bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Threats of common method variance in student assessment of instruction instruments
Authors: Garger John , Jacques Paul H. , Gastle Brian W. , Connolly Christine M.
Published: May 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that common method variance, specifically single-source bias, threatens the validity of a university-created student assessment of instructor instrument, suggesting that decisions made from these assessments are inherently flawed or skewed. Single-source bias leads to generalizations about assessments that might influence the ability of raters to separate multiple behaviors of an instructor.

Design/methodology/approach

Exploratory factor analysis, nested confirmatory factor analysis and within-and-between analysis are used to assess a university-developed, proprietary student assessment of instructor instrument to determine whether a hypothesized factor structure is identifiable. The instrument was developed over a three-year period by a university-mandated committee.

Findings

Findings suggest that common method variance, specifically single-source bias, resulted in the inability to identify hypothesized constructs statistically. Additional information is needed to identify valid instruments and an effective collection method for assessment.

Practical implications

Institutions are not guaranteed valid or useful instruments even if they invest significant time and resources to produce one. Without accurate instrumentation, there is insufficient information to assess constructs for teaching excellence. More valid measurement criteria can result from using multiple methods, altering collection times and educating students to distinguish multiple traits and behaviors of individual instructors more accurately.

Originality/value

This paper documents the three-year development of a university-wide student assessment of instructor instrument and carries development through to examining the psychometric properties and appropriateness of using this instrument to evaluate instructors.
Shaping business through and within networks: evolving from a traditional to a digital firm
Authors: Freytag Per Vagn , Philipsen Kristian
Published: May 2019

Purpose

Although individual and business actors are often mentioned as an important part of clarifying the stages that firms and their networks go through from starting up to becoming established, most studies have emphasised activities and resources rather than actors. Therefore, more needs to be known about how actors shape and are shaped through and within firms’ networks.

Design/methodology/approach

To clarify the process of reshaping business in networks, the focus of this study is on the role of actors in firms’ networks during the main stages of development. The major events for each stage are described in terms of how these events affect the interaction, alignment and interfaces between individual actors and business actors with a focus on individual and collective interests.

Findings

The individual actor plays a key role in the start-up stage, whereas the business actor has a key role in the final stage when the firm has become an important player in the industry. In later stages, the individual actor plays a gradually decreasing role and the business actor an increasing role. However, it appears that an analysis of the interplay between the two levels of analysis provides deeper insight into the shaping.

Originality/value

This study provides new insights into the role of the actor and how the actor shapes and is shaped by a firm and its network in different stages. Further, the study contributes by clarifying actors’ roles on two levels of analysis and shows the roles of interests, conflicts, interfaces and alignment in shaping firms and their networks.
Exploring conspicuous compassion as a brand management strategy
Authors: Childs Michelle , Kim Seeun
Published: May 2019

Purpose

Cause-related marketing (CR-M) – promising to donate to a charity when consumers purchase specific products – is a popular brand strategy, particularly in the social media context. In light of Veblen’s theory of conspicuous consumption, the purpose of this experimental study is to test the impact of a brand’s level and the conspicuousness of a brand’s CR-M campaign on consumers’ brand-related responses. Results reveal a novel mechanism underlying the effects by showing that pride and guilt mediate results.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is based on two studies that used a 2 (brand level: high-end vs low-end) × 2 (conspicuous of CR-M campaign: conspicuous vs non-conspicuous) between-subjects experimental design with random assignment to conditions and manipulation checks.

Findings

Results reveal that consumers respond more favorably when high-end brands participate in CR-M, particularly when the CR-M promotion is conspicuous. That is, when a high-end brand partners with a charity, especially under conspicuous conditions, it significantly improves consumers’ brand attitudes and intent to share with others. Moreover, pride and guilt are important mediators in effects.

Practical implications

The results of this study offer strong implications for brand managers seeking to partner with charities in CR-M campaigns. Results suggest that implementing CR-M campaigns may be fruitful for brands, particularly high-end brands when they enhance the conspicuousness of their CR-M campaign.

Originality/value

Results empirically extend the notion of conspicuous consumption by demonstrating that social status can be achieved by displaying not only acquired goods but also benevolence.
Dermoscopy of cutaneous melanoma metastases: A color‐based pattern classification
Authors: Avilés‐Izquierdo Jose Antonio , Ciudad‐Blanco Cristina , Sánchez‐Herrero Alejandro , Mateos‐Mayo Ana , Nieto‐Benito Lula María , Rodríguez‐Lomba Enrique
Published: May 2019

