bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical practice guidelines for the management of atopic dermatitis 2018
Authors: Katoh Norito , Ohya Yukihiro , Ikeda Masanori , Ebihara Tamotsu , Katayama Ichiro , Saeki Hidehisa , Shimojo Naoki , Tanaka Akio , Nakahara Takeshi , Nagao Mizuho , Hide Michihiro , Fujita Yuji , Fujisawa Takao , Futamura Masaki , Masuda Koji , Murota Hiroyuki , Yamamoto‐Hanada Kiwako
Published: October 2019

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a disease characterized by relapsing eczema with pruritus as a primary lesion. The current strategies to treat AD in Japan from the perspective of evidence‐based medicine consist of three primary measures: (i) the use of topical corticosteroids and tacrolimus ointment as the main treatment for the inflammation; (ii) topical application of emollients to treat the cutaneous barrier dysfunction; and (iii) avoidance of apparent exacerbating factors, psychological counseling and advice about daily life. The guidelines present recommendations to review clinical research articles, evaluate the balance between the advantages and disadvantages of medical activities, and optimize medical activity‐related patient outcomes with respect to several important points requiring decision‐making in clinical practice.
Frequency‐dependent PP and PS reflection coefficients in fractured media
Authors: Pang Shuo , Stovas Alexey
Published: October 2019

When a porous layer is permeated by mesoscale fractures, wave‐induced fluid flow between pores and fractures can cause significant attenuation and dispersion of velocities and anisotropy parameters in the seismic frequency band. This intrinsic dispersion due to fracturing can create frequency‐dependent reflection coefficients in the layered medium. In this study, we derive the frequency‐dependent PP and PS reflection coefficients versus incidence angle in the fractured medium. We consider a two‐layer vertical transverse isotropy model constituted by an elastic shale layer and an anelastic sand layer. Using Chapman's theory, we introduce the intrinsic dispersion due to fracturing in the sand layer. Based on the series coefficients that control the behaviour of velocity and anisotropy parameters in the fractured medium at low frequencies, we extend the conventional amplitude‐versus‐offset equations into frequency domain and derive frequency‐dependent amplitude‐versus‐offset equations at the elastic–anelastic surface. Increase in fracture length or fracture density can enlarge the frequency dependence of amplitude‐versus‐offset attributes of PP and PS waves. Also, the frequency dependence of magnitude and phase angle of PP and PS reflection coefficients increases as fracture length or fracture density increases. Amplitude‐versus‐offset type of PP and PS reflection varies with fracture parameters and frequency. What is more, fracture length shows little impact on the frequency‐dependent critical phase angle, while the frequency dependence of the critical phase angle increases with fracture density.
Thriving in an expanding service landscape: Experiences of occupational therapists working in generic mental health roles within non‐government organisations in Australia
Authors: Goh Natalie Chiu Kui , Hancock Nicola , Honey Anne , Scanlan Justin Newton
Published: October 2019

Introduction

Occupational therapists are an integral part of Australian mental health services. Recent changes in the mental health sector mean that increasing numbers of occupational therapists now work in generic, non‐profession‐specific roles in non‐government organisations. Previous research has identified a range of challenges faced by occupational therapists in generic roles, including reduced satisfaction and loss of professional identity. An exploration of potentially positive aspects and strategies that assist occupational therapists to succeed and flourish within generic roles is lacking. The aim of this study was to explore what assists occupational therapists to thrive within generic roles in Australia's non‐government mental health sector.

Methods

Semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews were conducted with 12 occupational therapists working in generic mental health roles across three non‐government organisations spanning three Australian states. Data were analysed thematically using constant comparative analysis.

Results

Thriving was supported in three domains. First, occupational therapists facilitated their own thriving by keeping their occupational therapy lens, and managing ambiguity. Second, workplaces were supportive when their values aligned with occupational therapy core values, they recognised and valued the occupational therapy contribution, and their roles allowed opportunities for therapists to use their profession‐specific skills. Third, the broader occupational therapy profession assisted thriving through preparation, validation and ongoing inclusion.

Conclusion

Despite some challenges, occupational therapists can and do thrive in generic non‐government mental health roles. The preliminary framework of thriving provides valuable insights for those developing university curricula, those providing continuing professional development opportunities and for individual occupational therapists entering this expanding area of practice. Findings also provide insights into how individuals, academic curricula and the profession can respond and adapt to systemic transformations occurring in mental health service delivery.
Evaluating informative content and global coherence in fluent and non‐fluent aphasia
Authors: Hazamy Audrey A. , Obermeyer Jessica
Published: October 2019

Background

Discourse analysis is an important component of aphasia assessment because it can provide an insight into functional communication abilities. However, there are many unknowns regarding the levels of discourse breakdowns that occur across aphasia types. The purpose of the current study is to explore the possible differences in discourse‐level communication in persons with fluent and non‐fluent aphasia during picture description.

