bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of clans and employment in China from the aspect of gender
Authors: Li Zhengyang , Huang Daisy Ju
Published: August 2021

A clan is a group of families that are linked by patriarchal blood relationships with one common ancestor. Clans may help members to find jobs and set up businesses through blood‐based networks, but traditional male‐biased norms may lead to different effects on employment between genders. This paper examines the causal effects of clans on the employment statuses of men and women and the gap in the effects between genders. To mitigate the endogeneity issue, we employ the potential rain‐fed rice yield as an instrumental variable to obtain consistent estimates. We find that clans have positive effects on women's probabilities of participating in the labor market and having nonfarming jobs, while the effects on men are not significant. Clans have positive effects on male entrepreneurship but no effects on female entrepreneurship. The results are robust to a host of sensitivity tests. Moreover, we find that the findings are driven mainly by small cities, and clans have larger effects on regions where private enterprises dominate. The dynamic analysis indicates that the gender gap of clan effects decreases with the development of urbanization and marketization.
Amelioration of salt‐induced damage on alfalfa by exogenous application of silicon
Authors: Zhang Weihong , Xie Yan , Wu Ya , Wassie Misganaw , Li Kai , Wang Ziying , Li Huiying , Liu Dalin
Published: August 2021

The present study was aimed to investigate the protective role of silicon (Si) from salt‐induced damages in alfalfa. Seedlings were treated with 200 mM NaCl plus three silicon levels (0, 0.75 and 1.5 mM) for 1 week. We observed that salt stress impacted plant growth remarkably, including height, root length, stem and leave weight, aboveground biomass and total biomass, chlorophyll a (chl a), chlorophyll b (chl b), total chlorophyll (total chl), chlorophyll fluorescence, K concentration and K/Na ratio. Consequently, electrolyte leakage (EL), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, Na concentration, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), soluble sugar (SS) and soluble protein (SP) content were found to be raised significantly. After exogenously applying Si under salt stress, the EL, MDA, proline and Na content, except SOD activity, were observed to be dropped. Meanwhile, the chl a, chl b, and total chl and SS content, and chlorophyll fluorescence were found to be elevated. In terms of Si concentration, we found that the protective effects of Si were considerably better at lower concentration (0.75 mM) than higher (1.5 mM) one. Collectively, our results suggested that Si alleviate salt‐induced damage and promote alfalfa growth by changing physiological characteristics.
Visualizing looping of two endogenous genomic loci using synthetic zinc‐finger proteins with anti‐FLAG and anti‐HA frankenbodies in living cells
Authors: Liu Yang , Zhao Ning , Kanemaki Masato T. , Yamamoto Yotaro , Sadamura Yoshifusa , Ito Yuma , Tokunaga Makio , Stasevich Timothy J. , Kimura Hiroshi
Published: August 2021

In eukaryotic nuclei, chromatin loops mediated through cohesin are critical structures that regulate gene expression and DNA replication. Here, we demonstrate a new method to see endogenous genomic loci using synthetic zinc‐finger proteins harboring repeat epitope tags (ZF probes) for signal amplification via binding of tag‐specific intracellular antibodies, or frankenbodies, fused with fluorescent proteins. We achieve this in two steps: First, we develop an anti‐FLAG frankenbody that can bind FLAG‐tagged proteins in diverse live‐cell environments. The anti‐FLAG frankenbody complements the anti‐HA frankenbody, enabling two‐color signal amplification from FLAG‐ and HA‐tagged proteins. Second, we develop a pair of cell‐permeable ZF probes that specifically bind two endogenous chromatin loci predicted to be involved in chromatin looping. By coupling our anti‐FLAG and anti‐HA frankenbodies with FLAG‐ and HA‐tagged ZF probes, we simultaneously see the dynamics of the two loci in single living cells. This shows a close association between the two loci in the majority of cells, but the loci markedly separate from the triggered degradation of the cohesin subunit RAD21. Our ability to image two endogenous genomic loci simultaneously in single living cells provides a proof of principle that ZF probes coupled with frankenbodies are useful new tools for exploring genome dynamics in multiple colors.
How do children of immigrants perform? Evidence from Australian nationwide standardized tests
Authors: Islam Asadul , Sarkar Dipanwita , Smyth Russell
Published: August 2021

We examine the educational achievement of children of immigrants and native‐born parents in Australia, using nationally representative panel data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children linked to nationwide standardized examinations. The findings indicate that children of immigrants perform significantly better than children of native‐born Australians in five subjects and three grade levels. While this reflects Australia's shift towards skill‐based immigration policy, such a striking difference in performance based on the parents’ country of origin and/or linguistic background suggests a role for cultural capital. Further, children of Asian immigrant parents outperform children of parents from other countries of origin. Children with immigrant parents from non‐English‐speaking backgrounds outperform children of both English‐speaking immigrants and native‐born Australians. Using matching techniques, we compare children from similar backgrounds of native‐born and immigrant parents. The results suggest that unobservables such as differences in motivation could be driving the comparatively higher achievements of children of immigrants.
Introducing segmentation cracks in air plasma‐sprayed thermal barrier coatings by controlling residual stress
Authors: Luo Lirong , Zou Zhonghua , Shan Xiao , Cai Huangyue , Yang Lixia , Jin Hongyun , Zhao Xiaofeng
Published: August 2021

