bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Introductory Remarks on Georg Langer’s “On the Function of the Jewish Doorpost Scroll” from 1928
Authors: Goldman-Ida Batsheva
Published: November 2020

Batsheva Goldman-Ida, art historian and museum curator, introduces the article by Jiří Mordechai Georgo Langer (1894, Prague–1943, Tel Aviv): “On the Function of the Jewish Doorpost Scroll,” presented for the first time in English translation, and originally written for the Freud journal Imago in 1928. Langer, a Hebrew poet and teacher of Jewish studies was a friend of Franz Kafka. Langer joined the Belz Hasidism from 1913–16 and was one of the people who introduced Kafka to Hasidism. Langer suggests an explanatory model for Jewish religious artifacts such as the Mezuzah and Phylacteries in the context of compulsion neuroses, referencing the rites of indigenous people and totem theory. The introduction provides background material on the author and details of his other books and endeavors, as well as a framework to better appreciate his poetry and scholarly work. Langer sought a revival of “comrade love” whose homerotic bias is of interest today. His essay on the Mezuzah opens up a range of questions on Jewish artifacts, psychoanalysis, and the origins of Jewish rites. Long left unnoticed, it challenges the current field of Jewish scholarship to rethink its methodology.
Documenting new and little known leaf-mining Nepticulidae from middle and southwestern areas of the Asian continent
Authors: STONIS JONAS R. , REMEIKIS ANDRIUS , DIŠKUS ARŪNAS , NAVICKAITĖ ASTA
Published: November 2020

We review eighteen species of Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera: Nepticuloidea) from Asia and describe eleven new species from Central Asia and the western Himalaya: Stigmella ziziphifolia Rocienė & Stonis, sp. nov., S. damocles Remeikis, sp. nov., S. pyramidata Diškus & Navickaitė, sp. nov., S. alilediella Diškus & Navickaitė, sp. nov., S. longa Remeikis & Stonis, sp. nov., S. latilobata Diškus & Navickaitė, sp. nov., S. paniculata Diškus & Navickaitė, sp. nov., Ectoedemia orbiculata Diškus, Remeikis & Stonis, sp. nov., Acalyptris brunipexus Stonis, Diškus & Remeikis, sp. nov., A. noctilucus Rocienė & Stonis, sp. nov., and A. nasutus Diškus & Navickaitė, sp. nov. The new taxa are illustrated with photographs of the adults, their genitalia, and, if available, leaf mines. We also provide the first photographic documentation of adults and male genitalia of some Asiatic species. We synonymize E. petrosa Puplesis with E. spinosella (de Joannis), and E. rosiphila Puplesis with E. ingloria Puplesis.
Nomenclatorial note on Bernaeinae (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha, Aleyrodidae)
Authors: SHCHERBAKOV DMITRY E. , DROHOJOWSKA JOWITA , SZWEDO JACEK
Published: November 2020

The Bernaeinae, currently regarded as a subfamily of Aleyrodidae (Szwedo & Drohojowska 2016, Drohojowska et al. 2019), is the only extinct subfamily of whiteflies with a fossil record from the Callovian (late Middle Jurassic) to Cenomanian (early Upper Cretaceous). Currently, it comprises seven species in six genera (Schlee 1970, Shcherbakov 2000, Drohojowska et al. 2019, Chen et al. 2020)—Bernaea neocomica Schlee, 1970; Burmoselis evelynae Shcherbakov, 2000; Heidea cretacica Schlee, 1970 (see comment below); Juleyrodes Shcherbakov, 2000 (J. gilli Shcherbakov, 2000, J. visnyai Shcherbakov, 2000), Paraburmoselis kachinensis Chen, Zhang, Wang et Zheng, 2020 and Sinicoselis weberi Drohojowska, Wegierek, Evans et Huang, 2019. Heidea by mistake was figured in Drohojowska & Szwedo (2011a, p. 192, Fig. 23) in Aleyrodinae, but no taxonomic decisions were taken regarding this fossil. Later, in the checklist of fossil Aleyrodidae, Szwedo & Drohojowska (2016: supplement p. 6), listed Heidea in Bernaeinae. This statement was not noted by Chen et al. (2020) listing again Heidea in Aleyrodinae referring to erroneous placement on the figure in Drohojowska & Szwedo (2011a).
New species and new record of cavernicolous ground beetles from Sichuan Province, China (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini and Platynini)
Authors: TIAN MINGYI , HE LI
Published: November 2020

Two new species of cave-adapted ground beetles are described and illustrated from Sichuan Province, southwestern China: Jujiroa zhouchaoi sp. nov. from the calcareous conglomerate cave Shenxian Dong in Mt. Zhaogong (Dujiangyan, Chengdu) and Pterostichus (Huaius) hanwang sp. nov. from the limestone cave Hanwang Dong (Chaotian, Guangyuan). A new locality for Jujiroa deliciola Uéno and Kishimoto, 2001 is given. Keys to species of the genus Jujiroa Uéno, 1952 and the subgenus Huaius Tian and Huang, 2019 (in Tian et al. 2019) are also provided.
Simulation study on modified coil configuration used for shrink fitting of semi-built-up crankshaft and parameters influencing the thermal distribution
Authors: Duan Jianguo , Zhang Qinglei , Long Xintao , Zhang Kebin
Published: November 2020

