bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Causes and outcomes of hospitalizations among people living with HIV in Georgia’s referral institution, 2012–2017
Authors: Rukhadze Nino , Kirk Ole , Chkhartishvili Nikoloz , Bolokadze Natalia , Sharvadze Lali , Gabunia Pati , Lundgren Jens , Tsertsvadze Tengiz
Published: February 2021

We assessed trends in causes and outcomes of hospitalization among people living with HIV (PLWH) admitted to the Infectious Diseases, AIDS and Clinical Immunology Research Center (IDACIRC) in Tbilisi, Georgia. Retrospective analysis included adult PLWH admitted to IDACIRC for at least 24 h. Internationally validated categorization was used to split AIDS admissions into mild, moderate, and severe AIDS. A total of 2085 hospitalizations among 1123 PLWH were registered over 2012–2017 with 65.1% (731/1123) of patients presenting with CD4 count <200. Of 2085 hospitalizations, 931 (44.7%) were due to AIDS-defining illnesses. In 2012, AIDS conditions accounted for 50.3% of admissions compared to 41.6% in 2017 ( p = 0.16). Overall, 167 hospitalizations (8.0%) resulted in lethal outcome. AIDS admissions had higher mortality than non-AIDS admissions (11.5% vs 5.2%, p < 0.0001). Among 167 deceased patients, 137 (82.0%) had CD4 count <200 at admission. In multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with mortality included severe AIDS versus non-AIDS admission (OR 2.81, 95% CI: 1.10–7.15), CD4 cell counts <50 (OR 4.34, 95% CI: 2.52–7.47), and 50–100 (OR 2.37, 95% CI: 1.27–4.42) versus >200. Active AIDS disease remains a significant cause of hospitalization and fatal outcome in Georgia. Earlier diagnosis of HIV is critical for decreasing AIDS hospitalizations and mortality.
Staying strong: Exploring experiences of managing emotional distress for African Caribbean women living in the UK
Authors: Graham Rachel , Clarke Victoria
Published: February 2021

The “strong Black woman” (SBW) is a Western cultural stereotype that depicts African-heritage women as strong, self-reliant, independent, yet nurturing and self-sacrificing. US research indicates that this stereotype negatively impacts the emotional wellbeing of African-heritage women, while also allowing them to survive in a racist society. UK research has documented the significance of this stereotype in relation to African Caribbean women’s experience of depression around the time of childbirth and “attachment separation and loss”. However, research is yet to explore how UK African Caribbean women make sense of and negotiate the SBW stereotype in relation to their emotional wellbeing more broadly. Using five focus groups, with a total of 18 women, this research explored how these women experienced and managed emotional distress in relation to the SBW stereotype. The importance of “being strong” consistently underpinned the participants’ narratives. However, this requirement for strength often negatively impacted their ability to cope effectively with their distress, leading them to manage it in ways that did little to alleviate it and sometimes increased it. This study offers important implications for understanding the experiences of emotional distress for UK African Caribbean women.
Difference or dysfunction?: Deconstructing desire in the DSM-5 diagnosis of Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder
Authors: Thomas Emily J , Gurevich Maria
Published: February 2021

This article answers ongoing calls within critical sexuality scholarship to explore how constructions of women’s bodies influence and are influenced by broader sociocultural contexts. Specifically, this article offers a conceptual analysis of female sexual desire, highlighting the deeply political nature of its pathologization. We briefly explore dominant definitions and models of sexual desire to highlight the erasure of embodied desire as an important part of healthy female sexuality. The DSM-5 diagnosis of Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder is critically analyzed to highlight how desire differences are framed as gendered, individual problems which sidelines relational, contextual, and sociopolitical factors contributing to individual distress. When the language of desire is displaced by the language of interest (particularly when framed as receptivity), the capacity to theorize wanting and entitlement is undermined. We argue that the pathologization of diverse desires obscures possibilities for embodied wanting and neglects the consideration that all types of desire (absent, frequent, physical, emotional) may represent normal sexual variations.
Settlement, landscape and land-use change at a Pictish Elite Centre: Assessing the palaeoecological record for economic continuity and social change at Rhynie in NE Scotland
Authors: Jones Samantha E , Evans Nick , Cortizas Antonio Martínez , Mighall Tim M , Noble Gordon
Published: February 2021

