bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The instrumental role of employee voice in achieving promotability: social influence perspective
Authors: Sibunruang Hataya , Kawai Norifumi
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Drawing upon social influence theory, this study examines employee voice as one potential form of social influence that enables employees to receive positive performance evaluations from their supervisors, further increasing their chances of being promoted to a higher positional level. Importantly, organizational politics as experienced by employees is an important boundary condition that may affect the success of voice in achieving promotability.

Design/methodology/approach

This study obtained data from 218 independent matched subordinate-supervisor dyads from a manufacturing company in Japan. This study utilized the PROCESS macro developed by Hayes (2013) to test moderated mediation hypotheses.

Findings

Employee voice positively predicts employee promotability through supervisors' evaluations of employee task performance, and organizational politics operates as a boundary condition at both the first and second stages of moderation.

Practical implications

By speaking up at work, employees may instill an impression as a highly performing and competent individual in the eyes of their supervisors, thereby increasing their chances of being promoted within their organization. However, it is important to carefully consider the degree of workplace politics before expressing one's voice. For organizations, it is important to ensure that the policies and procedures used to demine promotion decisions are objective.

Originality/value

This study departs from the traditional perspective that voice is primarily used for prosocial reasons by suggesting that voice can also be used for the purpose of promoting personal career objectives.
The impact of COVID-19 on the work–life balance of working mothers: evidence from Nigerian academics
Authors: Akanji Babatunde , Mordi Chima , Ajonbadi Hakeem , Adekoya Olatunji
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Given the limiting gender role conditions arising from the prevalence of patriarchy in Nigeria and the shift to workers staying at home due to the deadly spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), this article aims to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work–life balance of professional mothers using the work–home resources model as a conceptual lens.

Design/methodology/approach

The qualitative data is based on telephone interviews with 28 married female university academics with children.

Findings

The findings reveal that the confinement policies enforced due to the need to combat the spread of COVID-19 and patriarchal norms deeply embedded in the Nigerian culture have exacerbated stress amongst women, who have needed to perform significantly more housework and childcare demands alongside working remotely than they did prior to the pandemic. The thematic analysis showed a loss of personal resources (e.g. time, energy, and income) resulting in career stagnation, health concerns, and increased male chauvinism due to the abrupt and drastic changes shaping the “new normal” lifestyle.

Research limitations/implications

The study relies on a limited qualitative sample size, which makes the generalisation of findings difficult. However, the study contributes to the emerging global discourse on the profound negative consequences of COVID-19 on the lives and livelihoods of millions, with a focus on the stress and work–family challenges confronting women in a society that is not particularly egalitarian – unlike Western cultures.

Originality/value

The article provides valuable insights on how the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected professional working mothers in the sub-Saharan African context, where literature is scarce.
Ecology drives patterns of spectral transmission in the ocular lenses of frogs and salamanders
Authors: Thomas Kate N. , Gower David J. , Streicher Jeffrey W. , Bell Rayna C. , Fujita Matthew K. , Schott Ryan K. , Liedtke H. Christoph , Haddad Célio F. B. , Becker C. Guilherme , Cox Christian L. , Martins Renato A. , Douglas Ron H.
Published: March 2022

The spectral characteristics of vertebrate ocular lenses affect the image of the world that is projected onto the retina, and thus help shape diverse visual capabilities. Here, we tested whether amphibian lens transmission is driven by adaptation to diurnal activity (bright light) and/or scansorial habits (complex visual environments).

Spectral transmission through the lenses of 79 species of frogs and six species of salamanders was measured, and data for 29 additional frog species compiled from published literature. Phylogenetic comparative methods were used to test ecological explanations of variation in lens transmission and to test for selection across traits.

Lenses of diurnal (day‐active) and scansorial (climbing) frogs transmitted significantly less shortwave light than those of non‐diurnal or non‐scansorial amphibians, and evolutionary modelling suggested that these differences have resulted from differential selection.

The presence of shortwave‐transparent lenses was common among the sampled amphibians, which implies that many are sensitive to shortwave light to some degree even in the absence of visual pigments maximally sensitive in the UV. This suggests that shortwave light, including UV, could play an important role in amphibian behaviour and ecology.

Shortwave‐absorbing lens pigments likely provide higher visual acuity to diurnally active frogs of multiple ecologies and to nocturnally active scansorial frogs. This new mechanistic understanding of amphibian visual systems suggests that shortwave‐filtering lenses are adaptive not only in daylight conditions but also in those scotopic conditions where high acuity is advantageous.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Convolution neural network application for first‐break picking for land seismic data
Authors: Loginov Georgy N. , Duchkov Anton A. , Litvichenko Dmitry A. , Alyamkin Sergey A.
Published: March 2022

