bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Chronic Stress and Emotions on Eating Behavior Patterns and Weight among Young African American Women
Authors: Pickett Stephanie , McCoy Thomas P. , Odetola Love
Published: January 2020

This study examines the influence of chronic stress, varied positive and negative emotions on eating behaviors, and weight among 91 community-dwelling African American women 18–40 years old. Study measures include hair cortisol, Differential Emotional Scale IV, Eating Behavior Pattern Questionnaire, demographic form, waist circumference, and Body Mass Index (BMI). Analysis revealed positive emotions of interest ( rs = .27, p = .011) and surprise ( rs = .23, p = .029) were associated with low fat eating. Negative emotions of anger ( rs = .23, p = .035), shyness ( rs = .29, p = .006), and guilt ( rs = .24, p = .022) were positively associated with emotional eating. Mediation analysis suggests that emotional eating mediates anger (indirect effect = 0.136), shyness (0.144), guilt (0.187), and BMI among young African American women. Chronic stress and positive and negative emotions impact eating behaviors and should be considered for successful weight management among African American women.
Political Mobilization and Social Unrest in Rural Portugal in the Early Twentieth Century: The Example of Montemor-o-Novo between 1908 and 1918
Authors: Redondo Cardeñoso Jesús-Ángel
Published: January 2020

This article studies the different expressions of political mobilization and social unrest that occurred in rural Portugal during the early twentieth century. To do so, it offers an investigation at local level, using as an example the municipality of Montemor-o-Novo, part of the Alentejo region, in the southern half of the country, and covers the years of unrest marked by the fall of the monarchy and the early years of the Republic (1908–1918). This research focuses on the analysis of three aspects: the acts of political mobilization associated with the republican movement; the expansion of associations and conflict associated with the workers’ movement; and the protests associated with the absence of basic foodstuffs resulting from the Great War. In doing so, the article aims to show how the rural Portuguese population in the early twentieth century played an active and dynamic role in the political and social life of the country by means of very different forms of collective mobilization (such as meetings, demonstrations, strikes and riots), resulting from a wide variety of political, economic, or labour-related circumstances.
Retainer Holding Clip
Authors: Gupta Kshitij , Khare Rajul , Agrawal Neeraj , Chaukse Ankur , Gupta Neha Nigam
Published: January 2020

Retention period is the most important phase of orthodontic treatment, which is often neglected. Bonded retainers have advantages compared to conventional removable retainers in that they are invisible from the front, require less patient cooperation, and provide long-term (as long as 10 years) or even permanent retention. 1 Stabilization of bonded retainer prior to its bonding is of key importance. In the present paper, we have designed a more simple and innovative method of stabilizing the retainer wire by just holding the retainer with a prefabricated retainer holding clip, followed by the bonding procedure of lingual retainer.
T A D S: A Nomenclature Coding System for Mini-Implants
Authors: K. Anand Viswanadh , Ranganayakulu I. , Ram R. S. V. M. Raghu
Published: January 2020

Advances in the field of mini-implants lead to their availability in various head forms, materials, and in different sizes, which widened their scope in orthodontics. With the increased usage of mini-implants, a common nomenclature coding system providing the details of mini-implants for better communication and data storage is essential. Hence, in this article, an easy and clear-cut nomenclature coding system “T A D S” has been described.
When more data means better results: Abundance and scarcity in research collaborations in epigenetics
Authors: Pinel Clémence
Published: January 2020

Drawing upon ethnographic findings from an epigenetics research laboratory in the United Kingdom, this article explores practices of research collaborations in the field of epigenetics, and epigenomics research consortia in particular. I demonstrate that research consortia are key scientific infrastructures that enable the aggregation of masses of data deemed necessary for the production of results and the fostering of epistemic value. Building on Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholarship on value production, and the concept of asset, I show that the production of valuable research within epigenomics research consortia rests on the active organisation and management of abundance and scarcity. It involves shaping and standardising the masses of data gathered in consortia, while it also entails research teams enclosing their data within their laboratories’ walls. As they do so, research teams construct data into scarce and monopolised assets, which they can put to productive use in collaborative endeavours against a revenue. In addition to contributing empirical and critical insights into the ways epigenetics knowledge is formed and negotiated in specific research contexts, this article offers conceptual tools to examine and problematise knowledge production practices in data-intensive research more broadly. In particular, it points out that while contemporary big biology is marked by the generalised imperative to ‘share’ data and ‘open’ science, collaborative endeavours within research consortia are built around forms of exclusions.
Formalisation of informal collectors under a dual-recycling channel: A game theoretic approach
Authors: Wang Juntao , Li Wenhua , Mishima Nozomu , Adachi Tsuyoshi
Published: January 2020

