bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bibliometric analysis on Pythagorean fuzzy sets during 2013–2020
Authors: Lin Mingwei , Chen Yanqiu , Chen Riqing
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to make a comprehensive analysis of 354 publications about Pythagorean fuzzy sets (PFSs) from 2013 to 2020 in order to comprehensively understand their historical progress and current situation, as well as future development trend.

Design/methodology/approach

First, this paper describes the fundamental information of these publications on PFSs, including their data information, annual trend and prediction and basic features. Second, the most productive and influential authors, countries/regions, institutions and the most cited documents are presented in the form of evaluation indicators. Third, with the help of VOSviewer software, the visualization analysis is conducted to show the development status of PFSs publications at the level of authors, countries/regions, institutions and keywords. Finally, the burst detection of keywords, timezone review and timeline review are exported from CiteSpace software to analyze the hotspots and development trend on PFSs.

Findings

The annual PFSs publications present a quickly increasing trend. The most productive author is Wei Guiwu (China). Wei Guiwu and Wei Cun have the strongest cooperative relationship.

Research limitations/implications

The implication of this study is to provide a comprehensive perspective for the scholars who take a fancy to PFSs, and it is valuable for scholars to grasp the hotspots in this field in time.

Originality/value

It is the first paper that uses the bibliometric analysis to comprehensively analyze the publications on PFSs. It can help the scholars in the field of PFSs to quickly understand the development status and trend of PFSs.
How does buyer-seller information sharing affect procurement quality performance? Insight from SMEs in a developing African economy
Authors: Anin Emmanuel Kwabena , Essuman Dominic , Owusu Hannah
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Though extant literature proposes buyer–seller information sharing as a crucial variable for quality improvement, there is a dearth of empirical understanding of how it affects procurement quality performance. The present study aimed at addressing this knowledge gap by using small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in a developing African economy as an empirical context.

Design/methodology/approach

The research hypotheses are tested on survey data from 138 SMEs in Ghana using structural equation modeling.

Findings

Results show that buyer–seller information sharing is positively related to procurement quality performance and that high levels of buyer–seller information sharing lower procurement quality performance.

Research limitations/implications

Though the study demonstrates that there is a limit to the procurement quality performance benefit of buyer-seller information sharing, it does not empirically analyze the conditions that may relax this limit.

Practical implications

This research highlights both the bright and dark sides associated with buyer-seller information sharing and how they work out to determine procurement quality performance. It shows that SMEs could optimize procurement quality performance when they pursue a moderate level of buyer–seller information sharing.

Originality/value

This research advances the sparse literature on the procurement quality performance construct and its determinants within the context of SMEs. Unlike prior research that focuses on information technology, this study explicitly analyzes the role of information sharing in determining procurement (quality) performance and shows that differing levels of buyer–seller information sharing impact procurement quality performance differently.
Difficult funds of knowledge as pedagogical resources for critical consciousness development
Authors: Neri Rebecca Colina
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Nondominant youth faces complex structural inequalities and injustices that have a direct impact on their academic learning outcomes and psychosocial well-being. Research suggests that supporting the development of students’ critical consciousness not only improves their educational and career trajectories but also provides students with the tools, language and skills they need to examine, act upon and heal from the sociopolitical realities and injustices they face in their daily lives.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reports findings from a two-year Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) study conducted with students in a police-oriented Career and Technical Education program. YPAR was used as pedagogy for nondominant students to explore how to leverage their funds of knowledge (FK) in their learning and future careers as police officers to improve community–police relations.

Findings

This paper reports on one aspect of the findings from the YPAR project that includes: a) the relationship between students’ difficult FK, critical consciousness development and career aspirations; b) how, if left unaddressed, students’ difficult FK could mediate deficit and internally oppressive views of Communities of Color and other nondominant groups; and c) the power of transforming students’ difficult FK into pedagogical assets.

Originality/value

Engaging students’ difficult FK can support critical consciousness development and facilitate students’ ability to navigate and resist oppressive spaces, sustain their well-being and empower themselves and their families and communities.
Most used project management tools and techniques in information systems projects
Authors: Varajão João , Fernandes Gabriela , Silva Hélio
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of practice in information systems (IS) project management (PM) by analyzing the use of tools and techniques by IS project managers.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors carried out an international questionnaire-based survey with experienced IS project managers.

Findings

Results reveal that, notwithstanding the similarities between the tools and techniques used in IS projects and projects from other areas, there are also significant differences concerning those more frequently used. The top five tools and techniques most used are “kick-off meeting,” “progress meetings,” “progress reports,” “requirements analysis” and “activity list.” However, the low use of some tools and techniques, from management areas such as risk and quality management, or related to the project monitoring and control, should raise concern.

Research limitations/implications

Through the results of this research, researchers, organizations and practitioners can identify ways of developing and enhancing PM by examining the tools and techniques identified as the most used and those that are not being used as frequently as expected.

