bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cryo-EM structure of catalytic ribonucleoprotein complex RNase MRP
Authors: Perederina Anna , Li Di , Lee Hyunwook , Bator Carol , Berezin Igor , Hafenstein Susan L. , Krasilnikov Andrey S.
Published: March 2020

RNase MRP is an essential eukaryotic ribonucleoprotein complex involved in the maturation of rRNA and the regulation of the cell cycle. RNase MRP is related to the ribozyme-based RNase P, but it has evolved to have distinct cellular roles. We report a cryo-EM structure of theS. cerevisiaeRNase MRP holoenzyme solved to 3.0 Å. We describe the structure of this 450 kDa complex, interactions between its components, and the organization of its catalytic RNA. We show that while the catalytic center of RNase MRP is inherited from the ancestral enzyme RNase P, the substrate binding pocket of RNase MRP is significantly altered by the addition of unique RNA and protein elements, as well as by RNA-driven protein remodeling.

One Sentence Summary

Changes in peripheral RNA elements and RNA-driven protein remodeling result in diversification of related catalytic RNPs
Microbial resource management forex situbiomethanation of hydrogen at alkaline pH
Authors: Logroño Washington , Popp Denny , Kleinsteuber Sabine , Sträuber Heike , Harms Hauke , Nikolausz Marcell
Published: March 2020

Biomethanation is a promising solution to convert H2produced from surplus electricity and CO2to CH4by using hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Inex situbiomethanation with mixed cultures, homoacetogens and methanogens compete for H2/CO2. We enriched a hydrogenotrophic microbiota on CO2and H2as sole carbon and energy sources, respectively, to investigate these competing reactions. Microbial community structure and dynamics of bacteria and methanogenic archaea were evaluated through 16S rRNA andmcrAgene amplicon sequencing, respectively. Hydrogenotrophic methanogens and homoacetogens were enriched as acetate was concomitantly produced along with CH4. By controlling the media composition, especially changing the reducing agent, the formation of acetate was lowered and grid quality CH4(≥ 97%) was obtained. Formate was identified as an intermediate that was produced and consumed during the bioprocess. Stirring intensities ≥1000 rpm were detrimental, probably due to shear force stress. The predominating methanogens belonged to the generaMethanobacteriumandMethanoculleus. The bacterial community was dominated byLutispora. The methanogenic community was stable, whereas the bacterial community was more dynamic. Our results suggest that hydrogenotrophic communities can be steered towards selective production of CH4from H2/CO2by adapting the media composition, the reducing agent and the stirring intensity.
Image matters: Development of a novel staining method, the RGB-trichrome, as a reliable tool for the study of the musculoskeletal system
Authors: Gaytan Francisco , Morales Concepción , Reymundo Carlos , Tena-Sempere Manuel
Published: March 2020

Morphometry and histology are essential approaches for investigation and diagnosis of musculo-skeletal disorders. Despite the advent of revolutionary methods of image analysis and high resolution three-dimensional imaging technology, basic conventional light microscopy still provides an incisive overview of the structure and tissue dynamics of the musculoskeletal system. This is crucial to both preclinical and clinical research, since several clinically relevant processes, such as bone repair, osteoarthritis, and metabolic bone diseases, display distinct, if not pathognomonic, histological features. Due to the particular characteristics of the skeletal tissues (i.e., the existence of mineralized extracellular matrices), a large number of staining methods applicable to either decalcified or undecalcified tissues are available. However, it is usually the case that several staining methods need to be sequentially applied in order to achieve the different endpoints required to fully assess skeletal tissue structure and dynamics, and to allow morphometric quantification. We describe herein a novel staining method, the RGB trichrome, amenable for application to decalcified, paraffin embedded human musculoskeletal tissues. The acronym RGB corresponds to the three primary dyes used: picrosiriusRed, fastGreen, and alcianBlue. Although these individual pigments are commonly used either isolated, in binary combinations, or as part of more complex polychrome staining methods, when merged in the RGB trichrome staining produce high-quality/high-contrast images, permitting not only clear identification of different tissues (i.e., the different types of cartilage, bone and fibrous connective tissue), but also discrimination between calcified and uncalcified bone and cartilage, as well as an unexpected diversity of shades of color, while displaying singular properties among polychrome staining methods, such as the unveiling of the bone osteocyte dendritic/canalicular network. Hence, we propose the RGB trichrome as simple but highly-reliable tool for the preclinical and clinical study of the musculoskeletal system.
Simulation of Ca2+oscillations in astrocytes mediated by amyloid beta in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Gao Huayi , Liu Langzhou , Chen Shangbin
Published: March 2020

Disruptions of astrocyte Ca2+signaling is important in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) with the unclear mechanism of amyloid beta peptide (Aβ). We have modified our previous computational model of spontaneous Ca2+oscillations in astrocytes to investigate the effects of Aβ on intracellular Ca2+dynamics. The simulation results have shown consistence with the previous experiments. Aβ can increase the resting concentration of intracellular Ca2+and change the regime of Ca2+oscillations by activating L-type voltage-gated calcium channels and the metabolic glutamate receptors, or by increasing ryanodine receptors sensitivity and Ca2+leakage, respectively. This work have provided a toolkit to study the influence of Aβ on intracellular Ca2+dynamics in AD. It is helpful for understanding the toxic role of Aβ during the progression of AD.

