bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nitrogen Use Efficiency, Allocation, and Remobilization in Apple Trees: Uptake Is Optimized With Pre-harvest N Supply
Authors: Tan Bi Zheng , Close Dugald C. , Quin Peter R. , Swarts Nigel D.
Published: May 2021

Optimizing the utilization of applied nitrogen (N) in fruit trees requires N supply that is temporally matched to tree demand. We investigated how the timing of N application affected uptake, allocation, and remobilization within 14-year-old “Gala”/M26 apple trees (Malus domestica Borkh) over two seasons. In the 2017–2018 season, 30 g N tree−1 of 5.5 atom% 15N–calcium nitrate was applied by weekly fertigation in four equal doses, commencing either 4 weeks after full bloom (WAFB) (pre-harvest) or 1-week post-harvest, or fortnightly, divided between pre- and post-harvest (50:50 split). Nitrogen uptake derived from fertilizer (NDF) was monitored by leaf sampling before whole trees were destructively harvested at dormancy of the first season to quantify N uptake and allocation and at fruit harvest of the second season to quantify the remobilization of NDF. The uptake efficiency of applied N fertilizer (NUpE) was significantly higher from pre-harvest (32.0%) than from the other treatments (~17%). The leaf NDF concentration, an indicator of N uptake, increased concomitantly only when pre-harvest N was applied. Pre-harvest treated trees allocated more than half of the NDF into fruit and leaves and stored the same amount of NDF into perennial organs as the post-harvest treatment. Subsequent spring remobilization of NDF was not affected by the timing of N fertigation from the previous season. A seasonal effect of remobilization was observed with a decrease in root N status and a reciprocal increase in branch N status at fruit harvest of season two. These findings represent a shift in the understanding of dynamics of N use in mature deciduous trees and indicate that current fertilizer strategies need to be adjusted from post-harvest to primarily pre-harvest N application to optimize N use efficiency. This approach can provide adequate storage N to support early spring growth the following season with no detriment to fruit quality.
Phylogenetic and Structural Analysis of NIN-Like Proteins With a Type I/II PB1 Domain That Regulates Oligomerization for Nitrate Response
Authors: Hsin Kuan-Ting , Yang Tzu-Jing , Lee Yu-Hsuan , Cheng Yi-Sheng
Published: May 2021

Absorption of macronutrients such as nitrogen is a critical process for land plants. There is little information available on the correlation between the root evolution of land plants and the protein regulation of nitrogen absorption and responses. NIN-like protein (NLP) transcription factors contain a Phox and Bem1 (PB1) domain, which may regulate nitrate-response genes and seem to be involved in the adaptation to growing on land in terms of plant root development. In this report, we reveal the NLP phylogeny in land plants and the origin of NLP genes that may be involved in the nitrate-signaling pathway. Our NLP phylogeny showed that duplication of NLP genes occurred before divergence of chlorophyte and land plants. Duplicated NLP genes may lost in most chlorophyte lineages. The NLP genes of bryophytes were initially monophyletic, but this was followed by divergence of lycophyte NLP genes and then angiosperm NLP genes. Among those identified NLP genes, PB1, a protein–protein interaction domain was identified across our phylogeny. To understand how protein–protein interaction mediate via PB1 domain, we examined the PB1 domain of Arabidopsis thaliana NLP7 (AtNLP7) in terms of its molecular oligomerization and function as representative. Based on the structure of the PB1 domain, determined using small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and site-directed mutagenesis, we found that the NLP7 PB1 protein forms oligomers and that several key residues (K867 and D909/D911/E913/D922 in the OPCA motif) play a pivotal role in the oligomerization of NLP7 proteins. The fact that these residues are all conserved across land plant lineages means that this oligomerization may have evolved after the common ancestor of extant land plants colonized the land. It would then have rapidly become established across land-plant lineages in order to mediate protein–protein interactions in the nitrate-signaling pathway.
Plant Expression of Hydrophobin Fused K39 Antigen for Visceral Leishmaniasis Immunodiagnosis
Authors: Silva Bruno B. , Santos Eduarda N. F. N. , Araújo Lucelina S. , Bezerra Arnaldo S. , Marques Lívia É. C. , Tramontina Florean Eridan O. P. , van Tilburg Maurício F. , Guedes Maria Izabel F.
Published: May 2021

Visceral leishmaniasis is a Neglected Tropical Disease of high mortality caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum. Its transmission cycle is complex, and it has in the domestic dog its main reservoir. The diagnostic tests currently used rely on prokaryotic systems’ proteins, but their low sensitivity increases the disease’s burden. The plant transient expression of recombinant proteins allows the production of complex antigens. However, this system has limited competitiveness against the bacterial production of purified antigens. Thus, we have shown that the L. infantum K39 antigen’s fusion to a hydrophobin allows its production for diagnostic tests without the need for intensive purification. The sera of naturally infected dogs specifically detect the semi-purified rK39-HFBI protein. The test validation against a panel of 158 clinical samples demonstrates the platform’s viability, resulting in sensitivity and specificity of 90.7 and 97.5%, respectively. Thus, the use of semi-purified antigens fused to hydrophobins can become the standard platform for large-scale antigens production to expand diagnostic tests for other human and veterinary diseases worldwide.
Cytokinins Stimulate Plasmodesmatal Transport in Leaves
Authors: Horner Wilson , Brunkard Jacob O.
Published: May 2021

