bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
What you see is what you get? Building confidence in ESG disclosures for sustainable finance through external assurance
Authors: Boiral Olivier , Brotherton Marie‐Christine , Talbot David 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe main objective of this study is to understand the value of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure assurance in the context of the development of sustainable finance standards and laws. This study is based on an analysis of 188 comment letters submitted by such actors in the context of public consultations on the development of three new sustainable finance initiatives (the CFA Institute, the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK, and the New Zealand parliament). The study shows these actors' nuanced and often quite critical perceptions of the effectiveness of external assurance in preventing greenwashing and their reservations about its mandatory nature. These actors have raised various criticisms, including concerns about the vagueness surrounding verification practices; the lack of expertise available to conduct assurance in a new, specialized, and complex field; the costs of the assurance process, particularly for small players; and the lack of control over the reliability of the ESG data used. This article contributes to several emerging trends in the literature—in particular, research on governance practices to prevent greenwashing, on the institutionalization of sustainable finance standards and laws, and on the role of rational myths in the assurance process for ESG disclosures.
Feasibility for non‐invasive prenatal fetal blood group and platelet genotyping by massively parallel sequencing: A single test system for multiple atypical red cell, platelet and quality control markers
Authors: McGowan Eunike C. , O'Brien Helen , Sarri Mia E. , Lopez Genghis H. , Daly James J. , Flower Robert L. , Gardener Glenn J. , Hyland Catherine A. 
Published: November 2023

SummaryNon‐invasive prenatal tests (NIPT) to predict fetal red cell or platelet antigen status for alloimmunised women are provided for select antigens. This study reports on massively parallel sequencing (MPS) using a red cell and platelet probe panel targeting multiple nucleotide variants, plus individual identification single nucleotide polymorphisms (IISNPs). Maternal blood samples were provided from 33 alloimmunised cases, including seven with two red cell antibodies. Cell‐free and genomic DNA was sequenced using targeted MPS and bioinformatically analysed using low‐frequency variant detection. The resulting maternal genomic DNA allele frequency was subtracted from the cell‐free DNA counterpart. Outcomes were matched against validated phenotyping/genotyping methods, where available. A 2.5% subtractive allele frequency threshold was set after comparing MPS predictions for K, RhC/c, RhE/e and Fya/Fyb against expected outcomes. This threshold was used for subsequent predictions, including HPA‐15a, Jka/Jkb, Kpa/Kpb and Lua. MPS outcomes were 97.2% concordant with validated methods; one RhC case was discordantly negative and lacked IISNPs. IISNPs were informative for 30/33 cases as controls. NIPT MPS is feasible for fetal blood group genotyping and covers multiple blood groups and control targets in a single test. Noting caution for the Rh system, this has the potential to provide a personalised service for alloimmunised women.
Gender (in)equality at the kitchen table: A diary study on how Parents' coordination facilitates an equal task division and relationship quality
Authors: Riedijk Larisa , Aarntzen Lianne , van Veelen Ruth , Derks Belle 
Published: November 2023

AbstractAlthough women's labour force participation has increased, women still lag behind in financial independence and men in spending time on parenting. Insight in individuals' explicit conversations with their partner about how to coordinate daily household, childcare and paid work may help to overcome these persistent inequalities. Using a daily diary design, the present study examined to what extent daily conversations with the partner about household, childcare and paid work can boost a more equal, fair task division and relationship quality among Dutch mothers and fathers in a heterosexual relationship (N = 1235 daily reported conversations nested in 157 participants; 66.2% female). Mixed model results showed that (1) on days when participants conversed more with their partner about household tasks, they reported a more egalitarian task division and higher satisfaction with and fairness of the task division, and higher relationship quality (2) this higher daily satisfaction with and perceived fairness of the task division (but not egalitarianism) were, in turn, associated with higher relationship quality and (3) conversations had limited spill‐over effects to the next day, stressing the importance of daily coordination. Together, these findings imply that daily household coordination helps parents to overcome traditional gender roles and align with their desired work/family division.
