bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding message (de)coding in multi-lingual slogans: industrial perspectives from Turkey and Russia
Authors: Çal Betül , Hüseyinli Tahire
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The main goal of the study is to investigate how same-brand slogans simultaneously in use in two emerging markets, namely Turkey and Russia, differ semantically. The study further examines in what ways the industrial competition structure impacts the semantic slogan design within these two contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses the method of semantic explication that is based on a 19-device taxonomy. This method is applied to 56 slogan pairs in the Turkish and Russian languages launched for the same brands/products across 6 industries.

Findings

Results indicate that same-brand slogans differ semantically between Turkey and Russia. Moreover, firms tend to conform to a shared semantic pattern within a given industry, largely depending on the industrial competition structure. While strong local competition (as in the electronics and cleaning products industries in Turkey and in the personal care and beverages industries in Russia) leads firms to use self-reference, international competition (as in the automotive, personal care and beverages industries in Turkey and in the electronics and cleaning products industries in Russia) promotes them to use hyperbole in their slogan design.

Practical implications

Adopting a common semantic pattern within an industry may carry the risk of restricting brand differentiation and consumers' sense of novelty. Furthermore, the inclusion of brand names in slogans may make slogans sound assertive and lead consumers to overreact to the brand.

Originality/value

Unlike many studies exploring different-brand slogans through a syntactic or grammatical lens, this study investigates the semantic features of same-brand slogans launched in two emerging market contexts. It adopts a B2B perspective, unlike many extant studies that often focus on a B2C one.
Effect of advertising expenditures on analyst coverage: evidence from an emerging market
Authors: Farooq Omar , Satt Harit , Bendriouch Fatimazahra
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to document the relationship between advertising expenditures and analyst coverage in a sample of Indian firms during the period between 2000 and 2019.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to test the effect of advertising expenditures on the extent of analyst coverage, the authors estimate various versions of pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. The dependent variable (ANALYST) measures the total number of analysts covering a firm in a given year. The main independent variable of interest in this paper represents the advertising activity. The authors define the extent of advertising activity (ADVERT) as the ratio of total advertising expenditures and total assets.

Findings

The study’s results show that advertising expenditures have a significantly positive impact on the extent of analyst coverage and are robust across various proxies of the key variables and various estimation procedures.

Practical implications

There are a number of key takeaways from our study. First, firms that expend more resources on advertising are more likely to be followed by analysts which is associated with better performance, lower information asymmetries associated and high advertising expenditures. Second, stock prices with more information embedded in them may signify that these firms receive more attention from investors and have lower information asymmetries. And finally the impact of advertising on the decision of an analyst to cover a firm becomes more pronounced for firms with high stock price synchronicity. All these three main conclusions are giving investors a clear insight on analyst coverage, advertising expenditure and the link between the two.

Originality/value

The results are consistent with the argument that advertising expenditures induces analysts to cover firms because firms with high advertising activities are more likely to have better performance, lower information asymmetries and increased attention from investors. All of these factors are supposed to facilitate the analyst coverage.
Lateral loading performance of end narrow panel reinforced light wood frame shear walls
Authors: Di Jing , Zuo Hongliang
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The sheathing panels of traditional light wood frame shear walls mainly use oriented strand board (OSB) panels, and the damage of the traditional walls is mainly caused by the tear failure at the bottom corner of the OSB panel. In order to improve the lateral performance of the traditional light wood frame shear wall, a new type of end narrow panels reinforced light wood frame shear wall is proposed.

Design/methodology/approach

The monotonic loading tests and finite element analysis of nine groups of walls, with different types of end narrow panel, types of fasteners used on the end narrow panels and the end narrow panels edge fastener spacing, are carried out. The effects of different characters on lateral performance of light wood frame shear walls are reported and discussed.

Findings

The failure modes of the wall reinforced by parallel strand bamboo narrow panels with 150 mm edge nails spacing are similar to the traditional wall. Conversely, the failure modes of other groups of walls reinforced by end narrow panels are the tears of the bottom narrow panel or the bottom beam. The end narrow panel reinforced light wood frame shear wall can make full use of the material property of sheathing panels. Compared with the lateral performance of traditional walls, the new-type end narrow panels reinforced walls have better lateral performance.

Originality/value

A new type of end narrow panels reinforced light wood frame shear wall is proposed, which can enhance the lateral performance of the traditional light wood frame shear wall. The new-type walls have advantages of convenient operation, manufacture cost saving and important value of engineering application.
Remote working and employee engagement: a qualitative study of British workers during the pandemic
Authors: Adisa Toyin Ajibade , Ogbonnaya Chidiebere , Adekoya Olatunji David
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Through the lens of Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study explores how remote working inhibits employee engagement. The authors offer a fresh perspective on the most salient work- and nonwork-related risk factors that make remote working particularly challenging in the context of Covid-19.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use data from semi-structured interviews with 32 employees working from home during the Covid-19 lockdown. Based on the interpretivist philosophical approach, the authors offer new insights into how employees can optimize work- and nonwork-related experiences when working remotely.

