bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the stemflow dynamics and driving factors at both inter‐ and intra‐event scales in a typical subtropical deciduous forest
Authors: Zhang Haixia , Fu Congsheng , Liao Aimin , Zhang Can , Liu Jiufu , Wang Niu , He Bin
Published: February 2021

Numerous efforts have been made to understand stemflow dynamics under different types of vegetation at the inter‐event scale, but few studies have explored the stemflow characteristics and corresponding influencing factors at the intra‐event scale. An in‐depth investigation of the inter‐ and intra‐event dynamics of stemflow is important for understanding the ecohydrological processes in forest ecosystems. In this study, stemflow volume (FV), stemflow funnelling ratio (FR), and stemflow ratio (F%) from Quercus acutissima and Broussonetia papyrifera trees were measured at both inter‐ and intra‐event scales in a subtropical deciduous forest, and the driving factors, including tree species and meteorological factors were further explored. Specifically, the FV, FR and F% of Q. acutissima (52.3 L, 47.2, 9.6%) were lower than those of B. papyrifera (85.1 L, 91.2, 12.4%). The effect of tree species on FV and F% was more obvious under low intensity rainfall types. At the inter‐event scale, FV had a strong positive linear correlation with rainfall amount (GP) and event duration (DE) for both tree species, whereas FR and F% had a positive logarithmic correlation with GP and DE only under high‐intensity, short‐duration rainfall type. FR and F% were mainly affected by wind speed and the maximum 30‐min rainfall intensity under low‐intensity, long‐duration rainfall type. At the intra‐event scale, for both tree species, the mean lag time between the start of rainfall and stemflow was the shortest under high‐intensity, short‐duration rainfall type, while the mean duration and amount of stemflow after rain cessation were the greatest under high‐amount, long‐duration rainfall type. The relationship between stemflow intensity and rainfall intensity at the 5‐min interval scale also depended greatly on rainfall type. These findings can help clarify stemflow dynamics and driving factors at both inter‐ and intra‐event scales, and also provide abundant data and parameters for ecohydrological simulations in subtropical forests.
A novel signature predicts recurrence risk and therapeutic response in breast cancer patients
Authors: Tran Quynh Hoa , Than Van Thai , Luu Phuc Loi , Clarke Declan , Lam Hanh Ngoc , Nguyen Thanh‐Giang Tan , Nguyen Dinh‐Truong , Duy Phan Q. , Phung Dung , Nguyen Minh Nam
Published: February 2021

Acetylserotonin O‐methyltransferase (ASMT) is a key enzyme in the synthesis of melatonin. Although melatonin has been shown to exhibit anticancer activity and prevents endocrine resistance in breast cancer, the role of ASMT in breast cancer progression remains unclear. In this retrospective study, we analyzed gene expression profiles in 27 data sets on 7244 patients from 11 countries. We found that ASMT expression was significantly reduced in breast cancer tumors relative to healthy tissue. Among breast cancer patients, those with higher levels of ASMT expression had better relapse‐free survival outcomes and longer metastasis‐free survival times. Following treatment with tamoxifen, patients with greater ASMT expression experienced longer periods before relapse or distance recurrence. Motivated by these results, we devised an ASMT gene signature that can correctly identify low‐risk cases with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.997 and 0.916, respectively. This signature was robustly validated using 23 independent breast cancer mRNA array data sets from different platforms (consisting of 5800 patients) and an RNAseq data set from TCGA (comprising 1096 patients). Intriguingly, patients who are classified as high‐risk by the signature benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy, and those with grade II tumors who are classified as low‐risk exhibit improved overall survival and distance relapse‐free outcomes following endocrine therapy. Together, our findings more clearly elucidate the roles of ASMT, provide strategies for improving the efficacy of tamoxifen treatment and help to identify those patients who may maximally benefit from adjuvant or endocrine therapies.
Declining rates of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in British Columbia, Canada: An ecological analysis on the effects of the school‐based human papillomavirus vaccination program
Authors: Donken Robine , van Niekerk Dirk , Hamm Jeremy , Spinelli John J. , Smith Laurie , Sadarangani Manish , Albert Arianne , Money Deborah , Dobson Simon , Miller Dianne , Lee Marette , Mitchell‐Foster Sheona , Krajden Mel , Naus Monika , Ogilvie Gina
Published: February 2021

