bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Soft skill development for employability
Authors: Yao Christina W. , Tuliao Minerva D.
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore graduate students’ perception of how soft skills are developed at a transnational university in Vietnam, and how these soft skills contribute to their perceived employability.

Design/methodology/approach

This study utilized a qualitative case study method. In depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 graduate students at Vietnamese–German University.

Findings

Findings suggest that faculty utilized classroom-based practices to provide students the opportunity to enhance soft skills that are perceived to contribute to employability, such as skills related to independent work, interpersonal relationships and the ability to work in global contexts. In addition, interacting with international faculty played a large part in providing students the opportunity to develop their independent skills, critical thinking, communication and cultural competence.

Practical implications

Implications include multiple approaches, including faculty training, curriculum development and learner preparation. Institutions must consider how their curriculum contributes to the development of soft skills and how international faculty are prepared to engage meaningfully with students, particularly within specific global and political contexts. In addition, graduate students must also be prepared to engage in a classroom that promotes group work, class presentations and independent work.

Originality/value

This study provides insight on how a transnational institution can foster soft skills for employability in graduate students in Vietnam. Considering the growth of collaborative transnational institutions in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, findings and implications from this study provide recommendations on how to better prepare graduates for employability within a global economy.
Organising logistics and transport activities in construction
Authors: Dubois Anna , Hulthén Kajsa , Sundquist Viktoria
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse how different ways of organising transport and logistics activities in construction impact on efficiency. The paper scrutinises three particular transport and logistics configurations: the de-centralised coordinated configuration, the on-site coordinated configuration and the supply network coordinated configuration.

Design/methodology/approach

Three configurations are derived from the literature and from case studies. The efficiency of the three configurations is analysed on three levels of analysis: the construction site, the supply chain, and across supply chains and construction sites.

Findings

The paper concludes that there are possibilities to enhance efficiency on all three levels of analysis by widening the scope of coordination beyond the individual construction site.

Practical implications

The analysis points to efficiency potentials in applying the supply network coordinated configuration, although this configuration puts high demands on collaboration amongst the actors involved.

Originality/value

The paper provides illustration, and explanation, of the efficiency potentials involved in the three configurations.
Policing the illicit trade of tobacco in Australia
Authors: King Michael
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify factors that have led to the rebirthing of the illicit cultivation of tobacco in Australia known as chop-chop. Limited research has been conducted on the Commonwealth policing of tobacco-related criminal activity, but no prior studies have investigated domestic cultivation since the tobacco farming ceased legal production.

Design/methodology/approach

To fill the void of the literature, this study used data collected from Australian Government publications, court cases and newspapers to develop an understanding of the financial aspects and policing of the rebirth of chop-chop. Newspaper articles for a range of publications for a two-year period were used to examine policing efforts to disrupt criminals engaged in domestic cultivation of tobacco.

Findings

As tobacco was first legally grown in Australia, authorities have always faced the problems associated with the illicit cultivation of tobacco. Findings indicate that as a result of the increased number of successful interception of illicit tobacco at the border, the domestic cultivation of chop-chop is growing as criminal enterprises find alternative means to fund their activities.

Originality/value

The paper improves upon a neglected topic by offering a current contribution to a topic looking at the illicit tobacco, chop-chop trade.
Improved Markov stable state simulation for maintenance planning
Authors: Nwadinobi Chibundo Princewill , Nwankwojike Bethrand Nduka , Abam Fidelis Ibiang
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a software (Equipment State Simulator) used for predicting equipment performance parameters required for maintenance planning.

Design/methodology/approach

This maintenance software was developed from the derived stable state probability models using algebraic substitution and computation of total operational period, number of breakdowns, total downtime, mean time between failures and mean time to repair of equipment/component(s) at preventive maintenance and corrective maintenance states. The models were derived using mechanistic modeling technique such that all the relevant variables were accounted for.

Findings

Analysis of this software revealed that its predictions reckon with the actual performance of the test specimens by about 99 percent.

Originality/value

The research proposes a maintenance model and software for predicting state probabilities of manufacturing systems degradation. This program also predicts maintenance action(s) required by the equipment based on the predetermined alert levels.
Empowering leadership and job performance: mediating role of psychological empowerment
Authors: Kundu Subhash C. , Kumar Sandeep , Gahlawat Neha
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to check the effects of empowering leadership on job performance of employees through the mediation of psychological empowerment.

Design/methodology/approach

Primary data were gathered from 418 Indian banking employees. Statistical techniques like factor analysis, multiple regressions and bootstrapping via PROCESS were used to analyze the data.

Findings

Initially, the results of multiple regression analysis revealed that empowering leadership behaviors have positive influence on psychological empowerment and job performance of subordinates. Further, bootstrap analysis revealed that the individual dimensions of psychological empowerment serially mediate the effects of empowering leadership behaviors on subordinates’ job performance.

Research limitations/implications

The study indicates that the empowering leadership style is not applicable to Western culture only, but it is also very effective in high power distance cultures like of India. The major limitation of the study is that the data have been gathered from a single source. This may lead to common method variance.