Statement of Significance

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease with the unclear mechanism of amyloid beta peptide (Aβ). This work have implemented a computational model to address the Ca2+dynamics of astrocyte mediated by Aβ with the four different pathways: voltage-gated calcium channels, metabotropic glutamate receptors 5, ryanodine receptor channels and membrane leak. The Ca2+oscillations and bifurcation diagram indicate that astrocytes exhibit ionic excitability mediated by Aβ and become the potential targets of Aβ neurotoxicity. We expect this shared computational model would advance the understanding of AD.
Measurement and compensation of misalignment in double-sided hard X-ray Fresnel zone plates
Authors: Yurgens Viktoria , Koch Frieder , Scheel Mario , Weitkamp Timm , David Christian
Published: March 2020

Double-sided Fresnel zone plates are diffractive lenses used for high-resolution hard X-ray microscopy. The double-sided structures have significantly higher aspect ratios compared with single-sided components and hence enable more efficient imaging. The zone plates discussed in this paper are fabricated on each side of a thin support membrane, and the alignment of the zone plates with respect to each other is critical. Here, a simple and reliable way of quantifying misalignments by recording efficiency maps and measuring the absolute diffraction efficiency of the zone plates as a function of tilting angle in two directions is presented. The measurements are performed in a setup based on a tungsten-anode microfocus X-ray tube, providing an X-ray energy of 8.4 keV through differential measurements with a Cu and an Ni filter. This study investigates the sources of the misalignments and concludes that they can be avoided by decreasing the structure heights on both sides of the membrane and by pre-programming size differences between the front- and back-side zone plates.
Behind the scenes: spotlight on the entrepreneurship educator
Authors: Wraae Birgitte , Walmsley Andreas
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Explores the role of the entrepreneurship educator and their place in the entrepreneurship education landscape.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses an adapted version of Jones and Matlay's (2011) conceptual framework that describes the context of entrepreneurship education to explore the entrepreneurship educator's role. In-depth interviews were conducted with eleven entrepreneurship educators from five universities/university colleges in Denmark.

Findings

Illustrates the situated nature of entrepreneurship education. The entrepreneurship educator is embedded in a system of dialogic relationships with a range of stakeholders. This paper provides insights into how the entrepreneurship educator navigates these relationships and the influence these relationships have in determining the scope and nature of the entrepreneurship educator's role.

Research limitations/implications

Provides a framework and findings upon which further studies can build in an area that has hitherto received limited attention. Findings could be compared with those in other geographical contexts, for example. The dialogic relationships themselves could be explored either holistically or individually with other stakeholders (e.g. students, institutions, communities).

Originality/value

Research on the role of the entrepreneurship educator is extremely limited in an area that has otherwise seen a proliferation of research. The adaptation and application of Jones and Matlay's (2011) framework provides a novel way of understanding how this role is shaped. Where most studies focus either on course content or the students, this study proposes another way to gain insight into the complex world of delivering entrepreneurship education.
“The NOSCA Mafia”: overseas student activism in Australia, 1985–1994
Authors: Briedis Tim
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to explore and analyse the history of the predominantly Malaysian Network of Overseas Students Collectives in Australia (NOSCA), that existed from 1985–1994.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on extensive archival research in the State Library of New South Wales, the National Library of Australia and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Archives. It makes particular use of the UNSW student newspaper Tharunka and the NOSCA publications Truganini and Default. It also draws upon nine oral history interviews with former members of NOSCA.

Findings

The NOSCA was particularly prominent at the UNSW, building a base there and engaging substantially in the student union. Informed by anarchism, its activists were interested in an array of issues–especially opposition to student fees and in solidarity with struggles for democracy and national liberation in Southeast Asia, especially around East Timor. Moreover, the group would serve as a training ground for a layer of activists, dissidents and opposition politicians throughout Southeast Asia, with a milieu of ex-NOSCA figures sometimes disparagingly referred to as “the NOSCA Mafia.”

