bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The case for value chain resilience
Authors: Linkov Igor , Carluccio Savina , Pritchard Oliver , Ní Bhreasail Áine , Galaitsi Stephanie , Sarkis Joseph , Keisler Jeffrey M.
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Value chain analyses that help businesses build competitive advantage must include considerations of unpredictable shocks and stressors that can create costly business disruptions. Enriching value chain analysis with considerations of system resilience, meaning the ability to recover and adapt after adverse events, can reduce the imposed costs of such disruptions.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a perspective on resilience as both an expansion and complement of risk analysis. It examines applications of both concepts within current value chain literature and within supply chain literature that may inform potential directions or pitfalls for future value chain investigations. Established frameworks from the broader field of resilience research are proposed for value chain resilience analysis and practice.

Findings

The synthesis reveals a need to expand value chain resilience analysis to incorporate phases of system disruption. Current explorations in the literature lack an explicit acknowledgement and understanding of system-level effects related to interconnectedness. The quantification methods proposed for value chain resilience analysis address these gaps.

Originality/value

Using broader resilience conceptualizations, this paper introduces the resilience matrix and three-tiered resilience assessment that can be applied within value chain analyses to better safeguard long-term business feasibility despite a context of increasing threats.
Sex‐specific effects of wind on the flight decisions of a sexually dimorphic soaring bird
Authors: Clay Thomas A. , Joo Rocío , Weimerskirch Henri , Phillips Richard A. , den Ouden Olivier , Basille Mathieu , Clusella‐Trullas Susana , Assink Jelle D. , Patrick Samantha C.
Published: June 2020

In a highly dynamic airspace, flying animals are predicted to adjust foraging behaviour to variable wind conditions to minimize movement costs.

Sexual size dimorphism is widespread in wild animal populations, and for large soaring birds which rely on favourable winds for energy‐efficient flight, differences in morphology, wing loading and associated flight capabilities may lead males and females to respond differently to wind. However, the interaction between wind and sex has not been comprehensively tested.

We investigated, in a large sexually dimorphic seabird which predominantly uses dynamic soaring flight, whether flight decisions are modulated to variation in winds over extended foraging trips, and whether males and females differ.

Using GPS loggers we tracked 385 incubation foraging trips of wandering albatrosses Diomedea exulans, for which males are c. 20% larger than females, from two major populations (Crozet and South Georgia). Hidden Markov models were used to characterize behavioural states—directed flight, area‐restricted search (ARS) and resting—and model the probability of transitioning between states in response to wind speed and relative direction, and sex.

Wind speed and relative direction were important predictors of state transitioning. Birds were much more likely to take off (i.e. switch from rest to flight) in stronger headwinds, and as wind speeds increased, to be in directed flight rather than ARS. Males from Crozet but not South Georgia experienced stronger winds than females, and males from both populations were more likely to take‐off in windier conditions.

Albatrosses appear to deploy an energy‐saving strategy by modulating taking‐off, their most energetically expensive behaviour, to favourable wind conditions. The behaviour of males, which have higher wing loading requiring faster speeds for gliding flight, was influenced to a greater degree by wind than females. As such, our results indicate that variation in flight performance drives sex differences in time–activity budgets and may lead the sexes to exploit regions with different wind regimes.
Venous thromboembolism after adult thymus or thymic tumor resection: A single‐center experience
Authors: Yang Xingguo , Yu Lei , Yu Tao , Li Fei , Zhang Yunfeng , Yu Zhen , Zhang Baoxun , Ke Ji , Li Hui
Published: June 2020

Background

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common postoperative complication. Previous studies have shown that the VTE incidence after major thoracic surgery is high. However, there have been no exclusive data after thymectomy thus far. To investigate the incidence of postoperative VTE, we conducted a single‐center, prospective cohort study.

Methods

Patients who underwent thymectomy between December 2017 and January 2020 were enrolled. None of the patients received any prophylaxis perioperatively. Subjects were risk stratified into groups of low risk (0–4), moderate risk (5–8), and high risk (≥9). Occurrence of VTE events, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), were identified by imaging.

Results

There were 192 patients who underwent thymectomy enrolled into the study. The overall VTE incidence was 8.9%. All the patients were diagnosed with DVT, and none were diagnosed with PE. The VTE incidence was 4.6% in patients with benign thymic diseases and 14.5% with malignant diseases. The VTE incidence was 4.7% in patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery and 22.7% undergoing median sternotomy. The VTE incidence increased with Caprini score. Scores in the low, moderate, and high risk groups were associated with a VTE incidence of 0%, 10.3% and 37.5%, respectively. In patients with thymic malignancy, the VTE incidence in the moderate and high risk groups were 8.8% and 31.8%, respectively.

