bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Raychem RPG Ltd: Strategic Transformation
Authors: Karna Amit , Garg Amit
Published: November 2020

The year 2013-14 was very significant for Raychem RPG Ltd (RRL) - a joint venture between RPG group, India and TE Connectivity, USA. The sales were looking up and order book was promising. Newly restructured units were working well and business in new segments was picking up. There were several initiatives undertaken by the CEO in last five years of his tenure. His team had achieved the desired stability and turnaround was successful. A high-growth future in a slowing global economic scenario had to be converted into a more profitable opportunity. However, he faced several questions. Was the strategic transformation journey that he embarked on four years ago complete? Could he have done something different? Which were the areas where the next focus should be? Did RRL have the required competences to succeed in those areas? How would RRL manage the changing expectations of the two JV partners?
Holistic green BIM: a scientometrics and mixed review
Authors: Shukra Zahra Abdulhadi , Zhou Ying
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Despite the construction industry's significant impact on high energy use and a growing carbon footprint, technologies like Green BIM help to optimize natural resources, reduce pollution, use sustainable space and work on human comfort and health. But the trend in a holistic approach is minimal. Thus, the paper aimed to systematically investigate Green BIM research and implementation trends using a mixed-method and also show the prospects of holistic Green BIM implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

First, we conducted a Scientometrics analysis on the topic using the Scopus database for the time interval of (2013–present). Secondly, the Qualitative Content Review method asserted the Scientometrics analysis result. Lastly, exploratory research was done on secondary data to compare the AEC industry trend for a comprehensive view.

Findings

The merged findings confirmed the partial implementation of Green BIM and of which 43% of research focused only on energy analysis. Despite the potential of BIM and the interrelationship among green building parameters, the result showed other aspects of green building and sustainable design parameters as green material selection, sustainable site, waste management and water-use efficiency not comprised.

Originality/value

The authors propose a new conceptual framework for integrating green building parameters, BIM tools and green building assessment tools in a life cycle of a project that adds into the sustainability of the Architectural, Engineering and Construction sector. The study would help to provoke researchers, software developers and practitioners for further innovative effort in holistic Green BIM implementation.
Of hope and despair: neo-liberalism and schooling on the south coast of England
Authors: Chitpin Stephanie
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The present study contributes to research that examines the meanings of achievement gaps, when enacting policy. Its findings are both hopeful and unsettling. The absence of equitable outcomes and democratic citizenship, as elements of closing the achievement gaps in our participants' definitions, are troubling, particularly within the context of neo-liberalism, where increases in inequities showcase the negative aspects of policy appropriation.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative case study methodology was used to identify the parameters of the research (Merriam and Simpson, 2000) because case studies are particularistic in nature in that case studies examine a specific instance but illuminate a general problem (Merriam, 1998). This case study is not based on generating generalizations, concepts or hypotheses grounded in systematically obtained data (Abercrombieet al., 1990) but goes beyond the limited notion of context employed in many case studies, as no researcher can enter a situation free from preconceptions but must fit existing perceptions into a pre-existing discourse. This study explores heads of schools' decisions with regards to increasing the number of students who meet standards, as set by the government and reducing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

Findings

The findings from this study are discussed in three broad categories; the achievement gap, aspirations and parental support and differentiated and targeted solutions.

Research limitations/implications

These findings raise the question as to whether the education inspection framework (EIF) presents cause for concern. After all, the EIF was developed to hold schools accountable for high standards without consultation with the teachers' representatives, local communities, parents and colleges and universities. Nevertheless, the EIF, as a set of standards, is problematic.

Practical implications

The leadership practices enacted by heads of schools to bridge the achievement gaps differ from those advocated by the State. This echoes previous findings demonstrating that the same leadership practices can be used to pursue different goals (Leithwood, 2006) and that individuals enact policies in ways that reflect the particularities of their own contexts (Ballet al., 2012).

Social implications

The absence of equitable outcomes and democratic citizenship, as elements of closing the achievement gaps in our participants' definitions, are troubling, particularly within the context of neo-liberalism, where increases in inequities showcase the negative aspects of policy appropriation.

Originality/value

The present study contributes to research that examines the meanings of achievement gaps when enacting policy (Ballet al., 2012; Hardy, 2014; Winton, 2013). Its findings are both hopeful and unsettling. The heads of schools demonstrate that they can appropriate definitions of achievement for all students to support their academic learning and wellbeing (Hodgkinson, 1991; Winton, 2013).
Collaboration in achieving sustainable solutions in the textile industry
Authors: Abreu Mônica Cavalcanti Sá de , Ferreira Fabiana Nogueira Holanda , Proença João F. , Ceglia Domenico
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how sustainable solutions in the textiles and clothing industry are decided through business-to-business collaboration.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative and inductive study of the Brazilian textiles and clothing industry is carried out, an industry in which sustainable denim products are increasingly being recognized as subject to competition. The paper adopts a focal net perspective to understand the collaborative arrangements through which firms combine the products they offer as a sustainable solution. Documentary data were collected and in-depth interviews conducted with the top managers of one of the world’s largest denim-manufacturing companies present in the Brazilian market, which is involved in providing sustainable solutions in cooperation with its partners.

