bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Data-driven fleet management using MOORA: a perspective of risk management
Authors: Rane Santosh B. , Potdar Prathamesh Ramkrishana , Rane Suraj
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the best fleet for a new purchase based on multi-objective optimization on the basis of ratio (MOORA), reference point and multi-MOORA methods. This study further identifies critical parameters for fleet performance monitoring and exploring optimum range of critical parameters using Monte Carlo simulation. At the end of this study, fleet maintenance management and operations have been discussed in the perspectives of risk management.

Design/methodology/approach

Fleet categories and fleet performance monitoring parameters have been identified using the literature survey and Delphi method. Further, real-time data has been analyzed using MOORA, reference point and multi-MOORA methods. Taguchi and full factorial design of experiment (DOE) are used to investigate critical parameters for fleet performance monitoring.

Findings

Fleet performance monitoring is done based on fuel consumption (FC), CO2 emission (CE), coolant temperature (CT), fleet rating, revenue generation (RG), fleet utilization, total weight and ambient temperature. MOORA, reference point and multi-MOORA methods suggested the common best alternative for a particular category of the fleet (compact, hatchback and sedan). FC and RG are the critical parameters for monitoring the fleet performance.

Research limitations/implications

The geographical aspects have not been considered for this study.

Practical implications

A pilot run of 300 fleets shows saving of Rs. 2,611,013/- (US$36,264.065), which comprises total maintenance cost [Rs. 1,749,033/- (US$24,292.125)] and FC cost [Rs. 861,980/- (US$11,971.94)] annually.

Social implications

Reduction in CE (4.83%) creates a positive impact on human health. The reduction in the breakdown maintenance of fleet improves the reliability of fleet services.

Originality/value

This study investigates the most useful parameters for fleet management are FC, CE, CT. Taguchi DOE and full factorial DOE have identified FC and RG as a most critical parameters for fleet health/performance monitoring.
Toward a typology of social entrepreneurs: the interplay between passionate activism and entrepreneurial expertise
Authors: Abebe Michael A. , Kimakwa Sarah , Redd Tammi
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper contributes to research in social entrepreneurship by introducing a typology that describes four distinct types of social entrepreneurs based on the nature of their lives and career experiences and the scope of their social engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to build a typology of social entrepreneurs, inductive profile analysis and archival research design approaches were used. A large variety of social entrepreneur profiles that are available in prominent social entrepreneurship organizations such as Ashoka Foundation, Echoing Green, Schwab Foundation and Skoll Foundation were examined.

Findings

Using four types of social entrepreneurs from the typology, the authors developed a number of predictions as to how social entrepreneurs with an activist background may benefit more in the short term but possibly struggle in the long term given their attachment to their venture's “original” cause and lack of corporate/business experience.

Originality/value

By developing a typology of social entrepreneurs and discussing the implications of this typology for post-launch social venture performance, the paper advances the current understanding of social entrepreneurs and the performance of their ventures. Additionally, by focusing on social entrepreneurs as agents of social change, this paper sheds some light on who these entrepreneurs are, what kind of life and career experiences they had and what motivates them to engage in social entrepreneurship.
Financial market consequences of early adoption of international standards on auditing: international evidence
Authors: Elmghaamez Ibrahim Khalifa , Gerged Ali Meftah , Ntim Collins G.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the effects of the early adoption of International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) on Financial Market Indicators (FMIs) from a diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

Using panel data from 110 countries in a period that spans from 1995 to 2014, this study applies an ordinary least squares regression model to investigate the financial consequences of adopting ISAs. This analysis was supplemented with estimating a fixed-effects and two-stage least squares regression models to address any concerns regarding the possible existence of endogeneity problems.

Findings

This study reports three key findings. First, the authors find that early ISAs adoption has a negative effect on several financial market consequences, namely stock market integration, market capitalisation, market turnover, market return, market development, stock price volatility and stock trading volume. Second, using an alternative measure to the one that is proposed by DOI theory, the authors found that some financial indicators have been significantly improved after ISAs adoption, but only for listed firms that prepared their financial statements under International Financial Reporting Standards and audited by ISAs simultaneously. Finally, the financialindicators of European stock markets, however, have insignificantly shrank post the mandatory adoption of ISAs in 2006.

Practical implications

The empirical evidence raises questions about how ISAs were enforced and implemented. For example, countries that adopted ISAs at early stages may have been dominated mostly by recently established stock exchanges. This implies a crucial need to determine and apply the best type of auditing regime that can increase investors trust and enhance the credibility of stock markets information, which might ultimately advance the FMIs over time significantly.

