bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Covid-19 pandemic and entrepreneurship: some reflections
Authors: Liñán Francisco , Jaén Inmaculada
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the world in an unprecedented manner. The economic recession in 2020 is expected to be the most serious since the Second World War. This study aims to analyse the likely consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis on entrepreneurship and new venture activity.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper focuses first on the major shocks caused by the pandemic that may affect entrepreneurial activity. To do so, the authors briefly review the literature about the previous financial crisis and its effects on entrepreneurship. Then, the manuscript means to disentangle how these shocks will impinge on the different stages and motives within the entrepreneurial process.

Findings

This analysis reveals that the consequences of the pandemic for entrepreneurship will be generally damaging, but they may not be so tremendously negative as originally thought. We could initially expect a broad downturn in entrepreneurial activity. Soon after that, however, necessity entrepreneurship is likely to boom. At the same time, but to a lesser extent, high-potential entrepreneurial activity could also be fostered, provided the recovery is quick and there is sufficient support from the environment and institutions.

Originality/value

This is probably one of the first academic reflections on the likely effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on entrepreneurship. It specifically addresses the role of institutions and how they may differently affect necessity and opportunity entrepreneurship. It also suggests interesting related research areas and some basic recommendations on how to help entrepreneurs overcome it.
Who says waiting is boring? How consumer narratives within online communities help reduce stress while waiting
Authors: Hassan Mahmud , Hassan Rumman
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Waiting is associated with pain and stress that leads to frustration. However, consumer narratives may help cope with the stress associated with such waiting. This study aims to understand consumer waiting behaviours within online communities.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was gathered following a netnographic approach from a Facebook brand community (FBC) by downloading and archiving the threads related to members’ waiting behaviours. This resulted in 91 pages of data, with 438 individual comments and 179 distinct threads.

Findings

The data revealed that members of the sampled FBC exercised waiting behaviour. The authors confirm that waiting for a product is associated with both negative outcomes (frustration, boredom, etc.), but positive ones (create stronger ties with the brand and fellow members, etc.). Members of the FBC exhibited reduced consumer anxiety and stress during the waiting period.

Research limitations/implications

This study found 13 waiting behaviours within the FBC and supports the idea that new value-creating behaviours are noticed within the context of FBCs.

Originality/value

This study focuses on waiting within a goods-based context (waiting to be served has been examined predominantly within the service sector). The study explored the behaviours of consumers who use social media to complain about extended waiting periods to receive the product along with other consumer reactions to these waiting crowds to reduce the emotional pain associated with such delays.
“Act-as-if you are infected and infectious”: what has the global therapeutic community movement learnt from COVID-19?
Authors: Gosling Helena , Yates Rowdy
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: to reflect upon what the global therapeutic community (TC) movement has learnt from coronavirus and to consider how TCs will continue to adapt and evolve in a post-pandemic climate.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a viewpoint paper based on the authors’ participation in an international learning event whereby speakers from TCs from around the world spoke about how they adapted their services to overcome adversity.

Findings

The findings are usefully thought out as shelter, creativity, reintegration and employment, technology and roots. Based on the material discussed in the learning event, it would seem that the global TC movement has engaged in a process of looking to the past to move forward by drawing upon founding principles and prescriptions of the TC tradition, rooted in humanistic and indeed humanitarian responses to staff, client and sociocultural needs.

Originality/value

According to the author, this paper is one of the first attempts to capture how TCs from across the globe have responded to the threat of coronavirus.
Meerkat helpers buffer the detrimental effects of adverse environmental conditions on fecundity, growth and survival
Authors: Groenewoud Frank , Clutton‐Brock Tim
Published: November 2020

Recent comparative studies show that cooperative breeding is positively correlated with harsh and unpredictable environments and it is suggested that this association occurs because helpers buffer the negative effects of adverse ecological conditions on fitness.

In the Kalahari, rainfall varies widely between‐ and within years, affecting primary production and the availability of the principal prey of cooperatively breeding Kalahari meerkats,Suricata suricatta. Our study aimed to establish whether the presence and number of helpers buffer the negative effects of variation in rainfall on the fecundity and body mass of breeding females, and the survival and growth of pups.

We investigate the relationship between group size and variation in rainfall on dominant female fecundity, body mass, and offspring survival and growth using an additive modelling approach on 21 years of individual‐based records of the life histories of individual meerkats.

We show that breeding female fecundity is reduced during periods of low rainfall but that the effects of low rainfall are mitigated by increases in group size and body mass because heavier females and those in larger groups have increased fecundity and reduced interbirth intervals. Pup growth and survival are also reduced during periods of low rainfall, but only in smaller groups.

