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Skin models are used for many applications such as research and development or grafting. Unfortunately, most lack a proper microenvironment producing poor mechanical properties and inaccurate extra-cellular matrix composition and organization. In this report we focused on mechanical properties, extra-cellular matrix organization and cell interactions in human skin samples reconstructed with pure collagen or dermal decellularized extra-cellular matrices (S-dECM) and compared them to native human skin. We found that Full-thickness S-dECM samples presented stiffness two times higher than collagen gel and similar to ex vivo human skin, and proved for the first time that keratinocytes also impact dermal mechanical properties. This was correlated with larger fibers in S-dECM matrices compared to collagen samples and with a differential expression of F-actin, vinculin and tenascin C between S-dECM and collagen samples. This is clear proof of the microenvironment's impact on cell behaviors and mechanical properties. In vitro skin models have been used for a long time for clinical applications or in vitro knowledge and evaluation studies. However, most lack a proper microenvironment producing a poor combination of mechanical properties and appropriate biological outcomes, partly due to inaccurate extra-cellular matrix (ECM) composition and organization. This can lead to limited predictivity and weakness of skin substitutes after grafting. This study shows, for the first time, the importance of a complex and rich microenvironment on cell behaviors, matrix macro- and micro-organization and mechanical properties. The increased composition and organization complexity of dermal skin decellularized extra-cellular matrix populated with differentiated cells produces in vitro skin models closer to native human skin physiology. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The endovascular coiling procedure to treat cerebral aneurysms using contrast media has become more popular. However, studies of the incidence of, and risk factors for, contrast media-induced nephropathy (CIN) after coiling procedures have been limited. Thus, we evaluated the incidence and risk factors for CIN in patients who had undergone cerebral aneurysmal coiling procedures. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the electric medical records of 380 patients who had undergone cerebral aneurysmal coiling treatment under general anesthesia. CIN was defined as an absolute increase in serum creatinine (≥0.5 mg/dL) or a relative increase (≥25%) in the baseline serum creatinine value at 48–72 hours after exposure to a contrast agent. Results Elective cerebral aneurysmal coiling procedures were performed in 230 patients. Of the 230 patients, CIN developed in 13 (5.6%). The presence of diabetes mellitus (30.8% vs. 9.7%; P = 0.040) and patient age >75 years (30.8% vs. 6.5%; P = 0.012) were risk factors for CIN. Conclusions Our study has demonstrated that the incidence of CIN in patients undergoing elective cerebral aneurysmal coiling procedures is ∼6.0%. We also identified underlying diabetes mellitus and advanced age (≥75 years) as potential risk factors. Highlights • Elective cerebral aneurysmal coiling procedures were performed in 230 patients. • Of these 230 patients, CIN developed in 13 (5.6%). • Diabetes mellitus (30.8% vs. 9.7%; P = 0.040) and age >75 years (30.8% vs. 6.5%; P = 0.012) were risk factors for CIN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Oligosaccharides in four different brands of beer (Cass, Hite, Budweiser, Miller) were systematically analysed with three different dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) isomer matrices (2,4-DHB, 2,5-DHB, and 2,6-DHB) using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Different experimental conditions, such as dilution (up to 1000-fold) and cationisation agents (sodium chloride or sodium trifluoroacetate) were analysed. No ionised peaks of oligosaccharides were observed with 2,4-DHB matrix. 2,6-DHB was more effective than 2,5-DHB in most of the investigated concentration ranges. 2,6-DHB with 4-fold dilution was the most effective. In certain cases, a cationisation agent was necessary to detect the signals of the oligosaccharides, and sodium chloride provided greater ionisation than sodium trifluoroacetate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The importance of the risk to tourism and hospitality operations from pandemic-related crises has increased. Therefore, the current study offers a literature review targeting tourism and hospitality stakeholders' perceptions of past diseases and has three objectives: (1) Explore major topics from previous research on infectious diseases using topic modeling; (2) compare non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 crises; (3) investigate research topics in the tourism and hospitality industries. To meet our research objectives, we reviewed published pandemic-related articles in the tourism and hospitality literature since the year 2000. Based on the results, we first identified nine key topics related to infectious diseases (i.e., policy, human resources, branding, resilience, technology, global or community change, risk perception, disease impact, and lifestyle). Second, we suggest the application of different topic weights in non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 research. Third, we found that it is appropriate to apply different topic weights in tourism and hospitality research. • This study uncovered latent topics from previous research on infectious diseases. • The topic modeling reveals nine key topics from the infectious diseases literature. • Compares the topical structures between non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 studies. • Reveals the different research foci in the