bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Systems analyses of key metabolic modules of floral and extrafloral nectaries of cotton
Authors: Chatt Elizabeth C. , Mahalim Siti-Nabilla , Mohd-Fadzil Nur-Aziatull , Roy Rahul , Klinkenberg Peter M. , Horner Harry T. , Hampton Marshall , Carter Clay J. , Nikolau Basil J.
Published: November 2019

Nectar is a primary reward mediating plant-animal mutualisms to improve plant fitness and reproductive success. In Gossypium hirsutum (cotton), four distinct trichomatic nectaries develop, one floral and three extrafloral. The secreted floral and extrafloral nectars serve different purposes, with the floral nectar attracting bees to promote pollination and the extrafloral nectar attracting predatory insects as a means of indirect resistance from herbivores. Cotton therefore provides an ideal system to contrast mechanisms of nectar production and nectar composition between floral and extrafloral nectaries. Here, we report the transcriptome, ultrastructure, and metabolite spatial distribution using mass spectrometric imaging of the four cotton nectary types throughout development. Additionally, the secreted nectar metabolomes were defined and were jointly composed of 197 analytes, 60 of which were identified. Integration of theses datasets support the coordination of merocrine-based and eccrine-based models of nectar synthesis. The nectary ultrastructure supports the merocrine-based model due to the abundance of rough endoplasmic reticulum positioned parallel to the cell walls and profusion of vesicles fusing to the plasma membranes. The eccrine-based model which consist of a progression from starch synthesis to starch degradation and to sucrose biosynthesis was supported by gene expression data. This demonstrates conservation of the eccrine-based model for the first time in both trichomatic and extrafloral nectaries. Lastly, nectary gene expression data provided evidence to support de novo synthesis of amino acids detected in the secreted nectars.

One sentence summary

The eccrine-based model of nectar synthesis and secretion is conserved in both trichomatic and extrafloral nectaries determined by a system-based comparison of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) nectaries.
A Monte Carlo ray-tracing simulation of coherent X-ray diffractive imaging
Authors: Fevola Giovanni , Bergbäck Knudsen Erik , Ramos Tiago , Carbone Dina , Wenzel Andreasen Jens
Published: November 2019

Coherent diffractive imaging (CDI) experiments are adequately simulated assuming the thin sample approximation and using a Fresnel or Fraunhofer wavefront propagator to obtain the diffraction pattern. Although this method is used in wave-based or hybrid X-ray simulators, here the applicability and effectiveness of an alternative approach that is based solely on ray tracing of Huygens wavelets are investigated. It is shown that diffraction fringes of a grating-like source are accurately predicted and that diffraction patterns of a ptychography dataset from an experiment with realistic parameters can be sampled well enough to be retrieved by a standard phase-retrieval algorithm. Potentials and limits of this approach are highlighted. It is suggested that it could be applied to study imperfect or non-standard CDI configurations lacking a satisfactory theoretical formulation. The considerable computational effort required by this method is justified by the great flexibility provided for easy simulation of a large-parameter space.
Use of financial diaries to understand smallholder investment finance a cross country analysis in Mozambique, Tanzania and Pakistan
Authors: Soria Maria del Puerto , Hernandez Emilio , Ciacci Riccardo
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relative importance of different sources of finance for agricultural and non-agricultural investments using unique Smallholder Financial Diaries collected by Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) in Mozambique, Pakistan and Tanzania at the individual and household level.

Design/methodology/approach

Following the analytical framework of variance decomposition developed in Samphantharak and Townsend (2010), this study develops a method to quantify how much each cash deficit associated to investments and expenses of interest co-move with different financing sources.

Findings

This paper finds that self-finance, rather than formal or informal finance from external providers, is the main financing source for long-term and short-term smallholder agricultural investments. Further, the paper finds that the main source of self-finance varies depending on the economic opportunities faced by smallholders, with non-agricultural income as the dominant financing source for some, while agricultural income dominating for others.

Research limitations/implications

Given CGAP’s Smallholder Financial Diaries is not nationally representative, research results should be interpreted carefully. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to analyze financing sources for smallholder households making use of high frequency financial data for individuals in developing countries.

Practical implications

These findings imply that financial inclusion policies specifically targeting smallholders and the agricultural sector would benefit from enabling the development of an ecosystem of diverse financial services that respond simultaneously to both agriculture and non-agriculture needs.

Originality/value

This is paper furthers the authors’ knowledge on how smallholder households are financing their agricultural investments. Moreover, it applies methods in new ways to exploit a unique data set.
Measuring regional differences of construction productive efficiency in China
Authors: Luo Ming , Fan Hongqin , Liu Guiwen
Published: November 2019

Purpose

As one of the pillar sectors, China’s construction industry (CE) is not efficient in productivity with large regional gaps over the past decades. It is crucial for stakeholders to have insightful information on regional input of resources and output of productive efficiency for making policies and investment decisions. The purpose of this paper is to develop an efficiency measurement for the CE and explore the regional differences of construction productive efficiency across the three regions of China.

