bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic: how to decide who deserves life-saving medical devices?
Authors: Pinho Micaela
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The current COVID-19 pandemic stressed the importance of discussing the problems surrounding the scarcity of healthcare resources. Healthcare rationing has been a constant issue, but in the present pandemic, the need to choose who to treat and who to let die became a pressing reality. What criteria to adopt or what protocol to follow is a difficult challenge politicians face because it involves moral judgments and/or ethical values. As there are multiple ethically permissible criteria to allocate life-saving medical resources and we will all bear the consequences of these rationing decisions, it is important to explore the appropriateness of each of these approaches. Here, the author describes the main rationing criteria proposed in the literature and explores their applicability to an absolute scarcity of resources as the current one. Finally, the author describes the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal and proposes some guidelines to ensure a fair allocation of resources.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review was made regarding some rationing protocols, and a qualitative research was followed to collect data regarding the number of daily infected and daily deaths by COVID-19.

Findings

Portugal has not, fortunately and so far, been as badly hit by COVID-19 as other European Countries. However a rigorous and explicit protocol is lacking to help health professionals at the frontline to take legitimate rationing decisions.

Practical implications

The author contributes for the discussion about life-or-death decisions by proposing some clinical practice lines that may be applied fairly and consistently.

Originality/value

This study is the first attempt to emphasize the need to set life-or-death guidelines in Portugal in a public health emergency and to propose some of these guidelines.
Posttraumatic stress among Eritrean unaccompanied refugee minors in Ethiopia
Authors: Arega Natnael Terefe
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) are known to be subjected to several potentially traumatic life events, risking more mental health problems than other populations of same age. Evidence concerning the mental health of Eritrean URMs in Ethiopia is scarce. This paper aims to present an estimate of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within this group and describes its associations with traumatic life events and participants’ characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional quantitative study surveyed a random sample of 384 Eritrean URMs, aged 12–17 years, in the Shimelba refugee camp. The Stressful Life Events (SLE) questionnaire and the Reactions of Adolescents to Traumatic Stress (RATS) questionnaire were used to assess traumatic events and PTSD symptoms, respectively. Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test with the odds-ratio and stepwise regression were used to analyze data.

Findings

Large proportions of the URMs had experienced traumatic events including physical abuse (261, 68%), separation from family against will (240, 62.5%), a stressful life event in which they were in danger (198, 51.6%), and important changes in family life (196, 51%). About 38% of the URMs met the criteria for classifying probable PTSD diagnosis, suggesting that they are likely to have PTSD. The odds-ratio statistic revealed that girls and the oldest age group (15–17 years) were at a greater risk for PTSD. The total score on the SLE appeared to be the robust predictor, explaining 28% of the variance in RATS total scores.

Research limitations/implications

Self-report questionnaires used in this study yield less diagnostic information than extensive interviews. Additional information should be collected from the viewpoint of significant adults (caregivers/ teachers). Such information would be crucial in assessing the degree of impairment in daily functioning and the severity of the symptoms.

Originality/value

Awareness of the stressful experiences and the mental health status of the URMs has implications for taking preventive and curative measures to provide a broad range of intervention programs and psychosocial support.
Failure to lead on COVID-19: what went wrong with the United States?
Authors: Schismenos Spyros , Smith Antoine A. , Stevens Garry J. , Emmanouloudis Dimitrios
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the federal decisions to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response in the United States and consider the different approaches employed by the California state government.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper focuses on COVID-19-related issues, responses and implications in federal countries, and largely draws comparisons between the Trump Administration and California state.

Findings

The slow response of the federal government could have been avoided, had there been a current and tested national plan. The defunding of the Office of Pandemics and Emerging Threats, and the lack of coordination between the Trump Administration and the states have contributed to its ranking as the country with the highest COVID-19 infection and fatality rates worldwide. California state oversaw an effective initial pandemic response, which was ultimately undermined by a lack of national support and the refusal of some citizens to comply with the restrictions.

Research limitations/implications

The paper draws upon open-source information published on government websites and news media.

Originality/value

As the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is currently ongoing, information about the federal governance and state response is still evolving. The authors examine California as a state exemplar, since it is the largest such jurisdiction by populace and the first state to issue statewide mandatory lockdown measures. This comparison offers insights as to the decisive initiatives that could have occurred at the federal level. The “lessons learned” highlight the critical role of crisis leadership in societal and public health preparedness for future pandemic events.
Does institutional theory explain integrated reporting adoption of Fortune 500 companies?
Authors: Kılıç Merve , Uyar Ali , Kuzey Cemil , Karaman Abdullah S.
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The objective of this study is to investigate whether the institutional environment is associated with the adoption of integrated reporting.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample of the study is based on the firms included in the list of Fortune Global 500. The logistic regression analysis was run to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

The findings indicated that the code-law orientation and strength of the institutional quality are significantly associated (i.e. positively and negatively, respectively) with the integrated reporting of Fortune 500 companies. Firms are motivated for more transparency in stakeholder-oriented and weakly regulated contexts. Thus, stakeholder pressure is more influential than shareholder interest in motivating or forcing firms to issue integrated reports. Besides, there appears to be a trade-off between the public sector and the private sector in terms of ensuring an accountable and transparent business environment. If the public sector does not undertake its role in ensuring a transparent business environment, the private sector fills the gap. The results are robust to alternative sampling and methodologies.

