bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Normative values for body surface gastric mapping evaluations of gastric motility using Gastric Alimetry: spectral analysis
Authors: Varghese Chris , Schamberg Gabriel , Calder Stefan , Waite Stephen , Carson Daniel , Foong Daphne , Wang William , Ho Vincent , Woodhead Jonathan , Daker Charlotte , Xu William , Du Peng , Abell Thomas L , Parkman Henry P. , Tack Jan , Andrews Christopher N. , O’Grady Gregory , Gharibans Armen A
Published: July 2022

Introduction

Body surface gastric mapping (BSGM) is a new non-invasive test of gastric function. BSGM offers several novel and improved biomarkers of gastric function capable of differentiating patients with overlapping symptom-profiles. The aim of this study was to define normative reference intervals for BSGM spectral metrics in a population of healthy controls.

Methods

BSGM was performed in healthy controls using Gastric Alimetry (Alimetry, New Zealand) comprising a stretchable high-resolution array (8×8 electrodes; 196 cm2), wearable Reader, and validated symptom-logging App. The evaluation encompassed a fasting baseline (30 min), 482 kCal meal, and 4-hr postprandial recording. Normative reference intervals were calculated for BSGM metrics including the Principal Gastric Frequency, Gastric Alimetry Rhythm Index (GA-RI; a measure of the concentration of power in the gastric frequency band over time), BMI-adjusted amplitude (µV), and fed:fasted amplitude ratio (ff-AR). Data are reported as median and reference interval (5thand/or 95thpercentiles).

Results

110 subjects (55% female, median age 32 (IQR 24 – 50), median BMI 23.8 kg/m2(IQR 21.4 – 26.9)) were included. The median Principal Gastric Frequency was 3.04 cpm; reference interval: 2.65 – 3.35 cpm. Median GA-RI was 0.50; reference interval: !0.25. Median BMI-adjusted amplitude was 37.6 µV; reference interval: 20-70 µV. The median ff-AR was 1.85; reference interval !1.08. Higher BMI was associated with a shorter meal-response duration (p=0.014).

Conclusions

This study provides normative reference intervals for BSGM spectral data that will be used in clinical practice to inform diagnostic interpretations of abnormal gastric function.
Detection of monkeypox viral DNA in a routine wastewater monitoring program
Authors: Wolfe Marlene K. , Duong Dorothea , Hughes Bridgette , Chan-Herur Vikram , White Bradley J. , Boehm Alexandria B.
Published: July 2022

Wastewater represents a composite biological sample from the entire contributing population. People infected with monkeypox excrete monkeypox virus DNA via skin lesions, saliva, feces and urine and these can enter the wastewater via toilets, sinks, and shower drains. To test whether monkeypox can be detected and monitored in wastewater during a period when publicly reported monkey cases in the region were increasing, we deployed digital PCR assays that target genomic DNA from the monkeypox virus in our routine, ongoing wastewater surveillance program in the Greater Bay Area of California, USA. We measured monkeypox virus DNA daily in settled solids samples from nine wastewater plants over the period of approximately 4 weeks. During that period, we detected monkeypox virus DNA in wastewater solids at nearly all the wastewater plants we routinely sample. Frequency of occurrence and concentrations were highest at plants serving San Francisco County. To confirm the presence of monkeypox DNA, we used two assays that target distinct sequences on the monkeypox genome on a subset of samples and results from both assays were in close agreement strongly suggesting true positives in the wastewater. Additionally, we show that concentrations of monkeypox DNA is 103 times higher in the solid fraction compared to the liquid fraction of wastewater on a mass-equivalent basis.
Kinetic and Thermodynamic Insights on Agonist Interactions with the Parathyroid Hormone Receptor-1 from a New NanoBRET assay
Authors: Yu Zhen , Cary Brian P. , Kim Tae Wook , Nguyen Kevin D. , Gardella Thomas J. , Gellman Samuel H.
Published: July 2022

Polypeptides that activate the parathyroid hormone receptor-1 (PTHR1) are important in human physiology and medicine. Most previous studies of peptide binding to this receptor have involved displacement of a radiolabeled ligand. We report a new assay format based on bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET). Fusion of a nanoluciferase (nLuc) unit to the N-terminus of the PTHR1 allows direct detection of binding by an agonist peptide bearing a tetramethylrhodamine (TMR) unit. Affinity measurements from the BRET assay align well with results previously obtained via radioligand displacement. The BRET assay offers substantial operational benefits relative to affinity measurements involving radioactive compounds. The convenience of the new assay allowed us to explore several questions raised by earlier reports. For example, we show that although the first two residues of PTH(1-34) (the drug teriparatide) are critical for PTHR1 activation, these two residues contribute little or nothing to affinity. Comparisons among the well-studied agonists PTH(1-34), PTHrP(1-34) and “long-acting PTH” (LA-PTH) reveal that the high affinity of LA-PTH arises largely from a diminished rate constant for dissociation relative to the other two.
Extrachromosomal DNA in the cancerous transformation of Barrett’s esophagus
Authors: Luebeck Jens , Tian Ng Alvin Wei , Galipeau Patricia C. , Li Xiaohong , Sanchez Carissa A. , Katz-Summercorn Annalise , Kim Hoon , Jammula Sriganesh , He Yudou , Lippman Scott M. , Verhaak Roel , Maley Carlo C. , Alexandrov Ludmil B. , Reid Brian J. , Fitzgerald Rebecca C. , Paulson Thomas G. , Chang Howard Y. , Wu Sihan , Bafna Vineet , Mischel Paul S.
Published: July 2022