Plant cells are connected by plasmodesmata (PD), nanoscopic channels in cell walls that allow diverse cytosolic molecules to move between neighboring cells. PD transport is tightly coordinated with physiology and development, although the range of signaling pathways that influence PD transport has not been comprehensively defined. Several plant hormones, including salicylic acid (SA) and auxin, are known to regulate PD transport, but the effects of other hormones have not been established. In this study, we provide evidence that cytokinins promote PD transport in leaves. Using a green fluorescent protein (GFP) movement assay in the epidermis of Nicotiana benthamiana, we have shown that PD transport significantly increases when leaves are supplied with exogenous cytokinins at physiologically relevant concentrations or when a positive regulator of cytokinin responses, ARABIDOPSIS HISTIDINE PHOSPHOTRANSFER PROTEIN 5 (AHP5), is overexpressed. We then demonstrated that silencing cytokinin receptors, ARABIDOPSIS HISTIDINE KINASE 3 (AHK3) or AHK4 or overexpressing a negative regulator of cytokinin signaling, AAHP6, significantly decreases PD transport. These results are supported by transcriptomic analysis of mutants with increased PD transport (ise1–4), which show signs of enhanced cytokinin signaling. We concluded that cytokinins contribute to dynamic changes in PD transport in plants, which will have implications in several aspects of plant biology, including meristem patterning and development, regulation of the sink-to-source transition, and phytohormone crosstalk.
Does Intragroup Conflict Intensity Matter? The Moderating Effects of Conflict Management on Emotional Exhaustion and Work Engagement
Authors: Esbati Zinat , Korunka Christian
Published: May 2021

To elucidate the distinct effects of relationship conflict (RC) and task conflict (TC), we investigated the intensity (low vs. high) of the two types of conflict on emotional exhaustion and work engagement. Furthermore, we examined how cooperative vs. competitive conflict-handling styles moderate the relationship between the two types of conflict and emotional exhaustion and work engagement. We also examined the role of emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal and distraction) as a covariate to control its effects on the study variables. Utilizing two separate 2 × 2 between-subject experimental designs, we recruited 120 employees from several companies in Austria. The results suggest that higher levels of both RC and TC are positively related to emotional exhaustion and negatively to work engagement. A cooperative conflict management style moderated the effects of both RC and TC on work engagement. The results suggest decoupling RC and TC and examining the interplay between the intensity of intragroup conflict types and conflict management styles provides insights into the connection between the levels of conflict, conflict management, emotional exhaustion, and work engagement. Additionally, it supports the usage of distraction as a viable regulation strategy for managing the effects of high levels of RC on emotional exhaustion.
Robot Authority in Human-Robot Teaming: Effects of Human-Likeness and Physical Embodiment on Compliance
Authors: Haring Kerstin S. , Satterfield Kelly M. , Tossell Chad C. , de Visser Ewart J. , Lyons Joseph R. , Mancuso Vincent F. , Finomore Victor S. , Funke Gregory J.
Published: May 2021

The anticipated social capabilities of robots may allow them to serve in authority roles as part of human-machine teams. To date, it is unclear if, and to what extent, human team members will comply with requests from their robotic teammates, and how such compliance compares to requests from human teammates. This research examined how the human-likeness and physical embodiment of a robot affect compliance to a robot's request to perseverate utilizing a novel task paradigm. Across a set of two studies, participants performed a visual search task while receiving ambiguous performance feedback. Compliance was evaluated when the participant requested to stop the task and the coach urged the participant to keep practicing multiple times. In the first study, the coach was either physically co-located with the participant or located remotely via a live-video. Coach type varied in human-likeness and included either a real human (confederate), a Nao robot, or a modified Roomba robot. The second study expanded on the first by including a Baxter robot as a coach and replicated the findings in a different sample population with a strict chain of command culture. Results from both studies showed that participants comply with the requests of a robot for up to 11 min. Compliance is less than to a human and embodiment and human-likeness on had weak effects on compliance.
Changes in Emotional-Behavioral Functioning Among Pre-school Children Following the Initial Stage Danish COVID-19 Lockdown and Home Confinement
Authors: Specht Ina Olmer , Rohde Jeanett Friis , Nielsen Ann-Kristine , Larsen Sofus Christian , Heitmann Berit Lilienthal
Published: May 2021