Conclusions

VTE occurred frequently in patients after thymectomy without VTE prophylaxis. The median sternotomy procedure and malignant tumor may be the major risk factors for the development of VTE. Aggressive VTE screening/treatment protocols should be implemented in patents after thymectomy.
Measurement of airborne particle exposure during simulated tracheal intubation using various proposed aerosol containment devices during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Simpson J. P. , Wong D. N. , Verco L. , Carter R. , Dzidowski M. , Chan P. Y.
Published: June 2020

The COVID‐19 pandemic has led to the production of novel devices intended to protect airway managers during the aerosol‐generating procedure of tracheal intubation. Using an in‐situ simulation model, we evaluated laryngoscopist exposure of airborne particles sized 0.3 ‐ 5.0 microns using five aerosol containment devices (aerosol box; sealed box with and without suction; vertical drape; and horizontal drape) compared with no aerosol containment device. Nebulised saline was used as the aerosol‐generating model for 300 s, at which point, the devices were removed to assess particle spread. Primary outcome was the quantity and size of airborne particles measured at the level of the laryngoscopist’s head at 30, 60, 120 and 300 s, as well as 360 s (60 s after device removal). Airborne particles sizes of 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 microns were quantified using an electronic airborne particle counter. Compared with no device use, the sealed intubation box with suction resulted in a decrease in 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.5 micron, but not 5.0 micron, particle exposure over all time‐periods (p = 0.003 for all time periods). Compared with no device use, the aerosol box showed an increase in 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 micron airborne particle exposure at 300 s (p = 0.002, 0.008, 0.002, respectively). Compared with no device use, neither horizontal nor vertical drapes showed any difference in any particle size exposure at any time. Finally, when the patient coughed, use of the aerosol box resulted in a marked increase in airborne particle exposure compared with other devices or no device use. In conclusion, novel devices intended to protect the laryngoscopist require objective testing to ensure they are fit for purpose and do not result in increased airborne particle exposure.
Decolonizing posthumanism: Indigenous material agency in generative STEM
Authors: Eglash Ron , Bennett Audrey , Babbitt William , Lachney Michael , Reinhardt Martin , Hammond‐Sowah Deborah
Published: June 2020

This paper describes a decolonial perspective on material agency in the context of STEM education and application. Using the framework of generative STEM, we engaged in case studies with African, African American, South American, and Native American educational communities. This research shows that understanding material agency based on Indigenous knowledge systems can open a rich source of research and education content. Using a suite of simulations, Culturally Situated Design Tools, we apply this body of research to the classroom. One important theoretical conclusion is the contrast to a “content agnostic” position. A generative framework instead offers a robust blend of user agency and instructional guidance. The outcomes indicate statistically significant and notable improvement for STEM skills and interests. We conclude with a contrast to the quantum epistemology approach to posthumanism. We show that the Indigenous material agency framework in generative STEM is a better fit to decolonial aspirations, and that it offers a more transformative vision for the potential role of STEM in transitioning from an extractive to a generative economy.
Haematological cancers and the risk of severe COVID‐19: Exploration and critical evaluation of the evidence to date
Authors: El‐Sharkawi Dima , Iyengar Sunil
Published: June 2020

From the outset of the COVID‐19 pandemic, patients and healthcare professionals have been concerned that a history of haematological malignancy will lead to an increased risk of severe COVID‐19. This led to the UK government advising patients with blood cancers to shield, massive re‐organisation of NHS haematology and cancer services, and changes in treatment plans for thousands of patients. Given the unknown effects that relaxation of social‐distancing measures will have on the infection rate, we review the evidence to date to see whether a history of haematological malignancy is associated with increased risk of COVID‐19. Multivariable analysis of large population studies, taking other known risk factors into account, do indicate that patients with haematological malignancy, especially those diagnosed recently, are at increased risk of death from COVID‐19 compared to the general population. The evidence that this risk is higher than for those with solid malignancies is conflicting. There is suggestive evidence from smaller cohort studies that those with myeloid malignancy may be at increased risk within the blood cancer population, but this needs to be confirmed on larger studies. Ongoing large collaborative efforts are required to gain further evidence regarding specific risk factors for severe complications of COVID‐19.
A comparative evaluation of different neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder sets of criteria
Authors: Papeix C. , Beigneux Y. , Maillart E. , de Seze J. , Lubetzki C. , Vukusic S. , Collongues N. , Marignier R.
Published: June 2020

Background and purpose

Three different sets of criteria have been proposed for the diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). The objective was to compare the specificity, sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy of the three different sets of NMOSD criteria in patients presenting with inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system suggestive of NMOSD.

Methods

For 236 suspected NMOSD patients referred for serum aquaporin‐4 immunoglobulin G antibody (AQP4‐IgG) testing between 2012 and 2014, the three sets of NMOSD criteria [1999, 2006 NMO criteria and 2015 International Panel for NMO Diagnosis (IPND) criteria] were applied and compared to the final diagnosis.

Results

Seventy‐six patients fulfilled at least one set of criteria and 28 patients fulfilled all NMOSD sets of criteria. The final diagnosis was NMOSD in 66 cases, multiple sclerosis according to the MacDonald 2010 criteria in 85 cases and another diagnosis in 85 cases. The 2006 NMO criteria have the highest specificity (99%) and the 2015 IPND NMOSD criteria the highest sensitivity (97%). For the 1999, 2006 and 2015 IPND NMOSD criteria, the accuracy was respectively 82%, 87% and 97%.

