bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toward unzipping the ZIP metal transporters: structure, evolution, and implications on drug discovery against cancer
Authors: Hu Jian
Published: December 2020

The Zrt‐/Irt‐like protein (ZIP) family consists of divalent metal transporters, ubiquitous in all kingdoms of life. Since the discovery of the first ZIPs in the 1990s, the ZIP family has been expanding to contain tens of thousands of members playing key roles in uptake and homeostasis of life‐essential trace elements, primarily zinc, iron and manganese. Some family members are also responsible for toxic metal (particularly cadmium) absorption and distribution. Their central roles in trace element biology, and implications in many human diseases, including cancers, have elicited interest across multiple disciplines for potential applications in biomedicine, agriculture and environmental protection. In this review and perspective, selected areas under rapid progress in the last several years, including structural biology, evolution, and drug discovery against cancers, are summarised and commented. Future research to address the most prominent issues associated with transport and regulation mechanisms are also discussed.
Stability in subtropical forests: The role of tree species diversity, stand structure, environmental and socio‐economic conditions
Authors: Ouyang Shuai , Xiang Wenhua , Gou Mengmeng , Chen Liang , Lei Pifeng , Xiao Wenfa , Deng Xiangwen , Zeng Lixiong , Li Jiangrong , Zhang Tao , Peng Changhui , Forrester David I.
Published: December 2020

Aim

Tree species diversity can increase the stability of ecosystem productivity by increasing mean productivity and/or reducing the standard deviation in productivity. However, stand structure, environmental and socio‐economic conditions influence plant diversity and might strongly influence the relationships between diversity and stability in natural forest communities. The relative importance of these factors for community stability remains poorly understood in complex (species‐rich) subtropical forests.

Location

Subtropical area of southern China.

Time period

1999–2014.

Major taxa studied

Forest trees.

Methods

We conducted bivariate analyses to examine the mechanisms (overyielding and species asynchrony) underlying the effects of diversity on stability. Multiple regression models were then used to determine the relative importance of tree species diversity, stand structure, socio‐economic factors and environmental conditions on stability. Structural equation modelling was used to disentangle how these variables directly and/or indirectly affect forest stability.

Results

Tree species richness exerted a positive effect on stability through overyielding and species asynchrony, and this effect was stronger in mountainous forests than in hilly forests. Species richness positively affected the mean productivity, whereas species asynchrony negatively affected the variability in productivity, hence increasing forest stability. Structural diversity also had a positive effect, whereas population density had a negative effect on stability. Precipitation variability and slope mainly had indirect influences on stability through their effects on tree species richness.

Main conclusions

Overall, tree species diversity governed stability; however, stand structure, socio‐economic conditions and environmental conditions also played an important role in shaping stability in these forests. Our work highlights the importance of regulating stand structure and socio‐economic factors in forest management and biodiversity conservation, to maintain and enhance their stability to provide ecosystem services in the face of unprecedented anthropogenic activities and global climate change.
Outcomes of gasless laparoendoscopic single‐port partial nephrectomy in 356 consecutive patients: Feasibility of a clampless and sutureless technique
Authors: Yasuda Yosuke , Saito Kazutaka , Tanaka Hajime , Uehara Sho , Kijima Toshiki , Yoshida Soichiro , Yokoyama Minato , Matsuoka Yoh , Kihara Kazunori , Fujii Yasuhisa
Published: December 2020

Objectives

To investigate the outcomes and feasibilities of gasless laparoendoscopic single‐port clampless sutureless partial nephrectomy.

Methods

We reviewed 356 consecutive patients with primary unilateral non‐metastatic renal masses who underwent gasless laparoendoscopic single‐port partial nephrectomy (2011–2018), which was performed retroperitoneally using a three‐dimensional flexible endoscope, without vascular clamping or renorrhaphy in principle.

Results

The median tumor size was 2.5 cm, and 213 (60%), 105 (29%), and 38 (11%) patients had peripheral, central, and hilar tumors, respectively. Clampless and sutureless partial nephrectomy was accomplished in 337 patients (95%), while eight (2%) and 16 (4%) patients required vascular clamping and renorrhaphy, respectively. The median operative time and blood loss were 220 min and 266 mL, respectively; eight patients (2%) received blood transfusion. Clavien–Dindo grade 3a complications occurred in 27 patients (8%); all these patients had urinary leakage treated with ureteral stent placement, one of whom also developed a postoperative pseudoaneurysm. Among 324 patients diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, six (2%) had positive surgical margins, and one (0.3%) and seven (2%) developed metastatic and local recurrences, respectively. During a median follow‐up of 54 months, no patient died from kidney cancer. The median percent decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate at 3 months after surgery was 5.7%. No patient experienced postoperative acute renal failure, while one patient with preexisting renal impairment started dialysis at 70 months after surgery.

