bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The importance of the export country's environmental image for consumer responses to an imported environmentally friendly product
Authors: Thøgersen John , Pedersen Susanne
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Filling a gap in extant research regarding the measurement of an export country's environmental image and investigating its importance for consumers' evaluation of an environmentally differentiated imported product.

Design/methodology/approach

Online surveys carried out in Denmark (Study 1), Germany and France (Study 2; N˜500 from each country). In Study 1, we develop an environmental country image instrument and investigate its nomological validity vis-à-vis other country image constructs and Danish consumers' evaluation of organic milk from Germany. In Study 2, we validate the instrument with consumers from Germany and France, evaluating organic milk from Denmark.

Findings

Consumers differentiate between a country's environmental image and its general and production-related images. The country's environmental image is important to consumers' evaluation of an environmentally differentiated product from the country. Specifically, we find that a country's environmental image strongly influences its product-specific images and, through these, the consumer's evaluation of an organic food product from the country.

Practical implications

Consumers' use of a country's environmental image as a cue to the credibility of environmental claims gives competitive advantages to exporters from countries with a favorable environmental image, while exporters from countries with an unfavorable environmental image need measures to compensate. Companies and countries should monitor how the environmental image of their country evolves in important markets and be ready to act when facing damages to their country's environmental image.

Originality/value

This article is the first to propose a measure of environmental country image and to document that consumers use the environmental image of an exporting country to assess environmental claims on imported products.
Impact of behaviour factors on acquisition performance: mediating role of speed of post-acquisition change
Authors: Savović Slađana , Babić Verica
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the influence of behaviour factors (corporate cultural differences and transformational leadership) on acquisition performance, through the mediating role of speed of post-acquisition change (as a process factor), in the specific context of a transitional economy.

Design/methodology/approach

A model was tested on a sample of acquisitions in Serbia carried out by domestic and European companies. In total, 208 valid questionnaires were collected from 10 acquired companies. Linear regression analysis was used to test the research hypotheses. To test the mediator hypothesis, Baron and Kenny's (1986) procedure was used. Statistical significance of indirect or mediated effect was calculated with Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) macro provided by Preacher and Hayes (2004).

Findings

Mediator analysis shows that corporate cultural differences and transformational leadership have direct and indirect impacts on acquisition performance.

Practical implications

The results may be significant for managers involved in the processes of acquisitions, in terms of helping them to make appropriate decisions in different phases of an acquisition process, so as to obtain sufficient levels of employee commitment and trust to improve acquisition performance.

Originality/value

This research contributes to a better understanding of the relationships between behaviour factors and acquisition performance. In particular, no research into the speed of post-acquisition changes as a mediator variable between behaviour factors and acquisition performance has previously been conducted, to the best of the authors' knowledge. Thus, this research offers a unique understanding in the transitional economy context of Serbia.
Condition-based opportunistic maintenance policy for a series–parallel hybrid system with economic dependence
Authors: Jiang Aiping , Huang Zhenni , Xu Jiahui , Xu Xuemin
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a condition-based opportunistic maintenance policy considering economic dependence for a series–parallel hybrid system with a K-out-of-N redundant structure, where a single component in series is denoted as subsystem1, and K-out-of-N redundant structure is denoted as subsystem2.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the theory of Residual Useful Life (RUL), inspection points are determined, and then different maintenance actions are adopted in the purpose of minimizing the cost rate. Both perfect and imperfect maintenance actions are carried out for subsystem1. More significantly, regarding economic dependence, condition-based opportunistic maintenance is designed for the series–parallel hybrid system: preemptive maintenance for subsystem1, and both preemptive and postponed maintenance for subsystem2.

Findings

The sensitivity analysis indicates that the proposed policy outperforms two classical maintenance policies, incurring the lowest total cost rate under the context of both heterogeneous and quasi-homogeneous K-out-of-N subsystems.

Practical implications

This model can be applied in series–parallel systems with redundant structures that are widely used in power transmission systems in electric power plants, manufacturing systems in textile factories and sewerage systems. Considering inconvenience and high cost incurred in the inspection of hybrid systems, this model helps production managers better maintain these systems.

Originality/value

In maintenance literature, much attention has been received in repairing strategies on hybrid systems with economic dependence considering preemptive maintenance. Limited work has considered postponed maintenance. However, this paper uses both condition-based preemptive and postponed maintenance on the issue of economic dependence bringing opportunities for grouping maintenance activities for a series–parallel hybrid system.
Simulation of jet printing of solder paste for surface mounted technology
Authors: Mårtensson Gustaf Eric , Göhl Johan , Mark Andreas
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to propose a novel simulation framework and show that it captures the main effects of the deposition process, such as droplet shape, volume and speed.

Design/methodology/approach

In the framework, the time-dependent flow and the fluid-structure interaction between the suspension, the moving piston and the deflection of the jetting head is simulated. The system is modelled as a two-phase system with the surrounding air being one phase and the dense suspension the other. The non-Newtonian suspension is modelled as a mixed single phase with properties determined from material testing. The simulations were performed with two coupled in-house solvers developed at Fraunhofer-Chalmers Centre; IBOFlow, a multiphase flow solver; and LaStFEM, a large strain FEM solver. Experimental deposition was performed with a commercial jet printer and quantitative measurements were made with optical profilometry.

