bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A model of digital health communication media use during the Covid-19 pandemic
Authors: Sumaedi Sik , Sumardjo Sumardjo , Saleh Amiruddin , Syukri Agus Fanar
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This research aims to develop and test a model of digital health communication media (DHCM) use for healthy food information – DHCM usage – during the Covid-19 pandemic. More specifically, this research investigated the simultaneous effects of perceived threat of Covid-19, e-health literacy, attitude toward DHCM usage, knowledge toward DHCM usage, facilitating conditions and information quality on the DHCM usage.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical data were collected through a survey. The respondents of the survey are 192 DHCM users who lived in Tangerang Regency. Structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis was performed.

Findings

The DHCM usage during the Covid-19 pandemic is significantly affected by the attitude towards the DHCM usage and the facilitating conditions. However, the DHCM usage during the Covid-19 pandemic is not significantly affected by the perceived threat of Covid-19, e-health literacy, information quality and knowledge of the DHCM usage.

Research limitations/implications

This research was conducted only in Tangerang Regency and employed a purposive sampling technique. Future research should be conducted in other contexts to examine the stability of the research findings.

Practical implications

In order to improve DHCM usage for healthy food information, it is important for building a positive attitude towards DHCM usage and ensuring the availability of the facilitating conditions.

Originality/value

This paper is the first that develops and tests a model of DHCM usage for healthy food information during the Covid-19 pandemic.
City gas distribution projects delay in India: a critical assessment of risks
Authors: Rawat Atul , Gupta Sumeet , Rao T. Joji
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study aims to identify and rank the operational and financial risks causing a delay in the commencement of the city gas distribution project in India.

Design/methodology/approach

This study reviews the literature to identify operational and financial risks variables associated with infrastructure projects. Followed by a survey to isolate and assess the critical risk factors for city gas distribution network project in India. The survey data is evaluated using factor analysis to understand the latent structure of the critical risk factors. Second, the author ranks the identified variables as per significance by using the mean score method.

Findings

Five critical risk factors with 20 variables were extracted and assessed to build more understanding of their significance and impact on city gas distribution network project.

Originality/value

This study is the first attempt to follow the management approach to identify and rank operational and financial risks impacting city gas distribution project.
Land and clean energy trade-off: estimating India’s future land requirement to fulfil INDC commitment
Authors: Rej Soumen , Nag Barnali
Published: June 2021

Purpose

For India, with its low agricultural productivity and huge population, land acquisition has always been a serious policy challenge in the installation of land-intensive power projects. India has experienced a large number of projects getting stalled because of land conflict. Yet, there is a paucity of literature pertinent to India that tries to estimate future land requirements taking into consideration of land occupation metric.

Design/methodology/approach

In the present study, the dynamic land transformation and land occupation metrics of nine energy sources, both conventional and renewable, are estimated to further determine the magnitude of land requirement that India needs to prepare itself to fulfil its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) commitments. This is illustrated through two different scenarios of energy requirement growth rates, namely, conservative and advanced.

Findings

This analysis suggests that, while nuclear energy entails the lowest dynamic land transformation when land occupation metric is taken into account, waste to energy source possesses least land requirement, followed by coal-fired source. Hydro energy source has highest requirement both in terms of dynamic land transformation and land occupation. It is also seen that land requirement will be 96% and 120% more in INDC scenario than business as usual (i.e. if India continues with its current share of renewables in its energy portfolio in 2030) considering a conservative and an advanced growth rate, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

Some policy recommendations are provided that may aid policymakers to better address the trade-off between clean energy and land and incorporate it into policy planning. This study has not been able to consider future technical efficiency improvement possibilities for all energy sources, which can be incorporated in the proposed framework for further insight.

Originality/value

This paper provides a framework for estimation of future land requirement to fulfil India’s INDC energy plans which is not available in existing literature. The authors confirm that this manuscript is an original work.
The effect of lean on performance: a longitudinal study of US Hospitals
Authors: Zhang Huilan
Published: June 2021

Purpose

There has been little empirical research focused on the effect of lean on hospital performance in the form of a consolidated methodology. This paper aims to apply a more sophisticated approach to examine whether hospitals’ decision for lean implementation is endogenous and test the effects of lean on hospital performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a publicly available data set of hospitals across the USA from 2002 to 2019 and performs two-stage least squares (2SLS) analysis. In the first stage, a probit model is used to estimate hospitals’ decision to implement lean. The fitted probability values from the first stage are used in the second stage to test the relationship between lean and hospital performance. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression results are compared with those of the 2SLS approach.

Findings

The decision to implement lean is significantly associated with hospital-specific characteristics (the complexity of care, size and cost-to-charge ratio), indicating hospitals’ decision for lean implementation is endogenous. Moreover, there is strong evidence that lean implementation is positively associated with hospital financial and operational performance. The Hausman F-tests confirm the presence of endogeneity and this, in turn, suggests that OLS regressions result in unreliable estimates.