An automatic and robust algorithm for the first‐break picking is necessary to build the near‐surface velocity model. We propose the algorithm based on a convolution neural network. The introduced first‐break picking strategy and neural network architecture are suited for processing large volumes of seismic exploration data with reasonable computational resources. To develop an optimal neural network topology and architecture, extensive testing was performed. We compared several architectures of neural networks, including one‐ and two‐dimensional approaches. Our tests justify that the one‐dimensional approach (trace‐by‐trace processing) provides the most reliable results in the case of first‐break travel‐time variations typical of complicated near‐surface structures. This study demonstrates that the four‐layered neural network trained on 5,000 traces is enough for robust first‐break picking. The algorithm is evaluated on two land‐acquisition field datasets from West Siberia with a total used size of about 7 million traces. The first dataset is used for training, and the second one is used only for testing. For both datasets, the error between the original and the predicted first breaks is not more than three samples for 95% of traces. The final evaluation is done by a comparison of seismic stacks to prove the benefits of the approach and its robustness for offsets over 600 m. Finally, the influence of choosing the locations for the training dataset is discussed, and a strategy for using the proposed approach in production work is introduced.
History in Public: Power and Process, Harm and Help
Authors: Romein Christel Annemieke , Doak Laura , Parker Hannah , Weston Janet
Published: March 2022

This introductory piece explains the choice of public history as a focus for this special issue of History, and its emphasis on the work of early‐career historians. ‘Public history’ is a notoriously nebulous concept. We outline some of the most common ways in which it is understood, and discuss why we believe that its methods and approaches are of enormous value to all those involved in historical work, whether they would consider themselves to be ‘public historians’ or not. We also introduce the contributions making up the rest of this issue, which features the work of twenty‐five mostly early‐career historians and moves from Greece to England, India, Tobago, the United States, Norway, Northern Ireland, and online. The introduction provides an appetiser for some of the approaches, ideas and struggles emerging from public history, and the richness of this constantly evolving field.
Mobile phones, off‐farm employment and household income in rural India
Authors: Rajkhowa Pallavi , Qaim Matin
Published: March 2022

Rural households in developing countries often depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. However, many also pursue off‐farm economic activities either to complement their farm income or because they lack access to agricultural land. Rural off‐farm employment is often informal and temporary. Searching for jobs can be associated with high transaction costs, which may be a constraint on some households’ participation in off‐farm employment. The increasing spread of mobile phones may help to reduce these transaction costs. Here, we test the hypothesis that mobile phone ownership increases rural households’ participation in off‐farm employment and—through this mechanism—also improves household income. We use nationally representative panel data from rural India and regression models with household fixed effects to control for confounding factors and unobserved heterogeneity. We find that mobile phone ownership is positively associated with the likelihood of participating in various types of off‐farm employment, including casual wage labour, salaried employment and non‐agricultural self‐employment. This association is larger in female‐headed than in male‐headed households. The estimates also show that mobile phone ownership is positively associated with household income, partly channelled through the off‐farm employment mechanism.
Electrolyte profiles with induced hypothermia: A sub study of a clinical trial evaluating the duration of hypothermia after cardiac arrest
Authors: Kirkegaard Hans , Grejs Anders M. , Gudbjerg Simon , Duez Christophe , Jeppesen Anni , Hassager Christian , Laitio Timo , Storm Christian , Taccone Fabio Silvio , Skrifvars Markus B. , Søreide Eldar
Published: February 2022

Background

Electrolyte disturbances can result from targeted temperature treatment (TTM) in out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients. This study explores electrolyte changes in blood and urine in OHCA patients treated with TTM.

Methods

This is a sub‐study of the TTH48 trial, with the inclusion of 310 unconscious OHCA patients treated with TTM at 33°C for 24 or 48 h. Over a three‐day period, serum concentrations were obtained on sodium potassium, chloride, ionized calcium, magnesium and phosphate, as were results from a 24‐h diuresis and urine electrolyte concentration and excretion. Changes over time were analysed with a mixed‐model multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measurements.

Results

On admission, mean ± SD sodium concentration was 138 ± 3.5 mmol/l, which increased slightly but significantly (p < .05) during the first 24 h. Magnesium concentration stayed within the reference interval. Median ionized calcium concentration increased from 1.11 (IQR 1.1–1.2) mmol/l during the first 24 h (p < .05), whereas median phosphate concentration dropped to 1.02 (IQR 0.8–1.2) mmol/l (p < .05) and stayed low. During rewarming, potassium concentrations increased, and magnesium and ionizes calcium concentration decreased (p < .05). Median 24‐h diuresis results on days one and two were 2198 and 2048 ml respectively, and the electrolyte excretion mostly stayed low in the reference interval.

Conclusions

Electrolytes mostly remained within the reference interval. A temporal change occurred in potassium, magnesium and calcium concentrations with TTM’s different phases. No hypothermia effect on diuresis was detected, and urine excretion of electrolytes mostly stayed low.
Improved 60‐day survival but impaired general health in Swedish ICU‐COVID patients: An ambidirectional population‐based study
Authors: Forsberg Gustaf , Berg Sören , Divanoglou Anestis , Levi Richard , Ekqvist David , Östholm Balkhed Åse , Niward Katarina
Published: February 2022

Background

Survival among critically ill COVID‐19 patients varies between countries and time periods. Mortality rates up to 60% have been reported in intensive care units (ICUs). Standard‐of‐care has evolved throughout the pandemic. The purpose of the study was to explore management and mortality of COVID‐19 ICU‐patients during the first pandemic wave and assess their post‐ICU health status.