Findings

Jetting behaviour was shown to be affected by not only piston motion, fluid rheology and head deformation but also the viscous energy loss in the jetting head nozzle. The simulation results were compared to experimental data obtained from an industrial jetting head and found to match characteristic lengths, speed and volume within ca 10%.

Research limitations/implications

The simulations are based on a rheological description using the Carreau model that does not include a time-dependent relaxation of the fluid. This modelling approach limits the descriptive nature of the deposit after impact on the substrate. The simulation also adopts a continuum approach to the suspension, which will not accurately model the break-off of the droplet filament under the characteristic diameter of the particles in the suspension.

Practical implications

The ability to accurately simulate the deposition of functional materials will enable the efficient development of novel product designs with a minimum of used resources and minimised product development duration.

Social implications

The ability to accurately simulate the deposition of functional materials will enable the efficient development of novel product designs with a minimum of used resources and therefore an improvement from a sustainability perspective. The ability to plan deposition strategies virtually will also enable a decrease in consumables at manufacturers which will in turn decrease their carbon foot print.

Originality/value

While basic fluid dynamic simulations have been performed to simulate flow through nozzles, the ability to include both fluid-structure interaction and multiphase capability together with a more accurate rheological description of the suspension and with a substrate for surface mount applications has not been published to the knowledge of the authors.
Degree of intervention affects interannual and within‐plot heterogeneity of seed arrival in tropical forest restoration
Authors: Werden Leland K. , Holl Karen D. , Chaves‐Fallas José Miguel , Oviedo‐Brenes Federico , Rosales Juan Abel , Zahawi Rakan A.
Published: May 2021

In degraded tropical landscapes, lack of seed dispersal can strongly limit recovery, and restoration interventions can overcome this barrier by attracting dispersers. However, seed dispersal patterns are typically studied over short time periods, thus the influences of temporal and spatial variability on seed arrival cannot be teased apart.

The choice of management approach can have important implications for restoration‐mediated community reassembly. Accordingly, we used a 3.5‐year record of seed deposition in pre‐montane tropical wet forest in southern Costa Rica to examine how seed arrival differed between passive (natural regeneration) and active (applied nucleation, plantation) restoration after a decade of recovery, compared to remnant forest. We investigated: (a) how restoration treatments affected seed deposition rates and community composition; (b) how within‐plot heterogeneity of animal‐dispersed seed deposition varied by intervention; and (c) how interannual variation influenced animal‐dispersed seed arrival across treatments.

Overall seed rain composition and diversity in restoration treatments was converging towards, but still differed substantially from, remnant forest (89.7%, 86.6% and 76.3% Shannon diversity recovered in applied nucleation, plantation and natural regeneration respectively).

Within‐plot animal‐dispersed seed heterogeneity was similar in applied nucleation and remnant forest, 27.0% more heterogeneous in applied nucleation than plantation, and equivalent when comparing natural regeneration to either applied nucleation or plantation.

In contrast to active interventions, animal‐dispersed tree and shrub communities did not differ year to year in natural regeneration, which may promote the assembly of relatively homogeneous plant communities at this successional stage.

Synthesis and applications. Compared to natural regeneration, active restoration interventions: (a) catalysed the recovery of seed diversity (overall Shannon diversity 17.5% and 13.4% higher in applied nucleation and plantation respectively), (b) shifted seed community composition towards remnant forest more rapidly (overall Shannon diversity 13.4% and 10.2% closer), (c) almost doubled the proportion of later‐successional tree species arriving, and (d) had seed communities that differed year to year—a pattern not observed in natural regeneration. Finally, applied nucleation was the only intervention where seed arrival was as spatially heterogeneous as remnant forest, highlighting that this approach may facilitate the recovery of specific natural dispersal processes.
Le recours des professionnels de santé à la pluriactivité dans un pays en développement: Le cas des métropoles du Cameroun
Authors: Nkoumou Ngoa Gaston Brice , Tsafack Nanfosso Roger , Fomba Kamga Benjamin
Published: May 2021

Cet article analyse les déterminants de la pluriactivité pratiquée par les professionnels de santé, à partir des données issues d'une enquête réalisée dans les hôpitaux de Yaoundé et Douala, les principales villes du Cameroun. En utilisant des modèles de choix discrets, cette étude montre que la pluriactivité des médecins s’accroit avec les revenus du travail alors que cette association n'est pas significative pour les infirmiers et les techniciens de la santé. De plus, les arriérés de salaires incitent les infirmiers et les techniciens de la santé à occuper plusieurs emplois alors que la détention d'un emploi permanent et une forte perception du contrôle externe à l'hôpital diminuent cette pratique. Ces résultats suggèrent des implications importantes en termes de politiques publiques. Premièrement, un accent devrait être mis sur la sécurité de l'emploi des travailleurs de la santé, en particulier ceux du secteur privé, et sur la crédibilité des mesures de contrôle externe appliquées dans les formations sanitaires. Ensuite, le paiement régulier des salaires dans les formations sanitaires devrait être encouragé pour maintenir les infirmiers et les techniciens de la santé dans leur emploi principal. Enfin, décourager ou promouvoir le cumul d'emplois en agissant uniquement sur le revenu du travail pourrait être une politique inefficace.
Confounding and regression adjustment indifference‐in‐differencesstudies
Authors: Zeldow Bret , Hatfield Laura A.
Published: May 2021

Objective

To define confounding bias in difference‐in‐difference studies and compare regression‐ and matching‐based estimators designed to correct bias due to observed confounders.

