bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Using In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) on Increasing the Prevalence of Craniosynostosis
Authors: Kalantar-Hormozi Abdoljalil , Moradi Ehsan , Hashemi Seyedeh Zohreh , Kalantar-Hormozi Hadis , Abbaszadeh-Kasbi Ali
Published: September 2021

Background:

Craniosynostosis, a malformation caused by premature closure of one or more cranial sutures, is a rare congenital disability usually of unknown cause; however, it is often associated with assisted reproductive technology. Given the increasing prevalence of craniosynostosis and the use of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) method, the authors evaluated the association between IVF and the prevalence of craniosynostosis.

Methods:

This retrospective study reviewed records of patients with nonsyndromic craniosynostosis who underwent surgery in Mofid Hospital, a tertiary children's hospital affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, between 2010 and 2019.

Results:

A total of 200 patients aged one month to 7 years old, were evaluated. Out of 200 patients, 43% were plagiocephalic, 39% trigonocephalic, 8.5% scaphocephalic, 8% brachiocephalic, and 1.5% were mixed. Nine (4.5%) patients had received clomiphene citrate. Eight (4%) mothers had become pregnant under IVF, and they all had used clomiphene citrate for ovulation stimulation. No use of artificial insemination was reported. Of the eight patients whose mother had become pregnant through IVF, three were trigonocephalic, and five were plagiocephalic.

Conclusions:

Without a control group, we are not able report the statistical results confirming or denying a link between craniosynostosis and infertility treatment. However, 4% prevalence of IVF use among craniosynostosis patients is significant. Further studies with a broader statistical community are suggested in this regard.
Masking significantly reduces, but does not eliminate COVID-19 infection in a spatial agent-based simulation of a University dormitory floor
Authors: McPeck Roxanne , Magori Krisztian
Published: September 2021

COVID-ADAPT is a stochastic, discrete-space, agent-based simulation model of airborne infection and public health interventions, capable of modeling SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Using a map of a real university dormitory floor, the model simulates agents moving about and potentially infecting each other. Health interventions tested are vaccination and masking, including whether the solitary initial infectious agent was masked. Universal masking with N95 masks and 100% vaccination of susceptible people resulted in significantly lower prevalence after 3 weeks compared to all other scenarios, but still led to a substantial number of infections. Increased vaccination levels from 52% to 100% by itself did not result in a significant difference in prevalence due to symptomatic and asymptomatic breakthrough infections. These results suggest that vaccination alone is insufficient to stem outbreaks, and the best way to reduce COVID-19 infections is to ensure that all infectious people are masked. However, because asymptomatic infections are common, the only way to ensure this is universal masking, which also reduces prevalence by protecting susceptible individuals from infection. Universal masking is the best way forward, especially under threat of the Delta variant, to keep facilities open and safe for occupants, while minimizing the number of infections.
PCR test positive rate revealing the real infection epidemic status examined in the COVID-19 epidemic in Tokyo, Japan
Authors: Tomie Toshihisa
Published: September 2021

In order to come up with effective infectious disease countermeasures, we need a method to evaluate the effectiveness of the countermeasures. As the most reliable epidemic diagnosis, we propose the PCR test positive rate. Examining the COVID-19 epidemic in Tokyo shows that the positive rate follows the epidemic accurately, without being affected by medical institution closures or the psychology of people. By comparing with the change of the positive rate, we argue that the psychology of people was the cause of the observed asymmetry and shallow valleys in the number of confirmed cases. We discuss that the positive rate as large as 1-5% in the valleys of the epidemic implies that many people are already infected and immune. The observed fact that the positive rate followed the number of positives accurately and the value lower than those reported in the test-negative design studies of influenza are attributable to the government’s policy of finding as many patients as possible. We mention three possibilities as the causes of the repeated COVID-19 epidemic in Japan.
Self-reported and physiological reactions to the third BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 (booster) vaccine dose
Authors: Mofaz Merav , Yechezkel Matan , Guan Grace , Brandeau Margaret L. , Patalon Tal , Gazit Sivan , Yamin Dan , Shmueli Erez
Published: September 2021

Background

The rapid rise in hospitalizations associated with the Delta-driven COVID-19 resurgence, and the imminent risk of hospital overcrowding, led the Israeli government to initialize a national third (booster) COVID-19 vaccination campaign in early August 2021, offering the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine to individuals who received their second dose over five months ago. However, the safety of the third (booster) dose has not been fully established yet.

Objective

Evaluate the short-term, self-reported and physiological reactions to the third BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 (booster) vaccine dose.

Design

A prospective observational study, in which participants are equipped with a smartwatch and fill in a daily questionnaire via a dedicated mobile application for a period of 21 days, starting seven days before the vaccination.

Setting

An Israel-wide third (booster) vaccination campaign.

Participants

A group of 1,609 (18+ years of age) recipients of at least one dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine between December 20, 2020, and September 15, 2021, out of a larger cohort of 2,912 prospective study participants. 1,344 of the participants were recipients of the third vaccine dose.

