bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
T- and L-type calcium channels maintain calcium oscillations in the murine zona glomerulosa
Authors: Dinh Hoang An , Volkert Marina , Secener Ali Kerim , Scholl Ute I. , Stölting Gabriel 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe zona glomerulosa of the adrenal gland is responsible for the synthesis and release of the mineralocorticoid aldosterone. This steroid hormone regulates salt reabsorption in the kidney and blood pressure. The most important stimuli of aldosterone synthesis are the serum concentrations of angiotensin II and potassium. In response to these stimuli, voltage and intracellular calcium levels in the zona glomerulosa oscillate, providing the signal for aldosterone synthesis. It was proposed that the voltage-gated T-type calcium channel CaV3.2 is necessary for the generation of these oscillations. However,Cacna1hknockout mice have normal plasma aldosterone levels, suggesting additional calcium entry pathways. We used a combination of calcium imaging, patch clamp and RNA sequencing to investigate such pathways in the murine zona glomerulosa.Cacna1h-/-glomerulosa cells still showed calcium oscillations with similar concentrations as wild-type mice. No calcium channels or transporters were upregulated to compensate for the loss of CaV3.2. The calcium oscillations observed were instead dependent on L-type voltage-gated calcium channels. Furthermore, we found that L-type can also partially compensate for an acute inhibition of CaV3.2 in wild-type mice. Only inhibition of both, T- and L-type calcium channels abolished the increase of intracellular calcium caused by angiotensin II in wild-type. Our study demonstrates that T-type calcium channels are not strictly required to maintain glomerulosa calcium oscillations and aldosterone production and pharmacological inhibition of T-type channels alone will likely not significantly impact aldosterone production over time.
Rescuing missing data in connectome-based predictive modeling
Authors: Liang Qinghao , Jiang Rongtao , Adkinson Brendan D. , Rosenblatt Matthew , Mehta Saloni , Foster Maya L. , Dong Siyuan , You Chenyu , Negahban Sahand , Zhou Harrison H. , Chang Joseph , Scheinost Dustin 
Published: June 2023

AbstractRecent evidence suggests brain-behavior predictions may require very large sample sizes. However, as the sample size increases, the amount of missing data also increases. Conventional methods, like complete-case analysis, discard useful information and shrink the sample size. To address the missing data problem, we investigated rescuing these missing data through imputation. Imputation is the substitution of estimated values for missing data to be used in downstream analyses. We integrated imputation methods into the Connectome-based Predictive Modeling (CPM) framework. Utilizing four open-source datasets—the Human Connectome Project, the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort, the UCLA Consortium for Neuropsychiatric Phenomics, and the Healthy Brain Network (HBN)—we validated and compared our framework with different imputation methods against complete-case analysis for both missing connectomes and missing phenotypic measures scenarios. Imputing connectomes exhibited superior prediction performance on real and simulated missing data as compared to complete-case analysis. In addition, we found that imputation accuracy was a good indicator for choosing an imputation method for missing phenotypic measures but not informative for missing connectomes. In a real-world example predicting cognition using the HBN, we rescued 628 individuals through imputation, doubling the complete case sample size and increasing explained variance by 45%. Together, our results suggest that rescuing data with imputation, as opposed to discarding subjects with missing information, improves prediction performance.
Kinetic modeling of leucine-mediated signaling and protein metabolism in human skeletal muscle
Authors: McColl Taylor J. , Clarke David C. 
Published: June 2023

SummarySkeletal muscle protein levels are governed by the relative rates of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and breakdown (MPB). The mechanisms controlling these rates are complex and their integrated behaviors are challenging to study through experiments alone. The purpose of this study was to develop and analyze a kinetic model of leucine-mediated mTOR signaling and protein metabolism in the skeletal muscle of young adults. Our model amalgamates published cellular-level models of the IRS1-PI3K-Akt-mTORC1 signaling system and of skeletal-muscle leucine kinetics with physiological-level models of leucine digestion and transport and insulin dynamics. The model satisfactorily predicts experimental data from diverse leucine feeding protocols. Model analysis revealed that basal levels of p70S6K are a primary determinant of MPS, insulin signaling substantially affects muscle net protein balance via its effects on MPB, and p70S6K-mediated feedback of mTORC1 signaling reduces MPS in a dose-dependent manner.
Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Performance in Triage of Ophthalmic Conditions
Authors: Lyons Riley J. , Arepalli Sruthi R. , Fromal Ollya , Choi Jinho D. , Jain Nieraj 
Published: June 2023

