bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Structural genomic variation in the inbred Scandinavian wolf population contributes to the realized genetic load but is positively affected by immigration
Authors: Smeds Linnéa , Huson Lars S. A. , Ellegren Hans 
Published: February 2024

AbstractWhen populations decrease in size and may become isolated, genomic erosion by loss of diversity from genetic drift and accumulation of deleterious mutations is likely an inevitable consequence. In such cases, immigration (genetic rescue) is necessary to restore levels of genetic diversity and counteract inbreeding depression. Recent work in conservation genomics has studied these processes focusing on the genetic diversity of single nucleotide polymorphisms. In contrast, our knowledge about structural genomic variation (insertions, deletions, duplications and inversions) in endangered species is limited. We analysed whole‐genome, short‐read sequences from 212 wolves from the inbred Scandinavian population and from neighbouring populations in Finland and Russia, and detected >35,000 structural variants (SVs) after stringent quality and genotype frequency filtering; >26,000 high‐confidence variants remained after manual curation. The majority of variants were shorter than 1 kb, with a distinct peak in the length distribution of deletions at 190 bp, corresponding to insertion events of SINE/tRNA‐Lys elements. The site frequency spectrum of SVs in protein‐coding regions was significantly shifted towards rare alleles compared to putatively neutral variants, consistent with purifying selection. The realized genetic load of SVs in protein‐coding regions increased with inbreeding levels in the Scandinavian population, but immigration provided a genetic rescue effect by lowering the load and reintroducing ancestral alleles at loci fixed for derived SVs. Our study shows that structural variation comprises a common type of in part deleterious mutations in endangered species and that establishing gene flow is necessary to mitigate the negative consequences of loss of diversity.
Learning from positive deviants in fisheries
Authors: Schiller Laurenne , Britten Gregory L. , Auld Graeme , Worm Boris 
Published: February 2024

AbstractDespite progress in the management of assessed fish populations, many countries lag behind international commitments to restore overexploited stocks to healthy abundances. Here we use a mixed‐methods positive deviance approach, also known as ‘bright spot’ analysis, to understand what drives the successful governance of exploited species by learning from positive outliers, or ‘deviants’. We use Canada as a case study, identifying factors driving the abundance of 230 commercially exploited fish and invertebrate populations, of which only 28% were classified at healthy abundance in 2022. We first applied a generalized linear model to test how diverse socio‐ecological fishery attributes relate to stock health. We found healthier stocks are positively and significantly correlated with certain management regions, more selective gears, eco‐certification, and high fishery value. Counterintuitively, healthier stocks were also associated with high inherent fishing vulnerability and the absence of reference points. We then used fishery expert surveys and interviews to investigate the social and institutional characteristics of stocks healthier than expected, given their circumstances. We found that fisheries targeting these positive outliers have lower conflict among users, balanced stakeholder involvement in data collection and decision‐making, and improved accounting of mortality sources. Lessons from these positive deviants can be applied to improve underperforming management systems that are struggling to reverse overexploitation in Canada and elsewhere. More generally, we suggest that a positive deviance approach, already used in public health, could be a promising tool to learn about successful fisheries management interventions, and the diverse actors responsible for ensuring these interventions are successful.
A global assessment of environmental and climate influences on wetland macroinvertebrate community structure and function
Authors: Epele Luis B. , Williams‐Subiza Emilio A. , Bird Matthew S. , Boissezon Aurelie , Boix Dani , Demierre Eliane , Fair Conor G. , García Patricia E. , Gascón Stephanie , Grech Marta G. , Greig Hamish S. , Jeffries Michael , Kneitel Jamie M. , Loskutova Olga , Maltchik Leonardo , Manzo Luz M. , Mataloni Gabriela , McLean Kyle , Mlambo Musa C. , Oertli Beat , Pires Mateus Marques , Sala Jordi , Scheibler Erica E. , Stenert Cristina , Wu Haitao , Wissinger Scott A. , Batzer Darold P. 
Published: February 2024