Unintended negative outcomes on child behavior due to lockdown and home confinement following the corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic needs highlighting to effectively address these issues in the current and future health crises. In this sub-study of the ODIN-study, the objectives were to determine whether the Danish lockdown and home confinement following the COVID-19 pandemic affected changes in emotional-behavioral functioning of pre-school-aged children using the validated Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) answered by parents shortly before lockdown and 3 weeks into lockdown, and moreover, to examine whether baseline family and social characteristics could predict change in child emotional-behavioral functioning during lockdown. Parents of 40 (82%) children with a mean(SD) age of 5.0(0.7) completed the baseline questionnaire and the lockdown follow-up questionnaire. The SDQ-Total difficulties score (SDQ-TD) and Prosocial Behavioral score (PSB) changed significantly from pre- to lockdown [SDQ-TD mean(SD): 6.0(3.8) and 7.9(5.2); P = 0.02, respectively and PSB mean(SD): 8.5(1.4) and 7.9(1.5); P = 0.03, respectively]. Attending leisure time activities before lockdown was a predicting factor of changes to the worse in the children’s SDQ-TD scores, with a mean difference in SDQ-TD between those with and without activities of 3.16 (95%CI 0.27–6.12); P = 0.03. In conclusion, the study showed a modest decrease in child-emotional behavioral functioning during the COVID-19 lockdown, potentially due to parental stress. Although these results might not be generalizable due to small sample size and selected population, the results point to a need of a greater awareness of child mental wellbeing during a lockdown situation.
Acute Stress Response Profiles in Health Workers Facing SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Moderato Luca , Lazzeroni Davide , Oppo Annalisa , Dell’Orco Francesco , Moderato Paolo , Presti Giovambattista
Published: May 2021

Objective

The study is an explorative investigation aimed to assess the differences in acute stress response patterns of health workers facing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during Italy’s first lockdown.

Methods

A cross-sectional investigation using convenience sampling method was conducted in Italy during April 2020. Eight hundred fifty-eight health workers participated in the research filling out self-report measures including Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R).

Results

Moderate/severe depression was found in 28.9% (95% CI, 25.8–32.04), moderate/severe anxiety in 55.4% (95% CI, 51.9–58.8), insomnia in 15% (95% CI, 12.5–17.5), and distress in 52.5% (95% CI, 48.5%–56.6) of participants. The 3% of health workers reported frequent suicidal thoughts. Female sex, working for >15 h/week in a COVID-19 unit, and living apart from family were associated with a significantly higher risk of distress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and functional impairment. Four profiles were identified on the basis of psychopathological measures: Profile_0 included 44% (N= 270); Profile_1, 25.6% (N= 157); Profile_2, 19.1% (N= 117); and Profile_3, 11.3% (N= 69) of participants. Results showed a significant effect for Profiles X IES-R (η2= 0.079;f= 0.29), indicating that in all profiles, except for Profile_0, avoidance scale is lower than hyperarousal and intrusion symptoms scales of the IES-R. This characteristic could be a probable index of the control exerted by the responders to not fly away from their job.

Conclusion

The identification of specific profiles could help psychiatrists and emergency psychologists to build specific interventions in terms of both primary and secondary prevention to face future waves of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Effects of Training Programs on Decision-Making in Youth Team Sports Players: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Silva Ana Filipa , Ramirez-Campillo Rodrigo , Sarmento Hugo , Afonso José , Clemente Filipe Manuel
Published: May 2021

Background

The use of dedicated training programs for improving decision-making (DM) in team sports players has grown in the last several years. Approaches such as imagery training, video-based training, or game-based drills are some of the interventions used in youth players in order to improve DM. However, no systematic reviews or meta-analyses have been conducted to summarize the main evidence regarding the effects of these programs on the players and identify the magnitude of the effects compared to control groups.

Objective

This systematic review (with meta-analysis) was conducted to assess the effects of training programs on the DM of youth team sports players.

Data Sources

The data sources utilized were PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science.

Study eligibility criteria

The criteria included the following: (i) youth (≤ 18 years old) team sports players with no restriction on sex or competitive level; (ii) players subjected to training programs to develop DM; (iii) control groups; (iv) pre–post outcomes related to tactical behavior, technical execution, reaction, and decision time; and (v) controlled trials.

Results

The database search initially identified 2497 titles. From these, six articles were eligible for the systematic review and meta-analysis. The results showed a significant beneficial effect of DM interventions on tactical behavior (ES = 1.12;p= 0.035;I2= 80.0%; Egger’s testp= 0.066), whereas no significant effect of DM interventions on technical execution was found (ES = 0.74;p= 0.180;I2= 69.1%; Egger’s testp= 0.873).