Practical implications

The findings of this study can help hospital managers benchmark performance and explore opportunities for profit and efficiency improvement. The findings are also relevant to policymakers who strive to lower health-care spending.

Originality/value

This study is motivated by the challenges facing the health-care industry. This study is among the first to investigate endogeneity in lean implementation and the association between lean and hospital performance using large-scale archival panel data. The use of the 2SLS approach provides more confidence in statistical findings.
Does corporate political party ideology matter? Evidence from bank loan contracts
Authors: Na HyunJun
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how a firm’s political party orientation (Republican or Democratic), which is measured as the composite index based on the political party leanings of top managers, affects bank loan contracts. This study also investigates how the political culture of local states has a significant impact on loan contracts.

Design/methodology/approach

This research uses various databases including the Loan Pricing Corporation’s DealScan database, financial covenant violation indicators based on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, firm bankruptcy filings and political culture index data to examine the impact of political orientation on the cost of debt. This paper also includes the state level of gun ownership and bachelor’s degrees to investigate how local political culture affects the loan contract. To control endogenous concerns, this paper uses an instrumental variable analysis.

Findings

Firms that have Republican-oriented political identities pay lower yield spreads for the main costs of debt including all-in-spread-drawn and all-in-spread-undrawn. This pattern is consistent with other fees of bank loans. This paper finds that an increase in conservative political policies toward Republican orientations is negatively associated with the cost of debt. The main findings also show that the political culture in the state where the headquarters of the borrowing firm are located plays an important role in bank loan contracts.

Originality/value

The findings in this paper provide evidence that a firm’s political party orientation significantly affects the loan contract terms in both pricing and non-pricing terms. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study that shows the importance of political party identification on loan contracts by separating the sample into Republican, neutral and Democratic.
Effects of hot isostatic pressing and heat treatments on structural and corrosion properties of direct metal laser sintered parts
Authors: Yılmaz Mustafa Safa , Özer Gökhan , Öter Zafer Çağatay , Ertuğrul Onur
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the effects of various heat treatments on microstructure, hardness, porosity and corrosion properties of the parts.

Design/methodology/approach

Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process, various heat treatments and their combinations were applied to the AlSi10Mg parts produced by direct laser metal sintering (DMLS).

Findings

It has been found that the HIP process, which is a post-processing process, reduces the amount of porosity in DMLS-AlSi10Mg material, thus improves corrosion resistance significantly.

Originality/value

In this study, the HIP process and subsequent T6 heat treatments were applied to AlSi10Mg parts produced by the DMLS technique. The study aims to increase the corrosion resistance of AlSi10Mg parts by reducing porosity with the HIP process and by altering the microstructure with the T6 process.
Rainfall frequency and soil water availability regulate soil methane and nitrous oxide fluxes from a native forest exposed to elevated carbon dioxide
Authors: Martins Catarina S. C. , Nazaries Loïc , Delgado‐Baquerizo Manuel , Macdonald Catriona A. , Anderson Ian C. , Singh Brajesh K.
Published: June 2021

Free‐air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) experiments in terrestrial ecosystems have demonstrated ecological responses of key ecosystem processes to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). However, CO2 fertilization responses in field conditions have seldom included methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), particularly in natural and mature forests, which are expected to have an important role in climate change mitigation.

Herein, we aimed to capture the effect of elevated CO2 (eCO2; ambient vs. +150 ppm) on long‐term temporal dynamics of CH4 and N2O fluxes, followed by identification of climo‐edaphic factors explaining feedback responses. To achieve this, continuous monitoring of greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes using a manual chamber technique, over a 3‐year period was implemented in a mature dryland Eucalypt forest FACE (EucFACE) facility in Australia. The relationship between CH4 and N2O fluxes with rainfall indices and soil properties was also explored since they directly impact the microbial communities in the soil responsible for CH4 and N2O net emissions.

Our results showed that in 3 years of eCO2 treatment, the amount and frequency of rainfall predicted GHG emissions in this native forest. We also found a significant reduction in CH4 sink (15%–25%) for some of the years as well as an overall treatment effect index reduction in N2O emissions under eCO2. Higher frequency of rain events with lower intensity led to highest CH4 sink followed by lowest N2O emissions due to fewer wet–dry cycles. Of all the environmental variables included, soil moisture, rainfall and pH were the main predictors of net CH4 and N2O emissions. Methane flux was also strongly influenced by soil texture.