Our results support the suggestion that cooperative breeding mitigates the detrimental effects of adverse environmental conditions and may enhance the capacity of species to occupy environments where food availability is low and unpredictable.
Decoupled but Not Neutral: The Effects of Counter‐Cyclical Cash Transfers on Investment and Incomes in Rural Thailand†
Authors: Wagener Andreas , Zenker Juliane
Published: November 2020

In 2009, the Thai government implemented a price insurance scheme for rice, cassava, and maize farmers. The program, which was abandoned after only two years, added to the incomes of registered farmers a non‐negative but stochastic amount that was decoupled from farmers' agricultural activities. We apply a simple machine learning algorithm based on rich panel data to control for self‐selection into the program and study its impact on small‐scale rice farmers in relatively poor Northeastern Thailand. Program participation increases rice production but also leads to shifts in investment behavior and the composition of income generating activities away from agriculture, which may be beneficial for rural development. Moreover, farmers who are initially less poor experience a substantial increase in overall income. Decreasing risk‐aversion and relieved credit constraints may be possible channels for these effects.
Sexual consent attitudes and rape‐supportive norms among gender and sexual minority students
Authors: Glace Alyssa M. , Kaufman Keith L.
Published: November 2020

College students’ views on sexual consent are developed in discussion with their peers and impacted by the traditional sexual script. This script prescribes gender roles that encourage men's coercion and facilitate victim‐blame. This heteronormative script may be less applicable to sexual minority individuals during same‐gender sexual relationships and to gender minority individuals, who often hold more fluid views on gender. We examine the consent attitudes and perceived rape‐supportive peer norms of American gender and sexual minority (GSM) college students. Using archival data from a campus climate survey (N = 2040), we conducted a series of chi‐square analyses to compare student consent attitudes and perceptions of rape‐supportive peer norms by GSM status and gender. GSM students (vs. cisgender heterosexual students) and women and nonbinary people (vs. men) reported higher support for sexual consent. Having an identity that differs from the roles prescribed in traditional sexual scripts may confer an advantage in developing prosocial views of sexual consent.
The complex relationship between colorism and poor health outcomes with African Americans: A systematic review
Authors: Keyes Latocia , Small Eusebius , Nikolova Silviya
Published: November 2020

Colorism has a deleterious effect on cognition and health impacting populations. Among African Americans, colorism and social stratification based on skin complexion, has profound sociological effects. These social relationships in daily living show the health burden associated with colorism is enormous. Dark‐skinned African Americans have lower socioeconomic status, diminished prestige, and are less likely to hold elected offices compared to their lighter skin counterparts. This systematic review critically examines a wider scope of effects colorism has on African American adults, a topic not well understood and underexplored. To what extent does colorism impact the psychosocial, educational, and economic outcomes of African Americans? What is the evidence for the efficacy of colorism research associated with poor health? PRISMA guidelines, which consisted of a 27‐item checklist and a four‐phase flow diagram, were used to evaluate research studies. A thematic analysis approach was used to identify and summarize qualitative and quantitative studies. The findings illustrate that African Americans with darker skin are significantly impacted by prejudice solely because of the color of their skin. The multidimensionality of colorism within society for African Americans delineates further damaging impacts on human health. Implications for social and policy changes are discussed.
The effect of participation in a regular reproductive herd health program on 80‐day submission rate and 100‐day in‐calf rate in year‐round calving dairy farms
Authors: Brooks SNM , House JK , Ingenhoff L
Published: November 2020

Herd health management programs are commonly implemented on dairy farms to improve farm reproductive performance. In year‐round calving systems, herd health programs can be supported by extension programs such as InCalf, which focus on improving the 100‐day in‐calf rate (100DICR) as a key reproductive performance indicator. The effect of implementing a herd health program was evaluated by analysing the 80‐day submission rate (80DSR) and 100DICR during the initial 18‐month period following commencement of regular herd health visits at 11 year‐round calving dairy farms. The mean 80DSR and 100DICR was calculated for each of six consecutive three‐month intervals following the initial herd health visit at 11 dairy farms distributed across the north and south coasts of New South Wales (NSW). On the 11 study farms 80DSR increased from 36.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 36.7–37.2) at 0–3 months to 61.9% (95% CI 61.4–62.4) and 100DICR increased from 19.1% (95% CI 18.9–19.3) at 0–3 months to 28.5% (95% CI 28.0–29.0) at 15–18 months. 80DSR increased at similar rates on north coast farms compared to south coast farms; however, north coast farms had a lower 100DICR at 0–3 months which increased at a greater rate compared to south coast farms. 100DICR on north coast farms increased from 12.8% (95% CI 12.5–13.2) at 0–3 months to 27.6% (95% CI 26.8–28.4) at 15–18 months, whereas 100DICR on south coast farms increased from 26.7% (95% CI 26.3–27.0) at 0–3 months to 29.6% (95% CI 28.8–30.5) at 15–18 months. Participation in a regular herd health program resulted in an increased 80DSR and 100DICR.
Effectiveness and safety among direct oral anticoagulants in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation: A multi‐database cohort study with meta‐analysis
Authors: Durand Madeleine , Schnitzer Mireille E. , Pang Menglan , Carney Greg , Eltonsy Sherif , Filion Kristian B. , Fisher Anat , Jun Min , Kuo I. Fan , Matteau Alexis , Paterson J. Michael , Quail Jacqueline , Renoux Christel ,   for the Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies (CNODES) Investigators
Published: November 2020

Aims

There are conflicting signals in the literature about comparative safety and effectiveness of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).

