bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Productive workplace behaviour at the governmental sector: the case of the UAE
Authors: Abdallah Amna , Abdallah Salam
Published: August 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that influence the improvement of productive work behaviour (PWB) in the dynamic, ergonomic nature.

Design/methodology/approach

The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used, in experiment 1, to select and prioritise the most relevant criteria for improvement of PWB. A multi-criteria method is used to analyse and compare the importance of four main criteria and 16 sub-criteria identified from previous studies. The structural equation modelling (SEM) is also used to validate the findings of experiment 1.

Findings

This study revealed that not all criteria are considered important for improving PWB. Flexibility and job specifications were the top-scored criteria. These criteria collectively accounted for more than 65% of the four studied criteria. The SEM emphasised the significance of flexibility and job description of the changing dynamics of organisational regulation during the contemporary economic and managerial turmoil.

Research limitations/implications

This study explored the criteria required to improve PWB. The findings recommend that future studies should be designed to identify new elements and add new criteria and test the newly introduced variables at a physical workplace after the outbreak ends.

Practical implications

Knowledge of the differential impacts of the criteria on the performance of PWB govern decision-makers in private and governmental organisation, especially at such times of economic turmoil and need for innovative strategies.

Originality/value

Few studies have explored workplace behaviour and the environment in the government sector. Therefore, the focus of this study is the comprehensive coverage of workplace behaviour and the criteria influencing its productivity before and during the coronavirus outbreak.
The trouble with diverse books, part II: an informational pragmatic analysis
Authors: Lawrence E.E.
Published: August 2020

Purpose

Diverse books is a fundamentally political concept that performs particular normative work in discursive space. Part I of this project demonstrated that this was the case, further claiming that descriptive conceptual analysis was therefore methodologically inadequate to the task of defining the term. The purpose of this paper – Part II of II – is to advance a universal account of diverse books using an alternative form of conceptual analysis designed to suit the needs and commitments of LIS scholarship.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes and deploys a new method called informational pragmatic analysis, through which one develops accounts of political concepts in terms of their legitimate aims and benefits vis-à-vis informational justice.

Findings

Diverse books are those systematically devalorized literary works we must make an ameliorative effort to promote in order to advance informational justice for oppressed persons in particular. These works exist on a contextually specific spectrum of moral urgency. A critical task for the diverse books movement is therefore to determine through democratic deliberation which (types of) books are most urgently in need of promotion under varying sociopolitical conditions.

Originality/value

In addition to proposing a new analytical methodology for LIS, the paper articulates and defends a pragmatic account of diverse books that resists regressive misappropriation. This further lays the groundwork for future critical interrogations of the activities of various agents and agencies of print, both within and beyond the library.
Mitigation strategies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic—present, future and beyond
Authors: Abideen Ahmed Zainul , Mohamad Fazeeda Binti , Hassan Mohd Rohaizat
Published: August 2020

Purpose

The latest novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to have a significant social and financial impact globally. It is very essential to study, categorize and systematize published research on mitigation strategies adopted during previous pandemic scenario that could provide an insight into improving the current crisis. The goal of this paper is to systematize and identify gaps in previous research and suggest potential recommendations as a conceptual framework from a strategic point of view.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review of Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) core collection databases was performed based on strict keyword search selections followed by a bibliometric meta-analysis of the final dataset.

Findings

This study indicated that the traditional mitigation techniques adopted during past pandemics are in place but are not capable of managing the transmission capability and virulence of COVID-19. There is a greater need for rethinking and re-engineering short and long-term approaches to prevent, control and contain the current pandemic situation.

Practical implications

Integrating various mitigation approaches shall assist in flattening the pandemic curve and help in the long run.

Originality/value

Articles, conference proceedings, books, book chapters and other references from two extensive databases (Scopus and WoS) were purposively considered for this study. The search was confined to the selected keywords outlined in the methodology section of this paper.
The recursive relationship between abusive supervision and service performance
Authors: Shum Cass
Published: August 2020

Purpose

Drawing upon the conservation of resources theory, this study investigates the recursive relationship between abusive supervision and service performance and the moderating role of coworker support in this recursive relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

This study tests the model using moderated cross-lagged analysis with a three-wave longitudinal data from 146 hospitality employees who were working and studying in hospitality.

Findings

Results support the recursive relationship: abusive supervision impairs service performance and employees with low service performance provoke abusive supervision. Coworker support mitigates the lagged effect between abusive supervision and service performance and that between service performance and abusive supervision.

Practical implications

Hospitality organizations should have a zero-tolerance policy toward abusive supervision. Employees who would like to avoid abuse should improve their service performance and seek coworker support.