Conclusion

The DM interventions were significantly effective in improving tactical behavior in youth team sports players independently from the number of sessions to which players were exposed. In addition, DM interventions were significantly effective in improving technical execution. However, the results should be carefully interpreted due to the heterogeneity of the articles’ overall methodological quality. Future DM interventions should consider using combined approaches that allow players to develop both tactical behavior and technical execution.
Symptoms of Selective Mutism in Non-clinical 3- to 6-Year-Old Children: Relations With Social Anxiety, Autistic Features, and Behavioral Inhibition
Authors: Muris Peter , Monait Nona , Weijsters Lotte , Ollendick Thomas H.
Published: May 2021

Selective mutism (SM) is a psychiatric condition that is characterized by a failure to speak in specific social situations (e. g., at school) despite speaking normally in other situations (e.g., at home). There is abundant evidence that anxiety, and social anxiety in particular, is a prominent feature of SM, which is the main reason why this condition is currently classified as an anxiety disorder. Meanwhile, there is increasing support for the notion that autism-related problems are also involved in SM. The present study examined the relations between SM and social anxiety, autistic features, and behavioral inhibition to the unfamiliar (i.e., the tendency to react with restraint and withdrawal when confronted with unfamiliar stimuli and situations). Parents of 172 3- to 6-year-old preschool children completed an online survey for measuring the relevant constructs. Results showed that there were positive and statistically significant correlations between SM and social anxiety, autistic features, and behavioral inhibition. Regression analyses revealed that (1) both social anxiety and autistic features accounted for a significant and unique proportion of the variance in SM scores, and (2) that both of these variables no longer made a significant contribution once behavioral inhibition was added to the model. It can be concluded that while the involvement of social anxiety is unambiguous in SM, autism-related problems are also implicated. Furthermore, behavioral inhibition seems to play a key role in the non-speaking behavior of non-clinical young children.
Sleep, Well-Being and Academic Performance: A Study in a Singapore Residential College
Authors: Armand Marc A. , Biassoni Federica , Corrias Alberto
Published: May 2021

We examined the relationship between sleep and the affective components of subjective well-being as well as psychological well-being, and between sleep and academic performance, of full-time undergraduate students in a residential college at the National University of Singapore. The aspects of sleep considered were self-reported sleep duration, sleep efficiency, frequency of sleep disturbances, daytime dysfunction, sleep latency and overall sleep quality, as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Academic performance was measured using self-reported cumulative average point scores, typically known as grade point average in other institutions. Psychological well-being and the affective components of subjective well-being were assessed using the Flourishing Scale and the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience, respectively. With the exception of sleep latency, our univariate analysis revealed significant associations between the abovementioned facets of sleep, and the affective components of subjective well-being. The analysis also revealed significant associations between the above sleep variables and psychological well-being, except sleep latency and frequency of sleep disturbances. Only daytime dysfunction was found to be significantly correlated with academic performance in our univariate analysis. In addition, our multivariate analysis shows that psychological well-being, affect balance and academic performance each has a direct effect on overall sleep quality. The relationship between overall sleep quality and psychological well-being is U-shaped, while that between overall sleep quality and affect balance is linear and moderated by psychological well-being. The relationship between overall sleep quality and academic performance is either U-shaped or an inverted-U, depending on the level of psychological well-being, which moderates the relationship. These nonlinear relationships indicate that individuals with the highest levels of psychological well-being are not the best sleepers (in terms of overall sleep quality), neither are the highest academic achievers necessarily the best sleepers.
Student Engagement in Mathematics Flipped Classrooms: Implications of Journal Publications From 2011 to 2020
Authors: Lo Chung Kwan , Hew Khe Foon
Published: May 2021

Mathematics is one of the core STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subject disciplines. Engaging students in learning mathematics helps retain students in STEM fields and thus contributes to the sustainable development of society. To increase student engagement, some mathematics instructors have redesigned their courses using the flipped classroom approach. In this review, we examined the results of comparative studies published between 2011 and 2020 to summarize the effects of this instructional approach (vs. traditional lecturing) on students’ behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement with mathematics courses. Thirty-three articles in K–12 and higher education contexts were included for analysis. The results suggest that the use of the flipped classroom approach may increase some aspects of behavioral engagement (e.g., interaction and attention/participation), emotional engagement (e.g., course satisfaction), and cognitive engagement (e.g., understanding of mathematics). However, we discovered that several aspects (e.g., students’ attendance, mathematics anxiety, and self-regulation) of student engagement have not been thoroughly explored and are worthy of further study. The results of this review have important implications for future flipped classroom practice (e.g., engaging students in solving real-world problems), and for research on student engagement (e.g., using more objective measures, such as classroom observation) in mathematics education.
Buyers, Maybe Moving Second Is Not That Bad After All: Low-Power, Anxiety, and Making Inferior First Offers
Authors: Maaravi Yossi , Heller Ben
Published: May 2021