AbstractEstimating organisms' responses to environmental variables and taxon associations across broad spatial scales is vital for predicting their responses to climate change. Macroinvertebrates play a major role in wetland processes, but studies simultaneously exploring both community structure and community trait responses to environmental gradients are still lacking. We compiled a global dataset (six continents) from 756 depressional wetlands, including the occurrence of 96 macroinvertebrate families, their phylogenetic tree, and 19 biological traits. Using Bayesian hierarchical joint species distribution models (JSDMs), we estimated macroinvertebrate associations and compared the influences of local and climatic predictors on both individual macroinvertebrate families and their traits. While macroinvertebrate families were mainly related to broad‐scale factors (maximum temperature and precipitation seasonality), macroinvertebrate traits were strongly related to local wetland hydroperiod. Interestingly, macroinvertebrate families and traits both showed positive and negative associations to the same environmental variables. As expected, many macroinvertebrate family occurrences were positively associated with temperature, but a few showed the opposite pattern and were found in cooler or montane regions. We also found that wetland macroinvertebrate communities would likely be affected by changing climates through alterations in traits related to precipitation seasonality, temperature seasonality, and wetland area. Temperature increases may negatively affect collector and shredder functional groups. A decrease in precipitation could lead to reductions in wetland area benefiting drought‐tolerant macroinvertebrates, but it may negatively affect macroinvertebrates lacking those adaptations. Wetland processes may be compromised through broad‐scale environmental changes altering macroinvertebrate family distributions and local hydroperiod shifts altering organism traits. Our complementary family‐based and trait‐based approaches elucidate the complex effects that climate change may produce on wetland ecosystems.
Dispersal limitation shapes distance‐decay patterns of European spiders at the continental scale
Authors: Martín‐Devasa Ramiro , Jiménez‐Valverde Alberto , Leprieur Fabien , Baselga Andrés , Gómez‐Rodríguez Carola 
Published: February 2024

AbstractAimTo assess the relative relevance of dispersal limitation and species sorting as drivers of spatial turnover between spider faunas of European territories.LocationContinental Europe.Time periodPresent.Major taxa studiedSpiders (Order Araneae).MethodsWe analysed how distance‐decay patterns differ between northern and southern Europe (broadly, territories covered vs. not covered by ice sheets during the last glacial maximum, respectively) in 15 spider families, using standardized distances to allow a direct comparison between parameters (i.e. slope and intercept) of climatic and spatial distance‐decay models. Thus, we assessed North–South differences in parameters of spatial and, independently, climatic distance‐decay models, and whether those differences are explained by family‐specific traits related to dispersal ability.ResultsClimatic and spatial distance‐decay patterns are very similar in northern Europe, where climatic and spatial distances are highly correlated. In contrast, slopes are steeper in spatial than in climatic distance‐decay curves in southern Europe, where climatic and spatial distances are decoupled. Moreover, family traits related to dispersal ability explained the North–South difference in spatial distance‐decay slopes, as well as the amount of nestedness‐resultant dissimilarity between southern and northern spider faunas.Main conclusionsOur results suggest that differences in beta diversity patterns between northern and southern Europe reflect the strength of dispersal limitation in spiders, which varies across families and leads to different degrees of disequilibrium with current climatic conditions depending on the taxon. Moreover, in the South of Europe, where spatial and climatic distances are uncorrelated, spatial distance‐decay models are steeper and have larger explanatory power than climatic distance‐decay models, which suggests that dispersal limitation is the main factor shaping current beta diversity patterns of European spiders at the continental scale.
The competence‐control dilemma and the institutional design of European Union agencies
Authors: Rittberger Berthold , Ruffing Eva , Weinrich Martin , Wonka Arndt 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIn the past decades, European Union (EU) agencies have proliferated to address a plethora of governance problems. When designing EU agencies, EU legislators confront a tension: Legislators want agencies to be competent problem‐solvers, but they also want to keep agencies under control. How do EU legislators balance these two imperatives? We argue that agencies' political principals do not necessarily have to trade competence for control, and vice versa, but can draw on different institutional strategies – manipulating agencies' decision‐making and decision‐maker independence – to mitigate the competence‐control dilemma. Drawing on an original dataset on EU agencies' formal independence, we demonstrate empirically that principals customize EU agencies' independence to match the respective competence and control demands that come with specific agency tasks: regulation, authorization, implementation and information. The paper makes an important contribution to the literature on the drivers of the EU's agencification and to debates on the institutional design of regulatory institutions in the EU and beyond.
Understanding the contemporary history of urban economic change: The case of entrepreneurial innovation
Authors: Huggins Robert , Thompson Piers 
Published: February 2024

AbstractIn the opening decades of the twenty‐first century certain cities around the world emerged as hubs of entrepreneurial innovation. This paper explores this urban economic change phenomenon through in‐depth and comparative qualitative analysis. It focuses on the recent contemporary history of New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Tokyo and Shanghai prior to the global COVID pandemic. Based on an analysis of the drivers, mechanisms and processes of change, it is found that these cities acted as places of possibility for many individuals who previously may have been unlikely to engage in entrepreneurship. The cities were found to have established new development paths through entrepreneurial innovation stemming from co‐creation network dynamics, with key human agents playing pivotal roles. Common elements include the rise of venture capital, the growth of entrepreneurial cultures, and institutional policy changes. Notably, entrepreneurial innovation was found to be closely tied to changes in large corporates. This innovation evolved through the proliferation of new infrastructure such as co‐working spaces and innovation incubators, with each city being utilised as a test‐bed for new ideas. Finally, the emergence of a darker side to entrepreneurial innovation is found in terms of growing urban inequality.
Eptacog beta for the management of patients with haemophilia A and B with inhibitors: A European perspective
Authors: Miesbach Wolfgang , Carcao Manuel , Mahlangu Johnny , Dargaud Yesim , Jimenez‐Yuste Victor , Hermans Cédric 
Published: February 2024

