bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Systematic bibliometric analysis on Kaizen in scientific journals
Authors: Álvarez-García José , Durán-Sánchez Amador , del Río-Rama María de la Cruz
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Since Masaaki Imai coined the term Kaizen in the mid-1980s, it has been seen as a key element for the competitiveness of Japanese companies, and it is currently a widely discussed philosophy and is applied in a wide range of organizations throughout the world. The purpose of this paper is to serve as guidance for researchers who are developing their studies in the field of the Kaizen philosophy, in order to improve their knowledge on the most relevant articles, the most productive authors or the key scientific journals that make up this subject.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to fulfill the proposed objective, a descriptive bibliometric study was carried out with the analysis of citations from 138 articles included in the multidisciplinary database Scopus (Elsevier) until 2016. For the search of documents, a tracking strategy was chosen that allowed for the development of the ad hoc database required to analyze each of the basic variables of the bibliometric indicators.

Findings

The results obtained show a growing interest of the scientific community in its study in the last decade, as shown by the significant increase in citations received by articles, despite the reduction in the number of papers published in the last two years.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitations are derived from the choice of a specific database, as well as the specific search equation.

Originality/value

The study presents an in-depth analysis of the current state of research regarding the Kaizen philosophy through its bibliometric study, providing useful information for academics and professionals by providing a series of significant indicators to measure the bibliographic material.
Spring weather conditions influence breeding phenology and reproductive success in sympatric bat populations
Authors: Linton Danielle M. , Macdonald David W.
Published: April 2018

Climate is known to influence breeding phenology and reproductive success in temperate‐zone bats, but long‐term population level studies and interspecific comparisons are rare.

Investigating the extent to which intrinsic (i.e. age), and extrinsic (i.e. spring weather conditions), factors influence such key demographic parameters as the proportion of females becoming pregnant, or completing lactation, each breeding season, is vital to understanding of bat population ecology and life‐history traits.

Using data from 12 breeding seasons (2006–2017), encompassing the reproductive histories of 623 Myotis daubentonii and 436 Myotis nattereri adult females, we compare rates of recruitment to the breeding population and show that these species differ in their relative sensitivity to environmental conditions and climatic variation, affecting annual reproductive success at the population level.

We demonstrate that (1) spring weather conditions influence breeding phenology, with warm, dry and calm conditions leading to earlier parturition dates and advanced juvenile development, whilst cold, wet and windy weather delays birth timing and juvenile growth; (2) reproductive rates in first‐year females are influenced by spring weather conditions in that breeding season and in the preceding breeding season when each cohort was born. Pregnancy and lactation rates were both higher when favourable spring foraging conditions were more prevalent; (3) reproductive success increases with age in both species, but at different rates; (4) reproductive rates were consistently higher, and showed less interannual variation, in second‐year and older M. daubentonii (mean 91.55% ± 0.05 SD) than M. nattereri (mean 72.74% ± 0.15 SD); (5) estimates of reproductive success at the population level were highly correlated with the size of the juvenile cohort recorded each breeding season.

Improving understanding of the influence of environmental conditions, especially extreme climatic fluctuations, and the identification of critical periods (i.e. spring for reproductive female bats in temperate zones), which have disproportionate and lasting impacts on breeding phenology and reproductive success at a population level, is critical for improving predictions of the likely impact of climate change on bat populations.
Multiple factors, including arena size, shape the functional responses of ladybird beetles
Authors: Uiterwaal Stella F. , DeLong John P.
Published: April 2018

Functional response studies are often used to determine the suitability of predators as biocontrol agents. Ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are often used for the control of crop pests such as aphids. However, most functional response studies on coccinellids compare a limited number of species at different life stages, temperatures or sexes. A large‐scale comparison of ladybird beetle functional responses is needed to evaluate the utility of these species as potential biocontrol predators and to understand the traits that influence the interaction strength between ladybird beetles and their prey.

We compiled 158 ladybird beetle functional responses from 30 studies and tested for effects of taxa, traits, temperature and arena size on functional response parameters using linear mixed‐effects models.

Our results show that functional response parameters (handling time and space clearance rate) are affected by predator stage, predator mass, prey type, temperature and arena size. Although complicated by interaction terms, space clearance rate generally increased with predator size, temperature and predator stage, while handling time decreased with predator size, temperature and predator stage. Coleopteran prey induced the highest handling times.

Our results also show that experimental arena size has a large, consistent effect on space clearance rate. Arena size is more important in determining foraging rates at low prey densities than any other factor considered here, including predator mass and temperature. Efforts to use laboratory‐based functional response experiments to evaluate the efficacy of biocontrol predators are therefore confounded by the choice of arena size.