Originality/value

It provides a useful benchmarking basis for evaluating the most applicable tools and techniques, designing training and teaching programs and identifying academic research opportunities in IS PM.
Course correction: an emerging US strategy for countering China
Authors: Calabrese John
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a significant course correction in US–China policy. It examines the increasingly broad dissatisfaction with China policy, which has resulted in an apparent end the era of intensive engagement and led to a hardening of the US approach to China across the policy spectrum, as exemplified by the critique of and incipient efforts to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Design/methodology/approach

The research draws on primary and secondary source material to identify evidence of and examine the rationale behind the shift from the USA’s decades-long “engagement” approach toward an in intensifying strategic competition with China.

Findings

A course correction in US–China policy has been years in the making, and as most now argue is long overdue. The idea that China has emerged as America’s foremost strategic competitor is widely accepted, and indeed deeply ingrained in the thinking of most US foreign affairs professionals. It is also starkly evident in current US declaratory policy and increasingly in its operational policy as well.

Research limitations/implications

The research offers a fresh perspective on the domestic and diplomatic dimensions of China’s rising.

Originality/value

The research builds on the latest scholarship on the growth of China’s geopolitical challenge to the USA to explore the development of China–US tensions and rivalries at all levels from the Bush and Obama eras to the present.
Migration strategy as an indicator of resilience to change in two shorebird species with contrasting population trajectories
Authors: Lisovski Simeon , Gosbell Ken , Minton Clive , Klaassen Marcel
Published: November 2020

Many migratory birds are declining worldwide. In line with the general causes for the global biodiversity crisis, habitat loss, pollution, hunting, over‐exploitation and climate change are thought to be at the basis of these population declines. Long‐distance migrants seem especially vulnerable to rapid anthropogenic change, yet, the rate of decline across populations and species varies greatly within flyways. We hypothesize that differences in migration strategy, and notably stopover‐site use, may be at the basis of these variations in resilience to global change.

By identifying and comparing the migration strategies of two very closely related shorebird species, the Curlew sandpiper Calidris ferruginea and the Red‐necked stint Calidris ruficollis, migrating from the same non‐breeding site in Australia to similar breeding sites in the high Russian Arctic, we aimed to explain why these two species express differential resilience to rapid changes within their flyway resulting in different population trajectories in recent times.

Based on 13 Curlew sandpiper and 16 Red‐necked stint tracks from light‐level geolocator tags, we found that individual Curlew sandpipers make use of fewer stopover areas along the flyway compared to Red‐necked stints. Furthermore, and notably during northward migration, Curlew sandpipers have a higher dependency on fewer sites, both in terms of the percentage of individuals visiting key stopover sites and the relative time spent at those sites. While Curlew sandpipers rely mainly on the Yellow Sea region, which has recently experienced a sharp decline in suitable habitat, Red‐necked stints make use of additional sites and spread their relative time en‐route across sites more evenly.

Our results indicate that differential migration strategies may explain why Curlew sandpipers within the East Asian‐Australasian Flyway are declining rapidly (9.5%–5.5% per year) while Red‐necked stints remain relatively stable (−3.1%–0%). We consider that more generally, the number of sites per individual and among a population, the spatial distribution across the flyway, as well as the relationship between the time spent over sites may prove to be key variables explaining populations and species' differential resilience to environmental change.
Opposing life stage‐specific effects of ocean warming at source and sink populations of range‐shifting coral‐reef fishes
Authors: Monaco Cristián J. , Nagelkerken Ivan , Booth David J. , Figueira Will F. , Gillanders Bronwyn M. , Schoeman David S. , Bradshaw Corey J. A.
Published: November 2020

Climate change is altering the latitudinal distributions of species, with their capacity to keep pace with a shifting climate depending on the stochastic expression of population growth rates, and the influence of compensatory density feedback on age‐specific survival rates. We use population‐abundance time series at the leading edge of an expanding species’ range to quantify the contribution of stochastic environmental drivers and density feedbacks to the dynamics of life stage‐specific population growth.

Using a tropical, range‐shifting Indo‐Pacific damselfish (Abudefduf vaigiensis) as a model organism, we applied variants of the phenomenological Gompertz‐logistic model to a 14‐year dataset to quantify the relative importance of density feedback and stochastic environmental drivers on the separate and aggregated population growth rates of settler and juvenile life stages.

The top‐ranked models indicated that density feedback negatively affected the growth of tropical settlers and juveniles. Rates of settlement were negatively linked to temperatures experienced by parents at potential source populations in the tropics, but their subsequent survival and that of juveniles increased with the temperatures experienced at the temperate sink. Including these stochastic effects doubled the deviance explained by the models, corroborating an important role of temperature. By incorporating sea‐surface temperature projections for the remainder of this century into these models, we anticipate improved conditions for the population growth of juvenile coral‐reef fishes, but not for settlers in temperate ecosystems.