AbstractEptacog beta (activated), a recombinant human factor VIIa (rFVIIa), was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2020 (SEVENFACT®, LFB & HEMA Biologics) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2022 (CEVENFACTA®, LFB). In Europe, eptacog beta is indicated for the treatment of bleeds and the prevention of bleeds during surgery or invasive procedures in adults and adolescents (≥12 years old) with congenital haemophilia A or B with high‐titre inhibitors (≥5 BU) or with low‐titre inhibitors who are expected to have a high anamnestic response to factor VIII or factor IX, or to be refractory to increased dosing of these factors. The efficacy and safety of eptacog beta were evaluated in three Phase III clinical studies, PERSEPT 1, 2 and 3. For the EMA filing dossier, the analysis of data from PERSEPT 1 and 2 differed from the analysis used to support the filing in the US. In this review, we summarise current data regarding the mode of action, clinical efficacy and safety of eptacog beta for the management of haemophilia A and B in patients with inhibitors from a European perspective. In addition to providing a valuable summary of the analyses of the clinical data for eptacog beta conducted for the EMA, our review summarises the potential differentiators for eptacog beta compared with other current bypassing agents.
The performance of an artificial intelligence‐based computer vision mobile application for the image diagnosis of genital dermatoses: a prospective cross‐sectional study
Authors: Mehta Nikhil , Khan Ejaz , Choudhary Rajat , Dholakia Dhwani , Goel Sachin , Gupta Somesh 
Published: February 2024

AbstractBackgroundThere is a huge demand–supply gap between the incidence of genital dermatoses (including sexually transmitted infections and non‐venereal genital dermatoses) and physicians trained to manage them.ObjectivesTo find out the performance of an artificial intelligence (AI)‐based mobile application in the image diagnosis of genital dermatoses, and to compare it with primary care physicians (PCPs) and dermatologists.MethodsPhotos of the genital diseases of consecutive patients presenting to the STD and genital diseases clinic were included. The gold standard diagnosis was established by the consensus of two certified dermatologists after examination and one positive investigation. Image diagnoses by the DermaAId application, two PCPs, and two dermatologists were recorded and compared to the gold standard diagnosis and to each other.ResultsA total of 257 genital disease images, including 95 (37.0%) anogenital warts, 60 (22.2%) lichen sclerosus, 20 (7.8%) anogenital herpes, 15 (5.8%) tinea cruris, 14 (5.4%) molluscum contagiosum, 9 (3.5%) candidiasis, 8 (3.1%) scabies, 6 (2.3%) squamous cell carcinomas, were included. The top‐1 correct diagnosis rate of the application was 68.9%, compared to the 50.4% of the PCPs and 73.2% of the dermatologists. The application significantly outperformed PCPs with regard to the correlation with the gold standard diagnosis (P < 0.0001), and matched that of the dermatologists.ConclusionsAI‐based image diagnosis platforms can potentially be a low‐cost rapid decision support tool for PCPs, integrated with syndromic management programs and direct‐to‐consumer services, and address healthcare inequities in managing genital dermatoses.
Performance of mid‐upper arm circumference to identify adolescents with obesity and metabolic syndrome: NHANES 2011–2018 analysis
Authors: Jima Beshada Rago , Sisay Binyam Girma , Feyesa Ilili , Hassen Hamid Yimam 
Published: February 2024

SummaryBackgroundMid‐upper arm circumference (MUAC) was recommended for screening of adolescents with obesity, although its diagnostic performance with respect to high‐precision assessment of body composition remains unknown.ObjectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic performance of MUAC in identifying obesity and metabolic syndrome in U.S. adolescents.MethodsA cross‐sectional study was conducted using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data (2011–2018) of adolescents aged 12–19. We calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and likelihood ratios of MUAC in identifying obesity and metabolic syndrome.ResultsIn our study, data of 5496 adolescents, including 2665 females, were analysed. The prevalence of obesity was higher in boys (14%) than girls (10%), whilst metabolic syndrome was more common in males (2.6%) than females (1.7%). The area under the curve (AUC) of MUAC in identifying obesity was 0.69 in boys and 0.86 in girls, whilst the AUC of MUAC in identifying metabolic syndrome was 0.91 in boys and 0.87 in girls. The optimal MUAC cut‐off for identifying adolescents with obesity was 28.3 cm in boys (sensitivity: 64.8%, specificity: 85.5%) and 30.8 cm in girls (sensitivity: 67.9%, specificity: 90.1%).ConclusionsMUAC was a good indicator of both obesity and metabolic syndrome, with higher accuracy in girls.
Chromatin‐binding deubiquitinase MYSM1 acts in haematopoietic progenitors to control dendritic cell development and to program dendritic cell responses to microbial stimulation
Authors: Mousa Marwah , Liang Yue , Tung Lin Tze , Wang HanChen , Krawczyk Connie , Langlais David , Nijnik Anastasia 
Published: February 2024

