bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quiet life hypothesis reborn: is “holdinglisation” relevant?
Authors: Liem Maria Christina
Published: January 2019

Purpose

Quiet life hypothesis (QLH) states that banks with a higher market power will generate high profitability quietly, even though it could cause inefficiency. In the long term, it could turn a high profitability into a lower future profitability. This paper identifies QLH-reborn through the holdinglisation strategy of the Indonesian Government to include all state-owned banks into one holding, hence increasing the market power of Indonesian state-owned banks within ASEAN. Optimum profitability and optimum efficiency are the objectives of the “holdinglisation” idea. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the relevance of holdinglisation within the Indonesian banking industry.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper focusses on analysing the efficiency and soundness of four state-owned conventional banks and four state-owned Islamic banks in Indonesia during 2011–2015. Subsequently, this paper analyses the impact of bank effectiveness index and soundness rank on return on average asset (ROAA) and ROAE through the data panel of general least square regression using STATA.

Findings

This paper shows that all state-owned commercial banks in Indonesia during 2011–2015 are efficient and sound. Furthermore, this paper finds that market power (market share for deposit and market share for loans) has an insignificant impact on bank efficiency (BE) index, bank soundness rating, ROAA and EM. Meanwhile, BE index and BS rating have a significant impact on ROAA. Therefore, this paper concludes that holdinglisation regulation as QLH-reborn is irrelevant for Indonesian state-owned banks at this moment.

Research limitations/implications

This paper has a crucial limitation. Holdinglisation as QLH-reborn is irrelevant under the condition that all state-owned commercial banks in Indonesia are efficient and sound. Moreover, this paper contributes another actual empirical study of QLH.

Practical implications

This paper represents a scientific argumentation towards a holdinglisation strategy of state-owned commercial banks in Indonesia. Therefore, this paper could be a scientific reference for the Indonesian Government to improve Indonesian state-owned commercial banks competitiveness in ASEAN.

Originality/value

This paper is urgently needed for the Indonesian banking industry because the Indonesian Government should consider the drawbacks of holdinglisation as QLH reborn to the Indonesian banking industry, such as inefficiency and the risks of financial failure. Moreover, if the bank experiences financial failure, it could have a detrimental and lasting effect on the country’s macroeconomic condition.
The power of head tilts: gender and cultural differences of perceived human vs human-like robot smile in service
Authors: Yu Chung-En , Ngan Henrique F. Boyol
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand the perceptual differences toward smiling behaviors with head inclinations displaying by the human-like robot staff and human staff in a service setting.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a 2 (staff: robot/human personal personnel) × 3 (head tilt: left/right/straight) full factorial design, while cross-examining participants’ cultural dimensions 2 (power distance: high/lower) × 2 (gender: male/female) during the service encounter.

Findings

Overall, it was found that male and female customers with different cultural background would perceive robot and human personnel with varying degrees of head tilt very differently, namely, regarding interpersonal warmth but not customer satisfaction.

Originality/value

Nonverbal cues serve as important elements in the interaction. This paper provides new directions on the design of anthropomorphic robot and gives insight to people’s perceptual differences. All in all, the present study is useful in facilitating human–robot interactions.
The potential value of research-based evidence in destination management: the case of Kamikawa, Japan
Authors: Higuchi Yukari , Yamanaka Yasuhiro
Published: January 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the direct intervention of university researchers in tourism practices in Hokkaido, Japan. The overall objective is the further understanding into the potential value of research-based evidence and scientific knowledge in tourism destination management. The paper articulates how the outcomes of structured knowledge creation were able to fundamentally change the long-held presumptions of local stakeholders about their destination, and the paper also examines how this knowledge was used to aid decision-making and the formulation of new tourism strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

Through an action research approach, data were collected by direct participation and interviews and then qualitatively analyzed.

Findings

The results clearly depict that the key factors for making destination management workable and sustainable are related to academic researchers’ direct intervention in tourism practices.

Originality/value

This paper has filled a gap in existing scholarship where empirical understanding from first-hand experiences has lacked around the important role that scientific knowledge or evidence-based research can play in enhancing decision-making in collaborative initiatives aiming to develop local tourism resources. The importance of the scientific approach and evidence-based decision-making is gaining increasing recognition in tourist destination development and management. This points to an important opportunity for academic researchers to contribute to the realization of sustainable tourist practices.
Hepatitis B variants among Egyptian patients undergoing hemodialysis
Authors: Abdel‐Maksoud Nashwa H. M. , El‐Shamy Ahmed , Fawzy Mohamed , Gomaa Hanaa H. A. , Eltarabilli Mokhtar M. A.
Published: January 2019