Since 2008, girls in British Columbia (BC), Canada, have been offered HPV vaccination through a school‐based, publicly funded immunization program. The oldest birth cohort eligible for the vaccination program was born in 1994 and uptake is on average 63%. To evaluate the impact of the HPV vaccine in BC, ecological trends in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) rates were assessed in young women before and after the implementation of the HPV vaccination program. Information on all Pap smears and histopathological abnormalities, in calendar years 2004‐2017 in women 16‐28 years of age in BC were obtained from the population‐based BC Cancer Cervix Screening Program database. Rates of CIN 2 and 3 were calculated as the number of cases divided by the number of cytology specimens for that period. Rate ratios (RR) were calculated by negative binomial piecewise regression. Age‐centered incidence rates of CIN 2 and 3 in BC declined significantly among women 16‐23 years of age after HPV vaccine introduction compared to before vaccine introduction. The overall reduction postvaccination for CIN2 and 3 in women 16‐23 years was respectively 62% (95% CI 54‐68%) and 65% (95% CI 58‐71%). Age‐specific rates for CIN2 significantly declined for those 18‐22 years of age and for those 19, 20 and 23 years of age for CIN3. Among women 24‐28 years of age no decline in CIN2 and 3 rate over time was observed. The observed reduction in CIN 2 and 3 rates since the introduction of the school‐based HPV vaccine program might illustrate the population impact of the BC provincial school‐based HPV vaccination program.
Perceptual ability tests correlate to performance on a rudimentary dental anatomy laboratory exercise
Authors: Hankle Jennifer L. , Imbery Terence A. , Carrico Caroline K.
Published: February 2021

Purpose

Objective of this study was to determine if perceptual abilities test (PAT), quantitative reasoning (QR), and academic average (AA) scores predict performance in a rudimentary dental anatomy laboratory exercise.

Methods

First‐year dental students (n = 88) completed two identical wax carving exercises during the first and last weeks of the dental anatomy course. After being given detailed instructions and a wax block, students carved a cube and a semilunar shape using the wax subtraction technique. Using a rubric, students self‐assessed their work as unsatisfactory, satisfactory, or ideal in the following areas: finish, sharpness, symmetry, and accuracy. Two calibrated and blinded faculty graded the exercise using the same rubric as the students. Cohen's kappa coefficient assessed faculty interrater reliability and student‐faculty reliability. Changes in scores between the two exercises were evaluated using Wilcoxon signed rank and paired t‐tests. Spearman's correlation coefficient and repeated measures analysis assessed the association between shape carving scores and DAT, QR, and AA scores.

Results

Faculty interrater reliability ranged from 0.2554 to 0.4186 for the assessed criteria over the two exercises. Student‐faculty rater reliability ranged from 0.1299 to 0.4461. Only PAT scores correlated significantly to higher scores for the four grading criteria for both exercises. Student self‐assessment improved with the second exercise.

Conclusions

This rudimentary exercise was useful to identify students early in their dental education who may require more guidance in other manual dexterity courses. Faculties require additional training and calibration. Self‐assessment is a life‐long process of critical thinking that students are just beginning to learn.
Data resource profile: JMDC claims database sourced from health insurance societies
Authors: Nagai Katsuhiko , Tanaka Takashi , Kodaira Norihisa , Kimura Shinya , Takahashi Yoshimitsu , Nakayama Takeo
Published: February 2021

JMDC, Inc. (JMDC) has created a database, using data collected from health insurance societies in Japan, consisting of ledgers of insureds, claims (for hospitalization, outpatient treatment, drug preparation, and dental treatment), and health checkup results. The earliest data are from the claims in January 2005, except dental claims from December 2009 and health checkup results from April 2008. Currently (the end of June 2020), the number of insureds included is approximately 9.8 million. This database is unique for Japan and has the following characteristics: (a) the basic population can be ascertained; (b) standardization is carried out using a dictionary; and (c) anonymized individual IDs can be followed on the basis of a time‐series over various periods, with the earliest starting date being January 2005. However, it has certain limitations, in that the disease status and test results cannot be ascertained, and there is insufficient access to data for elderly people.
Variability of West Pacific subtropical high and its potential importance to the Indian summer monsoon rainfall
Authors: Chaluvadi Roja , Varikoden Hamza , Mujumdar Milind , Ingle S. T.
Published: February 2021

The variability of West Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) during the peak monsoon (July–August) season for the period 1951–2015 and its association with Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR) is investigated based on various observational data sets. In the present study, we explored the long term variability of WPSH based on location index (zonal displacement of western edge) and intensity index (intensity values at the centre of WPSH). We observed significant interannual variability in zonal displacement of western flank at around 20°N, and this variability is coherent with the variability in intensity at the centre of WPSH. The significant long term trend in location index is about 1.4° per decade towards east, which is also consistent with weakening trend (−2.6 gpm per decade) in intensity index. Moreover, both the indices show contrasting trends prior to and post 1976 periods. The variability of location and intensity indices shows significant relationship with ISMR by modulating the low level circulations over the Indo‐Pacific region. The present study revealed that the correlations of WPSH indices with ISMR are significant at 95% confidence level. The spatial distribution of rainfall over India during WPSH expansion years depicts the significant enhancement in southern peninsula and north‐central India while a significant reduction in east central India; however, contrasting rainfall patterns are observed during WPSH contraction years. In general, changes in large‐scale circulation during the westward (eastward) shift and intensification (weakening) of WPSH favour (unfavour) monsoon rainfall. The southern peninsula and northcentral India (east central India) experience surplus (deficit) rainfall during WPSH expansion due to modulation of moisture supply from the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and west Pacific Ocean. Additionally, we noticed upper (lower) level divergence (convergence) and lower (upper) level convergence (divergence) during the expansion (contraction) years over the south Asian monsoon region.
Biologic agents to optimize outcomes following ACL repair and reconstruction: A systematic review of clinical evidence
Authors: Kon Elizaveta , Di Matteo Berardo , Altomare Daniele , Iacono Francesco , Kurpyakov Anton , Lychagin Aleksey , Timashev Peter , Kalinsky Eugene , Lipina Marina
Published: February 2021

