bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Guidelines for including bamboos in tropical ecosystem monitoring
Authors: Fadrique Belén , Veldman Joseph W. , Dalling James W. , Clark Lynn G. , Montti Lia , Ruiz‐Sanchez Eduardo , Rother Débora C. , Ely Francisca , Farfan‐Ríos William , Gagnon Paul , Prada Cecilia M. , Camargo García Juan Carlos , Saha Sonali , Veblen Thomas T. , Londoño Ximena , Feeley Kenneth J. , Rockwell Cara A.
Published: February 2020

Bamboos are a diverse and ecologically important group of plants that have the potential to modulate the structure, composition, and function of forests. With the aim of increasing the visibility and representation of bamboo in forest surveys, and to standardize techniques across ecosystems, we present a protocol for bamboo monitoring in permanent research plots. A bamboo protocol is necessary because measurements and sampling schemes that are well‐suited to trees are inadequate for monitoring most bamboo species and populations. Our protocol suggests counting all bamboo culms (stems) in the study plot and determining bamboo dimensions based on two different approaches: (a) measuring a random subset of 60 culms and calculating the average dimensions or (b) measuring all culms. With data from 1‐ha plots in the Peruvian Andes, we show that both approaches provide very similar estimates of bamboo basal area. We suggest including all mature culms rooted inside change the to each plot from all woody bamboo species with maximum diameters ≥1 cm. We also present recommendations on how to collect vouchers of bamboo species for identification. Data collected according to our proposed protocols will increase our understanding of regional and global patterns in bamboo diversity and the role of bamboo in forest dynamics.

Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
Tree functional traits as predictors of microburst‐associated treefalls in tropical wet forests
Authors: Rader Alana M. , Cottrell Amy , Kudla Anna , Lum Tiffany , Henderson David , Karandikar Harshad , Letcher Susan G.
Published: February 2020

On 19 May 2018, a microburst caused 600 isolated forest gaps in a Costa Rican tropical forest. We surveyed fallen and standing trees within gaps to determine whether certain variables are associated with treefalls. Our results highlight considerations for future research to understand the impacts of microbursts in tropical forests.

Abstract in Spanish is available with online only
Worldwide implementation of clinical services for the prevention of psychosis: The IEPA early intervention in mental health survey
Authors: Kotlicka‐Antczak Magdalena , Podgórski Michał , Oliver Dominic , Maric Nadja P , Valmaggia Lucia , Fusar‐Poli Paolo
Published: February 2020

Background

Clinical research into the Clinical High Risk state for Psychosis (CHR‐P) has allowed primary indicated prevention in psychiatry to improve outcomes of psychotic disorders. The strategic component of this approach is the implementation of clinical services to detect and take care of CHR‐P individuals, which are recommended by several guidelines. The actual level of implementation of CHR‐P services worldwide is not completely clear.

Aim

To assess the global geographical distribution, core characteristics relating to the level of implementation of CHR‐P services; to overview of the main barriers that limit their implementation at scale.

Methods

CHR‐P services worldwide were invited to complete an online survey. The survey addressed the geographical distribution, general implementation characteristics and implementation barriers.

Results

The survey was completed by 47 CHR‐P services offering care to 22 248 CHR‐P individuals: Western Europe (51.1%), North America (17.0%), East Asia (17.0%), Australia (6.4%), South America (6.4%) and Africa (2.1%). Their implementation characteristics included heterogeneous clinical settings, assessment instruments and length of care offered. Most CHR‐P patients were recruited through mental or physical health services. Preventive interventions included clinical monitoring and crisis management (80.1%), supportive therapy (70.2%) or structured psychotherapy (61.7%), in combination with pharmacological treatment (in 74.5%). Core implementation barriers were staffing and financial constraints, and the recruitment of CHR‐P individuals. The dynamic map of CHR‐P services has been implemented on the IEPA website: https://iepa.org.au/list‐a‐service/.

Conclusions

Worldwide primary indicated prevention of psychosis in CHR‐P individuals is possible, but the implementation of CHR‐P services is heterogeneous and constrained by pragmatic challenges.
Empagliflozin attenuates transient cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in hyperglycemic rats via repressing oxidative–inflammatory–apoptotic pathway
Authors: Amin Entesar F. , Rifaai Rehab A. , Abdel‐latif Rania G.
Published: February 2020