Our findings highlight the need to account for reduced forest CH4 sink under eCO2 in dryland ecosystems, which has implications for GHG budget predictions under future climate conditions.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Sweet tooth: DNA profiling of a cranium from an isolated retained root fragment
Authors: Chierto Elena , Cena Greta , Mann Robert W. , Mattutino Grazia , Nuzzolese Emilio , Robino Carlo
Published: June 2021

Sampling of healthy multi‐rooted teeth is recommended for the genetic identification of human skeletal remains. However, this may not always be possible, as in the reported case consisting of an isolated human cranium found in an aggregate crushing and processing plant in Piedmont, Northwest Italy. The cranium displayed significant weathering, suggesting a post‐mortem interval of several years, and was edentulous with the exception of the apical root fragment of the upper left canine, consequence of an antemortem horizontal fracture. Prolonged decalcification of the root fragment followed by powder‐free DNA extraction from ~10 mg of root tip tissue led to the recovery of >10 ng of high molecular weight human DNA, in comparison with ~0.01 ng of DNA per mg of bone powder obtained from the petrous portion of the temporal bone. Quantity and quality of DNA isolated from apical tooth tissue enabled multiple genotyping, including a reportable female STR profile, mitochondrial DNA analysis, and ancestry‐informative insertion/deletion polymorphisms. Although the cranium remained unidentified after DNA comparisons, our findings confirm that apical tooth tissue is a promising source of DNA, easily obtained through a powder‐free extraction protocol. Results also indicate that root tips should not be overlooked in challenging identification cases, even in the presence of compromised tooth specimens.
Opening a next‐generation black box: Ecological trends for hundreds of species‐like taxa uncovered within a single bacterial >99% 16S rRNA operational taxonomic unit
Authors: Hahn Martin W. , Huemer Andrea , Pitt Alexandra , Hoetzinger Matthias
Published: June 2021

Current knowledge on environmental distribution and taxon richness of free‐living bacteria is mainly based on cultivation‐independent investigations employing 16S rRNA gene sequencing methods. Yet, 16S rRNA genes are evolutionarily rather conserved, resulting in limited taxonomic and ecological resolutions provided by this marker. The faster evolving protein‐encoding gene priB was used to reveal ecological patterns hidden within a single operational taxonomic unit (OTU) defined by >99% 16S rRNA sequence similarity. The studied subcluster PnecC of the genus Polynucleobacter represents a ubiquitous group of abundant freshwater bacteria with cosmopolitan distribution, which is very frequently detected by diversity surveys of freshwater systems. Based on genome taxonomy and a large set of genome sequences, a sequence similarity threshold for delineation of species‐like taxa could be established. In total, 600 species‐like taxa were detected in 99 freshwater habitats scattered across three regions representing a latitudinal range of 3,400 km (42°N to 71°N) and a pH gradient of 4.2 to 8.6. In addition to the unexpectedly high richness, the increased taxonomic resolution revealed structuring of Polynucleobacter communities by a couple of macroecological trends, which was previously only demonstrated for phylogenetically much broader groups of bacteria. An unexpected pattern was the almost complete compositional separation of Polynucleobacter communities of Ca2+‐rich and Ca2+‐poor habitats. This compositional pattern strongly resembled the vicariance of plant species on silicate and limestone soils. The new cultivation‐independent approach presented opened a window to an incredible, previously unseen diversity, and enables investigations aiming on deeper understanding of how environmental conditions shape bacterial communities and drive evolution of free‐living bacteria.
An updated Axiom buffalo genotyping array map and mapping of cattle quantitative trait loci to the new water buffalo reference genome assembly
Authors: Nascimento A. V. , Romero A. R. S. , Nawaz M. Y. , Cardoso D. F. , Santos D. J. A. , Gondro C. , Tonhati H.
Published: June 2021

The objectives of this study were to provide the buffalo research community with an updated SNP map for the Axiom Buffalo Genotyping (ABG) array with genomic positions for SNP currently unmapped and to map all cattle QTL from the CattleQTLdb onto the buffalo reference assembly. To update the ABG array map, all SNP probe sequences from the ABG array were re‐aligned against the UOA_WB_1 assembly. With the new map, the number of mapped markers increased by approximately 10% and went from 106 778 to 116 708, which reduced the average marker spacing by approximately 2 kb. A comparison of results between signatures of autozygosity study using the ABG and the new map showed that, when the additional markers were used there was an increase in the autozygosity peaks and additional peaks in BBU5 and BBU11 could be identified. After sequence alignment and quality control, 64 650 (UMD3.1) and 76 530 (ARS_UCD1.2) cattle QTL were mapped onto the buffalo genome. The mapping of the bovine QTL database onto the buffalo genome should be useful for genome‐wide association studies in buffalo and, given the high homology between the two species, the positions of cattle QTL on the buffalo genome can serve as a stepping stone towards a water buffalo QTL database.
Clinical characteristics and predictive factors of erythema nodosum in granulomatous lobular mastitis
Authors: Luo Wei , Xu Biao , Wang Lei , Xiang Lifang , Lai Milin , Zhang Xu , Liu Xiaoyan
Published: June 2021

Background/Objectives

In recent years, there is a growing incidence of granulomatous lobular mastitis (GLM), but studies about the coexistence of erythema nodosum (EN) and GLM are rare. In this study, we assess the clinical characteristics and predictive factors of EN in GLM.

