bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Revisiting currency swaps: hedging real estate investments in global city markets
Authors: Bejol Philipp , Livingstone Nicola
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to re-examine currency swaps as an effective hedging technique for individual asset performance in today’s global real estate market, by considering hypothetical prime office investments across six different cities and five currency pairs. The perspective of a risk-averse, high net worth, non-institutional, smaller-scale Swiss investor is paired with investors from five additional national markets.

Design/methodology/approach

The study examines currency swaps in key office markets across three continents (Frankfurt, London, New York, Sydney, Warsaw and Zurich) and extends previous work on the topic by adopting both Monte Carlo (MC) and Latin Hypercube (LH) techniques to create stochastic samples for individual asset performance analyses. This is the first paper to apply LH sampling to currency swaps with underlying real estate assets, and the validity of this method is compared with that of MC. Four models are presented: the experience of the domestic investor (no exchange rate (ER) fluctuations); an unhedged direct foreign investment; hedging rental income and initial purchase price via a currency swap; and hedging rental income and anticipated terminal value.

Findings

The efficacy of a swap depends on the historical framework of the ERs. If the foreign currency depreciates against the domestic one, hedging the repatriated cash flow of a property investment proved superior to the unhedged strategy (EUR, GBP, PLN and USD to the CHF). An investor would benefit from exposure to an appreciating foreign currency (CHF to the EUR, GBP, PLN and USD), with an unhedged strategy clearly outperforming the currency swap as well as the domestic investor’s performance, while a historically sideways fluctuating ER (AUD to the CHF) also favours an unhedged approach. In all scenarios, unexpected economic or market shocks could cause negative consequences on the repatriated proceeds.

Practical implications

This research is of interest to small-scale, non-institutional investors aiming to develop strategies for currency risk mitigation in international investments for individual assets; however, tax-optimising strategies and the implications on a larger portfolio have not been taken into account.

Originality/value

There is no recent academic work on the efficacy of currency swaps in today’s global office market, nor has the position of smaller-scale high net worth investors received much academic attention. This research revisits the discussion on their validity, providing contemporary insight into the performance of six markets using LH as an alternative and original sampling technique.
Consumer Finance in a Mobile Age: Methods for Researching Changing User Behaviour
Authors: TAYLOR ERIN B.
Published: January 2018

Consumer finance markets are being transformed by the increasing mobility of people, products, technology, and information. This presents challenges for understanding changing consumer behaviour and building adaptable business models. Researchers are rising to meet these challenges by adapting their frameworks and methods to take account of mobility's effects. I present three cases of method adaptation to consumer finance research (financial diaries, object‐centred interviews, social network analysis) and discuss their contributions. The complexity and personalisation of consumer finance requires us to not only be more creative with how we approach research, but also more robust in questioning our assumptions, framing appropriate questions, and designing research that draws frameworks and methods from multiple disciplines.

One can only understand and apply all these new innovations by playing close to the ball and understanding customers’ needs and expectations. It is no longer possible to say what the world is going to look like five years from now. In the past, bankers were ‘scenario thinkers,’ who ran the bank by making strategic choices far in advance. Today, we have to grant more space to short‐cycle thinking and optionality. (Alexander Zwart, Senior Product Manager at Rabobank, quoted in Ifrim, Mual and Innopay 2017)
No One Reason for It: Workforce Diversity, Cultural Complexity, and Staff Retention at BMW MINI
Authors: MOORE FIONA
Published: January 2018

This case study is based on an ethnographic investigation conducted in 2003 at the BMW Plant Oxford automobile factory focusing on issues of staff retention. The study found that the workforce, as well as being diverse in conventional terms, was also divided in less immediately identifiable ways, and different groups within the workplace had quite different expectations from the experience or working there, and a programme to overcome these problems was developed.
Bringing Attention to Problem Solving and Meaningfulness at Work: How Ethnography Can Help Answer Difficult Business Questions
Authors: CHARLAND CAROLE , HOFMAN KAREN
Published: January 2018

A local division of a multinational manufacturer was experiencing declining enagagement and perceptions of leadership (measured in employee satisfaction surveys). In anticipation of coming waves of organizational change, they asked the research team to explore how “nostalgia” may be contributing to these issues and how they might define the unique culture of the division.

Combining ethnographic observations with other qualitative methods, across all levels and departments of the plant, the team uncovered other, more critical issues. Having built a trusting relationship with senior management of the plant, the team used extensive work sessions to help them to understand issues from employee perspectives. This new empathy was conveyed during validation session that spurred initiatives to address a variety of isssues that had been contributing to the problems that initially spurred the project.
The Inhuman Condition: How Research Unlocked New Perspectives on Psoriasis and Began to Change how it's Understood and Treated
Authors: KELLEHER SARAH
Published: January 2018

