bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The impact of cryptocurrencies market development on banks’ deposits variability in the GCC region
Authors: Othman Anwar Hasan Abdullah , Alhabshi Syed Musa , Kassim Salina , Sharofiddin Ashurov
Published: August 2019

Purpose

With the continuing development of the financial technology revolution, a better understanding of bank deposits variability has become necessary for bank management and policymakers, especially central banks. This is because the novel innovations of cryptocurrencies operate beyond the realm of the banking system, which may impact the performance of banks and their deposits variability. This study aims to investigate the long- and short-run effects of cryptocurrencies’ market capitalization development on the banks’ deposit variability in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the Johansen–Juselius (1990) cointegration test with vector error correction model was applied to examine the long-run relationships, while the Engle and Granger (1987) and the Granger (1969) causality tests were used to detect causal relationships in the short term.

Findings

The findings of Johansen–Juselius cointegration test indicate that the banks’ deposits variability in all six states of the Gulf region share negative long-run equilibrium association with the development of global cryptocurrencies market capitalization, but with different statistically significant levels. For the short-run analysis, the study found that the development of cryptocurrencies market capitalization has significant unidirectional causal effects on bank deposits variabilities in only four states, namely, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. The findings of the study therefore suggest that to eradicate the effects of cryptocurrencies industry and its threats to the banking industry, banks in GCC region are encouraged to either consider cryptocurrencies as an alternative investment asset for their portfolio investment diversification strategies or adopt the blockchain technology in their operation system to facilitate their customers with low transaction cost, high level of security and ease of use and real-time settlement.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical findings of the study will provide valuable input for policymakers, especially central banks and bank managements, to evaluate the current situation and the threats of the cryptocurrencies market growth and its effect on the banking industry’s performance, future survival and their deposits variability for better regulation and policy planning and investment strategies.

Originality/value

This is a pioneering study that empirically explores the phenomenon of bank deposits variability as a consequence of expansion in cryptocurrencies market capitalization, where the findings proved evidence of a drastic decline in banks’ deposits size due to the substantial growth in cryptocurrencies market capitalization.
Relational fragility, development and an emerging self: service user views of engaging in an IIRMS in the OPD pathway
Authors: Ryan Sue , Gordon Frances , Gordon Neil
Published: August 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to gain an in-depth view into how participants perceived their experience of engaging in an enhanced Intensive Intervention and Risk Management Service (IIRMS), which is a part of the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) pathway based within the community.

Design/methodology/approach

Five participants were interviewed. They were at different points of engagement with the service. Interviews were taped, transcribed and analysed using the grounded theory methodology.

Findings

Participants were able to provide in-depth reflections about their experiences at the service. The main issues centred upon “managing fragile relationships” and “an emerging self”. Subcategories linked to managing fragile relationships were: “letting people in and keeping them away”; “surviving the ruptures”; and “treating me like a person”. Subcategories linked to an emerging self were: “readiness to change” and “making new connections”.

Research limitations/implications

This study focused upon one enhanced IIRMS and findings are not necessarily generalisable to other services within the OPD pathway, although themes are likely to resonate for those leaving custody with complex interpersonal difficulties.

Practical implications

This study has provided access to participants’ perspectives on engaging with an IIRMS. Many factors impact upon the individual’s journey, which is central to the relational approach underpinning the pathway.

Originality/value

The findings have important messages for service providers and commissioners and crucially service user perspectives have been obtained that are integral to future development of the OPD pathway. The findings are also relevant for released prisoners attempting to reintegrate within the community.
Effect of medical thoracoscopy‐guided intrapleural docetaxel therapy to manage malignant pleural effusion in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer: A pilot study
Authors: Choi Myeong Geun , Park Sojung , Oh Dong Kyu , Kim Hyeong Ryul , Lee Geun Dong , Lee Jae Cheol , Choi Chang‐Min , Ji Wonjun
Published: August 2019

Background

Although chemical pleurodesis is a useful treatment option for malignant pleural effusion, little is known about the effects of intrapleural docetaxel therapy.

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of medical thoracoscopy‐guided intrapleural docetaxel therapy in patients with lung cancer.

Methods

Patients with lung cancer who diagnosed malignant pleural effusion were enrolled in this single‐center prospective pilot study. The clinical response and toxicity were evaluated at two, six and 12 weeks post‐treatment.

Results

Medical thoracoscopy‐guided intrapleural docetaxel therapy was conducted in four patients between June 2016 and August 2017. The control rate of malignant pleural effusion was 100% (4/4), and the progression‐free duration of effusion was 527 ± 109 days. No serious adverse events were observed, but only mild‐to‐moderate adverse events were observed and well controlled by conservative management. Although the overall quality of life assessed using questionnaires did not show significant improvement, symptom burden due to dyspnea was significantly improved.