Methods

A total of 303 patients diagnosed with GLM were enrolled from January 2012 to October 2018 at the second affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, including 78 patients with EN. Follow‐up data included: lesion site, lesion size, therapy approaches, course of GLM, course of EN, the recurrence of disease, possible causes. All patients had pathologic confirmation of GLM based on core needle biopsy (CNB) or surgical excision.

Result

Fever in the EN group was significantly more common compared to the non‐EN group (44.87% vs 12.89%, P < 0.001). The proportion of lesion range >2 quadrants in the EN group was significantly higher than that in the non‐EN group (42.31% vs 16.00%, P < 0.001). The course of the disease was longer in the EN group compared to the non‐EN group (10.32 moths vs 8.74 moths, P < 0.001). Patients with EN had a trend towards a higher risk of recurrence (5.13% vs 1.33%, P = 0.055).

Conclusion

EN is more likely to be found in GLM patients with breast lesion range >2 quadrants. The presence of EN in GLM indicates that the condition becomes more severe and the course of GLM also becomes longer.
Miliaria crystallina induced by idarubicin and all‐trans‐retinoic acid: Two case reports
Authors: Valenzuela‐Ubiña Sandra , Villegas‐Romero Isabel , Jiménez‐Gallo David , Arjona‐Aguilera Cintia , Linares‐Barrios Mario
Published: June 2021

Miliaria crystallina is a benign, self‐limiting disorder of the eccrine sweat glands characterized by the obstruction of the sweat ducts, which leads to secondary sweat retention into stratum corneum. We present two patients with MC during treatment with idarubicin and all‐trans‐retinoic acid (ATRA) for acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL). Anthracyclines can be excreted through sweat and induce MC through exfoliation. The use of idarubicin in combination with ATRA would favour the process of producing a peeling effect. Reports of MC associated with idarubicin and ATRA are scarce. Recognizing this benign entity and its triggers will help to differentiate it from other skin reactions, improving the management of patients by avoiding unnecessary studies and treatments.
Socioeconomic inequality: accessibility and outcomes after renal transplantation in New Zealand
Authors: Belyaev Andrei M. , Henry Luke , Dittmer Ian , MuthuKumaraswamy Carl , Davies Christopher E. , Bergin Colleen J.
Published: June 2021

Background

Socioeconomic deprivation (SED) is a risk factor for worse outcomes after renal transplantation (RTx). This study aimed to evaluate access to RTx in different SED strata of the New Zealand population. We also assessed patient survival, acute cellular allograft rejection (AR) and allograft loss.

Methods

This was an Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplantation and Organ Donation Registries‐based retrospective cohort study. Patients who underwent RTx in New Zealand from 2008 to 2018 were identified. Patients younger than 16 years of age and those who left the country after RTx were excluded. Results: In the higher SED stratum of New Zealanders, the rate of RTx was 53% greater than in the lower SED stratum (odds ratio = 1.53; 95% confidence interval: 1.33–1.76; p < 0.00005).

Results

One hundred and thirteen (23%) patients from the lower SED group and 51 (14.8%) patients from the higher SED group underwent living unrelated RTx, p = 0.0033. In 233 (67.5%) patients from the higher SED group and 265 (53.9%) patients from the lower SED group, transplanted kidneys were from deceased donors RTx, p = 0.0001. The incidence of allograft loss and patient survival were similar in these groups.

Conclusion

Our data demonstrated a lower overall survival in the more socioeconomically deprived patients than in the lower SED group however this was not statistically significant after adjustment for covariates. A larger study is required to determine whether SED is associated with reduced survival.
Modulating Eventfulness: How Liaison Policing Strategies Mitigate Potentiality in Indigenous Land Defence Organising
Authors: Sylvestre Paul
Published: June 2021

Liaison policing strategies are increasingly deployed as Canada’s frontline response to Indigenous‐settler land disputes. A fusion of pre‐emptive interventions, intelligence gathering, and best practices in public order and community policing, contemporary liaison strategies have important implications for Indigenous self‐determination and decolonial struggles. Yet, despite their rapid proliferation, we know little about how liaison strategies are enrolled as a technique of settler colonial governance. I begin addressing this gap through a four‐year case study tracking how a multi‐agency liaison policing assemblage undermined an urban Indigenous land reclamation in the city of Ottawa, Canada’s national capital. I show how liaison strategies worked by constraining the terrain of manoeuvre for radical organising while simultaneously facilitating Indigenous engagement in state‐sanctioned processes of recognition and accommodation. Arguing that the literature on public order policing inadequately theorises the relationship between liaison policing and settler colonial power, I propose “modulating eventfulness” as a more apposite conceptual grammar.
Chronodisruption by chronic jetlag impacts metabolic and gastrointestinal homeostasis in male mice
Authors: Desmet Louis , Thijs Theo , Segers Anneleen , Verbeke Kristin , Depoortere Inge
Published: June 2021

Aim

Chronodisruption desynchronizes peripheral clocks and leads to metabolic diseases. Feeding cues are important synchronizers of peripheral clocks and influence rhythmic oscillations in intestinal microbiota and their metabolites. We investigated whether chronic jetlag, mimicking frequent time zone travelling, affected the diurnal fluctuations in faecal short‐chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels, that feed back to the gut clock to regulate rhythmicity in gut function.