Originality/value

This study uses a novel analytical approach to examine the recursive relationship between abusive supervision and service performance. It provides evidence on the bidirectional causal relationship and sheds light on how employees can avoid getting abused. This study is also one of the first studies that examine the moderating role of coworker support on the effect of service performance on abusive supervision.
Restoration‐oriented forest management affects community assembly patterns of deadwood‐dependent organisms
Authors: Doerfler Inken , Cadotte Marc W. , Weisser Wolfgang W. , Müller Jörg , Gossner Martin M. , Heibl Christoph , Bässler Claus , Thorn Simon , Seibold Sebastian
Published: August 2020

Land‐use intensification leads to loss and degradation of habitats and is thus a major driver of biodiversity loss. Restoration strategies typically focus on promoting biodiversity but often neglect that land‐use intensification could have changed the underlying mechanisms of community assembly. Since assembly mechanisms determine the diversity and composition of communities, we propose that evaluation of restoration strategies should consider effects of restoration on biodiversity and community assembly. Using a multi‐taxon approach, we tested whether a strategy that promotes forest biodiversity by restoring deadwood habitats also affects assembly patterns.

We assessed saproxylic (i.e. deadwood‐dependent) beetles and fungi, as well as non‐saproxylic plants and birds in 68 beech forest plots in southern Germany, 8 years after the commencement of a restoration project. To assess changes in community assembly, we analysed the patterns of functional–phylogenetic diversity, community‐weighted mean (CWM) traits and their diversity. We hypothesized that restoration increases habitat amount and heterogeneity of deadwood and reduces canopy cover and thereby decreases the strength of environmental filters imposed by past silvicultural intensification, such as a low amount in deadwood.

With the restoration of deadwood habitats, saproxylic beetle communities became less functionally–phylogenetically similar, whereas the assembly patterns of saproxylic fungi and non‐saproxylic taxa remained unaffected by deadwood restoration. Among the traits analysed, deadwood diameter niche position of species was most strongly affected indicating that the enrichment of large deadwood objects led to lower functional–phylogenetical similarity of saproxylic beetles. Community assembly and traits of plants were mainly influenced by microclimate associated with changes in canopy cover.

Synthesis and applications. Our results indicate that the positive effects of deadwood restoration on saproxylic beetle richness are associated with an increase in deadwood amount. This might be linked to an increase in deadwood heterogeneity, and therefore decreasing management‐induced environmental filters. Deadwood enrichment can thus be considered an effective restoration strategy which reduces the negative effects of intense forest management on saproxylic taxa by not only promoting biodiversity but also by decreasing the environmental filters shaping saproxylic beetle communities, thus allowing the possibly for more interactions between species and a higher functional diversity.
Maintaining ordinariness in dementia care
Authors: Gjernes Trude , Måseide Per
Published: August 2020

Drawing on data from fieldwork in a Norwegian care home for people diagnosed with dementia, the article focuses on how social ordinariness is produced by professional practices and co‐operation with residents. Through the lens of ethnomethodological and other pragmatist approaches to ordinariness, social agency and identity, the article uses interviews and observations to explore how residents in a care home were given the opportunity to act as ordinary persons and maintain ordinariness despite their illness. The analysis shows that a social and moral norm of ordinariness was central for how professional care work was performed in the care home. To help residents maintaining ordinariness was an essential part of caring work and to accomplish this, residents were regularly involved in activities they recognised from their everyday lives. This helped them holding on to their identities. The activities were regulated by situational rules that avoided stigmatising behaviour and maintained the residents’ dignity.
Shame in a post‐socialist society: a qualitative study of healthcare seeking and utilisation in common mental disorders
Authors: Doblytė Sigita
Published: August 2020

After the regime collapse, the former socialist societies in Central and Eastern Europe experienced rapid social and economic transformations. Consequently, mental health deterioration coupled with ambitions to break with the past triggered reforms of mental health systems. Yet, 30 years later, mental health in the region remains poor. Stigma of mental illness may be one of the factors that delays help seeking and, therefore, maintains status quo. Thus, the aim of the article is to better understand the roots of stigma and the process of stigmatisation in one of these countries – Lithuania. Drawing on Norbert Elias’s model of established‐outsider relations, the article presents the analysis of 23 in‐depth interviews with healthcare providers and users of services diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorders. Said analysis reveals how stigma of mental illness might result in damaged self‐image and shame of feeling different. Mental illness and healthcare seeking are perceived as a threat to culturally and historically determined self‐values, at the core of which seems to be intolerance of difference. The article contributes not only to research concerning mental health in a relatively understudied region of Central and Eastern Europe, but also to existing literature on stigma as embedded in a local context.
Geographic arbitrariness? County court variation in capital prosecution and sentencing in Pennsylvania
Authors: Ulmer Jeffery T. , Zajac Gary , Kramer John H.
Published: August 2020