Conclusions

Intrapleural docetaxel therapy with medical thoracoscopy showed good clinical responses, relieving dyspnea symptoms and providing tolerable safety profiles in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with malignant pleural effusion. A further prospective trial is warranted to evaluate the clinical effects of intrapleural docetaxel therapy in order to compare it with other treatment modalities.
Single xenotransplant of rat brown adipose tissue prolonged the ovarian lifespan of aging mice by improving follicle survival
Authors: Chen Liang‐Jian , Yang Zhi‐Xia , Wang Yang , Du Lei , Li Yan‐Ru , Zhang Na‐Na , Gao Wen‐Yi , Peng Rui‐Rui , Zhu Feng‐Yu , Wang Li‐Li , Li Cong‐Rong , Li Jian‐Min , Wang Fu‐Qiang , Sun Qing‐Yuan , Zhang Dong
Published: August 2019

Prolonging the ovarian lifespan is attractive and challenging. An optimal clinical strategy must be safe, long‐acting, simple, and economical. Allotransplantation of brown adipose tissue (BAT), which is most abundant and robust in infants, has been utilized to treat various mouse models of human disease. Could we use BAT to prolong the ovarian lifespan of aging mice? Could we try BAT xenotransplantation to alleviate the clinical need for allogeneic BAT due to the lack of voluntary infant donors? In the current study, we found that a single rat‐to‐mouse (RTM) BAT xenotransplantation did not cause systemic immune rejection but did significantly increase the fertility of mice and was effective for more than 5 months (equivalent to 10 years in humans). Next, we did a series of analysis including follicle counting; AMH level; estrous cycle; mTOR activity; GDF9, BMP15, LHR, Sirt1, and Cyp19a level; ROS and annexin V level; IL6 and adiponectin level; biochemical blood indices; body temperature; transcriptome; and DNA methylation studies. From these, we proposed that rat BAT xenotransplantation rescued multiple indices indicative of follicle and oocyte quality; rat BAT also improved the metabolism and general health of the aging mice; and transcriptional and epigenetic (DNA methylation) improvement in F0 mice could benefit F1 mice; and multiple KEGG pathways and GO classified biological processes the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) or differentially methylated regions (DMRs) involved were identical between F0 and F1. This study could be a helpful reference for clinical BAT xenotransplantation from close human relatives to the woman.
Accommodation payment plans in residential aged care: The impact of consumer choice
Authors: Abiona Olukorede , Yu Serena , Woods Mike , van Gool Kees
Published: August 2019

Objective

To examine changes in accommodation payments to residential aged care facilities following the introduction of consumer choice reforms in 2014. These reforms have allowed residents to choose between making lump sum refundable deposits and/or rental‐style payments.

Methods

Quantitative analysis was undertaken for facility‐level quarterly data of 136 separate facilities, which were operated by six providers over the period under study.

Results

While the total pool of payments has grown strongly, consumers have increasingly favoured rental‐style payments over lump sum refundable deposits.

Conclusion

Consumer choice has changed the landscape of accommodation payment receipts in the provision of residential aged care services. Greater understanding is needed on how consumer preferences impact on the financial risk borne by providers and their ability to invest in future capacity.
Impact of a major sporting event on local orthopaedic service provision: Commonwealth Games 2018, Gold Coast, Australia
Authors: Quinn Jonathan , Fairbairn William , Tan Ezekiel S. L.
Published: August 2019

Background

The Gold Coast (Queensland, Australia) held the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Previous studies have focussed on the socio‐economic and employment impact of hosting a major sporting event; however, there is limited research available about the provision of medical recourses required of the host city.

Methods

Twelve weeks of data were retrospectively collected from the local health service to quantify the orthopaedic department workload for the period surrounding the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Data collected included referrals to Orthopaedic Fracture Outpatient clinic, theatre cases – emergency and category 1 (scheduled trauma) performed, and entries made into electronic medical records by the on‐call orthopaedic staff.

Results

A statistically significant increase was found for theatre cases performed during the Commonwealth Games (86 versus 71 cases per week, P = 0.033, 95% confidence interval 1.46–27.5). We found no statistically significant increase in Fracture Outpatient Clinic referrals or medical record entries between peri‐games and games periods (P = 0.149 and 0.699, respectively).

Conclusion

Based on our experience, orthopaedic departments should plan for an increase in operative intervention requirements of at least 20%, in consultation with other local services. Strategic use of pre‐existing resources and staff may be sufficient to address the increased workload during the event period.
Exploring spatiotemporal variations in public library provision following a prolonged period of economic austerity: A GIS approach
Authors: Page Nicholas , Langford Mitchel , Higgs Gary
Published: August 2019

