bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shouldering a double burden: the cultural stigma of the dogma of gender role ideology and its impact on work–family conflict
Authors: Kengatharan Navaneethakrishnan
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Drawing on the role theory and work–family border theory, this study aims to examine the relationship between work/family demands and sui generis forms of work–family conflict and further investigates the gender role ideology as a moderator of the relationship between work/family demands and work–family conflict.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were garnered with a self-reported questionnaire from randomly selected 569 employees working in the banking sector. As a caveat, nonresponse bias, common method variance and the reliability and validity of the measure were examined.

Findings

The results revealed that work demand and family demand were strongly related to both time- and strain-based work–family conflict; however, the relationship was not established with behavioural-based conflict. Notably, the findings affirmed the existence of a neglected form of psychological-based work–family conflict as thepièce de résistanceand established a strong connection with its precursor. The dogma of gender role ideology, as a moderator, was indubitably confirmed and strengthened the positive relationship between family demand and family-to-work conflict.

Practical implications

The present study emphasises the importance of work/family demands and gender role ideology on work–family conflict. Consequently, it behoves human resource managers, strategists and practitioners to frame the organisational arrangements to alleviate the work–family conflict.

Originality/value

The present study fills a hiatus by establishing the relationship between work/family demand and work–family conflict with its cultural beliefs in the context of a collectivist culture.
The bottleneck of intrapreneurship: are social positions and held expectations constraints in organizations’ entrepreneur process? A conceptual view
Authors: Begeç Suat , Arun Korhan
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This study aims to develop conceptual arguments about intrapreneurship relative to role theory.

Design/methodology/approach

The challenge to the intrapreneurship concept is that no single or combination of personality traits, individual characteristics or attitudes can fulfill the causes of the phenomenon, as these factors are context-bound. One explanation for individual- and macro-level contrasting outcomes is the diverging effect of expectations. The structural and interactionist perspective of sociology is used to understand the intrapreneurship concept because intrapreneurs live within a society and shape their course per the expectations of others.

Findings

Intrapreneurs have been trying to infer about what is seen as crucial individually related to interactions within the existing context; more importantly, acting in an intrapreneurship role can be defined and learned by expectations.

Practical implications

With the convenient expectations from other members, families or environments, organization members will value the innovation and self-direction of intrapreneurship more highly that such a taste for an acting role may be an important factor in the decision to become an intrapreneur.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the paper emphasized for the first time that the consequences of exposure to social expectations for the development of intrapreneur roles, particularly the broad portfolios of skills and motivation, are relevant to intrapreneurship. Previous approaches depend on individuals, organizations or the environment to have different approaches to likely employees to be intrapreneurs. The paper first argues that context is important for understanding how and why context can be linked to individual intrapreneurs and how intrapreneurship can be defined as roles rather than a task or unique potential entrepreneurs.
Expression of N‐cycling genes of root microbiomes provides insights for sustaining oilseed crop production
Authors: Wang Li , Gan Yantai , Bainard Luke D. , Hamel Chantal , St‐Arnaud Marc , Hijri Mohamed
Published: July 2020

Agricultural production is dependent on inputs of nitrogen (N) whose cycle relies on soil and crop microbiomes. Crop diversification has increased productivity; however, its impact on the expression of microbial genes involved in N‐cycling pathways remains unknown. Here, we assessed N‐cycling gene expression patterns in the root and rhizosphere microbiomes of five oilseed crops as influenced by three 2‐year crop rotations. The first phase consisted of fallow, lentil or wheat, and the second phase consisted of one of five oilseed crops. Expression of bacterial amoA, nirK and nirS genes showed that the microbiome of Ethiopian mustard had the lowest and that of camelina the highest potential for N loss. A preceding rotation phase of lentil significantly increased the expression of nifH gene by 23% compared with wheat and improved nxrA gene expression by 51% with chemical fallow in the following oilseed crops respectively. Lentil substantially increased biological N2 fixation and reduced denitrification in the following oilseed crops. Our results also revealed that most N‐cycling gene transcripts are more abundant in the microbiomes associated with roots than with the rhizosphere. The outcome of our investigation brings a new level of understanding on how crop diversification and rotation sequences are related to N‐cycling in annual cropping systems.
The substrate‐dependent regulatory effects of the AfeI/R system in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans reveals the novel regulation strategy of quorum sensing in acidophiles
Authors: Gao Xue‐Yan , Fu Chang‐Ai , Hao Likai , Gu Xiu‐Feng , Wang Rui , Lin Jian‐Qiang , Liu Xiang‐Mei , Pang Xin , Zhang Cheng‐Jia , Lin Jian‐Qun , Chen Lin‐Xu
Published: July 2020