AbstractDendritic cells (DCs) are the most significant antigen presenting cells of the immune system, critical for the activation of naïve T cells. The pathways controlling DC development, maturation, and effector function therefore require precise regulation to allow for an effective induction of adaptive immune response. MYSM1 is a chromatin binding deubiquitinase (DUB) and an activator of gene expression via its catalytic activity for monoubiquitinated histone H2A (H2A‐K119ub), which is a highly abundant repressive epigenetic mark. MYSM1 is an important regulator of haematopoiesis in mouse and human, and a systemic constitutive loss of Mysm1 in mice results in a depletion of many haematopoietic progenitors, including DC precursors, with the downstream loss of most DC lineage cells. However, the roles of MYSM1 at the later checkpoints in DC development, maturation, activation, and effector function at present remain unknown. In the current work, using a range of novel mouse models (Mysm1flCreERT2, Mysm1flCD11c‐cre, Mysm1DN), we further the understanding of MYSM1 functions in the DC lineage: assessing the requirement for MYSM1 in DC development independently of other complex developmental phenotypes, exploring its role at the later checkpoints in DC maintenance and activation in response to microbial stimulation, and testing the requirement for the DUB catalytic activity of MYSM1 in these processes. Surprisingly, we demonstrate that MYSM1 expression and catalytic activity in DCs are dispensable for the maintenance of DC numbers in vivo or for DC activation in response to microbial stimulation. In contrast, MYSM1 acts via its DUB catalytic activity specifically in haematopoietic progenitors to allow normal DC lineage development, and its loss results not only in a severe DC depletion but also in the production of functionally altered DCs, with a dysregulation of many housekeeping transcriptional programs and significantly altered responses to microbial stimulation.
A phased strengthening of laboratory capacity in the Eastern Mediterranean Region during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Meredith Luke W. , Aboualy Mustafa , Ochola Rachel , Ozel Mehmet , Abubakar Abdinasir , Barakat Amal 
Published: February 2024

AbstractThe Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) faces ongoing challenges in its public health system due to limited resources, logistical issues, and political disruptions. The COVID‐19 pandemic accelerated the need for stronger laboratory capacities to handle the increased demand for testing. In a phased response, EMR countries utilized the National Influenza Centers to rapidly establish and scale molecular testing for SARS‐CoV‐2, the causative agent of COVID‐19. The expansion of capacity included strong collaborations between public health bodies and private and academic sectors to decentralize and expand testing to the subnational level. To ensure that the quality of testing was not impacted by rapid expansion, national and subnational laboratories were enrolled in external quality assurance programs for the duration of the response. Implementation of genomic surveillance was prioritized for variant tracking, leading to the establishment of regional sequencing reference laboratories and the distribution of MinION sequencing platforms to complex emergency countries who previously had limited experience with pathogen sequencing. Challenges included a lack of technical expertise, including in implementing novel diagnostic assays and sequencing, a lack of bioinformatics expertise in the region, and significant logistical and procurement challenges. The collaborative approach, coordinated through the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, enabled all 22 countries to achieve SARS‐CoV‐2 diagnostic capabilities, highlighting the pivotal role of laboratories in global health security.
The impact of cognitive behavioural therapy‐based psychological intervention on emotional improvement in elderly patients with extensive burns
Authors: Yu Hong‐Mei , Wang Ling , Pan Cui‐Zhen 
Published: February 2024

AbstractTo evaluate the efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as a psychological intervention for elderly patients with extensive burns, focusing on its impact on emotional well‐being, self‐efficacy and quality of life. A prospective, randomized study involving 200 elderly burn patients was conducted from November 2021 to January 2023. The patients were randomly assigned to receive either standard care (control group) or burn care based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT‐B) (study group), with 100 patients in each group. Outcome measures included the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain assessment, 36‐item Short Form Survey (SF‐36) for quality of life, General Self‐Efficacy Scale (GSES) and Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale (RSES). The study revealed that CBT‐based intervention significantly reduced anxiety and depression scores compared with standard care (p < 0.05). Additionally, patients in the CBT group exhibited improved self‐efficacy, self‐esteem and quality of life (p < 0.05). CBT proves to be a valuable intervention for elderly burn patients, effectively addressing emotional distress and enhancing their psychological well‐being. By modifying negative cognitive patterns, providing coping mechanisms and fostering problem‐solving skills, CBT‐based care contributes to a more positive recovery experience and improved quality of life.