bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NEET for medics: a guarantee of quality? An exploratory study
Authors: Arumugam Vasumathi , Mamilla Rajesh , C. Anil
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The government has taken an initiative to improve the MBBS admission process in the country to eradicate the academic dishonesty and encourage the deserving candidates for MBBS enrolment. The Supreme Court has paved the way to hold the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), a common entrance test for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses, from the 2016-17 academic year onwards. This paper aims to focus on the contention raised by various stakeholders associated with it and examines the pass percentage of plus two State Board examinations in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and admission details for 2016 and 2017.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers adopted exploratory research. The researchers studied the medical admission process at national and global levels. They collected data of MBBS admission, NEET, State Board and CBSE plus two results and information from newspapers, website and magazine articles. Many experts published articles in newspapers. No study analysed data and made an exhaustive exploratory study. This motivates the researcher to do the same. Simple percentage, percentage change, correlation analysis and the sign test are used to determine whether the State Board or CBSE students get benefitted out of NEET to become medical professionals.

Findings

There is no significant relationship between MBBS enrolment of students (both State Board and CBSE students) before and after the NEET was introduced. From correlation analysis, it is inferred that the pass percentage of students who studied under State Board and MBBS enrolment were lesser in 2017 than 2016. It is also inferred that many districts students’ enrolment in MBBS course have increased from 2016 to 2017. The researchers concluded that because of NEET, CBSE students got more enrolment in MBBS course in 2017 compared with State Board students in 2016.

Research limitations/implications

The researchers found that the students with State Board examinations enrolled in lesser number for MBBS course than CBSE students in Tamil Nadu. There is a scope for improvement in designing and implementing NEET with the deliberations among different stakeholders involved with the medical education system, which will help in reducing the rampant corruption and, most importantly, pave the way for a selection based on merit in medical education. Possibly, this will also work as a safeguard to the sanctity of the medical profession in India and at the global level.

Originality/value

The researcher collected data from newspapers, websites and journals. Many experts discuss about, for and against NEET. No one analysed the data. This is a unique article that has more statistical analysis and meaningful interpretations from analysis. This paper will be useful to the government at national and global levels to frame medical admission procedure and policies.
Effect of can-storage parameters of finisher drawframe on combed ring spun yarn quality
Authors: Singh Sukhvir , Bhowmick Niranjan , Vaz Anand
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The present work is a systematic study to understand the cause of poor quality of sliver, roving and yarn due to defective sliver storage can-spring at finisher drawframe machine in spinning preparatory. This study aims to investigate the influence of can-spring stiffness factor, sliver deposition rate and sliver coils position on yarn unevenness and thin places considering two cases of sliver storage time.

Design/methodology/approach

Combed ring spun yarn samples were produced by varying finisher drawframe variables, which were can-spring stiffness, delivery speed and sliver coils position in storage can. For research design, three-factor three levels of Box-Behnken experimental design was adopted. To investigate the effect of sliver storage time on combed yarn unevenness and thin places, yarn samples were produced at 8 h sliver storage time and without allowing any storage time. Sliver storage time is the time for which combed drawn sliver kept idle in storage cans before feeding to speedframe machine. The 8 h sliver storage time was considered for present study after consulting industrial experts. Adequate numbers of the samples were tested for yarn quality parameters such as yarn unevenness and thin places 50 per cent/km on standard instruments. Finally, the test results were analyzed using statistical software to check the statistical significance of all the independent variables on observed response through analysis of variance.

Findings

The experimental results showed that the yarn samples produced from older can-springs and bottom position sliver coils stored at 8 h storage time were showing higher yarn unevenness and thin places compared to other yarn samples. The results also showed that the effect of delivery speed is not significant on yarn unevenness for samples produced without allowing any sliver storage time.

Research limitations/implications

The present study is an outcome of a practical problem experienced at the finisher drawframe machine in a spinning industry. For this purpose, only scrutinized finisher drawframe variables were considered for the evaluation. There are many equally important other factors, which were not considered due to research work feasibility.

Social implications

This paper investigates the effect of some imperative factors at the finisher drawframe stage on combed yarn quality. The present study will boost existing knowledge of the spinner’s community regarding the effect of can-spring stiffness, sliver coils position and storage time on resultant combed yarn quality parameters.

Originality/value

The work is original and only a few references are available. The study reveals that storage can-spring stiffness should be chosen carefully for better sliver handling. It is observed that finisher drawframe can-spring stiffness, sliver storage time and sliver coils position play a vital role in deciding quality characteristics of stored sliver and ultimately affect yarn quality.
Event sport tourism business models: the case of trail running
Authors: Perić Marko , Slavić Nataša
Published: May 2019

Purpose

Sporting events are the core of sport tourism. However, when it comes to business models (BM) in the context of event sport tourism, that is, how value is created and delivered at events, there is an obvious lack of research. The purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of BMs in the specific context of event sport tourism.