Conclusions

Clampless and sutureless partial nephrectomy can be safely accomplished in most patients undergoing gasless laparoendoscopic single‐port surgery, yielding favorable oncological and functional outcomes.
Chinese mental health professionals’ perceptions of shared decision‐making regarding people diagnosed with schizophrenia: A qualitative study
Authors: Huang Chongmei , Lam Louisa , Zhong Yaping , Plummer Virginia , Cross Wendy
Published: December 2020

The implementation of shared decision‐making regarding people diagnosed with schizophrenia is limited, although it is reported to have a positive impact on improving treatment adherence, therapeutic relationships and saving medical costs. The successful implementation of it is mainly dependent on the active engagement of mental health professionals. This study aims to identify mental health professionals’ perceptions of shared decision‐making regarding people diagnosed with schizophrenia in collectivist cultures such as Chinese culture. A qualitative descriptive approach was used, involving ten individual interviews with psychiatrists and four focus groups with twenty‐three mental health nurses from the psychiatry department of a tertiary hospital in mainland China. An inductive thematic approach was used to analyze the data. Two main themes with five subthemes generated: willingness to engage in shared decision‐making and perceiving shared decision‐making as unachievable. The last theme included five subthemes: (i) deference to authority, (ii) tension between family decision‐making and patient autonomy, (iii) uncertainty of trusting therapeutic relationships, (iv) implicit persuasion and (v) insufficient consultation time. Patients often lack opportunity and support to engage in decision‐making. Mental health nurses in other countries need to be aware that Chinese patients and patients with a similar background are not knowledgeable about or value shared decision‐making to the extent that other countries might. They need to evaluate and support them, including encouraging them to engage in decision‐making as well as providing appropriate information. Mental health nurses need to collaborate with patients and their families to achieve patient‐centred care when family involvement is expected.
When enough is enough: Investigating the antecedents and consequences of information security fatigue
Authors: Cram W. Alec , Proudfoot Jeffrey G. , D'Arcy John
Published: December 2020

Despite concerns raised by practitioners, the potential downside of the information security demands imposed by organizations on their employees has received limited scholarly attention. Our research focuses on information security fatigue (hereafter security fatigue), which is defined as a socio‐emotional state experienced by an individual who is tired of and disillusioned with security policies and their associated guidelines and procedures. This research delves into the security fatigue concept, investigates its antecedents and reports how fatigue affects employee security policy compliance (and non‐compliance). Since security fatigue is not well articulated in the literature and there is limited understanding of its antecedents and consequences, we take a research approach that affords novel insight into this phenomenon. Specifically, we conduct 38 in‐depth interviews with business and IT professionals, and then use a qualitative approach to construct a model, including seven research propositions, to highlight the key aspects of security fatigue. Our results indicate that four distinct antecedents contribute to security fatigue, which result in three unique consequences. We discuss security fatigue in relation to past theoretical views and related concepts within the security policy compliance literature and identify directions for future research.
An investigation of original equipment manufacturer's optimal remanufacturing mode and engagement strategy
Authors: Zhou Qin , Yuen Kum Fai
Published: December 2020

This study considers an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) who (a) relies on a contract manufacturer (CM) to produce its new products, and (b) engages the CM again or an independent remanufacturer (IR) to perform the remanufacturing operations of branded patented products through either authorization or outsourcing. This study chiefly investigates the optimal remanufacturing engagement strategy (i.e., engage a CM or an IR) and remanufacturing mode (i.e., authorization and outsourcing) that should be taken by an OEM. This paper derives the optimal responses of the three parties (i.e., OEM, CM, and IR) by comparing the outcomes of different remanufacturing engagement strategies and remanufacturing modes under two settings, depending on whether the wholesale price is exogenously or endogenously given. The results suggest that the OEM is better off adopting the authorization remanufacturing mode by either working with the CM or the IR when the wholesale price is exogenously given. When the wholesale price is endogenously determined by the CM, the best strategy for the OEM is to work with the IR using the outsourcing approach. The CM and the IR also show different preferences between the two modes. The IR or CM that engages in remanufacturing always prefers the outsourcing mode than the authorization mode in the two settings. However, when the CM does not engage in remanufacturing, it is better off adopting the authorization mode when the wholesale price is exogenously given or when the remanufacturing cost is relatively low in the endogenized wholesale price setting.
Linagliptin prevents left ventricular stiffening by reducing titin cleavage and hypophosphorylation
Authors: Cuijpers Ilona , Papageorgiou Anna‐Pia , Carai Paolo , Herwig Melissa , Mügge Andreas , Klein Thomas , Hamdani Nazha , Jones Elizabeth A. V. , Heymans Stephane
Published: December 2020