This paper demonstrates the applicability of GIS tools for investigating the implications of changes in public service provision following a prolonged period of economic austerity in the UK. Using the example of geographical accessibility to public library service points in Wales, levels of provision are estimated for two cross‐sections in time to gain an understanding of the potential implications of changes in service delivery models. Accessibility scores for small areas, generated using sophisticated floating catchment area (FCA) methods, enable complex spatial interactions between library service capacity and potential demand to be evaluated within realistic geographical service areas. Extending these models, we demonstrate how indicators of library service “quality” can be incorporated into access measures using the example of library operating hours for sites in three bordering Welsh local authorities, each of which have experienced differing policy responses to library service reconfiguration. Overall, the level of geographical accessibility to public library provision in Wales was found to have declined, on average, between 2011 and 2018, coinciding with a notable reduction in public library funding over the same period. While this finding is not unexpected, given an overall decrease in public library service points, this study reveals spatial inequalities in provision with areas of declining provision coinciding with pockets of greater economic deprivation. From a policy perspective, this paper demonstrates how network‐based GIS tools can aid scenario/sensitivity modelling to inform public service decision‐making processes. Our future research will extend these techniques to examine the implications of service reconfiguration strategies on potentially disadvantaged groups such as the elderly and the unemployed who rely on public libraries for access to e‐government and broader IT services.
The problem of imposing risk and the procedural dimension of stakeholder management
Authors: Cohen Marc A.
Published: August 2019

The case Caprica Energy and Its Choices concerns a fictionalized energy corporation choosing between three potential drilling sites. According to the published Teaching Note, the case is an exercise in the stakeholder approach to business: it requires balancing profit considerations with potential harm to those who live near those drilling sites. Though unintended, the case raises a further question not addressed in the case or in the Teaching Note: what gives Caprica Energy the right to impose risk on members of the communities surrounding its drilling sites? The first section of the present article argues that, in such cases, management can only justify imposing risk on the local community by securing those stakeholders' consent. The second section outlines the implications for stakeholder theory and stakeholder management. The third section outlines one connection between this material and recent literature on the imposition of risk and moral theory; that section offers an account of what make this particular instance of imposing risk morally problematic, with reference to the directedness of the imposition.
The relationship between insecure attachment and paranoia in psychosis: A systematic literature review
Authors: Lavin Rachel , Bucci Sandra , Varese Filippo , Berry Katherine
Published: August 2019

Objectives

Paranoia is a key symptom in psychosis and associated with a range of poor outcomes. Earlier life experiences increase vulnerability to paranoid thinking, and attachment theory has been proposed as a key model in explaining this causal pathway. Previous reviews highlight evidence of associations between insecure attachment styles and overall severity of psychotic symptoms. Studies report on associations between insecure attachment and paranoia, but to date, this literature has not been adequately synthesized. The aim of the current review was to report the strength and consistency of associations between paranoia and insecure attachment across published studies, and provide systematic appraisal of study quality.

Method

We carried out a systematic review of electronic databases using search terms to capture concepts of adult attachment, paranoia, and psychosis. We pre‐registered the review protocol and followed PRISMA guidelines.

Results

Significant associations were reported in 11 out of 12 studies between an insecure attachment and paranoia, with associations remaining significant in studies that controlled for comorbid symptoms. The strongest, most commonly reported relationship was between an anxious attachment style and paranoia.

Conclusions

The findings support the proposed role of attachment insecurity in the development and maintenance of paranoia in psychosis and highlight the need to address insecure attachment representations in the treatment of paranoia.

Practitioner points

There is consistent evidence of associations between insecure attachment style and paranoia.

Insecure anxious attachment is more consistently associated with paranoia than an insecure avoidant attachment.

Associations between attachment and paranoia remain significant when key confounders are controlled for in the analyses.

Interventions that address insecure attachment representations and promote a more secure attachment are likely to help reduce paranoia.
Emergency response to radiological and nuclear accidents and incidents
Authors: Gale Robert P. , Armitage James O. , Hashmi Shahrukh K.
Published: August 2019

Bone marrow damage is an important consequence of exposure to acute high‐dose whole‐body radiation. As such, haematologists can play an important role in managing this complication. However, these accident and incident scenarios are complex and often involve injuries to other organs and tissues from heat, projectiles and chemicals. In the case of a large‐scale event there will likely be severe infrastructure disruptions and injury or death to medical personnel. Accurate estimates of dose and uniformity of exposure are needed to intelligently direct appropriate interventions, which range from antibiotics, antifungals and anti‐virus drugs, molecularly‐cloned haematopoietic growth factors and, in rare instances, haematopoietic cell transplants. These therapies are ones that haematologists often use in the context of anti‐cancer therapy, especially therapy of haematological cancers like leukaemia. However, most haematologists have little knowledge of radiation biology and should consider updating this aspect of their expertise in continuing medical education. As in other areas of medicine, prevention is better than cure and haematologists should be active in decreasing risks of a nuclear war.
Complaints‐Based Entrepreneurialism: Worker Experiences of the Employment Standards Complaints Process in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Mirchandani Kiran , Hande Mary Jean , Condratto Shelley
Published: August 2019