Findings

The authors describe the factors that reflect the conditions for generating a sustainable business performance, including a corporate policy that assumes and articulates the responsibility for social interest, core-business stakeholders and regulatory requirements; a sustainable product-service system (S.PSS) based on innovative interactions between the stakeholders in the value production system; relations between stakeholders that promote business sustainability through a dependable value chain characterized by a sense of collaboration and collective actions; and a business model for sustainability that combines economic with social and ecological value creation. These factors help a business establish a more strategic position in the value network, enabling it to capture more value.

Practical implications

Sustainable solutions are developed dynamically and collaboratively within an S.PPS. Managers need to focus not only on tangible products but also on intangible services designed and combined so that they are jointly capable of fulfilling customer’s needs and creating social and ecological value. Managers within the solution provider must develop business models for sustainability that are continually evolving to satisfy the interest in resource-efficiency by actors in civil society, business and government.

Originality/value

The research contributes to the existing literature by applying approaches involving corporate social responsibility (CSR) and strategic nets to the study of the implementation of an S.PSS. Sustainable initiatives and offers developed by an S.PSS are not isolated phenomena but result from collaboration in finding solutions among different actors linked in a strategic net. In this sense, companies need to adjust their business models for sustainability to generate positive economic, social and ecological value and gain credibility for their missions.
Mental health literacy of the Lebanese population (MHeLLP): a cross-sectional study
Authors: Taleb Rim , Kassab Nayla , Kebbe Asmaa , Kreidieh Nour
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This study primarily aims to evaluate the mental health literacy (MHL) of the Lebanese adult population in an attempt to yield results that can help fill the gap in the literature and support the development of new strategies to counter mental health stigma.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey was composed of the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule and select questions from the Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill and MHL Scale. The surveys were collected from a representative population of sample size (n = 386) among the different governorates of Lebanon. The participants, aged 18–65 years and literate, were recruited between July 2018 and September 2018 from supermarkets widely distributed across the country.

Findings

The results showed that the Lebanese population possesses average knowledge and certain stigmatizing attitudes toward mental illnesses. Curricular education and awareness campaigns may help refine the image of mental illness among the population.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the first in Lebanon to assess the MHL of its population as a whole. It gives insight into the common misconceptions about mental illness and patterns of the related stigma that are prevalent in the Lebanese society today.
“What do interlocks do” revisited – a bibliometric analysis
Authors: Smith Matthew , Sarabi Yasaman
Published: November 2020

Purpose

It has been over 20 years since the landmark publication of Mizruchi (1996) and his examination of “what do interlocks do?”. Since then, the nature of interlocks and subsequent research on the subject has evolved. This paper aims to revisit the literature on interlocking directorates through a quantitative bibliometric analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

This study undertakes a bibliometric analysis of literature citing the Mizruchi (1996) to examine the state of research following up on “what do interlocks do”. This study examines 718 publications using keyword and co-word analysis, along with a thematic analysis to revisit the research that has followed Mizruchi’s topic of what do interlocks do.

Findings

This study finds that the topics of the corporate elite, capitalist economy and corporate governance have remained prominent themes in the field. Research areas that are emerging in the field of interlocking directorates include gender diversity, globalisation and advancing theoretical frameworks.

Originality/value

This paper provides a quantitative bibliometric analysis to revisit the extant literature on “what do interlocks do”, examining a high number of articles to identify areas which could be developed to advance research in the field.
RAMS analysis of railway network: model development and a case study in China
Authors: Zhang Zhe , Jia Limin , Qin Yong
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the reliability, availability, maintenance and safety analysis method for railway network operation.

Design/methodology/approach

The reliability of the railway network is proposed based on the accident frequency and the topology of the railway network. Network efficiency and capacity are proposed to evaluate the availability of the railway network. The maintenance of the railway network is analyzed from the perspective of accident recovery time. The safety index of the railway network is proposed to measure the safety of railway stations and sections and the K-means method is proposed to find the safety critical stations and sections. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated through a real-world case study.

Findings

The case study shows that the proposed model can produce a big-picture averaged view of the network-wide safety level and help us identify the safety critical stations and sections by considering both the expected reduction of network efficiency and capacity.

Practical implications

The potential application of the proposed model is to help the safety managers determine the investments in safety management of each section and station and then increase the safety and robustness of railway network operation.

Originality/value

The safety analysis of the railway network should consider the reliability, availability and maintenance of the railway network. In this paper, the reliability of the railway network is proposed based on the accident frequency and the topology of the railway network. Network efficiency and capacity are proposed to evaluate the availability of the railway network. The maintenance of the railway network is analyzed from the perspective of recovery time. Finally, the safety index of the railway network is proposed to analyze the safety critical stations and sections.
Is the DLOQ learning-oriented leadership isomorphic? Learning-oriented leadership mediates hierarchical teams’ learning dimensions
Authors: Stothard Christina
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Learning organizations are often theorized at a team level, yet there is a lack of team-level studies. This study aims to evaluate if team-level dimensions of a learning organizational questionnaire (DLOQ) measures are reliable and reflect real team properties and if both individual-level and team-level DLOQ leadership mediates the effect of rank on other DLOQ measures.