Originality/value

To-date, studies investigating the impact of the adoption of ISAs on FMI from a DOI theory perspective are virtually non-existent. The study, therefore, seeks to contribute to the extant literature by examining the influence of ISAs adoption on a wide range of FMIs.
Children as active citizens and Egyptian primary schools
Authors: Donia Nevine Samir Mohamed Ibrahim Abou
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an evaluation of the new education system, based on Life Skills and Citizenship Education (LSCE), in Egyptian primary schools. This study analyzes how effective could be the implementation of LSCE in the process of constructing active democratic citizens, in particular, in the case of Egypt, highlighting problems facing the new education approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The study methodologies are twofold; the content analysis of the primary one new curriculum “Discover”, to assess the curriculum's strengths and weakness; and the questionnaire to the primary six students, to investigate the relationship among the twelve life skills.

Findings

Content analysis of the textbook shows that the learning process based on LSCE is appropriate for the construction of active citizens. The textbook provides Egyptian children with the necessary opportunities to learn and create, through creative participatory methods. The relationship between the social dimension and other dimensions has been proven by means of the chi-square test. The relationship between participation and the two approximately absent skills “resilience and empathy” has been clarified as both are strongly interrelated with participation. The results illuminate a strong relationship between participation and the remaining life skills.

Research limitations/implications

More questionnaires are needed to assess the grade of life skills achievement among students in grade one and two, as it is regarded one of the limitations of the present study, owing to the complicated procedures and the limited time.

Practical implications

The research suggests the formulation of wider project-based activities to be included in the textbooks of all the primary grades. In this regard, real contribution with NGOs and local governments shall be developed to facilitate the involvement of children in actual projects, in accordance with their ages, and to encourage students to participate, as they notice the efficient results of their contribution.

Social implications

The research stresses on the importance of enhancing participation, as it is proven through the chi-square test that it is strongly related to other skills.

Originality/value

The scarcity of analytical studies to evaluate the effectiveness of citizenship education programs on children, after the application of the new Egyptian education system.
Brexit, the wine sector and organisational resilience: an exploratory study of Spanish Wineries
Authors: Duarte Alonso Abel , Kok Seng , O'Brien Seamus
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of winery owners/managers concerning the impacts of Brexit on the Spanish wine sector and propose a theoretical framework based on the extant organisational resilience literature to facilitate an understanding of this concept. The framework facilitates understanding of this concept through the perspective of winery operators.

Design/methodology/approach

Attendance at a large Spanish wine fair in 2017 allowed for brief face-to-face interviews with owners and export managers of 156 predominantly micro and small Spanish wineries. The data were analysed through qualitative content analysis.

Findings

Despite the general sense of uncertainty and negative perceptions regarding the outcomes of Brexit, the interviews revealed various forms of resilient responses, including ongoing efforts seeking to broaden the scope for exports into new, niche markets alongside more traditional ones. These findings have important implications for businesses engaged in international business, particularly in the wine industry, where the potential challenges resulting from a major political decision can exacerbate existing issues of competition.

Originality/value

From a practical perspective, this study examines an emerging issue with potential consequences for international business. From a theoretical point of view, the proposed framework provides a baseline to illuminate the understanding of the links and stages following turbulence within organisations. Notably, the activation of responses emphasises the importance of developing a resilient organisational culture, as well as developing internal and enabling factors and bundles of resources that help create firm capabilities.
Single-chip solution for electronics unit of a smart pressure sensor
Authors: Nadezhdin Igor S. , Goryunov Aleksey G.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Differential pressure is an important technological parameter, one urgent task of which is control and measurement. To date, the lion’s share of research in this area has focused on the development and improvement of differential pressure sensors. The purpose of this paper is to develop a smart differential pressure sensor with improved operational and metrological characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

The operating principle of the developed pressure sensor is based on the capacitive measurement principle. The measuring unit of the developed pressure sensor is based on a differential capacitive sensitive element. Programmable system-on-chip (PSoC) technology has been used to develop the electronics unit.

Findings

The use of a differential capacitive sensitive element allows the unit to compensate for the influence of interference (for example, temperature) on the measurement result. With the use of PSoC technology, it is also possible to increase the noise immunity of the developed smart differential pressure sensor and provide an unparalleled combination of flexibility and integration of analog and digital functionality.

Originality/value

The use of PSoC technology in the developed smart differential pressure sensor has many indisputable advantages, as the size of the entire circuit can be minimized. As a result, the circuit has improved noise immunity. Accordingly, the procedure for debugging and changing the software of the electronics unit is simplified. These features make development and manufacturing cost effective.
Factors affecting carcass detection at wind farms using dogs and human searchers
Authors: Domínguez del Valle Jon , Cervantes Peralta Francisco , Jaquero Arjona María I.
Published: July 2020

The use of detection dogs to effectively monitor bird and bat fatalities at wind farms is becoming increasingly popular. All studies to date agree that dogs outperform human searchers at finding bird and bat carcasses around wind turbines; however, it remains unclear how characteristics of the carcass and environmental conditions during the search may influence detection.