Design/methodology/approach

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is an objective benchmarking methodology used for measuring the performance of construction productivity. Distance friction minimization (DFM) approach, based on DEA model, is applied to identify the causes of inefficiency, sources of growth and the optimal paths to efficient frontier for regional CE. Further studies are conducted to provide insightful information for efficiency improvement, according to DFM modeling results and empirical analysis.

Findings

The results indicate that eastern region leads construction development due to strong performance of coastal provinces. Faced with decreasing supply of skilled workers in developed region, investing more on construction plants and equipment for labor savings is more efficient to the long-term productivity growth of CE in the east. For developing midland region, heavy reliance on cheap manpower should be gradually relieved by allocating more budgets to vocational training and education program to boost quality labor supply, as well as making steady investment on construction equipment and advanced technology. In underdeveloped western region, raising construction labor wages is recommended to attract more workers to meet the market demand and achieve an optimal production efficiency in the CE.

Originality/value

The findings provide insights into the causes of inefficiency, the sources of growth and the best strategies for efficiency improvement in regional CE, recommendations are made for policy making and strategic planning to enhance the overall performance of China’s construction productive efficiency.
Reach out and touch: student training community projects for sustainability - a case study
Authors: De Hooge Ilona E. , van Dam Ynte K.
Published: November 2019

Purpose

As one of the five concrete actions recommended for implementing sustainable development at universities (internal operations, institutional framework, research, education and capacity building), capacity building has received the least research attention. Although capacity building can be a tangible implementation of outreach that offers empowerment to universities, it is currently unclear how capacity building can be operationalised in concrete activities and which parties represent the university and the community. The purpose of this study is to provide the idea that capacity building can be organised through student training projects.

Design/methodology/approach

To provide support for our suggestion that student training projects can act as an implementation method for capacity building, an illustrative case study is presented. The case study concerns an academic consultancy training project for students in the domain of sustainable development.

Findings

The case study analysis reveals that, as an implementation method, student training projects can provide benefits for both universities and communities. It appears that student training projects do not depend on individual engagement, on individual university staff members or on research grants and that they provide community members with access to resources, expertise and experiences of academics. Moreover, student training projects overcome the major challenges of both power distance and continuity.

Originality/value

To summarise, student training projects may provide a new, promising avenue as an implementation method for capacity building that provides substantial benefits and overcomes the challenges of other methods mentioned in the existing literature.
Vulnerable adults in police custody
Authors: Cummins Ian
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the recent National Appropriate Adult Network (NAAN) report on the role of the appropriate adult.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on the NAAN report and a review of relevant policy and research literature.

Findings

There to Help 2 highlights that there are still significant gaps in the provision of appropriate adult schemes across England and Wales. These gaps potentially place vulnerable adults at increased risk.

Originality/value

This paper is a review of recent research.
Supporting wellbeing through scholarship of teaching and learning
Authors: Lawrence Jenny , Herrick Tim
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact and value of a scholarship of teaching and learning-led (SoTL) professional development in higher education (HE), with a focus on practitioner wellbeing.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was a small-scale mixed-methods design, surveying 21 participants and interviewing 3 current students or recent graduates from a UK-based MEd in Teaching and Learning in HE. Data were mapped against an evidence-based framework for wellbeing.

Findings

A SoTL-led form of professional development, an MEd in Teaching in Learning in HE, offers participants opportunity to exercise the “Five Ways to Wellbeing in HE”, which has positive outcomes for staff and students.

Research limitations/implications

The research project was not designed to explore the programme’s impact on wellbeing, but to explore its impact and value on individuals and institutions. Reading data against the “Five Ways to Wellbeing in HE” was retrospective, and individual wellbeing was not measured. However, the theoretical implications are that wellbeing is an additional benefit, which adds to the value of SoTL-led professional development in HE, and that further research is required to explore this more fully.

Practical implications

The wellbeing framework outlined in this research and applied to HE can be used as a model for shaping SoTL-led professional development, to the benefit of the entire learning community.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a connection between wellbeing, SoTL-led professional development and the SOTL.
Financial freedom, market power and bank margins in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Sarpong-Kumankoma Emmanuel , Abor Joshua , Aboagye Anthony Quame Q. , Amidu Mohammed
Published: November 2019

Purpose

This paper examines the effect of financial (banking) freedom and market power on bank net interest margins (NIM).

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses data from 11 sub-Saharan African countries over the period, 2006-2012, and the system generalized method of moments to assess how financial freedom affects the relationship between market power and bank NIM.

