bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anticoagulation after stroke: persistent uncertainties
Authors: Siepen Bernhard M. , Seiffge David J. , Fischer Urs
Published: November 2021

Purpose of review

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) are the mainstay of anticoagulant therapy for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Persistent uncertainties remain in different areas, and this review discusses current dilemmas based on selected studies.

Recent findings

Optimal timing of DOAC initiation after a recent ischaemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation is currently unknown and subject of ongoing randomized controlled trials. Ischaemic stroke despite anticoagulant therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation is frequent, constitutes heterogeneous causes (competing stroke cause, medication error and cardioembolism despite anticoagulation) and optimal treatment is currently unknown. Thorough etiological work-up is justified. Recent randomized controlled trials found no beneficial effect of DOAC therapy in unselected patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). Currently ongoing trials targeting subgroup of ESUS patients with additional atrial cardiopathy will provide novel data. Cerebral mircobleeds combined in a novel risk score (MICON score) provide good predictive value to stratify the risk of intracranial haemorrhage in patients taking anticoagulants. Use of DOAC after intracerebral haemorrhage in patients with atrial fibrillation is subject of ongoing trials.

There are still significant uncertainties in anticoagulant management in patients with stroke. Ongoing trials will soon provide novel data to improve management of these patients.
Invasive atypical non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars in The Gambia
Authors: Kanteh Abdoulie , Sesay Abdul Karim , Alikhan Nabil-Fareed , Ikumapayi Usman Nurudeen , Salaudeen Rasheed , Manneh Jarra , Olatunji Yekini , Page Andrew J. , Mackenzie Grant
Published: November 2021

Invasive non-typhoidal

Salmonella

(iNTS) disease continues to be a significant public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Common clinical misdiagnosis, antimicrobial resistance, high case fatality and lack of a vaccine make iNTS a priority for global health research. Using whole genome sequence analysis of 164 invasive

Salmonella

isolates obtained through population-based surveillance between 2008 and 2016, we conducted genomic analysis of the serovars causing invasive

Salmonella

diseases in rural Gambia. The incidence of iNTS varied over time. The proportion of atypical serovars causing disease increased over time from 40 to 65 % compared to the typical serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium that decreased from 30 to 12 %. Overall iNTS case fatality was 10%, but case fatality associated with atypical iNTS alone was 10 %. Genetic virulence factors were identified in 14/70 (20 %) typical serovars and 45/68 (66 %) of the atypical serovars and were associated with: invasion, proliferation and/or translocation (Clade A); and host colonization and immune modulation (Clade G). Among Enteritidis isolates, 33/40 were resistant to four or more of the antimicrobials tested, except ciprofloxacin, to which all isolates were susceptible. Resistance was low in Typhimurium isolates, but all 16 isolates were resistant to gentamicin. The increase in incidence and proportion of iNTS disease caused by atypical serovars is concerning. The increased proportion of atypical serovars and the high associated case fatality may be related to acquisition of specific genetic virulence factors. These factors may provide a selective advantage to the atypical serovars. Investigations should be conducted elsewhere in Africa to identify potential changes in the distribution of iNTS serovars and the extent of these virulence elements.
Intracranial approach for sub-second monitoring of neurotransmitters during DBS electrode implantation does not increase infection rate
Authors: Liebenow Brittany , Williams Michelle , Wilson Thomas , Haq Ihtsham ul , Siddiqui Mustafa S. , Laxton Adrian W. , Tatter Stephen B. , Kishida Kenneth T.
Published: November 2021

Introduction

Currently, sub-second monitoring of neurotransmitter release in humans can only be performed during standard of care invasive procedures like DBS electrode implantation. The procedure requires acute insertion of a research probe and additional time in surgery, which may increase infection risk. We sought to determine the impact of our research procedure, particularly the extended time in surgery, on infection risk.

Methods

We screened 607 DBS electrode implantation procedures performed at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center between January 2011 through October 2020 using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for infection. During this period, 116 cases included an IRB approved 30-minute research protocol, during the DBS electrode implantation surgery, to monitor sub-second neurotransmitter release. We used Fisher’s Exact test (FET) to determine if there was a significant change in the infection rate following DBS electrode implantation procedures that included, versus those that did not include, the neurotransmitter monitoring research protocol.

Results

Within 30-days following DBS electrode implantation, infection was observed in 7 (1.43%) out of 491 procedures that did not include the research procedure and 2 (1.72%) of the 116 procedures that did include the research procedure. Total infection rates (i.e., not constrained by 30-day time window) for all non-research cases was 28/491 (5.70%) and only 4/116 (3.45%) for research inclusive cases. Notably, all types of infection observed were typical of those expected for DBS electrode implantation.