The behavioral decision-making and negotiations literature usually advocates a first-mover advantage, explained the anchoring and adjustment heuristic. Thus, buyers, who according to the social norm, tend to move second, strive to make the first offer to take advantage of this effect. On the other hand, negotiation practitioners and experts often advise the opposite, i.e., moving second. These opposite recommendations regarding first offers are termed thePractitioner-Researcher paradox. In the current article, we investigate the circumstances under which buyers would make less favorable first offers than they would receive were they to move second, focusing on low power and anxiety during negotiations. Across two studies, we manipulated negotiators' best alternative to the negotiated agreement (BATNA) and measured their anxiety. Our results show that, when facing neutral-power sellers, weak buyers who feel anxious would make inferior first offers (Studies 1 and 2). When facing low-power sellers, weak buyers would make inferior first offers across all anxiety levels (Study 2). Our findings shed light on two critical factors leading to the Practitioner-Researcher paradox: power and anxiety, and offer concrete guidelines to buyers who find themselves at low power and highly anxious during negotiations.
Detecting Suicide and Self-Harm Discussions Among Opioid Substance Users on Instagram Using Machine Learning
Authors: Purushothaman Vidya , Li Jiawei , Mackey Tim K.
Published: May 2021

Background: Suicide and substance use disorder (SUD) pose serious public health challenges among young adults in the United States. Increasing social media use among these populations can be leveraged as an alternative method to detect characteristics of suicide-related topics and behavior among substance users.

Objective: To detect and characterize suicide and self-harm related conversations co-occurring with SUD posts and comments on the popular social media platform Instagram.

Methods: This study used big data and machine learning approaches to collect and classify Instagram posts containing 632 controlled substance-related hashtags. Posts were first classified for online drug diversion topics and then filtered to detect suicide and mental health discussions. Posts and comments were then manually annotated for SUD and mental health co-occurring themes. Associations between these characteristics were tested using the Chi-square test.

Results: We detected 719 Instagram posts/comments that included user-generated discussions about suicide, substance use and/or mental health. Posts self-reporting SUD and mental health topics were also more likely to discuss suicide compared to those that did not discuss SUD and mental health topics, respectively (p < 0.001). Major themes observed included concurrent discussions of suicide ideation and attempts and low self-esteem.

Conclusions: Our study results provide preliminary evidence of social media discussions about suicide and mental health among those with SUD. This co-occurrence represents a key health risk factor on a platform heavily utilized by young adults. Further studies are required to analyze specific patterns of suicide and self-harm ideations for the purposes of designing future suicide prevention campaigns through digital channels.
Bibliometric Insights in Genetic Factors of Substance-Related Disorders: Intellectual Developments, Turning Points, and Emerging Trends
Authors: Wang Kang , Duan Yijie , Duan Weicheng , Yu Yuxin , Zheng Na , Hu Jin , He Jia , Chen Haihong , Liang Man
Published: May 2021

Substance-related disorders are a group of medical conditions that affect a person's brain and behavior and lead to an inability to control the use of legal or illegal drug(s) or medication. Substance-related disorder is a serious public health and society problem worldwide. Genetic factors have been proven to have an important role. Researchers have carried out a lot of work in this field, and a large number of research results have been published in academic journals around the world. However, there are few overviews of research progress, presentation, and development trends in this field. In this study, a total of 636 articles related to genetic factors of substance-related disorders were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database from 1997 to 2018, and the scientific literatures were analyzed by bibliometrics. The study found that the United States (US) has maintained a leading position in the field of research, with many core institutions and plenty of high-quality research results. Alcohol use disorder is still the most concerning issue in this field. Over the past 20 years, new techniques such as genome-wide association study (GWAS) based on high-throughput sequencing technology have replaced family studies, twin studies, and retrospective studies in this field. We believe that it is urgent to study the genetic factors of substance-related disorders, which can greatly deepen the understanding of the pathogenesis of substance-related disorders and may provide potential targets for precise treatment of such diseases.
Metacognitive Therapy for Work-Related Stress: A Feasibility Study
Authors: De Dominicis Stefano , Troen Maiken Lykke , Callesen Pia
Published: May 2021

About 25% of EU workers experience work-related stress for all or most of their working time, showing that work-related stress is a major cause of health problems for the EU population. This situation has been worsened even more by the COVID-19 restrictions embraced by employers worldwide. However, a timely and sustainable intervention protocol for treating such issues has not been developed yet. Thus, the present research shows a first effective attempt based on Metacognitive therapy (MCT) to solve this issue. MCT was practiced on four individuals suffering from chronic work-related stress. Primary outcome variables were general mental health, perceived stress, and blood pressure. Participants were assessed at multiple baselines before the start of therapy and then attended a 3- and 6-months follow-up after treatment termination. Results showed significant improvements in general mental health, perceived stress, and blood pressure in each client. Secondary outcome variables improved too—maladaptive coping strategies, avoidance behaviors, and depression symptoms—corroborating the main findings. At 3- and 6-month follow-up, results were maintained. The findings suggest that MCT might be a promising and sustainable intervention for work-related stress, although a metacognitive model for stress and large-scale RCTs need to be developed and carried out to further explore the effect of MCT on stress. Our results represent one of the first attempts to treat work-related stress via Metacognitive Therapy and support the feasibility of the treatment, both in terms of its efficacy and sustainability, in a historical moment in which work-related stress is increased worldwide because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within such a realm, our feasibility study should be followed by larger and controlled studies that, if successful, would provide various stakeholders—including organizational and institutional decision-makers—with a solid, timely and cost-effective method to help the workforce coping with work-related stress.
Performing Through Privatization: An Ecological Natural Experiment of the Impact of the Swedish Free Choice Reform on Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions
Authors: Mosquera Paola A. , San Sebastian Miguel , Burström Bo , Hurtig Anna-Karin , Gustafsson Per E.
Published: May 2021

Background: In 2010, Sweden opened up for establishment of privately owned primary health care providers, as part of a national Free Choice in Primary Health Care reform. The reform has been highly debated, and evidence on its effects is scarce. The present study therefore sought to evaluate whether the reform have impacted on primary health care service performance.