A LuxI/R‐like quorum sensing (QS) system (AfeI/R) has been reported in the acidophilic and chemoautotrophic Acidithiobacillus spp. However, the function of AfeI/R remains unclear because of the difficulties in the genetic manipulation of these bacteria. Here, we constructed different afeI mutants of the sulfur‐ and iron‐oxidizer A. ferrooxidans, identified the N‐acyl homoserine lactones (acyl‐HSLs) synthesized by AfeI, and determined the regulatory effects of AfeI/R on genes expression, extracellular polymeric substance synthesis, energy metabolism, cell growth and population density of A. ferrooxidans in different energy substrates. Acyl‐HSLs‐mediated distinct regulation strategies were employed to influence bacterial metabolism and cell growth of A. ferrooxidans cultivated in either sulfur or ferrous iron. Based on these findings, an energy‐substrate‐dependent regulation mode of AfeI/R in A. ferrooxidans was illuminated that AfeI/R could produce different types of acyl‐HSLs and employ specific acyl‐HSLs to regulate specific genes in response to different energy substrates. The discovery of the AfeI/R‐mediated substrate‐dependent regulatory mode expands our knowledge on the function of QS system in the chemoautotrophic sulfur‐ and ferrous iron‐oxidizing bacteria, and provides new insights in understanding energy metabolism modulation, population control, bacteria‐driven bioleaching process, and the coevolution between the acidophiles and their acidic habitats.
‘Saving our people’: health workers, medical citizenship, and vernacular sovereignties in West Papua
Authors: Munro Jenny
Published: July 2020

Much anthropology has considered the social embeddedness of medical systems, personnel, and practices and the political subjectivities that may arise among health workers. I explore what medical citizenship looks like under conditions of settler colonialism in West Papua based on an ethnographic study of Dani (Balim) and Lani HIV nurses and NGO volunteers who see themselves and their activities as part of a broader effort to save Papuans from extinction. In particular, HIV work emerges as a biosocial obligation, meaning that workers give their expertise, attention, compassion, and treatment networks to people with HIV in the name of ensuring the vitality of the wider population, but giving care is not altruistic. As HIV workers respond to erasure, constraints, and racism, they put themselves at the centre of HIV care webs. ‘Traditional’ technologies transform healthcare encounters and challenge strategic ignorance about the epidemic. A close navigation of global health and settler power allows for flexible, independent, even surreptitious HIV practices that are deceptively radical and disruptive. Papuan HIV workers’ medical citizenship is encompassed by and expresses vernacular sovereignties.
Rodent abundance triggered switch between the relative mutualism and predation in a rodent–seed system of the subtropical island forest
Authors: ZENG Di , JIN Tinghao , ZHAO Yuhao , YAN Chuan , ZHANG Zhibin , DING Ping
Published: July 2020

Density‐dependent non‐monotonic species interactions are important in maintaining ecosystem stability and function, but empirical evidences are still rare. Rodents, as both seed dispersers and seed predators, have dual effects on plant regeneration and may result in non‐monotonic rodent‐plant interactions. According to the non‐monotonic models, the relative positive or negative effects of rodents on seedling establishment can be measured based on the positive or negative association of seedling recruitment rate and rodent abundance. In this study, we investigated the fates of acorns of Quercus serrata by tracking tagged seeds on 21 fragmented subtropical islands in the Thousand Island Lake, China. We found that the proportion of germinated seeds of all released seeds showed a dome‐shaped association with rodent abundance per seed. The proportion of removed seeds and cached seeds showed a saturated‐ and a weak dome‐shaped association with rodent abundance per seed, respectively. Our results demonstrated a clear empirical evidence that rodent abundance per seed triggered a switch between the relative mutualism and predation in a rodent–seed system. Our study implied that the observed non‐monotonic interactions between plants and animals may play a significant role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function. We appeal for more investigations of the complex non‐monotonic interactions in various ecosystems.
Methods for identifying and interpreting sex‐linked SNP markers and carrying out sex assignment: application to thornback ray (Raja clavata)
Authors: Trenkel Verena M. , Boudry Pierre , Verrez‐Bagnis Véronique , Lorance Pascal
Published: July 2020

Sex‐determining modes remain unknown in numerous species, notably in fishes, in which a variety of modalities have been reported. Additionally, noninvasive individual sexing is problematic for species without external sex attributes or for early life stages, requiring cytogenetic or molecular analyses when sex chromosomes or sex‐linked markers have been characterized. Genomics now provide a means to achieve this. Here, we review common sex‐determination systems and corresponding statistical methods for identifying sex‐linked genetic markers and their use for sex assignment, focusing on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers derived from reduced representation sequencing methods. We demonstrate the dependence of expected sex assignment error on the number of sex‐linked SNPs and minor allele frequency. The application of three methods was made here: (a) identification of heterozygote excess in one sex, (b) FST outlier analysis between the two sexes and (c) neuronal net modelling. These methods were applied to a large SNP data set (4604 SNPs) for 1680 thornback rays (Raja clavata). Using method (a), nineteen putative sex‐linked SNPs were identified. Comparison with the reference genome of a related species (Amblyraja radiata) indicated that all 19 SNPs are probably located on the same chromosome. These results suggest that thornback ray has a XX/XY sex‐determination system. Method (b) identified eight SNPs probably located on different chromosomes. Method (a) led to the lowest sex assignment error among the three methods (4.2% error for females and 3.7% for males).
Poor efficacy of anti‐programmed cell death‐1/ligand 1 monotherapy for non‐small cell lung cancer patients with active brain metastases
Authors: Tozuka Takehiro , Kitazono Satoru , Sakamoto Hiroaki , Yoshida Hiroshi , Amino Yoshiaki , Uematsu Shinya , Yoshizawa Takahiro , Hasegawa Tsukasa , Ariyasu Ryo , Uchibori Ken , Yanagitani Noriko , Horai Takeshi , Seike Masahiro , Gemma Akihiko , Nishio Makoto
Published: July 2020

Background

The efficacy of anti‐programmed cell death‐1/ligand 1 antibody monotherapy (anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 monotherapy) in patients with active brain metastases (BMs) is not established. Here, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 monotherapy in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with active BMs.