Conclusion

Total infection rates are not statistically different in patients who performed the research procedure (3.45% vs. 5.70%; p = 0.4872, FET) and not statistically different across research and non-research groups within 30-days following the research procedure (1.72% vs. 1.43%; p = 0.684, FET). Our results demonstrate that the research procedures used for sub-second monitoring of neurotransmitter release in humans can be performed without increasing the rate of infection.
FLI1 and FRA1 transcription factors drive the transcriptional regulatory networks characterizing muscle invasive bladder cancer
Authors: Guneri-Sozeri Perihan Yagmur , Yilmaz Gulden Ozden , Kisim Asli , Cakiroglu Ece , Eray Aleyna , Uzuner Hamdiye , Karakülah Gökhan , Okvur Devrim Pesen , Senturk Serif , Erkek-Ozhan Serap
Published: November 2021

Bladder cancer is mostly present in the form of urothelium carcinoma, causing over 150,000 deaths each year. Its histopathological classification as muscle invasive (MIBC) and non-muscle invasive (NMIBC) is the most prominent aspect, affecting the prognosis and progression of this disease. In this study, we defined the active regulatory landscape of MIBC and NMIBC cell lines using H3K27ac ChIP-seq and used an integrative approach to combine our findings with existing data. Our analysis revealed FRA1 and FLI1 as two critical transcription factors differentially regulating MIBC regulatory landscape. We show that FRA1 and FLI1 regulate the genes involved in epithelial cell migration and cell junction organization. Knock-down of FRA1 and FLI1 in MIBC revealed the downregulation of several EMT-related genes such asMAP4K4andFLOT1. Further, ChIP-SICAP performed for FRA1 and FLI1 enabled us to infer chromatin binding partners of these transcription factors and link this information with their target genes. Finally, for the first time we show that knock-down of FRA1 and FLI1 result in significant reduction of invasion capacity of MIBC cells towards muscle microenvironment using IC-CHIP assays. Our results collectively highlight the role of these transcription factors in selection and design of targeted options for treatment of MIBC.
Novel RNA viruses associated with avian haemosporidian parasites
Authors: Rodrigues Jose Roberto , Roy Scott William , Sehgal Ravinder
Published: November 2021

Avian haemosporidian parasites can cause malaria-like symptoms in their hosts and have been implicated in the demise of some bird species. The newly described Matryoshka RNA viruses (MaRNAV1 and MaRNAV2) infect parasites that in turn infect their vertebrate hosts. MaRNAV2 was the first RNA virus discovered associated with parasites of the genus Leucocytozoon. By analyzing metatranscriptomes from the NCBI SRA database with local sequence alignment tools, we detected two novel RNA viruses; we describe them as MaRNAV3 associated with Leucocytozoon and MaRNAV4 associated with Parahaemoproteus. These had ~40-60% amino acid identity to the RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (RdRp) of MaRNAV1 and 2, respectively. These findings lead us to hypothesize that MaRNAV_like viruses are widespread and tightly associated with the order Haemosporida since they have been described in human Plasmodium vivax, and now two genera of avian haemosporidians.
Simulation of aerosol dispersion during medical examinations
Authors: Falk Sebastian , Mueller Sarina K , Kniesburges Stefan , Döllinger Michael
Published: November 2021

The main route of transmission of the SARS-CoV2 virus has been shown to be airborne. The objective of this study is to analyze the aerosol dispersion and potential exposure to medical staff within a typical medical examination room during classical airway procedures. The multiphase simulation of the aerosol particles in the airflow is based on a Lagrangian-Eulerian approach. All simulation cases with surgical mask show partially but significantly reduced maxi-mum dispersion distances of the aerosol particles compared to the cases without surgical mask. The simulations have shown that medical examiner are exposed to large amount of aerosol particles, especially during procedures such as laryngoscopy where the examiner’s head is directly in front of the the patient’s face. However, exposure can be drastically reduced if the patient wears a mask which is possible for the most of the procedures studied, such as otoscopy, sonography, or anamnesis.
Improving behavior monitoring of free moving dairy cows using non invasive wireless EEG approach and digital signal processing techniques
Authors: de Sousa Silva Ana Carolina , Arce Aldo Ivan Céspedes , Miñano Hubert Luzdemio Arteaga , Atzingen Gustavo Voltani von , Sarnighausen Valeria Cristina Rodrigues , Costa Ernane José Xavier
Published: November 2021

Background

Electroencephalography (EEG) is the most common method to access brain information. Techniques to monitor and to extract brain signal characteristics in farm animals are not as developed as in humans and laboratory animals.

New method

The method comprised two steps. In the first step, the signals were acquired after the telemetric equipment was developed, the electrodes were positioned and fixed, the sample frequency was defined, the equipment was positioned, and artifacts and other acquisition problems were dealt with. Brain signals from six Holstein heifers that could move freely in free stalls were acquired. The control group consisted in the same number of bovines, contained in a climatic chamber (restrained group). In the second step, the signals were characterized by Power Spectral Density, Short-Time Fourier Transform, and Lempel-Ziv complexity.