Semi-built-up crankshafts are universally manufactured by shrink-fitting process with induction heating device. The configurations of induction coil have a great impact on the distributions of eddy current and temperature of crankthrows. Most induction devices are apt to cause some undesirable phenomena such as uneven temperature distribution and irregular deformation after induction heating. This article proposes a modified configuration of induction heating coil according to the crankthrow geometry. By combining the heat conduction equation and the heat boundary conditions, a three-dimensional finite element model, which takes into account the nonlinearity of the material’s electromagnetic and thermal physical properties in the heating process, was developed. The influence of several parameters, such as position and curvature of the arc coil, the current frequency and density, coaxiality of crankweb hole and coil, influencing the temperature distribution inside the crankthrow was also analyzed. The comparison with the numerical simulation results of the original configuration indicates that the modified configuration has better adaptability to the crankthrow. Also, it can help to improve the temperature distribution, and reduce the deformation of the shrink-fitting hole. This exploration provide an effective way for the enterprise to further enhance the shrink-fitting quality of crankshaft.
Optimal starting control of zero-synchronous shock AMT based on torque compensation
Authors: Zhao Lu , Lin Yang , Li Zude , Huang Chenlu
Published: November 2020

This article first puts forward the shortcomings of current AMT starting control in the preface. Then, in the second chapter, the dynamic analysis of the starting process was carried out, and the three requirements of starting control were clarified: dynamic requirements, smoothness requirements and low slippage requirements; it was clarified that dynamic requirements were the main control objectives of starting control, smoothness Performance requirements and low clutch wear requirements are constraints.

In the third chapter, the optimal control principle of the AMT starting is proposed; the clutch target engagement amount is determined according to the power requirements, the engine speed control strategy and the engine target speed are determined according to the low slip wear requirements, according to the requirements of ride comfort, the clutch engagement speed and synchronous compensation torque are determined, and an optimal starting control method with zero synchronous shock based on torque compensation is proposed. Based on this, the optimal starting controller with three control loops is designed in Chapter 4, it realizes the functions of closed-loop control of driver torque demand, closed-loop control of sliding impact degree, closed-loop control of zero synchronous impact, and closed-loop control of engine speed with low sliding power.

Finally, the vehicle test and simulation verification in Chapter 5 confirms that the control method proposed in this paper can effectively meet the starting control goal and eliminate the synchronization shock simply and efficiently.
Risk factors related to postpartum hepatic inflammation in pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Li Lu , Zou Huaibin , Xu Manman , Li Shuang , Zhu Yunxia , Zheng Sujun , Duan Zhongping , Chen Yu
Published: November 2020

Objectives

To investigate liver function after pregnancy in women with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and factors related to postpartum abnormalities.

Methods

A total of 317 pregnant women were included in this study and 138 had an HBV DNA level. In this trial, the highest number and proportion of hepatitis B surface antigen-positive mothers with postpartum hepatic inflammation were at 1 month after delivery.

Results

Baseline liver function of postpartum women with hepatic inflammation was significantly higher than that in those before delivery. The rates of hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg)-positive status, baseline HBV DNA levels, gestational diabetes mellitus, and antiviral therapy during pregnancy were significantly higher in the hepatic inflammation group than in the control group. Among the 138 women who received antiviral therapy, 83 withdrew from antiviral therapy immediately after delivery and 55 continued antiviral therapy for at least 1 month after delivery. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that HBeAg-positivity and gestational diabetes mellitus were associated with hepatic inflammation after delivery. Postpartum hepatic inflammation occurred mostly at 1 month after delivery in pregnant women with HBV infection.

Conclusions

Close monitoring of women with HBV during pregnancy is required, especially for those who are HBeAg-positive and have gestational diabetes mellitus.
Epidemiology of metabolic syndrome and its components in Chinese patients with a range of thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations
Authors: Tang Kun , Zhang Qiao , Peng Nian-chun , Zhang Miao , Xu Shu-jing , Li Hong , Hu Ying , Xue Chun-ju , Shi Li-xin ,   the REACTION Study Group
Published: November 2020

Objective

To investigate the relationship between thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration and the risks of developing metabolic syndrome and its components.

Methods

A total of 10,140 residents of the Yunyan district of Guiyang (Guizhou, China) who were ≥40 years old were selected by cluster random sampling between May and August 2011, of whom 5692 were eligible. TSH concentration and indices of metabolic syndrome were documented at baseline and 3 years later. Participants were allocated to a euthyroid (TSH 0.55–4.78 mIU/L) or high TSH concentration (TSH >4.78 mIU/L) group. Patients with overt hypothyroidism or were undergoing treatment for hypothyroidism were excluded.