Aims

To examine if persons with fluent and non‐fluent aphasia differ on utterance‐level discourse measures when evaluating informative content and global coherence. Additionally, to evaluate and compare the types of global coherence violations made by each group.

Methods & Procedures

Data from 31 people with aphasia was collected from AphasiaBank, which included 13 people with fluent aphasia and 18 people with non‐fluent aphasia. Discourse samples from three picture descriptions were analysed. Discourse outcomes included utterances with new information (UNIs—relevant utterances containing new information) and global coherence (the extent to which each utterance maintained the overall discourse theme). Additionally, seven types of errors were identified to explore the nature of breakdowns in global coherence.

Outcomes & Results

People with fluent aphasia produced significantly higher proportions of UNIs and had significantly higher average global coherence ratings than those with non‐fluent aphasia. Differences in global coherence violations were identified with people with fluent aphasia producing more non‐specific, incorrect and off‐topic utterances and people with non‐fluent aphasia producing more incomplete utterances. One of the most common global coherence error types in both groups was commentary.

Conclusions & Implications

Although people with fluent aphasia produced more types of global coherence errors, including incorrect, non‐specific and off‐topic utterances, the group was still rated significantly higher on utterance relevance and topic maintenance, indicating that the ability to produce a complete utterance plays an important role in some aspects of discourse production. Additionally, these findings provide an insight into potential targets for intervention.
Interaction and assembly processes of abundant and rare microbial communities during a diatom bloom process
Authors: Zhang Huajun , Hou Fanrong , Xie Weijuan , Wang Kai , Zhou Xiaoyan , Zhang Demin , Zhu Xiangyu
Published: October 2019

Diatom blooms can significantly influence the dynamics of microbial communities, yet little is known about the interaction and assembly mechanisms of abundant and rare taxa during bloom process. Here, using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we investigated the co‐occurrence patterns and assembly processes of abundant and rare microbial communities during an early spring diatom bloom in Xiangshan bay. Our results showed that α‐diversity indices in the rare subcommunity (RS) were significantly higher than those in the abundant and common subcommunities. β‐Diversity of the RS was the highest among three subcommunities, and the variation of β‐diversity in the three subcommunities was mainly induced by species turnover, which was also the highest in the RS. The assembly of microbial communities was mainly driven by the neutral processes, but the roles of neutral processes might differ in each subcommunity. Co‐occurrence network analysis revealed that abundant and common operational taxonomic units were more often located in central positions within the network. Most of the modules in the network were specific to a particular bloom stage, owing to the succession of Skeletonema costatum. Overall, these findings expand current understanding of the microbial interaction and assembly mechanisms in marine environment suffering harmful algal bloom disturbance.
Identification of a complete dibenzothiophene biodesulfurization operon and its regulator by functional metagenomics
Authors: Martín‐Cabello Guadalupe , Terrón‐González Laura , Ferrer Manuel , Santero Eduardo
Published: October 2019

Functional screening for aromatic ring oxygenases of an oil contaminated soil metagenome identified 25 different clones bearing monooxygenases coding genes. One fosmid bore an operon containing four tightly linked genes coding for a complete dibenzothiophene biodesulfurization pathway, which included the predicted monooxygenases DszC and DszA, the desulfinase DszB, and an FMN‐oxidoreductase designated DszE. The dszEABC operon provided Escherichia coli with the ability to use dibenzothiophene as the only sulfur source. Transcription of the operon is driven from a σN‐dependent promoter and regulated by an activator that was designated dszR. DszR has been purified and characterized in vitro and shown to be a constitutively active σN‐dependent activator of the group IV, which binds to two contiguous sequences located upstream of the promoter. The dsz promoter and dszE and dszR genes have apparently been recruited from an aliphatic sulfonate biodegradation pathway. If transcribed from a heterologous upstream promoter, the σN‐dependent promoter region functions as an ‘insulator’ that prevents translation of dszE, by binding with its ribosome binding site. Translational coupling, in turn, prevents translation of the downstream dszABC genes. The silencer combined with translational coupling thus represents an effective way of preventing expression of operons when spuriously transcribed from upstream promoters.
Long‐term effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on soil microbial community structure and function under continuous wheat production
Authors: Li Yunliang , Tremblay Julien , Bainard Luke D. , Cade‐Menun Barbara , Hamel Chantal
Published: October 2019