Results

The results indicated that there was an ideal position to attach the electrodes to the front of the bovine’s head, so that longer artifact-free signal sections were acquired. The signals showed typical EEG frequency bands, like the bands found in humans. The Lempel-Ziv complexity values indicated that the bovine brain signals contained random and chaotic components. As expected, the signals acquired from the retained bovine group displayed sections with a larger number of artifacts.

Comparison with existing methods

We present the first method that helps to monitor and to extract brain signal features in unrestrained bovines.

Conclusions

The method could be applied to investigate changes in brain electrical activity during animal farming, to monitor brain activity related with animal behavior.

Highlights

A method that allows brain signals to be monitored in freely moving dairy cows is described

The method uses noninvasive electrodes to minimize stress during EEG monitoring and allows bovines to behave normally during the process

The method establishes the frequency sampling rate, electrodes positioning and fixation, equipment holding, artifact extraction, and signal characterization

The brain signals are characterized by PSD, STFT, and Lempel-Ziv normalized complexity

The method can be applied to relate EEG to animal behavior under normal handling conditions
Genome context influences evolutionary flexibility of nearly identical type III effectors in two phytopathogenic Pseudomonads
Authors: Baltrus David A. , Feng Qian , Kvitko Brian H
Published: November 2021

Integrative Conjugative Elements (ICEs) are replicons that can insert and excise from chromosomal locations in a site specific manner, can conjugate across strains, and which often carry a variety of genes useful for bacterial growth and survival under specific conditions. Although ICEs have been identified and vetted within certain clades of the agricultural pathogen Pseudomonas syringae, the impact of ICE carriage and transfer across the entire P. syringae species complex remains underexplored. Here we identify and vet an ICE (PmaICE-DQ) from P. syringae pv. maculicola ES4326, a strain commonly used for laboratory virulence experiments, demonstrate that this element can excise and conjugate across strains, and contains loci encoding multiple type III effector proteins. Moreover, genome context suggests that another ICE (PmaICE-AOAB) is highly similar in comparison with and found immediately adjacent to PmaICE-DQ within the chromosome of strain ES4326, and also contains multiple type III effectors. Lastly, we present passage data from in planta experiments that suggests that genomic plasticity associated with ICEs may enable strains to more rapidly lose type III effectors that trigger R-gene mediated resistance in comparison to strains where nearly isogenic effectors are not present in ICEs. Taken together, our study sheds light on a set of ICE elements from P. syringae pv. maculicola ES4326 and highlights how genomic context may lead to different evolutionary dynamics for shared virulence genes between strains.
Discovering Novel Antimicrobial Peptides in Generative Adversarial Network
Authors: Lin Tzu-Tang , Yang Li-Yen , Wang Ching-Tien , Lai Ga-Wen , Ko Chi-Fong , Shih Yang-Hsin , Chen Shu-Hwa , Lin Chung-Yen
Published: November 2021

Due to the growing number of clinical antibiotic resistance cases in recent years, novel antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can become ideal for next-generation antibiotics. This study trained a deep convolutional generative adversarial network (GAN) with known AMPs to generate novel AMP candidates. The quality of the GAN-designed peptides was evaluated in silico, and eight of them named GAN-pep 1∼8 were chosen to be synthesized for further experiments. Disk diffusion testing and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination were used to determine the antibacterial effects of the synthesized GAN-designed peptides. Seven out of the eight synthesized GAN-designed peptides showed antibacterial activities.

Additionally, GAN-pep 3 and GAN-pep 8 had a broad spectrum of antibacterial effects. Both of them were also effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). GAN-pep 3, the most promising GAN-designed peptide candidate, had low MICs against all the tested bacteria.
Individual antecedents of i-deals: the role of self-efficacy, networking abilities and perceived employability
Authors: Marino Jorgelina , Dabos Guillermo E. , Rivero Andrea G. , Pujol-Cols Lucas
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine the direct and indirect effects of self-efficacy, networking abilities and perceived employability on the negotiation of idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) between individual workers and their employers.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 213 managerial professionals – a non-random sample – working for different small and medium-sized enterprises from several industries in Argentina were surveyed online. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results revealed that self-efficacy and networking abilities exert an indirect effect on i-deal negotiation through perceived employability. Those individuals with higher levels of self-efficacy or greater networking abilities tend to develop more positive perceptions of their employability and, therefore, are more prompted to negotiate i-deals with their employers.

Research limitations/implications

This research sheds light on the dynamics underlying the relationship of employees' characteristics and skills with i-deal negotiation. Besides, it provides further evidence that individual bargaining has become widespread in professional employment contexts, above and beyond the collective labor agreements that prevail in most Latin American countries.

