bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
AI and privacy concerns: a smart meter case study
Authors: Carmody Jillian , Shringarpure Samir , Van de Venter Gerhard
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate privacy concerns arising from the rapidly increasing advancements and use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and the challenges of existing privacy regimes to ensure the on-going protection of an individual’s sensitive private information. The authors illustrate this through a case study of energy smart meters and suggest a novel combination of four solutions to strengthen privacy protection.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors illustrate how, through smart meter obtained energy data, home energy providers can use AI to reveal private consumer information such as households’ electrical appliances, their time and frequency of usage, including number and model of appliance. The authors show how this data can further be combined with other data to infer sensitive personal information such as lifestyle and household income due to advances in AI technologies.

Findings

The authors highlight data protection and privacy concerns which are not immediately obvious to consumers due to the capabilities of advanced AI technology and its ability to extract sensitive personal information when applied to large overlapping granular data sets.

Social implications

The authors question the adequacy of existing privacy legislation to protect sensitive inferred consumer data from AI-driven technology. To address this, the authors suggest alternative solutions.

Originality/value

The original value of this paper is that it illustrates new privacy issues brought about by advances in AI, failings in current privacy legislation and implementation and opens the dialog between stakeholders to protect vulnerable consumers.
Strategy in the time of pandemics, climate change and the Kurzweil Singularity
Authors: Camillus John , Ramanadhan Shoba , Ganapathy Krishnan
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The business environment is increasingly fraught with societal disruptions—caused by factors such as pandemics, climate change and the probability of sentient machines—that are fundamentally different than the industry disruptions that firms have experienced and determined how to overcome. Societal disruptions create chaotic ambiguity and unknowable futures. This paper offers an approach to strategic management in the context of societal disruptions, employing purpose-driven “smart power” to harmonize the organization and the environment and promote both economic and social sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper integrates the construct of smart power that blends hard and soft power, the concepts of purpose and identity that define what is core, aspirational, enduring and distinctive about the organization and the techniques of taming wicked problems in order to design processes and structures that can function in the context of social disruptions.

Findings

The paper offers a strategic management approach that employs purpose-driven smart power to overcome the challenge and thrive in the context of chaotic ambiguity.

Practical implications

The approach offers practical guidelines for designing processes and structures that can guide strategic decision making in organizations challenged by societal disruptions.

Originality/value

The distinctive and daunting challenge posed by societal disruptions is delineated, and constructs and frameworks from multiple disciplines are uniquely integrated to potentially tame the chaotic ambiguity and unknowable futures created by these disruptions.
EFQM enablers and business performance relationship: Examining mediating role of organizational learning culture in Pakistani textile sector
Authors: Ashraf Hafiz Ahmad , Ishaq Muhammad Ishtiaq , Muhammad Khan Mumtaz
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to determine the influence of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence enablers on the financial, market and non-financial performance of the textile companies in Pakistan. Moreover, the mediating role of organizational learning culture is also tested in EFQM enablers and performance relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a multi-respondent strategy, the data was collected from 254 textile firms registered with All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) using a highly structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling via AMOS v.22.

Findings

The results reveal that EFQM excellence enablers significantly influence financial, non-financial and market performance. Furthermore, organizational learning culture (OLC) significantly positively mediates the relationship between EFQM excellence enablers and business performance.

Research limitations/implications

This study enhances the literature of EFQM enablers and microfoundations of institutional theory in the textile industry of developing countries and proposes a way forward to the effective utilization of such enablers for higher performance.

Originality/value

This research is the first of its kind that empirically tests the microfoundations of institutional theory concerning EFQM, OLC and performance in the textile industry of Pakistan.
Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospitality and tourism education in India and preparing for the new normal
Authors: Joshi Vishesh Anna , Gupta Ila
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious and far-reaching consequences on every aspect of human life. As various countries went into lockdown, hospitality and tourism was badly affected and this has had an impact on hospitality and tourism education too. This paper aims to assess the impact of the pandemic on hospitality and tourism education in India and the effectiveness of mitigation strategies in support of the industry. The study also proposes recommendations for resilience-building.

Design/methodology/approach

A pilot survey using semi-structured interviews was conducted and followed by a detailed questionnaire-based survey of industry representatives and educators. Selected industry leaders were also interviewed to understand the industry perspective on the pandemic, the “new normal” and the expectations of post pandemic graduates. The study focuses on four main areas – (1) existing interrelationships between industry and academia, (2) the efficiency of Internet-based education during the pandemic, (3) the “new normal” and the expectations of graduates and (4) recommendations for resilience-building.