Methods: This ecological register-based study used a natural experimental approach through an interrupted time series design. Data comprised the total adult population of the 21 counties of Sweden 2001–2009 (pre-intervention period) and 2010–2016 (post-intervention period). Hospitalizations and emergency department visits for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) were used as indicators of primary health care performance. Segmented regression analysis was used to assess the effects of the reform, in Sweden as a whole, as well as compared between counties grouped by (i) change in private provision pre- to post reform; (ii) the timing of the implementation; and (iii) sustained presence of private providers both pre- and post-reform.

Results: The results suggest that, following the introduction of the reform in Sweden as a whole, the trends in total hospitalizations rates were slowed down by 1.0% albeit acute emergency visits increased 1.1% more rapidly after the introduction of the reform. However, we found no evidence of more beneficial effects in counties where the reform had been implemented more ambitiously, specifically those with a larger increase in private primary care providers, or where the reform was introduced early and thus had longer time effects to emerge. Lastly, counties with a sustained high presence of private primary care providers displayed the least favorable development when it comes to ACSC.

Conclusion: Taken together, the present study does not support that the Swedish Free Choice reform has improved performance of the primary care delivery system in Sweden, and suggests that high degree of private provision may involve worse performance and higher care burden for specialized health care. Further evaluations of the consequences of the reform are dire needed to provide a comprehensive picture of its intended and unintended impact on health care provision, delivery and results.
Normal Gestational Weight Gain Protects From Large-for-Gestational-Age Birth Among Women With Obesity and Gestational Diabetes
Authors: Mustaniemi Sanna , Nikkinen Hilkka , Bloigu Aini , Pouta Anneli , Kaaja Risto , Eriksson Johan G. , Laivuori Hannele , Gissler Mika , Kajantie Eero , Vääräsmäki Marja
Published: May 2021

Background: Pre-pregnancy obesity, excess gestational weight gain (GWG), and gestational diabetes (GDM) increase fetal growth. Our aim was to assess whether normal GWG is associated with lower risk for a large-for-gestational-age (LGA; over the 90th percentile of birth weight for sex and gestational age) infant and lower birth weight standard deviation (SD) score in the presence of GDM and maternal obesity.

Methods: This multicenter case-control study is part of the Finnish Gestational Diabetes (FinnGeDi) Study and includes singleton pregnancies of 1,055 women with GDM and 1,032 non-diabetic controls. Women were divided into 12 subgroups according to their GDM status, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI; kg/m2), and GWG. Non-diabetic women with normal BMI and normal GWG (according to Institute of Medicine recommendations) served as a reference group.

Results: The prevalence of LGA birth was 12.2% among women with GDM and 6.2% among non-diabetic women (p < 0.001). Among all women, normal GWG was associated with lower odds of LGA [odds ratio (OR) 0.57, 95% CI: 0.41–0.78]. Among women with both obesity and GDM, the odds for giving birth to a LGA infant was 2.25-fold (95% CI: 1.04–4.85) among those with normal GWG and 7.63-fold (95% CI: 4.25–13.7) among those with excess GWG compared with the reference group. Compared with excess GWG, normal GWG was associated with 0.71 SD (95% CI: 0.47–0.97) lower birth weight SD score among women with GDM and obesity. Newborns of normal weight women with GDM and normal GWG had 0.28 SD (95% CI: 0.05–0.51) lower birth weight SD scores compared with their counterparts with excess GWG. In addition, in the group of normal weight non-diabetic women, normal GWG was associated with 0.46 SD (95% CI: 0.30–0.61) lower birth weight SD scores compared with excess GWG.

Conclusion: GDM, obesity, and excess GWG are associated with higher risk for LGA infants. Interventions aiming at normal GWG have the potential to lower LGA rate and birth weight SD scores even when GDM and obesity are present.
Muscles Affecting Minimum Toe Clearance
Authors: Perera Chamalka Kenneth , Gopalai Alpha Agape , Ahmad Siti Anom , Gouwanda Darwin
Published: May 2021