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious nosocomial infection that affects patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). However, certain HBV variants are not detected by routine serological tests in Egyptian dialysis units because of mutations that change important viral antigens (Ags). Of note, these mutations can result in the appearance of different HBV variants with different clinical manifestations. Thus, the present study aimed to assess different clinical forms of HBV infections and viral genotypes among patients undergoing HD in the Ismailia governorate of Egypt. To this end, serum samples were collected from 150 patients undergoing HD and screened for HBV‐DNA using a nested PCR technique. Positive samples were then screened for HBV serological markers (hepatitis B core antibody [HBcAb], hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B surface antibody, hepatitis B e antigen and hepatitis B e antibody) using ELISA and the HBV viral load quantitated by qPCR. HBV genotypes were detected by direct sequencing of the partial surface (S) gene. The most common clinical form of HBV infection in our study cohort was overt HBV infection (10%); followed by seropositive occult hepatitis B infection (7.3%), most of whom had an isolated HBcAb. The least common form was the precore mutant (1.3%). All HBV isolates were genotype D. This study reveals the importance of HBcAb and PCR in screening for HBV, especially for detection of occult hepatitis B infection.
The antitoxin MqsA homologue in Pseudomonas fluorescens 2P24 has a rewired regulatory circuit through evolution
Authors: Wang Yong , Zhang Si‐Ping , Zhang Meng‐Yuan , Kempher Megan L. , Guo Ding‐Ding , Han Jian‐Ting , Tao Xuanyu , Wu Yi , Zhang Li‐Qun , He Yong‐Xing
Published: January 2019

The mqsRA operon encodes a toxin–antitoxin pair that was characterized to participate in biofilm and persister cell formation in Escherichia coli. Notably, the antitoxin MqsA possesses a C‐terminal DNA‐binding domain that recognizes the [5’‐AACCT(N)2‐4AGGTT‐3′] motif and acts as a transcriptional regulator controlling multiple genes including the general stress response regulator RpoS. However, it is unknown how the transcriptional circuits of MqsA homologues have changed in bacteria over evolutionary time. Here, we found mqsA in Pseudomonas fluorescens (PfmqsA) is acquired through horizontal gene transfer and binds to a slightly different motif [5′‐TACCCT(N)3AGGGTA‐3′], which exists upstream of the PfmqsRA operon. Interestingly, an adjacent GntR‐type transcriptional regulator, which was termed AgtR, is under negative control of PfMqsA. It was further demonstrated that PfMqsA reduces production of biofilm components through AgtR, which directly regulates the pga and fap operons involved in the synthesis of extracellular polymeric substances. Moreover, through quantitative proteomics analysis, we showed AgtR is a highly pleiotropic regulator that influences up to 252 genes related to diverse processes including chemotaxis, oxidative phosphorylation and carbon and nitrogen metabolism. Taken together, our findings suggest the rewired regulatory circuit of PfMqsA influences diverse physiological aspects of P. fluorescens 2P24 via the newly characterized AgtR.
Nanotube‐mediated cross‐feeding couples the metabolism of interacting bacterial cells
Authors: Shitut Shraddha , Ahsendorf Tobias , Pande Samay , Egbert Matthew , Kost Christian
Published: January 2019

Bacteria frequently engage in cross‐feeding interactions that involve an exchange of metabolites with other micro‐ or macroorganisms. The often obligate nature of these associations, however, hampers manipulative experiments, thus limiting our mechanistic understanding of the ecophysiological consequences that result for the organisms involved. Here we address this issue by taking advantage of a well‐characterized experimental model system, in which auxotrophic genotypes of E. coli derive essential amino acids from prototrophic donor cells using intercellular nanotubes. Surprisingly, donor–recipient cocultures revealed that the mere presence of auxotrophic genotypes was sufficient to increase amino acid production levels of several prototrophic donor genotypes. Our work is consistent with a scenario, in which interconnected auxotrophs withdraw amino acids from the cytoplasm of donor cells, which delays feedback inhibition of the corresponding amino acid biosynthetic pathway and, in this way, increases amino acid production levels. Our findings indicate that in newly established mutualistic associations, an intercellular regulation of exchanged metabolites can simply emerge from the architecture of the underlying biosynthetic pathways, rather than requiring the evolution of new regulatory mechanisms.
Metagenomic dissection of the canine gut microbiota: insights into taxonomic, metabolic and nutritional features
Authors: Alessandri Giulia , Milani Christian , Mancabelli Leonardo , Mangifesta Marta , Lugli Gabriele A. , Viappiani Alice , Duranti Sabrina , Turroni Francesca , Ossiprandi Maria C. , van Sinderen Douwe , Ventura Marco
Published: January 2019

Domestication of dogs from wolves is the oldest known example of ongoing animal selection, responsible for generating more than 300 dog breeds worldwide. In order to investigate the taxonomic and functional evolution of the canine gut microbiota, a multi‐omics approach was applied to six wild wolves and 169 dog faecal samples, the latter encompassing 51 breeds, which fully covers currently known canine genetic biodiversity. Specifically, 16S rRNA gene and bifidobacterial Internally Transcribed Spacer (ITS) profiling were employed to reconstruct and then compare the canine core gut microbiota to those of wolves and humans, revealing that artificial selection and subsequent cohabitation of dogs with their owners influenced the microbial population of canine gut through loss and acquisition of specific bacterial taxa. Moreover, comparative analysis of the intestinal bacterial population of dogs fed on Bones and Raw Food (BARF) or commercial food (CF) diet, coupled with shotgun metagenomics, highlighted that both bacterial composition and metabolic repertoire of the canine gut microbiota have evolved to adapt to high‐protein or high‐carbohydrates intake. Altogether, these data indicate that artificial selection and domestication not only affected the canine genome, but also shaped extensively the bacterial population harboured by the canine gut.
Thiol‐based redox sensing in the methyltransferase associated sensor kinase RdmS in Methanosarcina acetivorans
Authors: Fiege Kerstin , Frankenberg‐Dinkel Nicole
Published: January 2019

