bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chicken or egg: A dual diagnosis narrative
Authors: Cullen Oliver John , Norton Michael John
Published: October 2021

Accessible Summary

What is known on the subject?

Dual diagnosis is a term used to describe persons who have a co‐occurring mental health and substance misuse disorders.

It is the cause of significant economic burden to health care, justice and educational systems.

It is well reported that to date dual diagnosis is under‐diagnosed and poorly treated within the confines of mental health services

What the paper adds to existing knowledge?

It demonstrates that the need for service reform where all services are equipped with the necessary tools required to adequately support a person with dual diagnosis.

What are the implications for mental health nursing?

The narrative provides a real‐life, candid description of how trauma in early childhood can cause significant challenges when one becomes older.

The narrative identifies the dangers of not diagnosing a dual diagnosis early, resulting in only treating half the presenting issues.

This narrative also offers hope to individuals in current distress, as well as for those supporting such individuals, as it clearly demonstrates that with the right supports and encouragement, recovery is possible.

Introduction

Dual diagnosis describes when a person has two co‐occurring disorders. It is often difficult to diagnose and this can lead to prolonged suffering on behalf of the individual.

Aim

To provide a lived experience narrative of the early recovery journey of a person with a dual diagnosis.

Method

This aim was achieved through the use of a narrative based methodology.

Results

The journey of life leading to a dual diagnosis and beyond is described under the following headings: Formative Years, Substance Misuse, When Life gives you Lemons, They Say Nothing lasts Forever, From the Ashes, Early Recovery and Luck or Fate?

Discussion

The narrative presented describes a first hand experience of the struggles leading to a dual diagnosis and how receiving the diagnosis has supported the recovery journey of the first author.
Multidimensional sleep health is associated with mental well‐being in Australian adults
Authors: Appleton Sarah L. , Melaku Yohannes Adama , Reynolds Amy C. , Gill Tiffany K. , de Batlle Jordi , Adams Robert J.
Published: October 2021

The few studies assessing the relationship between mental health and a multidimensional measure of sleep have been conducted in samples of almost exclusively women. In the present study, we therefore assessed associations of multidimensional sleep health with mental well‐being in Australian adults. A cross‐sectional, national online survey of sleep health was conducted in 2019 in 2,044 community dwelling adults aged 18–90 years. Composite scores of self‐reported healthy sleep were based on Ru‐SATED (R‐SATED) dimensions of satisfaction, alertness, timing, efficiency and duration scored 0 (never/rarely), 1 (sometimes) or 2 (usually/always), and regularity (social jet lag) was scored 0 (≥1 hr) or 1 (<1 hr). Mental well‐being was identified by a report of no problem on the EuroQol (European quality of life) five dimension five level scale (EQ‐5D‐5L) anxiety/depression scale, as well as absence of six chronic depressive symptoms. Ordinal logistic regression analyses determined associations of mental well‐being with sleep dimensions, and total R‐SATED (range 0–11) and SATED scores (0–10), adjusted for sociodemographic and health factors. In males and females, healthy categories of SATED dimensions (but not regularity) were associated with mental well‐being. A 1 unit increase in the total SATED score (mean [SD] 6.6 [2.1]) was associated with less problems on the EQ‐5D‐5L (odds ratio [OR] 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08–1.14) and fewer chronic depressive symptoms (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.17–1.23). These estimates did not differ when the total R‐SATED score was considered. Sleep health promotion focussing solely on traditional messaging around healthy sleep duration may limit mental health gains. Rather, a more holistic approach to public health messaging to improve sleep health literacy may be beneficial for mental well‐being.
Understanding the association between sleep, shift work and COVID‐19 vaccine immune response efficacy: Protocol of the S‐CORE study
Authors: Lammers‐van der Holst Heidi M. , Lammers Gert Jan , van der Horst Gijsbertus T. J. , Chaves Inês , de Vries Rory D. , GeurtsvanKessel Corine H. , Koch Birgit , van der Kuy Hugo M.
Published: October 2021

This protocol describes an innovative study to investigate the relationship between sleep, shift work and the immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2; coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID‐19]) vaccination. As the COVID‐19 pandemic is a global crisis with devastating health, social and economic impacts, there is a pressing need for effective vaccination programmes. Previous influenza and hepatitis vaccination studies suggest that lack of sleep can negatively alter immune responsiveness, while circadian misalignment most likely may also play an important role in the immune response to vaccination. Our present study will be the first to address this question in actual shift workers and in relation to COVID‐19 vaccination. We hypothesise that the occurrence of recent night shifts and diminished sleep will negatively alter the immune response to vaccination in shift workers compared to dayworkers. We aim to recruit 50 shift workers and 50 dayworkers. Participants will receive an mRNA‐based vaccination, through the Dutch vaccination programme. To assess immune responsiveness, blood will be drawn at baseline (before first vaccination), 10 days after first vaccination, the day prior to the second vaccination; and 28 days, 6 and 12 months after the second vaccination. Actigraphy and daily sleep e‐diaries will be implemented for 7 days around each vaccination to assess sleep. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index will be used to monitor sleep in the long term. Optimising the efficacy of the COVID‐19 vaccines is of outmost importance and results of this study could provide insights to develop sleep and circadian‐based interventions to enhance vaccination immunity, and thereby improve global health.
Maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancies complicated by acute hepatitis E and the impact of HIV status: A cross‐sectional study in Namibia
Authors: Heemelaar Steffie , Hangula Anna L. , Chipeio Melody L. , Josef Mirjam , Stekelenburg Jelle , van den Akker Thomas H. , Pischke Sven , Mackenzie Shonag B. P.
Published: October 2021