Findings

The authors find that both financial freedom and market power have positive relationships with bank NIM. However, there is some indication that the impact of market power on bank margins is sensitive to the level of financial freedom prevailing in an economy. It appears that as competition intensifies, margins of banks in freer countries are likely to reduce faster than those in areas with more restrictions.

Practical implications

Competition policies could be guided by the insight on how financial freedom moderates the effect of market power on bank margins.

Originality/value

This study provides new empirical evidence on how the level of financial freedom affects bank margins and the market power-bank margins relationship.
Lean development evaluation in small Brazilian company
Authors: Hoffmann Davi Laskani , Torres Jr Alvair Silveira
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The small Brazilian companies are responsible for a large part of national GDP and formal jobs in the country. This expressiveness is contrasted with the specificities of companies of this size possess, including the need to innovate to survive. Research shows that 83 percent of Brazilian SMEs have launched new products and services, obtaining positive results through this innovative process. This competitive advantage is weighted by a great feature of the small organization: resource constraint. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

Research was carried out in three stages: one qualitative research (by using focal groups) and another two quantitative research works (descriptive and cross-sectional).

Findings

The author identified three factors that are important for teenagers when influencing the purchase of the family car: safety, sportiness and comfort. The identification of these factors shows that the millennial generation tends to emphasize aspects of individual interest, such as status and performance, and family context, such as safety and comfort, rather than social aspects, such as the type of fuel and environmental impact.

Social implications

The authors recommend the development of automobiles that prioritize the three factors mentioned herein in order to reverse the trend of declining car purchase.

Originality/value

The authors presented the relevant attributes in buying decisions of family cars according to teenagers. The authors also indicated which automobile attributes are relevant for a more informed, connected, and with an increasing purchase power generation in contrast with previous generations, whose social context was prior to the emergence of social media.
Financialization and generational differences in the correlates of perceived importance of investment in Hong Kong
Authors: Lee Francis , Tang Gary , Tsang Chung-Kin
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how people’s perceptions of the importance of financial investment relate to their value orientation, societal perceptions and policy attitudes. Tying together insights from theoretical analysis of the financialization of society and Mannheim’s (1972) theory of generation, this study hypothesizes that perceived importance of investment should be less connected to a desire for a wealthy lifestyle and more connected to a critique of social inequality among the young generation. Analysis of survey data (N= 1,020) from Hong Kong, an international financial hub, shows that perceived importance of investment relates positively to consumer materialism, perceptions of social inequality and support for social democratic policies. More importantly, the relationships between the latter variables and perceived importance of investment vary across age groups in ways largely consistent with the expectation. The findings illustrate the changing social significance of financial investment and the reluctant embracement of investment by young people.

Design/methodology/approach

A representative telephone survey (N= 1,020) was conducted and analyzed.

Findings

The analysis shows that perceived importance of investment relates positively to consumer materialism, perceptions of social inequality and support for social democratic policies. More importantly, the relationships between the latter variables and perceived importance of investment vary across age groups in ways largely consistent with the expectation.

Originality/value

The findings illustrate the changing social significance of financial investment and the reluctant embracement of investment by the young generation. It is, to the authors’ knowledge, the first study in Hong Kong addressing people’s attitudes toward investment in relation to the notion of financialization.
Islamic and Muslim tourism: service quality and theme parks in the UAE
Authors: Lari Lamya Abbas Darwish Abdulla , Iyanna Shilpa , Jabeen Fauzia
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify dimensions of theme park quality from an Islamic perspective and develop a framework to examine the interrelationships between theme park service quality dimensions, visitor delight and visitor loyalty in theme parks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a detailed literature review and analysis of visitors’ comments onTripAdvisor.comabout their experience in theme parks in the UAE.

Findings

Theme park service quality can be assessed across 4 main dimensions (physical environment, interaction, consumables and access) and 13 sub-dimensions. A relationship is proposed between these dimensions and visitors’ delight, with visitor loyalty a consequence of visitor delight. Nationality is proposed to have a moderating effect on the delight–loyalty relationship.