Organisms have evolved signal transduction systems to quickly adapt their lifestyle to internal and environmental changes. While protein kinases and two‐component systems are widely distributed in Bacteria, they are also found in Archaea but are less diversified and abundant. In this work, we analysed the function of the kinase RdmS and its role in a putative two‐component system in the methanogenic archaeon Methanosarcina acetivorans. RdmS is encoded upstream of the regulator MsrF, which activates the expression of the corrinoid/methyltransferase fusion protein MtsD. In contrast to a typical bacterial histidine kinase, RdmS lacks a membrane domain and the conserved histidine residue for phosphorylation, indicating a different mechanism of signal transduction in comparison to bacterial counterparts. RdmS covalently binds a heme cofactor and is thereby able to bind small molecules like CO and dimethyl sulfide. Interestingly, RdmS possesses a redox‐dependent autophosphorylation activity, which, however, is independent of the bound heme cofactor. In fact, our experimental data suggest a thiol‐based redox sensing mechanism by RdmS. Moreover, we were able to show that RdmS interacts with the regulator protein MsrF. From these data, we conclude RdmS to be a thiol‐based kinase sensing redox changes and forming an archaeal multicomponent system with the regulators MsrG/F/C.
Real‐world experience of metformin use in pregnancy: Observational data from the Northern Territory Diabetes in Pregnancy Clinical Register
Authors: Maple‐Brown Louise J. , Lindenmayer Greta , Barzi Federica , Whitbread Cherie , Connors Christine , Moore Elizabeth , Boyle Jacqueline , Kirkwood Marie , Lee I‐Lynn , Longmore Danielle , van Dokkum Paula , Wicks Mary , Dowden Michelle , Inglis Chrissie , Cotter Margaret , Kirkham Renae , Corpus Sumaria , Chitturi Sridhar , Thomas Sujatha , O'Dea Kerin , Zimmet Paul , Oats Jeremy , McIntyre Harold D. , Brown Alex , Shaw Jonathan E. ,   on behalf of the Northern Territory Diabetes in Pregnancy Partnership
Published: January 2019

Background

In Australia's Northern Territory, Indigenous mothers account for 33% of births and have high rates of hyperglycemia in pregnancy. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in pregnancy is up to 10‐fold higher in Indigenous than non‐Indigenous Australian mothers, and the use of metformin is common. We assessed birth outcomes in relation to metformin use during pregnancy from a clinical register.

Methods

The study included women with gestational diabetes (GDM), newly diagnosed diabetes in pregnancy (DIP), or pre‐existing T2D from 2012 to 2016. Data were analyzed for metformin use in the third trimester. Regression models were adjusted for maternal age, body mass index, parity, and insulin use.

Results

Of 1649 pregnancies, 814 (49.4%) were to Indigenous women, of whom 234 (28.7%) had T2D (vs 4.6% non‐Indigenous women; P < 0.001). Metformin use was high in Indigenous women (84%‐90% T2D, 42%‐48% GDM/DIP) and increased over time in non‐Indigenous women (43%‐100% T2D, 14%‐35% GDM/DIP). Among Indigenous women with GDM/DIP, there were no significant differences between groups with and without metformin in cesarean section (51% vs 39%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.87‐1.81), large for gestational age (24% vs 13%; aOR 1.5, 95% CI 0.9‐2.5), or serious neonatal adverse events (9.4% vs 5.9%; aOR 1.32, 95% CI 0.68‐2.57). Metformin use was independently associated with earlier gestational age (37.7 vs 38.5 weeks), but the risk did not remain independently higher after exclusion of women managed with medical nutrition therapy alone, and the increase in births <37 weeks was not significant on multivariate analysis.

Conclusions

We found no clear evidence of any adverse outcomes related to the use of metformin for the treatment of hyperglycemia in pregnancy.
State‐switching continuous‐time correlated random walks
Authors: Michelot Théo , Blackwell Paul G.
Published: January 2019

Continuous‐time models have been developed to capture features of animal movement across temporal scales. In particular, one popular model is the continuous‐time correlated random walk, in which the velocity of an animal is formulated as an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process, to capture the autocorrelation in the speed and direction of its movement. In telemetry analyses, discrete‐time state‐switching models (such as hidden Markov models) have been increasingly popular to identify behavioural phases from animal tracking data.

We propose a multistate formulation of the continuous‐time correlated random walk, with an underlying Markov process used as a proxy for the animal’s behavioural state process. We present a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm to carry out Bayesian inference for this multistate continuous‐time model.