Findings

The authors show that the sudden transition from in-person to online modes of working during the pandemic brought about work intensification, online presenteeism, employment insecurity and poor adaptation to new ways of working from home. These stress factors are capable of depleting vital social and personal resources, thereby impacting negatively on employee engagement levels.

Practical implications

Employers, leaders and human resource teams should be more thoughtful about the risks and challenges employees face when working from home. They must ensure employees are properly equipped with the relevant resources and support to perform their jobs more effectively.

Originality/value

While previous research has focused on the benefits of remote working, the current study explores how it might be detrimental for employee engagement during a pandemic. The study provides new evidence on the most salient risks and challenges faced by remote workers, and how the unique Covid-19 context has made them more pronounced.
Turning disruption into growth opportunity: the red team strategy
Authors: Sun Sunny Li , Zhang Yanli , Zhu Zhu
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a broadened and integrated red team strategy with concrete steps to help companies better deal with the disruptive forces prevalent in the world today and turn disruptions into growth.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper synthesizes and builds on previous research and relevant business cases accumulated through our research and executive teaching experience. The authors offer a broadened and integrated red team strategy with practical guidance for business executives

Findings

The authors provide four key steps to help companies implement the red team strategy: create a red team culture and encourage diverse perspectives; establish an independent red team to overcome organizational inertia; use the red team to embrace disruption and growth opportunities; and take a milestone approach to red team execution and resource allocation.

Research limitations/implications

More research on red team strategy is needed to delve into the underlying factors and delineate the boundary conditions for specific details in this strategy and implementation.

Practical implications

The red team strategy provides concrete steps to help companies in their efforts to adapt to and capitalize on disruptive forces.

Originality/value

The red team strategy extends the concept and application of red teams and integrates previously fragmented ideas and practices into a systematic model with simple steps, which make it easier for companies to cope with disruption.
Online self-radicalisation: a case study of cognitive vulnerabilities for radicalization to extremism and single actor terrorism
Authors: Little Ryan , Ford Peter , Girardi Alessandra
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Understanding the psychological risk factors in radicalisation and terrorism is typically limited by both a lack of access to individuals who carry out the acts and those who are willing to engage in research on the matter. The purpose of this study is to describe the process of self-radicalisation of an otherwise law-abiding individual who engaged in single-actor terrorism activities.

Design/methodology/approach

A single case study, based on clinical interviews and psychometric testing, of an individual with autism who engaged in multiple acts of terrorism through online activity. The case is presented within existing frameworks of radicalisation, and describes how it developed along the steps described in the path to intended violence.

Findings

A number of variables are identified as contributing towards the individual’s vulnerability to radicalisation, such as deficits in higher order cognition, psychopathology, autism spectrum disorder traits, personal interests, social isolation and life stressors.

Originality/value

Unique to this study is how the process of radicalisation and the possibility to carry out the individual’s attacks was made possible only through the use of internet technology.
Ehlers–Danlos syndrome type IV with a novel COL3A1 exon 14 skipping variation confirmed by Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization genomic database
Authors: Shido Kosuke , Kojima Kaname , Yoshida‐Akai Saaya , Kikuchi Katsuko , Hatamochi Atsushi , Aiba Setsuya , Yamasaki Kenshi
Published: August 2021

A novel COL3A1 variant was identified in a Japanese case of Ehlers–Danlos syndrome type IV (EDS‐IV) with a characteristic “Madonna” face, fragile uterus, and easy bruising in addition to a history of cavernous sinus fistula. We confirmed variable diameters of collagen fibrils in the dermis and decrease in type 3 collagen production from cultured fibroblasts. Genomic DNA sequencing of the COL3A1 region and COL3A1 cDNA sequence expressing in cultured fibroblasts identified that a nucleotide variation at c.951+2T>G on intron 14 leads to skipping of exon 14 in COL3A1 cDNA. The novel variation in the splice site of COL3A1 region g.IVS14+2T>G was not listed in the EDS‐IV pathogenic genetic databases including Human Gene Mutation Database, ClinVar, and Leiden Open Variation Database. Using the whole genome sequence database of 8380 Japanese individuals reported by the Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (ToMMo) cohort study, we also confirmed that COL3A1 g.IVS14+2T>G was not a common single nucleotide variation in the Japanese population, although 13 EDS‐related COL3A1 variants were identified in the ToMMo database of 8380 Japanese individuals. These results demonstrated that our case of EDS‐IV was a result of the novel variation of COL3A1 g.IVS14+2T>G. These statistical genetics approaches with the combination of the ToMMo database of 8380 Japanese individuals and pathogenic genetic databases are a useful method to confirm the uniqueness of novel variation in Japanese.
Sustained efficacy and safety of guselkumab in patients with palmoplantar pustulosis through 1.5 years in a randomized phase 3 study
Authors: Okubo Yukari , Morishima Hitomi , Zheng Richuan , Terui Tadashi
Published: August 2021