AbstractImportanceAccess to human expertise for affordable and efficient triage of ophthalmic conditions is inconsistent. With recent advancements in publicly available artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, individuals may turn to these tools for triage of ophthalmic complaints.ObjectiveTo evaluate the triage performance of AI chatbots for ophthalmic conditionsDesignCross-sectional studySettingSingle centerParticipantsOphthalmology trainees, OpenAI ChatGPT (GPT-4), Bing Chat, and WebMD Symptom CheckerMethodsForty-four clinical vignettes representing common ophthalmic complaints were developed, and a standardized pathway of prompts was presented to each tool in March 2023.Primary outcomes were proportion of responses with correct diagnosis listed in the top three possible diagnoses and proportion with correct triage urgency. Ancillary outcomes included presence of grossly inaccurate statements, mean reading grade level, mean response word count, proportion with attribution, most common sources cited, and proportion with a disclaimer regarding chatbot limitations in dispensing medical advice.ResultsThe physician respondents, ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and WebMD listed the appropriate diagnosis among the top three suggestions in 42 (95%), 41 (93%), 34 (77%), and 8 (33%) cases, respectively. Triage urgency was appropriate in 38 (86%), 43 (98%), and 37 (84%) cases for the physicians, ChatGPT, and Bing Chat, correspondingly.Conclusions and RelevanceChatGPT using the GPT-4 model offered high diagnostic and triage accuracy that was comparable to the physician respondents, with no grossly inaccurate statements. Bing Chat had lower accuracy, some instances of grossly inaccurate statements, and a tendency to overestimate triage urgency.
Diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care testing (POCT) devices for postpartum haemorrhage: A protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Nakamura Eishin , Mihara Takahiro , Kondo Yuriko , Noma Hisashi , Shimizu Sayuri 
Published: June 2023

ABSTRACTIntroductionIn postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), coagulation factors, mainly fibrinogen, are exhausted early during the course of the disease, which can easily lead to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and cause maternal mortality. Although some studies have reported the efficacy of point-of-care testing (POCT) devices in detecting hypofibrinogenaemia, little research has been conducted on their usefulness in the diagnosis of PPH. We plan to perform a systematic review of the diagnostic accuracy of existing POCT devices for the diagnosis of hypofibrinogenaemia in PPH.Methods and analysisWe plan to identify studies using POCT devices for PPH and perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of their accuracy of diagnosing hypofibrinogenaemia. The results of fibrinogen measurements using the conventional Clauss method are used as reference standards. Literature searches will be conducted using electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Database, and Web of Science), and two reviewers will screen independently from the search results. The eligible literature will be used to synthesise true positive, false positive, true negative, and false negative results for the diagnosis of hypofibrinogenaemia. We will estimate the diagnostic accuracy of POCT devices for diagnosing hypofibrinogenaemia in patients with PPH using the Reitsma-type bivariate random-effects synthesis model and the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve.Ethics and disseminationThis systematic review will be conducted through the secondary use of literature extracted from electronic databases. There are no ethical issues associated with this research. The final integrated results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.Protocol registrationThe study protocol was registered with University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials (UMIN000048272) and PROSPERO (CRD42023394785).Strengths and limitations of the studyStudies on the usefulness of POCT devices in the diagnosis of PPH are limited. Our study will perform a systematic review of the diagnostic accuracy of existing POCT devices for the diagnosis of hypofibrinogenaemia in PPH.The study will estimate the diagnostic accuracy of POCT devices using the Reitsma-type bivariate random-effects synthesis model and the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve.The threshold for diagnosing hypofibrinogenaemia, the definition of PPH, and the POCT devices used may vary between studies and could be a potential source of heterogeneity. Since most primary studies are observational, it is expected that many unpublished studies will exist.The applicability of the study results may be limited since this systematic review only pertains to the use of POCT devices in pregnant patients with PPH. The number of studies may be limited since there is a wide variety of POCT devices used in PPH.
Do board characteristics moderate capital adequacy regulation and bank risk-taking nexus in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Authors: Asiamah Sampson , Appiah Kingsely Opoku , Agyemang Badu Ebenezer 
Published: June 2023

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine whether board characteristics moderate the relationship between capital adequacy regulation and bank risk-taking of universal banks in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses 700 bank-year observations of universal banks in SSA between 2009 and 2019. The paper further uses the two-step generalized method of moments as the baseline estimator.FindingsThe paper finds that capital adequacy regulation is positively related to overall bank and liquidity risks. Nonetheless, capital adequacy regulation increases credit risk in the sampled banks. The paper further reports that board characteristics individually and significantly moderate the relationship between capital adequacy regulation and risk-taking.Practical implicationsThe findings have implications for regulators of universal banks that board characteristics matter for capital adequacy regulation to impact risk-taking behavior.Originality/valueThe paper extends the existing literature on the effect of board characteristics on the capital adequacy regulations and risk-taking behavior nexus of universal banks.
Crisis management in public–private partnerships: lessons from the global crises in the XXI century
Authors: Castelblanco Gabriel , Guevara Jose , De Marco Alberto 
Published: June 2023