Originality/value

This study attempts to propose a model for theme park service quality that reflects both traditional dimensions of service quality and dimensions related to Islamic attributes. It is one of very few attempts to investigate theme park visitors’ perception of service quality and its relation to delight and loyalty in the UAE. It is also, as far as the authors are aware, the first study to investigate the moderating effect of nationality on the delight–loyalty relationship.
Cutaneous lupus erythematosus and its association with systemic lupus erythematosus: A nationwide population‐based cohort study in Korea
Authors: Baek Yoo Sang , Park Se Ha , Baek Jinok , Roh Joo Young , Kim Hee Joo
Published: November 2019

Although lupus erythematosus is known to be more common among women of color, the study populations in previous reports were predominantly Caucasian and there is scarce information on Asian patients. Therefore, we performed a retrospective study using a nationwide population‐based cohort in South Korea. The average annual incidence of cutaneous lupus was 4.36/100 000. Among 634 patients with cutaneous lupus, 20.8% had systemic disease: cutaneous lupus was diagnosed before systemic lupus in 4.26% and after systemic lupus in 8.52%. More female patients than male patients developed systemic lupus erythematosus. The average time to progression to systemic lupus was 1.53 ± 1.46 years.
Metabolic relationships of uncultured bacteria associated with the microalgae Gambierdiscus
Authors: Rambo Ian M. , Dombrowski Nina , Constant Lauren , Erdner Deana , Baker Brett J.
Published: November 2019

Microbial communities inhabit algae cell surfaces and produce a variety of compounds that can impact the fitness of the host. These interactions have been studied via culturing, single‐gene diversity and metagenomic read survey methods that are limited by culturing biases and fragmented genetic characterizations. Higher‐resolution frameworks are needed to resolve the physiological interactions within these algal–bacterial communities. Here, we infer the encoded metabolic capabilities of four uncultured bacterial genomes (reconstructed using metagenomic assembly and binning) associated with the marine dinoflagellates Gambierdiscus carolinianus and G. caribaeus. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that two of the genomes belong to the commonly algae‐associated families Rhodobacteraceae and Flavobacteriaceae. The other two genomes belong to the Phycisphaeraceae and include the first algae‐associated representative within the uncultured SM1A02 group. Analyses of all four genomes suggest these bacteria are facultative aerobes, with some capable of metabolizing phytoplanktonic organosulfur compounds including dimethylsulfoniopropionate and sulfated polysaccharides. These communities may biosynthesize compounds beneficial to both the algal host and other bacteria, including iron chelators, B vitamins, methionine, lycopene, squalene and polyketides. These findings have implications for marine carbon and nutrient cycling and provide a greater depth of understanding regarding the genetic potential for complex physiological interactions between microalgae and their associated bacteria.
Geographic diversification in real estate investment trusts
Authors: Feng Zhilan , Pattanapanchai Maneechit , Price S. McKay , Sirmans C. F.
Published: November 2019

Whether geographic diversification within property portfolios is ideal remains an open question, with most studies finding either a diversification discount or no evidence of benefits. Using a sample of equity real estate investment trusts (REITs) from 2010 to 2016, we find a nonlinear relation between geographic diversification and firm value. Specifically, geographic diversification is associated with higher REIT values for firms that can be described as being more transparent (i.e., they have high levels of institutional ownership or invest in core property types). Whereas, geographic concentration is associated with higher REIT values for firms that can be described as being less transparent (i.e., they have low levels of institutional ownership or invest in noncore property types). Operating efficiency, at both the property‐ and firm‐levels, are the means by which the diversification value is realized. Operations improve as property portfolios become more geographically diversified for more transparent firms. When the improvements are decomposed into revenue generation and expense efficiency portions, we find revenue generation to be the main operational channel through which the benefits are obtained.
Social and ecological complexity is associated with gestural repertoire size of wild chimpanzees
Authors: ROBERTS Sam G. B. , ROBERTS Anna I.
Published: November 2019

Increasing our understanding of primate gestural communication can provide new insights into language evolution. A key question in primate communication is the association between the social relationships of primates and their repertoire of gestures. Such analyses can reveal how primates use their repertoire of gestural communication to maintain their networks of family and friends, much as humans use language to maintain their social networks. In this study we examined the association between the repertoire of gestures (overall, manual and bodily gestures, and gestures of different modalities) and social bonds (presence of reciprocated grooming), coordinated behaviors (travel, resting, co‐feeding), and the complexity of ecology (e.g. noise, illumination) and sociality (party size, audience), in wild East African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). A larger repertoire size of manual, visual gestures was associated with the presence of a relationship based on reciprocated grooming and increases in social complexity. A smaller repertoire of manual tactile gestures occurred when the relationship was based on reciprocated grooming. A smaller repertoire of bodily gestures occurred between partners who jointly traveled for longer. Whereas gesture repertoire size was associated with social complexity, complex ecology also influenced repertoire size. The evolution of a large repertoire of manual, visual gestures may have been a key factor that enabled larger social groups to emerge during evolution. Thus, the evolution of the larger brains in hominins may have co‐occurred with an increase in the cognitive complexity underpinning gestural communication and this, in turn, may have enabled hominins to live in more complex social groups.
The umbrella effect of Natura 2000 annex species spreads over multiple taxonomic groups, conservation attributes and organizational levels
Authors: Morán‐López R. , Cortés Gañán E. , Uceda Tolosa O. , Sánchez Guzmán J. M.
Published: November 2019