Research limitations/implications

This study implied that the stakeholder orientation of countries fosters the transparency and accountability of firms. Corporate behavior is impacted by the institutional strength or weakness of nations. The institutional theory provides an appropriate ground to understand drivers of corporate reporting practices of firms beyond firm-level characteristics.

Practical implications

The adoption of integrated reporting framework by Fortune 500 companies can be leveraged to alleviate concerns about their social and environmental impacts. Policy-makers in the countries which have a weak institutional environment force or encourage their firms to increasingly meet the transparency and accountability demands of society.

Social implications

The research findings might play an encouraging role in that various stakeholders (i.e. customers, public, civil organizations and press) should undertake active roles and responsibilities to encourage firms to behave in socially and environmentally responsible ways.

Originality/value

This study adds to the literature by examining the influence of the institutional environment on the adoption of integrated reporting, using recent international data, and focusing on the largest companies according to the Fortune's annual Global 500 list. This study is one of the first to examine the association between a set of governance characteristics (i.e. board size, board independence and board diversity) and integrated reporting adoption.
Lessons we never wanted to learn: pandemic as pedagogy
Authors: Fogarty Timothy J.
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is a reflective account in which one person who has been around long enough to see a good bit considers how COVID-19 might change the general contours of the world.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper follows a broadly based and relatively unstructured approach, based on personal understandings and whatever rigor might have been gained by a life spent thinking about research design and the limits of methodology.

Findings

The opposite of what many others believe will happen is argued for. Things will change more than we wish. Most will change for the worse.

Research limitations/implications

Accounting research will have a role to play, but to have impact, this study will require that researchers adopt a much more critical perspective about capitalism and its consequences than before.

Practical implications

Everyone must do the best they can. Everyone must learn to accept the new and not rage to restore that which existed in before times.

Social implications

Harsher climate of interpersonal relations will be realized.

Originality/value

This paper is more about change than about accounting. A 30,000-foot level analysis that does not try to provide many examples. An effort to rise above the specifics that vary across the world.
Leadership and governance in a crisis: some reflections on COVID-19
Authors: Mather Paul
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The COVID-19 crisis presents significant leadership and governance challenges and opportunities for organisations. This is a reflective commentary on how leaders and boards are responding to the crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on personal experiences as an employee, non-executive director and observing leaders.

Findings

That leaders emphasise values and purpose and communicate with clarity, meaning and empathy is paramount. It is organisations which continue to be agile and to adapt and change proactively with “out of the box” thinking who will thrive in the next normal.

Originality/value

The lessons learned from this unique crisis for business continuity and success in the next normal.
The conception of organisational fraud: the need for rejuvenation of fraud theory
Authors: Maulidi Ach , Ansell Jake
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to challenge some of the underlying concepts about causation of fraud and in doing so enriches knowledge and insight into the management of fraud.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is a part of fieldwork carried out in Indonesia.

Findings

Organisational fraud is an exceptional type of crime. Hence, the underlying antecedents and consequences of fraud in organisation are distinct from other crimes, especially violent crimes. The underlying logic in criminological and sociological theories and literature cannot fully explain the causal factors of fraud in the organisation. This leads to a theoretical discussion about the reconstruction of the fraud theory. Implications and suggestions for further studies are discussed in this study.

Originality/value

This study provides a new understanding of fraud and its antecedents and consequences. In doing so, it examines the long-standing debate in criminology and sociology about the theories concerning crime causation, as these areas provide the underlying logic of fraud theory.
Knowledge creation in complex inter-organizational arrangements: understanding the barriers and enablers of university-industry knowledge creation in science-based cooperation
Authors: Tootell Adrian , Kyriazis Elias , Billsberry Jon , Ambrosini Véronique , Garrett-Jones Sam , Wallace Gordon
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This study aims to explore the factors undergirding knowledge creation in the university-industry complex inter-organizational arrangement. It builds upon social capital and relationship marketing theories.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a qualitative research design. In total, 36 innovation champions involved in knowledge creation were interviewed to provide detailed insights into the process. A thematic analysis of the in-depth interviews was conducted.