In Ontario, workers who face unfair working conditions have the option of filing an official complaint with the Ministry of Labour. Complaints making is characterized as a widely available, easily accessible, and free‐of‐cost avenue for workers who may have experienced a violation of the law. However, interviews with Ontario workers who have filed complaints tell a different story. This paper is based on a community‐university project on the enforcement of the Employment Standards Act in Ontario. We draw on 36 interviews with workers employed in precarious jobs in Sudbury, Toronto, and Windsor, who filed complaints to the Ministry. Workers characterize the complaints process as rife with bureaucratic complexity, risk, and unsuccessful payouts. Their experiences shed light on the efficacy of complaint‐based approaches that are often promoted as a form of “bottom‐up” enforcement of employment standards (ES). We demonstrate that the current ES complaints system requires workers to enact neoliberal entrepreneurialism (rather than agentic or collective entrepreneurialism) creating a highly stressful, enormously time‐consuming, and demoralizing experience. We document the increasingly individualized and contradictory avenues through which workers must act as entrepreneurs to navigate and self‐advocate when their rights have been violated. We argue that the current complaint processes limit the potentially empowering impact of this strategy.
Heat shock protein 105 peptide vaccine could induce antitumor immune reactions in a phase I clinical trial
Authors: Shimizu Yasuhiro , Yoshikawa Toshiaki , Kojima Takashi , Shoda Kayoko , Nosaka Kazuto , Mizuno Shoichi , Wada Satoshi , Fujimoto Yuki , Sasada Tetsuro , Kohashi Kenichi , Bando Hideaki , Endo Itaru , Nakatsura Tetsuya
Published: August 2019

Heat shock protein 105 (HSP105) is overexpressed in many cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC) and esophageal cancer (EC). We carried out a phase I clinical trial of HLA‐A24‐ and HLA‐A2‐restricted HSP105 peptide vaccines in patients with CRC or EC. In this additional study of the trial, we examined the immunological efficacy of the novel vaccine. Thirty patients with advanced CRC or EC underwent HSP105 peptide vaccination. Immunological responses were evaluated by ex vivo and in vitro γ‐interferon enzyme‐linked immunospot assays and their correlation with patients’ prognosis was analyzed. The HSP105 peptide vaccines induced peptide‐specific CTLs in 15 of 30 patients. Among HLA‐A24 patients (n = 15), 7 showed induction of CTLs only ex vivo, whereas among HLA‐A2 patients (n = 15), 4 showed the induction ex vivo and 6 in vitro. Heat shock protein 105‐specific CTL induction correlated with suppression of cancer progression and was revealed as a potential predictive biomarker for progression‐free survival (P = .008; hazard ratio = 3.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.34‐6.85) and overall survival (P = .025; hazard ratio = 2.72; 95% confidence interval, 1.13‐6.52). Production of cytokines by HSP105 peptide‐specific CTLs was observed at the injection sites (skin) and tumor tissues, suggesting that HSP105‐specific CTLs not only accumulated at vaccination sites but also infiltrated tumors. Furthermore, we established 2 HSP105 peptide‐specific CTL clones, which showed HSP105‐specific cytokine secretion and cytotoxicity. Our results suggest that the HSP105 peptide vaccine could induce immunological effects in cancer patients and improve their prognosis.
Gain‐Loss Framing Enhances Mnemonic Discrimination in Preschoolers
Authors: Ngo Chi T. , Newcombe Nora S. , Olson Ingrid R.
Published: August 2019

Episodic memory relies on discriminating among similar elements of episodes. Mnemonic discrimination is relatively poor at age 4, and then improves markedly. We investigated whether motivation to encode items with fine‐grain resolution would change this picture of development, using an engaging computer‐administered memory task in which a bird ate items that made her healthier (gain frame), sicker (loss frame), or led to no change (control condition). Using gain‐loss framing led to enhanced mnemonic discrimination in 4‐ and 5‐year‐olds, but did not affect older children or adults. Despite this differential improvement, age‐related differences persisted. An additional finding was that loss‐framing led to greater mnemonic discrimination than gain‐framing across age groups. Motivation only partially accounts for the improvement in mnemonic discrimination.
Fixed‐dose combination of umeclidinium and vilanterol for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review
Authors: Ramadan Wijdan H. , Al Masri Sarah , Rizk John
Published: August 2019

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disease that is predicted to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Pharmacologic treatment options of COPD are bronchodilators, using either long‐acting β2‐agonists (LABAs), or long‐acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMAs), or a combination of two. Anoro Ellipta (umeclidinium + vilanterol) dry powder inhaler, a fixed‐dose combination of LAMA and LABA, was Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved in 2013 for COPD. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of once daily umeclidinium/vilanterol (62.5 mcg/25 mcg) in COPD patients, focusing on pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic characteristics, efficacy and safety in clinical studies and cost. Literature search was done through PubMed (2004‐2017) using the terms umeclidinium, vilanterol, COPD, LABA and LAMA. Recent and significant clinical trials about the monocomponents and their combination were identified, in addition to reviews, guidelines for COPD, data from manufacturer and FDA product labels. The search was limited to English language studies on human subjects. Clinical data published on the combination of umeclidinium/vilanterol in patients with COPD have shown greater improvements in lung function compared to monotherapies. However, further studies comparing umeclidinium/vilanterol FDC (ANORO) to other LABA/LAMA combinations are needed.
A pilot study on the non‐invasive management of tracheobronchial secretions in tracheostomised patients
Authors: Belli Stefano , Cattaneo Davide , D'Abrosca Francesco , Prince Ilaria , Savio Gloria , Balbi Bruno
Published: August 2019

Introduction/Objectives

The aim of our study was to assess the safety, efficacy and feasibility of an Expiratory Flow Accelerator (EFA) device, Free Aspire, in reducing the need for daily suctions in tracheostomised (TCS) patients.