The first millennium AD was a transformative period when many of the medieval kingdoms of Europe began to take shape, but despite recent advances in palaeoecological and archaeological research there remains a shortage of interdisciplinary collaborative research targeting this period. For some regions we know relatively little about the societies who lived during this formative period. This current investigation focusses on an early medieval elite centre near to Rhynie in NE Scotland; an important power-centre during the fourth–seventh centuries AD as evidenced by a remarkable series of Class I Pictish symbol stones, fortified enclosures at Cairn more, Tap o’ Noth and the Craw-Stane, as well as high status metal-working and a range of continental imports from the Craw-Stane enclosure. However, by the end of the seventh century AD, elite focus appears to have shifted elsewhere with the Craw-Stane and Cairn More enclosures all being abandoned. By combining paleoenvironmental analysis with available historical and archaeological archives this paper provides new insights into societal change during the first Millennium AD, with focus on the economic, social and environmental impacts caused by the rise and subsequent abandonment of elite nodes of power. A calibrated age of AD 260–415, near the base of the core, coincides with the earliest dates for the Craw-Stane complex and pre-dates the construction of the nearby Cairn More enclosure. The results provide a rare snapshot of the Late Roman Iron Age to Medieval environment of Northeast Scotland. This centre appears to have been supported by a rich agricultural landscape, with evidence of pastoral and arable farming, and potential metal working. One of the most significant findings of this study has revealed that despite abandonment of these elite enclosed sites by the seventh century AD, people continued to utilise the surrounding landscape and available resources right through until modern times.
A 14,000 year peatland record of environmental change in the southern Gutland region, Luxembourg
Authors: Schittek Karsten , Teichert Lelaina , Geiger Katrin , Knorr Klaus-Holger , Schneider Simone
Published: February 2021

A Late Pleistocene/Holocene paleoenvironmental record was obtained from the Rouer peatland (5°54′E, 49°45′N; 270 m a.s.l.), located in the Gutland area of southern Luxembourg. A total of six sediment samples were AMS radiocarbon-dated to obtain an age-depth model. XRF analyses and analyses of geochemical proxies of organic matter (TOC, TN, δ13C, δ15N) were conducted to identify major paleoenvironmental changes in the record. Pollen analysis reveals insights into the vegetation history throughout the last 14,000 cal. yr BP. The record offers unique insights into the evolution of local organic sediment/peat accumulation, as well as into the environmental history of the Gutland region and beyond. The accumulation of organic sediment and peat started at about 13,800 cal. yr BP before present. Until about 6000 cal. yr BP, periods of apparently stable climatic conditions had been interrupted repeatedly by pronounced episodes with increased input of minerogenic matter into the peat matrix (12,700–11,800 cal. yr BP; 11,500–11,300 cal. yr BP; 11,100–10,800 cal. yr BP; 9300 cal. yr BP; 8200 cal. yr BP), indicated by sudden increases of Ti/coh values. After 6000 cal. yr BP, environmental conditions stabilized. Between 4200 and 2800 cal. yr BP, during the Bronze Age, changes in the pollen spectrum indicate an increasing clearance of woodlands. Since the Roman period, an ongoing intensification of grassland farming and agriculture is evidenced. Lowest tree species abundances are witnessed during the Middle Ages. The Modern Era is characterized by enhanced sediment input due to soil erosion. In short, this record complements the Late Pleistocene/Holocene climatic history of the Gutland area and demonstrates that fen peat deposits can be valuable high-resolution paleoclimate archives.
Crop water status from plant stable carbon isotope values: A test case for monsoonal climates
Authors: Jones Penelope J , O’Connell Tamsin C , Jones Martin K , Singh RN , Petrie Cameron A
Published: February 2021

Stable carbon isotope analysis is increasingly used in archaeology as an indicator of crop water status and/or water management regime. While the technique shows promise, robust modern baseline studies are required to inform and validate archaeological interpretations. Here, we test stable carbon isotope values as a crop water status proxy in a monsoonal climatic context for the first time. Specifically, we test the relationship between grain stable carbon isotope values (δ13Cgrain), water availability, irrigation and soil type in barley ( Hordeum vulgare L. (Zohary and Hopf.)) in north-west India, with the aim of deriving a locally-appropriate model for isotopic interpretation. We test this relationship across a substantial rainfall gradient (200–1000 mm/year) and find a negative logarithmic relationship between climatic water availability and δ13C. However, there is significant noise in the relationship, and we report δ13Cgrain variation of over 3‰ amongst samples drawn from similar climatic contexts. Soil type, irrigation type and irrigation frequency have no clear modifying effects. We conclude that: (1) barley stable carbon isotope values can act as an archaeological water status proxy in monsoonal areas, but will be most sensitive in areas receiving <450 mm rainfall per year; and (2) it is not possible to precisely infer water management regimes. On the basis of our results, we propose guidelines for archaeological barley stable carbon isotope interpretation in north-west India and analogous monsoonal climates.
Linking Holocene East Asian monsoon variability to solar forcing and ENSO activity: Multi-proxy evidence from a peatland in Northeastern China
Authors: Li Nannan , Sharifi Arash , Chambers Frank M , Ge Yong , Dubois Nathalie , Gao Guizai , Li Dehui , Liu Lidan , Liu Hongyan , Wang Jiangyong , Niu Honghao , Meng Meng , Liu Ying , Zhang Guihua , Jie Dongmei
Published: February 2021