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical analysis evaluated if team-level DLOQ measures are reliable and reflected real team properties and if DLOQ learning-oriented leadership mediates the effect of rank or team hierarchy on all other DLOQ measures. A novel approach (random group resampling) was used to evaluate if team level measures reflected either a real team property or a statistical artifact. Next, a series of mediation models evaluated if learning-oriented leadership was isomorphic, namely, displays a similar pattern at both individual and team levels.

Findings

The analysis found team-level DLOQ measures reflected real properties of the teams and were reliable and learning-oriented leadership mediates between rank and team hierarchy and the other six dimensions at both individual and team-levels (i.e. DLOQ team and individual level were isomorphic).

Practical implications

The results show that hierarchical teams’ learning capacities can be improved by focusing on the learning-oriented leadership, which overcomes the typically negative effect of hierarchical differences within teams.

Originality/value

This study provides a significant step forward by applying an innovative analysis that shows that the DLOQ team level measures reflect real team properties and DLOQ leadership displays isomorphic characteristics.
Legacy effects of fish but not elevation influence lake ecosystem response to environmental change
Authors: Symons Celia C. , Schulhof Marika A. , Cavalheri Hamanda B. , Shurin Jonathan B.
Published: November 2020

How communities reorganize during climate change depends on the distribution of diversity within ecosystems and across landscapes. Understanding how environmental and evolutionary history constrain community resilience is critical to predicting shifts in future ecosystem function.

The goal of our study was to understand how communities with different histories respond to environmental change with regard to shifts in elevation (temperature, nutrients) and introduced predators. We hypothesized that community responses to the environment would differ in ways consistent with local adaptation and initial trait structure.

We transplanted plankton communities from lakes at different elevations with and without fish in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California to mesocosms at different elevations with and without fish. We examined the relative importance of the historical and experimental environment on functional (size structure, effects on lower trophic levels), community (zooplankton composition, abundance and biomass) and population (individual species abundance and biomass) responses.

Communities originating from different elevations produced similar biomass at each elevation despite differences in species composition; that is, the experimental elevation, but not the elevation of origin, had a strong effect on biomass. Conversely, we detected a legacy effect of predators on plankton in the fishless environment. Daphnia pulicaria that historically coexisted with fish reached greater biomass under fishless conditions than those from fishless lakes, resulting in greater zooplankton community biomass and larger average size.

Therefore, trait variation among lake populations determined the top‐down effects of fish predators. In contrast, phenotypic plasticity and local diversity were sufficient to maintain food web structure in response to changing environmental conditions associated with elevation.
Predictors of Lidcombe Program treatment dropout and outcome for early stuttering
Authors: Park Veronica , Onslow Mark , Lowe Robyn , Jones Mark , O'Brian Sue , Packman Ann , Menzies Ross , Block Susan , Wilson Linda , Harrison Elisabeth , Hewat Sally
Published: November 2020

Background

Information is available about what predicts Lidcombe Program treatment time, but nothing is known about what predicts treatment prognosis.

Aims

To investigate the predictors of treatment dropout and treatment outcome for children who were treated for early stuttering with the Lidcombe Program (N = 277).

Methods & Procedures

A total of 32 variables were used as predictors in regression analyses of short‐ and medium‐term Lidcombe Program outcome, and of treatment dropout.

Outcomes & Results

Regression analyses associated children who have better language skills and easy temperament with better treatment outcome, although only a small portion of the variance of treatment outcome was accounted for by these variables. There was an association between treatment dropout and parental scores on a personality screening tool relating to their impulsivity.

Conclusions & Implications

Variables identified as predictors of Lidcombe Program treatment outcome were statistically significant, but not clinically significant. They did not account for a clinically substantive portion of treatment outcomes. Findings about parental impulsivity and their relationship with intervention drop‐out require replication with prospective methods and comprehensive assessment of parent psychological status. This is particularly important because parents are involved in conducting all early interventions.

What this paper adds

What is already known on the subject

Information is available about what predicts Lidcombe Program treatment time, but nothing is known about what predicts Lidcombe Program treatment outcome.

What this paper adds to existing knowledge

There are predictors of Lidcombe Program treatment outcome that are statistically significant, but none are clinically significant.

What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?

Clinicians can tell parents that nothing has been found that can assist with making prognostic indications about treatment outcome for their children.
Post‐mortem confirmation of fetal brain abnormalities: challenges highlighted by the MERIDIAN cohort study
Authors: Griffiths PD , Jarvis D , Mooney C , Mason G , Dean AF
Published: November 2020

Objectives

To assess and analyse the concordance between post‐mortem findings and in utero magnetic resonance imaging (iuMRI) in the MERIDIAN (MRI to enhance the diagnosis of fetal developmental brain abnormalities in utero) cohort.

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting

Fetal medicine units in the UK.

Population

Pregnant women with a diagnosis of fetal brain abnormality identified on ultrasound at 18 weeks of gestation or later.