Research Summary

The death penalty remains one of the most controversial issues of criminal punishment not only because of racial/ethnic disparities, wrongful convictions, and inadequate defense representation but also because of the potential for geographic arbitrariness. The key empirical proposition embedded in the concept of geographic arbitrariness is that localities react to legally and procedurally equal capital cases in much different ways. This study assesses whether this key proposition is observed. We use data on 880 capital murder cases, nested in 18 counties in Pennsylvania from 2000 to 2010, to examine between‐county differences in (a) prosecutors’ filing of specific aggravating circumstances, (b) prosecutors’ filings to seek the death penalty, (c) prosecutors’ decisions to retract a death filing, and (d) court (judges’ or juries’) decisions to impose the death penalty. First, we found that counties differed substantially in their decisions connected to the same statutory aggravators and murder characteristics. Second, propensity score weighting models demonstrated meaningful and sometimes huge differences between specific counties in prosecutorial decisions to file to seek the death penalty, and to retract those filings. We also found meaningful differences in the likelihood of defendants being sentenced to death across counties, although differences were not as large as those for the prosecutorial decisions. Little evidence exists that county partisan composition accounts for differences between counties in death penalty outcomes, and some limited evidence points to county size as a factor that shapes death penalty outcomes. Overall, however, results point to the idiosyncrasy of specific counties in their likelihood of exposing and sentencing defendants to the death penalty.

Policy Implications

The remedies most connected to this study's findings involve local prosecutorial discretion. A key suggestion would be to strengthen the narrowing function that is supposed to be performed by statutory definitions of aggravating factors. The number, breadth, and vagueness of aggravating factors give prosecutors more expansive discretion to select cases for exposure to the death penalty, as well as judges/juries wider grounds to potentially impose it. This discretion, in turn, allows for wide local variations in the interpretation and application of these aggravating factors. Constraining this discretion would necessitate reducing the number of aggravating factors and defining the remaining ones clearly and narrowly. Another possible remedy would be prosecutorial guidelines for the weighting and use of statutory aggravating factors. The very enterprise of capital punishment in the United States, however, may well have geographic arbitrariness inherently embedded in it. If so, there would be no practical way to eliminate geographic arbitrariness short of abolishing the death penalty.
Evaluation of autophagy‐related genes in Egyptian systemic lupus erythematosus patients
Authors: Kamel Ayat M. , Badary Mohamed S. , Mohamed Wegdan A. , Ahmed Ghada H. , El‐Feky Mohamed A.
Published: August 2020

Disturbances in autophagy are known to be implicated in autoimmune disorders. Many studies have connected polymorphisms in autophagy‐related gene 5 (ATG‐5) to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Our aim was the determination of the expression level of ATG‐5, Beclin‐1 and microtubule‐associated protein‐light chain 3 (LC‐3) in Egyptian SLE patients to investigate the impact of disturbances in autophagy genes on the incidence and progression of the disease. Also, we investigated the incidence of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs573775 in ATG‐5 gene among Egyptian SLE patients. Our results showed that the mean levels of Beclin‐1, LC‐3 and interleukin (IL)‐10 transcripts were significantly higher in SLE patients compared to healthy controls. The previous transcripts were positively correlated with SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). Beclin‐1 and LC‐3 transcripts were negatively correlated to complement component 3 (C3) levels. Only LC‐3 transcripts were negatively correlated to complement component 4 (C4). The rs573775 SNP of ATG‐5 with the variant allele was significantly associated with disease susceptibility, conferring a higher risk of SLE development. This variant allele was more prevalent in patients below 30 years, patients with anemia and in patients with anti‐double‐stranded DNA (dsDNA), confirming the essential role of ATG‐5 polymorphism in the susceptibility of Egyptian patients to SLE.
Closing the brain–heart loop: Towards more holistic models of addiction and addiction recovery
Authors: Eddie David , Bates Marsha E. , Buckman Jennifer F.
Published: August 2020

Much research seeks to articulate the brain structures and pathways implicated in addiction and addiction recovery. Prominent neurobiological models emphasize the interplay between cortical and limbic brain regions as a main driver of addictive processes, but largely do not take into consideration sensory and visceral information streams that link context and state to the brain and behavior. Yet these brain–body information streams would seem to be necessary elements of a comprehensive model of addiction. As a starting point, we describe the overlap between one current model of addiction circuitry and the neural network that not only regulates cardiovascular system activity but also receives feedback from peripheral cardiovascular processes through the baroreflex loop. We highlight the need for neurobiological, molecular, and behavioral studies of neural and peripheral cardiovascular signal integration during the experience of internal states and environmental contexts that drive alcohol and other drug use behaviors. We end with a call for systematic, mechanistic research on the promising, yet largely unexamined benefits to addiction treatment of neuroscience‐informed, adjunctive interventions that target the malleability of the cardiovascular system to alter brain processes.
Micro‐CT analysis of the marginal adaptation and porosity associated with ultrasonic activation of coronally placed tricalcium silicate‐based cements
Authors: Dinçer Asiye Nur , Güneşer Mehmet Burak , Sisli Selen Nihal
Published: August 2020