Background & Aims

Namibia has been suffering from an outbreak of hepatitis E genotype 2 since 2017. As nearly half of hepatitis E‐related deaths were among pregnant and postpartum women, we analysed maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancies complicated by acute hepatitis E and assessed whether HIV‐status impacted on outcome.

Methods

A retrospective cross‐sectional study was performed at Windhoek Hospital Complex. Pregnant and postpartum women, admitted between 13 October 2017 and 31 May 2019 with reactive IgM for Hepatitis E, were included. Outcomes were acute liver failure (ALF), maternal death, miscarriage, intra‐uterine fetal death and neonatal death. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.

Results

Seventy women were included. ALF occurred in 28 (40.0%) of whom 13 died amounting to a case fatality rate of 18.6%. Sixteen women (22.9%) were HIV infected, compared to 16.8% among the general pregnant population (OR 1.47, 95% CI 0.84‐2.57, P = .17). ALF occurred in 4/5 (80%) HIV infected women not adherent to antiretroviral therapy compared to 1/8 (12.5%) women adherent to antiretroviral therapy (OR 28.0, 95% CI 1.4‐580.6). There were 10 miscarriages (14.3%), five intra‐uterine fetal deaths (7.1%) and four neonatal deaths (5.7%).

Conclusions

One in five pregnant women with Hepatitis E genotype 2 died, which is comparable to genotype 1 outbreaks. Despite small numbers, HIV infected women receiving antiretroviral therapy appear to be less likely to develop ALF in contrast with HIV infected women not on treatment. As there is currently no curative treatment, this phenomenon needs to be assessed in larger cohorts.
Little evidence for genetic variation associated with susceptibility to sea star wasting syndrome in the keystone species Pisaster ochraceus
Authors: Burton Andrea R. , Gravem Sarah A. , Barreto Felipe S.
Published: October 2021

The keystone species Pisaster ochraceus suffered mass mortalities along the northeast Pacific Ocean from Sea Star Wasting Syndrome (SSWS) outbreaks in 2013–2016. SSWS causation remains of debate, leading to concerns as to whether outbreaks will continue to impact this species. Considering the apparent link between ocean temperature and SSWS, the future of this species and intertidal communities remains uncertain. Surveys of co‐occurring apparently normal and wasting P. ochraceus along the central Oregon coast in 2016 allowed us to address whether variation in disease status showed genetic variation that may be associated with differences in susceptibility to SSWS. We performed restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing (2bRAD‐seq) to genotype ~72,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci across apparently normal and wasting sea stars. Locus‐specific analyses of differentiation (FST) between disease‐status groups revealed no signal of genetic differences separating the two groups. Using a multivariate approach, we observed weak separation between the groups, but identified 18 SNP loci showing highest discriminatory power between the groups and scanned the genome annotation for linked genes. A total of 34 protein‐coding genes were found to be located within 15 kb (measured by linkage disequilibrium decay) of at least one of the 18 SNPs, and 30 of these genes had homologies to annotated protein databases. Our results suggest that the likelihood of developing SSWS symptoms does not have a strong genetic basis. The few genomic regions highlighted had only modest levels of differentiation, but the genes associated with these regions may form the basis for functional studies aiming to understand disease progression.
Microbial generalist or specialist: Intraspecific variation and dormancy potential matter
Authors: Xu Qicheng , Luo Gongwen , Guo Junjie , Xiao Yan , Zhang Fengge , Guo Shiwei , Ling Ning , Shen Qirong
Published: October 2021

Microbial generalists and specialists coexist in the soil environment while having distinctive impacts on microbial community dynamics. In microbial ecology, the underlying mechanisms as to why a species is a generalist or a specialist remain ambiguous. Herein, we collected soils across a national scale and identified bacterial generalists and specialists according to niche breadth at the species level (OTU level), and the single‐nucleotide differences in each species were measured to investigate intraspecific variation (at zero‐radius OTU level). Compared with that of the specialists, the intraspecific variation of the generalists was much higher, which ensured their wider niche breadth and lower variability. The higher asynchrony and different niche preferences of conspecific individuals and the higher dormancy potential within the generalists further contributed to their stability in varying environments. Besides, generalists were less controlled by environmental filtering, which was indicated by the stronger signature of stochastic processes in their assembly, and had higher diversification and transition rates that allowed them to adapt to environmental changes to a greater extent than specialists. Overall, this study provides a new comprehensive understanding of the rules of assembly and the evolutionary roles of bacterial generalists and specialists. It also highlights the importance of intraspecific variation and the dormancy potential in the stability of species.
ZmMPK5 phosphorylates ZmNAC49 to enhance oxidative stress tolerance in maize
Authors: Xiang Yang , Bian Xiangli , Wei Tianhui , Yan Jingwei , Sun Xiujuan , Han Tong , Dong Baicheng , Zhang Gaofeng , Li Jing , Zhang Aying
Published: October 2021

Mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MPK) is a critical regulator of the antioxidant defence system in response to various stimuli. However, how MPK directly and exactly regulates antioxidant enzyme activities is still unclear. Here, we demonstrated that a NAC transcription factor ZmNAC49 mediated the regulation of antioxidant enzyme activities by ZmMPK5.