The safety and efficacy of guselkumab for palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) have been established through week (W)52; however, no sufficient information is available beyond 1 year. This study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of guselkumab through W84, and to explore factors associated with the sustainability of its efficacy in Japanese PPP patients. Patients received guselkumab 100 or 200 mg at W0, W4, W12, and every 8 weeks (q8w) until W60, or placebo at W0, W4, and W12. At W16, patients receiving placebo were re‐randomized to receive guselkumab 100/200 mg at W16, W20, and q8w until W60. Efficacy end‐points included PPP Area and Severity Index (PPPASI), PPP Severity Index (PPSI), Physician’s Global Assessment scores, and patient reported outcomes (PRO) (Dermatology Life Quality Index, EuroQoL‐5 Dimensions, and 36‐item Short Form Health Survey). Post‐hoc comparison of patient characteristics was performed between PPPASI‐75/90 responders and non‐responders at W60, and sustained responders and non‐responders at W84. Safety was evaluated through W84. A total of 45, 43, 21, and 24 patients from the guselkumab 100 mg, guselkumab 200 mg, placebo→guselkumab 100 mg, and placebo→guselkumab 200 mg groups, respectively, completed the study through W84. Overall, the mean improvement in the guselkumab groups from baseline in the PPPASI and PPSI total scores at W84 was ~79% and ~66%, respectively. All PRO improved through W84. The proportion of responders through W60 was higher in patients who had not received prior phototherapy and non‐biologic systemic therapy for PPP. Non‐smokers and patients with no prior non‐biologic systemic treatment tended numerically towards sustained efficacy through W84. The majority of treatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAE) were mild to moderate (~88%) with low incidence of serious TEAE (7.6%). Overall, guselkumab showed sustained efficacy and safety with improvement in the health‐related quality of life through W84 in Japanese PPP patients.
Barriers to restoration: Pollution alters nurse effects for an ecosystem engineer
Authors: Cameron Hayley , Amor Michael D. , Bellgrove Alecia
Published: August 2021

Nurse plants modify the environment beneath their canopies to create favourable habitats for propagule recruitment. Nurse plants are potentially valuable tools for ecological restoration—yet empirical tests, particularly in polluted environments, remain rare.

The few studies that do exist find that nurse plants positively affect propagule recruitment in polluted environments. Yet most tests have focused on pollution‐tolerant species in metal‐contaminated environments. Biotic interactions are highly context dependent, however, such that extrapolations to other suites of species and pollutant types appear premature.

We examined changes in intraspecific nurse effects across pollution regimes for a pollution‐sensitive, macroalgal ecosystem engineer that is a target for intertidal restoration. In a manipulative field experiment, we out‐planted propagules in the presence and absence of conspecific canopies at unpolluted control shores and shores that received a partly remediated (low‐toxicity) sewage effluent. We then monitored the performance (survival and growth) of these propagules over time.

Algal canopies facilitated the survival and early growth of propagules at control sites, but not at partially remediated sites where propagules performed poorly irrespective of canopy presence.

Synthesis and applications. Using a pollution‐sensitive, macroalgal ecosystem engineer, we show for the first time that nurse‐plant effects can be contingent on pollution regime, and that exposure to pollution (even at low levels) can erode nurse effects. We caution that nurse plants are unlikely to be universal tools for ecological restoration, including systems where facilitative nurse effects naturally occur (in our case, macroalgal canopies on unpolluted rocky reefs). Management practitioners should carefully consider the disturbance (e.g. pollution) tolerance of target species, and test whether nurse effects are maintained under current disturbance regimes, before large‐scale translocations are attempted.
Ineffective pathways and the price of conjecture
Authors: Hannant Penelope
Published: August 2021

The inclusion of children with special educational needs into mainstream schools needs effort and cooperation by all those involved. Both educators and medical professions need to be skilled in identifying and supporting neurodiversity. This study explores the cross‐professional understanding and support of four of the most prevalent neurodiversities: autism spectrum condition, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, developmental coordination disorder and dyslexia, to evaluate the efficiency of the diagnostic pathway and the subsequent support. Questionnaires were distributed throughout a number of training events for medical and educational practitioners asking what a condition was, and how it could be supported. Using a thematic analysis, data from 189 responses were examined and cross‐referenced with diagnostic criteria, in addition to identifying the overarching themes of support. Results show a serious gap in awareness and knowledge of neurodiversity in both medical and educational sectors, followed by a cacophony of intervention, breaking the pathway for diagnosis before it begins and ultimately failing children and their families.
‘I would say nine times out of 10 they come to the LSA rather than the teacher’. The role of teaching assistants in supporting children's mental health
Authors: Conboy Ida
Published: August 2021

