bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beliefs and perceptions about breast cancer among the people living in rural and less privileged areas in Sindh, Pakistan
Authors: Agha Nadia , Rind Rahim Dad
Published: January 2021

Purpose

Globally, women suffer from a lack of knowledge about breast cancer (BC), its symptoms and treatment. The purpose of this paper is to examine how people living in rural and less developed areas in Pakistan perceive BC. The study investigates the level of knowledge about BC in rural communities and analyses how the prevalent perceptions and beliefs impact women's lives and delay the diagnosis.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on 42 in-depth interviews with the women who have undergone BC treatment during the past five years. The participants were interviewed were the residents of the northern Sindh, southern Pakistan.

Findings

Findings show that BC was perceived as a contagious disease transmitted through touching or being physically close to the patient. Some women were abandoned by their husbands because of this perception. Faith in fatalism and the perception that BC is an incurable disease were common in communities with low socio-economic status. This is likely to affect the prevention and early detection of BC.

Originality/value

The study shows a strong co-relation of awareness with the prevalent perceptions regarding BC. Therefore, we recommend promoting health literacy and introducing culturally specific interventions in remote communities to enhance their understanding of the available treatment and help remove misconceptions about BC.
Traditional-bank customers' digital-only bank resistance: evidence from South Africa
Authors: Nel Jacques , Boshoff Christo
Published: January 2021

Purpose

Digital-only banks are emerging as challenger banks to the traditional-bank business model in South Africa. However, traditional-bank customers could resist the use of digital-only banks, theoretically due to their satisfaction with the status quo. Consequently, inertia arising from bias to traditional banks based on status quo satisfaction could engender their resistance to become customers of digital-only banks. The objective of the study, therefore, is to investigate how traditional-bank customers' inertia influences digital-only bank resistance.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a literature review, digital-only bank adoption barriers and cognitive-based initial distrusting beliefs were identified as mediators of the influence of inertia on digital-only bank resistance. To test the mediation model empirically, data was collected from 610 traditional-bank-only customers.

Findings

The five adoption barriers fully mediate the influence of inertia on cognitive-based initial distrusting beliefs. The five barriers in serial with cognitive-based initial distrusting beliefs partially mediate the influence of traditional-bank customers' inertia on digital-only bank resistance. Cognitive-based initial distrusting belief is an essential factor in the mechanism underlying the influence of traditional-bank customers' inertia on digital-only bank resistance.

Originality/value

Digital-only banks are relatively new. Research is therefore lacking in consumer behavior explaining the use of digital-only banks by traditional-bank customers in the South African context. A further novelty of the study is the empirical assessment of mechanisms that explain the influence of inertia on cognitive-based initial distrusting beliefs, and the influence of inertia on resistance behavior.
University students' interaction, Internet self-efficacy, self-regulation and satisfaction with online education during pandemic crises of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2)
Authors: Hamdan Khaldoun Mohammad , Al-Bashaireh Ahmad M. , Zahran Zainab , Al-Daghestani Amal , AL-Habashneh Samira , Shaheen Abeer M.
Published: January 2021

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate Jordanian university students' interaction, Internet self-efficacy, self-regulation and satisfaction regarding online education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

A correlational cross-sectional design was utilized using convenience sampling to include 702 undergraduate students from Jordanian universities using an online self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, T-tests, one-way ANOVA and multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data.

Findings

The mean score of students' satisfaction was low (m = 45.14, SD = 25.62). Regarding student's interaction, learner-instructor interaction had the highest total mean score (m = 58.53, SD = 24.51), followed by learner-learner interaction (m = 47.50, SD = 22.64). Learner-content interaction had the lowest total mean score (m = 45.80, SD = 24.60). Significant differences in students' satisfaction were identified according to the level of education, university type and marital status. Significant predictors of students' satisfaction with online education were self-regulated learning, Internet self-efficacy, learner-content interaction, learner-learner interaction and the number of e-learning theoretical courses.

Originality/value

Online education is not well-established in developing countries. This study contributed to the limited knowledge of university students’ preparedness and satisfaction with online education during the early stage of COVID-19 pandemic.
Antibody‐mediated neutralization of IL11 signalling reduces ERK activation and cardiac fibrosis in a mouse model of severe pressure overload
Authors: Lim Wei‐Wen , Corden Ben , Ye Lei , Viswanathan Sivakumar , Widjaja Anissa A. , Xie Chen , Su Liping , Tee Nicole G. Z. , Schafer Sebastian , Cook Stuart A.
Published: January 2021