This case study highlights the value of exploring the reality of having and treating psoriasis. Its aim is uncovering why it is that, despite treatments being available that offer transformative results, people with psoriasis can continue to live in isolation and with feelings of shame. If clear skin alone isn't enough, what is it that can help create a sense of well‐being? Even undertaking a piece of work like this represented a significant step forward for the pharmaceutical industry where, historically, investing in this kind of deep patient insight work hasn't been common and where getting buy‐in to the outputs is far from certain. How can sight lines be created and developed, particularly from physicians to patients? Explored in this case study are not only the ethnographic and other methodologies used, but also: some of the challenges in bringing together this encompassing piece of work; the strategies and efforts made to ensure that core audiences engaged with the research; how minds were changed inside the client's business, established ways of working challenged to appreciate the value of human‐centred insight; and, the real world impact of the work.
The Big “I Don't Wanna”
Authors: CULLEN ENRICO
Published: January 2018

Medical and social science research provide compelling data to address social issues, societal dynamics, and social determinants of health. But powerful data do not always persuade. Sometimes we know what we believe more than we believe what we know, especially at the “big” institutional level. This is part of the reason qualitative ethnographic research is vital and perhaps why the story is sometimes more important than the data.
Shopping as a Modern Quest
Authors: MACK ALEXANDRA
Published: January 2018

As Ethnographic Practitioners in Industry, shopping behavior is a frequent topic of our research. We take on the role of the consumer's advocate, arguing for products that bring value. Or decry the rise of consumerism as the focus of modern life, as exemplified by the drive to acquisition. Recent research on shopping has led me to thinking about quests from a different perspective. While we think of the pursuit of goods in terms of commercialism, in many cases there is an important journey along the way. Perhaps, in some instances, shopping is a quest—a journey toward a goal, in which often the journey itself is as important as the goal, and at others, the true goal is not the object. In traditional anthropological studies, quests that are in pursuit of a “thing” are usually about the basics of survival, and more focus has been put onto those that are spiritual pursuits, leading to a discovery of self and a path into the community. This PechaKucha describes how the pursuit of an commercial item sometimes achieves more than simply the object itself, as the landscape of that journey creates (and is created by) social connection
Can Cheaters Prosper In Cambodia?
Authors: MARKOFSKY LAUREN
Published: January 2018

This Pecha Kucha explores the ways in which the author navigated cheating culture, community norms, and her own biases to think through sustainable education solutions in Cambodia. Students in Cambodia's countryside are structurally disadvantaged and attempt to redress wealth and knowledge imbalances through cheating. However, cheating causes skills gaps that hinder students as they look for jobs, particularly since they are competing with applicants from other ASEAN countries. The presenter discusses how she, and her Cambodian co‐teacher, sifted through their competing biases about the merits and pitfalls of cheating in their classroom, settling on ethnographic practice as a way forward. They observed student cheating behaviors, noting the tools, networks, and systems of exchange through which information passed. Instead of penalizing students for cheating, the presenter and her counterpart attempted to transform these deceptive methods into something more productive.
Obstetric and neonatal outcomes for women intending to use immersion in water for labour and birth in Western Australia (2015–2016): A retrospective audit of clinical outcomes
Authors: Lewis Lucy , Hauck Yvonne L. , Butt Janice , Hornbuckle Janet
Published: January 2018

Background

Research supports water immersion for labour if women are healthy, with no obstetric or medical risk factors.

Aims

To evaluate the obstetric and neonatal outcomes of women intending to use immersion in water for labour or birth.

Methods

Retrospective audit of clinical outcomes for women intending to labour or birth in water conducted between July 2015 and June 2016, at a tertiary maternity hospital in Western Australia. Obstetric and neonatal data were collected from medical records. Multivariable logistic regression was utilised to investigate women who laboured in water stratified by those who birthed in water.

Results

A total of 502 women intended to labour or birth in water; 199 (40%) did not and 303 (60%) did. The majority of women using water immersion (179 of 303; 59%) birthed in water. Multiparous women were more likely than primparous to birth in water (73% vs 46%; P < 0.001). Women who birthed in water were at increased odds of: a first stage labour ≤240 min (odds ratio (OR) 2.56, 95% CI 1.34–4.87, P = 0.004); a second stage ≤60 min (OR 3.53, 95% CI 1.82–6.84, P < 0.000); a third stage labour of 11–30 min (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.23–3.78, P = 0.008); and having an intact perineum (OR 3.10, 95% CI 1.70–5.64, P < 0.000).

Conclusion

Not all women who set out to labour and birth in water achieve their aim. There is a need for high‐quality collaborative research into this option of labour and birth, so women can make an informed choice around this birth option.
Annual mowing maintains plant diversity in threatened temperate grasslands
Authors: Smith Annabel L. , Barrett Russell L. , Milner Richard N. C.
Published: January 2018

Questions

Disturbance regimes shaped the evolution of grasslands but grazing exclusion and fire suppression have caused unprecedented increases in grassland biomass and biodiversity declines. Mowing reduces biomass but is not widely practiced in conservation reserves because of concerns about facilitating exotic plant invasion and altering ecosystem function. We asked whether regular mowing affected (1) the diversity of native and exotic functional groups, (2) spatial turnover in vegetation composition (β‐diversity), (3) vegetation attributes relating to biomass and structural heterogeneity, (4) community composition and (5) the distribution and abundance of individual native and exotic species.