ZmNAC49 expression is induced by oxidative stress. ZmNAC49 enhances oxidative stress tolerance in maize, and it also reduces superoxide anion generation and increases superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. A detailed study showed that ZmMPK5 directly interacts with and phosphorylates ZmNAC49 in vitro and in vivo. ZmMPK5 directly phosphorylates Thr‐26 in NAC subdomain A of ZmNAC49. Mutation at Thr‐26 of ZmNAC49 does not affect the interaction with ZmMPK5 and its subcellular localisation.

Further analysis found that ZmNAC49 activates the ZmSOD3 expression by directly binding to its promoter. ZmMPK5‐mediated ZmNAC49 phosphorylation improves its ability to bind to the ZmSOD3 promoter. Thr‐26 of ZmNAC49 is essential for its transcriptional activity. In addition, ZmSOD3 enhances oxidative stress tolerance in maize.

Our results show that phosphorylation of Thr‐26 in ZmNAC49 by ZmMPK5 increased its DNA‐binding activity to the ZmSOD3 promoter, enhanced SOD activity and thereby improved oxidative stress tolerance in maize.
Agricultural land‐use favours Mucoromycotinian, but not Glomeromycotinian, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi across ten biomes
Authors: Albornoz Felipe E. , Ryan Megan H. , Bending Gary D. , Hilton Sally , Dickie Ian A. , Gleeson Deirdre B. , Standish Rachel J.
Published: October 2021

Globally, agricultural land‐use negatively affects soil biota that contribute to ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, yet arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are promoted as essential components of agroecosystems. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi include Glomeromycotinian AMF (G‐AMF) and the arbuscule‐producing fine root endophytes, recently re‐classified into the Endogonales order within Mucoromycotina. The correct classification of Mucoromycotinian AMF (M‐AMF) and the availability of new molecular tools can guide research to better the understanding of their diversity and ecology.

To investigate the impact on G‐AMF and M‐AMF of agricultural land‐use at a continental scale, we sampled DNA from paired farm and native sites across 10 Australian biomes.

Glomeromycotinian AMF were present in both native and farm sites in all biomes. Putative M‐AMF were favoured by farm sites, rare or absent in native sites, and almost entirely absent in tropical biomes. Temperature, rainfall, and soil pH were strong drivers of richness and community composition of both groups, and plant richness was an important mediator.

Both fungal groups occupy different, but overlapping, ecological niches, with M‐AMF thriving in temperate agricultural landscapes. Our findings invite exploration of the origin and spread of M‐AMF and continued efforts to resolve the phylogeny of this newly reclassified group of AMF.
Assemblages of excess and pleasures: The sociosexual uses of online and chemical technologies among men who have sex with men
Authors: Numer Matthew , Holmes Dave , Hammond Chad , Joy Phillip , Sinno Jad
Published: October 2021

Chemicals have penetrated everyday lives of men who have sex with men as never before, along with new online and mobile technologies used to seek pleasures and connections. Poststructuralist (including queer) explorations of these new intensities show how bodies exist in the form of (political) surfaces able to connect with other bodies and with other objects where they may find/create a function (e.g., reproduce or disrupt hegemonies). This federally funded netnographic study explored how a variety of chemicals such as recreational drugs, pharmaceuticals and steroids are contributing to the construction of gay, bisexual and other men having sex with men (GBMSM) communities and their interactions with idealized masculinities in the age of increasing technology. Five major thematic categories emerged from our analysis: (1) assembling bodies and technologies, (2) becoming orgiastic, (3) experiencing stigma, (4) becoming machinic and (5) negotiating practices. Our analysis explores how and why GBMSM pursue excesses of pleasure and connection through the assemblages they make with sexualized drug use, online platforms and other men.
The evidential value of research on cognitive training to change food‐related biases and unhealthy eating behavior: A systematic review and p‐curve analysis
Authors: Navas Juan F. , Verdejo‐García Antonio , Vadillo Miguel A.
Published: October 2021