Results

The crude and adjusted prevalences of metabolic syndrome were 39.9% and 33.9% in the euthyroid group and 44.3% and 37.5% in the high TSH group, respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between a high TSH concentration at baseline and the cumulative incidence of metabolic syndrome during follow up.

Conclusions

High TSH is associated with a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome or one of its components; therefore, people with a high TSH concentration should be screened regularly to permit the early identification of metabolic syndrome and followed up thoroughly.
Immunophenotypic Characterization of Canine Nodal T-Zone Lymphoma
Authors: Stein Leah , Bacmeister Cynthia , Kiupel Matti
Published: November 2020

T-zone lymphoma (TZL) is an indolent nodal T-cell lymphoma most commonly observed in submandibular lymph nodes in dogs. The diagnosis is based on its distinct morphology and expression of CD3. TZL has been reported to have a low Ki67 index and to lack expression of CD45. The latter feature has been used to diagnose this type of lymphoma via fine needle aspirate and flow cytometry without confirmation of the characteristic tissue architecture. The goal of this study was to characterize the immunophenotype of canine nodal TZL in greater detail. Twenty-seven TZLs were selected based on their characteristic morphology. A tissue microarray was generated, and immunohistochemical expression of CD3, CD5, CD20, CD21, CD25, CD45, Bcl-6, and Ki67 was evaluated. Neoplastic T cells in all cases were positive for CD3, CD5, and CD25, and negative for CD20, CD21, and Bcl-6. Positive labelling for CD45 was detected in 2 of the 27 cases with the remaining 25 cases being negative. All cases had a low Ki67 index with an average index of 19.56%. For the CD45-positive TZLs, clonality of the T-cell antigen receptor gamma gene was confirmed in only one of these cases. The observed immunophenotype of canine TZL is similar to previous publications with the exception that 2 cases expressed CD45. Expression of CD45 in TZLs in this study emphasizes the importance of interpreting immunophenotypic findings in conjunction with histopathology to reach an accurate diagnosis and not to use lack of expression of a particular antigen as the sole diagnostic criterion.
Histological Classification and Immunohistochemical Study of Feline Colorectal Epithelial Tumors
Authors: Uneyama Mizuho , Chambers James K. , Nakashima Ko , Uchida Kazuyuki , Nakayama Hiroyuki
Published: November 2020

Among 113 feline gastrointestinal epithelial tumors diagnosed between 2006 and 2019, 78 (69%) were detected in the colorectum. Fifty colorectal tumors were selected for further pathological evaluations, of which 9 (18%) were histopathologically diagnosed as adenomas and 41 (82%) as carcinoma. The carcinomas included 33 tubular adenocarcinomas (TAC), 5 tubulovillous adenocarcinomas (TVAC), 2 mucinous adenocarcinomas, and 1 undifferentiated carcinoma. Histopathologically, TAC frequently showed vascular invasion (17/33 cases, 52%). In TAC cases, serosal infiltration (13/15 cases, 87%) and lymph node metastasis (8/9 cases, 89%) were common in bowel resection and lymphadenectomy samples, respectively. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells of most cases were positive for cytokeratin (CK) 20 (50/50 cases, 100%) and CDX2 (48/50 cases, 96%). Focal immunopositivity for CD10 (11/50 cases, 22%) and CK7 (15/50 cases, 30%) was observed irrespective of the histological subtype. Only a few cases showed diffuse nuclear accumulation of β-catenin (2/50 cases, 4%) and p53 (5/50 cases, 10%). A lack of tubule formation, female sex, and low CDX2 labeling were statistically associated with carcinoma compared to adenoma (ρ = 0.615, P < .001; ρ = 0.279, P = .050; and ρ = −0.265, P = .063, respectively). Other features, including mucin profiles, Ki67 labeling index, and accumulation of β-catenin and p53, were not associated with malignancy. A sequence analysis revealed KRAS mutations in 3/7 TAC cases. These results suggest that KRAS mutations—rather than excessive Wnt/β-catenin signaling and the inactivation of TP53—contribute to the tumorigenesis of feline colorectal carcinoma.
Stakeholder views of source separation collection programme in East São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Paschoalin Filho João Alexandre , Ghermandi Andrea , Guerner Dias António José , da Luz Eliana Gonçalves , Cortese Tatiana Tucunduva Phillipi
Published: November 2020

The investigation of the views of the stakeholders involved in the municipal solid waste separate collection programme (CP) performed in the East Zone of the city of São Paulo is presented in this paper. Aiming to obtain the necessary information to be analysed, interviews with the manager of the Municipal Urban Cleaning Authority (MUCA) of the city, with leaders of recycling worker cooperatives (WCs), and citizens were performed using semi-structured questionnaires. The analysis was performed using the software “IRAMUTEQ”. The results show that, in the view of the manager of the MUCA of the city and the WCs’ leaders, the low adhesion of the population to the separate CP is the greatest obstacle to a further expansion of the existing programme. At the same time, the citizens have blamed the low diffusion made by the municipality about the separate CP in the East Zone of São Paulo. Thus, it can be concluded that the separate CP available in the East Zone of São Paulo is still flawed; since neither the public power, the WCs, nor the population are satisfied and point out several flaws. This situation highlights the need to establish better venues for discussion between the population, WCs, and the municipality to jointly design a separate collection system with a more participatory approach.
Influence of suspension hysteresis characteristics on vehicle vibration performance
Authors: WU Zhifei , Xiang Yuxia , Liu Chenggui
Published: November 2020

