 0.84 [95%CI 0.82–0.85]), with the inter‐decile mean change in receiving epidural analgesia estimated at ‐2% ([95%CI ‐2.2% to ‐1.7%]). Among the 21,219 deliveries with a documented medical indication for epidural analgesia, the socio‐economic gradient persisted (relative risk 0.79 [95%CI 0.75–0.84], inter‐decile mean change in receiving epidural analgesia ‐2.5% [95%CI ‐3.1% to ‐2.0%]). Women in the most deprived areas with a medical indication for epidural analgesia were still less likely (absolute risk 0.23 [95%CI 0.22–0.24]) to receive epidural analgesia than women from the most advantaged decile without a medical indication (absolute risk 0.25 [95%CI 0.24–0.25]). Socio‐economic deprivation is associated with lower utilisation of epidural analgesia, even when epidural analgesia is advisable for maternal safety. Ensuring equitable access to an intervention that alleviates pain and potentially reduces adverse outcomes is crucial.
Design, synthesis, and anticancer evaluation of alkynylated pyrrole derivatives
Authors: Wei Hegeng , Cao Yu , Zhao Chungang , Shao Zhanying , Huo Xiaoli , Pan Jinming , Zhuang Rangxiao 
Published: February 2024

AbstractA series of alkynylated pyrrole derivatives were meticulously designed, drawing inspiration from the structure of 3‐alkynylpyrrole‐2,4‐dicarboxylates, which were synthesized via a cyclization process involving methylene isocyanides and propiolaldehydes under mild conditions. These derivatives were subsequently subjected to evaluation for their anticancer properties against a panel of cell lines, including U251, A549, 769‐P, HepG2, and HCT‐116. According to the detailed analysis of structure–activity relationship, compound 12l emerged as the most promising molecule, with IC50 values of 2.29 ± 0.18 and 3.49 ± 0.30 μM toward U251 and A549 cells, respectively. Subsequent mechanistic investigations revealed that compound 12l exerts its effects by arresting the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase and inducing apoptosis specifically in A549 cells. These innovative alkynylated pyrrole derivatives hold the potential to serve as a valuable template for the discovery of novel anticancer molecules.
Expanding the phenotype of PPP1R21‐related neurodevelopmental disorder
Authors: Almannai Mohammed , Marafi Dana , Zaki Maha S. , Maroofian Reza , Efthymiou Stephanie , Saadi Nebal Waill , Filimban Bilal , Dafsari Hormos Salimi , Rahman Fatima , Maqbool Shazia , Faqeih Eissa , Al Mutairi Fuad , Alsharhan Hind , Abdelaty Omar , Bin‐Hasan Saadoun , Duan Ruizhi , Noureldeen Mahmoud M. , Alqattan Alaa , Houlden Henry , Hunter Jill V. , Posey Jennifer E. , Lupski James R. , El‐Hattab Ayman W. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractPPP1R21 encodes for a conserved protein that is involved in endosomal maturation. Biallelic pathogenic variants in PPP1R21 have been associated with a syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder from studying 13 affected individuals. In this report, we present 11 additional individuals from nine unrelated families and their clinical, radiological, and molecular findings. We identified eight different variants in PPP1R21, of which six were novel variants. Global developmental delay and hypotonia are neurological features that were observed in all individuals. There is also a similar pattern of dysmorphic features with coarse faces as a gestalt observed in several individuals. Common findings in 75% of individuals with available brain imaging include delays in myelination, wavy outline of the bodies of the lateral ventricles, and slight prominence of the bodies of the lateral ventricles. PPP1R21‐related neurodevelopmental disorder is associated with a consistent phenotype and should be considered in highly consanguineous individuals presenting with developmental delay/intellectual disability along with coarse facial features.
Differential inflammation responses determine the variable phenotypes of epilepsy induced by GABRG2 mutations
Authors: Sui Jiahui , Zhan Longwu , Ji Shengtao , Wu Wenwen , Chen Yuhan , Yun Feng , Liang Wenpeng , Wang Jie , Cao Maohong , Shen Dingding , Zhang Qi 
Published: February 2024

AbstractObjectiveTo explore the mechanism involved in variable phenotypes of epilepsy models induced by γ‐aminobutyric acid type A γ2 subunit (GABRG2) mutations.MethodsThe zebrafish carrying wild‐type (WT) GABRG2, mutant GABRG2(P282S), GABRG2(F343L) and GABRG2(I107T) were established by Tol2kit transgenesis system and Gateway method. Behavioral analysis of different transgenic zebrafish was performed with the DanioVision Video‐Track framework and the brain activity was analyzed by field potential recording with MD3000 Bio‐signal Acquisition and Processing System. The transcriptome analysis was applied to detect the underlying mechanisms of variable phenotypes caused by different GABRG2 mutations.ResultsThe established Tg(hGABRG2P282S) zebrafish showed hyperactivity and spontaneous seizures, which were more sensitive to chemical and physical epileptic stimulations. Traditional antiepileptic drugs, such as Clonazepam (CBZ) and valproic acid (VPA), could ameliorate the hyperactivity in Tg(hGABRG2P282S) zebrafish. The metabolic pathway was significantly changed in the brain transcriptome of Tg(hGABRG2P282S) zebrafish. In addition, the behavioral activity, production of pro‐inflammatory factors, and activation of the IL‐2 receptor signal pathway varied among the three mutant zebrafish lines.ConclusionWe successfully established transgenic zebrafish epileptic models expressing human mutant GABRG2(P282S), in which CBZ and VPA showed antiepileptic effects. Differential inflammatory responses, especially the SOCS/JAK/STAT signaling pathway, might be related to the phenotypes of genetic epilepsy induced by GABRG2 mutations. Further study will expand the pathological mechanisms of genetic epilepsies and provide a theoretical basis for searching for effective drug treatment.