bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COI metabarcoding primer choice affects richness and recovery of indicator taxa in freshwater systems
Authors: Hajibabaei Mehrdad , Porter Teresita M. , Wright Michael , Rudar Josip
Published: March 2019

DNA-based biodiversity analysis has gained major attention due to the use of high throughput sequencing technology in approaches such as mixed community or environmental DNA metabarcoding. Many cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) primer sets are now available for such work. The purpose of this study is to look at how COI primer choice affects the recovery of arthropod richness, beta diversity, and recovery of site indicator taxa in benthos kick-net samples typically used in freshwater biomonitoring. We examine 6 commonly used COI primer sets, on samples collected from 6 freshwater sites. Richness is sensitive to primer choice and the combined use of additional multiple COI amplicons recovers higher richness. Thus, to recover maximum richness, multiple primer sets should be used with COI metabarcoding. Samples consistently cluster by site regardless of amplicon choice or PCR replicate. Thus, for broadscale community analyses, overall beta diversity patterns are robust to COI marker choice. Additionally, the recovery of traditional freshwater bioindicator assemblages such as Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, Plectoptera, and Diptera may not fully capture the diversity of broadscale arthropod site indicators that can be recovered from COI metabarcoding. Based on these results, studies that use different COI amplicons may not be directly comparable. This work will help future biodiversity and biomonitoring studies develop not just standardized, but optimized workflows that maximize taxon-detection or order taxa along gradients.
Prevalence and risk factors profile of seropositiveToxoplasmosis gondiiinfection among apparently immunocompetent Sudanese women
Authors: Mustafa Madinna , Fathy Fatima , Mirghani Abubaker , Mohamed Mona A. , Muneer Mohamed S. , Ahmed Abdallah E. , Ali Mohamed Siralkhatim , Omer Rihab A. , Siddig Emmanuel E. , Mohamed Nouh S. , Abd Elkareem Amjed M.
Published: March 2019

Objectives

Toxoplasma gondiiis an opportunistic parasite that cause a clinical manifestation known as toxoplasmosis. We investigated the prevalence and potential risk factors ofT. gondiiinfection among women in Khartoum, Sudan. A sero-parasitological cross-sectional study included 100 women aging between 15-50 years old was conducted in Khartoum, Sudan between January – November 2018. Serum samples were collected and investigated for presence of anti-T. gondiiimmunoglobulins.

Results

Mean age of the women population included was 26.75±8.25 with a range between 15 and 50 years. Sero-prevalence ofT. gondiiantibodies was 27% (27/100) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 18.6 – 36.8%. Among seropositive population 81% (22/27), 15% (4/27) and 4% (1/27) were seropositive for IgG antibodies, IgM antibodies and both antibodies respectively. Age group 21-30 years old had the highest frequency of detected IgG (10/45) and IgM (3/45). Married women had the highest frequency of detected IgG or IgM, 18/79 and 3/79, respectively. Risk factors analysis showed a total of 37/100 participants were having direct contact with cats and 66/100 have a frequent raw meat consumption, neither direct cats contact nor raw meat consumption had statistically significant association with seropositivity to T. gondii (P. value =0.052 and 0.565, respectively).
Sensitivity of Olfactory Sensory Neurons to food cues is tuned to nutritional states by Neuropeptide Y signalling
Authors: Kaniganti Tarun , Deogade Ajinkya , Maduskar Aditi , Mukherjee Arghya , Guru Akash , Subhedar Nishikant , Ghose Aurnab
Published: March 2019

Background

Modulation of sensory perception by homeostatic feedback from physiological states is central to innate purposive behaviours. Olfaction is an important predictive modality for feeding-related behaviours and its modulation has been associated with hunger-satiety states. However, the mechanisms mapping internal states to chemosensory processing in order to modify behaviour are poorly understood.

Results

In the zebrafish olfactory epithelium, a subset of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) and the terminal nerve projections express neuropeptide Y (NPY). We find that NPY signalling in the peripheral olfactory system of zebrafish is correlated with its nutritional state and is both necessary and sufficient for the olfactory perception of food related odorants. NPY activity dynamically modulates the microvillar OSN activation thresholds and acts cooperatively with amino acid signalling resulting in a switch-like increase in OSN sensitivity in starved animals. We suggest that cooperative activation of phospholipase C by convergent signalling from NPY and amino acid receptors is central to this heightened sensitivity.