Methods

We conducted an exploratory observational ambidirectional population‐based study of ICU‐patients with COVID‐19 in a Swedish county during 1 March‐30 June 2020. Primary outcome was 60‐day mortality with secondary outcomes including treatments, complications, self‐reported general health and dyspnoea post‐discharge. Patients were consecutively divided into equal tertiles with cut‐offs on April 4 and April 20, 2020, to analyse time trends.

Results

One hundred patients, median age was 63 years, were included, and 60‐day mortality rate was 22%. Ninety‐one percent had moderate/severe ARDS and 88% required mechanical ventilation. In the first tertile of patients 60‐day mortality was 33%, declining to 15% and 18% in the following two. This reduction paralleled increased use of thromboprophylaxis, less steep rise of treated ICU‐patients per day and expanded ICU resources. Four months post‐discharge, 63% of survivors reported self‐assessed decline in general health retrospectively compared to prior COVID‐19.

Conclusions

In this cohort, the initial 60‐day mortality quickly declined, despite continuous admittance of critically ill patients. This was parallel to adaptation to increased workload and more intense thromboembolic prophylaxis. A majority of survivors reported declined general health four months after discharge. Further studies on long‐term health status of ICU‐survivors are indicated.
Calcium hydroxide and niobium pentoxide treatment effects before MTA placement
Authors: Sankeerthana Kolli , Karthikeyan Kittappa , Mahalaxmi Sekar
Published: March 2022

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of calcium hydroxide (CH) and niobium pentoxide (NP) pretreatment on pH, dentin microhardness and sealing of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA; Angelus). The pH of CH, NP and CH–NP (3:1) was evaluated in neutral and acidic simulated tissue fluid over 28 days. The Vickers microhardness was measured in forty 4 mm coronal root slices filled with pretreatment materials stored in medium for 1, 7, 28 days. Forty 10 mm roots were packed with pretreatment materials, irrigated after 24 h, then a 3 mm MTA plug was placed. Sealing ability was evaluated after 7 days using fluid filtration method. Statistics was performed using ANOVA and post hoc Tukey HSD tests. Addition of NP to CH maintained the alkalinity of CH, increased the microhardness of root dentin and reduced the microleakage. CH–NP can be effectively used as a pretreatment medicament in root canals requiring placement of MTA under acidic conditions.
Syndromic male subfertility: A network view of genome–phenome associations
Authors: Mikec Špela , Kolenc Živa , Peterlin Borut , Horvat Simon , Pogorevc Neža , Kunej Tanja
Published: February 2022

Background

Male infertility is a disorder of the reproductive system with a highly complex genetic landscape. In most cases, the reason for male infertility remains unknown; however, the importance of genetic abnormalities in the diagnosis of subfertility/infertility is becoming increasingly recognized. Several syndromes include impaired male fertility in the clinical picture, although a comprehensive analysis of genetic causes of the syndromology perspective of male reproduction is not yet available.

Objectives

(1) To develop a catalog of syndromes and corresponding genes associated with impaired male fertility and (2) to visualize an up‐to‐date genome–phenome network of syndromic male subfertility.

Materials and methods

Published literature was retrieved from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, Orphanet, Human Phenotype Ontology and PubMed databases using keywords “male infertility,” “syndrome,” “gene,” and “case report”; time period from 1980 to September, 2021. Retrieved data were organized as a catalog and complemented with identification numbers of syndromes (MIM ID) and genes (Gene ID). The genome–phenome network and the phenome network were visualized using Cytoscape and Gephi software platforms. Protein–protein interaction analysis was performed using STRING tool.

Results

Retrieved syndromes were presented as (1) a catalog containing 63 syndromes and 93 associated genes, (2) a genome–phenome network including CHD7 and WT1 genes and Noonan and Kartagener syndromes, and (3) a phenome network including 63 syndromes, and 25 categories of clinical features.

Discussion

The developed catalog will contribute to the advances and translational impact toward understanding the factors of syndromic male infertility. Visualized networks provide simple, flexible tools for clinicians and researchers to quickly generate hypotheses and gain a deeper understanding of underlying mechanisms affecting male reproduction.

Conclusion

Recognition of the significance of genome–phenome visualization as part of network medicine can help expedite efforts toward unravelling molecular mechanisms and enable advances personal/precision medicine of male reproduction and other complex traits.
Thrombus formation at the inflow cannula of continuous‐flow left ventricular assist devices—A systematic analysis
Authors: Kaufmann Friedrich , Hörmandinger Christoph , Knosalla Christoph , Falk Volkmar , Potapov Evgenij
Published: March 2022

Background

Despite numerous design iterations, thrombus formation at the inflow cannula of continuous‐flow left ventricular assist devices remains an unsolved problem. We systematically investigated the impact of cannula surface on thrombus formation.