Findings

There is a perceived gap between academia and industry that needs to be bridged. We found that the pandemic is seriously affecting education with challenges ranging from technological issues, disparities and reduced enrolments to student behavioural issues. Most impacted was the practical training component in operational areas and especially in food production and services. It is now clear that education needs a shift in focus from the more traditional, operational aspects of hospitality and tourism to technological awareness, knowledge and soft skills development. The research also identified a need for better two-way communication and information exchange between industry and academia. In fact, the lessons learnt from the pandemic need to be communicated from industry to academia. This is important given that industry expects graduates to be adaptive, compassionate, able to multi-task, familiar with the principles of crisis management and proficient with technology.

Originality/value

The study analyses possible long-term effects and implications for the workforce of the future as the industry struggles to respond to the pandemic. The study also suggests possible avenues and methods for industry and academia to form more symbiotic relationships and become more resilient.
A novel approach of privacy-preserving data sharing system through data-tagging with role-based access control
Authors: Garg Tanvi , Kagalwalla Navid , Puthran Shubha , Churi Prathamesh , Pawar Ambika
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to design a secure and seamless system that ensures quick sharing of health-care data to improve the privacy of sensitive health-care data, the efficiency of health-care infrastructure, effective treatment given to patients and encourage the development of new health-care technologies by researchers. These objectives are achieved through the proposed system, a “privacy-aware data tagging system using role-based access control for health-care data.”

Design/methodology/approach

Health-care data must be stored and shared in such a manner that the privacy of the patient is maintained. The method proposed, uses data tags to classify health-care data into various color codes which signify the sensitivity of data. It makes use of the ARX tool to anonymize raw health-care data and uses role-based access control as a means of ensuring only authenticated persons can access the data.

Findings

The system integrates the tagging and anonymizing of health-care data coupled with robust access control policies into one architecture. The paper discusses the proposed architecture, describes the algorithm used to tag health-care data, analyzes the metrics of the anonymized data against various attacks and devises a mathematical model for role-based access control.

Originality/value

The paper integrates three disparate topics – data tagging, anonymization and role-based access policies into one seamless architecture. Codifying health-care data into different tags based on International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes and applying varying levels of anonymization for each data tag along with role-based access policies is unique to the system and also ensures the usability of data for research.
Filaggrin‐gene mutation has minimal effect on the disease severity in the lesions of atopic dermatitis
Authors: Ota Masataka , Sasaki Takashi , Ebihara Tamotsu , Yokosawa Emiko , Murakami Yumi , Matsunaka Hiroshi , Chinuki Yuko , Amagai Masayuki , Morita Eishin
Published: July 2021

Loss‐of‐function mutations of filaggrin (FLG) gene (FLG) are the strongest known genetic risk factor for atopic dermatitis (AD). It is still debatable how FLG gene mutations and the resulting abnormal amount of FLG protein contribute to skin barrier function and symptoms of AD. In this study, we examined the effects of loss‐of‐function mutations of FLG gene on the severity of skin lesions and skin barrier function in 55 patients with AD by evaluating eight patients with AD with FLG gene mutations and 47 patients with AD without mutations. The results showed that the FLG gene mutation did not affect the duration of AD, severity of AD, degree of local inflammatory symptoms, skin water content and trans‐epidermal water loss of the lesions. Next, in these eight mutation carriers and the 47 non‐carriers, stratum corneum was collected from the three site of skin lesions using tape‐stripping method, and the amounts of FLG protein and total amino acid contained in the stratum corneum was measured to investigate the effect of the FLG gene mutation on the amount of FLG gene product in the local lesion. FLG abnormalities had little effect on FLG protein and total amino acid content in the stratum corneum in the lesional skin. The amount of the FLG products, especially amino acids derived from FLG, in the stratum corneum of AD lesional skin is influenced by development of dermatitis. The results obtained from this study supports that the activation of Th2‐dominant inflammatory cells, together with FLG abnormality, plays a role in suppressing the production of FLG in skin lesions.
Animal personality drives individual dietary specialisation across multiple dimensions in a mammalian herbivore
Authors: Herath Anushika P. H. M. , Wat Katie K. Y. , Banks Peter B. , McArthur Clare
Published: July 2021

Animal personality influences how individuals perceive and react to different stimuli, such as food quality and predation risk, thereby shaping foraging behaviour. As a consequence, animal personality is predicted to influence the diet and dietary specialisation of individuals within a population, but animal personality and dietary specialisation have yet to be linked.

Here, we tested whether individual diet and dietary specialisation are a function of animal personality, using an arboreal herbivore, the common brushtail possum, as a model species. We hypothesised that proactive individuals have more diverse foraging opportunities than reactive individuals. We therefore predicted that proactive animals (more exploratory, bold and more active) would be less specialised, with a broader and higher quality diet than their reactive counterparts. We quantified the personality traits and dietary niche using proportional similarity index and specialisation categories of possums (n = 30) in a population flanking native eucalypt woodland and residential gardens in suburban Sydney, Australia.

