bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The promise, perceptions, and pitfalls of immunoassays for autoantibody testing in myositis
Authors:   on behalf of the International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies (IMACS) Group Myositis Autoantibody Scientific Interest Group, Tansley Sarah L. , Snowball Julia , Pauling John D. , Lissina Anya , Kuwana Masataka , Rider Lisa G. , Rönnelid Johan , McHugh Neil J.
Published: May 2020

Background

A myositis-specific autoantibody can now be identified in the majority of patients with myositis. They identify homogeneous patient subgroups and are key tools in developing a personalized approach to disease management. There is substantial clinical interest in exploiting myositis autoantibodies as biomarkers, and consequently, a large number of commercial assays have been developed for their detection. These assays are already in widespread clinical use. In order to better understand perceived concerns from the international myositis community in relation to the reliability of these assays and how they are being used, we conducted a survey of international myositis experts, all of whom were members of the International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies group.

Results

We collected data on the types of assay used, manufacturers, and the nature of the report provided by different laboratories and received 111 complete responses. Respondents also provided information on how they used the different assays, their confidence in the results, and how this influenced their clinical practice. Enzyme immunoassay/ELISA was the most popular assay method used worldwide followed by line blot. Line blot was the most popular method used in Europe. Despite concerns from over 80% of respondents regarding false-positive and false-negative results with the assay used by their laboratory, over 80% reported that the identification of a myositis autoantibody influenced their diagnostic confidence, the information they provided to a patient, and their recommended treatment.

Conclusions

In spite of ongoing concerns from the majority of users regarding the reliability of the results, myositis-specific autoantibody testing, using commercial immunoassays, is being used globally to inform clinical decision-making. These findings highlight the need for urgent guidance on the use of myositis autoantibody testing and on the interpretation of results. Knowledge of the reliability of currently available assays is essential given the importance already placed on myositis-specific autoantibodies as clinical decision-making tools.
Generation of gene-corrected functional osteoclasts from osteopetrotic induced pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Xian Xiaojie , Moraghebi Roksana , Löfvall Henrik , Fasth Anders , Henriksen Kim , Richter Johan , Woods Niels-Bjarne , Moscatelli Ilana
Published: May 2020

Background

Infantile malignant osteopetrosis (IMO) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by non-functional osteoclasts and a fatal outcome early in childhood. About 50% of patients have mutations in the TCIRG1 gene.

Methods

IMO iPSCs were generated from a patient carrying a homozygous c.11279G>A (IVS18+1) mutation in TCIRG1 and transduced with a lentiviral vector expressing human TCIRG1. Embryoid bodies were generated and differentiated into monocytes. Non-adherent cells were harvested and further differentiated into osteoclasts on bovine bone slices.

Results

Release of the bone resorption biomarker CTX-I into the media of gene-corrected osteoclasts was 5-fold higher than that of the uncorrected osteoclasts and 35% of that of control osteoclasts. Bone resorption potential was confirmed by the presence of pits on the bones cultured with gene-corrected osteoclasts, absent in the uncorrected IMO osteoclasts.

Conclusions

The disease phenotype was partially corrected in vitro, providing a valuable resource for therapy development for this form of severe osteopetrosis.
Characterization and antimicrobial activity of lectins purified from three Egyptian leguminous seeds
Authors: El-Araby Magda M. , El-Shatoury Einas H. , Soliman Mervat M. , Shaaban Hanan F.
Published: May 2020

Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins that play vital roles in many biological processes. In this study, lectins from three Egyptian cultivars (fava bean, lentil, and pea) were isolated by precipitation with different concentrations of ammonium sulfate. The purification process was performed by affinity chromatography using mannose agarose. The highest concentration of purified lectins (1.48 mg/g) was recorded in pea at 90% saturation. SDS-PAGE of the purified lectins revealed bands of low molecular weights (14 to 18 kDa). The complete amino acid sequences of purified lectins were assessed using mass spectrometry (MS), which indicated the presence of the peptides favin, p54, and psl in fava bean, lentil, and pea, respectively. The lectins showed antimicrobial activity. The highest inhibition zone (35 mm) was measured with lectin purified from lentil against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, followed by pea lectin (33.4 mm) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 10145. To the best of our knowledge, the legume lectins in this study are the first lectins to exhibit antifungal activity against Candida albicans, with the maximum inhibition zone (25.1 mm) observed with purified lectins of fava bean. Additionally, the first scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showing agglutination and clumping of microbial cells exposed to tested lectins are provided. These findings proved that Egyptian legume lectins are distinct from other lectins reported in previous studies and demonstrated their potential as antimicrobial agents against human pathogenic microorganisms.
Rich production media as a platform for CHO cell line development
Authors: Kim Yong Jae , Han Sang Kyul , Yoon Seongtae , Kim Chan Wha
Published: May 2020