Methods

Twenty‐five patients (13 males, 12 females, aged 69.88 ± 9.06 years) were investigated. The number of superficial/deep suctions, shallows, arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis, perception of mucus encumbrance (Visual Numeric Scale, VNS) and adverse event were recorded for five days. On the first two days (T1‐T2), suctioning was performed as usual, on the following three days (T3, T4, T5), patients were treated also with Free Aspire (20 min, 3 times a day).

Results/Conclusion

The use of the non‐invasive device was associated with a decrease of total number of aspirations from T2 to T5 (8.48 ± 2.62 vs 4.48 ± 3.08, P = 0.0003). Total number of daily aspirations decreased over the five days (8.68 ± 3.64 vs 4.48 ± 3.08, P = 0.0009). Deep aspirations decreased from T1 to T5 (6.16 ± 3.53 vs 1.80 ± 1.50, P = 0.0001). ABG data confirmed that no significant side effects occurred. VNS score decreased from 7.03 ± 1.42 at T1 to 4.05 ± 1.80 at T5 (P < 0.0001).

These data suggest that EFA may be useful for managing secretions in TCS patients, as it can reduce the number of daily suctions, particularly the deep ones, and may improve the perception of mucus encumbrance, without side effects. More studies are needed to confirm these data and to understand in which categories of TCS patients this device can be introduced.
Segmenting urban populations for greater conservation gains: A new approach targeting cobenefits is required
Authors: MacDonald Edith , Harbrow Michael , Jack Sandra , Kidd Julie , Wright Andrew , Tuinder Pieter , Balanovic Jovana , Medvecky Fabien , Poutasi Markerita
Published: August 2019

Engaging urban residents in greater proconservation behaviors is essential to mitigate the biodiversity crisis. To date, most behavior‐change campaigns have been based on a one‐size‐fits‐all “think‐care‐act” approach resulting in insufficient, sometimes counterproductive, conservation gains. In our study, we assess the “think‐care‐act” paradigm and also consider a range of cobenefits that may motivate different segments of urban populations to take greater conservation action for reasons other than biodiversity gains. We surveyed a representative sample of Auckland, New Zealand (n= 2,124) and four clusters emerged through clustering analysis. The first segment (Environmentally Active; 32%), exhibited the “think‐care‐act” paradigm. The second segment (Well Informed; 28%), was highly knowledgeable and concerned about conservation problems but exhibited lower conservation behaviors. The third segment (Active Outdoors; 19%) was actively engaged in outdoor activities, but exhibited low conservation knowledge, concern, and behaviors. The fourth segment (Socially Motivated; 21%), demonstrated high levels of conservation behaviors but lower knowledge and concern about conservation issues. We discuss potential ways to engage with each segment based on cobenefits and the need to move away from the traditional “think‐care‐act” paradigm and instead work with existing values systems and foster greater conservation behavior based on existing cobenefits.
Assimilate or Differentiate? Contributors’ Choice of Subjects in User‐Generated Content
Authors: Ke Zhihong , Liu De , Gupta Alok , Brass Daniel Joseph
Published: August 2019

A key to the content diversity on user‐generated content platforms is what subject users choose to contribute on. This research investigates how two factors can shape contributors’ subject choice decisions, namely, the amount of existing content and content contributed by online friends or “friend content.” Our experimental findings show that both the amount of existing content and friend content can shape a contributor's subject choice decisions: ceteris paribus, contributors prefer subjects with less existing content and ones with friend content when the amount of existing content is the same. In addition, contributors’ preference for subjects with friend content weakens as the amount of existing content on other subject's decreases. Our findings hold important implications for research and practice in user‐generated content platforms and beyond.
Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) social networks in areas of contrasting human activity and lion density
Authors: Muller Zoe , Cuthill Innes C. , Harris Stephen
Published: August 2019

The adaptive value of close social bonds and social networks has been demonstrated in a variety of vertebrate taxa. While the effect of predators on populations is well established, disturbance by humans is increasingly being identified as affecting the behaviour and reproductive success of animals and can have significant impacts on their survival. We used a concurrent analysis of two adjacent giraffeGiraffa camelopardalispopulations in Kenya to determine whether human activities and high predation affected their social networks. One study site was a premier tourist destination with a high volume of human activity in the form of tourist traffic and lodge infrastructure, alongside a high density of lions which preferentially prey on giraffe calves; the other was a private wildlife conservancy with minimal human activity and no lion population. Giraffes in both networks showed preferred associations and avoidances of other individuals, which were independent of space use. Bond strength was lower in the population exposed to high levels of human activity and lions, and the network had lower density and clustering, and shorter path lengths, suggesting that it was more fragmented. We suggest that human activity and predator density may influence the patterns of social interactions in giraffes and highlight the importance of understanding the impact of tourism and management on the survival and success of wild animal populations.
Flexibility in a changing arctic food web: Can rough‐legged buzzards cope with changing small rodent communities?
Authors: Fufachev Ivan A. , Ehrich Dorothee , Sokolova Natalia A. , Sokolov Vasiliy A. , Sokolov Aleksandr A.
Published: August 2019