PurposeGlobal crises have become increasingly recurrent events that jeopardize public-private partnerships (PPPs). In this context, the purpose of this paper is to expose the PPP-crisis research agenda by combining bibliometric and network analyses.Design/methodology/approachThe PPP literature associated with global crises between the 2008 global financial crisis and 2022 was analyzed in three stages: (1) paper selection and screening for the inclusion/exclusion of articles relevant to this research, (2) semantic network development for examining thematic relationships among selected papers by considering the co-occurrence of keywords within the chosen studies and (3) calculation of network metrics for analysis.FindingsThe paper identified six research avenues for the PPP-crisis agenda: public interest, relational governance, risk management, user-pay PPPs, crisis management and financial performance. The PPP-crisis literature has spread significantly in the last five years driven by the case study approaches on a national or regional basis. Conversely, non-crisis periods generate room to strengthen user-pay PPPs and relational governance. The pandemic and post-pandemic times shared the priorities of the 2008 financial crisis but also strengthened the management of the risks and the structural drivers of the global crisis.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates that during global crisis periods, the public interest and financial performance gain relevance in a detriment of structural solutions to social legitimacy erosion of PPPs because of the urgency of giving tools to the public and private sectors to tackle the financial issues, which steer future issues for PPPs.
Capital assets and poverty transitions in rural China
Authors: Han Hongyun , Si Fan 
Published: June 2023

PurposeThis article aims to examine the role of capital assets in rural household poverty transitions of poverty escape and poverty descent over periods of 2014–2016 and 2016–2018.Design/methodology/approachBased on the sustainable livelihood approach, this paper uses binary logit model to explore the influence of multidimensional capital assets on poverty transitions and use instrumental variable estimation to solve the endogeneity between total net asset and poverty transitions.FindingsCapital assets have significant impacts on household poverty transitions. The role of capital assets in households' poverty escape and poverty descent are not symmetrical. The authors verify that rural households with rich total net asset are more likely to escape poverty and less likely to descend into poverty by using instrumental variable estimation. The authors verify that there is a mediation effect that total net asset can help households' escaping poverty and prevent them from falling into poverty through promoting rural households to engage in business activities.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to explore how capital assets affect poverty transitions in rural China based on the sustainable livelihood approach. The findings of this research can provide valuable policy implications for the pursuit of common prosperity in China and references for other developing countries.
Challenges and considerations for building executive presence in North American female professionals of Asian descent
Authors: Shelton Charlotte D. , Wu Monica Haisheng 
Published: June 2023

Purpose
This study aims to identify the specific challenges that North American female professionals of Asian descent face in building executive presence and make recommendations for mitigating those challenges.

Design/methodology/approach
In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 female executives of Asian descent in diverse U.S. and Canadian organizations. The goal was to explore their perceptions of Asian organizational stereotypes and identify how these perceptions, shaped by their cultural and gender identities, have created unique challenges relating to executive presence. Interviewees provided in-depth examples of their challenges and detailed recommendations for neutralizing them. Interview data were coded and analyzed using the Gioia methodology.

Findings
Results revealed that deferential, reserved and hardworking are the top three perceptions attributed to female professionals of Asian descent working in North America. These perceptions are not commendatory or derogatory by themself. They can be associated with either positive or negative leadership qualities, depending on the specific behaviors exhibited and how those behaviors are interpreted. The authors’ analysis maps the relationship between these perceptions and behaviors associated with the executive presence literature. The respondents’ three key recommendations for neutralizing the negative connotations of these perceptions are discussed.

Practical implications
The results of this study reinforce the need to develop influence, communication and relational skills (e.g. executive presence) in women of Asian ethnicity. The study respondents’ recommendations provide a foundational curriculum guide for doing so. The results also support the need to train hiring managers to become ever more aware of their cultural biases, focusing on how these biases impact their hiring, performance evaluation and promotion practices.