Recent cell culture media for mammalian cells can be abundantly formulated with nutrients supporting production, but such media can be limited to use in host cell culture, transfection, cell cloning, and cell growth under the low cell density conditions. In many cases, appropriate platform media are used for cell line development, and then replaced with rich media for production. In this study, we demonstrate rich chemically defined media for Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells that are suitable as basal media both for cell line development and for final production of culture process. Set up for transfection, semi-solid media optimization, mini-pool screening, and single cell cloning media development were performed, and final clones were obtained with higher productivity in fed-batch culture mode using rich formulated media comparing with lean formulated media. Developed methods may remove the requirements for cell adaptation to production media after cell line development, and relieve the clonality issues associated with changing the culture media. Furthermore, established methods have advantages over traditional approaches, including saving resources and decreasing the time and the effort required to optimize the production process.
Vitamin B—Can it prevent cognitive decline? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Behrens Annika , Graessel Elmar , Pendergrass Anna , Donath Carolin
Published: May 2020

Background

Development of cognitive decline represents substantial issues in today’s society, steadily gaining importance with increasing life expectancy. One potential approach to preventing cognitive decline is to lower homocysteine by administering vitamin B. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we address this topic and investigate whether oral supplementation of vitamin B can successfully prevent cognitive decline in cognitively unimpaired individuals.

Methods

A computerized systematic literature search was conducted using the electronic databases PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Eligibility criteria included oral supplementation with vitamin B (B1, B6, folic acid, and B12) and the absence of cognitive impairment. A meta-analysis was conducted with “global cognition” as the primary outcome of this review. Secondary outcomes were changes in cognitive function in other cognitive domains reported in the included studies. Risk of bias was assessed according to the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and the GRADE approach to establish the overall certainty of the evidence.

Results

The meta-analysis did not yield a significant overall effect of supplementation with vitamin B on cognitive function (Z= 0.87;p= 0.39; SMD, 0.02; 95% CI, − 0.034, 0.08). A sensitivity analysis focusing on specific risk factors did not alter this result. Some studies reported isolated significant effects of the intervention on secondary outcomes. However, these findings were outnumbered by the number of cognitive tests that did not yield significant effects.

Discussion

We found no overall evidence that oral vitamin B supplementation prevented cognitive decline. The isolated significant effects that were reported could be attributed to methodological issues. The results of this review do not provide evidence that population groups with certain risk factors would profit more from the intervention than others. Our findings do not apply to forms of administration other than oral supplementation nor do they offer information regarding the treatment of cognitively impaired individuals via the administration of vitamin B.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO CRD42017071692
Retraction Note: Generalization of the Levinson inequality with applications to information theory
Authors: Adeel Muhammad , Khan Khuram Ali , Pečarić Đilda , Pečarić Josip
Published: May 2020

The Publisher has retracted this article [1]. Owing to an administrative error it was published without the amendments made by the authors at the proof stage. A second version of the article with the authors’ amendments that should remain in the literature is [2]. The Publisher apologises to the authors and to readers for this error. All authors agree with this retraction.
Study of impulsive fractional differential equation under Robin boundary conditions by topological degree method
Authors: Ullah Atta , Shah Kamal , Abdeljawad Thabet , Khan Rahmat Ali , Mahariq Ibrahim
Published: May 2020

This research work is dedicated to investigating a class of impulsive fractional order differential equations under the Robin boundary conditions via the application of topological degree theory (TDT). We establish some adequate results for the existence of at most one solution for the consider problem. Further, the whole analysis is illustrated by providing a pertinent example. We keep in mind that the conditions we develop by using TDT are much weaker than using ordinary fixed point theory. Hence TDT can be used as powerful tool for the theoretical analysis of many linear and nonlinear problems.
Some new hybrid power mean formulae of trigonometric sums
Authors: Chen Li , Chen Zhuoyu
Published: May 2020

We apply the analytic method and the properties of the classical Gauss sums to study the computational problem of a certain hybrid power mean of the trigonometric sums and to prove several new mean value formulae for them. At the same time, we also obtain a new recurrence formula involving the Gauss sums and two-term exponential sums.
Random attractors for non-autonomous stochastic wave equations with nonlinear damping and white noise
Authors: Yao Huazhen , Zhang Jianwen
Published: May 2020

This paper is concerned with the asymptotic behavior of solutions to a non-autonomous stochastic wave equation with additive white noise, for which the nonlinear damping has a critical cubic growth rate. By showing the pullback asymptotic compactness of the stochastic dynamic systems, we prove the existence of a random attractor in $H_{0}^{1}\times L^{2}$H01×L2.
An anonymous authenticated key-agreement scheme for multi-server infrastructure
Authors: Akram Muhammad Arslan , Ghaffar Zahid , Mahmood Khalid , Kumari Saru , Agarwal Kadambri , Chen Chien-Ming
Published: May 2020