Conclusions

Our study highlights the limitations of the first set of criteria that include the optico‐spinal form of multiple sclerosis. The accuracy of NMOSD diagnostic criteria improved from 1999 to 2015. It confirms the increased performance of the last set of criteria which covers a larger spectrum of clinical presentation. This study raises some concerns for classifying patients with seronegative transverse myelitis or optic neuritis, and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody‐ associated disease.
Deciphering the surgical treatment gap for drug‐resistant epilepsy (DRE): A literature review
Authors: Solli Elena , Colwell Nicole A. , Say Irene , Houston Rebecca , Johal Anmol S. , Pak Jayoung , Tomycz Luke
Published: June 2020

Patients with drug‐resistant epilepsy (DRE) rarely achieve seizure freedom with medical therapy alone. Despite being safe and effective for select patients with DRE, epilepsy surgery remains heavily underutilized. Multiple studies have indicated that the overall rates of surgery in patients with DRE have stagnated in recent years and may be decreasing, even when hospitalizations for epilepsy‐related problems are on the rise. Ultimately, many patients with DRE who might otherwise benefit from surgery continue to have intractable seizures, lacking access to the full spectrum of available treatment options. In this article, we review the various factors accounting for the persistent underutilization of epilepsy surgery and uncover several key themes, including the persistent knowledge gap among physicians in identifying potential surgical candidates, lack of coordinated patient care, patient misconceptions of surgery, and socioeconomic disparities impeding access to care. Moreover, factors such as the cost and complexity of the preoperative evaluation, a lack of federal resource allocation for the research of surgical therapies for epilepsy, and difficulties recruiting patients to clinical trials all contribute to this multifaceted dilemma.
Parenting in the Midst of Adversity: Tailoring a Culturally Adapted Parent Training Intervention According to the Parenting Experiences of Mexican‐Origin Caregivers
Authors: Parra‐Cardona Ruben , Londono Tatiana , Davila Stephanie , Gonzalez Villanueva Eva , Fuentes Jaime , Fondren Christina , Zapata Ofelia , Emerson Maria , Claborn Kasey
Published: June 2020

Although parent training (PT) interventions are considered the gold standard for preventing externalizing behaviors in children and youth, their dissemination in low‐income Latina/o immigrant communities continues to be scarce throughout the United States (US). An alternative to address this gap in service delivery consists of implementing culturally adapted PT interventions characterized by cultural and contextual relevance. Thus, the main objective of this qualitative study was to document salient immigration‐related experiences, as well as parenting needs and challenges, as reported by 30 low‐income Mexican‐origin immigrant caregivers residing in an urban setting in the Southern United States. The research methodology was guided by the tenets of the Thematic Analysis approach, which involved collecting data through a series of focus group interviews. Qualitative research findings highlight the importance of culturally and contextually tailoring adapted PT prevention interventions, prior to their delivery in contexts that differ from those in which interventions were originally adapted. Specifically, parents in the current investigation provided detailed accounts of immigration‐related stressors that are highly relevant to inform recruitment procedures, intervention curriculum, and intervention delivery activities.
Mating patterns influence vulnerability to the extinction vortex
Authors: Godwin Joanne L. , Lumley Alyson J. , Michalczyk Łukasz , Martin Oliver Y. , Gage Matthew J. G.
Published: June 2020

Earth's biodiversity is undergoing mass extinction due to anthropogenic compounding of environmental, demographic and genetic stresses. These different stresses can trap populations within a reinforcing feedback loop known as the extinction vortex, in which synergistic pressures build upon one another through time, driving down population viability. Sexual selection, the widespread evolutionary force arising from competition, choice and reproductive variance within animal mating patterns could have vital consequences for population viability and the extinction vortex: (a) if sexual selection reinforces natural selection to fix ‘good genes’ and purge ‘bad genes’, then mating patterns encouraging competition and choice may help protect populations from extinction; (b) by contrast, if mating patterns create load through evolutionary or ecological conflict, then population viability could be further reduced by sexual selection. We test between these opposing theories using replicate populations of the model insect Tribolium castaneum exposed to over 10 years of experimental evolution under monogamous versus polyandrous mating patterns. After a 95‐generation history of divergence in sexual selection, we compared fitness and extinction of monogamous versus polyandrous populations through an experimental extinction vortex comprising 15 generations of cycling environmental and genetic stresses. Results showed that lineages from monogamous evolutionary backgrounds, with limited opportunities for sexual selection, showed rapid declines in fitness and complete extinction through the vortex. By contrast, fitness of populations from the history of polyandry, with stronger opportunities for sexual selection, declined slowly, with 60% of populations surviving by the study end. The three vortex stresses of (a) nutritional deprivation, (b) thermal stress and (c) genetic bottlenecking had similar impacts on fitness declines and extinction risk, with an overall sigmoid decline in survival through time. We therefore reveal sexual selection as an important force behind lineages facing extinction threats, identifying the relevance of natural mating patterns for conservation management.
The role of Helicobacter pylori in vitamin‐B12 deficiency due to metformin use
Authors: Gökışık Melih Tansel , Uyar Seyit
Published: June 2020

Background

Metformin is widely used for the treatment of type‐2 diabetes (T2D) but was shown to cause vitamin‐B12 deficiency. H pylori infection was also suggested to cause vitamin‐B12 deficiency. This study aimed to elucidate the relationships in this triad by investigating vitamin‐B12 deficiency and H pylori infection in T2D patients using metformin.