Methods

Rhythms in faecal SCFAs levels and in the expression of clock genes and epithelial markers were measured in the colonic mucosa of control and jetlagged mice. The entraining effect of SCFAs on the rhythm in clock gene mRNA expression was studied in primary colonic crypts. The role of the circadian clock in epithelial marker expression was studied in Arntl−/− mice.

Results

Chronic jetlag increased body weight gain and abolished the day/night food intake pattern which resulted in a phase‐delay in the rhythm of faecal SCFAs that paralleled the shift in the expression of mucosal clock genes. This effect was mimicked by stimulation of primary colonic crypts from control mice with SCFAs. Jetlag abolished the rhythm in Tnfα, proglucagon and ghrelin expression but not in the expression of tight junction markers. Only a dampening in plasma glucagon‐like peptide‐1 but not in ghrelin levels was observed. Rhythms in ghrelin but not proglucagon mRNA expression were abolished in Arntl−/− mice.

Conclusion

The altered food intake pattern during chronodisruption corresponds with the changes in rhythmicity of SCFA levels that entrain clock genes to affect rhythms in mRNA expression of gut epithelial markers.
Effects of the group‐regulation promotion approach on students’ individual and collaborative learning performance, perceptions of regulation and regulation behaviours in project‐based tasks
Authors: Lai Chiu‐Lin
Published: June 2021

Group regulation has been recognised as an important factor affecting students' performances in project‐based learning. However, students often experience unsuccessful project outcomes due to several factors, such as unfocused negotiation and lack of project monitoring. In this study, a group regulation promotion approach was developed. The proposed approach consisted of a group‐regulated learning module that allows students to set learning goals, divide work and adjust their learning progress. There is also a platform for students to share their learning goals, observe others’ work and discuss with their peers. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a 6‐month experiment was conducted in a higher education context. A total of 50 undergraduate students aged 19–20 years old participated in this research. One class assigned as the experimental group learned with the proposed approach, whereas the other class assigned as the control group learned with the collaborative project‐based learning approach. The results revealed that the proposed approach benefited the students’ group learning performance, individual learning performance and their perception of group regulation. In addition, students who learned through the promotion mechanism showed more active learning behaviours. In sum, the integration of the group regulation promotion approach can be an effective means of enhancing students’ learning performance.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

Collaborative project‐based learning has been regarded as a comprehensive approach for teaching and learning.

Technologies benefit students by facilitating online and offline collaborative project‐based learning.

Group regulation has been recognized as an important and challenging factor affecting students' performances in project‐based learning.

What this paper adds

A group regulation promotion approach was developed to encourage students to engage in continuous group regulation with their peers.

A group‐regulated learning module was provided to help students set learning goals, divide work, and adjust their learning progress.

A sharing platform was developed to assist student in sharing their learning goals, observing others' work, and discussing with their peers.

The proposed approach promoted the students’ group learning performance, their individual learning performance, and active regulated learning behaviors.

Implications for practice and/or policy

The group regulation promotion approach is a potential strategy for implementing collaborative learning activities, especially for improving students’ active regulated learning behaviors.

It is worth deeply investigating students’ regulated learning behaviors in collaborative learning activities.
‘No Man is an Island’: Effects of social seclusion on social dream content and REM sleep
Authors: Tuominen Jarno , Olkoniemi Henri , Revonsuo Antti , Valli Katja
Published: June 2021

Based on the Social Simulation Theory of dreaming (SST), we studied the effects of voluntary social seclusion on dream content and sleep structure. Specifically, we studied theCompensationHypothesis, which predicts social dream contents to increase during social seclusion, theSocialityBias– a ratio between dream and wake interactions – and theStrengtheningHypothesis, which predicts an increase in familiar dream characters during seclusion. Additionally, we assessed changes in the proportion of REM sleep. Sleep data and dream reports from 18 participants were collected preceding (n = 94), during (n = 90) and after (n = 119) a seclusion retreat. Data were analysed using linear mixed‐effects models. We failed to support the Compensation Hypothesis, with dreams evidencing fewer social interactions during seclusion. The Strengthening Hypothesis was supported, with more familiar characters present in seclusion dreams. Dream social interactions maintained the Sociality Bias even under seclusion. Additionally, REM sleep increased during seclusion, coinciding with previous literature and tentatively supporting the proposed attachment function for social REM sleep.
Long‐term clinical outcomes after 12‐fractionated carbon‐ion radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer
Authors: Sato Hiraku , Kasuya Goro , Ishikawa Hitoshi , Nomoto Akihiro , Ono Takashi , Nakajima Mio , Isozaki Yuka , Yamamoto Naoyoshi , Iwai Yuma , Nemoto Kenji , Ichikawa Tomohiko , Tsuji Hiroshi ,   the Working Group for Genitourinary Tumors
Published: June 2021