This research explored how seven primary school teaching assistants (TAs) experienced their role in supporting children's mental health. Interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The participants believed that they supported children's mental health and particularly referenced the close relationships that they formed with children. Throughout their accounts of supporting children, the TAs referenced helpful factors (e.g. support from other staff) and challenges (e.g. hierarchy) within the school system. Supporting children’s mental health was an emotional experience for the TAs; they discussed the rewarding element, however, the topic also elicited fear. The findings provide several implications for school staff and external professionals about how TAs can be supported in their role. These include involving TAs in training opportunities, providing TAs with supervision, considering communication systems in schools, and introducing a mental health policy.
Feeding and Healing Bodies and Souls: German Women in Nursing, 1830s–1850s
Authors: Soine Aeleah
Published: August 2021

Nursing care of the 1830s−40s required significant financial stewardship, material resources, spiritual fortitude and political support alongside the everyday routines of cleaning, cooking and home visiting. The minutiae of Catholic, Protestant and other Prussian institutional donations, budgets and schedules, government records and occasionally women's own writings reveal how German nursing was not a singular and timeless profession. Rather, the feminisation of nursing emerged out of a myriad of gendered ways elite, bourgeois, religious and working women collectively cared for the poor and the sick even before bacteriology and maternalist women's movements transformed nursing in the late nineteenth century.
Creating hypo‐/nonallergenic wheat products using processing methods: Fact or fiction?
Authors: Gao Haoran , Jorgensen Rick , Raghunath Rajsri , Nagisetty Siddharth , Ng Perry K. W. , Gangur Venu
Published: August 2021

Wheat allergy is a potentiallylife‐threatening disease that affects millions of people around the world. Food processing has been shown to influence the allergenicity of wheat and other major foods. However, a comprehensive review evaluating whether or not food processing can be used to develop hypo‐/nonallergenic wheat products is unavailable. There were three objectives for this study: (1) to critically evaluate the evidence on the effect of fermentation, thermal processing, and enzyme or acid hydrolysis on wheat allergenicity so as to identify the potential for and challenges of using these methods to produce hypo‐/nonallergenic wheat products; (2) to identify the molecular effects of food processing needed to create such products; and (3) to map the concept questions for future research and development to produce hypo‐/nonallergenic wheat products. We performed literature research using PubMed and Google Scholar databases with various combinations of keywords to generate the data to accomplish these objectives. We found that: (1) food processing significantly modulates wheat allergenicity; while some methods can reduce or even abolish the allergenicity, others can create mega allergens; and (2) fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis hold the most potential to create novel hypo‐/nonallergenic wheat products; however, preclinical validation and human clinical trials are currently lacking. We also identify five specific research concepts to advance the research to enable the creation of hypo‐/nonallergenic wheat products for application in food, medical, and cosmetic industries.
Whole‐genome sequencing of brown‐marbled grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) provides insights into adaptive evolution and growth differences
Authors: Yang Yang , Wang Tong , Chen Jingfang , Wu Lina , Wu Xi , Zhang Weiwei , Luo Jian , Xia Junhong , Meng Zining , Liu Xiaochun
Published: August 2021

The brown‐marbled grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) is an important species of fish in the coral reef ecosystem and marine aquaculture industry. In this study, a high‐quality chromosome‐level genome of brown‐marbled grouper was assembled using Oxford Nanopore technology and Hi‐C technology. The GC content and heterozygosity were approximately 42% and 0.35%, respectively. A total of 230 contigs with a total length of 1047 Mb and contig N50 of 13.8 Mb were assembled, and 228 contigs (99.13%) were anchored into 24 chromosomes. A total of 24,005 protein‐coding genes were predicted, among which 23,862 (99.4%) predicted genes were annotated. Phylogenetic analysis showed that brown‐marbled grouper and humpback grouper were clustered into one clade that separated approximately 11–23 million years ago. Collinearity analyses showed that there was no obvious duplication of large fragments between chromosomes in the brown‐marbled grouper. Genomes of the humpback grouper and giant grouper showed a high collinearity with that of the brown‐marbled grouper. A total of 305 expanded gene families were detected in the brown‐marbled grouper genome, which is mainly involved in disease resistance. In addition, a genetic linkage map with 3061.88 cM was constructed. Based on the physical and genetic map, one growth‐related quantitative trait loci was detected in 32,332,447 bp of chromosome 20, and meox1 and etv4 were considered candidate growth‐related genes. This study provides pivotal genetic resources for further evolutionary analyses and artificial breeding of groupers.
Comprehensive expressional analysis of chemosensitivity‐related markers in large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung
Authors: Ohtaki Yoichi , Kaira Kyoichi , Yajima Toshiki , Erkhem‐Ochir Bilguun , Kawashima Osamu , Kamiyoshihara Mitsuhiro , Igai Hitoshi , Onozato Ryoichi , Ibe Takashi , Kosaka Takayuki , Nakazawa Seshiru , Nagashima Toshiteru , Oyama Tetsunari , Shirabe Ken
Published: August 2021

Objectives

Various drug‐sensitivity markers have been reported to be associated with tumor progression and chemotherapy resistance. Detailed expression profiles of sensitivity markers for cytotoxic chemotherapy in pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) remain unclear. Herein, we aimed to clarify the correlation between the expression of drug‐sensitivity markers and clinicopathological features, prognostic impact, and status of tumor immunity in patients with LCNEC.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the correlation between clinicopathological features and the expression of drug‐sensitivity‐related markers, including vascular endothelial growth factor 2 (VEGFR2), thymidylate synthase (TS), tubulin beta 3 class III (TUBB3), topoisomerase I (Topo‐I), and Topo‐II in 92 surgically resected LCNEC samples. Furthermore, we examined the prognostic significance of expression of these and their correlation with the immune cell status.