A service evaluation exploring clients' experiences of being on a waiting list for individual psychological therapy with a community learning disability team
Authors: Hall Laura 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBackgroundService user involvement is imperative in the delivery of mental health services. However, a paucity of research has explored how individuals with a learning disability find waiting for therapy. Therefore, this project aimed to explore how service users accessing a community learning disability team experienced waiting for psychological therapy.MethodsTen adults on a waiting list for psychological therapy in Yorkshire, UK completed a semistructured interview, which explored their experiences of being on the waiting list. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.FindingsFive superordinate themes were drawn from the analysis. Participants recalled long waits for therapy, struggled waiting and were unsure when therapy would start. Relief and hopefulness were common when they were put forward for therapy. Difficulties reading and/or remembering letters were prominent. Keeping busy and support from others helped participants cope while waiting. Participants would have valued additional support including having someone on call, regular check‐ins and information on other appropriate services.ConclusionsThis project led to a range of recommendations to inform a psychology waiting list standard operating procedure, service developments and improve the waiting list experience for service users. A future project exploring parent and carer experiences of the waiting list is warranted.
Ganoderic acid A slows osteoarthritis progression by attenuating endoplasmic reticulum stress and blocking NF‐Κb pathway
Authors: Liu Yuan , Zhou Chuankun , Tan Jianye , Wu Tianlong , Pan Chongzhi , Liu Jiahao , Cheng Xigao 
Published: November 2023

AbstractOsteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative pathology, however, there exists a lack of cost‐effective pharmacological interventions that efficaciously inhibit its progression. ganoderic acid A (GAA), a triterpenoid derived from Ganoderma lucidum, possesses antiapoptotic and ‐inflammatory effects. Our objective was to better understand the therapeutic effects of GAA on OA as well as to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of its action. To establish an OA cell model in vitro, chondrocytes (CHONs) were treated with interleukin (IL)‐1β. Subsequently, the investigation was conducted afterward according to the following indicators: cell viability, apoptosis, inflammation, and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. Western blotting analysis (WB) was employed to assess both endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and proteins associated with the nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) signaling pathway. Furthermore, based on molecular docking studies, GAA exhibits a significant binding competence to p65. OA mouse models were constructed by performing a destabilization medial meniscus (DMM) operation. Moreover, histopathology and immunohistochemistry were used to determine the GAA therapeutic effect in reducing OA in vivo. Our findings revealed that GAA has antiapoptotic, anti‐inflammatory, and anti‐ECM degradation effects by inhibiting the ER stress and NF‐κB axis in CHONs in vitro. Furthermore, our findings suggest that GAA may attenuate the progression of osteoarthritis in vivo. GAA can protect CHONs by regulating apoptosis, ECM changes, and inflammation thereby preventing OA progression. These promising results indicate that GAA may be a therapeutic agent for OA treatment.