Location

Five temperate grassland reserves, south‐eastern Australia, encompassing C3 and C4 dominated communities.

Methods

Vegetation within reserves had been cut to 10 cm, once per year, for 10 years in late spring/early summer to maintain access tracks. We surveyed plant communities in mowed areas and nearby (<5 m) unmowed control areas (40 subplots per reserve, 200 total) and used linear mixed‐effects models to examine the effects of mowing.

Results

Of 24 functional groups, the richness of 16 native and exotic groups significantly increased with mowing. In 14 of these cases, effects were consistent across C3‐ and C4‐dominated grassland. Mowing reduced spatial turnover, but this did not reduce species richness at any spatial scale. When accounting for species abundance and evenness (Shannon diversity), effects of mowing were generally positive for native species and neutral for exotic species. Mowing increased native perennial grass cover and bare earth, decreased exotic perennial grass cover and litter, and changed community composition. Mowing reduced vegetation height but not structural heterogeneity. Mowing positively affected six individual native species and no exotic species. One native (Asperula conferta) and two exotic (Avena spp. and Nassella neesiana) species were found in lower abundance on mowed plots.

Conclusions

Annual mowing can be a useful conservation tool for threatened temperate grasslands but should be heterogeneous to ensure the persistence of mowing‐sensitive native species. Good vehicle hygiene is essential and localized complementary management (e.g., herbicide) might be required to reduce exotic forbs and grasses.
Incidence of Common Cancers in Users of Antimuscarinic Medications for Overactive Bladder: A Danish Nationwide Cohort Study
Authors: Hallas Jesper , Margulis Andrea V. , Pottegård Anton , Kristiansen Nina S. , Atsma Willem J. , Appenteng Kwame , de Vogel Stefan , Kaye James A. , Perez‐Gutthann Susana , Arana Alejandro
Published: January 2018

The purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence rate (IR) of 10 common cancers in new users of antimuscarinic overactive bladder (OAB) medications. We conducted a cohort study using data recorded in Danish registers for patients newly exposed to the OAB drugs, darifenacin, fesoterodine, oxybutynin, solifenacin, tolterodine or trospium in years 2004–2012, aged ≥18 years and without cancer before treatment initiation. We estimated IRs for each study cancer (bladder, breast, colorectal, lung, melanoma, non‐Hodgkin lymphoma, pancreas, prostate, renal and uterine), standardised by age and sex and explored IR trends over time since treatment initiation. For all cancer analyses, only the first incident targeted cancer was considered. Of 72,917 patients (60% women; mean age at treatment start: 66 years), 3475 developed a study cancer during 259,072 person‐years of follow‐up. The most common study cancers were prostate (48.1% of study cancers in men), breast (40.0% of study cancers in women) and lung (15.4% of all study cancers). The overall standardised study cancer IR was 5.4 per 1000 person‐years (95% confidence interval, 5.3–5.6); IRs were similar across individual OAB drugs. The standardised IRs for bladder and prostate cancers, which have symptoms in common with OAB, were highest in the first 6 months of treatment initiation and lower thereafter. In contrast, IRs for other study cancers were nearly constant during follow‐up. Cancer IRs did not vary substantially by individual OAB drug. Protopathic bias is a plausible explanation for the higher rates of bladder and prostate cancers observed soon after starting OAB drug treatment.
MiR‐595 Suppresses the Cellular Uptake and Cytotoxic Effects of Methotrexate by Targeting SLC19A1 in CEM/C1 Cells
Authors: Wang Shu‐Mei , Sun Lu‐Lu , Wu Wan‐Shui , Yan Dan
Published: January 2018

The human solute carrier family 19 member 1 (SLC19A1) is the gene coding for reduced folate carrier 1 (RFC1). In our previous work, we showed that the miR‐595‐related polymorphism, rs1051296 G>T, which was located in the 3′‐untranslated region (3′‐UTR) of SLC19A1, was associated with high methotrexate (MTX) plasma concentrations in patients with paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). This study aimed to investigate the role of miR‐595 in the regulation of SLC19A1 expression and its effects on the cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of MTX in ALL CEM/C1 cells. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to validate SLC19A1 as a miR‐595 target. RFC1 protein expression was determined via Western blotting. Intracellular MTX concentrations were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cell viability and apoptosis were assessed using Cell Counting Kit‐8 (CCK‐8) assay and flow cytometer, respectively. Compared to the negative control, miR‐595 mimics induced a significant decrease in the relative luciferase activity by binding to the 3′‐UTR of SLC19A1 harbouring the rs1051296 T allele (p < 0.01). Treatment of CEM/C1 cells with miR‐595 mimics substantially reduced RFC1 protein expression, intracellular MTX levels, MTX‐induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis rates compared to those of negative control. However, opposite results were observed in cells transfected with a miR‐595 inhibitor. These findings suggested that miR‐595 acts as a phenotypic regulator of MTX sensitivity in CEM/C1 cells by targeting SLC19A1. This study helped us to understand the mechanisms underlying the variable MTX responses observed in patients with ALL.
Critical GIS as a tool for social transformation
Authors: Pavlovskaya Marianna
Published: January 2018

