bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial Problems and Vulnerability to HIV in a Multi-City Prospective Cohort of Young Transgender Women in the United States: A Structural Equation Modeling Study
Authors: Valente Pablo K. , Biello Katie B. , Edeza Alberto , Klasko-Foster Lynne , Kuhns Lisa M. , Reisner Sari L. , Garofalo Robert , Mimiaga Matthew J.
Published: December 2020

Background:

Gender-based stigma contributes to increased HIV prevalence, but little is known about psychosocial mechanisms linking stigma and HIV risk among young transgender women (YTW).

Setting:

This study uses data from Project LifeSkills, a randomized controlled efficacy trial of an empowerment-based HIV prevention intervention for YTW (N = 233). YTW were recruited in Boston, MA, and Chicago, IL, between 2012 and 2015 and completed study assessment visits at baseline and months 4 and 12.

Methods:

Using autoregressive structural equation modeling, we examined whether poor social support and psychological distress at 4 months mediate the prospective relationship between gender-based stigma at baseline and condomless anal and vaginal sex (CAVS) acts at 4 and 12 months; all models were adjusted for treatment arm, HIV serostatus, study site, and sociodemographics.

Results:

Gender-based stigma at baseline was directly associated with increased CAVS at 4 months [adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR) = 1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI): (1.05 to 1.33)] and 12 months [aIRR = 1.17, 95% CI: (1.02 to 1.34)]. Gender-based stigma was also associated with higher psychological distress at 4 months [b = 0.70, 95% CI: (0.13 to 1.27)], which in turn was marginally associated with increased CAVS at 12 months [aIRR = 1.03, 95% CI: (1.00 to 1.06)]. Contrary to expectations, poor social support at 4 months was associated with decreased CAVS at 12 months [aIRR = 0.40, 95% CI: (0.28 to 0.59)].

Conclusions:

Future HIV prevention interventions with YTW should consider addressing experiences of gender-based stigma and the psychological distress that may ensue from gender-based stigma. More research is needed to understand the influence of poor social support on sexual behaviors in this population.
Educating Nurses on Supported Mirror Viewing for Patients After Amputation and Other Visible Disfigurements
Authors: Freysteinson Wyona M. , Sarbacker Lowine , Gobeli Laura , Tristan Kimberly , Esquela Mary Ann , Wellington Charles , Gonzalez Kimberly Egan , Thayer Virginia Becky , Yeatts Paul E.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The aim of our study was to test an educational intervention to improve nurses’ confidence in supporting and frequency of offering a mirror to patients who have recently suffered visible body disfigurement.

Design/Methods

Forty-eight registered nurses who worked in two acute care hospitals took part in a mixed-method one-group repeated-measures (pretest and posttest) research study. The educational intervention included a video, a presentation, and a recorded discussion.

Results

Study participants experienced a significant increase in confidence in supporting and frequency of offering mirrors to patients. An overarching theme from the qualitative analysis was that the nurse participants perceived assisting patients in viewing their changed bodies in mirrors as “an act of compassion.” Four subthemes emerged: (a) seeing mirrors differently, (b) there is only one first time, (c) how can we do this better, and (d) “me too” stories of their own and patients’ difficult mirror-viewing experiences.

Conclusion

Education enhances nurses’ frequency of offering mirrors and supporting patients in mirror viewing after visible disfigurement because of trauma or surgery.

Clinical Relevance

Education provides nurses with the necessary skills to assist patients in adapting to an altered body image.
Smartphone App Stress Assessments: Heart Rate Variability vs Perceived Stress in a Large Group of Adults
Authors: Tyapochkin Konstantin , Kovaleva Marina , Smorodnikova Evgeniya , Pravdin Pavel
Published: December 2020

Background

Multiple studies have shown that the state of stress has a negative impact on decision-making, the cardiovascular system, and the autonomic nervous system [1]. In light of this, we have developed a mobile application in order to assess user stress levels based on the state of their physiological systems. This assessment is based on heart rate variability [2], [3], [4], [5], which many wearable devices such as Apple Watch have learned to measure in the background. We developed a proprietary algorithm that assesses stress levels based on heart rate variability analysis, and this research paper shows that assessments positively correlate with subjective feelings of stress experienced by users.

Objective

The objective of this paper is to study the relationship between HRV-based physiological stress responses and Perceived Stress Questionnaire self-assessments in order to validate Welltory measurements as a tool that can be used for daily stress measurements.

Setting

We analyzed data from Welltory app users, which is publicly available and free of charge. The app allows users to complete the Perceived Stress Questionnaire and take heart rate variability measurements, either with Apple Watch or with their smartphone cameras.

Subjects

To conduct our study, we collected all questionnaire results from users between the ages of 25 and 60 who also took a heart rate variability measurement on the same day, after filling out the Questionnaire. In total, this research paper includes results from 1,471 participants (602 men and 869 women).