Originality/value

While there has been much research on overseas students, there has been far less on overseas students as protestors and activists. This paper is the first case study to specifically hone in on NOSCA, one of the most substantial and left wing overseas student groups. Tracing the group's history helps us to reframe and rethink the landscape of student activism in Australia, as less white, less middle class and less privileged.
Impostor phenomenon: considerations for leadership practice
Authors: Downing Megan S. , Arthur-Mensah Nana , Zimmerman Jeffrey
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The impostor phenomenon (IP) is a psychological cycle experienced by individuals who, despite successes, are plagued by self-doubt and a concern of being identified as fraudulent. IP research is typically focused on the psychological well-being of those who experience IP, examining antecedents and outcomes of IP. Research on organizational impact is limited with few studies examining IP’s influence on leadership practices. The purpose of this paper is to discuss IP and explore the value of mitigating IP’s negative effects with a view to developing a conceptual model that illustrates IP in context with leaders.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a scoping literature review methodology, this paper draws on identity theory to explore and discuss the relevance of IP to organizations and leadership practice.

Findings

Following a review of relevant literature, the authors propose a conceptual model that illustrates IP’s impact on organizational leaders’ capacity to practice leadership due to conflicting identity standards and diminished self-efficacy. Implications for organizational leadership development as well as leadership practice, theory, and research are discussed.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is a theoretical analysis, not an empirical study, however, it presents a conceptual model that provides perspective on IP and its relevance to leadership as well as the organizational value of and suggestions for mitigating IP.

Originality/value

A greater understanding of IP and IP’s potential consequences on leadership in the workplace may contribute to organizational interventions that mitigate IP's impact on leaders and the organizations they serve.
Gender effects on odor-induced taste enhancement and subsequent food consumption
Authors: Koubaa Yamen , Eleuch Amira
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test for gender-specific effects on odor-induced taste enhancement and subsequent food consumption in olfactory food marketing.

Design/methodology/approach

Lab experiments conducted among female and male participants using vanillin as a stimulus and ratings of sweetness, taste pleasantness and eating of sugar-free food as measures.

Findings

Odor-induced taste enhancement is gender-specific. Female consumers outperform male consumers in olfactory reaction and sweetness perception. While men outperform women in food consumption.

Research limitations/implications

Odor intensity was set to the concentration level of 0.00005per cent according to the findings from (Fujimaru and Lim, 2013). The authors believe that this intensity level is appropriate for both men and women. Still, there may be some gender effects on intensity levels, which are not explored here. The author’s test for the effects of one personal factor, gender and odor-induced taste enhancement of sugar-free food. The authors think that investigating the combined effects of more personal factors such as age, culture and so on adds to the accuracy of the results.

Practical implications

It seems that the stronger sensory capacities of women in terms of odor detection and recognition already confirmed in the literature extends to the cross-modal effects of this sensory detection and recognition on taste enhancement. It seems appropriate to tailor olfactory food advertising according to the gender of the target audience.

Originality/value

Odor-induced taste enhancement is still a novel subject in marketing. While most of the research has investigated the effects of smelling congruent odors on taste perception and food consumption among mixed groups of men and women, the value of this paper lies in the investigation of the potential moderating effects of gender on this relationship.
Factors driving the career progression of construction project managers
Authors: Agyekum Kofi , Kissi Ernest , Danku James Cofie , Ampratwum Godslove , Amegatsey Gideon Selorm
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the factors that drive the career progression of construction project managers (CPM) in the Ghanaian construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the quantitative approach, the views of 80 CPMs working with D1 building construction firms were elicited using a structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using one-samplet-test, which was used to examine the relative significance of the variables. The mean scores, standard deviations and significance values (p-values) of each variable were used to examine the outcome of the survey.

Findings

The findings suggest that “existence of organizational support systems”, “ability to create identity”, “having an influential mentor and coach”, “accepting complicated and high visibility assignments” and “ability to gain managerial or leadership experience” are the key factors that drive the career progression of CPMs in Ghana.

Research limitations/implications

Findings from this study is limited to CPMs, specifically within the Ghanaian construction industry. This implies that with the fragmented nature of the construction industry, adopting these findings in construction settings within other countries may not yield the desired results, especially, if those countries do not share similar characteristics and context with Ghana.

Practical implications

Practically, this study highlights for the benefits of project managers (PM) (especially those in the construction industry) the key factors that drive their career progressions. Identification of these drivers offers the professionals with those factors to be prioritized when seeking to progress their careers in the construction industry.

Originality/value

Empirical research on the factors that drive the career progression of CPMs has not been fully examined in previous studies, though such studies in other sectors aside construction are prevalent. Hence, the identification of the drivers for career progression of construction PMs advances literature in the area and offers the professionals with those factors to be prioritized when seeking to progress their careers.
Unpacking the black box
Authors: Asiaei Kaveh , Barani Omid , Bontis Nick , Arabahmadi Maryam
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Drawing largely upon resource orchestration theory, this study aims to contribute to the intellectual capital (IC) literature by testing a model where intrapreneurship mobilizes resources to trigger firm performance. More specifically, this study investigates how intrapreneurship mediates the relationship between IC and financial performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered to a target sample of publicly-listed Iranian companies across a variety of sectors. Archival data supplemented the survey findings to capture financial performance. A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach, using LISREL, was used to assess the measurement and structural models.