Due to single-time registration, the multi-server authentication provides benefit for getting services from different servers through trusted agent. Generally, users feel hesitation for registering themselves individually with all service providers due to the problem of memorizing the multiple passwords. The multi-server authentication allows a quick access to services by real-time customer validation on public channel. Thereafter, hundreds of multi-server authentication protocols have been introduced. However, the more efficient and robust authentication schemes are being explored by the research academia. We introduce an anonymous scheme that resists the major security threats like impersonation attack, insider attack and password modification attacks in viable computing cost. We use random oracle model for formal security analysis of the proposed scheme. The performance analysis shows that the proposed scheme incurs less computation, energy, communication and storage cost as compared to related protocols. This analysis and comparison show that our proposed scheme is quite effective for the purpose of anonymous authentication and key agreement.
Oxytocin quality: evidence to support updated global recommendations on oxytocin for postpartum hemorrhage
Authors: Lambert Peter , McIntosh Michelle P , Widmer Mariana , Evans Lawrence , Rauscher Megan , Kuwana Rutendo , Theunissen Fiona , Yeager Beth , Petach Helen
Published: May 2020

Background

The use of quality injectable oxytocin effectively prevents and treats postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), characteristics of oxytocin—specifically its heat sensitivity—challenge efforts to ensure its quality throughout the health supply chain. In 2019, WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF released a joint-statement to clarify and recommend that oxytocin should be kept in the cold chain (between 2 and 8 °C) during transportation and storage; however, confusion among stakeholders in LMICs persists.

Objectives and methods

To further support recommendations in the WHO/UNFPA/UNICEF joint-statement, this paper reviews results of oxytocin quality testing in LMICs, evaluates product stability considerations for its management and considers quality risks for oxytocin injection throughout the health supply chain. This paper concludes with a set of recommended actions to address the challenges in maintaining quality for a heat sensitive pharmaceutical product.

Results

Due to the heat sensitivity of oxytocin, its quality may be degraded at numerous points along the health supply chain including:

At the point of manufacture, due to poor quality active pharmaceutical ingredients; lack of sterile manufacturing environments; or low-quality manufacturing processes

During storage and distribution, due to lack of temperature control in the supply chain, including cold chain at the end user health facility

Safeguarding the quality of oxytocin falls under the purview of national medicines regulatory authorities; however, regulators in LMICs may not adhere to good regulatory practices.

Conclusions

Storing oxytocin from 2 to 8 °C throughout the supply chain is important for maintaining its quality. While short temperature excursions may not harm product quality, the cumulative heat exposure is generally not tracked and leads to degradation. National and sub-national policies must prioritize procurement of quality oxytocin and require its appropriate storage and management.
Usefulness of waist-to-height ratio in screening incident hypertension among Japanese community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly individuals
Authors: Kawamoto Ryuichi , Kikuchi Asuka , Akase Taichi , Ninomiya Daisuke , Kumagi Teru
Published: May 2020

Background

The incidence of hypertension is increasing worldwide and obesity is one of the most significant risk factors. Obesity can be defined by various anthropometric indices such as body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHpR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). This study examined a range of anthropometric indices and their relationships with hypertension.

Methods

This study included 768 men aged 70 ± 10 years and 959 women aged 70 ± 8 years from a rural village. The relationship between anthropometric indices (BMI, WHpR, and WHtR) and hypertension was examined using cross-sectional (baseline, N = 1727) and cohort data (follow-up, N = 419). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the predictive ability of obesity indices for hypertension in both genders. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate WHtR as a significant predictor of hypertension.

Results

In the cross-sectional study, WHtR, BMI, and WHpR showed significant predictive abilities for hypertension in both genders, with WHtR showing the strongest predictive ability. Also, in the cohort study, WHtR showed a significant predictive ability for incident hypertension in both genders, and, for women, BMI as well as WHtR had also predictive ability. In the cross-sectional study, the optimal WHtR cutoff values were 0.53 (sensitivity, 44.3%; specificity, 80.2%) for men and 0.54 (sensitivity, 60.9%; specificity, 68.6%) for women. In the cohort study, the optimal WHtR values were 0.47 (sensitivity, 85.4%; specificity, 39.8%) for men and 0.51 (sensitivity, 66.7%; specificity, 58.2%) for women.

Conclusions

The results suggest that WHtR is a useful screening tool for hypertension among Japanese middle-aged and elderly community-dwelling individuals.
Multiple arboviral infections during a DENV-2 outbreak in Solomon Islands
Authors: Darcy Andrew Waleluma , Kanda Seiji , Dalipanda Tenneth , Joshua Cynthia , Shimono Takaki , Lamaningao Pheophet , Mishima Nobuyuki , Nishiyama Toshimasa
Published: May 2020

Background

Solomon Islands, a country made up of tropical islands, has suffered cyclic dengue fever (DF) outbreaks in the past three decades. An outbreak of dengue-like illness (DLI) that occurred in April 2016 prompted this study, which aimed to determine the population’s immunity status and identify the arboviruses circulating in the country.