Practical implications

In banking context, empowering leadership can improve the performance of employees by means of psychological empowerment. Training should be provided to organizational leaders in banks with special focus on facilitating the empowering behaviors among them.

Originality/value

The research studies on measuring the effects of empowering leadership on job performance through mediation of psychological empowerment are very limited.
From diffusion to translation: implementation of CSR practices in MNC subsidiaries
Authors: Jamali Dima , Makarem Yasmeen , Willi Alberto
Published: January 2019

Purpose

Anchored in institutional theory and sense-making theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) at the multinational corporations (MNC) subsidiary level in a developing country context.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper follows a qualitative methodology and adopts the interview technique to investigate the CSR practices of eight MNCs.

Findings

The results suggest that the CSR diffusion process goes well beyond simple imitation (i.e. adopting CSR myths or best practices intact), involving complex processes of interpretation and translation at the subsidiary level to reconcile the multiple and contradictory expectations for CSR.

Originality/value

The paper illustrates the dynamics of the sense-making process at the level of the subsidiary and the numerous institutional factors that are accounted for while implementing CSR activities in the host community. This paper argues that the integration of the two theories helps bridge macro and micro levels of analysis, thus providing a much richer account of how organizational actors at the subsidiary level make “sense” of a multitude of institutional pressures in the process of CSR implementation stemming from within the MNC itself on one hand (and the respective home country) and from the host community on the other hand.
Experimental rewilding enhances grassland functional composition and pollinator habitat use
Authors: Garrido Pablo , Mårell Anders , Öckinger Erik , Skarin Anna , Jansson Anna , Thulin Carl‐Gustaf
Published: January 2019

Semi‐natural grasslands are rich in biodiversity and thus important habitats for conservation, yet they are experiencing rapid declines due to agricultural intensification and abandonment. Promoting a more diverse mammalian herbivore community, including large and megaherbivores, may result in positive cascade effects for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Therefore, reintroducing an ecologically functional substitute of an extinct large herbivore could mitigate current biodiversity declines and foster semi‐natural grassland conservation.

To test this hypothesis, we set up a 3‐year rewilding experiment where 12 feral horses were introduced in three 10‐hectare enclosure replicates (four horses per enclosure). We used community‐weighted mean plant functional traits to elucidate plant community changes induced by grazing through time. We also investigated the effects of this experimental treatment on insect pollinated plants and on pollinator habitat use.

The grassland community exerted a mixed tolerance/avoidance response to grazing. This resulted in plant functional compositional changes which favoured prostrate plant species with higher specific leaf area, characteristic of ruderal communities.

Plant species richness was higher in grazed compared to ungrazed areas. Butterfly and bumblebee habitat use, as well as feeding and resting activities were also higher in grazed areas. Moreover, the number of pollinators increased with plant species richness.

Synthesis and applications. This study demonstrates that, to enhance the diversity of a given herbivore community with ecological replacements of extinct wild horses can have significant effects on the functional composition of grasslands. It can also mitigate plant species declines, in particular bee‐dependent plants, and boost pollinator habitat use. Novel management alternatives are urgently needed to reverse the negative effect of land abandonment in European agricultural landscapes. Thus, rewilding interventions with large mammalian herbivores may offset current biodiversity declines by maintaining important functional links between plants and pollinators in grassland ecosystems.
Seagrass meadow cover and species composition drive the abundance of Eurasian wigeon (Mareca penelope L.) in a lagoon ecosystem of the northern Adriatic Sea
Authors: Boscutti Francesco , Vitti Stefano , Casolo Valentino , Roppa Flavio , Tamburlin Daniel , Sponza Stefano
Published: January 2019

A comprehensive understanding of the interactions between primary producers and consumers plays an important role for the conservation of sensitive ecosystems such as lagoons. In this light, we studied the relationships between the flocks' size of Mareca penelope and the distribution of three seagrass species (Cymodocea nodosa, Zoostera marina and Nanozostera noltei) occurring in the Marano and Grado lagoon (Northern Adriatic Sea). Twelve bird monitoring areas were monthly surveyed for 3 years whereas seagrass distribution data were collected for the whole lagoon in the following years. The overall number of individuals of M. penelope was related to seagrass meadow extension and species cover by using a multiscale approach in four circle buffers (with radius of 500, 750, 1,000 and 1,250 m). Among the considered scales, the 750 m radius scale showed the best performance. The overall number of M. penelope increased where the occupied area by seagrass meadows was larger. Results also showed that when C. nodosa mean percentage cover increased the number of M. penelope decreased, while if N. noltei mean percentage cover increased also M. penelope number increased. Z. marina showed a negligible influence for all the tested scales. Our findings demonstrate that M. penelope populations depend not only on the extension of seagrass meadows but also on their species assembly, evidencing that M. penelope seem to prefer N. noltei stands, avoiding meadows with high abundance of C. nodosa.
Prevention and cure: preterm labour and the menopause
Authors: Marsh Michael
Published: January 2019