There are no clinical reports of long‐term follow‐up after carbon‐ion radiotherapy (CIRT) using a dose of 51.6 Gy (relative biological effectiveness [RBE]) in 12 fractions for localized prostate cancer, or of a comparison of clinical outcomes between passive and scanning beam irradiation. A total of 256 patients with localized prostate cancer who received CIRT at a dose of 51.6 Gy (RBE) in 12 fractions using two different beam delivery techniques (passive [n = 45] and scanning [n = 211]), and who were followed for more than 1 year, were analyzed. The biochemical relapse‐free (bRF) rate was defined by the Phoenix definition, and the actuarial toxicity rates were evaluated using the Kaplan‐Meier method. Of the 256 patients, 41 (16.0%), 111 (43.4%), and 104 (40.6%) were classified as low, intermediate, and high risk, respectively, after a median follow‐up of 7.0 (range 1.1‐10.4) years. Androgen deprivation therapy was performed in 212 patients (82.8%). The 5‐year bRF rates of the low‐, intermediate‐, and high‐risk patients were 95.1%, 90.9%, and 91.1%, respectively. The 5‐year rates of grade 2 late gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicities in all patients were 0.4% and 6.3%, respectively. No grade ≥3 toxicities were observed. There were no significant differences in the rates of bRF or grade 2 toxicities in patients who received passive irradiation versus scanning irradiation. Our long‐term follow‐up results showed that a CIRT regimen of 51.6 Gy (RBE) in 12 fractions for localized prostate cancer yielded a good therapeutic outcome and low toxicity rates irrespective of the beam delivery technique.
Alveolar ridge regeneration in two‐wall‐damaged extraction sockets of an in vivo experimental model
Authors: Tien Hsu Kuo , Lee Won‐Ho , Kim Chang‐Sung , Choi Seong‐Ho , Gruber Reinhard , Lee Jung‐Seok
Published: June 2021

Aim

To determine the healing outcome following grafting with deproteinized porcine bone mineral (DPBM) with or without collagen membrane coverage in two‐wall (both buccal and lingual)‐damaged extraction sockets.

Materials and methods

Distal roots of three mandibular premolars in six beagle dogs were extracted, and the whole buccal and lingual bony walls were surgically removed. Three treatment protocols were then applied according to the following group allocation: no graft (None), grafting DPBM (BG), and grafting DPBM with coverage by a collagen membrane (BG + M). Two observational periods (2 and 8 weeks) were used with the split‐mouth design, and quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed by microcomputed tomography and histology.

Results

The dimensions of the alveolar ridge at both grafted sites (BG and BG + M) remained similar to those of the pristine ridge in the histologic and radiographic analyses, whereas the ungrafted sites (None) collapsed both vertically and horizontally. Both grafting protocols produced substantial bony regeneration, but the addition of a covering membrane enhanced the proportion of mineralized tissue within the augmented area, and the BG + M group also showed a significantly larger area of regenerated ridge than the None group (p < .05).

Conclusions

Bone grafting with collagen membrane can maintain the alveolar ridge dimensions with substantial bone regeneration in a two‐wall‐damaged extraction socket.
What controls fish functional diversity patterns in Colombian Andean streams?
Authors: Poveda‐Cuellar Jose Luis , López Delgado Edwin Orlando , Zúñiga‐Upegui Pamela Tatiana , Villa Navarro Francisco Antonio
Published: June 2021

Understanding the mechanisms that structure communities have been a major challenge in ecological theory. Functional trait‐based approaches are increasingly used for studying the processes underlying community assembly. However, species‐poor systems of Andean streams these processes are largely unknown. Tropical Andean streams are highly variable in space‐time and characterised by the harsh or stable environment, resulting in a high taxonomic and ecological diversity. In this study, we tested the influence of environmental variables on the fish functional structure. We proposed that in ecosystems with harsh environments, environmental filtering will structure fish assemblages, and in ecosystems with a more stable environment, limiting similarity will prevail, increasing functional diversity. We analysed fish assemblages using functional diversity indices, fourth‐corner RLQ analyses and multiple regression models. Environmental variables such as altitude, stream width, sub‐Andean vegetation and pH influenced functional diversity. For instance, high values of functional redundancy were registered at high elevation streams, reflecting fish assemblages composed of highly dominant species with similar functional traits such as species of the genus Astroblepus. However, we found differences between Astroblepus species in the number and distance of gill rakers which might indicate resource partitioning and coexistence. On the other hand, our results show both stochastic dynamics and environmental filtering are structuring fish assemblages in low and high elevation Andean streams respectively.
The current and future aspects of glioblastoma: Immunotherapy a new hope?
Authors: Patel Vimal , Shah Jigar
Published: June 2021