HIV‐1 Gag MA domain binds to cardiolipin in a binding mode distinct from virus assemble mediator PI(4,5)P2
Authors: Tateishi Hiroshi , Chinen Takuma , Fukuda Ryota , Radwan Mohamed O. , Shimagaki Kazunori , Koga Ryoko , Masuda Takashi , Okamoto Yoshinari , Sakamoto Arisa , Misumi Shogo , Otsuka Masami , Fujita Mikako , Anraku Kensaku 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) Gag protein is responsible for facilitating HIV‐1 virion assembly and budding. Our study demonstrates that cardiolipin (CL), a component found in the inner mitochondrial membrane, exhibits the highest binding affinity to the N‐terminal MA domain of the HIV‐1 Gag protein within the lipid group of host cells. To assess this binding interaction, we synthesized short acyl chain derivatives of CL and employed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis to determine the dissociation constants (Kd) for CL and the MA domain. Simultaneously, we examined the Kd of D‐myo‐phosphatidylinositol 4,5‐bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) derivatives, known to play a crucial role in virion formation. Among all the derivatives, Tetra‐C7‐CL exhibited the lowest Kd value (Kd = 30.8 ± 6.9 μM) for MA binding on the CL analog‐immobilized sensorchip, indicating a higher affinity. Similarly, the Kd value of Di‐C7‐PIP2 (Kd = 36.6 ± 4.7 μM) was the lowest on the PI(4,5)P2 analog‐immobilized sensorchip. Thus, Tetra‐C7‐CL binds to the MA domain using a distinct binding mode while displaying a comparable binding affinity to Di‐C7‐PIP2. This discovery holds significant implications for comprehending the virological importance of CL–MA domain binding, such as its subcellular distribution, including mitochondrial translocation, and involvement in viral particle formation in concert with PI(4,5)P2. Furthermore, this study has the potential to contribute to the development of drugs in the future.
Discovery of small molecule c‐Maf inhibitors using molecular docking‐based virtual screening, molecular dynamics simulation, and biological evaluation
Authors: Hu Zhiwei , Zeng Yindi , Zhang Yaxin , Zhang Qiurong , Xu Jinge , Liu Linlin 
Published: November 2023

AbstractMultiple myeloma (MM) is a prevalent plasma cell malignancy in the blood system that remains incurable. Given the abnormally high expression of c‐Maf in most MM patients, targeting c‐Maf presents an attractive therapeutic approach for treating MM malignancies. In this study, we employed a combined strategy involving molecular docking‐based virtual screening, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and molecular mechanics/generalized Born surface area (MM/GBSA) free energy calculation on existing FDA‐approved drugs. Six compounds were selected for further experimental assay: vemurafenib, sorafenib, sildenafil, fluvastatin, erlotinib, and glimepiride. Among these compounds, sorafenib and glimepiride exhibited significant inhibition of myeloma cell proliferation in the RPMI‐8226 cell line. Moreover, both compounds simultaneously downregulated c‐Maf protein expression to induce G1 phase arrest and apoptosis in myeloma cells. Collectively, sorafenib and glimepiride may be considered promising candidates for developing more potent c‐Maf inhibitors in the future.
Cascading effects of Chinese American parents' COVID‐19 racial discrimination and racial socialization on adolescents' adjustment
Authors: Ren Huiguang , Cheah Charissa S. L. , Cho Hyun Su , Aquino Ana Katrina 
Published: November 2023

AbstractUsing a three‐wave longitudinal sample of 108 Chinese American parent‐adolescent dyads (Mparent‐ageW1 = 45.44 years, 17% fathers; Madolescent‐ageW1 = 13.34 years, 50% boys), this study examined the effects of parents' COVID‐19‐related racial discrimination experiences on adolescents' ethnic identity exploration and anxiety as mediated by parents' awareness of discrimination (AOD) socialization and moderated by parents' anxiety and racial socialization competency (RSC). Parents' racial discrimination experiences in 2020 predicted adolescents' greater ethnic identity exploration or greater anxiety in 2022 via parents' greater use of AOD in 2021, depending on the levels of parents' anxiety and RSC. These findings highlighted individual and contextual factors impacting racial socialization processes in Chinese American families.
College applications and enrollment effects of the Common Application
Authors: Page Darren 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThis paper measures college applicants' response to the expansion of the Common Application, an online platform that reduces the time costs of additional applications to its member colleges. When a local college becomes a member institution, applicants are more likely to use the Common Application, submit more applications, send more ACT score reports, and are more likely to enroll in member colleges. Low‐income applicants respond more strongly and are also more likely to enroll in private colleges instead of public colleges. The results are consistent with behavioral responses rather than sensitivity to time costs.
