bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Earwig mothers consume the feces of their juveniles during family life
Authors: Van Meyel Sophie , Devers Séverine , Meunier Joël
Published: July 2021

Many animals consume the feces of their conspecifics. This allo‐coprophagy can have benefits, such as access to nutrients and symbionts, but also risks for consumers, mainly due to direct contact with pathogens that develop on feces. In the European earwig Forficula auricularia, mothers and juveniles live in nests lined with their feces. This surprising habit allows juveniles to consume the feces of their siblings during family life and provides them with nutritional benefits when mothers provide low care. However, it was unclear whether earwig mothers also practice allo‐coprophagy, and whether this behavior is motivated by their nutritional needs. Here, we set up four types of experimental families in which we manipulated the nutritional needs of mothers and/or juveniles and measured the effects on the production of feces by the juveniles, and the consumption of these feces by the mothers. Our results first show that fed juveniles produced more feces pellet in presence of fed compared to food‐deprived mothers. We also found that, overall, about 50% of the mothers consumed juveniles feces. This consumption was both more likely and larger when the feces were produced by fed compared to food‐deprived juveniles, while the proportion of feces pellets eaten was larger in food‐deprived compared to fed mothers. Overall, our results reveal that allo‐coprophagy involves every family member and suggest that it can have both nutritional and non‐nutritional benefits for earwig mothers. Allo‐coprophagy could thus favor the maintenance of mothers in the nest and, more generally, promote the early evolution of family life.
Positive effect of spring advance on the diet quality of an alpine herbivore
Authors: ESPUNYES Johan , SERRANO Emmanuel , CHAVES Sara , BARTOLOMÉ Jordi , MENAUT Pierre , ALBANELL Elena , MARCHAND Pascal , FOULCHÉ Kévin , GAREL Mathieu
Published: July 2021

Changes in vegetation phenology related to global warming are having alarming effects on the life history traits of many herbivore species. Such changes are particularly critical in alpine ecosystems, where strong climate limitations on plant growth make seasonal synchronization imperative for the growth, reproduction and survival of herbivores. However, despite the pivotal role of resource‐use strategies on the performances of such species, few studies have explicitly assessed the mechanistic impact of climate change on their diets. We aimed to fill this gap by studying the effect of spring onset on the dietary composition and quality of a medium‐size alpine herbivore while considering density‐dependent processes and age‐ and sex‐specific differences in foraging behavior. Using an exceptional, long‐term (24 years) direct individual‐based dietary monitoring of a Pyrenean chamois population (Rupicapra pyrenaica pyrenaica), we showed that ongoing earlier onsets of spring are leading to an earlier access to high‐quality forage and therefore a higher diet quality at a fixed date, without apparent changes in diet composition. We also showed that at high densities, intraspecific competition reduced diet quality by driving animals to feed more on woody plants and less on nutritious forbs and graminoids. By assessing the mechanistic effects of global warming on the dietary patterns of species at the center of trophic networks, this study is an essential step for predictive models aiming at understanding the ongoing ecosystem consequences of the global climatic crisis.
Lessons in Policy Incoherence: A Review of Recent Water Policies, Water Planning and Drought Policy in Australia
Authors: Crase Lin
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this paper was to consider the extent to which drought policy in Australia is consistent with water policy and to also reflect on the coherence of government planning in the Murray–Darling Basin. At the outset, it is contended that the gains from an efficiency‐enhancing water policy are likely to be substantially weakened if responses to drought and basin planning run counter to this. The analysis centres on the federal government's response to the Productivity Commission in April 2019, the legacy of interventions in the Murray–Darling Basin and the subsequent “Australian Government Drought Response, Resilience and Preparedness Plan” (the Drought Plan) released in late 2019. Collectively, the analysis adds to the literature that considers coherence within environmental management but also highlights where weaknesses could be given more attention.
Linking risk preferences and risk perceptions of climate change: A prospect theory approach
Authors: Villacis Alexis H. , Alwang Jeffrey R. , Barrera Victor
Published: July 2021

This article explores how farmer risk preferences are related to their perception of risk of climate change. We measure risk preferences and risk perceptions using a survey and a lab‐in‐the‐field experiment conducted with one of the most vulnerable groups to climate change in Latin America. We find that farmers that behave in accordance with the assumptions of Prospect Theory —a paradigm where risk preferences are characterized by risk aversion, loss aversion, and probability distortion—are more likely to perceive greater risks of climate change. Our results contribute to the understanding of farmer behavior in developing countries. Moreover, since perception of a risk is a necessary prerequisite for deciding on actions to adapt to climate risk, the results have important policy implications for the development and adoption of new technologies aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change (climate‐smart agricultural technologies).
A critical review of abdominopelvic computed tomography for the detection of asymptomatic metastasis in new and recurrent breast cancers
Authors: Nam Sang Yu , Ahn Su Joa , Jang Young Rock , Chun Yong Soon , Park Heung Kyu , Choi Seung Joon , Choi Hye Young , Kim Jeong Ho
Published: July 2021

Aim

Abdominopelvic computed tomography (APCT) is a commonly used staging investigation to detect asymptomatic metastasis in breast cancer including early breast cancer (EBC). This study aimed to assess the usefulness of APCT in breast cancers at each clinical stage.