BACKGROUND

Oncogenes are commonly amplified on extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) contributing to poor outcomes for patients. Currently, the chronology of ecDNA development is not known. We studied the origination and evolution of ecDNA in patients with Barrett’s esophagus (BE) who progressed to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC).

METHODS

We analyzed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data from a BE surveillance cohort and EAC patients at Cambridge University UK (n=206 patients). We also analyzed WGS data from biopsies taken at two time points from multiple sites in the esophagus from 80 patients enrolled in a case-control study at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (FHCC) - 40 BE patients who progressed to EAC and 40 who did not.

RESULTS

ecDNA was detected in 24% and 43% of BE patients with BE-associated early and late-stage EAC, respectively, in the Cambridge cross-sectional cohort. ecDNA was found in 33% of all FHCC BE patients who developed cancer, either prior to, or at EAC diagnosis. ecDNA was strongly associated with patients who developed cancer, in contrast with FHCC BE patients who did not progress (odds ratio, 18.8, CI – 2.3-152, p=3.3×10-4). ecDNAs were enriched for oncogenes and immunomodulatory genes and could be detected early in the transition from high-grade dysplasia to cancer and increased in copy number and complexity over time.

CONCLUSIONS

ecDNAs can develop before a diagnosis of cancer in BE patients and are strongly selected for during the evolution to EAC. ecDNAs promote diverse oncogene and immunomodulatory gene amplification during EAC development and progression.
Neural tracking of speech does not unequivocally reflect intelligibility
Authors: Kösem Anne , Dai Bohan , McQueen James M. , Hagoort Peter
Published: July 2022

During listening, brain activity tracks the rhythmic structures of speech signals. Here, we directly dissociated the contribution of neural tracking in the processing of speech acoustic cues from that related to linguistic processing. We examined the neural changes associated with the comprehension of Noise-Vocoded (NV) speech using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Participants listened to NV sentences in a 3-phase training paradigm: (1) pre-training, where NV stimuli were barely comprehended, (2) training with exposure of the original clear version of speech stimulus, and (3) post-training, where the same stimuli gained intelligibility from the training phase. Using this paradigm, we tested if the neural responses of a speech signal was modulated by its intelligibility without any change in its acoustic structure. To test the influence of spectral degradation on neural tracking independently of training, participants listened to two types of NV sentences (4-band and 2-band NV speech), but were only trained to understand 4-band NV speech. Significant changes in neural tracking were observed in the delta range in relation to the acoustic degradation of speech. However, we failed to find a direct effect of intelligibility on the neural tracking of speech in both theta and delta ranges. This suggests that acoustics greatly influence the neural tracking response to speech signals, and that caution needs to be taken when choosing the control signals for speech-brain tracking analyses, considering that a slight change in acoustic parameters can have strong effects on the neural tracking response.
Methylation genome wide profiling in lowly and highly efficient adipose somatic cell nuclear transfer in pigs
Authors: Grzybek Maciej , Flisikowski Krzysztof , Giles Tom , Walczak Marta , Ploski Rafal , Gasperowicz Piotr , Emes Richard D. , Lisowski Pawel
Published: July 2022

Swine is a common model organism for biomedical research. Epigenetic reprogramming in SCNT embryos does not fully recapitulate the natural DNA demethylation events at fertilisation. This study aimed to conduct a genome-wide methylation profiling to detect differentially methylated regions (DMRs) responsible for epigenetic differences in stem cells that displayed high and low efficiency of SCNT and to elucidate the low efficiency of cloning rate in pigs. Adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cells (AMSC)s lines were isolated from adipose tissue of adult male pigs (n=20; high-efficiency cells=10; low efficiency cells= 10). Reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) was performed on an Illumina HiSeq1500. Paired-end reads were filtered to remove the adapter contamination, and low-quality reads using TrimGalore!. Filtered reads were mapped to the reference genome using Bismark. MethylKit was used to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) (bases and tiles), showing statistically significant differential methylation between two groups: high and low-efficiency AMSCs. Hierarchical cluster analysis according to methylation patterns clearly defined groups with low and high cloning efficiency. We report 3704 bases with statistically significant differences in methylation and 10062 tiles with statistically significant differences in methylation. Most differentially methylated sites are intergenic 62%, 31% are intronic, 4% are located in exons and 4% in promoters. 37% of differentially methylated sites are located in known CpG islands (CGIs) and 4% in CpG island shores (CGSs).
Survivin (BIRC5) peptide vaccine in the 4T1 murine mammary tumor model: a potential neoadjuvant T-cell immunotherapy for triple negative breast cancer
Authors: Burkholz Scott R , Herst Charles V , Carback Richard T , Harris Paul E , Rubsamen Reid M
Published: July 2022

A triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) model using the murine 4T1 tumor cell line was used to explore the efficacy of an adjuvanted survivin (SVN)-peptide microparticle vaccine using tumor growth as the outcome metric. We first performed tumor cell dose titration studies to determine a tumor cell dose that resulted in sufficient tumor takes but minimal morbidity/mortality within the required study period. Later, in a second cohort of mice, the SVN-peptide microparticle vaccine was administered via intraperitoneal injection at study start with a second dose given 14 days later. An orthotopic injection of 4T1 cells into the mammary tissue was performed on the same day as the administration of the second vaccine dose. The mice were followed for up to 41 days with subcutaneous measurements of tumor volume made every 3-4 days. Vaccination with SVN peptides was associated with a peptide antigen-specific γIFN Elispot response in the murine splenocyte population but was absent from the control microparticle group. At end of study, we found that vaccination with adjuvanted SVN-peptide microparticles resulted in statistically significant slower primary tumor growth rates in BALB/c mice challenged with 4T1 cells relative to the control peptide-less vaccination group. These studies suggest that T-cell immunotherapy specifically targeting survivin might be an applicable neoadjuvant immunotherapy therapy for TNBC. More pre-clinical studies and clinical trials will be needed to explore this concept further.
Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of ethyl (3E)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-{[(4-chlorophenyl)formamido]imino}-7-methyl-2H,3H,5H-[1,3]thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidine-6-carboxylate
Authors: Mohamed Shaaban K. , Mague Joel T. , Akkurt Mehmet , Alfayomy Abdallah M. , Seri Sahar M. Abou , Abdel-Raheem Shaban A. A. , Ul-Malik Mokhtar A. Abd
Published: July 2022

In the title molecule, C23H20Cl2N4O3S, the thiazole ring is planar while the pyrimidine unit fused to it adopts a screw-boat conformation. In the crystal, thick sheets parallel to the bc plane are formed by N—H...N, C—H...N and C—H...O hydrogen bonds together with π–π interactions between the formamido carbonyl groups and the thiazole rings. Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important contributions to the crystal packing are from H...H (30.9%), Cl...H/H...Cl (20.7%), C...H/H...C (16.8%) and O...H/H...O (11.4%) interactions.
Maruti Suzuki India Limited: toward cleaner mobility
Authors: Kumar Santosh , Sahay Arunaditya
Published: July 2022

Learning outcomes

The case study “Maruti Suzuki – toward cleaner mobility” has been written keeping in view the requirements in the field of strategic management. The key learning objectives are as follows:• Analysis of business environment.• Product development strategy – creating market segment to gain competitive advantage by leveraging available organizational capabilities.• Strategic decision-making – understanding strategic decision-making process in a complex and highly competitive business scenario.

Case overview/synopsis

Maruti Suzuki, a leader in Indian automotive market with around 50% market share in passenger cars, was likely to face intense competition because of disruption by electric vehicles. As electric vehicles adoption was increasing globally in developed countries, automotive companies shaped their strategy accordingly to stay relevant. Maruti Suzuki was yet to be ready with electric vehicles and approached this space differently than other competitors. However, with Indian Government pushing toward cleaner mobility, it was yet to be seen how the company would manage to comply with legislations and compete effectively in marketplace. Indian Auto major, Maruti Suzuki, was on the edge to decide future strategy on electric vehicles to sustain its leadership position. The Indian automotive sector was going through the transformation where auto original equipment manufacturers were bringing electric vehicles and supporting policies from government likely to accelerate its adoption. Maruti Suzuki was striving to counter the competition with available resources to create competitive advantage in changing environment and continue to remain profitable with leadership position in Indian automotive market. The company had successfully maintained its leading position over three decades and transformed the automotive space with its strategies ahead of the curve. Now the company was standing at crossroads with regard to future technology on cleaner mobility. Mr Bhargava had to decide whether to throw the hat in EV ring or wait for other alternate technology disruption.

Complexity academic level

Management studies and executive development programs.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 11: Strategy
Framework for entity extraction with verification: application to inference of data set usage in research publications
Authors: Nestorov Svetlozar , Bačić Dinko , Jukić Nenad , Malliaris Mary
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose an extensible framework for extracting data set usage from research articles.

Design/methodology/approach

The framework uses a training set of manually labeled examples to identify word features surrounding data set usage references. Using the word features and general entity identifiers, candidate data sets are extracted and scored separately at the sentence and document levels. Finally, the extracted data set references can be verified by the authors using a web-based verification module.