Methods

We conducted multicentre matched cohort studies with secondary meta‐analysis to assess safety and effectiveness of dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban across 9 administrative healthcare databases. We included adults with NVAF initiating anticoagulation therapy (dabigatran, rivaroxaban or apixaban), and constructed 3 cohorts to compare DOACs pairwise. The primary outcome was pooled hazard ratio (pHR) of ischaemic stroke or systemic thromboembolism. Secondary outcomes included pHR of major bleeding, and a composite of stroke, major bleeding, or all‐cause mortality. We used proportional hazard Cox regressions models, and pooled estimates were obtained with random effect meta‐analyses.

Results

The cohorts included 73 414 new users of dabigatran, 92 881 of rivaroxaban, and 61 284 of apixaban. After matching, the pHRs (95% confidence intervals) comparing rivaroxaban initiation to dabigatran were: 1.11 (0.93, 1.32) for ischaemic stroke or systemic thromboembolism, 1.26 (1.09, 1.46) for major bleeding, and 1.17 (1.05, 1.30) for the composite endpoint. For apixaban vs dabigatran, they were: 0.91 (0.74, 1.12) for ischaemic stroke or systemic thromboembolism, 0.89 (0.75, 1.05) for major bleeding, and 0.94 (0.78 to 1.14) for the composite endpoint. For apixaban vs rivaroxaban, they were: 0.85 (0.74, 0.99) for ischaemic stroke or systemic thromboembolism, 0.61 (0.53, 0.70) for major bleeding, and 0.82 (0.76, 0.88) for the composite endpoint.

Conclusion

We found that apixaban use is associated with lower risks of stroke and bleeding compared with rivaroxaban, and similar risks compared with dabigatran.
Conservation in heavily urbanized biodiverse regions requires urgent management action and attention to governance
Authors: Kehoe Laura J. , Lund Jessie , Chalifour Lia , Asadian Yeganeh , Balke Eric , Boyd Sean , Carlson Deborah , Casey James M. , Connors Brendan , Cryer Nicolai , Drever Mark C. , Hinch Scott , Levings Colin , MacDuffee Misty , McGregor Heidi , Richardson John , Scott David C. , Stewart Daniel , Vennesland Ross G. , Wilkinson Chad E. , Zevit Pamela , Baum Julia K. , Martin Tara G.
Published: November 2020

Throughout history, humans have settled in areas of high biodiversity. Today these areas are home to our biggest urban centers with biodiversity at increasing risk from escalating cumulative threats. Identifying the management strategies to conserve species within such regions, and ensuring effective governance to oversee their implementation, presents enormous challenges. Using a novel Priority Threat Management (PTM) approach that calculates the cost‐effectiveness of conservation action and co‐governance, we discover that the 102 species at risk of local extinction within Canada's most diverse, heavily urbanized coastal region, the Fraser River estuary, require urgent investment in management strategies costing an estimated CAD$381 M over 25 years. Our study also suggests that co‐governance underpins conservation success in urban areas, by increasing the feasibility of management strategies. This study underscores that biodiversity conservation in heavily urbanized areas is not a lost cause but does require strategic planning, attention to governance, and large‐scale investment.
Hidradenitis suppurativa is associated with hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism: a large‐scale population‐based study
Authors: Sherman Shany , Tzur Bitan Dana , Kridin Khalaf , Pavlovsky Lev , Hodak Emmilia , Cohen Arnon D.
Published: November 2020

Background

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease involving the skin bearing apocrine glands. There are numerous comorbidities and associated diseases among patients with HS. The association of HS and thyroid abnormalities is equivocal. We aimed to explore whether HS is associated with thyroid disorders.

Methods

In this cross‐sectional large‐scale population‐based study in Israel, patients with a validated diagnosis of HS were matched at a proportion of 1:5 with age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls without HS. A cross‐checking for HS diagnosis by International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision (ICD‐9) coding, and hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism by ICD‐9 coding was performed. Demographic and exposure covariates were identified. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were utilized to establish the association of HS with thyroid disorders.

Results

Study participants included 4,191 HS patients and 20,941 controls. The average age of patients was 39.7 years old, and 61.8% were female. 53.4% of HS patients and 13.5% of controls (P < 0.001) were smokers. Odds ratios (ORs) for hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism in HS were 2.91 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.48–3.40) and 2.25 (95% CI 1.55–3.28), respectively (P < 0.001 for both). While the association of HS with hypothyroidism was maintained across genders and all age groups, and remained positive after controlling for smoking status, the association with hyperthyroidism remained positive only among females, middle‐aged patients, and nonsmokers.