Dermoscopic studies about cutaneous metastases of malignant melanoma (CMMM) are few. Our objective was to analyze the dermoscopic features of CMMM and propose a new dermoscopic pattern classification based on color pigmentation and some specific dermoscopic features. A retrospective evaluation of 150 dermoscopic images of CMMM taken from 40 patients was performed. One hundred CMMM images were individually evaluated by six dermatologists in order to classify them according to four dermoscopic patterns: (i) blue pattern; (ii) pink pattern; (iii) brown pattern; and (iv) mixed pattern. One hundred and fifty dermoscopic images including 50 CMMM and 100 benign lesions were evaluated by five dermatologists to calculate the accuracy of these patterns in the recognition of CMMM. An intra‐ and interobserver reproducibility agreement study between all different dermoscopic pattern classifications was performed. Seventy‐five percent of our cases of CMMM showed a monochromatic pattern. Light brown pigmented halo, peripheral gray spots and polymorphic atypical vessels were the most significant focal dermoscopic structures. The reproducibility of the color‐based dermoscopic pattern classification was superior to previous dermoscopic pattern classification. In summary, a dermoscopic pattern classification based on color pigmentation and some specific dermoscopic features may be useful in recognizing early cutaneous melanoma metastasis. Multicentric studies are recommended in order to lower the impact of interobserver variability.
Host traits and competitive ability jointly structure disease dynamics and community assembly
Authors: Kirk Devin , Shea Dylan , Start Denon
Published: May 2019

Parasitism and competition are both ubiquitous interactions in ecological communities. The ability of host species to interact directly via competition and indirectly through shared parasites suggests that host traits related to competition and parasitism are likely important in structuring communities and disease dynamics. Specifically, those host traits affecting competition and those mediating parasitism are often correlated either because of trade‐offs (in resource acquisition or resource allocation) or condition dependence, yet the consequences of these trait relationships for community and epidemiological dynamics are poorly understood.

We conducted a literature review of parasite‐related host traits–competitive ability relationships. We found that transmission–competitive ability relationships were most often reported, and that superior competitors exhibited elevated transmission relative to their less‐competitive counterparts in nearly 80% of the cases. We also found a significant number of virulence–competitive ability and parasite shedding–competitive ability relationships.

We investigated these links by altering the relationship between host competitive ability and three parasite‐related traits (transmission, virulence and parasite shedding rates) in a simple model, incorporating competitive asymmetries in a multi‐host community.

We show that these relationships can lead to a range of different communities. For example, depending on the strength and direction of these distinct trait relationships, we observed communities with anywhere from high parasite prevalence to complete parasite extinction, and either one, two or the maximum of three host species coexisting.

Our results suggest that parasite–competitive ability relationships may be common in nature, that further integration of these relationships can produce novel and unexpected community and disease dynamics, and that generalizations may allow for the prediction of how parasitism and competition jointly structure disease and diversity in natural communities.
General rules for environmental management to prioritise social ecological systems research based on a value of information approach
Authors: Davis Katrina J. , Chadès Iadine , Rhodes Jonathan R. , Bode Michael
Published: May 2019

Globally, billions of dollars are invested each year to help understand the dynamics of social ecological systems (SES) in bettering both social and environmental outcomes. However, there is no scientific consensus on which aspect of an SES is most important and urgent to understand; particularly given the realities of limited time and money.

Here we use a simulation‐based “value of information” approach to examine where research will deliver the most important information for environmental management in four SESs representing a range of real‐life environmental issues.

We find that neither social nor ecological information is consistently the most important: instead, researchers should focus on understanding the primary effects of their management actions.

Thus, when managers are undertaking social actions the highest research priority should be understanding the dynamics of social groups. Alternatively, when manipulating ecological systems it will be most important to quantify ecological population dynamics.

Synthesis and applications. Our results provide a standard assessment to determine the uncertain social ecological systems (SES) component with the highest expected impact for management outcomes. First, managers should determine the structure of their SES by identifying social and ecological nodes. Second, managers should identify the qualitative nature of the network, by determining which nodes are linked, but not the strength of those interactions. Finally, managers should identify the actions available to them to intervene in the SES. From these steps, managers will be able to identify the SES components that are closest to the management action(s), and it is these nodes and interactions that should receive priority research attention to achieve effective environmental decision making.
A synthesis of ecosystem aboveground productivity and its process variables under simulated drought stress
Authors: Gao Jiangbo , Zhang Linlin , Tang Ze , Wu Shaohong
Published: May 2019

Projected increases in drought duration and intensity under climate change considerably affect aboveground productivity (ANPP) and associated process variables (photosynthesis rates (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), soil respiration (Rs) and soil water content (SWC)).

Although ANPP has been extensively studied across the ecosystems, there is a little consensus on how the spatiotemporal patterns of ANPP will be altered with increasing drought stress. Here, we present a global meta‐analysis of ANPP and the four variables (610 observations from 78 studies) for drought duration, intensity and their combination.

Forest‐ANPP had stronger negative responses to long‐term drought (34.44%; ≥4 years) than short‐term drought (10.78%; ≤1 year) and decreased more in Mediterranean forests than in tropical forests. Decreases in Pn and gs were strongest under long‐term moderate drought. In the short term, Rs increased by 5.66% under light drought, but decreased by 14.12% and 28.43% under moderate and severe droughts. Grass‐ANPP showed a nonlinear decrease with extended duration and the rate slowed. Within light to severe intensities, ANPP decreased linearly, but became stable under extreme condition. In the short term, ANPP reduced more seriously with increasing drought intensity (12.01%‐30.34%). With aggravation of drought stress, the reductions in Rs and SWC increased. There was significant heterogeneity in grassland responses to drought stress. The greatest decreases in ANPP, Pn and gs were observed in North America, and the reductions in Rs and SWC were greater in Western Europe. Shrub‐ANPP showed stronger negative responses to long‐term moderate drought (12.59%). Pn and gs declined significantly with increasing drought intensity. Variations in Rs to drought duration, intensity and their combination were more complex, either showing positive or negative responses (dominated).