Findings

The results supported the hypothesized associations among IC, intrapreneurship, and financial performance. Furthermore, the findings provided some evidence that IC is indirectly related to financial performance through the mediating role of intrapreneurship.

Research limitations/implications

The focus on Iranian publicly listed companies limits the generalizability of results.

Practical implications

Managers need to align the company's strategic resources with other competencies such as intrapreneurial initiatives. The synthesis of knowledge resources and intrapreneurship can help organization to better organize, synchronize and support – i.e. “orchestrate” – their human and structural capital, improving the firm's social and innovation capital and eventually enhancing overall performance.

Originality/value

To our knowledge, this is the first study ever to explore the mediating role of intrapreneurship in the relationship between IC and financial performance from the resource orchestration lens.
The tetralemma of the business family
Authors: Kleve Heiko , Roth Steffen , Köllner Tobias , Wetzel Ralf
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This conceptual article aims to contribute to the design of a theory of family-influenced firms by a framework for the management of business-family dilemmas.

Design/methodology/approach

It combines systemic principles with the tetralemma, a tool from ancient Indian logic that families and businesses can use to manage and reframe dilemmas without dissolving the dilemmatic tensions or blurring their boundaries.

Findings

In applying the tetralemma, the article offers a range of suggestions, such as observing business and family as two discrete, yet codependent, social systems and envisioning conceptual and methodological imports from codependency research and therapy into family business research and practice.

Originality/value

The article proposes a framework for the selective and flexible navigation of family-business tensions without dissolving them or blurring their boundaries.
Student residences: time for a partnership approach?
Authors: McCann Laura , Hutchison Norman , Adair Alastair
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Recent years have witnessed significant increases in the number of undergraduate students entering UK higher education. This increase is a result of the removal of the sector-wide cap on student numbers in England and Wales, along with a growth in overseas students attracted by the reputation of UK universities and the weakening of the value of Sterling. Adopting a corporate real estate perspective, the aim of this paper is to understand how the UK student residence market is structured and financed, and to identify the motivations that are driving the strategies adopted by the universities, private sector providers and investors in this market. In doing so, this research seeks to test the appropriateness of the Gibler and Lindholm (2012) model of corporate real estate strategy in the UK higher education sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was gathered from a survey of UK university secretaries, combined with interviews of private sector providers, bank lenders and the analysis of secondary data on investment flows into purpose built residential accommodation (PBSA).

Findings

UK university real estate strategy is mainly one of outsourcing student accommodation to reduce costs as well as employing modern purpose-built student housing as a marketing tool and brand enhancer. This strategy is also used as a risk mitigatory tool enabling universities to adjust to changing student demands. Revisions to the Gibler and Lindholm (2012) model are proposed to reflect the reality of the real estate strategy adopted by the universities. Private sector providers view the sector favourably and are set to be the main providers of new supply over the next decade, entering into strong partnerships with the universities. While there is evidence of some oversupply of bed spaces in certain cities, well-located developments are viewed as an attractive lending opportunity. Since 2013 there has been significant growth in institutional investment into UK student accommodation, albeit sentiment is currently tempered by political uncertainty.

Practical implications

The role of PBSA designed to meet modern student requirements is playing a critical role not only in attracting, recruiting and retaining students but also enhancing the overall higher education experience promoting student welfare and well-being.

Originality/value

The corporate real estate strategy adopted by the UK higher education sector is an under researched area. This paper focuses on the strategy surrounding student accommodation provision and reports on the findings of an extensive survey of the key players in this sector. The results are of value to all stakeholders including government and regulators, at a time when higher education is facing substantial challenges. The evidence of a growing partnership between universities and the private sector is viewed as a logical solution, both for the present and the foreseeable future.
Development of clinical prediction rule for diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder in children
Authors: Lerthattasilp Tiraya , Tanprasertkul Chamnan , Chunsuwan Issarapa
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This study aims to develop a clinical prediction rule for the diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) in children.

Design/methodology/approach

This population-based study was carried out in children aged 2 to 5 years who were suspected of having ASD. Data regarding demographics, risk factors, histories taken from caregivers and clinical observation of ASD symptoms were recorded before specialists assessed patients using standardized diagnostic tools. The predictors were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis and developed into a predictive model.

Findings

An ASD diagnosis was rendered in 74.8 per cent of 139 participants. The clinical prediction rule consisted of five predictors, namely, delayed speech for their age, history of rarely making eye contact or looking at faces, history of not showing off toys or favorite things, not following clinician’s eye direction and low frequency of social interaction with the clinician or the caregiver. At four or more predictors, sensitivity was 100 per cent for predicting a diagnosis of ASD, with a positive likelihood ratio of 16.62.