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most perilous and highly malignant in all the types of brain tumor. Regardless of the treatment, the diagnosis of the patients in GBM is very poor. The average survival rate is only 21 months after multimodal combinational therapies, which include chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Due to the intrusive and infiltrative nature of GBM, it requires elective therapy for specific targeting of tumor cells. Tumor vaccine in a form of immunotherapy has potential to address this need. Nanomedicine‐based immunotherapies have clutch the trigger of systemic and specific immune response against tumor cells, which might be the approach to eliminating the unrelieved cancer. In this mechanism, combination of immunomodulators with specific target and appropriate strategic vaccines can stifle tumor anti‐immune defense system and/or increase the capabilities of the body to move up immunity against the tumor. Here, we explore the different types of immunotherapies and vaccines for brain tumor treatment and their clinical trials, which bring the feasibility of the future of personalized vaccine of nanomedicine‐based immunotherapies for the brain tumor. We believe that immunotherapy could result in a significantly more stable reaction in GBM patients.
Cytomegalovirus seropositivity is associated with reduced risk of multiple sclerosis—a presymptomatic case–control study
Authors: Grut Viktor , Biström Martin , Salzer Jonatan , Stridh Pernilla , Jons Daniel , Gustafsson Rasmus , Fogdell‐Hahn Anna , Huang Jesse , Brenner Nicole , Butt Julia , Bender Noemi , Lindam Anna , Alonso‐Magdalena Lucia , Gunnarsson Martin , Vrethem Magnus , Bergström Tomas , Andersen Oluf , Kockum Ingrid , Waterboer Tim , Olsson Tomas , Sundström Peter
Published: June 2021

Background and purpose

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) and human herpesvirus 6A (HHV‐6A) are associated with increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). Conversely, infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been suggested to reduce the risk of MS but supporting data from presymptomatic studies are lacking. Here, it was sought to increase the understanding of CMV in MS aetiology.

Methods

A nested case–control study was performed with presymptomatically collected blood samples identified through crosslinkage of MS registries and Swedish biobanks. Serological antibody response against CMV, EBV and HHV‐6A was determined using a bead‐based multiplex assay. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for CMV seropositivity as a risk factor for MS was calculated by conditional logistic regression and adjusted for EBV and HHV‐6A seropositivity. Potential interactions on the additive scale were analysed by calculating the attributable proportion due to interaction (AP).

Results

Serum samples from 670 pairs of matched cases and controls were included. CMV seropositivity was associated with a reduced risk for MS (OR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.56–0.88, p = 0.003). Statistical interactions on the additive scale were observed between seronegativity for CMV and seropositivity against HHV‐6A (AP 0.34, 95% CI 0.06–0.61) and EBV antigen EBNA‐1 (amino acid 385–420) at age 20–39 years (AP 0.37, 95% CI 0.09–0.65).

Conclusions

Cytomegalovirus seropositivity is associated with a decreased risk for MS. The protective role for CMV infection in MS aetiology is further supported by the interactions between CMV seronegativity and EBV and HHV‐6A seropositivity.
Finite element analysis of rotary nickel‐titanium endodontic instruments: A critical review of the methodology
Authors: Chien Philip Y‐H , Walsh Laurence J , Peters Ove A
Published: June 2021

Finite element analysis has been a valuable research tool for rotary nickel‐titanium endodontic files over the last two decades. This review aims to summarise and critique the methodology as used in currently available endodontic literature for finite element analysis of rotary nickel‐titanium instruments. An electronic literature research in PubMed and Scopus databases was performed using the appropriate search terms, and the titles and abstracts were screened for relevance. The review revealed an inconsistent approach to the finite element method, particularly with regards to the boundary conditions in which the instruments are tested. Moreover, there is a lack of experimental data to validate in silico findings. A standardised protocol to finite element analysis of rotary endodontic instruments could be considered for future studies.
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor at the forefront of host‐microbe interactions in the skin: A perspective on current knowledge gaps and directions for future research and therapeutic applications
Authors: van den Bogaard Ellen H. , Esser Charlotte , Perdew Gary H.
Published: June 2021

The skin is home to a community of skin microbiota including bacteria, viruses and fungi, which are widely accepted to be of importance for skin homeostasis but also associated with skin diseases. Detailed knowledge on the skin microbiota composition and its changes in a number of skin diseases is available. Yet, specific interactions between microbes and the host skin cells or how they communicate with each other are less well understood. To identify, understand and eventually therapeutically exploit causal relationships of microbial dysbiosis with disease, studies are required that address the receptors and mediators involved in host‐microbe interactions. In this perspective article, we provide an outlook on one of such receptors, namely the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). The AHR is well known for being a ligand‐activated transcription factor regulating the proliferation, differentiation and function of many cell types present in the skin. Its targeting by anti‐inflammatory therapeutics such as coal tar and Tapinarof is effective in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. AHR signalling is activated upon binding of wide variety of small chemicals or ligands, including microbiota‐derived metabolites. New evidence has emerged pointing towards a key role for epidermal AHR signalling through skin microbiota‐derived metabolites. In response, AHR‐driven expression of antimicrobial peptides and stratum corneum formation may alter the skin microbiota composition. This a self‐perpetuating feedback loop calls for novel therapeutic intervention strategies for which we herein discuss the requirements in future mechanistic studies.
Improving the depth of data quality or increasing confusion? Reflections on a data analysis involving members of a self‐help group for relatives of people living with dementia
Authors: Kowe Antonia , Köhler Stefanie , Teipel Stefan
Published: June 2021

Background

Public involvement in research to improve data quality and to empower different stakeholders is good scientific practice, but rarely implemented across all research phases.