Previous research has highlighted the association between temperature and the redistribution of species. Our analyses reveal the contrasting roles of different life stages in the dynamics of range‐shifting species responding to climate change, as they transition from vagrancy to residency in their novel ranges.
Larger pollinators deposit more pollen on stigmas across multiple plant species—A meta‐analysis
Authors: Földesi Rita , Howlett Brad G. , Grass Ingo , Batáry Péter
Published: November 2020

Many insect species provide essential pollination services. However, the amount of pollen deposited onto a stigma when visiting a flower (‘single visit pollen deposition’, SVD) can vary greatly among taxa depending on morphological traits of pollinators. Further, SVD is commonly measured using one of two methods (‘static’: waiting for an insect to visit a flower present on plant, and ‘active’: removing the flower and presenting it to a flower visitor) that may also differ in their effectiveness.

To gain a more comprehensive understanding of how SVD compares among pollinators, we conducted a hierarchical meta‐analysis using data from 28 studies identified by a systematic review. These contained SVD data for 94 bee and 33 fly taxa (hereafter ‘wild pollinators’), across 30 plant species from which we included 127 observations. In the analysis of each study, we used the western honey bee Apis mellifera as a comparator species.

Wild pollinators deposited more pollen onto stigmas per single visit than honeybees, and those with larger body deposited significantly more pollen than smaller ones. Of the two methodological approaches to assess SVD, ‘static’ versus ‘active’, we found no significant difference regarding the amount of deposited pollen.

Synthesis and applications. Our meta‐analysis highlights the breadth of wild pollinators that contribute to pollination effectiveness via their delivery of pollen to many crop and non‐crop plant species. However, just 25% of the observations assessed the amount of pollen deposited by fly species. Our findings point to the need to further quantify the pollination effectiveness of non‐bee pollinators as studies have largely focused on managed and wild bee species.
Competition for pollination and isolation from mates differentially impact four stages of pollination in a model grassland perennial
Authors: Richardson Lea K. , Gallagher M. Kate , Hayes Tracie E. , Gallinat Amanda S. , Kiefer Gretel , Manion Kristen , Jenkins Miriam , Diersen Greg , Wagenius Stuart
Published: November 2020

Species that persist in small populations isolated by habitat destruction may experience reproductive failure. Self‐incompatible plants face dual threats of mate‐limitation and competition with co‐flowering plants for pollination services. Such competition may lower pollinator visitation, increase heterospecific pollen transfer and reduce the likelihood that a visit results in successful pollination.

To understand how isolation from mates and competition with co‐flowering species contribute to reproductive failure in fragmented habitat, we conducted an observational study of a tallgrass prairie perennial Echinacea angustifolia. We quantified the isolation of focal individuals from mates, characterized species richness and counted inflorescences within 1 m radius, observed pollinator visitation, collected pollinators, quantified pollen loads on pollinators and on Echinacea stigmas, and measured pollination success. Throughout the season, we sampled 223 focal plants across 10 remnant prairie sites.

We present evidence that both co‐flowering species and isolation from mates substantially limit reproduction in Echinacea. As the flowering season progressed, the probability of pollinator visitation to focal plants decreased and evidence for pollen‐limited reproduction increased. Pollinators were most likely to visit Echinacea plants from low‐richness floral neighbourhoods with close potential mates, or plants from high‐richness neighbourhoods with distant potential mates. Frequent visitation only increased pollination success in the former case, likely because Echinacea in high‐richness floral neighbourhoods received low‐quality visits.

Synthesis. In Echinacea, reproduction was limited by isolation from potential mates and the richness of co‐flowering species. These aspects of the floral neighbourhood influenced pollinator visitation and pollination success, although conditions that predicted high visitation did not always lead to high pollination success. These results reveal how habitat modification and destruction, which influence floral neighbourhood and isolation from conspecific mates, can differentially affect various stages of reproductive biology in self‐incompatible plants. Our results suggest that prairie conservation and restoration efforts that promote patches of greater floral diversity may improve reproductive outcomes in fragmented habitats.
Why species richness of plants and herbivorous insects do or do not correlate
Authors: Shinohara Naoto , Yoshida Takehito
Published: November 2020

Unraveling the determinants of herbivorous insect diversity has been a significant challenge in ecology. Despite the strong association between insect and plant species, previous studies conducted in natural systems have shown great variation in the strength of the correlation between their species richness. Such variation could be attributed to the proportion of generalist insect species (generality). However, both higher and lower generality may weaken the correlation because (a) generalist insect species are less dependent on the number of plant species, and (b) specialist insect species utilize only a proportion of the total plant species. To explore these contradictory effects, we studied plant and herbivorous insect communities in seminatural grasslands in Japan. Plant–insect interactions were evaluated in a unique way with a particular focus on the staying and herbivory behaviors of insects, which reflect their habitat use as well as host use. We found that lower generality of insect communities strengthened the correlation between species richness of plants and insects, but this was not the case when plant species that had no interaction with insect species were also considered. This was because lower generality increased the number of plant species that did not interact with insects. The results indicate that insect generality has contradictory effects on the plant–insect diversity relationship, which emphasizes the importance of distinguishing the effects to understand the variation in the relationship between plant and insect diversity in natural systems.
Multicultural presentation of chest pain at an emergency department in Australia
Authors: Middleton Paul M , Wu Tammy LL , Lee Riccardo Yih‐Nan , Ren Shiquan , McLaws Mary‐Louise
Published: November 2020