Interleukin‐11 (IL11) is important for fibroblast‐to‐myofibroblast transformations. Here, we examined the signalling and phenotypic effects of inhibiting IL11 signalling using neutralizing antibodies against IL11 or its cognate receptor (IL11RA) in a mouse model of acute and severe pressure overload. C57BL/6J mice underwent ascending aortic constriction (AAC) surgery and were randomized to anti‐IL11, anti‐IL11RA, or isotype control antibodies (20 mg/kg, bi‐weekly for 2 weeks). AAC surgery induced the expression of IL11, IL11RA and extracellular matrix (ECM) genes that was associated with cardiac hypertrophy and aortic remodelling. Inhibition of IL11 signalling reduced AAC‐induced cardiac fibrosis and ECM gene expression as well as ERK1/2 phosphorylation but had no effect on cardiac hypertrophy. STAT3 was phosphorylated in the hearts of AAC‐treated mice but this was unrelated to IL11 activity, which we confirmed in mouse cardiac fibroblasts in vitro. These data highlight that blocking IL11 signalling reduces cardiac fibrosis due to severe pressure overload and suggests ERK, but not STAT3, activity as the relevant underlying signalling pathway.
A Comprehensive insight into the effect of chromium supplementation on oxidative stress indices in diabetes mellitus: A systematic review
Authors: Kooshki Fateme , Tutunchi Helda , Vajdi Mahdi , Karimi Arash , Niazkar Hamid Reza , Shoorei Hamed , Pourghassem Gargari Bahram
Published: January 2021

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder defined as an increase in blood glucose levels (hyperglycaemia) and insufficient production or action of insulin produced by the pancreas. Chronic hyperglycaemia leads to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and oxidative stress, which consequently results in insulin resistance, beta cell degeneration, dyslipidaemia, and glucose intolerance in diabetic patients. Chromium has an essential role in the metabolism of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates through increasing insulin efficiency. This systematic review aimed to evaluate chromium supplementation's potential roles in oxidative stress indices in diabetes mellitus. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Cochrane, and Science Direct databases until November 2020. All clinical trials and animal studies that assessed chromium's effect on oxidative stress indices in diabetes mellitus and were published in English‐language journals were included. Finally, only 33 out of 633 articles met the required criteria for further analysis. Among 33 papers, 25 studies were performed on animals, and eight investigations were conducted on humans. Twenty‐eight studies of chromium supplementation lead to reducing oxidative stress indices. Also, 23 studies showed that chromium supplementation markedly increased antioxidant enzymes' activity and improved levels of antioxidant indices. In conclusion, chromium supplementation decreased oxidative stress in diabetes mellitus. However, further clinical trials are suggested in a bid to determine the exact mechanisms.
Exposure to particulate matter 2.5 and cigarette smoke induces the synthesis of lipid droplets by glycerol kinase 5
Authors: Yan Mengnan , Wu Yuanyuan , Peng Wenjun , Fu Cuiping , Giunta Sergio , Chang Meijia , Zhang Ge , Dou Maosen , Xia Shijin , Li Huayin , Zhou Jian , Shen Yao
Published: January 2021

Particulate matter (PM2.5) and cigarette smoke exposure are leading factors contributing to various diseases, especially respiratory diseases. The purpose of this research was to study the effects of PM2.5 and cigarette smoke on glycerol kinase 5 (GK5) expression and the possible mechanisms by which GK5 participates in lipid droplet (LD) synthesis in alveolar epithelial A549 cells. Real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) and western blotting have been used for the detection of messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression respectively. GK5 overexpressing cells were established by lentivirus transfection, whereby lentiviral vectors deliver the gene into chromosomes, allowing stable expression. Affymetrix microarray analysis, a widely used tool for measuring genome‐wide gene expression, has been used to explore differential gene expression profiles. A549 cells stimulated with PM2.5 and cigarette smoke extract (CSE) showed elevated GK5 expression in a dose‐dependent manner. Transmission electron microscopy and oil red O staining were used to observe LDs in cells. Further, GK5 overexpressing cells showed increased LDs and upregulation of genes and proteins related to lipogenesis and lipid transportation. Affymetrix microarray analysis revealed that GK5 overexpression resulted in the differential expression of more than 109 genes, which were mainly involved in the regulation of cell death, cell survival, cellular movement and migration, and those involved in cellular growth and proliferation pathways. Overall, this study demonstrates that GK5 is upregulated during PM2.5 and cigarette smoke exposure and induces LD synthesis.
Theorizing Image and Abstraction in Ancient Rome: The Case of the Villa Farnesina
Authors: Barham Nicola
Published: January 2021

This essay argues that abstract colouristic effects were favoured in the arts of ancient Rome in a manner long overlooked. Taking the wall paintings of Cubiculum B from the Villa Farnesina as a case in point, the article demonstrates that these images display an interest in interlocking planes of colour and shape that might be described as formalist. It juxtaposes this visual evidence with overlooked passages in ancient texts to explore how such effects were conceptualized in ancient Roman thought. What emerges is a model of aesthetic value that foregrounds terpnopoietic planar effects of colour and shape above those of mimetic representation – so long revered as the most important artistic practice theorized in the classical world. This paradigm of visual value is employed in relation to both figural and non‐figural works alike. The absence of these surface effects in the standard narrative of classical art becomes testimony to that narrative's limitations.
Medicare Advantage for Most
Authors: KINGSDALE JON
Published: January 2021

Policy Points

Fixing the ACA requires real cost containment in addition to better subsidies.