Data sources

We simulated data from linear models that incorporated different confounding relationships: time‐invariant covariates with a time‐varying effect on the outcome, time‐varying covariates with a constant effect on the outcome, and time‐varying covariates with a time‐varying effect on the outcome. We considered a simple setting that is common in the applied literature: treatment is introduced at a single time point and there is no unobserved treatment effect heterogeneity.

Study design

We compared the bias and root mean squared error of treatment effect estimates from six model specifications, including simple linear regression models and matching techniques.

Data collection

Simulation code is provided for replication.

Principal findings

Confounders in difference‐in‐differences are covariates that change differently over time in the treated and comparison group or have a time‐varying effect on the outcome. When such a confounding variable is measured, appropriately adjusting for this confounder (ie, including the confounder in a regression model that is consistent with the causal model) can provide unbiased estimates with optimal SE. However, when a time‐varying confounder is affected by treatment, recovering an unbiased causal effect using difference‐in‐differences is difficult.

Conclusions

Confounding in difference‐in‐differences is more complicated than in cross‐sectional settings, from which techniques and intuition to address observed confounding cannot be imported wholesale. Instead, analysts should begin by postulating a causal model that relates covariates, both time‐varying and those with time‐varying effects on the outcome, to treatment. This causal model will then guide the specification of an appropriate analytical model (eg, using regression or matching) that can produce unbiased treatment effect estimates. We emphasize the importance of thoughtful incorporation of covariates to address confounding bias in difference‐in‐difference studies.
Characterizing the role of early alcohol reexposure in associations of prenatal alcohol exposure with adolescent alcohol outcomes
Authors: Zaso Michelle J. , Youngentob Steven L. , Park Aesoon
Published: May 2021

Background

Prenatal alcohol exposure has been linked to a host of negative outcomes, although it is largely unknown whether prenatal exposure leads to an earlier age of initiation of alcohol use or exacerbates early alcohol initiation. The current study examined whether adolescents exposed to heavy drinking during gestation began drinking earlier than their nonexposed peers and whether an earlier age of alcohol reexposure in adolescence exacerbated associations with adverse alcohol outcomes.

Methods

Adolescents (17 years of age; 57% female; 96% White) from a longitudinal, population‐based cohort study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, reported on the age they first consumed a whole drink and other alcohol behaviors. Adolescents’ mothers also reported on their own heavy drinking during pregnancy (i.e., any consumption of 4+ U.K. units in a drinking day at either 18 or 32 weeks of gestation).

Results

Survival analyses indicated that prenatal heavy drinking exposure was not associated with an earlier initiation of alcohol use after controlling for potential demographic and parental mental health and substance use confounds. Generalized negative binomial models demonstrated that prenatal heavy drinking exposure moderated associations of the age of alcohol initiation with alcohol quantity and heavy drinking frequency (but not alcohol frequency or Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score), after controlling for the same demographic and parental confounds. Specifically, earlier alcohol initiation was associated with more adverse alcohol outcomes regardless of prenatal exposure. However, the protective associations of delayed alcohol initiation were lower among adolescents exposed to prenatal heavy drinking.

Conclusions

This study provides evidence for the interplay between prenatal and postnatal alcohol exposures. Importantly, adolescents who were prenatally exposed to heavy drinking appeared to be less protected by later alcohol initiation than those who were not exposed in utero.
Non‐thiazide diuretics and hospitalization due to hyponatraemia: A population‐based case‐control study
Authors: Mannheimer Buster , Falhammar Henrik , Calissendorff Jan , Lindh Jonatan D , Skov Jakob
Published: May 2021

Objective

Diuretics are often implicated in hyponatraemia. While thiazides constitute one of the most common causes of hyponatraemia, data on loop diuretics and potassium‐sparing agents are limited and partly conflicting. The objective of this investigation was to study the association between use of different types of non‐thiazide diuretics and hospitalization due to hyponatraemia.

Design, Patients and Measurements

This was a register‐based case‐control study on the adult Swedish population. By linking national registers, patients hospitalized with a principal diagnosis of hyponatraemia (n = 11,213) from 1 October 2005 through 31 December 2014 were compared with matched controls (n = 44,801). Multivariable logistic regression, adjusted for multiple confounders, was used to analyse the association between use of diuretics and hyponatraemia. In addition, newly initiated use (≤90 days) and ongoing use were examined separately.