Methods

Thrombus appearance was photographically documented in 177 explanted hearts with the polished (N = 46) or sintered (N = 131) inflow cannula of the Medtronic HeartWare™ HVAD™ System. Thrombus load was compared for both inflow cannula types. Mean thrombus length was correlated with protruding cannula length. Support duration and the extent of thrombus growth were examined. The prevalence of thrombi at the left ventricular entry site and at the sintered‐to‐polished transition zone was correlated with left ventricular geometry and hemodynamic parameters.

Results

Polished inflow cannulas showed a greater percentage and also a greater mean length of thrombus formation at the entry site than sintered cannulas (91.3% [Pol] vs. 36.7% [sTi]; p < 0.0001; mean 7.6 mm vs. 1.9 mm; p < 0.0001). A comparison of the early postoperative period (POD1‐90) with long‐term support (POD>90) showed an increase in thrombus length originating from the transition zone (1.96 ± 3.41 mm vs. 3.03 ± 2.91 mm; p = 0.013).

Conclusions

A sintered titanium surface at the entry site is crucial to enable anchoring of myocardial tissue to the cannula. As thrombus growth progresses on polished surfaces, a greater sintered length seems to be beneficial. After an initial three‐month healing period, thrombus load appears to decline during prolonged support duration at the sintered entry site but not at the transition zone.
Leveraging a Surrogate Outcome to Improve Inference on a Partially Missing Target Outcome
Authors: McCaw Zachary R. , Gaynor Sheila M. , Sun Ryan , Lin Xihong
Published: February 2022

Sample sizes vary substantially across tissues in the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project, where considerably fewer samples are available from certain inaccessible tissues, such as the substantia nigra (SSN), than from accessible tissues, such as blood. This severely limits power for identifying tissue-specific expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) in undersampled tissues. Here we propose Surrogate Phenotype Regression Analysis (Spray) for leveraging information from a correlated surrogate outcome (eg, expression in blood) to improve inference on a partially missing target outcome (eg, expression in SSN). Rather than regarding the surrogate outcome as a proxy for the target outcome, Spray jointly models the target and surrogate outcomes within a bivariate regression framework. Unobserved values of either outcome are treated as missing data. We describe and implement an expectation conditional maximization algorithm for performing estimation in the presence of bilateral outcome missingness. Spray estimates the same association parameter estimated by standard eQTL mapping and controls the type I error even when the target and surrogate outcomes are truly uncorrelated. We demonstrate analytically and empirically, using simulations and GTEx data, that in comparison with marginally modeling the target outcome, jointly modeling the target and surrogate outcomes increases estimation precision and improves power.
The persistence and evolutionary consequences of vestigial behaviours
Authors: Rayner Jack G. , Sturiale Samantha L. , Bailey Nathan W.
Published: February 2022

Behavioural traits are often noted to persist after relaxation or removal of associated selection pressure, whereas it has been observed that morphological traits under similar conditions appear to decay more rapidly. Despite this, persistent non‐adaptive, ‘vestigial’ behavioural variation has received little research scrutiny. Here we review published examples of vestigial behavioural traits, highlighting their surprising prevalence, and argue that their further study can reveal insights about the widely debated role of behaviour in evolution. Some vestigial behaviours incur fitness costs, so may act as a drag on adaptive evolution when that adaptation occurs via trait loss or reversal. In other cases, vestigial behaviours can contribute to future evolutionary trajectories, for example by preserving genetic and phenotypic variation which is later co‐opted by selection during adaptive evolution or diversification, or through re‐emergence after ancestral selection pressures are restored. We explore why vestigial behaviours appear prone to persistence. Behavioural lag may be a general phenomenon arising from relatively high levels of non‐genetic variation in behavioural expression, and pleiotropic constraint. Long‐term persistence of non‐adaptive behavioural traits could also result when their expression is associated with morphological features which might be more rapidly lost or reduced. We propose that vestigial behaviours could provide a substrate for co‐option by novel selective forces, and advocate further study of the fate of behavioural traits following relaxed and reversed selection. Vestigial behaviours have been relatively well studied in the context of antipredator behaviours, but they are far from restricted to this ecological context, and so deserve broader consideration. They also have practical importance, with mixed evidence, for example, as to whether predator/parasite‐avoidance behaviours are rapidly lost in wildlife refuges and captivity. We identify important areas for future research to help determine whether vestigial behaviours essentially represent a form of evolutionary lag, or whether they have more meaningful evolutionary consequences distinct from those of other vestigial and behavioural traits.
Administrative data linkage in Canada: Implications for sociological research
Authors: Yoshida Yoko , Haan Michael , Schaffer Scott
Published: March 2022

This paper explores some of the implications that administrative data, defined as data initially collected for purposes other than research, will have for Sociology. Although administrative data are “found” rather than “made” and, in turn, pose several challenges, we argue that the potential of these data warrant the investment, and may lead to a new methodological imagination that can shed a light on time‐tested concepts and advance our understanding of society. We show that it is already possible to advance several sociological debates through the use of administrative data and demonstrate the potential of these data through some examples drawn from classical sociological theory. We conclude by arguing that administrative data's potential will likely ensure that it becomes an important component of sociological research agendas in the coming years.
Transforming an Adjacency Graph into Dimensioned Floorplan Layouts
Authors: Bisht Sumit , Shekhawat Krishnendra , Upasani Nitant , Jain Rahil N. , Tiwaskar Riddhesh Jayesh , Hebbar Chinmay
Published: March 2022