Treatment options for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have greatly developed over the past decades. Although reconstruction surgery is a concrete reality, stimulation of ACL healing through biological techniques could represent a revolutionary conservative approach. The use of biologic products, such as platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) or mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), to treat partial ruptures or to enhance ligamentization after reconstruction, could thoroughly improve clinical outcomes. The aim of the present paper is to systematically review the available literature on this topic, to (i) describe the current state of the art in available biologic techniques; (ii) clarify the outcomes of their application; (iii) identify areas needing further investigation and possible future development. A systematic review of the literature on the use of biologically active agents (PRP and MSCs) to enhance outcomes of ACL surgery was performed: 31 studies were included. Based on the ACL injury pattern, 6 papers investigated biologic agents in ACL partial tears whereas 25 papers in ACL reconstruction. Sixteen of twenty‐five studies dealing with ACL reconstruction were randomized controlled trials, whereas only case series are available for partial ACL tears. Current evidence is still lacking sound data to support the use of biological agents: no clinical superiority has been described when using PRP in ACL reconstruction. Concerning ACL healing in partial tears, the application of PRP has led to encouraging outcomes, but these findings should be confirmed by appropriately designed RCTs.
Pediatric Tongue Base Suspension With Fluoroscopic Guidance
Authors: Valika Taher , Maksimoski Matthew , Maurrasse Sarah
Published: February 2021

View Video S1 Laryngoscope, 131:2112–2114, 2021
‘Ye must have faith’ how anthropology can contribute to religious heritage: The osteobiography of Italian martyr Saint Nazarius
Authors: Biehler‐Gomez Lucie , Porta Davide , Mattia Mirko , De Angelis Danilo , Poppa Pasquale , Cattaneo Cristina
Published: February 2021

The skeletal remains of the alleged Italian Saint Nazarius (1st or 3rd century AD) were examined by a team of anthropologists of the University of Milan upon request from ecclesiastical authorities who sought scientific verification of their authenticity and to add tangible information on the life of the saint. Anthropological analyses were performed for the construction of the biological profile as well as pathological and traumatic analysis and were later compared with historical and hagiographic documentation. In addition, biological sampling of one bone sample was performed for radiocarbon dating. As a result, the osteobiography of the skeletal remains showed a concordance with the available historical data, thus supporting their authenticity and permitted the implementation of further information on the lives of the alleged saint. Furthermore, interesting anatomical ‘mistakes’ in the postmortem assemblage of the facial bones by the fossores, a guild of gravediggers, morticians and keepers of the Christian catacombs, were noted. This paper discusses the relation between science and religious heritage by demonstrating through a concrete case study the contribution of anthropology in a mutually beneficial collaboration.
Development of a highly efficient selective flocculant based on functionalized β‐cyclodextrin toward beneficiation of low‐quality iron ore
Authors: Patra Priyapratim , Patra Abhay Shankar , Mukherjee Asim Kumar , Pal Sagar
Published: February 2021

The present work is focused on the development of a novel flocculant for selective flocculation of iron ore using functionalized β‐cyclodextrin (β CD). β CD has been modified by esterification reaction with methacrylic anhydride (MAh) to form β CD methacrylate (CD‐Meth). After that, a three‐dimensional polymeric network structure has been prepared by free radical polymerization of CD‐Meth with copolymeric chain of poly (acrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid) through grafting. The synthesized material has been characterized in detail. It has been found that the developed material has promising selectivity toward the hematite particles and also demonstrates faster settling of hematite particles. The developed material is found to be superior in all aspects than that of conventional selective flocculant used for iron ore beneficiation (i.e., starch).
Lipopolysaccharide‐regulated secretion of soluble and vesicle‐based proteins from a panel of colorectal cancer cell lines
Authors: Garcia de Durango Cira R. , Monteiro Madalena N. , Bijnsdorp Irene V. , Pham Thang V. , De Wit Meike , Piersma Sander Rogier , Knol Jaco C. , Pérez‐Gordo Marina , Fijneman Remond J. A. , Vidal‐Vanaclocha Fernando , Jimenez Connie R.
Published: February 2021

Purpose

To mimic the perioperative microenvironment where bacterial products get in contact with colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and study its impact on protein release, we exposed six CRC cell lines to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and investigated the effect on the secretome using in‐depth mass spectrometry‐based proteomics.

Experimental design

Cancer cell secretome was harvested in bio‐duplicate after LPS treatment, and separated in EV and soluble secretome (SS) fractions. Gel‐fractionated proteins were analysed by label‐free nano‐liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. NF‐κB activation, triggered upon LPS treatment, was evaluated.