Private Medicare (Medicare Advantage) plans are uniquely empowered to control costs and deliver good care.

Medicare Advantage plans should serve as the public option on the ACA Marketplace.

Medicare Advantage plans can also be deployed to voluntarily raise minimum employer‐sponsored benefits and contain their costs.
‘Uncircumcised boys’ and ‘girl Spartans’: Youth, Gender and Generation in Colonial Insurgencies and Counterinsurgency, c. 1954–59
Authors: Hynd Stacey
Published: January 2021

Both male and female youth were significant actors in anti‐colonial insurgencies, but their involvement has been neglected in existing historiographies due to the marginalisation of youth voices in colonial archives. This article analyses the causes of youth insurgency and colonial counterinsurgency responses in two British colonies, Kenya and Cyprus, in 1954‐59, providing a gendered and relational study of youth as cohort, as liberation generation, as life stage and as kinship position. It argues that a ‘gen[d]erational’ lens is necessary to properly understand how age and gender intersected to shape boys' and girls’ experiences of youth insurgency, and how colonial states punished and tried to ‘rehabilitate’ such rebellious youths. This article argues that colonial responses to youth in insurgency were implicitly shaped by colonial understandings of gender and generation as well as by race and ethnicity, but that counterinsurgency policies failed to effectively integrate gendered and generational perspectives sufficiently into either their security, peno‐legal or welfare and developmental responses. The only successful ‘rehabilitation’ programmes focused on male youth, and combined colonial and local understandings of age and gender to provided pathways towards the forms of adulthood desired by youth, rather than just treating them as unthinking, impressionable or irrecoverable children.
Opioid use in older adults and Medicare Part D
Authors: Sabety Adrienne H. , Sherry Tisamarie B. , Maestas Nicole
Published: January 2021

Objective

To determine whether the introduction of prescription drug coverage under Medicare Part D increased opioid prescriptions, patient care‐seeking for pain, and pain diagnoses among elderly Medicare‐eligible adults.

Study Setting

Office visits by adults aged 18 years or older from the 2000‐2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (12 375 207 253 office visits), and respondents from the 2000‐2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (4 023 418 681 individuals).

Study Design

We compared care‐seeking for pain, provider‐assigned pain diagnoses, and opioid prescriptions before and after the Medicare eligibility age of 65, and before and after Part D's implementation using a regression discontinuity, difference‐in‐differences design. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, race, and year.

Principal Findings

Patient care‐seeking for pain increased by 11.4 office visits per 100 people (95% confidence interval 2.0‐20.8), or 29%, in response to the implementation of Part D. Opioid prescriptions and diagnoses of pain‐related conditions did not change significantly, but the financing of opioid prescriptions shifted from private to public payers at age 65.

Conclusions

The introduction of Medicare Part D was not associated with increased opioid use among older adults. Rather, opioid use among the elderly has been driven by high levels of opioid use among commercially insured adults who subsequently age into Medicare. Our findings raise the question of whether more judicious prescribing to younger adults coupled with concerted efforts to deprescribe opioids when appropriate may prevent problematic opioid use among the elderly.
How far will minimally invasive thoracic surgery go? Uniportal video‐assisted thoracoscopic lingulectomy with 1 cm incision complicated by a mediastinal lingual artery: A case report
Authors: Zhang Xining , Lin Gang , Li Jian
Published: January 2021

Here, we present the case of a 36‐year‐old female patient who was found to have a ground‐glass nodule (GGN) in the left lingual segment on chest computed tomography (CT) and who successfully underwent lingulectomy via 1 cm incision uniportal video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). This is a technically safe and feasible procedure in selected patients and produces better cosmetic results than traditional thoracoscopic surgery.
Agronomic and physiological responses of potato subjected to soil compaction and/or drying
Authors: Huntenburg Katharina , Dodd Ian C. , Stalham Mark
Published: January 2021

Compact and dry soils impede root growth and restrict plant water availability, respectively, potentially causing leaf water deficit. Although both stresses likely co‐occur in the field and limit yield, little is known about their combined impact on plant growth and physiology over a whole season, especially in a tuberous crop like potato. Field‐grown potato (Solanum tuberosum L. var. 'Maris Piper') was exposed to factorial combination of deficit irrigation (watering when soil moisture deficit reached 60 vs. 25 mm) and soil compaction (compacted with heavy machinery vs. uncompacted), with plant growth and leaf physiology measured weekly. Shoot growth was restricted by adverse soil conditions, while leaf water status, photosynthesis rates and leaf abscisic acid (ABA) levels did not vary significantly between treatments. Across all treatments, final yield was linearly correlated (R2 = 0.71) to mid‐season shoot biomass. Compared to well‐watered plants growing in loose soil, soil compaction, deficit irrigation and their combination decreased final tuber yield similarly, by 23%–34%. Surprisingly, tuber size distribution was more dependent on irrigation management than on soil strength. Plants exposed to deficit irrigation produced more, smaller potatoes than their respective control. Thus, low soil water availability and/or compact soil caused these field‐grown potatoes to restrict shoot growth rather than limit leaf gas exchange. Further research is needed to understand the role of hormonal signalling in regulating tuber growth when plants are exposed to compact and dry soils.
Cannabidiol as a treatment for craving and relapse in individuals with cocaine use disorder: a randomized placebo‐controlled trial
Authors: Mongeau‐Pérusse Violaine , Brissette Suzanne , Bruneau Julie , Conrod Patricia , Dubreucq Simon , Gazil Guillaume , Stip Emmanuel , Jutras‐Aswad Didier
Published: January 2021

Background and Aims

Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is a significant public health concern for which no efficacious pharmacological interventions are available. Cannabidiol (CBD) has attracted considerable interest as a promising treatment for addiction. This study tested CBD efficacy for reducing craving and preventing relapse in people with CUD.