Indirect effects of climate change are often mediated by trophic interactions and consequences for individual species depend on how they are tied into the local food web. Here we show how the response of demographic rates of an arctic bird of prey to fluctuations in small rodent abundance changed when small rodent community composition and dynamics changed, possibly under the effect of climate warming. We observed the breeding biology of rough‐legged buzzards (Buteo lagopus) at the Erkuta Tundra Monitoring Site in southern Yamal, low arctic Russia, for 19 years (1999–2017). At the same time, data on small rodent abundance were collected and information on buzzard diet was obtained from pellet dissection. The small rodent community experienced a shift from high‐amplitude cycles to dampened fluctuations paralleled with a change in species composition toward less lemmings and more voles. Buzzards clearly preferred lemmings as prey. Breeding density of buzzards was positively related to small rodent abundance, but the shift in small rodent community lead to lower numbers relative to small rodent abundance. At the same time, after the change in small rodent community, the average number of fledglings was higher relative to small rodent abundance than earlier. These results suggest that the buzzard population adapted to a certain degree to the changes in the major resource, although at the same time density declined. The documented flexibility in the short‐term response of demographic rates to changes in structure and dynamics of key food web components make it difficult to predict how complex food webs will be transformed in a warmer Arctic. The degree of plasticity of functional responses is indeed likely to vary between species and between regions, depending also on the local food web context.
Recent global changes have decoupled species richness from specialization patterns in North American birds
Authors: Mimet Anne , Buitenwerf Robert , Sandel Brody , Svenning Jens‐Christian , Normand Signe
Published: August 2019

Aim

Theory suggests that increasing productivity and climate stability towards the tropics favours specialization, thus contributing to the latitudinal richness gradient. A positive relationship between species richness and specialization should therefore emerge as a fundamental biogeographical pattern. However, land‐use and climate changes disproportionally increase the local extirpation risk for specialists, potentially weakening the relationship between richness and specialization. Here, we quantify empirically the richness–specialization prediction and test how 50 years of climate and land‐use change has affected the richness–specialization relationship.

Location

USA.

Time period

1966–2015.

Major taxa studied

Birds.

Methods

We used the North American Breeding Bird Survey to quantify bird community richness and specialization to habitat and climate. We (a) quantify temporal change in the slope of the richness–specialization relationship, using a generalized mixed model; (b) assess how this change translates spatially, using generalized additive models; and (c) attribute spatio‐temporal change in the richness–specialization relationship to land use, climate and topographic drivers.

Results

We found evidence for a positive but weak richness–specialization relationship in bird communities that greatly weakened over time. Given that specialization was not the main driver of richness, this relationship did not translate spatially into a linear spatial covariation between richness and specialization. Instead, the spatial covariation in richness and specialization followed a unimodal pattern, the peak of which shifted towards less specialized communities over time. These temporal changes were associated with precipitation change, decreasing temperature stability and land use.

Main conclusions

Recent climate and land‐use changes have induced two contrasting types of community responses. In human‐dominated areas, the decoupling of richness and specialization drove a general trend for biotic homogenization. In areas of low human impact experiencing increasing climate harshness, specialization increased, whereas richness decreased. Our results offer new support for specialization as a key driver of macroecological diversity patterns and show that global changes are weakening this fundamental macroecological pattern.
Ambiguous medical abbreviation study: challenges and opportunities
Authors: Holper Sarah , Barmanray Rahul , Colman Blake , Yates Christopher J. , Liew Danny , Smallwood David
Published: August 2019

Background

Healthcare workers often abbreviate for convenience, but ambiguous abbreviations may cause miscommunication, which jeopardises patient care. Robust large‐scale research to quantify abbreviation frequency and ambiguity in medical documents is lacking.

Aims

To calculate the frequency of abbreviations used in discharge summaries, the proportion of these abbreviations that are ambiguous and the potential utility of auto‐expansion software.

Methods

We designed a software programme to extract all instances of abbreviations from every General Medical Unit discharge summary from the Royal Melbourne Hospital in 2015. We manually expanded abbreviations using published inventories and clinical experience, logging multiple expansions for any abbreviation if identified. Abbreviations were classified based on well defined criteria as standardised and likely to be well understood, or ambiguous. Outcome measures included the range and frequency of standardised and ambiguous abbreviations, and the feasibility of electronic auto‐expansion software based on these measures.