Formalisation of informal collectors is beneficial for economical, environmental and social sustainability. Through dividing collectors and recyclers, a benchmark model consists of competitive dual formal and informal channels is established to quantitatively analyse the possibility of formalising informal collectors and study the formalisation extent. This study comprehensively compares the effects of respective subsidy or punishment targeting at collectors or recyclers in the extended policy model. The subsidy delay used to represent the response speed of the subsidy system is first included. This study indicates the influences of different factors on formalisation activity, including bargaining power, reluctance of informal collectors and recycling cost of formal channels. The policy model concluded that the subsidy on informal collectors or formal recyclers (punishment on informal collectors or informal recyclers) presents no difference regarding the formalisation extent. Based on numerical data, we studied the formalisation extent for the context of China and visualised the effects of different policies. The decremental effect of subsidy and the incremental effect of punishment are concluded in a formalisation activity. This study fills the gap of a quantitative study on formalisation activity and the results will comprehend the promotion of the formalisation of informal collectors.
Party, candidate, and voter incentives under free list proportional representation
Authors: Mustillo Thomas , Polga-Hecimovich John
Published: January 2020

Under free list proportional representation voters can: (a) cast preference votes for candidates; (b) cast multiple preferences; and (c) distribute preferences across multiple lists. Alternatively, they can cast a list vote. Our theory shows that office-seeking candidates face incentives to pursue the personal vote, while non-candidate partisans seek the party vote. Voters are in the cross-currents of these forces. Also, since preference voting is so cognitively and informationally demanding, voters have incentives to use shortcuts, especially (a) list voting; (b) casting fewer than their allotment of preferences; and (c) preference voting for well-known or highly placed candidates. We find support for our expectations using linear mixed-effects regression of the proportion of preference votes in candidate-level electoral data from Ecuador. Personal voting is more prevalent as magnitude increases, where the local party is strong, and for candidates that are incumbents, male, high on the list, and in the position of first loser.
Who wins preference votes? An analysis of party loyalty, ideology, and accountability to voters
Authors: Folke Olle , Rickne Johanna
Published: January 2020

We study the distribution of preference votes across politicians with different behaviors and attitudes. There are two main findings. First, preference votes are concentrated to politicians who are more active in communicating their policy proposals and policy priorities. This suggests that preference voting may incentivize more transparency and communication among politicians, and, hence, be positive for accountability. Second, preference votes are concentrated to politicians who are more—not less—loyal to the party in their voting decisions, and to politicians who’s ideological and policy positions are mainstream—rather than extreme—compared to their party colleagues. Together with the first finding, this suggests that preference voting can strengthen the bond of accountability between voters and politicians without undercutting parties’ ideological cohesion.
Public goods equilibria under closed- and open-list proportional representation
Authors: Kselman Daniel M
Published: January 2020

Building on past research, this paper develops a game theoretic model to study the provision of local public goods under closed- and open-list proportional representation (CLPR and OLPR). The core results suggest that, all thing equal, legislators will provide voters with higher levels of public goods in OLPR than in CLPR systems. However, two intervening variables condition the institutional comparison: the district magnitude and electoral volatility. Firstly, public goods effort increases as district magnitude increases in OLPR systems, while it tends to decrease as magnitude increases in CLPR systems. Indeed, when district magnitude is [Formula: see text], the two systems are often indistinguishable. Furthermore, the distinction between OLPR and CLPR weakens when electoral volatility is low, such that neither system generates high levels of public goods effort. In addition to their relevance for political economy, the paper’s results provide game theoretic foundations for a series of theoretical conjectures found in Carey and Shugart’s (1995) seminal study of electoral institutions and legislative personalism (Incentives to cultivate a personal vote: A rank-ordering of electoral formulas. Electoral Studies 1995; 14(4): 417–439).
Sally Haslanger and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak on the Possibility of Metaphysics of Resistance and its Implications for Postcolonial Feminist Theologizing
Authors: Peracullo Jeane C.
Published: January 2020

In Resisting Reality: Social Construction and Social Critique, contemporary feminist philosopher Sally Haslanger claims that the reality of race and gender (both social constructs) is built on unjust social structures and must be resisted. Meanwhile, contemporary social theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak extends the term ‘subaltern’ to Third World Asian women who were rendered inarticulate by centuries of oppressive masculinist, imperialist, and colonial rule. This article examines how a metaphysics of resistance, culled from philosophy and postcolonial studies, can contribute to expanding postcolonial feminist theologizing.
The Rise, Regulation and Risks of Genetically Modified Insect Technology in Global Agriculture
Authors: Schwindenhammer Sandra
Published: January 2020

The article explores the rise, regulation and risks of genetically modified (GM) insect technology in global agriculture. It contributes to the debate on the nexus of science, technology and food security in Science and Technology Studies from an International Relations perspective. The study locates GM insect technology within the context of conceptual debates about global agriculture, transnational entrepreneurship and the pooling of different sources of political authority. It introduces the pooling of political authority as a potential causal mechanism that transmits biotechnical innovations and entrepreneurship to the spread of GM insect technology in the global agri-food regime. The study focusses, especially on Oxitec Limited, the most important business entrepreneur in the field. The empirical findings reveal that Oxitec has pooled moral and technical political authority and has influenced the global rise and regulation of GM insect technology. The contribution discusses the implications of Oxitec’s entrepreneurial involvement and identifies the three key challenges concerning the global regulation of GM insect technology: the transboundary scope, the provision of transparency, and the assessment of risks. Finally, the study outlines future areas of research.
TCS: ‘Hazir SubKuch’—Making Everything Present
Authors: Jat Mohsin Nasir , Jajja Muhammad Shakeel Sadiq
Published: January 2020

The case describes the journey of TCS as it became Pakistan’s leading logistics service provider. It highlights how and when TCS acquired different logistics and other value-adding capabilities and how these capabilities, in turn, complimented the diverse logistics services that TCS offered to a wide variety of businesses.