We investigate the effect of carcass size, vegetation characteristics and weather conditions on the probability of detecting a carcass, for both dogs and humans, using data from the monitoring program of a wind farm in Spain.

A generalized linear mixed model reveals a high performance of dogs (~80% detection rate), with no clear influence of any of the variables analysed. Humans, on the contrary, were markedly affected by the size of the carcass and to some extent, by the vegetation structure. Humans performed poorly at detecting small carcasses (~20% detection rate), more so in closed vegetation.

Synthesis and applications. Our results provide evidence that dogs perform with high success rates at detecting bird and bat carcasses of different sizes under a wide range of environmental conditions. Humans, by contrast, were very poor at detecting all but the largest carcasses in open areas. We find the use of detection dogs at wind farms to be a robust and cost‐effective alternative to using human searchers, most notably, when the focus is on the monitoring of fatalities of small, rare or inconspicuous species in closed vegetation.
Good things take time—Diversity effects on tree growth shift from negative to positive during stand development in boreal forests
Authors: Jucker Tommaso , Koricheva Julia , Finér Leena , Bouriaud Olivier , Iacopetti Giovanni , Coomes David A.
Published: July 2020

Long‐term grassland biodiversity experiments have shown that diversity effects on productivity tend to strengthen through time, as complementarity among coexisting species increases. But it remains less clear whether this pattern also holds for other ecosystems such as forests, and if so why.

Here we explore whether diversity effects on tree growth change predictably during stand development in Finland's boreal forests. Using tree ring records from mature forests, we tested whether diameter growth trajectories of dominant tree species growing in mixture differed from those in monoculture. We then compared these results with data from the world's longest running tree diversity experiment, where the same combinations of species sampled in mature forests were planted in 1999.

We found that diversity effects on tree growth strengthened progressively through time, only becoming significantly positive around 20 years after seedling establishment. This shift coincided with the period in which canopy closure occurs in these forests, at which time trees begin to interact and compete above‐ground. These temporal trends were remarkably consistent across different tree species sampled in mature forests, and broadly matched growth responses observed in the much younger experimental plots.

Synthesis. Our results mirror those from grassland ecosystems and suggest that canopy closure is a key phase for promoting niche complementarity in diverse tree communities. They also provide a series of testable hypotheses for the growing number of tree diversity experiments that have been established in recent years.
Assisted Self‐help Housing in Mexico: Advocacy, (Micro)Finance and the Making of Markets
Authors: Grubbauer Monika
Published: July 2020

This article examines forms of housing finance that offer poor households opportunities for sourcing resources for construction work through non‐mortgage microloans. In Mexico, these housing microfinance schemes have recently been incorporated into national housing policies. On a global level, the past 10 to 15 years have seen the emergence of institutional investment in microfinance. I reflect on these processes in this article by bringing critical accounts of financial inclusion in development studies and the debate on financialization within urban studies and beyond into dialogue. I combine micro‐ and macro‐scale perspectives to examine how households become financial clients and how finance gains influence by expanding capitalist markets into the informal housing sector. This discussion is based on policy review and document analyses and an empirically grounded account of an assisted self‐help housing case study. In the article I draw on three focal concepts—risk, debt and marketization—to highlight the ambivalences of the expanded access to finance for poor households engaged in self‐organized building practices. These ambivalences emerge from the multiplicity of operational logics and motivations in the field of housing provision for the poor, and the profoundly conflicting rationalities of financial‐ and social‐sector actors.
Assessing the Vulnerability to Price Spikes in Agricultural Commodity Markets
Authors: Triantafyllou Athanasios , Dotsis George , Sarris Alexandros
Published: July 2020

We examine empirically the predictability of conditions associated with a higher probability of a price spike in agricultural commodity markets. We find that the forward spread is the most significant indicator of probable price jumps in maize, wheat and soybeans futures markets, a result which is in line with the ‘Theory of Storage’. We additionally show that some option‐implied variables add significant predictive power when added to the more standard information variable set. Overall, the estimated probabilities of large price increases from our probit models exhibit significant correlations with historical sudden market upheavals in agricultural markets.
Quality of Laypersons' Assessment of Forensically Relevant Stimuli,
Authors: Sneyd Danielle , Schreiber Compo Nadja , Rivard Jillian , Pena Michelle , Stoiloff Stephanie , Hernandez Gabriel
Published: July 2020