Segmentation cracks are crucial for enhancing the strain tolerance and decreasing the propensity of delamination for thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). In this study, segmentation cracks were prepared in air plasma‐sprayed TBCs by controlling the residual stress. The evolution of the stress in the coating was characterized via photoluminescence piezospectroscopy using trace α‐Al2O3 impurities as stress sensor. Tensile stress (~170 MPa) formed in the as‐deposited coating was converted into compressive stress through further thermal exposure. The relationship between the formation of the segmentation cracks and stress in the coating was investigated. It was demonstrated that the segmentation cracks could be formed when a critical coating thickness is achieved. The critical coating thickness and spacing of the segmentation cracks dependent on the tensile stress in the as‐deposited coating, and they could be manipulated by controlling the deposition and substrate temperatures. In addition, the evolution of the microstructure and phase composition of the yttria‐stabilized zirconia coating was examined.
A novel Bacillus sp. with rapid growth property and high enzyme activity that allows efficient fermentation of soybean meal for improving digestibility in growing pigs
Authors: Akhtar Nadeem , Cai Hugh Y. , Kiarie Elijah G. , Li Julang
Published: August 2021

Aims

Soybean meal (SBM) contributes high-quality dietary protein for pigs. However, it also contains antinutritional factors such as allergenic high molecular weight proteins and non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) that limit its use. Therefore, the objective of this study was to screen and characterize a robust Bacillus sp. from camel dung for soybean meal fermentation to improve the digestibility in growing pigs.

Methods and Results

Molecular characterization revealed that isolate 9 (hereinafter referred to as “CP-9”) was a Bacillus subtilis strain. It secreted cellulase (0.07 U ml−1), xylanase (1.91 U ml−1), and amylase (2.66 U ml−1) into the culture supernatant. Isolate CP-9 showed rapid growth on LB agar plates and grew at a wide range of pH (3.0–9.0) and temperatures (23–50°C) in LB broth. Protein profiling of SBM using SDS-PAGE showed a significant reduction of large globular proteins to small peptides after 48 h of fermentation. On a dry matter basis, neutral detergent fibre (NDF) of the fermented SBM (F-SBM) was decreased by 34.25% (from 9.72 to 7.24%) with an increase in CP content by 16.54% (from 48.74 to 56.80%). Pigs fed with a semi-purified diet formulated with F-SBM as the sole source of crude protein had higher (p < 0.05) apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of DM (80.0 vs. 71.7%), ash (55.6 vs. 36.1%), CP (84.2 vs. 78.3%), NDF (70.9 vs. 66.0%), and ADF (62.4 vs. 53.3%) compared with pigs fed with unfermented soybean meal (UF-SBM).

Conclusions

A novel Bacillus subtilis strain CP-9 was isolated and characterized from camel dung for efficient fermentation of SBM. This bacterium ameliorates physico-chemical characteristics of F-SBM and improved nutrient digestibility in growing pigs.

Significance and Impact of the Study

Our data suggest that a low-cost solid-state SBM fermentation was developed using this newly isolated bacterium. The resultant F-SBM improved the nutrient digestibility in growing pigs.
Towards remote leadership in health care: Lessons learned from an integrative review
Authors: Terkamo‐Moisio Anja , Karki Suyen , Kangasniemi Mari , Lammintakanen Johanna , Häggman‐Laitila Arja
Published: August 2021

Aim

To gather and synthesize current empirical evidence on remote leadership and to provide knowledge that can be used to develop successful remote leadership in health care.

Design

A integrative literature review with an integrated mixed methods design.

Data Sources

The literature search was carried out between February and March 2019 in the CINAHL, Medline (Ovid), PsycInfo, Scopus, SocIndex, Web of Science and Business Source Elite (EBSCO) databases.

Review Methods

An integrative review was conducted to identify relevant studies published from 2010 to 2019. Of the 88 eligible studies, 21 studies met the inclusion criteria and were selected for the final review. The included studies were analysed using mixed methods synthesis, more specifically, data‐based convergent synthesis.

Results

The performed analysis identified three main themes: characteristics of successful remote leadership; enhancing the leader‐member relationship; and challenges in remote leadership. The first theme included the following sub‐themes: remote leader characteristics; trust; communication; and leading the team culture. The second theme covered the importance of organizing regular face‐to‐face meetings, clear communication policies and the connection between positive team spirit and good remote leader‐member relationship, while the third theme emphasized leader‐ and member‐related challenges for remote work.

Conclusions

As none of the identified studies had been conducted in a health care setting, future remote leadership research must also specifically consider the health care context. This will be pivotal to exploring how remote work can foster a safe workplace culture, empower health care workers, increase job satisfaction and improve patient outcomes.