Synthesis. Forest‐ANPP shows high sensitivity to long‐term moderate drought, whereas grass‐ANPP is more responsive to short‐term drought. Compared to forests and grasslands, shrub‐ANPP exhibits less sensitivity to droughts. Different responses of ecosystems were predominantly driven by physiological mechanisms or species differences in turnover time, community architecture and drought adaptation strategies. Given these findings, future studies should focus on nonlinear patterns, response thresholds and adaptation mechanisms when predicting and modeling feedback between ecosystems and climate change.
Predictive clinical‐genetic model of long‐term non‐response to tumor necrosis factor‐alpha inhibitor therapy in spondyloarthritis
Authors: Polo y La Borda Jessica , Campos José , Sanz Jesús , Andréu José Luis , Mulero Juan , Sánchez Alejandra
Published: May 2019

Aim

Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) are effective in controlling disease activity in spondyloarthritis (SpA). However, in a proportion of patients these treatments are ineffective or lead to adverse events. Recently, alternative therapies, such as interleukin (IL)‐17 or IL‐23 inhibitors, have emerged in the treatment of these pathologies. This study aimed to determine clinical and genetic predictors of non‐response to TNFi treatment in 118 spondyloarthritis patients diagnosed according to Assessment in SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) criteria.

Method

From the literature, 41 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected that had previously been associated with TNFi treatment response in spondyloarthropathies, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. A clinical non‐response was defined as a decrease of <50% of initial Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) in axial involvement, or a reduction of less than 1.2 of initial Disease Activity Score of 28 joints—C‐reactive protein (DAS28‐CRP) in patients with only peripheral involvement. Univariate and multivariate hazard ratios (HR) were determined using Cox proportional hazard models to analyze the potential prognostic factors affecting non‐response to TNFi treatment.

Results

The clinical factors that significantly increased the non‐response rate were: global visual analog scale (VAS), CRP, BASDAI, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), and the number of TNFi used. Only rs11591741 SNP showed an association with non‐response. In the multivariate analysis, females had a non‐response rate 4.46 times higher than males; each one‐point increase in the BASFI index increased the non‐response rate by 75%, and being a genotype GG vs GC or CC carrier was associated with an almost 4 times greater non‐response rate.

Conclusion

We developed a clinical‐genetic model to identify SpA patients with a long‐term non‐response to TNFi therapy.
Whither the pin factory? Modern food supply chains and specialization in India
Authors: Sutradhar Rajib , Nuthalapati Chandra Sekhara Rao , Bellemare Marc F.
Published: May 2019

What is the relationship between smallholder participation in modern food supply chains and their degree of economic specialization? We investigate this research question by looking at whether there is a systematic relationship between whether a household grows crops for a supermarket chain—participation in the supermarket channel—and how concentrated among fewer crops are that household's total landholdings and its output. Using longitudinal data from India, we find that there is no relationship between whether a household participates in the supermarket channel and that household's Herfindahl–Hirschman index for land, but there is a robust statistically significant and negative relationship between whether a household participates in the supermarket channel and that household's Herfindahl–Hirschman index for output. These findings hold true at both the extensive margin (i.e., when considering whether a household participates in the supermarket channel) and the intensive margin (i.e., when considering how much of a household's marketed output is sold through the supermarket chain). This suggests that instead of fostering a greater degree of specialization, participation in modern food supply chains might lead to greater diversification.
Survey on use of antenatal magnesium sulphate for fetal neuroprotection prior to preterm birth in Australia and New Zealand – Ongoing barriers and enablers
Authors: Gatman Kate , May Robyn , Crowther Caroline
Published: May 2019

Background

Clinical practice guidelines recommend the use of antenatal magnesium sulphate for fetal neuroprotection before preterm birth at <30 weeks’ gestation.

Aims

This survey assessed the use of antenatal magnesium sulphate for fetal neuroprotection to determine if use has changed since the previous survey in 2012, and to evaluate enablers and barriers to use.

Materials and Methods

A questionnaire was sent to clinical leaders at 29 hospitals with a neonatal intensive care unit in Australia and New Zealand asking at what gestational ages magnesium sulphate was given, if use was audited and any enablers and barriers  to use.