The current study examined the potential for cognitive bias in lay examiners' comparisons of footwear impressions within the technical review process while addressing limitations of previous research. Prior research has found inconsistent results regarding the extent to which cognitive bias may influence forensic comparisons, often asking non‐experts to review forensic stimuli above their competency level. Furthermore, past research has largely ignored the potential for cognitive bias during the technical review process. In collaboration with the Miami‐Dade Police Department's Forensic Services Bureau, we examined the effects of previous examiners' level of experience and prior knowledge of the previous examiner's decision on the technical review stage of footwear impression stimuli. Before lay examiners were presented with pairs of known match and nonmatch footwear impressions, they were either told that an expert or a novice had previously examined them and determined them to be either a match, nonmatch, or inconclusive (plus a no‐information condition). Participants then evaluated each pair of footwear impressions to make their own determinations of match, nonmatch, or inconclusive. Results support the technical review process for all decision types, as known nonmatch stimuli were generally more difficult for lay examiners to assess than known match stimuli. Knowledge of a prior examiner's decision and status was observed only when the prior decision was inconclusive, suggesting the need for inclusion of inconclusive decisions in future research examining cognitive bias in forensic examination.
The effects of prey depletion on dietary niches of sympatric apex predators in Southeast Asia
Authors: STEINMETZ Robert , SEUATURIEN Naret , INTANAJITJUY Pairoj , INRUEANG Pichet , PREMPREE Kittipat
Published: July 2020

Resource depletion exerts opposing pressures on co‐occurring consumers to expand diets while limiting overlap with competitors. Using foraging theory as a framework, we tested the effects of prey availability on diet specialization and overlap among competing Asian predators: dhole, leopard, and tiger. We used scat analysis from a prey‐poor site, combined with a quantitative synthesis of 40 other diet studies, to determine biomass of different prey types consumed by each predator. We then assessed diet composition in relation to prey density, and compared diet breadth and overlap between prey‐poor and prey‐rich sites. In prey rich areas, all three predators specialized on energetically profitable medium and large ungulates (>30 kg), resulting in narrow, overlapping niches. Each predator shifted toward less profitable small‐bodied prey (≤30 kg) as preferred ungulates declined, whereas consumption of preferred ungulates was unrelated to small prey abundance, as predicted by foraging theory. Diet breadths doubled under prey depletion (except leopard), but overlap declined as diets diverged via species‐specific traits that facilitated capture of different types of alternative prey. Asia's apex predators adapt similarly to depletion of mutually preferred ungulates by switching to more numerous but less profitable small prey. Yet they can also partition a depleted prey base through intrinsic niche differences, thereby avoiding competitive exclusion. Our findings illuminate the stabilizing properties of adaptive foraging and niche differences in ecological communities, and provide insights into the behavior and resilience of Asia's endangered apex predators in response to prey depletion in the heavily poached forests of this region.
Coping with extremes: convergences of habitat use, territoriality, and diet in summer but divergences in winter between two sympatric snow finches on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau
Authors: LI Dongming , DAVIS Jason E. , SUN Yanfeng , WANG Gang , NABI Ghulam , WINGFIELD John C. , LEI Fumin
Published: July 2020

On the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau, extreme environmental conditions have imposed intense selective pressure on the evolution of phenotypic traits of wild animals. To date, limited information is available on behavioral and ecological traits concerning niche differentiation among sympatric animals on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau, especially during winter when the environments are most severe. Here, we studied the seasonal variations in habitat occurrence, territorial behavior, and diet in two sympatric snow finches (the white‐rumped snow finch,Onychostruthus taczanowskii, WRSF; and the rufous‐necked snow finch,Pyrgilauda ruficollis, RNSF) to determine convergence and divergence of ecological traits in such severe climatic conditions. Our results showed that: (i) WRSF occupied rural areas as a dominant species throughout the annual cycle while RNSF occupied the rural areas in summer and then shifted to human‐occupied areas in winter and spring; (ii) WRSFs exhibited robust aggressive behavior and territoriality during winter relative to RNSFs; (iii) the diets of both species varied with the season but did not vary between species except that WRSF ate significantly more seeds but RNSF consumed more starchy material derived from human food waste during winter. Therefore, the separations in the spatial niche and territoriality between WRSF and RNSF, especially in winter, may contribute to alleviating the pressure of interspecific competition, and promoting the coexistence of the two sympatric snow finches in the extreme environments on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau.
Swift's Queer Persistence
Authors: Brunström Conrad
Published: July 2020

This afterpiece considers the extent to which Jonathan Swift is as politically representative as he is eccentric, and assesses the persistent need on the part of biographers to assert his ‘queerness’ in ways that result in the explaining away of his political positions in terms of psychopathology. It is proposed that Swift's orthodoxies contribute as much as his heterodoxies to his unsettling fascination. In terms of his refusal to entertain any benign notion of ‘progress’, Swift is temperamentally cognate with the ‘no‐futurism’ of Lee Edelman, a posture characterised by a defiant rejection of hegemonic pieties relating to children and childhood.
Lung cancer surgery in HIV‐infected patients: An analysis of postoperative complications and long‐term survival
Authors: Wang Lin , Chen Yongfang , Wang Yifei , Liu Jianjian , Wen Zilu , Chen Hui , Zhu Yijun , Wang Jun , Wan Laiyi , Li Feng , Song Yanzheng
Published: July 2020

Background

The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk factors of postoperative complications and reliable prognostic factors of long‐term survival in HIV‐infected patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods

HIV‐infected patients with NSCLC who underwent surgical treatment were retrospectively studied; a single‐institutional analysis was conducted from November 2011 to August 2018. Pre‐ and postoperative clinical data, including age, gender, smoking history, highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), CD4+ T cell count, HIV viral load, cancer histology, clinical and pathological stage (p‐stage), surgical result, Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), survival time and postoperative complications were collected.