Results

Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) (95% CI) were 0.61 (0.57–0.66) for the use of furosemide, 1.69 (1.54–1.86) for the use of amiloride and 1.96 (1.78–2.18) for the use of spironolactone and hospitalization due to hyponatraemia. For newly initiated therapy, aORs ranged from 1.23 (1.04–1.47) for furosemide to 3.55 (2.75–4.61) for spironolactone. The aORs for ongoing use were 0.52 (0.47–0.57) for furosemide, 1.62 (1.47–1.79) for amiloride and 1.75 (1.56–1.98) for spironolactone.

Conclusions

Ongoing use of furosemide was inversely correlated with hospitalization due to hyponatraemia, suggesting a protective effect. Consequently, if treatment with furosemide precedes the development of hyponatraemia by some time, other causes of hyponatraemia should be sought. Spironolactone and amiloride may both contribute to hyponatraemia; this effect is most prominent early in treatment.
Impact of heart transplant allocation change on competing waitlist outcomes among listing strategies
Authors: Patel Jay N. , Chung Joshua S. , Seliem Ahmed , Sakr Antoine , Stoletniy Liset , Rabkin David G. , Abramov Dmitry
Published: May 2021

In 2018, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) adopted a 6‐tier system for heart allocation which shifted patterns in listing strategies. The effects of the change on waitlist survival and transplantation rates have yet to be substantiated by analysis of competing outcomes among various listing strategies. This study included all adult patients listed for first‐time heart transplantation in UNOS between 10/17/15 and 6/12/20. Clinical characteristics were compared before and after allocation change among various listing strategies: no support, inotropes, intra‐aortic balloon pump, durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD), temporary VAD, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Fine‐Gray proportional subhazard models were used to estimate the effect of allocation change on competing waitlist outcomes—transplantation, death, or removal from waitlist—among each strategy. During the study period, there were 17 422 patients listed for heart transplantation. Among each listing strategy, clinical characteristics were similar before and after allocation change. Subhazard models demonstrated reduced risk for waitlist mortality (p < .001) among each strategy except temporary VAD and increased transplantation rates (p < .001) among each strategy except for durable LVAD. These results validate the association of the new allocation system on waitlist outcomes across listing strategies.
A systematic review of the histopathologic survey on skin biopsies in patients with Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) who developed virus or drug‐related mucocutaneous manifestations
Authors: Najar Nobari Niloufar , Seirafianpour Farnoosh , Dodangeh Milad , Sadeghzadeh‐Bazargan Afsaneh , Behrangi Elham , Mozafarpoor Samaneh , Goodarzi Azadeh
Published: May 2021

The mucocutaneous manifestations of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) logically may reflect systemic visceral involvements. These findings are visible and easy to approach like biopsies for exact histopathologic evaluations. This systematic review was conducted to collect the mucocutaneous histopathologic data of COVID‐19 patients for future investigations and interpretations. The COVID‐19 dermatology resource of the Centre of Evidence‐Based Dermatology (CEBD) at the University of Nottingham, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and Medscape was searched for relevant English articles published by June 3, 2020. This review included 31 articles, involving 459 patients. The common primary virus‐related mucocutaneous manifestations are easy to approach in the course of COVID‐19. The authors of this study supposed dermatopathological findings as the predictors of the nature of potential systemic involvements and outcomes of COVID‐19. Scrutinizing these findings can help with adopting more effective therapeutic and management strategies; nevertheless, this review found the severity and time of onset of symptoms not to be associated with the laboratory and histopathological findings. Deterioration of clinical conditions and laboratory tests was also not related to the histopathological findings. It is recommended that meta‐analyses be conducted in the future to detail on these data for having more comprehensive and better conclusion.
Microbial recognition regulates intestinal epithelial growth in homeostasis and disease
Authors: Ferguson Meghan , Foley Edan
Published: May 2021

The intestine is constantly exposed to a dynamic community of microbes. Intestinal epithelial cells respond to microbes through evolutionarily conserved recognition pathways, such as the immune deficiency (IMD) pathway of Drosophila, the Toll‐like receptor (TLR) response of flies and vertebrates, and the vertebrate nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain (NOD) pathway. Microbial recognition pathways are tightly controlled to respond effectively to pathogens, tolerate the microbiome, and limit intestinal disease. In this review, we focus on contributions of different model organisms to our understanding of how epithelial microbe recognition impacts intestinal proliferation and differentiation in homeostasis and disease. In particular, we compare how microbes and subsequent recognition by the intestine influences barrier integrity, intestinal repair and tumorigenesis in Drosophila, zebrafish, mice, and organoids. In addition, we discuss the importance of microbial recognition in homeostatic intestinal growth and discuss how immune pathways directly impact stem cell and crypt dynamics.
Performance Analysis of the χMD Matrix Solver Package for MODFLOW‐USG
Authors: Ibaraki Motomu , Zhang Yiding , Niswonger Richard G. , Panday Sorab
Published: May 2021