Synthesis and applications. In addition to confirming known body mass and temperature effects, our study reveals previously unclear age‐related effects and the importance of prey types, which can be used to optimize biocontrol programmes. The arena size effect is unexpected and problematic because failure to account for arena size precludes accurate comparison of biocontrol predator effectiveness. We suggest managers and biocontrol practitioners re‐evaluate the efficacy of candidate biocontrol predators, perhaps by statistically controlling for arena size to minimize the influence of this widely unconsidered factor on functional response estimates.
Morphosyntactic abilities of toddlers with hearing impairment and normal hearing: evidence from a sentence‐repetition task
Authors: Novogrodsky Rama , Meir Natalia , Michael Rachel
Published: April 2018

Background

While considerable research exists on morphosyntax of school‐age children with hearing impairment (HI), little is known about development of morphosyntax at younger ages. Some studies show that young children with HI have a delay in language abilities compared with children with normal hearing (NH); conversely, other studies show evidence that they achieve age‐appropriate language development.

Aims

To investigate whether characteristics of morphosyntactic development displayed by young children with HI are unique or whether they are similar to those of NH children.

Methods & Procedures

Fifty‐four Hebrew‐speaking children (15 with HI and 39 with NH), aged 22–40 months, completed a novel Hebrew sentence repetition (SRep) task designed to evaluate morphosyntactic abilities. Accuracy on the total correct structure, repetition of content and function words, and repetition of specific morphemes were compared across groups.

Outcomes & Results

At the earliest stages of combining words to sentences, toddlers in both groups showed a large variation in morphosyntactic development, with no significant difference between the two groups. Children with HI and NH showed similar results for the acquisition of morphemes and various syntactic structures. In the group of children with HI, hearing capability accounted for 28% of the variance of the SRep task.

Conclusions & Implications

The findings suggest typical morphosyntax capacity at the onset of language development among of children with HI who are diagnosed early and receive intensive intervention.
Colonization of medical devices by staphylococci
Authors: Zheng Yue , He Lei , Asiamah Titus K. , Otto Michael
Published: April 2018

The use of medical devices in modern medicine is constantly increasing. Despite the multiple precautionary strategies that are being employed in hospitals, which include increased hygiene and sterilization measures, bacterial infections on these devices still happen frequently. Staphylococci are among the major causes of medical device infection. This is mostly due to the strong capacity of those bacteria to form device‐associated biofilms, which provide resistance to chemical and physical treatments as well as attacks by the host's immune system. Biofilm development is a multistep process with specific factors participating in each step. It is tightly regulated to provide a balance between biofilm expansion and detachment. Detachment from a biofilm on a medical device can lead to severe systemic infection, such as bacteremia and sepsis. While our understanding of staphylococcal biofilm formation has increased significantly and staphylococcal biofilm formation on medical devices is among the best understood biofilm‐associated infections, the extensive effort put in preclinical studies with the goal to find novel therapies against staphylococcal device‐associated infections has not yet resulted in efficient, applicable therapeutic options for that difficult‐to‐treat type of disease.
Genome‐based evolutionary history of Pseudomonas spp
Authors: Hesse Cedar , Schulz Frederik , Bull Carolee T. , Shaffer Brenda T. , Yan Qing , Shapiro Nicole , Hassan Karl A. , Varghese Neha , Elbourne Liam D. H. , Paulsen Ian T. , Kyrpides Nikos , Woyke Tanja , Loper Joyce E.
Published: April 2018

Pseudomonas is a large and diverse genus of Gammaproteobacteria. To provide a framework for discovery of evolutionary and taxonomic relationships of these bacteria, we compared the genomes of type strains of 163 species and 3 additional subspecies of Pseudomonas, including 118 genomes sequenced herein. A maximum likelihood phylogeny of the 166 type strains based on protein sequences of 100 single‐copy orthologous genes revealed thirteen groups of Pseudomonas, composed of two to sixty three species each. Pairwise average nucleotide identities and alignment fractions were calculated for the data set of the 166 type strains and 1224 genomes of Pseudomonas available in public databases. Results revealed that 394 of the 1224 genomes were distinct from any type strain, suggesting that the type strains represent only a fraction of the genomic diversity of the genus. The core genome of Pseudomonas was determined to contain 794 genes conferring primarily housekeeping functions. The results of this study provide a phylogenetic framework for future studies aiming to resolve the classification and phylogenetic relationships, identify new gene functions and phenotypes, and explore the ecological and metabolic potential of the Pseudomonas spp.
Controlling food, controlling relationships: exploring the meanings and dynamics of family food practices through the diary‐interview approach
Authors: MacDonald Sarah , Murphy Simon , Elliott Eva
Published: April 2018

Potential merits of a social practice perspective for examining the meanings and dynamics of family food include moving beyond individual behaviour, and exploring how practices emerge, develop and change. However, researchers have struggled to encourage reflection on mundane practices, and how to understand associated meanings. Drawing on a study of families in South Wales, this article reflects on the value of the diary‐interview approach in addressing these methodological challenges, and aims to explore and understand the dynamics of control across family contexts. Contemporary practice theories distinguish between practices as ‘performances’ and practices as ‘entities’ and the diary‐interview method facilitated an examination of these dimensions. Detailed accounts of daily ‘performances’ (through diaries), alongside reflection on underlying contexts and ‘entities’ (through interviews), illustrated the entanglement of control, practices and context. The article adds further complexity to the concept of practice ‘bundles’ which facilitated an understanding of how food was interrelated with other practices – across family contexts and across generations. Sociological approaches with a practices perspective at the core, offer potential for developing public health interventions by acknowledging: the relational meaning of food; the embeddedness of food within everyday practices; and the need to consider interventions across a range of policy areas.
Evaluation of home enteral nutrition services at public hospitals in New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Tang Diana , Parker Elizabeth K. , Faruquie Sahrish S. , Hames Nadia L. , Talbot Peter
Published: April 2018

