bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Baltica: integrated splice junction usage analysis
Authors: Britto-Borges Thiago , Boehm Volker , Gehring Niels H. , Dieterich Christoph
Published: December 2021

Alternative splicing is a tightly regulated co- and post-transcriptional process contributing to the transcriptome diversity observed in eukaryotes. Several methods for detecting differential junction usage (DJU) from RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) datasets exist. Yet, efforts to integrate the results from DJU methods are lacking. Here, we present Baltica, a framework that provides workflows for quality control, de novo transcriptome assembly with StringTie2, and currently 4 DJU methods: rMATS, JunctionSeq, Majiq, and LeafCutter. Baltica puts the results from different DJU methods into context by integrating the results at the junction level. We present Baltica using 2 datasets, one containing known artificial transcripts (SIRVs) and the second dataset of paired Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies RNA-seq. The data integration allows the user to compare the performance of the tools and reveals that JunctionSeq outperforms the other methods, in terms of F1 score, for both datasets. Finally, we demonstrate for the first time that meta-classifiers trained on scores of multiple methods outperform classifiers trained on scores of a single method, emphasizing the application of our data integration approach for differential splicing identification. Baltica is available at https://github.com/dieterich-lab/Baltica under MIT license.
Direct RNA sequencing of Respiratory Syncytial Virus infected human cells generates a detailed overview of RSV polycistronic mRNA and transcript abundance
Authors: Donovan-Banfield I’ah , Hall Sophie , Gao Tianyi , Murphy Eleanor , Li Jack , Shawli Ghada T. , Hiscox Julian , Fearns Rachel , Matthews David A.
Published: December 2021

To characterize species of viral mRNA transcripts generated during respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, human fibroblast-like MRC5 lung cells were infected with subgroup A RSV for 6, 16 and 24 hours. Total RNA was harvested and polyadenylated mRNA was enriched and sequenced by direct RNA sequencing on an Oxford nanopore device. This yielded over 150,000 direct mRNA transcript reads which were mapped to the viral genome and analysed to determine relative mRNA levels of viral genes using our in-house ORF-centric pipeline. We were also able to examine frequencies with which polycistronic readthrough mRNAs were generated and to assess the length of the polyadenylated tails for each group of transcripts. We show that there is a general but non-linear decline in gene transcript abundance across the viral genome, as predicted by the model of RSV gene transcription. However, the decline in transcript abundance is not consistent. We show that the polyadenylate tails generated by the viral polymerase are similar in length to those generated by the host cells polyadenylation machinery and broadly declined in length for most transcripts as infection progressed. Finally, we observed that the steady state abundance of transcripts with very short polyadenylate tails is much less for N, SH and G transcripts compared to NS1, NS2, P, M, F and M2 which may reflect differences in mRNA stability and/or translation rates.
Robotic sample changers for macromolecular X-ray crystallography and biological small-angle X-ray scattering at the National Synchrotron Light Source II. Corrigendum
Authors: Lazo Edwin O. , Antonelli Stephen , Aishima Jun , Bernstein Herbert J. , Bhogadi Dileep , Fuchs Martin R. , Guichard Nicolas , McSweeney Sean , Myers Stuart , Qian Kun , Schneider Dieter , Shea-McCarthy Grace , Skinner John , Sweet Robert , Yang Lin , Jakoncic Jean
Published: December 2021

A correction in the paper by Lazo et al. [(2021). J. Synchrotron Rad.
28, 1649–1661] is made.
Seafood festivals for local development in Italy and Sweden
Authors: Pizzichini Lucia , Andersson Tommy D. , Gregori Gian Luca
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The paper focusses on festivals taking place in coastal regions whose central element is seafood. The purpose is to analyse the role of seafood festivals as potential tourist attractions for local development. The decision to focus on coastal areas is based on a perceived knowledge gap regarding the interactions between different sectors of the sea economy.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative exploratory case studies of seafood festivals in Italy and Sweden have been performed using an analytical model. The participatory observation methodology contributed to a better understanding of the phenomenon.

Findings

The analysis shows the close relationship between seafood and tourism, and although it takes variable forms, food is a fundamental lever for maritime and coastal tourism and local development. Findings suggest that local food events can help strengthening gastronomic identities, despite there is a different articulation between tradition and marketing in the two countries.

Research limitations/implications

Since this paper represents an exploratory study of five seafood festivals, research needs to be extended and replicated before any findings can be generalized. However, the model is flexible enough to be tested in different food events.

Practical implications

Food events represent a key instrument for the integration of territorial policies in which tourism and food products might be used as strategic instruments for the development of coastal areas.

Originality/value

This paper is a first attempt to analyse and compare seafood events, contributing to filling the gap in event literature referring to coastal areas. The model introduced can be used to determine the articulation of tradition-marketing in different food events.
Workplace change process and satisfaction with activity-based office
Authors: Sirola Pia , Haapakangas Annu , Lahtinen Marjaana , Ruohomäki Virpi
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this case study is to investigate how the personnel in an organization experienced the process of change when moving from private offices to an activity-based office (ABO) and how their perceptions of change were associated with changes in their satisfaction with the work environment a year after relocation.