Measurements

Daily self-reported questionnaires regarding local and systemic reactions, mood level, stress level, sport duration, and sleep quality. Heart rate, heart rate variability and blood oxygen saturation level were continuously measured by Garmin Vivosmart 4 smartwatches.

Results

The extent of systemic reactions reported following the third (booster) dose administration is similar to that reported following the second dose (p-value=0.305) and considerably greater than that reported following the first dose (p-value<0.001). Our analyses of self-reported well-being indicators as well as the objective heart rate and heart rate variability measures recorded by the smartwatches further support this finding. Focusing on the third dose, reactions were more apparent in younger participants (p-value<0.01), in women (p-value<0.001), and in participants with no underlying medical conditions (p-value<0.001). Nevertheless, reported reactions and changes in physiological measures returned to their baseline levels within three days from inoculation with the third dose.

Limitations

Participants may not adequately represent the vaccinated population in Israel and elsewhere.

Conclusion

Our work further supports the safety of a third COVID-19 BNT162b2 mRNA (booster) vaccine dose from both a subjective and an objective perspective, particularly in individuals 65+ years of age and those with underlying medical conditions.

Primary funding source

European Research Council (ERC) project #949850
Metformin: We need to either put it in our drinking water or rethink how we study it
Authors: Powell Mike , Clark Callahan , Alyakin Anton , Vogelstein Joshua T , Hart Brian
Published: September 2021

STRUCTURED ABSTRACT

Objectives

To expose the potential impact of residual confounding in common observational study designs investigating metformin using a type 2 diabetes cohort; to propose a more robust study design for future observational studies of metformin.

Design

Retrospective cohort studies using a prevalent user design conducted in two distinct cohorts: individuals with type 2 diabetes and individuals with prediabetes.

Setting

Insurance claims database for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries in the United States, 2018-2019. An identical analysis of commercial insurance beneficiaries appears in the supplement.

Participants

404,765 individuals with type 2 diabetes, 81,791 individuals with prediabetes.

Main outcome measures

Total inpatient admission days in 2019, total medical spend (excluding prescription drugs) in 2019. Each of these measures is treated as a binary outcome: greater than zero inpatient days and top 10% medical spend.

Results

We implement a common observational study design and observe a strong metformin effect estimate associated with reduced inpatient admissions and reduced medical expenditures; we also implement a more robust study design that suggests any estimated effect is attributable to residual confounding related to individuals’ overall health.

Conclusions

Common observational study designs examining metformin in a type 2 diabetes population are likely impacted by significant residual confounding. By additionally considering numerous negative control outcomes and a complementary prediabetes cohort, the study design proposed here demonstrates efficacy at exposing residual confounding related to overall health, nullifying the claim derived from a standard study design.

Trial registration

Preregistration available at https://osf.io/qf49p.
The Geography of Chronic Pain in the United States and Canada
Authors: Zajacova Anna , Lee Jinhyung , Grol-Prokopczyk Hanna
Published: September 2021

Our understanding of population pain epidemiology is largely based on national-level analyses. This focus, however, neglects potential cross-national, and especially sub-national, geographic variations in pain, even though geographic comparisons could shed new light on factors that drive or protect against pain. This article presents the first comparative analysis of pain in the U.S. and Canada, comparing the countries in aggregate and analyzing variation across states and provinces. Analyses are based on cross-sectional data collected in 2020 from 2,124 U.S. and 2,110 Canadian adults 18 years and older. Our pain measure is a product of pain frequency and pain-related interference with daily activities. We use regression and decomposition methods to link socioeconomic characteristics and pain, and inverse-distance weighting spatial interpolation to map pain scores. We find significantly and substantially higher pain in the U.S. than in Canada. The difference is accounted for by Americans’ lower economic wellbeing. Additionally, we find variation in pain within countries; the variation is statistically significant across U.S. states. Further, we identify nine hotspot states in the Deep South, Appalachia, and the West where respondents have significantly higher pain than those in the rest of the U.S. or Canada. This excess pain is partly attributable to economic distress, but a large part remains unexplained; we speculate that it may reflect the sociopolitical context of the hotspot states. Overall, our findings identify areas with high need for pain prevention and management; they also other scholars to consider geographic factors as important contributors to population pain.
Protocol: A two-wave cross-sectional study in England investigating suicidal behaviour and self-harm amongst healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic
Authors: Padmanathan Prianka , Lamb Danielle , Scott Hannah , Wessely Simon , Moran Paul
Published: September 2021

Introduction

There have been longstanding concerns regarding an increased risk of suicide amongst healthcare workers. The Covid-19 pandemic has placed an additional burden on staff, yet few studies have investigated the impact of the pandemic on their risk of suicide and self-harm. We aimed to investigate the cumulative incidence, prevalence, and correlates of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and non-suicidal self-injury amongst healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Methods and Analysis