Conclusion

HS is independently associated with hypothyroidism. The association of HS with hyperthyroidism held significance only in limited subgroups. Smoking status is a major modifier, mainly in the association of HS with hyperthyroidism.
Supporting mental health staff following exposure to occupational violence – staff perceptions of ‘peer’ support
Authors: Bakes‐Denman Lara , Mansfield Yolanda , Meehan Tom
Published: November 2020

Mental health professionals frequently work in environments where stressful, unpredictable, and potentially volatile situations can arise. Staff responses to these, often violent events, can be severe and enduring. Psychological first aid provided by a colleague following exposure to such violence is gaining increasing acceptance as a means of assisting affected individuals. However, there has been little attention to how staff perceive this support. In this study, interviews were conducted with 13 staff employed in a secure facility and thematically analysed using content analysis. Four content themes emerged: responding to emotional distress, empowering staff through practical support, the good provider, and resilience. The results indicate that staff value and benefit from receiving support from peers following exposure to occupational violence. Most would access peer support again and would consider recommending it to others. A small number choose not to engage with the programme and the reasons for this are also discussed. This type of peer support could be applied in other high‐risk workplaces as a key element of an integrated and comprehensive workplace violence prevention and management strategy.
Mother‐role development program and postpartum health‐service utilization by adolescent mothers: A randomized, controlled trial
Authors: Talungchit Pattarawalai , Kwadkweang Supaporn , Limsiri Pattarawan
Published: November 2020

Aim

To evaluate the impact of a mother‐role development program on postpartum health‐service utilization by adolescent mothers.

Methods

A single center, parallel, randomized, controlled, open‐label trial using a computer‐generated sequence was conducted at Siriraj Hospital. In all, 120 teenage mothers who delivered February 2015–December 2016 were randomized into experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in a 2‐year, mother‐role development program at the Young Family Clinic. The two groups' characteristics, pregnancy outcomes and postpartum follow‐up details over the 2‐year period were compared. The main outcome measure was the utilization of maternal healthcare services (MHS).

Results

The teenage mothers were randomized into two groups of 60 participants each. Many were progressively lost to follow‐up, leaving only 37 (experimental group, 19; control group, 18) for the intention‐to‐treat analysis. The results demonstrated a higher MHS utilization by the experimental group, but only at the 6‐week postpartum follow‐up. The usage of long‐acting, reversible contraception (birth control implants and intrauterine devices) rose from 53.3% (immediate postpartum) to 95.5% (2 years postpartum). The two groups also had identical repeat pregnancy rates (6.67%; four participants in each), a marked decrease from 20% in a prior study. The breastfeeding rate was consistently higher among the mothers undertaking the mother‐role development program.

Conclusion

The program increased both MHS utilization during the initial postpartum period and the breastfeeding duration. Access to immediate postpartum contraception and long‐acting, reversible contraception was associated with a reduction in repeat teen pregnancies. Having a multidisciplinary team was key to the health‐service improvements.
Home gardening improves dietary diversity, a cluster‐randomized controlled trial among Tanzanian women
Authors: Blakstad Mia M. , Mosha Dominic , Bellows Alexandra L. , Canavan Chelsey R. , Chen Jarvis T. , Mlalama Killian , Noor Ramadhani A. , Kinabo Joyce , Masanja Honorati , Fawzi Wafaie W.
Published: November 2020

Homestead food production (HFP) programmes improve the availability of vegetables by providing training in growing nutrient‐dense crops. In rural Tanzania, most foods consumed are carbohydrate‐rich staples with low micronutrient concentrations. This cluster‐randomized controlled trial investigated whether women growing home gardens have higher dietary diversity, household food security or probability of consuming nutrient‐rich food groups than women in a control group. We enrolled 1,006 women of reproductive age in 10 villages in Pwani Region in eastern Tanzania, split between intervention (INT) and control (CON) groups. INT received (a) agricultural training and inputs to promote HFP and dietary diversity and (b) nutrition and public health counselling from agricultural extension workers and community health workers. CON received standard services provided by agriculture and health workers. Results were analysed using linear regression models with propensity weighting adjusting for individual‐level confounders and differential loss to follow up. Women in INT consumed 0.50 (95% CI [0.20, 0.80],p= 0.001) more food groups per day than women in CON. Women in INT were also 14 percentage points (95% CI [6, 22],p= 0.001) more likely to consume at least five food groups per day, and INT households were 6 percentage points (95% CI [−13, 0],p= 0.059) less likely to experience moderate‐to‐severe food insecurity compared with CON. This home gardening intervention had positive effects on diet quality and food security after 1 year. Future research should explore whether impact is sustained over time as well as the effects of home garden interventions on additional measures of nutritional status.
Tracking the Evolution of Chinese Learners’ Multilingual Motivation Through a Longitudinal Q Methodology
Authors: ZHENG YONGYAN , LU XIUCHUAN , REN WEI
Published: November 2020

This study uses a Q methodology to track the changing motivational profiles of 15 Chinese university students simultaneously engaged in second‐language (L2) English and third‐language (L3) Spanish learning over 1.5 years. Guided by complex dynamic systems theory (CDST), the study aims to investigate the initial trigger that propelled the Chinese learners to engage in intensive L3 learning and to chart the different routes of multilingual self‐development. Over the 1.5 years, Q sort tasks were administered at 3 time points, and retrospective interviews elicited data to complement the Q sort analysis. A nonspecific multilingual posture was found to be the initial trigger for voluntary investment in intensive L3 learning. A motivational profile with a dominating translingual and transcultural orientation develops into either more constitutive ideal multilingual selves or more language‐specific integrative ideal selves, continuously exerting motivational forces. Another profile, which has a dominating instrumental orientation, generates diminishing motivational forces. We argue that different aspects of multilingual learning motivation may be operating in parallel through correlative associations in the holistic, dynamic, and relational system of multilingual self. The article concludes by discussing pedagogical implications for learning and teaching multiple foreign languages for university students.
Perinatal depression screening in Australia: A position paper
Authors: Hazell Raine Karen , Thorpe Karen , Boyce Philip
Published: November 2020