hospitality and tourism industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strategic focus by full-service hotels to attract outside-hotel (i.e., non-hotel) customers significantly improves their operating performance in both the food and beverage (F&B) department and the rooms department. In these aspects, a full-service hotel's unique gastronomic resources should be considered important attributes for attracting niche gourmet tourists and developing a strategic competitive advantage. Targeting outside-hotel customers can also be beneficial for generating additional cash flow and improving gastronomic brand awareness. Therefore, most full-service hotels should substantially redefine their F&B offerings and target customers, as focusing heavily on in-house guests is not an effective business strategy but rather a waste of costly resources. Full-service hotels should proactively expand their F&B offerings to local residents and compete with independent local F&B premises in various business aspects. • Attracting more outside-hotel customers improves hotels' operating profitability. • The positive effect is larger in luxury hotels than in lower level hotels. • The price change in the F&B offerings is not a moderator of the relationship. • Hotels need to develop F&B services as a diversification strategy. • Strategic F&B offerings to outside-hotel customers are essential for future growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study empirically tests the role of news discourse in forecasting tourist arrivals by examining Hong Kong. It employs structural topic modeling to identify key topics and their meanings related to tourism demand. The impact of the extracted news topics on tourist arrivals is then examined to forecast tourism demand using the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average with the selected news topic variables method. This study confirms that including news data significantly improves forecasting performance. Our forecasting model using news topics also outperformed the others when the destination was experiencing social unrest at the local level. These findings contribute to tourism demand forecasting research by incorporating discourse analysis and can help tourism destinations address various externalities related to news media. • The study forecasts tourism demand to Hong Kong from Mainland China and US. • Key topics of news discourse are extracted and employed to predict tourism demand. • The structural topic model is applied to discover key topics in major newspapers. • Forecasting model with news topics outperforms for normal and crisis periods. • The study confirms the value of local news coverages in tourism demand forecasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A child rights education-program application enhanced children's awareness of their four major rights. • The most important rights that Bangladesh children valued were general and development rights. • Considering children's socio-cultural context within an educational approach is essential in official development assistance (ODA). This study conducted a child rights education program for elementary school children in Bangladesh through official development assistance (ODA) and examined its effectiveness. The program's contents focused on four major child rights and educated 842 elementary school children between 10 and 15 in Bangladesh. Elementary school teachers taught the program using tablets. The research, first, examined the program's overall effect and, second, analyzed whether the children's perception of child rights developed. Pre-and-post questionnaires about child rights recognition investigated whether children's perceptions of their rights advanced. The results showed that the child rights education program in Bangladesh had an overall educational effect. Additionally, it confirmed that children's perceptions of their four major rights increased significantly after participating in the program. The results led to two conclusions. First, the nation should expand the child rights education program and operate it qualitatively and quantitatively to support children around the world to lead healthy and happy lives. Second, it is vital to approach children's socio-cultural contexts when operating educational programs for them through ODA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• "Knowledgeable staff" was the most prevalent topic among the 40 topics identified from reviews on AllergyEats.com. • Five groups of topics from topic correlation analyses: customized orders, staff efforts, menu options, fried foods and oil, and communication. • "Staff efforts" had the highest positive impact on restaurant ratings, while two topics "communications" group had the strongest negative impacts. The purpose of this research was to explore and assess factors influencing perceptions of consumers with food allergies toward restaurants when accommodating allergen-free requests. Mixed approaches, including big data analytics (i.e., topic modeling), content analysis, and multiple regression analyses were performed to analyze user-generated reviews for restaurants listed on AllergyEats.com, an information-sharing platform for consumers with food allergies. Among the 40 topics identified, "knowledgeable staff" was the most prevalent topic. Results of topic correlation analyses revealed five groups of topics: customized orders, efforts of staff, menu options, fried foods and oil, and communication with shared latent features. Four topics in the group of "efforts of staff" had the highest positive impact on restaurant ratings, while two topics in the group of "communications" had the strongest negative impacts. Foodservice managers and educators may use the results of this study to better accommodate consumers with food allergies and develop appropriate training programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Neuroscience needs analytical frameworks for understanding across levels of biology. • Information asymmetric signaling game theory can apply to neuroscientific problems. • Game theory uses local utilities, but global utility for information maximization. • Neurons do not know input information types, so can be deceived about those types. • Game theory equilibria are signaling conventions for information processing modes. We consider the possibility of applying game theory to analysis and modeling of neurobiological systems. Specifically, the basic properties and features of information asymmetric signaling games are considered and discussed as having potential to explain diverse neurobiological phenomena; we focus on neuronal action potential discharge that can represent cognitive variables in memory and purposeful behavior. We begin by arguing that there is a pressing need for conceptual frameworks that can permit analysis and integration of information and explanations across many scales of biological function including gene regulation, molecular and biochemical signaling, cellular and metabolic function, neuronal population, and systems level organization to generate plausible hypotheses across these scales. Developing such integrative frameworks is crucial if we are to understand cognitive functions like learning, memory, and perception. The present work focuses on systems neuroscience organized around the connected brain regions of the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. These areas are intensely studied in rodent subjects as model neuronal systems that undergo activity-dependent synaptic plasticity to form neuronal circuits and represent memories and spatial knowledge used for purposeful navigation. Examples of cognition-related spatial information in the observed neuronal discharge of hippocampal place cell populations and medial entorhinal head-direction cell populations are used to illustrate possible challenges to information maximization concepts. It may be natural to explain these observations using the ideas and features of information asymmetric signaling games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a transport-based model capable of predicting water flux in microalgae harvesting in forward osmosis (FO) system was developed. Based on Carman-Kozeny resistance model, steady state hydraulic resistance of cake layer comprised of microalgae cells was calculated; by means of control volume approach growth rate of the cake layer was also quantitatively obtained at transient state. Cake-enhanced concentration polarization (CECP), which arises from cells, along with dissolved compounds, deposited on membrane surface and acts to degrade FO performance, was estimated in real time. Model parameters related to a feed solution of microalgae cells were evaluated on the basis of empirical and theoretical data. It was found that deposition rate constant of microalgal cells was at least two orders of magnitude higher than diffusion rate constant under the experimental condition. Among microalgae related parameters, the porosity and thickness of cake layer were found to be the most influential on the water flux according to sensitivity analysis; and therefore they were calibrated by a statistical technique to improve model accuracy. Based on the estimated parameters, the developed model was validated through batch FO operations, and it was in good alignment with quasi-steady state data. There have been quite a few FO modeling studies thus far; and yet to the best of our knowledge, this study is the first one that elucidates actual fouling phenomenon with an actual feed solution, which may offer both theoretical and practical understandings needed for the development of FO-based microalgae harvesting process. [Display omitted] • A numerical modeling of forward osmosis for microalgae harvesting was developed. • Key parameters associated with the model were evaluated using empirical data based real microalgae solutions. • Porosity and thickness of cake layer were found to be critical parameters for water flux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Syndecans are single-pass transmembrane proteins on the cell surface that are involved in various cellular functions. Previously, we reported that both homo- and hetero-form of syndecan dimers affected their functionality. However, little is known about the structural role of the transmembrane domain of syndecan-3. A series of glutathione-S-transferase syndecan-3 proteins showed that syndecan-3 formed SDS-resistant dimers and oligomers. SDS-resistant oligomer formation was barely observed in the syndecan deletion mutants lacking the transmembrane domain. Interestingly, the presence of an alanine 397 residue in the transmembrane domain correlated with SDS-resistant oligomer, and its replacement by phenylalanine (AF mutant) significantly reduced SDS-resistant oligomer formation. Beside the AF mutant significantly reduced syndecan-3 mediated cellular processes such as cell adhesion, migration and neurite outgrowth of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma. Furthermore, the alanine residue regulated hetero-oligomer formation of syndecan-3, and hetero-oligomer formation significantly reduced syndecan-3-mediated neurite outgrowth of SH-SY5Y cells. Taken together, all these data suggest that syndecan-3 has a specific feature of oligomerization by the transmembrane domain and this oligomerization tendency is crucial for the function of syndecan-3. • Recombinant syndecan-3 protein forms SDS-resistant dimers and oligomers • Alanine 397 residue in the transmembrane domain mediates the oligomer formation of syndecan-3. • The oligomerization tendency is crucial for the function of syndecan-3 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]