Impact

Remote leadership has rarely been studied in the health care context. Trust, communication, team spirit and a leader's characteristics are central to remote leadership, a finding which is useful for re‐evaluating and improving the current culture at health care organizations.
FEOBV‐PET to quantify cortical cholinergic denervation in AD: Relationship to basal forebrain volumetry
Authors: Aghourian Meghmik , Aumont Étienne , Grothe Michel J. , Soucy Jean‐Paul , Rosa‐Neto Pedro , Bedard Marc‐André
Published: August 2021

Background and Purpose

Fluorine‐18‐fluoroethoxybenzovesamicol([18F]‐FEOBV) is a PET radiotracer previously used in neurodegenerative diseases to quantify brain cholinergic denervation. The current exploratory study aimed at verifying the reliability of such an approach in Alzheimer's disease (AD) by demonstrating its concordance with MRI volumetry of the cholinergic basal forebrain (ChBF).

Methods

The sample included 12 participants evenly divided between healthy volunteers and patients with AD. All participants underwent MRI ChBF volumetry and PET imaging with [18F]‐FEOBV. Comparisons were made between the two groups, and partial correlations were performed in the AD patients between [18F]‐FEOBV uptake in specific cortical regions of interest (ROIs) and volumetry of the corresponding ChBF subareas, which include the nucleus basalis of Meynert (Ch4), and the medial septum/vertical limb of the diagonal band of Broca (Ch1/2).

Results

Patients with AD showed both lower ChBF‐Ch4 volumetric values and lower [18F]‐FEOBV cortical uptake than healthy volunteers. Volumes of the Ch4 subdivision were significantly correlated with the [18F]‐FEOBV uptake values observed in the relevant ROIs. Volumes of the Ch1/2, which remains relatively unaffected in AD, did not correlate with [18F]‐FEOBV uptake in the hippocampus, nor in any cortical area.

Conclusion

These results suggest that cortical cholinergic denervation as measured with [18F]‐FEOBV PET is proportional to ChBF atrophy measured by MRI‐based volumetry, further supporting the reliability and validity of [18F]‐FEOBV PET to quantify cholinergic degeneration in AD.
Evaluation in health professions education—Is measuring outcomes enough?
Authors: Allen Louise M. , Hay Margaret , Palermo Claire
Published: August 2021

Introduction

In an effort to increase the rigour of evaluation in health professions education (HPE), a range of evaluation approaches are used. These largely focus on outcome evaluation as opposed to programme evaluation. We aim to review and critique the use of outcome evaluation models, using the Kirkpatrick Model as an example given its wide acceptance and use, and advocate for the use of programme evaluation models that help us understand how and why outcomes are occurring.

Methods

We systematically searched OVID medline, Scopus, CINAHL and Pubmed, and hand searched six leading HPE journals to provide an overview of the use of the Kirkpatrick Model as well as a range of programme evaluation models in HPE. In addition to this, we synthesised the existing critiques of the Kirkpatrick Model as an example of outcome evaluation, to highlight the limitations of such models.

Results

The use of the Kirkpatrick Model in HPE is widespread and increasing; however, studies focus on categorising outcomes, rather than explaining how and why they occur. The main criticisms of the model are as follows: it is outcomes focused and fails to consider factors that can impact training outcomes; it assumes positive casual linkages between the levels; there is an assumption that the higher‐level outcomes are more important; and unintended impacts are not considered. The use of the Kirkpatrick Model by the MERSQI, BEME and WHO contribute to the myth that the Kirkpatrick Model is the gold standard for programme evaluation.

Discussion

Moving forward, evaluations of HPE interventions must shift from focusing largely on measuring outcomes of interventions with little consideration for how and why these outcomes are occurring to programme evaluation that investigates what contributes to these outcomes. Other models that facilitate the evaluation of the complex processes that occur in HPE should be used instead of Kirkpatrick's.
The Sur7 cytoplasmic C terminus regulates morphogenesis and stress responses in Candida albicans
Authors: Lanze Carla E. , Zhou Sai , Konopka James B.
Published: August 2021

MCC/eisosome subdomains of the plasma membrane promote proper cell wall morphogenesis that is critical for the fungal pathogen Candida albicans to grow invasively and resist stressful environments in the host. Sur7 localizes to MCC/eisosomes and is needed for their function, so in this work, the role of this tetraspan membrane protein was studied by mutagenesis. Deletion mutant analysis showed that the N‐terminal region containing the four transmembrane domains mediates Sur7 localization to MCC/eisosomes. Mutation of 32 conserved residues in the N‐terminal region indicated that extracellular loop 1 is important, although these mutants generally displayed weak phenotypes. Surprisingly, two Cys residues in a conserved motif in extracellular loop 1 were not important. However, deletion of the entire 15 amino acid motif revealed that it was needed for proper membrane trafficking of Sur7. Deletion and substitution mutagenesis showed that the C terminus is important for resisting cell wall stress. This is significant as it indicates Sur7 carries out an important role in the cytoplasm. Altogether, these results indicate that the N‐terminal region localizes Sur7 to MCC/eisosomes and that the C‐terminal domain promotes responses in the cytoplasm needed for cell wall morphogenesis and stress resistance.
Pseudomonas viridiflava: An internal outsider of the Pseudomonas syringae species complex
Authors: Lipps Savana M. , Samac Deborah A.
Published: August 2021