Perinatal depression can have enduring adverse effects on women and their children and families, incurring substantial ongoing economic and personal costs. A significant proportion of the cost of perinatal depression relates to adverse impacts on the child, most likely mediated through impairment to the mother‐infant relationship. In recognition of this problem, Australia has invested in routine perinatal depression screening. Our previous research produced convergent findings suggesting that expected benefits for children have not yet been realised through perinatal depression screening. We question the potential of including a measure of personality in current perinatal depression screening for identifying maternal mental health problems and suboptimal mother‐infant relationships. This paper reviews our previous research findings within the broader context of perinatal depression screening. We propose a position, that perinatal depression screening in Australia should be redesigned to more precisely detect vulnerable mother‐infant relationships, parenting, maternal mental health, and infant psychosocial and psychological development. Practice change to appropriately target antenatal interventions may more efficiently improve both maternal and child outcomes, thereby contributing to greater efficiency and cost savings for the health system.
Debt and Overindebtedness: Psychological Evidence and its Policy Implications
Authors: Lea Stephen E. G.
Published: November 2020

This paper reviews psychological studies of real‐life use of credit, debt, and overindebtedness, with the aim of making policy recommendations that could reduce the damage done by debt to both individuals and society. The overall level of debt in society is heavily influenced by the level of economic inequality and social insecurity, and no psychological factor can prevent debt if excessive socioeconomic disadvantage is not addressed. Within that constraint, psychological precursors to debt problems, psychological impacts of debt, and psychological strategies to help people get out of debt can be identified. Research results in these areas are used to formulate a series of recommendations that could help mitigate debt problems.
Detection of the novel HLA‐B*51:232:02 variant in an inhabitant from the island of Crete
Authors: Gontika Ioanna , Latsoudis Helen , Zamanakou Maria , Stylianakis Emmanouil , Papadaki Helen A.
Published: November 2020

Characterization of the HLA‐B*51:232:02 allele in a Greek individual of Cretan origin.
Early CT in dogs following traumatic brain injury has limited value in predicting short‐term prognosis
Authors: Wyatt Sophie , Llabres‐Diaz Francisco , Lee Chae Youn , Beltran Elsa
Published: November 2020

Traumatic brain injury is associated with a high risk of mortality in veterinary patients, however publications describing valid prognostic indicators are currently lacking. The objective of this retrospective observational study was to determine whether early CT findings are associated with short‐term prognosis following traumatic brain injury (TBI) in dogs. An electronic database was searched for dogs with TBI that underwent CT within 72 h of injury; 40 dogs met the inclusion criteria. CT findings were graded based on a Modified Advanced Imaging System (MAIS) from grade I (normal brain parenchyma) to VI (bilateral lesions affecting the brainstem with or without any foregoing lesions of lesser grades). Other imaging features recorded included presence of midline shift, intracranial hemorrhage, brain herniation, skull fractures, and percentage of total brain parenchyma affected. Outcome measures included survival to discharge and occurrence of immediate onset posttraumatic seizures. Thirty dogs (75%) survived to discharge. Seven dogs (17.5%) suffered posttraumatic seizures. There was no association between survival to discharge and posttraumatic seizures. No imaging features evaluated were associated with the study outcome measures. Therefore, the current study failed to identify any early CT imaging features with prognostic significance in canine TBI patients. Limitations associated with CT may preclude its use for prognostication; however, modifications to the current MAIS and evaluation in a larger study population may yield more useful results. Despite this, CT is a valuable tool in the detection of structural abnormalities following TBI in dogs that warrants further investigation.
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of meperidine after intramuscular and subcutaneous administration in horses
Authors: Hanafi Amanda L. , Reed Rachel A. , Trenholme Heather N. , Sakai Daniel M. , Ryan Clare A. , Barletta Michele , Quandt Jane E. , Knych Heather K.
Published: November 2020

Objective

To describe the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of meperidine after IM and subcutaneous administration in horses.

Study design

prospective, randomized, blinded, crossover trial.

Animals

Six adult horses weighing 494 ± 33 kg.

Methods

Treatments included meperidine 1 mg/kg IM with saline 6 mL subcutaneously, meperidine 1 mg/kg subcutaneously with saline 6 mL IM, and saline 6 mL subcutaneously and 6 mL IM, with a 7‐day washout between treatments. Plasma meperidine concentrations and pharmacodynamic values (thermal and mechanical thresholds, physiological variables, fecal production) were collected at various time points for 24 hours. Accelerometry data were obtained for 8 hours to measure locomotor activity. Data were analyzed with a mixed effects model, and α was set at .05.

Results

Meperidine terminal half‐life (T1/2), maximal plasma concentrations, and time to maximal concentration were 186 ± 59 and 164 ± 56 minutes, 265.7 ± 47.2 and 243.1 ± 80.1 ng/mL at 17 ± 6, and 24 ± 13 minutes for IM at subcutaneous administration, respectively. No effect of treatment or time was observed on thermal or mechanical thresholds, heart rate, respiratory rate, locomotor activity, frequency of defecations, or fecal weight (P> .2 for all).