Fabric colour measurement in the small region of CIELab colour space using a scanner‐based subtractive clustering fuzzy inference system
Authors: Hasanlou Elham , Shams Nateri Ali , Izadan Hossein 
Published: November 2023

AbstractDigital devices are increasingly being used in the colour measurement of textile‐made materials. Proper scanner characterisation is crucial for accurate and consistent colour measurement. In the present study a fuzzy inference system based on subtractive clustering, called FIS_SC method, for the colorimetric characterisation of a scanner to measure the colour of the fabrics in a small region of a colour space is proposed. The results of the proposed method for 16 colour sets were obtained and compared with the results of the scanner characterisation using polynomial regression and neural network method. It was shown that the FIS_SC method successfully characterised the scanner in the small colour space, so that its mean of the colour difference was lower than the polynomial regression and neural network methods in almost all colour sets.
Right ventricular function in severe aortic stenosis assessed by echocardiography and MRI
Authors: Holmberg Erica , Tamás Éva , Nylander Eva , Engvall Jan , Granfeldt Hans 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBackgroundThe prevalence of aortic valve stenosis (AS) is increasing due to an ageing population. Despite that right ventricular function has prognostic value for postoperative outcome, the right ventricle (RV) is not extensively studied and often not routinely assessed in AS. Our aim was to explore the relation between severe AS and RV function in a surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) cohort, comparing two imaging modalities for RV evaluation.MethodsPatients with severe AS, underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) before SAVR. RV dysfunction was defined as one or more of the following: tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) < 17 mm, RV free wall strain (RVFWS) > −20% by TTE and RV ejection fraction (RVEF) <50% by CMR.ResultsSixteen (33%) patients were found to have RV dysfunction. Patients with RV dysfunction showed significantly lower indexed aortic valve area, left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction as well as RV and LV stroke volumes compared to patients with maintained RV function. All patients with reduced RVEF also had changes in TAPSE or RVFWS and a larger number of patients had a reduced longitudinal RV function despite a normal RVEF.ConclusionIn a SAVR cohort one‐third of the patients had RV dysfunction, defined by RVEF, TAPSE or RVFW strain. Echocardiography detected subtle changes in RV function before RVEF was reduced. It is likely that the more pronounced the AS, the more frequent the occurrence of RV dysfunction.
Incidence and risk factors for recurrence of ampullary adenomas after endoscopic papillectomy: Comparative analysis of familial adenomatous polyposis and sporadic ampullary adenomas in an international multicenter cohort
Authors: Singh Achintya D. , Burke Carol A. , Draganov Peter V. , Bapaye Jay , Nishimura Makoto , Ngamruengphong Saowanee , Kushnir Vladimir , Sharma Neil , Kaul Vivek , Singh Aparajita , Bapaye Amol , Banerjee Debdeep , Bayudan Alexis , De Leon Mariajose Rojas , Singh Ritu R. , Mony Shruti , Gandhi Ashish , Hollander Thomas , Bittner Krystle , Beauvais Jacques , Lyu Ruishen , Liska David , Stevens Tyler , Walsh Matthew , Bhatt Amit 
Published: November 2023

ObjectivesEndoscopic papillectomy (EP) is a minimally invasive therapy for the management of ampullary adenomas (AA). We conducted this multicenter study to assess the incidence of and factors related to the recurrence of AA after EP in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) compared to sporadic AA.MethodsWe included patients who underwent EP for AA at 10 tertiary hospitals. Adenomatous tissue at the resection site at the time of surveillance endoscopies was considered recurrent disease.ResultsIn all, 257 patients, 100 (38.9%) with FAP and 157 (61%) patients with sporadic AA, were included. Over a median of 31 (range, 11–61) months, recurrence occurred in 48/100 (48%) of patients with FAP and 58/157 (36.9%) with sporadic AA (P = 0.07). Two (2%) FAP patients and 10 (6.3%) patients with sporadic AA underwent surgery for recurrence. On multivariable regression analysis, the recurrence in FAP was higher than in sporadic patients after the first year of follow‐up. AA size (hazard ratio [HR] 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.001, 1.056), periampullary extension (HR 2.5, 95% CI 1.5, 4.01), and biliary duct dilation (HR 2.04, 95% CI 1.2, 3.4) increased the risk, while en bloc resection (HR 0.6, 95% CI 0.41, 0.9) decreased the risk of recurrence.ConclusionRecurrence rates are high after EP. Most recurrences in sporadic patients occur within the first year of follow‐up, but after the first year of follow‐up in patients with FAP. Recurrences are higher with larger adenomas, biliary duct dilation, and periampullary extensions, and may be mitigated by en bloc resection. These factors should be considered in decision‐making with the patients.