NHS Check is an online survey that was distributed to all staff (clinical and non-clinical), students, and volunteers in 18 NHS Trusts across England during the Covid-19 pandemic. Data collected in wave 1 (collected between April 2020 and January 2021) and wave 2 (collected 6 months after wave 1) will be analysed. The full cohort of wave 1 participants will be weighted to represent the age, sex, ethnicity, and roles profile of the workforce at each Trust, and the weighted prevalence and cumulative incidence of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and non-suicidal self-injury will be described. Two-level random effects logistic regression models will be used to investigate the relationship between suicidal behaviour and self-harm, and demographic characteristics (age, sex, ethnicity) and workplace factors (concerns regarding access to personal protective equipment, re-deployment status, moral injury, confidence around raising and the management of safety concerns, support by supervisors or managers, satisfaction with standard of care provided). Results will be stratified by role (clinical/non-clinical).

Changes in this protocol compared with the original version

All variables describing workplace factors will be analysed as binary variables for consistency.

The responses to two questions on raising, and the management of, safety concerns will be analysed separately rather than combined to minimise loss of information.

Binary suicide-related outcomes will be used in the logistic regression analyses, where the presence of an outcome represents its occurrence within the previous one (wave 2) or two months (wave 1), specifically. This was previously not specified.
The longitudinal kinetics of antibodies in COVID-19 recovered patients over 14 months
Authors: Eyran T. , Vaisman-Mentesh A. , Dror Y. , Aizik L. , Kigel A. , Rosenstein S. , Bahar Y. , Taussig D. , Tur-Kaspa R. , Kournos T. , Markovitch D. , Dicker D. , Wine Y.
Published: September 2021

Here, we describe the longitudinal kinetics of the serological response in COVID-19 recovered patients over the period of 14 months. The antibody kinetics in a cohort of 200 recovered patients with 89 follow up samples at 2-4 visits reveal that RBD-specific antibodies decay over the period of 14 month following the onset of symptoms. The decay rate is associated with the robustness of the response thus, recovered patients that exhibit elevated antibody levels at the first visit, experience faster decay. We further explored the longitudinal kinetics differences between recovered patients and naïve BNT162b2 vaccinees. We found a significantly faster decay in naïve vaccinees compared to recovered patients suggesting that the serological memory following natural infection is more robust compared to vaccination. Our data highlights the differences between serological memory induced by natural infection vs. vaccination, facilitating the decision making in Israel regarding the 3rd dose vaccination.
Association of Vaccine Uptake and COVID-19 Infections among nursing home staff and residents in Missouri, United States
Authors: Scroggins Stephen , Ellis Matthew , Shacham Enbal
Published: September 2021

Nursing homes (NH) continue to struggle with COVID-19 morbidity and mortality with older adult residents at greater risk of infection due to proximity to other residents, advanced aging-related chronic illnesses, and contact with staff. While many states have prioritized COVID-19 vaccinations among older adults, vaccinations among NH staff vary. The purpose of this study was to quantify the relationship between nursing home staff vaccination uptake and COVID-19 infections among residents. A zero-inflated Poisson regression model was constructed to predict the weekly number of COVID-19 cases among Missouri nursing home residents using data from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. A total of 1,124 COVID-19 infections were reported among 504 NH residents between January 1, 2021 and August 22, 2021. After adjusting for number of total residents, resident vaccine rate, staff quality rating, and respective county COVID-19 rate, for every percent increase in nursing home staff vaccine rate the risk of COVID-19 infections significantly decreased by 13% (IRR 0.87, 95% CI 0.81, 0.93). This study identified that NH staff, likely due to greater mobility, are important to prioritize in vaccination efforts to protect themselves and residents of their facilities from COVID-19 infections. Further, the CMS staff ratings were significant predictors of infection as well, which highlight the structural challenges that exist within and outside the context of a highly infectious and deadly pandemic. These results also provide insights to optimizing vaccination roll-out to best protect our communities’ most vulnerable residents.
Demographic changes of a tropical understory bird in naturally patchy montane habitats in southern India
Authors: Robin V. V. , Hines James E. , Nichols James D. , Katti Madhusudan , Sinha Anindya
Published: September 2021