Aim

There is currently limited information regarding the home enteral nutrition population and its service practice at the state and national levels. The aim of this study is to report on patient numbers and demographics of the home enteral nutrition population in New South Wales, and to evaluate the implementation of home enteral nutrition services in public hospitals in the state.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted using two online questionnaires, which were completed by the dietitian overseeing home enteral nutrition at each participating hospital.

Results

The home enteral nutrition population of participating hospitals was approximately 7600, with 81% oral nutrition support patients and 19% tube‐fed patients. Mean compliance score to the home enteral nutrition implementation checklist was 54.1% (±20.7%), with a range of 14.3% to 98.2%. Hospitals with a home enteral nutrition dietitian/coordinator scored a higher rate of compliance with the implementation checklist compared with hospitals without one (79.6% (±15.6%) vs 47.6% (±2.4%); P < 0.001). The key service improvements suggested by dietitians included increased funding towards a home enteral nutrition dietitian/coordinator (67.8%); improved resources to provide outpatient reviews, home visits and multidisciplinary service model (54.2%); improved database management and a more efficient registration process (52.5%).

Conclusions

Home enteral nutrition services continue to be inconsistent across New South Wales. Funding and resource limitations were identified as the major barriers to addressing gaps in service provision.
Microbial rRNA gene expression and co‐occurrence profiles associate with biokinetics and elemental composition in full‐scale anaerobic digesters
Authors: Ziels Ryan M. , Svensson Bo H. , Sundberg Carina , Larsson Madeleine , Karlsson Anna , Yekta Sepehr Shakeri
Published: April 2018

This study examined whether the abundance and expression of microbial 16S rRNA genes were associated with elemental concentrations and substrate conversion biokinetics in 20 full‐scale anaerobic digesters, including seven municipal sewage sludge (SS) digesters and 13 industrial codigesters. SS digester contents had higher methane production rates from acetate, propionate and phenyl acetate compared to industrial codigesters. SS digesters and industrial codigesters were distinctly clustered based on their elemental concentrations, with higher concentrations of NH3‐N, Cl, K and Na observed in codigesters. Amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and reverse‐transcribed 16S rRNA revealed divergent grouping of microbial communities between mesophilic SS digesters, mesophilic codigesters and thermophilic digesters. Higher intradigester distances between Archaea 16S rRNA and rRNA gene profiles were observed in mesophilic codigesters, which also had the lowest acetate utilization biokinetics. Constrained ordination showed that microbial rRNA and rRNA gene profiles were significantly associated with maximum methane production rates from acetate, propionate, oleate and phenyl acetate, as well as concentrations of NH3‐N, Fe, S, Mo and Ni. A co‐occurrence network of rRNA gene expression confirmed the three main clusters of anaerobic digester communities based on active populations. Syntrophic and methanogenic taxa were highly represented within the subnetworks, indicating that obligate energy‐sharing partnerships play critical roles in stabilizing the digester microbiome. Overall, these results provide new evidence showing that different feed substrates associate with different micronutrient compositions in anaerobic digesters, which in turn may influence microbial abundance, activity and function.
Dynamic changes in morphology, gene expression and microbiome in the jejunum of compensatory‐growth rats induced by protein restriction
Authors: Zhu Yizhi , Shi Chao , Niu Qingyan , Wang Jing , Zhu Weiyun
Published: April 2018

We previously reported that protein‐restricted rats experienced compensatory growth when they were switched to a normal protein diet (NPD). This study aimed to investigate the changes in gene expression and microbiome in the jejunum of compensatory‐growth rats. Weaned Sprague‐Dawley rats were assigned to an N group, an LN group and an L group. The rats in the L and N groups were fed a low protein diet (LPD) and the NPD respectively. The rats in the LN group were fed with the LPD for 2 weeks, followed by the NPD. The experiment lasted 70 days, and the rats were sacrificed for sampling on days 14, 28 and 70 to determine the jejunal morphology, microbiome and gene expression related to digestive, absorptive and barrier function. The results showed that, although rats in the LN group had temporarily impaired morphology and gene expression in the jejunum on day 14 in response to the LPD, they had improved jejunal morphology and gene expression related to jejunal function on day 28 compared to rats in the N group. This improvement might promote compensatory growth of rats. However, lower expression of genes related to nutrient absorption and undifferentiated villous height (VH) were observed in the jejunum of rats in the LN group on day 70. In contrast, rats in the L group had lower VH on day 28 and day 70, while the expression of absorptive genes increased on day 28 compared to rats in the N group. Additionally, dramatic microbial changes in the jejunum of compensatory‐growth rats were observed, principally for Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Corynebacterium and Staphylococcus. Moreover, the abundance of Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Corynebacterium and Staphylococcus significantly correlated with gene expression in the jejunum as revealed by the correlation analysis.
Mild hyperbaric oxygen inhibits the growth‐related decline in skeletal muscle oxidative capacity and prevents hyperglycemia in rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Nagatomo Fumiko , Takemura Ai , Roy Roland R. , Fujino Hidemi , Kondo Hiroyo , Ishihara Akihiko
Published: April 2018