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an escalating problem worldwide, causing left ventricular stiffening, an early characteristic of diastolic dysfunction for which no treatment exists. As diastolic dysfunction and stiffening in MetS patients are associated with increased circulating dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4) levels, we investigated whether the clinically approved DPP‐4 inhibitor linagliptin reduces left ventricular stiffness in MetS‐induced cardiac disease. Sixteen‐week‐old obese ZSF1 rats, displaying the MetS and left ventricular stiffness, received linagliptin‐supplemented or placebo diet for four weeks. Linagliptin significantly reduced obesity, hyperlipidaemia, and hyperglycaemia and improved left ventricular relaxation. This improved relaxation was related to decreased cardiac fibrosis and cardiomyocyte passive stiffness (Fpassive). The reduced Fpassive was the result of titin isoform switching from the stiff N2B to the more flexible N2BA and increased phosphorylation of total titin and specifically its N2Bus region (S4080 and S3391). Importantly, DPP‐4 directly cleaved titin in vitro, resulting in an increased Fpassive, which was prevented by simultaneous administration of linagliptin. In conclusion, linagliptin improves left ventricular stiffness in obese ZSF1 rats by preventing direct DPP4‐mediated titin cleavage, as well as by modulating both titin isoform levels and phosphorylation. Reducing left ventricular stiffness by administering linagliptin might prevent MetS‐induced early diastolic dysfunction in human.
Drying of mangoes (Mangifera indica L. cv. Palmer) at changeable temperature conditions—Effects on energy consumption and quality of the dehydrated fruit
Authors: Amado Laís Ravazzi , Silva Keila de Souza , Mauro Maria Aparecida
Published: December 2020

This study evaluated the influence of heat input change on the drying kinetics, energy consumption, the color, and carotenoid retention during the drying of mangoes. The drying conditions in the first stage were 95°C for 40 min and 80°C for 40 min, so that the surface temperatures of the fruit at the end of this stage were around 60°C. The temperatures of the second stage and corresponding continuous drying (control) were 70 and 60°C. As a result, the thermal intermittence influenced the drying kinetics, causing significant reductions in the overall process time and providing energy savings when compared to continuous drying. The color parameters did not show relevant changes as result of the intermittent drying while good carotenoid retention was obtained in intermittent conditions, when the second stage was 60°C. Therefore, the carotenes were more sensitive to a temperature of 70°C, which highlights the importance of limiting the temperature of the mango to 60°C during the two drying stages to better preserve the quality of the dehydrated fruit. Moreover, the high air temperatures used in the first stage were advantageous for reducing the overall process time and providing energy saving.

Practical Applications

Drying is an operation well known for the food industry. However, in so many cases, dryers are not designed with energy consumption in mind. Moreover, simple procedures can bring savings in convective drying, as shown in the present study, where the application of two‐stages in the convective drying of mangoes was advantageous to reduce the overall drying time and provide energy savings in relation to continuous drying. Besides that, good carotenoid retention was obtained using low temperature (60°C) at the second stage. The results can be useful for design of dryers and drying process, considering different temperatures. Intermittent drying of high moisture foods by varying the drying air temperature can be applied both on an industrial scale, in continuous belt dryers or in tunnel dryers, and on a small scale, using two or more dryers with different temperatures.
Persistent Functional Decline Following Hospitalization with Influenza or Acute Respiratory Illness
Authors: Andrew Melissa K. , MacDonald Sarah , Godin Judith , McElhaney Janet E. , LeBlanc Jason , Hatchette Todd F. , Bowie William , Katz Kevin , McGeer Allison , Semret Makeda , McNeil Shelly A.
Published: December 2020

Background/objectives

Influenza is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, particularly for older adults. Persistent functional decline following hospitalization has important impacts on older adults' wellbeing and independence, but has been under‐studied in relation to influenza. We aimed to investigate persistent functional change in older adults admitted to hospital with influenza and other acute respiratory illness (ARI).

Design

Protective observational cohort study.

Setting

Canadian Immunization Research Network Serious Outcomes Surveillance Network 2011 to 2012 influenza season.

Participants

A total of 925 patients aged 65 and older admitted to hospital with influenza and other ARI.

Measurements

Influenza was laboratory‐confirmed. Frailty was measured using a Frailty index (FI). Functional status was measured using the Barthel index (BI); moderate persistent functional decline was defined as a clinically meaningful loss of ≥10 to <20 points on the 100‐point BI. Catastrophic disability (CD) was defined as a loss of ≥20 points, equivalent to full loss of independence in two basic activities of daily living.

Results

Five hundred and nineteen (56.1%) were women; mean age was 79.4 (standard deviation=8.4) years. Three hundred and forty‐six (37.4%) had laboratory‐confirmed influenza. Influenza cases had lower baseline function (BI = 77.0 vs 86.9, P < .001) and higher frailty (FI = 0.23 vs 0.20, P < .001) than those with other ARI. A total of 8.4% died, 8.2% experienced persistent moderate functional decline, and 9.9% experienced CD. Higher baseline frailty was associated with increased odds of experiencing functional decline, CD, and death. The experience of functional decline and CD, and its association with frailty, was the same for influenza and other ARI.