Findings

This paper successfully addresses a significant gap in entity extraction literature by focusing on data set extraction. In the process, this paper: identified an entity-extraction scenario with specific characteristics that enable a multiphase approach, including a feasible author-verification step; defined the search space for word feature identification; defined scoring functions for sentences and documents; and designed a simple web-based author verification step. The framework is successfully tested on 178 articles authored by researchers from a large research organization.

Originality/value

Whereas previous approaches focused on completely automated large-scale entity recognition from text snippets, the proposed framework is designed for a longer, high-quality text, such as a research publication. The framework includes a verification module that enables the request validation of the discovered entities by the authors of the research publications. This module shares some similarities with general crowdsourcing approaches, but the target scenario increases the likelihood of meaningful author participation.
Flood knowledge management by multiple stakeholders: an example from Malaysia
Authors: Along Nurul Zainab Binti , Ahmed Iftekhar , MacKee Jamie
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore multiple stakeholders managing the different type of knowledge in a flood-prone area. Different stakeholders hold different types of knowledge in their area of interest, and both knowledge streams have their intrinsic potentials and limitations. In this paper, the issue of knowledge complementarity is explored in the context of flood hazards. Hazards such as floods may appear messy, unpredictable, with unsorted and unorganised forms of data, information and knowledge on the part of diverse stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach

Case study design had been used in this study to explore how stakeholders: Orang Asli, Malay, and humanitarian organisations manage the differences in terms of type of knowledge each of them have. To illicit the response from participants from each of the stakeholders, in-depth interviews had been used.

Findings

This research has led to the development of a conceptual framework based on the case study. The lessons learned from the framework is discussed, together with the barriers to their implementation.

Originality/value

This paper presents a research case study on multiple stakeholders in the district of Pekan, the state of Pahang, Malaysia, and how these multiple stakeholders manage flood hazards with their different types of knowledge.
A deep neural network-based approach for fake news detection in regional language
Authors: Katariya Piyush , Gupta Vedika , Arora Rohan , Kumar Adarsh , Dhingra Shreya , Xin Qin , Hemanth Jude
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The current natural language processing algorithms are still lacking in judgment criteria, and these approaches often require deep knowledge of political or social contexts. Seeing the damage done by the spreading of fake news in various sectors have attracted the attention of several low-level regional communities. However, such methods are widely developed for English language and low-resource languages remain unfocused. This study aims to provide analysis of Hindi fake news and develop a referral system with advanced techniques to identify fake news in Hindi.

Design/methodology/approach

The technique deployed in this model uses bidirectional long short-term memory (B-LSTM) as compared with other models like naïve bayes, logistic regression, random forest, support vector machine, decision tree classifier, kth nearest neighbor, gated recurrent unit and long short-term models.

Findings

The deep learning model such as B-LSTM yields an accuracy of 95.01%.

Originality/value

This study anticipates that this model will be a beneficial resource for building technologies to prevent the spreading of fake news and contribute to research with low resource languages.
Evolutionary philosophical games in strategic management
Authors: Ozkan-Canbolat Ela , Ozkan Gulberk , Beraha Aydin
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to show that evolutionary game theory not only provides a general and unified theory of political philosophy and strategic management theories but also a positive theory of interactive behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

This study suggests a way of the evolutionary game-theoretical model.

Findings

The model presented in this paper demonstrates coopetition is derived from balance points in multi-actor games. As the political–philosophical address of those strategic games will of all becomes convention in this balance point at which common knowledge occurs global optimum.

Research limitations/implications

This study explores the connections between several streams in philosophy and strategic management. What does a particular philosophy contribute to strategic management with respect to game theory? When addressing this question in historical or exploratory terms, or in a combination of both, the end result is similar: particular philosophical issues, properly explained, are discussed in relation to important questions in strategic management.

Practical implications

What are the psychological and behavioral underpinnings of strategic decisions of this kind? What type of cognitive frames and managerial mental models, such as the game-theoretical model, might enable or hinder the integration of real-world problems in strategic decision-making?

Social implications

What explains the evolution of such mental models, as well as the development of philosophical ideas, in informing the origins? How does the evolution of social and political contexts influence change in the cognitive and behavioral underpinnings of strategic decision-making?

Originality/value

This study highlights the overt power of strategic management ideas – competition, cooperation and coopetition – which have historically been built on the foundations of organizational theory, while also underlying the potential of philosophies, collective wisdom and Condorcet’s jury theorem and Rousseau’s (1998) correctness theory in games of evaluation. This study investigates whether the many produce better decisions than the wise few.
The IPSAS implementation and the use and usefulness of accounting information: a comparative analysis in the Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Gomes Patrícia , Brusca Isabel , Fernandes Maria J. , Vilhena Estela
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to research the reforms toward International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) implementation and the perceptions about the use and usefulness of accounting information in the context of local government in the Iberian Peninsula. The paper focuses on the perspective of chief financial officers (CFOs).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. Beyond the study of the context of the reform in both countries through the consultation of legislation and official documents, the authors collected primary data through a survey addressed to the local CFO to catch both countries' perceptions and beliefs toward the topic under research.