Methods

A household survey, involving 188 participants in two urban areas (Honiara and Gizo), and a parallel hospital-based clinical survey were conducted in April 2016. The latter was repeated in December after a surge in DLI cases. Arbovirus IgG ELISA were performed on the household blood samples to determine the prevalence of arboviruses in the community, while qPCR testing of the clinical samples was used to identify the circulating arboviruses. Dengue virus (DENV)-positive samples were further characterized by amplifying and sequencing the envelope gene.

Results

The overall prevalence rates of DENV, Zika virus, and chikungunya virus were 83.4%, 7.6%, and 0.9%, respectively. The qPCR positivity rates of the clinical samples collected in April 2016 were as follows: DENV 39.6%, Zika virus 16.7%, and chikungunya virus 6.3%, which increased to 74%, 48%, and 20% respectively in December 2016. The displacement of the circulating serotype-3, genotype-1, with DENV serotype 2, genotype cosmopolitan was responsible for the outbreak in 2016.

Conclusions

A DENV outbreak in Solomon Islands was caused by the introduction of a single serotype. The high prevalence of DENV provided transient cross-protection, which prevented the introduction of a new serotype from the hyperendemic region for at least 3 years. The severe outcomes seen in the recent outbreak probably resulted from changes in the causative viruses and the effects of population immunity and changes in the outbreak pattern. Solomon Islands needs to step up surveillance to include molecular tools, increase regional communication, and perform timely interventions.
Closed-loop bioelectronic medicine for diabetes management
Authors: Güemes Gonzalez Amparo , Etienne-Cummings Ralph , Georgiou Pantelis
Published: May 2020

Modulation of the nervous system by delivering electrical or pharmaceutical agents has contributed to the development of novel treatments to serious health disorders. Recent advances in multidisciplinary research has enabled the emergence of a new powerful therapeutic approach called bioelectronic medicine. Bioelectronic medicine exploits the fact that every organ in our bodies is neurally innervated and thus electrical interfacing with peripheral nerves can be a potential pathway for diagnosing or treating diseases such as diabetes. In this context, a plethora of studies have confirmed the important role of the nervous system in maintaining a tight regulation of glucose homeostasis. This has initiated new research exploring the opportunities of bioelectronic medicine for improving glucose control in people with diabetes, including regulation of gastric emptying, insulin sensitivity, and secretion of pancreatic hormones. Moreover, the development of novel closed-loop strategies aims to provide effective, specific and safe interfacing with the nervous system, and thereby targeting the organ of interest. This is especially valuable in the context of chronic diseases such as diabetes, where closed-loop bioelectronic medicine promises to provide real-time, autonomous and patient-specific therapies. In this article, we present an overview of the state-of-the-art for closed-loop neuromodulation systems in relation to diabetes and discuss future related opportunities for management of this chronic disease.
Recent Advances in the Management of High-Risk Localized Prostate Cancer: Local Therapy, Systemic Therapy, and Biomarkers to Guide Treatment Decisions
Authors: McKay Rana R. , Feng Felix Y. , Wang Alice Y. , Wallis Christopher J. D. , Moses Kelvin A.
Published: May 2020

High-risk prostate cancer accounts for approximately 15% of all prostate cancer diagnoses. Patients with high-risk disease have an increased risk of developing biochemical recurrence, metastases, and death from prostate cancer. As the optimal management of high-risk disease in patients with prostate cancer continues to evolve, the contemporary treatment paradigm is moving toward a multidisciplinary integrated approach of systemic and local therapy for patients with high-risk disease. The strategies for definitive, adjuvant, and salvage local treatment, including radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy, serve as the backbone of therapy for patients with localized disease. Systemic therapy decisions regarding use in combination with surgery, choice of therapy (hormone therapy, chemotherapy), and treatment duration continue to be refined. As more effective hormonal agents populate the treatment landscape for advanced prostate cancer, including abiraterone and next-generation antiandrogens, an opportunity is provided to explore these treatments in patients with localized disease in the hope of improving the long-term outcome for patients. Integration of innovative blood and tissue-based biomarkers to guide therapy selection for patients with high-risk disease is an area of active research. Contemporary studies are using such biomarkers to stratify patients and select therapies. In this review, we summarize contemporary evidence for local treatment strategies, systemic therapy options, and biomarkers in development for the management of high-risk prostate cancer in patients.
Is Preoperative Quantitative Sensory Testing Related to Persistent Postsurgical Pain? A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: van Helmond Noud , Aarts Hugo M. , Timmerman Hans , Olesen Søren S. , Drewes Asbjørn M. , Wilder-Smith Oliver H. , Steegers Monique A. , Vissers Kris C.
Published: May 2020