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of ultrasonic activation on coronal marginal adaptation and microporosity of tricalcium silicate–based materials. Sixty freshly extracted human maxillary lateral incisor teeth were instrumented with ProTaper Next X2 files followed by Peeso‐Reamer burs, sizes 1 to 5. The specimens were randomly divided into six groups (n = 10): Group 1, Biodentine + hand condensation; Group 2, Biodentine + ultrasonic activation; Group 3, NeoMTA Plus + hand condensation; Group 4, NeoMTA Plus + ultrasonic activation; Group 5, ProRoot WMTA + hand condensation; and Group 6, ProRoot WMTA + ultrasonic activation. All tested materials were mixed mechanically and placed 2 mm underneath the cement–enamel junction by hand condensation or indirect ultrasonic activation. Volumetric analysis of the voids between the dentine wall and coronal barrier material and the porosity within the material was evaluated with micro‐CT. There was no significant difference in marginal adaptation among the six groups (P > 0.05). Ultrasonic activation favoured a reduced microporosity in Biodentine Group (P < 0.001).
Obesity as a contributor to immunopathology in pregnant and non‐pregnant adults with COVID‐19
Authors: McCartney Stephen A. , Kachikis Alisa , Huebner Emily M. , Walker Christie L. , Chandrasekaran Suchi , Adams Waldorf Kristina M.
Published: August 2020

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has led to a global public health emergency with the need to identify vulnerable populations who may benefit from increased screening and healthcare resources. Initial data suggest that overall, pregnancy is not a significant risk factor for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). However, case series have suggested that maternal obesity is one of the most important comorbidities associated with more severe disease. In obese individuals, suppressors of cytokine signaling are upregulated and type I and III interferon responses are delayed and blunted leading to ineffective viral clearance. Obesity is also associated with changes in systemic immunity involving a wide range of immune cells and mechanisms that lead to low‐grade chronic inflammation, which can compromise antiviral immunity. Macrophage activation in adipose tissue can produce low levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines (TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6). Further, adipocyte secretion of leptin is pro‐inflammatory and high circulating levels of leptin have been associated with mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. The synergistic effects of obesity‐associated delays in immune control of COVID‐19 with mechanical stress of increased adipose tissue may contribute to a greater risk of pulmonary compromise in obese pregnant women. In this review, we bring together data regarding obesity as a key co‐morbidity for COVID‐19 in pregnancy with known changes in the antiviral immune response associated with obesity. We also describe how the global burden of obesity among reproductive age women has serious public health implications for COVID‐19.
Clinical activity and outcomes during Geelong's general surgery response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic
Authors: Drysdale Henry R. E. , Ooi Sally ,   Geelong Surgical COVID‐19 Response Team, Nagra Sonal , Watters David A. , Guest Glenn D.
Published: August 2020

Background

The response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has required conserving capacity and resources to avoid the health sector being overwhelmed. This paper describes Geelong's general surgical response, surgical activity, outcomes and the effect on surgical training.

Methods

Data collected from surgical audits; hospital databases and patient's medical records were used to compare the first 7 weeks of our new service delivery (30 March to 17 May 2020) to the corresponding 7 weeks in 2019 (1 April 2019 to 19 May 2019). All surgical cases, morbidity and mortality were discussed at weekly surgical audit meetings conducted by videoconference. Treatment performance indicators were tested by chi‐squared test for proportions, and by Student's t‐test or Mann–Whitney test for continuous variables.

Results

Elective general surgery decreased by 45.9% but an essential service was maintained by substantially increasing our public in private operating to perform 81 cases. Despite a 30% decrease in emergency department presentations, general surgery admissions decreased only 6.1% while emergency operations increased 13.9%. We used telehealth to conduct 81.3% of outpatient appointments and 61.8% of pre‐operative anaesthetic reviews. No significant differences were found for overall surgical outcomes, including appendicectomy (perforation rates) and laparotomy (length of stay and morbidity). Operative exposure for trainees was maintained.

Conclusion

Geelong was able to provide a safe and effective general surgery service during the first 7 weeks of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. There are some valuable lessons which could be adopted elsewhere in the event of a surge or second wave of cases.
Robotic complete mesocolic excision and central vascular ligation for right‐sided colon cancer: short‐term outcomes from a case series
Authors: Larach José T. , Rajkomar Amrish K. S. , Narasimhan Vignesh , Kong Joseph , Smart Philip J. , Heriot Alexander G. , Warrier Satish K.
Published: August 2020

Background

Despite conflicting data regarding oncological outcomes, studies demonstrate that complete mesocolic excision (CME) and central vascular ligation (CVL) for right‐sided colon cancer removes significantly more tissue and yields higher lymph node counts when compared to conventional resection. This study aims to report the safety profile of CME and CVL in patients undergoing robotic surgery for right‐sided colon cancer during the introduction of this technique across two institutions.

