bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Burden, prevention and control of tobacco consumption in Nepal: a narrative review of existing evidence
Authors: Khanal Geha Nath , Khatri Resham Bahadur
Published: August 2020

Tobacco consumption is one of the major public health problems in the world. Annually, 27 100 premature deaths are attributed to tobacco-related diseases in Nepal. Despite enacting different policies and strategies, the prevalence of tobacco consumption is still high. This study aims to synthesize prevalence, factors associated with its consumption and the policy initiatives for prevention and control in Nepal. This review includes peer-reviewed studies retrieved from two databases (PubMed and EMBASE) and published from 2000 to 2018, and policy initiatives on tobacco prevention and regulations in Nepal. A total of 32 studies and 5 policy documents were reviewed. Findings suggest that tobacco consumption was higher among men, illiterates, older people, people living in rural and mountainous areas and those who initiated smoking as adolescents. Peer pressure and parental/family smoking were major contributing factors for tobacco initiation. Policy analysis showed that low excise tax, weak monitoring mechanisms, poor compliance to bans on the advertisement and promotion of tobacco, smoke-free zones and insufficient programs on tobacco cessation were the major factors behind weak implementation of tobacco-control policies. Hence, targeted and high-risk group tobacco-cessation interventions, increasing taxation and strict policy implementation are crucial for effective tobacco prevention and control in Nepal.
Recommendations for Testing and Treating Outpatient Cancer Patients in the Era of COVID-19
Authors: Reidy-Lagunes Diane , Saltz Leonard , Postow , Michael , Scordo , Michael , Moskowitz Alison , Tew William , Zamarin Dmitriy , Redelman-Sidi Gil
Published: August 2020

The clinical spectrum of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still not fully understood. Cancer patients are uniquely vulnerable to COVID-19, and many have been or will be infected. Although an unfortunate minority will die from the infection, most will recover. This poses a challenge in which clinicians must weigh the benefits of initiation or resumption of antineoplastic therapy against the risks that antineoplastic treatment may worsen outcomes related to COVID-19 infection. A recent study of 423 patients at our institution found that patients in active cancer treatment who develop COVID-19 infection did not fare any worse than other hospitalized patients, yet guidance as to who requires testing prior to antineoplastic therapy and when to resume therapy post–COVID-19 diagnosis remains unknown. Our institution, therefore, commissioned a task force to help create guidelines for treating oncologists using available published literature. The task force focused on the ambulatory care testing guidelines only, because all inpatients receiving antineoplastic therapy are tested for COVID-19 prior to hospital admission. The guidelines focus solely on the safety and well-being of the individual patient undergoing antineoplastic therapy and are not designed to address infection control issues.
Total Error and Variability Measures for the Quarterly Workforce Indicators and LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics in Onthemap
Authors: Mckinney Kevin L , Green Andrew S , Vilhuber Lars , Abowd John M
Published: August 2020

We report results from the first comprehensive total quality evaluation of five major indicators in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) Program Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI): total flow-employment, beginning-of-quarter employment, full-quarter employment, average monthly earnings of full-quarter employees, and total quarterly payroll. Beginning-of-quarter employment is also the main tabulation variable in the LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) workplace reports as displayed in OnTheMap (OTM), including OTM for Emergency Management. We account for errors due to coverage; record-level non-response; edit and imputation of item missing data; and statistical disclosure limitation. The analysis reveals that the five publication variables under study are estimated very accurately for tabulations involving at least 10 jobs. Tabulations involving three to nine jobs are a transition zone, where cells may be fit for use with caution. Tabulations involving one or two jobs, which are generally suppressed on fitness-for-use criteria in the QWI and synthesized in LODES, have substantial total variability but can still be used to estimate statistics for untabulated aggregates as long as the job count in the aggregate is more than 10.
Habitat urbanization and stress response are primary predictors of personality variation in northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis)
Authors: Huang Ping , St.Mary Colette M , Kimball Rebecca T
Published: August 2020

Behavioral traits that vary consistently among individuals across different contexts are often termed as ‘personality traits,’ while the correlated suite formed by those traits is called a ‘behavioral syndrome’. Both personality trait and behavioral syndrome are potentially responsive to animal ‘states’, defined as strategically relevant individual features affecting the cost-and-benefit trade-offs of behavioral actions. Both extrinsic ‘states’ (e.g. urban versus rural habitats), and intrinsic ‘states’ (e.g. sex), may shape among-individual variation in personality traits, as well as behavioral syndromes. Here, we used northern cardinals sampled from four locations to examine the effect of habitat type (urban versus rural, an extrinsic state), stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) parameters, body weight and sex (intrinsic states) on personality traits and behavioral syndrome variation. We used behavioral trials to measure five personality traits. Using principal component analysis to quantify personality traits first, followed by general linear mixed models, we found that habitat type, CORT at capture and 2-day CORT response affected some personality traits, while body weight and sex did not. Cardinals inhabiting more urbanized areas had lower CORT metabolite levels at capture and were more neophilic, less neophobic and also less aggressive than their rural conspecifics. Using structural equation modeling to construct behavioral syndromes formed by our selected personality traits, we found that urban and rural cardinals varied in the models representing syndrome structure. When utilizing the shared syndrome structural model to examine the effects of states, habitat type and 2-day CORT response appear to affect syndrome variation in a coordinated, not hierarchical, manner.
Stellar-mass black holes in young massive and open stellar clusters – IV. Updated stellar-evolutionary and black hole spin models and comparisons with the LIGO-Virgo O1/O2 merger-event data
Authors: Banerjee Sambaran
Published: August 2020