Results

Responses were received for 24 (83%) hospitals. The use of magnesium sulphate for fetal neuroprotection was reported as 89% (IQR 80–90%), an increase from 80% (IQR 53–90%) from the earlier survey. The majority of health professionals were reported as using magnesium sulphate at <30 weeks’ gestation. The top enablers for use of magnesium sulphate were availability of pamphlets, posters, case record stickers and PowerPoint presentations. The main reasons as to why eligible women did not receive magnesium sulphate were imminent birth, the hospital being short staffed and the patient declined. The use of antenatal magnesium sulphate has been or is being audited in 11 (46%) of the hospitals.

Conclusions

Clinical leaders at institutions in Australia and New Zealand report that uptake in the use of magnesium sulphate for fetal neuroprotection has continued to increase since the earlier, bi‐national survey in 2012. Barriers to the use of magnesium sulphate identified have institutional and consumer implications.
Germline genome protection: implications for gamete quality and germ cell tumorigenesis
Authors: Bloom J. C. , Loehr A. R. , Schimenti J. C. , Weiss R. S.
Published: May 2019

Background

Germ cells have a unique and critical role as the conduit for hereditary information and therefore employ multiple strategies to protect genomic integrity and avoid mutations. Unlike somatic cells, which often respond to DNA damage by arresting the cell cycle and conducting DNA repair, germ cells as well as long‐lived pluripotent stem cells typically avoid the use of error‐prone repair mechanisms and favor apoptosis, reducing the risk of genetic alterations. Testicular germ cell tumors, the most common cancers of young men, arise from pre‐natal germ cells.

Objectives

To summarize the current understanding of DNA damage response mechanisms in pre‐meiotic germ cells and to discuss how they impact both the origins of testicular germ cell tumors and their remarkable responsiveness to genotoxic chemotherapy.

Materials and methods

We conducted a review of literature gathered from PubMed regarding the DNA damage response properties of testicular germ cell tumors and the germ cells from which they arise, as well as the influence of these mechanisms on therapeutic responses by testicular germ cell tumors.

Results and discussion

This review provides a comprehensive evaluation of how the developmental origins of male germ cells and their inherent germ cell‐like DNA damage response directly impact the development and therapeutic sensitivity of testicular germ cell tumors.

Conclusions

The DNA damage response of germ cells directly impacts the development and therapeutic sensitivity of testicular germ cell tumors. Recent advances in the study of primordial germ cells, post‐natal mitotically dividing germ cells, and pluripotent stem cells will allow for new investigations into the initiation, progression, and treatment of testicular germ cell tumors.
Systematic review with meta‐analysis: efficacy and safety of oral Janus kinase inhibitors for inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Ma Christopher , Lee Jeffrey K. , Mitra Anish R. , Teriaky Anouar , Choudhary Daksh , Nguyen Tran M. , Vande Casteele Niels , Khanna Reena , Panaccione Remo , Feagan Brian G. , Jairath Vipul
Published: May 2019

Background

Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors represent a novel therapeutic class for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

Aims

To determine the efficacy and safety of JAK inhibitors compared to placebo for the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).

Methods

PubMed, Embase and CENTRAL were systematically searched to November 1, 2018. Randomised placebo‐controlled trials (RCTs) of JAK inhibitors in adult patients with CD or UC were eligible. Open‐label extension studies without a placebo comparator arm were excluded. Clinical, endoscopic, and safety outcomes were extracted and rates relative to placebo were pooled using a random‐effects model.

Results

A total of 12 RCTs (5 CD, 7 UC) were included. Patients were randomised to placebo (n = 844), tofacitinib (n = 1882), filgotinib (n = 130), peficitinib (n = 176), upadacitinib (n = 387) or TD‐1473 (n = 31). JAK inhibitor treatment was associated with induction of clinical remission in CD (RR, relative risk 1.38 [95% confidence interval CI 1.04‐1.83], P = 0.025, I2 = 14%) and UC (RR 3.07 [95% CI 2.03‐4.63], P < 0.001, I2 = 0%). In UC, JAK inhibitor treatment was associated with induction of endoscopic remission (endoscopic Mayo subscore MCSe = 0/1) (RR 2.43 [95% CI 1.64‐3.59], P < 0.001, I2 = 27%) and mucosal healing (MCSe = 0) (RR 5.50 [95% CI 2.46‐12.32], P < 0.001, I2 = 0%). JAK inhibitor treatment increased the risk of infection compared to placebo (RR 1.40 [95% CI 1.18‐1.67], P < 0.001, I2 = 0%), particularly for herpes zoster.

Conclusions

JAK inhibitors are effective for inducing clinical remission in CD and induction of clinical and endoscopic remission in UC, although are associated with an increased risk of infectious complications.
Evolutionary stakeholder theory and public utility regulation
Authors: Kline William , McDermott Karl
Published: May 2019