Background

Humans and animals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) exhibit low skeletal muscle oxidative capacity and impaired glucose metabolism. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of exposure to mild hyperbaric oxygen on these changes in obese rats with T2DM.

Methods

Five‐week‐old non‐diabetic Long‐Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) and diabetic Otsuka Long‐Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats were divided into normobaric (LETO‐NB and OLETF‐NB) and mild hyperbaric oxygen (LETO‐MHO and OLETF‐MHO) groups. The LETO‐MHO and OLETF‐MHO groups received 1266 hPa with 36% oxygen for 3 h daily for 22 weeks.

Results

Fasting and non‐fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, and triglyceride levels were lower in the OLETF‐MHO group than in the OLETF‐NB group (P < 0.05). In the soleus muscle, peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor δ/β (Pparδ/β),Pparγ, and PPARγ coactivator‐1α (Pgc‐1α) mRNA levels were lower in the OLETF‐NB group than in all other groups (P < 0.05), whereas myogenin (Myog) and myogenic factor 5 (Myf5) mRNA levels were higher in the OLETF‐MHO group than in the LETO‐NB and OLETF‐NB groups (P < 0.05). The soleus muscles in the OLETF‐NB group contained only low‐oxidative Type I fibers, whereas those in all other groups contained high‐oxidative Type IIA and Type IIC fibers in addition to Type I fibers.

Conclusions

Exposure to mild hyperbaric oxygen inhibits the decline in skeletal muscle oxidative capacity and prevents the hyperglycemia associated with T2DM.Pgc‐1α,Myog, andMyf5mRNA levels appear to be closely associated with skeletal muscle oxidative capacity in rats with T2DM.
Low molecular‐weight fucoidan protects against hindlimb ischemic injury in type 2 diabetic mice through enhancing endothelial nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation
Authors: Liu Tiantian , Wang Zhiqiang , Chen Xiaoping , You Hongjie , Xue Jingyi , Cai Dayong , Zheng Yuanyuan , Xu Yang , Luo Dali
Published: April 2018

Background

Diabetes mellitus (DM) complications are associated with ischemic injury. Angiogenesis is a therapeutic strategy for diabetic foot. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible angiogenic effect of low molecular weight fucoidan (LMWF) in diabetic peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Methods

Diabetic db/db mice and age‐matched C57BL/6 mice underwent femoral artery ligation followed by LMWF (30, 60, 80 mg/kg per day, p.o.) or cilostazol (30 mg/kg/day, p.o.) treatment for 6 weeks. Endothelium‐dependent vasodilation and blood flow of the hindlimb were measured. Histological and western blot analyses of CD34, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), eNOS, and inflammatory factors in the gastrocnemius were performed. The effects of LMWF were confirmed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC).

Results

Diabetic mice with ligation exhibited hindlimb ulceration, hydrosarca, and necrosis, increased expression of inflammatory factors, and decreased levels of VEGF and eNOS phosphorylation. Treatment with LMWF markedly ameliorated foot lesions, suppressed expression of inflammatory factors, and improved plantar perfusion by promoting endothelium‐dependent vasodilation and revascularization in diabetic PAD mice. In high‐glucose treated HUVEC, LMWF (40 μg/mL) reversed blunted endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation, and promoted eNOS phosphorylation and VEGF expression, whereas HUVEC pretreatment with 100 μmol/L NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester, an eNOS antagonist, markedly inhibited the effects of LMWF.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that LMWF alleviates hindlimb ischemic damage, at least in part by promoting eNOS phosphorylation, nitric oxide production, and VEGF expression, resulting in enhanced angiogenesis in the ischemic region.
Between a Carrot and a Stick: Science Diplomacy and Access to EU Research Funding
Authors: Leese Matthias
Published: April 2018