Practical implications

Self-efficacy and networking abilities can be relevant individual factors in understanding i-deal negotiation, given that both shape employees' perceptions of employability.

Originality/value

Although the impact of employee characteristics and skills on the idiosyncratic negotiation of employment terms has been broadly recognized, scholars have called for further exploration of the mechanisms underlying this relationship. By simultaneously investigating the impact of self-efficacy, networking abilities and perceived employability on i-deals, this study provides a more comprehensive understanding of how an individual's personal characteristics and skills facilitate the idiosyncratic negotiation of employment terms.
Determinants affecting consumers' attention to fish eco-labels in purchase decisions: a cross-country study
Authors: Galati Antonino , Miret-Pastor Lluís , Siggia Dario , Crescimanno Maria , Fiore Mariantonietta
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of consumer altruism and other socio-cultural factors in predicting how much attention consumers pay to seafood eco-labels.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical investigation was carried out by administering an online questionnaire to a sample of Italian and Spanish people from December 2019 to April 2020. After carrying out the principal component analysis procedure, the work made use of an ordinal logistic regression.

Findings

Both Italian and Spanish consumers with an altruistic attitude, who feel that food produced in a sustainable way can protect the environment and workers, appear more likely to take an eco-label into account. In addition, in both countries, consumers with a higher level of education and in the older age range are more likely to read eco-labels before buying fish products.

Research limitations/implications

The first limitation is mainly related to the sampling procedure, which is not probabilistic and does not allow for generalisation of the results. Furthermore, some indicators related to COVID-19 were not included as the planning stage of the research methodology occurred before the pandemic.

Practical implications

A better understanding of the main determinants predicting consumers' attention to seafood eco-labels could be crucial to promote effective marketing strategies aimed at increasing consumer interest and awareness in sustainable seafood and eco-labels.

Originality/value

Exploring the role of consumers' altruism in how much attention is paid to seafood eco-labels appears to be a new approach that emphasises the role of altruism as a variable capable of bridging the “value-action gap”.
Intern-turn fault modeling and diagnosis in permanent magnet vernier machine using modified magnetic equivalent circuit method
Authors: Rostami Mohsen , Naderi Peyman , Shiri Abbas
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to propose the model for analyzing the electromagnetic performances of permanent magnet vernier machines (PMVMs) under healthy and faulty conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

The model uses interconnected reluctance network formed based on the geometrical approximations to predict magnetic performances of the machine. The network consists of several types of reluctances for modeling different parts of machine. Applying Kirchhoffs laws in the network and the machine windings, magnetic and electrical equations are obtained, respectively. To construct the model system of equations, the electrical equation is converted into algebraic form by using the trapezoidal technique. Moreover, the system of equations must be solved by Newton–Raphson method in each step-time because of considering the core saturation effect.

Findings

The proposed model is developed based on the modified magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) method, in which the number of flux paths in different parts of the machine can be arbitrary selected. The saturation effect, skewed slots, the desired machine geometrical parameters and various winding arrangements are included in the proposed model; therefore, it can evaluate the time and space harmonics in modeling the PMVMs. Furthermore, a pattern for inter-turn fault detection is extracted from the stator current spectrum. Finally, 2 D-finite element method (FEM) and 3 D-FEM analysis are carried out to evaluate and verify the results of the proposed MEC model.

Originality/value

Generally, the element numbers have important role in modeling the machine and calculating its performance. Hence, the proposed MEC model’s capability to choose desired number of flux paths is advantage of this paper. Moreover, the developed MEC can be used for analyzing several electrical machines, including other types of vernier machines, with simple modification.
More harm than good? Cannabis, harm and the misuse of drugs act
Authors: Potter Gary R. , Wells Hattie
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to consider the nature of cannabis-related harms under the UK’s Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA). Written for the specific context of this four-paper special section on 50 years of the MDA, it argues that the MDA may cause more harm than it prevents.

Design/methodology/approach

An opinion piece offering a structured overview of cannabis-related harms under prohibition. It summarises existing evidence of the ways in which prohibition may exacerbate existing – and create new – harms related to the production, distribution, use and control of cannabis.

Findings

The paper argues that prohibition of cannabis under the MDA may cause more harm than it prevents.

Originality/value

It has long been argued that the MDA does not accurately or fairly reflect the harms of the substances it prohibits, and much existing research points to different ways in which drug prohibition can itself be harmful. The originality of this paper lies in bringing together these arguments and developing a framework for analysing the contribution of prohibition to drug-related harm.
Radical innovation, incremental innovation, and competitive advantage, the moderating role of technological intensity: evidence from the manufacturing sector in Jordan
Authors: Al-Khatib Ayman Wael , Al-ghanem Eyad Mustafa
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the effect of radical innovation and incremental innovation on the competitive advantage of Jordanian industrial companies and identify the moderating role of technological intensity.