The χMD matrix solver package is incorporated into USGS groundwater modeling software, such as MODFLOW‐NWT, MODFLOW‐USG, and MT3D. The solver is used to solve matrices assembled through numerical discretization of the groundwater flow equation, and solute transport equations. χMD has demonstrated its higher robustness, faster execution speed, and more efficient memory usage compared to the existing solvers for many types of groundwater flow problems. χMD uses preconditioned iterative Krylov‐subspace methods and consists of preconditioning and acceleration modules. Because the solver package uses a variety of preconditioning features including level‐based incomplete lower‐upper (ILU) factorization method with a drop tolerance scheme, users must choose optimal preconditioning parameters to improve execution speed and robustness. In order to examine how the preconditioning parameters, ILU factorization level, and drop tolerance values affect the overall performance of the matrix solver, we evaluated five different groundwater model applications using MODFLOW‐USG that include different numerical complexities. For those five cases, the number of discretization nodes varied from 10,000 cells to 730,300 cells. From the analysis, we found that the preconditioning parameters greatly affect execution times and memory usage of the preconditioning and acceleration procedures. In addition, a combination of the ILU level between five to seven and the drop tolerance value between 10−2 and 10−3 usually resulted in shorter overall execution time. Our study suggests that the users can elicit higher performance and robustness of the χMD matrix solver using this combination of the parameters and enhance computational efficiency of solving groundwater and solute transport problems.
A preliminary investigation of caramelisation and isomerisation of allulose at medium temperatures and alkaline pHs: a comparison study with other monosaccharides
Authors: Ertugrul Ulku , Tas Ozan , Namli Serap , Oztop Mecit H.
Published: May 2021

Allulose, also known as rare sugar, is a very reactive monosaccharide in browning reactions. In this study, the caramelisation of allulose was investigated for the first time. To study caramelisation, sugar solutions (glucose, fructose and allulose) were prepared with distilled water and buffer solutions at pH 7, 10, 12 and were freeze‐dried afterwards. To let caramelisation occur, samples were incubated at 55% relative humidity (RH) and 50 °C. Results showed that samples prepared with pH 10 and pH 12 buffer solutions resulted in a higher browning rate than samples prepared with distilled water (DW) and pH 7 buffer solution. Moreover, according to HPLC and total reducing sugar content results, allulose (Allu) samples had the lowest remaining reducing sugar (RRS) amount, indicating that Allu samples depleted more in the reaction. Overall, the approach followed in this study can be considered as a novel strategy to obtain allulose‐containing caramel‐like products more efficiently than conventional methods.
Environmental factors related to sleep latency among inpatients in rehabilitation wards according to functional independence measure cognitive scores
Authors: Fukui Sakiko , Ohama Etsuko , Hattori Satoshi
Published: May 2021

Background

No study has investigated sleep‐related environmental factors in patients according to their functional independence measure (FIM) cognitive scores.

Aims

The aim of this study is to examine the associations between environmental factors such as noise and sleep latency according to the FIM cognitive scores among inpatients in rehabilitation wards.

Design

This is a prospective longitudinal study.

Methods

This study measured the sleep state using a bed‐based actigraphy, environmental data from Environmental Sensor®, and medical record information of 33 inpatients in the rehabilitation wards during 2018. A linear mixed‐effect model was used to analyse the associations between sleep latency and environmental factors. Participants were grouped according to high or low FIM cognitive scores.

Results

The average patient age was 77.2 ± 10.9 years, and 48.5% were male. In the high FIM cognitive score group, the loudness and frequency of noise exceeding 40 dB during sleep latency were significantly associated with sleep latency. In the low FIM cognitive score group, only the noise frequency was associated with sleep latency, and intra‐individual variance was larger than that of the high group.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that providing night care with attention to subdued noise is important, particularly for patients with low cognitive functional independence levels measured by the FIM cognitive score.
Cultivating prognostic understanding: Managing the discordance between cardiopulmonary resuscitation expectations and reality
Authors: Perry Laura P. , Widera Eric W.
Published: May 2021

This editorial comments on the article by Van Dyck et al. in this issue.
RECONSIDERING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VITORIA AND GROTIUS’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE INTERNATIONAL LAW AND NATURAL LAW TRADITIONS
Authors: Carter John E.
Published: May 2021

In light of recent reevaluations of the work of Hugo Grotius, this essay analyzes the respective roles of Francisco de Vitoria and Grotius in the construction of the “Grotian tradition” of international law and human rights. In contrast to conventional accounts which understand the two within a progression, this essay argues that Vitoria and Grotius can alternatively be understood as representing two distinct strains of international law and ethics, forms of which persist to this day. The first is that strain which privileges local governance based on the natural law and which insists that international law must have a moral or equitable valence (represented today by liberal internationalism). The second, competing strain which, with its focus on “neutral” rules of commerce and international order, presumes that it need not have such a valence (essentially, neoliberalism). In the process, this essay examines the role of the natural law in Vitoria’s thought, which for him was most often a reason against interference or intervention, not for. The essay also highlights the role of the Eighty Years’ War between the Dutch United Provinces and Spain in the development of Grotius’s understanding of sovereignty, in contrast to the Thirty Years’ War which is given more prominence in conventional accounts.
Pharmacokinetics of oral and compounded intravenous gabapentin in Duroc swine (SusScrofa)
Authors: Hampton Chiara E. , Queiroz‐Williams Patricia , Oubre Montana J. , Martin Anna , Gisclair Andrea T. , Pypendop Bruno H.
Published: May 2021