This article engages the EU's approach to science diplomacy through the case of the Swiss ‘mass migration initiative’ in 2014. The legislative proposal, legally binding through its adoption by Swiss voters, obliged the Swiss government to take sovereign control over migration management, thereby preventing the ratification of the ‘Croatia Protocol’ that would have, through the EU regime of free movement of persons and the bilateral treaties between Switzerland and the EU, granted Croatian citizens free movement to Switzerland. As the refusal to ratify the protocol effectively undercut the bilateral treaties, the EU Commission in turn used the Swiss participation in the European research funding framework Horizon 2020 as leverage to enforce Swiss compliance to the bilateral treaties. This eventually compelled the Swiss government to ratify the Croatia Protocol despite the domestic legal clash with the ‘mass migration initiative’ proposal. Conceptually, the article turns the attention to contradicting policy goals in an emerging EU science diplomacy framework, and shows how science diplomacy in the conflict around the Croatia Protocol got stuck between a liberal ‘carrot’ and a realist ‘stick’.
Mice with reduced expression of the telomere‐associated protein Ft1 develop p53‐sensitive progeroid traits
Authors: La Torre Mattia , Merigliano Chiara , Burla Romina , Mottini Carla , Zanetti Giorgia , Del Giudice Simona , Carcuro Mariateresa , Virdia Ilaria , Bucciarelli Elisabetta , Manni Isabella , Vinciguerra Gianluca Rampioni , Piaggio Giulia , Riminucci Mara , Cumano Ana , Bartolazzi Armando , Vernì Fiammetta , Soddu Silvia , Gatti Maurizio , Saggio Isabella
Published: April 2018

Human AKTIP and mouse Ft1 are orthologous ubiquitin E2 variant proteins involved in telomere maintenance and DNA replication. AKTIP also interacts with A‐ and B‐type lamins. These features suggest that Ft1 may be implicated in aging regulatory pathways. Here, we show that cells derived from hypomorph Ft1 mutant (Ft1kof/kof) mice exhibit telomeric defects and that Ft1kof/kof animals develop progeroid traits, including impaired growth, skeletal and skin defects, abnormal heart tissue, and sterility. We also demonstrate a genetic interaction between Ft1 and p53. The analysis of mice carrying mutations in both Ft1 and p53 (Ft1kof/kof; p53ko/ko and Ft1kof/kof; p53+/ko) showed that reduction in p53 rescues the progeroid traits of Ft1 mutants, suggesting that they are at least in part caused by a p53‐dependent DNA damage response. Conversely, Ft1 reduction alters lymphomagenesis in p53 mutant mice. These results identify Ft1 as a new player in the aging process and open the way to the analysis of its interactions with other progeria genes using the mouse model.
Managing an endangered species: Palliative care for the pallid sturgeon
Authors: ERRINGTON FREDERICK , GEWERTZ DEBORAH
Published: April 2018

The pallid sturgeon, formally listed in the United States as endangered since 1990, remains in trouble. Evolving in a free‐flowing Missouri River, this ancient fish finds itself imperiled by a system of dams regulated by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The USACE must now confront the “wicked problem” of adjusting its envirotechnical regime of water management to address not only human economic interests but also antithetical fish‐focused imperatives. To achieve a convincing balance, the USACE musters an array of bureaucratic practices that are seemingly beyond criticism. Through such practices, especially as publically performed at the quarterly meetings of the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee, the USACE affirms both itself and the envirotechnical system it incarnates as the best the fish can expect. [bureaucracy, envirotechnical regimes, endangered species, “wicked problem,” pallid sturgeon, Missouri River, United States]
The effects of Shariah board composition on Islamic equity indices' performance
Authors: Hassan M. Kabir , Miglietta Federica , Paltrinieri Andrea , Floreani Josanco
Published: April 2018

Based on a sample of 54 Islamic indices over the period 2007–2014, we investigate the effect of Shariah board members' educational background on Islamic indices' risk and return characteristics via the screening criteria. Using a capital asset pricing model benchmark analysis, we assess the sensitivity of Islamic indices to their conventional peers in terms of beta and derive a measure of return (Jensen's alpha). First, we observe that the higher the number of members in common among the boards, the higher the risk–return profile of Islamic indices. Second, commonalities among board members lead to standardization of the screening criteria and to similar Islamic indices' performance. Third, we show that different betas across providers depend on the screening criteria, while the economic educational background of board members affects performance in terms of Jensen's alpha. Our study aims at contributing to the governance literature related to board composition and its importance as a possible driver of performance. In addition, given the impressive growth that Islamic finance has experienced during the last decade, this topic is of great interest to the asset management industry.
Current concepts of the acontractile bladder
Authors: Colaco Marc , Osman Nadir I. , Karakeçi Ahmet , Artibani Walter , Andersson Karl‐Erik , Badlani Gopal H.
Published: April 2018

The acontractile bladder (AcB) is a urodynamic‐based diagnosis wherein the bladder is unable to demonstrate any contraction during a pressure flow study. Although it is often grouped with underactive bladder, it is a unique phenomenon and should be investigated independently. The purpose of the present review was to examine the current literature on AcB regarding its pathology, diagnosis, current management guidelines, and future developments. We performed a review of the PubMed database, classifying the evidence for AcB pathology, diagnosis, treatment, and potential future treatments. Over the 67 years covered in our review period, 42 studies were identified that met our criteria. Studies were largely poor quality and mainly consisted of retrospective review or animal models. The underlying pathology of AcB is variable with both neurological and myogenic aetiologies. Treatment is largely tailored for renal preservation and reduction of infection. Although future developments may allow more functional restorative treatments, current treatments mainly focus on bladder drainage. AcB is a unique and understudied bladder phenomenon. Treatment is largely based on symptoms and presentation. While cellular therapy and neuromodulation may hold promise, further research is needed into the underlying neuro‐urological pathophysiology of this disease so that we may better develop future treatments.
Poor prognosis of bladder cancer patients with occult lymph node metastases treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy
Authors: Cha Eugene K. , Sfakianos John P. , Sukhu Ranjit , Yee Alyssa M. , Sjoberg Daniel D. , Bochner Bernard H.
Published: April 2018

Objectives

To characterise the outcomes of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) pre‐treated patients found to be lymph node (LN)‐positive at the time of radical cystectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection (RC/PLND) for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB).