Methods

This retrospective study included NSCLC patients treated with second‐line or later‐line anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 monotherapy between December 2015 and August 2019. Patients were classified into those with or without active BMs, including symptomatic BMs requiring systemic steroids and untreated BMs. The progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of the patients with and without active BMs were compared. Intracranial and extracranial tumor responses were evaluated in patients with active BMs.

Results

We analyzed 197 patients who had received anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 monotherapy. Among them, 24 had active BMs. Among those without active BMs, 145 had no BMs and 28 had treated asymptomatic BMs. The PFS and OS of patients with active BMs were significantly shorter than those of patients without active BMs (1.3 vs. 2.7 months; P < 0.001, and 4.5 vs. 16.3 months; P = 0.001 respectively). For patients with active BMs, the intracranial and extracranial response rates were 13.3% and 26.7%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, active BMs, poor performance status (PS), and EGFR/ALK positivity were significant factors associated with shorter PFS. Active BMs and poor PS were significant factors associated with shorter OS.

Conclusions

This study suggested that anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 monotherapy was not effective for NSCLC patients with active BMs. Further studies on immunotherapy are needed for patients with active BMs.

Key points

Significant findings of the study: The present study showed that anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 antibody monotherapy was not effective for non‐small cell lung cancer patients with active brain metastases. Intracranial and extracranial response rates were 13.3% and 26.7%, respectively.

What this study adds: Further studies on immunotherapy are needed for patients with active BMs.
Bayesian and heterogeneity of treatment effect analyses of the HOT‐ICU trial—A secondary analysis protocol
Authors: Klitgaard Thomas L. , Schjørring Olav L. , Lange Theis , Møller Morten Hylander , Perner Anders , Rasmussen Bodil S. , Granholm Anders
Published: July 2020

Background

The Handling Oxygenation Targets in the Intensive Care Unit (HOT‐ICU) trial is an ongoing randomised clinical trial exploring the benefits and harms of targeting a lower (8 kPa) versus a higher (12 kPa) arterial oxygenation target in adult patients acutely admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with hypoxaemic respiratory failure.

Methods

This protocol describes a secondary analysis of the primary trial outcome, 90‐day all‐cause mortality. We will analyse the primary outcome using Bayesian methods, which allows quantification of probabilities of all effect sizes. We will explore the presence of heterogeneity of treatment effects (HTE) using Bayesian hierarchical models in subgroups based on baseline parameters: (a) severity of illness (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score), (b) severity of hypoxaemic respiratory failure (partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ratio), (c) vasopressor requirement (highest noradrenaline dose in the 24 hours prior to randomisation), and (d) plasma lactate concentration (latest prior to randomisation). Additionally, we will perform separate assessments of the treatment effect interaction with each of the baseline parameters above on the continuous scale and present these using conditional effects plots.

Conclusions

This secondary analysis will aid the interpretation of the HOT‐ICU trial by evaluating probabilities of all effect sizes. In addition, we will evaluate whether HTE is present, thus, further evaluating benefits and harms of a lower versus a higher oxygenation target in adult ICU patients with acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure.
Technology and Technical Efficiency Change: Evidence from a Difference in Differences Selectivity Corrected Stochastic Production Frontier Model
Authors: Bravo‐Ureta Boris E. , González‐Flores Mario , Greene William , Solís Daniel
Published: July 2020

This study presents a new approach to evaluate the economic impact of development projects for cases where baseline and endline data for comparable treated and control samples are available. An important contribution is to bring together propensity score matching (PSM) and difference‐in‐differences (DID) techniques, commonly used in impact evaluation studies, with stochastic production frontiers (SPF) that have become well‐established in the productivity literature. To illustrate our proposed framework, we use baseline and endline data from a rural environmental development program implemented in Nicaragua between 2012 and 2016. The results support the use of the approach proposed and reveal that selectivity from unobservables can be significant. The analysis shows that a severe drought over the period analyzed had significant negative effects on both control and treated farms. However, project beneficiaries enjoyed significantly better results, attributable to the project, compared to the control group. Overall, the results exhibit relatively low levels of technical efficiency with no significant variation across models, time, and treatment status.
The protein YWHAE (14‐3‐3 epsilon) in spermatozoa is essential for male fertility
Authors: Eisa Alaa , Dey Souvik , Ignatious Alex , Nofal Wesam , Hess Rex A. , Kurokawa Manabu , Kline Douglas , Vijayaraghavan Srinivasan
Published: July 2020

Background

Spermatogenesis is a complex biological process highlighted by synthesis and activation of proteins that regulate meiosis and cellular differentiation occur during spermatogenesis. 14‐3‐3 proteins are adaptor proteins that play critical roles in kinase signaling, especially for regulation of cell cycle and apoptosis in eukaryotic cells. There are seven isoforms of the 14‐3‐3 family proteins encoded by seven genes (β, ε, γ, η, θ/τ, ζ and σ). 14‐3‐3 isoforms have been shown to have many interacting partners in several tissues including testis.