Results

Overall, high expression of TS, TUBB3, VEGFR2, Topo‐I, and Topo‐II was detected in 50 (54%), 31 (34%), 23 (25%), 65 (71%), and 36 (39%) samples, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that advanced pathological T and N factors, positive lymphatic permeation, and Topo‐II expression were independent unfavorable prognosticators for recurrence‐free survival, and advanced pathological T and N factors, Topo‐II positive expression, and TS positive expression were independent unfavorable prognosticators for overall survival. In terms of correlation with immune cell status, higher expression of VEGFR2 was closely linked to negative PD‐L1 expression.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that elevated Topo‐II and TS expression may contribute to poor outcomes through protumoral biology in patients with LCNEC, and elevated VEGFR2 expression might negatively impact tumor immune reactions in LCNEC.
Screening approaches for identifying fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in children, adolescents, and adults: A systematic review
Authors: Grubb Melissa , Golden Ariella , Withers Abigail , Vellone Daniella , Young Arlene , McLachlan Kaitlyn
Published: August 2021

Background

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder that is caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and associated with a range of cognitive, affective, and health concerns. Although the identification of FASD can facilitate the provision of interventions and support, and plays a protective role against adverse outcomes, there are high rates of missed detection. The identification of FASD via screening may improve its recognition across settings. The current systematic review examined the available evidence on FASD screening tools and approaches across age groups and settings.

Methods

A systematic search was carried out for both peer‐reviewed studies and gray literature sources published between January 1990 and May 2020 and was preregistered with PROSPERO (#CRD42019122077). Studies included in the review focused on human applications of FASD screening in children, adolescents, and adults. The quality of the studies was assessed using the QUADAS‐2 and GRADE frameworks.

Results

The search yielded 20 screening tools and approaches across 45 studies, broadly characterized in 2 groups. The first group included approaches currently in use that aim to identify individuals at risk of FASD using a range of markers (n = 19) or associated sentinel dysmorphic facial features (n = 6). Another group of studies, characterized as emerging, focused on identifying promising biomarkers of PAE/FASD (n = 20). Overall, we identified limited research supporting the psychometric properties of most screening approaches. The quality review provided evidence of bias due to the common use of case–control designs and lack of adequate reference standards.

Conclusions

Although several FASD screening tools and approaches are available for use across a range of age groups and settings, the overall evidence base supporting their psychometric properties is weak, with most studies demonstrating significant risk of bias. Service providers should exercise caution in selecting and implementing FASD screening tools given these limitations. It is critically important to accurately identify individuals with FASD across ages and settings to support healthy outcomes. Thus, there is a pressing need for additional research in this area, particularly validation studies in large and representative samples using robust methodological approaches.
Persistence of cerebellar ataxia during chronic ethanol exposure is associated with epigenetic up‐regulation ofFmr1gene expression in rat cerebellum
Authors: Dulman Russell S. , Auta James , Wandling Gabriela M. , Patwell Ryan , Zhang Huaibo , Pandey Subhash C.
Published: August 2021

Background

Alcohol intoxication produces ataxia by affecting the cerebellum, which coordinates movements. Fragile X mental retardation (FMR) protein is a complex regulator of RNA and synaptic plasticity implicated in fragile X‐associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, which features ataxia and increasedFmr1 mRNA expression resulting from epigenetic dysregulation of FMRP. We recently demonstrated that acute ethanol‐induced ataxia is associated with increased cerebellarFmr1 gene expression via histone modifications in rats, but it is unknown whether similar behavioral and molecular changes occur following chronic ethanol exposure. Here, we investigated the effects of chronic ethanol exposure on ataxia and epigenetically regulated changes inFmr1expression in the cerebellum.

Methods

Male adult Sprague‐Dawley rats were trained on the accelerating rotarod and then fed with chronic ethanol or a control Lieber–DeCarli diet while undergoing periodic behavioral testing for ataxia during ethanol exposure and withdrawal. Cerebellar tissues were analyzed for expression of theFmr1 gene and its targets using a real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay. The epigenetic regulation ofFmr1 was also investigated using a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay.