Design/methodology/approach

Focusing on trail-running sport events which are rapidly growing in popularity, the paper assesses actual events relative to the existing conceptual BM framework by using the analytical possibilities of the multiple-case study and by applying the interview and observation methods.

Findings

The results indicate that the core logic of the examined event-related sport tourism practices is very similar, although there are some significant differences. In addition, this study raises questions concerning potential modifications within the applied framework. Primarily, these relate to the partner network being identified as a second-order theme and an independent BM category and, communication with stakeholders (primarily with competitors), as a key process within the event BM.

Originality/value

This paper focuses on under-researched topics in the context of tourism, that is, the BM concept in relation to event sport tourism in general and trail-running sport tourism in particular. The paper provides a better understanding of the BM concept as a whole, and trail-running event sport tourism suppliers could benefit from the research findings by potentially avoiding business mistakes.
Reinventing tourism: the Dubai phenomenon
Authors: Anthonisz Angela , Mason Gary
Published: May 2019

Purpose

Dubai has been largely under-researched as a destination, particularly from a tourism perspective. Most current knowledge about the emirate tends to originate from broadcast media coverage, newspapers and business journals. Much of the recent academic research on the destination often positions Dubai in a broader development or management framework, resulting in what can be a narrow and largely western-oriented perspective that fails to highlight or identify many of the key issues underpinning its apparent success.

Design/methodology/approach

This research adopts an ethnographic approach based on the authors’ experiences in the destination and sets out to address this issue not only by presenting new information but also by analysing and explaining Dubai’s tourism development approach.

Findings

Some 40 years ago, Dubai was little more than a backwater tribal settlement, dependent on pearl fishing, trade and limited oil reserves. In 2018, it is now viewed as a futuristic city-state, rapidly expanding its global outreach and undertaking a range of high-profile development projects and acquisitions. The award of Expo 2020 has boosted government confidence in the sector with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing planning to increase visitor numbers to 25 million by 2020 with an anticipated tripling of the associated economic benefit. However, despite its remarkable success, Dubai has been criticised for flying in the face of global sustainability trends and needs to think seriously about how it will manage the growth of its tourism industry.

Originality/value

Dubai has evolved to become one of the world’s leading tourism destinations, and it has done so despite our academic notions of sustainability, tourism planning, tourism resource requirements and demands for authenticity. This provides an opportunity for the authors to use Dubai as a vehicle through which to challenge these concepts and to move the established notions of “traditional” tourism thinking forward to acknowledge the value of alternative approaches to the creation of a tourism strategy.
The pre- and post-event planning roadmap for Expo 2020: Dubai’s coming-out-party
Authors: Nadkarni Sanjay
Published: May 2019

Purpose

Expo 2020 is scheduled to open on October 20, 2020, and will be the largest mega-event to-date in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, drawing in up to 300,000 visitors a day, half of them from abroad, in its six months of operation. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview on how the story has evolved in terms of preparation for the event since Dubai won the bid to host Expo 2020 in 2013.

Design/methodology/approach

Content analysis of the existing literature was undertaken and industry white papers and government portals were consulted to assimilate knowledge sources and to formulate an informed opinion about the impact of Expo 2020 on Dubai.

Findings

The backdrop to Expo 2020 is outlined, followed by an overview of events with the support of literature. The pre-event buildup in terms of policies and infrastructure is assessed and an impact analysis is performed based on the framework of the triple bottom line model. The framework is used to explore post-event challenges, and the steps that will need to be taken by stakeholders and policymakers are also discussed.

Originality/value

There is a dearth of academic literature on Dubai as a destination. This paper brings into focus the importance of Expo 2020 to Dubai's sustainable development and, thus, addresses a critical gap in literature.
Emaar hospitality group: Expo 2020 Dubai’s official hotel and hospitality partnership
Authors: Yeung Alma Au , Al Mashary Sharihan
Published: May 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to outline Emaar Hospitality Group’s (EHG’s) role as the official hotel and hospitality partner for Dubai Expo 2020.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on personal insights from an industry and trend perspective, aligned with the Expo 2020 Dubai theme, “Connecting minds, creating the future,” and its three sub-themes: mobility, sustainability and opportunity.

Findings

As an outcome, EHG’s commitment to Dubai Expo 2020 encompasses the provision of rooms and hospitality, meeting and events venues including outside catering, a hotel of the future innovation stand that reflects the company’s commitment to innovation in the Middle East, gender parity (female-male ratio) employment of women and youth, support to small- and medium-sized enterprise and global apprenticeships for six months during the Expo 2020 event an a commitment to sustainable economic growth.

