bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Regular use of acupressure mats reduces perceived stress at subjective but not psychophysiological levels: Insights from a three‐week relaxation training
Authors: Kisker Joanna , Schöne Benjamin 
Published: September 2023

AbstractAcupressure mats are promoted as stress management tools for easy and effective self‐application, promising reduced stress and increased well‐being. However, the scientific evidence for these effects is based on few experimental studies and lacks the examination of acupressure mats as a solitary relaxation tool. Our study aimed to examine which changes in stress and well‐being can be expected from the use of acupressure mats by healthy young people on the subjective and psychophysiological level. Unexperienced participants practiced relaxation for three weeks either with an acupressure mat or without any tools (active control group [CG]). As a results, subjective well‐being and stress decreased, while sleep quality and concentration endurance increased across groups. Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), pain threshold and pain tolerance did not change significantly from pre‐ to post‐training measurements. Most importantly, no significant differences were found between groups, indicating that training with an acupressure mat yielded no superior effects compared with an active control condition in healthy young students. As a conclusion, taking time to relax has some but limited beneficial effects on the subjective levels independent of the specific method for healthy students. Potential beneficial effects of acupressure mats might be bound to specific impairments, such as tension pain.
Abdominal pain in patients with inflammatory bowel disease in remission: A prospective study on contributing factors
Authors: Janssen L. M. , Rezazadeh Ardabili A. , Romberg‐Camps M. J. L. , Winkens B. , van den Broek R. J. , Hulst J. , Verwijs H. J. A. , Keszthelyi D. , Jonkers D. M. A. E. , van Bodegraven A. A. , Pierik M. J. , Mujagic Z. 
Published: September 2023

SummaryBackgroundAbdominal pain is highly prevalent in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in remission, but the aetiology is incompletely understood.AimTo investigate the association of clinical, lifestyle and psychosocial factors with abdominal pain in patients with IBD in remission.MethodsWe performed a prospective multicentre study enrolling consecutive patients with IBD. Data were collected between 1 January 2020 and 1 July 2021, using myIBDcoach, an established remote monitoring platform for IBD. Chronic abdominal pain in IBD in remission (IBDremissionPain+) was defined as abdominal pain score ≥3 (0–10 NRS) on ≥1/3 of all assessments, combined with faecal calprotectin <150 μg/g in 90 days around periodic assessments. Disease activity, lifestyle and psychosocial factors were assessed every 1–3 months during 18 months. Using linear mixed models, the association of these factors with abdominal pain over time was analysed.ResultsWe included 559 patients, of whom 429 (76.7%) remained in biochemical remission. Of these, 198 (46.2%) fulfilled the criteria for chronic abdominal pain. IBDremissionPain+ patients were characterised by female sex, younger age, higher BMI, and shorter disease duration. They reported more often or higher levels of stress, fatigue, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and life events (all p < 0.001). In the multivariable analysis, sex, disease entity, fatigue, depressive symptoms and life events were associated with abdominal pain over time (all p < 0.05).ConclusionIn this cohort of patients with IBD in remission, abdominal pain was common and associated with psychosocial factors. A more holistic treatment approach for patients with IBD suffering from abdominal pain may improve quality of care and subjective wellbeing.
Are we what parties we support? Personality traits and party support in a multi‐party system
Authors: Björkstedt Hanna E. , Herne Kaisa M. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThere is relatively little evidence about the association of personality to political behavior in multi‐party systems. We analyze the association of two personality traits to party support in a multi‐party system, where parties are differently aligned along the economic left‐right axis and the GAL‐TAN axis, that extends from green, alternative and libertarian to traditional, authoritarian and nationalist values. Machiavellianism refers to a manipulative and cynical personality, whereas Perspective‐Taking is a tendency to see things from others’ perspective. We ask whether the left‐right or the GAL‐TAN axis is more relevant to the association between the personality traits and party support. We observed that the nationalist and conservative Finns party supporters score higher on Machiavellianism and lower on Perspective‐Taking in comparison to the environmental and liberal Greens party supporters. These two parties are located at the opposite ends of the GAL‐TAN axis. We do not see corresponding results on parties at the opposite ends of the left‐right axis. The result suggests that personality traits may be more relevant for supporting parties that are best characterized by their location on the GAL‐TAN axis.