Methods

Patients who underwent an elective robotic right colectomy with CME and CVL for right‐sided colon cancer in a public quaternary and a private tertiary healthcare centre between November 2018 and April 2020 were included. Demographic, clinical, perioperative and histopathological variables were recorded and analysed.

Results

Twenty patients (13 females) with a median age of 69 (23–83) years and median body mass index of 27 (19–46) were included. All of them had a pre‐operative diagnosis of right‐sided colon adenocarcinoma. Median operative time and blood loss were 140 (130–300) min and 30 (20–100) mL, respectively. There were no conversions or intra‐operative complications. There were two post‐operative complications recorded (one ileus and one intra‐abdominal collection treated with intravenous antibiotics) and no re‐interventions. Median length of stay was 4 (2–8) days. All patients had an R0 resection, and the median lymph node yield was 36 (22–80) lymph nodes.

Conclusion

This series demonstrates a safe introduction of robotic CME and CVL in patients with right‐sided colon cancer. The lymph node harvest obtained with CME and CVL in this setting was high.
Intra‐aortic balloon pump: Looking at the other side
Authors: Gelsomino Sandro , de Jong Monique M. J.
Published: August 2020

Intra‐aortic balloon pump has been the most commonly employed cardiac assist device in the past, although, in recent years, its use in cardiogenic shock has been questioned. The pathophysiology of the proximal part of the balloon has been well studied, whereas, hemodynamics and flow below the distal portion of the balloon have not been fully understood yet. The distal flow contains a three‐wave flow pattern during diastolic balloon expansion: a flow reduction in early diastole, a backflow in mid‐diastole followed by a tele‐diastolic flow. More research on this topic is warranted to better understand the physics of the distal part of the balloon and its interaction with the three components of the local regulatory system: intrinsic (local metabolic and myogenic), extrinsic (autonomic nervous system), and humoral (local or circulating vasoactive substances). These new insights will be a guide for new balloon designs that will allow enhanced performance and improved outcomes.
Economic Effect of Zoning Regulations on Korea's Small and Medium‐Sized Retailers*
Authors: Lee Hahn Shik , Chung Jinhwa , Kim Woohyoung
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we investigated the economic effects of zoning regulations on the retail industry in Korea. We estimated the changes in the number of sales for retail stores using a panel regression analysis for stores in traditional markets. This analysis was conducted to examine the benefit of zoning regulations on retail stores. Our results show that the zoning regulations (called Traditional Commercial Activity Protection Zones) have contributed to an improvement in the actual business performance of small independent retailers. We found that the amount of sales for each store clearly increased on average in the areas designated as Traditional Commercial Activity Protection Zones where there was no market entry of mega supermarket chains (called SSM in Korea). We also present evidence that the effects of this policy differ geographically: the effects were stronger for small and medium cities than for large metropolitan cities. These results suggest that zoning regulations enacted by the government to protect traditional markets and small retailers should also consider regional differences when assessing policy effectiveness.
Pharmacological properties of TRPM3 isoforms are determined by the length of the pore loop
Authors: Held Katharina , Aloi Vincenzo Davide , Freitas Ana Cristina Nogueira , Janssens Annelies , Segal Andrei , Przibilla Julia , Philipp Stephan Ernst , Wang Yu Tian , Voets Thomas , Vriens Joris
Published: August 2020

Background and Purpose

Transient receptor potential melastatin 3 (TRPM3) is a non‐selective cation channel that plays a pivotal role in the peripheral nervous system as a transducer of painful heat signals. Alternative splicing gives rise to several TRPM3 variants. The functional consequences of these splice isoforms are poorly understood. Here, the pharmacological properties of TRPM3 variants arising from alternative splicing in the pore‐forming region were compared.

Experimental Approach

Calcium microfluorimetry and patch clamp recordings were used to compare the properties of heterologously expressed TRPM3α1 (long pore variant) and TRPM3α2–α6 (short pore variants). Furthermore, site‐directed mutagenesis was done to investigate the influence of the length of the pore loop on the channel function.

Key Results

All short pore loop TRPM3α variants (TRPM3α2–α6) were activated by the neurosteroid pregnenolone sulphate (PS) and by nifedipine, whereas the long pore loop variant TRPM3α1 was insensitive to either compound. In contrast, TRPM3α1 was robustly activated by clotrimazole, a compound that does not directly activate the short pore variants but potentiates their responses to PS. Clotrimazole‐activated TRPM3α1 currents were largely insensitive to established TRPM3α2 antagonists and were only partially inhibited upon activation of the μ opioid receptor. Finally, by creating a set of mutant channels with pore loops of intermediate length, we showed that the length of the pore loop dictates differential channel activation by PS and clotrimazole.

Conclusion and Implications

Alternative splicing in the pore‐forming region of TRPM3 defines the channel's pharmacological properties, which depend critically on the length of the pore‐forming loop.