Objective

To investigate differences in presenting patient characteristics, investigation, management and related outcomes between culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) and non‐CALD chest pain (CP) patients presenting to the ED.

Methods

A cohort study of 258 patients was enrolled on presentation to Liverpool Hospital ED with a complaint of CP over a 2‐week period. Main outcomes included frequency and timeliness of diagnostic and radiological investigations, medication administered and ED length of stay. Administrative and clinical data were extracted and linked from Cerner EMR FirstNet®, PowerChart® and paper records.

Results

There were 155 (60%) CALD and 103 (40%) non‐CALD patients. CALD patients were older by 10 years (95% CI 4, 15; P < 0.0001). There were no significant differences in the number of pathology and imaging investigations carried out in each group, and similarly there were no significant differences in the number of patients administered analgesia or cardiac‐specific medications. Neither group differed in their ED length of stay (median 280 vs 259.5 min; P = 0.79) or hospital admission rate (median 56% vs 55%, P = 0.8).

Conclusion

Both CALD and non‐CALD ED CP patients had similar test ordering, medication administration and clinical outcomes, but this was in the context of CALD patients being 10 years older together with a small study sample size. A larger cohort, matched for age, would provide further insights into potentially important differences.
Reduced frontostriatal functional connectivity and associations with severity of Internet gaming disorder
Authors: Dong Haohao , Wang Min , Zhang Jialin , Hu Yuzheng , Potenza Marc N. , Dong Guang‐Heng
Published: November 2020

Cognitive, functional, and structural brain factors involving frontal executive and striatal reward networks have been implicated in Internet gaming disorder (IGD). However, frontostriatal network connectivity and its association with addiction severity are poorly understood in IGD.

Resting‐state fMRI data from 337 subjects (130 with IGD, 207 with recreational game use [RGU]) were collected. Striatal‐cortical communications were measured with resting‐state functional connectivity (FC) using coherent spontaneous fluctuations in the blood‐oxygenation‐level–dependent fMRI signal. Correlations were calculated between FC measures and IGD‐related assessments (addiction severity and craving scores). Decreased FC was predominantly observed in IGD subjects, with IGD subjects showing decreased FC between the putamen and superior frontal gyrus (SFG), middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the ventral striatum and IFG, superior temporal gyrus, and MFG. Disorder severity and craving scores were negatively correlated with FC between striatal and frontal brain regions. Associations between diminished FC in corticostriatal circuitry and clinical features (IGD craving, severity) suggest potential therapeutic targets for neuromodulation treatments. The extent to which frontostriatal circuits involving executive control over reward processes may be altered to treat IGD warrants additional study.
FSHBandFSHRgene variants exert mild modulatory effect on reproductive hormone levels and testis size but not on semen quality: A study of 2020 men from the general Danish population
Authors: Bang Anne Kirstine , Almstrup Kristian , Nordkap Loa , Priskorn Lærke , Petersen Jørgen Holm , Blomberg Jensen Martin , Krause Marianna , Holmboe Stine Agergaard , Egeberg Palme Dorte Louise , Winge Sofia Boeg , Joensen Ulla Nordström , Olesen Inge Ahlmann , Hvidman Helene Westring , Juul Anders , Rajpert‐De Meyts Ewa , Jørgensen Niels
Published: November 2020

Background

Spermatogenesis depends on stimulation by follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) which binds to FSH receptors (FSHR) on testicular Sertoli cells. Three FSH‐related single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs),FSHB‐211G>T (rs10835638),FSHR‐29G>A (rs1394205) andFSHR2039A>G (rs6166) affect FSH action, and have been suggested to affect testicular function, but the evidence is uncertain.

Objective

To describe the associations between the three SNPs and testicular function in a large and well‐characterised cohort of men from the general population.

Materials and methods

A cross‐sectional study of 2020 Danish men unselected regarding testicular function. Outcome variables were semen parameters, reproductive hormones and testis size. Genotyping was done by competitive allele‐specific quantitative PCR. Differences in genotype frequencies were tested by chi‐square test and associations between genotypes and outcomes were assessed by multivariate linear regressions.