Measurements

We quantitatively measured physiological stress based on AMo, pNN50, and MedSD values, which were calculated based on sequences of RR-intervals recorded with the Welltory app. We assessed psychological stress levels based on the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) [6], [7].

Results

Physiological stress reliably correlates with self-assessed psychological stress levels - low for subjects with low psychological stress levels, medium for subjects with medium psychological stress levels, and high for subjects with high psychological stress levels. On a scale of 0-100%, median physiological stress is 48.7 (95% CI of 45.2-50.7%), 56.4 (95% CI of 54.3-58.9), and 62.5 (95% CI of 59.7-66.3) for these groups, respectively.

Conclusions

Physiological stress response, which is calculated based on heart rate variability analysis, on average increases as psychological stress increases. Our results show that HRV measurements significantly correlate with perceived psychological stress, and can therefore be used as a stress assessment tool.
Deep longitudinal phenotyping of wearable sensor data reveals independent markers of longevity, stress, and resilience
Authors: Pyrkov Timothy V. , Sokolov Ilya S. , Fedichev Peter O.
Published: December 2020

Biological age acceleration (BAA) models based on blood tests or DNA methylation emerge as ade factostandard for quantitative characterizations of the aging process. We demonstrate that deep neural networks trained to predict morbidity risk from wearable sensor data can provide a high-quality and cheap alternative for BAA determination. The GeroSense BAA model presented here was tolerant of gaps in the data, and exhibited a superior association with life-expectancy over the average number of steps per day, e.g., in groups stratified by professional occupations. The association between the BAA and effects of lifestyles, the prevalence or future incidence of diseases was comparable to that of BAA from models based on blood test results. Wearable sensors let sampling of BAA fluctuations at time scales corresponding to days and weeks and revealed the divergence of organism state recovery time (resilience) as a function of chronological age. The number of individuals suffering from the lack of resilience increased exponentially with age at a rate compatible with Gompertz mortality law. We speculate that due to stochastic character of BAA fluctuations, its mean and auto-correlation properties together comprise the minimum set of biomarkers of aging in humans.
S gene dropout patterns in SARS-CoV-2 tests suggest spread of the H69del/V70del mutation in the US
Authors: Washington Nicole L. , White Simon , Barrett Kelly M. Schiabor , Cirulli Elizabeth T. , Bolze Alexandre , Lu James T.
Published: December 2020

Recently, multiple novel strains of SARS-CoV-2 have been found to share the same deletion of amino acids H69 and V70 in the virus S gene. This includes strain B.1.1.7 / SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01, which has been found to be more infectious than other strains of SARS-CoV-2, and its increasing presence has resulted in new lockdowns in and travel restrictions leaving the UK. Here, we analyze 2 million RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 tests performed at Helix to identify the rate of S gene dropout, which has been recently shown to occur in tests from individuals infected with strains of SARS-CoV-2 that carry the H69del/V70del mutation. We observe a rise in S gene dropout in the US starting in early October, with 0.25% of our daily SARS-CoV-2-positive tests exhibiting this pattern during the first week. The rate of positive samples with S gene dropout has grown slowly over time, with last week exhibiting the highest level yet, at 0.5%. Focusing on the 14 states for which we have sufficient sample size to assess the frequency of this rare event (n>1000 SARS-CoV-2-positive samples), we see a recent expansion in the Eastern part of the US, concentrated in MA, OH, and FL. However, we cannot say from these data whether the S gene dropout samples we observe here represent the B.1.1.7. strain. Only with an expansion of genomic surveillance sequencing in the US will we know for certain the prevalence of the B.1.1.7 strain in the US.
Genomic Diversity of the SARS-CoV-2 in Turkey and the Impact of Virus Genome Mutations on Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Karacan Ilker , Akgun Tugba Kizilboga , Agaoglu Nihat Bugra , Zolfagharian Payam , Aydin Mehtap , Alkurt Gizem , Yildiz Jale , Kose Betsi , Can Nisan Denizce , Ozel Ayse Serra , Altunal Nilsun , Irvem Arzu , Demirkol Yasemin Kendir , Dogan Ozlem Akgun , Doganay Levent , Doganay Gizem Dinler
Published: December 2020

COVID-19 is a viral respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Global efforts of genomic surveillance of the virus give chance to track the spread of the pandemic. Global emergence of some viral mutations called attention and various studies have been suggested about increased infectivity of the virus. Herein, we sequenced viral genomes isolated from 184 patients in Istanbul and analyzed clinical metadata for the investigation of any viral mutation which affects the disease course of the host. We did not detect any viral mutations affecting the disease outcome in our cohort. Besides, we observed intra-host mutations in 76% of the isolates. Insertion/deletion and stop-gain mutations are also significantly less common among intra-host variants compared to consensus viral genome mutations. Longitudinal genomic surveillance is essential for timely detection of any lineages that might affect clinical outcome, the performance of diagnostic assays, or even the immunological escape of the virus.
Molecular Epidemiology, Risk Factors and Clinical Outcomes of Carbapenem- and Polymyxin-Resistant Gram-negative Bacterial Infections in Pregnant Women and Infants: A Systematic Review
Authors: Sekyere John Osei , Reta Melese Abate
Published: December 2020

Background

Carbapenems and polymyxins are last-resort antibiotics used to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. However, resistance is increasing, even in vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and infants, for whom therapeutic options are limited.