Persistent postsurgical pain (PPSP) is a common complication of surgery that significantly affects quality of life. A better understanding of which patients are likely to develop PPSP would help to identify when perioperative and postoperative pain management may require specific attention. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) of a patient’s preoperative pain perception is associated with acute postoperative pain, and acute postoperative pain is a risk factor for PPSP. The direct association between preoperative QST and PPSP has not been reviewed to date. In this systematic review, we assessed the relationship of preoperative QST to PPSP. We searched databases with components related to (1) preoperative QST; (2) association testing; and (3) PPSP. Two authors reviewed all titles and abstracts for inclusion. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) QST performed before surgery; (2) PPSP assessed ≥3 months postoperatively; and (3) the association between QST measures and PPSP is investigated. The search retrieved 905 articles; 24 studies with 2732 subjects met inclusion criteria. Most studies (22/24) had moderate to high risk of bias in multiple quality domains. Fourteen (58%) studies reported a significant association between preoperative QST and PPSP. Preoperative temporal summation of pain (4 studies), conditioned pain modulation (3 studies), and pressure pain threshold (3 studies) showed the most frequent association with PPSP. The strength of the association between preoperative QST and PPSP varied from weak to strong. Preoperative QST is variably associated with PPSP. Measurements related to central processing of pain may be most consistently associated with PPSP.
Targeted cell ablation in zebrafish using optogenetic transcriptional control
Authors: Mruk Karen , Ciepla Paulina , Piza Patrick A. , Alnaqib Mohammad A. , Chen James K.
Published: May 2020

Cell ablation is a powerful method for elucidating the contributions of individual cell populations to embryonic development and tissue regeneration. Targeted cell loss in whole organisms has been typically achieved through expression of a cytotoxic or prodrug-activating gene product in the cell type of interest. This approach depends on the availability of tissue-specific promoters, and it does not allow further spatial selectivity within the promoter-defined region(s). To address this limitation, we have utilized the light-inducible GAVPO transactivator in combination with two genetically encoded cell-ablation technologies: the nitroreductase/nitrofuran system and a cytotoxic variant of the M2 ion channel. Our studies establish ablative methods that provide the tissue specificity afforded by cis-regulatory elements and the conditionality of optogenetics. Our studies also demonstrate differences between the nitroreductase and M2 systems that influence their efficacies for specific applications. Using this integrative approach, we have ablated cells in zebrafish embryos with both spatial and temporal control.
Asymmetrical gait kinematics of free-ranging callitrichines in response to changes in substrate diameter and orientation
Authors: Dunham Noah T. , McNamara Allison , Shapiro Liza J. , Phelps Taylor , Young Jesse W.
Published: May 2020

Arboreal environments present considerable biomechanical challenges for animals moving and foraging among substrates varying in diameter, orientation, and compliance. Most studies of quadrupedal gait kinematics in primates and other arboreal mammals have focused on symmetrical walking gaits and the significance of diagonal sequence gaits. Considerably less research has examined asymmetrical gaits, despite their prevalence in small-bodied arboreal taxa. Here we examine whether and how free-ranging callitrichine primates adjust asymmetrical gait kinematics to changes in substrate diameter and orientation, as well as how variation in gait kinematics affects substrate displacement. We used high-speed video to film free-ranging Saguinus tripartitus and Cebuella pygmaea inhabiting the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Ecuador. We found that Saguinus used bounding and half-bounding gaits on larger substrates versus gallops and symmetrical gaits on smaller substrates, and also shifted several kinematic parameters consistent with attenuating forces transferred from the animal to the substrate. Similarly, Cebuella shifted from high impact bounding gaits on larger substrates to using more half-bounding gaits on smaller substrates; however, kinematic adjustments to substrate diameter were not as profound as in Saguinus. Both species adjusted gait kinematics to changes in substrate orientation; however, gait kinematics did not significantly affect empirical measures of substrate displacement in either species. Due to their small body size, claw-like nails, and reduced grasping capabilities, callitrichines arguably represent extant biomechanical analogues for an early stage in primate evolution. As such, greater attention should be placed on understanding asymmetrical gait dynamics for insight into hypotheses concerning early primate locomotor evolution.
Route learning during tandem running in the rock antTemnothorax albipennis
Authors: Sasaki Takao , Danczak Leo , Thompson Beth , Morshed Trisha , Pratt Stephen C.
Published: May 2020