Materials and Methods

This descriptive cross‐sectional study recruited T2D patients using metformin from a primary care center and examined their socioeconomic status, accompanying complaints, medication use, and hemogram parameters such as serum vitamin B12, calcium, and hemoglobin. The presence of H pylori infection was determined through stool antigen test.

Results

Study included 421 T2D patients on metformin regimen: 213 (50.6%) males and 208 (49.4%) females. The mean duration of diabetes was 9.88 ± 7.32 years, and the total metformin dose was 1925.5 ± 236.7 mg/d. Almost half of the participants (n = 199, 47.3%) had H pylori infection, and more than half (n = 222, 52.7%) had vitamin‐B12 deficiency. The rate of vitamin‐B12 deficiency was significantly higher among those with H pylori infection. No significant relationship was found between the daily metformin dose and vitamin‐B12 deficiency.

Conclusions

This study supported the role of H pylori infection in vitamin‐B12 deficiency. However, the effects of increased metformin dose and H pylori infection on vitamin‐B12 levels were not additive. It is recommended that vitamin‐B12 levels in T2D patients are monitored and those with vitamin‐B12 deficiency, regardless of metformin dose, are screened for H pylori and, if necessary, treated.
Potential overfeeding among formula fed Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children participants and associated factors
Authors: Anderson Christopher E. , Martinez Catherine E. , Ventura Alison K. , Whaley Shannon E.
Published: June 2020

Background

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provides enough formula to meet the known nutritional needs of infants up to 6 months of age whose mothers report not breastfeeding, but many mothers report WIC providing insufficient formula, indicating potential overfeeding.

Objective

To estimate the prevalence of potential overfeeding among formula‐feeding WIC participants and identify associated factors.

Methods

Potential overfeeding was identified among participants of the longitudinal Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study‐2 (ITFPS‐2) receiving the fully formula‐feeding WIC infant package at 1 month of age (n = 1235, weighted n = 197 079). Associations of potential overfeeding with caloric intake, weight and participant characteristics were assessed.

Results

Potential overfeeding was identified among 37.41% (95% CI = 33.57‐41.25%) of fully formula‐feeding infants. Potentially overfed infants were 0.18 kg heavier (P‐value = .01), consumed 26 more calories daily (P‐value = .004) and were more likely Non‐Hispanic White or English‐speaking Hispanic (P‐value = .007) and highly active at 5 months of age (P‐value = .01). Mothers of potentially overfed infants were less likely to agree that breastfeeding is easier than bottle feeding, only mothers can feed breastfed infants, turning away from the bottle indicates satiation, and crying always indicates hunger (P‐values .04, .002, .04 and .04 respectively), and more likely to report WIC provides insufficient formula early (1‐5 months, P‐value <.0001) and late (6‐13 months, P‐value = .007) in infancy.

Conclusions

Potential overfeeding occurs in 37% of fully formula‐feeding infant WIC‐participants <6 months old. Mothers of these infants may benefit from additional education about the formula needs of their infants and how to recognize infant satiation cues.
Molecular characterization of circulating tumour cells identifies predictive markers for outcome in primary, triple‐negative breast cancer patients
Authors: Bittner Ann‐Kathrin , Keup Corinna , Hoffmann Oliver , Hauch Siegfried , Kimmig Rainer , Kasimir‐Bauer Sabine
Published: June 2020

mRNA profiles of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) were analysed in patients with triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) (pts) before (BT) and after therapy (AT) to identify additional treatment options. 2 × 5 mL blood of 51 TNBC pts and 24 non‐TNBC pts (HR+/HER2−; HR−/HER2+) was analysed for CTCs using the AdnaTest EMT‐2/Stem Cell Select™, followed by mRNA isolation and cDNA analysis for 17 genes by qPCR PIK3CA, AKT2, MTOR and the resistance marker AURKA and ERCC1 were predominantly expressed in all breast cancer subtypes, the latter ones especially AT. In TNBC pts, ERBB3, EGFR, SRC, NOTCH, ALK and AR were uniquely present and ERBB2+/ERBB3 + CTCs were found BT and AT in about 20% of cases. EGFR+/ERBB2+/ERBB3 + CTCs BT and ERBB2+/ERBB3 + CTCs AT significantly correlated with a shorter progression‐free survival (PFS; P = 0.01 and P = 0.02). Platinum‐based therapy resulted in a reduced PFS (P = 0.02) and an induction of PIK3CA expression in CTCs AT. In non‐TNBC pts, BT, the expression pattern in CTCs was similar. AURKA+/ERCC1 + CTCs were found in 40% of HR−/HER2 + pts BT and AT. In the latter group, NOTCH, PARP1 and SRC1 were only present AT and ERBB2 + CTCs completely disappeared AT. These findings might help to predict personalized therapy for TNBC pts in the future.
Soluble uric acid induces myocardial damage through activating the NLRP3 inflammasome
Authors: Zhang Hailong , Ma Yuting , Cao Run , Wang Guanli , Li Shaowei , Cao Yue , Zhang Hao , Liu Meichen , Liu Guangchao , Zhang Jun , Li Shulian , Wang Yaohui , Ma Yuanfang
Published: June 2020