Editor‐in‐Chief, Michael Marsh, discusses his top articles from this issue in an audio podcast available at: https://soundcloud.com/bjog/februaryeditorial-2019
Tackling Fraudsters with Global Strategies to Expose Fraud in the Food Chain
Authors: Esteki M. , Regueiro J. , Simal‐Gándara J.
Published: January 2019

Deliberate adulteration of food products is as old as food processing and production systems. Food adulteration is occurring increasingly often today. With globalization and complex distribution systems, adulteration may have a far‐reaching impact and even adverse consequences on well‐being. The means of the international community to confront and solve food fraud today are scattered and largely ineffective. A collective approach is needed to identify all stakeholders in the food supply chain, certify and qualify them, exclude those failing to meet applicable standards, and track food in a real time. This review provides some background into the drivers of fraudulent practices (economically motivated adulteration, food‐industry perspectives, and consumers’ perceptions of fraud) and discusses a wide range of the currently available technologies for detecting food adulteration followed by multivariate pattern recognition tools. Food chain integrity policies are discussed. Future directions in research, concerned not only with food adulterers but also with food safety and climate change, may be useful for researchers in developing interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary problems.
Prioritizing Stream Barrier Removal to Maximize Connected Aquatic Habitat and Minimize Water Scarcity
Authors: Kraft Maggi , Rosenberg David E. , Null Sarah E.
Published: January 2019

Instream barriers, such as dams, culverts, and diversions, alter hydrologic processes and aquatic habitat. Removing uneconomical and aging instream barriers is increasingly used for river restoration. Historically, selection of barrier removal projects used score‐and‐rank techniques, ignoring cumulative change and the spatial structure of stream networks. Likewise, most water supply models prioritize either human water uses or aquatic habitat, failing to incorporate both human and environmental water use benefits. Here, a dual‐objective optimization model identifies barriers to remove that maximize connected aquatic habitat and minimize water scarcity. Aquatic habitat is measured using monthly average streamflow, temperature, channel gradient, and geomorphic condition as indicators of aquatic habitat suitability. Water scarcity costs are minimized using economic penalty functions while a budget constraint specifies the money available to remove barriers. We demonstrate the approach using a case study in Utah's Weber Basin to prioritize removal of instream barriers for Bonneville cutthroat trout, while maintaining human water uses. Removing 54 instream barriers reconnects about 160 km of quality‐weighted habitat and costs approximately US$10 M. After this point, the cost‐effectiveness of removing barriers to connect river habitat decreases. The modeling approach expands barrier removal optimization methods by explicitly including both economic and environmental water uses.
Teriparatide (recombinant human parathyroid hormone [1‐34]) increases foot bone remodeling in diabetic chronic Charcot neuroarthropathy: a randomized double‐blind placebo‐controlled study
Authors: Rastogi Ashu , Hajela Abhishek , Prakash Mahesh , Khandelwal Niranjan , Kumar Rajender , Bhattacharya Anish , Mittal Bhagwant R. , Bhansali Anil , Armstrong David G.
Published: January 2019

Background

Currently, there is no consensus regarding the medical treatment of chronic Charcot neuroarthropathy (CN) of foot, except for effective off‐loading. Because tarsal bones are predominantly trabecular, teriparatide may improve the macroarchitecture of foot bones in chronic CN.

Methods

People with diabetes and chronic CN were randomized to receive either 20 μg teriparatide or placebo subcutaneous daily for 12 months. Thirty‐eight patients were screened and data were analyzed for 20. The maximum standardized uptake (SUVmax) value of 18F‐FDG PET/CT the region of interest, bone turnover markers and foot bone mineral density BMD were determined. The primary outcome measure was change in SUVmax g/ml.

Results

Mid‐foot was the most common region involved. After 12 months, SUVmax increased from 30.6 ± 14.7 to 37.7 ± 18.0 (P = 0.044) in the teriparatide group, but decreased from 27.6 ± 12.2 to 22.9 ± 10.4 with placebo (P = 0.148). The estimated treatment difference (ETD) was 11.9 ± 4.3 (95% CI 2.9, 20.8; P = 0.012). Similarly, P1NP increased with teriparatide (19.8 ± 5.5; P = 0.006) but decreased with placebo (−5.1 ± 3.8 ng/mL; P = 0.219); ETD was 24.8 ± 6.6 (95% CI 10.8, 38.8; P < 0.001) and CTX increased in both the teriparatide and placebo groups. Foot BMD increased by 0.06 ± 0.04 g/cm2 (P = 0.192) with teriparatide, but decreased by −0.06 ± 0.08 g/cm2 with placebo (P = 0.488; intergroup comparison, P = 0.096).