Objective

While it is known that 14‐3‐3 proteins are expressed in the functions of testis and spermatozoon, the role for each of the seven isoforms is not known. In this study, we investigated the roles of 14‐3‐3η and 14‐3‐3ε isoforms in spermatogenesis.

Materials and methods

To study the in vivo function of 14‐3‐3η and 14‐3‐3ε in spermatogenesis, we generated testis‐specific and global knockout mice for each of 14‐3‐3η and 14‐3‐3ε isoforms (CKO and GKO, respectively). Computer‐assisted semen analysis was used to assess sperm motility, while immunohistochemical studies were conducted to check spermatogenesis.

Results

Although both 14‐3‐3η and 14‐3‐3ε isoforms were present in mouse testis, only the expression of 14‐3‐3ε, but not 14‐3‐3η, was detected in spermatozoa. Mice lacking 14‐3‐3η were normal and fertile while 14‐3‐3ε CKO and GKO males showed infertility. Low sperm count with higher abnormal spermatozoa was seen in 14‐3‐3ε CKO mice. The motility of 14‐3‐3ε knockout spermatozoa was lower than that of the control. A reduction in the phosphorylation of both glycogen synthase kinase 3 and PP1γ2 was also seen in spermatozoa from 14‐3‐3ε CKO mice, suggesting a specific role of 14‐3‐3ε in spermatogenesis, sperm motility, and fertility.

Discussion and conclusion

This is the first demonstration that of the seven 14‐3‐3 isoforms, 14‐3‐3ε is essential for normal sperm function and male fertility.
Letter: liver disease and COVID‐19—not the perfect storm
Authors: Nathwani Rooshi , Mukherjee Sujit , Forlano Roberta , Mullish Benjamin H. , Vergis Nikhil , Selvapatt Nowlan , Manousou Pinelopi , Nayagam Shevanthi , Lemoine Maud , Dhar Ameet
Published: July 2020

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Garrido et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15813 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15886.
Letter: choosing between ustekinumab and vedolizumab in anti‐TNF refractory Crohn's disease—the devil is in the detail. Authors' reply
Authors: Alric Hadrien , Amiot Aurélien , Carbonnel Franck , Meyer Antoine
Published: July 2020

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Alric et al and Srinivasan papers. To view these articles, visit
https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15706 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15862.
Acute liver injury following turmeric use in Tuscany: An analysis of the Italian Phytovigilance database and systematic review of case reports
Authors: Lombardi Niccolò , Crescioli Giada , Maggini Valentina , Ippoliti Ilaria , Menniti‐Ippolito Francesca , Gallo Eugenia , Brilli Valentina , Lanzi Cecilia , Mannaioni Guido , Firenzuoli Fabio , Vannacci Alfredo
Published: July 2020

Aims

Several cases of acute non‐infectious cholestatic hepatitis recently appeared in Italy following consumption of Curcuma longa‐containing dietary supplements. The aim of this research was to describe the Tuscan (Italy) cases of acute hepatitis and to compare them with similar cases of hepatotoxicity published in the literature by performing a systematic review.

Methods

Records of Tuscan cases of acute hepatitis were obtained from the Italian Phytovigilance system. Each spontaneous report was analysed in order to collect all relevant clinical information of patients and information concerning the Curcuma longa‐containing dietary supplement. Moreover, both the RUCAM and WHO‐UMC systems were used to evaluate the causal relationship between the use of dietary supplement and acute hepatitis. A systematic literature review was performed in MEDLINE and Embase and all case‐reports and case‐series published in English were included.

Results

Seven cases of acute hepatitis occurring in Tuscany up to September 2019 are described. In all cases, hepatotoxicity was associated with Curcuma longa formulations with high bioavailability and high dosage of curcumin/curcuminoids. The causal relationship was also supported by the positive dechallenge observed in most cases. In the 23 cases identified through the systematic review, the majority of patients were concomitantly exposed to at least one other medication and 16 of them experienced a positive dechallenge.

Conclusions

Within the frame of poorly controlled and regulated products, such as dietary supplements, the evaluation of Italian cases of Curcuma longa‐induced acute hepatitis and the systematic review of literature confirmed the association between Curcuma longa and liver injury.
Societal‐level utility value strengthens the relationship between student‐level utility value and achievement: A person‐culture fit perspective
Authors: King Ronnel B. , Cai Yuyang , Du Hongfei
Published: July 2020

Background

Expectancy–value theory posits that higher levels of utility‐value yield better achievement outcomes. Much of the existing research on utility value has focused on the individual as the unit of analysis. Person–culture fit theory, however, suggests that it is also important to consider the fit between the person and the broader society one is embedded in. The greater the fit, the more optimal outcomes ensue. However, to our knowledge past studies have not examined utility value from a person–culture fit perspective.

Aims

This study aimed to examine whether person–culture fit in utility value, defined as the match between the student’s and the society’s utility value perceptions, is associated with more optimal outcomes. More specifically, we examined (1) how utility value predicted achievement and (2) whether societal‐level utility value changed the magnitude of the relationship between student‐level utility value and achievement.