Cognitive bias modification (CBM), which retrains implicit biases towards unhealthy foods, has been proposed as a promising adjunct to improve the efficacy of weight loss interventions. We conducted a systematic review of research on three CBM approaches (i.e., cue‐specific inhibitory control, approach bias modification, and attentional bias modification) for reducing unhealthy eating biases and behavior. We performed a p‐curve analysis to determine the evidential value of this research; this method is optimally suited to clarify whether published results reflect true effects or false positives due to publication and reporting biases. When considering all CBM approaches, our results suggested that the findings of CBM trials targeting unhealthy eating are unlikely to be false positives. However, only research on attentional bias modification reached acceptable levels of power. These results suggest that CBM interventions may be an effective strategy to enhance the efficacy of weight loss interventions. However, there is room for improvement in the methodological standards of this area of research, especially increasing the statistical power can help to fully clarify the clinical potential of CBM, and determine the role of potential moderators.
Interventions to support women with overweight or obesity or gestational diabetes mellitus to initiate and continue breastfeeding: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Reichental Zoe L. , O'Brien Victoria M. , O'Reilly Sharleen L.
Published: October 2021

Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first 6 months of life and benefits both mother and child. Women with overweight/obesity or gestational diabetes are at risk for poor breastfeeding outcomes. This review evaluates the efficacy of breastfeeding interventions in these at‐risk populations. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses statement. Five databases were searched for interventions from inception to May 2020. Nineteen trials including 2,740 participants, 226 of which were dyads, were included. Intervention increased any breastfeeding at ≥6 months (OR 1.43, 95% CI [1.05–1.95]), and women in the intervention group were 90% more likely to exclusively breastfeed at 1–2 weeks (OR 1.9, 95% CI [1.17–3.09]) and more than twice as likely to exclusively breastfeed at 4–6 weeks (OR 2.23, 95% CI [1.27–3.90]) within the sensitivity analysis. These findings support breastfeeding interventions improving exclusive early postpartum breastfeeding and any breastfeeding from 6 months in women with gestational diabetes or obesity/overweight. Further randomized controlled trials with harmonized breastfeeding outcome reporting are needed to confirm efficacy.
A new technique for closure of an immediate oroantral communication following tooth extraction by free buccal fat pad graft: Case report
Authors: Younes ali Mohammad , Heshmeh Omar , Alsabek Laith
Published: October 2021

Aim

Oroantral communication (OAC) is an abnormal connection between the oral cavity and the maxillary sinus. So many techniques have been described for closure of the communications, such as buccal flaps, palatal flap and pedicled buccal fat pad. The aim of this report is to present a new technique not found in the medical literature was used for closure of the OACs with free buccal fat pad graft (FBFPG).

Material and methods

Two cases of oroantral communication following posterior upper tooth extraction underwent surgical closure with (FBFPG). The diameter of the communications was 6 mm in the first case and 5 mm in the second case. The follow‐up period lasted for 3 months after the surgery to evaluate the success of the FBFPG in the closure of OACs and to evaluate the degree of the pain and the oedema resulting from the use of this technique.

Results

The closure was achieved successfully in the two cases without any signs of inflammation in the maxillary sinus. Only mild pain and oedema were noted after the surgery. The complete epithelialization of the fat graft was observed after 5–6 weeks.

Conclusions

Within the limits of this report, the use of FBFPG in the immediate closure of small‐ to medium‐oroantral communication is a simple procedure with low complication after the surgery, it can be used without elevating any flaps and without causing any change in the depth of the buccal sulcus and the symmetry of the face.
Nodular fasciitis in cervicofacial region: a rare case description and literature review
Authors: Abbate Vincenzo , Dell’Aversana Orabona Giovanni , Audino Giovanni , Romano Antonio , Bonavolontà Paola , Russo Daniela , Varricchio Silvia , Ferrigno Roberto , Iaconetta Giorgio , Califano Luigi
Published: October 2021

Nodular fasciitis is a relatively rare pathology, first described by Konwaler in 1955, which derives from an uncontrolled fibroblastic proliferation. Many authors have described this pathology in the literature, considering previous trauma as a predisposing condition. It predominantly afflicts males between the 2nd and 4th decade of life. A rapid growth, high cellularity and infiltrative borders are the main characteristics of this fasciitis. Even though it can be ubiquitous, the head and neck regions are affected in about 13–37% of cases. The symptoms and signs depend on the localization and size of the neoplasm in relation to the surrounding noble structures, which can suffer on account of the compressive action of the mass. The gold standard treatment is surgical removal. In a very few cases, local recurrences have been described. In this article, we present a case treated by means of a minimally invasive, endoscopically assisted, surgical approach, together with providing a comprehensive literature review that collects data about all the cases afflicting the cervicofacial region described to date. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of nodular fasciitis located in the submandibular region approached via an endoscopically assisted, minimally invasive, surgical technique.
Piroxicam‐induced fixed drug eruption in palatal mucosa
Authors: Tomo Saygo , da Silva Santos Ingrid , da Silva Cunha John L. , Miyahara Glauco I. , Prado Ribeiro Ana C. , dos Santos Silva Alan R. , Simonato Luciana E.
Published: October 2021

Background

Fixed drug eruption is a drug reaction characterized by the recurrent occurrence of erosive or ulcerative lesions in skin or mucosa surfaces upon the use of a specific drug. The occurrence of fixed drug eruption in oral mucosa is rare and ill documented.

Case report

A 37‐year‐old woman who presented with recurrent erosive lesions in the palatal marginal gingiva of the upper first molars for 3 consecutive months. In anamnesis and follow‐up, the time association with the intake of piroxicam to treat menstrual pain led us to the diagnosis of fixed drug eruption.