Conclusion

Teriparatide increases foot bone remodeling by an osteoanabolic action in people with CN.
Activation of AMPK alleviates cardiopulmonary bypass‐induced cardiac injury via ameliorating acute cardiac glucose metabolic disorder
Authors: Wang Zhifa , Cao Yukun , Yin Qiang , Han Yuehu , Wang Yunya , Sun Guocheng , Zhu Hailong , Xu Ming , Gu Chunhu
Published: January 2019

Recent years, studies have demonstrated that hyperglycemia is one of the main manifestations after cardiac surgeries, which contributes to myocardial injuries and increases the chance of subsequent complications and mortality in such patients. However, strategies targeting at glucose metabolic disorder after cardiac surgeries to attenuate myocardial injuries are inadequately studied. In this study, a rat model of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was applied to investigate the role of Adenosine 5'‐monophosphate‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) in modulating myocardial glucose metabolic‐induced cardiac injuries after cardiac surgery. The results revealed that CPB elicited significant cardiac dysfunction, and pronouncedly elevated the markers of myocardial injuries including serum creatine kinase MB and cardiac troponin I. Additionally, blunted myocardial glucose uptake after CPB was associated with decreased membrane glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) content. However, pretreatment of AMPK agonist 5‐aminoimidazole‐4‐carboxamide1‐β‐D‐ribofuranoside (AICAR) at the beginning of CPB activated AMPK, enhanced phosphorylation of Akt substrate 160 (AS160), and increased myocardial membrane content of GLUT4. Meanwhile, improved myocardial glucose uptake and more importantly alleviated cardiac injury were also observed after CPB pretreated with AICAR. Moreover, the application of a mutant form of AS160 (AS160‐4P) abolished the beneficial effect of AICAR, as evidenced by impaired cardiac glucose uptake, reduced myocardial membrane GLUT‐4 translocation, increased cardiac injury markers, and deterioration of cardiac function after CPB. In conclusion, it was suggested in this study that preactivation of AMPK by AICAR improved myocardial glucose uptake by promoting AS160 dependent myocardial membrane GLUT‐4 translocation, which ultimately provided a potent cardioprotective effect.
ariaDNE: A robustly implemented algorithm for Dirichlet energy of the normal
Authors: Shan Shan , Kovalsky Shahar Z. , Winchester Julie M. , Boyer Doug M. , Daubechies Ingrid
Published: January 2019

Shape characterizers are metrics that quantify aspects of the overall geometry of a three‐dimensional (3D) digital surface. When computed for biological objects, the values of a shape characterizer are largely independent of homology interpretations and often contain a strong ecological and functional signal. Thus, shape characterizers are useful for understanding evolutionary processes. Dirichlet normal energy (DNE) is a widely used shape characterizer in morphological studies.

Recent studies found that DNE is sensitive to various procedures for preparing 3D mesh from raw scan data, raising concerns regarding comparability and objectivity when utilizing DNE in morphological research. We provide a robustly implemented algorithm for computing the Dirichlet energy of the normal (ariaDNE) on 3D meshes.

We show through simulation that the effects of preparation‐related mesh surface attributes, such as triangle count, mesh representation, noise, smoothing and boundary triangles, are much more limited on ariaDNE than DNE. Furthermore, ariaDNE retains the potential of DNE for biological studies, illustrated by its effectiveness in differentiating species by dietary preferences.

Use of ariaDNE can dramatically enhance the assessment of the ecological aspects of morphological variation by its stability under different 3D model acquisition methods and preparation procedure. Towards this goal, we provide scripts for computing ariaDNE and ariaDNE values for specimens used in previously published DNE analyses.
Agreement between faculty member assessments and student self‐assessments in a preclinical endodontic programme
Authors: AlRahabi Mothanna K. , AlKady Ayman M. , Ghabbani Hani M.
Published: January 2019

This study aimed to evaluate the agreement between faculty member assessments and student self‐assessments regarding the latter's performance in a preclinical endodontic course. The data were collected from 30 undergraduate dental students enrolled in a preclinical endodontic course at Taibah University in Saudi Arabia during 2017–2018 academic year. One course coordinator calibrated the grading method and distributed it to all staff and students. Students were asked to appraise their own performance of a root canal treatment for a tooth with a single canal. After the student self‐assessments, two staff members also graded student performance using the same grading scale. The assessment agreement was compared between student and faculty evaluations using a Wilcoxon signed‐rank test with a 0.05 significance level. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) between student and staff member assessment scores. Student scores were lower and had a weak reliability compared to those of staff members.
The established electrocardiographic classification of anterior wall myocardial infarction misguides clinicians in terms of infarct location, extent and prognosis
Authors: Bozbeyoğlu Emrah , Aslanger Emre , Yıldırımtürk Özlem , Şimşek Barış , Hünük Burak , Karabay Can Yücel , Kozan Ömer , Değertekin Muzaffer
Published: January 2019

Background

The currently used scheme for the classification of infarct location and extent in anterior myocardial infarction (MI) is intuitive rather than being evidence‐based, and recent evidence suggests that it may be misleading both in anatomic and prognostic sense.

Material and Methods

Consecutive patients with the diagnosis of anterior MI were enrolled. All electrocardiograms (ECG) were first classified according to established scheme and then reassessed using newer criteria for angiographic site of occlusion. The site of left anterior descending (LAD) occlusion was determined using multiple angiographic views. Clinic, echocardiographic and angiographic outcomes were compared.