Pseudomonas viridiflava is a gram‐negative pseudomonad that is phylogenetically placed within the Pseudomonas syringae species complex. P. viridiflava has a wide host range and causes a variety of symptoms in different plant parts, including stems, leaves, and blossoms. Outside of its role as a pathogen, P. viridiflava also exists as an endophyte, epiphyte, and saprophyte. Increased reports of P. viridiflava causing disease on new hosts in recent years coincide with increased research on its genetic variability, virulence, phylogenetics, and phenotypes. There is high variation in its core genome, virulence factors, and phenotypic characteristics. The main virulence factors of this pathogen include the enzyme pectate lyase and virulence genes encoded within one or two pathogenicity islands. The delineation of P. viridiflava in the P. syringae complex has been investigated using several molecular approaches. P. viridiflava comprises its own species, within the complex. While seemingly an outsider to the complex as a whole due to differences in the core genome and virulence genes, low average nucleotide identity to other of P. syringae complex members, and some phenotypic traits, it remains as part of the complex. Defining phylogenetic, phenotypic, and genomic characteristics of P. viridiflava in comparison to other P. syringae members is important to understanding this pathogen and for the development of disease resistance and management practices.

Taxonomy

Kingdom Bacteria; Phylum Proteobacteria; Class Gammaproteobacteria; Family Pseudomonadaceae; Genus Pseudomonas; Species Pseudomonas syringae species complex, Genomospecies 6, Phylogroup 7 and 8.

Microbiological properties

Gram‐negative, fluorescent, aerobic, motile, rod‐shaped, oxidase negative, arginine dihydrolase negative, levan production negative (or positive), potato rot positive (or negative), tobacco hypersensitivity positive.

Genome

There are two complete genomes, five chromosome‐level genomes, and 1,540 genomes composed of multiple scaffolds of P. viridiflava available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information Genome database. The median total length of these assemblies is 5,975,050 bp, the median number of protein coding genes is 5,208, and the median G + C content is 59.3%.

Disease symptoms

P. viridiflava causes a variety of disease symptoms, including spots, streaks, necrosis, rots, and more in above‐ and below‐ground plant parts on at least 50 hosts.

Epidemiology

There have been several significant disease outbreaks on field and horticultural crops caused by P. viridiflava since the turn of the century. P. viridiflava has been reported as a pathogen, epiphyte, endophyte, and saprophyte. This species has been isolated from a variety of environmental sources, including asymptomatic wild plants, snow, epilithic biofilms, and icepacks.
NEAT1 and MALAT1 are highly expressed in saliva and nasopharyngeal swab samples of COVID‐19 patients
Authors: Rodrigues Ana Carolina , Adamoski Douglas , Genelhould Gustavo , Zhen Felipe , Yamaguto Guilherme Eiji , Araujo‐Souza Patrícia Savio , Nogueira Meri Bordignon , Raboni Sonia Mara , Bonatto Ana Claudia , Gradia Daniela Fiori , Carvalho de Oliveira Jaqueline
Published: August 2021

COVID‐19, caused by the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus, has become a significant global public health problem, with a wide variety of clinical manifestations and disease progression outcomes. LncRNAs are key regulators of the immune response and have been associated with COVID‐19 risk infection. Previous studies focused mainly on in‐silico analysis of lncRNA expression in the lungs or peripheral blood cells. We evaluated the expression of lncRNAs NEAT1, MALAT1, and MIR3142 in saliva and nasopharyngeal swab from SARS‐CoV‐2 positive (n = 34) and negative patients (n = 46). A higher expression of the lncRNAs NEAT1 and MALAT1 (p < 0.05) were found in positive samples. NEAT1 had a higher expression mainly in saliva samples (p < 0.001), and MALAT1 was upregulated in nasopharyngeal samples (p < 0.05). Area under the ROC curve for NEAT1 in saliva was 0.8067. This study was the first to investigate the expression of lncRNAs in saliva and nasopharyngeal samples of COVID‐19 patients, which gives new insights into the initial response to infection and infectivity and may provide new biomarkers for severity and targets for therapy.
Outcomes of non‐left bundle branch block conduction abnormalities after transcatheter aortic valve replacement
Authors: Wang Dongjuan , Li Hengdong , Ye Honghua , Jiang Longfu
Published: August 2021

Transcatheteraortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a revolutionized treatment for severe aortic valve stenosis. Although new and improved TAVR devices are constantly being developed, cardiac conduction abnormalities post‐TAVR requiring permanent pace14353maker implantation (PPMI) still occur frequently. Previously, pre‐existing right bundle branch block (RBBB) has been shown to be predictive of PPMI after TAVR compared with patients without RBBB, while occurrence of new left bundle branch block (LBBB) was associated with a higher rate of PPMI. However, less attention has been paid to the clinical values of new onset non‐LBBB conduction disturbances such as RBBB, left anterior fascicular block (LAFB) or atrioventricular block (AVB). To our knowledge, this is the first report focus on the association of new‐onset non‐LBBB and PPMI after TAVR. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of HwaMei Hospital, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Exploring the costs associated with isotretinoin treatment
Authors: Shah Nidhi , Byrne Morgan , Kirkorian Anna Yasmine
Published: August 2021