Conclusions

This study provides ethologically relevant, physiological evidence for NPY signalling in peripheral modulation of OSN sensitivity to food-associated amino acid cues. We demonstrate sensory gating directly at the level of OSNs and identify a novel mechanistic framework for tuning olfactory sensitivity to prevailing energy states.
Neuropeptide B mediates female sexual receptivity in medaka fish, acting in a female-specific but reversible manner
Authors: Hiraki-Kajiyama Towako , Yamashita Junpei , Yokoyama Keiko , Hosono Kohei , Kawabata-Sakata Yukika , Kikuchi Yukiko , Miyazoe Daichi , Ansai Satoshi , Kinoshita Masato , Nagahama Yoshitaka , Okubo Kataaki
Published: March 2019

Male and female animals display innate sex-specific mating behaviors. Among vertebrates, teleosts are unique in that altering the adult sex steroid milieu can reverse sex-typical mating behaviors, suggesting sexual lability of their brains. In the teleost medaka, neuropeptide B (NPB) is expressed female-specifically in the brain nuclei implicated in mating behavior. Here, we demonstrate that NPB is a direct mediator of estrogen action on female mating behavior, acting in a female-specific but reversible manner. Analysis of regulatory mechanisms revealed that the female-specific expression of NPB is dependent on direct transcriptional activation by estrogen via an estrogen-responsive element and is reversed in response to changes in the adult sex steroid milieu. Behavioral studies of NPB knockouts revealed that female-specific NBP mediates female receptivity to male courtship. The female-specific NPB signaling identified herein is presumably a critical element of the neural circuitry underlying sexual dimorphism and lability of mating behaviors in teleosts.
Spreading of molecular mechanical perturbations on linear filaments
Authors: Balassy Zsombor , Lauzon Anne-Marie , Hilbert Lennart
Published: March 2019

Global changes in the state of spatially distributed systems can often be traced back to events resulting from local interactions. Whether the results of local interactions grow into global changes, however, depends (i) on the system geometry and (ii) the spatial spreading of the outcomes of local interactions. Here, we investigate how different spreading behaviors of local events determine their global impact in one-dimensional systems of different size. In particular, we combinein vitroexperiments where groups of myosin motors propel actin filaments, single-molecule resolution simulations of thesein vitroexperiments, and an abstracted spin chain model. All three approaches lead to the same two conclusions. First, local events that become long-term stable only after they have spread to full system size have more impact in smaller systems. Second, local events that are relatively stable upon initial occurrence and then spread to full system size have more impact in larger systems. Our work provides highly specific predictions for future experiments that resolve actin-myosin-crosslinker interactions along actin filaments. Also, the conclusions from our work should generally apply to local-to-global spreading in finite, one-dimensional geometries.

Significance Statement

We address the fundamental question of how results of local interactions spread in one-dimensional systems of different size. To this end, we reconstituted the molecular contractile machinery of muscle, which is organized around linear actin filaments of different length and drives their forward sliding. In addition, we use detailed simulations that follow the mechanically interacting molecules individually. Lastly, we used a more abstract theoretical physics model, which transfers our results to all systems with one-dimensional geometry and local interactions. All three approaches give the same results: local interactions that persist only once they cover the whole system affect smaller systems more strongly; local interactions that are relatively stable even before spreading affect larger systems more strongly.
Neural basis of approximate number system develops independent of visual experience
Authors: Kanjlia Shipra , Feigenson Lisa , Bedny Marina
Published: March 2019

Thinking about numerical quantities is an integral part of daily human life that is supported by the intraparietal sulcus (IPS). The IPS is recruited during mathematical calculation and neuronal populations within the IPS code for the quantity of items in a set. Is the developmental basis of IPS number representations rooted in visual experience? We asked if the IPS possesses population codes for auditory quantities in sighted individuals and, critically, whether it does in the absence of any visual experience in congenitally blind individuals. We found that sequences of 4, 8, 16 and 32 tones each elicited unique patterns of fMRI activity in the IPS of both sighted and congenitally blind individuals, such that the quantity a participant heard on a given trial could be reliably predicted based on the pattern of observed IPS activity. This finding suggests that the IPS number system is resilient to dramatic changes in sensory experience.
Cortical surface architecture endophenotype and correlates of clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Yamagata Bun , Itahashi Takashi , Fujino Junya , Ohta Haruhisa , Takashio Osamu , Nakamura Motoaki , Kato Nobumasa , Mimura Masaru , Hashimoto Ryu-ichiro , Aoki Yuta
Published: March 2019

Aim

Prior structural MRI studies demonstrated atypical gray matter characteristics in siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, they did not clarify which aspect of gray matter presents the endophenotype. Further, because they did not enroll siblings of TD people, they underestimated the difference between individuals with ASD and their unaffected siblings. The current study aimed to solve these questions.

Methods

We recruited 30 pairs of adult male siblings (15 of them have an ASD endophenotype, other 15 pairs not) and focused on four gray matter parameters: cortical volume and three surface-based parameters (cortical thickness, fractal dimension, and sulcal depth [SD]). First, we sought to identify a pattern of an ASD endophenotype, comparing the four parameters. Then, we compared individuals with ASD and their unaffected siblings in the cortical parameters to identify neural correlates for the clinical diagnosis accounting for the difference between TD siblings.