To analyze the influence of the leaf spring hysteresis characteristics on the vehicle body vibration performance, it is necessary to take the physical nonlinear factors into account in the suspension dynamic modeling analysis. The hysteresis characteristics of the leaf spring are caused by the contact and friction between the spring pieces. Besides that, the damping elements of the suspension system are also strongly nonlinear. And hence this article presents a generalized Maxwell-slip damper (GMD) model, which can represent the general hysteresis characteristics of the suspension system. The GMD model incorporates spring stiffness and nonlinear damping in addition to spring friction using the Maxwell model. Then the effects of various parameters on the hysteresis characteristics of GMD model are analyzed and verified by simulation and bench experiments. In addition, an eight degree of freedom (8-DOF) full vehicle model capturing some frictional characteristics was established to study vehicle vibration performance under random road excitation. At the same time, the actual vehicle test is conducted under different road conditions. Ultimately, the results of the nonlinear suspension model have a reasonable agreement with the experimental results, which further demonstrates the credibility of the proposed GMD model. That is, the full vehicle dynamic model with friction force is entirely accurate and useful. The proposed nonlinear hysteresis model may be instructive for accessing the vehicle vibration response to further study the direct effects of friction on vehicle handling and driver feedback.
Validity and reliability of the triage scale in older people in a regional emergency department in Hong Kong
Authors: Cheung Kai Yeung , Leung Ling Pong
Published: November 2020

Background:

Older people (⩾65 years) present a unique challenge in emergency department triage. Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority adopts a five-level emergency department triage system, with no special considerations for older people. We evaluated the validity and reliability of this triage scale in older people in a regional Hong Kong emergency department.

Methods:

In total, 295 cases stratified by triage category were randomly selected for review from November 2016 to January 2017. Validity was established by comparing the real emergency department patients’ triage category against (1) that of an expert panel and (2) the need for life-saving intervention. Triage notes were extracted to make case scenarios to evaluate inter- and intra-rater reliabilities. Emergency department nurses (n = 8) were randomly selected and grouped into <5 and ⩾5 years emergency department experience. All nurses independently rated all 295 scenarios, blinded to clinical outcomes.

Results:

The percentage agreement between the real emergency department patients’ triage category and the expert panel’s assignment was 68.5%, with 16.3% and 15.3% over-triage and under-triage, respectively. Quadratic weighting kappa for agreement with the expert panel was 0.72 (95% confidence interval: 0.53–0.91). The sensitivity, specificity and positive likelihood ratio for the need for life-saving interventions were 75.0% (95% confidence interval: 47.6%–92.7%), 97.1% (95% confidence interval: 94.4%–98.8%) and 26.2 (95% confidence interval: 12.5%–54.8%), respectively. The Fleiss kappa value for inter-rater reliability was 0.50 (95% confidence interval: 0.47–0.54) for junior and senior nurse groups, respectively.

Conclusion:

The current triage scale demonstrates reasonable validity and reliability for use in our older people. Considerations highlighting the unique characteristics of older people emergency department presentations are recommended.
Video feedback and the choice of strategies of college-level guitarists during individual practice
Authors: Boucher Mathieu , Creech Andrea , Dubé Francis
Published: November 2020

Developing musicians are expected to accumulate many hours of self-regulated practice to attain expertise on a musical instrument. The ability to choose appropriate strategies based on the internal and external feedback obtained while performing in the absence of the teacher’s support constitutes an important aspect of self-regulated practice. Nevertheless, performing and simultaneously monitoring the performance for feedback represents a challenge for any learner, therefore possibly affecting the resulting choice of strategies. A possible solution to this problem might be to videotape the performance and watching it afterwards to fully concentrate on each task. Studies that have used video feedback in the domain of sports suggest that there may be many similar potential benefits of self-recording for musicians’ self-regulation practices. In our study, we examined how video feedback might affect the choice of strategies of intermediate–advanced musicians ( n = 16) while practising a new piece of music. To attain this objective, we compared the number of qualitative text entries coded against an observation framework derived from observations of a group of musicians who used video feedback four times over a period of ten practice sessions with the number of coding entries of a group of musicians who did not use video feedback. Our results indicated that musicians who used video feedback practised at a slow tempo more often and that they played longer segments of the piece earlier in the learning process than the musicians who did not use video feedback.
Enchanted animism: A matter of care
Authors: Merewether Jane
Published: November 2020