Public utility regulation is one example of how stakeholder theory has actually evolved in practice. Through trial and error, court cases, statutory law and economic realities, stakeholder theory has its origins almost a century before R Edward Freeman published his seminal workStrategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach. This wealth of historical data is largely overlooked by the stakeholder literature. We will show in this article how the specific history of public utility regulation provides at least one answer to how stakeholder theory can be formulated, used, and applied. Thisprocessof determining and protecting stakeholder interests is significantly different from rationalist trends in stakeholder theory.1Rather than first trying to determine the requirements of stakeholder theory in conjunction with an ideal ethical theory, the account given here is of anevolutionary stakeholder theorywhere rules arise out of the ongoing search for cooperative solutions among all stakeholders.
Tumor‐associated macrophages promote bladder tumor growth through PI3K/AKT signal induced by collagen
Authors: Qiu Shi , Deng Linghui , Liao Xinyang , Nie Ling , Qi Fang , Jin Kun , Tu Xiang , Zheng Xiaonan , Li Jiakun , Liu Liangren , Liu Zhenhua , Bao Yige , Ai Jianzhong , Lin Tianhai , Yang Lu , Wei Qiang
Published: May 2019

The tumor microenvironment is associated with various tumor progressions, including cancer metastasis, immunosuppression, and tumor sustained growth. Tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) are considered an indispensable component of the tumor microenvironment, participating in the progression of tumor microenvironment remodeling and creating various compounds to regulate tumor activities. This study aims to observe enriched TAMs in tumor tissues during bladder cancer development, which markedly facilitated the proliferation of bladder cancer cells and promoted tumor growth in vivo. We determined that TAMs regulate tumor sustained growth by secreting type I collagen, which can activate the prosurvival integrin α2β1/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Furthermore, traditional chemotherapeutic drugs combined with integrin α2β1 inhibitor showed intensive anticancer effects, revealing an innovative approach in clinical bladder cancer treatment.
Allele frequency of pathogenic variants related to adult‐onset Mendelian diseases
Authors: Li Xiang , Jin Yan , Yin Yuxin
Published: May 2019

An increasing number of variants related to Mendelian diseases have been discovered through analyses of next‐generation sequencing data, but the results related to adult‐onset Mendelian diseases are insufficient. One possible explanation is that the methods commonly used to evaluate pathogenic variants in patients with congenital Mendelian diseases may not be appropriate for adult‐onset diseases due to differences in selection pressure, particularly when assessing the frequency of variants in the general population. We established a well‐processed and filtered database of pathogenic variants with both phenotype and frequency information based on the ClinVar and GnomAD public database to better explore the genetic features of adult‐onset diseases under real‐world conditions. Compared with the control group, pathogenic variants related to adult‐onset dominant diseases had a higher allele frequency pattern. Further, the allele frequency patterns of both dominant and recessive variants were higher in patients with neurodegenerative diseases than those in patients with intellectual disabilities. Based on the mutation‐selection balance model, the above observation of allele frequency described the lower selection pressure on pathogenic variants related to adult‐onset Mendelian diseases and suggests a lower effectiveness of population and loss‐of‐function evidence in investigations of adult‐onset Mendelian diseases.
Efficient solution to the millionaires' problem based on asymmetric commutative encryption scheme
Authors: Liu Meng , Luo Yun , Nanda Priyadarsi , Yu Shui , Zhang Jianbing
Published: May 2019

Secure multiparty computation is an important scheme in cryptography and can be applied in various real‐life problems. The first secure multiparty computation problem is the millionaires' problem, and its protocol is an important building block. Because of the less efficiency of public key encryption scheme, most existing solutions based on public key cryptography to this problem are inefficient. Thus, a solution based on the symmetric encryption scheme has been proposed. In this paper, we formally analyse the vulnerability of this solution, and propose a new scheme based on the decisional Diffie‐Hellman assumption. Our solution also uses 0‐encoding and 1‐encoding generated by our modified encoding method to reduce the computation cost. We implement the solution based on symmetric encryption scheme and our protocol. Extensive experiments are conducted to evaluate the efficiency of our solution, and the experimental results show that our solution can be much more efficient and be approximately 8000 times faster than the solution based on symmetric encryption scheme for a 32‐bit input and short‐term security. Moreover, our solution is also more efficient than the state‐of‐the‐art solution without precomputation and can also compare well with the state‐of‐the‐art protocol while the bit length of private inputs is large enough.
Efficacy of scissor‐type knives for endoscopic mucosal dissection of superficial gastrointestinal neoplasms
Authors: Yoshida Naohisa , Dohi Osamu , Inoue Ken , Yasuda Ritsu , Ishida Tsugitaka , Hirose Ryohei , Naito Yuji , Ogiso Kiyoshi , Murakami Takaaki , Morinaga Yukiko , Kishimoto Mitsuo , Inada Yutaka , Itoh Yoshito , Gotoda Takuji
Published: May 2019