Many animals use information from conspecifics to change their behavior in adaptive ways. When a rock ant, Temnothorax albipennis, finds food, she returns to her colony and uses a method called tandem running to lead nestmates, one at a time, from the nest to the food. In this way, naive ants can learn the location of a food source. Less clear is whether they also learn navigational cues that guide them from nest to food, although this is often assumed. We tested this idea by tracing the routes of individually marked ants as they followed tandem runs to a feeder, returned to the nest, and later traveled independently back to the food. Our results show, for the first time, that tandem run followers learn specific routes from their leaders. Independent journeys back to the food source were significantly more similar to the routes on which the ants had been led, compared with the routes taken by other tandem runs. In contrast, the homeward journey did not resemble the tandem run route. These results are consistent with followers memorizing visual cues during the tandem run that are useful for recapitulating the outward journey, but not as effective when facing in the opposite direction on the homeward journey. We further showed that foraging routes improved through individual experience over multiple trips but not through the social transfer of route information via tandem running. We discuss our findings in relation to social learning and integration of individual and social information in ants.
Complex multi-modal sensory integration and context specificity in colour preferences of a pierid butterfly
Authors: Balamurali G. S. , Rose Saloni , Somanathan Hema , Kodandaramaiah Ullasa
Published: May 2020

Innate colour preferences in insects were long considered to be a non-flexible representation of a floral ‘search image’ guiding insects to flowers during initial foraging trips. However, these colour preferences have recently been shown to be modulated by multi-sensory integration of information. Using experiments on the butterfly Catopsilia pomona (Common Emigrant), we demonstrate that cross-modal integration of information not only affects colour preferences but also colour learning, and in a sex-specific manner. We show that spontaneous colour preference in this species is sexually dimorphic, with males preferring both blue and yellow while females prefer yellow. With minimal training (two trainings), both males and females learned to associate blue with reward, but females did not learn green. This suggests that the aversion for green, in the context of foraging, is stronger in females than in males, likely because green is used as a cue to find oviposition sites in butterflies. However, females learned green after extensive training (five trainings). Intriguingly, when a floral odour was present along with green during training, female colour preference during the subsequent choice tests resembled their innate preference (preference for yellow). Our results show that multi-sensory integration of information can influence preference, sensory bias, learning and memory in butterflies, thus modulating their behaviour in a context-specific manner.
Reduced exploration capacity despite brain volume increase in warm acclimated common minnow
Authors: Závorka Libor , Koeck Barbara , Armstrong Tiffany A. , Soğanci Mustafa , Crespel Amélie , Killen Shaun S.
Published: May 2020

While evidence suggests that warming may impact cognition of ectotherms, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. A possible, but rarely considered mechanism is that metabolic response of ectotherms to warming associate with changes in brain morphology and functioning. Here we compared aerobic metabolism, volume of brain, boldness, and accuracy of maze solving of common minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus) acclimated for eight months to either their current optimal natural (14 °C) or warm (20 °C) water temperature. Metabolic rates indicated increased energy expenditure in warm acclimated fish, but also at least partial thermal compensation as warm acclimate fish maintained high aerobic scope. Warm acclimated fish had larger brain than cool acclimated fish. Volume of dorsal medulla relative to the overall brain size was larger in warm than cool acclimated fish, but proportion of other brain regions did not differ between the temperature treatments. Warm acclimated fish did not differ in boldness but did more errors than cool acclimated fish in exploring the maze across four trials. Inter-individual differences in numbers of exploration errors were repeatable across the four trials of the maze test. Our findings suggest that in warm environments, maintaining a high aerobic scope which is important for the performance of physically demanding tasks, can come at the cost of changes in brain morphology and impairment of the capacity to explore novel environments. This trade-off could have strong fitness implications for wild ectotherms.
Economics after Neoliberalism: Introducing the EfIP Project
Authors: Naidu Suresh , Rodrik Dani , Zucman Gabriel
Published: May 2020

The tools of contemporary economics are critical to developing a policy framework for “inclusive prosperity,” which requires that we consider the whole distribution of outcomes and human prosperity broadly, including health, climate change, political rights, and dignity. To improve the quality of public discussion around inclusive prosperity, we have organized a group of economists--the Economics for Inclusive Prosperity (EfIP) network. The purpose is not simply to offer a list of policy prescriptions but to provide an overall vision for economic policy that stands as an alternative to the market fundamentalism that is often--and wrongly--identified with economics.
Shrinking Capitalism
Authors: Bowles Samuel , Carlin Wendy
Published: May 2020

A defining feature of capitalism is that work using privately owned capital goods under the control of an owner or manager in return for wages produces goods to be sold for profit. The domain in which this system of production works tolerably well is shrinking as the knowledge- and care-based economy expands. It is thus imperative on efficiency as well as moral grounds to develop a new paradigm for policies and institutional design. A new paradigm needs to combine a model appropriate for today's economy with ethical values that go beyond fairness to include a broad conception of freedom.
Competing with Robots: Firm-Level Evidence from France
Authors: Acemoglu Daron , Lelarge Claire , Restrepo Pascual
Published: May 2020

We study the firm-level implications of robot adoption in France. Of 55,390 firms in our sample, 598 adopted robots between 2010 and 2015, but these firms accounted for 20 percent of manufacturing employment. Adopters experienced significant declines in labor shares, the share of production workers in employment, and increases in value added and productivity. They expand their overall employment as well. However, this expansion comes at the expense of competitors, leading to an overall negative association between adoption and employment. Robot adoption has a large impact on the labor share because adopters are larger and grow faster than their competitors.
Within-Occupation Changes Dominate Changes in What Workers Do: A Shift-Share Decomposition, 2005–2015
Authors: Freeman Richard B. , Ganguli Ina , Handel Michael J.
Published: May 2020