Results

Of the 1 551 537 words analysed from 2336 documents, 137 997 (8.9%) were abbreviations with 1741 distinct abbreviations identified. Most abbreviations (88.7%) had a single expansion. The most common abbreviation was PO (per os/orally), followed by BD (bis in die/twice daily) and 68.1% of abbreviations were standardised, largely pertaining to pathology/chemicals. This meant, however, that a large proportion (31.9%) of abbreviations (2.8% of all words) were ambiguous. The most common ambiguous abbreviation was Pt (patient/physiotherapy), followed by LFT (liver function test/lung function test).

Conclusions

Close to one‐third of abbreviations used in general medical discharge summaries were ambiguous. Electronic auto‐expansion of ambiguous abbreviations is likely to reduce miscommunication and improve patient safety.
Optimising the response to acute clinical deterioration: the role of observation and response charts
Authors: O'Connell Alice , Flabouris Arthas , Thompson Campbell H.
Published: August 2019

We sought the role of the hospital inpatient observation and response chart (ORC) in reducing adverse outcomes. We sourced articles written in English and published in PubMed. Track, trigger and response systems can be tiered and use single parameter or aggregate scoring systems, the latter being more prone to error. The documentation and detection of abnormal vital signs can be affected by choice of trigger and response and by ORC design. There is considerable variation in the design of ORC and of rapid response systems (RRS) in general, and this impairs assessment of their efficacy. A high rate of modification of pre‐determined triggers and poor sensitivity of measured outcomes further compromise systematic review. The best‐designed ORC and RRS should optimise the frequency of response team activation to minimise adverse patient outcomes without excess resource utilisation. The role and the risks of electronic data recording are under‐explored. Detecting and responding to deteriorating patients relies on accurate and clear documentation of vital signs. ORC design and staff education on ORC implementation and usage are integral to minimising ALF and optimising patient outcomes. Standardisation of the design of both the ORC and the hospital RRS are overdue.
Determination of interdiffusion coefficients of Si and Al in Ti3SiC2–Ti3AlC2 diffusion couple at 1373‐1673 K
Authors: Zhang Zerong , Yin Xiaohui , Qian Yuhai , Xu Jingjun , Zuo Jun , Li Meishuan
Published: August 2019

In the diffusion couple of Ti3SiC2 and Ti3AlC2, only interdiffusion of Si and Al occurred during diffusion treatment process. Based on the concentration profiles of Si and Al measured by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), the interdiffusion coefficients of Si and Al at 1373‐1673 K in Ti3SiC2–Ti3AlC2 diffusion couple were determined by both the Boltzmann‐Matano (B‐M) method and the Saucer‐Freise (S‐F) method. At the position of Matano plane with the composition of Ti3Al0.5Si0.5C2, the interdiffusion coefficient could be expressed as Dint (m2/s) = 5.6 × 10−4⋅exp [−246 ± 14 (kJ/mol)/RT]. Based on the two methods, the calculated interdiffusion coefficients increased with increasing temperature, and the magnitudes of their absolute values were on the order of 10–13‐10–11 m2/s at 1373‐1673 K. At 1373‐1573 K, the calculated interdiffusion coefficients decreased monotonously with the increase of Si concentration, that is, xSi/(xAl + xSi). But at 1673 K, the variation trend of interdiffusion coefficients with xSi/(xAl + xSi) was no longer monotonous, probably due to the presence of Ti5Si3 phase and voids on Ti3AlC2 side.
Through a Glass, Darkly: Data on Incident Moderately Severe Dementia
Authors: Lynn Joanne
Published: August 2019

This editorial comments on the article by Harrison et al.
Peptide and non‐peptide mimetics as potential therapeutics targeting oral bacteria and oral biofilms
Authors: Sztukowska Maryta N. , Roky Mohammad , Demuth Donald R.
Published: August 2019

The development of the oral biofilm requires a complex series of interactions between host tissues and the colonizing bacteria as well as numerous interspecies interactions between the organisms themselves. Disruption of normal host–microbe homoeostasis in the oral cavity can lead to a dysbiotic microbial community that contributes to caries or periodontal disease. A variety of approaches have been pursued to develop novel potential therapeutics that are active against the oral biofilm and/or target specific oral bacteria. The structure and function of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides from oral tissues and secretions as well as external sources such as frog skin secretions have been exploited to develop numerous peptide mimetics and small molecule peptidomimetics that show improved antimicrobial activity, increased stability and other desirable characteristics relative to the parent peptides. In addition, a rational and minimalist approach has been developed to design small artificial peptides with amphipathic α‐helical properties that exhibit potent antibacterial activity. Furthermore, with an increased understanding of the molecular mechanisms of beneficial and/or antagonistic interspecies interactions that contribute to the formation of the oral biofilm, new potential targets for therapeutic intervention have been identified and both peptide‐based and small molecule mimetics have been developed that target these key components. Many of these mimetics have shown promising results in in vitro and pre‐clinical testing and the initial clinical evaluation of several novel compounds has demonstrated their utility in humans.
Not as a Means: Killing as a Side Effect in Self‐defense
Authors: Gordon‐Solmon Kerah
Published: August 2019

A person drives her well‐maintained car cautiously and alertly to the movies. Freak circumstances send the car out of control. It veers in the direction of a pedestrian whom it will kill unless she, or a third party, blows it up with a grenade.