Method

Using a diversity of databases, the literature was searched for studies investigating carbapenem and polymyxin resistance in pregnant women and infants (< 5 years).

Result

A final set of 73 manuscripts were used. In almost all countries, carbapenem/polymyxin-resistantKlebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, andAcinetobacter baumanniiinfect and/or colonizes neonates and pregnant women, causing periodic outbreaks with very high infant mortalities. Plasmid-borneblaNDM,blaKPC,blaOXA-48,blaIMP,blaVIMandblaGES-5and ompK35/36 downregulation in clonal strains accelerate the horizontal and vertical transmission of carbapenem resistance in these pathogens. High prevalence of carbapenem/polymyxin resistance and carbapenemases were present in India, China, Pakistan, Thailand, Taiwan, Turkey, Egypt, Italy, USA, South Africa, Algeria, Ghana, and Madagascar. Factors such as antibiotic therapy, prolonged hospitalization, invasive procedures, mother/infant colonization, mechanical ventilation, low-birth weight and preterm state placed infants at high risk of carbapenem/polymyxin-resistant infections. Infant mortalities ranged from 0.2% to 36.8% in different countries.

Conclusion

Use of polymyxins to treat carbapenem-resistant infections is selecting for resistance to both agents, restricting therapeutic options for infected infants and pregnant women. However, appropriate infection control and antibiotic therapy can contain outbreaks and clear these infections. Antibiotic stewardship, periodic rectal and vaginal screening, and strict infection control practices in neonatal ICUs are necessary to forestall future outbreaks and deaths.

Highlights

Carbapenems & polymyxins are last-resort antibiotics used for multidrug-resistant infections

Resistance to these two agents are reported in infants & pregnant women

K. pneumoniae, E. coli, andA. baumanniiare the most common pathogens

Carbapenem & polymyxin resistance cause outbreaks with high infant mortalities

Appropriate treatment & infection control can outbreaks & save lives
Will Proton Pump Inhibitors Lead to a Higher Risk of COVID-19 Infection and Progression to Severe Disease? A Meta-analysis
Authors: Yan Cunye , Chen Yue , Sun Chenyu , Ahmed Mubashir Ayaz , Bhan Chandur , Cheng Ce , Hu Lei , Guo Zhichun , Yang Hongru , Cao Chenyu , Ji Ziwei , Yan Yue , Zuo Yijing , Sun Yiceng , Li Yao , Zhou Qin
Published: December 2020

Background

Previous researches on the association between proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) use and the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 have generated inconsistent findings. Therefore, this Meta-analysis was conducted to clarify the outcome in patients who take PPIs.

Methods

We carried out a systematic search to identify potential studies until November 2020. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I-squared statistic. Odds ratios (ORs) with its 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by fixed-effects or random-effects models according to the heterogeneity. Sensitivity analyses and tests for publication bias were also performed.

Results

Eight articles with more than 268,683 subjects were included. PPI use was not associated with increased or decreased risk of COVID-19 infection (OR:3.16, 95%CI = 0.74-13.43, P=0.12) or mortality risk of COVID-19 patients (OR=1.91, 95% CI=0.86-4.24, P=0.11). While it can add risk of severe disease (OR=1.54, 95% CI=1.20-1.99, P<0.001;) and secondary infection (OR=4.33, 95% CI=2.57-7.29). No publication bias was detected.

Conclusions

PPI use is not associated with increased risk infection and may not change the mortality risk of COVID-19, but appeared to be associated with increased risk of progression to severe disease and secondary infection. However, more original studies to further clarify the relationship between PPI and COVID-19 are still urgently needed.
Comparative transcriptomic analysis reveals key components controlling spathe color inAnthurium andraeanum(Hort.)
Authors: Osorio-Guarín Jaime A. , Gopaulchan David , Quackenbush Corey , Lennon Adrian M. , Umaharan Pathmanathan , Cornejo Omar E.
Published: December 2020

Anthurium andraeanum(Hort.) is an important ornamental in the tropical cut-flower industry. However, there is currently not enough information to establish a clear connection between the genetic model(s) proposed and the putative genes involved in the differentiation between colors. In this study, 18 cDNA libraries related to the spathe color and developmental stages ofA. andraeanumcut-flowers were characterized by transcriptome sequencing technology. For thede novotranscriptome, a total of 114,334,082 primary sequence reads were obtained from the Illumina sequencer and were assembled into 151,652 unigenes. Approximately 58,476 transcripts were generated and used for comparative transcriptome analysis between three varieties that differ in spathe color (‘Sasha’ (white), ‘Honduras’ (red), and ‘Rapido’ (purple)). A large number of differentially expressed genes (8,324) that were potentially involved in multiple biological and metabolic pathways were identified, including the flavonoid and anthocyanin biosynthetic pathways. Our results showed that chalcone synthase (CHS) and flavonoid 3’-hydroxylase (F3’H) were the main genes differentially expressed in the white/red/purple comparison. We also identified a differentially expressed cytochromeP450in the late developmental stage of the purple spathe that appeared to determine the difference between the red- and purple-colored spathes. Additionally, putative MYB-domain protein candidates that could be responsible for the control of the biosynthetic pathway were identified. The results provided basic sequence information for future research on spathe color, which have important implications for breeding strategies in this ornamental.