Methods

Patients with new or recurrent invasive breast cancer between January 2009 and December 2014 were included in the study. All staging APCT results were reviewed to evaluate its yield and false positive rate (FPR) and how many investigations are needed to confirm indeterminate results. Odds ratios (ORs) for positive APCT results were calculated for possible risk factors for asymptomatic metastasis.

Results

Sixty‐five asymptomatic metastases were detected from 1002 APCTs, giving an overall yield of 6.5%. The overall false‐positive rate was 14.9 % due to 149 indeterminate findings that were found not to be metastases after further investigations or observation. Whereas the APCTs have a low yield of 3.1% in EBC, but advanced breast cancer and recurrent breast cancer have a high incidence of asymptomatic metastases (13.8% and 16.3%, respectively). The most common cause of indeterminate findings was small liver nodules, including liver cysts and liver hemangiomas. Human epidermal growth factor receptor2 (HER2) status and tumor stage are most significant predictors for positive results of staging APCT scans with high ORs (3.9 and 3.7, respectively).

Conclusion

Staging APCT is associated with a high incidence of FPRs and low yield, especially among EBCs. It is desirable to choose this investigation more selectively according to HER2 status and tumor stage.
Artificial tissue creation under microgravity conditions: Considerations and future applications
Authors: Swaminathan Vishal , Bechtel Grace , Tchantchaleishvili Vakhtang
Published: July 2021

Traditional tissue engineering methods often fail to promote robust cell growth and differentiation, limiting the development of functioning tissues. However, the microgravity conditions created by rotating wall vessel bioreactors minimize shear stress and unload the gravitational force usually placed on cells. In a microgravity environment, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and the 3D organization of cells are altered, potentially encouraging the formation of more biosimilar artificial tissues for certain cell types. Additionally, cells in these engineered tissues display lowered immunogenicity, pointing to the transplantation potential of tissues engineered in microgravity conditions. However, these benefits are not consistent across all cell types, and the long‐term impact of microgravity on tissue development and stability remains an unanswered question. Even so, there is potential that with further research, microgravity tissue engineering will have productive clinical applications for medical and pharmaceutical purposes.
Nonselective beta‐blockers are associated with a lower risk of hepatocellular carcinoma among cirrhotic patients in the United States
Authors: Wijarnpreecha Karn , Li Fang , Xiang Yang , Xu Xun , Zhu Cong , Maroufy Vahed , Wang Qing , Tao Wei , Dang Yifang , Pham Huy Anh , Zhou Yujia , Li Jianfu , Zhang Xinyuan , Xu Hua , Taner C. Burcin , Yang Liu , Tao Cui
Published: July 2021

Background

Previous studies have demonstrated an association between nonselective beta‐blockers (NSBBs) and lower risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhosis. However, there has been no population‐based study investigating the risk of HCC among cirrhotic patients treated using carvedilol.

Aims

To determine the risk of HCC among cirrhotic patients with NSBBs including carvedilol.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study utilised the Cerner Health Facts database in the United States from 2000 to 2017. Kaplan‐Meier estimate, Cox proportional hazards regression, and propensity score matching (PSM) were used to test the HCC risk among the carvedilol, nadolol, and propranolol groups compared with no beta‐blocker group.

Results

The final cohort comprised 107 428 eligible patients. The 100‐month cumulative HCC incidence of NSBBs was significantly lower than the no beta‐blocker group (carvedilol (11.24%) vs no beta‐blocker (15.69%), nadolol (27.55%) vs no beta‐blocker (32.11%), and propranolol (26.17%) vs no beta‐blocker (28.84%) (P values < 0.0001). NSBBs were associated with a significantly lower risk of HCC (Hazard ratio: carvedilol 0.61 (95% CI 0.51‐0.73), nadolol 0.74 (95% CI 0.63‐0.87), propranolol 0.75 (95% CI 0.66‐0.84) after PSM in the multivariate cox analysis. In subgroup analysis, NSBBs reduced the risk of HCC in cirrhosis with complications and non‐alcoholic cirrhosis.

Conclusions

NSBBs, including carvedilol, were associated with a significantly decreased risk of HCC in patients with cirrhosis when compared with no beta‐blocker regardless of complications status. Future randomised‐controlled studies comparing the incidence of HCC among NSBBs should elucidate which NSBB would be the best option to prevent HCC in cirrhosis.
Organizational strategies to optimize women’s safety during labor and birth: A scoping review
Authors: McCormick Margaret , Pollock Wendy , Kapp Suzanne , Gerdtz Marie
Published: July 2021

Background

Safety is a priority for organizations that provide maternity care, however, preventable harm and errors in maternity care remain. Maternity care is considered a high risk and high litigation area of health care. To mitigate risk and litigation, organizations have implemented strategies to optimize women's safety. Our objectives were to identify the strategies implemented by organizations to optimize women's safety during labor and birth, and to consider how the concept of safety is operationalized to measure and evaluate outcomes of these strategies.