Originality/value

This practical clinical prediction rule would help general practitioners to initially diagnose ASD in routine clinical practice.
Employees’ knowledge, attitude and practice of food additives; impacts of an educational intervention
Authors: Moravejolahkami Amir Reza , Esfandiari Zahra , Ebdali Hadiseh , Ganjali Dashti Marjan , Hassanzadeh Akbar , Ziaei Hasan , Bahreini Esfahani Nimah
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Understanding consumers’ food safety practices are helpful in reducing foodborne illnesses. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of education on knowledge, attitude and practices toward food additives.

Design/methodology/approach

This interventional study was performed by random sampling of 826 employees in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences from January 2018 to March 2019. The knowledge, attitude and practices of the employees toward food additives were assessed by a self-administered and structured questionnaire. Two-month education was conducted visually by using pamphlets, posters and leaflets. Descriptive statistics and pairedt-test were done by SPSS24 at significant levels ofp< 0.05.

Findings

The results showed that the respondents were very concerned about preservatives, colorants, and artificial sweeteners in foods. Before the education, the percentages collected for the knowledge, attitude and practice were 79.0, 48.9 and 46.7, respectively. Overall, knowledge scores were improved from 79.0 to 88.9 per cent when the education was offered. Safety attitude scores significantly increased, with a 50 per cent difference between the pre and post values. A significant difference was observed in the percentage of knowledge, attitude and practice of the employers before and after education (p< 0.05). Almost half of the respondents chose leaflets and pamphlets as a preferable tool for learning.

Originality/value

Education may be needed for improving knowledge and attitude about food additives. It also helped the respondents to select healthier food. This study suggests more communication programs regarding food safety issues.
A review of money laundering literature: the state of research in key areas
Authors: Tiwari Milind , Gepp Adrian , Kumar Kuldeep
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to review the literature on money laundering and its related areas. The main objective is to identify any gaps in the literature and direct attention towards addressing them.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review of the money laundering literature was conducted with an emphasis on the Pro-Quest, Scopus and Science-Direct databases. Broad research themes were identified after investigating the literature. The theme about the detection of money laundering was then further investigated. The major approaches of such detection are identified, as well as research gaps that could be addressed in future studies.

Findings

The literature on money laundering can be classified into the following six broad areas: anti-money laundering framework and its effectiveness, the effect of money laundering on other fields and the economy, the role of actors and their relative importance, the magnitude of money laundering, new opportunities available for money laundering and detection of money laundering. Most studies about the detection of money laundering have focused on the use of innovative technologies, banking transactions or real estate- and trade-based money laundering. However, the literature on the detection of shell companies being explicitly used to launder funds is relatively scarce.

Originality/value

This paper provides insights into an area related to money laundering where research is relatively scant. Shell companies incorporated in the UK alone were identified to be associated with laundering £80bn of stolen money between 2010 and 2014. The use of these entities to launder billions of dollars as witnessed through the laundromat schemes and several data leaks clearly indicate the need to focus on illicit financial flows through such entities.
Engaging tourists as citizen scientists in marine tourism
Authors: Schaffer Vikki , Tham Aaron
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a framework for engaging tourists as citizen scientists in marine research. Justification for such a framework is driven by the increasing use of citizen science (CS) as a method for collecting data in various research projects. While the tenets of CS exist, few studies have demonstrated how these could be integrated to address the challenges and benefits of engaging tourists as scientists.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review focused on CS-based literature within environmental management, tourism and marine tourism revealed 18 models. Key themes, those repeatedly identified, were extracted. These were adapted to inform the proposed theoretical framework for engaging tourist scientists.

Findings

The key themes were clarified and incorporated into the framework to enhance the value of marine research by engaging tourists. Important features considered were the singularity and sporadic nature of tourist participation, training and engagement as well as the reliability of data collected by citizen scientists.

Practical implications

Originality/value

The framework informs the unique requirements of research in marine environments and the under-used potential of tourist scientists.
A ‘society … divisible into the blessed and the unblessed’: Michael Young and Meritocracy in Postwar Britain
Authors: Meredith Stephen
Published: March 2020

‘Meritocracy’ continues to unfold as both core conceptual framework and political ideal of the language of social mobility. In recent decades, politicians of various hues have declared it a sine qua non of the so‐called ‘classless society’. The longer trajectory of postwar discourses of equality reveal a more chequered conceptual past. Its origins in the forums of revisionist social democracy of the 1950s, and subsequently popularised in the writings of social democratic polymath, Michael Young, are much more circumspect. The article considers pivotal contributions and developments of this conceptual history and trajectory. It considers the origins and emergence of meritocracy as a dimension of discourses of equality in the 1950s, and the formative contribution of Michael Young, reaction and responses on the left to his 1958 seminal work, The Rise of the Meritocracy, and the subsequent ‘meritocratic turn’. In spite of its satirical origins and warnings of dire social consequences, meritocracy presently enjoys a confirmatory position as a concept of opportunity and social mobility, as an embedded ideal of social organisation and means of allocating differential rewards.
Food insecurity, health care utilization, and health care expenditures
Authors: Dean Emma Boswell , French Michael T. , Mortensen Karoline
Published: March 2020

Objective

To disentangle the relationships among food insecurity, health care utilization, and health care expenditures.