Soil microorganisms play a critical role in the biosphere, and the influence of cropland fertilization on the evolution of soil as a living entity is being actively documented. In this study, we used a shotgun metagenomics approach to globally expose the effects of 50‐year N and P fertilization of wheat on soil microbial community structure and function, and their potential involvement in overall N cycling. Nitrogen (N) fertilization increased alpha diversity in archaea and fungi while reducing it in bacteria. Beta diversity of archaea, bacteria and fungi, as well as soil function, were also mainly driven by N fertilization. The abundance of archaea was negatively impacted by N fertilization while bacterial and fungal abundance was increased. The responses of N metabolism‐related genes to fertilization differed in archaea, bacteria and fungi. All archaeal N metabolic processes were decreased by N fertilization, while denitrification, assimilatory nitrate reduction and organic‐N metabolism were highly increased by N fertilization in bacteria. Nitrate assimilation was the main contribution of fungi to N cycling. Thaumarchaeota and Halobacteria in archaea; Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria in bacteria; and Sordariomycetes in fungi participated dominantly and widely in soil N metabolic processes.
‘Built for expansion’: the ‘social life’ of the WHO's mental health GAP Intervention Guide
Authors: Mills China , Hilberg Eva
Published: October 2019

The focus of this study is the WHO's mhGAP‐Intervention Guide (mhGAP‐IG) 2.0 (2016), an evidence‐based tool and guideline to help detect, diagnose and manage the most common mental disorders, designed for use by non‐specialists globally but particularly in low‐ and middle‐income countries. This research is a starting point in tracing the multiple ‘doings’ of mhGAP‐IG – connecting questions of how it is ‘done’ and what does it ‘do’ – to the living histories and wider global mental health assemblages that make the tool possible and shape its global circulation. We examine the conditions of possibility that produce and legitimate mhGAP‐IG, and the ways these are ‘black boxed’ through casting mhGAP‐IG in technical rather than epistemological terms. The study illuminates how its explicit design for global expansion positions mhGAP‐IG as open to questioning from those who are technical ‘insiders’ and setting the epistemological parameters of its own critique. It analyses mhGAP‐IG as an ‘inscription device’ that inscribes and materialises algorithmic imaginaries of mental health that impact on design and local implementation. This study is one attempt at initiating dialogue with the WHO from perspectives and methodological approaches not usually included in the conversation.
Smart textiles: transforming the practice of medicalisation and health care
Authors: Joyce Kelly
Published: October 2019

Smart textile medical devices are forms of clothing that use sensors and fabrics to monitor bodily processes and communicate with data systems through wireless transmission. To investigate the co‐evolution of digital technologies and health care practices, this study draws on focus group and fieldwork data to analyse the sociological implications of the creation of two smart textile devices: one – the bellyband – will replace the tocodynamometer and foetal heart rate monitor during labour and birth in hospitals and the other – the babyband – will replace the cardiopulmonary monitor in neonatal intensive care units. Analysis of potential users’ views of smart textiles demonstrates the contemporary contours of medicalisation and surveillance medicine. Smart textiles blur the boundary between hospital/medicine and home/daily life. In this blurring, medicalisation becomes “cozy” or “comfortable” and surveillance takes on a friendly form. Smart textile medical devices thus fit into broader trends in health care in which hospitals are designed to be homelike and intimate even as patients and devices become fully integrated into data systems.
Navigating the cartographies of trust: how patients and carers establish the credibility of online treatment claims
Authors: Petersen Alan , Tanner Claire , Munsie Megan
Published: October 2019

Digital media offer citizens novel ways of ‘enacting’ health and illness, and treatment and care. However, while digital media may so ‘empower’ citizens, those searching for credible information will be confronted with various, often‐conflicting claims that may have ‘disempowering’ effects. This article uses Gieryn's concept of the ‘cultural cartography’ to explore the criteria that patients and carers employ in establishing the credibility of information on alleged treatments. Drawing on data from interviews with Australian patients and carers who have travelled or considered travelling abroad for unproven commercial stem cell treatments, the article examines how individuals assess rival sources of epistemic authority – science‐based and non‐science‐based – as they search for credible information. As we argue, in a context where conventional treatment options are perceived to be limited or non‐existent – which is likely to be the case with those suffering severe, life‐limiting conditions – and the credibility of sources uncertain, matters of opinion and belief are prone to being interpreted as matters of fact, with potentially far‐reaching implications for citizens’ health. Revealing the mechanisms by which individuals ascribe credibility to health information, we conclude, has become crucial as digital media assume a growing role in health and healthcare and governments encourage citizens to become ‘digitally literate’.
The datafication of reproduction: time‐lapse embryo imaging and the commercialisation of IVF
Authors: van de Wiel Lucy
Published: October 2019

The 21st century has witnessed the emergence of in silico reproduction alongside the familiar in vitro reproduction (e.g. IVF), as increasingly large and automatically‐generated data sets have come to play an instrumental role in assisted reproduction. The article addresses this datafication of reproduction by analysing time‐lapse embryo imaging, a key data‐driven technology for embryo selection in IVF cycles. It discusses the new forms of knowledge and value creation enabled by data‐driven embryo selection and positions this technology as a harbinger of a wider datafication of (reproductive) health. By analysing the new ways of seeing embryos with ‘in silico vision,’ the ‘data generativity’ of developing embryos and the patenting of embryo selection algorithms, I argue that this datafied method of embryo selection may not just result in more or less ‘IVF success,’ but also affects the conceptualisation and commercialisation of the assisted reproductive process. In doing so, I highlight how the datafication of reproduction both reflects and reinforces a consolidating trend in the fertility sector—characterised by mergers resulting in larger fertility chains, online platforms organising fertility care and expanded portfolios of companies aiming to cover each step of the IVF cycle.
A natural strategy to improve the shelf life of the loaf bread against toxigenic fungi: The employment of fermented whey powder
Authors: Luz Carlos , Rodriguez Lorena , Romano Raffaele , Mañes Jorge , Meca Giuseppe
Published: October 2019