TCS had been offering a top-notch Express and Logistics service around Pakistan for 30 years. TCS started as a company providing secure distribution of letters and packages. Customers perceived TCS as a shipping solution provider for all their goods transportation needs which included parcels, documents, E-commerce products and even their groceries. Table 1 of the case study highlights that TCS had taken up some unique and new initiatives. TCS handled four main clientele areas: Corporate, Consumer, International and E-commerce. For consumer wing, TCS oversaw bookings of documents and parcels at the express centres, door-to-door containerized shipments, domestic and international air ticketing, visa application drop box facility for various countries and financial services in the form of insurance plans. On the corporate side, TCS provided warehousing and distribution, digital printing and bulk mail solutions. International and e-commerce both catered consumer and corporate segments. Over the last decade, TCS had established a warehousing and distribution wing and a mail management and printing facility. Other ventures and services that TCS offered were Visatronix, Hazir, Home Movers, E-COM, TCS Aviation, Mail Management System, Warehouse and Distribution, Intiana, Sentiments express and Octra.

The case focusses on the decision of whether or not to run an ambitious new logistics service, that is, Hazir SubKuch (HSK), meant to deliver anything non-prohibited that a customer wanted, on a crowdsourcing model. In the proposed crowdsourcing model, after training and evaluation, anyone could assume the role of a customer service provider by connecting to the system remotely. Similarly, pickup and delivery jobs could be performed under an Uber-like model by anyone who owned a ride and had smartphone connectivity. The service was a brainchild of the new CEO, hired by the founder and chairman as part of the new management team to bring a fresh dynamism in the company.
Culturally Congruent Care From the Perspectives of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Authors: Wehbe-Alamah Hiba , Hammonds Linda Sue , Stanley David
Published: January 2020

Introduction: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are three world religions that occupy much of the world stage in health care, journalism, and media. Nurses frequently provide care for representatives of these groups. Culturally competent nurses recognize that there are differences and similarities within and between these religions. Methodology: This article incorporates findings from a scholarly review of the literature and transcultural nursing/health care principles and is guided by Leininger’s Culture Care Diversity and Universality Theory. It discusses the roots from which these religions emerged, and the similarities and differences in religious beliefs and practices as pertained to health care. Conclusion: Nurses and other health care professionals may use knowledge presented in this article to conduct individualized cultural assessments and provide culturally congruent health care to Jewish, Christian, and Muslim populations. Leininger’s three culture care modes of decisions and actions offer a creative approach to providing meaningful and helpful culturally sensitive care.
“That’s the Lowest Place on Earth!” Experiences of the Carceral Spaces of Australian Police Custody for Marginalized Young Men
Authors: Walker Shelley , Higgs Peter , Stoové Mark , Wilson Mandy
Published: January 2020

Young men are overrepresented among people detained in police custody in Victoria, Australia, a closed institution that has mostly escaped public scrutiny. Our study sheds light on this underexamined place from the perspective of 28 marginalized young men (aged 19–24) detained there prior to adult prison. Drawing on Bacchi’s “What’s the problem represented to be?” approach and the subdiscipline of carceral geography, we disrupt the assumed purpose of police custody as a place to simply detain people while awaiting court and/or transfer to prison. We illustrate how police custody, although ostensibly for ensuring the safety and protection of the community, privileges that of some over others, with detrimental effects for marginalized groups. We highlight how harsh, degrading, hostile environments intersected with lived experiences and exacerbated psychological, social, and physical health harms; made possible young men’s constitution as dirty, violent, and subhuman; and worked to legitimize breaches of human rights.
Dynamical analysis of fractional-order differentiated Cournot triopoly game
Authors: Al-khedhairi Abdulrahman
Published: January 2020

The objective of the article is to study the dynamics of the proposed fractional-order Cournot triopoly game. Sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of the triopoly game solution are obtained. Stability analysis of equilibrium points of the fractional-order game is also discussed. The conditions for the presence of Nash equilibrium point along with its global stability analysis are studied. The interesting dynamical behaviors of the arbitrary-order Cournot triopoly game are discussed. Moreover, the effects of seasonal periodic forcing on the game’s behaviors are examined. The 0–1 test is used to distinguish between regular and irregular dynamics of system behaviors. Numerical analysis is used to verify the theoretical results that are obtained, and revealed that the nonautonomous fractional-order model induces more complicated dynamics in the Cournot triopoly game behavior and the seasonally forced game exhibits more complex dynamics than the unforced one.
Modal density and critical frequency of composite panels considering transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia
Authors: Renji K
Published: January 2020