Findings

The authors' findings evidence that both countries have made strong efforts to adapt IPSAS to both countries' national standards. The coercive and mimetic isomorphism and the private accounting normative were important determinants in the reform. Looking at perceptions, budget information continues to be perceived as the king information for public management and decision-making. In a comparative way, the Portuguese CFO seems to be more optimistic concerning the use and usefulness of the new accounting system. The strong orientation of CFO to cash-basis and budgeting information is an important explanation of the lower use and usefulness, essentially in the Spanish context. The regression results show that individual perceptions and beliefs on the accounting reform influence the opinion about the usefulness and use of financial information.

Research limitations/implications

The use of the survey method has some limitations very discussed in the literature that are also applied in this study.

Practical implications

The paper has the potential to contribute to the academic, political and practitioner discussion of the core purposes of financial accounting information in the public sector and financial accounting information's impacts on the European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS) framework.

Originality/value

The recent adoption of the new accounting system in local governments of both contexts contributes to knowledge on the public sector accounting reforms toward the transition to accrual accounting and the IPSAS. The innovative character of the paper contributes to better clarify how the perceptions of the accounting reform influence the usage level of public financial information.
Prevention-focused leadership and well-being during the pandemic: mediation by role clarity and workload
Authors: Li Keyao , Griffin Mark A.
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The global pandemic has required organisational leaders to respond rapidly in a time of uncertainty. A specific challenge for leaders during the global pandemic is the salient and immediate threat to worker health and well-being. Unfortunately, the consequences of different leadership actions in this context are not well understood. By exploring the path from leader behaviour to employee well-being via experienced work characteristics, this study aims to provide a framework for better understanding pandemic threat and corresponding leadership impact.

Design/methodology/approach

Two prevention-focused leadership strategies were explored: defend and adapt strategy. Two important work characteristics role clarity and workload were used to help explain the links between leadership strategies and well-being. Potential mediating pathways were tested in path analysis with Mplus (v7.4) based on 515 online survey responses.

Findings

Different mediating pathways demonstrated complex associations between the constructs. Increases in the both prevention-focused leadership strategies were found associated with positive well-being by increasing employees' perceptions of leadership and by improving role clarity in the workplace. Notably, evidence also supported that increase in defend strategy was linked to reduced worker well-being through intensified workload.

Originality/value

In times of uncertainty amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, prevention-focused leadership is vital to engage the workforce and ensure compliance with safety procedures to avoid associated risks to worker health and organisational performance. This research focused on the rarely studied topic of prevention-focused leadership, and how prevention strategies were related to employee well-being. Based on the findings for prevention-focused defend and adapt strategies, this study suggested leadership practices that might shape employee well-being in a time of turbulence.
Daily dynamics of contrasting spring algal blooms in Santa Monica Bay (central Southern California Bight)
Authors: Ollison Gerid A. , Hu Sarah K. , Hopper Julie V. , Stewart Brittany P. , Smith Jayme , Beatty Jennifer L. , Rink Laura K. , Caron David A.
Published: July 2022

Protistan algae (phytoplankton) dominate coastal upwelling ecosystems where they form massive blooms that support the world's most important fisheries and constitute an important sink for atmospheric CO2. Bloom initiation is well understood, but the biotic and abiotic forces that shape short‐term dynamics in community composition are still poorly characterized. Here, high‐frequency (daily) changes in relative abundance dynamics of the metabolically active protistan community were followed via expressed 18S V4 rRNA genes (RNA) throughout two algal blooms during the spring of 2018 and 2019 in Santa Monica Bay (central Southern California Bight). A diatom bloom formed after wind‐driven, nutrient upwelling events in both years, but different taxa dominated each year. Whereas diatoms bloomed following elevated nutrients and declined after depletion each year, a massive dinoflagellate bloom manifested under relatively low inorganic nitrogen conditions following diatom bloom senescence in 2019 but not 2018. Network analysis revealed associations between diatoms and cercozoan putative parasitic taxa and syndinean parasites during 2019 that may have influenced the demise of the diatoms, and the transition to a dinoflagellate‐dominated bloom.
Solar PV and energy poverty in Australia's residential sector
Authors: Hammerle Mara , Burke Paul J.
Published: July 2022

Expanding access to solar photovoltaics (PV) may help to reduce the incidence of energy poverty. Yet, little is known about the strength and magnitude of this relationship. This paper uses cross‐sectional survey data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics to conduct a retrospective analysis of the effects of having rooftop solar PV for Australian households. As the main identification challenges are the potential for omitted variables and reverse causality, we present results for regressions controlling for potential confounders and also use an instrumental variable approach. The study finds that having solar PV is associated with a large decrease in the likelihood of experiencing energy poverty based on objective indicators that compare household incomes and energy bills. Having solar PV is also associated with a reduction in self‐reported difficulty in paying bills on time, although this effect is less robust across estimations. The findings could inform future policies for promoting residential solar PV through an improved understanding of likely impacts.
Indoctrination
Authors: Lewin David
Published: July 2022