Results

A total of 379 anterior MI cases were enrolled, final study population consisted of 267 patients. The established scheme did not predict infarct size or adverse outcomes. Location of the myocardium subtended by the occluded coronary network did not match with the anatomic location as ECG classification implies. Many high‐risk patients with proximal LAD were classified as “anteroseptal”, whereas the majority of the patients labeled as “extensive anterior MI” had in fact distal occlusions. On the other hand, expert interpretation was fairly accurate in predicting adverse outcomes and the site of angiographic involvement.

Conclusion

Classifying patients according to the established scheme neither gives prognostic information nor accurately localizes infarction. It should be regarded as obsolete and its use should be abandoned. Instead, the extent of infarction can be inferred from newer criteria provided by the angiographic correlation studies.
MC‐ICP‐MS analyses of tin isotopes in Roman‐era bronze coins reveal temporal and spatial variation
Authors: Bower N. W. , Lundstrom C. C. , Hendin D. B.
Published: January 2019

Tin's small mass fractionation and the lack of accepted reference standards have hindered Sn isotopy in archaeology and conservation science. Because of ore field variation and potential fractionation during ore reduction, attempts to determine artefacts’ ore sources have been limited. After norming the fractionations to NIST 3161a (Lot #070330), significant differences in Sn isotope mass fractionation in Judaean bronze ‘Biblical’ coins minted by different rulers during the first centuries bce and ce were discovered. These variations and those in δ 65Cu and 206Pb/204Pb are connected to historical events in the Levant.
Optimising infliximab induction dosing for patients with ulcerative colitis
Authors: Dreesen Erwin , Faelens Ruben , Van Assche Gert , Ferrante Marc , Vermeire Séverine , Gils Ann , Bouillon Thomas
Published: January 2019

Aims

The therapeutic failure of infliximab therapy in patients with ulcerative colitis remains a challenge even 2 decades after its approval. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) has shown value during maintenance therapy, but induction therapy has still not been explored. Patients may be primary nonresponders or underexposed with the standard dosing regimen. We aimed to: (i) develop a population pharmacokinetic‐pharmacodynamic model; (ii) identify the best exposure metric that predicts mucosal healing; and (iii) build an exposure–response (ER) model to demonstrate model‐based dose finding during induction therapy with infliximab.

Methods

Data were retrospectively collected from a clinical database. A total of 583 samples, from 204 patients, was used to develop a population pharmacokinetic model to generate exposure metrics for subsequent ER modelling. A subset of 159 patients was used to develop a logistic regression ER model, describing the relationship between infliximab exposure and ordered transitions between Mayo endoscopic subscore (MES) 3, 2 and ≤1 (baseline to post‐induction).

Results

A 1‐compartment population pharmacokinetic model with interindividual and interoccasion variability was found to fit the data best. Covariates influencing exposure were C‐reactive protein, albumin, baseline MES, fat‐free mass, concomitant corticosteroid use and pancolitis. The cumulative area under the infliximab concentration–time curve until endoscopy (CAUCendoscopy) was found to be the best exposure metric for predicting mucosal healing (baseline MES >1 and post‐induction MES ≤1). The model predicted that 70% of patients will attain mucosal healing with infliximab administered at days 0, 14 and 42 and a target CAUCendoscopy of 3752 mg/L*day at day 84.

Conclusions

TDM‐based dose individualisation targeting CAUCendoscopy has the potential to improve the effectiveness of infliximab during induction therapy.
Individual differences in college‐age learners: The importance of relational reasoning for learning and assessment in higher education
Authors: Alexander Patricia A.
Published: January 2019

Background

The term individual differences refers to the physical, behavioral, cognitive, social, and emotional attributes that make each human unique. Late adolescence to young adulthood represents a time of significant neurobiological and cognitive transformations that contribute further to human variability. Those transformations include an increase in the white matter of the brain accompanied by an increased capacity for higher‐order thinking, reasoning, decision‐making, and selfcontrol. These capacities fall under the category of executive functions.

Aim

The purpose of this article is to overview one particular executive function, relational reasoning; to consider its significance to college students’ learning and performance; and to argue for its inclusion in assessment programs within higher education.

Research summary

Relational reasoning can be defined as the ability to discern meaningful patterns within any informational stream. Through an orchestrated program of research, four forms of relational reasoning have been identified that reflect perceived similarities (analogical), discrepancies (anomalous), contradictions (antinomous), and contrasts (antithetical). These four forms have been documented in studies of doctors diagnosing cases, science and mathematics teachers providing instruction, and engineering students designing new products. These manifestations have also formed the structure of formal measures of relational reasoning that have been shown to be psychometrically sound indicators of this executive function.