Hyperglycemia is one of the ischemic neuronal damage triggers that exacerbate the response to oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis induced by cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Empagliflozin, a sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT 2) inhibitor, was shown to effectively reduce hyperglycemia and glucotoxicity besides improving glycemic control in diabetics. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the neuroprotective effect of empagliflozin against cerebral I/R injury in hyperglycemic rats. Hyperglycemia was induced by streptozotocin (55 mg/kg), and transient cerebral I/R was induced by bilateral common carotid occlusion for 30 min followed by 24‐h reperfusion. Either empagliflozin (10 mg/kg; i.p.) or gliclazide (2 mg/kg, p.o.) was administered at 1 and 24 h after reperfusion. Treatment with empagliflozin showed a significant amelioration of behavioral/neurological functions and histopathological changes observed in brain tissues of hyperglycemic rats subjected to cerebral I/R injury. Comparable to gliclazide, empagliflozin decreased cerebral infarct volume along with suppression of cerebral oxidative stress, inflammatory, and apoptotic markers in brain tissues of hyperglycemic I/R‐injured rats. These findings suggested that empagliflozin can significantly alleviate neuronal damage resulting from global I/R injury induced in hyperglycemic rats. The proposed neuroprotective effect of empagliflozin may be attributed to its glycemic control effect and related antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and antiapoptotic effects.
Between context and comparability: Exploring new solutions for a familiar methodological challenge in qualitative comparative research
Authors: Kosmützky Anna , Nokkala Terhi , Diogo Sara
Published: February 2020

Finding the balance between adequately describing the uniqueness of the context of studied phenomena and maintaining sufficient common ground for comparability and analytical generalisation has widely been recognised as a key challenge in international comparative research. Methodological reflections on how to adequately cover context and comparability have extensively been discussed for quantitative survey or secondary data research. In addition, most recently, promising methodological considerations for qualitative comparative research have been suggested in comparative fields related to higher education. The article’s aim is to connect this discussion to comparative higher education research. Thus, the article discusses recent advancements in the methodology of qualitative international comparative research, connects them to older analytical methods that have been used within the field in the 1960s and 1970s, and demonstrates their analytical value based on their application to a qualitative small‐N case study on research groups in diverse organisational contexts in three country contexts.
Efficacy of bioactive nanoparticles on tissue‐endotoxin induced suppression of stem cell viability, migration and differentiation
Authors: Kukreti H. , Li F.‐C. , Singh K. , Sodhi R. , Kishen A.
Published: February 2020

Aim

To characterize a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐treated dentine tissue model (LPS dentine) to analyse the efficacy of polycationic chitosan nanoparticles (CSnp) and/or dexamethasone conjugate chitosan nanoparticles (Dex‐CSnp) on the viability/differentiation potential of stem cells from apical papilla (SCAP) when exposed to LPS dentine. A further aim was to understand the effect of macrophage‐dependent inflammation on SCAP migration in the presence of LPS dentine.

Methodology

A total of 88 dentine slabs were used. TOF‐SIMS analysis was performed amongst the LPS‐treated and untreated dentine groups (n = 2/group). The study was conducted using four dentine groups: no treatment (control); LPS treatment only; LPS treatment followed by CSnp conditioning; and LPS treatment followed by Dex‐CSnp conditioning groups. SCAP adherence, viability, differentiation and biomineralization potential on dentine from different groups were studied using fluorescent and scanning electron microscopy. Inflammation by macrophages in response to LPS dentine was quantified, and effect on SCAP migration was analysed. Statistical analysis was performed using Student’s t‐test with a significance level of P < 0.05.

Result

TOF‐SIMS analysis confirmed LPS contamination. LPS dentine affected SCAP viability but not adherence to dentine (P < 0.001). Conditioning of LPS dentine with either nanoparticles improved SCAP viability (P < 0.01) and rescued other LPS related adverse effects on SCAPs, such as F‐actin disruption, decrease in differentiation/biomineralization potential. IL‐6 produced by macrophages in response to LPS‐treated dentine impeded SCAP migration (P < 0.001), diminished on CSnp and Dex‐CSnp conditioning groups (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

This study developed an LPS‐dentine model and highlighted the ability of CSnp and Dex‐CSnp to promote stem cell viability, migration, differentiation potential and reduce inflammation, providing an environment conducive for tissue regeneration/repair.
The Negotiation of New Family Formation Post‐migration among Low‐wage Migrant Workers: The Case of Canada
Authors: Perry J. Adam
Published: February 2020

This article examines how post‐migration relationships are critical to shaping long‐term migration and employment aspirations among migrant workers. The article offers an analysis of low‐wage migrant workers' experiences of establishing new families after migration within Canada's state‐managed foreign labour migration regime. While the relational dynamics of migrant labour are well documented, scholarship in this area tends to focus on the affective dimensions of maintaining transnational ties across time and geographic distance. In response, this article contributes to a growing interest among scholars to better understand a more varied range of emotional complexities associated with cross‐border labour migration. Two main findings are presented. First, the article examines how prolonged family separation can result in the formation of new intimacies that can reshape migrant workers' affective connections to sending and receiving countries. Second, the article examines how policies that entrench migrant workers' temporary resident status doubly aggravate workers' experiences of imposed family separation.
Competency‐based education in pharmacy: A review of its development, applications, and challenges
Authors: Katoue Maram Gamal , Schwinghammer Terry L.
Published: February 2020

Rationale, aims, and objectives

There has been a resurgence of interest in the application of competency‐based education (CBE) in health care professionals' education in recent years, including the pharmacy profession. This model strives to prepare a competent pharmacy workforce to help meet societal needs for effective, safe, and economical health care services. The aim of this narrative review is to provide an overview of the applications of CBE in the education and training of pharmacists, the process for constructing a competency‐based pharmacy curriculum, and the potential advantages and challenges associated with its implementation.