Jean Piaget, whose work continues to be very influential in early childhood education, associated young children’s animism with their ‘primitive thought’ claiming children remain animists until they reach a more advanced and rational stage of development. This article proposes a rethinking of the Piagetian view of animism, suggesting instead that children’s animism be conceived as a ‘matter of care’ which may then offer possibilities for living more responsively and attentively with non human others. Drawing on two recent research projects involving two-to-eight-year-old children, the article contends that children’s playful and speculative ‘enchanted animism’ can create a spaces for curiosity, wonder and immersion in and of the world. The author argues that enchanted animism has the potential to open children to their worldly embeddedness and can ignite possibilities for more responsive and attentive ways of living with an increasingly damaged Earth.
Predicting online shopping cart abandonment with machine learning approaches
Authors: Rausch Theresa Maria , Derra Nicholas Daniel , Wolf Lukas
Published: November 2020

Excessive online shopping cart abandonment rates constitute a major challenge for e-commerce companies and can inhibit their success within their competitive environment. Simultaneously, the emergence of the Internet’s commercial usage results in steadily growing volumes of data about consumers’ online behavior. Thus, data-driven methods are needed to extract valuable knowledge from such big data to automatically identify online shopping cart abandoners. Hence, this contribution analyzes clickstream data of a leading German online retailer comprising 821,048 observations to predict such abandoners by proposing different machine learning approaches. Thereby, we provide methodological insights to gather a comprehensive understanding of the practicability of classification methods in the context of online shopping cart abandonment prediction: our findings indicate that gradient boosting with regularization outperforms the remaining models yielding an F1-Score of 0.8569 and an AUC value of 0.8182. Nevertheless, as gradient boosting tends to be computationally infeasible, a decision tree or boosted logistic regression may be suitable alternatives, balancing the trade-off between model complexity and prediction accuracy.
Fatty acid ethyl esters in meconium: A biomarker of fetal alcohol exposure and effect
Authors: Cheng Charlie T , Ostrea Jr Enrique M , Alviedo Joseph NB , Banadera Felix P , Thomas Ronald L
Published: November 2020

To determine if meconium fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) in rat pups is a good biomarker of prenatal exposure and effect to alcohol, three groups of pregnant rats were studied: one control (pair fed) and two treatment groups given 25% alcohol at 2.2 or 5.5 g−1 kg−1 d−1. The pups were delivered on day 20 and, for each dam, were separated into a male and female group. The body, brain, intestines, and placenta of the pups were obtained, weighed, and stored at −20°C. The pups’ intestines (as surrogate of meconium) from each group were pooled, and meconium was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy for FAEE. The meconium showed the following FAEE: ethyl palmitate, ethyl stearate, and ethyl linolenate and were only found in the alcohol-treated group and with high specificity but low sensitivity. Mean body weight of the pups was lower in the treatment groups compared to the control groups. Ethyl palmitate concentration correlated negatively to the pups’ mean body and brain weights. Therefore, ethyl palmitate, stearate, and linolenate, in meconium of rat pups prenatally exposed to alcohol, are useful biomarkers of prenatal alcohol exposure, with ethyl palmitate a good biomarker of adverse effect on the pups’ body and brain weight.
Human-derived osteoblast-like cells and pericyte-like cells induce distinct metastatic phenotypes in primary breast cancer cells
Authors: Mayo Vera , Bowles Annie C , Wubker Laura E , Ortiz Ismael , Cordoves Albert M , Cote Richard J , Correa Diego , Agarwal Ashutosh
Published: November 2020

Approximately 70% of advanced breast cancer patients will develop bone metastases, which accounts for ∼90% of cancer-related mortality. Breast cancer circulating tumor cells (CTCs) establish metastatic tumors in the bone after a close interaction with local bone marrow cells including pericytes and osteoblasts, both related to resident mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (BM-MSCs) progenitors. In vitro recapitulation of the critical cellular players of the bone microenvironment and infiltrating CTCs could provide new insights into their cross-talk during the metastatic cascade, helping in the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Human BM-MSCs were isolated and fractionated according to CD146 presence. CD146+ cells were utilized as pericyte-like cells (PLCs) given the high expression of the marker in perivascular cells, while CD146− cells were induced into an osteogenic phenotype generating osteoblast-like cells (OLCs). Transwell migration assays were performed to establish whether primary breast cancer cells (3384T) were attracted to OLC. Furthermore, proliferation of 3384T breast cancer cells was assessed in the presence of PLC- and OLC-derived conditioned media. Additionally, conditioned media cultures as well as transwell co-cultures of each OLCs and PLCs were performed with 3384T breast cancer cells for gene expression interrogation assessing their induced transcriptional changes with an emphasis on metastatic potential. PLC as well as their conditioned media increased motility and invasion potential of 3384T breast cancer cells, while OLC induced a dormant phenotype, downregulating invasiveness markers related with migration and proliferation. Altogether, these results indicate that PLC distinctively drive 3384T cancer cells to an invasive and migratory phenotype, while OLC induce a quiescence state, thus recapitulating the different phases of the in vivo bone metastatic process. These data show that phenotypic responses from metastasizing cancer cells are influenced by neighboring cells at the bone metastatic niche during the establishment of secondary metastatic tumors.
Risk of malignancies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease who used thiopurines as compared with other indications: a territory-wide study
Authors: Zheng Kelvin Y. C. , Guo Chuan-Guo , Wong Irene O. L. , Chen Lijia , Chung Ho Yin , Cheung Ka Shing , Leung Wai K.
Published: November 2020

Aims:

Thiopurines are believed to increase cancer risks, but data from Asian patients are sparse. We determined the risks of malignancies in thiopurine users with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or other indications from Hong Kong.