The multistep process to obtain an isotretinoin prescription under the iPLEDGE program is challenging for patients, particularly female patients. This retrospective study evaluates the differences in treatment and costs between male and female patients. While male patients had a higher total cost of treatment than female patients, female patients had a higher treatment cost when medication costs were excluded. Female patients who missed prescription windows had a longer treatment course and incurred significantly higher treatment costs than female patients who did not miss a prescription window. The iPLEDGE program places female patients at a disadvantage of incurring higher treatment costs as a consequence of the prescription window requirement.
Neurocutaneous melanocytosis‐associated malignant melanoma presenting with peritoneal seeding
Authors: Sener Ugur , Elmore Kevin , Jayaseelan Keerthana , Porter Joanne , Marghoob Ashfaq , Rosenblum Marc K. , Haque Sofia , Khakoo Yasmin
Published: August 2021

Neurocutaneous melanocytosis (NCM) is characterized by melanocyte deposition in the leptomeninges and brain parenchyma, primarily occurring in children with large or giant congenital melanocytic nevi (LCMN) or multiple congenital melanocytic nevi. Patients with NCM may develop hydrocephalus and increased intracranial pressure, which can be managed with ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting. We present the case of a 16‐month‐old girl who developed peritoneal carcinomatosis and malignant ascites following VP shunting for hydrocephalus secondary to NCM to increase awareness of this rare, but serious, complication of cerebrospinal fluid diversion.
Frailty, aging, and periodontal disease: Basic biologic considerations
Authors: Clark Daniel , Kotronia Eftychia , Ramsay Sheena E.
Published: August 2021

Aging is associated with the development of disease. Periodontal disease is one of the many diseases and conditions that increase in prevalence with age. In addition to the traditional focus on individual age‐related conditions, there is now a greater recognition that multisystem conditions such as frailty play an important role in the health of older populations. Frailty is a clinical condition in older adults that increases the risk of adverse health outcomes. Both frailty and periodontal disease are common chronic conditions in older populations and share several risk factors. There is likely a bidirectional relationship between periodontal disease and frailty. Comorbid systemic diseases, poor physical functioning, and limited ability to self‐care in frail older people have been implicated as underlying the association between frailty and periodontal disease. In addition, both frailty and periodontal disease also have strong associations with inflammatory dysregulation and other age‐related pathophysiologic changes that may similarly underlie their development and progression. Investigating age‐related changes in immune cells that regulate inflammation may lead to a better understanding of age‐related disease and could lead to therapeutic targets for the improved management of frailty and periodontal disease.
Probiotics for periodontal health—Current molecular findings
Authors: Nguyen Trang , Brody Hanna , Radaic Alan , Kapila Yvonne
Published: August 2021

Dysbiosis of the oral microbiome is associated with a variety of oral and systemic diseases, including periodontal disease. Oral dysbiosis in periodontal disease leads to an exacerbated host immune response that induces progressive periodontal tissue destruction and ultimately tooth loss. To counter the disease‐associated dysbiosis of the oral cavity, strategies have been proposed to reestablish a “healthy” microbiome via the use of probiotics. This study reviews the literature on the use of probiotics for modifying the oral microbial composition toward a beneficial state that might alleviate disease progression. Four in vitro and 10 preclinical studies were included in the analysis, and these studies explored the effects of probiotics on cultured biofilm growth and bacterial gene expressions, as well as modulation of the host response to inflammation. The current molecular findings on probiotics provide fundamental evidence for further clinical research for the use of probiotics in periodontal therapy. They also point out an important caveat: Changing the biofilm composition might alter the normal oral flora that is beneficial and/or critical for oral health.
Periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis: What have we learned about their connection and their treatment?
Authors: González‐Febles Jerián , Sanz Mariano
Published: August 2021

Rheumatoid arthritis and periodontitis are chronic inflammatory diseases defined respectively by the destruction of the articular cartilage and tooth‐supporting periodontal tissues. Although the epidemiologic evidence for an association between these two diseases is still scarce, there is emerging scientific information linking specific bacterial periodontal pathogens, such as Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, in the citrullination process, leading to autoantibody formation and compromised immunotolerance of the susceptible patient to rheumatoid arthritis. In this review, we update the existing information on the evidence, not only regarding the epidemiologic association, but also the biologic mechanisms linking these two diseases. Finally, we review information emerging from intervention studies evaluating whether periodontal treatment could influence the initiation and progression of rheumatoid arthritis.
Waistline to the gumline: Relationship between obesity and periodontal disease‐biological and management considerations
Authors: Ganesan Sukirth M. , Vazana Stephanie , Stuhr Sandra
Published: August 2021