Method

A comprehensive literature review was conducted via PubMed and Scopus databases using a variety of keywords related to the topic (from 1975 to 2019). Other electronic resources (Google Scholar and the Education Resources Information Center) were searched to identify educational outcomes of pharmacy programmes emphasizing competency development and competency frameworks/standards for the pharmacy profession that were published up to 2019.

Results

CBE has been increasingly adopted in pharmacy education, mainly in developed countries. A number of competency frameworks have been advanced to support the design of CBE curricula, accreditation standards of pharmacy programmes, and professional pharmacy registration/licensure. Several examples of the application of competency‐based pharmacy education (CBPE) were identified at undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional development levels. Transforming a traditional pharmacy programme into CBPE offers several potential benefits but can also be associated with significant challenges. Successful implementation of CBPE programmes requires strong and supportive institutional leadership; proper curricular design, implementation, and management; and focus on faculty training and development.

Conclusion

The adoption of CBPE can enhance the ability of pharmacy education to meet the rapidly evolving societal health care needs. This model has been applied in developed countries at different levels throughout the pharmacist's learning continuum. It has also been investigated in some developing regions.
“Scattered In Times”
Authors: Stewart‐Kroeker Sarah
Published: February 2020

Climate change is a temporally fragmented phenomenon: the causes and effects at work are dispersed over a remarkably long time period. Climate change exceeds human ability to forecast and quantify its effects in time. This creates serious epistemic, moral, and psychological difficulties and poses challenges to generating adequate ethical responses. Augustine’s understanding of time as a measure of imagination emphasizes the way in which human beings actively shape their sense of time. He sees “looking forward” in time as a matter of spiritual vocation that collects the self out of dispersion and connects to a transgenerational collective. A notable example of how this “looking forward” may be practiced is singing the Psalms. The Augustinian “temporal imagination” links the imaginative, affective, moral, and vocational dimensions of measuring time. This offers some preliminary avenues for reimagining a sense of time responsive to climate change’s temporal fragmentation.
Sexuality vs. sensuality: The multimodal construction of affective stance in Chinese ASMR performances*
Authors: Starr Rebecca Lurie , Wang Tianxiao , Go Christian
Published: February 2020

Online communities have recently developed a novel genre of performance aimed at triggering Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR), a tingling sensation prompted by soft voices and other stimuli. In China, these performances were banned in 2018 due to a rise in sexually charged videos purporting to be ASMR. Through acoustic and content analysis, this study argues that, rather than ASMR being a vehicle for sexual content, conventional and sexual Chinese ASMR performances constitute two separate genres. While all performers index intimate affective stances, conventional ASMR performers construct the persona of a calm, gentle professional, while sexual performers evoke the childish, amateur camgirl and sajiao (“whining”) persona. These performances illustrate Chinese content creators’ juxtaposition of local and non‐local semiotic resources as they participate in transnational online communities. The phenomenon of ASMR also highlights the sensual nature of the voice and underscores the necessity of incorporating sensuality into theorizations of sociolinguistic meaning.
Incidence and outcomes of neuroblastoma in Australian children: A population‐based study (1983–2015)
Authors: Youlden Danny R , Jones Brendan C , Cundy Thomas P , Karpelowsky Jonathan , Aitken Joanne F , McBride Craig A
Published: February 2020

Aim

Neuroblastoma predominantly affects younger children and exhibits heterogeneous behaviour. This study describes incidence and outcomes for neuroblastoma using national population‐based data from the Australian Childhood Cancer Registry.

Methods

Deidentified data for all children (0–14 years) diagnosed with neuroblastoma and ganglioneuroblastoma from 1983 to 2015 were extracted. Cause‐specific (CSS) and event‐free survival were estimated using the cohort method. Adjusted hazard ratios were calculated using a multivariable flexible parametric survival model. Other outcomes investigated included recurrence and second primary malignancies (SPMs).

Results

The study cohort comprised 1269 patients. Age‐standardised incidence rates remained steady across the study period at approximately 9.5 per million children per year. The proportion of patients with metastatic disease at diagnosis decreased from 63% in 1983–1995 to 42% by 2006–2015 (P < 0.001). CSS and event‐free survival both improved significantly over time and reached 75% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 71–79%) and 71% (95% CI = 66–75%) at 5 years post‐diagnosis, respectively, for children diagnosed between 2004 and 2013. Of patients achieving full remission, 28% relapsed with subsequent 5‐year CSS of only 20%. Although SPMs were rare, neuroblastoma survivors carried a fivefold increased risk compared to cancer rates in the general population (standardised incidence ratio = 5.18, 95% CI = 3.01–8.91), with 7 of the 13 patients (54%) who were diagnosed with an SPM dying within 5 years.