In recent times, researchers have proposed several approaches for building floorplans using parametric/generative design, shape grammars, machine learning, AI,etc. This paper aims to demonstrate a mathematical approach for the automated generation of floorplan layouts. Mathematical formulations warrant the fulfilment of all input user constraints, unlike the learning‐based methods present in the literature. Moreover, the algorithms illustrated in this paper are robust, scalable and highly efficient, generating thousands of floorplans in a few milliseconds.

We present G2PLAN, a software based on graph‐theoretic and linear optimization techniques, that generates all topologically distinct floorplans with different boundary rooms in linear time for given adjacency and dimensional constraints. G2PLAN builds on the work of GPLAN and offers solutions to a wider range of adjacency relations (one‐connected, non‐triangulated graphs) and better dimensioning customizability. It also generates a catalogue of dimensionless as well as dimensioned floorplans satisfying user requirements.
Ridge preservation in molar sites comparing xenograft versus mineralized freeze‐dried bone allograft: A randomized clinical trial
Authors: Abellán Desire , Barallat Lucía , Vilarrasa Javi , Cabezas Manuel , Pascual La Rocca Andrés , Valles Cristina , Nart José
Published: February 2022

Objectives

The main objective of the study was to compare the dimensional ridge changes and the histological composition after the use of an allograft or xenograft and a resorbable membrane in ridge preservation in molar sites and to evaluate the influence of bone plate thickness on dimensional changes and the need of lateral sinus augmentation following ridge preservation.

Materials and methods

Twenty‐four patients in need of maxillary or mandibular first or second molar extraction and subsequent implant placement were included and randomly assigned to a group; allograft or xenograft, plus a collagen membrane. Cone‐beam computed tomographies were obtained after molar extraction and after 5 months. A bone sample was harvested at the time of implant placement and analyzed by histomorphometry.

Results

Bone ridge was reduced significantly. Major changes in width occurred at 1 mm from the bone crest (−2.93 ± 2.28 mm) (p = .0002), while in height, the greatest reduction occurred at the buccal area (−1.97 ± 2.21 mm) (p = .0006). However, differences between groups were not significant. Thicker buccal bone plates exhibited less bone remodeling, while histologically, both biomaterials resulted in similar tissue composition. The resulting available bone height in the implant site measured 7.30 ± 3.53 mm initially and 6.8 ± 3.61 mm after 5 months which allowed implant placement without the need for lateral sinus augmentation in all cases. Still, 55% of the preserved areas needed transcrestal sinus lift.

Conclusion

Ridge preservation in molar sites using a mineralized allograft or xenograft provides similar dimensional and histomorphometrical results after 5 months.
The relationship between colour harmony and colour emotions—using two‐colour combinations applied on 3D colour configuration
Authors: Lee Wen‐Yuan , Gong Shi‐Min
Published: March 2022

Both studies on colour emotion and colour harmony have been developed for many years. For designers, creating harmonious colour combinations that satisfy specific colour emotions has always been designers' pursuit. However, most of the studies used flat colour combinations and lacked the discussion of the influence of three‐dimensional (3D) colour configuration on colour emotions and harmony. This study used the two‐colour combinations applied to the 3D colour configuration to explore the relationship between colour emotions and colour harmony, intending to enhance designers' insights on the colour schemes. The multi‐dimensional scaling was used to obtain the perceptual map, giving an overview of the relationships among colour emotions, colour harmony, and colour scheme techniques. The results showed that the emotion scales of “warm–cool”, “soft–hard” and “heavy–light” are similar. The scales of “complex–simple”, “active–passive” and “warm–cool” can be used to predict colour harmony. The harmonious colour combinations come along with “simple”, “passive” and “warm” emotions.
A cyanine‐based dual‐modal probe for fluorimetric detection of mercury ion and colorimetric sensing of pH
Authors: Li Yanjie , Qi Youguo , Xu Zhenxiang , Song Yanxi , Li Hongqi , Zhang Jian , Tang Junjie , Zhou Jun
Published: March 2022