Findings

The principal finding was that opportunistic behavior was a significant barrier to knowledge creation. In severe cases, the knowledge creation process was destroyed, resulting in lost investment. Principled behavior and investment in affect-based and cognition-based trust, through five critical trust development activities, provided the best path to successful knowledge creation.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the knowledge management literature by providing insights into the enablers and barriers to the formation of cooperation, a crucial antecedent to knowledge creation literature. It also affords practical implications for innovation managers and policymakers on how they can improve knowledge creation by using social capital and relationship marketing theory in complex inter-organizational arrangements.
Forgiveness and attribution: when abusive supervision enhances performance
Authors: Yang Jun , Liu Yonghong , Stackhouse Madelynn , Wang Wei
Published: November 2020

Purpose

While much research shows that abusive supervision reduces employee performance, the purpose of this study is to reverse the lens to question how and under what circumstances abusive supervision leads to enhanced employee performance. The authors argue that the linkages between abusive supervision and employee performance occurs via performance-promotion attributions and that employee levels of dispositional forgiveness alter the relationship between abusive supervision and employee interpretations of abuse, such that more forgiving individuals interpret abuse as more benign behavior designed to help them perform better (i.e. are performance promoting).

Design/methodology/approach

In a three-wave field survey of 318 employees matched with 89 supervisors, employees completed measures of dispositional forgiveness (Time 1) abusive supervision (Time 1), and performance-promotion attributions of abusive supervision's motives (Time 2). Supervisors rated the job performance of their employees (Time 3). Multilevel structural equation modeling was employed to test a multilevel moderated mediation model.

Findings

The findings indicate abusive supervision predicts diminished employee performance only when employees are low in dispositional forgiveness, explained by lowered performance-promotion attributions for abusive supervision.

Originality/value

This study is the first to explore the mechanism (i.e. attribution of abusive supervision's motives to be performance-promoting) and the condition (i.e. employee's high forgiveness) under which abusive supervision may be performance enhancing. It extends the research of abusive supervision on employees' constructive reactions, as well as the effect of dispositional forgiveness on how it reframes employees' attributions of workplace mistreatment.
Ascertaining auditors’ intentions to use blockchain technology: evidence from the Big 4 accountancy firms in Italy
Authors: Ferri Luca , Spanò Rosanna , Ginesti Gianluca , Theodosopoulos Grigorios
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This study aims to provide an empirically informed view on the auditing profession’s readiness to embrace “disruptive” technologies. Relying on evidence from Big 4 employees in Italy, this study examines the factors that motivate auditors to use blockchain technology (BT).

Design/methodology/approach

To this aim, this study uses an integrated theoretical frame merging the third version of the technology acceptance model (TAM3) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). The analytical model is based on an application of the structural equation modelling with partial least square estimation on data gathered through a Likert-based questionnaire.

Findings

The findings reveal that the main predictors of auditors’ intention to use blockchain are performance expectancy and social influence. Moreover, auditors’ effort expectancy in relation to this technology implementation and use appears to be a reasonably reliable predictor.

Originality/value

This paper contributes an evidence-based view to the discussion on the impact of automation and disruptive information and communication technologies, on the roles of accounting and auditing professionals. It uses a novel approach to analysis by integrating TAM3 and UTAUT within its theoretical model. It complements and extends the field of studies on technology acceptance by offering fresh insights into auditors’ perceptions. Finally, the paper highlights practical implications for business leaders aiming to use the advantages of BT in audit firms.
Meta-heuristic algorithms for solving the sustainable agro-food grain supply chain network design problem
Authors: Dwivedi Ashish , Jha Ajay , Prajapati Dhirendra , Sreenu Nenavath , Pratap Saurabh
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Due to unceasing declination in environment, sustainable agro-food supply chains have become a topic of concern to business, government organizations and customers. The purpose of this study is to examine a problem associated with sustainable network design in context of Indian agro-food grain supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model is suggested to apprehend the major complications related with two-echelon food grain supply chain along with sustainability aspects (carbon emissions). Genetic algorithm (GA) and quantum-based genetic algorithm (Q-GA), two meta-heuristic algorithms and LINGO 18 (traditional approach) are employed to establish the vehicle allocation and selection of orders set.

Findings

The model minimizes the total transportation cost and carbon emission tax in gathering food grains from farmers to the hubs and later to the selected demand points (warehouses). The simulated data are adopted to test and validate the suggested model. The computational experiments concede that the performance of LINGO is superior than meta-heuristic algorithms (GA and Q-GA) in terms of solution obtained, but there is trade-off with respect to computational time.

Research limitations/implications

In literature, inadequate study has been perceived on defining environmental sustainable issues connected with agro-food supply chain from farmer to final distribution centers. A MINLP model has been formulated as practical scenario for central part of India that captures all the major complexities to make the system more efficient. This study is regulated to agro-food Indian industries.