LINKED ARTICLES

This article is part of a themed issue on Structure Guided Pharmacology of Membrane Proteins (BJP 75th Anniversary). To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v179.14/issuetoc
After the epizootic: Host–pathogen dynamics in montane tropical amphibian communities with high prevalence of chytridiomycosis
Authors: C. LaBumbard Brandon , Shepack Alexander , Catenazzi Alessandro
Published: August 2020

The amphibian fungal disease chytridiomycosis, caused byBatrachochytrium dendrobatidis(Bd), poses a great threat to global amphibian biodiversity. In Peruvian cloud forests of the Kosñipata Valley of Manu National Park where chytrid infection is highly prevalent, we have monitored species‐rich amphibian communities since 1996. An epizootic of chytridiomycosis is thought to have caused the disappearance of 35% of species richness in the early 2000s. We investigated the post‐epizooticBdprevalence and infection intensity within the remnant amphibian community from 2008 to 2015, and modeledBddynamics as a function of species, season, reproductive mode, life stage, and elevation. Prevalence was higher in 2012–2015 than in 2008–2009, but overall prevalence has remained fairly constant (~50%) post‐epizootic. We also found that while prevalence decreased with elevation during the wet season, it generally increased with elevation during the dry season, potentially due to seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation. In aquatic habitats,Bdis likely maintained through a single, stream‐breeding, putative reservoir species (which survived epizootics, in contrast to other aquatic‐breeding species). The now‐dominant terrestrial‐breeding species allowBdto persist and spread in terrestrial habitats, possibly through individual dispersal into naïve areas. We conclude thatBdprevalence in the Kosñipata Valley has stabilized over time, suggesting thatBdis now enzootic. Long‐term monitoring of host infection is important because temporal changes in prevalence and infection intensity can cause changes in host species richness and abundance, which in turn may alter the trajectory of host–pathogen dynamics.

Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
Additive and non‐additive responses of seedlings to simulated herbivory and drought
Authors: Barton Kasey E. , Shiels Aaron B.
Published: August 2020

Drought is a global threat, increasing in severity and frequency throughout tropical ecosystems. Although plants often face drought in conjunction with biotic stressors, such as herbivory or disease, experimental studies infrequently test the simultaneous effects of drought and biotic stress. Because multiple simultaneous stressors may have non‐additive and complex effects on plant performance, it is difficult to predict plant responses to multiple threats from research examining one stress at a time. Using an experimental approach in the greenhouse, we investigated potential non‐additivity in seedling growth and survival to simulated drought and herbivory across a phylogenetically diverse pool of ten Hawaiian plant species. Overall, seedlings showed limited tolerance, defined as similar growth and survival in stressed compared with control (non‐stressed) plants, to simulated herbivory and drought, with the combined effects of both stressors to be generally additive and negative across species. Significant variation in stress tolerance was detected among species, and species variation was explained, at least in part, by functional traits such that species with larger root/shoot ratios and smaller seeds, tended to demonstrate greater herbivory and drought tolerance. Future research incorporating additional trait analysis and different stressors could shed light on mechanisms underlying seedling stress tolerance and clarify whether additivity, as detected in this study, extends across other combinations of stressors. Such work will provide needed insights into the regeneration of seedlings in tropical forests under threats of herbivory and climate change.
Outcomes of a multidisciplinary Ear, Nose and Throat Allied Health Primary Contact outpatient assessment service
Authors: Payten Christopher L. , Eakin Jennifer , Smith Tamsin , Stewart Vicky , Madill Catherine J. , Weir Kelly A.
Published: August 2020

Background

Traditionally, patients are seen by an ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon prior to allied health referral for treatment of swallowing, voice, hearing and dizziness. Wait‐times for ENT consultations often exceed those clinically recommended. We evaluated the service impact of five allied health primary contact clinics (AHPC‐ENT) on wait‐times and access to treatment.

Setting

A metropolitan Australian University Hospital Outpatient ENT Department.

Participants

We created five AHPC‐ENT pathways (dysphonia, dysphagia, vestibular, adult and paediatric audiology) for low‐acuity patients referred to ENT with symptoms of dysphonia, dysphagia, dizziness and hearing loss.

Main outcome measures

Using multiple regression analysis, we compared waiting times in the 24‐month pre‐ and 12‐month post‐implementation of the AHPC‐ENT service. In addition, we measured the number of patients requiring specialist ENT intervention after assessment in the AHPC‐ENT, adverse events and evaluation of service delivery costs.

Results

Seven hundred and thirty‐eight patients were seen in the AHPC‐ENT over the first 12 months of implementation (dysphagia, 66; dysphonia, 153; vestibular, 151; retro‐cochlear, 60; and paediatric glue ear, 308). All pathways significantly reduced the waiting times for patients by an average of 277 days, compared with usual care. The majority of patients were able to be discharged without ongoing ENT intervention (72% dysphagia; 81% dysphonia; 74% vestibular; 53% retro‐cochlear; and 32% paediatric glue ear). No adverse events were recorded.