Sample

We used the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 data provided by 502,261 15‐year‐old students from 73 countries/societies.

Methods

Multilevel random‐slopes structural equation modelling was used.

Results

Across all societies, students with higher utility value had better achievement. Moreover, in societies where schooling is highly valued, students’ utility value was a stronger predictor of achievement in reading, math, and science confirming our person–culture fit hypothesis.

Conclusion

These findings signify the importance of person–culture fit in utility value. It also has important implications for motivation research by demonstrating the need to take the broader societal context into account and moving beyond an exclusive focus on the individual student as the unit of analysis.
Anticancer and antileishmanial in vitro activity of gold(I) complexes with 1,3,4‐oxadiazole‐2(3H)‐thione ligands derived from δ‐D‐gluconolactone
Authors: Espinosa Andrés Villaseñor , Costa Danilo de Souza , Tunes Luiza Guimarães , Monte‐Neto Rubens L. do , Grazul Richard Michael , de Almeida Mauro Vieira , Silva Heveline
Published: July 2020

Four gold(I) complexes conceived as anticancer agents were synthesized by reacting [Au(PEt3)Cl] and [Au(PPh3)Cl] with ligands derived from δ‐d‐gluconolactone. The ligands’ structure was designed to combine desired biological properties previously reported for each group. Ligands were synthesized from δ‐d‐gluconolactone via ketal protection and hydrazide formation followed by cyclization with CS2 to produce the novel oxadiazolidine‐2‐thione 7 and 8. Increasing of the ligands’ lipophilicity via ketal protection proved useful since all four gold(I) complexes showed anticancer and antileishmanial properties. The IC50 values are at low micromolar range, varying from 2 to 3 μm for the most active compounds. The free D‐gluconate 1,3,4 oxadiazole‐derived ligands were neither toxic nor presented anticancer or antileishmanial properties. Triethylphosphine‐derived compounds 9 and 10 were more selective against B16‐F10 melanoma cell line. Although similar in vitro antileishmanial activity was observed for the gold(I) precursors themselves and their derived complexes, the latter were three times less toxic for human THP‐1 macrophage cell line; this result is attributed to an isomeric variation of the D‐gluconate ligand and the oxadiazole portion, which was one of the key concepts behind this work. These findings should encourage further research on gold(I) complexes to develop novel compounds with potential application in cancer and leishmaniasis chemotherapy.
Adherence to and acceptability of three alcohol‐free, antiseptic oral rinses: A community‐based pilot randomized controlled trial among pregnant women in rural Nepal
Authors: Erchick Daniel J. , Agrawal Nitin K. , Khatry Subarna K. , Katz Joanne , LeClerq Steven C. , Reynolds Mark A. , Mullany Luke C.
Published: July 2020

Objectives

Antiseptic oral rinses have been evaluated as interventions to reduce the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with periodontal disease in pregnant women. Oral rinse use is not common in Nepal or other countries in South Asia, where the prevalence of adverse pregnancy outcomes is high. Understanding whether pregnant women in rural communities in this region would incorporate rinse use into their daily teeth cleaning routine is an important prerequisite to future research on this topic in South Asia.

Methods

We conducted a community‐based pilot randomized controlled trial of three alcohol‐free, antiseptic oral rinses among pregnant women <22 weeks pregnant in rural Nepal with the aim of assessing rinse acceptability, adherence, and effect on clinical periodontal measures. At baseline, participants underwent a clinical periodontal examination, and then were classified as healthy or having at least mild gingivitis (≥1 site with probing depth (PD) 3 mm and bleeding on probing (BOP) or ≥4 mm (PD)). Participants were stratified by periodontal status and randomized within each exposure category to chlorhexidine (CHX) (0.12%), cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) (0.05%), salt and water (NaCl), or control (no rinse). Rinse participants were followed weekly for 12 weeks, and all participants underwent a second periodontal examination and answered a questionnaire.

Results

Pregnant women in the rural Terai region of Nepal showed high adherence to (mean weekly rinse use: 185 mL (standard deviation: 66 mL)) a recommended 210 mL and acceptability of all three rinses. Participants reported greater frequency of tooth brushing with toothpaste and improvements in other recommended oral hygiene behaviours. CHX significantly reduced rates of gingivitis (defined as a participant with BOP ≥ 10% of sites) and the extent of BOP (gingivitis at the end of follow‐up for CHX vs control: RR 0.37, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.84). CPC and NaCl rinse groups had rates of gingivitis and extent of BOP similar to the control group (gingivitis at the end of follow‐up for CPC: RR 0.81, 95% CI: 0.47, 1.38; NaCl: RR 0.92, 95% CI: 0.55, 1.56).

Conclusions

Adherence to and acceptability of three alcohol‐free, antiseptic oral rinses were high among pregnant women in rural Nepal. Among participants with mild gingivitis at baseline, CHX rinse was most effective at reducing signs of disease compared to the control group. Oral rinse should be considered as a supplement to current oral self‐care routines for pregnant women in settings where rinse use is uncommon and access to oral health services is limited.
Maternal hyperthyroidism and pregnancy outcomes: A population‐based cohort study
Authors: Turunen Suvi , Vääräsmäki Marja , Lahesmaa‐Korpinen Anna‐Maria , Leinonen Maarit K. , Gissler Mika , Männistö Tuija , Suvanto Eila
Published: July 2020

Objective

Maternal hyperthyroidism and antithyroid medications have been associated with adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. This nationwide register‐based study investigated the association of maternal hyperthyroidism and antithyroid drug (ATD) use with pregnancy outcomes and included all singleton births in Finland between 2004 and 2013 (N = 571 785).