The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics (PK) of oral (OS; 20 mg/kg) and compounded intravenous (IV; 5.5 mg/kg) gabapentin in 6 healthy, adult, Duroc pigs. Subjects were randomized to receive IV and OS gabapentin in a cross‐over design, with at least 14 days of wash‐out period between the two rounds of drug administrations. Blood samples were obtained before gabapentin administration and at various times up to 24 h, and harvested plasma was stored at −80°C until analysis. Concentration of gabapentin was quantified using a previously validated liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method, and compartment models were fitted to time‐concentration data using non‐linear mixed effect (population) analysis. A two‐compartment model best fitted the data following IV administration. Typical values for volume of the central compartment and clearance and calculated volume of distribution at steady‐state and terminal half‐life were 170 ml/kg, 1.2 ml/(kg*min), and 594 ml/kg and 360 min, respectively. For the oral route, absorption half‐life, estimated maximal plasma concentration and time to reach maximal plasma concentration were 58 min, 9155 ng/ml, and 194 min, respectively. Estimated oral bioavailability was 47%. Short‐lived sedation (approximately 15 min) with sternal or lateral recumbency after IV administration was observed in all subjects without adverse clinical effects. Simulation based on the results of this study suggests that a first oral gabapentin dose of 15 mg/kg and subsequent doses of 8.5 mg/kg every 8 h would achieve and maintain plasma concentrations between 5 and 8 μg/ml in pigs.
Beyond brick and mortar: Staying connected in post‐pandemic blended learning environments
Authors: McGrath Cormac , Palmgren Per J. , Liljedahl Matilda
Published: May 2021

The authors reflect on how students’ perception of belongingness is central to their learning and how a Sense of Community needs to be encouraged, shaped and continuously sustained.
Aetiological changes of tinea capitis in the Hubei area in 60 years: Focus on adult tinea capitis
Authors: He Mengwen , Zeng Jingsi , Mao Yehong , Zheng Yuechen , Lian Xin , Chen Hongxiang
Published: May 2021

Background

Tinea capitis is a common dermatophyte infection of the scalp primarily affecting children, with less frequent, though not rare, observation in adults.

Objective

This study aimed to assess changes in the causative agents of adult tinea capitis over a 60‐year period in the Hubei area.

Methods

A retrospective, single‐centre study was performed on 164 adults with tinea capitis between 1960 and 2020.

Results

Out of 1113 cases of tinea capitis, 164 patients were adults, representing 14.7% of all patients. Adult tinea capitis was slightly more prevalent in males (91, 55.5%) than in females (73, 44.5%), but gender difference was not statistically significant between adults and children. Adult tinea capitis was most prevalent between the ages of 18 and 29 years, with a mean age of 22 years.Trichophyton schoenleiniiwas the most common dermatophyte in adult tinea capitis (78, 47.6%), followed byTrichophyton violaceum(58, 35.4%). Most adult tinea capitis cases before the 1980s were caused byT. schoenleinii, butT. violaceumhas become the leading pathogen for recent adult tinea capitis cases.

Conclusion

Tinea capitis is not a disease exclusive to children. On the contrary, an upward trend of tinea capitis in adults has been observed in recent years.T. violaceumhas become the dominant causative agent of adult tinea capitis in the Hubei area, replacingT. schoenleinii. These results provide a better understanding of the treatment and prevention of tinea capitis in adults.
Adult‐onset medulloblastoma presenting with atypical MRI findings
Authors: Watanabe Masashi , Miki Hitoshi , Kito Katsumi , Ohue Shiro , Okamoto Kensho
Published: May 2021

We report an extremely rare case of an 18‐year‐old girl with chronic progressive speech and gait disturbances due to abnormalities around the fourth ventricle, diagnosed as classic medulloblastoma with WNT signaling dysregulation by brain biopsy. Brain MRI showed atypical findings of symmetrical midline located adult medulloblastoma with no mass effect. PET‐CT scans revealed marked uptake of only 11C‐methionine. Medulloblastoma with atypical MRI findings should be considered in the differential diagnosis of tumors around the fourth ventricle in adults, even approximately symmetrical midline tumors with no mass effect. 11C‐methionine PET‐CT may be superior in detecting adult medulloblastomas with unique characteristics.
Three‐dimensional soil heterogeneity modulates responses of grassland mesocosms to an experimentally imposed drought extreme
Authors: Liu Yongjie , Bortier Michiel F. , Nijs Ivan , Fu Yongshuo , Li Zhenqing , Hou Fujiang , De Boeck Hans J.
Published: May 2021