In this work, expressions for estimating the modal density, speed of the bending wave, critical frequency and coincidence frequency of panels are derived considering orthotropic properties of the face sheets, transverse shear deformation and the rotary inertia. Presence of rotary inertia results in an increase in the modal density and a reduction in the speed of the bending waves. The influence is significant at higher frequencies. The critical and coincidence frequencies increase due to rotary inertia. Results for a typical equipment panel of spacecraft are presented and they show the need for incorporating rotary inertia while determining these parameters.
Clinical response and survival time of cats with carcinoma of the nasal cavity treated with palliative coarse fractionated radiotherapy
Authors: Giuliano Antonio , Dobson Jane
Published: January 2020

Objectives

Carcinoma is the second most common tumour of the nasal cavity in cats. Few studies assessing the response and survival of cats with carcinoma of the nasal cavity treated with palliative coarse fractionated radiotherapy have been published.

Methods

Twenty-eight cats were diagnosed with histologically confirmed carcinoma of the nasal cavity. All patients treated with a coarse fractionated radiotherapy protocol were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

Improvement of the clinical signs were reported in 24 cases; median survival time (MST) was 342 days; and cats with Adams modified stage IV and facial deformity had a significantly reduced MST of 152 days ( P = 0.0013) and 67 days ( P = 0.0002), respectively. Severe radiotherapy-related clinical signs were not reported and alopecia and leukotrichia were the most common side effects reported in ten cases.

Conclusions and relevance

Coarse fractionated radiotherapy treatment for carcinoma of the nasal cavity in cats is effective in relieving clinical signs. Long survival times can be achieved, in particular in cases with a less advanced stage of the tumour.
Should research misconduct be criminalized?
Authors: Dal-Ré Rafael , Bouter Lex M , Cuijpers Pim , Gluud Christian , Holm Søren
Published: January 2020

For more than 25 years, research misconduct (research fraud) is defined as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism (FFP)—although other research misbehaviors have been also added in codes of conduct and legislations. A critical issue in deciding whether research misconduct should be subject to criminal law is its definition, because not all behaviors labeled as research misconduct qualifies as serious crime. But assuming that all FFP is fraud and all non-FFP not is far from obvious. In addition, new research misbehaviors have recently been described, such as prolific authorship, and fake peer review, or boosted such as duplication of images. The scientific community has been largely successful in keeping criminal law away from the cases of research misconduct. Alleged cases of research misconduct are usually looked into by committees of scientists usually from the same institution or university of the suspected offender in a process that often lacks transparency. Few countries have or plan to introduce independent bodies to address research misconduct; so for the coming years, most universities and research institutions will continue handling alleged research misconduct cases with their own procedures. A global operationalization of research misconduct with clear boundaries and clear criteria would be helpful. There is room for improvement in reaching global clarity on what research misconduct is, how allegations should be handled, and which sanctions are appropriate.
When adding is right: Temporal order judgements reveal spatial attention shifts during two-digit mental arithmetic
Authors: Glaser Maria , Knops André
Published: January 2020

Recent research suggests that addition and subtraction induce horizontal shifts of attention. Previous studies used single-digit (1d) problems or verification paradigms that lend themselves to alternative solution strategies beyond mental arithmetic. To measure spatial attention during the active production of solutions to complex two-digit arithmetic problems (2d) without manual motor involvement, we used a temporal order judgement (TOJ) paradigm in which two lateralised targets were sequentially presented on screen with a varying stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA). Participants verbally indicated which target appeared first. By varying the delay between the arithmetic problem presentation and the TOJ task, we investigated how arithmetically induced attention shifts develop over time (Experiment 1, n = 31 and Experiment 2, n = 58). In Experiment 2, we additionally varied the carry property of the arithmetic task to examine how task difficulty modulates the effects. In the arithmetic task, participants were first presented with the arithmetic problem via headphones and performed the TOJ task after the delay before responding to the arithmetic task. To account for spontaneous attentional biases, a baseline TOJ was run without arithmetic processing. Both experiments revealed that addition induces shifts of spatial attention to the right suggesting that visuospatial attention mechanisms are recruited during complex arithmetic. We observed no difference in spatial attention between the carry and noncarry condition (Experiment 2). No shifts were observed for subtraction problems. No common and conclusive influence of delay was observed across experiments. Qualitative differences between addition and subtraction and the role of task difficulty are discussed.
Public perceptions of felon-juror exclusion: An exploratory study
Authors: Binnall James M , Petersen Nick
Published: January 2020

Despite the pervasiveness of felon-juror exclusion, this is the first study to systematically explore public opinions about the exclusion of convicted felons from voting and jury service. While results from 815 Californians revealed greater support for felon-voters than for felon-jurors, a majority opposed felon-juror exclusion and rejected the rationales for doing so. Findings also revealed stark ideological divides, as conservatives were less likely to support felon-voters or felon-jurors, and were more likely to endorse the justifications for felon-juror exclusion. As states debate legislation permitting felon-juror inclusion, our findings indicate that support for such policies is likely greater than courts and policymakers had previously thought, suggesting that officials might benefit from re-considering whether this form of civic marginalization actually represents the will of the people.
Estimation of GFR in Patients With Cystic Fibrosis: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Wallace Andrea , Price April , Fleischer Erin , Khoury Michael , Filler Guido
Published: January 2020

Background:

Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) have frequent infectious complications requiring nephrotoxic medications, necessitating monitoring of renal function. Although adult studies have suggested that cystatin C (CysC)-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) may be preferable due to reduced muscle mass of patients with CF, pediatric patients remain understudied.