Results

A sparse logistic regression with a leave-one-pair-out cross-validation showed the highest accuracy for the identification of an ASD endophenotype (73.3%) with the SD compared with the other three parameters. A bootstrapping analysis accounting for the difference in the SD between TD siblings showed a significantly large difference between individuals with ASD and their unaffected siblings in six out of 68 regions-of-interest accounting for multiple comparisons.

Conclusions

This proof-of-concept study suggests that an ASD endophenotype emerges in SD and that neural correlates for the clinical diagnosis can be dissociated from the endophenotype when we accounted for the difference between TD siblings. (248/250 words)
Toxoplasmacontrols host cyclin E expression through the use of a novel MYR1-dependent effector protein, HCE1
Authors: Panas Michael W. , Naor Adit , Cygan Alicja M. , Boothroyd John C.
Published: March 2019

Toxoplasma gondiiis an obligate intracellular parasite that establishes a favorable environment in the host cells in which it replicates. We have previously reported that it uses MYR-dependent translocation of dense granule proteins to elicit a key set of host responses related to the cell cycle, specifically E2F transcription factor targets including cyclin E. We report here the identification of a novelToxoplasmaeffector protein that is exported from the parasitophorous vacuole in a MYR1-dependent manner and localizes to the host’s nucleus. Parasites lacking this inducer ofHostCyclinE(HCE1) are unable to modulate E2F transcription factor target genes and exhibit a substantial growth defect. Immunoprecipitation of HCE1 from infected host cells shows that HCE1 efficiently binds elements of the cyclin E regulatory complex, DP1 and its partners E2F3 and E2F4. Expression of HCE1 inNeospora caninum, or in uninfected HFFs, shows localization of the expressed protein to the host nuclei and strong cyclin E up-regulation. Thus, HCE1 is a novel effector protein that is necessary and sufficient to impact the E2F-axis of transcription resulting in co-opting of host functions toToxoplasma’sadvantage.
Proteome of the secondary plastid of Euglena gracilis reveals metabolic quirks and colourful history
Authors: Novák Vanclová Anna M. G. , Zoltner Martin , Kelly Steven , Soukal Petr , Záhonová Kristína , Füssy Zoltán , Ebenezer ThankGod E. , Dobáková Eva Lacová , Eliáš Marek , Lukeš Julius , Field Mark C. , Hampl Vladimír
Published: March 2019

Euglena gracilis is a well-studied biotechnologically exploitable phototrophic flagellate harbouring secondary green plastids. Here we describe its plastid proteome obtained by high-resolution proteomics. We identified 1,345 candidate plastid proteins and assigned functional annotations to 774 of them. More than 120 proteins are affiliated neither to the host lineage nor the plastid ancestor and may represent horizontal acquisitions from various algal and prokaryotic groups. Reconstruction of plastid metabolism confirms both the presence of previously studied/predicted enzymes/pathways and also provides direct evidence for unusual features of its metabolism including uncoupling of carotenoid and phytol metabolism, a limited role in amino acid metabolism and the presence of two sets of the SUF pathway for FeS cluster assembly. Most significantly, one of these was acquired by lateral gene transfer (LGT) from the chlamydiae. Plastidial paralogs of membrane trafficking-associated proteins likely mediating a poorly understood fusion of transport vesicles with the outermost plastid membrane were identified, as well as derlin-related proteins that potentially act as protein translocases of the middle membrane, supporting an extremely simplified TIC complex. The proposed innovations may be also linked to specific features of the transit peptide-like regions described here. Hence the Euglena plastid is demonstrated to be a product of several genomes and to combine novel and conserved metabolism and transport processes.
(Acetonitrile-κN)chlorido{2-[4-(3,5-difluorophenyl)-6-phenylpyridin-2-yl]phenyl-κ2
C
1,N}platinum(II)
Authors: Wang Yiwen , Li Hu , Shen Yu , Wu Jieying
Published: March 2019

The title compound, [Pt(C23H14F2N)Cl(CH3CN)], comprises of a PtII atom in a distorted square-planar coordination, defined by a C,N-chelating 4-(3,5-difluorophenyl)-2,6-diphenylpyridine ligand, a chlorido and an acetonitrile ligand. Hydrogen-bonding interactions between the H atoms of the 3,5-difluorophenyl ring and the acetonitrile ligand with Cl and F acceptor atoms of neighbouring ligands consolidate the packing.
Interruptions in online training and their effects on learning
Authors: Federman Jessica E.
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the types of interruptions learners experience during online training and their effects on learning.

Design/methodology/approach

An internet-based survey was distributed to individuals who experienced interruptions during e-learning to uncover common characteristics. A conceptual framework relating interruption characteristics to self-regulatory facets of learning is discussed.

Findings

The study reveals that e-learners experience computer malfunctions, supervisors and family/friends as common sources of interruptions. The survey also reveals that interruptions are occasionally self-generated.