Originality/value

The suggested network design problem is an innovative approach to design distribution systems from farmers to the hubs and later to the selected warehouses. This study considerably assists the organizations to design their distribution network more efficiently.
How HR managers of incubators can be more effective: consider the relationships among entrepreneurs
Authors: Chakrabarty Subrata
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain how human resource (HR) managers of incubators can be more effective by applying Relationship focused theory, wherein the HR managers consider the forms of relationships among entrepreneurs. For helping create successful startups, HR managers of incubators can analyze and govern the practice of entrepreneurial action using a relationship-focused (rather than an individual-focused) approach.

Design/methodology/approach

A fourfold typology of relationships is used to explain the utility of relationships for practicing entrepreneurial work in an incubator. HR managers of incubators should consider the forms of relationships among the entrepreneurs that they oversee within incubators.

Findings

Social and task antecedents determine the ideal relationship between budding entrepreneurs, and incubator climate restrains the link between relationships and entrepreneurial outcomes.

Originality/value

Relationship-focused theory is used to explain the manner in which entrepreneurial action can be organized among budding entrepreneurs within incubators. The focus stays on the ‘relationship’ between budding entrepreneurs housed within incubators.
Enlisting human resources to mitigate information security risks
Authors: Wipawayangkool Kamphol , Lilly Juliana
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to suggest ways to integrate human resources (HR) and information security management (ISM) within a firm to help reduce expensive and embarrassing failures in information security breaches.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is written for the practitioners. It includes a general review of literature in information technology and HR to help explain ways to decrease the chance of ISM failures.

Findings

Employees often become careless about information security in the workplace, and the threat to corporate information systems is serious. Although security training is essential, a more comprehensive approach to addressing the security issue is needed. As human factors account for most security breaches, including HR personnel as a partner with IT may help address some of the weaknesses that training alone cannot resolve.

Originality/value

This paper discusses the human factors that cause information technology breaches and how combining HR practices and ISM may generate a competitive advantage for the organization. This paper then offers practical suggestions that HR may use to help with ISM issues.
Determinants of service quality and its effect on customer satisfaction and loyalty: an empirical study of private banking sector
Authors: Islam Rafikul , Ahmed Selim , Rahman Mahbubar , Al Asheq Ahmed
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of various service quality dimensions, namely reliability, responsiveness, visibility, employee commitment and access to service on customer satisfaction in the private banking sector of Bangladesh. The research also investigates the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty and effect of demographic variables on customer satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers distributed 320 self-administered survey questionnaires among private banks' customers in Bangladesh and obtained 200 useable responses with a 62.5% valid response rate. The research data were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) approaches. Analysis of variance and logistic regression have also been used to obtain the supplementary findings.

Findings

The research findings indicate that visibility, responsiveness and employee commitment have positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction, whereas reliability and access to service are found to have insignificant influence on customer satisfaction of private banking services. The findings of this study also revealed that customer satisfaction has positive and significant relationship with customer loyalty. But except respondents' occupation type, all other demographic variables have no statistically significant relation with customer satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

The research focused solely on the private banking sector of Bangladesh, and thus the results may not be applicable to other service sectors.

Originality/value

This study conducted on customers' perception of private banking services is based on extended service quality dimensions and its relationship with customer satisfaction towards loyalty. The present research findings are anticipated to offer the guidelines for improving the customer satisfaction and loyalty of private banking services in Bangladesh as well as other countries.
Dissolved organic matter released by two marine heterotrophic bacterial strains and its bioavailability for natural prokaryotic communities
Authors: Ortega‐Retuerta Eva , Devresse Quentin , Caparros Jocelyne , Marie Barbara , Crispi Olivier , Catala Philippe , Joux Fabien , Obernosterer Ingrid
Published: November 2020

Marine heterotrophic prokaryotes (HP) play a key role in organic matter processing in the ocean; however, the view of HP as dissolved organic matter (DOM) sources remains underexplored. In this study, we quantified and optically characterized the DOM produced by two single marine bacterial strains. We then tested the availability of these DOM sources to in situ Mediterranean Sea HP communities. Two bacterial strains were used: Photobacterium angustum (a copiotrophic gammaproteobacterium) and Sphingopyxis alaskensis (an oligotrophic alphaproteobacterium). When cultivated on glucose as the sole carbon source, the two strains released from 7% to 23% of initial glucose as bacterial derived DOM (B‐DOM), the quality of which (as enrichment in humic or protein‐like substances) differed between strains. B‐DOM induced significant growth and carbon consumption of natural HP communities, suggesting that it was partly labile. However, B‐DOM consistently promoted lower prokaryotic growth efficiencies than in situ DOM. In addition, B‐DOM changed HP exoenzymatic activities, enhancing aminopeptidase activity when degrading P. angustum DOM, and alkaline phosphatase activity when using S. alaskensis DOM, and promoted differences in HP diversity and composition. DOM produced by HP affects in situ prokaryotic metabolism and diversity, thus changing the pathways for DOM cycling (e.g. respiration over biomass production) in the ocean.
Genome‐resolved viral ecology in a marine oxygen minimum zone
Authors: Vik Dean , Gazitúa Maria Consuelo , Sun Christine L. , Zayed Ahmed A. , Aldunate Montserrat , Mulholland Margaret R. , Ulloa Osvaldo , Sullivan Matthew B.
Published: November 2020

Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are critical to marine nitrogen cycling and global climate change. While OMZ microbial communities are relatively well‐studied, little is known about their viruses. Here, we assess the viral community ecology of 22 deeply sequenced viral metagenomes along a gradient of oxygenated to anoxic waters (<0.02 μmol/l O2) in the Eastern Tropical South Pacific (ETSP) OMZ. We identified 46 127 viral populations (≥5 kb), which augments the known viruses from ETSP by 10‐fold. Viral communities clustered into six groups that correspond to oceanographic features. Oxygen concentration was the predominant environmental feature driving viral community structure. Alpha and beta diversity of viral communities in the anoxic zone were lower than in surface waters, which parallels the low microbial diversity seen in other studies. ETSP viruses were largely endemic, with the majority of shared viruses (87%) also present in other OMZ samples. We detected 543 putative viral‐encoded auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs), of which some have a distribution that reflects physico‐chemical characteristics across depth. Together these findings provide an ecological baseline for viral community structure, drivers and population variability in OMZs that will help future studies assess the role of viruses in these climate‐critical environments.
Metagenomic assessment of the global diversity and distribution of bacteria and fungi
Authors: Bahram Mohammad , Netherway Tarquin , Frioux Clémence , Ferretti Pamela , Coelho Luis Pedro , Geisen Stefan , Bork Peer , Hildebrand Falk
Published: November 2020

Bacteria and fungi are of uttermost importance in determining environmental and host functioning. Despite close interactions between animals, plants, their associated microbiomes, and the environment they inhabit, the distribution and role of bacteria and especially fungi across host and environments as well as the cross‐habitat determinants of their community compositions remain little investigated. Using a uniquely broad global dataset of 13 483 metagenomes, we analysed the microbiome structure and function of 25 host‐associated and environmental habitats, focusing on potential interactions between bacteria and fungi. We found that the metagenomic relative abundance ratio of bacteria‐to‐fungi is a distinctive microbial feature of habitats. Compared with fungi, the cross‐habitat distribution pattern of bacteria was more strongly driven by habitat type. Fungal diversity was depleted in host‐associated communities compared with those in the environment, particularly terrestrial habitats, whereas this diversity pattern was less pronounced for bacteria. The relative gene functional potential of bacteria or fungi reflected their diversity patterns and appeared to depend on a balance between substrate availability and biotic interactions. Alongside helping to identify hotspots and sources of microbial diversity, our study provides support for differences in assembly patterns and processes between bacterial and fungal communities across different habitats.
Business Advisory Services and Female Employment in an Extreme Institutional Context
Authors: Johan Sofia , Valenzuela Patricio
Published: November 2020

Publicly funded business advisory services face pressure to demonstrate value‐added effects among their assisted firms. Our research aims to measure the effectiveness of a business advisory programme developed in a developed country and applied in an emerging economy with a male‐dominated labour market. We also seek to determine the effects of increased professionalization resulting from advisory services. Comparing the business advisory services of a publicly funded organization with those of a matched sample, we observe an overall positive effect on job creation; however, this employment growth benefits males at the expense of females. We also find a reduction in unpaid family work and an increase in formal, full‐time employment but again, this professionalization and substitution effect mainly benefits male workers.
Saltmarsh rhizosphere fungal communities vary by sediment type and dominant plant species cover in Nova Scotia, Canada
Authors: d'Entremont Tyler W. , Migicovsky Zoë , López‐Gutiérrez Juan C. , Walker Allison K.
Published: November 2020

We surveyed Spartina saltmarsh sediment rhizosphere fungal communities at three saltmarshes and two timepoints in coastal Nova Scotia. Based on ITS2 Illumina miSeq rDNA data and multivariate analysis, neither sediment zone nor collection period correlated with fungal ASV richness, but collection site did. However, Shannon diversity indicated that sediment zone played a significant role in fungal diversity. For unweighted and weighted UniFrac distance, site was the major factor driving beta‐diversity, with sediment zone and collection period having smaller roles. Sediment type and saltmarsh plant species may play important roles in structuring rhizosphere fungal assemblages, here dominated by ascomycetes. To our knowledge, our study is the first to assess fungal sediment communities in saltmarshes in Atlantic Canada using metabarcoding. It provides a biodiversity analysis of sediment fungi in a poorly studied but highly important ecosystem and points to their roles in nutrient cycling, blue carbon, coastal stability and coastal restoration. Our work will inform ongoing saltmarsh restoration in Atlantic Canada.
Does prior ultrasonography affect the safety of induced abortion at or after 13 weeks’ gestation? A retrospective study
Authors: Kapp Nathalie , Griffin Risa , Bhattarai Navaraj , Dangol Deeb Shrestha
Published: November 2020

Introduction

We aimed to assess whether ultrasonography prior to dilation and evacuation or medical abortion ≥13 weeks was correlated with safety.