Results

The SNPs affected serum FSH; carriers of the variant affecting FSH secretion (FSHB‐211G>T) had lower FSH levels while carriers of variants affecting receptor expression (FSHR‐29G>A) and receptor sensitivity (FSHR2039A>G) had higher FSH levels. Carriers ofFSHB‐211G>T had lower calculated free testosterone/LH ratio. Although bothFSHB‐211G>T andFSHR2039A>G were associated with smaller testis size, no clear association was detected in relation to any semen parameters, except a lower total number of morphologically normal spermatozoa in the heterozygous carriers of theFSHB‐211G>T

Discussion and Conclusion

The studied polymorphisms have only minor modulating influence on testis size and function in healthy men. We detected subtle effects of the three SNPs on FSH levels, but also effects ofFSHB‐211G>T on calculated free testosterone/LH ratio, compatible with altered Leydig cell function. Thus, the role of these FSH‐related polymorphisms is complex and modest in men with normal testicular function, but the possible importance of FSH polymorphisms in men with impaired testicular function should be evaluated in future studies in more detail.
Characteristics and survival prognosis of patients with pure squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder
Authors: Zhu Chenglong , Sun Lu , Wei Youzhu , Xu Donghui , Zhou Yanming
Published: November 2020

Background

Pure squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the gallbladder is rare and often confused with the adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) subtype in previous studies. The present study was attempted to differentiate SCC from ASC by resolving their characteristics and prognosis.

Methods

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was queried for SCC and ASC of gallbladder cases from 1988 to 2015. Patients' clinicopathological characteristics and survival were analysed between the groups.

Results

Of the 709 patients with primary gallbladder cancer included in this study, 249 (35.1%) had pure SCC and the remaining 460 (64.9%) had ASC. It was found that pure SCC was associated with a larger median tumour size (58.0 versus 41.0 mm, P < 0.001), while ASC presented with a worse histological grade (47.4% versus 37.8% for grades III–IV, P = 0.019) and more lymph node invasion (27.4% versus 18.9%, P = 0.041). The 3‐year overall survival and disease‐specific survival rates in pure SCC were lower than those in ASC (7.5% versus 11.5% for overall survival, P < 0.001; 6.2% versus 10.9% for disease‐specific survival, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that early Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results historic stage, treatment with surgery and chemotherapy were significant favourable prognostic factors for pure SCC, while tumour size, late study period, treatment with surgery and radiotherapy were significant predictors for ASC.

Conclusion

There were significant differences in the clinicopathological characteristics and survival prognosis between pure SCC and ASC. Surgery combined with chemotherapy is the preferred treatment option for pure SCC.
Social and solidarity economy and social and solidarity commons: Towards the (re)discovery of an ethic of the common good?
Authors: Salustri Andrea
Published: November 2020

This research poses the ethic of the common good and the institutions of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) as the foundation of commoning practices. Specifically, it illustrates how the latter may contribute to regenerating the commons, fostering open and shared access to key productive resources and essential goods and services. The analysis focuses on social and solidarity commons (SSC), defined as all those relational practices that contribute to the accumulation and regeneration of human and social (as well as other types of) critical capital. To achieve this research goal, this study collected new and old issues debated in the academic literature concerning the geographic nature of commons and their juridical and economic treatment within socioeconomic disciplines. Then, a historical overview of the commons highlights their dynamic and multifaceted nature and illustrates how they have often been co‐owned and co‐governed according to shared rules and norms. Within this general framework, SSC are introduced, and a role for the institutions of the SSE is proposed to foster an ethic of the common good as a necessary (but not sufficient) condition for expanding and enforcing people's participation in commoning practices.
The just prevention theory for policymaking on campus sexual assault
Authors: Ullman Chelsea
Published: November 2020

Campus sexual assault affects a large proportion of college students in the United States, most of whom are women. There is little research on the federal complaint mechanism from the standpoint of survivors accessing it, or on whether existing justice mechanisms meet survivors’ needs. This qualitative study asks how survivors define justice, and how policy might help survivors achieve justice. To answer these questions, qualitative data were collected and analyzed through interviews with survivors and campus administrators, and focus groups with survivor advocates. These data are analyzed within the context of an ecological framework and produce the just prevention theory for policymaking on campus sexual assault. The just prevention theory argues that genuine justice for survivors must be pursued through a framework of prevention. This theory reconceives justice in a fundamental way: while justice may include other response measures, it must include prevention.
Dosing of factor VIII concentrate by ideal body weight is more accurate in overweight and obese haemophilia A patients
Authors: van Moort Iris , Preijers Tim , Hazendonk Hendrika C.A.M. , Schutgens Roger E.G. , Laros‐van Gorkom Britta A.P. , Nieuwenhuizen Laurens , van der Meer Felix J.M. , Fijnvandraat Karin , Leebeek Frank W.G. , Meijer Karina , Mathôt Ron A.A. , Cnossen Marjon H. ,   for the OPTI‐CLOT study group
Published: November 2020

Aims

Under‐ and, especially, overdosing of replacement therapy in haemophilia A patients may be prevented by application of other morphometric variables than body weight (BW) to dose factor VIII (FVIII) concentrates. Therefore, we aimed to investigate which morphometric variables best describe interindividual variability (IIV) of FVIII concentrate pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters.

