bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Strategies of tolerance reflected in two North American maple genomes
Authors: McEvoy Susan L. , Sezen U. Uzay , Trouern-Trend Alexander , McMahon Sean M. , Schaberg Paul G. , Yang Jie , Wegrzyn Jill L. , Swenson Nathan G.
Published: July 2021

Maples (the genus Acer) represent important and beloved forest, urban, and ornamental trees distributed throughout the Northern hemisphere. They exist in a diverse array of native ranges and distributions, across spectrums of tolerance or decline, and have varying levels of susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stress. Among Acer species, several stand out in their importance to economic interest. Here we report the first two chromosome-scale genomes for North American species, Acer negundo and Acer saccharum. Both assembled genomes contain scaffolds corresponding to 13 chromosomes, with A. negundo at a length of 442 Mb, N50 of 32 Mb and 30,491 genes, and A. saccharum at 626 Mb, N50 of 46 Mb, and 40,074 genes. No recent whole genome duplications were detected, though A. saccharum has local gene duplication and more recent bursts of transposable elements, as well as a large-scale translocation between two chromosomes. Genomic comparison revealed that A. negundo has a smaller genome with recent gene family evolution that is predominantly contracted and expansions that are potentially related to invasive tendencies and tolerance to abiotic stress. Examination of expression from RNA-Seq obtained from A. saccharum grown in long-term aluminum and calcium soil treatments at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, provided insights into genes involved in aluminum stress response at the systemic level, as well as signs of compromised processes upon calcium deficiency, a condition contributing to maple decline.

Significance statement

The first chromosome-scale assemblies for North American members of the Acer genus, sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and boxelder (Acer negundo), as well as transcriptomic evaluation of abiotic stress response in A. saccharum. This integrated study describes in-depth aspects contributing to each species’ approach to tolerance and applies current knowledge in many areas of plant genome biology with Acer physiology to help convey the genomic complexities underlying tolerance in broadleaf tree species.
Ecosystem services in connected catchment to coast ecosystems: monitoring to detect emerging trends
Authors: Brown Christopher J. , Saint Ange Chantal , Connolly Rod M. , Hasan Syezlin , Jackson Sue , McMahon Joseph M. , Smart James C. R.
Published: July 2021

There is an increasing need for long-term monitoring of ecosystems and their services to inform on-ground management and policy direction. The supply of many ecosystem services relies on connections that span multiple ecosystems. Monitoring the underlying condition of interconnected ecosystems, using established indicators, is therefore required to track effectiveness of past interventions and, ideally, identify impending change. Here we conduct performance testing of ecological indicators for a catchment-to-coast system with the aim of identifying the time-scales over which they respond to change. We chose a case-study of a coastal fishery in Northern Australia that exhibits strong catchment-to-coast connectivity, has long-term available data and is under threat from water resource development. We developed a novel approach to performance testing. Our model drew on state-space modelling to capture ecological dynamics, and structural equation modelling to capture covariation in indictors timeseries. We first quantified covariation among three established ecological indicators: pasture biomass, vegetation greenness and barramundi catch per unit effort. Covariation in the indicators was driven by river flow, with higher values of all indicators occurring in years with greater river flow. We then defined reference bounds for each indicator that accounted for natural variation in river flow. We predicted the emergence times for each indicator, as the time taken for each indicator to emerge from the background of natural variation. Emergence times quantified at 80% and higher confidence levels were >10 years in all cases. Past trends and current status of ecosystem service flows are often used by decision makers to directly inform near-term actions, particularly provisioning services (such as barramundi catch) due to their important contribution to regional economies. We found that the ecological indicators should be used to assess historical performance over decadal timespans, but not as short-term indicators of recent change. More generally, we offer an approach to performance testing of indicators. This approach could be useful for quantifying time-scales of ecosystem response in other systems where cross-ecosystem connections are important.
Spatio-temporal patterns of multi-trophic biodiversity and food-web characteristics uncovered across a river catchment using environmental DNA
Authors: Blackman Rosetta C. , Ho Hsi-Cheng , Walser Jean-Claude , Altermatt Florian
Published: July 2021

Accurate characterisation of ecological communities with respect to their biodiversity and food-web structure is essential for conservation. However, combined empirical study of biodiversity and multi-trophic food-webs at a large spatial and temporal resolution has been prohibited by the lack of appropriate access to such data from natural systems. Here, we assessed biodiversity and food-web characteristics across a 700 km2riverine network over seasons using environmental DNA. We found contrasting biodiversity patterns between major taxonomic groups; local richness showed seasonally dependent and statistically significant increases and decreases towards downstream positions within the catchment for fish and bacteria respectively, while invertebrate richness remained unchanged with increased downstream position. The local food-webs, formed by these taxonomic groups, also showed a variation in their structure, such as link density and nestedness, to both space and time, yet these patterns did not necessarily mirror those of biodiversity and functional feeding characteristics. In order to conserve species diversity as well as their functional trophic integrity of communities, patterns of biodiversity and food-web characteristics must thus be jointly studied, as our results suggest that they are not directly scalable to each other even at the same spatial and temporal scales.
An ancient polymorphic regulatory region within the BDNF gene associated with obesity modulates anxiety-like behaviour in mice and humans
Authors: McEwan Andrew R. , Hing Benjamin , Erickson Johanna C. , Turnbull Yvonne , Delibegovic Mirela , Grassmann Felix , MacKenzie Alasdair
Published: July 2021