Conclusion

Piroxicam is a rare culprit drug to fixed drug eruption, especially in oral mucosa.
Perioperative airway complications in infants and children with Crouzon and Pfeiffer syndromes: A single‐center experience
Authors: Venkat Raman Vishal , de Beer David
Published: October 2021

Background

Crouzon and Pfeiffer syndromes are rare genetic disorders characterized by craniosynostosis, exorbitism, and maxillary hypoplasia. Patients with these syndromes frequently require general anesthesia for various diagnostic and surgical procedures and may present a challenge to anesthetists with regard to airway management.

Aims

The primary aim of this study was to determine the incidence, timing, and management of perioperative upper airway obstruction in infants and children with Crouzon and Pfeiffer syndromes. The secondary aim was to determine the degree of difficulty in performing endotracheal intubation.

Methods

A retrospective review of 812 anesthetic encounters in 67 patients was conducted. The following were recorded: timing and management of episodes of perioperative upper airway obstruction, from induction of anesthesia to discharge from recovery, degree of difficulty with laryngoscopy using the Cormack‐Lehane grading system and number of intubation attempts required, patient demographics, respiratory comorbidity, surgical procedure, and anesthetic airway management techniques.

Results

Upper airway obstruction at induction of anesthesia was very common, with an incidence of 31% (167/542 anesthetic encounters affecting 54 patients). In a quarter of these incidents, bag‐valve‐mask ventilation was challenging, but a laryngeal mask airway was almost always effective. Upper airway obstruction on emergence from anesthesia was less common, with an incidence of 2.7% (14/515 anesthetic encounters affecting 10 patients). Contributing factors included patient comorbidity (obstructive sleep apnea, nasal stenosis) and the nature of surgery (craniofacial or airway procedures). Intubation was rarely difficult in this cohort, with 85% of laryngoscopies rated Cormack‐Lehane grade 1 or 2 (n = 373), and 89% of intubations successful on the first attempt (n = 306).

Conclusions

Upper airway obstruction at induction of anesthesia is common in patients with Crouzon and Pfeiffer syndrome. These patients are likely to present some difficulties with perioperative airway management, especially bag‐valve‐mask ventilation, but rarely endotracheal intubation.
List and Menzies on High‐Level Causation
Authors: Jäger Jens
Published: October 2021

I raise two objections against Christian List and Peter Menzies' influential account of high‐level causation. Improving upon some of Stephen Yablo's earlier work, I develop an alternative theory which evades both objections. The discussion calls into question List and Menzies' main contention, namely, that the exclusion principle, applied to difference‐making, is false.
Hematological and biochemical characteristics and diagnostic imaging results in acute T cell–mediated rejection after pediatric liver transplantation
Authors: Osawa Ichiro , Ide Kentaro , Sakamoto Seisuke , Uchida Hajime , Fukuda Akinari , Nishimura Nao , Haga Chizuko , Yoshioka Takako , Nosaka Shunsuke , Nakagawa Satoshi , Kasahara Mureo
Published: October 2021

Background

Liver biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing TCMR after LT. However, complications caused by liver biopsy may occur especially during the immediate post‐transplantation period and other effective methods for predicting TCMR have not been established. Thus, we investigated whether hematological and biochemical characteristics and Doppler ultrasonography findings are associated with acute TCMR.

Methods

A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the prognostic factors of acute TCMR, defined as a RAI ≥4. Then, a ROC curve analysis was conducted to evaluate for diagnostic performance. The relationship between prognostic factors and each histological category of RAI was investigated.

Results

Eighty‐nine liver biopsies were performed on 85 patients between January 2012 and December 2019. The RAI of 62 (69.7%) liver biopsies was ≥4. AEC (×104/μl), direct bilirubin level (mg/dl), and MHVV (cm/s) were found to be associated with acute TCMR (OR: 4.96, 95% CI: 1.44–17.0, p = .011; OR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.04–1.91, p = .025; OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02–1.08, p < .001, respectively). The area under the ROC curves for predicting acute TCMR was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.78–0.94). There was a correlation between AEC, direct bilirubin level, and MHVV as well as the severity of RAI.

Conclusions

AEC, direct bilirubin level, and MHVV were the independent risk factors for acute TCMR. This study could provide information regarding the identification of patients requiring liver biopsy.
Introduction to the special issue—Global Korea Scholarship: Empirical evaluation of a non‐Western scholarship program from a public diplomacy perspective
Authors: Ayhan Kadir Jun , Snow Nancy
Published: October 2021

Most governments offer scholarships for international students as part of their public diplomacy toolbox. However, empirical assessments of these programs are relatively rare. The limited number of existing works often concern Western countries, while international student mobility programs in non‐Western countries remain insufficiently researched. This special issue addresses these two gaps in the literature. All the articles utilize a unique and rich dataset of the perspectives of Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) recipients about South Korea. This dataset consists of four surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019 of GKS students, alumni, and pre‐arrival inbound students. There are over 200 variables, most of which are about GKS recipients’ cognitive and affective evaluation of Korea, their Korea‐related behaviors, their perceptions of how they are treated by Koreans, their satisfaction with studying in Korea, satisfaction with university and language school, and integration into Korean society. The articles look at various aspects of GKS as a public diplomacy tool, including the determinants of positive recommendations toward Korea as a study or tourism destination, the relationship between behavioral experience, symbolic environment and communication behaviors, determinants of students’ intentions to stay in the host country, gendered dynamics of the scholarship, students’ perspectives on justice based on their experiences in, and beliefs about, the host country, and the determinants of students’ satisfaction with life in Korea.