Design, patients and measurements

Hyperthyroid mothers were identified in the Medical Birth Register, and data on ATD use before and/or during pregnancy were collected from the Prescription Register. The odds ratios, with 95% confidence intervals, for adverse outcomes among hyperthyroid mothers and mothers without thyroid disease were compared using logistic regression.

Results

In total, 2144 (0.37%) of all the women had diagnoses of hyperthyroidism, and 580 (27%) of these women had used ATDs before and/or during pregnancy. Compared to the mothers without thyroid disease, maternal hyperthyroidism was associated with older age, multiparity, smoking, previous miscarriages, and overweight or obesity. The mothers diagnosed with hyperthyroidism also had increased odds of gestational hypertensive disorders, caesarean sections, placental abruptions, preterm births, small‐for‐gestational‐age newborns and neonatal intensive care unit treatment. The odds of pregnancy and/or perinatal complications were higher among those who had used ATDs (indicative of active disease), but those who had not received ATD treatment also had increased odds of such complications compared to the mothers without thyroid disease.

Conclusions

Women with active hyperthyroidism and those with histories of hyperthyroidism should be considered at risk of developing pregnancy and perinatal complications and should therefore be monitored during pregnancy.
Interactively Modifying Compressed Sparse Voxel Representations
Authors: Careil V. , Billeter M. , Eisemann E.
Published: July 2020

Voxels are a popular choice to encode complex geometry. Their regularity makes updates easy and enables random retrieval of values. The main limitation lies in the poor scaling with respect to resolution. Sparse voxel DAGs (Directed Acyclic Graphs) overcome this hurdle and offer high‐resolution representations for real‐time rendering but only handle static data. We introduce a novel data structure to enable interactive modifications of such compressed voxel geometry without requiring de‐ and recompression. Besides binary data to encode geometry, it also supports compressed attributes (e.g., color). We illustrate the usefulness of our representation via an interactive large‐scale voxel editor (supporting carving, filling, copying, and painting).
Neural Temporal Adaptive Sampling and Denoising
Authors: Hasselgren J. , Munkberg J. , Salvi M. , Patney A. , Lefohn A.
Published: July 2020

Despite recent advances in Monte Carlo path tracing at interactive rates, denoised image sequences generated with few samples per‐pixel often yield temporally unstable results and loss of high‐frequency details. We present a novel adaptive rendering method that increases temporal stability and image fidelity of low sample count path tracing by distributing samples via spatio‐temporal joint optimization of sampling and denoising. Adding temporal optimization to the sample predictor enables it to learn spatio‐temporal sampling strategies such as placing more samples in disoccluded regions, tracking specular highlights, etc; adding temporal feedback to the denoiser boosts the effective input sample count and increases temporal stability. The temporal approach also allows us to remove the initial uniform sampling step typically present in adaptive sampling algorithms. The sample predictor and denoiser are deep neural networks that we co‐train end‐to‐end over multiple consecutive frames. Our approach is scalable, allowing trade‐off between quality and performance, and runs at near real‐time rates while achieving significantly better image quality and temporal stability than previous methods.
Locally supported tangential vector,n‐vector, and tensor fields
Authors: Nasikun Ahmad , Brandt Christopher , Hildebrandt Klaus
Published: July 2020

We introduce a construction of subspaces of the spaces of tangential vector, n‐vector, and tensor fields on surfaces. The resulting subspaces can be used as the basis of fast approximation algorithms for design and processing problems that involve tangential fields. Important features of our construction are that it is based on a general principle, from which constructions for different types of tangential fields can be derived, and that it is scalable, making it possible to efficiently compute and store large subspace bases for large meshes. Moreover, the construction is adaptive, which allows for controlling the distribution of the degrees of freedom of the subspaces over the surface. We evaluate our construction in several experiments addressing approximation quality, scalability, adaptivity, computation times and memory requirements. Our design choices are justified by comparing our construction to possible alternatives. Finally, we discuss examples of how subspace methods can be used to build interactive tools for tangential field design and processing tasks.
Invertible Paradoxic Loop Structures for Transformable Design
Authors: Li Z. , Nawratil G. , Rist F. , Hensel M.
Published: July 2020