I present a set of long-term, direct, relativistic many-body computations of model dense stellar clusters with up-to-date stellar-evolutionary, supernova (SN), and remnant natal-kick models, including pair instability and pulsation pair instability supernova (PSN and PPSN), using an updated version of ${\rm{\small NBODY7}}$  N-body simulation program. The N-body model also includes stellar evolution-based natal spins of black holes (BHs) and treatments of binary black hole (BBH) mergers based on numerical relativity. These, for the first time in a direct N-body simulation, allow for second-generation BBH mergers. The set of 65 evolutionary models have initial masses $10^4{\!-\!}10^5\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$, sizes 1–3 pc, metallicity 0.0001–0.02, with the massive stars in primordial binaries and they represent young massive clusters (YMC) and moderately massive open clusters (OC). Such models produce dynamically paired BBH mergers that agree well with the observed masses, mass ratios, effective spin parameters, and final spins of the LVC O1/O2 merger events, provided BHs are born with low or no spin but spin-up after undergoing a BBH merger or matter accretion on to it. In particular, the distinctly higher mass, effective spin parameter, and final spin of GW170729 merger event is naturally reproduced, as also the mass asymmetry of the O3 event GW190412. The computed models produce intermediate-mass, $\sim 100\, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$ BBH mergers with primary mass within the ‘PSN gap’ and also yield mergers involving remnants in the ‘mass gap’. They also suggest that YMCs and OCs produce persistent, Local-Universe GW sources detectable by LISA. Such clusters are also capable of producing eccentric LIGO-Virgo mergers.
Roles of the gut microbiota in the adaptive evolution of mammalian species
Authors: Moeller Andrew H. , Sanders Jon G.
Published: August 2020

Every mammalian species harbours a gut microbiota, and variation in the gut microbiota within mammalian species can have profound effects on host phenotypes. In this review, we summarize recent evidence that gut microbiotas have influenced the course of mammalian adaptation and diversification. Associations with gut microbiotas have: (i) promoted the diversification of mammalian species by enabling dietary transitions onto difficult-to-digest carbon sources and toxic food items; (ii) shaped the evolution of adaptive phenotypic plasticity in mammalian species through the amplification of signals from the external environment and from postnatal developmental processes; and (iii) generated selection for host mechanisms, including innate and adaptive immune mechanisms, to control the gut microbiota for the benefit of host fitness. The stability of specific gut microbiotas within host species lineages varies substantially across the mammalian phylogeny, and this variation may alter the ultimate evolutionary outcomes of relationships with gut microbiotas in different mammalian clades. In some mammalian species, including humans, relationships with host species-specific gut microbiotas appear to have led to the evolution of host dependence on the gut microbiota for certain functions. These studies implicate the gut microbiota as a significant environmental factor and selective agent shaping the adaptive evolution of mammalian diet, phenotypic plasticity, gastrointestinal morphology and immunity.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘The role of the microbiome in host evolution’.
The evolution of paternal care: a role for microbes?
Authors: Gurevich Yael , Lewin-Epstein Ohad , Hadany Lilach
Published: August 2020

Paternal care, particularly in cases of uncertain paternity, carries significant costs. Extensive research, both theoretical and experimental, has explored the conditions in which paternal care behaviour would be favoured. Common explanations include an adjustment of care with uncertainty in paternity and limited accuracy in parentage assessment. Here, we propose a new explanation that microbes may play a role in the evolution of paternal care among their hosts. Using computational models, we demonstrate that microbes associated with increased paternal care could be favoured by natural selection. We find that microbe-induced paternal care could evolve under wider conditions than suggested by genetic models. Moreover, we show that microbe-induced paternal care is more likely to evolve when considering paternal care interactions that increase microbial transmission, such as feeding and grooming. Our results imply that factors affecting the composition of host microbiome may also alter paternal behaviour.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘The role of the microbiome in host evolution’.
Functional Organization of Midget and Parasol Ganglion Cells in the Human Retina
Authors: Kling Alexandra , Gogliettino Alex R. , Shah Nishal P. , Wu Eric G. , Brackbill Nora , Sher Alexander , Litke Alan M. , Silva Ruwan A. , Chichilnisky E.J.
Published: August 2020