Design/methodology/approach

A comparative pre-post study design and mixed methods were used. Survey data was obtained from 154 employees before the relocation and 146 after the relocation. The data on the 105 employees who responded to both surveys were statistically analyzed. Representatives of different units were interviewed (n= 17) and documentary material was analyzed as complementary material.

Findings

The personnel’s criticisms concerned the reasons for the change, their opportunities to influence the office design and the extent to which their views were taken into account. Environmental satisfaction decreased after moving to the ABO. The personnel’s ratings of the workplace change process before the relocation were associated with the later change in environmental satisfaction. Based on logistic regression, the degree of agreement with management’s reasons for the change was the strongest predictor of the change in environmental satisfaction.

Practical implications

Organizations that move from private offices to an ABO should invest in high-quality change management and simultaneously develop both work and facilities. Special attention should be paid to clarifying the rationale for the change to the employees and to providing them with opportunities to influence during the change. Organizations should continue to monitor user experiences and evaluate the effects of the change after the office redesign and should take corrective action as needed.

Originality/value

This empirical case study is unique as it combined qualitative and quantitative methods and investigated the process of relocation and its outcomes in a one-year follow-up. This approach captured the importance of managing change and assessing the long-term effects of office redesign when moving from private offices to an ABO.
Improving access to frontline psychosocial services for youths in difficulty by using LSS: an action research case study
Authors: Boukherroub Tasseda , Ouellet Lysane , Lemay Guillaume , Bibeau Nathalie , Thiffault Diane , McNeil Nicole
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This study aims to improve accessibility to frontline psychological services for youths in difficulty. In the province of Quebec, Canada, the first significant intervention must take place within 30 days for at least 75% of the clients. Achieving this target is challenging. This was observed in the Youth Programme of a health-care network in Montreal (Centre Intégré (Universitaire) de la Santé et des Services Sociaux Centre-Sud-de-l’île-de-Montréal).

Design/methodology/approach

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) approach within the Action Research methodology was used. Define, Measure, Analyse, Innovate, Implement and Control structure combined with Lean techniques and a Kaizen event were implemented.

Findings

In total 69% of the clients have now had their first intervention within 30 days and 91% within 60 days. Improving accessibility to frontline services led to improving accessibility to second-line services. Communicating performance objectives to employees led to increasing their awareness about the importance of performance assessment and their willingness to contribute to improvement. The Kaizen event was a driving force that enabled more collaboration and trust. The participation of a partner-client in the Kaizen helped finding client-centred solutions. The large number of participants in the Kaizen added complexity.

Research limitations/implications

It was difficult to sort and rank a large number of solutions during the Kaizen. The impact of hiring additional employees has not been investigated. Despite the significant improvements, the targets were not achieved. More research is required to identify more accurately critical factors that have a major impact on the success of LSS projects involving complex processes.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the body of knowledge in Lean health care. It describes Lean tools/techniques used, solution implementation and improvements achieved in a real context. 10 success factors and 4 challenges were identified. The study provides a model for other organizations for developing their own roadmap to improve accessibility to their services, notably in large and complex processes.
Sales complexity and value appropriation: a taxonomy of sales situations
Authors: Rangarajan Deva , Hochstein Bryan , Nagel Duane , Lyngdoh Teidorlang
Published: December 2021

Purpose

The increasingly complex business-to-business (B2B) sales process necessitates that sales managers strike the right balance between appropriate resource allocation, while also maintaining the profitability of the organization. While previous research has mainly focused on how changes in the business environment pose distinct challenges to salespeople, very little research has focused on how sales managers should react to these complex situations. Drawing upon the extant sales research, this paper aims to point to a gap in the literature of how sales managers deal with the complexity associated with the sales process and deal with the same.

Design/methodology/approach

Methods from the grounded theory research approach were used to conduct 18 in-depth interviews with B2B sales managers. Purposive sampling was used to identify the participants.

Findings

A taxonomy of sales situations that reflects the changing complexity of the sales function and how sales managers need to orchestrate their resource allocation decisions to ensure appropriate value capture from B2B relationships emerged within the themes. This paper highlights four fundamental tenets of sales situations that account for both the complexity of the sales process and the value appropriation challenge that sales managers face.

Practical implications

The taxonomy will help sales managers have a better understanding of the changing complexity in the B2B sales process and help them with decisions making. Sales managers can orchestrate their resource allocation to achieve value appropriation.

Originality/value

This paper develops a new taxonomy of the sales situation. It unravels the changing complexity of the B2B sales process and discusses how value appropriation can be achieved by sales managers.
Sustainability service learning in economics
Authors: Arnold Marlen Gabriele
Published: December 2021

Purpose

Service learning is not comprehensively developed in economics such as the implementation of the 17 sustainability goals of the Agenda 2030 – although this would be beneficial as experiential learning is linked to democratic education goals. Service Learning offers itself as a didactic design for this purpose. The paper aims to discuss how service learning can be used to work critically and reflexively on sustainability issues in a cross-university context.