Conclusions

The AHPC‐ENT improved waiting times for assessment and access to treatment. Future research on cost‐effectiveness and diagnostic agreement between AHPs and ENT clinicians would provide further confidence in the model.
Handwritten Meitei Mayek recognition using three‐channel convolution neural network of gradients and gray
Authors: Inunganbi Sanasam , Choudhary Prakash , Manglem Khumanthem
Published: August 2020

The problem of searching a similar pattern is an exciting and challenging research field of pattern recognition. The intelligence of humans for vision to read is a crucial phenomenon for machine simulation and has been carried out for a few decades. Therefore, in this article, a recognition system of handwritten Meitei Mayek (Manipuri script) is introduced using a convolutional neural network. Generally, character recognition is performed using the gray scale of the image of characters. However, we have additionally considered the corresponding gradient direction and gradient magnitude images to create three‐channels image for every character so that supplementary information from gradient images can be obtained for efficient recognition. Experiments are conducted on 14 700 sample images collected from various individuals of different age groups and educational backgrounds. A recognition rate of 98.70% is obtained, which is compared with the existing methods, and it is found to be superior performance than other neural network methods on Meitei Mayek.
Evaluating nonadherence to preventer inhaler therapy in severe asthmatic patients receiving omalizumab
Authors: Erdogan Tuba
Published: August 2020

Background

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide and can often be controlled by existing treatments, but in the 5%‐10% of patients with severe asthma, control is frequently more challenging. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the adherence to preventer inhaler therapy in severe asthmatic patients receiving omalizumab, a recombinant humanized monoclonal anti‐IgE antibody indicated for moderate‐to‐severe asthma.

Methods

This study included 29 patients who were receiving omalizumab treatment as maintenance therapy. All patients completed the six question Turkish Modified Morisky Scale. In addition, patients were classified by adherence to their prescribed preventer therapy, based on pharmaceutical and medical device institution records from the preceding one year.

Results

Of the 29 enrolled patients, 24.1% had NSAID‐exacerbated respiratory disease; 75.9% were female and median age was 47.2 ± 12.99 years. Severe asthma patients demonstrated high levels of motivation (98.8%, n = 28) and knowledge (86.2%, n = 22) about asthma treatment. Nevertheless, the rate of nonadherence to preventer inhaler therapy was only 34.5% (n = 10). There were no significant differences among the characteristics of the patients that might affect the adherence to inhaler therapy.

Conclusion

In patients with severe asthma, suboptimal adherence to preventer inhaler therapy is common before and after omalizumab treatment. Although patients have high levels of motivation and knowledge about asthma treatment, adherence to inhaler preventer therapy declined after omalizumab therapy. Given these findings, it is important to decide whether preventer inhaler therapy should be continued as monotherapy or be discontinued inpatients exhibiting impaired adherence to biological agents, such as omalizumab.
Smoking behaviours and other substance use among Indigenous and non‐Indigenous Australian secondary students, 2017
Authors: Heris Christina , Guerin Nicola , Thomas David , Chamberlain Catherine , Eades Sandra , White Victoria M.
Published: August 2020

Introduction and Aims

Smoking is a major cause of preventable illness for Indigenous peoples. As most regular smoking is established during adolescence when other substances are often first used, effective tobacco prevention requires an understanding of the patterns of related substance use for Indigenous youth.

Design and Methods

We reviewed smoking among Indigenous students through cross‐sectional analyses of the 2017 Australian Secondary Students' Alcohol and Drug survey and compared findings to non‐Indigenous participants. We used logistic regression to evaluate differences in prevalence of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use, and how smoking and other substance use were related.

Results

Past month smoking was strongly associated with alcohol and cannabis use for both Indigenous and non‐Indigenous students. The association between tobacco and cannabis use did not differ by Indigenous status, but the tobacco and alcohol use association was weaker for Indigenous students (P = 0.004). However, the prevalence of tobacco [odds ratio (OR) 1.91 (95% confidence interval; CI 1.55, 2.36)], alcohol [OR 1.44 (1.25, 1.66)] and cannabis [OR 1.97 (1.56, 2.48)] use in the past month was significantly higher in Indigenous than non‐Indigenous students. Even within the most socially advantaged sub‐group, Indigenous students were more likely to smoke than non‐Indigenous students [OR 3.37 (2.23, 5.09)].