The functional organization of diverse retinal ganglion cell (RGC) types, which shapes the visual signal transmitted to the brain, has been examined in many species. The unique spatial, temporal, and chromatic properties of the numerically dominant RGC types in macaque monkey retina are presumed to most accurately model human vision. However, the functional similarity between RGCs in macaques and humans has only begun to be tested, and recent work suggests possible differences. Here, the properties of the numerically dominant human RGC types were examined using large-scale multi-electrode recordings with fine-grained visual stimulation in isolated retina, and compared to results from dozens of recordings from macaque retina using the same experimental methods and conditions. The properties of four major human RGC types -- ON-parasol, OFF-parasol, ON-midget, and OFF-midget -- closely paralleled those of the same macaque RGC types, including the spatial and temporal light sensitivity, precisely coordinated mosaic organization of receptive fields, ON-OFF asymmetries, spatial response nonlinearity, and sampling of photoreceptor inputs over space. Putative smooth monostratified cells and polyaxonal amacrine cells were also identified based on similarities to cell types previously identified in macaque retina. The results suggest that recently proposed differences between human and macaque RGCs probably reflect experimental differences, and that the macaque model provides an accurate picture of human RGC function.
Human Microbial Transplant Restores T Cell Cytotoxicity and Anti-Tumor Response to PD-L1 Blockade in Gnotobiotic Mice
Authors: Borgerding Joshua N. , Shang Joan , Britton Graham J. , Salmon Hélène , Bigenwald Camille , Maier Barbara , Rose Samuel R. , Mogno Ilaria , Kamphorst Alice O. , Merad Miriam , Faith Jeremiah J.
Published: August 2020

Recent studies demonstrate that gut microbiota regulate tumor response to immune checkpoint blockade. Still, the mechanisms by which microbiota control tumor response to immunotherapy remain unclear. We colonized germ-free mice with cultured human-derived microbiota prior to tumor inoculation. While no human donor microbiota altered tumor growth, two distinct gut microbiota inhibited tumor response to anti-PD-L1. Colonization with non-responder microbiota led to reduced tumor immune cell infiltration and modified antigen presenting cell phenotype. RNA sequencing of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells revealed enrichment for stem cell-like genes in non-responders and reduced effector-like expression conferring cytotoxic potential. Antibiotic depletion and microbiota transplant restored anti-PD-L1 response in non-responders, with expansion of effector cells and cytotoxicity. Concomitant blockade of TNFα similarly improved response to anti-PD-L1 and increased cytotoxicity. These results demonstrate inhibitory roles for the microbiota in checkpoint blockade and reveal the potential for microbiota transplant and TNF blockade to overcome microbiota-mediated resistance.
Prophylactic efficacy of riluzole against anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in two rodent stress models
Authors: Bansal Yashika , Fee Corey , Misquitta Keith A. , Codeluppi Sierra A. , Sibille Etienne , Berman Robert M. , Coric Vladimir , Sanacora Gerard , Banasr Mounira
Published: August 2020

Background

Chronic stress-related illnesses, such as major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder share symptomatology, including anxiety, anhedonia, and helplessness. Across disorders, neurotoxic dysregulated glutamate (Glu) signaling may underlie symptom emergence. Current first-line antidepressant drugs, which do not directly target Glu signaling, fail to provide adequate benefit for many patients and are associated with high relapse rates. Riluzole modulates glutamatergic neurotransmission by increasing metabolic cycling and modulating signal transduction. Clinical studies exploring riluzole’s efficacy in stress-related disorders have provided varied results. However, the utility of riluzole for treating specific symptom dimensions or as a prophylactic treatment has not been comprehensively assessed.

Methods

We investigated whether chronic prophylactic riluzole (~12-15mg/kg/day p.o.) could prevent the emergence of behavioral deficits induced by unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) in mice. We assessed: i) anxiety-like behavior using the elevated-plus maze, open field test, and novelty-suppressed feeding, ii) mixed anxiety/anhedonia-like behavior in the novelty-induced hypophagia test and, iii) anhedonia-like behavior using the sucrose consumption test. Z-scoring summarized changes across tests measuring similar dimensions. In a separate learned helplessness (LH) cohort, we investigated whether chronic prophylactic riluzole treatment could block the development of helplessness-like behavior.

Results

UCMS induced an elevation in anhedonia-like behavior, and overall behavioral emotionality that was blocked by prophylactic riluzole. In the LH cohort, prophylactic riluzole blocked the development of helplessness-like behavior.

Conclusion

This study supports the utility of riluzole as a prophylactic medication for preventing anhedonia, and helplessness symptoms associated with stress-related disorders.
Septins and a formin have distinct functions in anaphase chiral cortical rotation in the C.eleganszygote
Authors: Zaatri Adhham , Perry Jenna A. , Maddox Amy Shaub
Published: August 2020

Many cells and tissues exhibit chirality that stems from the chirality of proteins and polymers. In theC. eleganszygote actomyosin contractility drives chiral rotation of the entire cortex circumferentially around the division plane during anaphase. How contractility is translated to cell-scale chirality, and what dictates handedness, are unknown. Septins are candidate contributors to cell-scale chirality because they anchor and crosslink the actomyosin cytoskeleton. We report that septins are required for anaphase cortical rotation. In contrast, the formin CYK-1, which we found to be enriched in the posterior in early anaphase, is not required for cortical rotation, but contributes to its chirality. Simultaneous loss of septin and CYK-1 function led to abnormal and often reversed cortical rotation. Our results suggest that anaphase contractility leads to chiral rotation by releasing torsional stress generated during formin-based polymerization, which is polarized along the cell anterior-posterior axis, and which accumulates due to actomyosin network connectivity. Our findings shed light on the molecular and physical bases for cellular chirality in theC. eleganszygote. We also identify conditions in which chiral rotation fails but animals are developmentally viable, opening avenues for future work on the relationship between early embryonic cellular chirality and animal body plan.
Hydration-dependent phase separation of a prion-like protein regulates seed germination during water stress
Authors: Dorone Yanniv , Boeynaems Steven , Jin Benjamin , Bossi Flavia , Flores Eduardo , Lazarus Elena , Michiels Emiel , De Decker Mathias , Baatsen Pieter , Holehouse Alex S. , Sukenik Shahar , Gitler Aaron D. , Rhee Seung Y.
Published: August 2020