Results

Ataxic behavior measured by the accelerating rotarod behavioral test developed during chronic ethanol treatment and persisted at both the 8‐h and 24‐h withdrawal time points compared to control diet‐fed rats. In addition, chronic ethanol treatment resulted in up‐regulated expression ofFmr1 mRNA and increased activating epigenetic marks H3K27 acetylation and H3K4 trimethylation at 2 sites within theFmr1promoter. Finally, measurement of the expression of relevant FMRP mRNA targets in the cerebellum showed that chronic ethanol up‐regulated cAMP response element binding (CREB)Creb1,Psd95,Grm5, andGrin2bmRNA expression without alteringGrin2a,Eaa1,or histone acetyltransferases CREB binding protein (Cbp) orp300 mRNA transcripts.

Conclusions

These results suggest that epigenetic regulation ofFmr1and subsequent FMRP regulation of target mRNA transcripts constitute neuroadaptations in the cerebellum that may underlie the persistence of ataxic behavior during chronic ethanol exposure and withdrawal.
Measuring the impact of climate change on agriculture in Vietnam: A panel Ricardian analysis
Authors: Nguyen Chau Trinh , Scrimgeour Frank
Published: August 2021

This article investigates the economic impacts of changes in climatic conditions on Vietnamese agriculture. We apply the two‐step Hsiao method to a 10‐year panel of household data which focuses on the production of 20 crops across seven regions in Vietnam. This study allows for variable market feedbacks across regions that grow different selections of crops. In this way, our article differs from most panel Ricardian analyses which assume uniform market shocks on households. Our analysis also includes climate interactions to allow the effects of temperatures to be dependent on the levels of rainfall. Panel evidence from the Ricardian model suggests heterogeneous climate impacts across seasons and regions. Rising seasonal temperatures are associated with losses to most regions, with spring temperatures being the exception. Increases in summer precipitation are valuable to mitigate the negative effects of rising temperatures. Changes in climate normal should not be the focus of policymakers since the simulation indicates marginal losses to agricultural productivity, both in the short term and the long term. Regions with cool climates are likely to be most affected by the projected climate change.
In vitro data suggest that Indian delta variant B.1.617 of SARS‐CoV‐2 escapes neutralization by both receptor affinity and immune evasion
Authors: Augusto Gilles , Mohsen Mona O. , Zinkhan Simon , Liu Xuelan , Vogel Monique , Bachmann Martin F.
Published: August 2021

Background

Emerged mutations can be attributed to increased transmissibility of the B.1.617 and B.1.36 Indian delta variants of SARS‐CoV‐2, most notably substitutions L452R/E484Q and N440K, respectively, which occur in the receptor‐binding domain (RBD) of the Spike (S) fusion glycoprotein.

Objective

We aimed to assess the effects of mutations L452R/E484Q and N440K (as well as the previously studied mutation E484K present in variants B.1.351 and P.1) on the affinity of RBD for ACE2, SARS‐CoV‐2 main receptor. We also aimed to assess the ability of antibodies induced by natural infection or by immunization with BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine to recognize the mutated versions of the RBD, as well as blocking the interaction RBD‐ACE2, an important surrogate readout for virus neutralization.

Methods

To this end, we produced recombinant wild‐type RBD, as well as RBD containing each of the mutations L452R/E484Q, N440K, or E484K (the latest present in variants of concern B.1.351 and P.1), as well as the ectodomain of ACE2. Using Biolayer Interferometry (BLI), we measured the binding affinity of RBD for ACE2 and the ability of sera from COVID‐19 convalescent donors or subjects immunized with BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine to block this interaction. Finally, we correlated these results with total anti‐RBD IgG titers measured from the same sera by direct ELISA.

Results

The binding assays showed L452R/E484Q double‐mutant RBD to interact with ACE2 with higher affinity (KD = 4.6 nM) than wild‐type (KD = 21.3 nM) or single mutants N440K (KD = 9.9 nM) and E484K (KD = 19.7 nM) RBDs. Meanwhile, the anti‐RBD IgG titration resulted in lower recognition of mutants E484K and L452R/E484Q by infection‐induced antibodies, whereas only mutant E484K was recognized less by antibodies induced by vaccination. More interestingly, sera from convalescent as well as immunized subjects showed reduced ability to block the interaction between ACE2 and RBD mutants E484K and L452R/E484Q, as shown by the inhibition assays.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that the newly emerged SARS‐CoV‐2 variant B.1.617, as well as the better‐studied variants B.1.351 and P.1 (all containing a mutation at position E484) display increased transmissibility both due to their higher affinity for the cell receptor ACE2 and their ability to partially bypass immunity generated against the wild‐type virus. For variant B.1.36 (with a point mutation at position N440), only increased affinity seems to play a role.
Use of sildenafil and other phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors among pregnant women in Scandinavia
Authors: Cesta Carolyn E. , Segovia Chacón Silvia , Engeland Anders , Broe Anne , Damkier Per , Furu Kari , Kieler Helle , Karlsson Pär
Published: August 2021

Introduction

For phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors, such as sildenafil, the only approved indication in women is for pulmonary arterial hypertension. These drugs are increasingly being proposed and tested for treatment of female infertility and complications in pregnancy. However, the extent of use of PDE5 inhibitors in the general pregnant population over the last decades is unknown. Therefore, we conducted a descriptive cohort study using data from the population health registers in the Scandinavian countries.