The occurrence, density and survival of a species often depend on various aspects of the habitat that it occupies including patch size and disturbance. The demography of most threatened tropical species largely remain unstudied but could provide valuable information about their biology and insights for their conservation. Our study examined the effect of patch size and disturbance on different demographic parameters of an understory, threatened, endemic bird, the white-bellied shortwing in the tropical biodiversity hotspot of the Western Ghats in India. We sampled eight plots on a sky-island using mist-nets for four years in a ‘Robust design’ mark-recapture framework. Based on model selection using AIC values, the model with survival as a function of disturbance fits the data better than models with abundance or with these parameters modeled as functions of forest patch size. Shortwing density and sex ratio were not different across forest patch sizes or differing disturbance regimes. However, the survival rate of the species significantly decreased with increasing disturbance but was not related to forest patch size. Our study is possibly the first to provide critical baseline information on the demography of a tropical understory species from this region.
Global and regional ecological boundaries drive abrupt changes in avian frugivory interactions
Authors: Martins Lucas P. , Stouffer Daniel B. , Blendinger Pedro G. , Böhning-Gaese Katrin , Buitrón-Jurado Galo , Correia Marta , Costa José Miguel , Dehling D. Matthias , Donatti Camila I. , Emer Carine , Galetti Mauro , Heleno Ruben , Jordano Pedro , Menezes Ícaro , Morante-Filho José Carlos , Muñoz Marcia C. , Neuschulz Eike Lena , Pizo Marco Aurélio , Quitián Marta , Ruggera Roman A. , Saavedra Francisco , Santillán Vinicio , Schleuning Matthias , Pascoal da Silva Luís , Ribeiro da Silva Fernanda , Timóteo Sérgio , Traveset Anna , Vollstädt Maximilian G. R. , Tylianakis Jason M.
Published: September 2021

Species interactions can propagate disturbances across space, though ecological and biogeographic boundaries may limit this spread. We tested whether large-scale ecological boundaries (ecoregions and biomes) and human disturbance gradients increase dissimilarity among ecological networks, while accounting for background spatial and elevational effects and differences in network sampling. We assessed network dissimilarity patterns over a broad spatial scale, using 196 quantitative avian frugivory networks (encompassing 1,496 plant and 1,003 bird species) distributed across 67 ecoregions and 11 biomes. Dissimilarity in species and interactions, but not in network structure, increased significantly across ecoregion and biome boundaries and along human disturbance gradients. Our findings suggest that ecological boundaries contribute to maintaining the world’s biodiversity of interactions and mitigating the propagation of disturbances at large spatial scales.

One-Sentence Summary

Ecoregions and biomes delineate the large-scale distribution of plant-frugivore interactions.
Unique genetic features of the naked mole-rat’s THADA gene
Authors: Banjar Khadijah , Holzmann Carsten , Bullerdiek Jörn
Published: September 2021

Thyroid Adenoma Associated (THADA) is a protein-coding gene that maps to chromosomal band 2p21 and first has been described as a target of recurrent translocation partner in thyroid tumors. Many genome-wide association studies have revealed an association between THADA and two frequent human diseases, i.e. type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome. Nevertheless, the function of its protein is not been completely understood. However, recent evidence suggests that in a Drosophila model THADA can act as a sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA)-interacting protein which uncouples SERCA from this function. Once being uncoupled, SERCA produces an increased amount of heat without transporting calcium thus triggering nonshivering thermogenesis. This data prompted us to compare human THADA with that of 65 other eutherian mammals. This includes a comparison of THADA of a variety of eutherian mammals with that of the naked-mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) which is known to display unique features of thermoregulation compared to other mammals. Our analysis revealed five positions where only the naked-mole rat presented differences. These latter positions included four single amino acid substitutions and one unique deletion of six or seven amino acids, respectively, between residues 858 and 859. In future studies these changes will be analyzed further in detail for their functional relevance.
Functional network topography of the medial entorhinal cortex
Authors: Obenhaus Horst A. , Zong Weijian , Jacobsen R. Irene , Rose Tobias , Donato Flavio , Chen Liangyi , Cheng Heping , Bonhoeffer Tobias , Moser May-Britt , Moser Edvard I.
Published: September 2021

The medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) creates a map of local space, based on the firing patterns of grid, head direction (HD), border, and object-vector (OV) cells. How these cell types are organized anatomically is debated. In-depth analysis of this question requires collection of precise anatomical and activity data across large populations of neurons during unrestrained behavior, which neither electrophysiological nor previous imaging methods fully afford. Here we examined the topographic arrangement of spatially modulated neurons in MEC and adjacent parasubiculum using miniaturized, portable two-photon microscopes, which allow mice to roam freely in open fields. Grid cells exhibited low levels of co-occurrence with OV cells and clustered anatomically, while border, HD and OV cells tended to intermingle. These data suggest that grid-cell networks might be largely distinct from those of border, HD and OV cells and that grid cells exhibit strong coupling among themselves but weaker links to other cell types.