We found that personality traits were related to the breadth and quality of the realised diets of individual possums. As predicted, proactive individuals had a broad, high‐quality diet with less individual dietary specialisation than reactive individuals. Highly exploratory individuals had a more diverse diet than less exploratory individuals, and bold individuals were more likely than shy individuals to consume plants on the ground.

Our study demonstrates an important link between animal personality and individual dietary specialisation. The finding that the personality of individuals is associated with different diet choices within the same landscape is fundamentally significant. First, personality as a driver of niche partitioning likely reduces within‐species competition and hence could contribute to adaptive capacity. Second, the strength of ecological processes arising from interactions (e.g. predator–prey and plant–herbivore interactions) could differ among individuals according to their personality traits.

Our findings are also relevant for effectively managing both threatened native and invasive species. Management strategies will be improved by incorporating knowledge of individual traits and their ecological consequences, plus the ecological context of food‐ and fear‐scapes.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Variation of community assembly rules of a whole turtle family (Pelomedusidae) from continental to local scales in Africa
Authors: Luiselli Luca , Di Vittorio Massimiliano , Rhodin Anders G. J. , Iverson John B.
Published: July 2021

Assessing community assembly rules has been a prominent task by community ecologists. Using a turtle family (Pelomedusidae) as a study case, we analyze the structure of their communities from the continental scale to the habitat scale, by using a suite of statistical approaches: (i) GIS modeling of the most complete presence sites dataset (from IUCN/SSC TFTSG archive); (ii) niche overlap and co‐occurrence null models with Monte Carlo simulations; (iii) generalized linear models. We used, after controlling for spatial autocorrelation, continental scale presence data totalling 1698 locality records belonging to 27 species of African Pelomedusidae and local scale data from 58 surveyed stations in eight different countries, totalling 1936 turtle individuals of at least five species (but several taxa are included into one of these “species”: the Pelomedusa subrufa complex). At the local scale, the number of co‐occurring Pelomedusidae in Africa ranged from two to three species, although the ranges of up to five total species overlapped at various locations on the continental scale. A simulation study showed that, at the continental scale, the various species co‐occurred following assembly rules that are compatible with interspecific competition by two metrics. At the habitat scale, the mean number of sympatric species was just below two and the maximum number of sympatric species per local site was three, with significant variation among habitat categories (more in forest than in any other habitat). Body size filtering may be also a mechanism that facilitates coexistence of pelomedusid species under sympatric conditions.
Hiding in plain sight: Vulnerability, public administration, and the case of Covid‐19 hotel quarantine
Authors: Dwyer Graham
Published: July 2021

I examine how failures surrounding a quarantine detention program for returned travellers from overseas brought a deadly second wave of the Covid‐19 virus into existence in Victoria, Australia. In addition to providing insights into the ways in which public administration organizations (PAO) can plan for and respond to wicked problems, I propose that they can learn to manage latent failures and equivocal circumstances before, during, and after such crisis events. This is important as locally and globally PAO face emergencies, crises, and disasters triggered by natural and non‐natural hazards which remind us that we need to find new ways of learning while living in challenging times.
Understanding, measuring, and encouraging public policy research impact
Authors: Williams Kate , Lewis Jenny M.
Published: July 2021

Academics undertaking public policy research are committed to tackling interesting questions driven by curiosity, but they generally also want their research to have an impact on government, service delivery, or public debate. Yet our ability to capture the impact of this research is limited because impact is under‐theorised, and current systems of research impact evaluation do not allow for multiple or changing research goals. This article develops a conceptual framework for understanding, measuring, and encouraging research impact for those who seek to produce research that speaks to multiple audiences. The framework brings together message, medium, audience, engagement, impact, evaluation, and affordance within the logics of different fields. It sets out a new way of considering research goals, measurements, and incentives in an integrated way. By accounting for the logics of different fields, which encompass disciplinary, institutional, and intrinsic factors, the framework provides a new way of harnessing measurements and incentives towards fruitful learning about the contribution diverse types of public policy research can make to wider impact.
Validation of process technologies for enhancing the safety of low‐moisture foods: A review
Authors: Wason Surabhi , Verma Tushar , Subbiah Jeyamkondan
Published: July 2021