Material and methods

By linking the Medical Birth Registers and the Prescribed Drug Registers in Denmark (1997–2017), Norway (2004–2017), and Sweden (2006–2016), women with filled prescriptions of PDE5 inhibitors in outpatient settings in the 90 days before the date of last menstrual period and/or during pregnancies were identified. With additional linkage to the National Patient Registers, information on maternal, pregnancy, and infant characteristics, co‐morbidities, and co‐medication was collected and described.

Results

Among over 3 million singleton pregnancies, only 77 were pregnancies in women who had at least one filled prescription of a PDE5 inhibitor within the 90 days before the start of pregnancy to delivery. Prescription fills most often occurred before the last menstrual period and in the first trimester, with very few occurring later in pregnancy. Sildenafil was the most used PDE5 inhibitor. Among pregnant women using PDE5 inhibitors, 44% were 35 years of age or older, eight had a cardiovascular diagnosis, and three specifically had a diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Among the infants born to mothers using PDE5 inhibitors, nine were born preterm, six were small‐for‐gestational age, five had an Apgar score at 5 minutes below 8, 18 were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and eight had respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.

Conclusions

Few women used PDE5 inhibitors in outpatient settings before or during pregnancy in the Scandinavian countries in the last decades. Only a small proportion had a diagnosis for pulmonary arterial hypertension, suggesting off‐label use in the remaining users. Use was predominantly in mothers over age 35 years. The safety of fetal exposure to sildenafil and other PDE5 inhibitors in pregnancy has not been established. As maternal age continues to increase and additional uses of PDE5 inhibitors are investigated, the safety of these drugs in pregnancy should be thoroughly evaluated.
Systematic review with meta‐analysis: effect of inflammatory bowel disease therapy on lipid levels
Authors: Sleutjes Jasmijn A. M. , Roeters van Lennep Jeanine E. , Boersma Eric , Menchen Luis A. , Laudes Matthias , Farkas Klaudia , Molnár Tamás , Kennedy Nicholas Alexander , Pierik Marieke J. , van der Woude C. Janneke , de Vries Annemarie C.
Published: August 2021

Background

Increase in lipid levels associated with the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has previously been reported. However, it is unknown if this effect is similar for all IBD drug classes.

Aim

To precisely assess the effect of different IBD drug classes on lipid profiles

Methods

We performed a systematic literature search of randomised controlled trials and observational cohort studies that assessed lipid levels before and after induction (≤10 weeks) and maintenance (>10 weeks) of IBD treatment. Data of 11 studies (1663 patients) were pooled using random effects models. The influence of patient and disease characteristics on treatment effects on total cholesterol levels was analysed in 6 studies (1211 patients) for which individual data were available, using linear mixed models.

Results

A statistically significant increase in total cholesterol was observed after induction treatment with corticosteroids (+1.19 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval [CI95] +0.52 to +2.59), and tofacitinib (+0.66 mmol/L, CI95 +0.42 to +0.79), but not after anti−TNFα treatment (−0.11 mmol/L, CI95 −0.26 to +0.36 mmol/L). Similar differences were observed after maintenance treatment. Treatment effects were significantly related to age, but not with other factors. Lipid changes were inversely correlated with but not modified by CRP changes.

Conclusions

Increase in total cholesterol levels was strongest for corticosteroids followed by tofacitinib but was not observed for anti‐TNFα agents. Whether total cholesterol change associated with IBD treatment has an effect on cardiovascular risk requires further study.
Gene editing of human embryos is not contrary to human rights law: A reply to Drabiak
Authors: Boggio Andrea , Yotova Rumiana
Published: August 2021

In an article in this journal, Katherine Drabiak argues that green lighting genome editing of human embryos is contrary to “fundamental human rights law.” According to the author, genome editing of human embryos violates what we should recognize as a fundamental human right to inherit a genome without deliberate manipulation. In this reply article, we assess Drabiak's legal analysis and show methodological and substantive flaws. Methodologically, her analysis omits the key international legal instruments that form the so‐called International Bill of Rights and thus fails to provide a full and accurate account of the fundamental international human rights standards. Substantively, Drabiak invokes, as a basis for prohibiting gene editing of human embryos, a legal standard (the rights and integrity of the future child) that is unknown to international law. Contrary to Drabiak's account, genome editing of human embryos is not prohibited under international law. Indeed, the right to health and the right to benefit from scientific progress may be interpreted as the basis of a legal duty to provide equality of access to germline gene editing, once determined it is beneficial and safe to use.
Meal patterning and the onset of spontaneous labor
Authors: Nulty Alison K. , Bovbjerg Marit L. , Herring Amy H. , Siega‐Riz Anna Maria , Thorp John M. , Evenson Kelly R.
Published: August 2021

Background

There is a lack of consensus in the literature about the association between meal patterning during pregnancy and birth outcomes. This study examined whether maternal meal patterning in the week before birth was associated with an increased likelihood of imminent spontaneous labor.