Design/methodology/approach

The cross-university teaching-learning project brought together students of industrial engineering and economics. The idea space “sustainable city” was to be developed together with practice partners with the help of the practice-relevant project management method scrum and methods of sustainability assessment in the sense of service learning. Evaluating the project, a written and a qualitative survey were conducted and analysed by means of descriptive statistics as well as content analysis.

Findings

Success factors include the regular feedback by practice partners and lecturers including reflection questions. Student heterogeneity can hinder effective project work. Complexity can deter effective and successful service learning. The use of scrum in service learning contexts cannot be fully recommended. Although scrum contributes to service learning concepts in economics, in complex sustainability projects either the method should be in focus or prior knowledge of scrum should be mandatory.

Originality/value

The paper discusses how service learning can be used to critically and reflexively address social and practical challenges in a cross-university context. The study contributes to the fact that the complexity of education for sustainable development competencies requires the teaching of knowledge- and fact-based fundamentals as well as methodological-research procedures for research-based and at the same time practice-oriented learning.
Metamorphosis from virtual community to ‘For Benefit’ enterprise: chronicle of PULA and PULA Exclusives Pvt. Ltd.
Authors: Dam Leena B. , Pillai Deepa
Published: December 2021

Theoretical basis

The instructor should discuss the various forms of organization. Particular reference needs to be drawn on “For Benefit” firms. How such firms enable societal development should be stressed upon. Other theories considered are “need achievement theory”, “self-determination theory” and “social cognitive theory.”

Research methodology

The primary data for the case was from a series of in-depth interviews and interactions with Sonia and her core team members of Bazaar and Approval Teams. Frequent deliberation with the founder and core team led to interesting dialogues on the aspiration to uphold Pune Ladies Association (PULA) Exclusives Pvt. Ltd. as a “For Benefit firm” and developing indigenous women entrepreneurs which was a stimuli for writing the case. Online surveys of the PULA verified sellers were conducted to identify their rationale of starting the venture and also their experiences on the PULA platform.

Case overview/synopsis

March 2019, the core committee of PULA Exclusives Pvt. Ltd. (the firm) engineered a dialogue. They wanted to expand a new horizon with its mission of “For Benefit”. The firm is an offshoot of PULA, a virtual women’s community in Facebook.

Complexity academic level

The case may be used for postgraduate students pursuing entrepreneurship and management courses. The case can be used for teaching executive level programs of business strategy and digital media. The case applies to the use of digital media in businesses, social entrepreneurship and innovation strategies.
Intralocus sexual conflict over optimal nutrient intake and the evolution of sex differences in life span and reproduction
Authors: Hawkes Michael , Lane Sarah M. , Rapkin James , Jensen Kim , House Clarissa M. , Sakaluk Scott K. , Hunt John
Published: December 2021

Despite widespread variation in life span across species, three clear patterns exist: sex differences in life span are ubiquitous, life span is commonly traded against reproduction, and nutrition has a major influence on these traits and how they trade‐off. One process that potentially unites these patterns is intralocus sexual conflict over the optimal intake of nutrients for life span and reproduction. If nutrient intake has sex‐specific effects on life span and reproduction but nutrient choice is genetically linked across the sexes, intralocus sexual conflict will occur and may prevent one or both sexes from feeding to their nutritional optima.

Here we determine the potential for this process to operate in the decorated cricket Gryllodes sigillatus. Using the Geometric Framework for Nutrition, we restrict male and female crickets to diets varying in the ratio of protein to carbohydrates and total nutrient content to quantify the effects on life span and daily reproductive effort in the sexes. We then use inbred lines to estimate the quantitative genetic basis of nutrient choice in males and females. We combine the nutrient effects and genetic estimates to predict the magnitude of evolutionary constraint for these traits in each sex. Finally, we present male and female crickets with a much broader range of diet pairs to determine how the sexes actively regulate their intake of nutrients.

We show that protein and carbohydrate intake have contrasting effects on life span and reproduction in the sexes and that there are strong positive intersexual genetic correlations for the intake of these nutrients under dietary choice. This is predicted to accelerate the evolutionary response of nutrient intake in males but constrain it in females, suggesting they are losing the conflict. Supporting this view, males and females regulate nutrient intake to a common nutrient ratio that was not perfectly optimal for life span or reproduction in either sex, especially in females.

Our findings show that intralocus sexual conflict over the optimal intake of nutrients is likely to be an important process generating sex differences in life span and reproduction and may help explain why females age faster and live shorter than males in G. sigillatus.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Pathogen‐mediated selection and management implications for white‐tailed deer exposed to chronic wasting disease
Authors: Ketz Alison C. , Robinson Stacie J. , Johnson Chad J. , Samuel Michael D.
Published: December 2021

Pathogens can cause host extinction, affect population dynamics and influence natural selection. Host susceptibility to pathogens can vary by species, demographics and genetics which affect epizootic and population dynamics, ultimately determining population trends and evolution.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neuro‐degenerative prion disease of cervids, has varying host susceptibility conferred by polymorphisms of the prion protein gene (PRNP) at codon 96 for white‐tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus.