Originality/value

This paper synthesizes the interruption and self-regulated learning literatures and provides a framework for understanding how interruptions affect online learning. This framework can be used by practitioners and scholars for future research and testing interrupted e-learning.
What do we know about maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity audits in sub-Saharan Africa? A scoping literature review
Authors: Lusambili Adelaide , Jepkosgei Joyline , Nzinga Jacinta , English Mike
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a situational overview of the facility-based maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality audits (MPMMAs) in SSA, their current efficacy at reducing mortality and morbidity rates related to childbirth.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a scoping literature review based on the synthesis of secondary literature.

Findings

Not all countries in SSA conduct MPMMAs. Countries where MPMMAs are conducted have not instituted standard practice, MPMMAs are not done on a national scale, and there is no clear best practice for MPMMAs. In addition, auditing process of pediatrics and maternal deaths is flawed by human and organizational barriers. Thus, the aggregated data collected from MPMMAs are not adequate enough to identify and correct systemic flaws in SSA childbirth-related health care.

Research limitations/implications

There are a few published literature on the topic in sub-Saharan Africa.

Practical implications

This review exposes serious gaps in literature and practice. It provides a platform upon which practitioners and policy makers must begin to discuss ways of embedding mortality audits in SSA in their health systems as well as health strategies.

Social implications

The findings of this paper can inform policy in sub-Saharan Africa that could lead toward better outcomes in health and well-being.

Originality/value

The paper is original.
Driving individuals’ citizenship behaviors in virtual communities through attachment
Authors: Chiu Chao-Min , Huang Hsin-Yi , Cheng Hsiang-Lan , Hsu Jack Shih-Chieh
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the complex relationships between common bond attachment, common identity attachment, self-esteem and virtual community citizenship behavior (VCCB). This study identifies two broad categories of VCCB: citizenship behaviors directed toward benefitting other individuals (VCCBI) and citizenship behaviors directed toward benefitting the virtual community (VCCBC).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors apply partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses, using a sample of 388 valid responses.

Findings

The results indicate that common bond attachment and common identity attachment have a significant effect on self-esteem, which, in turn, has a significant effect on VCCBI and VCCBC. The results also indicate that common bond attachment has a significant effect on VCCBI, and that common identity attachment has a significant effect on VCCBC.

Originality/value

This study contributes to a better understanding of VCCBs through common identity and common-bond theory, social identity theory and the stimulus-organism-response framework.
Customer involvement and NPD cost performance: the moderating role of product innovation novelty
Authors: Li Yi , Li Gang , Feng Taiwen , Xu Jinpeng
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of product innovation novelty on the relationship between customer involvement and new product development (NPD) cost performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use organizational information processing theory and adopt hierarchical regression and slope difference test to assess the relationships between constructs and test the hypotheses.

Findings

The authors evaluate the concept of product innovation novelty from the perspectives of suppliers and customers and infer that these two types of product innovation novelty exert a moderate effect on the relationship between customer involvement and NPD cost performance. First, product innovation novelty for customers strengthens the positive effects of customer involvement on the NPD cost performance. Second, product innovation novelty for suppliers weakens the positive impact of customer involvement on the NPD cost performance. The authors also find that the interaction between product innovation novelty for suppliers and product innovation novelty for customers weakens the positive impact of customer involvement on NPD cost performance.

Originality/value

The findings of this study explain the reasons for the controversies surrounding the impact of customer involvement on cost performance and discuss the role of product innovation novelty in customer involvement in NPD process. The results of this study can be used to establish whether customer involvement improves or weakens NPD cost performance and identify the role of product innovation novelty in NPD. The conclusions derived from this study can provide theoretical knowledge and managerial insights for both academicians and corporate professionals.
Women Offenders’ Criminal Narrative Experience
Authors: Ciesla Kayley , Ioannou Maria , Hammond Laura
Published: March 2019

Purpose

Although there is a vast array of theories on crime, one area that is largely under-represented is that of the actual experience of the offender engaged in criminal acts. The purpose of this paper is to examine the individual and phenomenological experiences of crime amongst women offenders.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consisted of 128 women who had committed a criminal offence, with an average age of 36.40 years (SD=11.12). Participants were recruited to take part in the study by answering a questionnaire exploring the emotions and narrative roles they experienced during commission of a crime. From this, participants’ Criminal Narrative Experience (CNE) was determined.

Findings

Smallest Space Analysis (SSA) analyses revealed that emotional experiences and narrative roles were thematically associated, and when both were subjected to SSA analysis, two main themes of CNE were identified: Avenging Angel and Choiceless Victim. The Choiceless Victim experience was the most representative of women’s experiences in this study.

Practical implications

The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. Future directions for research are also outlined.