Method

This scoping review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute Scoping Review Methodology. Published peer‐reviewed literature indexed in CINAHL, Medline, and Embase, databases from 2010 to 2020, were reviewed for inclusion. Fifty studies were included. Data were extracted and thematically analyzed.

Results

Three categories of organizational strategies were identified to optimize women's safety during labor and birth: clinical governance, models of care, and staff education. Clinical governance programs (n = 30 studies), specifically implementing checklists and audits, models of care, such as midwifery led‐care (n = 11 studies), and staff training programs (n = 9 studies), were predominately for the management of obstetric emergencies. Outcome measures included morbidity and mortality for woman and newborns. Three studies discussed women's perceptions of safety during labor and birth as an outcome measure.

Conclusions

Organizations utilize a range of strategies to optimize women's safety during labor and birth. The main outcome measure used to evaluate strategies was focused on clinical outcomes for the mother and newborn.
Improving safety in paediatric thyroidectomy by PTH measurements
Authors: Freire Analía V. , Ropelato María G. , Papendieck Patricia , Vieites Ana , Elías Eugenia , Ballerini Maria G. , Rodriguez María E. , Bergadá Ignacio , Chiesa Ana
Published: July 2021

Objetive

We followed our previously reported algorithm based on intra and postoperative parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels to predict postthyroidectomy hypoparathyroid hypocalcemia. The objective of the study was to assess if this strategy is useful and safe to reduce hypocalcemia, hospitalisation length and postsurgery calcium sampling.

Design, Patients, Meassurements

We classified our series of 66 patients according to their risk of hypoparathyroidism based on PTH determinations. We treated high‐risk patients with calcium and vitamin D1–25 supplementation and obtained routine daily calcium samples to control low‐risk patients until 48 h postsurgery. We compared the outcomes and overall results of this new approach with those of a historical control group of patients with equivalent PTH measurements who were treated only if they presented hypocalcemia.

Results

In the high‐risk subgroup (n = 30), five patients had hypocalcemia within the first 24 h. Compared with the high‐risk control subgroup, the incidence of hypocalcemia fell from 100% to 17% (p < .001), and the median hospitalisation length from 6 to 3 days (p < .001). In the low‐risk subgroup (n = 36), 28 patients remained normocalcemic with significantly less calcium sampling (p < .001). Eight patients had hypocalcemia; seven of them required neck dissection, which was the only risk factor related to postsurgical hypoparathyroidism (RR: 2.1 [confidence interval 95%: 1.4–3.1]; p < .001). The overall incidence of hypocalcemia decreased by 58% in our patients compared to the control group.

Conclusions

Assessing PTH levels to classify the risk of hypoparathyroidism and to initiate preventive therapy was an effective approach that improved the safety of our paediatric patients by reducing the incidence of hypocalcemia and the length of hospitalisation after thyroidectomy in paediatric patients.
Hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos syndrome: A review and a critical appraisal of published genetic research to date
Authors: Scicluna Kirsty , Formosa Melissa M. , Farrugia Rosienne , Borg Isabella
Published: July 2021

The Ehlers–Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a collection of rare hereditary connective tissue disorders with heterogeneous phenotypes, usually diagnosed following clinical examination and confirmatory genetic testing. Diagnosis of the commonest subtype, hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), relies solely on a clinical diagnosis since its molecular aetiology remains unknown. We performed an up‐to‐date literature search and selected 11 out of 304 publications according to a set of established criteria. Studies reporting variants affecting collagen proteins were found to be hindered by cohort misclassification and subsequent lack of reproducibility of these genetic findings. The role of the described variants affecting Tenascin‐X and LZTS1 is yet to be demonstrated in the majority of hEDS cases, while the functional implication of associated signaling pathways and genes requires further elucidation. The available literature on the genetics of hEDS is scant, dispersed and conflicting due to out‐dated nosology terminology. Recent literature has suggested the role of several promising candidate mechanisms which may be linked to the underlying molecular aetiology. Knowledge of the molecular genetic basis of hEDS is expected to increase in the near future through the mainstream use of high‐throughput sequencing combined with the updated classification of EDS, and the upcoming Hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos Genetic Evaluation (HEDGE) study.
Unsettling the American Dream: Mobility, Migration and Precarity among Translocal Himalayan Communities during COVID‐19
Authors: Gurung Tashi W. , Amburgey Emily , Craig Sienna R.
Published: July 2021

New York City (NYC) garnered significant national and international attention when it emerged as the coronavirus epicentre in the USA, in spring 2020. As has been widely documented, this crisis has disproportionately impacted minority, immigrant and marginalized communities. Among those affected were people from Mustang, Nepal, a Himalayan region bordering Tibet. This community is often rendered invisible within larger Asian immigrant populations, but the presence of Mustangis in the US has transformed their translocal worlds, lived between Nepal and NYC. Seasonal mobility and life‐stage wage labour in cosmopolitan Asia have been common in Mustang for decades. More permanent moves to NYC began in the 1990s. These migrations were based on assumptions about attaining financial stability in the US in ways deemed unattainable in Nepal. An ethnographic focus on one translocal Mustangi family frames this discussion of how COVID‐19 has overturned previously held ideas around migration to NYC and uncovered new forms of precarity. The authors build on theories of transnationalism and translocality to position migration as a cyclical process whereby the well‐being of Mustangis in Nepal and NYC rests on the reliability of global migratory networks and translocal kinship relations — a basis for security and belonging that COVID‐19 has challenged and reconfigured.
Selection for age at reproduction changes pre‐mating period and mating frequency in Zeugodacus cucurbitae: impacts on insect quality control
Authors: Miyatake Takahisa
Published: July 2021