Posterior samples of the hidden state sequence, of the state transition rates, and of the state‐dependent movement parameters can be obtained. We investigate the performance of the method in a simulation study, and we illustrate its use in a case study of grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) tracking data.

The method we present makes use of the state‐space model formulation of the continuous‐time correlated random walk, and can accommodate irregular sampling frequency and measurement error. It will facilitate the use of continuous‐time models to estimate movement characteristics and infer behavioural states from animal telemetry data.
Grain number determination in durum wheat as affected by drought stress: An analysis at spike and spikelet level
Authors: Vahamidis Petros , Karamanos Andreas J. , Economou Garyfalia
Published: January 2019

Yield studies show that increases in grain yield are always accompanied by an increase in grain number and, hence, further increases in yield potential may require additional improvements in grain number. The improvement of modern durum wheat was mainly based on the introduction of semidwarf genes. A 2‐year field drought stress experiment, concerning two different genotype groups (landraces vs modern cultivars), was carried out under a rainout shelter in order (a) to assess the effect of water deficit on floret dynamics and grain number determination, (b) to explore the relationship between plant water status with grain number per spike and its components (i.e., spikelets per spike, fertile florets per spikelet and grain set) and (c) to quantify the importance of several plant traits in determining the final number of grains per spike and fertile florets per spike when the main source of variation is water availability. Compared to control (well irrigated), grain number per spike was reduced, depending on year, genotype and water availability level, by 12.4–58.7% and this reduction was evident almost in all spikelet positions along the spike. Although there were some doubts in the past about the increased sensitivity of semidwarf cultivars to drought stress, they were not confirmed from our results. In most of the cases, the variation in plant water status (by means of water potential index [WPI]) during floret primordia phase (FPP) explained most of the variance in grain number per spike, fertile florets per spikelet, grain set and fertile spikelets per spike. In general, increasing water stress intensity decreased grain number per spike by an average rate of 13.5 and 9.4 grains per 0.2 MPa decrease in WPI, in modern cultivars and landraces, respectively. However, seasonal and genotypic effects were evident by modifying the slopes of the linear regressions between WPI and the studied plant traits. Commonality analysis revealed that the number of fertile florets per spikelet was the best predictor of grain number per spike, indicating that there is still much space for further improvement for this trait in landraces. However, this trait has been clearly improved in modern cultivars, especially at the basal and central spikelets. Although the number of spikelets per spike was the best unique predictor of the number of grains per spike in modern cultivars, grain set presented the highest total effect.
Quality investing in Asian stock markets
Authors: Ng Chi Cheong Allen , Shen Jianfu
Published: January 2019

We examine two quality investing strategies using gross profitability (GP) or FSCORE, respectively, over the period of 2000–2016 in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan stock markets. We find that the high‐quality stocks generally earn positive returns in these markets. Both FSCORE and GP are significantly positively associated with subsequent stock returns in the cross‐sectional regressions. We also find that financial institutions as sophisticated investor concern about stock quality. The actively managed institutions buy significantly more high‐quality stocks than low‐quality stocks in each of five Asian markets. The trading pattern is not significant in passively managed institutions.
Planting and Performing: Anxiety, Aspiration, and “Scripts” in Telangana Cotton Farming
Authors: Flachs Andrew
Published: January 2019

On cotton farms in Telangana, India, performance draws attention to farmers’ work not merely as an economic activity but as directed toward different kinds of audiences and in conversation with different roles, stages, and scripts. Importantly, this performance is contextualized by a neoliberal seed market where a seasonal deluge of accelerated and consumerist seed marketing diminishes the value of experiential knowledge in favor of the expansion of private genetically modified (GM) seed sales. This article draws on mixed methods and qualitative fieldwork conducted between 2012 and 2016 on cotton farms in Telangana to explore the use of “scripts” in rural life: the learned and socially mediated mental maps that reflect sets of rules, values, patterns, or expectations in smallholder commercial agriculture. The script of manci digubadi (good yield) helps order and justify GM cottonseed decision making in rural Telangana, where seed knowledge is uncertain, environmental feedback is ambiguous, and social emulation dominates farmer choices. While being cautious not to present performance in such a way that questions authenticity or presupposes either fatalism or economic rationalism, I argue that scripts help farmers navigate cotton agriculture amid uncertain GM cottonseed markets and the anxieties and aspirations of neoliberal rural India. [performance, agriculture, development, biotechnology, South Asia]
A Meta‐Analytic Review of Paternalistic Leadership
Authors: Bedi Akanksha
Published: January 2019