Core ideas

RNA-seq was performed on three anthurium varieties.

Gene expression was compared for developmental stage and spathe color.

Differentially expressed unigenes were identified.

Putative MYB-domain protein candidates of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway were identified.
Elucidation of Japanese pepper (Zanthoxylum piperitumDe Candolle) domestication using RAD-Seq
Authors: Premarathne Maddumage Dona Ginushika Priyadarsh , Fukutome Nami , Yamasaki Kazuaki , Hayakawa Fumiyo , Nagano Atsushi J. , Mizuno Hisataka , Ibaragi Nobuo , Nagano Yukio
Published: December 2020

Japanese pepper,Zanthoxylum piperitum, is native to Japan and has four well-known lineages (Asakura, Takahara, Budou, and Arima), which are named after their production area or morphology. Restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RAD-Seq) was used to analyse 93 accessions from various areas, including these four lineages. Single nucleotide variant analysis was used to classify the plants into eight groups: the Asakura and Arima lineages each had two groups, the Takahara and Budou lineages each had one group, and two additional groups were present. In one Asakura group and two Arima groups, the plants were present in agricultural fields and mountains, thus representing the early stage of domestication of the Japanese pepper. The second Asakura lineage group was closely related to plants present in various areas, and this represents the second stage of domestication of this plant because, after early domestication, genetically related lineages with desirable traits spread to the periphery. These results demonstrate that domestication of Japanese pepper is ongoing. In addition, this study shows that spineless plants are polyphyletic, despite the spineless lineage being considered a subspecies of Japanese pepper.
PERFECTO: Prediction of Extended Response and Growth Functions for Estimating Chemotherapy Outcomes in Breast Cancer
Authors: Kurz Daria , Axenie Cristian
Published: December 2020

Understanding tumor’s evolution under chemotherapy is central in the design of cancer therapy regimens. Drug resistance poses a major obstacle in the battle against most types of cancer and therapy design. Personalized treatments have the potential to offer greater effectiveness and the ability to prevent and circumvent drug resistance. In this study we introduce PERFECTO (Prediction of Extended Response and Growth Functions for Estimating ChemoTherapy Outcomes), a machine learning system capable of extracting the tumor growth function and response under chemotherapy. Exploiting the underlying correlations in the clinical data, the system captures the statistical peculiarities of tumor growth in-vivo without an explicit modeling of tumor microenvironment and expensive clinical investigations. We demonstrate the learning capabilities of PERFECTO in predicting unperturbed tumor growth and chemotherapy tumor growth from multiple clinical breast cancer datasets. We postulate that predictability is the key. Using PERFECTO clinicians will be able to improve treatment plans for patient-specific parameters from individual tumors. Our preliminary experiments on in-vitro, animal and in-vivo datasets, shown that, with a high degree of confidence, PERFECTO is able to estimate treatment effectiveness through an accurate tumor growth response prediction, independent of the breast cancer cell line. This in turn can alleviate the need of ordering extra clinical tests or any extra wait time before treatment initiation.
Bacterial community dynamics during embryonic development of the little skate (Leucoraja erinacea)
Authors: Mika Katelyn , Okamoto Alexander S. , Shubin Neil H. , Mark Welch David B.
Published: December 2020

Background

Microbial transmission from parent to offspring is hypothesized to be widespread in vertebrates. However, evidence for this is limited as many evolutionarily important clades remain unexamined. There is currently no data on the microbiota associated with any Chondrichthyan species during embryonic development, despite the global distribution, ecological importance, and phylogenetic position of this clade. In this study, we take the first steps towards filling this gap by investigating the microbiota associated with embryonic development in the little skate,Leucoraja erinacea, a common North Atlantic species and popular system for chondrichthyan biology.

Methods

To assess the potential for bacterial transmission in an oviparous chondrichthyan, we used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to characterize the microbial communities associated with the skin, gill, and egg capsule of the little skate, at six points during ontogeny. Community composition was analyzed using the QIIME2 pipeline and microbial continuity between stages was tracked using FEAST.