Whey powders are used as food ingredients in many applications, from bakery goods, soups and sauces to baby food. The objective of the study was to evaluate the antifungal property of a whey‐based medium (WM) fermented by lactic acid bacteria. The antifungal activity of the WM was evaluated using antifungal tests on solid and liquid media. MIC and MFC ranged from 15.6 to 250 mg/mL and 62.5 to 250 mg/mL, respectively. Using fermented WM for dough preparation produced a reduction of Penicillium expansum growth of 0.5–0.6 log CFU/g and an improvement in shelf life of 1–2 days in relation to control bread.
Impact of family practice continuity of care on unplanned hospital use for people with serious mental illness
Authors: Ride Jemimah , Kasteridis Panagiotis , Gutacker Nils , Doran Tim , Rice Nigel , Gravelle Hugh , Kendrick Tony , Mason Anne , Goddard Maria , Siddiqi Najma , Gilbody Simon , Williams Rachael , Aylott Lauren , Dare Ceri , Jacobs Rowena
Published: October 2019

Objective

To investigate whether continuity of care in family practice reduces unplanned hospital use for people with serious mental illness (SMI).

Data Sources

Linked administrative data on family practice and hospital utilization by people with SMI in England, 2007‐2014.

Study Design

This observational cohort study used discrete‐time survival analysis to investigate the relationship between continuity of care in family practice and unplanned hospital use: emergency department (ED) presentations, and unplanned admissions for SMI and ambulatory care‐sensitive conditions (ACSC). The analysis distinguishes between relational continuity and management/ informational continuity (as captured by care plans) and accounts for unobserved confounding by examining deviation from long‐term averages.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

Individual‐level family practice administrative data linked to hospital administrative data.

Principal Findings

Higher relational continuity was associated with 8‐11 percent lower risk of ED presentation and 23‐27 percent lower risk of ACSC admissions. Care plans were associated with 29 percent lower risk of ED presentation, 39 percent lower risk of SMI admissions, and 32 percent lower risk of ACSC admissions.

Conclusions

Family practice continuity of care can reduce unplanned hospital use for physical and mental health of people with SMI.
Mechanism Study of the Formation of Indigo Carmine–Aluminum Hydroxide Lake for Food Use
Authors: Yuan Dongdong , Wang Chengtao , Liu Ya , Lei Sheng , Wen Yanjun
Published: October 2019

Although aluminum lakes are widely used in food industry for dyeing demands, there is still a dearth in the understanding of the colorant lake formation mechanism. In this study, indigo carmine (IC) lake (IC–aluminum hydroxide complex), a frequently used blue lake in the food industry, was investigated in terms of kinetics, isotherms, properties of colloidal particles, infrared (IR) spectra, and titration curves. Pseudo‐second‐order model presented the strongest correlation with the kinetic data at all pH levels (R2 ≥ 0.994). In pH range from 4 to 7, the colloidal particles of aluminum hydroxide were positively charged with zeta potential around 44 mV; a further pH increase induced to a decreased zeta potential, which reached negative levels at pH 10 and beyond. Diameter maximized at pH 10 (22.47 µm) and declined when the pH was reduced. Isotherm analysis showed that the adsorption followed monolayer adsorption patterns, as described by the Langmuir isotherm model. IR spectra indicated sulfonic acid groups participated in a chemical reaction during adsorption, and the titration assay further confirmed the formation of coordination bonds between sulfonic acid groups and aluminum atoms. This study profiled the reaction responsible for the formation of the blue lake and elucidated its reaction mechanism. Furthermore, the outcome could assist in improving the production efficiency of the lake through achieving higher reaction rate and adsorption capacity.