We present an interactive tool compatible with existing software (Rhino/Grasshopper) to design ring structures with a paradoxic mobility, which are self‐collision‐free over the complete motion cycle. Our computational approach allows non‐expert users to create these invertible paradoxic loops with six rotational joints by providing several interactions that facilitate design exploration. In a first step, a rational cubic motion is shaped either by means of a four pose interpolation procedure or a motion evolution algorithm. By using the representation of spatial displacements in terms of dual‐quaternions, the associated motion polynomial of the resulting motion can be factored in several ways, each corresponding to a composition of three rotations. By combining two suitable factorizations, an arrangement of six rotary axes is achieved, which possesses a 1‐parametric mobility. In the next step, these axes are connected by links in a way that the resulting linkage is collision‐free over the complete motion cycle. Based on an algorithmic solution for this problem, collision‐free design spaces of the individual links are generated in a post‐processing step. The functionality of the developed design tool is demonstrated in the context of an architectural and artistic application studied in a master‐level studio course. Two results of the performed design experiments were fabricated by the use of computer‐controlled machines to achieve the necessary accuracy ensuring the mobility of the models.
Interactive Modeling of Cellular Structures on Surfaces with Application to Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Stadlbauer P. , Mlakar D. , Seidel H.‐P. , Steinberger M. , Zayer R.
Published: July 2020

The rich and evocative patterns of natural tessellations endow them with an unmistakable artistic appeal and structural properties which are echoed across design, production, and manufacturing. Unfortunately, interactive control of such patterns‐as modeled by Voronoi diagrams, is limited to the simple two dimensional case and does not extend well tofreeform surfaces. We present an approach for direct modeling and editing of such cellular structures on surface meshes. The overall modeling experience is driven by a set of editing primitives which are efficiently implemented on graphics hardware. We feature a novel application for 3D printing on modern support‐free additive manufacturing platforms. Our method decomposes the input surface into a cellular skeletal structure which hosts a set of overlay shells. In this way, material saving can be channeled to the shells while structural stability is channeled to the skeleton. To accommodate the available printer build volume, the cellular structure can be further split into moderately sized parts. Together with shells, they can be conveniently packed to save on production time. The assembly of the printed parts is streamlined by a part numbering scheme which respects the geometric layout of the input model.
Polygon Laplacian Made Simple
Authors: Bunge Astrid , Herholz Philipp , Kazhdan Misha , Botsch Mario
Published: July 2020

The discrete Laplace‐Beltrami operator for surface meshes is a fundamental building block for many (if not most) geometry processing algorithms. While Laplacians on triangle meshes have been researched intensively, yielding the cotangent discretization as the de‐facto standard, the case of general polygon meshes has received much less attention. We present a discretization of the Laplace operator which is consistent with its expression as the composition of divergence and gradient operators, and is applicable to general polygon meshes, including meshes with non‐convex, and even non‐planar, faces. Byvirtuallyinserting a carefully placed point we implicitly refine each polygon into a triangle fan, but then hide the refinement within the matrix assembly. The resulting operator generalizes the cotangent Laplacian, inherits its advantages, and is empirically shown to be on par or even better than the recent polygon Laplacian of Alexa and Wardetzky [AW11] — while being simpler to compute.
RGB2AO: Ambient Occlusion Generation from RGB Images
Authors: Inoue N. , Ito D. , Hold‐Geoffroy Y. , Mai L. , Price B. , Yamasaki T.
Published: July 2020

We present RGB2AO, a novel task to generate ambient occlusion (AO) from a single RGB image instead of screen space buffers such as depth and normal. RGB2AO produces a new image filter that creates a non‐directional shading effect that darkens enclosed and sheltered areas. RGB2AO aims to enhance two 2D image editing applications: image composition and geometry‐aware contrast enhancement. We first collect a synthetic dataset consisting of pairs of RGB images and AO maps. Subsequently, we propose a model for RGB2AO by supervised learning of a convolutional neural network (CNN), considering 3D geometry of the input image. Experimental results quantitatively and qualitatively demonstrate the effectiveness of our model.
Accurate Real‐time 3D Gaze Tracking Using a Lightweight Eyeball Calibration
Authors: Wen Q. , Bradley D. , Beeler T. , Park S. , Hilliges O. , Yong J. , Xu F.
Published: July 2020

3D gaze tracking from a single RGB camera is very challenging due to the lack of information in determining the accurate gaze target from a monocular RGB sequence. The eyes tend to occupy only a small portion of the video, and even small errors in estimated eye orientations can lead to very large errors in the triangulated gaze target. We overcome these difficulties with a novel lightweight eyeball calibration scheme that determines the user‐specific visual axis, eyeball size and position in the head. Unlike the previous calibration techniques, we do not need the ground truth positions of the gaze points. In the online stage, gaze is tracked by a new gaze fitting algorithm, and refined by a 3D gaze regression method to correct for bias errors. Our regression is pre‐trained on several individuals and works well for novel users. After the lightweight one‐time user calibration, our method operates in real time. Experiments show that our technique achieves state‐of‐the‐art accuracy in gaze angle estimation, and we demonstrate applications of 3D gaze target tracking and gaze retargeting to an animated 3D character.
Real‐time Anticipation of Occlusions for Automated Camera Control in Toric Space
Authors: Burg L. , Lino C. , Christie M.
Published: July 2020