In the mass‐rearing of insects for sterile insect technique (SIT), it is important to maintain the quality of mass‐reared males so that they can compete with wild males in mating with wild females. Mass‐reared insects sometimes have shorter pre‐mating periods and higher mating frequencies than their wild conspecifics. Indeed, this was the case for mass‐reared individuals of the melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae), used in the SIT program to eradicate the melon fly on the Southwest Islands of Japan. Therefore, I hypothesized that divergent artificial selection for age at reproduction altered these traits in the melon fly as well. To examine the effects of eggs produced by younger parents on each generation, six artificially selected lines were established, for which eggs were collected from young (Y lines) and old (O lines) females. Then, the pre‐mating periods and mating frequencies in males and females of the selected lines were compared. The results show a decreased pre‐mating period and an increased mating frequency in younger lines compared to older lines, which was driven by males rather than females. These traits ensure efficient offspring production in mass‐rearing, and are likely advantageous to the success of SIT programs. The impact of artificially selecting for these traits, especially in males, on insect quality and the efficiency of SIT is discussed.
Adjustment of egg laying by both hosts and intraspecific brood parasites in a beetle
Authors: Richardson Jon , Dobson Sarah , Ford Lucy E. , Smiseth Per T.
Published: July 2021

Brood parasites lay their eggs in the nests of other females, thereby shifting the costs of offspring care onto others. Given that care is costly, potential hosts should evolve mechanisms to avoid brood parasitism. Meanwhile, brood parasites should evolve mechanisms to circumvent host defences. Here we investigate whether hosts or intraspecific brood parasites adjust their egg laying behaviour as a mechanism to reduce or increase the effectiveness of brood parasitism. We use the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides as our study system, in which hosts and brood parasites lay their eggs in the soil around a carcass controlled by the host. To test whether females adjust their egg laying behaviour when breeding as a host or brood parasite, we used an experimental design with three treatments: hosts, where focal females bred alongside a smaller female; brood parasites, where focal females bred alongside a larger female; and controls, where focal females bred alone. We used focal females from a narrowly defined size range to control for potential effects of body size. We found that hosts delayed the start of egg laying, which may allow them to recognise brood parasitic offspring that arrive too early. Meanwhile, brood parasites laid their eggs over an extended period, which may increase the chances that their egg laying overlapped with the host. Our results suggest that adjusting egg laying behaviour is a mechanism used by both hosts and brood parasites that may contribute to the differences in reproductive success shown in prior studies.
Landscape features and study design affect elements of metacommunity structure for stream fishes across the eastern U.S.A.
Authors: Stoczynski Lauren , Brown Bryan L. , Midway Stephen R. , Peoples Brandon K.
Published: July 2021

Metacommunity ecology includes connectivity in the investigation of local and regional processes to understand community assembly. The elements of metacommunity structure (EMS) framework classifies metacommunities into categorical archetypes based on patterns of three metrics indexing β diversity: coherence, turnover, and boundary clumping. Although the EMS framework is most commonly used to classify metacommunity types, an elements‐based approach of examining how factors affect each specific continuous EMS variable could provide a more mechanistic understanding of how metacommunities are structured at the landscape scale. Moreover, few studies have sought to quantify how methodological issues such as number and spacing of local communities affect observed outcomes of EMS‐based analyses.

Using a large dataset of stream fish occurrences in the eastern U.S.A., we used mixed effects models to investigate how (1) landscape‐scale variables and (2) methodological issues such as number and location of sampling sites affect coherence, turnover, and boundary clumping individually; as well as (3) how landscape‐scale variables influence overall metacommunity patterns derived from the EMS framework.

Coherence, turnover, and boundary clumping were related to temperature, density of dams, developed land use, and γ diversity. Interestingly, distance among sampled sites in metacommunities negatively affected turnover, and the number of sampling sites positively affected all three variables. Elevation affected overall observed metacommunity patterns, with metacommunities transitioning from Clementsian to clumped species loss patterns with increasing elevation.