The Natura 2000 network (N2K) was designed using species and habitats annexed in the European Union’s (EU) Directives of Birds (BD) and Habitats (HD). The selection of such species receives increasing criticism, as does the frequent use of design methods not based on Systematic Conservation Planning (SCP). As a result, a proportion of the EU’s biodiversity may remain uncovered by the network, irrespective of the degree of coverage of the annex species. Data limitations currently prevent rigorous EU‐wide gap analysis for multiple biodiversity components simultaneously (i.e., taxonomic groups, conservation attributes and organizational levels), but regional data at finer resolutions may add evidence of the breadth of the umbrella effect to be expected. We tested the hypothesis that an objectively designed N2K may confer the EU´s annex species an umbrella effect over multiple biodiversity components. This conjoint analysis of multiple taxa, attributes and levels is rarely done. We used distribution data of terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates in one of the richest regions in the EU (Extremadura, Spain), whose reserves and biodiversity surpass many EU countries, and where the N2K was designed through SCP. We implemented a gap analysis explicitly including annex species status, conservation‐relevant attributes (rarity, endemicity and vulnerability) and organizational levels (species, richness and hotspots). The annexed species acted as an umbrella group at the species, richness and hotspot levels, successfully covering rarity, endemicity and vulnerability. Our results show that the set of species that currently forms the EU’s directives annexes has a wide umbrella potential, at least where objective SCP methods were used for reserve design. We suggest that, under such conditions, N2K design could essentially remain constant within a context of changing threat status, the challenge of conservation resting more on management measures than on redesigns of the network.
Species Distribution Modelling predicts habitat suitability and reduction of suitable habitat under future climatic scenario for Sclerophrys perreti: A critically endangered Nigerian endemic toad
Authors: Nneji Lotanna M. , Salako Gabriel , Oladipo Segun O. , Ayoola Adeola O. , Onadeko Abiodun B. , Adedeji Babatunde E. , Omotoso Olatunde , Ugwumba Adiaha Alda A. , Adeola Adeniyi C.
Published: November 2019

Sclerophrys perreti is a critically endangered Nigerian native frog currently imperilled by human activities. A better understanding of its potential distribution and habitat suitability will aid in conservation; however, such knowledge is limited for S. perreti. Herein, we used a species distribution model (SDM) approach with all known occurrence data (n = 22) from our field surveys and primary literature, and environmental variable predictors (19 bioclimatic variables, elevation and land cover) to elucidate habitat suitability and impact of climate change on this species. The SDM showed that temperature and precipitation were the predictors of habitat suitability for S. perreti with precipitation seasonality as the strongest predictor of habitat suitability. The following variable also had a significant effect on habitat suitability: temperature seasonality, temperature annual range, precipitation of driest month, mean temperature of wettest quarter and isothermality. The model predicted current suitable habitat for S. perreti covering an area of 1,115 km2. However, this habitat is predicted to experience 60% reduction by 2050 owing to changes in temperature and precipitation. SDM also showed that suitable habitat exists in south‐eastern range of the inselberg with predicted low impact of climate change compared to other ranges. Therefore, this study recommends improved conservation measures through collaborations and stakeholder's meeting with local farmers for the management and protection of S. perreti.
Comparison of foveal avascular zone and retinal vascular density in healthy Chinese and Caucasian adults
Authors: Wylęgała Adam , Wang Lifei , Zhang Shengjuan , Liu Zhiqiang , Teper Sławomir , Wylęgała Edward
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The aim of this study was to measure and compare the retinal vascular parameters and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) in Chinese and Caucasian populations by using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT‐A).

Methods

Fifty‐one eyes of Han Chinese and 43 eyes of Caucasians were retrospectively included in our study. The measurements were acquired using Zeiss Cirrus 5000, with the same software version 10 in Poland and China.

Results

The size of the FAZ was 0.33 ± 0.012 and 0.28 ± 0.014 mm2 (p = 0.0289) and the diameter was 2.43 ± 0.06 and 2.18 ± 0.07 mm (p = 0.0057) for Chinese and Caucasian populations, respectively. However, no differences were observed in circularities between the populations. The full Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) vessel length density was significantly different for Chinese (17.05 ± 0.24 mm/mm2) and Caucasian (16.08 ± 0.43 mm/mm2) populations. In addition, the outer ETDRS vessel length density was significantly different for Chinese (16.43 ± 0.42 mm/mm2) and Caucasian (17.47 ± 0.24 mm/mm2) populations, but the central 7.33 ± 1.68 versus 9.32 ± 1.54 mm/mm2 for the Caucasian and Chinese and inner 16.14 ± 0.52 for Caucasian and 16.93 ± 0.27 mm/mm2 for Chinese subjects density was not. A significant yet weak positive correlation between FAZ and vessel density was observed (r = 0.216). Furthermore, no significant intersexual differences were observed in study parameters.