Highlights

- Grid and object vector cells show low levels of regional co-occurrence

- Grid cells exhibit the strongest tendency to cluster among all spatial cell types

- Grid cells stay separate from border, head direction and object vector cells

- The territories of grid, head direction and border cells remain stable over weeks
Analysis of the upper respiratory tract microbiota in mild and severe COVID-19 patients
Authors: Babenko V. , Bakhtyev R. , Baklaushev V. , Balykova L. , Bashkirov P. , Bespyatykh J. , Blagonravova A. , Boldyreva D. , Fedorov D. , Gafurov I. , Gaifullina R. , Galeeva J. , Galova E. , Gospodaryk A. , Ilina E. , Ivanov K. , Kharlampieva D. , Khromova P. , Klimina K. , Kolontarev K. , Kolyshkina N. , Koritsky A. , Kuropatkin V. , Lazarev V. , Manolov A. , Manuvera V. , Matyushkina D. , Morozov M. , Moskaleva E. , Musarova V. , Ogarkov O. , Orlova E. , Pavlenko A. , Petrova A. , Pozhenko N. , Pushkar D. , Rumyantsev A. , Rumyantsev S. , Rumyantsev V. , Rychkova L. , Samoilov A. , Shirokova I. , Sinkov V. , Solovieva S. , Starikova E. , Tikhonova P. , Trifonova G. , Troitsky A. , Tulichev A. , Udalov Y. , Varizhuk A. , Vasiliev A. , Vereshchagin R. , Veselovsky V. , Volnukhin A. , Yusubalieva G. , Govorun V.
Published: September 2021

The microbiota of the respiratory tract remains a relatively poorly studied subject. At the same time, like the intestinal microbiota, it is involved in modulating the immune response to infectious agents in the host organism. A causal relationship between the composition of the respiratory microbiota and the likelihood of development and the severity of COVID-19 may be hypothesized. We analyze biomaterial from nasopharyngeal smears from 336 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, selected during the first and second waves of the epidemic in Russia. Sequences from a similar study conducted in Spain were also included in the analysis. We investigated associations between disease severity and microbiota at the level of microbial community (community types) and individual microbes (differentially represented species). To search for associations, we performed multivariate analysis, taking into account comorbidities, type of community and lineage of the virus. We found that two out of six community types are associated with a more severe course of the disease, and one of the community types is characterized by high stability (very similar microbiota profiles in different patients) and low level of lung damage. Differential abundance analysis with respect to comorbidities and community type suggested association of Rothia and Streptococcus genera representatives with more severe lung damage, and Leptotrichia, unclassified Lachnospiraceae and Prevotella with milder forms of the disease.
Cryo-electron tomography of NLRP3-activated ASC complexes reveals organelle co-localization
Authors: Liu Yangci , Zhai Haoming , Alemayehu Helen , Boulanger Jérôme , Hopkins Lee J. , Borgeaud Alicia C. , Heroven Christina , Howe Jonathan D. , Leigh Kendra E. , Bryant Clare E. , Modis Yorgo
Published: September 2021

NLRP3 induces caspase-1-dependent pyroptotic cell death to drive inflammation. Aberrant activity of NLRP3 occurs in many human diseases. NLRP3 activation induces ASC polymerization into a single, micron-scale perinuclear punctum. Higher resolution imaging of this signaling platform is needed to understand how it induces pyroptosis. Here, we apply correlative cryo-light microscopy and cryo-electron tomography to visualize ASC/caspase-1 in NLRP3-activated cells. The puncta are composed of branched ASC filaments, with a tubular core formed by the pyrin domain. Ribosomes and Golgi-like vesicles permeate the filament network, consistent with roles for these organelles in NLRP3 activation. Mitochondria are not associated with ASC but have outer-membrane discontinuities the same size as gasdermin D pores, consistent with our data showing gasdermin D associates with mitochondria and contributes to mitochondrial depolarization.

One-Sentence Summary

Electron tomography of frozen cells reveals the ultrastructure of ASC specks and gasdermin D pores in adjacent mitochondria.
Unique, shared, and dominant brain activation in Visual Word Form Area and Lateral Occipital Complex during reading and picture naming
Authors: Neudorf Josh , Gould Layla , Mickleborough Marla J. S. , Ekstrand Chelsea , Borowsky Ron
Published: September 2021

Identifying printed words and pictures concurrently is ubiquitous in daily tasks, and so it is important to consider the extent to which reading words and naming pictures may share a cognitive-neurophysiological functional architecture. Two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments examined whether reading along the left ventral occipitotemporal region (vOT; often referred to as a visual word form area, VWFA) has activation that is overlapping with referent pictures (i.e., both conditions significant and shared, or with one significantly more dominant) or unique (i.e., one condition significant, the other not), and whether picture naming along the right lateral occipital complex (LOC) has overlapping or unique activation relative to referent words. Experiment 1 used familiar regular and exception words (to force lexical reading) and their corresponding pictures in separate naming blocks, and showed dominant activation for pictures in the LOC, and shared activation in the VWFA for exception words and their corresponding pictures (regular words did not elicit significant VWFA activation). Experiment 2 controlled for visual complexity by superimposing the words and pictures and instructing participants to either name the word or the picture, and showed primarily shared activation in the VWFA and LOC regions for both word reading and picture naming, with some dominant activation for pictures in the LOC. Overall, these results highlight the importance of including exception words to force lexical reading when comparing to picture naming, and the significant shared activation in VWFA and LOC serves to challenge specialized models of reading or picture naming.
Admp regulates tail bending by controlling ventral epidermal cell polarity via phosphorylated myosin localization
Authors: Kogure Yuki S. , Muraoka Hiromochi , Koizumi Wataru C. , Gelin-alessi Raphaël , Godard Benoit , Oka Kotaro , Heisenberg C. P. , Hotta Kohji
Published: September 2021