Conclusions

CSS for childhood neuroblastoma has improved substantially over time in Australia, but still remains lower than for most other types of childhood cancer. SPMs are uncommon and carry a better prognosis than relapse of the primary tumour.
Supply function competition in a mixed electric power market
Authors: Escrihuela‐Villar Marc , Gutiérrez‐Hita Carlos , Vicente‐Pérez José
Published: February 2020

In this paper, we present a mixed oligopoly model where electric power generators compete in supply functions in a liberalized market. A former monopolist, the state‐owned generator, is assumed to be (partially) privatized. First, we obtain that there is a relationship between privatization and the number of electric power generators concerning the level of consumer surplus and total welfare. Indeed, a fully state‐owned generator is socially optimal, lowering private generators' profits and enhancing consumer surplus; that is, if the degree of privatization decreases, consumer surplus increases compensating the damage imposed on generators' profits. Second, as the number of generators increases, full privatization may provide similar levels of consumer surplus and social welfare than those observed in a mixed oligopoly. Moreover, it is also obtained that price‐cost margins increase as marginal cost increases. Overall, our results suggest that the state‐owned generator should be privatized when entry barriers are low enough, and competitiveness is enhanced. Otherwise, a state‐owned generator may protect consumers, enhancing consumer surplus.
Deciphering Patterns of Adaptation and Acclimation in the Transcriptome of Phaeocystis antarctica to Changing Iron Conditions1
Authors: Rizkallah Mariam R. , Frickenhaus Stephan , Trimborn Scarlett , Harms Lars , Moustafa Ahmed , Benes Vladimir , Gäbler‐Schwarz Steffi , Beszteri Sara
Published: February 2020

The haptophyte Phaeocystis antarctica is endemic to the Southern Ocean, where iron supply is sporadic and its availability limits primary production. In iron fertilization experiments, P. antarctica showed a prompt and steady increase in cell abundance compared to heavily silicified diatoms along with enhanced colony formation. Here we utilized a transcriptomic approach to investigate molecular responses to alleviation of iron limitation in P. antarctica. We analyzed the transcriptomic response before and after (14 h, 24 h and 72 h) iron addition to a low‐iron acclimated culture. After iron addition, we observed indicators of a quick reorganization of cellular energetics, from carbohydrate catabolism and mitochondrial energy production to anabolism. In addition to typical substitution responses from an iron‐economic toward an iron‐sufficient state for flavodoxin (ferredoxin) and plastocyanin (cytochrome c6), we found other genes utilizing the same strategy involved in nitrogen assimilation and fatty acid desaturation. Our results shed light on a number of adaptive mechanisms that P. antarctica uses under low iron, including the utilization of a Cu‐dependent ferric reductase system and indication of mixotrophic growth. The gene expression patterns underpin P. antarctica as a quick responder to iron addition.
Subhumanism: The re‐emergence of an affective‐symbolic ontology in the migration debate and beyond
Authors: Teo Thomas
Published: February 2020

A critical analysis of social behavior proposes that the contempt for immigrants, refugees, or asylum seekers around the world is explicitly or implicitly powered by an ontology of the subhuman, a term that was used in early 20thcentury American race and eugenic theory, as well as in fascist Germany, to describe and justify the mistreatment of minorities or perceived enemies. “Migrants” are not afforded the same rights and respect as other people, because they are not conceived as real humans, and their subhuman status allows them to be understood as criminals, degenerates, and even parasites, which are infesting the orderly body of the nation. Subhuman theory works with affects rather than with theoretical analyses, with visualizations and imaginations instead of intellectual concepts, and with a normalized, manufactured common sense. It is argued that at the core of the subhuman lies the idea of chaos, unhealthy appearance, and disorderly behavior, from which humanity is removed. Discussed are processes of subhumanization, the relationship between subhumanism and racism as well as fascism, and the dialectics between the particular and the general, which proposes a shared world for all humans. It is suggested that psychological concepts are limited, and that political, legal, and resisting action is required to combat the re‐emergence of a normalized ontology.
Queer literary studies and the question of identity categories
Authors: Davidson Guy
Published: February 2020

In the current imagining of sexuality, both within the academy and beyond it, the supposed fixity (and staidness) of identity categories such as lesbian, gay, and straight are often opposed to the putative lability (and transgressive thrill) of queerness.Queeris originally a distinctively American phenomenon (though the term was quickly taken up in other Anglophone societies); its emergence was provoked by and manifested in a host of coincident cultural and political developments in the United States of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Opposing the alleged assimilationism, gender‐conformism, and whiteness of the so‐called mainstream gay and lesbian movement,queeraligned itself with transgression, gender fluidity, and intersectionality. This paper tracks the deployment ofqueerin literary studies since 1990, concentrating on its vexed relation to the identity categories oflesbianandgay. If the founding gesture of queer theory is its rejection of identity, its equally foundational relation to same‐sexuality has meant it is constantly forced into contortions—sometimes productive, sometimes not—with the identity categories through which same‐sexuality has in the modern era largely been understood. I begin with an overview of the trajectory of queer as a critical term and the ways in which it has been deployed to imagine an anti‐identitarian and antinormative politics. I then turn to discussions of sexual identity in recent literary studies. I suggest that if we are not quite seeing a “categorical turn” in recent queer literary criticism, the analytical and political value of identities has been undergoing galvanizing reassessment.
Application of phytoplankton community structure for ranking the major riverine catchments influencing the pollution status of a lake basin
Authors: Aura Christopher Mulanda , Odoli Cyprian , Nyamweya Chrisphine S. , Njiru James M. , Musa Safina , Miruka Jared Babu , Owili Monica Ochieng , Omondi Reuben , Raburu Phillip , Manyala Julius , Mwamburi Job , Ogari Zachary , Mbaru Emmanuel K.
Published: February 2020