Obesity and anxiety are morbidities notable for their increased impact on society during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the mechanisms governing susceptibility to these conditions will increase quality of life and our resilience to future pandemics. In the current study we explored the function of a highly conserved regulatory region (BE5.1) within the BDNF gene that harbours a polymorphism strongly associated with obesity (rs10767664; p=4.69×10−26). Analysis in primary cells suggested that the major T-allele of BE5.1 was an enhancer whereas the obesity associated A-allele was not. However, CRISPR/CAS9 deletion of BE5.1 from the mouse genome (BE5.1KO) produced no significant effect on the expression of BDNF transcripts in the hypothalamus, no change in weight gain after 28 days and only a marginally significant increase in food intake. Nevertheless, transcripts were significantly increased in the amygdala of female mice and elevated zero maze and marble burying tests demonstrated a significant increase in anxiety-like behaviour that could be reversed by diazepam. Consistent with these observations, human GWAS cohort analysis demonstrated a significant association between rs10767664 and anxiousness in human populations. Intriguingly, interrogation of the human GTEx eQTL database demonstrated no effect on BDNF mRNA levels associated with rs10767664 but a highly significant effect on BDNF-antisense (BDNF-AS) gene expression and splicing suggesting a possible mechanism. We discuss our findings within the context of the known function and regulation of BDNF in obesity and anxiety whilst exploring the validity of interrogating GWAS data using comparative genomics and functional analysis using CRISPR genome editing in mice.
Facilitation of TRKB activation by the angiotensin II receptor type-2 (AT2R) agonist C21
Authors: Laukkanen Liina , Diniz Cassiano R A F , Foulquier Sebastien , Prickaerts Jos , Castrén Eero , Casarotto Plinio C
Published: July 2021

Blockers of angiotensin II type-1 receptor (AT1R) exert antidepressant-like effects by indirectly facilitating the activation of the angiotensin II type-2 receptor (AT2R), which leads to increased surface expression and transactivation of tropomyosin-related kinase B receptors (TRKB). Compound 21 (C21) is a non-peptide AT2R agonist that produces neuroprotective effects. However, the behavioral effects of C21 and its involvement with the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-TRKB system still need further investigation.

The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of C21 on the activation of TRKB and its consequences on conditioned fear. The administration of C21 (0.1-10μM/15min) increased the surface levels of TRKB but was not sufficient to increase the levels of phosphorylated TRKB (pTKB) in cultured cortical neurons from rat embryos. Consistent with increased TRKB surface expression, C21 (10μM/15min or 3 days) facilitated the effect of BDNF (0.1ng/ml/15min) on pTRKB in these cells. In contextual fear conditioning, the freezing time of C21-treated (administered intranasally) wild-type mice was decreased compared to the vehicle-treated group, but no effect of C21 was observed in BDNF.het animals. We observed no effect of C21 in the elevated plus-maze test for anxiety.

Taken together, our results indicate that C21 facilitated BDNF effect by increasing the levels of TRKB on the cell surface and reduced the freezing time of mice in a BDNF-dependent manner, but not through a general anxiolytic-like effect.
New high-throughput endstation to accelerate the experimental optimization pipeline for synchrotron X-ray footprinting
Authors: Jain Rohit , Abel Donald , Rakitin Maksim , Sullivan Michael , Lodowski David T. , Chance Mark R. , Farquhar Erik R.
Published: July 2021