Originality/value

This is an original, experience-based piece that focuses on an Expo 2020 operator’s viewpoint.
Skin acidification with a water‐in‐oil emulsion (pH 4) restores disrupted epidermal barrier and improves structure of lipid lamellae in the elderly
Authors: Kilic Ana , Masur Clarissa , Reich Hubert , Knie Ulrich , Dähnhardt Dorothee , Dähnhardt‐Pfeiffer Stephan , Abels Christoph
Published: May 2019

The pH of the skin surface increases with age and thus reduces epidermal barrier function. Aged skin needs appropriate skin care to counterbalance age‐related pH increase and improve barrier function. This confirmatory randomized study investigated the efficacy of water‐in‐oil (w/o) emulsions with either pH 4 or pH 5.8 in 20 elderly subjects after 4 weeks of treatment. After the treatment, the skin was challenged with a sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) solution in order to analyze barrier protection properties of both formulations. The pH 4 w/o emulsion resulted in a significantly lower skin pH compared with the pH 5.8 w/o emulsion and an improved skin hydration after 4‐week treatment. Further, the pH 4 emulsion led to more pronounced improvements in length of intercellular lipid lamellae, lamellar organization as well as lipid levels than the pH 5.8 emulsion. Following SDS‐induced barrier damage to the skin, the pH of all test areas increased, but the area treated with the pH 4 emulsion showed the lowest increase compared with baseline. In addition, even after the SDS challenge the skin area treated with the pH 4 emulsion still maintained a significantly increased length of intercellular lipid lamellae compared with the beginning of the study. This study provides evidence that topical application of a w/o emulsion with pH 4 reacidifies the skin in elderly and has beneficial effects on skin moisturization, regeneration of lipid lamellae and lipid content. Application of a pH 4 emulsion can improve the epidermal barrier as well as the stratum corneum organization in aged skin.
Diagnostic and therapeutic approach to scalp dysesthesia: A case series and published work review
Authors: Kinoshita‐Ise Misaki , Shear Neil H.
Published: May 2019

Scalp dysesthesia may be underrecognized but is an important condition which requires special management strategies. Through our case series of four patients, we have noted that patients were frequently misdiagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis and failed standard treatment. However, patients did benefit from low doses of oral pregabalin and a topical compound of amitriptyline, lidocaine and ketamine. Oral antihistamines and topical corticosteroids did not work sufficiently on their own but added value when used in conjunction with analgesic agents. Our experience and published work also suggest the association of cervical spinal changes, psychiatric disorders, and other environmental and habitual factors.
Prioritization of habitats and communities for conservation in Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve, Trans Himalaya, India
Authors: Sharma Lipika , Samant Sher S.
Published: May 2019

The rapid degradation of habitats and communities throughout the globe has necessitated the need for conservation to avoid biodiversity crisis. For framing conservation and management plan for flora of any region, it is very necessary to prioritize species of that region, their preferred habitats and communities with reliable information. In the present study, prioritization of habitats and communities has been done in the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve. Ten habitats and 73 plant communities (45 shrubs and 28 herbs) distributed between 3,109 and 5,019 m were identified. Each habitat and community has been evaluated based on the ecological and socioeconomical parameters. Of the 10 habitats identified, the Moist alpine groove habitat showed highest conservation priority index (CPI), that is, 50 hence prioritized for conservation. The Ephedra gerardiana—Lonicera asperifolia mixed community showed highest CPI, that is, 62; followed by Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. turkestanica—Caragana versicolor—Ephedra intermedia mixed, Rosa webbiana—Ribes orientale mixed and Salix denticulata‐ H. rhamnoides ssp. turkestanica mixed (CPI: 60, each) communities. Regular monitoring of the prioritized habitats and communities has been suggested. Also, mass propagation of native, endemic, economically important and threatened species following biotechnological approaches and their plantation in the natural habitats of Spiti valley have been suggested. This would help in the management of habitats and communities in particular and cold desert ecosystem in general.
Metagenomic recovery of two distinct comammox Nitrospira from the terrestrial subsurface
Authors: Poghosyan Lianna , Koch Hanna , Lavy Adi , Frank Jeroen , van Kessel Maartje A.H.J. , Jetten Mike S.M. , Banfield Jillian F. , Lücker Sebastian
Published: May 2019

The recently discovered comammox process encompasses both nitrification steps, the aerobic oxidation of ammonia and nitrite, in a single organism. All known comammox bacteria are affiliated with Nitrospira sublineage II and can be grouped into two distinct clades, referred to as A and B, based on ammonia monooxygenase phylogeny. In this study, we report high‐quality draft genomes of two novel comammox Nitrospira from the terrestrial subsurface, representing one clade A and one clade B comammox organism. The two metagenome‐assembled genomes were compared with other representatives of Nitrospira sublineage II, including both canonical and comammox Nitrospira. Phylogenomic analyses confirmed the affiliation of the two novel Nitrospira with comammox clades A and B respectively. Based on phylogenetic distance and pairwise average nucleotide identity values, both comammox Nitrospira were classified as novel species. Genomic comparison revealed high conservation of key metabolic features in sublineage II Nitrospira, including respiratory complexes I–V and the machineries for nitrite oxidation and carbon fixation via the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle. In addition, the presence of the enzymatic repertoire for formate and hydrogen oxidation in the Rifle clades A and B comammox genomes, respectively, suggest a broader distribution of these metabolic features than previously anticipated.
Differences in attitudes towards reading and other school‐related activities among boys and girls
Authors: Scholes Laura
Published: May 2019

Background

Research illustrates that girls indicate more positive attitudes towards reading than boys. Gender differences are often presented in simplistic terms with ‘all boys’ represented as one homogenous group.