Scholars have proposed that paternalistic leaders may demonstrate authoritarianism, benevolence, and morality in their actions. In this study, I conduct a meta‐analysis of the relationships between paternalistic leadership and follower work outcomes. I found that authoritarian leadership is related negatively and benevolence and moral leadership are related positively to numerous follower outcomes. Results from relative weight analyses suggest unique contribution of paternalistic leadership over and above transformational leadership and leader member exchange (LMX) in the prediction of follower outcomes. Moreover, I found that LMX partially mediates the relationship between paternalistic leadership and follower outcomes. With respect to moderators, I found mixed evidence for publication status and power distance. Finally, studies that used Cheng et al.’s measurement showed weaker mean corrected correlations and employee samples from law enforcement organisations showed stronger mean corrected correlations for relationships between paternalistic leadership and follower work outcomes.
When a ‘Waterhole’ Is Full of Dung: An Illustration of the Importance of Environmental Evidence for Refining Archaeological Interpretation of Excavated Features
Authors: Buckland P. I. , Buckland P. C.
Published: January 2019

Prehistoric field systems sometimes encompass excavated, pit‐like features which are difficult to classify due to the complex stratigraphies resulting from reuse, infilling and collapse. They are frequently classified as wells and watering holes, but other potential uses for excavated depressions are rarely cited. We argue the need for environmental archaeology in the interpretation of features of this nature, and present a case study from a Bronze Age site at Pode Hole, near Peterborough (UK), where fossil insect material clearly contradicts the archaeological interpretation. We present empirical evidence for a sealed context filled with dung which cannot be interpreted as a water source. This evidence strongly contrasts with other superficially similar features at the site.
A failure in solidarity: Ethical challenges in the development and implementation of new tuberculosis technologies
Authors: Komparic Ana , Dawson Angus , Boulanger Renaud F. , Upshur Ross E. G. , Silva Diego S.
Published: January 2019

Prominent tuberculosis (TB) actors are invoking solidarity to motivate and justify collective action to address TB, including through intensified development and implementation (D&I) of technologies such as drugs and diagnostics. We characterize the ethical challenges associated with D&I of new TB technologies by drawing on stakeholder perspectives from 23 key informant interviews and we articulate the ethical implications of solidarity for TB technology D&I.

The fundamental ethical issue facing TB technological D&I is a failure within and beyond the TB community to stand in solidarity with persons with TB in addressing the complex sociopolitical contexts of technological D&I. The failure in solidarity relates to two further ethical challenges raised by respondents: skewed power dynamics that hinder D&I and uncertainties around weighing risks and benefits associated with new technologies. Respondents identified advocacy and participatory research practices as necessary to address such challenges and to motivate sustained collective action to accelerate toward TB elimination.

We present the first empirical examination of bioethical accounts of solidarity in public and global health. Our study suggests that solidarity allows us better to understand and address the ethical challenges that arrest the D&I of new TB technologies. Solidarity lends credence to policies and practices that address the relational nature of illness and health through collective action.
Sources of Canadian economic growth
Authors: Hasanzadeh Samira , Khan Hashmat
Published: January 2019

We apply modern ideas‐oriented growth accounting, based on the semi‐endogenous growth theory of Jones (2002), to compare the sources of Canadian and US economic growth between 1981–2014. This framework allows us to distinguish between transition dynamics and steady state growth as well as quantify their respective contributions. We find that the bulk of the 1.1 percentage points total average Canadian growth rate of output per hour has been due to transitional factors, mainly capital intensity and domestic human capital growth driven by educational attainment. The growth in excess ideas (total ideas growth minus steady state growth) has contributed a small share of 0.06 percentage points. Two features stand out in comparison to the US growth experience over the same period. First, over a full percentage point of the average US growth of 1.64% is due to excess ideas growth. Second, the “constant growth view” that reconciles large sources of transitional growth with relatively stable average growth is not supported in Canada. We estimate a relatively low elasticity of output with respect to world research effort as the reason behind the small share of R&D‐oriented sources of Canadian growth.
Propofol improved hypoxia‐impaired integrity of blood‐brain barrier via modulating the expression and phosphorylation of zonula occludens‐1
Authors: Chen Wei , Ju Xing‐Zhu , Lu Yan , Ding Xiao‐Wei , Miao Chang‐Hong , Chen Jia‐Wei
Published: January 2019

Aims

Hypoxia may damage blood‐brain barrier (BBB). The neuroprotective effect of propofol has been reported. We aimed to identify whether and how propofol improved hypoxia‐induced impairment of BBB integrity.

Methods

Mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells (MBMECs) and astrocytes were cocultured to establish in vitro BBB model. The effects of hypoxia and propofol on BBB integrity were examined. Further, zonula occludens‐1 (ZO‐1) expression and phosphorylation, hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α (HIF‐1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression, intracellular calcium concentration and Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CAMKII) activation were measured.

Results

Hypoxia‐impaired BBB integrity, which was protected by propofol. Hypoxia‐reduced ZO‐1 expression, while induced ZO‐1 phosphorylation. These effects were attenuated by propofol. The expression of HIF‐1α and VEGF was increased by hypoxia and was alleviated by propofol. The hypoxia‐mediated suppression of ZO‐1 and impaired BBB integrity was reversed by HIF‐α inhibitor and VEGF inhibitor. In addition, hypoxia increased the intracellular calcium concentration and induced the phosphorylation of CAMKII, which were mitigated by propofol. The hypoxia‐induced phosphorylation of ZO‐1 and impaired BBB integrity was ameliorated by calcium chelator and CAMKII inhibitor.