Social protest action, stakeholder management, and risk: Managing the impact of service delivery protests in South Africa
Authors: Wöcke Albert , Grosse Robert , Mthombeni Morris , Pfeffer Stefan 
Published: September 2023

AbstractStakeholder management is an important method for reducing business risk. Recent decades have seen the growth of a new type of stakeholder: social protest stakeholders, individuals engaging in protest action which is directed at other unrelated parties, often the government. However, the actions of social protest stakeholders may negatively affect companies located nearby. This stakeholder category has not received any formal attention in the literature, and this article addresses the knowledge gap by exploring the effects of community‐driven protest action in South Africa and the strategies that firms adopt to mitigate the negative consequences of such protests. A multiple case study analysis was used to describe this type of stakeholder group and the management of the consequences of social protest action. Eight manufacturing companies in the Gauteng province participated in the study, the companies varied in size and industry. Among the key findings are that companies need to be highly adaptable if they are to mitigate the impact of protest action. We make practical suggestions about how companies may manage these risks, including the recommendation that companies engage more directly with social protestors to manage risks. The study makes an important contribution to the literature by identifying an additional key category of stakeholder and proposing a risk management approach to avert or minimize loss and damage.
Revisiting the academic self‐concept transcultural measurement model: The case of Spain and China
Authors: Esnaola Igor , Sesé Albert , Azpiazu Lorea , Wang Yina 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBackgroundModelling academic self‐concept through second‐order factors or bifactor structures is an important issue with substantive and practical implications; besides, the bifactor model has not been analysed with a Chinese sample and cross‐cultural studies in the academic self‐concept are scarce. Likewise, latent structure validity evidence using network psychometrics has not been carried out.AimsThe aim of this study is twofold: to analyse (1) the internal structure of ASC through the Self‐Description Questionnaire II‐Short (SDQII‐S) in Chinese and Spanish samples using two approaches, structural equation modelling and network psychometrics conducting an exploratory graph analysis; and (2) the measurement invariance of the best model across countries and investigate the cross‐cultural differences in ASC.SampleThe sample was composed by 651 adolescents. Seven models of ASC were tested.ResultsResults supported the multi‐dimensional nature of the data as well as the reliability. The best‐fitted model for the two subsamples was the three‐factor ESEM model, but only the configural invariance of this model was supported across countries. The graph function shows that the school dimension appears more related to the verbal factor in the Spanish subsample and to the math dimension in the Chinese subsample. Likewise, the relationship between verbal and math factors in Spanish students is non‐existent, but this connection is more relevant for Chinese students.ConclusionThese two differences may be behind the difficulty in finding invariance using SEM models. It is a question of the construct's nature, less related to analytical phenomena, and deserves deeper discussion.