Patients and Methods

Of 1484 patients treated with RC/PLND for UCB from 2000 to 2010, we analysed 198 patients with clinically non‐metastatic (cN0M0) muscle‐invasive UCB who were found to be LN‐positive at RC/PLND. As patients not receiving perioperative chemotherapy were significantly older and comorbid, we compared LN‐positive patients previously treated with NAC (32 patients) to LN‐positive patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (AC, 49 patients) using Cox proportional hazards models. A sensitivity analysis was designed to account for the additional time to RC in NAC patients.

Results

The 3‐year recurrence‐free survival estimate for LN‐positive NAC patients was 26%, compared with 60% for LN‐positive AC patients. LN‐positive patients treated with NAC had significantly higher risks of disease recurrence and cancer‐specific mortality in univariate analyses (hazard ratio [HR] 2.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.58–5.19, P = 0.001 and HR 2.50, 95% CI 1.34–4.65, P = 0.004, respectively) and multivariable analyses adjusting for pathological stage and LN density (HR 3.11, 95% CI 1.59–6.07, P = 0.001 and HR 3.05, 95% CI 1.46–6.35, P = 0.003, respectively). Sensitivity analyses similarly demonstrated worse outcomes for NAC pre‐treated LN‐positive patients.

Conclusion

LN‐positive patients previously treated with NAC have a poor prognosis, significantly worse than LN‐positive patients subsequently treated with AC, and should be considered for protocols using sandwich chemotherapy approaches or novel agents. These results should be considered in the interpretation of and stratification for clinical trials.
A one‐step method for modelling longitudinal data with differential equations
Authors: Hu Yueqin , Treinen Raymond
Published: April 2018

Differential equation models are frequently used to describe non‐linear trajectories of longitudinal data. This study proposes a new approach to estimate the parameters in differential equation models. Instead of estimating derivatives from the observed data first and then fitting a differential equation to the derivatives, our new approach directly fits the analytic solution of a differential equation to the observed data, and therefore simplifies the procedure and avoids bias from derivative estimations. A simulation study indicates that the analytic solutions of differential equations (ASDE) approach obtains unbiased estimates of parameters and their standard errors. Compared with other approaches that estimate derivatives first, ASDE has smaller standard error, larger statistical power and accurate Type I error. Although ASDE obtains biased estimation when the system has sudden phase change, the bias is not serious and a solution is also provided to solve the phase problem. The ASDE method is illustrated and applied to a two‐week study on consumers’ shopping behaviour after a sale promotion, and to a set of public data tracking participants’ grammatical facial expression in sign language. R codes for ASDE, recommendations for sample size and starting values are provided. Limitations and several possible expansions of ASDE are also discussed.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF BETAS IN PRESENCE OF NONTRADED ASSETS
Authors: Hur Seok‐Kyun , Chung Chune Young
Published: April 2018

This study considers a capital assets pricing model (CAPM) in an incomplete financial market wherein not all risky assets are traded and the risk from non‐traded assets is not orthogonal to that of the existing or traded assets. The model shows the extent of the divergence of the CAPM betas (true betas) from the traditional CAPM betas (perceived betas) in market equilibrium conditions in an incomplete market. Specifically, it implies that the more incomplete a financial market is, the wider is the discrepancy between the true and perceived betas, and the distribution of the perceived betas tends to centre more around 1 in an incomplete market than that of true betas. Empirical evidence in various settings support these results.
Dirty Work, Dirty Resistance: Digital Warfare in the Era of Precarious Labor
Authors: Johnston Matthew S. , Sanscartier Matthew D. , Johnston Genevieve
Published: April 2018

This qualitative content analysis of 723 anonymous reviews of 60 Canadian food service employers, posted on RateMyEmployer.ca, explores how digital spaces publically circulate precarious workers’ resistances and management of occupational stigma. We introduce to literature on “dirty work” the concept of socioeconomic hygiene, which identifies a particular kind of social and moral order within which the positions of the subordinated are naturalized between the socially and morally “clean” and “unclean.”
Effects of the two types of anorexia nervosa (binge eating/purging and restrictive) on bone metabolism in female patients
Authors: Maïmoun Laurent , Guillaume Sébastien , Lefebvre Patrick , Bertet Helena , Seneque Maude , Philibert Pascal , Picot Marie‐Christine , Dupuy Anne‐Marie , Paris Françoise , Gaspari Laura , Ben Bouallègue Fayçal , Courtet Philippe , Mariano‐Goulart Denis , Renard Eric , Sultan Charles
Published: April 2018

Objective

This study compared the profiles of the two types of anorexia nervosa (AN; restrictive: AN‐R, and binge eating/purging: AN‐BP) in terms of body composition, gynaecological status, disease history and the potential effects on bone metabolism.