Methods

This study developed a survey to identify similarities and differences in boys' and girls' attitudes towards a range of school‐related activities, including reading, and among boys themselves. The survey of 296 (f = 137, m = 159) 8‐ to 10‐year‐olds attending elementary schools in Australia was designed to identify the way attitudes towards school‐related activities, including reading, may be interrelated. Cluster analysis identified nuances associated with socio‐economic background, reading frequency and reading outcomes.

Results

Results indicated that girls and boys were represented similarly in the cluster groups that indicated positive enjoyment for books. However, there were significantly more girls than boys who enjoyed the social aspects of reading. A main finding was that many boys indicated they personally enjoyed reading, in contrast to previous studies, however, they did not necessarily enjoy the social aspects of reading with this finding particularly evident for boys from lower socio‐economic backgrounds. Attitude towards reading was interrelated with the social aspects of reading and other school‐related activities such as competition sports.

Conclusions

Outcomes from the survey cluster groupings made visible the multiplicity of differences among boys' attitudes towards reading that are often left out of simplistic representations in educational policies, teaching literature and the popular media. Findings suggest the need to open up educational discussions about the ways that reading attitudes may be embedded within, and related to, socio‐economic location and other school‐based experiences.
Does Payroll Tax Affect Firm Behaviour?
Authors: Ralston Ben
Published: May 2019

Payroll tax is applied to the total remuneration expenditure of a firm. Once the total remuneration exceeds a certain threshold, the firm is subject to a marginal tax called payroll tax. In a perverse way, the threshold could discourage some firms from growing so that payroll tax is avoided. This paper uses administrative business income tax data to determine whether payroll tax affects the behaviour of businesses. It is found that in general, firms do not bunch just below the payroll tax threshold and firms do not attempt to avoid payroll tax by hiring contractors.
Litigation Migrants
Authors: Alexander Charlotte S.
Published: May 2019

Civil law is enforced primarily via private litigation. One characteristic of private enforcement is that litigation levels tend to cycle between periods of boom and bust. This article builds a theory for explaining this fluctuation, proposing that plaintiffs’ attorneys can be understood as economic migrants. Just as workers cross borders to find jobs, lawyers “move” across case types and jurisdictions to find profitable claims, and case filing numbers increase as a result. Using the recent wage and hour litigation boom as a case study, this article paints an empirical picture of attorney migration and its influence on case filing numbers.
Age, period and cohort effects in frequent cannabis use among US students: 1991–2018
Authors: Hamilton Ava D. , Jang Joy Bohyun , Patrick Megan E. , Schulenberg John E. , Keyes Katherine M.
Published: May 2019

Background and Aims

As the legal status of cannabis changes across the United States and modes of administration expand, it is important to examine the potential impact on adolescent cannabis use. This study aimed to assess changes in prevalence of frequent cannabis use in adolescents in the United States and how far this varies by age and cohort.

Design

Analysis of Monitoring the Future, a nationally representative annual survey of 8th‐, 10th‐ and 12th‐grade students in the United States conducted from 1991 to 2018.

Setting

In‐school surveys completed by US adolescents.

Participants

A total of 1 236 159 8th‐, 10th‐ and 12th‐graders; 51.5% female, 59.6% non‐Hispanic white, 12.3% non‐Hispanic black, 13.4% Hispanic and 14.7% other race/ethnicity.

Measurements

Frequent cannabis use (FCU), defined as six or more occasions in the past 30 days, stratified by sex, race/ethnicity and parental education.

Findings

FCU among US adolescents increased over the study period; the peak in 2010–18 was 11.4% among 18‐year‐old students. This increase was best explained by both period and cohort effects. Compared with respondents in 2005, adolescents surveyed in 2018 had period effects in FCU that were 1.6 times greater. Adolescents in younger birth cohorts (those born > 1988) had a lower increase in FCU than those born prior to 1988. Results were consistent across sex, parent education and race/ethnicity, with period effects indicating increasing FCU after 2005 and cohort effects indicating a lower magnitude of increase in more recent birth cohorts. Age and parental education disparities in FCU have increased over time, whereas race/ethnicity differences have converged over time; black students were 0.67 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.64–0.70] times as likely to use cannabis frequently as white students from 1991 to 2000, and 1.03 (95% CI = 0.98–1.09) times as likely from 2011 to 2018 (P‐value for time interaction < 0.001).