How do organizations in Chinese agriculture perceive sustainability certification schemes? An exploratory analysis
Authors: Wang Xiaorui , Hu Shen 
Published: November 2023

AbstractMotivationInitiatives to promote sustainable practices in agriculture in China have been little documented in the literature. Preliminary investigations suggested that the way agricultural certification schemes worked in China differed considerably from such schemes in Europe and the United States.PurposeWe investigated how sustainability certification schemes (SCSs) were perceived by farmers, processors, government staff, and other stakeholders in Chinese agriculture.We examine three types of certification: sustainability standards for agricultural exports; organic labelling for the domestic market; and certification of ecological practices.Methods and approachWe interviewed 16 stakeholders in 2013–2014 about their experiences and perceptions of certification. The interviews were transcribed and coded to derive themes and interpretations.FindingsCertification was rigorous for agricultural exports because importers, mainly in high‐income countries, demanded high standards—and were prepared to pay a premium for those standards. It was in the best interests of Chinese exporters to certify their produce. Some farming companies had specific farms that were run to make sure the standards were upheld, whereas their farms producing for the domestic market operated differently.Organic certification of produce was less systematic, with proliferation of labels used to try to convince domestic consumers that the food so labelled was safe. No single standard was used. Farmers were concerned that organic production was costly but that they would not get a price to reflect those costs. Most actors expected the state to set standards and police them.A public scheme intended as payment for environmental services also certified land managers; but the scheme as applied operated to pay farmers on low incomes often in marginal lands an income supplement—payments were not necessarily linked to environmental objectives.Policy implicationsIn China, the perception of stakeholders was that the central government should establish and monitor standards. Certification was not seen as something that private enterprise could or even should establish. This appreciation translated into dependence on central government to co‐ordinate and regulate all collective action for pursuing social and environmental sustainability, leaving little space for market‐led initiatives to flourish.
Dehydration yields distinct transcriptional shifts associated with glycogen metabolism and increases feeding in the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis
Authors: Bailey Samuel T. , Kondragunta Alekhya , Choi Hyojin A. , Han Jinlong , Rotenberg Dorith , Ullman Diane E. , Benoit Joshua B. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractWe examined water balance characteristics and the influence of desiccating conditions on the physiology and behavior of adult western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Western flower thrips are globally invasive and likely to contend with shifts in water availability across their expansive geographic range. Basic water balance characteristics, including water mass and dry mass, were established for adult males and females, revealing a distinct sexual dimorphism wherein females are larger, and males retain a larger percentage of their body mass as water. Males lose relative water mass more quickly and their survival times are shorter compared to females. RNA‐seq analysis identified significant enrichment of a multitude of factors including carbohydrate transport and metabolism in dehydrated males and females. This was validated by altered glycogen levels, suggesting a rapid depletion in glycogen during dehydration. The probability of thrips feeding significantly increases when desiccation occurs, potentially to replenish water content and nutrient reserves. Our results establish the fundamental water balance characteristics of adult thrips and indicate that dehydration significantly influences the survivorship and feeding behavior of thrips; all of which being crucial factors that contribute to their capacity as vectors for plant pathogens.