Conclusion

Maximum meperidine concentrations were achieved quickly with a short T1/2in both treatment groups. Neither IM nor subcutaneous meperidine influenced thermal or mechanical threshold or physiological variables.

Clinical significance

The short half‐life and lack of detectable antinociceptive effect do not support IM or subcutaneous administration meperidine at 1 mg/kg for analgesia in horses.
Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of the Azores

Authors: Niedbała Wojciech , Buczkowska Katarzyna
Published: November 2020

Seven soil samples have been collected on four islands of the Azores, in which 14 species of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) were found. One new species Phthiracarus andreasi Niedbała sp. nov. from Faial Island is described. Four species have been recorded for the first time from the Azores. Molecular analysis showed that the differences in the sculpture patterns in Euphthiracarus excultus Pérez-Iñigo, 1987 represent within-species variability. However, the length of body setae can separate two different species: Phthiracarus atlanticus Pérez-Iñigo, 1987 sensu stricto and Phthiracarus falciformis Morell & Subías, 1991, despite the absence of any other morphological differences. On the basis of our morphological and molecular data, a key to species from the Azores is provided.
Seven new vagrant eriophyoid species (Acari: Eriophyoidea) from semi-arid and arid environment in East Iran

Authors: Honarmand Arash , Sadeghi-namaghi Hussein , Lillo Enrico De
Published: November 2020

During field surveys of eriophyid mites associated with autochthonous plants species in semi-arid and arid environments in East Iran (Birjand, South Khorasan, Iran, summer 2016 and 2017), seven new eriophyid mite species (Acari: Eriophyidae) were discovered. They are Aceria astratorae sp. nov. on Astragalus pinetorum Boiss. (Leguminosae), Aceria astracanthae sp. nov. on Astracantha echidna (Bunge) Podlech (Leguminosae), Aceria furgae sp. nov. on Ephedra major Host (Ephedraceae), Aceria runicae sp. nov. on Rubia caramanica Bornm. (Rubiaceae), Aculus birsutum sp. nov. on Epilobium hirsutum L. (Onagraceae), Phyllocoptes birreae sp. nov. on Centaurea virgata Lam. (Compositae), and Neophytoptus semenovis sp. nov. on Semenovia suffruticosa (Freyn & Bornm.) Manden (Apiaceae), which are illustrated and described herein. All seven new species appear to be vagrants on green parts of their host plants with no particular symptom.
ECM-inspired micro/nanofibers for modulating cell function and tissue generation
Authors: Xu Yun , Shi Guodong , Tang Jincheng , Cheng Ruoyu , Shen Xiaofeng , Gu Yong , Wu Liang , Xi Kun , Zhao Yihong , Cui Wenguo , Chen Liang
Published: November 2020

A ECM-inspired heterogeneous scaffold promoted dura mater healing and inhibited fibrosis via microstructural/biochemical cues.
Controlling information duration on rewritable luminescent paper based on hybrid antimony (III) chloride/small-molecule absorbates
Authors: Wang Zeping , Xie Dingli , Zhang Feng , Yu Jiabing , Chen Xianping , Wong Ching Ping
Published: November 2020

The controllable response of materials to small-molecule absorbates helps control the information duration on rewritable paper.
Regeneration of the pulmonary vascular endothelium after viral pneumonia requires COUP-TF2
Authors: Zhao Gan , Weiner Aaron I. , Neupauer Katherine M. , de Mello Costa Maria Fernanda , Palashikar Gargi , Adams-Tzivelekidis Stephanie , Mangalmurti Nilam S. , Vaughan Andrew E.
Published: November 2020

Repair of blood vessels after viral lung injury is achieved by resident endothelial cells and requires COUP-TF2.
First global observations of third-degree ocean tides
Authors: Ray Richard D.
Published: November 2020

A new family of small ocean tides is extracted from three decades of satellite altimetry.
Single-cell peripheral immunoprofiling of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases
Authors: Phongpreecha Thanaphong , Fernandez Rosemary , Mrdjen Dunja , Culos Anthony , Gajera Chandresh R. , Wawro Adam M. , Stanley Natalie , Gaudilliere Brice , Poston Kathleen L. , Aghaeepour Nima , Montine Thomas J.
Published: November 2020

Peripheral immune responses of Alzheimer’s disease patients are uniquely different from those of healthy and disease controls.
Protein-avoidant ionic liquid (PAIL)–coated nanoparticles to increase bloodstream circulation and drive biodistribution
Authors: Hamadani Christine M. , Goetz Morgan J. , Mitragotri Samir , Tanner Eden E. L.
Published: November 2020

Ionic liquid–modified nanoparticles show extended circulation and redirected biodistribution in mice compared to control particles.
Engineering cytokines and cytokine circuits
Authors: Li Aileen W. , Lim Wendell A.
Published: November 2020

Learning to speak the secret language of immune cells could improve immunotherapies
Increased growing-season productivity drives earlier autumn leaf senescence in temperate trees
Authors: Zani Deborah , Crowther Thomas W. , Mo Lidong , Renner Susanne S. , Zohner Constantin M.
Published: November 2020

Limits to the growing season

The length of the growing season in temperate forests has been increasing under recent climate change because of earlier leaf emergence and later leaf senescence. However, Zani
et al.
show that this trend might be reversed as increasing photosynthetic productivity begins to drive earlier autumn leaf senescence (see the Perspective by Rollinson). Using a combination of experimental, observational, and modeling studies based on European forest trees, the researchers conclude that leaf senescence will advance by 3 to 6 days by the end of the 21st century rather than lengthening by 1 to 3 weeks as current phenological models have predicted. In turn, this predicted phenological pattern will limit the capacity of temperate forests to mitigate climate change through carbon uptake.