Obesity is a pandemic and periodontitis is the sixth most prevalent disease in the world. These two noncommunicable diseases share several risk determinants. Epidemiologic evidence from the last 2 decades has established an increase in periodontitis prevalence in obese and overweight individuals. Biologic mechanisms potentially linking obesity and periodontal disease are adiposity‐associated hyperinflammation, microbial dysbiosis, altered immune response, specific genetic polymorphisms, and increased stress. However, because of the lack of longitudinal interventional studies and randomized clinical trials, there is insufficient evidence to determine the cause‐effect relationship between these two diseases. Despite this, the negative impact of obesity on oral health is well established. Several logistic and physiologic complications are associated with treating obese patients in a dental setting, and it requires an interprofessional team approach. Oral health care professionals need to be aware of the specific management considerations while rendering for this cohort, including modified practice facility and equipment, tailored supportive periodontal therapy, and heightened precaution during conscious sedation and surgical procedures.
The oral microbiome: Role of key organisms and complex networks in oral health and disease
Authors: Sedghi Lea , DiMassa Vincent , Harrington Anthony , Lynch Susan V. , Kapila Yvonne L.
Published: August 2021

States of oral health and disease reflect the compositional and functional capacities of, as well as the interspecies interactions within, the oral microbiota. The oral cavity exists as a highly dynamic microbial environment that harbors many distinct substrata and microenvironments that house diverse microbial communities. Specific to the oral cavity, the nonshedding dental surfaces facilitate the development of highly complex polymicrobial biofilm communities, characterized not only by the distinct microbes comprising them, but cumulatively by their activities. Adding to this complexity, the oral cavity faces near‐constant environmental challenges, including those from host diet, salivary flow, masticatory forces, and introduction of exogenous microbes. The composition of the oral microbiome is shaped throughout life by factors including host genetics, maternal transmission, as well as environmental factors, such as dietary habits, oral hygiene practice, medications, and systemic factors. This dynamic ecosystem presents opportunities for oral microbial dysbiosis and the development of dental and periodontal diseases. The application of both in vitro and culture‐independent approaches has broadened the mechanistic understandings of complex polymicrobial communities within the oral cavity, as well as the environmental, local, and systemic underpinnings that influence the dynamics of the oral microbiome. Here, we review the present knowledge and current understanding of microbial communities within the oral cavity and the influences and challenges upon this system that encourage homeostasis or provoke microbiome perturbation, and thus contribute to states of oral health or disease.
Periodontology and pregnancy: An overview of biomedical and epidemiological evidence
Authors: Raju Karen , Berens Lisa
Published: August 2021

Women are particularly susceptible to developing gingival problems during pregnancy. In addition, periodontal disease in pregnant women may lead to adverse outcomes for both mother and infant, which have serious clinical and public health implications. Both scenarios have been extensively researched, helping to bring attention to pregnant women as an important and vulnerable population as it concerns periodontal health. The increase in gingival inflammation caused by hormonal changes in pregnant women is undisputed and has been studied and documented since the 1960s, although the exact etiology is not fully understood. The relationship between periodontal disease during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes is less substantiated, because of conflicting evidence. This review of the biomedical and epidemiologic literature provides an overview of both sides of this relationship and examines the potential mechanisms for developing periodontal disease during pregnancy and the proposed mechanisms by which periodontal disease leads to adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Oral and periodontal implications of tobacco and nicotine products
Authors: Chaffee Benjamin W. , Couch Elizabeth T. , Vora Manali V. , Holliday Richard S.
Published: August 2021

Tobacco use contributes to more mortality and morbidity globally than any other behavioral risk factor. Adverse effects do not spare the oral cavity, with many oral diseases more common, and treatments less successful, in the tobacco‐using patient. Many of the oral health effects of cigarette smoking are well established, but other forms of tobacco, including cigars and smokeless tobacco, merit dental professionals' attention. Recently, an expanding variety of new or emerging tobacco and/or nicotine products has been brought to market, most prominently electronic cigarettes, but also including heated tobacco and other noncombustible nicotine products. The use of cannabis (marijuana) is increasing and also has risks for oral health and dental treatment. For the practicing periodontist, and all dental professionals, providing sound patient recommendations requires knowledge of the general and oral health implications associated with this wide range of tobacco and nicotine products and cannabis. This review provides an overview of selected tobacco and nicotine products with an emphasis on their implications for periodontal disease risk and clinical management. Also presented are strategies for tobacco use counselling and cessation support that dental professionals can implement in practice.
Human and herpesvirus microRNAs in periodontal disease
Authors: Naqvi Afsar R. , Slots Jørgen
Published: August 2021