Conclusion

Functional loss in hospital is common among older adults; for some this functional loss is persistent and catastrophic. This highlights the importance of prevention and optimal management of acute declines in health, including influenza, to avoid hospitalization. In the case of influenza, for which vaccines exist, this raises the potential of vaccine preventable disability.
Sensitivity of remote focusing microscopes to magnification mismatch
Authors: Mohanan Sharika , Corbett Alexander David
Published: December 2020

Remote focusing (RF) is a technique that greatly extends the aberration‐free axial scan range of an optical microscope. To maximise the diffraction limited depth range in an RF system, the magnification of the relay lenses should be such that the pupil planes of the objectives are accurately mapped on to each other. In this paper we study the tolerance of the RF system to magnification mismatch and quantify the amount of residual spherical aberration present at different focusing depths. We observe that small deviations from ideal magnification results in increased amounts of residual spherical aberration terms leading to a reduction in the diffracted limited range. For high‐numerical aperture objectives, the simulation predicts a 50% decrease in the diffracted limited range for 1% magnification mismatch. The simulation has been verified against an experimental RF system with ideal and nonideal magnifications. Experimentally confirmed predictions also provide a valuable empirical method of determining when a system is close to the ideal phase matching condition, based on the sign of the spherical aberration on either side of focus.
Clinical nurse specialist role implementation structures, processes and outcomes: Participatory action research
Authors: Jokiniemi Krista , Korhonen Kristiina , Kärkkäinen Anne , Pekkarinen Tuomo , Pietilä Anna‐Maija
Published: December 2020

Aim

To develop, implement and evaluate the clinical nurse specialist's role within a specialist medical healthcare hospital. A secondary aim was to assess the feasibility of the ‘Clinical Nurse Specialist Conceptualisation, Implementation, and Evaluation framework’ in the role implementation.

Background

Implementation of advanced practice nursing roles is an increasing practice around the globe; however, the implementation of these roles is multidimensional, complex process. Clear implementation strategies are needed.

Design

Participatory action research was conducted in Finland between 2017–2018.

Methods

The researchers adopted an outsider approach to work with staff, considered as co‐researchers, within two participating units. A combination of several methods, such as focus group interviews, action‐learning groups and researcher reflective field journal, was used to gather data. The ‘Clinical Nurse Specialist Conceptualisation, Implementation, and Evaluation framework’ was used to structure the processes undertaken, and the Donabedian structure, process and outcome model was used to structure and analyse the results. The study was reported using the EQUATOR guideline for participatory action research.

Results

The results demonstrated the complexity of the role implementation process. Four implementation themes of need analysis, role design, role implementation and role evaluation were examined and described through their structures, processes and outcomes. The ‘Clinical Nurse Specialist Conceptualisation, Implementation and Evaluation framework’ was validated for its appropriateness guiding the role implementation process.

Conclusions

Role implementation is a complex process which structured, practical guidelines may facilitate. The examined framework may facilitate the role implementation process conducted within organisations.

Relevance to clinical practice

This research provides complimentary information for individuals and organisations aiming to develop a clinical nurse specialist or other advanced practice nursing roles. Furthermore, we describe a participatory action research process, which offers the means for self‐reflection and planning of purposeful actions to improve the conditions of clinical practice.
MODELING THE NEXUS BETWEEN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND RENEWABLE ENERGY: THE AFRICAN PERSPECTIVES
Authors: Tiba Sofien , Belaid Fateh
Published: December 2020

Motivated by the gained momentum of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) under the umbrella of the United Nations organization, in the light of the SDG‐7, which stipulates the access to affordable, sustainable, and modern energy, this paper explores the dynamic relationship between renewable energy and the pillars of sustainable development. Its insights are driven using a simultaneous equation model based on a panel of 25 African economies covering the period 1990–2014. The results show that renewable energy is important for sustainable development and that higher levels of renewable energy can increase sustainability. The findings also confirm the positive influence of renewable energy on the economic, environmental, social, and institutional dimensions. These positive effects stem from investment in clean energy in the whole of Africa, combined with structural changes promoting the use of clean energy and the achievement of the millennium development goals. The findings should be useful for policymakers in Africa. Aggressive renewable energy policies will be crucial for achieving energy‐policy goals and the “multiple benefits” of renewable energy, such as reducing climate change and air pollution, improving energy security, and increasing access to energy.
Multiple endometrial polyps is associated with higher risk of chronic endometritis in reproductive‐aged women
Authors: Guo Luyan , Gu Fang , Tan Jinfeng , Luo Lu , Gao Jun , Zhou Canquan
Published: December 2020

Aim

To determine whether single endometrial polyp (EP) or multiple EP (polyp number ≥ 6) are associated with chronic endometritis (CE).

Methods

From June 2017 to December 2018, this study enrolled a total of 277 patients, including 92 patients with multiple EP, 82 patients with a single EP and 103 patients without polyps who underwent hysteroscopic examination and polypectomy. Polyps and endometrium samples were obtained and subjected to immunohistochemistry for CD138 to identify plasma cells and CE was diagnosed as CD138‐positive plasma cells greater than or equal to 5/high power field. The prevalence of CE was compared and analyzed using the logistic regression model.