Methods

All pregnancies from the MERIDIAN study that resulted in a abortion were included and the rate of uptake and success of post‐mortem examinations were calculated. In the cases in which diagnostic information about the fetal brain was obtained by post‐mortem, the results were compared with the diagnoses from iuMRI.

Main outcome measure

Outcome reference diagnosis from post‐mortem examination.

Results

A total of 155 from 823 pregnancies (19%) ended in a termination of pregnancy and 71 (46%) had post‐mortem brain examinations, 62 of which were diagnostically adequate. Hence, the overall rate of successful post‐mortem investigation was 40%, and for those cases there was a concordance rate of 84% between iuMRI and post‐mortem examination. Detailed information is provided when the results of the post‐mortem examination and the iuMRI study differed.

Conclusions

We have shown tissue‐validation of radiological diagnosis is hampered by a low rate of post‐mortem studies in fetuses aborted with brain abnormalities, a situation further compounded by a 12% rate of autopsy being technically unsuccessful. The agreement between iuMRI and post‐mortem findings is high, but our analysis of the discrepant cases provides valuable clues for improving how we provide information for parents.

Tweetable abstract

iuMRI should be considered a reliable indicator of fetal brain abnormalities when post‐mortem is not performed.
High‐Frequency Changes in Shopping Behaviours, Promotions and the Measurement of Inflation: Evidence from the Great Lockdown*
Authors: Jaravel Xavier , O'Connell Martin
Published: November 2020

We use real‐time scanner data in Great Britain during the COVID‐19 pandemic to investigate the drivers of the inflationary spike at the beginning of lockdown and to quantify the impact of high‐frequency changes in shopping behaviours and promotions on inflation measurement. Although changes in product‐level expenditure shares were unusually high during lockdown, we find that the induced bias in price indices that do not account for expenditure switching is not larger than in prior years. We also document substantial consumer switching towards online shopping and across retailers, but show this was not a key driver of the inflationary spike. In contrast, a reduction in price and quantity promotions was key to driving higher inflation, and lower use of promotions by low‐income consumers explains why they experienced moderately lower inflation. Overall, changes in shopping behaviours played only a minor role in driving higher inflation during lockdown; higher prices were the main cause, in particular through a reduced frequency of promotions.
Information acquisition and voting with heterogeneous experts
Authors: Tan Xu , Wen Quan
Published: November 2020

A social planner selects heterogeneously biased experts to (either sequentially or simultaneously) acquire costly signals, and then agents vote between two alternatives. To maximize social welfare, the social planner adopts an alternating mechanism—choosing extremely biased experts whose preferences oppose the pivotal voter's current preference—in the optimal sequential mechanism, whereas she chooses mildly biased experts in the optimal simultaneous mechanism. Despite the flexibility of a sequential mechanism, the optimal simultaneous mechanism can achieve strictly higher social welfare when information cost is low. Supermajority rules can dominate simple majority rule in terms of both information acquisition and social welfare.
Immunomodulatory properties of extracellular vesicles in the dialogue between placental and immune cells
Authors: Favaro Rodolfo R. , Murrieta‐Coxca Jose Martín , Gutiérrez‐Samudio Ruby N. , Morales‐Prieto Diana M. , Markert Udo R.
Published: November 2020

Extracellular vesicle (EV)‐mediated communication has been implicated in the cooperative alliance between trophoblast and immune cells toward maternal tolerance and placentation. Syncytiotrophoblast cells secrete EVs directly into the maternal circulation, which are taken up by immune cells, endothelial cells, and other cell types. Initial evidence also shows that EVs produced by immune cells are, in turn, incorporated by trophoblast cells and modulate placental responses. Non‐coding RNAs (ncRNAs), proteins, and lipid mediators transported in EVs are able to influence proliferation, differentiation, cytokine production, and immunological responses of recipient cells. The molecular alphabet and cellular targets involved in this dialogue are being revealed. Nevertheless, several questions regarding the whole content, surface markers, and biological functions of EVs still remain to be investigated in both physiological and pathological conditions. Analysis of circulating EVs in maternal blood has the potential to serve as a minimally invasive approach to monitoring placental functions and immunological features of pregnancy, aiding in the diagnostics of complications. This review addresses the immunomodulatory properties of EVs and their tasks in the communication between placental and immune cells.
The potential diagnostic yield of whole exome sequencing in pregnancies complicated by fetal ultrasound anomalies
Authors: Diderich Karin E. M. , Romijn Kathleen , Joosten Marieke , Govaerts Lutgarde C. P. , Polak Marike , Bruggenwirth Hennie T. , Wilke Martina , van Slegtenhorst Marjon A. , van Bever Yolande , Brooks Alice S. , Mancini Grazia M. S. , van de Laar Ingrid M. B. H. , Kromosoeto Joan N. R. , Knapen Maarten F. C. M. , Go Attie T. J. I. , Van Opstal Diane , Hoefsloot Lies H. , Galjaard Robert‐Jan H. , Srebniak Malgorzata I.
Published: November 2020

Introduction

The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to determine the potential diagnostic yield of prenatal whole exome sequencing in fetuses with structural anomalies on expert ultrasound scans and normal chromosomal microarray results.