A fluorescent probe derived from cyanine‐rhodanine conjugate was developed for dual detection of mercury (Hg2+) ion and pH. Addition of Hg2+ ion to the weakly fluorescent probe solution in dimethyl sulphoxide/water (DMSO/H2O, 7:3, v/v) induced discernible colour change and fluorescence enhancement while other metal cations including Li+, Na+, K+, Ag+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Zn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, Sr2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Al3+, Cr3+ and Fe3+ did not cause obvious change in colour and fluorescence emission. The detection limit of the probe toward Hg2+ ion is 1.61 × 10−7 M. The probe also exhibited remarkable pH‐responsive effect. It acts as a dual chromogenic and spectroscopic probe for determining different pH scales over a wide range of pH 1.0–14.0: bright yellow with maximum wavelength (λmax) 416 nm for pH 1.0–2.0, orange with λmax 470 nm for pH 3.0–9.0, and pale yellow with λmax below 400 nm for pH 10.0–14.0. Plausible sensing mechanisms of the probe toward Hg2+ ion and pH have been proposed.
The role of cytology in the investigation and management of pancreatobiliary lesions with a transition towards a standardised reporting system: An institutional perspective
Authors: Hanks Matthew , Ryder Stephen , Zaitoun Abed
Published: March 2022

Pancreatobiliary pathology encompasses all benign and malignant disease within the pancreas and biliary tract; pancreatic cancer is currently the seventh leading cause of death worldwide accounting for approximately 466,000 deaths per annum. Cytology has been increasingly used in the physician's toolbox to provide an accurate, non‐invasive and cost‐effective modality for the diagnosis of pancreatobiliary lesions. The cytological appearance alone may be insufficient to establish the diagnosis and it is crucial for effective clinicopathological correlation in a multidisciplinary setting, highlighting the vital role of the pathologist to ensure effective and quality care. The advent of modern diagnostic techniques has allowed for a less invasive approach to tissue sampling which when combined with routine staining and specialised immunohistochemistry can help guide the diagnosis. The Papanicolaou classification is comparable to the current C1–C5 system which will enable standardised reporting to help improve communication with clinical colleagues and subsequent patient management, and our article discusses the criteria used by cytopathologists to determine the grade of both pancreatic and biliary lesions.
Online HIV/STI Risk Test (ORT): A prospective cross‐sectional study among sexually active individuals in Germany
Authors: Skaletz‐Rorowski Adriane , Potthoff Anja , Nambiar Sandeep , Basilowski Miriam , Wach Janet , Kayser Arne , Kasper Andre , Brockmeyer Norbert H.
Published: February 2022

Background: Our goal was to develop and evaluate an anonymous self‐administrable web‐based test to determine risk for HIV/STI.

Methods: The Online HIV/STI Risk Test was developed and hosted since 12/2017. 11,529 participants completed the test and 10,668 were analyzed. The test included multiple choice questions about sociodemographic data, sexuality, sexual risk behavior, HIV/STI testing. Participant data was stratified by gender and sexuality and analyzed.

Results: 84.5 % were aged 18–39, 7.5 % < 18 and 8.1 % > 40. Males were 53.1 %, female 46.3 % and trans 0.6 %. 12.5 % were men who have sex with men (MSM). 59.1 % and 66.0 % of participants were vaccinated for hepatitis A and B respectively, but 75.1 % unvaccinated for HPV. Prior and repeated instances of HIV or other STI were higher among MSM. Yet, 61.4 % females, 70 % males and 55.4 % MSM had never tested for an STI. Although prevalence of > 3 sexual partners in the last twelve months was highest among MSM, condomless sex was greater among women. 34.5 % of males, 25.6 % of females, and 75 % of MSM engaged in anal sex respectively.

Conclusions: The online HIV/STI Risk Test is a useful tool to acquire data on STI risk‐behavior for strategizing STI prevention, testing, and vaccination, thus improving sexual health.
Cutaneous Angiosarcomas: Molecular Pathogenesis Guides Novel Therapeutic Approaches
Authors: Goerdt Lea V. , Schneider Stefan W. , Booken Nina
Published: February 2022

Cutaneous angiosarcoma (CAS) is a highly aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis. Primary, spontaneous CAS (pCAS) and secondary, post‐irradiation‐ or lymphedema‐associated CAS (sCAS) are clinically, but also molecularly distinct. Myc amplification/overexpression is a characteristic, although not exclusive feature of sCAS, while loss of TP53 selectively occurs in pCAS. Detailed molecular analyses with modern multi‐omics approaches have revealed that both pCAS and sCAS exhibit considerable molecular heterogeneity. Affected genes and their molecular regulators including a plethora of microRNAs may serve as future drug targets. Furthermore, pCAS could be subdivided into clusters with high tumor mutational burden and/or high tumor inflammation signatures providing a rationale for the stratification of pCAS patients in future immunotherapeutic clinical studies. Development of novel treatment regimens guided by these molecular alterations, however, cannot fully keep up with the pace of their discovery due to the low incidence of the disease. Nevertheless, beyond conventional surgery and chemoradiotherapy, clinical trials investigating novel treatment options have been initiated including targeted therapies against VEGF and VEGFR1–3 such as bevacizumab and pazopanib, and β‐adrenoreceptor blockers such as propranolol. Finally, immunotherapies are being developed including immune checkpoint inhibitors pembrolizumab and nivolumab as well as anti‐RANKL antibody denosumab.
Effectiveness and safety of teneligliptin added to patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled by oral triple combination therapy: A multicentre, randomized, double‐blind, and placebo‐controlled study
Authors: Lee Minyoung , Lee Woo‐je , Kim Jae Hyeon , Lee Byung‐Wan
Published: March 2022

Aim

To investigate the effectiveness and safety of teneligliptin over placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) inadequately controlled by triple therapy.