Synchrotron X-ray footprinting (XF) is a growing structural biology technique that leverages radiation-induced chemical modifications via X-ray radiolysis of water to produce hydroxyl radicals that probe changes in macromolecular structure and dynamics in solution states of interest. The X-ray Footprinting of Biological Materials (XFP) beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II provides the structural biology community with access to instrumentation and expert support in the XF method, and is also a platform for development of new technological capabilities in this field. The design and implementation of a new high-throughput endstation device based around use of a 96-well PCR plate form factor and supporting diagnostic instrumentation for synchrotron XF is described. This development enables a pipeline for rapid comprehensive screening of the influence of sample chemistry on hydroxyl radical dose using a convenient fluorescent assay, illustrated here with a study of 26 organic compounds. The new high-throughput endstation device and sample evaluation pipeline now available at the XFP beamline provide the worldwide structural biology community with a robust resource for carrying out well optimized synchrotron XF studies of challenging biological systems with complex sample compositions.
The disclosure of the materiality process in sustainability reporting by Spanish state-owned enterprises
Authors: Ruiz-Lozano Mercedes , De Vicente-Lama Marta , Tirado-Valencia Pilar , Cordobés-Madueño Magdalena
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to assess the disclosure of the materiality process in the preparation of sustainability reports of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). This paper also explores the effects of regulation mandating that SOEs prepare sustainability reports. In the specific case of port authorities, the study analyses the influence of a sector guideline that determines what should be included and the structure of the report. Another aim of this paper is to delve into SOE's motivations for disclosing information on materiality assessments, using the assumptions of the different theories to explain their reporting practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a sample of SOEs sustainability reports, a content analysis is undertaken. The methodology involves the analysis of the information disclosed by SOEs in Spain and the development of a materiality disclosure index. This index enables sampled entities to be classified on a scale of 0–5, based on the extent of their disclosures of the materiality determination process. This study also identifies several variables that explain differences in these disclosures.

Findings

A low rate of information disclosed about the materiality process can be attributed to the desire of SOEs to create symbolic legitimacy. In a context where the disclosure of sustainability information is mandatory, only few organisations apply the principle of materiality to define the content of their sustainability reports. These results highlight that institutional isomorphism has only had a limited effect on the materiality process.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations associated with the sample size and composition of the sample by sector apply.

Practical implications

This research shows that generally accepted reporting guidelines constitute a reference framework for sustainability reporting but that the principles underpinning these frameworks are not always implemented.

Originality/value

This study extends the literature on the implementation of the principle of materiality and uses disclosure theories to explain the actual reporting by SOEs of their materiality process.
Examining the financial relationships between producers and commission agents in the greenhouse vegetable farming industry in Turkey
Authors: Karaman Suleyman , Yigit Furkan
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper is intended to investigate the economic, organizational and social factors affecting the receipt of advance payment by greenhouse vegetable producers from commission agents operating in the wholesale market.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were gathered through questionnaire forms developed for this specific purpose through face-to-face interviews with 180 producers growing greenhouse vegetables in the central district and Serik, Antalya in the Western Mediterranean Region of Turkey. A logistic regression model was employed to analyse the factors affecting the likelihood of greenhouse vegetable growers getting advance from commission agents.

Findings

A good financial status of enterprises producing greenhouse vegetables and the fact that their production input needs are met by cooperatives reduce their dependence on commission agents, thereby increasing their bargaining power when selling their products. Since producers can readily meet their need for the capital required for the vegetable production process from commission agents, they do not prefer to borrow from lending institutions making agricultural loans with requirements such as collateral. The fact that greenhouse vegetable farmers receive technical and market information and advice from commission agents strengthens their relationship with them.

Originality/value

It is the first study that evaluates in detail the financial aspect of the relationships between producers and commission agents in the greenhouse vegetables wholesale market. It contributes significantly to agricultural policymakers regarding the functioning of the greenhouse vegetable market, and in particular, the regulations on agricultural loans for production processes.
The promise and peril of youth entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa
Authors: Krafft Caroline , Rizk Reham
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Entrepreneurship is promoted as a solution to high rates of youth unemployment around the world and especially in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This paper investigates the potential for youth entrepreneurship to alleviate unemployment, focusing on Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors examine who entrepreneurs are (in comparison to the unemployed), using multinomial logit models. The authors compare entrepreneurs' and wage workers' working conditions and earnings. They exploit panel data to assess earnings and occupational dynamics. They specifically use the Labor Market Panel Surveys of 2012 (Egypt), 2016 (Jordan), and 2014 (Tunisia), along with previous waves.

Findings

The authors find that entrepreneurs are the opposite of the unemployed in MENA. The unemployed are disproportionately young, educated and women. Entrepreneurs are older, less educated and primarily men. Entrepreneurship does not generally lead to higher earnings and does have fewer benefits.

Originality/value

Promoting youth entrepreneurship is not only unlikely to be successful in reducing youth unemployment in MENA, but also, if successful, may even be harmful to youth.
Exploring the impact of socio-demographic characteristics on financial inclusion: empirical evidence from Tunisia
Authors: Amari Mouna , Anis Jarboui
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aim to fill the gaps by looking for the determinants and barriers related to financial inclusion. This study assesses the effect of socio-demographic variables on the use of formal financial inclusion services.

Design/methodology/approach

This article examines the barriers to formal financial inclusion, focusing on saving and credit strands. The authors propose the probit model, allowing distinguishing the outcome variable into three categories: Formal inclusion, informal inclusion and financial exclusion. The authors apply this model to the Findex 2017 survey data.