Material and methods

In the period 2013‐2016, 391 pregnant women with fetal ultrasound anomalies who received normal chromosomal microarray results, were referred for additional genetic counseling and opted for additional molecular testing pre‐ and/or postnatally. Most of the couples received only a targeted molecular test and in 159 cases (40.7%) whole exome sequencing (broad gene panels or open exome) was performed. The results of these molecular tests were evaluated retrospectively, regardless of the time of the genetic diagnosis (prenatal or postnatal).

Results

In 76 of 391 fetuses (19.4%, 95% CI 15.8%‐23.6%) molecular testing provided a genetic diagnosis with identification of (likely) pathogenic variants. In the majority of cases (91.1%, 73/76) the (likely) pathogenic variant would be detected by prenatal whole exome sequencing analysis.

Conclusions

Our retrospective cohort study shows that prenatal whole exome sequencing, if offered by a clinical geneticist, in addition to chromosomal microarray, would notably increase the diagnostic yield in fetuses with ultrasound anomalies and would allow early diagnosis of a genetic disorder irrespective of the (incomplete) fetal phenotype.
Infant‐Toddler Checklist identifies 18‐month‐old children with communication difficulties in the Swedish child healthcare setting
Authors: Fäldt Anna , Fabian Helena , Dahlberg Anton , Thunberg Gunilla , Durbeej Natalie , Lucas Steven
Published: November 2020

Aim

At present, there is no reliable method to screen for communication difficulties at age 18‐months in the Swedish child health care. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile Infant‐Toddler Checklist (ITC) when used at the 18‐month visit in the child healthcare setting.

Methods

Children aged 16–20 months (n = 679) were screened. Children were referred for an assessment if they screened positive screen or if the parent or nurse was concerned about the child's communicative development. Two groups of positive screens were used in the analysis (n = 78 children), one based on the ITC result, and one combining the ITC with contradicting information from the nurses' informal clinical assessment.

Results

The AUC ranged from 0.68 to 0.84. The sensitivity was 0.85, and the specificity was 0.59. When the ITC result was combined with the nurses' information, sensitivity increased to 0.88 and specificity to 0.63. The internal consistency was moderate to high, and fit indices were satisfactory.

Conclusion

The results suggest that the ITC can be used to identify children in need of interventions to enhance communication at 18 months of age, especially in combination with the nurse's assessment.
Maternal pre‐pregnancy underweight as a risk factor for the offspring: Survey of Neonates in Pomerania
Authors: Domanski Grzegorz , Lange Anja Erika , Ittermann Till , Fallenberg Jonas , Allenberg Heike , Zygmunt Marek , Heckmann Matthias
Published: November 2020

Aim

The aim was to investigate socio‐economic risk factors for maternal underweight before pregnancy and then associations of underweight with neonatal outcomes.

Methods

Data of 3401 mother‐child dyads from the population‐based birth cohort Survey of Neonates in Pomerania (SNiP) were analysed.

Results

Bivariate analysis showed that underweighted mothers were younger, smoked more often, had a lower equivalent income and lower socio‐economic status (employment status and/or educational level) compared to women with normal weight. The final prediction model revealed that only younger maternal age (OR = 0.93; 95%‐CI = 0.90‐0.97) and maternal smoking during pregnancy (OR = 2.52; 95%‐CI = 1.74‐3.66) were associated with underweight. Compared to women with normal pre‐pregnancy BMI, underweight women had an increased chance of premature labour (OR = 1.73; 95% CI: 1.29‐2.31) and a reduced placental weight. The offspring of underweight women had an increased risk of late preterm birth (OR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.21‐2.74) and birthweight < 2500 g (OR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.23‐2.95).

Conclusion

Smoking during pregnancy and a younger age were identified as risk factors for maternal pre‐pregnancy underweight which then was associated with late preterm birth and low birthweight.
Maternal presentation and neonatal outcome in peripartum enterovirus infection
Authors: Belov Yekaterina , Many Ariel , Givon Ido , Marom Ronella , Yogev Yariv , Halutz Ora , Fouks Yuval
Published: November 2020

Aim

Enterovirus is a common pathogen. Although mostly asymptomatic, this infection has the potential to be life‐threatening in neonates. This article aims to describe the early neonatal outcomes in peripartum infection.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study in a tertiary hospital between 1/2014 and 5/2019. The enterovirus infection was established by real‐time polymerase chain reaction analysis.

Results

Out of 161 neonates tested for the enterovirus infection 13 (8%) were positive. Maternal fever was the most common sign (n = 8, 66.7%). The mean gestational age at delivery was 36 + 5 (range 30 + 5 to 40 + 6 weeks). The mean time interval from birth to neonatal manifestations of infection was 5.2 (0–9) days. The most common presenting sign in the neonates was fever (n = 8, 61.5%). All neonates required the neonatal intensive care unit. The neonatal mortality rate was 3/13 (23%).