Objective:

Our objective was to determine which eGFR formula is best for estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in pediatric patients with CF.

Methods:

A total of 17 patients with CF treated with nephrotoxic antibiotics were recruited from the Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada. 99Tc DTPA GFR (measured GFR [mGFR]) was measured with 4-point measurements starting at 120 minutes using a 2-compartmental model with Brøchner-Mortensen correction, with simultaneous measurement of creatinine, urea, and CysC. The eGFR was calculated using 16 known equations based on creatinine, urea, CysC, or combinations of these. Primary outcome measures were correlation with mGFR, and agreement within 10% for various eGFR equations.

Results:

Mean mGFR was 136 ± 21 mL/min/1.73 m2. Mean creatinine, CysC, and urea were 38 ± 10 μmol/L, 0.72 ± 0.08 mg/L, and 3.9 ± 1.4 mmol/L, respectively. The 2014 Grubb CysC eGFR had the best correlation coefficient ( r = 0.75, P = .0004); however, only 35% were within 10%. The new Schwartz formula with creatinine and urea had the best agreement within 10%, but a relatively low correlation coefficient ( r = 0.63, P = .0065, 64% within 10%).

Conclusions:

Our study suggests that none of the eGFR formulae work well in this small cohort of pediatric patients with CF with preserved body composition, possibly due to inflammation causing false elevations of CysC. Based on the small numbers, we cannot conclude which eGFR formula is best.
Three faces of the online leftists: An exploratory study based on case observations and big-data analysis
Authors: Gui Yong , Huang Ronggui , Ding Yi
Published: January 2020

Left-leaning social thoughts are not a unitary and coherent theoretical system, and leftists can be divided into divergent groups. Based on inductive qualitative observations, this article proposes a theoretical typology of two dimensions of theoretical resources and position orientations to describe left-wing social thoughts communicated in online space. Empirically, we used a mixed approach, an integration of case observations and big-data analyses of Weibo tweets, to investigate three types of left-leaning social thoughts. The identified left-leaning social thoughts include state-centered leftism, populist leftism, and liberal leftism, which are consistent with the proposed theoretical typology. State-centered leftism features strong support of the state and the current regime and a negative attitude toward the West, populist leftism is characterized by unequivocal affirmation of the revolutionary legacy and support for disadvantaged grassroots, and liberal leftism harbors a grassroots position and a decided affirmation of individual rights. In addition, we used supervised machine learning and social network analysis techniques to identify online communities that harbor the afore-mentioned left-leaning social thoughts and analyzed the interaction patterns within and across communities as well as the evolutions of community structures. We found that during the study period of 2012–2014, the liberal leftists gradually declined and the corresponding communities dissolved; the interactions between populist leftists and state-centered leftists intensified, and the ideational cleavage between these two camps increased the online confrontations. This article demonstrates that the mixed method approach of integrating traditional methods with big-data analytics has enormous potential in the sub-discipline of digital sociology.
Constructing the Assessment Scale of Youth’s Restaurant Entrepreneurship Competency: The Case of Taiwan
Authors: Hu Meng-Lei Monica , Yuan Yu-Hsi
Published: January 2020

Due to the dramatic rise in the entrepreneurship trend both in education and industry, there is a high growth in the tourism and hospital industry. But the valid tool for assessing talent’s entrepreneurship competence wasn’t available. Thus, the aim of this study is to construct an assessment scale for youth’s Restaurant Entrepreneurship Competency (REC) in Taiwan. Methods with qualitative step consisted of expert in-depth interview and Delphi technique which gained 35 original items and 5 domains. It shows the patterns of REC. The quantitative step involved students of universities as participants in the pre-test and survey. The collected 762 valid data were used for exploratory factor analysis, item analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. Finally, a total of 29 items passed in the examination and named the “REC Scale.” It could be used to assess youth’s REC, and provide educational resources or designed curriculum for talent cultivation.
Marketing at Patanjali Ayurved: Creating Value in a Herbal Way
Authors: Pandey Neeraj , Paul Gaurav
Published: January 2020

On 9 October 2018, Baba Ramdev announced that Patanjali Ayurved Limited (PAL) would become the largest Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) organization in the world by 2025 (ET Bureau, 2018). PAL had created high visibility and awareness about its brands among consumers using the herbal and wellness positioning. The CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 100 per cent since the last 4 years was an indicator of preference of herbal products by the consumers (Malviya & Bhushan, 2018). However, the competitors were launching various herbal product ranges to counter PAL. Baba Ramdev knew that consumer ‘trust’ in the brand building of herbal products was crucial. He was exploring various options for keeping the present trust intact.
Into the Clearing: Back to the future of constitutive institutional analysis
Authors: Lounsbury Michael , Wang Milo Shaoqing
Published: January 2020