The outbreaks linked to foodborne illnesses in low‐moisture foods are frequently reported due to the occurrence of pathogenic microorganisms such as Salmonella Spp. Bacillus cereus, Clostridium spp., Cronobacter sakazakii, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. The ability of the pathogens to withstand the dry conditions and to develop resistance to heat is regarded as the major concern for the food industry dealing with low‐moisture foods. In this regard, the present review is aimed to discuss the importance and the use of novel thermal and nonthermal technologies such as radiofrequency, steam pasteurization, plasma, and gaseous technologies for decontamination of foodborne pathogens in low‐moisture foods and their microbial inactivation mechanisms. The review also summarizes the various sources of contamination and the factors influencing the survival and thermal resistance of pathogenic microorganisms in low‐moisture foods. The literature survey indicated that the nonthermal techniques such as CO2, high‐pressure processing, and so on, may not offer effective microbial inactivation in low‐moisture foods due to their insufficient moisture content. On the other hand, gases can penetrate deep inside the commodities and pores due to their higher diffusion properties and are regarded to have an advantage over thermal and other nonthermal processes. Further research is required to evaluate newer intervention strategies and combination treatments to enhance the microbial inactivation in low‐moisture foods without significantly altering their organoleptic and nutritional quality.
Soil survey laboratory grain count data to substantiate the rarity of mineral grains in forensic soil reports of examination
Authors: Stern Libby A. , Webb Jodi B. , Ingham Jennifer , Monteith Steven , Saginor Ian
Published: July 2021

The Natural Resources Conservation Service‐Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory has a large publicly available database of laboratory analyses of soil horizons collected from soil profiles largely from the United States. Among these soil properties are mineral grain counts from selected sand and silt fractions of soil horizons, performed by polarized light microscopy (PLM). These grain counts of over 20,000 fractions from 7534 sites provide a substantial reference that a forensic soil examiner could use to substantiate the rarity or commonness of a mineral species. The statement of the rarity or commonness of various minerals provide juries with additional context for the interpreting the results of a forensic soil comparison within the framework of a trial. The grain count data at specific locations can also be assessed to aid in soil provenance investigations, for cases where there are grain‐counted sites in relevant locations. Two examples of application of these to data to soil evidence are included, one relating soil the rarity of a mineral (andalusite) to provide context in a soil comparison and one to aid in narrowing target regions in a soil provenance investigation.
Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts in portal vein thrombosis: A review
Authors: Yeoh Sern Wei , Kok Hong Kuan
Published: July 2021

The presence of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) has previously been considered a contraindication to the insertion of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPSS). However, patients with PVT may have portal hypertension complications and may thus benefit from TIPSS to reduce portal venous pressure. There is an increasing body of literature that discusses the techniques and outcomes of TIPSS in PVT. This review summarizes the techniques, indications and outcomes of TIPSS in PVT in published case reports, case series and comparative trials, especially regarding the reduction in portal hypertensive complications such as variceal bleeding. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using MEDLINE and PubMed databases. Manuscripts published in English between 1 January 1990 and 1 March 2021 were used. Abstracts were screened and data from potentially relevant articles analyzed. TIPSS in PVT has been reported with high levels of technical success, short‐term portal vein recanalization and long‐term PV patency and TIPSS patency outcomes. Several comparative studies, including randomized controlled trials, have shown favorable outcomes of TIPSS compared with non‐TIPSS treatment of PVT complications. Outcomes of TIPSS with PVT appear similar to those in TIPSS without PVT. However, TIPSS may be more technically difficult in the presence of PVT, and such procedures should be performed in expert high‐volume centers to mitigate the risk of procedural complications. The presence of PVT should no longer be considered a contraindication to TIPSS. TIPSS for PVT has been acknowledged as a therapeutic strategy in recent international guidelines, although further studies are needed before recommendations can be strengthened.

Key Points

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is no longer a contraindication to the insertion of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPSS)

TIPSS often leads to the spontaneous dissolution of PVT, but can be combined with mechanical or pharmacological thrombectomy

TIPSS reduces portal hypertensive complications of PVT, such as variceal bleeding, and can also facilitate liver transplantation where PVT may otherwise interfere with vascular anastomoses

Studies have shown favorable long‐term outcomes of TIPSS compared with TIPSS without PVT; as well as compared with non‐TIPSS treatment of PVT complications

TIPSS in PVT should be performed in high‐volume specialist centers due to technical difficulties
Circ_0000520 contributes to triple‐negative breast cancer progression through mediating the miR‐1296/ZFX axis
Authors: Zhou Yong , Ma Guoxi , Peng Shijun , Tuo Min , Li Yinmou , Qin Xianxiong , Yu Qiang , Kuang Sijie , Cheng Hong , Li Jing
Published: July 2021

Background

Triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer with a high incidence of local recurrence and metastasis. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are implicated in the pathomechanism of TNBC. Here, we investigated the function of circ_0000520 in TNBC and its associated mechanism.

Methods

Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) and Western blot assay were used to measure RNA and protein expression. Cell proliferation was analyzed by cell counting kit‐8 (CCK8) assay, flow cytometry and colony formation assay. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. Cell migration ability was analyzed by transwell migration and wound healing assays. Transwell invasion assay was conducted to analyze the invasion ability. Dual‐luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay, and RNA‐pulldown assay were performed to verify the interaction between microRNA‐1296 (miR‐1296) and circ_0000520 or zinc finger protein X‐linked (ZFX). Xenograft mice model was established to analyze the role of circ_0000520 in xenograft tumor growth in vivo.