Design

Single‐site double‐blind randomized controlled superiority trial comparing CBD with placebo.

Setting and Participants

Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Canada. Seventy‐eight adults (14 women) with moderate to severe CUD participated.

Intervention

Participants were randomly assigned (1 : 1) by stratified blocks to daily 800 mg CBD (n = 40) or placebo (n = 38). They first underwent an inpatient detoxification phase lasting 10 days. Those who completed this phase entered a 12‐week outpatient follow‐up.

Measurements

Primary outcomes were drug–cue‐induced craving during detoxication and time‐to‐cocaine relapse during subsequent outpatient treatment.

Findings

During drug–cue exposure, craving scores [mean ± standard deviation (SD)] increased from baseline by 4.69 (2.89) versus 3.21 (2.78) points, respectively, in CBD (n = 36) and placebo (n = 28) participants [confidence interval (CI) = −0.33 to 3.04; P = 0.069; Bayes factor = 0.498]. All but three participants relapsed to cocaine by week 12 with similar risk for CBD (n = 34) and placebo (n = 27) participants (hazard ratio = 1.20, CI = 0.65–2.20, P = 0.51; Bayes factor = 0.152). CBD treatment was well tolerated and associated mainly with diarrhoea.

Conclusions

CBD did not reduce cocaine craving or relapse among people being treated for CUD.
Exploring the relative importance of factors that influence the job retention of social care staff working in intellectual disability services
Authors: Murray George C. , McKenzie Karen , Metcalfe Dale , Whelan Kathryn , Murray Aja L.
Published: January 2021

Accessible summary

We wanted to find out what would help care staff to stay in their jobs.

The most important thing for them was getting on well with the person they supported.

The next most important thing was their pay.

These results can be used to find ways to help staff stay in their jobs.

This is important to make sure that people with a learning disability get good support.

Background

High staff turnover presents a challenge to the provision of good quality community‐based support to people with an intellectual disability. While recent research has identified factors that are thought to be important for staff retention, their relative importance to social care staff is unknown. The aim of this study was to address this gap.

Methods

205 social care staff who worked in intellectual disability services completed an online questionnaire that asked them to: rank factors that had been previously identified as influencing staff retention in order of importance; identify the extent to which their most important factor was met by their organisation (fulfilment score); and rate their recent job‐seeking intentions.

Findings

The most important factor overall was the relationship of the staff member with the person they supported. This was also identified as the most important factor by the most participants, followed by pay. All of the factors, with the exception of “benefits” (such as pensions), were rated by at least one person as the most important factor. A significant negative relationship was found between fulfilment score and job‐seeking score; that is, the lower the former, the more the person agreed that they had been seeking a new job.

Conclusion

The results suggest that interventions to improve staff retention should take account of differences in staff views about which work‐related factors are most important to them; use multi‐component approaches where possible; prioritise staff pay; and help ensure that staff relationships with those they support are positive and fulfilling.
CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in sentinel nodes exhibit distinct pattern of PD‐1, CD69, and HLA‐DR expression compared to tumor tissue in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Piersiala Krzysztof , Farrajota Neves da Silva Pedro , Hjalmarsson Eric , Kolev Aeneas , Kågedal Åsa , Starkhammar Magnus , Elliot Alexandra , Marklund Linda , Margolin Gregori , Munck‐Wikland Eva , Kumlien Georén Susanna , Cardell Lars‐Olaf
Published: January 2021