Deer with the homozygous Glycine allele (96GG) are most susceptible and a single Serine allele (96GS/96SS) reduces the risk of infection and mortality.

We developed epizootiological models that demonstrate CWD infection and disease‐associated mortality were higher for the more susceptible (96GG) genotype; and, infection was higher for males than females. We used population models to evaluate future shifts in genotype frequencies under alternative harvest and infection rate scenarios.

Genetic shifts towards less susceptible genotypes were predicted as CWD prevalence increased during the course of an outbreak. This further increased CWD prevalence, and likely environmental contamination from prion shedding, due to longer incubation periods. Alternative harvest management strategies directly influenced CWD prevalence and spread, the rate of genetic selection and deer population growth.

Synthesis and applications. We show that chronic wasting disease (CWD) transmission varied by sex, age class and PRNP genotype, and that CWD disease‐associated mortality varied by genotype. Together, these forces lead to CWD‐mediated genetic selection for a white‐tailed deer population. We predict that genetic selection pressure increases when hunter harvest pressure is lowered, and conversely, increasing hunter harvest can reduce genetic selection rates of antlered deer. Our results support the control of CWD prevalence by aggressive harvest of adult males, because they have the highest infection rates. Our results have strong implications for evolution, disease ecology, geographical spread, disease mitigation and cervid population management.
Fire, insect and disease‐caused tree mortalities increased in forests of greater structural diversity during drought
Authors: Zhai Lu , Coyle David R. , Li Daijiang , Jonko Alex
Published: December 2021

Structural diversity is an emerging dimension of biodiversity that accounts for size variations in organs among individuals in a community. Previous studies show significant effects of structural diversity on forest growth, but its effects on forest mortality are not known, particularly at a large scale.

To address this knowledge gap, we quantified structural diversity using stem structural diversity (SSD) based on both tree diameter and height. We obtained U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data from over 2400 plots across southcentral U.S. forests that have suffered a recent drought. Using data from multiple sampling times, we calculated SSD and compared the relative importance of SSD, species diversity, functional diversity and other stand attributes in determining tree mortalities caused by fire, insects and diseases. We also used FIRETEC, a physics‐based fire model, to test the effect of SSD on canopy consumption by fire.

Our results showed that (1) SSD was positively associated with tree mortalities caused by all three disturbances; (2) species richness was negatively associated with insect‐ and disease‐caused mortalities; (3) functional diversity was negatively associated with fire‐ and disease‐caused mortalities and (4) more phylogenetically related species had more similar mortality rates by insect and disease but not fire. Moreover, the FIRETEC model showed increasing canopy consumption by fire in stands with greater SSD.

Together, the different tree mortalities during drought associated with SSD more consistently than the other biodiversity metrics were evaluated.

Synthesis. Our results suggest that SSD could be considered in modelling forest dynamics and planning management to sustain forest health under disturbances.
YIMBYISM AND THE HOUSING CRISIS IN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES: A Critical Reflection
Authors: Tretter Eliot , Heyman Rich
Published: December 2021

In this introductory essay, we provide an overview and theoretical context for this Intervention of seven critical reflections on the recent ‘pro‐housing’ movement YIMBYism (‘Yes in My Backyard’). In cities across the United States and Canada, YIMBYism has become important in local debates about housing and land use; some key North American urban centers are the focus of the commentaries included here. On the whole, academic discussions of YIMBYism have remained focused on local and place‐specific narratives. In this introduction we discuss the essays in this Intervention and resituate the discussion towards a more macro‐level urban theoretical framework, specifically examining the ongoing restructuring of urban neoliberalism, racial capitalism and hyper‐urbanization. We argue that YIMBYism reflects unresolved tensions in the current urban housing crisis that can be seen as connected to the ongoing dismantling of the remnants of Keynesianism and the intensification of neoliberalism and uneven urban development. We note that these shifts relate to how racism and patriarchy suffuse changing regimes of capitalist orders, especially in housing markets and residential geographies. The Intervention as a whole suggests that the YIMBY movement deserves more research attention as a force in the ongoing unfolding of neoliberal urbanism.
BORDERING, DIFFERENTIAL INCLUSION/EXCLUSION AND CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE UK
Authors: Toğral Koca Burcu
Published: December 2021