Related Articles in this Special Issue

Istad, Felicia, Eriks Varpahovskis, Ekra Miezan, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. “Global Korea Scholarship Students: Intention to Stay in the Host Country to Work or Study after Graduation.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1323–1342. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12436.

Jon, Jae‐Eun, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. “Satisfied or Dissatisfied:

The Determinants of Global Korea Scholarship Recipients’ Satisfaction with Life

in Korea.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1391–1414. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12437.

Tam, Lisa, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. “Evaluations of People, Affection, and Recommendation for a Host Country: A Study of Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) Recipients.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1292–1307. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12438.
Competitive and Cooperative Assortment Games under Markov Chain Choice Model
Authors: Nip Kameng , Wang Changjun , Wang Zizhuo
Published: October 2021

In this work, we study the assortment planning games in which multiple retailers interact in the market. Each retailer owns some of the products and their goal is to select a subset of products, that is, an assortment to offer to the customers so as to maximize their expected revenue. The purchase behavior of the customer is assumed to follow the Markov chain choice model. We consider two types of assortment games under the Markov chain choice model—a competitive game and a cooperative game. In the assortment competition game, we show that there always exists a pure‐strategy Nash equilibrium and such equilibrium can be found in polynomial time. We also identify an easy‐to‐check condition for the uniqueness of the Nash equilibrium. Then we analyze the equilibrium outcome of this competition game, and compare the outcome with that in a monopolistic setting and a central planner setting. We show that under the assortment competition game, each retailer will offer a broader assortment in the equilibrium, which could include products that are not profitable in the monopolistic or the central planner setting, and it will eventually lead to a decrease in revenue for each player. Furthermore, we show that the price‐of‐anarchy and the price‐of‐stability of the game can be arbitrarily large. Motivated by these results, we further consider the assortment cooperation game under the Markov chain choice model, in which retailers are allowed to form coalitions. We consider two settings of cooperative games distinguished by the way we assume other players’ behaviors outside a coalition. Interestingly, we find that when the players are assumed to be intrinsically competitive (meaning that players outside a coalition are assumed to be a collection of competing players), then there is incentive for all the players to form a grand coalition and there exists an allocation of the total revenue that makes the coalition stable (exists a core to the game). However, when the players are assumed to be intrinsically collaborative (meaning that players outside a coalition are assumed to form another coalition), then a stable coalition may not exist.
The effect of hormone replacement therapy on cognitive function in healthy postmenopausal women: a meta‐analysis of 23 randomized controlled trials
Authors: Zhou Huan‐Huan , Yu Zengli , Luo Lan , Xie Fangfei , Wang Yun , Wan Zhongxiao
Published: October 2021

To investigate how hormone replacement therapy (HRT) intervention affects cognitive function in randomized controlled trials of healthy postmenopausal women, the PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant publications up to 1 May 2020. Random‐effects, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis and meta‐regression analyses were conducted with 23 selected publications. HRT had a significant negative effect on global cognition (standardized mean difference (SMD): −0.04, 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.08 to −0.01). Via subgroup analysis, for those older than 60 years and with more than 6 months’ intervention duration, HRT aggravated global cognition (SMD: −0.05, 95% CI: −0.08 to −0.01; SMD: −0.05, 95% CI: −0.08 to −0.01). The results of meta‐regression demonstrated no significant association between HRT intervention and global cognition after adjusting for participants’ age or intervention duration. In conclusion, HRT had a significant negative effect on global cognition, and this effect might be especially more visible for those aged more than 60 years and with more than 6 months' intervention. Further randomized controlled trials for postmenopausal women with a younger age and short‐term HRT exposure are necessary to clarify the effects of HRT on global and domain‐specific cognitive functions.
The importance of vitamin E for farmed fish—A review
Authors: El‐Sayed Abdel‐Fattah M. , Izquierdo Marisol
Published: October 2021