Methods:

All patients who had received thiopurines between 2005 and 2009 in Hong Kong were identified from local electronic healthcare database. Patients were followed from the start date of thiopurines until death or end of study in 2017. We excluded patients with baseline malignancy. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) of all malignancies were computed against matched local general population from the cancer registry. Patients in the same diagnosis category but not exposed to thiopurines were included as controls.

Results:

There were 7452 thiopurines users (median age 47.0 years), including 595 IBD patients, with a median follow-up of 11.2 years. Of them, 684 (9.2%) developed malignancies with an overall SIR of 2.30 (95% CI 2.13–2.48). The SIR in IBD patients who used thiopurines was 2.37 (95% CI 1.71–3.18) as compared with non-users (SIR 1.35, 95% CI 1.05–1.72). Highest risk of malignancies was observed in post-transplant patients (SIR 3.83, 95% CI 3.34–4.35), and lower risks were seen in patients with rheumatological diseases (SIR 1.46, 95% CI 1.02–2.02).

Conclusion:

IBD patients in Hong Kong who used thiopurines had 2.37-fold increase in risk of malignancies than the general population, which was higher than non-users and different from thiopurine users for other indications.
Doctoral Thesis as Entangled Becomings: Moments That Tremble With Potential
Authors: Bowstead Helen
Published: November 2020

This paper attempts to exemplify an emergent doctoral research process that plugs into the political activism of Deleuze and Guattari’s “becoming minoritarian” and the transformational potential of Erin Manning’s “minor gesture.” Revisiting and responding to texts and images produced over the course of one month, the author attempts to demonstrate how an attentiveness and openness beyond the bounds of the traditional doctoral thesis can generate shiftings and shimmerings that have the potential to produce tangible impacts and affects. In a process of writing to the human and nonhuman matter she encounters on her everyday walkings and wanderings, the author senses a shift of herself in relation to the world, generating an imperative to act that can not be ignored. As a tentative exploration of a process that resists the constraints of an externally imposed methodology, this paper works to trouble the prescribed linearity of more normative approaches to doctoral research. This is done in the spirit of encouraging and promoting speculative enquiries with a social conscience for, as Brian Massumi argues, even tiny acts and interventions have the potential to make a difference in the world.
Practice Variation Among Hispanic American Orthopedic Surgeons in the Management of Geriatric Distal Radius Fracture
Authors: Rosado Edwin G. , Olivella Gerardo , Natal-Albelo Eduardo J. , Echegaray Gabriel J. , Rivera Lenny L. , Guevara Carlos A. , Alejandro Larry M. , Martínez-Rivera Arnaldo , Ramírez Norman , Foy Christian A.
Published: November 2020

Introduction:

There is a controversy in the management of distal radius fractures (DRF) and its criteria for surgical intervention on geriatric patients. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) developed evidence-based guidelines for treatment of DRF. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current practice of Hispanic orthopedic surgeons in the management of geriatric DRF and examine their adherence to AAOS guidelines based on years of surgical experience.

Material & Methods:

A survey was emailed to all orthopedic surgeons who live in Puerto Rico and treated DRF in their daily practice. Responses concerning demographic, management and clinical scenarios were evaluated. For each clinical scenario, treatment of choice was selected with the same fracture in a geriatric and young adult patient. Comparison between years of surgical experience and adherence to the AAOS guidelines was performed.

Results:

A total of 65 surgeons responded the survey with 65% having >15 years in practice. A high consensus with AAOS guidelines for DRF was found. Use of preoperative radiographs was reported in all respondents, with an additional 12% routine use of preoperative computed tomography scans. Seventy-seven percent of respondents did not allow any range of motion (ROM) at immediate postoperative period, while 23% allowed active or passive ROM. Use of postoperative therapy was reported in 72.3%. Correlation between years of surgical experience showed a higher use of Vitamin C postoperatively for prophylaxis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome among surgeons <15 years (P = 0.01). A general consensus trend toward operative fixation was noted among geriatric and young adult patients with the same fracture type in all clinical scenarios.

Discussion and Conclusions:

This survey demonstrates a practice variation toward surgical management of geriatric DRF among Hispanic orthopedic surgeons; despite their compliance with the AAOS AUC guidelines. The geriatric DRF management does not vary significantly among years of surgical experience.
Clinical outcomes and cost analysis of one- versus two-stage bilateral hip arthroplasty. A retrospective study of a single surgeon experience
Authors: Hefny M , Syed F , Ugwuoke A , Saunders P , Young SK
Published: November 2020

Purpose:

One in 10 patients presenting for total hip arthroplasty (THA) will have significant osteoarthritis in both hips. In appropriately selected individuals, one-stage bilateral THA is a treatment option. This study aims to compare outcomes of one-stage bilateral THA with two-stage procedure.