Taking London as the research context, this article aims to explore the positioning of civil society actors in bordering the differential inclusion/exclusion of asylum seekers and refugees. To do this, and understanding borders/bordering as spaces and social institutions, the article investigates the ways in which civil society actors intervene against bordering, with a particular focus on the labour market and housing. The empirical analysis illustrates that civil society actors seek to open up new spaces of inclusion and new subject positions for refugees and asylum seekers other than those imposed by established bordering processes. However, the capacity of civil society actors to contest the differential inclusion/exclusion enacted in bordering remains limited in the face of constraints produced by neoliberalization and existing political dynamics. More importantly, civil society actors are likely to align themselves with established bordering processes and structures, thus reproducing the differential exclusion/inclusion of asylum seekers and refugees.
Physical activity is associated with nutritional biomarkers in hemodialysis patients: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Almeida Lucas S. , Ribeiro Heitor S. , Duarte Marvery P. , Dourado Gustavo Í. , Ferreira Thalita L. , Inda‐Filho Antônio J. , Lima Ricardo M. , Ferreira Aparecido P.
Published: December 2021

Objective

To explore the association between physical activity levels and nutritional biomarkers in hemodialysis patients.

Methods

Eighty‐six patients responded to the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire to estimate the metabolic equivalent of tasks (MET) per week. A MET‐min per week <600 was considered as sedentary. The nutritional biomarkers (i.e., albumin, globulin, and albumin/globulin ratio) were collected.

Results

Sixty‐five patients (75.6%) were sedentary. Binary logistic regression showed that patients with low albumin levels had an 89% lower chance to be physically active (p = 0.037), but it was not significant in the adjusted analysis (p = 0.052). Albumin and albumin/globulin ratio levels were correlated with MET‐min per week (r = 0.34 and 0.30; both p < 0.05). Additionally, lower median albumin and albumin/globulin ratio levels were found in the sedentary patients (p = 0.021 and p = 0.031), respectively.

Conclusion

The physical activity levels were associated with albumin and albumin/globulin ratio, surrogates of nutritional status in hemodialysis patients. These nutritional biomarkers were lower in sedentary patients.
Performance of the 2019 European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus in a multiethnic Malaysian cohort
Authors: Selvananda Shakira , Kan Sow Lai
Published: December 2021

Aim

To evaluate the performance of the 2019 European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology (EULAR/ACR) classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a multi‐ethnic Malaysian cohort and to compare it against the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) 2012 and ACR 1997 criteria.

Method

We conducted a retrospective observational study of 205 patients with a diagnosis of SLE and 100 controls who formed the validation cohort. The sensitivity and specificity of the three classification criteria were evaluated and a further sub‐analysis was performed in patients with early disease and among the various ethnicities.

Results

The sensitivities and specificities of the three classification criteria are as follows: EULAR/ACR (90.8%; 94%), SLICC 2012 (96.1%; 94%), and ACR 1997 (82%; 96%). Among patients with early disease, the sensitivity of the SLICC 2012 was higher than that of EULAR/ACR and ACR 1997 (98% vs 94% and 86%); however, the specificity of EULAR/ACR and ACR 1997 were similar (95.2%) and higher than the SLICC 2012 (93.5%). The SLICC 2012 had higher sensitivity than that of the EULAR/ACR among the Malays (94% vs 90%), Chinese (98% vs 90%), and Indians (100% vs 95%). The specificity of the EULAR/ACR and SLICC 2012 were similar in the Malay and Chinese (93.3% each, and 92% vs 94.6%).

Conclusion

The EULAR/ACR performed well in our cohort. The EULAR/ACR and SLICC 2012 showed higher sensitivity than the ACR 1997, and the EULAR/ACR showed similar specificity to the ACR 1997 and SLICC 2012 overall, in early disease, and across the different ethnicities.
Resource utilization and outcomes among children risk stratified by pediatric appendicitis risk calculator at a tertiary pediatric center
Authors: Becker Callie R. , Bergmann Kelly R. , Vazquez‐Benitez Gabriela , Bretscher Brianna M. , Kharbanda Anupam B.
Published: December 2021

Objectives

Appendicitis is a common pediatric condition requiring surgery. The pediatric appendicitis risk calculator (pARC) was recently developed to guide clinical care. The objective of this study is to describe resource utilization and clinical outcomes among children with appendix ultrasound (US) scans risk stratified by pARC score.

Methods

Prospective enrolled observational cohort single‐center study of children aged 5–18, who had an US for suspected appendicitis. We estimated the rate of appendicitis, rate of equivocal US scans, and resource utilization by pARC score strata. Total adjusted charges were determined for low‐risk pARC patients compared to discharged emergency department (ED) patients with abdominal pain and complete blood count (CBC) obtained without advanced abdominal imaging.

Results

Over the 13‐month study period, 407 children were enrolled. The overall rate of appendicitis was 33.4%, and 199 (49%) were male. The observed rate of appendicitis was 3.3% in those with a pARC score of <15% and 96.8% in those with a pARC score of ≥85%. Of enrolled patients, 152 (37.3%) had a pARC score <15%. Of those with a pARC score of <15%, the negative appendectomy rate was 28.6%, and the rate of equivocal US was 49.3%. The rate of CT scans and hospitalizations was 19% and 23%, respectively. Median total charges for patients with pARC <15% with usual care were $3756. Median total charges for patients presenting to the ED with abdominal pain who had a CBC but no advanced abdominal imaging performed was $2484, indicating a potential savings of $1272 per patient.