Uric acid crystal is known to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome and to cause tissue damages, which can result in many diseases, such as gout, chronic renal injury and myocardial damage. Meanwhile, soluble uric acid (sUA), before forming crystals, is also related to these diseases. This study was carried out to investigate whether sUA could also activate NLRP3 inflammasome in cardiomyocytes and to analyse the mechanisms. The cardiomyocyte activity was monitored, along with the levels of mature IL‐1β and caspase‐1 from H9c2 cells following sUA stimulus. We found that sUA was able to activate NLRP3 inflammasome, which was responsible for H9c2 cell apoptosis induced by sUA. By elevating TLR6 levels and then activating NF‐κB/p65 signal pathway, sUA promoted NLRP3, pro‐caspase 1 and pro‐IL‐1β production and provided the first signal of NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Meanwhile, ROS production regulated by UCP2 levels also contributed to NLRP3 inflammasome assembly and subsequent caspase 1 activation and mature IL‐1β secretion. In addition, the tlr6 knockdown rats suffering from hyperuricemia showed the lower level of IL‐1β and an ameliorative cardiac function. These findings suggest that sUA activates NLRP3 inflammasome in cardiomyocytes and they may provide one therapeutic strategy for myocardial damage induced by sUA.
Commentary: What’s so special about girls on the autism spectrum? – a commentary on Kaat et al. (2020)
Authors: Ratto Allison B.
Published: June 2020

This commentary on the multisite integrative analysis of sex differences on gold standard measures of autism by Kaat and colleagues (2020) provides perspective on its contributions to the debate surrounding sex differences in autism. While this study reports important findings regarding sex differences using currently available tools and samples, innovative research approaches are needed to develop new tools and methodologies to improve our understanding of how autism manifests across the gender spectrum. This includes developing meaningful research partnerships with autistic colleagues, actively recruiting more diverse samples, and augmenting conventional tools and methodologies with new, and equally rigorous, approaches.
The loss of self‐incompatibility in a range expansion
Authors: Encinas‐Viso Francisco , Young Andrew G. , Pannell John R.
Published: June 2020

It is commonly observed that plant species' range margins are enriched for increased selfing rates and, in otherwise self‐incompatible species, for self‐compatibility (SC). This has often been attributed to a response to selection under mate and/or pollinator limitation. However, range expansion can also cause reduced inbreeding depression, and this could facilitate the evolution of selfing in the absence of mate or pollinator limitation. Here, we explore this idea using spatially explicit individual‐based simulations of a range expansion, in which inbreeding depression, variation in self‐incompatibility (SI), and mate availability evolve. Under a wide range of conditions, the simulated range expansion brought about the evolution of selfing after the loss of SI in range‐marginal populations. Under conditions of high recombination between the self‐incompatibility locus (S‐locus) and viability loci, SC remained marginal in the expanded metapopulation and could not invade the range core, which remained self‐incompatible. In contrast, under low recombination and migration rates, SC was frequently able to displace SI in the range core by maintaining its association with a genomic background with purged genetic load. We conclude that the evolution of inbreeding depression during a range expansion promotes the evolution of SC at range margins, especially under high rates of recombination.‬
Understanding aesthetic interest in oral collagen peptides: A 5‐year national assessment
Authors: Albornoz Christian A. , Shah Saloni , Murgia Robert D. , Wang Jordan V. , Saedi Nazanin
Published: June 2020

Oral supplementation with collagen peptides has recently grown in popularity. It has been marketed to offer skin rejuvenating properties, such as wrinkle reduction, skin plumping, and moisturizing effects. However, current data are limited regarding its effects on the skin. Despite the controversial status of oral collagen supplements, its popularity has continued to rise. Here, we examine the consumer interest in oral collagen peptides over a 5‐year period in the United States.
Interventions to reduce physical restraints in general hospital settings: A scoping review of components and characteristics
Authors: Abraham Jens , Hirt Julian , Kamm Friederike , Möhler Ralph
Published: June 2020

Aims and objectives

To describe the characteristics of interventions for reducing physical restraints in general hospital settings.

Background

Physical restraints, such as bedrails and belts in beds and chairs, are commonly used in general hospital settings. However, there is no clear evidence on their effectiveness but some evidence on potential risks for harm.

Design

Scoping review.