The aim of this study was to investigate how the anterior and posterior muscles in the shank (Tibialis Anterior, Gastrocnemius Lateralis and Medialis), influence the level of minimum toe clearance (MTC). With aging, MTC deteriorates thus, greatly increasing the probability of falling or tripping. This could result in injury or even death. For this study, muscle activity retention taping (MART) was used on young adults, which is an accepted method of simulating a poor MTC—found in elderly gait. The subject's muscle activation was measured using surface electromyography (SEMG), and the kinematic parameters (MTC, knee and ankle joint angles) were measured using an optical motion capture system. Our results indicate that MART produces significant reductions in MTC (P < α), knee flexion (P < α) and ankle dorsiflexion (P < α), as expected. However, the muscle activity increased significantly, contrary to the expected result (elderly individuals should have lower muscle activity). This was due to the subject's muscle conditions (healthy and strong), hence the muscles worked harder to counteract the external restriction. Yet, the significant change in muscle activity (due to MART) proves that the shank muscles do play an important role in determining the level of MTC. The Tibialis Anterior had the highest overall muscle activation, making it the primary muscle active during the swing phase. With aging, the shank muscles (specifically the Tibialis Anterior) would weaken and stiffen, coupled with a reduced joint range of motion. Thus, ankle-drop would increase—leading to a reduction in MTC.
Proliferation of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Variant in Pakistan-A Short Surveillance Account
Authors: Umair Massab , Salman Muhammad , Rehman Zaira , Badar Nazish , Ali Qasim , Ahad Abdul , Ikram Aamer
Published: May 2021

The emergence of a more transmissible variant of SARS-CoV-2 (B1. 1.7) in the United Kingdom (UK) during late 2020 has raised major public health concerns. Several mutations have been reported in the genome of the B.1.1.7 variant including the N501Y and 69-70deletion in the Spike region that has implications on virus transmissibility and diagnostics. Although the B.1.1.7 variant has been reported by several countries, only three cases have been reported in Pakistan through whole-genome sequencing. Therefore, the objective of the study was to investigate the circulation of B.1.1.7 variant of concern (VOC) in Pakistani population. We used a two-step strategy for the detection of B.1.1.7 with initial screening through TaqPathTM COVID-19 CE-IVD RT-PCR kit (ThermoFisher Scientific, Waltham, US) followed by partial spike (S) gene sequencing of a subset of samples having the spike gene target failure (SGTF). From January 01, 2021, to February 21, 2021, a total of 2,650 samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 and 70.4% (n = 1,867) showed amplification of all the 3 genes (ORF, N, and S). Notably, 29.6% (n=783) samples have been SGTF that represented numbers from all the four provinces and suggest a rather low frequency during the first 3 weeks of January (n = 10, n = 13, and n = 1, respectively). However, the numbers have started to increase in the last week of January, 2021. During February, 726 (93%) cases of SGTF were reported with a peak (n = 345) found during the 3rd week. Based on the partial sequencing of SGTF samples 93.5% (n = 29/31) showed the characteristic N501Y, A570D, P681H, and T716I mutations found in the B.1.1.7 variant. In conclusion, our findings showed an upsurge of B.1.1.7 cases in Pakistan during February, 2021 affecting 15 districts and warranting large scale genomic surveillance, strengthening of laboratory network and implementation of appropriate control measures in the country.
The Applicability of Self-Play Algorithms to Trading and Forecasting Financial Markets
Authors: Posth Jan-Alexander , Kotlarz Piotr , Misheva Branka Hadji , Osterrieder Joerg , Schwendner Peter
Published: May 2021

The central research question to answer in this study is whether the AI methodology of Self-Play can be applied to financial markets. In typical use-cases of Self-Play, two AI agents play against each other in a particular game, e.g., chess or Go. By repeatedly playing the game, they learn its rules as well as possible winning strategies. When considering financial markets, however, we usually have one player—the trader—that does not face one individual adversary but competes against a vast universe of other market participants. Furthermore, the optimal behaviour in financial markets is not described via a winning strategy, but via the objective of maximising profits while managing risks appropriately. Lastly, data issues cause additional challenges, since, in finance, they are quite often incomplete, noisy and difficult to obtain. We will show that academic research using Self-Play has mostly not focused on finance, and if it has, it was usually restricted to stock markets, not considering the large FX, commodities and bond markets. Despite those challenges, we see enormous potential of applying self-play concepts and algorithms to financial markets and economic forecasts.
Health Sciences Interprofessional Collaborative: A Perspective on Migration, COVID-19, and the Impact on Indigenous Communities
Authors: Landau Anna , Sanchez Brenda , Kiser Lisa , De Zapien Jill , Hall-Lipsy Elizabeth , Pina Lopez Diego , Ingram Maia , Ahumada Josefina
Published: May 2021