Results

All baseline parameters were comparable among the three groups except that the prevalence of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) was much higher in both polyp groups than the non‐polyp control. The prevalence of CE was significantly higher in the multiple EP group than in the single EP group (58.7% vs 28.0%, P < 0.001). There was no difference on the prevalence of CE between the single EP and the non‐polyp groups (28.0% vs 29.1%, P = 0.872). Multivariable analysis revealed that AUB (adjusted OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.35–5.87) and multiple EP (adjusted OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.38–4.82) were independently associated with CE, while the single EP did not increase the odds of CE compared to the non‐polyp group (adjusted OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.38–1.45).

Conclusion

Multiple EP were positively associated with CE among reproductive‐aged women, suggesting a possible hidden etiopathogenetic link between chronic inflammation and multiple EP.
Trusting in God and His Earthly Masks: Exploring the Lutheran Roots of Scandinavian High‐Trust Culture
Authors: Mathiasen Stopa Sasja Emilie
Published: December 2020

In recent years, the high level of trust among Scandinavians in general and Danes in particular has attracted considerable international interest. The article unearths the rooting of Danish trust culture in Lutheran soil arguing for the influence of Lutheran theology and social teaching on Danish society from the Reformation onwards as a key to understanding its historical background. It identifies central social imaginaries of trust in Luther's work and trace their impact on eighteenth‐ and nineteenth‐century Danish Lutheran confessional culture by analyzing texts written by the influential theologians Erik Pontoppidan (1698–1764) and Niels Frederik Severin Grundtvig (1783–1872).
Point of care ultrasound in the paediatric acute care setting: Getting to the ‘heart’ of respiratory distress
Authors: Musolino Anna M , Buonsenso Danilo , Massolo Anna C , Gallo Mariasara , Supino Maria C , Boccuzzi Elena
Published: December 2020

Point‐of‐care ultrasound (POCUS) is a growing interesting tool in the emergency setting. Its usefulness in diagnostic and therapeutic pathway of patients with respiratory distress in addition to clinical evaluation is well established in adult emergency medicine while paediatric specific data, although growing, remain limited. We report a case series of paediatric patients presenting with respiratory distress successfully diagnosed with cardiac dysfunction following POCUS evaluations. Lung POCUS, in combination with cardiac POCUS, is a very useful supplementary diagnostic tool to assess the breathless child and to rapidly identify life‐threatening primary etiologies or secondary physiologies. Thus, fast echocardiography is a desirable aid for paediatric emergency physicians and should be supported in all paediatric emergency settings following an adequate training that is mandatory regarding image acquisition and data interpretation.
Process of infection and colonization of Pseudocercospora kaki in persimmon leaves
Authors: Alves Renan Fernandes , Marques João Paulo Rodrigues , Appezzato‐da‐Glória Beatriz , Spósito Marcel Bellato
Published: December 2020

Cercosporiosis, caused by Pseudocercospora kaki, is the major foliar disease in persimmon crops. Despite the importance of the disease, we have little information about the interaction of this pathogen with persimmon leaf tissues. Therefore, to elucidate the infection and colonization process in these pathosystem, we investigated this interaction using light and scanning electron microscopy. Forty‐eight hours after inoculation, the germ tubes produced from conidia and entered the leaf tissue only through the stomata. The lesions formed were limited to the areolas of leaf venation. The accumulation of phenolic and lipophilic compounds, and parietal thickening by increased pectin content in the cells of the bundle sheath, restricted the advance of the fungus. During the colonization process, hyphae produced vesicles in the intercellular spaces of the mesophyll. These vesicles in contact with the cell wall of the chlorophyll parenchyma caused parietal changes. Pathogen sporulation occurred only on the adaxial surface of the leaves and produced sporodochium exposed on the outer leaf surface. This study showed how P. kaki penetrates in the persimmon leaves, and the process of colonization, with epidermal alterations and the lysis and collapse of mesophyll cells in the lesioned area, and finally, the formation of reproduction structures of the pathogen.
NMR Metabolic Profiling of Sargassum Species Under Different Stabilization/Extraction Processes
Authors: Hernández‐Bolio Gloria Ivonne , Fagundo‐Mollineda Adrián , Caamal‐Fuentes Edgar Emmanuel , Robledo Daniel , Freile‐Pelegrin Yolanda , Hernández‐Núñez Emanuel
Published: December 2020