Vitamin E (VE) is composed of a group of fat‐soluble molecules, from which the most active homologous is α‐tocopherol. VE is a structural component of cell membranes with a potent chain‐breaking antioxidant action, which plays a main role in several biological processes. In cultured fish, VE can prevent peroxidation of cellular and subcellular membrane phospholipids and also red blood cells, leading to maintaining the structural and functional integrity of animal cells. VE performs several other biological and metabolic functions, including improvement of the immune response, enhancing growth performance and feed efficiency, preventing muscle degeneration, reducing the risk of atherosclerosis, improving reproductive efficiency and larval performance, meat quality and shelf life of seafood. Besides, VE interacts with other micronutrients, especially vitamin C and selenium. Fish feed and fish flesh generally contain high concentrations of lipids, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids, which renders these lipids more susceptible to lipid peroxidation. Supplemental VE may, therefore, become necessary to prevent this peroxidation. However, the VE requirement of farmed aquatic animals varies significantly, depending on dietary contents of VC, selenium and lipid (unsaturated fatty acids). This review summarizes the current knowledge on the physiological functions of VE in farmed fish and shrimp, and the effects of supplemental VE on fish performance, reproduction, health and product quality. The future considerations of VE requirements of farmed fish in light of the predicted climate change have also been discussed, especially with regard to feed input supplies (fish meal and fish oil vs. plant proteins and oils) and weather temperature.
Mitoquinone does not improve sperm cryo‐resistance in bulls
Authors: Câmara Diogo Ribeiro , Ibanescu Iulian , Siuda Mathias , Bollwein Heinrich
Published: October 2021

Oxidative stress is associated with impaired post‐thaw sperm quality. As mitochondria are the main source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in sperm, the goal of this study was to evaluate effects of the mitochondria‐targeting antioxidant Mitoquinone (MitoQ) during cryopreservation of bull sperm. Semen was collected from 11 Simmental bulls (two ejaculates per bull) and diluted in Triladyl® supplemented with various concentrations of MitoQ (0, 0.2, 2, and 20 nM) to a final concentration of 65 × 106 sperm/ml. After thawing (0 and 3 hr), we assessed the following sperm traits: sperm motility by computer‐assisted sperm analysis (CASA), DNA fragmentation index by SCSA® and plasma and acrosome membrane integrity, intracellular calcium concentration, esterase activity, mitochondrial membrane potential and synthesis of ROS using two multicolour flow cytometric assays. After 3 hr of incubation, 20 nM MitoQ increased (p < .05) sperm ROS synthesis compared to Control, whereas none of the other quality parameters were altered (p > .05). Therefore, we concluded that addition of MitoQ to semen extender before cryopreservation of bull sperm was unable to improve post‐thaw sperm quality. Furthermore, 20 nM of MitoQ increased frozen‐thawed sperm ROS synthesis, without apparent negative effects on the evaluated sperm traits.
Cost‐effectiveness of water‐saving technologies for restoration of tropical dry forest: a case study from the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Authors: Negoita Luka , Gibbs James P. , Jaramillo Díaz Patricia
Published: October 2021

Tropical dry forests are among the most threatened of ecosystems globally, especially on islands, where two key challenges face efforts to restore them: (1) dealing with water scarcity and (2) reliably predicting costs and benefits of alternative approaches given limited resources available for restoration. In this study, we evaluated the cost‐effectiveness of using water‐saving technologies (WSTs) that increase available water during tropical dry forest restoration efforts. Between 2014 and 2018, 4,983 seedlings of 29 woody species were planted across 16 sites in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Seedlings were randomly assigned to a combination of four WST treatments as well as a “no technology” control treatment; seedling survival and all planting costs were subsequently monitored. When analyzing all species together we found that Groasis, Groasis + Hydrogel, and Cocoon WST treatments generally had a significant and cost‐effective positive effect on 2‐year plant survival (95% credible highest density interval > 0). However, the extent of these effects on plant survival and cost‐effectiveness varied by species and site due to differences in plant survival. For example, Groasis or Groasis + Hydrogel were the most cost‐effective restoration methods for eight of the nine species analyzed independently, while the control treatment was most cost‐effective forOpuntia echiosvar.echioson Baltra Island. Overall, we found that despite their initial costs, WSTs can reduce costs by at least 34% when restoring tropical dry forests in remote sites such as the Galapagos Islands and likely elsewhere in the arid tropics where water availability limits plant growth.
Coping with time and death in the Ancient Near East
Authors: Sibbing‐Plantholt Irene
Published: October 2021

All humans, past and future, are forced to grapple with the abstract phenomenon of passing and ending time, as well as ideas about time, such as eternity and finality. Death especially is a confrontation with the passing, ending, irreversibility, and unpredictability of time, over which humans have little to no power. In response to the threat of time and death, humans employ coping mechanisms, a common and perhaps universal example of which is anthropomorphization. Fashioning events and phenomena into social agents with human‐like characteristics and abilities reduces their uncertainty and unpredictability. It increases comprehension of and control over them, and renders them more manageable, palpable, and familiar. This paper explores how this process can be recognized in textual and iconographic sources from the Ancient Near East. Firstly, it gives an overview of what people expected and thought of lifetime and death, and demonstrates that the daily confrontation with uncontrollable time and what may be the biggest challenge of life, namely accepting its inevitable end, was perceived as a struggle. Secondly, it provides insight in how the personification of time and death as well as the responses to these phenomena, such as fear and grief, contributed to coping with these difficult experiences.
Central bank securities and foreign exchange market intervention in a developing economy
Authors: Direye Eli , Khemraj Tarron
Published: October 2021