Our results suggest that metacommunity structure is affected by both natural and anthropogenic landscape‐scale variables. Observed metacommunity properties are also influenced by sampling density and site location within the catchment. Accounting for important natural, anthropogenic, and methodological issues will be critical for improving the inferential power of metacommunity analyses to begin understanding which landscape‐scale variables should be the focus of conservation and management of fish communities at a catchment scale.
Gait speed and pain status as discriminatory factors for instrumental activities of daily living disability in older adults with knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Nanjo Keigo , Ikeda Takashi , Nagashio Naoko , Masuda Tadashi , Sakai Tomoko , Okawa Atsushi , Jinno Tetsuya
Published: July 2021

Aim

Factors related to instrumental activities of daily living disability in older adults with knee osteoarthritis are unclear. This study aimed to examine the discriminatory accuracy for the presence of instrumental activities of daily living disability in older adults with knee osteoarthritis by combining two factors of gait ability and pain status.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted on 114 patients with knee osteoarthritis aged 65 years. Participants were divided into instrumental activities of daily living disabled or non‐disabled groups. A logistic regression model was created with usual gait speed and knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score‐pain subscale as independent variables for discriminating the presence of instrumental activities of daily living disability. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was inspected to determine discriminatory accuracy of the logistic regression model, usual gait speed, knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score‐pain subscale.

Results

Of the 114 patients, 26 (22.8%) had instrumental activities of daily living disability. The area under the curves was 0.91 (95% confidence interval: 0.85–0.96) for the logistic regression model, 0.78 (95% confidence interval: 0.68–0.89) for usual gait speed, and 0.73 (95% confidence interval: 0.61–0.84) for knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score‐pain subscale.

Conclusions

This study showed that gait speed and pain status were independent discriminatory factors and combining these factors to discriminate more accurately the presence or absence of instrumental activities of daily living disability in older adults with knee osteoarthritis was important. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 683–688.
Morphological features of benign pigmented ear lesions: a cross‐sectional study
Authors: Rishpon Ayelet , Sprecher Eli , Dusza Stephen W. , Kleinman Elana , Haupt Sara , Rabinovitz Harold , Scope Alon
Published: July 2021

Background

The morphology of benign pigmented lesions on the ears has been scarcely studied.

Methods

We prospectively screened all patients presenting to a pigmented lesion clinic at a tertiary academic hospital, between November 2015 and August 2016, for the presence of benign pigmented ear lesions. Clinical and dermoscopic images were obtained for all lesions. Additionally, we performed a retrospective analysis of reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) of benign pigmented ear lesions and a retrospective analysis of clinical and dermoscopic findings of biopsy‐confirmed ear melanomas.

Results

In total, 165 patients (median age 48, 53% female) contributed 708 benign pigmented ear lesions to the study. Participants with multiple body nevi and those with an atypical nevus phenotype (multiple body nevi and ≥ one atypical nevus) had a higher mean number of ear lesions than those without multiple body nevi (4.5 and 5.4 vs. 3.9, P < 0.05). The most common diagnoses were nevus (35%) and solar lentigo (34%), followed by pigmented lentiginous macules (PLM) (27%). Dermoscopically scattered pigmented small globules/dots were observed in 30% of nevi and 17% of PLMs. RCM analysis of 24 ear lesions showed a comparable frequency of RCM‐clods between nevi and PLMs. Analysis of 29 ear melanomas revealed larger lesions with more complex dermoscopic patterns.

Conclusion

Multiple body nevi, and particularly an atypical nevus phenotype, were associated with having more pigmented ear lesions. Based on RCM analysis, PLMs of the ear likely represent small nevi. Ear melanomas tend to be larger and dermoscopically complex compared to ear nevi.
The management and organization of philanthropy: New directions and contested undercurrents
Authors: Harrow Jenny , Donnelly‐Cox Gemma , Healy John , Wijkström Filip
Published: July 2021

The case for theoretical scrutiny of philanthropy's achievements and problems, in the institutional settings in which it operates, has never been stronger. In this introduction to IJMR’s special issue on philanthropy, we examine the developing levels and directions of institutional philanthropy scholarship, together with the consensual and contradictory themes they exemplify and the theoretical leads to which they give rise. Modern philanthropic theory is still largely based on archetypes developed in the early 20th century that accord a central role to foundations in addressing social challenges, yet the complex health, education and social service fields within which philanthropy operates have changed dramatically. We argue for the elevation of, and deepening directions for, theoretical study of institutional philanthropy. At present, institutional philanthropy has a modest theoretical literature, at the same time as we can notice an extensive and growing grey literature in the philanthropic community, often grounded in traditional strategic management. We reflect on the grey literature's potential development into theoretical scholarship, drawing on and fusing with a broader range of academic disciplines and organizational theories, and the linked study of the field as a discourse community. Here, the challenges of visibility and transparency in relation to privacy are significant, whether for accountability or research access.
Amsp3 may act upstream of Amdnmt3 in female caste differentiation in the honeybee (Apis mellifera)
Authors: Pan L.‐X. , Li M. , Zhao F.‐Y. , Cheng F.‐P. , Wang Z.‐L.
Published: July 2021