Conclusions and implications

This article closes with an argument for the inclusion of relational reasoning in performance assessments designed for higher education. Consistent with views of competence as a continuum, it is argued that this inclusion should encompass the measurement of relational reasoning both as an underlying general competence and as a component of domain‐specific performance.
Treating Alzheimer's disease by targeting iron
Authors: Nikseresht Sara , Bush Ashley I. , Ayton Scott
Published: January 2019

No disease modifying drugs have been approved for Alzheimer's disease despite recent major investments by industry and governments throughout the world. The burden of Alzheimer's disease is becoming increasingly unsustainable, and given the last decade of clinical trial failures, a renewed understanding of the disease mechanism is called for, and trialling of new therapeutic approaches to slow disease progression is warranted. Here, we review the evidence and rational for targeting brain iron in Alzheimer's disease. Although iron elevation in Alzheimer's disease was reported in the 1950s, renewed interest has been stimulated by the advancement of fluid and imaging biomarkers of brain iron that predict disease progression, and the recent discovery of the iron‐dependent cell death pathway termed ferroptosis. We review these emerging clinical and biochemical findings and propose how this pathway may be targeted therapeutically to slow Alzheimer's disease progression.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Therapeutics for Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: New Directions for Precision Medicine. To view the other articles in this section visithttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v176.18/issuetoc
ZNF671 DNA methylation as a molecular predictor for the early recurrence of serous ovarian cancer
Authors: Mase Shoko , Shinjo Keiko , Totani Haruhito , Katsushima Keisuke , Arakawa Atsushi , Takahashi Satoru , Lai Hung‐Cheng , Lin Ru‐Inn , Chan Michael W. Y. , Sugiura‐Ogasawara Mayumi , Kondo Yutaka
Published: January 2019

Serous ovarian cancer is the most frequent type of epithelial ovarian cancer. Despite the use of surgery and platinum‐based chemotherapy, many patients suffer from recurrence within 6 months, termed platinum resistance. Currently, the lack of relevant molecular biomarkers for the prediction of the early recurrence of serous ovarian cancers is linked to the poor prognosis. To identify an effective biomarker for early recurrence, we analyzed the genome‐wide DNA methylation status characteristic of early recurrence after treatment. The patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset who showed a complete response after the first therapy were categorized into 2 groups: early recurrence serous ovarian cancer (ERS, recurrence ≤12 months, n = 51) and late recurrence serous ovarian cancer (LRS, recurrence >12 months, n = 158). Among the 12 differently methylated probes identified between the 2 groups, we found that ZNF671 was the most significantly methylated gene in the early recurrence group. A validation cohort of 78 serous ovarian cancers showed that patients with ZNF671 DNA methylation had a worse prognosis (P < .05). The multivariate analysis revealed that the methylation status of ZNF671 was an independent factor for predicting the recurrence of serous ovarian cancer patients both in the TCGA dataset and our cohort (P = .049 and P = .021, respectively). Functional analysis revealed that the depletion of ZNF671 expression conferred a more migratory and invasive phenotype to the ovarian cancer cells. Our data indicate that ZNF671 functions as a tumor suppressor in ovarian cancer and that the DNA methylation status of ZNF671 might be an effective biomarker for the recurrence of serous ovarian cancer after platinum‐based adjuvant chemotherapy.
FoxP3+CXCR5+CD4+ T cell frequencies are increased in peripheral blood of patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome
Authors: Ivanchenko M , Aqrawi L A , Björk A , Wahren-Herlenius M , Chemin K
Published: January 2019

We recently explored the expression of CXCR5 on T and B cells from peripheral blood of patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). Here we investigated the frequency of CD25+FoxP3+CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) among CXCR5+CD4+ follicular cells in the same cohort of patients. We confirm that the frequency of Tregs among follicular T cells is increased in SS patients and also provide novel data showing an increased frequency of PD-1 expressing cells among CXCR5+FoxP3+CD4+ T cells.
Differential expression of phospho‐S6 in hair follicle tumors: Evidence of mammalian target of rapamycin pathway activation
Authors: Sardiña Luis A. , Rubin Brian , Jour George , Piliang Melissa , Elston Carly , Bergfeld Wilma F.
Published: January 2019

Background

The role of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in hair follicle tumorigenesis is unclear. mTOR controls cell growth and can be activated through ribosomal S6 kinase. Herein, we sought to evaluate the expression of phospho‐S6 in six different benign and malignant follicular tumor types.

Methods

76 cases were selected (17 fibrofolliculomas, 20 trichoepitheliomas, 10 tricholemmomas, 19 pilomatricomas, 1 malignant proliferating tricholemmal tumor, 8 tricholemmal carcinomas, and 1 trichoblastic carcinoma) and collected over 16 years. Immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibody for phospho‐S6 was performed and analyzed semi‐quantitatively; statistical analysis using the χ2 test was performed, with P < 0.05 considered significant.

Results

All malignant neoplasms in our series (8/8 [100%] cases of tricholemmal carcinoma, 1/1 [100%] trichoblastic carcinoma, and 1/1 [100%] malignant proliferating tricholemmal tumor) showed a strong and diffuse pattern of staining for phospho‐S6 involving 70% to 90% of tumor cells. By contrast, a minority of benign tumors were positive for phospho‐S6 and most stained in a patchy pattern including 12/17 (71%) fibrofolliculomas, 9/20 (45%) trichoepitheliomas and 1/10 (10%) tricholemmomas, involving 30% to 50%, 5% to 20%, and 40% to 50% of tumor cells, respectively. Most pilomatricomas (17/19 [89%]) exhibited a stronger, but distinctive staining pattern, staining mostly the basaloid cells with a multifocal distribution, involving 70% to 90% of tumor cells.