Anticancer immunotherapies have revolutionized cancer management, yet the effect of systemic anti‐programmed cell death protein 1 (PD‐1) treatment is predominantly studied in tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Its impact on PD‐1 expressing cells in tumor‐draining lymph nodes (TDLNs) is not well understood and yet to be explored. Thus, further research aiming for better understanding of the PD‐1 pathway not only in tumor tissue but also in TDLNs is warranted. In this study, we investigated the expression of PD‐1, CD69, and HLA‐DR on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells by flow cytometry analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), TDLNs, and tumor samples from patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Our data showed that both helper and cytotoxic T lymphocytes in OSCC tissue were highly activated and expressed high level of PD‐1 (over 70% positivity). Lymphocytes in TDLNs and peripheral blood expressed significantly lower levels of PD‐1 and other activation markers compared to TILs. Moreover, we demonstrated that a significant fraction of PD‐1 negative TILs expressed high levels of human leukocyte antigen – DR isotype and CD69. In contrast, PD‐1 negative cells in TDLNs and PBMCs scarcely expressed the aforementioned activation markers. Furthermore, we proved that patients with a high percentage of CD3+ PD‐1+ cells in tumor‐draining lymph nodes had significantly lower disease‐free and overall survival rates (log‐rank test P = .0272 and P = .0276, respectively). Taken together, we proved that flow cytometry of lymph nodes in OSCC is feasible and may be used to investigate whether PD‐1 levels in TDLNs correspond with survival and potentially with response to anti‐PD‐1 therapy. Such knowledge may ultimately help guide anti‐PD‐1 treatment.
Top predator ecology and conservation: Lesson from jaguars in southeastern Mexico
Authors: Cruz Carlos , Zarza Heliot , Vidal‐Mateo Javier , Urios Vicente , Ceballos Gerardo
Published: January 2021

Our research is the most comprehensive study of jaguar behavior ecology in Mexico. By analyzing and describing the movements and use of the space, as well as the interactions among individual jaguars, we can better understand their behavioral differences, habitat use, and home range. This type of information is critical for the development and implementation of effective and appropriate conservation strategies. We identified home range size for 14 jaguars in a 13‐year period and described the interspecific relations and use of space by the percentages of overlap of the territories between individuals. Collectively, the average home range size was larger than 200 km2, ranging from 48 to 633 km2 and averaging 296 km2 for males varied and 37–435 km2, with an average of 148 km2, for females. However, home range sizes did not differ significantly among males or females. Male territory overlapped about 3.3% on average (range 2.5–15.5%), suggesting that most of the time males avoid each other. Average overlap of female territory was 12%, ranging from 7 to 100%. Males share an average of 18% (range 2–56%) of its territory and with up to five females, suggesting that a given male may be related to all of them at certain periods of time. There were no seasonal changes (dry and rainy seasons) in home range sizes for both male and females. Our research is an important contribution to the ecological information essential for landscape‐level conservation plans for the protection of the jaguars and the biological diversity of the wider Yucatan Peninsula in which they inhabit.
Systematic analysis and comparison of commercial seizure‐detection software
Authors: Koren Johannes , Hafner Sebastian , Feigl Moritz , Baumgartner Christoph
Published: January 2021

Objective

To determine if three different commercially available seizure‐detection software packages (Besa 2.0, Encevis 1.7, and Persyst 13) accurately detect seizures with high sensitivity, high specificity, and short detection delay in epilepsy patients undergoing long‐term video–electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring (VEM).

Methods

Comparison of sensitivity (detection rate), specificity (false alarm rate), and detection delay of three commercially available seizure‐detection software packages in 81 randomly selected patients with epilepsy undergoing long‐term VEM.

Results

Detection rates on a per‐patient basis were not significantly different between Besa (mean 67.6%, range 0–100%), Encevis (77.8%, 0–100%) and Persyst (81%, 0–100%; P = .059). False alarm rate (per hour) was significantly different between Besa (mean 0.7/h, range 0.01–6.2/h), Encevis (0.2/h, 0.01–0.5/h), and Persyst (0.9/h, 0.04–6.5/h; P < .001). Detection delay was significantly different between Besa (mean 30 s, range 0–431 s), Encevis (25 s, 2–163 s), and Persyst (20 s, 0–167 s; P = .007). Kappa statistics showed moderate to substantial agreement between the reference standard and each seizure‐detection software (Besa: 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.36–0.59; Encevis: 0.59, 95% CI 0.47–0.7; Persyst: 0.63, 95% CI 0.51–0.74).

Significance

Three commercially available seizure‐detection software packages showed similar, reasonable sensitivities on the same data set, but differed in false alarm rates and detection delay. Persyst 13 showed the highest detection rate and false alarm rate with the shortest detection delay, whereas Encevis 1.7 had a slightly lower sensitivity, the lowest false alarm rate, and longer detection delay.
Location choices of undocumented migrants: Does access to higher public education matter?
Authors: Cebula Richard J. , Kapembwa Mpaza , Nair‐Reichert Usha
Published: January 2021

We examine the impact of differences in state‐level higher education policies on location choices of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. using six years of available data over the period 2000 to 2012. The effect of greater access to higher education on the percentage of undocumented migrants residing in a state is positive, suggesting the existence of a “higher public education magnet” effect. Among states with favorable higher education policies, undocumented migrants prefer those states with larger networks, despite the likelihood of greater competition for admission to public institutions of higher education. However, undocumented migrants are reluctant to locate in states that have both large networks and unfavorable educational policies. This is possibly because the fear of attracting additional restrictive regulations dominates the positive cost‐saving effect of large networks.
Flow theory in the information systems life cycle: The state of the art and future research agenda
Authors: Bölen Mehmet Cem , Calisir Hilal , Özen Üstün
Published: January 2021