Results

We report a CRC secretome dataset of 5601 proteins. Comparison of all LPS‐treated cells with controls revealed 37 proteins with altered abundance in the SS, including RPS25; and 13 in EVs, including HMGB1. Comparing controls and LPS‐treated samples per cell line, revealed 564 significant differential proteins with fold‐change >3. The LPS‐induced release of RPS25 was validated by western blot.

Conclusions and clinical relevance

Bacterial endotoxin has minor impact on the global CRC cell line secretome, yet it may alter protein release in a cell line‐specific manner. This modulation might play a role in orchestrating the development of a permissive environment for CRC liver metastasis, especially through EV‐communication.
Investigating potential protein markers of cardiovascular disease in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Letunica Natasha , CAI Tengyi , Cameron Fergus , Monagle Paul , Ignjatovic Vera , Attard Chantal
Published: February 2021

Background

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a metabolic disease characterized by dysglycaemia. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major complication among T1DM patients and the leading cause of mortality later in life.

Methods

The study subjects consisted of T1DM children with poor glycemic control (HbA1c > 7.5%) and healthy age and gender matched controls. Venous blood samples were collected and tested by utilizing a novel immunoassay panel with 96 protein biomarkers. Data were analyzed using non‐linear regression analysis and the expression of biomarkers was compared between T1DM and healthy control groups using an unpaired student's t‐test. Dynamic principal component analysis (PCA) was operated based on the differentially expressed proteins.

Results

Ten T1DM children and 10 healthy controls were analyzed. Twelve CVD markers show significant differential expression between T1DM patients and healthy controls (p < 0.05). Dynamic PCA clustering based on differentially expressed proteins demonstrated an obvious clustering between the two populations.

Conclusions

This preliminary study reveals the feasibility of utilizing a novel immunoassay panel to investigate potential biomarkers for predicting incipient CVD in children with T1DM. In future, longitudinal studies are required to track the relationships between measurements of the selected protein markers and the development of CVD in T1DM patients.
Consistency of the CRM when the dose‐toxicity curve is not monotone and its application to the POCRM
Authors: Saha Pooja T. , Fine Jason P. , Ivanova Anastasia
Published: February 2021

The continual reassessment method (CRM) is a well‐known design for dose‐finding trials with the goal of estimating the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), the dose with a given probability of toxicity. The standard assumption is that the probability of toxicity monotonically increases with dose. We show that the CRM can still be consistent and correctly identify the MTD even when the dose‐toxicity curve is not monotone as long as there is monotonicity of the true toxicity probabilities right below and right above the true MTD. In the case of multiple therapies, where it is unclear how to order combinations of dose levels of multiple therapies, our findings provide insight into the performance of the partial order CRM (POCRM). To select the correct dose combination at the end of a trial, the POCRM does not have to select a monotone ordering of drug combinations. We illustrate the connection between our results for the CRM with a nonmonotone dose‐toxicity curve and the POCRM via simulations.
Vestibular Mucosa Thickness Measured by Ultrasound in Patients Affected by Vestibulodynia: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Murina Filippo , Barbieri Sara , Lubrano Chiara , Cetin Irene
Published: February 2021

Introduction

A multifactorial etiology has been implicated in the development and maintenance of vestibulodynia (VBD), and atrophic changes of the vestibular mucosa have been observed in many patients.

Aim

To assess the vestibular mucosa thickness in patients with VBD by comparing this sample with a control group of healthy fertile women and postmenopausal patients with symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM).

Methods

Vestibular mucosa thickness was measured with a 20 MHz ultrasound probe (DermaScan C, Cortex Technology, Denmark), including both the epidermis and dermis.

Main outcome measures

All women were evaluated by anamnesis, physical examination, and self-report symptoms. Thickness of the vestibular mucosa (expressed in micrometers) was determined by the B-mode, excluding the hyperechogenic entrance echo and hypoechogenic subcutis. Clinical data related to VBD and GSM were recorded using a 0- to 10-point visual analog scale related to dyspareunia and vulvar pain/burning (0 = no pain; 10 = worst possible pain).

Results

A total of 85 patients were recruited: 24 with VBD, 20 with GSM-related symptoms, and 20 matched controls. Vestibular mucosa thickness measurements were not significantly different between the VBD (mean ± DS: 1,092.5 ± 226.1 μm) and GSM groups (1,059.7 ± 221.5 μm), while the parameter was significantly lower (P < .01) than the control group (1,310.6 ± 250.0 μm). Correlation analysis in the VBD and GSM groups between low vestibular mucosa thickness and symptom intensity (burning/pain and dyspareunia) showed a significant correlation.

Conclusion

Patients with VBD have a vestibular mucosa with a lower thickness than healthy women of the same age, with an almost identical value to that found in postmenopausal women. Furthermore, a low vestibular mucosa thickness in the VBD and GSM groups showed a significant correlation with burning/pain intensity and dyspareunia severity.
NIH Funding for Surgeon-Scientists in the US: What Is the Current Status?
Authors: Demblowski Lindsay A. , Busse Brad , Santangelo George , Blakely Andrew M. , Turner Patricia L. , Hoyt David B. , Zeiger Martha A.
Published: February 2021

BACKGROUND:

Recent literature suggests that the future of surgeon-scientists in the US has been threatened for the past several decades. However, we documented an overall increase in NIH funding for surgeon-scientists, as well as the number of NIH-funded surgeons, from 2010 to 2020.