Originality/value

The findings offer an alternative perspective and theoretical framework for examining women offenders’ criminal experiences.
The role of change readiness and colleague support in the role stressors and withdrawal behaviors relationship among health care employees
Authors: Chênevert Denis , Kilroy Steven , Bosak Janine
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of role stressors (role ambiguity, role conflict and role overload) on change readiness and in turn their effects on the withdrawal process. In addition, it explores the moderating role of colleague support in the relationship between role stressors and change readiness.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from health care workers (n=457) in a large Canadian hospital undergoing large scale change.

Findings

The results revealed that role ambiguity and role conflict had a significant negative association with change readiness. Change readiness was related to turnover intentions which was related to higher levels of absenteeism and actual turnover. Change readiness partially mediated the relationship between role ambiguity and turnover intentions but not for role conflict and role overload. Turnover intentions partially mediated the relationship between change readiness and actual turnover but not for absenteeism. Role conflict had a direct rather than an indirect effect via change readiness on turnover intentions. Finally, colleague support moderated the relationship between all three role stressors and change readiness.

Originality/value

Little is known about the limiting factors of change as well as the factors that protect against them. The authors identify role stressors as a limiting factor for change and highlight their impact on change readiness and the overall withdrawal process. The results, however, also show that some demands are more commonly experienced by health care workers thereby not posing a threat to their change readiness. Colleague support is identified as a coping mechanism for mitigating against the detrimental effects of role stressors.
Ant community response to disturbance: A global synthesis
Authors: Lessard Jean‐Philippe
Published: March 2019

In Focus: Andersen, A. N. (2019). . Journal of Animal Ecology 88, 350–362.

Disturbance is a key driver of ecosystem dynamics. Whereas plant community responses to disturbance are relatively well understood, the same does not hold for animals. With rapid changes affecting our world's ecosystems, predicting the response of important ecological groups to ongoing disturbance should be a focus. In particular, ants are ecosystem engineers that create habitats for other organisms and have a crucial role to play in nutrient cycling. Nevertheless, our understanding of ant community response to disturbance is, at best, fragmented. Moreover, how ant communities respond to disturbance on a global scale appears highly idiosyncratic. The perspective article by Andersen (Journal of Animal Ecology 88, 350–362.) proposes five general principles that can help elucidate ant community response to disturbance. Specifically, this synthesis deepens our understanding of how contemporary disturbances, ecological processes and the evolutionary and biogeographic history of lineages interact to influence ant community structure.
Host plant phylogeny and abundance predict root‐associated fungal community composition and diversity of mutualists and pathogens
Authors: Schroeder John W. , Martin Jessica T. , Angulo Diego F. , Arias‐Del Razo Itzel , Barbosa Jomar M. , Perea Ramón , Sebastián‐González Esther , Dirzo Rodolfo
Published: March 2019

Interactions between plants and their root‐associated fungi (RAF) may influence the relative abundance of tree species and determine forest community diversity. Such plant–soil feedbacks in turn depend on the degree to which spatial distance and phylogenetic relatedness of host trees structure pathogen and mutualist communities, but research detailing these aspects of RAF communities is lacking. Here, we characterize plant–RAF associations across a diverse plant community, focusing on the degree to which RAF communities are structured by spatial distance, host phylogenetic relatedness, and host abundance. We compare results for different functional groups, including both putative mutualists and pathogens, an aspect poorly examined hitherto.

We collected roots at regular intervals along ten 50 m by 2 m transects, then used DNA barcoding to identify host plants, and characterize the associated fungal community. Variance partitioning was used to measure the relative contributions of host phylogenetic relatedness and spatial distance to explaining RAF community composition. A weighted linear regression was used to measure the correlation between host abundance and RAF diversity.

Phylogenetic distance among hosts was a better predictor of RAF community composition than spatial distance, but this relationship was stronger for putative pathogens than for mutualists, suggesting that pathogens show stronger host preference than mutualists. Across all functional groups, RAF showed similar levels of spatial structure. Additionally, RAF communities of locally abundant plants were less diverse than RAF communities of rare plants.

Synthesis. We found that RAF communities are structured by the phylogenetic relatedness of hosts and, to a lesser extent, by spatial distance, with pathogens showing stronger host preference than mutualists. Abundant hosts had less diverse RAF communities than rare hosts, which is notable because abundant plants tend to experience weaker negative plant–soil feedback. Going forward, mechanisms underlying the host abundance‐RAF diversity relationship warrant further investigation. Additionally, the survey approach presented here could be paired with experiments linking RAF community composition to plant recruitment.
Feasibility of parent communication training with remote coaching using smartphone apps
Authors: Stockwell Katy , Alabdulqader Ebtisam , Jackson Dan , Basu Anna , Olivier Patrick , Pennington Lindsay
Published: March 2019

Background

Communication training for parents of young children with neurodisability is often delivered in groups and includes video coaching. Group teaching is problematic when there is wide variation in the characteristics and needs amongst participants.

Aims

To assess the potential feasibility and acceptability of delivering one‐to‐one parent training supported by remote coaching using smartphone apps and of conducting further trials of the intervention.