Findings

Estimation results propose that the trust to financial institutions, the distance to banks, the lack of documentation and the service costs are the main barriers, but these barriers affect the probability of using formal financial services differently according to the types of financial services (saving or credit).

Research limitations/implications

To advance the formal financial inclusion in Tunisia, the authors call for continuing promoting financial literacy among adults and the young population, which helps them understand the benefits of using formal financial services. Financial literacy throws in constructing the individual trust toward the financial sector in a country that experienced several decades of political and economic instability.

Originality/value

Financial inclusion promotes growth through a broadening of the system and technology that can be a major catalyst for greater financial inclusion. It helps in the overall economic development of the underprivileged population and contributes to poverty reduction. It can also enhance the security of payments, and thus lower the incidence of associated crime.
The moderating effect of technology overload on the ability of online learning to meet students' basic psychological needs
Authors: James Tabitha L. , Zhang Jie , Li Han , Ziegelmayer Jennifer L. , Villacis-Calderon Eduardo D.
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Most students are considered digital natives and are presumably equipped to handle extensive technology use. However, online learning turns students into involuntary telecommuters when it is the primary modality. The prevailing trends of online learning, digital socialization, telehealth and other online services, combined with remote work has increased students' reliance on information and communications technologies (ICTs) for all purposes, which may be overwhelming. We examine how technology overload strains the ability of online learning to meet students' basic psychological needs (BPNs), which can decrease positive outcomes such as academic enjoyment and personal performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected via an online survey of 542 university students and the proposed model was tested using partial least squares (PLS) regression.

Findings

We find that technology overload can diminish the positive relationship between online learning intensity and BPNs satisfaction, which is alarming because BPNs satisfaction is critical to students' positive experiences. Moreover, we find that technology overload and lack of technology experience can directly drive BPNs frustration, which decreases positive outcomes and increases academic anxiety.

Originality/value

We extend a theoretical framework for telecommuting to examine online learning. Additionally, we consider the role of technology overload and experience both as drivers and as moderators of students' BPNs satisfaction and frustration in online learning. Our results provide valuable insights that can inform efforts to rebalance the deployment of ICTs to facilitate online educational experiences.
Impact of income diversification strategy on credit risk and market risk among microfinance institutions
Authors: Duho King Carl Tornam , Duho Divine Mensah , Forson Joseph Ato
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study explores the effect of income diversification strategy on credit risk and market risk of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Ghana as an emerging market.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on quarterly data of averagely 271 MFIs that have operated from 2016 to 2018. The dataset is unbalanced and pooled cross-sectional with 3,259 data points. The study measures the diversification strategy using income diversification indices, and accounting ratios to measure the other variables. We utilised the weighted least squares (WLS) approach to explore the nexus.

Findings

The findings show that income diversification is associated with better loan quality and credit risk management. Market risk increases with the level of income diversification of microfinance firms. It is evident that large MFIs can manage their credit risks well and can have a low default rate, depicting an overall U-shaped nexus. On the other hand, the effect of size on market risk is an inverted U-shaped. The effect of asset tangibility on credit risk is positively significant while the effect on market risk is negatively significant. High profitability enhances credit risk management leading to lower loan losses while in the case of diversified and profitable MFIs, they tend to invest more in government securities. The results suggest that MFIs that hold more cash and cash equivalents tend to have high loan loss provision and more government securities suggesting much attention should be paid to optimal cash management.

Practical implications

The results throw light on the credit risk and market risk profile of the firms and the effect of diversification strategies on them. The findings are relevant for effective macroprudential regulation, market regulation and prudential regulation of the microfinance sector.

Social implications

The findings reveal the nature of income diversification strategy of MFIs in emerging markets such as Ghana, pointing out how they affect the risk exposure of MFIs that lend to the pro-poor population.

Originality/value

This is a premier formal assessment of the nexus between income diversification strategies and risk management among MFIs that serve the pro-poor population in the emerging market context.
We gain a lot…but what are we losing? A critical reflection on the implications of digital design technologies
Authors: Soulikias Aristofanis , Cucuzzella Carmela , Nizar Firdous , Hazbei Morteza , Goubran Sherif
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Highly sophisticated digital technologies have distanced architects and designers from intimate and immediate hand-drawing practices. Meanwhile the changes they rapidly bring come with undetected changes in cultural and social norms regarding the built environment. The growing dependence on computers calls for a more holistic, socially inclusive and place-responsive design practice. This paper aims to shed light on what we are losing in the design process as we rapidly transition to communicate architecture using digital media. The authors contemplate the paradigms in which the human body and physical objects still play an important role in today's design environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper looks at current trends in developing and establishing “computer imaging” within architectural education, and the architectural profession through parametric design and the area of sustainability. In order to reveal novel and hybrid ways of architectural image-making, it also looks into art forms that already experiment with bodily practices in design by taking an artisanal animation project as a case study.