Methods

We conducted a systematic database search (MEDLINE via PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library; March 2020) and snowballing techniques. We included both interventional studies and quality improvement projects conducted in general hospital settings and published in English or German language. Two reviewers independently performed the study selection and data extraction. The Scoping Reviews (PRISMA‐ScR) Checklist was used.

Results

We included 31 articles (published between 1989 and 2018), 15 quality improvement projects and 16 intervention studies. Only five studies used a controlled design. Most studies and quality improvement projects investigated multicomponent interventions including education (predominantly for nursing staff) and additional components (e.g. case conferences). Three studies examined simple educational programmes without additional components.

Conclusions

A large number of multicomponent interventions for preventing and reducing physical restraints in general hospital settings have been developed. The interventions differed widely regarding the components, contents and settings. Well‐designed evaluation studies investigating the effects of such interventions are lacking.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

Multicomponent educational interventions might be one approach to change clinical practice, but only insufficient information is available about potential effects of these approaches.
Complicating the Duality: Reconceptualising the Construction of Children in Victorian Child Protection Law
Authors: Walsh Kieran
Published: June 2020

This article seeks to challenge the prevailing view that child protection legislation introduced in the late Victorian and Edwardian periods was characterised by a victim/threat duality. An examination of the parliamentary debates leading to the passage of major reforming Acts leads to a more complex construction of children. While the classic duality was present in respect of some issues earlier in the period under examination, it gave way to a view which placed greater emphasis on the child as a victim. At the same time, the law began, in an admittedly limited sense, to recognise children as agents with individual stories capable of contributing to the legal process, especially through increased capability to participate at trials. This conclusion can add significantly to our understanding of how the law understood childhood before the development of the modern children's rights movement.
The cultural wantons of the new millennium
Authors: Archer Margaret S.
Published: June 2020

In Culture and Agency (1988/1996, CUP), I made the distinction between the ‘Cultural System’ (C.S.), that is all items logged into the universal cultural archive, and ‘Socio‐Cultural’ (S‐C) interaction, namely how we persuade others to accept our views. The two are distinct; but any adequate explanation in social science involving ‘culture’ must respect this distinction and needs must come in a SAC, namely always entailing ‘Structure’, ‘Agency’ and ‘Culture’. Although not accepting that culture (C.S) was or is ever fully coherent or shared by definition, I charter a precipitous decline in its free accessibility as part of the Commons everywhere, but most markedly when and where morphogenesis predominates today – adding new variety to the (C.S.) and fostering divergent (S‐C) aims. Together, their ideational opportunism greatly augments Fake News as opponents lock in conflict, particularly when social integration is already low. Such Fake News is especially harmful to personal and collective Reflexivity and the ‘data smog’ of social media induces a ‘presentism’ that generates cultural wantons (Harry Frankfurt's term) amongst both those lying and in receipt of their lies.
‘This Is Not a Patient, This Is Property of the State’: Nursing, ethics, and the immigrant detention apparatus
Authors: Jenkins Danisha , Holmes Dave , Burton Candace , Murray Stuart J.
Published: June 2020

This paper opens with first‐hand accounts of critical care medical interventions in which detainees, in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), are brought to the emergency department for treatment. This case dramatizes the extent to which the provision of ethical and acceptable nursing care is jeopardized by federal law enforcement paradigms. Drawing on the scholarship of Michel Foucault and Giorgio Agamben, this paper offers a theoretical account of the power dynamics that inform the health care of patients who find themselves caught in the custodial scaffolding of a vast immigration and detention apparatus. It offers an analysis of the display of sovereign and biopolitical power over the lives (and deaths) of detainees (Foucault), as well as the ways these individuals are reduced to “bare life” under the political pretext of an emergency or “state of exception” (Agamben). Our purpose here is both theoretical and practical: to better understand the often hidden agency or impersonal “will” exercised by the immigrant detention system, but also to equip clinicians in these and cognate facilities (e.g., prisons) with the critical tools by which they might better navigate incommensurable paradigms (i.e., care vs. custody) in order to deliver the best care while upholding their ethical duties as a care provider. This is all the more pressing because hospitals are not sanctuaries and given the incursion of federal law enforcement agents, nurses may find themselves conscripted as de facto agents of the state.
Leaf chlorosis in Arabidopsis thaliana hybrids is associated with transgenerational decline and imbalanced ribosome number
Authors: Vaid Neha , Ishihara Hirofumi , Plötner Björn , Sageman‐Furnas Katelyn , Wiszniewski Andrew , Laitinen Roosa A. E.
Published: June 2020

The interaction of two parental genomes can result in negative outcomes in offspring, also known as hybrid incompatibility. We have previously reported a case in which two recessively interacting alleles result in hybrid chlorosis in Arabidopsis thaliana. A DEAD‐box RNA helicase 18 (AtRH18) was identified to be necessary for chlorosis.

In this study, we use a sophisticated genetic approach to investigate genes underlying hybrid chlorosis. Sequence comparisons, DNA methylation inhibitor drug treatment and segregation analysis were used to investigate the epigenetic regulation of hybrid chlorosis. Relative rRNA numbers were quantified using real‐time quantitative PCR.