Conclusion

The Chinese population had larger FAZ with higher vessel length density in the superficial layers of the retina than the Caucasian population.
Quantifying how much raw material is needed: A case study based on the weight of the lithic artefacts from the Brno‐Štýřice III Epigravettian site (Moravia, Czech Republic)
Authors: Nerudová Z.
Published: November 2019

This paper compares the quantification of different raw materials in a chipped stone assemblage by weight and by number at the site of Brno‐Štýřice III in Moravia, Czech Republic. The use of the same reduction technology for all raw materials means that the Brno‐Štýřice III assemblage is a good case study. The result demonstrates that semi‐local raw material tends to dominate numerically, but in terms of weight, there is a significant change in the predominant raw material. The paper contextualizes the results in relation to other assemblages and discusses the possible reasons for this phenomenon.
Exploring nonverbal synchrony in borderline personality disorder: A double‐blind placebo‐controlled study using oxytocin
Authors: Ramseyer Fabian , Ebert Andreas , Roser Patrik , Edel Marc‐Andreas , Tschacher Wolfgang , Brüne Martin
Published: November 2019

Objectives

Interpersonal dysfunction is a central feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD), and the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been shown to impact patients’ behaviour in numerous ways. Nonverbal signals such as the coordination of body movement (nonverbal synchrony) are associated with the success of interpersonal exchanges and could thus be influenced by features of BPD and by the administration of OT.

Design

We explored the effect of intranasal OT (inOT) on nonverbal synchrony in sixteen patients with BPD and fifteen healthy controls (CTL) randomly assigned to two double‐blind clinical interviews under inOT and placebo (PL).

Methods

Nonverbal synchrony was assessed by automated video‐analyses of subject’s and interviewer’s body movement. Lagged cross‐correlations were used to objectively quantify coordination in dyads.

Results

Synchrony was higher than pseudosynchrony (= synchrony expected by chance), and there was a differential effect of inOT between groups: While healthy controls displayed increased synchrony under inOT, patients with BPD showed low levels of synchrony under inOT. Additionally, patient’s synchrony was negatively associated with self‐reported childhood trauma.

Conclusions

Nonverbal synchrony in clinical interviews is influenced by inOT, and this effect depends on subject’s diagnosis. In line with previous research implying positive associations between nonverbal synchrony and relationship quality, inOT led to an increase of synchrony in healthy controls, but not in patients with BPD. Low levels of synchrony under inOT in patients and its association with childhood trauma suggest that additional mechanisms such as rejection sensitivity might mediate BPD patients’ nonverbal behaviour.

Practitioner points

Intranasal oxytocin (inOT) attenuated nonverbal synchrony – a proxy for relationship quality – in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), while it increased nonverbal synchrony in healthy controls (CTL).

Available models (rejection sensitivity; social salience) suggest that inOT may alter the way patients with BPD assess social situations, and this alteration is expressed by changes in nonverbal coordination. Patients with BPD display low levels of synchrony which are even below expected pseudosynchrony based on chance.

The association between self‐reported childhood trauma and lower synchrony in BPD was most evident for patient’s imitative behaviour: Under inOT, patients with high scores of childhood trauma refrained from imitating their interview partners.

Study limitations include small sample sizes and limited data on the psychological impact of the clinical interviews.
The risk of developing cardiovascular disease is increased for patients with prostate cancer who are pharmaceutically treated for depression
Authors: Wollersheim Barbara M. , Boekhout Annelies H. , van der Poel Henk G. , van de Poll‐Franse Lonneke V. , Schoormans Dounya
Published: November 2019

Objective

To examine the associations between pharmaceutically treated anxiety and depression and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) among 1‐year prostate cancer survivors.

Patients and methods

A registry‐based cohort study design was used to describe the risk of incident CVD in adult 1‐year prostate cancer survivors without a history of CVD. Patients with prostate cancer diagnosed between 1999 and 2011 were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Drug dispenses were retrieved from the PHARMO Database Network and were used as proxy for CVD, anxiety, and depression. Data were analysed using Cox regression analysis to examine the risk associations between pharmaceutically treated anxiety and depression entered as a time‐varying predictor with incident CVD in 1‐year prostate cancer survivors, while controlling for age, traditional CVD risk factors, and clinical characteristics.