At the United States-Mexico border, the impacts of immigration policy are dynamic with political, humanitarian, and health outcomes. This article highlights the experiences at the Casa Alitas migrant shelter in Tucson, Arizona. Casa Alitas aims to meet the needs of the im/migrants it serves, including the unique needs of indigenous asylum-seekers from Central America. We highlight the importance of community-based humanitarian response to support asylum-seekers in a way that acknowledges our shared humanity and implements specific approaches (e.g., language justice and trauma informed care). The effort at Casa Alitas is unique because in addition to other partnerships, Casa Alitas established an interprofessional collaboration between the University of Arizona Health Sciences Colleges and the Arizona State University School of Social Work. The interprofessional collaboration encourages mutual education amongst our professions and the use of our extended networks to meet the needs of im/migrants and asylum seekers in our community and the United States. We recommend the development of best practices in asylum health care, the importance of creating border-wide networks to build on local resources, and highlight the importance of exposing future health practitioners to trauma informed and culturally and linguistically appropriate care.
Rethinking NGOization as Postfeminist Practice: Interstitial Intimacies and Negotiations of Neoliberal Subjectivity in Violence Prevention
Authors: Chakraborty Proshant
Published: May 2021

The decade of the 1990s marked the rise of postfeminism, a series of discursive, mediatized and intellectual interventions that furthered, but also broke away from, past forms of feminist theory and practice. This period also witnessed the global proliferation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the “NGOization” of feminism, referring to the cooption and erasure of critical social movements. Beyond their temporal instantiation in the 1990s, postfeminism and NGOization converge and entangle in everyday practices of women’s NGOs and organizations. In this article, I examine such convergences and entanglements as they unfold in an NGO’s community-based program to prevent violence against women and girls in Mumbai’s urban poor neighborhoods. Such programs create new forms of femininity and womanhood among women who participate in interventions as frontline workers. These women navigate complex pressures of communitarian gender norms, disciplinary regimes of professionalization and quantification, and the vicarious harm of supporting survivors. Their affective caring labor, thus, is facilitated by and produces what I describe asinterstitial intimacies, which problematize and embody key postfeminist claims, while engendering political actions and contestations under neoliberalism.
Social Capital From Professional Engineering Organizations and the Persistence of Women and Underrepresented Minority Undergraduates
Authors: Smith Chrystal A. S. , Wao Hesborn , Kersaint Gladis , Campbell-Montalvo Rebecca , Gray-Ray Phyllis , Puccia Ellen , Martin Julie P. , Lee Reginald , Skvoretz John , MacDonald George
Published: May 2021

Professional engineering organizations (PEOs) have the potential to provide women and underrepresented and minoritized (URM) students with social capital (i.e., resources gained from relationships) that aids their persistence in their engineering undergraduate programs and into the workforce. We hypothesize that women and URM students engineering students who participate in PEOs are more likely to persist in their engineering major and that PEOs contribute to their persistence by providing them access to insider information that supports their persistence. Each year for five years we administered surveys with closed- and open-ended items to examine the association between participating in PEOs and the persistence of a cohort of engineering majors from 11 diverse universities. We used logistic regression and thematic analysis to analyze the data. URM students who participated in PEOs and other engineering related activities were more likely to persist to the second year than URM students who did not (adjusted odds ratio = 2.18, CI: 1.09, 4.37). Students reported that PEOs contributed to their persistence by enabling them to network, reduce gender and race/ethnic isolation, and access professional resources. URM students should be encouraged to participate in PEOs beginning in their first year to increase their integration in their major, which we have found to increase their persistence.
Effects of an Elevated Platform on Welfare Aspects in Male Conventional Broilers and Dual-Purpose Chickens
Authors: Malchow Julia , Schrader Lars
Published: May 2021

To avoid killing day-old male chicks, one possibility is to keep dual-purpose chicken strains. Here, the hens were kept for egg production, and the roosters were kept for meat production. Both sexes had moderate performances compared to the respective hybrid chicken strains. However, until now, little has been known about whether male dual-purpose chickens may profit from enrichment in the environment in which broiler chickens are raised under conventional conditions. This study aims to further investigate the suitability of elevated structures for dual-purpose chickens (Lohmann Dual) with moderate growth and for fast-growing male broiler chickens (Ross 308). In two consecutive trials, we kept 686 Ross and 672 Dual chickens in 24 compartments (2 trials × 2 strains × 6 compartments). Half of the compartments were equipped with elevated grid platforms at a height of 50 cm (enriched group). In the other half of the compartments, no platforms were installed (control group). We analyzed the usage of the elevated platforms by scan sampling and assessed animal-based (walking ability, plumage cleanliness, and foot health) and management-based (litter quality) indicators. Both strains showed increasing use of the elevated platforms from the first week of life onwards. However, the fast-growing chickens used the elevated platform less than the slow-growing chickens. At the end of the fattening period, the birds used the elevated grids more at night than during the daytime. Slow-growing chickens kept in enriched compartments showed a better walking ability. In general, slow-growing chickens had better plumage conditions and foot health compared to fast-growing chickens. Our results show that natural behaviors such as perching can be supported by offering elevated platforms and that animal-based indicators such as walking ability can be improved, at least in slow-growing chickens. Moreover, the use of an alternative chicken strain avoids killing day-old male chicks, and in addition, these chickens show fewer animal welfare problems than a conventional fattening strain. Thus, the use of male chickens of a dual-purpose strain can substantially contribute to improving animal welfare in broiler meat production.