Conclusions

The prevalence of frequent cannabis use (FCU) increased from 1991 to 2018 among older adolescents in the United States. Racial/ethnic differences in FCU converged, whereas parental education differences have diverged.
Silicon reduces herbivore performance via different mechanisms, depending on host–plant species
Authors: Frew Adam , Weston Leslie A. , Gurr Geoff M.
Published: May 2019

There is mounting evidence silicon (Si) can alter plant nutrient dynamics and is an important functional trait in plant defence and plant–insect ecology. Despite this, there remains a paucity in our understanding of how Si‐driven changes in nutritional quality can impact herbivore performance across different plant species. We investigated how Si alters plant nutritional quality and the concomitant effects on the performance of the Australian native generalist herbivore Helicoverpa punctigera feeding on three economically significant plant species of varying Si‐uptake ability: Brassica napus (non‐Si accumulator), Cucumis sativus (intermediate Si accumulator) and Sorghum bicolor (high Si accumulator). Si supplementation reduced the nutritional quality of B. napus but increased phosphorus concentrations in S. bicolor. Si reduced herbivore performance in all host–plant species, which correlated directly with Si concentrations in Si‐accumulating host plants C. sativus and S. bicolor. However, on B. napus, Si affected herbivore performance indirectly by reducing nutritional quality (foliar carbon:nitrogen ratio and phosphorus concentration). This suggests Si availability can affect herbivore performance directly via Si concentration on Si‐accumulating hosts, and indirectly via nutritional quality in a non‐Si accumulator. The resistance‐enhancing effects of Si on multiple species offer opportunity for agriculture to utilise this abundant element in sustainable management practices.
Populism and Conspiracy: A Historical Synthesis of American Countersubversive Narratives
Authors: Jessen Nathan
Published: May 2019

Recent public concern about political conspiracy theories and disinformation has led some to favor restrictions on free speech or call for greater government transparency. These proposals are likely to fail, as they are based upon the faulty assumption that belief in conspiracies is a product of ignorance. It is surprising that few scholars in recent years have focused on the special connection between conspiracy theories and the populist movements that commonly spawn them. Historically, the American system has restricted political action outside certain normal bounds, eventually encouraging frustrated citizens to develop new opposition movements. Populists then adopt conspiracy theories as tools to reshape political coalitions and forge unified organizations of their own. In light of the functional purpose of conspiracy theories and the oppositional critique of populist movements, conspiratorial narratives no longer appear to be the product of ignorance.
Populism in South America: Democratic Panacea or Pitfall?
Authors: Nyenhuis Robert
Published: May 2019

Populism has become a buzz word in recent years, used widely by journalists, political pundits, and academics. Much of the discussion presents the global phenomenon as a recent one. However, one version or another has existed in South America for nearly a century. In this article, I put forth a political strategic definition of populism that includes an actor's political style, relationship with followers, political organization, and political history. Using this conceptualization, I score several presidential candidates’ campaign behavior during recent elections, between the years 2011 and 2015. I also consider the democratic consequences of two of the continents’ most visible and longest‐serving populists, Evo Morales in Bolivia and Rafael Correa in Ecuador. I examine the change over time in both countrie's political systems regarding the respect for civil liberties and political rights, changes in citizens’ attitudes towards the democratic quality of their respective countries, and the variation in socioeconomic inequality. I conclude with an assessment of each populist's democratic consequence and discuss potential for future research.
Populism and the Populists: The Incoherent Coherence of Coxey's March
Authors: Prout Jerry
Published: May 2019

Coxey's March was a multidimensional spectacle reflecting the disparate social and intellectual strands that comprised an energetic late 19th‐century producer's movement. This well‐staged, though seemingly spontaneous, march was emblematic of a brand of grassroots populism that united producers from farm fields to factory floors. Their cause was propelled by an eclectic array of reformers whose distinct ideas to change the economic landscape were united only in their common vision of a more cooperative, rather than corporate, vision of the future. Coxey shared in that vision with his bold public works plan. In choosing a direct form of democratic expression, and then adorning it with religious and utopian symbols, his march to Washington reflected the essence of a progressive populism churning throughout the Gilded Age.
Phase lag entropy as a hypnotic depth indicator during propofol sedation
Authors: Ki S. , Kim K. M. , Lee Y. H. , Bang J. Y. , Choi B. M. , Noh G. J.
Published: May 2019