Methods

PK profiling was performed by measuring 3 FVIII levels after a standardized dose of 50 IU kg−1 FVIII concentrate. A population PK model was constructed, in which IIV for clearance (CL) and central volume of distribution (V1) was quantified. Relationships between CL, V1 and 5 morphometric variables (BW, ideal BW [IBW], lean BW, adjusted BW, and body mass index [BMI]) were evaluated in normal weight (BMI < 25 kg m−2), overweight (BMI 25–30 kg m−2) and obese haemophilia A patients (BMI > 30 kg m−2).

Results

In total, 57 haemophilia A patients (FVIII≤0.05 IU mL−1) were included with median BW of 83 kg (range: 53–133) and median age of 48 years (range: 18–77). IBW best explained observed variability between patients, as IIV for CL and V1 was reduced from 45.1 to 37.6 and 26.% to 14.1%, respectively. CL, V1 and half‐life were similar for all BMI categories. The national recommended dosing schedule did not result in adequate trough levels, both in case of dosing based on BW and IBW. However, dosing based on IBW prevented unnecessary high FVIII peaks.

Conclusion

IBW is the most suitable morphometric variable to explain interindividual FVIII PK variability and is more appropriate to dose overweight and obese patients.
Polypharmacy, potentially inappropriate medication and pharmacogenomics drug exposure in the Rhineland Study
Authors: de Vries Folgerdiena M. , Stingl Julia C. , Breteler Monique M.B.
Published: November 2020

Aim

High medication use may contribute to the efficiency of drug therapy in general, but it could also increase the burden of adverse drug reactions. We aimed to assess medication use and the prevalence of three risk factors for adverse drug reactions: the use of polypharmacy, potentially inappropriate medication in the elderly and pharmacogenomic polymorphisms affecting the metabolism of drugs.

Methods

Cross‐sectional interview‐based medication data (including over‐the‐counter drugs) was collected in a large population‐based cohort (≥30 years of age) in Bonn, Germany.

Results

Analyses were based on the first 5000 participants of the Rhineland Study (mean age 55 years, 57% women). Of our participants, 66.0% reported the use of a drug regularly, which increased to 87.4% in participants aged ≥65 years (n = 1301). The rates of use of polypharmacy, potentially inappropriate medication and pharmacogenomic drugs were 15.9%, 6.4% and 20.5%, respectively. In participants <65 years, 16.0% (95% CI 14.8, 17.3) had at least one risk factor. In participants aged ≥65 years, 54.1% (95% CI 51.4, 56.8) had at least one and 27.4% (95% CI 25.0, 29.9) had at least two risk factors. Extrapolating these numbers to the German population implies that around 9 million of the 17 million individuals aged 65 years or older are potentially at an elevated risk for adverse drug reactions, of which 4.6 million are at a potentially highly elevated risk for adverse drug reactions.

Conclusion

Our study shows that drug use is common and the individual risk for an adverse drug reaction in our population is high. This suggests room for improvement in general medication use.
Drug‐drug interaction of atazanavir on UGT1A1‐mediated glucuronidation of molidustat in human
Authors: van der Mey Dorina , Gerisch Michael , Jungmann Natalia A. , Kaiser Andreas , Yoshikawa Kenichi , Schulz Simone , Radtke Martin , Lentini Silvia
Published: November 2020

Molidustat is an oral inhibitor of hypoxia‐inducible factor (HIF) prolyl‐hydroxylase enhancing the erythropoietin (EPO) response to HIF; it is in clinical development for the treatment of anaemia related to chronic kidney disease. The predominant role of glucuronidation for molidustat clearance (formation of N‐glucuronide metabolite M1) and subsequent renal excretion was confirmed in a human mass balance study, with about 85% of the drug being excreted as M1 in urine. The inhibitory effects of 176 drugs and xenobiotics from various compound classes on the UGT‐mediated glucuronidation of molidustat in human liver microsomes (HLMs) were investigated. Based on preclinical findings, glucuronidation of molidustat was predominantly mediated by the 5'‐diphospho‐glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoform UGT1A1. Therefore, atazanavir, which is a potent inhibitor of UGT1A1, was chosen for the evaluation of pharmacokinetics and EPO release following a single oral dose of 25 mg molidustat. Molidustat exposure increased about twofold upon coadministration with atazanavir when considering area under plasma concentration‐time curve from zero to infinity (AUC) and maximum plasma concentration (Cmax). Baseline‐corrected increase of EPO was 14% and 34% for Cmax and AUC (calculated over 24 hours), respectively. Coadministration of molidustat and atazanavir was well tolerated.
From one new law to (many) new practices? Multidisciplinary teams re‐constructing the meaning of a new disability law
Authors: Caillaud Sabine , Haas Valérie , Castro Paula
Published: November 2020