Materials and Methods

This trial was a prospective, multicentre, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study. The 12‐week double‐blind period was followed by a 12‐week, open‐label clinical trial. One hundred patients with T2D who failed to achieve the glycaemic target (7.1% ≤ HbA1c ≤ 9.0%) with conventional triple oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) of metformin, sulphonylurea, and sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitor were assigned randomly 1:1 into teneligliptin and placebo‐teneligliptin groups. The primary endpoint was mean change in HbA1c level from baseline in each group at 12 weeks.

Results

For a total of 99 patients (n = 51 for the teneligliptin group, and n = 48 for the placebo‐teneligliptin group), the mean age and duration of diabetes were 60.7 and 13.6 years, respectively, and HbA1c was 7.8% at baseline. At 12 weeks, the teneligliptin group achieved a significant reduction in HbA1c from baseline (−0.9% ± 0.6%, P < .001), with an intergroup difference of −0.75% compared with the placebo group (95% CI [–0.99%, –0.51%], P < .001). At the end of the 24‐week treatment period, both groups showed significant reductions in HbA1c level from baseline (placebo‐teneligliptin group, –0.8% ± 0.6% [P < .001], teneligliptin group, –0.9% ± 0.6% [P < .001]), without significant intergroup difference (−0.17%, 95% CI [−0.41%, 0.07%], P = .156). There was no significant difference between the groups in the rate of adverse events (placebo‐teneligliptin group, n = 3 [6.3%]; teneligliptin group, n = 11 [11.1%]; P = .550), and the safety profiles were favourable in both groups.

Conclusions

The current study shows that teneligliptin could be a valid option as a fourth OAD for the treatment of patients with T2D inadequately controlled with a triple combination of OADs.
Evaluation of the left ventricular systolic strain in hypocalcemic infants with two‐dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography
Authors: Aboelata Shaimaa , Elmarsafawy Hala , Atwa Mohamed A. , Wahba Yahya
Published: February 2022

Introduction: Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) is a new emerging method for evaluation of the cardiac systolic performance. We characterized left ventricular (LV) systolic functions of hypocalcemic infants, and assessed the effects of calcium and vitamin D supplementations on LV systolic functions using two‐dimensional STE.

Patients and Methods: A prospective controlled study was conducted in Mansoura University Children's Hospital, Egypt from 2015 to 2018 including 88 hypocalcemic infants (patient group) and 30 healthy controls. We subdivided the patient group into vitamin D deficiency group (n = 32) and normal vitamin D group (n = 56). All infants were investigated for serum phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and 25‐hydroxy vitamin D levels. Both patients and controls were initially evaluated for LV systolic functions using two‐dimensional STE. After correction of hypocalcemia and vitamin D deficiency, reevaluation of LV systolic functions was done for the patient group.

Results: LV systolic strains were lower in the patient group than controls (p < .001). After recovery of hypocalcemia of the patients, we reported significant improvement of strains and significant reductions of the end‐diastolic and end‐systolic volumes of the left ventricle (p < .001). Global longitudinal and circumferential strains were lower in patients with vitamin D deficiency than patients with normal vitamin D levels (p < .001). The LV systolic strain improved after correction of vitamin D deficiency and hypocalcemia (p < .001).

Conclusion: Two‐dimensional STE could detect and follow up early LV systolic dysfunction in infants with hypocalcemia and vitamin D deficiency.
Climatic niche lability but growth form conservatism in the African woody flora
Authors: Gorel Anaïs‐Pasiphaé , Hardy Olivier J. , Dauby Gilles , Dexter Kyle G. , Segovia Ricardo A. , Steppe Kathy , Fayolle Adeline
Published: March 2022

Climatic niche evolution during the diversification of tropical plants has received little attention in Africa. To address this, we characterised the climatic niche of >4000 tropical African woody species, distinguishing two broad bioclimatic groups (forest vs. savanna) and six subgroups. We quantified niche conservatismversuslability at the genus level and for higher clades, using a molecular phylogeny of >800 genera. Although niche stasis at speciation is prevalent, numerous clades individually cover vast climatic spaces suggesting a general ease in transcending ecological limits, especially across bioclimatic subgroups. The forest biome was the main source of diversity, providing many lineages to savanna, but reverse shifts also occurred. We identified clades that diversified in savanna after shifts from forest. The forest‐savanna transition was not consistently associated with a growth form change, though we found evolutionarily labile clades whose presence in forest or savanna is associated respectively with climbing or shrubby species diversification.
Evolutionary and ecological patterns of scatter‐ and larder‐hoarding behaviours in rodents
Authors: Zhang Yongjun , Yu Fei , Yi Xianfeng , Zhou Weiwei , Liu Rui , Holyoak Marcel , Cao Lin , Zhang Mingming , Chen Jiani , Zhang Zhibin , Yan Chuan
Published: March 2022