Practical Application

The study elucidated the mechanism of indigo carmine (IC)–aluminum hydroxide lake formation, including profile of the adsorption process and molecular interaction between the blue dye and the hydroxide. The outcome of this study would help to improve the production efficiency of IC–aluminum hydroxide lakes, and to decrease the content of aluminum required in the lake by optimizing the production parameters to enhance the adsorption capacity of aluminum hydroxide, which would facilitate the alleviation of the potential health hazards caused by excessive intake of aluminum through foods.
Effect of Pulsed Electric Field Pretreatment of Date Palm Fruits on Free Amino Acids, Bioactive Components, and Physicochemical Characteristics of the Alcoholic Beverage
Authors: Siddeeg Azhari , Zeng Xin‐An , Rahaman Abdul , Manzoor Muhammad Faisal , Ahmed Zahoor , Ammar Al‐Farga
Published: October 2019

This research is aimed to observe the impact of pulsed electric field (PEF) application on the free amino acids, physicochemical characteristics, and bioactive components of alcoholic beverages processed from date palm fruits. The fruits were treated by PEF (frequency: 10 Hz, treatment time: 100 µs, pulses number: 40 µs for electric field: 1.38, 2.02, and 2.92 kV/cm, respectively). A significant increase (P < 0.05) in the total free amino acids and phenolic and flavonoid contents (2.92 > 2.02 > 1.38 kV/cm) was observed. There was a minor significant difference among the treated samples in the total soluble solid, alcohol, and total sugar contents, while there were no significant changes in the other parameters, including the color attributes.

Practical Application

This study observed whether PEF treatment has a positive impact on the processing of alcoholic beverages of date palm fruits. PEF was found to improve the bioactive components and nutritional value of alcoholic beverages processed from date palm fruits. This finding suggests that PEF can be a better technique to enhance the quality characteristics of date palm fruit alcoholic beverages.
Exploring the accuracy of amplicon‐based internal transcribed spacer markers for a fungal community
Authors: Li Shuzhen , Deng Ye , Wang Zhujun , Zhang Zhaojing , Kong Xiao , Zhou Wenjun , Yi Yanyun , Qu Yuanyuan
Published: October 2019

With the continual improvement in high‐throughput sequencing technology and constant updates to fungal reference databases, the use of amplicon‐based DNA markers as a tool to reveal fungal diversity and composition in various ecosystems has become feasible. However, both primer selection and the experimental procedure require meticulous verification. Here, we computationally and experimentally evaluated the accuracy and specificity of three widely used or newly designed internal transcribed spacer (ITS) primer sets (ITS1F/ITS2, gITS7/ITS4 and 5.8S‐Fun/ITS4‐Fun). In silico evaluation revealed that primer coverage varied at different taxonomic levels due to differences in degeneracy and the location of primer sets. Using even and staggered mock community standards, we identified different proportions of chimeric and mismatch reads generated by different primer sets, as well as great variation in species abundances, suggesting that primer selection would affect the results of amplicon‐based metabarcoding studies. Choosing proofreading and high‐fidelity polymerase (KAPA HiFi) could significantly reduce the percentage of chimeric and mismatch sequences, further reducing inflation of operational taxonomic units. Moreover, for two types of environmental fungal communities, plant endophytic and soil fungi, it was demonstrated that the three primer sets could not reach a consensus on fungal community composition or diversity, and that primer selection, not experimental treatment, determines observed soil fungal community diversity and composition. Future DNA marker surveys should pay greater attention to potential primer effects and improve the experimental scheme to increase credibility and accuracy.
Intertemporal price discrimination with two products
Authors: Rochet Jean‐Charles , Thanassoulis John
Published: October 2019

We study the two‐product monopoly profit maximization problem for a seller who can commit to a dynamic pricing strategy. We show that if consumers' valuations are not strongly ordered, then optimality for the seller can require intertemporal price discrimination: the seller offers a choice between supplying a complete bundle now, or delaying the supply of a component of that bundle until a later date. For general valuations, we establish a sufficient condition for such dynamic pricing to be more profitable than mixed bundling. So we show that the established no‐discrimination‐across‐time result does not extend to two‐product sellers under standard taste distributions.
MetaCurator: A hidden Markov model‐based toolkit for extracting and curating sequences from taxonomically‐informative genetic markers
Authors: Richardson Rodney T. , Sponsler Douglas B. , McMinn‐Sauder Harper , Johnson Reed M.
Published: October 2019

While metabarcoding and metagenomic approaches are increasingly popular, questions remain about how best to analyse and taxonomically characterize the sequence data produced by such methods. Due to a lack of software infrastructure, important reference sequence curation steps are often ignored.

We present MetaCurator, a software package designed for automated reference sequence curation and highly generalizable across markers and study systems. MetaCurator contains two signature tools. IterRazor utilizes profile hidden Markov models and an iterative search framework to exhaustively identify and extract the precise marker of interest from available references. DerepByTaxonomy dereplicates sequences using a taxonomically aware approach, removing duplicates only when they belong to the same taxon. This is important for highly conserved markers, such as plant rbcL and trnL, which often display no sequence divergence across taxa, even at the genus level.

Using MetaCurator, we produced reference sequence databases for a popular arthropod COI marker as well as four plant barcoding markers, trnL, rbcL, ITS2 and trnH. In comparing these databases to those produced by recent and comparable studies, we show that the Metacurator pipeline exhibits greater sensitivity during sequence extraction, especially for poorly conserved markers. Further, database taxonomic richness was not decreased following sequence dereplication, as observed in previous studies.