The Bank of Papua New Guinea has maintained an active policy of foreign exchange (FX) market intervention. This monetary tool is associated with a depreciating currency and a worsening shortage of foreign currencies in the domestic market, suggesting that at most the policy instrument leans against existing FX‐market pressure. However, the one‐sided sales of central bank securities (or bills) engender an appreciation of the rate and an easing of the shortage in the domestic FX market. Supported by empirical evidence, we demonstrate that the one‐sided sales of central bank bills perform like an instrument of monetary policy for FX‐market stability in the presence of persistent nonremunerated excess bank reserves.
Conformal Inference of Counterfactuals and Individual Treatment Effects
Authors: Lei Lihua , Candès Emmanuel J.
Published: October 2021

Evaluating treatment effect heterogeneity widely informs treatment decision making. At the moment, much emphasis is placed on the estimation of the conditional average treatment effect via flexible machine learning algorithms. While these methods enjoy some theoretical appeal in terms of consistency and convergence rates, they generally perform poorly in terms of uncertainty quantification. This is troubling since assessing risk is crucial for reliable decision-making in sensitive and uncertain environments. In this work, we propose a conformal inference-based approach that can produce reliable interval estimates for counterfactuals and individual treatment effects under the potential outcome framework. For completely randomized or stratified randomized experiments with perfect compliance, the intervals have guaranteed average coverage in finite samples regardless of the unknown data generating mechanism. For randomized experiments with ignorable compliance and general observational studies obeying the strong ignorability assumption, the intervals satisfy a doubly robust property which states the following: the average coverage is approximately controlled if either the propensity score or the conditional quantiles of potential outcomes can be estimated accurately. Numerical studies on both synthetic and real data sets empirically demonstrate that existing methods suffer from a significant coverage deficit even in simple models. In contrast, our methods achieve the desired coverage with reasonably short intervals.
The effect of descriptive norms and social identification on performance and exertion during a physical fitness task
Authors: Stevens Mark , Fitzpatrick Áine , Cruwys Tegan
Published: October 2021

Research suggests that people's perceptions of the typical physical activity behaviors of others—descriptive norms—shape their own physical activity. However, prior work has primarily used cross‐sectional designs, focused on people's physical activity intentions or self‐reported overall physical activity, and failed to attend to how the normative referent affects the norm‐behavior relationship. In a pre‐registered experiment, we manipulated the descriptive norm to explore its effect on perceived exertion during, and objectively assessed performance on, an exercise (running) task. We also measured the strength of participants’ social identification as a member of the norm reference group as a potential moderator. Following a baseline trial, participants (N = 78) were either told that their baseline score on the running task was below average (high norm condition) or above average (low norm condition) compared to members of the reference group. Participants in both conditions tended to perform better in Trial 2 than Trial 1. However, participants in the high norm condition improved their performance significantly (2.5 times) more than participants in the low norm condition. Social identification moderated the effect of the norm manipulation on perceived exertion. High identifiers tended to exert themselves less than low identifiers during Trial 2 if they were told they were above average, whereas if told they were below average, high identifiers exerted themselves slightly more than low identifiers. Results provide evidence that descriptive norm messages can improve people's performance on physically demanding tasks, and indicate that descriptive physical activity norms may be more influential when the norm reference group is subjectively meaningful. Opportunities to fruitfully deploy norm messages in applied contexts are discussed.
La sélectivité spatiale de l’élite politique locale: Une analyse exploratoire du lieu de résidence des élus communaux de Zurich et Lausanne (1980‐2016)
Authors: Di Capua Roberto
Published: October 2021

This article studies the spatial dimension of the social selection of local elected officials that takes shape through the geographical selectivity of the elected officials’ places of residence. Based on data on the places of residence of local elected officials in Zurich and Lausanne (1980‐2016), we show that the residential dispersion of local elected officials is not random but driven by a logic of class socio‐spatial selectivity. We also show that this spatial selectivity varies according to the partisan affiliation of elected officials and the existence or not of electoral districts at the municipal level. By analysing the concentration or absence of elected officials according to the socio‐economic level of the neighbourhoods of Lausanne and Zurich, this article explores a new approach to the sociology of political elites: by adding a spatial dimension – the place of residence – we thus refine the study of the profile of elected officials and their representativeness.
Reduced ability to produce reflex‐evoked neurogenic inflammation, a sign of decreased defense against COVID‐19 infection?
Authors: Malm Lars
Published: October 2021

Background

A histamine skin prick test (SPT) generally evokes a wheal and a flare. The present study was initiated by an observation that histamine did not evoke a flare around a wheal in the skin of an 86‐year‐old man. Could that be of relevance to the findings that old men are prone to a more severe COVD‐19 infection with a higher mortality than young ones?

Materials and methods

Histamine SPT was performed on the forearm of six old men, all above the age of 80. The skin reactions were photographed from above and from the side. The photographs taken from above were treated in a computer with LYYN, a program that increases color differences. With the help of ImageJ (NIH), the size relation between flare and wheal was calculated. On the photographs, taken as side views, areas, heights, and diameters of wheals were measured. Controls consisted of three groups of younger people.

Results

Among the old men, no or only a small flare was seen. All the controls had prominent flares. Histamine SPT evoked small wheals in the group of old men as compared to young men.

Conclusion

Reduced neurogenic inflammation evoked by histamine from mast cells in blood and tissue may reduce the defense against COVID‐19 infection.