Science
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; see also p.
1030
Sampling interstitial fluid from human skin using a microneedle patch
Authors: Samant Pradnya P. , Niedzwiecki Megan M. , Raviele Nicholas , Tran Vilinh , Mena-Lapaix Juan , Walker Douglas I. , Felner Eric I. , Jones Dean P. , Miller Gary W. , Prausnitz Mark R.
Published: November 2020

Interstitial fluid from skin sampled with a microneedle-based method identified clinically relevant metabolic biomarkers in humans compared to plasma.
Bentonites -
Authors: Chiou Wen-An , Coutelle Helmut , Decher Andreas , Dörschug Michael , Dohrmann Reiner , Gilg Albert , Kaufhold Stephan , Karidakis Theodore , Kesore Kisnaduth , Koch Dietrich , Krause Annette , Plötze Michael , Rickertsen Nils Rickertsen , Stucki Joseph W. , Stützer Albert , Ufer Kristian
Published: November 2020

Bentonites are rocks mostly consisting of swelling clay minerals. They were first described from the Cretaceous Benton Shale near Rock River, Wyoming, USA.

 Because of their useful properties (e.g. highly adsorbent, cation exchanging, swelling), bentonites have many uses, in industry (among them as drilling mud, purification agent, binder, adsorbent, paper production), culture (for e.g. pottery) and medicine/cosmetics/cat litter, civil engineering, and in the future even in the disposal of high-level nuclear waste.

 Particular chemical characteristics of bentonite clay minerals are rather variable but critically determine their suitability for a particular application.

 The 15 specialist authors discuss bentonite terminology, classification and genesis and use in eight chapters. Individual chapters deal with the methods bentonites are analysed with, their properties and performance in terms of parameters such as cation exchange capactiy, rheology, coagulation concentraion, water uptake capacity, free swelling, and electrical resistivity (amongst others).

 A chapter is dedicated to the sources of bentonites, the technology employed to produce them, and how quality control is carried out both in the mine and the laboratory. A further chapter is dedicated to methods of processing the mined material, different activation methods, drying, grinding, and purification.
  Use cases for bentonites are discussed in a chapter of its own. References, a section on norms and standards, and a list of abbreviations complete the text.

 The volume addresses students, researchers, and professionals in the mineral industry dealing with bentonite and their clay-mineral constituents, quality assessement and control, and persons that use bentonites in their products.
Phosphorylation on PstP Regulates Cell Wall Metabolism and Antibiotic Tolerance in Mycobacterium smegmatis
Authors: Shamma Farah , Papavinasasundaram Kadamba , Quintanilla Samantha Y. , Bandekar Aditya , Sassetti Christopher , Boutte Cara C.
Published: November 2020

Regulation of cell wall assembly is essential for bacterial survival and contributes to pathogenesis and antibiotic tolerance in mycobacteria, including pathogens such as
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
. However, little is known about how the cell wall is regulated in stress.
Inference of Active Viral Replication in Cases with Sustained Positive Reverse Transcription-PCR Results for SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Rodríguez-Grande Cristina , Adán-Jiménez Javier , Catalán Pilar , Alcalá Luis , Estévez Agustín , Muñoz Patricia , Pérez-Lago Laura , García de Viedma Darío
Published: November 2020

The purpose of this study was to detect coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases with persistent positive reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) results for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), for which viable virus can be inferred due to the presence of subgenomic (SG) viral RNA, which is expressed only in replicating viruses. RNA remnants purified from diagnostic nasopharyngeal specimens were used as the templates for RT-PCR-specific detection of SG E gene RNA.
Evaluation of Optimal Blood Culture Incubation Time To Maximize Clinically Relevant Results from a Contemporary Blood Culture Instrument and Media System
Authors: Ransom Eric M. , Alipour Zahra , Wallace Meghan A. , Burnham Carey-Ann D.
Published: November 2020

Timely diagnosis of microorganisms in blood cultures is necessary to optimize therapy. Although blood culture media and systems have evolved for decades, the standard interval for incubation prior to being discarded as negative has remained 5 days. Here, we evaluated the optimal incubation time for the BacT/Alert Virtuo blood culture detection system (bioMérieux) using FA Plus (aerobic) and FN Plus (anaerobic) resin culture bottles in routine clinical use.
A Quick Guide to Small-Molecule Inhibitors of Eukaryotic Protein Synthesis
Authors: Dmitriev S. E. , Vladimirov D. O. , Lashkevich K. A.
Published: November 2020