MetaCurator is supported on OSX and Linux and is freely available under a GPL v3.0 license at https://github.com/RTRichar/MetaCurator. The reference databases produced in this work, and the commands used for curation, are available at https://github.com/RTRichar/MetabarcodeDBsV2.
Fire caused demographic attrition of the Tasmanian palaeoendemic conifer Athrotaxis cupressoides
Authors: Bowman David M. J. S. , Bliss Aimee , Bowman Clarence J. W. , Prior Lynda D.
Published: October 2019

The temperate island of Tasmania is a global centre of plant endemism, with relictual lineages that persist in topographically rugged, wet and cool refugia. An iconic example of these palaeoendemic plants is the slow‐growing conifer, Athrotaxis cupressoides D. Don (Cupressaceae). The geographic range of A. cupressoides has shrunk since European settlement because of destructive anthropogenic fires. Inscription of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area in 1982 provided formal protection for Tasmania's palaeoendemic taxa, but they remain vulnerable to lightning‐ignited landscape fires, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change. We surveyed stands across the species’ range and found that stands damaged by fires in the 20th century had higher grass cover and were more exposed to hot northerly winds than unburnt stands. A recruitment bottleneck was evident, with juveniles absent in 28% of unburnt and 47% of burnt transects. Transects on small islands in lakes had lower herbivore densities and less evidence of fire than comparable mainland transects. However, the island transects had lower densities of A. cupressoides seedlings and saplings, despite similar densities of adult trees, suggesting factors other than fire and herbivory contribute to the poor regeneration. We also studied the effects of a lightning fire in 2016, finding it killed 68% of stems overall, with stems less than 30 cm diameter and those scarred by previous fires more likely to die. These findings of high adult mortality and poor regeneration following fire suggest that the geographic range of A. cupressoides will contract due to the increasing frequency of lightning‐ignited fires. Management responses to the increasing risk of landscape fires now include establishment of seed banks, restoration planting and use of irrigation to protect stands from active fires, in addition to rapid suppression of ignitions and targeted planned burning to reduce fuel loads in surrounding flammable vegetation.
Estrogen induces indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase expression via suppressors of cytokine signaling 3 in the chorionic villi and decidua of women in early pregnancy,
Authors: Li Shixiang , Zhao Shuyun , Luo Jin , Zhou Hua , Xiao Ziwen , Weng Yuhong , Wang Jun , Yang Minyan , Wang Rui , Ni Xinghua , Chen Xiaojuan , Yuan Yan , Huang Guanyou
Published: October 2019

Problem

Indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase (IDO) is a key protein that participates in the protection of embryos against the mother's immune system during pregnancy. How the expression of this protein is regulated at the maternal‐fetal interface remains largely unknown.

Method of study

The chorionic villi and decidua of women in early pregnancy were collected. Tissue explants of the chorionic villi and decidua were cultured in media containing varying concentrations of 17β‐estradiol and estriol with or without fulvestrant. Western blot analysis and quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) were used to detect the expression of IDO and the suppressors of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) in the cultured tissues from chorionic villi and decidua.

Results

Both IDO and SOCS3 were expressed in chorionic villi and decidua. The expression of IDO was increased in tissue explants from chorionic villi and decidua cultured in medium containing different concentrations of 17β‐estradiol or estriol, and this increase was reversed when fulvestrant was added to the medium. The expression of IDO was upregulated, and SOCS3 expression was downregulated the most in tissue explants from chorionic villi and decidua that were cultured in medium containing 17β‐estradiol at a concentration of 10 ng/mL or estriol at a concentration of 1 µg/mL. This increase in IDO and decrease in SOCS3 were reversed when fulvestrant was added to the medium at a concentration of 10 µg/mL.

Conclusion

At a concentration similar to that present during pregnancy, estrogen may upregulate the expression of IDO via downregulating SOCS3, which implies that estrogen may contribute to the prevention of allogeneic fetal rejection, and further studies may strengthen the possibility of using estrogen as an immune modulator.
The Volumetric Political Forest: Territory, Satellite Fire Mapping, and Indonesia’s Burning Peatland
Authors: Goldstein Jenny Elaine
Published: October 2019

Peatland burning in Indonesia’s state forest has increased in recent years, causing protracted “haze” crises across Southeast Asia and opening up new ways of thinking about how the political forest extends into the atmosphere and the subterranean. I take up political geographers’ call to consider territory volumetrically, rather than as two‐dimensional area, to analyse the politics of contemporary forest territoriality and of cross‐border biophysical forest phenomena. Doing so acknowledges the increasingly volatile materiality of forests but also the ways in which state, extra‐state, and non‐state actors respond to forest‐based crises under neoliberalism. As fires in Indonesia’s peatlands affect the subterranean and atmospheric spaces beyond the enclosed surfaces that have traditionally rendered forests political through territorialisation, analysing the vertical and volumetric dimensions of forest territory reveals the ways in which contemporary political forest‐making occurs through strategic control of the expansive space above, below, and beyond forests themselves. I further suggest that such territorialisation plays out through surveillance‐based legal and representational practices, such as laws that seek culpability for polluted transboundary airspace and satellite‐based remote sensing of underground fires, in ways that obscure the economic and political objectives of such territorial strategies.
Commuting distances to local non‐farm workplaces and out‐migration: The case of Northeast Thailand
Authors: Shirai Yuko , Leisz Stephen , Fox Jefferson , Rambo A. Terry
Published: October 2019