Methods

Data came from 607 participants in the third phase of the Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition Study (PIN3). Data were collected through an interviewer‐administered questionnaire after birth, before hospital discharge. Questions included the typical number of meals and snacks consumed daily, during both the week before labor onset and the 24‐hour period before labor onset. A self‐matched, case‐crossover study design examined the association between skipping one or more meals and the likelihood of spontaneous labor onset within the subsequent 24 hours.

Results

Among women who experienced spontaneous labor, 87.0% reported routinely eating three daily meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) during the week before their labor began, but only 71.2% reported eating three meals during the 24‐hour period before their labor began. Compared with the week before their labor, the odds of imminent spontaneous labor were 5.43 times as high (95% CI: 3.41‐8.65) within 24 hours of skipping 1 or more meals. The association between skipping 1 or more meals and the onset of spontaneous labor remained elevated for both pregnant individuals who birthed early (37‐<39 weeks) and full‐term (≥39 weeks).

Conclusions

Skipping meals later in pregnancy was associated with an increased likelihood of imminent spontaneous labor, though we are unable to rule out reverse causality.
Remote vocational learning opportunities—A comparative eye‐tracking investigation of educational 2D videos versus 360° videos for car mechanics
Authors: Hekele Felix , Spilski Jan , Bender Simon , Lachmann Thomas
Published: August 2021

This study utilises a novel approach to investigate the effectiveness of different learning modalities by combining video‐based learning with eye‐tracking. An excerpt taken from a vocational education instruction for car mechanics was videotaped using two different cameras: a standard 2D video camera and a professional 360° camera. The video recorded with the 2D camera was presented on a tablet, with a fixed angle, whereas the video recorded with the 360° camera was presented as non‐interactive 3DoF virtual reality (nVR) environment using a head‐mounted display. In both conditions, participants’ fixation patterns were recorded and analysed in conjunction with a set of standardised questionnaires. Participants (N = 48) were randomly assigned to either the 2D‐video group or the nVR group, with 23 participants in the 2D‐video and 25 participants in the nVR group. The task of the participants in both groups was to watch the educational video while wearing an eye‐tracker and then complete a standardised test on the presented content. The eye‐tracking data indicated that participants in the nVR group showed longer total fixation durations on the instructor, but not other areas of interest, compared to the 2D video group. The standardised test indicated no differences in learning outcome between the groups. Implications from the current study as well as limitations and a outlook for further research will be discussed.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

Virtual reality (VR) technology is getting more commonplace in educational settings.

It is unclear whether VR‐based learning holds clear benefits over more traditional approaches such as hands‐on‐training or video‐based learning.

What this paper adds

This paper adds a comparison of two common video‐based teaching techniques and compares them in respect to learning outcome and learner's attention.

The novelty of the current paper is the addition of eye‐tracking in both tablet‐based and HMD‐based learning scenarios to investigate learners' visual attention.

Describes potential attention benefits of 360° videos compared to 2D videos despite no differences in learning outcome directly.

Implications for practice and/or policy

Results highlight the potential of placing more focus on social factors in 360° video material.

Future 360° videos and VR environments can add additional focus on instructors or other socially relevant aspects to foster student learning and engagement.
Equality data as immoral race politics: A case study of liberal, colour‐blind, and antiracialist opposition to equality data in Sweden
Authors: Wikström Peter , Hübinette Tobias
Published: August 2021

This study concerns discursive mobilisations of race and racism in the Swedish debate on equality data, in the case of a controversial statement made by a Swedish Green Party MP. In March 2019, female Muslim MP Leila Ali Elmi argued publicly for introducing equality data in Sweden, in opposition to prevailing colour‐blind and antiracialist norms. Her statement was controversially formulated in terms of ‘registering’ people ‘by race’, leading to forceful criticism in the mainstream press and on social media, particularly on Twitter. In a material representing this criticism, we analyse discourse participants’ argumentative strategies, focusing on mobilisations of race and racism as acts of subject positioning, performative of a moral identity. Participants positioned themselves as morally righteous, liberal antiracists by virtue of their own antiracialism (Goldberg, 2009, The threat of race. Wiley‐Blackwell, Hoboken, NJ) and colour‐blindness (Bonilla‐Silva, 2010, Racism without racists. Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, MA), while constructing equality data as a racist practice, and as a threat to a liberal order. They also constructed advocates of equality data, and specifically Ali Elmi herself, as being irrational race ideologues, to be morally condemned for espousing a return to racial thinking comparable to that of German Nazism or scientific racism. The findings point to the exceptional status and character of what we call a colour‐blind antiracialism in Sweden, and further show how far ‘liberal arguments for illiberal ends’ can go in reinforcing a moral status quo and counteracting antiracist reform.