Whether the driver is liable to be thusly killed polarizes debates about the ethics of self‐defense. But debaters frequently conflate the questions of whether and by what means the driver is liable to be killed. The paper separates these questions: it argues the driver's liability to lethal harm need not entail her liability to the grenade.
Portable Innovation, Policy Wormholes, and Innovation Diffusion
Authors: Yi Hongtao , Chen Wenna
Published: August 2019

This article explores the effects of city managers' career paths on the diffusion of climate policy innovation among municipal governments in the United States. Using the agent network diffusion (AND) model, the authors hypothesize that local climate policy innovations are portable and that cities may learn from distant jurisdictions to which they are connected through the career paths of managers, a phenomenon termed the “policy wormhole” effect. Employing a dyadic panel data set of more than 400 Florida cities from 2005 to 2010, these hypotheses are tested using dyadic event history analysis. The results support both the portable innovation hypothesis and the policy wormhole hypothesis. Cities can facilitate the diffusion of policy innovations by paying special attention to the recruitment process of city managers.
Statistical edutainment: Reversing comparisons
Authors: Lesser Lawrence M. , Pearl Dennis K.
Published: August 2019

Educational fun items can be readily found and used to increase student motivation and learning. We illustrate resources and strategies for a specific piece of content: Simpson's paradox.
Clostridioides difficile on Ohio swine farms (2015): A comparison of swine and human environments and assessment of on‐farm risk factors
Authors: O’Shaughnessy Rory A. , Habing Gregory G. , Gebreyes Wondwossen A. , Bowman Andrew S. , Weese J. Scott , Rousseau Joyce , Stull Jason W.
Published: August 2019

Swine are known reservoirs for Clostridioides difficile, formerly known as Clostridium difficile, and transmission from swine to human farm workers is strongly suggested by previous studies. This cross‐sectional study evaluated the potential role of farm environmental surfaces, including those in worker breakrooms and swine housing areas, in the possible transmission of C. difficile from swine to farm workers. Environmental surfaces and piglet faeces at 13 Ohio swine farms were sampled in 2015. Typical culturing techniques were performed to isolate C. difficile from samples, and amplification of toxin genes (tcdA, tcdB and cdtB) and PCR‐ribotyping were used to genetically characterize recovered isolates. In addition, sequencing of toxin regulatory gene, tcdC, was done to identify the length of identified deletions in some isolates. A survey collected farm‐level management risk factor information. Clostridioides difficile was recovered from all farms, with 42% (188/445) of samples testing positive for C. difficile. Samples collected from all on‐farm locations recovered C. difficile, including farrowing rooms (60%, 107/178), breakrooms (50%, 69/138) and nursery rooms (9%, 12/129). Three ribotypes recovered from both swine and human environments (078, 412 and 005) have been previously implicated in human disease. Samples taken from farrowing rooms and breakrooms were found to have greater odds of C. difficile recovery than those taken from nursery rooms (OR = 40.5, OR = 35.6, p < .001 respectively). Farms that weaned ≥23,500 pigs per year had lower odds of C. difficile recovery as compared to farms that weaned fewer pigs (OR = 0.4, p = .01) and weekly or more frequent cleaning of breakroom counters was associated with higher odds of C. difficile recovery (OR = 11.7, p < .001). This study provides important insights into the presence and characterization of C. difficile found in human environments on swine farms and highlights how these areas may be involved in transmission of C. difficile to swine farm workers and throughout the facility.
Epitaxial BaSnO3 and SrSnO3 perovskite growth on SrTiO3(001) via atomic layer deposition
Authors: Chen Pei-Yu , Lam Chon Hei , Edmondson Bryce , Posadas Agham B. , Demkov Alexander A. , Ekerdt John G.
Published: August 2019

The authors report epitaxial BaSnO3(001) and SrSnO3(001) growth on SrTiO3(001) (STO) substrates via atomic layer deposition (ALD) at 180 °C, where the BaSnO3 growth rate is 0.46 ± 0.03 Å and the SrSnO3 growth rate is 0.69 ± 0.04 Å per ALD unit cycle. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction, x-ray diffraction (XRD), and rocking curve analyses verify the single crystalline nature of BaSnO3(001) and SrSnO3(001) thin films on STO(001), while the atomic force microscopy analyses reveal the smooth surface of the stannate films with rms roughness values of ∼0.4 nm, which is only slightly higher than the STO substrate roughness of 0.32 nm. Out-of-plane XRD and reciprocal space mapping show that both BaSnO3(001) and SrSnO3(001) (∼10 nm) are fully relaxed on STO(001), owing to the large lattice mismatches (5.1% for BaSnO3/STO and 3.2% for SrSnO3/STO). The visible light transmittance spectra indicate that ALD-grown BaSnO3 and SrSnO3 thin films have high transparency at 400–800 nm that matches the transparency of STO(001) substrates.