Many organisms evolved strategies to survive and thrive under extreme desiccation. Plant seeds protect dehydrated embryos from a variety of stressors and can even lay dormant for millennia. While hydration is the key trigger that reactivates metabolism and kick-starts germination, the exact mechanism by which the embryo senses water remains unresolved. We identified an uncharacterized Arabidopsis thaliana prion-like protein we named FLOE1, which phase separates upon hydration and allows the embryo to sense water stress. We demonstrate that the biophysical states of FLOE1 condensates modulate its biological function in vivo in suppressing seed germination under unfavorable environments. We also find intragenic, intraspecific, and interspecific natural variations in phase separation propensity of FLOE1 homologs. These findings demonstrate a physiological role of phase separation in a multicellular organism and have direct implications for plant ecology and agriculture, especially the design of drought resistant crops, in the face of climate change.
Fast and Flexible Estimation of Effective Migration Surfaces
Authors: Marcus Joseph H. , Ha Wooseok , Barber Rina Foygel , Novembre John
Published: August 2020

An important feature in spatial population genetic data is often “isolation-by-distance,” where genetic differentiation tends to increase as individuals become more geographically distant. Recently, Petkova et al. (2016) developed a statistical method called Estimating Effective Migration Surfaces (EEMS) for visualizing spatially heterogeneous isolation-by-distance on a geographic map. While EEMS is a powerful tool for depicting spatial population structure, it can suffer from slow runtimes. Here we develop a related method called Fast Estimation of Effective Migration Surfaces (FEEMS). FEEMS uses a Gaussian Markov Random Field in a penalized likelihood framework that allows for efficient optimization and output of effective migration surfaces. Further, the efficient optimization facilitates the inference of migration parameters per edge in the graph, rather than per node (as in EEMS). When tested with coalescent simulations, FEEMS accurately recovers effective migration surfaces with complex gene-flow histories, including those with anisotropy. Applications of FEEMS to population genetic data from North American gray wolves shows it to perform comparably to EEMS, but with solutions obtained orders of magnitude faster. Overall, FEEMS expands the ability of users to quickly visualize and interpret spatial structure in their data.
Team implicit coordination based on transactive memory systems
Authors: Nawata Kengo , Yamaguchi Hiroyuki , Aoshima Mika
Published: August 2020

Purpose

This study aims to examine how daily communication and transactive memory systems (TMSs) promote implicit team coordination, meaning when team members cooperate smoothly without engaging in explicit communication, in organizations. In TMSs, members share knowledge of who-knows-what with one another.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted with 216 teams consisting of 1,545 people in three organizations. The relationships among daily communication, TMSs and implicit coordination in the survey data and in team performance were analyzed using multi-level structural equation modeling.

Findings

Results confirmed a significant influence process model in which “daily communication → TMS → implicit coordination → team performance” at the team level. Therefore, as hypothesized, implicit coordination is positively related to team performance and daily communication has a positive relationship with implicit coordination through mediation by TMSs.

Originality/value

This study demonstrated the evidence of the relation between implicit coordination, TMS, team performance in organizational settings by using multi-level structural equation modeling.
Integrating floral trait and flowering time distribution patterns help reveal a more dynamic nature of co‐flowering community assembly processes
Authors: Albor Cristopher , Arceo‐Gómez Gerardo , Parra‐Tabla Víctor
Published: August 2020

Species' floral traits and flowering times are known to be the major drivers of pollinator‐mediated plant–plant interactions in diverse co‐flowering communities. However, their simultaneous role in mediating plant community assembly and plant–pollinator interactions is still poorly understood. Since not all species flower at the same time, inference of facilitative and competitive interactions based on floral trait distribution patterns should account for fine phenological structure (intensity of flowering overlap) within co‐flowering communities. Such an approach may also help reveal the simultaneous action of competitive and facilitative interactions in structuring co‐flowering communities.

Here we used modularity within a co‐flowering network context, as a novel approach to detect convergent and/or over‐dispersed patterns in floral trait distribution and pollinator sharing. Specifically, we evaluate differences in floral trait and pollinator distribution patterns within (high temporal flowering overlap) and among co‐flowering modules (low temporal flowering overlap). We further evaluate the consistency of observed floral trait and pollinator sharing distribution patterns across space (three geographical regions) and time (dry and rainy seasons).

We found that floral trait similarity was significantly higher in plant species within co‐flowering modules than in species among them. This suggests pollinator facilitation may lead to floral trait convergence, but only within co‐flowering modules. However, our results also revealed seasonal and spatial shifts in the underlying interactions (facilitation or competition) driving co‐flowering assembly, suggesting that the prevalent dominant interactions are not static.