In the wake of recent scholarly disquiet regarding organizational institutionalism, we argue for a more focused constitutive approach to institutional analysis that concentrates attention on the socio-cultural sources of actors and their behavior. To do so, we suggest that complementarities between world society institutionalism and the institutional logics perspective provide an opportunity to develop a richer, more critical approach to contemporary transformations in economy and society. Building upon nascent empirical directions in world society scholarship, we argue that bridging these theoretical research programs can seed a generative research agenda on the variegated challenges to the established world society order that underpins the liberal capitalist-democracy model. We argue that this should include research on the multiplicity of logics that undergird liberal as well as illiberal beliefs and practices. Foregrounding issues of power and inequality that are grounded in disparate configurations of logics, we suggest that new analytical tools related to the new structuralism and multimodal analysis can help advance the constitutive institutional project for which we advocate.
Rapid and Accurate Bayesian Diagnosis of Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia
Authors: Marchetti Matteo , Barelli Stefano , Zermatten Maxime Grégoire , Monnin-Respen Fanny , Matthey-Guirao Elena , Nicolas Nicole , Gomez Francisco , Goodyer Matthew , Gerschheimer Christiane , Alberio Lorenzo
Published: January 2020

Prompt diagnostic work-up of suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is critical for guiding initial patient management. We assessed the performance of three immunoassays detecting anti-PF4/heparin-antibodies, derived a diagnostic algorithm with a short analytical turnaround-time (TAT) and prospectively validated it. Plasma samples were analysed by Zymutest-HIA-IgG, HemosIL-AcuStar-HIT-IgG and ID-H/PF4-PaGIA in retrospective (n=221) and prospective (n=305) derivation cohorts. We calculated likelihood ratios (LR) of result intervals and cut-off values with 100% negative (NPV) and positive (PPV) predictive value for a positive gold-standard functional assay (HIPA). We established a diagnostic algorithm based on the Bayesian combination of pre-test probability and LR of first- and second-line immunoassays. Cut-offs with 100% PPV for positive HIPA were >3.0 U/ml (HemosIL-AcuStar-HIT-IgG) and titre {greater than or equal to}16 (ID-H/PF4-PaGIA); cut-offs with 100% NPV were <0.13 U/ml and {less than or equal to}1, respectively. During the prospective validation of the derived algorithm (n=687), HemosIL-AcuStar-HIT-IgG was used as unique testing in 566/687 cases (82.4%) (analytical TAT 30 min). In 121/687 unresolved cases (17.6%), ID-H/PF4-PaGIA was used as second-line testing (additional TAT 30 min). The algorithm accurately predicted HIT in 51/687 (7.4%) and excluded it in 604/687 (87.9%) patients, leaving only 20/687 (2.9%) cases unresolved. Additionally, we identified 12/687 (1.7%) positive predictions not confirmed by HIPA: 10 patients with probable HIT despite negative HIPA and two possible false positive algorithm predictions. The combination of pre-test probability with first- and second-line immunoassays for anti-PF4/heparin-antibodies is accurate for ruling in or out HIT in {greater than or equal to}95% of cases within 60 minutes. This diagnostic approach improves initial management of patients with suspected HIT.
Brentuximab vedotin with chemotherapy for stage III/IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma: 3-year update of the ECHELON-1 study
Authors: Straus David J. , Długosz-Danecka Monika , Alekseev Sergey , Illés Árpád , Picardi Marco , Lech-Maranda Ewa , Feldman Tatyana , Smolewski Piotr , Savage Kerry J. , Bartlett Nancy L. , Walewski Jan , Ramchandren Radhakrishnan , Zinzani Pier Luigi , Hutchings Martin , Connors Joseph M. , Radford John , Munoz Javier , Kim Won Seog , Advani Ranjana , Ansell Stephen M. , Younes Anas , Miao Harry , Liu Rachael , Fenton Keenan , Forero-Torres Andres , Gallamini Andrea
Published: January 2020