This paper explores how a new French law incorporating a new conceptualization of disability formulated at the international level by the WHO is appropriated at the local level by multidisciplinary teams of professionals in charge of the assessment of disability. Drawing on social representations theory, its concept of cognitive polyphasia and its conceptualization of legal innovation, the paper specifically examines how the teams deal with the tensions between the old and the new models of disability and how the group dynamic is associated with how they do this: by hybridization of old and new models, by selective prevalence according to context, or by displacement of one model. Focus groups with the teams (n = 65 from 10 groups), analysed with indicators of interaction, bring evidence of the three forms. They show how different groups, by drawing differently, depending on their relational dynamics, from a variety of meaning systems circulating at the cultural level, reach different decisions that may lead to different practices in the local implementation of the same laws. We finish by discussing how social representations theory, linking the cultural/global and the interactional/local levels, can enhance our understanding of how socio‐psychological processes intervening in the appropriation of legal innovations may produce different practical implementations of the same new laws.
Higher‐Order Time Integration for Deformable Solids
Authors: Löschner Fabian , Longva Andreas , Jeske Stefan , Kugelstadt Tassilo , Bender Jan
Published: November 2020

Visually appealing and vivid simulations of deformable solids represent an important aspect of physically based computer animation. For the temporal discretization, it is customary in computer animation to use first‐order accurate integration methods, such as Backward Euler, due to their simplicity and robustness. Although there is notable research on second‐order methods, their use is not widespread. Many of these well‐known methods have significant drawbacks such as severe numerical damping or scene‐dependent time step restrictions to ensure stability. In this paper, we discuss the most relevant requirements on such methods in computer animation and motivate the interest beyond first‐order accuracy. Keeping these requirements in mind, we investigate several promising methods from the families of diagonally implicit Runge‐Kutta (DIRK) and Rosenbrock methods which currently do not appear to have considerable popularity in this field. We show that the usage of such methods improves the visual quality of physical animations. In addition, we demonstrate that they allow distinctly more control over damping at lower computational cost than classical methods. As part of our theoretical contribution, we review aspects of simulations that are often considered more intricate with higher‐order methods, such as contact handling. To this end, we derive an implicit linearized contact model based on a predictor‐corrector approach that leads to consistent behavior with higher‐order integrators as predictors. Our contact model is well suited for the simulation of stiff, nonlinear materials with the integration methods presented in this paper and more common methods such as Backward Euler alike.
A Finite Element Formulation of Baraff‐Witkin Cloth
Authors: Kim Theodore
Published: November 2020

The Baraff‐Witkin [BW98] model has been a popular formulation for cloth for 20 years. However, its relationship to the finite element method (FEM) has always been unclear, because the model resists being written as an isotropic, hyperelastic strain energy. In this paper, we show that this is because the Baraff‐Witkin model is actually a coupled anisotropic strain energy. We show that its stretching term approximates the isotropic As‐Rigid‐As‐Possible (ARAP) energy, and its shearing term is a cross‐fiber coupling energy common in biomechanics. While it has been known empirically for some time that the model can produce indefinite force Jacobians, the conditions under which they occur has never been clear. Our formulation enables a complete eigenanalysis that precisely characterizes exactly when indefiniteness occurs, and leads to fast, analytic, semi‐positive‐definite projection methods. Finally, our analysis suggests a generalized Baraff‐Witkin energy with non‐orthogonal warp and weft directions.
How decisions about fitting species distribution models affect conservation outcomes
Authors: Muscatello Angela , Elith Jane , Kujala Heini
Published: November 2020

Species distribution models (SDMs) are increasingly used in conservation and land‐use planning as inputs to describe biodiversity patterns. These models can be built in different ways, and decisions about data preparation, selection of predictor variables, model fitting, and evaluation all alter the resulting predictions. Commonly, the true distribution of species is unknown and independent data to verify which SDM variant to choose are lacking. Such model uncertainty is of concern to planners. We analyzed how 11 routine decisions about model complexity, predictors, bias treatment, and setting thresholds for predicted values altered conservation priority patterns across 25 species. Models were created with MaxEnt and run through Zonation to determine the priority rank of sites. Although all SDM variants performed well (area under the curve >0.7), they produced spatially different predictions for species and different conservation priority solutions. Priorities were most strongly altered by decisions to not address bias or to apply binary thresholds to predicted values; on average 40% and 35%, respectively, of all grid cells received an opposite priority ranking. Forcing high model complexity altered conservation solutions less than forcing simplicity (14% and 24% of cells with opposite rank values, respectively). Use of fewer species records to build models or choosing alternative bias treatments had intermediate effects (25% and 23%, respectively). Depending on modeling choices, priority areas overlapped as little as 10–20% with the baseline solution, affecting top and bottom priorities differently. Our results demonstrate the extent of model‐based uncertainty and quantify the relative impacts of SDM building decisions. When it is uncertain what the best SDM approach and conservation plan is, solving uncertainty or considering alterative options is most important for those decisions that change plans the most.
Skin tape stripping identifies gene transcript signature associated with allergic contact dermatitis
Authors: Tam Idy , Hill Kathryn R. , Park Jin M. , Yu JiaDe
Published: November 2020

Background

Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) and irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) are common skin conditions with an overlapping clinical and histological appearance, but distinct underlying mechanisms. Patch testing is the gold standard for ACD diagnosis, yet the interpretation of its results may be confounded by weak and varying macroscopic reactions.