Heterogeneity is an intrinsic characteristic of soils, which regulates plant diversity and ecosystem functioning. However, whether soil heterogeneity also modulates responses of plant communities to climate change, including climate extremes, remains largely an open question. Here, we explore responses of plant communities to drought extremes across four levels of spatial soil heterogeneity, with cell sizes varying from very small to very large, i.e. 0, 12, 24 and 48 cm. These were created in mesocosms by alternating nutrient‐rich and nutrient‐poor substrate in three dimensions. A seed mixture of 24 grassland species was evenly sown on each mesocosm in spring. In late summer, a three‐week drought was imposed with a rainout shelter. During the drought, soil water content at the mesocosm scale decreased more at intermediate (12 and 24 cm) than at small or large (0 and 48 cm) cell sizes, which was reflected in increased senescence and drought‐induced heat stress. These responses could be traced to greater plant biomass coupled with higher water demand at those intermediate cell sizes, likely related to between‐cell access to nutrients and effects of diversity and community composition. Our results indicate that soil heterogeneity can modulate the impact of drought extremes on plant communities, though more research is needed on the transition between intermediate and extreme cell sizes, where heterogeneity effects seem to change most. We propose that soil heterogeneity be considered more explicitly in studies of changing precipitation regimes.
Horizontal Rafting Plate for Treatment of the Tibial Plateau Fracture
Authors: Liu Zhong‐yu , Zhang Jin‐li , Zhang Tao , Cao Qing , Zhao Jun‐chao , Li En‐qi , Shen Qi‐jie , Zhao Bao‐cheng , Zheng Yu‐chen , Chen Yang
Published: May 2021

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the value of a horizontal rafting plate in treating tibial plateau fractures.

Methods

The data of 24 patients in whom a horizontal rafting plate was used to treat a tibial plateau fracture between October 2014 and January 2018 were retrospectively analyzed, including 16 males and 8 females, aged 21–63 years old, with an average of 40 ± 14.68 years. The fractures included 13 in the left knee and 11 in the right knee. The places where the horizontal rafting plate were used included the anterior margin of tibia, anterolateral tibia, and posterolateral tibia. All cases were followed up for 12–24 months, with an average follow‐up of 17.5 ± 5.0 months. At the last follow‐up, the Rasmussen radiological criteria were used to evaluate the effect of fracture reduction and fixation. The knee joint function was evaluated using the Rasmussen functional score. Computed tomography (CT) scanning and three‐dimensional reconstruction were performed preoperatively and postoperatively, with the quality of reduction of the fractured articular surface clarified by the final follow‐up. The flexion and extension abilities of the knee joint were also measured in the postoperative follow‐up.

Results

Preoperative CT scanning showed that the gap of the tibial plateau was 8.00 ± 1.40 (5–24) mm. The heights of the fracture of the articular surface at all three sites during the final follow‐ups were significantly different from the height before the surgery (P < 0.05). The vertical distance between the articular line and the highest point of the articular surface after reduction was 0.17 ± 0.05 mm. Anatomic reductions were obtained in 24 patients. The Rasmussen functional score after surgeries was 27.25 ± 0.94 points. Bony union was achieved in all the patients. According to the Rasmussen radiological criteria, the scores during the last follow‐up were as follows: the total score was 13–18 points, with an average of 16.00 ± 1.72 points; the scores were excellent in 17 cases and good in seven cases. Therefore, 100% of results were excellent or good. No infection or fracture nonunion was found.

Conclusion

Using a horizontal plate can be an effective method for treating special types of fractures of the tibial plateau, including the anterior margin and anterolateral and posterolateral tibial plateau, with satisfactory treatment efficacy.
Equity in Public Services: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Cepiku Denita , Mastrodascio Marco
Published: May 2021

Since the New Administration perspective was introduced by Dwight Waldo, equity has played a key role in public administration and public policy studies. Much research has focused on employment, politics, jurisprudence, voting and many other issues, while neglecting the role of public services. As gross societal inequities in the world still abound, this article aims at mapping the structure of the knowledge on equity in public services as well as the main conceptualizations and determinants of equity. Quantitative (bibliometrix) and qualitative (narrative) analyses are combined in the analysis of 145 articles from 69 journals. The greatest concentration areas and main drivers of equity (i.e., representative bureaucracy, administrative burden, horizontal and vertical decentralization, privatization, co‐production and performance management) are identified. The review contributes to the advancement of social equity in public administration scholarship and practice by improving the conceptual clarity of the term and by mapping the various literature streams.
Vitamin E regulates bovine granulosa cell apoptosis via NRF2‐mediated defence mechanism by activating PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 signalling pathways
Authors: Wang Meimei , Li Yan , Gao Yanxia , Li Qiufeng , Cao Yufeng , Shen Yizhao , Chen Panliang , Yan Jinling , Li Jianguo
Published: May 2021