When Critical GIS emerged in the 1990s and gained momentum in the 2000s, its potential for enabling progressive social change generated considerable excitement. By combining the powers of mapping, information technologies, and critical social theory, it promised new possibilities for acting upon the growing social contradictions of the neoliberal era. Critical GIS seemed to open a pragmatic plane of action by fusing progressive geographic imaginations with concrete and tangible maps. As I reflect on the state of critical GIS in the middle of the second decade of the 21st century, new configurations of class power, patriarchy, and racism are rapidly reshaping our social and geopolitical worlds and are precipitating environmental destruction. Yet, I attempt to develop the idea that GIS is a tool for social transformation because it can produce new cartographies and spaces of possibility and build and expand geographies of hope and care that change social imaginaries in favour of non‐hierarchical class, gender, and race relations. In short, critical GIS scholarship both engages ongoing progressive politics and can create new possibilities for change. In particular, I examine two interventions of critical GIS: creating cartographies of solidarity and teaching.
Usefulness of live/real time three/four‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography in the percutaneous closure of an iatrogenic aorto‐right ventricular fistula
Authors: Kemaloğlu Öz Tuğba , Fiore Corrado , Gürol Tayfun , Şener Tufan , Soylu Özer , Dağdeviren Bahadır , Ahmad Amier , Nanda Navin C.
Published: January 2018

The development of an aorto‐right ventricular fistula is a rare complication of cardiac surgery. The most common treatment is surgical closure of the fistula, but percutaneous closure of the fistula has become an attractive alternative option. We present a case of successful utilization of live/real time three/four‐dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography (3/4DTEE) to select the correct device size for percutaneous closure of an adult patient presenting with an aorto‐right ventricular (AO‐RV) fistula following aortic valve replacement. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case in which 3/4DTEE was used to select the device size and guide percutaneous closure of an iatrogenic AO‐RV fistula.
A knowledge‐based genetic algorithm for a capacitated fuzzy p‐hub centre network under uncertain information
Authors: Niknamfar Amir Hossein , Niaki Seyed Taghi Akhavan , Karimi Marziyeh
Published: January 2018

In real applications of hub networks, the travel times may vary due to traffic, climate conditions, and land or road type. To facilitate this difficulty, in this paper, the travel times are assumed to be characterized by trapezoidal fuzzy variables to present a fuzzy capacitated single allocation p‐hub centre transportation (FCSApHCP) with uncertain information. The proposed FCSApHCP is redefined into its equivalent parametric integer non‐linear programming problem using credibility constraints. The aim is to determine the location of p capacitated hubs and the allocation of centre nodes to them in order to minimize the maximum travel time in a hub‐and‐centre network under uncertain environments. As the FCSApHCP is NP‐hard, a novel approach called knowledge‐based genetic algorithm (KBGA) is developed to solve it. This algorithm utilizes 2 knowledge modules to gain good and bad knowledge about hub locations and then saves them in a good and bad hub memory, respectively. As there is no benchmark available to validate the results obtained, a genetic algorithm with multiparent crossover is designed to solve the problem as well. Then, the algorithms are tuned to solve the problem, based on which their performances are analysed and then compared together statistically. The applicability of the proposed approach and the solution methodologies are demonstrated. Finally, sensitivity analyses on the discount factor in the network and the memory sizes of the proposed KBGA are conducted to provide more insights. The results show that appropriate values of memory sizes can enhance the convergence and save population diversity of KBGA simultaneously.
In vivo evaluation of some biophysical parameters of the facial skin of Indian subjects living in Mumbai. Part II: Variability with age and gender
Authors: Colomb L. , Flament F. , Wagle A. , Idelcaid Y. , Agrawal D.
Published: January 2018

Background

A previously published work explored the diversity of some biophysical parameters (colour, elasticity, sebum production, skin microrelief, etc.) of the skin of 1204 Indian women, differently aged, living in four Indian cities (Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai). The present work aimed at completing such research by focusing on possible gender‐related differences in the same skin parameters, between Indian men and women living in the same Indian city (Mumbai).

Methods

A total of 297 Indian men, differently aged (18‐70y), were recruited in Mumbai, completing the panel of 303 women who were previously recruited in this same city. The same instrumental measurements of facial skin colour and its homogeneity, its mechanical properties, the sebum production, skin pores size, skin relief, etc. as in the previous work, were conducted.

Results

Overall, the facial skin colour shows a darker complexion in men as compared to women, on forehead, ocular region, lips, chin and cheek. The skin colour unevenness, which increases with age, was found higher in men, as compared to women. At comparable age, women and men present a same density of skin pores, whereas those of men appear larger, up to 55y. The deepness of Crow's feet wrinkles does not significantly differ between genders. A lesser extensibility was found on the cheeks of men. In men, the sebum production was found significantly higher than that of women at ages above 40y.