Results

We identify site-specific and stage-specific microbiota dominated by the bacterial phylaProteobacteriaandBacteroidetes. This composition is similar to, but distinct from, that of previously published data on the adult microbiota of other chondrichthyan species. Our data reveal that the skate egg capsule harbors a highly diverse bacterial community–particularly on the internal surface of the capsule–and facilitates intergenerational microbial transfer to the offspring. Embryonic skin and external gill tissues host similar bacterial communities; the skin and gill communities later diverge as the internal gills and skin denticles develop.

Conclusions

Our study is the first exploration of the chondrichthyan microbiota throughout ontogeny and provides the first evidence of vertical transmission in this group.
Characterization of cell-cell communication in COVID-19 patients
Authors: Lin Yingxin , Loo Lipin , Tran Andy , Moreno Cesar , Hesselson Daniel , Neely Greg , Yang Jean Y.H.
Published: December 2020

COVID-19 patients display a wide range of disease severity, ranging from asymptomatic to critical symptoms with high mortality risk. Our ability to understand the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 infected cells within the lung, and of protective or dysfunctional immune responses to the virus, is critical to effectively treat these patients. Currently, our understanding of cell-cell interactions across different disease states, and how such interactions may drive pathogenic outcomes, is incomplete. Here, we developed a generalizable workflow for identifying cells that are differentially interacting across COVID-19 patients with distinct disease outcomes and use it to examine five public single-cell RNA-seq datasets with a total of 85 individual samples. By characterizing the cell-cell interaction patterns across epithelial and immune cells in lung tissues for patients with varying disease severity, we illustrate diverse communication patterns across individuals, and discover heterogeneous communication patterns among moderate and severe patients. We further illustrate patterns derived from cell-cell interactions are potential signatures for discriminating between moderate and severe patients.
SPEN is Required forXistUpregulation during Initiation of X Chromosome Inactivation
Authors: Robert-Finestra Teresa , Tan Beatrice F. , Mira-Bontenbal Hegias , Timmers Erika , Gontan-Pardo Cristina , Merzouk Sarra , Daniele Giaimo Benedetto , Dossin François , van IJcken Wilfred F. J. , Martens John W. M. , Borggrefe Tilman , Heard Edith , Gribnau Joost
Published: December 2020

At initiation of X chromosome inactivation (XCI),Xistis monoallelically upregulated from the future inactive X (Xi) chromosome, overcoming repression by its antisense transcriptTsix.Xistrecruits various chromatin remodelers, amongst them SPEN, which are involved in silencing of X-linked genes incisand establishment of the Xi. Here, we show that SPEN plays an important role in the initiation of XCI.Spennull female mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are defective inXistupregulation upon differentiation. We find thatXist-mediated SPEN recruitment to the Xi chromosome happens very early in XCI, and that SPEN-mediated silencing of theTsixpromoter is required forXistupregulation. Accordingly, failedXistupregulation inSpen−/−ESCs can be rescued by concomitant removal ofTsix. These findings indicate that SPEN is not only required for the establishment of the Xi, but is also crucial in the initiation of the XCI process.
Lipid nanoparticle encapsulated nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccines elicit polyfunctional HIV-1 antibodies comparable to proteins in nonhuman primates
Authors: Saunders Kevin O. , Pardi Norbert , Parks Robert , Santra Sampa , Mu Zekun , Sutherland Laura , Scearce Richard , Barr Maggie , Eaton Amanda , Hernandez Giovanna , Goodman Derrick , Hogan Michael J. , Tombacz Istvan , Gordon David N. , Rountree R. Wes , Wang Yunfei , Lewis Mark G. , Pierson Theodore C. , Barbosa Chris , Tam Ying , Shen Xiaoying , Ferrari Guido , Tomaras Georgia D. , Montefiori David C. , Weissman Drew , Haynes Barton F.
Published: December 2020

Development of an effective AIDS vaccine remains a challenge. Nucleoside-modified mRNAs formulated in lipid nanoparticles (mRNA-LNP) have proved to be a potent mode of immunization against infectious diseases in preclinical studies, and are being tested for SARS-CoV-2 in humans. A critical question is how mRNA-LNP vaccine immunogenicity compares to that of traditional adjuvanted protein vaccines in primates. Here, we found that mRNA-LNP immunization compared to protein immunization elicited either the same or superior magnitude and breadth of HIV-1 Env-specific polyfunctional antibodies. Immunization with mRNA-LNP encoding Zika premembrane and envelope (prM-E) or HIV-1 Env gp160 induced durable neutralizing antibodies for at least 41 weeks. Doses of mRNA-LNP as low as 5 μg were immunogenic in macaques. Thus, mRNA-LNP can be used to rapidly generate single or multi-component vaccines, such as sequential vaccines needed to protect against HIV-1 infection. Such vaccines would be as or more immunogenic than adjuvanted recombinant protein vaccines in primates.
Design, construction, and advantages of 100% online laboratories in an upper division undergraduate biology course
Authors: Brady Emma , Reeves Shalaunda , Maden Malcolm , Harfe Brian D.
Published: December 2020