In honey bees, the process of producing two female castes, including queens and workers, is nutritionally controlled by differential feeding royal jelly to newly emerged larvae. Although they have almost identical genetic blueprints, these castes show striking differences in their morphologies, longevities and reproductive capabilities. DNA methyltransferase 3 (Amdnmt3) gene is involved in the regulatory network for honeybee caste differentiation. Due to the role of two zinc fingers containing transcription factors, SP1 and SP3 in controlling mammalian Dnmts, this study aimed to determine a similar interaction of SPs with Amdnmt3 in the honeybee. We confirmed that the promoter region of Amdnmt3 contained multiple predicted SP1/SP3 binding sites and then investigated the role of AmSP3 in queen‐worker differentiation network. We observed that the expression level of Amsp3 was significantly higher in worker larvae than that in queen larvae at 48 h, 84 h and 120 h. Knockdown of Amsp3 expression by RNAi in worker larvae significantly reduced the expression level of Amdnmt3 and caused morphological changes in adult bees towards a queen‐like phenotype. However, the expression levels of Amsp3 and Amdnmt3 were repressed by juvenile hormone (JH). Our results suggest that AmSP3 is an important part of the queen‐worker differentiation network and supports the role of Amdnmt3 in determining the phenotypic outcome of developing larvae.
Virtual clinic for positive faecal occult blood tests enhances early access to bowel cancer screening and is well received by patients
Authors: Maher Salim , Rolls Sarah , Pavendranathan Gokulan , Westbury Sean , Akon Anna C. , Zekry Amany
Published: July 2021

Background

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer‐related mortality in Australia. As such, timely access to colonoscopy following a positive faecal occult blood test (FOBT) is an important aspect of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program to reduce morbidity and mortality related to this condition. To reduce waiting times, a Sydney‐based referral centre introduced a nurse‐led virtual clinic (VC) in order to facilitate direct access colonoscopy for patients referred with a positive FOBT.

Aims

To evaluate the efficacy of a nurse‐led VC model to reduce waiting time to colonoscopy and to determine the patient experience of the model.

Methods

The VC model, piloted for a 14‐month period, was compared with the standard outpatient clinic (SOC) model over the 14‐month period preceding the VC. Primary outcomes included time to colonoscopy and secondary outcomes included adverse events, bowel preparation and cancellation rates. Patient experience was evaluated through an emailed survey.

Results

Compared to the SOC model, the VC model reduced waiting time to colonoscopy from date of positive FOBT by 71 days (P = 0.0006) and from date of referral by 66 days (P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in secondary outcomes. All respondents to the survey (n = 30) reported a positive experience.

Conclusions

Nursing‐led VC, with direct access colonoscopy for patients at increased risk of colorectal cancer, reduce waiting times to colonoscopy without an increase in adverse events and is well received by patients.
‘I hang out with non‐Christians all the time. I just won't date them’: The role of religion in the intimate lives of adults with intellectual disabilities
Authors: Santinele Martino Alan
Published: July 2021

Background

A limited number of studies have explored religion's role in the intimate lives of adults with intellectual disabilities. This paper illustrates how religion, both of disabled people and those around them (e.g., family members, support workers), can shape the attitudes and experiences of disabled people toward sexuality.

Method

This paper draws on in‐depth interviews with adults with intellectual disabilities and support workers from two exploratory projects in Canada.

Results

Participants with intellectual disabilities talked about how religion provided a network that served to counter their social isolation and a pool of potential intimate partners, as well as some guidance for maintaining relationships. Support workers discussed the influence of organisational values in their practices related to sexuality.

Conclusions

Religion shapes disabled sexualities in various ways, sometimes supporting or constraining sexual expression. This paper invites disability scholars to consider religion when researching the intimate lives of disabled people.
Does the impact of parental death vary by parental socioeconomic status? A study of children's educational and occupational attainment
Authors: Barclay Kieron , Hällsten Martin
Published: July 2021

Objective

We examine whether parental death differentially affects educational and occupational attainment by the socioeconomic status of the parent who dies and the socioeconomic status of the surviving parent and extended kin.

Background

An extensive literature has explored the main effect of parental death on offspring attainment, but few studies have examined socioeconomic differentials in the impact of parental death. Understanding the potential role of socioeconomic resources in compensating for disadvantage is important for understanding whether parental death and disadvantageous events more generally have an equalizing or exacerbating effect on socioeconomic differences in offspring socioeconomic attainment.

Method

Using Swedish population register data on cohorts born 1973–1982, grade point average at age 16, the transition from lower to upper‐secondary education, the transition to tertiary education, overall educational attainment, and occupational status by age 30 was examined. Families using antemortem parental socioeconomic trajectories were matched. Sibling fixed effects models were also employed.

Results

Inconsistent results in between‐family regression analyses adjusting for observables were observed. In sibling fixed effects models, zero results for moderation by parents' occupations were shown.

Conclusion

Little clear or convincing evidence that there are socioeconomic differentials in the impact of parental death in Sweden were found.

Implications

The Swedish welfare state may reduce socioeconomic differentials in the impact of parental death. However, the lack of socioeconomic variation may also be influenced by factors such as compensatory agency.
Projective mapping and ultra‐flash profile studies should include a list of descriptors and definitions: An investigation into descriptors used by untrained panelists
Authors: Moss Rachael , Healey Katie , Hayward Lydia , McSweeney Matthew B.
Published: July 2021

Projective mapping (PM) and ultra‐flash profile (UFP) have been used to evaluate various products, including wine. However, the meaning or definition of the descriptor participants use during a UFP task can be unknown. This study's objective was to have participants (n = 81) evaluate white wine (seven different wines and one duplicate sample) using PM and UFP. After completing the task, the 10 most commonly used descriptors were included in a survey, and the participants were asked to define the descriptors using open‐ended questions. The survey was sent to all participants, but only 62 participants completed it. The results of the survey indicated the participants used different definitions to define the descriptors. In future research using PM and UFP, sensory researchers could provide a list of descriptors and their definitions for the participants, especially when they are untrained, or ask the participants to concentrate on only one sensory modality (appearance, taste, aroma, mouthfeel).