Conclusion

The neonatal morbidity and mortality from the enterovirus infection may have been associated with the severity of maternal presentation at the time of admission. Enterovirus real‐time polymerase chain reaction analysis should be considered as part of the maternal evaluation in cases of maternal fever of unknown origin. Deferral of the induction of delivery for term pregnancies with confirmed enterovirus infections should be considered.
Regulatory microRNAs and vascular cognitive impairment and dementia
Authors: Zhang Jing , Sun Ping , Zhou Chao , Zhang Xuejing , Ma Feifei , Xu Yang , Hamblin Milton H. , Yin Ke‐Jie
Published: November 2020

Vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) is defined as a progressive dementia disease related to cerebrovascular injury and often occurs in aged populations. Despite decades of research, effective treatment for VCID is still absent. The pathological processes of VCID are mediated by the molecular mechanisms that are partly modulated at the post‐transcriptional level. As small endogenous non‐coding RNAs, microRNAs (miRs) can regulate target gene expression through post‐transcriptional gene silencing. miRs have been reported to play an important role in the pathology of VCID and have recently been suggested as potential novel pharmacological targets for the development of new diagnosis and treatment strategies in VCID. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of VCID, the possible role of miRs in the regulation of VCID and attempt to envision future therapeutic strategies. Since manipulation of miR levels by either pharmacological or genetic approaches has shown therapeutic effects in experimental VCID models, we also emphasize the potential therapeutic value of miRs in clinical settings.
Kombination von Chemotherapie und autologen, Peptid‐beladenen dendritischen Zellen bringt Überlebensvorteil bei Melanompatienten im Stadium IV
Authors: Eisendle Klaus , Weinlich Georg , Ebner Susanne , Forstner Markus , Reider Daniela , Zelle‐Rieser Claudia , Tripp Christoph H. , Fritsch Peter , Stoitzner Patrizia , Romani Nikolaus , Nguyen Van Anh
Published: November 2020

Hintergrund und Studienziele

Wir untersuchten retrospektiv, ob die Kombination der Standardchemotherapie (Dacarbazin [DTIC] und/oder Fotemustin) und Vakzination mit autologen, Tumorpeptid‐beladenen dendritischen Zellen (DZ) im Stadium IV Melanompatienten einen Überlebensvorteil bringen würde. Zusätzlich wurde eine kleine Kohorte von langzeitüberlebenden Patienten eingehender studiert.

Patienten und Methodik

41 Patienten wurden zwischen 1998 und 2008 mindestens dreimal mit DZ vakziniert, kombiniert mit Chemotherapie. Sie wurden verglichen mit allen 168 Patienten aus unserer Datenbank (1993–2008), welche ausschließlich Chemotherapie erhalten hatten.

Ergebnisse

Die mediane Lebenserwartung der Patienten mit zusätzlicher DZ‐Vakzination war 18 Monate, verglichen mit 11 Monaten bei den Patienten unter alleiniger Standardchemotherapie. Im Gegensatz zu Patienten mit anderen Haplotypen zeigte die Gruppe der HLA‐A1/A1‐exprimierenden Patienten ein deutlich vermindertes medianes Überleben (12 vs. 25 Monate). Autoantikörper wurden häufig im Serum von vakzinierten, wie auch von nicht vakzinierten Patienten gefunden. Titer, De‐novo‐Erscheinen oder Verschwinden der Autoantikörper korrelierten nicht mit dem Überleben. Die Untersuchung der phänotypischen Merkmale der DZ sowie der peripheren mononukleären Zellen des Blutes (PBMC) ergab auch keine auffälligen Korrelationen mit dem Überleben.

Schlussfolgerungen

Die Kombination der Standardchemotherapie mit einer DZ‐Vakzination erscheint der alleinigen Chemotherapie überlegen. Der beobachtete Einfluss des HLA‐Haplotyps unterstreicht die Wichtigkeit einer sorgfältigen Selektion von Patienten mit spezifischem, exakt definiertem HLA‐Status für künftige Vakzinationsstudien mit Peptid‐beladenen DZ, durchaus auch in erweiterter Kombination mit Immuncheckpoint‐Inhibitoren.
Dispersal ability, trophic position and body size mediate species turnover processes: Insights from a multi‐taxa and multi‐scale approach
Authors: Bae Soyeon , Heidrich Lea , Levick Shaun R. , Gossner Martin M. , Seibold Sebastian , Weisser Wolfgang W. , Magdon Paul , Serebryanyk Alla , Bässler Claus , Schäfer Deborah , Schulze Ernst‐Detlef , Doerfler Inken , Müller Jörg , Jung Kirsten , Heurich Marco , Fischer Markus , Roth Nicolas , Schall Peter , Boch Steffen , Wöllauer Stephan , Renner Swen C. , Müller Jörg
Published: November 2020

Aim

Despite increasing interest in β‐diversity, that is the spatial and temporal turnover of species, the mechanisms underlying species turnover at different spatial scales are not fully understood, although they likely differ among different functional groups. We investigated the relative importance of dispersal limitations and the environmental filtering caused by vegetation for local, multi‐taxa forest communities differing in their dispersal ability, trophic position and body size.

Location

Temperate forests in five regions across Germany.