The relationship between commuting distances and where people work has been studied for urban contexts in both developed countries and developing countries. However, few studies have examined the situation in rural areas, and none look at commuting distances to non‐farm workplaces in rural areas of developing countries. This paper investigates how commuting distance, and thus accessibility, to local non‐farm work influences non‐farm employment and out‐migration from rural villages in Northeast Thailand. The main issues examined are: (i) the distance that rural residents travel to work in local non‐farm jobs; and (ii) the influence that local non‐farm employment has on the number of outmigrants from rural villages. The study finds: (i) distance between villages and non‐farm work sites impact the number of villagers who are employed in regular wage work; (ii) beyond 20 km villagers are less likely to travel to non‐farm employment using their own means of transportation; and (iii) employment in regular wage work decreases outmigration. The findings from this study contribute to the debates over the drivers of rural out‐migration, rural livelihood changes, and agrarian changes that are taking place in Southeast Asia.
How do grassroot NGOs in rural Myanmar express their visions for the food system? Food security and food sovereignty as entangled narratives within NGO struggles and strategies
Authors: Elkharouf Omar , Pritchard Bill
Published: October 2019

Recent research has promoted the idea that political struggles over food systems can be understood through the concepts of food security (the right to access food) and food sovereignty (the right to exercise control over food systems). These concepts emphasise different political priorities in the social relations of food: for the former, the promotion of decent work and the strengthening of the social safety net to enhance people's abilities to put food on their plates; for the latter, the defence of land, water and resource rights, to underpin capabilities for food own‐provisioning. The question we pose in this paper is how these priorities are articulated by grassroots non‐government organisations working at the frontline of global food poverty? Interviews with 22 representatives of food‐related non‐government organisations in Myanmar were used to elicit narratives about how they understood their challenges. The paper finds that narratives did not cohere exclusively to either the food security or food sovereignty concept, but blended ideas associated with the political priorities of both in complex and contradictory ways. These insights lend important firsthand evidence to the argument that supports a multi‐dimensional framing of the politics of food that is inclusive of the diverse struggles highlighted by food security and food sovereignty concepts.
The effects of openness, altruism and instructional self‐efficacy on work engagement of MOOC instructors
Authors: Doo Min Young , Zhu Meina , Bonk Curtis J. , Tang Ying
Published: October 2019

Many of the characteristics and nature of teaching massive open online courses (MOOCs) are different from face‐to‐face teaching, which can directly affect instructors’ work engagement and ultimately the success of MOOCs. As such, this study investigated the effects of openness, altruism and instructional self‐efficacy on MOOC instructors’ work engagement. A total of 209 MOOC instructors participated in an online survey, and their responses were analyzed. The research findings indicated that openness to experience influenced MOOC instructors’ instructional self‐efficacy and work engagement. Altruism did not directly influence work engagement of MOOC instructors; however, it indirectly affected work engagement through instructional self‐efficacy. Instructional self‐efficacy also affected MOOC instructors’ work engagement and fully mediated the relationship between altruism and work engagement. The variables examined in this study, openness, altruism and instructional self‐efficacy, were found to significantly influence work engagement of MOOC instructors. As the number of MOOCs and MOOC students increase, the importance of MOOC instructors and their work engagement will be crucial for the success of these courses. Thus, additional research is needed on the ways to enhance MOOC instructors’ work engagement.

Practitioner Notes

What is already known about this topic

The number of MOOCs and institutions offering MOOCs has grown rapidly since 2008 to more than 11 400 MOOCs at over 900 universities in 2018.

MOOC instructors play a major role in the success of MOOCs.

Work engagement has a significant impact on performance and attitudes, including job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention.

What this paper adds

Openness to experience, altruism and instructional self‐efficacy significantly influenced work engagement of MOOC instructors.

Openness to experience influenced MOOC instructors’ instructional self‐efficacy and work engagement.

Altruism did not directly influence work engagement of MOOC instructors; however, it indirectly affected work engagement through instructional self‐efficacy.

Instructional self‐efficacy also affected MOOC instructors’ work engagement and fully mediated the relationship between altruism and work engagement.

Implications for practice and/or policy

It is important to arouse MOOC instructors’ intellectual curiosity and creativity.

To enhance MOOC instructors’ work engagement, it is necessary to enhance their instructional self‐efficacy as a prerequisite for successful MOOC teaching.