Practical Applications

Projective mapping and ultra‐flash profile trials can generate much information about a large number of products rapidly. However, these methods also have some limitations, including understanding the definition of the descriptors provided by the participants during the ultra‐flash profile task. This study hoped to overcome this limitation by asking the participants to complete a follow‐up survey to define the most frequently used descriptors from the ultra‐flash profile task. Unfortunately, the participants supplied contrasting definitions for the attributes. Future studies may want to supply the participants with a list of descriptors and definitions to lead to more consensus in the results.
Spatial farming systems diversity and micronutrient intakes of rural children in Ethiopia
Authors: Moges Tibebu , Brouwer Inge D. , Delbiso Tefera Darge , Remans Roseline , Baudron Frédéric , Belachew Tefera , Groot Jeroen C. J.
Published: July 2021

Own production contributes much of the food supply in smallholder production systems in low‐ and middle‐income countries like Ethiopia. Understanding the potential as well as constraints of these production systems in terms of nutrient supplies is thus a critical step to design interventions to improve nutrient intakes. The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the usual total intakes of vitamin A, iron and zinc among rural children and (2) to investigate whether the intakes these nutrients are associated with differences in the dominant farming systems between spatial clusters. Using nationally representative intake data of 4,902 children 6–35 months of age, usual intake and the proportion of inadequate intakes of vitamin A, iron and zinc were calculated. A multi‐level model was used to examine the association between individual‐level and cluster‐level variables with the usual total dietary intakes of these nutrients. The diet was dominated by starchy foods. Consumption of animal source foods, vitamin A‐rich fruits and vegetables was low. We found a high prevalence of inadequate intake of vitamin A and zinc (85.4% and 49.5%, respectively). Relatively, low prevalence of inadequate intake of iron (8.4%) was reported. The spatial farming systems diversity across the rural clusters explained 48.2%, 57.2% and 26.7% of the observed variation in the usual total dietary intakes of vitamin A, iron and zinc, respectively. Our findings indicated the importance of farming system diversity at the landscape level as one of the determinant factors for individual usual total dietary intakes of vitamin A, iron and zinc.
Magnetic resonance imaging‐guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy following contralateral radiofrequency thalamotomy for Parkinson's disease: A case report
Authors: Ito Hisashi , Shizuku Tatsunori , Aoki Sho , Yamamoto Kazuaki , Taira Takaomi , Yamaguchi Toshio
Published: July 2021

We report a 48‐year‐old, right‐handed man with Parkinson's disease (PD). Right‐hand tremor disappeared after radiofrequency (RF) left ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim) and ventro oralis nucleus thalamotomy; however, left‐hand tremor developed after RF thalamotomy. We performed magnetic resonance imaging‐guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) right Vim thalamotomy. The left‐hand medication‐refractory tremor disappeared immediately after the procedure without serious adverse events. MRgFUS Vim thalamotomy following contralateral RF thalamotomy could be one of the therapeutic options for bilateral tremor in PD patients.
Class II treatment effects with fixed functional appliances: Jasper jumper vs. Forsus fatigue resistant device
Authors: Pupulim Daniela Cubas , Henriques José Fernando Castanha , Freitas Karina Maria Salvatore , Fontes Fernanda Pinelli Henriques , Fernandes Thais Maria Freire
Published: July 2021

Objective

This study aimed to compare cephalometric changes of Class II malocclusion patients treated with Jasper Jumper and Forsus, associated with fixed appliances.

Methods

The sample consisted of 62 individuals divided into 3 groups: group 1 included 22 subjects with a mean initial age of 12.39 years, treated with Jasper Jumper associated with fixed appliances for a mean period of 2.43 years; group 2 included 19 subjects with a mean initial age of 12.43 years, treated with Forsus associated with fixed appliances for a mean period of 3.54 years; and group 3 included 22 Class II malocclusion untreated subjects at a mean age of 12.14 years, followed for a mean period of 1.78 years. Intergroup comparison was performed with one‐way ANOVA, followed by Tukey test.

Results

Both treated groups had similar dentoskeletal changes: restrictive effect on the maxilla; clockwise rotation of the occlusal plane; mild increase in lower anterior facial height; limitation on the vertical development of the maxillary molars; labial tipping and intrusion of the mandibular incisors; extrusion of mandibular molars; improvements of the maxillomandibular relationship, overjet, overbite, molar relationship; and retrusion of the upper lip. The mandibular incisors exhibited greater protrusion in group 1 compared to the other groups. In addition, group 2 presented mild protrusion of the lower lip, and groups 1 and 3 showed mild retrusion.