Conclusions

This work indicates some commonly shared age‐related skin features between women and men from Mumbai, despite slight different characteristics such as skin pigmentation, forehead/cheek colour contrast, mechanical properties and sebum production.
Evaluating an Entropy‐Maximizing Solution to the Ecological Inference Problem: Split‐Ticket Voting in New Zealand, 1999
Authors: Johnston Ron , Pattie Charles
Published: January 2018

For geographers, one important aspect of the ecological inference problem relates to the analysis of spatial variations in individual behavior. Obtaining estimates of this behavior, in the absence of direct data, is often difficult, and the “solution” to the ecological inference problem propounded by G. King is not relevant in all circumstances. An alternative, using a different approach, has been used for some time in electoral studies but has lacked “real” data against which to assess the accuracy of its estimates. The availability of such data for New Zealand's 1999 general election allows such an assessment to be made—with very favourable results. The estimates are then used to test hypotheses regarding the spatial variation in split‐ticket voting, again with considerable success.
Accurate Etiological Diagnosis of Dementia Contributes to Better Clinical Care
Authors: Teng Edmond , Mendez Mario F.
Published: January 2018

See the response from Finucane et al.
Incidence and Magnitude of Quantity Surcharges and Quantity Discounts in Online Shopping
Authors: Estelami Hooman
Published: January 2018

Quantity surcharges represent unique situations in which larger quantities of a product are sold at a higher per‐unit price than smaller quantities of the same product. This practice conflicts with commonly held views that consumers would be given a discount for purchasing larger amounts of a product. Most of the studies on the quantity surcharge phenomenon date back over three decades and none have explored the phenomenon in online shopping settings. In this study, utilizing data from an online shopping environment, the incidence of quantity surcharges is examined across various product categories. The drivers of both quantity surcharges and quantity discounts are examined. The findings indicate that quantity surcharges and quantity discounts are affected by the format of prices presented to consumers, the number of quantity options available, online product ratings, and the product category. The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings and implications for research and practice.
College Financing Choices and Academic Performance
Authors: Stoddard Christiana , Urban Carly , Schmeiser Maximilian D.
Published: January 2018

The rapid increase in student loan debt outstanding has garnered significant media and policy attention over the past several years. In contrast, little is known about the short‐term academic consequences of borrowing to finance college attendance. We use detailed student‐level administrative data to examine the relationship between the type and amount of student loans used to pay for college and students' academic performance, choice of major, and retention rates. The results suggest that students who take out loans have lower grade point averages (GPAs) than students who do not. Among students with debt, those with greater student loan balances have lower GPAs, take fewer credits per semester, and have lower retention rates. This is true conditioning on detailed background characteristics as well as in individual fixed effect specifications that control for unobserved time‐constant characteristics of students. These results can help inform policies to mitigate the adverse effects of increasing education debt.
National rates, trends and determinants of inpatient surgical management of tubal ectopic pregnancy in the United States, 1998–2011
Authors: Mikhail Emad , Salemi Jason L. , Schickler Robyn , Salihu Hamisu M. , Plosker Shayne , Imudia Anthony N.
Published: January 2018

Aim

To describe the frequency and temporal trends of inpatient hospitalization for tubal ectopic pregnancy as well as patients’ characteristics, determinants and the current national trends in surgical management of ectopic pregnancy.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective, cross‐sectional analysis of patients who were treated for tubal ectopic pregnancy in an inpatient hospital setting in the United States from 1998 to 2011 using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample databases. National frequency and significant changes in the rate of surgical management of tubal ectopic pregnancy in the inpatient setting are described.

Results

The study included 334 639 tubal ectopic pregnancies for women aged 18–50 in the United States from 1998 to 2011. The rate of tubal ectopic pregnancy (per 10 000 maternal admissions) decreased from 77.2 in 1998 to 40.5 in 2011. The proportion of tubal ectopic pregnancies for which salpingostomy was performed decreased from 17.0% in 1998 to 7.0% in 2011, while the rate of salpingectomy increased from 69.3% in 1998 to 80.9% in 2011. The temporal change in surgical choice was not different in states with comprehensive in vitro fertilization insurance mandates.

Conclusion

The rate of tubal ectopic pregnancy managed in the inpatient setting in the United States decreased 5% annually between 1998 and 2011. The rate of salpingectomies performed annually increased whereas that of salpingostomy decreased over time. The surgical approach selected for the management of tubal ectopic pregnancies was not influenced by a state’s in vitro fertilization mandate status.
Association between cotinine‐verified smoking status and risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Kim Nam Hee , Jung Yoon Suk , Hong Hyun Pyo , Park Jung Ho , Kim Hong Joo , Park Dong Il , Cho Yong Kyun , Sohn Chong Il , Jeon Woo Kyu , Kim Byung Ik
Published: January 2018

Background & Aims

The relationship between cigarette smoking and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been controversial. Most relevant studies have relied on self‐reported questionnaires. We aimed to elucidate the association between smoking status and NAFLD using an objective biomarker of tobacco exposure (urinary cotinine) and self‐reported questionnaire.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted on 160 862 asymptomatic examinees who underwent abdominal ultrasonography and urinary cotinine measurements between April 2011 and December 2015. Cotinine‐verified current smokers were defined as participants with urinary cotinine levels ≥50 ng/mL.