The transient but pronounced ventral tail bending is found in many chordate embryos and constitutes an interesting model of how tissue interactions control embryo shape (Lu et al., 2020). Here, we identify one key upstream regulator of ventral tail bending in the ascidian Ciona embryo. We show that during early tailbud stage, ventral epidermal cells exhibit a boat-shaped morphology (boat cell) with a narrow apical surface where phosphorylated myosin (pMLC) accumulated. We further show that interfering with the function of the BMP ligand Admp leads to pMLC localizing to the basal instead of the apical side of ventral epidermal cells and a reduced number of boat cells. Finally, we show that cutting ventral epidermal midline cells at their apex using a ultraviolet laser relaxes ventral tail bending. Based on these results, we propose a novel function for Admp in localizing pMLC to the apical side of ventral epidermal cells, which causes the tail to bend ventrally by resisting antero-posterior notochord extension at the ventral side of the tail.

Summary Statement

Admp is an upstream regulator of tail bending in the chordate Ciona tailbud embryo, determining tissue polarity of the ventral midline epidermis by localizing phosphorylated myosin.
What is unique about the human eye? Comparative image analysis on the external eye morphology of human and nonhuman great apes
Authors: Kano Fumihiro , Furuichi Takeshi , Hashimoto Chie , Krupenye Christopher , Leinwand Jesse G. , Hopper Lydia M. , Martin Christopher F. , Otsuka Ryoma , Tajima Tomoyuki
Published: September 2021

The gaze-signaling hypothesis and the related cooperative-eye hypothesis posit that humans have evolved special external eye morphology, including exposed white sclera (the white of the eye), to enhance the visibility of eye-gaze direction and thereby facilitate conspecific communication through joint-attentional interaction and ostensive communication. However, recent quantitative studies questioned these hypotheses based on new findings that humans are not necessarily unique in certain eye features compared to other great ape species. Therefore, there is currently a heated debate on whether external eye features of humans are distinguished from those of other apes and how such distinguished features contribute to the visibility of eye-gaze direction. This study leveraged updated image analysis techniques to test the uniqueness of human eye features in facial images of great apes. Although many eye features were similar between humans and other species, a key difference was that humans have uniformly white sclera which creates clear visibility of both eye outline and iris –the two essential features contributing to the visibility of eye-gaze direction. We then tested the robustness of the visibility of these features against visual noises such as darkening and distancing and found that both eye features remain detectable in the human eye, while eye outline becomes barely detectable in other species under these visually challenging conditions. Overall, we identified that humans have distinguished external eye morphology among other great apes, which ensures robustness of eye-gaze signal against various visual conditions. Our results support and also critically update the central premises of the gaze-signaling hypothesis.
Luxury goods and their counterfeits in Sub-Saharan Africa: a conceptual model of counterfeit luxury purchase intentions and empirical test
Authors: Sengabira Ndereyimana Charmant , Lau Antonio K.W. , Lascu Dana-Nicoleta , Manrai Ajay K.
Published: September 2021

Purpose

Heeding the call for insights into the Sub-Saharan African international marketing context, this study aims to empirically examine consumers' desires and motivations for buying counterfeit luxury goods. It examines influences on consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions related to counterfeit luxury goods in Rwanda, one of Sub-Saharan Africa's fastest-growing economies and growing luxury markets, developing and testing a model examining the effect of social context on personal attributes, providing evidence on economic and social-status factors as drivers for counterfeiting.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected using an online survey administered in Rwanda to consumers who had previously purchased luxury goods and counterfeits. A total of 312 valid responses were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Findings

This study found that normative and informational influences had a positive effect on Rwandan consumers' attitude toward purchasing counterfeit luxury products, with attitude influencing purchase intentions directly and indirectly, through mediating variable desire for status or through value consciousness and desire for status.

Originality/value

The study contributes to academic research − one of the first empirical studies to examine consumers' desires and motivations for buying counterfeit luxury goods in Sub-Saharan Africa, providing insights that benefit scholars and practitioners seeking to better understand a market where more than half of the world's fastest economies are located.
Integrating road information modeling (RIM) and geographic information system (GIS) for effective utility relocations in infrastructure projects
Authors: Rajadurai R. , Vilventhan Aneetha
Published: September 2021

Purpose

Transportation infrastructure projects are inevitably delayed due to delays in the completion of underground utility relocation. Unfamiliar location, difficulty in utility identification and use of ineffective coordination practices hamper timely completion of utility relocation works. This paper aims to develop integrated road information modeling (RIM) and geographic information system (GIS) models to assist early identification of utilities and effective coordination during utility relocation in infrastructure projects.