The present study demonstrates the application of a multi‐metric Phytoplankton Index of Biotic Integrity (PIBI) approach for ranking of major river catchments in the Kenyan part of Lake Victoria on the basis of their pollution status. The index utilizes water quality and zooplankton data, phytoplankton diversity, abundance and attributes, as well as literature information. The rivers were sampled from 2016 to 2018 during the wet season (March) and dry season (July). The separation power of the Mann–Whitney U test (p < .05) qualified eight discriminant metrics for phytoplankton samples into a scoring system of 1, 3 and 5, based on high, fair and slight deviation from the best site, respectively, in development of the final PIBI. The Kuja and Sondu‐Miriu rivers had the highest PIBI, signifying least pollution influence on the lake. In contrast, the Yala and Nzoia rivers exhibited the lowest PIBI, representing the catchments with a higher pollution influence on the lake. The fair to poor integrity classes for the major river catchments in the region signified a deteriorating lakescape. The present study presents the preliminary results of using phytoplankton metrics for development of the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) approach in the region as a decision‐making support tool for the effective management and sustainable use of water resources in the lake basin.
Congruent population genetic structures and divergence histories in anther‐smut fungi and their host plants Silene italica and the Silene nutans species complex
Authors: Hartmann Fanny E. , Snirc Alodie , Cornille Amandine , Godé Cécile , Touzet Pascal , Van Rossum Fabienne , Fournier Elisabeth , Le Prieur Stéphanie , Shykoff Jacqui , Giraud Tatiana
Published: February 2020

Study of the congruence of population genetic structure between hosts and pathogens gives important insights into their shared phylogeographical and coevolutionary histories. We studied the population genetic structure of castrating anther‐smut fungi (genus Microbotryum) and of their host plants, the Silene nutans species complex, and the morphologically and genetically closely related Silene italica, which can be found in sympatry. Phylogeographical population genetic structure related to persistence in separate glacial refugia has been recently revealed in the S. nutans plant species complex across Western Europe, identifying several distinct lineages. We genotyped 171 associated plant–pathogen pairs of anther‐smut fungi and their host plant individuals using microsatellite markers and plant chloroplastic single nucleotide polymorphisms. We found clear differentiation between fungal populations parasitizing S. nutans and S. italica plants. The population genetic structure of fungal strains parasitizing the S. nutans plant species complex mirrored the host plant genetic structure, suggesting that the pathogen was isolated in glacial refugia together with its host and/or that it has specialized on the plant genetic lineages. Using random forest approximate Bayesian computation (ABC‐RF), we found that the divergence history of the fungal lineages on S. nutans was congruent with that previously inferred for the host plant and probably occurred with ancient but no recent gene flow. Genome sequences confirmed the genetic structure and the absence of recent gene flow between fungal genetic lineages. Our analyses of individual host–pathogen pairs contribute to a better understanding of co‐evolutionary histories between hosts and pathogens in natural ecosystems, in which such studies remain scarce.
Modeling and field experiments on autonomous vehicle lane changing with surrounding human‐driven vehicles
Authors: Wang Zhen , Zhao Xiangmo , Xu Zhigang , Li Xiaopeng , Qu Xiaobo
Published: February 2020

Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology is widely studied in both industrial and academic communities since it is regarded as a promising means for improving transportation safety and efficiency. Lane changing is a critical link for higher‐level AV operations. However, few studies on AV lane changing consider the dynamics of surrounding vehicles, particularly in a mixed traffic environment including human‐driven vehicles (HVs). Therefore, this article presents a dynamic lane‐changing model for AV incorporating human driver behavior in mixed traffic. The proposed model includes four key components: car following (and lane keeping), lane‐changing decision, dynamic trajectory generation, and model predictive control (MPC)‐based trajectory tracking. AV longitudinal control algorithm is also depicted in detail in this article. Field experiments are conducted on a large‐scale test track to test and validate the proposed model. An AV and three HVs are used in the lane‐changing experiments. Different human driver behaviors are considered in the experiment settings. Experimental results show that the proposed lane‐changing model can complete lane‐changing maneuvers efficiently when HVs are cooperative and can also robustly abort them when HVs are uncooperative. Compared with the measured human lane‐changing maneuvers, AV lane‐changing maneuvers from the proposed model are more comfortable and safer.
‘Don't take a poo!': Worker misbehaviour in on‐demand ride‐hail carpooling
Authors: Reid‐Musson Emily , MacEachen Ellen , Bartel Emma
Published: February 2020