Results

A total of 33 HIV‐infected patients with NSCLC were enrolled of which 18 (54.7%) had preoperative comorbidities and postoperative complications were observed in 22 (66.7%) patients. Thirty‐day mortality was not observed in these patients. Median survival time after surgery was 65 months: the MST of p‐stage I patients was 65 months; p‐stage II MST was unestimable; p‐stage III MST was 21 months. Univariate analyses showed that postoperative complications were associated with HIV viral load (P = 0.002), CCI (P = 0.027), HAART (P = 0.028) and CD4+ T cell count (P = 0.045). However, multiple logistic regression analysis showed no correlation between HAART and postoperative complications. The p‐stage was an independent prognostic factor for survival time.

Conclusions

In our single‐arm retrospective analysis, the risk factors for postoperative complications in HIV‐infected patients with NSCLC were HIV viral load, CCI and CD4+ T cell counts. The p‐stage was a predictive factor for long‐term survival.
Chemogenetic Inactivation of Orbitofrontal Cortex Decreases Cue‐induced Reinstatement of Ethanol and Sucrose Seeking in Male and Female Wistar Rats
Authors: Hernandez John S. , Binette Annalise N. , Rahman Taryn , Tarantino Jeffrey D. , Moorman David E.
Published: July 2020

Background

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) encodes internal representations of outcomes and subjective value to facilitate flexible reward seeking. OFC activation is associated with drug seeking in both human subjects and animal models. OFC plays a role in alcohol use, but studies in animal models have produced conflicting results with some showing decreased seeking after OFC inactivation but others showing increased seeking or no changes. In part, this may be due to the different measures of alcohol seeking used (e.g., homecage drinking vs. operant seeking).

Methods

We characterized the impact of transient inactivation of OFC (primarily lateral and, to a lesser extent, ventral subregions) using inhibitory hM4Di designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs). OFC neurons were transiently inhibited during 10% and 20% alcohol (ethanol, EtOH) and sucrose homecage consumption, fixed ratio (FR1) operant self‐administration, and cue‐induced reinstatement of either 10% EtOH or sucrose in male and female rats.

Results

OFC inactivation did not affect sucrose or EtOH consumption in the homecage, nor did it influence seeking or consumption under FR1 operant conditions. In contrast, OFC inactivation suppressed cued‐induced reinstatement for both EtOH and sucrose in both male and female rats.

Conclusions

Our results are aligned with previous work indicating a selective suppressive effect of OFC inactivation on reinstatement for alcohol and other drugs of abuse. They extend these findings to demonstrate no effect on homecage consumption or FR1 seeking as well as showing an impact of sucrose reinstatement. These data indicate that OFC plays a uniquely important role when reward seeking is driven by associations between external stimuli and internal representations of reward value, both for natural and drug rewards. They further implicate the OFC as a key structure driving relapse‐associated seeking and potentially contributing to alcohol use disorder and other diseases of compulsive reward seeking.
Safety of Gabapentin Prescribed for Any Indication in a Large Clinical Cohort of 571,718 US Veterans with and without Alcohol Use Disorder
Authors: Rentsch Christopher T. , Morford Kenneth L. , Fiellin David A. , Bryant Kendall J. , Justice Amy C. , Tate Janet P.
Published: July 2020

Background

Gabapentin is prescribed for seizures and pain and has efficacy for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD) starting at doses of 900 milligrams per day (mg/d). Recent evidence suggests safety concerns associated with gabapentin including adverse neurologic effects. Individuals with hepatitis C (HCV), HIV, or AUD may be at increased risk due to comorbidities and potential medication interactions.

Methods

We identified patients prescribed gabapentin for ≥ 60 days for any indication between 2002 and 2015. We propensity‐score matched each gabapentin‐exposed patient with up to 5 gabapentin‐unexposed patients. We followed patients for 2 years or until diagnosed with (i) falls or fractures, or (ii) altered mental status using validated ICD‐9 diagnostic codes. We used Poisson regression to estimate incidence rates and relative risk (RR) of these adverse events in association with gabapentin exposure overall and stratified by age, race/ethnicity, sex, HCV, HIV, AUD, and dose.