Conclusions

There is a high rate of resource utilization among patients who are low appendicitis risk by pARC score. Outcome variation by pARC scores presents future opportunity to selectively reduce resource utilization in pediatric patients.
Quantitation of phosphatidylethanols in dried blood spots to determine rates of prenatal alcohol exposure in Ontario
Authors: DiBattista Alicia , Ogrel Svetlana , MacKenzie Alex E. , Chakraborty Pranesh
Published: December 2021

Background

Estimating rates of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) in a population is necessary to ensure that proper medical and social supports and interventions are in place. This study sought to estimate PAE in Ontario, Canada by quantifying phosphatidylethanol (PEth) homologues in over 2000 residual neonatal dried blood spots (DBS).

Methods

A random selection of 2011 residual DBS collected over a 1‐week time period were anonymized and extracted. A targeted liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method was used to quantify 1‐palmitoyl‐2‐oleoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphoethanol (PEth (16:0/18:1) or POPEth), the clinically accepted biomarker, and six additional PEth homologues. A POPEth level above the United States Drug Testing Laboratories (USDTL) cutoff up to 4 weeks predelivery was indicative of PAE. All PEth homologues were correlated to one another and logistic regression was used to determine the association between PAE status and infant characteristics.

Results

The estimated rate of PAE in Ontario, up to the last 4 weeks of gestation, was 15.5% (POPEth >28.5 nM). Most PEth homologues were moderately to strongly correlated to one another. A low birth weight and preterm birth were both associated with PAE, while being small for gestational age had lower odds of PAE.

Conclusions

The results of this study suggest that PAE may be more prevalent in Ontario than previous estimates by self‐report or meconium testing. These findings support the need to consider the effectiveness of current interventions and the design of new interventions to address this significant public health issue.
Mild cognitive impairment and fitness to drive: An audit of practice in a driving specialist clinic in Australia
Authors: Spargo Claire , Laver Kate , Adey‐Wakeling Zoe , Berndt Angela , George Stacey
Published: December 2021

Objective

To describe current practice and outcomes relating to fitness to drive for people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) attending a specialist driving clinic.

Methods

Retrospective medical record audit from a driving fitness assessment clinic at a tertiary medical centre, South Australia, from 2015 to 2019.

Results

Of 100 notes audited, n = 40 had a documented diagnosis of MCI and n = 60 had subjective cognitive concerns characteristic of MCI. Participants mean age was 80.0 years (SD 6.7), and mean Mini‐Mental State Examination score was 26.1 (SD 2.1). Medical practitioners completed a comprehensive initial assessment relating to medical fitness to drive, considering scores from a cognitive assessment battery and non‐cognitive factors (driving history, current driving needs, vision, physical abilities and collateral from family). After the initial assessment, most participants (84%) were referred for a practical on‐road assessment, before receiving a final driving recommendation. Over half of participants continued driving (51%), most with conditions, while 35% ceased driving. Outcomes for the remaining 14% are unknown as we were unable to determine whether the practical assessment (11%) or lessons (3%) were completed.

Conclusions

Driving outcomes for people with MCI with questionable driving capabilities are variable, with both cognitive and non‐cognitive factors important in guiding medical fitness to drive recommendations. There is a need for more driving clinics to provide in‐depth assessment for people with MCI who demonstrate uncertain driving capabilities and improved support for decision‐making in other non‐driving specialist settings.
Situating Eden—Culture change in residential aged care: A scoping review
Authors: Larkey Frances Anne
Published: December 2021

Objective

This review explored the knowledge of the Eden Alternative [Eden] as a well‐being model for aged care and the current research of relationship‐centred care in a residential setting to identify gaps in the literature.

Methods

The search commenced in July 2017 and was updated in January 2020. Eight electronic databases were systematically searched for peer‐reviewed studies published in English between 2000 and 2020. The search revealed 13 papers for final inclusion.

Results

The Eden model has the potential to reduce loneliness, helplessness and boredom in older people. Implementation requires committed leadership and the inclusion of residents, families and staff in decision‐making.