Methods

In the inter‐region analysis, the independent and shared effects of the regional spatial structure (regional species pool), landscape spatial structure (dispersal limitation) and environmental factors on species turnover were quantified with a 1‐ha grain across 11 functional groups in up to 495 plots by variation partitioning. In the intra‐region analysis, the relative importance of three environmental factors related to vegetation (herb and tree layer composition and forest physiognomy) and spatial structure for species turnover was determined.

Results

In the inter‐region analysis, over half of the explained variation in community composition (23% of the total explained 35%) was explained by the shared effects of several factors, indicative of spatially structured environmental filtering. Among the independent effects, environmental factors were the strongest on average over 11 groups, but the importance of landscape spatial structure increased for less dispersive functional groups. In the intra‐region analysis, the independent effect of plant species composition had a stronger influence on species turnover than forest physiognomy, but the relative importance of the latter increased with increasing trophic position and body size.

Main conclusions

Our study revealed that the mechanisms structuring assemblage composition are associated with the traits of functional groups. Hence, conservation frameworks targeting biodiversity of multiple groups should cover both environmental and biogeographical gradients. Within regions, forest management can enhance β‐diversity particularly by diversifying tree species composition and forest physiognomy.
Removal of pancreatic stones stuck in basket catheter with peroral pancreatoscopy and electronic hydraulic lithotripsy
Authors: Yagi Shin , Kurita Yusuke , Nakajima Atsushi
Published: November 2020

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Higher ACE2 expression levels in epicardial cells than subcutaneous stromal cells from patients with cardiovascular disease: Diabetes and obesity as possible enhancer
Authors: Couselo‐Seijas Marinela , Almengló Cristina , M Agra‐Bermejo Rosa , Luis Fernandez Ángel , Alvarez Ezequiel , R González‐Juanatey Jose , Eiras Sonia
Published: November 2020

Aims

Obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease are associated with COVID‐19 risk and severity. Because epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) expresses ACE2, we wanted to identify the main factors associated with ACE2 levels and its cleavage enzyme, ADAM17, in epicardial fat.

Materials and methods

Epicardial and subcutaneous fat biopsies were obtained from 43 patients who underwent open‐heart surgery. From 36 patients, biopsies were used for RNA expression analysis by real‐time PCR of ACE1, ACE2 and ADAM17. From 8 patients, stromal vascular cells were submitted to adipogenesis or used for studying the treatment effects on gene expression levels. Soluble ACE2 was determined in supernatants by ELISA.

Results

Epicardial fat biopsies expressed higher levels of ACE2 (1.53 [1.49‐1.61] vs 1.51 [1.47‐1.56] a.u., P < .05) and lower ADAM17 than subcutaneous fat (1.67 [1.65‐1.70] vs 1.70 [1.66‐1.74] a.u., P < .001). Both genes were increased in epicardial fat from patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (1.62 [1.50‐2.28] vs 1.52 [1.49‐1.55] a.u., P = .05 for ACE2 and 1.68 [1.66‐1.78] vs 1.66 [1.63‐1.69] a.u., P < .05 for ADAM17). Logistic regression analysis determined that T2DM was the main associated factor with epicardial ACE2 levels (P < .01). The highest ACE2 levels were found on patients with diabetes and obesity. ACE1 and ACE2 levels were not upregulated by antidiabetic treatment (metformin, insulin or thiazolidinedione). Its cellular levels, which were higher in epicardial than in subcutaneous stromal cells (1.61 [1.55‐1.63] vs 1 [1‐1.34]), were not correlated with the soluble ACE2.

Conclusion

Epicardial fat cells expressed higher levels of ACE2 in comparison with subcutaneous fat cells, which is enhanced by diabetes and obesity presence in patients with cardiovascular disease. Both might be risk factors for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.
Effect of low‐dose colchicine in acute and chronic coronary syndromes: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Aimo Alberto , Pascual Figal Domingo A. , Bayes‐Genis Antoni , Emdin Michele , Georgiopoulos Georgios
Published: November 2020

Background

Sparse evidence of the prognostic benefit of the anti‐inflammatory drug colchicine in chronic and acute coronary syndromes (CCS/ACS) exists.

Methods

We performed a systematic search of studies on CCS or ACS comparing colchicine vs. placebo and reporting data on cardiovascular outcomes (primary end points of each study) and/or changes in hs‐CRP.

Results

Ten studies were selected: three on CCS (LoDoCo, LoDoCo2 and the CCS subgroup of COLCHICINE‐PCI; total patient number = 6256), three on ACS (COLCOT, COPS, ACS subgroup of COLCHICINE‐PCI; n = 5,654) and five (n = 532) on hs‐CRP changes from 1 week to 12 months, in CCS and/or ACS. In patients with CCS, colchicine reduced by 49% risk of a composite end point (hazard ratio [HR] 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32 to 0.81,P = .005). The favourable effect of colchicine on the risk of cardiovascular events did not change when excluding COLCHICINE‐PCI from analysis (HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.25 to 1.03,P = .061). In patients with ACS, the use of colchicine tended to decrease the occurrence of the combined end point compared with placebo (HR = 0.77, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.05,P = .100), and colchicine became significantly protective when removing COLCHICINE‐PCI from analysis (HR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.92,P = .009). Furthermore, colchicine tended to reduce the hs‐CRP increase (standardized mean difference=−0.31, 95% CI −0.72 to 0.1,P = .133) compared with placebo.