This paper measures aggregate changes in job characteristics in the United States from 2005 to 2015 and decomposes those changes into components representing shifts within occupations and changes in occupational employment shares. Per our title, within-occupation changes dominate, raising doubts about the ability of projections based on expected changes in the occupational composition of employment to capture the likely future of work. Indeed, our data show only weak relationships between automatability, repetitiveness, and other job attributes and changes in occupational employment. The results suggest that analysts give greater attention to within-occupation impacts of technology in assessing the future of work.
Artificial Intelligence in Health Care? Evidence from Online Job Postings
Authors: Goldfarb Avi , Taska Bledi , Teodoridis Florenta
Published: May 2020

This paper documents a puzzle. Despite the numerous popular press discussions of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care, there has been relatively little adoption. Using data from Burning Glass Technologies on millions of online job postings, we find that AI adoption in health care remains substantially lower than in most other industries and that under 3 percent of the hospitals in our data posted any jobs requiring AI skills from 2015-2018. The low adoption rates mean any statistical analysis is limited. Nevertheless, the adoption we do observe shows that larger hospitals, larger counties, and integrated salary model hospitals are more likely to adopt.
Real Effects of Sovereign Debt Inflow Shocks
Authors: Pandolfi Lorenzo , Williams Tomas
Published: May 2020

This paper analyzes the real effects on firms of sovereign debt inflow shocks in emerging countries. We follow Broner et al. (2019) and exploit six episodes of country inclusions into two major local currency sovereign debt indexes. We complement their evidence by analyzing real variables and find that government-related and financial firms experience larger growth in income, employment, and dividends, relative to tradable firms, in the three years following sovereign debt inflow shocks. Our findings suggest that capital inflows to sovereign debt markets can hamper exports and benefit financial and service-based firms, thus reshaping the domestic economy.
The Economics of Viral Outbreaks
Authors: Rasul Imran
Published: May 2020

The frequency and complexity of viral outbreaks is increasing over time. The economic costs of outbreaks are severe; this is not only because of increased morbidity and mortality but also because viral outbreaks--representing aggregate health shocks--can severely restrict social interaction and economic exchange. Such aggregate health shocks lead to behavioral and prevalence responses along many margins. We describe some important response channels, discuss emerging empirical results on these margins from a nascent literature, and stress important avenues for future work.
Who’s Paying for the US Tariffs? A Longer-Term Perspective
Authors: Amiti Mary , Redding Stephen J. , Weinstein David E.
Published: May 2020

Using another year of data including significant escalations in the trade war, we find that the costs of the US tariffs continue to be almost entirely borne by US firms and consumers. We show that the response of import values to the tariffs increases in absolute magnitude over time, consistent with the idea that it takes time for firms to reorganize supply chains. We find heterogeneity in the responses of some sectors, such as steel, where tariffs have caused foreign exporters to drop their prices substantially, enabling them to export relatively more than in sectors where tariff pass-through was complete.
Administration above Administrators: The Changing Technology of Health Care Management
Authors: Dunn Abe , Gottlieb Joshua D. , Shapiro Adam Hale
Published: May 2020

This paper measures the costs and types of administrative inputs in health care. We use data on labor and nonlabor inputs by industry and categorize them as administrative or not. We find that nonlabor inputs are a critical part of administrative spending, over and above labor inputs. Trends in nonlabor administrative input spending have differed dramatically from that of labor input spending for hospitals over the last 20 years. Hospitals have substituted away from office workers and toward externally purchased inputs. The share of managers and technical workers in administration has grown. The technology of health care administration is changing.
An Economic Perspective on Algorithmic Fairness
Authors: Rambachan Ashesh , Kleinberg Jon , Ludwig Jens , Mullainathan Sendhil
Published: May 2020

There are widespread concerns that the growing use of machine learning algorithms in important decisions may reproduce and reinforce existing discrimination against legally protected groups. Most of the attention to date on issues of “algorithmic bias” or “algorithmic fairness” has come from computer scientists and machine learning researchers. We argue that concerns about algorithmic fairness are at least as much about questions of how discrimination manifests itself in data, decision-making under uncertainty, and optimal regulation. To fully answer these questions, an economic framework is necessary--and as a result, economists have much to contribute.
Is New Platform Work Different from Other Freelancing?
Authors: Garin Andrew , Jackson Emilie , Koustas Dmitri K. , McPherson Carl
Published: May 2020