Efficient visibility computation is a prominent requirement when designing automated camera control techniques for dynamic 3D environments; computer games, interactive storytelling or 3D media applications all need to track 3D entities while ensuring their visibility and delivering a smooth cinematic experience. Addressing this problem requires to sample a large set of potential camera positions and estimate visibility for each of them, which in practice is intractable despite the efficiency of ray‐casting techniques on recent platforms. In this work, we introduce a novel GPU‐rendering technique to efficiently compute occlusions of tracked targets in Toric Space coordinates – a parametric space designed for cinematic camera control. We then rely on this occlusion evaluation to derive an anticipation map predicting occlusions for a continuous set of cameras over a user‐defined time window. We finally design a camera motion strategy exploiting this anticipation map to minimize the occlusions of tracked entities over time. The key features of our approach are demonstrated through comparison with traditionally used ray‐casting on benchmark scenes, and through an integration in multiple game‐like 3D scenes with heavy, sparse and dense occluders.
Interactive Meso‐scale Simulation of Skyscapes
Authors: Vimont Ulysse , Gain James , Lastic Maud , Cordonnier Guillaume , Abiodun Babatunde , Cani Marie‐Paule
Published: July 2020

Although an important component of natural scenes, the representation of skyscapes is often relatively simplistic. This can be largely attributed to the complexity of the thermodynamics underpinning cloud evolution and wind dynamics, which make interactive simulation challenging. We address this problem by introducing a novel layered model that encompasses both terrain and atmosphere, and supports efficient meteorological simulations. The vertical and horizontal layer resolutions can be tuned independently, while maintaining crucial inter‐layer thermodynamics, such as convective circulation and land‐air transfers of heat and moisture. In addition, we introduce a cloud‐form taxonomy for clustering, classifying and upsampling simulation cells to enable visually plausible, finely‐sampled volumetric rendering.

As our results demonstrate, this pipeline allows interactive simulation followed by up‐sampled rendering of extensive skyscapes with dynamic clouds driven by consistent wind patterns. We validate our method by reproducing characteristic phenomena such as diurnal shore breezes, convective cells that contribute to cumulus cloud formation, and orographic effects from moist air driven upslope.
Optimizing sacral neuromodulation for low anterior resection syndrome: learning from our experience
Authors: Rubio‐Perez I. , Saavedra J. , Marijuan J. L. , Pascual‐Miguelañez I.
Published: July 2020

Aim

The aim of this work was to review our institutional series of patients treated with sacral neuromodulation (SNM) for low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) and evaluate possible factors associated with therapeutic success.

Method

Twenty‐five patients were treated with SNM for LARS between 2008 and 2019. SNM was performed as per our institutional protocol. Patients were evaluated with Wexner and LARS scores before and after SNM treatment. A visual analogue scale (1–10) was used to evaluate overall patient satisfaction with SNM.

Results

There were significant differences between the mean LARS score values before (37.82) and after (29) SNM therapy (P < 0.004). The mean Wexner score was higher (16.24) before SNM treatment than afterwards (11.13) (P < 0.004). There was a direct relationship between the height of anastomosis and LARS score (P = 0.035): there were big changes in LARS scoring (pre‐/post‐SNM therapy) in patients with higher anastomoses, and vice versa. Patients who received radiotherapy scored lower in mean satisfaction (6.38) than patients without previous radiotherapy (8.22) (P = 0.008). There was an important positive association between Wexner score and patient satisfaction (P = 0.001): relevant changes in Wexner scoring after SNM therapy were associated with high patient satisfaction, and vice versa.

Conclusion

Our study showed a relationship between changes in Wexner and LARS scores before and after SNM and overall patient satisfaction with SNM therapy. These findings also suggest patients with previous radiotherapy may have worse results with SNM (based on lower overall satisfaction), and that higher anastomoses have a greater impact on the post‐SNM LARS score.
Pairing MCL‐1 inhibition with venetoclax improves therapeutic efficiency of BH3‐mimetics in AML
Authors: Hormi Myriam , Birsen Rudy , Belhadj Maya , Huynh Tony , Cantero Aguilar Lilia , Grignano Eric , Haddaoui Lamya , Guillonneau Francois , Mayeux Patrick , Hunault Mathilde , Tamburini Jérôme , Kosmider Olivier , Fontenay Michaela , Bouscary Didier , Chapuis Nicolas
Published: July 2020

Objectives

Venetoclax combined with hypomethylating agents is a new therapeutic strategy frequently used for treating AML patients who are not eligible for conventional chemotherapy. However, high response rates are heterogeneous due to different mechanisms mediating resistance to venetoclax such as up‐regulation of MCL‐1 expression. We thus tested the anti‐leukemic activity of S63845, a specific MCL‐1 inhibitor.

Methods

Apoptosis induces by S63845 with or without venetoclax was evaluated in primary AML samples and in AML cell lines co‐cultured or not with bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stromal cells. Sensitivity of leukemic cells to S63845 was correlated to the expression level of BCL‐2, MCL‐1, and BCL‐XL determined by Western Blot and mass spectrometry‐based proteomics.

Results

We observed that even if MCL‐1 expression is weak compared to BCL‐2, S63845 induces apoptosis of AML cells and strongly synergizes with venetoclax. Furthermore, AML cells resistant to venetoclax are highly sensitive to S63845. Interestingly, the synergistic effect of S63845 toward venetoclax‐mediated apoptosis of AML cells is still observed in a context of interaction with the BM microenvironment that intrinsically mediates resistance to BCL2 inhibition.

Conclusion

These results are therefore of great relevance for clinicians as they provide the rational for combining BCL‐2 and MCL‐1 inhibition in AML.