Objective

To examine whether gene transcript profiling of RNA sampled from patch tested patient skin by tape stripping (TS) could differentiate ACD from ICD and the baseline skin state (control)

Methods

Nine patients (seven females, two males; mean age 38.6 years, range 24–72 years) with confirmed ACD through patch testing were recruited. Total RNA was isolated from TS samples and relative transcript abundance was determined by quantitative real‐time polymeraise chain reaction using 39 gene‐specific primers.

Results

TS captured gene transcripts derived from diverse skin cell types, including not only keratinocytes, but also epidermal and dermal antigen‐presenting cells. Among the genes analysed in transcript profiling, genes encoding epidermal barrier components and inflammatory mediators exhibited changes in transcript abundance in ACD skin compared to ICD or control skin.

Conclusions

Our findings reveal the potential of skin TS for non‐invasive biopsy during patch testing and molecular marker‐based ACD diagnosis.
TRADE LIBERALIZATION AND RACIAL ANIMUS
Authors: Ortega Alberto , Di Fruscia Ema , Louise Bryn
Published: November 2020

Since the year 2000, the number of recorded hate groups in the United States has increased by more than 50 %. Some argue that the strain caused by unemployment or other socioeconomic stressors can play a critical role in the prevalence of extremist groups and crimes. We examine whether a change in U.S. policy to normalize trade relations with China, which fueled a surge in import competition that led to higher levels of unemployment, affected the presence of hate crimes. Using a difference‐in‐differences model and an event‐study framework, we find that areas most exposed to import competition experienced an increase in the number of anti‐Black hate crimes. We also find a qualitatively similar effect on the number of active hate groups in response to import competition. This result holds pre‐ and post‐the Great Recession and is consistent across levels of aggregation. The results are consistent and robust to various controls and specifications. (JEL F13, F16, Z13)
Brain malformations and spina bifida
Authors: Fletcher Jack M , Kulesz Paulina A
Published: November 2020

This commentary is on the original article by Schneider et al. on pages 295–302 of this issue.
Differential risk factor profile of diabetes and atherosclerosis in rural, sub‐urban and urban regions of South India: The KMCH‐Non‐communicable disease studies
Authors: Velmurugan Ganesan , Mohanraj Sundaresan , Dhivakar Mani , Veerasekar Ganesh , Brag‐Gresham Jennifer , He Kevin , Alexander Thomas , Cherian Mathew , Saran Rajiv , Pradeep Thalappil , Swaminathan Krishnan
Published: November 2020

Aims

South Asia has emerged rapidly as an epicentre of non‐communicable diseases (NCDs) specifically diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The prevalence rate, risk factors and aetiology of NCDs in different socio‐demographic settings are not clearly understood. This study was performed to assess the prevalence of diabetes and atherosclerosis and their risk factors in urban, sub‐urban and rural communities of South India.

Methods

Three communities [Nallampatti (rural), Thadagam (sub‐urban) and Kalapatti (urban)] in South India were selected for participation in the KMCH‐NCD Studies. Study volunteers were administered a detailed questionnaire, underwent anthropometric measurements, clinical measurements including blood pressure, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), non‐fasting lipid profile and serum creatinine. Carotid intima‐media thickness was measured using B‐mode ultrasound. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to understand the association of risk factors with diabetes and atherosclerosis.

Results

A total of 2976 native participants, ≥20 years of age were screened. The prevalence of diabetes was 16%, 26% and 23% respectively in the rural, sub‐urban and urban study populations. Association of obesity with diabetes was observed in only urban population while hypertension and dyslipidaemia showed association in both urban and semi‐urban populations. Association of diabetes with atherosclerosis was observed in urban and semi‐urban populations. Hypertension in semi‐urban and obesity and dyslipidaemia in urban population showed association with atherosclerosis.

Conclusions

Diabetes and atherosclerosis burden reported in the three different communities were higher than previous reports, especially in rural and sub‐urban regions. No traditional risk factor is identified to be associated with prevalence of diabetes and atherosclerosis in rural population. These findings suggest an urgent need for investigation into the role of non‐traditional risk factors like environmental or occupational exposures may help to better understand the aetiology of diseases in non‐urbanized communities.