Methods & Procedures

We aimed to recruit eight children aged 12–48 months with motor disorders and communication difficulties and to provide families with individual parent training in six weekly home visits supplemented by remote coaching via smartphone apps. For outcome measurement, parents recorded their interaction with their child thrice weekly during baseline (3 weeks), intervention, post‐intervention (3 weeks) and follow‐up (1 week). Measures comprised parent responsiveness and counts of children's communication and vocalization. Research design feasibility was measured through rates of recruitment, attrition, outcome measure completion and agreement between raters on outcome measurement. Intervention feasibility was assessed through the proportion of therapy sessions received, the number of videos and text messages shared using the apps in remote coaching, and message content. Parents were interviewed about the acceptability of the intervention and trial design. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.

Outcomes & Results

Nine children were recruited over 16 weeks. All fitted the inclusion criteria. Four families withdrew from the study. Five families completed the intervention. No family submitted the target number of video recordings for outcome measurement. Interrater agreement was moderate for child communication (K = 0.46) and vocalization (K = 0.60) and high for The Responsive Augmentative and Alternative Communication Style scale (RAACS) (rs = 0.96). Parents who completed the intervention reported positive experiences of the programme and remote coaching via the apps. Therapist messages via the app contained comments on parent and child behaviour and requests for parental reflection/action; parental messages contained reflections on children's communication.

Conclusions & Implications

The intervention and study design demanded high levels of parental involvement and was not suitable for all families. Recording shorter periods of interaction via mobile phones or using alternative methods of data collection may increase feasibility of outcome measurement.
Prospective observational study of vaginal microbiota pre‐ and post‐rescue cervical cerclage
Authors: Brown RG , Chan D , Terzidou V , Lee YS , Smith A , Marchesi JR , MacIntyre DA , Bennett PR
Published: March 2019

Objective

To investigate the relation between vaginal microbiota composition and outcome of rescue cervical cerclage.

Design

Prospective observational study.

Setting

Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, London.

Population

Twenty singleton pregnancies undergoing a rescue cervical cerclage.

Methods

Vaginal microbiota composition was analysed in women presenting with a dilated cervix and exposed fetal membranes before and 10 days following rescue cervical cerclage and was correlated with clinical outcomes.

Main outcome measures

Composition of vaginal bacteria was characterised by culture‐independent next generation sequencing. Successful cerclage was defined as that resulting in the birth of a neonate discharged from hospital without morbidity. Unsuccessful cerclage was defined as procedures culminating in miscarriage, intrauterine death, neonatal death or significant neonatal morbidity.

Results

Reduced Lactobacillus spp. relative abundance was observed in 40% of cases prior to rescue cerclage compared with 10% of gestation age‐matched controls (8/20, 40% versus 3/30, 10%, P = 0.017). Gardnerella vaginalis was over‐represented in women presenting with symptoms (3/7, 43% versus 0/13, 0%, P = 0.03, linear discriminant analysis, LDA (log 10) and cases culminating in miscarriage (3/6, 50% versus 0/14, 0%, P = 0.017). In the majority of cases (10/14, 71%) bacterial composition was unchanged following cerclage insertion and perioperative interventions.

Conclusions

Reduced relative abundance of Lactobacillus spp. is associated with premature cervical dilation, whereas high levels of G. vaginalis are associated with unsuccessful rescue cerclage cases. The insertion of a rescue cerclage does not affect the underlying bacterial composition in the majority of cases.

Tweetable abstract

Preterm cervical dilatation associates with reduced Lactobacillus spp. Presence of Gardnerella vaginalis predicts rescue cerclage failure.
Use of publication procedures to improve research integrity by addiction journals
Authors: Gorman Dennis M.
Published: March 2019

Background and Aims

The credibility crisis evident in many academic disciplines has led peer‐reviewed journals to implement procedures to reduce use of flexible data analysis practices and selective reporting of results. This exploratory study examined the adoption of six of these procedures by addiction journals.

Methods

Thirty‐eight high‐impact addiction journals were identified using the 2018 Clarivate Analytics Journal Citation Report for 2017 ranks. The online instructions for authors were reviewed for references to six publication procedures: conflict of interest disclosure, reporting guidelines, clinical trial registration, registration of other study designs, data‐sharing and registered reports. The webpages of the Center for Open Science and Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) were also reviewed for data pertaining to registered reports and reporting guidelines, respectively.

Results

The range of procedures adopted by the addiction journals was 0–5, with a mean of 2.66. Conflict‐of‐interest disclosure was required by all but one journal. Encouraging data‐sharing was the next most commonly required procedure. Fewer than half the journals recommended specific reporting guidelines or required registration of clinical trials, and only four required procedures to pre‐specify hypotheses and analytical methods.