Eukaryotic ribosome and cap-dependent translation are attractive targets in the antitumor, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antiparasitic therapies. Currently, a broad array of small-molecule drugs is known that specifically inhibit protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells. Many of them are well-studied ribosome-targeting antibiotics that block translocation, the peptidyl transferase center or the polypeptide exit tunnel, modulate the binding of translation machinery components to the ribosome, and induce miscoding, premature termination or stop codon readthrough. Such inhibitors are widely used as anticancer, anthelmintic and antifungal agents in medicine, as well as fungicides in agriculture. Chemicals that affect the accuracy of stop codon recognition are promising drugs for the nonsense suppression therapy of hereditary diseases and restoration of tumor suppressor function in cancer cells. Other compounds inhibit aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, translation factors, and components of translation-associated signaling pathways, including mTOR kinase. Some of them have antidepressant, immunosuppressive and geroprotective properties. Translation inhibitors are also used in research for gene expression analysis by ribosome profiling, as well as in cell culture techniques. In this article, we review well-studied and less known inhibitors of eukaryotic protein synthesis (with the exception of mitochondrial and plastid translation) classified by their targets and briefly describe the action mechanisms of these compounds. We also present a continuously updated database (http://eupsic.belozersky.msu.ru/) that currently contains information on 370 inhibitors of eukaryotic protein synthesis.
Convolutional neural network to identify symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease using multimodal retinal imaging
Authors: Wisely C. Ellis , Wang Dong , Henao Ricardo , Grewal Dilraj S. , Thompson Atalie C. , Robbins Cason B. , Yoon Stephen P. , Soundararajan Srinath , Polascik Bryce W. , Burke James R. , Liu Andy , Carin Lawrence , Fekrat Sharon
Published: November 2020

Background/Aims

To develop a convolutional neural network (CNN) to detect symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease (AD) using a combination of multimodal retinal images and patient data.

Methods

Colour maps of ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) thickness, superficial capillary plexus (SCP) optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) images, and ultra-widefield (UWF) colour and fundus autofluorescence (FAF) scanning laser ophthalmoscopy images were captured in individuals with AD or healthy cognition. A CNN to predict AD diagnosis was developed using multimodal retinal images, OCT and OCTA quantitative data, and patient data.

Results

284 eyes of 159 subjects (222 eyes from 123 cognitively healthy subjects and 62 eyes from 36 subjects with AD) were used to develop the model. Area under the receiving operating characteristic curve (AUC) values for predicted probability of AD for the independent test set varied by input used: UWF colour AUC 0.450 (95% CI 0.282, 0.592), OCTA SCP 0.582 (95% CI 0.440, 0.724), UWF FAF 0.618 (95% CI 0.462, 0.773), GC-IPL maps 0.809 (95% CI 0.700, 0.919). A model incorporating all images, quantitative data and patient data (AUC 0.836 (CI 0.729, 0.943)) performed similarly to models only incorporating all images (AUC 0.829 (95% CI 0.719, 0.939)). GC-IPL maps, quantitative data and patient data AUC 0.841 (95% CI 0.739, 0.943).

Conclusion

Our CNN used multimodal retinal images to successfully predict diagnosis of symptomatic AD in an independent test set. GC-IPL maps were the most useful single inputs for prediction. Models including only images performed similarly to models also including quantitative data and patient data.
Predominance of hyperopia in autosomal dominant Best vitelliform macular dystrophy
Authors: Coussa Razek G. , Binkley Elaine M. , Wilkinson Mark E. , Andorf Jeaneen L. , Tucker Budd A. , Mullins Robert F. , Sohn Elliott H. , Yannuzzi Lawrence A. , Stone Edwin M. , Han Ian C.
Published: November 2020

Background/Aims

Patients withBEST1-associated autosomal dominant Best vitelliform macular dystrophy (AD-BVMD) have been reported to be hyperopic, but the prevalence of refractive error has not been described. This study aimed to characterise the type and degree of refractive error in a large cohort of patients with AD-BVMD compared with an age-similar group withABCA4-associated Stargardt disease.

Methods

This was a retrospective chart review of consecutive patients with molecularly confirmed AD-BVMD and Stargardt macular dystrophy seen at a single academic centre. Demographic information, including age, gender and genotype were extracted from the chart. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), as well as type and degree of refractive error on manifest refraction for each eye on each visit, were recorded and compared.

Results

A total of 178 eyes from 89 patients with AD-BVMD (35 women, 54 men; mean age 36.6 years) and 306 eyes from 153 patients (94 women, 59 men, mean age 30.2 years) with Stargardt disease were included in the study. Mean BCVA was excellent for both AD-BVMD and Stargardt eyes (logMAR 0.23 vs logMAR 0.31, respectively; p=0.55). At initial refraction, 73.0% of AD-BVMD eyes (130/178) were hyperopic, with mean spherical equivalent (SE) +1.38 dioptres (median +0.88) whereas 80.7% of Stargardt eyes (247/306) were myopic, with mean SE of −1.76 dioptres (median −1.19) (p<0.001).

Conclusion

Patients with AD-BVMD are predominantly hyperopic, whereas those with Stargardt disease are predominantly myopic. The findings provide further evidence of a role forBEST1in ocular growth and development.