Originality/value
There is a dearth of research regarding the career experiences of Asian women working in North American corporations. This qualitative study provides insight into relationships between cultural identity, executive presence and career success and lays the groundwork for future quantitative studies that deepen a theoretical understanding of the relationship of executive presence to impression management and cross-cultural theories.
Popular diffusion as an instrument for overcoming barriers to digital health in Iran: the critical role of the pandemic
Authors: Ashtarian Kioomars , Etemadi Manal 
Published: June 2023

PurposeThe importance of champion leaders including tech-savvy leaders to digital government has been highlighted in the literature. Meanwhile, what was in the authors’ interest to explore was the role of business-savvy leaders or non-governmental digital champions as units of analysis, those who mobilized people's interest in digitalization and bypassed governmental barriers through this popular mobilization. They could be considered policy entrepreneurs for understanding policy change in the digitalization of the health sector. This study sought to shed light on the barriers and drivers of digital health in Iran.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers conducted interviews with actors of digital health businesses in Iran, including the Health Information Technology Center affiliated to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) administrative body and authorities, private companies active in digital health and health service providers. The purposive sampling method was applied, and 15 experts with relevant and valuable experiences as well as maximum variation to obtain representativeness and rich data were interviewed. Trustworthiness criteria were also used to assure the quality of the results. The data were analyzed based on directed content analysis using the MAXQDA10 software.FindingsIt was found out how popular diffusion was effective to overcome barriers to health digitalization. Access to the internet and diffusion of information technology helped the net-enabled businesses to connect directly to people and provide services to them. Diffusion of these services forced the public sector to adjust itself, and thus MOHME banned digital consultation services because of the so-called “insecure and unknown physicians”, following the increased popularity of digital services diffusion, but they were not able to resist popular diffusion of new technology. Hence, it was allowed to work. The main barriers to telemedicine spreading in Iran have been divided into five main categories including government incapacity for digital health governance, conflict of interest, professional obligations for information transparency, protection of patients' rights and data security and privacy.Originality/valueAs a game changer in digital health governance in Iran, popular diffusion will determine the future of digital health. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first ones to explore digital health governance in relation to the private digital health business in Iran with a public policy approach.
Employers' perception of downsides to flexible staffing arrangements: exploring the role of strategic motives
Authors: Rouvroye Lin , van Dalen Hendrik P. , Henkens Kène , Schippers Joop J. 
Published: June 2023

PurposeFlexible staffing arrangements have become a permanent feature of employment in many industrial societies. This article examines how employers perceive the consequences of using flexible staffing arrangements. It presents and assesses theoretically informed hypotheses on organisational situations in which negative consequences are more likely to be perceived.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses data (n = 761) from a bespoke employers survey, fielded in the Netherlands in 2019. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to measure and explain employers' perception of downsides to flexible staffing arrangements.FindingsEmployers report distinct downsides to the use of flexible staffing arrangements in terms of performance, management and employee well-being. Model estimates show that employers using flexible staffing arrangements to acquire specific expertise or to follow other organisations in their sector perceive more downsides.Originality/valueEmpirical research on employers' perception of the disadvantageous consequences of using flexible staffing arrangements is scarce. This article highlights that this practice can discourage investments in human capital and lead to a sense of insecurity among young workers. It draws attention to the relevance of distinguishing between strategic motives when trying to understand organisational behaviour regarding non-standard forms of employment.
Determining the predictive importance of the core dimensions of nation brands
Authors: Lahrech Abdelmounaim , Aldabbas Hazem , Juusola Katariina 
Published: June 2023

PurposeInformed by the resource-based and resource-advantage theories, this study, a comparative study, aims to examine the core dimensions of nation brands – culture, tourism, exports, foreign direct investment, migration and governance – from the company-based brand equity perspective in a sample of 48 countries clustered into three groups (strong, moderate and weak nation brands) from 2011 to 2019 to identify the most critical predictors of nation brand strength in each cluster.Design/methodology/approachA clustering technique was applied to the modified Country Brand Index to cluster the included countries into strong, moderate and weak nation brands. The authors were then able to analyze each cluster in an effort to explore the relative importance of the predictor variables and determine if that importance varied across the clusters.FindingsThis approach revealed novel findings of great importance to policymakers and academics. The results indicate the resources that contribute the most to nation brand equity in each cluster. Such information can guide policymakers in effectively leveraging these strategic resources. First, the cultural dimension was a more critical predictor concerning countries with moderate and weak nation brands than countries with strong brands. Second, tourism exhibited the highest predictive importance concerning all the clusters. For academics, these findings help foster a better understanding of the determinants of nation brand strength, as aligned with the resource-based and resource-advantage theories.Originality/valueThe findings of this study contribute to the literature concerning nation brand management, particularly the stream related to nation brand equity monetization.