Results

Circ_0000520 expression was upregulated in TNBC tissues and cell lines. Circ_0000520 knockdown suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion whereas induced the apoptosis of TNBC cells. miR‐1296 was verified as a target of circ_0000520, and circ_0000520 silencing‐mediated suppressive effects on the malignant potential of TNBC cells were partly overturned by miR‐1296 knockdown. miR‐1296 interacted with the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of ZFX, and ZFX overexpression partly reversed miR‐1296 overexpression‐mediated effects in TNBC cells. Circ_0000520 absence reduced ZFX expression by upregulating miR‐1296 in TNBC cells. Circ_0000520 silencing suppressed xenograft tumor growth in vivo.

Conclusions

Circ_0000520 contributed to TNBC development by binding to miR‐1296 to induce ZFX expression.
Hemodynamic monitoring with Hypotension Prediction Index versus arterial waveform analysis alone and incidence of perioperative hypotension
Authors: Grundmann Carla D. , Wischermann Jan M. , Fassbender Philipp , Bischoff Petra , Frey Ulrich H.
Published: July 2021

Background

Intraoperative hypotension is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The Hypotension Prediction Index (HPI) is an advancement of the arterial waveform analysis to predict intraoperative hypotension minutes before episodes occur enabling preventive treatments. We tested the hypothesis that the HPI combined with a personalized treatment protocol reduces intraoperative hypotension when compared to arterial waveform analysis alone.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 100 adult consecutive patients undergoing moderate‐ or high‐risk noncardiac surgery with invasive arterial pressure monitoring using either index guidance (HPI) or arterial waveform analysis (FloTrac) depending on availability (FloTrac, n = 50; HPI, n = 50). A personalized treatment protocol was applied in both groups. The primary endpoint was the incidence and duration of hypotensive events defined as MAP <65 mmHg evaluated by time‐weighted average of hypotension.

Results

In the FloTrac group, 42 patients (84%) experienced a hypotension while in the HPI group 26 patients (52%) were hypotensive (p = 0.001). The median (IQR) time‐weighted average of hypotension in the FloTrac group was 0.27 (0.42) mmHg versus 0.10 (0.19) mmHg in the HPI group (p = 0.001). Finally, the median duration of each hypotensive event (IQR) was 2.75 (2.40) min in the FloTrac group compared to 1.00 (2.06) min in the HPI group (p = 0.002).

Conclusions

The application of the HPI combined with a personalized treatment protocol can reduce incidence and duration of hypotension when compared to arterial waveform analysis alone. This study therefore provides further evidence of the transition from prediction to actual prevention of hypotension using HPI.
Comparison of long non‐coding RNAs in adipose and muscle tissues between seven indigenous Chinese and the Yorkshire pig breeds
Authors: Yang X.‐M. , Liang Y. , Zhong Z.‐J. , Tao X. , Yang Y.‐K. , Zhang P. , Wang Y. , Lei Y.‐F. , Chen X.‐H. , Zeng K. , Gong J.‐J. , Ying S.‐C. , Zhang J.‐L. , Pang J.‐H. , Lv X.‐B. , Gu Y.‐R. , He Z.‐P.
Published: July 2021

lncRNAs play crucial roles in fat metabolism in animals. Previously, we have compared the mRNA transcriptome profiles between seven fat‐type Chinese pig breeds and one lean‐type Western breed (Yorkshire, YY). The associations between differentially expressed (DE) genes and phenotypical traits were investigated. In the present study, to further explore the underlying regulatory mechanisms, lncRNAs were sequenced and compared between YY and Chinese indigenous breeds. The results showed 9114 and 7538 DE lncRNAs between at least one Chinese breed and the YY breed in the adipose and muscle tissue respectively. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the target genes of these DE lncRNAs mainly influenced the glucolipid metabolism, which is an important process affecting meat quality. Correlation analyses between the DE lncRNA and DE mRNA genes related to meat quality and growth traits were performed. The results showed that LTCONS_00073280 was associated with intramuscular fat content. Four lncRNAs (LTCONS_00101781, LTCONS_00037879, LTCONS_00088260 and LTCONS‐00128343) might mediate backfat thickness. Overall, this study provides candidate lncRNAs that potentially affect meat quality, which might be useful for molecular breeding of pig breeds in future.
3 Contextualizing Commerce at Teotihuacan: Pottery as Evidence for Regional and Neighborhood‐Scale Markets
Authors: Clayton Sarah C.
Published: July 2021