The indoctrination debates have been a key feature of the philosophy of education over the past 50 years. While it is generally acknowledged that the pejorative associations of indoctrination only emerged over the last 100 years, those normative associations are widely taken to be an essential part of the concept itself as are the positive connotations of education. I explore some of the problems of assuming that the term must refer to something negative and the essentialism that this implies. The attempt to ‘transvaluate’ indoctrination results in the claim that the concept is virtually indistinguishable from education. Drawing on Ivan Snook's Indoctrination and Education, I examine several candidates for indoctrination to show that the pejorative label is not a good fit. I argue that much of what is framed as indoctrination turns out to be either impossible–implausible or necessary–inevitable; the fact that there is scarcely a gap between these extremes should give us pause to wonder about this term and its relation to education: By providing a term for those influences of which we generally disapprove, does the concept of indoctrination act as a way for educationalists to uphold and protect the normative view of education (that education must aim for something intrinsically worthwhile)?

Eds.: This paper forms part of a Special Issue entitled ‘Beyond Virtue and Vice: Education for a Darker Age’ in which the editors invited authors to engage in exercises of ‘transvaluation’. Certain apparently settled educational concepts (from agency and fulfilment to alienation and ignorance) can be reinterpreted and transvaluated (in a Nietzschean vein) such that virtues become vices, and vices, virtues. The editors encouraged authors to employ polemics and some occasional exaggeration to reimagine educational values that are all too readily accepted within contemporary educational discourses.
Safety and efficacy of endoscopic ultrasound‐guided gastroenterostomy for gastric outlet obstruction in different sites: A single‐center retrospective study
Authors: Huang Tian Lu , Zhong Wen Qi , Shen Yong Hua , Ni Mu Han , Xu Gui Fang , Lyu Ying , Li Wen , Zhou Xiao Liang , Cai Wei , Wang Lei , Zou Xiao Ping
Published: July 2022

Objectives

Endoscopic ultrasound‐guided gastroenterostomy (EUS‐GE) has recently been employed as a novel treatment for gastric outlet obstruction (GOO). The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of EUS‐GE for GOO at different sites.

Methods

Consecutive hospitalized patients who underwent EUS‐GE for GOO at the Department of Gastroenterology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from March 2017 to April 2020 were recruited in this retrospective study. Patients were divided into three groups depending on the obstruction site. The primary outcomes included technical success and clinical success. The secondary outcomes were operation time, post‐procedure length of stay (LOS), hospitalization cost, and complications such as peritonitis, bleeding, pneumoperitoneum, abdominal pain, and infection.

Results

A total of 51 patients were included. Technical success achieved in 100% patients with proximal GOO and in 88.9% with distal GOO (P = 0.176). Clinical success declined from the oral side to the anal side (P = 0.510). Operation time, hospitalization costs, and post‐procedural LOS were similar among groups (P = 0.532, 0.520, and 0.144, respectively). Complications were observed in 28 (54.9%) patients. In approaching the mature phase of the endosopist, clinical success improved, while the secondary outcomes showed no statistically significant difference compared with the initial phase.

Conclusions

EUS‐GE may be challenging for distal GOO; however, it is safe and effective when carried out by experienced endoscopists. A complete preoperative evaluation to assess the difficulty of the procedure is necessary. Prospective studies with large sample size are needed to further validate our findings.
Clinical practice of Helicobacter pylori infection management by gastroenterologists in secondary and tertiary hospitals: A stratified sampling cross‐sectional survey
Authors: Zhang Wen Lin , Li Yue Yue , Liu Jing , Wang Juan , Wan Meng , Lin Bo Shen , Lin Min Juan , Ding Yu Ming , Kong Qing Zhou , Wang Shao Tong , Duan Miao , Han Zhong Xue , Ji Rui , Zuo Xiu Li , Li Yan Qing
Published: July 2022

Objective

To investigate the management of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection by gastroenterologists from secondary and tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province, China, where there is a high prevalence of H. pylori infection.

Methods

A questionnaire‐based, stratified sampling survey was conducted from June 1 to August 30, 2021. The ratio of secondary to tertiary hospitals was set at 2:1. An electronic questionnaire was sent to the gastroenterologists via the WeChat platform.

Results

A total of 89.09% (1053/1182) gastroenterologists were included. Overall, 34.19% and 60.59% of gastroenterologists recommended screening for and treating H. pylori infection in patients without any competing factors. The most preferred testing method in secondary and tertiary hospitals was the 13C‐urea breath test (53.92% and 80.48%), but the reexamination rate of results close to the cut‐off value was low (55.10% and 59.48%). Gastroenterologists preferred bismuth‐containing quadruple therapy (secondary and tertiary hospitals: 96.67% and 98.53%), but the antibiotic combination prescribed for patients with penicillin allergy was suboptimal in secondary hospitals. The overall post‐treatment follow‐up rate was 64.58%, and gastroenterologists in secondary hospitals were more proactive than those in tertiary hospitals (69.41% vs 60.04%, P = 0.001). Less than 80% of gastroenterologists emphasized the importance of post‐treatment reexamination to their patients. Only a minority of gastroenterologists in secondary and tertiary hospitals (30.79% and 34.36%) achieved acceptable eradication rates (exceeding 80%).