Results

The mean age of the study population was 36.1 years, and the proportion of men was 51.7%. The proportions of self‐reported and cotinine‐verified current smokers were 17.6% and 17.7% respectively. After adjusting for confounding factors, self‐reported current smoking was associated with an increased risk of NAFLD (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06‐1.14). Moreover, among the current smokers, the risk of NAFLD increased with an increase in the amount of cigarette smoking (<10 and ≥10 pack‐years vs never smokers; AOR, 1.04 and 1.11; 95% CI, 1.01‐1.08 and 1.05‐1.16 respectively). Cotinine‐verified current smoking was also associated with an increased risk of NAFLD (AOR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.06‐1.14).

Conclusions

Cotinine‐verified current smoking and self‐reported current smoking were independent risk factors for NAFLD. Further longitudinal studies are needed to more clearly elucidate the impact of smoking on the development of NAFLD.
The Reasonableness of Remaining Unobserved: A Comparative Analysis of Visual Surveillance and Voyeurism in Criminal Law
Authors: Koops Bert-Jaap , Newell Bryce Clayton , Roberts Andrew , Škorvánek Ivan , Galič Maša
Published: January 2018

The criminalization of offensive, privacy-intrusive behavior is an important form of privacy protection. However, few studies exist of visual observation in criminal law. We address this gap by researching when nonconsensual visual observation is deemed harmful enough to trigger criminal sanctions, and on what basis the law construes the “reasonableness of remaining unobserved,” through a nine-country comparative study. We distinguish between voyeurism-centric approaches (focusing largely on nudity and sex) and broader, intrusion-centric approaches (such as observation inside closed spaces). Both approaches explicitly or implicitly reflect “reasonable” privacy expectations, listing criteria for situations in which people can reasonably expect to remain unobserved or unrecorded. We present a framework for criminalizing nonconsensual visual observation, encompassing factors of technology use, place, subject matter, and surreptitiousness, supplemented by factors of intent, identifiability, and counter-indicators to prevent over-criminalization. This framework is relevant for protecting visual aspects of privacy in view of individuals' underlying autonomy interests.
Known unknowns: Examining the burden of neurocognitive impairment in the end‐stage renal failure population
Authors: Wilson Scott , Dhar Arup , Tregaskis Peter , Lambert Gavin , Barton David , Walker Rowan
Published: January 2018

The burden of neurocognitive impairment (NCI) in patients receiving maintenance dialysis represents a spectrum of deficits across multiple cognitive domains that are associated with hospitalization, reduced quality‐of‐life, mortality and forced decision‐making around dialysis withdrawal. Point prevalence data suggest that dialysis patients manifest NCI at rates 3‐ to 5‐fold higher than the general population, with executive function the most commonly affected cognitive domain. The unique physiology of the renal failure state and maintenance dialysis appears to drive an excess of vascular dementia subtype compared to the general population where classical Alzheimer's disease predominates. Despite the absence of evidence‐based cost‐effective therapies for NCI, detecting it in this population creates opportunity to proactively personalize care through education, supported decision making and targeted communication strategies to cover specific areas of deficit and help define goals of care. This review discusses NCI in the dialysis setting, including developments in the definition of neurocognitive impairment, dialysis‐specific epidemiology across modalities, screening strategies and opportunities for dialysis providers in this space.
Are characteristics of abdominal pain helpful to identify patients with visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome? Results of a prospective study
Authors: Melchior C. , Bril L. , Leroi A‐M. , Gourcerol G. , Ducrotté P.
Published: January 2018

Background

Some consider that patients with visceral hypersensitivity may represent a separate entity within the IBS population not only from a pathophysiological but also from a clinical perspective. The aim of this prospective exploratory study was to assess whether characteristics of abdominal pain in IBS patients could be suggestive of hypersensitivity.

Methods

This prospective study included consecutive IBS patients selected by Rome III criteria. Validated scores (IBS‐SSS, Bristol stool scale, HADS) were used to phenotype patients who were also asked to describe the main location of their abdominal pain on a simple image (abdomen divided into 6 zones). Progressive isobaric rectal distensions were performed to demonstrate, with the ascending method of limits, allodynia (pain threshold lower than 24 mmHg).

Key Results

Fifty patients (women: 72%), 42.6 ± 15.7 years old, were included. Sub‐types were IBS‐D, IBS‐C and IBS‐M in 58%, 22% and 20% of cases, respectively. Allodynia was present in 18% of cases. Neither IBS‐SSS nor intensity of pain was predictive of hypersensitivity. In hypersensitive patients, pain was more often located in one of the two iliac fossa (P = 0.02) and located outside these areas in only 11% of cases. The sensitivity and the specificity of this pain location to differentiate hyper from normosensitive patients were 0.89 and 0.59, respectively.