Findings

The renewed longing for craft, haptic environments, tactile experiences and hand-crafted artifacts and artworks that engage the senses can be exemplified with the success of the documentary Last Dance on the Main, an animated film on the endangered layers of human presence in one of Montreal's downtown neighborhoods. The open possibilities for creative hybridizations between the handmade and the digital in architecture practice and education are exposed.

Originality/value

The influence of film on the perception and consequent design of cities is well documented. There is little literature, however, on how the materiality and process of artisanal film animation can provide alternative, if not additional, insights on how to communicate various aspects of the built environment, particularly those rooted in the human body. Furthermore, handmade film explores a broader understanding of sustainability, which includes considerations for social and cultural contexts.
High-performance work systems and thriving at work: the role of cognitive appraisal and servant leadership
Authors: Wang Zhining , Ren Shuang , Meng Lijun
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a balanced and nuanced understanding of the relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and employee thriving at work by aiming to consider the “dark-side” of HPWS and to uncover the “black box.”

Design/methodology/approach

This research draws from data from 377 employees nested in 77 work teams and tests a multilevel moderated mediation model using multilevel path analysis.

Findings

The findings indicate that employees appraise HPWS as both a challenge and a hindrance simultaneously. The challenge appraisal associated with HPWS positively influences employees' thriving at work whereas hindrance appraisal of HPWS negatively influences thriving experience. The results also support the hypothesized relationships in which servant leadership moderates the indirect effect of HPWS on employee thriving via challenge and hindrance appraisals accordingly.

Originality/value

This research demonstrates both positive and negative sides of HPWS as evaluated by employees in relation to an important employee outcome of thriving at work. It enriches the strategic HRM literature by identifying the “black box” of HPWS-employee outcomes and associated boundary condition from the theoretical perspective of cognitive appraisals.
Association of anaplastic lymphoma kinase variants and alterations with ensartinib response duration in non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Hou Donghui , Zheng Xiaomin , Song Wei , Liu Xiaoqing , Wang Sicong , Zhou Lina , Tao Xiuli , Lv Lv , Sun Qi , Jin Yujing , Zhang Zewei , Ding Lieming , Wu Ning , Zhao Shijun
Published: July 2021

Background

Here, we aimed to assess the association of ALK variants and alterations with ensartinib response duration in NSCLC, and explore the potential value of computed tomography (CT) radiomic features in predicting progression‐free survival (PFS).

Methods

We enrolled 88 patients with identified ALK variant NSCLC in a multicenter phase 2 trial, and assessed the impact of ALK variants and secondary ALK alterations on the clinical outcome (response duration) of patients receiving ensartinib. We also established a multifactorial model of clinicopathological and quantitative CT radiomic features to predict PFS and risk stratification. Kaplan–Meier analysis was conducted to identify risk factors for tumor progression.

Results

Univariate analysis indicated a statistical difference (p = 0.035) in PFS among ALK variants in three classifications (V1, V3, and other variants). Secondary ALK alterations were adversely associated with PFS both in univariate (p = 0.008) and multivariate (p = 0.04) analyses and could identify patients at high risk for early progression in the Kaplan–Meier analysis (p = 0.002). Additionally, response duration to crizotinib <1 year and liver metastasis were adversely associated with PFS. The combined model, composed of clinicopathological signature and CT radiomic signature, showed good prediction ability with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve being 0.85, and 0.89 in the training and validation dataset respectively.

Conclusions

Our study showed that secondary ALK alterations were adversely associated with ensartinib efficacy, and that ALK variants might not correlate with PFS. The quantitative radiomic signature provided added prognostic prediction value to the clinicopathological features.
Mechanisms of lipid metabolism promoted by berberine via peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma during in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes
Authors: Dai Jia‐Ge , Huang Xiao‐Meng , Zhang Chao , Gao Jian‐Ming
Published: July 2021

This study was conducted to explore the molecular mechanisms of berberine (Ber) via peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (PPARG) in promoting in vitro maturation (IVM) and lipid metabolism of porcine oocytes. Our results showed that expression changes in PPARG influenced IVM and the lipid droplet content of porcine oocytes. Moreover, c‐Jun‐N‐terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor modified the effect of PPARG agonist on IVM and lipid droplet content of porcine oocytes, and Ber significantly reduced lipid droplet content. Activation of PPARG upregulated the transcription level of microRNA‐192 (miR‐192), significantly promoted the expression of fatty acid binding protein 3 (FABP3) and steroid regulatory element binding transcription factor 1 (SREBF1) and PPARG, inhibited phosphorylation of PPARG, and enhanced JNK phosphorylation. Ber and overexpression of miR‐192 upregulated the transcription level of miR‐192 in porcine oocytes; significantly decreased the expression of FABP3, SREBF1, and PPARG; increased PPARG phosphorylation; and inhibited JNK phosphorylation. Otherwise, JNK inhibitor reduced the effects of PPARG agonist. In conclusion, Ber may activate the expression of miR‐192, downregulate the expression level of PPARG and lipid synthesis‐related genes, increase PPARG phosphorylation, and reduce JNK phosphorylation to enhance lipid metabolism, which is beneficial to improve porcine oocyte quality of IVM.
Working characteristics for practising dental hygienists in two countries in different hemispheres
Authors: Olson Hanna , Ratnayake Jithendra , Veerasamy Arthi , Quaranta Alessandro , Meldrum Alison
Published: July 2021