Synthesis. Overall, we provide strong evidence showing that the use of flowering time and floral trait distribution alone may be insufficient to fully uncover the role of pollinator‐mediated interactions in community assembly. Integrating this information along with patterns of pollinator sharing will greatly help reveal the simultaneous action of facilitative and competitive pollinator‐mediated interactions in co‐flowering communities. The spatial and temporal variation in flowering and trait distribution patterns observed further emphasize the importance of adopting a more dynamic view of community assembly processes.
High‐sucrose diet potentiates hyperaldosteronism and renal injury induced by stress in young adult rats
Authors: Sánchez‐Solís Cristhian Neftaly , Cuevas Romero Estela , Soto‐Rodríguez Ida , de Lourdes Arteaga‐Castañeda María , De León‐Ramírez Yeimy Mar , Rodríguez‐Antolín Jorge , Nicolás‐Toledo Leticia
Published: August 2020

Analyze the effect of stress and high‐sucrose diet on serum aldosterone levels and the morphometric characteristics of the kidney in young adult rats. Wistar male rats aged 21 days old weaned were randomly assigned into four groups: control (C), stressed (St), high‐sucrose diet (S30), and chronic restraint stress plus a 30% sucrose diet (St + S30). Rats were fed with a standard chow and tap water ad libitum (C group) or 30% sucrose diluted in water (S30 group) during eight weeks. The St and St + S30 groups were subject to restraint stress (1‐hour daily in a plastic cylinder, 5 days per week), four weeks before euthanasia. At 81 days old, all animals were killed and blood samples and kidneys were collected. Stressed rats had an increase in the serum aldosterone and renal triacylglycerol, a decrease in the area of the renal corpuscle, glomeruli, proximal tubules, and aquaporin 2 expressions with loss of glomeruli. For its part, the high‐sucrose diet decreased the area of the renal corpuscle, glomeruli, and aquaporin 2 expressions in the cortex. The combination of stress and high‐ sucrose diet maintained similar effects on the kidney as the stress alone, although it induced an increase in the creatinine levels and renal glycogen. Our results showed that chronic stress induces hyperaldosteronism and kidney injury. The intake of a high‐sucrose diet may potentiate the renal injury promoted by stress.
A bespoke low‐cost system for radio tracking animals using multi‐rotor and fixed‐wing unmanned aerial vehicles
Authors: Roberts Benjamin , Neal Mark , Snooke Neal , Labrosse Frédéric , Curteis Tristan , Fraser Mariecia
Published: August 2020

Due to the costs of related technologies, tracking studies typically use low numbers of animals as representative samples for whole group or species analysis, often without clear knowledge as to how representative these numbers are.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has the potential to considerably improve radio‐frequency (RF)‐based tracking systems. This includes improved line‐of‐sight visibility, access and range in difficult terrain and an increase in achievable spatial accuracy.

This paper presents details of a fully custom‐built active RF identification tag and receiver system bespoke to UAVs, compatible with both multi‐rotor and fixed‐wing platforms. Using sheep as a model, we show the suitability of this system for tracking large terrestrial mammals.

During static testing using both platform types, we calculated a spatial accuracy of 58.5 m (based on 95th percentile/R95 parameter) for this system using data from 14 flights (n = 175 tag interactions). When tested on sheep, working tags were detected 93% of the time over seven conducted flights.

We provide practical considerations for operating this system on a UAV platform, address concerns relating to the system and identify future areas of research both for this system and other UAV‐based RF tracking systems.
A methodological guide for translating study instruments in cross‐cultural research: Adapting the ‘connectedness to nature’ scale into Chinese
Authors: Cheung Hubert , Mazerolle Lorraine , Possingham Hugh P. , Tam Kim‐Pong , Biggs Duan
Published: August 2020

Ecologists and conservation scientists use social science research methods to carry out studies around the world. The language and cultural context in which study instruments are applied often differ from the context in which they were originally developed. Study instruments used in cross‐cultural research need to maintain equivalency in order to ensure that the results and conclusions are not affected. Translation is a crucial part of research design, so a carefully planned methodological approach needs to be taken to adapt existing tools.

We present a clear, concise and easy‐to‐use procedure for researchers in conservation and ecology to translate study instruments. This five‐step guide first requires researchers to recruit a diverse and balanced team of translators, who are tasked with performing a series of forward and back‐translations. A committee approach is used to resolve differences in format, wording, grammar, sentence structure, item meanings, relevance and culturally specific references to reach a consensus on the best possible translation, which can then be pilot tested and validated.

As a case study to demonstrate how our method works, we adapted the ‘connectedness to nature’ scale into Chinese. Originally created in English by Mayer and Frantz, the ‘connectedness to nature’ scale measures an individual's emotional connection to nature, which is an important predictor of environmental behaviour. It is theorized that reconnecting humans to the natural world can help mitigate environmental crises.