Results

Incidence of falls or fractures was 1.81 per 100 person‐years (PY) among 140,310 gabapentin‐exposed and 1.34/100 PY among 431,408 gabapentin‐unexposed patients (RR 1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28 to 1.44). Incidence of altered mental status was 1.08/100 PY among exposed and 0.97/100 PY among unexposed patients, RR of 1.12 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.20). Excess risk of falls or fractures associated with gabapentin exposure was observed in all subgroups except patients with HCV, HIV, or AUD; however, these groups had elevated incidence regardless of exposure. There was a clear dose–response relationship for falls or fractures with highest risk observed among those prescribed ≥ 2,400 mg/d (RR 1.90, 95% CI 1.50 to 2.40). Patients were at increased risk for altered mental status at doses 600 to 2,399 mg/d; however, low number of events in the highest dose category limited power to detect a statistically significant association ≥ 2,400 mg/d.

Conclusions

Gabapentin is associated with falls or fractures and altered mental status. Clinicians should be monitoring gabapentin safety, especially at doses ≥ 600 mg/d, in patients with and without AUD.
The value relevance of fair value and historical cost measurements during the financial crisis
Authors: Liao Lin , Kang Helen , Morris Richard D.
Published: July 2020

The roles played by fair value (FV) and historical cost (HC) measurements during the financial crisis (2008–2009) remain controversial. We investigate the relative and incremental value relevance of assets and liabilities measured at FV and HC for financial institutions from 25 European countries before and during the financial crisis. We find that FV is more relatively value relevant than HC during the crisis but not before. HC and FV are, however, incrementally value relevant to each other both before and during the financial crisis. Our results are influenced by cross‐country differences.
Does an item change trigger earnings management? Evidence from asset disposal income in China
Authors: Yang Qi , Wu Dejun
Published: July 2020

We explore a unique regulatory change in 2017 in China that requires firms to move the non‐current assets disposal income in the income statement from below the line of operating income to above it. We find that firms that have incentives to avoid losses conduct upward earnings management using the non‐current assets disposal income after the regulatory change. We also find that this earnings management behaviour is more pronounced for firms in the growth and decline stages, and for firms with weak market competition power. In addition, such behaviour damages firm’s operating performance and innovation in the next year.
Prenatal tobacco exposure and psychiatric outcomes in adolescence: is the effect mediated through birth weight?
Authors: Brannigan R. , Healy C. , Cannon M. , Leacy F. P. , Clarke M. C.
Published: July 2020

Objective

This study aims to examine the associations between prenatal exposure to maternal smoking, birth weight and persistent offspring psychiatric symptoms. Additionally, we aim to examine whether the relationship between prenatal maternal smoking and persistent offspring psychiatric symptoms is mediated by offspring birth weight.

Methods

This study used the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) longitudinal cohort. The GUI is a nationally representative longitudinal study of children which consisted of three data collection waves, at ages 9, 13, and 17 years. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations between prenatal tobacco exposure, and offspring psychiatric symptoms. Linear regression was used to examine associations between prenatal tobacco exposure and offspring birth weight. We conducted a mediation analysis examining potential etiological pathways linking maternal smoking during pregnancy, offspring birth weight, and later offspring psychiatric symptoms. All analyses were adjusted for confounders including household income, maternal level of education, and family psychiatric history. Additionally, examination of birth weight and subsequent psychiatric symptoms also was controlled for prematurity.

Results

We found that the association between prenatal tobacco exposure and later psychiatric symptoms is mediated by birth weight.

Conclusions

This work provides further evidence that maternal smoking during pregnancy is an important modifiable lifestyle factor that has an impact not just on the physical health of offspring but also their mental wellbeing. Supporting women with structured smoking cessation programs at the earliest stages of pregnancy should be a public health priority.
NCAPH is upregulated in endometrial cancer and associated with poor clinicopathologic characteristics
Authors: Qiu Xiaofeng , Gao Zhaoying , Shao Jun , Li Hong
Published: July 2020

Background

Recently, NCAPH (non‐SMC condensin I complex subunit H), a regulatory subunit of the condensin complex, has captured our attention in various cancer studies. However, the function of NCAPH in endometrial cancer (EC) remains unclear. Our study aims to investigate the role of NCAPH in EC.

Methods

The expression of NCAPH in EC tissues and normal tissues was predicted by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The Kaplan–Meier analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of NCAPH expression on EC patients’ survival. Logistic regression was used to study the correlation of NCAPH expression with clinicopathologic characteristics. Molecular mechanisms behind NCAPH in EC were evaluated by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, genetic mutations, copy number variation, and DNA methylation level.