Conclusions

There remain gaps in the empirical evidence of the benefit of the Eden model. The challenge is for researchers to provide rigorous study design that can evidence well‐being outcomes for residents with complex needs.
Role of epigenetics in parturition and preterm birth
Authors: Li Chunjin , Cao Maosheng , Zhou Xu
Published: December 2021

Preterm birth occurs worldwide and is associated with high morbidity, mortality, and economic cost. Although several risk factors associated with parturition and preterm birth have been identified, mechanisms underlying this syndrome remain unclear, thereby limiting the implementation of interventions for prevention and management. Known triggers of preterm birth include conditions related to inflammatory and immunological pathways, as well as genetics and maternal history. Importantly, epigenetics, which is the study of heritable phenotypic changes that occur without alterations in the DNA sequence, may play a role in linking social and environmental risk factors for preterm birth. Epigenetic approaches to the study of preterm birth, including analyses of the effects of microRNAs, long non‐coding RNAs, DNA methylation, and histone modification, have contributed to an improved understanding of the molecular bases of both term and preterm birth. Additionally, epigenetic modifications have been linked to factors already associated with preterm birth, including obesity and smoking. The prevention and management of preterm birth remains a challenge worldwide. Although epigenetic analysis provides valuable insights into the causes and risk factors associated with this syndrome, further studies are necessary to determine whether epigenetic approaches can be used routinely for the diagnosis, prevention, and management of preterm birth.
Identifying epilepsy based on machine‐learning technique with diffusion kurtosis tensor
Authors: Kang Li , Chen Jin , Huang Jianjun , Zhang Tijiang , Xu Jiahui
Published: December 2021

Introduction

Epilepsy is a serious hazard to human health. Minimally invasive surgery is an extremely effective treatment to refractory epilepsy currently if the location of epileptic foci is given. However, it is challenging to locate the epileptic foci since a multitude of patients are MRI‐negative. It is well known that DKI (diffusion kurtosis imaging) can analyze the pathological changes of local tissues and other regions of epileptic foci at the molecular level. In this article, we propose a new localization way for epileptic foci based on machine‐learning method with kurtosis tensor in DKI.

Methods

We recruited 59 children with hippocampus epilepsy and 70 age‐ and sex‐matched normal controls; their T1‐weighted images and DKI were collected simultaneously. Then, the hippocampus in DKI is segmented based on a mask as a local brain region, and DKE is utilized to estimate the kurtosis tensor of each subject's hippocampus. Finally, the kurtosis tensor is fed into SVM (support vector machine) to identify epilepsy.

Results

The classifier produced 95.24% accuracy for patient versus normal controls, which is higher than that obtained with FA (fractional anisotropy) and MK (mean kurtosis). Experimental results show that the kurtosis tensor is a kind of remarkable feature to identify epilepsy, which indicates that DKI images can act as an important biomarker for epilepsy from the view of clinical diagnosis.

Conclusion

Although the classification task for epileptic patients and normal controls discussed in this article did not directly achieve the location of epileptic foci and only identified epilepsy on certain brain region, the epileptic foci can be located with the results of identifying results on other brain regions.
Increasing environmental outcomes with conservation tenders: The participation challenge
Authors: Rolfe John , Schilizzi Steven , Iftekhar Md Sayed
Published: December 2021

Incentive payments to landholders have become increasingly popular as mechanisms to achieve conservation goals. Within these mechanisms economists commonly recommend competitive tenders over fixed rate payment schemes because (a) specialist knowledge of landholders about their own enterprises and costs can be utilized, (b) auction prices are more likely to reflect the marginal value of the resources being used to produce the environmental outcome, and (c) the scope for rent seeking is reduced by competition between landholders. Yet there is very little uptake of conservation tenders as agrienvironmental schemes, potentially because of the difficulties in generating sufficient levels of landholder participation to make tenders effective. In this paper we summarize the efficiency benefits of using competitive tenders, analyze reasons why participation rates may be so low, and suggest potential mechanisms to address this.
Extreme citizen science: Lessons learned from initiatives around the globe
Authors: Chiaravalloti Rafael Morais , Skarlatidou Artemis , Hoyte Simon , Badia Marcos Moreu , Haklay Muki , Lewis Jerome
Published: December 2021

The participation of communities living in high conservation value areas is increasingly valued in conservation science and practice, potentially producing multiple positive impacts on both biodiversity and local people. Here, we discuss important steps for implementing a successful extreme citizen science project, based on four case studies from conservation projects with Pantaneiro fishers living in Brazilian Pantanal wetland, Baka hunter‐gatherers and Fang farmers in lowland wet forest in Cameroon, Maasai pastoralists in Kenya, and Ju|'hoansi rangers living in the semiarid deserts of Namibia. We highlight the need for a high level of trust between the target communities and project developers, communities' right to choose the data they will be collecting, and researchers' openness to include new tools that were not initially planned. By following these steps, conservation scientists can effectively create bottom‐up collaborations with those living on the frontlines of conservation through community‐led extreme citizen science.
Association of symptomatic atherosclerotic carotid arteries with plaque areas showing low densities on computed tomographic angiography
Authors: Trandafir Cassiana , Laurent‐Chabalier Sabine , Cosma Catalin , Frandon Julien , Thouvenot Eric , Renard Dimitri
Published: December 2021

Background and purpose

Intraplaque hemorrhage is a key feature of vulnerable carotid atherosclerotic plaque (CAP), associated with low densities (<25 Hounsfield units [HU]) on computed tomographic angiography (CTA). This study aimed to analyze CAP on routine CTA performed in patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid stenosis undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) by assessing HU of the CAP area showing the lowest density (CAPALD) using radiological tools available in daily clinical practice, and to compare CAPALD values between symptomatic and asymptomatic carotids.