Although no method is fail‐safe, by following the structured, five‐step method we present in this paper, ecologists and conservationists can employ a more thorough and rigorous approach to translating their study instruments for cross‐cultural research than commonly used methods like direct translation. Ultimately, researchers must decide on what translation procedures are appropriate for their work given constraints on time and resources.
Global Emergency Medicine: A Review of the Literature From 2019
Authors: Trehan Indi , Kivlehan Sean M. , Balhara Kamna S. , Hexom Braden J. , Pousson Amelia Y. , Quao Nana Serwaa A. , Rybarczyk Megan M. , Selvam Anand , Bonney Joseph , Bhaskar Nidhi , Becker Torben K. ,   The Global Emergency Medicine Literature Review (GEMLR) Group
Published: August 2020

Objective

The annual systematic search of the peer‐reviewed and gray literature relevant to global emergency medicine (EM) was conducted by the Global Emergency Medicine Literature Review (GEMLR) to screen, evaluate, and review the most rigorously conducted and relevant research in global EM published in 2019.

Methods

After a broad search of PubMed and websites of organizations publishing relevant gray literature, all articles that were deemed relevant to the fields of disaster and humanitarian response, emergency care in resource‐limited settings, and EM development by at least one reviewer, an editor, and the managing editors were then scored by two different reviewers using a 20‐point scoring template relevant to either original research (OR) or review (RE) articles. This scoring system rates articles on their clarity, research design, ethics, importance to global EM, and breadth of impact. Articles that then scored in the top 5% were then critiqued in depth.

Results

A total of 23,321 article titles and abstracts were screened by 22 reviewers with a wide swath of clinical and research experience in global EM. From these, a total of 356 articles underwent full‐text review and scoring on the 20‐point scale; 26% were categorized as disaster and humanitarian response, 58% as emergency care in resource‐limited settings, and 15% as EM development. Of these 356 articles, 276 (77.5%) were OR articles and 80 (22.5%) were RE articles. The 16 articles that scored in the top 5% (>17.5 of 20 points) received full in‐depth narrative summaries.

Conclusions

In 2019, the overall number of studies relevant to global EM that were identified by our search decreased from the prior year, but more high‐scoring articles related to the development of EM clinical practice and as a specialty in resource‐constrained settings were identified.
Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Impairs Visual‐Spatial Discrimination in a Sex‐Specific Manner: Effects of Testing Order and Difficulty on Learning Performance
Authors: Kenton Johnny A. , Castillo Victoria K. , Kehrer Penelope E. , Brigman Jonathan L.
Published: August 2020

Background

Exposure to high levels of alcohol during development leads to alterations in neurogenesis and deficits in hippocampal‐dependent learning. Evidence suggests that even more moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy can have negative impacts on the cognitive function of offspring. Methods for assessing impairments differ greatly across species, complicating translation of preclinical findings into potential therapeutics. We have demonstrated the utility of a touchscreen operant measure for assessing hippocampal function in mice.

Methods

Here, we integrated a well‐established “drinking‐in‐the‐dark” exposure model that produces reliable, but more moderate, levels of maternal intoxication with a trial‐unique, delayed nonmatching‐to‐location (TUNL) task to examine the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on hippocampal‐sensitive behavior directly analogous to those used in clinical assessment. PAE and SAC offspring mice were trained to touch a single visual stimulus (“sample phase”) in one of 10 possible spatial locations (2 × 5 grid) in a touchscreen operant system. After a delay, animals were simultaneously presented with the original stimulus and a rewarded stimulus in a novel location (“choice phase”). PAE and saccharin (SAC) control mice were trained on a series of problems that systematically increased the difficulty by decreasing the separation between the sample and choice stimuli. Next, a separate cohort of PAE and SAC animals were given a brief training and then tested on a challenging variant where both the separation and delay varied with each trial.

Results

We found that PAE mice were generally able to perform at levels similar to SAC control mice at progressively more difficult separations. When tested on the most difficult unpredictable variant immediately, PAE showed a sex‐specific deficit with PAE females performing worse during long delays.

Conclusions

Taken together, these data demonstrate the utility of the TUNL task for examining PAE related alterations in hippocampal function and underline the need to examine sex‐by‐treatment interactions in these models.
Opioid and Dopamine Genes Interact to Predict Naltrexone Response in a Randomized Alcohol Use Disorder Clinical Trial
Authors: Anton Raymond F. , Voronin Konstantin E. , Book Sarah W. , Latham Patricia K. , Randall Patrick K. , Glen Willam Bailey , Hoffman Michaela , Schacht Joseph P.
Published: August 2020

Background

While the opiate antagonist, naltrexone, is approved for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD), not everyone who receives the medication benefits from it. This study evaluated whether the OPRM1 SNP rs1799971 interacts with the dopamine transporter gene DAT1/SLC6A3 VNTR rs28363170 or the catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) gene SNP rs4680 in predicting naltrexone response.

Methods

Individuals who met DSM‐IV alcohol dependence were randomly assigned to naltrexone (50 mg/d) or placebo based on their OPRM1 genotype (75 G‐allele carriers and 77 A‐allele homozygotes) and also genotyped for DAT1 VNTR (9 vs. 10 repeats) or COMT SNP (val/val vs. met carriers). Heavy drinking days (%HDD) were evaluated over 16 weeks and at the end of treatment. Effect sizes (d) for naltrexone response were calculated based on genotypes.