Design/methodology/approach

For this study’s purposes, 303 questionnaires from employees of 30 manufacturing firms were analysed. Convergent validity and discriminant validity tests were performed through structural equation modelling in the Smart-PLS programme. Data reliability was confirmed. A bootstrapping technique was used to analyse the data. Multi-group analysis was performed to investigate the moderating role of technological intensity.

Findings

Empirical results showed that both radical innovation and incremental innovation explain 60.2% of the variance in competitive advantage and that both constructs have a statistically significant effect on competitive advantage. The results also revealed that the relationship between radical innovation and competitive advantage is modified through the high-tech industries. Meanwhile, the relationship between incremental innovation and competitive advantage is modified through the low-tech industries.

Research limitations/implications

This cross-sectional study provides a snapshot at a given moment in time, a methodological limitation that affects the generalization of its results and the results are limited to one country, Jordan.

Practical implications

This study promotes the idea of focusing on radical and incremental innovation to enhance competitive advantage in the Jordanian manufacturing sector and knowing the effect of technological intensity in this relationship.

Originality/value

This study has important implications for leaders in the Jordanian manufacturing sector in general, as the study highlights the importance of radical innovation and incremental innovation to enhance the competitive advantage, especially in light of the technological intensity in this sector, and thus, increase the innovative capabilities of this firms, which leads to an increase in the level of competitive advantage.
Development and validation of the professional sense of competence scale (ProSOCS) for practitioners who treat disruptive behaviours in children
Authors: Swan Kellie , Shanley Dianne C. , Zimmer-Gembeck Melanie J.
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a measure of practitioner sense of competence when treating children with disruptive behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

Two online surveys were conducted with health, social work and psychology practitioners (n = 113 and n = 239, respectively) working within varied Australian clinical settings. Study 1 developed scale items and conducted an exploratory factor analysis of the initial Professional Sense of Competence Scale (ProSOCS). Study 2 conducted confirmatory factor analysis and tested the construct validity of the scale.

Findings

Study 1 established a three-factor model, which accounted for 56.9% of variance in the ProSOCS items. Study 2 confirmed the three-factor model and considered an alternative unidimensional model. Study 2 demonstrated good convergent validity with measures of knowledge and general sense of competence.

Originality/value

The ProSOCS is a valid and reliable way to measure three subscales of a more global composite score of practitioner sense of competence when treating children with disruptive behaviours. Disruptive behaviour represents one of the most common reasons for child presentation in mental health care settings. Understanding how sense of competence among professionals who treat disruptive behaviours in children relates to their level of training, treatment decisions and outcomes could help to enhance use of evidence-based treatment strategies and complement strategies for measuring competence-based training in post-graduate settings.
Corporate value creation, stock price synchronicity and firm value in China: implications for beyond
Authors: Zhang Ruopiao , Chu Teresa , Noronha Carlos , Guan Jieqi
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This study introduces Social Contribution Value per Share (SCVPS), an indicator devised by the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE), as an easy-to-interpret Measurement of Corporate Social Performance (MCSP) to the international research arena. The authors first explore the informativeness role of voluntary disclosure of SCVPS in the stock market. The authors then go one step further to demonstrate the relationship between corporate value creation quantified by SCVPS and firm value.

Design/methodology/approach

The study takes a new perspective – a quasi-natural experiment of SCVPS disclosure in 2008 and uses a Propensity Score Matched Difference in Difference model (PSM-DiD) to investigate the impact of SCVPS disclosure policy on stock price synchronization and firm value. Through manually recalculating all the values of SCVPS and its components, this study enables us to further investigate the relationship between corporate value creation for various stakeholders and firm value.

Findings

This study reveals that voluntary disclosure of SCVPS can signal firm-specific information to the market and reduce noise in returns, thus affecting stock price synchronization. The findings further demonstrate that such firm-specific information has value relevance to firm performance. Moreover, the authors demonstrate that corporate value creation for different stakeholders measured by SCVPS can significantly affect firm value. The moderating effects of ownership structures and industry types are also investigated, and an endogeneity test confirms the robustness of the findings.

Practical implications

This study argues that SCVPS offers an economically viable way for firms, including small-and-medium-sized enterprises, in emerging economies to disclose corporate value creation and provide the public with a direct understanding and appreciation of the values created by corporations for stakeholders.

Originality/value

The result makes contributions to the MCSP literature and explores the informativeness of SCVPS disclosure. Besides, this paper demonstrates that SCVPS offers a good setting to explore the effect of corporate value creation on firm performance in an emerging market.
An analytical and probabilistic model with concordance for detecting mine-like objects with mirror symmetry
Authors: Nguyen Phuc Bao Uyen
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The purpose is to develop search and detection strategies that maximize the probability of detection of mine-like objects.