Design

Two hundred and eighty‐six women with AN (21.8 ± 6.5 years; 204 AN‐R and 82 AN‐BP) and 130 age‐matched controls (CON; 22.6 ± 6.8 years) were enrolled. Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) was determined using DXA and resting energy expenditure (REE) was indirectly assessed using calorimetry. Markers of bone formation (osteocalcin [OC], procollagen type I N‐terminal propeptide [PINP] and resorption (type I‐C telopeptide breakdown products [CTX]) and leptin were concomitantly evaluated.

Results

Anorexia nervosa patients presented an alteration in aBMD and bone turnover. When compared according to type, AN‐BP were older than AN‐R and showed less severe undernutrition, lower CTx levels, longer duration of AN, and higher REE levels and aBMD at radius and lumbar spine. After adjustment for age, weight and hormonal contraceptive use, the aBMD and CTx differences disappeared. In both AN groups, aBMD was positively correlated with anthropometric parameters and negatively correlated with durations of AN and amenorrhoea, the bone formation markers (OC and PINP) and the leptin/fat mass ratio. REE was positively correlated with aBMD in AN‐R patients only.

Conclusions

This study shows the profiles of AN patients according to AN type. However, the impact of the profile characteristics on bone status, although significant, was minor and disappeared after multiple adjustments. The positive correlation between REE and aBMD reinforces the concept that energy disposal and bone metabolism are strongly interdependent.
“It's the Amazon World”: Small‐Scale Farmers on an Entrepreneurial Treadmill
Authors: McKee Emily
Published: April 2018

From the vantage point of northern Illinois, this article considers how the availability of organic, heirloom, and other specialty foods through a wider variety of grocery stores and online venues is affecting local food systems. Farmers concerned about these new forms of competition develop coping strategies to woo customers, but many of these strategies demand new skill sets and drain farmers’ time and resources away from the fields. How sustainable are local food systems when small‐scale farmers must be not only skilled producers, but marketing gurus, gregarious spokespeople, and public educators as well? More contextually grounded qualitative and mixed‐methods research is needed to help local food advocates and farmers understand and ease this entrepreneurial treadmill. [local food systems, direct market agriculture, small‐scale farmers, competition, United States]
Species’ thermal ranges predict changes in reef fish community structure during 8 years of extreme temperature variation
Authors: Day Paul B. , Stuart‐Smith Rick D. , Edgar Graham J. , Bates Amanda E.
Published: April 2018

Aim

To assess whether observed thermal bounds in species’ latitudinal ranges (i.e., realized thermal niches) can be used to predict patterns of occurrence and abundance changes observed during a marine heatwave, relative to other important life history and functional traits.

Location

Rottnest Island, Western Australia.

Methods

A time series of standardized quantitative surveys of reef fishes spanning 8 years of pronounced ocean temperature change is used to test whether accurate predictions on shifts in species occupancy and abundance are possible using species traits.

Results

Species‐level responses in occurrence and abundance were closely related to the mid‐point of their realized thermal niche, more so than body size, range size or trophic level. Most of the species that disappeared from survey counts during the heatwave were characterized by geographic ranges that did not extend to latitudes with temperatures equivalent to the ocean temperature peak during the heatwave. We thus find support for the hypothesis that current distribution limits are set directly or indirectly by temperature and are highly responsive to ocean temperature variability.

Main conclusions

Our study shows that reef fish community structure can change very quickly when exposed to extreme thermal anomalies, in directions predicted from the realized thermal niche of the species present. Such predictions can thus identify species that will be most responsive to changing ocean climate. Continued warming, coupled with periodic extreme heat events, may lead to the loss of ecosystem services and ecological functions, as mobile species relocate to more hospitable climes, while less mobile species may head towards extinction.
Internet gaming disorder in children and adolescents: a systematic review
Authors: Paulus Frank W , Ohmann Susanne , von Gontard Alexander , Popow Christian
Published: April 2018

Aim

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is a serious disorder leading to and maintaining pertinent personal and social impairment. IGD has to be considered in view of heterogeneous and incomplete concepts. We therefore reviewed the scientific literature on IGD to provide an overview focusing on definitions, symptoms, prevalence, and aetiology.

Method

We systematically reviewed the databases ERIC, PsyARTICLES, PsycINFO, PSYNDEX, and PubMed for the period January 1991 to August 2016, and additionally identified secondary references.

Results

The proposed definition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition provides a good starting point for diagnosing IGD but entails some disadvantages. Developing IGD requires several interacting internal factors such as deficient self, mood and reward regulation, problems of decision‐making, and external factors such as deficient family background and social skills. In addition, specific game‐related factors may promote IGD. Summarizing aetiological knowledge, we suggest an integrated model of IGD elucidating the interplay of internal and external factors.