High-resolution proxy-based paleoenvironmental records derived from peatlands provide important insights into climate changes over centennial to millennial timescales. In this study, we present a composite climatic index (CCI) for the Hani peatland from northeastern China, based on an innovative combination of pollen-spore, phytolith, and grain size data. We use the CCI to reconstruct variations of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) intensity during the Holocene. This is accomplished with complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition (CEEMD), REDFIT, and cross-wavelet coherency analysis to reveal the periodicities (frequencies) of the multi-proxy derived CCI sequences and to assess potential external forcing of the EASM. The results showed that periodicities of ca. 300–350, 475, 600, 1075, and 1875 years were present in the Hani CCI sequence. Those periodicities are consistent with previously published periodicities in East Asia, indicating they are a product of external climate controls over an extensive region, rather than random variations caused by peatland-specific factors. Cross-wavelet coherency analysis between the decomposed CCI components and past solar activity reconstructions suggests that variations of solar irradiation are most likely responsible for the cyclic characteristics at 500-year frequency. We propose a conceptual model to interpret how the sun regulates the monsoon climate via coupling with oceanic and atmospheric circulations. It seems that slight solar irradiation changes can be amplified by coupling with ENSO events, which result in a significant impact on the regional climate in the East Asian monsoon area.
Influences of sea level on depositional environment during the last 1000 years in the southwestern Bengal delta, Bangladesh
Authors: Haque Md. Masidul , Hoyanagi Koichi
Published: February 2021

This study illustrates the influences of sea-level on the depositional process during the last 1000 years of the southwestern delta, Bangladesh. Sediments of eight litho-sections from landward in upper delta plain to seaward in lower delta plain along the Rupsa-Pasur river were studied. Sedimentary facies, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, δ13C value, diatom assemblages, and radiocarbon dating of deposits were carried out to determine the paleoenvironments that were influenced by the relative sea-level (RSL) change over time. During the 850–1300 AD, RSL was reached up to +80 cm higher than the present level where tidal-influenced bioturbated light yellow to gray mud deposited in the upper delta plain area. RSL was dropped up to −110 cm during 1300–1850 AD, organic-rich bluish-gray mud, mangrove peat, and terrestrial influenced yellowish-gray mud were deposited successively in the lower delta plain area, and the terrace was formed at landward due to the lowering of the base level. RSL started to rise after the period 1850 AD where tidal-influenced sediments gradually increased and deposited in the upper part at seaward and terrestrial flood sediment deposited over the erosional surface at the landward part. The estimated average sedimentation rate (1.96–2.89 mm/year) is not enough to offset the effect of subsidence and present sea-level rise over the study area. The rising trend of the sea creates inundation in the lower delta plain area, also hinders upstream water flow. For that, terrestrial flood sediments settle over the erosional surface in landward, and tidal-influenced sediment gradually onlap upon it from seaward.
The information-gathering practice of liberal professionals in a workplace setting: More than just seeking information
Authors: Solomon Yosef , Bronstein Jenny
Published: February 2021

Existing models of the information behaviour of various liberal professionals, especially lawyers, lack currentness. They do not adequately represent the full scope of how these professionals de facto attain information in their occupation. Without clarity about the contemporary information-gathering practice of liberal professionals in a workplace setting, scholars, technology entrepreneurs and policy makers might be relying on partial or outdated grounds, and the ability of the information specialists to provide an effective service for their patrons might also be hindered. With a focus on legal professionals, as they have experienced noteworthy changes in their occupation, purposive sampling was applied, and 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with practising lawyers in Israel. Participants were nationwide and ranged over 30 different areas of legal practice, with a fair diversity of other professionals and personal traits achieved. The content analysis revealed four distinctive forms in which lawyers in Israel gather information within the contemporary legal practice: (a) self-executed information-seeking, (b) mediated acquisition of information, (c) information discovery and (d) combined information-gathering – which in all compile 10 different habitual strategies of gathering information in their professional work. Finally, the study suggests a revised, integrative and inclusive model that provides a more accurate and profound understanding of legal professionals’ information-gathering practice. This comprehensive and current framework may serve as an insightful guide for understanding other information-rich liberal professions.
Elevated urinary IL-36γ in patients with active lupus nephritis and response to treatment
Authors: Majumder Sanjukta , Singh Pratibha , Chatterjee Rudrarpan , Pattnaik Sarit Sekhar , Aggarwal Amita
Published: February 2021

Introduction

IL-36 is a new member of the IL-1 family with pro-inflammatory properties. Serum levels of IL-36 are elevated in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). However, no data is available on urinary levels of IL-36 in Lupus Nephritis (LN). In psoriasis expression of IL-36 is site specific and expressed in skin. Hence, we studied urinary levels of IL-36 cytokines in SLE patients.

Methods

A total of 196 patients with SLE [97 active LN patients (ALN), 42 inactive LN (ILN) and 57 active lupus patients with no renal involvement (ANR)] and 25 healthy subjects were recruited for the study after obtaining informed consent. Urinary and plasma IL-36α, IL-36γ and IL-36Ra levels were measured by ELISA.