Flow theory has been widely applied to understand user behaviour in the different phases of the information systems life cycle during last two decades. Nevertheless, its application is complicated due to issues and challenges related to the broad nature of information technology and human behaviour. Specifically, there is a lack of consensus on the conceptualization of flow in the IS context, and much uncertainty still exists about the key topics and the relationship between antecedents, dimensions and consequences of flow experience. However, a systematic review of how the flow phenomenon is conceptualized and operationalized within the IS life cycle has not been addressed yet. Therefore, studies based on the flow framework within the IS life cycle have mostly emerged without a research agenda and theoretical guidance. Aiming to fill this gap, this study systematically reviews flow studies related to three main phases of the life cycle of an IS, namely adoption, continuance and discontinuance. A total of 81 peer‐reviewed articles published from 2000 to 2019 were identified for analysis. The findings present a comprehensive view of literature by analysing characteristics of reviewed studies in terms of research methods, research contexts and popular theoretical lenses used with flow theory. Furthermore, the results show antecedents, dimensions and outcomes of flow that have been relatively well or under‐investigated. Finally, based on these findings, research gaps and directions for future research are provided.
Communicating deprescribing decisions made in hospital with general practitioners in the community
Authors: Nguyen Amy D. , Baysari Melissa T. , Duong Mai , Zheng Wu Yi , Ng Brendan , Lo Sarita , Robinson Fiona , Hilmer Sarah N.
Published: January 2021

Background

Deprescribing, the supervised withdrawal of inappropriate medications, intends to manage polypharmacy, which is prevalent in older patients.

Aims

To examine general practitioner (GP) perceptions of communication processes between clinicians in hospital and GP in the community about deprescribing decisions made in hospital.

Methods

Focus groups and interviews were held with 15 GP, exploring deprescribing in hospitals, communication of deprescribing information and the format of communications. Sessions were audiotaped, transcribed and analysed using an inductive approach.

Results

GP stated that they should be involved in deprescribing decisions, especially for older complex patients, because of their good knowledge of their patients. Barriers to effective communication included the acute nature of hospital stays and lack of time. Facilitators included long‐term relationships of GP with their patients and engaged patients. GP preferred communication of deprescribing decisions to be over the telephone while the patient was still in hospital, and with a concise, electronic discharge summary at the time of discharge. GP indicated that rationale for medication changes and recommended follow‐up actions were crucial in a discharge summary to enable care post‐discharge.

Conclusions

GP welcome increased communication with hospital clinicians regarding deprescribing decisions made while patients are in hospital. Communication needs to be timely, transparent, succinct and accessible. Lack of time and difficulties contacting hospital clinicians challenge this process.
Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) activates WNT/β‐catenin signalling in breast cancer cells via epigenetic silencing of DKK1 and DKK3
Authors: Shailesh Harshita , Siveen Kodappully S. , Sif Saïd
Published: January 2021

Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) activity is dysregulated in many aggressive cancers and its enhanced levels are associated with increased tumour growth and survival. However, the role of PRMT5 in breast cancer remains underexplored. In this study, we show that PRMT5 is overexpressed in breast cancer cell lines, and that it promotes WNT/β‐CATENIN proliferative signalling through epigenetic silencing of pathway antagonists, DKK1 and DKK3, leading to enhanced expression of c‐MYC, CYCLIN D1 and SURVIVIN. Through chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) studies, we found that PRMT5 binds to the promoter region of WNT antagonists, DKK1 and DKK3, and induces symmetric methylation of H3R8 and H4R3 histones. Our findings also show that PRMT5 inhibition using a specific small molecule inhibitor, compound 5 (CMP5), reduces PRMT5 recruitment as well as methylation of H3R8 and H4R3 histones in the promoter regions of DKK1 and DKK3, which consequently results in reduced expression CYCLIN D1 and SURVIVIN. Furthermore, CMP5 treatment either alone or in combination with 5‐Azacytidine and Trichostatin A restored expression of DKK1 and DKK3 in TNBCs. PRMT5 inhibition also altered the growth characteristics of breast cancer cells and induced their death. Collectively, these results show that PRMT5 controls breast cancer cell growth through epigenetic silencing of WNT/β‐CATENIN pathway antagonists, DKK1 and DKK3, resulting in up‐regulation of WNT/β‐CATENIN proliferative signalling.
Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining in Global Supply Chains: A Research Agenda
Authors: Kuruvilla Sarosh , Li Chunyun
Published: January 2021

This article outlines a research agenda for Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining, two fundamental labor rights essential to the achievement of “Decent Work” for workers in global supply chains. The authors argue that SCM scholars are uniquely positioned to address how workers’ freedom of association and collective bargaining rights in global supply chains could be improved. This stems, in part, from the fact that SCM researchers and industry practitioners share a common “logic of efficiency” in the analysis of supply chains. The authors suggest three broad areas of research on freedom of association and collective bargaining, with their attendant methodological implications.
Physical and structural characteristics of starch‐based and conventional cookies: Water sorption, mechanical glass transition, and texture properties of their crust and crumb
Authors: Sogabe Tomochika , Kobayashi Rika , Thanatuksorn Pariya , Suzuki Toru , Kawai Kiyoshi
Published: January 2021