Design/methodology/approach

An ethnographic action-based case study research methodology was adopted in this paper. Two ongoing infrastructure projects with significant utility relocation delays are chosen as case studies and integrated RIM-GIS models are developed to assist utility relocation. To verify the applications of developed RIM-GIS models, a focus group discussion was conducted with 10 field experts from the considered case studies.

Findings

The application of the developed RIM-GIS models enabled 3D visualization of existing underground utilities and enabled identification of utility conflicts before the start of the construction. They also enabled facilitating coordination and reduce utility relocation delays. The evaluation of the developed models shows that the RIM-GIS model approach enabled early planning and coordination and facilitates effective management of utility relocations.

Practical implications

The current practices of using CAD and GIS for utility relocations are inadequate due to the difficulties in characterizing utilities and ineffective coordination practices. The proposed RIM-GIS approach can be adopted as a suitable alternative for effective management of utility relocations.

Originality/value

Several studies have contributed toward integrating BIM and GIS for the analysis of highway and utility infrastructure projects. Efforts on integrating RIM and GIS for the support and management of utility relocations in highway and utility infrastructure projects remain unexplored.
Retailer-reseller embeddedness and price-setting in the informal economy
Authors: Uzo Uchenna
Published: September 2021

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how and why retailers and resellers in sample firms of the informal economy set prices and the performance implications for the firm’s pricing efforts.

Design/methodology/approach

The author generated their insights through an inductive qualitative study of four organizations operating within the informal economy in the Nigerian retailing sector.

Findings

The study found that some organizations within the informal economy set prices in different ways i.e. negotiated pricing and fixed pricing. The contracting criteria between the retailers and resellers determine the pricing strategy. Contractual terms based on relational ties between both facilitate negotiated price-setting, while contractual terms based on non-relational ties promote fixed pricing. The type of price-setting arrangement of the sampled retailer relates to the organization’s performance within its industry. Particularly, the study found that retailers that adopted negotiated pricing performed above the industry average for their product category. In contrast, the retailers that adopted fixed pricing performed below the industry average for their product category.

Originality/value

As far as the author knows, this is the first study to investigate pricing methods within the informal economy. This is also the first known study to investigate price-setting arrangements between retailers and resellers within the informal economy. Another unique contribution of this paper is that it is the first study that focuses on pricing interactions among business-to-business firms within the informal economy. The study contributes to the work on relational embeddedness, relational contracting and informal economies.
Capturing the dynamics of small populations: A retrospective assessment using long‐term data for an island reintroduction
Authors: Armstrong Doug P. , Parlato Elizabeth H. , Egli Barbara , Dimond Wendy J. , Berggren Åsa , McCready Mhairi , Parker Kevin A. , Ewen John G.
Published: September 2021

The art of population modelling is to incorporate factors essential for capturing a population's dynamics while otherwise keeping the model as simple as possible. However, it is unclear how optimal model complexity should be assessed, and whether this optimal complexity has been affected by recent advances in modelling methodology. This issue is particularly relevant to small populations because they are subject to complex dynamics but inferences about those dynamics are often constrained by small sample sizes.

We fitted Bayesian hierarchical models to long‐term data on vital rates (survival and reproduction) for the toutouwai Petroica longipes population reintroduced to Tiritiri Matangi, a 220‐ha New Zealand island, and quantified the performance of those models in terms of their likelihood of replicating the observed population dynamics. These dynamics consisted of overall growth from 33 (±0.3) to 160 (±6) birds from 1992–2018, including recoveries following five harvest events for further reintroductions to other sites.

We initially included all factors found to affect vital rates, which included inbreeding, post‐release effects (PRE), density‐dependence, sex, age and random annual variation, then progressively removed these factors. We also compared performance of models where data analysis and simulations were done simultaneously to those produced with the traditional two‐step approach, where vital rates are estimated first then fed into a separate simulation model. Parametric uncertainty and demographic stochasticity were incorporated in all projections.

The essential factors for replicating the population's dynamics were density‐dependence in juvenile survival and PRE, i.e. initial depression of survival and reproduction in translocated birds. Inclusion of other factors reduced the precision of projections, and therefore the likelihood of matching observed dynamics. However, this reduction was modest when the modelling was done in an integrated framework. In contrast, projections were much less precise when done with a two‐step modelling approach, and the cost of additional parameters was much higher under the two‐step approach.

These results suggest that minimization of complexity may be less important than accounting for covariances in parameter estimates, which is facilitated by integrating data analysis and population projections using Bayesian methods.
Editorial
Authors: Chien Patrick
Published: September 2021

Deputy Editor‐in‐Chief, Dr Patrick Chien, discusses his top articles from this issue in an audio podcast available at: https://soundcloud.com/bjog/October‐editorial‐2021
Diagnosis and localization of parathyroid adenomas using 16‐slice SPECT/CT: A clinicopathological correlation
Authors: Sankaran Sharanya J , Davidson Jennifer
Published: September 2021

Introduction

This study aimed to evaluate a new 16‐slice SPECT/CT scanner at Auckland City Hospital for its use in the detection and localization of parathyroid adenomas in patients with primary, secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism. The secondary outcome was to compare findings from SPECT/CT with ultrasound and operative findings.