For centuries, students have been taught by passively listening to lectures, usually in large groups. In many fields, this type of course delivery is not ideal. In addition, students that have grown up with online access and/or have been forced to take online course during the recent pandemic, are seeking improved online educational experiences. As providers of education, Universities must adapt to this rapidly changing environment. The emergence of exciting, “disruptive” technologies has provided the tools needed for educators to revolutionize the delivery of higher education. The University of Florida, through UF Online, provides students the opportunity to enroll in fully online four-year undergraduate degrees. In this report, we describe the development of fully online laboratories for the upper-division course Evolutionary Developmental Biology, which fulfill the University of Florida’s laboratory requirement. This course is taken by Biology, Zoology, and related majors, including majors in the 100% online Biology degree. The experiments in the virtual laboratories would have been impossible to teach in a residential setting due to time constraints, cost, student safety issues, and regulatory/certification requirements. The ability to perform these experiments online provided University of Florida undergraduates located throughout the world access to unique, one-of-a-kind laboratory experiences. The virtual laboratories allowed students to undertake in-depth exploration and application of course content that is not possible in a residential setting. Completion of the Evolutionary Developmental Biology course provided undergraduate students the opportunity to obtain a science degree without ever visiting the university’s residential campus. During the Fall 2020 term, this course was made available to residential students, thus allowing this cohort of students to continue to make progress, 100% online, towards their undergraduate degree during the COVID19 pandemic.
Land-use and forest floor explain prokaryotic metacommunity structuring and spatial turnover in Amazonian forest-to-pasture conversion areas
Authors: Rocha Fernando Igne , Ribeiro Thiago Gonçalves , Fontes Marcelo Antoniol , Schwab Stefan , Rodrigues Coelho Marcia Reed , Lumbreras José Francisco , da Motta Paulo Emílio Ferreira , Teixeira Wenceslau Geraldes , Cole James , Borsanelli Ana Carolina , dos Santos Dutra Iveraldo , Howe Adina , de Oliveira Aline Pacobahyba , da Conceição Jesus Ederson
Published: December 2020

Advancing extensive cattle production shifts the forest landscape and is considered one of the main drivers against biodiversity conservation in the Brazilian Amazonia. Considering soil as an ecosystem it becomes vital to identify the effects of land-use changes on soil microbial communities, structure, as well as its ecological functions and services. Herein, we explored relationships between land-use, soil types and forest floor (i.e., association between litter, root layer and bulk soil) on the prokaryotic metacommunity structuring in the Western Amazonia. Sites under high anthropogenic pressure were evaluated along a gradient of ± 800 km. Prokaryotic metacommunity are synergistically affected by soil types and land-use systems. Especially, the gradient of soil fertility and land-use shapes the structuring of the metacommunity and determines its composition. Forest-to-pasture conversion increases alpha, beta, and gamma diversities when considering only the prokaryotes from the bulk soil. Beta diversity was significantly higher in all forests when the litter and root layer were taken into account with the bulk soil. Our argumentation is that the forest floor harbors a prokaryotic metacommunity that adds at the regional scale of diversity a spatial turnover hitherto underestimated. Our findings highlight the risks of biodiversity loss and, consequently, the soil microbial diversity maintenance in tropical forests.
An objective approach to assess colonic pain in mice using colonometry
Authors: Qiao Liya Y , Madar Jonathan
Published: December 2020

The present study presents a non-surgical approach to assess colonic mechanical sensitivity in mice using colonometry, a technique in which colonic stretch-reflex contractions are measured by recording intracolonic pressures during saline infusion into the distal colon in a constant rate. Colonometrical recording has been used to assess colonic function in healthy individuals and patients with neurological disorders. Here we found that colonometry can also be implemented in mice, with an optimal saline infusion rate of 1.2 mL/h. Colonometrograms showed intermittent pressure rises that was caused by periodical colonic contractions. In the sceneries of colonic hypersensitivity that was generated post 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colonic inflammation, following chemogenetic activation of primary afferent neurons, or immediately after noxious stimulation of the colon by colorectal distension (CRD), the amplitude of intracolonic pressure (AICP) was markedly elevated which was accompanied by a faster pressure rising (ΔP/Δt). Colonic hypersensitivity-associated AICPelevation was a result of the enhanced strength of colonic stretch-reflex contraction which reflected the heightened activity of the colonic sensory reflex pathways. The increased value of ΔP/Δt in colonic hypersensitivity indicated a lower threshold of colonic mechanical sensation by which colonic stretch-reflex contraction was elicited by a smaller saline infusion volume during a shorter period of infusion time. Chemogenetic inhibition of primary afferent pathway that was governed by Nav1.8-expressing cells attenuated TNBS-induced up-regulations of AICP, ΔP/Δt, and colonic pain behavior in response to CRD. These findings support that colonometrograms can be used for analysis of colonic pain in mice.
Does coffee taste better with latte art? A neuroscientific perspective
Authors: Hsu Liwei , Chen Yen-Jung
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Visual stimulation affects the taste of food and beverages. This study aimed to understand how latte art affects coffee consumption by collecting participants' brainwave data and their taste responses.