Results

Naltrexone, relative to placebo, significantly reduced %HDD among OPRM1 G carriers who also had DAT1 10/10 (p = 0.021, d = 0.72) or COMT val/val genotypes (p = 0.05, d = 0.80), and to a lesser degree in those OPRM1 A homozygotes who were also DAT1 9‐repeat carriers (p = 0.09, d = 0.70) or COMT met carriers (p = 0.03, d = 0.63). All other genotype combinations showed no differential response to naltrexone. Diarrhea/abdominal pain was more prominent in OPRM1 A homozygotes who were also DAT 9 or COMT met carriers.

Conclusions

These results suggest that individuals with AUD with a more opioid‐responsive genotype (OPRM1 G carriers) respond better to naltrexone if they have genotypes indicating normal/less dopamine tone (DAT1 10,10 or COMT val,val), while those with a less responsive opioid‐responsive genotype (OPRM1 A homozygotes) respond better to naltrexone if they have genotypes indicating greater dopamine tone (DAT1 9‐repeat or COMT met carriers). These results could lead to more personalized AUD treatments.
A narrative review with practical advice on how to decrease pain and distress during venepuncture and peripheral intravenous cannulation
Authors: Cozzi Giorgio , Valerio Paolo , Kennedy Robert
Published: August 2020

Venepuncture and peripheral intravenous cannulation are two of the most commonly paediatric performed medical procedures in many healthcare settings. These procedures can cause significant pain and distress at any age, during childhood, so appropriate management is strongly recommended. This review examines the evidence related to pain and distress management during venepuncture and peripheral intravenous cannulation, including preparing the environment, assessing and preparing patients, parental involvement and psychological and pharmacological interventions. It specifically refers to neonates, children with cognitive impairment and children with difficult intravenous access. We provide a brief management strategy, with easily implemented techniques to improve daily practice.
Predictors and outcomes of histological remission in ulcerative colitis treated to endoscopic healing
Authors: Jangi Sushrut , Yoon Hyuk , Dulai Parambir S. , Valasek Mark , Boland Brigid S. , Jairath Vipul , Feagan Brian G. , Sandborn William J. , Singh Siddharth
Published: August 2020

Background

Clinical remission is the recommended treatment target in ulcerative colitis. The predictors and outcomes of achieving histologic remission within a treat‐to‐target paradigm are not well established.

Aim

To evaluate the predictors and outcomes of achieving histologic remission in patients with ulcerative colitis treated‐to‐target of endoscopic healing (modified Mayo endoscopy score 0 or 1).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study in adults with active ulcerative colitis (modified Mayo endoscopy score 2 or 3), whose treatment was iteratively optimised to achieve endoscopic healing. We identified predictors of achieving histologic remission, and outcomes (risk of symptomatic relapse, and ulcerative colitis‐related hospitalisation and/or surgery) of achieving histologic remission vs persistent histologic activity, using Cox proportional hazard analysis.

Results

Of the 411 patients with clinically active ulcerative colitis, 270 achieved endoscopic healing. Of the 270 patients, 55% simultaneously achieved histologic remission. Depth of endoscopic healing at final endoscopic assessment was the only independent determinant of histologic remission (modified Mayo endoscopy score 0 vs 1: odds ratio, 0.31 [95% confidence intervals, 0.18‐0.52]). Over 28 months, achieving histologic remission was associated with a lower risk of clinical relapse (1‐year cumulative risk: 18.7% vs 29.5%; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.56 [0.37‐0.85]), and lower risk of hospitalisation (hazard ratio, 0.44 [0.20‐0.94]). The incremental benefit of achieving histologic remission was observed only in patients achieving Mayo endoscopy score 1, but not Mayo endoscopy score 0.

Conclusions

In patients with active ulcerative colitis treated‐to‐target of endoscopic healing, 55% simultaneously achieved histologic remission. Histologic remission, particularly in patients achieving modified Mayo endoscopy score 1, was associated with favourable outcomes. Treating to a target of histologic remission over endoscopic healing requires prospective evaluation.
Actions of multiple doses of resveratrol on oxidative and inflammatory markers in plasma and brain of healthy and arthritic rats
Authors: Castro Lorena dos Santos , Bracht Lívia , Peralta Rosane Marina , Maróstica Heloisa Vialle Pereira , Comar Jurandir Fernando , Babeto de Sá‐Nakanishi Anacharis , Bracht Adelar
Published: August 2020

The actions of resveratrol in brain and plasma of rats with adjuvant‐induced arthritis were investigated. Resveratrol was administered orally during a period of 23 days. A major concern of the present work was to explore an ample range of daily doses (10‐200 mg/kg). Several oxidative and inflammatory markers were measured. Important effects of resveratrol treatment were the normalization of the plasma myeloperoxidase activity (inflammatory marker), the normalization of the brain xanthine oxidase activity (reactive oxygen species source) and the near‐normalization of the catalase activity in the brain (antioxidant defence). These effects presented obvious dose dependencies in the range up to 200 mg/kg. Resveratrol also reduced protein and lipid damage within the lowest dose ranges investigated, and its action as a free radical scavenger activity was enhanced in brain mitochondria of arthritic rats. Resveratrol failed in restoring the diminished albumin levels and plasma protein thiols in arthritic rats. The latter, however, were substantially increased in healthy rats at low doses (up to 50 mg/kg), a sign of antioxidant action. This increase was reversed at higher doses, a sign of pro‐oxidant action. The observations agree with the notion that low doses of resveratrol might be useful as an adjuvant to the conventional antirheumatic drugs.
A new approach to measuring universal banking
Authors: Shabani Mimoza , D'Avino Carmela
Published: August 2020