Conclusion

Propofol could protect against hypoxia‐mediated impairment of BBB integrity. The underlying mechanisms may involve the expression and phosphorylation of ZO‐1.
Cytotechnologists’ education and work in Finland
Authors: Liikanen Eeva
Published: January 2019

Objective

The aim of this study was to survey the work that cytotechnologists carry out in Finland.

Methods

An electronic questionnaire was planned with the Board of the Finnish Association of Cytotechnologists and an email containing the link was sent to all 107 of its members in January 2018. It included 17 questions on their age and work experience, education and work. There was also space for them to add other comments.

Results

Just under half (45%) replied. Their average age was 51 years (range 28‐64), 41% had a Bachelor's degree, 59% had college‐level training and they had spent an average of 15 years screening cytology specimens. After basic professional education, they had completed their cytology education in many ways and the most common routes were internship training (71%) and 1‐year cytology specialisation (38%). Most of the cytotechnologists (85%) had duties other than screening and they mostly included a combination of histotechnology and cytotechnology (37.5%) or just cytotechnology (17%) or histotechnology (9%). The other 15% only screened cytology specimens. All cytotechnologists screened Papanicolaou smears, 94% screened urinary and respiratory specimens, 82% screened effusions and 39% screened fine‐needle aspirations.

Conclusions

We found that internship training provided essential training for Finnish cytotechnologists after they complete their basic professional studies. They reported many other duties in addition to microscopy screening.
Infants’ statistical word segmentation in an artificial language is linked to both parental speech input and reported production abilities
Authors: Hoareau Mélanie , Yeung H. Henny , Nazzi Thierry
Published: January 2019

Individual variability in infant's language processing is partly explained by environmental factors, like the quantity of parental speech input, as well as by infant‐specific factors, like speech production. Here, we explore how these factors affect infant word segmentation. We used an artificial language to ensure that only statistical regularities (like transitional probabilities between syllables) could cue word boundaries, and then asked how the quantity of parental speech input and infants’ babbling repertoire predict infants’ abilities to use these statistical cues. We replicated prior reports showing that 8‐month‐old infants use statistical cues to segment words, with a preference for part‐words over words (a novelty effect). Crucially, 8‐month‐olds with larger novelty effects had received more speech input at 4 months and had greater production abilities at 8 months. These findings establish for the first time that the ability to extract statistical information from speech correlates with individual factors in infancy, like early speech experience and language production. Implications of these findings for understanding individual variability in early language acquisition are discussed.
Cannabinoids for the treatment of spasticity
Authors: Nielsen Suzanne , Murnion Bridin , Campbell Gabrielle , Young Helen , Hall Wayne
Published: January 2019

This review summarizes studies that examined the effectiveness of cannabinoids in treating spasticity, with a focus on understanding the relevance of the existing evidence to paediatric populations. MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library were searched to identify studies that examined the use of cannabinoids in spasticity. We identified 32 studies in adult and paediatric populations. Results were summarized by condition, with adult and paediatric studies considered separately. There is evidence from randomized controlled clinical trials that cannabinoids are more effective than placebo in reducing symptoms of spasticity in adults with multiple sclerosis. Most positive effects were based on patient‐rated rather than clinician‐rated measures, were modest in size, and should be considered in the context of the narrow therapeutic index of cannabinoids for spasticity and adverse effects. There were comparatively few, and no large studies, of spasticity in conditions other than multiple sclerosis. Few studies have been conducted in paediatric populations. Paediatric studies of spasticity provide low quality evidence and are inadequate to inform clinical practice.

Cannabinoids have modest efficacy in reducing muscle spasticity in adults with multiple sclerosis.

There is limited evidence of efficacy for cannabinoid use in other conditions, particularly in paediatric populations.

Studies in paediatric populations have been of low quality and are insufficient to inform clinical practice.
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis: clinical phenotype, epidemiology, and preventive interventions
Authors: Mekki Mohammed , Eley Brian , Hardie Diana , Wilmshurst Jo M
Published: January 2019

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a preventable condition reported in 6.5 to 11 per 100 000 cases of measles, and highest in children who contracted measles infection when they were less than 5 years of age. Children residing in areas with poor vaccination coverage and high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus are at increased risk of developingSSPE.SSPEis life‐threatening in most affected children. This report documents current data relating to the clinical phenotype, epidemiology, and understanding ofSSPE, inclusive of preventive interventions. While improvements in disease progression with immunomodulation may occur, overall there is no cure. Most therapies focus on supportive needs. Seizures and abnormal movements may respond to carbamazepine. Many countries advocate policies to enhance vaccination coverage. Effective preventive health care programmes, assurance of parental perceptions, and crisis support for unprecedented events obstructing effective primary health care are needed. Until measles is eradicated worldwide, children in all regions remain at risk.

What this paper adds

Measles contracted under 5 years of age has highest risk of developing subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).