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for superficial gastrointestinal neoplasms has become widespread. However, certain aspects of the procedure remain difficult to manage, such as intraoperative bleeding and perforation. There are two kinds of scissor‐type knife: the Clutch Cutter (Fujifilm Co., Tokyo, Japan) and the SB knife (Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Tokyo, Japan). These knives have different features from other types of ESD knives and enable the performance of all ESD procedures, including mucosal incision, submucosal dissection, and hemostasis. The standard approach with scissor‐type knives involves first grabbing the tissue and then incising or dissecting it. Theoretically, perforation as a result of unintentional movement should never happen with scissor‐type knives compared to needle‐ or blade‐type knives, which may induce perforation through unintentional movement. Moreover, the rates of severe bleeding and self‐completion of ESD with scissor‐type knives by non‐experts were reported to be significantly better than for other knives. Thus, scissor‐type knives can resolve these problems and help to further standardize ESD globally. In this review, we summarize reports on the efficacy of such scissor‐type knives for ESD of gastrointestinal tumors. We also present the pocket‐creation method and the application of traction devices, such as dental floss and S‐O clips (Zeon Medical Co., Tokyo, Japan) for improving the performance of ESD with a Clutch Cutter.
Pulse wave velocity to the global longitudinal strain ratio in survivors of myocardial infarction
Authors: Wykretowicz Andrzej , Schneider Agata , Krauze Tomasz , Szczepanik Adam , Banaszak Agnieszka , Minczykowski Andrzej , Piskorski Jaroslaw , Guzik Przemyslaw
Published: May 2019

Background

New index of pulse wave velocity to global longitudinal peak systolic strain (PWV/GLPSS) was reported to be associated with cardiovascular damage. We evaluated the prognostic role of this metric in survivors of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Material and methods

We investigated in 569 patients with AMI, whether PWV/GLPSS was associated with a composite endpoint of death, stroke or new myocardial infarction, in long‐term follow‐up. Left ventricular longitudinal strain was evaluated by speckle tracking, and carotid arterial stiffness (local PWV) was determined using radiofrequency data technology.

Results

During follow‐up (median 1316 days), 114 subjects reached composite endpoint. These subjects were significantly older (P < 0.0001) and were characterized by lower ejection fraction (P < 0.0001), lower GLPSS (P < 0.0001), higher PWV (P = 0.007) and lower PWV/GLPSS index (P < 0.0001). Patients with PWV/GLPSS <−0.74 were at a significantly higher risk for the composite endpoint during the follow‐up (hazard rate: 1.7; 95% confidence interval: 1.2‐2.6; P < 0.001). The PWV/GLPSS was additive to the predictive value of EF < 35%—patients with PWV/GLPSS <−0.74 and EF < 35% had the highest risk for the endpoint events.

Conclusions

The current study shows that PWV/GLPSS index has significant, independent and additive value in predicting CV complications, in subjects with myocardial infarction.
Fertility and marital status in adults with childhood onset epilepsy: A population‐based cohort study
Authors: Starck Christian , Nevalainen Olli , Auvinen Anssi , Eriksson Kai
Published: May 2019

Objective

Our objective was to explore the association of childhood onset epilepsy (COE) and clinical factors on marital status and fertility in adulthood.

Methods

We identified a population‐based cohort of 307 individuals with COE treated in the Tampere University Hospital district with an inception date of December 31, 1992. A matched reference cohort of 1244 individuals without COE was established as a random sample of the population in the study area through the Population Register Center (PRC). The PRC also provided data on marriages and offspring up to 2018. Fertility and marriage analysis was done by calculating the time until first child and marriage. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated with Cox regression for follow‐up spanning up to January 2018.

Results

Patients with COE had lower fertility rates (32.2% vs 57.3% any offspring, HR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.38‐0.58) and fewer marriages (28.3% vs 49.7% ever married, HR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.39‐0.61) than the referents without COE during 25‐year follow‐up. The largest impact was in patients with COE who had any disability (10.1% any offspring, HR = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.10‐0.41; 6.5% ever married, HR = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.06‐0.21), symptomatic etiology of epilepsy (13.1%, HR = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.11‐0.31; 12.1%, HR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.12‐0.36), onset of epilepsy before 2 years of age (HR = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.12‐0.31; HR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.18‐0.46), and high seizure frequency after start of treatment (HR = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.06‐0.28; HR = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.10‐0.41). Patients with COE without any disabilities had only slightly lowered fertility (HR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.61‐0.95) and a nonsignificant reduction in marriages (HR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.64‐1.02).

Significance

COE was associated with a lower chance of finding a partner at adulthood and having fewer children. The extent of such effect varied between patient subgroups.
Healthy African American Families in the 21st Century: Navigating Opportunities and Transcending Adversities
Authors: Murry Velma McBride
Published: May 2019

Objective

To identify pathways through which African American families successfully negotiate and navigate stressful life events to facilitate positive family functioning, relationships, and healthy developmental outcomes in their children.

Background

Despite the advancement of African Americans since passing of the 1965 Civil Rights Act, racism remains a major stressor that affects everyday life experiences of 21st‐century African American families. Little is known about the cascading effects of race‐related exposure on processes in African American families, nor about what promotes healthy functioning among African American families.

Method

Three waves of data on 867 families participating in the Family and Community Health Study were analyzed to identify pathways that forecast family functioning and developmental outcomes of youth as they transitioned from middle childhood to late adolescence.