Conclusions

While many addiction journals have adopted publication procedures to improve research integrity, these can be limited by their voluntary nature and monitoring difficulties. More stringent requirements that lock researchers into specific hypotheses and analyses have not been widely adopted.
Life after opioid‐involved overdose: survivor narratives and their implications for ER/ED interventions
Authors: Elliott Luther , Bennett Alex S. , Wolfson‐Stofko Brett
Published: March 2019

Background and Aims

Numerous states in the United States are working to stem opioid‐involved overdose (OD) by engaging OD survivors before discharge from emergency departments (EDs). This analysis examines interactions between survivors and medical care providers that may influence opioid risk behaviors post‐OD.

Design

Qualitative stakeholder analysis involving in‐depth interviews with samples from three groups.

Setting

Two hospitals in high OD‐mortality neighborhoods in New York City (NYC), USA.

Participants

Total N = 35: emergency medical services personnel (EMS; n = 9) and ED medical staff (EDS; n = 6) both working in high OD‐mortality neighborhoods in NYC; recent opioid‐involved OD survivors who had been administered naloxone and transported to a hospital ED (n = 20).

Measurements

EMS and EDS interviews examined content of verbal interactions with survivors and attitudes related to people who use opioids. Survivor interviews addressed healthcare experiences, OD‐related behavioral impacts and barriers to risk‐reduction post‐OD.

Findings

Both EMS and EDS stakeholders described frequent efforts to influence survivors’ subsequent behavior, but some acknowledged a loss of empathy, and most described burnout related to perceived ingratitude or failure to influence patients. Survivors reported being motivated to reduce opioid risk following a non‐fatal OD and many described successful risk‐reduction efforts post‐OD. Intentions to cease opioid use or reduce risk were complicated by unmanaged, naloxone‐related withdrawal, lack of social support and perceived disrespect from EMS and/or EDS.

Conclusions

Emergency department interventions with opioid‐involved overdose (OD) survivors may benefit from training emergency medical staff to assure a continuity of non‐judgmental, socially supportive remediation attempts throughout contacts with different care‐givers. Brief interventions to educate emergency medical staff about current theories of addiction and evidence‐based treatment may achieve this goal while reducing care‐giver burnout and improving the uptake and efficacy of post‐OD interventions delivered in emergency departments.
Transferring 24/7 sobriety from South Dakota to South London: the case of MOPAC's Alcohol Abstinence Monitoring Requirement Pilot
Authors: Bainbridge Laura
Published: March 2019

Background and aims

During the past three decades an expansive literature has emerged that is dedicated to analysing the processes of policy transfer. One neglected pathway involves subnational agents emulating crime control innovations that have emerged in subnational jurisdictions of other nations. This paper presents the case of the London Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime's (MOPAC) Alcohol Abstinence Monitoring Requirement (AAMR) Pilot to examine the multi‐level factors that facilitate and/or constrain international–subnational crime and justice policy transfer.

Methods

A qualitative case study design reconstructed the (in)formal events that led to components of the South Dakota 24/7 Sobriety Project (USA) being either abandoned or integrated into MOPAC's AAMR Pilot. Evidence is drawn from elite interviews and documentary materials.

Results

A series of inter/transnational‐, macro‐domestic‐, meso‐ and micro‐level factors enabled and/or obstructed processes of complete international–subnational policy transfer. Exclusion of domestic violence perpetrators from the London Pilot was fuelled by interest‐group hostility and mobilization. Use of alcohol tags rather than breathalysers to monitor compliance was a result of political–economic constraints, concern surrounding intrusion, technological innovation and policy‐orientated learning. The decision to omit an ‘offender pays’ funding mechanism was a consequence of legal incompatibility and civil service reluctance, while ‘flash incarceration’ for breach was not implemented due to European policy harmonization.

Conclusions

The London Alcohol Abstinence Monitoring Requirement Pilot was a policy ‘synthesis’ that combined ideas, goals, vocabulary, principles, technology and practices from the South Dakota model with the existing English and Welsh criminal justice framework. Structural factors and the actions of particular agents limited the extent to which policy transfer occurred.
Does the new nutrition facts panel help compensate for low numeracy skills? An eye‐tracking analysis
Authors: Grebitus Carola , Davis George C.
Published: March 2019

Consumers often neglect nutrition information when food shopping, and even those attending to the information can have comprehension difficulties correlated with numeracy skills. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration redesigned the Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP) to enable consumers to use the information more easily. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether consumers will pay more attention to the improved NFP compared to the original NFP, and how their numeracy skills affect the attention. We study the effect of NFP modifications on attention while controlling for the individual's numeracy skills. Data stem from a laboratory experiment using eye‐tracking. The experiment has two treatments measuring attention towards the original and modified NFP for a basket of groceries. Participants’ numeracy skills are measured using the Subjective Numeracy Scale. We test whether the new NFP can compensate for low numeracy skills. Results show that the original NFP receives more attention when numeracy skills are higher. However, the modifications to the NFP can help compensate for this numeracy effect.
Predicting the need for transfer and interventional angiography for patients with acute colonic haemorrhage in a regional setting
Authors: Self Duncan , Reece Mifanwy , Dilernia Shannon
Published: March 2019

Background

Radiological angioembolization is an important strategy in management of acute colonic bleeding. Due to requirement for specialized interventional radiology, many hospitals rely on transfer for this service. This study aimed to identify patient and clinical factors associated with positive (blush) computed tomography mesenteric angiogram (CTMA) or need for invasive angiography. The secondary aim was to identify a patient population who may forego transfer and be safely managed in a regional centre.