Design/methodology/approach

The author have developed a methodology that incorporates variational calculus, number theory and algebra to derive a globally optimal strategy that maximizes the expected probability of detection.

Findings

The author found a set of look angles that globally maximize the probability of detection for a general class of mirror symmetric targets.

Research limitations/implications

The optimal strategies only maximize the probability of detection and not the probability of identification.

Practical implications

In the context of a search and detection operation, there is only a limited time to find the target before life is lost; hence, improving the chance of detection will in real terms be translated into the difference between success or failure, life or death. This rich field of study can be applied to mine countermeasure operations to make sure that the areas of operations are free of mines so that naval operations can be conducted safely.

Originality/value

There are two novel elements in this paper. First, the author determine the set of globally optimal look angles that maximize the probability of detection. Second, the author introduce the phenomenon of concordance between sensor images.
Value-at-risk predictive performance: a comparison between the CaViaR and GARCH models for the MILA and ASEAN-5 stock markets
Authors: Serrano Bautista Ramona , Núñez Mora José Antonio
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This paper tests the accuracies of the models that predict the Value-at-Risk (VaR) for the Market Integrated Latin America (MILA) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) emerging stock markets during crisis periods.

Design/methodology/approach

Many VaR estimation models have been presented in the literature. In this paper, the VaR is estimated using the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity, EGARCH and GJR-GARCH models under normal, skewed-normal, Student-t and skewed-Student-t distributional assumptions and compared with the predictive performance of the Conditional Autoregressive Value-at-Risk (CaViaR) considering the four alternative specifications proposed by Engle and Manganelli (2004).

Findings

The results support the robustness of the CaViaR model in out-sample VaR forecasting for the MILA and ASEAN-5 emerging stock markets in crisis periods. This evidence is based on the results of the backtesting approach that analyzed the predictive performance of the models according to their accuracy.

Originality/value

An important issue in market risk is the inaccurate estimation of risk since different VaR models lead to different risk measures, which means that there is not yet an accepted method for all situations and markets. In particular, quantifying and forecasting the risk for the MILA and ASEAN-5 stock markets is crucial for evaluating global market risk since the MILA is the biggest stock exchange in Latin America and the ASEAN region accounted for 11% of the total global foreign direct investment inflows in 2014. Furthermore, according to the Asian Development Bank, this region is projected to average 7% annual growth by 2025.
Improvement of fire door design using experimental and numerical modelling investigations
Authors: Khalifa Mohamed A. , Aziz Mohamed A. , Hamza Mohamed , Abdo Saber , Gaheen Osama A.
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Fire door should withstand a high temperature without deforming. In the current paper, the challenges of improving the behaviour of the conventional fire door were described using various internal stiffeners in pair swinging-type fire door.

Design/methodology/approach

The temperature distribution on the outside door surface was measured with distributed eight thermocouples. Subsequently the internal side was cooled with pressurized water hose jet stream of 4 bar. The transient simulation for the thermal and structure analysis was conducted using finite element modelling (FEM) with ANSYS 19. The selected cross sections during numerical simulation were double S, double C and hat omega stiffeners applied to 2.2 m and 3 m door length.

Findings

During the FEM analysis, the maximum deformations were 7.2028, 5.4299, 5.023 cm for double S, double C and hat omega stiffeners for 2.2 m door length and 6.57, 4.26, 2.1094 cm for double S, double C and hat omega stiffeners for 3 m door length. Finally, hat omega gives more than three times reduction in the deformation of door compared to double S stiffeners which provided a reference data to the manufacturers.

Research limitations/implications

The research limitation included the limited number of fire door tests due to the high cost of single test, and the research implication was to achieve an optimal study in fire door design.

Practical implications

Achieving the optimum design for the internal door stiffeners where the hat omega stiffener gives minimum door deformation compared to the other stiffeners was considered the practical implication. The work included two experimental fire door tests according to the standard fire test (ANSI/UL 10C – Positive Pressure of Fire Tests of Door Assemblies) for a door of 2.2 m length with double S stiffeners and a door of 3 m length with hat omega stiffeners, which achieved minimum deformation.

Originality/value

The behavior and mechanical response of door leaf were improved through using internal hat omega stiffeners under fire testing. This study was achieved using FEM in ANSYS 19 for six cases of different lengths and stiffeners for fire doors. The simulation model showed a very close agreement with the experimental results with an error of 0.651% for double S and 1.888% for hat omega.
The impact of slum dwelling on healthy eating index in the border of Tehran
Authors: Rajabzadeh Foruzan , Yekaninejad Mirsaeed , Moshtaq Mohammadali , Kordi Shima , Jibril Aliyu Tijani , Dorosty Motlagh Ahmad Reza , Esmaeily Zahra
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Life conditions for most slum dwellers are deplorable, with poor socio-economic status and high rates of malnutrition and communicable diseases. Studies have shown lower intake of many nutrients in such people, but no study yet has checked the quality of diet using Healthy Eating Index (HEI) in them. This study aims to assess the quality of diet among slum dwellers of Tehran using the HEI-2015.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 slum dwellers from two slums located on the border of Tehran city which is the capital of Iran. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select subjects for this study. Data on socioeconomic characteristics and 24-hours dietary recalls were obtained through face-to-face interviews with the respondents by trained personnel.