Results

Stressful life events heightened maternal depression and anxiety, which were associated with a more cynical and hostile worldview and poorer quality of family relations. Parenting practices and family relationship quality were linked with children's self‐pride, which was closely associated with more optimistic worldview. Self‐pride was also associated with future aspirations among youth, and future‐oriented youth tended to engage in fewer self‐harm behaviors as they transitioned from middle childhood to early adolescence.

Conclusion

Reframing one's life situation, despite exposure to racial discrimination, serves a protective function for African American families. Exerting a sense of agency, internal will, capacity, and strength are effective strategies to transcend adversities.

Implications

That positive worldview can render more manageable family outcomes for African Americans, regardless of socioeconomic status, is worth considering in research, clinical practice, and preventive interventions.
Facies selectivity of benthic invertebrates in a Permian/Triassic boundary microbialite succession: Implications for the “microbialite refuge” hypothesis
Authors: Foster William J. , Lehrmann Daniel J. , Yu Meiyi , Martindale Rowan C.
Published: May 2019

Thrombolite and stromatolite habitats are becoming increasingly recognized as important refuges for invertebrates during Phanerozoic Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs); it is posited that oxygenic photosynthesis by cyanobacteria in these microbialites provided a refuge from anoxic conditions (i.e., the “microbialite refuge” hypothesis). Here, we test this hypothesis by investigating the distribution of ~34, 500 benthic invertebrate fossils found in ~100 samples from a microbialite succession that developed following the latest Permian mass extinction event on the Great Bank of Guizhou (South China), representing microbial (stromatolites and thrombolites) and non‐microbial facies. The stromatolites were the least taxonomically diverse facies, and the thrombolites also recorded significantly lower diversities when compared to the non‐microbial facies. Based on the distribution and ornamentation of the bioclasts within the thrombolites and stromatolites, the bioclasts are inferred to have been transported and concentrated in the non‐microbial fabrics, that is, cavities around the microbial framework. Therefore, many of the identified metazoans from the post‐extinction microbialites are not observed to have been living within a microbial mat. Furthermore, the lifestyle of many of the taxa identified from the microbialites was not suited for, or even amenable to, life within a benthic microbial mat. The high diversity of oxygen‐dependent metazoans in the non‐microbial facies on the Great Bank of Guizhou, and inferences from geochemical records, suggests that the microbialites and benthic communities developed in oxygenated environments, which disproves that the microbes were the source of the oxygenation. Instead, we posit that microbialite successions represent a taphonomic window for exceptional preservation of the biota, similar to a Konzentrat‐Lagerstätte, which has allowed for diverse fossil assemblages to be preserved during intervals of poor preservation.
Field Trials of Chaotic Advection to Enhance Reagent Delivery
Authors: Cho Michelle S. , Solano Felipe , Thomson Neil R. , Trefry Michael G. , Lester Daniel R. , Metcalfe Guy
Published: May 2019

Chaotic advection is a novel approach that has the potential to enhance contact between an injected reagent and target contaminants, and thereby improve the effectiveness of in situ treatment technologies. One configuration that is capable of generating chaotic advection is termed the rotated potential mixing (RPM) flow. A conventional RPM flow system involves periodically reoriented dipole flow driven by transient switching of pressures at a series of radial wells. To determine whether chaotic advection can be engineered using such an RPM flow system, and to assess the consequent impact on the spatial distribution of a conservative tracer, a series of field‐scale experiments were conducted. These experiments involved the injection of a tracer in the center of a circular array of wells followed by either mixing using an engineered RPM flow system to invoke chaotic advection, or by natural processes (advection and diffusion) as the control. Pressure fluctuations from the mixing tests using the RPM flow system showed consistent peak amplitudes during injection and extraction at a frequency corresponding to the switching time, suggesting that the target hydraulic behavior was achieved with the time‐dependent flow field. The tracer breakthrough responses showed oscillatory behavior at all monitoring locations during the mixing tests which indicated that the desired RPM flow was generated. The presence of chaotic advection was supported by comparisons to observations from a previous laboratory experiment using RPM flow, and the Fourier spectrum of the temporal tracer data. Results from several quantitative metrics adopted to demonstrate field‐scale evidence of chaotic advection showed that mixing led to improved lateral tracer spreading and approximately uniform concentrations across the monitoring network. The multiple lines of evidence assembled in this proof‐of‐concept study conclusively demonstrated that chaotic advection can be engineered at the field scale. This investigation is a critical step in the development of chaotic advection as a viable and efficient approach to enhance reagent delivery.
Effectiveness of a hepatitis B vaccination program at two tertiary hemodialysis centers
Authors: Kufta Lindsay , Shalansky Karen F. , Jastrzebski Jacek , Lau Wynnie
Published: May 2019

Introduction: Hemodialysis (HD) patients are at increased risk of hepatitis B infection in comparison to the general population. Despite a more intensified hepatitis vaccination regimen, response rates in HD patients are typically low. The study was conducted to quantify response rate to a new hepatitis B vaccination protocol initiated in late 2015, determine risk factors affecting response rate, and assess adherence to protocol.