Discussion and Conclusions

Cannabis and alcohol use are important predictors of smoking for all students. Tobacco policies and community programs must address common determinants of tobacco and other substance use, including resilience and social influence skills as well as broader family and community factors that may be different for Indigenous students.
Percutaneous endobiliary radiofrequency ablation for tumor ingrowth causing metal stent obstruction
Authors: Hwang Jun Seong , So Hoonsub , Song Tae Jun
Published: August 2020

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Larval sex identification of in vivo and long‐term ethanol‐preserved social wasps
Authors: De Souza André Rodrigues , da Silva Rafael Carvalho , Ferreira Ríudo Paiva , Mateus Sidnei , Prato Amanda , Oi Cintia Akemi , Noll Fernando Barbosa , Lino‐Neto José
Published: August 2020

Larval genital discs are sexually dimorphic in many social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). These sexual traits are visible in vivo and in long‐term ethanol‐preserved samples. Genital disc morphology provides a cheap, quick, and accurate way to distinguish larvae of females and males.
Wolbachia prevalence patterns: horizontal transmission, recombination, and multiple infections in chestnut gall wasp‐parasitoid communities
Authors: Hou Han‐Qing , Zhao Gao‐Zhi , Su Cheng‐Yuan , Zhu Dao‐Hong
Published: August 2020

The Oriental chestnut gall wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), is a global invasive pest that causes serious damage to almost all chestnut species belonging to the Castanea genus (Fagaceae). Dryocosmus zhuili Liu et Zhu is a recently described sibling species of D. kuriphilus, which induces galls on Castanea henryi (Skan) Rehd. et Wils. There are many indigenous parasitoid species in China which play an important role in the natural regulation of their population dynamics. Wolbachia is a maternally inherited α‐proteobacterium widely found in arthropods. This study screened for the presence of Wolbachia in the two chestnut gall wasps and in six parasitoid species from 12 populations, to investigate the prevalence patterns of Wolbachia in the chestnut gall wasp‐parasitoid communities. We found that D. zhuili and four parasitoid species were infected with Wolbachia; among them, all individuals of the two populations of Megastigmus sp. had multiple Wolbachia infections. By using multilocus sequence types to characterize bacterial strains, three new sequence types were identified. The Wolbachia strains infecting D. zhuili (ST‐507), Torymus sinensis Kamijo (ST‐508), and Sycophila variegata (Curtis) (ST‐508) belonged to supergroup A, whereas the Wolbachia strain infecting Megastigmus nipponicus Kamijo (ST‐503) belonged to supergroup B. Our results also suggested that horizontal transmission of Wolbachia occurs between chestnut gall wasps and their parasitoids. Moreover, multiple Wolbachia infections of Megastigmus sp. may be due to gene recombination and horizontal transmission.
A systematic literature review of assessment feedback in preclinical dental education
Authors: Rung Andrea , George Roy
Published: August 2020

Introduction

Development of evaluative judgement abilities through assessment and feedback strategies is crucial in students’ progress to become self‐regulated lifelong learners. Dentists’ ability to appraise the quality of treatment provided to their patients starts with development of competences in a simulated preclinical training environment. However, the effectiveness of these assessment and feedback strategies is not well understood.

Material and methods

This literature review aimed to identify the assessment and feedback interventions and their effect on dental students’ appraisal and psychomotor skills during preclinical training. A search of the electronic databases PubMed, Ebscohost (Dentistry and Oral Health), Scopus, Web of Science and EMBASE was conducted of studies published until October 2019.

Results

Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Two studies were randomised controlled trials and ten non‐randomised studies. All studies included students’ self‐assessment and grading criteria as part of their feedback interventions. Feedback utilisation training was reported in 66% of the included studies. Evidence suggests feedback strategies improve psychomotor skills and increase agreement between students’ and teachers’ awarded grades. However, these improvements vary with the complexity of the task. Only one study shows self‐directed learning significantly contributing to students’ psychomotor skill improvement.

Conclusion

Although assessment and feedback are regarded as crucial for developing students’ evaluative judgement capabilities to become self‐regulated lifelong learners, there is limited empirical evidence of the assessment and feedback conditions that enhance students’ judgement abilities, performance and self‐regulation. Further research is needed to investigate and compare the effect of different assessment and feedback interventions on students’ appraisal skills, their impact on learning and self‐regulation.
Biomarker function of HMGA2 in ultraviolet‐induced skin cancer development
Authors: Ha Wootae , Hinde Amanda , Xie Lillian , Trager Megan H. , Liu Liang
Published: August 2020

The high mobility group AT‐hook 2 (HMGA2) gene encodes a transcription factor that is expressed during embryonic development but down‐regulated in adult tissues. Its re‐expression in adult tissues is often associated with tumorigenesis. In this study, we found that HMGA2 is highly expressed in human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell lines and primary SCC tumors, but not in adjacent normal skin. In non‐ultraviolet (UV)‐irradiated mouse skin, baseline Hmga2 expression was detected in the epidermis but not in hair follicles. Following chronic UV exposure, we found activation of Hmga2 in hair follicles. UV‐induced mouse skin SCC tumors displayed a ubiquitous increase in Hmga2 expression compared to non‐tumor‐bearing adjacent skin. In human SCC cells, decreased HMGA2 expression was linked with reduced cell proliferation following depletion of FOXM1 and TRIP13, two UV master regulator genes. Taken together, these findings highlight an important biomarker function of HMGA2 expression in UV‐induced skin tumorigenesis and cell proliferation.