High‐yield dairy cows are usually subject to high‐intensive cell metabolism and produce excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS). Once ROS is beyond the threshold of scavenging ability, it can induce oxidative stress, imperilling the reproductive performance of cows. The study was to investigate the effects of vitamin E (VE) on H2O2‐induced proliferation and apoptosis of bovine granulosa cells and the underlying molecular mechanism. Granulosa cells were pretreated with VE for 24 hr and then treated with H2O2 for 6 hr. The results showed that VE treatment decreased the intracellular ROS levels, increased the MDA content, and improved the antioxidant enzyme activity in a dose‐dependent manner. Furthermore, VE treatment promoted the proliferation and inhibited apoptosis in granulosa cells by up‐regulation of CCND1 and BCL2 levels and down‐regulation of P21, BAX, and CASP3 levels. The cytoprotective effects of VE were attributed to the activation of the NRF2 signalling pathway. Knockdown of the NRF2 impaired the cytoprotective effects of VE on granulosa cells. Besides, the PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2, but not the p38 signalling pathway is involved in the regulation of VE‐mediated cell proliferation and apoptosis. The PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002 and ERK1/2 inhibitor SCH772984 inhibited the VE‐induced granulosa cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis, whereas the p38 inhibitor SB203580 had the opposite effects. These results were confirmed by proliferation and apoptosis‐related gene expression at mRNA and protein levels. The results also showed that the PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002 and ERK1/2 inhibitor SCH772984 inhibited VE‐induced NRF2, GCLC, GCLM, and HO‐1 expression, whereas the p38 inhibitor SB203580 not. Overall, the results demonstrated that VE‐regulated granulosa cell proliferation and apoptosis via NRF2‐mediated defence system by activating the PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 signalling pathway.
ORIGINAL SIN, RACISM, AND EPISTEMOLOGIES OF IGNORANCE
Authors: Mulder Jack
Published: May 2021

The purpose of this article is twofold. First, it explores and shows ways in which one important view of racism parallels the Christian doctrine of original sin. Second, it argues that this comparison helps to close the gap between the two main strands of Christian thinking about original sin. Philosophers and theologians are often asked to decide between Augustinian or Irenaean theories of original sin. An epistemology of ignorance, especially as applied in discussions of racism, helps us to see how this dichotomy may be short‐sighted. For virtually no one, in an epistemology of ignorance, matures into being a racist. Nevertheless, as Charles W. Mills famously argues, the epistemology of ignorance he terms the Racial Contract has a historical inception, namely, the period around the beginning of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. I close the article by discussing whether a model of original sin similar to an epistemology of racist ignorance might satisfy the dogmatic constraints of the Catholic tradition.
CONSCIOUSNESS AND MORAL RESPONSIBILITY: SKEPTICAL CHALLENGES AND THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
Authors: Visala Aku Olavi
Published: May 2021

Some philosophers and scientists have argued that we humans cannot be held morally responsible for anything. Invoking results of the neurosciences and the cognitive sciences, they argue that humans lack the kind of conscious control and awareness required for moral responsibility. For theological ethics and Christian theology as a whole, moral responsibility is indispensable. I will begin by outlining some empirical results that are invoked in support of moral responsibility skepticism. I will, then, examine the subsequent discussion and the question why conscious awareness is central to moral responsibility. Consciousness contributes to morally relevant control over action in multiple ways. I will briefly examine some accounts of conscious control that are resistant to the skeptical challenge. Although the empirical results might lead us to revise the degree and range of conscious control, there seems to be enough of it to ground many everyday practices of responsibility. I will conclude the article with some theological reflections.
AQUINAS ON SIN, ESSENCE, AND CHANGE: APPLYING THE REASONING ON WOMEN TO EVOLUTION IN AQUINAS
Authors: Loveland Swanstrom Julie
Published: May 2021

Aberrations and variations within kinds of creatures required explanation to Western medievals, who took the Genesis creation narratives together with Aristotelian species to imply that change was limited to within species; consequently, species were presumed static. Medieval philosophers often explained variation—including “new” kinds like mules—as due to problems in procreation/gestation (following Aristotle) or by sin. I argue that Aquinas's explanation of variation in women, people with disabilities, and mules suggests that Aquinas cannot be taken to entirely reject the possibility of new kinds, and parallels in his explanation of the existence of women and the possible existence of new kinds provides warrant for a re‐evaluation of his understanding of the notion of the natures or essences shared by kinds. Sin—individual or original—is an inadequate explanation for variation, and the argumentative parallels between Aquinas's treatment of women and mules challenge presumptions about what medievals mean by “static kinds” at all, revealing space for evolutionary thought.
Compression Molding and Nickel Molds for Directional Gecko-Inspired Adhesives
Authors: Kerst Capella F. , Cutkosky Mark R.
Published: May 2021

In the fabrication of directional gecko-inspired adhesives, a new capability made possible by the availability of metal molds is hot compression molding. This molding process allows the use of elastomers with much higher toughness than those cast at ambient temperature and pressure, as has been the common case in fabricating adhesives. In addition, it permits fast cycle times (minutes instead of hours), which is useful for volume manufacturing. We present the results of hot compression molding of elastomers in metal molds created with overhanging and tapered microscopic surface features, which give rise to anisotropic adhesion. We show that the adhesive performance so obtained is equivalent to that obtained earlier with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).