Phase lag entropy, an electro‐encephalography‐based hypnotic depth indicator, calculates diversity in temporal patterns of phase relationship. We compared the performance of phase lag entropy with the bispectral index™ in 30 patients scheduled for elective surgery. We initiated a target‐controlled infusion of propofol using the Schnider model, and assessed sedation levels using the Modified Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation scale every 30 s with each stepwise increase in the effect‐site propofol concentration. Phase lag entropy and bispectral index values were recorded. The correlation coefficient and prediction probability between phase lag entropy or bispectral index and the sedation level or effect‐site propofol concentration were analysed. We calculated baseline variabilities of phase lag entropy and bispectral index. In addition, we applied a non‐linear mixed‐effects model to obtain the pharmacodynamic relationships among the effect‐site propofol concentration, phase lag entropy or bispectral index and sedation level. As sedation increased, phase lag entropy and bispectral index both decreased. The prediction probability values of phase lag entropy and bispectral index for sedation levels were 0.697 and 0.700 (p = 0.261) and for the effect‐site concentration of propofol were 0.646 and 0.630 (p = 0.091), respectively. Baseline variability in phase lag entropy and bispectral index was 3.3 and 5.7, respectively. The predicted propofol concentrations, using the Schnider pharmacokinetic model, producing a 50% probability of moderate and deep sedation were 1.96 and 3.01 μg.ml−1, respectively. Phase lag entropy was found to be useful as a hypnotic depth indicator in patients receiving propofol sedation.
O‐GlcNAcylation as a regulator of the functional and structural properties of the sarcomere in skeletal muscle: An update review
Authors: Lambert Matthias , Claeyssen Charlotte , Bastide Bruno , Cieniewski‐Bernard Caroline
Published: May 2019

Although the O‐GlcNAcylation process was discovered in 1984, its potential role in the physiology and physiopathology of skeletal muscle only emerged 20 years later. An increasing number of publications strongly support a key role of O‐GlcNAcylation in the modulation of important cellular processes which are essential for skeletal muscle functions. Indeed, over a thousand of O‐GlcNAcylated proteins have been identified within skeletal muscle since 2004, which belong to various classes of proteins, including sarcomeric proteins. In this review, we focused on these myofibrillar proteins, including contractile and structural proteins. Because of the modification of motor and regulatory proteins, the regulatory myosin light chain (MLC2) is related to several reports that support a key role of O‐GlcNAcylation in the fine modulation of calcium activation parameters of skeletal muscle fibres, depending on muscle phenotype and muscle work. In addition, another key function of O‐GlcNAcylation has recently emerged in the regulation of organization and reorganization of the sarcomere. Altogether, this data support a key role of O‐GlcNAcylation in the homeostasis of sarcomeric cytoskeleton, known to be disturbed in many related muscle disorders.
The effect of providing prescribing recommendations on appropriate prescribing: A cluster‐randomized controlled trial in older adults in a preoperative setting
Authors: Boersma Marijke Nynke , Huibers Corlina Johanna Alida , Drenth‐van Maanen Anna Clara , Emmelot‐Vonk Mariëlle Henriëtte , Wilting Ingeborg , Knol Wilma
Published: May 2019

Aims

The Systematic Tool to Reduce Inappropriate Prescribing is a method to assess patient's medication and has been incorporated into a clinical decision support system: STRIP Assistant. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of recommendations generated using STRIP Assistant on appropriate prescribing and mortality in a preoperative setting.

Methods

This cluster‐randomized controlled trial was carried out at the preoperative geriatric outpatient clinic. Residents who performed a comprehensive geriatric assessment were randomized to the control group and intervention group in a 1:1 ratio. Visiting patients aged 70 years or older on 5 or more medications were included. Intervention: prescribing recommendations were generated by a physician using STRIP Assistant and given to the resident. Control group residents performed a medication review according to usual care.

Primary outcome: number of medication changes made because of potential prescribing omissions (PPOs), potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), and suboptimal dosages according to the prescribing recommendations. Secondary outcome: 3‐month postoperative mortality.

Results

65 intervention and 59 control patients were included, attended by 34 residents. Significantly more medication changes because of PPOs and PIMs were made in the intervention group than in the control group (PPOs 26.2% vs 3.4%, odds ratio 0.04 [95% confidence interval 0.003–0.46] P < .05; PIMS 46.2% vs 15.3% odds ratio 0.14 [95% confidence interval 0.07–0.57] P < .005). There were no differences in dose adjustments or in postoperative mortality.

Conclusion

Prescribing recommendations generated with the help of STRIP Assistant improved appropriate prescribing in a preoperative geriatric outpatient clinic but did not affect postoperative mortality.
Antibiotic resistance as a tragedy of the commons: An ethical argument for a tax on antibiotic use in humans
Authors: Giubilini Alberto
Published: May 2019