Methods:

A retrospective review of a single surgeon series was conducted comparing One-stage bilateral THA (n = 59) with two-stage bilateral THA (n = 50). The primary outcomes were post-operative complication and the Oxford Hip Score. The secondary outcome was a financial analysis.

Results:

Complications were infrequent and comparable between both groups. Oxford hip scores were slightly higher in the one-stage group. One-staged bilateral THA had a lower cost but hospital tariff is higher for two-stage bilateral THA.

Conclusion:

In appropriately selected patients with bilateral hip arthritis, one-stage bilateral THA gives good clinical outcomes. However, the current payment system in the NHS makes two-stage bilateral THA more financially viable to the hospital.
Inter- and Intraobserver Reliability Between Orthopaedic Surgeons for Reparability of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Using MRI
Authors: Anderson Forrest L. , Wright Margaret L. , Anderson Matthew J. , Alexander Frank J. , Popa George , Ahmad Christopher S.
Published: November 2020

Background:

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is the standard of care for patients after an ACL tear, as poor historical outcomes were observed after primary ACL repair. Certain subgroups of patients, however, have been shown to have outcomes equivalent to reconstruction after undergoing ACL repair and therefore may benefit from the potential advantages offered by avoiding reconstruction. It is important to accurately and consistently identify and indicate these candidates for ACL repair.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

The purpose of this study was to determine the inter- and intraobserver reliability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation for the reparability of ACL tears and to identify imaging factors that may lead to surgeon uncertainty or disagreement in decision making. Our hypothesis was that the orthopaedic surgeons surveyed would not be able to reliably agree on the reparability of an ACL using MRI scans alone.

Study Design:

Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

We administered 2 surveys to 6 fellowship-trained orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons. Each surgeon reviewed preoperative MRI scans for 20 patients and answered a series of questions, ultimately determining whether they would choose an ACL reconstruction or repair for the patient based on the imaging alone. The same survey was repeated 6 weeks later. Kappa values for inter- and intraobserver reliability of their decision making were then calculated.

Results:

The average kappa for interobserver reliability in the 2 surveys was 0.22, and the average kappa for intraobserver reliability was 0.34. Interobserver reliability among the surgeons in this group was poor to moderate; intraobserver reliability was slightly better. The choice for ACL repair was significantly correlated with proximal tear locations ( r = 0.854; P < .001), good-quality ACL tissue remnant ( r = 0.929; P < .001), and how many surgeons believed that the tear only involved a single bundle ( r = 0.590; P = .006).

Conclusion:

The surgeons surveyed in this study did not consistently agree on candidates for ACL repair using MRI alone.
Can Social Innovation Address Africa’s Twin Development Challenges of Climate Change Vulnerability and Forced Migrations?
Authors: Chirambo Dumisani
Published: November 2020

Some studies indicate that climate change policy failures are endemic to policymakers in both developed and developing countries. Consequently, the increased vulnerability of people in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) can partly be attributed to developed-country stakeholders’ inability to understand climate change vulnerability in the context of SSA and a fear on the part of policymakers to implement substantive policy innovations. In order to determine how social innovation and entrepreneurship can be harnessed to enhance climate change resilience and improve the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an inductive analysis using secondary data consisting of research articles, policy briefs, project reports and case studies was undertaken. Agribusiness development–focused entrepreneurship and social innovation were noted to have the potential to facilitate the development of new institutions and social systems that can correct structural inequalities and improve investments in SSA’s agriculture sector, thereby reducing local vulnerabilities to climate change and facilitating the attainment of SDG 16 (i.e., promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development). This article is among the foremost in highlighting how climate change policies that integrate entrepreneurship and rural-to-rural migration as means to reduce vulnerability can reduce youth unemployment and support the ‘leave no one behind’ principle.
Performing on the streets: Infrastructures of subaltern resistance in Pakistan
Authors: Awan Nishat
Published: November 2020

This article explores infrastructures of subaltern resistance in Pakistan through a focus on spatial and performative modes and across a number of historical and contemporary examples. I start with the figure of the puppet, tracing it historically as an example of how culturally specific modes of dissent have evolved from a colonial to a postcolonial context, and further into a neoliberal space. I then analyse the practice of ‘wall chalking’, which could be considered a local form of graffiti that also embodies debates over religious and ethnic identity through the contested status of script in the country. In narrating these examples, my aim is to show how a specific form of resistance has developed in the country through the displacement of the dissenting subject. Here I conceptualise resistance as a Foucauldian counter-conduct that transforms space through a creative and embodied use of tactics. It is a form of subaltern resistance that emerges in relation to non-humans and everyday rituals and has developed in subtler (and more resistant) forms, through ways of enacting that thrive within and through the vulnerability of the subject.
Environmental justice and the politics of pollution: The case of the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel pollution incident in Vietnam
Authors: Fan Mei-Fang , Chiu Chih-Ming , Mabon Leslie
Published: November 2020