The physical properties of starch‐based cookie (gluten free and low fat) were compared with those of conventional cookie in consideration for the difference between crust and crumb parts. The internal porosity of the samples was measured by X‐ray computed tomography. The starch‐based cookie had a higher porosity (0.61) than the conventional cookie (0.42). The mechanical glass‐transition temperature (Tg) of the samples was evaluated by the thermal rheological analysis. The anhydrous mechanical Tg of the starch‐based cookie was much lower than that of the conventional cookie. The Tg‐depression of the starch‐based cookie induced by water sorption was more gradual than that of the conventional cookie. For both types of cookie, the crust components were more resistant to water plasticizing than crumb components because of the difference of the equilibrium water contents at each water activity. For the texture analysis of crust components, the whole samples were fractured. The starch‐based cookie had a lower fracture force, distance, and energy than the conventional cookie at each water activity point. For the texture analysis of crumb components, a portion of the crust was removed from the whole samples, and the exposed crumb was compressed by a plunger. From the texture profile, a normalized linear length was evaluated. The normalized linear length for the starch‐based cookie was higher than that for the conventional cookie. These results were corresponded to the differences in the undeveloped gluten and fat contents.
Environmental and anthropogenic correlates of seasonal migrations in the Dinaric‐Pindos brown bear population
Authors: De Angelis Daniele , Kusak Josip , Huber Djuro , Reljić Slaven , Gužvica Goran , Ciucci Paolo
Published: January 2021

Seasonal migrations (i.e. seasonal round‐trips between disjunct areas) have been rarely documented for large carnivores. The Dinaric‐Pindos brown bear (Ursus arctos) population is the third largest in Europe, but little information is currently available on individual movement patterns. We studied movement patterns by 12 GPS‐collared adult and subadult bears in Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina during 2004–2017, including migratory movements by some instrumented bears. To investigate environmental correlates of migrations, we first used the canonical Outlying Mean Index analysis, identifying habitat descriptors of summer and fall ranges, and then applied mixed‐effects logistic regression to quantify variation in habitat use between them. Thirty‐seven per cent 37% of the bears (7 bear‐years) migrated during hyperphagia (i.e. partial migration), and seasonal migration was also facultative, as it occurred only during mast (i.e. beechnut) poor years. Migrating bears entered migration during early fall (median = 25 Sept) and returned to their pre‐migratory ranges after about 7 weeks (median = 18 Nov). Net distances between pre‐migratory (summer) and post‐migratory (fall) averaged (±sd) 26.5 ± 9.7 km, with a maximum distance of 38.8 km, corresponding to actual distances travelled of 61.1 ± 21.5 km. Summer ranges from which bears migrated were best described by proximity to supplemental feeding sites and mixed forests, whereas fall ranges reached by migrants were differentiated by lower elevations, and a higher share of deciduous forest, grasslands, forest edges and shrublands. Relative to pre‐migratory ranges, bears in post‐migratory ones increased their distance to anthropogenic features and showed higher use of cover types expectedly richer in berries and other fleshy fruits. Although we lack any causative evidence, we speculate migration in this bear population is triggered during poor beechnut years by increased social despotic interference at supplemental feeding sites that elicits redistribution of subordinate bears.
Hope: Conceptual and normative issues
Authors: Rioux Catherine
Published: January 2021

Hope is often seen as at once valuable and dangerous: it can fuel our motivation in the face of challenges, but can also distract us from reality and lead us to irrationality. How can we learn to “hope well,” and what does “hoping well” involve? Contemporary philosophers disagree on such normative questions about hope and also on how to define hope as a mental state. This article explores recent philosophical debates surrounding the concept of hope and the norms governing hope. It also underlies hope's significance for the philosophy of emotion and the ethics of interpersonal relations.
Do trait psychological characteristics moderate sympathetic arousal to racial discrimination exposure in a natural setting?
Authors: Jelsma Elizabeth B. , Goosby Bridget J. , Cheadle Jacob E.
Published: January 2021

Personality and psychological traits are known to influence how individuals react to and cope with stress, and thus, have downstream health and aging consequences. However, research considering psychological health traits as individual‐level difference factors moderating the links been racism‐related stress and health for racial and ethnic minorities in the United States is rare. Using intensive daily diaries and a wearable sensor that continuously recorded sympathetic nervous system arousal in a sample of racial and ethnic minority college students (80% African American, first‐generation Black, or African; 20% Latinx), we linked arousal to racism‐related experiences dynamically throughout the day as participants naturally went about their lives. Findings suggest that multiple traits are associated with increased arousal in real time when interpersonal discrimination is perceived, but that only anger and anxiety also predicted increased arousal during moments of rumination and reflection on race‐related inequities. Vicarious discrimination exposure moments were also linked to suppressed arousal in general, but particularly for more anxious individuals. We use a stress appraisal and coping framework to elucidate the ways in which individual psychological differences may inform physiological responses to race‐related stress. The biopsychosocial pathways by which cognitive appraisal and interpersonal race‐related stress contribute to racial health disparities are also discussed.
The epidemiology of muscle‐strengthening and aerobic physical activity guideline adherence among 24,016 German adults
Authors: Bennie Jason A. , De Cocker Katrien , Tittlbach Susanne
Published: January 2021