Findings

The overall diet quality of the respondents was poor, with a mean HEI score of 40.9 ± 23.7. About 84% of the participants had low overall HEI scores. A significant relation was seen in the following: the HEI and educational level (p = 0.044); the HEI and employment status (p = 0.001); and the HEI and chronic diseases (p = 0.049). There was no significant difference between the mean HEI score and marital status, welfare status and addiction status. From the findings, the diet of most of these slum dwellers needs modification. Therefore, taking measures to reduce slum dwelling and to improve the nutritional intake of this study population is needed.

Originality/value

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Not just intentions: predicting actual purchase behavior in sport sponsorship context
Authors: Koronios Konstantinos , Ntasis Lazaros , Dimitropoulos Panagiotis , Ratten Vanessa
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The scope of this study was to underline the specific aspects of positive consumer attitude and behavior related to sports sponsorship. In more detail, the purpose of this study was to establish a comprehensive sponsorship framework integrating Beliefs about sponsorship, Sponsor's Image, Fans' Attachment with the team, Team's Performance, Fans' Sport Involvement, Sponsors' Sincerity, Awareness of Sponsors, Attitude toward Sponsors, Purchase intentions and Actual Purchases.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative method was utilized and a sum of 2,752 questionnaires were effectively assembled and analyzed by means of SPSS and AMOS. The results of a structural equation model provide an exceptional conceptual framework that underlines the significance of comprehending the role of important factors in sponsorship efficiency.

Findings

This paper provides the context for a discussion. It shows that various antecedents have a significant effect on real – instead of just intentions – purchase behavior regarding sponsors' products and services.

Research limitations/implications

Various implications for future researches as well as strategies to boost the advantages for both sport clubs and sponsoring firms can be drawn from the suggested model.

Originality/value

Up to present, only a handful of empirical studies have looked at the effect of sponsorship on the consumer. The majority of sponsorship studies measure the impact of the sponsorship effort on the recall and recognition of sponsors, with empirical results being inconclusive, with some studies showing high levels of recall and recognition while others show only marginal impact on recall and recognition. The present research provides a comprehensive framework, which can guide future studies by isolating the effect of sponsorship on actual purchase behavior, instead of just estimating individuals' purchase intentions.
Data protection, information governance and the potential erosion of ethnographic methods in health care?
Authors: Lee Rebecca R. , McDonagh Janet E. , Farre Albert , Peters Sarah , Cordingley Lis , Rapley Tim
Published: November 2021

With the most recent developments to the European General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) introduced in May 2018, the resulting legislation meant a new set of considerations for study approvers and health‐care researchers. Compared with previous legislation in the UK (The Data Protection Act, 1998), it introduced more extensive and directive principles, requiring anybody ‘processing’ personal data to specifically define how this data will be obtained, stored, used and destroyed. Importantly, it also emphasised the principle of accountability, which meant that data controllers and processors could no longer just state that they planned to adhere to lawful data protection principles, they also had to demonstrate compliance. New questions and concerns around accountability now appear to have increased levels of scrutiny in all areas of information governance (IG), especially with regards to processing confidential patient information. This article explores our experiences of gaining required ethical and regulatory approvals for an ethnographic study in a UK health‐care setting, the implications that the common law duty of confidentiality had for this research, and the ways in which IG challenges were overcome. The purpose of this article was to equip researchers embarking on similar projects to be able to navigate the potentially problematic and complex journey to approval.
Cisd2 slows down liver aging and attenuates age‐related metabolic dysfunction in male mice
Authors: Huang Yi‐Long , Shen Zhao‐Qing , Huang Chen‐Hua , Lin Chao‐Hsiung , Tsai Ting‐Fen
Published: November 2021