Workers actively negotiate contradictions between discourses of flexibility and entrepreneurialism and actually existing conditions of risk and precarity endemic to online self‐employed work. This article examines how ride‐hail drivers counter‐branded UberPool—a carpool ride‐hail service—as ‘UberPoo’. While marketed as a solution to congestion, UberPool created risky and coercive working conditions for ride‐hail drivers. Our analysis is from a study on ride‐hail driver experiences of health and safety risks in a large Canadian city. We engage the concept of organisational misbehaviour to explore how drivers mocked and avoided carpool rides despite the threat of penalties. We characterise misbehaviour as a struggle over lack of control and lack of autonomy in self‐employed work, providing evidence that despite their structural powerlessness, some ride‐hail drivers do set limits around the work they are willing to accept. Algorithmic management and ambiguously classified ride‐hail work are thus subject to some degree of subversion.
Preclinical evaluation of efficacy and pharmacokinetics of gentamicin containing extracellular‐matrix envelope
Authors: Sohail M. Rizwan , Esquer Garrigos Zerelda , Elayi Claude S. , Xiang Kun , Catanzaro John N.
Published: February 2020

Background

Using synthetic antibiotic‐eluting envelope (ABE) is an effective intervention for prevention of cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) infection. The biologic extracellular‐matrix envelope (ECME), may offer potential advantages over the synthetic ABE. To further minimize the risk of infection, the ECME can be hydrated in gentamicin prior to CIED implantation. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and pharmacokinetics (PK) of gentamicin containing ECME in an animal model.

Methods

For all experiments, the ECME was hydrated in gentamicin (40 mg/Ml) (treatment) for 2 min. In vitro antimicrobial efficacy against six different bacterial species was assessed. In vivo experiments were conducted using a rabbit model of CIED pocket infection. Serum and ECM gentamicin concentrations were measured. Five different organisms were inoculated into the device pocket of control (ECME hydrated in 0.9% saline) and treatment groups. Macroscopic appearance and colony forming units from CIED, ECME, and tissue were determined.

Results

No bacteria were recovered from any culture after 12 h of exposure to the gentamicin containing ECME. Serum gentamicin levels dropped below the limit of quantification at 15 h after implant. Gentamicin concentration in the ECME remained relatively stable for up to 7 days. Signs of clinical infection were observed in the control but not in the treatment group. In the presence of gentamicin, statistically significant reduction was demonstrated across all tested bacterial species.

Conclusions

In this preclinical animal infection model, gentamicin containing ECME was highly effective in reducing bacterial burden in the implant pocket, while systemic exposure after implantation remained low.
Reduced expiratory variability index (EVI) is associated with controller medication withdrawal and symptoms in wheezy children aged 1‐5 years
Authors: Seppä Ville‐Pekka , Paassilta Marita , Kivistö Juho , Hult Anton , Viik Jari , Gracia‐Tabuenca Javier , Karjalainen Jussi
Published: February 2020

Background

Lung function testing is an essential part of diagnostic workup and monitoring of asthma, but young children are lacking easy, routine testing methods. However, recent discoveries show reduced tidal breathing variability measured using impedance pneumography (IP) at home during sleep as a sign of airway obstruction. In this study, we assessed (a) the discriminative capacity of expiratory variability index (EVI) between healthy controls and young children with recurrent wheeze on‐and‐off controller medication, (b) association between EVI and parentally perceived obstructive symptoms (need for bronchodilator) and (c) measurement success rate.

Methods

We included 68 patients (aged 1.0‐5.6) and 40 healthy controls (aged 1.0‐5.9 years). The patients were prescribed a three‐month inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) treatment due to recurrent obstructive bronchitis. We measured EVI using IP at home at the end of the treatment (0W) and 2 (2W) and 4 (4W) weeks after ICS withdrawal.

Results

EVI was higher in controls than in patients, and significant within‐patient reduction occurred at 4W as compared to 2W or 0W. Area under curve of the ROC curve (controls vs all patients) at 4W was 0.78 (95% CI 0.70‐0.85). Children who were administered bronchodilator by parental decision had lower EVI than those without bronchodilator need at 4W, but not at 0W or 2W. Patients with parent‐reported airway infection, but no bronchodilator need, had normal EVI. Measurement success rate was 94%.

Conclusion

EVI was lower in patients than in controls and it reduced further after controller medication withdrawal, especially in the presence of parentally perceived wheeze symptoms. This technique shows a significant potential for routine lung function testing of wheezy young children.
Pediatric heart‐lung transplantation: A contemporary analysis of outcomes
Authors: Riggs Kyle W. , Chapman Jacquelyn L. , Schecter Marc , Towe Christopher , Zafar Farhan , Morales David L. S.
Published: February 2020

Background

Pediatric heart‐lung transplantation (HLT) is rare, and no report has analyzed patient outcomes since time of listing. We analyzed pediatric HLTs to understand risk factors for waitlist and post‐HLT mortality.