Children with, or exposed to, human immunodeficiency virus infection, who contract measles may be at increased risk of SSPE.
Medication treatment for attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder and the risk of acute seizures in individuals with epilepsy
Authors: Brikell Isabell , Chen Qi , Kuja‐Halkola Ralf , D’Onofrio Brian M. , Wiggs Kelsey K. , Lichtenstein Paul , Almqvist Catarina , Quinn Patrick D. , Chang Zheng , Larsson Henrik
Published: January 2019

Objective

Attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects 10%‐30% of individuals with epilepsy, yet concerns remain regarding the safety of ADHD medication in this group. The objective of this study was to examine the risk of acute seizures associated with ADHD medication in individuals with epilepsy.

Methods

A total of 21 557 individuals with a seizure history born between 1987 and 2003 were identified from Swedish population registers. Within this study population, we also identified 6773 youth (<19 years of age) who meet criteria for epilepsy, and 1605 youth with continuous antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment. ADHD medication initiation and repeated medication periods were identified from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2013. Acute seizures were identified via unplanned visits to hospital or specialist care with a primary seizure discharge diagnosis in the Swedish National Patient Register during the same period. Conditional Poisson regression was used to compare the seizure rate during the 24 weeks before and after initiation of ADHD medication with the rate during the same 48 weeks in the previous year. Cox regression was used to compare the seizure rate during ADHD medication periods with the rate during nonmedication periods. Comparisons were made within‐individual to adjust for unmeasured, time?constant confounding.

Results

Among 995 individuals who initiated ADHD medication during follow‐up, within‐individual analyses showed no statistically significant difference in the rate of seizures during the 24 weeks before and after medication initiation, compared to the same period in the previous year. In the full study population 11 754 seizure events occurred during 136 846 person‐years and 1855 individuals had at least one ADHD medication period. ADHD medication periods were associated with a reduced rate of acute seizures (hazard ratio [HR] 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57‐0.94), compared to nonmedication periods within the same individual. Similar associations were found in youth with epilepsy and continuous AED treatment, when adjusting for AEDs, and across sex, age, and comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders.

Significance

We found no evidence for an overall increased rate of acute seizures associated with ADHD medication treatment among individuals with epilepsy. These results suggest that epilepsy should not automatically preclude patients from receiving ADHD medications.
Spectrum of neurodevelopmental disease associated with the GNAO1 guanosine triphosphate–binding region
Authors: Kelly McKenna , Park Meredith , Mihalek Ivana , Rochtus Anne , Gramm Marie , Pérez‐Palma Eduardo , Axeen Erika Takle , Hung Christina Y. , Olson Heather , Swanson Lindsay , Anselm Irina , Briere Lauren C. , High Frances A. , Sweetser David A. ,   Undiagnosed Diseases Network, Kayani Saima , Snyder Molly , Calvert Sophie , Scheffer Ingrid E. , Yang Edward , Waugh Jeff L. , Lal Dennis , Bodamer Olaf , Poduri Annapurna
Published: January 2019

Objective

To characterize the phenotypic spectrum associated with GNAO1 variants and establish genotype‐protein structure‐phenotype relationships.

Methods

We evaluated the phenotypes of 14 patients with GNAO1 variants, analyzed their variants for potential pathogenicity, and mapped them, along with those in the literature, on a three‐dimensional structural protein model.

Results

The 14 patients in our cohort, including one sibling pair, had 13 distinct, heterozygous GNAO1 variants classified as pathogenic or likely pathogenic. We attributed the same variant in two siblings to parental mosaicism. Patients initially presented with seizures beginning in the first 3 months of life (8/14), developmental delay (4/14), hypotonia (1/14), or movement disorder (1/14). All patients had hypotonia and developmental delay ranging from mild to severe. Nine had epilepsy, and nine had movement disorders, including dystonia, ataxia, chorea, and dyskinesia. The 13 GNAO1 variants in our patients are predicted to result in amino acid substitutions or deletions in the GNAO1 guanosine triphosphate (GTP)‐binding region, analogous to those in previous publications. Patients with variants affecting amino acids 207‐221 had only movement disorder and hypotonia. Patients with variants affecting the C‐terminal region had the mildest phenotypes.

Significance

GNAO1 encephalopathy most frequently presents with seizures beginning in the first 3 months of life. Concurrent movement disorders are also a prominent feature in the spectrum of GNAO1 encephalopathy. All variants affected the GTP‐binding domain of GNAO1, highlighting the importance of this region for G‐protein signaling and neurodevelopment.
The investment behavior of buyout funds: Theory and evidence
Authors: Ljungqvist Alexander , Richardson Matthew , Wolfenzon Daniel
Published: January 2019