Scatter‐ and larder hoarding are the primary strategies of food‐hoarding animals and have important implications for plant‐animal interactions and plant recruitment. However, their origins and influencing factors have not been fully investigated across a wide range of taxa. Our systematic literature search amassed data for 183 seed‐hoarding rodent species worldwide and tested relationships of seed‐hoarding behaviours with phylogenetic signal, functional traits and environmental factors. We found that the evolution of hoarding strategies was not random in phylogeny, and scatter hoarding originated independently multiple times from larder hoarding. Rodents with higher encephalisation quotient (relative brain size), omnivorous diet (related to dependence on seeds) and inhabiting lower latitudes were disproportionately likely to scatter hoard. Despite body mass’s potential relationship with competition through food defence, it was associated with food‐hoarding strategy only in a few families. Our results show the need to study the community and ecological context of food‐hoarding behaviours.
Comparability of microbiota of swabbed and spit saliva
Authors: Kaan Amke Marije , Brandt Bernd W , Buijs Mark J , Crielaard Wim , Keijser Bart JF , Zaura Egija
Published: February 2022

In general, saliva is used for microbiota analysis in longitudinal studies, and several collection methods are being used. Using a robust sample collection procedure is important, as it may influence salivary composition. This study explored the comparability of the microbiota of swabbed and spit saliva. Twenty‐two females participated in this cross‐sectional study. The bacterial composition of the three saliva samples (swab collected by the participant (SW‐P), swab collected by the researcher (SW‐R), and spit (SP) was assessed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The bacterial composition of the swabbed and the spit saliva was significantly different irrespective of the operator, and Shannon diversity was significantly higher in spit saliva than in SW‐P and SW‐R. The salivary microbiota of spit and swabbed adult saliva differs significantly. Research on microbial composition therefore requires collection of similar saliva sample types in all study participants.
Dental health care for children with Down syndrome: Parents’ description of their children's needs in dental health care settings
Authors: Stensson Malin , Norderyd Johanna , Van Riper Marcia , Marks Luc , Björk Maria
Published: February 2022

A visit to the dental clinic may be challenging for a child with Down syndrome due to medical and oral health problems as well as communication problems. The aim of the present study was to explore how parents of children with Down syndrome describe their child's needs in the dental health care setting. In a survey concerning parental experiences with dental health care in Sweden, free comments were analysed with content analysis and resulted in five categories: “Need for continuity of care in dental health care”; “Need for dental health care professionals to have knowledge and expertise in caring for children with Down syndrome and other disabilities”; “Need for dental health care professionals to use a caring approach with children with Down syndrome”; “Need for the child with Down syndrome to be prepared to participate in their dental health care visit” and “Need for the child with Down syndrome to be given the same rights as typically developing children”. To support children with Down syndrome in an optimal way, dental health care needs to be tailored to meet the child's unique needs. In addition, dental health care professionals need knowledge of and expertise in the care of children with Down syndrome.
Seeing the person before the teeth: A realist evaluation of a dental anxiety service in Norway
Authors: Bryne Emilie , Hean Sarah Catherine Patricia Duff , Evensen Kjersti Berge , Bull Vibeke Hervik
Published: February 2022

Patients with a trauma history, whether sexual abuse or torture, or dental phobia, tend to avoid dental services due to severe dental anxiety. Subsequently, they experience poor oral health, lower quality of life, and poorer general health. In Norway, a specific service (torture, abuse, and dental anxiety [TADA]) targets these patients’ dental anxiety through cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) prior to dental restoration. By exploring patients’ experiences with TADA services using a realist evaluation approach, this paper aims to increase our understanding of how this type of service addresses patients’ dental anxiety in terms of its mechanisms and contextual factors. Interviews with TADA patients (n = 15) were analysed through a template analysis driven by context‐mechanism‐outcome heuristics. The analysis revealed that patients value a dental practitioner who provides a calm and holistic approach, positive judgements and predictability elements that lean towards a person‐centred care approach. Provided this, patients felt understood and cared for, their shame was reduced, self‐esteem emerged, and control was gained, which led to alleviation of dental anxiety. Therefore, our findings suggest that combining CBT with a person‐centred care approach helps alleviate patients’ dental anxiety. This provides insights into how dental services could be executed for these patients.
Tracing intuitive judgement of experts in fish stock assessment data
Authors: Schuch Esther , Richter Andries
Published: February 2022

Scientific advice is increasingly used to inform policy. Often, experts are asked to give advice when stakes are high, time pressure is severe and uncertainty looms. In such environments, decisions may be guided by instincts and priors, rather than reason. Yet, the extent of these intuitive judgements is unknown. We use a database of fish stock assessments to detect and quantify the systematic tendency to put too much weight on previous information, known as anchoring, in scientific advice. By exploiting exogenous variation in procedures and possibilities to vary model assumptions, we find consistent evidence for intuitive judgement. We find that anchoring is strongest if model choices are flexible and the fish stock is in crisis, potentially increasing pressure and stakes. By providing advice that is biased towards previous results, the stock assessments may be more robust but may also give a false sense of security as more drastic changes may go undetected.