Methods

All pediatric (<18 year old) HLT candidates were identified within the UNOS database (n = 573) and grouped by age, era, and by diagnosis. Logistical regression and Cox proportional hazard modeling identified risk factors for 6‐month WL and overall post‐transplant mortality.

Results

209/573 (37%) HLT candidates were transplanted, 7% recovered, 42% died waiting, and 15% were removed for another/unknown reason. Diagnoses were primary pulmonary hypertension(n = 130), congenital heart disease(CHD) without Eisenmenger's syndrome (ES) (n = 65), CHD with ES (n = 73), and other (n = 305). Patients with a diagnosis other than CHD with ES (OR: 7.55, P = .001), on IV inotropic support (OR: 2.79, P < .001), and infants (OR: 2.20, P = .004) were associated with waitlist mortality. There has been a 56% reduction in HLTs across eras (Era 1:10.8/yr vs Era 2:4.7/yr). Risk factors for post‐transplant mortality were ECMO (HR: 4.1, P = .016), and being infant (HR: 2.2, P = .04) or 1‐11 years old (HR: 1.78, P = .015). ECMO patients have an 87% 2‐year mortality rate with a median post‐transplant survival of 64 days. Overall, post‐transplant survival was unchanged (log‐rank P = .067) between eras. Excluding ECMO patients, in the recent era 29 non‐infant patients with primary pulmonary hypertension had 93% 1‐year survival and 67% 5‐year survival.

Conclusions

Nearly 600 pediatric patients have been listed for HLT in UNOS, although numbers are decreasing in the current era. HLT for a patient on ECMO appears to be an ineffective strategy; however, in well‐selected cohorts, HLT can provide considerable post‐transplant survival.
Differential regulation of jasmonic acid pathways in resistant (Calcutta 4) and susceptible (Williams) banana genotypes during the interaction with Pseudocercospora fijiensis
Authors: Rodriguez Héctor Alejandro , Hidalgo William F. , Sanchez J. Danilo , Menezes Riya C. , Schneider Bernd , Arango Rafael Eduardo , Morales Juan Gonzalo
Published: February 2020

One of the main biosecurity problems facing banana crops is black Sigatoka disease, caused by the fungus Pseudocercospora fijiensis. Disease control is achieved mainly by chemical sprays and generates more than 50% of the costs of production, with a trend to increase due to the rapid resistance that the fungus acquires to the main fungicide molecules. Thus, it is very important to acquire information on the molecular mechanisms of the plant–pathogen interactions in this pathosystem as a way to help design future control strategies. Hormonal plant responses of banana genotypes susceptible and resistant to P. fijiensis were identified and analysed in this work by transcriptomic (RNA‐Seq and RT‐qPCR) and metabolomic studies (ultraperformance liquid chromatography‐mass spectroscopy). Differentially expressed genes related to signal transduction and biosynthesis pathways of jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET) were identified in the resistant variety Calcutta 4 during the early stage of interaction with P. fijiensis. Metabolomic analysis corroborated the induction of metabolites related to JA and ET pathways during the first 72 hr post‐inoculation. Observed results are evidence that signalling via JA/ET could be key in the activation of defence response signals in the resistant variety Calcutta 4.
Introduction: Towards a Black British Geography?
Authors: Noxolo Patricia
Published: February 2020

This paper introduces the collection of six African‐Caribbean academics, making the claim for the forum as an intervention that pushes towards the firmer establishment of a Black British Geography. This intervention forum arises out of a public event called “Urban roots of creative Black culture: gender, music, and the body,” which took place at the Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham, UK, in 2019, and was co‐sponsored by this journal, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers (TIBG). After an introductory piece, the forum brings together four short papers by contributors to the event, each exploring Black creative culture, gender, music, and embodiment in relation to the city, archives, dance, and creative practice (respectively). Bringing together six African‐Caribbean academics, the forum is an intervention that presents aspects of an emergent Black British Geography and, as such, challenges Geography as a discipline to be sufficiently open to accommodate it.
The endothelial glycocalyx: Structure and function in health and critical illness
Authors: Gaudette Sarah , Hughes Dez , Boller Manuel
Published: February 2020

Objective

To conduct a narrative review of the current literature in reference to the structure and function of the endothelial glycocalyx (EG) and its contribution to the pathophysiology of conditions relevant to the veterinary emergency and critical care clinician. Novel therapies for restoring or preserving the EG will also be discussed.

Data Sources

Online databases (PubMed, CAB abstracts, Scopus) were searched between January 1st 2017 and May 1st 2017 for English language articles without publication date restriction. Keywords included EG, endothelial surface layer, degradation, syndecan‐1, heparan sulfate, critical illness, sepsis, trauma, and therapeutics.

Data Synthesis

The EG is a complex and important structure located on the luminal surface of all blood vessels throughout the body. It plays an important role in normal vascular homeostasis including control of fluid exchange across the vascular barrier. Loss or degradation of the EG has an impact on inflammation, coagulation, and vascular permeability and tone. These changes are essential components in the pathophysiology of many conditions including sepsis and trauma. A substantial body of experimental animal and human clinical research over the last decade has demonstrated increased circulating concentrations of EG degradation products in these conditions. However, veterinary‐specific research into the EG and critical illness is currently lacking. The utility of EG degradation products as diagnostic and prognostic tools continues to be investigated and new therapies to preserve or improve EG structure and function are under development.