Conclusions

Phospho‐S6 is differentially expressed among benign and malignant hair follicle tumors (P = 0.0044). While malignant tumors show diffuse expression, only a small subset of benign neoplasms were positive, primarily in a patchy distribution.
Histiocytoid Sweet syndrome harboring an isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 mutation: A case report and retrospective analysis of 29 cases of histiocytoid Sweet syndrome
Authors: Libby Tiffany J. , Fleming Kirsten , Amin Bijal
Published: January 2019

Histiocytoid Sweet syndrome (HSS) is a rare histopathologic variant of Sweet syndrome that demonstrates dermal and/or subcutaneous infiltrate with a prominent component of myeloid cells resembling histiocytes. It has been known to occur in association with hematologic neoplasms, including myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myelogenous leukemia, but whether it confers an increased risk of such neoplasms is controversial. Here, we describe a case of a HSS that led to the diagnosis of MDS with an isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH‐1) mutation and a corresponding study looking for additional cases of IDH‐1 mutations in biopsies of histiocytoid and conventional Sweet syndrome.
Tips for endoscopic retrieval of a large rectal tumor after endoscopic submucosal dissection by a forefinger‐compression method
Authors: Chuncharunee Lancharat , Yoshida Naohisa , Inoue Ken
Published: January 2019

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THE PARADOX OF THE PILL: HETEROGENEOUS EFFECTS OF ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS
Authors: Beauchamp Andrew , Pakaluk Catherine R.
Published: January 2019

The twentieth century saw dramatic increases in nonmarital births, concentrated heavily among poor and working‐class women. In this paper, we investigate whether the oral contraceptive pill played a causal role in the rise of nonmarital births. Exploiting exogenous variation in laws governing access to the pill, we find that changes in marital access to the pill increased the nonmarital birthrate by between 15% and 18%, accounting for about one‐third of the overall increase in nonmarital births. These effects are concentrated almost entirely among women whose fathers did not graduate high school and among minority women. We also document that the pill increased spacing between first and second births, and lowered the probability that a woman obtained a high‐school diploma, consistent with increases in nonmarital births. We find no evidence that postsecondary education levels were influenced by pill access, and no evidence that nonmarital births move with male employment patterns. Our findings add to a growing literature which documents the power of the pill to shape women's lives in broadly heterogenous ways, with minority and less‐well‐educated women bearing the brunt of the losses, a phenomenon we call the paradox of the pill. (JEL J12, J13, I24)
Mite‐y bees: bumble bees (Bombus spp., Hymenoptera: Apidae) host a relatively homogeneous mite (Acari) community, shaped by bee species identity but not by geographic proximity
Authors: Haas Stephanie M. , Cardinal Sophie , Beaulieu Frédéric , Forrest Jessica R. K.
Published: January 2019

1. Parasites can affect the communities of their hosts; and hosts, in turn, shape communities of parasites and other symbionts. This makes host–symbiont relationships a key but often overlooked aspect of community ecology.

2. Mites associated with bees have a range of lifestyles; however, little is known about mites associated with wild bees or about factors influencing the make‐up of bee‐associated mite communities. This study investigated how mite communities associated with bumble bees (Bombus spp.) are shaped by the Bombus community and geographic proximity.

3. Bees were collected from 15 sites in Ontario, Canada, and examined for mites. Mite abundance and species richness increased with local bee abundance. Several bee species also differed in mite abundance, species richness, prevalence, and diversity. Locally uncommon species tended to have more mites than other bees. Queen bees had the most mites, and males had more mites than workers.

4. Spatial proximity was not a predictor of mite community composition, despite a strong effect of proximity on bee community similarity.

5. On the 11 Bombus spp. examined, 33 mite species were found. Whereas nearly half of these mite species are obligate associates of bumble bees, none was restricted to particular Bombus species.

6. The best predictor of mite community composition was bee identity. Although many parasite communities show strong geographic patterns, the communities of primarily commensalistic bee‐mites in this study did not. These findings have implications for bumble bee conservation, given that pollen‐feeding commensals might become harmful at high densities or act as disease vectors.
Common oral diseases in allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients pre‐HSCT
Authors: Uutela Pauliina , Passweg Jakob , Halter Jörg , Weiger Roland , Waltimo Tuomas , Mauramo Matti
Published: January 2019

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of common oral diseases between allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients and healthy controls.

Materials and methods

A total of 143 adult allogeneic HSCT recipients who were treated for haematological malignancies between 2008 and 2016 were included in the study. The HSCT recipients were age and sex matched with healthy controls. A dental examination was performed on the HSCT recipients prior to HSCT. Differences in stimulated saliva flow rate (SSFR), decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index, number of teeth, number of caries lesions, and measures of current or previous periodontitis (radiological attachment loss >3 mm or probing pocket depth ≥4 mm) between HSCT recipients and controls were examined.