Results

Of the 5262 prostate cancer survivors, 327 (6%) developed CVD during the 13‐year follow‐up period. Prostate cancer survivors who were pharmaceutically treated for depression had an increased risk of incident CVD after full adjustment compared to prostate cancer survivors who were not pharmaceutically treated for depression (hazard ratio [HR] 1.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06–2.15). The increased risk of incident CVD amongst those pharmaceutically treated for depression compared to those who were not pharmaceutically treated for depression, was only valid among: prostate cancer survivors who were aged ≤65 years (HR 2.91; 95% CI 1.52–5.55); those who were not treated with radiotherapy (HR 1.63; 95% CI 1.01–2.65); those who were treated with hormones (HR 1.76; 95% CI 1.09–2.85); those who were not operated upon (HR 1.55; 95% CI 1.07–2.25); and those with tumour stage III (HR 2.21; 95% CI 1.03–4.74) and stage IV (HR 2.47; 95% CI 1.03–5.89).

Conclusion

Patients with prostate cancer who were pharmaceutically treated for depression had a 51% increased risk of incident CVD after adjustment for anxiety, age, traditional CVD risk factors, and clinical characteristics. The results emphasise the need to pay attention to (pharmaceutically treated) depressed patients with prostate cancer prior to deciding on prostate cancer treatment and for a timely detection and treatment of CVD.
Aging alters Hv1‐mediated microglial polarization and enhances neuroinflammation after peripheral surgery
Authors: Zhang Zhi‐jing , Zheng Xin‐xun , Zhang Xin‐yun , Zhang Yi , Huang Bao‐yi , Luo Tao
Published: November 2019

Perioperative neurocognitive disorders have been widely recognized as common adverse events after surgical intervention. Aging is one of the most important independent risk factors for worsened cognitive outcome, and this deterioration is linked to exacerbated microglia‐mediated neuroinflammation in the aged brain. Under pathological stimulation, microglia are capable of polarizing toward proinflammatory M1 and anti‐inflammatory M2 phenotypes. In the present study, we examined how aging affects microglial responses and neuroinflammation following peripheral surgery. Adult (2‐3 months) and aged (18 months old) male C57/BL6 mice were subjected to tibial fracture or sham surgery. Aged mice exhibited higher level of tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) in the hippocampus. The expression of synaptic protein synaptophysin (SYP) was also markedly reduced in the aged brain after the surgery. Both adult and aged mice showed significant increases in M1 microglial polarization (CD16/32). In contrast, tibial fracture surgery induced a decreased M2 microglial polarization (CD206, Ym1/2, Arg1) in aged brain but enhanced M2 microglial polarization in adult brain. Aged mice have upregulated voltage‐gated proton channel (Hv1) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase subunit expression compared with adult mice. The percentage of CD16/32‐positive M1 microglia colabeling with Hv1 was higher in aged mice after tibial fracture surgery. Thus, Hv1/NADPH oxidase upregulation in the aged brain may shift the dynamic equilibrium of microglial activation toward M1 polarization and exaggerate postoperative neuroinflammatory responses after peripheral surgical intervention.
Gene Banks, Seed Libraries, and Vegetable Sanctuaries: The Cultivation and Conservation of Heritage Vegetables in Britain, 1970–1985
Authors: Curry Helen Anne
Published: November 2019

Individual seed saving and exchange are considered important components of contemporary efforts to conserve crop genetic diversity that ramify at local, regional, and global scales. Yet the very fact that the contributions of these activities to conservation need to be made explicit by seed savers and those who study them indicates that the practices of seed saving and exchange may not immediately be recognized as conservation‐oriented activities. This article investigates why and how individual seed saving came to be aligned with a broader conservation agenda in Britain through a historical examination of the promotion of seed saving by the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA) in the 1970s and 1980s. It demonstrates how several HDRA initiatives that aimed to preserve vegetable diversity also re‐inscribed British gardeners’ ordinary labor as conservation work. This historical study complements sociological and ethnographic studies, highlighting the role of a prominent organization in creating pathways for individuals to engage in local, national, and international conservation through seed saving. It also serves as a reminder that the connections between these activities had to be made explicit—that is, that there was (and is) work involved in connecting individual acts of seed saving to conservation outcomes at different scales.
Exploring the complexity of partnerships in development policy and practice: Upstairs and downstairs
Authors: den Heyer Molly , Johnson Dustin
Published: November 2019

Motivation

The term partnership, and the balance of ownership within it, significantly influence the direction of the development field and whether it will be able to address increasingly complicated global challenges such as climate change, peace and security and growing inequality.

Purpose

The article explores the nature of government donor–recipient partnerships, the struggle over ownership, and the possibility of transitioning from top‐down aid policy to genuine development co‐operation.

Approach and Methods

The discussion is based on the lead author’s doctoral research and the authors’ experiences of working with the Coady International Institute and the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative.