The phase 3 ECHELON-1 study demonstrated that brentuximab vedotin (A) with doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (AVD; A+AVD) exhibited superior modified progression-free survival (PFS) vs doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) for frontline treatment of patients with stage III/IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). Maturing positron emission tomography (PET)-adapted trial data highlight potential limitations of PET-adapted approaches, including toxicities with dose intensification and higher-than-expected relapse rates in PET scan after cycle 2 (PET2)-negative (PET2−) patients. We present an update of the ECHELON-1 study, including an exploratory analysis of 3-year PFS per investigator. A total of 1334 patients with stage III or IV cHL were randomized 1:1 to receive 6 cycles of A+AVD (n = 664) or ABVD (n = 670). Interim PET2 was required. At median follow-up of 37 months, 3-year PFS rates were 83.1% with A+AVD and 76.0% with ABVD; 3-year PFS rates in PET2− patients aged <60 years were 87.2% vs 81.0%, respectively. A beneficial trend in PET2+ patients aged <60 years on A+AVD was also observed, with a 3-year PFS rate of 69.2% vs 54.7% with ABVD. The benefit of A+AVD in the intent-to-treat population appeared independent of disease stage and prognostic risk factors. Upon continued follow-up, 78% of patients with peripheral neuropathy on A+AVD had either complete resolution or improvement compared with 83% on ABVD. These data highlight that A+AVD provides a durable efficacy benefit compared with ABVD for frontline stage III/IV cHL, consistent across key subgroups regardless of patient status at PET2, without need for treatment intensification or bleomycin exposure. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01712490 (EudraCT no. 2011-005450-60).
Clinical and functional significance of circular RNAs in cytogenetically normal AML
Authors: Papaioannou Dimitrios , Volinia Stefano , Nicolet Deedra , Świerniak Michał , Petri Andreas , Mrózek Krzysztof , Bill Marius , Pepe Felice , Walker Christopher J. , Walker Allison E. , Carroll Andrew J. , Kohlschmidt Jessica , Eisfeld Ann-Kathrin , Powell Bayard L. , Uy Geoffrey L. , Kolitz Jonathan E. , Wang Eunice S. , Kauppinen Sakari , Dorrance Adrienne , Stone Richard M. , Byrd John C. , Bloomfield Clara D. , Garzon Ramiro
Published: January 2020

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are noncoding RNA molecules that display a perturbed arrangement of exons, called backsplicing. To examine the prognostic and biologic significance of circRNA expression in cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN-AML), we conducted whole-transcriptome profiling in 365 younger adults (age 18-60 years) with CN-AML. We applied a novel pipeline, called Massive Scan for circRNA, to identify and quantify circRNA expression. We validated the high sensitivity and specificity of our pipeline by performing RNase R treatment and RNA sequencing in samples of AML patients and cell lines. Unsupervised clustering analyses identified 3 distinct circRNA expression–based clusters with different frequencies of clinical and molecular features. After dividing our cohort into training and validation data sets, we identified 4 circRNAs (circCFLAR, circKLHL8, circSMC1A, and circFCHO2) that were prognostic in both data sets; high expression of each prognostic circRNA was associated with longer disease-free, overall, and event-free survival. In multivariable analyses, high circKLHL8 and high circFCHO2 expression were independently associated with better clinical outcome of CN-AML patients, after adjusting for other covariates. To examine the biologic relevance of circRNA expression, we performed knockdown screening experiments in a subset of prognostic and gene mutation–related candidate circRNAs. We identified circFBXW7, but not its linear messenger RNA, as a regulator of the proliferative capacity of AML blasts. In summary, our findings underscore the molecular associations, prognostic significance, and functional relevance of circRNA expression in CN-AML.
The NLRP3 inflammasome pathway is activated in sarcoidosis and involved in granuloma formation
Authors: Huppertz Christine , Jäger Benedikt , Wieczorek Grazyna , Engelhard Peggy , Oliver Stephen J. , Bauernfeind Franz-Georg , Littlewood-Evans Amanda , Welte Tobias , Hornung Veit , Prasse Antje
Published: January 2020

Sarcoidosis is a disease characterised by granuloma formation. There is an unmet need for new treatment strategies beyond corticosteroids. The NLRP3 inflammasome pathway is expressed in innate immune cells and senses danger signals to elicit inflammatory interleukin (IL)-1β; it has recently become a druggable target. This prompted us to test the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome and IL-1β pathway in granuloma formation and sarcoidosis.

19 sarcoid patients and 19 healthy volunteers were recruited into this pilot study. NLRP3 inflammasome activity was measured in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells and lung and skin biopsies using immunohistochemistry, Western blot, reverse-transcriptase PCR and ELISA. Forin vivoexperiments we used the trehalose 6,6′-dimycolate-granuloma mouse model and evaluated lung granuloma burden in miR-223 knockout and NLRP3 knockout mice, as well as the treatment effects of MCC950 and anti-IL-1β antibody therapy.

We found strong upregulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, evidenced by expression of activated NLRP3 inflammasome components, including cleaved caspase-1 and IL-1β in lung granuloma, and increased IL-1β release of BAL cells from sarcoid patients compared to healthy volunteers (p=0.006). mRNA levels of miR-223, a micro-RNA downregulating NLRP3, were decreased and NLRP3 mRNA correspondingly increased in alveolar macrophages from sarcoid patients (p<0.005). NLRP3 knockout mice showed decreased and miR-223 knockout mice increased granuloma formation compared to wild-type mice. Pharmacological interference using NLRP3 pathway inhibitor MCC950 or an anti-IL-1β antibody resulted in reduced granuloma formation (p<0.02).