To the extent that antibiotic resistance (ABR) is accelerated by antibiotic consumption and that it represents a serious public health emergency, it is imperative to drastically reduce antibiotic consumption, particularly in high‐income countries. I present the problem of ABR as an instance of the collective action problem known as ‘tragedy of the commons’. I propose that there is a strong ethical justification for taxing certain uses of antibiotics, namely when antibiotics are required to treat minor and self‐limiting infections, such as respiratory tract infections, in otherwise healthy individuals. Taxation would allow a reduction in consumption (given certain behavioural economics assumptions) and/or ensure that individuals internalize or compensate for their contribution to the erosion of the common good of antibiotic effectiveness. I suggest that revenue from the tax could be used to fund conservation and innovation strategies. Taxation might be a coercive policy, especially for certain individuals, but the ethical case for coercive policies is very strong when the good to be preserved is important enough and when they force individuals to do something they have a moral obligation to do anyway. I argue that, in the case of mild and self‐limiting infections, individuals have a moral duty of easy rescue and a moral duty of fairness to make their contribution to the preservation of the common good of antibiotic effectiveness by foregoing antibiotics. I also suggest that taxing antibiotics in such cases is an all things considered ethically justified policy even if it would introduce inequalities in access to healthcare.
Semiparametric Frailty Models for Zero-Inflated Event Count Data in the Presence of Informative Dropout
Authors: Diao Guoqing , Zeng Donglin , Hu Kuolung , Ibrahim Joseph G.
Published: May 2019

Recurrent events data are commonly encountered in medical studies. In many applications, only the number of events during the follow-up period rather than the recurrent event times is available. Two important challenges arise in such studies: (a) a substantial portion of subjects may not experience the event, and (b) we may not observe the event count for the entire study period due to informative dropout. To address the first challenge, we assume that underlying population consists of two subpopulations: a subpopulation nonsusceptible to the event of interest and a subpopulation susceptible to the event of interest. In the susceptible subpopulation, the event count is assumed to follow a Poisson distribution given the follow-up time and the subject-specific characteristics. We then introduce a frailty to account for informative dropout. The proposed semiparametric frailty models consist of three submodels: (a) a logistic regression model for the probability such that a subject belongs to the nonsusceptible subpopulation; (b) a nonhomogeneous Poisson process model with an unspecified baseline rate function; and (c) a Cox model for the informative dropout time. We develop likelihood-based estimation and inference procedures. The maximum likelihood estimators are shown to be consistent. Additionally, the proposed estimators of the finite-dimensional parameters are asymptotically normal and the covariance matrix attains the semiparametric efficiency bound. Simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed methodologies perform well in practical situations. We apply the proposed methods to a clinical trial on patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.
Synthesis of novel tanshinone derivatives for treatment of castration‐resistant prostate cancer
Authors: Xu Defeng , Hu Hang , Guan Jing , Da Jun , Xie Yipeng , Liu Yalin , Kong Ren , Song Guoqiang , Zhou Huan
Published: May 2019

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death in USA and has developed serious resistance to current drugs. Thus, development of new drugs for the treatment of castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is urgently needed. In this study, 25 novel derivatives of tanshinone IIA as potential androgen receptor (AR) suppression reagents for the treatment of CRPC have been synthesized. The inhibition on DHT‐mediated AR transactivation and cell viability assay were performed to test the synthesized compounds. The results showed that among 25 new compounds, seven methoxy‐substituted tanshinone IIA derivatives showed significant inhibition effect on DHT‐mediated AR transactivation. In particular, TAN‐24 that contains three methoxy groups showed the strongest inhibition effect on DHT‐mediated AR transactivation. In addition, TAN‐24 also suppressed DHT‐AR transactivation more effectively than those of tanshinoneIIA and enzalutamide. In cytotoxicity against human prostate cancer cell lines assay, TAN‐24 exhibited the most potent in vitro cytotoxicity against LNCaP and CWR22Rv1 cells, with IC50 values 20‐ and 19‐times lower than those of tanshinone IIA and comparable to enzalutamide. TAN‐24 reported in the present work represents a novel and effective AR suppression drug, showing great potential for the treatment of CRPC.
The inhibitory effect of tachyplesin I on thrombosis and its mechanisms
Authors: Li Huimin , Liu Bin , Wu Jun , Yu Huajun , Huang Hui , Chen Xi , Chen Baoan , Wu Shang , Ma Jingyao , Liu Wen , Chen Xiaoyi , Lan Liubo , He Zhan , Zhang Haitao
Published: May 2019

Thrombotic diseases are major cause of cardiovascular diseases. This study was designed to investigate the effect of tachyplesin I on platelet aggregation and thrombosis. Platelet aggregation was analysed with a whole blood aggregometer. The mice were employed to investigate the effect of tachyplesin I on thrombosis in vivo. Tachyplesin I inhibited thrombin‐induced platelet aggregation in a dose‐dependent manner. Furthermore, tachyplesin I significantly reduced thrombosis in carrageenan‐induced tail thrombosis model by intraperitoneal injection (0.1, 0.2 or 0.4 mg/kg) or intragastric administration (15, 30 or 60 mg/kg). Tachyplesin I also prolonged the bleeding time (BT) and clotting time (CT). The results revealed that tachyplesin I inhibited platelet aggregation and thrombosis by interfering the PI3K/AKT pathway. Tachyplesin I did not show significantly toxicity to mice under 300 mg/kg via intravenous injection. The results show that tachyplesin I inhibits thrombosis and has low toxicity. It is suggested that tachyplesin I has the potential to develop a new anti‐thrombotic drug.
PARTIALLY DISAGGREGATED HOUSEHOLD‐LEVEL DEBT SERVICE RATIOS: CONSTRUCTION, VALIDATION, AND RELATIONSHIP TO BANKRUPTCY RATES
Authors: Elvery Joel A. , Schweitzer Mark E.
Published: May 2019