The genus Sargassum is well represented by benthic and pelagic species, some of which form massive aggregates that can travel long distances due to the force of the ocean currents. Although they constitute an essential habitat for fish and invertebrate species, large accumulations of Sargassum in coastal areas generate several economic, environmental, and health impacts. It is important to recognize the species forming these aggregates, and identify the metabolites they produce, allowing for its exploitation, and therefore, better management practices. NMR metabolic profiling is a technique that can discriminate samples while detecting their unique or differential chemical features, and has been successfully used in the study and classification of several algal species. The present investigation studied the metabolic profiling of Sargassum species found on strandings at Puerto Morelos (Quintana Roo) east coast of the Mexican Caribbean. PCA of the 1H‐NMR profiles corresponding to S. natans, S. natans (morphotype VIII), S. fluitans, and a benthic Sargassum buxifolium allowed the discrimination of samples amongst them. Furthermore, discrimination between the two forms of S. natans was also possible. The PCA loading plot revealed that glutamine and glutamate have the highest influence in the clustering of the benthic Sargassum, while a high abundance of lactate, Myo‐inositol, and trimethylamine is a unique feature from the S. natans morphotype VIII. Additional PLS‐DA models showed that a heat‐drying process improved the extraction of metabolites. Maceration and microwave‐assisted extraction with water‐ethanol led to similar profiles and thus any of them could be used in future investigations.
Religion and Refugee Well‐Being: The Importance of Inclusive Community
Authors: Wu Stephen , Ellingson Stephen , Hagstrom Paul , Kucinskas Jaime
Published: December 2020

We use a large sample of refugees in Utica, New York to investigate how religiosity and the ability to practice religion are related to happiness in one's community. We analyze religious and secular facets of the community in which they live, such as perceived ability to practice their religion, sense of safety, and experiences of discrimination. Contrary to the literature on broader populations, we find that religiosity is unrelated to refugees’ happiness in their community, but their perceived ability to practice is strongly related to this measure of well‐being. Ability to practice religion remains strongly related to happiness in the community even for refugees who are not religious and for ones who do not regularly attend services. These findings point to the need for more studies to include measures not only of individual religiosity, but facets of religion in people's larger communities, especially for vulnerable populations like refugees.
Preliminary bioequivalence of an oral integrating film formulation containing meloxicam with a suspension formulation in beagle dogs
Authors: Park Jong‐Shik , Kim Sungmin , Lee Jaeyeon , Choi Jae‐Cheol , Kim YoungAh , Park Chun‐Woong , Lee Soohan
Published: December 2020

The oral disintegrating film (ODF) has advantages over suspension and tablet. These include convenience of administration, patient compliance, and accurate dosing. We evaluated the bioequivalence between the ODF and the meloxicam suspension by using a crossover design with a 3‐week washout period. Six healthy male beagle dogs were randomized to receive both formulations of meloxicam, 2 mg. Plasma meloxicam concentrations were measured at the same times. From the start until maximum concentration, the initial absorption of the ODF meloxicam formulation was more rapid (2.08 ± 1.56 hr) as compared to the suspension (3.33 ± 1.03 hr). Mean elimination half‐lives were 28.77 ± 4.01 and 32.85 ± 9.79 hr for the ODF and the suspension, respectively. Bioequivalence of the ODF was confirmed, based on the relative ratios of geometric mean concentrations (and 90% confidence intervals within the range of 80%–125%) for a maximum concentration of 101.05% (88.59–115.25), for the area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC) to the last sampling time of 96.07% (87.06–115.25), and for AUC to infinity of 92.65% (86.76–98.94). The meloxicam ODF may be used as an alternative to suspension formulations in the treatment of inflammatory joint diseases and painful musculoskeletal disorders.
Contrasting fungal responses to wildfire across different ecosystem types
Authors: Smith Gabriel Reuben , Edy Lucy C. , Peay Kabir G.
Published: December 2020

Wildfire affects our planet's biogeochemistry both by burning biomass and by driving changes in ecological communities and landcover. Some plants and ecosystem types are threatened by increasing fire pressure while others respond positively to fire, growing in local and regional abundance when it occurs regularly. However, quantifying total ecosystem response to fire demands consideration of impacts not only on aboveground vegetation, but also on soil microbes like fungi, which influence decomposition and nutrient mineralization. If fire‐resistant soil fungal communities co‐occur with similarly adapted plants, these above‐ and belowground ecosystem components should shift and recover in relative synchrony after burning. If not, fire might decouple ecosystem processes governed by these different communities, affecting total functioning. Here, we use a natural experiment to test whether fire‐dependent ecosystems host unique, fire‐resistant fungal communities. We surveyed burned and unburned areas across two California ecosystem types with differing fire ecologies in the immediate aftermath of a wildfire, finding that the soil fungal communities of fire‐dependent oak woodlands differ from those of neighbouring mixed evergreen forests. We discovered furthermore that the latter are more strongly altered compositionally by fire than the former, suggesting that differences in fungal community structure support divergent community responses to fire across ecosystems. Our results thus indicate that fire‐dependent ecosystems may host fire‐resistant fungal communities.
Nurses' autonomy in sleep management improves patients' sleep quality: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Lis Katarzyna , Sak‐Dankosky Natalia , Czarkowska‐Pączek Bożena
Published: December 2020

Background

The current literature indicates that intensive care (ICU) patients' sleep quality is generally poor, which is associated with serious physical and psychological consequences.