STUDY DESIGN:

NIH-funded principal investigators (PIs) were identified for June 2010 and June 2020 using the NIH internal data platform iSearch Grants (version 2.4). Biographical sketches were searched for key terms to identify surgeon-scientists. Grant research types and total grant costs were collected. American Association of Medical Colleges data were used to determine total surgeon and physician populations. Bivariate chi-square analyses were performed using population totals and were corroborated using z-tests of population proportions using JMP (version 13.0.0). A 2-tailed p value <0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS:

In June of 2020, a total of 1,031 surgeon-scientists held $872,456,710 in NIH funding. The percentage of funded surgeons significantly increased from 2010 (0.5%) to 2020 (0.7%) (p < 0.05), and the percentage of funded other physicians significantly decreased from 2.2% in 2010 to 1.6% in 2020 (p < 0.05). All surgeons sustained R grant funding at both time points (58% in 2020 and 60% in 2010), and specifically maintained basic science-focused R grants (73% in 2020 and 78% in 2010).

CONCLUSIONS:

Our study found surgeon-scientists are increasing in number and NIH funding and are becoming more diverse in their research efforts, while maintaining a focus on basic science.
Anthropology from a Kantian Point of View
Authors: Louden Robert B.
Published: February 2021

Kant's anthropological works represent a very different side of his philosophy, one that stands in sharp contrast to the critical philosophy of the three Critiques. For the most part, Kantian anthropology is an empirical, popular, and, above all, pragmatic enterprise. After tracing its origins both within his own writings and within Enlightenment culture, the Element turns next to an analysis of the structure and several key themes of Kantian anthropology, followed by a discussion of two longstanding contested features - viz., moral anthropology and transcendental anthropology. The Element concludes with a defense of the value and importance of Kantian anthropology, along with replies to a variety of criticisms that have been levelled at it over the years. Kantian anthropology, the author argues, is 'the eye of true philosophy'.
Deceptive Majority
Authors: Lee Joel
Published: February 2021

The idea that India is a Hindu majority nation rests on the assumption that the vast swath of its population stigmatized as 'untouchable' is, and always has been, in some meaningful sense, Hindu. But is that how such communities understood themselves in the past, or how they understand themselves now? When and under what conditions did this assumption take shape, and what truths does it conceal? In this book, Joel Lee challenges presuppositions at the foundation of the study of caste and religion in South Asia. Drawing on detailed archival and ethnographic research, Lee tracks the career of a Dalit religion and the effort by twentieth-century nationalists to encompass it within a newly imagined Hindu body politic. A chronicle of religious life in north India and an examination of the ethics and semiotics of secrecy, Deceptive Majority throws light on the manoeuvres by which majoritarian projects are both advanced and undermined.
Unpacking the Bead: Exploring a Glass Bead Assemblage from Mission Santa Cruz, California, Using LA–ICP–MS
Authors: Dadiego Danielle L. , Gelinas Alyssa , Schneider Tsim D.
Published: February 2021

This report focuses on the morphometric and elemental analysis of glass beads collected from an adobe structure (CA-SCR-217H-T) at Mission Santa Cruz, which operated between 1791 and the 1830s in the colonial province of Alta (upper) California. Previous chemical research established a chronological framework for opacified beads collected from sites in Canada, the Great Lakes region, and the southeastern United States. Testing the viability of this chronological framework for California, we analyzed 100 white glass beads using a conventional typology and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)—the first application of LA-ICP-MS to a California mission. We present the results of the LA-ICP-MS study and then briefly comment on the potential for LA-ICP-MS to refine chronologies associated with colonial missions and other postcontact sites.
THICKET DENSITY
Authors: BHASKAR SIDDHARTH
Published: February 2021

We define a new type of “shatter function” for set systems that satisfies a Sauer–Shelah type dichotomy, but whose polynomial-growth case is governed by Shelah’s two-rank instead of VC dimension. We identify the least exponent bounding the rate of growth of the shatter function, the quantity analogous to VC density, with Shelah’s

$\omega $
-rank.
How Business Model Designs Influence Firm Growth in a Transforming Economy: A Configurational Perspective
Authors: Wu Jun , An Wenwen , Zheng Xin , Zhang Jianqi
Published: February 2021

This study adopts a configurational perspective to examine how business model designs and contextual factors in transforming economies combine to create value. We investigate configurations of efficiency-centered and novelty-centered business model designs, corporate ownership, development stage, and external regulatory volatility associated with high growth in a transforming economy. Using a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis of Chinese firms, we find five solutions associated with superior growth, suggesting that the effective configurations of business model designs vary in different contexts. Our study offers a holistic understanding of the relationship between business model designs and firm growth, and yields useful insights for business model designs for practitioners.
Can Elites Escape Blame by Explaining Themselves? Suspicion and the Limits of Elite Explanations
Authors: Robison Joshua
Published: February 2021