Objectives

The study aimed to collect and compare practising characteristics for dental hygienists (DHs) in New Zealand (NZ) and Sweden.

Methods

Dental hygienists from NZ and Sweden were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey focussing on their working practices. An email, with a link to the online survey and a participant information sheet, was sent to DHs registered with their professional association in their respective country. Frequency analyses and cross‐tabulations were conducted using chi‐square and Fisher's exact tests to investigate possible statistical associations to allow for comparisons between the countries.

Results

DH is a female‐dominated workforce with equal distribution of gender in both countries. The majority of DHs in NZ worked in private practice while Swedish DHs mostly worked in the public sector. NZ participants were younger and with a more recent qualification than their Swedish counterparts. The highest degree of education was a PhD for DHs working in Sweden, compared with a master's degree for NZ participants. The majority of participants from both countries treated patients 65 years of age or older, with the most common medical conditions being cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. The most common dental condition observed/treated was periodontal disease. Over 60% agreed to have an understanding of information technology (IT). The most used technical equipment was digital radiology, followed by other diagnostic tools.

Conclusion

Findings confirm previous international data on demographical uptake for the DH workforce in NZ and Sweden. A coherence was seen in patient characteristics, DHs’ attitudes towards information technology and use of technical equipment.
Mucha‐Habermann disease: a pediatric case report and proposal of a risk score
Authors: Blohm Martin Ernst , Ebenebe Chinedu Ulrich , Rau Cornelius , Escherich Carolin , Johannsen Jessika , Escherich Gabriele , Driemeyer Joenna , Nagel Philipp Daniel , Kobbe Robin , Lütgehetmann Marc , Lennartz Maximilian , Booken Nina , Schneider Stefan Werner , Singer Dominique
Published: July 2021

Febrile ulceronecrotic Mucha‐Habermann disease (FUMHD) is a rare inflammatory dermatological disease. A case of a 13‐year‐old boy with FUMHD possibly triggered by mycoplasma infection is presented. Based on FUMHD cases identified in a MEDLINE literature search, demographic, treatment, and outcome data were analyzed. An FUMHD mortality risk score is proposed based on the likelihood ratios of risk factors for a fatal outcome. Our FUMHD case had marked leukopenia and thrombocytopenia at admission. He recovered without systemic immunosuppressive treatment. Literature review revealed 119 FUMHD cases. Overall lethality was 14/119 (12%, CI 6–17%), and lethality in children was lower (1/54, 2%, CI 0–6%) compared to adults (13/65, 20%, CI 11–31%). Risk factors for a fatal outcome (likelihood ratio;P) were sepsis (24.97,P < 0.001), adult vs. pediatric patient age (11.19;P = 0.001), systemic involvement (19.97,P < 0.001), and mucosal involvement (4.58;P = 0.032). The proposed FUMHD mortality risk score = Age/10 + 4 + 4 (if systemic involvement) + 1 (if mucosal involvement) was discriminative (sensitivity 93%, specificity 77%). In FUMHD, immune‐suppressive treatment intensity should be balanced against the mortality risk, as infectious complications are a frequent cause of death.
Investigation of platelet function in patients with chronic kidney disease stages IV‐V
Authors: Khalid Ali , White Danielle , Sharp Megan , Duff Emily , MacDonald Stephen , Fry Andy , Thomas Will
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Patients with renal failure are at increased risk of both bleeding and thrombosis. Further descriptions of laboratory investigations in these patients are required.

Methods

Investigation of 24 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages IV‐V with light transmission aggregometry, platelet secretion assays and platelet nucleotide analysis. Patients were in a nonbleeding state and not on antiplatelet medication. Results were compared with our local reference range used within the clinical haematology service.

Results

Of the 24 patients, two had decreased responses to arachidonic acid, adenosine diphosphate, collagen, thrombin receptor activator peptide‐6 and one had decreased responses to high dose ristocetin, and one had increased response to low dose ristocetin. 11 and 13 out of 24 had abnormal platelet secretion release to collagen and thrombin, respectively. Platelet nucleotide analysis in patients was normal with the exception of a reduction in ADP content in one patient and ATP/ADP ratio in one patient.