Despite the 2016 German “National Recommendations for Physical Activity and Physical Activity Promotion” stating that adults (≥18 years) should engage in: [a] ≥150 minutes of aerobic moderate‐to‐vigorous‐intensity physical activity/week (MVPA); and [b] ≥2 days/week of muscle‐strengthening exercise (MSE), there is limited research on the descriptive epidemiology on the adherence to these guidelines among German adults. This study describes the prevalence and correlates of physical activity guideline adherence among a nationally representative sample of German adults. Data were drawn from the 2014 German Health Update survey, collected via a combination of web‐based and mail surveys. Self‐reported physical activity levels were assessed using the previously validated European Health Interview Survey Physical Activity Questionnaire. Weighted prevalence levels of the sample meeting the aerobic MVPA (≥150 minutes/week), MSE (≥2 times/week), and combined MVPA‐MSE guidelines were calculated. Poisson regressions were used to assess prevalence ratios for physical activity guideline adherence categories across sociodemographic and lifestyle‐related variables. Out of 24,016 participants (response rate = 27.6%), aged ≥ 18 years, 45.3% (95% CI: 44.5%‐46.0%), 29.4% (95% CI: 28.7%‐30.1%), and 22.6% (95% CI: 21.9%‐23.2%) met the aerobic MVPA, MSE, and combined guidelines, respectively. Population sub‐groups less likely to meet the combined guidelines included those with poor self‐rated health, being unemployed, low socioeconomic status, being a current smoker, and those being overweight or obese. Since ~ 80% of German adults do not meet the nationally recommended combined aerobic MVPA‐MSE physical activity guidelines, there is a necessity for large‐scale public health interventions promoting both aerobic MVPA and MSE.
Control of a Robotic Flexible Endoscope Holder for Laparoscopic Surgery
Authors: Huang Yang-Cheng , Tsai Chia-Hao , Shih Po-Chih , Chen Ching-Yuan , Ho Ming-Chih , Chen Yung-Yaw , Yen Jia-Yush
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we present an integrated robotic arm with a flexible endoscope for laparoscopy. The endoscope holder is built to mimic a human operator that reacts to the surgeon's push while maintaining both the incision opening through the patient's body and the center of the endoscopic image. An impedance control algorithm is used to react to the surgeon's push when the robotic arm gets in the way. A modified software remote center-of-motion (RCM) constraint formulation then enables simultaneous RCM and impedance control. We derived the kinematic relationship between the robotic arm and line of sight of the flexible endoscope for image center control. Using this kinematic model, we integrated the task control for RCM and surgeon cooperation and the endoscope image centering into a semi-autonomous system. Implementation of the control algorithm with both matlab simulation and the HIWIN RA605-710 robotic arm with a MitCorp F500 flexible endoscope demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed algorithm.
Reliability Analysis of Solder Joints on Rigid-Flexible Printed Circuit Board for MEMS Pressure Sensors Under Combined Temperature Cycle and Vibration Loads With Continuously Monitored Electrical Signals
Authors: Wang Xiaoping , Yang Jun , Liu Xiaogang , Zheng Panpan , Song Qinglin , Song Bin , Liu Sheng
Published: January 2021

The reliability of lead-free solder joints on flexible printed circuit board (PCB) has created significant new challenges in the industry, especially in automotive electronics, and possibly for future wearable electronics. In the automotive industry, thermal cycling test and random vibration test need to be conducted to certify every electronic product to be used in harsh automotive environments. In order to accelerate the testing time, we may need to subject the electronic components, in particular, sensors to both loadings such as thermal cycling and vibration. During all the experiments, the electrical signals of each specimen were continuously monitored by using an event detector. One advantage of this method is that any individual soldering interconnect failure will result in the diagnostic signal of the circuit, which could be detected in real-time. A simulation was used to confirm the possibility of the stress concentration location caused by the vibration and thermal cycling loads. The influence of vibration frequency and acceleration on the vibration fatigue life of solid joints was investigated. In this paper, the submodeling technique was used to construct the finite element model of the rigid-flexible printed circuit board (rigid-flexible PCB) coupled with a MEMS pressure sensor subjected to temperature cycle and random vibration loadings. The research results are helpful to effectively characterize the performance of the MEMS sensors under both thermal cycling test and vibration test. Two kinds of land shapes and two kinds of PCB assemblies were selected. In order to investigate the crack growth in the solder joint, the solder joint is sliced and the crack on the cross section of the solder joint was observed. Results of finite element modeling analysis were consistent with the experimental results. Two design parameters have been identified in our research as being important to soldering usage in automotive environments: pad type (teardrop versus nonteardrop) and pad size (big versus small, matching size for Cu-wire and pad). Experimental results also showed that the solder joint with a big land shape presented a relatively good thermal fatigue resistance.