Aims and objectives

To describe the practices nurses use to provide good‐quality sleep to adult ICU patients and assess nurses' perceptions of patients' sleep quality and nurses' professional autonomy in sleep management.

Design

A descriptive‐correlational, cross‐sectional study.

Methods

A total of 232 ICU nurses from four hospitals in Poland were recruited. Data were collected between May and August 2019 using a previously developed questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics and non‐parametric tests.

Results

A total of 119 nurses took part in the study (response rate: 51%). On average, nurses rated patients' sleep quality as moderate (4.44 ± 2.23, scale 0‐10). Most of the respondents (95.8%) said they did not use any sleep protocol. Various strategies to improve patients' sleep were used sporadically (2.64 ± 1.55, scale 1‐5). The use of sleep quality assessment methods was positively correlated with patients' sleep quality (rho = 0.22, P = .02). Nurses' professional autonomy regarding sleep management was assessed as average (4.34 ± 2.43, scale 0‐10) and was correlated with the patients' sleep quality (rho = 0.25, P < .01). Nurses who rated their autonomy in patients' sleep management more highly (rho = 0.29, P < .01) and more often influenced patients' sleep decisions (rho = 0.24, P < .01) used more methods to improve patients' sleep.

Conclusions

Strengthening the professional autonomy of ICU nurses and creating a reliable sleep assessment and improvement tool, which would describe strategies nurses can implement independently could increase sleep quality among ICU patients.

Relevance to clinical practice

Addressing organizational problems, which hamper the patients' sleep management by ICU nurses could result in using more strategies to provide good‐quality sleep to ICU patients. There is a need for clinical guidelines regarding patients' sleep management to help educate and guide nurses how to independently use sleep improvement methods.
Pain During COVID‐19: A Comprehensive Review and Guide for the Interventionalist
Authors: Murphy Micheal T. , Latif Usman
Published: December 2020

Background

Chronic pain, the leading cause of disability in the world, imposes limitations on activities of daily living and diminishes quality of life leading to unnecessary patient suffering. The personal and socioeconomic costs of chronic pain cannot be overstated. Physicians are at the crux of the pandemic and must attempt to limit the spread of the virus while maintaining their professional responsibility to their patients and staff members.

Objective

The aim of this review is to analyze the existing literature to develop consensus recommendations for treating pain during the current COVID‐19 pandemic.

Methods

Relevant literature was located via computer‐generated citations between the months of March and May of 2020. Online computer searches of multiple databases including Google Scholar, CINAHL, PubMed, and Cochrane Review were conducted in conjunction with a thorough review of local, state, national, and international governmental and organizational websites to locate research on the area of interest.

Results

The guidelines in this review are meant to offer a framework to pain practitioners and organizations for providing highly effective, ethical, and safe care to patients while maintaining their commitment to mitigating the spread of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Specific areas addressed include general and interventional‐specific treatment and mitigation recommendations.

Conclusions

We believe that the recommendations in this review, if used in conjunction with evolving recommendations of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and federal, state, and local governing bodies, provides a path to not only mitigate the spread of the pandemic but also limit the adverse impact of pain and suffering in chronic pain patients.
Uncertainty Quantification for Demand Prediction in Contextual Dynamic Pricing
Authors: Wang Yining , Chen Xi , Chang Xiangyu , Ge Dongdong
Published: December 2020

Data‐driven sequential decision has found a wide range of applications in modern operations management, such as dynamic pricing, inventory control, and assortment optimization. Most existing research on data‐driven sequential decision focuses on designing an online policy to maximize revenue. However, the research on uncertainty quantification on the underlying true model function (e.g., demand function), a critical problem for practitioners, has not been well explored. In this study, using the problem of demand function prediction in dynamic pricing as the motivating example, we study the problem of constructing accurate confidence intervals for the demand function. The main challenge is that sequentially collected data lead to significant distributional bias in the maximum likelihood estimator or the empirical risk minimization estimate, making classical statistical approaches such as the Wald’s test no longer valid. We address this challenge by developing a debiased approach and provide the asymptotic normality guarantee of the debiased estimator. Based this the debiased estimator, we provide both point‐wise and uniform confidence intervals of the demand function.
Positive effects of resilience and self‐efficacy on World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument score among caregivers of stroke inpatients in China
Authors: Jia Yajing , Shi Jing , Sznajder Kristin K. , Yang Fengzhi , Cui Can , Zhang Weiyu , Yang Xiaoshi
Published: December 2020

Aim

Stroke is one of the major health challenges affecting life expectancy and quality of life around the world. However, there is limited reporting on the status of some caregivers, including Chinese caregivers of stroke inpatients. Limited information is available on evaluations using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL) and the effects of resilience and self‐efficacy on WHOQOL score. Therefore, we conducted research to assess the role of resilience on the WHOQOL and to investigate the role of self‐efficacy as a mediator between resilience and WHOQOL score among Chinese caregivers of stroke inpatients.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study to gather data from north‐east and south‐east China was conducted from June 2019 to October 2019. Over 380 caregivers of stroke inpatients at two general public hospitals were interviewed face‐to‐face. About 305 caregivers (80.26%) completed the questionnaire, which included the Ego Resilience Scale, the General Self‐Efficacy Scale, and the brief version of the WHOQOL and asked about demographic characteristics. This study also examined factors associated with WHOQOL score and used linear regression analysis and structure equation modelling to construct direct and indirect models, respectively.