Conclusions

In our collection of patients with CKD investigated for platelet function in the nonbleeding state, they generally had normal light transmission aggregometry and nucleotide analysis but around 50% had decreased platelet secretion assays. These results could be important in determining the significance of platelet function tests in patients with bleeding symptoms and renal failure. Further characterization of platelet function tests in future will help characterize haemostasis in renal failure further.
Support exchanges between adult children and their parents across life transitions
Authors: Min Joohong , Johnson Matthew D. , Anderson Jared R. , Yurkiw Jennifer
Published: July 2021

Objective

This study examined whether adult children's transitions to marriage, parenthood, and divorce were related to intergenerational support exchanges.

Background

Intergenerational support fluctuates over the life span, often in response to major transitions, but surprisingly little research has examined longitudinally how life transitions shape the bidirectional flow of intergenerational support.

Method

Using data from adult children who participated in Waves 2, 4, 6, and 8 of the German Family Panel (pairfam) study, we estimated fixed effect models to explore how marital and parenthood transitions of adult children predict support exchanges between adult children and their parents (n = 5245 adult children's report of support exchanges with their mother and n = 4604 with their father; total 14,359 and 12,147 observations).

Results

Getting married was associated with adult children receiving less emotional support from mothers, while providing less instrumental support to their parents. Becoming a mother was associated with receiving more instrumental support from parents and receiving less material/financial support among adult children closer to their parents. When adult children became a parent, emotional and instrumental provision to mothers decreased. Getting divorced was associated with adult children receiving more emotional and material support from parents, but findings varied based on child gender and closeness with parents.

Conclusion

Adult children's life transitions influence patterns of support exchanged with their parents differentially based on parent–child gender composition and intergenerational closeness.
A female advantage? Gender patterning of psychological well‐being among migrants and returnees in China
Authors: Jin Lei , Zhao Xiaohang , Tong Yuying
Published: July 2021

During recent decades, China has experienced large‐scale rural‐to‐urban migration and a substantial proportion of the migrant population are women. Previous research has suggested that men and women may experience different gains and losses during the migration process and women may derive more psychological benefits than men. Moreover, the female advantage may concentrate in the married. Little quantitative research has systematically assessed these propositions. In this paper, we seek to the fill the gaps by assessing how migrants’ psychological well‐being is influenced when gender intersects with marriage and the migration process, including both migrating out and moving back. We used random‐intercept linear models to analyze data from a nationally representative survey of working‐age adults. We found that during rural‐to‐urban migration, women fared better than men in terms of psychological well‐being. The gender gaps in psychological well‐being among migrants came to resemble that of the urbanites. The female advantage was particularly significant for those who were married. But the female advantage seemed to have disappeared when migrants returned to their sending communities. This study illustrates the heterogeneity in the impact of migration on psychological well‐being and identifies groups that are vulnerable to the negative impact of migration who may benefit from targeted interventions.
Preliminary investigation on enzymatic activity in saliva of Hystrix cristata L., 1758
Authors: Coppola Francesca , Sagona Simona , Betti Laura , Palego Lionella , Casini Lucia , Giannaccini Gino , Felicioli Antonio
Published: July 2021

Mammal's saliva contains a variety of electrolytes and proteins. They carry out an important role in the digestion process, in the antibacterial and antiviral activity, in lubrication and maintenance of oral general health status. It may also contain several enzymes according to dietary habits and general wellness. Sialochemistry is a valid alternative to the haematochemical analysis for the evaluation of animal health and nutritional status. At present, very little knowledge is available on health status and pathology of crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata) and no data are yet available on salivary enzymes. Between 2018 and 2020, a preliminary investigation of enzymatic activity on saliva samples was carried out from captured porcupines. In crested porcupine saliva, enzymatic activity of trypsin, chymotrypsin, N‐Aminopeptidase, amylase, lignin peroxidise, cellulase and chitinase were recorded. Superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S‐transferase and alkaline phosphatase activity was also detected. The superoxide dismutase activity resulted higher (3.13 SD 3.58 U/mg proteins) than those of catalase (130.80 SD 110.65 mU/mg proteins) and glutathione S‐transferase (20.21 SD 16.62 mM/mg proteins). Alkaline phosphatase activity resulted lower (5.91 SD 6.12 mU/mg proteins) than acidic phosphatase (19.00 SD 16.16 U/mg proteins) with the highest values of saliva alkaline phosphatases recorded in young individuals. These preliminary data bring new knowledge on crested porcupine saliva enzymes and may provide a useful tool for further investigation on the adaptive response of crested porcupine to different environmental condition and diet. Additional investigation concerning a possible alternative use of saliva enzymes as indicator of health and nutritional status of this rodent are desirable.
Self‐Regulated Strategy Development: A Framework for Effective Instruction across the Content Areas
Authors: McKeown Debra , FitzPatrick Erin , Ennis Robin Parks , Sanders Sara
Published: July 2021