Design/methodology/approach

Seventy subjects participated in a two-stage experiment. Electroencephalography (EEG) was employed to measure brainwave activity. With an interval of one week, each stage involved coffee consumption with and without latte art. The responses to the taste of the coffee were also collected for analysis.

Findings

Significant differences were found in the participants' alpha and beta brainwave bands. When drinking coffee with latte art, the participants' alpha bands were significantly lower, whereas the beta bands were higher. These findings were supported by Bayesian statistics. A significant increase was found in the participants' taste of sweetness and acidity with latte art, and Bayesian statistics confirmed the results for sweetness although the evidence on the increase in acidity was anecdotal. No difference was found in the taste of bitterness.

Originality/value

This study highlights the effect of latte art on coffee consumption. The authors analysed the empirical evidence from this two-stage experimental study in the form of the participants' brainwave data and their responses to taste. This study's original contribution is that it explored the crossmodal effects of latte art on consumers' taste of coffee from a neuroscientific perspective. The results of this study can provide empirical evidence on how to effectively use latte art in practical business environments.
The chimera of choice in UK food policy 1976–2018
Authors: Burges Watson Duika Louise , Draper Alizon , Wills Wendy
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper presents a critical discourse analysis of “choice” as it appears in UK policy documents relating to food and public health. A dominant policy approach to improving public health has been health promotion and health education with the intention to change behaviour and encourage healthier eating. Given the emphasis on evidence-based policy making within the UK, the continued abstraction of choice without definition or explanation provoked us to conduct this analysis, which focuses on 1976 to the present.

Design/methodology/approach

The technique of discourse analysis was used to analyse selected food policy documents and to trace any shifts in the discourses of choice across policy periods and their implications in terms of governance and the individualisation of responsibility.

Findings

We identified five dominant repertoires of choice in UK food policy over this period: as personal responsibility, as an instrument of change, as an editing tool, as a problem and freedom of choice. Underpinning these is a continued reliance on the rational actor model, which is consonant with neoliberal governance and its constructions of populations as body of self-governing individuals. The self-regulating, self-governing individual is obliged to choose as a condition of citizenship.

Research limitations/implications

This analysis highlights the need for a more sophisticated approach to understanding “choice” in the context of public health and food policy in order to improve diet outcomes in the UK and perhaps elsewhere.

Originality/value

This is the first comprehensive analysis of the discourse of choice in UK food policy.
Are your employees getting their daily dose of DOSE? – A neuroscience perspective to enhance employee engagement
Authors: Mani Swaminathan , Mishra Mridula
Published: December 2020

Purpose

To provide an alternative, neuroscience perspective to enhance employee engagement in companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have undertaken extensive literature review to identify the key neurotransmitters that enhances employee motivation. The paper list four neurochemicals - DOSE (Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins) are called “angel chemicals” that enhance the overall well-being of people. The characteristics of these neurochemicals and their impact on employee engagement are discussed briefly in the paper. Care has been taken to ensure the language used in the paper is not medical terminologies but what is widely used in the business world - to make it relevant for HR managers and leaders in the Industry.

Findings

Dopamine (Mood elevator that enhances happiness and is associated with memory, learning, planning and productivity), Oxytocin (that enhances bonding, trust and empathy), Serotonin (that helps maintain emotional balance and enhances well-being) and Endorphins (boosts self-esteem and reduces anxiety) are all known to enhance productivity, improve collaboration, increase prosocial behavior, reduce stress and boost the overall well-being of the employees. These concepts are both the necessary goldilocks conditions and celebrated output of having highly engaged workforce. Many of the triggers for synthesizing DOSE in the body needs small modifications in the office environment and cost-effective interventions as shared in the paper. Companies have spent several hundred billion dollars on employee engagement initiatives with limited success. HR leaders now have an alternative, neuroscience perspective to consider as part of their overall employee engagement strategy.

Originality/value

This paper provides insights into this important concept of employee engagement from a neuroscience perspective. Leveraging DOSE to enhance employee engagement is a new concept that HR managers now can use to augment their employee engagement interventions to enhance the teams’ morale.
“Doing diversity”: a narrative examination of veteran teachers’ renewed agency through intersectional teaching
Authors: Shelton Stephanie Anne , Melchior Shelly
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how two White teachers, experienced and award-winning veteran educators, navigated issues of race, class and privilege in their instruction, and ways that their efforts and shortcomings shaped both teacher agency and classroom spaces.

Design/methodology/approach

This study’s methodology centers participants’ experiences and understandings over the course of two years of interviews, classroom observations and discussion groups. The study is conceptually informed by Sara Ahmed’s argument that social justice is often approached as something that education “can do,” which is problematic because it assumes that successful enactment is “intrinsic to the term.” Discussing and/or intending social justice replaces real change, and those leading the conversations believe that they have made meaningful differences. Instead, true shifts in thinking and action are “dependent on forms of institutional commitment […and] how it [diversity/social justice] gets taken up” (p. 241).