Conclusions & Inferences

The location of pain is different between hyper and normosensitive IBS patients. Pain located outside one of the two iliac fossa suggests that the patient is normosensitive.
Effects of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy on shame, self‐compassion and psychological distress in anxious and depressed patients: A pilot study
Authors: Proeve Michael , Anton Rebekah , Kenny Maura
Published: January 2018

Objectives

The tendency to experience shame or guilt is associated differentially with anxiety and depression, with shame being associated with greater psychopathology. Correlational studies have shown self‐compassion to be related to lower shame and rumination, and mindfulness‐based interventions increase self‐compassion. Therefore, mindfulness‐based interventions may decrease shame. This pilot study aimed to assess the association of shame, rumination, self‐compassion, and psychological distress and the effects of a mindfulness‐based intervention on these measures in a clinical sample.

Design

Single‐group design with pre‐test and post‐test measures.

Method

Thirty‐two service users who experienced clinically diagnosed depressive or anxiety disorders in a mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy programme were assessed before and twenty‐two after therapy with measures of shame‐proneness, external shame, rumination, self‐compassion, and psychological distress.

Results

Shame‐proneness and external shame were positively correlated with self‐coldness, and external shame was positively correlated with stress and depressive symptoms. Self‐compassion increased and self‐coldness decreased, while shame‐proneness, rumination, anxiety, and stress symptoms decreased from pre‐ to post‐treatment. There was no significant reduction in depressive symptoms, guilt‐proneness, or external shame.

Conclusion

Our preliminary findings suggest that mindfulness‐based approaches may be helpful in increasing self‐compassion and reducing shame‐proneness in mixed groups of anxious and depressed patients. Controlled studies of the effects of mindfulness‐based interventions on shame in clinical populations are warranted.

Practitioner points

Shame‐proneness and external shame showed different patterns of relationship with depressive and stress symptoms and with self‐compassion.

Shame‐proneness decreased to a greater extent than external shame decreased following participation in anMBCTgroup.

Mindfulness‐based interventions may benefit shame‐proneness to a greater extent than external shame.
Exploitation: A primer
Authors: Vrousalis Nicholas
Published: January 2018

This paper reviews the recent literature on exploitation. It distinguishes between three main species of exploitation theory: (a) teleology‐based (including harm and mutual benefit) accounts, (b) respect‐based (including mere means, force, rights, and fairness) accounts, and (c) freedom‐based (including vulnerability and domination) accounts. It then addresses the implications of each.
Effects of high‐impact exercise on the physical properties of bones of ovariectomized rats fed to a high‐protein diet
Authors: Shimano R. C. , Yanagihara G. R. , Macedo A. P. , Yamanaka J. S. , Shimano A. C. , Tavares J. M. R. S. , Issa J. P. M.
Published: January 2018

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of high‐impact physical exercise as a prophylactic and therapeutic means in osteopenic bones of rats submitted to ovariectomy and protein diet intake. A total of 64 Wistar rats were divided into eight groups (n = 8 each), being: OVX, ovx, standard diet and sedentary; OVXE, ovx, standard diet and jump; OVXP, ovx, high‐protein diet and sedentary; and OVXEP, ovx, high‐protein diet and jump; SH, sham, standard diet and sedentary; SHE, sham, standard diet and jump; SHP, sham, high‐protein diet and sedentary; and SHEP, sham, high‐protein diet and jump. OVX surgery consists of ovariectomy, and sham was the control surgery. The jumping protocol consisted of 20 jumps/day, 5 days/week. The bone structure was evaluated by densitometry, mechanical tests, histomorphometric, and immunohistochemical analyses. A high‐protein diet resulted in increased bone mineral density (P = .049), but decreased maximal load (P = .026) and bone volume fraction (P = .023). The benefits of physical exercise were demonstrated by higher values of the maximal load in the trained groups compared to the sedentary groups (P < .001). The sham groups had decreased immunostaining of osteocalcin (P = .004) and osteopontin (P = .010) compared to ovx groups. However, the high‐protein diet (P = .005) and jump exercise (P = .017) resulted in lower immunostaining of osteopontin compared to the standard diet and sedentary groups, respectively. In this experimental model, it was concluded that ovariectomy and a high‐fat diet can negatively affect bone tissue and the high‐impact exercise was not enough to suppress the deleterious effects caused by the protein diet and ovariectomy.
Mechanics and statistics of the worm-like chain
Authors: Marantan Andrew , Mahadevan L.
Published: January 2018

The worm-like chain model is a simple continuum model for the statistical mechanics of a flexible polymer subject to an external force. We offer a tutorial introduction to it using three approaches. First, we use a mesoscopic view, treating a long polymer (in two dimensions) as though it were made of many groups of correlated links or “clinks,” allowing us to calculate its average extension as a function of the external force via scaling arguments. We then provide a standard statistical mechanics approach, obtaining the average extension by two different means: the equipartition theorem and the partition function. Finally, we work in a probabilistic framework, taking advantage of the Gaussian properties of the chain in the large-force limit to improve upon the previous calculations of the average extension.
Dietary Supplements for Health, Adaptation, and Recovery in Athletes
Authors: Rawson Eric S. , Miles Mary P. , Larson-Meyer D. Enette
Published: January 2018