Results

NCAPH was significantly upregulated in EC (p = 1e−24), and its expression level was significantly related to the more advanced International Federation of Gynecology & Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (stage IV vs. stage I: odd ratio.[OR] = 3.7), higher grade (poor vs. well & moderate: OR = 5.3), serous histology subtype (SEA vs. EEA: OR = 8.5), myometrial invasion (≥50 vs. < 50 invasion: OR = 1.8), metastasis (vs. no metastasis: OR = 2.5), and with‐tumor status (vs. free of tumor: OR = 2.3) (all p were less than .05). The Gene Set Enrichment Analysis method indicated that MITOTIC_SPINDLE, G2M_CHECKPOINT, MYC_TARGETS_V1, E2F_TARGETS, MYC_TARGETS_V2, and MTORC1_SIGNALING were involved in the upregulated NCAPH group. NCAPH hypomethylation, amplified copy number variations and genetic mutations; all played a contributive role in NCAPH upregulation.

Conclusions

These results reveal NCAPH functions as oncogene and promote the development of EC.
Media Influence on Vote Choices: Unemployment News and Incumbents' Electoral Prospects
Authors: Garz Marcel , Martin Gregory J.
Published: July 2020

How does news about the economy influence voting decisions? We isolate the effect of the information environment from the effect of change in the underlying economic conditions themselves by taking advantage of left‐digit bias. We show that unemployment figures crossing a round‐number “milestone” cause a discontinuous increase in the amount of media coverage devoted to unemployment conditions, and we use this discontinuity to estimate the effect of attention to unemployment news on voting, holding constant the actual economic conditions on the ground. Milestone effects on incumbent U.S. governor vote shares are large and notably asymmetric: Bad milestone events hurt roughly twice as much as good milestone events help.
Four phase 1 trials to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetic profile of single and repeated dosing of SCO‐101 in adult male and female volunteers
Authors: Bergmann Troels K. , Stage Tore B. , Stenvang Jan , Christophersen Palle , Jacobsen Thomas A. , Roest Nicklas L. , Vestlev Peter M. , Brünner Nils
Published: July 2020

SCO‐101 (Endovion) was discontinued 20 years ago as a new drug under development against sickle cell anaemia. Data from the phase 1 studies remained unpublished. New data indicate that SCO‐101 might be efficacious as add‐on therapy in cancer. Thus, we report the results from the four phase 1 trials performed between 2001 and 2002. Adult volunteers received SCO‐101 or placebo in four independent trials. Adverse events were recorded, and SCO‐101 was determined for pharmacokinetic analysis. Ninety‐two volunteers completed the trials. The most remarkable adverse effect was a transient and dose‐dependent increase in unconjugated bilirubin. Plasma SCO‐101 elimination was approximately log linear, with apparent oral clearances of between 315 and 2103 mL/h for single doses, and between 121 and 2433 mL/h at steady state following oral administration. There was a marked decrease in clearance with increasing dose, and for repeated dose versus single dose. Tmax was greater, and Cmax and AUC∞ were lower in the fed state compared to the fasted state. Exposure was equivalent in males and females and for African Americans and Caucasians. In conclusion, SCO‐101 appears to be a safe drug with a predictable PK profile. Its efficacy as add‐on to standard anticancer drugs has yet to be defined.
Changing our perspective: Is there a government obligation to promote autonomy through the provision of public prenatal screening?
Authors: Enzo Aya , Okita Taketoshi , Asai Atsushi
Published: July 2020

In many countries, prenatal testing for certain fetal abnormalities is offered via publicly funded screening programs. The concept of reproductive autonomy is regarded as providing a justificatory basis for many such programs. The purpose of this study is to re‐examine the normative basis of public prenatal screening for fetal abnormalities by changing our perspective from that of autonomy to obligation. After clarifying the understanding of autonomy adopted in the justification for public prenatal screening programs, we identify two problems concerning this justification: first, the extent to which the government is obliged to meet this demand is not evident; and, second, it is not clear whether the provision of public screening is the most appropriate way to promote autonomy. Next, to tackle these problems, we focus on Onora O’Neill’s argument of rights and obligations. Drawing on this argument, we show that, in addressing the problems above, it is important to change our normative perspective from rights or autonomy to obligation. Our argument will show that since the government does not have an incontrovertibly fundamental obligation to promote autonomy, this obligation needs to be constrained in terms of compatibility with other fundamental obligations. In addition, even if a government is obliged to promote autonomy to some degree, there could be more appropriate means to achieve it than providing public prenatal screening; therefore, it is not necessary for government obligations to extend to the provision of public prenatal screening.
Structural factor equation models for causal network construction via directed acyclic mixed graphs
Authors: Zhou Yan , Song Peter X.‐K. , Wen Xiaoquan
Published: July 2020