Material and methods

We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients undergoing abortion ≥13 weeks at eight sites in Nepal from 2015 to 2019.

Results

We included 2294 women undergoing abortion ≥13 weeks (no upper gestational age limit); 593 underwent dilation and evacuation and 1701 had a medical abortion. Demographics differed by procedure for parity (19% vs 33% nulliparous, dilation and evacuation, and medical abortion) and gestational age (90% vs 52% were 13‐15 weeks, dilation and evacuation, and medical abortion). Ultrasonography was performed in 81% of cases overall. Complications were rare (<1% of dilations and evacuations, 1.4% of medical abortions). The most common adverse events with dilation and evacuation were hemorrhage and cervical laceration; three women required re‐aspiration. Following medical abortion, 13.5% had retained products, 12.9% with prior ultrasound and 16.3% who had not had an ultrasound. Hemorrhage and severe side‐effects occurred at similarly low rates regardless of whether ultrasonography was performed. In a logistic regression model where patient characteristics and case clustering within facilities were controlled for, we found a correlation between ultrasonography and complications when retained placenta was included in the model, but there was no correlation between ultrasonography and complications when retained placenta was excluded.

Conclusions

This study confirms low complication rates among women having an abortion ≥13 weeks’ gestation in healthcare facilities. Settings without universal availability of ultrasound may still maintain low, comparable complication rates.
Left ventricular unloading with transaortic Impella 2.5 implantation in a pediatric patient supported by extracorporeal life support
Authors: Sandoval Boburg Rodrigo , Mustafi Migdat , Magunia Harry , Kling Steffen , Schlensak Christian , Popov Aron‐Frederik
Published: November 2020

We report the case of a 12‐year old female patient with Friedreich’s ataxia and diabetes mellitus. Due to a progressive multiorgan failure, a veno‐arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was implanted through the axillary vessels. However, due to a lack of ejection and severe dilatation of the left ventricle, an Impella 2.5 was implanted. Due to the small diameter of the femoral arteries, we performed a trans‐aortic implantation through a median sternotomy via a Dacron tube graft. We report on the procedure and perioperative outcome.
Laparoscopic mucosectomy for gastric duplication cysts that communicated with the spleen in a 10‐year‐old girl: A case report
Authors: Kohara Yuichiro , Zuo Shogo , Sawai Toshio , Kanehiro Hiromichi , Sho Masayuki
Published: November 2020

We report a case of laparoscopic mucosectomy for gastric duplication cysts that communicated with the spleen. A 10‐year‐old girl visited a local hospital with a chief complaint of intermittent left abdominal pain that had lasted for about 2 months. We diagnosed two gastric duplication cysts by ultrasonography and planned a laparoscopic extirpation. The elliptical masses were found in the splenic hilum and were 5 and 3 cm in diameter. The bigger one communicated with the spleen, so cystectomy could not be performed. Considering the risk of hemorrhage and the patient's age, we performed a mucosectomy rather than a partial splenectomy. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course. We histologically diagnosed gastric duplication cysts. Laparoscopic mucosectomy is a useful procedure for gastric duplication cysts that communicate with the spleen.
Quantitative relationship between infliximab exposure and inhibition of C‐reactive protein synthesis to support inflammatory bowel disease management
Authors: Grisic Ana‐Marija , Eser Alexander , Huisinga Wilhelm , Reinisch Walter , Kloft Charlotte
Published: November 2020

Aim

Quantitative and kinetic insights into the drug exposure‐disease response relationship might enhance our knowledge on loss of response and support more effective monitoring of inflammatory activity by biomarkers in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treated with infliximab (IFX). This study aimed to derive recommendations for dose adjustment and treatment optimisation based on mechanistic characterisation of the relationship between IFX serum concentration and C‐reactive protein (CRP) concentration.

Methods

Data from an investigator‐initiated trial included 121 patients with IBD during IFX maintenance treatment. Serum concentrations of IFX, antidrug antibodies (ADA), CRP, and disease‐related covariates were determined at the mid‐term and end of a dosing interval. Data were analysed using a pharmacometric nonlinear mixed‐effects modelling approach. An IFX exposure‐CRP model was generated and applied to evaluate dosing regimens to achieve CRP remission.