Periodontitis is a multi‐etiologic infection characterized clinically by pathologic loss of the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. Herpesviruses and specific bacterial species are major periodontal pathogens that cooperate synergistically in producing severe periodontitis. Cellular immunity against herpesviruses and humoral immunity against bacteria are key periodontal host defenses. Genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors are modifiers of periodontal disease severity. MicroRNAs are a class of noncoding, gene expression‐based, posttranscriptional regulatory RNAs of great importance for maintaining tissue homeostasis. Aberrant expression of microRNAs has been associated with several medical diseases. Periodontal tissue cells and herpesviruses elaborate several microRNAs that are of current research interest. This review attempts to conceptualize the role of periodontal microRNAs in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. The diagnostic potential of salivary microRNAs is also addressed. Employment of microRNA technology in periodontics represents an interesting new preventive and therapeutic possibility.
The role of resource reallocation in promoting total factor productivity growth: Insights from China’s agricultural sector
Authors: Zheng Hongyun , Ma Wanglin
Published: August 2021

This study investigates the contribution of resource reallocation to aggregate total factor productivity (TFP) in China's agricultural sector using unique county‐level panel data for the period 2002–2016. The factors affecting resource reallocation are also investigated by estimating an unconditional quantile regression (UQR) model. Our results show that there exists an “N‐shaped” contribution of resource reallocation to aggregate TFP over time, and on average, resource reallocation increases aggregate TFP by 4.84% annually. The results of the UQR model indicate that government intervention and financial and labor market development affect resource reallocation heterogeneously. In particular, we show that government intervention significantly decreases resource reallocation at the selected quantiles (except for the 70th quantile), with the largest effect occurring at the lowest 10th quantile. Financial market development significantly increases resource reallocation at all the selected quantiles, whereas labor market development significantly increases resource reallocation exclusively at the 10th, 50th, and 70th quantiles.
The advocacy coalition framework in Japan: Contributions to policy process studies and the challenges involved
Authors: Ohno Tomohiko , Hirayama Naoko , Mineo Keito , Iwata Kengo , Inasawa Izumi
Published: August 2021

The advocacy coalition framework (ACF), a unified framework for understanding the policy process, has been applied in various countries and regions; however, there are few contributions from Japan, despite seemingly favorable conditions for applying it. An exploration of what hinders ACF applications in Japan is worthwhile for developing the ACF as a framework for comparative policy process studies across various social and political settings. Therefore, this study aims to systematically review previous Japanese ACF studies. Our review found that Japanese ACF studies are fewer in number, have less coverage of policy fields, and have less methodological diversity and transparency than international trends. While most of the Japanese ACF studies supported the basic hypotheses of the ACF, we found a need to refine some hypotheses and research methods of the ACF studies. We also discuss the background factors in the inactivity of ACF studies in Japan and suggest solutions for it.
State Populism in Rural Hungary*
Authors: Czibere Ibolya , Kovách Imre
Published: August 2021

Our concern in this contribution is to ask what the special features of populism in Hungary are, where government and the largest opposition party can be considered populist. The study aims at analyzing motivations, interests, benefits, and profits of populism in fragile Hungarian regions. The main part examines three peculiar features of state populism: the rural support for stabile political and social structures; early‐born conservative social policy, which freezes and preserves social inequalities and pacificates social conflicts; and selective social policy that has made a strong difference between “worthy” and “unworthy” poor, thus, contributing to ethnic‐based conflicts and emerging prejudice. The Hungarian case shows that poverty and social inequalities, disintegration, hierarchical local power structure with dominance of economic–political oligarchy, weak participation, monopolization of local and non‐local media, and racialization of poverty are enabling factors of populism.
Automatic content‐based georeferencing of historical topographic maps
Authors: Luft Jonas , Schiewe Jochen
Published: August 2021

Old maps are more than a cultural artefact: they are data. Data about the past still hold value for science and decision‐making today. Libraries and archives have come a long way in digitising their inventories of thousands, sometimes millions, of historical maps using high‐resolution scanning. Unfortunately, even with digital images the rich spatial and semantic information is inaccessible for people without a strong background in history and cartography. Only with georeferencing can historical maps be used in GIS and thus processed and compared with modern geospatial data. We introduce content‐based image retrieval to automatically localise and georeference map images from topographic map series. We align the maps by extracting a subset of their symbols and cross‐referencing them with online reference data from OpenStreetMap. We demonstrate our method with the Karte des Deutschen Reiches at 1: 100,000 scale, obtaining 96% correct location predictions and a median georeferencing error of 101 m.
Prognostic indicators for naïve canine non‐indolent T‐cell lymphoma treated with combination lomustine, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisolone chemotherapy
Authors: Blaxill John , Buzzacott Peter , Finlay Jessica
Published: August 2021