Noninterest income is widely used in the literature to account for the degree of the universal business model by banks. This paper proposes a novel measure of universal banking constructed using the relative contribution of each operating segment to total assets using an entropy approach. We here propose a novel dataset containing the Universal Banking Index (UBI) at both country and bank levels. Using a sample of international banks, we evaluate the extent to which our proposed metric affects banks’ profitability, stability, liquidity and capitalisation. Results suggest that a higher degree of diversification is associated with increased stability. In addition, banks that feature a more diversified business model, as proxied by the UBI, are also better capitalised, as opposed to banks with high noninterest income share. Our results suggest that regulatory‐induced restriction on universal banking may indeed reduce the benefits of risk sharing across operating segments, exposing banks to heightened risks.
Subsidence analysis of salt tectonics‐driven carbonate minibasins (Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria)
Authors: Strauss Philipp , Granado Pablo , Muñoz Josep Anton
Published: August 2020

Subsidence analysis study for several Triassic carbonate platforms from the eastern Northern Calcareous Alps shows that salt expulsion allowed for the growth of thick isolated depocentres (>1.5 km) at rates faster than those tectonic subsidence alone can provide. Our results, in addition to independent regional geological evidence, argue against previous models of thick‐skinned extension controlling accommodation space. Differential sedimentary loading and stretching of the salt layer can explain the development of the Triassic isolated carbonate platforms in the Northern Calcareous Alps, with salt expulsion being proportional to the growth potential of the carbonate producers. Aside of topographic loads, early diageneses of carbonates allow for the density inversion between sediment and salt, with differential loading by carbonate aggradation leading to a self‐sustained feedback cycle of density‐driven and gradient load subsidence; stretching of the salt layer and extensional deformation of its overburden, as constrained by cross‐section restoration, also contributed to diapir initiation and salt expulsion. Our model can: (a) explain the occurrence of isolated Middle Triassic carbonate platforms in the eastern Northern Calcareous Alps, and (b) differentiate between accommodation space controlled by (local) salt expulsion and by (regional) tectonic subsidence. The Triassic Neo‐Tethys shelf of the studied area constituted therefore asalt wall and minibasin province. This contribution and methods herein can also be applied to other carbonate platform systems developed on salt basins, especially where the transition from rift to drift remains unclear.
Antifungal activity of styrylpyridinium compounds against Candida albicans
Authors: Vaitkienė Simona , Kuliešienė Neringa , Sakalauskaitė Sandra , Bekere Laura , Krasnova Laura , Vigante Brigita , Duburs Gunars , Daugelavičius Rimantas
Published: August 2020

We synthesized a set of 13 new and earlier described styrylpyridinium compounds (N‐alkyl styrylpyridinium salts with bromide or tosylate anions) in order to evaluate antifungal activity against C. albicans cells, to assay the possible synergism with fluconazole, and to estimate cytotoxicity to mammalian cells. All compounds were synthesized according to a well‐known two‐step procedure involving alkylation of γ‐picoline with appropriate alkyl bromide and further condensation with substituted benzaldehyde. Compounds with long N‐alkyl chains (C18H37–C20H41) had no antifungal activity against the cells of all tested C. albicans strains. Other styrylpyridinium compounds were able to inhibit yeast growth at the concentrations of 0.06–16 μg/ml. At fungicidal concentrations, the compound with the CN‐ group was least toxic to mammalian cells, showed the most effective synergism with fluconazole, and only slightly inhibited the respiration of C. albicans. The compound with the 4′‐diethylamino group exhibited the strongest fungicidal properties and effectively blocked the respiration of C. albicans cells. However, toxicity to mammalian cells was also high. Summarizing, the results of our study indicate that styrylpyridinium compounds are promising candidates in the development of new antifungal drugs.
Numerical Minority Status in Middle School and Racial/Ethnic Segregation in Academic Classes
Authors: Kogachi Kara , Graham Sandra
Published: August 2020

This study examined the effects of racial/ethnic segregation (i.e., overrepresentation) in academic classes on belonging, fairness, intergroup attitudes, and achievement across middle school (n = 4,361;MageT1 = 11.33 years), and whether effects depended on numerical minority status in school and race/ethnicity. Latent growth curve models revealed that experiencing more segregationthan usualpredicted less belonging and fairnessthan usualfor all youth in the numerical minority, and greater in‐group preference for numerical minority Whites. Academic classroom segregation throughout middle school predicted less steep declines in in‐group preference for adolescents in the numerical minority, and declines in achievement for African American numerical minority youth. Results highlight the need to treat the racial/ethnic context as a structural and dynamic construct.