Directed acyclic mixed graphs (DAMGs) provide a useful representation of network topology with both directed and undirected edges subject to the restriction of no directed cycles in the graph. This graphical framework may arise in many biomedical studies, for example, when a directed acyclic graph (DAG) of interest is contaminated with undirected edges induced by some unobserved confounding factors (eg, unmeasured environmental factors). Directed edges in a DAG are widely used to evaluate causal relationships among variables in a network, but detecting them is challenging when the underlying causality is obscured by some shared latent factors. The objective of this paper is to develop an effective structural equation model (SEM) method to extract reliable causal relationships from a DAMG. The proposed approach, termed structural factor equation model (SFEM), uses the SEM to capture the network topology of the DAG while accounting for the undirected edges in the graph with a factor analysis model. The latent factors in the SFEM enable the identification and removal of undirected edges, leading to a simpler and more interpretable causal network. The proposed method is evaluated and compared to existing methods through extensive simulation studies, and illustrated through the construction of gene regulatory networks related to breast cancer.
Semiparametric estimation of cross‐covariance functions for multivariate random fields
Authors: Qadir Ghulam A. , Sun Ying
Published: July 2020

The prevalence of spatially referenced multivariate data has impelled researchers to develop procedures for joint modeling of multiple spatial processes. This ordinarily involves modeling marginal and cross‐process dependence for any arbitrary pair of locations using a multivariate spatial covariance function. However, building a flexible multivariate spatial covariance function that is nonnegative definite is challenging. Here, we propose a semiparametric approach for multivariate spatial covariance function estimation with approximate Matérn marginals and highly flexible cross‐covariance functions via their spectral representations. The flexibility in our cross‐covariance function arises due to B‐spline–based specification of the underlying coherence functions, which in turn allows us to capture nontrivial cross‐spectral features. We then develop a likelihood‐based estimation procedure and perform multiple simulation studies to demonstrate the performance of our method, especially on the coherence function estimation. Finally, we analyze particulate matter concentrations (PM2.5) and wind speed data over the West‐North‐Central climatic region of the United States, where we illustrate that our proposed method outperforms the commonly used full bivariate Matérn model and the linear model of coregionalization for spatial prediction.
Estimation of incubation period and generation time based on observed length‐biased epidemic cohort with censoring for COVID‐19 outbreak in China
Authors: Deng Yuhao , You Chong , Liu Yukun , Qin Jing , Zhou Xiao‐Hua
Published: July 2020

The incubation period and generation time are key characteristics in the analysis of infectious diseases. The commonly used contact‐tracing–based estimation of incubation distribution is highly influenced by the individuals' judgment on the possible date of exposure, and might lead to significant errors. On the other hand, interval censoring–based methods are able to utilize a much larger set of traveling data but may encounter biased sampling problems. The distribution of generation time is usually approximated by observed serial intervals. However, it may result in a biased estimation of generation time, especially when the disease is infectious during incubation. In this paper, the theory from renewal process is partially adopted by considering the incubation period as the interarrival time, and the duration between departure from Wuhan and onset of symptoms as the mixture of forward time and interarrival time with censored intervals. In addition, a consistent estimator for the distribution of generation time based on incubation period and serial interval is proposed for incubation‐infectious diseases. A real case application to the current outbreak of COVID‐19 is implemented. We find that the incubation period has a median of 8.50 days (95% confidence interval [CI] [7.22; 9.15]). The basic reproduction number in the early phase of COVID‐19 outbreak based on the proposed generation time estimation is estimated to be 2.96 (95% CI [2.15; 3.86]).
Heterologous expression of concatenated nicotinic ACh receptors: Pros and cons of subunit concatenation and recommendations for construct designs
Authors: Liao Vivian Wan Yu , Kusay Ali Saad , Balle Thomas , Ahring Philip Kiær
Published: July 2020

Background and Purpose

Concatenation of Cys‐loop receptor subunits is a commonly used technique to ensure experimental control of receptor assembly. However, we recently demonstrated that widely used constructs did not lead to the expression of uniform pools of ternary and more complex receptors. The aim was therefore to identify viable strategies for designing concatenated constructs that would allow strict control of resultant receptor pools.

Experimental Approach

Concatenated dimeric, tetrameric, and pentameric α4β2‐containing nicotinic ACh (nACh) receptor constructs were designed with successively shorter linker lengths and expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Resulting receptor stoichiometries were investigated by functional analysis in two‐electrode voltage‐clamp experiments. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate potential effects of linkers on the 3D structure of concatemers.

Key Results

Dimeric constructs were found to be unreliable and should be avoided for expression of ternary receptors. By introducing two short linkers, we obtained efficient expression of uniform receptor pools with tetrameric and pentameric constructs. However, linkers should not be excessively short as that introduces strain on the 3D structure of concatemers.

Conclusion and Implications

The data demonstrate that design of concatenated Cys‐loop receptors requires a compromise between the desire for control of assembly and avoiding introduction of strain on the resulting protein. The overall best strategy was found to be pentameric constructs with carefully optimised linker lengths. Our findings will advance studies of ternary or more complex Cys‐loop receptors as well as enabling detailed analysis of how pharmacological agents interact with stoichiometry‐specific binding sites.