Methods

All presentations to Central Coast Local Health District with colonic bleeding from June 2013–June 2017 were included. A guideline for transfer of patients with positive CTMA from Central Coast Local Health District to Royal North Shore Hospital had been established prior to the study period. Demographics, medical background, transfusion requirement, presentation details and mortality data were collected on all patients.

Results

Of 2378 patients presenting with colonic bleeding, 71 of 247 patients investigated with CTMA had a blush. Forty‐six patients were transferred to Royal North Shore Hospital. Of these, 28 proceeded to interventional angiography with 19 undergoing angioembolization. Acute transfusion ≥5 units (odds ratio 6.78, P < 0.01) was the only significant predictor of needing interventional angiography. There was no association between age, bleeding site (right or left), use of antiplatelet or anticoagulation, diverticular disease or chronic kidney disease and identification of arterial bleeding on interventional angiography. There was no mortality or significant procedure‐related morbidity.

Conclusion

A patient's medical background demonstrates a lack of correlation to identification of active bleeding on interventional angiography. Patients requiring ≥5 units blood transfusion should be considered for transfer and interventional angiography.
A note on model selection using information criteria for general linear models estimated using REML
Authors: Verbyla Arunas Petras
Published: March 2019

It is common practice to compare the fit of non‐nested models using the Akaike (AIC) or Bayesian (BIC) information criteria. The basis of these criteria is the log‐likelihood evaluated at the maximum likelihood estimates of the unknown parameters. For the general linear model (and the linear mixed model, which is a special case), estimation is usually carried out using residual or restricted maximum likelihood (REML). However, for models with different fixed effects, the residual likelihoods are not comparable and hence information criteria based on the residual likelihood cannot be used. For model selection, it is often suggested that the models are refitted using maximum likelihood to enable the criteria to be used. The first aim of this paper is to highlight that both the AIC and BIC can be used for the general linear model by using the full log‐likelihood evaluated at the REML estimates. The second aim is to provide a derivation of the criteria under REML estimation. This aim is achieved by noting that the full likelihood can be decomposed into a marginal (residual) and conditional likelihood and this decomposition then incorporates aspects of both the fixed effects and variance parameters. Using this decomposition, the appropriate information criteria for model selection of models which differ in their fixed effects specification can be derived. An example is presented to illustrate the results and code is available for analyses using theASReml‐Rpackage.
Relationship between resolution of non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis and changes in lipoprotein sub‐fractions: a post‐hoc analysis of the PIVENS trial
Authors: Corey Kathleen E. , Wilson Laura A. , Altinbas Akif , Yates Katherine P. , Kleiner David E. , Chung Raymond T. , Krauss Ronald M. , Chalasani Naga ,   the NASH Clinical Research Network
Published: March 2019

Background

Dyslipidaemia is frequent in non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH); however, it is unclear if improvement in liver histology is associated with favourable changes in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

Aims

To evaluate the relationship of NASH resolution and lipoprotein subfraction levels, markers of endothelial dysfunction, and macrophage activation.

Methods

One hundred and seventeen individuals with NASH who participated in the Pioglitazone vs Vitamin E vs Placebo for the Treatment of Nondiabetic Patients with NASH (PIVENS) trial with paired liver biopsies and serum samples available at baseline and after 96 weeks of treatment were included. Participants in the PIVENS trials received vitamin E, pioglitazone, or placebo for 96 weeks. Lipoprotein subfraction levels, intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM‐1), vascular cellular adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM‐1), E‐selectin, and sCD163 levels were assessed at baseline and week 96 and their relationship with NASH resolution was examined.

Results

Fifty‐seven individuals had NASH resolution and 60 individuals did not have resolution of NASH. NASH resolution was associated with favourable changes in lipoprotein subfraction levels compared to those without NASH resolution. Individuals with resolution of NASH had a significantly increased mean peak LDL diameter (ratio of geometric means [96 weeks vs baseline] 1.007 vs 0.996, P = 0.004), and higher frequency of LDL phenotype A (58% vs 33%, P = 0.003) at week 96, after adjustment for relevant co‐variates including treatment group. No differences in VCAM, ICAM, E‐selectin, or sCD163 levels by NASH resolution were found.

Conclusions

NASH resolution is associated with favourable changes in a subset of serum lipoprotein levels. More studies are warranted to understand if these favourable changes are associated with decreased risk of CVD.