Interpretation

So far, the concept of IGD and the pathways leading to it are not entirely clear. In particular, long‐term follow‐up studies are missing. IGD should be understood as an endangering disorder with a complex psychosocial background.

What this paper adds

In representative samples of children and adolescents, on average, 2% are affected by Internet gaming disorder (IGD).

The mean prevalences (overall, clinical samples included) reach 5.5%.

Definitions are heterogeneous and the relationship with substance‐related addictions is inconsistent.

Many aetiological factors are related to the development and maintenance of IGD.

This review presents an integrated model of IGD, delineating the interplay of these factors.
Trophic overlap between non‐native brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) and native shortfin eel (Anguilla australis) in shallow lakes
Authors: Collier Kevin J. , Pingram Michael A. , Francis Laura , Garrett‐Walker Jeremy , Melchior Michele
Published: April 2018

We quantified trophic overlap between the invasive, non‐native catfish brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) and the New Zealand native shortfin eel (Anguilla australis) in four peat and riverine lakes using stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) and gut content analyses. Across all lakes and fish sizes over the austral spring–summer period, shortfin eel guts were dominated numerically by fish prey (57% occurrence cf 42% in brown bullhead), while Diptera larvae were most commonly encountered in guts of brown bullhead (45% cf 14% in eels). Significant differences in % composition of animal contents in guts were detected between fish species and sampling occasions (n = 4) but not between lakes. In contrast, stable isotope signatures of brown bullhead and shortfin eel did differ significantly between lakes but not between sampling occasions, indicating enduring sources of nutrition despite apparently differing ingestion patterns over time. The R mixing model MixSIAR indicated that shortfins likely assimilated higher proportions of fish prey carbon compared to brown bullheads, which appeared to show greater assimilation of invertebrates, consistent with the results of gut content analyses. Isotopic niche regions, calculated in nicheROVER using probabilistic ellipses, indicated that shortfin eels occupied at least c.60% of brown bullhead trophic niche, which occupied less than 30% of eel trophic niche in all but one lake. These estimates suggest that brown bullhead has higher potential to influence shortfin eel nutrition than vice versa, or that a broad trophic niche occupied by eels provides resilience to the effects of overlapping consumption patterns with invasive omnivores.
Transcriptome changes and its effect on physiological and metabolic processes in tea plant during mechanical damage
Authors: Li X. , Lin Y. , Zhao S. , Zhao X. , Geng Z. , Yuan Z.
Published: April 2018

Mechanical damage affects tea plant growth and the quality of tea‐leaf products. However, data on the wound response of tea leaves at the transcriptome level remain scarce. In this study, the transcriptome of wound‐induced tea leaves was analysed by RNA‐Seq and some of their secondary metabolites were determined using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technology. The results showed that 129610 non‐redundant transcripts and 60361 unigenes were obtained, of which 100834 transcripts (77.80% of all transcripts) were annotated by sequence similarity searching against public databases and 28776 transcripts could be potentially new genes or novel transcripts from selective splicing. A total of 19214 differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) were selected from the data set. DET functions involved various physiological and molecular biological processes in tea plant including various transcripts encoding protease inhibitors (PIs), pathogenesis‐related proteins (PRs) and enzymes related to catechin, caffeine and terpenoid metabolic pathways. Moreover, the contents of some polyphenols and caffeine were also validated in tea leaves after an increase in wounding. The transcriptome analysis revealed a reprogramming process in tea plants during wounding that involved various physiological and molecular biological processes, which can increase the resistance of plants against biotic and abiotic stress and affect the quality of tea‐leaf products. Our results not only provide systematic insight into the defence responses in tea plants during mechanical damage, but also are beneficial for the scientific cultivation of tea.
Movement‐based seizure detection
Authors: Arends Johan B. A. M.
Published: April 2018

This is a critical review and comment on the use of movement detection in epileptic seizures. The detection of rhythmic movement components, such as the clonic part of tonic–clonic seizures, is essential in all seizure detection based on movement sensors. Of the many available movement sensor types, accelerometric sensors are used most often. Eleven video‐electroencephalographic (EEG) and 1 field study have been carried out. The results of these clinical trials depend on the population, study design, and seizure evolution. In video‐EEG monitoring units, sensitivity for tonic–clonic seizures varied from 31% to 95%, and positive predictive value from 4% to 60%. In a field trial in a residential adult population with intellectual disability, sensitivity was 14% and positive predictive value was 82%, whereas in patients admitted to an epilepsy clinic, a bed sensor had a sensitivity of 84% (no positive predictive value was given). The algorithms using the “rhythmic movement” component at the end of a tonic–clonic seizure are reliable (few false‐positive alarms) but miss less typical seizure patterns that are mostly present in people with associated brain development disturbances. Other modalities (heart rate and electromyography) are needed to increase the detection performance. Advanced accelerometric techniques allow us to gain greater insight into seizure evolution patterns, possibilities for neuromodulation, and the influence of antiepileptic drugs on specific seizure components.