Conclusion

The Jasper Jumper and Forsus appliances were effective and showed similar changes in the treatment of Class II malocclusion.
On the realist aesthetics of digital de‐aging in contemporary Hollywood cinema
Authors: Loock Kathleen
Published: July 2021

This essay examines digital de‐aging—a process of making actors appear younger on‐screen than they actually are that has taken a firm hold in contemporary Hollywood cinema—as a controversial filmmaking tool that raises fundamental questions about cinematic realism in the digital age. Since Hollywood’s visual effects are similar to the image manipulation that can be achieved with deepfake software, digital de‐aging is framed as a complex creative process that supports the actors’ craft in order to distinguish it from the image manipulation and misinformation that has come to characterize the post‐truth era. I will discuss the affordances and limitations of Hollywood’s “youthification” technology in terms of the shifting ontologies that characterize the transition from the photographic to the digital image, situate digital de‐aging within larger debates about synthespians and the realistic portrayal of digitally created human beings, and argue that de‐aging in films such as Gemini Man (Ang Lee, 2019) and The Irishman (Martin Scorsese, 2019) reconfigures linear temporalities and ultimately reshapes the concepts of time and memory by which we structure our life trajectories.
Results from the blood donor competence, autonomy, and relatedness enhancement (blood donor CARE) randomized trial
Authors: France Christopher R. , France Janis L. , Himawan Lina K. , Fox Kristen R. , Livitz Irina E. , Ankawi Brett , Slepian P. Maxwell , Kowalsky Jennifer M. , Duffy Louisa , Kessler Debra A. , Rebosa Mark , Rehmani Shiraz , Frye Victoria , Shaz Beth H.
Published: July 2021

Background

This study aimed to promote competence, autonomy, and relatedness among first‐time whole blood donors to enhance intrinsic motivation and increase retention.

Study design and methods

Using a full factorial design, first‐time donors (N = 2002) were randomly assigned to a no‐treatment control condition or to one of seven intervention conditions designed to promote donation competence, autonomy, relatedness, a combination of two (e.g., competence and autonomy), or all three constructs. Participants completed donor motivation measures before the intervention and 6 weeks later, and subsequent donation attempts were assessed for 1 year.

Results

There was no significant group difference in the frequency of donation attempts or in the number of days to return. Significant effects of group were observed for 10 of the 12 motivation measures, although follow‐up analyses revealed significant differences from the control group were restricted to interventions that included an autonomy component. Path analyses confirmed direct associations between interventions involving autonomy and donor motivation, and indirect mediation of donation attempts via stronger donation intentions and lower donation anxiety.

Conclusion

Among young, first‐time, whole blood donors, brief interventions that include support for donor autonomy were associated with direct effects on donor motivation and indirect, but small, effects on subsequent donation behavior.
Surveillance on respiratory diseases reveals enzootic circulation of both H5 and H9 avian influenza viruses in small‐scale commercial layer farms of Bangladesh
Authors: Rahman Mohammad Mijanur , Nooruzzaman Mohammed , Kabiraj Congriev Kumar , Mumu Tanjin Tamanna , Das Priya Mohan , Chowdhury Emdadul Haque , Islam Mohammad Rafiqul
Published: July 2021

Poultry production in Bangladesh has been experiencing H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and H9N2 low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) for the last 14 years. Vaccination of chickens against H5 HPAI is in practice since the end of 2012. Subsequently, the official reporting of HPAI outbreaks gradually decreased. However, the true extent of circulation of avian influenza virus (AIV) in commercial poultry production is not clear. To explore this, we conducted active surveillance in 422 small‐scale commercial layer farms in 20 villages of Mymensingh and Tangail districts of Bangladesh during 2017 and 2018 for the presence of diseases with respiratory signs. A total of 88 farms with respiratory disease problems were identified and investigated during the surveillance. In addition, 22 small‐scale commercial layer farms in the neighbouring areas with respiratory disease problem were also investigated on request from the farmers. Pooled samples of oropharyngeal swabs from live birds or respiratory tissues from dead birds of the farm suffering from respiratory disease problem were tested for molecular detection of avian influenza virus (AIV), Newcastle disease virus (NDV), infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Avibacterium paragallinarum. A total of 110 farms (88 in the surveillance site and 22 in the neighbouring region) were investigated, and one or more respiratory pathogens were detected from 89 farms. AIV was detected in 57 farms often concurrently with other pathogens. Among these 57 farms, H5, H9, both H5 and H9 or non‐H5 and non‐H9 AIV were detected in 28, 9, 13 or 7 farms, respectively. Birds of most of the H5 AIV‐positive farms did not present typical clinical signs or high mortality. Twenty such farms were observed longitudinally, which had only 1.05%–5.50% mortality but a marked drop in egg production. This widespread circulation of H5 AIV along with H9 AIV and other pathogens in small‐scale commercial layer farms, often with low mortality, reaffirms the enzootic circulation of AIV in Bangladesh, which may escape syndromic surveillance focused on unusual mortality only. To reduce public health risks, strengthening of the control programme with comprehensive vaccination, enhanced biosecurity, improved surveillance and outbreak response is suggested.