The importance of omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as high‐quality food in freshwater ecosystems with implications of global change
Authors: Yan Keheng , Guo Fen , Kainz Martin J. , Li Feilong , Gao Wei , Bunn Stuart E. , Zhang Yuan 
Published: September 2023

ABSTRACTTraditionally, trophic ecology research on aquatic ecosystems has focused more on the quantity of dietary energy flow within food webs rather than food quality and its effects on organisms at various trophic levels. Recent studies emphasize that food quality is central to consumer growth and reproduction, and the importance of food quality for aquatic ecosystems has become increasingly well recognized. It is timely to synthesise these findings and identify potential future research directions. We conducted a systematic review of omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3‐PUFAs) as a crucial component of high‐quality food sources in freshwater ecosystems to evaluate their impact on a variety of consumers, and explore the effects of global change on these high‐quality food sources and their transfer to higher trophic consumers within and across ecosystems. In freshwater ecosystems, algae rich in ω3 long‐chain PUFAs, such as diatoms, dinoflagellates and cryptophytes, represent important high‐quality food sources for consumers, whereas cyanobacteria, green algae, terrestrial vascular plants and macrophytes low in ω3 long‐chain PUFAs are low‐quality food sources. High‐quality ω3‐PUFA‐containing food sources usually lead to increased growth and reproduction of aquatic consumers, e.g. benthic invertebrates, zooplankton and fish, and also provide ω3 long‐chain PUFAs to riparian terrestrial consumers via emergent aquatic insects. Consumers feeding on high‐quality ω3‐PUFA‐containing foods in turn represent high‐quality food for their own predators. However, the ω3‐PUFA content of food sources is sensitive to global environmental changes. Warming, eutrophication, increased light intensity (e.g. from loss of riparian shading), and pollutants potentially inhibit the synthesis of algal ω3‐PUFAs while at the same time promoting the growth of lower‐quality foods, such as cyanobacteria and green algae. These factors combined could lead to a significant reduction in the availability of ω3‐PUFAs for consumers and constrain their overall fitness. Although the effect of individual environmental factors on high‐quality ω3‐PUFA‐containing food sources has been investigated, multiple environmental factors (e.g. climate change, human activities, pollution) will act in combination and any synergistic effects on aquatic food webs remain unclear. Identifying the sources and fate of ω3‐PUFAs within and across ecosystems could represent an important approach to understand the impact of multiple environmental factors on trophic relationships and the implications for populations of freshwater and riparian consumers. Maintaining the availability of high‐quality ω3‐PUFA‐containing food sources may also be key to mitigating freshwater biodiversity loss due to global change.
Branched‐chain keto‐acid dehydrogenase kinase regulates vascular permeability and angiogenesis to facilitate tumor metastasis in renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Yang Kunao , Xu Chunlan , Sun Huimin , Xuan Zuodong , Liu Yankuo , Li Jinxin , Bai Yang , Zheng Zeyuan , Zhao Yue , Shi Zhiyuan , Zheng Jianzhong , Shao Chen 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBranched‐chain keto‐acid dehydrogenase kinase (BCKDK) is the rate‐limiting enzyme of branched‐chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism. In the last six years, BCKDK has been used as a kinase to promote tumor proliferation and metastasis. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a highly vascularized tumor. A high degree of vascularization promotes tumor metastasis. Our objective is to explore the relationship between BCKDK and RCC metastasis and its specific mechanism. In our study, BCKDK is highly expressed in renal clear cell carcinoma and promotes the migration of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Exosomes from ccRCC cells can promote vascular permeability and angiogenesis, especially when BCKDK is overexpressed in ccRCC cells. BCKDK can also augment the miR‐125a‐5p expression in ccRCC cells and derived exosomes, thereby decreasing the downstream target protein VE‐cadherin level, weakening adhesion junction expression, increasing vascular permeability, and promoting angiogenesis in HUVECs. The novel BCKDK/Exosome‐miR‐125a‐5p/VE‐cadherin axis regulates intercellular communication between ccRCC cells and HUVECs. BCKDK plays a critical role in renal cancer metastasis, may be used as a molecular marker of metastatic ccRCC, and even may become a potential target of clinical anti‐vascular therapy for ccRCC.
Neuroprotective potential of formononetin, a naturally occurring isoflavone phytoestrogen
Authors: Singh Lovedeep , Kaur Harpreet , Chandra Arya Girish , Bhatti Rajbir 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe increased prevalence of neurological illnesses is a burgeoning challenge to the public healthcare system and presents greater financial pressure. Formononetin, an O‐methylated isoflavone, has gained a lot of attention due to its neuroprotective potential explored in several investigations. Formononetin is widely found in legumes and several types of clovers including Trifolium pratense L., Astragalus membranaceus, Sophora tomentosa, etc. Formononetin modulates various endogenous mediators to confer neuroprotection. It prevents RAGE activation that results in the inhibition of neuronal damage via downregulating the level of ROS and proinflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, formononetin also increases the expression of ADAM‐10, which affects the pathology of neurodegenerative disease by lowering tau phosphorylation, maintaining synaptic plasticity, and boosting hippocampus neurogenesis. Besides these, formononetin also increases the expression of antioxidants, Nrf‐2, PI3K, ApoJ, and LRP1. Whereas, reduces the expression of p65‐NF‐κB and proinflammatory cytokines. It also inhibits the deposition of Aβ and MAO‐B activity. An inhibition of Aβ/RAGE‐induced activation of MAPK and NOX governs the protection elicited by formononetin against inflammatory and oxidative stress‐induced neuronal damage. Besides this, PI3K/Akt and ER‐α‐mediated activation of ADAM10, ApoJ/LRP1‐mediated clearance of Aβ, and MAO‐B inhibition‐mediated preservation of dopaminergic neurons integrity are the major modulations produced by formononetin. This review covers the biosynthesis of formononetin and key molecular pathways modulated by formononetin to confer neuroprotection.