Objective

This article reports on an attempt to involve members of a self‐help group for relatives of people living with dementia as co‐researchers in the data analysis in a short‐term format.

Methods

One researcher identified statements about assistive technologies from 17 interviews with people living with dementia and informal caregivers. Two researchers and six co‐researchers independently assigned pre‐defined values to these statements. Subsequently, we compared the values of the researchers and co‐researchers.

Results

The members of the self‐help group identified four original values not considered by the researchers: consent, inclusion, participation and respect.

Discussion

The involvement of co‐researchers led to an improvement in the depth of data quality through the joint identification of values concerning assistive technology. Language barriers between researchers, co‐researchers and interview participants impeded the data analysis.

Conclusion

The challenges and benefits of a participatory data analysis shown here can provide a basis for recommendations for target group‐specific research involvement. Our recommendations relate to the recruitment of co‐researchers, requirements for conducting a participatory data analysis and the participation degree of people involved.

Patient or Public Contribution

The group of co‐researchers participating in the data analysis consisted of relatives of people living with dementia.
Anti‐aging effect of an oral disintegrating collagen film: a prospective, single‐arm study
Authors: Lee Young In , Lee Sang Gyu , Kim Eunbin , Jung Inhee , Suk Jangmi , Kim Jihee , Lee Ju Hee
Published: June 2021

Background

As the average life expectancy increases, skin aging and wrinkles due to photoaging have gained attention. Collagen is closely involved in the process of skin aging. Among the potential methods of drug delivery to the skin, oral disintegrating films show promise for their ability to bypass the loss of active components that is typical of drug absorption via oral administration. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of an oral disintegrating collagen film on skin aging.

Methods

We performed a prospective, single‐arm study in a cohort of 22 women to assess the anti‐aging effect of a novel oral disintegrating film containing collagen applied daily over a 12‐week period. We measured the clinical indicators of skin integrity and performed immunofluorescence and high‐performance liquid chromatography analyses of an ex vivo oral mucosa model to compare the absorption rates of collagen films and conventional oral tablets via the mucosa.

Results

We found that the oral disintegrating collagen film reduced skin wrinkle depth and number and significantly increased skin elasticity and density.

Conclusions

The novel mode of delivery of collagen via oral disintegrating films has a clinically potential anti‐aging efficacy and is safe and convenient for daily use.
The determinants of Asian banking crises—Application of the panel threshold logit model
Authors: Shen Chung‐Hua , Hsu Hsing‐Hua
Published: June 2021

Considering binary dependent variable, this study extends the panel threshold model into “panel threshold logit model (PTLM).” Our PTLM is applied on investigating the effect of early warning indicators on banking crises in 10 Asian economies. The ratio of short‐term debt to foreign reserves serves as the threshold variable. Results confirm the existence of the threshold effect in the determinants of banking crises, and most of the early warning indicators perform differently in the two debt regimes. Our empirical results suggest that important information may be missed in analyzing crises when conventional logit model is used.
Appearance comments presented as compliments at work: How are they perceived by targets and observers in and outside of workplace settings?
Authors: Kahalon Rotem , Becker Julia C. , Shnabel Nurit
Published: June 2021

Two studies examined perceptions referring to appearance comments presented as compliments. When taking the target's perspective (Study 1, n = 678), women perceived appearance comments, especially if sexualized (vs. non‐sexualized) as less appropriate than men did. Women also believed that, as the targets of sexualized (vs. non‐sexualized) comments, they were likely to be perceived as less warm (whereas men believed that they were likely to be perceived as more competent). When taking an observer perspective (Study 2, n = 398), participants perceived comments made at the workplace (vs. a non‐work setting) as less appropriate. Women, but not men, also perceived sexualized comments as less appropriate than non‐sexualized comments. Finally, both men and women perceived the target of sexualized (vs. non‐sexualized) comments as less warm and competent. The results point to a gap between women's and men's perceptions of the appropriateness of appearance comments in general, and sexualized comments in particular, in both workplace and non‐work settings. Moreover, women are more aware than men of the “penalty,” in terms of social perceptions, imposed upon the targets of appearance comments. These results, which can inform sensitivity training to prevent sexual harassment, are especially important in workplace settings, where perceptions of warmth and competence affect how individuals are treated and promoted.