Findings

The research revealed ample evidence that proclamations of more equitable partnerships or recipient ownership of aid policy are undermined by historical power dynamics and coherency to dominant development narratives. However, a closer examination also found some room to create change as policy is negotiated and interpreted in a multitude of smaller policy spaces, including influences from networks of civil society organizations (CSOs). The article looks at two CSOs that use their “downstairs” position to act as interlocutors with Southern partners. In some cases, they fostered more equitable partnerships and support South–South networks by applying an emancipatory learning approach and adapting aid modalities. This points to the potential for slow—and often reluctant—progress towards more equitable global partnerships and innovative practices.

Policy Implications

The findings suggest that the asymmetrical nature of government donor–recipient partnerships can be addressed through a more nuanced learning approach and increased engagement with CSOs that can experiment with project modalities and support for CSO networks.
Overcome Barriers to End to End Research with Demonstrated ROI
Authors: Harper Christy
Published: November 2019

To really sell the value of User Centered Design (UCD) research you must be able to demonstrate the return on investment (ROI) to your company. A strong case study is one of the best ways to educate the organization about the need for end to end research.

Strong case studies to sell the value of User Centered Design (UCD) research and get a better return on investment (ROI).
Servant Leaders and Gatekeepers
Authors: Bethune Kevin
Published: November 2019

How design leaders can ensure that the experiences we create are thoughtfully geared to the increasingly multi‐faceted, multi‐cultural audiences we will ultimately serve in the future. How do we ensure the right leadership rubrics to keep us (and our peers) on the Servant Leader end of the spectrum?

With the increasingly multi‐faceted, multicultural audiences we will ultimately serve in the future, how do we ensure the right leadership guide to be a Servant Leader.
Automatic postural responses are scaled from the association between online feedback and feedforward control
Authors: Teixeira Luis Augusto , Maia Azzi Nametala , de Oliveira Júlia Ávila , Ribeiro de Souza Caroline , da Silva Rezende Lucas , Boari Coelho Daniel
Published: November 2019

Generation of automatic postural responses (APRs) scaled to magnitude of unanticipated postural perturbations is required to recover upright body stability. In the current experiment, we aimed to evaluate the effect of previous postural perturbations on APR scaling under conditions in which the current perturbation is equal to or different from the previous perturbation load inducing unanticipated forward body sway. We hypothesized that the APR is scaled from the association of the current perturbation magnitude and postural responses to preceding perturbations. Evaluation was made by comparing postural responses in the contexts of progressive increasing versus decreasing magnitudes of perturbation loads. Perturbation was applied by unanticipatedly releasing a cable pulling the body backwards, with loads corresponding to 6%, 8% and 10% of body mass. We found that the increasing as compared to the decreasing load sequence led to lower values of (a) displacement and (b) velocity of center of pressure, and of activation rate of the muscle gastrocnemius medialis across loads. Muscular activation onset latency decreased as a function increasing loads, but no significant effects of load sequence were found. These results lead to the conclusion that APRs to unanticipated perturbations are scaled from the association of somatosensory feedback signaling balance instability with feedforward control from postural responses to previous perturbations.
Effect of non‐vitamin‐K oral anticoagulants on stroke severity compared to warfarin: a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Costello M. , Murphy R. , Judge C. , Ruttledge S. , Gorey S. , Loughlin E. , Hughes D. , Nolan A. , O’Donnell M. J. , Canavan M.
Published: November 2019

Background and purpose

In addition to lowering stroke risk, warfarin use is also associated with reduced stroke severity in patients with atrial fibrillation and acute ischaemic stroke. It was sought to determine whether the effect of non‐vitamin‐K oral anticoagulants (NOACs), compared to warfarin, differed by stroke severity.

Methods

Phase III randomized controlled trials with participants who were randomized to receive NOACs or warfarin for stroke prevention in the setting of non‐valvular atrial fibrillation were identified. Stroke was classified into two categories, fatal or disabling stroke and non‐disabling stroke, and meta‐analyses were completed for both outcomes and for comparative case fatality of stroke amongst trials.

Results

Five randomized controlled trials met our inclusion criteria. In clinical trials evaluating the NOACs usually prescribed in clinical practice (four trials), acute stroke was reported in 1403 (1.86%) participants, 787 (1.04%) in the NOAC group [386 (0.51%) fatal or disabling, 401 (0.53%) non‐disabling] and 616 (0.82%) in the warfarin group [367 (0.49%) fatal or disabling, 249 (0.33%) non‐disabling]. On meta‐analysis NOACs were significantly superior to warfarin for fatal or disabling stroke (odds ratio [OR] 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.66–0.89, I2 = 21%) and non‐disabling stroke (OR 0.85; 95% CI 0.73–0.98, I2 = 2%). The case fatality of stroke was no different between groups (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.75–1.13, I2 = 0%), but the point estimate favoured NOACs.

Conclusion

In phase III trials of NOACs, for prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation, NOACs are associated with a lower risk of both fatal/disabling and non‐disabling stroke compared to warfarin.