Self‐regulated strategy development (SRSD) is an instructional framework considered to be an evidence‐based practice in writing. In this article, SRSD's foundations and structure is briefly described. Then, the authors provide a summary of studies of SRSD applied across content areas, including writing, reading, mathematics, science, and social studies along with an introduction to the special issue.
“Loving was almost always listening”: Sensory collaboration and modes of relation in Gertrude Stein's literary portraits
Authors: Kim Hyunjung
Published: July 2021

This essay discusses Gertrude Stein's literary portraits within the affective terrain of literary and cultural studies by focusing on the idea of collaboration and relationality. It attempts to configure Stein as a sensory collaborator by concentrating on the oral/aural and other nondiscursive sensory qualities such as touch that Stein insists on, specifically through repetition in her literary portraits, which have been read mostly in the context of the poet's engagement with the visual arts. I offer a new reading of Stein's writing, beyond the visual paradigm, by considering her idea of listening as a form of attention and care. Furthermore, I look at how this affective mode is realized through her approach to writing poetry as an act of “caressing” her subject matter. I argue that Stein's writing is a site for sensorial collaboration, in which new modes of relation emerge, as her literary portraits suggest the ways in which our senses implicate not only one's individual perception of the subject but various forms of sociabilities and affective connections. This essay ultimately proposes that Stein's insistence on making telling, listening, repeating, and what she calls “caressing” into a combined mode of relation evokes how poetry can become a site in which extending or transforming oneself into a collaborative mode of being becomes possible.
In vivo preliminary test of a new biparietal bidirectional bipolar radiofrequency magnetic coupling system
Authors: Matteucci Francesco , La Meir Mark , Maesen Bart , Chierchia Gian‐Battista , De Asmundis Carlo , Gelsomino Sandro
Published: July 2021

Background

To test in vivo a new design prototype for radio frequency (RF) ablation.

Methods

A prototype based on a concept of endo‐epicardial biparietal bipolar RF ablation with the atrial tissue interposed and consisting of two specular endocardial‐epicardial catheters was tested in four pigs (80±5 kg). The endocardial catheter was introduced into the left atrium through the left atrial appendage on the beating heart. The epicardial counterpart was placed manually on the atrial epicardial surface. The coupling of the two catheters was achieved using a neodymium magnet around the gold plate electrode, and RF was applied to the interposed tissue. The hearts were excised, and the lesions were examined using morphometric evaluation.

Results

The RF application resulted in transmural lesions in all of the four animals tested. In these animals the maximum endocardial width (Wendo) was 6.34 ± 0.25, 6.54 ± 0.33, 6.36 ± 0.57, and 6.49 ± 0.96 mm. The pericardial width (Wepi) was similar: 6.37 ± 0.47, 6.58 ± 0.32, 6.35 ± 0.56 and 6.53 ± 0.94 mm. The lesion area was 924.78, 949.25, 944.25, and 926.05 mm2, and the lesion volume was 92.47, 94.92, 94.42, and 92.60 mm3, respectively.

Conclusions

The idea of an endocardial‐epicardial bidirectional biparietal bipolar radiofrequency tool such that the atrial tissue is fully interposed between the two RF poles might be promising for future clinical applications. Further research is warranted.
Anodal stimulation in pediatric patients with permanent epicardial ventricular pacemakers
Authors: Boscamp Nicholas S. , Liberman Leonardo , Silver Eric S.
Published: July 2021

Objectives

We aimed to measure the frequency and factors associated with anodal stimulation in a pediatric population with epicardial pacing leads.

Background

In bipolar pacemakers, capture of the myocardium typically occurs at the cathode. However, AS with capture at the anode has been described. This has not been described in epicardial pacemakers.

Methods

Retrospective data were collected from patients ≤ 21 years of age with permanent bipolar epicardial ventricular pacemakers from 1/2017 to 1/2018. AS was defined as a clear change on surface ECG in at least one of the 12 leads assessed by two blinded pediatric electrophysiologists.

Results

Twenty‐four bipolar leads in 23 patients were included in the study. One patient had both biventricular leads tested. Median age was 7.1 years (IQR 5.0–10.9), weight was 20.9 kg (IQR 16.5–33.5), and 65% were male. Testing was performed at a median of 2.8 years (IQR 1.6–6.1) after implant. Congenital heart disease was present in 57%. Complete heart block was the pacemaker indication in 78%. AS was identified in 16/24 (67%) of leads tested. Identification of AS was associated with presence of congenital heart disease (p = 0.004) and 3DD between electrodes (p = 0.04).

Conclusions

AS is common in pediatric patients and was associated with a history of congenital heart disease and greater estimated 3DD between electrodes. The prevalent nature of AS may allow clinicians to utilize existing pacemakers as multisite pacing systems.