Lomustine, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisolone (LOPP) chemotherapy has been suggested to be an effective treatment for dogs with naïve non‐indolent T‐cell lymphoma (TCL). Studies evaluating prognostic factors for dogs with TCL treated with LOPP chemotherapy are lacking. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess potential prognostic factors for canine naïve non‐indolent TCL treated with the LOPP protocol. This was a retrospective cohort study of naïve non‐indolent TCL treated with the LOPP chemotherapy protocol at a single specialty veterinary oncology clinic. Sixty‐seven dogs met the inclusion criteria. The outcomes assessed included progression free survival (PFS), overall survival time (OST) and duration of complete response (DCR). The overall median PFS was 118 days (range 7–2302 days). The median OST was 202 days (range 8–2302 days). The overall median DCR was 316 days (range 38–2261 days). Number of treatments administered (p < .0001), multicentric disease (p = .044) and the presence of hypercalcaemia (p = .006) were prognostic indicators for PFS. Increasing number of treatments (p < .0001) and age (p = .0088) were prognostic indicators for OST. To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe hypercalcaemia as a positive prognostic indicator of PFS for TCL treated with LOPP chemotherapy. LOPP chemotherapy can be considered as a first‐line treatment protocol against naïve hypercalcaemic non‐indolent TCL.
Hydrophilic Bile Acid, Ursodeoxycholic Acid Attenuates the Effect of TGF On Human Tenon Fibroblast
Authors: Roslan Zulaika , Hanafi Noorul Izzati , Sheikh Abdul Kadir Siti Hamimah , Md. Noh Siti Munirah , Abd Talib Fatin Nur Asyiqin , Subrayan Visvaraja , Vasudevan Sushil , Abdul Latip Normala
Published: August 2021

Excessive scarring of the filtering bleb was reported post-surgery and thus lead to failed trabeculectomy.
Determinants of German and Japanese Exports: A Comparative Study
Authors: Zestos George K. , Jiang Yixiao , Painter Clifton
Published: August 2021

This study investigates the determinants of German and Japanese exports in a comparative fashion. By estimating an autoregressive distributed lag model for each country, we find that the income elasticity of Japanese exports is three times as large as that of Germany’s exports. This relative insensitivity to external demand explains why Germany has maintained its export growth whereas Japanese exports started to stagnate after the global financial crisis. Because Germany adopted the euro in 1999, it was able to maintain large trade surpluses. If Germany had instead kept the Deutsche Mark (DM), the DM would have appreciated owing to the Central Bank of Germany’s consistent preference for a tight monetary policy, and Germany’s trade surpluses would have dissipated. A sharp increase in Japanese foreign direct investment after 2011 has also played a role in reducing Japanese exports after the global financial crisis.
Effects of Grain Refinement on Rolling Contact Fatigue in Bearing Contacts
Authors: Lorenz Steven J. , Sadeghi Farshid , Trivedi Hitesh K. , Kirsch Mathew S. , Wang Chinpei
Published: August 2021

This paper presents a finite element model (FEM) to investigate the effect of prior austenite grain refinement on rolling contact fatigue (RCF). RCF life was determined using continuum damage mechanics (CDM), which simulated material deterioration as a function of cycle. Continuum damage mechanics calculations in this investigation considered the subsurface shear (orthogonal) reversal to be responsible for RCF failure. To establish the CDM critical parameters—resistance stress (σr) and damage rate exponent (m)—torsion stress-life data from open literature of three different grain sizes for the same material was used. It was observed from the torsion S-N (stress-life) data that the resistance stress exhibits a linear relationship with grain diameter. As grain diameter was refined, the resistance stress was found to increase. The damage rate exponent (m) displayed no relation to grain diameter; hence, the average value from the three torsion S-N curves was used in this investigation. In order to assess the effect of grain refinement on RCF life, a series of unique material microstructures were constructed using the Voronoi tessellation process at eight mean grain diameters. Finite element (FE) simulations were devised at three contact pressures, typical of heavily loaded lubricated contacts, and the RCF life was determined for each set of microstructures of a given mean grain diameter. The RCF results at the eight grain diameters indicate that fatigue performance is improved exponentially with finer grain diameter. The observed life improvements from the RCF simulations resulting from grain refinement exhibit good corroboration with existing experimental results found in open literature. A single predictive fatigue life equation was constructed from this investigation’s RCF simulations to evaluate the stochastic RCF performance, given grain diameter and contact pressure, of non-conformal contacts.
Homoepitaxial GaN micropillar array by plasma-free photo-enhanced metal-assisted chemical etching
Authors: Chan Clarence Y. , Namiki Shunya , Hite Jennifer K. , Mastro Michael A. , Qadri Syed B. , Li Xiuling
Published: August 2021

Metal-assisted chemical etching is a plasma-free open-circuit anisotropic etching method that produces high aspect ratio structures in various semiconductors. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate the formation of ordered micropillar arrays of homoepitaxial GaN, using photo-enhanced MacEtch with patterned platinum films as the catalyst. The GaN etching rate and morphology as a function of etching chemistry, growth method, and doping conditions are investigated, and the etch mechanism is analyzed. Etch rates and surface smoothness are found to increase with the Si-doping level in GaN, approaching those achieved by reactive ion etching and photoelectrochemical etching. Spatially resolved photoluminescence shows no degradation in near band edge emission and no newly generated defect peaks, as expected due to the high energy ion free nature. This approach can also potentially be applied to InGaN and AlGaN by tuning the etch chemistry and illumination wavelength, enabling a facile and scalable processing of 3D III-nitride based electronic and optoelectronic devices such as μLEDs and finFETs.