Theta power relates to infant object encoding in naturalistic mother‐infant interactions
Authors: Michel Christine , Matthes Daniel , Hoehl Stefanie 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThis study investigates infants' neural and behavioral responses to maternal ostensive signals during naturalistic mother‐infant interactions and their effects on object encoding. Mothers familiarized their 9‐ to 10‐month‐olds (N = 35, 17 females, mainly White, data collection: 2018–2019) with objects with or without mutual gaze, infant‐directed speech, and calling the infant's name. Ostensive signals focused infants' attention on objects and their mothers. Infant theta activity synchronized and alpha activity desynchronized during interactions compared to a nonsocial resting phase (Cohen' d: 0.49–0.75). Yet, their amplitudes were unrelated to maternal ostensive signals. Ostensive signals did not facilitate object encoding. However, higher infant theta power during encoding predicted better subsequent object recognition. Results strengthen the role of theta‐band power for early learning processes.
Positive development of orphans in kinship care: The role of family stability
Authors: Tian Yihao , Ma Ziye , Peng Feng 
Published: September 2023

AbstractFamily stability is considered the cornerstone of children's happiness and health. The purpose of the study is to examine the relationship between family stability and the positive development of orphans in kinship care in China. Based on cross‐sectional data related to orphans from LZ City, Sichuan Province, in 2020, the study conducted multiple linear regression model to analyse the relationship between family stability and other family variables and the positive development of orphans in kinship care. The results indicate that family stability is significantly related to the positive development of orphans. Orphans raised in families with married guardians and stable income tend to develop better. Further analysis, grouped by sex and age, revealed that boys are more prone to behaviour problems, while girls are more susceptible to family stability. The growth of younger orphans is associated with family economic stability, while older orphans are more influenced by the guardian's marriage. These findings provide evidence for differences in orphan development from the perspective of family stability. The evidence suggests that policymakers and stakeholders need to pay closer attention to the overall situation of kinship care families. It also provides useful enlightenment for the formulation of precise assistance policies.
Identification of nonfunctional PABPC1L causing oocyte maturation abnormalities and early embryonic arrest in female primary infertility
Authors: Wang Xiang , Zhou Ruixi , Lu Xiaowei , Dai Siyu , Liu Mohan , Jiang Chuan , Yang Yanting , Shen Ying , Wang Yan , Liu Hanmin 
Published: September 2023

AbstractOocyte maturation arrest, fertilization failure, and early embryonic arrest are important causes of female infertility, whereas the genetic events that contribute to these processes are largely unknown. Loss‐of‐function of PABPC1L in mice has been suggested to cause female infertility involved in the absence of mature oocytes or embryos in vivo or in vitro. However, the role of PABPC1L in human female reproduction remains largely elusive. In this study, we identified a homozygous missense mutation (c.536G>A, p.R179Q) and a compound heterozygous mutation (c.793C>T, p.R265W; c.1201C>T, p.Q401*) in PABPC1L in two unrelated infertile females characterized by recurrent oocyte maturation abnormalities and early embryonic arrest. These variants resulted in nonfunctional PABPC1L protein and were associated with impaired chromatin configuration and transcriptional silencing in GV oocytes. Moreover, the binding capacity of mutant PABPC1L to mRNAs related to oocyte maturation and early embryonic development was decreased significantly. Our findings revealed novel PABPC1L mutations causing oocyte maturation abnormalities and early embryonic arrest, confirming the essential role of PABPC1L in human female fertility.