Methods: This retrospective chart review evaluated all HD patients eligible for hepatitis B vaccination in two large dialysis clinics from initiation of the hepatitis B protocol to July 2017. Recombinant hepatitis vaccine (Recombivax® HB) 40 μg was administered in a 3‐dose regimen at months 0, 1, and 6 to patients with hepatitis B surface antibodies (anti‐HBs) <10 mIU/mL. A repeat series was given if anti‐HBs levels remained below 10 mIU/mL after the first series. A booster dose was given if anti‐HBs titers fell below 10 mIU/mL after initial response to a second series vaccination.

Findings: Of 411 patients at the two HD centers, 142 patients received hepatitis B vaccination with a total of 168 vaccine courses given, series 1: n = 86, series 2: n = 60 and booster: n = 22. Response rates to vaccination were 61.4%, 58.3%, and 81.8%, respectively. In univariate analysis, adherence to protocol significantly affected response rate (P = 0.035). A multivariate analysis assessing response rates to series 1, 2 or booster confirmed that adherence was a significant risk factor (OR = 2.2; 95% CI 1.4–3.4; P = 0.0005).

Discussion: This was the first study to examine adherence to regimen and identified adherence as an important predictor of vaccine response. Adherence is one of the few modifiable risk factors that can be optimized in an effort to improve response to hepatitis B vaccination.
Development and characterization of novel anti‐C5 monoclonal antibodies capable of inhibiting complement in multiple species
Authors: Zelek Wioleta M. , Taylor Philip R. , Morgan B. Paul
Published: May 2019

Over the last decade there has been an explosion in complement therapies; one‐third of the drugs in the clinic or in development target C5 protein. Eculizumab, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that binds C5 and blocks its cleavage by the convertase, is the current reference standard treatment for atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS) and paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) and in clinical trials for many other diseases. Here we describe a panel of novel anti‐C5 mAb, including mAb that, like Eculizumab, are efficient inhibitors of complement but, unlike Eculizumab, inhibit across species, including human, rat, rabbit and guinea pig. Several inhibitory anti‐C5 mAb were identified and characterized for C5 binding and lytic inhibitory capacity in comparison to current therapeutic anti‐C5 mAb; three clones, 4G2, 7D4 and 10B6, were selected and further characterized for ligand specificity and affinity and cross‐species inhibitory activity. The mAb 10B6 was human‐specific whereas mAb 4G2 and 7D4 efficiently inhibited lysis by human, rabbit and rat serum, and weakly inhibited guinea pig complement; 7D4 also weakly inhibited mouse complement in vitro The rat C5‐cross‐reactive mAb 4G2, when administered intraperitoneally in a rat model of myasthenia gravis, effectively blocked the disease and protected muscle endplates from destruction. To our knowledge this is the first report of an anti‐C5 function blocking mAb that permits preclinical studies in rats.
Employee treatment and firm innovation
Authors: Mao Connie X. , Weathers Jamie
Published: May 2019

We identify firm innovation as a channel through which the treatment of employees affects firm value. Long‐term incentive theory supports positive effects of ‘good’ employee treatment on innovation. Alternatively, entrenchment theory suggests such treatment will lead to complacency and shirking, hence deterring innovation. These opposing views merit investigation since human capital is increasingly essential to the growth and success of a firm. Using the KLD database and patent/citation data, we find a significant positive relationship between favorable employee treatment and the innovation quantity and quality of a firm. Furthermore, we find that the positive treatment of employees improves innovation focus – more innovation related to firms’ core business, leading to greater firm value via the increased economic value of patents. These findings, robust to endogeneity concerns, provide support for the long‐term incentive hypothesis, suggesting that well‐treated employees increase firm innovation. Thus, firm innovation represents a channel through which positive employee treatment enhances firm value.
Long non‐coding RNA SNHG6 promotes cell proliferation and migration through sponging miR‐4465 in ovarian clear cell carcinoma
Authors: Wu Yong , Deng Yu , Guo Qinhao , Zhu Jun , Cao Lijie , Guo Xueqi , Xu Fei , Weng Weiwei , Ju Xingzhu , Wu Xiaohua
Published: May 2019

Dysregulation of small nucleolar RNA host gene 6 (SNHG6) exerts critical oncogenic effects and facilitates tumourigenesis in human cancers. However, little information about the expression pattern of SNHG6 in ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) is available, and the contributions of this long non‐coding RNA to the tumourigenesis and progression of OCCC are unclear. In the present study, we showed via quantitative real‐time PCR that SNHG6 expression was abnormally up‐regulated in OCCC tissues relative to that in unpaired normal ovarian tissues. High SNHG6 expression was correlated with vascular invasion, distant metastasis and poor survival. Further functional experiments demonstrated that knockdown of SNHG6 in OCCC cells inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro as well as tumour growth in vivo. Moreover, SNHG6 functioned as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA), effectively acting as a sponge for miR‐4465 and thereby modulating the expression of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2). Taken together, our data suggest that SNHG6 is a novel molecule involved in OCCC progression and that targeting the ceRNA network involving SNHG6 may be a treatment strategy in OCCC.