There is a need to provide MOOC instructors with the necessary information and opportunities to sharpen the skills required for teaching MOOCs effectively through MOOC instructor seminars or workshops.

Providing opportunities to teach a small online class first can improve MOOC instructors’ instructional self‐efficacy for MOOC teaching.
CB1 enhanced the osteo/dentinogenic differentiation ability of periodontal ligament stem cells via p38 MAPK and JNK in an inflammatory environment
Authors: Yan Wanhao , Cao Yangyang , Yang Haoqing , Han Nannan , Zhu Xinling , Fan Zhipeng , Du Juan , Zhang Fengqiu
Published: October 2019

Objectives

Periodontitis is an inflammatory immune disease that causes periodontal tissue loss. Inflammatory immunity and bone metabolism are closely related to periodontitis. The cannabinoid receptor I (CB1) is an important constituent of the endocannabinoid system and participates in bone metabolism and inflammation tissue healing. It is unclear whether CB1 affects the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) function involved in periodontal tissue regeneration. In this study, we revealed the role and mechanism of CB1 in the osteo/dentinogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) in an inflammatory environment.

Materials and methods

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, Alizarin Red staining, quantitative calcium analysis and osteo/dentinogenic markers were used to assess osteo/dentinogenic differentiation. Real‐time RT‐PCR and Western blotting were employed to detect gene expression.

Results

CB1 overexpression or CB1 agonist (10 µM R‐1 Meth) promoted the osteo/dentinogenic differentiation of PDLSCs. Deletion of CB1 or the application of CB1 antagonist (10 µM AM251) repressed the osteo/dentinogenic differentiation of PDLSCs. The activation of CB1 enhanced the TNF‐α‐ and INF‐γ‐impaired osteo/dentinogenic differentiation potential in PDLSCs. Moreover, CB1 activated p38 MAPK and JNK signalling and repressed PPAR‐γ and Erk1/2 signalling. Inhibition of JNK signalling could block CB1‐activated JNK and p38 MAPK signalling, while CB1 could activate p38 MAPK and JNK signalling, which was inhibited by TNF‐α and INF‐γ stimulation.

Conclusions

CB1 was able to enhance the osteo/dentinogenic differentiation ability of PDLSCs via p38 MAPK and JNK signalling in an inflammatory environment, which might be a potential target for periodontitis treatment.
Endoscopic removal of a spherical foreign body impacted in the esophagus using double‐balloon catheters
Authors: Yuan Xianglei , Gong Hui , Hu Bing
Published: October 2019

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A typology of students in intermediate vocational education and training programmes based on student engagement factors, sociodemographic characteristics and intentions of dropping out
Authors: Cerda‐Navarro Antoni , Salva‐Mut Francesca , Comas Forgas Ruben
Published: October 2019

The main objective of this article is to define a typology of students enrolled in intermediate vocational education and training programmes in Spain. Students were first placed in groups based on various factors related to engagement. Then, their sociodemographic characteristics were analysed. Finally, the intentions of dropping out were considered in each of the groups. The results obtained describe a typology of students consisting of five groups with different levels of engagement. Each of the groups is associated with distinct sociodemographic characteristics and shows notable differences with regards to intentions of leaving their studies. The results of this research can serve to detect and prevent drop‐outs that take place at this level by identifying at‐risk profiles and creating more adequate approaches and interventions.
Workplace conditions for successful teacher professional development: School principals’ beliefs and practices
Authors: Gaikhorst Lisa , März Virginie , du Pré Rosa , Geijsel Femke
Published: October 2019

Research has increasingly shown that school principals exercised a significant role in teacher professional development (TPD). Nevertheless, the insights into the particular influence they exert in this process and how it is exercised still need to be developed. This article focuses on what school principals consider important working conditions for TDP and which leadership practices they use to realise these conditions in their schools. Using a multiple case study design, including 20 semi‐strcutured interviews with primary school principals, the findings show that they consider both structural (sufficient time and evaluation of TDP interventions) and cultural (an open work climate and collaboration) conditions to be important for TDP. Additionally, school principals emphasise the significance of teachers’ learning attitudes, differentiation in professionnalisation efforts and knowledge sharing in their schools. Furthermore, the results highlight that they have trouble in realising these working conditions, especially those for internal learning activities (such as an open work climate). Based on the results, recommendations are made for further research and policy makers concerning the preparation and support that principals need to realise (internal) TDP in their schools.
Social media bots and stock markets
Authors: Fan Rui , Talavera Oleksandr , Tran Vu
Published: October 2019

This study examines the link between information spread by social media bots and stock trading. Based on a large sample of tweets mentioning 55 companies in the FTSE 100 composites, we find significant relations between bot tweets and stock returns, volatility, and trading volume at both daily and intraday levels. These results are also confirmed by an event study of stock response following abnormal increases in the volume of tweets. The findings are robust to various specifications, including controlling for traditional news channel, alternative measures of volatility, information flows in pretrading hours, and different measures of sentiment.