We confirmed the causality of AtRH18 and provided evidence for the involvement of the promoter region of AtRH18 in the hybrid chlorosis. Furthermore, AtMOM1 from the second parent was identified as the likely candidate gene on chromosome 1. Chlorotic hybrids displayed transgenerational decline in chlorosis, and DNA demethylation experiment restored chlorophyll levels in chlorotic hybrids. Quantification of rRNA indicated that hybrid chlorosis was associated with an imbalance in the ratio of cytosolic and plastid ribosomes.

Our findings highlight that the epigenetic regulation of AtRH18 causes hybrid breakdown and provide novel information about the role of AtRH18 in plant development.
A case of an Infant with SARS‐CoV‐2 hepatitis early after liver transplantation
Authors: Heinz Nicole , Griesemer Adam , Kinney Joanna , Vittorio Jennifer , Lagana Stephen M. , Goldner Dana , Velasco Monica , Kato Tomoaki , Lobritto Steven , Martinez Mercedes
Published: June 2020

We present a case of a pediatric liver transplant recipient diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection four days after receiving a living donor liver allograft from her mother. The recipient was a 6‐month‐old with end‐stage liver disease due to biliary atresia and failed Kasai. The infant had an uncomplicated implantation, excellent graft function and down‐trending liver enzymes until developing fevers, diarrhea, and moderate respiratory distress requiring non‐invasive respiratory support. SARS‐CoV‐2 testing (nasal swab Polymerase Chain Reaction) was positive on post‐operative day (POD) 4. Liver enzymes peaked ~1000 U/L (5‐fold higher than the previous day) on POD 6. Histology demonstrated a mixed picture of moderate acute hepatitis and classical elements of mild to moderate acute cellular rejection. Her hepatitis and respiratory symptoms improved coincident with completing treatment with hydroxychloroquine, reduced immunosuppression, and intravenous gamma globulin (IVIG).
Frailty and incident depressive symptoms in a Chinese sample: the Rugao Longevity and Ageing Study
Authors: Chu Xue‐Feng , Zhang Na , Shi Guo‐Ping , Wang Yong , Wang Zheng‐Dong , Guo Jiang‐Hong , Jiang Xiao‐Yan , Jin Li , Wang Xiao‐Feng , Zhu Yin‐Sheng
Published: June 2020

Background

To explore the cross‐sectional and longitudinal associations between frailty and incident depressive symptoms in a Chinese elderly sample.

Methods

We analysed data of 1264 older Chinese elders aged 70–87 years in the Rugao Longevity and Ageing Study. The frailty phenotype was assessed using the Fried criteria and depression symptoms was measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale.

Results

At baseline, 10.6% of participants had depressive symptoms and 9.0% had frailty. In cross‐sectional analysis, both pre‐frailty (odds ratio (OR) = 2.18, 95% CI 1.35–3.51) and frailty (OR = 4.64, 95% CI 2.49–8.66) were associated with depressive symptoms. In longitudinal analyses, frailty (OR = 2.12, 95% CI 1.17–3.83), instead of pre‐frailty, was associated with 1.5‐year incident depressive symptoms in a full‐adjusted model among participants free of baseline depressive symptoms. In the components of frailty, lower grip strength was associated with increased risk of depressive symptoms onset (OR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.06–2.29).

Conclusions

Frailty and lower grip strength were associated with incident depressive symptoms in a Chinese elderly sample. Interventions designed to prevent depressive symptoms may be useful by utilising physical aspects of the elderly population.
Alienation in Commercial Society: The Republican Critique of Jean‐Jacques Rousseau and Adam Ferguson
Authors: Bijlsma Rudmer
Published: June 2020

This article explores the republican critiques of commercial society of Jean‐Jacques Rousseau and Adam Ferguson, focusing on their kindred analyses of social alienation. The joint study of these thinkers reveals a Rousseauean strand of eighteenth‐century republicanism that effectively combined a traditional (yet idiosyncratic) Stoic view of human flourishing with an innovative, proto‐sociological analysis and critique of quintessentially modern social phenomena. Rousseau and Ferguson regard alienation as a loss of wholeness, both in humans individually and in their relations to their (social) surroundings. The article addresses two specific aspects of alienation in commercial society as the two thinkers see it. The first aspect concerns the insincerity underpinning the new moral vocabulary of polite sociability; the second aspect concerns the division of labor. According to Rousseau and Ferguson, this division threatens true human flourishing as well as political liberty. Finally, the conservative dimension of their republican solutions for overcoming alienation and bolstering liberty is considered.
Does Death Render Life Absurd?
Authors: Thomas Joshua Lewis
Published: June 2020