Findings

Using an in vivo coding approach – i.e. using direct quotations of participants’ words to name the new codes – the authors organized their findings into two discussions: “Damn – Every Time I’m with the Kids, I Just End Up Feeling Frozen”; and “Maybe I’m Just Not Giving These Kids a Fair Shake – Maybe I’m the Problem”.

Originality/value

The participants centered a participatory examination of intersectionality, rather than the previous teacher-mandated one. They “put into action” -xplorations of intersectionality that were predicated on students’ identities and experiences, thus making intersectionality a lived concept, rather than an intellectual one, and transforming students’ and their own engagement.
Benchmarking model for culture of urban traffic-safety management in India: interpretive structural modeling framework
Authors: Pradhan Vishal , Bhattacharya Sonali
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Researchers have studied processes of improving road traffic-safety culture by explicitly evaluating the socio-psychological phenomenon of traffic-risk. The implicit traffic-system cues play an important role in explaining urban traffic-culture. This paper aims to ascertain an interpretive framework of the alternative processes of road traffic safety culture is antecedent to promote traffic-safety behaviour in Indian urban context. Subsequently, the authors discussed the reasons for those relationships exists.

Design/methodology/approach

Four experts of the urban traffic-safety domain participated in total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) study by completing an interpretive consensus-driven questionnaire. The drafted interpretive model was evaluated for road users proactive action orientation about the traffic-safety decision.

Findings

The evolved directed graph (digraph) of the culture of urban traffic-safety management was a serial three-mediator model. The model argued: In the presence of traffic-risk cues, people may become apprised to safety goals that initiate traffic-safety action. Consequently, expectancy-value evaluation motivates the continuation of traffic-safety intention that may lead to the implementation of adaptation plan (volitional control), thus habituating road users to traffic-safety management choice.

Practical implications

The modellers of traffic psychology may empirically estimate and test for the quality criteria to ascertain the applicability of the proposed mechanism of urban traffic-safety culture. The decision-makers should note the importance of arousal of emotions regarding traffic-risk, reduce the impact of maladaptive motivations and recursively improve control over safety actions for promoting safety interventions.

Originality/value

The authors attempted to induce an interpretive model of urban traffic-safety culture that might augment extant discussion regarding how and why people behave in an urban traffic system.
Analytical framework, typology and retail experience design process for integrated relational brand experience
Authors: Paik Hyoyon , Lee Jee Hyun
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This study aims to explore how a relational brand experience can be designed using an integrated retail experience. It addresses the research gap between relational brand experience strategy, retail experience design, as well as online-offline integration, by providing applicable tools and knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a literature review, a relational experience analytical framework (REAF) was developed as a diagnostic tool for relational brand experience. A case study was then conducted using the REAF to determine the relational brand experience factors, strategies in practice and related initiatives.

Findings

Three distinguishing integrated relational brand experience factors were identified (online-offline integration, overall activeness and the centre of relationships). A typology for an integrated relational brand experience was established with clarifying experiential characteristics and the required initiatives for each type. Based on the findings, a framework was proposed for an integrated brand experience design and its application in the retail experience design process.

Practical implications

The frameworks and strategies proposed can serve as a guide to industry professionals in designing integrated relational brand experiences.

Originality/value

The theoretical contributions of this study are in clarifying the relational brand experience dimensions and an integrated relational brand experience strategy typology. It also illustrates the strategic application of integrated retail experience based on a brand experience strategy using the proposed framework and the process.
The impact of ageing on aggression among sport fans: the mediating role of fan hatred
Authors: Icekson Tamar , Toder Alon Anat , Shuv-Ami Avichai , Sela Yaron
Published: December 2020

Purpose

The growing proportion of older fans and their potential economic value have increased the need for an improved understanding of age differences in fan behaviour. Building on socioemotional selectivity theory, the current study examines the impact of age differences on fan hatred as well as on the extent to which fans actually engage in aggressive activities and fans' perceptions of the levels of appropriateness of certain physical and verbal acts of aggression.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used an online panel-based survey that offered access to a real-world population of sport fans. The participants were 742 fans of professional football (soccer).

Findings

Results from structural equation modelling indicated that older fans reported lower levels of fan hatred, lower self-reported aggression and lower acceptance of physical and verbal aggression. Moreover, fan hatred partially mediated the relationship between age and levels of aggression and between age and acceptance of verbal aggression. In addition, fan hatred fully mediated the relationship between age and acceptance of physical aggression.

Originality/value

The current study makes two important contributions. First, it demonstrates that sport clubs may particularly benefit from understanding the potential but often neglected importance of older sport fans in relation to the problematic phenomenon of fan aggression. Second, it offers a thorough theoretical account of the manner in which fan hatred plays a significant role in the relationships between age and fan aggressiveness.