Data Sources/Study Setting

We use national data on 13 465 adults (age ≥ 18) from the 2016 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), the first year of the food insecurity measures.

Study Design

We employ two‐stage empirical models (probit for any health care use/expenditure, ordinary least squares, and generalized linear models for amount of utilization/expenditure), controlling for demographics, health insurance, poverty status, chronic conditions, and other predictors.

Principal Findings

Our results show that the likelihood of any health care expenditure (total, inpatient, emergency department, outpatient, and pharmaceutical) is higher for marginal, low, and very low food secure individuals. Relative to food secure households, very low food secure households are 5.1 percentage points (P < .001) more likely to have any health care expenditure, and have total health care expenditures that are 24.8 percent higher (P = .011). However, once we include chronic conditions in the models (ie, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, emphysema, high cholesterol, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and asthma), these underlying health conditions mitigate the differences in expenditures by food insecurity status (only the likelihood of any having any health care expenditure for very low food secure households remains statistically significant).

Conclusions

Policy makers and government agencies are focused on addressing deficiencies in social determinants of health and the resulting impacts on health status and health care utilization. Our results indicate that chronic conditions are strongly associated with food insecurity and higher health care spending. Efforts to alleviate food insecurity should consider the dual burden of chronic conditions. Finally, future research can address specific mechanisms underlying the relationships between food security, health, and health care.
Association among placental 11β‐HSD2, PPAR‐γ, and NF‐κB p65 in small‐for‐gestational‐age infants: A nested case‐control study
Authors: Fu Lin , Bo Qing‐Li , Gan Yu , Chen Yuan‐Hua , Zhao Hui , Tao Fang‐Biao , Xu De‐Xiang
Published: March 2020

Problem

11β‐Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 (11β‐HSD2) catalyzes active glucocorticoids into their inactive products, preventing the passage of glucocorticoids into the fetus from maternal circulation. Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR)γ is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily that regulates the expression of placental 11β‐HSD2. Nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) is a transcription factor that regulates inflammatory signaling. This study aimed to investigate the association among 11β‐HSD2, PPAR‐γ, and NF‐κB p65 in small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) infants.

Method of study

Forty‐six SGA and 46 appropriate‐for‐gestational‐age (AGA) infants were enrolled in this study. Both newborns and placentas were weighed. Placental 11β‐HSD2 levels were measured using Western blotting. Placental PPAR‐γ and NF‐κB p65 were detected by immunohistochemistry. Placental inflammatory cytokines were evaluated by real‐time RT‐PCR.

Results

11β‐HSD2 levels were lower in SGA placentas than those in AGA placentas. Placental PPAR‐γ‐positive nuclei were less in SGA than those in AGA. By contrast, placental NF‐κB p65‐positive nuclei were more in SGA than those in AGA. The levels of CRP, TNF‐α, IL‐8, and IL‐1β, several inflammatory cytokines, were higher in SGA placentas. Correlation analysis showed that neonatal weight was positively associated with PPAR‐γ and 11β‐HSD2 in SGA placentas. By contrast, neonatal weight was inversely correlated with NF‐κB p65 in SGA placentas. 11β‐HSD2 was positively correlated with PPAR‐γ in SGA placentas.

Conclusions

Inflammation‐associated downregulation of placental PPAR‐γ and 11β‐HSD2 may be involved in SGA.
XEN‐augmented Baerveldt surgical success rate and comparison with the Ahmed Valve
Authors: Teixeira Filipa Jorge , Sousa David Cordeiro , Machado Nuno Martins , Caiado Filipa , Barão Rafael , Sens Paula , Abegão Pinto Luís
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The Baerveldt‐XEN technique is intended to reduce the risk of early hypotony after Baerveldt implant, while keeping a good long‐term intra‐ocular pressure (IOP) control. The aim of this study is to discuss the surgical success rate of the Baerveldt‐XEN and compare it with the commercially available flow‐restrictor device (Ahmed glaucoma valve – AGV).

Methods

Single‐centre, cohort study. Consecutive glaucoma patients with uncontrolled IOP > 21 mmHg on maximum tolerated medical therapy, and who had an aqueous shunt as the planned surgical procedure. Patients underwent implantation of Baerveldt‐XEN. An age‐, gender‐ and glaucoma aetiology‐matched database of AGV patients was used for comparison. Complete surgical success was defined as a final IOP between 6 and 21 mmHg, and 20% reduction from baseline with no need for IOP‐lowering medication. Qualified success was the same criteria but resorting to medications.