Using individual‐level debt payments data from a credit bureau, we estimate debt service ratios by debt type for the United States. While highly correlated with the Board of Governors' national debt service ratio, we identify some required payments categories that vary substantively from the aggregate assumptions used in the Board's published data series. Estimating novel state and metropolitan statistical area (MSA)‐level debt service ratios, we show that debt service ratios rose dramatically during the 2000s housing boom in several of the most impacted states and MSAs. Our state‐level debt service ratios are shown to be useful in predicting state bankruptcy rates. (JEL D14, C8, E50)
Encouraging performance monitoring promotes proactive control in children
Authors: Hadley Lauren V. , Acluche Frantzy , Chevalier Nicolas
Published: May 2019

Monitoring progression towards one's goals is essential for efficient cognitive control. Immature performance monitoring may contribute to suboptimal cognitive control engagement in childhood, potentially explaining why children engage control reactively even when proactive control would be more effective. This study investigated whether encouraging children to actively monitor their performance results in more mature control engagement. Electroencephalography data were collected while children and adults performed a flanker task in three conditions in which they were provided no feedback, standard feedback, or were asked to estimate their own feedback. Both age groups accurately estimated their own feedback. Critically, feedback estimation promoted online performance monitoring and proactive engagement of attention and inhibition during the flanker period in children. These findings indicate that proactive control engagement in childhood can be effectively supported by encouraging performance monitoring.
Sexual differences in the behavioural response to a variation in predation risk
Authors: Grignolio Stefano , Brivio Francesca , Sica Nicoletta , Apollonio Marco
Published: May 2019

Predators may influence their prey populations not only through direct lethal effects, but also by causing behavioural changes. The natural expansion of the wolf (Canis lupus) into the Alps provided the rare opportunity to monitor the responses of a prey species to the return of a large predator. Density effects have rarely been considered in the study of antipredator strategies. We examined the effects of wolf recolonisation and density modifications on group size and use of safe areas by Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) in Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy), where no large terrestrial predator has been present for about a century. We documented that, in a few years, the variation in the factors affecting the landscape of fear caused significant modifications in ibex behavioural patterns that could not be accounted for by density changes only. Male groups decreased in size and moved closer to safer areas. The distance of female groups from refuge sites, instead, was not affected, and their propensity to live in groups was scarcely modified. Behavioural modifications likely caused a reduction in nutrient intake in adult male ibex, as they necessarily used lower‐quality feeding patches. Our results showed that male and female ibex, which are characterised by a strong dimorphism, adopted different strategies to solve the conflicting demands of foraging efficiently and avoiding predators.
Clinical and ultrasonographic evaluation of three suture techniques for closure of the equine linea alba
Authors: Verkade M. E. , Ugahary F. , Martens A. , Wiemer P.
Published: May 2019

Surgical technique plays an important role in preventing ventral midline incisional complications. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and ultrasonographic outcome of three suture techniques for closure of the linea alba. In this prospective case series (n = 43), horses operated for acute abdominal intestinal disease through a midline incision were randomised in three groups: closure with a conventional continuous technique (Group 1), a small stitches continuous technique (Group 2) and theUX‐technique (shoe‐lace configuration, Group 3). Age, sex, body weight, type and duration of surgery were recorded and the suture to wound length ratio was calculated. Clinical evaluation of the wound (wound discharge) was performed daily during hospitalisation. At 7 weeks post‐operatively the linea alba was evaluated clinically and ultrasonographically. The linea alba width was measured halfway along the length of the incision. One horse in Group 1 had acute incisional dehiscence, but there were no further significant differences between the groups in the short term. Seven weeks post‐operatively two horses had complete herniation in Group 1 and one horse had partial herniation in Group 2. In theUXgroup no herniation occurred. The incidence of herniation was not significantly different between the groups. On ultrasound at 7 weeks the linea alba width was significantly smaller in Group 2 (P = 0.00029) and Group 3 (P = 0.0018) compared with Group 1, even with exclusion of the acute incisional dehiscence and two herniated horses. Limitations were the small group size and relatively low incidence of incisional complications for statistical analysis. It was concluded that the use of small stitches and theUX‐technique resulted in a smaller linea alba width compared with the conventional continuous suture technique and might therefore be preferred for closure of the linea alba in equine colic surgery.