The growth of Teotihuacan in the first millennium CE entailed the development of an extensive, dynamic, and multifaceted economic system. Teotihuacan's economy likely included forms of market exchange, making it an important case study for research concerning the origins of market economies. The settings in which goods changed hands and the social significance of economic interactions are not well understood, however. Here, I discuss how contexts of exchange may be reconstructed through the study of domestic artifacts. I focus on ceramics associated with Teotihuacan's neighborhoods and outlying communities, emphasizing recent data from settlements south of the capital. Compositional analyses are important for tracing exchange networks; macroscopic analyses of assemblage content and stylistic variation are also needed to estimate the scales at which goods circulated and to comprehend the social aspects of economic transactions. Finally, I consider the diverse kinds of physical settings in which market exchange may have occurred. Tendencies to view marketplaces primarily as large, architecturally formal, permanent, and centrally located may constrain our ability to identify and assess the significance of those that were small, informal, and situated within communities.
8 The “Othering” of Maya Political Economies
Authors: Masson Marilyn A.
Published: July 2021

In the twentieth century, an emphasis on generating big models to explain cross‐cultural similarities and differences, particularly with respect to environmental factors, culminated in some essentialist views that negatively characterized the complexity and stability of Maya area civilization and economic foundations. These assumptions about Maya “Others”—as those who are doomed to fail and as weak contrasts to central Mexican contemporaries—still prevail in recent literature. They are dismissive of historical accounts as well as decades of concerted archaeological research. It is time to consider these new data that attest to the stability, resiliency, and commercial sophistication of Maya places and peoples through time. Local historical contingencies gave rise to considerable variation in economic strategies for production and exchange and webs of interdependency provided safeguards for linked cities, towns, and rural places.
12 Classic Maya Marketplace Politics in the Mopan River Valley, Belize
Authors: Cap Bernadette
Published: July 2021

The discovery of Classic Maya marketplaces within urban cores—the seats of royal power—brings into question the potential ways royal rulers contributed to the organization and effectiveness of marketplaces. Though Maya rulership is legitimated through family lineage, engagement in marketplaces could have presented rulers with an additional path toward maintaining order, gaining household allegiance, and accumulating wealth. Using multiple variables, I examine marketplace facilities at the sites of Buenavista del Cayo and Classic Xunantunich, located in the Mopan River valley of Belize. Findings show that the two marketplaces are largely complementary to each other in the types of goods available, suggesting similar functions. The timeframes in which the marketplaces were in use overlap during a transition of power from Buenavista del Cayo to Xunantunich. From this I suggest that the function and success of the marketplaces may have influenced the actions of rulers. In this case, rulers could have influenced trade networks and swayed household allegiances, all the while gaining wealth and power by levying taxes and monitoring wealth accumulation by non‐royal elites.
Systematic review with meta‐analysis: dietary intake in adults with inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Lambert Kelly , Pappas Daniel , Miglioretto Chiara , Javadpour Arefeh , Reveley Hannah , Frank Laura , Grimm Michael C. , Samocha‐Bonet Dorit , Hold Georgina L.
Published: July 2021

Background

Poor dietary intake is associated with the development of malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, anaemia and osteoporosis in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease. While trials are underway to manipulate the diet of people with IBD, there has been no comprehensive systematic review of the dietary intake of adults with IBD.

Aims

To conduct a systematic evaluation and meta‐analysis of the dietary intake of adults with IBD, including macronutrients, micronutrients and food group data.

Methods

CINAHL, Embase, Medline and Scopus were searched from 1 January 2000 to 25 September 2020 for cohort, case–control or cross‐sectional studies that reported usual dietary intake in adults. Data were pooled and reported as weighted mean intake for: all adults with IBD; Crohn's disease; ulcerative colitis; active disease; remission; males; females. A random‐effects meta‐analysis model compared intake with healthy individuals.

Results

Forty studies were identified and 19 were included in the meta‐analysis. All subgroups of adults with IBD consumed inadequate energy (mean intake in adults with IBD 1980 ± 130 kcal), fibre (14 ± 4 g), folate (246 ± 33 mg) and calcium (529 ± 114 mg) per day. Intake of breads and cereals, legumes, fruit, vegetables and dairy were inadequate. Compared to healthy individuals, adults with IBD consume significantly less dietary fibre (SMD −0.59; 95% CI: −0.73, −0.46).