Results

Twenty‐four eyes from 24 subjects with glaucoma were included in this study, 12 patients underwent Baerveldt‐XEN implantation and 12 AGV. Twelve months after the Baerveldt‐XEN implant, the IOP reduced from 33 ± 9 mmHg to 14 ± 3 mmHg (p < 0.001). The qualified and complete success rate was 50% and 25%, respectively. With the AGV, the IOP reduced from 29 ± 7 mmHg to 16 ± 7 mmHg (p = 0.001). The matched AGV group compared to the Baerveldt‐XEN, presented a higher complete success rate (58.3%) and a qualified success rate of 33.3% (p = 0.72). No sight‐threatening complications were recorded in both groups.

Conclusions

The Baerveldt‐XEN disclosed a low complete success rate at 1 year of follow‐up, although with no major safety concerns. While studies with a longer follow‐up are needed to demonstrate the potential advantages and disadvantages of the Baerveldt‐XEN, this technique may be less likely to achieve drop‐free efficacy when compared to other flow‐restrictor strategies.
Different baseline characteristics are associated with incident wheeze in female and male adolescents
Authors: Kalm‐Stephens Pia , Nordvall Lennart , Janson Christer , Neuman Åsa , Malinovschi Andrei , Alving Kjell
Published: March 2020

Aim

To investigate the independent relationships between baseline characteristics and incident wheeze in adolescents, with particular regard to gender.

Methods

Adolescents (N = 959), aged 12‐15 years, answered a standardised respiratory questionnaire and underwent height and weight measurements at baseline. Four years later, 96% of the subjects completed a similar questionnaire. The present study included the adolescents without self‐reported wheeze at baseline (n = 795; 394 girls).

Results

The proportion of adolescents with obesity was higher among subjects with incident wheeze than among subjects who never reported wheeze: 19.1% vs 8.3%. When stratifying for gender, this difference was only found in girls. In stepwise logistic regression models (odds ratios [95% confidence interval]), obesity (2.84 [1.17‐6.86]) and rhinitis (3.04 [1.53‐6.03]) at baseline and current smoking (2.60 [1.16‐5.82]) at follow‐up were associated with incident wheeze in girls. For boys, FEV1 <−1.65 standard deviation (3.20 [1.04‐9.79]), family asthma (3.16 [1.46‐6.86]) and seasonal allergic symptoms (5.61 [2.56‐12.27]) at baseline were independently associated with incident wheeze.

Conclusion

Data stratified by gender showed that obesity in girls and an atopic constitution in boys were independently associated with increased risk of developing wheeze within four years.
Elevation of CXCL1 indicates poor prognosis and radioresistance by inducing mesenchymal transition in glioblastoma
Authors: Alafate Wahafu , Li Xiaodong , Zuo Jie , Zhang Hua , Xiang Jianyang , Wu Wei , Xie Wanfu , Bai Xiaobin , Wang Maode , Wang Jia
Published: March 2020

Introduction

Glioblastoma (GBM) is identified as a lethal malignant tumor derived from the nervous system. Despite the standard clinical strategy including maximum surgical resection, temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, the median survival of GBM patients remains <15 months. Accumulating evidence indicates that rapid‐acquired radioresistance is one of the most common reasons for GBM recurrence. Therefore, developing novel therapeutic targets for radioresistant GBM could yield long‐term cures.

Aims

To investigate the functional role of CXCL1 in the acquired radioresistance and identify the molecular pathway correlated to CXCL1.

Results

In this study, we identified that CXCL1 is highly expressed in GBM and the elevation of CXCL1 is involved in radioresistance and poor prognosis in GBM patients. Additionally, silencing CXCL1 attenuated the proliferation and radioresistance of GBM cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that CXCL1‐overexpression induced radioresistance through mesenchymal transition of GBM via the activation of nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) signaling.

Conclusion

CXCL1 was highly enriched in GBM and positively correlated with poor prognosis in GBM patients. Additionally, elevated CXCL1 induced radioresistance in GBM through regulation of NF‐κB signaling by promoting mesenchymal transition in GBM.
Enemies with benefits: integrating positive and negative interactions among terrestrial carnivores
Authors: Prugh Laura R. , Sivy Kelly J.
Published: March 2020