We analyze the determinants of buyout funds’ investment decisions. We argue that when there is imperfect competition for private equity funds, the timing of funds’ investment decisions, their risk‐taking behavior, and their subsequent returns depend on changes in the demand for private equity, conditions in the credit market, and fund managers’ ability to influence perceptions of their talent. We investigate these hypotheses using a proprietary dataset of 207 U.S. buyout funds that invested in 1,957 buyout targets over a 30‐year period. Our dataset contains precisely dated cash inflows and outflows in every portfolio company, links every buyout target to an identifiable buyout fund, and is free from reporting and survivor biases. Thus, we are able to characterize every buyout fund's precise investment choices. Our findings are as follows. First, established funds accelerate their investment flows and earn higher returns when investment opportunities improve, competition for deal flow eases, and credit market conditions loosen. Second, the investment behavior of first‐time funds is less sensitive to market conditions. Third, younger funds invest in riskier buyouts, in an effort to establish a track record. Finally, following periods of good performance, funds become more conservative, and this effect is stronger for first‐time funds.
Boom‐bust like dynamics of invasive black bullhead (Ameiurus melas) in Lake Sava (Serbia)
Authors: Jaćimović Milica , Lenhardt Mirjana , Krpo‐Ćetković Jasmina , Jarić Ivan , Gačić Zoran , Hegediš Aleksandar
Published: January 2019

The life‐history traits and population dynamics of the black bullhead Ameiurus melas (Rafinesque) were studied monthly from August 2009 to December 2012 in Lake Sava in Belgrade (Serbia). This period included a mass mortality event in May 2011 and subsequent population recovery during 2012. Available evidence suggests the mass mortality was caused by European catfish virus that only affected the black bullhead. Changes in key life‐history traits and the recovery potential (increase in catch‐per‐unit‐effort, doubling of young‐of‐the‐year to adult ratio, earlier maturation and increased fecundity) following the mass mortality event suggest population resilience typical of a recurring boom‐bust pattern and demonstrate the species’ capacity to recover rapidly and re‐establish following disturbance. Repeated systematic mass removals of both juveniles and adults (using fyke nets) will be required if future fishery management measures aimed at limiting the population size are to be effective.
The Econometrics and Economics of the Employment Effects of Minimum Wages: Getting from Known Unknowns to Known Knowns
Authors: Neumark David
Published: January 2019

I discuss the econometrics and the economics of past research on the effects of minimum wages on employment in the United States. My intent is to try to identify key questions raised in the recent literature, and some from the earlier literature, which I think hold the most promise for understanding the conflicting evidence and arriving at a more definitive answer about the employment effects of minimum wages. My secondary goal is to discuss how we can narrow the range of uncertainty about the likely effects of the large minimum wage increases becoming more prevalent in the United States. I discuss some insights from both theory and past evidence that may be informative about the effects of high minimum wages, and try to emphasize what research can be done now and in the near future to provide useful evidence to policymakers on the results of the coming high minimum wage experiment, whether in the United States or in other countries.
Evaluation of SUMO1 and POU2AF1 in whole blood from rheumatoid arthritis patients and at risk relatives
Authors: Romo‐García Maria Fernanda , Nava‐Ramírez Hilda Susana , Zapata‐Zúñiga Martin , Macías‐Segura Noe , Santiago‐Algarra David , Castillo‐Ortiz Jose Dionisio , Bastián Yadira , Ramos‐Remus Cesar , Enciso‐Moreno Jose Antonio , Castañeda‐Delgado Julio Enrique
Published: January 2019

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by chronic and symmetrical inflammation of synovial tissue with subsequent joint destruction. SUMO1 is an important regulator of apoptosis through non‐canonical mechanism in synovial fibroblasts, and POU2AF1 is a known B‐cell transcriptional co‐activator. The specific objective of this study was to measure the expression of SUMO1 and POU2AF1 on first‐degree relatives of patients with RA and also in the preclinical and clinical stages of RA and describe their possible role in RA physiopathology. Blood samples were collected from ACPA+, ACPA‐, early and established RA subjects recruited. ACPAs and CarP autoantibodies were determined by ELISA Eurodiagnostica CCplus kit according to previously described protocols. RNA was isolated from blood samples; the purity as integrity was determined. Gene expression analysis was made by RT‐qPCR using specific primers for SUMO1 and POU2AF1 mRNAs; relative expression was determined according to the 2‐ΔΔct method procedure. Significant differences in the expression of both, SUMO1 and POU2AF1 were identified when comparing arthritis versus healthy or ACPA+ individuals, suggesting that the down regulation of such genes starts after the onset of symptoms in RA patients. Also, a significant correlation was identified for POU2AF1 and disease progression whit a downward trend for those with established RA. The implications of such gene down regulation are discussed in the context of RA physiopathology.
Hope, hype and harms of Big Data
Authors: Scott Ian A.
Published: January 2019

Big Data are characterised by greater volumes of data from a greater variety of sources which are produced and processed at greater velocity. Huge digitised datasets from electronic medical records, registries, administrative datasets and genomic databanks can now be analysed by advanced computer programs to reveal patterns, trends and associations previously indiscernible using conventional analytic methods. These new insights may have important implications for clinical care. But Big Data can be limited by inaccuracies and bias inherent to observational datasets and which cannot be eliminated simply by using ever enlarging data sets or more sophisticated software. The hope and hype of Big Data cannot be allowed to override potential for harm, and the need for concurrent development of new research designs, better analytic methods and rigorous evaluation of predictive accuracy and effects on care and outcomes.