Results

The generated quantitative model showed that IFX has the potential to inhibit up to 72% (9% relative standard error [RSE]) of CRP synthesis in a patient. IFX concentration leading to 90% of the maximum CRP synthesis inhibition was 18.4 μg/mL (43% RSE). Presence of ADA was the most influential factor on IFX exposure. With standard dosing strategy, ≥55% of ADA+ patients experienced CRP nonremission. Shortening the dosing interval and co‐therapy with immunomodulators were found to be the most beneficial strategies to maintain CRP remission.

Conclusions

With the generated model we could for the first time establish a robust relationship between IFX exposure and CRP synthesis inhibition, which could be utilised for treatment optimisation in IBD patients.
Climatic and environmental changes in the Yana Highlands of north‐eastern Siberia over the last c. 57 000 years, derived from a sediment core from Lake Emanda
Authors: Baumer Marlene M. , Wagner Bernd , Meyer Hanno , Leicher Niklas , Lenz Matthias , Fedorov Grigory , Pestryakova Luidmila A. , Melles Martin
Published: November 2020

The sediment succession of Lake Emanda in the Yana Highlands was investigated to reconstruct the regional late Quaternary climate and environmental history. Hydro‐acoustic data obtained during a field campaign in 2017 show laminated sediments in the north‐western and deepest (up to ̃15 m) part of the lake, where a ̃6‐m‐long sediment core (Co1412) was retrieved. The sediment core was studied with a multi‐proxy approach including sedimentological and geochemical analyses. The chronology of Co1412 is based on 14C AMS dating on plant fragments from the upper 4.65 m and by extrapolation suggests a basal age of c. 57 cal. ka BP. Pronounced changes in the proxy data indicate that early Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 was characterized by unstable environmental conditions associated with short‐term temperature and/or precipitation variations. This interval was followed by progressively colder and likely drier conditions during mid‐MIS 3. A lake‐level decline between 32.0 and 19.1 cal. ka BP was presumably related to increased continentality and dry conditions peaking during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). A subsequent rise in lake level could accordingly have been the result of increased rainfall, probably in combination with seasonally high meltwater input. A milder or wetter Lateglacial climate increased lake productivity and vegetation growth, the latter stabilizing the catchment and reducing clastic input into the lake. The Bølling‐Allerød warming, Younger Dryas cooling and Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) are indicated by distinct changes in the environment around Lake Emanda. Unstable, but similar‐to‐present‐day climatic and environmental conditions have persisted since c. 5 cal. ka BP. The results emphasize the highly continental setting of the study site and therefore suggest that the climate at Lake Emanda was predominantly controlled by changes in summer insolation, global sea level, and the extent of ice sheets over Eurasia, which influenced atmospheric circulation patterns.
Endothelin‐1 potentiates TRPV1‐mediated vasoconstriction of human adipose arterioles in a protein kinase C‐dependent manner
Authors: Korishettar Ankush M. , Nishijima Yoshinori , Wang Zhihao , Xie Yangjing , Fang Juan , Wilcox David A. , Zhang David X.
Published: November 2020

Background and Purpose

The TRPV cation channels have emerged as important regulators of vascular tone. TRPV1 channels and endothelin‐1 are independently associated with the pathophysiology of coronary vasospasm, but the relationship between their vasomotor functions remains unclear. We characterized the vasomotor function of TRPV1 channels in human arterioles and investigated regulation of their vasomotor function by endothelin‐1.

Experimental Approach

Human arterioles (mainly from adipose tissue) were threaded on two metal wires, equilibrated in a physiological buffer at 37°C and exposed to increasing concentrations of capsaicin, with or without SB366791 (TRPV1‐selective inhibitor) or GF109203X (PKC‐selective inhibitor). Some arterioles were pre‐constricted with endothelin‐1 or phenylephrine or high potassium buffer. TRPV1 mRNA and protein expression in human arteries were also assessed.

Key Results

TRPV1 transcripts and proteins were detected in human resistance arteries. Capsaicin (1 μM) induced concentration‐dependent constriction of endothelium‐intact and endothelium‐denuded human adipose arterioles (HAA), which was significantly inhibited by SB366791. Pre‐constriction of HAA with endothelin‐1, but not high potassium buffer or phenylephrine, significantly potentiated capsaicin (0.1 μM)‐induced constriction. GF109203X significantly inhibited potentiation of capsaicin‐induced constriction by endothelin‐1.