Conclusions

This review provides improved clarity about the dietary intake of adults with IBD. Future attention is required to improve diet quality and increase understanding of factors influencing dietary intake in IBD.
First direct human‐to‐cat transmission of the SARS‐CoV‐2 B.1.1.7 variant
Authors: Curukoglu A , Ergoren MC , Ozgencil FE , Sayiner S , Ince ME , Sanlidag T
Published: July 2021

A highly transmissible severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) caused the coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, which resulted the highest morbidity and mortality rates among SARS‐CoV and MERS‐CoV. SARS‐CoV‐2 B.1.1.7 variant indicated the higher transmission among human‐to‐human and increasing hospitalisation. SARS‐CoV‐2 infection was observed in domestic animals showing human‐to‐pet transmission. In the current study, we report the first direct known human‐to‐cat transmission of the SARS‐CoV‐2 B.1.1.7 variant within the same family. Previous findings showed that companion animals can get infected by COVID‐19 patients after 3–6 weeks; however, according to our molecular findings, the cat was infected by the viral variant at the same period. Moreover, B.1.1.7 infection caused and developed several clinical symptoms including cardiac and ocular abnormalities. Overall, our findings determined the first direct and high transmission ability of the B.1.1.7 variant from COVID‐19 affected family members to cat. This result showed that the SARS‐CoV‐2 B.1.1.7 variant could have the highest transition capacity from human to domestic cat as shown for human‐to‐human. The governmental or worldwide policies should consider more detailed against the war with COVID‐19 pandemic.
Media Policies in Latin America's Post‐Left Turn: Legal (Counter‐) Reforms in Argentina and Ecuador
Authors: Kitzberger Philip , Schuliaquer Ivan
Published: July 2021

Latin America's ‘left turn’ has been characterised by ambitious reforms to reshuffle power relations in the region's historically elitist and commercially driven media systems. Those radical policies faced course reversals where right‐shifting governments followed. This article explores the legacies of left turn media policies by focusing on the counter‐reforms to the media regulatory laws in Argentina and Ecuador. The comparative case study both traces differences in outcomes and finds a common incomplete restoration of historical media policy patterns. While de‐regulations reinstated privileged state access of established interests, operating policy‐feedback mechanisms preserved some regulations conferring rights and resources on incorporated stakeholders.
Fine‐tuning of dual‐SMAD inhibition to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells into neural crest stem cells
Authors: Kim Hyun‐Mun , Noh Hye Bin , Lee Sang‐Hyuk , Lee Kun‐Gu , Chang Bomi , Cheong Eunji , Lee C. Justin , Hwang Dong‐Youn
Published: July 2021

Objectives

The derivation of neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) has been commonly induced by WNT activation in combination with dual‐SMAD inhibition.

In this study, by fine‐tuning BMP signalling in the conventional dual‐SMAD inhibition, we sought to generate large numbers of NCSCs without WNT activation.

Materials and methods

In the absence of WNT activation, we modulated the level of BMP signalling in the dual‐SMAD inhibition system to identify conditions that efficiently drove the differentiation of hPSCs into NCSCs. We isolated two NCSC populations separately and characterized them in terms of global gene expression profiles and differentiation ability.

Results

Our modified dual‐SMAD inhibition containing a lower dose of BMP inhibitor than that of the conventional dual‐SMAD inhibition drove hPSCs into mainly NCSCs, which consisted of HNK+p75high and HNK+p75low cell populations. We showed that the p75high population formed spherical cell clumps, while the p75low cell population generated a 2D monolayer.

We detected substantial differences in gene expression profiles between the two cell groups and showed that both p75high and p75low cells differentiated into mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), while only p75high cells had the ability to become peripheral neurons.

Conclusions

This study will provide a framework for the generation and isolation of NCSC populations for effective cell therapy for peripheral neuropathies and MSC‐based cell therapy.
Rat bite fever, a diagnostic challenge: case report and review of 29 cases
Authors: Kämmerer Till , Lesmeister Tony , Wollenberg Andreas , French Lars Einar , Strobel Erwin , Reinholz Markus
Published: July 2021

Rats can transmit Streptobacillus moniliformis, which may cause rat‐bite fever (RBF), a rare and potentially lethal zoonosis. Fastidious in vitro growth and unspecific symptoms, including fever, arthralgia, and polymorphous skin lesions, complicate the diagnosis. Rat‐bite fever follows exposure to contaminated bodily fluids of infected rodents; however, reports on Streptobacillus moniliformis‐related infections are few so far. A female patient presented with painful hemorrhagic pustules and purpuric lesions on hands and feet. She developed fever and migratory polyarthralgia. Blood culture yielded growth with Streptobacillus moniliformis. The patient owned rats and handled contaminated rat feces and urine, making this the most likely etiology of infection. We report a case of RBF due to Streptobacillus moniliformis in a rat handling‐patient. Difficulties in clinical and microbiological diagnosis highlight the need for a thorough and complete history‐taking and a greater understanding of this rare infectious disease.
Plantar shear stress in the diabetic foot: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Jones Alexander D. , De Siqueira Jonathan , Nixon Jane E. , Siddle Heidi J. , Culmer Peter R. , Russell David A.
Published: July 2021

Aims

Diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) is a multifactorial process involving undetected, repetitive trauma resulting in inflammation and tissue breakdown. Shear stress forms a major part of plantar load, the aim of this review is to determine whether elevated shear stress results in ulceration.