Holding elected officials accountable for their behavior in office is a foundational task facing citizens. Elected officials attempt to influence this accountability process by explaining their behavior with an eye toward mitigating the blame they might receive for taking controversial actions. This article addresses a critical limitation in the literature on elite explanation giving and accountability: the absence of attention to conflicting information regarding the official's behavior. The study shows across three pre-registered survey experiments that explanations are ineffective when other speakers offer counter-explanations that focus on the official's potential ulterior motives. It further demonstrates that this occurs even when the counter-explanation comes from a partisan source with low credibility. These results imply that elected officials enjoy less leeway for their actions than existing work allows, and highlight important tensions concerning the relationship between elite behavior and accountability processes.
The Bond-Pricing Implications of Rating-Based Capital Requirements
Authors: Murray Scott , Nikolova Stanislava
Published: February 2021

This article demonstrates that rating-based capital requirements, through their impact on insurers’ investment demand, affect corporate bond prices. Consistent with insurers’ low demand for investment-grade bonds with a rating close to noninvestment-grade, these bonds outperform. Consistent with insurers’ high (low) demand for investment-grade bonds with high (low) systematic risk exposure, these bonds underperform (outperform). Insurer demand, measured by insurer holdings, explains most of these pricing effects. We identify rating-based capital requirements as the driver of insurer demand, and thus the pricing effects, by showing that the effects do not exist before these requirements’ implementation in 1993.
Smoking in early adulthood is prospectively associated with prescriptions of antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, antidepressants and anxiolytics
Authors: Rognli Eline Borger , Bramness Jørgen Gustav , von Soest Tilmann
Published: February 2021

Background

Whether smoking should be regarded as a risk factor for mental disorders remains unresolved. Prescribed psychotropic drugs can be used as indications for mental disorders. We investigated how smoking was prospectively related to prescription of antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and anxiolytics.

Methods

Information about smoking, including the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, and relevant confounders, were obtained from the population-based Young in Norway Study (N = 2602), with four data collection waves between 1992 and 2006. These survey data were linked with information on prescriptions for psychotropic drugs from the comprehensive, nationwide Norwegian Prescription Database from 2007 to 2015.

Results

Daily smoking with high dependence in 2006 at age 28.5 (s.d. = 2.0) was associated with filling prescriptions of antipsychotics (OR, 6.57, 95% CI 2.19–19.70, p = 0.001), mood stabilizers (OR, 7.11, 95% CI 2.51–20.15, p < 0.001) and antidepressants (OR, 1.91, 95% CI 1.13–3.23, p = 0.016) 1–9 years later. Associations remained significant after adjustment for a variety of potential confounders measured before the assessment of smoking, including sociodemographic background, conduct problems, cannabis use, mental distress, and previous prescriptions for psychotropic medications. The association between smoking and prescription of anxiolytics was weaker and more unstable.

Conclusions

In this study of young adults, daily smoking with high dependence was associated with later prescriptions of antipsychotics, mood stabilizers and antidepressants, indicating smoking as a risk factor for mental disorders treated with these drugs.
On Politics, Irony, and Plato's Socrates as Derrida'sPharmakon
Authors: Sharpe Matthew
Published: February 2021

This paper challenges the reading of Derridean deconstruction as a necessarily antiauthoritarian version of “hermeneutics as politics.” It does so by critically rereading Derrida's 1968 essay “Plato's Pharmacy.” Part 1 reconstructs Derrida's key claims in “Plato's Pharmacy,” turning on the ambiguous signifier “pharmakon” and the treatment of writing in thePhaedrus. Part 2 examines Derrida's three claims in “Plato's Pharmacy” concerning the political, putatively antiauthoritarian significance of his deconstruction of “platonism.” Part 3 contests these claims, arguing that Derrida cannot comprehend Socratic irony since he is blind to the political shaping of Plato's dialogic writing, as the artful attempt to present and inspire philosophical inquiry within the city, while avoiding the condemnation directed against Socrates by the men of Athens in 399 BCE. Finally, I argue that Derrida's indebtedness to Heidegger underlies these shortcomings in his reading of Plato.
Design and Research of a Walking Robot with Two Parallel Mechanisms
Authors: Ren Huanhuan , Zhang Lizhong , Su Chengzhi
Published: February 2021