Results

After adjustment for demographic characteristics, both resilience and self‐efficacy were positively associated with all WHOQOL domains. Structure equation modelling revealed that self‐efficacy mediated the relationship between resilience and WHOQOL score among caregivers of stroke inpatients.

Conclusion

Chinese caregivers of stroke inpatients exhibited good social health but poor physical, psychological, and environmental health. It is necessary for promoting resilience and improving WHOQOL score through the mediating effect of self‐efficacy. These results suggest that interventions in health care focused on both enhancing resilience and providing self‐efficacy training could effectively improve WHOQOL score.
The Relevance and Operations of Political Trust in the COVID‐19 Pandemic
Authors: Robinson Scott E. , Ripberger Joseph T. , Gupta Kuhika , Ross Jennifer A. , Fox Andrew S. , Jenkins‐Smith Hank C. , Silva Carol L.
Published: December 2020

As the United States is at historic lows of trust in government, various agencies are seeking to convince members of the public to take key protective actions and to support novel policy actions intended to reduce the spread of COVID‐19. This article assesses the status of trust in key organizations relevant to pandemic information based on a national survey of residents of the United States. First, the article illustrates the variations in trust placed in various agencies—local to global agencies and governmental and private sector organizations. Second, the analysis reveals considerable variances in trust in specific organizations based on party identification. Finally, the results indicate that trust is important as it is related to the intention to adopt personal protective actions and support for key public policies.
Integrating development aid into social policy: Lessons on cooperation and its challenges learned from the example of health care in Kyrgyzstan
Authors: Isabekova Gulnaz , Pleines Heiko
Published: December 2020

In many low‐ and lower‐middle‐income countries, development aid accounts for a large share of social expenditures. However, its fragmentation is among the major challenges to the efficiency and sustainability of policy measures. In reaction to this challenge, the Sector‐Wide Approach (SWAp) to development aid proposes pooling resources in order to improve cooperation and increase ownership by the recipient state. The SWAp to health care in Kyrgyzstan, which started in 2005, is treated as one of the major success stories in the expert community and the academic literature. To allow for systematic analysis of the many‐fold principles incorporated into the SWAp blueprint, we re‐conceptualise it as an ideal‐type causal mechanism leading from improved cooperation to efficient aid implementation. Based on a case study of the second phase (2012–2018) of the SWAp to health care in Kyrgyzstan we highlight critical junctures in the implementation of a donor‐supported social policy.
Computational characterization of double reduction in autotetraploid natural populations
Authors: Jiang Libo , Ren Xiangyu , Wu Rongling
Published: December 2020

Population genetic theory has been well developed for diploid species, but its extension to study genetic diversity, variation and evolution in autopolyploids, a class of polyploids derived from the genome doubling of a single ancestral species, requires the incorporation of multisomic inheritance. Double reduction, which is characteristic of autopolyploidy, has long been believed to shape the evolutionary consequence of organisms in changing environments. Here, we develop a computational model for testing and estimating double reduction and its genomic distribution in autotetraploids. The model is implemented with the expectation–maximization (EM) algorithm to dissect unobservable allelic recombinations among multiple chromosomes, enabling the simultaneous estimation of allele frequencies and double reduction in natural populations. The framework fills an important gap in the population genetic theory of autopolyploids.
Yours is bigger than mine! Could an index like the Producer Subsidy Equivalent help in understanding the comparative incidence of industrial subsidies?
Authors: Wolfe Robert
Published: December 2020

State support remains a leading cause of tension in international commercial relations. Governments see trade distortions that look like they were caused by industrial subsidies, but lack data to illuminate that state support. In the 1980s, the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) developed an index that helped countries to see the overall incidence of agricultural subsidies, initially called the Producer Subsidy Equivalent (PSE) and the Consumer Subsidy Equivalent (CSE). Are there lessons for today in the PSE approach? I try to answer that question from the standpoint of economics: how did the PSE evolve, what is it, is the concept relevant to industrial subsidies? And of politics: how was OECD able to create the tool, and do present conditions permit something similar? The PSE was a response to a shared perception of crisis. It drew on well‐established concepts in the agricultural economics and trade literatures. And it works best in a context where market power is sufficiently diffuse that a price gap between domestic and world prices can be calculated. Only some of those conditions can be met when applying the approach to concentrated industries dominated by large firms that operate in multi‐country supply chains.