Conclusions

Deficiencies exist in gastroenterologists from secondary and tertiary hospitals, and the H. pylori eradication rate is relatively low. Training programs for gastroenterologists are warranted to strengthen their comprehension of guidelines.
No increased risk of alopecia in ankylosing spondylitis patients: A population‐based cohort study in Taiwan
Authors: Hsieh Jason Peijer , Lee Yung‐Heng , Wun Bo‐Jyun , Wang Yu‐Hsun , Tsou Hsi‐Kai , Wei James Cheng‐Chung
Published: July 2022

Aim

To investigate the association between ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and alopecia.

Methods

In this cohort study, data from over 1 000 000 patients in the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database were extracted. We selected newly diagnosed (outpatient department visit three or more times or admission at least once) patients with AS (ICD‐9‐CM = 720.0) from 2000 to 2012. For the non‐AS comparison group, patients never diagnosed with AS were chosen from 1999 to 2013. In all, 3640 AS patients and 14 560 non‐AS controls were selected. Cox proportional hazard model and Kaplan‐Meier analysis were used to present the results. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) in the Cox proportional hazard model was adjusted for age, sex, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, atopic dermatitis, and mental disorder.

Results

No increased risk of alopecia in AS patients was shown in the Cox proportional hazard model (crude HR 1.16, P = 0.595; adjusted HR 1.16, P = 0.599). Negative results are found as well in subgroup analysis of different age, sex (age 20‐40 y: HR 1.03, P = 0.925; Age ≥40 y: HR 1.49, P = 0.406; Female: HR 1.17, P = 0.759; Male: HR 1.15, P = 0.667), and phenotypes of alopecia (androgenetic alopecia: HR 1.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.58‐2.41; alopecia areata: HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.37‐2.62). A significant positive correlation is found between atopic dermatitis and alopecia (adjusted HR 8.05, P = 0.039).

Conclusion

In this population‐based cohort study, we found no association of risk of alopecia and AS.
Coordination of Monetary and Fiscal Policies for Growth with Price Stability in a Post‐COVID‐19 Indian Economy*
Authors: Arora Nitin , Monga Shubham , Sharma Dilpreet
Published: July 2022

During the post‐COVID period, demand augmenting policies were needed and have been exercised by the Government of India to prevent the Indian economy from falling into recession. However, these demand augmenting policies seem to be inflationary as in the recent past high inflation has been observed in India. Thus, optimum combination of monetary and fiscal policies is needed to simultaneously achieve the objectives of demand growth and price stability. This paper proposes combinations of the two policies based on the results of a sign‐restricted vector autoregressive (VAR) modelling framework. The experimentation was performed using sign restrictions on macroeconomic target variables viz. demand growth and inflation rate while leaving the policy variables free to suggest proposed stances to achieve desired objectives. On the basis of the empirical findings, the proposed stances of monetary and fiscal authorities were then compared with the actual stances and requisite correction in the policy behaviours has been suggested in terms of improvements to the magnitude and frequency of contraction and expansion.
Political Connections and the Trade‐Off Between Real and Accrual‐Based Earnings Management*
Authors: Ahmed Anwer S. , Duellman Scott , Grady Megan
Published: July 2022

We provide evidence on the effect of political connections on the trade‐off between real and accrual‐based earnings management in the United States. This evidence is important because prior literature documents mixed evidence on whether political connections reduce the threat of SEC enforcement. By studying earnings management with a large sample, our study provides more generalizable insights into the effects of political connections on enforcement. We argue that politically connected firms face a lower threat of enforcement, which reduces the costs of accrual‐based earnings management and alters the trade‐off between real and accrual‐based earnings management. Consistent with our predictions, using a single‐step estimation method as well as a difference‐in‐differences test based on an exogenous shock, we find that connected firms engage in more accrual management and less real earnings management. Our results are driven by firms that have relatively high costs of real earnings management. Furthermore, we find that political connections mitigate the relation between SEC comment letters and earnings management. Overall, the evidence is consistent with politically connected firms facing a lower threat of regulatory enforcement and using this flexibility to increase accrual‐based earnings management and reduce real earnings management that is potentially value destructive. Our study complements and strengthens inferences in prior work that documents evidence of lax SEC enforcement for politically connected firms using small samples. Our findings should be of interest to policy‐makers, regulators, and other professionals that are interested in understanding the effects of political connections.
Obesogenic diet in mice compromises maternal metabolic physiology and lactation ability leading to reductions in neonatal viability
Authors: Lean Samantha C. , Candia Alejandro A. , Gulacsi Edina , Lee Giselle C. L. , Sferruzzi‐Perri Amanda N.
Published: July 2022

Aims

Diets containing high‐fat and high sugar (HFHS) lead to overweight/obesity. Overweight/obesity increases the risk of infertility, and of the pregnant mother and her child for developing metabolic conditions. Overweight/obesity has been recreated in mice, but most studies focus on the effects of chronic, long‐term HFHS diet exposure. Here, we exposed mice to HFHS from 3 weeks prior to pregnancy with the aim of determining impacts on fertility, and gestational and neonatal outcomes.