Methods

We retrospectively screened preoperative CTA scans of 206 consecutive adult patients undergoing CEA for symptomatic or asymptomatic stenosis. CAPALD values were compared between symptomatic and asymptomatic carotids. Asymptomatic carotids included arteries contralateral to the symptomatic CEA artery, and asymptomatic stenotic arteries undergoing CEA and their contralateral arteries. Carotids were excluded when there was <30% stenosis, or when CAP could not be identified or CAPALD could not be measured.

Results

In total, 95 symptomatic and 112 asymptomatic carotids (derived from 174 patients) were analyzed. In multivariate analysis, symptomatic arteries showed more severe stenosis (median 70% vs. 67%, p = 0.0228) and lower CAPALD values (median 17 vs. 25 HU, p = 0.049), whereas degree of stenosis and CAPALD values were not correlated (rho = −0.02, p = 0.77). HU values of <25 were more frequent in symptomatic than asymptomatic carotids (68% vs. 47%, p = 0.0022).

Conclusions

On CTA, symptomatic carotids are associated with CAP areas with low densities. CTA analysis of CAP may be interesting to help identify vulnerable plaques at risk for future stroke, especially in patients lacking strict indications for CEA based on the current guidelines.
Stepwise changes in morphology during the settlement process in a merobenthic octopus, Octopus sinensis, raised in the laboratory
Authors: Dan Shigeki , Kamei Yoshinori , Takeshima Satoshi , Yamashita Kazuhiro , Hamasaki Katsuyuki
Published: December 2021

Cephalopoda have no true larval stage because they lack any abrupt morphological changes during growth. However, in shallow‐water merobenthic octopuses, changes occur in the relative proportions of their body parts during the planktonic paralarval phase and the transitional phase from plankton to benthos. How this lifestyle transition is achieved is unclear because the morphological changes during their early life have yet to be fully elucidated. To address this issue, using laboratory‐raised East Asian common octopus, Octopus sinensis, aged 0–100 days after hatching, measurements were taken of total length (TL), mantle length (ML), arm length (AL), the number of suckers on an arm (ASC), and body dry weight (DW). These values were used to explore break points (BPs) in the log‐transformed allometric growth equation: lny = lna + blnx, where x is TL (a reference body dimension) and y is one of the other measurements. In all measurements, a three‐segmented allometric growth model with two BPs was statistically evident, and each segment had a different relative growth coefficient b along with growth, indicating that there are distinct stages of ontogenetic morphological change. Taking into account the times of behavioral changes reported so far, four stepwise phases were detected in the progress of O. sinensis towards settlement: (1) a true planktonic paralarval phase with rapid increase of ASC; (2) a transitional phase between plankton and benthos, characterized by rapid AL increase; (3) a provisional initial benthic juvenile phase, attaining longer AL than ML and approaching adult‐like proportion; and (4) a true benthic juvenile phase, reaching almost completion of the change in body proportion. The stepwise morphological changes seem to be a compromise measure to achieve changes in functional morphology and behavior necessary to lifestyle transition from plankton to benthos for an organism that goes through morphological change without metamorphosis.
Controlled surface crystallization of lithium‐zinc‐alumosilicate glass‐ceramics using thermal poling
Authors: Sander Malte , Engelmann Pawel , Jacobs Philipp , Roos Christian
Published: December 2021

Two glasses from the lithium‐zinc‐alumosilicate (LZAS) glass–ceramic system were thermally poled at 0.5 and 0.9 Tg and subsequently crystallized in heat‐treatment. Underneath the anode‐faced surface of the as‐poled glasses, a lithium depletion layer was found with layer thicknesses up to 15 μm. Between the depletion layer and the bulk, an accumulation of sodium was measured. Structural alterations underneath the anode‐faced and cathode‐faced surfaces of the crystallized glasses were examined using grazing‐incidence X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. A mainly amorphous layer was observed on all anode‐faced surfaces, each containing only small amounts of high‐quartz solid solution (high‐quartz s.s.). The low crystalline content was attributed to a reduced lithium content when compared to the untreated reference. Additionally, in one sample a keatite solid solution (keatite s.s.) formed in the anode‐faced surface with its phase content increasing with the poling temperature. The transformation of high‐quartz s.s. to keatite s.s. is facilitated by a silica‐rich glass composition beneath the anode‐faced surface. Underneath the cathode‐faced surface high crystalline contents were obtained, which even exceed the crystalline phase contents found in the untreated reference samples. In combination with an observable larger lattice parameter of the high‐quartz s.s. phase, it could be assumed that Li+ cations enrich at the cathode‐faced surface. The enrichment of Li+ cations on the cathode‐faced and their depletion on the anode‐faced surface lead to different particle sizes. Small grains were observed underneath the amorphous layer in the anode‐faced surface, while larger grains with an overall broader particle size distribution were found on the cathode‐faced surface.