Conclusion and Implications

TRPV1 channels are expressed in the human vasculature and affect vascular tone of human arterioles on activation. Their vasomotor function is modulated by endothelin‐1, mediated in part by PKC. These findings reveal a novel interplay between endothelin‐1 signalling and TRPV1 channels in human VSMC, adding to our understanding of the ion channel mechanisms that regulate human arteriolar tone and may also contribute to the pathophysiology of coronary vasospasm.
No changes in nocturnal respiration with hypoglossal neurostimulation therapy for obstructive sleep apnoea
Authors: Bachour Adel , Bäck Leif , Pietarinen Petra
Published: November 2020

Study objectives

We initiated Hypoglossal Neurostimulation therapy (HGNS) at the Helsinki University Hospital in late 2014. Here, we report our experience.

Methods

We included all 15 HGNS patients. All patients had previously failed both CPAP and oral appliance therapy for sleep apnoea. Overnight polysomnography parameters were analysed before and at 1.5 years with HGNS.

Results

Mean ± SD patient age was 53 ± 6 years; 2 women and 13 men were included. Mean ± SD efficient CPAP level was 11.4 ± 3.4 cm H2O. Implantation technically succeeded in all patients. There were no significant changes of AHI and ODI4 after HGNS [median (quartile) 29.2/h (19.8‐38.7) versus 30.1/h (15.6‐52.6) and 15.0/h (5.9‐20) versus 12.5/h (6.9‐30.2) respectively].

Conclusion

We did not observe significant changes in AHI and ODI4 indices with HGNS therapy. Larger multicentre randomised controlled trials are necessary before wider international use of HGNS.
Consequences of survey method for estimating hunters' harvest rates
Authors: Jones Sorrel C. Z. , Papworth Sarah K. , St. John Freya A. V. , Vickery Juliet A. , Keane Aidan M.
Published: November 2020

Harvest data are widely used to understand hunting in tropical forests. However, survey methods are susceptible to biases which could affect results. We compare catch data from two approaches applied concurrently in the same villages (n = 7) in Gola Forest, Liberia: hunter recall interviews (n = 208 hunters, 253 trips) and continuous monitoring by village‐based assistants (n = 53 hunters, 404 trips). We use Bayesian multi‐level models to: (a) compare estimates of animals killed per trip for each data source; (b) test whether differences between villages are consistent across data sources and (c) identify potential sources of bias. Hunter recall produced higher, and more variable, catch estimates than village‐based monitoring, with mean of 7.3 animals [6.0–8.8 95%CI] compared to 3.0 [2.4–3.6], for a trip lasting 3.2 days (the average duration from village‐based monitoring). Mean catch‐per‐village from village‐based monitoring failed to predict hunter recall catch and villages with highest catch differed between methods. Differences in trip duration were a potential source of bias: hunter recall recorded longer, more variable, trips (mean 4.0 ± SD 3.0 days, range = 1–32) than village‐based monitoring (mean 3.2 ± SD 1.7, range = 1–10). Longer trips were associated with higher catch‐per‐day, use of guns, forest camps and accompaniment by another person; so nonrandom sampling of these traits may have introduced bias. Between‐hunter variability was lower with village‐based monitoring, suggesting sampling captured a less diverse subgroup of hunters, or that recall data were noisier due to reporting errors. Our results demonstrate that methodological biases can have large effects on catch estimates and should be carefully considered when designing or interpreting hunting studies.
Cutaneous follicle center lymphomas with plasmacytic differentiation
Authors: Skala Stephanie L. , Harms Paul W. , Fullen Douglas R. , Brown Noah A. , Tejasvi Trilokraj , Wilcox Ryan A. , Boyer Daniel F. , Hristov Alexandra C.
Published: November 2020

Follicle center lymphomas, including primary cutaneous follicle center lymphoma (PCFCL), may rarely show plasmacytic differentiation. Such cases can pose a diagnostic challenge and can be mistaken for other lymphomas that more commonly include plasma cells. Here, we report four cases of PCFCL and one case of systemic follicular lymphoma involving the skin with associated monotypic plasma cells, including the clinical, morphologic and immunophenotypic features.
Defining the Museum: Struggling with a New Identity
Authors: Salguero Brenda
Published: November 2020

In the Virtual Issue “Defining the Museum: Struggling with a New Identity,” Brenda Salguero traces the history of defining museums, pointing to the ongoing challenge of capturing the essence of this professional field. This study shows that power and privilege have always influenced and continue to shape the museum sector’s image of itself. Ultimately, Salguero advocates for a new approach to museum definitions, one that acknowledges the difference between aspiration and achievement, and holds up definitions as a touchstone for the field to advance its work.
Cytological features of metastatic ceruminous adenocarcinoma (not otherwise specified) in pleural effusion: A case report
Authors: Lan Zhihua , Li Jianping , Yang Fang
Published: November 2020

This is the first presentation of the cytological features of metastatic ceruminous adenocarcinoma (NOS) in a pleural effusion sample. Positive expression of SOX‐10 aided diagnosis in this case.