Conclusions

The recognition of the presence of the EG has changed our understanding of transvascular fluid flux and the pathophysiology of many conditions of critical illness. The EG is an exciting target for novel therapeutics to improve morbidity and mortality in conditions such as sepsis and trauma.
Are Technological Terms Seductive? The Effect of Technological Terms on Persuasion
Authors: Saporta Keli
Published: February 2020

Most claims in marketing communication take the form of causal claims stating that using a certain product (the cause, e.g., "Fresh Air, the electronic device") produces a certain benefit (the effect, e.g., "purifies the air at home"). Marketers acknowledge (and studies show) that providing an explanation on the mechanism by which the product produces the effect fosters persuasion. Yet, instead of providing the specific mechanism (e.g. "it purifies the air at home by reducing dust parcels in the air"), they often use general technological terms. Thus, instead of explaining, "Fresh-Air purifies the air at home by reducing dust particles in the air," they "explain" that the product purifies the air by "applying a new algorithm." We call explanations that use general technological terms pseudo explanations, because they follow the same structure, but they lack the crucial element that enables persuasion—they are not content specific.Although using pseudo explanations is a common practice in marketing, no studies have examined if they affect persuasion. In two studies, we exposed participants to causal claims for various products in several formats, and asked them to indicate the probability that they would purchase the product if they needed it. Generally, results show persuasion was the same for pseudo explanations as for the claim alone, when both were less persuasive than mechanistic explanations.Consumers are sensitive to the fact that pseudo explanations do not really explain the mechanism. Thus, whereas pseudo explanations do not affect persuasion, mechanistic explanations do.
Stability Optimization and Analysis of a Bidirectional Shaft Extension Pump
Authors: Li Chengyi , Zheng Yuan , Zhang Yuquan , Kan Kan , Xue Xinyang , Fernandez-Rodriguez E.
Published: February 2020

This paper is to solve the problem of poor stability of bidirectional shaft pumps, under reverse and low-head condition. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations are carried out and verified by model test, under four theoretical conditions: steady, unsteady, unidirectional, and bidirectional fluid–solid coupling. The S-shaped elbow of bidirectional pump was divided into four schemes according to the ratio b of the centerline's radius. The effects of b value on the efficiency and stability in the forward and reverse condition of the pump device were analyzed and compared. When b value was 0.75, the efficiency and stability of the pump device proved best. The frequency domain of pressure pulsation and dynamic stress of bidirectional pump under zero and design head condition was analyzed. It was found that the bidirectional pump had main frequencies corresponding to 10 and four times the rotation frequency of the runner (fn), for most working conditions. While there is a subfrequency of 14fn in zero head operation, which is similar to the natural frequencies of first- and second-order, calculated in the modal analysis. This may be the cause of the larger vibration of the bidirectional pump when it starts under the condition of zero head.
Numerical and Experimental Investigation of a Single-Axis Parallel Active Vibration Mount for Helicopter Seats Using Vibration Standards
Authors: Fereidooni Amin , Graham Silas , Chen Eric , Wickramasinghe Viresh
Published: February 2020

This paper presents the experimental and numerical investigation of a single-axis replicate of a patented multi-axis active vibration isolation seat mount. Following the design of the multi-axis system, this single axis vibration isolation mount uses a flexible elastomer support placed in parallel with an electromagnetic actuator. This mount is designed to reduce the N/rev harmonic vibration of a helicopter using a filtered-X least mean square (FXLMS)-based controller. To improve the efficiency of the FXLMS controller for this application, the ISO-2631-1 Wk filter is added. Employing this modified controller, the experimental setup is tested using a payload mass representative of a 95th percentile pilot. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed design in canceling the unwanted helicopter vibration, where the active mount effectively reduces the vibration representative of a Bell-412 helicopter by 69.37% (−10.28 dB, g-rms). In order to develop a better understanding of the problem, the system is also modeled from first principles in simulink. The comparison between the nonlinear numerical model and the experimental results demonstrates a good agreement between the two approaches. Moreover, it is shown that the addition of the ISO-2631-1 Wk filter improves the transient performance of the FXLMS controller for the given helicopter vibration profile.
MAG2, a Toxoplasma gondii Bradyzoite Stage-Specific Cyst Matrix Protein
Authors: Tu Vincent , Mayoral Joshua , Yakubu Rama R. , Tomita Tadakimi , Sugi Tatsuki , Han Bing , Williams Tere , Ma Yanfen , Weiss Louis M.
Published: February 2020

This report expands on the list of characterizedToxoplasma gondiicyst matrix proteins. Using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), we have shown that matrix proteins within the cyst matrix are not mainly in a mobile state, providing further evidence of how proteins behave within the cyst matrix. Understanding the proteins expressed during the bradyzoite stage of the parasite reveals how the parasite functions during chronic infection.