Research on environmental justice in authoritarian regimes, and in particular on how transnational networks support problem framing and claims-making in the absence of state-led democratic participation instances, is limited. This article uses the case of untreated wastewater from a steel mill owned by Taiwanese conglomerate Formosa Plastics Group, which caused mass fish deaths along coastal provinces in Vietnam in 2016, to explore how civic groups and local communities problematize official accounts of events and engage with transnational networks to make claims to environmental injustice. The paper highlights local narratives about the adverse impacts of the disaster on residents’ livelihoods and wellbeing, controversies over the causes of and responsibility for the disaster, and the role of transnational alliances with Taiwan in sustaining and magnifying claims to injustice. We argue that viewing issues such as the Formosa steel incident through a transnational environmental justice lens illuminates the effect of global and national processes of economic reform in shaping uneven environmental and social impacts from new infrastructure developments. We also argue that thinking in terms of transnational networks can make sense of the spaces which can emerge for claims-making in authoritarian contexts, where democratic participation instances and access to knowledge may be restricted.
How Do CEO Values Influence IPO Speed? A Conceptual Analysis from the Upper Echelons Perspective
Authors: Talaulicar Till
Published: November 2020

The present article addresses the important, but widely neglected subject of initial public offering (IPO) speed that indicates how rapidly a firm develops from its foundation to be publicly listed. We argue that the time that elapses between start-up and going public depends on characteristics of the CEO who tends to largely influence the timing of the IPO decision. Based on conceptual analyses that combine upper echelons theory and the five-factor model of personality traits, we reveal a complex set of propositions about the direct effects of certain CEO values on IPO speed as well as about CEO- and firm-related variables that moderate these relationships. More specifically, we propose that the degrees of the CEO’s emotional stability, extraversion, openness to experience as well as risk propensity tend to be positively associated with IPO speed, whereas the CEO’s agreeableness and conscientiousness tend to decelerate the pace of going public. These effects tend to be stronger when the CEO is the founder of the firm, holds also the position of a chairperson (CEO duality) and/or owns substantial stakes of the company’s equity. Firm size and the size of the top management team tend to weaken these direct relationships.
Characterizing and Distinguishing ‘Innovative Start-ups’ Among Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)
Authors: Krishnan S. Navaneetha , Ganesh L. S. , Rajendran C.
Published: November 2020

Start-ups are entrepreneurial ventures, having a high risk of failure (Bortolini et al., 2018; Spender et al., 2017). The risk of failures of Start-ups can be minimized if they are characterized well, and the appropriate macro- and micro-level policy interventions can be introduced. Our literature review (LR) on Start-ups reveals that they are addressed by different names, namely, Hi-Tech firms, University spin-offs, Innovative Start-ups (ISs), Lean Start-ups, Silicon Valley Start-ups and New Technology-Based Firms (NTBF). (Tripathi, Seppanen et al., 2018; Silva et al., 2020; Wiesenberg et al., 2020). It is also observed that Start-ups are referred to as small business and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). A systematic literature review (SLR) of Start-ups is presented here and used as the basis for characterizing them. We propose (proposition-1) that these Start-up firms, addressed by different names, as referred above, can be grouped, characterized and identified as ISs.

Based on a robust characterization of ISs, this article proposes that ISs are a subset of MSMEs. From a comparative study of ISs and MSME, we propose (proposition-2) a framework that shows MSMEs can be conceptually split into ISs and Conventional MSMEs (C-MSMEs), with an intersection between ISs and C-MSME. This study has also identified four new research areas related to Start-ups and MSMEs. The above characterization and differentiation of ISs from other entrepreneurial ventures will help policymakers, entrepreneurs, and investors to understand ISs and C-MSMEs better and develop suitable policy interventions and risk mitigation strategies.
Harnessing lymphoma epigenetics to improve therapies
Authors: Yang Haopeng , Green Michael R.
Published: November 2020

Affinity maturation and terminal differentiation of B cells via the germinal center reaction is a complex multistep process controlled by transcription factors that induce or suppress large dynamic transcriptional programs. This occurs via the recruitment of coactivator or corepressor complexes that epigenetically regulate gene expression by post-translationally modifying histones and/or remodeling chromatin structure. B-cell–intrinsic developmental programs both regulate and respond to interactions with other cells in the germinal center that provide survival and differentiation signals, such as T-follicular helper cells and follicular dendritic cells. Epigenetic and transcriptional programs that naturally occur during B-cell development are hijacked in B-cell lymphoma by genetic alterations that directly or indirectly change the function of transcription factors and/or chromatin-modifying genes. These in turn skew differentiation toward the tumor cell of origin and alter interactions between lymphoma B cells and other cells within the microenvironment. Understanding the mechanisms by which genetic alterations perturb epigenetic and transcriptional programs regulating B-cell development and immune interactions may identify opportunities to target these programs using epigenetic-modifying agents. Here, we discuss recently published studies centered on follicular lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma within the context of prior knowledge, and we highlight how these insights have informed potential avenues for rational therapeutic interventions.