Results

Out of 196 patients 178 were females. Urinary IL-36γ levels in SLE patients [0(14.3) pg/ml] were significantly higher than healthy controls [0(0) pg/ml, (P < 0.01)]. Patients with ALN [0(40.6) pg/ml] had significantly higher IL-36γ when compared to ANR [0(0) pg/ml] as well as ILN [0(0) pg/ml]. Urinary IL-36γ levels in ALN patients had a fair correlation with renal SLEDAI (r = 0.26, P = 0.004).The levels reduced significantly post 3 months in patients with ALN. No inverse relationship was noted between IL-36Ra and IL-36α/IL36γ levels.

Conclusion

Urinary IL-36γ is produced locally in kidney, correlates with renal disease activity and reduces upon treatment, suggesting that it may have a role in pathogenesis of LN.
Clinical manifestations in patients with antiphospholipid antibodies: Beyond thrombosis and pregnancy loss
Authors: Cecchi Irene , Radin Massimo , Rubini Elena , Foddai Silvia G , Barinotti Alice , Roccatello Dario , Sciascia Savino
Published: February 2021

The clinical spectrum of the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) encompasses additional manifestations other than thrombosis and pregnancy morbidity, which may potentially affect every organ and system. The pathophysiology of APS indeed cannot be explained exclusively by a prothrombotic state and the “extra-criteria” manifestations of the syndrome should be attributed to other mechanisms, such as inflammation, complement and platelet activation. In this case-series, we report patients with uncommon clinical APS presentations, to highlight relevant peculiarities of the syndrome, potentially paving the way for a further update of clinical as well as laboratory manifestations of this complex immunological condition.
Correlation between the clinical remission and histological remission in repeat biopsy findings of quiescent proliferative lupus nephritis
Authors: Das Uttara , Patel Ravi , Guditi Swarnalatha , Taduri Gangadhar
Published: February 2021

Background

The optimal duration of maintenance therapy is controversial in proliferative lupus nephritis (LN). Discordance between clinical parameters of renal remission and histological findings has made repeat biopsy a compulsory tool to confirm the histological remission (HR), but the timing is debatable. Aim of this study was to find the correlation of sustained complete clinical remission (CR) in sever lupus nephritis with histological findings on repeat kidney biopsy and appropriate duration of treatment in maintenance phase after achieving complete clinical remission.

Methods

Repeated kidney biopsy (biopsy 2) was performed on patients of biopsy proven (biopsy 1) proliferative LN who had been in CR for at least 2-years. The clinical and histologic findings of these groups (biopsy 1 and biopsy 2) were compared. Total 29 patients were included for the final analysis. Group 2 was further divided as per the duration of sustained CR (>48 months & <48 months). Regression analysis were used to find predictors of the HR.

Results

Average time taken to achieve CR was 9(range 2–24) months. Average duration of follow up and maintenance therapy was 68 ± 17.8 and 62.5 ± 14.2 months respectively. In the repeat kidney biopsy, HR was observed in 93.1% patients. Immunofluorescence study (IF) was normal in 72% of the patients. Normal light microscopy (LM) findings were observed in 58% patients. Transformation from proliferative to nonproliferative LN was noted in 82% cases. Other than the duration of CR on maintenance therapy and blood pressure, rest of the variables failed to predict HR. In sustained remission for more than 48-months group, 100% patients achieved HR whereas only 84% in 24–48-months group.

Conclusion

Sustained CR on maintenance immunosuppressive therapy for more than 48-months duration predicts HR in repeat kidney biopsy findings in quiescent proliferative LN. Hence the minimum duration of maintenance therapy in proliferative LN should be at least for another 48 months after achieving CR.
New insights in gut-liver axis in wild-type murine imiquimod-induced lupus
Authors: Maalouly Georges , Hajal Joelle , Noujeim Charbel , Choueiry Michel , Nassereddine Hussein , Smayra Viviane , Saliba Youakim , Fares Nassim
Published: February 2021

Background

Intestinal and hepatic manifestations of lupus seem to be underestimated in comparison to other major organ lesions. Although recent data point to gut-liver axis involvement in lupus, gut permeability dysfunction and liver inflammation need to be more investigated.

Objective

This study aims to assess fecal calprotectin, intestinal tight junction proteins and liver inflammation pathway in wild-type murine imiquimod- induced lupus.

Methods

C57BL/6 mice were topically treated on their right ears with 1.25 mg of 5% imiquimod cream, three times per week for six weeks. Fecal calprotectin was collected at day 0, 22 and 45. Renal, liver and intestinal pathology, as well as inflammatory markers, intestinal tight junction proteins, and E. coli protein in liver were assessed at sacrifice.

Results

At six weeks, lupus nephritis was confirmed on histopathology and NGAL and KIM-1 expression. Calprotectin rise started at day 22 and persists at day 45. Protein expression of Claudine, ZO-1 and occludin was significantly decreased. E. coli protein was significantly increased in liver with necro-inflammation and increased TLR4, TLR7, and pNFκB/NFκB liver expression.