In this paper, a new type of biped mobile robot is designed. Each leg of the robot is a 6 degree-of-freedom (DOF) parallel mechanism, and each leg has three relatively fixed landing points. The leg’s structure gives the robot better performance on large carrying capacity, strong environmental adaptability and fast moving speed simultaneously. At the same time, it helps the robot move more steadily and change direction more simply. Based on the structural features of the leg, the inverse kinematics model of the biped robot is established and a unified formula is obtained. According to an analysis of robot’s workspace, gait planning is completed and simulated. Finally, the special case that the robot can keep the upper body horizontal while walking on a slopy surface is validated.
Nervous system diseases are associated with the severity and mortality of patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Gao Ya , Chen Yamin , Liu Ming , Niu Mingming , Song Ziwei , Yan Meili , Tian Jinhui
Published: February 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic. Previous studies showed that comorbidities in patients with COVID-19 are risk factors for adverse outcomes. This study aimed to clarify the association between nervous system diseases and severity or mortality in patients with COVID-19. We performed a systematic literature search of four electronic databases and included studies reporting the prevalence of nervous system diseases in COVID-19 patients with severe and non-severe disease or among survivors and non-survivors. The included studies were pooled into a meta-analysis to calculate the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). We included 69 studies involving 17 879 patients. The nervous system diseases were associated with COVID-19 severity (OR = 3.19, 95%CI: 2.37 to 4.30,P< 0.001) and mortality (OR = 3.75, 95%CI: 2.68 to 5.25,P< 0.001). Specifically, compared with the patients without cerebrovascular disease, patients with cerebrovascular disease infected with COVID-19 had a higher risk of severity (OR = 3.10, 95%CI: 2.21 to 4.36,P< 0.001) and mortality (OR = 3.45, 95% CI: 2.46 to 4.84,P< 0.001). Stroke was associated with severe COVID-19 disease (OR = 1.95, 95%CI: 1.11 to 3.42,P= 0.020). No significant differences were found for the prevalence of epilepsy (OR = 1.00, 95%CI: 0.42 to 2.35,P= 0.994) and dementia (OR = 2.39, 95%CI: 0.55 to 10.48,P= 0.247) between non-severe and severe COVID-19 patients. There was no significant association between stroke (OR = 1.79, 95%CI: 0.76 to 4.23,P= 0.185), epilepsy (OR = 2.08, 95%CI: 0.08 to 50.91,P= 0.654) and COVID-19 mortality. In conclusion, nervous system diseases and cerebrovascular disease were associated with severity and mortality of patients with COVID-19. There might be confounding factors that influence the relationship between nervous system diseases and COVID-19 severity as well as mortality.
Early institutionalized care disrupts the development of emotion processing in prosody
Authors: Chinn Lisa K. , Ovchinnikova Irina , Sukmanova Anastasia A. , Davydova Aleksandra O. , Grigorenko Elena L.
Published: February 2021

Millions of children worldwide are raised in institutionalized settings. Unfortunately, institutionalized rearing is often characterized by psychosocial deprivation, leading to difficulties in numerous social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. One such skill is the ability to recognize emotional facial expressions. Children with a history of institutional rearing tend to be worse at recognizing emotions in facial expressions than their peers, and this deficit likely affects social interactions. However, emotional information is also conveyed vocally, and neither prosodic information processing nor the cross-modal integration of facial and prosodic emotional expressions have been investigated in these children to date. We recorded electroencephalograms (EEG) while 47 children under institutionalized care (IC) (n = 24) or biological family care (BFC) (n = 23) viewed angry, happy, or neutral facial expressions while listening to pseudowords with angry, happy, or neutral prosody. The results indicate that 20- to 40-month-olds living in IC have event-related potentials (ERPs) over midfrontal brain regions that are less sensitive to incongruent facial and prosodic emotions relative to children under BFC, and that their brain responses to prosody are less lateralized. Children under IC also showed midfrontal ERP differences in processing of angry prosody, indicating that institutionalized rearing may specifically affect the processing of anger.
Pursuing the developmental aims of the triarchic model of psychopathy: Creation and validation of triarchic scales for use in the USC: RFAB longitudinal twin project
Authors: Bertoldi Bridget M. , Perkins Emily R. , Tuvblad Catherine , Oskarsson Sofi , Kramer Mark D. , Latzman Robert D. , Baker Laura A. , Raine Adrian , Patrick Christopher J.
Published: February 2021

The triarchic model was advanced as an integrative, trait-based framework for investigating psychopathy using different assessment methods and across developmental periods. Recent research has shown that the triarchic traits of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition can be operationalized effectively in youth, but longitudinal research is needed to realize the model's potential to advance developmental understanding of psychopathy. We report on the creation and validation of scale measures of the triarchic traits using questionnaire items available in the University of Southern California Risk Factors for Antisocial Behavior (RFAB) project, a large-scale longitudinal study of the development of antisocial behavior that includes measures from multiple modalities (self-report, informant rating, clinical-diagnostic, task-behavioral, physiological). Using a construct-rating and psychometric refinement approach, we developed triarchic scales that showed acceptable reliability, expected intercorrelations, and good temporal stability. The scales showed theory-consistent relations with external criteria including measures of psychopathy, internalizing/externalizing psychopathology, antisocial behavior, and substance use. Findings demonstrate the viability of measuring triarchic traits in the RFAB sample, extend the known nomological network of these traits into the developmental realm, and provide a foundation for follow-up studies examining the etiology of psychopathic traits and their relations with multimodal measures of cognitive-affective function and proneness to clinical problems.
FISCAL POLICY CHANGES AND LABOR MARKET DYNAMICS IN JAPAN’S LOST DECADE
Authors: Esteban-Pretel Julen , Meng Xiangcai , Tanaka Ryuichi
Published: February 2021