Methods

A systematic review of the Ovid Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL and Cochrane library databases was performed. Studies involving patients with diabetes who underwent plantar shear stress assessment were included. The primary outcome was plantar shear stress in patients with diabetes who had a current/previous DFU compared with those with no prior ulceration. Meta‐analysis was performed comparing shear stress between those with a current or previous DFU and those without, and those with diabetes and healthy controls.

Results

The search strategy identified 1461 potentially relevant articles, 16 studies met the inclusion criteria, involving a total of 597 patients. Comparing shear stress between the current/previous DFU group and those without: Standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.62 (95% CI −0.01 to 1.25), in favour of greater shear stress within the DFU group,p = 0.05. Comparing shear stress between people with diabetes and healthy controls: 0.36 (95% CI −0.31 to 1.03), in favour of greater shear stress within the diabetes group,p = 0.29.

Conclusion

This review suggests that that patients with diabetes and a history of ulceration exhibit greater shear stress than their ulcer‐free counterparts. This strengthens the premise that development of systems to measure shear stress may be helpful in DFU prediction and prevention.
Psychosocial factors associated with repeat diabetic ketoacidosis in people living with type 1 diabetes: A systematic review
Authors: Allcock Bethan , Stewart Rose , Jackson Mike
Published: July 2021

Aim

To systematically review the literature concerning the psychosocial factors associated with repeat diabetic ketoacidosis for people living with type 1 diabetes.

Methods

PsycInfo, Web of Science, CINAHL, PubMed and ASSIA were searched according to a registered study protocol (PROSPERO CRD42020167381). Data were extracted into a coding spreadsheet, and findings were synthesised narratively. Included papers were also subject to a quality assessment.

Results

The search yielded 548 unique articles, of which 22 met inclusion criteria for this review. There was considerable variance across studies with regard to design, quality and outcome measured. Nevertheless, there was relatively consistent evidence to suggest that repeat diabetic ketoacidosis in type 1 diabetes is associated with female gender, adolescent to young adult age range, lower socio‐economic status and poor mental health. Some evidence was also observed for the role of ethnicity and, for children and young people at least, family, social and behavioural issues. However, this was limited by issues of methodological rigour and scant investigation.

Conclusions

The review identified four psychosocial factors that appear to play a key role in the cycle of repeat diabetic ketoacidosis. Individuals with these factors present may benefit from targeted support and interventions by specialist healthcare professionals. Knowledge and understanding in this area would be considerably enhanced via increased use of prospective study designs and greater consistency in the operationalisation of variables across studies.
Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease‐related risk of cardiovascular disease and other cardiac complications
Authors: Byrne Christopher D. , Targher Giovanni
Published: July 2021

Background/Aim

Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects approximately 25% of the global adult population. The aim of this narrative review is to describe the associations between NAFLD and cardiovascular disease (CVD), arrhythmias, cardiac conduction defects, myocardial remodelling and heart failure. We also discuss the potential mechanisms that mediate or attenuate the strength of these associations, and briefly summarize the effect of treatments that both ameliorate NAFLD and decrease risk of CVD.

Methods

Searches of PubMed were performed by the two authors using the terms listed in Appendix. We limited the timeframe to the last decade due to the vast amount of research in the field (up to April 2021) for meta‐analyses, reviews and original papers. Only articles published in English were considered.

Results

NAFLD is associated with an increased risk of fatal/non‐fatal CVD events and other cardiac and arrhythmic complications (left ventricular hypertrophy, aortic‐valve sclerosis and certain arrhythmias), independently of common CVD risk factors. There are probably several underlying mechanisms, including hepatic/systemic insulin resistance, atherogenic dyslipidaemia, hypertension and pro‐atherogenic, pro‐coagulant and pro‐inflammatory mediators released from the steatotic/inflamed liver that may be involved. Some genetic polymorphisms, such as PNPLA3 (rs738409 C>G) and TM6SF2 (rs58542926 C>T), may worsen the liver disease, but also attenuate the strength of the association between NAFLD and CVD, possibly via their effects on lipoprotein metabolism. Of the currently tested drugs for treating NAFLD that also benefit the vasculature, pioglitazone and GLP‐1 receptor agonists are the most promising.

Conclusions

The complex interplay between the liver and cardiometabolic risk factors contributes to CVD, arrhythmias and cardiac disease in NAFLD. There is an urgent need for a multidisciplinary approach to manage both liver disease and cardiometabolic risk, and to test the cardiovascular and cardiac effects of new drugs for NAFLD.