Of cebras and citizens: Kinesthetic politics in Bolivia’s transport cities
Authors: Ellison Susan Helen 
Published: September 2023

AbstractUrban planners and foreign donors have long agonized over how politics, movement, and transportation infrastructure collide in the conjoined cities of El Alto and La Paz, Bolivia. As displaced tin and silver miners migrated to El Alto in droves during the 1980s and 1990s, they banked on that transportation sector to remake their lives, investing their severance packages in the lumbering “Micro” buses and minibuses that now choke both cities’ streets. La Paz’s patchwork of neighborhoods reflects its own history—and present—of racialized class mobility. This article examines the governance politics of municipal efforts to reform pedestrian and driver behavior in cities—mundane habits of movement that are freighted with political significance. In these urban education campaigns, the ways that residents move through transportation infrastructure comprises an important dimension of what it means to be a good citizen. As youth dressed as Cebras (zebras) playfully instruct residents on responsible urban behavior, they expose the somatic and especially kinesthetic dimensions of urban governance and belonging in the city. This article argues for greater attention to the forms of bodily attunement promoted by urban education campaigns and mobilized by city residents during daily encounters with transportation infrastructure.
Food allergy ‐ New risks through vegan diet? Overview of new allergen sources and current data on the potential risk of anaphylaxis
Authors: Präger Lea , Simon Jan Christoph , Treudler Regina 
Published: September 2023

SummaryA vegan diet is increasingly en vogue, i.e., a diet based on plants, in which animal products are completely avoided, often for health and environmental reasons. The menu is supplemented with pulses (e.g., soy, lentils, peas), nuts (e.g., cashew, macadamia, almond, pecan, para, walnut) and seeds (e.g., chia, flaxseed) or pseudo‐grains (quinoa, buckwheat). Indeed, the product range is expanding to include vegan foods such as milk alternatives (e.g., oat, almond, soy drinks) and cheese or meat substitutes (e.g., soy‐based). Food allergies are also on the rise, with an increasing prevalence worldwide. It is worthy of note that the main allergens of anaphylactic reactions to food in adults are predominantly of plant origin, mainly pulses and nuts ‐ the very foods that form the main source of protein in the vegan diet. In this context, allergies to storage proteins (e.g., Gly m 5 and Gly m 6 from soya beans) can lead to severe anaphylactic reactions, while highly processed substitute products containing plant protein isolates (e.g., pea flour) in concentrated form continue to be of particular concern and may therefore be allergologically problematic. In this article, we aim to provide an overview of allergens and emerging allergen sources in vegan foods and highlight the anaphylaxis risk of the vegan diet.
Is the cryptocurrency market a hedge against stock market risk? A Wavelet and GARCH approach
Authors: Jana Susovon , Sahu Tarak N. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThis study analyses six major cryptocurrencies and four global stock markets to explore the role of cryptocurrencies as a hedge, safe haven, and diversifier in stock markets. The study employs ADCC‐GARCH and Wavelet Coherence Technique, using daily data from 4 January 2017 to 28 February 2023. The study has found that stock returns and unstable cryptocurrency returns have high volatility persistence in the long run. Besides, while unstable digital currencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Binance Coin, and Dogecoin) serve as a hedge during stable economic periods, they have not been a hedge during economic turmoil in the stock markets. Conversely, stablecoins (Tether and USD Coin) have been shown to have acted as a hedge during normal economic times and have offered a safe haven during economic downturns. Except for Tether, all cryptocurrencies' diversification capacity is time‐varying. In stable economic conditions, they serve as diversifiers, but during turmoil, they do not. However, Tether serves as a diversifier regardless of the financial situation. Finally, the present investigation is expected to offer crucial information on hedge, safe haven and diversification for quasi‐investors.