In this paper, I assess the claim that death renders life absurd. First, I characterize absurdity as something we perceive in situations involving extreme disharmonies which strike us as unexpected or unacceptable. Next, I outline several potential disharmonies which death might introduce into our existence (such as the disharmony between our dignity and capacities, and the undignified annihilation which death promises), but suggest that these examples need not be seen as necessarily absurd; there are perspectives available to us from which these facts can appear to be acceptable aspects of life. Finally, I consider a more problematic case of absurdity—that human beings allegedly fail to grasp the truth of their mortality—but suggest that the underlying disharmony here can be eliminated provided we develop an authentic attitude toward death (and that this is possible, despite some objections). In short, I argue that none of the most obvious potential absurdities which might arise from our mortality are strong enough to entail the claim that death inevitably renders life absurd, at least on one plausible and interesting interpretation of that claim.
The COVID‐19 Pandemic and Relationship Banking in Germany: Will Regional Banks Cushion an Economic Decline or is A Banking Crisis Looming?
Authors: Flögel Franz , Gärtner Stefan
Published: June 2020

By providing liquidity Hausbanks can support business clients to overcome the social shutdown and hence cushion the economic impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Germany's regional banks demonstrated such ability in the financial crisis of 2008/09 when, in contrast to large banks, they extended lending. Revisiting research on the global financial crisis and relationship banking, this note presents hints on the soundness and lending ability of retail banks, discussing their influence in the virus‐related economic turmoil. Banks appear better prepared to resist the crisis than in 2008. Still, the (looming) turmoil of the real economy at large tends to stress all banks and regional banks in particular, owing, among other reasons, to their leading position in business lending. The crisis represents a chance for Hausbanks to prove their commitment to business clients and provides a possibility for researchers to analyse the performance of different types of banks.
Ignorance, Orientalism and Sinophobia in Knowledge Production on COVID‐19
Authors: Zhang Yunpeng , Xu Fang
Published: June 2020

In this commentary, based on a close readi

ng of media reports and our everyday experiences as overseas Chinese researchers, we examine the production of ignorance surrounding the COVID‐19. Specifically, we focus on ignorance caused by selective inattention and power plays. We challenge the dominant dualistic frame of authoritarianism versus democracy and the role it plays in overly simplifying and even distorting the responses of Chinese authorities in handling this public health emergency. We maintain that this binary thinking is reflective of the conflation of orientalism, sinophobia and statephobia in the West, which also intersects with sexism and racism within and outside academic sites of knowledge production. The consequence is that knowledge accumulated by experts from China as well as other Asian countries about the virus and mitigation strategies are marginalised, discredited, distrusted, if not dismissed altogether.
DEK46 performs C‐to‐U editing of a specific site in mitochondrial nad7 introns that is critical for intron splicing and seed development in maize
Authors: Xu Chunhui , Song Shu , Yang Yan‐Zhuo , Lu Fan , Zhang Meng‐Di , Sun Feng , Jia Ruxue , Song Ruolin , Tan Bao‐Cai
Published: June 2020

The self‐splicing of group II introns during RNA processing depends on their catalytic structure and is influenced by numerous factors that promote the formation of that structure through direct binding. Here we report that C‐to‐U editing at a specific position in two nad7 introns is essential to splicing, which also implies that the catalytic activity of non‐functional group II introns could be restored by editing. We characterized a maize (Zea mays) mutant, dek46, with a defective kernel phenotype; Dek46 encodes a pentatricopeptide repeat DYW protein exclusively localized in mitochondria. Analyses of the coding regions of mitochondrial transcripts did not uncover differences in RNA editing between dek46 mutant and wild‐type maize, but showed that splicing of nad7 introns 3 and 4 is severely reduced in the mutant. Furthermore, editing at nucleotide 22 of domain 5 (D5‐C22) of both introns is abolished in dek46. We constructed chimeric introns by swapping D5 of P.li.LSUI2 with D5 of nad7 intron 3. In vitro splicing assays indicated that the chimeric intron containing D5‐U22 can be self‐spliced, but the one containing D5‐C22 cannot. These results indicate that DEK46 functions in the C‐to‐U editing of D5‐C22 of both introns, and the U base at this position is critical to intron splicing.
Influence of filter media depth and vegetation on Faecal Coliform removal by stormwater biofilters
Authors: Bu Chun Hooi , Lai Sai Hin , Goh Xiang Ting , Chong Wen Tong , Chin Ren Jie
Published: June 2020

Biofilters are promising technologies that widely applied in the treatment of urban stormwater. However, the microbial removal capacity performance depends greatly on the design of biofilters. Hence, this laboratory study attempts to investigate the influence of filter media depths (i.e. 150, 250, 350 and 450 mm) and the variation of native plants, that is, Cow Grass (Axonopus compressus) and Pearl Grass (Axonopus compressus, dwarf) in removing stormwater microorganism particularly Faecal Coliform (FC). Findings showed that a minimum media depth of 300 mm was required to achieve >1 log FC removal. The mean removal of FC at 450 mm depth filter exceeded 2 log for both Cow and Pearl grass biofilter columns. Results showed that there was no statistically significant difference in vegetation type on the performance of FC removal, however, Cow grass biofilter column revealed higher FC mean log removal compared to Pearl grass biofilter column.