Methods

One hundred patients who underwent a SPECT/CT scan for primary/secondary/tertiary hyperparathyroidism were included in this study. Of these patients, 45 received surgery. SPECT/CT and ultrasound findings were collated for each patient, and of those who received surgery, operative and pathological findings were compared with those on SPECT/CT.

Results

The sensitivity of diagnosis and localization was 86.5% (95% CI: 71.2–95.5%). Specificity was 25.0% (95% CI: 3.2–65.1%). Comparison between SPECT/CT and ultrasound findings demonstrated a kappa coefficient of 0.203 (95% CI: −0.036 to 0.442), correlating with fair agreement. These figures are in line with other published series.

Conclusion

The SPECT/CT scanner (and associated reporters) at Auckland City Hospital demonstrates high sensitivity in the detection and localization of parathyroid adenomas and is an effective first‐line investigation in patients with primary/secondary/tertiary hyperparathyroidism.
Preterm birth among women with and without severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection
Authors: Blitz Matthew J. , Gerber Rachel P. , Gulersen Moti , Shan Weiwei , Rausch Andrew C. , Prasannan Lakha , Meirowitz Natalie , Rochelson Burton
Published: September 2021

Introduction

Studies directly comparing preterm birth rates in women with and without severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection are limited. Our objective was to determine whether preterm birth was affected by SARS‐CoV‐2 infection within a large integrated health system in New York with a universal testing protocol.

Material and methods

This retrospective cohort study evaluated data from seven hospitals in New York City and Long Island between March 2020 and June 2021, incorporating both the first and second waves of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic in the USA. All patients with live singleton gestations who had SARS‐CoV‐2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing at delivery were included. Deliveries before 20 weeks of gestation were excluded. The rate of preterm birth (before 37 weeks) was compared between patients with positive and negative SARS‐CoV‐2 test results. This analysis was performed separately for resolved prenatal infections and infections at delivery, with the latter group subdivided by symptom status. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and preterm birth, adjusting for maternal age, race‐ethnicity, parity, history of preterm birth, body mass index, marital status, insurance type, medical co‐morbidities, month of delivery, and wave of pandemic.

Results

A total of 31 550 patients were included and 2473 (7.8%) had laboratory‐confirmed infection. Patients with symptomatic COVID‐19 at delivery were more likely to deliver preterm (19.0%; adjusted odds ratio 2.76, 95% CI 1.92–3.88) compared with women with asymptomatic infection (8.8%) or without infection (7.1%). Among preterm births associated with symptomatic infection, 72.5% were medically indicated compared with 44.1% among women without infection (p < 0.001). Risk of preterm birth in patients with resolved prenatal infection was unchanged when compared with women without infection. Among women with infection at delivery, preterm birth occurred more frequently during the second wave compared with the first wave (13.6% vs. 8.7%, respectively; p < 0.006). However, this was not significant on multiple regression analysis after adjusting for other explanatory variables.

Conclusions

Pregnant women with symptomatic COVID‐19 are more than twice as likely to have a preterm delivery than patients without infection. Asymptomatic infection and resolved prenatal infection are not associated with increased risk.
Asbestos Contamination: Governance and Financial Reporting Issues in the Public, Private and Not‐for‐profit Sectors
Authors: McGregor Warren , Potter Brad , Soderstrom Naomi , Stevenson Kevin
Published: September 2021

We explore implications of asbestos for the measurement and reporting of liabilities, assets and expenses by diverse entities. We argue that entities in both public and private sectors are failing to recognise or appropriately measure liabilities related to asbestos and that the implications of asbestos for assets and expenses in financial statements are rarely reported. While we focus on recognition and measurement implications for Australian entities, we also examine relevant requirements in other jurisdictions and for sustainability reporting.
The Maternal Uterus as the Primary Object and its Role in Anxiety
Authors: Kostaras Panagiotis
Published: September 2021

At birth, the newborn loses something that used to surround, protect, support and nurture it. Of course, we cannot yet speak of an object, but rather a part of the self being lost. This article describes how this lost part of the self, namely, the maternal uterus, gradually acquires the qualities of an object that can be represented, symbolized, introjected, projected and divided into good and bad. Its role in anxiety and especially in fears of death are emphasized, providing new possibilities for containing some of our patients' most archaic fears. In such cases, where the primary object is charged with intense feelings of hate, fear and dependence, the analyst may find it difficult to relate to the patient as the Other and be good enough. Moreover, holding may trigger paranoid fears of entrapment. Implications of this concept for psychoanalytic practice are further discussed by including clinical material of two patients, a male and a female, suffering from extreme anxiety and panic attacks.