The rise of freelance work in the online platform economy (OPE) has received considerable media and policy attention in recent years, but freelance work is by no means a new phenomenon. In this paper, we draw on IRS tax records to identify instances when workers begin doing online platform work versus other freelance/independent contractor “gig” work for firms. We find gig work occurs around major reductions in outside income and document usage over the lifecycle. Our results provide suggestive evidence on motivations for entering into each type of work.
Information Reporting and Tax Compliance
Authors: Adhikari Bibek , Alm James , Harris Timothy F.
Published: May 2020

Ensuring tax compliance is an enduring problem for governments in all countries. In this paper, we examine the role of information reporting in increasing tax compliance. We first discuss the practice of information reporting in the US, including a recent IRS initiative that implemented information reporting for income received through debit and credit cards via the new Form 1099-K. We then review the literature on the compliance effects of information reporting. Finally, we report some new evidence that indicates that Form 1099-K information reporting had significant--but heterogeneous--impacts on compliance rates of different types of business reporting.
Women Empowerment Programs and Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Angelucci Manuela , Heath Rachel
Published: May 2020

Women empowerment programs may reduce intimate partner violence (IPV) by improving autonomy, increasing bargaining power, and reducing socioeconomic stress. Yet, this might not happen if partners increase violence to either control the woman's resources or assert their dominance. Data from South Kivu, DRC, are consistent with the view that IPV may be related to both control and socioeconomic stress: IPV is higher when women are the main household earner, more educated, and younger than their husband and when households experienced more socioeconomic shocks. Based on these findings, the effect of empowerment programs on IPV in this setting are theoretically ambiguous.
Spousal Disagreement in Reporting of Intimate Partner Violence in Kenya
Authors: Haushofer Johannes , Ringdal Charlotte , Shapiro Jeremy , Wang Xiao Yu
Published: May 2020

We investigate differences in spousal reports of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women and men using a sample of 800 couples in rural Kenya. We find that up to one-third of couples disagree but that disagreement varies by violence type and victim's gender. We study the role of gender attitudes in explaining this heterogeneity. We find that couples with more gender-unequal attitudes are more likely to agree on violence against women and less likely to agree on violence against men. This suggests that gender norms govern reporting by the victim. Thus, discrepancies may result even if perpetrators report accurately.
A Pareto-Improving Way to Teach Principles of Economics: Evidence from the University of Toronto
Authors: Benjamin Dwayne , Cohen Avi J. , Hamilton Gillian
Published: May 2020

University of Toronto undergraduates can choose between conventional and literacy-targeted (LT) principles of economics courses. We compare demographics and performance in subsequent courses for 13,000 students over 11 years and find that LT courses attract a greater percentage of female and domestic students; conditional on meeting grade thresholds, LT students do just as well in intermediate theory and statistics courses as conventional principles students; women do as well or better than men in intermediate theory and statistics courses. With appropriately chosen thresholds, departments offering LT courses can preserve subsequent disciplinary rigor and address underrepresentation of women and minorities.
Structural Increases in Demand for Skill after the Great Recession
Authors: Blair Peter Q. , Deming David J.
Published: May 2020

In this paper, we use detailed job vacancy data to estimate changes in skill demand in the years since the Great Recession. The share of job vacancies requiring a bachelor's degree increased by more than 60 percent between 2007 and 2019, with faster growth in professional occupations and high-wage cities. Since the labor market was becoming tighter over this period, cyclical “upskilling” is unlikely to explain our findings.
Tackling Climate Change Requires Organizational Purpose
Authors: Henderson Rebecca , Serafeim George
Published: May 2020

The public debate about how to tackle climate change has been overwhelmingly dominated by the assumption that it can be solved through the adoption of an appropriate pricing regime. This paper argues that while the development of such a regime will be critical to slowing climate change, it is a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition. We argue that it will also be important to accelerate rates of innovation and cooperation across the economy and that one important tool for doing this is the active encouragement of the development of authentically “purpose-driven” organizations.
Research Transparency Is on the Rise in Economics
Authors: Swanson Nicholas , Christensen Garret , Littman Rebecca , Birke David , Miguel Edward , Paluck Elizabeth Levy , Wang Zenan
Published: May 2020

This study provides a first assessment of awareness of, attitudes toward, perceived norms regarding, and adoption of open science practices within a broadly representative sample of active economics researchers. We observe a steep increase in adoption over the last decade, with an accelerating trend: as of 2017, 93 percent of economists had used at least one such practice--including posting data, sharing study materials, and study pre-registration--rising from 33 percent a decade earlier. We document extensive variation in adoption across economics subfields. Notably, most economists appear to underestimate the trend toward research transparency in the discipline.
Diversity, Immigration, and Redistribution
Authors: Alesina Alberto , Stantcheva Stefanie
Published: May 2020

This paper provides a simple conceptual framework that captures how different perceptions, attitudes, and biases about immigrants or minorities can shape preferences for redistribution and reviews the empirical evidence on the effects of increasing racial diversity and immigration on support for redistribution.