The liver plays a pivotal role in mammalian aging. However, the mechanisms underlying liver aging remain unclear. Cisd2 is a pro‐longevity gene in mice. Cisd2 mediates lifespan and healthspan via regulation of calcium homeostasis and mitochondrial functioning. Intriguingly, the protein level of Cisd2 is significantly decreased by about 50% in the livers of old male mice. This down‐regulation of Cisd2 may result in the aging liver exhibiting non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) phenotype. Here, we use Cisd2 transgenic mice to investigate whether maintaining Cisd2 protein at a persistently high level is able to slow down liver aging. Our study identifies four major discoveries. Firstly, that Cisd2 expression attenuates age‐related dysregulation of lipid metabolism and other pathological abnormalities. Secondly, revealed by RNA sequencing analysis, the livers of old male mice undergo extensive transcriptomic alterations, and these are associated with steatosis, hepatitis, fibrosis, and xenobiotic detoxification. Intriguingly, a youthful transcriptomic profile, like that of young 3‐month‐old mice, was found in old Cisd2 transgenic male mice at 26 months old. Thirdly, Cisd2 suppresses the age‐associated dysregulation of various transcription regulators (Nrf2, IL‐6, and Hnf4a), which keeps the transcriptional network in a normal pattern. Finally, a high level of Cisd2 protein protects the liver from oxidative stress, and this is associated with a reduction in mitochondrial DNA deletions. These findings demonstrate that Cisd2 is a promising target for the development of therapeutic agents that, by bringing about an effective enhancement of Cisd2 expression, will slow down liver aging.
Patient discomfort levels during instrumentation procedure using nickel‐titanium files with different kinetic movements
Authors: Park So‐Ra , Park Se‐Hee , Cho Kyung‐Mo , Kim Jin‐Woo , Kim Hyeon‐Cheol
Published: November 2021

This study evaluated the perceived vibration, noise and discomfort levels associated with two nickel‐titanium file systems with different kinetics; reciprocating motion (REC) using WaveOne Gold and continuous rotation motion (CON) using ProTaper NEXT. Forty roots with two canals from maxillary premolar and molar of 40 patients were included. Root canals were instrumented using each system for each canal. Patients were surveyed about the vibration, noise and discomfort experienced using visual analogue scale, and their preference. The responses were statistically analysed using Wilcoxon Signed‐Rank test, Mann–Whitney U test and Spearman’s rank correlation test at the 95% of significance level. The vibration, noise and discomfort experienced were significantly greater in REC than CON (P < 0.05). In REC, male subjects reported significantly higher vibration than female (P < 0.05). Majority respondents (72.5%) preferred the CON method. The perceived vibration, noise and discomfort were less apparent from the CON than the REC.
Novel non‐steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in cardiorenal disease
Authors: Kintscher Ulrich , Bakris George L. , Kolkhof Peter
Published: November 2021

Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) are key agents in guideline‐oriented drug therapy for cardiovascular diseases such as chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and resistant hypertension. Currently available steroidal MRAs are efficacious in reducing morbidity and mortality; however, they can be associated with intolerable side effects including hyperkalaemia in everyday clinical practice. Recently, a new class of non‐steroidal MRAs (including esaxerenone, AZD9977, apararenone, KBP‐5074 and finerenone) have been developed with an improved benefit–risk profile and a novel indication for finerenone for diabetic kidney disease. To better understand the non‐steroidal MRAs, this review provides information on the molecular pharmacology as well as relevant current preclinical and clinical data on cardiorenal outcomes. A comparative review of all compounds in the class is discussed with regard to clinical efficacy and safety as well as a perspective outlining their future use in clinical practice.

LINKED ARTICLES

This article is part of a themed issue on Emerging Fields for Therapeutic Targeting of the Aldosterone‐Mineralocorticoid Receptor Signaling Pathway. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v179.13/issuetoc
Trait groups as management entities in a complex, multispecies reef fishery
Authors: Anderson Louise , Houk Peter , Miller Mark G. R. , Cuetos‐Bueno Javier , Graham Curtis , Kanemoto Kriskitina , Terk Elizabeth , McLeod Elizabeth , Beger Maria
Published: November 2021

Localized stressors compound the ongoing climate‐driven decline of coral reefs, requiring natural resource managers to work with rapidly shifting paradigms. Trait‐based adaptive management (TBAM) is a new framework to help address changing conditions by choosing and implementing management actions specific to species groups that share key traits, vulnerabilities, and management responses. In TBAM maintenance of functioning ecosystems is balanced with provisioning for human subsistence and livelihoods. We first identified trait‐based groups of food fish in a Pacific coral reef with hierarchical clustering. Positing that trait‐based groups performing comparable functions respond similarly to both stressors and management actions, we ascertained biophysical and socioeconomic drivers of trait‐group biomass and evaluated their vulnerabilities with generalized additive models. Clustering identified 7 trait groups from 131 species. Groups responded to different drivers and displayed divergent vulnerabilities; human activities emerged as important predictors of community structuring. Biomass of small, solitary reef‐associated species increased with distance from key fishing ports, and large, solitary piscivores exhibited a decline in biomass with distance from a port. Group biomass also varied in response to different habitat types, the presence or absence of reported dynamite fishing activity, and exposure to wave energy. The differential vulnerabilities of trait groups revealed how the community structure of food fishes is driven by different aspects of resource use and habitat. This inherent variability in the responses of trait‐based groups presents opportunities to apply selective TBAM strategies for complex, multispecies fisheries. This approach can be widely adjusted to suit local contexts and priorities.