Conclusions

Colchicine therapy near halves the risk of cardiovascular events in CCS compared with placebo and is associated with a nonsignificant 23% risk reduction in ACS, together with a trend towards a greater reduction of hs‐CRP.
Coal‐mining intensity influences species and trait distributions of stream fishes in two Central Appalachian watersheds
Authors: Martin Zachary P. , Angermeier Paul L. , Ciparis Serena , Orth Donald J.
Published: November 2020

Documenting responses of biotic assemblages to coal‐mining impacts is crucial to informing regulatory and reclamation actions. However, attributing biotic patterns to specific stressors is difficult given the dearth of preimpact studies and prevalence of confounding factors. Analysing species distributions and abundances, especially stratified by species traits, provides insights into how assemblage composition shifts occur. We evaluated stream habitats and fish assemblages along a mining intensity gradient in 83 headwater (2nd‐ and 3rd‐order) streams of the upper Clinch and Powell river basins in Virginia. Our multivariate gradient (MINE.PC1) was based on percentages of watershed area covered by surface mine, underground mine and valley fill to represent spatial variance in mining intensity. MINE.PC1 was positively correlated with conductivity and percentage of substrate as cobble. Forty fish‐assemblage metrics were analysed via boosted regression trees to assess assemblage responses to mining intensity, while accounting for environmental variation and spatial structure among sites. Conductivity and MINE.PC1 were strongly negatively related to occurrences of Fantail Darter (Etheostoma flabellare) and sculpin (Cottus) spp. Several taxonomic, trophic and reproductive metrics of assemblage composition responded strongly to mining intensity or its instream correlates. For example, coal mining favoured omnivore‐herbivores, but inhibited invertivores, simple lithophils and nonsimple nonlithophils. We revealed distinct negative and positive responses to mining‐related stressors, which suggest changes to macroinvertebrate prey availability and/or contaminant loads contribute to fish extirpations in coalfield streams. Future assessments of mining impacts on fish assemblages could be more instructive by including characterisations of physicochemical stressors and regionally calibrated biotic metrics with demonstrated sensitivity to mining.
Perceived stress, social functioning and quality of life in first‐episode psychosis: A 1‐year follow‐up study
Authors: Ortega Laura , Montalvo Itziar , Monseny Rosa , Burjales‐Martí Maria Dolors , Martorell Lourdes , Sanchez‐Gistau Vanessa , Vilella Elisabet , Labad Javier
Published: November 2020

Aim

Quality of life (QoL) has been widely studied in people with schizophrenia. In the early phases of psychosis, it remains often impaired even after the remission of psychotic symptoms. The aim of this study was to explore QoL and social functioning during the first year after a first‐episode psychosis (FEP), and to study potential moderating effects of stress measures.

Methods

Here, 61 FEP subjects and 55 healthy controls (HCs) were included. Sociodemographic data and clinical variables were collected through a semi‐structured interview. Stress measures, social functioning and QoL were assessed with the Holmes–Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Social Adaptation Self‐Scale and the Euro‐QoL‐5D, respectively. Analysis of variance was employed with repeated measures and a mediation analysis at baseline and at 1‐year follow‐up was carried out.

Results

Patients reported lower QoL, poorer social functioning and more stress than HC. FEP patients significantly improved in QoL and stress measures over time, but not in social functioning. Perceived stress mediated the association between poorer social functioning and lower QoL.

Conclusions

Social functioning at baseline may determine QoL over a 1‐year follow‐up period. Despite the improvement in most measures, patients do not achieve the level of well‐being as the healthy group.
Can social welfare buy mass loyalty?
Authors: Yang Wenhui , Shen Xiaoxiao
Published: November 2020

Do social welfare benefits enhance political legitimacy in nondemocracies? Conventional wisdom treats material interest as being the central mechanism underpinning widespread political attitudes, but social welfare is not always effective in garnering political support in nondemocracies. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that even though receiving social welfare benefits has significantly improved individuals' well‐being, their political support in different levels of government have not significantly grown. We demonstrate that the null effect of social welfare on political support can be partially explained by individuals' exposure to political violence before. Social welfare benefits yield a backsliding effect on local government support when individuals were exposed to high revolutionary intensity.
Stately home geology: Kelmscott Manor, Oxfordshire, UK
Authors: Robinson Eric
Published: November 2020

Kelmscott Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames in Oxfordshire is a place of pilgrimage for social historians and conversationalists as well as those who simply want to turn the clock back to a rural England long departed. The manor was leased to William Morris in 1871 to be his family home until long after his death in 1896—their escape from the hectic daily life in London. At that point, Morris spent the previous 10 years building up the crafts business for which he is best known, the patterned textiles and wallpaper designs and the basic wooden furniture we associate with the Arts and Crafts Movement. It can be difficult to remember that much of the respected craftwork was generated in the East End of London by gifted craftsmen.