In conclusion, our data provide evidence of upregulated inflammasome and IL-1β pathway activation in sarcoidosis and suggest both as valid therapeutic targets.
Culture of pulmonary artery endothelial cells from pulmonary artery catheter balloon tips: considerations for use in pulmonary vascular disease
Authors: Ventetuolo Corey E. , Aliotta Jason M. , Braza Julie , Chichger Havovi , Dooner Mark , McGuirl Donald , Mullin Christopher J. , Newton Julie , Pereira Mandy , Princiotto Amy , Quesenberry Peter J. , Walsh Thomas , Whittenhall Mary , Klinger James R. , Harrington Elizabeth O.
Published: January 2020

Endothelial dysfunction is a hallmark of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) but there are no established methods to study pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) from living patients. We sought to culture PAECs from pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) balloons used during right-heart catheterisation (RHC) to characterise successful culture attempts and to describe PAEC behaviour.

PAECs were grown in primary culture to confluence and endothelial cell phenotype was confirmed. Standard assays for apoptosis, migration and tube formation were performed between passages three to eight. We collected 49 PAC tips from 45 subjects with successful PAEC culture from 19 balloons (39%).

There were no differences in subject demographic details or RHC procedural details in successfulversusunsuccessful attempts. However, for subjects who met haemodynamic criteria for PAH, there was a higher but nonsignificant (p=0.10) proportion amongst successful attempts (10 out of 19, 53%)versusunsuccessful attempts (nine out of 30, 30%). A successful culture was more likely in subjects with a lower cardiac index (p=0.03) and higher pulmonary vascular resistance (p=0.04). PAECs from a subject with idiopathic PAH were apoptosis resistant compared to commercial PAECs (p=0.04) and had reduced migration compared to PAECs from a subject with portopulmonary hypertension with high cardiac output (p=0.01). PAECs from a subject with HIV-associated PAH formed fewer (p=0.01) and shorter (p=0.02) vessel networks compared to commercial PAECs.

Sustained culture and characterisation of PAECs from RHC balloons is feasible, especially in PAH with high haemodynamic burden. This technique may provide insight into endothelial dysfunction during PAH pathogenesis.
Micro-FTIR spectroscopy and partial least-squares regression for rapid determination of moisture content of nanogram-scaled heat-treated wood
Authors: Yuan Hanmeng , Tang Shiyao , Luo Qiuyan , Xiao Teng , Wang Wenlei , Ma Qiang , Guo Xin , Wu Yiqiang
Published: January 2020

Moisture sorption has a significant impact on the performance of heat-treated wood. In order to better characterize moisture sorption of heat-treated wood, a method for rapid determination of moisture content (MC) of nanogram-scaled heat-treated wood is proposed in this work. During moisture adsorption process, micro-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of heat-treated wood were recorded. Spectral analysis was applied to these measured spectra, and then moisture adsorption sites and spectral ranges affected by moisture sorption were identified. Meanwhile, moisture contents (MCs) of heat-treated wood at various relative humidity (RH) levels were measured by using dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) setup. Based on these spectral ranges and MCs, a quantitative forecasting model was established using partial least-square regression (PLSR). Furthermore, the developed forecasting model was applied to acquire moisture sorption isotherm of heat-treated wood, in which a very positive correlation between predicted and measured MCs was observed. It was confirmed that this method was effective for rapid detection of MC of nanogram-scaled heat-treated wood which had unique advantages of rapid analysis (second level) and less sample consumption (nanogram level).
Biodegradation and biotransformation of pentachlorophenol by wood-decaying white rot fungus Phlebia acanthocystis TMIC34875
Authors: Xiao Pengfei , Kondo Ryuichiro
Published: January 2020

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) has been introduced into the environment mainly as a wood preservative and biocide. The degradation and transformation of PCP in liquid culture by wood-decaying fungus capable of degrading organochlorine pesticides was investigated in this study. The results of tolerance test showed that the tolerance level of Phlebia acanthocystis to PCP in potato dextrose agar medium was higher than that of other Phlebia species. At the end of 10 days of incubation, P. acanthocystis was able to remove 100% and 76% of PCP (25 μM) in low-nitrogen and potato dextrose broth media, respectively. The decrease of PCP in P. acanthocystis culture is accompanied by the formation of pentachloroanisole and p-tetrachlorohydroquinone via methylation and oxidation reactions. Moreover, the p-tetrachlorohydroquinone formed is rapidly converted to methylated products including tetrachloro-4-methoxyphenol and tetrachloro-1,4-dimethoxybenzene. The activities of lignin peroxidase and manganese peroxidase were found to increase in extracellular fluid from fungal culture treated with high-concentration PCP, with maximum values of 169.6 U/L and 73.4 U/L, respectively. The in vitro degradation of PCP and p-tetrachlorohydroquinone was confirmed using extracellular fluid of P. acanthocystis, suggested that the methylation of both compounds is related to extracellular enzymes. Degradation of PCP was efficiently inhibited by piperonyl butoxide or 1-aminobenzotriazole, demonstrating that cytochrome P450 monooxygenase is involved in fungal transformation of PCP, particularly in the oxidation of PCP to p-tetrachlorohydroquinone. Additionally, P. acanthocystis mineralized 9.3% of the PCP to 14CO2 in low-nitrogen culture during 42 days. Results obtained in the present study are in favor of the use of P. acanthocystis as a microbial tool of remediation of PCP-contaminated sites.