Methods

Time‐domain NMR scanning was used to assess adiposity, glucose, and insulin tolerance tests were employed to examine metabolic physiology, and morphological and proteomic analyses conducted to assess structure and nutrient levels of maternal organs and placenta.

Results

Fertility measures of HFHS dams were largely the same as controls. HFHS dams had increased adiposity pre‐pregnancy, however, exhibited exacerbated lipolysis/hyper‐mobilization of adipose stores in late pregnancy. While there were no differences in glucose or insulin tolerance, HFHS dams were hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic in pregnancy. HFHS dams had fatty livers and altered pancreatic islet morphology. Although fetuses were hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic, there was no change in fetal growth in HFHS dams. There were also reductions in placenta formation. Moreover, there was increased offspring loss during lactation, which was related to aberrant mammary gland development and milk protein composition in HFHS dams.

Conclusions

These findings are relevant given current dietary habits and the development of maternal and offspring alterations in the absence of an increase in maternal weight and adiposity during pregnancy, which are the current clinical markers to determine risk across gestation.
Editorial: effectiveness and safety of vedolizumab in a matched cohort of elderly and non‐elderly patients with inflammatory bowel disease ‐ the IG‐IBD LIVE study
Authors: Lee Helen , Khan Nabeel
Published: July 2022

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Pugliese et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16923 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16957
Editorial: quality assessment in IBD in high resource countries can lead to quality improvement clues for IBD management worldwide—authors' reply
Authors: Hawthorne A. Barney , Lamb Christopher A.
Published: July 2022

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Hawthorne et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17042 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17072
Editorial: non‐viral hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance—an increasingly severe public health issue
Authors: Sun Li‐Yang , Li Zhen‐Li , Yang Tian
Published: July 2022

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Toyoda et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17088 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17139
Editorial: measuring disease severity in inflammatory bowel disease—the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Authors' reply
Authors: Swaminathan Akhilesh , Mules Thomas C. , Gearry Richard B.
Published: July 2022

LINKED CONTENT

This article is linked to Swaminathan et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17058 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17108
Review article: the epidemiologic burden of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease across the world
Authors: Henry Linda , Paik James , Younossi Zobair M.
Published: July 2022

Background

The prevalence of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing in parallel with obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Aim

To review the global epidemiology of NAFLD

Methods

We retrieved articles from PubMed using search terms of NAFLD, epidemiology, prevalence, incidence, and comorbidities.

Results

Over 250 articles were reviewed. In 2016, the global NAFLD prevalence was 25%; this increased to >30% in 2019. Prevalence in Asia, Latin America and Middle East‐North Africa (MENA) was 30.8%, 34.5% and 42.6%, respectively. Prevalence increased with age. Although prevalence was higher in men, prevalence in post‐menopausal women was similar. NAFLD prevalence was higher in certain subpopulations, especially among the obese and those with metabolic syndrome (MS). However, the prevalence of lean NAFLD was 11.2%. The global prevalence of non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is estimated between 2% and 6% in the general population. Approximately 7% of patients with NAFLD have advanced fibrosis; rates were between 21% and 50% among patients with NASH. Overall mortality related to NAFLD was 15–20 per 1000 person‐years, and increased substantially in patients with NASH, especially in those with components of MS. Recent data suggest mortality/morbidity from NAFLD is increasing globally but NAFLD awareness remains low among patients and healthcare providers.

Conclusions

NAFLD poses a global public health problem with a very high disease burden in Asia, MENA and Latin America. Research is needed to better quantify the full impact of NAFLD and to develop strategies to improve awareness and risk stratification.
A multi‐variable model for explaining long‐term commitment to volunteering among COVID‐19 volunteers
Authors: Kulik Liat
Published: July 2022

The aim of the study was to test variables that explain long‐term commitment to volunteering among volunteers in the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Israel. Long‐term commitment to volunteering was tested by the participants’ evaluation of the stability, consistency, and intensity of their volunteering over time. Two theoretical frameworks served for explaining commitment to volunteering: the social‐structural approach and the psychological characteristics approach. The sample was comprised of 504 Jewish participants: 173 men and 331 women. The data were collected via structured questionnaires distributed by nonprofit volunteer organizations. The most significant contribution to explaining long‐term commitment to volunteering, in all its forms, was for psychological characteristics reflected in emotions during the pandemic and in the motives for volunteering, the volunteer's gender, level of education, and tendency to volunteer during routine times. Volunteer organizations should focus on cultivating a large and motivated population of volunteers to maintain long‐term volunteering during emergencies and in routine times.