Conclusion

This study is the first to demonstrate early fecal calprotectin increase and liver activation of TLR4- NFκB pathway in wild-type murine imiquimod-induced lupus.
Breastfeeding in women affected by systemic lupus erythematosus: Rate, duration and associated factors
Authors: Orefice Valeria , Ceccarelli Fulvia , Pirone Carmelo , Galoppi Paola , Spinelli Francesca Romana , Alessandri Cristiano , Brunelli Roberto , Perrone Giuseppina , Conti Fabrizio
Published: February 2021

Objective

Breastfeeding is a crucial moment for both mothers and child, providing a beneficial effect on child survival, nutrition, development and on maternal health. Despite the prevalent involvement of childbearing women in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), breastfeeding is still a neglected topic. The objective of this study was to evaluate breastfeeding frequency, duration and associated factors in SLE women.

Methods

We consecutively enrolled SLE pregnant women reporting demographic, clinical, serological, gynaecological and obstetric data. Breastfeeding experience was evaluated by using a specific questionnaire. Disease activity was assessed before and during pregnancy as well as during postpartum.

Results

A total of 57 pregnancies in 43 SLE women were included in the present study. In almost all the pregnancies, mothers planned to breastfeed their child (96.5%) and forty-one (71.9%) actually did breastfeed. The median time of breastfeeding was 3 months (IQR 7). Non-breastfeeding women showed a more frequent caesarean section (p = 0.0001), IUGR occurrence (p = 0.004) and disease relapse (p = 0.0001) after pregnancy. When comparing patients according with breastfeeding duration (cut-off 6 months), we found a significant more frequent smoking habitus (p = 0.02), caesarean section (p = 0.009), and joint involvement during postpartum (p = 0.0001) in women breastfeeding for less than or equal to 6 months, together with higher median BMI (p = 0.0001). Moreover, breastfeeding duration was positively associated with disease duration and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) treatment during disease history, pregnancy and postpartum.

Conclusions

SLE women didn’t show lower breastfeeding rate in comparison with general population but they presented higher prevalence of early discontinuation within three months. Early interruption was positively associated with smoking, BMI, joint involvement; meanwhile disease duration and HCQ treatment during postpartum were positively associated with a longer breastfeeding duration.
Fossil modernity: The materiality of acceleration, slow violence, and ecological futures
Authors: Folkers Andreas
Published: February 2021

This article seeks to materialize social theories of modern temporalities. It proposes a tempo-material analysis of carbon resources like coal, oil, and gas to illuminate how fossil materialities both underpin and undermine modern temporalities and introduce the notion of fossil modernity to evoke an understanding of the modern composed of multiple conflicting modes of material temporality. Fossil resources (fossil fuels and petrochemical substances) drive the pace and progressive perspective of modernity. The residuals of these resources (CO2, plastic waste, and petrochemical toxins) confront societies with long-lasting ecological damage. Fossil fuels helped to produce the expectation of growth and endless possibility. Fossil residuals create a horizon of ecological liabilities in which past options have become future obligations. This renders the pretences of “modernization” understood as a process of constant renewal and innovation problematic. The article argues that modern societies cannot simply overcome their material–temporal predicaments through “decarbonization” because even after a shift to solar power, organic agriculture, and sustainable plastics, the fossil past will continue to influence, inform, and incite social operations. The article thus shows how different responses to the problems of fossil modernity need to go back to and emerge from the material residues of the past: this goes for bio-capitalist projects seeking to “recycle” the entropic temporality of fossil residuals as well as for environmental justice movements that decipher these residuals as indexes of social asymmetries and call for socio-ecological “redistribution.”
Worlds apart, drawn together: Bears, penguins and biodiversity in climate change cartoons
Authors: Moreno-Tarín Sara , Pina Tatiana , Domínguez Martí
Published: February 2021

This study shows how cartoonists use iconic and stereotypical animals in their works to reflect society’s knowledge about the effects of climate change. Studying 1022 climate change cartoons including depictions of animals, we noticed that there is very little biodiversity depicted in cartoons. Cartoonists generally avoid using animals indigenous to their own countries; this point is especially true regarding the low presence of insects and other invertebrates. This text also encourages cartoonists to adhere to some recommendations to improve climate change communication. These guidelines are (1) using indigenous wildlife, (2) depicting invertebrate wildlife, (3) improving their knowledge about the biogeographical distribution of each species to avoid spreading misconceptions and (4) developing climate change communication from a positive point of view, appealing to potential improvements against the climate crisis, both for humans and for the rest of the species.
c-Casitas b-Lineage Lymphoma Downregulation Improves the Ability of Long-term Cultured Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Promoting Angiogenesis and Diabetic Wound Healing
Authors: Shen Chengcheng , Lu Yuangang , Zhang Jianghe , Li Yujie , Zhang Yiming , Fan Dongli
Published: February 2021