Some dietary supplements are recommended to athletes based on data that supports improved exercise performance. Other dietary supplements are not ergogenic per se, but may improve health, adaptation to exercise, or recovery from injury, and so could help athletes to train and/or compete more effectively. In this review, we describe several dietary supplements that may improve health, exercise adaptation, or recovery. Creatine monohydrate may improve recovery from and adaptation to intense training, recovery from periods of injury with extreme inactivity, cognitive processing, and reduce severity of or enhance recovery from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Omega 3-fatty acid supplementation may also reduce severity of or enhance recovery from mTBI. Replenishment of vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency will likely improve some aspects of immune, bone, and muscle health. Probiotic supplementation can reduce the incidence, duration, and severity of upper respiratory tract infection, which may indirectly improve training or competitive performance. Preliminary data show that gelatin and/or collagen may improve connective tissue health. Some anti-inflammatory supplements, such as curcumin or tart cherry juice, may reduce inflammation and possibly delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) does not consistently increase strength and/or lean mass or reduce markers of muscle damage, but more research on recovery from injury that includes periods of extreme inactivity is needed. Several dietary supplements, including creatine monohydrate, omega 3-fatty acids, vitamin D, probiotics, gelatin, and curcumin/tart cherry juice could help athletes train and/or compete more effectively.
Newborn exoplanet eyed for moons and rings
Authors: Clery Daniel
Published: January 2018

Dedicated microsatellite joins telescopes watching for rare transit of β Pictoris b.
Enrico Fermi, flaws and all
The Last Man Who Knew Everything: The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the Nuclear Age
David Schwartz
Basic Books, 2017. 477 pp.
Authors: Formato Megan
Published: January 2018

A revealing biography falls short when it comes to the famous physicist's problematic treatment of women
Ben Barres (1954–2017)
Authors: Raff Martin
Published: January 2018

A passionate neuroscientist and advocate of equal opportunity in the sciences
Using Yeast Synthetic Lethality To Inform Drug Combination for Malaria
Authors: Subramaniam Suvitha , Schmid Christoph D. , Guan Xue Li , Mäser Pascal
Published: January 2018

Combinatorial chemotherapy is necessary for the treatment of malaria. However, finding a suitable partner drug for a new candidate is challenging. Here we develop an algorithm that identifies all of the gene pairs of
Plasmodium falciparum
that possess orthologues in yeast that have a synthetic lethal interaction but are absent in humans. This suggests new options for drug combinations, particularly for inhibitors of targets such as
P. falciparum
calcineurin, cation ATPase 4, or phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase.
Orientia tsutsugamushi Is Highly Susceptible to the RNA Polymerase Switch Region Inhibitor Corallopyronin A
In Vitro
and
In Vivo
Authors: Kock Fredericke , Hauptmann Matthias , Osterloh Anke , Schäberle Till F. , Poppert Sven , Frickmann Hagen , Menzel Klaus-Dieter , Peschel Gundela , Pfarr Kenneth , Schiefer Andrea , König Gabriele M. , Hoerauf Achim , Fleischer Bernhard , Keller Christian
Published: January 2018

Scrub typhus is a potentially lethal infection caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium
Orientia tsutsugamushi
. Reports on the emergence of doxycycline-resistant strains highlight the urgent need to develop novel antiinfectives against scrub typhus. Corallopyronin A (CorA) is a novel α-pyrone compound synthesized by the myxobacterium
Corallococcus coralloides
that was characterized as a noncompetitive inhibitor of the switch region of the bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP). We investigated the antimicrobial action of CorA against the human-pathogenic Karp strain of
O. tsutsugamushi
in vitro
and
in vivo
. The MIC of CorA against
O. tsutsugamushi
was remarkably low (0.0078 μg/ml), 16-fold lower than that against
Rickettsia typhi
. In the lethal intraperitoneal
O. tsutsugamushi
mouse infection model, a minimum daily dose of 100 μg CorA protected 100% of infected mice. Two days of treatment were sufficient to confer protection. In contrast to BALB/c mice, SCID mice succumbed to the infection despite treatment with CorA or tetracycline, suggesting that antimicrobial treatment required synergistic action of the adaptive immune response. Similar to tetracycline, CorA did not prevent latent infection of
O. tsutsugamushi
in vivo
. However, latency was not caused by acquisition of antimicrobial resistance, since
O. tsutsugamushi
reisolated from latently infected BALB/c mice remained fully susceptible to CorA. No mutations were found in the CorA-binding regions of the β and β′ RNAP subunit genes
rpoB
and
rpoC
. Inhibition of the RNAP switch region of
O. tsutsugamushi
by CorA is therefore a novel and highly potent target for antimicrobial therapy for scrub typhus.