Interactions among terrestrial carnivores involve a complex interplay of competition, predation and facilitation via carrion provisioning, and these negative and positive pathways may be closely linked. Here, we developed an integrative framework and synthesized data from 256 studies of intraguild predation, scavenging, kleptoparisitism and resource availability to examine global patterns of suppression and facilitation. Large carnivores were responsible for one third of mesocarnivore mortality (n = 1,581 individuals), and intraguild mortality rates were superadditive, increasing from 10.6% to 25.5% in systems with two vs. three large carnivores. Scavenged ungulates comprised 30% of mesocarnivore diets, with larger mesocarnivores relying most heavily on carrion. Large carnivores provided 1,351 kg of carrion per individual per year to scavengers, and this subsidy decreased at higher latitudes. However, reliance on carrion by mesocarnivores remained high, and abundance correlations among sympatric carnivores were more negative in these stressful, high‐latitude systems. Carrion provisioning by large carnivores may therefore enhance suppression rather than benefiting mesocarnivores. These findings highlight the synergistic effects of scavenging and predation risk in structuring carnivore communities, suggesting that the ecosystem service of mesocarnivore suppression provided by large carnivores is strong and not easily replaced by humans.
MIGRATION AND NARRATION: HOW EUROPEAN HISTORIANS IN THE NINETEENTH AND EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURIES TOLD THE HISTORY OF HUMAN MASS MIGRATIONS OR VÖLKERWANDERUNGEN
Authors: WIEDEMANN FELIX
Published: March 2020

Historians’ interest in the history of human migrations is not limited to recent years. Migrations had already figured as explanatory factors in connection with cultural and historical change in the work of classical and ancient studies scholars of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In the writings of these scholars, migrations acted as historical landmarks or epochal thresholds and played a key role in the construction of geo‐historical areas. This model has been called “migrationism” and cannot be explained simply on the basis of the history of individual disciplines, but must be seen in its complex interaction with scientific and historical contexts. However, “migrationism” does not relate to fixed political and scientific positions or movements. For this reason, it cannot be explained adequately by using a historically or ideologically based approach. Relying on narratological approaches, this article examines migration narratives that historians of this period used to explain the rise and fall of ancient civilizations. Referring to contemporary historiographical representations of the ancient Near East, it distinguishes three main narratives that are still common today: narratives of foundation, narratives of destruction, and narratives of mixtures. In this sense, analyzing older migration narratives helps us to sharpen the critical view on the genealogy of our own views on the history—and present—of human migrations.
FROM HISTORICAL STRUCTURES TO TEMPORAL LAYERS: HANS FREYER AND CONCEPTUAL HISTORY
Authors: PANKAKOSKI TIMO
Published: March 2020

This article assesses, for the first time, the significance for German conceptual history of the sociologist, philosopher, and conservative political theorist Hans Freyer. Freyer theorized historical structures as products of political activity, emphasized the presence of several historical layers in each moment, and underscored the need to read concepts with regard to accumulated structures. He thus significantly influenced not only German structural history but also conceptual history emerging from it in the work of Otto Brunner, Werner Conze, and, most notably, Reinhart Koselleck, whose theories of temporal layers in history and concepts reworked the Freyerian starting points. Underscoring the openness and plurality of history, criticizing its false “plannability,” and reading world history as European history writ large, Freyer shaped the politically oriented theory of history behind Koselleckian Begriffsgeschichte. Further, Freyer theorized the eighteenth‐ and nineteenth‐century transition to industrial society as a historical rupture or “epochal threshold,” which bears close, and by no means coincidental, similarity to Koselleck's saddle‐time thesis (Sattelzeit). Freyer's theory of history sheds light on the interrelations of many Koselleckian key ideas, including temporal layers, the contemporaneity of the noncontemporaneous, the plannability of history, and the Sattelzeit.
Employment effects of skills around the world: Evidence from the PIAAC
Authors: STIJEPIC Damir
Published: March 2020

Using an international survey that directly assesses the cognitive skills of participants, the author studies the effect of skills on employment in 32 countries. On average, a 1 standard deviation increase in numeracy is associated with an 8.4 percentage point increase in the probability of being employed, reducing the probability of being out of the labour force and unemployed by 6.4 and 2.1 percentage points, respectively. After controlling for numeracy, the estimated employment effect of years in education falls by one third, from 2.7 to 1.8 percentage points. Notably, the employment effect of skills is more pronounced in countries with higher unemployment.
On risk factors of the stock–bond correlation
Authors: Pericoli Marcello
Published: March 2020

The correlation between stock and bond returns, which went from positive in the 1980–1990s to negative in the 2000–2010s, is analysed with a model that simultaneously determines the price of stocks and bonds as dependent on the real interest rate, economic growth and inflation. The analysis finds that the structural reversal of the correlation in the United States and Germany largely depends on the dynamics of inflation, which has gone from counter‐cyclical to pro‐cyclical. In turn, inflation is likely to be pro‐cyclical when it is low or negative and propelled by demand rather than supply shocks. A negative correlation implies that bonds can hedge the risk of stocks when the economy is in poor condition, thus increasing the demand for bonds. However, central‐bank purchases of long‐term bonds have increased the correlation and made portfolio immunization more difficult for investors.