The chronic wound induced by diabetes has poor efficacy and could lead to amputation. The repair function of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) impaired after long-term culture in vitro. Studies have shown that the proto-oncogene c-Casitas b-lineage lymphoma (c-Cbl) can regulate receptor- and non-receptor tyrosine kinase, which was also involved in the angiogenesis process. This study aimed to explore the regulative effect of c-Cbl on the proangiogenic functions of long-term cultured MSCs and evaluate its pro-healing effect on diabetic wounds. In this study, the c-Cbl level was downregulated by locked nucleic acid–modified antisense oligonucleotide gapmers (LNA Gapmers). We detected the effect of c-Cbl downregulation on long-term cultured MSCs in terms of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signal, cellular proliferation, senescence, migration, and angiogenic factors paracrine activity in vitro. In vivo, we observed the pro-healing effect of long-term cultured MSCs, with or without c-Cbl downregulation, on the diabetic wound. We found that the phosphorylation level of c-Cbl increased and that of Akt decreased in passage 10 (P10) MSCs compared with passage 3 (P3) MSCs ( P < 0.05). Additionally, the proliferation, paracrine, and migration capacity of P10 MSCs decreased significantly, accompanied by the increase of cellular senescence ( P < 0.05). However, these functions, including PI3K/Akt activity of P10 MSCs, have been improved by c-Cbl downregulation ( P < 0.05). Compared with P10 MSCs treatment, treatment with c-Cbl downregulated P10 MSCs accelerated diabetic wound healing, as defined by a more rapid wound closure ( P < 0.05), more neovascularization ( P < 0.05), and higher scores of wound histological assessment ( P < 0.05) in a diabetic rat model. Our findings suggested that c-Cbl downregulation could attenuate the impairment of proangiogenic functions in MSCs induced by long-term culture in vitro and improve the effect of long-term cultured MSCs in promoting diabetic wound healing.
The Immune Cell Landscape in Renal Allografts
Authors: Lu Jun , Zhang Yi , Sun Jingjing , Huang Shulin , Wu Weizhen , Tan Jianming
Published: February 2021

Immune cell infiltration plays an important role in the pathophysiology of kidney grafts, but the composition of immune cells is ill-defined. Here, we aimed at evaluating the levels and composition of infiltrating immune cells in kidney grafts. We used CIBERSORT, an established algorithm, to estimate the proportions of 22 immune cell types based on gene expression profiles. We found that non-rejecting kidney grafts were characteristic with high rates of M2 macrophages and resting mast cells. The proportion of M1 macrophages and activated NK cells were increased in antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR). In T cell-mediated rejection (TCMR), a significant increase in CD8 T cell and γδT cell infiltration was observed. CD8 positive T cells were dramatically increased in mixed-ABMR/TCMR. Then, the function of ABMR and TCMR prognostic molecular biomarkers were identified. Finally, we described the gene expression of molecular markers for ABMR diagnosis was elevated and related to the ratio of monocytes and M1 macrophages in ABMR biopsies, while the expression of TCMR diagnosis markers was increased too and positively correlated with γδT cells and activated CD4 memory T cells in TCMR biopsies. Our data suggest that CIBERSORT’s deconvolution analysis of gene expression data provides valuable information on the composition of immune cells in renal allografts.
Internal Stimulus Factors as Antecedents of Impulse Buying: Gap Identification and Future Direction
Authors: Sen Shaon , Nayak Smitha
Published: February 2021

Impulse buying is an important area of consumer behaviour. The process of impulse buying is influenced by various external, situational, and internal stimulus factors. The extant literature review suggests that various external and situational factors are studied in great detail; however, studies on various internal stimulus factors are rare. Hence, this study explores relevant research gaps, and, in this process, it identifies three internal stimulus factors such as materialism, hedonism and perceived risk as potential antecedents to impulse buying. This article also suggests the use of moderator variables, individualism, and income, the impact of which is to be tested on the respective proposed relationships. This article reviews the contributions of all seminal as well as other important works from 1950 through 2018 conducted in the field of impulse buying. In this process, it includes relevant published academic and research papers through a comprehensive search from the database of Scopus, electronic sources such as Sage Journals, Science Direct, Emerald Insight and aggregators such as JSTOR and EBSCOhost. However, consequently, it excludes unpublished doctoral thesis, conference proceedings, working papers, and dissertations. The reviewed literature are all written and documented in the English language.
The moral economy of the algorithmic crowd: Possessive collectivisim and techno-economic rentiership
Authors: Kear Mark
Published: February 2021

Algorithmic scoring systems provide novel ways to sort larger populations of borrowers, consumers, employees and benefits recipients. Such algorithmic regimes of classification enable the more efficient capture of value (in the form of rents) outside of traditional sites of production. This paper considers how distributional claims making has evolved in response to the use of algorithms and digital platforms to more profitably discriminate between market participants and extract information rents. More specifically, the paper interrogates an emerging form of collective distributional politics, which I call the moral economy of the serial crowd. This serial crowd is one in which individual acts of algorithmic and digital selfcare (e.g. credit building and monitoring, social media profile curation, self-tracking, etc.) are imagined to ‘scale up,’ and together constitute a collective act of ‘self-protection’ from predatory economic actors, and morally (re)order markets. To understand why this style of social claims making has assumed salience in the current conjuncture, the paper analyses (i) movements to redress inequality and discrimination while appearing to be distributionally neutral, and (ii) the refiguration of the crowd from a problem to be managed by elites to a ‘wise’ exploitable market problem solver. The paper then discusses contemporary examples where serial crowds are associated with various moral economic orders from Go Fund Me campaigns to debt resistance, and credit building.
Capitalists against financialization: The battle over German pension funds
Authors: Röper Nils
Published: February 2021