Results

Stimulated saliva flow rate, DMFT index and the number of caries lesions were poorer in the HSCT recipients pre‐HSCT compared to controls (all P‐values <0.05). No statistically significant differences in the measures of current or previous periodontitis were observed.

Conclusions

Stimulated saliva flow rate was low and caries was common in HSCT recipients prior to HSCT. Efficient preventive strategies are important in order to maintain the oral health of these patients.
Separate cortical and hippocampal cell populations target the rat nucleus reuniens and mammillary bodies
Authors: Mathiasen Mathias L. , Amin Eman , Nelson Andrew J. D. , Dillingham Christopher M. , O'Mara Shane M. , Aggleton John P.
Published: January 2019

Nucleus reuniens receives dense projections from both the hippocampus and the frontal cortices. Reflecting these connections, this nucleus is thought to enable executive functions, including those involving spatial learning. The mammillary bodies, which also support spatial learning, again receive dense hippocampal inputs, as well as lighter projections from medial frontal areas. The present study, therefore, compared the sources of these inputs to nucleus reuniens and the mammillary bodies. Retrograde tracer injections in rats showed how these two diencephalic sites receive projections from separate cell populations, often from adjacent layers in the same cortical areas. In the subiculum, which projects strongly to both sites, the mammillary body inputs originate from a homogenous pyramidal cell population in more superficial levels, while the cells that target nucleus reuniens most often originate from cells positioned at a deeper level. In these deeper levels, a more morphologically diverse set of subiculum cells contributes to the thalamic projection, especially at septal levels. While both diencephalic sites also receive medial frontal inputs, those to nucleus reuniens are especially dense. The densest inputs to the mammillary bodies appear to arise from the dorsal peduncular cortex, where the cells are mostly separate from deeper neurons that project to nucleus reuniens. Again, in those other cortical regions that innervate both nucleus reuniens and the mammillary bodies, there was no evidence of collateral projections. The findings support the notion that these diencephalic nuclei represent components of distinct, but complementary, systems that support different aspects of cognition.
How Firms Use Director Networks in Setting CEO Pay
Authors: Cherry Ian , Gatchev Vladimir A.
Published: January 2019

We examine how firms use the network of overlapping directorships to determine chief executive officer (CEO) compensation. We contribute to related work by empirically exploring two competing hypotheses. In the first hypothesis, networks propagate relevant information used to establish good pay practices. In the second hypothesis, director networks are used opportunistically to benefit the CEO. The empirical findings are generally consistent with the first hypothesis. Yet, the importance of director networks is reduced when the CEO is entrenched and when management hires a compensation consultant. The latter finding is especially pronounced when director networks predict a reduction in CEO pay.
Understanding subgroup differences with general mental ability tests in employment selection: Exploring socio‐cultural factors across inter‐generational groups
Authors: Hausdorf Peter A. , Robie Chet
Published: January 2019

In employment selection, general mental ability (GMA) tests predict training and job performance but also lead to subgroup differences which in turn can produce adverse impact against minority groups. Although researchers have explored genetic, developmental, and environmental explanations for ethnic group differences, few studies have explored socio‐cultural factors comparing immigrant and non‐immigrant job applicants. Given that many ethnic job applicants may also be immigrants, understanding these factors can provide insight into GMA test score differences. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of individual and socio‐cultural factors on GMA test scores with immigrant and non‐immigrant bus driver applicants. This is the first study of its kind to our knowledge that has attempted to disentangle the effects of socio‐cultural factors from race/ethnicity in the study of subgroup differences. Incorporating these variables between non‐visible minority and minority groups accounted for considerable variance in GMA test scores across groups. The implications of focusing on socio‐cultural variables to enhance our understanding of subgroup differences are discussed. Our results specifically suggest that practitioners attend to the issue of the intersecting grounds of potential discrimination when using GMA tests in personnel selection.
Interview etiquette and hiring outcomes
Authors: Tews Michael J. , Stafford Kathryn , Michel John W.
Published: January 2019

Despite the presumed importance of interview etiquette, research examining its relationship with hiring outcomes has been relatively limited. As a step toward validating its importance, two studies were conducted to assess the influence of interview etiquette on hiring outcomes relative to other predictors. In the first study, the impact of interview etiquette was demonstrated to be similar to that of interview answer quality in influencing recruiters’ perceptions of employment suitability. Moreover, a significant interaction was found, whereby interview etiquette mattered more when interview answer quality was also high. In the second study, interview etiquette was demonstrated to explain incremental variance in job offers beyond other impression management strategies (i.e., ingratiation and self‐promotion) and biographical data (i.e., work experience, academic achievement, and extracurricular involvement). Overall, these findings provide evidence that interview etiquette bears a significant relationship with hiring outcomes, signaling its value beyond other credentials and impression management tactics.