Japan’s so-called Lost Decade of the 1990s presents a unique case study of an economy with a recent severe and prolonged recession, with large changes in the labor market and fiscal policy as the main policy available to the government. Japanese unemployment rate surged from 2.1% in 1991 to 5.4% in 2002. Meanwhile, the Japanese economy experienced a rise in government expenditures, while taxes remained fairly stable. This paper quantitatively evaluates the impact of these changes in fiscal policies on labor market variables, in particular the unemployment rate, during the 1990s. We build, calibrate, and simulate a dynamic general equilibrium model with search frictions in the labor market, a productive government sector, heterogenous government spendings, and different categories of taxes. Our model is able to reproduce the paths of the main labor market variables, and the counterfactual experiments show that the changes that took place in the different spending components affected the unemployment rate heterogeneously, although overall they kept unemployment lower than it could have been. We also find that had the government also implemented countercyclical tax policies, unemployment would not have risen as much as it did by 2002.
AUTOMATION, PARTIAL AND FULL
Authors: Growiec Jakub
Published: February 2021

When some steps of a complex, multi-step task are automated, the demand for human work in the remaining complementary sub-tasks goes up. In contrast, when the task is fully automated, the demand for human work declines. Upon aggregation to the macroeconomic scale, partial automatability of complex tasks creates a bottleneck of development, where further growth is constrained by the scarcity of essential human work. This bottleneck is removed once the tasks become fully automatable. Theoretical analysis using a two-level nested constant elasticity of substitution production function specification demonstrates that the shift from partial to full automation generates a non-convexity: humans and machines switch from complementary to substitutable, and the share of output accruing to human workers switches from an upward to a downward trend. This process has implications for inequality, the risk of technological unemployment, and the likelihood of a secular stagnation.
The impact of the introduction of consultant radiographer-led consent for multiple myeloma bone metastases patients
Authors: Griffiths Sarah
Published: February 2021

Background:

The role of the Consultant Radiographer (CR) is crossing traditional boundaries to encompass duties and responsibilities normally performed by the medical profession. Changes and streamlining of radiotherapy (RT) services result as therapeutic radiographers are taking on the responsibility of informed consent.

Purpose:

This article discusses and evaluates the legal, ethical and practical aspects of informed consent within the trust and how they have implemented the introduction of CR-led consent. It reports on the impact on the waiting times for treatment and user experience for myeloma patients receiving RT for pain relief from bone metastases.

Materials and methods:

A literature search was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, Medline and Cochrane library using the term ‘informed consent’. The legal, ethical and practical aspects were compared to the current system and then was used to inform the development of a new pathway. Data were analysed from the department’s statistics for waiting times and the number of treatment courses.

Results and conclusions:

CR-led informed consent has streamlined the patient pathway and has improved patient care and experience.
Probabilistic QoS-aware Placement of VNF Chains at the Edge
Authors: FORTI STEFANO , PAGANELLI FEDERICA , BROGI ANTONIO
Published: February 2021

Deploying Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled virtual network function (VNF) chains to Cloud-Edge infrastructures requires determining a placement for each VNF that satisfies all set deployment requirements as well as a software-defined routing of traffic flows between consecutive functions that meets all set communication requirements. In this article, we present a declarative solution, EdgeUsher, to the problem of how to best place VNF chains to Cloud-Edge infrastructures. EdgeUsher can determine all eligible placements for a set of VNF chains to a Cloud-Edge infrastructure so to satisfy all of their hardware, IoT, security, bandwidth, and latency requirements. It exploits probability distributions to model the dynamic variations in the available Cloud-Edge infrastructure and to assess output eligible placements against those variations.
Quad-Band multi-polarized antenna with modified electric-inductive−capacitive resonator
Authors: Singh Ghanshyam , Kanaujia Binod Kumar , Pandey Vijay Kumar , Kumar Sachin
Published: February 2021

A compact circularly polarized (CP) patch antenna is presented for modern communication systems. The prospective antenna consists of a microstrip-line inset-fed rectangular patch and a defected ground plane. A rotated rectangular slot and a modified electric-inductive-capacitive (m-ELC) resonator are introduced in the patch and the ground plane to achieve multiband behaviour. A corner of the radiating patch is truncated and an arrow-shaped stub is introduced for generating circular polarization. The physical area of the substrate is 0.26λ0 × 0.22λ0, and the radiator size is 0.16λ0 × 0.14λ0, where λ0 is the free-space wavelength estimated at the lowest frequency. The measured (S11≤-10 dB) bandwidths of the antenna are 80 MHz (3.58%) at 2.23 GHz, 75 MHz (2.64%) at 2.84 GHz, 80 MHz (2.50%) at 3.19 GHz, and 70 MHz (1.82%) at 3.83 GHz. The measured 3-dB axial ratio bandwidths are 40 MHz (1.41%), 100 MHz (3.12%), and 60 MHz (1.57%) at 2.84, 3.20 and 3.82 GHz, respectively. The proposed planar antenna design does not need dual-feed or multi-layered patches for achieving multiple CP bands. It offers easy integration with the printed circuits of the communication systems.