Despite renewed interest in the role of business in shaping the welfare state, we still know little about how factions of capital adapt their strategies and translate these into political infighting and coalition building. Based on a detailed process tracing analysis of the political battle over German pension funds, this paper shows that cleavages within business do not necessarily run along the lines of finance vs. non-finance. While ‘financial challengers’ (banks and investment companies) advocated financialized pension funds, ‘financial incumbents’ (insurers) defended a conservative understanding of old age provision. Tremendous political momentum towards financialization notwithstanding, challengers remained largely unsuccessful. Incumbents elicited support from the wider business community by adjusting their strategic goals and engaging in discursive reformulations to effectively fight pension financialization from within capital. To accommodate such competition politics and coalition building, the paper argues for a more dynamic understanding of business strategizing and highlights the importance of discursive political strategies. It shows that some capitalists may act as antagonists of elements of financialization and problematizes the actual mechanisms of coalition building through which business plurality affects political outcomes.
Health-Promoting Lifestyle and Its Predictors in Adolescent Survivors of Childhood Cancer
Authors: Huang Yi-Jung , Lee Shu-Li , Wu Li-Min
Published: February 2021

Background: Cancer survivors are at increased risk of long-term adverse effects related to the disease or treatment. Thus, it is important for cancer survivors to adopt a health-promoting lifestyle (HPL). This study aims to: (1) describe health behavior self-efficacy (HBSE) and HPL of adolescent survivors of childhood cancer, (2) examine the relationships between HBSE, HPL, and various demographic factors, and (3) identify determinants of HPL among adolescent survivors of childhood cancer. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with adolescent survivors of childhood cancer, ranged in age from 11 to 19 years ( n = 82). Participants were recruited from pediatric oncology follow-up clinics at two medical centers in southern Taiwan. Data for each participant were collected from questionnaires assessing HBSE and HPL. Results: Only 61% of the adolescent survivors were considered as normal weight. The exercise was the lowest scoring HBSE subscale. Factors associated with better HPL included: education level, HBSE, well-being, and a healthy diet. Specifically, survivors diagnosed with cancer during adolescence exhibited significantly greater self-efficacy with stress management ( F = 3.20, p = .04) compared with those diagnosed at pre-school ages. HBSE scores for well-being and a healthy diet were significant predictors of HPL, accounting for 43.8% of the total variance observed. Discussion: Our findings suggest that the age of diagnosis of childhood cancer significantly modulates the frequency of health-promoting behaviors of adolescent survivors. Thus, interventions designed to enhance adolescents’ well-being and the management of a healthy diet may enhance HPL in survivors of childhood cancer.
Honoring Eula Bingham: A Memorial Gathering During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: Slatin Craig , Weinstock Deborah
Published: February 2021

Eula Bingham, a toxicologist who invigorated the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as its director and set stringent standards to protect workers from hazardous materials, died on 13 June 2020 in Cincinnati. Throughout Dr. Bingham’s long career, she insisted tirelessly that workers had the absolute right to be safe on the job. Her thoughtful and generous wisdom shaped the entire field of occupational safety and health. Her bold and courageous actions prevented countless illnesses and injuries in workers around the world. This article presents the edited transcript from a Virtual Memorial Remembrance of Eula Bingham.
Challenging Anti-Black Racism in Everyday Teaching, Learning, and Leading: From Theory to Practice
Authors: Lopez Ann E. , Jean-Marie Gaëtane
Published: February 2021

Anti-Black racism and White supremacy continue to have dire impact on the lives and educational outcomes of Black people and students in educational spaces. Examining ways in which this form of racism is disrupted, confronted, and challenged in education and schooling is important not only to Black students, scholars, practitioners, and staff, but to all People of Color. Drawing on research conducted with educators in, Canada, the United States and our lived experiences as Black educators this article examines how antiblackness and anti-Black racism is manifested in schooling spaces through teaching, learning, and leadership, and offers actions that educators can take in everyday practice to confront and disrupt. In so doing connect theory to practice, and offer possibilities that school leaders and others can act on.
What Happens to Others Matters! An Intraindividual Processual Approach to Coworkers’ Psychological Contract Violations
Authors: Costa Sandra , Coyle-Shapiro Jacqueline
Published: February 2021

Drawing on recent research highlighting the dynamic and social properties of psychological contracts, we propose a framework that examines socially embedded triggers and their impact on psychological contract change. Our model accounts for the social context in which individuals’ sensemaking process about their employment relationship occurs. The model specifies how individuals make sense of coworkers’ psychological contract violation and integrate that information into the creation of a plausible convergent or divergent account. These accounts have the potential to reinforce or initiate a review of the terms of the individual’s psychological contract schema, or they may leave the schema intact. Research and practical implications of this conceptual framework are discussed.
Antecedents of Knowledge Withholding: A Systematic Review & Integrative Framework
Authors: Strik Nando P. , Hamstra Melvyn R. W , Segers Mien S. R.
Published: February 2021

The purpose of this research is to provide a systematic review and integrative framework of the antecedents of knowledge withholding. A systematic literature review led to a selection of 42 empirical research papers that collected data from 16,649 respondents. The included papers identified 93 antecedents that showed a high degree of theoretical variety. We used the theories of interdependence, social exchange, and social identity to construct a framework that integrates and explains why people withhold their knowledge. We developed propositions of the antecedents of knowledge withholding, which we compare against the SLR. We propose and find that (a) negative interdependence increases knowledge withholding behaviors, but (b) positive versus negative social exchanges may respectively decrease or increase withholding in situations where the default may be positive interdependence. We also propose and find that actors who strongly identify with their immediate team will less likely withhold knowledge from them. In contrast, actors who strongly identify with a different identity will more likely withhold knowledge from their team. The integrative framework provides a strong theoretical foundation for future study and identifies many valuable new research questions
Analyzing Failed Institutional Change Attempts
Authors: Issar Sukriti , Dilling Matthias
Published: February 2021

Theoretical advances in the study of institutional change center around a productive paradox. While change agents can take strategic action to change institutions, institutions display a remarkable level of formal stability. From this paradox, we expect that attempts to change institutions are an empirical regularity and that many formal change attempts will fail. This article contributes to historical institutionalism by analyzing the political effects of failed formal institutional change attempts on institutional sequences. Failed institutional change attempts could be mere blips, having little effect on subsequent institutional trajectories, or even inoculate against future attempts. Failed attempts could also lay the ideational groundwork, aid in coalition building, and garner concessions for subsequent institutional change, or convince change agents to alter their strategy. The article suggests analytical strategies to assess the effects of failed institutional change attempts, drawing on examples from comparative politics and two extended case illustrations from Italian party politics and the Affordable Care Act in the United States.
A Multi-Institutional Retrospective Analysis of Oncologic Outcomes for Patients With Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer Undergoing Platinum-Based Adjuvant Chemotherapy After Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy
Authors: Wu Ning , Su Xing , Song Honglin , Li Ying , Gu Fei , Sun Xiaoge , Li Xiaofan , Cheng Guanghui
Published: February 2021

Objective:

To evaluated the oncologic outcomes associated with platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy following concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in the management of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC).

Methods:

A total of 695 patients with FIGO stage IB2, IIA2, IIB-IVA LACC treated at 6 medical facilities were enrolled and divided into 2 groups: 478 were assigned to CCRT alone (CCRT group) and 217 to adjuvant chemotherapy after CCRT (CCRT-ACT group). The treatment outcomes were retrospectively compared and reported after the propensity score matching (PSM) analysis.

Results:

With a median follow-up of 56.4 months, no statistically significant differences were found in overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), progression-free survival (PFS) and distance metastasis-free survival (DMFS) between 2 groups. In CCRT-ACT group, patients with lymph nodes involvement or squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) had significantly longer DMFS, but no significant benefit in survival outcomes were observed with more than 2 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy. Moreover, patients with a high level of CA125 (>20.5U/mL) or SCC-Ag (>22.8μg/L) had a relatively better DFS or PFS, and grade 3-4 acute hematological toxicity, late urinary and lower gastrointestinal complications and diarrhea symptom were more frequent in CCRT-ACT group.

Conclusions:

Adjuvant chemotherapy after CCRT has a potential role in further improving disease control for LACC patients with lymph nodal-metastasis or SCC with a high level of CA125 or SCC-Ag. Due to increased treatment-related complications and diarrhea symptom affecting the quality of life, post-CCRT adjuvant chemotherapy with excessive cycles was not be considered as the most appropriate choice in general.
A Complex Systems Perspective on Neuroimaging Studies of Behavior and Its Disorders
Authors: Turkheimer Federico E. , Rosas Fernando E. , Dipasquale Ottavia , Martins Daniel , Fagerholm Erik D. , Expert Paul , Váša František , Lord Louis-David , Leech Robert
Published: February 2021

The study of complex systems deals with emergent behavior that arises as a result of nonlinear spatiotemporal interactions between a large number of components both within the system, as well as between the system and its environment. There is a strong case to be made that neural systems as well as their emergent behavior and disorders can be studied within the framework of complexity science. In particular, the field of neuroimaging has begun to apply both theoretical and experimental procedures originating in complexity science—usually in parallel with traditional methodologies. Here, we illustrate the basic properties that characterize complex systems and evaluate how they relate to what we have learned about brain structure and function from neuroimaging experiments. We then argue in favor of adopting a complex systems-based methodology in the study of neuroimaging, alongside appropriate experimental paradigms, and with minimal influences from noncomplex system approaches. Our exposition includes a review of the fundamental mathematical concepts, combined with practical examples and a compilation of results from the literature.